Wonderbox Metal

Trenchrot – Necronomic Warfare (Review)

Straight off this is easily identifiable as Old-School Death Metal from these US bruisers. All of the trademark signatures are in place – fans of Obituary, Bolt Thrower and more modern war-themed bands like Hail of Bullets should feel right at home here.

This is mainly, (but not always), mid-paced and takes no prisoners. The feeling of an endless battlefield covered in the corpses of countless forgotten enemies pervades this release, as does the feeling of belonging to an earlier age of Metal. This is Old-School to the core with an even Older-School album cover.

This kind of retro-Death Metal can sound stale if handled incorrectly, but Trenchrot know their weapons and pick only the best and most destructive from the armoury. Clearly passionate about what they do, I can’t help but get swept along with the Death Metal mayhem contained within Necronomic Warfare – the heavy, thick tone of the guitars; the agonised, hoarse, barkings of the singer as he rallies the troops for another offensive; the firm pounding of the drums that lead the willing to war; the wailing, emphatic solos that inspire and rouse. It’s all very stirring.

A thoroughly enjoyable release perfect for charging headstrong into the melee. A snapshot of a time when being Death Metal was enough, and no add-ons or exaggerations to the sound were needed.

As the band say themselves –

“TrenchRot make music within the stricture of two rules:
1. Play Death Metal
2. Crush posers”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Derogatory – Above All Else (Review)

An unexpectedly melodic intro sets the scene for the start of this USDM album by Derogatory. Once this is over it’s straight into the blasting, although this soon tapers off and reveals a band that are capable of varying their speed rather than always going for the most brutal option of smothering everything in blastbeats.

This album is full of Old-School Death Metal in the 90’s US style, and as such you can hear the influence of bands such as Deicide and Morbid Angel being channelled into Above All Else.

Double bass, solos, thick guitars and deep growls pepper this release in all the right places, and the songs are simple-but-effective and provide that Death Metal fix that obsessive fans of the genre crave on a daily basis.

The sound of the album is the main weak spot – it’s perfectly workman-like, but I feel the songs could be allowed to breathe better with a more coherent production. It doesn’t sound bad but it could sound better. Ultimately this doesn’t detract from the songs too much and is more of a “note for next time”.

At 9 tracks and 39 minutes, this is a pleasant romp through 90’s Death Metal that will more than satisfy fans of this genre.

Church of Disgust – Unworldly Summoning (Review)

After a perfunctory intro we’re into the album proper. The first thing that strikes the listener is the powerful sound – thick, heavy guitars and drums that drop like a hammer. This band play filth-heavy Death Metal with an atmosphere and tone so covered in grime and dirt as to become one with it.

So adept at channelling all things Necro are they that most underground Black Metal bands would kill for this sound. Imagine a band like Anaal Nathrakh if The Codex Necro was diseased Death Metal instead of Black Metal.

Add to this some nice Incantation-isms; the odd dash of Obituary and Autopsy; a small sprinkling of Usurper; an injection of sludge; cover this all with a rotten layer of offal and leave to decay for 100 years and you have something close to what Church of Disgust resemble.

And the vocalist – what’s all that about? How did the band manage to convince a real demon to front the band? I mean, it’s not a human being right? I can only assume that the Unworldly Summoning was a success and something dark and evil that time forgot came slithering out of the dankest crypt to be held in thrall to Church of Disgust and do their bidding. Their bidding, of course, being to produce the sickest, most evil Death Metal noises heard for some time. I just hope they feed it regularly.

Unworldly Summoning is ugly, hostile and wants everything dead. In other words it is one of the best death metal releases heard in a while.

If you want the latest in clinical, state-of-the-art, precision-laser-produced Death Metal hot off the production line then this is not for you. If, however, you’re not scared of a bit of blood and muck on your Death Metal then there is nothing to not like here.

Lie In Ruins – Toward Divine Death (Review)

Ambitious Death Metal from Finland; Toward Divine Death contains over 70 minutes of music and is not for the uninitiated.

Grasping the fundamentals of hyper-speed blasting and also rhythmic pounding, the songs proceed to brutalise the senses using all of the various tools in the Death Metal arsenal.

The songs are long but fully engaging. This is not an “instant-hit” band, and all the better for it. The songs take their time in their battery, ensuring that you enjoy them purely on their terms.

The vocals are low-down in the mix and sound completely inhuman. They are used as another instrument and complement the music rather than being the focal point.

Lie In Ruins play their Death Metal fast, dark and sinister, and when they do slow down they sound absolutely colossal. Their uncompromising vision is realised across these 9 tracks of aggressive Metal and culminates in the final, 11-minute epic Of Darkness and Blackened Fire.

A lengthy but rewarding album, this is well worth the investment if you take the time to let it absorb you.

Corpsessed – Abysmal Thresholds (Review)

After a disconcerting intro, Finnish Death Metal band Corpsessed proceed to terrify the listener with their thick and impenetrable evil sound.

Of Desolation starts things off and just oozes menace and class. Sounding like it has been transported to this plane of existence from some horrible Hell-dimension, the band proceed to channel 48 minutes of thoroughly upsetting music that uses sound as a warning of what’s lurking in the darkness.

The band evoke strong feelings of dread and fear with their songs through skilful use of dark melodies and subtle additions of Black Metal touches to their sound. Indeed, although Abysmal Thresholds is thoroughly grounded in Death Metal there are detectable influences from the Black Metal camp that serve to enhance the innate sense of wrongness and ungodliness that these songs inspire.

Corpsessed have mastered the art of atmosphere there’s no doubting that; these tracks bleed malevolence. The guitars create a foundation of unease from which the songs are moulded while the guttural vocals underscore everything and spread their darkened word.

This is more than a mere album; this is like a message from some damned, horrible place. Each song is a new word and by the end of it you’ve lost your mind. I can’t get enough of this! This is Death Metal at its best – dark, scary, heavy, brilliant.

This album sounds like the aural equivalent of Death itself.

The Meatfückers – Porn Again (Review)

Mexican Black Metal band The Meatfückers have released their second album Porn Again and are ready to challenge all comers to a competition of sexual perversion!

This is primitive Black/Thrash, crudely recorded and brutally played. The sound is definitely Old-School, with an almost vinyl-like fuzz to it, (probably intentional), but if you like all things nasty and retro then this shouldn’t put you off.

The songs are caked in a firm grime of unidentifiable origin and they rip and thrash their way through nine of them in 27 minutes. Primitive it may be but there’s evidence that there’s more to this band than just Neanderthals throwing rocks at instruments – the odd riff here, a solo there – these guys actually do know what they’re doing. And what they’re doing is bringing the filth.

Favourite Track; Bitch Seeker. A solid Metal main riff and sexy solos make for a memorable song.

Unashamedly rude and crude; for when you’re in the mood for debauchery and lewdness wrapped in raw fighting man’s Metal – then look no further.

Kalibas – Rumors Of Our Demise Have Been Barely Exaggerated (Review)

Kalibas come across as fury incarnate – the type of band that like to get angry and stay angry. This is furious Grindcore played at speeds fast enough to break necks and with enough time changes and asides to frighten even the most eclectic grinder.

This is crazy stuff and guaranteed to appeal to Grind fans who like their music fast, complex and impenetrable. These are not 30-second-blast songs though, the average length is 3-4 minutes so you know with each of the 8 tracks you’re getting a good meal. It may just taste like broken glass…

The vocals are the very definition of savage. The singer sounds absolutely inhuman, and there is absolutely no let up whatsoever. At all. How he managed to keep that level of intensity up without rupturing something is beyond me.

The music is probably 99% absolute controlled chaos, with drums blasting and pounding, guitars grinding and shredding and everything seemingly doing its own thing yet amazingly managing to contribute to a coherent whole. The other 1% accounts for those exceedingly rare moments of, well, not calm, but very brief subtler moments that pepper the album like diamonds in the filth. Blink and you’ll miss them. They are there purely to emphasise the extremity of the rest of the music, but they are vital nonetheless.

This is a great album from a great band and unfortunately it was their last one as they have now split up. Do yourself a favour and get this in your collection before the sands of time bury it forever into obscurity.

Tried For Treason – Weight of Words (Review)

Tried For Treason are from the US and play modern Metal with a bit of grit thrown in to keep things interesting.

The songs show much promise. For a first release they demonstrate a good grasp of song structure and melody, something that they can surely build on for the future.

Vocals are clean and distinctly American, although the band they most remind me of is actually Breed 77 from Gibraltar , sans the more tribal influences. The singer of Tried For Treason shows greater variety though as he also uses rougher vocals and shouts.

Musically, apart from the usual Metal influences you would expect, you can also detect elements of a band like Tool in some of the songs, which can only be a good thing. A lot of modern Metal bands can be high on surface and low on depth, but I think if Tried For Treason can keep this aspect of their sound they could avoid this trap.

They also have guitar solos in every song, which always endears me towards a band.

There is only 11 minutes of music here but if Tried For Treason can continue to develop their style for the next release then they could and should have a bright future ahead of them.

Barishi – Barishi (Review)

Barishi play off-centre Progressive Metal that goes down a storm and comes back up a real treat.

This is a rather great album. Unusual but memorable melodies and guitar parts are all over the place, with a meshing of off-kilter tunes and 70’s prog vibes sharing the same space sometimes at the same time. And even some Saxophone.

Barishi are obviously not afraid to experiment or explore and it pays off handsomely. Overall this album has a harsher sound than I was expecting; combined with the eclectic sound that they have it has quite a unique style that is a refreshing change from the norm.

For the most part we get shouted, almost hardcore-style vocals alongside the more occasional cleans that work well together to build atmosphere over the tangential music.

Favourite track: Through Mountains, Through Plains. Just brilliant.

This is the music of a mathematical nightmare come to burn synapses and wreck memories. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes abrasive, never ordinary.

Code – Augur Nox (Review)

Code are from the UK and they specialise in Progressive Avant-Garde Black Metal that’s a triumph of both style and substance.

A good musical starting point of reference would be bands such as Arcturus, Dødheimsgard and Enslaved, as well as aspects of Opeth or Borknagar. This is only a starting point however, as Code definitely have their own sound as well as masses of talent and songwriting skills.

Gleaming, obsidian riffs crash against each other in a sea of percussive paranoia and nightmare orchestration. It’s as if someone has been having fantastical dreams about a dark future and they have sprung fully-shaped into life in the form of this album.

The vocals criss-cross all over the complex music and create the impression of power, synergy and importance. Very impressive and brilliantly realised.

There is so much colour and depth to these songs that most bands sound one-dimensional by comparison. Multi-layered vocals take centre-point while the music is no slouch either, effortlessly conjuring up the impressions and feelings that these songsmiths wish you to experience as you travel with them on this wild journey.

This truly is an exceptional and individual release; the kind of album that keeps Metal alive and kicking; stops it from becoming stale and stagnant.

Favourite Track: Garden Chancery. Vocal harmonies to die for. But really I could pick almost any song – Augur Nox is that strong.

This is for all fans of Metal, or just for those with heavier Progressive proclivities. If there’s only one album you get in the near future then make sure it’s this.