Wonderbox Metal

Non Opus Dei/Morowe – Dziwki Dei (Review)

A Black Metal split between two Polish bands; Non Opus Dei and Morowe.

Non Opus Dei are up first, with three tracks of unconventional Black Metal. First track Dziwki Dei almost comes across as a Black Metal Meshuggah, if you can imagine such a thing. Think less Djent though, and more just…unusual. It works. The next track continues its off-kilter approach to Black Metal, with some interesting guitar rhythms and drum patterns. The final song assaults the speakers and completes the trilogy of songs that although definitely non-traditional, still fit comfortably within the Black Metal fold. Enjoyable.

Next are Morowe who also contribute three tracks. They are a different beast and start proceedings off gently, only to thunder in with a Katatonia-esque riff that gets things moving quite nicely. Vocals are deeper and darker than those of Non Opus Dei and saturate the music with a feeling of terror, further heightened by some claustrophobic guitar-work conjured by the band. The second song starts with slightly cleaner vocals and interesting drum-work. Subtle keyboard highlights help progress the song to great effect, moving into grandiose and epic territory, without ever sounding safe or hopeful. Some well-considered guitars help seal in the sense of unease, and then suddenly are joined by a psychedelic 70’s guitar moment that initially appears quite jarringly, but after a couple of seconds reveals itself to be a stroke of genius and just sounds great. And then on into Post-Metal territory before wrapping up. The final track Czyj to Glos is much shorter than the other two and has a jazzy feel. These three songs are both ambitious and successful. A mark of great things to come.

A strong release showcasing the talents of both bands at creating some nicely non-standard Black Metal. Get it if you can.

Harm – Cadaver Christi (Review)

Germany’s Harm play old-school Death Metal, with chainsaw guitars and an uncompromising attitude.

There is some excellent, malevolent riffing on this album and the sense of 90’s Death Metal is strong. A time when constant blast and hyper-technicality were not important, and instead you have songs, riffs and brutal Metal. In fact if I had been told that this was a lost gem from the 90’s recorded at Sunlight Studio I could believe it.

Strength and persistence are key attributes to Harm; the old adage about slow and steady winning the race…well not slow perhaps but they certainly know how to settle into a malevolent groove and make the most of it. All of this is wrapped up in a strong sound that lets you hear every instrument individually and lets everything breathe nicely.

This may be an album steeped in Death Metal’s past, but it’s a past I’m quite comfortable visiting, and Harm are the perfect, brutish guides.

Also; the vocalist sounds like he’s trying to kill himself by vomiting up his insides. What more can you say? Nice work!

Sanity’s Rage – You Are What You Swallow (Review)

Imagine, if you will; Anthrax and Kreator jamming together to create an unholy Thrash-tastic side project. Sanity’s Rage are that theoretical band.

Hailing from Belgium this is an absolute stormer of an album. Tight playing, and galloping, exciting riffs mean there is never a dull moment. A strong production accentuates the dynamic songwriting of each track and there is real bite to these songs. This is no nostalgia-fest. Rather than looking back to the past they drag it fully into the present and it’s like the Thrash heyday is alive and well and centred on Belgium.

Each song on here is focused, mature, and full of more chops, riffs and solos than most bands manage in an album. And it’s relentless. No pseudo-ballads here; just pure, unadulterated Thrash metal.

Pummelling. Pounding. Shredding. Shred-fest. I could go on, but you get the idea. Like a breath of fresh air this album fills you up with all of the goodness of Thrash Metal, before ripping your face off with speed and precision steel.

Xothist – Xothist (Review)

Xothis play the kind of Black Metal that separates the true Black Metal affectionados from the wannabes. There is nothing even remotely pretty or commercial here.

Two tracks of wicked Black Metal full of spite and mystery, each song 20:47 in length. The songs are long but not dull, and have several shades of light and dark that Xothist move through like a hidden predator.

This is a very underground, lo-fi recording with fuzzy emotive guitars and drums buried under so much rawness that they are like a pulse; sometimes unnoticeable but always vital.

The vocals are of the really high-pitched, scratchy, almost-static variety that I enjoy so much. Sometimes it can be hard to ascertain where the vocals stop and the guitars start, and vice versa. All of which just adds to the the experience.

This release travels from ambience to blasting and all points in between. If you are a true fan of Black Metal then this should be right up your foggy street.

Colosso – Abrasive Peace (Review)

The music is state-of-the-art bleeding-edge Extreme Metal, but the vocals are pure Death Metal; powerful and going straight for the throat. Colosso combine the best parts of bands like Behemoth and Nile, add a sprinkling of cyber-Metal akin to Fear Factory at their heaviest, and cap it off with focused brutality.

The songs tear themselves out of the speakers with razor sharp claws and venomous fangs ready to slay everyone in sight. This is music not to be messed with. The album boasts a thoroughly modern production and sound, and all of the benefits that 21st century technology can offer. In fact this is a perfectly judged combination of technological and traditional Metal – rather than swamping the metal with bleeps and break-beats to create some hybrid that is neither techno nor Metal, here the cyber-Metal influences serve to merely accentuate the relevant parts of the songs, while the very Metal guitars, drums and vocals take centre stage.

Eight tracks of thundering Metal later and the album is done. Oh, apart from the obligatory throwaway techno-Metal remix track of course, which does somewhat dilute the essence of the main album by being a rather poor closure after the last track proper has faded away. Nonetheless, this is a minor quibble in what is otherwise an exemplary album and a perfect example of what modern Extreme/Death Metal should sound like in 2013.

As a side-note there is also an instrumental version of this album out there named Peaceful Abrasiveness. That should tell you a lot about the quality of the music here and its ability to stand alone. And with the vocals added…well, that just makes it even better.

Cellador – Honor Forth (Review)

Cellador play very lively and speedy Power Metal. The songs are chirpy, upbeat and have good composition. Their version of Power Metal is the hybridised Speed Metal version, with even the odd blastbeat appearing. This may bring up visions of Dragonforce, and although it’s undeniably the same genre they are not overly similar.

Plenty of musical chops and guitar heroics are displayed but an ear for a good tune and good song structure is not forgotten either. Vocals are passionate and well-done, not falling into the trap of being overly theatrical, (which there is nothing inherently wrong with as such, but it takes exceptional skill to pull off correctly to my mind).

Cellador are a very talented band, and very proficient at what they do. Both guitar and keyboard solos are incorporated into this EP increasing its enjoyability by being nicely embedded in the songs rather than sounding out of place.

Overall I liked this release and look forward to what the future holds for the band.

Monachus – Below (Review)

Monachus are from Sweden and play epic, spiralling atmospheric Doom. Having been a fan of their previous work, both as Monachus and as previous incarnation Icos, I was looking forward to what this release would bring.

And what they bring is sludge-y Doom with some delicious Post-Metal excellence sprinkled on top. The music twists and turns and swamps the listener in warm, post-Neurosis/Isis sounds while proudly striding forwards, forging their own legacy of brilliance for others to follow.

The vocals are top-notch and seem to only be improving with time. Greater variation and depth of voice than ever before, and real feeling that hits you deep in the gut. From gruff to clean, the singer knows what he’s doing that’s for sure.

Each of the songs on this album are finely crafted examples of the art of musical journeys; each journey slowly taking the listener to parts unknown, below what is real and safe, into places other. The album is aptly named in my opinion; with each song giving the feeling of dragging the listener down, underground, or spiralling down the whirlpool to a dark underworld.

There are four songs on this album, and at 38 minutes in length it is over far too quickly as a release of this quality could easily be longer.

Definitely a superior release, with Monachus cementing their position as one of the premier acts of this style. The future is Below.

Available via Alerta Antifascista Records: www.doomrock.com

Verbum Verus – Melkiresha (Review)

Unholy Black Metal from the Netherlands – this album is a powerhouse of occult music, straining at the walls of reality and communing with the dread beings that lie beyond.

Things start out very promising indeed with the opening hymn The Fourth Kingdom – a 10 minute Black Metal master-class in modern darkness. From here things progress nicely through the album with every song contributing something to the whole. The final song is an ambient invocation that ends things appropriately.

Solid songwriting and an evil atmosphere mean this album evokes the imagery of the underworld and has the musical class to carry it off without sounding like a pretender to the Black Metal throne. A good sound, good playing and impassioned vocals elevate this above the hordes to deliver what is, in essence, a modern Black Metal album that can hold its head up proud and stand tall alongside the Watain’s and Deathspell Omega’s of the world.

Really enjoyable. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys variety and passion – demonic darkness from the Netherlands.

Eye of Solitude – Canto III (Review)

And it begins – the start of the apocalypse is soft and gentle; slowly building and eventually giving way to a torrent of Doom so monolithic it’s almost overbearing. The sheer oppressiveness of the deep, deep vocals washing away all resistance to the new world that this depressive, bleak, yet wonderful music heralds.

First comes the Doom, and then comes the blast, but Eye of Solitude even manage to infuse blastbeats with a sense of hopelessness and despair. It may not sound like it, but for this kind of music that’s a compliment. 15 minutes in and the first song has finished. The second starts with no intro; it goes from silence to destruction in the space of a heartbeat. The sense of majesty is terrible to behold.

The nature of Eye of Solitude songs is one of a constant oppressive misery, spiked with the occasional uplifting, hopeful moment, only to have this hope removed and crushed without comment. The songs are long, the emotions deep. There is also a sense of frustration at play here; as if there is a railing and thrashing against the inevitable, before final acceptance takes place.

One of the clever aspects of this album is the simultaneous appearance of uniformity and linearity while at the same time having dynamics that are merely disguised by the highly emotive atmosphere that Eye of Solitude foster. This is a masterful stroke as it adds a layer of depth and complexity to the songs that is not always apparent on first listen – the very definition of discovering something new every time.

Based on the strength of their previous releases this is an album that I have been looking forward to, and I am very pleased to say I am not disappointed. Essential.

Coven 13 – Destiny of the Gods (Review)

Well this is an enjoyable romp of an album! Traditional Heavy Metal mixed with elements of Revered Bizarre-style Doom, 70’s psychedelic influences and some good old rock ‘n’ roll swagger for good measure.

Attitude and plain old metal fun is the order of business here. Not to imply that they are a novelty band or “jokey” in anyway. Not at all; rather they have a joyousness to their sound that I imagine would translate very well live and that their performances would be, well, fun!

Traditional song structures and strong choruses abound, as well as some nice fretwork and solid tub bashing. The vocals immediately strike the listener as the most noticeable element of the band as the sheer enthusiasm and character that they have is a welcome change – there’s no way you could accuse this singer of not giving his all. The vocals appear to be imbued with the full force of his personality in a way that is relatively rare these days. In fact the entire album sounds out of place in today’s modern metal climate in many ways as it is a very individual record with scant regard for trends and cliques, etc.

A refreshing blast from the past come to liven up the present.