Cannibal Corpse – Page 8 – Wonderbox Metal

Hate Division – Order of the Enslaved (Review)

Hate Division are from Canada and this is their second album of Death Metal.

No crappy intro and no messing around; the band launch straight into a blastbeat. This is Brutal Death Metal that is played fast and loud with plenty of double bass and twisting, crunching guitars.

Slower, more melodic sections and solos make appearances also and add spice to the flavour of the album.

There are elements of bands like Origin and Misery Index mixed with bits of bands like Cannibal Corpse and Severe Torture. It’s loud, substantial and uncompromising.

Hate Division are a funny band in a way, as this is a surprisingly subtle album. It’s all relative of course as we’re still talking about Brutal Death Metal here, but what I mean is this; the album grows on you over time and the band may be heavy, angry and in your face but they’re not flashy or gimmicky; they’re content to let the music do its stuff.

This is the kind of album that upon first listen it’s like, “yeah it’s good”, but then without even realising it you’re playing it again. And again. And again. Before you know it you have a much more intimate relationship with it than you were expecting. The band don’t take no for an answer.

So give this a listen and let the blastbeats and the riffs explode over you. It’s time to join the Hate Division.

Aposento – Aposento (Review)

This is the début album of Spanish Death Metal band Aposento.

Take a look at the album art. If that doesn’t scream DEATH METAL at you at then I don’t know what does. Top work.

Aposento have been around for a very, very long time but this is the first album they’ve actually released. Kind of crossing the sound of bands like Avulsed and Deicide, Aposento offer us in-your-face Death Metal with an understanding of what makes a good song catchy and memorable while simultaneously piling on the brutality.

A strong, solid sound increases the impact the songs have with the riffs and pounding drums working in unison to plough down anything in front of it.

Vocally the singer is deep and follows the Avulsed school of guttural noises.

The songs take elements of Old-School Death Metal and merge them with a more timeless style of Death Metal akin to Cannibal Corpse’s USDM in the sense that it’s not ultra-modern but it’s not completely Old-School either; rather it contains elements of the timeless Classic style. Ultimately this is Death Metal, and no-one would have trouble recognising this for what it is.

Quality Death Metal played by lifers who know their business.

Inhuman Remnants – Inattentional Blindness (Review)

This is the second EP from Australian Death Metal band Inhuman Remnants.

The band play their Death Metal incredibly tight with the drumming sounding particularly inhuman. But just when you think it will be a one dimensional blastfest they slow down into modern USDM-style mid paced riffs or change to a more atmospheric section. They certainly have their songwriting heads on right.

As well as the thick rhythm guitars there are a lot of leads winding their way through the songs adding extra levels to the very brutal music. This enhances the sense of dynamics that the band already have from the rest of the instruments and the song structures.

The recording is muscular and lean, with all instruments very clear.

The vocals are done exceedingly well, ranging from the ultra low to the ultra high with no drop in quality at all.

Inattentional Blindness is that rarest of beasts; a release that combines brutality with songwriting skills and parts that gel together to create a greater musical whole rather than simply being a collection of riffs stuck together.

I can hear elements of a fair few bands in their sound, including Cannibal Corpse, Immolation, Dying Fetus, Kataklysm and Aborted. Such a wide variety of Death Metal should demonstrate that Inhuman Remnants are their own masters and are faithfully treading their own path.

I think we’re more than ready for a full album now, as this is just great.

Human Infection – Curvatures In Time (Review)

Human Infection are from the US and play Death Metal.

And what an album cover! Now that’s what a Death Metal cover should look like…

The music doesn’t disappoint. After a perfunctory intro it’s straight into the USDM-style blasting with the nicely named Celestial.

The vocals instantly jump out at you with their character and are more Malevolent Creation than the cookie monster-standard.

This harks back to earlier times circa the 90’s, with short, brutal songs that could have come out of the Cannibal Corpse stable or the Floridian swamps; the band have the USDM blasting down to a nostalgic art, and the mid-paced assaults are authentic and rousing. There is even a subtle Thrash element to some of the riffs. It’s not a huge influence, but it’s there, adding its bite to the attack.

Human Infection also drag the songwriting skills of the bands from this earlier era into their work. These tracks are not merely a collection of riffs; thought has gone into the ebb and flow of the songs, as well as to making them catchy and loading them with hooks.

Like Morbid Angel and Suffocation conspired to produce a bastard offspring; Curvatures In Time is a worthy heir to the throne.

Embalmed – Brutal Delivery of Vengeance (Review)

This is Brutal Death Metal from this US veteran band, although after all their years this is actually their début album.

Embalmed are a riff-heavy, song-focused band, which immediately means that this album has the potential to be very good indeed. It all depends if the songwriting is up to par of course. Thankfully the band have had plenty of time to refine their songcraft and the results are satisfying to say the least.

This is classic Death Metal. I hesitate to label this Old-School, as although it is, (if only by virtue of not belonging to the New-School), the Old-School label can imply to some people a dredging up of past glories, etc., whereas this is more resolutely timeless and still very relevant. Think Cannibal Corpse USDM.

The songs rampage along with the right amount of belligerence and restraint, content to smash enemies apart but then moving on to the next with brutal efficiency.

Embalmed have a selection of good riffs in every song, and know how to lock into a good groove when the need arises. In addition to the standard blast beats and the more mid-paced sections, they can also be quite dynamic and inventive with the drum beats; they have the same kind of infectious hooks to some of the songs that bands such as Konkhra and Avulsed do so well.

This is a quality USDM album that any Death Metal fan should be able to get on board with.