Cara Neir are a black metal/crust/grind/whatever band from the US. They have teamed up with Wildspeaker, a blackened sludge/crust band, also from the US.
I’m a big fan of Cara Neir, so as far as I’m concerned any release of theirs is well worth giving a listen to. On this split they contribute seven songs spread over 21 minutes.
You never quite know what you’re going to be getting with Continue reading “Cara Neir/Wildspeaker – Guilt and His Reflection (Review)”
Myteri are a crust/punk band from Sweden and this is their debut album.
Myteri combine crust and punk influences into 27 minutes of roiling hardcore, recalling a mix of Poison Idea, Fredag Den 13:e and Martyrdöd.
With a very unassuming cover, along with the brief intro track, this seems to Continue reading “Myteri – Myteri (Review)”
Morrow are a UK-based doom/sludge/crust band. This is their latest album.
This is one of those releases that will likely infuriate those who like music that’s easily classifiable. According to the band, they’re emo crust, and I can see why they’d say that. In my opinion, describing Morrow as a d-beat influenced crust band may be superficially correct in some ways, but there’s so much more than that going on here. They have a cello Continue reading “Morrow – Covenant of Teeth (Review)”
Hailing form Sweden, this is the third album from Usurpress.
I like Usurpress. Both their split with Bent Sea and their last full-length, Ordained, were very enjoyable, and now they’re back with a new album that features a very good cover.
But what of the music? Usurpress are not a normal death metal band, including elements of crust, sludge and progressive/psychedelic music in their delivery, as they do. Continue reading “Usurpress – The Regal Tribe (Review)”
Sonic Poison are a Finnish grindcore band and this is their latest release.
Playing a primitive, old-school strain of grinding violence, this EP combines grind, crust, ugly thrash and Repulsion-worship into under 10 minutes of nasty carnage. There’s even a hint of Brutal Truth at their ugliest in some of the guitar riffs. Continue reading “Sonic Poison – Harsh Demonstration (Review)”
Black Mass 
Pervertor are a Finnish black metal band and this is their debut album.
This is filthy, fast and furious black metal with crust and punk influences. It’s the kind of thing you might expect to come from the black metal underground, appealing to fans of the likes of Impaled Nazarene, Watchmaker and Black Witchery. Phanerosis sees the band carrying on the tradition of short, ugly songs that want to rape and kill you just for fun.
Rooted firmly in the oldest of old schools, Black Mass Pervertor Continue reading “Black Mass Pervertor – Phanerosis (Review)”
This is the second album from Ashcloud, a death metal band.
If you’re a death metal band and you release an album named Children of the Chainsaw, you’d better be playing old-school Swedish death metal, or it’s just a wasted opportunity. Ashcloud do exactly that, but with a few twists to the formula. This is 45 minutes of disgustingly old-school crusty death metal that will clear the cobwebs away with huge gusts of molten fumes.
In true genre-style; as well as the sickening rhythms we get plenty of Continue reading “Ashcloud – Children of the Chainsaw (Review)”
This is the second album by Ursut, a hardcore band from Sweden.
The first thing that strikes me about Ursut is the strong guitar sound. It’s thick, heavy and as black as tar. This is not to mention the winding leads and overal apocalyptic sound that greets you once you press play. Initially I Continue reading “Ursut – Köp Dig Lycklig (Review)”
Stheno are a blackened grindcore band from Greece. This is their début album.
I like Stheno. Their split with Grassroll introduced me to their blackened grinding ultra-violence, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
So, joy of joys, we now have a full 20 minutes of their nasty savagery to enjoy, and enjoy it we do. Continue reading “Stheno – Liberty Crawls in Waste (Review)”
Unru are a Black Metal band from Germany and this is their début album.
This is a 36 minute trip into the harrowing world of Unru, taking in nightmarish soundscapes and dark, evil worlds.
Unru play Black Metal that’s the stuff of horror. Chaotic, discordant and destructive, the music on this release is more like the sounds of the abyss as channelled by the possessed.
I’ve enjoyed Unru’s work thus far, (such as their split with Paramnesia), and Als Tier ist der Mensch Nichts shows the band moving into even murkier and more aggressive territories, although they can still create a heavy atmosphere when they want to.
Although harsh and bleak, there are hints of melody and shade beneath the pitch black hatred and barely-contained rage that constitutes these songs. Alongside the blasting Crust-fuelled bile that the band regularly spew forth, dark atmospheres are explored and developed, with these deviations in particular sounding keenly emotive. Doom-workouts and murky noise-assaults add yet another layer to their sound and Unru basically spend their time on this release impressing the Hell out of me.
The vocals are howling screams, utterly deranged and full of so much loathing and contempt that it’s possible the singer is no longer sane or even human. Like something unnatural wailing into the void, his performance is first-rate and sounds near-physical in its impact. When this is also joined with deep growls it’s enough to get all of the hair on your body rigid and standing to attention.
Unru have not disappointed with their first album, and I’d highly recommend this to all fans of blackened darkness.
Wonderbox Metal 