Just Before Dawn is an international “supergroup” of sorts. This is their second album.
This is a war-themed Death Metal album in the Swedish style, replete with Chainsaw sound and harrowing melodics. This is combined with a good Bolt Thrower influence to produce the mother of all War Metal sounds.
The album features contributions from members of bands like Megascavenger, Massacre, Bolt Thrower, God Macabre, Bodyfarm, Aeon, Puteraeon, Morgoth and Demonical. Due to this, you know it’s going to be played and performed well, which it is.
As this is essentially Swedish Death Metal there are no real surprises here, content-wise, but that’s not important; what is important is the songs themselves and how good they are.
The calibre of the musicians involved and their collective experience means that they are not found wanting in this regard, of course. The songs are as warlike and bloodthirsty as you would expect.
The tracks pound and demolish their way across the battlefield like an armoured steamroller; heavy, relentless and unstoppable.
In some ways there’s not a lot to say about an album like this. If you like the Swedish style, if you like Bolt Thrower, if you like good riffs and good songs…you’ll like Just Before Dawn.
If you’re looking for a perfect example of a Death Metal band that combines emotive destruction with wanton slaughter then you’d be hard pressed to better Arroganz. Their third album Tod & Teufel is a must for all fans of interesting, individualistic Death Metal everywhere. I quizzed their guitarist -P- to find out more…
Give us a bit of background to ARROGANZ!
ARROGANZ are – K – (vocals / bass / guitars), – P – (guitars / vocals) and – T – (drums / vocals). The bands origin is the city of Cottbus (Ger). Nowadays we live in different cities.
What are your influences?
Life and death. A lot of dark arts and music are given to us and we have a heart for all its being as long as it is honest and filled with spirit. Surely you could hear some of the influences – but we don’t like to be compared with these and other bands all the time.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
Just to reduce it to actual (2014) albums: Tryptikon – Melana Chasmata, Morbus Chron – Sweven, Ophis – Abhorrence In Opulence, Deathronation – Hallow The Dead, Dark Fortress – Venereal Dawn, Woods Of Desolation – As The Stars, Herder – Gods, Stench – Venture
What are your opinions on the current state of the Death Metal genre?
German death metal is growing more and more as t is recognized by the international underground better than ever.
Your take on Death Metal is a bit more individualistic and interesting than the norm and includes, to my ears, shades of atmospherics, Black Metal and My Dying Bride-esque melodics. What are your thoughts on this?
We just don’t go along with any trends. The construct of ARROGANZ contents and expresses a special philosophy and spirit. You can hear that certain combination of black/death/doom/rock’n roll elements and we feel free to do whatever we want to do! I don’t see anything ARROGANZ has in common with My Dying Bride. It is a great band but it serves a different style of music.
What did you want to achieve with your new release?
By releasing “Tod & Teufel” we manifest the line-up and its being in 2014.
We just made another big step!
Are you happy with how it turned out?
100% yes. You wouldn’t have been able to listen to it if it was different. We are satisfied as fuck and can’t wait to release that bastard. Our new label FDA REKOTZ is doing a great job and we get the support for “Tod & Teufel” that we need.
Talk to us about the lyrics
-K- writes the lyrics. The lines of “Tod & Teufel” are deep and dark philosophical – as well as spiritual. They are a strong outbreak of an inner being and very open. But instead of talking about them: Read them!
What’s the meaning of the title?
We don’t want to translate it into English. It is about freedom – the will and want to do, what you want and need to do.
How do you go about writing your songs?
-K- writes the songs. Then we arrange them together and try to get the best out of them. When we’re done doing this, I (-P-) make a preproduction. We all try to give the best amount of atmosphere, darkness and dirtiness to the songs. It is not only important to write it perfect, it is always about how to play it, too!
How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?
We are a very creative band – of course we already got ideas for the next onslaught. We will go the way we started to go – the songs will sound like ARROGANZ and probably will be different…that’s our attitude.
What’s next for Arroganz?
The first shows and festivals are confirmed. After the release we’re going to play gigs and in 2015 we’re going to have a split EP with three other German death metal bands.
This is the début album from Serbian Progressive Thrash Metal band Alitor.
Alitor play Thrash Metal with bite and a Death-esque Progressive edge. Straight out of the gate it’s high-octane stuff and has an immediate charisma to it.
The musicianship of the band is first-rate. There is some very skilled and technical playing going on here. This is true of all of the instruments, even the oft-neglected bass.
The songs combine snappy Thrash riffs with piercing Progressive melodies and hybrid Thrash/Death Metal vocals. The singer is quite varied in his approach and frequently veers into more Death Metal territory than that of classic Thrash.
These are involving and complex songs. The drums, bass and guitars are all played and executed at an advanced level and the strong recording makes the most of this. Imagine a classic Thrash band, mix this with Death at their Proggiest, add a splash of Death Metal and Alitor will be the result.
With every song, (bar the first), being longer than 5 minutes this is an album that has plenty of depth and a lot to offer. Eternal Depression is somewhat of a misleading title as there is nothing to get depressed about here.
Have a listen to Alitor and let them blow you away.
Temple of Void are from the US and this is their début album. They play Doom with an infusion of Death Metal.
Temple of Void’s 2013 Demo was a really enjoyable 3-track taster for the band, and this début full length takes those three songs, adds 5 more and results in Of Terror and the Supernatural.
Their sound is one of Doom Metal mixed with an Old-School Death Metal influence, which manifests in the faster sections, the deep vocals and the general air of rotting heaviness that the band exude with every diseased pore.
Opener The Embalmer’s Art is like a microcosm for the album as a whole. It has faster, gritty sections which are tempered by largely slow and Doom-y main parts and morbid, grim vocals. The guitar melodies are haunting, downright miserable and very, very powerful.
Somehow, even though this is only a début, Temple of Void have managed to produce a piece of rotten artistry that sounds as if it has taken decades to coalesce into being. The songs sound mature and so full of atmosphere and dark tidings it seems impossible that these are new songs and not long lost tracks from the vaults of Peaceville history.
Upon first listening to the album it sounds instantly welcoming and familiar without sounding stale or old-hat. Upon subsequent listens this feeling is reinforced and very quickly the album shapes up to be both an old friend and a stunning new discovery.
The vocals are deep growls that have an instant presence and charisma. Somewhat reminiscent of the singer of Opeth at his expressive, malevolent deepest; the singer of Temple of Void has a phenomenal bellow that really clears the cobwebs away.
I’m incredibly impressed with this. The quality of the riffs, the depth of feeling that they evoke and the whole structure of the songs in general speaks volumes about the talent of the band.
Crawling Death Metal-laced Doom has never sounded so good.
Encoffination are from the US and this is their third album of Doom/Death Metal.
Now that’s an album cover. If you wanted a cover that said dirty, filthy and wretched, that’s what you’d go for. And they did. Top work.
Encoffination play a blend of Doom and Death Metal that is utterly miserable and carries a strong stench of decay around with it.
This is morbid, rotten Doom Metal filtered through an underground Death Metal influence. Incantation is the obvious reference, although imagine them slower, with a rawer production and sounding a lot more stinking than they normally do.
The band create a fully oppressive atmosphere that’s as all encompassing as it is relentless. The slow, Doom-filled riffs saturate the brain and lull the listener into a sense of foreboding despair that’s surprisingly comfortable to slip into.
This is a long album at just under 1 hour in length but the atmospheres that Encoffination create mean that you don’t really notice the passage of time. What’s 60 minutes compared to the glacial pace of geological time that it feels like the band use?
Slow, heavy and nasty. The palpable aura of desolation and woe is almost overwhelming. The band draw you in and drag you down into their world.
This is the début album of Death Metallers Convictors who are from Germany.
Convictors play Old-School 90’s-style Death Metal with a crushing production and raging beats.
The melodic leads and heavy riffs work with the solid drumming to create enjoyable songs. Blast beats pound and guitars rage; Convictors play song-based Death Metal where a lot of thought has clearly gone into the formulation of the songs and the riffs.
Songs like Angel of Impurity show that the band can slam and groove their way with the best of them. It’s also a good example of their bassist being heard too, which is always a nice treat.
There really are some solid riffs here. It all sounds huge and as mentioned previously the band are not without songwriting talent. The end result is an enjoyable Death Metal album that shows how the style easily blows away lesser forms of music.
The vocals are deeper-than-deep growls that seem to blank out everything else when they’re present. He has the kind of voice that sends posers and wannabes running for safety.
I’ve really enjoyed this album. Check them out and see what you think.
This is the second album of Death Metal from Italian band Hideous Divinity.
Here we have a blistering Technical/Brutal Death Metal band that plays crushing music with furious abandon.
Mixing elements of Hate Eternal, Decapitated, Nile, Behemoth and Hour of Penance; Hideous Divinity have come to destroy.
Hideous Divinity have a powerful sound and seem more than comfortable with their playing skills. Importantly, the band never neglect the songs themselves; although they have a Technical side to their sound they know that a song is more than just playing in a complex way.
As such, these songs are structured well and use their playing time to good effect. Emotive riffs and studied brutality is the name of the game here, and the band do it expertly.
The band’s twisting, dark music is an exemplar of what intelligently crafted Death Metal can sound like in 2014. Songwriting skills, technicality, brutality and the occasional nod to subtlety – these are key elements in the Hideous Divinity sound and the band have really taken them to heart.
This is an album the band should be proud of, and one I’ll be spinning for a good while to come.
Annihilation have recently released their stellar new EP The Undivided. This is a big step up from their, (still enjoyable), début and I was keen to find out more about this exciting new phase in their development…
Tell us all about Annihilation and where you came from.
Annihilation was formed in 2004 in a small town called Almeirim (80 kms nearby Lisbon). I was living in England back then and was invited to start the band with a couple of friends from my hometown. Since then we have progressed and at the moment I am the only original remaining member.
What are your influences?
I draw influences from everything, all aspects of life and death, the universe, the day by day, and especially music, I mean all kinds of music styles not just metal.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
Carnality (sick band from Italy) “Dystopia” is their latest release, the last album from Calm Hatchery called “Fading Reliefs“, At The Gates (love their new album), Hideous Divinity (another sick bastards from Italy, Nader Sadek, just to name a few.
There has been quite a bit of change in the Annihilation camp it seems. The Undivided shows a different side to the band than Against the Storm. Tell us about these changes and how they came about.
Well every band passes through line up changes. With Annihilation I always wanted to have a good vibe within the band. If I feel that someone is not on the same level as the other band members the best option is for him to leave. I don’t wan’t people to think that I’m arrogant, but in a band if you do not share the same vision as the remaining band members or have the same goals you do not belong on this band. I have been always the main composer in this band, all the songs are written in guitar by me and then I share my ideas with the rest of the guys and we start working them and maturing the songs, and basically that’s why “The Undivided” is different than “Against The Storm“. I call it evolution, “Against The Storm” was written between 2008 and 2010 since then I grew up as a musician, songs started to became more intricate and eerie and that was always one of the goals for Annihilation.
Explain the concept behind The Undivided
The Undivided is the first part of our next album that will be released in 2015. The album will be called “The Undivided Wholeness Of All Things”. Lyrically “The Undivided” focuses on the journey of Human energy, or the soul if you want to call it like that, through life and death. How we are connected to the Universe as one entity but have been separated or divided from that source.
Do you have any specific goals for this EP?
Well the EP was intended to be a demo to send for labels, but our PR suggested that we should release it as an EP, so the goal is to get signed by a label to proper support us on releasing our next albums. To tour abroad is also one of our main goals. Lets see where this EP will take us.
Is there anything on the EP you’re not satisfied with?
Nothing worth to mention. We will rewrite and record these songs again for our next album, since the EP and the album are meant to be connected as one song divided in 3 parts – “The Undivided”, “Wholeness”, “Of All Things”
What’s your songwriting process?
I compose the main riffs and structure them before presenting my ideas to the band. After this first process is completed we then start working on the songs as a band and sharing ideas so that the songs can sound even better.
How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?
Even more intricate and eerie than they are now, dissonant chords, weird drum patterns. Basically to continue evolving as musicians and as a band.
What does the future hold for Annihilation?
Hopefully a good label and touring abroad. But until that happens we will continue to write music and to release albums.
Centinex are from Sweden and play Death Metal. This is their ninth album and somewhat of a return as it’s their first album after reforming.
Centinex are one of those bands that I’ve been aware of since seemingly forever and yet have never had the opportunity to hear for one reason or another. It’s been somewhat of an oversight for sure, but one that has now been corrected. As such, we turn to Redeeming Filth.
This is an album that gets straight to the point; 10 songs in just under 33 minutes and the band mean business.
This is the original Swedish Death Metal, fully authentic with an immense chainsaw-powered production. They sound absolutely huge and ready to slay.
Redeeming Filth is an album of punchy Death Metal with crunchy, heavy guitars and vocals that sound like they’re biting through a black hole.
There is a definite energy to these songs. It may be Swedish Death Metal but it doesn’t sound dated or mouldy in the slightest. I have a soft spot for this style and this sounds as fresh as any Death Metal subgenre out there. Centinex have taken a the classic sound and imbued it with life once more. No mean feat.
The songs, quite simply, destroy. They’re enjoyable romps through ultra-heavy territory and feature guitar riffs that sound capable of toppling buildings.
Well, if this is indicative of Centinex’s other works then it’s definitely a tragedy I’ve missed out on them for so long.
Resistance are a Belgian Death Metal band and this is their fifth album.
This is brutal and heavy music designed to destroy. Resistance play Modern Death Metal with a hint of Deathcore in places, but only a hint.
The recording is clinical and polished with everything sounding clear and strong. The band play their tunes tightly and use all of their available tools to go straight for the throat.
Resistance’s sound combines the surgical riffing of Decapitated, the groove of Grave and the modernity of Job For A Cowboy. It lends for a very strong sound that isn’t restricted to any one of those three styles as it borrows from all.
The singer has a throaty roar that sounds every bit as muscular as the music. Not dissimilar to the singer of Grave, he provides a catchy Death Metal voice to work alongside the infectious riffing.
And this is an album of riffs. Heavy, groovy, blasting riffs. They dot Resistance’s landscape like bomb craters and leave just as much of a mark. A large amount of consideration and thought has obviously gone into these songs and the result is very enjoyable indeed.
Quality Death Metal from Belgium. Listen at full volume.
Just Before Dawn is an international “supergroup” of sorts. This is their second album.
Is there anything on the EP you’re not satisfied with?
Wonderbox Metal 