Death Metal – Page 208 – Wonderbox Metal

Orion – On the Banks of Rubicon (Review)

Orion are from India and play Progressive Death Metal. This is their début EP.

If you imagine Opeth with more of a Death Metal slant then you’ll have an idea of what Orion sound like.

The band are adept at the strong melodies and captivating leads but they also know how to take it to its brutal conclusion and unleash their inner beasts.

The vocals consist of deep growling and fine-sounding cleans. The growls are perfectly serviceable but to me it’s the cleans that steal the show here. They soar effortlessly and have a tone to them that’s quite refreshing.

The band know how to play and bend their talents into creating Progressive songs that yearn to tell a story as much as they ache to set fire to things. The guitar work is enticing and the combination of aggressive music and more considered approaches makes for an enjoyable and satisfying listen.

Each of these songs is Metal to the core and the winding leads, forthright riffing and Progressive tendencies mean that this is an EP worthy of respect. There are lots of good ideas and interesting riffs here and the band produce enough variety within their self-imposed template that these 4 tracks just fly by.

Having been around since 2008 with only this and a demo to show for it, they may not be the most prolific band but let’s hope that changes soon.

Definitely ones to watch.

Obscurity – Vintar (Review)

This is the seventh album from German band Obscurity. They play Death/Pagan/Viking Metal.

The band play a melodic blend of largely mid-paced Death Metal with Viking and Pagan influences.

The singer has a varied bark that seems just as home with deep grunts as it does with higher screams. After seven albums his voice is perfectly in shape and sounds really good.

The obvious and lazy reference point for a band like this is Amon Amarth, and that certainly gives you a basic impression of Obscurity but it’s not the whole picture.

Vintar is a strong collection of songs. The band play with an obvious passion and it’s clear after so many albums they’ve honed their art to a fine cutting edge. All of the instruments are well-played and the riffs and song structures in general show a good ear for composition, structure, tunes and dynamics.

I enjoyed this. It won’t set the world on fire, but it may just cover everything in a frosty winter coating…

Best played loud.

Intraneum – Perfection (Review)

Intraneum are from Poland and this is their début EP. They play Melodic Death Metal/Deathcore.

Apart from the brief and atmospheric piano intro this a short 3 song EP that showcases the band’s abilities.

This is modern Melodic Death Metal that includes components of Metal-/Deathcore.

The songs chug and rip along quite nicely with plenty of leads, solos and melodic extremity sharing space with more considered and streamlined Metal.

The band can clearly play their instruments and they inject a good amount of technical playing into the proceedings, although they never ascend to the crazy heights of pure Technical Death Metal.

How to describe this…it’s like one of the more commercially heavy bands, Lamb of God, Chimaira, Killswitch Engage, etc., started getting heavier and playing with a more Death Metal slant. Add to this a bit more technical playing and remove any clean vocals and you have an idea of where Intraneum are coming from.

The songs are chunky explosions of heavy guitars and melodic riffs, all wrapped up in a punchy production that gives them the bright sound that a band like this needs.

This is a short collection of good songs that demonstrate the potential of Intraneum.

Tongues – Thelésis Ignis (Review)

This is the début EP of Tongues, who are from Denmark and play Black Metal.

This is the kind of evil, otherworldly Black Metal that immediately makes you sit up and take notice. As you listen to Thelésis Ignis there’s an almost tangible feeling of something inhuman watching you just out of sight; something lurking behind the thin veil of reality; something hungry and ancient. It’s as if by playing Thelésis Ignis you are playing a small part in a wider plan to summon whatever it is into this world.

These are the initial feelings evoked by this album; Thelésis Ignis contains power, promise and potential.

Thelésis Ignis may be classed as an EP but at 36 minutes in length it’s as long as some albums.

The music is intense, frightening and shares a lurking malice with the very best of involving and engaging Black Metal. The riffs are inventive and bold without dominating proceedings. Everything works together with everything else to complete the ritual.

Tongues have an underground sound that’s perfect for their style of music, allowing their Black Metal to shine darkly whilst not sounding polished or new in any way.

The evil atmospheres created by the band are all-encompassing while the music is playing and even when it stops it seems to linger, unwilling to let go of life. Some of the added sounds and effects that the band employ subtly in the background of the tracks are eerie and unnerving, like the very best occult Black Metal should be.

On the last song, Bloodline of the Blind, Tongues seem to drop all pretension of being a band in the regular sense. Here they fully embrace their ritualistic side and focus on the act of summoning the indescribable horror from another world.

Thelésis Ignis has elements of Death and Doom Metal in its sound which only goes to enhance the rich, dark palette that the band work from. The vocals in particular have a firm Death Metal basis as they are largely deep growls that seem to come from the bottom of the abyss.

This is a jaw-dropping début from Tongues. All fans of soul-eating Black Metal need to listen to this.

Power of Ground – The Butcher (Review)

Power of Ground are from Bangladesh and this is their début EP. They play Technical Brutal Death Metal.

Here we have aggressive Death Metal played with passion and with an ear for a good riff. This is a brutal release with a flavour somewhere between Old-School and a bit newer.

The production values are quite raw, but this is only a début release so that’s okay. It’s not a bad sound though, it just needs filling out a bit in my opinion.

The songs themselves though are nasty slices of visceral Death Metal with a good trade-off between technicality and ugly brutality; similar to a band like Dying Fetus in the sense that they can sometimes juxtapose the two, but they don’t really sound like them overall. I’d say they mix a bit of Dying Fetus with elements of Severe Torture, Defeated Sanity, Infant Annihilator and even a bit of old Hypocrisy in the slower parts.

I like that the band have a lot of ideas and are clearly hungry for this style of music. It sounds fresh and ready to kill. There are a lot of good riffs here and these generally congeal into decent songs.

The vocalist is impressive and talented; screams, growls, pignoise grunts – it’s all here. The vocals are one of the highlights for me, ranging from extreme Death Metal growls to Grindcore-style, unhinged shrieks. Great stuff.

This is a very promising start for Power of Ground. So what do we want next? If they improve on their recording a bit and continue to write interesting and engaging songs like this then their debut album should be a great listen. I can’t wait to hear what they do next.

Annihilated – XIII Steps to Ruination (Review)

Annihilated are from the US and play Brutal Death Metal. This is their début album.

Straight from the off we’re treated to Annihilated’s aggressive style of Brutal Death Metal. The double bass roars and the guitars shred as the vocalist seemingly makes a mess of his insides in an attempt to growl harder.

Tight riffs and furious riffing power the band’s main method of assault alternating between blasting or mid-paced sections to allow for variety of attack. Annihilated are not without groove either; Annihilated know how to knock your teeth down your throat and have many ways to do this.

This may be Brutal Death Metal but it’s nice to see a band like Annihilated who know that blasting is not the be all and end all of the style. Annihilated can blast with the best of them, of course, but they mainly use groovier, energetic mid-paced assaults that are done really well and showcase the band’s devastatingly heavy use of effective dynamics.

The drums are particularly fun, with plenty of rolls and fills breaking up the blasting and mayhem.

Leads and solos make appearances and they all sound good. It’s especially nice when played over a solid rhythm section and the band frequently do this to get themselves into a nice groove.

The guitar work is exemplary and their choice of riffs is crushing. The songs also have lots of nice little things to keep the listener engaged, this is certainly not an album that sounds tired or stale in any way. This is fresh, vigorous and full of energy. This is music to bounce around to like a maniac.

I love Death Metal like this. Annihilated take the primal power of the style, rip it apart and then vomit it all back over you. And I love it.

A band to watch.

Emeth – Aethyr (Review)

Emeth are from Belgium and play Technical Death Metal. This is their fourth album.

Emeth tread that fine line between brutality and technicality and manage to successfully incorporate both into their savage Death Metal assault.

Ultra-aggression and lightning speed riffage work together to melt faces whilst fretboard wizardry takes the technical side of the band to new heights of carnage.

Emeth can certainly play and play well, and they’re no stranger to brutality, but what sets them apart though is that they don’t purely rely on speed and technicality; they know when to inject a bit of atmosphere and quality instrumentation into the proceedings via some sharply written riffs and colossal guitar work.

The guitar work as a whole is a particular highlight of this record; there is plenty of inventive and interesting riffs and whether they are playing fast or easing off the speed slightly everything is precise, crisp and dynamic.

The singer does a great job and has a focused growl. He picks and chooses his vocal patterns well and knows when to let the music do the talking. This is not an album where the singer is the vocal point; rather the riffs take centre stage and the vocals are an enhancement, (albeit an important one), to the songs.

What an album! A whirlwind tour of destruction and creativity. Emeth have clearly put a lot of hard work into Aethyr and have been rewarded with an extremely strong album.

Into Death Metal? You need to get this.

Coraxo – Starlit Flame II (Review)

Coraxo are from Finland and play Industrial Death/Black Metal. This is their second EP.

Their first EP was not without its charms and this latest release sees them expand on their earlier efforts.

The sound has improved this time around with the songs sounding fuller and more polished. The band are clearly becoming more comfortable with their style and are even more confident in their approach these days.

The music continues to be a cross of bands like Dimmu Borgir and Neurotech. This means we get a good combination of dance-floor beats and faster, more aggressive sounds as the band uses both methods of attack to get their story across.

The vocals are sharp, high-pitched screeches that lash out at the listener like wires in a storm. These have improved on the previous EP and sound really good.

Keyboards and effects lurk just behind the central music and provide highlights and accompaniment to the Blackened tunes.

This is a band that continues to develop nicely and this EP should see them winning over a slew of new fans.

Have a listen and see what you think.

Horrified – Descent into Putridity (Review)

Horrified are a Death Metal band from the UK and this is their début album.

With vocals that sound like they belong to an unhinged psychopathic murderer, this is rotten Old-School Death Metal with a Swedish influence and a fair few chainsaws stashed away with the bodies.

It’s a shambling, stumbling corpse of an album but not without its charms. Fans of polished, ultra-technical, modern Death Metal can look away now; this is atavistic, grotesque Death Metal from the bowels of history played with passion and a will to kill.

The songs are straightforward, ugly tracks that hack and slash their way through the crowds with maniacal glee.

This is not an album without flaws; indeed, if the band can tighten up their performance a bit then their next release will be even better. However, focusing on this too much is not the point. Horrified is about the base, underground rawness of Death Metal and although I do believe that they would benefit from a tighter delivery Descent into Putridity is not ruined by the lack of this.

The very rawness and underground brutality of this maggot-filled album is its own reward. Yes, I’m a sucker for Swedish-influenced Death Metal at the best of times, but I still like this.

Horrified have arrived. Let’s support them and let’s listen loud.

Kвіти Знедолених Берегів – За небокрай мрій (Review)

Kвіти Знедолених Берегів is a solo project from Ukraine that plays Atmospheric Death/Doom. This is his début demo.

This is woe-filled Atmospheric Doom with deep growling and swathes of desolate feeling.

The singer has a very powerful growl. It sounds quite primal in its force and carries a strong presence against the backdrop of the mournful music. This is backed up by occasional spoken word sections which are also performed well and have a good place in the mix, as I find spoken word parts are usually too high when most bands employ them. Soft, low-key cleans also unexpectedly appear, greatly enhancing the already varied vocal package. Neither the cleans or the spoken word sections are over done though and the deep growls eclipse them both.

The music shows good composition and everything is played well. The dark melodies have an air of longing to them and really drive the music forward.

Both of the songs on this release slowly build their funeral dirge over the course of about 10 minutes and the winding, plaintive guitars have just the right tone to connect viscerally with the listener without becoming overwrought. Subtle keyboard/piano is used here and there to further add feeling and I like the style of songwriting in general; it’s mainly about heaviness, both musically and emotionally, but there’s enough subtlety and nuance here to satisfy fans of all tastes and preferences.

For what is, apparently, a demo release, the production is very professional sounding. Everything is balanced and in its place; everything sounds crisp and punchy.

I’m very impressed with this. Hopefully we’ll see a full album from Kвіти Знедолених Берегів in the future and if it’s even half as good as За небокрай мрій it’ll be very good indeed.