Death Metal – Page 213 – Wonderbox Metal

Usurpress/Bent Sea – Split (Review)

Usurpress are a Death Metal band from Sweden and for this split they have gone halves with International Grindcore supergroup Bent Sea.

Usurpress give us three tracks, the first of which is an intro.

The second song, A Tidal Wave of Fire, is the main meat of their split and is 7 minutes of impressive death-dealing, whilst the third is shorter but no less rabid.

The band play Crusty Swedish Death Metal with an underground swagger and a healthy groove. Rather than adopting that famous chainsaw sound though, the band have opted for a dirtier, less-produced sound. It’s raw and nasty but suits the nature of the music.

The vocals are grim growls that alternate with infected screams, as well as a bit of semi-sung spoken word.

Bent Sea are up next with 8 tracks of furious Grind.

In contrast to Usurpress’ rawness, Bent Sea have a more professional sheen, albeit one that’s still heavy and very aggressive.

Taking cues from Napalm Death, Terrorizer and Repulsion, they savagely hack their way through the songs with aplomb and violence.

That the band is comprised of seasoned veterans is never in doubt, as their mastery of the genre is apparent from the start.

Each song is expertly executed and delivered with venom and bile. I’ve always loved the singer of Aborted’s voice and to hear him on these tracks is a great pleasure.

A very enjoyable split, with the Bent Sea tracks in particular shining bright.

Worth it.

Morthus – The Abyss (Review)

This is the début EP from Polish Blackened Death Metallers Morthus.

This is a 3 track EP that contains such wonders in its short playing time!

It starts with the track Torment; suitably titled, it seems to be the usual kind of perfunctory intro until it redeems itself with some actual music about halfway through. This segues into the second track Beast from the Abyss and it’s clear that although this is their first non-demo release, it’s impressively professional and has a great sound.

The band play with a Death Metal core while adding some melodic Black Metal influences to the riffs and the occasional scream that enhances the main growling vocals. Merging the two genres of Black and Death can sometimes create mixed results, but they have distilled their influences into the right measures it seems.

The guitars take the Death Metal base and throw in some tricks from both Black and Classic Heavy Metal, including some duelling guitars and some excellent leads/solos.

Stylistically they remind of Hypocrisy in the sense that they combine these three elements quite naturally and seamlessly, although it should be stressed that they don’t actually sound too much like Hypocrisy except in a very superficial way.

The third song is named In the White Wolf’s Kingdom and is another master-crafted combination of the various Metal styles. It slowly unfolds with a Blackly melodic Metal riff into a mid-paced jog before introducing faster elements. They also add additional choral elements to their repertoire and these work very well. It’s another win for Morthus who suitably demonstrate their talents on this all-too-short EP.

Morthus are a perfect example of why the Extreme Metal underground deserves so much support – there are hidden gems tucked away everywhere in plain sight, all you have to do is go looking for them and you will be rewarded.

This is an absolute top-notch release and I cannot wait until they release a full album. If it’s even half as good as this it will be better than most.

Essential listening.

Morbidity – Revealed from Ashes (Review)

Morbidity are from Bangladesh and play Death Metal. This is their début album.

Wow! The first track Decaying Souls immediately has my attention! Only 2 minutes long; it’s an intro essentially, but a damn good one! Bleakly tuneful bass, horror-filled melodics and a creepy vibe enhanced by an ominous church bell, this is a brilliant start to the album that catches and holds the attention straight from the off.

The second track is named Incarnation of Death and picks up where the first one leaves off, introducing the more brutal side of the band. The eerie, creepy riffs are still there, they’ve just been made heavier. Holy shit this band knows how to write some good riffs.

The vocals are deep and cavernous, sounding like something inhuman that’s pulled itself up from The Pit.

The sound this album has is just amazing. It’s deep, heavy and warm. Although it’s an immensely strong sound it doesn’t come off as over-produced and still reeks of the underground and of things left to rot.

The songs are exactly that; songs. They have character and personality, with each song being memorable. There is no filler.

Revealed from Ashes has an element of Swedish Death Metal to its sound in the sense of the creepy, grave-tinged melodics and the heavily tuneful songwriting. All achieved without resorting to That Chainsaw Sound or straying too far into Sweden’s territory.

This may be Old-School Death Metal but this is one decaying cadaver that smells as fresh as the day it died. I can’t write enough good things about this album without it coming off as some form of hyperbole, but suffice to say I love this release.

Morbidity have created an outstanding slab of pure, uncompromising Death Metal. If other bands had even a pinch of their songwriting skills and sense of dynamics and pacing then the Metal scene would be an even better place than it already is.

Okay, so if there’s just one Death Metal album to get this month this is it.

MORBIDDIITTTYYYYYYYYRRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Omnihility – Deathscapes of the Subconscious (Review)

Omnihility are from the US and this is their second album of Technical Death Metal.

A top quality album cover is backed up by an album capable of living up to its promise.

Winding, cavernous Death Metal unfolds at speed to create a tangled network of technical riffs, deep growls and intense drumming.

The brutality is firmly in attendance but the technical side of the band makes for sprawling, exploratory songs that expand the potential of the band and draw the listener in.

The riffs are plentiful and abundant, with many flavours to taste. The songs seem to be fashioned from complex weaving of the guitar, threaded through with highly competent drumming and seasoned with a vocalist who has just the right amount of guttural brutality in his voice.

I really enjoyed this album; the Technical meanderings and guitar wanderings combined with the fact that the band simultaneously keep an eye on the overall song structure of each track means that they capably merge impressive playing with actual songs.

This is the kind of album it takes a while to fully absorb and appreciate. So sit back, play loud, and brace yourself for the journey.

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.

Shards of Humanity – Fractured Frequencies (Review)

Shards of Humanity are a US Death Metal band. This is their début album.

The band play their Death Metal with a nod to Death and a Thrash Metal edge.

The songs are capable of following a good riff to see where it goes and giving it the time to develop and breathe. This sometimes lends the band a pseudo-Progressive edge, (again, akin to Death), and makes their songs all the more enjoyable for it.

For the most part Shards of Humanity’s songs are fast, precise and technically proficient, although they have an ear for a slower riff when the song calls for it.

They give me the impression that these songs have undergone a lot of changes in their history; not due to poor songwriting but due to natural development as there is an exploratory feeling to them.

The tracks feel like they would have been lovingly followed through to their logical conclusions by the band who would have wanted to see where they went to and what would become of them.

Solos are played well and the performance levels all around are good.

The recording is raw and sharp, recalling the Old-School but with more bite.

The vocals are savage, rough barks that are more than capable of competing with the music.

Overall, an enjoyable release. You could do a lot worse than look up this band.

Haemophagus – Atrocious (Review)

Haemophagus are from Italy and play Death Metal with lashings of Grind. This is their second album.

The first track is an intro, and rather than the usual pointless nonsense most bands have as an intro, this is a lovely piece of relaxi-prog that doesn’t really prepare you for what comes next, but sounds great regardless.

The primitive thrashings and grindings of Partying at the Grave exposes the band’s true intentions and the brutally simple heaviness of Death Metal is unleashed.

This reminds me of bands like Atrocity and Abscess; Old-School, brutal, evil and fun!

Groove and chug or blast and burn, Haemophagus rip the house down around you and stomp on the fiery devastation. And then throw turds around. Or something. It’s all gloriously, horrifically messy fun regardless.

With a sound that means this could have been recorded decades ago the band plough head-first into the material and make their dirty mark all over the walls.

Don’t be deceived by the apparent simplicity though as the band know their instruments and are more than capable of shredding out a good solo. The bass also has a good presence, adding an eerie dimension to songs like Dismal Apparition.

A strong album that’s a very enjoyable listen. This may be thoroughly Old-School in many ways but it deserves a place in every modern playlist.

Ecocide – Eye of Wicked Sight (Review)

This is the début album of Ecocide, a Thrash-influenced Death Metal band from the Netherlands.

After a very sci-fi intro the band start with a sprawling, heavy, mid-paced riff that showcases the fact that they have a nicely heavy sound and know what to do with it.

Old-School Thrash and Death Metal meet with a familiar feel and a welcome crash.

The singer has a very rough cookie-monster voice that sounds great set against the raging guitars. He reminds of the singer of Bolt Thrower, which is also a feeling given off by some of the music.

The band show good songwriting and use some memorable riffs during the running time of the album. They seem to have a clear vision of what they want to achieve; they know how to accomplish it and have the tools and skills necessary to do this. The result is Eye of Wicked Sight and very enjoyable it is.

Ignoring the intro there are only 7 songs here so the band make use of every second available to them to create crushing Death Metal. It’s a really good début that sticks in the mind after the last riff has faded.

If the band keep this level of quality up they’ll have a bright future indeed. Check out Ecocide. Do it now.

Human Devastation – Condenacion (Review)

This is the début album from Mexican Death Metallers Human Devastation.

This is Brutal Death Metal, and thankfully there is no waste-of-space intro; the first song Bienvenido a mi Mente opens up straight into the action.

The band deal in savagery, aggression and misanthropy. The songs pummel and beat and the vocals sound inhuman.

My, my there are some nice riffs on this. The band may be all about the brutality but they still know how to pen a good tune. They can play too, as shown by the blistering solos that appear now and again like spikes through flesh. The drummer seems a bit of a monster too.

This has a bit of a mid-period Cryptopsy feel to it in places, as well as reminding of Iniquity now and again. For this style of music Human Devastation are relatively varied as they don’t remind of any one band overwhelmingly; rather they incorporate a smattering of influences into their brutal whole. Even the singer demonstrates a good range.

This definitely has its own personality and its good to see a new band forging ahead on their own rather than just following others and paying homage.

Condenacion is a very strong first release and if there’s any justice in the world should see the band become a key player in the Death Metal underground.

Deus Otiosus – Rise (Review)

Deus Otiosus are from Denmark and play Death Metal.

The band open the album strongly with Rising War and the rest of the album follows in this vein; strong, muscular Death Metal with a hint of Thrash and even a slight Rock influence to some of the riffs and leads.

The vocals are like crumbling granite. Deep and rough; they sound bestial but largely legible at the same time.

The songs are chunky and heavy with just the right amount of melody thrown in to keep things lively, but not enough to derail the heaviness that runs through the tracks like bedrock.

Well-written songs display an ear for dynamics and song structure whilst retaining a raw aggression tempered by a Thrash sensibility. If you imagine a merging of Morbid Angel, Deicide and Malevolent Creation then you won’t be too far off.

The production is crisp and clear, delivering the kind of sound that a lot of bands would kill for.

A top album. Death Metal to Thrash out to.