Settima Draconis are from Germany and play Melodic Death Metal.
Legio has a good sound that allows the band to show off their works.
This is Melodic Death Metal with a Gothic influence and heavily accompanied by violins and strings. These Classical elements are not overdone though and add the right amount of atmosphere and culture to the heavier guitars and snarling vocals.
For a crude reference point, think Dark Tranquillity combined with the music of Therion and a more free-form method of songwriting, particularly in the drum department. Only a crude reference point, as I say, but it gives the right kind of idea.
While this is bound to be somewhat of an acquired taste, (but what isn’t though, really?), it’s worth checking out if you want Gothic Metal with colour and unusual quirks to the songs. While it can seem a little incoherent at times it shows a band trying to do something a little different and this should be encouraged.
This is the second album by US band Pillory who play Brutal Technical Death Metal.
Fast, intricate and brutal; welcome to the world of Pillory. It’s a colourful world populated by an over-abundance of riffs and ideas, with spikes of melody and angular guitar heroics rushing to save the day.
The vocals are mainly gruff shouts but are varied in places with the singer showing he’s capable of more than just straight bellowing into the microphone.
The songs are busy entities with a lot being crammed into every second. If this was all the band did it would be impressive enough, but what’s really impressive is their ability to show restraint when needed. Sometimes you don’t need a million separate things happening at once; sometimes less is more and Pillory seem to know this as they also have entire sections in their songs where they allow a riff or idea to stabilise and develop for a little while before it once again mutates and goes off in a hundred new directions.
For this reason Evolutionary Miscarriage scores higher than a lot of Technical Death Metal as there’s more to it than just insane time signature changes or deranged guitar wizardry; yes they have giant bucketfuls of both but they also know about pacing and dynamics, which are far more important when it comes to longevity and depth of composition.
If you’re a fan of non-standard Death Metal then this is a creative and exploratory album that should suit you well.
This is the third album from US Death Metallers Day of Doom.
Day of Doom are purveyors of USDM at its most brutal, yet with a few unexpected twists and turns.
A thick, syrupy sound swamps everything and the band burst at the seams with aggression and sinewy chops. The sound is actually quite unusual in a way as the drums sound warm and distinctly analogue, while the guitars sound much more underground and feral.
Vocally the singer sounds quite animalistic and barks savagery in a ritualised, almost chanted way.
This has quite a few interesting ideas tucked away amidst the brutality – a different vocal here; a dark melody there; some effects here; a lighter passage there. Day of Doom also write some unusual riffs that are definitely not your average Death Metal fare. It helps them stand out from the pack and means the album has more to offer than your standard chug and blast Death Metal, (although there is a nice amount of this as well).
Ever wondered what you’d get if you crossed the essence of Suffocation with the inventive aspects of Morbid Angel? Well it may not sound entirely dissimilar to Day of Doom.
Enjoyable, interesting and atypical; Day of Doom are worth taking seriously.
This is the début album from Swedish Death Metallers Mordbrand.
I can’t help but have a soft spot for Swedish Death Metal, especially when played by actual Swedes, (although it doesn’t really seem to make much difference in the long run), and Mordbrand are no exception.
They play the style well with the trademark chainsaw guitars front and centre. They occasionally accentuate with some spooky keyboard effects which adds an interesting layer of atmosphere that’s really good. Add to this a very small Blackened influence to the riffs and you have an interesting and surprisingly refreshing take on a classic genre.
It’s little touches like this that show Mordbrand as not merely content to imitate past glories; they’re interested in the here and now as well as the past and as such this could almost be described as Modern Swedish Death Metal, if that didn’t sound like such an oxymoron. There’s no Deathcore or breakdowns here, don’t misunderstand; the recording is suitably rotten and the riffs more-classic-than-not; it’s just that they’re focussed on more than the past – they seem to be more interested in what Swedish Death Metal is and what it could become than only what it was.
In a world where this style of music, no matter how good, is essentially regurgitating older times, it’s great that bands like Mordbrand and Skinfather are doing what they can to move the sound forwards whilst still keeping that central core of what makes it so damn addictive.
This is the début album from Brutal Death Metal band Infecting the Swarm, who hail from Germany.
This is Death Metal with a sci-fi theme, and a suitable cover to match.
But what of the music? Well this is pure, unbridled, undiluted brutality and sheer wanton carnage. With a production as heavy as it is crushing the band tear through these nine tracks with all the subtlety of an explosion. A big explosion.
Vocally they follow suit with absolute pig-noise vocals that are so extreme they’re bound to divide. A lot of the time I find these kind of vocals awful and I can’t help but feel that the band in question would be better off with a different singer. Why? It’s because most of the time these pig-noise vocals just sound like deep belching and they just suck all of the brutality out of it for me.
Thankfully the vocals on Pathogenesis, although definitely teetering on the line, manage to keep an air of aggression to them and therefore don’t ruin what is, musically, brutal as Hell. It is a very fine line though, and although I can’t help but feel the songs might be improved by a proper savage bellowing I still find myself on the right side, (just), of approval, largely because the music is so ferocious that it carries them nicely.
And besides, sometimes it just works, you know?
So, vocal misgivings aside; this is brutal, (have I mentioned that word yet?), savage, brutal, heavy, brutal, crushing and brutal again.
This hits the spot for me. For the times when you absolutely need the most brutal, destructive music you can get, Infecting the Swarm are there for you.
This is their début album, almost 49 minutes of music – 8 originals and a Bolt Thrower cover.
When it starts it’s immediately impressive with the sheer musicality and flowing riffs; then the brutality kicks in and everything shifts up a gear.
Konkeror merge Death Metal with a Progressive/Thrash influence that allows the songs to have technical flourishes and melodic edges concurrently occupying the same space.
The songs are catchy and have lots of hooks, proving that just because a song might be Brutal or Technical doesn’t mean it has to sacrifice song structures in order to be so.
The recording perfectly balances a band that play both brutally heavy and subtly melodic. Everything sounds great and the sound allows the musicians the freedom to do what they do best.
The most enjoyable thing about this album is just how Metal it is; they are clearly Death Metal but add sprinklings of Progressive, Technical and Thrash Metal into the melting pot. Mix these all up with some great songwriting skills and all that’s left to do is sit back an enjoy as the band shred, rip and dazzle with the songs.
The songs are all of a decent enough length so that you have time to get your teeth into them, (or the other way around…), and there’s abundant opportunities for the band to demonstrate just how good they are.
Once you know about this album it’s important that you get it. If you’re into Death Metal and don’t get this album…well…I’m not sure how that’s possible…
Deep In Hate are about to release their colossal new album Chronicles of Oblivion in the very near future and with this firmly establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with amongst premier Death Metal. With this in mind it’s the perfect time to find out a bit more about this exciting band…
Tell us all about Deep in Hate and where you came from
Florian (Guitars) : Hi ! Thanks for the interview !
Deep In Hate is a band from Paris and its near suburbs, founded in 2004 by Vince (lead guitar) and Bastos (drums).
The band experienced some changes of line-up before it stabilized for the release of the band’s second album Origins of Inequality in 2011.
Now, we are about to release our new record Chronicles of Oblivion on June 3rd, and are really excited about it !
What are your influences?
Amongst our shared influences in the band, but limited to the « Death » metal scene, we can quote Behemoth, Whitechapel, Despised Icon, Gojira, Beneath the Massacre, The Black Dahlia Murder but also Decapitated or Dying Fetus.
It’s actually a blend between modern and ‘older’ influences, as you can see.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
At the moment I am listening to the last Aborted, The Necrotic Manifesto, that I am really digging, and enjoying the last Structures and Architects albums. Not totally my style, but good ones ! For the « non Metal » part, it’s Steel Panther’s All You Can Eat album, my little weakness !
How did you decide on the style of Death Metal that you wanted to play?
The first musical direction, being a « Brutal Death » band was given when the band was founded by Vince and Bastos, I was not in it at the time. Then, as the line-up changed, the addition of new blood gave the music a more modern approach.
Finally, the last conscious decision was to go more into a ‘song-oriented’ Death metal, where riffing, melody and groove are what matters most, with plainer structures but with the aim of enhancing the core of the music.
How do you feel about the current Death Metal scene? Where do you feel you fit in?
Where do I feel I fit in ? One of the most dreadful questions you could ask ! Honestly I do not know. I would like to think we have done something special, with an unique Deep In Hate flavour to it, but in the end I am the worst person to answer that question. Even when you love the music you are doing and are expressing yourself with all your guts, you might remain that kid that plays without knowing what he is exactly doing here.
In my review I note that you have a winning brutality-to-melody ratio – how do you temper the two?
By being a Libra maybe ? (laughs)
Seriously though, the fact that we are two main composers (with Vince the lead guitarist) is part of the answer.
Moreover, I have always loved bands that balance the two, and « beauty », even in the most aggressive parts, is fundamental.
I do not say we achieved it, but it is part of what we are.
And actually balance is in itself beautiful, isn’t it ?
Do you have any goals for your album?
The goals for our album are the ‘’highest’’ goals possible obviously.
I mean, we have put so much work and energy in it, we hope it will resonate in people the way it does with us. Our aim being to play live shows the more we can, the more people will love the album, the better, because it will mean a new audience for us and more shows !
Is there anything on the album you’re not satisfied with?
Not at the moment. We have had the chance to do what we wanted to do, and reach the result we aimed at.
The only negative feeling I sometimes experience is the ‘’we could have gone deeper’’ syndrome… But it is abstract, I do not know where or how, for now.
I hope it will become clearer for the next albums and that it will help getting even more mature eventually!
Do you want to discuss any of the lyrics on the album and any themes/hidden meanings/etc. that might be there?
The lyrics are written like episodes of a History in a post-apocalyptic world.
They are rather straight-forward at first, but of course we hope that they will not only be read for their literal meaning. The stories take place in a fictional world but they do emphasize some aspects of the human nature whatever the times.
For example, the fact that Men can be whether powerful and brave when in group, or stupid and coward.
Also, the notion of « cycle » is very important, as if human History is only virtually going forward, because it keeps repeating itself.
Humans are immature, at the scale of the world, and only when they evolve will they break this cycle.
What’s your songwriting process?
Vince does almost all the preliminary work. He creates riffs and melodies that go along well, and it gives us our primary material. I basically come and arrange his material into songs, and the work with the drums and bass guitar begins here. I fill the gaps when necessary and, since it is much more inspiring for me to work with something that already exists, I may add extra things to the songs.
It has to be approved by all the members at each step, and finally when the instrumental is almost finished, we work on the vocals, with the lyrics previously written.
How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?
In the same direction we have taken with this album.
If I may repeat myself, I see ourselves going more and more towards ‘’a ‘song-oriented’ Death metal, where riffing, melody and groove are what matters most.
Modern metal is cool, and is more catchy than ever, but sometimes melody and especially atmosphere are not that much emphasized on. I mean, the music is in those cases really good, but the ‘‘taste’’of it does not last long.
I think music has evolved with the way people listen to it : it has to quickly retain your attention, give you immediate pleasure or else you will not give it a second listen. So if a band succeeds in proposing that, and at the same time a music that is better each time you listen to it… It’s perfect.
What does the future hold for Deep in Hate?
The best, I hope. It is time now with this new album to reach a new level. We have gained over the years more and more support from professionals, and with their help we will bring our music over to a maximum of metalheads, even if some may have never heard of us before.
I do not know what else to say right now, we will see how the new album is received, but we will keep going forward anyway!
Thanks for the chance to answer those questions, hope you guys reading this will enjoy the record.
After listening to the rather impressive Thunderwar EP The Birth of Thunder, I thought it best to quiz the band about it and find out a little bit more…
For those that are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself! Give us a bit of background to Thunderwar.
Hi there!
My name’s Witold Ustapiuk and I’m the lead guitarist at Thunderwar. We play old-school Death Metal, combining the non-compromising feel of the American scene with the atmosphere of the Swedish one, adding a little Black Metal flavour to it.
Give us a bit of background to Thunderwar.
My band has a short, but turbulent history. In July 2012, we released the first single, containing the song “Eagle of Glory”, which we again placed on “The Birth of Thunder” EP, as a bonus track. After sometime we decided to change our name, due to various, more or less significant, reasons. In the beginning of 2013 we went into the studio to record our début album, but were not satisfied with the final effect of the session, so we made a a decision not to publish the material. Towards the end of 2013 we released “The Birth of Thunder” with our own means.
What are your influences?
For me, the greatest inspiration are the Heavy Metal classics. They are the ones that taught me to view the genre in a conscious way. While creating the songs I mostly get inspired by what I’m currently listening to and it doesn’t necessarily have to be Metal. Still it doesn’t mean that I want to have elements like The Devil’s Blood or Blue Öyster Cult, smuggled into Thunderwar. I try to convey a certain emotional content through my music and to introduce the listener to a certain atmosphere.
What are you listening to at the moment that you want to recommend?
At present, I’ve been completely blown away by the latest Inquisition album called “Obscure Verses of the Multiverse”. Consistent, mature and with an original sound. This album puts me into a metaphysical trance from the first till the last second. I’d also like to recommend bands like Tribulation and Cult of Fire.
Your first EP is very accomplished – how did the songs come about?
Thunderwar’s songs are usually created over a long stretch of time. I bring the ready riffs to our practice room, and together with the band, we work on them and get them in order. We try to get all the details perfect and think the whole arrangement through. It gives us a lot of satisfaction, since, as we can see, this system pays off. Our EP’s met with lots of enthusiasm of critics from all around the world.
Tell us a bit more about the lyrics to the songs.
Our lyrics tell mostly about ancient beliefs and religions, forbidden cosmic cults and blasphemous rituals. Using different metaphors we intend to pay homage to our gods and convey ideas, which are very important to us. For example the lyrics to the song Vimana are based upon the themes from the Hindu manuscript “Mahabharatha”.
Are you happy with how the EP ended up?
In spite of the many complications and problems connected to the finishing of the EP, I can say, that finally we did everything, within our powers, to achieve the best effect possible. Our music now, reaches to the regions we would have never thought of. We consider this a great success.
What’s next for Thunderwar?
At present we’re engrossed in the work on the record and the band’s image. Towards the end of the year, we’re going into the Hertz studio to record the full album.
In three weeks we’re supporting Obituary, and this will probably be the last show before the releasing of the record, unless of course we receive proposals to play some bigger gigs before we find the record label.
Tombs are a Metal band from the US and this is their third album.
They play a style of underground Metal that mixes Classic Metal riffs with influences from Death Metal, Hardcore and Sludge. The result is Tombs.
Another way of looking at it is to imagine a band like Doomriders only have them violated by Death Metal and covered by Sludge Metal; a rocking sensibility that’s as heavy and nasty as can be. Again, the result is Tombs.
Not many bands are playing this mix of styles; apart from Tombs there are only a handful of others, including the great Serpent Eater.
The band open with Thanatos; it has a curious sound mixing Doom-laden Post-Metal riffage with prime blast beats and throat-straining vocals. The rest of the album is equally impressive and takes aspects of these differing genre styles in lesser or greater extents to create a varied, interesting and very satisfying release.
The sound is immense and as heavy as Hell. All of the instruments are clear and identifiable and the entire recording is as sharp as a knife.
A real sense of horror and evil pervades the roots of this album; this manifests itself in the actual songs sometimes as blatant misanthropy and hatred, and others as a more nuanced disgust.
There’s a lot of longevity in this album. Start your descent into the Tombs now.
Devangelic are from Italy and this is their début album of Brutal Death Metal.
It bursts out of the speakers in a torrent of gore and blasting, firmly intent on murder and maximum devastation. It’s quite the opening.
This is ultra-brutal and ultra-extreme, with a firm base of USDM and plenty of squeal and chug.
The vocals are deeper than a hole full of corpses and twice as bloody. The singer positively reeks of putrefaction and bloodlust.
The recording is chunky and as solid as a block of granite. It’s heavy enough to flatten at 100 paces and sounds exactly as a band of this nature should. Devangelic sound immense.
This is unsubtle music that nonetheless is clearly played by people who know what they love and love what they know. It’s nothing original but who cares when you can batter your enemies senseless and string up their entrails like party decorations? Devangelic know how to slaughter and they do it very, very well.
Resurrection Denied is a prime slice of bloody Death Metal that should have fans of brutality and sickness foaming at the mouth at the thought of the hideous occurrences they bring.
It’s hard not to like an album as remorselessly, efficiently brutal as this. I’d recommend this. Play it loud and absorb the ugly menace within.
Settima Draconis are from Germany and play Melodic Death Metal.
Wonderbox Metal 