Death Metal – Page 220 – Wonderbox Metal

Near Death Condition – Evolving Towards Extinction (Review)

This is the third album from Swiss Death Metallers Near Death Condition.

This is very brutal and very heavy, just as we like it. Coming across as a mix of Hate Eternal, Immolation, Behemoth and Morbid Angel; Near Death Condition have all the essential ingredients of a very filling and very tasty meal.

The vocalist is the proverbial icing on the cake. Whether he is growling or screaming his voice is immense and immediately engaging.

The songs are ultra-brutal with the blast beats played to precision and the guitars aiming to utterly destroy. They have lots of slower riffs that speak of an Immolation/Morbid Angel influence of slightly unusual structures that work very well. The band also throw in some more restrained sections with solos and even a bit of Behemoth-style orchestration here and there.

Near Death Condition offer us the complete package and Evolving Towards Extinction is the kind of album any Death Metal fan should relish getting their teeth into.

Deformatory – In The Wake of Pestilence (Review)

In The Wake of Pestilence is the début album from Canada’s Deformatory.

Deformatory play Technical Death Metal and they play it well.

The songs are heavy and blur by in a dazzle of intricate technicality and blasting drums. They don’t forgo a decent bit of melody when necessary either though, although other times the emphasis is firmly on pure fretboard brutality.

These Canadians have taken the blueprint drawn up by bands like Cryptopsy and Yattering and from these plans created their own castle of Death Metal impenetrability.

The musicianship is first rate and the playing may be technical but it doesn’t smother the soul of the band; the songs have intricate but involving structures. The band know when to simplify things as well, as sometimes you just need to feel the guitars!

The vocalist is a guttural joy to listen to; deeply satisfying and deeply bowel-loosening. He has a very impressive voice.

This is an excellent example of Technical Death Metal done right. Listen to Deformatory.

Helmsplitter – Enraptured by Suffering (Review)

Helmsplitter are from the US and play a filthy blend of Black and Death Metal.

Boasting a powerful sound the band waste no time in attacking everything around them with fierce blasting and razor sharp Blackened riffs.

The band’s songs combine many different aspects of Metal; predominantly Black and Death, but also elements of Sludge, Thrash and Crust. This means that we end up with a very dark, dank album that has the darkness of Black Metal, the brutality of Death Metal and the songsmithing of classic Metal.

There are catches and hooks aplenty in these songs, all delivered wrapped in barbed wire and with snarling vocals. The band know how to write an enjoyable song and vary tempos, styles and delivery to suit their nefarious needs.

There are stand-out moments in pretty much every song. Some examples; Panzram is the shortest song on the album and has blasting and belligerence written into its DNA; Aura of Suicide has a Hellishly good groove-based Darkthrone-esque riff that’s enough to blow away all-comers; The Ground Bleeds Sorrow piledrives along before splitting off into rumbling psudo-Southern groove; the list could esily be expanded to all 11 tracks here.

44 minutes of quality, well-written Metal; enraptured by Helmsplitter.

Nihil – Nights of Silence (Review)

Nihil are from Spain and play Technical Progressive Death Metal.

The band give us a collection of relatively long tracks with a good sound and some twisting riffs to help propel the songs along.

Although undeniably heavy, brutality is not the main focus of Nihil’s assault. Instead they attack a bit slower, and from unexpected directions. Some of the riffs betray a slight Black Metal influence, while others are just nicely restrained, content to let the melodies do the talking.

It’s an approach that is freshly creative and frees the band up from a lot of standard genre restrictions that they might otherwise be plagued by.

Frozen Hope, the second longest song on the album, is a good example of this. It starts out quite brutal with a sound not unlike Behemoth but progresses into other heavy soundscapes, including parts that remind of Gorguts and Opeth on occasion.

Good musicianship helps the songs live up to their potential, and all of the various parts deliver as they should.

A quality release from a talented band that need support. Add them to your playlists today.

Banisher – Scarcity (Review)

Banisher are from Poland and play Death Metal with a good deal of variety and interest.

This is Progressive/Technical/Experimental Death Metal.

I have enjoyed their previous full length, (Slaughterhouse), and was looking forward to hearing what the band have got up to on this, their second album.

They don’t disappoint. Death Metal played fast and hard but with some nice experimentation and technical flourishes thrown in for good measure. The band can certainly play and they know their way around the instruments. Crucially though they can also do simplicity very well and sometimes the riffs just crush!

The band may be heavy and brutal but they also incorporate some melody and atmosphere into the songs to keep things interesting. There are plenty of these moments scattered around the songs and mean that Banisher have a good amount of variety and longevity baked into these tracks.

A strong, clear sound means you can hear everything that the instruments are doing, (even the bass), and allows you to fully appreciate the various things that the band are putting into their songs.

This is catchy, extreme, brutal, technical, atmospheric and engaging in all of the right places. A lot of other death metal bands sound one-dimensional in comparison to this.

And the Benny Hill cover at the end of the album? Pure genius.

Twitch of the Death Nerve – A New Code of Morality (Review)

This is the debut album from UK Death Metallers Twitch of the Death Nerve.

As a calling card the album cover doesn’t let the side down and makes me immediately excited to hear what kind of racket they make.

The band play the kind of ultra-brutal pig-noise Death Metal that can frighten off pseudo-Metal fans at a thousand paces. This is the real deal when it comes to extremity and absolute wanton slaughter.

The drums have a slightly tinny sound but after the first couple of blasts all is forgotten as you’re beaten and battered into a semi-coherent stupor by the combination of ultra-blast and chugathon that the band effortlessly juggle.

The vocals are guttural pig-noise emanations that steer just the right side of ridiculous and instead sound demented. They match the barbarous music to a tee and together Brutal Death Metal magic is made.

The songs fly by, each one as heavy and as demolishing as the last. Each track contains excitable riffs that want to crush and destroy everything, and whether they’re playing fast and sharp or slow and blunt they seek to inflict maximum damage.

If you’re wondering how you’re going to muster up the energy to destroy entire continents today, then wonder no longer! Twitch of the Death Nerve are here to empower you with callous misanthropy and effortless barbarity.

Embalmed – Brutal Delivery of Vengeance (Review)

This is Brutal Death Metal from this US veteran band, although after all their years this is actually their début album.

Embalmed are a riff-heavy, song-focused band, which immediately means that this album has the potential to be very good indeed. It all depends if the songwriting is up to par of course. Thankfully the band have had plenty of time to refine their songcraft and the results are satisfying to say the least.

This is classic Death Metal. I hesitate to label this Old-School, as although it is, (if only by virtue of not belonging to the New-School), the Old-School label can imply to some people a dredging up of past glories, etc., whereas this is more resolutely timeless and still very relevant. Think Cannibal Corpse USDM.

The songs rampage along with the right amount of belligerence and restraint, content to smash enemies apart but then moving on to the next with brutal efficiency.

Embalmed have a selection of good riffs in every song, and know how to lock into a good groove when the need arises. In addition to the standard blast beats and the more mid-paced sections, they can also be quite dynamic and inventive with the drum beats; they have the same kind of infectious hooks to some of the songs that bands such as Konkhra and Avulsed do so well.

This is a quality USDM album that any Death Metal fan should be able to get on board with.

Beyond Grace – Monstrous (Review)

Coming from the UK Beyond Grace are a Death Metal band.

This is a short EP at only 13 minutes, but the 3 tracks it contains act as a good showcase for the band.

The band boast a solid sound that’s warm, fleshy and organic. The songs seem to drip with biological waste and an unnerving feeling of unnatural life. It’s a very satisfying sound which hopefully they’ll replicate for future releases rather than it just being a happy accident.

The songs are well composed and far more interesting than just straight blast-fests. The band show a good understanding of rhythm and dynamics which makes the songs a pleasure to listen to.

The band feature brutality heavily on the agenda, but also find time to be on speaking terms with restraint and nuance. Solos make a welcome appearance and like everything else they’re played well.

The vocals are guttural grunts and high screams, both done well and work in tandem to fulfil the mission statement of the songs. The deeper vocals in particular are worthy of note, especially when they lock into a grinding groove with the guitars and almost seem to play off each other.

A highly recommended release from an extremely promising band that will probably release a blinder of a first album if they keep this up.

Morbider/Abyssus – From the Abyss Raised the Morbid (Review)

This is a split release between Death Metal bands Morbider and Abyssus.

Morbider are up first. They are from the Czech Republic and play Death Metal inspired by the Swedish Old-School, although I can also hear the songwriting skills of a bit of Avulsed in their style as well.

They contribute 4 tracks to this release and they’re all solid slabs of well recorded, well played Death Metal with a nice chainsaw sound and plenty of atmosphere; the mid-part of No More Life is a case in point. Good ideas and good execution; Morbider impress.

Abyssus are from Greece and play a more primitive and darkly primeval version of Death Metal than Morbider, with even a bit of a proto-Thrash influence.

They contribute 5 slightly shorter songs to the split, one of which is a Sodom cover. The songs are simple but effective, with an Old-School feel and the obvious passion to back it up. The riffs are ripping and have a good feeling to them and the band Thrash along at a welcome speed.

A very enjoyable split from two good bands. Check them out.

Aurora Borealis – World Shapers (Review)

Aurora Borealis are from the US and play Black Metal with a Death Metal influence. This is the sixth album from this underrated veteran band.

I’m already a fan of this band so was eagerly looking forward to getting my grubby mitts on this one. Aurora Borealis have always been one of those band who have managed to be brutal, melodic, extreme and catchy all at the same time, and this new album of theirs is no exception.

The drums speed by like carpet bombs going off and the guitars are as razor sharp as always.

The vocals are harsh croaks that sound way better than they probably should and the vocalist always seems to come up with interesting rhythms and patterns for his voice.

The songs are no disappointment, with each one providing the riffs and melodies needed, as well us the right combination of brutality and restraint necessary for involving songs. The tracks are mainly in the 4:00-5:00 range and allow each song to develop and breathe without losing focus.

Another exemplary album of brutal Black Metal from this group of experts.