Gorguts – Page 8 – Wonderbox Metal

Reciprocal – New Order of the Ages (Review)

This is Reciprocal’s second album of Technical Death Metal. They are from the US.

A strong start introduces the band and their heavy, sprawling sound to the listener. It’s complex and interlinked whilst retaining a brutality and nastiness a lot of Technical Death Metal bands are lacking in.

This is Technical Death Metal mixed up with the modern, New-School breed of crushingly Brutal Death Metal. It’s a heady combination that immediately makes you sit up and take notice of them.

The songs are long, (for Death Metal), and the band use this time to explore the labyrinthine riffs and to show off their musical chops.

They appear to have quite the mixture of influences on this release. I hear elements of Cephalic Carnage, Carcass, Spawn of Possession, Arsis, Gorguts, Decapitated and many more crammed into the technically dense songs. There is too much going on here to absorb in one listening, which is a good thing as it increases the longevity of the album.

Vocally the band incorporate pretty much all styles in the album somewhere, although high-pitched Carcass-esque screams are the most used.

The sound is absolutely immense. It sonically shines and the tracks hit home like hammers. It doesn’t get stale or boring as the band have enough variety within their framework to introduce elements of several Death Metal sub-genres; Brutal Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal and Deathcore being the main ones in addition to the core of Technical Death Metal.

New Order of the Ages is an ambitious album; 68 minutes of music with plenty of ideas and enough talent to hold it all together. Piano and samples are used liberally to help spread the band’s message and to provide breaks between bouts of swirling riffs and widdly fret-wizardry.

I heartily recommend this album to anyone who enjoys bold, challenging, heavy, technical music. If this is you then this is a must listen.

Giant of the Mountain – Moon Worship (Review)

This is the latest album from US Blackened Progressive Death Metal band Giant of the Mountain.

Blackened Progressive Death Metal? Sure it’s a bit of a mouthful but it is a more-or-less adequate description of Giant of the Mountain’s music.

Their songs have distinct Progressive tendencies with complex riffs and structures congealing around an exploratory Metal core.

Death Metal serves as the largest percentage of that core, albeit a form of Death Metal that relies on melodics and technicality rather than sheer brutality.

And the Blackened part? This is sprinkled on top of everything really. It’s not as if Black Metal is a massive part of their sound, but it’s definitely a feature and they would sound quite different if this aspect of their music was removed. It’s a quality of some of the riffs, it’s in some of the vocals and it’s apparent in the distinctly non-Death Metal recording.

Couple all of the above with a bit of Sludge and a DIY attitude and you have Moon Worship.

Apart from the Blackened vocals we also get Death Metal grunts and some Viking-esque epic cleans.

The involving songs make the most of their play time with melodies and passages that seem to draw you in before going off on another tangent. These tracks really have been well written and the underground production enhances the feeling of listening to something special. This is a very creative and enjoyable release.

If you combine parts of bands like Enslaved, Opeth, Death, Gorguts and a whole slew of others then you’ll have an idea of the Giant of the Mountain sound. It’s refreshing. My only slight complaint is that even though the production on the album is adequate for the most part and for some instruments, (like the bass), it’s perfectly judged; for me the drum sound is a little weak and timid sounding. This is very subjective of course, (like all things music-based), and it’s not enough to spoil my enjoyment of this album, it’s just that it sounds a little flat to me and for a band that are as good as this I would prefer fuller-sounding drums.

Slight sound issues aside though, this really is the kind of album you want to take your time to get to listen to; absorb and repeat. It’s well worth the time.

As you can see, this is not your average release and certainly stands out from the pack. Get your fill of Giant of the Mountain and get worshipping the moon as soon as you can.

Defilementory – The Dismal Ascension (Review)

Defilementory are from Denmark and play Brutal/Technical Death Metal.

The album starts with a melodically-brutal intro that shows off some sludgy riffs with frenetic blasting drums. It’s an unusual piece and a welcome turn of events to the usual lacklustre album intros that a lot of bands peddle.

As the album unfolds it becomes clear that the intro is no mere anomaly and Defilementory are a band who are not afraid to throw in some more experimental riffs and atypical sections to their songs. Taking cues from an unholy mixture of bands like Gorguts and Severe Torture, this is a seamless blend of Technical Death Metal and wanton Brutality.

Atmospheric riffs rub shoulders with heavier, chugging sections whilst the drums and bass gel everything together into a rotting mass of putrid gore.

Bands like this are a joy to listen to as they’re taking the standard Death Metal template and invigorating it with good ideas; it sounds fresh yet at the same time staying true to what Death Metal is all about.

The singer is no slouch either; as the band riff and heave their way around the savagery he produces a very satisfying deep growl.

Sometimes the technicality/experimentation gets in the way of the actual song, but rather than this be a fatal flaw it merely refocusses the attention so that the atmosphere and mood of the tracks become more important than traditional song structures. This becomes even more apparent on subsequent spins; the warped melodies and twisted structures come into their own as you become more familiar with the material.

Defilementory have produced an interesting, ambitious and enjoyable record. May they continue on this darkened path less-travelled for many an album to come.

Favourite Track: The Mask of Anatomy. The different influences click perfectly into place on this.

Redemptor – The Jugglernaut (Review)

This is the second album from Polish Technical Death Metallers Redemptor.

A brief Classical intro segues into frenetic technical mayhem with blastbeats, guitar craziness and harsh growls dominating the airwaves.

The band are controlled chaos with lots of ideas and sounds harnessed into their arsenal of impressive musical wizardry.

Take a band like Gorguts as your starting point, throw in a bit of Iniquity and Meshuggah and the starting blueprints are in place for a band who are not destined for mediocrity.

They have a skilled drummer and the songs are very percussive. The remaining musicians are also suitably talented and if it wasn’t for a good grasp of dynamics and some well thought out songwriting the songs could easily collapse in on themselves in a frenzy of technicality; this is avoided though by judicious use of restraint and energetic riffs.

They allow a bit of Jazzy, seemingly free-form experimentation to creep in on occasion, although I imagine it’s far more thought-through than it sounds. It does the trick though.

Quality Death Metal with depth and character.

http://redemptor.8merch.com/the_jugglernaut_digital_version-id4378

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.

Pyrrhon – The Mother Of Virtues (Review)

Pyrrhon are an unusual Hardcore-influenced Technical Death Metal band from the US and this is their second album.

They kickstart proceedings with an entry track that would do Converge or Cephalic Carnage proud. The Oracle of Nassau explodes out of the speakers all frenzy and bile, and for 1:25 it proceeds to annihilate everything. In complete contrast the next song White Flag starts off slow and menacing, and lasts for a much longer 9:42.

The vocals are screamed static attacks or brutal guttural growls, depending on the mood of the singer.

The music is technical, involved and very intricate. The instruments twist and turn and play all manner of elusive riffs; the listener is submerged in a lake of discordant dissonance that somehow manages to satisfy in spite of the multiple disparate elements being unleashed.

This is the clever thing though, as each instrument by itself is exploring its own path but everything gels together for the benefit of the wider picture in ways that you wouldn’t expect. The songs manage to be exploratory and experimental while remaining coherent and delivering a completed whole.

Angular riffs, wilful bass, schizophrenic drums and daemonic vocals collide to create a challenging and ultimately involving listen. The songs owe about as much to the violent Hardcore background of bands such as Converge, Botch and The Dillinger Escape Plan as they do to Technical Death Metal.

Pyrrhon strike me as having a combination of sounds from bands as diverse as all of the previously mentioned ones, as well as having elements of bands like Uphill Battle, Gorguts and Today Is The Day.

If you’re looking for a new band to obsess over who are not your average band then say hello to Pyrrhon. This album is a must.

Brood of Hatred – Skinless Agony (Review)

Brood of Hatred are a Death Metal band from Tunisia.

Skinless Agony starts off creeping and crawling with thunderously deep vocals erupting all over the place. Brood of Hatred have some unconventional riffs in their sound and it’s much to their credit.

The production is flawless; no problems here. Every song is given the room to move that it requires, and the instruments couldn’t be clearer, (yes, even the bass is audible).

This is intelligent, atypical Death Metal with a proclivity for interesting and inventive guitar parts. If you think of bands such as Gorguts and Ulcerate, you’ll get the idea of the creative area Brood of Hatred inhabit.

Highly accomplished; the band have created songs with depth and individuality. The playing by all of the musicians involved is exemplary and the brutality of the singer’s guttural vocals anchors the album firmly in Death Metal territory even when the instruments are off exploring other areas.

For me this has been a wonderful discovery of an excellent band – make sure you discover them too.

Dementia Senex – Heartworm (Review)

Dementia Senex are from Italy and play complex Death Metal with elements of Doom and Sludge mixed in.

Heartworm comes from a dense, murky place where atmosphere and mood are just as important as heaviness and brutality.

The band themselves state their sound as a cross between Gorguts and Cult of Luna, and I’d agree that this is a fair assessment. They combine intricate riffing and complex blasting with wall-of-sound atmospherics and pacing.

The vocals are mainly halfway between a shout and a growl, while third track Heartworm mixes this up a bit with the vocalist trying a few different styles.

This EP only has 3 songs but there is 17 minutes of music here, and quality music too. I also love the EP cover.

I am genuinely excited to hear a full-length from them eventually. The phrase “one to watch” was invented for bands like this.

Sulaco – Build & Burn (Review)

Inventive, modern Grind is what Sulaco have in store for us here, with the odd dashing of Death Metal thrown in for good measure. Think longer-song-style Grind, rather than the shorter-song-style. Like somewhere between Cephalic Carnage and Gorguts or Gorod. Only not quite like that…

This is harsh music and not for the unwary. Choppy, changing, discordant guitars lead the way challenging the listener at every turn, while the drums both set the pace and hold everything together. Needless to say these are skilled musicians who know their Grind, which is only to be expected as they contain a now-former member of Brutal Truth.

The vocals are mostly halfway between a scream and a more hardcore-style shout, which immediately gives the band more of an individual slant than a lot of generic Grindcore bands. It works well here and complements the harshness of the music with an almost Drowningman-type intensity that adds an extra layer of depth to the tunes.

With plenty of ideas, some sharp technicality and the odd flourish of melody and sustained aggressive Metal this is a most enjoyable album.