Sea of Bones and Ramlord are both from the US. Sea of Bones play doom, while Ramlord play hardcore.
Sea of Bones have produced some monolithic, crushing doom/sludge metal in their time, so it’s with great joy that I prepared to listen to their half of this split – a single track named Hopelessness and Decay, lasting just under 11 minutes.
Slow and full of apocalyptic inevitability, the track unfolds at minimal speed, Continue reading “Sea of Bones/Ramlord – Split (Review)”
Trap Them are a hardcore band from the US. This is their fifth album.
Trap Them play dark hardcore, full of raw nastiness and rabid bite.
The singer has the perfect voice for this kind of thing; completely feral and utterly aggressive. His high-pitched screaming shouts lash out from the music like dangerous bladed weapons, eager to draw blood. With compelling rhythms and engaging, memorable vocal patterns, his voice is the driving factor and focal point for the dark music. Continue reading “Trap Them – Crown Feral (Review)”
Six-Score are an Austrian Grindcore band, and this is their second album.
This is modern-edged grind with plenty of aggression and attitude.
Hardcore and punk influences can be heard alongside quite a few d-beat and crust ones, all mixed in with some metal and grinding ferocity. The parts that are injected with more d-beat and punk stylings are quite energetic, Continue reading “Six-Score – Lebensräume (Review)”
Cara Neir are a black metal/crust/grind/whatever band from the US. They have teamed up with Wildspeaker, a blackened sludge/crust band, also from the US.
I’m a big fan of Cara Neir, so as far as I’m concerned any release of theirs is well worth giving a listen to. On this split they contribute seven songs spread over 21 minutes.
You never quite know what you’re going to be getting with Continue reading “Cara Neir/Wildspeaker – Guilt and His Reflection (Review)”
Rotting Empire is the second album from US metal band Forty Winters. Chock-full of heavy riffs and meaty beatdowns, this is metallic hardcore in its original 90s/00s incarnation, all stomping riffs and attitude, but with modern delivery. And do you know what? It’s great to hear.
Jeff Stevenson (Guitar) & Xavier Vicuna (Vocals) filled me in a bit more on all things Forty Winters…
Xavier: We’re Forty Winters, metal band from South Florida. We play pissed off music for pissed off people. It’s actually a lot of fun. We love to tour, so make sure you come check out a show if we’re in your area. Continue reading “Interview with Forty Winters”
Myteri are a crust/punk band from Sweden and this is their debut album.
Myteri combine crust and punk influences into 27 minutes of roiling hardcore, recalling a mix of Poison Idea, Fredag Den 13:e and Martyrdöd.
With a very unassuming cover, along with the brief intro track, this seems to Continue reading “Myteri – Myteri (Review)”
This is a split between two Canadian grindcore bands – Existench and Deboned.
First up we have Existench, with just under 7 minutes of intensity.
This is old-school grind that takes no prisoners and just wants to rampage. With punk intent and hardcore ferocity, Existench rage through these short songs with the assured confidence of a predator that knows its kill is near. Continue reading “Existench/Deboned – Split (Review)”
This is the second album from US metalcore band Forty Winters.
This is metalcore in its original, hard-as-nails metallic hardcore incarnation, before the advent of sing-along choruses and radio-friendly unit shifters. Forty Winters mean business, and they’re here to stomp all over your breakfast.
This is angry music for angry people doing angry things. If you get off on bands like Hatebreed, Himsa, Thy Art Is Murder, Suicide Silence, Walls of Jericho, Darkest Hour and the like, then this should be Continue reading “Forty Winters – Rotting Empire (Review)”
Dead Ficus are a Metal band from France and this is their debut album.
Dead Ficus play a form of melodic metal/rock that features harsh vocals and some nice keyboard accompaniment.
The singer has quite a nasty bark to him, which juxtaposes nicely against the music which is melodic and atmospheric. I was actually expecting clean vocals from this band, for some reason, so I like his voice all the more for Continue reading “Dead Ficus – Rise or Fall (Review)”
Great Reversals are a US hardcore band and this is their debut album.
After an impressively striking EP, Natural Burial, I was pleased that Great Reversals had returned with their first full-length.
Great Reversals play heavyweight hardcore that has a distinct 90s feel. This is blended with a touch of metal and a few post-hardcore elements here and there. Continue reading “Great Reversals – Mere Mortals (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 