Hardcore – Page 55 – Wonderbox Metal

Wolfbastard – Wolfbastard (Review)

Wolfbastard are from the UK and play Black Metal/Hardcore. This is their début album.

Like a cross between Darkthrone and Discharge, Wolfbastard play Crust-infused Black Metal that’s as ugly a version of Blackened Hardcore as you’re going to get. D-beat fury and icy rage combine to fuel these songs with an unearthly layer of unhealthy grime.

Harsh screaming vocals are your guide as you traverse the difficult terrain ahead of you. Pounding drums and savage guitars are your constant companions on this unfriendly path.

The songs are short, unmerciless and barbaric. Like a primitive template of how to merge two already atavistic styles, Wolfbastard’s début excels at showing how enjoyable Blackened Hardcore can be. These songs are imbued with an Old-School fury; Hardcore energy and Black Metal hate, combined in just the right amount.

The music is surprisingly catchy in many ways. The songs may not last long, but while they’re around the band make sure the playing time is filled with good riffs and memorable vocal patterns, with many a chorus being quite singable. Well, assuming you want to run around shredding your throat raw by shouting things like Nuns for the Slaughter, Summoning the Antichrist or Wolfbastard. Which maybe you do, who knows? If that’s the case, have at it old bean!

At any rate, this is a release that once again shows how fertile and diverse the UK Metal scene is. Wolfbastard are a worthy addition to the UK’s growing roster of quality bands, and this album is both strong and enjoyable.

Highly recommended.

Fredag Den 13:e – Domedager (Review)

Fredag Den 13:e are from Sweden and this is their third album. They play Hardcore.

This is aggressive music that’s fuelled by Crust and and d-beat Hardcore. If you like bands such as Skitsystem, Disfear and Martyrdöd then you’re in for a treat here.

Fredag Den 13:e have plenty of groove and rhythm to their sound and a strong recording brings out the best of them. Everything is solid and immediate, which is the kind of impact a band of this type requires.

The songs are catchy and emotive, which is a lethal combination. There are great riffs in abundance and the band have a large amount of energy that they siphon into the songs. A lot of the guitars feature aggressive melodies that sound quite apocalyptic, so much so that Domedager could almost be the soundtrack to the end times after civilisation has fallen.

The singer has a scathing voice and he screams his way through these 36 minutes like a focused ball of rage that nonetheless manages to convey emotion and charisma alongside the vicious diatribes.

One of the things I love about this release is that the songs have this relentless energy that drives them forward. Add to that the emotive, dynamic riffs and songwriting…well, we have a winner here for sure.

This is not a band I was aware of prior to writing this review, but it turns out they could be one of Sweden’s best kept secrets. It’s time to change that – listen to Fredag Den 13:e and get ready to be impressed.

Captain Cleanoff – Rising Terror (Review)

This is the second album from Australian Grindcore band Captain Cleanoff.

Here we have 16 tracks in a brief and violent 21 minutes. Napalm Death and Terrorizer are your instant points of reference for Rising Terror and it lives up to these lofty expectations by demolishing everything in front of it in a tidal wave of raw savagery.

The songs are fast and furious, with everything dedicated to the Grindcore assault, although it frequently stops short of becoming a complete blastfest.

These short and nasty tracks are all brutality and teeth, snarling and gnashing their way through the seconds like a hungry predator. The main exception to this high-speed delivery is the final track Threads, which is more of an atmospheric track; slower and Sludgy, (and at just under 5 minutes long it’s pretty much 25% of the album).

There’s a lot of d-beats involved on Rising Terror, as well as it having a Hardcore energy. Good groves and riffs are used and Captain Cleanoff have a clear understanding of dynamics within the Grindcore template.

The vocals alternate high-pitched acid-drenched vocals with deeper growls. The latter sound rough and angry while the former sound insanely psychotic.

This is an enjoyable 20 minutes from a band with a solid sound and style who know how to get down to business and get the job done.

Recommended.

Deathrite – Revelation of Chaos (Review)

This is the third album from German Death Metallers Deathrite.

This is Old-School/Classic Death Metal that’s filthy and dirty as Hell. It also has a poisonous mixture of both Doom and Hardcore influences pulsating through its infected blood.

Yes, this is an interesting mixture of different types of extremity all wrapped up in a Death Metal giftbox. There’s an air of the Swedish style to their attack, as well as a whiff of a chainsaw in their sound; there’s a Doomy Asphyx/Incantation vibe going on; there’s a Hardcore/Grindcore energy à la Nasum; and there’s plenty of balls-ahead Death Metal fun for all of the family!

The songs are heavy and nasty, with plenty of bite and a substantial presence. This is a compact little album lasting 35 minutes that doesn’t outstay its welcome and is in fact the kind of thing you’ll find yourself playing again almost straight away.

The singer has a throaty growl that’s malignant and rabid. It complements the aggressiveness of the music perfectly.

This is a top quality album full of decent Metal tunes and plenty of big riffs, with everything you see and hear being covered in filth, of course.

Highly recommended.

August Burns Red – Found in Far Away Places (Review)

August Burns Red are from the US and this is their seventh album. They play Modern Hardcore.

I haven’t encountered August Burns Red since their 2011 album Leveler, and it seems that they continue to produce quality music that combines elements of Hardcore, Melodic Hardcore and Metalcore into a user-friendly package.

The band somehow manage to be heavy and accessible at the same time, while crucially displaying their own personality and charisma. No matter what they do, they retain their own identity throughout the 53 minutes on offer here and take the listener on a comprehensive journey that shames most of their one-dimensional peers.

The album opens with a bang and the singer’s vocals sound angrier and gruffer than ever. It’s an instant reminder of why August Burns Red are still relevant and exciting in a music scene where a lot of similar bands are shedding their heavier roots for more radio-friendly climes.

One thing I love about this band is how they combine heaviness and melody in such an appealing way. This style of music is usually rife with generic pap, cliché deliveries and boring, done-to-death repetition and I’m always amazed and impressed when bands playing this style manage to avoid all of these, as August Burns Red do on Found in Far Away Places.

The songs have a lot of recognisable elements that mark them out as subtly different from the masses of bands playing this style. I think the crux of it is that the riffs, breakdowns, melodies, leads, etc. here are just that much better than the norm; August Burns Red are just plain better than most bands of this ilk. Couple that with the fact that they have little moments of experimentalism and interesting ideas, as well as a lot of personality and charisma, and you can easily see why they are leaders and not followers.

After this many releases the band totally know what they’re doing and still have that essential passion for the music which appears completely undimmed. The songwriting is tight and focused without seeming forced or staid.

Top marks for a band who are not afraid to be themselves, try new things and above all remain heavy and relevant. August Burns Red have returned and I for one could not be happier.

Immortal Bird – Empress/Abscess (Review)

Immortal Bird are an interesting Death Metal band from the US. This is their début album.

This is not a typical Death Metal album. In fact it’s only Death Metal in the loosest sense really. Elements of Black Metal’s darkness and Grind’s chaos infuse it like diseases, while the brutal core only gets stronger and stronger due to these infections.

The singer has an absolutely scathing voice and her vocals seem to lash out of the venomous music like angry barbs.

The songs are an extremely impressive collection of styles and sub-genres. Fusing the atypical Death Metal of Gorguts, the emotive Grind of Cloud Rat, the Hardcore fury and aural inventiveness of Converge, the classic-style aura of Death and the Blackened taint of Ludicra – this is a real merging of different aspects of Extreme Metal, underpinned by a Death Metal core, resulting in an album that really is an incredibly impressive release.

As well as having a certain soft spot for some well-worn and classic genres/sub-genres, I also absolutely love it when you encounter a band that are doing something a bit different. Immortal Bird are the perfect kind of band for this, and I love that they throw so many Extreme Metal influences into their melting pot. The important thing, though, is that they’re doing it extremely well. This release is well-realised and sounds completely natural and unforced. The songs are just that well-written.

These tracks have it all, from blasting to angularity to atmosphere to melody to high-energy. For all the extremity on display here they still manage to throw in some hooks and the entire thing is actually very memorable, quite quickly.

This is the kind of music that causes you to take a sharp intake of breath and say to yourself, “holy shit”.

What more is there to say? You absolutely need Immortal Bird in your life.

This is going in my end of year list, make no mistake.

Mindful of Pripyat – …And Deeper I Drown in Doom… (Review)

Mindful of Pripyat are an Italian Grindcore band and this is their début EP.

This is Old-School Deathgrind with a devastating sound that’s heavy enough to crush a tank.

Mindful of Pripyat are all about the brutality. Blast beats and energetic fast-paced mayhem is the order of business and business is good.

The vocals are a three pronged approach, consisting of deathgrunts, pignoise belching and serrated screams. All are performed well with the main growls sounding especially brutal.

The music is short and to-the-point, as you would expect from the style. The guitars are half-way between Death Metal and Hardcore which lends the album a vitality that can sometimes be lacking in some Grind.

Like the best Extreme Metal, Mindful of Pripyat are just plain satisfying. Everything about their music from the overpowering sound to the merciless riffing to the barbarous vocals just appeals to my sense of what savage music should sound like.

Like a mash-up of Napalm Death, Terrorizer and Misery Index, Mindful of Pripyat have unleashed a storming first release here, and one can only imagine what they will get up to in the future. If they can retain this level of production value and songwriting skill then they can only go from strength to strength.

If well-produced Deathgrind is your thing then Mindful of Pripyat have got you covered. This really is quite an exceptional release; not because there’s anything ground breaking or innovative here, but purely because of the strength of the music alone. …And Deeper I Drown in Doom… is invigorating and like a welcome, painful shot of adrenaline right through the skull.

Quality Grindcore can never be kept down.

Ambassador Gun – Tomb of Broken Sleep (Review)

This is the third album from US Grinders Ambassador Gun.

Ambassador Gun play their music with harsh melody, Hardcore abandon and Grinding brutality. On paper their Grindcore is no different to many others’, but in reality the riffs and melodies used are quite atypical and interesting.

The band are upbeat and have their blasting moments, but this is more about the songs having an energy about them rather than speed for the sake of it.

The tracks are somewhat of a cross between the Hardcore d-beat of a band like Martyrdöd, the experimental, unusual Grind of Cloud Rat, the insectile mayhem of Discordance Axis and the Sludge edge of Colombian Necktie.

There’s lots of dynamics on display here and these are songs that are built to last. The band use melody well, but not in a melodic way; I know this sounds almost contradictory, but this is not a melodic band in the obvious sense. However, they achieve it in a muted, angry way and their songs have their own internal colour and sparkle because of this, despite the abrasive, serrated veneer.

This really is an exceptionally enjoyable release with enough bluster and brutality to have an instant appeal, yet with enough nuance and depth to be long lasting once the initial appeal of the violence and carnage has faded.

This is 26 minutes of exciting, visceral Extreme Metal. Highly recommended.

Palinopsia – Murmurs From the Well Nothing More (Review)

This is the début EP from US Sludge Metal band Palinopsia.

This is dirty great Sludge with a Blackened Doom component and a Hardcore backbone.

The scathing, acidic vocals sound utterly inhuman and are frequently layered upon each other, screaming and shouting for all they’re worth.

The recording is extremely heavy, making the most of Palinopsia’s ugly, downtuned sound. It’s unpolished and teeming with viral life, seemingly writhing with diseased lustre.

Southern Sludge riffs mix with a Blackened influence to result in venomous songs that don’t have any pure intentions at all. The Hardcore backbone of the band gives them an upbeat edge that is as sharp as any blade.

The Black Metal influence works as an undercurrent to each song, spreading darkness as it works deep into the marrow of the guitars. The Hardcore elements allow the band to speed up on occasion, as if the attack hounds are being unleashed once more. All of this is tethered by a swampy Sludge presence that’s as big as it is bold.

They’re not without subtlety or introspection though. It’s not an obvious part of their sound and it doesn’t happen very often, but occasionally the distortion fades and they offer some light along with the shade. It’s a welcome enhancement to their music and when the guitars roar up again it sounds heavier than ever.

This kind of nasty Sludge is always an enjoyable hate-fest. Turn up the volume and tear down the house.

Interview with Witch of the Waste

Appearing like a violent hurricane of multi-textured chaos out of their native Canada, Witch of the Waste’s latest EP Made of Teeth is a dynamic and savage listen. Guaranteed to perk the interest of anyone who is into challenging and exciting music; I wanted to find out more, so delved into their world of rather amiable extremity…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

We’re a Canadian band that plays fast, and weird music.

Give us a bit of history to Witch of the Waste

I started this band with a buddy. We found some friends to play in it. We wrote a demo, then wrote an EP. People were kicked out, people left. Unremarkable story really. What matters is that we always found a way to differentiate ourselves from our influences while still staying true to them. People have found it hard to pin us down because of that and we think that’s pretty cool.

Where did the band name come from?

It’s a reference to the Hayao Miyazaki film Howl’s Moving Castle.

What are your influences?

Everything from Converge, Gorguts and Russian Circles to Pink Floyd and Sigur Ros.

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

I’ve been super into the new Modest Mouse record. They have never disappointed me. I would also recommend our friend’s Exits who just released their first full length. It’s fast. Scope it out.

Where do you see yourself fitting in in the international Extreme Metal scene?

We are very much a product of Vancouver. Our scene is very densely packed with bands ranging from crusty metallic hardcore, techy metalcore to stoner doom and everything in between. Crowds here are also super open and down to hear new things which I feel is fairly rare. I think if we start looking at aggressive music with a wider scope I would say Belgium sticks out like a sore thumb. Oathbreaker, Rise and Fall, or Young and in the Way are all bands that we sort of liken ourselves to. It’s hard to pin down a specific genre because I can only think of a handful of bands but I suppose even something like Catharsis fits into that. Sort of Atmospheric Hardcore I guess you could call it. Either way I think we could find ourselves very happy in a place like Belgium. Also: they are wicked into beer.

What’s your favourite song on your new EP and why?

My favorite is They Haunt Minds. I feel like we were really able to nail our aesthetic and package it in something quick and terrifying. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to accomplish.

What are the subjects/themes of the songs on this EP?

I don’t feel like giving away much because I do feel it’s important to allow our work to remain ambiguous and let the listener have their own relationship with the songs and lyrics. If they feel it means one thing and I say it means another than that dissonance can be harmful. Besides, what do I know? I only wrote it. So without spoiling anything I can say that it’s a discussion of loss using imagery lifted from ghost stories and horror movies. There is probably also some True Detective in there. It’s really hard to have consumed True Detective and not be influenced by it haha.

Give us a bit of information on your songwriting process.

This line up is very different from the one this band started with. Songwriting used to be like pulling teeth. It’s very collaborative now. A song can stem from a guitar hook, a riff, a bassline or even just a feeling. It’s been extremely productive.

How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?

Made of Teeth was an exercise in boiling down our sound to a base aesthetic. I think we want to keep going in that direction but write with a wider variation of tempos and volumes. Fast songs faster and slow songs slower. Loud songs louder and quiet songs quieter. We want to expand on what sorts of songs we write.

What’s next for Witch of the Waste?

We are planning to tour Western Canada and the West Coast of the United states as well as writing for our next release. We’re actually the busiest we have ever been and it’s been really awesome.