Melodic Death Metal – Page 26

Xenosis – Sowing the Seeds of Destruction (Review)

This is the second album by Xenosis, a Progressive Death Metal band from the US.

Here we have a thoroughly modern take on Extreme Metal, incorporating state-of-the-art Death Metal, (à la The Faceless), the Progressive and Technical styles, as well as a bit of Djent, Deathcore and Melodic Death/Thrash Metal thrown in for good measure. It’s not as eclectic as it sounds though and it all gels together nicely to produce an album that has a lot going for it.

The combined impact of the above sub-genres is that Sowing the Seeds of Destruction features a lot of actual songs, as opposed to merely essays in technicality/brutality/speed/etc. All of these aspects are here, of course, but they’re all tempered by an overarching aesthetic that largely puts the song first over anything else. As such, this is a surprisingly catchy and memorable release from the off.

The vocals are mainly higher than you might expect, more in-line with the style employed by Carcass than your typical cookie-monster growls. Deeper grunts do appear, but these are less common than their higher counterparts. Clean vocals also make an appearance on one track, with these being delivered somewhere between those of The Faceless and Opeth.

This is a professional package that shows a band coming into their own and injecting their collective personality into the music. The songs are involved and intricate enough to have a lot of content within these 31 minutes and the playing time just flies by far too quickly. Lots of ideas are explored too, with the band thankfully unafraid to express themselves in whatever way they see fit.

I’m very impressed by this and I’m amazed they haven’t been snapped up hungrily by one of the more well-known Extreme Metal labels.

For now though, let’s just enjoy Sowing the Seeds of Destruction and the treasures that it offers.

Windfaerer – Tenebrosum (Review)

Windfaerer are a Black metal band from the US. This is their second album.

Windfaerer have a Black Metal base which they build on with Melodic Death Metal and Folk-style influences. Their Folky Black Metal vibes are melodically fluid and have an added bite via their Melodic Death Metal influences.

Sharp and streamline, these songs create atmosphere via a variety of delivery methods; whether that be through fast guitars and relentless drums, dual guitars that are subsumed into the Melodic Death/Black easily, or slower, more evocative sections.

Added to all of this is a violin that speaks of the band’s Folk influences and the overall melancholic atmosphere that Windfaerer foster through the faster sections as well as more reflective, slower parts.

These songs are both familiar and friendly; it’s a joyful listening experience, despite some of the darker atmospheres that infuse the music, and it’s one that’s easy to digest and enjoy. These seven tracks are well-paced and well-judged, delivering just the right amount of diversity to hold the interest while remaining cohesive overall.

Windfaerer have produced a strong album that’s a recommended listen for anyone who likes a bit of Melodic Black/Death Metal with some nicely-played violin.

Disquiet – The Condemnation (Review)

This is the second album from Dutch Melodic Thrash/Death Metal band Disquiet.

Disquiet play a heavy and aggressive brand of Thrash Metal with a nice Death Metal edge to it that means the band keep things dark and intense.

With plenty of jagged riffs and Metal leads, this is an album that it’s easy to feel at home with.

The singer varies his delivery between growls, shouts and what I’ll call almost-sung vocals – they’re almost sung, but not quite. Yeah, yeah, it may not be a very fancy description, but it suffices, and the end result is an added emotive edge to the vocals when there needs to be one without going full-blown into Metalcore-style cleans, for the most part.

I really like the production on this album and the thickness of the guitars. Everything else sounds top-drawer too and overall The Condemnation sounds quite immense.

If this album gets some good exposure I can see it doing very well indeed. It has the right combination of underground brutality and integrity combined with a songwriting skill that should ideally see them reaching a larger audience than a lot of their peers.

Recommended.

Interview with Necrocosm

Necrocosm’s début album – Damnation Doctrine – is a high-energy, aggressive 45 minutes of Melodic Death Metal that really does hit the spot. I decided it was time to explore their world a little more…

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

We are Necrocosm, from Raleigh, NC and we play melodic death metal.

Give us a bit of background to Necrocosm

We started Necrocosm in Fall 2011 with three remaining members from a previous thrash band: Kevin (lead guitar), Adam (drums), and our founding bassist Cisco. Since the songwriting duties now fell on Kevin (lead guitars) we naturally went in a more death metal oriented direction as that is his main inspiration. It took until late-mid 2012 to completely flesh out the lineup, adding Brent on rhythm guitar and Zach on vocals. We became active on stage in June 2013 and released a three-song demo later that summer. In early 2014 Matt took over on bass. This past September we finally released our début album recorded in October 2014 and April 2015.

Where did the band name come from?

We wanted a one-word band name, and we are fans of clever wordplay whenever possible, and the word “necro” is pretty fucking metal. So putting our heads together, Necrocosm was the best we could come up with. If you look at the word microcosm, where the definition is a miniature of a larger world. I guess if you don’t mind the details completely, Necrocosm could mean a dead world. And since most humans are brain dead and/or dead inside, we feel it’s not too fantastical of a concept.

What are your influences?

Oh that’s a tough one. I guess it’s fairly obvious that Kevin is a fan of The Black Dahlia Murder, At the Gates, Amon Amarth, Gates of Ishtar, Death, etc. But he also likes to include black metal influences here and there that he gets from Dissection, Emperor, and Immortal. Lately we’re getting a little more technical, thanks to Decrepit Birth, Obscura, and Necrophagist. And a little brutal in places.

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

Our western NC bros Abhorrent Deformity just released a brutal, slammy, SICK fucking debut album titled Entity of Malevolence. Check it out!

Give us a bit of background to Damnation Doctrine – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

The album title is based on our feelings about the brainwashing cancer of religion. The thought that we’re born guilty of “the original sin” and that we must follow teachings of an ancient book that was written initially by primitive types of people and then translated and reinterpreted at will over the centuries, or otherwise face eternal hellfire, is a doctrine based on damnation. And we reject all facets of organized religion.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Usually Kevin will get a riff idea and then base supporting or lead riffs based off of that initial idea. If the ideas are good enough, he’ll record a scratch track and send it out to the band to get their thoughts. If everyone’s on board then we’ll start going over the song sections at practice and Adam will write his drum parts both at practice and on his own. Once we have a complete song, Zach will write his lyrics based on the inspiration the song gives him.

How did the recording process go?

It was our first time working with someone of the calibre of Jamie King, and he is a professional to say the least, haha. He made it as painless as anyone could, as he is a fan of extreme metal, so he understood exactly what we were shooting for with this album and our sound in general. Tracking was stressful at times haha because Jamie only accepted the best of the best of the best takes; but upon hearing the final product we are so grateful that he did.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

Collectively Octopian Eclipse is our favourite. That was the most recent song at time of recording, and it displays us at our most varied and technical, writing-wise (before recording). The newer stuff we’ve written is more varied and technical.

What does the future hold for Necrocosm?

That’s tough to say these days. We’re going to be here doing what we do as long as we can keep the band together. But as you may know, we are completely self-supported and our resources are quite limited to say the least. We’re hoping to get out of town and play some weekend shows in other cities we haven’t yet been to, and hopefully they’ll dig us and want us back some day.

Aktaion – Throne (Review)

This is the début album by Swedish Metal band Aktaion.

This is sharp Melodic Metal that combines high-energy aggressive Melodic Death Metal with more restrained and emotive choruses. Elements of Thrash and Progressive Metal also raise their heads, (only to bang them all the harder). Continue reading “Aktaion – Throne (Review)”

Necrocosm – Damnation Doctrine (Review)

Necrocosm are a Death Metal band from the US. This is their début album.

Necrocosm play Melodic Death Metal with plenty of riffs, licks and shredding leads. The music is fast, furious and has bite. Think a more modern spin on the style, à la The Black Dahlia Murder, mixed with a bit of Aborted and even some Dying Fetus.

The band have a strong sound and the guitars sound nicely meaty for a band of this style. Everything sounds slick, professional and honed to a killing edge.

The vocals follow the style of a band like Aborted; deep growls backed up with more of a shouted bark and the odd scream.

These songs have been written with high-energy in mind and manage to keep the aggression and intensity up for these 45 minutes. I like fast music with a sharp melodic edge and Necrocosm have certainly produced an album that does what it sets out to do very nicely indeed.

Who said Melodic Death Metal had to be weak and wishy-washy? Anyone? No, that’s right.

Highly recommended.

Vehemence – Forward Without Motion (Review)

Vehemence are a Death Metal band from the US. This is their fourth album.

This is the first release after their wonderfully classic third album Helping the World to See, released a mere 11 years earlier. I always loved that one, so now that this new release has reared its head, I’m a happy bunny.

Vehemence play interesting and inventive Death Metal that has a firm melodic slant and good songwriting. If you’re a fan of this kind of Death Metal then Vehemence are one of the best; they manage to play the Melodic style while still keeping the main emphasis on Death Metal.

Sharp, concise growls are the vocal delivery of choice, and it’s nice to hear the singer’s clipped tones back in rotation once more. As always, the growls are complemented with screams and other forms of aural assault, providing a wide range of vocals to match the variety of the music.

And what music it is! Vehemence are all about the songs, with the musicianship set at a very high level. These tracks are, on average, even longer than the ones on their previous release and it’s clear that the band haven’t been lacking in ideas or creativity over the last decade or so. This is an album with a lot to say, and I’m quite happy to listen.

Lethal speed and sharp, serrated melodies fly out all over the place, making Vehemence a dangerous proposition to those unused to such a rich palette being used in Death Metal.

The tracks don’t get boring. Repeated listens merely cement the songs in your mind and lock down the fact that this is infectious, impressive stuff. Quality riffs, melodies, leads and solos make for a luscious and textured tapestry of sounds designed to entice, peak interest and satisfy those hard-to-reach cravings that you have for melodic music that still has bite and nastiness.

Getting this is a bit of a no-brainer really; make sure that you do.

Atlas Entity – Enceladus (Review)

Atlas Entity is a one-man Progressive Death Metal project from the US.

This is a short EP, a taster really, at 16 minutes in length, featuring colourful Progressive/Technical/Melodic Death Metal with a textured delivery and an open, exploratory approach to the sub-genre.

There’s enough bite here to satisfy fans of aggression, but there’s also a side to the band that’s more restrained and considered, as well as one that likes to let loose with all kinds of guitar-mayhem.

Featuring a couple of different guests as well as the drummer of Decrepit Birth, the musicianship on Enceladus is first-rate and provides plenty of substance to get your teeth into as the playing time passes.

The vocals are a mix of deeper growls and high pitched screams, both performed well and with passion. When the screams are ringing out, the drumming speeds up and the melodics go into overdrive the songs take on their Melodic Death Metal aspect; this works really well as it then frequently collapses back into more technical or Progressive territory, allowing the songs a wide-reach when it comes to bases covered.

There’s a lot to enjoy on this EP and the tracks sell themselves well. These are not simple songs and it’s clear that a lot of time, love and attention has gone into them. It seems to have paid off, and I recommend you give Enceladus a few spins to see what you think.

Kataklysm – Of Ghosts and Gods (Review)

Kataklysm are from Canada and this is their twelfth album. They play Death Metal.

Veteran band Kataklysm have returned with another 46 minutes of music that continues with their trademark vision of Death Metal as a balancing act between brutality, melody and groove.

After decades of practising and perfecting their art Kataklysm have their formula nailed down. Their Death Metal combines blasting brutality with a melodic sensibility that means these are actual songs first and foremost. Kataklysm were never going to put out a dud album, and Of Gods and Ghosts once again shows why they’re at the top of the Death Metal pile.

As with all of their work it’s very riff-heavy, with colossal grooves a way of life for the band. Their songwriting has been perfected to the point now where these riffs merge seamlessly into their more melodic counterparts and Of Gods and Ghosts is so incredibly catchy and full of hooks it’s just a surefire winner for anyone how likes Melodic Death Metal.

With all of this being said, I like the fact that there’s still extremity here; this is Death Metal after all. Kataklysm can still blast with the best of them and there’s plenty of Northern Hyperblast alongside the slamming riffs and melodic refrains.

The vocals are shouted growls that are a little higher on occasion than some of their past releases, but still do their job well in providing a focus point other than the frenetic riffs or pummelling drums.

For Death Metal that’s straightforward, instant, heavy, melodic and very, very catchy you can’t get better than this.

Carnivora – The Vision (Review)

Carnivora are from the US and this is their latest EP. They play Modern Melodic Death Metal.

This new 18 minute EP showcases Carnivora’s blend of Modern Death Metal and Groove Metal to good effect.

Carnivora’s début album Eternal was a great listen, and this latest release cements their up-and-coming status in the modern heavy music scene.

They successfully mix brutality and melody, without sacrificing either; kind of like an (older) In Flames meets Lamb of God meets Death Metal sexiness.

The songs blast and groove their way through the playing time and each one has a good grasp of melodics, heaviness, choruses and dynamics. There’s a Thrash Metal influence on display too, but this is usually buried under the melodies, covertly adding to the sharp energy that the band exude.

The music is not without subtlety when it needs to be. The band have an ear for a decent riff and there’s plenty to hook and snare the listener into their world, as well as some good ideas too.

The vocalist grunts, shouts and screams depending on what the music calls for. He has an obvious passion and works with the music to get adrenaline pumping, heads banging and fists smashing.

Carnivora have followed up their impressive début album with a quality little EP that definitely signals big things for the future.

Into the pit!