Metal – Page 525 – Wonderbox Metal

Whispering Woods – Perditus et Dea (Review)

Whispering Woods are from Romania and this is their second album. They play Symphonic Gothic Metal.

This style of music was all the rage in the late 90’s/early 00’s and I haven’t heard a band play it so full-on in quite a while.

Recalling bands like The Sins of Thy Beloved and Tristania, this is richly textured operatic Metal with keyboards and flute accompaniment.

And boy, does it take me back! I was listening to a lot of bands like this at one point and Whispering Woods would have easily fit in.

Perditus et Dea has a huge production and sometimes it feels like the guitars are hitting home like a hammer. Everything is ultra-clear and no expense seems to have been spared in helping the band realise their vision.

The powerful female vocals are expertly performed, clearly by singers of great skill and accomplishment. There’s a definite theatricality to these vocals that spills over to the music too, almost as if each song is an act in a play.

The songs themselves are well-composed and have a good balance between the theatrical and operatic elements and the hard Metal core of the band. One of the things I really like about Whispering Woods is that the Metal component of the band has a big presence and is not subordinate to anything else. For all of the ostentation and flair of a band like this, Whispering Woods are a Metal band first and foremost.

I find this is a style that it’s quite easy to sound generic in; Whispering Woods avoid this by good songwriting, some interesting ideas and a strong sound. That they don’t fall into the trap of simply aping what is, by now, a well-worn style is another mark in their favour; instead they take the genre template and infuse it with their own personality to create an veritable exemplar of the style.

If you’re not a fan of female fronted Gothic Metal then this is unlikely to sway you. If, however, you’re partial to the genre and like a bit of Doom and melodrama alongside it, then Perditus et Dea is one to check out.

Me? I’ve really enjoyed this, and I hope you will too.

Dehuman – Graveyard of Eden (Review)

Dehuman are from Belgium and play Death Metal. This is their second album.

I enjoyed Dehuman’s 2012 début album Black Throne of All Creation and as such had high hopes for this new one as I first pressed play.

It did not disappoint.

This is solid Death Metal that flexes its musical muscles early and frequently. The band create an impressive racket.

Dehuman play classic Death Metal that has a timeless quality even though it’s delivered in a modern package.

Thick, heavy guitars blare out with spiky, take-no-prisoners riffs. The band are technically proficient in what they do and their songs reflect this. Riffs chop and change all over the shop and the occasional lightning speed solo, obscure lead or rare bout of melody strikes out from the coldly calculated mayhem to dazzle the listener.

Deep growls are shouted violently on top of this aggressive barrage and do their job well.

Dehuman have succeeded in creating an album of depth that has more than enough content to hold interest for repeated spins.

Top quality Death Metal.

Vile Disgust – Love all the Pigs (Review)

Vile Disgust are from Hungary and play Deathgrind. This is their début album.

With song titles guaranteed to impress the immature, this is over-the-top disgust-o Grind.

The band have a good sound and immediately go for the jugular with their own take on grotesque Deathgrind.

The vocalist belches out obscenities with utter relish and in a deep pignoise style. There’s a surprising amount of variety in the noises that he makes though from track to track, as if different songs had the vocals recorded in different toilets, in some form of filthy urinal tour.

Death Metal riffs and chugging brutality meet with the aggression and rampant disregard for life that Grindcore has. It’s mainly a-bit-faster-than-mid-paced affair, although the band do dabble in different tempos, speeds and methods of execution. The end result is songs that are about under 2 minutes long on average and do the best they can to flatten and disturb the listener.

This is primitive, groovy Grindcore that reeks of the sewer and has no more lofty ambitions than to see what floats to the surface after each flush.

Have a listen and see what you think.

Barishi – Endless Howl (Review)

Barishi are from the US and play Progressive Metal.

This is the latest EP, following on from their very enjoyable début album Barishi.

Here we have four new songs, clocking in at just less than 19 minutes in length. In an interview I did with their guitarist, Graham Brooks, he said that they wanted to explore a heavier direction in the future.

They’ve certainly done this on Endless Howl.

Again we have the mixture of angular riffs and melodic flourish; it worked well on their début album so it’s good to see it carried forward to this EP.

The songs are heavier, faster and are all-round more Metal this time though, which is something the band have successfully developed in their sound. The first song In the Hour of the Wolf doesn’t sound too far from At the Gates if they had a Progressive influence.

The heavily melodic nature of some of the music combined with the screaming vocals lends their sound a Black Metal/Shoegaze aspect which was entirely absent from their début. Smoke from the Earth is a great example of this and could almost be a Deafheaven tune.

The vocals still contribute harsh shouting screams, but this time they’re joined by the odd growl here and there. The growls are performed extremely well and the progression in screams is noticeable; they sounded perfectly good on the début but on this EP they’re even better. Completely gone are the clean vocals.

I’m glad that Barishi have incorporated more Metal without losing too much of what made them so interesting and individual in the first place. However, the Progressive and Jazz elements are less pronounced this time as something had to give due to the increased Metal influence. They are still there though in places and played immaculately, as always.

This is a very enjoyable collection of songs, showcasing a band that are truly finding their direction. Tight playing and focused songwriting means that the band sound even better than they did on their début.

The more Metal-oriented direction seems to have turned out to be a winner. Where do they go from here? Personally I would like to see their next release merge the Metal of their current incarnation with the more Jazz/Progressive tendencies of their début. If they manage to do this successfully then they’ll be untouchable.

Barishi have really impressed with this EP. An essential purchase.

Favourite Track: Snakeboat. Good songwriting and some strange, atypical atmospheric riffing that gets under your skin to create a tense and nervous listening experience.

Barshasketh/Void Ritual – Split (Review)

Barshasketh are based in Scotland and Void Ritual hail from the US. Both bands play Black Metal.

Barshasketh play occult Black Metal with an aura of dark majesty. They contribute two tracks to this split, 17 minutes in length.

The first song is named Palingenesis and immediately demonstrates the band’s quality songwriting and ritualistic riffing.

The music is played at all speeds, from a roaming crawl to blasting spite, and Barshasketh sound on top form either way.

Dominion of Ashes is the next track, and it allays any fears you might have of Palingenesis being a fluke; this song is just as good, if not better than the first.

Featuring Blackened riffs that immediately capture your attention and ice-cold vocals forged from malice, Barshasketh once more proceed to blow me away.

The sound is first rate throughout and this is a very impressive introduction to the band.

For fans of Marduk, Deathspell Omega, Watain and the like.

Void Ritual’s 2014 EP Holodomor was very enjoyable indeed, and they return here with a further three songs, 15 minutes in length.

Void Ritual have shorter songs and are an altogether faster proposition in general than Barshasketh.

Heaven’s Gate rips out of the speakers with venom and razorblades, demonstrating everything that I enjoyed about their earlier EP. If anything though, Void Ritual sound more professional now than they did previously.

Not that this is some sterile, ultra-polished commercial hit machine of course; this is still underground Black Metal through and through. It is, however, tight, focused and boasts a sound that’s as evil as it is satisfying.

Benevolent Mother is up next and continues Void Ritual’s penchant for writing enticing riffs that manage to scream Black Metal whilst at the same time sounding a bit different from the norm.

One of the things that attracted me to this band in the first place is that they may be playing a well-worn style but they do it with enough differences and personality quirks to make them stand out from the pack.

The final song is Temple of the Sun and this continues on where the last two left off; engaging riffs, Devilish atmosphere, roaring screams and top songsmithing. There’s nothing to not like here.

After how good the Barshasketh songs proved to be I was concerned that Void Ritual’s side of the split might be somewhat of a let-down. How stupid of me. Void Ritual can hold their own easily enough and remind me of how much I like their output. There’s just something about them.

These two bands play different facets of Black Metal that complement each other perfectly. Topped off with some excellent artwork this is one split you don’t want to miss.

Darkenhöld – Castellum (Review)

Darkenhöld are from France and this is their third album.

They play Dark Black Metal with a strong melodic sensibility; this is a band who are comfortable adding a Blackened melodicism to their sound whilst retaining their core of grim fire.

This is Atmospheric Black Metal without being ostentatious or flashy. The band have a firm grasp on this side of things and although the keyboards and enhancements are an integral part of their identity they know how to control them and reign them in for full impact.

Somewhat of a cross between Dimmu Borgir and Naglfar, they join the ranks of some excellent recent Atmospheric Black Metal releases by the likes of Akrotheism, Imperial Conquest, Rauhnåcht, Unfathomed of Abyss, and others, proving that the style is alive, healthy and vibrant.

This style of Black Metal always takes me back to the mid/late 90’s and Castellum is no exception. This is a very enjoyable listen and the songs seem to roll out of the speakers with an easy flow, to be welcomed like old friends that you’re always happy to see.

Give them a listen.

Sühnopfer – Offertoire (Review)

This is the second album from French Black Metallers Sühnopfer.

Sühnopfer play Black Metal that’s sharp, atmospheric and full of Blackened melodies bubbling beneath the blasting surface.

The vocals sound genuinely unhinged. They consist of high pitched screams that are piercing in a way that demands attention.

The songs are richly written with an emphasis on grandiose melodies and expressive guitars. This is Black Metal that’s absolutely played on its own terms to the beat of an older drum. Well, an older set of blast beats mainly.

The sound of the drums is infectious and the guitars seem to shine like crystal. This gives Offertoire a brightness that stands out, even with the dark core that’s inherent in this style of music.

Recalling melodic late 90’s dark delights from the likes of Setherial or even Satyricon, Sühnopfer rarely let up the pace and it works for them very well.

The band manage to create a medieval quality to these tracks, with the rhythms and leads frequently seeming to be inspired by this era; further enhanced as well by the album cover.

This is an album that hits the right spots and ends up as a very satisfying listen.

Highly recommended.

Ur Draugr – The Wretched Ascetic (Review)

Ur Draugr are from Australia and this is their début EP.

This release is 20 minutes long and features Ur Draugr’s captivating take on Atmospheric Death Metal.

Unseen Golgotha is just under 7 minutes long and opens softly, with some light acoustic guitar guiding the way.

This slowly builds in atmosphere until the crashing guitars and thundering drums enter proceedings. Finally we get pitch-black growls entering the song and the dark atmosphere is ramped up by a factor of ten.

Tense melodies and charismatic music means that this song is an instant revelation.

Up next is the title track The Wretched Ascetic. This serves as the EP’s centrepiece at just over 10 minutes in length.

It’s a churning maelstrom of a song that builds like an oncoming storm with a heavily percussive backdrop and immense rhythms powering it along.

Like the first song, this second track is extremely impressive and ably showcases the band’s aesthetic of organic, atmospheric Death Metal that has some undertones of Black, Post- and Progressive Metal.

The final track on this wonderful début is Sombre Moribund. At 3 minutes in length it’s the shortest track here and serves as a gentle outro to the EP.

If you long for the olden days of classic Opeth but don’t want an Opeth rip-off band then Ur Draugr are the band for you.

This is a hugely impressive release. I can only imagine how good their eventual album will be. Here’s hoping and waiting expectantly.

Blame Kandinsky – Pink Noise Motel (Review)

Blame Kandinsky are from Greece and this is their debut EP. They play chaotic Hardcore.

This is angular Hardcore in the style of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die, Norma Jean, et al. They play their chosen brand of mayhem with pride and skill, peeling off riff after riff of controlled chaos and deliberate discord.

These songs have a passionate energy to them that’s an essential part of any band that plays this style.

Thankfully, Blame Kandinsky are more than just a few hastily slapped together riffs as that can easily become dull; they know the importance of following riffs through to their natural conclusion and of creating atmosphere, no matter how fleeting or obscured by chaotic frenzy.

The singer has a charismatic voice that’s somewhat of a scream-ier version of the Every Time I Die singer’s style.

It’s always good to hear this kind of music, especially when delivered with obvious passion and ability.

These five songs, (and one pointless intro), showcase a talented band who have developed their sound into a force to be reckoned with already. If they can build on these strong foundations and continue to develop their individuality then their eventual album should be a stunner.

Highly recommended.

Favourite Track: Nascency.Admittance.Guilt.Rebirth. Some top quality riffing and vocal patterns combined with some Converge-esque atmospherics mean this song is a firm favourite of mine.

Comaniac – Return to the Wasteland (Review)

Comaniac are from Switzerland and play Thrash Metal. This is their début album.

Boasting a crisp, clear sound where you can feel every bit of crunch, Comaniac sound remarkably fresh considering this is Old-School Thrash Metal.

The songs have a kind of used vitality to them; it’s a well-worn genre but the band play it well and with such passion that it’s hard to feel jaded around them.

The riffs are frantic and well written, with plenty of leads and solos thrown around to make things sound even more Metal than they already are.

Comaniac certainly know their Thrash. These songs could easily have been written in the 80s, although the 80’s Thrash bands never had such a crisp, modern production as this of course.

The singer screams out his lyrics with a kind of focused insanity, one step away from mayhem but controlled enough for the moment. It’s quite charismatic and makes a good impression.

Considering the fact that I’ve been a bit sated on Old-School Thrash for a while now I wasn’t expecting much from this but Comaniac have firmly won me over. The combination of Thrash know-how and a punchy, energetic sound makes for a great listen.

Turn on, turn up and Thrash out.