Fange are from France and play Sludge Metal. This is their first release.
Ooooohhhh this is has got one Hell of a sexy, filthy, fuzzbastard sound! This is the kind of dirty Sludge I like!
Big beats and harsh, swampy riffs combined with feedback and desolate Doom atmospheres means the songs are like trawling though a mire, (Fange = mire in French). You are struggling for air as the boggy grime seeps into your pores and gets under your skin and into every orifice. Doesn’t sound very nice? It isn’t, but then Sludge should never be nice.
There are some great, bouncy riffs here in addition to the slower onslaughts. Cloches Fendues is a great example as it alternates between a dirty Stoner-esque riff and apocalyptic Doom. Top stuff.
The vocals are low in the mix like something just under the surface. Shrieking, snarling, chanting, beseeching, shouting, spitting, vomiting; who knows what they’re actually doing but suffice to say that the singer’s clearly into it.
Hidden behind the miasma of unclean riffing the band actually have a firm grasp of atmosphere. Ammoniac displays a masterful use of subtle tension to greatly enhance the feeling of danger that the song already gives off.
A good amount of variety, violent playfulness and content sees this release firmly in the winner’s category; 29 minutes of Sludge Metal that takes the standard Eyehategod template, covers it in a tonne of sewage and plays with the remains.
This is the latest EP from Australia’s Doom kings Mournful Congregation.
This is Funeral Doom played slow and insistent. The band have honed their skills over many a long year and this latest release sees them shaping and unleashing two new tracks on the world.
The first song Concrescence Of The Sophia is a 21:41 minute trawl through all things Funeral; the band having refined their sense of dirge to the point of exquisite melancholy and dampened moods. Here we are taken through a slowly unwinding journey where flowing riffs, acoustic passages and deep, end-of-the-world vocals are your travel companions.
The song plays like a slowed down hymn to all things rotten and weary, and just when things pick up slightly and some semblance of speed emerges, all of a sudden hope is lost and we’re back to the misery of existence once more. Suffice to say, in the context of Doom Metal this is a very good thing.
The second song, Silence Of The Passed, seems rather short at 8:56 minutes after this, although the content more than makes up for it. The riffs are warmer and more melodic than the previous composition, although it’s all relative of course as this still crawls along compared to most songs. Nevertheless, the atmosphere and aura is all encompassing and perfectly matched to the longer, more drawn out first track.
Each song works well as a companion piece to the other; similar enough to be recognisable as part of a whole, but differentiated enough not to repeat itself.
This release is worth the acquisition. Let Mournful Congregation into your life and let the despair run through you.
This is the third album from US Death Metallers Day of Doom.
Day of Doom are purveyors of USDM at its most brutal, yet with a few unexpected twists and turns.
A thick, syrupy sound swamps everything and the band burst at the seams with aggression and sinewy chops. The sound is actually quite unusual in a way as the drums sound warm and distinctly analogue, while the guitars sound much more underground and feral.
Vocally the singer sounds quite animalistic and barks savagery in a ritualised, almost chanted way.
This has quite a few interesting ideas tucked away amidst the brutality – a different vocal here; a dark melody there; some effects here; a lighter passage there. Day of Doom also write some unusual riffs that are definitely not your average Death Metal fare. It helps them stand out from the pack and means the album has more to offer than your standard chug and blast Death Metal, (although there is a nice amount of this as well).
Ever wondered what you’d get if you crossed the essence of Suffocation with the inventive aspects of Morbid Angel? Well it may not sound entirely dissimilar to Day of Doom.
Enjoyable, interesting and atypical; Day of Doom are worth taking seriously.
This is the début album from Swedish Death Metallers Mordbrand.
I can’t help but have a soft spot for Swedish Death Metal, especially when played by actual Swedes, (although it doesn’t really seem to make much difference in the long run), and Mordbrand are no exception.
They play the style well with the trademark chainsaw guitars front and centre. They occasionally accentuate with some spooky keyboard effects which adds an interesting layer of atmosphere that’s really good. Add to this a very small Blackened influence to the riffs and you have an interesting and surprisingly refreshing take on a classic genre.
It’s little touches like this that show Mordbrand as not merely content to imitate past glories; they’re interested in the here and now as well as the past and as such this could almost be described as Modern Swedish Death Metal, if that didn’t sound like such an oxymoron. There’s no Deathcore or breakdowns here, don’t misunderstand; the recording is suitably rotten and the riffs more-classic-than-not; it’s just that they’re focussed on more than the past – they seem to be more interested in what Swedish Death Metal is and what it could become than only what it was.
In a world where this style of music, no matter how good, is essentially regurgitating older times, it’s great that bands like Mordbrand and Skinfather are doing what they can to move the sound forwards whilst still keeping that central core of what makes it so damn addictive.
This is Experimental Black Metal with an Industrial feel. The sound is a very nice one; warm and deep but tinged with a rougher, almost creepy vibe that complements what the band is doing well.
The dark and menacing guitars combine piercing, angular riffs with fuller sounding sections to have a good mix of the both. They seem to creep around the songs with nary a care in the world.
Slouching, at ease; this is Black Metal that’s unhurried and almost free form in its composition in some respects, although everything is held together by the drums on one side and the electronics/effects on the other.
Vocally we have sub-audible mutterings that, like the guitars, only loosely follow what is going on with the rest of the track. Like the guitars though, this lends things a feeling of freedom to explore the surroundings while the aforementioned percussion and noises stop things from wandering off too far.
This is the sound of a band experimenting with Black Metal; exploring the ruins at the base of the genre, collecting what remains of past travellers and using them as a basis for reanimation and a new creation.
I don’t know what they will end up with eventually but I’m quite happy to spend time with them as they build it.
This is the début album from Brutal Death Metal band Infecting the Swarm, who hail from Germany.
This is Death Metal with a sci-fi theme, and a suitable cover to match.
But what of the music? Well this is pure, unbridled, undiluted brutality and sheer wanton carnage. With a production as heavy as it is crushing the band tear through these nine tracks with all the subtlety of an explosion. A big explosion.
Vocally they follow suit with absolute pig-noise vocals that are so extreme they’re bound to divide. A lot of the time I find these kind of vocals awful and I can’t help but feel that the band in question would be better off with a different singer. Why? It’s because most of the time these pig-noise vocals just sound like deep belching and they just suck all of the brutality out of it for me.
Thankfully the vocals on Pathogenesis, although definitely teetering on the line, manage to keep an air of aggression to them and therefore don’t ruin what is, musically, brutal as Hell. It is a very fine line though, and although I can’t help but feel the songs might be improved by a proper savage bellowing I still find myself on the right side, (just), of approval, largely because the music is so ferocious that it carries them nicely.
And besides, sometimes it just works, you know?
So, vocal misgivings aside; this is brutal, (have I mentioned that word yet?), savage, brutal, heavy, brutal, crushing and brutal again.
This hits the spot for me. For the times when you absolutely need the most brutal, destructive music you can get, Infecting the Swarm are there for you.
Brutal Blues are a Grindcore band from Norway and this is their first release.
The band play ferociously aggressive Grind that feels unhinged and dangerous. The music seems refined to the point of Mathcore and the musical assault is relentless.
The vocals are demented and inhuman, sounding as if someone is strangling a murderous clown in someone else’s nightmare and the howls and screams are bleeding through into your consciousness.
Coming across like a more maniacal mix of Discordance Axis and Association Area with a hint of early The Dillinger Escape Plan; Brutal Blues provide a hypnotically mental 15 minutes of inventive, interesting and effective Grind.
I haven’t heard anyone really play this style of music that became quite popular in the early 2000’s for quite a while. I’m reminded of bands like Botch, Luddite Clone, Uphill Battle, etc. only more extreme. It’s a welcome reminder of something I was heavily into at one point, always seeking out the latest band at the time, and I’m very happy to see that the style is alive and well in the hands of Brutal Blues.
A blast from the past and a warning shot to the future.
This is their début album, almost 49 minutes of music – 8 originals and a Bolt Thrower cover.
When it starts it’s immediately impressive with the sheer musicality and flowing riffs; then the brutality kicks in and everything shifts up a gear.
Konkeror merge Death Metal with a Progressive/Thrash influence that allows the songs to have technical flourishes and melodic edges concurrently occupying the same space.
The songs are catchy and have lots of hooks, proving that just because a song might be Brutal or Technical doesn’t mean it has to sacrifice song structures in order to be so.
The recording perfectly balances a band that play both brutally heavy and subtly melodic. Everything sounds great and the sound allows the musicians the freedom to do what they do best.
The most enjoyable thing about this album is just how Metal it is; they are clearly Death Metal but add sprinklings of Progressive, Technical and Thrash Metal into the melting pot. Mix these all up with some great songwriting skills and all that’s left to do is sit back an enjoy as the band shred, rip and dazzle with the songs.
The songs are all of a decent enough length so that you have time to get your teeth into them, (or the other way around…), and there’s abundant opportunities for the band to demonstrate just how good they are.
Once you know about this album it’s important that you get it. If you’re into Death Metal and don’t get this album…well…I’m not sure how that’s possible…
Deep In Hate are about to release their colossal new album Chronicles of Oblivion in the very near future and with this firmly establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with amongst premier Death Metal. With this in mind it’s the perfect time to find out a bit more about this exciting band…
Tell us all about Deep in Hate and where you came from
Florian (Guitars) : Hi ! Thanks for the interview !
Deep In Hate is a band from Paris and its near suburbs, founded in 2004 by Vince (lead guitar) and Bastos (drums).
The band experienced some changes of line-up before it stabilized for the release of the band’s second album Origins of Inequality in 2011.
Now, we are about to release our new record Chronicles of Oblivion on June 3rd, and are really excited about it !
What are your influences?
Amongst our shared influences in the band, but limited to the « Death » metal scene, we can quote Behemoth, Whitechapel, Despised Icon, Gojira, Beneath the Massacre, The Black Dahlia Murder but also Decapitated or Dying Fetus.
It’s actually a blend between modern and ‘older’ influences, as you can see.
What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?
At the moment I am listening to the last Aborted, The Necrotic Manifesto, that I am really digging, and enjoying the last Structures and Architects albums. Not totally my style, but good ones ! For the « non Metal » part, it’s Steel Panther’s All You Can Eat album, my little weakness !
How did you decide on the style of Death Metal that you wanted to play?
The first musical direction, being a « Brutal Death » band was given when the band was founded by Vince and Bastos, I was not in it at the time. Then, as the line-up changed, the addition of new blood gave the music a more modern approach.
Finally, the last conscious decision was to go more into a ‘song-oriented’ Death metal, where riffing, melody and groove are what matters most, with plainer structures but with the aim of enhancing the core of the music.
How do you feel about the current Death Metal scene? Where do you feel you fit in?
Where do I feel I fit in ? One of the most dreadful questions you could ask ! Honestly I do not know. I would like to think we have done something special, with an unique Deep In Hate flavour to it, but in the end I am the worst person to answer that question. Even when you love the music you are doing and are expressing yourself with all your guts, you might remain that kid that plays without knowing what he is exactly doing here.
In my review I note that you have a winning brutality-to-melody ratio – how do you temper the two?
By being a Libra maybe ? (laughs)
Seriously though, the fact that we are two main composers (with Vince the lead guitarist) is part of the answer.
Moreover, I have always loved bands that balance the two, and « beauty », even in the most aggressive parts, is fundamental.
I do not say we achieved it, but it is part of what we are.
And actually balance is in itself beautiful, isn’t it ?
Do you have any goals for your album?
The goals for our album are the ‘’highest’’ goals possible obviously.
I mean, we have put so much work and energy in it, we hope it will resonate in people the way it does with us. Our aim being to play live shows the more we can, the more people will love the album, the better, because it will mean a new audience for us and more shows !
Is there anything on the album you’re not satisfied with?
Not at the moment. We have had the chance to do what we wanted to do, and reach the result we aimed at.
The only negative feeling I sometimes experience is the ‘’we could have gone deeper’’ syndrome… But it is abstract, I do not know where or how, for now.
I hope it will become clearer for the next albums and that it will help getting even more mature eventually!
Do you want to discuss any of the lyrics on the album and any themes/hidden meanings/etc. that might be there?
The lyrics are written like episodes of a History in a post-apocalyptic world.
They are rather straight-forward at first, but of course we hope that they will not only be read for their literal meaning. The stories take place in a fictional world but they do emphasize some aspects of the human nature whatever the times.
For example, the fact that Men can be whether powerful and brave when in group, or stupid and coward.
Also, the notion of « cycle » is very important, as if human History is only virtually going forward, because it keeps repeating itself.
Humans are immature, at the scale of the world, and only when they evolve will they break this cycle.
What’s your songwriting process?
Vince does almost all the preliminary work. He creates riffs and melodies that go along well, and it gives us our primary material. I basically come and arrange his material into songs, and the work with the drums and bass guitar begins here. I fill the gaps when necessary and, since it is much more inspiring for me to work with something that already exists, I may add extra things to the songs.
It has to be approved by all the members at each step, and finally when the instrumental is almost finished, we work on the vocals, with the lyrics previously written.
How do you see your songs/direction developing in the future?
In the same direction we have taken with this album.
If I may repeat myself, I see ourselves going more and more towards ‘’a ‘song-oriented’ Death metal, where riffing, melody and groove are what matters most.
Modern metal is cool, and is more catchy than ever, but sometimes melody and especially atmosphere are not that much emphasized on. I mean, the music is in those cases really good, but the ‘‘taste’’of it does not last long.
I think music has evolved with the way people listen to it : it has to quickly retain your attention, give you immediate pleasure or else you will not give it a second listen. So if a band succeeds in proposing that, and at the same time a music that is better each time you listen to it… It’s perfect.
What does the future hold for Deep in Hate?
The best, I hope. It is time now with this new album to reach a new level. We have gained over the years more and more support from professionals, and with their help we will bring our music over to a maximum of metalheads, even if some may have never heard of us before.
I do not know what else to say right now, we will see how the new album is received, but we will keep going forward anyway!
Thanks for the chance to answer those questions, hope you guys reading this will enjoy the record.
Abbey ov Thelema are from Slovakia and this is their second album.
They play experimental, avant garde Black Metal. Highly orchestrated and complex, this is ambitious and bold as only the best Black Metal can be. Although saying that, Black Metal may be the underpinning starting point but it’s mutated and morphed far from it’s original format.
The tracks can be both chaotic and coherent; energetic and subdued; eclectic and considered. Sometimes it sounds as if The Dillinger Escape Plan had been consumed by Ebony Lake with Arcturus and Dødheimsgard overseeing proceedings.
There is clearly a lot of high class musicianship at play here, with everything arranged to exacting standards to create a whirling maelstrom of conflicting soundscapes that approach like furious waves and lash at the listener, never letting them rest or prepare for what comes next; the moment one onslaught of musical might crashes by the next tsunami of sound is about to hit.
It’s not all about the, (barely), controlled chaos of course, they also have calmer moments. These lulls act like buffers between the oncoming storms that they irregularly unleash.
This is not a band that will appeal to lovers of standard song structures and musical rules, but people who are looking for something a bit more adventurous should definitely check this out.
Ultimately this is a very hard album to describe as mere words don’t adequately do it justice. Abbey ov Thelema create a sort of demented majesty that really needs to be heard to fully appreciate what they’re about.
So strap yourself in, don the safety goggles, brace yourself and play at top volume.
Fange are from France and play Sludge Metal. This is their first release.
Wonderbox Metal 