Metal – Page 602 – Wonderbox Metal

Kalibas – Rumors Of Our Demise Have Been Barely Exaggerated (Review)

Kalibas come across as fury incarnate – the type of band that like to get angry and stay angry. This is furious Grindcore played at speeds fast enough to break necks and with enough time changes and asides to frighten even the most eclectic grinder.

This is crazy stuff and guaranteed to appeal to Grind fans who like their music fast, complex and impenetrable. These are not 30-second-blast songs though, the average length is 3-4 minutes so you know with each of the 8 tracks you’re getting a good meal. It may just taste like broken glass…

The vocals are the very definition of savage. The singer sounds absolutely inhuman, and there is absolutely no let up whatsoever. At all. How he managed to keep that level of intensity up without rupturing something is beyond me.

The music is probably 99% absolute controlled chaos, with drums blasting and pounding, guitars grinding and shredding and everything seemingly doing its own thing yet amazingly managing to contribute to a coherent whole. The other 1% accounts for those exceedingly rare moments of, well, not calm, but very brief subtler moments that pepper the album like diamonds in the filth. Blink and you’ll miss them. They are there purely to emphasise the extremity of the rest of the music, but they are vital nonetheless.

This is a great album from a great band and unfortunately it was their last one as they have now split up. Do yourself a favour and get this in your collection before the sands of time bury it forever into obscurity.

Tried For Treason – Weight of Words (Review)

Tried For Treason are from the US and play modern Metal with a bit of grit thrown in to keep things interesting.

The songs show much promise. For a first release they demonstrate a good grasp of song structure and melody, something that they can surely build on for the future.

Vocals are clean and distinctly American, although the band they most remind me of is actually Breed 77 from Gibraltar , sans the more tribal influences. The singer of Tried For Treason shows greater variety though as he also uses rougher vocals and shouts.

Musically, apart from the usual Metal influences you would expect, you can also detect elements of a band like Tool in some of the songs, which can only be a good thing. A lot of modern Metal bands can be high on surface and low on depth, but I think if Tried For Treason can keep this aspect of their sound they could avoid this trap.

They also have guitar solos in every song, which always endears me towards a band.

There is only 11 minutes of music here but if Tried For Treason can continue to develop their style for the next release then they could and should have a bright future ahead of them.

Barishi – Barishi (Review)

Barishi play off-centre Progressive Metal that goes down a storm and comes back up a real treat.

This is a rather great album. Unusual but memorable melodies and guitar parts are all over the place, with a meshing of off-kilter tunes and 70’s prog vibes sharing the same space sometimes at the same time. And even some Saxophone.

Barishi are obviously not afraid to experiment or explore and it pays off handsomely. Overall this album has a harsher sound than I was expecting; combined with the eclectic sound that they have it has quite a unique style that is a refreshing change from the norm.

For the most part we get shouted, almost hardcore-style vocals alongside the more occasional cleans that work well together to build atmosphere over the tangential music.

Favourite track: Through Mountains, Through Plains. Just brilliant.

This is the music of a mathematical nightmare come to burn synapses and wreck memories. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes abrasive, never ordinary.

Code – Augur Nox (Review)

Code are from the UK and they specialise in Progressive Avant-Garde Black Metal that’s a triumph of both style and substance.

A good musical starting point of reference would be bands such as Arcturus, Dødheimsgard and Enslaved, as well as aspects of Opeth or Borknagar. This is only a starting point however, as Code definitely have their own sound as well as masses of talent and songwriting skills.

Gleaming, obsidian riffs crash against each other in a sea of percussive paranoia and nightmare orchestration. It’s as if someone has been having fantastical dreams about a dark future and they have sprung fully-shaped into life in the form of this album.

The vocals criss-cross all over the complex music and create the impression of power, synergy and importance. Very impressive and brilliantly realised.

There is so much colour and depth to these songs that most bands sound one-dimensional by comparison. Multi-layered vocals take centre-point while the music is no slouch either, effortlessly conjuring up the impressions and feelings that these songsmiths wish you to experience as you travel with them on this wild journey.

This truly is an exceptional and individual release; the kind of album that keeps Metal alive and kicking; stops it from becoming stale and stagnant.

Favourite Track: Garden Chancery. Vocal harmonies to die for. But really I could pick almost any song – Augur Nox is that strong.

This is for all fans of Metal, or just for those with heavier Progressive proclivities. If there’s only one album you get in the near future then make sure it’s this.

Interview with Gutslit

Gutslit are a brutal, slamming Death Metal from India who have recently released their début album Skewered in the Sewer. This is a top-quality release that I really enjoyed and even made it into the recent Wonderbox Metal Best of 2013 list, so I’m pleased to have had the chance to ask them a few questions.

Hi! How would you introduce your band for people that have never heard of you before?

Gutslit (Gurdip Narang): Let’s just say, imagine somebody feeding off your pain, torturing you, bleeding you to a level where you go numb and can only see the blood pouring out of your body while the chisel and saw used to amputate your limbs lie coated in blood and tissues. A faint smile on the face of the person who has done it to you. Pleasure and feeling of contentment showing on his horrific, calm yet evil face, already planning his next kill. That feeling there is what Gutslit is all about. The unstoppable force of butchery, torture and pain that will hit you with every riff, the punch in your groin with every drum beat, the haste and momentary pauses between the blows like the bass and the screams and grunts of the pain felt in every vocal note.

When we started out, there was not even a single band from our city that played Grind. Slam wasn’t known to many. Pig squeals were thought of as some processed noise worked out in a studio. Only a few people knew what it was to play with programmed drums on stage. Bands were asked to cover the famous thrash and a few death metal bands. We just picked up our favourite band, Dying Fetus and covered their track “Kill Your Mother Rape Your Dog”. Then there were songs from our EP with the French band, Pulmonary Fibrosis. Having a split with a foreign band was also the first for any Indian extreme metal band. We played an International show with Putrid Pile. That too was the first for any Indian extreme metal band. From then, to now with ‘Skewered in the Sewer’, we’ve just worked harder and harder.

What are your main influences?

Dying Fetus, Disgorge (USA), Brodequin, Inveracity, Coldworker, Defeated Sanity, Devourment, Vulvectomy, Beheaded, Immolation, Vader, Putrid Pile, Cephalotripsy, Condemned, Krisiun, Mumakil, Mindly Rotten and a lot more.

What are you listening to at the moment that you want to recommend?

The new albums by the veterans have blown us away this year. Defeated Sanity, Dying Fetus, Gorguts, Carcass. They all have justified why they deserve the respect through these years. Mindly Rotten, Infernal Revulsion are few bands that one must have in their list for future greats.

This is a great début album – how did you come up with the songs?

Gutslit Singer

All our songs were written by our former guitarist Dynell, drums and bass were worked out later by Aaron and Gurdip respectively and the songs were finalized with the addition of vocals by Aditya. All lyrics were written by Gurdip. Except for one song, “Circumcised with a Chainsaw”. Lyrics and Vocals on that track are done by Mallika Sundaramurthy from Abnormality and Parasitic Extirpation USA.

The songs you have written are not only brutal but really catchy. In my review I compared you to Gorerotted in some ways. Are you familiar with them and do you think it’s a fair comparison?

Yes we are aware of Gorerotted and have heard almost everything that they have released. We were really happy to be compared to them and were quite ecstatic about the same. We even mentioned the same on our social media pages.

Being from India do you feel this has influenced your sound at all?

There was never a relevant band to connect to in India. There were many in other sub genres of extreme metal. There are many that are coming out with good promising material and we are really glad to see professionalism in music.

What is the Indian Metal scene like? Do you feel much connection to it?

Indian Metal scene is as vague as the people. Almost every genre which is known and played abroad finds its place here. Many have even tried and merged Indian classical music with the metal and the results have been quite good.

Gutslit Drummer

What are your plans for the future?

We are working on a 4 way International Split with all the other bands being from Europe and the UK. This should be released before summer of 2014 and before we hit Europe for a few shows and the mighty Obscene Extreme Festival in Czech Republic.

And finally…Do you prefer Chris Barnes or George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher?

As our vocalist Aditya Barve says,”I prefer Chris Barnes for the lyrical madness that he does, but Corpsegrinder is definitely a more powerful vocalist, live and on record!”

Thanks for your time!

Thank you very much brother for this interview!

Lay Down Rotten – Deathspell Catharsis (Review)

When you have an album cover this awesome the actual music doesn’t matter right? I jest of course but the fact remains that the album cover made me really look forward to listening to this.

So once we get past the album cover what have we got here then? This is the seventh album from Germany’s Lay Down Rotten and they present us with a very solid and competent slab of Death Metal that probably has more to offer than you might think.

Most of the songs are longer than typical Death Metal offerings giving the band the space to pursue all of their ideas to their natural conclusions and therefore delivering an album that is interesting and has some depth to it. There is brutality and hatred in abundance in these songs but there is also more than that. The songs are long and relatively involved, but thanks to the deft songwriting they retain attention and do not get boring.

After so many releases these butchers have refined their chosen method of slaughter and Deathspell Catharsis is surgical in its precision. There are no wasted movements or unnecessary padding, providing state-of-the-art modern Death Metal with a nice melodic bent. The recording is suitably huge as would be expected and shows the band in the best light.

Songs and ability; hatred and precision; harshness and style; Deathspell Catharsis should be experienced loud.

https://www.facebook.com/laydownrotten

Starsoup – Bazaar of Wonders (Review)

Russian band Starsoup play Progressive/Power Metal.

First off it must be noted that the singer can sing. I mean really sing. He has a brilliant voice; powerful and full of passion. Pretty much any band backing him up would need to be on their A-game to avoid letting the side down. We’re safe though as the rest of the band can play. I mean really play. Together both voice and music create the full package that an album like this promises.

The songs are well-written and catchy, with the band being talented enough to be able to explore many different versions of what this type of music and related-genres have to offer. Sometimes we get some Euro-power Metal; sometimes the songs take more of a progressive edge; sometimes we have a more modern Soilwork-style approach; sometimes a ballad; I could go on. Suffice to say that there is plenty of variety in this album while at the same time nothing sounds out of place.

This is the band’s first album but it doesn’t sound like it; this sounds like a highly confident, professional band who have been honing their music for many years and through many albums.

Bazaar of Wonders is a very musical album; the talent on display here is obvious. Multiple instruments are used to make the most of the atmosphere and feelings for each individual song, and even though there are plenty of solos and classical moments, there is no showing off; just the needs of the song to make everything sound as good as possible.

An unexpected pleasure – if this genre tickles your fancy then there is absolutely nothing to not like here. This band deserve to be much, much bigger and could easily fit into the biggest stadiums in Europe given half a chance. Highly recommended.

Lethe – When Dreams Become Nightmares (Review)

Formed by members of Manes and Eluveitie, Lethe play dark and multi-textured experimental music.

Combining the best parts of Rock, Post-Rock, Electronica and Metal to create 10 tracks of emotive songs that instantly capture your attention while also having enough depth to keep you satiated in the long run. Bands such as Ulver, Arcturus and Manes are the obvious starting points and Lethe should definitely appeal to fans of these groups.

The main vocalist is a very talented person. Her vocals are exceptional and she shows great range across the album. She has great character and talent, and infuses both of these into every song to create the right mood for each. The occasional male vocals that swim in and out of the various tracks simply add another dimension to the proceedings.

The music doesn’t let the side down though – each song is crafted to a high standard by experienced personnel who know exactly what to do to achieve the effect that they want. The songs are passionate and dark, with Gothic Rock stamped all over some of them but not in a commercial stadium-friendly way, rather in a more personal way that allows you to have a relationship with the actual songs rather than some stylised version that will eventually become stale due to overexposure and lack of substance. This is female fronted Rock for people that don’t like female fronted Rock.

This is an astoundingly good album that combines catchiness and intellect to produce sophisticated dark Rock. What a fantastic way to start off 2014.

Upyr – Altars/Tunnels (Review)

This is the first release from Bulgarian band Upyr.

They play Blackened Doom and do this extremely well. The first track Before the Altars of Necrotic Karma starts with towering slow riffing and alternates this with a more mid-paced attack that evokes murky landscapes and a blackness to get lost in.

Vocals alternate between high shrieks a la Black Metal, and deeper growling and vocalisations. These are quality vocals as the deeper ones sound really menacing and the shrieks, (the predominant style), are savage and as sharp as black ice. Neurosis-style clean vocals are also used sparingly and contribute to the grim whole.

I really like the mood that these songs set for the listener. Although it may describe a bleak and inhospitable environment for the average person, for the connoisseur this is the sweetest of delicacies. The combination of monolithic Doom guitars with a scything Black Metal sheen to them is a dark pleasure to savour.

Taking the blueprint of Doom and infecting it with the corrupting influence of Black Metal is yielding great results for bands like Usnea and Battle Path; now we have another name to add to this glowing list of honors – Upyr.

A top quality first release and may there be many more in the future.

Wonderbox Metal End of Year List – Best Metal of 2013

It’s that time of year again where the Best Of lists start appearing, and Wonderbox Metal is no exception. So here we have my top 15 Metal releases of 2013!

Before we start a couple of notes:

These albums are drawn from ones that I have reviewed only, there are other albums released in 2013 that definitely would have made this list, but as I haven’t reviewed them on this site they don’t get a placing, (bands such as Abyssal, Skagos and Cult of Luna spring to mind off the top of my head).

The order is a bit fluid – due to the subjective nature of music, and depending on mood, these releases could easily be placed in a different order on a different day.

There are some notable mentions also – many others could have been included in this list; the Abominant album Onward to Annihilation for example; I can’t help but feel I should have included this somewhere below, as this is an exemplary Death Metal album. Other notable releases I’ve reviewed this year include the grinding brutality of Plague Widow, the Sludge goldmine of Ilsa and the Death Metal juggernaut that is Amon. All excellent and deserving of a place, but even though I reviewed them this year they were actually released in 2012 they don’t get included sadly. Suffice to say you should hunt them down as they need to be heard!

So, without further ado, here we go!

Soul Remnants

First up at number 15 we have Black and Blood by Soul Remnants. Definitely a grower this album. A very sexy Thrashy Death Metal album with a hint of Black at the edges, this has a great sound that keeps me returning to it. The song Dead Black (Heart of Ice) in particular is worthy of mention, although the entire album is very enjoyable. I highly recommend getting a hold of this.

Arfsynd

At number 14 is Hesychia by Arfsynd. Majestically evil; the cold melodies are my favourite thing about this album. They are both intricate and expressive and give the album a sense of vitality that’s at odds with the bleak music of Black Metal but feels all the more essential for it.

Maeth Edging in at 13 we have Oceans Into Ashes by Maeth. Definitely an album that could easily have been higher up on the list. A long and involving album that is diverse and full of ideas and depth. Definitely something of a Post-Metal classic. As I sit here listening to the album once more I am forced to wonder why I didn’t give this a higher placing? The fact that’s it’s not higher is a testament to how many strong albums I have reviewed this year. That and the fact of mood of course, as mentioned previously. If your tastes bend to the Post- Metal spectrum then this is a must-have.

Funeral Circle

At 12 we have Funeral Circle with their self-titled album, and what an album this is! Traditional Doom Metal that’s damn near essential for fans of this genre, or just Metal fans in general really. As far as I’m concerned Funeral Circle are genre-leaders at the moment and very few bands come close to touching them for this kind of music. As I said in the album review; a win.

Rosetta

Just outside of the top 10 at number 11 is The Anaesthete by Rosetta. Similar to Maeth in the sense that this is another Post-Metal classic-in-the-making that could easily have been higher on the list. My review summed it up perfectly when I said – If you haven’t heard Rosetta before then you should get this album. If you have heard them before then why haven’t you already got this album?

Non Opus Dei/Morowe

Into the hallowed top 10, and at number 10 is the split between Non Opus Dei and Morowe – Dziwki Dei. A special release this is – there’s just something about the songs here. Both bands contribute something slightly different from the standard Black Metal template and both I expect big things from in the future. Highly enjoyable and highly recommended.

At number 9 is Canto III by Eye of Solitude. Oppressively heavy Doom Metal with crushing Death Metal vocals. This album keeps giving and is a work of some very talented musicians. I think Eye of Solitude deserve every accolade that has been thrown their way since the release of Canto III. This is an essential release for fans of emotional, depressive and massively heavy Doom Metal.

At number 8 we have ultra-sophisticated Black Metal in the form of Vesper by Entropia. This album is so good and has such depth and longevity it’s hard to stop playing it. They create a blackened landscape combining fiery Black Metal and Post-Metal gems. Interesting and adventurous Black Metal that should be applauded.

Sneaking in at number 7 is Caves of Glass with their self-titled début album. Seemingly from out of nowhere this album appeared and I almost instantly knew I was going to love it. A huge variety of dark Post-Metal sounds taking their cues from elements of Black Metal and Doom to create a masterpiece that gets better the more you listen to it. Great stuff.

gutslit Next up at number 6 is the fantastic Gutslit with Skewered in the Sewer. Brutal, slamming Death Metal with high-energy and that quintessential Death Metal factor that causes you to have a massive rictus grin while listening to it. The catchy brutality is great and the band are heirs to the Gorerotted throne. Brutality rarely sounds this fun.

Mania In at number 5 we have the Black Metal masterpiece that is Revel by Mania. The sheer qualiy of these tracks is amazing, and the variety of moods and atmospheres successfully employed by the band is awe-inspiring. Such a massively strong album – my only complaint is that there’s not more of it. A superlative release that every Black Metal fan should have in their collection.

Number 4 brings us Czarna Dzika Czerwień by Thy Worshiper, and this is a work of genius. Unique and utterly absorbing; they meld Folk Black Metal with history and tradition to create a work of art that is alive with the breathing of lost peoples and times. A pleasure to listen to.

At number 3 we have the filthed-up Sludge of Boats by Morality Crisis. An inspired and thoroughly dirty album; this is a great listen when you want something challenging and grimy. No pretentions here, just quality and varied Sludge infused with ideas and dirty songcraft. I love this album and think it deserves a wider audience, (like all of these releases really).

YONL The penultimate release at number 2 brings us the luxurious Tocsin by Year Of No Light. State-of-the-art instrumental Metal that doesn’t put a foot wrong. This is a brilliant album that brings together everything that’s great about the Post-Metal/Sludge/Doom/etc. genres and distils them into 57 minutes of essential listening.

And now, (drum roll!), at the much-coveted number 1 position we have the excellent Nephren-Ka with The Fall of Omnius. Brutality, songwriting and atmosphere perfected. This is the kind of album that repeated listens fortify in your brain as just a great album to listen to. It has that almost indefinable something that elevates it above all of its contemporaries. The interesting songwriting; the variety of tempos; the overall sound and feel of the songs; it’s just a great package.

And there we have it! 2013 has been a great year for Metal, and 2014 is already shaping up for some great-sounding releases. I’ve already heard the début by Corpsessed that’s coming out in January, (review soon!), and I’m already pretty certain that it will have a place in the best of 2014, such a strong album it is.

So exciting times ahead – do your part to keep Metal alive and we’ll look forward to another year of extremity!

Happy New Year!