Music – Page 8 – Wonderbox Metal

To The Pain – To The Pain (Review)

Now this is the stuff! Here we have a Thrash/Power Metal band from the US who really know their stuff.

Here we have some classic, 80s/90s-style thrash with a power-feel to some of the vocals. There are seven songs on offer here and each one of them is as enjoyable as the next. No trends, no compromise, just old-school metal played by people with an obvious passion and talent for this style of music.

There are plenty of great riffs, melodies, solos, vocals, etc. being shown off here. Each song is an actual song and stands strongly by itself, with plenty of feeling and quality poured into it and covered liberally in pure molten metal.

As I sit here listening to this album I am transported back to the formative years of my metal youth; listening to the giants of the thrash and heavy metal genres – this album has a similar feel to those, all wrapped up in a modern sound that lends it a freshness that a lot of bands lack these days.

I really, really like this release – I suggest you check them out as soon as you can.

https://www.facebook.com/ToThePainNY

http://www.reverbnation.com/playlist/view_playlist/-4?page_object=artist_2481832

Nephren-Ka – The Fall of Omnius (Review)

There seems to be an upswell of talent in the extreme metal world in France of late. Nephren-Ka are one such band.

Easily boasting enough talent, ideas and skill to propel them to the upper echelons of the Death Metal world; given the chance this band could, (and should), go far.

Although this is, in essence, brutal Death Metal; there is so much more going on here. Elements of most styles of extreme metal are included in the mix at some point or another, (all within a Death Metal framework), with plenty of small touches, flourishes and individuality to make this release stand out head and shoulders above the pack.

The band know how to blast, but crucially also when not to. “Mastering the Voice” for example contains some lovely slow, crawling bits that rival the best similar parts that Cryptopsy have ever done. Some nice solos are scattered around, as well as enough atmosphere to give the album enough variety and interest but never allows it to go off-track and become something it shouldn’t.

The songwriting is top-notch, with plenty of dynamics and riffs to hold the attention and differentiate the individual songs from each other. The vocals also show a pleasing amount of variety, spanning the spectrum from deep to high, as necessary for the requirements of the song.

This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best Death Metal albums I have listened to in a while, and I unreservedly recommend it for any and all fans of extreme metal. Top stuff.

Exhumer – Degraded by Sepsis (Review)

Italian band Exhumer play brutal Deathgrind, and they play it well. It’s not a very long album, but with this style of music that’s a given. It’s not necessary either; too long and it could outstay its welcome. As it is the running time is just right for the dose of brutality that is dished out here. And brutal it is.

After a perfunctory intro; first track proper “Vapours of Cadaveric Mucilage” sets the scene perfectly. Straight out of the gate they lay their cards on the table and go for the kill. The song blasts out of the gates like a rabid attack dog that knows exactly where all of your weak points lie.

A tendency sometimes for bands such as this can be to go for the ultra-ridiculous pig-noise vocals. Thankfully that isn’t the case here. The vocalist acquits himself nicely, having a nice and satisfying deep growl which is used to great effect across the album. The overall sound is not a cold and clinical one as you may expect either; rather it is warm and pulsing – like you can feel the blood coursing!

It’s not all blast though. They do throw in the odd brief respite from the carnage as well, in the form of “Misery” and “Scent of Decomposition”, and then we’re back to the mayhem once more!

For a short album with short songs the tracks are remarkably well composed. As well as the blasting carnage there are also slower paced parts occasionally, as well as some nice meaty riffs to get sucked in by.

All in all a superior deathgrind release for sure – a lot of bands could learn from Exhumer.

https://www.facebook.com/exhumer.official

http://www.last.fm/music/Exhumer

Bongripper – Live at Roadburn 2012 (Review)

My first concern with any live album is the sound quality. Thankfully there are no concerns here as the sound is, frankly, brilliant. Everything is clear, warm and the album has a big sound. And when I say big, I mean massive, as Bongripper play all-massive, all the time.

This is a recording of their 2012 Roadburn Festival appearance where they actually played two sets – both of which are included here. If you have never encountered Bongripper before then you are in for a treat. Here they are in all of their visceral glory.

They play absolutely huge doom, with giant fat riffs crawling and shattering around all over the place. There are no vocals to interrupt the flow of these hymns to all things doom; rather the music itself takes you on a trip through waves of sound and crashes all over you leaving you shocked and stunned by what just happened.

At over two hours in length this is not for the faint-hearted. It is, however, worth it. This is something to put on and get absorbed in, and watch your day just drip away as you get lost in the colossal riffs and feedback.

Play loud. Very loud.

Forgotten Woods – The Curse of Mankind

Forgotten Woods

This exceptional Black Metal album was released in 1996; if you like your depressive/suicidal Black metal then I recommend you track it down and get it immediately.

Considered by many the forefathers of this particular sub-genre, (alongside Burzum of course), their sound is archetypal and much-copied.

The album is typically raw and unpolished, yet still well-recorded enough, (relatively speaking), so that the songs shine, albeit in a murky, dank, grim kind of way!

This is the kind of album where you can easy drift off and become one with the repetitive guitars and the feeling they convey. For this reason I find this album very satisfying and worthy of inclusion in anyone’s collection.

A must.

https://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Forgotten-Woods/90469455587

http://www.youtube.com/artist/forgotten-woods

Valtari – Fragments of a Nightmare

Melodic Death Metal in the vein of Dark Tranquillity. Well written and well recorded; if you like the Gothenburg style of metal then you’ll be more than happy with this album.

I’m quite enjoying the songwriting on display here, and there is certainly an obvious passion for this style of music evident throughout. The album is especially impressive when you consider that it is all the product of just one man: Marty Warren.

If you’d like to hear more –

https://www.facebook.com/Valtari

http://www.valtari.info/

Enjoy!

Xerath – II

Elements of djent, atmospheric black metal, and modern metal collide to create a hugely enjoyable 56 minutes-or-so of music. Like all good albums it’s a grower too and takes its time to worm its way into your subconscious.

Favourite track? The last one – The Glorious Death: I – Divine Rapture, II – A New Awakening – 8:33 of cinematic metal that makes me very happy I discovered this talented band.

Interested? Check them out –

http://www.xerath.net/

https://www.facebook.com/xerathuk