Progressive Death Metal – Page 26

Zero Gravity – Holocaust Awaits (Review)

This is the début album from India’s Zero Gravity – a Thrash/Death Metal band.

After a pointless intro, the band start the album properly and they introduce us to their rather fetching take on Death Metal. Think Old-School Death Metal with a sharp Progressive edge and an added splash of Arch Enemy’s modernity and catchiness.

If you think Arch Enemy are too clean and polished sounding; if you’d prefer it if they had more of an underground, raw feeling then look no further. Arch Enemy combined with Death is as good a reference point as any. And do you know what? It sounds bloody good.

The singer has a good bark and she delivers the lines with passion and bite. She has a great voice and it works with the aggressive riffs to fuel the band to greater heights of attack.

The riffs and licks flash out like lightning and the technical/progressive elements of their sound are abundant but relatively subtle. These are clearly people who know how to play their instruments well and don’t need to be overtly flashy or ostentatious to prove this.

Holocaust Awaits is an album full of hooks and has plenty of catchy parts to it. Sometimes this kind of songwriting can be a recipe for acute gratification at the expense of chronic satisfaction, however Zero Gravity are just damn Metal enough for the acute to bleed into the chronic and we could very well end up with an album that has some longevity to it. Only time will tell but I know what I think the outcome will be…

Minus the intro there are 8 songs on this album and the entire thing lasts just over 40 minutes – it’s a good length as it allows the band to show what they’re capable of but doesn’t let them outstay their welcome.

This is the kind of music that’s actually surprisingly hard to do well – this style of Melodic Death Metal with a bit of groove, a bit of Death, catchiness and hooks…on paper it sounds all very good but unfortunately a lot of bands who try this style end up sounding very mediocre and stale.

It’s all in the execution of course and Zero Gravity avoid all of this this by simply writing kick-ass riffs that are artfully arranged into actual songs, and decent ones at that.

A very enjoyable listen. Check this out and see what you think.

Orion – On the Banks of Rubicon (Review)

Orion are from India and play Progressive Death Metal. This is their début EP.

If you imagine Opeth with more of a Death Metal slant then you’ll have an idea of what Orion sound like.

The band are adept at the strong melodies and captivating leads but they also know how to take it to its brutal conclusion and unleash their inner beasts.

The vocals consist of deep growling and fine-sounding cleans. The growls are perfectly serviceable but to me it’s the cleans that steal the show here. They soar effortlessly and have a tone to them that’s quite refreshing.

The band know how to play and bend their talents into creating Progressive songs that yearn to tell a story as much as they ache to set fire to things. The guitar work is enticing and the combination of aggressive music and more considered approaches makes for an enjoyable and satisfying listen.

Each of these songs is Metal to the core and the winding leads, forthright riffing and Progressive tendencies mean that this is an EP worthy of respect. There are lots of good ideas and interesting riffs here and the band produce enough variety within their self-imposed template that these 4 tracks just fly by.

Having been around since 2008 with only this and a demo to show for it, they may not be the most prolific band but let’s hope that changes soon.

Definitely ones to watch.

Alitor – Eternal Depression (Review)

This is the début album from Serbian Progressive Thrash Metal band Alitor.

Alitor play Thrash Metal with bite and a Death-esque Progressive edge. Straight out of the gate it’s high-octane stuff and has an immediate charisma to it.

The musicianship of the band is first-rate. There is some very skilled and technical playing going on here. This is true of all of the instruments, even the oft-neglected bass.

The songs combine snappy Thrash riffs with piercing Progressive melodies and hybrid Thrash/Death Metal vocals. The singer is quite varied in his approach and frequently veers into more Death Metal territory than that of classic Thrash.

These are involving and complex songs. The drums, bass and guitars are all played and executed at an advanced level and the strong recording makes the most of this. Imagine a classic Thrash band, mix this with Death at their Proggiest, add a splash of Death Metal and Alitor will be the result.

With every song, (bar the first), being longer than 5 minutes this is an album that has plenty of depth and a lot to offer. Eternal Depression is somewhat of a misleading title as there is nothing to get depressed about here.

Have a listen to Alitor and let them blow you away.

Annihilation – The Undivided (Review)

Annihilation are from Portugal and this is their latest EP. They play Death Metal.

Their début album Against the Storm was a very enjoyable slab of Death Metal with plenty of brutality and top vocals to enjoy.

So what does The Undivided give us? More of the same?

Not at all.

In the years between releases it seems Annihilation have been busy refining and updating their sound. It’s still Death Metal, of course, but now they’ve added in more technicality and dissonant riffing that takes them away from the Deicide influence on their début and moves them closer to a more interesting, Progressive Death Metal style in line with bands like Gorguts and Execration.

This time the songs are more involved and intricate. Dark, expansive melodies dominate rather than the fully brutal riffing of the first album. They still do have a brutal aspect to their sound but it’s now clothed in grimier materials and surrounded by lurking menace and sinister complexity.

The songs on this EP are real growers and have genuine depth and longevity. Seeing a band spread their wings like this and embrace their potential is a very rewarding sight and bands such as this should be supported at every possible step in their journey.

I must say I heartily approve of this change of direction. Although I really enjoyed Against the Storm ultimately it was nothing different, just an enjoyable Brutal Death Metal album. The Undivided, however, sees the band reaching for something different, something more individual. The results speak for themselves.

I genuinely can’t wait to hear what they do next.

Well done Annihilation.

Diskord – Oscillations (Review)

Diskord are from Norway and this is their latest EP. They play Death Metal.

Diskord play Death Metal that’s fused together with technicality, atypical guitar workouts and strange musical shifts. The result is a band who definitely have their own identity.

Oscillations is 26 minutes of Progressive Technical Death Metal that never takes the easy or simple route.

Diskord may have a dense and forbidding sound but it’s surprisingly accessible, considering. Amongst the violence and tempo changes lurk Doom-influenced passages and a subtle Black Metal influence that work alongside the more brutal and frenzied parts to bring harmony and a sense of vicious gloom to their work.

The sound is warm and apoplectic with seemingly random bouts of violence juxtaposed with a more lurking malevolence. All of the instruments are audible and the bass has a good role to play.

The songs are well-written and constructed with the crazy instrument-heroics never getting in the way of the song itself. Not an easy thing to avoid happening.

The vocals are quite varied, ranging from the Death-esque to the Blackened that are entirely appropriate to the music being played.

Diskord sound like Old-School Death Metal, (think Cynic, Death, Atheist), mixed with a more modern ultra-technical and eccentric influence. It’s a very meaty and enjoyable release that has a lot of nooks and crannies to explore and learn from.

A quality EP from a talented band.

Check them out.

Gory Blister – The Fifth Fury (Review)

Gory Blister are from Italy and as the name of the album suggests, this is their fifth album.

The band play Technical/Progressive Death Metal and take the listener on a whirlwind journey.

On The Fifth Fury we hear influences from bands like Carcass, Death and Morbid Angel. Gory Blister make these their own and use them throughout the 35 minutes playing time to create an album that is involving and complete.

The band manage to be sharp and aggressive in their assault whilst tempering this approach with restraint and more considered passages that show their Progressive Metal influences. Although they have plenty of Technical Death Metal in their sound the Progressive edge and the Carcass influence never let this side of the band get in the way of the songs themselves.

This is music that likes to explore itself. For a relatively short album there is plenty of variation around the central theme and lots of nice ideas scattered around to engage the listener such as the subtle synths that add further feeling to some of the tracks.

The riffs are largely inventive, with plenty of leads and solos to sink your teeth into. Melodies and Progressive tunes punctuate the brutality in a way that works with the flow of the songs rather than against them.

Serrated screamed vocals are the main mode of attack but satisfyingly deep growls are also used.

A strong sound and strong songwriting means this is a strong album. Strongly recommended.

Execration – Morbid Dimensions (Review)

This is the third album from Norwegian Death Metallers Execration.

So what do we have here then? This is a bit different to what I was expecting. The name certainly implies straightforward Death Metal, but the album cover looks more Black Metal to me. And when you press play…you get a straight up Doom Metal Black Sabbath riff. So far so interesting…

Execration are not your typical Death Metal band. Theirs is the sound of a band experimenting with their chosen medium and pushing the envelope.

They have included elements of Doom, Black Metal and even a bit of Post-Metal into their repertoire. This is Progressive Death Metal that spiritually leaves off where Death ended and builds on the firm foundation left by the masters.

The music on this album is carefully crafted and considered Metal that makes it clear that the band are no longer interested in the old genre restrictions and are more than willing to incorporate whatever Metal influences they feel like to get the sound they want. And more power to them for this.

These songs are very impressive and finely realised. This is atmospheric Death Metal that still has the power of the style but has a firm Progressive edge to it that allows them to ably tread new territory with ease. Blackened riffs, technical solos, blasting drums, slow and building Doom, Post-Metal atmospherics, Progressive meanderings; it’s all here and it’s all done remarkably well.

The mixing of styles never sounds forced and each track sees the band develop their sound into a force to be reckoned with.

Mixing bits of bands like Death, Cynic, Atheist, Enslaved, Morbid Angel, Gorguts; this album is a firm winner.

I highly recommend this album. Seek it out now and prepare to be impressed.

Winter Gate – Disillumination (Review)

Winter Gate are from India and this is their début EP.

Winter Gate play Progressive Death Metal. Theirs is an expansive style that incorporates a good degree of melodics and melancholy. The band channel the same creative impulses as old Opeth and Katatonia whilst not really sounding too much like them and stamping their own personality and flair to the sound.

After a brief piano intro we get two tracks that are both epic in length and scope. Each track is filled with good riffs, strong melodics, heavy guitars and great songwriting.

The growling vocals are filled with character and are quite emotive for extreme vocals. Clean singing does make an appearance but this is not overdone and serves the songs well.

Each song is powered by Melodic Death Metal that has been given a Progressive Metal makeover and told that it’s not allowed to play with the other bands any more as it might show them up.

The dynamics of the tracks and overall songwriting skills of the band are impressive to behold and this could easily be double the length and still hold the attention. Indeed; as this is a couple of years old now it would be a good time for a full length, and if they manage to keep the quality levels up then when/if it’s eventually released it’ll probably be quite the album.

So far I can say that I’ve never met and Indian Metal band I didn’t like, and Winter gate are no exception.

Like Metal? Get this.

Azooma – A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster (Review)

Azooma are from Iran and play Death Metal.

A nice acoustic intro starts us off, shortly followed by the opening track Self-Infected. It’s immediately apparent that the band can play well, and also that the type of Death Metal they play is non-standard.

Azooma play Progressive Death Metal with Technical Death Metal clearly playing a role, but rather than the schizophrenic complex-for-the-sake-of-it route that a lot of Technical Death Metal goes down, Azooma have chosen the arguably more interesting Progressive Death Metal route. This means more coherent song structures and more emphasis on the song itself and its accompanying feelings and moods. With this in mind A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster is a roaring success.

Think old-Opeth if they were more Death Metal. Think Gorguts and Death mixed together in a Progressive Metal melange. Tasty.

As mentioned; the musicianship is top-notch, which even includes a noticeable bass. The band proficiently play Death Metal, Progressive Metal, acoustics, Jazz-style interludes, and essentially everything else with pure class.

The vocals are deep and satisfying and the band even find space in their expansive songs to include a couple of low-key cleans that enhance proceedings on a couple of occasions.

A strong sound and production rounds of the package and Azooma have a winner on their hands here.

This is a supremely impressive release and one that you should definitely get if you’re even remotely interesting in challenging, stand-out music.

De Profundis – Frequencies (Review)

De Profundis are from the UK and this is their latest EP of Progressive/Technical Death Metal.

The band have a deep sound that showcases the technical riffing and aggressive nature of their music.

The drumming is all over the shop, but in a very good way; they’re not afraid of using unusual rhythms and off-kilter beats.

This description also applies to the rest of the music, although the band do throw in some melodies and leads here and there when needed.

Apart from the vocals, which are low and deep, the band remind of Death at their most Progressive and Experimental. Indeed; the last song out of the 4 tracks here is a Death cover of the song Crystal Mountain.

Brutality is still a factor in their sound though; this is Death Metal after all. This brutality is offset with sharpened riffs and fretboard exploration that never allows it to become too bludgeoning; rather this is extreme in a different way. It’s technically precise and musically demanding.

At 20 minutes in length this is a decent showcase for the band and allows them to display their musical wizardry to good effect.

A worthwhile listen.