Thrash metal – Page 43 – Wonderbox Metal

Interview with Collision

As I sit here listening to Collision’s latest release Satanic Surgery, it strikes me that in addition to being a very brutal record, it’s extremely well put together and just plain fun! As it’s a very enjoyable album that I keep returning to, when the opportunity arose to catch up with the band I grasped it with both hands…

For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!

We are Collision from the Netherlands! We play a crossover between grindcore and thrash metal with a lot of punk and hardcore influences! Collision is around for 15 or 16 years now, touring Europe and sometimes we will make an album… like we just did: Satanic Surgery! Released by Hammerheart Records on CD and LP.

Give us a bit of background to Collision

Collision started back in 2000, after a trying out some guitar and bass players we found the right line up for this band and we start to write songs and perform live. We were ask to do some local supports and shows on metal festivals. From one thing came another and before we knew we were in the studio recording our first album, released by Czech Republic’s grindcore label “Bizarre Leprous”. With this album in our pocket we did a lot of shows in The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Czech Republic. We changed bassist after this and now we are still in the same line-up. We just like to do a lot of shows and sometimes we record an album, a split single or some cover songs for a tribute album.

What are your influences?

Old school grindcore, thrash metal, hardcore and crossover in general. We are 5 individuals, but I think we all love Slayer and Napalm Death haha. More influences came from bands like Repulsion, Nasum, Wehrmacht, Stormtroopers Of Death, Brutal Truth, Municipal Waste, Dead Kennedys, Anthrax, Suffocation and more!

What are you listening to at the moment that you would like to recommend?

I’m currently listening to Skeletal Remains (groovy old school death metal, good stuff!), the latest album from Gadget (ultra fast grindcore with cool sludge and hardcore parts), Textures (awesome Dutch band) and some old school classics that are not metal like The Specials and Run D.M.C. But like I mention before, the other members will listen to complete other music then me haha.

How do you feel that you fit into the wider Metal scene?

I don’t know, we also love to play in the crust and grindcore scene… but for us it’s not about scenes etc. We just love to play and that everybody that likes grindcore, thrash metal, hardcore, death metal, punkrock etc will love our music!

Give us a bit of background to Satanic Surgery – any particular concepts or ideas you want to discuss?

Normally we sing about drinking, stupidity of religion, girls, war and horror. We used to do some politics, but that’s just not our thing.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Normally our bass player Boris will come up with some riffs. We will select our favourites and make skeletons of songs from it together with guitar player Luc. These songs are sent to our drummer Job and together we finish the song. Normally Björn (sometimes me) will come up with some lyrics and topics to scream about. Some fine-tuning and the song is finished! These days we think it’s important to have the song full of power and energy, but also needs to be catchy and have a good chorus!

I’m glad you mentioned that – is it important to for you to have a good amount of catchiness in your music, rather than focusing purely on aggression and extremity?

Hehe, I already answered this! But yes, it needs to be catchy! But we also focus a lot of aggression and extremity for sure.

What’s your favourite song on the album and why?

I don’t know, I really love to play “Necromantic Love Affair” live because of the combination of grindcore riffs with a sludgy metal break. Lyrics are also hilarious hehe. I also really like “Cripple The Cross”… faster, faster!!

Tell us about the album artwork

The artwork is done by Luis Sendon, he also did the cover from our previous album and the split 7″ with The Rotted. The concept was already clear for a few months, so it was just up to him to visualise our ideas. And I must admit, he did an awesome job!

How did the recording process go?

Surprisingly smooth! We were not that prepared like the previous album, but we made nice demos for ourselves, so we finished the job in a few recording days.

What does the future hold for Collision?

We just hope to play a lot and everywhere! We have some cool shows booked at the moment, but we are still open for more! So keep an eye at http://www.collisiongrind.nl for updates!

Thank you fort he interview and the support!

Gargantua – Avant-Propos (Review)

This is the début EP from French Progressive Metal band Gargantua.

Gargantua play Progressive Metal that combines some quite eclectic influences to produce a 26 minute calling card that shows off what they can do quite effectively.

To give you a flavour of their style, imagine a mix of The Meads of Asphodel, Sigh, The Black Dahlia Murder and Akercocke, among others. It’s essentially a form of melodic Death Metal with added folk, avant-garde and progressive influences, allowing the band a freedom to experiment and be playful with their influences.

The keyboard and accordion aspect of their sound is quirky and endearing. While not as completely over-the-top as some of the stuff that Sigh get up to, this part of their sound can still be demanding and attention-seeking.

The more aggressive Metal that lays the foundation of their music is tempered by their other influences so that the majority of the riffs have a lot of other stuff going on; the avant-garde and more-emotive aspects of their style are never too far away.

Thrash Metal-esque shouted growls, barely-holding-it-together screams, progressive cleans, operatic choral parts, emotive theatrics; there’s a plethora of different styles employed on Avant-Propos via four of the various band members.

A very promising first release. While not perfect, it shows a creative band willing and able to push boundaries to achieve the sound they want. With a few tweaks here and there to tighten the songwriting up, they could become quite a fearsome proposition in the future.

Check them out.

Rats of Reality – Obsequies (Review)

This is the latest EP by Rats of Reality, who are a Blackened Crust/Thrash band from the UK.

A short EP at only 11 minutes in length, Rats of Reality manage to have an unexpected start to this release which throws me slightly, before proceeding to demonstrate that yes, they may play some gnarly, crusty, fast-paced blackened grimness, but they do it in unusual and unexpected ways.

On paper, bands like this are plentiful and there’s sometimes very little to differentiate them from each other. As mentioned though, Rats of Reality are a bit different as they also use riffs that are a whole lot more emotive than most bands of this ilk write. They don’t always do this, (Leeches, for example, is a much more straightforward proposition), but when they do the melodies sometimes border on something you’re more likely to get from a Post-Metal/Shoegaze band, and at other times definitely are. Deafheaven plays Crust? Kind of.

Regardless, it’s an interesting and unusual slant on a well-worn sub-genre and overall Obsequies is enriched by these more melodic, emotive guitars. The ugliness of the core style is still here, but now it’s a beautiful ugliness. Or something. Just listen to it, you’ll get what I mean.

I’m pleased by this, as Rats of Reality have surprised and impressed me. I always enjoy it when a band does something a little different, especially if you weren’t expecting them to, and this certainly qualifies.

Highly recommended.

Bushwhacker – The False Dilemma (Review)

This is the second album from Canadian Progressive Death Metal band Bushwhacker.

Bushwhacker are an interesting proposition, combining, as they do, both Black and Death Metal as well as elements of Thrash, Sludge and psychedelia into their Extreme Metal sound.

The production is strong and the playing tight. The band have a sound that’s heavy, aggressive and dark, although not without its moments of subtlety and nuance. Harshness and melody combine, with textured riffs and thoughtful aggression leading the way. There’s plenty of leads and solos to get your teeth into and at 48 minutes in length it provides a lot of content and ideas.

The songs are well-written, with good pacing and dynamics. The band have a clear talent for this kind of thing and their confidence and ambition comes out in the strong music.

These are nicely varied songs, working as a whole to provide an album that’s a full listening experience. It’s obvious that a lot of work has gone into making this music what it is, and the end result is a really enjoyable Progressive Death Metal journey, complete with more than enough influences from other camps to make Bushwhacker an interesting and enticing proposition.

The vocals are largely screamed, with an old-school Thrash influence to them in places. They seem to skid, slide and slice over the surface of the lively guitars.

In a sea of samey-sounding bands, Bushwhacker stick out like a sore thumb with their fresh-sounding take on Extreme Metal.

I heartily recommend this album.

Ashen Horde – Nine Plagues (Review)

Ashen Horde is a one man Black Metal band from the US. This is his second album.

The production on this release is quite satisfying; the guitars have a really nice darkened tone to them and the drums are solid and firm.

The songs themselves have a Black Metal base with added Thrash and Death Metal elements fused in. Thrashy Blackened Death Metal, although a bit of a mouthful, would do justice as a description I feel. Unlike a lot of Blackened Death Metal though, the emphasis is more on the Black Metal side, although this is up for debate of course.

The Death Metal aspect of the band lends the songs a forceful muscularity that a purely Black Metal band would probably lack, and in some ways the album sounds like a Death Metal band covering Black Metal songs, musically at least. The brain behind the band can clearly play though, and there’s some quite technical messing about, (itself a technical term…), here and there.

Vocally we get curious snarls that seem half-spoken and half-spewed. I can’t help but wonder how much better they would be if they had more of a traditionally screamed delivery though, but this is a minor quibble; they do the job.

Featuring decent blasting, enough complexity to satisfy and songs that grow over time, this is one to settle into and take your time with.

Demonstealer – This Burden Is Mine (Review)

This is the second album from Indian Extreme Metal band Demonstealer.

This is a very ambitious album. Across 9 tracks the band deliver 57 minutes of music that straddles Death, Black, Thrash, Progressive and Atmospheric Metal to deliver an epic journey.

Recognisably Death Metal at their core, Demonstealer skilfully incorporate the above-mentioned aspects into their sound so that we have something that the likes of Nile, Behemoth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Septic Flesh, Opeth and other such envelope-pushing bands should be proud of.

This Burden Is Mine hops between genres with ease. One moment it might be all blasting and mayhem, while the next it may be soft, reflective and shamelessly progressive. And then you have the atmospheric, symphonic elements, where the keyboards get to shine and the emotive side of the band is ramped up to full capacity. The band also have a melodic flair that adds a lot to the tracks, with plenty of tasty leads and solos thrown into the mix.

Pure Death Metal growls are accentuated with a more varied delivery of screams, shouts, clean and semi-clean vocals, professionally done and perfectly judged. You’d easily think this album had more than one singer, rather than just one very talented vocalist.

Although this album is extremely diverse and varied, it carries a holistic cohesiveness with it that speaks of the quality songwriting and talent that the band are capable of. This Burden Is Mine is extremely impressive and a rich, evocative listen.

Well well. Albums like this don’t come along that often. This should be embraced and celebrated by all Metal fans as the tour de force that it is.

Essential.

Product of Hate – Buried in Violence (Review)

This is the début album from US Metal band Product of Hate.

Product of Hate play modern Metal that incorporates elements of Thrash Metal and Metalcore into its makeup. This equates to some noticeable influences from the classic style, notably Kreator and Testament, as well as the more modern Metalcore style that was made so popular by the NWOAHM bands of the 00s. More European aspects appear sometimes too, reminding me of some of Darkane’s work on occasion.

Reading the above though it’s important to realise a few things; this is no retro-loving crap-fest; this is darker and harder than a lot of the more commercial bands playing a similar style; there are no radio-friendly unit shifters with sparkling clean vocals here – Product of Hate go in for the kill with all the aggression that they can muster.

Buried in Violence is a bit rough around the edges, but I think that’s the intent. You could easily imagine the busy riffs and even busier solos encased in a solid gold, ultra-polished production, but this is not the case; they have a large sound that suits the style, but it’s grittier and more earthy than most. This allows the band to get their hands dirty and focus on tearing things up with their assault.

The songs are quite catchy and memorable without being overly so; the band sound like they have tried to pen real songs that they are passionate about rather than one-dimensional sing-along, throwaway hits. This is all down to perspective, of course, and I can easily imagine Product of Hate getting written off by some as being just another Metalcore band with nothing to offer. This is a disservice I feel, but a somewhat inevitable one; it’s a shame as there are more than enough bands peddling the more commercial side of this kind of music, whereas Product of Hate are offering something a bit harder and more aggressive than most. Sure, it’s not Death Metal and it definitely exists on the more commercial side of the Metal spectrum, (relatively speaking, when compared to the more extreme end of Metal), but this is not the kind of thing you’ll hear on the radio any time soon.

Ultimately, Buried in Violence shows a band who clearly love their Metal and gathers together a collection of Metal anthems that just want to Thrash out and give the listener a good tune and a good bashing at the same time.

Oh, there’s also an Ozzy Osbourne cover.

Can’t complain about that.

Vredehammer – Violator (Review)

This is Vredehammer’s second album. They play Black Metal and are from Norway.

Vredehammer play aggressive Black Metal that keeps the core of the genre alive and well, while merging it with a state-of-the-art blackness that bands like Satyricon, Keep of Kalessin and Temple of Baal do so well. Add a bit of Death Metal in the form of something like Behemoth and even a touch of Aura Noir-esque Thrash and you have a good overview of Vredehammer’s style. Tracks like Ursus even have a bit of the Amon Amarth about them, to my ears.

The vocals consist of dark outbursts that strike a fine balance between legibility and outright harshness. Sitting somewhere between the styles of Black and Death Metal, they work well to provide a focal point for the music without dominating it.

Powerful rhythm guitars form the bedrock of the tracks and these punish and damage for all they’re worth. Interestingly though, the band build on these strong foundations to provide a more well-rounded listening experience than you might expect; Violator is not a one-dimensional album.

Twisted melodics and bright, ethereal leads occasionally add colour and texture to the band’s blackened rhythms, allowing them to explore wider pastures that their brutal tendencies might otherwise preclude them from. This adds a lot to the album and raises it to another level, quality-wise. This is all wrapped around their inherent malevolent nastiness though, which is never too far from proceedings.

Boasting a strong production to round things off, Violator is a very enjoyable album, and at 35 minutes in length it’s easy to get your fill of their blackened aggression.

Recommended.

Communal Grave – Solace in Violencia (Review)

Communal Grave are a Death/Thrash Metal band from Pakistan. This is their début album.

The singer has a pretty impressively scary deep growl that’s as dark as night and reeks of a huge black pit that you could easily fall into. It’s the kind of cavernous growl that makes an immediate impression and for a few moments it’s easy to forget the music that’s backing it up.

Phew.

As for the music – this is Melodic Death Metal that’s merged with Thrash Metal to produce an exact and precise rendition of both styles, mixed in together and spiced with some nice melodic tendencies throughout the songs.

The band sound like they have a tight rein on the music, playing everything with precision and care, focusing on the end result of the song and considering every part down to the last riff. This is in stark contrast to the feral vocals that sound completely unbound and unfettered, savagely growling their way over the melodic riffs and mellifluous leads. The contrast between the rough growls and precision-cut music is jarring, but somehow works nonetheless.

The longer-than-average nature of some of the tracks allows the band explore various melodic climes and these 45 minutes pass by easily, with the listener concurrently being buoyed up by the melodic assault and tore down by the deep, malevolent growls.

Ha! No matter how many times I listen to this, the best word I can think of to describe the singer’s vocals is “terrifying”. Oh, you’ll probably listen to them and think they’re deep growls and nothing more, but for me, for some unnameable reason, they hit a raw nerve that chills me to my very core. What’s that all about then? Best not to dig too deep I suspect.

At any rate, it all adds to the experience and Solace in Violencia is an engaging and enjoyable listen.

Now, excuse me while I go and select some new underwear…

Sarke – Bogefod (Review)

This is the fourth album from Norwegian Black Metallers Sarke.

With band members from such esteemed groups as Darkthrone, Satyricon and Khold, this band features a high pedigree and a wealth of experience, all channelled into these 35 minutes.

The familiar darkened twinge of sinister and mysterious Black Metal riffs is joined by less-familiar leads and solos and a Thrash Metal influence in some of the heavier riffs. It’s a predominantly Black Metal work, but there are enough Metal and Thrash elements to make Bogefod more than just a pure Black Metal release, even though it’s all smothered with dark atmospheres and blackened aesthetics.

The songs are well-written with lots of juicy guitars, both of the Blackened Thrash and more traditionally Black Metal variety. The songs keep their pace nicely without going too far either way and there’s lots of memorable moments.

I like that the band don’t play it safe and repeat the same type of song over and over. There’s a decent amount of variety on this release, with the various influences of the band members showing up in different places; each song has an identifiable personality of its own. I particularly enjoyed Barrow of Torolv‘s Doom-infused atmospheric darkness, as well as the female vocal-led Dawning. Very nice.

The screamed vocals with an edge of attitude should be familiar to most, (all?), Black Metal fans and it’s always a pleasure to hear the singer’s voice. His performance is right where it needs to be on these songs and he contributes quite a bit to the catchiness of some of the tracks.

Keyboards are included and these are subtle enough to not overpower the rest of the music, but prominent enough to really add another layer of depth to the songs.

I really enjoyed this album. It has enough going on to keep and hold the interest, but is short enough to not overstay its welcome. Repeated listens bear this out, and Bogefod just gets better the more you listen to it.

Check it out.