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The Sustained Low 'C' of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" - Lime/Meat

January 22, 2014, 2:26 pm
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Written by Matt Hinch.


Those who know me know I have a bit of a man-crush on Toronto blackened doomcrustcore titans, uh, Titan. Their 2012 album Burn landed at #1 on my EOY list. Part of what I find so endearing about them is the vocals of James M. There's a raw, feral quality to them and with James you know the words behind the screams are intelligent. Luckily we don't have to wait for another Titan record to hear them. Enter The Sustained Low 'C' of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (TSLCORSASZ) and Lime/Meat. In addition to James (also in Gates) the band features a number of Torontonian cohorts in guitarist Joel (Fires of Mammon), bassist John (Gates) and drummer Spencer (Eating Glass, Rising Crust).

"Lime" is blistering black metal with the bass rumbling away, confidently guiding the ship amidst the torrents of relentless percussion and searing USBM-style tremolos. James' rage is palpable as the Krallice-like wall of insanity swirls to soaring heights, building and building with trepidation. It all reaches for escape, reaches for peace. Intricate guitar work and emotional solos carry through the catharsis. The density of the track deflates more than explodes at its apex but it's far from a letdown. It's a release.

"Meat" is no less oppressive despite taking a different approach. Where "Lime" used breakneck speed to engage the listener, "Meat" takes a slower, more measured path. James still screams like legs are being cut off with a rusty butter knife while battery acid drips into the wound, but "Meat" is a doomy, heaving beast (with accompanying growled vocals). Its lumbering cadence condenses and expands moment to moment. As the pressure builds and the mood becomes more immediate, "post" guitar lines become prominent, perhaps symbolizing a fragility beneath the rage and hurt.

Lime/Meat may only be less than a quarter hour of music but that doesn't lessen its impact. TSLCORSASZ pack a dense array of doom and black metal into these two tracks. It's monstrously heavy and emotionally taxing. Repeated listens only make the experience more pleasurable. I'm not really sure what the name is supposed to mean either but that's inconsequential when the music is this good.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Inquisition - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse

January 24, 2014, 9:41 am
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Written by Steven Leslie

Art by Paolo Girardi

Inquisition are a U.S. by way of Columbia black metal band that have been plying their chosen trade since 1988. While they started out originally as a thrash band they have morphed into one of the more unique black metal bands over the years. Obscure Verses for the Multiverse is their latest installment and it is absolutely killer. Carrying on from where their previous two albums left off, this beast is a must have for anyone who considers themselves a die hard black metaller.

Photo by Metal Chris

What makes Inquisition so worthwhile is that they have managed to take the black metal template and inject their own personality into the music. They have accomplished that rare feat of creating a sound that is at once recognizable as only Inquisition. The first thing to note is the unique guitar sound, which deviates from the standard high end reverb laden distorted tone so common in black metal these days. The riffs vary from all out trem picked onslaughts to mid paced crushing grooves making for a dynamic listen. This variation in tempo makes for a compelling listen allowing the blasting sections to hit just that much harder. The drums follow a similar pattern and morph from all out blast beat assaults into more measured grooves. Be warned this is a black metal record that will cause some serious nerve damage to your neck from induced headbanging.

Photo by Metal Chris

While the music will be easy to enjoy for any metal fan, the main sticking point for many will be the vocals. While I personally love Dagon’s sound, some may find it too over the top. There is clearly a Abbath influence as he sounds like a dying frog croaking over the vicious black metal assault. Comparisons could also be made to the vocal approach of Greek black metallers Naer Mataron. It should be noted that while the vocals may take some getting used to, they are essential in creating a unique sound and aura for the band. Another thing to note is the lyrics. While they have the traditional satanic backbone, they take a much more intellectual tone as Dagon casts his gaze to the cosmos. Exploring the darkness of outer space and the destructive power of black holes, this makes for a much more interesting lyrical approach than the standard hail satan, fuck christ approach of many black metal bands. Special mention should be given to the stunning cover art, which hints perfectly at the cosmic satanic themes expressed in the lyrics. Overall this is another killer album from a band that has established a unique voice within the U.S. black metal scene.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Yellow Eyes - The Desert Mourns

January 24, 2014, 11:35 am
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Written by Sean Golyer.


Yellow Eyes lay before us a desert landscape washed in starlight and drenched in gore. The atmosphere is heavy and the mood is unsettling. My eyes dart across a scene of surreal self violence.
A man throws handfuls of his blood.
I’m fixated now and can’t turn away. A primal urge within me keeps me listening. Keeps me watching.
Red yawns widen and splatter; He spreads his belongings on the sand.
The Desert Mourns is one of those rare pieces of art that has moved me in a way that leaves me at a loss for words. I’m at once excited to share it with others without really being able to conjure up the right words to describe it. On its surface Krallice may seem like an apt comparison, but that doesn’t serve this band justice. If you’ve enjoyed either of their past two albums chances are you’ll enjoy this EP. And yet something feels different about this release; something darker and more mature that drew me in immediately. Their ability to catch me off guard and sweep me into their twisted, chaotic world grows ever stronger. The Desert Mourns is a testament to their mastery of storytelling and songwriting. I yearn for more.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Ritual Chamber - The Pits of Tentacled Screams

January 25, 2014, 6:53 pm
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Written by Dave Schalek.


The Bay Area continues to demonstrate why it’s one of the most vibrant scenes in metal. Ritual Chamber is a rancid death metal project plying the same stylistic waters as explored by murky death metal outfits such as Grave Miasma and Teitanblood. The Pits Of Tentacled Screams is a five-song, self released demo with both feet firmly planted in the aesthetics of the genre. Anchored by murky, evil sounding death metal loaded with atmosphere, a hazy production, and deep seated vocals, The Pits Of Tentacled Screams is a more than promising debut.

Ritual Chamber happens to be a project of Numinas, who handles all of the instrumentation and vocals. Numinas may be familiar to readers as the prolific talent behind the long running, separate black metal projects Krohm and Vetus Obscurum, as well as having a hand in a myriad of other black and death metal bands over the last twenty years. Given Numinas’ background and experience, Ritual Chamber is sure to attract fans of the genre and is yet another promising act to emerge from the Bay Area scene.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Thou - Summit

January 27, 2014, 5:26 pm
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Thou has a Bandcamp now. It is a little spotty right now; the full-lengths are there - including a placeholder for the next one Heathen due in March) - all available as name your price downloads. Else it's a few empty albums, including one Algiers I have no idea what is. But I got a heads up from the band that "We're remastering a pile of the EP stuff, so that'll all be uploaded once I have the new WAVs", so more goodies are forthcoming.

Summit from 2010 is their latest full-length. It's an excellent piece of doomy sludge with more black metal influence than typical for the genre. Songs are long and generally slow, but they are filled with creative details like blast beats introducing a song (and organ ending it), piano underscoring a riff, a discrete horn section (even a little chamber ensemble instrumental). Thou's attention to detail also shows in the guitars; besides the requisite fuzzy heaviness, they provide sometimes quite subtle interplay, surprise riffs and melodies that make each song stand out.

Thou have a very strong DIY sensibility- check out Cosmo Lee's write up on the band (and Summit) from Invisible Oranges - so it's a little surprising that it took them this long to make the jump to Bandcamp. But maybe it was already having a solid DIY setup in place that made it take longer, I don't know. Either way, I'm glad they did.



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Things you might have missed.

January 29, 2014, 2:39 pm
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Written by Kevin Page.


Punishing French flamenco death metallers return with a 2 song EP, along with a new lineup. If you enjoyed their debut as much as I did (2010's La Iglesia del Odio), then you will surely find lots to love here. Without losing an ounce of their brutal death metal approach, they smartly integrated even more flamenco aspects, which can only help separate them from the countless hordes of bands these days. Let's hope this is a sign of even more new music from them in 2014.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


Whiplash has been plugging away with their brand of thrash since 1984. Their third album, 1990's Insult to Injury, is my personal favorite thrash album of all time. So naturally I've been anxiously awaiting some new material, as their last release was in 2009. Finally we are graced with a single from the upcoming EP, Old School American Way, Volume 1. Sword Meet Skull, Skull Meet Sword was released back in June with no mention of when the EP is actually due (or how many songs it will have). So in the meantime we just have to enjoy a basic, catchy, quality Whiplash tune.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


While we await a new full length in 2014 from these Canadian masters of swirling death metal chaos, we at least have a two song EP to wet our appetite. Picking up right where 2011's Parasignosis left off, its 12+ minutes of brain dizzying madness barbarism. Does this sound even more sinister than they usually do? I think so.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


I love death/doom as much as the next guy, but let's face it, each day brings a seemingly a new band into the fray with a 60+ minute album. My real life commitments prevent me from really absorbing too many of those types of ditties these days (especially since I need repeated listens to accurately judge the product). So it's completely refreshing that Orlando, FL's Druid Lord eschew that notion. They have yet to write a song longer than six minutes. It's death/doom but it gets to the point. After releasing their debut album, Hymns for the Wicked in 2010, they have been busy with three splits and now their second EP, Baron Blood. Featuring their slowest material to date (yet not treading as far into funeral doom as you would imagine), these two songs are the perfect soundtrack to a horror film torture scene. It truly does feel like a rotted corpse has crawled from the earth to terrorize the living [Note: The two songs on the EP are not available together, they must be bought separately].


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Serpent Eater - Hyena

January 31, 2014, 8:29 am
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Written by Majbritt Levinsen.


*Insert 3 lines of foul words in capital letters here* Or in other words: Yes, yes, yes... you need to hear this, if you haven’t already!

Sadly I encountered Serpent Eater and their brutally massive Hyena too late to be way up high on my top 10 of 2013, it 'only' positioned itself at number 9. But the fact that they did manage to maneuver into my top ten is not something to take lightly.

So what is it that made Hyena blow me away? Well every time I listen to it I just get an undeniable desire to jump around the house going berserk and belch out whatever it is the singer is screaming. Sadly I can’t hear a word and no lyrics posted, which makes me a bit sad as usual. According to the release notes on Bandcamp the lyrics are about "the weirdness and deformations of the psyche as well as the emotions of a violated mankind in modern society" and that only makes me more curious. Musically this is massive rumbling fury straight out of Germany translated into death blackened sludge hardcore" (Quoting the band here, as it is so much more).

It is groovy and easy to get into. Every instrument has equal focus and as a bass enthusiast I’m delighted to hear the sweet sound of the bass. But what I really like is the perfect combination of fury, despair, beauty, anger and melancholy woven into the tapestry of so many musical genres I don’t even want to begin to try and write them down. That is what makes this album so great: the diversity, the blasting fury and the calm waters, the ugly and the beauty, the unpredictable and the comfort.

I have had a hard time not to add foul words to emphasis my true feelings about this album and struggled not to hit caps lock when writing this review. That is how good I think Hyena is! But enough words, now you go and listen, and let the music speak for itself.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Big Dumb Skulls presents Filtheater - Tenebrae

January 31, 2014, 6:48 pm
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Big Dumb Skulls is a blog with a simple but brilliant concept. Each day a metal album cover sporting a skull is presented, and both the skull and the music is reviewed (or more often than not, thrashed). The skull is selected on these criteria: "It must be a metal band. Nothing too fancy, nothing too oblique, nothing too busy. No multiple skulls. No animal skulls. No piles of skulls. Just one skull. One big dumb fucking skull". The writing by Friar Wagner and Friar Johnsen is incisive and hilarious. Big Dumb Skulls is, well basically it is the best thing, ever.

But don't just take my words for it. Check out the glowing endorsements from these honorable members of the Metal Society:
  • Kelly Hoffart, the esteemed Full Metal Attorney. "This is the greatest blog idea ever...."
  • E, mysterious drummer from Ashencult. "The best blog. Period."
  • Steve Jansson, Infiltrator shredmeister extraordinaire. "I check this every day when I get home from work to unwind."
  • I.s. Lander, editor-in-chief at No Clean Singing. "Pure fucking genius."
And now, for your reading (and listening) pleasure, here's SKULL396:

Artwork by Jared Moran

The skull:
The largest picture we have of this cover isn’t huge, but it looks like those are maggots shivering out from under the skull, having fed on the fleshy gunk left behind by the poor decomposed subject. Looking at the bigger picture, one wonders: At what temperature do maggots melt? It must be an extremely high one, and I’ve arrived at this conclusion because not only did the candles flanking the skull melt, but it appears to be so hot in there that the skull’s cheek bones turned into Richard Nixon-esque jowls. Take a look! We have not seen the likes of this before here at Big Dumb Skulls HQ, and likely will never see it again. [The Elders of the Council of the Skull have awarded a special badge of honor to Filtheater, as every single one of their releases features a skull, skulls, or a human head that's real close to becoming a skull.]

The music:
Now this is chaotic noise-drenched death metal a guy can rock out to. I quite like this little EP, a caustic, ripping, raw 20 minutes that sort of sounds like Brutal Truth covering Nuclear Death. The drumming and overall production aesthetic resembles Brutal Truth, and the noise-factor, including riffs that sound like they were written by a tone-deaf guitarist, are evocative of my beloved Nuclear Death. The ability is here, with every member capably delivering their part of the bloodthirsty, unhinged madness. It’s clear this band truly believe in what they’re doing and their sound is more convincing than many modern-day US death metal bands content to rip off Incantation a little too closely. There’s a crust vibe in spots, and big chunks of Fiend for Blood-era Autopsy too, yet Filtheater emerges from the wreckage with a sound that, while showing its influences, is pretty much all their own. I don’t yet own anything by this band, but as soon as they compile these tape and ridiculously-limited EP releases into some sort of collection, I’m buyin’.
– Friar Wagner


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


As Friar Wagner mentions the artwork for Tenebrae isn't in the highest quality; so I thought I'd share a couple more Filtheater EP's, so you can appreciate Jared Moran's awesome skulls (and more delicious death metal of course). It is not exactly the collection Friar Wagner requested, but the entire Filtheater discography is available very cheaply on their Bandcamp. Here's Noctivagant from 2012, and their latest Crepuscule from 2013.

Artwork by Jared Moran

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


Artwork by Jared Moran

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Necrophobic - The Nocturnal Silence

February 1, 2014, 6:55 pm
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An Autothrall classic. Originally published here.

Cover art by Urban Skytt

There are classic albums and there are cult albums. The Nocturnal Silence is both, one of the best early statements of the Swedish death metal uprising of the early to mid 90s. Unlike a Left Hand Path though, this one wasn't an instant personal attraction. It took several years to develop on me, but one drunken evening I was listening to it with a friend at university and it suddenly dawned on me...this is awesome.

Necrophobic tend towards the occult side of the death metal spectra, with grim lyrics about hell and vile philosophies. They have a similar guitar tone to their contemporaries, but otherwise do not sound quite the same as far as how they present their riffs. I once thought this album was a rambling mess, but it is in fact pinpoint in its delivery of grinding guitars and the barking of ex-vocalist Anders Strokirk. The album is produced by the infamous Tomas Skogsberg so you know what to expect.

As a complete work The Nocturnal Silence is extremely consistent, each of the nine tracks destroys. "Awakening" begins with some spooky keyboards, soon joined by some slower leads before the churning guitars herald the apocalypse. Simple old school death rhythms commence a dark mood on the diabolic "Before the Dawn". "Unholy Prophecies" has a few rhythms which recall Slayer when they were good. The title track begins with haunted acoustics, again building into a grim lead melody. "Inborn Evil" has a slower groove to it, while "The Ancient's Gate" starts with the sickest groove on the album. Also of note are the barbaric and fast-paced "Sacrificial Rites" and the creepy "Where Sinners Burn".

Though the album has been remastered, it still sounds great in its original form. There is nothing overly polished about it, it simply manages to retain a dark intonation that many death metal albums only wish they could have. So often we forget what the pure evil of this genre used to sound like, jaded from endless overdubbed albums with focus on technical precision to the detriment of atmosphere. The Nocturnal Silence remains my favorite of Necrophobic's albums, and a true relic of extreme Swedish metal.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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71TonMan - 71TonMan

February 2, 2014, 2:22 pm
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Written by Ulla Roschat.

Cover art by Damian Augustyniak

71Tonman are a five piece Sludge/Doom Metal outfit hailing from Wroclaw/Poland. They formed in 2011 and released their self-titled debut album Dec. 2013.

The album is kind of a concept album creating scenarios revolving around a post-apocalyptical world. It comprises of six tracks, of which the first one, the "Intro", is mainly a short narrated introduction to describe the situation, accompanied by sounds that deliver the eerie menacing atmosphere to it as well.

The second track "Bacon Bomb" is a relentlessly slow, heavy sludge monster displaying the band's personal take on the genre, which is in addition to being "fat, low and slow" - the bands own description - also very groovy, heavy like a steam roller, intense and atmospheric.

The songs are carefully constructed and each has its own dynamic character and atmosphere. "Dr Psycho" has an extra pinch of insanity which is very much carried by the vocalist's breathtakingly punchy vocals and some reverb, slightly chaotic drumming and a grand atmospheric build-up with an excellent instrumental work.

"Cyborg Jesus" (my favorite track of the album), picks up the strong atmospheric intensity, adds different facets of moods of melancholy and desolation with an extra pinch of dissonances, dirge-like melodies and again this is very much carried by the vocals.

"Face Fucking Machine" is a classic stoner rock style booze fueled bluesy steam roller and shows a brilliant work of bass and drums.

The title song "71Tonman" at the end of the album and its longest track (12:14) pretty well sums up what the whole album is about. This one is full of all the different moods, cleverly constructed with changes of melody, tempo and rhythm thus creating a dynamic driving build-up with exciting drumming and an extremely abrupt ending that leaves you in a complete, somewhat alarming, empty deathlike stillness.

Throughout the album there's an overall atmosphere that truly captures an apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic sense, and with each song this sense increases, everything is getting just a bit more intense, just a bit heavier and there's just another little twist in this or in that direction and all these "just a bits" and "little extra pinches" of whatever, keep the album in a constant dynamic, very organic and exciting. Nothing sounds forced or overdone.

This is an absolutely stunning debut album and a complete DIY venture on top of it.




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Sunn O))) & Ulver – Terrestrials.

February 3, 2014, 4:19 pm
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Written by Craig Hayes.

A portrait of our sun, captured in the wavelength of hydrogen alpha light © Alan Friedman

I’m going against my own better judgment here. One thing I’d never normally attempt is to review prominent sonic adventurers like Sunn O))) or Ulver after only a few scant days of ingesting their separate wares, let alone tackle a collaborative release from both. Independently, Sunn O))) and Ulver are experts at crafting albums that reveal layers of nuance via weeks of listening. Like all great works of art--whatever their medium--both bands’ expressions require patience, so your appreciation of the often subliminal discoveries therein can settle. 

Yet, here I am. Writing about Sunn O))) and Ulver’s new joint release, Terrestrials, after having the highly anticipated album for less than a week. Still, while I’d generally wait until my impressions have untangled before writing about an album of such magnitude, as Terrestrials surely is, I felt in this case that immediacy and spontaneity were called for. Because Terrestrials’ own foundations are built on impulse too.

Norway-based Ulver are rightly renowned as genre-defying luminaries, with acclaimed black metal, neo-classical, conceptual, electronic, and soundtrack works under their belt. Sunn O))), as we all know, are wielders of the stretched-to-infinity riff, and their variegated pressure-wave exploits are similarly revered. Both are master-craftsmen of the bohemian and unorthodox, and both have worked jointly with many metal and experimental artists of note in the past. However, the prospect of Sunn O))) and Ulver reconnoitring new points of interest together--after successfully merging on the track “CUTWOOeD”, from Sunn O)))’s 2003’s album White1--is a dream collaboration for fans of intrepid sonic mapping.

That dream was kick-started back in August 2008, with Sunn O))) joining Ulver at their Crystal Canyon studios in Oslo, to record three live improvised pieces--working from evening till dawn. With Ulver adding their radiance to Sunn O)))’s dark and mangling brew of guitar and bass drones, over the next four years Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley and Ulver’s Kristoffer Rygg would periodically revisit the recordings to add further ingredients--such as orchestrations from guests, including Ole-Henrik Moe and Kari Rønnekleiv (viola and violin) and Stig Espen Hundsnes (trumpet).  

And finally, with Sunn O))) and Ulver being ever mindful of retaining the original album session’s sense of spontaneity, Terrestrials is here. In keeping with its intended spirit, roiling energy rolls through unscripted drone on aptly titled opener "Let There Be Light”; the track’s 11 minutes of fathomless guitar and bass rumbles building to a (dawn-breaking-over-the-fjords) crescendo, where effects, brass, and percussion break through, bringing the hope of morning, and rays of light. “Western Horn” sees eerie violins run over bass-heavy tides, perfectly channeling the anticipated sculpting of deep, detailed, and formidable sound. However, best of all is “Eternal Return”. This final track sees baritone intonations from Rygg set in a classically moulded midsection, while weeping, dust-bowl violins weave tendrils throughout the rest of the 15 haunting and minimalist minutes--until the track is sucked into a black hole for a stark finish. 

There’s no doubt that Terrestrials exceeds the sky-high expectations surrounding its release. Played loudly, it’s the addition of volume + volume that’ll lead you to best appreciate Terrestrials’ truly impressive heights, depths, and girth--as well as recognising just how many shades and tones of noise both beautiful and grim are to be found. Sunn O)))’s continued explorations of the dimensions of drone and properties of sound bring their expected psychological and physiological weight. Yet, Ulver are here to layer on their distinctive sense of dramatic unease, which brings essential elements of pathos, and those first glimmers of sunrise, to an album that (for all its sonic minimalism) leaves a maximal emotional imprint. 

Lord knows what I’ll think of Terrestrials in a month--when I’ve had even more time to sink into its fathoms. However, after a week’s listening, it’s abundantly clear that Terrestrials is everything I/you/we could have hoped for from a collaboration between two titans of richly rewarding avant-garde artistry. The long wait is over, and the result is, unquestionably, breathtaking. Terrestrials is pure bliss. 


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Man's Gin - Rebellion Hymns

February 4, 2014, 11:34 pm
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Written by Aaron Sullivan.


Man’s Gin return with their second album, Rebellion Hymns. This is the side project of Eric Wunder. One half of the amazing Black Metal band Cobalt. But those looking for Black Metal look else where. This is band exploring the genres of Rock, Country, Americana, Blues, and Folk all mixed up into what becomes Man’s Gin’s sound.

As I expressed in my year end list that this album made. Man’s Gin’s first album Smiling Dogs is among my all time favorites. It hit me like a ton of bricks musically but more importantly lyrically. The album got me through some rough times in my personal life. The lyrics spoke to me as if they were written for that exact moment in time with what I was going through. The lyrics from Nuclear Ambition 1&2 especially. The line "So sinners unite, the sloven and weakened. If you’re beaten or broken press on frustrated." was inspiration and still brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. So when hearing there was to be a new album, I was excited to say the least.

Immediately with the opening of Inspiration you know it’s Man’s Gin. What is also known very early on is that unlike the raw, almost live feel of Smiling Dogs, Rebellion Hymns finds the band spreading their musical wings. The piano, upright bass, and acoustic guitars are all there, but how they exist in the songs is much fuller and not as straight forward. The addition of instruments like accordion, harmonica, melodica, and sax (provided by the great Bruce Lamont) all point to the eclectic nature of this album. The other difference is how each song stands on it’s own. No two sound alike, but still have that Man’s Gin feel. Whether the Tom Wait-ish Off The Coast of Sicily, the almost metallic Old House (Bark at the Moonwalk), or the ambient interludes, they do their best to never repeat themselves. The album also features vocal appearance from Jarboe and the other half of Cobalt, Phil McSorley.

The word that comes to mind when hearing this album is expansive. While the first album sounded as though you were in the rehearsal room as the band played, this one feels like a band that knows what it is capable of and wants the world to hear it. All while never losing it’s raw personal feel. Not a an easy task to accomplish. But then Man’s Gin is not an ordinary band.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Cannabis Corpse / Ghoul - Splatterhash

February 5, 2014, 4:33 pm
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Written by Andy Osborn.

Artwork by Andrei Bouzikov

Stoners worldwide have been rejoicing at the recent legalization efforts taking place, and what better way to kick off the celebration -- and the new, smoke-filled year -- than with a blazing split from Tankcrimes. The two finest acts on the small label’s roster are also some of the most 420-friendly around, but don’t get them confused for the mellow, relaxed types. Sometimes a high calls for a faster pace and a bit more humor than provided by your typical trudging bong rippers, and that’s exactly what these maniacs deliver with this four track offering. 

Continuing with their potent strain of punk-infused death metal, Cannabis Corpse lay weed-worshipping, comical lyrics over a deadly serious sheen of tight musicianship and surprising technicality. As they’ve always done, the Virginians both parody and pay homage to the best aspects of the genre while still being able claim a sound as wholly their own. Ghoul’s death-thrash keeps the buzz going with 80s Bay Area riffs and intelligent phrasing not normally dished out by their regional brethren. “Inner Sanctum” is the highlight of the split that plays with blistering leads and ever-changing vocal deliveries that keep you guessing what these hooded menaces are going to pull out next. The session ends with a crossover anthem that’ll force you to scrape the bowl and fire it all up over again and again.

As is common with splits, Splatterhash will you wanting more from both bands. But everything about this release -- its concept, cover art, title and production -- is damn-near perfect so it’s difficult to be upset at such a supreme high, short-lived as it is. Light it up, take a deep breath, and don’t forget to pass it around.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Vaura - The Missing

February 7, 2014, 6:03 pm
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Written by Aaron Sullivan.


Vaura are a ‘supergroup’ of sorts. The band features Toby Driver(maudlin of the Well, Kayo Dot) and Kevin Hufnagel(Gorguts, Dysrhythmia). Both names that may be recognizable to Metal fans. They combine with drummer Charlie Schmid and vocalist/guitarist Josh Strawn(Religious to Damn) to form Vaura. There was a ton of pre album buzz about The Missing. I had never heard of the band. But between Drivers involvement, and it coming out on Profound Lore I figured it was worth looking into. I’m glad I did.

Photo by Matt Arena

To try and describe the music with a simple genre title would be a bit difficult. The album contains bits of Post-Punk, Black Metal, Prog, and Goth(Darkwave or Coldwave are also words I read associated with them but not genres I am all that familiar with). Of those genres the one that is felt on all of the tracks is Goth, a Sisters of Mercy/Bauhaus feel. Combined with hints of Joy Division Post-Punk. Within the ten song album they pull off dark and brooding, melodic and catchy, sometimes all in one song. Songs rarely stand still. Vocals are Bowie-esque and mix well with the music. The production is full. Drums pounding over the shimmering guitars parts. I dare anyone to hear "Mare of the Snake" and not have it stuck in your head for days. It’s got radio hit all over it without selling out any of the integrity the band members bring.

Photo by Matt Arena

This was an album of the year for me. It was well worth the wait and the hype. It hooked me the moment I heard it and didn’t put it down for some time. Even as I hear it while writing this I find myself falling in love with it all over again. A real triumph; it’s addition to many other year end lists is well deserved.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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The Ash Eaters - Nothing Is Real

February 9, 2014, 3:20 am
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Guest review by That's How Kids Die.


I’ve spilled a greatdeal of digitalink on The Ash Eaters; I’m proud to call guitarist/vocalist/mastermind UA my friend, and it has been a unique experience watching/hearing his latest metallic foray develop from the, uh, ashes of his previous work in the great Brown Jenkins. But as great as that band was, The Ash Eaters take things to a whole other level, especially in terms of UA’s highly distinctive guitar-work, which I’ve often likened to an insect swarm, relentlessly stinging the listener from every direction. When one listens to The Ash Eaters, one must reserve themselves to the cold fact that there’s no escape, no respite from the overwhelming nature of the music, and nowhere is this more evident than on Nothing is Real, the latest in a steady stream of releases.

Nothing is Real is comprised of three tracks spanning a total of about fifteen minutes. The Ash Eaters have released several EPs since 2011, and this is the best way to experience their music, not because it gets boring, but quite to the contrary; there’s just so much going on musically within the confines of a single song that sensory overload is practically inevitable. Just when you think you have a handle on navigating the musical labyrinth, it transforms completely, revealing newer, darker paths you didn't even know existed.

I touched on UA’s guitar playing in the first paragraph, and his idiosyncratic assault on the six-string is the obvious highlight and focal point of Nothing is Real. The man’s ungodly riff-barrage seems to get more tangled and bizarre with every release, the musical equivalent of one of Lovecraft’s adjective-packed passages detailing some elder horror hailing from a realm beyond the limits of human understanding. Indeed, plan on setting aside whatever it is you’re doing if you decide to put this EP on, as his maniacally baroque approach to the instrument demands your full and undivided attention. But in spite of the chaotic complexity, these three songs will stick with you; I’ve found myself contemplating their elaborate riff-mazes even when I’m not listening to them.

The Ash Eaters project has shown marked progression with each release and Nothing is Real feels like the next logical step in UA’s spiral into total six-string madness. It’s cerebral, harrowing and engaging, another musical puzzle to solve for longtime followers of the man’s work and a mind-bending surprise for first-time listeners. If you’re looking for some metal that will get your synapses firing rather than fading into the background, look no further.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Tree of Sores - A Cry of Despair

February 9, 2014, 11:32 pm
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Written by Ulla Roschat.


A Cry of Despair is Tree OF Sores' second of two EPs (and last one, since the band sadly split up in Sept. 2013). The three piece band from Leeds/UK play a sort of hard to categorize ambient sludge, doom, crust, post metal something.

This EP is one single track of nearly half an hour of playtime..., but soon I realize that time is a concept of irrelevance here. The quiet slow intro and the following heavy passage with the raw expressive vocals lure and seize and drag me deep into this song and I'm lost in its driving, hypnotic rhythms that carry me to some timeless place.

A combination of these entrancing rhythms and riffs and melodies that are kind of dancing and spiraling around them, take me along through waves that build up to powerful, thick sonic walls to crash down again and be caught on softer waves of quiet warm and transparent sounds. At one point about halfway through the song one of these quieter moments even comes near to a halt and fools me to think the song ended here. How do I know how long I've been listening... 10 minutes or an hour.... and what is time anyway? All I know is I don't want it to end here and the next clean warm guitar sounds initiating a new build up makes me happy.

In the second part of the song more and more distorted sounds and dissonances are added and condense into a kind of rain and thunder soundscape carrying a dark, melancholic and menacing atmosphere that completely sucks me up and more pounding drums and spellbinding, driving rhythms drag me along through the song.

A Cry of Despair feels like a journey across the ocean sometimes driven through rough powerful storms of relentless heaviness, sometimes carried on gentler waves of murky reflectiveness. There's a constant flow and motion until I'm finally brought ashore. Only now I notice that the abrasive vocals from the beginning, that I had hoped for to return, had not, which shows that the song is simply perfect the way it is.... 27:42 minutes long... (or short?... what was time again?...) and not one second is redundant or boring, each one is essential. The structure is somehow minimalistic, but there's plenty of nuanced sublime changes that make the song so dynamically organic and terrifically ingenious at the same time.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Iron Reagan - Worse Than Dead

February 10, 2014, 2:08 pm
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Written by Dave Schalek.

Cover art by Brent Eyestone

The members of the various bands from in and around Richmond, Virginia are increasingly prolific. For example, the increasingly popular acts Municipal Waste and Cannabis Corpse are obviously not enough in the way of projects for some of these guys as political crossover becomes the focus with yet another side project, Iron Reagan. Landphil Hall and Tony Foresta of Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, etc., are only the most visible members of Iron Reagan as others from their circle of friends from various area bands come together to crank out some politically tinged crossover straight out of the 1980s.

Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Although labeled as a side project, Iron Reagan, to be blunt, have something that both Municipal Waste and Cannabis Corpse lack; that is, a sense of seriousness. Musically, Iron Reagan come across as a rather thick version of early D.R.I. or even Attitude Adjustment with shouted vocals, a quick pace, frenetic riffing, and dynamic bass work. The chops are thick and the riffs are given a meaty weight courtesy of a modern production; but, Hall, Foresta, and their cohorts know their way around the old school crossover genre as Worse Than Dead has a vibe that seems to be lifted straight off of Dealing With It.

Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

The seriousness comes in the form of Iron Reagan’s satirical attack on the legacy of Ronald Reagan, the icon of America’s loudmouthed and irrational political right wing. Today, we have to deal with the absurdities that were born in the 1970s and 80s, absurdities such as trickle down economics, the culture war, and the ever increasing intrusion of christianity into the public sphere. These absurdities are only given credence by a right wing media machine that is increasingly screaming louder and louder into its own echo chamber. Iron Reagan attack this echo chamber and the lack of critical thinking displayed by its audience with a decidedly more serious eye that Cannabis Corpse or Municipal Waste ever could. Both Cannabis Corpse and Municipal Waste are fun bands to listen to, but, let’s face it, there’s nothing serious about cheeky pot references in death metal, or partying hard while listening to thrash metal.

Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Truth be told, there’s nothing really overt about Iron Reagan’s political message except for the cover art, the song titles, and the iconography as most of the lyrics deal with thinking for yourself and applying a critical eye towards the media and political messages. But, I found Worse Than Dead to be a bit of fresh air as this type of crossover, and well done crossover to boot, is rather rare nowadays.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


As a bonus, Iron’s Reagan’s 2012 demo is available as a free download on the band’s Bandcamp page.

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Hell / Amarok - Split

February 12, 2014, 3:04 pm
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Written by Matt Hinch.


Originally released last year on cassette, this split between Hell and Amarok was recently released on vinyl. Even more recently the split was finally made available on Bandcamp. And what a split it is.

In Christianity there is but one Hell. Buddhist tradition has three "Hell realms". In the Game of Thrones universe there are seven. And Metal Archives lists nine bands going by the name of Hell. Trying to figure out which one this was initially proved difficult. To save you the trouble, this Hell resides in Salem, OR and is the one-man project of M.S.W. This side of the split consists of three songs put together as one 18+ minute track. The first act, "Deonte" is pure, lo-fi, bowel-evacuating doom. Its earthquaking tone and lethargic pace are so entrancing you won't even notice your bong shaking off the table. I mean, it's tuned so low the journey down there feels like Dante's Inferno; the listener being dragged down to successfully agonizing depths. The scraping feedback buried in the mix is downright creepy. It sounds almost like a swingset in an abandoned park, swaying back and forth in desperate need of some oiling. It sounds like emptiness and innocence lost.

"Oblitus" has a bit more of that Electric Wizard vibe felt throughout. It's a little quicker in spots but still painfully slow. The guitars here serve a more atmospheric role behind the synced bass and drums pounding at the castle gate. There's a riff in there that absolutely destroys entire planets. It's the main riff but when it hits around the 7:55 mark, resistance caves in. "Oblitus" is an unstoppable mass that rolls triumphant into the track's third movement.

"Dolore"'s screeching feedback gives rise to another monstrous riff, punishing in its might and molasses thick pace. The continuous pounding drags the listener low, as M.S.W.'s anguished screams expound pain and emptiness (as they do on the other songs as well). Here "Dolore" takes a turn in a decidedly Pallbearer-ish direction. The focal point shifts from the disgusting bass to an ethereal atmosphere saturated with emotion. Violins and clean tones close out Hell's side of the split. The melancholic and naked feel of the track's end gives one the feeling that no matter how intimidating the beast is, deep down they still have feelings.

Chico, CA's Amarok handles the other side. The most immediate difference heard is that Amarok's production is much cleaner and definitely louder. One can also sense this is a full band as opposed to Hell's one-man stance. But the split makes sense as Amarok employ the funereal pace too. A sound and feel similar to Pallbearer can be heard here as well. Dual growling and blackened vocals play off each other, tossing the listener from great heights to subterranean lows. The track, "Red Oak Wisdom" displays the strength of a mighty oak indeed, as well as patience and age. Patience is needed as Amarok continue to drone on with hypnotic repetition. It's a monotony not all listeners may be able to endure. The middle section of this 20 minute opus bears melody punctuated by measured, thudding drums and delicate cymbal work. Words like stately, forsaken, hopeless and solitary come to mind. Distant blackened screams scrape at the edge of consciousness. One uplifting note gives a flicker of hope that fades in the blink of an eye into more despair. The tides slowly change giving rise to the return of Amarok's destructive force. The mind-numbing repetition continues with some vocal call and response tearing the listener apart between sky and earth. The rumbling doom gets run through with some melodious guitar as well but only briefly. As the marathon is completed the listener is driven deep, deep down and left utterly spent.

This split isn't easy to listen to and depending on preference one may enjoy one side much more than the other. The pairing is apt however as both outfits incorporate similar elements. Both use despondency and tone to their advantage and thrive on discomfort countered with ambience. Make no mistake, this is some heavy shit.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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Castevet - Obsian

February 13, 2014, 2:39 pm
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Written by Atanamar Sunyata.


Castevet’s Mounds of Ash was a marvelous experiment in martial movement, creating a black hole in the middle of metal’s Venn diagram. The album remains, in my mind, a glorious beast of delectable dissonance and polyrhythmic savagery. It has also remained in rotation since its 2011 release.

With Obsian, Castevet have switched out a central cog of their rhythmic contraption; Nicholas McMaster (Krallice, Geryon) has replaced Josh Scott on bass. This change has produced a subtle but fundamental shift in the band’s sound, moving them away from that merciless march and further into the unknowable void. Ian Jacyszyn’s extraordinary and intricate drumming has loosened up a bit to accommodate these new sonic possibilities.

Impossibly inventive chords and arpeggiations remain at the blackened core of Castevet’s art. Andrew Hock is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting guitar players of our time. His fascinating riffs slash and churn, transmuting discord into memorable malevolence and anti-melody.

Photo by Carmelo Española.

Instead of adding constant weight to the windmilling fury of these riffs, Nicholas McMaster’s bass lines weave in and out of the mayhem, pushing the songs into anomalous dimensions. These wormholes sometimes open into lands of full-on prog; there’s a mind-blowing section of “Cavernous” that’s laden with the psychedelic glory of an early Genesis track. It makes me smile every time. The mysterious horns that graced Mounds of Ash are also more prevalent, manifesting in insidious and disquieting ways.

Although the riffs on Obsian are often as harsh as Andrew Hock’s vocals, violence is not the album’s raison d’être. A sense of wonder radiates from these multifarious compositions, as if the band are in awe of their own creation. I’m certainly in awe; Obsian is one of my favorite albums of 2013.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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The Journey of Wildernessking

February 16, 2014, 6:38 am
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Written by Keenan Nathan Oakes.

When Max asked me to chronicle the journey from Heathens to Wildernessking and more specifically from the Mock the Heavens EP to our recent work, I was a little stumped. Nothing has really changed since the inception of our group in 2009/2010. We’re still writing music with the purpose of pleasing ourselves and having fun, yet we’ve encountered so many great things on our path that have certainly moulded our thinking and ambitions.


Dylan [Viljoen - Guitars] and I were playing for a band (a rather ambitious, progressive metal band with big goals) in 2008-2010 that never really saw the light of day. During this time Jesse [Navarre Vos - Guitars] and I became close friends and talked about forming a black metal band as we became more interested in and slightly obsessed with the genre.

In the interim Dylan and I started Heathens as a fun project that touched on the more rock ‘n roll side of black metal, ala Darkthrone and Aura Noir, while we waited for our main band to take off. With no real goals other than to have fun and write some tunes, we put out our first EP in March of 2010. This was the first band that I was in where I was involved in the writing process, and not coming on board only for vocal and lyrical duties, and it felt and still feels pretty special. We were really happy with what we created in Heathens and that was more than enough at the time.

Jesse joined in September of 2010 as our sound started expanding, and everything came full circle. I was now in a “black metal” band with Jesse, and Dylan and I realized our goals (eventually) that we had previously set for our other band.

Artwork by Tim Leibbrandt

Dylan wrote "‘Til the Aeons Come" in the winter of 2009. I remember staying over at his house one evening and he played me the song. I’m a sucker for pretty much anything our guitarists write, and I immediately took to the music and wrote lyrics for it when I woke up the following morning. It was a fun process and we decided to write some more songs, if only a couple of months later. We finished the 5 original tracks that make up the EP around January/February of 2010.

The other band that Dylan and I were playing in at the time actually approached Jason [Jardim - Drums] about joining, but he was committed to Infernal Sephiroth (they might've changed their name by then), a fantastic bm project that no longer exists, sadly. Knowing about Jason’s affinity for the genre, I approached him again, this time with the music we had written for the Mock the Heavens EP. I remember dropping the songs off at his place (a fairly awkward encounter) and a couple of days later Dylan and I were jamming with Jason in his basement (now lovingly referred to as The Dungeon). I distinctly remember Jason asking us what was going to happen to the project even before we started jamming, and we said that we’ll see how it goes but we would like him to be the drummer. All this before knowing whether or not there was musical chemistry.

The first jam went pretty well, and a week later we played our first gig.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


Artwork by Tim Leibbrandt

We’re always writing… It was never our intention to be super productive. We really enjoy the creative process, and I think that’s our favourite part of being in this band, making music with your best friends.

One thing that’s remained constant throughout these last few years is the need to push ourselves, try something differently, whether it’s our approach to the music or the music itself, where we’re going to record and how we’re going to do it, who we’re going to work with, and how we can control almost every aspect of our band. That’s the blessing of doing this whole D-I-Y thing.

The Reign of the Heathen was strung together fairly soon after we did the first EP. We tried some new things (having our friend Ryan come lay down vocals on the title track, having a solid blast beat section in "Forever Black", more progressive structures etc.) while paying homage to the greats by keeping to the metal clichés. I’m particularly fond of the intro that Dylan wrote ("Newborn") and we’ve spoken about doing an ambient/acoustic/soundscape Wildernessking album at some point.

We never wanted to play in the confines of genre and we love it when bands evolve/mature/change, so it wasn't so much a conscious decision as it was a natural progression to try something new for the next release.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


Cover photo by Jesse Navarre Vos

Dylan and I met up on the evening of 24 June 2010 at his place (aka The Shed, where most of the music for the first Wildernessking album was written). Over the course of a couple of hours in the evening and the next morning, we wrote one of our favourite songs. "Morning" is really fun to play and holds a special place in our hearts, much like "The Return" from the first EP.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


The idea for a name change came in May of 2011. With the coverage and support we got from Angry Metal Guy and Lurker’s Path for the Heathens material, we decided to step things up a little, thus legitimizing our band. There is a hardcore band called Heathens and we didn’t want to share a name once we knew that we would take this project further. Another reason for the change was that the music called for it… We wanted a name that more accurately encapsulated our essence...

Artwork for the CD version by Reuben Sawyer / Rainbath Visual

Our first record feels like a best of compilation when looking back to that period in our lives. Jesse had been in the band for about a year before we started recording the album in September of 2011, but we hadn’t really found ourselves musically. We took the best songs we could write at the time (the creative process was very sporadic) and recorded them. The whole thing was tied together lyrically, yet somehow the album seems pretty cohesive on a musical level and flows well.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


Artwork by Stephen Green

We had written the title track (in a similar fashion to Morning) while we were still recording The Writing of Gods in the Sand. I remember going for a walk with Dylan and Jason at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Dylan mentioned that we should turn …And the Night Swept Us Away into a little EP (initially we were going to do another single release). Even though it has only 3 tracks, we’re really proud of this EP because we feel that it touches on a few styles (styles that we’ve really elaborated on for our 2nd full-length).


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]


The fact that our band has connected with people from all over the world is truly amazing and wonderful. We are so thankful to everyone that supports Wildernessking. It’s mind blowing and humbling to read all these incredible reviews of our music, and it has only fueled the fire.

Look out for a lot of music this year!

Thanks for reading,

-- Keenan

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