Outre - Tomb

Outre are a band which hail from Canada, playing a brand of pretty simplistic raw speed/thrash. I wouldn’t call their style numerously repeated, or gimmicked, but considering there much more arduously constructed songs out there, they fall short of original, nonetheless, they still deliver a bristly covered slab of solid old school speed/thrash, hinted with some hardcore punk madness.

Yes, Outre’s demo ‘’Tomb’’ is vociferous, raw and inept in technical skill. Fortunately, though, such an endowment is not the intention of the demo, therefore, you’re left alone with thirteen minutes of punkishly raw speed/thrash, nothing else. Warsenal, another Canadian band which left us with a catchy demo, offered a better demo than Outre if truth be told, although they played a similar branch of speed/thrash. Outre draws heavy influences from the early thrash/punk, but the thick, sparse guitar tone enables the riffs just a pinch heavier.

The riffs are savage and they’re not meagre, rather prolific actually. They’re simple, though, usually crusty chugs and meandering chord progressions, but they’re webbed together with strong links and joints that establish a robust structure, which is more than I could ask for. But although it’s savage revulsions will gravitate people towards it, but riffs suffer from occasional inaudibility, caused most likely by the unnecessary amount distortion that the tone is doused with. The vocals are punk driven as well, savage and rough barks, but like the riffs they tend to suffer casualties from their lack of spike and enlightenment.

‘’Tomb’’ is not at all a bad demo, only a very raw one. It bares the materials needed construct a far more intense and pummelling force of punk oriented speed/thrash that could augment into a thorn far deadlier, and far more substantial. Outre will need to endeavour in order to achieve that sound, and they will need time to make their raw material more credible. We shall wait and see.

Highlights:

Commando

Les Chiens De Tindalos

Rating: 72%

Father Befouled - Revulsions Of Seraphic Grace

In spite of the scores of Incantation gimmicks that never seem to cease, worshiping sometimes pays off, and Father Befouled returns with a third barrage of blasphemous hymns to justify that statement. The Chicago four-piece haven’t really been around for a substantial amount of time, but they proved to a very productive group, consecutively releasing ripe releases, keeping their music fresh and their reputation strong for five years, and it pleases me more to see that their third full-length will probably be welcomed by the entire metal underground as their most mature release, and their most lasting, deliberately sustaining efficiency and brooding evil for the entire duration of the one monolith of a record. I wouldn’t really say the band expands their musical sight far too much, but they rather explore deeper, more hellish territory to mine for the required materials to forge their masterpiece, ‘’Revulsions Of Seraphic Grace’’, a brutal orgy of abysmal old school death metal, offering nothing but impious loathe.

Just as you may have understood, this record moves a step further in every department from the previous release, with more focus on the cathartic visions that it fabricates, rather than singular husky strength. Obviously, Father Befouled’s style resembles Incantation for nearly the whole of the album, and on this record that keep even truer to the darkened, doom-laden aesthetics of ‘’Onward To Golgotha’’, slowly suffocating the listener with monstrously dense aural spheres, deep sweltering and solitary, as it encompassed within a fathomless void, yet, incredibly, Father Befouled render their music somewhat accessible, ultimately sticking to some of the more muscular attributes. This way, the album is a more devastating exhalation of inhuming tremolos and corpulent chugs, and the listener is both swallowed and engulfed by the album’s mighty force. ‘’Revulsions Of Seraphic Grace’’ has erased agitating hindrances from the start, so that the path may be cleared for the upcoming wave of tremulously fibrous tremolo picking, all crashing into one another at certain points in order to render the atmosphere even thicker and more cantankerous.

The progressions are just as you might expect them to be as well; fluctuating in between monolithic death/dooms stomps, mid paced grooves, and absolutely mind boggling tremolo passages, and what’s more is that the band slathers razor sharp breakdowns to suddenly rise from the doom-ish spectre and morph into a tantalizing crush or blast, leaving the listener devastated and choking from its thick fog of profanity. The revulsions complete the blasphemous formula that father befouled were willing to formulate, and their convenience is guaranteed with robust links that bind the songs together, allowing them to travel fluently, so that the smothering torment is not interrupted. ‘’Revulsions Of Seraphic Grace’’ is cavernous and tremulous journey into the blasphemous depths of the unknown, displaying both musical complexity and inundating atmosphere on the way. It’s most enveloping, but I know that Father Befouled has more potential than this, and I have hope that they leave us with a record even more potent and wringing than even this. Father Befouled has once again befouled us. Hail death.

Highlights:

Triumvirate Of Liturgical Dese

Devourment Of Piety

Desacrament

Rating: 88%

Gaunt - Demo

Spiraling through impious segments of corruption and disharmony, England’s Gaunt present us three smothering tracks of raw and primitive black metal. Gaunt’s immediate surge is absolutely sudden to all, as the acolytes drill their way silently towards the light of the day, and in the end, they are somehow triumphant from the unknown battle that was ongoing in the underground, thus, their presence is finally illuminated. Bedecking the raw and primal textures of gritty black metal with both atmospheric and noisy touches, Gaunt spew out some of the finest black metal the year has offered yet, and maintain their grip by impetuously pursue the listener without flaunting or showing off any cleansed skills, but simply greet him/her with an absolutely smothering barrage of abrasive spikes.

Gaunt are sometimes predictable, and totally direct, angular, yet they’re sometimes awry and tangling, sending fibrous waves of cunning black metal tremolos and razor sharp slashes within the entire duration of the album, without exerting much effort in the process. The riffs are the definition of raw, unpolished and croaky, but as much as they’re vicious and ripping, they also possess an atmospheric touch, adding melancholy to the savage outburst.  To point out direct influences would be wrong, because there’s a little bit of everything on Gaunt’s debut demo, so the only thing appropriate to say is that the music will certainly not seem alien to many resident black metallers, but rather primitive, and even (I daresay) amateur-sounding, but then again the whole point of its angular incursions is to give the listener a little taste of that. The guitars are spread sparse, and for some queer reason, the drums and vocals sound even sharper than the guitar tone.

Each song is a relevant follow-up to its predecessor, each maintaining the perfect position between atmospheric and raw, but with the whole demo going for a mere twelve minutes, intriguing links in between songs are not likely to affect much. Oddly, Gaunt sounds rather organic to me, which probably makes a huge difference and separates it from many other acts, and their coarse jumble of rough riffs and crude patterns certainly impressed me. I can just hope that the underground breeds more of Gaunt’s kind and shares them with us. I devoutly hope so. 

Highlights:

Under The Sun Of Torture

Ministry Of Reconstruction

The One In The Void

Rating: 84,5%

Sanguinary Misanthropia - Loathe Over Will

Australia’s black/death metal is scene is already as extensive and sweltering as one can hope for, but there are bands who still have a great desire of exploiting their music, which is generally vicious and cunning. Sanguinary Misanthropia are mot exception. After releasing a bunch of EPs and demos, the Australian black metal war beasts commit to their most impious ritual yet; ‘’Loathe Over Will’’, their debut full-length. They essentially can be described as black metal, but the death metal influence weighs too much for one to simply call it black metal, especially with the heavy Watain and Angelcorpse influences making their strikes more lethal. While generally fabricating luminous incursions and swift, rather comprehensible riffs and outbursts of splinters, the band also calls forth a ritualistic aura that draws atmosphere and ambiance, which laminate the massive Norwegian black metal influence.

An occasionally preferred rule that bands like Sanguinary Misanthropia is sticking to a formula, and guiding the listener through a semi-hazy tunnel, viscously embalming and evaporating whilst keeping true to the path taken. Sanguinary avoid repetition as best as they can, (albeit it’s one thing that simply can’t avoided fully) by frequently changing the course of the album, and taking it into various territories, even adding slight embellishments on the way. ‘’Loathe Over Will’’ is rather long yet statically charged record, brisk no matter what, and because of its deluding nature it has the ability to spew forth many hooks to grab the listener, slamming him/her down with razor sharp tremolo barrages and teeth gritting texture spreading wide as if intending to the consume the listener. Its pliant manoeuvres and fibrous savagery can be very persuading at first sight, and its grip does endure for a long time, but because it’s obsessed with the airy attacks and flashes it’s abundant in, ‘’Loathe Over Will’’ doesn’t have much of a vague, squamous touch to it, which unfortunately leaves it devoid of the mystical, brooding sense we all love.

Nonetheless, with such a strong fortification, ‘’Loathe Over Will’’ still stands the test of vigorousness, and prevails, delivering naught but utterly devastating, caustic and deliberately spiking visceral, scathing turbulence. You won’t be lost within its tempest of bestial black metal, but you can be damn sure you’ll be constantly tempted, battered and harassed by its monstrous nature. It’s a record that can harness a bit of originality and adorn itself with it, and I’ll grant the band extra points for keeping it filthy, old school yet original – an attribute that many a band lacks. ‘’Loathe Over Will’’ is no masterpiece, but it’s still fantastic with all the different influences gathered around its banner. A good listen for those who are into the 90’s Norwegian black metal, bestial black metal, or even some more latter blasphemers like Morgirion, Infera Bruo and Exordium Mors.

Highlights:

Loathe Over Will

And I Smite Thee

Bellum Ad Internecionem

Rating: 86%

Corpsessed - Corpsessed

Even though just the thought of it makes me despondent, I cannot run from the cold, hard truth. Finland’s current death metal disposal is host that’s not on par with what it was twenty years ago, although there are still bands who try motivate and commit to the genre that emerge from Finland, but these bands are shamefully outnumbered by other hosts gathering in other countries. Even in this time of grave depression and lack of productivity, Corpsessed, a fresh face to the modern metal universe, commits to the decrepit Finnish underground as best as it can. With last year’s ‘’The Dagger And The Chalice’’, a frightful rock of solid and embodied dark death metal, the band already gathered a fairly large audience, and in 2012, they have lead that small group towards their following, self titled release, a relatively concise outburst of occult death metal, simple, yet painful and vicious.

Corpsessed proves to an ambitious act, with consecutive releases, even though their sophomore EP is no more satisfying than a slice of plain bread. There’s no departure from their previous sound, but there still are some nuances. ‘’Corpsessed’’ is more efficient on the crushing, heavyweight stomps rather befouling the listener with sporadic incursions of twisted tremolo splinters and dense consummations, but there’s still plenty of what was going on in the previous EP, a twisted, corpulent sound that places itself somewhere between Bolt Thrower, early Incantation, a heftier version of ‘’Leprosy’’ era Death with even some Finnish worshiping done for the minimum amount. The riffs circulate fluently and smear through like fresh like cutting butter, and there’s even an enveloping aura to be found, spectral and dominating, but besides its meat-flailing and evil content, the EP serves as nothing more than an appetizer, causing you to salivate over the fantasy of an upcoming album.

I’m not really going to compare this to ‘’The Dagger And The Chalice’’ because their traits are roughly the same and this release delivers all of its use within a few spins. It should however, intensify and radiate Corpsessed fan base, and hopefully even expand it (with the help of the fantastic Dark Descent Records), so now, get this, and even its predecessor if you like, and simply sit in your cold, damp room, waiting for these monsters to eventually blow up their cadaverous tumour, spewing forth a debut full-length. That is all that can be done.

Highlights:

Of Desolation

Demonical Subjugation

Rating: 80%

Xpulsion - War Is Imminent

Thrash  has been gimmicked and manipulated so many times that at times I find it hard to separate each band from each other, and even worse, I’m pretty sure what the ‘’Old school thrash’’ sounded like, that was, until Belgium’s most latter brigands knocked against my door. Belgium was a chest full of treasures in the past, housing great old school acts like Patriarch, Target, Cyclone and Yosh, but let us put all those aside, for Xpulsion sound nothing like their forefathers and fellow countryman, driving their crusty edge towards the classic Bay Area sound with a tinge of vicious 80’s speed/thrash, and their demo, ‘’War Is Imminent’’ bears for tracks encrusted of atomic aggression and sordid chugging, nothing more, nothing less.

I’m actually quite content with the ‘’old school’ worshiping done here, because melodic and modern thrash is becoming an increasingly popular trend these days, and one which just does not boast the family name. Technical/progressive elements have been scattered throughout the majority of the scene forcing them to slowly bend their knee to it, omitting the rigorous and sordid sound of the 80’s and early 90’s, and even when a band can join gritty guitar tones with propulsive, interactive textures, the execution is not done properly for the most part, and the experiment finalizes itself miserably once again. The number of thrash bands who take their job seriously have also diminished rapidly over the years, and so, many of the acts sew old school traits together are obsessed with beer and party, resulting in yet another fail. Xpulsion, however, sound surprisingly solid and crunchy for one that looks exactly like its peers, but looking down, with only a few minor tweaks and adjustments, the frantic spectrum of riffs expand into a much more versatile and savage nature,  disentangling itself from the cheesy roots it was once plagued with.

Honestly, it’s not an arduous job to carve out these riffs, because they lack for originality and the song writing process obviously did not take too long, but there’s a really propulsive spray of callous riffs, sharp and fresh, so you really can’t go wrong with these four songs. Influences are blatant as well, as the band hints the massive Exodus and Slayer influences quite frequently, but while you indulge yourself into the record, you’ll also notice a nice speed/thrash touch, forcing the album to sometimes take angular, sharp turns and twists. The four songs are packed with such massive and piercing riffs, but what surprised me is that the songs rang at over five minutes each, with two of them pending at eight minutes. This demo is fresh and dynamic, constant and shattering, and it sticks to the ‘’old school’’ sound of thrash (which is a notion I find queer), and while it’s devoid of the technical prowess that it requires to reach another level, it’ll punch through your skull with ease.

Highlights:

Anaconda Plan

Welcome To Yourself

Rating: 82,5%

Grave Upheaval/Manticore - Grave Upheaval/Manticore

Manticore, Antediluvian, Proclamation, Grave Upheaval, Mitochondrion, Impetuous Ritual, Adversarial, Pseudogod; these bands have become some of my favourite black/death acts, not only because they present material in the most quality form present, but also because they bring a sort of evil, blasphemous niche and attach it to their music, forming an impeccable wall of sheer, profane victory. The crazed masterminds behind Portal and Impetuous Ritual are once again working on their side project Grave Upheaval, and US war metal savages Manticore join forces, and as if there weren’t enough splits worth praising, they fabricate a four song split, devoid of human sense, ill natured and completely hostile against light, and all things positive. It’s such a fathomless pit that sucks you in with no regret at all, slowly consuming your pitiful cadaver and renders you naked towards the upcoming assault of converging chaos, scathing in an orgy of impious bile and vitriol.

As stated, both bands come with the whole of their most vital forces behind them, which makes the fourteen minutes a most excruciating experience. Like the latter Antediluvian/Adversarial split, despite playing a similar style of death metal, Manticore and Grave Upheaval don’t quite fit the same bill, but the slight nuances only make the split more colourful, and there’s a fairly wide spectrum of sounds that anyone should be sucked in with first sight. I honestly had no doubts about Grave Upheaval, after all, the Australian death/doom project complemented the genre hugely with their sequential 2010 demo, an asphyxiating travesty of a ritual, noxious and utterly blasphemous, but Manticore were a band that I wasn’t familiarized with very well, but in as the epilogue came near, it became obvious that both bands have something to say, and they say it well. Manticore presents approximately six minutes of bestial black/death, unlike their split-mates who offer eight minutes of hefty, dark prowess, and Mantciore’s psalms conduct a much more vivacious brand of blight and dynamic electricity, eccentric, eclectic, nonetheless still very moving and rambunctious, thus, the band espouses sounds which are more barbaric than drowning, merging together the boundless speed and aggression of Blasphemy, Weregoat, and even Watain with raw tones that many a black metal fan should be familiar with, ultimately driving the riffs towards a more metallic and blunt edge, rawer and faster.

Grave Upheaval’s traits allude the deep presence of Impetuous Ritual with every stomp, every drowsy, fatal crunch, and the inundating aura calls forth even Portal-esque elements to the table at times, making their eight minutes an experience no less tormenting than a rack. Of course, I’m sure that Winter, Disembowelment, Autopsy and Mordor had some sort of effect on their ponderous movements, their accursed swagger, and the doom influence makes all the difference for Grave Upheaval. It’s pitch black during the whole of the Grave Upheaval side, with not a single ray of light shedding enlightenment across the textures, and one guider that that effect each accent enormously, is the drums, yet another majestic wonder of the record. The aforementioned death/doom veterans had a fantastic set of cadaverous beats and punctuations, and I can safely say that the monotonous sprinkle of the toms and the ominous thump of the snare used here are nearly THAT good, and I still recall the melodramatic thumps of the ending sequence, made even mightier with the heavily distorted tone and bulbous bass line:

Da, du, da, dum; DUM DUM DUM DUM. Oh so heavenly heavy.

This split doesn’t surpass the recent ‘’Initiated In Impiety As Mysteries’’, but proves to be very worthy match and a strong contender for the top releases of 2012, too. And like its peer of a split, it divides the profane ritual into two marginally different attributes, the fast and the slow, if we need to categorize it simply. It’s choleric, strict, most blasphemous, tantalizing with subdued elements scattered all around it, and it simply swallows all that is spurious in its eye. It’s artistically crafted, embroidered with dark decorations, and in the end, it suffocates you as quickly as a heinous disease. This split may not be the most cathartic expression of black/death I’ve heard, but it emulates many of its rivals, but it’s so short that it’ll run out of material before it can even cauterize a third of many of its opponents. Otherwise, unless you’re retarded enough to neglect its impious power, get this, and you will be appeased, I guarantee you. It's all about the atmosphere. 

Highlights:

Untitled

Untitled (Second one)

Insemination Of The Sycophant 

Unleashing Unholy Temptations

Rating: 89,5%

Heretic - A Time For Crisis

Heretic actually has lots of history behind them, their humble beginnings dating back to 1985, and to many (like me) who are well acquainted with their early work, including their brisk effort ‘’Breaking Point’’, their revival is a good tiding, or so we shall see. The US power and thrash scene was always profuse, and scores of bands were always putting out demos and displaying their talent, and the early Heretic was no exception. Despite the fact that ‘’Breaking Point’’ was still superior to some of its peers at the time, Heretic, for some reason didn’t gain the recognition they requited to step up to a next level, but years later, they sign to Metal On Metal Records(who are perfect for their style) and record a sophomore album, ‘’A Time For Crisis’’. While still principally sticking to the old school side of thrash, Heretic definitely made a change in their sound, preferring to use massive amplification and blatant riffs, occurring at one time each, and closing the gateway to a more raw sound.

Although they’re dubbed as power/thrash, to me, heretic seem to be mustering a heftier, spacious thrash, supporting huge riffs mainly driven by palm mutes and semi-technical melody attacks, and instead of charging forth with swift, slightly hazy forays, the band chooses to display the nudity of their riffs with obvious chugs. This may beguile to some who seek the adventurous and crushing strength of thrash, and believe me, they do their best to maintain catchiness and dynamics at a steady level, but seldom, I feel though the riffs are bland and should be served with more decorative dashes rather than huge, naked portions. Sure, there’s a fairly entertaining usage of melody and such aspects that make the plain textures slightly richer, but the main focus is the solidity of the riffs. Yes, they do omit certain elements what could have made marginal difference, and they don’t always stick to their atavistic aesthetics, but that doesn’t mean the music is boring, because with the full force pounding going on 7/24, it’s hard not to enjoy the crunchy simplicity of the riffs, which may even ring in your ears for a day or two.

The songs have some distinct traits which negate them from getting all mixed up, but variation only happens in the deeper sections of each song, as all worship the same monolithic, rigorous tone and each track applies a lot of tasty chops into its fairly large arsenal of riffs. While the riffs may be fairly sordid on their own, their main purpose is to let the rhythm flow viscously, but the vocals are relatively harsh; not quite your classic power metal vocals, even they though they add sublime aggressiveness and vivacity to the music, they don’t quite fit the ‘’epic’’ portion on the power metal bill, despite the fact that his utters are strong and he has a fairly high voice. So I can see that the band has definitely deviated from the power metal sector (although only marginally), with solid riffs forming a brickwall torso of rigor and stiffened huskiness, and lacking much of the band’s previous sound which was rather pliable, assuring vivacity alongside agility.

Even so, ‘’A Time For Crisis’’ is a damn solid piece of thrash, and since non-beer/party/poser-killing thrash has become a rare treasure these days, I’ll treat with special care. The records may generally consist of bulky thrash beats and such, but it should still gather resident power/speed/heavy freaks around it, because it’s one package that compliments each of the mentioned genres, and despite its flaws, I’m still glad Heretic didn’t turn out to be just another victim lost to the adored sensation of melody and modern sounds that seem to engulf the current thrash scene as we know it. And moreover, I’m surprisingly zealous about a third album or even an upcoming Ep.

Highlights:

Heretic

Child Of War

The End Of The World

Rating: 78%

Gorephilia - Embodiment Of Death

If you have the slightest idea of what today’s old school death metal scene looks like, then you obviously know which influences plague and which trends are more pungent.  Incantation worship is a much popular fashion in the scene, and Gorephilia are yet another band displaying a crunchy brand of Incantation-esque old school death metal. Their 2011 Ep ‘’Ascend To Chaos'’ gave then some recognition and it set the base structure of their developing sound, but enter 2012, and their debut album ‘’Embodiment Of Death’’ is easily one of the most brutal old school death metal albums you’ve been acquainted with, and it’s easily more sophisticated than its predecessor, intensifying skull crushing heft with the ultimate eloquence. Perhaps the record does not entirely deviate from the norm, but it certainly erases the Incantation mark left in your ears from the previous release, proving to be both a deathlier and more cunning effort.

Well, it is a deal more brutal than the previous Ep, but it’s devoid of the ritualistic mysticism laden in the early Incantation albums, and there’s little room for passionate, dark instrumentation and spectral aura, as the muscular power is widely preferred an element on this record. The cadaverous, macabre approach of death metal is always a treat for me, and I like it even more when its doused with a pinch of looming and a dash of brawny prowess fit for certain sequences, but on ‘’Embodiment Of Death’’, the brooding, abysmal overtone is nearly gone, and instead, the riffs are dominated by an ominous tide, and are fuelled with constant energy and husky power, save for some doom laden sections which embrace the gloom n’ doom myth slightly more than their peers. This approach may put off listeners who seek atmosphere and perilous evil, hinted amongst the riffs, but fans that enjoy the stomping charge and fury of death metal will still appreciate this, and maybe even love it with as they are surrounded by the album’s spray of suffocating gas, teeming with density.

Incantation still reigns as the most dominant influence on this record as far as I can see, but I can also sense riffs that reek of Asphyx, Cianide and even early Morbid Angel and Immolation. Songs which puff up and turn into formidable yet ponderous bulks like ‘’Gods Stand Aghast’’ are easily influenced more by the likes of Asphyx, inserting tons of heft and crushing chugs into the mid paced death metal texture, engrossing it with simple, yet maiming chomps. It’s not exactly doom, but it’s still relatively more sluggish, intensified with speed only in certain passages wherein thin wisps of tremolo pickings descend in a forlorn fashion. Other tracks like ‘’Pantheon In Flames’’ or ‘’Forget Mortality’’ are frankly more spacious and brisk, and the two minute supercharged riff exploitation ‘’Bloodspawn’’ is as simple and quick as a grindcore song, only a deal heavier and more callous. With the guitar tone favouring massiveness and airy heft over darkened vagueness or thinner, more metallic touches, it can actually be a problem to hear the vocals properly because they’re muffled and far too cavernous to make a direct impact on the listener.

I don’t have many complaints about this record, but some more originality would certainly be good. Gorephilia have only embroidered their riffs with vague melodies and tremolos, and with little deviation from the path that has been set, the album sometimes sounds dull and not as efficient as you’d hope it to be, even though its full force assault is a crushing one. With some more atmosphere, and ore variation, the band can expand their style to one that’s less muscular and more spectral (which is the path that they should take), and this record is far from bad, but, I was slightly disappointed only by some of its subtle nuances. 

Highlights:

Pantheon In Flames

Vision Of Hell

Gods Stand Aghast

Rating: 86%

Antediluvian/Adversarial - Initiated In Impiety As Mysteries

Because I’m relatively new to the modern metal scene, there has not been many releases that I felt excited about so far, but I can see that the tide is definitely changing. Nuclear War Now! Productions have an incredible roster, consisting of bands which mainly devote themselves to the darker aesthetics of death metal, and in the near past, bands like Weregoat or Wrathprayer have clutched me with their woeful hooks and pulled me down into abysmal and fathomless pits, fuelled by constant anger and fury, and their most recent offering, a two way split played by two of the most deadly Canadian bands has crashed onto my shore, and the moment I saw which bands were making it up, I literally felt a warm, sublime wetness in my pants.

Antediluvian and Adversarial are two very cunning black/death acts that have proved themselves in the year 2011 more than many people would have really expected. While Adversarial’s ‘’All Idols Fall Before The Hammer’’ was speedy train full of airy confessions of splintering death metal, juicy, carnal and ultimately destructive, ‘’Through The Cervix Of Hawaah’’ was a strong redolent of Portal and Impetuous Ritual, yet, it was still much praised for its eerie and corrupted nature, bettering the listener into crumbling bits with the drowsy grooves of a darkened pendulum swing, slowly exterminating and vomiting relentless evil. Both bring the best of their sound to the table and join them under one banner, deviating little from their previous style, on this split.

The first half of the split belongs to Adversarial, spewing forth three hymns of malicious evil and completely perplexing speed, utterly frenzied and eruptive.  Both bands play their own distinct style of naturally evil-bred death metal, but because they grasp the largely consuming notion in a way that they make almost tangible, both their formulas somehow crash and cross at some point, and with half the product belonging to Adversarial and half of it belonging to Antediluvian, you get a much saturating portion of each band’s inventive style of presenting cantankerous evil. Adversarial’s material flows much more viscously than the other half, as the band unleashes a devastating barrage of gritty energetic and simply pulverizing riffs, overflowing with catchiness and cosmic reverb drenched horror. The super fast discharge of riffs follow each other like a spiralling vortex of brutal terror, streaming to the surface at some point, yet still keeping its existence robust in underground territory, and the mass exploitation of inhuman snarls and constantly grinding tremolos are supported by both a crispy production that allows the cathartic vigor to replenish itself repeatedly and a massive, beat laden pursuit, attached to the riffs, culminating devastation and monstrosity as the train passes. Adversarial’s side of the split, ‘’Leviathan’’, is simply cunning, razor sharp and laden with terrifically composed queer chord sequences, summing to be a most efficient collection of three songs.

Antediluvian’s side of the split, which is the actual reason I came here, is a direct delivery of what was in ‘’Through The Cervix Of Hawaah’’, an oppressive, inconsistent and non-accessible cloud of sickening blasphemy, a shower of constantly diffusing gobs of shadowed evil. Constant buzzing and crushing evil is what dominates ‘’Lucifer’’, their side of the split, and yet, in a way, Antediluvian’s brand of suffocating blackened death metal, is just as effective as Adversarial’s, despite the extremely slow passages blocking some of their cunning and shrewd usage of evil putting them a back the second half. Either way, this split is no competition, only and intense and suspense expression of unholy evil. One thing that really makes Antediluvian’s music a traumatizing experience is that they like to slightly experiment with even more bizarre techniques, and in the end each song possesses a cloudy aura of cosmic reverb and befouling bleakness. Each song is encompassed by megalithic columns of depressive aura which is just as pungent as the evil one, and believe me, Antediluvian thrive the atmosphere present and the atmosphere develops in to something utterly inhuman, and there are truly very few band which can manage to do such wonders with atmosphere.‘’Force Of Suns Of Adversary’’ is simply an excellent beginning for ‘’Lucifer’’ swaying and swaggering in mid paced tempos, dancing ponderously around a pitch-black pyre, while the next track, ‘’Dissolution Spires’’ expands the atmosphere and draws the listener into a more spacious ground, and spurting out a vicious cluster of rapid riffs, but the true Magnum Opus of the B side of the split is ‘’Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (I Am That I Am)’’, a repulsive, intensified and inhumating lump of inundating density, swallows you and sucks you in with its vacuum like hole, opening the gates to a void of ethereal darkness within mere seconds.

‘’Initiated In Impiety As Mysteries’’ lives up for its name in every way possible. It’s the most intricate and explosive expression of impious inhumanity, for such an incredible release, it would be best if we granted merits and accolades to the band, as it is the best thing we can do. Adversarial resembles the sheer complexity and mind boggling prowess of impiety, while Antediluvian, which appealed to me more than its peer, is the dark, shallow and bleak overtone of mystery, an abysmal aspect, camouflaged as something almost entirely different. Simply put, this split is one of the best black/death releases the year has offered so far, and in such profane glory against all things orthodox and holy, it’s impossible not to lose yourself in what these two hellhound’s have created; a bleak void of evil, absolutely grasping and all-consuming. 

Highlights:

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (I Am That I Am)

Dissolution Spires

Swirling Chaos That Swallows Horizons 

Spiraling Towards the Ultimate End

Rating: 92%

Puteraeon - Cult Cthulhu

Swedish death metal is a trend that has been repeated countless times and is yet to be manipulated and manifested by more bands in the future. Although many acts simply copy the tasteful tone and crunchy hardcore tinged incursions of Dismember, Grave, Grotesque or Entombed, one cannot doubt that Puteraeon, a relatively young Swedish death metal band are much more dominant over the genre’s aesthetics compared to their peers, as they grasp the sound and deform it, mangling it into several pieces that are not impervious to changes and queerer influences. This is, at least what seems to be the case in their sophomore, ‘’Cult Cthulhu’’. They show that they’re aplomb and open for new influences, although stricter fans will be happy to know that experimentation is not overdosed, and massive, guitar with a spectral touch of brooding melodies are still quite well working, pummelling their way through the listener’s ears.

Compared to their debut, Puteraeon give more room to cathartic expressions and melodies quadrants that form up most of the diversity of the riffs. Awkward, but I relate them to Necrovation as both bands had a change is sound after releasing one rather standard and eclectic piece of Swedish death metal, simple, nonetheless still very strong by all standards. Necrovation came through with a bigger and far more changed sound, adding almost classical overtones into the heavy churning of hostile old school death metal, while Puteraeon simply added subdued melodies under the hefty cloak of chainsaw driven guitars and bass lines, and expanding their tone into a more spacious one, to give off a nice dose of atmosphere. ‘’Necrovation’’, which came out mere months before this album, worshipped ethereal pulchritude and was musically tweaked a lot, but such a huge change is not seen on ‘’Cult Cthulhu’’, although I still a huge sucker for its thickly embroidered spurts of crushing hostility.

I’m simply very content with the release as it did not turned out to be forty four minutes of chugs and furious barking, but it turned out to be a much more intriguing bag of riffs that lasted forty four minutes, propulsive and lurching. You’ll notice a semi-transparent black metal tide flowing over you spectrally especially in ‘’Children Of Dagon’’, while doomy goodness is laid upon absolutely gigantic magnifications of amplification on ‘’The Great Epidemic of 1846’’ and ‘’Liberation’’, sweltering with epic and atmospheric elements, but Puteraeon always make you feel home with classy, chunky attacks from ‘’Flesh Architect’’ or ‘’In The Vault’’ – both as forceful as robust iron hammers. I suppose some of the increased melodies and gloomy aspects came from their increased love for Lovecraftian themes, and to be honest, as a fan of the horror master himself, I found the fresh attributes to be well placed. As a whole, ‘’Cult Cthulhu’’ redeems you from your lust for massive guitars and filters, but it also offers it with slight distinctions, so you’re bored to death. We have so many Swedish hounds now at hand that I honestly don’t know where to keep them, so someone had better find a solution. 

Highlights:

In The Vault

Flesh Architect 

The Great Epidemic Of 1846

The Azathoth Cycle 

Rating: 88%

Attention - Writer Needed

Ok, I've become desperate. This blog has been going for no more than half a year now, and well, I tried my best to get at least a second writer to aid me, but all my tries failed me miserably. Due to my limited internet access, the blog can't be run as well and as fast as I intend it to run. Therefore, I need a second writer. If you've been following the blog you already know what sort of metal reviews I want the blog to be laden with, and unless someone gets up here and volunteers, then I will continuously post this. We need you! So get off your lazy arse and grab your pencil... or keyboard.

Cultfinder - Black Thrashing Terror

Everyone seems to be complaining about an oozing plague of bands that fell, and are still falling upon the metal universe as we know it. Bands which could create a fairly strong buzz in the underground spewed their infection forth, and then it was only a matter of time before the sickness spread through every robust heavy metal vein in the world, and rapidly, countries became overwhelmed by the stench of death around them, and they reluctantly turned their faces towards the massing armies bands, obliged to imitate their aesthetics. At first, I was just as ticked off by this sporadic disease just as anyone, but as bands came and went, I actually saw that each link of the massive bulk of bands is individually strong and compelling (at least for the most part), so I took the spreading plague as an immense increase in populace, rather than a disease contaminating and reducing the prowess and potential of its victims. It’s one path I recommend to underground metalheads as it’s plain that every groundbraking album has already been released, so every metal release to come out can be dubbed as ‘’been there, done that’’. None of that matters. Just enjoy your bloody music.

Black/thrash, is not only a sub-genre that has been repeatedly gimmicked, but it’s also one that has been harassed and manipulated, but so long as we have acts like Cultfinder emerging from the decrepit graves to spread black/thrashing terror (no pun intended), the genre is safe. Cultfinder’s style can be closely related to the bands like Desaster, Usurper and Destroyer 666, bands which belonged to a scene which culminated and eventually exploded by the late 90’s/early 2000’s. ‘’Black Thrashing Terror’’, the band’s debut Ep is an eclectic presentation of chaotic and brutally fashioned old school black thrash, made gritty with a lump of a crust scathing over its surface. It gathers several aggressive old school death metal traits from the classic early 90’s USDM sound, and perhaps some sordid technicality from the likes of Pestilence, or Creepmime, from the heart of the Netherlands. Upon hearing the first wave of diabolical spraying of riffs, I immediately found myself tangled amongst its hooks, and I the Ep’s hardcore-tinged iron fist left me maimed and resentful afterwards only eleven minutes of bestial incursion.

As it has always been in black/thrash, ‘’Black Thrashing Terror’’ offers tasteful vocal work, sharp, raspy and dynamic, and slight echoes of the eerie rasps are pure ear candy. Cultfinder offer no more than rotting, sickening blackened thrash metal, so like I said, all you can do is enjoy the music because it’s not an innovating release, and ultimately these vermin are still able to look down upon many of their peers, crushing the competition and the chance of victory for many others. An Ep always states that a full-length is not remotely distant, you had better like this, or else you won’t be even able to comprehend the sheer stamina and dashing accuracy of the second bombardment. Don't loathe it, love it.

Highlights:

Black Thrashing Terror

Witching Curse

Rating: 72,5%

Vein - Crux Calvaria

Not dissimilar to the desolate King Diamond worshipping done is Sweden, Danish epic doom project Vein bring grievance and heft to the year with their debut EP, ‘’Crux Calvaria’’ a mournful  combination of melodic heavy metal, traditional doom, and a dash of epic power metal, a most compelling formula that fans of melancholic music should grasp quite quickly. The Danish trio consists of veterans, with some members being from newly blossoming power houses In Solitude and Procession.  With a heavy traditional heavy and doom metal scent lingering by in every riff, and musical complexity vaguely appearing amongst the massive monoliths of chunky riffs, ‘’Crux Calvaria’’ is a most promising release, although it lacks length.

With members of Procession and In Solitude, you can hear the beautiful density of the doom spectre take a mournful, and melody stirred edge, and for the most part of the songs, Vein will tend to keep music at a more dynamic pace, keeping the spikes sharp and the melodies crisp and tangibly soothing. When the music takes such a relaxing, though still heavy edge, many usually forgets the tiny bits and pieces that make up the strata of the EP, and if you listen carefully, you can hear subtle melodies slithering amongst the crushing chords – proof that the band has a lot of prowess. Riffs vary, as they take on different shapes throughout, so the guitar work is genuinely well done and robust, but Crux Calvaria also disserves an applause for the excellent drum adjustments. The beats keep the doom laden stomps constant, and the constant cymbal abusing sheds spectral rays of light upon the atmosphere, enhancing it.

The vocalist also sang in Procession, and there’s no surprise there because their soulful, despair laden approach makes the EP a whole lot richer, and just like the riffs, they sound like a mixture of classic Euro power metal vocalists and King Diamond, with a tinge of Candlesmass (or any other traditional/epic doom metal vocal style). ‘’Crux Calvaria’’ is exceedingly pleasing for such a young band, and I do hope that a debut full-length is not distant. The EP had no flaws for me, except for the fact that it was rather concise, but that’s not a problem to sob for.

Highlights:

Crux Calvaria

Out In Twilight

Rating: 85,5%

Metal Minis #2 - Doombringer - Wormridden

Doombringer – Sevenfold Pestilence [Ep]

Polish death metal vandals Doombringer are new to me. They’ve had a couple of demos before exhaling this, their two track debut EP; an engrossing splatter of well balanced and chugging death metal with a nice, witty black metal overtone engulfing it. Unlike some other black/death bands I’ve encountered in previous years (Antediluvian, Impetuous Ritual, Muknal, Portal, etc), they don’t really bore and drill into your brain deep enough to leave a permanent mark, meaning they exclude ethereal, cathartic expressions of black metal, and formulate a rather simpler, more direct style of crunchy death metal, with a sprinkling of black metal to add a bit of a spice to the aura, as I stated. Nonetheless, the music is still not something to be interfered, for its wroth and wrath is deadly and cunning once released. The sound is really not arduous or complex, but I still can’t relate it to a singular sound. Few segments remind me of classic Incantation tremolos that even fall into early Morbid Angel territory at times, while some sections are doused with a pungent, chaotic black/death stench, like a reminiscent of Blasphemy or Gospel Of The Horns, but again, not relation is fully accurate. All I can really say is that sound is buttery and dark, old school and cryptic, and many death and war metal fans will fall for this. No doubt.

Wormridden – Infesting The Graves [Demo]

I came across with some very efficient death/doom acts this year like Undergang, Witchrist (even though it’s not purely death/doom) or Macabra, and even a few other like Funebrarum which left their mark in the previous years, and although Japan’s Wormridden display only eleven minutes of their work on their debut demo, the music I heard was sufficient enough to convince me. You can call it a crusty Autopsy, a second Rottrevore or and even filthier version of Incantation; you can call it many things, but the one thing that you can be certain of is that Wormridden produce an ultra heavy slab of festering, cauterizing death/doom, still reeking of filth and abominable 90’s death metal. The sheer level of putrefaction on this two track demo is enough carve you anew nose hole, and the whole of the riffs are so dipped and drenched in murky grittiness and fermenting grossness, that you’d probably be overwhelmed by its heft only. The demo has wide arsenal of crushing, monolithic riffs, and you’ve got the tempo variation set as well. First you’re dealing with gigantic doom metal stomps, while all of a sudden, a rambunctious outburst of buzzy tremolos split your torso wide open, and then the riffs make final, excruciating descent into a mid paced riff, slithering and spreading vile stench all around. This demo is top notch, even though it only lasts for near ten minutes, but I’ll guarantee fans of Winter, Disembowelment, Salem, Asphyx, Autopsy, Rottrevore and Purtenance a totally crushing and enjoyable listen.

Doombringer: 8/10

Wormridden: 8.50/10

Lucifer D. Larynx And The Satanic Grind Dogs of Death - Absolute Defilement

I’ve always enjoyed death metal, but for some reason, I’ve never been able to fully respect death metal’s rapid tendencies, and that’s why I’ve never been quite into grindcore. Sure, Terrorizer, Napalm Death and Repulsion are bands that I’ve found rather pleasuring, but other than those, I’ve always prefered the artivistic, droney and shattering side of death metal, neglecting many a grindcore band. Lucifer D. Larnyx, though, for some reason appealed to me more than I expected it to. Their near thirty minute debut album ‘’Absolute Defilement’’ is only marginally different from ‘’World Downfall’’, or ‘’Horrified’’, but such a crunchy churning of vivacious death metal and hardcore punk is a meal that must not be missed, especially if you’re a resident grindcore fan boy.

Almost every song has a brief intro, and them after that, you’re left with about a minute of pure grindcore soaked old school death metal, rushing, breaking, tantalizing with invidious aggression and undeniable speed; pretty much what you’d expect from a typical grindcore album. The reason the record appealed to me more is because I found the guitar tone rather fat and saturated, and on top of the speed driven templates, there are old school death metal tremolos and foul accents aplenty, so Lucifer always have something to keep both you and themselves busy. As I said, plain speed and demented aggression sounds like only noise, with almost zero musical quality whatsoever, but with a few small twists added into the carnal foray of the riffs, the music maintains a busier stance, continuously raping the listener’s mind with chaotic pistols, thriving and punching into the fat brick wall of the riffs. Such spectral nuances help the riffing attain a more sordid sound, even though the level of complexity and technicality is still not wholly convincing.

There may be slight distinctions along the way, but otherwise the music is as plain as it can get, enjoyable and old school nonetheless. The stamina and endurance the drummer has is unquestionable, playing a big part in directing the speed and ferocity of the riffs, though the vocals sort fall into a more modern line, switching between muffled barks and hoarse groans rather than chubby growls. ‘’Absolute Defilement’’ consists of nothing worth disputing for as every aspect is as plain as the name of the band. With such a vulgar and inexorable attitude they’ll surely prove to be a hard-hitting band, but besides that, Lucifer D. Larnyx did not impress me; only entertained me.

Highlights:

Slave To The Bodies Of Evil

Repulsive Impulse

Cut, Rolled And Smoked

Rating: 79%

Sacred Gate - When Eternity Ends

Just like Swedish metal in general, I’ve always been fond of Germanic metal, since they seem to excel in many sub-genres, mustering some of the most efficient and influential groups in the world. They already brought a new level of savagery to thrash and death metal with the rise of Sodom and Kreator, polluted the black metal universe as we know it by bringing fourth an abundance of corpse painted church burners, and even the early German power/heavy scene has had a huge impact of the current scene. Sacred Gate, though, don’t really embrace the boundaries of originality whilst inserting goblets of monolithic power metal into the simply embroidered traditional heavy metal textures, and garnishing the base of their music with simple, but fluent melodies. Sacred Gate lean towards the traditional sense of heavy metal, deliberately omitting technicality and exploiting simple, chug laden riffs rather than forming a hard hitting iron fist to work diligently and to attain copiousness in complexity.

Yes, there’s no use of all the modern power metal traits here, but at least you can rely on the quality of the ‘’old school’’ term, because these Germans have obviously worked hard to create a fertile ground for the riffs to breathe. The frontal aura has been set nicely, I’ll admit, but when the main material comes on top of it, you really can’t feel much energy besides a few songs. As I said, the only thing that decorates the chords are plain, melancholic melodies, but even the riffs don’t look as if they were composed with great care. They’re catchy, and they suit the semi-high pitched chants of vocalist well when they’re under it, but besides that, they sort of drown among the drums and lead guitars due to their lack of spike and volume.

The first two tracks caught my attention easily as they’re catchy and the choruses are very memorable and made more dynamic with a sort of punk-esque power added to the rush of the chords. There are some brief moments that I enjoyed as well, but those moments are well… brief and outnumbered by the score of monotonous melody and chord progressions. ‘’Heaven Under Siege’’ is also a nice addition to the drudgy arsenal of riffs, offering a bit of a sombre spice to churn with the music, but other than that, many songs have been dragged for too long and at some moments it almost seems as if the band is scrambling for something a little different. Now, each song is solid enough, and I never yawned throughout, but I’m just saying that some variation would definitely be nice.

The drumming is decent I guess, nothing to special, but I do like the hefty, chubby bobs of the thick bass line, supporting the guitar tone quite a lot. All in all, it’s pretty obvious Sacred Gate have gathered the key elements to form a strong power/heavy formula, a strong voice, core heavy metal riffs and a catchy beat to add some spunk, so all they’ve got to do is to embrace their aspects and adorn them even more, improve them, if need be. They can stick to the old school formula for all I care, as long as they can make their music more dynamic, I’m totally content. Such a thing can happen as the members are already veterans and the band has the required potential, but ‘’When Eternity Ends’’ remains as more plain release, durable for some time, but it's far from eternal.

Highlights:

Creators Of The Downfall

Burning Wings

Vengeance 

Rating: 77,5%

Flagellated Seraph - Beyond Salvation

I’ve always had a substantial amount of respect for Sweden’s enveloping black metal scene, even though I’ve never quite been into many bands besides Marduk. It’s a queer thing, because Sweden is usually known for housing scores of depraved death metal bands—bands which especially dislike the Norwegian black metal scene that started to get big in the 90’s, and now, a whole new dose of fresh Swedish black metal hits me right in the face with pummelling grooves, sublime savagery and a love for chaos. Hellthrasher Productions is not the first label that would come to mind when you say black metal, especially because almost all of their releases are pure, old school drenched death metal, but somehow, a bile spurting black metal group called Flagellated Seraph found their way into the label’s door. Yes, it’s black metal, with strong death metal overtones, Flagellated Seraph forge a blade sharp enough to cut through even the strictest of death metal fans, and one blade that can definitely call a number of black metal blasphemers to the banners.

‘’Beyond Salvation’’, the debut full-length by these Swedish extremists, is rather enjoyable listen, mainly because its level of accessibility is high and the music itself is more primal and demented rather than raw, excluding raw, gritty black metal aspects and replacing them with more voluptuous elements in order to add a subtle hint of melody, vivacity and tinge of tremolo driven rambunctious pulchritude. ‘’Beyond Salvation’’ is certainly not as teeth gritting as you’d expect it to be, but atmosphere is an attribute that’s hugely embraced throughout. The majority of the riffs slow stridently with immense intensity, showing hints of right hand guitar prowess, and rather positive aura dominates the atmosphere. It’s a combination of primitive black metal barbarity and the late coming atmospheric Norwegian black wave, grouping together elements of both, with a propulsive touch of thrash metal crust. Its accessibility is a tremendous element to throw in, spraying light upon each and every riff, yet the textures and guitar tones are gritty, cantankerous and laden with serrated sharp teeth.

There is a sort of negative part of the coin, though, one that may cut the entertainment short for many. The album consists of six songs, and with two of them being a depressive, drudgy laments, there’s only thirty minutes of energy driven black metal viscera left for us to enjoy. Nonetheless, it’s still not the shortest metal album in history, so you’d better learn to enjoy it. Each song is rather extensive, but still exceedingly fluent all the way, and each riff is a reasonable follow up to its predecessor, continuing in the same diverse vein with only some nuances hinted here and there. The verse and intro sections of all the songs are a rough mish mash of black metal fury and musty death metal, but the chorus sections rise to the climax of the atmosphere all the same. The vocals are the perfect harsh rasps you need in your black metal, guttural, and sometimes even buried deep within the plethora of crunchy riffs despite their sharp shrillness.

I think it’s safe to say that Flagellated Seraph haven’t produced anything innovative here, but the music is an absolutely terrific mixture of engrossing death metal textures and atmospheric black metal aspects, chaotic, rough and dynamic. ‘’Beyond Salvation’’ puts many black metal releases behind itself thanks to its refreshing features, and it’s just another bonus point for Hellthrasher. I am pierced, shattered and mourning at the same time.

Highlights:

He Who Bears The Mark

Beyond Salvation

Redeemer Of Nothingness

Rating: 86%

Wrathprayer - The Sun of Moloch: The Sublimation Of Sulphur's Essence Which Spawned Death And Life

As the realization of blasphemous evil continues, its stench, a befouling smell of utter disgust  spreads like a disease through even more bands, and the latest beast that I’ve encountered is the Chilean band of brigands, Wrathprayer, another group that bore a great big hole in my ear that I’m not likely to forget easily. This tenebrous trio attach together the carnal bestiality of Pseudogod, Blasphemy and Teitanblood with elements borrowed from some of the more intricate groups in the current scene such as Mitochondrion, or Portal, and with a dose of encompassing heft, Wrathprayer form their own ultimate sound, a distinct gathering of all the raging blasphemy going on before them.  I really have to give ‘’Nuclear War Now!’’ productions my thanks for such an amazing row of albums, spewed forth before us over and over until our ears can’t bear the surpassing level of semi-technical evil hinted in the suffocating columns of blackened death metal.  It is indeed great pleasure and great joy to see such hordes gathering together before they sacrifice us unto the perilous flames of hate, and it is indeed a magnificent sight to see the dark-crimson flames of the ritual fire flicker and wave and disperse, right before the Sun Of Moloch sets upon us with its scathing rays of light.

I’ll admit, that was a little too poetic of me, but when the food in your mouth is THAT good, there’s really nothing you can do but brag about it. Since you’ve got a general idea of what this sounds like, I’ll lend you some hints about the whirlwind of riffs that go on below a hate-laden malevolent scourge. The guitar tone is totally copious and bulky, only marginally different from some of the bands I mentioned above, but still vigorous and absolutely skull-shattering, robust enough to churn out seven horror driven psalms of angered blasphemy. Of course, the atmosphere is as thick and dense as possible, and if the riffs had been a little more intricate and complex, then this would have easily been a suitable replacement for an upcoming portal album. And still, without supreme levels of intricacy the dark old school death metal tremolo textures are always adorned with a deep impulse of black metal savagery and rawness, which creates a tangible aura of black and death which will appeal to fans of both genres. ‘’The Sun Of Moloch’’ is garrulous when it comes to riffs. The bountiful plethora of riffs never cease efficiency or accuracy, although they usually slither and rub against the listener’s ears rather than directly diving at them, you get one step closer to the irresistible evil of the music each song, and since heft equals of oppression and more vivacity equals more tantalization in ‘’The Sun Of Moloch’’, by the end of the record, your brain cells will be soaking wet with sweat, your arms tenebrous from pain, and you yourself will be suffering, smothered by utterly powerful evil.

The album can fit a few seconds of horror ambiences into most songs, which sort of acts like a front appetizer that prepares you for the main, traumatizing impact, and I guess these ambiences are cryptic enough to scare of your grandmother and your little sister, but the real disturbance occurred when I first heard the final track, ‘’Prayer II’’, something that I admittedly listened many a time, aghast with fear. The subtle, eerie comings and goings of the vocals always embrace the abysmal atmosphere even more, the drums are surprisingly audible and surprisingly balanced (especially since it’s generally not easy to hear them over such inundating riffs), and the overall quality of the riffs is simply stellar, as Wrathprayer have expanded their style by adding queer nuances into the already beloved fashion of black/death. It’s not wholly original, that’s blatant, but it’s one of the best black/death executions of the year, and certainly a mandatory experience for all those who adore Proclamation, Teitanblood, Portal, Antediluvian and the like. 

Highlights:

In Visceribus Bestiæ

The Darkest Fyre

The Sun Of Moloch

Rating: 89%

Hiatus

With great regret, I will be heading out for holiday very soon, and for duration of July and August, the blog will be left either review-less, or only few reviews will be written due to my limited internet access. During this time, I will appreciate it if bands and labels do not spam my email. So farewell, at least for two months....

- Arthalos