Children Of Technology - Mayhemic Speed Anarchy [2012]

Italian speed freaks Children Of Technology have already buried themselves into the consciousnesses of voluptuous crossover enthusiasts with their 2010 debut which was highly, highly redolent of punk, thrash, grime, denim, and though relatively new to scene, they deserve some applause for the considerate punk, hardcore and thrash choices, exclusively injecting old school energy into their overt amalgamations. It's own simple sphere of influence, ''It's Time To Face The Doomsday'' was a vigorous assault of near-clamorous motorcycle frenzy and explosive outings of punk and hardcore fundamentals, and now they've decided to once again cope with their mass provider of motorcycles, Hell's Headbangers, a two-track EP being their latest penning. Despite the excitement fervent listeners will have over this, there's no need to exaggerate the fact that the motorized punks are going for standard procedure here; chaos, annihilation, and of course, motorbikes aplenty.

I say aplenty, but in truth, there's not much material here, nor would you expect anyone to cram layers and layers of buttering crossover/punk/thrash into a spurious little CD of six minutes. Children Of Technology are, as I stated, applying basic, robotized pressure on their fans with gushing frivolous and downtrodden punk dives and pumping hardcore beats, keeping the fuel burning throughout the almost ludicrous six minutes of run time. The Italians, however dominant over their moshing minions, are not really letting the eclectic listener get anything else than distorted nostalgia: they've got a rumbling bass line line sometimes crashes into the spotlight right before its fellow proponents arrive and take control of the whole stage with unhinged aggression, the drums have take much less space in the mix than the guitars, occasionally going for some perky cymbal abuse after exhausting sessions of one-dimensional blast beats, and the guitars are caked with dirt, the same way it was on the debut, conjuring crunchy and eager crossover pursuits that fit the drum rhythms perfectly in their own simpleminded sense.

You've got to accept that no matter how long these Italians are going to stay in the music business they're always going to be tied to the same aesthetic with crude leather belts, and even though their love for everything old school and everything vigorous and punk makes goosebumps perk on my skin, they're not going to be able deliver anything truly special for fans who like things nuanced now and then. Perhaps my favorite performance was the vocals, reeking of ''Sheepdog'' Mclaren of early Razor, Cro-Mags and perhaps even DRI, lashing out contemptuously shrill high-pitched shrieks to boast their crazed, anarchic cause. Anyone in desperate need of straightforward-as-fuck, broiling old school crossover should throw himself/herself right at this, but then again the debut would serve the same purpose with better overall efficiency, and that's what renders ''Mayhemic Speed Anarchy'' so simple - the only thing that won't be expunged from the listener's memory fifteen minutes after discourse is the cover art, barely memorable itself.

Highlights:
Computer World
Mayhemic Speed Anarchy

Rating: 72%

Begrime Exemious-Visions Of The Scourge

Canadian black/death combo Begrime Exemious exploded with the release of their most recent effort, ''Visions Of The Scourge''. Unlike many bands who tend to sink lower in quality with each release, Begrime gradually advance towards even more filthier music, and they certainly don't succumb to the pathetic modern metal trends easily. At first, I remember finding this record quite mediocre, but it's a fact that it takes a couple of listens to grab a sufficient amount of the listeners interest, and a couple more listens to pull the listener towards its eternally numbing, chaotic vortex. Just one glance at the black ad white cover art can be a very vivid image of what the album has to offer, a venomous serpentine creature lurking in a crypt laden with skulls, painfully slithering around flames. This album is downright evil and filthy, and its venomous flames will consume a listener slowly, but painfully, giving him/her little chance to run or fight back.

On ''Visions Of The Scourge'' you'll find a nice amount of influences engaging each other abhorrently without hesitation. The album's incredibly raw and unpolished, and despite the massive black metal influence looming over the music, the riffs manage to sound very sharp and groovy, with the additional raw production quality deviating the music, forcing them to dive headfirst into walls with no control. I also found the album to be thrashier than usual, but most of the thrashiness comes from the groovy chainsaw Swedeath guitar tone, another ghastly detail to add to the music. There's almost no use of melody, but with so much chaos and distortion lingering about, there's scarcely any need for melody as even the smallest dose might ruin the album and its amazing raw quality. The vocals are your typical ear-grinding rasps, the ones occasionally used in war metal bands, and they blend into the chaotic music very well. I also see little or no technical proficiency here, but just as the usage of melody, its completely unnecessary because the riffs can sound catchy and crunchy enough with no additional aid from any other aspect in the music(as if there are any).

I can also hear some other influences that aren't as prominent as the other such as an early Autopsy sound, with a few doomy passages added here and there to grab the attention of old school doom metallers as well a turbulent punk attitude caught in the mix, providing some good headbanging moments for the listener. ''Chasm To Obscurity'' is such a track, carrying both doom influences and an outrageous deathpunk attitude, making it a very diverse and creative track. Longer tracks that tend to stretch as long as six or seven minutes consist of instrumental moments during their second half, and that's when the band needs to create a abundance of catchy, venomous riffs that can flow with ease on their own, with no help from the vocals, and fortunately the brutal groove mustered in these tracks pull the listener to themselves, showing that they won't yield to boredom that easily. Every track is damn near stellar and every track is just as volatile as the previous. ''Visions Of The Scourge'' compels any sort of melodic/technical/polished sound away, and brings the listener one huge step closer to the atmosphere and the raw black/death sound of the late 80's and early 90's. It's one disgusting discharge of abominable blasphemy, heavy, utterly pulverizing and in-your-face. Get it now if you're into deathpunk, war metal, old school Swedish death metal or black/thrash, as this monster has them all.

Highlights:
Chasm To Obscurity
Perverted Decadence Churning
Sacrament Of Virgin Flesh


Rating: 88,5%