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