Dark Forest - Beyond the Veil [2016]

What can I say? Metal and metalheads in general tend to have a soft spot for concept. That concept, whether its dragons, knights, spelunking ghouls, something out of Michael Moorcock or Tolkien, or in the case of Dudley's Dark Forest - embodying medieval myths and legend in lyrical, pastoral gloss  - is always a profound selling point. And as lyrical/conceptual deviants from the foray of the more Goth-induced imagery of Swedish traditional heavy metal bands, Dark Forest, like some of the genre's greatest underground staples - to wit, Brocas Helm, Slough Feg, Cirith Ungol and Manilla Road - have a more retrogressive approach to their music, one that has helped absorb my initial exposure to them, their 2014 album The Awakening, with healthy and savory intakes as a powerful, melodic, moving barbican to the continuing presence of heavy/power in such a vein. To be sure, King Diamond and Mercyful Fate are great, no question about it, but bearing in mind the implants they've detonated across a good half of the entire traditional heavy metal revivalism, - hence the notorious 'Swede-fever' - the soundscape offered by Dark Forest, however slapstick it may seem to its condemners, is a welcome entry.

I get that Dark Forest aren't the most innovative bunch out there; that's never been the point. Beyond the Veil does not resort to be anything of that sort, instead you get tons of atmosphere, quite a perfect Anglo-Saxon feel as though you were an enchanted knight strolling through a forest in search of some covetous chalice, not even so much of a battle-hymn the way bands like Ironsword or DoomSword evoke Conan-esque violence and triumph, but more of a melodious assemblage of busy, technically affluent guitars conjuring up a rich groundwork of history and folklore. Again, the UK quintet does not possess the same jumpy, splenetic piquancy I so adored on magisterial albums like Traveller or Down Among the Dead Men, but assuredly the 'retro' feel is there, a lack of keyboards provides impetus to the lucid and poignant acrobatics of the guitars, ballasted by heavier, albeit simple rhythms underneath. The guitars are, blatantly, upfront and lead the charge. Crisp but not overdone, the guitarists employ stirring, 'epic' melodies and plenty of harmonization, not unaccustomed to in this niche, the sort of lead playing that's not as liberal and unencumbered as, say, one Protest the Hero or whatever progressive/technical act you can imagine, nor should they be taken with a grain of salt. In fact, I was surprised at the number of riffs they could pen on a song for song basis bearing the length of the songs in mind, a tasteful array of sweeps and hooking solos rounding up the arsenal, like speckles and shingles of Dragonforce seeping in occasionally.

That doesn't leave much else to be said about the record. John Winnard's vocals are fine, blending the operatic theatricality of Dickinson with the more high octane adventurism of Mike Scalzi, appropriately embellishing the vocal buoyancy needed. But Beyond the Veil is altogether feels repetitive after 2-3 spins, not that the craftsmanship is subpar but rather because there's too much of the same structural and stylistic melody/rhythm pattern to be had: while the first 4-5 songs kicks and swerve their way with atmosphere and a masterful, titular patronage of riffs,  the formula essentially feels force-fed by the time you've made it to song no. 12, ''The Lore of the Land'', a lurching epic. It's essentially a sale from a soigne antiquarian who's selling us the feel, archaic and seemingly embossed in legend, even though the songs are memorable enough as you're listening to them (''Blackthorn'' has a great, choir-esque accompaniment to its chorus and ''Where the Arrow Falls'' is downright charged with energy) but the bulk of the record feeds back into the bands backlog of three full-lengths, principally an extension of the ideas explored therein. That's not to say you should omit Dark Forest, though; their position is certainly oblique, with songs like ''The Wild Hunt'' propagating such a delicate balance of folk metal a la Ensiferum, Korpiklaani and Turisas with ballsy heavy/rock (think Saxon and Def Leppard) and the more occult, atmospheric leanings of King Diamond, that I can't help but recommend it to an aficionado of the style. Be your own judge. With four albums at their belt, Dark Forest still have it. Gaunt, chivalrous and surging, I can't think of a whole lot of other bands fit to perform in a medieval fun fare. Have... fun?

Highlights:
The Wild Hunt
Where the Arrow Falls
Blackthorn

Rating: 75%

Qrixkuor - Three Devils Dance (EP) [2016]

One of the most strenuous challenges of the reviewer is, perhaps, beyond arbitrating his/her attention toward so many releases, (black and death metal albums are a dime a dozen these days) to selectively deploy his/her while rummaging from one near-indistinct album to the other. Such has been my travail when it comes to London's Qrixkuor, a quartet going by the rather practically brief pseudonyms R., M., A. and S. Now, while I always give considerable space to bands refurbishing the stylistic chaos and miasma of Blasphemy and Incantation, among a few less-known cults, I find it difficult to keep track of things when whole allure of mind-fuckery and heavy, discordant music turns its own head over itself by providing stale crumbs when the listener is looking forward to a nice, healthy helping of engaging chaos. Barring the caprice of this disappointed reviewer, the band's first EP, cleverly titled Three Devils Dance (there are three songs on it), is canned dissonance at best, but at least it doesn't try to veil the influences from which its malicious barbarity stems.

There isn't so much of a busy flow of ideas and novel sounds on Three Devils Dance as there is this tendency to emulate the sounds emanating from a slaughterhouse full of obnoxious ghouls and fat corpses: compared to renowned arbitrators of the black/death/war metal sounds (think Archgoat, Weregoat, Proclamation, Blasphemy, etc.), Qrixkuor is, to a strong degree, more pure death metal than anything else, a nostalgic manifestation of Incantation, Immolation and Morbid Angel as if there wasn't anything half so delectable to the retro death metal fan. Oozing, disgusting rhythm guitars cavort sluggishly with a tempest of tremolos and barged picking techniques as the drams waddle on in chaotic, yet formulated, disarray. What's interesting to note, perhaps, is that the Brits will employ twitchy, caterwauling leads sequences more often than many other bands in this niche, typically enclosing one riff with a wild flurry of notes and high pitched tremolo wails before cutting into the next riff, in a fashion that would have formed a malicious little grin on Trey Azathoth's face.

However, this EP is just so choked down to a mere three songs, each hovering above and below the bounds of the 10-minute mark, that it feels something is alack, but as the record trudges forward there seems to be no fresh catalyst of tension and furore that could make it more exciting. The guitar is fleshy and grimy enough, and the picking sequences are certainly intricate enough to offer some depth, but the overall trajectory of the album seems frozen in one formulaic engraving that can't seem to break the confines of its limitation. Tangibly, the artistry also freezes over; you just know you're not going to get much more out of this after two spins. Qrixkuor try to dress it up a notch with a lengthy intro full of dramatic buildup and taught violins clawing at your ears before riffs pop up, it's only a shame they can't deliver the same aural tension that's promised at the beginning. The vocals are 'good', to say the least, muffled cookie monster growls fed into a few bouts of treble and feedback that works well with the grisly tonality of the guitars for the first 4 minutes or so, but their venom quickly wanes. Three Devils Dance is not a bad piece, but as long the Brits resume their spelunking without much daring, - and there doesn't seem to be any sign of genuinely unique or ravishing craftsmanship - they have a long way to go, and their material won't entice me beyond the first 1-2 spins.

Highlights:
Serpent's Mirror


Rating: 55%

Vorage - Vorage [2015] (Demo)

I still find it surprising how claustrophobia isn't a commonplace occurrence among heavy metal throngs with the growing evocation of these monstrous, murky cavern-core acts in the underground. What started with Portal, Mitchondrion and Ulcerate is now a hit trend among youngsters who practice this irretrievably clamorous brand of death metal that fans seem to so fond of, even though the initial gloss of the sound has arguably worn off within last 3-4 years. In fact, propagators of these cavernous antics have become so formidably numerous that I'm starting to think if I spend just a little more time in their nullified vacuums, I'm going to end up starting to acknowledge the low-tuned vocal mantras of these bands as a veritable means of communicating with the Old Ones, who, without a shadow of a doubt, are just eagerly awaiting for one of their metallic emissaries to conduct the action necessary for us to enter into their threshold where there's no coming back....

And this is where Vorage comes in. One of the newest entrants into this field of disheartening evil and murky abrasion, the UK duo lets loose on the same brand of malefic music practiced by some of their larger forebears, bashing neanderthal death metal that resonates with the reticent insanity of some Lovecraftian elder thing sipping up the Earth's oceans and then regurgitating them back along with all the culinary excess of its interior. Bombastic, thick fucking guitars rule the mix almost entirely, and the riffs revolve around a more syncopated, semi-technical refurbishing Incantation, Rottrevore and late Gorguts, and these drilling tremolos that spiral like cranial whirlwinds. Granted, if you've been exposed to this style, you won't be immeasurably shocked by the discord of it all, and I should note that Vorage keep things fairly 'death metal', without going far into these more atmospheric, chord-driven exercises in dissonant chaos redolent of Portal or the New Zealanders Vassafor, sticking to the groove rather than outright chaotic madness, but in any case the material offered here is freakish enough to impress upon the mind of any cavern-core or black/death aficionado. Ballistic grooves are abundant, especially with the title track, adorned here and there with nervous snippets of technicality, and the overall impact leaves just as much life in the listener after one spin as after a 4-hour roller coaster ride.

I could compare this to the Malthusian EP, which I also heard this year, although Vorage certainly retain a more dynamic approach to their inherent claustrophobic overtures, dredging bountiful tremolos and eerie fringes of complexity rather than sticking to the death/doom motif. That said, the title track, also the longest in this 3-track demo, flirts with the sludge of bands like Malthusian around half way through. Just bear in mind that none of the material presented here can really hold a candle to the acknowledged masters of the genre, and that ''Vorage'', despite its initially dark appeal, is merely an addendum to the earlier, less intricate work of these bands. Whilst bombastic, the Brits aren't really doing anything to challenge the book here: the brief ambient outro is frightening enough, and there one or two decent moments I'd cite from this demo, but nowhere is this as fibrous or unhinged as, say, their peers Abyssal, nor does it completely wallow the listener in as Portal or Antediluvian with the soup-bowl trope of ungodly hymnals. The vocals are there, these ultra low grunts and growls that are excellent set-pieces for the lexicon of the Necronomicon, but once more, there are dozens of vocal practitioners out there who can produce the same, tremulous inflection. Vorage somehow ends up in this oblique spot where it has the choice to either expand upon riffs or atmosphere; or, if they're aplomb enough, both. The demo itself showcases that they have the rudiments in both, but not only is the sound too primal, but there are already hundreds of similar cave-dwellers working on it. Even so, this is archaic paranoia of the murkiest, fuzziest kind, just another solid gateway into cosmic fright and abyss.

Highlights:
Vorage

Rating: 70%

A Forest of Stars - Beware the Sword You Cannot See [2015]

Lately there's been an ongoing fetish in the black market concerning the dissection and integration of elements derived from 70's psychedelic rock bands, and to be honest, while this does not sound like a favorable coitus of genres at first, a trend which has engendered bands like Hail Spirit Noir and Oranssi Pazuzu can be hardly be chastised for lacking proficiency or being unambitious. Of course, the marriage of 70's psychedelia with black metal does require eccentricities of sorts, which is why even though we dub then as psychedelic black metal, each of these bands, as well as England's A Forest of Stars more or less enjoy a uniqueness under their own roof. A Forest of Stars' fourth offering ''Beware the Sword You Cannot See'' hits all the sweet spots for an eclectic heavy metal listener, a steampunk aficionado, a Victorian gentlemen, a comic Dickensian figure straight out of Bleak House, and a spiritualistic preacher of sorts, since it's likely to be one of the weirdest yet absorbingly idiosyncratic releases I've heard this year along with Solefald's ''World Music'', chock full of kooky inventiveness and immersive musical talent.

If you don't believe me, just have a look at the pseudonyms: one Titus Longbutter or T.S. Kettleburner certainly feels redolent of a Dickens novel, the bizarre parade of folk, autumnal psychedelia and gloomy black metal impressionism doesn't even begin there. From it's melancholy opener ''Drawing Down the Rain'' the band seems to be on the verge of a progressive black metal phantom in the mode of Enslaved with fairly simplistic melodies, but they immediately fill up the empty spaces with folksy flutes which beckons a far more pagan taste, say, similar to one Kroda, Drudkh or Arkona; but I love the fact that the group can shift through their own 7+ minute songs like quicksand, evolving once again into a hazily progressive riff and then into a meteor shower of unfrazed tremolos headed by melodic psychedelia. These Victorians are unhinged but it doesn't stop the music from evocatively drawing up imagery and queer, almost Gothic constellations and fragmentary journeys across the firmament. The opener is by far the most 'atmospheric' advent in the entire album, fostered by somber chords and almost minimalistic melody patterns, but the following two songs, ''Hive Mindless'' and ''A Blaze of Hammers'' are just as consuming pieces, and the group, thankfully does not omit a few pauses in between the marathons by adding a few stringy chords and clean guitar sequences glazed with nearly defunct violins and keyboard scores. They do take some time to get to the point, true, and not everything (especially in the first half of the album) is bound to grab you by your neck and slam you to the ground and leave you agog with sensation, but the material presented is celestial and beautiful to say the least.

Of course it would be a capital offense to exclude the vocalist Mister Curse who practically spearheads the benignly confusing effusion of sounds with his remarkable voice. We're not even talking regular singing here: he feels more as though he's reciting poetry in a remarkably 'English' manner, exquisite oratory that reminds me of Bal-Sagoth and their fantastical vocal shenanigans with similarly cosmic subjects in mind. Katheryne, Queen of Ghosts also handles female vocals here, a soothing and rich fairy-metal vox not unlike Nightwish or the operatic female vocals in Therion's later outings, but what I truly enjoy is that they supplement the harsher, brazen discourse of the male vocals with a maudlin alternative. Mister Curse, of course, engages in a more unruly inflection from time to time to complement fuzzier discharges of fairly straightforward Scandinavian tremolo work, like a well-attuned Victorian gentleman suddenly devolving into beast-mode. The second half of the album, which I probably enjoyed more than the first, is split into numerical parts. Not only are all the songs shorter in this half but they flow in and out of each other like a lengthy piece diced into smaller fragments: ''Part I: Mindslide'' begins with a moving vocal solo by Katheryne, and then into morphs into a haunting, hypnotic orgy of buzzing synthesizers redolent of John Carpenter's solo compositions and horror scores with ''Have You Got A Light, Boy?'', my favorite song on the entire album, which unfolds entirely with the words and there WAS light! before ''Perdurabo'', with its equally Gothic and alienating synthesizer swell, begins. But keep in mind that no single instrument truly steals the show here, ever. While the violins or singular keyboards may be to the fore on some of the rainier moments on the album, and the lapsing, flickering psychedelic guitar riffs during some other sequences, it's a surprisingly healthy balance of a canopy of instruments and endeavors in a rather 'unhealthy' album which makes it such a pleasure to listen to ,without anything running dry.

The sheer scope and autumnal drapery offered by ''Beware the Sword You Cannot See'' is enormous. Picturesque vistas and celestial serpents devouring their own tails. Imaginary soundscapes that could have easily fitted Mervyn Peake's masterpiece Gormenghast. The conceptual enigmas of the record, however, are just the cherry on top as far as the music goes, since this album is bound to be the new best thing for black metal, at least in my book. Not every moment is mesmerizing, and I really felt they could have trimmed the songs a little, - especially those in the first half - but the emotive, paranoid atmosphere offered, both lyrically and musically, is nothing short of delightful when it comes to the few outstanding tracks to be found, and certainly this is far more captivating tapestry of autumn leaves and starry auras than so many other 'atmospheric' black metal bands claim to possess. Instead of bludgeoning us to submission through tired, colorless monotone, these illustrious connoisseurs of the genre are inviting us into the celestial sphere and their mountable worms, alluring from a distance, beckoning with nocturnal beauty. Excellent.

Highlights:
A Blaze of Hammers
Virtus Sola Invicta

Have You Got A Light, Boy?
An Automaton Adrift

Rating: 87%

Solstice - Death's Crown Is Victory [2013]

Needless to say I'm not the biggest doom fan out there. As a genre with the potential to exfoliate any sort of eloquence or panache with the simplest of banalities, I often found doom too ''slow'' to be such a wildly invigorating trip as any other genre, and that's, I think, one of the more commonplace scoldings it gets from listeners. Again, while that doesn't mean I neglect everything doom, I find myself at a loss of interest in most cases. That is the continual Grand Magus albums, the slower bits and pieces of Agalloch, almost any kind of sludge/stoner doom throwback, and even some of the classics. Of course the genre has witnessed quite a few climaxes lately, (or so it's been said) following an unimaginable upsurge in its popularity, most of which I haven't been able to visit. When we come to Solstice, I realize that my previous criticisms should equal an acidic assault on the band's redundancy, but strangely enough, that is not the case. These UK veterans are tough, seasoned, well-established, and even though I have no history with them, I was rather taken by their newest EP, ''Death's Crown Is Victory''.

What does Solstice hold for a seeker of eccentricities such as I? For one, it's consistent. In basic terms, the EP is just two booming 9 minute songs, with two lesser instrumentals clustered around them. What's essentially a concoction of Sabbath, Witchfinder General, Pentagram and newer Swedish trends is played with great, tight musicianship, and doesn't falter for one second. Solstice is defined as epic doom metal, which, though more fitting for other practitioners of the style, seems like a worthy tag. The half-dolorous, half-vainglorious vocals stretch and burden the album with clarity and the overall atmosphere is generally warm except for rare saunters into darker territory. And that's not just it. Who could not drool over the simplistic chug-complex of the huge, sun-wreathed guitar chords and progressions that etch across the album? Sometimes the Brits puncture a few technicalities into the mix, with melodies and even occasional arpeggio sequences, like on the title track, but the guitars generally retain a set of riffs more fitting for the baritone of the vocals; and the drums are always there, cymbal and snare, battering against the currents of mourn and triumph. While Solstice doesn't dabble with any of the 60's/70's psychedelic rock phenomena that new bands keep interpreting into their sound these days, they keep the more eclectic strata of listeners awake with melodious twists and turns here and there, so you know the album isn't all doom n' gloom.

And doesn't ''Death's Crown Is Victory'' feel redundant at times? You bet. There are more than just a few sequences where the riffs were rather dulling, where the vocals weren't saturated with enough epic tenor to shake me and cause goosebumps to pop up on my arm, and the overall sound is nothing if not original - but so what? It could have used a few tweaks in the production as well, because the guitars were to brassy at times that they were choking the vocals, but, again, there's no huge loss here. It just feels like a cogent, ass-kicking album. The big story was that they weren't travelling at a snail's face, like their funeral doom peers, and they certainly weren't fucking around with pointless poignant interludes here and there; I simply thought the pacing was damn close to optimum in terms of doom. And while the block-like patterns didn't stir anything close to maternal grief or irreparable woe, it is a moving experience. A nice potent formula to brew every now and then when you're taking a long walk across the English pastoral.

Highlights:
I Am The Hunter
Death's Crown is Victory

Rating: 78%

Cultfinder - Hell's Teeth [2014] (EP)

Oh boy.

I think, the most inescapable truth about retrogression is that no matter how much we move forward, through the epochs and the endless cycles of both musical phenomena and bashful, ignorant tinkering, there will always be a certain circle that will not give even the slightest of fucks to break free of the dull chamber and begin the process of contemporary acclimatization. This is not just in music, folks; art in general will always have its antiquarian minorities, these little groups of revolting, sulky old-schoolers who will absolutely refuse to start pacing in the modern way. It's no big surprise. And to think, there are many bands who excel in the school of the olde, despite current standards. Unfortunately, there's an even bigger stockpile of bands who fail to do so. Cultfinder being one of many. While dubbing them as ''old school'' might not be the smartest of criticisms, and certainly no way to exercise chastisement, one can't help but feel that their sound is worn down by age. For a band riffing the practices of Venom, Destroyer 666 and early 80's punk mania, it must surely be hard to create any sort of particularly appealing texture, but that great strain to prolong bygone efforts does not enhance the quality of their music...

For those of you who still haven't gotten anything beyond the puerile art comparison, I'll make this plain: Cultfinder is a black/thrash trio, hailing from the UK, and their newest EP ''Hell's Teeth'', a teetering, vitriolic assault of demented aggression, is no shocker of an experience. Even their previous EP ''Black Thrashing Terror'' was a fresher ballast compared to its meager successor, and I find it almost sad that the trio couldn't produce anything worthy of note in 2 years' time. While mortally menacing, Cultfinder can scantly portray any form of ''terror'' here. The sense of fulfillment is utterly constrained to the percussive but terribly recorded drums, a handful of punk-induced thrash riffs, and the atypically hoarse rasps of the vocalists. The patterns are simple, as you might imagine, but I was grateful that they were executed with celerity and effectiveness. Perhaps, only perhaps, the only tad of surprise I had was how the band at times tried to manage black metal as a purer form rather than constantly mixing it up with the junkier aesthetics of thrash and punk. That however, proves to be waste of time and recording space when the band's attitude is so incompatible with the spiritual requirements of ''pure'' black metal. That's not to say black metal doesn't run on raw fuel, but it simply can't operate with such a parochial approach, even in its most primal form.

After all, there might have been less than a handful of riffs that held my attention ephemerally, and in the end I'm not going to hate this because it sticks to what it is and has no delusions about it, (well, for the most part) but even if it possessed twice - no, thrice - the fervor it has, let's be honest - how many black/thrash bands out there have hit it big? Forget commercial success, I'm talking about actual quality, durability and beauty. There are so few records that are really impeccable in this realm (''Unchain the Wolves'' instantly comes to mind) that Cultfinder had little chance from the start. I know it's rather demeaning, but that's the cold hard truth. This EP is just a raw stack of tremolos, chords, primal energy and wretchedness, no more, no less. As always, purists will be immensely fond of it, at least enough to give it 2 or 3 spins, and the mainstream metal community will immediately neglect it, I imagine. If you're acquainted with black/thrash or the aforementioned bands in any way, than you already know to expect. Don't forget crucify someone whilst listening.

Highlights:
All Conquering Death
Morbid Breed

Rating: 58%

Satan - Life Sentence [2013]

We've had our fair share of reunion bands. Few of them tend to be good. Yes, we were given some truly great releases from a number of bands, the latest Attacker album for instance, but we were also showered with a stream of godawful albums, like the new Rottrevore EP, and even if some recuperating old bands manage to somehow deliver a goody, very few of them are able to bring about the rest of their good material. My point is, bands like Satan don't have much of a shot at re-living the same youthful energy that they exploited during their golden days, and the situation gets even trickier when you're working on a genre like NWOBHM, which today is exhibited to us a rehashing of Maiden, Priest and the like, fused with a more modern framework of disillusioned riffing, so I think you can understand the pressure that Satan had to bear when they first reunited in 2011 and decided to put another album.

The thing that makes heavy metal, and specifically NWOBHM such a strenuous material to process and toy with is that the genre itself is scarce in exemplary offerings besides the few releases that respectfully formed its basis. Satan, with astounding accuracy and dexterity, has managed to overcome both of these hindrances and has ultimately brought us ''Life Sentence'', and let me tell you, unveiling this record is like removing the dust off an obscure-as-fuck demo these guys released in the early 80's, and has already generated sufficient buzz in the metal underground to emerge victorious in numerous end-of-the-year lists. Now, upon reading thus far, a genuine metalhead will be no more than slightly content, I'm sure, and even filled with a bit of trepidation, moaning ''Oh damn, another Maiden rip-off? More Steelwing?? I'm out.'', so brace yourself, because this ain't the generic copycat you'll be expecting. The fact that ''Life Sentence'' is able to emulate any of its peers steel befuddles me. You already knew you were into a hell of comeback with the glorious, old-school logo sticking out in the corner, the spiritual ghoul-demon leaking out of its state of encasement, and this wonderfully picturesque image fit into an archaic, mystifying framework, but no one could have guessed what the five-piece would be able to conjure in less than two years' time.

Satan is hardly thrifty here. They don't spare any of the cannon fodder they've been harnessing for all those weary years, and their techniques reign supreme in every field of musicianship; instead of losing their technical touch, they've gotten even more savvy with their instruments. Secondly, the old school edge is hugely dominant; they've got a skillful penchant for being able to put out material on par with their earlier releases, ultimately succeeding in delivering that clarified NWOBHM texture we've longed to hear, and they can grind their guitars producing riff after riff. That being said, I ought to say that ''Life Satan'' isn't a flurried rush of pure old school instincts; its gleams with an articulate and youthful power that, in my opinion, is the real key to the Englishman's success. They're not stuck in the past, and while still keeping true to their lauded roots, they're brazen and fuse their archaic tenets with dizzying modern, technical dynamics. With their new perspective, a dirty, crunchy tone, and a production that reeks of antiquity, they're able to send stimulating waves of speeding, bleeding riffs with superior melody-directed instincts intertwining with thrashing ruptures. Moreover, nothing seems to be tampering with their outstanding march. Satan are locked and loaded, more flexible than an Olympic gymnast and it seems as though their sheaves of riffing are so prolific that they could effortlessly filter yet a second disc of songs with equally long material, not lacking a single hint of substance and quality.

Though the guitars should be venerated the most here for their terrific performance, harmonious flinging and overall outing of aggression and energy, I need not say that they aren't the sole highlights of the record. You'd certainly love the somber, woven harmony sequences backed with mid-paced thrash ichor on ''Incantations'', or the entwining voids of endless melodies on ''Testimony'', but you'd also have to credit Brian Ross's excellent, earthen timbre for making those tracks the great pieces they are. Ross occasionally plays low (think Danny Foxx of Blood Money with a less frequent usage of high-pitched screams), but he knows when he's going to lead the uproar, and bring songs to their apocalyptic climax when he releases all his steam (''Incantations''). Graeme English's base is also quite entertaining with its pumping, plodding bobs and the drums have that 80's crisp attached to them like an infectious disease, blasting out with spiking accuracy whenever required. With such a backbone of musicians, ''Life Sentence'' converses copiously and explores intensively; you have the vicious melody/rhythm combos of ''Siege Mentality'', the track that piques my interest the most, the classic NWOBHM chug patterns culminating with Ross's flaring vocals on the title track, the thrashing headbanging medley of ''Twenty Five Twenty Five'' or ''Another Universe'' that literally transports you to a different kind of universe with atmospheric presentation of moods galore, and the entire record is bedecked with an enormous quantity of carefully arranged, bouncing leads, spontaneous and laden with a wealth of methods.

''Life Sentence'' will unarguably go down as one of the best releases of the year. It's prowess and viewpoint are unlike any other heavy metal album I've ever heard, and if Satan had released this back when NWOBHM was truly hip and inspiring, back in the early 80's, it would have emerged as one of the greatest heavy metal offerings to date, but even with its late entry into the metal universe, it could easily be classified as a masterpiece, and perhaps the best comeback release ever. So if you love to pick up the newest Enforcer or Maiden albums, you've got nothing better to do than to obtain this immediately. Satan is an inconceivable, sentient beast on this record.

Highlights:
Another Universe
Siege Mentality
Twenty Five Twenty Five
Testimony

Rating: 94%

Deceptor - Chains Of Delusion [2013]

In an astonishing turn of events, what I anticipated as another potential tumor in the myriad of retro heavy/thrash metal groups turned out to be a compulsory magnet of innovative, old school excellence that exceeded any of my previous opinions on the matter. How could I have known, that amid a trampling stockpile of promos, it would be Shadow Kingdom's delivery, Deceptor's sophomore EP ''Chains Of Delusion'' that perfectly fit the maniacally inclined, wondrously imbued textures that I had been searching for so long, but never acquired, yet, what makes up this a work of sheer old-minded genius is its climatic, glimmering sheen of imagination; hardly has a band ever bestirred interpretations of both traditional, thrash, speed and a classical brand of death metal akin to the latest Deceased, and successfully concluded their industrious formula bu enhancing the basis with ingenious riffing, as if the entire thing was the product of pang in the mind of a mad scientist who wished to saturate the demands of die-hards of all the aforementioned genres within a single concession.

Deceptor's body work on ''Chains Of Delusion'' is hardly what you'd call an immensely lengthy epic, but with the two ambient sounds tracks excluded, we're left with four tracks, each arriving from their own biomes, spewing forth their own distinctive elements, almost as if they had nothing to with each other. But everywhere you go, you'll vibrantly feel the band's own engrossment of texture and semi-technical riffs, which is what makes the whole EP so magical. Simply said, ''Chains Of Delusion'' is an effigy for the 80's. The entire aura is earthen as the drums, the bass and the guitar work all have roughly equal spaces in the mix, and Sam Mackertich's vocals are as divergent as the riffs, shifting from harmonious power metal chants to harsher death/thrash growls, and then to Schmier-like shrieks that echo through the ears of a Destruction fan like delicious nostalgia. His vocal inflection is just as brilliant as the guitars, and simply bears some of the most combustive vocal electricity I've heard is some time.

The tone is perfectly crisp, as if you're tasting a perfectly well-cooked steak through your headphones; it's wonderfully authentic, something in between ''Peace Sells...'' and ''Rust In Peace'', but far more belligerent and ravenous, eager to sink its caustic raw of teeth into the skull of its crazed mentor. Like the vocals, you never know what the guitars are likely to switch into. One moment you're lost through a matrix of technicality, then a NWOBHM-styled gallop bounces into action, and just seconds later you're driven into cavorting speed/thrash convulsions that jive equally as well to the vocalist's Bruce Dickinson complexes as they do the much more psychotic growls of his schizoid side. There are just so many twists and turns on the EP that it's nearly impossible not to be befuddled by the musical tenacity of the trio. Take the bumping, melodious bass of ''To Know Infinity'', the assailing bullet-like chug storm of ''Heatseeker'', ''Sentient Shackles' '' technical momentum and the indulgent, foreboding onslaught of ''Oblivion's Call'', put in a few mechanized voices, and you practically have exemplary of modern sci-fi induced thrash metal.

''Chains Of Delusion'' is damn near phenomenal. I could only gape at the narrow-mindedness of thrasher who would rather get drunk over an orgy of Warbringer songs, and not give much of a fuck about the gyrating genius of this. I think it's about time somebody cracked these damnable chains and let the metal world know of their new master thrasher, because with ''Chains Of Delusion'', Deceptor have certainly earned that title, yet one must now forget that this is so much more than the polished, originality-free modernity everyone seems to be endlessly craving these days as a vague remembrance to the good old days, but those who really wish to be submerged in 80's retro energy - fear not - for your new captor has arrived. If you're one of those people, you have no excuse not to pre-order this right now, even if there's a procrastinated apocalypse just outside of your city.

Highlights:
Everything

Rating: 91%

White Medal/Slaegt - Split [2012]

In recent months, I had the opportunity to be familiarized with Denmark's very own one-man northern howl, Slaegt, whom delivered a personal mini-favorite of mine with their demo. The demo was a concise emblem of the rustling beauty and grandeur of the frigid northern winds in all its atmospheric triumvirate, and depicting the gelid ambiance and spectral gloom of winter in a near-perfect convocation with raw black metal splendor, thus, I was left hungry and desirous by my brief stay in the northern asylum that Asrok conjured, and I was also promised a split offering more primal pulchritude. Now, the prophecy has been fulfilled. Teaming up with yet another fresh face from the somewhat emergent pack black metal devotees, White Medal, winter itself is evocatively released.

Unfortunately, the brevity of the split forms a blockade that prevents me from adorning the two tracks with utter praise and accolades from the start. However, ignoring that, the split is quite enlightening. Slaegt somehow refined their sound by tidying up the hazy, dissonant splashes of messiness into a more precise whole, and there's admittedly more vivacity encompassing their style. Woven complexities are, for the most part, put aside and are replaced more vivid progressions and there's a great, pacy consistency to the riffs that I can't deny, in spite of their simplicity. Though, while certain structural differences appear to be prominent, the entire formula hasn't really deviated from Asrok's previous motifs: there's a piercing surge of consistent, straightforward black metal excursions, and imagery emboldened upon the listener's consciousness maintains a somnolent balance between the horrendous glacial appeal of mountainous entanglement and a surrealistic approach that which provokes a frosty glory in the listener's fiery heart.

I won't be able to judge White Medal's styling as I judged Slaegt as I had no previous acquaintance with the group, though peering into the anatomy of the music, George Proctor's aesthetic considerations are pretty similar to their countrymen in releasing storming, uproarious maelstroms of winter cold, but there's a sense of multiple possibilities here. For one, White Medal has a lot more surprises crammed into their seven minutes than Slaegt has in roughly the same measure. There's quite a bit of raw black metal coiling going on as subtext of the more massive, explosive rancor of the vocals and the much messier ooze of the production, so the instruments all work as entirely different components; the vocals are completely nasty and haunting in their crazed howling succession, the riffs flip from formation to formation during the incursion, and the drums are absolutely thunderous in anchoring the deep onset of discordance. The two have their differences as well as their stylistic similarities; both are going to to tow different masses of audience onto their chilling anger, so if you're an old school black metal enthusiast, you're more than welcome into this chilling abyss. Choose you path; shall it be a languorous blade of icy affection, or a frenzied assault from the deepest, coldest, most cavernous corners of the Moria mines?

Highlights:
Lysets Dod
Them That Fear t'Wolf 

Rating: 81%  

Axis Of Light - By The Hands Of The Consuming Fire

For me, the fulsome black metal fodder is slowly starting to unleash some of its better products. Gaunt, Forgjord and Witch In Her Tomb were all grim affairs, culminating impeccable atmosphere and sonorous power, but Axis Of Light is an even grimmer group of composers, embracing all that is shrill and sonorously ear-piercing upon mankind with their Ep, ‘By the Hands Of The Consuming Fire’’. It’s amazing how such noisy black metal ferocity doesn’t sound dissonant or fibrously detached, but Axis Of Light thrive their already attained advantage even further, elevating towards a stark atmosphere that’s by far the shrillest I’ve heard all year. This disturbing excursion is far from its uttermost peek, but it still appeals to me much better than many other hazy interruptions I’ve been through this year so far.

‘’By The Hands Of The Consuming Fire’’ is completely buzzy, statically chaotic, encompassing and deliberately intruding.  It’s no major departure from any sound that its relevantly similar to, and the most satisfying way to describe their formula would be calling them a more sombre and gelid version of Burzum. Of course, there’s more than just grimly complemented Burzum here, obviously. First off, the production is rawer than any Burzum record (if not, equally as raw as Burzum’s most primal offerings) and as much as it espouses a darkened, spectral tide, it does tend to frequently blast out raw barrages of hazy and piercing savagery. It beholds a mournful splendour that one can only hope to have, beautiful, entrancing but frigid as cold winter night. Each riff is just as pleasuring as it is ear scratching and gnawing, with a noise-y, gritty tone adding substantial bleakness and electric to the charged cluster of tremolos.

The gnawing lament does not end there, however, as the vocals on ‘’By The Hands of The Consuming Fire’’ are shrill, shattering weeps and highly raspy shrieks that travel through luminous crudity, alongside a cavernous brand of underlying reverb, and finally scratching its way to your ear drums. The vocals are even sharper than the riffs and it’s probably the bleak, vague rasps that stayed on my mind the most. Despite the fuzzed nature of the implements, the atmosphere actually adopts a far more earthly sound, far more luminous than its contemporaries, lightly engulfing the listener in an aura that is kilter and organic. The benign sound of the atmosphere is magnificent and is soft even under the rough bloodshed that occurs above.

I honestly can’t praise this enough. Axis Of Light managed to create something that’s harmonious in a hazy way and accessible, despite the fact that it will still not grab the attention of many atmosphere-enemies.  It’s not flawless, I’ll warn you about that, but it has frigid beauty and atmosphere written all over it and for fans who are into such sharp and gritting raw atmospheric black metak should get on this as fast as they can, and I’m not sure whether the band’s future moves are positive or not, but for now this will suffice and be cherished, no matter how short it is. 

Highlights:

I

III

Rating: 87%

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%

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%

Binah - Hallucinating In Resurrecture

I usually see an important release coming, either from the band's earlier demos or by simply receiving news from the label, but the debut album by this morbid UK trio Binah took me by surprise. The band didn't even have a demo released and information about them was limited, so I just obtained their debut album ''Hallucinating Resurreecture'', a doomy collision of Incantation, Autopsy and even heavily churned Swedish guitars. Even though the collection of influences is sparse and versatile, all in all, they're nothing new for a resident old school death metal fan, but then again, doesn't corrosive, atmospheric Swedish death/doom sound like a fun toy to play with? In fact, Binah's sound sounds refreshing as it's morbid and depressing, so it wouldn't be false to admit that Dark Descent has gotten hold of one of the better roosters in the hen.

There are three aspects that play an imperative role in the albums structure and efficiency. The three sections that I like divide the album to are the obvious influences stated above; the heavy, boxy Swedish metal guitar tone providing with heaps of fiery energy and supporting the crushing, rhythmic groove and with additional crutch, the haunting Autopsy overtone, bending the stiffened riffs with a bit of doom n' gloom and viscous Incantation sound, responsible for creating a malleable atmosphere for the album to be drenched with. These influences mainly form the basis of ''Hallucinating In Resurrecture'', but the album does have an extensive array for intricate riffs, so there is really more than just three pieces that make it up. All the elements churn very well alongside the low grunts of the vocalist and atmospheric synthesizers that seldom appear. the riffs are crushing as they chomp everything under them with great heft, but adrenaline fueled incursions of monstrous aggression are scarce, so this isn't really the best headbang friendly record out there.

The repertoire of riffs never cease to deliver quality old school metal, and their thrived with dismal melodies hanging, dangling on their hooks. There's definitely a ''hallucinating'' touch on the album, and that's made clear with thickness of the atmosphere engulfing the music, or the drowsiness of the elements. The vocals are nothing to be worked over for; they're low growls but they go along well with music. One thing that was really queer (especially seen on the title track) was the usage of chaotic melodies and colliding chords that heavily resemble black metal--another influence. The dispersion of the music is what drew me towards Binah's debut, and fans of atmospheric death metal should definitely give this a try. It's dark, brooding and dismal, and it reeks of depressing old school death ghastliness.

Highlights:
Morbid Obumbration
Hallucinating In Resurrecture
Dissolution


Rating: 86%

Abyssal - Denouement

Fertility in death metal may not ring much of a bell when you think of Britain, but besides archaic giants like Benediction, Bolt Thrower and Desecrator, the current scene is growing more prominent and more strong each day, with such brilliant black/death bands like Grave Miasma, Spearhead, or the Incantation worshipers Cruciamentum collectively inspiring the scene around them. Although Abyssal is dubbed as black/death metal, their foggy, dispersed array of strident black metal chaos does not quite fall into the same bill as the bands I mentioned, assimilating and snatching influences from different bands. Now the cover art may not be very ''metal'', but first impressions can be faulting, and Abyssal's debut album is as professionally written and played as it can be, which is another baffling fact because these guys aren't even signed to a label, much like their black/death partners Morgirion.

I found ''Denouement'' to far more accessible than I expected and much more technical too, because Abyssal sure know how to fuse semi-technical, even brutal death metal elements with dark, cavernous and even atmospheric aesthetics that are used rather often in black metal. I would call this blackened brutal death metal, if there could be such a description since most of the death metal riffing falls behind the classic old school taste, and even though I'm not the biggest fan of the fast, aggressive, most pummeling genre of death metal, lots of the instant passages and darkened tremolo bursts catch my attention right away, and those fantastic shifts which completely flip the whole battlefield into another terrain stand as rather complex and converging pieces of music, no doubt arduous and stamina-draining. The important fact about about ''Denouement'' is that there are two strictly divided sections, black and death metal. Groovy convulsions and sudden outbreaks of melody and temper control these bridges that turn death metal into black or vice-versa, and with such an atmospheric, yet acrobatic maneuvers, the album immediately begins to pull minions with its grappling hooks.

As I said, I'm not the biggest fan of brutal death metal, but as each riff is ominously fashioned and laced with rich, chaotic texture, I find it hard to think of these riffs as boring or even repetitive for that matter. Breakdowns are obviously highly present and highly reactive, but there are also more mellow shifts that are less sudden and eccentric, like the occasional channels of minor arpeggios and slightly faster, but still melody and desolation oriented black metal tremolo sequences found on ''Celestial Dictatorship''. I might complain a little about the dragging, less flashy moments of the album though, parts where the aggression dwindles while melody and feeling take the front row. Abyssal plant a few brutal death metal chugs and stomps into the mixture, but even though, there are a few moments where I didn't really feel the energy too much. Even so, despite a few little flaws, ''Denouement'' manages to break free of the chains and ivy binding it down with a vicious upthrust of vivacity and aura laden black metal, and for an unsigned band, they really make their music tangling though still entertaining.

Highlights:
Detritivore
Deus Vult
The Moss Upon Our Ruins


Rating: 79%


And now, behold, the awesomeness of free album downloads: http://abyssal-home.bandcamp.com/

Redmist Destruction - Nobility In Death

Although I was more than content with the amount of old school death metal releases that came out this year, the only thrash that impressed me so far is Nekromatheon, Deathhammer and few other black/thrash acts like Desaster, Ketzer and Aura Noir, so over the last week I've been searching restlessly to find some considerably good thrash. After passing through waves of mediocrity, I finally come across this little gem called Redmist Destruction, and now, I can safely pause my brain-harassing search for good new thrash bands. This is just the sort of thrash I was looking for, fast, dynamic, old school but with touches of melody and punk. These guys aren't necessarily a crossover act, but they embrace their punk and hardcore roots rather strongly, resulting in short, cunning songs that do not fail to deliver some spiking thrash with that good ol' punk spirit dotted here and there. Bu just glimpsing at the cover and the logo font you can very well understand that Redmist aren't bringing a different flavor to the table, but this is so much better than the hordes of mediocre thrash/punk hybrids that I had to deal with before.

Although straightforward thrashing and robust outbursts of spiking crossover energy seem to be the main things that make up the anatomy of ''Nobility In Death'', there is a fair enough usage of melody sprinkled around the riffs and bridges randomly to provide even more vivacity and contrast. Some songs resemble more complicated thrash songs with intricate song structures, pending for about three to four minutes, but tracks which are abridged to a mere minute or two are almost direct SOD/MOD/DRI throwbacks, consisting of a chord or two with punk fueled lethal energy guiding the chorus. Typical thrash traits like group shouts or ridiculously crusty palm muted gallops are highly present but one main thing that enhances the originality of quality of the riffs is the occasional usage of catchy melodic patterns which flow with viscosity along the break-neck thrash attacks. ''Eternally Deprived'' has to be the best track on the album, abundant in riffs and melody, fairly intricate and not lacking length. A nice thrash tune that should go well with pretty much any mood that has to do with anger.

I found ''The Coroner'' to be just as efficient as ''Eternally Deprived'' and maybe even more vicious and sordid. The riffs are obviously the best part of the music here as Redmist Destruction has snatched the pleasuring solidity and sordidness from typical acts like Exodus or early Metallica and perhaps even some Slayer during the peak of heinousness, but as I stated before, punk diversity is also a common aspect in the music. The harmonious melodic riffing patterns on ''Hell Capitan'' are nice addition to the growing flavor of melody, plus that certain mute-note sequence could almost bring Swedish melodic death metal bands to mind, and since the influence is so distant, it won't cause any harm to the band's old school sound. ''Strive To Belong'' and ''Terrorist?'' have to be the more crossover-oriented duo, with predictable verse-chorus structures and chord driven, rocket like explosions of punk and hardcore engulfing most of the direct thrash influence. The vocals and drums are elements that really weight a lot when setting the balance right for the album, totally embracing that static, pissed off punk spirit of the early 80's. Even the drums are worthy of some praise. They mainly tend to fit the music well with nice, simple beats, but a blast beats are also randomly scattered throughout. Redmist Destruction did impress me with debut, and they've pointed out that thrash has always been linked to its earliest influences, punk and hardcore, just in case anyone wonders off in search of something different without remembering his/her roots. Pure lethal energy.

Highlights:
Only Human
Eternally Deprived
The Coroner


Rating: 85%


Follow the thrashers on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RMDestruction

Holodomor - Témoignages De La Gnose Terrestre

England's Holodomor have been around for no more than just three years, and this is their debut Ep, a raw piece of black/thrash. Many bands actually tend to just toy with obvious influences while bringing little contrast to the music they adore, but Holodomor have already found their own unique sound even though their material is still not sufficient enough to create something truly distinguishable. Holodomor actually explore through many different regions of extreme metal, and amid a compelling force of primal thrash metal and raw black metal, you'll no doubt notice queer influences spawning from here and there, adding color and contrast to the Ep during its short lifespan. I'm still not sure if these guys have settled their sound sound yet, as if still sounds unpolished and there are numerous details that need to be worked out, but despite all of these small flaws churning the Ep, an add, almost experimental sound rules the music, and many who search for variation will be drawn onto this Ep like a magnet gathering metal needles around itself.

Many different influences are spread around the album, making it a queer listen right from the start. Black/thrash is what this is dubbed as, but the music is so diverse that the riffs have already dislodged from their traditional black/thrash stance, so don't expect to hear something like Ketzer, Flame or Urn. Instead, the chaotic flurry that was created by masters like Bestial Warlust, Blasphemy and Angelcorpse is a dominant element in here, right on top of the crazed onset of bestial thrash metal, resembling early Sodom or Kreator circa ''Pleasure To Kill''. Of course once you exit the array of influences that shape half of the album, you're left with many other sounds, all adorning the Ep in an urge to twist it into something very peculiar. For the most part, I can say that the experimentation has ended with success. ''Témoignages De La Gnose Terrestre'' never lingers too long in a certain area, it explores while vomiting out all the things that it covers, never sticking to a strict formula. Basically thing of a face, twisting into numerous emotions and grimacing for the most part. That's what this is, stubborn black/thrash fueled with hate, having a penchant to try something different every minute.

The influences that shape the album are not very bountiful when they are projected in the same manner, but by adding swift turns, sharp maneuvers and by having savvy flexibility, the riffs here are sprayed furiously upon the listener, spiking suddenly and then drawing back, simply introducing standard influences in a most spiking way. The riffs are totally flashy and sudden, and before you can have a moment's respite after a gnawing incursion of bestial black/thrash, another onset is at your door, and it strikes before you can have a moment to breathe. The really great factor about the Ep is that fact that these guys have definitely worked hard while writing the riffs and arranging the songs in structure. Many might hear basic tremolo passages and typical diminished black metal chord strums, but deep within the turbulent assault of riffs, you'll notice there are technical details added, and Holodomor actually present this in the most accessible way possible. A great trait.

The first two tracks show much of the Ep's relentless ferocity in its ways of blistering hate and agile curves, making it an intriguing experience. The music doesn't flow progressively, because it stroke has its own accent, so basically the music is mostly a raw mix of colliding black/thrash riffs. ''Tribulation Stigmata'' follows a relatively different road then the previous and upcoming songs, starting off with invidious velocity but then gradually slowing down and introducing some very queer black metal chord strums. The vocals here are absolutely chaotic, like a twisted madman screaming while inserting a knife in a lifeless body. The drums are have also been noticed despite the crazed riffs surrounding the album. They play blast beats occasionally, since that's the best fit for this sort of fast music. Overall, the general sound of the Ep is impressive and it drew me nearer than I would have imagined. Holodomor are yet to stabilize their style, but this Ep will always remain as a crushing piece of complex black/thrash.

Highlights:
The Iconoclast
Evoke
Fall Into Time


Rating: 84%


Follow the speedy black/thrash beasts from Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Holodomor