Just Before Dawn
Precis Innan Gryningen
2013 Chaos Records
It seems like everyone has at least one side band these days. In some cases, you can't even tell which is someone's main band and which is their "musical playground." Just Before Dawn happens to belong to guitarist Anders Biazzi, who you might know from Blood Mortized, or under the name "Anders Hansson," as an early member of Amon Amarth. Apparently, this was originally going to be a project with the Riffmaster General himself, Rogga Johansson -- who was only going to handle the lyrics and vocals, Anders would write all of the music himself.
Somehow or another though, it turned into a more underground version of Fred Estby's Necronaut. If you missed that project, it featured Fred on most of the instruments, with vocals by the likes of Tomas Lindberg, JB of Grand Magus, Dread (better known as Andreas Axelsson), and Erik Danielsson of Watain. Just Before Dawn however, features a bunch of vocalists from not-so well known great bands... Rogga, of course, as well as Jonas Lindblood of Puteraeon, Mr. Hitchcock of Zombiefication, Ralf Hauber of Revel in Flesh, and Tony Freed of Godhate. Gustav Myrin, who plays guitar in Blood Mortized tried his hand behind the mic as well, as did one Dennis Johansson, whose other bands Plästerd and Headstoned I'm unfortunately not familiar with. Personally, I'm more in favor of having a more regular lineup with just one vocalist, rather than going the "Probot" route. Still, it does more or less work out here, and for me, it's more about the fucking RIFFS. Holy crap. The short band bio describes the sound as a mix of Bolt Thrower and Asphyx. How many times have we heard that, only to be utterly disappointed and let down? Well, not this time! Each track manages to capture the massive sound of Bolt Thrower minus the "war feeling," which has been replaced with the morbidity of Asphyx. Although the album cover appears to depict a scene from World War II, I do not believe that the lyrics are specifically about that war or time period. There is a fascination with the machines of war though, with one song about a submarine and two more about tanks. Images of tank treads crushing fleshless skulls come to mind very quickly (like that scene in "Terminator 2"), as do recollections of the first twenty minutes of "Saving Private Ryan," with bullets flying, men dying, chaos abounding and death gods laughing. All of this... just before dawn.
Banished From Inferno
Minotaur
2012 Metal Inquisition Records
I was originally under the impression that Banished From Inferno was yet another of Rogga Johansson's many, many projects. I thought the mini-CD from a few years ago was brilliant, and now along comes "Minotaur" ... without Rogga. I'll be honest, I was a little worried at first. You see, there was another band he was involved in for one album, called Sinners Burn. Their first album, "Pre-mortal Autopsy" was brilliant. Then he left, and the followup "Mortuary Rendezvous" came across as lacking (but I must say that their third effort was a raging beast). But it turns out that my fears were completely misplaced. You see, Banished From Inferno was never exactly "his" project. He contributed vocals on the debut, but it was the Spanish members of the band that did all the heavy lifting, and they're not exactly lightweights themselves. Julkarn also does time in Graveyard, and Rober Bustabad is in Machetazo. Then there's drummer Phlegeton, also of Godus and Wormed. Can't say that I'm familiar with vocalist Balc's other bands though (Balmog, Scent of Death). But with guys in bands like those, it's not a surprise that Banished From Inferno sound like a more grind-influenced Swedish death metal band. But from Spain. And don't let that mention of grind scare you off. There's far less of that here than there was on Napalm Death's "Harmony Corruption." But what there is of it helps keep things from completely sounding Swedish, adding a bit of flavor to really give the band it's own identity. So yeah, Banished From Inferno is in good hands. But then, it always was.
Bombs of Hades
The Serpent's Redemption
2012 Pulverised Records
Yep. A new album from these "old school is the only school" Swedes. In their short existence, Bombs of Hades has managed to become one of my favorite bands of recent years, and I can't praise them enough. At times, I wonder what would have happened if they'd stuck with their original idea of playing crust punk, and then I start thinking that it would be cool if they brought in more of that influence to their sound, kind of like what Bones does here in the USA. Well, I don't have to wonder any more. On "The Serpent's Redemption," they've done that... but in a different way. Bones focuses more on the crust aspects. Bombs of Hades go back to the origins of d-beat (yes, I mean Discharge), and do a death metal oriented version of it. Anyone worried about this, don't be. There is no question that this is a death metal album. Both the title track and "Skull Collector" are concrete proof of that. This mixing of influences is what bands used to do, rather than simply copy what has gone before. If you need an example from the past of that, I would recommend you listen closely to Metallica's "Kill 'em All." They took elements of the NWOBHM, mainly from Holocaust, Blitzkrieg and Diamond Head, and put a new spin on them... that spin being the fledgling sound of thrash metal. You can absolutely hear those influences, but you can't say that Metallica sounded exactly like those bands. Bombs of Hades more or less do the same thing, by taking d-beat, pulling in some Slayer-esque parts (check the solos on "Incubus Descending") and spinning it all into death metal. I should point out that just like with the previous album, "Chambers of Abominations," this is not a "retro-band" in any way. This is true for two main reasons. First, you can't be a "retro-band" if the band is comprised of members who were there for the original scene. Second, Bombs of Hades do not try to recapture, imitate or emulate the sounds of 1989 to 1992. The foundation may be the same as what the retro types are doing, but the music constructed upon that foundation is not. Put simply, Bombs of Hades do not sound like some kind of recently exhumed "lost" band of two decades ago. That is why they stand well above a lot of other bands. They're doing their own thing and taking the classic sound forward... rather than living backwards.
Howling
A Beast Conceived
2013 Razorback Records
Right from the opening riff of "As Man Becomes Lycanthrope," you can tell that Howling is not like most death metal bands you've heard before. It's a full on early "Metal Blade Records" type riff, more akin to something off an Omen album. Get used to it, because there's a lot more where that came from, along with others that might well remind you of early Iron Maiden. Definitely not your typical death metal fare. I mean, check out the soloing that comes halfway through "Demented Debauchery." When's the last time you heard something like that on a death metal album? The lineup here is 2/3 of the much missed Beyond Hell (well, missed by me at least), with Tony Proffer on guitars (and writing all the music) and Elektrokutioner on drums. Handling the vocals and all lyrics is Vanessa Nocera (who while not as prolific as Elektrokutioner is well on her way to being there). Lyrically, Vanessa takes all of her inspiration from late 70s and 1980s horror movies, with the earliest being "The Fog" and "Tourist Trap" from 1979, and the most recent as "Pumpkinhead" from 1988. A whole gamut of ghoulish nasties is covered, from werewolves to murderous mothers to supernatural entities intent on gore and dismemberment. Based off just the title, I was a little surprised that "When the Hills Ran Red" wasn't inspired by "The Hills Have Eyes," but there's always next time. So yeah, this is cool little album of terror, although things aren't completely perfect. "A Night in the Crypt" has a riff more suited to maybe newer Entombed, and "The Hills Ran Red" starts with something that sounds vaguely familiar... kind of reminds me of some black thrash album? It'll probably come to me right after I publish this.
Degial
Death's Striking Wings
Sepulchral Voice Records
I listen to a lot of metal. But for all the bands I listen to and like, I find that very few of them really truly manage to strike a chord in my soul and stick with me. Degial are just such a band. Without a doubt, they are as dedicated to their music as they are to living. You've probably heard the notion that someone "bleeds for their art"? Well, I am positive that Degial do just that. Not surprising though. The guys in this band are also either in or have been part of acts like Undergång, Repugnant, Die Hard, Watain and Unpure. And here they've banded together to form Degial, which can be summed up as what might have happened if Morbid Angel had come out of Sweden instead of Florida. Seriously, this is the Swedish answer to "Altars of Madness" and "Abominations of Desolation." High praise, but more than well deserved. Any true fan of death metal who has been disappointed with the direction Morbid Angel have taken in the last several years (especially in the case of their atrocious "I" album, the full name of which will be unspoken here), will be more than satisfied with the songs on "Death's Striking Wings." Which isn't to say that Degial should be written off as just a clone of older Morbid Angel. They're more than that. It's just that their main influence can be heard so plainly. Definitely one of the real finds of 2012.
Binah
Hallucinating in Resurrecture
2012 Dark Descent Records
Back in the early 1990s, the UK was rife with death metal bands... Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Benediction, and the unholy triumvirate of doom death: My Dying Bride, Anathema and Paradise Lost. Many of these have since taken different paths. Some have stayed true to their roots, others added some experimentation, and still others have given up any resemblance to death metal entirely. Recently though, there has been a resurgence. It may well be that alongside their brethren of Grave Miasma, Spearhead and Cruciamentum, Binah is at the forefront of a revival of the spirit of old. The ancient feeling can be heard throughout all of the songs here, as Binah channel the likes of Autopsy, Asphyx and Demigod. In fact, the old Finnish scene plays heavily into their influences. The same kind dark vibes can be found here. The Finns had a real talent for taking what the Swedes in Stockholm were cranking out in 1990 and 1991 and putting a more twisted spin on things. Entombed may have pointed us to the "Left Hand Path," but the likes of Demigod and Abhorrence were the bands that strayed off that path and led us to even darker depths of sonic brutality. To put it bluntly, Binah learned from those bands, and learned their lessons well. They've taken the old school sound to heart and given us something that evokes those old feelings, but at the same time is not just a simple derivative of them. "Hallucinating in Resurrecture" is an album that could not have been written or even conceived of in death metal's golden age.
Mongrel's Cross
The Sins of Aquarius
2012 Hell's Headbangers
Mongrel's Cross is a trio of Aussie maniacs who just happened to have come up with one of the best newer bands from down under, specifically Brisbane. That would be the same area that Vomitor, Spear of Longinus and Portal hail from. Old gods Misery came out of there as well, so the scene has a good amount of history to it. As far as their sound goes,
think of a slightly more Bathory influenced Bestial Warlust, and you've pretty much got Mongrel's Cross nailed (any pun intended). This is one of those bands that understands how to mix things up in their songs, going from full speed to slower breaks built for headbanging, and then right back to blasting away. In doing so, their songs tend to be longer than you might expect. The shortest here is 4:32, with the other six being over five minutes, and the longest at 7:22. So at seven songs, it's definitely a full album, and not an ep like you might have gotten from other bands. The production is nice and dirty, but not to the point where it sounds like it was recorded in a highway rest stop. It's lo-fi enough to give that good old primitive feeling and not sound like a demo. I want more already. Yet another fine example of why Australia has some of the top-notch metal on the planet.
