Wooden Stake - Vampire Plague Exorcism

Wooden Stake
Vampire Plague Exorcism
2010 Hexamorphosis Productions
Oddly enough, I don't believe there's any mentions of vampires on this mini-CD. That doesn't make it any less creepy though. Everyone's favorite multi-instrumentalist, how-many-projects-can-he-have maniac, the Elektrokutioner is back and teaming up with one Vanessa Nocera [bass, vocals] to create the
haunted sounds of Wooden Stake. I'm sure some will try to draw comparisons between this band and Canada's Cauchemar... But besides the facts that they're both female fronted and that Vanessa sings in English and not French, the reality is that Wooden Stake are in the Saint Vitus doom vein, while Cauchemar are far more NWOBHM influenced. I'm a little on the fence about Vanessa's vocals. Not her singing though, that's fine, and she sounds like maybe Stevie Nicks mixed with a little Grace Slick. No, the issue I'm referring to is the fact that she's very low in the mix. On the one hand, I'd like to hear her a little better over the music. But at the same time, the fact that the mix has her lower than most everything else gives a whole new dimension to their sound... one of claustrophobia. This mini-CD is very limited, so you probably want to get moving on obtaining a copy. But if you miss it (or if you don't), you'll have other opportunities to hear the band. They've got a couple of split releases coming in the near
future. I'd rather see a full-length release, but corpses can't be choosers.

Intestinal - Human Harvest

Intestinal
Human Harvest
2010 Psycho Records
This Swedish four-piece has only been around for two years, but what they've unleashed here sounds like it comes from the Stockholm scene of twenty years ago. Total old-school onslaught here, in the same vein as early Dismember, Entombed and Nirvana 2002. They keep things moving in a very straightforward direction, with ten tracks at just over a half hour. "Human Harvest" never gets boring, and every track has a "dirty" kind of sound, like they buried their instruments in a graveyard for six months and then dug them up to record this album. To say this stuff is morbid would be an understatement. Practically every riff is of the type that hits you right where you like it. You know that visceral "urghhh!!!" feeling you get when you hear a piece of music you really like? You'll be getting that feeling a lot here. Lyric-wise, you'll be hearing some themes that are straight out of 1990, with tracks about necrophilia, murder, maggot-covered corpses, and just general mayhemic bloodshed. I really wouldn't be looking for socially-conscious or deep thoughts here. I think the deepest thought these guys have is how deep they're going to stab that knife into your gut. For those into high-brow or technical music, look elsewhere. Us neanderthals though, will be totally into Intestinal.

Tombstones - Not for the Squeamish

Tombstones
Not for the Squeamish
2010 Razorback Records
Starting off with a more straightforward death metal/grindcore approach, Razorback Records' roster has morphed into something more along the
lines of late 70s/early 80s B-movie inspired death metal. Some might call it "horror metal" or "gore metal." I prefer not to get involved in that kind of debate. In the end, it all goes back to death metal. It's almost as if the past releases of Hooded Menace, Scaremaker and Revolting have led to this: the birth of Tombstones. In a way, this is a sort of underground supergroup, as it features the Elektrokutioner-- he of many different bands including Loathsome, Decrepitaph and Beyond Hell, Patrick Bruss-- the demented mind behind Crypticus, and Stevo Dobbins-- yes, THAT Stevo. The same one who once fronted the spiritual godfather of this gore scene, Impetigo. The tracks here are all standard Razorback fare, with heavy-handed, riff-oriented death metal and lyrics that are all but based on episodes of "Tales From the Crypt." In fact, Stevo takes the role of The Cryptkeeper, giving an introduction to most (if not all) tracks in as sinister and creepy a voice as he can manage. Given who he is, that's very damn creepy and sinister, I might add. Obviously, if you're into any of the bands (or the comic books/show) mentioned here, this one is a no-brainer!

Evil Shepherd - Sowing Death

Evil Shepherd
Sowing Death
2010 Witches Brew
I know of only a handful of bands from Belgium... mainly Enthroned, Ancient Rites, and uh... well at least I can add Evil Shepherd to that list. With all the new thrash bands coming out, it seems like they all fit into one mold or another. The majority of them recall the glory days of either the German scene ("we want to be Destruction") or the American Bay Area one ("we want to be Testament"). But on occasion, one runs across a band that doesn't fit either of those categories. I think you know where I'm going with this, and yes... Evil Shepherd are such a band. Right from the opening drumbeats, it's obvious that these guys are going more for the punk part of the "metal + punk" = "thrash metal" equation. A lot of the time, I found myself thinking that they could just about be described as Sadus playing D.R.I. covers. The punk end of things comes into play also in the length of the thirteen tracks found here. At a length of four minutes and twenty eight seconds, "History of Violence" is the oddball track, as most are under the four minute mark, and most of those are even well under three minutes. Short, fast and sweet... but minus the snotty attitude problem that most punk music has. No, Evil Shepherd are squarely in the metal category, right where they belong.

Children of Technology - It's Time to Face the Doomsday

Children of Technology
It's Time to Face the Doomsday
2010 Hells Headbangers
Italy's Children of Technology are a crusty punk crossover type band (metalpunk?) that lies somewhere at the crossroads of Carnivore, Voivod's first two albums, and Discharge. This band of four nuclear mutants have unleashed their post-apocalyptic fury on the underground wasteland. Anyone see a theme here? As much as the aforementioned bands are an influence on CoT, it's safe to say that Mad Max (especially "The Road Warrior") is an even bigger influence. I have a feeling that Children of Technology watched that movie until they could quote it word for word, and did the same with similar '80s flicks like "The Exterminator," "Red Dawn," "The New Barbarians," and a host of straight to video B-movies based on the adventures of a lone hero after a nuclear holocaust. This is the sort of music that is meant for vinyl and cassette releases. Listening to it on CD or as mp3s is almost a criminal offense. Suffice to say, if you're at all into unwashed bands sporting liberty spikes or huge mohawks, who wear vests and jackets adorned with crudely printed patches and play a contemporary form of anarcho-punk, then this is for you!

The Black - Gorgoni

The Black
Gorgoni
2010 Black Widow Records
This is the Italian band, The Black, not the Swedish one. And before anyone starts yammering that they need to change the name, the fact is that this band has been around a little longer. So let the Swedes change their name to The True Black or some other nonsense. The main guy here is one Mario "The Black" DiDonato. The man has been around in the Italian scene for a long time, first as a member of Unreal Terror, and then in Requiem. Unreal Terror dates all the way back to 1979, but I only know for sure that he was on their two releases in 1985 and 1986. Requiem were around from the mid-80s to at least 1992, and just had the majority of their discography pressed as a double CD. It was here that DiDonato started to put together the formula that would become The Black. The Black are a little hard to pin down. At times, they're very much in a heavy/doom metal vein. But at the same time, there's also a lot of progressive elements. If that's not enough, DiDonato sings everything in Latin. I wouldn't go so far as to call them "occult," but a very dark feeling can be found in both this album as well as the ones they've done previously. "Gorgoni" appears to center around the Greek legends of Perseus and Medusa, although if you're looking for a metal version of "Clash of the Titans," this isn't it. Given that this album was released on Black Widow, it's a little hard to find, and will be on the expensive side if you do. But if you're into dark progressive doom of any sort, I promise that the time searching and the money paid will both be well spent.

Deathhammer - Phantom Knights

Deathhammer
Phantom Knights
2010 Witches Brew
"We're gonna get F.U.B.A.R now." - Gabriel Cash (Kurt Russell), Tango & Cash, 1989.
Yeah, I'd have to agree. The short description of Deathhammer would be what might have happened if the original members of Slayer grew up in Norway and became devoted fanatics of Germany's Destruction. As is common with this new breed of thrash metal, the amount of enthusiasm is on a par with the debuts of the legendary old guard. Forget "maturity," forget "song crafting," forget "expanding your horizons" ... really, just forget anything except for putting together some songs that shred, rip, tear, mutilate, destroy and devastate. That's what Deathhammer have done here. Compare the earliest albums of virtually any band versus their most recent work, and chances are that you'll find there's an energy and vibe there that has since gone missing. That kind of feeling is present here in full force. Maybe it's being new in the scene, maybe it's youthful exuberance, or maybe it's just not caring about anything except for violent metal. Whatever the case may be, Deathhammer are on the right path and I doubt there's any plans to slow down or write a ballad. "Phantom Knights" is pure thrash metal to the core... dirty, ugly, in your face... everything that it is supposed to be without anything that it's not supposed to be. If metal is a drug, then this is the kind of high-grade shit that Scarface would be selling to his high end clients.

The state of the "art" of death metal vocals

The "art" of death metal vocals has been lost. There was a time when each band had a vocalist with a distinct sound. You could tell Martin van Drunen from Kam Lee. Or Brett Hoffman from Barney Greenway. John Tardy, Karl Willetts, Marc Grewe, Chuck Schuldiner, Dave Ingram, Matti Karki, LG Petrov, Chris Barnes, Johnny Hedlund, Jeff Walker, Chris Riefert, David Vincent... all of these men had (and most of them still have) their own unique style. These days, what passes for death metal vocals seems to fall into two camps. First, there's the "bastard sons of Barnes," who still try their best to emulate the gutteral gurgling from "Tomb of the Mutilated." This used to be the way that most newer bands went for many years. The idea of sounding lower than low and as unintelligible as possible was appealing to many. But this lot have started to die out over the years in favor of the current "deathcore" sound. More and more vocalists just go for a gruff style with a strong hardcore influence. There's no substance to their voices. No soul. They get the job done, and barely even manage that. They all sound the same, and I doubt that many could tell one from another. There was a time when a death metal vocalist's sound was just as important as the band's guitar tone. Somewhere along the way, that mentality has been lost. There are some bands that still do care about having a unique voice. But the majority of the popular newer bands have vocalists who are indistinguishable from each other.But for a few rare exceptions, the shock value and true extremity of the death metal vocalist has become watered down and diminished to the point of worthlessness.

Interment - Into the Crypts of Blasphemy

Interment
Into the Crypts of Blasphemy
2010 Pulverised Records
It's been a long road for Sweden's Interment. Originally known as Beyond, and formed in 1988, they were there at the beginning of the Swedish death metal scene. Unfortunately, they were not among the bands snapped up by the bigger underground labels of the early 90s. They faded into obscurity until only recently. The guys in the band, however, have been in other known acts such as Demonical, Regurgitate, Centinex, Dellamorte, and the cult favorite Uncanny. So it's not like they've been sitting in front of their TV sets playing Halo for the past several years. With a split release with Funebrarum and a compilation of their demos out on the market, the time is right for their debut album to hit us over the head. Which it does with a vengeance, like a pro-wrestler armed with a 2x4. Some may well scoff and say that all of this has been done before, but the fact remains that this is not a bunch of newbies in the scene going back and playing some kind of retro-death metal. This is the real thing from guys who have been around for a long time now. The cool thing is that this disc doesn't consist of re-recorded demo material. Other than maybe one song, everything here is brand new. New, and yet it sounds like it's straight out of 1990. Sounds like this are proof to the bands who "made it" the first time around that "progression" is overrated, "growth" is anything but, and the old morbid way is the only way.

Witchery - Witchkrieg

Witchery
Witchkrieg
2010 Century Media
Every few years or so, Jensen takes a break from The Haunted and puts together a more traditional sounding thrash-fest with Witchery. "Witchkrieg" is a little different than what you might have expected though. ... more on that in a bit. Probably the biggest news about this album is that Toxine left the band and Legion (ex-Marduk) stepped in. After hearing him, I can't say that I miss Toxine at all. In fact, the only time I thought about Toxine while listening to this album was when I thought to myself, "I don't miss Toxine at all." The other big news is the guitar solos from the guest stars. Kerry King opens the festivities up with "Witchkrieg." Hank Shermann keeps it up in "The God Who Fell From Earth," Andy Laroque in "Dead to Worse," Gary Holt with Lee Altus on "The Reaver," and Jim Durkin on "One Foot in the Grave." Each of these guys give their parts their own unique spin, with Gary and Lee doing some insane tradeoffs and Hank's solo just being in a class all by itself. I'm sure that guitarist Richard Corpse is trying to figure out just how the hell he's going to play those solos in a live situation. Not surprisingly, Slayer's post 1990 outputs form the cornerstone of what Witchery sound like today. But hold on here... believe it or not, there's also a ton of Mercyful Fate influences on a few tracks as well. This can especially be heard on "The God who Fell to Earth" and "Conqueror's Return." These tracks draw off of both the original Fate albums as well as the reunion era material. There's a little more atmosphere on them, but don't worry. Things go back to slam bang speed thrash before you know it. All in all, this one's a keeper.

Immaculate - Atheist Crusade

Immaculate
Atheist Crusade
2010 Stormspell Records
It's taken three years, but Swedish thrashers Immaculate have finally come up with a second album. Their debut, "Thrash, Kill 'n' Destroy" was a better than average affair, with songs that reminded many of the likes of Holy Terror, early Dark Angel, and maybe a little bit of Death Angel or Raven as well. Sounds like a nasty potent mix to me. Flash forward to today, and check out "Athiest Crusade." This one boasts of better production, the chaotic sounds somewhat reigned in and refocused, and a little bit more of an 80s heavy metal vibe throughout. Oh, they're still fast, so don't go making the mistake of thinking that they're not. It's just that when you throw in a cover of Fates Warning's "The Apparition," it's not going to be blasted through at a frantic pace. It's possible that Immaculate's version is heavier, but it's definitely not faster. They really did this song right. They kept their own tones and tunings, but stuck very close to the source material instead of going out on a limb and recording an "interpretation". That really helps solidify the idea that Immaculate consists of five regular guys who play metal music and aren't hung up on the idea of "music as art." They've probably belted out this song in practice many times before and the thought of "customizing" it would never have crossed their minds. So yeah, this is music by fans... for fans.

Perdition Temple - Edict of the Antichrist Elect

Perdition Temple
Edict of the Antichrist Elect
2010 Osmose Productions
Alright, Angelcorpse is again defunct, but guitarist Gene Palubicki is not. In addition to Blasphemic Cruelty (fronted by Alex Blume of Ares Kingdom), he's also got a two-man project called Perdition Temple. Gene handles everything except for the drums. Those, he leaves to Terry Eleftheriou. Terry played drums for Angelcorpse towards the very end of their existence. He's also been in bands such as Embrace of Thorns, Naer Mataron, and Gauntlet's Sword. Obviously, he's very much in demand, and if he's playing on something of Gene's, he's also damn good. The eight songs on this album are probably about what you'd expect... blasphemous death metal with an extremely strong lyrical content. Lots of killer riffs and solos, and more speed than you can handle. But it's all tempered with good song structures, and nothing ever seems out of place or gets drawn out for too long. There's no wasted space in any of the tracks, no pointless noodling or "wandering around lost" as I like to say. So really, all is well with this album. If you liked Angelcorpse, you'd do well to pick this one up.

Blood Mortized - Bestial ep

I was totally blown away and floored at the same time by Blood Mortized's self-titled debut in 2009, as was just about every person I played it for. In the creation of this ep, the band believes that they have topped their first album. I'm inclined to agree. Before, they had the sound of Sweden from 1990 and 1991. This time, you can add 1988 and 1989 to those years as well. That would have been back in the formative years of both Dismember and Nihilist, for those keeping score. While Bloodbath are garnering the most attention in the "return to the beginning" death metal scene, it's really only because of who is in the band combined with the label push. If you take both of those factors out of the equation and listen to the music on its own merits, I'd have to say that Blood Mortized are better. All three songs here are awesome, but it's the closer, "Rekviem" that really evokes the old morbid, decaying feeling that is the heart and soul of Swedish death metal. The only real fault here is that this is only three tracks. Suffice to say, this is a mandatory purchase. The only question you'll have is what format to pick it up on, as the band plans for it to be out on tape, vinyl and CD.

Hellish Crossfire - Bloodrusted Scythe

Hellish Crossfire
Bloodrusted Scythe
2010 I Hate Records
As good as "Slaves of the Burning Pentagram" was, "Bloodrusted Scythe" is even better. Hellish Crossfire made a few changes with their sound, all of them for the better. Thrash is of course, still the main element. But a few blatant black metal passages show up here and there. Plain old heavy metal does as well. They mix and interweave those styles into each song too, and do it in such a way as to allow each track to reach maximum headbanging potential. Old Mercyful Fate is just as much of an influence as early Kreator. Don't go calling Hellish Crossfire a "retro thrash" band either. This has fuck-all to do with that scene, and everything to do with the forward-looking thrash sound shared with bands like Witchburner, Nocturnal and Witching Hour. The only thing "retro" here is the fact that they didn't use any damned triggers on the drums. Obviously, the mindset here is that if you can't play it without hardware that helps play it for you, then you shouldn't play it at all. Damn straight. Words to live by there.

Kaiju - Total Monster Armageddon

Kaiju
Total Monster Armageddon
2010 Shepherd of Rot Records
I'm surprised no one thought of this sooner. The idea of giant monsters meeting death metal just had to happen sooner or later. The time is now. Kaiju walks the Earth! Somehow or another, this band didn't get picked up by Razorback Records, as they would have fit in perfectly there. Not sure if they were overlooked or didn't send them a promo pack or what, but then again... putting your own band out on your own label does have its appeal. So here we have fourteen tracks of an all out giant monster attack (six of the songs are straight off of their "The Gods Are Angry" demo), and whatever city you happen to live in is about to be stomped into dust and the citizenry reduced to ashes. The death metal is heavy, the vocals gutteral, and the keyboards add just the right touch of horror. Yes, keyboards. Mortuary Mike uses his instrument to enhance the songs in various places, while Chainsaw Joel throws out sick guitar virtuoso solos all over the place, yet never descends into fretboard wankery. Lately there seems to be a sharp division of "old school death metal" and "modern death metal." Kaiju really don't fit into either category. While there is a strong old school vibe throughout all of the tracks, it's also safe to say that no 1990s death metal band was doing anything even remotely like this. At the same time, Kaiju don't fit in with the modern style much either. They're brutal, but not in the modern way. That said, "Total Monster Armageddon" does kind of resemble the current "album with no songs" format favored by the new school. The tracks just kind of careen along at their own pace and it's like the band just decided to see where each one would go without really planning anything. Ordinarily, I can't stand this type of songwriting (or lack thereof), but for once it works. "Total Monster Armageddon" comes across like a soundtrack, with each song portraying a scene from what would be the most badass Toho produced flick ever.

Beyond Hell - The Sleeper Awakens

Beyond Hell
The Sleeper Awakens
2010 Dark Descent / Skeleton Plague
The Elektrocutioner strikes again! I've given up count as to who has more projects going: him or Rogga Johansson. Not that it matters, of course. What does matter is that Beyond Hell kicks some major poser ass down the block and back again. Call it an old school death metal revival if you will, but I'm loving it. Beyond Hell really hits the proverbial nail on the head here. With a sound that lies some place between Death's "Scream Bloody Gore" and "Leprosy" albums with a bit of early Morgoth and van Drunen era Pestilence tossed in for good measure, Beyond Hell have come up with a potent recipe indeed. Think "Malleus Maleficarum" written by Chuck Schuldiner instead of that tosser, Mameli. Maybe the guitar solos get to be a little much at times, but they all seem to work very well. Which is good, because there's a shitload of them. As a special bonus, Beyond Hell opted to include their debut mini-album "... and Evil Crept Through" here for those who didn't manage to get ahold of one of the 50 copies.

Perversor - Demon Metal

Perversor
Demon Metal
2010 Hell's Headbangers
Perversor is yet another band hailing from South America that has a sound somewhere between Blasphemy and Sarcofago. In other words, their music is fast, bestial as all hell, and will scare the shit out of little old churchladies. Compared to their previous release, "Cult of Destruction," the production is a lot thicker, making for an overall better sound. Some might argue that point, but I've never really been one for thin sounding albums. I prefer my metal and my women with a good, solid bottom end. Moving on past that, this mini-CD is over far too quickly, although the song length for the style is a little longer than average. It also helps that each song is not just a single-minded high speed blast fest. These guys have a tendency to start off a little slow and then suddenly take off fast like they were being chased by a mob of Christian fanatics armed with pitchforks and torches.

Blasphemophager - ... For Chaos, Obscurity and Damnation

Blasphemophager
... For Chaos, Obscurity and Damnation
2010 Nuclear War Now!
I suppose that on some level, Blasphemophager could be called Blasphemy's somewhat better-mannered cousin. Bestial and ugly, yes. But also not the type of band that can only play at one speed: fast. Blasphemophager are able to mix temps up some, and present us with some very heavy slow, semi-melodic parts. Of course, these are few and far between. After all, the band is trying their damndest to convince us that they're just as dangerous as their big Canadian brother. I think they manage to do so, because they've opted to take a different route this time. The first track, "Descending into Extermination" has a lot more in common with Asphyx than Blasphemy. Which isn't to say that they forego all of the speed shredding and drum mutilations. Far from it. Later tracks have a strong Slayer vibe to them, again combined with a slightly faster version of Asphyx. The album itself is just about the right length. Long enough not to be an ep, but also not long enough to get boring. Blasphemophager's style is best taken in short doses. More than that, and their songs do tend to start sounding the same.

Armour - self titled

Armour
Armour
2010 Hell's Headbangers
Heavy metal is fun again. With a sound reminiscent of Scorpions, Twisted Sister, Ratt, early Motley Crue and early W.A.S.P., bands like Armour have brought back the early 80s sound with a harder edge. Yes, those are some glam and semi-glam type bands that I listed, but all of them had an attitude and sound that Poison, Warrant and Dokken did not. Armour is influenced by glam metal, not hairspray bands. There is a difference, albeit a fine one. A few other bands in this style have popped up recently, including Enforcer (Sweden), Hardcore Superstar and Bullet. Every single one of them are the direct opposite of the grim and truer than thou acts of the last twenty or so years. Damn... has it really been that long since the glory days of Hollywood's Sunset Strip? Actually, yes. And it's closer to twenty five or thirty years. The return of this sound is either going to go over in a big way or it's going to fail miserably. Either way, I suggest that while it lasts, you get your significant other to give this a listen, because even if they don't like metal, they're going to have a good time hearing this album. Not only will they put out, but they'll let you do things to them that they ordinarily would refuse. So if your girlfriend listens to this album and gives you the third input... you owe a debt to Armour!

Ares Kingdom - Incendiary

Ares Kingdom
Incendiary
2010 Nuclear War Now!
Ares Kingdom's debut album, "Return to Dust" was a masterpiece of thrashing proto-death metal that really hit the underground like the proverbial unstoppable force. Obviously, the question after the release of that album was whether or not they would be able to match it with their second album. Not only does "Incendiary" match the debut, it surpasses it. The songs are tighter and much more focused. The mix is just about as perfect as you can get, and they didn't have to spend Def Leppard type money to get it either. Overall, the vibe is one of pure classic heavy metal, just with a lot of distortion and Alex Blume's raging beast vocals to boot. Chuck Keller's solos are just about worth the price of admission alone, as he cranks them out at a frenzied pace that neither Kerry King or Jeff Hanneman could match even on their best day. Holding it all together are Mike Miller's drumming and Doug Overbay's rhythm guitar. These four guys work as a unit, never stepping on or trying to outshine each other. That, my friends, is really what a band is all about. I have yet to hear if there will be any 12" vinyl singles as there were for "Return to Dust," but I'm sure that if any are released, they are as much of a must have item as this album.

So why am I back?

I suppose I should talk about why I decided to semi-resurrect the zine in the form of this blog. Well, as I had indicated in my farewell address in the final issue, I was still going to be writing for at least one or two other publications. But those are printed mags and I kind of like the idea of being able to spread my opinions further and wider. They don’t call it the “world wide web” for nothing.

So a blog seemed like the best way to go. I guess I still have some things to say, and spreading the names of bands I like is definitely one of those things. But here, I’m not constrained by having to do an issue and have set deadlines for myself. The sporadic format a blog allows me is a good thing. I’ll see about getting some reviews up of some recent releases that kicked my ass some time soon.

.... so much for retirement...

Looks like my retirement (or semi-retirement) is over. I may have ended Metal Nightmare, but I've still been contributing here and there, mostly for Bulldozer Magazine. The fire still burns, it seems. My zine will still remain dead, and this blog will be the new order of things. You can expect to see reviews, rants, and the occasional interview on here. What you won't see is regularly scheduled updates. I'll be posting here irregularly, so be sure to check back every so often. You never know when there will be something new.