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.