Ritual Necromancy
Oath of the Abyss
2011 Dark Descent Records
The revival of old school death metal (for some of us, it's the only school) appears to be in full swing, and there is a definite division between how Sweden and the United States is going about it. You'd think that after all this time that maybe the Stockholm sound would have migrated to the US, and our sound would have popped up there. The thought being, of course that the grass is greener on the other side. While we were dreaming of seeing bands like God Macabre or Utumno, overseas they were dreaming of Sadistic Intent. But no, Sweden still retains their signature sound, while here in the US, bands are intently focusing on the sludgy sound of old Incantation. Disma and Father Befouled being two of these. Ritual Necromancy though, are at least trying to take a bit of a different road. Vocally, you may have a guy doing his best Craig Pillard imitation, and the mix may lend itself to the suffocating atmosphere of Incantation, but the guitar tunings have even more distortion, while the drummer likes to blast as often and as much as possible. These guys really went for a production that sounds like the album was recorded in a cave, under the supervision of Cthulhu himself. Didn't know the Great Old One was an engineer, did you? At times, things do get almost a little too heavy, and the sound suffers a bit for it, as if the equipment just couldn't handle the devastation. While I don't believe that the band was going for the same deliberate stereo destroying sound that Exit-13 did many years ago, I would still recommend that you proceed with caution in how loud you play it.
Krisiun
The Great Execution
2011 Century Media Records
This was a nice way to wrap up 2011. The mighty Krisiun threw this grenade at us just before the end of the year, when record labels usually wind their operations down before starting anew in the coming year. Make no mistake, this album is no mere bone tossed at us to sate our metal appetites for the short-term. This is Krisiun at the top of their game (or at least the current top ... they may well not have reached their peak). I've heard others say that this band of brothers has really stepped up their songwriting for this album, and I'd have to agree. If you're concerned about the "flamenco" parts you may have heard about, don't be. At least for me, they sound like the usual flourishes that Moyses Kolesne is already known for. This is also one of Krisiun's longest albums, so you get a whole lot of metal for your buck. Between Krisiun and Vader in 2011, a lot of the damage done to the hearts and minds of the death metal community by Morbid Angel's failed abortion has been undone. Our faith is restored, and one of our fallen idols has now been replaced by some of the demigods of the scene.
Midnight Priest
Midnight Priest
2011 Stormspell Records
There are worlds other than this one. There exists an entire multiverse of infinite worlds with limitless possibilities. My point? I'm getting to that. Have you ever wondered what might have happened if Iron Maiden had a different pair of well-known guitarists back in their early days? Instead of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, what if Hank Shermann and Michael Denner had joined Iron Maiden? The answer to that question of course cannot be conclusively answered, but Portugal's Midnight Priest do give us an idea of what might have been in this little hypothetical question of ours. We are, of course ignoring the vocals in all of this. Singer "The Priest" does have a good voice, but he comes much closer to Kai Hansen than Dickinson or Di'Anno. The nine tracks here all have that well-known Maiden "thump" to them, but in terms of the guitar team, their tunings, soloing style, and just overall sound are right in line with the old Mercyful Fate albums. For the best proof of all this, look no further than "Segredo de Familia." This track sounds like it could easily have been written by Shermann back in the glory days of Fate. In fact, the further into this album one gets, the more it begins to sound more like a Mercyful Fate album than an Iron Maiden one (although "Cidade Fantasma" has the most Maiden-like sound of any track on the album). So it might even have been that Steve Harris would not be the main songwriter in this theoretical band of ours. Lucky for us, Midnight Priest then, is a real band! One small interesting point of note: on their debut ep, Midnight Priest displayed little or no similarity to Mercyful Fate's sound. Had I written this review at that time, we'd be talking a lot about Running Wild instead!
In Solitude
The World, The Flesh, The Devil
2011 Metal Blade Records
As the years go on, it seems that more and more bands are becoming content with merely imitating their influences, rather than letting those influences actually do what they're supposed to do. Which, of course is to play a part in the direction of a band's sound, and not be the sound itself. If you really need an example, just throw a rock at a gathering of black metal bands formed ten years ago or less. There is no doubt in my mind that you'll hit one that sounds like a pale imitation of one of the bigger bands in the scene. So what's that got to do with In Solitude? Simple. While a good portion of their sound is based off of the 80s releases of Mercyful Fate, they don't sound exactly like Fate. Singer Pelle Åhman's (aka "Hornper") voice may have a bit of a resemblance at times to King Diamond's mid-range, but he's not hitting the impossible highs, or the almost gutteral lows. No falsetto to be found here. As for the lyrics, if anyone was afraid they' tone down the satanism because of signing to a major label (major, that is, by the standards of the metal underground), let me allay your fears with this simple statement; those elements are still very much present, but in a more esoteric form. Subtlety is the key. All in all, these guys are fairly young, and if the two albums they've done so far are any indication, we can expect big things from them in the future.
Goreaphobia
Apocalyptic Necromancy
2011 Dark Descent Records
I don't know the current status of Bloodstorm, but judging what I hear on "Apocalyptic Necromancy," I'd have to think that Chris Gamble is folding much of that band into the now resurrected and revitalized Goreaphobia. The songs on this album have a lot more in common with black metal than death metal. The songtitles, lyrics and philosophy are also much more in line with the mythology of Bloodstorm. The production doesn't focus on the same heavy side of things as before, and the whirlwind drumming is going to come as a shock to some. This is not the same vile beast of abomination that we've become used to. Only once you realize and accept all of that will you be able to begin appreciating the direction Goreaphobia have chosen to go in.
Mordbrand
Necropsychotic
2011 Deathgasm Records
Per Boder, where the hell have you been all these years? After the breakup of the utterly brilliant (and much missed) God Macabre, just about all of the members disappeared. Ola Sjoberg has popped up again in Space Probe Taurus, and now vocalist Per Boder has resurfaced in Mordbrand. Of course this is an old school death metal band, and the songs remind me a lot of something other than just the old Stockholm sound. Listen closely to the faster parts, and you may recognize some similarities to the almighty Massacre. For those who are unsure of what is meant by old school brutality, these six songs are all perfect examples.
Ritual Necromancy
