Death Karma
The History of Death & Burial Rituals Part I
2015 Iron Bonehead Productions / Necroshrine Records
As if Cult of Fire wasn't an interesting enough band (and if you're not aware of them, you need to rectify that right now), leave it to two of the three members to go off and do a potentially even more interesting side project. Tom Coroner and Infernal Vlad put together Death Karma and have to date released both an ep and this full length. As the title indicates, this is a concept album. But rather than telling a tightly knit story or having some songs loosely written around a central theme, "The History of Death & Burial Rituals Part I" instead is six vignettes about different burial ceremonies from different parts of the world in ancient times. A morbid anthropology lesson, if you will. The places visited are Slovakia, Madagascar, Mexico, the Czech Republic, India and China. Unfortunately, the lyrics and information are all printed in red on black in a small font that's just about impossible to read. But, having done some research, I can say that the overall subject does make for some fascinating reading, and the reasons behind each ceremony even moreso. In the case of India, ("India - Towers of Silence" on the album), a certain sect practices a form of "sky burial," where the bodies of the deceased are placed on a tower (called a "dakhma") and left for birds to consume. The belief is that dead bodies are unclean, and should not be put in the ground or burned. This practice ensures the body does not decay. Eventually, the bones become bleached by the sun and are placed in an ossuary within the tower where they disintegrate. For the record, this song is an instrumental. The towers are silent. But what does Death Karma sound like, you ask? I'd have to say they're like a more death metal-oriented Master's Hammer, with maybe a little of the old Greek black metal sound included for good measure. At the very least, much of the same vibe, majesty and spirit are present. According to the liner notes, this truly is going to be just the first part in this series. I look forward to hearing about other obscure rituals in the future.
Ares Kingdom
The Unburiable Dead
2015 Nuclear War Now! Productions
For those wondering if the departure of guitarist Doug Overbay would cause any major changes in the sound of Ares Kingdom, the answer is that it has not. At least as far as recorded music goes. Live, I don't know if there will be a blatant hole, but it is possible. I once had the misfortune to witness Sepultura shortly after Max Cavalera had departed and Derrick Greene joined, and it was painfully obvious that a second guitar was not present and should have been. But AK live is another story for another day. Right now, we have "The Unburiable Dead," and again the chaosmongers do not disappoint. They have their sound and production dialed in, so the quality on that front is as impeccable as before. How it is that other bands manage to fuck up this fundamental part of their recorded output is beyond me. In this day and age, there's really no valid excuse unless it's done on purpose. As you'd expect, Mike Miller attacks his drumkit without mercy, Chuck Keller cranks out riffs and solos as only he can, and Alex Blume... well, let's come out and say it... Alex is a rabid beast behind the microphone. None of this is pretty, and none of it is meant to be. Ares Kingdom are unmistakeably metal, unapologetically metal, and unabashedly metal, with a sound and style that refuses to be categorized into anything as simplistic as black, death, blackened death, speed or thrash. Lyrically, Ares Kingdom again go for something far more poignant than "Blargghh! I am evil and I eat your face!" or "Satan! Satan!! Satan!!!!" No Kansas weather reports either. The title track especially is an excellent example, as it's not that the dead from huge battles such as those seen in World War I and II are unburiable, it's that they are in nameless graves. Truly a failure on our part, not being able to properly honor them for their sacrifice. Although that does sound a bit too noble. War may have acts of courage and bravery, but noble? I think not. War is many things, but noble is not one of them, despite our tendency to romanticize the hell out of it rather than recognize the hell in it.
Shit
Scavengers of a Dying Sun
2015 Chaos Records
Given the name, I fully expected Shit to be a full-on grindcore band. I was wrong. Right from the opening track, "On the Winds of Extermination," I discovered that Shit are instead a crust-influenced death/black metal act. That's actually not all that surprising, considering that the members have done time in other bands such as Man Destroys Himself, Infinitum Obscure and Mortuus Terror. While Shit is very potent, they are the opposite of their namesake. They don't promote growth. They promote destruction. The members aren't full of shit either. When it comes to their music, they really know their... no. I can't do that. I can't write this review based around all kinds of uses of the word "shit." That's going for a cheap laugh, and this is deadly serious shi... I mean stuff. The more grindcore-type elements of their sound is mostly heard in some of the d-beat like drum patterns. These however, end up giving way to more of a black metal sound, combined with guitar riffs that at times are similar to Marduk's more melodic passages, but without giving up any of the heaviness. The vocals though, are definitely not from within the realm of "orthodox" black metal, and are actually very interesting to listen to. Shit opted to go for the "layered" sound like on old Deicide records, where the vocals were recorded twice. Once gutteral, and once in a higher range. Then the two were combined. The really cool thing I like here is that at times the gutteral side dominates, and other times the higher range dominates. As I mentioned before, the band members have also done time in bands that are from different genres and styles of heavy music. They've managed to pull elements from all of those styles and use them here to create one sound. It's not like there's a grindcore part that's followed by a black/death part, and then a pure death metal part. The elements work with each other, not against each other. They work so well in fact, that it's not like you can say that Shit sound like Terrorizer meets Dissection. Because they don't. Shit sound like Shit, and Shit alone. Which is to say, they don't sound like shit.
Ruin
Spread Plague Hell
2015 Nero One Records
Somewhere, deep down within the sewer system of Los Angeles, past the strung-out druggies, past the alligators (yes, NYC... we have them too), past where your shit goes to die, lies the rehearsal room and home of Ruin. This mysterious three piece has unleashed a demo tape (because only analog is real!) of four tracks of the most down-tuned, sludge-filled, heavy metal of doom-filled death that you're likely to hear this year. For reasons known only to themselves, Ruin have decided to not only keep their true identities somewhat of a secret, but to also forego any kind of social media presence, save for any that their label may use. In fact, it's surprising they're even on a label. Whoever set them up with a contract is probably lucky to not have been cooked over an open pit and devoured. Musically, Ruin lies somewhere at the intersection of Incantation and early Mortician, where the Happy Toyz truck has gone into maximum overdrive and mowed down innocent pedestrians. Indeed, vocalist Mihail Jason Satan comes across as a less gutteral version of Craig Pillard. Just to prove the band doesn't play slow all the time, the last of the four tracks is a cover of Discharge's "The Final Bloodbath." Listening back to the previous three tracks, one then realizes that Discharge and d-Beat in general have as much of an influence on Ruin as the aforementioned bands. Hoping to hear more from this sonic crime against humanity soon.
Archgoat
The Apocalyptic Triumphator
2015 Debemur Morti Productions
One has to wonder what might have been if Archgoat had not lain dormant for ten or so years. As it stands, they are making up for lost time in some regards, with this new full length after several splits and eps. I guess this was released all the way back in January, but as it is on a very small but strong label, not many are aware of its existence. Plus, their last album was in 2009, so they may have been off the radar for many. Archgoat are still doing black metal in their own distinct way. Generally mid-paced with occasional bursts of speed, downtuned, and no shrieking vocals. At times, such as on "Grand Luciferian Theophany," you could even consider them death metal. This track in particular has almost a Bolt Thrower kind of feel to it, with its slow and heavy drone. Bottom line here is that they were around before any "rules" of black metal were written, and any such rules do not apply to them. Yes, one does have to wonder what might have been. But I think that even if they had never broken up, Archgoat would have never become the flavor of the week like so many others have been... whether by accident or design.
Bonehunter
Evil Triumphs Again
2015 Hells Headbangers
It's a rare thing these days for me to see a band before having heard their album. This was the case with Bonehunter. I attended the 2015 edition of Hell's Headbash, and had the extremely good fortune to enter the venue just as these crazy Finns were starting their set. Despite being a young band (having formed in 2011), they didn't just play on that stage, they owned it. So does their album live up to their live show? Hard to say, but it's a damn good time regardless. The production is pretty fuzzy, so those expecting a clean and polished sound should look elsewhere immediately. This is not the kind of music that was meant to be recorded on a multitude of tracks with a shiny and chrome sound. No, this was dragged through the dirt and was banged up by rocks along the way. A little muck and grease never hurt anyone, and that's the case here. All three of these guys (guitarist Witch Rider in particular) push their instruments as far as they will go and then push a little further. This is death thrash played loud and ugly like it's supposed to be, always on the verge of going completely off the rails and falling apart. They also know enough to keep things short and to the point. Most tracks run between three and four minutes. Bonehunter come in, do their thing, and then get out. Leaving you wanting more of course, but that's the nature of the beast.
Power From Hell
Devil's Whorehouse
2015 Hells Headbangers
Brazil's Power From Hell has been kicking around for a while now, and "Devil's Whorehouse" is their fifth album. Much like the USA's Midnight and Norway's Nocturnal Breed, Power From Hell have a sound built around dirty rock and roll and heavy metal with a strong punk feel and attitude. Also, all three bands have a penchant for including images of topless women in their albums. I keep using "they," but in reality Power From Hell is the devilspawn of a warped individual named Sodomic. He's aligned himself with various likeminded people over the years, who either came in as session members or joined for a while and then left. Not surprisingly, Power From Hell focus on such time-honored subjects as booze, metal music and horny sluts. That list is in no particular order, and a given track may include one or more of them. In all cases though, the shadowy spectre of Satan looms above. I think the production has gotten better over time, as "Devil's Whorehouse" has a sound that is at least somewhat slicker than that of "Sadismo." You'll have to decide if that's a good or a bad thing, as the older releases have a more unbridled sound. But really, it's not like Sodomic has strayed far from the formula of the previous albums. Power From Hell is still raunchy raucous rockin' metal in all its ugly glory, the same as it ever was.
Sulphur Aeon
Gateway to the Antisphere
2015 Imperium Productions
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!! Germany's Sulphur Aeon rise from the depths once again, with their follow up to 2013's "Swallowed by the Ocean's Tide." Those expecting another fairly straightforward death metal album may find themselves disappointed though. The unholy triad of T, M and D have gone in a different direction, following more in the conceptual footsteps of a band like Necros Christos. Not in their sound, mind you... but more where music, image, atmosphere and presentation all become one, to create something that transcends all of them. Even before you put the album in to hear it, you can tell you're in for something different from the norm. The packaging for the CD at least consists of a silver embossed slipcase, featuring the occult merging of a necrogram and the symbol of chaos on the front, and the logo, album title and songs on the back. Then you have a three-panel digipak featuring a bloated tentacle rising from the depths, a glued-in booklet and of course the disk itself. About the only thing they could have done that would have been more impressive (but not cost-effective) would have been to release this as a leather-bound book with the lyrics and such printed on parchment. The overall music and concept behind it has gone beyond the more typical death metal sounds of the debut, in favor of a much more twisted and meandering style that wanders hither and yon along paths that before now were never set upon by the foot of man. The world of Lovecraft is to Sulphur Aeon as ancient Egypt is to Nile or the human condition is to Napalm Death. It is the totality of their being and is that which drives them to create. it is also perhaps their one flaw as well. Sulphur Aeon owe so much to Lovecraft, that they might well have never existed to create such music if he had never existed. This leaves me to wonder what they might have done if they had created their own mythology and based their art on that instead. Even so, this may well become one of the top albums of 2015, at least for those of us in the know... for those of us who dig deeper and are not afraid to let the abyss gaze back into them.
Obeisance
Appetite for Desecration
2015 Old Cemetery Records
The album title may say "desecration," but this album is more about obliteration, devastation and nihilism. Hell Paso's own blasphemers of Biblical proportion are back, and they don't care what your religion is; they're going to call it out for the pack of lies that it is. Most satanic death metal bands focus on either Judaism or Christianity, but Obeisance go where most others won't go, and direct most of their hate on Islam. Just check out "Hail to the Great Satan" if you need proof. If you're easily offended, then this is not the band for you. These guys are against any and all pussification and political correctness. But then metal was never supposed to be politically correct, was it? As far as the production goes, the band has maintained the same level they had on "666 War!" The trashcan drum sound from the second album is still just a memory. Vocally, Martin von Fah-q has more or less made himself even more understandable. Where some vocalists go for the more gutteral and unintelligible, he's opted to be less gutteral in order to get his message across better. At times, his style is more akin to just the spoken word, rather than sung. Somewhere in the distant past, Deicide was the go to band for pure hatred against religion. They've since become a virtual self-parody, and many bands have laid down claims to their now vacant throne. Without a doubt, Obeisance have presented one of the most valid such claims in this album.
Ashcloud
Abandon All Light
2015 Xtreem Music
Ashcloud is somewhat of a relatively new band, featuring the duo of Gareth Nash from the UK and Johnny Petterson of Sweden. I say "somewhat" new, because these two originally got together in 2005 under the moniker of Skinbag. They split up and reunited in 2013 with the new (and much improved!) name of Ashcloud. For the most part, the music here is in the vein of the old Swedish masters, but with a darker vibe... especially in the vocals department. Both members handle that duty, although Johnny is more at the forefront. That's not too surprising, considering he's also the frontman of the reconstituted Wombbath. While they don't reinvent the death metal genre, it is great to hear yet another band that decided to add some balls to their music. Lately, things have been headed more and more in this direction, steadily reversing the recent past of musical castration in order to... shall we say "appeal to the masses and gain a deep market penetration?" It all just boils down to what we've always known. Be true to yourself, be true to your music, and the fans will follow. Failure to do so results in immediate rejection by those who supported you in the first place. Ashcloud put the totality of their souls in their music, and it shows. Well done!
Necrophagia
White Worm Cathedral
2014 Season of Mist
It's been a long and ugly road for this album to be recorded and released. Hopefully Killjoy and the rest of the band feel that the end result has been worth it, because I sure as hell do. "White Worm Cathedral" is just as twisted and sick as you expected it to be. So far, they've never let me down. We'll of course discuss Killjoy's performance, but first let's examine the other elements of the album. Movie samples are used sparingly throughout and are never very long or ones you've heard fifty times elsewhere. Yes, keyboards are present, but as with other Necrophagia albums they're expertly used in a way that adds to the dark atmosphere. They don't take over or become a main instrument. But I'd expect nothing less from Mirai Kawashima of the mighty Sigh. Guitars and bass are of course filthy-sounding as ever with the same nasty tone that we fans rabidly demand. And of course there's the ungodly master of ceremonies himself... Killjoy. How he hasn't permanently damaged his vocal cords is beyond me. As always, he puts everything he's got into his performance, sounding as sick and deranged as ever. As an overall package, "White Worm Cathedral" delivers the death metal goods in spades. Obviously there's nothing here that's super-technical or will get any skin bashers or fret wizards saying, "I could have played that better." But if you wanted that, you'd be reading a review of a Malmsteen album instead, wouldn't you? This is death metal in one of its purest and earliest forms, from the same school as "Scream Bloody Gore," rather than "Altars of Madness" or "Left Hand Path." As I listen to this album, I can only dream of what Necrophagia would be able to put together for a stage show if they had the same bankroll that King Diamond did for his recent US trek. I'm sure there would be decapitations and dismemberings aplenty, and not in that cartoony GWAR style. After all, the band's motto is "GORE FOREVER!"
Blood Storm
The Stellar Exorcism
2014 Barbarian Wrath
It's been nine years since the last Blood Storm full length album, that's about nine years too long without tales of Yuggothian Slayers, Nibiru Assassins, or Qlipthotic Necromancy. Things have changed a bit with the Blood Storm sound. Mezzadurus has mostly given up the high-end black metal shrieks in favor of more of a Tom G. Warrior approach, minus the "ughs" and "heys," combined with some falsettos. Musically, it's still the same mix of death, thrash and black metal as it ever was. After all, why have one influence and main sound when you can have several working together! There is a bit more of a bottom end to the sound, and Hellhammer comes through as the main influence this time around. The lyrical tales haven't changed much, and are still focused on the outer dark, vastness of the nether regions unknown to humanity, and the unnameable things that dwell there. So really, for the most part it's unholy business as usual just like I would have expected it to be. That's really all that one can ask... except for there maybe not being such a long period between albums next time around?
Morbo
Addiction to Musickal Dissection
2014 Memento Mori
Even after 20 years, the sound of death metal varies from band to band. Sure, there's plenty of clones, but there's also plenty who choose to be influenced by several bands and not just one. I find it highly interesting how you can sometimes find bridges between one sound and another. Take Monstrosity for instance. They're been described as the missing link between Malevolent Creation and Morbid Angel. That description fits their "Imperial Doom" album perfectly. So what's that got to do with
this review of Morbo? Except for the fact that they're a "new" band in the scene, Italy's Morbo could have been the missing link between Autopsy and Acheron. Musically, Morbo take most of their cues from Autopsy, with a few hints of Hellhammer thrown in at times for good measure. Vocally though, Mirca "Offender" sounds more like Vince Crowley of Acheron (circa "Lex Talionis") rather than Chris Reifert. So what we have is a band that takes all of their influences and combines them all together in a way where the listener can pick out parts that remind them of band X or band Y, rather than hearing a bunch of songs that are not much more than a homage to one single band. Anyone who simply sums up Morbo as an "Autopsy clone" must not have been paying attention. They must not have heard (or more likely, chose to ignore) the parts of their songs that are definitely not Autopsy-like. Or Abscess-like, for that matter. Their loss, because "Addiction of Musickal Dissection" is far more than the sum of Morbo's influences.
Anguish
Mountain
2014 Dark Descent
Anguish really nailed it with the intro track titled "Mountain." It completely reminds me of the part of the Rankin-Bass animated version of "The Hobbit" when the dwarves sing of Lonely Mountain. The intro sets a very cold and desolate mood, perfect for their brand of deathly doom metal. Or maybe that's doomy death metal? No matter, for the rest of the tracks continue
to conjure stark, barren wastelands and imperious grim mountain peaks looking down at it all. I wish the mix was a little heavier and darker though. Seems a little lighter in tone compared to the debut. As I write that, the line "I murdered him" comes through my speakers, from "Stir up the Demon." I have no doubt that vocalist J. Dee indeed murdered whoever that poor bastard is, and so I hope he'll take that comment as constructive criticism and not make me the next victim of his maddened rage. Obviously, as this is a doom album, and a Swedish doom album at that, comparisons to Candlemass are going to be made. And yes, there are some very parts that sound like Leif Edling might have come up with them. For the most part though, Anguish is a completely different beast with a stronger primal instinct. I really don't want to dwell or harp on about Candlemass, but consider their differences like this... if they're civilized Aquilionians, then Anguish are savage Picts. I'll bet you expected me to say "Cimmerians," didn't you? Well, they are certainly somber enough. But that image of a half-naked madman coming at me with a stone axe still lingers in my mind. At the very least, be cautious with this album. Make sure you're someplace warm with a nice fire and something hot to drink. Beware of cabin fever.
Eskhaton
Worship Death
2014 Chaos Records
There's really no need for me here to go into the history of Australian metal. I think we're all familiar with the more extreme horrors that are belched forth from there. And few are belched more violently than Eskhaton. They play a very dense form of slightly blackened death metal with esoteric lyrics which describe the things beyond all knowledge.
And let's get it understood right here and now. This is death metal as it is supposed to be. No pleasant harmonies or melodies, no niceities at all. If you're a lover of melodeath, get lost immediately. Eskhaton do not play music for the faint of heart, and are similar to the likes of Teitanblood, Diocletian, Grave Upheaval. None of which are of course for trendy ears or ever will be. Their sound is like a thick miasmatic fog of the most noxious stenches both known and unknown to man. Repulsive to most, sonic ambrosia to a few. Give yourself over to them and become one of the unblessed.
Hod
Book of the Worm
2014 Arctic Music
It's been a while since Hod's debut album, but here at last is the followup. Prior to giving this one a listen, I went back and played "Serpent" in its entirety. I'm very happy to say that on "Book of the Worm," Hod haven't really changed. They're still playing blackend death metal in the early Dark Funeral / early to mid-period Marduk vein, keeping things just as fast and heavy as before. Lord Necron's probably going to want to rip me a new one for that, but he'll have to get in line. Besides, Dark Funeral's debut mCD and "Secrets of the Black Arts" are classics, regardless of what the band degenerated into shortly afterwards. So yes, we're talking fast and furious black metal here with no frills. No keyboards, no backing female vocals, no bongos, no accordian... Come to think of it, I haven't heard any new bands lately putting in everything they can think of, so maybe that misguided trend has finally died a painful death? Anti-metal religious leaders may preach about the sins of bands like Slayer or Motley Crue, but it's the hairy hulking hordes of Hod that they should really be worried about. Because for Hod, it's not about the image. It's not about the money. It's about the music and the message, both of which they take to the extreme and beyond.
