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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Wooden Stake
