LORELEI: “LORE OF LIES”

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Feb 102014
 

(In this post TheMadIsraeli reviews the debut album by North Carolina’s Lorelei.)

Symphonic deathcore at this point really seems like the new direction for the style.  While, no doubt, there have been symphonic deathcore bands before, the best of the bunch of the new blood is tending to sway toward a more symphonic or ambient direction (Aegaeon, Ovid’s Withering) and they’ve produced some killer releases in the process.

I’ve been fucking drooling over the wait for Lorelei’s debut Lore of Lies. I loved the band’s music from the very minute when I first I heard it, after they released their first two recorded songs, “Godfather Death” and “The Dunwich Horror”, and have awaited this album eagerly. Guitarist Aaron Pace is someone I’ve been in contact with for a while, since before they put up anything.  I had to occasionally check in with the usual harassment about the whereabouts of the album itself. For me, it felt like it was taking forever.

Simply put, Lorelei should be noted as one of the bright new faces of deathcore.  The music is like a jackhammer to your spine; it’s majestic and blistering at once, with no show of mercy.  What really explains Lorelei’s success, though, is that they realize the strengths, and also the weaknesses, of their style.  Continue reading »

CARNIFEX: “DIE WITHOUT HOPE”

 Album Reviews  6 Responses »
Feb 062014
 

(Andy Synn reviews the forthcoming album by California’s Carnifex, with sample songs at the end.)

Deathcore is still a dirty word to a lot of folks. Despite the major strides made in proving it as a “legitimate” form of Death Metal, it’s still associated by some with nothing more than frat-boy misogyny, painfully blunt lyricisms, and a preference for dumbed-down-tuning and artificial bass drops.

Many of these big strides in salvaging the scene’s image can be attributed to three of its biggest and brightest stars. After the release of their first, more ‘core-inclined EP, Job For A Cowboy shifted almost immediately toward an increasingly devastating (and increasingly technical) Death Metal sound – dragging the genre’s expectations and potential along with them. The boys in Whitechapel have steadily worked to perfect the genre’s specific brand of murderous, misanthropic groove, while Carnifex – a prime specimen of Deathcore’s fundamental components and an example of its expanding boundaries – simultaneously worked to bring in new strains of influence from the outside.

After a year of self-imposed exile, the band have returned with their fifth album Die Without Hope, a merciless slab of Death Metal aggression and ‘core-ish misanthropy which, at its very best, brims with terrible potential and predatory promise. Continue reading »

YAUTJA: “SONGS OF DESCENT”

 Album Reviews  4 Responses »
Feb 052014
 

(Here’s Austin Weber’s review of the debut album by Nashville’s Yautja.)

In today’s crowded metal-influenced punk scene, it’s hard for me to find new groups that I enjoy for more than a fleeting moment. But as of late, I have become quite enthralled by Yautja, a Nashville-based group of noise mongers, a band I heard of due to local hometown heroes, Coliseum, whose bass player Kayhan Vizari is also in Yautja. Sonically, this is in a whole different ballpark than Coliseum though. Plus, they named themselves after the creature from Predator, which was definitely a badass and fitting choice.

Yautja frequently divide between expansive, sprawling sludge and terrorizing grind, which gives Songs of Descent a unique flow, with fast and slow tracks expertly paired for maximum impact. Sometimes there’s even a noise rock feel present within some of their angular, lurching grooves, which splay back and forth like powerful oceanic currents, violently pushing and pulling everything they come in contact with.

Yautja have crafted a gargantuanly heavy and headbangable hodgepodge that always knows when to shift tempos and flavors for maximum contrast and diversity. Songs of Descent rarely sticks to one thing for long; the switch-ups between/grind/hardcore/sludge/punk/death metal-ish riffs come often and are expertly ordered and arranged in a plethora of different ways. Continue reading »

DGM: “MOMENTUM”

 Album Reviews, Exceptions to the Rule  6 Responses »
Feb 032014
 

(In this post TheMadIsraeli reviews the latest release by Italy’s DGM, out now on the Scarlet Records label.)

Time for one of those “exception to the rule” thingies.  Another 2013 catch-up.

I think it’s safe to say we collectively at NCS think power metal is not the uh… most desirable ear candy.  While I’ve always felt the staple elements of the style were cool (particularly the neo-classical Stratovarius or Yngwie persuasions), it’s unfortunately a style of metal that seems to do everything within its power to pigeonhole itself.  The bands are nearly indistinguishable except for a very few like Rhapsody of Fire, Dark Moor, and my personal favorite prog legends Symphony X.  Mostly I think what draws me to these bands, particularly Symphony X, is the fact that they actually fulfill the power part of their genre tag.  Symphony X, to reference them again, have everything great metal at its core needs.  Russell Allen’s vocals have the impact of a fucking monsoon, the riffs and melodies are great, the songwriting is solid, and the music is consistently driving in nature; what metal should be, if it isn’t going for melancholy.

DMG are a fairly long-running band from Italy.  I mainly know them because their guitarist Simone Mularoni is also the ax-wielder for another band I love dearly — Empyrios.  My Symphony X focus is relevant, because DGM specialize in the same sort of driving, thrash-riff-intensive, virtuoso displays of instrumental skill that Symphony X are so often known for.  That isn’t to say these guys sound like a clone of Symphony X at all, but the influence is quite obvious.  Although, I will admit, current vocalist Mark Basile could seriously be a Russell Allen stunt double.  Distinguishing the two is only possible if you really scrutinize the vocals.  The opening track “Reason” features the Symphony X vocalist as well.  People I’ve shared the song with mostly can’t tell the difference. Continue reading »

BEHEMOTH: “THE SATANIST”

 Album Reviews  16 Responses »
Feb 032014
 

(BadWolf reviews the new album by Poland’s Behemoth.)

Behemoth’s The Satanist is, without a doubt, the first highly-anticipated 2014 metal release by any band, in any sub-genre. Metal writers have been salivating over its impending release for years, and I am no exception—the NCS crew actually squabbled a bit over who would have the privilege of reviewing it. In light of this, the most important thing I can say about The Satanist is that even if it were another record, by a different band, I would still be listening to it daily.

Many people will listen to The Satanist on repeat, and write volumes about it. Most of those reviews and think pieces will fail to capture the album. Instead, they will be lost in the maelstrom of rich narrative history surrounding the creation of the record and the life of Behemoth’s frontman Nergal during the past few years.

For those unaware, a quick recap of those circumstances: Nergal got engaged to the biggest pop star in his native Poland, faced blasphemy charges in his native Poland, was acquitted of said charges in his native Poland, contracted leukemia in his native Poland, beat leukemia in his native Poland, broke things off with the biggest pop star in his native Poland, judged an American Idol-style singing show in his native Poland, was fired from said show in his native Poland, faced even more blasphemy charges in his native Poland, headlined the inaugural Decibel Magazine tour albeit not in his native Poland, made the cover of Newsweek in his native Poland, and was also acquitted of that last round of blasphemy charges in his native Poland.

The takeaway from all this drama: nothing Nergal has recently done has any relation to making music with Behemoth. Continue reading »

GRIDLINK: “LONGHENA”

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Feb 032014
 

(It’s grind time.  High-class grind time.  Austin Weber reviews the forthcoming final album by Gridlink.)

While it’s a damn shame that Discordance Axis, one of the greatest grind bands ever to exist, are no more, we are fortunate that Gridlink continue to thrive. For those not aware of Gridlink, they have former badass Discordance Axis vocalist Jon Chang in their ranks. The rest of their absurdly talented line-up consists of guitarist Takafumi Matsubara (Discordance Axis, Hayaino Daisuki), bassist Ted Patterson (Burnt by the Sun, Human Remains, Hayaino Daisuki), and drummer Bryan Fajardo (Phobia, PLF). Just recently, the band announced that Gridlink will be no more and that the forthcoming Longhena will be their final album, which came as a shock to me.

Longhena is an eloquently crafted swansong that tops all of Gridlink’s prior output, partly due to guitarist Takafumi’s addition of more oddball guitar passages that break up the band’s classy, colossal grinding nicely. Once again, Takafumi proves himself to be one of grind’s greatest riff writers; his efforts are, simply put, incredible.

The first two tracks, “Constant Autumn” and “The Last Raven”, set the tone right: frantic, mind-bending, and bold. Track three,” Thirst Watcher”, stands out as the first curveball of the album. It’s a sparse, meditative instrumental I didn’t see coming. Instrumental on a grind album you say? Yes indeed, and it’s awesome, while strangely not feeling out of place. Continue reading »

MENDEL: “SHAKING HANDS WITH THE DEVIL / SUBLIMINAL COLORS”

 Album Reviews  5 Responses »
Feb 022014
 

(TheMadIsraeli wrote this review.)

Mendel Bij de Leij, or simply Mendel (to use his musical output moniker), is currently doing the heavy-lifting ax duties for Aborted.  I mention this because his solo musical endeavors show a completely different side of this Dutch guitar virtuoso’s musical palette.  When Mendel isn’t cranking out the death metal riffage with Aborted, he likes to spend his time composing instrumental metal of a heavily neo-classical variety.  Mendel’s sound may be metal, but his sense of composition is heavily rooted in both the Baroque and Romantic periods.  While the songwriting itself and the melodic character is Romantic, Mendel fully epitomizes Baroque’s tendency for pure unadulterated excess.  This is very true for the music contained on Shaking Hands with the Devil/Subliminal Colors.  Breathing room is an extreme rarity, and there are often layers of three to four guitar tracks present when the need arises, which is quite often.

This is a guitar album, make no mistake about it.  As a showcase of Mendel’s instrumental skill, as well as his songwriting talent, it’s mind-blowing to me.  Other than Mendel, only Jeff Loomis and Keith Merrow are making instrumental extreme metal this exciting to listen to.  The neo-classical leanings are conveyed through a combination of thrash, melodic death metal, some Meshuggah-esque, jarring, syncopated grooves, and a lot of solos.  The music on this album is pretty consistent, which also is to say that if you’re expecting a flagrant display of diversity wank, then this isn’t the album you want to hear.  It’s pure, utterly bathed in its influences, and does little to stretch those boundaries, which is perfect.  Not one song is bad across these sixteen songs, not one solo is uninteresting to listen to, and that’s true even of “Absolution”, the twenty-five-minute closer. Continue reading »

CULTED: “OBLIQUE TO ALL PATHS”

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Jan 312014
 

(In this post you’ll find Austin Weber’s review of the new album by Canadian/Swedish band Culted.)

In the heart of winter, doom metal often makes for a great soundtrack to the season, as both the cold and doom have a common nature — they both desire to choke the life out of you. This is where Culted come in. They are a group of talented Canadians with a vocalist based in Sweden who together have utilized the internet to collaborate and give humanity top-notch doom that swells with an intense aura of bleak misanthropic rage.

The artwork certainly draws you in quickly, its imagery of a cloaked figure peering out at decay providing a visual glimpse into the crawling cold punishment explored on Oblique to All Paths. This is unsettling doom, bound in a sense of torment that seeps from every note and scream. Oblique To All Paths is sludgy, sometimes drone-y, and graced with piercing black-metal, reverb-soaked screams. Culted have a tendency to dress up the desolate proceedings in soundscapes that capture a morbid and mellow Swans-esque feel. This being a doom record, there are copious amounts of reverb and feedback swirling around, which only serve to magnify the deliciously suffocating and quite tripping duality conjured on Oblique To All Paths. Continue reading »

FISTHAMMER: “INFALLIBLE”

 Album Reviews  18 Responses »
Jan 312014
 

(In this post TheMadIsraeli enthusiastically reviews the new, second album by Pennsylvania’s Fisthammer.)

Now this is some no fucking mercy shit right here.  Fisthammer (dat name) play some no-nonsense, frigid, piercing, putrid death metal.  Calling to mind Carcass, Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Hate Eternal, Immolation, some old At the Gates, and Origin, their sophomore album Infallible is indeed, for lack of a better term, infallible.  This Downingtown, PA threesome are a death metal titan to be reckoned with.  Summoning all that is sinister and alien, Fisthammer’s sound is that of third-world torture, absolute fucking carnage laid bare with explosive fury.  The riffs are tasty, the vocals putrid and waste-covered, the drumming unrelenting, technical and filled with detail.  Combine this with progressive tendencies, and Infallible may find itself as a first candidate for defining albums of 2014.

The first bit of physical abuse comes in the rather proggy opener “Arithmos Tou Therou”.  Eerie chords, tremolo-picked on classical guitars, ring in, before the introduction of a riff that sounds like a funeral procession.  The drawn-out intro sets the tone perfectly, before Fisthammer assault you with a blistering volley of tremolo-picked guitar interplay.  The guitar work is pronounced yet intricate and shows an insane level of sophistication.  Guitarist and vocalist Max Svalgard has the gift of the riff, on top of his bestial roars from hell itself, driving the music. Continue reading »

FLUISTERAARS: “DROMERS”

 Album Reviews  5 Responses »
Jan 312014
 

(BadWolf reviews the debut album by a Dutch black metal trio known as Fluisteraars, which was released a few days ago by Eisenwald.)

I’ve lived through ups and downs with lo-fi long-form black metal. On the one hand, the millennial USBM style, particularly the work of Krieg and the Lurker of Chalice record, made powerful inroads for black metal into my musical library. I’m also an absolute sucker for anything resembling the ten-plus-minute Tolkien worship of Summoning. On the other hand, I was never all about the blown-out Burzum style, and I prefer crusty Darkthrone to their earlier stuff (though I’ve been spinning that Ravishing Grimness quite a bit in this icy, polar weather). So imagine my surprise when an old-style euro black metal release, by Dutch trio Fluisteraars, comes across my desk and usurps my Behemoth listening. What I found has made the perfect companion to my past few days of sub-zero drives into the office.

Dromers, the first Fluisteraars record, consists of three extended tracks—in fact, the promo listed the songs in the style of an LP, with “De Doornen” taking up all of side A, and “Kudeddier” and “Wortels Van Angst” taking up side B. Add to the mix a folksy, almost Enslaved riff style, and a super-creepy cover, and I was hooked. Continue reading »

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