CARACH ANGREN: “WHERE THE CORPSES SINK FOREVER”

 Album Reviews  13 Responses »
Jun 152012
 

(Four days, four reviews in a row by DemiGodRaven, who is in catch-up mode. Today, we have his take on the new album by Carach Angren.)

Imagine if you and your friends were out on a camping trip and decided to sit around telling ghost stories. As the night goes on, the stories get worse and worse as each of you tries to one-up the others in the horror factor contained within each. Stories of war, suicide, cannibalism, almost everything is fair game. Carach Angren’s latest release, Where The Corpses Sink Forever, is like an audio version of that. Each song contains its own little story, of a person or a group of people and the absolutely awful things that happen to them, with a thin thread connecting all of them.

Carach Angren have a love for drama and the theatrical, and so it seems like a natural fit that they play symphonic black metal, a style that allows them to be as grand as they want and that permits them to indulge the spectacle of getting all decked out. Some of you may remember these gentlemen from the group’s previous release, another story-driven disc by the name of Death Came Through A Phantom Ship. It’s where I jumped aboard (thanks folks! I’ll be here all week! Tip your waitresses and try the veal!) with the band.

Death Came Through A Phantom Ship told the story of a captain of a Dutch East India Company ship who became increasingly corrupted over time by the deeds and atrocities he committed. It culminated in a final act in which he flung the Bible overboard, killed one of his crewmen, and sailed into a maelstrom, where a bolt of lightning eventually struck the ship, impaling him to the wheel of his now-sinking vessel.

And now they’ve written another disc, and what subjects do the band decide to take on for a large part of it? World War I and World War II. Continue reading »

MINISTRY: “RELAPSE” (and the new “GHOULDIGGERS” video)

 Album Reviews, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  5 Responses »
Jun 142012
 

(DGR is in some kind of keyboard-pounding fugue state, with his third review in three days . . . and more are coming. Today, the subject is Ministry’s latest release, which is out now on 13th Planet Records. And at the end, we’ve got the just-released official video for the song “Ghouldiggers”.)

This disc right here. Man.

If any of you read my Electronica Clusterfuck of 2012 post, where I took on three decidedly not metal albums, then you’ll probably remember that I mentioned having a fondness for the various aggrotech genres, including industrial metal. No name is more synonymous with industrial metal than Ministry. They’ve influenced hundreds of bands, and frontman Al Jourgensen has to be eating people’s souls in order to stay alive long enough to kick out more music, given what the man has been through.

You may also recall that I sort of reservedly mentioned that I would try to work on something about Ministry, and well, here it is: My thoughts composed (as best I could) on Relapse, Ministry’s comeback album, and a hot mess in the form of about an hour of industrial metal.

What a goddamn odd release. That’s not saying anything new when it comes to Ministry, considering that they pretty much pioneered the way on odd things. With Uncle Al being completely batshit insane, taking on anything from politics to drugs to politics to…drugs, Ministry have always been a band with a ton of character. They’ve probably rubbed more people the wrong way than I could even think to count by being so far left that they’ve pretty much shot off of the planet and wound up near Alpha Centauri by this point. The fact that Relapse continues this trajectory isn’t shocking, not one bit. What is shocking is how much of a time capsule this disc really is. Continue reading »

FUCK YOUR EARS (RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER’S “GHOSTMAKER”)

 Album Reviews, Phro's Posts  4 Responses »
Jun 132012
 

 (I manipulated Phro into reviewing the new album by Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, because I can. Ghostmaker will be released by Candlelight Records on June 19.)

Islander sent me Rumplestiltskin Grinder’s new album Ghostmaker for review. As with most things our Glorious Leader does, no one really knows why he wanted me of all people to review it. But I did. I thought I’d share the experience with you. It went something like this…

*******

The night is dark like the eyes of a blind corpse. The cold air dangles its long fingers from the sky and runs them listlessly through your hair and over your skin. The sound of a dog whimpering and choking on something fatty in the distance is the only noise in your ears aside from your throbbing heart and timid footsteps.

In your right hand is a bucket of goat cocks, pig testicles, horse vaginas, and frog eyes. In your left hand is a small shovel. And in your hip pocket is a Swiss army knife, because your father told you to always be prepared. You forgot your flashlight, though, because, let’s face it, no one’s memory improves much after a few dozen shots of Jack Daniels. Fortunately, the moon is full, and its obese, pimply face, glistening like a glitter-covered Santa Clause climbing a few flights of stairs, sheds enough light for you to see.

You’ve been walking for a few minutes, having parked your car at the edge of the cemetery, but soon you see what you’ve come for. The headstone is simple and uninspiring, and the name is illegible in this light, but, let’s be honest, it matters little who lies beneath.

You set the bucket down, careful not to spill any of its contents, and begin digging a small hole. After a few minutes, a hole no bigger than your head lies gaping in the fresh soil. From your front pocket you pull out a portable music player, set it on the head stone, and press play. Continue reading »

WRETCHED: “SON OF PERDITION”

 Album Reviews  4 Responses »
Jun 132012
 


(DemiGodRaven is in review mode, with his second assessment in as many days. Today’s subject is the latest release by North Carolina’s Wretched.)

There’s something to be said for the old grind of, “Third time’s a charm,” when it comes to Wretched.

They’re a band that have been consistently good, but for some reason just never quite clicked with me. Exodus Of Autonomy was an excellent disc that stood in the bridge between metalcore and melodeath, leaning heavily as hell on the melodeath side, and the follow-up, Beyond The Gate, took the group even further into territory that probably made them unrecognizable to the breakdown crowd. Personally, I thought Beyond The Gate retained a lot of Wretched signature style, including their tendency to write some very interesting instrumentals in order to break up the flow of the album.

Two years removed from that album, we find ourselves again with Wretched knocking at our door, this time with a disc that honestly surprised the hell out of me, and finally, finally, got me to say more than, “Yeah, Wretched are a pretty good band.” Son Of Perdition is a huge album with as many swings and frantic movements as Wretched could pack into their run time. It’s dynamic as all hell and morphs the band into a much darker beast than they were beforehand. Continue reading »

FEAR FACTORY: “THE INDUSTRIALIST”

 Album Reviews  11 Responses »
Jun 122012
 

(Here we have a review by TheMadIsraeli of the ninth studio album by Fear Factory.)

Time for some of that brutal-ass machine-tight cold-as-titanium machine-gun palm-mute and double-bass assault SON.

Mechanize was the shit.  The Industrialist is the love child of the band’s seminal albums Demanufacture and Obsolete.  This album could’ve been released in the 90’s and dominated just as much as the rest of their work did.  It dominates even now, in this saturated market of clean vocals all over the place and weak-sauce composition that is critically lauded somehow as “progressive” and all that cockamamie horse shit because the bands can do basic syncopation and play riffs on eight string guitars while only using two of them.

Fear Factory have never really sprinkled their music with this bullshit.  They are honest about what they do, and what they do is kickass brutal industrial-tinged metal that is dedicated to being simply crushing above being technical, progressive, or similar buzz words in the popular parlance.  They’ve generally been practicing the same sound their whole career (although it’s obvious that for some fucking reason, as stupidly simplistic as his riffs are, there is something about the way Dino Cazares writes as opposed to Christian Wolbers that just hits right), and it hasn’t ever really gotten stale for me.

This is classic Fear Factory at its best.  Machine-gun riffs, excessive double-bass assaults with technical wizardry up top, and well-incorporated electronic and symphonic flourishes.  Mix this with Burton C. Bell’s legendary battle cries combined with his baritone, almost inhuman clean voice, and it’s just a thoroughly absorbing experience overall. Continue reading »

HOUR OF PENANCE: “SEDITION”

 Album Reviews  6 Responses »
Jun 122012
 


(DemiGodRaven turns in this review of the latest release by the Italian death metal stallions in Hour of Penance.)

The fact that it has taken as long as it has for this review to be written is a sign that someone at NCS should get the shit beat out of them. I will gracefully bow out of this equation since I feel I am already doing my part by penning this, so I highly recommend Andy . . . mostly for kicking out a Whitechapel review as I was 1/4 of the way through one of my own and saying everything I was going to say.

It has been a solid couple of months since Sedition saw release, and I have spent the entire time getting my face beaten in by this disc. Hour Of Penance are one of the highlights amongst the Italian death metal scene at the moment, only recently really vaulting themselves into the spotlight, just as brethren and kin Fleshgod Apocalypse have really begun to capture people’s attentions. To say that the bands share some similarities isn’t a statement meant to imply that Hour Of Penance are derivative, it’s just a statement of fact. The bands have been intertwined throughout their histories, as one was launched from the other.

Whilst Fleshgod have taken a more orchestral route filled with blastbeats and ridiculously over-the-top operatic vocals, Hour Of Penance have followed the much darker, more brutal route in their music. Whilst one band have chosen to overwhelm the listener with sheer bombast, Hour Of Penance apparently decided that with Sedition they were going to bludgeon everyone. If Agony was 2011’s death metal kick in the ass for the mainstream, then goddamnit, Sedition should be 2012’s. Continue reading »

SHORT BUT SWEET: SOMA RAS — DEMO

 Album Reviews  5 Responses »
Jun 092012
 

I have DGR to thank for introducing me to Sacramento’s Soma Ras. Back in March, he wrote a review (posted here) of a show headlined by Conducting From the Grave that included a Soma Ras performance, and he was obviously very impressed. By chance, it wasn’t long after when Soma Ras uploaded a three-song demo to Bandcamp, and off and on since then I’ve been letting it wreck my fucking head. It seemed only fair that I ought to provide a public thank-you. So . . .

Thank you Soma Ras for wrecking my fucking head.

To be clear, I quite enjoy having my head wrecked by death metal when it’s as vicious, voracious, and well-executed as the songs on the Soma Ras demo. And I chose those adjectives with care, because the music definitely has a predatory quality. Soma Ras attacks like a ravenous beast that’s fast, nimble, and loaded with big teeth.

The drumming (by Flint Marshall) is off the hook — an almost non-stop flood of blast-beats, double bass, and pounding toms. It triggers an immediate adrenaline rush and maintains the intensity level in the red zone from start to finish. The blazing drum assault is matched by rapid-fire riffing and heated bursts of swarming shred, punctuated by big, jolting breaks and slams in the rhythms and rapidly slithering melodies. Continue reading »

WHITECHAPEL: “WHITECHAPEL”

 Album Reviews  19 Responses »
Jun 082012
 

(In this post, UK-based Andy Synn reviews the new self-titled album by Whitechapel.)

Ah Whitechapel, a name to inspire an instantaneous reaction from pretty much anyone who hears/reads it. In fact, I’d imagine many of you have already formed your opinions based on seeing the name of the review alone, and that they’re either going to be “Whitechapel are the sickest band ever dude!” or “deathcore posers aren’t real metal”… and seriously guys, I thought we were past a) the ignorant fanboyisms of declaring band x, y, or z “the sickest band ever”, and b) pre-judging by association with (often outdated) stereotypes. They’re two ends of the same scale, and both are pretty played out by now.

Now, personally I didn’t really “get” Whitechapel at first. Though their debut was a cut above the rest of the cookie-cutter, faux-aggro deathcore out at the time, and their second record saw some vast improvements in their sound and overall direction, I still wasn’t sold. The reason the group finally “clicked” for me was not just the release of their third album (though it is a very good album), but down to the WAY I was listening to the band – something facilitated by their third release, but which has also allowed me to appreciate their second album more than I ever did.

You see, the HOW and the WHY of listening to an album are just as important as the WHAT (genre, etc). And what finally clicked for me was when I queued up a Whitechapel album right after listening to one of my favourite death metal acts, the genre-defining Vader. The similarities were astounding, and this comparison finally got me to look at Whitechapel in a fresh light.

Phil Bozeman’s vocals are the modernised, spitting-image of Piotr’s, while the band’s overall blueprint bears the genetic fingerprints of the Polish masters all over it – the blinkered brutality, the sheer speed, the singular focus on aggression, the minor melodic teases, the twisting solos… they all scream VADER to me. That may be blasphemous to some of you, but it’s how my mind finally managed to categorise Whitechapel, and I think the comparison is only a positive one for them. Continue reading »

EPHEL DUATH: “ON DEATH AND COSMOS”

 Album Reviews  3 Responses »
Jun 082012
 

With six albums to their credit between 2000 and 2009, Ephel Duath is a band with whom I should have become familiar by now, but alas, no. It took their new EP, On Death and Cosmos, to finally pull me in. Given my state of ignorance about the band’s past, this review won’t provide a comparison of the new music to what preceded it. I am the proverbial blank slate, on which the EP’s three songs will write what they will.

And maybe that’s just as well, because the Ephel Duath that gave birth to On Death and Cosmos after a nearly three-year hiatus is nearly a new band. Songwriter and guitarist Davide Tiso is still at the helm, but he has changed, wrenched by personal tragedy, economic pressures, and disappointments with the music business. Undoubtedly, those experiences have fed the fires that flow through this EP.

Davide has also recruited an eye-catching company of new names to round out the line-up: ground-breaking vocalist Karyn Crisis (Crisis), who is also Davide’s wife, and legendary bassist Steve DiGiorgio (formerly of Death, Autopsy, and Testament, among others) have joined master drummer Marco Minnemann (Adrian Belew, ex-Necrophagist, ex-Kreator), who also collaborated on Ephel Duath’s last album. In fact, given that line-up, it’s not really a stretch to call this new Ephel Duath a “super group”.

And on top of that, from what I’ve read, it appears that no one Ephel Duath album has sounded much like any of the others anyway. So, let’s start fresh, shall we? Continue reading »

CHEMICAL TOMB: S/T

 Album Reviews, Free Shit, Phro's Posts  6 Responses »
Jun 062012
 


(Phro reviews the 2012 free EP by “2 Polish and two English scumbags stuck in the shit hole known as Plymouth”, a/k/a Chemical Tomb.)

Grindcore.

Can you think of any genre label more accurate to the genre it describes? Not even “death metal” carries the visceral weight of “holy-fuck-who-just-shoved-a-chainsaw-in-my-ear” that is imparted by the two syllables of “grindcore.” And when you make like a bath salt abuser (salter? bather?) and start chopping wildly at random appendages and slice off the “core,” you just get “grind”: simple and glorious like unrepentant morning wood, standing ready to fuck everything with violent dissonance.

Which brings us to my early morning discovery today: Chemical Tomb.

They seem to have a thing for pot, based on their movie samples. I forgive them because they made my ears cum and bleed at the same time. (Cleed? Blum?)

This EP, if it’s long enough to be anything more than a single, is all of 5 minutes. Perfect for a quickie before work or, if you put it on a loop, to help you get through a few rounds in a cage match. I think. I’m not actually sure how cage matches work…do they involve whiskey? They should. Everything is better with whiskey.

Anyway. The music. Well, obviously, I’m gonna just put that handy little bandcamp player after this. But maybe you’re at work and you can’t listen to music. So you need words—my words, sweaty with exertion and flush with eagerness to please—to give you an idea of what you’re missing out on. Continue reading »

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