Visigoth: Conqueror's Oath (2018)

I had heard rave reviews about this album from the time that it was released, but I did not really pay much attention to the hype for quite some time.  I considered checking it out if I came across it, but that simply never happened.  Then, on the Metal Archives forum Best Album of 2018 vote, this album came out on top.  At that point, I figured I had to at least give it a shot.  After all, my Album of the Year was also the Metal Archives Album of the Year in 2016 and 2017 (Vektor and Power Trip).

Well this album is definitely damn good.  Visigoth is a power/heavy metal band from that well-known metal hot bed of Salt Lake City, Utah.  Hopefully my sarcasm came across.  Nothing says metal like a whole bunch of Mormons.  Kidding.  I have no idea if the group are Mormons or not, and Salt Lake City actually does not have THAT many Mormons anyway.  Also, apparently they do not like being called Mormons.  And now, I am WAY off track.

So anyway, there are some terrific songs on this album.  Visigoth performs a style similar to groups like Manilla Road and Grand Magus.  Of course Grand Magus is one of my favorite bands these days so I am on board here.  The songs are mostly short and mid-paced, but they are melodic and infectious as all hell.  A lot of bands strive hard to achieve the type of sound that Visigoth seems to achieve effortlessly.

Of particular note on the album is the song "Salt City", obviously an homage to the band's home town.  It is also one of the best songs on the album, with an incredibly catchy chorus.  The band sounds like they are having a great time on the song too.  This should become the city's new theme song.

I definitely understand the hype for this album.  It would not have made my top spot, but it probably would have been in the Top Five.

Internal Bleeding Demos

Last year, two of Internal Bleeding's early demos were re-released by Brutal Infection Records on cassette.  Internal Bleeding is one of the most important bands in the formation of slam death metal, being one of the earliest pioneers in the sound.  They also happen to be one of my favorite slam death metal bands (a genre that is something of a guilty pleasure for me), and so, I had to have them.

Now, technically I have already heard both of these demos.  The first release I picked up by Internal Bleeding was the Alien Breed compilation, which was a collection of the band's first three demos as well as a new song.  I should specify that I did not seek out that compilation.  Instead it was part of a grab bag that I bought from Century Media, which worked out quite well for me.  Internal Bleeding broke up a few years after the compilation was released, but has recently reunited and released new music, including an album just last year.  Unfortunately, I have yet to hear their new stuff to this point.

These two demos are absolute landmarks in the brutal death/slam genre.  And for damn good reason.  They laid the blueprints for how the sound would develop, blueprints that Internal Bleeding themselves expanded upon with their debut album Voracious Contempt and which other bands like Devourment took and made their own improvements.  By and large though, the two Internal Bleeding demos are the foundation upon which the slam death genre was built.

What is perhaps most impressive about these two demos is how fully-formed and professional the music sounds.  A lot of demos have terrible production values, and while I do not know how the demos sounded when they were first released (it is possible they were improved upon on Alien Breed), if they sounded like this, they were damn impressive.  Besides the production values, there is generally the sound.  Internal Bleeding, as founding member Chris Pervelis once told me on this blog, set about from the very beginning to focus on groove and hooks above all else.  That focus is obvious on these releases.

I am not sure which one of the two I would recommend above the other, they are equally good.  I suppose my recommendation would be to get them both at the same time.

2018 in Review: Top Albums

Prepare for a long one folks.  After the jump is every single new album I purchased in 2018, listed in descending order of preference.  I did not buy anything truly bad, so just because an album is last on my list, does not mean it is terrible.  I should also note that I have several 2018 albums still coming in soon that obviously will not make the list because I have not heard them yet (Metal Church, Arsis) and I was never able to check out some albums by bands that I normally would have (Voivod, Skeletonwitch, Psycroptic).  So this should by no means be considered an exhaustive list. 

Enough of that crap, here we go:

2018 in Review: Demos and EPs

I know.  I know.  I have been gone for quite awhile and I have been mostly terrible about album reviews.  As such, my annual late year-end list will be broken into two parts and will show off all of the albums I have purchased from 2018.  I will list the releases in descending order of preference.  For example, of the four demos listed immediately below, the last one listed is my favorite.  This is in lieu of having a numbered system because I am not doing a simple Top 10 or whatever.  The top albums list will likely come out this weekend.  I just have to finish up a few reviews. 

So in this post, I am listing the demos and the EPs.  This is not a huge post.  The next one will be however.  The other thing I should note is that this entire year, I picked up just two CDs, one of which was included with a vinyl album and the other was one my wife bought, ripped, and then gave to me.  I already bought the cassette.  Yes, cassette.  That has been an obsession of mine lately.  Almost every single release in these two posts was purchased on cassette.  There are a few albums I have yet to buy from 2018 because they were never available on cassette and I did not get around to buying them on vinyl.  

So, without further ado, here are the demos and EPs.  I did not pick up nearly as many as I intended, but there are some solid releases here:

DEMOS

BLOOMING CARRIONS: NECROSIS TWILIGHT

Atmosphere is the name of the game for these Finnish death merchants.  Finland has a long history of being a breeding ground for off-kilter metal bands across all subgenres.  Blooming Carrions definitely qualifies.  They are much more concerned with presenting a sense of foreboding than with razor sharp riffs.  Their riffs are murky and the production murkier still.  The structures are meandering and not really headed in any real direction.  It is an interesting demo and their prior one was too.  They have a future.

TELEPORT: THE EXPANSION

I was sort of disappointed with this one, which is why it is placed where it is, moreso than about the quality of the music.  I had their Galactic Usurper/Stellar Damnation compilation and absolutely loved it.  It was a sort of black metal Voivod, a very unique take.  Unfortunately this album is much more straightforward prog death.  The music is very good and Teleport is the most polished of the four bands presented in this post.  Unfortunately they no longer provide anything new and different and are not that distinguishable from any other progressive death metal band.  A shame.  

NOOSE ROT: THE CREEPING UNKNOWN

Okay, now I think we are just taking two vaguely creepy-sounding words and throwing them together.  I'm not sure "noose rot" makes sense.  If it is a rotten noose, it's unlikely to be functional.  Is it rot caused by a noose?  Is that a thing?  Anyway, Noose Rot is an impressive doomy death metal band that has the kind of dark, cavernous sound that Incantation, among other bands, popularized.  It is full of heavy bottom-end and riffs that lurch and crawl.  Second track "Worship the Crypt" is a monster with a thunderous opening riff.  Time will tell if Noose Rot is able to do anything that will separate them from the rest of the Incantation-clone pack.

SUPERSTITION: SURGING THRONG OF EVIL'S MIGHT

The first of two demos from this New Mexico-based OSDM band. I am reminded of the time when one of the support staff women from the first law firm I worked for asked me what was the difference between Mexico and New Mexico. Anyway, Superstition's point of reference is most likely Morbid Angel, with their twisted, crawling riffs and sepulchral vocals, complete with the occasional haunting keyboard melody. They sound like a horror movie. I am certainly impressed with the band. Hopefully a full-length is coming soon, and I may have to find that second demo.    

EPs

FUNERARY DESCENT: OV CHASMS BEYOND

At almost 40 minutes in length over four songs, this is hardly an EP, yet that is its official designation. Black metal and doom metal do not get crossed over all that often, but Funerary Descent is certainly up to the task. The music is morosely slow, sometimes barely moving at all, with rasping, shrieking vocals as is typical for black metal. It is an incredible dark and evil sounding release, which is definitely what the band is going for. Funerary Descent has not been around long, releasing just a couple of demos prior to this EP, but they are unusual enough to potentially catch on, particularly with the recent wave of atypical doom metal bands. Funerary Descent definitely belongs on a play list with Bell Witch.

PROFANATICA: ALTAR OF THE VIRGIN WHORE

Profanatica, the vile and filthy black metal project of former Incantation member Paul Ledney, re-emerges once again to spread its hateful message.  Profanatica has never had a pretty sound, and this EP is no different.  The production is murky, the riffs fast and simple, and the vocals delivered in a typical raspy shout.  This is evil as music gets.  This is a quick and dirty EP, which is frankly how I would prefer Profanatica's releases.  Much longer than 20 minutes and things become a little tiresome from the band.  This is eight songs and less than 20 minutes in length.  It comes on, blasts away in complete chaos, Ledney spouts out some Anti-Christian lyrics, and then it is over.  Just like that.  Profanatica is fun.

DESTRÖYER 666: CALL OF THE WILD

First of all, any year Deströyer 666 releases new music, you can bet they will find themselves near the top of my list. Secondly, if this were a full-length, instead of a four song, 20 minute EP, you can bet this would have been near the top of my Top Albums list. Instead, it is at the top of EP list. The band has ramped up the traditional metal and 80's thrash metal influences on this release, particularly during "Call of the Wild" and "Violence is Golden", respectively. They also close things out with the slow-burning epic "Trialed by Fire". Incorrect conjugation aside, it is a terrific song. This is probably the release I listed to most often this year, it helps that it is so short, but the songs really are some of the best this band has ever released.