Deathbell: With the Beyond (2019)

Well this one seems sort of appropriate for Halloween.  It is definitely eerie-sounding and sounds like it would fit in well as the soundtrack for some 1970's schlocky horror b-movie.  You know the kind, with the really bad fake blood and despicable characters all around.  Movies that tried to be the next occult and evil.  That is what this album sounds like to me.

Deathbell is a French doom metal band, and when I say doom metal, I mean true doom metal.  The music is clearly influenced by groups like Electric Wizard, The Reverend Bizarre and Black Sabbath (particularly the eponymous song for which the song "Come You to Trouble" features a very similar opening).  The songs are slow, with lumbering, hypnotic riffs.  Even though many of the songs are quite lengthy, they never really seem that long.  That is due mostly to the ability of the band to craft intriguing riffs.

The vocals deserve mention as well, as they are perhaps the most interesting aspect of the album.  The vocals are clean and recorded in an almost distant fashion, as if they are rising from an empty tomb.  They are haunting, particularly on "Over the Rim".

Deathbell essentially sounds like a combination of Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard (though without the psychedelia) and with a female singer.  It is an eerie album with a lot of great, doom-laden riffs.  Doom metal has been going through a renaissance of sorts over the last several years.  Groups like Deathbell are a good reason why.

Split: Archaic Tomb vs. Cryptworm

As mentioned before, I am treating splits as a contest between the two bands.  This one features two up and coming bands who have each contributed one song to the split.

ARCHAIC TOMB - "PERSECUTION PARAPHERNALIA"

Archaic Tomb is a Portuguese death metal band whose sound seems to be based more on occult death metal bands like Incantation and Angelcorpse.  Their sound is cavernous and malevolent with rumbling riffs and vocals that echo like they are rising from a cold tomb.  The song features several twists and turns but maintains a sepulchral atmosphere throughout.  

CRYPTWORM - "PUTREFACTIVE REGURGITATION"

Cryptworm is a U.K.-based death metal band who sound like they are from Finland.  Their song features a heavy, roiling riff that sounds like something that Convulse or Funebre would have cooked up.  The vocals are mostly comprised of deep, gurgling croaks, calling to mind Demilich.  Theirs is a slimy, gruesome sound, as of an undead beast crawling out of the swamp.

THE WINNER: CRYPTWORM

I gotta go with Cryptworm here.  I liked both songs quite a bit, but in general the Finnish death metal scene is a big favorite of mine and Cryptworm does an admirable job of replicating that sound.  I would be more likely to track down a Cryptworm album than an Archaic Tomb album.

Ripper: Experiment of Existence (2016)

I have explained my affinity for extreme metal from South America several times here.  I think it bears repeating.  For some reason, there is just some terrific thrash, black and death metal coming from South America.  Whether that be due to the political climate down there, I am not sure.  I am sure there is someone out there more qualified than me to figure that out.  There is though more of a savage intensity in the music. 

Chile is not a country that has produced a lot of metal bands to my knowledge.  Thornafire and Apostacy have gotten my attention in the past.  And now, a third band has entered the mix.  This is Ripper, a thrash/death metal band from Talagante.

This album is terrific.  Ripper take influence in some of the biggest names in German thrash, Bay Area thrash, early U.S. death metal and Swedish death metal, throw them all into a blender and have unleashed the results in the studio.  There are some damn great riffs in this and the vocals call to mind the early material by Possessed.  Solos shine through, giving some impressive melody.  And the bass is fucking awesome.  The songs are all fast-paced and powerful, with a barrage of riffs. 

Ripper is a band that more people should know about.  This is absolutely killer death/thrash that holds up well to the classics in the genres.  Check it out.

Abbath: Outstrider (2019)

Several years back, Immortal death panda Abbath formed a side project with other members of Immortal and Enslaved with the online search nightmare name of I.  The band was more of a blackened heavy metal band, featuring riffs that could have been found in releases by Accept or Judas Priest, but with Abbath's gravelly vocals.  I released just one album, Between Two Worlds, which I thought was a great release.  That seems to have been the jumping off point for Abbath upon leaving Immortal and starting his own eponymous band. 

Abbath has recruited three new musicians who have shockingly never served time in Immortal before.  He released his first album a couple of years back, named after himself of course.  I enjoyed that album quite a bit, and of course Abbath has always been one of my favorite members in Immortal.  The black metal Gene Simmons is completely ridiculous and it is hard not to find humor in most things he does.  But he also has one of the more iconic voices in black metal, so I am always willing to give his releases a chance.

Just as with the previous Abbath album and the I album, the style here is traditional heavy metal, with the occasional black metal riff.  Abbath continues to deliver his trademarked croaking vocals.  The band does an outstanding job of performing music that bears a resemblance to Iron Maiden playing Immortal songs.  The songs are generally short and compact, but with a lot of energy and power. 

This is one of the catchiest albums of the year.  Abbath has done it once again.  He continues to put out terrific music this far into his career, and even after leaving Immortal.  I will continue to check out anything he releases.

Gaahls WYRD: GastiR - Ghosts Invited (2019)

One of the most highly-anticipated and hyped albums of the year is the debut release from Gaahls Wyrd, the recently-formed band by former Gorgoroth vocalist and wine-drinking Satan enthusiast Gaahl.  The band previously released a live album, featuring covers of songs by Gaahl's other bands God Seed and Trelldom and a couple of singles to preview this album.

The album starts off with the traditional black metal stomp of "Ek Erilar" and one would be forgiven for believing that this was going to be just another Gorgoroth ripoff.  But things get weird and challenging fast.  "From the Spear" starts off fairly normally, but then Gaahl's vocals go from typical black metal shrieking to some impressive clean vocals, a thrash metal riff is thrown in and then the band heads in an almost Agalloch-esque post-black metal direction.  "Ghosts Invited" features some almost soothing, crooning vocals from Gaahl, a far cry from the style for which he is most famous.  And the offbeat sound continues through "Carving the Voices", which features some chanting vocals over surprisingly pretty melodies, sounding more like a black metal version of The Cure, before blowing everything up near the end. 

The second half returns a bit to more of a safe, traditional black metal sound with "Veiztu Hve", which is still kind of weird, but fits in well with some of the latter Gorgoroth material, though the group vocals near the end take an odd turn.  The Agalloch-isms return on the folky "The Speech and the Self" before giving way to the crushing riffs in "Through and Past and Past", which may be the closest the band comes to a speed metal track.  Finally, there is the sprawling weirdness of "Within the Voice of Existence" which is more of a mellow, plodding meditative track, featuring moaning and chanted vocals that could be saying just about anything.  Then a riff comes charging through and the chanting becomes more intense and frenzied, leading into the end of the song, and the album. 

The hype was well worth it.  This is a remarkable album that never veers too far into safe territory before throwing the listener for a complete loop.  Every listen reveals a new wrinkle to the music.  And it never goes too far in a soft or meandering direction, maintaining interest throughout the entire runtime.  I have not frequently been a big fan of Gaahl, but his new band really intrigues me.  This is a truly impressive, unpredictable album. 

Morte Incandescente: ...Somos o fogo do teu Inferno (2018)

Portugal has an interesting, if somewhat less-defined black metal scene.  I have been picking up albums from a number of Portuguese black metal bands over the last couple of years and have found there to be a wide variety of styles present.  From the punk-driven sound of Hellcharge to the occult evil of Decayed, there really is no signature Portuguese black metal sound.  But that is not really a problem, the country has been a bit behind the times in the genre.  That certainly does not mean there are not some intriguing groups. 

Here we have Morte Incandescente and this is just a quick and easy demo.  The band has been around for quite some time and has released four full-length albums since 2003.  So it seems somewhat odd that the band is releasing a demo now, though perhaps they are on the search for a new label.  There are just four songs on this release and the whole run time is less than 20 minutes, so it is a very short release, but it serves as a nice introduction to the band for me, someone who has never heard them before.

The sound of Morte Incandescente is steeped in the darkness and mystery of old school black metal.  Specifically, the closest comparison I can think of is Germany's Bethlehem.  The music is eerie and strange, with a couple of the songs beginning with chiming guitar chords and transitioning into more traditional black metal.  The vocals are raspy and gruff, with some impressive tortured screams included at times.  The best song on the album is "Abandonado", which captures the gamut of the band's unusual melodies and more old-school black metal riffing.

This is a good introduction to an obscure band.  I am interested in hearing more from the band, and will have to see how it holds up over a full-length album. 

Enthroned: Cold Black Suns (2019)

For whatever reason, I have not really gotten too far into the music of Enthroned.  Despite owning their 2007 release, Tetra Karcist, I just never really went any further.  That despite enjoying the hell out of that album.  The Belgian black metal band has an interesting take on the genre that goes beyond simply rehashing ideas that have been done time and time again.

This is the band's eleventh studio album, an impressive number for a band whose geographical isolation in a scene dominated by the northern European countries, has led them to be often overlooked.  On the last album that I had heard by Enthroned, they were a fairly traditional-sounding black metal band, but there were definitely moments where they stood out from the crowd.  The band has released several albums since then, so I do not quite know where the evolution occurred that led to this release.

The sound on this album is markedly different from that prior album.  This time around, the band has adopted a much more avant garde structure, relying more on twisted melodies and dark atmosphere than on a more riff-driven approach.  The sound is much more like a straightforward Deathspell Omega or Sigh (minus the kooky weirdness).  The best song on the album is the dynamic closing track "Son of Man", particularly toward the middle when the band channels Alcest for a more post-black metal sound.

The Enthroned album is incredibly impressive.  I will have to revisit their earlier album I have, but I can say that it did not impress me nearly as much as this one has.  I will also have to look back at some of the band's other releases.

Suffering Hour: Dwell (2019)

The members of Suffering Hour were once in a progressive thrash metal band by the name of Compassion Dies.  But Suffering Hour is a far cry from that sound, performing a much murkier, caustic brand of blackened death metal.  Suffering Hour has attracted quite a bit more attention and generally been more productive.  The band's new sound seems to take influence from groups like Ulcerate and Inquisition, bands who defy any real description.  But I will try anyway.

This the band's third release, an EP consisting of just one 18-minute song.  That one song though is like the auditory equivalent of staring off into the void.  It is completely chaotic, undergoing a number of structural changes and embracing emptiness and formlessness.  There is nothing pretty here as the song starts out with atonal chord progressions and devolves into pure madness soon thereafter.  It is the sound of utter isolation and annihilation.  And when it is all over, it feels like a relief, but still leaves you wanting more.

I will definitely be checking out more from Suffering Hour.  This kind of music is not something to listen to everyday, and certainly there is a time and a place for it, but it is challenging and rewarding.

Funeral Chant: When Death is Coming (2016)

When I picked up the Cynic demo that was reviewed yesterday, I figured I should add something else to the cart in order to make the shipping cost a little more palatable.  And so, intrigued by the album cover of this one, and knowing that Funeral Chant is a death/thrash metal band from South America (Colombia in this case), I figured I would take a flyer on it.

This is Funeral Chant's only release to date and it is pure Possessed worship.  It skirts the line between thrash and death metal as they sounded in the mid 1980's.  The release starts off with a short introduction track that sets the dark and ominous tone for the rest of the release and features what sounds like throat singing, though it is more than likely a sample from something else.  The rest of the release features a barrage of savage riffs and evil atmosphere. 

Funeral Chant definitely does not do anything that has not been done before, but when the music is this good, that does not really matter.  I am not really sure what the band is up to now, or even if they are still active, but another release would be nice to hear.

Cynic: Demo 1990 (1990)

It was only natural that bands would incorporate other influences into their music, even in death metal.  One of the most creative of the early bands was Cynic, who began fusing jazz and progressive elements into their brand of death metal.  Their album Focus is one of the early masterpieces transitioning death metal into something more mature and sophisticated.  That was their debut album, released in 1993.

This is one of Cynic's early demos and it bares very little resemblance to the Cynic that recorded Focus.  None of the three songs here appear on the debut album and they are a much more straightforward thrash/death metal style.  None of the jazz fusion elements are present, though there is some technicality to the riffing.  Also missing are the robotic vocals that appeared on the debut, which were mostly present due to problems with the singer's voice leading up to the recording of the album. 

Ultimately, this is likely not going to appeal to people who are big fans of Cynic's sound right now.  The demo is more interesting as a historical artifact to hear the progression of the band.  The songs are very impressive, but not what one would expect when picking up a Cynic release.

Possessor: Gravelands (2019)

Sometimes, there is nothing better than listening to a really good stoner doom metal album.  And I am talking about those bands who do not meander too much and incorporate a lot of psychedelia.  I am referring to the bands who have a lot of rock elements, with grooving riffs and rumbling bass.

Here we have one such band, London's Possessor.  Possessor combines elements of thrash metal into their stoner doom, sounding more like a punkier version of High on Fire than anything else.  Possessor sounds like they are having an absolute blast playing these songs.  They are energetic and generally fast-paced, and with a lot of groove to the riffs, it is guaranteed to get heads banging.

The highlight on the album is the frantic crunching riffs in "Breathe Fire".  The song flies by with the best riff on the album (which is saying something), incorporating a rollicking bass line and spaced-out vocals.  The solo is not to be missed either. 

I was incredibly impressed by my first shot listening to Possessor.  So much so that I picked up what I could by the album.  This is a whole lot of fun.

Skeletal Remains: Desolate Isolation (2011)

This is the first demo by one of the more impressive retro death metal bands in recent years.  Skeletal Remains is definitely a throwback to early 1990's death metal.  They sound very much like a combination of groups like Pestilence and Malevolent Creation.  This is further exemplified by the fact that the final song on the release is a cover of Pestilence's "Chronic Infection".

There are just four songs on this release and it is very short otherwise.  The band is still raw and finding themselves.  The songs are just straightforward old school death metal, but delivered with an honesty and sincerity that tends to be lacking in bands who are just looking to hop on the trends.  The release is filled to the brim with savage riffs and biting vocals, but the songs are also catchy as hell.  Of particular note is the guitar work of Chris Monroy, who has made a name for himself in the underground death metal scene of late, appearing on albums by Warbringer, Fetid Zombie and Carnation.  He is a rising star in the genre and this release shows why.

More than anything, this release is a sign of things to come from Skeletal Remains.  The band has released several very impressive albums in recent years, with Devouring Mortality from last year being one of the better death metal albums in that time period.  This demo probably has more appeal to huge fans, but it is impressive enough to be a good starting point for the band.

Cruciamentum: Charnel Passages (2015)

One of my favorite things about attending concerts is the possibility of discovering new bands.  There have been a couple of concerts this year that have been helpful in that respect.  The UADA concert featured Wormwitch and Cloak, both of which were extremely impressive.  And when I saw The Chasm, the opening bands were Infernal Conjuration and Cruciamentum.  I actually placed an order for this album during the Cruciamentum performance.  That is how impressive they were.

Cruciamentum is a U.K.-based death metal band whose sound is rooted in old-school occult death metal bands like Incantation, Immolation and Angelcorpse with a little bit of Swedish death metal thrown in for good measure, all done with a modern flair.  The songs are mostly on the lengthy side, with progressive song structures and grinding riffs that envelop the listener.  The band is technical, yet dark and malevolent.  The band utilizes blasting double bass drumming and blazing guitar leads. 

The one criticism I have about the album is a little nitpicky.  The songs do not vary a whole lot and tend to run together.  The tempo does not change a whole lot and the riffs tend to be very similar to those in other songs.  The other side of this is that the album works much better as a whole rather than a collection of songs. 

This is Cruciamentum's first full-length album and the band has developed a large following in the metal underground, and for good reason.  This is a damn impressive album and proof that there is still some great modern death metal. 

Gamma Ray: Land of the Free (1995)

A few weeks back I reviewed a tribute album to German power metal masters Gamma Ray which featured a number of up and coming groups from the genres of heavy, doom and power metal.  I was familiar with Gamma Ray, but had only checked out one album by the band previously.  Most of that was due to the difficulty in tracking down the older, more highly regarded albums.  Even the one I had (Somewhere Out in Space) was expensive.  But I was blown away by one song in particular off of that tribute album and I decided to see if I could track down the album it appeared on.  This is that album.

The song I was referring to is "Rebellion in Dreamland" and it is the first song on this album.  The cover was pretty damn good, but the original is so much better.  Seriously, this is a power metal masterpiece.  It is extremely dynamic, going through a number of musical sections, but it remains at an extremely high quality throughout.  It is one of the catchier power metal songs I have ever heard, and that is truly saying something.  This song is absolutely terrific.  It is very hard to top.

Unfortunately Gamma Ray is never able to quite match the bar they set on the opening track, but that does not mean that this album is a letdown, far from it.  In fact, this is probably one of the finest examples of a power metal album out there.  There are a number of great songs on the rest of the album, including "Man on a Mission", the title track, "Abyss of the Void" and "Salvation's Calling".  The music is generally fast-paced power metal that clearly resembles the type of music Kai Hansen was writing with his previous band Helloween.  And if this album sounds a lot like Helloween's Walls of Jericho, well there is a reason for that.  Hansen sings on this album, just as he did on Helloween's aforementioned debut.  So we have Hansen writing the music and singing.

There are very few weak moments on the entire album.  I will point out that "Fairytale" is so short as to be mostly irrelevant and "Farewell" tries hard to be Gamma Ray's version of Blind Guardian's "Bard's Song", but mostly fails.  And finally "Time to Break Free", which features Helloween's Michael Kiske, ironically the singer who replaced Hansen in Helloween, comes across a little clumsy.

This album is an absolutely essential power metal album, and should be held in the same esteem as albums like Walls of Jericho, both Keeper of the Seven Keys albums and Tales from the Twilight World.  It is an absolutely incredible album from start to finish, even if it never really comes close to matching "Rebellion in Dreamland".

Iron Griffin: Curse of the Sky (2019)

A couple of weeks ago, I covered a band called Smoulder, an epic doom metal band from Canada that released their first album this year.  What made that band stand out was the female singer and a commitment to performing music reminiscent of early 1980's doom metal bands like Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol.  Well, here we have a band very similar to Smoulder who also released their debut album this year.

Iron Griffin is a Finnish duo consisting of Oskari Räsänen, who plays all of the instruments, and Maija Tiljander who performs the vocals.  Iron Griffin's sound is also rooted in early 1980's traditional heavy metal and doom metal, with a lot of influence from the aforementioned groups and some NWOBHM thrown in for good measure.  The band is a side project for Räsänen, who is the drummer for Finnish trad metal band Mausoleum Gate.  Considering he plays all of the instruments, it is probably not wrong to call this a vanity project.

Musically, Iron Griffin plays mostly slower-paced metal that seems to be constantly building up to something amazing, but just cannot quite get there.  A perfect example is "Forgotten Steel" that plods along for awhile, until seemingly starting to work up a faster pace in the chorus sections, with interesting drum fills, and then just sort of falls flat.  It wants to go somewhere exciting, it just cannot make it.  So, in that vein, this is sort of a disappointing record.  The title track probably best captures what Räsänen is going for, with the faster pace and some decent riffs, along with a great bass intro.

In one respect though, this album shows some incredible promise.  That is the vocals of Tiljander who can absolutely shriek like a banshee one moment and provide remarkably haunting vocals the next.  Her best performance is again on the title track with her crooning during the chorus being particularly effective.

There is some promise here.  The band largely pales in comparison to Smoulder, except in the vocal talents of Tiljander.  She is an incredible find and it would be great to see what she could do in a bit better of a band.  She is by far the high point of this album. 

Persecutor: Demo 2018 (2018)

Well, as the name of this release says, this is a demo from the Norwegian thrashers Persecutor.  It is the band's first demo in fact, though both members have been in other bands previously.  I have not personally heard any of those bands, but all I really cared about when deciding to check out the band is that they are a Norwegian thrash metal band.  I was sold.

I heard about this one from Decibel's Demo:Listen feature.  The feature has steered me into a few other great bands.  But Persecutor may be the best of them all thus far.

The demo consists of just two songs and barely passes the five minute mark.  But that does not matter when the music is as raw and savage as this is.  This is an absolutely punishing release with the two band members making as much noise as possible.  Of the two tracks, "Fester in Slime" is probably the best, as it is pure power from start to finish. 

Persecutor definitely has a strong future.  I am looking forward to hearing more from them, particularly if a full-length is coming. 

Nazxul: Nazxul (1994)

Australia is one of my favorite countries for metal.  I have made no secret about that over the years.  Much of this is due to the blackened thrash metal scene often referred to as "war metal", but they have had some truly amazing traditional black metal as well.  One of these such bands is Nazxul, which is part of the "Ordo Ater Anguis" or "Order of the Black Serpent", a collection of bands that is basically Australia's answer to France's Les Légions Noires.  The Australian collective includes the amazing Drowning the Light, among many others.

This is the first recording by Nazxul, their 1994 demo which pre-dates their debut full-length by a year.  I picked it up after reading some opinions that it is one of the creepiest metal releases of all time and that it is by far the best output by Nazxul.  With that kind of a recommendation, of course I checked it out.

The demo is indeed creepy.  It is dark and eerie with a swampy guitar tone.  Featuring shadowy riffs and vampiric vocals, it is definitely one of the more sinister-sounding releases I have heard in some time.  The songs are fairly short and simple, but awash in occult atmosphere.  There are only four songs here and they are short, but that makes it a quick and enjoyable listen.

I definitely enjoyed this release.  It fits in well with all of my Drowning the Light albums, even though it sounds quite a bit different.  It is a worthy black metal demo that has unfortunately gone under the radar.

Dream Tröll: The Knight of Rebellion (2017)

After I loved The Witch's Curse so much, it was only a matter of time before I picked up some of the other material by the Leeds-based band Dream Tröll.  I started with the band's debut album which was released the prior year. 

First of all, let's talk about the album cover.  Now, I could be wrong (though I seldom am), but I am pretty sure the band basically adapted an image from He-Man for that cover.  In fact, having been a huge fan when I was young, I am almost positive that is what we are looking at.  He-Man holding up the Power Sword in front of the Castle Greyskull.  So, that is pretty damn awesome.

Now onto the music.  Honestly, after The Witch's Curse, I was slightly disappointed with this release.  I was kind of hoping all of the band's albums would basically be a rock/metal opera, and that was not the case with this album.  These are much more straightforward power/heavy metal songs and they do not appear to tell a cohesive story.  There are moments where the theatricality appears, particularly in "A Fairy's Tale", which features a few moments of spoken-word narration. 

My disappointment in the lack of story-telling notwithstanding, the album is quite good.  It is mostly slower to mid-paced, lengthier songs with a lot of melody.  The vocals and the lead guitar mostly compete for attention.  The choruses are infectious as hell, particularly on "Velvet Drawbridge" and "Lost in the Pages".  They are not to the same level as those on The Witch's Curse, but they are damn good in their own right.

This album has been growing on me since picking it up.  It is not what I expected, but the album is still very good.  I will still be exploring the music of Dream Tröll, even if The Witch's Curse is more of the exception, rather than the rule.

Tankard: Chemical Invasion (1987)

Well, since I just talked about Tankard yesterday, I do not really need to re-introduce them.  The German thrash metal band released their follow-up album to 1986's Zombie Attack the very next year. 

Tankard was already pretty damn good on their debut album, but they still managed to improve on their sophomore release.  If anything, this album is even more savage and biting than their first one, kicking off with some terrific riffs in "Total Addiction".  The songs are more sophisticated from a compositional standpoint, featuring varied structures and a more dynamic sound, rather than the more direct songs on the debut.  Shockingly, the band even uses some very pretty acoustic melodies leading into the instrumental "For a Thousand Beers", which is quite the dichotomy when considering the title.  But that song represents the best songwriting on the album.  The band also uses a blues riff to open the title track.

The band's sense of humor and obsession with alcohol persists.  "Tantrum" is about being pissed off that someone stole your beer.  And then there are songs like "Puke" and "Alcohol", which is re-recorded from their debut release.

I am just beginning to discover the music of Tankard with these two releases.  Their debut was impressive enough, but this is even better and belongs in the pantheon of great German thrash metal albums.  I will have to keep going with this band.  I still do not know if their larger body of work deserves to be held up with the Big Three (Destruction, Kreator and Sodom), but I could be convinced.

Tankard: Zombie Attack (1986)

From Tank to Tankard.  I remember a discussion on the metal forums about whether there is a actually a Big Four of German thrash metal.  Obviously there is a Big Three, consisting of Destruction, Kreator and Sodom.  But is there a fourth titan of Teutonic thrash?  Many members posited that if there were, perhaps that band would be the beer-loving goofballs in Tankard.  Personally, my vote would go to Holy Moses, but Tankard has been going fairly steadily ever since their formation in 1983.  So there is something to be said for longevity and consistency.

Zombie Attack is the debut album from Tankard, who got a bit of a later start in the game than their more well-known colleagues.  The band's sense of humor and light-heartedness is on display early on with the title track which talks about watching horror movies then finding it was coming true.  Tankard is definitely less serious than the members of the Big Three.  With songs like "Alcohol" and "(Empty) Tankard", their obsession with beer shines through.  The latter makes a terrific drinking song with a grooving stomping riff.

Musically, this is fast-paced thrash with a lot of bass-heavy riffs thrown out at the listener.  Despite it being a debut release, and the goofy lyrics, there is no doubt that this is a mature-sounding thrash metal outfit.  The riffing is surprisingly sophisticated, sounding like the work of a veteran band.  The vocals are often delivered in a harsh yell, but are often backed by gang vocals singing along during the chorus.

This is a damn impressive debut.  It is much more refined than the debuts by Destruction, Kreator and Sodom.  I am still not sure that Tankard belongs on the same level as the other three bands, but their debut fits in well.

Tank: Tank (1987)

If you pay close attention while watching the latest season of Netflix's Stranger Things, during a scene in Billy's room, a poster for Tank can be seen on the wall.  This is a little unusual due to the fact that Tank never really garnered much of a following in the United States.  The NWOBHM band released some great albums in the early part of the 1980's and eventually disbanded for the first time in the late 1980's.  The band eventually split into two bands, both calling themselves Tank and claiming to be the rightful band. 

This self-titled release was the last full-length album by Tank before calling it quits the first time and finds the band softening their previously raw, Motörhead-influenced sound.  What results is a much more mainstream-sounding Tank.  With the increased melodic tendencies, Tank sounds more like mid-1980's Judas Priest or Accept with songs that would not sound out of place on hard rock radio of the time period.

Some of the best songs on the album are "With Your Life", with its infectious sing-along chorus and the doom-laden "It Fell from the Sky".  Many of the lyrics, particularly on the latter song and on "(The Hell They Must) Suffer", are heavy, dealing with the horrors of war.  Others, like "The Enemy Below" are more tongue-in-cheek, likely dealing with sexual conquest.

The only real negative thing I have to say about this is the inclusion of one of my pet peeves on "March On, Sons of Nippon".  That is one of those ridiculous spoken-word "skits" in the middle of the song.  These were particularly prevalent in the 1980's and they drive me fucking nuts.  I hate them.

Other than that one issue, this is a damn good release by Tank.  The band was never one of the top NWOBHM bands, but they did churn out some damn good music.  This is not one of their better releases, but it is still quite good.

Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult: Mardom (2019)

First of all, what a name.  That is a mouthful.  Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult (or DNS as they will be henceforth known as) is a German black metal band.  Just a few weeks ago I recall talking about how black metal is not as prevalent in Germany as in other countries.  Since that time, I think I have reviewed three German black metal bands.  Still, it is not as popular as thrash or speed metal.  I am sticking by that.

DNS stands out a little bit in one respect from other black metal bands.  That reason is that the vocalist Onielar is a woman.  It is not exactly easy to tell with her howling, shrieking vocal style that sounds like Dimmu Borgir's Shagrath and Cradle of Filth's Dani Filth combined.  I cannot think of too many other black metal bands with a female singer that are not borderline folk metal bands (Arkona) or that are not a one-woman band (Myrkur).  So, there is that.

Otherwise, DNS is a fairly typical, hyper-blasting black metal band with some atmospheric moments, but by and large built on blackened thrash metal riffs and pounding drums.  The band does lock into a rumbling groove at times and some melody does rear its head at others.  This is most prevalent in "T.O.W.D.A.T.H.A.B.T.E.", which is easily the best song on the album.  The title stands for "The One Who Dwells Above the Heavens and Below the Earth".

The most impressive aspect of this album is the overwhelming dark and evil atmosphere seeping through every riff and shriek.  This is on display throughout the album, and is most present at the beginning of "Exaudi Domine" and during the introduction to "Imperishable Soulless Gown".

This is an incredibly impressive black metal album, and probably one of the best traditional black metal albums of the year.  I guess I am going to stop talking about a lack of black metal from Germany.  This one should not be missed.

Bölzer: Hero (2016)

Bölzer was recently recommended to me by my friend and law school colleague Kelly of the seemingly defunct blog Full Metal Attorney.  We exchanged recommendations and I decided to check the band out.  I had never heard of them before checking out this release.

Bölzer is a Swiss black/death metal band, though that categorization is a bit simplistic, particularly on this album.  Now, many of the Swiss bands that have come out over the years are difficult to categorize because they cross over into a variety of other genres.  Just look at the bands Tom G. Warrior has been in (Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Triptykon) and Coroner, along with Eluveitie.  Just kind of hard to pigeonhole.  Bölzer follows suit on this release.

The album kicks off about as well as it possibly could with the hard-driving "The Archer" which has a terrific riff and some stunning vocals.  The band basically sounds like a black metal version of Mastodon, particularly through the bellowing vocals.  The guitar tone has a Gojira-like heaviness and mechanical sound to it.    The album more or less continues in that style throughout.  The riffs are heavy and sludgy, but with some melody shining through at times. 

Despite the fact that this is officially Bölzer's debut album, it caused some controversy.  Apparently long-time fans of the band were not happy with a perceived softening of the band's sound.  I am not sure I agree that the sound has softened (and yes, at this point I have heard both Aura and Soma, the band's prior EPs).  There is more melody and the vocals are a little cleaner, but I still definitely hear the same band, albeit with more of a stream-lined sound. 

I came away quite impressed with Bölzer.  Enough that I went back and picked up a couple of their earlier releases.  They have the kind of sound that is likely to capture some mainstream appeal, so I think it is a matter of time before they break out.

Cirith Gorgor: Sovereign (2019)

Cirith Gorgor is a Dutch black metal band who takes their name from a Tolkien reference, which is not terribly uncommon.  The name means "Haunted Pass" and refers to a point where two mountain ranges meet north of Mordor.  So, kind of nerdy.  I had to look it up, because I have not actually read any of the Tolkien material and my knowledge is based mostly around the movies.  And even that, I don't know that well.  I know much more about the bands who use Tolkien references.

Despite the name that references Tolkien, Cirith Gorgor's lyrical content has very little (or nothing) to do with the author's work.  It is much more of a typical black metal band in this respect, preferring to tackle evil and Satanic subject matter.

After a majestic-sounding introduction and a call to arms, the album kicks off into a much more familiar-sounding blast-beat-driven traditional black metal track.  Most of the album seems to alternate between frenzied black metal a la Dark Funeral and Marduk and more brooding, intense, plodding black metal in the vein of Mayhem.  It is the slower tracks that tend to be the more impressive because the band is not as concerned with making as much noise as possible.  The riffs are generally more interesting and the band is able to show off their instrumental abilities.  The faster tracks get kind of lost in the bludgeoning drums and whirlwind of riffs. 

The standout track is "Legio Luporum" which is where all of the bands strengths come together to form a monster of a song.  It features the best riffs, dynamic tempo and atmospheric changes and the best vocal performance on the album.  It also kicks off the second half of the album which is much more impressive than the first half of the album. 

This is not a ground-breaking album, and I am not sure where it ranks among Cirith Gorgor releases, but it is decent enough.  If you are looking for traditional black metal done well, this album is just fine.  Just do not go into thinking it will be brand new and original.  It is fairly run of the mill black metal. 

Korpiklaani and Eluveitie in Lincoln: October 4

I would not say that I am a huge folk metal fan.  I like some bands, but very few of them produce consistently great material from album to album.  That being said, I was kind of intrigued by the idea of seeing a couple of well-known folk metal bands in concerts.  So when I saw that Korpiklaani and Eluveitie were coming to my hometown, I decided to check them out. 

The venue was The Royal Grove, which apparently started doing concerts again fairly recently.  It was the site of a couple of nu-metal concerts I attended with my friend back in early college (Sevendust and Static-X), but I have not been there since.  It looked quite a bit different than I remembered.  For one thing, you could actually see the entire bar.  Back when I had attended the previous concerts, the bar still allowed smoking and it was so thick you could not see across the bar.  As a non-smoker myself, I hated that aspect, so this was much better.

The first band was a fairly new Canadian band called Gone in April.  The band is sort of a Nightwish knockoff but with more of a melodic death metal foundation.  The band utilized two singers, a male growler (who my wife made sure to mention looked like a creeper at times, sorry) and an operatic female singer.  The female singer also played the violin, which was a very interesting element to their sound.  Apparently she has also played live in Eluveitie, which is likely the connection that got the band on the bill.  What was really interesting though is that the bass player was none other than the legendary Steve DiGiorgio.  The songs were decent, especially the last two of the show.  I will probably check them out, especially since I love checking out the work of DiGiorgio.

There was originally supposed to be a local band called The Carbon Cycle that was going to open the show.  But instead of having a shorter concert, apparently Korpiklaani decided to take up the time slot.  I have never checked anything out by the Finnish folk metal band before, but may decide to change that soon because they put on an electrifying show during their 90 minute set.  Korpiklaani features an accordion and a violin prominently in their music and the two musicians were probably the stars of their set.  They even performed numerous solos, which is not something frequently seen at heavy metal concerts.  Korpiklaani was energetic and exciting to watch.  And of course the drinking songs like "Vodka" and "Beer Beer" were big hits.  My wife seemed to enjoy their show, other than its length, and also said that the singer looked like a cross between Thor and current Vince Neil.  It was probably the most upbeat performance at a metal show that I have seen.

Eluveitie was the headliner and the band I was the most familiar with by far.  Their brand of melodic death metal and Celtic folk influences is extremely well-done, most of the time.  I love their album Slania, though I have never been quite as impressed with any of their subsequent albums.  That being said, their show was incredible.  There were nine people on stage.  The band leader is the male vocalist and also played a mandolin and various wind instruments.  There were three female members playing various folk instruments and providing backing vocals.  One played a violin, another a harp and the last played something called a hurdy gurdy.  The harpist also took on lead vocals on a few songs and her voice was amazing, easily the highlights of Eluveitie's show.  They played a number of songs I expected, but did not play "Blood Stained Ground", which is still my favorite song by the band.  They did close out with "Inis Mona" which is another of my favorites.

It was an entertaining, if slightly long, concert.  My wife was unhappy with the length of it, but other than Korpiklaani's set, everything was right in line with what I would expect.  And honestly I quite enjoyed the lengthier Korpiklaani set because it gave me a chance to hear more of their material, which I have not had the chance to do before.  She was cold as well, which made her more miserable.  It was a different kind of concert than I am used to, but it was a lot of fun.  All three bands put on impressive performances.

Hellwitch: Syzygial Miscreancy (1990)

I have covered Hellwitch a couple of times in the last year, starting with their 2009 album Omnipotent Convocation and then going back to a couple of their early demos.  But covering Hellwitch seems incomplete unless there is eventually some discussion about the album that has made Hellwitch a cult favorite.  I am talking about this album, Syzygial Miscreancy, and no, I have no idea what that means.

This album is crazy.  It is an explosive and wild collection of riffs and solos that go in all directions at once.  The songs are not really cohesive units, rather they are a barely coherent combination of sections thrown together.  And yet, the album is fucking awesome.  Part of the reason for that is the obvious talent level of the musicians involved.  The riffs are amazing, it does not really matter that they barely fit together.  This is absolutely an album for fans of technical guitar playing. 

I will give Hellwitch credit where I complain about a lot of other technical bands.  Even though there is so much variety, the music never sounds overly clinical or soulless.  The songs still sound organic, even if they have completely run amok. 

I have discussed many times about how thrash was maturing in the early 1990's and a number of bands were becoming highly technical and instrumentally proficient.  This is yet another such example.  Hellwitch skirted the line between thrash and death metal, but they retained a stunning ability to write technically impressive music.  This album is terrific and a well-deserved cult classic. 

Refusal: Epitome of Void (2019)

Recently I was kind of wondering how some of the bands who have previously contacted me through the blog for the purpose of requesting a review have been doing.  One of those such bands was Refusal, a Finnish death/thrash metal band.  I reviewed two of their early releases and was very impressed by them.  Well, it was a good time to check because Refusal just released their second full-length this year.

By and large, Refusal's sound has not changed much over the years.  They still play fast-paced old-school-sounding death metal with a punk/thrash attitude.  The guitars have a similar kind of buzzsaw guitar tone that is closely associated with the Swedish death metal scene of the early 1990's.  In fact, a lot about this sounds Swedish to me.  It is something of a mix between The Crown and Dismember.  There are some damn catchy, grooving riffs present on this thing, something that was common in the band's early demos and EPs. 

The vocals are still very impressive.  The primary vocal style is a deep guttural roar.  But frequently there is more of a high-pitched scream added in for good measure and to keep things varied. 

I always liked this band and wondered how they would do with a full-length album.  It turns out they did quite well.  I am not sure how I missed out on the band's first full-length (as well as a number of other demos and EPs), but I am glad I came back around now to hear this one.  Refusal does not do anything ground-breaking here, but they play some damn fun, rollicking death metal and every single song is quality. 

Maniac Butcher: Lučan-antikrist (1996)

Here we have yet another album by the Czech black metal band Maniac Butcher, with yet another almost embarrassingly amateurish album cover.  I have been on a bit of a Maniac Butcher kick lately and have picked up a number of their albums.  This coincides with my black metal kick.  As I have previously mentioned, Maniac Butcher is pretty much a perfect example of black metal, particularly the second wave black metal.

This is Maniac Butcher's second album and it does differ rather considerably from other albums from the band I have heard.  For one thing, there is the intro track which features a sample of a male choir.  That is a little different than the band's later stubborn refusal to include anything other than the typical metal instruments.  The other difference is that this is a much more melodic and accessible album than some of the other ones.  Rather than focus on pure unadulterated chaos, the band's sound is driven by tremolo riffing and blast-beat drumming.  Some of the riffs are even fairly musical, very odd for this band.  The vocals are raw and powerful, delivered in much more of a primal roar than the typical black metal shrieking.  That is one thing that did not change over time. 

This is not really a classic album, whether in the context of black metal as a whole or Maniac Butcher's discography.  There are better albums by the band out there.  But there is something to be said for picking up a black metal album and getting well-crafted true black metal.  And that is what we have here. 

Dream Tröll: The Witch's Curse (2018)

I fucking LOVE this EP.  Honestly, I have probably listened to this EP more than any other album in my collection since I picked it up.  It is absolutely an incredible listen, musically and lyrically.  There is a theatricality about it as well that calls to mind the concept albums by groups like King Diamond and others.

The EP tells the story of a witch's curse and the battle of one man to free his beloved from the effects of the curse.  The characters are Cyrian, the protagonist who is sent to kill his father Enki in order to lift the curse.  But Enki, after a protracted battle, decides he will not kill his son and decides to lift the curse instead.  And so Cyrian returns to the witch's lair in order to reclaim his beloved Isabella.  It is an incredibly detailed and ambitious story and shocking that it is something original written by the band.  It is also not finally resolved, leaving open the possibility that a sequel could be coming.

Musically, Dream Tröll's sound on this one is a style of heavy metal that has influences from power metal and doom metal.  There are frequent guitar solos and keyboard lines as well as gang vocals.  There is a lot going on musically here, but it is the storytelling that is really the key to this release.  I mentioned the theatricality previously.  The vocals are delivered in different styles depending on the character's point of view.

I fell for this EP the first time I heard it and that has not lessened ever since.  I have checked out Dream Tröll's other releases.  Unfortunately, those releases, while quite good in their own rights, are missing the theatricality and story-telling that is present on this one.  They are much more typical power metal releases while this one skirts the line with hard rock.  This is one of the greatest rock opera concept albums metal has seen in quite some time.

Smoulder: Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring (2019)

A cover like that makes me think of bands like Cirith Ungol and Candlemass, and for good reason.  Apparently the artist of this cover also did artwork for releases by Cirith Ungol and a number of fantasy novels.  And so, taking one look at this album cover, it would seem likely that this will be an epic doom metal album, and that is exactly correct.

And lyrically, it is pretty clear what this album will be like as well.  The name of the album is a reference to Michael Moorcock's The Greater Conqueror.  I am not personally familiar with the novella, nor have I read any of the works by Moorcock, but I have a pretty good idea of the subject matter.  It will have references to the kinds of swords and sorcery content that is prevalent in a lot of epic doom metal and quite a bit of power metal as well.  And with song titles like "Ilian of Garathorm" and "The Sword Woman", it is pretty clear that this will appeal to fans of fantasy epics.

The album is basically split into two distinct sections.  The first half of the album features faster-paced (relatively speaking) songs with catchy choruses and sweeping hooks.  "Bastard Steel" is the highlight here with the fastest riff on the album.  The second half is much slower with lumbering riffs that call to mind The Gates of Slumber, a band I absolutely loved.  So I am fully on board with both sides of the album.

What sets Smoulder apart is the fact that their singer is a woman.  This is something that does seem to be becoming more and more common these days.  Iron Griffin is another doom metal band with a woman singing.  Sarah Ann is a terrific singer and her range fits in well with the band's sound.

This is an incredibly impressive debut album by this Canadian doom metal band.  This is another example of why Bandcamp is such a great site.  I am not sure I would have heard of this otherwise.  I would have been missing out.

Faceless Burial: Grotesque Miscreation (2017)

This is Australian death metal band Faceless Burial's debut album.  And honestly, what drew me to it is the twisted creature on the cover.  I am going to say something pretty nerdy here, so here it goes.  This thing looks like one of the alien antagonists in Metroid Prime 2, the Ing I believe they were called.  The dark, twisted body on three legs.   So, with that, I decided to check it out.

Faceless Burial is listed on the Metal Archives as a black/death metal band, but I think that genre tag is incorrect.  I do not hear anything but death metal here.  Granted, the band's sound seems to pay tribute to several of the old school death metal sounds.  Take the unbridled aggression of Malevolent Creation, the occult atmosphere of Morbid Angel, the twisted weirdness of Immolation and the punishing violence of Sinister and that is a pretty close approximation of the band's sound.

For the most part, Faceless Burial's commitment to playing old school death metal results in a sound that is not exactly groundbreaking.  And for portions of the album, it just sort of drags on.  But there are definitely moments, such as the closing riff to "Black Ovulation" that really grab the attention of the listener. 

I enjoyed this album, but I would not say it is an essential release.  Faceless Burial seems to be still finding their individual sound.  This is still just a debut release.  It will be interesting to see where Faceless Burial goes from here.