Keys of Orthanc: A Battle in the Dark Lands of the Eye... (2019)

As may be inferred, both the band name and the album title here are Tolkien references.  Orthanc is apparently the name of Saruman's black tower.  Now, I am going to explain that I had to look that up.  The album cover and title were pretty clear to me, but the band name was not.  I have never read any of Tolkien's material.  No, not even The Hobbit.  Fantasy is not really my thing.  I have read the A Song of Ice and Fire books and watched Game of Thrones, and I have seen the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, but that is as far as I have gone.  Horror is my genre.  But metal has gotten a lot of mileage out of Tolkien's material, and this is one more to add to the list.

The music here is somewhat hard to categorize.  There are elements of black metal, and epic traditional metal interwoven with acoustic interludes and keyboard melodies.  The result is a decidedly majestic-sounding album that fits the subject matter quite well.  The closest comparison to another band that I can make is to Bal-Sagoth, but without the campfire vocals and focused moreso on the music than the story.  That is not to say the story is not important.  The band has done an impressive job of telling the story through the music. 

This is an interesting and entertaining listen.  Despite not knowing or caring all that much about the subject matter, the album itself has a lot going for it.  The songs are memorable, particularly the dichotomy between the acoustic, atmospheric interludes and the much more intense black metal sections.  This is an impressive release.

Impiety/Infernal Execrator: Dusthall Desecrators (Live Penang 2015) (2016)

This split is between two bands from Singapore, of all places.  Impiety is a band I am well familiar with and they made my top 100 bands list.  I had not heard of Infernal Execrator before.  As could be gleaned from the split's title, this is a live release, the bands performed a show together.  I am guessing Impiety was the headliner, even though they appear first on the split.

Most of the Impiety tracks appear on albums that I own, so I already know how I feel about the song choice.  The sound is fairly impressive for an underground live release.  If there is an issue it is that the music is slightly muffled when compared to the vocals.  The vocals are very high in the mix and Shyaithan sounds a little rough, but it works with the music well.  Impiety is likely a damn good live act, they sound just as punishing and brutal as they do on their albums.  Someday, maybe I will get to see them live.

The Infernal Execrator side is plagued by some of the same sound issues.  The drums and vocals are high in the mix, with the riffs being somewhat muffled.  In general, this band's songs are generally shorter and, if possible, more intense.  That being said, the brutality is kind of the key to this band without much in the way of subtlety, not that there is much in either band in reality. 

The winner of the split is probably Impiety, but it is a lot closer than I expected it to be.  Infernal Execrator impressed me honestly.  I just like Impiety a bit better.

Nordic Metal: A Tribute to Euronymous (1995)

Despite the name of this release, this is not a tribute album.  My understanding is that it is a collection of songs from a variety of black metal bands to spread the black metal sound in honor of Euronymous's efforts with his label Deathlike Silence.  Euronymous attempted to get some sort of compilation like this together, but was unable to do so before his death.

As this is not a tribute album, I am not going to go through each and every song one by one.  Most of the groups are well-known, including Mayhem, Dissection, Emperor and Enslaved.  And some groups have more than one track here.  Some of the songs are unreleased versions of tracks that appeared on other albums or completely new songs. 

The only track here that is a little questionable is the Mortiis outro.  Mortiis is something of an enigma and the track is far-removed from black metal.  Most of the tracks are about what one would expect from an early-to-mid-90's black metal release: cold and ominous atmosphere and hateful riffs.  There are a few standout tracks however, such as the Abruptum opener "De Profundis Mors Vas Consumet", which sets the tone for the entire release.  Then there's the second Dissection track "Elizabeth Bathori", which is a cover of a Tormentor song that absolutely slays. 

I am not sure what to say about this release other than if early second wave black metal is your thing, this needs to be in your collection.  It would also be a terrific introduction to black metal in general as it features a number of the major bands from the scene.   

Arckanum: Kostogher (1997)

Here we go.  Now we are getting into the sound I really associate with Arckanum.  This is the one-man band's second full-length album and it has taken another massive step forward.  The formula has remained largely the same, but there is a massive improvement in the compositional skills and proficiency at the instruments.

Arckanum's sound has always reminded me somewhat of countrymen Dissection, and that is on full display on this release.  Arckanum is decidedly more black metal, but some of the riffing style is similar to when Dissection is doing a heavier section.  There is some melody present, but by and large, Arckanum's sound is based around a few repetitive riffs, but there is a strong, malevolent atmosphere to everything the band does.  The drumming is particularly impressive, which makes sense because Shamaatae used to be the drummer for Grotesque.  His fills and blasts are inspired on this release, one of the better drum performances I have heard in some time from a black metal release.

The songs on this release do tend to run together a little bit, but that's why it is best to listen to the album as a whole rather than skipping through songs.  As a complete album, it absolutely pummels the listener.  That is the way it should be experienced.

Of the three Arckanum releases I have reviewed recently, this is the best, but there are several more to come soon.  And Arckanum really takes off later.

Arckanum: Trulen (1994)

I guess we are going backwards for the second out of the three Arckanum posts (for now).  This is the band's fourth demo, but the last one before Arckanum released their debut full-length.  A number of the songs that appear on Fran Marder also appear here, though not sounding quite the same.

This is a much more raw and amateur sound than the band had on the debut.  The biggest difference is in the production and the guitar tone.  It's a much more stripped-down sound and does not have nearly the bottom end found on the debut full-length.  But many of the other elements that made the debut so good are here, including the fast riffing style, the nature sounds and the dark and occult atmosphere.  Also present are the vocals, which alternate between harsh screams and hypnotic chanting.

I still have to say that with the choice between this demo and Fran Marder, the latter is the better listen.  The improvement in production has a big impact.  This is a fine demo, but just know that it has the typical limitations of a self-produced demo.  The full-length sounds much more impressive.

Arckanum: Fran Marder (1995)

I have mentioned several times that one of the things that I love about being a metalhead is being able to locate hard-to-find and out-of-print albums because stuff is constantly reissued.  I assume this is at least partially true of other genres, but there are labels whose sole purpose is re-releasing albums that have come before.  Enter Arckanum, a Swedish one-man black metal band whose unpronounceable album ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ caught my attention almost a decade ago.  So, when the band's material was re-issued recently, I started to pick them up.

Fran Marder is the band's debut full-length.  The music bears a slight resemblance to other early Swedish black metal bands, such as Dark Funeral, Dissection and Marduk.  The focus is more on faster, more intense riffing and building a chaotic and evil atmosphere.  The production is extremely impressive, particularly for a mid 90's black metal album.  The structures are mostly simple, built around one or two repeating riffs, but the use of sound effects (particularly stormy weather) gives the album an icy and forbidding feel.

This is an extremely impressive debut for the band.  Of course it is much more raw than some of the later output, but Arckanum got off to the right start.

Coffin Rot: A Monument to the Dead (2019)

Like yesterday's post, the subject of today's post also made my Top 10 albums of 2019.  Coffin Rot's debut full-length made it to #4 on my list of the best albums of 2019.  Coffin Rot is another of those terrific bands congealing in Portland, Oregon and features members of doom metal band Tar Pit, who has been reviewed here previously.  As good as Tar Pit is though, I much prefer Coffin Rot.

This is absolutely filthy, grimy and disgusting death metal done right.  It hits all the right notes for what one should be looking for in a proper old-school sounding death metal album.  The cover art is gory, the song titles ("Saw Blade Suicide", "Necrotized") are hideous, and the music is monstrous.  Featuring meaty, fetid riffs and gurgling vocals, this album is a reminder of the early, dangerous days of death metal.  Reference points are likely the early days of Swedish death metal greats Grave, the highly underrated Benediction, and a little bit of Broken Hope.  The songs chug by at a medium pace, but are packed to the brim with riffs and thunderous bass. 

There really is not more to say.  If you like your death metal filthy and disgusting, this album is absolutely perfect.  2019 was an amazing year for death metal, and Coffin Rot's debut is up there with the best of them all.  Perfect on a playlist with Tomb Mold, Ossuarium and Blood Incantation.

Alcest: Spiritual Instinct (2019)

This album made it to third place on my Albums of the Year list, so I am going to spoil the end of the review by saying that I love this album.  It is however, the biggest surprise from that list, because I never thought that I would truly enjoy an Alcest album.  That is how good this album really is.  It made it past any preconceived notions I had about this band.

The reason for my skepticism about Alcest is their status as one of the leading bands in the mostly regrettable "blackgaze" subgenre, which includes bands like Deafheaven.  The bands combine black metal with ultra-mellow indie rock.  Previous releases from Alcest have been so mellow and focused on the less metal aspects as to be mostly unlistenable to me.  So I never really thought this album would be up my alley.  But then I heard "Protection" and "Sapphire".

What makes this release so impressive is the renewed focus on the more metal aspects.  There are black metal screams here as well as a far more aggressive riffing style.  But it fits in seemlessly with the lush, ethereal and melancholic melodies.  The result is a dark album that is at the same time breathlessly beautiful.  The only downside is that it drags just a little bit in the second half, but the first half is utterly flawless.

I was blown away by this release.  I still highly doubt I will enjoy much of their prior material, and I am by no means going to start checking out other blackgaze bands.  But this album is indeed incredible. 

One and Done? Pt. 14: Satan's Hallow

Satan's Hallow was a band out of Chicago, IL riding the traditional metal wave.  To be more specific, they were one of the many recent traditional metal bands with a female lead singer, joining groups like Smoulder, Iron Griffin, Lady Beast, Savage Master, Huntress and many others.  Satan's Hallow though may have been the best of the bunch. 

Satan's Hallow's sound was rooted in the early 1980's NWOBHM and other speed/traditional metal of the time period.  It is of course obvious to draw comparisons to other female-fronted bands from the time period like Warlock, Bitch, Chastain and others.  Musically though, I think they sound much more like Angel Witch with a bit of Omen thrown in.  But with a woman singing.  Which is just freaking awesome.

The music here is terrific, no-holds-barred true heavy metal with some ripping solos and catchy-as-hell choruses.  And the vocals provide a lot of melody to the riffs.  The result is some blood-pumping, full throttle metal.  The best tracks are the title track, "Still Alive" and "Beyond the Bells".

Well there's bad news and good news.  The bad news is that Satan's Hallow is no more.  The good news is that four out of the five members (only guitarist Von Jugel is absent) have formed the band Midnight Dice.  I will have to check them out to see if they will be carrying on the torch from Satan's Hallow.

Ripper: Sensory Stagnation (2019)

Last October I covered the 2016 album from Chilean thrashers Ripper, Experiment of Existence.  I was blown away by that album and so when the opportunity to pick up their 2019 EP arose, I jumped on it. 

On my first listen to this album, I recall being somewhat disappointed with it.  It did not have quite the same raw savagery that the previous album I heard had.  But repeated listens led to me discovering more and more about the EP and falling for it.  It is different than the prior release I heard, but that is not such a bad thing.

The primary thing I noticed is that there is a bit more technicality to this album.  That is especially obvious in the rather impressive bass parts which bear a strong resemblance to such tech thrash luminaries like Heathen and Atheist.  But the guitar riffs seem pulled straight from the Kreator catalog, fast and intense.  The vocals too have that Mille Petrozza snarl to them.  The result is a release that blends aspects of German thrash, South American death and American technical thrash.  That is quite the mix.

As I said, this release did not jump out at me on the first listen, but repeated listens have my attention.  I still do not think I like it quite as much as the previous album, but it is damn good in its own right.

Μνήμα: Gathering Sorcery to the Eternal Portals of the Past (2018)

This EP was released a month before the demo that I reviewed yesterday, but the sound is something of a mix between both.  It is sort of odd that the song structures in each of these releases is vastly different.  This is the earliest release and there are two songs, of a length of about five minutes each.  The next release in time had just one song, over eleven minutes long.  And then the most recent release had four songs, none of which touched four minutes in length.

As might be expected by now, the production value is not great.  The sound is very muffled, which is sort of a shame because I think the riffs are probably among the best I have heard from this band.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that with a halfway decent (not even decent, I know how these super underground black metal projects are) production, this would easily be the best of the three releases I have reviewed by this band.  I really like these two songs.

The vocals are still not anything to write home about.  I am not sure there are lyrics, it is more like tortured wailing and shrieking.  The guitars are doing some interesting things.  The drums still do not do a whole lot, but they do not sound bad either.  I still have no idea if there is a bass.

So, with these three releases now done, what is my impression of Μνήμα?  Well, it is kind of hard to tell.  As I said, each release sounds vastly different.  This one and Forbidden Creatures of Time are significantly better than the other one.  I am not sure whether I will be continuing to check in on Μνήμα in the future or not.  I suppose just to hear whether they have changed much would be possible.  I certainly would not discount it.

Μνήμα: Forbidden Creatures of Time (2019)

Whoa.  So, according to my review of the band's Metal Archives page, this release came out two months earlier than the one I reviewed yesterday.  You would not know that from the sound quality and musicality though.  This release is markedly better than yesterday's subject.

I am not going to say that this is a particularly great release, but it is significantly better.  This is just a one-song demo, so it is obvious that the song is much longer than anything on the other release.  In fact it is about as long as all four songs on the other demo combined.  The band stretches their musical abilities here and actually comes up with a compelling song with a number of twists and turns and some honest-to-Satan riffs. 

Another huge difference is the production.  It is still a very raw production and it is certainly not good.  There are still major issues, for instance there is almost no bottom end at all (I am still not sure there is a bass guitar here).  But the drums, while muffled, actually sound like drums.  And the guitars are not so soaked with reverb that they cannot be heard.

I still cannot recommend this release to anyone but the most uber-kvlt of raw black metal fans, but there are some of those out there.  I did enjoy this release significantly more than yesterday's though and that is certainly something.

Μνήμα: The Superior Poisoner of Time (2019)

Ummm, yeah.  Well, let me introduce the band and get started.  There is a little bit to cover, though this review likely will not be a long one.  There really is not much here.  That band name is pronounced "mniee-ma" and it means "tomb" in Greek.  I picked up a few releases by this band because it's a Greek black metal band.  I mean, come on.  Well, here we go.

First off, this is the absolute worst production I have ever heard.  And that is saying something.  The vocals are really high in the mix.  The drums sound like they are in the basement of the recording studio being recorded by placing the equipment on the floor.  The guitars can barely be heard over their reverb.  I am not even sure there is a bass guitar. 

Now, on to the actual music.  The release is mercifully short.  The vocals are not really saying anything, and are delivered in moans or squeals or shrieks.  It sounds more like a bunch of tomcats in heat than anything human.  The drums sound like someone tossed a bunch of pots, pans and metal ladles into the dryer and recorded it.  There is really no rhyme or reason behind anything the drums are doing.  Thankfully they are so muffled (floorboards) that they are barely noticeable.  Every once in awhile a riff shines through and you can almost for a couple of seconds hear what this band might be thinking.  But those moments are brief and far apart.

Skip this one.  It is not worth it. 

Abyssic Hate: Suicidal Emotions (2000)

One can already tell that this is not going to be the most uplifting album in the world.  From the band name to the album title to the album cover, it is clear that this Australian black metal band does not have a lot of positive things to say.  And sure enough, this is a style commonly referred to as depressive black metal. 

Abyssic Hate is a one-man project of Shane Rout, who has spent time in Australian metal luminaries such as Hecatomb and Deströyer 666, usually as a drummer.  It is somewhat surprising then that the drums are actually the least impressive part of this album.  In fact, despite the fact that Rout is a drummer, he made use of a drum machine on this release. 

But enough of the negative, this album blew me away.  I have had a little bit of difficulty getting into this style of black metal until I heard Leviathan.  If I had heard this album first, it may have been a significantly different story.  There is a lot going on in this release, even if it seems fairly simplistic on the surface.  The songs are quite lengthy, usually propelled by fairly minimalist riffs, much like Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger.  It is no surprise to know that the band's name comes from a Darkthrone song.  But beneath the riffs is some strangely compelling melodies reminiscent of groups like Joy Division and The Cure.  That is not to say that these elements are overpowering, but they exist in order to propel the emotional center of the album.  The biggest highlight is the opening riff of "Betrayed".  That was the moment that really captured my attention and the album refused to let go after that.

Fans of Xasthur, Leviathan and other depressive black metal absolutely MUST check this album out.  This should be a landmark in the style.  It is truly impressive.  Unfortunately it is the only full-length from Abyssic Hate and Rout has ended this project.  It would have been tough to top this album anyway.

Impure: Satan's Eclipse (2019)

At the risk of repeating myself (once again), 2019 was a fantastic year for death metal.  Quite possibly one of the best years since the 1990's.  And no, that is not in the least bit scientific, or really based on anything other than pure gut feeling.  There were plenty of established bands that put out great albums, but there were also great debuts.  Impure's full-length is an example of the latter.

Impure has been making some noise in the metal underground for a few years and their full-length lives up to the hype.  This is blasphemously nasty and dirty death metal with some black metal influences, just in case it was not evil enough already.  The songs creep and ooze by, leaving everything blackened and charred in their wake.  With song titles like "Danse of Slaughtered Cherubs" and "Satyrranical Desecration", each song is more evil than the last.

Impure hits all the right notes with their instrumentation, vocals and production.  This is brutally evil and chaotic.  This is a truly impressive debut from a band from whom I am very eager to hear more.

Батюшка: Панихида (2019)

I am going to refer to this band as Batushka for the rest of the review.

I covered the previous incarnation of this band in June last year.  The debut was one of the more noteworthy black metal releases in recent years and the band's live show became a must-see.  Unfortunately, controversy reared its head when founding member Krzysztof Drabikowski and vocalist Bartłomiej Krysiuk each claimed that they kicked the other member out of the band.  Each member claimed ownership over the band's name and each one released a new album under the name Batushka (or rather the name in the title).  I am not going to get into all of that right now.  I might save it for another post.  This is the Batushka formed by Drabikowski and has been accepted for the most part as the more legitimate version.

What made the prior iteration of the band stand out was the blending of Eastern Orthodox liturgy and ugly black metal.  That element is still very much on display here.  Many of the vocals are delivered in a clean chanting style reminiscent of religious services.  There are also moments where the black metal falls away in favor of chiming percussion and choirs.  It should not work at all, but it does, maybe not quite as well as the prior release, but certainly better than I thought it could. 

One thing that I did notice this time around was how much more somber and melodic this release is.  A lot of the aggression has been stripped away, though certainly not all of it.  What results is an album that has a lot of doom metal to it.  A reason for this may be the subject matter of the release.  The title translated means "Requiem", so it is more of a remembrance of the dead which is obviously a much more somber affair.

This album is a worthy successor to the prior Batushka release.  I have also picked up the other band using the name and everyone will have to wait to see my thoughts on it.  This release does an impressive job of picking up where the prior release left off and certainly carries forward the spirit of that album.

Baxaxaxa: The Old Evil (2019)

Baxaxaxa is definitely one of the odder names I have come across.  It is apparently the name of an obscure demon found by former guitarist Unholy Worshipper of Shub (probably not his real name).  The German black metal band (duh) originally formed in 1992, releasing a single demo.  Original drummer Condemptor (no clue) reformed the band in 2017 with new members Sulphur Irae, Cryptic Tormentor, Traumatic and Antitron Desecratum W2J1L8.  I will refrain from making the same joke twice.  At any rate, the band re-formed and released this demo last year.

One can definitely see that this is a band that dates back to 1992.  Their sound is based in ancient black metal similar to early Bathory and Mayhem.  The music is dark and atmospheric with primitive-sounding riffs and vampiric vocals.  Keyboards work to fill in the gaps giving the demo an ever more sinister feel.

This is a short demo that calls back to an earlier time in black metal.  This is not exactly an unusual sound to take on these days, but Baxaxaxa come into it honestly.  This is a damn good release, even if it is not anything new. 

Baroness: Gold & Grey (2019)

I have very complicated feelings about Baroness.  I really want to enjoy everything they do, because when there is a song I like from them, I often find myself obsessed with it for awhile.  But I just cannot get into their full albums for the most part.  That has not always been the case.  In the beginning when they were something of a Mastodon-esque sludge metal band I could easily get into them.  That describes Red Album and Blue Record.  The shift occurred with Yellow & Green, a massive double album that only had one song I truly enjoyed.  But "Take My Bones Away" is such a terrific song.  Then Purple dropped and I loved "Shock Me", but the album completely lost me in the second half.  And so it goes. 

I was somewhat reluctant to check this album out, because I had actually not heard anything prior to doing so.  But seeing as it was a Baroness album, I knew there would probably be at least a couple of songs that I really loved.  And that is definitely the case.  The album starts off very strong with the first couple of songs, highlighted by opener "Front Toward Enemy" which captures that rumbling, rollicking sound that is typically characteristic of the songs I most enjoy by the band.  The first half kind of peters out after awhile with songs that lean dangerously close to indie rock, but it does occasionally roar back, like on "Throw Me an Anchor", which starts off a little chaotically but morphs into another very strong track. 

The second half starts slowly with the crooning "Emmett - Radiating Light" before catching up with another rocker, "Cold-Blooded Angels".  After that the band loses a little bit of momentum by alternating songs with instrumentals that frequently do not really go anywhere.  This is kind of the experimental side of Baroness, which is perfectly fine, but it comes across as unnecessary filler most of the time.  And this is a long album because of it.  Cutting these would make a stronger album, because most of the last few songs are really damn good.

I do like this one a bit more than Purple.  It still does not rise to the level of Blue Record in my mind, but it is probably the most consistently good album since that one.  There is still quite a bit of filler and the album is longer than it should be, but it is a very strong Baroness album.  I guess I am not done checking out their new stuff yet.

Pathfinder: Fifth Element (2012)

Two years after releasing their debut album, Pathfinder released their follow-up which, to this date, is their last release.  No, the album is not a concept album about the 1997 science fiction movie starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman and Milla Jovovich.  That is kind of a shame, because that movie is awesome.  It is a concept album of sorts though.  I am just not sure of the story line.

This album finds Pathfinder honing their own individual sound, which appears to be more of a mixture of European power metal and symphonic metal, sort of a mix between Sonata Arctica and Rhapsody of Fire.  The result is an album that moves the band forward musically but sometimes goes a little overboard with the new elements.  A lot of times the riffs get completely drowned out by the keyboards and symphonic elements to the point that they are barely present. 

The vocals are kind of a mixed bag.  I did not talk about them much in the previous review because there was not much to say.  This time there are a variety of styles present.  All of the members provide vocals during the choral parts, but the lead vocals are kind of all over the place.  He usually uses a clean sound but occasionally tries to work in some harsher vocals, such as screeches that sound like a sillier Dani Filth (which is saying something). 

I do applaud the band for moving beyond simply aping their influences, but I think the symphonic elements are a bit overdone.  Also, the album is long again, though not quite as long as the previous album.  So once again, there is a lot of filler here and songs that are longer than they probably should be.  The album is fine, but I actually prefer the debut.

Pathfinder: Beyond the Space, Beyond the Time (2010)

Of the major metal subgenres, power metal remains the one that it has been hardest for me to discover new bands, especially the European style.  I feel like I have talked about this before, but maybe not in depth.  I think that power metal is the hardest genre play convincingly.  We expect black metal, death metal and thrash metal bands to sound raw and primitive.  European power metal is a much more sophisticated style, and musicians have to really be incredible to pull it off.  And so it is that I have a hard time finding decent new power metal bands.

One group that has recently caught my attention though is Pathfinder from Poland.  Pathfinder is a symphonic power metal band whose sound reminds me a lot of Sonata Arctica.  This is a good thing, because Sonata Arctica remains one of my personal favorite power metal bands, particularly from their earlier albums.  Now, I do not want it to sound like Pathfinder is a clone of Sonata Arctica.  For one, they do not quite possess the same instrumental prowess and technical ability.  They are able to achieve the slower and mid-paced sound, but not quite make it to the same lightning-fast ability of "Wolf & Raven" for instance. 

This album is a lengthy epic full of impressive musicianship and dynamics.  The band is undeniably talented and work together reasonably well.  There are some songs that definitely grab attention, particularly the title track. 

Unfortunately it is not all great.  The album is damn near 75 minutes long and there has rarely been an album that long that utilized that much time to the fullest.  There is guaranteed to be some filler here that could have easily been left off the final product and made it that much stronger.  That is certainly true here. 

I glanced at reviews of this album on the Metal Archives.  It has been reviewed ten times and every single review is either in the high 90s or a zero.  I do not have that extreme of feelings about this album.  It is fine for what it is, but it is neither a perfect album, nor an absolute travesty.  It is merely decent, if too long.

Djin: The Era of Destruction (2012)

Two days ago I discussed Killer of Gods, the first Indonesian metal band I have come across.  I also said that they would not be the last one.  Well, here is the other one.  Djin is another tech death band from Indonesia.  Their lyrics are not nearly as objectionable though, so I feel a bit better about reviewing them.

Unfortunately, the music here is more of the overly technical sort with little to no structure to the individual songs.  Instead the technicality is the star of the show.  Featuring hyper blasting drums and sweeping guitar lines and guttural roaring vocals, there is very little pretty here.  This is much closer to groups like Brain Drill than Atheist.  I have seen comparisons to Origin, but as technical as they are, Origin still managed to put together some damn good songs.  The musicians in Djin are extremely talented, I will absolutely not take that away from them, but so much of the album is simply devoted to making as much noise as possible and showing off their chops rather than being focused on making a good and memorable album.

This is an extremely short release, which is definitely in its favor.  It is far better for releases of this style to be short and not overstay their welcome.  Unfortunately, once it is over, the only thing I can really remember is that there were a lot of sweeps and noodling with the guitar and blasting drums.  This is a fine release if extremely technical death is desired, but do not go looking for a lot of melody and memorability.

Initial Impressions: Testament: Titans of Creation (2020)

I am interrupting my current and ongoing pile of albums to review to jump this one way ahead.  Why?  Well, because it's fucking Testament.  That's why.  As longtime readers know, Testament is my favorite band.  I came to this realization a few years back, though they have always been high on the list.  I just love everything from the band.  And they are one of the few bands whose every new release I grab right away.  This was no exception.

So how is it?  Fucking.  Awesome.  I love this album.  This is quite possibly Testament's best album since The Gathering, which was an absolute monster itself.  To begin with, the current iteration of Testament is one of the greatest collections of talent in metal right now.  The rhythm section itself is peerless, consisting of human metronome Gene Hoglan and fretless bass master Steve DiGiorgio.  And then there is the guitar duo of Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson who play off of each other better than anyone since Iron Maiden's heyday.  Skolnick deserves special mention as a one-of-a-kind talent.  Finally Chuck Billy has one of the most distinctive voices in thrash metal and sounds better than he has in years.  Probably again since The Gathering.

A band can have all of the talent in the world, but if the songs are not great, the album will be a failure.  Luckily here we have some amazing songs.  Each one of them dynamic and intriguing in their own ways.  The standouts are "Night of the Witch", which is reminiscent of the aforementioned The Gathering.  That is to say an exceptionally dark song.  "Catacombs", the album closer, is a short instrumental built around the opening riff to "Low", which is a nice callback.  And finally, and most importantly, "Dream Deceiver" is quite possibly Testament's best song in years.  With a Priest-esque chorus and an exceptional Skolnick solo, it makes an immediate and lasting impact.

I have loved every release by Testament, but it is clear that the band has been on an upswing over the last few years.  Each release since their reunion album The Formation of Damnation has been better than the one before.  The biggest improvement on this one is Skolnick's playing.  He seems rejuvenated somehow.  And what results is an absolutely terrific album from the thrash titans.  This album will be tough to beat at the end of the year.  An early contender for Album of the Year.

On a personal note, Steve DiGiorgio, Chuck Billy and his wife have apparently recently tested positive for COVID-19.  I wish them all the best of luck getting through this.

Killer of Gods: Mental Retardation Force (2016)

I am going to start by saying I absolutely do not approve of the album's title, or some of the lyrics.  There is some highly objectionable lyrics in this release.  I am not going to spend a lot of time discussing those matters for obvious reasons.  Now, with that out of the way, on to the release.

Indonesia actually has a fairly vibrant metal scene.  Metal Archives lists almost 1,800 bands from the country.  And there are generally a variety of styles, focusing mainly on the more extreme subgenres.  Killer of Gods is the first Indonesian metal band I have heard, personally.  But there will be another one very soon.

Killer of Gods is a technical death metal band whose sound is rooted in the old school technical death metal bands like Atheist and Pestilence rather than the more modern take.  That is to say that the sound does not lose any musicality in exchange for showing off their technical proficiency.  And thus the songs here are complete songs, rather than a collection of parts dominated by noodling riffs and pounding drums.  The band is at their best when they are expanding beyond simply death metal, incorporating jazzy interludes or acoustic melodies.  Unfortunately, this happens infrequently, though the ending to "The Power of the Moon" and the final instrumental track are a solid four minutes or so of the best this band has to offer.

Killer of Gods does not really stand out much from the pack of technical death metal bands, other than their country of origin.  The album is decent enough, but there are some significant lyrical issues that I have that I will not delve into.  They have talent certainly, but songwriting could use a little work yet. 

Savage Master: Myth, Magic and Steel (2019)

Just one look at the album cover here and you can pretty much guess what this album is going to sound like.  How a band like this came about in Louisville, Kentucky is the only real question.  Kentucky is not exactly a metal hot spot, and certainly not for the kind of swords-and-sorcery classic heavy metal that Savage Master represents.

Savage Master is a traditional heavy metal band with one foot planted firmly in the early 1980's.  Think groups like Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Omen, Manowar, Dio and more.  They are fronted by a ferocious female singer, so the obvious comparisons to Warlock, Chastain and Bitch will be made.  Stacey Savage has a strong voice, not necessarily a pretty one, but it works to her advantage in this style of metal.  It fits in quite well with the raw, traditional metal riffs.

The songs all have an epic traditional metal feel to them, with elements of doom metal sneaking through at times.  Many of the choruses are anthemic ear-worms that will be stuck in the head for a long time after the album is over.  This is especially true of "Flyer in the Night" and the title track.  The best song on the album is "Lady of Steel" which features guest appearances from two more female metal singers who trade off verses through the song.

This album does not really reinvent the wheel for traditional metal.  Everything here has been done before, but this is a highly competent and enjoyable release nonetheless.  Just do not go into it expecting anything original and it will be fine. 

Infant Annihilator: The Battle of Yaldabaoth (2019)

What is the line from the old Smuckers commercials?  "With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good", I think?  Well, with a name like Infant Annihilator...never mind.  I'm not totally sure that is at all true. 

Infant Annihilator has been around for a few years now playing some form of technical deathcore mixed with a little bit of slam.  And with a name like Infant Annihilator, subtlety is definitely not the name of the game.  Neither is good taste apparently.  The band has a bit of a twisted sense of humor with albums like The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution featuring songs all about pedophilia.  Yeah.  Not exactly the kind of subject matter to endear yourself to a large crowd.  Obviously the band was taking the stance of being as extreme as possible, and they certainly made a name for themselves, but it was awful. 

This album was billed as something of a more mature, more musically-proficient release, even if some of the lyrics do not show any of that maturity.  I decided to give it a shot.  Just to see what the band was all about.  I will give them credit for being extremely technically impressive.  The album is filled with complex drum patterns, noodling guitar leads, ground-shaking bass drops.  Much of it sounds like it could not possibly be played by a real human being, particularly the speed of the hyper blast beating drums, and there is probably a reason for that.  But rather than being just pure technical wankery, the songs are built around riffs, some of which almost come close to straightforward death metal at times.  Just try and parse that sentence.  The vocals are delivered in a variety of styles, from shrieking wails to deep, guttural roars. 

I do have a complaint about it though.  The album is quite long, at a little under an hour.  Most of the songs are not overly long, with only a handful over five minutes.  There are just a lot of them.  The lyrics are rather juvenile as well, but the nice thing is that with the unintelligible vocals, you can't tell what the fuck is being said anyway.  Particularly with songs like "Feast ov Goreglutton" which is just absurdly graphic and disturbing.  Come to think of it, I am not sure how anyone comes up with something like this, much less puts it in a song.

Honestly, I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I would.  Neither technical death metal nor deathcore are genres that attract my attention and I was a little reluctant to check this out.  I am not saying this will be an album I listen to frequently, and I really have to be in the mood to take this kind of a pummeling aural punishment, but I definitely enjoy it when I am listening to it.  Which is a nice surprise.

Municipal Waste: The Last Rager (2019)

Municipal Waste's 2019 EP already made it to number three on my Top EPs of 2019, so it is pretty easy to see what I think of it.  I was pretty late getting into this band, for reasons I am not sure about.  A crossover/thrash metal band would seem to be up my alley, yet it took a long time before I checked them out.  This is only the second release I had heard from the band.

The Last Rager is a short, crunchy EP that flies by in just a hair over ten minutes.  There are four songs on the album led off by the repetitive, but fun "Wave of Death" which sounds like an S.O.D. track.  "Car-Nivore (Street Meat)" is my favorite song on the album as it speeds by at 100 mph with the best riff on the album and some furious back-and-forth shouting between the two vocalists.  Plus, the pun is just awesome.  "Rum for Your Life" is a bit more groove-oriented but still packs a punch and generally features the best vocal performance and a blazing solo.  Finally, the title track hits hard to close things out with some more terrific thrashy riffwork.

This is a short, but fun release from a band that has made a career out of beating down the door, thrashing hard and leaving just as quickly.  This will not be my last Municipal Waste release. 

Exhorder: Mourn the Southern Skies (2019)

Reunion albums can be hit or miss.  Sometimes, the band gets back together and it is like nothing ever changed and some great music results.  Personally, Testament is one such band for me.  Other times, it can be a massive flop, the band has changed so much that the result is basically pissing on the band's legacy.  I'm looking at you, Sadus.  I was certainly intrigued when I had heard Exhorder was going to release a new album.

Exhorder is a noteworthy band in that they may have been one of the founders of the oft-maligned genre groove metal, which sound Pantera took and ran with in the early 1990's.  Exhorder released two terrific albums in the early 1990's: the thrashier Slaughter in the Vatican and the much more straightforward groove of The Law.  Despite their status as groove metal pioneers, they have largely been exempted from criticism for the genre's failings in subsequent years.  Perhaps that is because they did it so well.  It was going to be interesting to see what the band could do, 17 years after their last album.

Of course, before I begin, I must caveat any talk of a reunion by stating that only one member of the defunct band has returned.  That member is vocalist Kyle Thomas.  The rest of the band is filled out with entirely new members, so this is not really a true reunion album so much as a comeback album with a bunch of new members and the original singer.

Well, so how is it?  Quite simply, the band picks up right where the former Exhorder left off.  The album is an incredibly dynamic one, with the kind of Southern-style groove that made the band's earlier material so damn good.  The album features several blazing fast thrashers, such as the appropriately-titled face-melting track "Ripping Flesh".  It closes on a high note with the bluesy title track.  And there are of course those tracks that call back to The Law, such as the stomping groove of "Asunder".  And every single track on this album is fantastic. 

While this is not exactly a reunion album, it is all killer and no filler.  This album came really damn close to my top ten of the year.  It really is that damn good.  There are very few truly great groove metal albums out there, but this is definitely one of them.

Monarque: Ad Nauseam (2009)

And speaking of Monarque from yesterday, here is the Quebec band's sophomore album.  Monarque is one of those groups that releases a fair amount of material, but very few full-length albums.  Since the band's inception in 2003, there have only been three full-length albums, but a number of splits, EPs and other releases. 

Monarque is a bit more raw and rough around the edges than Cantique Lépreux.  Their music tends to exist on the far more raw black metal side of things and the production is similarly primitive.  Swirling tremolo riffs clash with melancholic atmosphere, which has a hypnotic effect.  The shrieking vocals add a savage element to the songs.  The album is primarily a re-recording of some of the band's demo tracks, but includes a few new cuts and my version also features a live cover of a Burzum track, which is fitting but not really necessary.

I mentioned yesterday how much I have been enjoying this particular scene.  This album is perhaps the best example yet of the Quebec black metal scene.  It really does need to be heard. 

Cantique Lépreux: Cendres Célestes (2016)

Here we have the debut album from Quebec black metal band Cantique Lépreux.  I previously reviewed their second album and was completely blown away by the band to the extent that I tracked down the debut and also discovered an entire scene I had somehow missed.  The Quebec black metal scene has since become a current favorite, and unlike say, The Black Twilight Circle, this scene is still going strong.  Just look at the band who released my Top EP of 2019, Monarque.

The sound here is one is typical for Quebec black metal.  By that I mean that it truly sounds like a blizzard.  Featuring a variety of icy cold, cascading tremolo riffs, rolling drums and freezing vocals, it is the sound of winter winds blowing through a desolate landscape.  It is atmospheric black metal that borrows from Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger, but twists it and shapes it into something new.  At the same time, it is surprisingly melodic, with some damn good guitar solos.  Again, this is common for the scene. 

This is quickly becoming a favorite scene of mine.  Cantique Lépreux was the band that introduced me to it, but I have since branched out.  This album is a great example of what makes this scene so interesting.  Monarque is still my favorite band from the scene, but Cantique Lépreux is up there, at least until I can get into some of the giants of the scene, like Forteresse.

Acheron: Those Who Have Risen (1998)

This is the last of the three straight Acheron posts, and possibly the last one.  I have not been blown away by this band as I thought that I would be.  That's a shame, but not unheard of.  This is the band's fifth album and seems to have a general concept of vampirism. 

Yesterday's subject was pretty damn good, but somewhat hard to get into.  This is a much more straightforward album, ditching most of the intro tracks, though there are occasional keyboard-driven interludes.  In fact, that brings me to my overall complaint about the album: the over-reliance on keyboards.  I am not such a metal purist that I despise the use of keyboards in metal, but I generally prefer them to be in more of a supporting role.  They kind of take the lead on this one, playing almost constantly, but generally playing the same riffs as the guitars which gives the sound kind of a murky, otherworldly feel to it.  I suppose it works well given the vampire subject matter, adding a gothic feel to the music, but it does get a little overbearing at times.

Beyond the keyboards, I am just not really blown away by the compositions here.  The songs generally fail to make much of an impact and sound clumsy at times.  There are some decent tracks on here, but most of it is just kind of generic.

I do not hate this album, and I am not even sure it is safe to say I dislike it.  It just does not make much of an impact one way or the other.  It is listenable, but it is not likely one that I will clamor to listen to over and over again.