Catching Up: 2020 Part 6

CARACH ANGREN: FRANCKENSTEINA STRATAEMONTANUS

No, I am not going to try to pronounce any of that.  This is the second release by Dutch symphonic black metallers Carach Angren that I have checked out.  I quite liked their 2017 release, so I thought it would be worth checking out another one.  Unfortunately, this one does not do a lot for me.  For one thing, most of the actual black metal elements are gone, replaced with the kind of spooky atmosphere and basic riffs that I am sure the Hot Topic mallcore kiddies eat up alongside their Lorna Shore and Sleep Token albums.  I do like the concept of the album and it does definitely have some catchy songs on it, particularly during the clean vocal parts.  It works quite well for the upcoming Halloween season, but if you are looking for some good symphonic black metal, best look elsewhere.

ETERNAL CHAMPION: RAVENING IRON

Eternal Champion came highly recommended to me by a former law school colleague, who used to have his own metal blog.  Based on his recommendation I checked them out and was thoroughly impressed by them.  The band is unapologetic in its cheesiness, but feature some absolutely infectious songs, such as the ripping "War at the Edge of the End" and "Worms of the Earth".  Much of the release is mid-paced, highly melodic traditional metal in the vein of Manilla Road and featuring lyrics about swords and sorcerors and other high fantasy topics.  Like I said, it's cheesy as hell, but it's also a blast to listen to because of that.  Don't take it seriously and have a good time.    

TOXIK DEATH: SEPULCHRAL DEMONS

Toxik Death is a Norwegian blackened thrash metal band on their second album.  Norway is not really known for thrash metal, but this band fits in well with their countrymen in Aura Noir and Deathhammer.  The music is fast and furious, packing a lot of frenzied riffs, pounding drums and shrieking vocals.  The band does an excellent job of crafting this juggernaut of a release that comes in, lays waste to everything around, then doesn't overstay its welcome and leaves.  It's like a tornado, crushing everything and then just as quickly as it arrives, it's over.  The only real criticism I have is that once the album is over, it doesn't sink in real well.  It's a hell of a lot of fun when it's playing, but then it ends and is not as easily remembered.

VARG: ZEICHEN

This is the second album I have checked out by this German band who I recall kind of confused me last time.  They dress like a folk metal band and were at one point listed as a folk metal band, but they are decidedly not folk metal.  At least not exclusively.  I would say some of the melodies come across as folk-inflected, and there are some lead guitar lines that strike a similar chord, but this is by and large more of a melodeath album with some traditional metal influences.  Whatever it is, the music is somewhat uplifting and it really sounds like the band is having fun playing it, and despite the lyrics being in German, it's catchy as hell.  This is a really fun release.  

VVILDERNESS: DARK WATERS

I am not the biggest post-black metal fan.  That is probably obvious given my comments about Deafheaven, Liturgy and the like.  But there are bands I like, and Vvilderness is one of them.  The music sounds so organic, which makes sense given the subject matter.  There's an ebb and flow to the music which makes it easy to just sit back and let it take you away.  Vvilderness has some harsher moments in this release that were mostly absent from the last one, but those moments are short-lived and then the heart-aching melodic moments kick in.  I have not decided if I prefer this album to the last one or not.  At first I did not, but I think Vvilderness has taken a step forward in song-writing on this one, so it has grown on me.

Catching Up: 2020 Part 5

Enough small talk, let's go.

ELEINE: DANCING IN HELL

In the late 90's/early 00's there was a big trend particularly in Europe for symphonic and gothic metal bands to feature an extremely attractive woman on vocals.  Bands like Epica, Nightwish, Tristania, Leaves' Eyes and Within Temptation come to mind.  My first thought upon seeing this band pop up on my radar was that this was another one, especially considering frontwoman Madeleine Liljestam's other vocation as a professional model.  This is a symphonic metal band, but it was truly driven by the guitars, which is not always the case.  The symphonic elements are there, but are more in the background.  Liljestam has an impressive voice, but not the operatic range of someone like Nightwish's Tarja Tarunen, but that's fine because it matches the music extremely well.     

HAUNT: MIND FREEZE

Haunt released a staggering THREE albums in 2020 alone.  I cannot state enough how crazy that is in this day and age.  This was the first of the three albums and I think I picked up at least one of the other two.  Haunt is the side project of Beastmaker's Trevor William Church, whose father once played bass for Sammy Hagar, so music is very much in his blood.  The music is decidedly old-school-leaning heavy metal with incredibly infectious hooks and sing-along choruses.  Haunt has built an impressive reputation for truly catchy, captivating metal.  The most impressive thing is that despite the incredibly productivity, each release sounds unique.  That is truly hard to do.

STALKER: BLACK MAJIK TERROR

One might possibly guess based on the album cover what this band would sound like.  But, I suspect the guess would be along the lines of epic traditional/doom metal groups like Brocas Helm, Cirith Ungol or Manilla Road.  Those guesses would actually be wrong.  I would argue that Stalker's sound owes far more to Show No Mercy-era Slayer than those other bands.  The songs come fast and ferocious with riffs upon riffs, never really letting up for a breath.  And the vocals are banshee-like shrieks and wails that match the music perfectly.  This is an absolute no-frills speed metal assault on the senses and though the band doesn't reinvent the wheel, there is something to be said for an album that just flat-out rocks.  This is one of those albums.

THE TROOPS OF DOOM: THE RISE OF HERESY

Formed by Jairo Guedz, an early member of Sepultura, The Troops of Doom are also named after the Sepultura song off of Morbid Visions.  And true to form, this band adds cover songs of that song as well as "Bestial Devastation" on their first real release.  This is just an EP, but it seemed like enough of a big deal that I wanted to cover it.  It seems a lot of individuals are re-recording old Sepultura material, but Guedz has really captured the essence of that old material.  The band here does an astonishing job of turning back the clock and tapping into the raw, bludgeoning force of those early Sepultura albums.  The atmosphere is just pure evil.  This EP is an exceptional release that blew me away.  I was not expecting to like it this much.

VAMPIRE: REX

I love blackened thrash metal generally.  It kind of depends on building just the right atmosphere and every instrument has to be just right, but when there is that correct mixture, it's really damn hard to beat.  Think Destroyer 666's Cold Steel.  But it doesn't always work out that way, as shown by my disappointment when I saw Thulcandra opening for Fleshgod Apocalypse.  Sometimes the feel just is not there.  Luckily, Vampire falls squarely in the good category.  The riffs are infectious and the songs have just the right dark atmosphere, punctuated by soaring leads and feral vocals.  I have no idea why I have not sought out much by this band.  They check all the right boxes for this style.  

No Speed Limit: Essential Quebec Metal Demo Tapes

 

One of the more interesting items I have picked up in recent years is this collection of replica demo tapes from the Quebec thrash metal scene in the mid 1980's.  Some of the metal coming out of Quebec at that time period was absolutely amazing.  Of course there was the almighty Voivod, the best metal band from Canada and a hugely influential one.  But there were several more groups who never quite got the recognition they deserved.  This is a collection of eight tapes, each one a demo or live recording of a group from the time period that was sought after by tape traders the world over.  It is an incredible collection of some groups who had some success and others that simply disappeared.

VOIVOD: NO SPEED LIMIT WEEKEND

Of course we have to start out with the masters.  There is simply put, no other band out there like Voivod.  They were never content to stick with just one sound for very long.  Each album is significantly different than the one that came before.  This was a live recording shortly after the release of Rrroooaaarrr, the band's second album and features a number of tracks from both of the band's full-length releases, from the punky energy of "Fuck Off and Die" to the machine-like precision of "Helldriver".  The sound is a bit rough (it is a live recording, probably by individuals who didn't have a real good idea how to record a live band), but it is easy to tell why Voivod ascended to the heights they did.  I have developed a greater appreciation for this band over the last few years to the point that they are now one of my favorite bands.  This recording captures them just as they were really starting to break through.

OUTRAGE: BURIED PIECES

We come from one of the most well-known, if not the most well-known, metal band from Quebec to a band who never even released a full-length.  Outrage owes their sound more to groups like Anvil and Exciter, it is more of a speed/traditional metal sound, and this is a compilation of some of their works.  According to the information booklet included with this collection, the band was in talks to sign to Roadrunner Records to release a full-length but broke up prior to that occurring, and so all we have is a couple of demos from them.  The lead guitars on this are very impressive, when he is not playing a melody from a public domain song (which really only happened once, but was enough to make note of it).  As this is a compilation over a period of a couple years, there is an extremely obvious improvement of songwriting and sound as it moves forward and the second half is much better than the first.

AGGRESSION: PREMIER DEMO

Aggression was an early Canadian band experimenting with the border line between thrash and death metal.  This demo was originally released in 1985.  The band was clearly taking influence from Venom, Hellhammer and Slayer.  This is one of the best demos in this entire collection, so it is disappointing that it is one of the shortest.  Aggression released a full-length in 1987 that I may need to track down.  They then recorded a follow-up that was eventually released in 2004.  After that, guitarist/vocalist Denis Barthe started recording more music under the Aggression name and the band has since released four more albums.  How this demo is my only exposure to the band is odd.  I think I have some work to do.

VOOR: DEMO #2

Probably the release that gets the most praise in the booklet that accompanies this release is the Voor demo.  It is a pretty extreme release considering it came out in 1985 with a much greater feel for the rising death metal sound than some of the other releases in this collection.  The recording quality is pretty bad though, giving it an extremely raw feel.  Apparently after this demo was released, the band was offered a European tour and record label offers, but the drummer left and all those plans collapsed.  Voor eventually reformed and have released an EP and a full-length over the last ten years.  

SOOTHSAYER: TO BE A REAL TERRORIST

When I do these compilation posts, I talk a lot about wanting to check out more material by a band, so it is fair to wonder if I ever do.  Well, in this case, I did.  After hearing this demo, I bought Soothsayer's Have a Good Time.  Weirdly, this is one of those times where the demo is actually better than the full-length.  The album is fine, but the demo seems much more raw and primal, with ferocious vocals that seem to have been toned down for the album release.  The band seems to have a sense of humor with a couple of their songs being kind of goofy instrumentals, one such track does appear on this demo.  

TREBLINKA: TRIAL OF WAR

Obviously not the Treblinka that later changed their name to Tiamat, this is probably the most obscure band in this collection.  They released just two demos in a two-year period.  There is a reason for their obscurity however as one member died in a car accident shortly thereafter.  Their sound is very militaristic, with precision drumming and tight riffing, and it fits with the lyrical themes.  All of the songs reference warfare and death.  The sound is obviously very influenced by Slayer and even the band's demo cover resembles the Slayer logo with the eagle (which seems influenced by Nazi imagery, but we will not get into that here and I also won't get into the "Treblinka" name).  Treblinka appeared to have some promise so it is disappointing to see them curtailed so early.   

VENSOR: TRASH TILL DEATH

Okay, I take it back, this is probably the most obscure band in this collection.  Vensor only released two demos and none of the members appear to have done anything else in the metal scene.  The band was a power trio featuring two brothers, one of whom (the drummer) was just 12 years old when this demo was recorded.  The release has a very primitive sound, owing to influences like Hellhammer and Venom.  The songs are short and sharp with pounding drums and grunted or shouted vocals.  The riffs are not terribly sophisticated, but that is not surprising given the young age of the members.  It would have been very interesting to see what this band could have developed into had they kept at it.      

OBLIVION: DEMO #2

Saving the best for last we have Oblivion's second demo.  The band eventually changed their name to "Obliveon" and I picked up their 1993 album Nemesis.  The band's sound is very reminiscent of groups like Heathen, more of a technical death/thrash metal sound.  The bass is the most interesting aspect as it does some very interesting rhythms that drive the songs forward.  It is very present in the mix, giving it that much more character.  The riffs are razor-sharp and the vocals are delivered in a rough bark and the unconventional song structures make the songs compelling.  There are a couple of other albums that I will have to check out at some point.  This was easily my favorite of the demos in this collection.  

Catching Up: 2020 Part 4

I don't know how many parts there will be for this series.  I intend to eventually move on to the following years, but I have to get through everything.  It's been a long time since I was active on this blog.

AKANTHA: GNOTHI SEAUTON

No, I don't know what any of those words mean, so don't ask.  Akantha is a Greek black metal band.  Greece is one of the more underrated black metal scenes out there, even if one discounts Rotting Christ and the similar bands like Varathron, Kawir, Thou Art Lord and others.  This is Akantha's third release, but the first one I have heard.  Akantha's sound owes far more to the kind of raw, primal black metal crafted by Darkthrone and their ilk than anything in the Greek scene with songs generally built around one or two riffs with a lot of pounding drums.  And that is fine because while the music is sonically similar, Akantha eschewed the lo-fi production values, so what you get is Darkthrone worship, but with good production.  It's an impressive release and makes the band one I might look further into. 

FAIDRA: SIX VOICES INSIDE

This is the debut album from Swedish black metal band Faidra, a one-man project whose sole member keeps his identity secret so as to let the music speak for itself.  And it definitely does.  The music is mostly somber, atmospheric black metal with a dream-like quality that makes it easy to just sit back and immerse oneself into it.  In that respect it is not unlike some of the earlier, better works by Burzum and Summoning.  The music is typically slower-paced with swirling riffs and hoarse vocals.  Synths are used to deepen the atmosphere without becoming overpowering.  Every once in awhile, the energy level is ratcheted up, but this is usually temporary and reverts back to the languid pace of the rest of the album.  The only real issue I have with this is that it is sometimes too easy to get lost in it and not realize a different song has started.  It gets to be a bit monotonous at times, but it is a very solid debut.  I will have to check out future releases.

HEADS FOR THE DEAD: INTO THE RED

Heads for the Dead is a supergroup of sorts featuring mercenary growler Ralf Haber, who has put in time in Rotpit and Revel in Flesh, joined by various members of Wombbath, Massacre, Hail of Bullets and more.  The music is exactly what one would expect when bands like that are mentioned: unapologetic, grimy, old school-leaning death metal.  The album hits hard and never lets up.  The biggest surprise of the entire proceeding is their take on seminal black metal classic "Transilvanian Hunger", but even that is played with a force and aggression that is missing on the original, far more atmospheric track.  The album seeks to capture the atmosphere of classic horror and does a great job of it.  This is a compelling release with an eerie atmosphere that is even more fun to listen to around Halloween.

PURIFICATION: PERFECT DOCTRINE

Rising out of the fertile metal scene of Portland, OR, Purification are true occult doom metal with an emphasis on the doom.  This release is soaked in gloom and despair with its acid-soaked guitar leads and cavernous, woeful vocals.  The lyrics lament the destruction of society and the death of God.  It takes a little bit of patience for this album to fully sink in as it feels much longer than its 42-minute run-time, but it is worth the effort.  The songs are slow-paced, but sink deep into the listener's subconscious to the point that it summons you back for more.  This is undoubtedly one of the best doom metal albums of 2020.   

WOMBBATH: TALES OF MADNESS

Sweden's death metal band Wombbath were one of the many groups who released very little stuff in the 90's before disbanding and then returning 20 years later, though only guitarist Hakan Stuvemark returns.  I do not know how much the world was clamoring for a Wombbath comeback, but we got one anyway.  Now, their 1993 release Infernal Caustic Torments was a terrific slab of grimy, crusty Swedish death metal and it is interesting to note that the band strikes the same chord in their recent albums.  Interestingly, this is the second Wombbath album of 2020, a level of production that is odd in today's music scene.  I missed the first one.  This is yet another ferocious release with typical Swedeath buzzsaw riffing and decayed-sounding vocals.  The mix is a little tough to get used to, the album sounds like it was recorded in a cave, which I guess could be the intention, but fans of Swedish death should definitely check it out.  

Catching Up: 2020 Part 3

Here we are again with another sampling of five releases from 2020.  Let's just dive in.

GATECREEPER: AN UNEXPECTED REALITY

I was kind of disappointed by this one.  All of the elements are there for a great death metal release.  Gatecreeper's style of death metal seems very rooted in Dismember style Swedeath.  If I had to pick a favorite Swedish death metal band, Dismember would be near the top.  And I loved the previous full-length releases from the band.  So, I really don't know what it is that did not quite resonate with me.  It is an EP technically, even though there are eight tracks, only one of them lasts longer than a minute and a half.  Maybe that's the issue, it is much more of a hardcore/death metal release than a real death metal album, though there are some real riffs.  I am not sure what to make of the track "Superspreader" given that this release came out in the midst of COVID either.  I just wanted more from this band that has impressed me so much in the past.  

MR. BUNGLE: THE RAGING WRATH OF THE EASTER BUNNY DEMO

This really is not a NEW full-length.  It's a re-recording of the first Mr. Bungle demo from 1986 with a couple extras thrown in for good measure and a couple tracks moved around.  Most of the original lineup returns with Mike Patton (Faith No More), Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn, but they are joined by Scott Ian (Anthrax) and human metronome Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, virtually every other band).  Because this is a re-recording of a time before the band started fusing a lot of other elements and going completely bizarre in sound, the release comes across as a much more straight-forward thrash metal assault, albeit with a few surprises and the same sense of humor.  So those looking for the avant-garde sound of their three 90's releases best look elsewhere.  Patton remains one of the most compelling vocalists in metal and turns in a terrific performance on this release but does not exhibit his incredible range.  I think this is a worthwhile listen, and as a general thrash metal fan, I really enjoy it, but I could see die-hard Mr. Bungle fans not caring for it much.

NITE: DARKNESS SILENCE MIRROR FLAME

Nite got a little of buzz going for them in the metal scene for a bit with their 2022 release.  This one seemed to go a little more unnoticed though.  Much of the buzz centered around a description of them as black metal with hair band solos.  That is not entirely accurate really.  The band is made up of members of Dawnbringer, Satan's Wrath and High Spirits and is more of a traditional metal band with black metal influences, most obvious in the vocals.  This is a fun release that unfortunately doesn't really stick with the listener long after listening.  The solos sound great and the songs are impressive, but it just does not really sink in.  It's a good debut and the talent is obviously there for future releases, but it is a work in progress.  I will say the 2022 release is much better.

SKELETHAL: UNVEILING THE THRESHOLD

French death metal band Skelethal does a terrific job of blending old-school Swedish death metal influences with newer influences to craft an outstanding modern death metal classic.  The Dan Seagrave-looking album cover helps too.  This is one of my absolute favorite death metal releases of the year.  Between the Swedeath-inspired buzzsaw guitar riffing, croaking vocals and artillery blast drumming, all of the elements are there for this band to ascend to legendary status among the death metal genre.  This is just the band's second full-length release and they have already made a major impression.  I did pick up their 2024 release and just got it in yesterday.  I am looking forward to more of the same.  I admit I did get this band mixed up with similarly-named, also terrific death metal band Skeletal Remains, but I have gotten past that.

TEMPLE OF VOID: THE WORLD THAT WAS

I get Temple of Void and Venomous Maximus mixed up.  I am going somewhere with this.  I get them mixed up because they both play variations of doom metal and I discovered them around the same time.  I think I bought my first albums by both bands in the same order in fact.  Venomous Maximus has since broken up, but Temple of Void is still going strong.  The issue is that whenever I buy a new Temple of Void album, I think I am getting Venomous Maximus and their takes on doom metal are very different.  VM plays more of a traditional heavy metal style and it is catchy as hell, whereas Temple of Void is a death/doom style.  Don't get me wrong, they are damn good at it and their music sounds decayed and evil while crawling along like an eldritch abomination, it's just never what I am expecting to get.  That's my problem, not theirs.  This is one of my favorite releases from the band, second probably to Lords of Death.

Catching Up: 2020 Part 2

Things became pretty busy for a couple of weeks, so I have not been able to get through this stuff as quick as I would have liked.  Here are the next five random releases from 2020 I have picked up.

DARKENED: KINGDOM OF DECAY

Darkened is a newer Swedish death metal band featuring band members who have been around various bands for a long time.  This is their first full-length release.  Obviously Sweden has a storied tradition in death metal and Darkened definitely takes influence from the early 90's Entombed/Dismember/Grave sound, with a little bit of the grinding malice of Bolt Thrower thrown in for good measure.  Darkened show some impressive ambition with this release, opting for a varied approach in songwriting, rather than following the tried and true formulas of their predecessors.  There are some really dynamic moments on this release that keep things from delving into a rut.  This is a truly impressive first outing for the band and I need to follow up with them to see where they have gone from here.  

POUNDER: BREAKING THE WORLD

Pounder sounds like such an 80's metal band name.  And they definitely sound like an 80's metal band with music steeped in the traditions of the NWOBHM and speed/power metal acts like Exciter and Anvil.  The album cover even looks borrowed from the 80's.  Pounder also boasts the singing talents of Matt Harvey (Exhumed, Gruesome, Dekapitator, etc.), so there is definitely some credibility there. There have been an influx of acts that have based their sound in traditional heavy metal, so a band has to really be special in order to stand out.  Pounder have consistently powerful songs and a vocalist who does sound different enough from the rest of the bands out there that they manage to forge their own path.  This is an absolutely fun release that scratches the itch for good old-fashioned pure heavy metal of the denim, leather and studded metal variety.  

SCOUR: BLACK

This is just an EP, but since it is such a big deal, I decided to include it in this series of posts.  Scour is the black metal side project of Phil Anselmo who has enlisted some help with some other death/grindcore veterans.  Anselmo has long been involved in various extreme metal projects beyond Pantera and Down, so this was not too surprising.  This is actually the third EP Scour has released.  The sound is very raw with very little melodic going on, other than short interlude "Microbes".  The songs are all short bursts of energy without much in the way of a reprieve.  It really sounds like grindcore artists playing black metal as the guitar tone is much more chaotic and noisy.  Anselmo's vocals are fine, but again, would fit in more with death/grind.   I really cannot recommend it if anyone is looking for black metal though.  It just doesn't really FEEL like black metal, with the possible exception of closing track "Subprime".

SOLOTHUS: REALM OF ASH AND BLOOD

I was really getting into this band on this release.  Unfortunately they have since broken up, so this is the last release by Solothus.  The band is a death/doom metal band from Finland and they have a dirty, grimy sound similar to Japan's Coffins.  And like that band, the sound is basically Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, but slowed down to a crawl (though not quite as much as Coffins).  The intriguing part of the album is that there are melodic passages here and there that could almost be described as beautiful.  Then the album kicks back into the sludgy filth that makes up the majority of the release.  Solothus has shown some real songwriting chops on this album.  Hopefully the members stay involved in the metal scene.   

VISION OF CHOICE: MISTRESS OF THE GODS

Germany has a long and storied history in metal, dating back to the very early days of the genre with Scorpions and making a big name with Accept and then the German big three of thrash metal (Kreator, Destruction and Sodom).  Helloween and Blind Guardian also came from the country.  So I do find myself giving German bands a chance when I discover them and that's what led me to Vision of Choice.  What we have here is just a solid heavy metal album.  There is nothing mind-blowingly original about it, but all of the performances are impressive and the songs are relatively catchy.  I can't jump up and down and shout that everyone should check this out, but it won't be a waste of time either.