Coalescing Putrefaction Split (2020)

I am going to slowly work my way into things and see if I can get going more often on this thing.  Maybe if it takes I can get to a regular posting schedule again.  One easy way to do that is to cover a short, three-song split.  This release contains one song each from Unnatural, Rotted and Fetid Zombie.

Up first is "Cadaver Euphoria" by Joliet, IL-based Unnatural.  This is as grimy and disgusting as death metal gets.  The riffs are sludgy and the vocals sound utterly decayed.  The track is fairly straightforward, without a lot of twists and turns or tempo shifts, just leading inexorably to the track's demise.  Unnatural seems to have disbanded without a proper full-length release and the man behind most of the instruments sadly passed away.  It's a shame, this band had some potential.

I swear I have heard Rotted before, but I cannot place it.  Another Illinois-based band, Rotted's track is called "Consuming Genocide" and it has a bit more of a slow, grinding early Bolt Thrower sound to the opening track with gurgling, grumbling vocals.  Eventually, the song kicks into another gear for a little bit of a faster pace.  The members of Rotted have all been in other bands, none of whom I have much experience with, if any.   

The reason I bought this split is because I try to track down as much of the Fetid Zombie stuff as I can get.  I have covered Mark Riddick's band on this site multiple times.  Riddick is the only full-time member of the band and of course provides the artwork for all of his own releases, as well as those of a lot of other bands.  Fetid Zombie still remains an underground marvel musically though.  I have no idea why death metal fans do not talk about this band more.  

This track is called "Doomed to Lifelessness" and features vocals by Chris Monroy (Fueled by Fire and Skeletal Remains) and lead guitars by James Malone (Arsis).  This is a very track from the earlier two on the split because it is a much more modern death metal sound due to the presence of Monroy and Malone.  It's a cleaner production, while still being a nod to other early 90's death metal bands like Benediction or some of the early Swedish bands like Edge of Sanity.  The lead work by Malone is a major highlight on this split and his solo is very impressive.  

Fetid Zombie's track is easily the best one on the split, but I was reasonably impressed with all three.  It's a shame neither Rotted nor Unnatural have any full-length releases.  I would be interested in seeing what they can do.  Fetid Zombie always impresses.

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.

Acualli/The Haunting Presence: Transform with Limitless Will (2014)

We are about to dive deep into the Black Twilight Circle over the next few days.  I have covered a few of the bands on their own, such as Ashdautas and Volahn, and then I had the very large compilation.  And I purchased a number of individual releases from a seller recently.

Up first is a split between two of the bands that were included on the compilation.  This is a short split, consisting of just two songs, though the songs are each a little longer.

ACUALLI: "BECOMING ONE"

Honestly, this track is fantastic.  I was not blown away by Acualli on the compilation, finding the song far too short to get much out of.  That is not the case this time around as the song is a swirling opus of chaotic riffs and deep, snarled vocals.  It is the sound of death and decay.  This time around, Acualli did grab my attention.  Unfortunately there is not much out there by this band.  Beyond this split and their appearance on the compilation, they only have one demo.  That is a shame because after hearing this track, I definitely want to hear more from Acualli.

THE HAUNTING PRESENCE: "THE ULTIMATE CLIMAX OF MADNESS AND PARANOIA WHICH ALTERED THE JUDGMENT OF THE USELESS MASSES"

Well, the title is certainly a mouthful.  I enjoyed The Haunting Presence's addition to the compilation, but was disappointed with the production.  The production has not improved.  The vocals are absolutely buried in the mix, which is sort of a shame, because the music is horrifying, the soundtrack to a particularly eerie horror movie.  The song is extremely eerie and malevolent sounding, with riffs that more closely resemble death metal.  The vocals, what can be heard of them, are particularly savage, and would have made the song that much better with a decent mix.

I prefer Acualli of these two bands, but that is mostly due to the significantly better production value.  I probably would have like The Haunting Presence more if the mix was better.  

The Best Metal Split of All Time?

I have been thinking about this question over the last couple of days.  I have several splits in my collection, but really, only one comes to mind as a particular favorite.

March to the Black Holocaust, the split between Vlad Tepes and Belkètre is a landmark release.  It is easily one of the best releases from the French black metal scene known as LLN.  Both groups are at the absolute top of their game.  Each side very well could be a full-length release on its own, but instead the bands have collected them together.  It is a legendary split album, and probably one of the best-known ones in all of metal.

As for honorable mentions, a few have come to mind.  I love the Horna/Behexen split featuring two titans of the Finnish black metal scene coming together.  But Behexen's side is a little lacking on production, knocking the release down a few pegs.  I have a number of splits with Fetid Zombie on them, but they are typically much shorter and the non-Fetid Zombie bands are not always quite up to par.  The better ones have been the ones with Swamp, Hellripper and Battleroar.

There are a few splits that I would like to check out that have the kind of notoriety that March to the Black Holocaust enjoys.  Emperor/Hordanes Land by Emperor and Enslaved respectively is one such release.  It too is a landmark in the world of split metal albums featuring two pioneering Norwegian black metal bands just prior to the scene exploding.  And I hear a lot of great things about the Xasthur/Leviathan split from 2004.  Neither of those bands have made a lot of impact on me yet, but given my recent predilection for black metal recently.  Maybe it is time to check that one out.

Fetid Zombie/Cosmic Void Ritual: Manifestations of Sacrificial Macrocosms (2018)

I have not done a split review for a while.  I love splits but I do not come across them real frequently.  Even less often are those in which I am familiar with both groups.  I have covered Fetid Zombie several times in the past, and will very likely cover them many times in the future.  I love this band.  Cosmic Void Ritual is a band whose demo I covered a year or so ago.  This is a very short split as both bands contribute just one song.

Cosmic Void Ritual is first and their song titles (particularly this one) are shockingly longer than their band name.  The band's song mostly revolve around Lovecraftian horror and their song here, "Omnipresent Tetramorph Oracles (Coliseum for the Dead Astronaut V)" is no different.  The band continues to sound like old-school death metal from Finland with Demilich and Convulse being the primary points of reference.  The composition is fairly simple with just a few riffs in the song, mostly endlessly repeating.  There is no bottom end, the song consisting of just some rudimentary drums and the guitar riff, but it feels cavernous and dark.  We are still waiting on a full-length release from Cosmic Void Ritual.

Fetid Zombie checks in with "Graven Image" and this song is terrific.  It hits the right notes to sound like the kind of song Death or Morbid Angel would have put out on their earliest releases.  The riffs, vocals and even the wailing guitar solo all sound authentic.  Fetid Zombie does a terrific job of paying respect to their influences without sounding like utter copycats and that continues to be true here. 

As is typical of split reviews, it is time to pick which band won the split.  It is perhaps not shocking that that band is Fetid Zombie here.  They usually do win their splits. 

Acid Cross/Sardu: Metalpunx from Beyond (2017)

I need to get caught up here.  I am going to try to finish a bunch of reviews for 2017 releases in the coming weeks before dropping my Top (Whatever) Albums by the end of January.  I like to wait until well after the first of the year to cover all of the new albums I might hear in the year.

This is pretty much the quintessential Hells Headbangers release, which is why it is so weird that it is not from that particular label, not that there is anything wrong with that.  In fact, I only bring it up because I am such a fan of that label's output, so it makes sense that I would like this release.  This is a split album and both bands feature a very heavy punk influence to go along with their own twisted brands of black/thrash/speed metal, hence the name of the split.   Both bands are also from Canada, and I have made it clear that there is some surprisingly great metal coming from the Great White North.  Yet another reason to look into this split.

Acid Cross is the first band on the split.  Their sound is an unholy blend of Motorhead, Venom, and Bathory.  It is beer-and-whiskey-soaked rollicking metal with a punk sneer.  The vocals are snarled and raspy, sounding as if the singer just downed a pint of acid before taking the mic.  "The Glowing Ones" is the standout track here with some damn infectious, neck-breaking guitar riffs.  I could have done without the extended movie sample at the end of the last track on the side, which just saps a lot of the energy the band built up previously.  This might have been better earlier on in Acid Cross's material.

Up next is Sardu, and with a song name like "Metal Punk Exploding Master", you can tell that this group is not exactly super serious.  Sardu has an interesting back story as members of the band also created a cult zombie film called "Walking Among the Dead".  The vocals are a little more black metal-styled than Acid Cross, but the riffs are even more rooted in Motorhead and punk rock.  Their side is a little more even, without any truly weak moments, but they also do not quite reach the heights of the Acid Cross side.

What I usually like to do with splits is pick my favorite side.  Both of these bands capture the drunken mayhem spirit of Motorhead and mix it with some sleazy blackened thrash metal.  Both bands put on an energetic performance.  But, even though I will be interested in following both bands, I think I slightly prefer Acid Cross, mostly on the strength of "The Glowing Ones".

Hellcrawler/Wölfe: The End of Humanity (2014)

Do other forms of music even do splits?  It seems like the only splits I ever hear about are in extreme metal and related genres.  Seriously, are there splits in rap music?  Pop music?  

Anyway, this is a split between two obviously extreme metal bands.  You don't get a name like Hellcrawler in the pop music realm.  Each band contributed about ten minutes worth of music, which does a surprisingly good job of introducing the band to someone like myself who is not familiar with either group.

Hellcrawler has taken the Entombed death 'n roll sound and run with it.  The Slovenien group (that's right, Slovenian) has one full length album under their belt before this split.  Their side of the split is three tracks of dirty, filthy death metal with some surprisingly catchy hooks.  Third track "Green Machine" is a cover of one of the greatest Kyuss songs.  They do a decent job putting their own spin on it.  

Wölfe is definitely extreme.  An odd mix of grindcore and blackened thrash.  The band apparently does not actually name their songs, titling them with Roman numerals only.  The production values leave a little to be desired as the sound is a little too high-pitched and grating.  The drums have that certain St. Anger quality.  The vocals are pretty terrible as well.  I will likely not be revisiting Wölfe.

So, two sides, one really good and the other really bad.  I will definitely be trying to track down some more Hellcrawler.

Godhunter/Anakim: Vulture's Wake/The Whimper of Whipped Dogs (2013)

Originally reviewed here.

Godhunter was covered here fairly recently and I discussed how it was nice to hear some real sludge metal again. Here we have the same Godhunter paired with fellow Tucson, AZ sludge metal group Anakim. This is an incredibly short split, presented in physical form on a 7" vinyl. Each band has just one song on the split, so it is a very quick introduction to the bands.

I covered Godhunter recently and came away very impressed. This track by the group is a bit more of a stoner doom-styled track with heavier riffs and a generally much more rock-oriented sound. "Vulture's Wake" is a surprisingly catchy track though the vocals are still a little bit too one-note. On just one song though that can be overlooked.

Anakim is a band that I was unfamiliar with prior to hearing this. They are significantly softer and less-aggressive than their colleagues. Anakim's sound is much more ethereal and abstract than the much more straightforward Godhunter, at least for the first half of the song. The second part kicks off with a Sabbathian crunchy riff, similar to "Black Sabbath". The vocals are impressive, done with double track. One voice shouts while the other growls in the background. It adds to the dreamlike texture of the track. I found myself very impressed with Anakim's addition to this split.

It is unfortunate that there are only two songs here. Of course I have heard the entire album for Godhunter, but I am anxious to hear more from Anakim.

Cannabis Corpse/Ghoul: Splatterhash (2014)

Originally reviewed here.

Oh boy, this is quite the combination of bands to share a split. To be fair, I am actually not very familiar with Cannabis Corpse, but I am a big fan of Ghoul. Both bands are known for their outlandish lyrical content and their obsession with gore. The name of the split is a play on the album Splatterthrash by Ghoul. It of course references Cannabis Corpse's obsession with marijuana.

Cannabis Corpse kicks things off on the split. The band is a marijuana-based parody of Cannibal Corpse, which can probably be ascertained by the band's name. The band was created by Land Phil of crossover/thrash metal band Municipal Waste. He does do a fairly competent impression of Corpsegrinder Fisher. Many of the band's song names are direct knockoffs of Cannibal Corpse songs, such as "Inhalation Plague" from "Evisceration Plague". The references to Cannibal Corpse are pretty clear, though Cannabis Corpse does a pretty solid job of presenting their own style. The dual vocals are an impressive addition that is apparently new to the group these days. I have been previously reluctant to check out Cannabis Corpse. The fact that they were originally a parody band and their obsession with marijuana were turnoffs. However, the music is very strong death metal. I would be willing to give them another chance based on this.

Ghoul is a band that I am familiar with and like quite a bit. Their manic, horror movie thrash/death metal is a unique style that no other band has quite been able to replicate. Ghoul unfortunately is not very prolific with releasing music. It is likely that Ghoul is a side project for various members. They also add some different vocal styles, catching listeners off-guard with some black metal-style shrieking to go along with the typical gruff vocals. The two tracks here are a very good representation of Ghoul's sound. It is gory, intense, and surprisingly catchy, with the occasional oddball moment thrown in for good measure.

I still hate how short these splits are on occasion. Particularly with an inspired pairing such as this. There are only four songs on the whole thing with each band having just two tracks. Nevertheless, this is a good sampling of what to expect from both groups.

Albatross/Vestal Claret: The Kissing Flies/Black Priest (2012)

Originally reviewed here.

If you can parse this title then I am impressed.  I think I represented it correctly.  Essentially, this is a split album from Indian heavy metal outfit Albatross and the former vocalist of Hour of 13's new band.  Now Indian metal is not something I am overly familiar with.  I was not aware there was much of a scene in India.  I have a lot of mental associations with India, mostly due to my first real girlfriend being from there, but metal music is not one of them.  Anyway, enough of that.  Only one band from this split is Indian anyway.

Albatross kicks things off with four out of the five songs on the split.  Why so many?  Well Vestal Claret's song is 18 minutes long, that's why.  Albatross's music strongly resembles King Diamond's solo work and that seems to be the major influence.  The songs generally tell some sort of horror story and feature very impressive lead guitar melodies weaving through traditional heavy metal riffs.  The vocals are higher-pitched and include a lot of wailing and the occasional blood-curdling shriek.  Singer Biprorshee Das does not have the range of King Diamond, but his voice is effective enough to match the horror atmosphere produced by the eerie melodies.

As previously mentioned, Vestal Claret is the new band from Philip Swanson, formerly of Hour of 13.  I am well-familiar with Hour of 13, being one of my favorite recent traditional doom metal bands.  They had a strong gift for songwriting, putting out some truly catchy material.  I am not sure what happened to them but seeing Swanson in a new band makes me feel better.  Sure enough, that is exactly what this song is, catchy, traditional doom metal.  It is slow but demands attention.  Swanson's voice is terrific, exhibiting the gothic horror quality it has always had.  The song is a trip.

I enjoyed both parts of this split.  Vestal Claret probably did a little bit more for me on initial listens, mostly due to the fact that Das's vocals are definitely a grower.  Both bands are impressive though.

Metal Briefs: HellDProd Splits

Over the last several months I have gotten a number of stuff sent to me from the label HellDProd.  Since most of these are short demos or two-song splits, and older, I figured I would throw them all together in one post.

AUGRIMMER/GRAVE DESECRATOR: BLOODY DEATHCROSS (2013)
This is a two song split between German black metallers Augrimmer and Brazilian blackened death metal band Grave Desecrator.  I was previously familiar with Grave Desecrator and own their 2010 full-length.  Augrimmer was new to me.

Augrimmer's contribution to this is the track "This is How You Do It (With the Devil)".  I doubt it has anything to do with the Montell Jordan track "This is How We Do It", which was popular when I was in junior high.  Instead it appears to be a Darkthrone-esque track, mixing simple black metal with a little bit of a traditional metal flair and some impressive soloing.  The production value was actually a lot better than I thought I was going to get.  I was actually pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed this track.

Grave Desecrator, on the other hand, stick to their really raw and murky production values and their downright filthy blackened death style that is clearly influenced by the South American pioneers of their scene, Sarcofago and Morbid Visions-era Sepultura.  Grave Desecrator is not re-inventing the wheel here.  But I love the dirty style.

Both tracks on this release are impressive, but this split is not a necessity because it is just one song from each band.  It does make me want to check out Augrimmer, and would do the same if I was not already familiar with Grave Desecrator.  I guess that is the purpose behind these.

DECAYED/IRAE/INQUISITOR: FROM THE UNDERWORLD WITH HATE (2013)
This is a much more worthy split.  Here we have a three-way split with each band having between four and seven songs.  On this one, the only band I was previously familiar with is Inquisitor who had been sent to me previously by the label for their two-song EP Dark Ages of Witchery.

Decayed is first up.  They are a Portuguese black metal band that has apparently been around since 1990 and put out a large number of demos, EPs, and splits during that time.  They have also had nine full-length releases.  I had never heard of them before.  This is fairly lo-fi black metal, but it is thrashy and hateful, just the way I like my black metal.  There is absolutely nothing pretty about any of the sound here, this is just straightforward dark and dirty black metal.  The vocals are impressive with a kind of echo effect that gives off the feeling of a demonic voice.

Irae is another Portuguese black metal band that has been just as productive in releasing material, though Irae has not been around as long.  Irae is a one-man band in which sole member Vulturius performs all of the instruments.  Irae sounds like you would expect from a one-man black metal band, raw and cold, yet fairly simplistic.  What is surprising is that the production values on this are pretty decent, which is somewhat rare for one-man black metal.  Irae also is significantly more dynamic than a lot of one-man black metal bands.

Inquisitor stands out a little bit on this split.  Not a black metal band, Inquisitor plays more of a thrash/speed metal style.  So the last third of the split is significantly faster and lighter than the previous two-thirds.  Even more surprising is the fact that the thrash metal band seemed to have the worst production of the three.  But I enjoyed Inquisitor on their EP and I enjoy them now.  They sound a little like Skeletonwitch in that it is an impressive style of blackened thrash metal with a lot of speed and intensity.

This is a much more worthy split and all three bands are impressive in their own ways.  I still prefer Inquisitor, but Irae and Decayed both impressed me.

FMA Review: Nocturnal Fear/Seges Findere: Allied for the Upcoming Genocide (2013)

Originally reviewed here.

I love splits some times. What could be better than picking up an album that has new music from two different bands? Especially when the bands have wildly different backgrounds.

I will admit that Nocturnal Fear was the big draw for me here. I own several of the band's albums because I thoroughly enjoy their take on Sodom-esque Teutonic thrash metal. Nocturnal Fear do a lot of things that Sodom did, from their blazing fast riffing speed, to the throaty growls of singer Infernal Desekrator, to the fact that the band uses similar war-ravaged scenes on their album covers. Nocturnal Fear even has a similar character show up on all of their albums.

Nocturnal Fear gets four of the six tracks on this album, but their songs are typically short, fast jolts to the jugular. They come in, thrash around for a few minutes and the song is over. And they definitely make the most of their time here. Each of the songs is a perfect example of what makes Nocturnal Fear one of the most impressive thrash metal bands to come from the U.S. in years.

I was not previously familiar with Seges Findere and had to look them up. Apparently they are from Brazil and feature a very different sound, but a similar warlike theme to Nocturnal Fear. Apparently the band's name means "The Final Harvest" in Latin. So yeah, there's that.

Seges Findere's half of the split starts out with the unmistakable sound of a fighter plane flying overhead. This is fairly lo-fi, yet hateful blackened death metal. The drum sound is a little too high in the mix and tends to drown out the riffing, which is a shame because that is probably the most interesting thing here. Seges Findere is okay, but they don't really reinvent the wheel here.

I doubt it is a surprise that Nocturnal Fear wins this split.

FMA Reviews: Amnion/Balmog: Grim Repulse of the Southern Lodge (2013)

Originally reviewed here.

I really enjoy splits. They are an excellent way to discover new music from a couple of different bands in one place. I usually prefer them when there are more than one song from each band on the split, as is the case with this one. No matter though. Amnion and Balmog are two black metal bands from Spain. Spain has quietly developed a fairly impressive black metal scene.

Amnion is a bit of a mysterious band. I can not find much current information on the band. This song is very dark. It is particularly hateful styled black metal. Nothing pretty about it. The drums are a bit too high in the mix and there is nothing remarkable about the instrumentation or vocals. The riffing gets a little repetitive at times and the song kind of drags toward the end. This really is not anything terribly new.

Balmog is even darker and more sadistic-sounding. The production values are not quite as good though and the song sounds a little murky. The vocals are probably the most interesting part of the song. Oftentimes the vocals are just odd moaning and groaning while others they come close to forming words. There is a pretty decent guitar solo at the end though.

Overall these are interesting tracks but it is very hard to form any sort of real opinion on either band from them. It is just one track from each group after all.

Philip H. Anselmo/Warbeast: War of the Gargantuas

This is probably one of the most heavily anticipated splits in quite a long time.  Phil Anselmo, the once-controversial vocalist of Pantera and Down has decided to create his own project.  The split features two songs from Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals and two songs from dirty-thrash metallers Warbeast.

Anselmo has been rehabilitating his image quite a bit in the eyes of metalheads these days.  Pantera was very popular with the more mainstream crowd, but significantly less so in the eyes of the underground.  His feud with the Abbott brothers also raised some eyebrows, particularly after the death of Dimebag.  But he has since been heavily involved with Down as well as a host of other extreme metal projects such as Arson Anthem, Christ Inversion, Necrophagia, Viking Crown, and more, many of which he takes a supporting role in.  He also recently started Housecore Records which is responsible for Warbest and haarp among other bands.

This is Anselmo's first solo recording.  There are only two tracks here so there is not a lot to go by to determine if the solo project will be worthwhile or not, but the two tracks present here are certainly interesting.  They are growers definitely.  I was not as impressed by them the first time I heard them.  Anselmo utilizes his trademark hardcore shouted vocals throughout, often alternating tone within the same breath.  That has always been Anselmo's strength.  The songs are fairly typical sludgy groove/thrash metal with some seriously heavy riffs.

Warbeast created one of the best thrash metal albums of the last few years with Krush the Enemy.  This is their first recorded output since their 2010 debut and it does everything that made that album so terrific.  It flies by like a runaway truck, crushing everything.  The blazing guitar solos and shouted vocals are the highlights on their tracks, as well as their take-no-prisoners approach to thrash metal.

I still prefer Warbeast to the Anselmo project and am much more likely to pick up their new album, but I will probably give Anselmo a shot.

Split: Split Torso Trauma

This is the biggest split in my metal collection at this point with five blistering bands that run the gamut from slam to grindcore to brutal death.  The split showcases five bands from around the world, mostly from countries not typically known as metal hotbeds.  It is a pretty good idea.

As you may remember, I usually look at splits to decide which band is my favorite.  There is more to choose from here with five bands.

ANTROPOFAGUS
Starting things off with the first two tracks is Italian brutal death metal band Antropofagus.  This group sounds a bit like Suffocation, only more brutal, if that were possible.  The vocal style is considerably more guttural and intense giving off the sound of a crazed monster.  Antropofagus does a lot of things very well.  I will definitely be looking for more releases from them.

PUTRIDITY
Putridity is also from Italy although they play a different style of brutal death.  There is a lot less technicality here and Putridity throw in some slams for good measure.  The production on their first track on the split is horrendous.  It is very difficult to really hear what is going on.  The second track is a little better although the vocals are so deep as to be nearly lost in the bass.  I do like the guitar tone on the second track though.

PRION
Prion is an Argentinian death metal band influenced a lot by Morbid Angel and other occult death metal bands from the early 1990's.  South America has produced a number of good death metal bands, with Thornafire still being one of my favorites.  Prion definitely has what it takes to be a leader in the South American death metal scene.

INFECTED FLESH
Infected Flesh is a one-man wrecking machine from Spain.  This is grindcore/brutal death metal album with slam parts and Infected Flesh joins the ranks of other impressive brutal death one-man bands like Bloodsoaked and Putrid Pile.  Infected Flesh plays fairly fast when not busy slamming.  The vocals are typically delivered in the frog croak style.  The drum machine gets a little aggravating after awhile, but the riffs and vocals are interesting enough to keep it from dragging it down.

MASS INFECTION
Greek death metal band Mass Infection closes things out on this release.  Mass Infection is a blastbeat-driven brutal death metal band similar in style to Hate Eternal.  The band plays crushingly fast brutal death metal with a dark atmosphere and deep vocals.  The band blends in some old school death metal influences to go with their more modern brutal death sound.  The result is an impressive mix of styles.

THE VERDICT:  I like all five bands for different reasons.  Picking out just one band is difficult.  Putridity and Infected Flesh are fairly impressive slamming bands.  Mass Infection does an amazing job of mixing the old and the new.  Prion is terrific dirty South American death metal, and Antropofagus do a great Suffocation impression.  I suppose if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Prion.  Even though it is slam week, Prion takes it.

Reader Submissions: Veratu/Naakhum Split

Some time ago I was contacted by Pol Guasch of Naakhum to review the split album of two underground black metal bands Veratu and Naakhum.

This split is kind of strangely put together. The songs alternate rather than one band's songs appearing first. Veratu has the odd-numbered tracks and Naakhum has the even-numbered tracks. It is a little disorienting, but I suppose credit for doing things a bit different is due.

Veratu's music is a little bit more forward-leaning, giving off a somewhat industrial vibe to their black metal foundation. There are not a lot of really good industrial black metal bands out there, so hearing a good one is pretty rare. Veratu also incorporates some ambient passages into their music. The band frequently uses sound clips to add to the grim and disturbing atmosphere. The vocals are made up of the fairly typical black metal rasp. Each of Veratu's songs can best be described as unsettling.

Naakhum utilizes a lot of folk and ambient elements in their tracks. The vocal style is more of a sneering groan, similar to some of the works of Finntroll among other bands. Naakhum's music has more of an organic feel than the technological style of Veratu. The band's second track on this split was completely ambient. It was far more soothing than the erratic Veratu. Their third track had some interesting melodies opening up the song. It really did feel like a folk song with an almost Spanish melody to the acoustic guitars.

Picking a favorite out of the two of these bands really depends on what you prefer: harsh and disturbing black metal, or smoother folk-infused black metal. Both bands are impressive. I am curious as to the rest of their discographies.

Slam Splits

I have not done a split post for a little while. It just so happens that I have two ready to go.

FESTERING FUCKHOLE SLOP
THE BANDS: Artery Eruption and Inhuman Dissiliency.
ARTERY ERUPTION: This is one of the most cited names in modern slam and they show why here. Absolutely sick and twisted riffs with the deepest gurgling vocals I have heard in quite some time. The slams are absolutely crushing, it feels like the whole world is coming to an end. This just sounds inhuman.
INHUMAN DISSILIENCY: Faster and with a better production, but otherwise not a whole lot different. Their slams also slow things WAAAAYYYY down. The vocals are so deep, you almost cannot hear them over the music.
WINNER: Artery Eruption

MALIGNANT OPUS OF INHERITED DEPRAVITIES
THE BANDS: Embryonic Depravity and Gorevent
EMBRYONIC DEPRAVITY: They have a reasonable grasp on melody, which can be a little rare with modern slam. Not to say this is at all melodic, but slightly moreso than some groups. They incorporate old school death metal influences and throw in slams at opportune times. This is actually pretty impressive stuff.
GOREVENT: Japan has been producing a lot of slam lately. Gorevent is at the top of the list with Vomit Remnants and Rest in Gore. This is pretty indistinguishable from most other slam bands. I like the guitar tone in the riffs, but that's about it for originality.
WINNER: Embryonic Depravity

Split Albums

Split albums are somewhat common in the metal underground. Two or more bands come together with a few songs each and put them all on one album. Sometimes a lesser-known band is invited to appear on a split with a better-known band in order to promote the lesser-known band. Other times, it’s a label construction to feature two newer bands. I like splits, and wish more bands would do them between albums. Unfortunately, they are also usually fairly rare.

Let’s look at the splits in my collection.

MORNALAND/ABOMINATOR
This split has already been reviewed previously. See prior blog entry for the review.
WINNER: ABOMINATOR

GOATWHORE/EPOCH OF UNLIGHT
This split has already been reviewed previously. See prior blog entry for the review.
WINNER: GOATWHORE

HORNA/BEHEXEN
This split comes from two of Finland’s most extreme black metal bands.
HORNA: Horna’s side of the split has very low production values. The riffs are constantly repeating. The vocals are screamed in a raspy voice. The band is really interesting when they slow things down into a powerful groove. They do this frequently, making for an entertaining listen.
BEHEXEN: Behexen is even rawer than Horna. Swirling guitar riffs circle around the pounding drums and screaming vocals. It would have sounded better with better production. There just isn’t much here that other black metal bands don’t have. Their later full length was better.
WINNER: HORNA

VLAD TEPES/BELKETRE

This is a split between two of the better known bands from the black metal scene from France in the mid 1990's. This scene became known as the Black Legions or Les Legions Noires (LLN).

VLAD TEPES: The Vlad Tepes side consists of fairly simple, repeating riffs over simple drum patterns and raspy vocals. The production is not too bad, but the musicianship is not overly great. The music is just good enough to be catchy. It is mostly mid-tempo black metal.

BELKETRE: Take the simple repeating riffs and drum patterns from the Vlad Tepes side and simplify them even more. The musicianship is also not as good as Vlad Tepes, the vocals are raspier, and the production is even worse. There, you have the Belketre side of the split.
WINNER: VLAD TEPES

BLOOD EXILE/SACRILEGIO

This is Part 3 of Stormspell Records' Thrash Clash. These two bands are from Latin America.

BLOOD EXILE: Blood Exile is a thrash metal band from Mexico. They play an old school type of thrash with fast riffs, blazing guitar solos, and harsh yelled vocals. What makes them interesting is their occasional use of traditional Mexican guitar lines. The melodies work well in conjunction with the old school thrash metal the band otherwise plays and is a welcome addition. I will be watching for a full length from this band. I am very impressed.
SACRILEGIO: Sacrileglio is a speed/thrash metal band from Puerto Rico. Sacrilegio is considerably more melodic than Blood Exile. The singer's voice is much better than Blood Exile's as well, but the music is not nearly as impressive. It is melodic, but it does not have the same energy and intensity as Blood Exile. That is not to suggest that it is bad in any way, quite good actually, however these are supposed to be thrash metal bands, intensity and power is a must.
WINNER: BLOOD EXILE

INFANTRY/PYROTOXIC

This is Part 4 of Stormspell Records' Thrash Clash.

INFANTRY: Infantry is part of the thrash revival that has been growing in California over the last few years, along with Merciless Death, Warbringer, and others. A lot of these bands seem to have one Bay Area band that they work hard at emulating. This band actually seems to favor Possessed, which is a welcome change of pace. Their riffs are fast and intense, the vocals are ferocious, and the music as a whole remains interesting and catchy.
PYROTOXIC: Pyrotoxic is a Finnish thrash metal band with a female lead vocalist. They do play faster than Infantry, but their riffs are not as impressive. Vocalist Liisa has a decent thrash metal voice, but it's kind of buried in the heavy mix. Hopefully a better production job will coax that out a little. Pyrotoxic probably has a brighter future than Infantry, but at this point in time, is not as impressive.
WINNER: INFANTRY

Abominator/Mornaland: Prelude to World Funeral...Split Review

This is a split album between Abominator, one of the leaders in Australian “war metal” scene and the Swedish melodic black/death metal band Mornaland. Neither band was particularly well-known at the time of this split’s release, although they have since gone in separate directions. Abominator has thrived in the scene that it helped to spawn, releasing four full-length albums while Mornaland released an EP and a couple of demos following the split and then broke up.

Mornaland plays first on the split, providing seven songs. Their sound is very similar to other Swedish black/death metal bands like Naglfar, Dissection, and Lord Belial. They attack the listener with swirling tremolo riffs played over constantly blasting drums. There is a lot of melody going on with the rest of the music. The band is a little calmer and not as aggressive as Dissection, but they still play at a moderate tempo most of the time, although they do occasionally break out a faster song. They are not a completely relaxing band to listen to, but compared to the other band on the split, they are much more passive.

The vocals are delivered in a fairly typical rasp that does bring to mind their countrymen as well as second wave of black metal vocalists from Norway. The lyrics are easily understood. The most interesting point with the vocals is on the track “Silent Forest” with the clean, melancholic vocals in the chorus. It gives the song an eerie feeling.

The production on the album is crisp and clear. No one instrument is higher in the mix than any other and all instruments can be heard well. This is a very good recording by an unknown band.

Abominator comes rumbling in ready for battle after Mornaland’s half is over and this band is significantly more aggressive. Abominator’s six tracks all came from one of their demos. The band plays an extreme, hateful mix of thrash, black, and death metal with lyrics focusing on war, death, and anti-christian themes.

The first track is a bit of a spooky ambient intro with deep growling vocals. Then gunshots ring out, spoiling the uneasy serenity. The band charges in with blast beats and a blazing guitar solo. The singer roars a few times and the band never slows down from here. The drumming is raw and unchecked in its brutality. The drummer holds nothing back as he pounds away. Guitar riffs twist and coil around the rhythm section with intermittent squealing solos. The vocals remain at a deep guttural roar throughout.

The songs are all performed at incredibly fast speeds and those speeds are maintained sometimes for five minutes at a time. The songs are chaotic and powerful, the soundtrack to an extremely violent and bloody battlefield. The sound quality is often a little murky, but it sounds right with the music. All the listener can hear is the violence and aggression behind the music.

These two bands are markedly different even though they share influences from death and black metal. Where Mornaland is somewhat somber and melodic, Abominator is intense and chaotic. Abominator probably wins this split, acting like a steamroller over the listener.

Goatwhore/Epoch of Unlight Split Album Review

This is split album featuring two Southern United States bands going in opposite directions: Goatwhore, the black/death metal band from Louisiana, and Epoch of Unlight, a melodic death metal band from Tennessee. At the time of its release, neither band was particularly well-known.

Epoch of Unlight came with the much longer track record, having been together since 1993 and having already produced two full length albums, and EP, and a few demos. However, they have only released one full length since this split in 2003. Goatwhore, on the other hand, had been around since 1997 but only had a demo and one full length under their belt. They would go on to release three more albums to date after this split and are signed to Metal Blade Records.

This split is comprised of three cover songs: one by Goatwhore and two by Epoch of Unlight. It is a decent split of two distinctly different sounding bands but is by no means an essential pickup unless one is a completist of either of the two bands. Even then, the Goatwhore track appears on the Japanese version of Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun.

Goatwhore covers Celtic Frost classic "Into the Crypt of Rays". They do a great job with the track. It manages to sound both like Goatwhore and like Celtic Frost, not an easy task. Goatwhore brings its trademark Southern swagger to the song and Ben Falgoust's well-known husky growling vocals. The proto-death metal riffs gallop along just as Celtic Frost played them. The major differences between the original and this version is the vocals and the fact that Goatwhore just seems to have a certain, unnameable quality that shows where they are from. Almost all Lousiana bands have this same quality, it must be the way they play the guitars with a type of bluesy swing to them.

Epoch of Unlight does not fare as well in their two tracks. They chose to cover "Betrayer" by Kreator and "Raped by the Light of Christ" by At the Gates. Epoch does not possess the speed riffing ability to pull off an early Kreator track, and as a result, the song sounds sluggish. Not the best way to cover Kreator. The riffs are there, but slowed down, the vocal delivery does not come close to matching the sheer ferocity of Kreator. They do a little bit better with the At the Gates song, but it is so short, much shorter than the original, that it ceases to be memorable and flies by in a blur. Epoch is a little more adept at aping At the Gates than Kreator. It is good for a band to put their own spin on a cover track, but when it flies in the face of the meaning of the original song, it's better to not even attempt it. This is the problem with the Kreator cover.

All in all, I would have to give this a decent score, but almost solely because of the Goatwhore cover. Goatwhore outperforms Epoch of Unlight on this split.