Catching Up: 2020 Part 7

CIRITH UNGOL: FOREVER BLACK

Cirith Ungol are another band that has reunited after a long hiatus and this is their first full-length since 1991.  Surprisingly, only the bassist is new to the band.  What is truly amazing about this release is that it sounds as if the band has not skipped a beat, like there was only a year or two since the last album instead of 30.  They sound rejuvenated and all of the elements of the band's sound from their heyday in the mid-to-late 80's is present, from the galloping riffs, fantasy-inspired lyrics, and menacing vocals.  This is a terrific reunion album and a wonderful return to form for this band.  

NECROWRETCH: THE ONES FROM HELL

I could be wrong, but this might have been the first new album I bought in 2020.  I am not sure that really has any actual significance, but I seem to recall that.  Necrowretch is a black/death metal band from France, and this is the first album I have checked out from the band.  The black metal elements tend to be more immediate, with the tremolo riffing and dark and foreboding atmosphere.  The songs are all fast-paced with riffs flying in all directions and feral, shrieking vocals.  The album is quite impressive and leads me to believe I need to look into more by Necrowretch.

PHALANX: GOLDEN HORDE

Here is another EP, but I figured I might as well throw it in here.  This is an incredibly short release, clocking in just over 16 minutes, but Phalanx packs a lot of furious energy into that short amount of time.  The music is hardcore-tinged death metal (without being deathcore).  It owes more to bands like the recent output of Nails than to Hatebreed or the like.  There are a number of vocal styles present, and the band has three singers.  One features more of a hardcore shout, another emits screeching black metal-esque shrieks.  I am not sure what is going on with the group at this point.  This EP from 2020 is the last material from them so far.  

REVOLTING: THE SHADOW AT THE WORLD'S END

With a name like Revolting, you absolutely know what this band will sound like.  Revolting is led by Rogga Johansen who has been in something like 30 bands (including Massacre, Paganizer, Putrevore, Ribspreader, Bone Gnawer and more).  That might be an exaggeration, but it might also be an underestimate.  Revolting is pure Swedish death metal, in the best possible way.  Featuring the familiar buzzsaw guitar riffing and ferocious vocals, Revolting is a callback to the early days of Grave and Nihilist, and with the short tracks, this is a very enjoyable listen that doesn't take up much time.  I love this release and definitely need to check out more of Revolting's work.

SORCIER DES GLACES: UN MONDE DE GLACE ET DE SANG

No, I don't speak French so I have no idea what any of that means.  I could look it up, but I'm lazy.  Shortly before I took a hiatus a few years ago, I was really getting into Quebec black metal bands, such as this one and including Monarque, Drave and Cantique Lepreux.  This album is generally representative of everything I like about the scene, swirling riffs, pounding drums and atmosphere that conjures up blizzard imagery and raspy vocals that mesh well with the riffs.  The songs are lengthy and there is a fair amount of repetition, but again, this is typical of the scene.  This would be a very good introductory album to this scene.

Skeletal Remains and More in Omaha: Oct. 15, 2024

It has been quite awhile since I have been to a concert.  I have missed a couple that I wanted to attend for various reasons (mostly work-related).  I only found out about this one after seeing a poster in a record store I just happened to venture into randomly in the middle of last week.  After resolving a potential trial scheduled for next week, I decided fuck it, I'm going.  The venue was the Reverb Lounge, a place I had never been before, but which appears to share some space with The Waiting Room (maybe?).  

Up first was a Des Moines, IA-based band called Traffic Death.  This was my first experience with this band.  They are definitely raw, but there is some undeniable talent there.  They kind of overdid it with the audio samples prior to songs, which kind of came off sounding clumsy, but there were some damn good riffs and they were pretty decent.

Witch Vomit was next and I have to say, they were probably the highlight of the night for me.  I have enjoyed the three releases I have picked up from them, but they really killed it live.  They were exactly as filthy and disgusting as one would hope from a death metal band.  I grabbed their newest album at the show because they were seriously impressive.  

North Dakota Lovecraftian death metal monsters Phobophilic hit the stage next.  I was not terribly familiar with them previously and they really only have one album out, which came out a couple years ago.  They were decent, but did not make a real strong impression on me.  I felt they were maybe trying too hard to be like Demilich.  I think they are well worth watching what they do in the future though.

Bewitcher was next and they probably stood out the most among the bands with their blackened speed metal attack that sounds lifted out of the early 1980's.  They seem to be enjoying something of a moment (as much as an underground metal band can) as the bar was completely packed during their set.  They absolutely shredded live and really livened things up.  They really got the small crowd moving throughout their set and did not let up on the throttle until they finished.

A lot of people left after Bewitcher, but those that stayed got quite the treat, because Skeletal Remains was fantastic.  Their sound is more rooted in the early days of death metal, back when there was not as much distinction between death metal and very heavy thrash metal.  So speed and precision in the riffs is the name of the game.  They performed a blistering set for about 40 minutes or so.  I was damn glad I stuck around, despite how late it was getting (I had an hour-and-a-half drive home).  All told, I was glad I decided to go.  I don't get to too many concerts anymore and I might have skipped this one had I not gotten that trial resolved.  

T-SHIRT WEARING: Molder

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.

Bands I Hate

Today it is time to explore some bands I hate.  I have never really done a post like this before.  I have talked about not liking bands, I have reviewed albums I did not like, but this is the first time I am naming names of bands I truly dislike.  A lot of people are going to claim I am an elitist, maybe that is true.  A lot of these are bands that are popular, but that's not what I don't like them.  I like plenty of popular bands, I have been a big Metallica fan since I got into metal and they are as popular as metal gets.  These bands simply do not do anything for me.  If I offend some readers, I don't really care.  This is not a forum, these are my opinions.  If you like one of these bands, good for you, I don't.  You probably hate something I love.   

So, without further ado: Bands I Hate:

SLIPKNOT

I liked Slipknot at one point.  I would never say they were a favorite of mine, but I did enjoy their self-titled release quite a bit when it came out.  To this day, there are some songs on there I still enjoy, but I have not listened to the album in quite some time.  Then came Iowa, and I bought that album.  That one is a difficult listen, the band was clearly trying to be the most brutal and extreme band they could.  Again, there are some good songs, but that album rang hollow to me.  It didn't feel authentic.  I don't know how else to describe it.  They just seemed to be trying too hard.  Then Vol. III hit and they tried to scale back some of that extremity and return a bit to the self-titled release, and they completely lost me.  I never really looked back at them from that point on.  I have heard the tracks on Liquid Metal over the years and nothing has convinced me that I have ever missed out on anything.  And then I saw them live (I was there for Gojira and Behemoth).  I always thought they were supposed to have some great live show, but man, they really sucked when I saw them.  They did not have much energy and they sounded horrible.  Since then, I simply do not care for the band.

DEFTONES

Again, there was a time I liked this band.  I had Adrenaline, and there were a lot of songs I liked on it.  This was when they were trying to sound more like Korn and other nu-metal acts, but it was a fun release.  I completely skipped over the next album and checked them out again on White Pony, and that album bored the fuck out of me.  It is currently hailed as some kind of landmark release, but I don't see it.  I was annoyed by the whiny vocals and the music simply did not do anything for me.  I did like the track they did with Maynard James Keenan, but that was it.   Again, I have heard the songs that make it onto Liquid Metal or the other channels and not one of them has changed my opinion.  I am always baffled when I see people hail this band as revolutionary.  I simply don't get the hype.

LITURGY

Alright, let's start with the album cover.  What the fuck am I looking at?  And that's just the start of the pretentious bullshit that comes from this band.  They refer to themselves as "transcendental black metal" which makes me stabby.  The music, if you can call it that, is just a fucking mess.  I get it, they are trying to be experimental, throwing a bunch of random shit together, but it simply does not work.  At some point, band leader Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix decided to start incorporating some kind of glitch effect, which is used frequently throughout the music in the last couple of albums.  It's not clever, it's fucking obnoxious.  I have tried to sit down and listen to this stuff multiple times and I can rarely make it through an entire song before skipping to the next one, eventually giving up completely.  I am even more baffled when I read some reviews that declare this album one of the most important albums in music in the last several years.  I can't stand this fucking band.

DEAFHEAVEN

Deafheaven is made up of a bunch of indie/emo kids cosplaying as a black metal band (or post-black metal or whatever the fuck).  And that's fine, if the music was at least genuine, but I just cannot get past the fact that none of them seem to actually like metal.  They take what Alcest was doing before them and water it down even more for the shoegaze crowd.  The music is ultra-repetitive and it ultimately just sounds like any other indie band, just with screeching vocals.  I hesitate to even find the real black metal influences.  Truthfully, they sound like the only black metal band they are familiar with was the aforementioned Alcest (and I actually do like some of Alcest's music before anyone calls me an elitist).  I just don't get it.  I wouldn't be worked up about it if there weren't people claiming this was some massive step forward for the genre or a masterpiece.  But there are and so I am.

SPIRITBOX

Spiritbox is one of the bands currently getting shoved down listeners' throats on Liquid Metal (I have been listening to a lot of that channel driving between courthouses).  I could probably branch this out to include any other nu-nu-metal band, but this is the one that the channel seems to have the biggest hard-on for, so this band gets the brunt of my rage.  Seriously, we all decided nu-metal was an atrocity 20+ years ago, who the fuck thought it was a good idea to revive the genre?  There's some elements that are fine, I guess, and I don't hate all their songs, but I am already sick to death of them, and they have only been around for a few years.  

SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL

Holy hell does this band suck.  I could probably branch this one out to include most deathcore bands, a genre that is nearly universally a horrendous thing.  But, we will stick to Slaughter to Prevail for now, I'm sure there has to be at least one or two decent deathcore bands, and I vaguely recall liking Carnifex and Through the Eyes of the Dead a little bit, but it's been a long time since I have heard them.  Anyway, Slaughter to Prevail is a Russian deathcore band and the singer has had to fend off allegations of ultra right-wing and Nazi ideologies.  But beyond that, there is the fact that the band is just simply terrible.  They try very hard to be ultra-brutal and it just comes out as a loud mess.  

LORNA SHORE

Here is another band that has a ton of hype around them.  For a long time they were just another deathcore band, then they started incorporating some symphonic elements and then they got new singer Will Ramos, and suddenly people were saying he was this incredible new talent with some of the most extreme and brutal vocals of all time.  I have heard him, he is nothing special.  There have been vocalists like this in brutal death metal bands dating back to the 1990's.  The slam genre is pretty much all vocalists like this.  He's decent, just nothing unique, and I could like him a little bit more if the music wasn't just mind-numbingly boring. 

SLEEP TOKEN

Sleep Token is one of the most popular newer bands in the metal scene the last couple of years, which is quite a feat considering they really are not a metal band.  Not for the most part anyway.  The big deal with Sleep Token is they combine a variety of disparate styles and genres and can shift and change easily across songs, and sometimes even within songs.  There's nothing wrong with that, so why are they here?  Because of the countless articles I have seen claiming they are some kind of saviors of metal or elevating the metal genre to something more.  It's no secret that there have been a few pop stars that have been borrowing metal in their music for some time and Sleep Token seems to be an extension of that.  But as I have always preached, metal is much better when it is outside the mainstream.  The last time we had a movement of bands combining metal with mainstream genres, nu-metal was the result, and we all know how that went.

GAEREA

Why do so many of these damn bands on this post wear masks?  There's nothing inherently wrong with it, I listen to other bands that wear masks (Uada, Ghoul, Batushka), but a lot of these modern artists doing it just don't do much for me.  Now, I saw it described best recently that Gaerea is black metal for people who don't listen to black metal, and that seems to have hit the nail on the head.  It's like the band members studied black metal and knew what elements to put in it, and just fucked it all up.  There is an episode of Parks and Rec in which the character Mark talks about a camel being the result of a committee trying to make a horse, this is what we have here.  The elements seem to be here, but the result simply is not black metal.  I wanted to like this band, I really did, but I just don't.

Catching Up: 2020 Part 1

My last Top Albums of the Year post was in 2019.  I thought I would try to come back and do a post for each year I have missed out on, but I would have to go back and listen to everything again.  This is going to take some time.  I have a LOT to go through to get my thoughts out on some recent releases.  I thought the easiest way of doing this was to highlight five random albums and eventually be able to formulate some type of list as I get to the end of the additions to my collection.  These are physical copies only, so if I am missing something when all is said and done, it's because I was not able to procure a physical copy for whatever reason.

AKHLYS: MELINOE

Melinoe is the Greek goddess of nightmares and madness, and that is an appropriate jumping-off point for this album.  This is what nightmares sound like.  The sound is dense and chaotic with pounding drums and murky riffs, combined with sepulchral vocals.  It does an astounding job of building a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere and refusing to relent.  There is very little here I would classify as melodic, even the lighter tones come across as more dissonant, adding to the oppressive nature of the rest of the music.  This is not an album to listen to alone with the lights off.

MONGREL'S CROSS: ARCANA, SCRYING AND REVELATION

I checked out an album by Aussie blackened thrashers Mongrel's Cross several years back but kind of lost track of them afterwards.  This is their third full-length and the band has matured their sound somewhat.  This time around Absu mastermind Proscriptor has joined the fray as the primary vocalist.  One thing Mongrel's Cross does quite well is weave intricate guitar leads into their particular brand of savagery.  The reference point is latter-day Destroyer 666, which is definitely an admirable goal, but the execution is just not quite there.

PERDITION TEMPLE: SACRAMENTS OF DESCENSION

Tampa, FL has long been a hotbed for evil-sounding death metal and Perdition Temple are a more recent entry into that history.  Something of a supergroup, the band features members of other stalwart bands such as Ares Kingdom, Angelcorpse, Malevolent Creation and Impiety.  With that kind of pedigree, it is easy to imagine what the band would sound like: raw and primal death metal with a focus on intensity and dark atmosphere.  This is an absolutely filthy, bludgeoning assault on the listener. 

TESTAMENT: TITANS OF CREATION

Testament has been my favorite band, or damn near the top of the list, since I bought Low back when I was in middle school.  That album made an immediate impact on me and every album (with the possible exception of Demonic) have similarly made an impact.  We are now four albums into the second stage of Testament's career after Chuck Billy's cancer scare forced the band into hiatus for a few years, and each album has surpassed the one before it.  This is the best Testament album since The Gathering with one of the best Testament songs of all time ("Dream Deceiver").  It is an instant classic in the band's already impressive discography.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER: VERMINOUS 

As it turned out, this was the last album we would get from The Black Dahlia Murder with iconic frontman Trevor Strnad who died suddenly in 2022.  That is absolutely a shame because TBDM had really become an incredible band over the years.  Wearing their influences on their sleeves, you knew what to expect from each release: frenetic melodeath that would simply steamroll the listener.  This was probably my favorite album from the band since Nocturnal.  It will be interesting to see how the band moves on.  Strnad's death was an absolute tragedy.

Hateful Transgression: Hateful Transgression (2015)

I have been looking for this release for a long time.  Well, sort of.  You see, I purchased it a long time ago and never received it because the label I bought it from folded shortly after I originally bought it.  It took a long time before it became clear I was not going to get it.  That kind of thing really irks me, so it became a mission to get it in physical format.  After awhile, I just set up some alerts on a couple of sites and let it sit.  Then, earlier this summer, I received an alert that it was available.  You can bet I jumped on it.  This is the kind of thing that is fun when you collect physical media.

So, why this release?  Well, Hateful Transgression is experimenting with a crossover of genres that I am not sure has been attempted before.  The band sought to combine black metal with slam death metal.  It is an intriguing idea for sure.  

First of all, we have to talk about the vocals.  They are certainly interesting as vocalist Frank Jonker attempts to blend the two styles.  So, he is kind of doing a raspy pig squeal at times, which definitely comes across as kind of odd.  But it does kind of work.

The mix of the genres tends to favor the black metal elements.  There are elements of slam death at times, from the blast beats to the occasional chugging section, as well as the aforementioned pig squeals, but the black metal sections tend to dominate the sound.  There is not nearly enough of the slam parts to really satisfy someone specifically looking for that style.

Where the release falters is in the transitions between sections of the songs.  It is not at all seemless and often feels jarring.  It is clear that this is something of an experimental release and the band members have not quite worked out all of the issues before recording it. 

Despite the issues, this is an intriguing release.  Hateful Transgression released a split and an EP after this one that I may have to track down to see if they smoothed out the rough edges.  

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.

It's a Shitty List Post

I'm bored sitting here on a Saturday night after spending most of the day listening to Motorhead, Grim Reaper, Omen, Forced Entry and Mercyful Fate today.  So yeah, I'm in a big metal mood.  Which got me opening up links on my homepage and led me to this list here.  This is the Top 15 Most Underrated Albums by Metal Legends.  I used to do a lot of list posts where I would rip apart the opinions of the writers.  They are generally easier to do than album review posts, so let's see what we have here.

BLACK SABBATH: HEADLESS CROSS

I really do like this album, which has the less-than-legendary singer Tony Martin on it instead of Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie James Dio or Ian Gillan.  This era also saw the release of the very forgettable Forbidden album (which featured an Ice-T cameo).  This one is not my favorite release from the Tony Martin era though, I really preferred Cross Purposes myself.  This one is fine, but like I said, I would have picked something different.

JUDAS PRIEST: TURBO

No.  Just no.  This is the album where Judas Priest decided to bend to the trends and incorporate synth-rock and hair metal.  It's not all bad, but to call it underrated is incredibly generous.  If I were to pick a Judas Priest album that is underrated, it's Jugulator which was the first album with Tim "Ripper" Owens taking over for Rob Halford on vocals.  That album has some great riffs and Owens's soaring vocals are a close approximation for Halford.  And it's almost universally hated because of Halford's absence.  Had it come out under a different band name, it would likely get more respect.

PANTERA: POWER METAL

Here we go.  This is one I can agree with.  Most Pantera fans have completely disavowed anything prior to Cowboys from Hell.  The band has too.  It doesn't make a ton of sense because Power Metal sounds a LOT like Cowboys.  It does feature some rather regrettable tracks and some of the lyrics are rather juvenile, but this is where Dimebag really started coming into his own.  He just perfected it on the next album.

BLACK SABBATH: SABOTAGE

Apparently Black Sabbath gets two entries on this list.  I am not sure I would call this one underrated.  This is from the classic era of Sabbath with Ozzy on vocals, but internal strife was tearing the band apart.  The album features some great songs like "Hole in the Sky" and "Symptom of the Universe" that are highly regarded by fans.  It also features the annoying "Am I Going Insane", so it's not all positive.

VAN HALEN: WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST

I know very little about this album.  First of all, Van Halen is not a metal band.  Secondly, I never really liked Van Halen other than a few songs here and there.  The only song I am familiar with is "Everybody Wants Some", which is a song I played in pep band in high school.  So I don't have an opinion one way or the other either about this album or if there is a better album to consider from Van Halen.  They would not have made my list at all for obvious reasons.

METALLICA: LOAD

The least surprising entry in this list, not because I agree with it, but because people have been waxing nostalgic about this album for a long time.  Everybody says it's not really that bad.  Yes it is.  There's some good songs on here.  I can agree with that, but I haven't listened to this album in probably 20 years and there's a damn good reason for it.  I was utterly disappointed with it when it came out, and my feelings have not really changed much since.  There is a Metallica album I would put on this list, but it's coming up later in the post.

QUEENSRYCHE: PROMISED LAND

I do love this album.  This was my first Queensryche album after hearing songs like "I Am I" and "One More Time" on the radio.  This album has some really great songs on it.  It's dark and brooding and catchy as hell.  And "Someone Else?" is one of the most beautiful and heart-breaking songs I have ever heard.  I am a little surprised at its inclusion here because I was not aware it was not well-regarded (it has an 80% review score on Metal Archives), but I guess it was basically the last great album the band released before descending into mediocrity and it's not much like the much more well-known Operation: Mindcrime.

DIO: STRANGE HIGHWAYS

I am going to admit something embarrassing.  I am actually not all that familiar with Dio's solo work after The Last in Line.  I love Dio's voice, but generally preferred him during his time with Rainbow and Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell.  So this is another album I don't actually have an opinion about just due to my unfamiliarity with Dio's work in the 1990's in particular.  I do have Magica and I like that album quite a bit.  Maybe I will track this one down.

MEGADETH: YOUTHANASIA

This is another album I truly love.  It was the first Megadeth album I bought (the same week I bought the above Queensryche album in fact), though I had heard my brother's copy of Countdown to Extinction enough to be familiar with the band.  This was the beginning of a rough patch for Megadeth that took years to come back from, but there is not a bad track on this one.  "A Tout Le Monde" is the classic and it is a chilling song about depression and suicide, but the album also features the crushing "Train of Consequences" and "Addicted to Chaos".  

METALLICA: DEATH MAGNETIC

This is the Metallica album I hinted at earlier.  This was finally a decent return to form for the band with their best album since the black album.  It was oddly polarizing though.  Lots of people still hated it, so it definitely deserves its spot on this list.  "All Nightmare Long" is a damn good track and a worthy addition to the band's catalog.  

MASTODON: ONCE MORE 'ROUND THE SUN

I may be kind of in the minority, but my favorite Mastodon songs are the ones that are catchy as hell with drummer Brann Dailor on vocals ("Show Yourself" is one of my favorite Mastodon songs).  This album features several of them, such as "The Mother Load" and "Ember City".  So, I actually like this album quite a bit.  I had actually taken a break from Mastodon for a couple of albums before this one came out and I had to grab it after hearing a few songs.  I understand this album's placement here because it is a little more radio-friendly and not as complex.  But, that's what makes it so good.

TESTAMENT: LOW

Maybe it's because I am such a huge Testament fan (I still consider them my favorite band of all time), but I am surprised at this album being on the list.  This is another one that was my first album by the band, so I have soft feelings for it, but this is still maybe my favorite album by the band, or at the least very close.  It is true that Alex Skolnick was gone at this point, but James Murphy filled in admirably in his absence.  This album took Testament in a darker, more aggressive direction and even saw them experimenting with death metal ("Dog Faced Gods").  I would put the far more death metal-leaning Demonic on this list, as it is often maligned.  I think Low is fairly well-regarded.

LAMB OF GOD: VII: STURM UND DRANG

I don't dislike Lamb of God, I'm just not a big fan and find them kind of boring.  I haven't checked out anything from the band since 2006's Sacrament and I do not really see that changing.  They are fine, just don't really do much for me.  I did not even stick around for the entirety of their set when I saw them live (I was there for Napalm Death).  So this is another one I have no opinion on one way or the other.  I have never heard it.  

BLACK SABBATH: DEHUMANIZER

Black Sabbath gets a THIRD entry on this list?  Come on, now I know this thing is messing with me, plus that's just kind of lazy.  Dehumanizer was a reunion album with Dio and it is very well-loved in metal circles.  Maybe not as much as Heaven and Hell or Mob Rules, but it is considered a classic.  It has a review score of 89% on Metal Archives.  That is not an underrated album.  If you want another truly underrated Black Sabbath album, it's Born Again, the only album with Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan on it.

OPETH: PALE COMMUNION

This is another band that I lost track of for awhile.  I think 2005's Ghost Reveries was the last album I checked out by Opeth.  I just got kind of bored by them.  They were becoming so focused on unconventionality that they kind of forgot how to write good songs.  So no, once again I do not have an opinion on this one.  I haven't heard it and I do not see that changing any time soon.  I have liked what I have heard of their new song though.  You know what is an underrated Opeth album?  Still Life.  I never see that one mentioned when people discuss the band and that one is my favorite by them.  

If I wanted to form my own list, I would start with some of the albums I named and try to work out a definition of "Metal Legends".  I suppose we are looking for bands that mainstream metalheads would know well, but I kind of feel like we are pushing that boundary with Opeth and Van Halen is not even a metal band.  So I guess some of the following would be included:

In Flames: Reroute to Remain

Cradle of Filth: Nymphetamine

Trivium: The Crusade

Ozzy Osbourne: The Ultimate Sin

Soilwork: Figure Number Five

Children of Bodom: Hate Crew Deathroll

Meshuggah: Contradictions Collapse

Dissection: Reinkaos

Iron Maiden: Fear of the Dark

Sepultura: Chaos A.D.

Most of those albums were not well-received upon release, or featured controversial style or membership changes.  Yet, they are often memorable and feature some great songs.  That's how you get an underrated album.