2017 Demo and EP Roundup

I have accumulated a lot of these this year.  Rather than have each one get its own post, due to their lengths, I figured I would just do a roundup post.

BONE AWL: THE LOWEST ROAD

Despite the fact that Bone Awl has been going strong since 2002, the band has only released one full-length album.  But they are pretty prolific all the same, putting out at least one release every year until 2011 when the band suddenly went on hiatus.  This demo was the band's first release since that time.  According to liner notes, these songs were recorded as demos for a full-length that was supposed to have come out in 2013.  That apparently never happened.  I had always heard a lot about Bone Awl, but never really checked them out.  Their mix of black metal and punk is not exactly reinventing the wheel, but it is an impressive blend nonetheless.  

COSMIC VOID RITUAL: THE EXECRATED REMAINS OF THE SABATIER SYSTEM

Technically, this one is a compilation.  It collects together each of the band's demos and combines them onto one release.  It still only comes out to four songs though.  Cosmic Void Ritual is an American one-person death metal band that sounds Finnish.  The one individual in the band goes by the "name" Unknown Entity.  I was definitely drawn into picking this up by the Lovecraftian album cover.  The riffs are dark and twisted with an unsettling guitar tone.  Unknown Entity is clearly heavily influenced by the early 1990's Finnish death metal scene, with music that calls to mind Demilich (unfortunately, the vocals do not really measure up), Convulse, and others.  This is nightmarish death metal that more than lives up to the album art. 

CRIME: FIRST CRIME

Ah, yes.  I can get behind this band's name.  It is simple, yet very effective.  Crime is a very new band from Chile, and this is their first release.  They play a sleazy brand of traditional metal, which is not at all surprising given their South American location.  The band definitely seems to use their name as a theme, opening things up with a hair-raising sample leading into the fist-shaking "Highway Robbery".  The best song on the album is the anthemic "Give Your Life to the Ruin".  This is a great start from a promising band.  

DRAGHKAR: WORLD UNRAVELED

Draghkar is another new death metal band that sounds like they would have been more at home in the early 1990's when death metal was really starting to come around.  Draghkar has a raw and filthy, malevolent sound that calls to mind groups like Incantation and Morbid Angel.  With those kinds of influences, it is no wonder that this demo tape has garnered some attention.  Draghkar do a great job of subverting expectations on this release.  Instead of blazing through each song, the band slows things down masterfully, crafting an occasional doom/death sound that Asphyx would be proud to play.  Another promising debut.

ENSEPULCHER: NO SANCTITY IN DEATH

And here we have yet another death metal band that is clearly stuck in the past, not that that is necessarily a bad thing.  Ensepulcher's frame of reference is the early 1990's Swedish death metal scene.  Think Dismember, Nihilist, and others and you have the idea.  They even manage to have a similar buzzsaw guitar tone that the Swedish scene was well-known for.  If I did not know any better, I would have sworn I was listening to some early Dismember demos when I put this one on.  The music is fast-paced and intense, with rough, snarled vocals.  Whether or not to check this one out depends entirely upon opinions of the Swedish death scene.  I love it, but freely admit that this band really does not offer anything new and innovative.

GHOST HORIZON: THE EROTICS OF DISGUST

I did not choose this one.  I placed a decent-sized order with a distro and they sent me a couple of tapes as a bonus.  I do not turn down free stuff, but while one of the tapes was a pretty decent melodeath band called Mistweaver, this one is more of a black-gaze album with post-rock influences and not the kind of thing I typically listen to.  I probably would not have chosen it at all.  This is an emotional release, full of anguished and tortured vocals.  There are some decent moments where the black metal influences shine through and it sounds pretty decent, but then a crooning vocal section will start in and change the dynamic completely.  I do not mind the album over all, but there are definitely moments that I could do without.  It is a little weak for my typical tastes.

KATAKOMB: CHAINED TO A WOLF

Katakomb is a Swedish black metal band of whom there is very little information on the internet.  I think it is a one-man act, but I am not even sure of that.  This is a two-song demo and the first song is fairly standard for Swedish black metal, with clear influences of Marduk and early Watain.  It is a very dark and foreboding release.  It is hostile and harsh and not terribly melodic.  The only real problem with this release is an extended sample at the end featuring a man singing in what sounds like Russian while flies are buzzing.  It sounds like something out of Fiddler on the Roof, other than the flies, which sounds woefully out of place on the rest of this release.  And like I said, this continues for about five minutes.  Other than that, this is an impressive first release for an uber-kvlt black metal band.

NERVE SAW: CALL OF THE CASKET

Nerve Saw is the one-man death metal project of former Hooded Menace bassist Markus Makkonen.  As would be expected for a well-known member of a doom metal band, Nerve Saw's sound is generally slower and heavier, with the exception of third track "We, the People", which is a much faster-paced track.  The songs are filthy and grimy, just what one would expect from a Finnish death metal band.  This is an impressive release and I look forward to more from Nerve Saw.   

PARTY CANNON: PERVERSE PARTY PLATTER

Okay, it is pretty easy to see that this band is absolutely not serious about anything.  With the Toys 'R Us-inspired band logo, ridiculous name, and even more ridiculous cover art, this group is definitely tongue-in-cheek.  The song names don't really give off a serious vibe either.  Of particular note is "Fornicating in Ethically Sourced Fair Trade Chocolate".  Party Cannon is a slam band.  More particularly, they refer to themselves as "party slam".  However, there is nothing that sets Party Cannon apart from other slam bands musically, and you really can not understand the lyrics in most slam bands, so despite the much different and much more positive lyrical content, ultimately it is a difference without an effect.  But I like a good slam band and Party Cannon is a good slam band, so I can overlook any of the other issues.

SABRETOOTH: METAL ANIMALS

I was a little disappointed with this one.  I love the album cover in a cheesy, sort-of-ironic way.  Most of the song titles reference animals ("Steel Falcon", "Iron Rhino", "Sabretooth Strike"), and this is a traditional metal band from Finland.  I did not think it could possibly go wrong.  Unfortunately, despite some decent ideas, there is one flaw to this release that pretty much completely ruins it.  The band uses an echo effect on the vocals.  Through.  The.  Whole.  Damn.  Thing.  It is really fucking annoying.  It is impossible to focus on what is actually happening in the music because that damn echo keeps going and going.  Honestly, I first thought that I had some sort of defective tape, but I listened to it online and the echo effect is there too.  So, Sabretooth, lose the echo effects.  Seriously.

TELEPORT: GALACTIC USURPER/STELLAR DAMNATION

Ah yes, here we go.  Like the Cosmic Void Ritual release, this one is also a compilation, collecting together the band's 2011 and 2013 demos.  I have actually covered this band before, in particular the Stellar Damnation demo, back in 2014 when the band contacted me.  I remembered being fairly impressed with the band so when I saw this compilation tape for sale when I was buying some other stuff, I jumped at the opportunity to pick up a physical copy of it.  Teleport is a Slovenian band that sounds like a somewhat blackened version of Vektor.  They play highly technical thrash metal with vocals performed as more of a black metal rasp.  This was the best release of all the stuff I have covered in this post.  The only quibble that I have, and it is a very small one, is that it would have been better to have the demos on either side of the tape instead of both being on the same side and repeated on the other.  Like I said, it is a small complaint. 

VOID TENDRIL: ENSNARING THE DEMIURGE

Recently, I re-discovered the Decibel Blog, in particular their Hall of Fame features and the demo posts.  I use both to discover new music and it led me to this demo by U.K. death/doom band Void Tendril.   This is one of my favorite demos I have picked up in the last year.  It is truly dark and disturbing.  It creates an uneasy feeling with fast-pounding drums, but slower dissonant guitar riffs.  The vocals are sepulchral and match the tone well.  It is a slower, heavier beast of a release.  There are some haunting melodies at times, particularly in the beginning of second track "Shivering Residue".  I am very anxious to see what this band does next.

VOID TERROR: SOUL HARVEST

This is the other one of two demos that I picked up after reading about them on the Deciblog's demo roundup page (coincidentally both bands have "Void" as the first word in their name).  This is the band's first ever release and it is some old-school-sounding death metal in the vein of early Immolation and Incantation.  It is the type of filthy and raw, evil-sounding death metal that I love.  Hopefully some more stuff will be coming out soon from these guys, because this demo contains just two songs and I would love to hear some more.

WITCH VOMIT: POISONED BLOOD

Witch Vomit is a very classy name for a death metal band.  Between the band's name and the pretty cool album cover, I figured I would take a chance.  The album cover is very appropriate because the band sounds like they just escaped from a tomb.  From the cavernous production to the desiccated vocal style to the meaty riffs, this band pushes all the right buttons for a truly horrific death metal band.  Witch Vomit has been around for a few years now, but have only released one full-length album and some other short recordings in addition to this EP.  I will be keeping an eye out on this band.

Amazon Mailday 2/15

FETID ZOMBIE: GROTESQUE CREATION (2015)
How is no one talking about this band?  Seriously, this is fucking criminal.  Mark Riddick has made a name in the underground metal scene with his amazing artwork (including the album cover shown here), but he also makes some really impressive death metal.  Sounding like a cross between early Rotting Christ and a little bit of old school death metal, Fetid Zombie's music is haunting, captivating, and surprisingly melodic.  I first found out about the band when I randomly picked up a split the band appeared on with Greek black/thrash band Swamp.  I was blown away by Fetid Zombie's work, so when I randomly came across a full-length album, I jumped at it.  And I am damn glad I did, because this album is fantastic.  Seriously, Riddick's music is just as impressive as his artwork.

MAUSOLEUM: SUMMONING OF THE DAMNED (1992)
I used to read about stuff mentioning Wild Rags Records a ton, particularly on the old Metal Inquisition blog.  It was an underground metal label in the late 1980's to late 1990's specializing in death metal and grindcore which was fairly infamous for being a bit sketchy in their business practices.  Well that and the head of the label being wanted for income tax evasion and disappearing.  Anyway, I came across a seller selling a bunch of old Wild Rags demos from the early 1990's and decided to pick something up for the hell of it.  Previously, I only had an Impetigo album from the label, so this was something kind of new.  Mausoleum is an old school death metal band and this is a quick three-song demo.  It is fairly interesting stuff while listening to it, but ultimately not particularly memorable.  There is likely a reason this band never released anything beyond two demos.  Apparently, there was talk of a reunion at one point, but that never came to fruition.

MOTORHEAD: 1916 (1991)
Would you believe that this is actually the first proper album I have ever owned by Lemmy Kilmister and company?  It is true.  Previous to this, the only thing I owned by Motorhead was a Greatest Hits compilation, which I bought some time before deciding that such compilations were kind of lame.  As much as I enjoyed it, I never really saw a need to pick up something else.  I decided to change that and picked up a reasonably cheap one that contained a song I knew I enjoyed ("I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care)").  I was a little surprised by the diversity of this album.  I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from Motorhead, but was shocked by some of the slower songs, in particular the heart-wrenching title track.  Of course there were the fast-paced Jack-and-coke-fueled tracks, but the variety made this a damn good album.

WATCHTOWER: CONTROL AND RESISTANCE (1989)
In the late 1980's, a lot of thrash metal bands were becoming more and more progressive and technical.  Bands like Heathen were at the forefront of this movement, but one of the best bands to tackle the style was the underrated Watchtower.  Watchtower utilized influences from genres as diverse as jazz fusion in their brand of thrash metal.  What results is a bizarre mix to say the least, yet Watchtower, in particular guitarist Ron Jarzombek, have the chops to pull it off and write some damn catchy songs to boot.  The biggest problem with a lot of technical bands these days are that the technical ability oftentimes overshadows the hooks.  Watchtower never fell into that trap.  Unfortunately, this was their last full-length.  There have been some short releases in recent years, so it is always possible we could see another Watchtower album soon.

X JAPAN: BLUE BLOOD (1989)
This is the second time I have bought this album.  The first one I bought, I made it through the first side of the cassette and the tape snapped off the reel.  I tried to fix it myself, but that did not work out so well.  So, that was it.  A lot of Japanese metal is just like the rest of Japanese pop culture, weird.  X Japan (or just X) is incredibly diverse with some speed metal tracks to go with mid-paced rockers and ballads.  The lyrics often alternate between Japanese and English.  There are a number of highlights, including the touching "Endless Rain" and the infectious "Week End".  This was a band I was just wanting to experiment with, along with other Japanese bands, such as the much more straightforward Loudness, but I am glad I took a chance on them. 

Mailday 2/14

Just one today.

SAXON: STRONG ARM OF THE LAW (1980)
There was a time a few years back when I really got into some massive New Wave of British Heavy Metal stuff.  Obviously Iron Maiden was a focus, but I also was obsessed with finding stuff like Angel Witch, Blitzkrieg, Diamond Head, and others.  But I never really got into Saxon for some reason.  I decided to take a flyer on an early Saxon album.  This album is a tale of two halves.  The first half is somewhat mid-paced, radio-friendly hard rock which would not seem out of place on a Def Leppard album.  The second half is much harder and faster and is what I was hoping to hear from a NWOBHM band.  I still prefer Iron Maiden (of course), Angel Witch, Blitzkrieg, and Diamond Head, but I may have to do some more looking into Saxon.

Mailday 2/13

Three more for the collection.

ABSU: BARATHRUM: V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (1993)
No, I have no idea what that title means.  Absu is one of the most highly-regarded American black metal bands, but they are a band that for some reason, I just have not checked out all that much.  Previously, I only had their 2009 self-titled album on vinyl, and I love that album so it is a big mystery why I have never checked anything else out.  This album is quite a bit different from that release as the band is more of a death metal band here.  The Celtic Frost influence is pretty clear, especially in some of the experimentation that the band uses which calls to mind Into the Pandemonium.  Despite the much different sound, this is a terrific release, and maybe it is finally time to delve more into Absu's discography.

DECEASED...: THE 13 FRIGHTENED SOULS (1993) 
On the other hand, this is a band that I am very familiar with, even if I have not heard quite everything the band has done.  I generally have heard all of their full-length releases, but the band releases lots of other stuff in between albums, and that is where I am still filling in some gaps.  This is an EP released shortly after they released their first full-length album and features four new songs and a cover of Voivod's eponymous song.  All of the songs are terrific, as is to be expected with Deceased.  This is absolutely one of the most underrated metal bands of all time.  Everything they have done is absolutely killer and this EP is no exception.  It is nice to find something rare like this for my collection.

NOCTURNUS: THRESHOLDS (1992)
Over the last six months or so, I have been really digging into my old cassettes and listening to that stuff over and over again, while adding to that particular part of my collection.  I previously had Nocturnus's The Key, and while I enjoyed it, it did not make a huge impact on me.  That really changed recently and the album has been catapulted into one of my favorite death metal albums of all time.  So, it was time to check out some of the band's other releases and this is the follow-up.  It is clear that Nocturnus was trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice as the band took the aspects that worked on The Key and ramped them up on this one.  What results is a pretty decent follow-up that just does not quite have the same charm to it.  I still really like this one, but it is not quite up to the same level.  Maybe in time it will be as The Key did not immediately have a huge impact on me either.

Autograph and 38 Special in Omaha: February 8, 2018

Guest post from Mrs. Metallattorney, because I did not feel like it.  

I've been informed that Metallattorney will not do a review for the concert we attended last Thursday evening in Omaha. Apparently, he draws the line at Autograph opening for 38 Special. Regardless, this concert deserves a review, and not entirely for good reasons. It took place at the Ralston Arena, which is a small arena in Omaha. (Or as the band, while technically correct, but wrong in spirit, kept referring to as Ralston.) We were in a bit of a rush to get to this one because of other commitments earlier in the day, and the Ralston Arena did not make anything simple. The tickets we had required us to enter a certain door (on the complete opposite side of the building from where we parked), and the tickets themselves said nothing about any of this. We eventually made it in, and found our seats.

Autograph opened, and they played for 45-60 minutes, including “Blondes in Black Cars”, “My Girlfriends Boyfriend Isn't Me”, “Loud and Clear”, and of course they closed with “Turn Up the Radio”. They also played some stuff off of their new album, including the title track, “Get Off Your Ass”. Autograph was the primary reason we attended this concert, because I missed seeing them in December (with Slaughter). Unfortunately, the sound for Autograph was objectively terrible. The guitars could not be heard at all (unless they were the only thing playing, and then it sounded like a hoard of angry bees in a tin can), and even the vocals were tough to hear at times. Luckily, drummer Marc Wieland, and bassist Randy Rand were very capable, since they were the only ones we were able to hear. I don't know who was to blame for this debacle, but they really should reevaluate their chosen profession. By the time Autograph finished playing I was extremely bitter that we even spent money on this concert.

Thankfully, the sound for 38 Special was significantly better. To be honest, I am not overly familiar with most of 38 Special's music. They seem to fall into the category of band's that Metallattorney has lumped Foreigner into, Bands Who Make You Say, Hmmmm.... I Didn't Know That Song Was by That Band. While neither of us knew many of the songs by name, they played numerous songs that we recognized. They opened with “Rockin' Into the Night” (one of the songs we recognized), and played “Wild Eyed Southern Boys”, “Fantasy Girl”, “Trooper With Attitude”, “Second Chance”, and a medley including “Teacher Teacher”. Of course they closed the main show with “Caught Up in You” and returned for an encore to play “Chain Lightning”, “Hold On Loosely” and “Travelin' Band”. 38 Special was enjoyable enough, and although I was getting pretty tired by the end of their show (I'd had a long week), that was through no fault of their own.

Perhaps, the most entertaining part of the entire experience was a gentleman on the floor who seemed to be at the wrong concert. He appeared to be moshing. Apparently no one told him he was at a 38 Special show. But, I found his enthusiasm adorably refreshing. So, here's to you, Mr. Mosh Pit Dude at a 38 Special concert. You do you!

All in all, I suppose I'm glad that I finally saw Autograph, and 38 Special was a pleasant surprise. However, I find myself feeling that I need to see Autograph again in the hope that they may sound better (like an actual band rather than a bass and drum duet), which is disappointing because I am cheap.

Mrs. Metallattorney (The Better Metallattorney) :)

Mailday 2/12

In order to get a few more posts going, I am going to start doing a quick and easy write-up whenever I get something in.  This should help getting things going a little bit.

So, today I received four albums in the mail.

BELIEVER: SANITY OBSCURE (1990)
Yes, there are some decent Christian metal bands out there.  Believer is probably my favorite of the bunch, with the possible exception of Trouble.  Believer plays technical/progressive thrash metal in the vein of their antitheses Heathen and Atheist, with a little bit of Voivod thrown in for good measure.  When you look at the song titles and the lyrics, the band's religious leanings are pretty obvious, but the music is so damn good that it is pretty easy to not have to focus on that.  Satanic bands can be just as annoying about their "message" too, but for some reason Christian bands sacrifice quality of music for the message more often.  That is not true in Believer's case.

BOLT THROWER: ...FOR VICTORY (1994)

Fuck yeah, Bolt Thrower.  Honestly, this is probably my favorite name for a metal band, ever.  Plus, it helps that Bolt Thrower is fucking awesome.  Unfortunately, the band no longer exists, so I will never get the chance to see them live, but I am still in the process of discovering some of their older stuff.  Really, I only had a few of their albums previously, so there is a long way to go.  This is one of the band's higher-rated albums and it is not hard to see why that is.  The band's trademarked grinding riff assault is on full display, accompanied by Karl Willetts's gruff roar.  There are some great riffs and songs on this one and it has quickly taken the spot as my favorite Bolt Thrower album.  It only took one listen.  It is that good.

DREAM DEATH: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1987)

A criminally underrated album from 1987.  I first heard about this album from perusing the Decibel Hall of Fame.  I had never heard of this band, so I looked into it a little bit, and then quickly decided I had to find it.  This is possibly a very early progenitor of the death/doom sound, with quite a bit of thrash thrown in for good measure.  The Celtic Frost influence is obvious from the muddy riffing style and singer Brian Lawrence's angry bark.  The Lovecraftian and horror-filled lyrics match well with the band's dark and dreary sound.  How this album managed to escape me for so long is beyond me.  As with many other bands, Dream Death has re-formed in recent years.  I may have to check them out.

GHOST TOWER: HEAD OF NIGHT (2012)

I love finding obscure albums from bands from my home state of Nebraska.  Technically, almost all bands from Nebraska count as obscure as Cellador, Xenomorph, and maybe Narcotic Self are the only Nebraska metal bands to make any sort of impact on the metal scene outside the state, though Garoted seem to be on their way.  Ghost Tower is a short-lived band that released two full-length albums and play a mix of thrash and doom metal with some impressive occult-sounding melodies throughout.  The vocals take a little bit of getting used to, but the music is pretty damn impressive to make it worthwhile.  The band does actually kind of remind me of a thrashier Ghost at times.  It is a shame they no longer exist as they had some real talent.

Metallattorney's Top 5 Concerts of 2017

Over the last couple of years, the number of concerts that I have attended has skyrocketed.  A huge part of that is the fact that my wife has realized that even though she may not enjoy the bands, she does enjoy going to concerts.  And she has started liking a lot more metal, making it more palatable for her to attend the concerts.  She may never really like thrash or black metal, but more melodic bands do tend speak to her to some extent.  For a time, it seemed like the only time I posted was after attending concerts, though I am trying to fix that.  With concerts becoming such a major part of my own metal fandom, I thought it would be interesting to name the five concerts of 2017 I enjoyed the most:

5.  KREATOR, EZRA, GAROTED

I have seen a lot of local bands in recent years, but Garoted at this show was the one that blew me away the most.  Garoted has started to make a little bit of noise in the metal underground and they put on a blistering performance this night.  They were not the headliners though and Kreator, a band I never expected to see live, was as good as they are on any of their albums.  The German thrash metal band was incredibly impressive, as I had hoped.

4.  THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, SUFFOCATION, NECROT, WORMWITCH

I am not the biggest TBDM fan, though I do enjoy their particular brand of At The Gates worship.  If TBDM was the only band playing, I may not have attended.  This concert was all about seeing Suffocation, and the veteran brutal death metal band exceeded my expectations, even though Frank Mullen did not sing.  But what pushes this concert so high in my mind was the fantastic performances by Necrot and Wormwitch, two up-and-coming death metal bands that will be very interesting to watch in the next few years.

3.  IRON MAIDEN, GHOST

There were two bands in particular coming into 2017 that I have always wanted to see.  I ended up seeing both bands last year.  Iron Maiden is certainly the highest profile band from that short list.  Somehow they ended up playing in Lincoln, Nebraska, which I never would have expected.  So of course, I had to go.  Their show was incredible.  I just hope it leads to more metal bands playing in Lincoln.  The best part of the night though was that my dad was able to get my wife and I seats in the luxury boxes, elevating this from another concert to a huge event.  It might have been the concert of the year, but the next two were tough to top.

2.  MAYHEM, IMMOLATION, BLACK ANVIL

I really do not know what to say about Mayhem's performance.  It was the most memorable live show I have ever seen.  The theatricality of it and the atmosphere were both extremely tough to top.  The notorious band lived up to their reputation with an incredibly dark and powerful show.  The supporting groups were certainly no slouches either.  Like Kreator, I never expected to be able to see Mayhem live.

1.  TESTAMENT, SEPULTURA, PRONG, DYING GORGEOUS LIES

Testament was the other band I was referring to in the Iron Maiden entry.  I knew there would one day be a chance to see them, but I have long wanted to see them anyway.  I was devastated when I was 18 and was not able to see them in Lincoln because the show was a 19 and over show.  Testament has long been a favorite band of mine, so I desperately wanted to see them live.  The fact that they were touring with Sepultura was that much better because they were also once one of my favorite bands.  

Additional Notes

-I finally saw the last of the Big 4 in 2017 when I saw Anthrax.  And honestly, Anthrax quite possibly put up the best performance of any of the Big 4.  They were certainly the most energetic and that energy was infectious.  I wanted to put that concert in my Top 5 based on their performance alone, but the other bands on the bill were Code Orange, The Devil Wears Prada, and Killswitch Engage.  So, I just could not justify a spot on the list.

-The Goatwhore concert also almost made the list.  They played with four local bands and that is probably the biggest development in the concerts I have attended.  I have seen Garoted, Ezra, Drowning in the Platte, Exit Sanity, Orpheus, Autopsick, and Narcotic Self this year.  They have all been surprisingly good, with Garoted being the main highlight.  The Nebraska metal scene is improving drastically over the last few years and it is great to see local bands get a chance to share the stage with major metal bands.

-I would be interested in my wife's list.  I doubt it looks very similar.

Metallattorney's Annual Late Top 20 of the Year

Yeah yeah.  I am late to the party.  As usual.  I actually prefer doing my list around the first of the year because I often pick up something late in the year that might make the list.  That was actually not the case this last year, but it helps to plan for that possibility.  So, without further ado, here is my Top 20 of 2017.  I will be doing a couple of other year in review posts in the next few days as well.  But here is the big one.

20.  WITCHTRAP: TRAP THE WITCH

Leading things off is Colombian blackened thrash maniacs Witchtrap, a group that I have been following for several years now.  Witchtrap is the very definition of a Hells Headbangers band, playing filthy Motorhead-meets-Venom-style metal with whiskey-soaked vocals.  Hell, the first song on the album is even called "Lemmy".  There is nothing really original or ground-breaking here, it is simply sleazy and dirty heavy metal.  There is always something to be said for that. 

19.  BELL WITCH: MIRROR REAPER

The winner for Album Cover of the Year is this amazing piece of artwork here.  It would be a shame if the album itself did not live up to it.  Luckily, it does.  This is an amazing, somber sonicscape that really takes time and patience to truly appreciate it.  The album is one 85-minute long song and is one of the best funeral doom metal albums I have heard in a long time.  It does not quite reach the heights of the band's "I Wait", but it is an incredibly impressive work of art.  Just like the album cover.

18.  DYING FETUS: WRONG ONE TO FUCK WITH

Dying Fetus remains one of my favorite brutal death/slam bands.  They were the first such group I truly got into and they still put out some of the best albums in the genre.  But after over 20 years, some of the energy the band once had was starting to wane on their last album.  The new album title and artwork though promised uncompromising brutality, and it definitely delivered.  This is the most fresh and vital as the genre as a whole has sounded in years.  Dying Fetus is definitely back.

17.  NIGHT DEMON: DARKNESS REMAINS

I love a good traditional metal album and finding a band that combines the aesthetics and sound of early 1980's Iron Maiden is usually a pretty damn good thing.  Night Demon is unapologetically retro, in the best way possible, but still manages to find their own identity.  The songs are catchy as hell too.  Night Demon is more than just another New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal band.  They have the ability and songwriting skills to stand out.   

16.  PALLBEARER: HEARTLESS

Pallbearer took the metal world by storm a few years back with their breathtaking debut album.  The doom metal band is capable of some truly heartbreaking melodies while still maintaining a metallic edge.  The band has become a little more progressive this time around, but the doom riffs still shine through.  I do not like this one quite as much as their debut, but it is still a seriously impressive release.

15.  SUFFOCATION: ... OF DARK LIGHT

In what is likely to be a running theme, Suffocation released one of their best albums in years.  This happened with several bands this year.  Suffocation does not do anything new on this release, they just continue to pummel the listener with their trademarked technical brutality.  The band brought in two new members which have really helped the band rediscover some of the energy that made them one of the greatest death metal bands of all time.

14.  SINISTER: SYNCRETISM

Sinister has never gotten the respect they deserve.  They have simply put out terrific death metal album after terrific death metal album for almost thirty years.  And yet, many people do not have any idea the band even exists.  Sinister remains one of the most evil-sounding death metal bands going, a quality they have had since the very beginning.  They simply have a knack for this sound.  This time around, they sound rejuvenated by the addition of a couple of new members.  It results in a very strong album.

13.  SKELETHAL: OF THE DEPTHS...

Oftentimes the best death metal comes from completely unexpected sources.  This is not the best death metal album of the year, nor even the best debut album by a death metal band, but it is a damn good release.  The French death metal group Skelethal is at their best when they are playing fast-paced, grinding songs, and their slower stuff tends to bring things down a little bit.  But this album is mostly full of the high-energy, frenetic riffing that the band does best.  And so it is that this debut album makes the list.

12.  IMMOLATION: ATONEMENT

There are still a lot of imitators coming out these days, but Immolation remains an incredibly original and influential death metal band.  They have also been one of the most consistently amazing bands in the genre.  Every single album is great.  And yet, this is one of their best ever.  

11.  ENSLAVED: E

Of course Enslaved is going to make my list.  I honestly did not expect them to this time around.  For some reason I do not really get excited about new Enslaved albums, though I will pick them up every time and I always enjoy them.  This one in particular is one of the better prog-Viking metal-era Enslaved albums.  The album starts off a little bit slowly, but it turns around quickly and becomes a terrific release from the band.

10.  KALOPSIA: ANGELPLAGUE

This is the best album of the year that was sent to me from a band or label.  Kalopsia plays an old-school style of occult death metal that is recommended for people who like Sinister, Angelcorpse, and others.  I am damn glad this label found me, because it introduced me to an incredible death metal band that I otherwise would not have come across.

9.  MEMORIAM: FOR THE FALLEN

Rising out of Bolt Thrower's ashes, Memoriam pays tribute to the band and its fallen member in a variety of ways.  Featuring both slow-burning tracks and faster-paced songs that bulldoze the listener, Memoriam does a terrific job of making up for the loss of the influential band it was born out of.  The band is a little more dreary and it is clear that loss drives this album, but it is still as sharp and vital as anything Bolt Thrower ever did.

8.  NE OBLIVISCARIS: URN

I have seen a lot of negative reviews of this album from people who have been big fans of their previous material, but this is the first release I have heard from them, and it blew me away.  I am not the biggest fan of progressive metal, but this one really got to me.  It has some beautifully crafted songs with complex structures.  There is a lot going on on this album and it is worth listening to over and over to hear everything.

7.  SOULROT: NAMELESS HIDEOUS MANIFESTATIONS

2017 must be the year of the death metal debut because this Chilean group is the second debut to make this list.  It is obvious by the name of the album and the album cover artwork that this band's specialty is Lovecraftian themes, and the music definitely fits.  Soulrot's sound is more rooted in Immolation with a little Morbid Angel for good measure.  It is a hideous, beastly sound.  The band has been pretty prolific in their short lifespan, and I am definitely keeping an eye on them. 

6.  SEPTICFLESH: CODEX OMEGA

I am starting to enjoy Septicflesh even more than their Greek countrymen Rotting Christ.  Their last couple of albums have definitely been better than Rotting Christ's last couple.  Septicflesh has perfected the sound of symphonic extreme metal, surpassing Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dimmu Borgir, Carach Angren, and others.  They are now the leaders in the subgenre and now, ten albums into their careers, they have quite possibly released their masterpiece.

5.  TEMPLE OF VOID: LORDS OF DEATH

Now this is what death/doom should sound like.  Temple of Void's sound calls to mind the progenitors of the genre.  Toss in some elements from the debuts by Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, add a little Celtic Frost and Asphyx, and there you have it.  The music is full of crunching, chugging riffs and deep, growled vocals.  Temple of Void is still capable of putting together some haunting melodies to contrast with the roaring, beastly riffs that make up the majority of the album, and these are the biggest highlights.

4.  NECROT: BLOOD OFFERINGS

Here is the Debut Album of the Year.  There have been a ton of great death metal debuts, but Necrot takes the cake.  One of the many bands that I have seen live this year, Necrot blew me away and this release carries that forward.  Necrot's style calls to mind a combination of the slow, grind of Bolt Thrower along with the buzzsaw riffs of Dismember and other early Swedeath bands.  It is quite simply the best death metal album of the year.

3.  CRAVEN IDOL: THE SHACKLES OF MAMMON

In a year without a Destroyer 666 release, this is as close as it gets.  Featuring some razor sharp riffs, this blackened thrash metal band from the U.K. creates a maelstrom of chaotic noise.  This has long been one of my favorite styles of metal and Craven Idol does a damn good job of stepping into the shoes of some of the Aussie groups that have quit (looking at you Atomizer).  But Craven Idol are not simply imitators, they bring their own style to the genre.

2.  VENOMOUS MAXIMUS: NO WARNING

Mastodon's "Show Yourself" was probably the catchiest metal song of the year, but doom metal band Venomous Maximus's "Spellbound" is really fucking close.  Sounding something like The Cure playing Black Sabbath, this album really came out of nowhere to completely blow me away.  Featuring some of the most infectious riffs I have heard all year, plus some terrific crooning vocals, and fantastic songwriting, this is a great album from start to finish.  

1.  POWER TRIP: NIGHTMARE LOGIC

I struggled with this decision for awhile.  I have never had a band be the Album of the Year more than once and Power Trip took my Album of the Year honor back in 2013.  But, this album is head and shoulders above any other release from 2017.  It is an absolutely crushing release with fantastic riffs and some great songs.  And so, for the first time ever, Power Trip takes home their second Album of the Year from this blog.  And it is well-deserved.

Albums that barely missed the cut:

Accept: Rise of Chaos

Nightbringer: Terra Damnata

Void Ritual: Heretical Wisdom

The Black Dahlia Murder: Nightbringers

Jordablod: Upon My Cremation Pyre

Sinister: Syncretism (2017)

Dutch band Sinister is one of the great, overlooked bands from the early 1990's death metal explosion.  A lot of that is due to geographical isolation.  There just has never really been a massive metal movement from The Netherlands, particularly in regard to extreme metal bands.  There are a lot of symphonic and power metal bands, but not a ton of great death metal bands, though those that do exist (Asphyx, God Dethroned, Pestilence) have been incredible.  And yet, Sinister still flies under the radar.  This is Sinister's 13th album, a surprising total for a band that has not achieved much of any notoriety.       

Sinister has always possessed a particularly evil, hostile sound and that is on full display throughout this release.  This is one of the band's strongest albums in years.  In fact, the band sounds rejuvenated after a couple of somewhat weaker releases the last few years.  A large part of that would likely be the addition of new members at guitar and bass.  The band's aggressive, grinding riffwork hammers on the listener, and the pounding drums and brutal vocals add to the experience.

Even after all of this time, Sinister still has something left in the tank.  They are veterans of the death metal scene, but still sound as fresh and vital as they did in the early 1990's.   

Septicflesh: Codex Omega (2017)

Septicflesh is a band whose back catalog I have been exploring in depth this year.  I have been into the Greek symphonic death metal band for several years now and typically come on strong in my end of the year lists.  This release is no different.

Always at the forefront of the symphonic extreme metal genre, Septicflesh has managed to release what is quite possibly their strongest album to date.  And I say that as a big fan of the band.  They have mastered their craft after all these years, a seemless blend of brutality and beauty.  There have been a few missteps along the way, although they have typically confined them to individual songs, rather than entire albums.  But this is their strongest album overall yet. 

The biggest improvement in the band has been their songwriting.  It is harder to tell now whether this is a symphonic band incorporating metal elements or a metal band incorporating symphonic elements.  The songs are simply crafted so well that the elements of the band's sound blends together perfectly. 

I cannot stress enough that this is an excellent album by the band.  I have been a big fan for years and this year delved way deep into their prior releases, including demos and EPs from their early years.  This is the best I have heard from them, and that is a very high standard.

Possession: Exorkizein (2017)

Yesterday's post declared Necrot's Blood Offerings the top debut full-length of the year.  This is possibly the closest competitor, and this is a damn good album as well.  Possession is a blackened death metal band from Belgium, of all places, who have a number of EPs and demos under their belt.  Previously, the best band I was aware of from Belgium was Aborted, so I am pretty excited to find a new, quality band from the country.

Possession sounds a lot like Behemoth circa Zos Kia Cultus.  It is a blasphemic, dark and evil sound, complete with foreboding organ music opening the album and filled to the brim with hateful, black metal-styled riffs and some heavy low-end.  The album kicks off with a needless intro, but quickly moves into the monstrous "Sacerdotium", the highlight of the album.  The vocals are delivered in more of a black metal-esque rasp, but deeper.  "In Vain" is another highlight with the first doom metal-esque riff that eventually segues into a faster-paced section. 

There are only a couple of minor missteps.  The band utilizes some samples for atmospheric effect that could have been skipped, especially at the beginning of "In Vain" where the organ music leads into a spoken word section that is completely out of place.

Possession is a very promising blackened death metal band.  This is an impressive debut full-length for the young band.

Necrot: Blood Offerings (2017)

I have not yet put a ton of thought into this, but it seems very likely that the best debut full-length album of the year for 2017 was this one by the Californian death metal band Necrot.  It also has one hell of a disturbing album cover too.

Necrot's sound is grounded in old school death metal but with a crust-punk edge to some of the riffs.  It is a style reminiscent of old Bolt Thrower and Dismember.  In fact, opening track "The Blade" sounds a lot like "World Eater" by Bolt Thrower, and since I love that song so much, I am fully on board with this track.  The sound is fast and intense, with pummeling drums, and fast and heavy riffs.  The vocalist delivers his his lines in a rasping grunt.  It is a short, sharp shock of an album that is an assault on the ears.  The songs are short, but memorable.  The only real problem with the album is that it is over in the blink of an eye, clocking in at under 40 minutes. 

I had the opportunity to see Necrot live, as one of the opening bands for the Suffocation/The Black Dahlia Murder concert I attended this Fall, and they blew me away.  They were easily the most impressive band that night, and beating out a group like Suffocation is tough to do.  I was so impressed that I picked up a t-shirt and later ordered The Labyrinth, a compilation of demos and EPs on cassette as well.

This is an incredible death metal release.  As I said, it is easily the best debut full-length of the year, though the band has had some other shorter releases.  I am definitely going to be keeping an eye on this band. 

Ne Obliviscaris: Urn (2017)

Sometimes I like to take a chance on a band that I have no idea what to expect.  Sometimes that works out incredibly well.  Destroyer 666 is a very good example of this.  I picked up a CD in a used record store based entirely on once reading something vaguely positive about them.  And sometimes it backfires badly.  I can name a half dozen or so nu-metal bands, but the band that sticks out the most to me is Tribes of Neurot, a Neurosis side project that is a big reason why I still have not really checked out Neurosis.  And so here we have Ne Obliviscaris, a band whom I have never even heard of before deciding to check out this release.

Now, I am not the biggest progressive metal fan in the world.  It is a style that I enjoy a few bands (Opeth, Symphony X, Fates Warning, Queensryche), but typically do not go outside those parameters to check out other groups, unless I hear something extremely positive about a band.  I heard no such thing about Ne Obliviscaris.  But they may be able to join those other prog metal groups in terms of checking them out in the future because this album is amazing.

Ne Obliviscaris is an Australian band.  Now, Australia is not really well-known for melodic metal styles.  So this is another surprising aspect to the band.  The band features two singers, one a harsh vocalist, and the other a clean vocalist.  The clean vocalist also plays violin, which is featured prominently in the band's songs as well.  The songs are expertly crafted, with extremely beautiful sections countering harsher sections.  The vocalists play off each effectively as well, giving the band the ability to do pretty and ugly in alternating moments. 

This is absolutely a contender for the top albums list.  Every time I listen to it, I notice something I had not noticed before.  It is easily the most impressive melodic metal album of the year and is a lock to make it somewhere on my end of the year list.

Memoriam: For the Fallen (2017)

Bolt Thrower were one of the most influential death metal bands of all time.  Unfortunately, the band never released a follow-up to their 2008 album Those Once Loyal, despite a few attempts to do so.  But then, after the unexpected death of drummer Martin Kearns, the band gave up the ghost and went their separate ways.  Iron-throated vocalist Karl Willetts formed Memoriam in tribute to the former drummer and the band has released a few singles and demos before finally releasing this full-length album.

There are a couple of competing expectations one would have upon seeing this album cover and knowing the story of the band.  On the one hand, the album cover with the drab colors and imagery of the funeral procession would seem to indicate that this would be more of a doom metal album.  On the other hand, Willetts is in the band and Bolt Thrower was a very aggressive death metal band, dealing mostly with warfare.  So which side would win out?

Ultimately, they kind of both did.  This is very clearly a death metal album, but the violent and aggressive nature of Willetts's previous band was tempered somewhat with more of an emphasis on slower, grinding riffs and precision.  It is less focused on the glory of warfare, but about the atrocities and, of course, those who do not make it back.  This is amplified by the more restrained, yet still razor-sharp riffwork and the downcast lyrics.  Willetts's voice has aged as well, giving his sound a more bleak and dreary tone to it that matches well with the somber concept.  This is not to say that Memoriam do not bring the speed occasionally.  Songs like "Corrupted System" and "Flatline" do sound more like they would have been at home on one of Bolt Thrower's prime albums.

I feel like I have mentioned Bolt Thrower entirely too often in this review, and maybe I have.  But for now, Memoriam remains inextricably linked to Willetts's former band.  They were formed as a means of paying tribute to the band's now deceased drummer, and sound sonically similar, if a little slower.  This was a very hyped album and it definitely delivered.

Immolation: Atonement (2017)

I am pretty sure I actually missed out on Immolation's last album.  That seems very odd, given that the band has been one of my favorite death metal bands since checking out their 2007 album and then delving into their back catalog from there.  After hearing some of the hype for this one though, I was determined that I would not miss out on two in a row.  Not to mention that it has a badass cover.

Immolation has always been one of the more interesting death metal bands out there, but they have often been kind of lost in the shuffle.  Not as grimy as Incantation.  Not as occult as Morbid Angel.  Not as progressive as Death.  Not as groovy as Obituary.  But Immolation has always done their own thing and they do it quite well.  Their latest album, the one I never checked out, was considered a bit of a misstep, and to be fair, the one before that one was not particularly memorable, though Immolation has never out out a bad album.  But whatever flaws those two albums contained were fixed with this one, because it is easily on the same level as Shadows in the Light.

From the first track, it is quite clear that Immolation's angular riffing and take-no-prisoners approach to death metal has returned in full force.  The performance on this album is incredible.  Each of the songs is memorable in its own right and each individual member of the band has such a huge part to play in the overall sound.  And of course this would not be an Immolation album without the incredibly dark atmosphere.  They expand on that element with several slower segments throughout the album, giving off that much more of an ominous tension in the sound.

This is quite possibly Immolation's best album in years.  That is saying something because they have always been one of the most consistently amazing death metal bands out there.  I also had the chance to see them live for the first time this year and I can honestly say, as good as they sound on record, they sound even better live.

Father Befouled: Desolate Gods (2017)

I am not sure how this band has existed for almost ten years and escaped my notice.  It is not even as if the band has not put out many releases.  This is their fourth full-length amongst several other splits and EPs.  I am a big fan of grimy, dingy death metal, and Father Befouled has those qualities in ample supply.

Father Befouled at times touches on death/doom, sounding somewhat similar to a mix of Asphyx and Incantation, both of whom I am a huge fan.  They have a generally gloomy, dark and hostile sound with low-tuned guitar riffs, heavy bass, and deep, rumbled vocals.  Occasionally, a brief guitar solo shines through for a rare melodic moment.  But for the most part, this is an incredibly bleak recording.  The standout track is "Ungodly Rest" which is probably the most melodic song and features a very powerful slower section in the middle.  The two part punch "Vestigial Remains of..." and "Desolate Gods" is also captivating, building very slowly thoughout the former and then releasing into a frantic opening riff for the title track that is the fastest and most energetic the band sounds throughout the entire album.

Father Befouled sort of falls into the trap of playing an old school style of death metal.  There are quite a few bands these days doing that, but Father Befouled's point of reference is a little bit different, choosing to sound more like Incantation than Death.  What does set them apart from other bands that worship Incantation though is the recording quality.  While murky itself, at least the instrumentation is easy to hear and the album actually sounds fantastic.

I really enjoyed this album.  Father Befouled does not bring anything really new to the table, but builds on what others have done before them.  That being said, they do it extremely well and the album's production sets it apart. 

Enslaved: E (2017)

Enslaved will always hold a special place in my heart as they were the opening band in the first extreme metal concert I ever attended (Opeth was the headliner).  It was also the first real metal concert I saw with the woman who would become my wife, I am not counting the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert here.  On top of that, the band has simply never really disappointed me.  So each time the band releases a new album, I pick it up quickly.  Here we are again.

Now, at this point in their careers, Enslaved have fully embraced the progressive elements of their sound while all but completely ditching their black metal influences.  The only signs that this was ever a black metal band are the occasional raspy vocals.  Growth is fine when the band is able to continue to put out interesting material, and that is where Enslaved excels.

I had a little bit of a concern that this album would not be quite up to snuff.  It definitely does not start out strong.  The first song opens with a couple of minutes of meandering noise, and my concern grew.  But the concerns were quickly dashed when "Storm Son" turned out to be an incredibly compelling and powerful song.  It is a longer track, but features most of the necessary elements for Enslaved's progressive metal output, and the heavier moments are particularly captivating.  Then the second track, "The River's Mouth" kicks in, and it is easily one of the best Enslaved songs in years, and THAT is saying something.

If anything, this is one of the catchier Enslaved albums.  The aforementioned songs, as well as "Axis of the Worlds" are some of the band's most infectious songs ever.  And I say that as a huge fan of the band.  They do tend to carry on some sections a little longer than I would prefer, but that is really something that the band has always done.  It is a little more restrained this time around though.

Despite the rather slow start to the album, honestly this is one of my favorite albums the band has released since departing from their black metal roots.  And again, that is really saying something, because this band has released some excellent albums.

Electric Wizard: Wizard Bloody Wizard (2017)

With an album title like that, it is pretty clear that the band is making some type of homage or reference to the great Black Sabbath.  And it is obvious that Electric Wizard have created a much more retro-sounding album, one that would have sounded perfectly natural if it had been released in the 1970's. 

Electric Wizard has never really been one of my favorite bands.  I have certainly enjoyed them in small doses, and I still love the song "Dunwich", but I have been mostly reluctant to get deep into their prior catalog.  Their psychedelic brand of stoner/doom metal simply does not speak to me as much, though I can definitely see the appeal others might see.  I have really been turned off by portions of songs where the band simply meanders along with their slow, fuzzed-out riffs for several minutes at a time.  But that is where this album mostly differs.  Electric Wizard have tightened up their sound significantly and delivered their most cohesive record, at least of the ones I have heard.

The only real problem is that the band is unable to reach the heights of some of their earlier material.  There is no "Dunwich" on this album.  No song that stands head and shoulders above the rest as a true highlight on this album.  And there are still a couple of throw-away tracks, including "The Reaper" which disappointed me greatly.  I was hoping my dog would have a new theme song (yes, his name is technically The Reaper).

None of this is to suggest that this is a bad album, it just does not really grab attention.  Electric Wizard will likely continue to be more of an occasional treat for me, which is mostly a shame, because I really want to like them more than I do.  I love their mystique and image, the music just does not totally grab me.   

Craven Idol: The Shackles of Mammon (2017)

Anytime I come across a blurb recommending a band for fans of groups like Destroyer 666, Gospel of the Horns, and other groups of their ilk, I have to check it out.  That was just the case with Craven Idol, a British blackened thrash metal band on their second full-length release.  I am damn glad I did.  This is a contender for Album of the Year here.

Apparently, the band has undergone a bit of a stylistic shift coming into this album.  Where previously they had been more of a traditional/speed metal band, now they have amped up the black metal influences resulting in a sound similar to the Australian "war metal" sound that I love so much.  That certainly does not bother me one bit. 

Much of the music is fast-paced with lightning-fast riffs, pounding drums, and the psychotic shrieking of singer Immolator of Sadistik Wrath.  The true star of the album though is dual guitar work of Immolator and Obscenitor, particularly the soaring lead guitars that come out of nowhere to lend an epic feel to the songs.  The songs are also infectious as hell.  Picking one best song is damn near impossible, but if pressed, I suspect I would name "A Ripping Strike".

This is an absolutely epic slab of blackened thrash metal.  It is exactly the kind of style that I have spent a lot of time tracking down, without being too derivative as to be a copycat.  Craven Idol does have their own spin on the sound, but still captures a lot of the elements that make the style so fascinating.  And that makes it a top contender for Album of the Year.

Carach Angren: Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten (2017)

Despite the fact that groups like Dimmu Borgir and Emperor were among my first exposures to black metal, and later checking into groups like Luna Ad Noctum and Limbonic Art, I quickly grew out of symphonic black metal.  But when a band comes as highly recommended as Carach Angren, I have to at least give it a shot.  So, recently when picking up some random albums from Season of Mist, I decided to take a flyer on the latest from the Dutch group.

I did have to get past a couple of things in order to check this one out though.  First of all, the cartoonish cover art looks like a particularly twisted Scooby Doo episode.  Secondly, the name of the album does not exactly sound like a black metal band, but much more like the kind of band Hot Topic-loving mallgoths think is edgy.  So there are a couple of issues with this release that almost made me not check it out.  But I always hear such good things about Carach Angren that I decided to take a chance on the album despite the obvious problems.

It starts off in fairly predictable fashion, with an eerie piano melody, before delving into the true songs on the album.  The subject matter of the songs is mostly ghost stories and hauntings, and the use of strings amplifies the sinister tone of the album overall.  One song deals with the legend of Charles Francis Coghlan, an actor whose body supposedly went missing for seven years after dying in Texas to be found swept away by a storm near his actual home thousands of miles away.  Some of the songs sound a little cheesy, with ridiculous lyrics, such as "Charlie", but for the most part, they are effectively spooky.

What does set this band and album apart from other symphonic black metal bands is that the symphonic elements do not feel tacked on.  The songs are crafted with the string flourishes and rhythms written in.  That aspect makes the songs feel much more cohesive.  It also gives some of the songs an epic, bombastic feel, particularly "In de naam van de duivel" and "Three Times Thunder Strikes". 

This is an impressive release.  I am not sure where to rate Carach Angren among their symphonic black metal brethren, but it is a pretty good album.  Unfortunately, I just think I have outgrown this genre, at least for the more cartoonish groups like this one.

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".