DEVENIAL VERDICT - Old Blood Fresh Wounds compilation review

 

DEVENIAL VERDICT - Old Blood  Fresh Wounds

Transcending Obscurity Records

I've been a fan of Finland's DEVENIAL VERDICT for a few years now. I consider their 2022 debut full length, Ash Blind and their sophomore album Blessing of Despair from 2024 to be amazing. But it must be noted that DEVENIAL VERDICT are not a typical wake and bake Death Metal band. I've always called em Death Metal for late night listeners.

So when this came in for review I was shocked that they came out with a new album that quick. Thankfully I was wrong because this is actually early material per say. Since the band has been around for twenty years they decided to come out with a release which was part old songs given a revamp plus their Soulthirst EP which came out in 2016. 

In all honesty this release is for DEVENIAL VERDICT fans new and old. I think it's cool. Listening to their early stuff you realize they were your average modern Death Metal act with some Tech Death style thrown in. I mean it was the late 2000s / early 2010s. If I heard this stuff back in the day I'd say it was OK. Although "The Unborn God" is damm good.

Now the important portion is the inclusion of their Soulthirst EP from 2016 because it's on this release where you can hear the band progressing to where they are now. I really like this part because what came next six years later was their debut Ash Blind. It's not a perfect graduation because the band is still sound-wise in their early phase but still it's cool. 

I guess I'll have to file this one under the term "compilation" and a damm good one for fans only. Then again "reissue" works just as well.

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://devenialverdictband.bandcamp.com/album/old-blood-fresh-wounds

IRON SLUG - Deceit and Misery review

 

IRON SLUG - Deceit and Misery

Road to Masochist Records

I've said it before but it bares repeating. Regardless if a new band sounds like something you've heard in the past. If they're good at what they do then that's all it matters. Case in point if you played me this and asked where this band came from. I'd say somewhere in the Midwest USA maybe Indiana or Illinois. And I'd be really fuckin wrong.

 

IRON SLUG, great band name by the way, are a two piece Sludgey Doom act from Kent, England, Hey let's give it up for Kent! They originally started out in 2022. Since then they've released a demo plus a handful of short form releases. Deceit and Misery is their five song full length debut. Which means there's a few long cuts which trudge along. 

So what's cool about this album / band, well everything. The line-up consists of Will Rayner on guitars & vocals and Will Bond who plays bass, drums and gives backing vocals. Now like I mentioned earlier musically this is classic sounding Sludgey Doom which is as American as apple pie. and it's done so fuckin well. 

Not only are the riffs bone crushing but the overall atmosphere with the rhythm section gives off this mournful atmosphere. Will Rayner is a damm cool vocalist. He keeps things sounding clean but painful. Remember people it's Doom therefore we're not happy. 

Yeah this is a great debut album by IRON SLUG. Keep an eye on this band because I predict they'll be huge and not just because of their mammoth sized riffs.     

https://roadtomasochist.co.uk/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_wGNoC6lGs

WITCHING HOUR - Descending Where Time Has Ceased to Exist review

 

WITCHING HOUR - Descending Where Time Has Ceased to Exist

Dying Victims Productions

So it's some time since Germany's WITCHING HOUR graced us with a new release. When this came in for review I was like hey I know this band. And yeah because I have their And Silent Grief Shadows the Passing Moon CD from 2018 which came out on Hells Headbangers Records. After giving this new one a listen I played the CD I have and then thought yeah I've got a few things to say. 

But first off a little history. WITCHING HOUR started back in 2006. This three piece, who are all original members today, released their debut full length, Rise of the Desecrated, in 2009. What we have here is their fourth studio album. What's cool about WITCHING HOUR at least in the past was that they had one foot in their nation's traditional Blackened Thrash template and the other in NWOBHM. 

On this new eight song full length WITCHING HOUR have accepted their role as being the new standard bearers of great traditional Teutonic Blackened Thrash for the most part. I mean who does not like evil sounding German music which reminds ya of early DESTRUCTION? Now sure they're on the raw side of production values but hey just turn up the volume. 

I'll just say that this new one from WITCHING HOUR is damm good. I'll take this over what the original Teutonic Thrash three are doing today easily. Nuff Said! 

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/descending-where-time-has-ceased-to-exist

GREYHAWK - Warriors of Greyhawk review

 

GREYHAWK - Warriors of Greyhawk

Cruz del Sur Music

When you come to this site that last thing you expect is some Extreme Metal maniac talking about Power Metal. But hey I do know what sounds cool regardless. With that said I've been following this Seattle, Washington five piece act for a few years now. They started out in 2016.Their debut full length, Keepers of the Flame, came out in 2020. They followed that up with the great Call of the Hawk EP in 2022. But 2024's Thunderheart was decent. 

With all of that said I still figured GREYHAWK would become the premier US Power Metal band of the 2000's. Duh, so listen to this one.This album equals or better outs what the Germans have been doing of late. I mean like hey HELLOWEEN, listen to this US steel.

So what's great about GREYHAWK? Well lets start with vocalist Anthony Corso. This guy does the whole Power Metal vocal style as well as belt out some 80's style Hard Rock singing. Next up you've got the guitar duo of Jesse Berlin, the riff master, and Rob Steinway, the soloist. This pair nail it throughout this album. The drum work and bass duties are flawless.

 

GREYHAWK's third full length is a masterpiece of Power Metal combined with some 80's Melodic Hard Rock. I knew this band was gonna be great. 

https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/

LISTEN HERE:

https://greyhawkmetal.bandcamp.com/album/warriors-of-greyhawk

NECROGORE - Ectoplasmic Rape Phenomena review

 

NECROGORE - Ectoplasmic Rape Phenomena

Awakening Records

Well with a name like NECROGORE how could I not resist checking it out. Of course after a boring instro intro it didn't take long for me to figure out what's up with this band. Ya know there was a time when the Old School Swedish trident of Death Metal (aka: ENTOMBED, GRAVE and DISMEMBER) were merely considered influences. Nowadays they're being heralded to a position similar to H.P. Lovecraft's elder gods. Yeah this isn't respect anymore it's fuckin worship.

Now sure I'd expect a newer band from Sweden to follow along with their roots. But this is a three piece act from Italy who are totally killing it sound-wise. To put it bluntly this is damm better than a recent Swedish DM album I heard earlier this year. Musically it's obvious this trio likes DISMEMBER with that furious wall of HM-2 Boss pedal sound. I mean the fuckin riffs are there plus that thunderous bass which was the clincher when blasting Like an Ever Flowing Stream and Indecent and Obscene. 

But lyrically these guys are like VOMITORY who are number four to me as far as Old School Swedish DM goes. I mean with a song like "Raptured, Tortured and Chained". that's very close to Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize. And let's not forget VOMITORY's debut full length Raped in Their Own Blood. But as far as these guys you've got "Forced to Eat Shit" as well as "Leeches on My Dick" which is not a love song. 

All in all yeah this album hails with only one complaint. There are times when the snare drum comes off as sounding like beating upon Tupperware (nowadays for you young people we'll just say a plastic container). Other then that oh yeah this rules. I'll also say by looking at the cover artwork. I'm surprised this release did not come out on two other labels which I am a regular fan of.  

 

https://awakeningrecords.cn/

LISTEN HERE:

https://awakeningrecordscn.bandcamp.com/album/ectoplasmic-rape-phenomena

ROTTEN BLASPHEMY - Worshippers of Chaos review

 

ROTTEN BLASPHEMY - Worshippers of Chaos

Witches Brew

Ya know twenty years ago I would've thought this was cool as fuck. Mainly because I was buying every South American Extreme Metal release, original or reissue, I could find. I mean I was on a tear and a bank account to cope with payments. I mean I've got a ton of South American Extreme Metal. I don't have to name names and yeah I've got some from Columbia. 

By the way ROTTEN BLASPHEMY hail from Columbia. They're a three piece act who started out in 2011. Since then they've put out some short form releases. But here we have their full length debut. I give this band some props because they're not a straight up Black Metal act. 

They try to be on a few cuts from this eight track album. but the bottom line is that this band is all into Blackened Thrash and Black n Roll. Personally I think that's cool and if I was at one of their shows I'd be enjoying the slam pit action taking place. Sound-wise this is raw as fuck which is understandable. I wouldn't have it any other way. 

In the end yeah this is decent. I really like the cuts "Rise and Sin", "Violence" and the title track the most. Give this band another year and a newer album and we'll see what happens then. Nuff Said!    

https://witchesbrew.eu/en

LISTEN HERE:

https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/worshippers-of-cha-s

KREATOR - Krushers Of The World review

 

KREATOR - Krushers Of The World

Nuclear Blast Records

So as someone who is an early fan of this band as well as Tuetonic Thrash in general I have to say the following. KREATOR's last two albums sucked. Prior to them I'd say 2012's Phantom Antichrist was decent. With that said I think Krushers Of The World sucks as well. 

This is Thrash for fuckin posers which is funny because it's not even Thrash. This album sounds more like Power Metal than anything else. So KREATOR is a Power Metal band now. Well they're pretty cheesy at that as well. I knew I was gonna hate this and wasted an hour. Fuck You!

https://www.nuclearblast.com/de/#gbaid74159

LISTEN HERE:

https://kreator.bandcamp.com/album/krushers-of-the-world