VIANDE - Monument aux morts review

 

VIANDE - Monument aux morts

Transcending Obscurity Records

This is the second full length by VIANDE a four piece modern Death Doom act from France. A few years back I really liked their debut full length, L'abime devore les ames. that came out in 2022 and on Transcending Obscurity Records. Now as regular readers of this blog know (and frankly who isn't) over the past couple of years I've been brutally negative in my opinion of modern day Death Doom. I think it's become over-saturated. 

So why did I like VIANDE as a standout amongst the generic a few years ago? Maybe it was because their band name translates into English as "meat". Maybe it sounded like it was recorded in an hellish abattoir. Then again it could've come in for review on a good fuckin night. either way VIANDE's debut was damm good. 

So how do you surpass that? Well on here the band sticks with the basic modern Death Doom formula aka: GRAVE meets INCANTATION and adds PORTAL to the mix. But then injects enough horrific atmosphere as if this was recorded in the Paris catacombs. The overall sound comes across as putred barbaric filth with a stench of disemboweled things. 

In the end yeah VIANDE's second full length is a winner. You've got the bestial vocals as well as horrific screams. There's the guitar dynamics which are a combination of rich doom riffage and sometimes chaotic time changes meets dissonance darkness. The rhythm section is amazing especially the drum work. All in all it's an amazing album.

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://viandeband.bandcamp.com/album/monument-aux-morts

CRYPTORIUM - Through the Bowels of Ceaseless Dissonance review

 

CRYPTORIUM - Through the Bowels of Ceaseless Dissonance

Transcending Obscurity Records

The tagline on this release is old school Swedish Death Metal. OK sure but they might be the grand children of DISMEMBER. In all honesty they're cousins to FERAL and CRAWL. They're two bands who, were on this label, ripped the shit out of the whole old school Swedish DM style with some cool Hardcore influences. 

CRYPTORIUM is basically following through with the obvious progression. I mean the intro on here is not my type of thing but then I hate bad intros. After that it's cool as fuck rip roaring hate. Whether it's the blitzkrieg of riffs that'll punish your face, the hate fueled vocals or the whole amazing tempo of extreme meets atmospheric craziness. 

It's 2026 and with extreme metal we're at the death of creation. So let's check out new bands again who love the old ways but have fire in their belly. On this their second full length CRYPTORIUM are far more than a band with the right patches on the battle vests. To me this sounds like a great representation of the new with old stuff clinging on like webs. 

Yeah this is one of the best Death Metal albums of the year. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://cryptorium-label.bandcamp.com/album/through-the-bowels-of-ceaseless-dissonance

F.A.M. - Pleasure Of Torture review

 

F.A.M. - Pleasure Of Torture

Selfmadegod Records

Just for some clarity F.A.M. stands for Furor Arma Ministrat. They are a Brutal Death Metal act hailing from the great Extreme Metal nation of Poland. The band has been around since 2005 and here's a shocker. I know about em. 

So yeah a decade ago I learned about this band because they had an album out, Human Cargo, which was billed as Brutal Death Grind from Poland. As an Extreme Metal fan knowing that Poland has great Grindcore and great Death Metal so why not a combination of the two plus tossing in the Brutal aspect or what we here in the states call "Brootal". 

Unfortunately Human Cargo had no Grind at all. Sure it was Brutal DM but on an average scale. Whichs brings us to now with this their fourth full length. Obviously I missed one or two but anyways I'm pissed because there's really no actual Grindcore on this album even though it was billed as Brutal Death Grind (again). 

As far as the positive points go F.A.M. are good at producing some decent low brow punishing Brutal Death Metal which any sub-genre loving neanderthal will like. I mean chaotic riffs abound with sick pig squeal / bestial vocals. Plus the beating on tupper-ware or pickle barrel drum sounds are evident. Yeah average for this sub-genre but hey if you're a knuckle draggier then here ya go.

https://selfmadegod.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/album/pleasure-of-torture

MEAN GREEN - Castle review

 

MEAN GREEN - Castle

Self Release

So here we have the second full length by North Carolina's MEAN GREEN. Personally I like the band name. They're a three piece Sludge Metal / Stoner Doom act from Boone, North Carolina. Just for the record Boone, NC is known for a few things. First off it's in the Western part of the state where the Blue Ridge Mountains are. Appalachian State University is out there also known as App - State. Graduates from there are also called Boone Hippies. But hey years ago their football team beat Michigan which was a major upset. 

Anyways when it comes to Sludge Metal / Stoner Rock, North Carolina (aka: my state) has had it's share of great bands in this genre. Just to name a few there's been SOUL PREACHER, WEEDEATER, BONGZILLA and a few more. Some people like to say BUZZ-OVEN are an NC band but honestly they moved around from NC to Virginia, to Louisiana and back again depending on the drugs available and people they screwed over because of it. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY were never a Sludge Metal or a Doom band despite what revisionists (who never lived in NC) say on the internet. 

With that all said MEAN GREEN on this release will not get any old school fans to jump up and shout as saviors of a genre in need of help. They're all burned out anyways and maybe will show up at a EYE HATE GOD reunion show long enough to buy a new shirt and call an Uber to get em home before eleven PM.

But to new school fans it could be different. I'm sure MEAN GREEN has been playing to audiences who drink Michelob Ultra and swear to WIDESPREAD PANIC. Musically I'm not down with their whole psycho Sludge stuff early on this release. Better yet I like when they go into their Stoner atmosphere Metal style. I'm not gonna name drop. Instead I'll just say the sound reminds me of cool stuff by past acts I already like. 

Add to that the quality of the musicians involved. The cool bass lines from Cole Franklin are totally head banging. James Matthews is an amazing drummer. Finally there's Jake Helms who delivers a thick, sick guitar tone. The same thing can be said for his vocals. The guy produces a blackened venomous singing tone which is cool in my book. 

Like I slightly mentioned earlier MEAN GREEN are probably a perfect example of a new school bringing life and excitement to an old worn out genre. In so doing they bring in new fans who probably didn't know this type of extreme metal existed. To me that's cool and I give this band props for it. In all honesty I'd rather sit home and blast this then go downtown and see WEEDEATER for the tenth time. Nuff Said!

 

LISTEN TO AND BUY IT HERE:

https://meangreen.bandcamp.com/album/castle

MANGLED CARPENTER – Between Blood and Silence EP

 

MANGLED CARPENTER – Between Blood and Silence EP

Broken Curfew Records

I believe I've found my Extremely Brutal Insane release of the year and even better it's an EP. Plus the cover artwork is damm good. MANGLED CARPENTER is a three piece Brutal Death Metal / Grindcore act who have been around since 2005. Fuck me running because this is my first time hearing them. 

Other then two full length releases, Under the Shadow in 2021 and Salvation Syndrome from 2023. This band is pretty much a short form release act. And they've got a ton of singles and EPs to back that up. As far as this latest one goes it's savage and brutal insanity which I like. 

The band is made up of Seth Metoyer on guitar and guttural fuckin vocals along with spoken word parts. Kris Olson is on bass and does the pig squeal backing vocals. Finally there's Mac Hine who does some drumming but also is more into the whole programmed drum thing. 

This is musically a cruel and calculated brutal performance. There's six cuts on here. "The Absence of Light" is definitely my favorite cut on here. The rest of the release is like a fuckin ritual of the bizarre with the exception of their MORTIFICATION "Terminate Damnation" cover which is straight up. In the end this release rules!

LISTEN TO & BUY IT HERE:

https://mangledcarpenter.bandcamp.com/album/between-blood-and-silence-ep

WATCHER - Mistress of Our Time review

 

WATCHER - Mistress of Our Time

Dying Victims Productions

A few years ago I was at a show wearing an IRON MAIDEN "Killers" shirt and this young person came up to me asking a question. He was, according to him, all into NWOBM stuff but wanted more. So I told him to check out the bands on the Dying Victims Productions label. Did he do it, I don't know? Then again ya don't see many people wearing a MAIDEN "Killers" shirt at local shows. A close friend of mine might wear his.

Anyways I guess it's obvious that this release here is NWOBHM influenced. This is the second full length by WATCHER who hail from Sweden. The band started out back in 2023. Actually it was a one man band featuring Viktor Gustafsson who sang and played everything. After a year he brought on guitarist Max Warnby and drummer Jakob Nilsson. After that bassist Oscar Nyberg joined and this year guitarist Timmy Lindgren has been added to complete the line-up.

Musically yeah it's MAIDEN-esque all the way. Personally I like the vocals by Viktor Gustafsson. He's a real guy vocalist who can hit a Heavy Metal scream once in a while. I like Max Warnby's lead guitar work on here. He's subtle in his leads which is cool. The rhythm section is strong in conveying solid song craft. 

In the end yeah this is a cool album with ten cuts all perfect. The promo info hints that this is classic Swedish Heavy Metal. Look I'm just an old Metal guy who owns two HEAVY LOAD CDs, yeah reissues, and maybe two other old Swedish Heavy Metal CDs, yeah reissues, and I don't care what a friend of mine says. EUROPE sucks! But WATCHER is great.    

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/mistress-of-our-time

MIDNIGHT PREY - Jenseitsritt review

 

MIDNIGHT PREY - Jenseitsritt

Dying Victims Productions

This month of August I've been musically getting nostalgic for 80's music which I still like a lot. Of course I share it on Facecrack with friends. They can handle it because they're younger. When I do the 70's or late 60's that's when they're going yeah I heard this in the 80's or 90's. It's always a good laugh for me. 

With that in mind it brings us to the question what if you hear a new release in 2026 and it actually sounds like something from 1978 to 1982 or more? That's what I got here with the second full length by Germany's MIDNIGHT PREY. The band originally started out back in 2012. Their debut full length, Uncertain Times, came out in 2019. And here we are today with their second full length. 

Musically this sounds like a late 70's Hard Rock release meets 80's NWOBHM along with, hold your breath, 1990's Post Punk elements. I chalk it up to the guitar work and vocal style of Winston Ziller. As a musician he's a Renaissance man creating an amazing sound that grasps everything cool from the past and reproducing it without a copyright held against him. 

Winston is joined with great partners on bass with Daniel Friesen and drummer Hannes Ruhland. This rhythm section gives a solid foundation though out this release which either rocks your ass off or cools you down. The bottom line is that you have a cool listening experience with this release.  

https://dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/jenseitsritt