THE SHORT STACK

GRUESOME - Twisted Prayers

Relapse Records

Look I like Matt Harvey. I always liked EXHUMED, even their latter albums. He helped revive REPULSION for the hipsters but hey we liked it too. As far as this DEATH wanna-be sound-alike tribute band goes well it's not needed. I've got the originals so I really don't need this to remind me more of why I won't listen to anything after Leprosy. There are a lot of young bands out there from shithole countries influenced by DEATH as well as other Floridian death metal acts. You, Matt Harvey, are a great guitarist/vocalist who people in the extreme metal community like. Let the kids have the fun. We want something cool from EXHUMED.

https://store.relapse.com/

THY FEEBLE SAVIOUR - And Darkness Fell

Hells Headbangers Records


This is for collectors with a cult status fetish. THY FEEBLE SAVIOUR originally was a one man blackened death metal act created by Francisco Pulido in 2004. Francisco put out a demo and a split release before shelving the project in 2006. Fast forward to 2015, Francisco revives the project with the help of drummer Matt Heffner. This actual band releases another demo followed by a split release. What we have here is the long awaited debut full length. Musically it's typical old school blackened death with sacrilegious overtones. It's loud, chaotic and down right impressive.

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

CRAFT - White Noise and Black Metal

Season of Mist

Eighteen years ago CRAFT came out of nowhere (well Sweden actually) with their debut full length Total Soul Rape. The release was well received (I personally like it). The band was herald as saviors of true Scandinavian black metal as well as being called the new DARKTHRONE (even though they're Swedish). Then they disappeared. Two years go by and then they release a new album, Terror Propaganda. Once again the same acolytes are placed upon them. Don't get me wrong they are well earned (except for that new DARKTHRONE thing).


CRAFT would go on to continue this pattern. Release something good then disappear for a few years. Their last recorded output was in 2011. Since then they've appeared live at various music fests (a first for them). So finally after seven years we have this new one. What we have here is CRAFT with a new coat of paint (black of course). Still grimness and frosty but the clones of DARKTHRONE won't be tossed about anymore. The sound is good, there's some actual groove going on. Might I say it reminds me of SATYRICON? 

http://www.season-of-mist.com/

DIMMU BORGIR - Eonian 

Nuclear Blast


Honestly I haven't listened to a DIMMU BORGIR full length (yes I own a few) in ages. With the exception of some of their songs being on my old BM playlists I haven't listened to em at all. Years ago I had written them off after hearing and writing about 2010's Abrahadabra. So here we are eight years later and you'd like to hope that Shagrath and company would maybe get back to the BM side of metal and not the Goth which was all over their last one. 

Well I was wrong. Over the fifty four minute plus time-span of Eonian you get orchestral goth and some symphonic BM which sounds like what they were doing eleven years ago on In Sorte Diaboli. Look people I've written about other bands doing some cool things in the symphonic black metal genre. Check them out. As far as this goes, leave it to the fans.


https://www.nuclearblast.de/en/shop/index.html