NOLTEM - Illusions in the Wake review

 

NOLTEM - Illusions in the Wake 

Transcending Obscurity Records

While listening to this full length debut by Connecticut's NOLTEM. I was reminded of a recent conversation with someone on the many sub genre facets of black metal. It eventually concluded with the analogy of two paths in the woods which eventually cross. While many genre fans follow the course which follows the darker aspects to say the least. There's that other path which delves into nature and mystery. And it's us fans who stand at the crossroad either liking it all or going on our way. 

I won't say I'm a huge fan of the lighter BM acts out there. In the early days it was cool. But there was a time over a decade ago when you had some people seeing the popularity of black metal and decided to create acts who tossed in some blastbeats, a few cold tremolo riffs into a sound structure that was rooted in indie rock/post rock noodling. I won't mention any names here but their goal of making BM watered down and hip kinda failed.

It was from that wake where you had the real BM acts emerge pushing harshness minus the evil and creating beautiful sounds. It's from that legacy which gives us NOLTEM. This three piece act have a command of the beauty and brutality in which to create a convincing piece of black metal majesty. Aside from the melodic forms interwoven with cold icing tremolo riffs they inject a light folk touch which sounds great. At the same time keeping the vocals on a deep angry bestial style.

Another thing I like about this band is their ability to combine some sweet sounding guitar soloing within their song structures. There's some keyboards tastefully placed for additional leads as well as background effect. Add to that the drum work on here is exceptional. This is a six song release with a running time of just over forty minutes. NOLTEM utilizes that time to create an ever flowing constantly changing landscape of sound. It's pretty damm good.

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://noltemband.bandcamp.com/album/illusions-in-the-wake-atmospheric-black-metal

IMPALED NAZARENE - Eight Headed Serpent review

 

IMPALED NAZARENE - Eight Headed Serpent

Osmose Productions

As far as my history with this Finnish black metal act goes. Yeah their first 3 albums are BM classics. But let's be honest, when it comes to second wave black metal from the early nineties we fans thought it all was good. But when the latter part of the decade came about the cadre of second wave stalwarts either broke up, continued onward with the same thing or evolved into other genres. 

So when it comes to IMPALED NAZARENE did they evolve or devolve after 1994? To me there's always going to be a question mark on that one. But in all honesty these guys were delving into the whole blackened punk/speed metal thing a full decade before DARKTHRONE. So after listening to this newest release and first since 2014's Vigorous and Liberating Death. I'm wondering if they're fucking around with us fans or are they really crazy ass SOBs in for a good time?

The answer to that last question is, both. For me I had a great time listening to Eight Headed Serpent. There's a cool blackened punk/speed metal vibe running in parts of the album. But overall IMPALED NAZARENE shows that they still remember the early days. They're still into goats aka the opening track "Goat Of Mendes". 

But you've got those savage vocals, the menacing song structures and an overall hate fest of riffs and rhythm section pounding. There's thirteen songs in all. The short ones are fun rippers. My favorites are the ones that surpass the two minute mark and toss in a Tom G. Warrior grunt, yeah "Shock and Awe", along with a cool bass line. 

All in all Eight Headed Serpent is one of my favorite albums of the year as well as being a welcome return for some old favorite Finnish BM legends. 

https://www.osmoseproductions.com/

LISTEN HERE: 

https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/eight-headed-serpent

THE DEAD DAISIES - Holy Ground review

 

THE DEAD DAISIES - Holy Ground

Spitfire Music

THE DEAD DAISIES are a band started out by guitarist David Lowy from Australia years ago. The whole musical concept created by Lowy for this band was to have a super group with a revolving door for a line-up. The hope by Lowy, who's a rhythm guitarist of OK flair, was to get some big names from arena rock's "well we've got nothing else to do crowd".

The big draw supposedly on this album is guitarist Doug Aldrich known for playing on DIO's worst albums. And Glenn Hughes, from DEEP PURPLE fame (because he fucked up everywhere else) on bass and vocals. Now with that said this release reminds me of a Glen Hughes solo release. I've listened to his last one Resonate, from 2016, and liked it. 

Basically the winner and draw here is Hughes. Musically it's average sounding blues rock but Glen makes it all worth while. I'll give em those props. There's also a HUMBLE PIE cover, "Thirty Days in the Hole" which Glen does well. If it wasn't for him then this would be a dud. Not much on the extreme side but hey welcome to Dad Metal 2021.

I did see a short three song live set by em and Glen brings out "Burn" early. Personally I would've thought that song should've been an encore. What, you can't do any Come Taste The Band material? Ah yeah because that album sucked. But hey cool album cover which will make a nice concert tour shirt.

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGVMPp2DGo&list=PLc7zUm38GAmGJFF0UegI8HPb_h3Az4czL

EVILE – Hell Unleashed review

EVILE – Hell Unleashed

Napalm Records

Well someone told me to check out the new EVILE album because (according to him) it rules. Now I do have a few of the band's releases when they were part of the thrash revival of the late 2000's. And also Earache Records jumping on the bandwagon to make some bucks off of the trend. I didn't think they were that good at the time.

So here they are today on Napalm Records (where all bands go to die). And they still come across as a wanna-be METALLICA act. Yeah they've got the power, the drive in their riffs, great guitar soloing and damm good drumming but no personality. Hell Unleashed has some good looking cover art. Probably looking good for a t-shirt too. But as far as listening to this multiple times I just wanted to get off this ride.

https://napalmrecords.com/deutsch/

LISTEN & DIE HERE:

https://evile.bandcamp.com/

NAZXUL – Irkalla review

 

NAZXUL – Irkalla

Seance Records

Well I have a lot to say about this Australian black metal band but I'll try to condense it all. And "condense" will be a reoccurring theme here. I got into NAZXUL quite a few years ago. Basically I got their Iconoclast full length from 2009. I liked it enough to go back and get their debut Totem which came out in 1995. So yeah there's a pattern being a long stint between releases. So this new one is over a decade from their last one. 

Now it's not that the members of NAZXUL need all of that time to write and record an album. Basically their band members are involved in a whole bunch of other projects / acts. I'm into one of those acts called PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS who create great black metal as well as being also on the Seance Records label. 

Now when I first originally checked this album out a while back I pushed it aside. Later on I gave it another chance. Then listened to their older stuff to compare. And here I am today. Listening to this is a bummer. Irkalla is basically a one song album that lasts for thirty plus minutes but is cut into four parts. Sound-wise it's like a blackened symphony of the macabre. 

Musically this one has a wall of symphonic black metal sound which is cool for a while but never really breaks stride except for a stop and repeat moment. This really runs throughout the album except for "Inferno" which is a good three and a half minute cut reminiscent of their past efforts. The vocals are held in the back of the cave whether they're sung or whispered. There's plenty of that epic echo atmospheric style being played as well. 

All in all as anyone who's noticed on this blog I don't want to be cruel to the artists who produce this music. To me it's average from what this band has done before. I mean it has it's merits if you want to hear symphonic blackened noise for a background to your daily chores. I mean I do have laundry to put away but this didn't even inspire me to do that. But hey great album cover.

http://www.seancerecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://seancerecords.bandcamp.com/album/irkalla

NUNSLAUGHTER - Red is the Color of Ripping Death review

 

NUNSLAUGHTER - Red is the Color of Ripping Death

Hells Headbangers Records

It's been quite a few years since NUNSLAUGHTER's last full length release Angelic Dread. Of course there's an obvious reason. With the passing of their long time drummer Jim Sadist back in October 2015. The band was put on hold but vocalist Don of the Dead vowed that they would continue. And as you know, if you're a fan, for the past few years there's been a ton of releases (aka: Splits, EPs, Comps and Live albums). But they haven't released a full length until now.

Now just to set the record straight I considered 2014's Angelic Dread to be NUNSLAUGHTER's best full length ever. So coming into this was interesting to say the least. You've got Don on vocals and Tormentor still on guitars. But now you've got new people like Wrath on drums who came on board in 2016. And last but not least is new bassist Detonate who joined in 2019. 

So the simple fact that I love NUNSLAUGHTER had to be put aside. And even with that in mind I like this album a lot. The bad production days are over with when it comes to NUNSLAUGHTER. Don of the Dead is all for quality when it comes to invoking his utter disgust. Sure the songs on here are on par with the band's fast and furious stance. But the longer cuts of the fourteen are amazing. 

Yes it's their same death thrash attack going on here. Sure it's death metal as their genre tagline goes. But I've considered their face peeling riffs and drum speed to be that of a thrashy nature. After multiple listens I'm happy to say Red is the Color of Ripping Death is my second favorite album by em. The title cut is a new NUNSLAUGHTER classic in my not so humble opinion. After that you've got a cool mix of face rippers which you expect but other cuts convey some sinister atmosphere. 

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://nunslaughter.bandcamp.com/album/red-is-the-color-of-ripping-death

KNIFE - Self Titled review

 

KNIFE - Self Titled

Dying Victims Productions

What ever goes to hell stays in hell. Well that's what the preacher soundbite, which opens the second song on this release, says. What we have here dear believers is the debut album by Germany's KNIFE. This four piece act started out in 2019. 

Now when I was looking at the line-up and their history. I saw that their drummer is/was in one of the greatest death/grind bands of all time. I'm talking about MILKING THE GOATMACHINE. Now you can either call me nuts or a fan but in all seriousness I think MILKING THE GOATMACHINE rule.

Which is a great segway to KNIFE. This band genre tagline is speed metal and I couldn't agree more. Starting off with the shrieking aggro vocals you know this is gonna be a metal / punk thing. Add to that there's plenty of a punk rock n roll base to certain solos. But the riffs are all about speed and hardcore riff mania. The drum work is also of that punchy staccato style.

In the end I have to say that listening to this release makes me wanna slam dance around the house. Toss something through a window in anger. And of course go nextdoor to my neighbor to punch em out for that pile of debris I have to look at in their side yard. But I'm admittedly old now so this music just invokes an evil smile to me. 

KNIFE are a great band that nails that point of speed metal nostalgia without sounding like copycats. Sure they expose some influences of the past but in a cool way. I swear this is one of the best releases I've heard this year. Twelve fuckin songs and I've gotta say the MOTORHEAD tinged "Demon Wind" is my favorite.

https://www.dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/knife-knife

MELTING EYES - My Final Resting Place EP review

 

MELTING EYES - My Final Resting Place EP

Self Released

For those of you who are regular readers of this blog (and frankly who isn't) then you know my affinity towards Dutch death metal. My heritage is Dutch on my father's side and even though his ancestors came to America quite a long, long time ago. I still hold true to that part of me. 

So when death metal came around and I started hearing all of these cool bands from the Netherlands back in the day (aka: ASPHYX, PESTILENCE and many others but of course one of my favorites is PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT.) Well I'm always on the lookout for new bands that fit into the whole Dutch extreme metal aesthetic. 

This new band here, MELTING EYES, fit in perfectly with this their debut EP. But first off the four members of this band are not youngsters. They're all scene vets. One of their guitarists was in a DM act from years ago that I know about called WARMASTER. Musically MELTING EYES are your basic OSDM sounding act. But what's cool about this EP is how fresh it all sounds. 

First off you've got some brutal filth ridden vocals which are definitely up front in the mix. The six cuts on here are in that 4 to 5 minute range except for one. So the band has room to allow an expanse to their range which includes some doomish elements. The songs have a decent guitar crunch as well as some choice leads. In the end you want more so hey I'll be looking forward to a full length.

Listen & Buy Here:

https://meltingeyes.bandcamp.com/

OFFENCE - You'll Never Rest In Peace review

 

OFFENCE - You'll Never Rest In Peace 

Witching Hour Productions

Well if anything this Polish death metal act's album cover will win an award for Most Likely To Offend. Not me of course but hey you can just imagine. The cover artwork is by  Robert A. von Ritter. If your interested he's got a FB page here: 

https://www.facebook.com/bergtagenillustrations/

But anyways OFFENCE are a new band to me but there's quite a few things about em that are familiar. 

First off their vocalist Hellscreamaross is also in the Polish blackened thrash act WITCHFUCK. I've written about that band's debut this year. Also you've got one of this band's guitarists, Colossus, who plays in the latest line-up of BESATT. I've also written about their latest album as well.

The second thing about this album which is familiar to me is that this is pure old school Polish death metal at it's most primal being. For those of you who read this blog (and frankly who doesn't) then you know my love of Polish death metal. Hell if I was sleeping and someone poured a bucket of cold water on me. I'd wake screaming "VADER" then I'd kick your ass.

Speaking of which yeah this band does have some influence by their nation's great death metal peers. You can hear it in the violent attack of the rhythm section. The drums are in full attack mode while the bass sound is thick as fuck. I'd say the riff sound is on par with old Swede death. Nothing wrong with that of course.

The three top notches for this album of course are first the guitar leads which are eye popping. Next the obvious anger tinged, pissed off vocals. Third obviously is the song writing. Sure they've got influences and talent but it's their ability to weave all of that into something which holds your attention in varied ways. All nine cuts on here are cool. In the end hey I've got a new favorite Polish death metal band. POLISH POWER!

https://store.witchinghour.pl/

LISTEN HERE:

https://witchinghourproductions.bandcamp.com/album/youll-never-rest-in-peace

BESATT - Supreme and True at Night review

 

BESATT - Supreme and True at Night

Witching Hour Productions

Well I must admit that it's been a while since I've listened to something new by Poland's BESATT. How long you ask? Well they were still on Undercover Records. So we're talking more than a decade ago. Oh yeah and Fulmineus was still on vocals. So yeah it's been a while.

Therefore instead of dwelling on their past efforts to the point of nostalgia and comparing. I just looked at this one from a modern perspective of an old band. Frankly if you're a past fan then you'll do the same since this is a damm good release. BESATT has taken a page from the playbooks of their peers (aka: old BM bands still around). Basically they kept some positives from their past and intertwined em into the modern era.

Sure the fierce riffage is here and their last original member Beldaroh (vocals / bass) has a great harsh singing style. But the band has a more melodic BM style than I remember. Another nod to the band's past yet is still here, the emphasis on unique songwriting. Each of the eight cuts on is a compact opus. The music never drags on to repetitive jaunts. I love how the guitar leads are weaved in. The spoken word parts, even Gregorian chants, add elements of doom to give breaks. 

All in all BESATT has been around for three decades. So for a band like that to create something this well crafted and late in their career is amazing. Right now my other BESATT CDs can stay on the shelf because this is probably the best thing I've heard by em. The band were obvious pioneers of the Polish black metal scene back in the early 90's. Why not show off that you've still got it.

https://store.witchinghour.pl/

LISTEN HERE:

https://besatt666.bandcamp.com/album/supreme-and-true-at-night

COVERED IN SORES - Civilian Casualties Compilation review

 

COVERED IN SORES - Civilian Casualties Compilation

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

COVERED IN SORES is a four piece death grind act from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. So did I ever mention the time I was in Philly long ago and watched two guys beat the living shit out of each other outside of a club over who made the best cheese steaks in South Philly? This was around Dec. 1989 but could've been Jan. 1990. I'm old and I forget sometimes. Strangely enough one of the guy's fighting was the drummer of a band I was there to see. 

Which is why since then I called Philadelphia "Filthadelphia", later changed years later by the great RANCID VAT to "Hostile City, USA". And that's also why I can see a band like COVERED IN SORES coming from there. By the way are there any clubs or bars which allow a band like this to play? I mean this sounds like the musical equivalent to a riot. No not a mostly peaceful protest like some cable news reporter would've said about the crap going on last summer. This is a fuckin riot.

A riot in a good way that is. COVERED IN SORES started out a few years back. They put out three demos and have an EP this year. This release here features the band's demo material which is pretty damm cool. Sure the death / grind tagline is there on much of their songs. But they do have a foot firmly placed in the days when the whole grind genre came out of the late 80's hardcore scene. 

I don't know if these guys are well read street hooligans or post grads from Temple University. Either way these demo cuts are well produced and could be a great album for 2021. I find this fuckin amazing. No I'm in my late fifties and I still find music like this EXCITING. This is the kind of band I'm still go see in a club.

Although I learned my lesson decades ago. You don't stand in front of the stage when a crazed grind band is performing. Because they'll hit ya with something be it a microphone, the mic stand, drum sticks a flying, a guitar to the face or the singer will kick ya. Yeah good times!

https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/civilian-casualties

LORD FOUL - Demo Collection 1993​-​1994 Reissue review

LORD FOUL - Demo Collection 1993​-​1994 Reissue

Nuclear War Now! Productions

The first time I saw the name LORD FOUL mentioned was in an article about obscure USBM on a website which catered to collector scum and eventually hiptards. This was over a decade ago but with a name like LORD FOUL you remember it. Basically LORD FOUL was a one man black metal act from Louisville, Kentucky which started out in 1993. 

The one man behind this project went by the name of Roach. The guy was also in a death/grind band but got into the whole second wave of black metal coming out of Europe at the time. LORD FOUL would go onto record two lo-fi demos. The first was Killing Raping Burning from 1993 and the second one The Devil's Advocate came out in 1994. LORD FOUL kinda died after that from no one caring about em.

So fast forward to the year 2001. Germany's NARGAROTH puts out their second album Black Metal Ist Krieg. And along with a few other covers on there is their version of LORD FOUL's “I Burn for You” from the first demo. Now I'm sure it took a few years until the world wide web got big for people online asking about this LORD FOUL band. In fact Roach didn't even know people were interested in the band until years later. 

So in 2009 both LORD FOUL demos were put on a compilation CD release which came out on Forever Plagued Records. It would later be released on vinyl for the collector scum a few years afterward. This was the time I learned about LORD FOUL. But it wasn't until now that I've heard the original material thanks to Nuclear War Now's reissue of the demo compilation.

So aside from the great cover photo of "The Man" or "The Ghoul" played by the producer, directer and actor Herk Harvey in one of my favorite horror movies of all time aka: 1962's Carnival of Souls. Ah this is very lo-fi bed room / basement style black metal from the early 90's. Musically it's down right sloppy but Roach's vocals are good and the inbetween song movie samples are cool. If you wanna know some history then here you go. 

http://www.nwnprod.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://nuclearwarnowproductions.bandcamp.com/album/demo-collection-1993-1994

 

SNOGARD - Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds EP review

 

SNOGARD - Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds EP

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

So according to this black metal act's promo info they hail from the darkest realms of reality. Actually they're from my neck of the woods Raleigh, North Carolina. I've heard this town being described in a variety of terms, some good and some bad. But "darkest realms of reality" is a new one for me. 

Their promo photo, below, doesn't do em any justice either. Looks like it was taken behind their house in a North Raleigh neighborhood. I guess they were lucky enough to live in an area (I'm guessing a cul de sac) with a wooded creek area for a back yard. Hopefully they were smart enough to check for copperheads before the photo shoot.

Now despite all of the outlier perceptions this five song EP ain't bad. SNOGARD originally self released this late in 2020. But now HPGD gives it the full label treatment and distribution. Good for them because here's another release which should not get lost in the weeds. This two piece band, one guy being the instrumentalist and the other providing the vocals and song writing, is definitely more than meets the eye.

Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds is a complex sounding release. The band incorporates a good mix of atmospheric elements such as epic keyboards, spoken word pieces as well as acoustic guitars. Their basic core parts are the harsh vocals, well rounded compositions and varied styled riffs. 

In the end with their lyrical content bent on fantasy tales. Their sound connection being more inline with some Eastern European BM acts. And an obvious goal to not be generic. I see this as being a diamond from parts unknown to what many would consider not your typical black metal training ground. 

https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/moral-presence-corrupt-misdeeds

CRAVEN IDOL - Forked Tongues review

 

CRAVEN IDOL - Forked Tongues

Dark Descent Records

I became a fan of this English blackened thrash act a decade or so ago. That came when I checked out their six song EP Ethereal Altars (technically four songs with two instrumentals as bookends) back in 2010 and liked it a lot. Since then I've gotten their two full lengths, Towards Eschaton from 2013 and The Shackles of Mammon from 2017. 

So here we are a few years later with this new one and honestly it's fucking incredible. But first I must remind people that although the band started out as blackened thrash they were a lot more. That's why I liked em because they were not another generic genre act. In their case the band's last two releases showed how they were more diverse in the overall sound/style.  

 What makes this stand out is how the band just comes out of the gate with driving guitar action. We're talking tremolo picked riffs as well as soloing. The vocals are war screams, with plenty of Tom G. grunts thrown in for fun. Their songs (seven of em) are a mix of fast face peelers, to medium paced heavy blackened rockin. They're also not afraid to unload some Greek style black metal epicness as well as atmosphere. Well done.

http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/forked-tongues

CHARRED - Prayers Of Malediction review

 

CHARRED - Prayers Of Malediction

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

Pardon me but your's truly gets into the horrific holiday mood long before October rolls around. So listening to this one in early September is fitting. Here we have the debut full length by Florida's CHARRED. Now I do need to clear up some thing here. The band originally released this one in 2019 on another label. But seeing that the good people from HPGD know a good thing when they hear it. Prayers Of Malediction gets a second chance.

Musically what we have here is evil nature-d death thrash. Sound-wise this band immediately reminded me of some recent genre sounds out of Europe. Sure they're from Florida but not pigeonholed. To me this falls into that perfection status because everything they do is top shelf. I've already given my opinion away but here are your basics.

First off the vocals here are of that blasphemous burnt throat variety. If a blast furnace could sing then it's this guy. You've got nine slam pit inducing cuts on here all of which have good catchy riffs. This release is just over twenty-two minutes in length. So obviously you've got short in your face songs. The rhythm section just pounds away and the guitar solos are throat cutting. What's not to love about it?

https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/prayers-of-malediction

DEIVOS - Emanation From Below 2xCD Reissue review

 

DEIVOS - Emanation From Below 2xCD reissue

Selfmadegod Records

Regular readers of this blog, and frankly who isn't?, know my appreciation for this band. When it comes to the greatness of Polish death metal DEIVOS is one band that has always been overshadowed by that great nation's other more prominent DM genre names. Notice I didn't say talent. But hey I'll argue with you all the way to hell and back that VADER is one of the greatest death metal metal bands of all time.

Now be that as it may over that past half decade I've said some nice things about releases by DEIVOS as in their last two full lengths Endemic Divine from 2017 and 2019's Casus Belli. I first got into them years ago with their second full length Gospel of Maggots from 2010. So this one here is the proverbial holy grail since it came out originally in 2006 and was released EMPIRE RECORDS. 

Even before I wanna get into the music there needs to be a great thank you to Selfmadegod Records for releasing this package. Not only do you get DEIVOS' first full length but there's a second CD which contains the highly sought after five song Hostile Blood EP. And to make it better the label included the band's Praised By Generations demo from 1999. In other words, Fuck the overcharging record selling scum. The people at Selfmadegod Records are a class act who care about their fans.

Now musically you've got to travel down memory lane. By the time this debut album by DEIVOS came out in 2006 the whole attitude towards tech death was fading thanks to the mainstream promoting of utter crap. The next thing you knew was OSDM was in a revival and this got overlooked. Which is sad because what you've got on this first CD is a fiery assault via an in sync drum/guitar attack . 

To me the Polish death metal bands have always nailed it in style. You've got that fierce attack with a combination of drum work and tight riffs. Add the bludgeoning deep vocals and the bass lines follow along. Of course there's the maniacal guitar work which is fa-nominal. But the major aspect which on this album displays perfectly is that DEIVOS actually wrote good fuckin songs. I mean there's atmosphere which is inviting. There's plenty of headbanging / I wanna start a slam pit moments. And of course face peeling sounds abound.

Like I said, this is the holy grail of Polish Tech Death.

https://selfmadegod.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/album/emanation-from-below