HEGEROTH - Sacra Doctrina review

 

HEGEROTH - Sacra Doctrina

Self Released

So if you are a long time fan of black metal. And I'm talking about being a fan for at least twenty five years or more minimum. Then you know by now that the genre has come close to peaking as far as creating something new. I look at it now as you have your bestial and filthy stuff, the experimental pushers and finally the nostalgia seekers. So if you're feeling grim and frosty for something sounding like it came out in 1995. Then this release is part of the latter category. 

What we have here is the fourth full length by Polish black metal act HEGEROTH. Their influences are as obvious as the nose on your corpse painted face. Think Scandinavian black metal from the mid 1990's with a few subtle personal touches. I'm not about to name drop because if you're a BM fan at all then you probably have every release this band reminds me of. 

Now even with all of that HEGEROTH are damm good at what they do. Besides their traditional melodic black metal elements the guitar lead work on these songs is kinda disjointed. It obviously gives things some more originality. The riffs and drum work are definitely on the more brutal side. Toss in the the ferocious vocals and you've got a perfect black metal album.

LISTEN & BUY HERE:

https://hegeroth.bandcamp.com/album/sacra-doctrina

GREYHAWK - Call of the Hawk EP review

 

GREYHAWK - Call of the Hawk EP

Fighter Records

Well this band is definitely "bound by steel" as is sung in the lyrics of their opening cut "Steelbound".  Here we have a five song EP by this five piece Seattle, Washington metal act. Actually it's their second EP since the band's debut was the self released six song (five cuts and an intro) Ride Out EP from 2018. 

Now in 2020 the band released their debut full length, Keepers of the Flame, which also came out on Fighter Records. That was a pretty damm good album if you're into traditional metal. And if you're not then please leave and go somewhere else. But as far as this one goes my only gripe would be why just a five song EP?

Otherwise Call of the Hawk is a perfect continuation from their debut full length. Musically yes it's rooted in classic 80's style metal with some power metal touches. As far as that latter point there's some decent Yngwie Malmsteen influenced soloing, a few epic touches. But mainly classic heavy metal, or "true metal" as MANOWAR fans love to say, is the template here.

The EP has the twin guitar harmonies from days of yore. Catchy songs with good rhythms, I like the vocals with the occasional heavy metal screams and it bares repeating amazing guitar soloing. Call of the Hawk is a very good EP which should've been an album.

http://www.fighter-records.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://greyhawkmetal.bandcamp.com/album/call-of-the-hawk

PREHISTORIA - Cursed Lands EP review

 

PREHISTORIA - Cursed Lands EP

Self Released

I must admit that I'm not an aficionado when it comes to power metal. Basically of what's out there I like 35% of it and those are the more well known bands. So when it comes to me appreciating something new it's gotta fall in with my criteria to what I believe is cool about the genre. 

First off the band has to employ galloping melodies. Yeah we're talking MAIDEN-esque riffs that drive the songs. Secondly the vocalist has to be amazing as in having a range that varies from medium cleans to heavy metal screams. And third the band must be more metal and little to no prog. 

Which brings us to this Indianapolis, Indiana band's debut EP. PREHISTORIA's four song release is what I'd call a tour de force as far as new power metal goes. This band hits all the bases for me to like em and they do more. Yeah there's only four cuts on here but they're all perfect. 

Yes they're a US power metal band but after a listen you hear influences that could only come from across the Atlantic. Musically this comes off as BLIND GUARDIAN meets KING DIAMOND. Basically their vocalist, Alonso Donoso, is versatile enough to come off with those King Diamond highs as well as classic power metal clean singing.

 

Add to that there's some amazing guitar soloing that's intricate as well as forceful. The rhythms are damm good and keeping with the no boredom, just fuckin rock approach which I appreciate. Like I said all four cuts are great. But personally I think "Purgatorio" and the title cut are my favorites on here. Hopefully this is just a small taste of something big to come in the near future.

LISTEN TO & BUY HERE:

https://prehistoriaband.bandcamp.com/

SAXON - Carpe Diem review

 

SAXON - Carpe Diem 

Silver Lining Music

So where do I start with this one? OK first off bias alert because I'm an old SAXON fan. Now what I mean by that is I got into them back in the early 80's with albums like Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, etc. But I'm not perfect because by the mid 80's I moved onto more extreme sounding stuff. Years later I checked out the SAXON albums I missed out on and was not a fan of those.

Fast forward to around 20 years ago and I was reading about a new album they had out. So I checked it out, it was Killing Ground from 2001, and it was damm good. In fact SAXON has had a huge resurgence in the 2000’s. So for years now I've been buying up all of the ones I missed out on plus the new ones that come out. 

Which brings us to this their latest Carpe Diem. Look people, ever since 1999's Metal Head album SAXON has been on a creative roll which has never wavered. Well except for that covers album they put out last year. Every album has been perfect or near there. So again Carpe Diem is also another perfect album for these NWOBHM legends.

 

I mean Biff Byford's vocals still sound as great as they did in the fuckin 80's. OK maybe not that good but hey he's still got the stuff. Paul Quinn still adds plenty of killer solos. Doug Scarratt is a riff machine and a solo maniac. Long time drummer Nigel Glockler still keeps the thing organic sounding. And bassist Nibbs Carter keeps the rhythm sounding so well. 

Of course let's not forget Andy Sneap. His production work is like Viagra to legacy bands. So yeah Carpe Diem is a great release. There's catchy powerful songs, a few slow tempo cuts, great riffs and melodies. I won't say it's better than some of their other releases from the past ten years. It just follows a pattern of greatness which SAXON has done now for a while.

http://sl-music.net/en/

FACELESS ENTITY - The Great Anguish of Rapture review

FACELESS ENTITY - The Great Anguish of Rapture

Argento Records

Years ago I remember putting on an internet site that had Black Metal playlists. So when I was ready to crash out I'd push play and let my sleep pattern be taken away by obscure and definitely atmospheric black metal. Now I'm not saying certain trance educing elements of black metal make me wanna sleep. It's basically about getting relaxed especially when I'm usually wired for sound. 

Most of the artists were one man BM acts. The whole idea was to be whisked away on a dark journey instead of having my face eaten away by someone who looks like a panda. FACELESS ENTITY fit the a-fore mentioned bill perfectly. They're a three piece BM act from the Netherlands. I'm not surprised that another cool sounding BM act who I now like comes from my nation of heritage.

This is the second full length by FACELESS ENTITY which consists of five cuts, three of which are long and the other two around six minutes in length. Honestly that's the perfect time stamp for this type of atmospheric BM. Musically the band's sound/style is total 90's second wave. They know how to keep things slow and cryptic or beautiful, fast and harsh. 

The Great Anguish of Rapture is an amazing piece of work. It has a variety of sick twisted vocals styles, the guitar work is cold and crisp. Hell you can even hear the bass and the drum work is actually decent. All in all this is a top notch release. This band knows how to create raw waves of blackened fury that carries you to dark places.  

LISTEN & BUY HERE:

https://argentorecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-anguish-of-rapture

SYMBTOMY - Demo #2 review

 

SYMBTOMY - Demo #2 

Self Released

This is the second demo that I've checked out by the death metal act SYMBTOMY. I believe it was last Spring when I checked out their first one. The band's set up is definitely unique. First off the band members hail from Czechia. I still wonder if this could just be a side project since two members, vocalist & one guitarist, are in another DM band called SECTESY. But it does get interesting as we move along. 

The band has this thing about bringing guests who are basically famous death metal alumni. On their first demo they had the likes of Jonny Pettersson from WOMBBATH plus Ralf Haubert from REVEL IN FLESH and if that wasn't enough they got Johan Jansson from INTERMENT to be on their demo. Yes you can pick yourself up off of the floor after reading that who's who list but not so fast as you'll soon see.

Since having special guests on their debut demo worked so well and yeah musically it was great stuff. The band figured to do it again but to up the ante. On this three song release they got John Walker from the legendary CANCER plus Max Otero from fuckin MERCYLESS. And (once again making another guest appearance on someone else's release) Rick Rozz formerly of DEATH and in the reformed version of MASSACRE. 

Kinda ironic about Rick Rozz on here since I just watched a video of INCANTATION doing a recent show in Florida and Rick came on stage to do a DEATH song with John and company. Nothing against Rick of course. I just think it's interesting how he pops up as a musical guest in all of these places. 

But anyways like I said about this band's last release. I like what they do as far as capturing the old school death metal sound and style but putting a personal touch to it. I'm an old fuck but I remember the days of tape trading. So here you have something which is available on cassette now and ya think about times past. Like when you would send cash in an envelope to some band in Europe and a month later you'd get a cassette tape in the mail. Good times!

Sure the release would only have a couple of songs on it but you would play it continually for days over and over again. Listening to this reminds me of those days. It's definitely the whole Swede Death sound aka: the Boss HM pedal in use. But there's something pure about this band's sound (as well as certain others I like). It's dirty, it's real and not computer sterilized. 

There's a huge difference which you can hear between bands who play this style of death metal. They either have a passion for it or they're just copycats trying to make a buck. SYMBTOMY have the passion but don't just take my word for it. Look at the guests they get to contribute. They know the truth, Nuff Said.

LISTEN & BUY HERE:

https://symbtomy.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2

VORGA - Striving Toward Oblivion review

 

VORGA - Striving Toward Oblivion

Transcending Obscurity Records

Friday nights at work is the only time I get to hear some metal on the radio when I'm there. The local collage station plays a good selection of metal be it classic stuff to present day material from 6 to the wee AM hours. As far as black metal goes the DJs will play some stuff that I know well but then there's a bunch of new stuff that I don't know. So after work I'll check out the playlist on the station's website to see who I had heard. 

Now one thing I've noticed is that the modern BM stuff they play sounds familiar but it's not who I think it is. The only thing similar is the overall soundscape. Which brings us to this debut album by Germany's VORGA. When I first listened to this album it felt like I had heard this before on the radio at work. Basically what this band does is put forth a sonic blackened soundscape which is more on the lofty atmospheric side with harsh vocals.

Like I said this band is from Germany which to me was a shocker. I guess I'm old because I consider German black metal to have more of a punch you in the face style of sound. Listening to this makes me feel like I need to be in an easy chair with headphones on. Part of that is to be true since VORGA are all into the whole cosmic plane of space. Ground control to Major Tom we're filling you up with copious amounts of frosty BM fuel.

 

All in all Striving Toward Oblivion is a cool album. There's some Norwegian and Swedish BM touches throughout. I don't know if it's showing influences or just taking something we all know and propelling it to another plain. The end result being a sonic experience of blackened proportions.

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://vorgaband.bandcamp.com/

BLACK ALTAR & VULTURE LORD - Deathiah Manifesto Split review

 

BLACK ALTAR & VULTURE LORD - Deathiah Manifesto Split

Odium Records

This is the fourth split release by black metal artists I've had the luxury of checking out in the past four to five weeks now. some of those did not fair so well in my opinion. But here we have two bands of which one I know very well and the other I'm slightly familiar with. 

For starters we have BLACK ALTAR and if you're into Polish black metal then Shadow (their vocalist and mastermind) along with whoever else he has in the band now are pretty much a household name. I got into em back in 2008 with their Death Fanaticism full length. Since then Shadow and company have settled on just doing short form releases (aka: splits and an EP). We're still waiting for that new full length Shadow.

So on this one BLACK ALTAR contributes four cuts unfortunately one's an instro/spoken word incantation intro and the other is an outro. Fans understand the Shadow loves his ominous introductions. As far as the two proper tracks go this is standard melodic second wave BM. It's what you'd expect from BLACK ALTAR but unfortunately after two decent tracks you want a whole lot more, yeah like a full length's worth more. 

VULTURE LORD is a Norwegian act I'm familiar with mainly because they were a side band of guitarist/vocalist Trondr Nefas. I was already a fan of Trondr while he was in URGEHAL and BEASTCRAFT. Unfortunately he passed away in 2012 so the band pretty much was on hold as far as putting out any new material. That hiatus ended last year when the revamped line-up came out with the full length Desecration Rite, which is also on Odium Records. 

So the genre tagline on VULTURE LORD is blackened thrash. But it's kinda more than that. I mean think about it. You've got band members who were in such well known BM acts as BEASTCRAFT, URGEHAL, ENDEZZMA, ORCUSTUS, CARPATHIAN FOREST, and that's just a few names dropped. Sure sound-wise it's thrash based at times but not in the generic sense. 

Of course vocalist Sorath Northgrove, the sole original member, has a cool voice. He's one part blackened savage and one part mean SOB behind the mic. There's great fast paced riffs which you would expect in Norwegian BM. Big surprise are the cool metal soloing shots taken. All in all three of their four cuts on here rip you wide open. Their fourth cut, "Usurper, Thy Name Is Death" is pretty much an instro soundtrack cut which to me is a throwaway song.

So who wins this black metal bout? Ah I think this is an even split. I'm bias for BLACK ALTAR because anything they put out is good for me. As for VULTURE LORD, hey they're an added bonus to this split. Check em out and get their full length from last year. The overall winner is you the black metal fan who'll pick this up.  

https://www.label.odiumrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://blackaltar.bandcamp.com/

SLOB – Deepwoods Shack of Sodomy review

 

SLOB – Deepwoods Shack of Sodomy

Comatose Music

 

So what would inspire two UK metal musicians to create music inspired by the likes of the 1972 classic John Boorman movie Deliverance. Yeah their album title doesn't mention it plus their motto "What happens in the shack, stays in the shack" is also a tribute to another cinema classic. But the album's intro is the famous soundbite of Deliverance's butt rape in the woods scene. It's the role that actor Ned Beatty (who passed away in June 2021 at the age of 83) is infamous for. Although I believe throughout his long film career he tried to move on from that role.

There's more Deliverance movie soundbites as well as some I'm not familiar with. The title cut is a soundbite which follows the same theme as in butt rape in the woods or wooden shack. Now if you haven't guessed it yet SLOB are a brutal death metal act. And of course Comatose Music is the perfect label for them since they do specialize in releasing the disturbing stuff. SLOB are a two piece act consisting of James Murphy on guitar, vocals and drum programming. Ross Honour is the acts other guitarist. 

Musically it's your basic brutal DM stuff on these tracks. Deep cavernous vocals with the pig squeals, yeah that's standard genre stuff. But I gotta say their riffs are kinda cool. They make the songs hold you in vise like grip. You've got the slow bludgeoning ones mixed with the spastic. This duo works well together and there's even a solo or two. As expected the drum programming sounds like someone beating on Tupperware but once again that's standard. 

Yeah as I always say I'm a sucker for this type of raw and sick death metal. It's the type of stuff you want to play for friends just to see their reactions. Of course while listening to Deepwoods Shack of Sodomy I'd had a huge grim. This stuff is just funny to me. Plus it was around 1 AM in the morning and I was making homemade chicken soup. If you like it brutal then here you go.

https://www.comatosemusic.com/site/

LISTEN HERE:

https://comatosemusic.bandcamp.com/album/deepwoods-shack-of-sodomy

SHIELD OF WINGS - Unfinished review

 

SHIELD OF WINGS - Unfinished

Elderpath Records

Imagine, if you will, a female fronted symphonic metal act who's sound falls inbetween NIGHTWISH and EPICA. Oh yeah and they're not from Europe but instead hail from Chicago, Illinois. Ah yeah we don't get so lucky with something that cool here in the states. But yes SHIELD OF WINGS are a bonafide contender to all of what we love as far as this genre goes.

Some PR people I work with like to ask why it takes me so long to write about the releases they send me. Ah well since I'm a person who wakes up every morning full of hate then listening to something like this is a pleasant awakening which I've spent days listening to. Unfinished is the debut album by this five piece act. I can say they've found a happy niche in my mean spirit filled existence.

Music-wise the band are full on symphonic metal genre style. We're talking keyboard friendly melodies with plenty of power-chord riffs. The basics are there with accents. First off Lara Mordian is an amazing vocalist. She can do the clean singing parts then add the operatic vocal highs while also kicking in folk styled singing as well as some death metal vocals. Their keyboardist also contributes backing vocals which are a total compliment. 

There's ten cuts on here and all of them are of the four minute plus range. I like how their songs are concise with no symphonic filler areas like overtly long intros. The melodies soar and the keys set up a huge backdrop at times. If the opener "Crushing Hail" doesn't win you over with all of what I've described then I'd suggest cuts like "Wetland" or "Mind of Myth". But honestly every cut on here is a winner.

All in all SHIELD OF WINGS are Americans who sound like European Symphonic Metal. If they toured Europe this Summer they'd blow audiences's minds and win over their hearts. Oh yeah and it's a damm shame this band is not on a label.

ORDER IT HERE:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/297983881/shield-of-wings-new-album-unfinished-is-finished

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39hbEP04IKw

NORTHERN - Cabin Fever review

 

NORTHERN - Cabin Fever

Sinistrari Records

Hailing from the pagan vastlands of, New Hampshire? Well yeah it's fairly cold during Winter up there plus they still have some wilderness. But anyways this is my second time checking out this US black metal act. The first was back in 2018 with their debut Desolate Ways to Ultima Thule. That came out on Moribund Records. Now when it comes to that label I'll buy anything from em. With the exception of more VARDEN releases. I believe two of them are enough.

But anyways this band's debut was decent. I thought it sounded like four Americans on a pagan, viking, black metal trip to Scandinavia. That and they probably listened to copious amounts of BATHORY's Nordland Volumes 1 & 2 for inspiration. Now on this one the whole paganism thing is still there. Basically this is a black metal album based on the aspects of freezing your ass off and living in a cold environment. I'm kinda an expert on this because of spending two years living in Alaska.

You've got songs about and titled "Hypothermia", "Alcoholism" and of course the title track. Musically it's fairly old school in BM style. The riffs, whether slow or fast, are raw sounding without any modern touches. The vocals come across as cold and cruel. Hey it's the middle of Winter so music like this is kinda perfect. 

As far as this sophomore album by NORTHERN goes. It's good and I like how the band has changed things up. It's got the whole pagan black metal Winter theme down pat. The songs, which honestly are only five with an intro and outro, do invoke some heavy seasonal atmosphere. It all makes me interested in what they'll do next. And that's a good thing.

http://www.sinistrarirecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://northernblackmetal.bandcamp.com/

SAIDAN / KLANEN - Split review

 

SAIDAN / KLANEN - Split

Corrupted Flesh Records

First split release of 2022 in for review and it's by two black metal acts. That's always cool. The two bands in question are SAIDAN and KLANEN. Now SAIDAN is a two piece act from Nashville, Tennessee. They've been around for a few years and have a full length, Jigoku: Spiraling Chasms of the Blackest Hell, which came out last year on Obscurant Visions. My younger brother lives in Nashville. He's also a musician but I doubt he's heard of SAIDAN. 

The other band on this split, KLANEN, hails from Virginia and is a one man BM act. Starting out a few years ago KLANEN has garnered a slew of small format releases to his credit and a full length. I give the guy props for his conviction to put out so many releases in a short span of time. 

Now as always when it comes to split releases I like to put the bands in a proverbial bout as in wrestling terms to see who wins. So starting with SAIDAN, they contribute three cuts to this release. Musically they're basic Scandinavian second wave raw BM in style. Half way through their first cut, "Atomic Age", they steal from SLAYER. Plus one of their cuts is an instrumental which is a throwaway to me. Otherwise they pretty much nail the basics of the past via tremolo picked riffs, ice sickle soloing, harsh vocals and basic drum work. Yeah I like em.

Next up are the three cuts from KLANEN. Once again the sound here is basic Scandinavian second wave raw BM style. Then again I own some releases by Greek bands from the 90's who were close to this edge. Vocal style reminds me of some past one man USBM acts. Plenty of hoots, howls and wailing. It's kinda tough to pick a winner here. Both acts have some classic traits which are interesting enough to make ya wanna hear a proper full length. 

I say it's a tie. Collectors of USBM take notice. 

LISTEN HERE:

https://corruptedfleshrecords.bandcamp.com/album/saidan-klanen