CRITICAL DEFIANCE - No Life Forms review

 

CRITICAL DEFIANCE - No Life Forms

Unspeakable Axe Records

Hailing from the great Extreme Metal nation of Chile here's the second full length by CRITICAL DEFIANCE. First off for me personally I have no problem hearing new thrash acts wearing their influences on their sleeves as well as their battle vests. But at least include some of your own character into the music. This band does.

A large selection of new thrash act releases that come in for review show their obvious influences and yeah they're decent. But that's because I like their influences. What we have here is a thrash act that has obvious influences BUT it's their own personal style the bowels you over.

On No Life Forms this five piece thrash act display plenty of aggression, technical prowess and some damm good song writing ability. Trust me if you were to get into a fight with this band not only would you lose. But every band member would get their punches in. 

So let's start with the vocals. You've got some angry in your face yelling/singing going on. As for the twin guitar work there's plenty of headbanging riff action. The lead guitar work is off the chart whether it's face peeling or the addition of semi technical touches. Add to that their bass player gets his due with some thumping bass leads. As for the drums, the guy's a maniac. Then again he has to be for this speed demon band. No Life Forms is around thirty minutes of unrelenting thrash perfection. Nuff Said.

http://www.unspeakableaxerecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://criticaldefiance.bandcamp.com/album/no-life-forms

CAUCHEMAR – Rosa Mystica review

 

CAUCHEMAR – Rosa Mystica

Temple of Mystery Records

CAUCHEMAR is a traditional metal/doom act from Quebec. I first learned about em back in 2010 with their La vierge noire EP. Their singer, Annick Giroux, also put out Hellbent for Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook. I'm a chef so of course I got it. So here we have the band's third full length. Their last one, Chapelle ardente, came out in 2016. Oh yeah that one was amazing.

What I like about CAUCHEMAR is that they have a formula sound which they stick with without experimenting outside of their realm. They know how to create great music and expand upon it with each new release. On this one you've got the basics. Annick Giroux, who sings in French, has this medium range vocal and comes across as some type of occult mystic. Her vocals are very captivating to say the least.

The vocals are backed by a musical sound reminiscent of the nascent era of NWOBHM or earlier. Years ago I remember reading some people saying they had a PRIEST or SABBATH influence. As for me I always thought PAGAN ALTAR. And hey no surprise that Alan Jones of PAGAN ALTAR does a guitar solo on the song "Volcan". Now besides that there's some cool organ added to some songs. 

Musically this is a tough yet melodic sounding release. The basic is always an atmosphere which is inviting with the riffs as well as percussion. The vocals are the icing on the cake. Bias alert, I've been a fan of their's for twelve years now. To me this album never ends. After it's eight songs pass you push replay and enjoy it all over again. Yeah this is one of the best albums of 2022.

https://templeofmystery.ca/

LISTEN HERE:

https://cauchemar.bandcamp.com/

SARINVOMIT - Awaken Ye Impious Hordes of Shaitan review

 

SARINVOMIT - Awaken Ye Impious Hordes of Shaitan

Godz ov War Productions

I believe this album came out last year and this label is giving it a second chance. After giving it a few listens I agree it needs another run. The skinny on SARINVOMIT is that they're a blackened death act out of Turkey. Ya see a lot of that on the eastern front. I'm guessing it's the climate.

Be that as it may how could I not like a band who puts out a debut EP, from 2015, titled Baphopanzers of the Demoniacal Brigade. So right here we have the band's second full length release. Just for the record sound-wise SARINVOMIT punch all of the genre buttons and add just a small touch of Eastern flavor. 

Basically this is all about severe head trauma. Musically we're in dark territory, a virtual no mans land. It's a soundtrack to war with blastbeats like machine guns. The bass as well as the riffs are concussive artillery blasts. And the vocals are either battle cries or cries of agony from the assaulted. Decent stuff from a band with a very cool name.

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/awaken-ye-impious-hordes-of-shaitan

GOATSMEGMA - Goat Separatist Movement review

 

GOATSMEGMA - Goat Separatist Movement

Godz ov War Productions

Well with a name like GOATSMEGMA how could I not resist on giving it a chance. I mean hey it's got "GOAT" in their name. Add to that the cool album title. So basically this is the second full length by this blackened death act from Estonia. Just for the record their debut came out in 2019 under the title Demonic Goat Smegma Eating Ritual. 

Below is a band photo of this bunch. Yeah if I was in a band called GOATSMEGMA I'd probably hide my identity in a Baader-Meinhof outfit, gas mask, machetes en all. But anyways musically this is full on raw blackened death. How raw you ask? Well this is demo quality circa 1990. 

I mean the drum work comes across like a sad machine gun. Mostly tom pounding and little else that's dynamic. The riffs come off as distorted fuzz. But the vocals are loudly barked and brutal. Also the singer also plays bass but you can't hear it at all.

In the end it's eight songs with an electronic intro. The high mark for em is their interesting song titles like "Enforcing Genocide in Order to Fulfill Lucifer's Will", "Sadistically Murdered by Goat Rebels" and of course the all time favorite "Drowning Into Goat Sperm". Most of the cuts are over or under the three minute range.

So here ya go with something that'll piss someone off.

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/goat-separatist-movement

EGGS OF GOMORRH - Wombspreader review

 

EGGS OF GOMORRH - Wombspreader

Godz Ov War Productions

Switzerland is home to many notable contributors to literature, art, architecture, music, the sciences and there's EGGS OF GOMORRH. Now we all know when it comes to extreme music this nation has given us fans CELTIC FROST, CORONER, SAMAEL, KROKUS, ELUVETIE (don't laugh I've got a couple of their CDs) and then there's EGGS OF GOMORRH. 

The tagline on this release is blackened death metal and yeah there's that. But these Swiss extremists love their grind as well. This their second full length release is on full attack mode from the very start. Sound wise it reminds me of PIG DESTROYER before they got boring.

From the start you've got the in your face screamed vocals. There in that death metal / grind angular variety. Then we get the music which is a ferocious assault of riff packages. The drum work is totally maniacal and to me leads things along. 

In the end this album is dedicated to speed and hatred. There's an atmospheric break in the middle portion but a few minutes later this release goes back into full attack mode. It's decent to say the least.

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/wombspreader

STILLBORN - Cultura de la Muerte review

 

STILLBORN - Cultura de la Muerte

Godz Ov War Productions

So I've send it before but it always bares repeating. When it comes to death metal in Europe I will always say that Poland produces the standard bearers of brutality. That is a hill I will climb up on to defend and die on. Now with that said here we are with the sixth full length by this Polish apotheosis of death metal.

Yeah I know all about STILLBORN. In the past I've suggested that they're "the bottom of the barrel blackened death filth of the Polish metal scene". After listening to this newest release I stand by that quote. And I also love it. 

This latest release might be the most fierce sounding material they've ever done. Seriously this one sounds like like out right war. The drum work reminds ya of an artillery barrage. The riffs on some of these songs comes across as a mammoth beast just crossing and crushing whatever comes in it's way. 

There's a few tremolo picked solos that dive bomb into some cuts. And of course you've got these hell born vocals that come across as blood soaked or barked animal style and then full on screeches. And hey sometimes all in one song.

It's been a few years since their last release, 2018's Crave for Killing EP, which was amazing. This new one is just another great dose of blackened death filth. 

http://godzovwar.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/cultura-de-la-muerte

STAFIA - Tales from Beyond the Fog review

 

STAFIA - Tales from Beyond the Fog

Self Released

Ironically after giving this a listen I stepped out on my back deck for a smoke and noticed bats flying around the house. Then again this is a one man black metal act from Romania so there you go. The one man behind this project is not disclosing his name. 

So this is the debut full length by STAFIA, which is a Romanian mythological creature and roughly translates to malevolent spirit. That works out well since musically this release comes off sounding in the spirit of low-fi 1990's BM malevolence. 

As the PR info states; this album was recorded beyond the fog under a cold dark moon and pale blood sky in April of 2022. Yeah I believe that. This album is also dedicated to  Count Grishnackh. That's Varg Vikernes for those of you who have forgotten since you can't talk about em online anymore. 

In all honesty as soon as I saw the album art work I figured this guy likes BURZUM, and frankly who doesn't. And musically this is totally BURZUM inspired black metal ala his early stuff. So after a couple of listens I found this kinda cool sounding in a nostalgic type of way. 

The tremolo picked riffs and their icy tones are pitch perfect. The vocals are of that harsh inhuman variety. The drum work is spot on as if Varg was behind the kit. There's eight cuts on here. Looking back at all of the USBM acts that wanted to be the next BURZUM but failed miserably (but the hiptards liked em). I think this is pretty cool. 

LISTEN TO & BUY IT HERE:

https://stafia.bandcamp.com/

BERGSVRIDEN - Gastkramad review

 

BERGSVRIDEN - Gastkramad

Northern Fog Records

A few years ago I checked out this Swedish folk metal act called MIDVINTERBLOT. Yeah I'm one "those people" meaning I like folk metal. Anyways they had a cool album from 2016 called Skymning which I thought was decent as far as genre standards go. But the band had just that one album and then nothing. 

So here we BERGSVRIDEN which has three members of MIDVINTERBLOT. Both bands existed in the same time but BERGSVRIDEN has three previous full lengths to their credit. BERGSVRIDEN really don't sound similar to their other band. There's no violin, woodwinds or a female vocalist. Now they are not just a stripped down version of MIDVINTERBLOT. This is blackened folk and damm good. 

Now the mixing of folk and black metal has been done so often that I'd have to go to the archives to name every band. But let me just say there are bands who are black metal and add in some folk. And then there are bands who weave the two styles together into a beautiful tapestry. BERGSVRIDEN is obviously in the latter category. 

Musically this is on the melodic black metal side with some screechy vocals. There's cool song structures with those folk inspired galloping rhythms. Some of the tremolo picked solos come off like 60's surf influenced. Plus the drum work is exceptional. From beginning to end this is a perfect album.

https://northernfogrecords.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://bergsvriden.bandcamp.com/

HELLEVAERDER - In de nevel van afgunst review

 

HELLEVAERDER - In de nevel van afgunst

Zwaertgevegt

Female vocalists in black metal are a rare commodity. I've always thought that was unfortunate since the vocal possibilities are amazing. Case in point here we have the debut full length by this Dutch black metal act HELLEVAERDER. Their vocalist, Miranda Visser, conveys the pure essence of harsh vocals. Then she'll tweak in low gutturals and even higher pitched witch shrieks. 

Musically HELLEVAERDER are unapologetic-ally raw sounding second wave black metal in style. I mean sound-wise this comes across as early 90's all the way. The twin guitar attack adds plenty of cold tremolo picked harmonies as well as biting riffs. The drum work is standard old school sounding blast beating. And of course the bass is there but hardly representative. 

On a whole this seven cut release starts off on an average note. I wasn't too thrilled by the first couple of songs. So it was on their fourth cut, "In de nevel van afgunst", were the band's strength came to bare. In fact it's the latter four cuts on this full length where the band defines themselves. I'm talking about well done song structures, subtle formula breaking as well as sonic textures which draw you in as opposed to repulsing you. 

Like I mentioned earlier this is the band's debut since starting out in 2017. They also have some short form previously released stuff, a single and a split with another Dutch BM act PERFIDE. Plus there's a compilation release containing their first two demos which to me sounds interesting to check out. As far as this debut goes it's a good start.

https://www.zwaertgevegt.nl/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hellevaerder.bandcamp.com/

THE BLACK DISORDER - The Acceptance of Humiliation review

 

THE BLACK DISORDER - The Acceptance of Humiliation

Iron, Blood and Death Corporation

I love when a band from a certain country doesn't follow the cliche style of what you're use to. Case in point here we have the debut full length this Polish black metal act. Prior to this they put out a three cut EP, Monuments of Spiritual Atrocities, which came out in 2019.

First non cliche point is that this band is a three piece aka: two guitarists with one singing plus a bassist who also handles the drum work. Then again it might be programmed drums. Hey come on, Poland has amazing metal drummers. Plus the drum work on here sounds like Hellhammer of MAYHEM.

Second non cliche point is that THE BLACK DISORDER kinda have a major MAYHEM influence. The vocalist sounds like Attila Csihar a bit. I have no problem with that at all. And that's about all the non cliche points I can find. On other more familiar fronts this band likes their death metal. There's a punishing element on a few cuts which is pure Polish DM. 

Add to that the guitar lead work is wildly eclectic as well as at certain times melodic. All the songs here, seven real ones with a two plus minute intro, are a mixture of inviting horror to total fucking mayhem. All in all this is a damm good debut album. Hell they're from Poland, of course they're great. 

LISTEN TO & BUY IT HERE:

https://theblackdisorder.bandcamp.com/album/the-acceptance-of-humiliation

PANZERKRIEG 666 - Self Titled EP review

 

PANZERKRIEG 666 - Self Titled EP

Human Noise Records

So what we have here is the debut EP by this German two piece BM act. The two individuals are HvS (aka: Christian Neumann) who performs all the instruments. And then there's MvM (aka: Daniel Sebastian Meisen) who is the vocalist. Just for the record both of these guys are also in the German tech death band PHOBIATIC. So this is obviously a side project. 

Musically this duo is highly influenced by MARDUK which ain't a bad thing. Honestly I wished MARDUK sounded this good of late. The song structures are good on this five song release. Actually it's four songs with the cut "Hiding Assassins" done twice. But all in all this is a pretty good sounding EP.

I give props to HvS for his savage as well as melodic guitar work on here. The man creates a wall of sound that obliterates your senses. I had to go out on my back deck to relax from being pummeled. As for that there's no bass obviously and the drum work is decent. 

Now MvM's vocals are kinda cool in a gutsy harsh type of way. In all this is a damm good EP and I'd like to hear a full length by em or just keep these amazing blackened EPs coming. 

https://www.human-noise-records.com/Home/

LISTEN HERE:

https://panzerkrieg666.bandcamp.com/

ANCIENT NORTH - The Gates review

 

 

ANCIENT NORTH - The Gates

Self Released 

ANCIENT NORTH is a one man US black metal act hailing from Oregon. The one man in question goes by the name Forlorn. That's good enough for me. So after giving this a listen I came to one obvious conclusion. If Forlorn's goal was to create an album that sounded like pure early second wave black metal circa 1991 then he did it with The Gates. 

Musically you've got your standard tremolo picked riffage. sometimes it's pure ripping harsh but certain times Forlorn allows in some melody. The guitar tone is pure pissed off hornet's nest sound-wise. The drum work is also standard blast beats with adjustments. The vocals are venomous plus creepy as they should be and there's no bass. 

So the corpse painted elephant in the corner of this wannabe dungeon is why? Yeah why should you be interested in something that's retro black metal? Seriously I had to ask myself the same question since I've got a hundred or more releases behind me on the shelves of early BM. 

My answer is why the fuck not. Like I've said this is perfection to a craft sound-wise. If I told you this was a demo from 1991 you kvlt fuckers would believe it. So yeah if you want some old school BM perfection done in 2022 then here you go. Plus the cover art is reminiscent of early GORGOROTH. 

LISTEN TO & BUY HERE:

https://ancientnorth.bandcamp.com/album/the-gates

CARTILAGE - The Deader the Better review

 

CARTILAGE - The Deader the Better

Creator Destructor Records

Well the West Coast already has one premiere death grind act in EXHUMED. So I guess you can say that CARTILAGE are part of the extended family. This is the second album by this San Fran five piece act. There's eleven cuts on here. Personally I could've done without the techno intro. But they end the release with an IMPETIGO cover "Boneyard". So there you go.

Now with that said CARTILAGE do bring a raw savage style to the sub genre, aka: old school sounding. Sure the EXHUMED and CARCASS influences are here but they're not applying them completely. Instead of going for your throat this band wants to appeal to your sick senses. I like that kind of stuff.

So when you get songs like "Mallet Wielding Maniac", "Axe Scratcher" and "Slaughter Day at the Chopping Mall" ya wonder if they're laughing their asses off when recording. Musically the songs are all sick short sharp shockers with a mix of gruff and venomous vocals. So it's a fun sounding release for your typical sick minded dark humor loving maniac.

http://creator-destructor.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://cartilagegore.bandcamp.com/album/the-deader-the-better

ERNIA - How To Deal With Life And Fail review

 

ERNIA - How To Deal With Life And Fail 

Transcending Obscurity Records

Ya know I gotta say 2022 has been a good year for grindcore. For example here we have the second full length by this Spanish act. ERNIA are cool, to me at least, because they are a full on grind act that let's loose with many other musical styles. 

The thirteen tracks on here all unique in style as well as performance. There's nothing really repetitive as the album flows. Like I said this is fuckin grind but there are times when the band zips into death grind mode. Next they'll add some jazz fusion to the mix. Add to that they're all into tech death. 

Musically this is part spasm inducing riffs, plenty of bass in your face, a drummer who should be saluted for keeping up with it all and then there's the vocalist. This guy sounds like he's high on a helium and on fire. The talent displayed here is amazing. This is avant-grind gone to the hilt. Totally fuckin amazing. Hell they even delve into some prog bits. One more time, this is totally fuckin amazing!

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://ernia.bandcamp.com/album/how-to-deal-with-life-and-fail-grindcore