WEREGOAT - The Devil's Lust EP review

 

WEREGOAT - The Devil's Lust EP

Iron Bonehead Productions

I'd get into Facebook jail if I posted the album cover of this release, AGAIN. Be that as it may I first got into this Portland, Oregon blackened death band with their 2017 full length Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication. Yeah that was a great release. I mean come on, your band name is WEREGOAT. Ah yeah I wanna hear it and am probably gonna love it. That release was an opus of blackened death metal filth. And so I've kept up with whatever this band was gonna come out with afterwards. 

Well since 2017 the silence has been loud. So here we have a six song short form release. You've got five originals and a cover of IMPALED NAZARENE's "Goat Perversion". Yeah well that one seems appropriate. But after I heard the second cut on here "Merciless Execution" I knew were this one was headed. 

Musically you've got your trudging riffs which are a mixed bag of thrashy black metal and slow burn doom. Add to the the psycho solos some of which are pure dive bomb and other tremolo picked. Finally there's the cauldron vocals which are total early Finnish BM. So yeah it's love for BEHERIT or IMPALED NAZARENE. In the end it's a decent EP. 

https://ironbonehead.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/weregoat-the-devils-lust

VENOM INC - There's Only Black review

 

VENOM INC - There's Only Black

Nuclear Blast 

So I have to admit that I never really invested much into VENOM past the Possessed album. I've got a compilation CD as well as the Prime Evil full length. That's the one which brought in Demolition Man (aka: Anthony Dolan) on bass and vocals to replace Cronos for a short stint. Then of course I got the Cast in Stone album which was the reunion of the original line-up. 

But that didn't last and eventually Cronos reclaimed the band and put his own people on guitar and drums. But in 2015 Mantas and Demolition Man got back together as VENOM INC. In 2017 they released Ave which was to me Prime Evil 2. And hell yeah that was a decent album. So here we are half a decade later and the second VENOM INC. album is out. 

Ya know I was figuring There's Only Black would be something decent along the lines of their past efforts. Ah no, in fact this album is fuckin amazing. The key here is to break away from the whole VENOM ideal and look at this as a stand up alone band. Off course the line-up is key. 

First off this is probably the best Mantas guitar performance ever in his musical career. He's gone crazy with the riff package, the solos and of course the overall song writing. Add to that there's War Machine (aka: Jeramie Kling) on drums who's pretty much a monster on the kit. Finally there's Demolition Man who's bass work damm good on here. Hell he was always better than Cronos as a bass player. And once again on here it's his best vocal performance ever.

Song wise hey you've got twelve cuts and they're all good. You've got plenty of thrash style cuts that are pounding speed metal crazy head-banging mania. Add to that there's touches of death metal and doom. Plus some straight up metal. The bottom line is clear, VENOM INC have produced a perfect modern metal album. Forget about the past because there's nothing on here which is gonna remind ya of that. This is the new and it's damm great. Probably the best album of 2022.

https://www.nuclearblast.com/eu/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_HrXluHbQA

MORBIKON - Ov Mournful Twilight review

 

MORBIKON - Ov Mournful Twilight

Tankcrimes

What we have here is the latest side project from Phil Landphil Hall most notable as the bassist for the thrash metal band MUNICIPAL WASTE. Of course if you're into extreme metal then you also know that Phil is involved in the death metal homage side project CANNABIS CORPSE. 

I'm not going to get into the latest MUNICIPAL WASTE yet. I'm still blasting it and that release can wait a week or two. But as far as CANNABIS CORPSE is concerned I like all of their albums and fuck people who worship BLOODBATH. Oh am I offending the Swedes and incensed mainstream  metal people? Pardon me, but hey go listen to VALLENFYRE instead. But anyways CANNABIS CORPSE rules.

So this is Phil's take on second wave Scandinavian black metal. He handles guitar and bass work on here. But along for the ride he's recruited his MUNICIPAL WASTE band-mate, Dave Witte, on drums. Witte is a perfect choice since he's one of the most versatile and accomplished drummers in metal. I mean look at his resume as well as his playing in bands of various genre styles. Add to that on vocals Phil has enlisted Finland's Matthias "Vieth" Lillmåns of FINNTROLL. Also credited for vocals is Quotidius.

OK so musically it's really not second wave BM. I'm hearing more late 90's, when the second wave was over, Swedish influenced BM. Maybe DARK FUNERAL minus the huge use of keyboards. It's a sound and style which was more accessible to mainstream metal fans back then. Overall it's a good recreation. That's not a negative rub by any means. 

I like the harsh screamed vocals, Witte is superb on drums. But the highlight on here is Phil Landphil Hall's guitar work. I mean his riffs on here (plus the guitar tone) are really cold, cruel and electrifying. Then he'll toss in some straight up metal soloing which surpasses the original genre sound. Of course he keeps with the whole tremolo picked standard as well. 

This debut release is eight song's worth. At first I was on the fence about this one. Mainly because I'm a big black metal fan and also weary of new bands recreating the past. Plus you've got modern production which can take away from the dark atmosphere this type of music is supposed to a trademark of. 

But after few listens and recognizing some of the folk song structures (hello FINNTROLL influence) added in. I was like, this is a great fuckin album. Hell I wish it was snowing outside. Obviously Phil is showing us all in metal fandom that he can do it all. 

He knows thrash and death metal. Add to that with IRON REAGAN he knows old 80's hardcore. Albeit kind of an easy feat but anyways. And now he's doing black metal which sounds pretty fuckin cool. The future of this latest musical project of his looks interesting. But hell yeah this stuff is great.

http://www.tankcrimes.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://downloads.tankcrimes.com/album/ov-mournful-twilight

DEVENIAL VERDICT - Ash Blind review

 

DEVENIAL VERDICT - Ash Blind

Transcending Obscurity Records

There's a lot of attributes for death metal. One is how the  sounds and styles vary from country to country. Some places have a distinct sound and style which can also vary in degree or two. Others have an obvious starting off point which then progresses into various directions. 

For me as a fan I've watched for decades how the Finnish DM scene/sound has progressed to areas which keeps me excited. In my not so humble opinion I see the Finnish DM scene as being the one to use the most out of innovation and progression. Nothing against the other national scenes because they have their good points as well.

So here we have the full length debut by Finland's DEVENIAL VERDICT. This four piece act has been around since 2006. Since that time they've been honing their craft by putting out some demos and EPs. Their craft is this full length which is a mix of everything great about Finnish death metal over the decades. 

DEVENIAL VERDICT give you the old school stuff. They then add in the death doom plus the innovation of the 2000's. Add to that their take on the atmospheric and dissonance aspect of the genre. The end result is an overwhelming listening experience. I like to call this late night death metal. I come home from work, drop this one on and just freak out.

Musically guitarist Sebastian Frigren is a six string virtuoso. Whether it's his off canter riff style or melodically picked melodies. The man is a major song writer in death metal. Oh yeah and his sweet soloing technic is fucking great. His partner in crime, bassist Antti Poutanen, keeps things heavy. Add to that drummer Okko Tolvanen who is obviously schooled in prog. Finally there's vocalist  Riku Saressalo. This guy is perfect in his aggro violent barked vocal style to this music.

All in all this album comes out in November. This is the time when people start stacking up their year end favorites. For those of you who do so then I believe this is the best Finnish death metal album of 2022 you have ever heard. For you fans this is one of the best death metal albums of the year. 

For you late night music listeners, like me, you'll blast this fucker until the sun rises. All eight song's worth and you'll beg for more!

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://devenialverdictband.bandcamp.com/album/ash-blind-dissonant-atmospheric-death-metal

EARLY MOODS - Self Titled review

 

EARLY MOODS - Self Titled

RidingEasy Records

The sad thing about getting old is becoming jaded. Even if you're into extreme music the prospect of discovering something actually exciting is few and far between. So when a new band comes along that blows you away it's a damm good feeling. It's a feeling that makes you feel young and excited. Especially when it's unexpected which is the case here.

I saw this California band open up for SAVAGE MASTER earlier in the year at a club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I was absolutely floored on how great a performance they put on that night. I picked up their debut five song EP Spellbound which was pretty good. But it did lack some of the fire and high energy which was featured in their live set. But their singer announced from the stage that they'll have a new full length out soon.

So this was easily one of my most anticipated albums of the year. Actually after the first listen I was like damm I like em better live. But hey this is everything I thought of when I first saw them. This is metal for of us and you true believers. You've got your TROUBLE / PENTAGRAM style of doom delivered with a youthful enthusiasm. Toss in some NWOBHM (yeah like WITCHFINDER GENERAL) and you've got it.

The highlights of EARLY MOODS are many but here's a few key points. You've got these clean, up tempo vocals by Alberto Alcaraz. The guy is an amazing vocalist. Add to that the twin guitar attack of Eddie Andrade and Oscar Hernandez. These two guys are schooled in the SABBATH riff, add on fuzz and classic blues rock soloing of the early 70's days.

Finally you've got a rhythm section of Elix Feliciano on bass and drummer Chris Flores. These two guys know doom out the wazoo. Whether it's Elix Feliciano heavy handed (and CANDLEMASS style plucking) or Chris Flores' perfect as well as classic drum style. They are are the end package to this gift of doom.

This full length debut by EARLY MOODS is an obvious salute to the past but with youthful enthusiasm. Add to that great riffs and soloing out the wazoo! Yep that's two wazoos! In this era where you've been sludged, stoned and death doomed to hell. It's a breath of fresh air. It's also one of my favorite albums of 2022 and should be your's. This debut is a perfect album. 

https://ridingeasyrecs.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://earlymoods.bandcamp.com/album/early-moods

MEDIEVAL DEMON - Black Coven review

 

MEDIEVAL DEMON - Black Coven

Hells Headbangers Records

Decades ago Greece had a fairly cool black metal scene. I'm not about to name drop my way into a history lesson. If you're into BM then you know the facts. MEDIEVAL DEMON was actually part of that early Greek BM scene. Unfortunately while their contemporaries put out albums that we BM fans call classics. MEDIEVAL DEMON farted around until 1998 when they finally released a full length titled Demonolatria. 

If you've got that release, and I'm betting it's the reissue with the tame cover art. Then you know that MEDIEVAL DEMON were different then their fellow Greek BM acts. They were more towards the symphonic horror side of the scene. And then after that they split up. 

Now normally MEDIEVAL DEMON would've fell into that for sale pack of "obscure black metal". But no because in 2018 they came back and with a self released album Medieval Necromancy. Since then they've put out two more with this one, Black Coven, being the third and second one to come out on Hells Headbangers Records. 

Musically MEDIEVAL DEMON create old school melodic yet symphonic black metal. Their use of keyboards gives things a ghastly gothic touch. They're also one of the few BM acts to include saxophone in a few songs which comes off kinda cool. But the band cover the basics. Tortured vocals, melodic riffs with a few scorching solos. The rhythm section is solid. And when they kick into high gear it's cool as fuck.

Overall I believe since MEDIEVAL DEMON's resurrection a few years back that this is their best album. 

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://medievaldemon.bandcamp.com/album/black-coven

ACID WITCH – Rot Among Us review

 

ACID WITCH – Rot Among Us

Hells Headbangers Records

Well with Halloween 2022 a few weeks away it's a perfect time for ACID WITCH to release something new. Here's the shocker it's a full length, their fourth and it's been five years since their last one. Yeah for the past couple of years it's been EPs and comp releases. 

I'll admit that I liked this Detroit act's early stuff. You had sludgey stoner doom mixed with all the horror shtick. While they always utilized the synths in their songs to a horrific creepy accent. 2017's Evil Sound Screamers brought their use to the forefront. That was a decent album but I'll always reach for 2010's Stoned as my go to ACID WITCH album.

So with this new one I'm kinda disappointed. Sure the band is still in full on cheesy horror mode. But overall it's like they're more influenced by King Diamond then the SAB 4. There's some cool old style headbanging tracks like "The Sleeper" and “Devil’s Night Doom”. But there's more of a prog-like psych style on other cuts with the added demonic screech howled vocals. 

If I were on drugs then yeah I'd be freaking out. "5508 Martin St" which is supposed to be a Detroit folklore cut is not scary or rocking at all. The opener "Gather Each Witch" as well as the title cut had me bored. How do you open an album without some excitement? Of course the latter half of Rot Among Us is no prize either. Yeah like I said earlier this is a disappointment with repetitive riffs throughout. And I thought missing the NUNSLAUGHTER show the other night was a bummer. This made things worse.

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://acid-witch-detroit.bandcamp.com/album/rot-among-us

LIVE BURIAL - Curse of the Forlorn review

 

LIVE BURIAL - Curse of the Forlorn

Transcending Obscurity Records

LIVE BURIAL has easily become my favorite English extreme metal band of late. Well someone had to take over the mantle from BOLT THROWER and NAPALM DEATH. I got into em on their second full length, Unending Futility, which came out in 2020. That one was a tour de force of old school death doom mixed with death grind and tech death elements. 

On here their latest the band has matured a thousand fold. Instead of throwing everything at you like standing in a hurricane (trust me I know what that's like). The band has molded their sound to fuckin perfection. Jamie Brown delivers these amazing blast furnace style vocals. The fuckin riffs are either vicious or melodic. The guitar soloing is full on dive bombing. Many of which had me siting here going holy shit that's fuckin killer.

But I gotta give a thumbs up to drummer Matt Henderson. This guy, whether it's his dramatic fills or pounding snare action, this man is the metal drummer of our time. As far as the song structures go on here. Well as I mentioned earlier LIVE BURIAL has matured in that area. Instead of just kicking your ass the songs on here invite you in to a great DM time. 

I have to say the closing cut "This Prison I Call Flesh", which is an eleven plus minute opus, is my favorite cut on here. But when you've got clobbering numbers like "My Head as Tribute" and "Exhumation and Execution", plus every song on here. Yeah this release just fuckin rules. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://liveburialdeath.bandcamp.com/album/curse-of-the-forlorn-death-metal

INCANTATION - Tricennial of Blasphemy review

 

INCANTATION - Tricennial of Blasphemy

Relapse Records

So what we have here true believers is a compilation which is not only cool for death metal purists. But it's also a huge thank you to us dedicated INCANTATION fans. Tricennial of Blasphemy is a 2xCD (3 LPs if ya want it on vinyl) 30th anniversary collection of rarities, demos, previously unreleased tracks and live stuff. 

Now if you have all of this stuff (I doubt it) then good for you. Here it is all in one package. But if you don't, hello me, then this is gold. I won't expose all of what you get on here, bullshit I will. For starters I'll just say that the unreleased stuff is cool as fuck. Add to that I've heard their version of SLAYER's "Hell Awaits" before as well as the REVENANT cover “Degeneration” which was on a Decibal magazine flexi. All good stuff.

Plus there's the tracks from INCANTATION's 7"ers Entrantment of Evil which I have on a Relapse comp CD as well as the two cuts from their Deliverance of Horrific Prophecies 7"er which I have on another Relapse comp CD. But for me the really cool stuff are the demo cuts of Impending Diabolical Conquest songs sung by Will Rahmer of MORTICIAN. Yes I'm a MORTICIAN fan, and frankly who isn't. 

After all of that death doom and gloom greatness there's the various live tracks seven in all. In the end I just wanna shake John McEntee's hand and say thanks. I'll be blasting this for months to come. Most likely before work to get me in the mood. This could or should be my favorite album of the year but it's a compilation of old and rare stuff. Still it's of the best. 

https://store.relapse.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://incantation666.bandcamp.com/album/tricennial-of-blasphemy

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Faster Than the Fucking Devil review

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Faster Than the Fucking Devil

Wise Blood Records

So this year hasn't been great for compilation releases except for the typical label comps. But when I saw this one come in for review and recognized one band that I liked well why not give it a chance. And I'm glad I did. 

First off Faster Than the Fucking Devil is a four band compilation of blackened thrash. The first band on here is WRAITH from Indiana. They're the band I knew about and have been a fan of since their Absolute Power full length from 2019. Since then they've also released a full length, Undo the Chains, last year which was damm good. 

As far as their three song contribution here it's pure blackened thrash in the same vein as many past blasphemers. "Seven Serpents" is a real ripper and their best cut of the three. Next up are BLACK KNIFE from Lexington, Kentucky. This band was a cool surprise. They've been around since 2016 and have a bunch of releases out. Musically they're blackened thrash with a punk edge to em. I like their three cuts on here a lot. 

Third on this comp is GRAVERIPPER from Indiana and are a fairly new band. Musically their three song contribution is more of a tough guy vocals with some decent traditional thrash attack. And finally there's UNHOLY NIGHT from Russia. Musically, and production wise, this is low fi blackened punk. Their contribution here is two songs worthy of an old cassette demo. 

As always when it comes to split releases, whether it's two bands or in this case four, I treat it like a wrestling match. There has to be a winner. Now overall I think Faster Than the Fucking Devil is a damm good comp for people into blackened thrash. To me the best of this bunch is BLACK KNIFE.

https://wisebloodrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://wisebloodrecords.bandcamp.com/album/faster-than-the-fucking-devil

ENTRAILS – An Eternal Time of Decay review

 

ENTRAILS – An Eternal Time of Decay

Hammerheart Records 

I got into ENTRAILS back in 2010 with their debut full length, Tales from the Morgue. They were part of that whole old school death metal revival back then. Their second album, The Tomb Awaits, from 2011 was pretty good as well. So on the weight of those two albums I became a huge fan. 

Then after that things got hit or miss. The four albums they did while on Metal Blade Records were cool. 2017's World Inferno being the best. In my not so humble opinion it's the difference of being an influenced band and taking those influences and creating your own path which has been ENTRAILS problem. 

On this latest one you've got the same newer line-up as on Rise of the Reaper from 2019. I'm talking about mainman and Boss HM - 2 worship guitarist Jimmy Lundqvist. Plus there's Pontus Samuelsson who early on was on guitar but now handles bass and vocals. And then newest members Markus Svensson on guitar and Arvid Borg on drums.

While that last album was decent this one definitely clicks into a higher level of greatness. Dare I say the band are finally their own. This is ENTRAILS' version of Swedish DM, sure the familiar, but damm powerful and welcome to 2022. The savage-ness as well as atmospheric breaks is their in some song structures. Sweet solos dive in and out. Yeah this is cool. May the Boss HM-2 be with you!

https://www.hammerheart.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hammerheart.bandcamp.com/releases