TROCAR - Extremities review

 

TROCAR - Extremities

Selfmadegod Records

OK so I'll first get the baggage out of the way. I learned about TROCAR via the HORROR PAIN GORE DEATH PRODUCTIONS 2023 compilation. They had one song on it "Wonders Cease". The band FLUIDS also appeared on that compilation which bares explanations as well. TROCAR is a side project of FLUIDS members Jan Grotle (guitar) and Walter Hale (synths / programming) but in FLUIDS he's their drummer. 

Just to get this out of the way FLUIDS is a damm good death grind band from Phoenix, Arizona. They've done a split with NUNSLAUGHTER (yeah I have that one), have a ton of short form releases as well as a full length. I've got a compilation from them titled Fluids of Death 2 which came out on Hells Headbangers Records. So TROCAR are not far from their mark. 

Along with Jan Grotle and Walter Hale TROCAR features vocalist Schuler Benson. But there are a few guests as well on this release. So musically this is total psychotic grindcore for the most part. I think the four minute plus "Psalter of Manias" is a great middle finger to any mainstream metal person's face because of it's slow paced grinding aesthetic. Most of these cuts are grind insanity aka: fast dirges with high pitched screamed vocals. In the end it's a cool and something you'll remember to blast to your neighbors.

https://selfmadegod.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://thetrocar.bandcamp.com/album/extremities-2

SKELETAL REMAINS - Fragments Of The Ageless review

 

SKELETAL REMAINS - Fragments Of The Ageless

Century Media Records

If I haven't said it before (?) then I'll state it now. I think SKELETAL REMAINS are one of the best new school death metal act in the US. I became a fan of them back with their second full length, Condemned to Misery, from 2015 and have liked everything they've done since. So here we are with their fifth full length since starting out in 2011. And I've gotta say this California four piece has simply gotten better or at least more diabolical in their DM approach. 

For those of you new to this band we're talking about a musical DM style that remembers the USDM past but doesn't repeat it. Instead they expand on it with diabolical riffs, impressive song structures and some of the best guitar soloing in the genre. I mean opener  "Relentless Appetite" is definitely a kick ass way to start things off. But the guitar solo in "To Conquer the Devout" will melt your face. 

And the band does this throughout Fragments Of The Ageless albeit there's a few subtle parts which are the instrumentals. But hey when they added a HATE ETERNAL cover, "Messiah of Rage", at the end I was like hell yeah Erik Rutan would like SKELETAL REMAINS especially with the maniacal guitar soloing. This is easily one of my favorite DM releases of 2024.

https://www.centurymedia.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPzCwdJ7DIQ

IRON MONKEY - Spleen & Goad review

 

IRON MONKEY - Spleen & Goad

Relapse Records

OK so who here remembers IRON MONKEY? I'd probably be looking at the hand raised by some guy in the back wearing a CHAOS UK shirt. But actually I have some friends who were in a local doom metal band who really liked IRON MONKEY. They kind of were influenced by em a little. But for those of you who don't know this band then I'll explain. 

IRON MONKEY came onto the scene back in the late 1990's. They were an English sludgey doom act who took the US version of the genre style and had it crawled through the English underground hardcore/punk scene. They put out two killer albums on Earache Records. Those being their self titled debut full length in 1997 and the follow-up Our Problem in 1998. Yeah you need to get those releases.

Anyways they continued in 1999 with a few short form releases but then tragedy struck when their singer, Johnny Morrow, passed away. So that was pretty much the end of IRON MONKEY. But in 2017 the band came back as a three piece act with guitarist Jim Rushby taking over on vocals. That resulted in the album 9-13 which I was not a fan of. But I might have to come back to for an obvious reason. This new one kicks ass. 

It's 2024 and IRON MONKEY are back still as a three piece with Jim Rushby still on vocals and guitar. Plus there's Steve Watson on bass now and new drummer Steve Mellor. So the difference now is that back in 2017 it came off as OK we're IRON MONKEY lets put an album. While now it's more like hey we're IRON MONKEY and lets put out a great album befit of our legacy. 

And that's what Spleen & Goad is all about. This is a seething freak show of filthy riffs that crackle with electric sparks. You've got drunken lead guitar solos. The bass is manacle and thundering. And the drum work just falls into place. Opener "Misanthropizer" is a head splinter. And Rushby's vocals come off as a drunk punk doing his best. Hell yeah what more could you want. OK bang your fuckin head to "Concrete Shock". Hell all nine tracks on here are awesome. 

https://www.relapse.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://ironmonkey.bandcamp.com/album/spleen-goad

JUDAS PRIEST - Invincible Shield review

 

JUDAS PRIEST - Invincible Shield

Sony Music

So let's get my truth and legacy out of the way. I got into PRIEST in the 1970's and if you asked me about my all time favorite albums from them I'd say three of em are from the 70's era of the band. OK just for the record they are Sad Wings of Destiny, Hell Bent for Leather and Stained Class. Also that's the order I bought em in. As far as the 80's go I was still a huge PRIEST fan and as much as I like a few albums from that era I still say Screaming for Vengeance is their best album from that decade. 

When the 1990's came in you got Painkiller which is an album I still like. I won't say it was a great album but decent. And after listening to this new one, their nineteenth studio album, I will say Halford and company still like that album as well. Looking back a few years ago I said that Firepower was the true successor to Painkiller which means all of those albums inbetween were just fodder. Now with Invincible Shield it's a combination of Painkiller and Defenders of the Faith plus some of the solo HALFORD stuff.

Invincible Shield is the second album which should be referred to as the modern era of JUDAS PRIEST. And you have to admit that they're doing better than their contemporaries. Add another fact which is after Painkiller you had the non Halford era of PRIEST (aka: the Tim "Ripper" Owens' albums), then Halford's solo stuff (which was pretty good aka: FIGHT & HALFORD), then a slew of bad PRIEST albums. So Firepower was the comeback and Invincible Shield is the follow-up. 

Now with that explanation out of the way I think Invincible Shield is a good metal album. Halford sounds great as if it was the 1980's. I like how Glenn Tipton's creative influence still reigns on plenty of these tracks. There's more of a mid-tempo riff package on half of the songs. While on the other hand it's a Richie Faulkner guitar solo show. Just a reminder Scott Travis is the best drummer PRIEST has had since Les Binks. 

The bottom line is that this is a good PRIEST album. It's actually a traditional PRIEST style album in that you've got a heavy first side to the album. While the second side has one or two good tracks but ends with filler. The best tracks on here in my not so humble opinion are "The Serpent and the King", the title track, "Gates of Hell", and "As God Is My Witness".

With that said sure it's good for 2024 but as a PRIEST fan I'm still stuck a few decades ago as far as my favorite music by this band. I guess that's my way of saying to the haters yeah you can have it both ways. You can appreciate the new but still love the past. Nuff Said.

 

https://www.sonymusic.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urg9aJ3V7HE

MERRIMACK - Of Grace and Gravity review

 

MERRIMACK - Of Grace and Gravity

Season of Mist

Years ago, aka: from the early 1990's to the late 2000's, MERRIMACK were the one of the better bands out of the French black metal scene. Of course that's in my not so humble opinion. Just to be clear the 2000's was an era where you had French black metal bands going avant-garde or shoe-gaze. The hipsters loved that stuff but I didn't care for it. So MERRIMACK was around playing this intense raw black metal for us fans who wanted the real deal. Of course their sound leaned more towards their Nordic neighbors.

Personally I think MERRIMACK's heyday was their time spent on Moribund Records. The short form splits they put out are collectible but their full lengths Of Entropy and Life Denial from 2006 and the amazing Grey Rigorism from 2009 are worth while. Now in 2010 a few changes were made as far as personnel. Maiman and guitarist Perversifier still held the reins of MERRIMACK since the beginning. Their bassist Daethorn came aboard in 2008. That was it for the old guard. 

Now new in 2010 included their drummer Blastum, second guitarist A.K. and new vocalist Vestal. This was the line-up which put out 2012's The Acausal Mass. I wasn't a fan of that album. Then again I didn't care for it's follow up Omegaphilia from 2017. So here we are with MERRIMACK's sixth full length and I actually like this album. It's as if the line-up has jelled together in order to put out a proper black metal release that conveys the force which their past has shown.

Of Grace and Gravity is not going to be all shock and awe as far as black metal goes. Let's face it, as far as black metal goes those wild days are long gone. So what we have these days are newbies recreating the past and older acts creating something that makes us fans feel comfortable with. On this one MERRIMACK makes me feel damm good. For the most part the songs either draw you in to an atmosphere which is cold and grim. Or they're into a blistering attack mode to tear your face off. 

In the end this latest one from the long time French BM stalwarts is damm good in it's execution. I mean every melodic note or blast beat and Vestal's callous as well as belligerent vocal style is likable after a few years. From beginning to end it's a worth while BM album for 2024. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://merrimack.bandcamp.com/album/of-grace-and-gravity

ROGGA JOHANSSON - Otherworld review

 

ROGGA JOHANSSON - Otherworld

Iron Blood and Death Corporation

The hardest working death metal musician in Sweden is back. Yes here we have the fourth solo album by ROGGA JOHANSSON. Now regular readers of this blog (and frankly who isn't) know that over the years I've become a huge fan of ROGGA JOHANSSON whether it's his work in various bands like PAGANIZER, RIBSPREADER, REVOLTING, EYE OF PURGATORY and a ton of others as well as his solo work. 

Speaking of which, his second solo album, Entrance to the Otherwhere, from 2019 is a fuckin classic. I still keep it in my stack of stuff (aka: a stack of CDs that I never put onto the shelves). Now as much as I like the releases he's done in bands I still think that album is cool as fuck. And the cover art work is awesome as well.

Now as far as this latest one goes, it's like part four of Rogga's long time saga pertaining to the Otherwhere, Otherworld and the Mordbrand. In fact there's two songs on here about Mordbrand, a song title name which originally appeared on his first solo album, Garpedans, from 2017. So when I listen to this stuff I'm whisked away to some fantasy world. Which is not much different when I was young and reading sci-fi / fantasy novels. 

Musically Rogga's solo work is more melodic Swedish death metal which is not far from his work in the band EYE OF PURGATORY. But I believe I said in a previous review that this music reminds me of early AMON AMARTH minus the viking shtick. I mean Rogga's vocals are not far from sounding like Johan Hegg. And of course the riffs are heavy but not ripping to the point of Rogga's other outfits. 

In the end I find this latest one by Rogga great (I'm bias) but a complete continuation of 2022's Inside the Otherwhere. And not only musically but look at the cover art work and you decide.

Be that the way it is I've been listening to this release for hours and it's a hypnotic, to say the least, blast of Swedish death metal coolness.  

LISTEN TO & BUY HERE:

https://ironbloodanddeath.bandcamp.com/album/otherworld?ref=promos.againstpr.com

PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS - Devil’s Hammer review

 

PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS - Devil’s Hammer

Northern Silence Productions

Just for the record as far as Australian black metal goes I have three favorite bands from that nation. They are DESTROYER 666, NAZXUL and PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS. I became a fan of PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS simply because Balam (aka: Luke Mills) was in NAZXUL. Mills started this band in 2003 and has been the mainman ever since, just keeping his blackened dream alive. 

I got into PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS back in 2009 with their In Memoriam Ill Omen full length. And from that release I've been a fan ever since. I've got all of their releases now. What I always liked about PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS is that they were more complex musically then what NAZXUL had done. Instead of being overwhelmed with blackened intensity. It's more of an invitation to cool sounding compositions which have you sitting back and going hell yeah.

Devil’s Hammer is the band's seventh full length and it just might be their best ever. The inclusion of guitarists Krvna & Mourn (both of whom joined the band in 2022) have definitely added to the total riff package be it cold cruel or melodic. Add to that from start to finish drummer John McLaughlin does an amazing job throughout. 

This album fills out with a fierce threatening gallop of tremolo picked riffs. The vocals come across like belligerent rants from a drunken priest. There's tons of discharge from melodic harmonies to full on assaults or atmospheric touches. The bottom line is that this release is a cool listening pleasure. My favorite black metal album of the year so far. 

https://store.northern-silence.de/en

LISTEN HERE:

https://pestilentialshadows-northernsilence.bandcamp.com/album/devils-hammer 

SERPENTS OATH - Revelation review

 

SERPENTS OATH - Revelation

Odium Records

Honestly when it comes to Belgian black metal I just pull out an ENTHRONED CD and blast the fucker. I've got their catalog so why the hell not. I consider them one of the best black metal bands all around anyways. But now we have a decent addition to that nation's under appreciated black metal scene.  

SERPENTS OATH are not newcomers per say when it comes to playing black metal. This is actually their third full-length since starting out back in 2020. But musically they nail the old ways down. If anything I'd say this five piece act is heavily influenced by the late 90's / early 2000's Swedish BM scene. 

Sound-wise you've got your fast tremolo picked arrangements which are icey to say the least. There's some melodic touches which are more toward the violent side of things. I think the vocals are amazing in that they're more into a gruff / harsh style. The musicianship is absolutely perfect. I'll say they've listened to some MARDUK or DISSECTION in their youth. 

Revelation is twelve cuts in around forty-seven minutes in length. Three of the cuts are instrumentals but they're short impromptu moments to say the least. If I was jaded, and I could be, then I could easily turn around and point to a shelf with hundreds of BM releases from the past which this band could've culled from. But I won't. 

SERPENTS OATH bring fresh life to a BM style that's classic in every sense to a fan of old. This is actually a perfect sounding album. Some young person is gonna hear this release and go apeshit crazy. And they should because the old ones are not around anymore at least most of em. So yeah this album rules in that early on it punishes you and in the end it's uplifting. To me that's damm good.

http://www.odiumrex.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://odiumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/serpents-oath-revelation

KNOLL - As Spoken review

 

KNOLL - As Spoken

Self Released

After listening to this I have to wonder about two things. The first is what type of horrors live within the minds of this Tennessee five piece act in order to inspire this kind of extreme music hell. The second one is how come no one has signed this band yet. 

Musically this is grindcore drilled through the lens of a Mario Bava film festival. I'm sure some psychotropic drugs were involved as well. While I was listening to this I kept thinking of Barbara Steele walking into my office wearing a PIG DESTROYER shirt and nothing else. Love it to death and then some never meant so much in that fantasy. But hey I digress. 

Just for the record KNOLL are not newcomers. In fact the band started out in 2017. To their credit they have a few short form releases, a live release (did they really play Roadburn?) and two full lengths prior to this one. And they're not signed to a label of any kind. Whatafuck is up with that? Don't get me wrong I'm not into the be signed or die rule. But there are so many cool underground labels which could expose this band to a wider bunch of fans.

With that area stated I'd say musically there are three notable things about this album. First and foremost are the banshee like shrieks which are the vocals. What torments this guy to come up with that vocal style is beyond what I care to know. Secondly you've got a combination of the claustrophobic and twisted sound structures that are at some points a wall of noise. At other times it's like falling into an abyss of blackened filth with something from the imagination of Lovecraft waiting for you. 

In the end this is avant-grind with real horror behind the veil, at least you hope it is, to invoke some macabre nightmares to say the fuckin least. Hell while I was listening to this a thunder storm was going on. Better yet a lightning strike hit close by and shook the house. So I did the smartest thing. I turned up the volume to drown out the storm.

LISTEN TO AND BUY IT HERE:

https://knollgrind.bandcamp.com/album/as-spoken 

SUFFER - Grand Canvas of the Aesthete review

 

SUFFER - Grand Canvas of the Aesthete

Wise Blood Records

You're never too old to create, or in this band's case, the third time's the charm. Even if it takes 35 years to do it. Case in point, SUFFER are a death metal act from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Originally the band started out in 1989 and throughout the 1990's they put out a handful of demos. By the end of that decade the band members called it quits and moved onto other projects. 

Now fast forward to 2013 and the band goes for a second chance outing. During this period of SUFFER's career they end up putting out an EP in 2014 and the following year release their debut full length, konQbine. Even with that going the band in 2018 would call it quits again and move back to other things. But that didn't last long because in 2023 the band returned with a new three song EP (and on Wise Blood Records) titled Gristle, Bruised Spots, & Trimmed Fat. Yeah check out that album cover. 

Anyways the dye was set for the band, according to what I've read by em, to come out with a new full length that was perfection in their creative minds. And after listening to this eight song album on continuous play for a few hours now I'm fairly impressed. I mean SUFFER have this engrossing death metal style / sound which does take hold of your psyche. 

Musically the band specializes in the mid-pace and bludgeoning side of the genre. Once in a while they'll kick it up a notch. Yeah SUFFER are definitely from the 1990's class of death metal. But they don't mind including a touch of the modern era in their work. Be that as it may overall you've got some sinister sounding snarled vocals and barked ones. The rhythm section really never lets up on their relentless pounding. 

Aside from there being patented heavy ass riffs what really stands out is the guitar lead work which at times runs along side the riffs. Other times you've got these psycho leads that literally slash and burn. Then there are times when the audacity of melody kicks in. Earlier I mentioned that SUFFER wanted this release to be their signature representation of what they are. Well yeah it's a perfect death metal album. 

Now sure some could pick this apart seeing that they've been around for over three decades. A whole lot has been done by others in that time. But not me because when I listen to Grand Canvas of the Aesthete I hear USDM perfection. This is going to be the sleeper great album of the year for death metal.

https://wisebloodrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://suffersd.bandcamp.com/album/grand-canvas-of-the-aesthete

BLACK FUNERAL - Wallachian Voivode EP review

 

BLACK FUNERAL - Wallachian Voivode EP

Dark Adversary Productions

So I've been a BLACK FUNERAL fan since, whoa wait a minute I'll save that story when they put out another full length. What we have here is a two song EP by this Texas black metal institution. Mainman Akhtya Nachttoter (vocals / bass / electronics) still thinks it 1995 when it comes to black metal and good for him. For those of you who don't know, Akhtya Nachttoter thinks Texas is Norway. I'm just saying. 

Anyways this is a good / typical BLACK FUNERAL release to say the least. The first track, "Wallachian Voivode (Screams of the Impaled)" is an almost twelve minute long opus about you know who. It has all the obvious points which are part ambient and full on grim & frosty sounds. Azgorh Drakenhof, who joined the band in 2015, is perfectly skilled in cold and cruel blackened riffs. Add to that everything else he adds to the sound is perfect. 

The drum work by An Unnamed Spirit, who's been with the band since 2020, is decent enough. On the second track, the five and half minute"Scholomance (The Dragon's Elixir)", he's pretty much keeping time while Akhtya Nachttoter bass plays and vocalizes across harsh and ugly vocal tones. Azgorh Drakenhof contributes the most cold brew riffs imaginable from the US. 

In the end I'm bias, I'm a BLACK FUNERAL fan. Now when is the next full length coming out?   

https://darkadversary.bigcartel.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://blackfuneral.bandcamp.com/album/wallachian-voivode 

CRITICAL DEFIANCE - The Search Won't Fall​ review

 

CRITICAL DEFIANCE - The Search Won't Fall​

Unspeakable Axe Records

I love the tagline on this which says "violent thrash from Chile". Well duh, isn't thrash supposed to be violent? I hate happy thrash! I hate these bands with their caps on backwards with the brims straight acting thrash therefore I am. Fuck You Posers! Give me violence and hatred in my thrash and that's what we have here. 

Just from the onset of this album, the band's third since starting out in 2010, you can hear the force of anger in the vocals. Add to that there's some pretty cool rhythm section feats going on. I know most people go straight for the riffs. But in thrash I wanna hear how the bass and drum work fill out. And when it comes to that bassist Ignacio Arevalo and drummer Rodrigo Poblete are damm good. 

Next up is vocalist Felipe Alvarado who has a harsh, aggro vocal style which rules. Add to that there's some good aggressive riff action from guitarists Mauricio Toledo and Nicolas Young. The dive bomb soloing from Nicolas Young is also cool. All of that is a combination of great thrash for 2024. 

So yeah CRITICAL DEFIANCE kick fuckin ass with their aggressive style which is mainly pounding riffs and a slightly blackened touch. Hey I like that a lot. So violent thrash from Chile yeah I like it a lot. But how about great fuckin thrash from Chile. Or better yet how about some of the best thrash you will here in 2024? I think so.  

https://unspeakableaxerecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://criticaldefiance.bandcamp.com/album/the-search-won-t-fall

SONIC WOLVES - III review

 

SONIC WOLVES - III

Argonauta Records

This fucker rocks! Ya know every once in a while when I'm checking out an album and I'm smiling on the first play hell fuckin yeah. The tagline on this band is Stoner Doom and Rock. Well yeah I guess that's cool. But honestly this platter is pure 70's hard rock and plenty of psych elements for you stoners. 

So some history for ya. The SONIC WOLVES are a power trio from Italy who've been around since 2015. The band members are vocalist / bassist Kayt Vigil, guitarist Nico Nigro and on drums is Vita (aka: Gianni Vitarelli) who use to be in UFOMAMMUT. Together they are a head banging rockers who will also take you onto a cosmic trip. Oh yeah and just for the record Kayt Vigil and Gianni Vitarelli are married. 

So where do we start? Alright not only is Kayt Vigil a fuckin great bass player (she brings the thunder) but she has some savage vocals. Then there's Gianni Vitarelli who spent twenty years behind the kit for UFOMAMMUT, nuff said there. Finally Nico Nigro's guitar work is amazing. The guy kicks in with great groove laden riffs and adds either blues or psych inspired solos. 

Musically this is like an explosion of MUDHONEY, UFOMAMMUT and ORANGE GOBLIN. Yeah that does sound kinda cool and rocking. This is my first time hearing this band so I have no clue what their sound was prior to this. All I can say is that these eight cuts on here are worth your time and money to check out.  

https://www.argonautarecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://sonicwolves.bandcamp.com/album/iii

STYGIAN CROWN - Funeral for a King review

 

STYGIAN CROWN - Funeral for a King

Cruz del Sur Music

And yet another female fronted doom band I'm checking out this year. Well it has so far been interesting. With that said this is the second album from STYGIAN CROWN. They're a five piece act hailing from Los Angeles, California. So there's a couple of things to notice. This band features two GRAVEHILL members. Who by the way are a damm good death thrash band. I have a couple of their releases.

Now as far as STYGIAN CROWN goes well if you handed me a blank CD and asked what I thought of it. I'd say it sounds like some death metal musicians trying to play epic doom with a singer who's not very good. OK so I'm half right. On here, aside from a boring opening instrumental, STYGIAN CROWN do come out of the gates with some heavy handed doom which would make an old school CANDLEMASS fan think is OK but a new school fan go "cool dude", especially if you're into the hype. 

And I've gotta say musically this album meets the marks as far as quality doom riffs, a rhythm section nailing things to perfection. Props to Eric Bryan's bass work on here. Add to that I like their use of piano and violin to their overall sound on a few songs. But I'm not a fan of the vocals. Melissa Pinion does pull off a few halfway decent performances but overall I'm not in her fan base. 

This ends up being kinda sad since musically this is a decent album plagued by one variant. Reminds me of my problem with the early albums by CIRITH UNGOL. Great music but those vocals.

https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://stygiancrown.bandcamp.com/album/funeral-for-a-king

MIDNIGHT - Hellish Expectations review

 

MIDNIGHT - Hellish Expectations

Metal Blade Records

This latest release by MIDNIGHT opens with the song "Expect Total Hell". As always (and that's a key phrase to remember) the band starts off with a cut suitable for starting a performance off. But at this point in my appreciation for the band I do expect something decent but total hell? I don't think so. 

You see I go back to 2006 when my close friend turned me onto MIDNIGHT with their Complete and Total Fucking Midnight compilation. Now back then that release was like hell fuckin yeah this is what metal needs. I say that because except for the underground the band's being pushed by the mainstream literally sucked, those bands blew. So to me yeah MIDNIGHT were amazing. 

Of course it wouldn't be until 2011 when the band (actually Athenar) put out their first official full length Satanic Royalty. I still consider that to be their best album. At least it's my favorite still to this day along with the early compilation of course. Now everything after that has been good or decent. 2022's Let There Be Witchery falls into the decent category for me. 

Which brings me back to the "as always" phrase. I told ya to remember it. Here we are with the sixth album by MIDNIGHT. So with blackened speed metal, black & roll or whatever the fuck you wanna call it. Athenar is gonna be limited to what he can do to make it good without changing the formula. 

So on here like I mentioned earlier "Expect Total Hell" is a fuckin great opening track with some cool guitar soloing. In fact there's a lot of cool guitar solos by Athenar. "Gash Scrape" is fairly old hardcore influenced which I think is cool. "Slave of the Blade" is a short and fast blasting tune that will get a slam pit started. "Dungeon Lust" is a damm good straight up rocking cut. It definitely needs to be in their live set. 

As far as the rest of the album goes well "FOAL" (Fuck Off And Live) is a decent closer. With that said I like this album more than Let There Be Witchery. The first half of the album is loaded heavily with the better cuts. Obviously someone like me is gonna be critical to a point even as an long time fan. But obviously people who just got into MIDNIGHT when they signed on to Metal Blade Records will think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. 

https://www.metalblade.com/us/

LISTEN HERE:

https://midnight-ohio.bandcamp.com/album/hellish-expectations

INQUISITION - Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence review

 

INQUISITION - Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence

Agonia Records

In all honesty I lost interest in this band years ago. I mean early on I was a fan since they were this Satanic Colombian death duo. What's not to like about that? Their first bunch of albums were amazing and I still listen to em. But looking back I believe 2010's Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm is probably were I must have stopped being a true fan. Hell I even saw em play a show at (go ahead and laugh) a sports bar in a strip mall back then. 

Be that as it may here's the ninth full length by Dagon (vocals / guitars) and Incubus (drums). I think living in Seattle, Washington has wimped this band out to the hilt. Instead of drinking the blood of their enemies they've switched to soy milk. Seriously Incubus's drum work on here is pathetic. You might as well have gotten a drum machine. Add to that Dagon's versus are monotone boring as if he's rehearsing for a poetry recital. 

Musically there's not much to like here. The production is horrible. Dagon sounds more like ABBATH on heroin. The melodic guitar soloing is interesting to say the least. The use of synths is not so campy. But when the whole shoe-gazer thing kicks in I'm thinking that shit died out over a decade ago. In the end I'm thinking you guys are supposed to be playing for extreme black metal fans. But on here you're just pleasing a bunch of coffee house worms. Aka: the same people who tried to cancel you a short time ago. Nuff Said.

https://www.agoniarecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUbd12UsOKA

IRONBOUND - Serpent's Kiss review

 

IRONBOUND - Serpent's Kiss

Ossuary Records

Ladies & Gentlemen (and you others) the people who read this site (and frankly who doesn't) know that my appreciation for Polish Metal is huge. I mean that great nation has given us fans the utmost best in black metal, death metal, grindcore and the only cool stoner rock act I've given a fuck about in years. But I have to say the traditional metal style bands have been few and far away for my appreciation until now.

Ironically I was watching a Sea of Tranquility video on YouTube all about the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal the other day. Wow, I thought, they've caught up on the whole scene. Well as their series on the metal subject continues I hope they mention Poland's IRONBOUND. Actually they better mention em because they are the embodiment of the whole New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal sound and style. 

Just to get some history out of the way. IRONBOUND are a five piece act who originally started out in 2014. A few years later they started releasing stuff. Now what we have here is the band's second album. Their debut full length, The Lightbringer, came out in 2021 and also on Ossuary Records. So when I first listened to this one I was hooked by the third song which by the way is the title track. 

Musically IRONBOUND hit all the bases as far as the genre goes. You've got the galloping melodic riffs, a thick up front bass sound, the drum work is decent and the guitar soloing is cool as fuck. Also I like the real guy vocals. There's no campy falsettos / heavy metal screams. What's also cool is that these guys are really trying to give an original take to a tried and true genre style. And that's what makes this a great album. 

I know other people will pick this album apart trying to find something in order to name drop a band from the past. I don't wanna do that because it's disrespectful. Sure it's traditional heavy metal from old but IRONBOUND makes you (and an old fuck like me) rise up and throw the horned fist in appreciation. Hands down Serpent's Kiss is going to be seen as one of the best albums of 2024.   

https://ossuaryrecords.com/en/

LISTEN HERE:

https://ossuaryrecords.bandcamp.com/album/serpents-kiss

BLACK HATE - Via Pvrgativa review

 

BLACK HATE - Via Pvrgativa

Odium Records

Mexico's BLACK HATE are a band that's been around for a while. Let me explain that in detail. Originally it was a one man black metal project. The one man is B.G. Ikanunna who started out in 2006 and was responsible for everything as is the case. B.G. Ikanunna was actually fairly prolific during this period. (Please note that the guy has been prolific all around as an artist. I mean he's been in a ton of other projects besides BLACK HATE).

So from 2007 to 2011, aside from a seven song debut demo, the guy appeared on a bunch of split EPs as well as releasing some EPs of his own and two full lengths. Then in 2012 B.G. Ikanunna decided to turn BLACK HATE into a real band with him just being responsible for vocals and later on guitars. Once again the band was on a creative spirit with a bunch of splits, EPs and more full lengths. 

Their last release was the 2020 full length Altalith. Now in all honestly that one seemed more like an EP with four actual songs and four short instrumentals. So here we are a few years later. B.G. Ikanunna is back with the same BLACK HATE line-up that's been going for a number of years now. And we have a new album with only one instrumental and it's the opener. 

OK so I like this album a lot mainly because it runs the gambit of blackening everything. Sure you still have the old school BLACK HATE avant-garde arrangements on certain cuts. But there's plenty of death metal groove in places. Add in is some melody and straight up traditional metal style. I mean hell yeah this is cool. And yes the production is still raw as fuck without sounding like crap. 

Aside from the opening instro you get the blistering, fist pumping first cut "Trembling Hands of Sorrow". The song is eight fuckin minutes of blackened insanity. Another highlight is "Luminous Ruins of Death" which is part blackened death n roll and part blackened occult worship. B.G. Ikanunna's vocals on here (as well as every cut on here) are full on filth, horror and hate filled. 

Another cool cut worth mentioning is “Tempestad (o de la transubstanciation)”. It's sung in Spanish, has a sort of tech death riff sequence running rampant and then channels doom as well as thrash. Yeah all in an eight minute time period. The final cut "Dark Night of the Soul" is the eerie cut of the album. It comes off early on sounding like a soundtrack for a Mexican horror/slasher film. But then it pulls out the blackened grandiose stamp of blood spitting filth. 

Yeah like what was mentioned earlier I really like this album. I say that because it's so off the beaten path of black metal proper. Plus it's from an artist who needs recognition to say the least. I guess this is where my bias comes in. My friends in Texas will know this. Mexico has always been a hotbed of extreme metal and with fans who are absolute fanatics. But very few bands from there get the big press afforded to other acts. 

BLACK HATE, especially on this latest one, should be checked out. Now with that said I believe some label should put together a compilation of the early stuff, not the LPs, but the short form releases. Add to that the BLACK HATE 2012 to 2019 catalog wouldn't be a bad idea either. Plus they do have that live album and you can check em out with this performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gCrmLUOnPk

  

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://odiumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/black-hate-v-a-pvrgativa

AZELL - Death Control review

 

AZELL - Death Control

Rottweiler Records

Just to be honest with ya, sludge ridden death doom is as common here in the US South as is grits. Now if you don't know what grits are well they're a staple for breakfast here in the South. I don't eat grits but every other Southern motherfucker does. But anyways as far as the music genre goes yeah the whole turn it up, tune it down and go slow has been around for fuckin decades. I believe someone actually made a documentary about it years ago. 

Anyways when I saw the tagline as far it being sludge / death doom ya know I was gonna pass on it. But I read the promo info then figured it might be interesting and hell yeah I'm glad I did. AZELL are a two piece husband and wife sludge / doom duo hailing from Louisville, Kentucky. OK so they're married and playing this type of extreme music so that's something different. The two people are Courtney Napier who plays bass and is the lead vocalist. David Napier is the guitarist, drummer and adds lead and background vocals.

Death Control is the duo's debut full length since starting out in 2022. Prior to releasing this album they just put out digital singles. So musically this is fairly common sludge / doom but with a few extra touches that make it interesting. First and foremost I think Courtney Napier's vocals are amazing. She's got this sick acid tongue guttural screech that's damm good. When David Napier adds in his vocals he's sounds just as sick but more of a gross guttural sound. 

Musically their brand of sludge / death doom is benefited by a lo-fi production that emphasizes the filth covered sound. And you wanna talk about slowness? Listening to this is akin to watching a turtle drag a cinder block through tar. The band provides a solid wall of noise to effect your ear drums. Even with all of that AZELL do add in some sinister monolithic atmosphere on tracks like "A-M" and "Wallow". 

Going back to my earlier points yeah you've probably heard something similar. I'm not gonna name drop because it would be redundant. The bottom line is that Death Control is a pretty good debut album from AZELL. And I'm rooting for em so next time around hopefully they're be commonly known as the names others might drop in order to describe em. Yeah it's a winner.

https://www.rottweilerrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://azellrr.bandcamp.com/album/death-control

ARTHOUSE FATSO - Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature review

 

ARTHOUSE FATSO - Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

First off as far as this release goes I liked the opening soundbite of Orson Welles. Just for the record I am an old movie fan and I consider Citizen Kane from 1941 to be my second favorite movie of all time. The Third Man from 1949 comes up in my fave list as well. But classic movies aside we're talking music and what we have here is a grindcore act from Germany. 

Now honestly when it comes to grindcore from Europe I'd say Germany is the last place you would look. Don't get me wrong I'm sure there's bands in Germany doing grindcore but honestly the competition elsewhere is overwhelming. Be that as it may here we have ARTHOUSE FATSO (maybe a reference to Orson?). This is a one man act. The one man goes by the name The Director who is responsible of the usual aka: everything. 

Musically this is a cross of grind, techno and rantings from maybe the grand child of someone from the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Sure musically it's avant-grind to the fullest. You've got sheet metal riffs for the most part. The vocals are a mix of singular and gang chorus adaptation, both gruff and clean. 

At least they add in some of the Orson Welles fuck ups via commercial stuff in the end which I have on a funny outtakes CD. But anyways after blasting this for a while you'll need a break and a fuckin place to sit down for a while. This seventeen song release is quality because the artist is actually trying to be original. I'll give em that in spades. But is it all in jest or is it serious? Grind heads should decide on their own but hey great band name. 

https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE: 

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/sycophantic-seizures-a-double-feature