HOODED MENACE - Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration review

 

HOODED MENACE - Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration

Season of Mist

Imagine you are one of those bands which helped re-introduce / recreate a sub-genre style of Extreme Metal (aka Death Doom) that a decade later would see a hundred copy-cats? Back in 2010 I wouldn't have guessed that while I was blasting this Finnish band's second album, Never Cross the Dead. Since then I've been a fan of HOODED MENACE and have no problem mentioning em whenever I hear another band influenced by them as well as others.

Fast forward to a few years back and HOODED MENACE decided to be Finland's version of MY DYING BRIDE. That started with 2015's Darkness Drips Forth. OK that might be a bit of an exaggeration but the band did move away from the crush kill and destroy style to a more wide ranging exploration of Death Doom. They embraced the meloncholy and standard Metal styles to progress themselves forward in order to be exciting. 

Hey let's be honest here. How many Finnish Death Metal or Death Doom acts do you know who started out heavy as fuck only to mellow out an album or two later? I can think of a dozen plus. The difference is HOODED MENACE move onward at a snail's pace as opposed to past acts who just flipped a switch. The fact is that 2015's Darkness Drips Forth was an experiment which worked. Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed from 2018 was a step backward but still a great release. But then on 2021's The Tritonus Bell, an album I liked a lot, the band were like hears the path we're following now. 

Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration is simply a continuation of experimenting with their Death Doom sound without going off the template. I'm sure some people will question them covering a DURAN DURAN song, "Save a Prayer". Hey at least it ain't "Hungry Like A Wolf" which I obviously despise. The traditional Metal style thrown in here reminds me of stuff KING DIAMOND use to do. Of course when you hear the keyboards and cello work you think MY DYING BRIDE. 

In the end hey since Harri Kuokkanen took over on vocals which allowed Lasse Pyykko to concentrait more on compositions as well as great guitar work. This band has become more of a surprise which each album as oppossed to a stick in the mud. I'm sure they like that new bands are copying their old style to the hilt. Which is why they're creating new sounds for people to enjoy. Great Album!  

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://hoodedmenace.bandcamp.com/album/lachrymose-monuments-of-obscuration

ENTHRONED - Ashspawn review

 

ENTHRONED - Ashspawn

Season of Mist

So if you're a long time fan of Belgium's Black Metal titans ENTHRONED then you might be inclined to agree with the following premise. This band has two eras. The first is their early days (aka: mid 1990's to mid 2000's) when Lord Sabathan was on vocals. I mean band membership flew by and by but they did have a handful of decent releases. At least two of em I'd call mandatory classics. 

Then when Lord Sabathan left the band in 2006 it was like OK what happens now? Well the new band with Nornagest now on vocals came out with 2007's Tetra Karcist which was a damm good release. Now since then ENTHRONED have continued putting out decent BM releases. But for me 2019's Cold Black Suns was a turning point for this band. 

On that release the band took a huge step forward into the present Black Metal day. The sound was brutal, sophisticated and down right menacing with it's atmosphere. Fast forward to 2025 and the band just took it all to another level. On this new one the lyrics and themes are helped by the band's collaboration with occult author Gilles de Laval. I mean this is some hellish, filth ridden sounding stuff.

Sound-wise this is a brutal punishment thanks to some amazing guitar work and an amazing rhythm section. Nornagest's vocals come across as his best blood vomiting, fierce screaming and hate filled beast like sounds which no human is supposed to achieve. 

The first time I played this release I knew it was cool as fuck. The second time it was on continuous play for hours because it was so hypnotic. Right now it's on never stop. In a personal way this is my third favorite album by ENTHRONED.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://enthronedsom.bandcamp.com/album/ashspawn

NITE - Cult of the Serpent Sun review

 

NITE - Cult of the Serpent Sun

Season of Mist

Here we have the third full length by this four piece Blackened Heavy Metal act from San Francisco, California. I will have more to say about their genre tagline further along. But I just wanna say this release came in for review earlier this year. I thought that I had written a review for it. After checking I found out no I never posted a review. Also I just saw NITE perform last week and I'm still hyped up by em. I've got my physical copy of this release and well I've got a lot to say. 

First off the Blackened Heavy Metal tagline is kinda interesting. Yeah I know it's a thing nowadays. But the fact is that NITE musically are a full on Metal act. I mean the influences you notice are pure 1980's. You'll hear some MAIDEN -esque stuff along with MERCIFUL FATE / KING DIAMOND influences. All of that is courtisy of guitarist / vocalist Van Labrakis and guitarist / backing vocalist Scott Hoffman. 

These two not only provide some cool as fuck riffs but add in great solos. I'm talking about individual soloing, switch off soloing and combined soloing. Yeah if you're a Metal guitar lover then here ya go. The fuckin rhythm section keeping up with those guitars is also savage as hell. Props to thunderous bassist Avinash Mittur and the damm good drum work by Patrick Crawford. 

As far as the whole Blackened thing goes Van Labrakis vocals come off as something of a blast furnace DEATH METAL style. On the Death Doomish cut "The Mystic" it shows. Of course that's after the three opening songs which are total headbanging rockers. Then again lyrically NITE are all about the occult. So there ya go. 

In the end NITE's third album is a winner in my not so humble opinion. Then again if you're into Metal well here ya go true believers. I'm unfortunately part of some sites where I see people complain that there's no cool new metal. Well hey here's some great new Metal to bang your fuckin head to, along with blasting out of the speakers. 

As much as I like the three opening cuts which define this album: "Cult of the Serpent Sun", "Skull" and "Crow (Fear the Night)". There's "The Last Blade" and "Carry On" which are absolutly amazing on the second half. Basically this is a rocking album for 2025. It's definitely a favorite for me so is it for you?

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://nitemetal.bandcamp.com/album/cult-of-the-serpent-sun

GLORIOR BELLI - Self Titled review

 

GLORIOR BELLI - Self Titled

Season of Mist

I first got into this French Black Metal act with their second full length Manifesting the Raging Beast from 2007. If any of you people remember it was in the late 2000's when French Black Metal really came into being cool as fuck as well as noticed by fans world wide. I mean the French Black Metal bands were putting out far better stuff than the Scandinavians at that time. Yeah that's in my not so humble opinion. 

But after a few years in started to stink and yeah in my not so humble opinion. French BM quickly moved into that whole experimental phase which was part of the trend. To me that's why I lost interest and this band here is a perfect example. 2009's Meet Us at the Southern Sign was a damm good release but that was the last one I really liked. I did pick up a few more releases by em but was not happy with em. 

So here we have GLORIOR BELLI's eighth full length and first since 2018's The Apostates. Musically this is not the kinda cool stuff they were doing two decades ago. On a whole this is standard melodic Black Metal. There's some crazy parts tossed in, like the weird chorus vocals. But basically it's melodic punishing riffs, traditional pounding drum work and vicious vocals. 

Some of the riffs do touch on the atmospheric element which was big in late 2000's French BM, aka: the trendy stuff. But overall it's straight up melodic Black Metal with some rockin lead work thrown in to give it a modern appeal. In the end I'm walking away.  

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://gloriorbelli.bandcamp.com/album/glorior-belli

DRUDKH - Shadow Play review

 

DRUDKH - Shadow Play

Season of Mist

DRUDKH have been around now for over two decades. If you're a fan of this Ukranian Black Metal act, which I am, then you understand that their first four releases are amazing. After that the band started to play around with their sound. I can't say many of those releases are faves of mine. Basically they were hit or miss for me. 

Eventually the band got back around to making, in my not so humble opinion, great music within their style and it's been great. Their last full length, All Belong to the Night from 2022, was a return to form. This one here, Shadow Play, is a companion piece. Main-man Roman Saenko has returned the band's sound to the early atmospheric Black Metal style. Well not too early in fact I'd say it's similar to what he was producing fifteen years ago. 

Be that as it may this full length definitely has a depressive angst ridden tone to the sound. Yeah and for obvious reasons. The riffs are punishing to a point but they still have that cascading effect which washes over you. A couple of cuts start off with instrumental openers. The vocals are far more hateful than usual as well as carrying a tone of desperation. 

In the end you've got six tracks in all spanning around fifty-five minutes. I like this one a lot. Obviously what's going on in the Ukraine these past few years is an influence on this release's sound and atmosphere. It's in a blackened mode of pain, trauma, anguish and full blown anger. It's reality there people.   

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://drudkh.bandcamp.com/album/shadow-play

SEVERE TORTURE - Torn from the Jaws of Death review

 

SEVERE TORTURE - Torn from the Jaws of Death

Season of Mist

It's been a while since I've heard something from the more brutal side of Dutch Metal aka: SEVERE TORTURE. Basically it's been quite a few years since their last full length. Yeah we're talking fourteen fuckin years. So yes I am a fan of this Dutch Death Metal legacy which mean cue bias alert. I mean come on, Feasting on Blood from 2000 is mandatory for any death metal fan. The rest of their albums are all decent. 2005's Fall of the Despised was probably their last one which I'll go back to and play very loud because it's fuckin killer.

Of course after 2010 the band went silent. Then a couple of years ago they came out with the Fisting the Sockets EP (on Season of Mist). You got a three song teaser which was OK since it was not much different then what they last did. But here we have this new ten song full length and I'm pretty much going fuckin nuts over this hate filled beauty. Yeah Torn from the Jaws of Death fuckin rules! 

Obviously this is the comeback album of the year for me. Aside from the brutal sound, which I'll get into later, it's the return of key players. SEVERE TORTURE is almost the same line-up from their past hate filled days of yore. Dennis Schreurs (the Dutch Glen Benton) is still belting out blaspheme vocals. The guitar duo of Thijs van Laarhoven and Marvin Vriesde (who joined in 2003) still puts forth savage riffs with the usual hypnotic solo action. 

Still here is bassist Patrick Boleij who's been the back drop of thunder in this band since the late 90's. Finally there's newbie Damien Kerpentier on drums who joined in 2018. The guy likes his triggers and snare pounding black metal runs. Be that as it may the guy works well with his battery of pounding drum work.  

For an average come back album SEVERE TORTURE could've played it safe but no. This release is a reminder of the band's unrelenting savagery when it comes to brutalism in death metal. All of these ten tracks are a full on beat down which is welcome in today's death metal climate. I won't say this is my favorite because there's two earlier releases by them that rule. But this one joins em equally. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://severetorture.bandcamp.com/album/torn-from-the-jaws-of-death

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

PONTE DEL DIAVOLO - Fire Blades from the Tomb review

 

PONTE DEL DIAVOLO - Fire Blades from the Tomb

Season of Mist

So imagine if you will Siouxsie Soux fronting a blackened doom band. Now if you don't know who Siouxsie Soux is then you're at a loss so let me explain. Back in the late 70's English punk scene there was a band called SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES. They started out as a punk band playing around the same time as the SEX PISTOLS. When the 1980's came into play they moved into a more goth/death punk sound. They were huge during that decade. They continued on into the 90's but I stopped following them by then. 

Anyways the singer for this Italian five piece act, Erba del Diavolo, is a dead ringer for Siouxsie Soux's vocal style. Add to that this band has two bass players, one guitarist and a drummer. You take Erba's combination of vocal styles add the rich guitar lines and the double thick bass plus drums. Well you've got a winner with me that's part nostalgic and part crushing. This their debut full length, after three EPs starting in 2020, is a mix of the blackened doom and a lot of goth textures. And I'm talking about that good goth from the 80's and not that trendy crap from fifteen years ago. 

While opener "Demone" is probably the blackest and fastest this album gets. The following cut "Covenant" is where the band shines in their gothic doom dreary glory. Having a guest musician add in the creepy theremin sounds just adds icy terror. As far as the rest of the tracks go the doom and goth aspects rise to the top. Erba's mix of frenzied howls, goth pop vocals or airy witch like sing/speak like tones are the jewel amidst a musical crown of thorns. "Red as the Sex of She Who Lives in Death" is probably the peak with all styles woven into one amazing song. 

The final cut "The Weeping Song" is a duet which Erba is joined by Davide Straccione of the Italian blackened doom band SHORES OF HULL. The song is also a NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS cover. Do I have to explain who that is as well? Be that as it may I love this album a lot. It's definitely late night doom sounds which comfort you while cast spells upon your later dreams.  

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://pontedeldiavolo666.bandcamp.com/album/fire-blades-from-the-tomb

NECROWRETCH - Swords of Dajjal review

 

NECROWRETCH - Swords of Dajjal

Season of Mist 

I got into this French blackened death metal band with their first album, Putrid Death Sorcery, which came out in 2013. Actually I got it a year later and afterwards learned that NECROWRETCH actually started out in 2008. They put out a few demos and two EPs prior to their debut full length. Since then I've kept up with them and as always I'm a year behind getting their stuff. 

But be that as it may this newest and fifth full length comes across as NECROWRETCH slightly abandoning their death metal persona and going full blown late 90's era black metal. I mean you've got the blackened galloping rhythms, diabolical soloing and filth ridden vocals. The riffs are grim and frosty to say the least.

Compared to their last one, The Ones from Hell, from four years ago NECROWRETCH's latest is a bombastic blackened uproar of 90's era BM. Then again the band has gone through changes. At the helm it's still Vlad on vocals and guitar plus Wenceslas Carrieu on lead guitar. But new to the group is bassist Romain Gibet and drummer Nicolas Ferrero. Both of whom, especially Nicolas Ferrero (no more trigger drums), add a more organic touch to the overall sound.

In the end I gotta say NECROWRETCH have put out another blackened masterpiece.  

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://necrowretch.bandcamp.com/album/swords-of-dajjal

DESTROYER 666 - Six Songs with the Devil reissue review

 

DESTROYER 666 - Six Songs with the Devil reissue

Season of Mist

I've been a fan of DESTROYER 666 since a friend of mine years ago gave me a copy of their debut full length, Unchain the Wolves, from 1997. Since then I've kept up with buying all of their full lengths as well as a couple of EPs. 

But I've never owned this original first demo, Six Songs with the Devil, which originally came out in 1994. So hey first off this is when the band was originally K.K. Warslut on vocals, guitars and bass with Chris Volcano on drums. 

Musically this is DESTROYER 666 diabolical and raw. The big surprise is that sound-wise it's damm good for a demo. If you've got their 1995 EP, Violence Is the Prince of This World, then you know what to expect. Honestly as much as I like modern day DESTROYER 666 this stuff fuckin rules. A blackened fury from down under.  

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMW5PIyqHCY

PROFANATICA - Crux Simplex review

 

PROFANATICA - Crux Simplex

Season of Mist

PROFANATICA are back and I say that with a fuck you smile. I've always had two favorite releases by em and finding out this year that one of em is not mainman Paul Ledney's favorites kinda shocked me. But anyways yeah they are back in that this album represents something special. I've been a fan for a long time but their last two releases, Rotting Incarnation of God full length from 2019 and the Pale Fuck EP last year were boring. 

Crux Simplex is a return to the really old PROFANATICA with better production. This is what I saw on tour months ago. Yeah this is real USBM with the filth and fury of old. The riffs are manacle with a sense of torture. The drum work is just solid without thrills. The bass is far from out going but steady. Then there's Paul's vocals which have not changed in over a few decades. We're talking harsh, filth ridden and ghastly singing which is sick.

The bottom line here is that this is the original Black fuckin Metal of old. This album is not a rehash but instead a reminder of what once was and can be done again as long as you have someone in charge of creating it. Period, end of story, greatness.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH2X8VSGNGw

OAK - Disintegrate review

 

OAK -  Disintegrate

Season of Mist

This release came out in February but I finally got it in May. Why am I writing about it in fucking July? Well for starters it's a one song 45 minute full length of pure atmospheric death doom. Yeah something perfect to play on a after work late night if you're not feeling worn out. But as I'm writing this I do have that amount of time to kill because I have a Thai soup cooking on the stove and it's a good three hour deal on that one. 

So this is a side project by Guilherme Henriques who is also in the black metal band GAEREA from Portugal. Just for the record GAEREA put out a pretty decent full length last year on this label. So it's no shocker that the label would put out this the sophomore album by em. Along for the ride is GAEREA drummer Pedro Soares. Which means Henriques is responsible for the guitars and vocals. 

Musically this is paint by the numbers classic sounding atmospheric death doom. The Finnish do it so well but at least separate things into songs. There's plenty of black metal touches obviously. The musical mood swings from quiet instrumental passages to Guilherme's bestial vocals and trudging riffs with drummer Pedro Soares adding some excitement with a good BM drum push.

Overall I'm not on drugs for this one nor am I able to do coffee for so long. Basically atmospheric death doom to the hilt and I believe dinner is ready.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://oakdoom.bandcamp.com/album/disintegrate

UNFELLED - Pall of Endless Perdition review

 

UNFELLED - Pall of Endless Perdition

Season of Mist

OK some explaining to do with this one. So if you're a supporter of Season of Mist records or even Northern Silence Productions. Then you might know of the Australian black metal band WOODS OF DESOLATION. If not then I'll explain. WOODS OF DESOLATION is a one man BM project that started out in the mid-2000's. The one man multi-instrumentalist behind the project simply goes by the name "D". 

I got into this band back in 2011 with his Torn Beyond Reason full length which came out on Northern Silence Productions. What you had with WOODS OF DESOLATION is harsh atmopheric black metal which was in all honesty generic but still cool sounding. D also has a side project called FOREST MYSTICISM which has no full lengths out but plenty of small form releases. I have their Hearken three song CD from 2018.

So in 2016, D started this side project UNFELLED and released a six song demo Beneath Distant Skies. Which brings us up to date. This time around D is with a band and the music is a side harsher. D handles bass and guitar duties on here. Along for the ride is drummer Vladislav Petrov who most BM fans know from DRUDKH. But on vocals he's got a cool dude in Mitchell Keepin formerly of two great Australian BM bands NAZXUL and PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS. 

Musically this is a more ferocicious take on D's usual post BM atmopheric style. There's still plenty of laid back melodies which are punished by Petrov's drum work and D's savage tremolo pick rhythms. Mitchell vocals just keep the pain going. Out of these seven cuts I hear pretty much (again) a generic following. It's 2023 so we haven't moved far from the original ground. 

Be that as it may this is just an exhilarating album. It's a modern epoch to revel any of your easy on the ears bullshit. I'd play "Wreathed Wings" or "Veil of Perdition" up your kvlt wanna-be face and watch you suffer. Normally I'd say I'm biased but with this release it's a big fuckin NO. This album is amazing!

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://unfelled.bandcamp.com/album/pall-of-endless-perdition

ROTTEN SOUND - Apocalypse review

 

ROTTEN SOUND - Apocalypse

Season of Mist

Since the mid-1990's this Finnish band has become a grindcore institution. I have most of their full lengths and a handful of their EPs. I consider their 2002 full length Murderworks as well as Exit from 2005 to be absolute grindcore classics. So that's my full disclosure admission to being a biased fan. 

Now when I read about this new album coming out earlier this year. I was fuckin excited since it's been a few years since these Finns put out a full length. Their last one, Abuse to Suffer, came out in 2016. They did put out the decent Suffer to Abuse EP in 2018. The good thing is that a lot of crap has gone on since last we heard from ROTTEN SOUND and they specialize in social commentary. 

First and foremost Apocalypse, their eighth full length, shows that these Finns are not about to mellow out or play it safe with age. This release is 18 cuts in a little over 20 minutes of brutally violent grinding rage. Vocalist Keijo Niinimaa comes off sounding far more vicious, caustic and completely pissed off. His partner in grind and original member Mika Aalto still finds ways to create some savage riffs that mix grind, power-violence and old hardcore.

Sami Latva, who's been drumming with the band since 2006, puts forth this perfect accompaniment to the riffs. He's just as savage and it's the guitar/drum attack which makes this band grind out. The band's newest member, bassist Matti Raappana, who came on board in 2021, even finds a way to contribute a thunderous back drop which cannot be ignored. 

All in all this is the way I feel when watching the crap reported on the news every day. An onslaught of hate given to those who lie and don't care about humanity. Grind fans know that we use the music as our outlet to the bullshit which we deal with. ROTTEN SOUND's latest is fuckin amazing. While the loser public take depressants I take grind to deal with the shit. 2023 looks like a decent year with this one cranking out. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://rottensound.bandcamp.com/album/apocalypse

DESTROYER 666 - Never Surrender review

 

DESTROYER 666 - Never Surrender

Season of Mist

A good friend of mine turned me onto DESTROYER 666 many years ago with their debut full length Unchain the Wolves. That was back in 1997 and I've been a constant fan of these extreme metal Aussie's ever since. Now while my appreciation for this band has not changed over the decades. Much about DESTROYER 666 has, with one exception and that's mainman/guitarist/vocalist K.K. Warslut. 

K.K. Warslut has guided this act for almost three decades now and that's with a revolving door line-up of band members. He's weather all of that as well as subtle changes in style. DESTROYER 666 is still a blackened thrash act. But a few years ago they got, pardon me, accessible in their sound. Wildfire from 2016 became the band's new template to continue onward with. 

On that album K.K. and his new line-up dropped a bit of the satanic shtick and went with a more catchy thrash attack with melody and memorable gang vocal choruses. Add to that you got better production. Fast forward six years later and K.K. is still following the Wildfire formula with a semi newer line-up. And I think this is damm good.

Joining K.K. on this the band's sixth full length is new drummer Kev Desecrator who joined in 2020. Add on bassist Felipe Plaza Kutzbach who has remained since Wildfire. So musically this is still hard hitting yet rough around the edges thrash. Of course the riffs are solid. The soloing flows to an almost NWOBHM tone. 

On one song there's a death thrash feel "Grave Raiders" which reminds me of early DECEASED. Opener "Never Surrender" is a fist in the air heavy metal anthem for 2022. "Guillotine" is another strong cut with political / social references towards some of the crazy shit going on in Australia since the pandemic. With the chorus lyric "What's Happened to My Country" ah yeah I totally fuckin agree.

Most of the other tracks on here are mid-paced thrashers with plenty of shouted vocals plus gang backing shouts. Two of the tracks on this album do take you back a ways to the band's early more blackened days. Those cuts being "Pitch Black Night" and "Batavia's Graveyard". 

So all in all K.K. Warslut, who's vocals are phenomenal on here, has once again breathed new life into something which was originally a side project decades ago. Of late whenever I'm in the mood for some DESTROYER 666 I've been playing Wildfire plus the 2018 Call of the Wild EP. This album surpasses those two releases. Never Surrender might be a late comer to 2022 but it is one of the best releases of the year. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQJEDR2G9M4

ABYSMAL DAWN – Nightmare Frontier EP review

 

ABYSMAL DAWN – Nightmare Frontier EP 

Season Of Mist

Just to be honest I am a ABYSMAL DAWN fan. Yeah I know "bias alert" but hey Fuck You. I got into this band with their third full length, Leveling the Plane of Existence, which is from 2011. But hey their 2020 full length, Phylogenesis, was their solid slab of death metal perfection.

So what we have here is a four song EP containing one new cut "A Nightmare Slain". Then there's "Blacken the Sky" which is a reworked old demo cut. And finally there's two cover tunes "Behind Space" from IN FLAMES and "Bewitched" by CANDLEMASS. Good Stuff.

Of course the new original cut is good modern day tech death. Hell it could've been a leftover from their last album. The re-done cut from one of their demos is decent. Since I don't have any of their demos it's new to me. As far as the covers go well I never was an IN FLAMES fan. But anyone making melo-deth sound better is fine. The CANDLEMASS cover is fine since it strays from the original version a bit. All in all this is a decent EP but I'd rather have a new album by em.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://abysmaldawn.bandcamp.com/

NOCTURNAL GRAVES - An Outlaw's Stand review

 

NOCTURNAL GRAVES - An Outlaw's Stand

Season Of Mist

So yeah I guess you could say I'm a NOCTURNAL GRAVES fan. I got into them back in 2007 with their Satan's Cross full length. I also have every full length they've done since then. This one's their fourth. They're blackened thrash from Australia cut from the same cloth as countrymen DESTROYER 666. Now that's obviously a gimme since guitarist Ian Gray (aka: Shrapnel) and multi-instrumentalist Jarro Raphael (aka: Nuclear Exterminator) were both in DESTROYER 666. So hey what's not to love right? 

Now if you've followed this band's career, and you probably haven't, then I'll explain. Yeah early on they were a DESTROYER 666 offshoot. We're talking typical Aussie blackened thrash which is cool as fuck. But NOCTURNAL GRAVES has progressed away from the typical and in a good way. I see guitarist Shrapnel as the leader pushing their songs to incorporate more blackened atmosphere plus a touch of tech thrash bludgeoning and death metal. 

As much as I like their early raw stuff, 2013's From the Bloodline of Cain" is a masterpiece. I really think An Outlaw's Stand is now their best album. The vocals are totally filth ridden. The riffs in these song structures are flat out insane. It's as if this release was recorded in a studio on fire. The soloing is part epic and grandeur or down right machete head cutting. There's the blackened death metal punches as well as a snippet of black n roll. In the end a perfect fuckin record. 

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkWFojURB4o&t=1038s

HOODED MENACE - The Tritonus Bell review

 

HOODED MENACE - The Tritonus Bell

Season of Mist

Well if you thought this Finnish death doom act was channeling their inner early MY DYING BRIDE respect on their last full length, Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed, from 2018 then you're gonna love this one. As I've said before I have been a fan of their's since 2010's Never Cross the Dead. And with that said I was a hard sell when they started changing their sound as well as band members. But in the end I love the direction they have gone. 

With that said imagine a band that comes away sounding like MY DYING BRIDE, KATATONIA and KING DIAMOND minus the high pitched vocals? It helps having Andy LaRocque as a producer for that latter influence. Oh yeah and it still keeps a partial amount of their past death doom destructive quality. So the key to this new HOODED MENACE album is a balance as well as an adventurous nature to their song craft.

The Tritonus Bell is a perfect example of extreme metal's beauty and bestial method. The harsh and heavy riffs plus menacing cave beast vocals are there to punish. While melodies thick with atmosphere and majestic guitar soloing flutters in and out. Then all of that changes sides to bring about more excitement. All in all a perfect listening pleasure by these Finns.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://hoodedmenace.bandcamp.com/

VREID – Wild North West review

 

VREID – Wild North West 

Season of Mist

My main reason for getting into Norway's VREID in the first place many years ago was obvious. They were the former members of WINDIR who continued on under a new name after their former mainman Valfar died. Since I liked WINDIR a lot my hope was that maybe these guys would continue the legacy. I thought their first couple of releases were decent. But for me 2009's Milorg was a great milestone for them. 

Even to this day whenever I wanna hear something from this band's catalog I go straight for Milorg. Afterwards I'll bounce around to their other releases. I will say that the band's last four full length releases haven't been bad. 2011's V is a decent album I'll play straight through without being bored. As far as everything which came after well those releases had some high points and plenty of mediocre moments. 

So because I'm a fan and a completest I had to check out this latest one hoping for the best. And after a few listens I look at this their ninth full length with the same respect I gave their past few. The album starts off well with the band's melodic black metal style in full bloom. I like how on a few cuts the band reach back to their early days for inspiration and influence. To put in nicely there's some WINDIR moments. So first four tracks in and we're good here.

But then it's on the second half of the album when things get weird. After an amazing "Spikes of God", which is black metal incarnate for these guys, the band heads into black n roll territory. Now if you thought their foray into mello death an album or two ago was bad. Well you'll not be too won over with "Dazed and Reduced" which is like a bad Alice Cooper wannabe cut. Actually Alice would give it some well needed justice. 

After that flop it's followed by the equally bad "Into the Mountains". The closer "Shadowland" has decent moments for a end of album opus but it's close to ten minute time length stretches too much. Oh well keep stretching guys, number ten is next. Let's see if you can capture lightning in a bottle again.

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

LISTEN HERE:

https://vreidsom.bandcamp.com/

CANNABIS CORPSE - Nug So Vile review

CANNABIS CORPSE - Nug So Vile

Season of Mist




After thirteen years and with this one counting six full lengths let alone a couple of short form releases. You would think that maybe their pot head meets old school death metal shtick would burn out. I don't think so. Nug So Vile, which is a parody of CRYPTOPSY's None So Vile album (to those of you ignorant) is the next progression of which I knew they were going to turn to.


Now I'm not saying they were going this slightly more tech death way via that band's album. I was just guessing that they were gonna move further up the latter in order to be relevant. Frankly I'll still say they're 2014 release, From Wisdom to Baked, was a milestone. But then 2017's Left Hand Pass surpassed that one. But here we have something completely unique and different.


Obviously one standout to this album is new guitarist Adam Guilliams. He adds a lot of definite old school tech death guitar touches as well as damm good riffs which blow you the fuck away. Add to that Josh Hall's maniacal and thread weaving drum work. The whole Guilliams and Hall combination is like excitement city being surgically torn down piece by piece. 


Of course lastly you have Phil Landphil's vocals which still balance out between Chris Barnes and CorpseGrider of CANNIBAL CORPSE. As always I'll listen to some great death metal albums of the year which carry plenty of old school influence. And then you hear this and go ah whatafuck this is so fucking cool.


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

https://cannabiscorpseofficial.bandcamp.com/album/nug-so-vile

https://www.facebook.com/CannabisCorpse-104903899597371/