PLASMODIUM - Towers of Silence review

 

PLASMODIUM - Towers of Silence 

Transcending Obscurity Records 

Here we have the second album by Australia's PLASMODIUM. I never heard their first one so while seeing the tagline on this to be 'Cosmic Black/Death Metal', I was intrigued to say the least. After spending the weekend listening to this on and off I was reminded of a very bad drug experience from my youth. Then again I could also equate it to a recent trip to a big box store on a Sunday afternoon.

Obviously this band has their practice space near the same cavernous spot fellow Aussies PORTAL uses. Now I don't know about the 'cosmic' part. I'm wondering if they're influenced in any way by aboriginal ideas. As far as blackened "I'm on fucking drugs" sounds go these guys pass that test. I mean the song "Translucinophobia" is a bad speeding acid trip to say the least. 

On this release PLASMODIUM like to stretch their sound around from atmospheric and psych influenced doom passages to full on speedy black metal. "Pseudocidal" is a perfect example in psychotic fear. I'd say all six tracks on here would fit perfectly on a soundtrack to a Lovecraftian animated horror movie. All of this is very unsettling to say the least. Do not play this while on medication or plan any naps for a few hours afterwards. You've been warned.

 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://plasmodiumdeath.bandcamp.com/album/towers-of-silence-cosmic-black-death-metal

COFFIN MULCH - Septic Funeral EP review

 

COFFIN MULCH - Septic Funeral EP

Redefining Darkness Records

Can we all give a hell fuckin yeah to this band's name? I mean COFFIN MULCH, come on that's cool. Strangely enough I'm writing about this band's debut EP on the night where the pub I work at had a wake for a regular who passed last week. Nice guy who've I've known for close to a decade. He was into classic rock but then again the guy was much older than me. Don't know who's getting his Harley but it ain't me. I don't think he'd like this band even though he'll be coffin mulch in a few years.

But anyways the first time I checked out this Scottish band's release I was like cool it's old school death metal. Then I wondered after all of these years, well decades now, why does this music still appeal to me. I mean seriously it's been done three times over. Sure there was a revival back in 2008 which I thought was cool especially since the mainstream metal media elites at first mocked it. But the fact is the sound lives forever no matter who is doing it.

To be honest COFFIN MULCH are not bringing anything new to the genre table and frankly that's a good thing. Musically their sound is part Swedish / part US as far as a death and doom delivery. The vocals are of that 'I drink from a cauldron of fire' variety. The riffs are heavy as fuck Boss HM-2 style thunder with an undercurrent of filth plus anger. The rhythm section lays waste when things speed up a bit. While keeping a powerful back drop when slow and heavy beats are required. 

Something else which this band includes, while some other new OSDM bands quit doing, are those surgeon scalpel solos. For me that's a must have. Even better is that this is a six song EP which is just two or three cuts short of a full length. So this release is COFFIN MULCH kicking your ass and demanding you throw up the horned fist for twenty plus minutes. The old ones have pasted on so celebrate their memory with music that reminds you of em. Cheers! 

http://www.redefiningdarkness.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://coffinmulch-uk.bandcamp.com/album/septic-funeral

WITCHSEEKER - Scene of the Wild review

 

WITCHSEEKER - Scene of the Wild

Dying Victims Productions

Someone in Singapore likes early 80's metal. Then again who doesn't? Ironically I was listening to RIOT the other day. So when I heard the opening cut / title track from this one I couldn't help but think of that old New York act was an influence. As for a modern reference I'd say ENFORCER early on in their career.

This is the second full length by WITCHSEEKER who originally started out as a one man band back in 2012. But over the years the band became a four piece act. Basically on here the band displays their love of speedy metal with a touch of melody with a bunch of anthem type songs. While on cuts like "Sin City" and "Candle in the Dark" they show their NWOBHM side.

All in all I think this is a cool release with thrashy riffs, damm good soloing (check out "Hellions of the Night"), the bass lines are in sync with the guitars on plenty of riffs. The crazy part is the vocals almost have a Paul Stanley of KISS quality to em. I guess that's what makes this one infectious to listen to.

https://shop.dying-victims.de/en/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/witchseeker-scene-of-the-wild

TERRORDOME - Straight Outta Smogtown review

 

TERRORDOME - Straight Outta Smogtown

Selfmadegod Records

At this point in time you have to be a super fan to enjoy some thrash that is similar to the likes of MUNICIPAL WASTE for a modern reference. Then again I've been on this road for a while so I'll also include some good o'l NUCLEAR ASSAULT or CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER. Since those two latter acts are gone except for their releases and you wanna hear some newer stuff then sure TERRORDOME fits the bill.

This Polish act has been around for a while now with a release catalog consisting of some full lengths, short form releases and even a compilation. So here they are with their third full length and over it's fourteen cuts you'd have to be a jaded ass not to be enticed to perform jerky motions. Choose your own jerky motions because I'm not here to provide dance move suggestions. Just as long as you're not doing that pathetic looking death core ballet bullshit.

But anyways musically expect plenty of unbridled speed for the most part. There's some groove to because it is thrash. But there's some cool riffs going on with some knife to the gut solos. The band's sound is well rounded giving the bass and fanatic drumming equal treatment with the guitar and caustic vocals. Speaking of the latter, there's a bunch of guests taking part in the singalongs. That seems to be a recipe being overused of late by many other thrash acts. Other than that this is top notch.  

https://selfmadegod.com/shop/en_US/index

LISTEN HERE:

https://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/album/straight-outta-smogtown

NERVOSA - Perpetual Chaos review

 

NERVOSA - Perpetual Chaos

Napalm Records

OK a few things to mention here. I remember NERVOSA from a few years ago. They were a three piece all female thrash act from Brazil. Their Downfall of Mankind from 2018 was pretty damm good. They had a cool blackened thrash quality to em. But that was then and things have changed for this band. Since last time around the bassist/vocalist and drummer have left the band leaving guitarist Prika Amaral left to re-start things. 

Just for the record this band has gone through half a dozen band members. So NERVOSA are not a Brazilion band anymore. Instead they're now an international act with their three new members. Joining Prika Amaral is vocalist Diva Satanica from Spain. On drums there's Eleni Nota who hails from Greece. Finally there's Mia Wallace from Italy on bass. Wallace is the only one I know of since she played bass on ABBATH's last album. 

So as far as this, their fourth album, goes I'd say the change works well. First off Prika Amaral is a damm good guitarist. She brings forth some diabolical riffs throughout. Her lead work is decent overall. Musically things are less blackened and simplistic than before. This new NERVOSA is full on death thrash with a modern touch. New vocalist Diva Satanica adds a more diverse range of vocal styling be they brutal death grunts, blackened screeches or blatant screams. 

As far as the new rhythm section goes, they keep time with Prika Amaral fairly well. If anything is a miss it's the great drum work sounding like banging on Tupperware. All 13 songs are amazing and in your fuckin face. DESTRUCTION's Marcel Schirmer adds some vocals on one cut while Eric A.K. from FLOTSAM AND JETSAM sings along on another. 

In the end this is some damm good thrash for 2021. Hopefully Prika Amaral will keep this line-up going because it has that early SLAYER quality which has been missing from the genre for a long time. The only sad note here is that because of the Wuhan virus BS the chance for seeing em play these great songs is up in the air.  

https://napalmrecords.com/deutsch/?SID=rn2kr7fvmj20u99qjn0qc877r2

LISTEN HERE:

https://nervosa-brazil.bandcamp.com/

CELESTIAL SANCTUARY - Soul Diminished review

 

CELESTIAL SANCTUARY - Soul Diminished

Redefining Darkness Records (North America)

Church Road Records (Europe)

One of the things I saw in this band's promo bio was that they're being hailed as part of the New Wave Of British Death Metal. One thing you get with age, like me, is that you remember little tidbits of info in that grand storehouse of memories. So it was definitely over a decade ago that I remember Terrorizor magazine, now defunct, had an issue dedicated to The New Wave Of British Death Metal. Unfortunately the bands they included, which appeared on an accompanying free CD, were mostly all 'core' sounding. 

Fortunately CELESTIAL SANCTUARY are not a 'core' styled band. In fact they do fit nicely into Britain's death metal fold. Which brings me to another factor which comes with age. Just because something sounds similar to what you've heard before is not a bad thing. Especially if you liked it before a whole helluva lot. Yeah this English four piece act wears their influences like patches on a battle vest. But hey they're good quality influences to say the least. I mean come on, their name comes from a BOLT THROWER song from the The IVth Crusade album. 

So musically yeah it's like the offspring of BOLT THROWER starting a band and kicking some ass throughout. Of course that's not the only influence going on here but I'll refrain from any lists. The band's key style is providing some decent heavy handed riffs. I won't say it's crushing but they do land a few knockout punches here and there. It's death doom that's mostly mid-paced in speed. When they do push things into a higher gear it's fine as well. 

Soul Diminished is a good debut by a band that's playing by the genre rules. Personally I'd rather listen to something as solid as this then a release from a band that wants to give a middle finger to tradition. Hey if you wanna take risks and expand then fine do it on your future albums. But for now Britain needs you to play death doom for her. Nuff Said.

http://www.redefiningdarkness.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://celestialsanctuary-uk.bandcamp.com/album/soul-diminished

SIGNIFICANT POINT - Into the Storm review

 

SIGNIFICANT POINT - Into the Storm

Dying Victims Productions

Well this one shocked my senses like I had just jumped into a frozen lake and that was with the opening cut "Attacker". What we have here people is the debut album by Japan's SIGNIFICANT POINT. They're a five piece act who specialize in true heavy metal sounds from the 80's with a love for speed. I believe they're JUDAS PRIEST fans as well. 

First off this band has a heavy metal falsetto screamer as a vocalist. Half of the time he's perfect while other instances he can be over indulgent and off key. But overall I think he's amazing regardless. I'm a huge fan of heavy metal screamers. But that's not all which is great about this album. 

Musically this band has the twin guitar salvo part down to a science as if they've been doing it for decades. And of course that's where you get the more MAIDEN-esque galloping feel with leads and great rhythms. In fact of the ten cuts on here I think they're all good. SIGNIFICANT POINT does lean into power metal territory which I think is cool. 

All in all you've got some high octane metal touching on the melodic side of things for a good momentum. I just can't help but like this a lot. I grew up in metal with this stuff back in the 80's whether it was top of the bill bands or the second tier greats of the underground. Into the Storm is your get to release for a true metal fix in 2021 and beyond. 

https://www.dying-victims.de/

LISTEN HERE:

https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/significant-point-into-the-storm