Incarceration - Sacrifice [EP] (2013, F.D.A. Rekotz)

I suppose you could say the Brazilian/German death metal band Incarceration are on the verge of breaking through within the underground of heavy metal. Having garnered much praise through numerous reviews Incarceration is now more or less a household name within certain circles of the underground of old school death metal. I had the extreme pleasure of witnessing their performance at the last edition of the Danish death-festival Kill-Town Death Fest where they played the smallest stage, Dødsmaskinen. Witnessing their savage performance seemed like a privilege in itself, especially with frontman Daniel Duracell smiling broadly the entire time, obviously enjoying what he does even if death metal is of course very serious business.

But enough of this, let us get back to the matter at hand: The band's 2013 EP "Sacrifice". Despite the title, nothing was spared in the production of this EP. From start to finish, this is roughly 10 minutes of death metal the way it's meant to be. Incarceration draws heavily upon the sinister regional sound Duracell's native Brazil became known for in the 80's, but presented in a much more varied and well-produced manner. Though Sacrifice mostly consists of classic death metal songwriting, there are definite hints to other genre tendencies as well. Especially the closing track Cemetery of Lies relies on some hardcore punk-derived mosh parts, letting go of the mainstay two-beats for just a little while. There's not much going on in terms of slowing down except for a few breaks here and there, always keeping things lightning fast and precise.

Most early extreme metal bands like Bathory, Hellhammer, Venom, Sarcófago or Sepultura weren't at the time known for their dedication to being tight. In fact, most were infamously sloppy. Back then that was just how things were, it was part of the scene, a side effect of extremity. As time passed and the genres got more defined, so did the musicians writing and performing the music. With Incarceration, there's absolutely no trace of sloppiness. The trio performs way beyond was is expected from old school death metal throw-back bands of today, and does so without losing one single ounce of the malevolent and chaotic feel those bands had back in the 80's.

I cannot stress enough just how much fans of early death/thrash should check out Incarceration. Whether or not they'll be the next big thing in the underground really doesn't matter, because this is where you will get your fix of flesh-rending guitar hooks, demonic screams and blasting battery. 9/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Forsaken and Forgotten
2. Sacrifice
3. Cemetery of Lies

INCARCERATION on Facebook
INCARCERATION on Bandcamp

Legionary - Path of Tyranny [EP] (2013, Self-released)

Legionary is a band that has always been plagued by line-up changes, the only constant member being drummer Frank D'Erasmo, the creator of Legionary. The members have had ties to New Jersey thrashers Condition Critical as well as the death/thrash group Strychnia from the same area. First of all, I'm a little sad to see the departure of their previous vocalist, Tim Rocheny, from the lineup. After the release of Arcane Divisions, Legionary's debut album from 2012, Rocheny went on to become the vocalist of the Razorback-signed death metal band Mausoleum.

Legionary hail from the North Eastern parts of the US, but if there's anything northern about their sound it's the inspiration they've taken from Scandinavian melodic death metal. Their modus operandi is melody-based death metal with thrashy tendencies, fueled by D'Erasmo's ferocious drumming and the guitar leads of main riff-smith Rory S. Robinson, who is new to the band. The new vocalist, Kevin O'Laughlin from Strychnia, is a nice addition to the line-up and fills the shoes of Rocheny adequately. The familiar sound of thrashy tremolos fills the ears once again when Path of Tyranny is put to the test.

The recipe works pretty well overall, though what was previously only a refreshing dash of melody added to the mix is now full-blown melodic death metal, albeit executed in a thrashier way than most. Tracks like Disgrace of the Union has a Kataklysm-esque feel to it during the fastest part where the O'Laughlin roars over the sound of D'Erasmo's ridiculously fast blast beats, which speaks volumes of their skills as musicians whether or not you like Kataklysm. I feel compelled to make the comparison between their debut album and this EP; On Arcane Divisions the earlier incarnation of the band were busy showcasing every aspect of their sound and songwriting, boldly displaying everything they could muster in terms of brutality and speed during the almost 50 minutes the album spanned, but this newer embodiment of the band seems more inclined to the more melodic side of their music. It seems to rely more on a sound that would invite showmanship - something that is especially noticable in the riveting Media Complex and through their incredibly flashy guitar solos - rather than musicianship.

While the Path of Tyranny EP is more melodic than Arcane Divisions it is also more controlled, releasing its violent outburts in a more disciplined fasion. This in turn makes room for compositions that are principally more technical in their nature, but I can not help but notice how the presence of only one guitarist has trouble filling the void left by another guitarist. The sound on the album simply felt more layered and wholesome, and it would seem that while the songwriting itself hasn't changed much, the musical approach has. Path of Tyranny, in all its glory, misses a little punch and doesn't feel as ruthlessly uncompromising as the band's previous efforts. 6/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Freedom's Demise (Intro)
2. Disgrace of the Union
3. Media Complex
4. An Inconvenient Lie

The EP and the album can be listened to and purchased through Bandcamp
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Minus One World - Sewage [EP] (2013, Self-released)

Finland has a long and proud tradition of doom-laden death metal centered around the gloomy and atmospheric aspects of death metal. Many great bands portraying this style has emerged from Finland in both the 90's and more recent times, but leave it to Minus One World from Salo to break the traditions. Minus One World was created in 2008, but we would write 2013 before hearing any actual releases from them.

Where tradition dictates that Finnish death metal would be filthy and abrasive, Minus One World are upbeat and almost pleasant. When traditional Finnish death metal is slow and churning, Minus One World are fast. Among the thrashy riffs and roaring vocals there's really only a few things tying them to the Finnish scene. Obviously all regional scenes have deviations and new tendencies, but with Minus One World's first EP "Sewage" it is primarily the thick production that lets the mind wander to the gloomy forests of the land of a thousand lakes.

It may sound strange to some that the young Finnish band have waited 5 years before releasing anything. But this has a certain benefit; The Sewage EP doesn't really have those inferior, juvenile and undesirable qualities that many young bands have on their early material and as such feels a lot more polished, something that is clearly evident in the material they present on the EP. It doesn't suffer from many common birth defects like shitty production, half-assed songwriting and riffs that go nowhere.

But even so there are a few unsavory things present on the EP. Minus One World focus on a more melodic and groovy approach than many other bands, and especially when you throw in thrash riffs you really have to make sure your riffs are rock solid, and unfortunately they aren't. The fledgling band deliver their material with much energy and fervor making it hard not to get dragged in and carried away and just enjoy the music, but I think that it is an EP one wouldn't be enticed to return to. It has its fast and slow parts, it has groovy parts and more brutal parts, but overall Minus One World's Sewage EP is an uninteresting effort when compared to other bands of the same type. 6/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Kalli Halki Maahan
2. Target
3. Empire Strikes Back
4. Sewage

MINUS ONE WORLD official homepage
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Phidion - Flesh of the Forsaken [EP] (2012, Self-released)

Ominous aggression, menacing fury, focussed anger. These are the moods Phidion, a 5-man strong death-thrash outfit from Sweden's capital city, set on their third release, the Flesh of the Forsaken EP from 2012.

Exploring a lyrical universe of the recurring history of humanity's affinity for warfare and other fitting topics the Swedish band has a barbaric way of delivering mid-paced death metal with a few thrash riffs here and there to spice things up. Flesh of the Forsaken gives the impression that Phidion are a band of well-versed songwriters, and as such there's no time wasted on lackluster melodies or bland gimmicks. The Flesh of the Forsaken EP is heavy when it needs to be, and fast when the flow demands it.

Though the songs are generally well written and easy to follow, the same cannot be said about the guitar riffs. They work well with this kind of no-bullshit thrash-infused death metal, and helped along by some surprisingly interesting bass lines the riffs provides a fine platform for a good EP, but it's missing that extra something. The riffs are generally bordering on banality, but they're played with enough fervor and precision to provide a sort of quality. I'm tempted to say that the same goes for the drums, without going into too much detail because these are programmed.

In closing it can safely be said that Phidion have procured an ample set of songs for an EP that doesn't leave much to be wanted, but at the same time has room for improvement. The band's skills in songwriting and flow definitely work to their advantage, and that ever so familiar tinge of Sweden's rich metal history is also highly present on Flesh of the Forsaken. The great bass-work is a great bonus as well. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Warzone
2. Slaves to Eternal Insomnia
3. Monomanic Mind
4. Anthropophagus
5. Dr. Butcher, M.D.
6. Strontium Dog

PHIDION on Facebook
PHIDION official website

Available for purchase on Bandcamp

Manifestor - Old Monster [Demo] (2012, Self-released)

A death/thrash band from Gothenburg, Sweden... "Oh boy, here's another wannabe old-school Swedish death metal band" was my immediate thought regarding Manifestor when their newest demo "Old Monster" arrived in the mail. "A two-man band? Yeah, this is gonna be great" I thought sarcastically to myself. I could just imagine sloppy, fuzzed out guitars, the trashy bass sound, bland vocals and programmed drums. I was in for a surprise.

Hatetriot and Asbest, the two minds behind Manifestor, released their first demo in 2010 and followed up with Old Monster in 2012. 2 years to write and record 3 tracks may seem like a long time, but what the long period has resulted in speaks for itself. Manifestor may not be innovative in the traditional sense, but it goes against most current trends regarding death and thrash metal. Sure, they could have taken the obvious route and paid tribute to their legendary countrymen, or they could've jumped on the 80's thrash revival band wagon. But what they've chosen to write is death/thrash with heavy hints of early 80's grindcore. Sound familiar? One might connect this description with other acts like Frightmare, Ghoul, Macabre or Blood Freak, but in reality Manifestor is quite different from these groups. Manifestor's focus lies on a thick atmosphere of old school death metal with the rioting guitar riffs of thrashier bands like Morbid Saint which makes the demo both heavy, hard hitting and fast. But the main attraction for me is when they throw in some good old grindcore for good measure. The grindier parts of Old Monster bring to mind classics like Brutal Truth, Terrorizer, Repulsion, Extreme Noise Terror and especially early Carcass, and it's this kind of variation that makes Manifestor stand out.

The way they handle their instruments isn't exactly virtuosic, but it is completely ruthless and adds that certain element of aggression that many bands lose in their quest for a clean production. There's something honest about the way Manifestor mix the three genres and show blatant disregard for current trends. I feared that Manifestor's music would be ruined by programmed drums, but with Asbest playing drums Old Monster has the necessary amount of authenticity to be good. I love how the band never linger too long on one part of a song, and the dual vocal efforts from the band's two members grants the demo great variation. Their mix of grind, death and thrash is a fun mix indeed and stands out as a focussed effort. My only complaint is that the demo is too short and sometimes sounds a bit too chaotic for my tastes. They don't mess around lingering with the same two or three riffs in every song, but listening to the demo I sometimes wish they would've cared a bit more for the flow of the individual tracks and perhaps a greater concern for the delivery of each part of the songs. 8/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Black Sabbath (Note: Not a cover of Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath)
2. Old Monster
3. Manifestor

MANIFESTOR on MySpace

Sanity Obscure - Subterranean Constellation [Full length] (2012, Self-released)

When I read that Sanity Obscure was for fans of such bands as Pestilence, Nocturnus, Coroner, Vektor, Atheist and Death it naturally created very high expectations with me. I consider myself a pretty big fan of especially Nocturnus and Vektor, so if Sanity Obscure are anything like them that's a start at least.

As the album starts out with Dreams - Manifestations I got some almost jazzy vibes from them, and the portrait Sanity Obscure were starting to paint was indeed somewhat akin to those created by Nocturnus in the 80's. Throughout the album there are profound nods to those legends they worship, and from the amount of quite formidable bands the band itself lists as major influences it seems relevant to ask whether or not Sanity Obscure manages to fill their shoes.

From the first few listens I wasn't entirely convinced that Sanity Obscure were "mature" enough to wield the mantel of such revered bands, but tracks like Rise of the Machines forced away my doubt. They almost added up to my expectations, neatly combining elements from many progressive and technical bands from the 80's and early 90's, and their sound and songwriting does bear certain hints of both thrash and death metal. But one of the things that made the album appear like a mishmash og things is the myriad of elements they're commandeering into their sound. I like the fact that there is so much variation, but when Patient Zero goes from Nocturnus-esque chugging riffs to melo-death-ish melodies to chugging powered by blast beats it makes it sound like, to me, that they're not entirely sure what they want to play or like they're taking on too many influences. Regardless of that the Singaporean quintet got away with making some really enjoyable technical death/thrash by reusing the ideas of their idols. I especially enjoy the semi-progressive riffing tendencies, the widely varied vocal performances, the insisting bass and the variation of the drums.

To answer the question I posed in the second paragraph, Sanity Obscure doesn't quite amount to the greatness of the bands listed. Obviously it's tough to surpass such bands, and the reason for this is that those bands are unique. To be truly unique Sanity Obscure would have to combine and distill all the revolutionizing elements of Atheist, Nocturnus and Death into something amazing, but they never really succeed in detaching themselves from the incongruent mass of technical bands out there, and ultimately they amount to little more than a fairly skilled but very enjoyable tribute band. 6/10 guitars. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Dreams - Manifestations
2. Rise of the Machines
3. Incarceration Divine
4. Synergistic Permutations
5. Patient Zero
6. Doublethink
7. Hyperboreas
8. Afflicted Mind

SANITY OBSCURE official facebook

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Sewercide - Severe Trauma [Demo] (2012, Self-released)

Let me first introduce the band: Sewercide is a 4-piece thrash band from Melbourne, Australia. Their genesis was in 2011 and by now in 2012 they've already seen two releases, the demo Severe Trauma and a split with Randomorder called States of Decay. While the two releases combined boast only 3 tracks of a total of 10:30 minutes the 7 minutes of early death-infused thrash metal that make up the Severe Trauma demo from March are like a hail of machinegun fire on the eardrums in the best way possible.

Sewercide have obviously been listening to Max Cavalera-era Sepultura. I detect huge amounts of Schizophrenia through Chaos A.D. worship on this demo that infuses the fast, aggressive thrash metal with the heavy, distorted musical psychosis that is death metal. The 4-piece utilize a very dynamic sound to fuel the bonfire that is their chosen style. Just like Sepultura.

And this brings me on to my main point: Why listen to a Sepultura clone, when you could just listen to the actual Sepultura? Even if they're a very enthusiastic copy with huge amounts of talent, is there any point in listening to Sewercide rather than putting on Beneath the Remains? Let me answer that question in a very short manner: Yes. The Australian conspirators may sound a lot like Sepultura, but even so their music is hugely enjoyable and played with such force and ferocity that it WILL be an enjoying experience.

Now with all these positive remarks I end my review with some small downsides. Unlike timeless classics like Slayer's Chemical Warfare, Sepultura's Territory, Kreator's Pleasure to Kill or Slaughter's Incinerator - Tracks that would all fit the style of Sewercide - this band's music sort-of lacks something to really get me hooked, like a memorable riff, catchy chorus or hellish drumroll. I also haven't adressed my dislike for overly short demos. I can easily understand why a newly created band wants it's music unleashed upon the innocent crowd as soon as possible, but I would've like this demo was a bit lengthier. On the other hand, it is easily within the first couple of years of a band's creation that most bands release their most vigorous, brutal and uncompromising material and I can see why it would definitely be benefitial to have a slew of highly destructive tracks out there.
In closing Severe Trauma is a very short, but mighty effective demo. Sewercide have convinced me in relative short time that their potential is undeniable, and if they continue releasing material at a rapid pace I will be a more than happy reviewer. 8/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Pyrocataclysm
2. Seismic Annihilation

SEWERCIDE official facebook
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If you don't believe me (and even if you do) their tracks are freely available on Bandcamp and Last.FM!

Empatic - Gods of Thousand Souls [Full length] (2010, Wydawnictwo Muzyczne Psycho)

Thrashy semi-melodic death metal is more or less the national metal genre of my home country Denmark, so listening to the Polish band Empatic's newest album, 2010's Gods of Thousand Souls, was almost like listening to bands from home like Hatesphere or Aphyxion.

Like mentioned above, Empatic plays some nice and heavy thrashy half-melodic death metal with a good sense of pace and structure. The 10 original tracks of the album feature some pretty snazzy chunks of metal that beg to be headbanged to. But what the Polish band have in talent for flow they lack in hooks and memorable riffs. Though they are obviously talented musicians I'm missing something truely memorable about the music. The songs simply blend in too much with each other, making the album a bit repetitive because it's hard to distinguish the tracks from each other.

That said their Randy Blythe-esque vocalist goes great with their more ruthless riffs and the tight-as-fuck drums. Songs like False Friend or The Game start out really heavy but then mellow out during the middle until they climax in the end. After a few listens I get the feeling that Empatic has only two settings: Crushingly heavy and melodic flowy stuff, mostly because all their songs have these two modes incorporated in some way. Though this tendency isn't very noticable or prominent, it's still enough so that it can halt an otherwise great pace.

In general I'd say that Gods of Thousand Souls is an honest, down to earth piece of death metal with varying musical tendencies. It's not something blindingly special, and Empatic don't seem like they're trying to create something new and exciting, but they've succeeded in compiling a solid set of songs for metalheads to enjoy. Apart from the hideously out-of-place cover song in the end of the album, Gods of Thousand Souls is pretty good work. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Green Mile
2. G.O.T.S.
3. False Friend
4. The Game
5. Tomorrowland
6. VS
7. So What
8. Dreamer
9. Fulfilled Dreams
10. Empatic
11. Enola Gay (OMD Cover)

EMPATIC official site
Wydawnictwo Muzyczne Psycho official site