In Silent - Potêpienie [Full length] (2013, Self-released)

Having been formed in 1996, In Silent will soon be able to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The Polish band has 4 demos to show for it, the latest being from 2009. Most of the early members of In Silent are long gone from the lineup, with the two guitarists being the only original members, and the core of the band's sound.
The very nucleus of the death metal genre is searing guitar work, scorching vocals and ferocious drumming. In Silent's modern incarnation is ripe with the familiar sound of that classic death metal technique, giving off the feeling that they're old timers within the genre. Potêpienie exudes an atmosphere of devotely following the stipulations of death with thick production values and grooving riffs.

The heavier guitars that make up the majority of the album are at the very forefront of In Silent's behavior. The Polish band twist and wrangle the stringed instruments into submission, accompanied by a powerful veil of merciless drumming, the raw and articulate vocals efficiently tying the whole thing together into the 22 minute opus that it is.

The straightforward musical craftsmanship that the album mainly portrays is obviously where the group have their comfortzone. This, however, leads to very little fluctuation in sound and constitution, the essence of the band being efficiency. What I mean by this is that there is absolutely no effort wasted, and everything is mechanically precise to the point where there's no soul to the music. The pseudo-technical adventures into the higher frets on the guitars come off as choppy and over-simplified, and while the groovy parts work well in their protected environment, almost every track sounds like it needs a few surprises. Most tracks sound like they're roughly the same speed as the previous, and the parts that would normally mix things up a bit aspire to be little other than soft-spoken, anonymous left-over particles.

I find that the albums that grow on me the most are the ones that have incredible depth and intricate songwriting, not necessarily from being overly technical or lengthy, but rather from paying attention to every minor detail in the sound image. In Silent's debut album, Potêpienie, stands out as a piece that is mostly too simple, but without the much needed memorability and hooks that make simpler music enjoyable. The tracks Necro Fucker and Czerwony Parszywy Cheam have the gist of what it takes, but the slowly lumbering pace with oddly placed blastbeats doesn't quite do it in the end. Morbid features one of the album's most ambitious main riffs, but quickly switches to a boring chug rhythm. The album is almost insultingly simple at times, to the point where it actually becomes sort of annoying, and it holds little merrit in the long run, the only real value being that In Silent are sufficiently immersed in their Polish lyrics and groovy rhythms for it to be a fun listen once in a while. Unfortunately, the recipe fails to impress.

Tracklist:
1. Tydzieñ Patriotów
2. Potêpienie
3. Czerwony Parszywy Cheam
4. Necro Fucker
5. Morbid
6. Amputacja
7. Pedofiluzzkleru

Visit the band on Facebook

Sguaguarahchristis - Der Nacht [Full length] (2014, This Winter Will Last Forever Records)

Having been formed in 2011, Sguaguarahchristis - or SG666 for short - are hardly old timers within the scene. Self-proclaimed anti-human black metal, the group currently consists of three members, with Pesten seemingly being the driving force behind the band. Since their debut album in 2012, they've released a few minor offerings of black metal with the newest being the second act of their dark performance, Der Nacht. The album saw the light of day (or dark of night, one might say, as the album is meant as an homage to the same) in 2013 and was released in February 2014 through bandcamp, with a physical release through This Winter Will Last Forever Records in March.

It becomes apparent rather quickly that the band are, to say the least, enthusiastic about the general atmosphere and songwriting of second-wave certain black metal legends. They themselves mention early Emperor and Arcturus as influences, and the similarities - while faint - are definitely there. The music of SG666 emphatically fluctuates between cascades of assailing blast beats and seamless, astral melodies, both on guitar and synth. The raw attitude of some tracks greatly contrast the vast harmony of others. It is when the band wholeheartedly open the gates to their core of melodies that the music of Sguaguarahchristis soars above being anything but bland text-book black metal. Most of the tracks on Der Nacht have interesting melodic compositions that play around with the idea of turning the music toward a less esoteric audience, but without fully doing so. These oftentimes rhapsodic themes come across as the very element the rest of the music is built around, though neatly intertwined with the intrusive tone of the band's inherent black metal style, which itself often lies on the raw side of the spectrum.

The songwriter(s) of the band has great feel for the flow and length of an album. Barely exceeding 40 minutes, Der Nacht would seem long had it not been for the way the band captivates the listener through its glorious, ethereal melodies. It is not something exceedingly out of the ordinary, but the music resonates with me in a way that makes it a worthwhile listen. Der Nacht is a wholesome album that essentially feels pure - The synths don't seem out of place among the cold guitar tracks, the bass isn't "there" just because, and the drumming feels relevant and applied. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Under the Moon We Are the Hunters
2. Transparent Tears from Saturnus
3. Black Waves of Thy Winter
4. My Sideral Journey
5. The Howling Wind Whispers My Destiny
6. Mother Night, Eternal Labyrinth
7. Der Nacht (Your World is Covered by Lies)

Listen for yourself on Bandcamp
Like them on Facebook
Visit the label

Subscale - The Last Submission [Full length] (2013, Geenger Records)

Reviewing something like Subscale is a troublesome undertaking. For a lover of the old school and loather of mindless modernity, an album like The Last Submission from a band that has in such a degree soaked up all the clichés and trends of the last 15 years of mainstream metal and hardcore is an unwelcome nostalgia trip to the distant lands of Korn, Slipknot, Killswitch Engage and so on. In 2010 Subscale was formed in Croatia with the first release, the EP "Fictional Constructs", being released in 2012. It wasn't long before the debut album, The Last Submission, was released, with a lineup counting seven people.

The style Subscale represent is computerized nu-metal-core for and from a definite digital age. The project is plentifully staffed, aimed at joining the most heavy, groove-laden elements of nu metal, djent, metalcore and other contemporary genres in one release uninterested in innovation and deviation. Borrowing several factors from especially a North American style, their sound is dense and core-fueled throughout the long-winded album, with each song sprinkled with pleasingly melodic choruses. Despite the apparent abundance of band members the compositions don't sound cluttered, which either speaks of the skills of the sound engineer or the complete redundancy of having so many people in one band.

The Last Submission is heavy-handed and grooving, but at the same time immensely unattractive, inoffensive and thuggish. I mentioned the melodic choruses in an earlier paragraph, which is what carries the band's mainstream appeal, but this is where the pleasantries end. Though the ensemble obviously have great control over the arts of open-stringed chugging riffs (though "riffs" seems a poor term under these circumstances), this recipe gets old fast. With little variation like tight melodies, breaks or anything, it's hard to distinguish between songs were it not for the blandly clean vocal melodies which each and every chorus section has.

Subscale's debut, though neatly produced and well-executed, seems like an unnecessary collection of modern clichés. Despite attempts to keep a high level of energy throughout the album, the amount of investment both the band and the listener can muster half-way through seems to be radically decreasing. The completely interchangable riffs and vocal parts aren't enough to decisively make it worth the chore it is to endure the extended, mindlessly pumping chugs that make up the majority of the material on Subscale's album. Where the band's peers, who have a tight grip on the younger mainstream audience, all have their trademark values, Subscale doesn't amount to set itself apart from the hordes of similar bands that came out 5 or 10 years ago, even if The Last Submission is a wholesome experiment in hte blandness of deep-string chugging. I suspect some people will think this is one of the greatest albums of all time, but I am not one of those people. 5/10 for effort.

Tracklist:
1. Interception
2. Fictional Constructs
3. Antecedent
4. Method and Manner
5. Pull the Threads (Extraction)
6. Realization
7. Outreach
8. The Verdict
9. The Last Submission
10. Endgame

Visit Subscale on Facebook
Visit Subscale on Soundcloud
Visit Geenger Records

Despot - Satan in the Death Row [Full length] (2013, Self-released)

The South American continent has long been one of the big players in extreme metal, and bands like Sarcófago and Sepultura are household names in metal today. Picking up the mantle in 2008 is B.A.V., formerly of Necrocult and Unholy Massacre, when he created Despot, a militantly crude black metal project through which he released 3 demos until laying the finishing touches upon his biggest opus yet, Satan in the Death Row.

Right off the bat Despot and the associated album Satan in the Death Row gives off a somewhat schizophrenic vibe with the colourful and vibrant cover art leading the thoughts more toward hipster-indie stuff rather than the savage black metal tunes that inhabit the disc. The intro track, too, supports the notion that Satan in the Death Row is an effort quite dissimilar to the traditional approach many bands take, its electronic ambience sounding more akin to certain European pioneers. But at the very core of it all is the raw bulk of black metal coarseness, a more obvious product of Despot's national ancestry. And like many of the Despot's South American predecessors the music itself - the riffing in particular - has an inherent tinge of thrash metal, turning songs like Purified by Fire into relentless Sodom-esque tunes.

The weirdness and ambiguity of Satan in the Death Row doesn't end with the perculiar choice of artwork or the ambient intro. The beginning of the album's eponymous track also feels a bit out of place along with the same track's oddly melodic solo and the epic aftermath of same, and the closing track of the album neatly ends the experience in much the same way as it began. Fact of the matter is that all these elements serve to subtract from the often cheesy sense of self-worth and arrogance inherent to some black metal acts. The commanding beats of the programmed drums to which B.A.V. plays his militaristic riffs and rasps his belligerent lyrics grants Despot's music a militant and vigorous sound, and the marching habit of his compositions could well have devolved into mediocrity.

Not knowing Despot's previous demo work it's hard to say for sure, but Satan in the Death Row feels like an ambitious endeavor. The riffs aren't too shabby but often feel lost in a hostile environment of ferocious drum machines where the strings don't quite come into their own. Classical elements and computerized choires lend a certain amount of melody to the mix, which in turn once in a while makes it harder to discern individual elements. Not always does the compositions follow the tide of battle, but it can generally be said that the 9 tracks on Despot's debut album present a different take on modern, South American black metal. 6/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Introduction: Divination
2. Matriarch
3. Auto-da-Fé
4. Purified by Fire
5. Satan in the Death Row
6. Forbidden
7. Le Roi Nu
8. Egregious
9. Outro

Visit Despot's official Facebook
Listen on Bandcamp where the album is also available as pay-what-you-want

Tormentstorm - Into the Ominous Door [Full length] (2013, No Sleep Till Megiddo Records)

Up From the Grave was released in 2012 as the first demo from one-man black-thrash project Tormentstorm, paying tribute to the greats of the genre through a misbegotten mess of guitars, vocals, bass and drums. The demo was poorly received because it was poorly conceived. In mid 2013 the second release was ready, entitled Into the Ominous Door.

When I reviewed Up From the Grave I thought to myself that surely Malice could not be serious. He was. And on Into the Ominous Door he shows us why. If nothing else, this second release is at least a tremendous improvement over the first demo. The riffs have structure and the production and songwriting is infinitely better, and better still is the musicianship of Malice. The melodies and arrangements is kept simple, and several bands have proven this to be as good an approach as any, and truly it feels like this is where Tormentstorm is at home.

The rhythm department is where things take a turn for the worse. Unfortunately the drums and bass (if there is any) are nothing but a faint whisper in the shadow of the shredding guitars, and the vocals too are overpowered by the sound of the strings. The full length still holds little merrit because the drums aren't loud enough to properly drive the songs forward and the vocals are too inaudible to create the sense of recognition, depth and variation that the album so desperately craves. The riffs themselves are pretty varied for a black-thrash album, but can't in themselves justify having multiple songs in excess of 6 minutes.

The thing is that it seems like a lot of wasted effort and potential. The riffs and compositions are good enough to warrant more attention and a higher quality. This album could actually be really good if the drums and vocals were held to the same standard that the guitars are. The simple style fits Tormentstorm well, but if you're gonna go simple you have to go all the way and get all the details right. 5/10 guitars

Tracklist:
1. Bestial Storm
2. The Elder Seal
3. Morbid Rites
4. Barbaric Overthrow
5. Onslaught of Steel
6. Plunging the Dagger
7. Throne of Sadism
8. Nocturnal Mistress

Visit Tormentstorm on Facebook
Visit No Sleep Till Megiddo Records' website

Please leave a comment here on the blog - Tell me what you're thinking, and feel free to share if you want to support underground metal!

2013, Part V: Honorable Mentions and Runner-Ups

For the past couple of years I've done top 10's as well as some other stuff in one long post. This form just isn't very easy on the eyes, so this year I've decided to split the end-year post into 5 parts, which are as follows:

Part I: Stuff I Missed in 2012
Part II: Disappointments of 2013
Part III: Top 10 - Non-metal
Part IV: Top 10 - Metal
Part V: Honorable Mentions & Runner-Ups

Part V: Honorable Mentions and Runner-Ups
These are the albums that were hardest for me to exclude from the 2013 top 10. All these bands and albums represent something that many other groups lack, and these albums - like the ones on the top 10 - are noteworthy in their own right.

Abyssous - ...Smouldering
If Cannibal Corpse had made Pleasure to Kill, this is what it would've sounded like. ...Smouldering is a spectrum of old school death metal with the expression and aesthetics of teutonic thrash metal. Centered around the thrashiness of the riffs, the album is set in both fast and slower paces, allowing both the thrashiest and the most death metal-infused parts to become prominent. This ambiguity is one of the strongest points of the young German band and goes to show that the Germans have become a vital part of the international death metal scene these last couple of years. Though ...Smouldering isn't an album as such, it feels like one. The release compiles the demo of the same name from 2012 and four new tracks in the same style. The fact that the songs were likely written and recorded at different times doesn't show, and this in itself is a feat. Abyssous captures the feeling of old school extreme metal without its sloppiness and has impressive production values to go with it. A band well worth keeping an eye on.

Altars - Paramnesia
I mentioned in my review of Abyssal's new album in the Top 10 Metal Albums of 2013 that Portal must yield to the force of newer bands. Altars is such a band. Hailing from the same country as their lovecraftian brethren, Altars' sound is predominantly death metal with trips to the edges of experimental territory, much like Portal. But Paramnesia, Altars'debut album, is a variant of the Portal sound, focusing more on old school death metal song structures. You easily become engulfed in the fiery, hellish sound of Altars' cavernously grizzly vocals and the powerful guitar sound underlined by the kicks and hisses of the drums. Paramnesia is as immersive as you could possibly want for a dark, experimental death metal album such as this, and it practically drips with abundant corruption and decay. The vocal department is wonderfully articulate, forming each word in perfect conjunction with the ponderous roars of the guitar. The sounds of Paramnesia fill every gap and void with forceful tones of death.

Argus - Beyond the Martyrs
I had been looking forward to another Argus album since I heard Boldly Stride the Doomed from 2011, and out of nowhere dropped Beyond the Martyrs, which - true to the Argus way - delivers a number of powerful doom-laden modern heavy metal anthems, courtesy of the guitarist's innovative riffing and the vocalist's epic vocals. It seems every singer in metal nowadays does growls, grunts, shrieks, screams or something to that effect, and as such the powerful vocals on Beyond the Martyrs is a breath of fresh air. Like the previous album Beyond the Martyrs provides varied songwriting with lots of detailed work which speaks volumes of the band's musicianship, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The band is by any standard at the top of their game three albums into their carreer. Fans of Slough Feg, Dawnbringer and Grand Magus, heed the call of Argus.

Cultes des Ghoules - Henbane
Some would say Henbane is a product of poor musicianship, but I would rather see it as a comment on modern metal. Cultes des Ghoules go back to the very roots of the genre and create an abomination, any sound engineer's worst nightmare, with galling strings, battery from hell and vocals gargled forth with nothing but contempt driving it forward. This is not art, and nor does it pretend to be. The Polish band takes delight in a wonderfully unceremonious approach to the genre, which in their pursuit to be as abrassive and offensive to all five senses as possible ends up with a grizzly cavalcade of several highly original riffs. They will drag you through the mud, chastise you and leave you to rot.

Denouncement Pyre - Almighty Arcanum
The Australian formula for thrashing, gritty extreme metal is really something. Denouncement Pyre is closely related to Nocturnal Graves and other prominent Oz bands, and indeed the two bands have been around for an equal amount of time. 2013 saw the release of both bands' second album, and both are ferocious in their own right. You want to slow down? Too bad. Almighty Arcanum isn't quite as staccato as From the Bloodline of Cain, and the riffs are centered more around atmosphere rather than catchiness with the black metal influence weighing in more heavily, but they are equals in terms of speed and brutality.

Impalers - Power Behind the Throne
Remember when Kreator was fast as fuck? Impalers remember. With German thrash classics in mind the Danish group have created a thrashing mammoth of an album with riffs and d-beats at break-neck speeds and the crispiest production this side of the Equator. Power Behind the Throne is as well-crafted as they come. In terms of musicianship the band's debut album may not be virtuosic or completely avant-garde, but there can be no doubt of their skills in handling their instruments at commendable speeds or their ability to forge enjoyable thrash songs. Memorability is at the very core of Power Behind the Throne and as such the album doesn't need to be enjoyed in its entirety. Tracks such as Nuclear Nights and Army of Darkness stand well on their own, and in fact the only thing I could wish for in any future Impalers albums would be for them to mix things up a bit. True, When the World Hungers is a bit out of the usual Impalers tune, but there is room for more variation in composition without compromising their easily distinguishable sound.

Inter Arma - Sky Burial
The band from Richmond has been compared to Neurosis and other notable groups, but they are entirely their own. I had come upon them by accident whilst looking for a band called Sky Burial, the same as their newest album. Though I didn't get what I was looking for, I wasn't disappointed. Inter Arma's latest album presents a force of sludgey riffs dragging through towering black metal blast beats and bleak ambience to go with it. Sky Burial is an enveloping, all-consuming trip through blackened metal landscapes with a number of detours into vast expanses of southern-tinged stonery sludge metal. The album is a bit long at about 1 hour and 7 minutes, but it's an hour well spent.

Intöxicated - Rock n Roll Hellpatrol
Engaging and enthusiastic songwriting in the name of sex, drugs and speed metal is the essence of German newcomers Intöxicated. It might not come as a surprise, but Rock n Roll Hellpatröl essentially sounds like Motörhead engaging in fisticuffs with Gehennah under the influence of hard liquor. Intöxicated isn't gifted with the deepest of lyrics, nor is the music particularly original in that way. But they're not trying to reinvent anything, and the result is a liberating, enjoyable speed metal album with balls. So lock up your daughters, put on some slutanic speedmetal and crush your local disco to the sounds of Intöxicated.

Satan - Life Sentence
1983's Court in the Act is by many considered a NWOBHM gem, and the later albums of Satan are also held in high regard. But non but the best may be compared to Life Sentence from 2013, 30 years from the band's album debut. A comeback album of sorts, Life Sentence ranks up there with the best of its kind. For a 2013 heavy metal album it's completely ingenious. It's got everything you could ever want, from crispy, catchy guitars, andpowerfully soaring vocals to noteworthy choruses. Life Sentence has the same weird songwriting style that Satan has always had, and it serves to underline that Satan are unique. They have aged significantly better than many of their fellow NWOBHM bands, and time has honed their skills. Life Sentence is a cornucopia of awesome heavy metal, and I mean awesome in the literal sense of the word.

Spektr - Cypher
I first got acquainted with Spektr through their debut "Et Fugit Intera Fugit Irreparabile Tempus" and then kind of forgot about the French band until they released Cypher in 2013. Et Fugit wasn't exactly a gem of industrial black metal, but moderately enjoyable in some aspects. With Cypher, Spektr have returned after a 5 year recordless stretch, and they return victorious. The latest album is strangely bizarre and much more well-written than their previous efforts with its alien, paranoid atmosphere achieved through excessive programming and sampling as well as aggressive blackened metal riffs. The album is primarily instrumental, which fits the style very well. The ambient parts of Cypher are the weakest points but serves well for bringing focus to the cold glory of the black metal elements.

2013, Part IV: Top 10 - Metal

For the past couple of years I've done top 10's as well as some other stuff in one long post. This form just isn't very easy on the eyes, so this year I've decided to split the end-year post into 5 parts, which are as follows:

Part I: Stuff I Missed in 2012
Part II: Disappointments of 2013
Part III: Top 10 - Non-metal
Part IV: Top 10 - Metal
Part V: Honorable Mentions & Runner-Ups

Part IV: Top 10 - Metal
2013 has been an incredible year for metal. The previous years it was at times almost a struggle to come up with the most worthwhile albums, and many established bands ended up disappointing with their latest efforts. This year I found it incredibly tough to narrow my choices down to 10 of the best albums. Quebec surprised with a ton of awesome new black metal releases from bands like Gris, Neige Éternelle, Monarque and Sombres Fôrets, and several old timers in metal marked their return to the scene with albums of surprising quality - Most notable of which are, of course, Carcass, Gorguts and Black Sabbath. Suffice it to say there's something for everyone.

10: Slaughtbbath - Hail to Fire
When a Chilean band like Slaughtbbath slave ever onward, working on new black metal material to wreck your ears, and it culminates in one album 10 years after the first offering, you should know you're in for a treat. The Chilean trio bid you to open your eyes so that you may see the true face of Satan with unhinged black metal that chaotically encompasses the feelings and atmospheres of both the Scandinavian and the South American scenes, and is the product of decades of musical evolution, ruled by bands like Bestial Mockery, Angelcorpse, Blasphemy and Bestial Warlust. True to the blasting temperaments of bestial black metal bands, Slaughtbbath is a tempestuous acquaintance with the fierce drumming almost getting out of hand while the dense guitar tone threatens to blow your speakers in a torrent of black metal of death. A convincing and surprising effort indeed!

9: Defeated Sanity - Passages Into Deformity
Defeated Sanity have steadily released album upon album of great brutal death metal. With the band's fourth album they deliver exactly what you have come to expect from them: The heaviest of brutal death metal. And with Passages Into Deformity they cement their place among the heaviest of todays bands. It's about gurgling vocals, guitars tuned lower than low, blast beats and wicked bass-lines, and that's what Defeated Sanity have always been about. The newest album epitomizes their earlier efforts, and that's exactly why it's so great. Catchy songwriting and brutal death metal are often seen as direct opposites (though originators like Suffocation or Dying Fetus have always had their fair share of hooks), but on Passages Into Deformity there's only malformed, misshapen and grotesque guitars and bass-lines, all of which make the album a memorable experience of magnitude barely contained within the confines of vinyl or CD.

8: Enforcer - Death By Fire
This last decade or so heavy and speed metal have once again taken control of the black masses with many Swedish groups leading the assault with Exciter and Judas Priest worship. Enforcer have since the release of the hugely successful Into the Night debut in 2008 been one of the most prominent bands within the movement, and with good reason. Every album so far has featured several incredibly memorable songs from the hands of the Wikstrand brothers, and with Death By Fire they aren't about to break traditions. There's nothing new under the sun, and Enforcer are sticking with what works, for better or worse. Into the Night brought us Black Angel, Diamonds gave us Nightmares, and like those modern classics Death By Fire has spawned an instant classics, namely Take Me Out of This Nightmare, as well as several other memorable songs. Unlike the bands Enforcer worship their music has taken on a more clear sound which, I admit, fits really well and provides the album with a measure of power that makes it a towering monolith of 9 speed metal tracks that many similar bands can't quite procure.

7: Abyssal - Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius
Portal arguably stands at the very forefront of the recent wave of Incantation-inspired death metal bands relying on a cavernous, esoteric sound, and while Vexovoid (Portal's newest album for those of you living under a rock) did deliver just that, they must now give way to newer bands. Abyssal arguably have a much more black metal-oriented sound, but the music calls forth the same awful feelings of dread and panic. On Novit Enim Dominus Qui Sunt Eius, the band's second album, we are treated to blackened metal chords segueing into droning, funeralesque doom riffs, once or twice embarking on an adventurous journey into yet more experimental territories, exploring fusionesque time signatures. Even when Abyssal are feeling adventurous the music itself is filled with purpose and a sense of direction that is indeed laudable for a band in this niche of a genre. The British band know how to express themselves in shuddersome phrases aided by an incredibly focussed and powerful execution.

6: Katalepsy - Autopsychosis
Russia is home to a whole lot of slam bands, most well known of which is probably Abominable Putridity who reinvented themselves with a more technical approach to an otherwise simple genre last year with their sophomore album "The Anomalies of Artificial Origin". This year their countrymen in Katalepsy ditto Abominable Putridity's move and have evolved from simplistic brutal death metal to technically apt death metal with an intrinsic amount of well-placed and daring slams. Katalepsy have undergone several vital line-up changes over the years - So many, in fact, that no original members remain - and this has resulted in the new blood taking the band to the next step, and they have finally found a sound and style that is definitely KATALEPSY. They're obviously a tight-knit group of musicians resulting in some seriously thrilling and electrifying songs. I have often seen bands within the genre succumb to boring and repetitive songwriting, simply because their style don't hold up all that well on an entire album, but the Russians have gotten it down to an art form to keep things fresh by switching from traditional brutal death, to slam, to tech-death and back again in a fashion that doesn't come off as forced.

5: Inquisition - Obscure Verses of the Multiverse
The Colombian band has distilled and refined their songwriting to create a black metal album very close to absolute perfection with their trademark songwriting and sound. Some may even argue that the fact that Inquisition delivered a stupendous album was a given, and on the Colombian (now based in Seattle, USA) band's sixth album there is no sketching and no vagueness. Obscure Verses of the Multiverse shows a band sure of themselves and their songwriting formular, and as a result thereof the album feels like a seamless whole, a finished product with amazing depth. When the dark chords transition into sinister tremolos, thereafter progressing into their mutated take on traditional black metal, one can clearly hear that this is where Inquisition's songwriting comes into its own. Focusing on an empyrean and cosmic aspects has always been one of the main strengths of Inquisition, and the latest album is a product of their sound being the hands down most recognizable in modern black metal.

4: Beyond - Fatal Power of Death
In my experience top 10s often end up having a large number of new releases by older, or at the very least previously known, bands. But we must not forget that new bands joining the field of battle often brings to the tabel the freshest ideas! The keyword with Beyond from Germany is intensity. You take equal amounts of Possessed and Morbid Angel, then add an unhealthy amount of European filth and a dash of black metal, and you get Fatal Power of Death. Beyond is death metal to the core, covered with a layer of black metal aesthetics, and vice versa. The German band's debut moves from the realms of high-speed blast beats and dense blackened death metal riffing with raw, reverbed vocals Fatal Power of Death into slowed down thrashier interludes with deeper growls and back again. These paces are what power the album, and the whole thing boils over from pure energy and enthusiasm, just as I do whilst listening. All the parts that make up Beyond's sound are there to underline the ruthlessness of the rest, and this is exactly why debuts are often more exciting.

3: Toxic Holocaust - Chemistry of Consciousness
The last couple of years have been turbulent for TH mastermind Joel Grind with him having several releases reissued, touring the world with Toxic Holocaust, and writing new material for his solo project. Presumably this means there's a lot of hit and miss involved, and it seems funny that the same man can produce one of the most disappointing and one of the best albums the same year. The new Toxic Holocaust is a true return to form - Chemistry of Consciousness has the balls that Conjure & Command lacked and sounds more like a follow up to An Overdose of Death, expanding on the expression and sound of that album like An Overdose did with Hell On Earth. Chemistry of Consciousness is raw, fast paced, powerful, balls to the wall, crispy, filthy, punked up thrash metal, just the way we like it.

2: Nocturnal Graves - From the Bloodline of Cain
Connoisseurs of the fine arts of blackened thrash metal will nod appreciatively at the mention of Nocturnal Grave's 2007 album "Satan's Cross". Since 2004 they've been giving Desaster and Deströyer 666 a run for their figurative money (because everyone should know that playing in a black/thrash band is the shittiest get-rich-quick schemes in existence). Naysayers will judgmentally call them a "super group" because of their shared members from Denouncement Pyre (who also released a worthwhile album in 2013), Razor of Occam and Deströyer 666 among others, and the return of Nocturnal Graves does indeed see Shrapnel, previously of D666 fame, added to the line-up. From the Bloodline of Cain has the band focusing on brutal songwriting instead of trying to be different or innovative. The Conqueror's Flame features some of the most ruthless riffing in modern metal, the guitars have edge, the production has balls. Nocturnal Graves' new album is barely a half an hour of confrontational attitude, and it's fucking great.

1: Devil - Gather the Sinners

The time has come to gathe the sinners and to repent yet again. Go nuts or sit back and relax to the warm 70's sound of Devil's fuzzy doom melodies. Forsake the antics of modern metal and let yourself become bewitched by their occult tunes. Gather the Sinners is a refreshingly unpretentious, unceremonious mix of traditional heavy metal and old school doom metal - Straight back to the very roots of metal with equal parts Blue Cheer, Iron Butterfly, Lucifer's Friend, Sir Lord Baltimore, Black Sabbath and Pentagram! With riffs so traditional it's almost innovative, Devil's newest album is a worthy follow up to the equally timeless debut Time to Repent. The album is equal parts awkward vocal melodies and voluptuous guitars and bass and is as self-indulgent as it is expressional. An album of the year if I ever heard one, Gather the Sinners will live on forever as a masterpiece of mesmerizing doom.


Which albums were your favourites this year? Leave your choices in the comment section below

2013, Part III: Top 10 - Non-metal

For the past couple of years I've done top 10's as well as some other stuff in one long post. This form just isn't very easy on the eyes, so this year I've decided to split the end-year post into 5 parts, which are as follows:

Part I: Stuff I Missed in 2012
Part II: Disappointments of 2013
Part III: Top 10 - Non-metal
Part IV: Top 10 - Metal
Part V: Honorable Mentions & Runner-Ups

Part III: Top 10 - Non-metal:
Metal is where my allegiance lies, but picking 10 of the best non-metal albums in 2013 was tougher than I thought it'd be. Working retail in a store that sells music means I get to listen to a lot of different kinds of music during the year, meaning that I often discover albums I wouldn't otherwise have listened to. Some of the albums on this list are testament to just that, though many of them I have discovered by pure coincidence.

10: Slasher Dave - Spookhouse
With an arsenal of synthesizers and sequencers Slasher Dave of Acid Witch fame releases his first album of late 70's and 80's horror flick worship. His eerie sound is obviously highly influenced by John Carpenter and Fabio Frizzi, and is sure to fill the needs of any horror enthusiast with its subtle nods to Goblin and Halloween-infused synth "soundtrack". The album more or less came out of nowhere and surprises with immersive sounds, overwhelming production and spooky as well as epic compositions in authentic 80's style.

9: Spids Nøgenhat - Kommer Med Fred
The Danish psychonauts in Spids Nøgenhat are back with their first album since the release of the debut "En Mærkelig Kop Te" from 2001, 12 years ago. The members of the band are known for their involvement in other Danish psychedelic rock groups, most notable of which is Baby Woodrose. Kommer Med Fred is characterized by the band's transcendence from raw, fuzzed-out, piercing psychedelic rock into a sound more akin to that of the more melodic, psychedelic folk rock groups of the 70's like Grateful Dead and The Incredible String Band, while still maintaining the dopey, tripping trademark style. As a whole Kommer Med Fred is more easy-going and easily accessible than the preceeding album, and Spids Nøgenhat's return to the scene is marked by some of the most memorable folk rock songs in recent times and will for years to come, I think, be considered a modern retro classic.

8: Wardruna - Runaljod: Yggdrasil
Just when you thought Wardruna had ceased to exist they drop the bomb and release the second part of the Runaljod trilogy: Yggdrasil. 4 years has passed since the release of Gap Var Ginnunga, and on Yggdrasil the group - consisting of prominent Norwegian musicians, most well-known of which is arguably Gaahl of Gorgoroth fame - further delves into the interpretation of the Elder Futhark runes, continuing their epic journey through traditional, ritualistic Nordic folk music. Like Gap Var Ginnunga, Yggdrasil offers immersion, depth and songwriting at a level seldom heard in the world of non-electronic ambient music.

7: Lazerhawk - Skull and Shark
Taking a break from the usual 80's inspired outrun-electro of the first two albums, Lazerhawk's soundtrack for Dave Rapoza's upcoming neo-noir, maggot-ridden sci-fi horror comic "Skull and Shark" provides horrifyingly eerie electronic goodness. The music of Lazerhawk's latest opus is best described as panicking gothic tunes over gut-wrenching electro beats, and every track is at the same time distinctive as well as a continuation of the previous one. Skull and Shark has it all, from eerie atmospheric tracks like Chaos, to punchy electro-synth monsters as King of the Streets more like earlier works by Lazerhawk, and either way I imagine this album being the standard to which similar albums will be held in the future.

6: Jex Thoth - Blood Moon Rise
When I heard the Jex Thoth debut I was sold immediately. But coming out in a time where female-fronted occult doom-laden 70's hard rock groups were popping up all over the place meant that bands like Coven, Jess and the Ancient Ones, Sabbath Assembly, Blood Ceremony, Jex Thoth and The Devil's Blood all kinda blended together. Nevertheless I found Jex Thoth to be one of the better groups; A notion that has since been made concrete by the release of Blood Moon Rise in 2013. Moving quite suddenly from standardized, fuzzy riff-driven 70's hard rock to a style that relies more on thoughtful and deliberate psychedelic elements. Blood Moon Rise has a slower pace than previous material where every strike of the drum and every strum of the strings feels considerate. The good ol' Jex Thoth vibe has been retro-modernized to sound a bit more akin to stuff like Pink Floyd's trippier songwriting with a dose of acid fuzz in there, and Blood Moon Rise in all its spiritual glory is their most psychedelic and most original piece yet.

5: Riitaoja - Manterelle
Insane amounts of incredible music coming out of Finland seems to be on a rise this year. On this list alone you will find 3 Finnish releases, all of which are placed fairly high. Riitaoja's Manterelle opened up a world I didn't think existed. A world of hypnotic, meditative folk-inspired music. Manterelle explores a sombre universe of little rhythmic quality, that instead relies on pulsating bass-lines, various folky instruments like mandolin and banjo, and weird, crisp guitar melodies that gives it a trippy, relaxed feeling reminiscent of a more tenebrous and slowed down take on traditional folk and country, sometimes with a jazzy feel to it, which makes it a captivating listening experience.

4: Spock's Beard - Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep
Spock's Beard is a household name to all fans of progressive rock with their extensive discography stretching back to the mid 90's. They have previously been lauded for the sheer amount of variety and the epicness of their songwriting, and true to their reputation they return to that form with their newest album, Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep. The album delivers refreshingly varied bass-lines at the forefront with the guitars providing the details, while the vocals in conjunction with the proggy keyboards provide a melodic backdrop with amazing depth. Whoever engineered this record deserves a beer, because this is some of the most incredible sound works I have ever come across. Every element of Spock's Beard's melodic and powerful soundscape speaks of great musicianship, and especially so because the production lets every instrument come forth without anything else having to take a step back. The 9 minute epic "A Treasure Abandoned" is among my favourite tracks of 2013, and together with albums like Rush's "Clockwork Angels" and Symphony X's "Iconoclast" they form a strong front of modern progressive rock/metal.

3: Beastmilk - Climax
Thought post-punk was over? Think again. Beastmilk from Finland had previously released a few EPs, but with the release of Climax through Svart Records they took the scene by storm. Climax is just what it promises to be: One long climactic experience of gothic, punked-up rock music with a sound that is remarkably non-British and unmistakably BEASTMILK. International vocalist Kvohst, who has previously been part of Code, Hexvessel and other projects, does an amazing job at the haunted 80's vocals that permeate the Finnish band's music, and the melodic choruses are indeed one of the strongest points of Beastmilk, while the shoegazey guitars, booming bass and powerful drums form the easy-to-recognize and highly atmospheric soundscape. Only very few bands manage to capture the sound of post-punk in the same manner as Beastmilk. I am now under their control!

2: Clutch - Earth Rocker
Clutch has been around since the early 90's, moving from a hardcore-influenced style and to the more stoned out heavy rock style of Earth Rocker. With the simple songwriting of the latest album and Neil Fallon's powerful gruff, powerful vocals Earth Rocker may not be the most original album this year, but it is among the most enjoyable. The Clutch-recipe feels derived from stoner rock groups with a more noticable lean on hard rock tendencies and less trippy elements, though "Gone Cold" reminds me of the psychedelic "Planet Caravan" by Black Sabbath. In a way Earth Rocker is the climax of several influential groups and waves with Clutch giving it their own spin, often going from straight up hard rocking balls-to-the-wall music on one song and slowing things down to a grinding halt on the next track.

1: Death Hawks - Death Hawks
So here it is, non-metal album of the year 2013. I've given this some thought, which seems only appropriate because the album itself seems so thoughtful. The Finnish band Death Hawks released their debut full length, Death & Decay, in 2012. This album was a tribute to the classic acid-driven rock music of the 60's and 70's, paying homage to Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd and especially The Doors through their brand of retro psych-influenced rock music with a plethora of Finnish country-folk elements, which by now seems like the go-to thing to do for Finnish indie bands. Ultimately that album, while well-written and interesting, didn't hold up terribly well simply because it sounded a bit too ordinary, like something any other band could've done if not for the Finnish sound that made it stand out. This year Death Hawks maket their return with their sophomore album, the self-titled Death Hawks. The album is only 35 minutes in length, but these are among the best 35 minutes you could ever spend listening to a record. The Finnish band have progressed into minimalist territory, exploring a world of hypnotizing and meditative psychedelic folk tunes. They utilize a number of traditional instruments, but the tribal rhythm section - which only seldomly consists of actual drumming - and the mostly acoustic guitar work is what forms the main components of the album. The fact that only a few songs feature vocals enhances the trippy, cosmic feeling like flying through the universe or star gazing and brings to mind the most psychedelic periods of Pink Floyd and The Doors. Death Hawks is a unique experience of phenomenal songwriting and a display of flow and consistency unrivaled in todays scene.


What are your non-metal favourites of 2013? Leave a comment below!

2013, Part II: Disappointments of 2013

For the past couple of years I've done top 10's as well as some other stuff in one long post. This form just isn't very easy on the eyes, so this year I've decided to split the end-year post into 5 parts, which are as follows:

Part I: Stuff I Missed in 2012
Part II: Disappointments of 2013
Part III: Top 10 - Non-metal
Part IV: Top 10 - Metal
Part V: Honorable Mentions & Runner-Ups

Part II: Disappointments of 2013
Though I'd say 2013 has some of the best new metal releases in recent years it doesn't come without its share of disappointments. These are almost exclusively delivered by bands you already know and love, but fail to keep things interesting with their newest efforts and don't come in any particular order.

Megadeth - Super Collider
I'm not sure this really qualifies as a disappointment. I enjoyed Endgame a lot, but found TH1RT3EN to be almost completely worthless apart from mildly enjoying Sudden Death and Public Enemy No. 1. With Super Collider I wasn't expecting much, and true to the tradition of modern Megadeth, the album has a few enjoyable tracks but is mostly dominated by a slew of unnecessary tracks. Come to think of it, if you took the okay tracks of Super Collider and TH1RT3EN you'd have an EP of pretty cool modern thrash/heavy songs. Some tracks on Super Collider features way too much of Mustaine and Co. circle-jerking around americana and blues, which might now have been so bad if it had been better incorporated in something super dirty and old school, but instead it was paired with boring songwriting and squeeky clean production.There's absolutely nothing of the old punch-in-the-dick Megadeth songwriting left, and Super Collider packs very little punch.

The Devil's Blood - III: Tabula Rasa, or Death and the Seven Pillars
Tabula Rasa is the sad promise of what could have been if the band hadn't broken up. From what I gather this last album is made of unfinished demo recordings, and that's exactly what it sounds like. A work in progress, an unfinished product. The album is as colorless as the cover art. The programmed drums are painfully undynamic, even by demo standards. Tabula Rasa starts out with the 22 minute long "I Was Promised a Hunt". The track features some okay ideas that I could see forming the base for a good track, but it comes off as a complete mess of unrelated parts sown together like a crude musical mockery of Frankenstein's monster. I was surprised to find that they had taken a more progressive approach to writing their brand of psychedelic doom-laden hard rock with even lengthier tracks than usual and songs that drunkenly dash through several climaxes and still waters, but the style just doesn't seem to fit the band and their music. Instead of an hour long mess I would've rather had a an album half the length, but more polished. I know that this given the circumstances of the band's demise was not possible, but then I would rather have remembered them as the band that did the masterful "Thousandfold Epicentre".

Joel Grind - The Yellowgoat Sessions
Joel Grind has many projects, most notable of which is Toxic Holocaust. He's also known for other projects like Tiger Junkies and War Ripper, and if there's anything that this latest self-titled project shows, it is that he doesn't do variation. I've enjoyed many of his releases from various bands and projects in the past, but they've all felt incredibly similar. War Ripper has that crusty feel that Toxic Holocaust never quite did, Tiger Junkies is way more punk/crossover oriented, and his latest eponymous project is more inclined towards Bathory-esque black/speed metal worship. The Yellowgoat Sessions has the same crispy sound and raw vocals as the other projects, and with it comes 25 minutes of the same D-beat repeated over and over again. It has some enjoyable rock n roll-infused guitar riffs, but those drums are already annoying beyond belief before the first track is done.

Peste Noire - Peste Noire
Some might argue that the weird frenchness of Peste Noire is what the band is all about, and on their newest opus it certainly makes them stand out. The Peste Noire album sounds exactly like what you would expect a black metal album riddled with French clichés played by a crazed Frenchman drunk on red wine would sound like. There's little to no rhyme or reason to Peste Noire, and somehow Famine found a place for accordion solos and French monologues. The riffs aren't as catchy as they've been on previous albums by the band, and it's hard to get into the rhythm and flow of the album. New drummer Ardraos does a great job keeping things simple and actually bringing some sense into the world of Peste Noire, and the purest black metal passages are awesome as always, but the weirdness of Peste Noire has become too dominant and makes the album tough to appreciate.

Satyricon - Satyricon
I remember Satyr saying at a show once that many bands write a self-titled song that really epitomizes their sound, and that Sign of the Trident was theirs, despite it not being entitled "Satyricon". If the new album is supposed to encompas the sound and feel of Satyricon, count me out. Some of my acquaintances have said to me "But Jakooob, Phoenix isn't that bad", but it is. Really, it is. The only track even remotely acceptable off the new album is Nekrohaven, and that track is still garbage. The Age of Nero and Now, Diabolical weren't exactly masterpieces either, and they were pretty far removed from the black metal roots of the band, but at least they were memorable and catchy as hell. Satyricon, on the other hand, is too long, boring, unvaried and uninspired.

Witch Cross - Axe to Grind
Considering all the commotion the re-release of their '84 album Fit for Fight caused, there is little cause for alarm with their newest album, Axe to Grind. It features everything a heavy metal album needs to be good, but not in sufficient quantities. It's a bit too clean around the edges, and while you can hear that the people behind the band are experienced musicians the album still feels pretty uninspired and lacks any zest. Witch Cross are safely fiddling around in pretty low tempoes with a slew of 80's metal clichés like the somewhat enjoyable brotherhood-of-metal track Metal Nation and the forgettable Demon in the Mirror, and the main problem lies exactly with this: They do the classic 80's heavy metal schtick with no effort whatsoever, making it a run-of-the-mill product of unmemorable riffs and playing it safe.


Think I'm wrong? Tell me why in the comments below. Also, tell me which albums disappointed you the most in 2013!

2013, Part I: Stuff I Missed in 2012

For the past couple of years I've done top 10's as well as some other stuff in one long post. This form just isn't very easy on the eyes, so this year I've decided to split the end-year post into 5 parts, which are as follows:

Part I: Stuff I Missed in 2012
Part II: Disappointments of 2013
Part III: Top 10 - Non-metal
Part IV: Top 10 - Metal
Part V: Honorable Mentions & Runner-Ups

Part I: Stuff I Missed in 2012
I have found that some of the best albums are also some of the less known. As such years sometimes go by before I notice them, and indeed some of my current musical obsessions are top 10-worthy albums that I missed last year.

Conan - Monnos
A few years ago I had seen the cover of Conan's third release, "Horseback Battle Hammer". It had me somewhat enthralled, but I couldn't for the life of me remember what the band was called. When I found Monnos I immediately began binge-listening the British band's entire discography which counts a few esoteric EP's and a few other releases as well. I was astounded at the mammoth sound of Conan, everything from their far away haunting vocals to the droning guitar and bass and to the dragging drums. The intensity and heaviness of their debut album seemed like the perfect culmination of the first few releases in the way that it neatly sums up the crushing and captivating atmosphere that Conan had previously brought forth. Count me as severely stoked for their forthcoming album "Blood Eagle", set to be released in 2014.

Dawnbringer - Into the Lair of the Sun God
Most people would classify Dawnbringer as a somewhat unusual band, I think. Their brand of heavy metal often relies on themed albums and a weird affiliation for blackened riffs in a dry style. Into the Lair of the Sun God, the follow-up album to their acclaimed 4th album "Nucleus", features 9 tracks with Chris Black's signature bleak vocals, insanely catchy riffs and some weird organ work that brings to mind that of Deep Purple's Jon Lord, which is especially evident on the track "VI". 2 years, which is the time between Nucleus and Into the Lair of the Sun God, is the shortest time they've ever taken to write an album, but it certainly doesn't show. Their 5th album may well be their best yet, and it shows enormous potential to be one of those albums you keep coming back to.

Dodecahedron - Dodecahedron
Progressiveness and technicality often comes at the cost of listenability. Many artist and songwriters become so obsessed with their music being "weird" or "unusual" that it becomes out of place or otherwise unnecessary. With Dodecahedron this was at first the feeling I got, but after letting the album sit for a while and letting it fall into place I found that there was more to it than that. Every strike of the drum, every shred on the guitar, every faint howl seems thought through and deliberate. Though there are no songs that stand well on their own, the self-titled debut album from the band previously known as Order of the Source Below is a phenomenal listening experience when taken in as a whole.

Rattenfänger - Epistolae Obscurorum Virorum
When your band features the members from Drudkh, Blood of Kingu and Hate Forest you have quite a reputation to live up to. Contrary to the preceding bands, Rattenfänger is a death metal band with crushing doom influences. Epistolae Obscurorum Virorum is the band's only offering thus far but shows insane songwriting skills complete with cavernous growled vocals, an archaic beastly sound and some of the most varied drumming I've heard on a death/doom album for a long time. This album is an absolute must have and is criminally overlooked.

Witchcraft - Legend
Most of those who delve into the realms of doom metal and psychedelic rock will at some point have heard one of Witchcraft's previous albums. Though Legend is a lot less doomy and a lot less psychedelic there's still room for plenty of enjoyment as they've found themselves a niche in the worship of 70's hard rock. Legend is a testament to great riffage and could well be considered a modern classic.




Think I missed other albums too? Comment here on the blog to let me know!