Tormentstorm - Up from the Grave [Demo] (2012, Self-released)

Metal has come a long way since the beginning. Though having most of its' direct roots in the late 60's it wasn't until the early 80's that the various branches of extreme metal began to take shape, and countless modern day bands seek back to these extreme metal roots of Hellhammer, Venom and others like them in an attempt to copy or just take inspiration from them. Tormentstorm from Oklahoma, USA, is a one man effort aimed at taking part in the enormous 80's revival of more recent years with his hitherto only demo "Up from the Grave".

Whether Up from the Grave is a reference to the blatant 80's revivalism or because the music on the demo sounds like it's being played by a rotting corpse I don't know, but one thing is for certain. Tormentstorm is a prime example of why most one man bands shouldn't be ONE man bands. Up from the Grave simply lacks varied input, and when every song just sounds the same to the extent that this demo does it becomes incredibly tedious to listen to. At times I wondered if Malice, the ruling power behind Tormentstorm, was just improvising or if it was in fact organized. There are times when the music sounds a bit out of rhythm and on Screams of Torment I was wondering if the bass was even in tune.

With the aesthetics of a chaotic 80's metal band I feel that the 5 songs on Up from the Grave would be better suited with a production that doesn't reek of bedroom, and even better if it was played more energetically and at a higher tempo than the doldrum speeds that Malice put forth on the demo. It simply lacks the epic riffs, revolutionizing ideas and brilliant atmosphere of the bands that he takes inspiration from.

I normally don't mind low sound quality in music, as long as it's not paired with untight playing and boring songwriting. However Tormentstorm truely is a storm of aural torment, and I find it very hard to enjoy or even listen to. I hope Malice's future works are more thoroughly worked through. 2/10 guitars. At least the drums seem real enough.

Tracklist:
1. Up from the Grave
2. Slaughtered for Pleasure
3. Merciless Torture
4. Infernal Sorceress
5. Screams of Torment
6. Out for Blood

TORMENTSTORM official reverbnation

Defilementory - Infatuation with Deformity [Demo] (2011, Self-released)

Defilementory is a band that I knew a bit in advance. I had seen them a couple of years ago when they and another Danish death metal band called Castrensis opened for the one-man slam act Putrid Pile in Copenhagen. That particular performance was a night to remember - All the bands fit so well together and were so talented and put on a great performance. It wasn't until I listened to Infatuation with Deformity that I realized that Defilementory has a very precise way of conveying the delicate details of their music, though it seems weird to talk about delicate anything in terms of brutal death metal. It just so happens that Defilementory has a lot of technical elements and a bass section to die for, which is something I can really appreciate. Sure, great guitarists are always cool, but everyone has great guitarists these days. Good bassists are severely underappreciated, and the bassist of Defilementory, who also happens to be their lead singer, does an incredible job creating bass lines that are imperative to the recognizable sound of Defilementory.

I give the bass of Defilementory a lot of credit (and rightfully so), but even if you were to remove it and put in some "regular" basslines the music on Infatuation with Deformity has a lot of merrit in itself. Lots of brutal death metal acts are incredibly one-tracked and even monotonous, but this Danish band mix things up constantly while still maintaining their brutal death metal flavour. The malign clarity and gritty brutality of the two tracks that make up this demo is something that makes Defilementory seem like a band very serious about their music, and the demo showcases their vigorous enthusiasm in creating and playing some of Denmark's heaviest music.

If there is one thing that really stands out as a bit regrettable on the demo it's that fact that it's so short. Two tracks really isn't enough to stay entertained for very long, and even though the two tracks are pretty long for death metal it doesn't go a very long way. I read somewhere that there was supposed to be a third track, but that it was lost somehow, and this is really a terrible shame. I would've loved to hear that third track, but hopefully that song will be featured on their upcoming album.

To sum up Defilementory's second release "Infatuation with Deformity" from 2011 really would be nothing other than "great and pretty unique brutal death metal with a noticable flavour of technical aspects". Their bass-driven style makes for a lot of enjoyable listening minutes on my part, but in the end two tracks of this great music isn't enough to keep me satisfied and will mostly serve as a little something to listen to between other albums. Their upcoming album will hopefully feature everything that makes Defilementory's demo great, and then some. 8/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Infatuation with Deformity
2. Vengeance

DEFILEMENTORY official facebook

Listen for yourself below!

Fabricant - 2010 Demo [Demo] (2010, Self-released)

You know when you just get a certain feeling from a band or a particular album? That's what happened when I put on Fabricant for the first time. I was at once rushed by visions of dystopic industrial landscapes, Gigeresque biomechanics, Lovecraftian themes and suggested topics of borderlining mental illness. Fabricant seems like a band sick of the typical death metal that relies so heavily on brutality, offensive lyrics and disgusting imagery. The very name "Fabricant" fits their concept of almost mystical, atmospheric technical death metal.

Let's get down to basics. Fabricant's demo CD from 2010 consists of 4 songs, the first of which "Prelude to Aberration" serves as a rather well fitting mood-setting intro. Right from the demented voices of the intro and the toning in of Legacy of Thine Delirium the listener is sent on a journey through industrial soundscapes that reminded me of early Morbid Angel, Nocturnus, early Decrepit Birth and Timeghoul, Gorguts and Demilich in their general disposition, but ultimately Fabricant has been succesful in creating their own unique sound. The roughly 14 minutes of the demo provide diverse experiences as heavy as cyclopean and ancient pistons of forgotten industrial complexes with a fitting dose of dementia.

According to the band's biography Fabricant actually started out as a small project to learn recording technique, and from what I'm hearing right now the involved parties are very able in producing the perfect sound required to complete the atmosphere that dominates the American band's demo. Everything from the eerie, exentric piano part in Staring at the Imprisoned and the weird, outré guitar pieces in Legacy of Thine Delirium and Sojourn just reeks of cosmic annihilation without relying on pinball machine sounds or in-your-face high speed tabbing.

In reference to my previous comparison between Fabricant and the Swedish death metal band Timeghoul I think Fabricant's demo is the kind of material that you will see re-issued on a large label in 15-20 years time. The absolutely otherworldly composition and songwriting of this demo means I'll have to give a 9/10. Truly memorable and astonishing.

Tracklist:
1. Prelude to Aberration
2. Legacy of Thine Delirium
3. Sojourn
4. Staring at the Imprisoned

FABRICANT official facebook

Listen for yourself

Legionary - Arcane Divisions [Full length] (2012, Self-released)

There are tons of bands in the world claiming to play death/thrash metal. But since death metal is inherently thrashy I've always had a hard time hearing any actual thrash in a lot of these bands. Then along came Legionary from the US with their 10 tracks of rolling tremolo thrash riffs, melodic solos and primal vocals.

What first struck me with their debut album "Arcane Divisions" from 2012 is the overwhelmingly imposing songwriting, and I mean this in a very good way. First comes thrashy d-beat parts, only to be overtaken by necksnapping death metal accompanied by the animalistic roaring of the band's vocalist. The band has noticable nods to the 80's while still maintaining a modern focus, which is especially apparent in their melodic solos.

At times the album does seem a bit genre-confused. This isn't normally a bad thing as mixing things up a bit can often save an album from becoming stale or tedious, but in this case the band's tendency to lean against the sounds of early melodic death metal rubs me the wrong way. Especially in tracks like Unfriendly Fire, where the riffs are predominantly light-weight and melody-based and the otherwise very detailed drumtracks aren't as prevalent as usual, does this tendency become apparent.

Suffice it to say that Arcane Divisions is no run-of-the-mill half-melodic death/thrash. Legionary maintain a true core of metal elements infused with hints of the 80's sound and as such have created a vicious mutant of fast yet crushing metal. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Cursed Existence
2. Deceiver
3. Unfriendly Fire
4. Questions Left Unanswered
5. Absolute Supremacy
6. Awakening Reprisal
7. Embracing Trauma
8. Frozen Assassin
9. Genetic Legacy
10. Arcane Divisions

LEGIONARY official facebook

Hear the 7th track "Embracing Trauma" for yourself below

Deus Otiosus - Godless [Full length] (2012, Deepsend Records)

On their previous album, the debut "Murderer", Deus Otiosus show, with a rather convincing effort, that they harbor immense potential for death metal. On their second album "Godless" the Danish band goes on in this continuety and displays an on going contempt for life as they celebrate the end of humanity and grim extermination of civilization.

Deus Otiosus know that death metal isn't necessarily all about being the heaviest, most brutal band in existence. While some of their new tracks certainly are made of the heaviest material, a song like Death Dance shows us that crushing brutallity isn't tantamount to monstrous death metal.

On Godless it sounds like Deus Otiosus have toned down the actual death metal in favor for equally fitting elements, yet still maintaining a solid core of old school death metal. It most definitely still is the Deus Otiosus we came to know on Murderer, and their songwriting still rivals that of Morbid Angel, Immolation and others. Songs like Snakes of the Low, the crushing album opener, is a clear statement that the Danish band means business.

As a whole Godless is a effort on par with certain albums from the late 80's that have since become classics, and it would be an understatement to say that Deus Otiosus is probably one of the strongest current Danish death metal bands. Godless is brimming with memorable riffs as well as classic songwriting. Most definitely a keeper. 8/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Snakes of the Low
2. In Harms Way
3. New Dawn
4. Pest Grave
5. Surrounded by the Dead
6. Cast from Heaven
7. Face the Enemy
8. Death Dance

DEUS OTIOSUS official website
DEUS OTIOSUS official facebook
Deepsend Records official site