Black Chalice - Prayers for Our Lord and Saviour [Demo] (2011, Self-released)

So here we are again. This is the second time I'm reviewing Black Chalice, the first time being the second demo "Years of Flame". This demo, "Prayers for Our Lord and Saviour", is Black Chalice's first demo and was unleashed upon mankind in 2011. Black Chalice is but one of many projects by Patrick Hasson, who is also behind the atmospheric black metal act Auspicium, which I have also reviewed in the past.

In my previous review of Black Chalice I noted how the music, though often being labeled as death/doom metal, bore significant hints of black and funeral doom metal, especially in the long, drawn out sequences with little variation. Though the same can generally be said about Black Chalice at this earlier point I detect a much more distinct nod towards death metal than I did on their later material, even if the two demos share one track, Infallibility of Semen.

Though Hasson has been musically active years before the creation of Black Chalice and this demo it does have that certain tinge of uncertainty. You get the feeling that you're not quite sure what the idea of the band is, what kind of music Hasson wants to create. This creates room for a few surprises here and there, but in the end most of the demo consists of guitar tracks distorted beyond belief and unvaried drumtracks. The speed of the drums and tremolo-picked guitars gives the music a lot of momentum, but it sort of lacks the intensity that I would normally associate with such speeds, and often I see this momentum wasted on sudden stops that annoy me immensely.

My last encounter with Black Chalice yielded a score of 6/10. This time though we're ending up with a 5/10 score. This is simply because the music doesn't sound very cultivated, and when you've listened to newer material by Black Chalice you know that this is merely a prototype for the music yet to come. It's easy to see how the band moved from this gritty, heavily distorted sound to its newer, more ripened state, and I got to say that I much prefer the newer material to this.

Tracklist:
1. King of No World
2. Infallibility of Semen
3. A New Earth and No Heaven

BLACK CHALICE official facebook

Diseased Oblivion - Portals of Past and Present [Compilation] (2012, Contaminated Tones Productions)

From the dismal darkness of some obscure, long forgotten chasm in the depths of the earth came Diseased Oblivion in 2009. With them the duo brought ominous duo brought several incantations of enigmatic, arcane droning metal in the forms of black- and funeral doom metal. The sixth incarnation of Diseased Oblivion's music is found on the 4-track demo from 2012 entitled "Portals of Past and Present", which features songs from the very initiation of Diseased Oblivion in 2009 to some of their newer material from 2011.

The four tracks on Portals of Past and Present feature everything you could expect from a band of this type: Winter-like funeral soundscapes, eerie black abysses and abstruse ambience from the vastness of space. By pairing highly distorted guitars with profoundly cryptic noises the band achieve the bizarre atmospheres that their songtitles such as "Ghosts of Nuclear Winter" and "Blackhole Funeral III" paved the way for in the mind of listeners, and  throughout the retrospective experience of Portals of Past and Present does indeed see an interesting evolution in the band's sound.
As we progress back in time through the increasingly eerie, murky waters that are the sounds of Diseased Oblivion, the imposing blackened doom tracks grow ever more filthy, tenebrous and oddly threatening from the newest track "Unquenchable Hurt" through Blackhole Funeral III and Ghosts of Nuclear Winter and ultimately coming to a grinding, funeral-like halt with the death/doom-ish Reclusa Eternus, which is also the oldest song on the demo.

I recon that Diseased Oblivion are succesful in creating effectively mind-invading black-laden doom metal. The demo gives a fulfilling look into the still short career of the american duo and their compelling but very traditional take on the genre, but through competent songwriting (if their is such a thing in funeral doom metal) they manage to keep their music, all 3 years of it, convincingly decent to make it worth listening to. 7/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Unquenchable Hurt
2. Blackhole Funeral III
3. Ghosts of Nuclear Winter
4. Reclusa Eternus

DISEASED OBLIVION official facebook
CONTAMINATED TONES official site

Prajna - Lost in the Void [EP] (2011, Self-released)

With a name like "Prajna" I really had no idea what to expect. This Colombian band is in essence an effort with tendencies toward a lot of different styles, most notably of which are 80's heavy metal paired with power and speed metal in the vein of Helloween, Fates Warning and at times even some early Anthrax. Let me just say that I was rather sceptical at first. The logo and coverart didn't look particularly inviting and it looks like it was sort of made in a hurry, making me think that maybe the music would be of equally bad quality.

In general it goes for the entire demo EP that the music, though presented with gusto on the band's behalf, is somewhat lacking in quality. I can see what Prajna are trying to accomplish with their music, but ultimately I found that Lost in the Void wasn't exactly up to par with other bands in the genre. I suppose that the fact that this is Prajna's first release should turn down expectations, and I could definitely see how Prajna could improve upon their chosen style in upcoming material to make it a worthy contender in the world of metal.

The most attractive things about Prajna are their simple but enjoyableriffs aswell as good choruses like the one in Electrocuted, but mostly every experience on the EP is numbed by the tame production and lack of aggression. And I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this because "power metal isn't about aggression!" and "you don't have to be evil to be metal!" but yes, it kinda is and you kinda do. Without that certain edge to underline the music all hopes of attaining some sort of climactic power in the music are useless and in the same manner I could've wished for a bit more daring or raw elements. Many will probably write it off as the ramblings of an old fashioned death metal fanatic, but I actually like quite a lot of power metal bands, but even bands like Rhapsody or Kamelot have a certain edge that carries their musical quality.

Prajna have a very destinct and recognizable style to their music, which really gives the EP the saturation it needs to stand out from others of its kind. If Prajna could somehow sharpen their music it would, to me atleast, have a more lasting appeal than it currently does. 6/10 guitars.

Tracklist:
1. Electrocuted
2. Fire and Iron
3. Lost in the Void
4. Storm of War

PRAJNA official facebook
PRAJNA official bandcamp (with free download of Lost in the Void)

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
Also check out their online store!
If you don't believe me (and even if you do) their tracks are freely available on Bandcamp and Last.FM!

Updated download section

I just updated the download section. Unfortunately it isn't updated with new links, but rather the removal of old links that no longer work. It really is rather depressing to see the list dwindle in such a manner, but what can you do.

Thanks for reading,

Jakob Goul