Ah, technical metal... Yeah, I'm not really a big fan... I like metal aggressive and over the top. That's something that I have found that technicality can destroy.
But I will say that this is less true in thrash... especially thrash done well. And that leads us to Alitor.
A young band from Serbia, this is their first full length after a single e.p. demo. Some might think that's awful quick but to be truthful they seem to have become a force worth reckoning with in the three years of their existence. Released by Witches Brew this summer, this record ticks all the right boxes and kicks ass up and down!
From the ripping "Realm of Grief" to the twin guitar volley of "Horror" through the excellent rerecorded "Embittered", Alitor consistently rips the listener a new one, over and over! This is maniacal and fast tech-thrash like Anacrusis or Coroner. The promo stuff you will see will also compare them to a hint of Death or Atheist and while I can see that; it is definitely Atheist and Coroner that come to mind as I am lashed by hyper fast riffing and pounded into the ground by tastefully heavy drum work until the listener feels "Drained". This is an appropriate song to put at the end of this record as it is slightly slower than the rest of the material. It still rips you a new one with razor sharp melodic riffs and you come out feeling exactly as the title suggests.
As of now this is my thrash record of the year. Forget Iron Reagan and listen to this completely awesome record. Though with the upcoming release of Acid Age, Pyoveli and Deathhammer this is going to be a great year for thrash! Highlights include: Realm of Grief, Horror and Drained... but the album is fantastic!
Check 'em out:
https://www.facebook.com/AlitorOfficial
https://www.facebook.com/witchesbrewthrashes?fref=nf
http://www.witchesbrewthrashes.de/
Monday, October 13, 2014
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Ogre- The Last Neanderthal
This is a release I have been waiting for for 6 years... Lets see how it measures up!
Doom metal is a strange beast these days... Its so diverse that I imagine its hard to navigate for new metal heads. Ogre occupies the classic doom/ proto-metal circle. And they are one of the best around!
Ogre left us with the superior "Plague of the Planet". This was an album that I was sure would not be topped. I'm not sure Ogre topped it here but they released a great doom/ proto metal effort here. This record starts of with the intro Shadow Earth and blasts off from there. "Nine princes" is an excellent mid paced rocker and sets the tone for the record.
About the middle you get "Soulless Woman", which is a cover from a 70's rock band called, in fact, Ogre. I went looking for this band and they are very obscure, apparently. But the cover is excellent and fits right in with the rest of the album. The album ends on the doom epic "The Hermit", a slow and monstrous heavy metal song the plods along gloriously until the final notes are strummed and nightfall blankets the stage. I can say that after waiting 6 years for this album I am so happy to have it in my hot little hands!
If you are a fan of doom, proto-metal or just great heavy as balls rock n roll, you need this album. Its definitely on my top ten for this year. Highlights: Nine Princes in Amber, Son of Sisyphus and the Hermit.
Check 'em out:
https://www.facebook.com/Rockogre
Doom metal is a strange beast these days... Its so diverse that I imagine its hard to navigate for new metal heads. Ogre occupies the classic doom/ proto-metal circle. And they are one of the best around!
Ogre left us with the superior "Plague of the Planet". This was an album that I was sure would not be topped. I'm not sure Ogre topped it here but they released a great doom/ proto metal effort here. This record starts of with the intro Shadow Earth and blasts off from there. "Nine princes" is an excellent mid paced rocker and sets the tone for the record.
About the middle you get "Soulless Woman", which is a cover from a 70's rock band called, in fact, Ogre. I went looking for this band and they are very obscure, apparently. But the cover is excellent and fits right in with the rest of the album. The album ends on the doom epic "The Hermit", a slow and monstrous heavy metal song the plods along gloriously until the final notes are strummed and nightfall blankets the stage. I can say that after waiting 6 years for this album I am so happy to have it in my hot little hands!
If you are a fan of doom, proto-metal or just great heavy as balls rock n roll, you need this album. Its definitely on my top ten for this year. Highlights: Nine Princes in Amber, Son of Sisyphus and the Hermit.
Check 'em out:
https://www.facebook.com/Rockogre
Countess- Ancient Lies and Battle Cries
So, Countess, you have returned. And the rite can begin...
I really don't like much black metal. You see, kids, when (Norwegian [i.e. 2nd generation]) black metal started it was about bringing metal back to a time of rawness, spikes, leather and total over-the-topness that existed in metal in the early 80's. I had already been exposed to Bathory, Venom and Hellhammer among others. By the early 90's thrash was waning and death metal was becoming "normal". Black metal was a breath of fresh air in this quagmire and that's how I discovered it.
In the last 10 years, this has changed. Now, every black metal band just rips off Burzum or Darkthrone while occasionally adding some "progressive" elements so they can claim they are "pushing boundaries". That is clear bullshit to anyone with brain who chooses to look. Countess is an example of stalwart and cantankerous integrity as well as an ability to adopt and add different ideas and yet still remain true to a complete vision
"Ancient lies..." is Countess at its most epic and its most influenced by Early American metal. Oh, the Manilla Road and Manowar influences were there hiding underneath the pallid demon voice and the raw as hell production. All of that is still there. The production is earthy and still raw. Orlok shrieks with wild abandon over the proceedings. But this is the most METAL record Countess has ever released. Every track drips with heavy metal goodness and headbanging glory! This is heavy metal influenced by Manilla Road, early Manowar and Bathory!
If you didn't like Orlok's voice before, you won't like it now. I personally love it. Every track on here is amazing and this should be a modern classic. Ah, well, I'll just spin it a few thousand times myself! Stand out tracks: By Hammer and Blood, Confessions of a Polytheist and Burn the Throne.
Go check 'em out:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Countess/115228541872165
https://www.facebook.com/BarbarianWrath666
Hey, guys also remember that its distributed by Witches Brew! Go give these labels a look!
http://www.witchesbrewthrashes.eu/
I really don't like much black metal. You see, kids, when (Norwegian [i.e. 2nd generation]) black metal started it was about bringing metal back to a time of rawness, spikes, leather and total over-the-topness that existed in metal in the early 80's. I had already been exposed to Bathory, Venom and Hellhammer among others. By the early 90's thrash was waning and death metal was becoming "normal". Black metal was a breath of fresh air in this quagmire and that's how I discovered it.
In the last 10 years, this has changed. Now, every black metal band just rips off Burzum or Darkthrone while occasionally adding some "progressive" elements so they can claim they are "pushing boundaries". That is clear bullshit to anyone with brain who chooses to look. Countess is an example of stalwart and cantankerous integrity as well as an ability to adopt and add different ideas and yet still remain true to a complete vision
"Ancient lies..." is Countess at its most epic and its most influenced by Early American metal. Oh, the Manilla Road and Manowar influences were there hiding underneath the pallid demon voice and the raw as hell production. All of that is still there. The production is earthy and still raw. Orlok shrieks with wild abandon over the proceedings. But this is the most METAL record Countess has ever released. Every track drips with heavy metal goodness and headbanging glory! This is heavy metal influenced by Manilla Road, early Manowar and Bathory!
If you didn't like Orlok's voice before, you won't like it now. I personally love it. Every track on here is amazing and this should be a modern classic. Ah, well, I'll just spin it a few thousand times myself! Stand out tracks: By Hammer and Blood, Confessions of a Polytheist and Burn the Throne.
Go check 'em out:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Countess/115228541872165
https://www.facebook.com/BarbarianWrath666
Hey, guys also remember that its distributed by Witches Brew! Go give these labels a look!
http://www.witchesbrewthrashes.eu/
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Blood Storm- The Stellar Exorcism
Aaaaaaaaaand I'm back again!
So black/thrash... yeah...
I have issues with some of you whippersnappers classifying certain bands as black/thrash. Let's go ahead and get this out of the way: VENOM ARE NOT BLACK/THRASH!!!!! To say this is historical revisionism which, by the way, I hate. Neither are Midnight by the way. /end rant/
When we talk about black/thrash we are talking about Aura Noir, Nocturnal Breed, mid period Absu and, of course, Blood Storm. If you don't know Blood Storm, then I am sorry for you. Your experience in extreme metal has been empty of an amazingly creative and brilliant band. Blood Storm has been cranking out quality black/ thrash since 1994 and, in that time, has released 5 magnificent records that have somehow been completely overlooked despite outclassing many of their peers.
The Stellar Exorcism is the latest of their albums and continues their path of destruction. It rips through your speakers straight to your ears. The guitars are searing and blazingly fast with exceptional leads bursting froth from the chaos on occasion. Even in midpaced parts, they tear through the song with abandon. I really have to compliment the tone. It eschews the down tuned nature of death metal in the last twenty years without sounding like someone's skinning a cat, like almost all modern black metal. The drums are well played and fast with some tasty rolls thrown in for effect. It is just really executed metal for anyone into real underground metal!
The whole record has a classic feel and you can hear the influences from classic black metal (that's Venom, Bathory, Mercyful fate if you kids are playing the home game) and classic death metal (Slaughter[Canada], Necrovore, early Morbid Angel), and the of course thrash influences (mostly German and the heavier end of American thrash).
Highlights, for me, are The Howling Void, Disease Falls From the Stars, and Venom Elementals but really the whole album is bursting with highlights... Truthfully barring a new release by Megiddo or Obsequiae this is my album of the year right here, folks, so go check them out here-
http://www.witchesbrewthrashes.eu/shop/
https://www.facebook.com/bloodstormcult?ref=br_tf
And while you're at Witches Brew buy some other great metal too!
So black/thrash... yeah...
I have issues with some of you whippersnappers classifying certain bands as black/thrash. Let's go ahead and get this out of the way: VENOM ARE NOT BLACK/THRASH!!!!! To say this is historical revisionism which, by the way, I hate. Neither are Midnight by the way. /end rant/
When we talk about black/thrash we are talking about Aura Noir, Nocturnal Breed, mid period Absu and, of course, Blood Storm. If you don't know Blood Storm, then I am sorry for you. Your experience in extreme metal has been empty of an amazingly creative and brilliant band. Blood Storm has been cranking out quality black/ thrash since 1994 and, in that time, has released 5 magnificent records that have somehow been completely overlooked despite outclassing many of their peers.
The Stellar Exorcism is the latest of their albums and continues their path of destruction. It rips through your speakers straight to your ears. The guitars are searing and blazingly fast with exceptional leads bursting froth from the chaos on occasion. Even in midpaced parts, they tear through the song with abandon. I really have to compliment the tone. It eschews the down tuned nature of death metal in the last twenty years without sounding like someone's skinning a cat, like almost all modern black metal. The drums are well played and fast with some tasty rolls thrown in for effect. It is just really executed metal for anyone into real underground metal!
The whole record has a classic feel and you can hear the influences from classic black metal (that's Venom, Bathory, Mercyful fate if you kids are playing the home game) and classic death metal (Slaughter[Canada], Necrovore, early Morbid Angel), and the of course thrash influences (mostly German and the heavier end of American thrash).
Highlights, for me, are The Howling Void, Disease Falls From the Stars, and Venom Elementals but really the whole album is bursting with highlights... Truthfully barring a new release by Megiddo or Obsequiae this is my album of the year right here, folks, so go check them out here-
http://www.witchesbrewthrashes.eu/shop/
https://www.facebook.com/bloodstormcult?ref=br_tf
And while you're at Witches Brew buy some other great metal too!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Thieving Coyote- Thieving Coyote
So, its happened again! Another foolish group of people puts in my hands their hard work for me to examine and tear apart!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! The fools!!!
No, seriously this is really cool... yet another band has decided to ask me for my opinion. I like it! So let's get started.
As I have mentioned before, I am from South Carolina. I am a southerner and its something I can't really shake, not that I really want to. It's just something in my blood. It actually does inform some of my musical taste. I think its why I like blues based music. One style I used to love is the whole southern metal thing. Enter Thieving Coyote from Florence, SC.
Now I know what you're thinking, "Dude, what do you mean 'used to love'? There's plenty of southern metal bands!" Really? It was great about ten years ago until Savanah took over and now everything I loved about the scene is sublimated by an attempt to be 'progressive" and a lack of aggression. Well, I guess in that way its just mirroring most modern metal. But I digress. I have been thirsty for solid southern metal for... well, about ten years now. Its a good thing for me I must not be the only one.
First off this is an ep. Its roughly 20 minutes of your time and you don't really feel the time go by. It starts with the corker "White Lightning". If you don't know what that's a reference to then, by all means, look it up. All I can say is my grand dad used to make it all the time and even used it to help wake himself up. The song feels like white lightning running done your throat. Its the fastest song on the record and a total rocker.
In turn each song pulls some interesting tricks out. "Space Van" has a slightly more stoner vibe. "Dead Man's Gamble" is more straight up rock n roll. "Dixie Wizard" is the most southern sounding of the bunch and it locks into a great groove. Finally "Lizards on the Radio" entertains with its tales of excess at the truck stop. That song in particular has a highly amusing intro.
From back to front, this is a great southern fried metal excursion. It should please any fan of early southern metal and just rock n roll period. And you should definitely give them your hard earned money. It's good to see my home state housing such rocking bands again!
https://www.facebook.com/ThievingCoyote
https://thievingcoyote.bandcamp.com/
No, seriously this is really cool... yet another band has decided to ask me for my opinion. I like it! So let's get started.
As I have mentioned before, I am from South Carolina. I am a southerner and its something I can't really shake, not that I really want to. It's just something in my blood. It actually does inform some of my musical taste. I think its why I like blues based music. One style I used to love is the whole southern metal thing. Enter Thieving Coyote from Florence, SC.
Now I know what you're thinking, "Dude, what do you mean 'used to love'? There's plenty of southern metal bands!" Really? It was great about ten years ago until Savanah took over and now everything I loved about the scene is sublimated by an attempt to be 'progressive" and a lack of aggression. Well, I guess in that way its just mirroring most modern metal. But I digress. I have been thirsty for solid southern metal for... well, about ten years now. Its a good thing for me I must not be the only one.
First off this is an ep. Its roughly 20 minutes of your time and you don't really feel the time go by. It starts with the corker "White Lightning". If you don't know what that's a reference to then, by all means, look it up. All I can say is my grand dad used to make it all the time and even used it to help wake himself up. The song feels like white lightning running done your throat. Its the fastest song on the record and a total rocker.
In turn each song pulls some interesting tricks out. "Space Van" has a slightly more stoner vibe. "Dead Man's Gamble" is more straight up rock n roll. "Dixie Wizard" is the most southern sounding of the bunch and it locks into a great groove. Finally "Lizards on the Radio" entertains with its tales of excess at the truck stop. That song in particular has a highly amusing intro.
From back to front, this is a great southern fried metal excursion. It should please any fan of early southern metal and just rock n roll period. And you should definitely give them your hard earned money. It's good to see my home state housing such rocking bands again!
https://www.facebook.com/ThievingCoyote
https://thievingcoyote.bandcamp.com/
Monday, August 11, 2014
Sardu- Standing at the Precipice
So it looks like I'm moving up in the world... :)
This band asked me to write a review for their upcoming album... which hasn't happened to me before.
And I think its really cool.
To start, it should be said I have a... complicated relationship with anything that combines "black", or "blackened" with "crust". I have found that when you combine these two genres you lose the heaviness of the crust and the atmosphere of the black. I have not found a band that does it correctly yet... Until now...
Sardu, who hail from Barrie, Ontario, are a black/speed/crust band or, at least, I would call them that. I'm sure that Sardu would also fly under the Metalpunk banner. My only real issue with a lot of Metalpunk is that, and let's be truthful here, most of it just sounds like a mix of Motorhead and Discharge. I love those two bands. The first is my number one favorite band and was the reason I am listening to the heavier end of rock n roll music. I just think that we can distill some other influences into the music. Sardu does just that. They sound like putting Motorhead, Darkthrone, The Return... era Bathory, and Discharge in a high octane blender!
Standing at the Precipice is one beast of an album. It definitely can get you headbanging and fist pumping. But I think its at its best on the slow burners like The Vagrant and Dominion of Evil. One of the dudes in Gravewurm said in an interview, "You can't get the black metal feeling with blast beats." Well, I agree. Speed usually detracts from the dark atmosphere. This is a great record but when it slows down you get this great dark and threatening atmosphere. It helps really build that Mad Max/ post apocalyptic vibe and really holds up the black part of their descriptor very well!
In short, this is a kick ass, thundering record by a great up and coming band that everyone should pick up.
My favorite tracks are "The Vagrant" and "Dominion of Evil". But every track is excellent and just gritty as hell! Everyone who reads this blog should pick up this album in October when it comes out cause I will be! Until then check them out. www.facebook.com/sardudeathgang
This band asked me to write a review for their upcoming album... which hasn't happened to me before.
And I think its really cool.
To start, it should be said I have a... complicated relationship with anything that combines "black", or "blackened" with "crust". I have found that when you combine these two genres you lose the heaviness of the crust and the atmosphere of the black. I have not found a band that does it correctly yet... Until now...
Sardu, who hail from Barrie, Ontario, are a black/speed/crust band or, at least, I would call them that. I'm sure that Sardu would also fly under the Metalpunk banner. My only real issue with a lot of Metalpunk is that, and let's be truthful here, most of it just sounds like a mix of Motorhead and Discharge. I love those two bands. The first is my number one favorite band and was the reason I am listening to the heavier end of rock n roll music. I just think that we can distill some other influences into the music. Sardu does just that. They sound like putting Motorhead, Darkthrone, The Return... era Bathory, and Discharge in a high octane blender!
Standing at the Precipice is one beast of an album. It definitely can get you headbanging and fist pumping. But I think its at its best on the slow burners like The Vagrant and Dominion of Evil. One of the dudes in Gravewurm said in an interview, "You can't get the black metal feeling with blast beats." Well, I agree. Speed usually detracts from the dark atmosphere. This is a great record but when it slows down you get this great dark and threatening atmosphere. It helps really build that Mad Max/ post apocalyptic vibe and really holds up the black part of their descriptor very well!
In short, this is a kick ass, thundering record by a great up and coming band that everyone should pick up.
My favorite tracks are "The Vagrant" and "Dominion of Evil". But every track is excellent and just gritty as hell! Everyone who reads this blog should pick up this album in October when it comes out cause I will be! Until then check them out. www.facebook.com/sardudeathgang
Friday, August 8, 2014
IIIIIIIII'm Baaaaaaaaaaaack!!!! + Axattack- Toxic Wasted ep
Hello Again Interwebs,
I have returned to grace you with more face melting, loud as hell, molten metal!!!
Now I know what you're thinking, "Dude! You can't just pop back here after 2 years like nothing happened!" Well, actually, yes... Yes I can... It's my space and I can do what I want! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
But I'm back... for the forseeable future at least...
But today I have a real post... a review...
I am from South Carolina and while I don't hate it, it is not known for its metal. I mean, we had a great death and thrash metal scene... 20 YEARS AGO!!!! Yeah, we had Nile but that's really our only metal claim to fame that I care about. I don't care too much about it either.
Then I got lucky. I met a couple of younger fellows that really liked metal. We didn't always agree on everything but they got the passion and the fire. And, again lucky for me, one of them started a band.
Axattack is a three piece thrash act from Columbia, SC, which is my hometown. This is their first release. It's a self relreased 3 song ep. It clocks in at just around the 9 minute mark. It has songs about werewolves and thrashing beer zombies. Sounds fun so far, right?
Werewolf blasts out with a maniacal scream and a beautifully crazed riff. The vocalist sounds quite honest when he yells, "You will die!" This all leads to a howl and a killer mosh part cycling into the lead. The drums pound you into oblivion. The bass is actually audible and does a great job of anchoring the riffs to the rhythm. The whole song pounds you flat and leaves you with one of those great moments where all the musicians beat their instruments for 10 seconds. Excellent opener!
Toxic Wasted starts off with a tasty riff and then gets up to speed quickly. Something I've said for a long time. You can't play thrash slow. This track speeds by and seems to be about being pissed because you drank all the alcohol. I can imagine a fairly destructive party to this. Though I will say this has more of a bite than the party thrash stuff. The riff stays pretty moshy through the song with intermittent screams of "toxic wasted!" Overall, its a very bare bones but loud and fast track. Really great for thrashing and drinking! My favorite track!
Bear the Mark starts with a bit of drums and a great neck plunge leading into a much more mid paced riff. Still these guys know its speed we need- and they lose no time to lay it on us. This is a "thrash anthem" of sorts. Its good fun and pretty diverse flowing into a slightly more bay area style. This song specifically reminds me more of early Metallica. A little more melodic and a little slower but a great closer, indeed!
Look, the influences are all there. You can pick them apart if you want be these gents have released a great ep and deserve your money for the thrash.
https://axattacksc.bandcamp.com/album/toxic-wasted-ep
Next up reviews of the new Countess, new Ogre and many more.
I have returned to grace you with more face melting, loud as hell, molten metal!!!
Now I know what you're thinking, "Dude! You can't just pop back here after 2 years like nothing happened!" Well, actually, yes... Yes I can... It's my space and I can do what I want! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
But I'm back... for the forseeable future at least...
But today I have a real post... a review...
I am from South Carolina and while I don't hate it, it is not known for its metal. I mean, we had a great death and thrash metal scene... 20 YEARS AGO!!!! Yeah, we had Nile but that's really our only metal claim to fame that I care about. I don't care too much about it either.
Then I got lucky. I met a couple of younger fellows that really liked metal. We didn't always agree on everything but they got the passion and the fire. And, again lucky for me, one of them started a band.
Axattack is a three piece thrash act from Columbia, SC, which is my hometown. This is their first release. It's a self relreased 3 song ep. It clocks in at just around the 9 minute mark. It has songs about werewolves and thrashing beer zombies. Sounds fun so far, right?
Werewolf blasts out with a maniacal scream and a beautifully crazed riff. The vocalist sounds quite honest when he yells, "You will die!" This all leads to a howl and a killer mosh part cycling into the lead. The drums pound you into oblivion. The bass is actually audible and does a great job of anchoring the riffs to the rhythm. The whole song pounds you flat and leaves you with one of those great moments where all the musicians beat their instruments for 10 seconds. Excellent opener!
Toxic Wasted starts off with a tasty riff and then gets up to speed quickly. Something I've said for a long time. You can't play thrash slow. This track speeds by and seems to be about being pissed because you drank all the alcohol. I can imagine a fairly destructive party to this. Though I will say this has more of a bite than the party thrash stuff. The riff stays pretty moshy through the song with intermittent screams of "toxic wasted!" Overall, its a very bare bones but loud and fast track. Really great for thrashing and drinking! My favorite track!
Bear the Mark starts with a bit of drums and a great neck plunge leading into a much more mid paced riff. Still these guys know its speed we need- and they lose no time to lay it on us. This is a "thrash anthem" of sorts. Its good fun and pretty diverse flowing into a slightly more bay area style. This song specifically reminds me more of early Metallica. A little more melodic and a little slower but a great closer, indeed!
Look, the influences are all there. You can pick them apart if you want be these gents have released a great ep and deserve your money for the thrash.
https://axattacksc.bandcamp.com/album/toxic-wasted-ep
Next up reviews of the new Countess, new Ogre and many more.
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