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FUMIGATED – Composted Album Review

Both bands for this month’s reviews are from Ohio. Ever been there? It can be fucking brutal. Fumigated are just your average group of no good illiterate rednecks from the swamps of Lima, Ohio. (and here you thought the cast of Glee were the only notable musicians from that area)

If you like your music crusty, nasty and covered in piss then this is the album for you. Composted is an excellent name for this album as it feels like it is a trashy blend of early grind and death metal, it reminds me of many of the early Earache recordings. Let’s start off with the vocals. I’m not even sure it’s human. My best guess is that it is some sort of pig gargling bleach mixed with broken glass. Seriously, they are fucking sick! This along with blast beats and some early Carcass Reek of Putrefaction sounding riffs give Fumigated a really killer debut album. This band still has plenty of room to grow from here and it will be exciting to see where they take it next.

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CRUCIFIED MORTALS – Converted by Decapitation Album Review

Crucified Mortals brings old school thrash from Cleveland, Ohio. Playing 80’s inspired thrash has been popular with many new metal groups over the last few years with no slow down of the trend in sight. Luckily, Crucified Mortals are not a band that relies heavily on a gimmick or genre.

Most of this EP sounds like a cross between early death metal and thrash. Craig “Reaper” Horval lays down some seriously angry vocals here that are strong and howling, sounding somewhere in between classic Venom and even the more modern black thrashers Midnight. The layered riffs on this release are sure to have many banging their heads along with their darkened and dedicated thrash melodies. Sentenced to Extermination starts off with a haunting voice over regarding Nazi gas chambers only to be brutally followed by sick lyrics, pounding drums and intense leads. If this song dosen’t get you into the pit, nothing will.

Converted to Decapitation does an excellent job of flying the flag of well revered “Bay Area Thrash” scene and is definitely worth checking out even if you are not a die hard thrash fan with a denim vest covered in patches, blood and piss.

 

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GrimDad – “Hi Trve Kvlt. I’m Dad.”

Just by checking out GrimDad’s logo you can tell that this is not a band that takes itself in a serious matter. Grill spatulas, golf clubs and a wrench hang from a legible logo reminding most listeners to the least metal person they know…their fathers.

With “Hi Trve Kvlt. I’m Dad,” GrimDad takes the concept of dad jokes and pushes it to it’s extreme limits. With song titles such as Welcome to Chili’s, Kickstart my Heartburn and Dungeons and Drag-Dads, GrimDad takes a humorous approach to music genre that is not often depicted this way. The lyrics, like most dad jokes, will either give you a little laugh or cause you to let out a groan. I was surprised by the music itself. For a band that bills itself more or less a parody, they sound and feel like traditional black metal with it’s low fi production, blast beats and shrieking vocals. For me, Welcome to Chilis is the stand out track here and if happen to be a father that has ever attempted to take the family out to dinner, you know how brutal that can be.

If you are looking for something that is different and outside the norm and maybe something to give yourself a little laugh, GrimDad is what you have been waiting for.

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LADY BEAST – The Early Collection Review

 

And now for something completely different.

Here at Trve Kvlt Coffee we love our metal just like our coffee; Black as the grave and evil as fuck, but that dosen’t mean we can’t stray from our usual path of destruction on occasion. Lady Beast bring the power and the fury of traditional NWOBHM music with a heavy nod to Iron Maiden. And trust us, this is a good thing! The Early Collection collects some of bands best tracks from their first three studio albums.

The Maiden influence is strong throughout this release with it’s galloping beats, harmonizing guitars and operatic vocals. Lady Beast has an old school style that is simple, yet satisfying with it’s overly cheesy song titles such as Metal Rules, Heavy Metal Destiny and We are the Witches. They may be song titles that our 8th grade selves may have come up with but they are nonetheless fun and catchy. As with most compilations a cover is included and the band does a great job on Judas Priest’s Ram it Down.

What really sets Lady Beast apart from other bands in their genre is the lead vocalist, Deborah Levine. Not just a cliche female lead vocalist, Levine has the pipe power to make Lady Beast a memorable band. If you are looking for a band the captures the early 80’s metal scene with a fresh, yet familiar approach, Lady Beast is not to be missed.

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Review of HELLEBORUS – Wares Saprophytic Divinations

HELLEBORUS – Wares Saprophytic Divinations


Symphonic Black Metal from Colorado? Sign me up. Helleborus sophomoric effort is 50 plus
minutes of pulsating Black Metal stacked and filled with plenty of evil ambiance and darkened
orchestras. Helleborus manages to meld both old school and modern Black Metal into a fresh
experience. While there is nothing that is completely new or surprising on this album, it is
nonetheless a hell of a lot of fun.
The opening track, Celestial Grave, haunting atmospheric beginning that slowly turns into
thunderous drumming and killer vocals sets the tone for much of the album. Further tracks
unleash a fury of well crafted guitar riffs and accompanied with hellacious symphonic orchestra
scores. There is a perfect balance of melodies here which creates an intense listen.
Blakulla’s Meadow is the stand out song for me with headbanging riffs and awesome
atmospheric melodies. If you are into any type of Symphonic or Atmospheric Black Metal, do
yourself a favor this holiday season and gift this album to yourself and a fellow fiend.

 

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1787698823 size=large bgcol=333333 linkcol=ffffff tracklist=false artwork=small]

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SLAYER “FINAL CAMPAIGN” Tour Review

 

When Slayer announced they would embark on their farewell world tour in January of 2018, the collective cry of thousands of Metalheads could be heard screaming, “Nooooooo!”. Fortunately, Slayer has had several legs on this tour giving their fans plenty of opportunity to say goodbye to one of Metal’s most legendary and enduring bands.

 

In November, Slayer began their “Final Campaign” portion of the tour with what promises to be their last EVER tour dates, Joining them on this leg are Phil Anselmno and the Illegals (performing a special Pantera set), Ministry and Primus.

 

I was able to make it out to their recent show in Louisville, Kentucky. To say there was excitement in the air would be an understatement as excited screams of, “SLAYYYYEERR!” began to fill the KFC Yum Center in anticipation for what may be the last chance for many to see the Thrash Titans. Finally the lights dimmed and the familiar pentagram logo began to float in front of the large black curtains. Flames and fury were heavy from the get go as the band exploded into “Repentless”, “Mandatory Suicide” and “War Enesemble.” At some points the pyro used for the show was so heavy, I thought the band may have actually opened a portal to Hell. There were enough flames to make the California wildfires blush.  This was fucking metal. This was fucking SLAYER! Slayer performed many songs from their over 30 year catalog.”Seasons in the Abyss”, “South of Heaven” and “Chemical Warfare” were huge highlights for me.  For fans who may have been lucky to see them before on their farewell tour, they added a few new classics to this set: “Jesus Saves,” and a rare performance of “Show No Mercy,” from their 1983 debut album.

 

Slayer hasn’t been much for chatting up the crowd in past shows and nothing has changed for this final run of concerts. Tom Araya prefers to let the brutality of the music do all of the talking. Kerry King with his imposing tattooed look nailed every classic solo with ease. Paul Bostaph was on par with original drummer Dave Lombardo, proving that he is worthy of the Slayer Legacy. Gary Holt with his “No Lives Matter” shirt looked and sounded like he has been with the band from the beginning. This is truly a group that is going out on top. And the fans could not have enjoyed it any more as furious pits broke out across the entire floor of the arena. The rest of the fans who had seats to witness this show stood, headbanged and screamed aloud as they could to bid a fond farewell to band that many have listened to their entire lives. People came out in droves to pack the house from the older fans who have been there since day one and the younger fans who may have just discovered the Slaytanic Army.

 

Closing with perhaps their greatest contribution to Thrash Metal, “Angel of Death”, the evening came to an end. The usually quiet Tom Araya took a moment to thank the crowd for their years of support and how important they have been to his life.

 

Can this really be the end of Slayer? Will they play any one off dates? Maybe another Big Four Show? We will have to wait and see. One thing is for certain there will never be another Slayer.

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VIDE: VIDE II Review

VIDE: VIDE II Review
Reviewed by Andrew Risch

Vide is an extremely mysterious act. Not much is known other than the artist refers to himself
as a nobody from the swamps between Louisiana and Texas. The mystery surrounding Vide
fits perfectly alongside their musical output. With their latest EP release, Demo ii, Vide offers the
listener a haunting and atmospheric journey into despair.

Despite billing itself as a demo, there is some fantastic stuff here. From it’s atmospheric riffs and
torched vocals, Vide proves have the potential to go even further with their raw and energetic
sound. These Nightmares is the stand out track here. The song title is aptly named as it feels
and sounds like a nightmare come to life with a killer opening riff and haunting atmospheric
background. The only negative to this release is that it is too short. The intro and outro track
clock in under 2 minutes each leaving only 3 actual songs but all in all that’s not bad for a
release billing itself as a demo and the intro and outro perfectly bookend the songs in between.
It will be exciting to see what Vide has in store for an “official” album.

 

 

LIMITED EDITION VIDE 15oz BLACK MUG
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SENTIENT HORROR: Morbid Realms Album Review

SENTIENT HORROR: Morbid Realms Album Review
Reviewed by: Shaun

 

Formed in 2014 as Sentience, Sentient Horror are preparing to release their 3rd full-length album entitled Morbid Realms on November 29th (2nd full-length as Sentient Horror).

First thoughts:
In a metal world where OSDM is the latest and greatest trend, some bands tend to over do it…not Sentient Horror, this is rather refreshing compared to other bands that seem to be inspired by the old school death metal bands like Morbid Angel, Obituary, and Autopsy. This album…I can live with this. A perfect marriage of OSDM and Gothenburg influences  mixed with a modern production…and ohh fuck these guitar tones…I am envious. Hearing the production on this album completely caught me off guard because of how well it’s mixed…*checks the credits* of course. the album was mixed and mastered by none other than Mr. Dan Swanö.

If you’re looking for something new that’s heavy with breakneck intensity that doesn’t let up, look no further. It’s fairly obvious what you should expect upon listening to the first track, Call Of Ancient Gods (see below). This band has easily made it into my weekly rotation of Death Metal bands. Well that’s it for me, I suck at writing reviews but I’m here to say this album is a banger.

 

 

 

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Metal Detector Finds: FUMIGATED – “Composted”

Here we have Death/Grind band Fumigated from Lima, Ohio, USA with their debut, Composted. It’s a fun little album, for sure.

“Formed in the pungent depths of a Ohio swamp, three of the toughest illiterate rednecks banded together to form the most important band of your puny, pathetic life. FFO, Broken Hope, Immortal Fate, Old Napalm Death, room temperature beer.
WARNING! Not for week pencil necked losers!”
-Fumigated Bandcamp Page

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WILT – “Ruin” Review

WILT – “Ruin” Review
Reviewed by Andrew Risch

Hailing from the frigid winters of Canada, Wilt unleashed their second album, Ruin, last year.
Since it’s release, Wilt has began to amass quite a following (and rightfully so). Full of dark,
ambient and atmospheric Black Metal, Wilt’s sophomore release takes the listener on a
melancholy spiritual journey into a realm of entertaining dark and depressive Black Metal. The
production comes out rich and vibrant, but not over produced, lending to a satisfying blackened
sound.
Jordan Dorge’s harrowing vocals act as a guide through the bleak darkness and perfectly meld
the music together. At times the vocals feel distant, which works quite well with the overall
nihilistic feeling that Ruin manages to accomplish. The riffs on this album come off as somber
and heavily Doom influenced with many tracks exceeding 7 minutes for plenty of thick, sludgy
listening.
Ruin is the perfect soundtrack as you travel “Into the Unknown.” Wilt does an excellent job
melding Doom Metal with Atmospheric Black Metal for a truly dark and disturbed listen.

Available in digital, cd, and vinyl formats on Wilt’s Bandcamp Page