Category: Album Review

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THE HUMAN RACE IS FILTH – Echo Chambers – REVIEW

 

You gotta love that band name. Straight to the point and utterly complete statement. The Human Race is Filth or THIRF for short,  was formed back in 2017 by a bunch of veterans of the Maryland and Pennsylvania extreme music scenes. With a shit load of experience between the band members, THRIF deliver exactly what you would expect on this short EP.

THRIF does a great job playing blistering old school Grind. The closing track, “Shit States USA,” is just a little over 30 seconds and length but starts out with a cool groove before going into full blown blast mode. It’s one of those tracks that remind of the early days of Napalm Death where you would want repeat the shortest tracks over and over.  The group does take time to slow things down a bit in parts. “Mindless Thoughts,” starts with a groovy crawling bass that is followed by a creeping guitar before the blast beats hit What sets THRIF apart is their ability to blend in some Sludge and Doom elements that perfectly fill out a song. It dosent feel at all out of place and still delivers a meaty hook to the jaw.

At less than 10 minutes in length, you can spin Echo Chambers a few time before clocking in to work.

 

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DRIVE BY BUKKAKE – Bastards of Slime – REVIEW

 

The band name alone,  Drive by Bukkake, was enough to pique my interest in the band. Then I checked out some of the song titles; “CumBum,” “Spank Bank,” “Meth Nachos.”  I knew this was going to a fun review.

The movie and TV samples the band uses as intros and throughout some of the songs are funny as hell and perfectly work with each song. Extra points for including my heroes Creed Bratton and Frank Reynolds. Drive by Bukkake are undeniably having a ball on this recording and hopefully the listener is in on the joke. I spent half of my time on this review recalling where the samples used came from. Personally, I find these cats funny as fuck.

Musically, this is a nice mixture of grind, thrash and some sludge thrown in for extra measure. Tons of blisstering guitars and blast beats help Drive by Bukkake get their message across. The higher end vocals hit just right with the perfect amount of savagery.  The gang vocals have a real “Ghoul” feel to them and beg you to scream along.

This is a great listen when you need a little palate cleanser after listening to too much metal that takes itself way too seriously.

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BLOODLETTER – Maligancy – REVIEW

Even though this EP is a re-recording of earlier material, Bloodletter’s Malignancy still feels slightly raw and unpolished but that’s exactly the feel you are going for a down and dirty thrash album. This recording is short and savage at less than 15 minutes in run time with no single track over 4 minutes in length.

This EP dosen’t let up for a second. In between the chaotic pummeling drums and blistering tempos are some great guitar harmonies that really shine and this is where the band really sets themselves apart from others. The vocals are pissed and angry, perfectly melding with the rest of Bloodletter’s sound.

“Skullsplitter,” for me is the stand out track. The lyrics, the breakneck drums and frenzied guitar assault provide the groundwork for a perfect banger.  There is a lot to love on this little EP and I look forward to hearing more from Bloodletter.

 

 

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VELICASTE/TUSK – Split – REVIEW

This split is so jam packed full of thick and murky sludge material that it is highly recommended that you put on a good pair of rain boots and a chest wader before diving into this release. Veilcastle and Tusk each contributed 3 tracks of full of doom, dark atmosphere and despair.

Veilcastle opens the split with “Dust and Bone,” a dark and warm track with some clean deep and massive vocals. “Mirrors,” has a strong groovy and stoner metal vibe with deep grooves that plod along. Their final contribution to this split is a cover of The Misfit’s “Return of the Fly”, which is an interesting choice. They manage to take the original punk classic, cover it in a thick sludge and turn it into a much more haunting take than the original.

Tusk take over on the second half of the split with a more sinister take on the genre. The vocals have a much more sinister feel that deliver an all together darker sound. Their first track “Disquiet,” benefits from the use of keyboards and synths for a truly darkened and uneasily feeling. “Entering the Flesh,” offers some clean vocals into the mix for a slightly less heavy track but still manages to pack plenty of atmosphere. A cover of Cannibal Corpse’s “Festering in the Crypt,” closes things out. Tusk’s vocal delivery is sinister here and their murky approach to the song does justice to the original.

 

 

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MAGNATOR – Crushed – REVIEW

We continue the Sludgecore assault this month with the impressive debut album from “Four piece Amplifier Sadists” out of Manchester, New Hampshire, Magnator.  With a heavy nod to the large soundscape sounds of Neurosis and a heap load of groove and a few twists and turns into elements of Black Metal, Magnator have a lot going on with their sound. Thankfully, it’s never a unharmonious change instead everything is pumped out fluidly.

Throughout the album, Magnator has a ton of heavy, crushing riffs and murky bass lines that create the perfect atmospheric listening experience between calm and chaos. The intro bass to “Loving You Was Killing Me,” pulls you in instantly.  John Funk’s drum work keep a steady and powerful groove while the vocals range from soft to harsh for the perfect dramatic feeling.

Magnator’s mellow stoner sound shines on the title track, “Crushed.” The almost eerie and dreamlike sound comes across calm and aggressive at the same time. The vocals have an interesting layered effect that works well here. The riffs here are perfectly balanced. Bonus points for the perfect balance of synth added to this track; it hits just right.

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CULTIC – Of Fire and Sorcery – REVIEW

Upon gazing at the album cover, one may think they are in for an onslaught of over the top and epic Power Metal. The recording opens does open with a powerful sounding orchestral  intro that feels like march to slaying an army of dragons. This is followed by some of the murkiest, sludge and Doom filled riffs to assault your senses. Cultic pack a ton of atmosphere here without forsaking any of the heaviness.

The entire album plods along with an unending dreary filling and heavy dreary filling. The heavy atmosphere at points feels like a sonic dreamlike journey. Adding heavier then dark matter guitar tones ,eerie bass and thunderous drums on top of this leads just amplifies their sound.  Brian Magar’s guttural vocal work is impressive, oozing with heaviness and even haunting especially when he adds in some morbid whispers into the song.

Cultic do a damn fine job of creating an early Doom/Sludge sound while adding some modern touches. The electronics used are in forefront, yet never feel forced blending in perfectly with their murky sound. If you are new to listening to Doom/Sludge this is the album for you as the music is easily accessible and still heavy and murky as fuck. If Doom is your jam, check this album out now!

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BULLETBELT- Warlords – REVIEW

 

Bulletbelt may be best known for their thunderous theme track to the incredible 2015 metalhead themed horror flick, Deathgasam. Flash forward 5 years and a new lead singer, this New Zealand based group is still angry and out for blood on their 4th album.

Bulletbelt does an excellent job here switching from straight blitzkreig thrash insanity to black metal bleakness with plenty of melody throughout. The album is full of heavy and catchy hooks and complex passages  nicely presented with some slick and smooth production. New vocalist, Paul Roberts’s screeching vocals work well with the filth and fury presented here.

“Blade on Fire,” starts out with a killer punk inspired riffs complete with a 70s fuzzy tone then transitions to a much more thrash feel.  The next song, “Flames of Hell,” goes back more into the black metal territory with plenty of tasty riffs and great song structure. This is where Bulletbelt really shines; the melding of different styles and harmonies in such a smooth transition that it feels natural.

“Warlords “isn’t your standard blackened thrash album. There is so much to unpack here, it’s brutal as fuck in parts, eerie and dark in others and includes too many incredible riffs to keep track of.  Hopefully we can get these lads to the states soon as touring has become possible again. These songs are begging to be witnessed live.

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THLURM – The Thlurm Must Die & Dungeon Scum

 

Thlurm bills itself as, “Metal Punk from the dungeons of Indiana,” which is quite an accurate description for their contribution to this month’s subscription. “The Thlurm Must Die and Dungeon Scum,” is part of Wise Blood Records demo series that highlights up and coming and promising new artists.  This recording, combining 2 separate demos is raw and punk as fuck, covered in chunky layers of pure filth.

” Instantly you hear influences of Toxic Holocaust and Midnight and like those bands, Thlurm is a solo product brought to you by Austin Sipes. Thlurm though has a much more punk and grind approach to their style. Songs come in fast and filthy with a certain unpolished charm that is comparable to early Napalm Death. This recording reeks of the lo-fi production of the the mid to late 80’s.

The vocals are sick, the guitars have more of a punk then metal feel and the while the drumming does not include any blast beats, the first demo, “The Thlum Must Die,” is some killer Grindcore. “Disease,” is punk rock kick to the jaw and the following track, “Imaginary Hell,” is a straight up banger that reminds me of Ghoul.

The second demo, “Dungeon Scum,” is much more raw in sound than the first. This half shows more of a Black Metal influence which can be felt the most on “Serpent Master.” “Illusions of Chaos,” and “Human Waste,” even slow things down a bit with even adds more of a haunting vocal feel.

For a demo release, Thlurm are already a band to watch.

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HELL NIGHT – Unlimited Destruction – REVIEW

If you haven’t been hip to Hell Night yet, now is the time to correct that mistake. The band had several 7’s and singles throughout their career and released their first full length in 2019, “Unlimited Destruction.”  The title  fits perfectly as this recording is full of enough hard hitting guitars, pummeling drums and vicious vocals to level a city. Brian Fair replaced original vocalist Mike Craft for “Unlimited Destruction,” taking the sound further with even more fury than before.

Hell Night have a hardcore/metal/punk approach filled with pure aggression that comes in part from Andy White’s brutal and murky guitar work that perfectly compliments Brian Fair’s pissed off vocals. While their exact genre of music is difficult to pinpoint, their ability to write killer riffs and songs that may a mosh pit to break out in your living room is without question.

For even more details regarding this album check out our recent interview with Brian Fair.

 

 

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NIGHT DEMON – Darkness Remains – REVIEW

For the last couple of years, Night Demon have kept the traditional Heavy Metal flag flying high with their incredible and distinct retro inspired style. “Darkness Remains ” was released back in 2017 and if you haven’t gotten into this power trio from California yet, this album will serve as a perfect introduction to the band. If you are a fan of the more classic years of Metal with Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Diamond Head, you will find much to bang your head to on “Darkness Remains.”

In the last 10 years or so there have been plenty of bands that perform classic styles of Heavy Metal, Thrash or Death Metal. So many that we may need yet another Metal genre (Retro Metal?) Night Demon, however, may be the absolute best when it comes to capturing the feel. Songs like “Black Widow,” and “Life on the Run,” will have you feel like you just stepped out of a DeLorean into 1985.

This feeling comes from Night Demon’s incredible song writing. There are tons of killer riffs and melodies that will get your head banging and memorable choruses that are guaranteed to get stuck in your head. There is plenty to love here from the technical guitar work to the vocals that blend in perfectly to each song. If you are looking to give your ears a break from extreme metal but still listen to something that is gonna kick your ass, give this one a spin.