Tag: metal

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MORTAL VISION – Mind Manipulation – REVIEW

 

 

Peep that cover. Dosen’t it just scream early 90’s Death Metal? Fuck yeah! I’m surprised the band’s name is Mortal Vision and not Morbid Vision with their similar sound to early Sepultura. This sounds like it could have been released right between “Schizophrenia” and “Beneath the Remains,” it’s that awesome! Comparisons aside, this Ukrainian quartet is here to kick your ass with stompable riffs, squealing solos and gnarled vocals. This isn’t quite “Death Metal,” or “Thrash,” by purist’s standards but who cares when it’s this much fun? It’s a rather short record with just over 30 minutes of run time that feel even shorter do to the high octane filled adrenaline rush that comes with the listen. If you are a fan of the early early days of Death Metal, back when the style was still new and developing, this is a must listen for you. I swear there must be a phone booth or DeLorean parked outside somewhere in the Ukraine that Mortal Vision are utilizing for the benefit of all old school Metal Heads everywhere.  This is 6.66 gigawatts of pure extreme Metal power!

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CRUCIFIED MORTALS – 20 Years Damned- REVIEW

 

Wow. There is a lot here in this release that’s 20 years in the making. Crucified Mortal’s latest offering, “20 Years Damned,” is a collection stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey ready to be devoured. Included is a collection of limited vinyl releases, EPs, splits and demos that the band has released over the years. Also included is an unreleased rehearsal from the legendary CBGB and a soundboard recording from a 2005 gig in Cincinnati.

Crucified Mortal’s style of extreme Thrash is high energy, speed driven, angry and completely addictive. Think early Slayer, Venom and Exodus and you’ll have an idea of what this Cleveland based band are doing. There are loads of speed driven killer riffs, reckless solos, pounding drums and angry vocals with the occasional growl. The horror movie audio clips that proceed a few of the tracks are a nice touch, other than that this is some pretty straight forward Thrash Metal here. That’s not a dig, Crucified Mortal don’t have to reinvent the wheel to be entertaining. This is some kick ass material that should satisfy even the most jaded Metal fan.

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HATEMONGER – The Vile Maxim – REVIEW

Hatemonger’s “The Vile Maxim” is simple, short and savage as fuck. The Chicago based group performs a killer style of no frills, no fads, no holds barred Death Metal that is set to stomp your skull into the soil. Their sound is fresh and familiar without the “retro” Death Metal sound that many bands are trying to emulate these days. Vocals are are vicious, the guitar work has plenty of thick and heavy riffs and the drums are filled with great blast beats, all the ingredients you need in your Death Metal stew. If you listen carefully enough, you’ll notice a hint of some early Swedish Death Metal style amongst the carnage. The songs within are both brutal and on topic with such titles as, “Plague for Days,” and “Disinformation Campaign.” If there is at least one good thing to come from the Pandemic, it has provided plenty of material to keep bands busy for years to come.

 

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NATTMARAN – The Lurking Evil – REVIEW

 

Wise Blood Records are absolutely killing it with releases this year.  Graveripper’s “Radiated Remains,” (which was included with our July subscriptions) was already included in my top albums of the year.  Swedish newcomers Natterman’s debut, “The Lurking Evil,” is an incredibly strong album full of old school metal that is covered in murky and dirty thrash n’ roll.

From the opening track, “Beauty in Chaos,” you can feel what you have gotten yourself into, a heavily 80’s inspired Blackened Thrash album with its high speed punk chords, piercing solos, tight drumming and raspy vocals. While the punk influence is high here, so are plenty of elements from first wave of Black Metal with its rawness and darkened lyrical content. You can hear and feel the early influences of Bathory, Venom and Celtic Frost along with more modern bands Midnight and Toxic Holocaust.

For me, this is kind of album to me that defines “Metal.” Are they thrash? Are they Black Metal? Is it fun? Fuck yes. From start to finish the energy is high and I want to bang my head and pump my fist as listen. “Die you Will,” is the perfect anthem for anyone who calls themself a “Metalhead,” with so many elements of old school metal blasting you in the face you can smell the sweat, stale beer and black leather.

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VACIO – El Destituta Mortis – REVIEW

“El Destituta Mortis,” is the debut EP from a mysterious Spanish duo of Black Metallers known only as A.84 and L.77.  I am not sure what their names mean or even refer to but what I am certain of is, this is an EP of solid and effective Black Metal. With only 3 songs and a run time of roughly 15 minutes Vacio provide a brief and bleak stylistic interpretation of modern Black Metal. This recording is fast enough, raw enough and has plenty of blast beats and tremolo picking to keep even the Trvest Black Metal purists satisfied. The vocals on this recording are full of high pitched shrieks and the lyrical themes focus on occultism and general human misery. Perfect listening for a Monday morning.

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VHS – Gore From Beyond the Stars – REVIEW

If you are a fan of cheesy B-movies horror, then VHS has you more than covered. With song titles such as, “From Crystal Lake to Space,” “Earth Girls are Easy,” and “Space Jam,” (yes, you read that correctly, it is not a typo.) “Gore from the Stars,” is oozing with plenty of film references to your favorite interstellar horror and science fiction films.

Have you ever noticed once a franchise starts to become a little stale, setting the next movie in space always seems to be the next option? Jason, Pinhead and even the nasty little Leprechaun have all taken the trip beyond the stars for better or worse. (mostly worse) So, how does VHS fair on their 4th album? Are things starting to go stale? Have they run out of any fresh ideas?

Thankfully Gore From Beyond the Stars delivers all of the maniacal and brutal fun that we have come to expect from VHS while still remaining fresh and memorable. For those unfamiliar with their insanity, VHS sound like a blended version of old school punk, Grind, Thrash and Death Metal with deep guttural vocals and an infectious sense of humor.  Most of this release is hostile and brutal but VHS also delivers some diversity on this album to keep things interesting. The somber synth filled intro track, “Blast Off,” starts the album off with a nostalgic nod to 80s Sci Fi.  The tracks only intensify from here as VHS stomps your skull in with a blitzkreig of horror mayhem with most tracks well under the 1:30 mark. “Earth Girls are Easy,” breaks this mold with an extremely Glam Metal feel compete with some ridiculously funny falsetto vocals and almost power ballad feeling solos. Another highlight are the movie samples that proceed most of the songs giving you a little break in their blood soaked audio onslaught. “Space Jam,” is an instrumental track that takes a moment to slow things down with some incredible grooves and solos that may leave you asking yourself, is the same band? If you are a fan of the humor of the legendary Macabre but need something a little more hard hitting, this CHUD is for you.

 

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SIX OF SWORDS – Regime Decay – REVIEW

 

 

Ontario’s Six of Swords bring some heavy, groovy and brutal punishment with their latest beast, “Regime Decay – Polar Vortex.,” which is a pairing of their first two EPs. While playing old school Death Metal has become popular in the extreme metal scene in recent years, Six of Swords manages to retain the old school vibe while still managing to include plenty of modern Death Metal elements. Think Morbid Angel meets Gatecreeper and you’ll get a good idea of what Six of Swords is trying (and succeeding) to accomplish.

What makes this a great listen is the amount of variety with each track. With that being said, there is not anything fancy or over the top to be found here. No blast beats, no break downs and no overly complicated or technical guitar riffs. No. This is just some down and dirty Death Metal. Sometimes, simpler is better. Some songs are full of complete brutality, while others chug along with some fantastic grooves. This is where Six of Swords excels. When they slow things down, they lay down some incredibly heavy stuff with great riffs and sick vocals. Vocalist Josh Gordon kills it on this release.  If you dig on Doom Metal, you are gonna love some of this serious sick and sludgy material. If you aren’t a fan of Doo, there is still plenty of Thrashy and speed to keep you raging here and sending you straight into the pit.

 

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STENCH COLLECTOR – Effluviatorium – REVEIW

The selection of music in this month’s coffee subscription is full of incredible and brutal and ripping bands. I have heard nothing about Stench Collector prior to this review but I was already loving the band by their name alone, add the gross and gruesome cover art and I’m sure I would have pick this up to satisfy my morbid curiosity alone.

The EP starts off with an eerie narration of a young child talking about boiling a cat followed by some realistic (and nauseating) chewing sounds. Now that’s a start! Adding thick and meaty grooves with sick and twisted lyrics belched out with some impressively deep guttural vocals, you have a band that has clearly earned the right to call themselves Stench Collector.

“Effluviatorium Du Jour “serves up a full meal with their debut EP. Riffs and grooves rip through each track while the drums perfectly hammer in the chaos and deliver a well balanced debut EP. For those who like like their Death Metal raw, gory and dripping with power, this gross out group out of Rhode Island deliver the goods. While most of their material here is sludgy and mid tempo, Stench Collector is not afraid to put in a few bursts of speed as well, which can be  heard most notably on the track, “Eye Socket Maggots. Production is slick and is reminiscent of the Scott Burns days at Morrisound. Redefining Darkness Recordsare bringing old school Gore Metal to the next generation.

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GRAVERIPPER – Radiated Remains – Review

Indiana’s Blackened Thrashers, Graveripper’s latest effort, “Radiated Remains”, is going to spend a lot of time on your favorite streaming services, record player, tape deck or anyway else you may happen to enjoy music. It’s that good. While 80’s inspired Thrash and Speed Metal crossing with Extreme Metal is nothing new, Graveripper manages to feel fluid and fresh as well as sick and savage on “Radiated Remains.”  Fans of Midnight and Toxic Holocaust are sure to find themselves loving this release. In fact, the EP itself was produced by non other than Joel Grind! The band has only been around since 2018 and is already riding some impressive waves.

One thing that all Thrash fans can agree on, is that nothing compares to a killer riff and this EP throws more riffs out than the listener knows what to do with. This EP was bred for multiple listens as you will discover and fall in with something new with each spin. (or stream) The vocals are another strong selling point that Graveripper have going for them. Lead vocalist Corey Parks does a tremendous job of straddling the lines of Thrash and Death Metal, melding together perfectly.

While Graveripper certainly aren’t offering anything innovative or new here, their sound feels much fresher and more organic and natural than many other bands that attempt to capture the beloved early 80’s Thrash sound. If you have around 20 minutes to spare and just feel like banging your head to some raw and angry Metal crammed with some amazing riffs, this one’s for you.

 

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INHUMAN CONDITION – Rat God – REVIEW

 

 

It is often said that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I can’t help myself with this one. I would pick this album up based on its artwork alone. With one quick glance at this retro throwback looking cover it looks and feels like it came out of the 1988-1991 golden era of Death Metal where Death, Obituary and Deicide were kings. But holy fuck! Rat God have nailed the old school Death Metal sound. Riffs are filled with hooks, heavy grooves and mid tempo to skull crushing beats. If you are in any way a fan of Death, specifically the “Spiritual Healing era”, this is a must for your collection.  The opening to Gravebound sounds like Schuldiner himself some how appeared on this album. Hell, if you are just a casual fan of Death Metal, this is required listening for the nostalgic factor alone. Hundreds of Metal bands have been riding the retro wagon for years, but Inhuman Condition not only excels well above others but their sound feels true and genuine and not forced.

“Rat God” was originally intended to be a new Massacre album (Notice that logo font?) that was conceived by Jearmie Kling and Taylor Nordberg.  Death Metal god, Terry Butler whom has been a part of more Death Metal bands than I have room to include, teamed up with the duo to help finish the album.  Rat God will pull you in from the opening screams of “Euphoriphobia” and leave you savagely salivating for more by the time you hear the last notes of “Fait Accompli.” Man. What do they put in the (swamp) water in Florida? If you enjoy meat and potatoes, tried and true, classic Death Metal, this one is for you. Highly recommended.