Enforced - Kill Grid (2021)

With Kill Grid and their signing to Century Media records, Enforced moved on to a sound that was the more archetypal thrash that most would recognize them by. That's not to say they abandoned all of what defined their debut, but wrote a record that was a little less oriented towards the crossover/hardcover aesthetics and meant for sheer head banging mayhem. It's certainly a more aggressive and intense effort than At the Walls, with a mix of of the West Coast sound and, say, Sodom, but there is also a little bit of a death/thrash bite to some of the material, for instance the blazing opener "The Doctrine" reminds me a lot of the Possessed comeback album Revelations of Oblivion, and that's not the only instance, so I think fans of that would be thrilled to check this out.

I also feel like the band is a parallel to Texans Power Trip, whose CDs I picked up but never quite got into as others seemed to. However, they did have a cool, caustic sound to them which is mirrored by the crunch of the guitars and the visceral vocals. And let me tell you, Kill Grid is saturated palm mute heaven, one of the most purely 'thrash' tones you've heard in years, spliced up with loads of wailing mini-leads and then some of the real deal, with a compact, tight rhythm section that works in lock step. They're playing around with a selection of riffs that won't feel novel to any thrasher whose danced around the circle for a few years or more, but they invigorate the material with an infernal energy that is going to snap you to attention even if you forget the songs five minutes later. For thrash, it's pretty brutal and unrelenting, and at some of its best moments (like "Beneath Me" or the intro to "Curtain Fire"), they'll erupt into this Slayer-like pattern which will remind you of just how much you liked where that band was headed in the mid 80s with Reign in Blood.

Some of the riffing structures also give me some Atrophy or Devastation vibes, and elsewhere like "Malignance" you'll hear some vaguely death metal progressions. It all works into the warlike format of the lyrics here, and Kill Grid is entirely consistent, like a level theater of war that never quite reaches a lull or climax, but shells are firing back and forth the entire 41 minutes. It's not boring, ever, and I do think it's a competent and studied example of old school thrash being trampolined into the modern era, but I have to admit that I miss the more vibrant and dynamic debut, with its more effective gang shouts and breakdowns and slightly less monotonous guitar tone. I also felt that one was produced better than this, which is functional but a little dry other than the leads. That said, Kill Grid is not going to let you down if you're into Power Trip, High Command or other modern thrash exemplars with a long road ahead of them if they can continue to refine and entertain.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10] (Riot rhythms of a world take hold)

https://enforced.bandcamp.com/

Sarke - Allsighr (2021)

Allsighr is the first Sarke album where I detect a hint of color to the cover choice. Maybe it's just my imagination that there's a bit of blue painted in there with the blacks and grays and whites, maybe even a little brown, but it makes a little bit of aesthetic since as the band seems to have become so confident and proficient in its sound that it's almost like they are emerging from some larval stage. I don't think one is as expansive to their sound as Gastwerso, but its clearly one of their best-rounded, memorable efforts that takes all which has come before as a toolset to write some entirely kickass material which, for me, almost rivals Viige Urgh.

Yes, the whole enchilada of the Norwegians' sonic package is brought to bear upon their fanbase, and anyone else who has the pleasure of encountering their incredibly underrated catalog of music. The first clip of "Bleak Reflections" will have you thinking they've embraced their more traditional black metal roots, but that is merely a ruse, as they will soon dial it back into the mix of minimalistic thrash aesthetics, black & roll stylings, a little progressive rock in the use of several of the synths and song structures, and that doom vibe which has never taken over their style completely but deserves mention in the conversation. The tunes here are very well composed, balanced, always possessive of the band's unique mystique ("Funeral Fire", "Through the Thorns"), and never shying away from trying a riffing pattern they haven't hit upon before. Cato Bekkevold (ex-Enslaved) does the drums here and they sound as crisp and professional as any of his forebears.

Allsighr is pretty amazing. The production is clean and effective, every note hitting exactly where it needs to on your aural palate, and every instrument and vocal mixed with lethal clarity. The album thrives in both its harsher, grooving moments and the calms, of which there are a number in the intros/segues as well as the ambient/piano piece "Sleep in Fear". It's extremely accessible, which is another reason I'm shocked that this band never got much huger than they did. Perhaps it's just not 'extreme' enough if we're talking about the black metal genre as a whole. It's not going to spin heads off necks, it isn't blasting at a million miles an hour, the vocals are cutting but never overbearing, the symphonic ingredients are a minor embellishment and not a Wagnerian tour de force. But this is SONGCRAFT, by experts, who catch vibes from the aether and ride them to dark, pleasurable heights.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10] (Obsessed with what's below)

https://sarkeband.bandcamp.com/

Skeletal Remains - Desolate Isolation (2021)

Desolate Isolation is a compact little fan package released through Century Media for completists to own the 2011 Skeletal Remains demo of the same name, remastered, with some bonus content. I have to admit that, having the Beyond the Flesh full-length already gives me all the original music from the demo, but I was attracted to the cover of "Chronic Infection" by Pestilence, that also happens to be one of my favorite tunes from the Dutchmen, and one of my favorite death metal tunes in general. Further disclosure: if you've grabbed the 2021 reissue of Beyond the Flesh, then all of this demo stuff is already included, INCLUDING the cover. So what does that really leave here? Some live tunes, a couple bonus tracks, and an additional cover of Asphyx's "Evocation" taken from a compilation.

The three demo remaster tracks do sound fun and chunky, a little denser than what I've listened to of the original release, and the Pestilence cover doesn't quite match the original for me, but it plays it fairly close, and you get that same amazing sense of groove and almost 'rappy' vocals in the verses, which sound so over the top, unforgettable from van Drunen and that is what Chris Monroy is also aping here. But the bridge, the drumming and some of the little details throw me off. That said, it's proof that this band has excellent taste, although if you've heard their full-length albums and noted the influences then this will offer you no surprise. The Asphyx cover fares pretty well too, and here he gets a little closer to van Drunen, though the mix offered on this one doesn't really compare to any of their original albums. Considering that the live tracks are taken from pretty early off in their career, I do think they sound excellent, drawn from a Tokyo performance and sounding almost studio quality; I'd have been mighty impressed if I were there to make the comparison directly.

Otherwise, the two 'rare tracks' are pretty solid, with "Crippled Sanity" which has another of those meatier tributes to early Death that were so prevalent on the first two records. "Planetary Genocide" was released as a single around the time of Devouring Mortality and fits more with the content of that album, and that is to say that's pretty much peak Skeletal Remains in my opinion. Old school and evil with some Death, Obituary, Pestilence and Asphyx vibes, but also just clinical and modern enough to parallel the Californians' transition into what they've come today. So, in summary, Desolate Isolation is going to have more value if you don't already have the reissued debut CD without half the content, and its core is limited to stuff that already exists on another full-length to begin with, but it's by no means a bad product and the extras are at least enjoyable or well recorded in the case of the live offerings.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

https://www.facebook.com/SkeletalRemainsDeathMetal

Cirith Ungol - Half Past Human EP (2021)

Half Past Human is not only impressive in that it proves the new era of Cirith Ungol wasn't going to be a one and done, but also that it does such a great job of revisiting older material and updating it to the production qualities of Forever Black. Dropping just a year after the reunion record, it's got one re-recorded track from their album-length 1978 demo and a couple others that Greg Lindstrom had reused in another of his bands called Falcon. Regardless, they all fit in pretty well with what the Californians had been doing in the later 80s or the new full-length, and a couple are decent enough to be staples on anyone's Cirith Ungol playlist. "Route 666" does give me a little of a "100 MPH" vibe, which doesn't quite put the short-player's best material to the fore, but like that song, it's still pretty catchy with some good lead glazing, a thumping bass tone and some aggressive vocals from Baker.

The rest of the material is a little darker and stronger though, like "Shelob's Lair" and it's bluesy, stomping tribute to everyone's favorite giant spider, or the title track which has an atmospheric doom vibe that sits alongside some of the epics from the record before it. You can kind of discern that these overall might not be quite awesome enough to have included with Forever Black or Dark Parade, some of them do feel like recycled and polished-off B-sides, but I remember this was plenty enough to tide me over while I was waiting for something more elaborate. They're not hitting at their hardest here, but you could easily imagine any of these tracks being part of Paradise Lost, it has that same sort of smoother production without losing the towering angst of Tim Baker's tone. The drums sound great, the leads shine wherever they show up, the bass is possibly the most corpulent on any of the recordings and even the little chants and things you hear layered in for atmosphere do their job. The Michael Whelan cover art slays, in this case literally, but when doesn't it?

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://www.facebook.com/cirithungolofficial

Vektor/Cryptosis - Transmissions of Chaos (2021)

 Transmissions of Chaos is the first Vektor release since the band's troubles and dissolution in 2016, and they've chosen to share it with the comparable Dutch act Cryptosis, who were poised to release a pretty good debut in Bionic Swarm that same year. The pairing is a good one, both bands having a fusion of technical thrash and death elements, without sounding quite the same, but complementary to the other, which is more than I can say for a lot of bands that decide to share wax (or tape) like this. The futurist/sci-fi/cyborg thematic elements also jive pretty well in unison, and if there were any hope for a New Wave of Science Fiction Death/Thrash, these would certainly be two of the flag carriers launching their vessels out in the cosmos.

The Arizonans had been doing it for years, after all, and their contribution here pretty much picks up from where they left off on the great Terminal Redux. Kinetic riffing passages powered by David's nasty vocals, flurries of clinical melodies that give it that cosmic or otherworldly feel, hearkening back to Voivod although Vektor doesn't quite play with the same guitar language that Piggy created for the Canadians; instead it's more of a cutting edge progressive metal style with a bit more consonance to it, lots of lines reminiscent of Florida's Cynic and other bands of that ilk. The tunes here are not their catchiest, and a little chaotic in how there is the flux between the cleaner guitars and the space-shark-like frenzy in "Activate", or the cleaner vocal sections of "Dead by Dawn", a more elaborate track on which they're trying something new. Interesting material, and the bass playing of Stephen Coon is a standout, along with the estimable duo of DiSanto and Nelson, but probably better to have been committed to this limited release rather than a proper new full album.

I think it is Cryptosis who have penned the more cohesive material for this, and I was really feeling the hyper-riffing and ravenous barks of "Decypher" that break out into some catchy, Middle Eastern sounding melodies. The drumming is sick here, the production explosive and it just feels more impressive as a song than anything on 'Side A'. "Prospect of Immortality" is another strong piece, slower but longer and more involved (the second side is set up quite like Vektor's). I also loved the leads, the bass tone, honestly these are two of the band's better tracks...but that's also where Transmissions loses a bit of value. Both of these would appear on Bionic Swarm, and though they do match well enough with Vektor, they match a lot better with themselves, and are thus better experienced on that full-length. Assuming DiSanto and company might remix or re-record or include them with a future release, either as part of the core track list or bonus content, this split might become completely irrelevant. So bear that in mind, but if you're a big fan of the Arizonans, and this is the only place it's ever available, it might just be worth it.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/VektorOfficial

https://cryptosis.net/

200 Stab Wounds - Slave to the Scalpel (2021)

As swell and...injury-swelling as the 200 Stab Wounds debut EP was, I think it's Slaves to the Scalpel that really put the Ohioans in a lot more earpieces, and then proceeded to chew many of them off. Although they keep things short here like that earlier release, with 9 tunes clocking in at 27 minutes, I feel like they answered and expanded upon a number of the limitations that material presented, and this full-length is a much better balanced record, one that's grown on me since I first listened through it a couple years ago. On the surface, it's your garden variety, dense as fuck slamming old school death metal that a lot of the Maggot Stomp camp excel in, which basically started a whole new trend for those who wanted their death metal dance-worthy without obnoxious levels of dull technicality and bland production.

But it's what they layer into that experience which makes all the difference, and provides you with a nice half hour burst of fun. For one, the horror samples and synths and effects are a nice touch, they briefly visited this at the beginning of the EP, but it's more prominent on a track like "Phallic Filth" and erupts perfectly into its chugging, grooving, body-breaking rhythms and spurts of blasted mayhem. There's a lot of atmosphere throughout the album, more than you'd expect on such a tight time-budget, and then they use flirt around with more melodies and leads, and even though these are a little unpolished and not always so catchy in placement, it proves the band is a little more ambitious than just scraping the floor of the mosh pit forever. Loads of the riffs have a Cannibal Corpse influence, as you'll hear in "Stifling Stew", and while they're never as catchy or creative as that band was when they came up with these ideas, it's a whole palette of techniques they explore and even dumb down into their bedrock grooving style. The album's a little apprehensive about speed, and they could certainly scribe some tastier riffs when they hit that velocity, but at least they're meddling around with it.

Production is just as good as the EP, if a little more accessible, with guitars that sound like they came from the cattle packing plant, and the bass is likewise cranked up a little and has more presence than it did on the first release. Feedback, creepy growls and snarls, all sorts of atmosphere gives Slave to the Scalpel a vaulted sound that keeps my ears glued, and the constant little details like the Slayer-y evil melodies in "Itty Bitty Pieces" or the meaty bass and syncopation in "Expirated Splatter" that lead to those wavy, morbid riffs go a long way towards flavoring up all the mosh. This group has certainly been labeled as overrated or overhyped, and surely there's nothing too unique about the various ingredients to this stew, but when it's all blended together it just creates this entertaining broth that I keep sipping at despite any of the base stupidity of its recipe. Gory, satisfying death metal with a lot of room yet to grow, but never any prescribed mandate to do so.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/200StabWounds/

Sentenced 2 Die - No Reason to Live EP (2021)

Sentenced 2 Die are fairly fresh meat in that hybrid scene of death metal hardcore/beatdown acts, but they're already showing a steady increase in songwriting potential beyond some of their competitors. No Reason to Live was an independently released EP, clocking in at under 11 minutes, which showcased their potential, and was enough to land the group a deal with the fitting Maggot Stomp imprint, and it's a solid pairing since this material is likely to please fans of comparable acts. I'd say that Ohio's Sanguisugabogg is a pretty close style to this, other than the lyrical themes, which don't skew here to the same humorous or perverse level, but more a degree of traditional horror/nihilism and social issues. The four tracks here are a little rough around the edges, but sort of like those earlier Creeping Death EPs, there's an appreciable, ominous bludgeoning vibe that works.

The formula is fairly simple, focused in on slower grooving riffs that are interspersed with tremolo picking, double bass bombardments and a lot of low-end heaviness, reinforced by the rather deep and often monotonous guttural that creates its own atmosphere not above, but burrowed within the rumbling instruments. The rhythm guitar tone is tight but saturated in the fat bass, so they almost combine into one unified blunt force that bounces cautiously up and down like your body hitting and skipping off the pavement in slow-mo. The guitars pop and squeal, little measures of brutality that keep the thick riffs a little more involved than they might have been, but the centerpiece is almost always the walls of mosh pit chugging as in "Life Devoured" where you can just feel the growling erupting about a foot over the pit, bodies flailing around you as they ninja windmill or whatever the fuck kids call it these last few decades.

Hasn't been my scene since the 90s, but even I feel motivated to move when I hear some of these grooves, just because of the enormous production emphasis. However, the sheer heaviness here is just not enough, and I feel like these songs weren't developed with much thought or intricacy, rather to establish the band as a steady steamroller and please a crowd. It's effective enough when you're in its grasp, but there's little to nothing memorable about this material, especially when placing it up against the vastly superior debut full-length to follow. That said, No Reason to Live lays enough groundwork that you can tell if this is something you're going to relate to, and if you're into a lot of the other caveman death metal mavens on this label, this might land for you more than it did for me, as I was more into some of the other EPs by the peers I mentioned above.

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10]

https://www.instagram.com/sentenced2die/?utm_medium=copy_link

Creeping Death - The Edge of Existence EP (2021)

Had a little bit of a Mandela Effect where I thought I remembered this one as their second full-length, but The Edge of Existence is in fact the third proper EP for Creeping Death, and one that showcases a lot of the band's studio polish and development. While you've still got plenty of chugging moments that will appeal to the slam-dancers, this was to its day the most purely 'death metal' the band had sounded, you could have easily convinces me this was a new effort from Malevolent Creation or Deicide if only certain details like the vocals had been different, and as they continue to use the morbid, cavernous cover art it seems like they are themselves molding themselves more into the purity of the medium. That said, half the material here is just a re-recording of their initial 2016 EP Sacrament of Death, which wasn't really broken, didn't need fixing, and serves really only to sate those who weren't able to get their hands on that.

Certainly a little bit of an upgrade in terms of comparing to to the studio aesthetics of the full-length that came out before this, but I felt like "Sacrament of Death" and its siblings felt a bit drier than they did originally. The one exception would be the vocals, which catapult into gruesome new depths, but the rhythm guitars and rhythm section are less impactful, not necessarily bad at all because they do line up better with the new tracks, which are where this EP is going to live or die for me...and it does for the most part succeed in cultivating all those late 80s/early 90s influences, though most of the riff choices here aren't terribly exciting, but workmanlike and catchy enough to keep your attention even though you'll probably be longing for something else in your death metal collection. The production is loud, the instruments very even, the drums flawless and the vocals once again continuing to ramp up their sickness, though he is also alternating more of that classic growl with lower gutturals and even a few accompanying snarls and neither is as interesting as his traditional delivery.

Essentially the new content on The Edge of Existence sounds like something that might have existed as an amalgam of old Floridian death metal, perhaps a bit of Gorguts or Dutch stuff, only modernized for the old school obsessed in the 21st century. It does its job, and the re-recordings certainly are strong enough to stay in balance with the energy and proficiency the band has been carving out in the years since they were originally released; it's not like you jump this gap between tracks #3 and #4, they all fit rather well together and, like most people, if you can't get a hold of the old version then this is a decent way to experience them. Probably made the least impression on me of any of their offerings to date, but still impossible for me to SIT still through.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

https://www.creepingdeath.net/

Sanguisugabogg - Tortured Whole (2021)

The viral success of the caveman stable soon led Sanguisugabogg to a deal with Century Media, bringing this underground sensation to a broader level of visibility, an amusing contrast against their smeared logo and warped cover art which begs you not to understand it. I'm not complaining, I bought a long sleeve around this time, maybe just before the album with similar artwork and green logo on yellow material, which I still love to this day. Thankfully, Tortured Whole is both more of the same we heard on Pornographic Seizures, and simultaneously a little more expansive due to the 34 minute playground in which the Ohio group, at this point a trio, found itself. I hate to call anything like this 'mature', but this certainly hears the group settling into a more seasoned
confidence with their loping, simple-minded brutality.

Two things that stood out immediately were the way the rims and other drums popped out to a degree that was almost obnoxious if it wasn't so loveable, and Devin's vocals seem to get even more efficient and guttural, sometimes almost as toilet-bowl as an Antti Bowman. The riffs sound even more chunky than on the EP, and at the same time even a little more 'progressive' in how they wander the frets to create little grooves and moods that remind me of anything from Cannibal Corpse to 90s Death. For a band so crammed into its own entrail-strewn niche, I never get the feeling that they're uninterested in offering a degree of variation for the listener. The rhythm guitar chug is amazing on its own, almost impossible to resist as it starts plunking along, but there are a few more layers here thanks to how they effortlessly mix aesthetics from the late 80s OSDM to the brutal low end of the next decade. The bass lines here are even louder than the previous release, and while they're not always doing much by themselves, they help the album feel like it standing astride you and just beating you slowly to a pulp with two fat fists, ground and fucking pound dudes.

What I didn't expect were the horror-synth interludes courtesy of Cody, who was already pulling double duty on the bass and drums. These aren't your usual neon-lit sort, danceable sort, but more something you'd hear in an obscure, low budget horror film or Giallo, usually from Europe. They're both really good and actually appear at precisely the right time for you to take a breath from the beatings, and in fact I think they're cool enough that I wouldn't have minded more, perhaps integrated directly into the brutal tunes as intros or interludes. Regardless, they help flesh out the experience on the whole, and right as you've escaped they'll drag you back in with some ridiculous chugging grooves. Tortured Whole is a good debut which proves the band wasn't just a flash in the pan, and that bigger label exposure was not about to soften the impact of their unforgiving knuckle sandwich aesthetics. It's no masterpiece, but it's got a timeless attitude about it which I always appreciate in the moment.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://sanguisugabogg.com/

Frozen Soul - Crypt of Ice (2021)

Frozen Soul is another burgeoning death metal entity which seemed to reach a level of divisiveness quickly, praised by a mix of younger fans breaking into the genre, and old heads who like hearing fresh takes on classic sounds from the 80s and 90s; heckled by others who write them off as another 're-' band with nothing much to offer beyond nostalgia. I think Crypt of Ice is a case where both sides can be correct, because let's not beat around the bush, this record sounds almost exactly like seminal British death-grinders Bolt Thrower. You might make an argument for other meat & potatoes DM influences like Jungle Rot, Asphyx/Hail of Bullets, Six Feet Under or sloth-like interpretations of Dying Fetus breakdowns...but really, from the growls to the grooves, to the nihilistic, oppressive tones, to even some superficial similarities in the band roster, structure and themes, they are the Lone Star State's answer to one of the most beloved bands in the medium.

Not the FIRST Lone Star State answer, mind you, as War Master was churning this stuff outta Houston almost 15 years ago, but clearly these folks have been more successful, garnering a lot of praise across the metal media, good tour spots and even the attention of more famous metal musicians. And here's the thing...if we've got thousands of bands impersonating Entombed, Morbid Angel, Death, Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, and Incantation, many of which the self-same critics of Frozen Soul listen to religiously, surely we can handle a dozen or so that throw down with the Fourth Crusade? Now I'm not saying this record gets a single point for originality. I'm also not saying Crypt of Ice evolves that style in a tangible way, to the extent that a group like Germany's Scalpture does, a band I happen to love. But this debut earns its keep carving out a grisly production and ominous roil to it which catapults me back to that mid 90s period of the Brits, not quite so caustic as Realm of Chaos (my favorite), more in line with a War Master or IVth Crusade or ...For Victory, sans some of the melodic might that they had begun to incorporate into their sound as they progressed.

Crypt of Ice goes long on getting the fundamentals right, with an amazing guitar tone that transforms even the most basic riffing patterns into effective blunt objects, despite having a nice sharp edge to it that can slice through your reservations. Chad Green has a vocal impact not unlike Karl Willetts, sure, with a little less low-end capability, but a reasonable grim timbre that feels right over the rhythm guitars and steady if not dizzying brickwork of the drums. The bass tends to follow the guitars and doesn't really stand out to me like it used to in the Bolt Thrower days, however it certainly contributes to the crush force of the low end, and has a few moments to rumble out like in the intro to "Twist the Knife". Ambient, windy atmospheres and sparser, distorted guitars are often used to introduce the weight of the heaviness, and these are all worthy of the mood Crypt of Ice sets with its awesome Velio Josto artwork. And that's another thing I find curious about Frozen Soul, how they use these stark, wintry themes despite being from Texas...granted, they do experience the occasional ice storm or some scarce snowfall, but it's kinda neat that they're dreaming of these rime-encrusted wastes and that definitely translates into the feel of the music itself.

This album is not exactly packed with earworm riffs or layers, and that might be the one criticism I have, that this is an effort which impresses on a straightforward production and aesthetic more so than songwriting; a common quip I hold with a lot of younger bands this last 10-15 years...you might throw Gatecreeper, Power Trip, and Enforced into this category, and to initiates without decades of listening experience, this isn't likely a factor in appreciating the material. Hell, even to this salty old soul, it's a lot of fun. There's nothing across the album that ever surprises me, but tunes like "Merciless" and "Encased in Ice" have some patterns in there which had me nodding along grimly in total giga-Chad mode (not to be confused with Mr. Green). It's a triumph of technique and tone, but I doubt these tracks will resonate with me 20 years from now. MORE atmosphere, MORE melody is really needed to scribe this into the annals of death metal immortality, but at the same time I've never regretted slapping this one on when I was in the mood for a joyless, frosty, growly beatdown.    

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.frozensoultx.com/

Armored Saint - Symbol of Salvation Live (2021)

I've been increasingly noticing the trend in 'full album performances' these last 5-10 years, obviously because so many of these bands are getting older, and want to present this stuff to their loyal fanbase, boost ticket sales, and give a quality performance and product rather than take risks with tunes off less popular evolutions throughout their careers. It only makes sense for Armored Saint to gift us this hour-long set list from slightly before Symbol of Salvation's 30th year anniversary, with the same lineup they've had forever. I mean, let's give the boys some credit, after Dave passed away they've stuck to their guns through hell and high water, and with Punching the Sky and this performance, they have arrived back on top where they've always belonged.

Now, this doesn't have the impact for me that the original album does, and I feel like a few of the tunes ("Reign of Fire") sound a lot more potent on stage than their neighbors ("Dropping Like Flies"). All told, though this is a faithful rendering of the album, all thirteen tunes, and in sequence it still hits a lot of the emotional highs and riffing genius. It's much more washed out and polished than Saints Will Conquer was, and in a way I miss that recording for its more feisty, aggressive feel, but this is extremely professional, the band doesn't phone it in nor do they really fuck anything up, so if you want to hear a note for note representation of Symbol on a stage, and couldn't attend yourself, this is where it's at. The bass playing is pretty great throughout, John doesn't sound much older than he did in 1991, and the drums crash and simmer below Phil Sandoval and Jeff Duncan. I do feel like their rhythm guitars could be cranked up a bit for some more power, they clearly have to sit in support of the louder vocals and rhythm section, but at least the riffs are clear and the leads do stick out where they should.

I think about this in a live presentation rather than studio, and it definitely feels like the energy is front loaded with the first tune and then returns for the last 3-4. I just don't think these single album shows are necessarily the best to interact with a live audience as it would be to take some awesome songs from various other albums and intermix them. You could have removed half of this, included some of the gems from Raising Fear, Delirious Nomad and March of the Saint, and given the fans a much better show. Having said that, though, the material is all played well, consistent with the studio incarnations, and as an exercise in 'pulling it off', this record certainly succeeds. The DVD presentation is also quite good, with some fun stage banter and obvious passion being meted out with the songs. The hair might have receded, but the power is timeless. It's the best live offering from the band, no doubt, but I would love to have a mixed set of material with this quality of production to create the 'de facto' product.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.armoredsaint.com/

Asphyx - Necroceros (2021)

Along with Bolt Thrower, Asphyx certainly holds claim to its simple, churning death metal style, and obviously it's one that has some legs to it, since you're hearing new bands like Chainsword of Frozen Soul come along and do their best to impersonate it, often to great underground success. Necroceros doesn't really distance itself from the three albums before it, the entirety of the later Martin van Drunen tenure with the band, to the point that songs could hop between them without anyone noticing other than marginal details in the production, but it doesn't really need to. They've got a sound set in stone, their fanbase doesn't really want anything else, and I absolutely can relate to that dependability, since a large number of bands I listen to practice the same risk-averse approach to their material.

I'm not saying the Dutchmen are writing pop songs here, obviously, there's nothing safe about the loud, slow grinding bombast of these tunes, as it wasn't safe ever during their career, or on the three records from the very similar Hail of Bullets that Martin and Paul were also involved in. But having already been a fan of those three records, and some of the earlier Asphyx, I feel a constant craving for the band to try a little more on for size. Keep the grisly vocals, keep the enormous tones in the guitars, and the pudgy, distorted bass-lies, but screw around more with rhythmic dynamics, build some riffs that are a little beyond these assembly line structures that they've been cranking out for 30 years. I can only dream how cool it would be for some Slayer-like evil harmonies to bust out among these meatier rhythm guitars, or perhaps just imbue the basic chords with some more thrashing, slightly more involved sequences, just to change things up, striking the perfect balance like the German band Scalpture does on their amazing Feldwarts (very similar style also).

But much of Necroceros just sounds like what I've heard before. Bruising, efficient, loyal and maybe even stubborn to a fault. A couple moments stick out, like the majestic embedded melody of the chords that set up "Knights Templar Stand" and rocking "Yield or Die", or the slowly sinking wreckage of "In Blazing Oceans" with its little chugged triplets that don't always go where you predict, and end up a little warmer than you might be used to. The Dutchmen tip-toe into new waters where it might befit them to take a more direct plunge. Again, Necroceros is perfectly adequate on its own, because it will always have that massive wall of production to fall back against, which can cause even the most minimalistic riff progressions to explode ears, but it's simply never as great as it could be. Having said that, I'd pick it over a Deathhammer of Incoming Death, and anyone digging those records, or For Victory, or Crypt of Ice, or any of Memoriam's stuff, will feast on the fleshy guitars, but I'm still yearning days when I won't just consider Asphyx 'good', but mandatory. 

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

https://www.asphyx.nl/

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu (2021)

It might be tempting to take my recent review of Book of Souls, copy and paste it with all the appropriate titles changed, because Senjutsu suffers from a lot of the same issues I had with that record. However, I think the difference is that the lows here are lower, and the highs are debatably higher than anything on that 2015 offering. Keep in mind that this is still a legendary band, capable of legendary metal tracks, with much of its classic roster in place, taking its sweet time between new studio offerings, yet unable to really compose on the level of their younger selves, with all that money, and all that time. Don't get me wrong, they have EARNED such breaks, unquestionably, because of their incessant touring and advanced ages. Iron Maiden has nothing to prove, with a stellar, classic backlog, loads of popular merchandising, and tours that do their damnedest to give you your money's worth. The band has given me so much that I cannot really ask more of them...

Still, I'm baffled why a band with such an enormous resource pool can no longer create the sort of top shelf tuneage which put them on the map. On its surface, Senjutsu does look cool...I dig the stark simplicity of the artwork (as with Book of Souls), and Samurai Eddie is surely a thing. The 81-82 minutes of this might have easily been quashed onto a single CD, but once more the band has opted for the double-album, with a number of lengthy tracks, although nothing as long as on the prior disc. We're talking several pieces that are 9-12 minutes, and the odds of Maiden being able to fill all that bulk with the quality of a "Powerslave" or "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" seem bleak. The first single I heard off this, "The Writing on the Wall", had a decent animated video, and a folky feel to it which felt fresh for the band, although it's ultimately a pretty dull track without a memorable chorus. "Stratego" had me more excited, the flow on that one brought me back to the Maiden I loved of that mid-to-late 80s period, but with a slightly fresh mood to it (and another animated video). That's still one of my favorite songs on this album, but if you're asking me to put together a collection of a few dozen tracks for a road trip, it's not going anywhere NEAR that list.

Most of the lengthier tunes here feel rather empty, not that they lack emotion or melody, because Bruce still delivers as one of the high points of Senjutsu; but I almost never feel like there is any positive payoff to spending all that time within the music. There are tracks like "Lost in a Lost World" which feel like pure callbacks to some of my favorite Maiden material, but then there's nothing new or remotely refreshing about them. The shorter tracks here ("Stratego", "Days of Future Past") are much more engaging, while cuts like "Death of the Celts" and "The Parchment" seem to be building to something impressive, and then the work crews up and retire for a lunchbreak and never return. "Hell on Earth" is more successful at grabbing me, but again all the good stuff could have been condensed to a track half the length and I would have missed nothing.

Now that I've covered my disappointments, I will say that I don't quite dislike the album, this is not Nostradamus by a long shot; it doesn't suck at all, and it once again squeaks by on some of its positive factors. The production feels a lot more natural and resonant to me than The Book of Souls' smoother, cleaner mix, and as a result the historical, windy, epic nature of the lyrical matter seems better suited to the sound of the actual instruments. It's just as pleasant to put on in the background as its predecessor, because hey, that's Iron Maiden back there. But compare for a moment what this band is churning out compared to some of its peers...the last two Saxon albums kick ass in their traditional blue collar heavy metal. The most recent Judas Priest album was the most charged up they've been in almost 30 years. The last four Satan albums, since the reunion, leave Iron Maiden and every other NWOBHM or NWOBHM-adjacent band in the fucking dust. Bruce and the boys just sound bored and exhausted by comparison, and I hope that with these last two double albums, they've shaken off these 'epic' urges, and can fire off a few more concise efforts like Piece of Mind or Number of the Beast before we have to inevitably say goodbye to one of our favorite bands. Senjutsu is decent enough, but could have been so. much. more.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

https://www.ironmaiden.com/

Amorphis - Live at Helsinki Ice Hall (2021)

It was about the time I started listening through Live at Helsinki Ice Hall that I realized I don't think I've heard a full-length live record before from Amorphis. I've SEEN them live, a few times, sure, and I thought I could recall them putting out another live a few years before this one, but I must never have gotten around to it. It turns out that this one is quite substantial, recorded in their home turf, with two discs of tunes totaling almost 90 minutes. The caveat here is that the majority of the material is taken from the Tomi Joutsen years of the band, with a few treats for the older fans, so if you're expecting a run through of The Karelian Isthmus and Tales from the Thousand Lakes, you might come away disappointed, but this is really to be expected as they would focus on the records they're currently writing and selling.

The mix is pretty good, there's a great atmosphere created by the synthesizers and faint audience noise or feedback, so that you get this huge amphitheater-like shell of sound. Guitars sparkle along at their most melodic, but don't pack a lot of punch when they hit the lower end, but fortunately the bass and drums bulk the whole mix up. I actually think Tomi sounds off in some places, his delivery is powerful in both the cleans and growls, but especially on the later content it just sounds like he wavers a fraction off some of the desired notes, or my ears are playing tricks on me. His growling on some of the older Elegy or Tales material is pretty good though, and like I hinted, he can certainly carry the show with the pure belting he gives out. There are some nuances, effects and such here too that come off quite nice, but the album soars most when they hit upon that super atmospheric material like "The Four Wise Ones" where the synths are striking, Tomi is grunting and the leads are ringing out. Where it needs to be climactic, it delivers well enough, especially since I don't have much to compare it with!.

I'm a fan of most eras of this band, with the exception of Far from the Sun, and they seemed to have skipped that one here, as well as Circle, another that I just found mediocre. So I'm all in with the track selections, and I think they do a fairly apt job of mixing in the heaviness to remind us of their roots, especially when they take on an older number like "Into Hiding" and mix and modernize it so well alongside the more recent, progressive, mellower pieces. I don't know that Live at Helsinki Ice Hall captures the perfect Amorphis experience, or if any live recording ever could, but it's a good enough showcase to remind you of why you've enjoyed the wonderful band for three whole decades and counting.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

https://amorphis.net/

Cradle of Filth - Existence is Futile (2021)

The cover art to Existence is Futile offers a lot to unpack, some sort of devilish orgy processing center against the burning wastes of Hell, with the unfortunate tortured and ravished souls farting ravens out of their butts before being fed to the Big Guy. A little unusual, but in that classic, literary sense that Cradle of Filth are such proponents for, and clearly the most interesting that Artūrs Bērziņš has yet created for the band. But what isn't nearly so strange is how absolutely killer this album is. They'd been cruising along with newfound success and critical respect for (in my estimation) the six albums before this one, but Existence is Futile is so dynamic and well-released that it almost instantly thrust to the top echelons of their entire discography, and it's since grown into my fave that they've written since 2000's formidable Midian.

By this point you know exactly what to expect, the Brits' hybrid of black, thrash, death and Gothic metal dowsed in synth-driven symphonics, poetic lyrics and the vocal array of a flight of imps of various shapes and sizes. But with this record, everything is just so flawlessly integrated that there's never a single second where I feel like a keyboard or effect oversteps its place. A lot of albums making such heavy use of orchestration run the risk of drowning out their metallic core, but not here, as every sinister lick is crystal clear, the bass lines brood along effectively and Skaroupka's drums are at their usual peak, like a storm hovering over a decaying castle on a rain-slicked hillside. The female choirs, the arrangements, this record is probably the closest they've come to a true 'symphonic metal' style, without going too overboard and ridiculous like a Dimmu Borgir or Fleshgod Apocalypse when they went into arguably hyper-orchestrated territory on certain efforts. This just feels 'right' the entire time, like you're signing up for a full, cinematic experience, a silent lost horror epic which has been given an entire score by the filthy libertines, and you are never jerked from its grasp.

In fact, though I won't say the album is perfectly catchy throughout its near hour of material, it is quite hard to pick out particular favorites because all the tunes are so bloody consistent. I love that technical thrash riffing that pulses below the orchestration of "Crawling King Chaos", or the Sabbat (UK)-like thrash and melodies that catapult into "Black Smoke Curling from the Lips of War", but even the softer interludes with their piano lullabies are good, and I loved the doomy swagger within "The Dying of the Embers". It's really just one that I'll happily spin fore to aft, with a great Scott Atkins production and the usual high standards for layout and packaging. It falls short of a masterpiece, perhaps, but Existence is Futile easily joins Midian, Dusk and Her Embrace and the 'Re-Mistressed' version of Cruelty and the Beast as a go-to album from these persistently entertaining ghouls.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10]

https://www.cradleoffilth.com/

Lord Vampyr - The Vampire's Legacy (2021)

Italians and their horror go hand in hand, from the classic zombie and giallo films to a broad range of metal engaged with the genre. From your Paul Chain doom to the theatrics of Death SS, to the occult haze of a Mortuary Drape, they've got you pretty much covered if you're into the classic traditions and macabre mysticism. Not all of it is great, in fact a lot of it can get pretty goofy, but when I see an album cover this fucking awesome I am quite hopeful on the former. I mean this is artwork you really need to live up to...it reminds me of the first two Necromantia records...you've got a grisly looking Dracula that you don't want to fuck with, and a trio of ghastly brides that you wouldn't want to fuck with even with someone else's appendages. Lord Vampyr himself, Alessandro, has a long history in horror-themed bands like Theatres des Vampires and Malamorte, and while I found some of them a little cheesy, others certainly held promise.

I haven't heard a lot of his solo albums, granted, but I know he flirted around with some industrial or Goth stuff, which The Vampire's Legacy only dabbles in occasionally. For the most part, this is full-on vampiric black metal which does sound like an aesthetic mesh of the Greek style of groups like Necromantia and Varathron with perhaps a bit of Cradle of Filth's haunted house stylings. The tremolo picked riffs are dowsed in an attempt at creepy atmosphere through the note placement, and they mix things up a lot with some slower grooves that might be channeling a bit more of the Goth metal influence, but this record did surprise me with some great pauses/breaks that erupt into these excellent, smothering black metal riffs, with intense drum batteries, non-intrusive synthesizers, decent bass lines, and ecstatic leads that rip out of the creepy castle countryside that this album explores to the bone. Top this all off with Lord Vampyr's charismatic, gnarly vocals, a blend of your typical Dani Filth rasps and more haughty shouting, and there's a wide enough variety here to fill the space and time.

For instance, "Mircalla" starts off with this drugged out, Celtic Frost vibe to it before erupting into the lurching, stuttering blast kicks, where "Wicked" fully embraces the Gothic/heavy metal thing without somehow interrupting the harsher, faster elements of the album, and "Blood Ballad" is a violent dip into its namesake without losing some degree of heaviness. It all feels like it should exist in the same place, that Lord Vampyr is simply pacing things out so the listener can catch a breath before going back into the symphonic black metal depths, a few of which are well orchestrated with clean vocal choirs ("Mater Vampirorum", "In My Tenebra"). Nothing here is truly amazing, granted, and sometimes it does come off a little over overly committed, but I was impressed that this stuff at least made an honest attempt to earn that killer cover art, and there's no question that it's legit horror metal through and through.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100041637623972

Lake of Tears - Ominous (2021)

Had Lake of Tears remained consistent through its near 30 year existence, I would count Daniel Brennare's baby as one of my favorite doom bands of all time. Yet for every record I worship...Headstones, A Crimson Cosmos and the wonderful surprise that was Moons and Mushrooms, there seem to be a few disappointing duds that feel almost like contractual fulfillments that don't exactly forward their music or aesthetics in any tangible way. Forever Autumn from 1999 was as dull as a stump (though I seem to be in the minority there), and the band's last effort Illwill left something to be desired. After a decade, the longest break in Lake of Tears' history, Daniel returns with Ominous, an album that, while not quite in the company of those favorites, is compelling and sees the Swedish doom outfit along a fresh path...

What if you took the band's simple, drudging sound and complemented it with electronics that feel at once both novel and retro? Throw a little distortion on the vocals, a little sci-fi influence mixed with their usual introspective lyrics, and I am back on board in a big way. Ominous is by far the band's biggest risk, their most 'experimental', but at the same time it still feels distinctly like Lake of Tears. The moody, dreary ambience of "In Wait and In Worries" is propelled by a guitar pattern that wouldn't have been out of place on their older records, and "Lost in a Moment" takes its more tribal, dissonance riffing and swirling bits of ambiance into a big rocking rhythm that feels like right at home. Even the soothing "Ominous Too", which reeks of David Bowie jamming with Pink Floyd, is transformed into something essentially Brennare, and even gives you a payoff riff deep in its depths. The album's dark tones certainly live up to the great cover artwork, and the electronic beats or synth tones never feel intrusive, but a natural mutation of the style the band has been cultivating for so long...

It's not perfect, as there are a few empty moments or tracks without a real climax, but there's probably something here for fans of all the bands' prior phases...and further...like the pseudo-death metal riffing behind the windy, frightening atmosphere of instrumental "The End of This World". Psychedelic, gloomy escape, touching upon the fantasy inspirations of their yesteryears, but from a different angle invoking a bleak futurism. Does Brennare go far enough with this here? Maybe not, maybe there are moments where he pulls back to the secure, pastoral 70s-informed doom of the first 3-4 albums, familiar patterns in the chords or choruses, but clearly there was no intention to thoroughly repeat himself, and Ominous benefits from all the new ground it churns through, while giving you a look back at the greener fields behind.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

http://www.lakeoftears.net/

Unanimated - Victory in Blood (2021)

Sweden's Unanimated has never released a bad record, and it wasn't about to start when time came around to release their fourth full-length in 35 years of existence. Victory in Blood reads like a tour de force of the black and death metal aesthetics heralded within its scene, leaning much heavier onto the former for the actual music, where the vocals are the element that straddles the line. This is an aggressive rush of a record, sometimes a bit predictable in its rhythmic ideas as are many bands who love to blast away, but nonetheless atmospheric and well-produced with a few memorable surprises waiting in the depths of its aggression. The band has not sought to reinvent itself by any means, you can trace the direct line of how they got from In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead to this one, nor do they stand out far from other groups like Marduk or Dark Funeral, but they approach this new material with brazen confidence and blazing competence.

They really like to emphasize the speed here, but tunes like "As the Night Takes Us" prove that they can play about in a mid-tempo sandbox, and they can even pull off another interlude piece in the acoustic "With a Cold Embrace" and its surprising clean vocal harmonies of some quality. The riff construction isn't terribly progressive, and they don't often stride into some epic chorus that will blow your testicles off, but Victory in Blood is certainly a flood of intensity with a group of musicians who work in lock step as they lay their Satanic brickwork. The volumes here are great, with epic drumming, swarthy bass that will turn around in your gut, and killer rhythm guitar tone that can balance out both the thicker chord patterns and the bleeding melodies so important within the Swedish black metal. The vocals are a broad hybrid of rasp and growl, and also sound tremendous within the mix. I find that the more technical they get with their riffing, or the more atmospheric, the more interesting the material gets, but there's no question that this is a professional, punishing effort which puts them near the very forefront of the survivors within this style.

In fact, I think Victory in Blood is strong enough that I'm just as likely to pick this down off the shelf as I am In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead or In the Light of Darkness, and it seems like a re-haul of the aesthetics they were using back in the 90s, only clad in the denser, louder sound that studios are capable of producing in current times. Anyone into Sacramentum, Necrophobic, Diabolical, Thulcandra, Naglfar or Dawn should have a blast with this belligerent hellscape of a metal album, and they're another unit that proves there is no slowing down with age, that the vile imaginations that roosted over the 90s are still very much intact and relevant, and there's no need to stand solely on nostalgia when you can still lay a smackdown like this one. They might not be the catchiest songwriters, they might not be the stuff of legend like a Dissection, but they are God-damned, and damned reliable.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.facebook.com/unanimatedofficial/

Sodom - Bombenhagel EP (2021)

Sodom contributes once again to the near endless stream of EP releases they've been using to keep themselves busy in between full-lengths, which I can't complain about too much, since those full-lengths have generally been good the last couple times out. The usual process is a new tune or two, and then either a cover or a re-recording or a tune from a neighboring full-length, and that continues with Bombenhagel, a disc centered largely about the re-recording of the Persecution Mania track. This is for me largely unnecessary, because I have no problem with the original and didn't ask for it, however I can give the Germans some credit because this version sounds a little more vibrant, messy and impactful due to some deeper bass in the mix, frilly and sloppy leads and the fact that Tom still sounds as pestilent as ever with his rasp.

That said, as a fan of Genesis XIX, you know I was eager to skip right past this to the new tracks, "Coup de Grace", which is a nice crossroads between their death/thrash side and then some of the punkyness that overtook the band's output throughout the mid to late 90s. "Pestiferous Posse" is also a nasty one with some of his most evil and raw sounding vocals that hover just behind the propulsion riffing, of which there is plenty in the five minute run track. On both of these new pieces, Angelripper also has some nice shouts that ascend or descend and make a good contrast against the dirtier, low-end vocals, or at least I think that's Tom doing those. Frank Blackfire also appears here as he did with the last album, nice to have him back in the fold for those seeking to channel the genuine 80s Sodom thrash, and you even get legendary producer Harris Johns contributing a lead guitar. Now, there isn't much essential here, and these tunes aren't exactly the quality to lead off a new studio full-length, but at the same time it was all 'fine', there were no throwaways and it sounds like the Germans are genuinely having fun so late into their career. The serious Sodom enthusiast who just wants more will be in ammo belt paradise, but I don't know that I'll listen through these more than a couple times.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://sodomized.info/

Rage - Resurrection Day (2021)

Resurrection Day proves that you don't have to get softer as you get older, because part of the appeal to this album is its reliance on the punchier, low end riffs which have a slightly more meat-headed and thrashing force to them than you might expect. Not that Rage hasn't flirted with this level of aggression many times in the past, and in fact you could argue they've got a lot more intense songs in their backlog, but this one doesn't waste any time in using that to get your attention, which it does...the problem would then be in KEEPING that, which was not always successful on this...twenty-fucking-forth full-length album, if I'm counting correctly? This is not a band with anything left to prove on this Earth, that has given me more great music than I could ever know what to do with, and maybe this isn't their magnum opus, but having said that, it's still well-rounded, professional and hits more often than it misses, and those of you tuned into the modern Rage catalogue will have little cause for complaint.

We're still pretty far removed from the shrieking, innovative speed metal of the band's 80s period, but Resurrection Day incorporates pretty much all of the band's tropes past that date. Arrangements that involve a lot of 'Lingua Mortis' orchestrated intros or backgrounds; the burly, unique, mid-range Peavy Wagner vocals that he's settled so comfortably into since the mid-90s; clean and potent production; and a crack team of musicians that make it all sound so simple. There are a few misfires here like the 'death grunts' which are obviously not confident enough to appear for more than a few intonations, and I do understand that this is all an attempt to feel cool or relevant, but while they don't muck up the works here they really aren't necessary. Jean and Stefan's guitars are mighty whether they're chugging along, or breaking into the sticky, dramatic leads, or even lots of little unexpected chords and/or riffs that they throw in here to counterbalance everything else. The rhythm section is fully on point and everything on the album is clear and distinct, in terms of polish this one is unquestionably one of the most up-front of their works, you won't be straining your ears for anything.

I think what this one comes down to is that it's another of their albums when, 'in the moment' I am almost constantly impressed and engaged, but once I've shut it off for the day I never think about it. Tracks like "The Age of Reason" or "Arrogance and Ignorance" prove that this band has every right in the stakes to be as blown up and popular as a Blind Guardian or Sabaton, other than the aforementioned 'extreme' vocals, but like a lot of the modern output from both those groups, it's just not sticking with me for an amount of time longer than it takes for me to get my fix, and then I find myself wanting that fix from earlier Rage records. Don't get me wrong, this one is a whole step above 2020's Wings of Rage, which to one of my least favorites in their catalogue (if still not 'bad)', and it's about on par with Seasons of the Black, but when I'm interested in listening to their post-1990 material, my modern Rage medicine is still going to be Unity, Soundchaser, or Carved in Stone, which most of the ensuing 21st century albums have more or less been trying to reiterate.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

https://www.facebook.com/RageOfficialBand