Sentenced 2 Die - Parasitic Infection (2023)

I won't promise you that Parasitic Infection is some extinction level event for the bro-core death metal scene of the 2020s, but this record is super fun nonetheless and a notable improvement over Sentenced 2 Die's 2021 EP in every single department. It keeps some of that hardcore influence intact, but is more than willing to ramp up the 'pure' death metal feel, to take a few chances, and more often to me this feels like a proper, well-written, low-tech slamming DM record that occasionally remembers where it came from rather than a metalcore or deathcore band earnestly trying to 'legitimize' or brutalize itself, not that bands from that scene need to do so, but you get the point. And this record gives ME the point, repeatedly, stabbing and bludgeoning me with its huge grooves, great production and much more memorable material.

"Canopy of Intestines" was one of my favorite death metal tunes of 2023, with its simple but creepy melodies and evil breakdowns, while "Bestial Deformity" took me completely by surprise with the addition of the ominous clean vocals that chant over its depths. The Minnesotans clearly sat down together and decided that what came before wasn't enough, that there was so much more musical quality they could wring from this slamming, basic style, and they accomplished such. The bass tone here is much mightier, bouncing along with a little more personality from the awesome crunch of the rhythm guitars, so they feel more like individual instruments even if the lines go in the same direction. The drums are also much clearer and you can make out the thunder from the fills. Vocalist Dave Sikorski uses the same guttural attack as the debut, but it's better fleshed out here, a little more abrupt and not just hovering in the midst of the musical weight, and when he flashes out some carnal snarl it's pretty effective.

But the production itself might be the star, with everything so heavy and loud and battering that it nearly blew out the windows on our Honda Fit. The album is also quite concise at around 24 minutes, so even if some of the tunes don't really throw out a truly impressive riff or surprise they go about their business quickly, and there's a sweet acoustic interlude right in the middle to let you take a breath before they crush your fucking face again. The leads aren't exactly a major feature of their style yet, but in some tunes like "Splattered on Pavement" they are making the attempt, and since elsewhere they already show their aptitude for nailing a good melody or harmony, this is a good space for further evolution of their sound. Parasitic Infection goes so much further than the EP in presenting the 'total package' of modern death that acknowledges its roots, and if you're into stuff like the grooves off the last couple Dying Fetus records, this is a lot of fun.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

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

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 - Wretched Illusions (2019)

Wretched Illusions didn't leave a huge impression on me the first time I heard it, possibly because I was just so inundated with epic throwback death metal sounds at the time that it came across a little cookie cutter. The EPs were certainly cool, and this doesn't betray them in any way whatsoever, but there were definitely riffs or tracks I remembered being a little bit of a chore on a longer, 40 minute record. In hindsight, I was likely not giving this one a proper chance, because it is actually quite solid, and understandable as the release that would spearhead their developing popularity among the fresher death metal crowd that was likely hearing a lot of this stuff before its own influences, or crossing over from the hardcore and deathcore genres to a niche like this that felt immediately more 'pure' and impressive.

Creeping Death definitely felt denser and busier here than the EPs, not because the style had shifted but rather that they were filling in the spaces better. The rhythm guitars are the vehicle, with constantly bruising, winding and chugging riffs that play around in the death metal of antiquity, with a little street mentality and also a few dives into a more death/doom crawlspace. They're not the sort that are unique or catchy individually, but always attention-getting enough that they can propel the listener along through the track, where he/she will receive the reward of some frilly little lead or breakdown that gives a dopamine payoff in the brain. The bass melds a little more into the guitars, where it had stood out more on Specter of War, and thus the dynamics here are sometimes too consistent, although it's all pretty awesome sounding if you isolate it. Reese Alavi's vocals, though, are a lot more gruesome and entertaining, he sounds ripping fucking pissed through a lot of these tracks and is starting to develop away from his influences, even though he carries them onward.

The songwriting is more confident, and extended outward, incorporating more death metal techniques from both the OSDM contingents and the 90s brutal style, and this variation actually helps to make the old school parts stand out much more when they erupt like the tremolo riff in "Sinner's Torch", or a Swedish d-beat arrives in "Corroded from Within". Weirdly, while this isn't at all 'cavern core' like you'd expect from the artwork, it definitely has a claustrophobic feel because it's just so tightly executed and matured. An impenetrable wall. It's another Creeping Death album which I might not instantly grab for on my shelf when I'm in the mood for the style, but as I sit here listening through it again, it's hard to really find much wrong with it. Average-to-good riffing patterns, competent playing all around, savage vocals, firm production values, loyalty to the styles that birthed it, and as the years have passed I can absolutely understand why it helped the band blow up like they have.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.creepingdeath.net/

Creeping Death - Specter of War EP (2018)

Specter of War, the sophomore EP from Texans Creeping Death, has another of those cover images that doesn't necessarily match up to its musical content, but looks pretty badass nonetheless. The reaper riding, the hounds, the evil castle and bridge, the sunlight filtering through the ominous, evil clouds...all adds up to what might be a very sinister thrash, black or death metal effort. I won't say that the music itself avoids all such classifications, but here I felt like the alleged hardcore side of the band manifest itself a little more clearly than on the prior release. You could easily listen through some of the breakdowns on this and imagine Madball or Biohazard having a particularly dark day and dipping into their own crossover death metal influences for some similar inspiration.

Still, this stuff reeks of old Pestilence, Asphyx, and even some Bolt Thrower with the more tank-rolling sorts of rhythms that develop. Chugging intensity balanced off against the tremolo riffs you'd more equate with the classic DM sounds, and frankly these guys were one of the most seamless to blend together the styles into something that feels like a coherent entity and not just bouncing back and forth between the extremes. The bass tone on Specter of War is more prominent, like its bouncing around the cargo hold of some oil tanker, and the vocals, still in that Schuldiner/Grewe/van Drunen style, are a bit less pronounced, but also more ghastly sounding than the last time. Rhythm guitar riff quality is around the same, they try a few different techniques, and still offer the scarce lead or two, but what I can't deny is just how effective the tone is, it simply carves out the listener's flesh in huge chunks, with big, deep chords and caustic chugging that will entertain you even if it's not exactly unique or nuanced.

If you could combine these two short-players, you'd probably have my favorite Creeping Death record, it was just so fun and sincere and set in a style I'm not capable of getting bored with. There is nothing genius about any of this, it's just a band wearing its influences well, playing within its own parameters and evoking just the right amount of nostalgia and atmosphere while keeping it all real for the mosh pit crowds that will likely appreciate it the most. Angry, hungry, and worth hearing, especially those awesome bridge/breakdowns in "Salvation" and "New Agony", or the great opener "Revenge".

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.creepingdeath.net/

Creeping Death - Sacrament of Death EP (2016)

Creeping Death is another of the younger US bands which has taken the scene by storm, punching far above their weight to some, well worth the time to others. They've certainly got a lot of ken when it comes to audience awareness, tailoring a lot of their music for the mosh-positive which inescapable amounts of breakdowns and grooves. To this effect, they are often described as a sort of hardcore/death metal hybrid, and I can agree with that to a degree, though I find a lot of that hardcore 'spirit' missing from the compositions...instead, this is pure OSDM with a few more breakdowns than you'd expect, perhaps more than are effective in a sheer listening context, but cognizant of how their concerts are going to go and wanting to leave some bruised knuckles in their wake, and who can really blame them? It's a meathead world out there. Give them flesh.

Having said that, I think Sacrament of Death was a promising start, one of their more truly death metal leaning efforts, which I would describe as a blend of old Death (Scream Bloody Gore, Leprosy) or Pestilence (Consuming Impulse), with a lot more fisticuffs to break up the searing tremolo rhythms and excellent, evil leads that contribute so well to its atmosphere. Just three tracks, and not even ten minutes long, and I could barely remember the difference between them, but they're a blast to listen through. Deep and churning rhythm guitars that sound good in either of the 'parent genres' they draw from, with lots of weight to the chug parts but also clear enough on the faster rhythms which often lead to a nice feel of impish mayhem. The mix of the drums and guitars actually reminds me once more of Consuming Impulse, maybe imagine that album had been written by a bunch of kids in New York around the same time and you've got a good approximation of this EP's tones, and as a sucker for that, I can't help but enjoy it. It's not that the riffing is particularly unique or exceedingly catchy, but for more primitive or simple grooves like old Obituary they can hold your attention.

Vocals are also quite good, again I'll reference Chuck Schuldiner or Martin van Drunen, but with more of a smackdown vibe to them that syncopates over the more tough guy rhythms below it. The lead guitars are really done with nice whipping tones, more of that 'unknown' vibe added for excess than trying to complete melodic or glorious cycles, and it fits right in with the knuckle-dragging groove that powers so much of the material. The mix is dark, thick and heavy and resembles the mosh pits that so obviously resulted from these songs. I also dug the cover art a lot, and usually do throughout the band's evolution...I'm not sure the ritualistic or vampiric imagery matches with the music, but on its own it is quite cool looking. Whether Creeping Death continues to live up to its own shitstorm of hype is yet to be determined, but Sacrament of Death was a solid introduction that holds up to this day.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://www.creepingdeath.net/

Mur - Truth EP (2021)

Mur is another of a number of French acts which combine the aesthetics of hardcore with black metal, or perhaps black-gaze, or post-black metal, or really the post-ness is created by this hybridization in the first place. This new Truth EP is an interesting one as the band has found a way to implement synthesizers into the mix which created an entirely other dimension of nostalgia. Their implementation is certainly redolent of the modern era of retro synth, so they're dirty pads you'd usually equate with film scores of the 80s, and the way they fluctuate between breaks in the aggressive metal instruments, or serve to complement them with even more chaotic, spastic tones is fairly fresh and gives this material more life than it might have without.

At the core, the band bowls you over with angry, raucous hardcore barking and faster, blasted beats, as well as the streaming, airy tremolo-picked guitars common to the post-black market, and that provides a nice foundation, but once they throw in those keyboards it gets much more choppy and melodic, and it's almost like the heavy heart of the band is a blunt instrument used to add a little weight to that sort of aggressive synthscape. It's not the only atmospheric trick up their sleeve...there's a passage in "Suicide Summer", for instance, where they let a distorted bass roil out and then layer in the keys to create this really warped, drugged out effect, and that's a brilliant song as it then erupts into the more arpeggiated synth-lines and roaring chorus vocals. The fact that the whole EP is pretty filthy and unwashed only makes it more interesting, they could have gone with a more polished vibe like the popular metalcore bands from the UK that mix in the keys (Architects, Bring Me the Horizon, etc), but I kind of like how it maintains this oppressive, discordant edge to it, interesting to explore.

At over 32 minutes this one feels more like a full-length than an EP. Of course, part of that is devoted to the explosive and crazy cover of Talk Talk's "Such a Shame", which works well within the medium that Mur has built itself, and might not even be too recognizable without the lyrics. There's also this giant 10 minute title track which is basically almost all retro-synthwave/krautrock, and I feel like it almost might have been a mistake to include, because I like it more than most of the band's more directly metallic fare. They still have some drums, guitars and intense sounds there, but it sounds like early M83 on a prog bender while ingesting as much acid as possible, and that's just cool. Overall, though, this is a cool permutation on the core sound they brought their 2019 album Brutalism, and a direction they could certainly improve a lot upon, maybe by ramping up the riff quality to compete more with the synth lines. But even as it stands, an interesting listen.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://murband.bandcamp.com/

Bait - Revelation of the Pure (2020)

Bait is another in a succession of European bands to blend together the ideas of post-metal, hardcore and sludge into a forceful, cohesive sound, not really allowing any one of the primary influences to overpower the others. While a number of similar acts seem just upon the precipice of making the hybrid memorable, this band won me over almost immediately with its dark, dynamic sense of rhythm, enormous and effective production values and seamless integration of atmosphere and aggression. Revelation of the Pure is an impressive showcase of rage and melancholy which feels like you've been run right up against a reef of bared emotions and then before you even get the chance to straighten yourself out it starts tossing you around on its stormy surface until you're boneless.

Floods of haunted, mournful chords charge along over this thick, pumping bass tone which often gives off the impressive of an evil, more muscular Fugazi if it were soaked in angrier hardcore. The wall of sound created by the guitar not only anchors you with those heavy low-end chords but also with these ceaseless streams of atmospheric, higher distorted notes which just fleshed out their style so much that I found it hypnotizing. The drummer is a powerhouse, with perfect fills and kicks that keep it all from lapsing into chaos, and pair him up with that bass, some of the more dissonant riffing and the vocalist's energetic mesh of hardcore barks and black metal rasps and this will totally mow you down. I'd almost liken it to the more interesting, unique metalcore bands of old like Coalesce, Botch, or Keelhaul, only viewed through that darker lens where the post-black influences are just as important to how the songs are woven. Tracks like "Lightbringer" and the title cut had right on the edge of my seat, I had to hold myself back from moving, which might have looked really silly all alone in my small office, but this band...just...has it. I admit that I've not always been highly receptive to a lot of this style of material sent to me by labels like Les Acteurs de l'Ombre, but this one just nailed me to the cross and left me hanging there in a dazed, bloody, bruised stupor.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

https://ladlo.bandcamp.com/album/revelation-of-the-pure

Rostok Vampires - Transylvanian Disease (1989)

I had encountered the name Rostok Vampires a handful of times through the 80s and early 90s, probably referenced in some zines, or perhaps the 'thank you' list in some album's liner notes, and I thought whoever they are, they sound kind of cool, as we often would think scouring the metal underground before being faced with the reality. It would be around a decade before I'd tracked down any of their music, which happened to be their first full length album, Transylvanian Disease. Cool band name. Cool album title. My expectations were that this was going to be some sort of horror crossover/thrash band, but in reality that's more what they evolved towards on later efforts, like their sophomore Misery, which had a lot more metallic riffing across its tracks than this debut, which is more or less a straight horror-punk record with only a few brief guitar parts one might classify as thrash or heavy metal of any sort.

Transylvanian Disease is essentially a hardcore punk album, very heavily influenced by the Misfits, as you can tell by the happy, predictable punk riffs wed to the pained, howling, Glen Danzig-a-like vocals and gang shouts. The difference is that, contrary to what the cool cover artwork implies, the lyrics and song themes don't seem terribly rooted in horror. Perhaps a little of the imagery conjured in the lyrics of a few tracks, but largely this is a mix of the personal non-conformist punk shtick with some social and political lyrics, such as "Faith" which covers Islamic extremism, or "Gun" which might be a criticism of firearm ownership, though the lyrics are fairly minimalist. So right away we've got this huge thematic disconnect which only breeds some degree of disappointment, after seeing that illuminated graveyard, dark trees, and thinking this was somehow going to be some creepy crossover. Just know this in advance, it looks a lot cooler than it sounds. Now, having said that, the Rostok Vampires debut is actually not all that terrible of an album, if you're into the punk and hardcore sounds of the early to mid 80s and seek out records that followed along that path.

The album opens with a screaming sample and then breaks down into a drum-driven, groove which frames some stock rock chords and weird, atonal leads, all before the inevitable circle pit thrust with the raving vocals that places itself somewhere between the Misfits and Minor Threat. The guitar tone, drums and general atmosphere are actually quite good, it sounds snug with its times and that automatically lends itself to a sincerity a lot of genre fans really crave. The songs don't seem like they required a whole lot of thought to conceive, split between some energetic muted hardcore riffs and punk 101 chord progressions, but there's at least a little bit of fire lit beneath these Germans, a little more anger and rawness, rather than the kitschy drive-thru horror vibe of Danzig, Doyle and crew. Bass and drums are about as frantic as this genre got back them, and you certainly get the impression that if this were played on a stage in front of you there would be a whole lot of mohawk-slinging shit kickers whipping their leather jackets and spikes around. Although once the lead guitars break out, and there are several whipping around, a few of the true might have gotten confused.

The Vampires seemed comfortable in this sound, but apart from a few slightly darker riffs or breakdowns where the tunes seem to mutate towards more 'core or metal, it's just not a set of songs that have really stuck with me whatsoever. I would never pick this one out of a lineup against the Misfits, Ramones, Black Flag, Seven Seconds, The Exploited, Agent Orange, or any of the other early punk and hardcore that I often find myself spinning through the decades. They offer a little more than some shallow impersonation of the American and British scenes, to be fair, but really didn't seem to have hit their stride at this point. Coupled with the missed opportunity for some creepy, atmospheric, unique Euro punk or hardcore that really embraced the horror theme that their moniker and album title imply, it was quite a disappointment when I at last got around to listening to it. I'd easily recommend heading straight for their heavier, thrashier albums like Torment of Transformation and Misery, but if you're super invested in that 80s heavier punk sound then you could do worse than Transylvanian Disease. Just keep the fangs and fake blood in storage, because this album does.

Horror-meter: Two out of ten pretty gravestones.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

Flourishing - The Sum of All Fossils (2011)

Albums like The Sum of All Fossils might only come around rarely, but they're the primary reason I meticulously scour message boards and blogs for recommendations and obscurities each year. Without such, I might never have heard of Flourishing or experienced what has easily escalated into one of my favorite metallic efforts of late. The Sum of All Fossils might not be 'entirely' a metal album, to be sure, but what's so marvelous about this New York trio is its ability to mash up dissonant post-punk and post-hardcore guitars with the excitement, intensity and vocals of the death metal genre and not come off as pretentious, snotty or even remotely 'cool'. I mean that as the highest compliment, of course, because for all this band's humble presentation and execution, they've got one of the tightest, freshest and most engrossing sounds on the East Coast.

If I told you this was like the bastard child of classic Immolation and Fugazi, you might not believe me, and yet I feel compelled to describe it as just that. The gutturals of guitarist Garrett Bussanick have a bit of Pestilence/Asphyx titan Martin van Drunen appeal to them, broad and bloodied and capable of driven, hostile emotions amidst the carnage, well suited to the copious and roiling guitar tone. Curiously, the more aggressive guitars of the album don't immediately come off as all that unique or inspired, but it's how they interact with the warmer, melodic textures throughout the album that has completely won me over. Thudding, distorted bass lines are wrought against the leaden density of the guitars, while the drums are capable of a dynamic range of double bass, blasting and whatever suits the more atmospheric passages that speckle the album's gritty, urban landscape.

Not a track goes by with out some brilliant, beautiful and frankly unexpected burst of warmth and fluid melody that reflects the band's indie/noise rock and post-hardcore influences, and thus a precarious bond is made with the listener. You know that 'money shot' riff is coming (or more than one), you just don't know when, but for eight tracks and 44 minutes, I can promise you that Flourishing does not fail to earn its keep. In "The Prospects of Rejection", it's that bombing, bass tone that cedes to the groove of the drums at the intro, or the melodic chugs around the 4 minute mark that lead to the trilling higher notes. In "By Which We're Cemented", it's the sparse harmonic notes that writhe atop the pump of the bass while the band barks out a cleaner, more angst-filled vocal style. In "Fossil Record", perhaps my favorite of the album's many highlights, it can be found in the airy, shoegazing abstraction in the bridge and the subsequent rock riff that sounds staggering under the brutal gutturals.

But if you're worried that my description of this album makes it seem too 'pretty', then I must assure you that is not the case. Flourishing will beat the living spirit out of your limbs with its percussive, corpulent textures and then use its more tranquil, resonant passages to sweep up the chunks of inanimate bone and marrow that remain. The lyrics are written in that emotional, matter of fact narrative abstraction I often equate with post-hardcore or artsy metalcore bands (Converge, Trap Them, etc), but they're an amazingly congruent and effective partner to the composition and pacing of the record. Ultimately, if you've been searching out something new and profound in metal, and you're not averse to the exterior influences I've mentioned here, then The Sum of All Fossils is the one you've been awaiting. I'm struggling to even come up with accurate contemporary comparisons. Bands like Castevet, Krallice and Ulcerate certainly bring a similar range to the table, but this album reduces their collective output to cinders before the smoke from the first track clears. The Sum of All Fossils might not look like much, but... Oh hell, yes it does. Just check it out.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.75/10] (rotting dialog exhausts me)

http://www.myspace.com/flourishing

Hammer Fight - Hammer Fight EP (2011)

Not to be confused with the indie computer game of the same title, this Hammer Fight is instead a band of New Jersey devils running a sizable risk in their mash-up of styles. At the heart of this EP, you can clearly recognize a massive influence from punk, hardcore, rock and in particular the more bruising side of the NWOBHM spectrum made manifest by the might Motörhead. The vocals aren't quite so smokey as Lemmy, and the riffs are a bit more punch than blues, but it's hard not to envision something like "Down the Line" as other than a ticked off hybrid of newer, thrash driven Motörhead and Sick of It All, with perhaps a touch of Fear, and there ain't nothing wrong with that in my book.

Several of the songs definitely function on a more directly rock & roll axis, like "Disas-tour" and its wavy, bruising guitar boogie; or "If You Want Blood (You Got It)", which sounds like AC/DC if they went NYHC, complete with dense background shouts. Then there are others which are more distinctly infused with thrash, hardcore and punk reminiscent of Sheer Terror, Sick of It All, Slapshot, and so forth. Meaty guitar mutes dominate "Down the Line" or "Stuck in the Chamber", while the latter shows the band flexing its traditional metal lead chops. There are even a handful of more inspiring, melodic riffs that feel like a crude mesh of rock & melodic death metal, like "Tears of Unfathomable Sadness", which might just be the most emotional and effective among these seven songs. Hammer Fight keeps it short and sweet: they are well aware that their audience doesn't want more than a 3-4 minute rush of adrenaline.

As a result, even if I wasn't blown over by the material here, I have to admit that they do a good job of not wearing out their welcome. I mentioned earlier that this was a bit of a 'risky' sound they were reaching for, but that wasn't meant as a discouraging remark. Look at a band like Norway's Kvelertak, whose popularity has swollen performing a mix of rock & roll, spry punk energy and black metal vocals. Hammer Fight isn't quite the same sound, but they have a similar skill at fusing genres as if they had always been crops in the same garden. The production is punchy and honest, the riffs usually fun despite a death or nuance and invention, and it seems ready-made for moshing without any need for tons of stupid breakdowns. Not the sort of music you'd want to take to prom, perhaps, but more then sufficient to score your next wrestling meet.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.facebook.com/HammerFight

Burn Your World - Burn Your World EP (2011)

Burn Your World is an emerging band on the Salt Lake City scene, playing a fairly unique combination of metal and hardcore which draws in influences from all over the spectrum: punk, thrash, death, grind and black metal can all clearly be heard below the coarse 'core bark of the vocals. There is a pretty predictable flux between the band's faster, go for the throat emotional outbursts and the breakdowns, and this is perhaps its most distinctly hardcore (or metalcore) characteristic; but what I really dug about these guys is how they implement the melodic or dissonant textures that occur naturally in blackened or melodic death straight into the verse rhythms, as if it could never occur otherwise.

They keep their tracks relatively short and to the point within the 2-4 minute range, which is more than acceptable for the genre, and they also exhibit a strong sense of control here, not as wild or off the hinge as something like my region's local heroes Converge, Backstabbers Inc. or Trap Them. Just a few riffs in each tune, and the transitions are almost always spotted a mile away, but this is not a style I approach for its complexity. I love the almost Bad Religion melodic fixture in the verse of "Vanished", and wish they'd have used more of this throughout the EP, but in their defense they're throwing down a lot of variation. "Suffering" sounds like a melodic death/thrash track throughout most of its playtime, and "It Was Arson" is more like a dour street core interspersed with moderate little blast sections and grooving breakdowns. A lot of older school punk and hardcore circa Minor Threat also looms in "Misanthropy", though the vocals are obviously far angrier.

If there were a few places Burn Your World could improve, it might be in the construction of the breakdowns and a few of the faster rhythms. For instance, even though "Vanished" begs for a mosh segment to follow up the faster verse, the chugging simplicity here is underwhelming. Same goes for some of the grittier thrash-core "It Was Arson" or the sluggish, choppy cuts in the middle of "Hollow Ground" (though in that last one, they at least apply a bit of melody to the chugging). None of them feel all that intense, and while this is likely to differ in the live setting, the spaces they appear on this recording feel often lacking or empty. That said, the production is pretty clean for a self-promoted release, and the mixture of styles could be unstoppable with just a bit more musical gestation between the constituents. This isn't the most consistent record, I'll admit, but the band's certainly authentic, and those who would welcome a more brutally fronted, metallic incarnation of, say, Avail might find something to enjoy here.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10]

http://www.facebook.com/burnyourworld

Cult of Luna - Cult of Luna (2001)

Cult of Luna’s first full length has a bit more in common with 90’s hardcore (and dare I say metalcore) than post-metal giants like Neurosis or Isis. While this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, both of the aforementioned bands’ early albums were strongly influenced by hardcore, Cult of Luna’s debut has a lot more straightforward hardcore segments than Isis’s Celestial but doesn’t quite capture the glory days of hardcore in the way Neurosis’s Pain of Mind does. The fact that Cult of Luna hovers between these two genres without showing too much favoritism one way or the other will likely be a sticking point for those looking for the type of post-metal the band delivers on Salvation or Somewhere Along the Highway. The album starts off with a strong post-metal feel. A simple guitar line gains heaviness and builds, slows, and then finally culminates about two minutes in as the vocals kick in. Johannes Persson’s vocals lack some of the edge metal aficionados have come to appreciate from death and black metal, but they are nevertheless effective on this album, and I’ve always appreciated the sincerity with which he seems to be singing. That said, the vocals seem restrained even compared to Neurosis, which is fortunately not the case for Cult of Luna’s later offerings.

It seems foolish to discuss this album as a collection of individual songs, because it is often difficult to pinpoint where one track ends and another begins. While this makes many songs in the album seem repetitive, they have a solid sound here, and I don’t mind it much. This album provides excellent background music. It may be ideal to listen to this album as you go about your day, because there isn’t a lot to focus on, but it’s an enjoyable hour of music, even if it seems to drag on when put under a microscope.

The massive fourteen minute long “Sleep” is a fan favorite from this album, and it’s the one track that gestures in the direction Cult of Luna will head on later releases. Equal parts doom metal and ambient post-hardcore, it feels like Neurosis worship, but I can’t fault them too much for this as it’s a damn good interpretation of Neurosis’s sound. Cult of Luna does take a few chances on this release by integrating strings in to a few of these tracks, including “Sleep.” It feels a little like the band is putting all of their ideas out there and seeing what sticks, but I’ve always held to the belief that this was an effective way to approach a first album.

“To Be Remembered,” the track following “Sleep” features a background chorus that gives the song an almost gothic metal feel. Again, Cult of Luna is still learning to walk on this first album, and I appreciate the experimentation, even if this style is never replicated on future releases. It also features the call and refrain style of screaming that will be familiar to anyone who has listened to, like, any good hardcore album ever.

Those looking for a dose of post-metal by way of 90’s hardcore would do well to grab this first album, as it’s a side of Cult of Luna that has been lost since they released Salvation, and, much like Isis did, the band seems intent on evolving more towards the post-metal side of the coin with fewer hardcore influences in each release.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://cultofluna.com/

Soulstorm - Soulstorm (1991)

Similar to Rumble Militia, Mottek or Death in Action, Soulstorm is another example of a bunch of German hardcore guys taking on the thrash genre that had become so popular by this point, but with one major difference: instead of risking the alienation of their punk and hardcore fans by using the same moniker, they instead created a new project to satisfy their impulses. Most of Soulstorm was involved with Inferno, a band that was reportedly pretty big on the European hardcore underground, but one that I've frankly never heard of. At any rate, the album is a mixed bag, for while the band does a good job at performing original thrash, and not entirely abandoning the crossover elements, the music is just not very memorable.

A good comparison is the Crumbsuckers, who are yet another example of an extreme music chameleon, mostly due to Howie's similar, grating vocal styles and the intricacy of the guitars. Bassist Zong is all over the place on this album, performing oddly happy lines beneath tracks like "Undignified" or "Visionary" that are otherwise a crop of sped up hardcore riffs with a little more melody and muted frenzy than one is accustomed to. But the band is also pretty experimental, with "Bad Boy" taking on an almost spaced out, jazzy rock presence, and "An Allegiance to the Sea" a folksy sea shanty with clean guitars and some shaky, punkish vocals. "Something About Your Fear" and "My Freedom" also take a turn for the unexpected. Unfortunately, as diverse as the band attempt to come off here, it really just works best when they get angry, like the hardcore/thrash mix of "(He Must Be) Sick in His Mind" or "What Is Wisdom?".

Soulstorm is the very definition of obscurity, but alas, despite the band's quirky aesthetics, this is ultimately a fantastic album cover gone to waste. Though skilled musicians, the band's constant jerking and popping never really settles into anything of note, anything to hold on to once the baffling sensation of what you're hearing disappears. I'll give them props for trying such an elaborate and original, lighter take on the thrash genre, and not shedding all of their roots in the process, but apart from its quizzical nature, there is little to recommend. For a somewhat similar effort done proper, I'd refer you to B.O.M.B. (Beast On My Back), the sophomore outing from New York's Crumbsuckers, a progressive hardcore/thrash album well worth hunting down.

Verdict: Indifference [5/10]

Rumble Militia - Stop Violence and Madness (1991)

If you can step past the obviously implied anti fascist, peace love and politico happiness of this album's title and cover art, then you can experience just how far Rumble Militia had strode past their first attempt at thrash altercation: They Give You the Blessing. I mean, it comes on the heels of an EP titled Destroy Fascism which highlights the "No Nazis" tracks, the band adorning their leather and metal haircuts, taking yet another stab at history's favorite villains. Personally I like a little madness and violence in my thrash metal, and thankfully the German band does deliver this, in spite of the title, through the more pissed off audio content on this, their best record, glossy and moshy and delivered on the early Century Media roster.

To be clear, this album is enormously stupid, but it's also quite fun, as the band march through the usual banes of the 80s, taking stabs at criminals, crooked cops and the media. A pure mosh thrash intro cedes into "Boys In Blue", with a mid-paced gait that erupts into its gang shouted, obvious chorus cursing (a riff in there reminds me of "Hard On You" from Flotsam & Jetsam). "Reflections of Your Videoprogramme" arrives with a Halloween musical sample and then a thrust of ballistic, thick guitar tone that is almost impossible to resist as it charges into the wild leads and shout adorned verses. As pedestrian as the breakdown is, reminding me of Gwar due to the vocals, you're just too caught up in the velocity and neckbreaking to give a fuck, and that also sums up tracks like "Stop This Shit" and "Waiting For Death", which also knock your block off if you can manage not to choke on laughter at the vocal/lyrics.

The only real complaint I have with this album is that the band occasionally do abandon this culmination of aggression to return to their rock/punk roots, in "You're Sure" and the faster "Way of Violence" and "Kindergarten ('82)". The songs themselves are not all that bad, mind you, and "Way of Violence" in particular builds up an unexpected atmosphere, but I do wish the band had just gone all out fucking thrash and done away with the disjunction. However, if I'm looking for a fun crossover experience, and my craving for something like D.R.I. or M.O.D. is on cooldown, Stop Violence and Madness is certainly an album that proves reliable. Just expect nothing of depth here. Loosen up, shut down your mind and your expectations and experience the giant tones of this blubbering, nigh on incompetent thrashcore, and you'll probably come away smiling.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.rumble-militia.com/

Nails - Unsilent Death (2010)

Plenty of folks have informed me that I should be listening to Nails, a furious three piece outfit from southern California with notable hardcore pedigree.  Featuring members of Terror, Carry On, Internal Affairs, and Snake Eyes, I wasn't too sold on the idea at first.  While I still find time to listen to Hatebreed and attend the odd Gilman Street show, hardcore and I have mostly parted ways.  The cosmos conspired to keep bringing Nails to my attention, and I finally decided to give Unsilent Death a listen.

I was flooded with regret the moment Unsilent Death started up.  Why had I not been listening to this band sooner?  Here at last was something to fill the hole in my blackened heart that Cursed had left with their passing!  A righteously pissed off and dirty mix of sludgy hardcore, grind, and d-beat that I actually skipped out on seeing at the React! Records showcase just days ago.  I am such an idiot.

Fast, pissed, and nearly perfect, this record is completely lacking in compromise.  The production is built on a mountain of low-end and distortion, and is a clear step above 2009's Obscene Humanity.  The style remains as straightforward as a train wreck, a constant assault on the listener in all respects.  Very few bands can pull off this kind of d-beat driven offensive and pair it with the kind of sludgy, murderous breakdowns that inspire genuine fear in the audience. 

Bow to no man, no pig, no book of myths. 
Tolerate no deception, no ignorance. 
I'm not your fucking servant.

Unsilent Death is fourteen minutes of pure disgust spread across ten tracks.  Standouts here include the quoted "No Servant", the title track, and the thirty second terror "Your God".  "Depths" closes things off with a wickedly simple blackened drum beat mated to wailing, distorted guitar feedback.  I have listened to this record at least ten times, and each time I have to either start all over from the beginning to hear more or take a break and decompress. 

Nails is constantly being compared to the likes of Entombed, Napalm Death, Discharge, and Drop Dead.  Each is an apt comparison in their own way, but I think a visit to the Chris Colohan back catalogue would be a bit more accurate.  Cursed, Left For Dead, and The Swarm have all tread this ground before, but Nails keeps the dream alive and kicking while putting their own brand of hatred at the forefront.  Unsilent Death is not to be missed by fans of heavy music.

Verdict:  9/10 [Epic Win]

Creatures - I, Lucifer (2009)

Creatures is a crossover band from California who mix aggressive hardcore with riff-heavy thrash metal. They're a little less retro and goofy than other crossover bands (Municipal Waste, etc) and this is a welcome element. Their hardcore half is much more rooted in a 'tough guy' influence like Biohazard or Hatebreed (in particular the grooves and vocals) than punky embellishments, and it works rather well. I, Lucifer is their full-length debut, having previously released an EP and appeared on some comps and a split with Downpresser.

The band's forte here is the mean thrash riffing, as populates a track like "Decimate" or the excellent "Burden". It meshes seemlessly with their breakdowns, and the band's use of a counterpoint gang shout really works to bridge the urban aggression of their style with the pissed off lyrics. The album is brief (about 22 minutes) which is acceptable for this style. No time is wasted. The band kicks your ass for 10 tracks that generally 2 minutes or less (with the exception of "Illusive Faults").

The mix on I, Lucifer is suitable with its boxy, punchy guitars and gruff vocals. Your mileage with this record will depend on how you feel about crossover metal/hardcore, and whether or not you enjoy big hooks, and violent pit grooves. Though I rarely visit this style of music anymore (my relationship with it started and ended with D.R.I., Cryptic Slaughter, Crumbsuckers, Leeway, etc), I am happy to hear that there are a few bands out there doing right with it. Creatures is one of those bands.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.creatures.bigcartel.com/

Iron Age - The Sleeping Eye (2009)

Iron Age is a very interesting band out of Texas who create a titanic wall of old school speed/thrash riffing that often lapses into a hybrid of hardcore, sludge and doom. The band's debut album Constant Struggle was likened to the Cro-Mags, with good reason, but this sophomore effort transcends that, forging familiar elements into a unique experience, devastating and well worth a listen.

To begin with, the thrash riffs on the album have a familiar feel to them, they are mild variations on primal 80s thrash bands (in particular, Overkill, Cro-Mags, I also hear a little Cirith Ungol!). The mix is superb, the riffs are vibrant, loud and powerful, and the vocal delivery is both disgusting and pummeling, oozing over the vocals with pure visceral hatred. They are good enough to carry many riffs on the album which might not be so effective otherwise. Though much of the album is delivered in this mid to faster paced thrash style ("Sleeping Eye of the Watcher", "Dispossessed", "Arcana Pt. I" are all great examples), Iron Age is capable of a wider range of exploration. "A Younger Earth" is primal, slower doom/thrash which recalls D.B.C. "Materia Prima" is a fine ambient interlude. "The Way is Narrow" is a seven minute epic ranging from desolate doom to thrash.

What Iron Age lacks in complexity is made up for by the band's atmosphere and the excellent mix of the album. The lyrical blend of earthen and prehistoric themes elevates them beyond the dim entertainment of lesser 'retro thrash' bands playing old riffs and singing about garbage that we just don't care about. Iron Age will have an appeal to fans of thrash, crossover, and doom/sludge metal, and they are one of the cooler bands to ever attempt such an ungodly union. Also, the band has taste (they covered a Flower Travellin' Band track on The Way is Narrow single). Definitely one to check out.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/ironagetexas

Prong - Force Fed (1988)

Straight up sewercore. How else would one describe the first few albums of New York's legendary crossover outfit Prong? Many might favor the more thrash-lite polish of Beg to Differ, or the later, industrial metal infusion that the band has used from the early 90s to the present day, but their second album Force Fed is arguably the strongest output of their career. Combine the proto-thrashcore of their debut Primitive Origins with a bristling sewage distortion and an unbelievable array of riffs, and you've got another convincing reason why 1988 was the strongest year in history for metal music.

"Freezer Burn" creates immediate immersion into the drains and back alley lowlight, lowlife world of Prong. Bursts of memorable thrash riffing, with an almost playful overtone below the blunt vocals of Tommy Victor. This is the classic lineup: Kirkland's muddy, efficient bass, Victor's savage riffing and the drum barrage of Ted Parsons. "Forgery" is a morbid and inviting fusion of NYHC and a wastrel-like, almost early Voivod vocal pattern. "Senseless Abuse" is a strong, memorable thrasher, with both a doomy breakdown and a killer death metal bridge riff! "Aggravated Condition" is another fetchy thrasher, surprising how much the riffs evoke the perfect atmosphere for the subject matter.

Squeeze the abcess, squirting release
Press past dry, meanwhile reinfect
Breaks out again, no callous forms
From scratching the scab
Worsen the eventual scar

Did someone just make poetry out of a boil or zit? I believe so. "The Coliseum" is a drudging, dirty instrumental track which creates epic imagery through the slow pace of its riffs and drums, and the distorted angst layered across. "Decay" is another wild thrashcore slugfest with obvious pit implications. "It's Been Decided" is another instrumental, and perhaps too soon, but the riffs are once again catchy. For the remainder of the album, "Bought and Sold" rules, "The Taming" is another track that reminds of a more hardcore version of early Voivod, and "Look Up at the Sun" has some of the catchies riffs on the album behind Victor's thoughtful grunts.

Look up at the sun, turning
Eleven thousand degrees, burning
There's no siren, no fireman
Is it night or day, ninety three million miles away
He's got a gun, pulled out from behind
A thousand mistakes, generalizations
He was beyond reason
He fired three shells
He fired three shells
He fired three shells

Did 80s thrash/hardcore have any right to be so poetic? Apparently so.

Force Fed is suitably primal, with one of the best 'raw' mixes in thrashistory. The guitars blister and scream, the bass is suitably dense and distorted, the vocals seem to cascade about in their claustrophobic conditions, yet with the firm New York gruffness. Riff for riff, this is superior to any other Prong album, but not the only I'd recommend (Beg to Differ and Rude Awakening are their other finest hours, but you can't go wrong with many of their efforts). It's a unique and inspired blend of extreme music genres with an intriguing subterranean atmosphere. This doesn't capture the tough guy streets of the city, but the thriving lifeline of its bowels, where all the piss and poop is washed away with so much of the metropolis' memories and detritus.

Verdict: Epic Win [9.5/10] (systematic self interest)

http://www.prongmusic.com/

Goatwhore - Carving Out the Eyes of God (2009)

Goatwhore has always been a unique entity, a Louisiana band that forsakes the excessive doom and sludge of its peers (Eyehategod, Soilent Green, Acid Bath, etc) even with some of their members in the very ranks. What comes out of the speakers is a blend of thrash, death, and black metal with an old school hardcore energy (and I mean that in a positive way). Previous albums Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun and A Haunting Curse were very impressive offerings that earned the band some just notoriety. While fourth effort Carving Out the Eyes of God hasn't impressed me nearly so much as their prior efforts, it's a solid album with no lack for trying.

"Apocalyptic Havoc" breaks out into a pure speed/thrash metal chop, almost like older Cowboys from Hell Pantera meets thrashier Motorhead. Although the energy and lyrics might get the infernal blood pumping, only one or two of the riffs stand out, the rest is forgettable. "The All Destroying" is a little blacker, with Zack Simmons' punishing, unending kit destruction and some melodic, charging riffs, but it still has a few of the simpler hardcore meets speed black riffs like the first track. The title track follows, with a slightly more death metal structure, start/stop brutality. It's actually the strongest track up to this point in the record. "Shadow of a Rising Knife" is very hardcore, with an anger not uncommon in the old NYHC scene, but still some thrashier metal riffs to break it down. "Provoking the Ritual of Death" is boring and chuggy, the slowest track on the first half of the record, though it does feature some melodic black breaks. A few later tracks on the album stand out. "Reckoning of the Soul Made Godless" has a hyper-Obituary feel to it incorporating some hardcore-meets-death metal groove, and "This Passing Into the Power of Demons" is frenetic roadkill aggression.

The production of Carving Out the Eyes of God is a well-balanced attack, all the instruments and vocals sound great in the mix. The guitars roil in a fuzz reminiscent of Hellhammer, though this band is obviously far faster and more technical. Ben Falgoust II's vocals are harsh barks that sound simultaneously 'tough' and blackish without ever sinking to the level of metalcore garbage. Lyrically the band delves into the occult, which often feels unusual since the style of the band is largely associated with more social themes. This is nothing new for Goatwhore, and it's a praiseworthy distinction rather than a negative. The lyrics are actually decent. Sadly I didn't enjoy Carving Out the Eyes of God all that much. Stylistically it's not a huge departure from the previous efforts, but there were fewer memorable riffs here than I could count on one hand. The album is truly pit ready, and fans of their ability to mesh multiple styles into one cohesive package may find more here than I could. I will stick to their earlier releases.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10] (welcome this dread of unknowing)

http://www.myspace.com/goatwhore