Har - Visitation EP (2017)

Some of the most vile and troubling extremity I've heard out of Israel since a Sonne Adam, Kever or Tsorer, it doesn't surprise me that Har's members have some shared history with those projects, channeling a morass of black, death, and even a fraction of doom metal fundamentals into an admixture of frightening magnificence. Roiling tremolo riffs bleed forth from a turbulent background which is as much created via sustained, airy growls and rasps as it is by the belligerent and heavily resonant runs across the percussion kit. Often the chord patterns lapse into familiar configurations, but quickly enough shift gears before they can garner enough of a redundant feel to score marks against the material as a whole.

I find the group is actually best when its on full frenzy, vocals elevated into a panoply of nihilistic specters that cruise over the guitars, especially as it contrasts into a doomier element like the waning moments of "From the Blood of a Whirling Dagger", which itself cedes into sparse strikes of atonal droning against the necromantic chill of nothing. The ambient components are in general very well done, like the ethereal crescendo of Cyclopean harmonies that heralds "A Shadow Henosis", but they balance this off with an addicting enough blackened barrage that even on such a short-player they scale and descend through a number of aural valleys that are consistently oblique and threatening. Visitation succeeds in fomenting unrest, although not every riffing progression is interesting, they are all flush with its aesthetic darkness and should please underbelly dwellers of the filthier, atmospheric climes that inhabit the rosters of labels like Dark Descent, Iron Bonehead and Har's native Blood Harvest.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.facebook.com/harblackmetal

Promiscuity - Infernal Rock 'n' Roll [DEMO] (2011)

It doesn't take a staggering intellect to figure out what Promiscuity are all about: vicious, uncircumcised old school black/speed metal that looks much like what the undead crowd on the demo's cover would listen to at any given moment. I admit there's some novelty that the band hails from Israel, a land known more for an ethnic overtone to its artists' output, but aesthetically Infernal Rock 'n' Roll is far more a tribute to its British and European influences. Venom is an obvious comparison point, much like on Chapel's more recent debut Satan's Rock 'n' Roll, and aesthetically this demo is barking up the same tree, poised to force-feed its forbidden fruit to the unsuspecting masses; but Promiscuity have an unwashed, unrefined, raucous approach to writing that feels like crushing a beer can on an altar and then taking a piss on the nearest nativity scene.

As I was so drawn with Welcome to Hell, Black Metal, and the formative works of Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Nunslaughter, Bulldozer, Piledriver and Possessed, so too do I find myself drawn to the style this band is selling. With just 3 tracks and 11 minutes of content, there's not a lot of 'fleshing out' or dynamic range, but more of a straight application of the listener's face to the pavement of Hell. The bass is meted out with a plunky, sparkplug certainty while the guitars are about as raw as you could conceive, so you're getting this very 'live' sensation as if you were listening to the Israelis in a small club where their blasphemy resonates out into the rafters. Drums are consistent with this crashing, clapping atmosphere and the vocals are just a wall of hoarse rasping diabolism that won't prove unfamiliar to anyone interesting in this hybrid of forms. Infernal Rock 'n' Roll was not the recipient of a large budget, and this sort of release isn't meant to be, so in terms of punishment and primacy, there's really no complaint with the music...

That said, where I found the material lacking is just in the dearth of really interesting riffs. Solid, remorseless walls of chords rock along with a damnable certainty, but even where they launch into a breakdown like the speed/thrash bridge of "Gybenhinnom", there's never that same sense of unforgettable texture to the note progressions like we all felt when we heard Venom's "Black Metal" or Bathory's "Necromansy". Chord selections are pretty standard fare for this corner of extremity, and thus the music becomes something appreciated only a pure, visceral level rather than the fare I'll be listening to relentlessly for decades. On just about every other level I connected with the demo and took no issue with its grimy delivery and purity of purpose, like the grisly vocals to "Crime and Punishment" which I thought were depraved and fantastic; but I think that, to arrive at that next level (and a lot of groups in this niche never do), the songs have to gestate into a more formidable and sticky coalition of evil decisions. This is some decent, sincere shit here, and the lyrics are fun, but a little more effort into how the songs are constructed and you'll have a sure contender that could heat up the roster of an imprint like Hell's Headbangers or Nuclear War Now.

Verdict: Indifference [6.5/10]

http://infernalrocknroll.bandcamp.com/

Sonne Adam - Transformation (2011)

Well, it's now official: old school death metal has gone viral. When a wave such as this is suddenly reclaimed by rock star labels like Century Media, you know the numbers must be there to back it. Thankfully, for all of us, this is a far less annoying development than the death- and fashioncore we've been abused with for years. In truth, it is quite welcome, and if artists like Israel's Sonne Adam continue to ooze forth from the pores of this genre of rediscovery, then we're in for a world of delectable darkness and damnation. For most, the quality of this band will probably come as an unexpected shock; but I'm honestly not so surprised, as they released a decent EP last year (Anger With Hammers), and one of the guitar players is also a member of Tsorer, a vile and excellent black metal duo who dropped their amazing debut (Return to Sodom) last year.

Transformation is an utterly decrepit, light leeching experience that paces itself perfectly between rude, doomed valleys and spidery, opaque heights, never dragging its feet in the monotony that so threatens new artists who so absorb and admonish the past. If you've heard the US band Father Befouled, then you're pretty much in the right ballpark: a huge influence from proto death/doom acts at the dawn of the 90s; a fuck ton of Incantation and perhaps a touch of the later emerging Runemagick. Perhaps not so novel, but the key is that Sonne Adam are so skilled at restraint and the placement of atmosphere that they fall nothing short of subterranean majesty. I found myself completely sucked into the harrowing march of "I Sing His Words", the choppy meandering of "Take Me Back To Where I Belong", and the gore endowed grace of the title track, with its stylish lapses into thinner, ringing distorted guitars during the creepy lead sequence.

The band usually accords its ambient elements within the gnawing worms of its metal tracks, but there is one exception here, "Solitude in Death", a resonant underground guitar instrumental that fits right in with the surrounding gloom. Transformation has a one track mind, and that track is carried along ineffable, incessant blackness that never releases its grip. You will be swallowed, strangled, and destroyed by the time the 42 minutes have passed, and if you're listening during daylight hours, you'll probably have to glance outside in hopes that the sun remains, that we're not all about to be frozen to death in the quelling of the star that sustains us. Lord Byron said it best: 'And the clouds perish'd; darkness had no need of aid from them - She was the Universe'. Well, She has just ruptured her womb, the able heretics of Sonne Adam slid forth on her dire humours, now arrived to dispel the warmth of the living and cannibalize their hopes and dreams. Time to work out my Will, though I doubt there will be any left to claim it.

Verdict: Win [8.75/10]

http://www.myspace.com/sonneadam

Tsorer - Return to Sodom (2010)

It's amazing what one can often encounter completely at random, and in the case of Israel's diabolic duo Tsorer, this would be the case, for I had never before heard of this band or any mention of them in any forum or format until I was referencing them through another project of vocalist/guitarist Heller, the disgusting black thrash hybrid Hell Darkness, who were lauded by Fenriz over at the Darkthrone as a part of his recommendation series. I admit I didn't get a lot out of that project, but when I tracked down Tsorer, I was knocked over by just how easy and practically perfect this debut offering was (through Black Hate productions).

When I begin the auditory journey through a traditional black metal album, this is pretty much exactly what I want to hear. Simple, catchy as fuck guitar rhythms that service all of the usual suspects (Hellhammer, Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Bathory, etc), harsh vocals and an incredibly evil atmosphere. Through the notation and pacing, I want to be terrified at the images evoked, regardless of how familiar the actual style may seem, and I feel these two pull that off in spades. Tsorer also incorporate keys to create this magnificent, raw, subtle symphonic effect, never once distracting from their abysmal, rocking core, and Return to Sodom leads off with a trio of stunning, mid paced works in "Misanthrope", "Sodom" and "Again", each of which reaffirms exactly what I so loved about early 90s Darkthrone, or the much earlier catalog of Celtic Frost.

At this point, the album slows to even more sodden vortices of menace like "Gifts" and "Old", the minimalist song titles serving as poignant, almost mocking statements of how much this band can kick your ass with so little. The latter, "Old" includes jilted, chaotic pianos and swells of melodic noise that fit fluidly over the crashing power chords, and it stuns me that you'll hear almost no tremolo picking on the entire fucking album! Just huge, simple streams of chords delivered with uncaring arrogance! Not surprisingly, the rest of the album remains consistent in quality, with the darker pauses of "Penetration Skills" or "End", and the crushing, demented fuzz of "Messiah" staking their ground on the psyche, often so dowsed in the atmosphere of the keys that they take on otherworldly, almost ethereal doom characteristics.

Return to Sodom is flat out one of the best of the pure strain black metal albums I've heard recently, standing alongside the latest Sargeist and Maniac Butcher efforts as a fully functional scratch of the ancient, church burning itch. If you're seeking some progressive spin on this genre, then you'll most assuredly need to seek it elsewhere, because Tsorer create nothing but raw, brutal libations to epochs of the past, when it was never a question of how MANY chords you wrought, but HOW you wrought those chords, how you placed them into a nexus of memorable malice. There's nothing impressive about their musicianship, and next to no noted innovation. They're just that convincing...and this is only the debut.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

http://www.myspace.com/thosewhowalkthepath

Edgend - A New Identity (2009)

Edgend is a promising progressive metal act from Israel, with a style that recalls a lo-fi Pagan's Mind or some of the earlier albums from Italy's Eldritch. A New Identity is their first full-length foray, and it's packed with well enough written songs that fans of the genre should catch on immediately.

The album is sandwiched within a pair of bombastic, operatic symphony pieces with some choral vocals and rousing synthesizer melodies. While cheesy, they display the compositional talent of the band, and would be well suited for something like a Final Fantasy game. And the meat within is well worth clamping your jaws for a healthy bite. "Internal Fire" erupts in dense lines of powerful guitars with the synths placed as atmospheric touches. As the verse rhythm begins, it becomes thrashy and catchy and the synths transform into flurries of melodic piano. Rami Salmon (Stella Maris) is on vocal duties, and his voice is soothing and has a nice bite when he's performing his middle register. "My Oath" opens with some synth scales jamming over an interesting rhythm, and I enjoy how they the synths are adding multiple levels to each track. Often in such a band, the guitars can get lost, but Sharon Halachmi re-assures you with an unending slew of heavy, grooving rhythms and breaks into scales and fills that suit the song.

Almost the entire album is good, but if I had to choose favorites I'd run with "Acts of Disgrace" and "Winds from the Abyss", which both feature a more power metallic edge to them, and the latter has more of the bands pompous synth orchestration at the intro. A New Identity isn't some brazen, overproduced prog/power album, but it's very well balanced, and will easily sink its hooks into you if you're a fan of this style. Not as jammy as something like Dream Theater, but they do often break into long instrumental sections with a similar appeal. This is an album of depth and you will find more through multiple listens. Recommended!

Verdict: Win [8/10]

http://www.myspace.com/edgendband

Prey for Nothing - Violence Divine (2008)

Here's a young melodic death metal band that's managed to get it right the first time. Violence Divine is an ass-kicking of an album with a stellar production and a never-ending wealth of energetic, memorable riffing. The majority of the members hail from an earlier band called DamnNation which released a single album and broke up. Guitarist Eyal Glottman was the former guitarist/vocalist for Eternal Grey, with whom he released one of the greatest Israeli metal albums ever in Kindless, a death metal extravaganza. I'm not sure how much of his influence rubbed off here, but it does share the same sort of vibrant riffing and excellent production (this album was recorded in Denmark).

I've had several of the tracks here on constant replay since I first heard the album a month or so back. "Overture" is amazing with its subtle acoustic intro and then abrupt shift into a glorious scream over the double bass, then its textural thrashing madness. Love it. "Bestowed Upon the Void" is another winner, a somber, almost doom riff opens the track and then it gets into some great melodic death/thrashing with a wonderful guitar melody during the bridge. In fact this album recalls a lot of what made certain melodic death (or related) albums of the 90s so well crafted. Memorable melodies combined with great, heavy tone, and amazing productions. This may not be at the same level of an Elegy or Jester Race, but it's cut from that same cloth.

Yotam Avni's snarling vocals respond to the musical catalyst with ensnaring charisma, again a perfect balance. The musicianship is top notch within this band, but never too wanky or overdone. Each song is extremely well constructed so that no two truly sound the same, and the album's pace is excellent across all tracks. Other notables include "Breach" with its intense progressive death metal intro. "Dead Man's Dream" with its driving, almost gothic metal hymnal guitars. The bass playing throughout is very nice, has an almost swelling jazz feel to it.

You just don't hear something of this quality every day. A kick ass debut and I hope we get many more from these blokes.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

http://www.myspace.com/preyfornothing