Revocation - Teratogenesis EP (2012)

In lieu of dwelling on my lukewarm reaction to Revocation's latest, eponymous full-length, I went back to check out last year's Scion A/V freebie Teratogenesis, a 5-track EP that presumably showcased some of the Mass band's best work, according to what I've read. What is it about this A/V format that brings out such good in those who choose to use it? Just about every one of these short-players I've listened through has been money: Enslaved, Immolation, Wormrot, and sure enough, this band from my own backyard delivers on their own offering. What instantly appealed to me about the five tracks here was the tighter sense of songwriting scale, reliant on strong and memorable riffing structures moreso than trying to knock over the listener with the band's prowess and cluttered, claustrophobic riff patterns. These tunes don't bite off more than the band can chew, and apart from my usual disinterest in the vocals, there are at least two songs here which I'd gladly number among the best in their full body of work.

"The Grip Tightens" is one such case, an onslaught of melodic and catchy riffing which bridges the band's US thrash influences with their Swedish melodeath counterparts. One of the guitar progressions here pre-chorus is a bit generic and predictable, but once they hit the mood of that chorus it's even easy to forgive Davidson's barking, which to be fair is stronger and NASTIER sounding here than on several of their full-length efforts. They've even got a breakdown in there for all you At the Gates/Black Dahlia Murder fans, and as usual the lead sequence is extremely well dispensed. Another contender is "Maniacally Unleashed" a slightly tech thrashing beast in which the opening notes just pop into you like a scalpel, and then it picks up into an even more intense piece with blasting, wailing micro-solos and a great bridge. The riffs here are note-for-note superior to anything off their latest album (Revocation s/t), though I didn't love the vocals. I wasn't as convinced with the other tracks, but "Spurn the Outstretched Hand" and "Bound by Desire" were at least as solid as much of the material on Chaos of Forms; the latter bordering on a tech black/death hybrid with lots of blasting and tremolo melodies (but not exemplary for the style).

Production here is comparable to the records sandwiching it, pretty dry and effective without a lot of effects saucing up the guitars where unnecessary. This was also a nice place to introduce new bassist Bramberger, who does run rampant at a few opportunities, but often falls behind some of the rhythm guitars in "Spurt the Outstretched Hand" or "The Grip Tightens" to the degree that you forget he's even there. Drums are intense and admittedly, Dave's vocals are about half on fire and half their debilitating selves (so much less compelling than the music that they can seem obstructive). The few, cleaner, backing lines add a nice, numbing effect to the choruses without lapsing into shitty mallcore like Killswitch Engage. Lyrics remind me of Immolation or Suffocation, political in scope but packed with a few instances of death metal grandeur and gore, a bit hard to chew when you realize these are East Coasters who probably get breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts (or your local equivalent). But, hey, suspension of disbelief, right? Teratogenesis is pretty damn solid, and you cannot beat the price. Nothing amazing, but a great way to 'sample' the band, and if you like this you'll want to track down their sophomore Existence is Futile with haste.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/Revocation

Revocation - Revocation (2013)

It's no secret that I harbored very high hopes for Revocation these past years: an astounding local live act with talented musicians making it to the next level for once, instead of the trendier type of band usually generated in New England. Unfortunately, their eponymous fourth album just reeks of burnout; not that it's void of a handful of compelling ideas and at a few points more creative than its predecessor Chaos of Forms, but there is clearly an evolutionary standstill with many of the rhythm guitars, which draw upon standard schemata of modern West Coast thrash, technical death and melodic 90s Swedish death, place them into a blender and sprinkle liberally with jerky techniques often associated with mathcore or metalcore bands like The Red Chord or Dillinger Escape Plan.

The result is their least impressive album to date, if not in terms of 'intense activity' then in sheer quality, with a slew of tunes flying frenetically towards the realm of forgettable. From the lazy title, to the negative space on the cover, to the music itself, it's painfully difficult to get excited. A handful of 'wow, that's neat' moments and then on with my day. The chief issue I'm having is with the vocals, a complaint I've lodged over the rest of their works which clearly is in no danger of being addressed. David Davidson is hands down one of the best guitar players in the Boston area, so tight and technically proficient that it makes others want to give up in shame; it's doubly impressive that he sings and plays simultaneously. But his barking is little more than a bland post-Anselmo metalcore bark with next to no variation or emotional resonance. Music this plotted and potentially devastating deserves a nastier inflection with some character, but every time he starts spitting out lyrics it's guaranteed to suffocate the riffing beneath. It was an issue with the prior works, but here, as the band reaches its most manic pacing, my lack of interest in this style of growl has 'come to a head'.

It might not even be a matter of finding someone new, but just fix the grainy, dry production, snarl with a little more reverb. With more charisma. There's a reason I could remember many of Hetfield of Schmier's lines instantaneously, but can't recall Dave's raving five minutes later. At best you're going to get some layered gutturals and snarls (like in "Fracked") but these still seem like I could pick up a random metalcore/deathcore record of the past decade and possibly find better. They need to be at LEAST as good as Vektor's. Beyond that, some of the 'mathy' riffing definitely seems like the product of a creative osmosis as the band have toured with a number of high profile hardcore or metalcore acts. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that, or with Revocation attempting to grow itself in multiple directions, but it felt a little distracting when I'm engaged in some highly technical, surgical death/thrash riffing and then it suddenly sounds like Ben Weinman or Kurt Ballou has hijacked the song. To be fair, these moments are a minority, but I guess I was just more impressed when the band was writing a more straight-up mesh of 80s thrash and seminal tech death influences on Existence is Futile. The lead sequences on this album are without question its strongest, generally supported by appropriate and exciting rhythm guitar riffs that are better than most of the verses.

These gripes aside, Revocation is not a record without some moments of incendiary bliss. Rhythms guitars in verses are more involved and (occasionally) engaging than your average rethrash throwback, because they are drawing from a wider palette of influences. Melodic tremolo runs, grooves, dystopian structures that can recount anything from SYL to Darkane...these guys aren't just farting out tunes over a single week, a lot of effort goes into the placement and diversification, a wealth of ideas playful and punishing. But that doesn't make them great songwriters, because the myriad riffs just aren't consistent in quality. Every song on the album has SOMETHING good in there, but you have to weed through a lot of average, non-compelling progressions to arrive ("Entombed by Wealth", "A Visitation" or "The Gift You Gave" in which they go all Amon Amarth-sounding in the chorus being prime examples). The commitment to variation is laudable, and like past efforts they don't shy away from cleaner guitars or jazzy Cynic-like explorations, but it really does seem that the chaff could have been cut off the wheat here, and Revocation rendered down to about 30 minutes of excellence rather than 52 of meandering.

I already mentioned the pratfalls of the vocal production, but otherwise this record sounds up to speed with their last few, without a lot of sparkle outside of the leads. The rhythm guitars have a lot of punch to them, mandatory when they're hitting the mid-stride grooves or the djent-like hammering ("Spastic"). You can almost always make out the new bassist Brett Bamberg, whose bouncy Blacky-meets-DiGiorgio tone fills in for the departed Anthony Buda quite sufficiently. Phil is just as sick and effective as ever before, maybe not considered an 'A-lister' in extreme metal drumming but he can fucking play anything regardless. There's a bit of a digital machine gunning presence to the fills, but the kicks roll along like brickwork, and he can match each shift in tempo with ease. Ultimately, I think I'd just prefer a 'remix' of this same album with about 10-15 minutes of fat trimmed off, and better vocals. The combination of flashy guitar work over a fusion of styles thrashing, deathly, whatever-core and progressive will undoubtedly dazzle a generation of listeners reared on anything from Vektor to djent, but the songs aren't as distinct as Existence is Futile. Not a bad album, despite the issues I had, but Revocation will have to trawl harder for its inevitable(?) masterpiece.

Verdict: Indifference [6/10]

https://www.facebook.com/Revocation

Newsted - Heavy Metal Music (2013)

Because titling his previous EP Metal just wasn't enough, ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted confirms his faux-poignant, post midlife-crisis with Heavy Metal Music, the first full-length from his eponymous new career revival. I admit, the title is irritating as shit. I realize it's suppose to be this life-affirming, back-to-basics, obvious pronouncement, but really this has been done dozens of times before, and if you're not fucking doing this in the 80s, or your name is not Metalucifer, it just doesn't feel effective. Black Metal was cool in 1982, because it hinted at some dark and unknown possibilities. Heavy Metal Breakdown? Acceptable for when it was released. But Heavy Metal Music in 2013? Or that last, sorry 3 Inches of Blood record Long Live Heavy Metal? Enough already! We get it, Jason Newsted hasn't gone disco on us. This isn't Calypso Music. Thanks for making that distinction, now if you're through with the clever twaddle, how about writing some proper good songs? You were on ...And Justice for All and Voivod, for fuck's sake!

Now, one can probably deduce that I wasn't the biggest proponent for the Metal EP, which was forgotten about as quickly as it was listened to, but that's not to say I wasn't satisfied to hear Jason Newsted continue what he's good at. So often do these ex-members of leviathan rock acts peter off into a succession of silly, no-one-gives-a-damn solo outlets or collaborations with other sideliners, and despite his positive presence in Voivod (who have admittedly been writing better music than his alma mater Metallica since 1987), Jason Newsted hadn't really made much of a name for himself. I think with Heavy Metal Music this is likely to change, and Jasonic is likely to cultivate some hard-fought respect, because despite all odds, this is actually a solid, pumping set of tunes, a reconciliation for the lame duck title which is fully cognizant of Newsted's own history with the genre. Okay, there's not a lot of Flotsam & Jetsam influence here, but the best way to describe the tunes would be as the natural offspring of The Black Album and Voivod. Bangin', simple riffs supported by muscular bass lines, a mashup of traditional heavy metal and 80s thrash with a penchant for mammoth groove hooks redolent of Metallica's 'dumbing down' through the 90s.

Riffs this fat taste like a barely digested steak straining all of your bodily functions, but they'd only get the record so far if the vocals didn't also lend some character, and would you fuckin' know it, Jason sounds like a mix of James Hetfield and Alice Cooper, with a few hints of Snake's angrier inflections! He's a little monotonous, sure, and his lines are often hard to distinguish between various verses and songs, but he certainly earns the position; the marriage of stripped down riffs, bluesy Black Album leads and angry-assed vocals make this an excellent record for idealized bar room brawling in some backwater, while the grooves cultivate just enough of a stoner edge that fans of Black Label Society and Down might dig it, or anyone lamenting the fact that Corrosion of Conformity have partly ditched the stoner schtick to return to their (admittedly superior) hardcore roots. Another album I kept mentally referencing through this was Testament's very underrated 1992 effort The Ritual, which thrived off a similar sense of regression to the base principles of its genre, and wound up my favorite in their entire catalog. Heavy Metal Music makes damn sure that it's as uncomplicated as possible, relying on the layman hooks and vitriol-spun vocals to soak themselves into the Neanderthal shards of the brain. Want technical riffing? Extreme metal drumming? Seek them elsewhere.

Now, granted, there are a few middling tracks here (like the handful drafted over from the EP), and more than a few riffs that pass in one ear and straight out the other, but on the whole there's no question that Newsted rocks more often than it doesn't. Surprisingly, this is not album that relies on guest celebrities to promote itself, but sticks very closely to its knuckle-dusting, whiskey-drowned personality. Mike Mushok is an exception, having joined the project after the Metal EP, but anyone familiar with Staind, one of those deplorable heavy rock acts my state shat forth in the 90s alongside Godsmack, the gift that keeps on giving (I apologize on behalf of all Massholes), will be relieved that he cocks absolutely nothing up here, but lays into the big rhythms with enthusiasm and fits seamlessly into the Newsted master plan. Jason's bass lines, while thick as sin, are also unexpected in that they don't seem to 'take over' the compositions, something they came dangerously close to doing on Voivod. As for the drums, they're versatile and well performed, but as I mentioned earlier, this is not the province of much extremity or experimentation. Standard rock beats and fills, but Mendez hits hard and nothing else really would have worked on these tunes.

Heavy Metal Music does live up to its name in that its a celebration of the form, cross-pollinating riffing schematics from 70s metal (Sabbath, Priest, Purple) to 80s hard hair rock (Crue, Ratt), NWOBHM and just that hint of something thrashier (Metallica, Metal Church). So as much as I dislike the title, I gladly chew my own foot this time; but don't be misled into thinking that this is necessarily 'amazing', or by any mean's a year's end contender. It's got problems: the vocals need more range. The leads are a little banal. It wouldn't kill the writing if the rhythm guitar riffs were a hint busier, or the bass lines more interesting. 2-3 of the weaker tunes could be slashed ("King of the Underdogs" and "Soldierhead", at least). But at the end of the day, Heavy Metal Music is fairly fun to listen through, especially for the long-term metal aficionado whose tastes bleed across numerous sub-genre borders, and it at least shows some effort in defining this band's trajectory for the future. If I had to compare it to Death Magnetic, I might give the latter a slight edge, but sure as shit this is better than fuckin' Lulu. I just hope the next one's not called Angry Music or Rock Music or Heavy Metal Hornblowers or Captain Fucking Obvious.

Verdict: Win [7/10] (try not to get dead)

http://newstedheavymetal.com/

Exhumed - Necrocracy (2013)

The summer of 2013 provides us a rather interesting opportunity to pit the work of a death metal master against one of its brightest pupils. I've not yet had the chance to give the Carcass reunion effort Surgical Steel more than a cursory listening, and will wait until picking up the whole record before getting into more analysis, but I CAN tell you that the latest Exhumed effort, Necrocracy, more than holds its own against the samples I've heard. The student isn't receiving straight As across the board here, but Exhumed has never let me down, at least not with a proper full-length, and that isn't about to change with their 5th original album, a volley of tightly knit, thrashing death & grind which honors the Carcass legacy with a jubilant, blood-dripping rhythmic cleaver.

Necrocacy doesn't fall far from where All Guts, All Glory left off, only the production seems a little more compact and rich in execution. If you've heard any of the Californians' prior efforts, then the material will come as no surprise, a hybrid of Symphonies of Sickness/Necroticism era clinical rhythm progressions with a medley of carnal snarls and deeper gutturals that intertwine in a morgue room conversation while the riffs pick over the listeners' remains. Exhumed aren't quite so savage and go-for-the-throat as you might have recalled from Gore Metal or the superb Slaughtercult, but I think it's simply that, with experience, they've gone out for a more controlled production environment where the riffs aren't so blocky and overpowering, and the more carefully detailed leads (almost all of which are great here) definitely hearken back to their 2003 disc Anatomy is Destiny, where arguably they had begun this process of refinement and 'maturity'. But fear not, gore-drenched masses, because Matt Harvey and company have not abandoned you; the lyrics and themes running through the album retain that tongue-in-cheek, surgical ward wink and a nod.

The drums here are really clean sounding, with a lot of volume and bluntness to the kick which puts it on a level with the vocals as the dominant force on the record. Across this dance the thrashing, Heartwork and Necroticism inspired rhythms and harmonies which also take cues not only from the UK gods, but also from classic Californian thrash/speed metal entities like Exodus and Megadeth, and some Napalm Death blast segments for good measure. Bass lines are thick and get a chance to breathe once in a while, though they often accompany the rhythm guitar notes pretty tightly. The vocals are constantly alternating between the traditional Carcass tropes, only the rasped style here has a bit more of a splatterpunk feel to it (like The Accused) and the gutturals aren't quite so overbearing or ominous as they were on older albums (or the seminal works of their prime influence). I do wish they were a little more ghastly and off the meathook, there are points where the syllabic carnage feels too controlled, but when you consider all the vocalists are also playing instruments, they're more than functional and retain their classic personality.

Necrocracy really just comes down to the hooks, of which it provides a near ceaseless parade. Grinding chord progressions often support mid-paced grooves while the uptempo stuff is heavily laden with the traditional, pathos-inducing tremolo patterns and razor-edged harmonies. Rarely a moment passes where you won't feel the urge to whip your neck around and live out a slasher flick antagonist's wet dreams, but the majority of the patterns meted out aren't quite novel, just jerked from the Exhumed/Impaled playbook and executed with exactness. If they weren't pretty damn catchy, that wouldn't be enough here, but tunes like "Ravening", "The Shape of Deaths to Come" and "(So Passes) The Glory of Death" are visceral and exciting enough that you wanna keep spinning through them repeatedly, and the album succeeds on a number of levels: a formidable deathgrind disc, a decent thrash album, etc. Not to mention, the five bonus tracks on the limited edition add some further versatility, from a straight grind ejaculation ("Chewed Up, Spit Out") to the doomlike instrumental ("E Pluribus, Mortem)", which offers a great soundtrack for your next illegal after hours exhumation. A lot of punch here for the money, a damn jolly summer bonesaw. Take that, teach.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.facebook.com/ExhumedOfficial

Ensnared - Ravenous Damnation's Dawn EP (2013)

Ensnared is a Swedish death metal band, that thank fuck, doesn't sound in the slightest like a Swedish death metal band! They're not the first of such exceptions to the national aural scrawl of Entombed, Dismember and their late 80s/early 90s peers, but have instead come up with one of the closest aesthetic approximations to Altars of Madness I've actually heard. That's not to write them off as some direct ripoff, since there are like the filthy, rapacious Repulsion/Vincent hybrid vocals with a few cleaner, angry shouts, and the dissonant, black metal styled chords laden through tracks like opener "Adorations", but my first few plays through the Swede's EP jettisoned me directly back to 1989 when I was first blown away by Morbid Angel's initial onslaught, and the bands' faster, vicious, ripping riff sequences definitely recall those twisting, sinister scenarios fundamental to one of the greatest death metal records in history.

This is not, in general, slow, trendy, crawling cavern-core, but a band that lays on the malice through their dominant blast rhythms, threaded with zipping tremolo picked atrocities and slathered in disgusting vocals. Like the aforementioned Florida gods, they wear the thrash influence with pride and even mete out a few melodic, thrashy progressions in tunes like "With Roots Below". But as primal, ancient and fast paced as much of the EP seems, they're also not without a progressive, eclectic side. The roiling, arching bridge of "Adorations" with its great rhythm guitars and screaming, bluesy leads. Of the devastatingly excellent clean contrasts that inaugurate "The Hungry Darkness of Death", one of the best intros to a song I've heard in 2013; and if you listen to nothing else by this band, trust me, check the track out, since it offers a great intersection of all the band's stylistic choices, with some choice riffs and uncompromising, crashing savagery. A nice bonus here is the inclusion of two cuts from their 2011 demo, one of which ("Fields of Resurrection") sounds like it might have been a frenzied Altars of Madness outtake...

Anyway, if you're tired of the same old Sunlight guitar tones and seeking out something else ancient and authentic, this is probably for you. The rhythm guitars are harsh and grainy without entirely smearing out the listener's ability to perceive the notes, and the bass lines are busy and popping straight along with the same dextrous prowess. Drumming is natural and raw, somehow feeling like a louder skeletal frame for the vocals and guitars without obscuring them, and there are a lot of precision start/stops and hyper fills to maintain your attention on that performance alone. The songs aren't incredibly memorable like those of their influences, but even with the bonus cuts, this is a quick listen at 34 minutes and you come away feeling soiled, repulsed, and well schooled that death metal can still gets its ugly face on and jump out at you from the shadows. These guys might not be the most original or novel you'll hear, especially in a scene which includes Morbus Chron, Necrovation and Tribulation whose latest mutations are helping us to escape the endless Entombed doppelgangers, but the bestial aggression, endless abusive riffs and primacy of expression should place them into your radar if you're seeking out that 'other old school'.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ensnared-SWE/147726878607702?sk=wall

Altars - Paramnesia (2013)

Dissonant, post-modern death metal is hardly a new manifestation in the field, but to this date there are still only a handful of bands birthed in each generation that manage to pull it off with style, and Australians Altars are about to join that limited roster with the release of their full-length debut Paramnesia through Nuclear Winter Records. This is a record that will invite immediate comparisons to the band's more unusual countrymen, Portal, or their offshoot Impetuous Ritual, but they don't play with quite the same level of impenetrable grime and sleaze. This is an easier puzzle to piece together, with a more accessible, if still murky production, and some churning, primordial callbacks to the sounds of surreal black metallers Deathspell Omega or Dodecahedron, maybe even some riffing constructs redolent of Morbid Angel, Gorguts, and Incantation.

But Paramnesia's most impressive feat is just how it engages the listener through varied and compelling riff construction, developed through a contrast of slow, crawling, morbid palm-muted grooves reminiscent of stuff like Blessed Are the Sick or "Where the Slime Live", and open ranged, layered tremolo riffing that recalls the sinister roots of seminal, cavernous New York death metal (Immolation, Incantation). Vocals are embedded into the muck pretty deeply, like a grotesque xenobiologist attempting to narrate the mating of squamous, voidspawned horrors but being drowned in the riffs' lustful interactions. Normally I might find this slightly offputting, but you can actually heard him loudly enough, his inflection a hybrid of David Vincent and 'The Curator' with a great, ominous Craig Pillard-gurgle when he sustains a growl. Drums cycle seamlessly through the broken grooves and the numerous outright blasted progressions, with a lot of emphasis on the thunderous fills, which often themselves become the center of attention like the bridge of "Khaz'neh". I did not find the bass guitars to really stand out from the crowd, but they're creepy and add to the depth of the mix.

The structure of Paramnesia is split between the first five, independent tracks and then the titular trilogy in which the band grow marginally more experimental with the haunting, lush ambient guitar feedback piece "Gibbous" or the screaming 'lead' that cuts through the bowels of "Descent". The 10-minute monster of a finale called "Ouroboros" just beats the fuck out of you as the Australians revisit the techniques used leading up to it, and there's a firm sense of closure and completion across the whole 43 minute experience. That there are precedents to Altars' sound is unquestionable, many of which I listed above, and this is not a band which innovates above and beyond those influences at any point here. We're not burrowing through new soil, but rather compacting the old dirt into a listenable, textured and varied whole which is very much listenable throughout. Be warned that it's not highly melodic or 'catchy', but more of a roiling, harrowing journey with a few brighter, brief and forgiving intercessions. It sounds like it looks, and Denis Forkas Kostromitin's cover art is as usual fascinating, like his piece for the full-length Grave Miasma debut. Good stuff all around, and I'd certainly point it out to fans of Portal, Ignivomous, Mitochondrion, Dodecahedron, Flourishing, and any number of comparable acts churning the Earth of the 21st century.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

https://www.facebook.com/AltarsDeath

Triumph, Genus - Všehorovnost je porážkou převyšujících (2013)

Czech black metal is perhaps one of the proudest, longest enduring and painfully underrated scenes belonging to the genre, with its practitioners split down the middle between more eclectic, avant-garde themes and sounds (Root, Master's Hammer, Stíny Plamenů) and bands who play it a little closer to the Scandinavian traditions inspired by Bathory, Burzum, Mayhem, Immortal and Darkthrone (i.e. your Maniac Butchers, Infernos, etc). Triumph, Genus is a two man project which falls under the latter grouping, with multi-instrumentalist Svar (who has played drums in another act called Sator Marte) and vocalist Jaroslav meting out incendiary bursts of intensity which rely strongly on the conventional techniques of blasting, tremolo picking and creepy chord progressions smothered in a native, resonant growl which is comparable to classic Big Boss at his harshest.

Originality is not exactly on the table here. Where Všehorovnost je porážkou převyšujících really does succeed, though, and other comparable bands might falter, is in the loudness and levelness of the vocals and instrumentation; every strike, note and bark straight to the face with seasoned skill and diligent extremity. If you come away from this without at least feeling singed by some hellish, 100mph windstorm, then you might want to stick with your sludge records, because this is clearly not your thing. On the other hand, it's not as if Triumph, Genus stick to just the one, accelerated tempo; they actually become pretty inventive with some of the slower chord progressions, like the bridge of "Obklopen snází v představě" which is eerily dissonant, groovy and almost hypnotic, or the excellent end sequence in "Což ke mně vše promlouvá jinak?", where the bass distortion is cranked up and sauteed in doom-like, riffing damnation. I'll be the first to say that areas like this are more compelling than the blast-offs, but then Svar is such a damned good drummer that it would be difficult to imagine him holding back for long. His entire kit sounds immaculate without being processed, the kick drums churn in your liver while the snares smash along with authority. He plays with the confidence of a Frost or any of the savage Polish drummers, even if not always at such a frenzied clip.

The bass is also great here, hovering below the brighter rhythms like a phantom flitting around a basement; always audible and effective, even when the notes are just mimicking the other guitars, they sound fantastic. Guitars are actually pretty dry here, without a lot of effects, which they don't need, because while they're not complex, the auditory explorations and contrasts between bursts of insanity and brooding, measured decay are strong enough to keep the imagination centered on the band's bleak, philosophical expression. There is no real wanking or indulgence, it's all competent rhythmic slicing which will not disappoint pundits of the 90s Norse and Swedish scenes, even if it's nothing out of the ordinary in terms of construction. Svar proves that he's equally competent on all three of his instruments, so perhaps the only weaker component to the music is the vocal performance. Not because it doesn't fit beautifully; the garbled, guttural barks feel like the decrepit conversations of ancient, embittered sages spun into just the proper level of reverb. Somewhere between Jari of Root and Dagon of Inquisition. The issue I had is that I just so wanted the guy to open up more with some airy screams or bloody shrieks to help break up the relative monotony of the delivery, especially in a blast area. Just to add some depth and variation.

But otherwise, Všehorovnost je porážkou převyšujících is a damned tight, traditional black metal debut which I imagine will have a lot of appeal to fans whose poisons include both the original Scandinavian scene of the 90s and the Central European masters. Lyrics and song titles are in Czech, so I was unable to fully translate, understand or appreciate them, but at the same time I always really enjoy this language for its aural cues and enunciation; the fault simply lies in myself, lacking the funds to perpetually attend University or a certification program to study the dozens of languages I would love to learn. First world problems! Anyway, while Triumph, Genus is not winning any awards for innovation of its sphere, this is hands down one of the better pure black metal recordings I've heard this summer, and another winner for Iron Bonehead out of Berlin. Concise in the Darkthrone or Maniac Butcher style, with six tracks in 31 minutes, it hasn't worn out its welcome after a half dozen cycles and it will be interesting to see where the project heads next, whether it will continue along its straightforward, destructive path or evolve to incorporate more atmospheric deviations.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

Heretic Cult Redeemer - Heretic Cult Redeemer (2013)

The Greek black metal scene of today doesn't bear a massive semblance to that of yesteryear, largely because most of today's cutting edge acts there draw equally upon broader European/Scandinavian influences, unlike a Rotting Christ or Necromantia who were mixing a more unique concoction of ingredients on their first few records in the earlier 90s. Today, we've got this emergent dynasty of ritualistic, complex and atmospheric bands like Acherontas, Acrimonious, Thy Darkened Shade and Spectral Lore leading the charge, adapting the traditional tremolo picked techniques into grim and immersive compositions that often take some repeated listens to adapt to. To this esteemed company I would cast Heretic Cult Redeemer, with the caveat that they hone in on a slightly more primitive style of writing that conjures up memories for classic records like De Mysteriis dom Sathanas, only punctured with a more ethnic or tribal drumming aesthetic and a tendency to lurch into slower, sparser, somnolent progressions that carry a bit of an atonal sludge/drone metal influence.

To an extent, this debut album feels like a struggle between these two poles: choppier, blasted or fast paced death metal-like rhythms laced with dissonant chords ("Concatenation") and mighty, steady behemoths like the 9+ minute "The Oldest of Times" which is injected with only a few hellish measures of speed. And I'm not sure which wins out, because I found neither of the styles to be terribly convincing. They suffer from a pretty bog-standard, dry selection of riffs that are more atmospheric than enduring in the memory. The point of a disc like this is to crank the volume, sit back and try and submerge yourself into the primitive riff sequences, and I will admit that the loud swells of bass guitar mesh in quite well with the brighter chords, but with the exception of a few eerie flourishes of alien melody, I just found the note processions plain and predictable. Vocally, they're more interesting, accenting the strong, central rasp with cleaner ritualistic lines that give the Heretic Cult Redeemer a sense of living up to their band's moniker, but until the punchy, syncopated bridge of "Destiny of Death" (five tracks in), I don't think I was surprised even once. In fact, my favorite tune here was probably "Unknown Salvation", which thrives off broken, atonal melodies and tribal, measured drums, but even that starts to grow cold on ideas once you hid the midpoint.

I realize this is a strange comparison to make, but I also felt this way (albeit more strongly) about that last Ulcerate record, Destroyers of All, which was like a dry-eyed death metal Neurosis, but lacked any of the charm and hypnotic compulsion the sludge gods consistently demonstrate. Heretic Cult Redeemer could be said to do the same within the black metal milieu. This is not meant to be the most sporadic, spastic or intensely paced music, but a pensive experience that slowly draws you in and drags you under. Sadly, even at its best (the final few cuts), I just didn't find much reward awaiting me under the unconscious eaves of the melodies, the weighted crush of the chords. However, I also can't say that this is an entirely boring drought of music...these guys are far from incompetent, and have experience in a number of other Greek underground groups. Thematically and stylistically, Heretic Sun Redeemer has some interesting ideas in the percussion and vocals that, if accompanied to more evil or memorable riffing, might prove fruitful and mesmerizing. So while I wasn't heavily absorbed into this particular material, some edging and refinement to the songwriting might one day result in a spiritually suffocating (rather than attention draining) experience. In the meantime, this was just 'okay', a little left of the central path, mystical if not essential.

Verdict: Indifference [6/10]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heretic-Cult-Redeemer/108482089276374

One Man Army and the Undead Quartet - The Dark Epic... (2011)

Had anyone asked me if I would have missed One Man Army and the Undead Quartet if they disbanded after dropping from Nuclear Blast, I would have answered with indifference, but once Johan Lindstrand and company stopped farting around and got down to business with their Massacre Records releases, we were seeing a fairly strong contender for that 'vacant' Swedish death/thrash throne that bands like Carnal Forge never quite mounted, Darkane kept sitting on and then promptly absconding, and The Haunted never deserved, because let's face it, they eventually started to suck even worse than anyone could have ever imagined. The Dark Epic... isn't exactly a masterpiece, or even a great album in the end, but as the One Man Army swan song it suffices, a balance of hooks and aggression which faithfully carry the torch for Grim Tales while changing a few of the rules. Though the band had already become less active by the time of its release, with Johan about to return to The Crown, this certainly doesn't sound like phoned in contractual filler, though it's not quite good enough that you feel the three years were spent honing it to perfection...a first, since they earlier fired off three full lengths in three years.

This was the one album from the band I admit to having had little knowledge of, being so busy listening to and reviewing metal records in 2011 that it must simply have passed me by; so I apologize for the mild delay in covering it. Nonetheless, The Dark Epic... is interesting immediately because of the change in art style gracing its cover. A scythe-wielding, Solomon Kane-like figure surrounded by crows with the band's logo imposed over him seems almost a kitschy, comic book/horror presentation, created by none other than Björn Gooßes, front man for the German band Night in Gales. Beyond that, the album has a more blunt and straightforward production that lacks a fraction of the gloss of its predecessor, but compensates with a little more punch to the rhythm guitars (like the first album), thick bass lines and another intense performance from Marek Dobrowolski; who I'm surprised hasn't been picked up by some major European band, since he's one of those 'total package' drummers with great, snappy snare tones, plenty of solid fills and capable footwork whenever required. As far as the songwriting goes, I found this was actually a little more diverse than Grim Tales, not that it's ultimately superior (it's not), but they cast a broader net and pulled back a wider selection of riffing patterns and tempos which help pace out the 48 minutes (their longest record since the debut, if I'm not mistaken).

Granted, few of the riffs themselves are truly inspirational or unique, what with 25 years of thrash, death and eventually admixtures of the two behind them, but no question they're busy enough and imbued with enough melodies to satiate the modern melodic death metal fan who has followed that scene since At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity, Carcass and others pioneered it in the earlier 90s. It certainly wouldn't have been out of place to hear these rhythm guitar progressions on a record like Slaughter of the Soul, Heartwork or The Haunted Made Me Do It, but that's not to accuse them of painful familiarity. Solid, dense palm muting and intensity dispersed at a measured clip, and the lead sequences here are among the most developed in the band's discography. The titular "Dark Epic" uses some acoustic guitars to set up a slower, steadier, and more dynamic, melodic sequence than much of the album, adding to the well-rounded impressions it leaves. Johan Lindstrand seems pretty confident here, as well, not so explosive as he might have been on a few of those Crown records, but at least he's not wasting half the album experimenting with cleans; he focuses in on his harsh, semi-emotional barking vocals which snuggle him safely between the raspier Carcass timbre of Tomas Lindberg and the less pronounced Tony Kampner (ex-Witchery).

This is definitely a record for fans of Swedish bands like Carnal Forge, In Thy Dreams and 21st century efforts from The Crown, so don't expect a lot of 80s personality in the thrash elements. It's meatier and marginally more brutal, and like its predecessor Grim Tales the lyrics take a pretty interesting tour through classic horror concepts. Well-written and meaningful rather than just gory. I think ultimately this is the disc I would have liked 21st Century Killing Machine to have been, a debut which I found as piercing and effective as particles of sunlight on a rainy, overcast day; it bears a pretty close resemblance to that in sound, but the riffs are more driven, stylized and entertaining like the third album, the only one it doesn't meet or surpass in quality. The Dark Epic... has nothing on other albums from this region in 2011, like Morbus Chron's Sleepers in the Rift, which was rewriting the script for death metal nostalgia, or Antichrist's Forbidden World, a deathlike thrashing which was so fucking phenomenal that it was like having Hell ejaculate into your ears, but to their credit, One Man Army and the Undead Quartet had a closing chapter they could at least feel content with. Nothing special, but well ahead of where they were four years earlier.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10] (stitch me the fuck together)

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One Man Army and the Undead Quartet - Grim Tales (2008)

After their Nuclear Blast deal came to a close, One Man Army and the Undead Quartet were thrown another strong opportunity, to join the Massacre Records family. Thus, they still had the potential to make a name for themselves, even if the first two records didn't really pay off in anything more than a faintly audible level of buzz. Grim Tales is a better produced, better written record than either of its predecessors, and the first that I can claim to have 'liked', so naturally it wasn't incredibly well received at large and further sunk the Swedes into near obscurity (even though a few of the members could always run back to their other, better known bands like The Crown). This isn't exactly unique stuff, and it's possibly the most straightforward of their records, lacking the charm and variation of the sophomore, but it firmly wedges a skull-adorned boot and greave up your arse and then leaves it planted there for 46 minutes.

Duration was an issue with the first album (an hour of mediocrity is an hour too much in my estimation), but then they tightened that down for Error in Evolution to about 40 minutes, which paired with the newfound enthusiasm in the writing, proved the stronger of the two. To its great credit, while longer than the second album, Grim Tales fills itself out well enough that you don't really notice. Classic West Coast 80s thrash triplets and charge rhythms dominate the battlefield, with noticeable nods to Metallica or Testament in not only the pacing and construction of the guitars, but in how some of the burning, bluesy lead flashes remind us of what Kirk Hammett might have snatched from his creative ether during his prime. In other places, you get a lot of perky, squealing Zakk Wylde techniques built into the rhythm guitars which recall an album like No Rest for the Wicked, or perhaps more directly Alexi Laiho's playing (which is itself obviously built upon Wylde and Rhoads). Good use of melodic chords, vibrant energy and the truly level production of the guitar, which dominates without drowning out the rhythm section, ensure that the riffs are hits more than misses...

...and that's a first for this band. Cuts like "Misfit with a Machinegun", "A Date With Suicide", "The Frisco Reaper", "Dominator of the Flesh", and "Saint Lucifer" are genuinely catchy and engaging whether it's the riffs behind the verses or the lead snatches, and the remainder of the material isn't far behind. Beyond that, Marek Dobrowolski's playing here is fucking phenomenal, with a perfect mix emphasizing both the snares and drums but losing nothing else on the kit. Conversely, I felt like the bass guitars had less of a presence, but you can still trace them along under the rhythm guitar. As for Lindstrand, he's vastly more forceful and consistent here, rivaling even his better performances in The Crown. There is no reliance here on clean, emotional choruses which forced a mix reaction to Error in Evolution: here he's snarling and growling and some effects and layers have been placed on his voice to have it bouncing all over the belligerent guitars, which ultimately gives this record a lot of its atmosphere.

But, in the end, it's just the consistency that drives this one across the finish line. Some might rue the lack of exploration (or 'fucking around') that was tangentially present on Error in Evolution, but as much as I enjoy expansive bands that stretch out past their comfort zones, I'll take a 46 minute ass whooping any day than a failed experiment. Grim Tales isn't that distinct or creative, perhaps, with decades of thrash and death metal already supporting its existence; but it is fully self-realized. No decisions here need to be questioned by the listener; just dive in and dance in its aggression. Apart from (maybe) a few of the song titles, there is nothing remotely silly about this record. The lyrics are quite good, the best of their discography, you really feel the sickness and psychosis in a tune like "Cursed by the Knife". It was convincing, and no longer felt like a band-just-made-up-of-guys-from-other-bands-who-just-wanna-have-fun-together under an outrageous moniker. No, Grim Tales was something to be reckoned with, and while it's far from mandatory, it's an easy recommendation for fans of Carnal Forge, Witchery, Terror 2000 and the first few albums by The Haunted.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10] (the spit and the piss)

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