Weregoat - Unholy Exaltation of Fullmoon Perversity [2011]

Weregoat are among the few black/death metal bands in modern times that not only put their Blasphemy and Archgoat influences clear into play, but manage to create a set of songs that sure, aren’t anything original nor groundbreaking, but are qualitatively proficient and very much worth lending an ear to. A palpable sense of evil and oozing darkness is largely present in their music, both in their grinding riffs and in the bleak, threatening and ominous atmosphere that their songs and the production emit. A three-piece band with silly stage names, “Unholy Exaltation of Fullmoon Perversity” is their debut EP, reigning supreme among their lesser adversaries. While it is quite obvious that these bastards focus on the outright malevolence and utterly unforgiving aspect of black/death (aka war) metal, this 25-minute EP proves to be all that plus more, perhaps sharing more similarities with Archgoat than with any other band.

The cavernous guitar tone agrees with the style of music that Weregoat play, and it elevates that sense of protruding foulness that has become such a standard and a niche in black/death metal bands. The riffs are all catchy in their own right, and all come together to form to-the-point tunes that end just as quickly as they had come. As Archgoat have in their music, so too do Weregoat have lots of controlled variation and different-styled chapters of fast/mid-paced/slow/fast again/etc. etc. riffs. Some doomy riffs that are left to reverberate arrays of menacing chords are sat together next to earsplitting tremolo passages, and these go back and forth to provide for an alternated outcome (it should be said, however, that there are more tremolos than doomy riffs to go around). For example, “Invoke the Black Oblivion” is most likely the doomiest track on the EP, and it’s followed by “Blackwinged Abominator,” a tumbling beast of vicious blast beat savagery, and similarly, it’s preceded by “Abysmal Whore,” a song that starts off with ephemeral doom in its intro, and soon segues into blast beats and oppressive, catchy, fast riffs.

There are some crusty riffs in there as well, perched on top of incredibly raw and bloody mutilations of satanic worship and filth. The vocals are bestial howls and growls of black/death primacy that echo off the walls of their music, working in perfect unison with the vile guitars. You can just picture the poisonous gas of the vocals emanating from dark metal grilles and working their way into the listener’s ears, despite the focus being placed mostly on the guitars. “The Hideous Stench of Occult Slaughter” is about as perfect a description of their music as you’re going to get; and if you’re a long-time black/death metal fan, this is EP isn’t going to surprise you in the least. It'll definitely satisfy you, though, and linger into the core of your blackened, loathing heart. Overall, this is a superb EP, one that stamps their name on my “bands to watch out for” list, and opens up their future to a path that admittedly has been followed before, but one that Weregoat have merely stepped foot upon and are yet to encumber.

85/100

-SmithMetal84

Banished From Inferno - Minotaur [2011]

Alongside their companions in Graveyard, Banished From Inferno hail from Spain, a country that’s currently offering some considerably good death metal in the vein of old Swedish death metal masters. (Not to mention Teitanblood, who play some of the most evil black/death I’ve heard in a good long while). Banished From Inferno don’t stray far from this influence, playing extremely aggressive death metal that isn’t only influenced by bands such as Dismember, so in this sense their take on DM is more interesting and varied than that of loads of other bands that are cheaply rehashing the Swedeath sound. The four members that comprise the band are no newcomers to the metal scene, as some of them have been or are in bands like Wormed, Graveyard, and Machetazo, all of which are worth checking out. Banished From Inferno’s vicious, groove-laden death metal style that links Swedeath but also introduces their own little preferences and elements sets them apart from other bands today, and puts them in line for having a promising future; it’s a shame more people aren’t even aware of their existence, and their debut full-length was largely overlooked in 2011.

After a two-minute long intro song, what listeners will immediately notice is that Banished From Inferno are far heavier than your typical Swedeath-worshipping band. The Swedish influence is, as first, only present in the production, dominated by a corpulent guitar tone and a heavy sound overall. A blast beat introduces the album and rolls into fast double-bass work, pounding on the listener restlessly and soon enough being met by the highly entertaining morbid and evil death growls brought about by the vocalist. These are a standout on the album, and once they come into play, the listener will no doubt find himself headbanging ferociously. Banished From Inferno also allow for a heavy groove influence to match up their whole sound, mixing together with occasional mid-paced tempos to absolutely crush the listener. Chaotic death metal is what BFI are all about; and they do more than a good job in beating the listener into a bloody pulp, with the vocals constantly spewing venom and the guitars strumming along to different-styled riffs that make for a varied result. Quick little guitar solos can also be heard on some of the songs--“Fall Eternal (The Lengian Chronicles – chapter I)” has fantastic solos--and some eerie melodies are also seen throughout (“Purgatory Drains”).

In place of a prominent, exclusively d-beat driven style (although there are some d-beats played sporadically), the drums are always switching things up, as are the guitars. Blast beats are commonplace on this album, as well as mid-paced mosh beats (“Praise the Rotten Dead” or “Minotaur,” the latter being one hell of a track) that trot along nicely with the heavy guitars. Banished From Inferno usually sound like a cross between Bolt Thrower grooves/grindcore/brutal-ish death metal, and you can work it out for yourself that that would result in a wholly devastating bastard of an album. “Minotaur” is all-around extremely solid in all of its facets, and instead of listening to outright Swedeath-whores, you’re better off listening to this album. It flows extremely nicely, working its way up with alternations of fast tracks/mid-paced grooves and having a rewarding variety in its songs, as well as melodies seen here and there. If you’re a fan of manic, vile, pounding and aggressive death metal, you won’t be at all disappointed.

88/100

-SmithMetal84

Infera Bruo - Infera Bruo [2011]

Infera Bruo reign from the United States, namely Boston, Massachusetts, and are a currently unsigned three-piece black metal outfit with a lot to offer. Comparable to many bands and styles as they fuse great variation into their music, they are easily one of the more prolific bands rising from the underground metal scene. They exceed especially in their ability to immerse the listener in interesting and creative patterns, fluctuating constantly yet coherently and taking the listener on an epic journey of fantastic songwriting and talented musicianship. This is both their debut release overall, having released no previous EP’s nor demos, and debut self-titled full-length, an anomaly of striking talent to have risen silently from hordes of sub-par mimicry that is currently being brewed and depreciated by untalented, lazy, and less creative circles. That’s not to say that they’re creating a whole new genre either, because they’re not, but they certainly do a lot with their music, and it shows.

The very first riff on the album demonstrates what Infera Bruo excel at; and that’s the creation of abrasive melodies that, playing along discordant patterns and chords, succeed in engulfing the listener into a black abyss of miserable, bleak feelings. Their riffs have a strangely appealing zeal, be it their more melodious, swaying patterns or their more punishing tremolo riffs; of which I consider the latter to be a far better characteristic of their music. The vocals are high and raspy, nothing uncommon in black metal, but in addition to these they make use of clean, soaring vocals. These usually come about when the guitars are doing something less threatening, when solemn riffs cover the background while the vocals come into play up front. The first band that these clean, melodious vocals bring to mind is Opeth; but Infera Bruo’s use of them is better executed and less… corny. Infera Bruo’s music can also be described as progressive, because lots, if not most, of their riffs aren’t your typical black metal ones, but reminiscent of more progressive black metal bands like Enslaved, and yes, some Opeth (even though they’re not black metal). I repeat, though, that Infera Bruo excel when they’re focusing on the aggression, hostility, relentless anger in contrast to when they inject substantially progressive elements into their music.

In addition to all of the styles that have already been mentioned, there’s the occasional use of melodies a la Dissection, and some slightly thrashy/eerie riffs to be heard as well. Their songwriting skills are incredible, and well worth praising. Without the use of thousands of different riffs and patterns, they are able to create immense songs of great musical magnitude. The guitars are mainly responsible for this, but the other instruments flow along nicely as well. All of their songs are quite lengthy, all save one being nine minutes long, and every single one of them has a full-circle feeling in their developments; meaning, despite their length, they all captivate the listener and bring about a satisfying feeling as they progress through many different segments. Infera Bruo are no doubt among the more talented bands that are rising today, and hopefully their music will get the praise that it deserves, because instead of following along the same vein as thousands of other black metal bands and playing either only raw, abrasive black metal or only DSBM, etc. etc., they fuse a little bit of both, and inject other certain elements that uplift their music’s quality. Very much worth getting.

86/100

-SmithMetal84

Graveyard - The Altar Of Sculpted Skulls [2011]

Churning out surprisingly heavy Swedish death metal from the depths of Spain, Graveyard are a four member band that have put out substantial quality in their latest EP “The Altar Of Sculpted Skulls." What you can expect on this record is worship (but not a straight-up rip off) to some of the Swedish death metal masters that knew how to do it right, and even some tribute to death metal bands like Funebrarum and such. Granted, these two styles can often be found backing each other up (not always), but Graveyard certainly know how to blend them together and release catchy yet evil and morbid old-school death metal. By mixing these two styles, they surpass so many other bands that are releasing sub-par and derivative material today.

The EP starts off right away with no use of a needless acoustic or ambient introduction as I find so many bands doing lately, and they beat the listener in the head with a massive sledgehammer of heavy death metal. The guitar tone will immediately appeal to those who are in need of a good ass-kicking death metal record, and “The Altar Of Sculpted Skulls” kicks off the EP with a nice blast of tremolo passages and chugging mosh grooves. Conversely to so many generic Swedish death metal bands today that are trying to imitate--and quite cheaply, at that--the style for which Sweden is renowned, they appropriate there music with far more interesting riffs than other bands have… which is not to say progressive wankery; rather, simplistic, heavy and flat-out crushing riffs, and I mean this all in the best way possible. There are few riffs that sound recycled, and between their jumbles of different riffs, there's great lead work. To expand on that, yes, there is lead work, to even my surprise. Whether it’s the more rock ’n’ roll-y solo on the first track or the catchy and eerie one on the next track, they alone definitely improve the quality of the music, brought about by high-pitched guitars and creative, memorable patterns.

While the rhythmic guitars are the highlight on this record, the vocalist also does a pretty good job of delivering quality death metal. He spews out low growls and grunts, grisly and bestial vomits along with the occasional shriek that agree perfectly with the crunchy and dense guitar tone. Graveyard is definitely a band to watch out for, and I eagerly await a new full-length after hearing this bastard of an EP. Equally fun as it is memorable, you’ll constantly find yourself bobbing your head to the catchy rhythms and headbangable mid-paced grooves that lie gruesomely in “The Altar Of Sculpted Skulls.” Hell, even the instrumental track on this record is fantastic, with its doomy sections and eerie passages. The only complaint I harbor is that it’s too short, but luckily, everything that lies in store for you on here is of good quality.

81/100

-SmithMetal84

Farsot - Insects [2011]

Farsot--consisting of five members whose names are unknown and who’ve come together to spawn an interesting blend of sounds--hail from Germany, a country known for its grand thrash scene and overall evil sound in releases. Farsot deviate from this niche considerably, retaining little of that well-loved and widespread ‘evil’ sound, and they inject lots of progressive elements into their songwriting. This indeed makes their brand of black metal far more original than anything I’ve heard in quite a while, and if the word ‘progressive’ may turn you off, fear not; their sound cannot be described in only one word, as their music undergoes a very healthy dose of interesting and peculiar changes, but they do have a good way of still cleaving tightly to their black metal roots.

Their music is hardly comparable to any bands that I’ve heard in recent times; perhaps in some parts sounding more like Craft-esque crunchy and dissonant riffs, and in others having an immense jazz/progressive influence; the latter being clearly shown in the 10-minute-long “Empyrean,” or the completely un-metal in the strictest of terms “7.” They also lean towards a more atmospheric aura, and blend this surprisingly well with crunchier riffing, switching back and forth between these two styles and interweaving further different tendencies into their songs. They excel at songwriting, and sometimes they may even overdo the drastic sweeps of different sounds by changing them a whole lot; however, they make everything corroborate so well that you’re reminded that all of these different sounds are coming from the same package. There are also some riffs that tend to have more unorthodox patterns, eerie strumming and dissonant chords; all the while blending in crunchy and palm-muted segments too. The production is tight and, as with all of the instruments, perfectly well executed. A notable mention goes out to every one of the musicians in Farsot for their originality and blatant peculiarity of their music. And due to their incredible songwriting skills, the songs tend to drag on in length. Fortunately the songs contain waves of different patterns and plots and counterplots, and they, for the most part, keep the listener’s attention.

All of the instruments play a huge role in the development of their overall sound, and without any one of them, Farsot would not have been able to accomplish what they have in “Insects.” This is a release that has definitely left me in awe, if not only for their drastic changes of styles and how they differentiate greatly from other black metal bands today. That said, their music is not astounding either, even if it does have all of the previous mentions that I’ve given it; that is to say, so many different styles compressed into one, be it the crunchy or eerie or dissonant, chaotic, progressive, jazzy, etc., riffs. It’s quite obvious that the band put immense effort into this release, and it’s an odd one out amongst crowds of similar bands, to say the least. Despite all of the interesting qualities that it puts forth, I came out not completely overwhelmed, but somewhere in the middle; satisfied.

80/100

-SmithMetal84

Pestilential Shadows - Depths [2011]

Being their fourth full-length album to date, Pestilential Shadows have released a black metal album that’s very well worth lending a listen to, surpassing their previous efforts and showing that they have great potential. With “Depths,” they’ve proved to be amongst the few black metal bands that put thorough effort into producing well thought-out riffs, and ones that definitely impact the listener. With a harrowing aesthetic and lengthy tracks, they’ve shown that their songwriting skills are at their best they’ve ever been in their careers, and with straightforward black metal meshing together with depressing yet soothing tones, they’ve released one very worthy black metal album.

Without the heavy use of synthesizers and symphonic components that are usually infused for this effect, Pestilential Shadows pull off and show that they have a tendency to put emphasis on atmosphere. The first track, “Lost Geists of the Sunlight Sphere,” shows you this immediately, bundling up spacious riffs that flow about and fill up the atmosphere. That’s not to say that their music is overly-atmospheric either, but it is definitely present, and they do it quite nicely. They play along common notes and chords that are seen in this style of black metal, but they do so in such a way that they don’t come off as neither trite nor stale. Soon lapsing into slow passages with hushed vocals in the background, they show that their creative ability is at its finest, and they in no way do this to seem pseudo-artistic. These slower passages are dominated by clean guitars and gently sway along before going into tremolo-picked riffs that once again bring about a dark atmosphere and chilling, cold tones.

While the guitars are way up front in their mix, the vocals are also another aspect of their music that’s worth mentioning. It reminded me slightly of bands like Emperor that don’t necessarily need vocals to have great music as their riffs are plain stellar, but if you listen closely, they’re there and they’re pretty great. With the guitars strumming along in the foreground, rasped vocals and intense, ample howls are put forth by the vocalist to create an even more impacting effect on the listener. The sorrowful vocals go along perfectly with the guitars, which also tend to be melancholic and mournful. Occasionally they also make use of lower growls as well, adding variation. The drums are also further back in the mix, and they usually alternate between blast beats and fantastic double bass work.

After the last song is over, Pestilential Shadows bear a lasting effect on the listener. Their music is memorable and impacting, as is Emperor’s. They do share some characteristics, but Pestilential Shadows tend to use more repetition than the latter for effect; don’t get me wrong though, they still have great variation throughout the fifty-minute journey that resides in "Depths." Well worth buying and not necessarily essential, but still a great addition to one’s music library.

82/100

-SmithMetal84

Chasma - Declarations of the Grand Artificer [2011]

Chasma are among those bands that are really hit and miss for me, and probably for most other people as well. You go in expecting one thing and the end result is one which was not anticipated; this is what happens with Chasma. Their DSBM style makes use of the typical attributes of the genre, i.e. long, dragging songs in which not that much of note happens. The first band that comes to mind when listening to Chasma will probably almost always be Burzum, especially albums like "Filosofem" where repetition is key to its success; yet with Chasma, one could argue that it’s their biggest detriment.

As previously stated, Chasma’s fatal flaw is drawn-out and superfluous use of repetition and slow, somewhat droll passages that are intended to put the listener in a passive, wistful state, which they don‘t exactly succeed in doing. They don’t give off this particular vibe, however, right when the album starts, because it starts off on a relatively faster note, with blast beats in the background and faster riffing. Very soon after, though, they delve into what is to become the biggest aspect of the album, with a dissonant, eerie and slow riff; the drums also slow and combining tom hits with the ride to generate a more powerful yet calm effect. The harrowing, utterly maddened vocals (very akin to Burzum, again) immediately meet the listener and create a wave of sorrow and grief. The vocals are indeed quite depressing and they pull them off well, but they don’t fully make up for the monotony that Chasma put so much into play with their somber and repetitive riffing.

There are lots of segments throughout the album that leave the guitars to be playing cleaner passages, alone in the foreground, with tom hits going on in the drum section and usually whispered vocals. This can be seen at 3:37 in the first track, and this particularly depressing, melancholic riff is to be subsequently played for a ridiculous amount of time. While at first it may seem fresh and appealing, it greatly hurts their music to repeat riffs like these for so long. The rest of the album is dominated by alternations of these two styles, that of slower passages being far more prevalent. Tremolo-picking is a rarity, although it is seen scarcely throughout, and I wish they would’ve used more of it to uplift their usually boring riffing. Some of the riffs are somewhat interesting and will hook the listener for a decent amount of time, but where many other albums of a similar style succeed in putting the listener into a hypnotic trance, Chasma are just short of achieving this, and unfortunately they don’t pull it off.

Overall, it is not an absolutely horrible album but nor is it a great one. There are only three tracks in total, adding up to a sum of thirty minutes. There isn’t very much variation in these three tracks and their overlong repetition of certain riffs greatly hurts their music. Their style of black metal is one that has been seen before in bands like Burzum, but they don’t cast a very impacting effect and the listener is left feeling somewhat empty after the long, tiring journey of DSBM finally subsides. Definitely recommended for passionate fans of this style of black metal, but unfortunately, it is merely a decent album, just short of mediocre.

71/100

-SmitihMetal84

Temple of Baal/Ritualization - The Vision Of Fading Mankind (Split) [2011]

Both Temple of Baal and Ritualization hail from France, a country that’s currently gleaming from a steady set of black metal bands rising in the likes of Deathspell Omega and such. Temple of Baal and Ritualization have come together and joined forces to produce a batch of both abrasive black metal and intense black/death, respectively.

Temple of Baal open up the split, sharing with the listener four tracks of brooding, abrasive black metal. Their riffing is hefty, filled with, for the most part, common black metal tremolo riffs. Along with this, they also play host to an almost dissonant tone that they put into play very effectively. There is a good amount of variety throughout the four tracks, most of which is played in a style that’s not unknown to black metal fans, yet it’s more heavy and vicious than some other bands. There’s “Slaves to the Beast,” a more groove-influenced black metal track that has some catchy riffs and pounding double bass work throughout it, and there’s “Heresy Forever Enthroned,” a whopping nine-minute track that plays along a slightly slower tempo, the riffs having an ominous sound to them, slightly different from the rest of their songs which play along a faster and more intense style. (It even has a guitar solo, which in fact is actually not half bad). The vocals spew dense growls that blend in perfectly with the music, sounding more like death metal vocals than anything else, and the drums are always pounding and unyielding; blasting furiously in the background.

Ritualization take up where Temple of Baal leave off in the latter half of the split. They present three songs, one of which is a great Mortem cover. The other two originals differentiate quite greatly from what Temple of Baal accomplished in their own side of the split, being noticeably more old-school death metal influenced than the former; namely, a style that blends both black metal with death metal in the vein of Deicide and other old-school death metal acts. The production is less tight and perfected than Temple of Baal’s, yet this is not a bad thing, as it suits their brand of metal nicely. The vocals are much lower in register, lower in the mix, and the guitars are angrier than that of Tempo of Baal’s. The drumming makes use of lots of blast beats and fast double bass work, akin to most American death metal. They don’t offer as much as Temple of Baal, but they give listeners three decent tracks to headbang to as you clench your jaw and put your angry face on. There’s not very much variety, but there’s not much room for it either; respectable tracks nonetheless.

Both bands contribute different styles of black and death metal that makes for an interesting end result, and a split that’s worth getting. Temple of Baal is probably better than Ritualization, if not simply because they have more variety in their four songs. Ritualization aren’t bad either, and they’ll show the listener that they are very much into black metal, yet they stick very true to their old-school death metal roots. A somewhat hasty yet still decent and entertaining achievement.

76/100

-SmithMetal84

Saturnian Mist - Gnostikoi Ha-Shaitan [2011]

Saturnian Mist brings down the house!

Finland is the country that Christ never went too. Thus, screamingly evil music comes out of that triumphant northern bastard. These guys play heavy duty black metal with hints of thrash and will have you hooked with their face pounding riffs, evil chord progressions, and excellent guitar leads. These guys are no repeat of rip off band of any sort; just raw skill and love for black metal.

The first track catches your attention quickly with a crushing riff that makes you want to mosh it up. And if that wasn't enough, the guitar comes in with a lead that just makes the whole section that much cooler. And the whole reason the word thrash comes to mind at all is at 4:31 of the first song, "The Regicide" when the drums kick it in to a up beat mid tempo and unleash the head banging. Overall the guitar leads is what really makes this whole album. If they were to release an album that was just crushing black riffs with their awesome leads everyone would be happy as fuck.

The vocals are odd in some parts, especially in track numbero 5 "Sacrifices of Faces Unbroken". It is just like the vocalist is talking off time with everyone else; not the entire time but in a back in forth sort of motion. It almost gives it a cool twist but for the most part it is pretty distracting. On top of that, there is literally vocals over every riff in that song; now that's just silly. His growls have some serious balls to then though. When a war speech is given this is the voice that should be heard.

You don't have to be just a fan of blackened black metal with hints of black to enjoy the music these gents present. This is really appealing to a crusty audience as well, maybe not thrashers. If you could compare it to anyone it would have to be newer Darkthrone. Even though I am not a huge fan of black metal this one was truly worth the listen for the earth shaking riffs and most importantly the leads.

85%

Favorite Tracks: The Regicide, Bythos in Quintessence, Aura Mystica

Casket - Casket (EP) [2011]

Casket are a little known band that are producing, straight from the US, death metal that has lots of thrash influence scattered throughout. What is great about these guys is that among incessant waves of generic and tremendously boring thrash metal bands, they decide on a style that combines different sounds to make for a pretty great end result. They mix thrash with d-beat death metal almost perfectly, and this is a band that definitely deserves more attention; attention that is currently being offered to some of the worst in said genres.

After a one-minute creepy intro, little time is spent on giving perfunctory and superfluous prelude to the listener, opening up with the title track, and giving you a pretty clear idea of what the rest of the record will sound like. The riffs that come through are overtly thrash-influenced, lots of these being very, very catchy. There’s a breakdown at 1:20 in which if you don’t find yourself banging your head along with the slow, captivating tempo, there must be something wrong. There’s mid-tempo to slow tempos seen relatively often throughout, making for, at times, a more sludgy and droney sound. There’s, as well, some fun and careless lead work that’s thrown in between different passages to distract the listener for a bit, coming back with nothing less than the catchy riffs that they so often produce. There are even some eerie passages and tremolo bursts seen throughout, adding to the quality of this EP. (“Hell Is At Hand” at 1:30).

“Grave Distaste” starts off with another short intro of a man talking, soon meeting the listener with a straight-up thrash riff, followed by a more punk-influenced one that’ll cause you to sway your head ferociously. This song introduces a new aspect of their music, one that’ll remind listeners of the mighty Ghoul. Along with the ever-present catchy riffs, they familiarize the listener with another vocalist; resulting in a vehement twin-vocal attack that uplifts the music significantly; however insignificant one might deem the importance of vocals. Another worthy mention is at 2:29 in “Grave Distaste,” where, after a catchy d-beat chorus that makes use of the twin-vocals, yet another breakdown causes the listener to effectively ruin his cognitive thinking skills; rattling up his skull, as it did with me. Breakdowns are a tricky thing. Typically I abhor them, yet Casket put them into play so effectively and so provocatively that I have no qualms with these; and there is no reason that one should, as they always have catchy riffs dominating them.

The worst part on this record is probably the drums, which are quite sloppy at times. Yet I find myself ignoring this, as the guitars are so crunchy and catchy that they easily redeem the messy drums. Do yourself a favor and listen to some Casket. Support these bastards!

79/100

-SmithMetal84

Double Dose of Dallas Metal!

Toxifix! - Rise From The Ashes - Demo 2011

Here is some blackened thrash metal for you! These guys are up and coming very fast and put on a spectacular live performance. They really know how to mimic their recording when playing live. Every member of this outfit knows their instrument very well and is not afraid to get frisky with the technicalities. The term technical is quite often overused but these duders earned it. My favorite track would easily be "Blackened Thrashing Death", and don't worry, it is not a Witchaven rip off! It sounds a lot like Venom actually.

There are some very notable spots all over the album that highlights each instrument extremely well. The drums in The Burning of Olympus" is just out of this world, and a mad bass solo at 1:18, and closely after that the guitar solos just tear you a fucking new one! When these dudes record again, they should record it exactly the same way and just release it as an LP. Their sound is perfect on this demo.

http://www.facebook.com/Toxifixband

Favorite Tracks: The Burning of Olumpys, Blackened Thrashing Death, Nuclear Attack

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Steel Bearing Hand - Demo 

This band is full of win. Reason being is that it has something for every body in it. There are parts that sound very crusty, and then will melt your balls with some death metal riffage, and before they are done they bust out the thrash mid tempos! The song Savor the Torture has all of those. And any band that possesses the musical fortitude to deliver such virtuosity in such dissimilar genres deserves a notion astounding credibility. They even black metal it up in Eldritch Hate... hard. Which leads one to take notice on the excellent drumming this monster demo has! And the guitar lead in this song is incredible. It is literally better than most veteran black metal leads or any genre that uses leads! The choice of notes in that almost sound like a boss ass mixture of Amon Amarth and Wolves in the Throne Room.

And after all that musical ass rape-ery the CD comes to grinding halt.

...

MOAR!!!

Also as a bonus, these dudes totally let you download it FOR FREE!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?swy99tbtf174xfn

http://www.facebook.com/steelbearinghand666

Invection - Facet of Aberration [2011]

Invection, a thrash band hailing from the US, have been playing furious thrash since 2007. Their debut, “Facet Of Aberration," explores the territory of modern thrash metal and successfully injects different styles into its songs. They’re all undeniably thrash, and heavy thrash at that, but they are able to conjure up some wicked riffs that vary from being melodic to all-out thrash and some that are more groove influenced as well.

The album starts by showing off to you their skills as musicians. It’s fast, it’s catchy, it’s furious. The drummer is, as shown throughout the rest of the album, very fast with his use of double bass. The guitars will also immediately catch your attention. “Impulsive Violence,” the first track on the record, is among the more thrashy tracks in this album. In addition to having it’s cool lead work, it mixes fast riffs with relatively slower ones. Many of the tracks on here have an undeniable groove influence, and while with some bands that’s not always a good thing, Invection pull it off more than well--as their subtle and sporadic use of it only serves to make the songs that much catchier and that much more fun.

Invection, as previously stated, are able to infuse different styles into their overall thrash sound. Some songs, such as “Formication” or "As The Locust Starve," are noticeably much more melodic than other ones. The shouting vocals help contribute to the already catchy riffs, having more of a hardcore punk influence than anything else. They, at times, may appear to be in the background as they’re somewhat lower in the mix, but they’re there and they’re pretty hectic. The vocalist definitely sounds pissed off--that’s how vocals should always sound in thrash.

Now, the use of double bass, especially when used excessively, can be a tricky thing. If you’ve got a thrash album that doesn’t have very fast double bass throughout its songs but it does only in a few key places, you’ll surprise the listener and make him go “Whaaa? Awesome!”--but if the entire album is dominated by fast double bass, at times it may come off as redundant and the listener will take it for granted. There’s no way this will cloud your judgment, as it’s in theory anything but bad, but you may find yourself losing interest in the drummer after a while.

Invection have pulled off a thrash album that contains various styles, including more melodic and technical songs, all-out thrashers, ones that have groove-influenced riffs, as well as ones that mix all the styles perfectly. It’s a very fun album and you’ll find yourself putting it on play quite a few times. If at first it doesn’t click, it’ll grow on you. It did with me.

79/100

-SmithMetal84

THRASH OR DIE - Poser Holocaust [2011]

This has got to be the thrashiest thing I have ever heard!

Stand up and away from your computer for one moment. Now run around in circles and scream at the top of your lungs all while breaking something! NOW PLAY THAT THROUGH AN AMPLIFIER!! Ladies and gentlemen... Thrash or Die! I'm dead serious! There is just so much energy in this album! It's like they froze these guys in 1989 and then waited until 2010, unfroze them, gave them instruments, and said, "GO!".

The first thing everyone is going to notice with this CD is undeniably, the vocals! Dr. Fukk fucking brings it! There is so much attitude in his vocals its cheesy; in a good way! The chorus' tend to be very long and drawn out but done so well! It will seriously make you want to jump up and break something! If anyone else were to try to pull this off there would be no chance! Just listen to the first track "Fatal Fury" and "Wake Up and Smell the Thrash" and you will know what I am talk about! Of course there are fast rapid fire vocals like in "Zombie Assault" as well as some very well executed gang shouts!

But none off this would have been able to happen without the crushing old school riffage on this poser annihilating monster! A lot of the songs on here start with the guitar playing by himself and then the rest of the band comes in; that or there will be a short sample. One might think maybe they should start the songs different? Well, you wont be saying that after you hear the riffs! Plus, it is really hard to talk and head bang at the same time! They have a black thrash feel to them at some moments, but mostly I hear a lot of Exodus and early thrash influences. 

This is going straight on to my Zune so I can rage to this tonight at the gym! Or better yet, you get this for the next time you're at a lame party and everyone in there needs a little pick me up! Btw, their video for Wake Up and Smell the Thrash made these fine gents pretty internet famous. Check it out!

90%

Favorite Tracks: Fatal Fury, Zombie Assault, Moshpit Messiah, Wake Up and Smell the Thrash! 

Vektor - Outer Isolation [2011]

Vektor's Standard is Excellence!

Vektor is the type of band that I feel no matter how far they go in their career, all the success in the world wouldn’t be enough to match that of such prodigious talent. They simply give me everything I want to hear in a thrash album; or any genre of album at that. There isn’t one thing I would change about Outer Isolation or any of their previous albums.


1. Cosmic Cortex
                I love that they start the record with this song! It begins with, without asking them, what seems to sound like radio emissions from the planet Saturn (Don’t ask me how I know that; Nerd Alert!) then moves into a heartbeat that slows down into a clean intro. You have got to hand it to them; that is some pretty nifty stuff! The intro in this song to me is a shining monument to everything that is Vektor! Then Dave may just make you spill your coffee with his high falsetto! Thus bringing the song to maximum head-bangage! What really makes this track shine to me is the remarkable guitar work! They really out did themselves with the different harmonies and transitions! Specifically I would like to point out a few quick riffs and transitions: Besides the intro, 3:03, 6:00, and the very last riff! On that last riff, having one guitarist chug while, the other strums, what sounds like an F minor chord, is just genius.

Haha I just wanted to say that the beginning of this song reminds me of fighting the "Brain" of Andross in Star Fox 64. Anyone? 

2. Echoless Chamber     

                The beginning here is a HUGE catcher! I love how it moves from that semi clean intro to the verse riff so quickly. That is easily one of my favorite moments of the whole album, it’s executed perfectly! That verse riff it quickly moves intro is one MONSTER MOSH RIFF! The bridge in this song is out of this world as well! I say that because of the outstanding BASS at 3:09 and so on! It brings in the solo section so well!

3. Dying world

                Gotta love that bass! My favorite part of this beginning is the fill on the bell at 1:00 in! It’s those little things that bring out so much. The verse in here really makes me want to stand in front, grab the monitor, and head bang until I puke! But, most of all the whole song seems to be building towards the chorus, which has somewhat of an old-school flair with the lyric, “Welcome to a Dying World”!

4. Tetrastructural minds

I always seems to be mentioning intros. If you are wondering why; it is because of the “Curb appeal”. When someone first selects a track, if the intro doesn’t put them in a strangle hold right away, one may be inclined to skip the track all together. That being said, HOW COULD ONE PASS UP THIS GEM! Not with all that bass kicking your ass! I really enjoy all of the high notes in the riffs. The harmonies really stand out here. But, the real flavor is at 4:22 where the song almost gets kind of “poppy”. Like, if you heard this part alone you may not be able to tell this is Vektor. The clean part right before it is magical as well. There couldn’t have been a better part. Also, I remember Vektor mentioning a Pirate riff. I’m sure someone beat me too it, but it was in to Demolition version of this song.

5. Venus Project

                I actually discovered Vektor because of this song. I was doing a little research on Jacque Fresco, and I stumbled upon the greatest band ever. I’m not quite sure if the lyrics are speaking of the same thing though haha. But alas, there is a very interesting clean intro. Vektor’s standard is above awesome. Things really get interesting when the song slows down. The bass under the clean part is incredible; I think it carries the whole section. The background noises here are very other worldly, if you are listening to this stoned… prepare for a vision quest. That is all.

6. Dark Creations, Dead Creators

                This is the most “to the point” song on the whole album. A “Quicky” per say. That being said, I love how this song still has about a minute of intro. Happy face. Something that really shines in this song is the DRUMS! The highlights of which is the intro, obviously, and the part at 2:37; where at one part he throws some double bass in there and the next time around you hear some blasty snare! If you are a drummer, you better hit rewind! The solos afterward are… how do I say… Special because they are more “standard?” than their others. That may be a poor choice of words, but I am trying to say that they seem to stand out because I know Erik makes a point not to have boring solos or leads. And he does so by saying, mother fuck the major and minor Pentatonic (If I may), and tends to lean more modal with the things he writes; a man after my own heart. And, I am not saying that this solo is boring; I am saying I love it and it really stands out!

7. Fast Paced Society

                There is even more bass awesomeness here at the beginning! I really wish I knew how they went about writing this part. Because, I would find it hard to write a catchy and simple bass line to EITHER that beginning drum beat or the guitar that follows. Amirite, gentlemen amirite? But, moving on… THE TRANSITIONS… OH GOD THE TRANSITIONS! I could only imagine how long it would take me to write this glorious bastard! Just skip around to any part of the song, and think, what the hell how did they get here? Also, LOVE the mid tempo upbeat at 3:51. And, the chaos at the very end of the song is freaking genius. That moves beautifully into the last song.

8. Outer Isolation

                Alas! The final track! Vektor never fails to make the title track one of the best. This one has a different feel to it. And, I can’t quite put my finger on it. I really like that high note that jumps up and says high during the verse riff. And again! My favorite part in this song is the clean, slower part; and really the whole bridge. The classical influence really shines out to create the most beautiful lead. Prog nerds could really take a lesson from this section! It really moves from clean to heavy very well here. I always pay attention to things like that because if you don’t know… Those things are very hard to write!

Favorite Tracks - 1, 2, and 8

100%

Not all my reviews will be this long. Just seeing as this is the first one of my blog I wanted to do something special. And, I really needed to write all this out before my thoughts on this album drove me insane.

Stay thrashy my friends.