Album Reviews

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    Drudkh / Grift – Betrayed by the Sun / Hägringar (2016)

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    We rarely review split releases, but due to the involvement of both the legendary Drudkh and the gritty Grift, this one made the cut. As a collaboration between Nordvis Produktion and Season of Mist, this four song split release is filled with melancholic Black Metal. Hailing from Ukraine and Sweden respectively, these two outfits have perfected the craft of highly emotional Black Metal that is both aggressive and memorable.

    Opening the release we have Drudkh and their “His Twenthy- Fourth Spring” master piece. This track delivers the band signature tempo changes that weave from intense BM passages to more melodic and refined interludes. With a very graceful pace, this track has a certain Vreid/Windir vibe that we find magical. The heavy hitter “Autumn in Sepia” delivers another onslaught of brilliant riffing and tight drumming, perfectly paired with harsh vocals and a very atmospheric chorus section.

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    Sodom – Decision Day (2016)

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    Arriving from Germany, today we have the legendary Sodom and their latest Thrash-tastic master piece “Decision Day”. Showing no signs of slowing down and with a thirst for blood, the band delivers 11 relentless tracks that will blow you away from start to finish. If you like old-school Thrash Metal and don’t mind a clean and crisp modern sounding production, this release will blow your socks off.

    Opening with the pummeling “In Retribution”, Tom Angelripper and company fire on all cylinders delivering vicious riffs and tight drums crafting a very sinister mood. The band quickly sets an insane level of intensity as they pummel through pieces like “Rolling Thunder”, “Decision Day” and “Caligula” and its cool chorus sections. Picture the cleanliness of Accept’s sound paired with the Thrash grittiness of bands like Destruction and Death Angel, this is exactly what this release sounds like.

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    Moke’s – Moke’s (2015)

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    Hailing from France, today we have Stoner Rock debutants Moke’s and their debut EP. Deliver five catchy and crunchy tracks, this EP showcases the attitude and musical skills behind this promising Parisian band. Greatly appealing to fans of fuzzy riff-driven Rock/Metal, this band craft very engaging songs that keep the energy rolling for the duration of the release.

    Opening with the warm and fuzzy rhythmical riffs of “Antics”, the band quickly showcases their fearless leader (and vocalist) Agnès Bernon. Her voice is a bit raspy and fits perfectly with the vibe created by the guitars and playful drums. Things continue to get more engaging with the brilliant guitar work of “Swamp”, featuring very intense leads and a certain Southern twang to this track.

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    Lacrimas Profundere – Hope is Here (2016)

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    Slowly evolving into their current highly melancholic form, today we have Lacrimas Profundere and their 11th full-length release “Hope is Here”. As one of the marquee names of the Gothic Metal/Rock genre, this German band continues to improve with each release. The band does a great job in crafting twelve very bleak and gloomy pieces which are some of the most inspired songs the band has released in several years.

    Opening with the mellow “The Worship of counting down”, the band is charismatically led by Rob Vitacca’s signature vocals and Oliver Nikolas Schmid’s guitar leads. This album instantly feels very dark and cold, drawing comparisons to the latest releases of bands ranging from Katatonia to To/Die/For. Keeping things interesting, the band always mixes up gloomy passages with hard rocking sections, allowing for tracks like “Hope is Here” and “Aramis” to keep things fresh and interesting.

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    Thybreath – Where the Gods Fall (2015)

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    Arriving from Spain, today we have Thybreath and their very interesting Modern Thrash Metal sound. Delivering ten tracks of high-octane music, “Where the Gods Fall” provides the listener with plenty of ammunition to headbang their way into a coma. Perfectly mixing old and new influences, this band will surely get any Thrash Metal fan excited.

    Opening with the eerie kids chants on the intro track, the band sets a creepy mood that is nicely capped with the high level of intensity of “The Bogeyman”. In this song at some point, the band has a certain Amon Amarth sound to them due to the combination of harsh vocals and catchy riffing. Never straying too far from their Thrash roots, “Deceit and Letdown” is a perfect example of a well-crafted Modern sounding Thrash anthem filled with crafty guitar leads and catchy melodic passages.

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    Mountaineer – Come Fever / Siren Song (2016)

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    Hailing from the Bay Area, today we have Mountaineer and their very unique and emotional mixture of Doom/Sludge influences with dreamy Post-Rock/Shoegaze passages. Featuring members and ex-members of bands like Lament Cityscape, Lycus, and Secrets of the Sky, this outfit delivers a very solid two song EP as their debut release.

    Opening with the crushing Doom riffs of “Come Fever”, you instantly get My Dying Bride-esque flashbacks. However, once the clean vocals appear, you know you are in for a completely different experience. Perfectly contrasting emotive vocals with punishing guitars, this track slowly moves into more ethereal atmospheres with Post-Rockish vibes and soaring weeping guitars.

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    Nox - Ancestral Arte Negro (2016)

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    Hailing from the dark depths of South America, today we have Colombian trio Nox and their demoralizingly crushing Black Metal 7-inch “Ancestral Arte Negro”. Featuring four raw and punishing tracks, this release brings forth a very organic BM sound that reminds us of the early days of the genre.

    The release kicks off with the brutal onslaught brought forth by “Espectro”. The music is quite straightforward, but to the point delivering catchy riffs and powerful shrieks. The grainy sound behind the band’s sound gives it that certain vibe that 90’s releases used to have. Preparing for all-out war, “Atravesando El Umbral” is yet another powerful piece filled with pummeling drumming and a very chaotic and devastating tempo.

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    Cancerous Womb – It Came to This (2016)

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    Hitting the listener like a bag of bricks to the face, today we have the latest exercise in brutality from Cancerous Womb and their EP “It Came to This”. Featuring three songs and a cover track, this release showcases the sheer brutality behind the band’s pummeling Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore style. Definitely not recommended for the weak of mind, this release does a great job in keeping the listener headbanging and entertained from start to finish.

    Opening with the crushing riffing of “The Shrieking of Idiots”, the band sets a very tight precedent with catchy riffs and tight drumming. The vocals switch between deep growls and raspy shrieks, allowing for nice tempo transitions between the songs. Things move into the extreme with the totally chaotic and grindcore-ish “Formless” for about 60 seconds, showcasing a very drastic transition between songs.

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    Summit – The Winds that Forestall Thy Return (2016)

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    Featuring a very complex and yet imposing sound, today we have Italy’s Summit and their debut full-length release ”The Winds that Forestall Thy Return”. Divided in 5 songs that last around 32 minutes total, the band does a pretty interesting job in combining Progressive Metal influences into a thick wall of Post-Metal elements. With a certain improvisational vibe, this release will surely grab your attention and will always keep you guessing what is coming up next.

    The album commences with the sinister riffs of “Hymn Of The Forlon Wayfarer”, this 10-minute track slowly builds up as the intensity grows. This song reminded us of early Dysrhythmia stuff, but a bit less convoluted and more approachable. With the intensity in full swing, tracks like “Pale Moonlight Shadow” do a great job in keeping the momentum going and deliver very intricate passages with cool tempo changes, contrasted by whispers and screams in the background.

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    Deadlock – Hybris (2016)

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    Coming out of a few very hard years with the death of founding member and drummer Tobias Graf and the departure of Sabine Scherer, the bands charismatic vocalist, Deadlock delivers their 7th full-length release titled “Hybris”. Featuring a more melancholic edge to their music than their previous two releases, this album brings us back to the catchiness of “Bizarro World” combined with the melodic side of “Wolves”.

    Opening with the Groovy “Epitaph”, we are very quickly given the first glance of Margi Gerlitz’s vocals, which are actually somewhat similar to Sabine’s, but as the album progresses we notice they also have a wider range, allowing the band’s music to go to different places. This catchy opener is nicely framed with intricate drumming, direct riffs and subtle atmospheric elements. “Carbonman” and “Berserk” nicely step up the intensity level with two very engaging and heavy songs filled with cool guitar leads that ooze melody and provide a nice contrast when paired with Margi’s vocals.

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