Album Reviews

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    Coraxo – Starlit Flame (2014)

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    As we all know, Finland is a country where creativity flourishes in terms of Metal music and Coraxo is here to deliver their own unique style of music. Playing an interesting mixture of Electronic/Industrial Metal, this band has a very futuristic sound that is greatly enhanced by the mastering of Dan Swanö in their debut EP “Starlit Flame”. With hints of many different bands, this Finnish duo delivers seven engaging tracks that will command your full attention.

    Opening with a trippy/spacey atmospheric piece, things start getting hectic with the crushing “Signal Detected”. Filled with catchy electronic elements, this track has a nice Industrial vibe similar to Kovenant, Aborym, and Shade Empire, featuring vocals that blend between Black Metal and some other distorted outburst. The catchiness of “The Xenotaph” is quite amazing, delivering some sick electronics paired with demolishing riffs. As one of our favorite tracks of the release, this song has all the right elements at the correct times to make it an instant classic.

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    Culls - The Dross Play Vol​.​1 (2013)

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    Arriving from Italy, today we have a very odd and beautifully disturbing release titled “The Dross Play Vol.1” by Culls. In this five-song release, we get a very interesting mixture of ambient and noise with a few hints of drone elements. While most releases of this genre drag songs along for 10-20 minutes, Culls delivers short and concise assaults that will elevate your conscious levels to new heights.

    Opening with the incisive “Scott 1912”, the dissonant noise elements perfectly blend with the trippy atmospherics and the spoken word samples to create a very tense and chaotic feeling. With a very apt title, “Spiral Staircase” delivers a very hypnotic droning dirge that feels like walking on an endless staircase. Quite interesting indeed how Culls, manipulates their elements to create very unique and engaging soundscapes.

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    Zā Lä Thü - The Ritual of the Abyss (2012)

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    With very cool cover art, we got fooled into thinking this was a Black Metal or Psychedelic/Occult Rock release, but we were pleased to find out this demo contained 3 tracks of catchy and engaging Industrial Metal. Being a remix of the original version, we have to say that this demo sounds very professional and its crystal clear compared to other lesser quality releases we get.

    Opening with futuristic “The Opening of the Portal”, we got a certain Dol Ammad / The Project Hate MCMXCIX vibe from it. This track serves as a great atmospheric piece with some spoken word samples thrown into the madness. In a very Industrial Metal fashion, “Into the Void Beyond the Sun” keeps things rolling with crunchy guitars and crazy vocals. Not to piss on the band’s parade, but at times they manage to sound like a more Industrial version of Static X thanks to the catchiness of their music.

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    Zā Lä Thü - 77+ (7+7)/7 +77=156 (2013)

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    As one of the most unique and random releases every to arrive at Infernal Masquerade, today we have Zā Lä Thü and their 2013 demo “77+ (7+7)/7 +77=156”. In this 3-song release, this two person outfit delivers a very chaotic and unique release that combines Industrial elements with a few Gothic Metal touches.

    Opening with some intoxicating Industrial/Electronic elements, “Hail Hail Babalon” has a unique modern ritualistic feeling. The synths and percussions have a certain Middle Eastern flair and are greatly complemented by hypnotic female vocals. As the song progresses, heavy riffing makes its way into the mix. This perfectly blends into the second track “Flame of Torture”, which has a heavier/Industrial vibe to it. The riffing is catchy and never diverges from an engaging loop, allowing the vocals to nicely shine.

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    Xandria – Sacrificium (2014)

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    Bouncing back from losing yet another vocalist, Xandria returns with Dianne van Giersbergen fronting the band and with their most mature record to date “Sacrificium”. Marco Heubaum continues to push the band, and with this release they greatly surpass their previous release “Neverworld's End” with a more cohesive and rich sounding album.

    Opening with the 10-minute album title track, we are treated to lush orchestrations and commanding riffs. The band’s sound is quite powerful and Dianne’s vocals fit the sound perfectly since they are very operatic and well defined. With the new front woman, the band pushes the envelope with more dramatic and bombastic songs like “Nightfall”, “Dreamkeeper”, and “Stardust”.

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    Vanhelga – Längtan (2014)

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    Deconstructing Black Metal into its rawest elements seems to be the task of Vanhelga since its inception. With “Längtan” the band continues its journey into the deepest and darkest corners of musical exploration with 12 terrifying tracks of pure misanthropy and bleakness. Gaining a few members along the way, 145188 brings his vision to life with a truly sickening sound that is quite raw and direct.

    Opening with the twisted melodies of “Svartsint ömhet” we get an assortment of deranged vocals laid over truly haunting simplistic music that will instantly get under your skin. Focusing on an eerie atmosphere, “Där evigheten inväntar mig” is one of our favorite tracks thanks to its raw power and bizarre tempo changes. The band’s ability to switch the direction of the song mid-course it’s one of the best assets that Vanhelga has in this release, making for a truly unique and abusive experience as heard in tracks like “Evig förändring” and the melancholic “Med mina andetag”.

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    Harakiri For The Sky – Aokigahara (2014)

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    After leaving a great impression on us with their self-titled debut full-length, Austria’s Harakiri For The Sky returns with an even more impressive release with Aokigahara. Delivering nine (plus one bonus track) onslaughts of perfectly crafted Black/Post-Black Metal anthems, the band calls upon a wide variety of guest vocalists to further expand their commanding (and very atmospheric) sound.

    Setting a very depressing mood with the demoralizing “My Bones to the Sea”, the doomy riffs nicely dictate a very calm pace to this killer song. With M.S in charge of all the instruments and J.J delivering the punishing vocals, this duo produces very melancholic music in the vein of acts like Heretoir, Lantlos, etc., but with their own signature style. The intensity picks up with the emotive “Jhator”, a track that features Seuche (Fäulnis) on guest vocals, and nicely shapes the aural abuse in a different direction than the band’s usual antics.

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    Brood of Hatred – Skinless Agony (2014)

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    Pummeling their way from Tunisia via Norway’s Crime Records, today we have Brood of Hatred and their debut full-length “Skinless Agony”. Presenting nine tracks of complex Death Metal with some Progressive undertones, this band delivers 43 minutes of crushing music that is quite engaging and punishing. Filled with cool riffs and intricate song structures, this is one Death Metal release that you won’t want to miss.

    Opening with the demoralizing “Deconstruction”, we get a level of brutality similar to Suffocation with a bigger emphasis on melody. This complex brutality bleeds out into tracks like “The Mind That Emerged” and “Technological Genocide”, both very solid and entertaining tracks that features heaps of playful riffs and demoralizing vocals. The band’s sound is quite compact and well crafted, and with the aid of a crystal clear production, “Skinless Agony” is one hell of a devastating release.

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    Desdinova - Defying Gravity (2014)

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    Hailing from Eastern France, today we have Sci-Fi influenced Desdinova and their debut full-length titled “Defying Gravity”. Featuring an intense mix of Thrash Metal with Progressive elements, this is one release that brings memories from bands like old Metallica to more recent Progressive Metal releases. Crafting a unique style is hard, but Desdinova gives us a very promising showing of their ambitious music.

    The band starts off with very Metallica-esque songs with “Solanum” and “The Valley”. Things shift a bit more into playful territory with “The Valley”, before going very progressive with the soothing “Seven”. In just four songs the band quickly shows their range of abilities by crafting some ultra-catchy tunes that help Desdinova construct their own musical style. Filled with solid drumming and very charismatic vocals, this release has tons of elements to be discovered by the listeners. Going a bit more mainstream with “Sunbreaker”, the band keeps surprising us with their wide range of styles; however everything returns to their traditional Thrash roots in “Rules of Engagement”.

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    Manach Seherath - Manach Seherath (2013)

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    Arriving from Italy, today we have Manach Seherath and their excellent self-titled demo. Featuring three tracks of brilliantly composed Symphonic/Melodic Heavy Metal this release will surely blow you away by the excellent composition skills behind the songs. While the production is not up to par with the quality of the music, the band does a great job in delivering 16 minutes of epic music that will grab your attention in an instant.

    Opening with “Arti Manthano”, the band showcases their melodic/symphonic chops instantly with a very well-crafted first impression. The only (and biggest) issue with this demo is the very poor production behind it, the drums sound completely wobbly and greatly take away from the desired effect of the band’s music. The keyboard structures are pretty solid but need some work in terms of the production (and maybe using better equipment), but they are still a vital component of the sound of the band.

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