Death Metal

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Refusal – Grasp (2012)

    cover

    Remember the good old days when extreme music did not had faggy clean vocals and breakdowns?, if you do, then Refusal’s latest demo “Grasp” provides a nice stroll through memory lane. Delivering four songs of very typical Swedish Death Metal, this band from Finland does a great job in capturing a timeless sound and making it their own with super catchy tracks.

    Opening with the neck breaking “Do Your Part”, the band’s sound immediately has that old-school vibe. The riffing is quite catchy and the vocals are raspy and powerful. This song also features a pretty solid tempo that is nicely marked by the well-crafted drums. The band reminds us of Grave in certain instances. Keeping the catchiness flowing, “Grip” delivers nice and meaty guitars paired with excellent growls. In this track we can verify that the band does a great job in creating a certain tempo that works perfectly with the riffing and the vocals.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Nile – At the Gate of Sethu (2012)

    cover

    The everlasting Nile returns to us this 2012 with yeah another dose of extremely brutal Death Metal with hints of Middle Eastern influences. While we loved “Those Whom The Gods Detest”, this release feels too much like a continuation of that album and nothing else. The production of this release makes the guitars sound a bit weird (very thin in a way), the bass guitar is very hard to find, the drums are a bit drowned in the mix, and only highlights the vocals (both growls and clean ones), making for a unique but weird listening experience.

    The hyper-fast “Enduring the Eternal Molestation of Flame” opens the musical onslaught with great brutality and crushing riffs (that sound a bit weird). The hellish different vocal layers are pretty demonic sounding, and the overall drumming is actually quite good, but it sometimes gets lost behind the growls. There is no doubt that there are some excellent technical sections in this track, but there is nothing new to show when compared to their previous release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Necrovation – Necrovation (2012)

    cover

    Delivering one of the darkest and most evil sounding releases of 2012, today we have Necrovation and their self-titled sophomore release. With nine tracks and around 45 minutes of crushing brutality, each of the tracks in this release features a very dark and cavernous atmosphere that is rarely matched by anything we have heard this year and reminds us of the crazy atmospheres created by bands like Shinning (Sweden) and Bethlehem.

    Delivering the first blast full of hate with “Necrovorous Insurrection”, this release opens with a bang. Featuring an old-school raw Death Metal vibe, the Swedish influences are extremely clear in this epic track. The quality riffing makes this song even more enjoyable, and the crystal clear production makes brings the full experience to your speakers. The intoxicating rhythms of “Dark Lead Dead” make this very weird song extremely intoxicating indeed.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Antagonism – Digging Past Sounds (2012)

    cover

    Delivering 11 tracks of hard-chugging Death Metal, today we have Italy’s Antagonism and their debut full-length “Digging Past Sounds”. In this release, the band uses traditional Death Metal structures with a few hints of more modern grooves thrown into the mix. While release drags a bit after a while, the songs presented here are a nice tribute to some of the crushing DM tracks we loved from the 90’s.

    “Skinhunter Kill(ing)” delivers a very cool Dissmember-like opener and provides high hopes for this already entertaining release. The riffing is relentless and the drumming is superb, the growls are very typical and nicely fit into the vibe. “Sick AIDS” keeps things rolling with some more chugging riffs and very well crafted drum patterns, but “No More” is a song that nicely breaks the monotony with some nice tempo changes and even tighter drumming.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Devilish Impressions – Simulacra (2012)

    cover

    Making quite an impact since the first song, today we have Poland’s Devilish Impressions latest release titled “Simulacra”. Being properly released through Lifeforce records this July, this is one of those albums that combines so many different elements in a very cohesive and successful way, making it super diverse and extremely exciting.

    “Icaros” opens with release with a mixture of Vintersorg meets Dimmu Borgir atmosphere, thanks to the hefty use of synths and the awesome clean vocals. Setting the bar this high, the band also delivers pretty solid melodic Black/Death-ish music that is very direct and well crafted. The atmospheric side of things keeps making this album very appealing in “Legion of Chaos”, but it is the massive drumming and heavy riffing that ultimately makes this song super catchy and effective.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Miseration – Tragedy Has Spoken (2012)

    cover

    The man with the 20 (or so) different bands Christian Älvestam, delivers yet another excellent release in the Death Metal category. Mixing elements of Technical Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, and the rawness of pure Death Metal, “Tragedy Has Spoken” is a very brutal release that has many different facets to it, making it quite an enjoyable release to dissect over a few dozen spins (or more).

    Ripping through the opener “Stepping Stone Agenda”, we immediately know we are in for a devastating release since the guitars deliver waves of aggressive riffs and the vocals are extremely brutal. Christian’s vocal talents are undeniable, and when it comes to do extreme screaming, there are only a handful of people that can be as aggressive and versatile as he is. The drumming is also pretty well crafted and hyper fast, truly crushing indeed.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    D.E.R – Quando A Esperanca Desaba (reissue) (2012)

    cover

    The brutal reissue of D.E.R’s 2008 “Quando A Esperanca Desaba” comes to us through Polish label EveryDayHate. Featuring 16 tracks of head crushing Gore/Death Metal this is one of those heavy has hell releases that should be in everybody’s collection when you want to get the party started (and the neighbors extremely pissed at you).

    Pummeling across tracks that are less average around one minute a piece, this album blows you away since the punishing opener “O Que Foi Escrito eu Apaguei”. Thankfully the booklet comes with English translation of the lyrics, just to know what exactly is being spewed through the band’s brutal vocalist pipes. The songs are heavy and brutal with some nice melodic elements that keeps them separate and provide nice pacing between tracks.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Haemorrhage – Loathesongs (reissue) (2012)

    cover

    Originally released back in 2000 through Morbid Records, today we have EveryDayHate’s reissue of the incredible “Loathesongs” of the legendary Haemorrhage. Hailing from Spain, this Goregrind band has made a name for themselves through violent music and sick blood-drenched live performances. In this re-release we also get a few extra songs that weren’t available on the original “Loathesongs”, but come from the band’s vast early catalogue.

    The opener is Defecation’s “Megaton” blended with “Vestige of Earthly Remains” allowing the band quickly sets the bar very high in terms of crushing pace and aggressive growls. While not all covers in this release are ‘extremely’ good, the band does a nice job in keeping some of the essential elements in the tracks, such as in Carcass’s “Pyosisified” and its relentless riffing.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Alter self – Promo (2012)

    cover

    Delivering three excellent Death/Thrash Metal tracks, today we have Alter self and their 2012 promo. In this short but sweet release, we are treated to nearly 12 minutes of very well composed music that will have you headbanging since the first minute. With a well-balanced mixture of old-school Thrash and aggressive Death Metal elements, this band has a very clear and direct sound that many others can only dream about.

    Opening with a bang, “My Sober Reflection” delivers very powerful riffs and a very nice bass guitar line that is pulsating in the background. With a very aggressive sound, this track delivers a hefty balance between Melodic Thrash Metal and hard-hitting Death Metal. The band’s musical abilities are pretty solid and all elements of this song work very well together.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Martyrdöd – Paranoia (2012)

    cover

    Delivering a wall of crusty guitars and a very decadent (but effective) mixture of Punk and D-beat with Death and Black Metal influences, today we have Sweden’s Martyrdöd and their full-length release “Paranoia”. While we usually don’t like this type of music, Martyrdöd does a great job in making it engaging, brutal, and well sounding, enough for us to be fully immersed in the 11 tracks presented in this release.

    Opening with some sick riffs, “Nog Är Nog” fully delivers the unexpected: a five minute song (not 2 minutes like other bands) with excellent melodic elements as well as the traditional crusty sound and punkish edge of these kinds of releases. The band’s focus on the catchiness of the riffing is excellent perfectly contrasting the more aggressive sections. With a more Black Metal influences tracks like “Överkom Er Rädsla” and “Hör Världens Rop” feel like a punkish version of Immortal with some of Satyricon’s edge from the 90’s. These two songs are the perfect example of why Martyrdöd is beyond your typical one-dimensional crust band and can delivers in many different fronts while maintaining their identity.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries