Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Putrid Evocation/Echoes Of Death/Xtreem Music/2014 CD Review


  Putrid  Evocation  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Echoes  Of  Death"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  a  very  dark  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  to  kick  in  along  with  some  evil  sounding  melodies  that  are  heavily  influence  by  both  the  Finnish  and  Swedish  bands  along  with  a  touch  of  early  American  death  metal  and  after  the  intro  growls  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  more  structured  songs.

  You  can  hear  a  decent  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  coming  out  of  the  vocals  at  times  along  with the  music  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  a  small  amount  of  sound  effects  are  utilized  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  continue  the  old  school  tradition  that  is  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  vocals  start  to  get  more  guttural  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  there  are  also  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  on  the  last  track  the  band  closes  the  album  with  a  cover  of  Convulse's  "Putrid  Intercourse".

  Putrid  Evocation  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  has  the  vintage  90's  sound  down  perfectly  and  they  play  a  darker  version  of  this  style  and  avoid  any  modern  technical  or  brutal  trends  to  create  some  very  raw,  filthy  and  evil  sounding  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror,  gore,  darkness  and  evil  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Putrid  Evocation  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Echoes  Of  Death"  "Morbid  Sacrilegious"  and  "Total  Death".  8  out  of  10.
 

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Mortal Factor/No Lessons Need Learning/Non Stop Music Records/2014 CD Review


  Mortal  Factor  are  a  band  from  Switzerland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "No  Lessons  Need  learning"  which  was  released  by  Non  Stop  Music  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  thrash  metal direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  a  few  seconds  later  aggressive  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  there  is  also  a  decent  amount  of  solos  and  leads  being  utilized  throughout  the  recording  that  are  also  heavily  influenced  by  80's  metal.

  Death  metal  growls  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  at  times  the  guitars  also  bring  in  melodic  riffs  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  whispered  style  vocals  and  spoken  word  parts  and  one  of  the  tracks  also  shows  the  band  bringing  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  also  on  this  recording  you  can  hear  a  bit  of  the  80's  hardcore  sound  being  added  into  some  of  the  tracks  and  towards  the  end  of  the  album  the  vocals  start  adding  in  more  melody  and  the  band  also  brings  in  elements  of  early  90's  groove  metal.    

  Mortal  Factor  plays  a  style  of  thrash/death  metal  that  goes  back  to  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  style  of  the  genre  and  also  bring  in  elements  of  hardcore  and  groove  metal  and  while  this  is  not  a  style  I  regularly  listen  to,  i  still  feel  the  band is  very  good  at  what  they  do,  the  production  sound s very  old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Mortal  Factor  are  a  very  decent  sounding  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Moving  Among  You"  "Knives  vs.  Guns"  "Crank  it"  and  "Final  Call".  7/5  out  of  10. 

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Soulskinner/Crypts Of Ancient Wisdom/Xtreem Music/2014 CD Review


  Soulskinner  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  old  school  style  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Crypts  Of  Ancient  Wisdom"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  Classical  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  symphonic  sounds  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  an  early  90's  death  metal  sound  that  also  adds  melodies  in  both  the  leads  and  riffs  and  a  few  seconds  later  growls  are  added into  the  music  and  the  band  starts  going  for  more  of  a  faster  musical  direction.

  Blast  beats  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  both  90's  Florida  and  Sweden  death  metal  influences  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  On  a  couple  of  the  tracks  a  brief  use  of  keyboards  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  one  track  bringing  in  war  samples  before  going  into  more  of  a  brutal  death  metal  direction  and  they  show  that  you  can  still  be  very  heavy  without  following  any  modern  trends  and  a  great  amount  of  the  melodies  have  a  very  evil  sound  to  them  and  they  close  the  album  with  an  acoustic  outro.

Soulskinner  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  and  also  brings  in  the  perfect  balance  between  brutality,  darkness,  and  melody,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  dying,  and  death  themes.

  In  m  opinion  Soulskinner  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal b and  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Captive  Trojan  Maiden"  "Our  Greatest  Curse"  "Thou  Shalt  Die"  and  "Why  Shrink  From  Death".  8  out  of  10.  

Mercyless/Abject Offerings/Great Dane Records/2014 CD Re-Issue Revew


  Mercyless  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1992  album  "Abject  offerings"  which  was  re-issued  in  2014  by  Great  Dane  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  haunting  synth  intro  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  melodic  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  which  leads  up  to  a  very  fast  and  raw  death/thrash  metal  direction  that  also  uses  growling  vocals  and  blast  beats  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  which  also  bring  in  an  early  technical death  metal  sound  at  times.  

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized they  are  very  dark  and  melodic  sounding  and  also  bring  in  a  Florida  style  death  metal  influence  and  at  times  the  band  brings  in  an  atmosphere  that  was  rarely  heard  back  in  those  days  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  demonic  sounding  laughter  and  most  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  sound  that  was  considered  for  that  time  while  also  having  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  being  utilized  in  all  of  the  tracks  and  on  the  alst  song  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  are  brought  in..

  Mercyless  where  very  underrated  for  their  time  while  they  played  a  very  raw  and  aggressive  style  of death  metal  they  where  ignored  by  a  lot  of  people  for  not  being  the  typical  death  metal  band  and  you  can  also  hear  some  technical  playing  and  thrash  influences  in  their  musical  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror,  anti  christian  and  religion  themes.


  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very  great  sounding  from  Mercyless  and  if  you  are  interested in  hearing  some  of  the  lesser  known  death/thrash  metal  bands  of  the  early  90's,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Message  For  All  Those  Who  Died"  "Without  Christ"  and  "Burned  At  the  Stake".  8  out  of  10.
  

Monday, November 17, 2014

Hereza Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
- Hereza is blackened death metal punk duo from Croatia, Europe founded in July of 2014. Band members are Slobodan Stupar on instruments and back vocals and Ivan Kovačević Kova on vocals.

2.You have an album coming out in February, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
- "Blackened death metal punk" is how I call music we play. Songs are short, fast, dark, melodic with recognizable sound of Boss HM-2 pedal, better known for typical "Swedish Death Metal chainsaw guitar sound" :)

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
- Lyrical topics are mostly about death, destruction and chaos. Typical for metal bands.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hereza'?
- Hereza means "Heresy" in Croatian and inspiration behind the name is to be short and direct without philosophy.

5.Currently the band is a duo, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future, or do you chose to remain a duo?
- At the moment no. I have other plans in life so Hereza will remain studio project for a little while longer.

6.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?
- No it hasn't. It's a studio project and will stay like that for a while.

7.The album is going to be released on PRC Music, can you tell us a little bit more about the deal?
- Yes, well there's nothing special to say about the deal. Most deals are the same and bands know how things work in the underground.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal?
- On a worldwide level, I don't know, but on a local level feedback has been fantastic. People really dig it and it makes me happy and motivated.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
- It's heading towards more extreme paths for sure because I already have 13 new songs ready to be recorded. :)

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
- I seek inspiration in black metal, death metal, punk, hardcore.
Bands that influence me at the moment are Anaal Nathrakh, Black Breath, Entombed, Human Error, Marduk, The Exploited, Hatebreed... and many more.

11.What are some of your non musical interests/
- Mostly sport activities, spending as much time as possible with my dogs, work...

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
- Thank you for checking out Hereza and spreading the word.
Keep up the good work and support metal music and bands.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Canker/Physical/Xtreem Music/2014 Double CD Re-Issue Review


  Canker  where  a  band  from Spain  that  played  a  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  1994  album  "Physical"  which  was  re-issued  in  2014  and  also  brings  in  a  bonus  cd  that  contains  both  their  1990  and  91  demo's.

  A  classical  guitar  intro  starts  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  raw  death  metal  that  has  an  80's  South  American  extreme  metal  feeling  at  times  while  the  guitar  solos  and  leads  bring  in  a  more  technical  style  to  the  bands  musical  sound  and  the  music  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Blast  beats  when  they  are  utilized  which  is  quite  often  bring  in  a  very  brutal  feeling  to  the  songs  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  all  deep  death  metal  growls  and  they  also  use  solos  that  go  back  to  the  early  primitive  death  metal  days  without  losing  focus  of  the  technical  aspects  and  at  times  the  vocals  use  some  screams  that  also  go  back  to  the  days  when  thrash  was  evolving  into  death  metal.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  at  time s the  guitar  riffing  also  brings  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  title  track  being  10  minutes  in  length  and  the  classical  guitars  of  the  intro  also  make  a  return  on  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  and  one  of  the  demo  tracks  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  synths  while  the  main  focus  is  on  a  raw  death  metal  sound  while  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  small  amounts  of  clean  playing  as  well  as  having  more  thrash  influences  and  a  good  portion  of  the  demo  tracks  are  original  versions  of  some  of  the  songs  that  appeared  on  the  full  length.

  Canker  played  a  style  of  death  metal  that  was  very  raw  and  brutal  for  their  time  while  also  being  on  of  the  earlier  bands  playing  a  technical  form  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  powerful  for  the  time  it  was  recorded  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Canker  where  a  very  great  sounding  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  double  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Inquisition"  "Dark  Destiny"  "Evil  Attack"  and  "Opus  Death".  8  out  of  10.  

  

Monday, November 10, 2014

Kadar Interview

1.      For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
About the band: Kadar was created in 2009. Band puts primarily to make contribution to the music. One reason of KADAR’s appearing can be called a desire to play distinctive music. We have experienced a wave of Alternative music, wave of Black Metal, Metalcore and Deathcore on Kazakhstan scene. In general, band moves towards the creation of a rigid and original music contrary to fashion.

2.      Recently you have released an EP, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?  
First, I would like to note that the album Infidel is complete and full-length for us. It’s called a mini-album due to its timekeeping - 23 minutes 5 seconds. Musically and lyrically - Infidel is a long-play. As an example I can give you the album Slayer - Reign in Blood, the classic version which lasts 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
And nobody considers Reign in Blood mini-album.
Musical sounding which we got as a result of the work turned out pretty decent, but some of the expectations are not met. For technical reasons the songs are not as heavy as planned. In our understanding the music in such style has to be heavier. Songs came out diverse not like one another, but there is still much work to music has gained the necessary heaviness.

3.      The band has been around since 2009 and this is the first release, can you tell us a little bit more about the 5 year wait?
At one view 5 years of the band’s existence were quite interesting - creating music, give concerts and very complex with another - when it comes to forming a stable line up, working in the studio. It is a record of the material and its release became a major problem for 5 years. The fact that Kazakhstan - is not the United States with their studio «Morrisound», which stood at the origins and the sound of Death Metal, this is not the UK and Germany with their Earache Record and Nuclear Blast respectively. Professional studios in Almaty and other cities of Kazakhstan do not record Thrash and Death Metal.
Sound Engineers doesn’t have an idea how heavy "metal" sound construction, how to handle the sound of guitars, how to work with the type of extreme vocals and things like that. So everything you have to do by yourself. So this fuss was the cause of the delay for 5 years length.

4.      What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Lyrics are descriptive. They contain criticism of organized religion in general, and describe the harm and danger of religious fanaticism. Theme of the songs completely echoes with the name of the album - Infidel. Exceptions may be two songs from the general tracklist. This is "Star Light" - a song that tells about astronomy and optical effects that we see in the night, when we see the light of the stars extinct millions of years ago. And “Outro”. This song has not received any special name. It is an instrumental mix of Funk, Jazz Fusion and Groove Metal.

5.      What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kadar'?
KADAR - a term which comes from the Arabic language. Means literally: "Verdict", "Prescription", "Fatalism of human destiny". It is found mainly in Islamic eschatology. I would like to digress. The band does not support extremism in any of its manifestations.

6.      Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
At the moment the band KADAR – is duo. Within the city of Almaty we cann’t equip line up even up to the trio with inviting drummer. The reason for this is the low level of the musicians in our city. The vast majority of drummers that come from musical schools perform covers of famous pop songs in restaurants and pubs. Nothing else the vast majority can not do. If in the nearly  future will be a talented drummer, then I think we would be able to take him to the band. At the moment, the main solution with the line up is either a drum machine that we use at concerts (also drum machine use Putrid Pile, Mortician) or invite guest musicians.

7.      What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Concerts in Almaty and Kazakhstan - is a different story to tell. If you look at the audience in Germany and other European cities you will find that it is amorphous and lazy. The situation is similar here. Gathered peples in an amount of 300-350 people at the concert – is a great achievement. It is not possible to fiil up a large hall in Almaty for metal bands concert. Such is the historical situation. It is better to understand and appreciate the bands "Kino", "DDT", "Aquarium" (Russian rock bands) and prefer to listen to them. Nobody knows about a man named Chuck Schuldiner in wide circles. Certainly, Viktor Tsoi and Schuldiner talented musicians and leaders of its era, but since there is a situation that Death, Thrash Metal – is a strange, aggressive & noisy "something".
We have repeatedly given concerts in Almaty. Shows gathered a pretty average number of people from 100-300. In comparison with the festivals in Europe – it’s extremely small. Therefore our best show yet to come.

8.      Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Sure. We expect to visit the festival Wacken Open Air, and subsequently show ourselves in the vast Europe and American continent, in particular in Latin America (Argentina).

9.      On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and thrash metal?
Appearance at the international level – is an achievement. The album was released by the label Metal Scrap Records at August 28, 2014, not so long ago, but there are already positive reviews from fans and also from various publications. And we're not talking about the fact that the album is not yet released in the US, and is available only in Europe.

10.  When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
As we said a little earlier, the album Infidel is a long-play with its musical and lyrical concept, in our understanding. Currently we are busy recording our second album, which will be even more diverse than first. Let's see what will be the response of the first album, then released a second. Next we can talk about the musical "march" in Europe and other continents. The new album will be released in 2015.

11.  What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Bands that influenced us. List can be endless. Such as: Pantera, Jimi Hendrix Expirience, Stevie Ray Vaughan. We can also add such jazz fusion artists as Al Di Meola, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Chick Corea and many others. Classical music presented by: Sergei Rachmaninoff, Frederic Chopin and many other composers.
Nowadays, my (Ruslan) favorite music is: Pat Metheny Group, Six Feet Under and their album “Unborn” 2013, Eric Gales.
         
12.  How would you describe the metal scene in your home country of Kazakhstan?
Metal scene in Kazakhstan is experiencing the same thing as the rest of the world scene. It’s an emergence of new-fangled genres such as Deathcore, Djent on the one hand, on the other – metal stage is extremely poorly maintained by Kazakh media. In this regard, we are experiencing the same situation that was in the US in the 80s years of the 20th century, in the era of the birth and rising of Thrash Metal movement. When radio and TV were escaped from such heavy music. What comes to Metal scene in Kazakhstan is hard to say.

13.  What are some of your non musical interests?
Not musical hobbies? The main hobby can be called literature, reading. Permanent receive an education. It helps in life.

14.  Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Listen to good music.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Zero Gravity/Holocaust Awaits/Transcending Obscurity India/2014 CD Review


  Zero  Gravity  are  a  band  from  India  that  plays  a  very  raw  and  progressive  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Holocaust  Awaits"  which  was  released  by  Transcending  Obscurity  India.

 Avant  garde  sounds  start  off  the  album  and  after the  intro  clean  playing  which  is  also  used  again  on  a  couple  of  the  later  tracks  is  added  onto  the  recording  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  sound  along  with  some  death metal  growls  and  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  and  the  band  also  adds  in  a  good  amount  of  progressive  elements.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  heavy  influence  from  modern  extreme  metal  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  added  onto  the  recording  they  bring  in  more  of  a  melodic  and  old  school  sound  and  after  awhile  blast  beats  start  getting  added  into  the  tracks  as  well  as  a  good  dose  of  thrash  will  some  of  the  later  tracks  combing  groove  metal  with  the  more  heavy  progressive  death  metal  side  of  the bands  musical  style  and  the  songs  stick  to  mostly  a  mid  paced  direction..

  Zero  Gravity  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  modern  and  progressive  sounding  and  also  incorporates elements  of  thrash  and  groove  metal  and  while  the  music  is  not  very  original  the  band  is  still  very  good  for  what  they  are  trying  to  achieve,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Zero  Gravity  are  a  very  decent  sounding  progressive  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Weapons  Edge"  "Democratic  Warfare"  and  "Chronicles  Of  The  Radical  mind".  7/5  out  of  10.  

  

Friday, November 7, 2014

Hereza/Misanthrope/PRC Music/2015 CD Review


  Hereza  are  a  band  from  Croatia  that  plays  a  very  old  school  form  of  Swedish  style  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "Misanthrope"  which  will  be  released  in  2015  by  PRC  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  growls  being  added  in  a  few  seconds  alter  as  well  as  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  th e band  also  uses  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  both  the  riffs  and  leads  contain  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  raw  and  primal  energy  being  utilized  in  the  tracks  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  elements  of  groove  as  well  as  being  very  brutal  even  for  a  90's  orientated  style  of  death  metal  and  on  one  of  the  tracks  they  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  avant  garde  sound s before  making  a  return  back  to  a  more  brutal  style  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  80's  punk  and  metal  influences.

  Hereza  plays  a  very  old  school  style  of  Swedish  influenced  death  metal  but  also  bring s in  more  groove  and  brutality  to  the  genre  as  well  as  having  a  very  heavy  and  raw  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  violent  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hereza  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "We  Are  the  Disease"  "Kraj"  "Unholy  Flame  Of  Eternity"  and  "Dead  Army  March".  8  out  of  10.

    

Wreckage/Rise From Ruins/PRC Music/2014 Ep Review


  Wreckage  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  and  old  school  form  of  Swedish  style  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Rise  From  Ruins"  which  will  be  released  by  PRC  Music  in  February.

  A  very  distorted  and  90's  orientated  starts  to  get  more  brutal   once  growls  are  added  onto the  recording   along  with  a  small  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  and  once  melodies  are  added  into  the  music  you  can  start  hearing  more  Swedish  influences  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  of  easily  been  recorded  and  released  in  the  90's  and  the  band  ignores  all  of  the  modern  trends  that  have  been  a  part  of  the  genre  for  more  than  20 years  and  only  a  small  amount  of  guitar  leads  are  utilized  on  a  couple  of  the  tracks  with  the  music  focusing  more  on  a  raw  and  old  school  Swedish  style  of  death  metal  and  there  is  never  a  soft  or  weak  moment  to  be  heard  anywhere  on  the  recording  and  the  band  also  cover's  Entombed's  "Eyemaster"  and  "Autopsy's  "Twisted  Mass  of  Burned  Decay".

  Wreckage  plays  a  very  old  school  style  of  death  metal  that captures  the  Swedish  sound  perfectly  and  while  there  is  never  original  or  groundbreaking  being  done  on  this  recording,  the band  is  still  very  good  at  playing  this  style,  the  production  sounds very  raw,  heavy  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Wreckage  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  'Enslave  The  Tyrants"  "Escaping  The  Tomb"  "Maggot"  and  "Twisted  Mass  Of  burning  Decay".  8  out  of  10.

  

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Baring Teeth/Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins/Willowtip/2014 CD Review


  Baring  Teeth  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  very  progressive  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Ghost  Chorus  Among  Old  Ruins"  which  will  be  released  on  November  25th  by  Willowtip.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  bringing  in  a  post  hardcore  feeling  along  with  some  melodies  and  a  progressive  feeling  which  also  leads  up  to  death  metal  growls  being  added  into  the  music  and  after  the intro  the  music  really  starts  going  for  more  of  a  progressive  death metal style.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  avant  garde  elements  in  the  bands  musical  sound  at  times  along  with  some  blast  beats  being  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  brutality  on  the  later  tracks  as  well  as  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  throughout  the  album  you  can  hear  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  the  way  the  band  approaches  theri  instruments  and  the  band  also  brings  in  a  couple  of  long  and  epic  tracks  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

  Baring  Teeth  plays  a  style  of  technical  death  metal  that  is  very  original  and  progressive  sounding  while  also  adding  in  some  avant  garde  influences  and  elements  from  the  darker  side  of  post  hardcore  to  create  a  very  different  yet  heavy  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Baring  Teeth  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive,  technical  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Mountain"  "Dripping  Sun"  and  "Ghost  Chorus  Among  old  Ruins".  8  out  of  10.