Friday, March 15, 2024

Lutharo - blazing across the Ontario skies

Lutharo
Chasing Euphoria
Atomic Fire Records
15 March 2024
Make your way to Lutharo if you seek a fun roller coaster ride to the mosh pit. Put away that math book, no calculations nor equations are necessary to enjoy this music. Lutharo understands metal as music for energy for the mind and body. After a minute of a mellow introduction, the rubber meets the road, and it’s off to the races. The riffs to make you move, the shredding, the drumming, it looks like they want the listener to find euphoria. Chase no more, friend. It’s here. It’s Lutharo. The speed and melody, the melodic singing and the harsher screaming, the melodic thrashing riffs, it’s all a good time. The band likes to play a spicy style with a bit of variety, kind of coloring outside the lines a bit; it works for them. Sometimes their material has a bit of a neosymphonic vibe, sometimes the drumming goes into blasting speeds for brief segments, at other times the melodies manifest themselves more, while sometimes the riffs take over or the shredding goes to the front. Through it all, traditional heavy metal pulls on the rope that contemporary metal is holding, and the push and pull of the two, instead of seeming like a conflict, results in a beautiful dance of elements complementing each other. This band, I tell you, just continues to deliver the headbanging metal. The Canadians are striking while the iron is hot and getting while the getting is good.
LUTHARO - Chasing Euphoria (Official Music Video)
LUTHARO - Time To Rise (Official Music Video)
https://www.facebook.com/LutharoOfficial

Monday, March 4, 2024

Sovereign - will the real Sovereign stand up?

Sovereign
Altered Realities
Dark Descent Records
19 January 2024
There are many bands with this name, and just looking at Metal Archives one finds close to 20 bands with the same name. This particular band is said to be from Oslo, Norway, with a handful of songs so far: Iron Cast (single, 2018), Sovereign (demo, 2019), and Neurotic (EP, 2020), and now Altered Realities (seven songs in 41 minutes). The band is Gravskjender (Simen Grong) (ex-Stormbeist) on bass and vocals (2018-present); two former members of black thrashers Nocturnal Breed: "Tommy Jacobsen" and V. Fineideath (Vidar Fineidet) on guitars; with Cato Syversrud on drums (2021-present). If your band has two guitarists from Noctural Breed, then it's no surprise that thrash is a foundation. In this case, Sovereign is frenetic, technical, headbanging death thrash. The music is jam-packed with riffs, shredding and skilled guitar action, and a rhythm section that, after you hear the album, will have you icing up your neck. The technical aspect of the music means that it does not sound like some form of punk metal, but rather well-played, well-written songs with precise execution, all while holding the intensity as an important part of the music. It's not super proggy nor excessively technical, and certainly not tech/prog. The vocals are in the style of death metal, but it is not a deep growl but more like intelligible, enunciated vocals. The explanation for the good quality is that they have experience in other bands, and that they also have been building towards the album with the demo and EP. Good quality and musicianship. Impressive.
Altered Realities by Sovereign
https://www.facebook.com/sovereignnorway/

Hyloxalus - operatic metal boldly going to the firmament

Hyloxalus
Make Me the Heart of the Black Hole
January 26th, 2024
Hyloxalus puts operatic singing to the sounds of power metal, a type of fast-paced neosymphonic power metal with some gothic elements. Sometimes it sounds like extreme metal, at that speed and energy, but with very high vocals. You can try to sing along if you dare, but you better clear your pipes and do some breathing exercises, because you might hurt yourself singing along. Actually, forget that! Do try this! You might have fun figuring out if you can sing along. Maybe you can hit those high notes and find out that you, too, have a great voice. Then, form a band! Hyloxalus is a very different type of listening experience, in a good way. After all, how many bands like this one are you going to discover for your collection this year?!
Make Me The Heart Of The Black Hole by Hyloxalus
https://www.facebook.com/hyloxalusmakesloud/

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Dreams of Gray - new melodic death metal out of Chicago, USA

Dreams of Gray
A Beginning
1 March 2024
The anatomy of Dreams of Gray (Chicago, U.S.) has been contextualized as "melodic thrash, death, and doom as well as traditional heavy metal," which is fine, but you could just as easily bang your head to the music and be good to go. The 2023 debut EP was a fine work of melodic death metal, but now this new song features a stronger balance between the death growling and melodic singing. This track shows quite a range: the somber melodies, the headbanging extreme metal moments, the various vocal elements. Actually, when you read it on paper, it seems like there might be too much going on, but when you hear it for yourself you will understand how smoothly the composition flows, and not like a forced mixture of incoherent elements. For example, you might be surprised that there are black metal guitar elements showing up or that there is a certain doom vibe in some parts, but those labels "doom" or "black metal" do not really explain the song at all nor the quality of the songwriting. More importantly, the sense of melody is something that the listener will detect without much difficulty! The new song, a precursor to an upcoming 2024 EP, is type of somber, melodic, but also headbanging melodic death metal. Better yet, given that the song is already out, check it out for yourself, and that's a much better way to understand Dreams of Gray's anatomy.
A Beginning by Dreams of Gray
The World After by Dreams of Gray
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090219272895

Ember Belladonna - Canadian flautist brings something different to metal

Ember Belladonna
The Grove
9 February 2024
Canadian flautist Ember Belladonna recruited a bunch of ne'er-do-wells and their street talents to make an eclectic album of folk metal that will delight the layabouts, loafers and goldbricks circling the frozen caves of Saskatchewan and beyond. While Oktoberfest is not here yet, the music for it already is. Dance if you want, prance if you must, for Ember Belladonna seeks to take the flute to the hearts of the people, whether sober or less than. Lift up your glass or put on your glasses and join the gentle and congenial flute teamed up with electric guitars, sometimes in instrumentals, sometimes with pleasant singing and sometimes even with gremlin growling in some spots. Given that it is not every day that you will hear a flautist venture out and take the flute into the world of metal, you probably won't hear another album like this for a long, long while, maybe not until the next Ember Belladonna album.
The Grove by Ember Belladonna
https://www.facebook.com/EmberBelladonnaMusic/

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Opprobrium - turning back the clock to the time of the serpents

Opprobrium
Serpent Temptation (reissue)
High Roller Records
13.10.2023
High Roller Records reissues here the 1988 debut album and the 1996 rerecording of the same album by Incubus, which later changed its name to Opprobrium. Thus, this is two versions of the same album. The band was named Incubus (Louisiana, U.S.) from 1986-1999 and as Opprobrium from 1999 to the present. Their first album was Serpent Temptation (1988) with the Brazilian brothers Francis M. Howard (guitars) and Moyses M. Howard (drums) and U.S.-born Scott Latour (bass, vocals). Their second album is called Beyond the Unknown (1990), at the time it was available through Nuclear Blast and was part of the rising wave of death metal. Compared to the 1988 debut, the 1990 album was an improvement in the quality of the recording and the more muscular, heavier growl now done by guitarist, bassist Francis M. Howard, given that the previous bassist/vocalist Scott Latour was out of the band by 1989.
Then, in 1996 the two brothers recorded their debut album again. The Incubus/Opprobrium sound on both versions of the album is relentless, shredding, unmelodic headbanging metal. There are two main differences between the old and later versions: The first version features Kreator-style vocals and music, raging metal like the Ger-mans' Pleasure to Kill (1986) while the second one has death metal vocals and heaviness. That means that the 1988 recording has those death/thrash/black metal vocals that are furious, but not as deep, guttural and brutal as 90s growls. Perhaps the band felt that their sound was more in line with the newer style of extreme vocals, compared to 80s extreme vocals. In particular, their 1990 sophomore album was recorded at Morrisound Studios in Florida, a studio with brothers Tom and Jim Morris and engineer/producer Scott Burns taking the quality of death metal recordings to professional-level, first-rate recordings, especially with landmark recordings like Death's Leprosy (1988), which showed a clear, professional sound, and in 1989 with very important recordings: Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness, Obituary's Slowly We Rot, Sepultura's Beneath the Remains (recorded in Brazil, but mixed at Morrisound in Florida), and also 1989 with Terrorizer's World Downfall, playing as fast as humanly possible and sounding so clear and professional while doing so, especially for the blasting speeds of Pete Sandoval (Morbid Angel/Terrorizer).
Anyway, in 1990 Incubus released their second album with that Morrisound production. In 1996, with more experience and knowledge, they recorded the 1988 album again, including changing some lyrics/song titles, giving it a 1990s sound. Both are solid recordings, but the 1988 album would be more interesting to die-hard fans of extreme thrash, while the 1996 version should be more impressive to the death metal fanatics.
Serpent Temptation (Deluxe Reissue) [High Roller Records] SALE! 40% OFF OF EVERYTHING! MARCH 1 - 31. USE PROMO CODE FM40 AT CHECKOUT by Opprobrium
https://opprobriumband.bandcamp.com/album/serpent-temptation-deluxe-reissue-high-roller-records-sale-40-off-of-everything-march-1-31-use-promo-code-fm40-at-checkout
https://www.facebook.com/opprobriumofficial

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Master - give you that old time death metal don't try to take you to a disco

Master
Saints Dispelled
Hammerheart Records
19.01.2024
As death metal becomes more outlandish, with bands sounding like jazz from Mars solving equations in trigonometry, Master continues undeterred in the opposite direction: No one needs a calculator to understand it and easily comprehensible from the first listen. Master was a 1980s demo band in the Chicago area, U.S. and in 1990 the debut album was issued by Nuclear Blast. Since then there are some 15 official studio albums, and Master has been based in the Czech Republic for the last 20 years or so. As a cult band in the genre, Master is known for consistent albums with sociopolitical lyrics, growled but comprehensible vocals, a Motörhead-and-Venom vinegar energy muscled up into death metal groovy heaviness. Master comes across as headbanging, no-nonsense, mosh pit tunes. The new album provides an entertaining listen in oldie death metal. While it may be amazing to see a show featuring three-neck guitars played by spider-fingered guitarists dazzling audiences with neobaroque freeform new age postdjent jazzgestalt hautecouture vanmalmsteenianvaisms, Master speaks the universal language of the mosh pit. Sometimes caviar and cuisses de grenouille will not satisfy. Sometimes we need meat and potatoes, and a couple of beers, and that's the bottom line about Master because Stone Cold said so.
Saints Dispelled by Master
https://www.facebook.com/TheRealMasterofficial/

Friday, February 9, 2024

Tonight in Everett: Potential Threat/Rivetskull/Pain Field/Verispul

Tonight (Friday night) at Tony V's in Everett, Washington State.
Path of the War Machine Winter Tour
Potential Threat
Rivetskull
Pain Field
Verispul
perform at Tony V's Garage 7pm door $10
Threat to Society by Potential Threat SF
Trail of Souls : Samsara by RivetSkull

Friday, January 26, 2024

Whitechapel - Live in the Valley

While the band is looking towards making a new album, they have "Live in the Valley" comprised of their 2019 and 2021 albums: "The Valley" and "Kin." On December 22, 2022 they played their 7th annual Christmas Benefit show in their hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. It's a good compilation of their most recent sound of brutal deathcore, fast extreme metal and some important slower, melodic moments or songs. Active since 2006 and with eight studio albums under their belt, the band is at this phase of their career capable of going from one mood to a different one altogether, showing a range beyond one category or subgenre. Having said that, this collection of songs lacks no heaviness or headbanging moments. It's good for physical movement or for doing some form of exercise.
Live in the Valley by Whitechapel
https://www.facebook.com/whitechapelband/

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Skiltron - Celtic folk heavy metal

Skiltron
Bruadarach
Trollzorn Records
1. Dec. 2023
This is the sixth album by Skiltron (1997-2001 [as Century], 2004 [as Century], 2004-present), a band that originally started out in Argentina, but nowadays is based in var-ious countries in Europe. Skiltron plays melodic, midtempo songs while integrating "Celtic," "folk" or "bag pipe music" elements. On paper, if a listener has not heard it, it may seem like a weird or experimental idea. Or, to the more adventurous listener, it might seem intriguing, depending on one's personality. Whatever the case may be, it is necessary to point out that the music is remarkably good, and surprisingly not strange and certainly not experimental. It's rather catchy, melodic and done with elegance, not foolishness nor is it gimmicky. Recommendation: In fact, do not worry about the categorizations like "folk metal" or "Celtic metal," and just expect melodic, midtempo, ear-friendly heavy metal characterized by flute/bag pipe-like music, in a good, interesting way, not in a joker, drunk, clowning way. Perhaps this makes it the most interesting: It sounds like they are real musicians, not charlatans, respectfully incorporating elements that are not usually associated with heavy metal.
Bruadarach by Skiltron
https://www.facebook.com/skiltron

Monday, January 15, 2024

Eldritch - adult contemporary melodic metal from Italy

Eldritch
Innervoid
Scarlet Records
17 November 2023
The long-running band (1988-1991[as Zeus], 1991-present) returned in 2023 with a new singer, Alex Jarusso (2023-present), replacing the longtime singer Terence Holler [Mario Tarantola] (1991-2022) whose voice was synonymous with Eldritch, given that he sang on every single album before this new one Innervoid, their 13th. The name of the band goes hand in hand with quality, mature heavy metal music for grown-ups: personal or introspective lyrics, skilled musicianship, good singing, and good, melodic, prog songwriting. The album (eight songs in 49 minutes) keeps all the songs between 5:00 and 5:30, and with most of them closer to the five-minute mark, except for one song that lasts 6:48, and a short intro of 1:15. The reasonable song durations match the balanced approach between melody and prog, keeping the songs as the main focus. The Italian band should be of interest to fans of heavy and power metal, of classic prog metal, and of memorable songwriting and singing. While sometimes the band shows that they like headbanging metal, including some smooth thrash riffing in a few spots, they do not really attempt to do much in the way of extreme sounds, like growling, which they avoid. Lyrically, the songs are introspective, existential, personal or make general observations about life, relations and people, and avoid posturing, immature potty-mouth jackassery. It is adult contemporary melodic metal, if you will. Therefore, if you enjoy melodic metal, based on traditional genres, from classic to power prog, then it is very likely that this album is more than worth your time. One last thing: I did, in fact, have a bit of a difficult time accepting the new singer because I had never imagined the band with a different voice, especially since I, like other fans of the band, enjoy the personal, particular singing voice and stylings of Terence Holler. However, setting aside the possible reasons (I do not know) for the departure of Mr. Holler, the new voice of Mr. Jarusso (Shining Fury 2010-2014; Silver Pugnale 2017-present) is really competent, melodic and professional and fits the album very well and smoothly. I have enjoyed the album a lot.
Innervoid by Eldritch
https://www.facebook.com/Eldritchband/

Friday, December 29, 2023

read online #225 of Metal Bulletin Zine

Here is the link to the PDF of issue number 225 of Metal Bulletin Zine. Number 225 features: In The Woods, HolyName, Tone Glass, Air Raid, Lawrence Wallace, The Temple, Contrarian, Downfall of Gaia, Ardent Nova, Devangelic
https://issuu.com/metalbulletinzine/docs/mb225

Monday, December 25, 2023

Winterhorde - progressive, melodic extreme metal from Israel

Winterhorde
Neptunian
Noble Demon
December 8th, 2023
Winterhorde (1999-2001 [as Autumn Palace], 2001-present) caught my interest with the quality of the music, a certain elocution that stands out, but that does not mean that I fully understood what I was hearing, given the sophistication of the Israeli band’s fourth album. Actually, it was a just a feeling; a sense that there was more to be heard with additional listens. Thus, repeated listens did, in fact, confirm intuition. As it turns, there is quite a range of musical expression to be experienced, including the blaring sounds of the [sampled?] trumpet on the first song! That's a nice way of introducing the listener to the amorphous blend of black, progressive and neosymphonic extreme metal comprising the personality of the album.
The work, a contemporary recording showcasing a refined form of extreme metal, provides various layers for discerning audiences. In general, fans of progressive, intelligent, skilled extreme/black metal should find that the music meets rather high standards in terms of songwriting. An abundance of exquisite melodies also help the listener to navigate the complexities of the progressive strain in the songwriting, which does require an attentive approach on the part of the audience; however, the wise use of melodies assists tremendously in the enjoyment, in particular on the first several listens, given that without such melodies, the music might veer too much into the überprog field, which would make things more difficult for listeners that are not musicians nor devoted fans of prog in general.
The listener should expect segments in which the black metal heritage is mani-fest. Personally, I do enjoy that, as I would not want that element to be discarded. Expect extreme vocals, but also lots of melodic singing, and tons of riffs and some virtuoso guitar playing. The progressive components are indispensable for the music, but fortunately the prog is engaged in an interplay, an interaction with the melodies and black metal. To end, the album is not experimental, it is not weird. It is heavy metal music, of the black, melodic and progressive variety, with an emphasis on delivering a memorable, balanced, quality recording that is worthwhile not just now but for years to come.
Neptunian by WINTERHORDE
https://www.facebook.com/winterhorde/wall/

Friday, November 24, 2023

Maldisdeun - eugenics.deviation.death.doom.

Maldisdeun
Anti-Access World Denial
November 3rd, 2023
During documentaries about animals in the wild, when the action kicks into high gear, and the chase is on, and your blood boils in anticipation (you sicko) of the battle for survival in the merciless chaos of the jungle, there may be suspenseful classical music that evokes fright and tension, and the blood pressure increases (you sicko). What if the filmmakers chose music that itself sounded savage, just like the moving images that you are watching-contemplating fantasizing?
I submit to you, dear reader, Maldisdeun: Rotten compositions from the vermin-infested malodorous streets of Bellingham, a decaying postapocalyptic metropolis, also known as the Windy City, overrun by wild packs of hyenas and cancerous thermonuclear squirrels that poison the city's already contaminated water supply. Maldisdeun, according to Metal Archives’ ministry of propaganda, consists of Walker Eberdt (ex-Melancholia) on drums, Dan Fitzgerald on guitar and Drake (Draghkar, Kömmand, Overwrought, Serpent Rider) on bass and vocals. The album is seven songs in 48 minutes of primal death doom to represent the ruins of Bellingham, a sprawling megalopolis with skyscrapers of six, nay, seven, nay, nay, sometimes even eight stories high, and otherwise known as the Big Apple.
After hearing this album, its toxic fumes of a severed survival and of rancorous gnashing of teeth, you should make sure to stay away from the homeless raging buffaloes that flagellate Bellingham, or as some people like to call it, the City of Angels. Going for a rawer, minimalist heaviness, Maldisdeun promises to make you howl in delight, as you sit in front of your television, savoring the brutality of nature documentaries, you will growl and scream, play air guitar and air drums to the ghastly rhythms emanating from Bellingham, also known as the Mile High City. Sometimes the songs chug along, only to speed up to headbanging rhythms. The drums sound good (Let’s hope it’s the real drums of their drummer; fans don’t need another album with plastic, computerized, fake drumming). Don’t expect sugary melodies, expect unrobotized heaviness, expect quite a bit of uptempo rhythms, and here and there, you might hear a tiny bit of melodies. Know, this is not snail’s pace doom. This band does want you to bang your head and they give you plenty of reasons for doing it. Then, if you dare to enter the charred walls that surround the hills of Bellingham, a city commonly known as Azkaban, you must make your way to the town's taverns, filled with unsavory characters, located near the prison complex, in the chamber of secrets, and find your way to witness Maldisdeun with your own eyes and ears. After the show, be sure to quickly depart Bellingham, for if not, you will have to dwell forever there, incarcerated in the city walls, a prisoner in Azkaban.
Anti-Access World Denial by Maldisdeun
https://www.facebook.com/maldisdeun/

Friday, November 17, 2023

Receiver - hear ye, oh brethren, the call of odysseys from Cyprus

Receiver
Whispers of Lore
Gates of Hell Records
10 November 2023
After initially hearing this album I had a good feeling about it because the music sounded real. The band says that they do not use autotune on the singing. Therefore, what we hear on the recording is meant to be the real voice of Nikoletta Kyprianou. That's the sensation I got, that she is singing naturally with her own voice, and I like the sound of it. In fact, the music sounds like the band wants to be able to perform these songs live in a faithful way. For instance, listeners will notice that the rhythm section is vibrant, the bass lines are clear and the drums do all sorts of interesting details, when a drummer employs all four extremities for the craft. Metal Archives lists Loizos Koukoumas on bass and Yiannis Xanthou on drums (the band says that these are real drums, too), a rhythm team that provides the anchor for guitarists Charalambos Vassiliou and Andreas Kyriacou.
On the topic of riffs and leads, while there are lots of riffs for headbanging, there is also a specific melodic strain in the guitars, melodies that Thin Lizzy/Iron Maiden/classic rock fans will enjoy. In other words, while there is a crunch to the riffs, it is not all crunch and muscle, a song like "Arrow" is so smooth in its melodies, which the band calls folk melodies. Thus, Receiver uses "folk" melodies in the sense that the smooth melodies of Thin Lizzy, UFO, Boston, 80s Omen (U.S.; Metal Blade Records), some Manilla Road or some Iron Maiden are "folk." Lyrically, they work with concepts that read like stories or poems of personal or collective struggles, while keeping the IQ level good for all audiences, regardless of age, which metal parents with children will appreciate, as they are able to play this music as general entertainment. To conclude, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea there is the island nation of Cyprus, there in the city of Nicosia, you will find Receiver. If you, like Odysseus a long time ago, find that sailing to Cyprus is a difficult endeavor right now from where you live in boondocks of Walla Walla, this album is a fantastic alternative to witnessing Receiver rocking out in the bars of Nicosia.
https://www.facebook.com/ReceiverCY

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Voided Reality - metalcore from the U.S.

Voided Reality is a metalcore band from from Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. So far, Metal Archives shows a song from 2019 and an EP from 2021 called Hate Culture. Their sound is between metalcore and deathcore, probably a bit heavier than metalcore, but they focus more on some headbanging parts, like the sounds of thrash and death, and do not go for the all-out breakdown of deathcore. For instance, while it is true some metalcore fans may like this sound, some Pantera fans might like the attitude and groove of this music. The vocals and instrumentation certainly have that U.S. groove sound, especially the "angry-man" style of heavy sound. Anyway, it is not clear from Metal Archives, Bandcamp or Facebook if there is newer music, but this 2021 EP provides a pretty good demonstration of their characterics in the six songs in 24 minutes.
Hate Culture: Reloaded by Voided Reality
https://www.facebook.com/voidedreality

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Elegy of Madness - Broken Soul (official music video)

Below is the video for the Elegy of Madness song "Broken Soul" from the October 20th, 2023 album XI. Active since 2006, XI is their fifth album and it marks the debut of their new singer Kyrah Aylin (Chiara Di Mare). The video below is a pretty good representation of the band's neosymphonic sound with gothic elements and operatic singing. Some of the songs lean more in the direction of neosymphonic elements, while others showcase the singing, demonstrating that they are happy to convince the longtime fans who have been wondering about the future of the Italian band. There are other interesting details to notice on the album: a bit of blasting speed, some lush passages, and a tiny bit of growled vocals in some spots, and other small spices sprinkled throughout the album. The lyrics, coupled with the music, read like gothic poetry. Amazon Music does not register that there are explicit or curse words, and I have read the lyrics, and they deal with a type of fantasy/sinister setting that fits the music. There is only word that is a curse word on the album: "I don't give a damn." Overall, this is an album that you can play in your car while driving the little ones to basketball practice and games and let them hear some metal music.
Elegy of Madness
XI
Scarlet Records
20 October 2023
ELEGY OF MADNESS - Broken Soul (official music video)
XI by Elegy Of Madness
https://www.facebook.com/elegyofmadness/

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Xoth - the final countdown to the fourth mission has begun

Xoth
Exogalactic
Dawnbreed Records
3 November 2023
After their third mission some four years ago, it was not clear that they would procure more fuel for future exploratory voyages, given the amount of energy and resources necessary to power up Xoth missions. Somehow they located a new source of fuel, at great expense, of course, but the spacecraft has launched its fourth mission. The velocities achieved on this new mission are quite fast, often blasting through, enough to reach warp speed, a range that they like to engage as a modus operandi, but not exclusively, considering the number of stops that they need to make on their way to their destination. Xoth originates from the planet Deathrash, and of which they are proud. Nevertheless, on their journeys they have discovered some new interesting sources of fuel that these explorers have found useful. For instance, the planet Shred has provided them a constant source of boosters that make segments of their journey a lot smoother. They speak the language of the inhabitants of Shred, and at times they would be able to communicate with tribes like the Dragonforcians or the Vanhalians, if Xoth needed to. Xoth functions at a few different dimensions from other Deathrasians because they use the low frequencies at considerably larger quantities than life forms are accustomed to, especially from this particular race, the Deathrasians, often known for other traits like the ability to blast and a forceful approach to their missions but who are often not very capable with other traits. Perhaps it is this characteristic about Xoth that makes them so indefatigable: their adaptability to thrive in a wide variety of planets on their way to their destination on their fourth mission, their most successful yet.
Exogalactic by Xoth
https://www.facebook.com/beholdxoth

Friday, October 27, 2023

Grot - black metal from the Town of Chicago

Hymns of the Woodland (2021 EP; 19:06)
Beneath the Waves of Eternity (2023 album; 35:32)
line-up:
Houston -guitars, bass, vocals
Hunter - drums
Here in the Washington Territory the mail wagon does not come by often; therefore, after plowing the land ahead of planting or after harvesting, I like reading the newspaper several times, writing long letters to friends back East and listening to the music of Grot. Grot, which reportedly originates from the Town of Chicago, has provided a much needed distraction from my quotidian tasks. Their first work is called Hymns of the Woodland is some 19 minutes of frenetic velocities, with a short mellow intro and outro. Given my affinity for traditional-classic raging black metal, I enjoy the moonmad shrieking. The guitar work moves at wrist-breaking speed but it is also melodic. I wonder how the hustle and bustle of life in the Town of Chicago, which reportedly now boasts a population of six thousand people, influences the music. Be that as it may, there is a second Grot recording called Beneath the Waves of Eternity and it is some 35 minutes of raging black metal, too. Last month the mail wagon came to my farm and the delivery man told me that the vocals reminded him of the sound of the wind rustling through these forests, which is a curious way to think of the shrieking. The compositions function at blasting speeds, with tremolo picking spiraling throughout the frenzied tempo of the entire recording, with a small amount of slower segments. Once I learned to focus on the guitar melodies, then I was ready for the speed. I have enjoyed Grot so much that I have neglected to keep up with latest news about the political conflicts of the Northern and Southern States. It seems like the political infighting is as bad as ever, from what the mail wagon man tells me. Anyway, I better finish writing this letter now because the mail wagon is supposed to be here tomorrow morning. I would recommend Grot to zealous fanatics of high-speed, lo-fi tremolo-and-shriek black metal.
https://grotblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/beneath-the-waves-of-eternity
https://www.facebook.com/GrotBlackMetal/

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Antioch - Antioch heavy metal will meet the Saracens with blood and steel

Antioch
Antioch VI: Molten Rainbow
July 21st, 2023
Iron Shield Records
I missed the boat on this album by the Canadian heavy metal brigade by the name of Antioch. They have two EPs and four albums, including this one. They have been at it since 2013. They get good reviews on their recordings, especially from fans of headbanging, rocking heavy metal, and in 2023 the band continues to deliver the fun energy that their audience expects. If you are looking for a band that likes to keep the music rocking, with the spirit of heavy metal, then you are probably going to enjoy the new music. The vocals are kind of wild, not super clean, and the songs do not waste time going off on tangents. I, for one, find that the recording is entertaining and keeps up the good energy for the entire duration. This is another solid effort from the band.
Antioch VI: Molten Rainbow by Antioch
https://www.facebook.com/antiochmetal

Monday, September 11, 2023

Necronomicon Ex Mortis - death thrash of gorillas, werewolves and swamps

Necronomicon Ex Mortis
Silver Bullet
11 August 2023
I have not heard this EP enough to know it very well, but the couple of times that I have been listening to it now, it sounds like a good proposition for fans of thrash riffing and shredding, done with a death metal vibe, including the vocals. They seem to be horror movie nerds, or at least the person writing the lyrics and doing the artwork is. I don't really keep up with movies, and don't know enough about horror movies to know the references. Yes, the artwork looks stupid and the lyrics are probably really dumb, too, because what do you expect from horror movies, anyway? Regardless, if you want to hear guitar players that have spent time really learning their instruments and pouring their blood, sweat and tears into giving people metal that shows attention to detail, quality and songwriting, then you might be pleased by this band.
Silver Bullet by Necronomicon Ex Mortis
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090172921055

Sunday, September 10, 2023

Sinheresy - ear-friendly catchy songs from Italy

Sinheresy
Event Horizon
Scarlet Records
25 August 2023
On their fourth album Event Horizon the melodic band Sinheresy (Italy; 2009-present) presents a solid collection of catchy tunes featuring female and male singing and songs that tend to stay in memory after the music ends. The band turns in a great effort to make audiences sing along on song after song. In large part, they achieve their objective. A contemporary band, they use the pairing of female and male singing to win over the listener. In terms of style, this is ear-friendly melodic music, heavy rock that sometimes showcases the riffs, sometimes the grooves, with a direct, pop-oriented approach. Check out this band, if you want catchy, uptempo and melodic songs.
In my opinion, the following song exemplifies their melodic style and their vocals.
SINHERESY - Brighter Days
Below are some videos from the album.
SINHERESY - Castaways (Official Video)
SINHERESY - The Life You Left Behind (Official Video)
Event Horizon by Sinheresy
https://www.facebook.com/sinheresy

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Nuclear Winter - melodic extreme metal from Zimbabwe

Nuclear Winter
Seagrave
MMD Records
21 July 2023
Active since 2011, Nuclear Winter (Zimbabwe) is now at four full-lengths and two EPs. At this point the sound of Nuclear Winter is Gary Stautmeister's vehicle for whatever he wants to do, working by himself for a groove-oriented melodic extreme metal. While some of the music may sound like melodic death metal, there is a certain element of machine music going on, from the programmd drumming and background sounds. In addition, Gary Stautmeister has some melodic singing, and a certain attachment to doing some unexpected things, like covering pop music or adding a few unexpected twists every now and then. There is probably no one genre that the music fits in really well, and that likely one of the main of objectives of Nuclear Winter: to keep the heaviness, but add melody, some backgrounds sounds, and sprinkle things with some pop infuences, even though the pop sounds are not always upfront, certainly not as much as the grooves and growling.
Seagrave by Nuclear Winter
https://www.facebook.com/NuclearWinterZim/

Saturday, September 2, 2023

Trouble - Run to the Light (Expanded Edition)

Trouble
Run to the Light (Expanded Edition) (CD, vinyl and digital)
Metal Blade Records
16 June 2023 (first released in 1987)
In the 1980s the Chicagoland area band Trouble was rather different with their decidedly traditional and anti-trend sound. At a time when bands were following mainstream and smaller-scene fashions and trends, whether glam or thrash, as is often the case, trends were pervasive. In other words, Trouble sounded rather unusual in the 1980s because everything else around them was so typical 1980s, in one way or another. However, Trouble did not sound like a typical 80s band at all. They sounded like a band weaving together three different decades of music into a whole new package called Trouble. They made no secret of their love of The Beatles and Cream, of 1970s heavy and classic rock, and of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
Here is the album, as well as some videos that you might find interesting because they present the sound of the band and how they represented themselves, as something along the lines of heavy metal hippies promoting peace and love, an anti-war and anti-violence aesthetic, and also a message opposed to the glorification of evil.
Trouble - Run To The Light
Run to the Light by Trouble
Trouble (US) - 1982 TV Cable Show (Full)

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Shepherds Reign - bringing the grooves from the streets of Auckland

Shepherds Reign
Ala Mai
Golden Robot Records
25 August 2023
Folk metal band Shepherds Reign is ready for the world with their new work Ala Mai. Known for their particular interpretation of folk metal; in their case, they take the sound of heavy grooves and work it into a specific conconction of ear-friendly heaviness. An interesting possibility is that American fans of Pantera, Sepultura, Fear Factory and Machine Head may end up liking the sound of this band, given the emphasis on groove. One way to think of it would be to imagine that type of groove linking up with some folk elements, such as in the percussion in some places and in the language of the lyrics. Imagine the sound of Sepultura's Chaos A.D. and Roots being repurposed by a band from South Auckland, New Zealand with one foot in metal and the other pointing towards indigenous Maori culture, and you might just find yourself enjoying Shepherds Reign.
Check out these two videos to get an idea of what to expect.
Shepherds Reign - Aiga - OFFICIAL VIDEO
Shepherds Reign - Nafanua - OFFICIAL VIDEO
https://www.facebook.com/shepherdsreign/