Evil Hedgehog (Germany): Rising
Evil Hedgehog plays traditional heavy metal with a heavy-riff style and gruff heavy-metal singing.
This type of heavy metal—due to its heaviness and overall attitude—has the potential to be liked by all those into upfront, rocking heavy metal, but that do not want to hear all that happy-happy, keyboard-ish traditional metal with high singing. These vocals sound like clearly-enunciated semi-growl, but that does sound like singing. The vocals are different, but pretty biker/street metal or burning-throat style.
These six songs are pretty catchy since the guitar, though heavy, it’s not chug-chug, but has hooks or licks in a headbanging style. This guitar work practically demands headbanging or some kind of movement. It’s not look-at-my-flashy-guitar-playing style, but rather c’mon-and-bang-your-head-and-don’t-stand-there-with-your-arms-crossed-acting-like-you-are-too-cool-to-get-into-it style. It’s such a good vibe and one that comes straight out of the book of heavy metal!
All six songs go for uptempo songs that are meant to make a metal person feel good.
www.myspace.com/evilhedgehogrising
Hatred: Sweating the Sickness
Hatred plays thug growl chugging music where the thick-riff (Pantera, Machine Head, Fear Factory, Sepultura (Chaos/Roots) guitar sounds are plentiful, and midpaced drumming that’s meant to be heavy, rather than flashy.
Mosh, punch the wall, kick the curb and slam are the main things this band would probably like the listener to do: they go for a major chugging sound, where things are heavy and basic so that everyone who listens knows that the band wants them in the pit.
The band curses a lot, for the effect of “tough guy” music and so expletives are issued rather often, though maybe not as much as in some rap, etc.
This zine has no further information about this band. A person that this zine knows has said that this band is from Texas, maybe Houston, but we don’t remember for sure. And we can’t locate them on the internet, either, wtf.
Leproso (Illinois, U.S.): Demo 2008 Entre las nubes y la oscuridad
Six songs of “old school, brutal death metal” from this Champaign, Illinois band’s demo: basic-sound quality, guttural vocals, mosh-death riffs and drumming (midpaced) for the heaviness of “brutality.”
According to their myspace, their debut album will be released this year, so keep in mind that this is a demo from January 2008 and it gives only a rough idea of the music.
Leproso is not a blastbeat death metal band, but midptempo-uptempo, mosh-riff centered music. Of the six tracks, three are around the four-minute mark and three close to the eight-minute mark.
Leproso is a bit of a curious beast. Three songs stick to the death metal plan of action: “We play brutal death metal and that’s that.” The other, longer three are also that way, but there are other elements (doom, semi-melody, etc.) that make the songs different from each other.
From their myspace, one can conclude that they have new songs. You might be interested to know that the sound quality on those songs is much better and the songs come across in a clearer fashion. Actually, they have been improving their work and it definitely shows in the tight delivery. While keep it death metal, they have improved the musicianship and songwriting. www.myspace.com/leproso61820
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Celestial Immunity, Christian Holocaust, Engaged in Mutilating
Celestial Immunity (Greece): Lost in Shades
Celestial Immunity is not loyal to any particular style, though there are influences and shades of thrash, death, heavy metal, etc. This is the type of band totally not interested in any discussions about staying “true” to this or that genre. Mostly, they practice their craft and if it will mostly sound different to different people: thrashy to some; closer to death, for others; still others will hear the very early Gothenburg rough combination of growling, thrashy riffing and melodic hooks.
At this point in the band’s history, the band uses only growling and no singing, though with this style, it is often the case that such bands begin to feel limited by having only growling. In some of their songs, they have moments where they show a different, more melodic.
“The Dream Fades,” the last song, is their most memorable song. This is where the guitar riffs and hooks go the furthest in creating for Celestial Immunity their sound. The very early days of Gothenburg will come to mind for some, and it’s probably not an accident that the band has channeled their music in such melodic and even semi-melancholic directions, with growling and with a brief spoken vocals moment.
But really, all their songs lean towards that general direction. For example, “Skin” has also those basic components and they like to work them out into a concoction of their own, on their way to taking their metal in directions that no ones knows where. Though the growling might turn off some people, the music itself, while still very energetic and thrashy, it’s not part of the death/black subgenre and can attract a broader interest.
Now, will you give the band a chance and check out their music? They are probably not going to be on U.S. television any time soon, being interviewed by three clueless men asking insipid questions to “stump a trunk” or discussing “all things hard rock and heavy metal” or something like that.
Plus, wouldn’t it be nice to hear an actual new band?
Five songs, 23 minutes.
www.myspace.com/celestialimmunityband
Christian Holocaust (Maine, U.S.): Christian Holocaust
Only those into the super lo-fi, necro, cave, total garage black metal attack will be interested in such a band.
The rest will say that they don’t even know how to play their instruments, that they can’t even keep a beat. Stop reading now, and make a note to self: “Avoid necro black metal band Christian Holocaust.”
OK, those into sloppy, badly recorded and devils-and-demons black metal, please step right through here, where the entrance to the cave of Christian Holocaust is located. This band rolls around in their own ugliness and biblical topics of devils, damnation and death so as to saturate every song their recording (which as already mentioned, has rough demo sound quality) with as much black metal elements so as to drive away those who don’t like black metal.
www.myspace.com/christianholocaust
Engaged In Mutilating (Texas, U.S.): Population: Zero
Whether it is the attraction to ridiculously aggressive, fast music, or the musician’s perspective of hearing dazzling drumming and fast solos; or the desire to hear chaos that in many ways goes against the basic rules of music by hearing anti-lead singer rock star vocals or anti-melodic guitar/drum work.
Whatever the reasons may be, the fact remains that technical, blasting guttural death metal as practiced by Engaged In Mutilating flies in the face of not only the rules of why most people like music (a melody, a chorus, something they remember, a lyric, a voice, etc.) in general, but also against the rules of why many death metallers like death metal itself.
Cannibal Corpse, Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel, etc. all have melodies, catchy riffs that attract people to headbanging, etc.
On the other hand, technical, blasting guttural death metal does not.
For example, listen to this band’s cover of Pestilence’s “Out of the Body” and hear the gulf that separates Pestilence from Engaged In Mutilating: Pestilence’s music sounds very traditional: chorus, melodies, catchy, etc.
Engaged In Mutilating’s own songs, however, are a whole different kind of entity: overwhelming heaviness and blasting speed; completely undecipherable gruff, guttural growling; not memorable guitar riffs because they just pile after another in ridiculously fast succession creating a barrage of complex noise. Nice, indeed!
www.myspace.com/engagedinmutilating
Celestial Immunity is not loyal to any particular style, though there are influences and shades of thrash, death, heavy metal, etc. This is the type of band totally not interested in any discussions about staying “true” to this or that genre. Mostly, they practice their craft and if it will mostly sound different to different people: thrashy to some; closer to death, for others; still others will hear the very early Gothenburg rough combination of growling, thrashy riffing and melodic hooks.
At this point in the band’s history, the band uses only growling and no singing, though with this style, it is often the case that such bands begin to feel limited by having only growling. In some of their songs, they have moments where they show a different, more melodic.
“The Dream Fades,” the last song, is their most memorable song. This is where the guitar riffs and hooks go the furthest in creating for Celestial Immunity their sound. The very early days of Gothenburg will come to mind for some, and it’s probably not an accident that the band has channeled their music in such melodic and even semi-melancholic directions, with growling and with a brief spoken vocals moment.
But really, all their songs lean towards that general direction. For example, “Skin” has also those basic components and they like to work them out into a concoction of their own, on their way to taking their metal in directions that no ones knows where. Though the growling might turn off some people, the music itself, while still very energetic and thrashy, it’s not part of the death/black subgenre and can attract a broader interest.
Now, will you give the band a chance and check out their music? They are probably not going to be on U.S. television any time soon, being interviewed by three clueless men asking insipid questions to “stump a trunk” or discussing “all things hard rock and heavy metal” or something like that.
Plus, wouldn’t it be nice to hear an actual new band?
Five songs, 23 minutes.
www.myspace.com/celestialimmunityband
Christian Holocaust (Maine, U.S.): Christian Holocaust
Only those into the super lo-fi, necro, cave, total garage black metal attack will be interested in such a band.
The rest will say that they don’t even know how to play their instruments, that they can’t even keep a beat. Stop reading now, and make a note to self: “Avoid necro black metal band Christian Holocaust.”
OK, those into sloppy, badly recorded and devils-and-demons black metal, please step right through here, where the entrance to the cave of Christian Holocaust is located. This band rolls around in their own ugliness and biblical topics of devils, damnation and death so as to saturate every song their recording (which as already mentioned, has rough demo sound quality) with as much black metal elements so as to drive away those who don’t like black metal.
www.myspace.com/christianholocaust
Engaged In Mutilating (Texas, U.S.): Population: Zero
Whether it is the attraction to ridiculously aggressive, fast music, or the musician’s perspective of hearing dazzling drumming and fast solos; or the desire to hear chaos that in many ways goes against the basic rules of music by hearing anti-lead singer rock star vocals or anti-melodic guitar/drum work.
Whatever the reasons may be, the fact remains that technical, blasting guttural death metal as practiced by Engaged In Mutilating flies in the face of not only the rules of why most people like music (a melody, a chorus, something they remember, a lyric, a voice, etc.) in general, but also against the rules of why many death metallers like death metal itself.
Cannibal Corpse, Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel, etc. all have melodies, catchy riffs that attract people to headbanging, etc.
On the other hand, technical, blasting guttural death metal does not.
For example, listen to this band’s cover of Pestilence’s “Out of the Body” and hear the gulf that separates Pestilence from Engaged In Mutilating: Pestilence’s music sounds very traditional: chorus, melodies, catchy, etc.
Engaged In Mutilating’s own songs, however, are a whole different kind of entity: overwhelming heaviness and blasting speed; completely undecipherable gruff, guttural growling; not memorable guitar riffs because they just pile after another in ridiculously fast succession creating a barrage of complex noise. Nice, indeed!
www.myspace.com/engagedinmutilating
Abyssal Throne, Ancak, Antropofago, Arcanum Inferi
Abyssal Throne (Canada): Abyssal Throne
“Abyssal Permutation” (5:25) is certainly a strong start: a sharp-riff, blast attack death metal to cause an immediate circle pit and headbanging. The low, guttural vocals, the ridiculous blasting drumming and the overall vibe is good. “Sounding the Brazen Horns of War” (4:23) fundamentally settles it: that first song was no accident. There is a seriousness of musical purpose that’s obvious. “Godhead Abolished” (4:47) displays the three keys to their sound: intense, blasting drumming; good, speedy riffs/good soloing; and guttural vocals, with some black metal moments. Therefore, “Perfection Sought through Putrefaction” (5:25) is just further punishment and musical muscle. By this time, you know what to expect, and the band would be ashamed to disappoint give you anything other than what they do best: blasting death metal for those that like their metal fast, intense and aggressive.
This recording sounds pretty good: the band probably would like a bigger-budget recording, but the truth that on here you can already hear the diligence in their delivery. www.myspace.com/abyssalthrone
Ancak (Malaysia): M.A.H.A.
Black metal grind destruction race to the finish.
In the space of six songs (time), Ancak manages to infuse enough throat-abuse shrieking and screaming to satisfy the craving for really noisy, fast, blasting black/death/chaos metal:
Fifteen minutes of very annoying noisy, grindy black metal. It is so annoying you have to go back and play it over and over until you end up trying to scream in even more annoying ways than these psychos when you find yourself in the shower. Now, instead of doing your best S.O.B./Darkthrone/Napalm Death/Nasum/Repulsion/Bathory screaming, Ancak will occupy your brain for a while.
Ancak has achieved true unagi, the perfect state of chaos awareness, to be ready for any attack.
www.myspace.com/ancak
Antropofago (France): Antropofago
They have a song called “Barbecued Baby Back Human Legs.”
In about 12 minutes (four songs) of blasting, violent, savage aural attack Antropofago is universal: if you like straight-ahead brutal, blasting death metal.
Giving the listener an intense experience that is the musical equivalent of a pummeling or making the death metallers at their show feel the music so well in their bones, their brains, their bellies, that have to react in some sort of mosh, headbanging or some movement.
Yes, they have a bit of technical edge, preposterous drumming, a wingnut for a bassist, a mad butcher for a growler, etc., but mostly they do a good job of destroying their instruments until nothing is left but debris.
Sure, Antropofago is a band for blasting death metal enthusiasts. www.myspace.com/antropofagometal
Arcanum Inferi (Italy): V.I.T.R.I.O.L.
1. “Caput Mortuum” (3:25): There is no point in disguising their hunger for the transylvannian black metal: the guitar riffs, the vocals, the drumming, it all says, transylvannian or nothing at all. Forget good production, eclectic sounds. They have found a spot, they will stay there, rain or shine, and just play that lo-fi black metal in their cave.
2. “Obscura Nox ad Inferos” (4:44): The vocals sounds like two grim black metal twins are shrieking into my ears. Just nasty, nasty lo-fi sounds at high speed with circular riffs that seem to repeat over and over seeking the trance of speed.
3. “V.I.T.R.I.O.L.” (5: 28): This song sounds similar to the second song, which sounds similar to the first song: multidimensional this is not. There is only road they travel: the path of raw grimness and unfancy, dirty black metal.
The sound quality is good, but of course, this is no fancy proposition, but strictly corpsepaint-spikes-grimness-and-traditional black metal. For example, the drumming is very much in the transylvannian feel. At this point, Arcanum Inferi is strictly a proposition for the total lo-fi, raw, no-production black metallers.
Three songs, then it’s over. Go back to track one and listen to this demo again.
www.myspace.com/arcanuminferi
“Abyssal Permutation” (5:25) is certainly a strong start: a sharp-riff, blast attack death metal to cause an immediate circle pit and headbanging. The low, guttural vocals, the ridiculous blasting drumming and the overall vibe is good. “Sounding the Brazen Horns of War” (4:23) fundamentally settles it: that first song was no accident. There is a seriousness of musical purpose that’s obvious. “Godhead Abolished” (4:47) displays the three keys to their sound: intense, blasting drumming; good, speedy riffs/good soloing; and guttural vocals, with some black metal moments. Therefore, “Perfection Sought through Putrefaction” (5:25) is just further punishment and musical muscle. By this time, you know what to expect, and the band would be ashamed to disappoint give you anything other than what they do best: blasting death metal for those that like their metal fast, intense and aggressive.
This recording sounds pretty good: the band probably would like a bigger-budget recording, but the truth that on here you can already hear the diligence in their delivery. www.myspace.com/abyssalthrone
Ancak (Malaysia): M.A.H.A.
Black metal grind destruction race to the finish.
In the space of six songs (time), Ancak manages to infuse enough throat-abuse shrieking and screaming to satisfy the craving for really noisy, fast, blasting black/death/chaos metal:
Fifteen minutes of very annoying noisy, grindy black metal. It is so annoying you have to go back and play it over and over until you end up trying to scream in even more annoying ways than these psychos when you find yourself in the shower. Now, instead of doing your best S.O.B./Darkthrone/Napalm Death/Nasum/Repulsion/Bathory screaming, Ancak will occupy your brain for a while.
Ancak has achieved true unagi, the perfect state of chaos awareness, to be ready for any attack.
www.myspace.com/ancak
Antropofago (France): Antropofago
They have a song called “Barbecued Baby Back Human Legs.”
In about 12 minutes (four songs) of blasting, violent, savage aural attack Antropofago is universal: if you like straight-ahead brutal, blasting death metal.
Giving the listener an intense experience that is the musical equivalent of a pummeling or making the death metallers at their show feel the music so well in their bones, their brains, their bellies, that have to react in some sort of mosh, headbanging or some movement.
Yes, they have a bit of technical edge, preposterous drumming, a wingnut for a bassist, a mad butcher for a growler, etc., but mostly they do a good job of destroying their instruments until nothing is left but debris.
Sure, Antropofago is a band for blasting death metal enthusiasts. www.myspace.com/antropofagometal
Arcanum Inferi (Italy): V.I.T.R.I.O.L.
1. “Caput Mortuum” (3:25): There is no point in disguising their hunger for the transylvannian black metal: the guitar riffs, the vocals, the drumming, it all says, transylvannian or nothing at all. Forget good production, eclectic sounds. They have found a spot, they will stay there, rain or shine, and just play that lo-fi black metal in their cave.
2. “Obscura Nox ad Inferos” (4:44): The vocals sounds like two grim black metal twins are shrieking into my ears. Just nasty, nasty lo-fi sounds at high speed with circular riffs that seem to repeat over and over seeking the trance of speed.
3. “V.I.T.R.I.O.L.” (5: 28): This song sounds similar to the second song, which sounds similar to the first song: multidimensional this is not. There is only road they travel: the path of raw grimness and unfancy, dirty black metal.
The sound quality is good, but of course, this is no fancy proposition, but strictly corpsepaint-spikes-grimness-and-traditional black metal. For example, the drumming is very much in the transylvannian feel. At this point, Arcanum Inferi is strictly a proposition for the total lo-fi, raw, no-production black metallers.
Three songs, then it’s over. Go back to track one and listen to this demo again.
www.myspace.com/arcanuminferi
Monday, March 28, 2011
Nuclear Beast (Hungary), Siknis (Finland)
Nuclear Beast (Hungary): Promo 09
On the cover a giant monster, denim-jacket, baseball cap-flipped, torn jeans and high-tops shoes wearing thrasher/skater monster vomiting on little people running away from him.
When you hear this band, it is possible you will want to run away. One of the songs is called, “Drink, Fuck, Kill, Satan!” just by the title tells you what level of thinking is going on. It’s the band sort of admitting that their music stays at the loud and obscene area. It’s bunch of drunk people, messing around in the garage, having fun.
Whether it’s fun for other people, that’s not so clear. It’s difficult to figure out what’s going, besides just a “thrash!” garage sound. Anyway, it’s a rehearsal-style recording more than anything.
www.myspace.com/nuclearbeast
Siknis (Finland): Twisted Mind
Murder.
Evisceration,
and a name like this, you can imagine that these people are not right in the head for these three songs (total time of less than twelve minutes).
Just listen to “IQ Less than Zero” for proof.
This is midpaced and it’s not total nonstop blasting, rather they emphasize their songwriting: these three songs do not move at a frantic pace, but a rather midpaced for the “brutality.” The vocals sound like a couple of people screaming and growling at the same time. The growling is pretty low, often accompanied by a higher, shriek vocal style. This approach works for the band and gives them a bit of identity in that respect.
So, it might be a surprise to find out that they have some guitar work that suggest some melodic moments: here and there, you can certainly hear that the guitar work goes for more than just the chugging heaviness: while “melodic”
might give the wrong impression here, but they have created songs with some hooks or ear-friendly moments.
And this makes for a bit of a different combination. And that’s Siknis. This demo is no fancy-schmanzy recording, but you can hear what they are all about.
www.myspace.com/siknisband
On the cover a giant monster, denim-jacket, baseball cap-flipped, torn jeans and high-tops shoes wearing thrasher/skater monster vomiting on little people running away from him.
When you hear this band, it is possible you will want to run away. One of the songs is called, “Drink, Fuck, Kill, Satan!” just by the title tells you what level of thinking is going on. It’s the band sort of admitting that their music stays at the loud and obscene area. It’s bunch of drunk people, messing around in the garage, having fun.
Whether it’s fun for other people, that’s not so clear. It’s difficult to figure out what’s going, besides just a “thrash!” garage sound. Anyway, it’s a rehearsal-style recording more than anything.
www.myspace.com/nuclearbeast
Siknis (Finland): Twisted Mind
Murder.
Evisceration,
and a name like this, you can imagine that these people are not right in the head for these three songs (total time of less than twelve minutes).
Just listen to “IQ Less than Zero” for proof.
This is midpaced and it’s not total nonstop blasting, rather they emphasize their songwriting: these three songs do not move at a frantic pace, but a rather midpaced for the “brutality.” The vocals sound like a couple of people screaming and growling at the same time. The growling is pretty low, often accompanied by a higher, shriek vocal style. This approach works for the band and gives them a bit of identity in that respect.
So, it might be a surprise to find out that they have some guitar work that suggest some melodic moments: here and there, you can certainly hear that the guitar work goes for more than just the chugging heaviness: while “melodic”
might give the wrong impression here, but they have created songs with some hooks or ear-friendly moments.
And this makes for a bit of a different combination. And that’s Siknis. This demo is no fancy-schmanzy recording, but you can hear what they are all about.
www.myspace.com/siknisband
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