death metal: Vorum; Defeated Sanity

Before moving on to issue number 37 of Metal Bulletin Zine, I want to show you the updated versions of reviews from issue number 36 BECAUSE these are bands that, I think, are some of the most interesting albums that I have heard recently, mostly in the month of May and June.

-- -- Here are the updated versions of the reviews of Vorum and Defeated Sanity that appear in Metal Bulletin Zine #36, the new issue that is now complete.

-- death metal (obscurantist)

Vorum (Finland): “Poisoned Void”

It is one thing to play chugging guitar and to growl and call that death metal. It’s a complete other perspective-craftsmanship involved in the creation of the type of obscurantist death metal played by Vorum. Archaic or ancient death metal functions at a whole other level. For one thing, Vorum’s music cuts across three genres: dark thrash, blasphemous death metal and black metal. The key thing is how Vorum puts it all together. There’s lots of tremolo segments, but the guitar tone is heavy, so it sounds like a massive black metal guitar, and the solos are about the shredding. The vocals are semi-intelligible, but it is a growl-snarl that takes the sound into the realms of “dark and evil death metal.”

Vorum is so good that the music is a perfect illustration of why death and black metal have the same origin, were once one thing, and are, in Vorum, one again.

Just as a side note, I’ll tell you about some “little” things that I find excellent. I find the guitar solos to be very enjoyable and are, for me, a highlight of the band’s overall sound. They really add personality to these songs.

The drumming. I like the sounds of the cymbal work, and the hard-hitting (non-plasticky) sound. The way the double bass, cymbals and snare join together, it’s a pleasure to listen to, over and over again. Quite a creative style of drumming, that will have your ears entertained. It’s true in my case, anyway. Very good. Recommended for the selective listeners into obscurantist/ancient death metal. www.facebook.com/Vorumdeath

death metal (technical/blastattack)

Defeated Sanity (Germany): “Passages into Deformity”

“Brooooootality,” slamming technicality is how Defeated Sanity rolls. If you love, love the super-over-the-top karate-chop-moshpit beatdown and throwing your elbows in good, friendly violent fun, I have to tell you that Defeated Sanity has just entered their album “Passages into Deformity” into the my wildly famous Most Brutal Album of the Year contest, which takes place in my van, down by the river. Every person who is physically fit should form a pit now. Do it. Do it now for Defeated Sanity!

I am not physically fit because I am 83 years old, but I can sure lift up my hand and do the Frank Mullen hand quake like nobody’s business!

It’s easy for me to do it because my hands already shake all the time, anyway.

What I like the most about Defeated Sanity is that they do well the multiple things that they do, meaning that they cook their songs just right, at the right temperature, and the result is a great success. The superlow indecipherable grunting, the blasting, slamming, shredding, riffs, pinch harmonics, solos, and all these things are placed and measured well. For example, the chugga-chugga knuckle-dragging low-string plucking, if not handled correctly, bores me to tears because it can sound like uncreative, unskilled stuff played by good-for-nothing, weekend warriors of death metal. That’s certainly not the case with Defeated Sanity! Step aside, make way for the professionals. If you want to hear a superbrutal band this year, and you insist that you have the patience for one album only, make it this one.

It’s that good. About the only thing that is missing here is pig squeals and more screaming, but this is so good that I will forgive them for that. Nobody is perfect, but Defeated Sanity is 97.33% perfect. www.facebook.com/DefeatedSanity