Krigsgrav - melodic extreme metal from Texas, U.S.

Krigsgrav

Fires in the Fall

Wise Blood Records

23 June 2023

According to the information on Metal Archives, this Texas, U.S. black metal band began in 2004. Now in 2023, including this new album (seven songs in 53 minutes), they have seven albums. Metal Archives shows that they used to be black metal, then changed to post-black metal. Their current direction is more along the lines of midpaced melodic extreme metal, with substantial components of black. The band is multi-instrumentalist David Sikora (2004-present), who is or has been associated with Giant of the Mountain, Heimar, Obsidian Throne, Of Oak, Valsgarde, Black Mass Ritual, and Ophian. Justin Coleman (Heimar, ex-Dagon, ex-Demure, ex-Nightworks, ex-Valsgarde, ex-Rape Pillage and Burn) plays guitars and does vocals. Cody Daniels (Dour, Giant of the Mountain, The Argonaut, Wings of Dahak) plays lead guitar. The album seems to have programmed drums. For purposes of efficiency, let's focus solely on this album, without attempting to compare and contrast their discography. It is a melodic and often melancholic album with uptempo, faster tempos and also an abundance of midpaced segments that contain lots of melody. However, it is not slow and dragging doom? The vocals feel like black metal, perhaps some of the growling could be closer to death, but most of the time, the growling sounds like a lower, gruff black metal growl. I would say that black metal audiences are the most likely demographic for this album, but maybe fans of melodic death and/or doom might also enjoy this album. Lastly, the guitars focus on melody and giving the listener a pretty polished, quality listening experience.

Fires in the Fall by Krigsgrav

https://www.facebook.com/krigsgrav

Sunshine Lollipop - grind rhythm is gonna get you

Sunshine Lollipop is a grind band from Washington State, U.S. They formed in 1776 in Philadelphia, right after the Second Continental Congress and then they toured in France in 1789. After France, they toured all over the world bringing their brief message of grind to the masses. Now in 2023 they have a new song called "Friendship Is Magic," which, in a few words, states that:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

Sunshine Lollipop further declares:

"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."

Friendship is Magic by Sunshine Lollipop

https://www.facebook.com/sunshinelollipopgrind

Black 7 - Break up (official video)

Aficionados of melodic guitar virtuosity may want to hear the new song "Break up" by Black 7 (Germany). Black 7 is instrumental heavy metal guitar that emphasizes riffs, melodies and songwriting. This song is taken from the upcoming album "The 2nd Chapter“ with SODEH Records.

Black 7 - Break up (official video)

Mike Milan Dedic - shredder goes back to the future with "Over the Top" (no arm wrestling involved)

Mike Milan Dedic (Canada) is a guitarist that's been playing since he was 12 years in Toronto's west end, teaching himself guitar listening to Uli Jon Roth, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen and so many more.

This particular song called "Over the Top" is a recording from 1986. It is not a re-recording, he says: "This track was originally pressed to a vinyl record. How this all came about is that the owner of the 'Museum of Canadian Music' had the song file digitally extracted from vinyl & provided it to me. I took the track and had it remastered at a 'Mastering House' to give it more sparkle! It is the original recording from 1986, just having some of today's technology making it sound sonically better." Rick Smith plays drums on the song, and Mike plays all guitar and bass on it. The song is an instrumental shredding piece for guitar aficionados, and the drum work is really nice, too!

The albums that he has recorded are: The Pleasure's Yours - 1987 Axis Records (Vinyl Release); Fingerfood album - 1995 (Marshmallow Records); Mike Milan Dedic - Self Titled - 2014. His singles are: Escape - 2017; Launch (Re-Launch) - 2018; Shall We Dance Too? - 2019; Run - May 12, 2020; Over The Top - May 3, 2023 Energy - August 12, 2021.

Over The Top - Mike Milan Dedic

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005652195327

Tyrants Blood - Canadian death/black (ex-Blasphemy and ex-Infernäl Mäjesty)

Tyrants Blood

Into the Kingdom of Graves

Vic Records

22 June 2023

Vic Records (Holland) is reissuing this 2013 album that features former members of Canadian cult bands Blasphemy and Infernäl Mäjesty. The guitarist is Marco Banco, who was with Blasphemy from 1989 to 1991 and played on the 1990 album Fallen Angel of Doom. The vocalist is Brian Langley, who was with Infernäl Mäjesty from 2005 to 2011. Vinnie Borden (Process, Shattered Throne, ex-Omega Crom) plays bass and on drums is Matt Modder, who according to Metal Archives, has since been replaced by Stephen Shaw. However, according to Vic Records, the drums were recorded by Terry Murray, who they say is or was with Infernäl Mäjesty and also 3 Inches of Blood.

The vocals are full-on brutal death and the music is all-out primal death/black/thrash with a bit of a certain technical-brutal vibe. The drumming is hard-hitting blasting. The guitar work is a barbed wire fireball of brutality, headbanging and crunch, lots of crunch, in the category of war metal. It is a relentless, frenetically paced album of ten tracks in 48 minutes, including a two-minute respite of melodic guitar. Besides the performances that are convincing beyond all doubt, the sound quality is rather surprising. You can hear the bass guitar and the recording feels like you can hear everything well, which is no easy task when the music is total savage energy, like on here.

Into the Kingdom of Graves by TYRANTS BLOOD

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063485232579

Holz - How heavy is too heavy?

Here on the western side of the mountains of the state of Washington there is a band called Dilapidation featuring the crushing heaviness of death doom and they drive up and down the freeways, eating street tacos and gas station chili dogs, between Olympia and Everett (and have most likely driven much further south and a bit further north, too) bringing their sound to any number of people gathered in the taverns, pubs, bars, backyards, parks and abandoned bridges in this region. Anyway, I recently learned from Dilapidation’s Abraham Watson about another endeavor that he calls Holz. Who is Holz? He explains, “Holz is just me in the studio. I play guitar, bass and do the vocals with programmed drums. Live I bring in my longtime friend and collaborator Jerald on guitar and I do bass and vocals along with a drum machine.”

It turns out that Abraham has a bunch of other projects. In an effort to compile a list of his works, he gives the following: Chromatic Death (guitar/vocals, 2004-2011); Wreck 'em Killed 'em (drums, 2011-2015); Pesado Ranchero (bass, 2014-2016); Misuse of Power (bass/vocals, 2010-2018); Jen's Tits (guitar, 2013-2018); Large Marge (guitar, programming, 2009-present); Dilapidation (bass/vocals, 2012-present); Schmutzhund (guitar, 2017-present); Holz (bass/guitar/programming, 2018-present).

Holz is a bit like the soundtrack of factory assembly machines in rhythmic patterns of industrial production. In my opinion, fans into big-time mechanical-like heaviness could be an audience for Holz. The growled vocals and the dominance of the guitar/bass/programmed heaviness may appeal to a person that wants no melody, just forms of massive heaviness and a sense of machine movement. So far, there are four demos of four tracks each, and the duration times range from some 14 to 20 minutes.

DEMO IV by HOLZ

Here is one Facebook page to begin connecting with the projects involving Abraham Watson.

https://www.facebook.com/dilapidation1

HOLZ - Live at Le Voyeur (Olympia, WA) - 06/10/2023

Carma - see this funeral doom recruiter to find out if you are the right material

Carma

Ossadas

March 3rd, 2023

Monumental Rex

Satellite surveillance shows that these battalions have been flanking the hills by the Mondego River in Portugal for years, since 2012. In 2015 they organized their debut self-titled incursion of six tactical units in 38 minutes, and the cannons went silent again until 2023 when a new 77-minute detachment was amassed again in the territory of Coimbra. Footage of the action on the field reveals a slow-gathering wave moving across the region, patiently, at a snail's pace of melancholy and misery. The tactical units consist of funeral doom that require that the infantry advance as slowly as possible.

Carma is looking for a few good soldiers for funeral doom. To join the newest campaign you must be physically fit to last 77 minutes of heavy exercise. Bootcamp begins promptly at dawn by the Mondego River. You must have the ability to work laboriously and patiently through the tremendously slow paths of the Coimbra hills. Funeral doom is not for weak minds nor for instant gratification. Charlatans and dilettantes need not apply. The reward is to crawl in the rain through the mud, dragging your exhausted body through this test in patience that is Carma. The few, the proud, the Carmines.

Ossadas by Carma

https://www.facebook.com/carma.doom

Y&T - Yesterday and Today Live (Expanded Edition)

Y&T

Yesterday and Today Live (Expanded Edition)

Metal Blade Records

9 June 2023

The legacy heavy metal band Yesterday and Today (Y&T), which formed in 1972 in Oakland, California, U.S., is a great lesson in hard work and the desire to become great at your craft. In 1976 and 1978 they had their first pair of albums. They are good albums and those early songs have been in the setlist for a long time, but the improvement in the singing on the second album is a wonderful change. I believe that I remember singer/guitarist Dave Meniketti explaining in interviews that he came to the realization that he needed to take singing more seriously. Then, on the third album called Earthshaker (1981) the entire sound got tighter, and now the singing was even better, stronger, with Dave singing in a full voice and the music tightened up to the new sound of the young heavy metal of the time. The moral of the story is that musicians are able to become better at their craft if they take their art more seriously by working harder at it.

Regarding this recording, at one time Y&T had made the silly decision to call it quits. Thankfully, they rectified, it was not permanent and they continue to this day. This album at the time (1991) was made as a testament to the band up until that point in time. It is a wonderful set list full of fan favorites. The only complaint is that it could have easily included a dozen more songs that are also cool Y&T songs from all their albums. The production is great, the performances awesome, the songs fantastic, and the singing by Dave is a treat to the ears. Dave has one of those voices that sounds powerful, not strained, not thin, and not annoying, and it stays at such an ear-pleasing range. This album is an excellent place to start for people not familiar with Y&T.

https://www.metalblade.com/us/releases/yt-yesterday-today-live/

Tombstalker - Come come to the cemetery, down by the ruined bridge

Tombstalker

Age of Darkness

Boris Records

29 May 2023

In 21 minutes Tombstalker provides an immensely enjoyable serving of something like a hybrid of Entombed and Dissection or like Entombed covering Dissection or a band combining Swedish death metal with Swedish melodic black metal. The production is death metal and this duck quacks like a death metal duck, but once you look closely at the legs and feathers of this duck, this duck has black metal heritage in some of the riffing and melodies, and some of the drumming. Devoted fans of death/black/thrash should be very entertained by the ways that these Kentuckian-Americans prepare such a headbanging-friendly concoction. It must be all those nighttime shifts working at the local cemeteries and part-time side hustles at the Lexington mortuaries. At this point, I do not know how many times I have heard this EP because it’s just goes on and on, on repeat, and pretty soon I will have this whole thing memorized from beginning to end. It’s three songs of headbanging material, and one instrumental mellow clean or acoustic guitar song. Let’s hope this EP is a sign that an album is in the works. If not, I'm going to Kentucky, I’m going to take my iron horse to the old town roads and ride gas pedal to the floor and talk some horse sense into these guys.

Age Of Darkness by Tombstalker

https://www.facebook.com/tombstalkerband

Frostnatt - How can black metal be a sound of the Urals?

Frostnatt

Den russiske frosten

April 7th, 2023

I enjoyed the 2022 EP Dette stedet kjenner bare kulden (“This Place Only Knows the Cold”) of instrumental melodic black metal by Frostnatt, a solo entity by one Alex Evenson in Yekaterinburg, Russia. This new 2023 album Den russiske frosten (“The Russian Frost”; all Frostnatt songs have titles in Norwegian) is eight tracks emphasizing melody, mostly played at an uptempo speed for headbanging or physical movement (sometimes launching into all-out black metal blasting frenzy), although one can just as easily focus on the melodies for a type of meditation through tremolo-guitar black metal music. Here’s the thing: Frostnatt seeks to convey the imagined interpretation of the Ural region (the city of Yekaterinburg is located about 880 miles to the east of Moscow [a distance comparable from Seattle to Bakersfield, California] {some 100 miles from Los Angeles}). Yekaterinburg is on the Iset River between the Volga-Ural region and Siberia, in the Ural Federal District. Generally, the region is seen as a type of border between what is considered Europe and Asia. Put it this way, the Ural Federal District, which is an enormously huge territory of some 700,000 square miles, is not considered cosmopolitan, to say the least, even though Yekaterinburg itself is the fourth largest city in Russia. The Ural Federal District is bigger than Alaska; by comparison, Alaska is some 663,000 square miles, and Alaska is 3.7 times bigger than California; Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas; Alaska is bigger than California, Texas and Montana combined. Thus, how could black metal be as a sound of the Ural region, of the landscape and especially of the winter, a vast land of frozen forests and mountains? This album right here is the answer provided by Frostnatt. I would say that this music depends on the melodies to make its mark. It's really the guitar melodies that are the central attraction for the audiences interested in uptempo melodic black metal. Come away with Frostnatt to a land of ice and snow.

Den Russiske Frosten by Frostnatt

https://www.facebook.com/frostnattofficial/

Sacred Outcry - the majesty of excellence has arrived

Sacred Outcry

Towers of Gold

No Remorse Records

19.05.2023

I often listen to new albums without looking into the details. I like to hear the music and make a judgment call on the songs, the skills and the sound quality, and see where things go from there. So, I was listening to this music and it sounded awesome, but there was something very interesting taking place. After some time, I had to look it up. I’ll come back to this point in a minute.

Anyway, in 2020 Sacred Outcry debuted with a strong album titled Damned for All Time, a tour de force of riffs, melodies, singing and epic traditional heavy metal, all marked by a certain quality to make people sit up and take notice. The new 2023 album Towers of Gold (10 tracks in 55 minutes) is even better, if that is possible. The music remains the sound of heroic traditional heavy metal in all its glory, with the aim of delivering to the audience nothing short of excellence. The standards that this band sets for itself are rather high, and the beneficiaries of such compulsive, demanding objectives is the listener.

So, back to my earlier story. The one thing that I got my attention was the singing. It sounded familiar and very good. I had to look it up and what do you know?! The new singer on this album is none other than Daniel Heiman, the singer who captured the attention of the heavy and power metal audiences with Lost Horizon’s two albums in 2001 and 2003, both nearly perfect albums. Besides nearly perfect music, there was the beauty of the acrobatic singing, with a voice as luxurious as the most elite beautiful voices in all of metal. The reason why Sacred Outcry is noteworthy is because they seem to have convinced Daniel Heiman to sing in the style of Lost Horizon (and even use the words “lost horizon” on one of the songs), to use his voice in all of its grandiosity, to showcase its elegance. It is quite the achievement to behold. Come for the songwriting and lyrics, stay for the marvelous singing.

Towers of Gold by Sacred Outcry

https://www.facebook.com/SacredOutcry/