Abrasive Audio (in b sharp)
Greetings, my long-lost friends. It’s been a while. Some of you may wonder where I’ve been, while others will merely skip this introduction to pounce upon the juicy parts, the ‘meat’ if you will.
To keep this short, I’ve only recently found myself. Quite literally. To be lost for a while in foreign surroundings is frustrating, terrifying, and an emotional rollercoaster to most. But for me, it’s a rather fascinating and unforgettable experience. I’ve discovered new lands, a slew of email addresses, and a crowd of faces I’ll likely never terrorize again.
But enough about me. What say we unearth some fresh sensorial shredding tunage? I’ll endeavor to keep this short, painstakingly etching my ponderations upon a one-time listen experience.
Brat (USA) – Social Grace
March 24 (Prosthetic Records)
Naturally, the albums cover gets the mind spinning. As well, it should. A splash of color in an otherwise drab, run of the mill family portrait. The music follows suit. To my knowledge, which is rather limited (so keep those email pounding digits in check), I can’t recall another band of similar ilk, fronted by a double X chromosome venom-spitting
being. Sure, there are plentiful examples of such within the DM and BM realms, but not necessarily within this, Grindcore/Powerviolence, arena (Pupilslicer after further consideration come to mind).
So, the burning question… How does she (can I even use that phrase anymore without fear of correction and reprimand without first asking?) fair? Exceedingly, well, I’d say. The whole is an experience akin to tumbling from a monstrous cliff face. As one plummets, the landscape transforms at a startling rate. In places, the terrain is jagged, greeting one with undeniable angst, an angularity designed to snap limbs, and shred flesh. In others, the gradient is slightly less devastating, a tumbling sensation complete with a dizzying effect but jarring nevertheless. But much like the experience, the album comes to a close all too soon. Ten tracks in about twenty minutes. Sure, this isn’t enough to sate the true Gatekeepers of the Realm. The purists who believe an affair within this arena should be of a striking similarity to that of the founding pioneers. Perhaps fifteen tracks in four minutes? Thankfully this isn’t so, Brat give the audience a little more to chew upon, theirs is a controlled chaos, a brutality which leaves one wanting more without resorting to flagrant noise – a stylistic nature akin to a television sets, after hours, adieu.
So, are Brat the new darlings of the genre? Perhaps. I’d bet they’d shy away from the term. But the one thing that is neon glaringly obvious is that this leaves a mark, did I mention they’re from Louisiana (a hotbed of Sludge experimentation if ever there was a locale), has a smorgasbord of passages incorporating a slew of “genrelistic” (hell of a word that!) traits to get the juices flowing and is likely to drag fans from as far afield as Dillinger Escape Plan, Acid Bath, EyeHateGod and Brutal Truth (to name but a few) in a blissful album appreciating collective.
93
https://brat504.bandcamp.com/album/social-grace-2
And how about that for an opener?
Ischemic (Canada) – Condemned to the Breaking Wheel
April 24 (Independent)
And the album art here certainly sparks medieval textures. A time within which one feared sharing ‘life hacks’ for fear that they might soon taste the flame whilst attached to a hastily constructed pile of twigs by a collective of religiously mind washed, miniscule intellect, villagers. But enough of my attempts at humor, how does this audio tickle the pleasure receptacles?
First, I feel I must ask. Is this an EP or an album (a full length)? Boasting four tracks, this runs close to thirty minutes. Is an EP subject to the number of tracks therein or the affairs running time? Submit your answers on a postcard and address it to questions that probably should have been posed within the pages of a Douglas Adam’s tome. And another question (while I’m of a curious disposition), what does ‘Ischemic’ actually mean? Research informs me …”it’s a lack of blood flow to a part of the body…”
If I were a medical student, I’d uncontrollably salivate, but I’m not, neither am I a rabid fan of vintage Carcass audio, so let’s move on…
Opening with a thunderous percussive cavalcade, the audio grabs the attention and fast. As the album (?) progresses several genres come to the fore; Old School DM and DeathDoom leading the pack. Undeniable melody crescents the mouth, while an underlying groove elicits the limbs to bounce free of their otherwise static constraints.
In short, the audio flows surprisingly well considering the opening tracks length nearing ten minutes (the remaining three close to the seven minute mark) obviously bring to mind Doom realms. Not surprisingly, is that the style encased here recalls the yesteryear of golden era Peaceville. With stylistic elements sparking My Dying Bride, Anathema, and Paradise Lost nostalgia. Melody is entwined with brutality encased within a dense dirge tone and pace, which is neither too slow nor too fast. The vocal style is exactly what the doctor ordered, with the whole fluid enough to keep the listeners’ attention from the myriad of existence dulling mundane adulting activities.
With the quality on offer here in mind, I can’t fathom why these fellas aren’t on a labels roster. I’m guessing they have their reasons?
https://ischemic.bandcamp.com/album/condemned-to-the-breaking-wheel
90
Blazar (Spain) – Fatal Cosmic Wound
March 24 (Carbonized Records)
This audio offering was a gimme based on the fact that it comprises in part of members from Old School DM peddlers Cruz. Unsurprisingly, the audio here centers upon stratospheric elements, more specifically the unfathomable exapanse of the cosmos.
Stylistically, this is unhurried, sluggish, and undeniably dense. Much the same as… well, you guessed it! What might come as something of a shock (but likely not) arrives in the form of injected Synth elements. Alongside an at times Funeral Doom motif and Sludge tendencies it aids in the overall feel of incomprehensible vastness, adding a chilling, harrowing essence to a tableau of unending encompassing most everything one could imagine, but also infinitely more.
In terms of what this offers think mid- era dirge commanders Bolt Thrower colliding with Irish Doom merchants Mourning Beloveth, with a splash of (yes, I’m famous in part for leaving Morbid Angel prior to them becoming somewhat a household name) Mike Browning helmed Nocturnus, who later reformed with the initials AD (meaning After Death) to stray from copyright infringement litigation.
Understandably not for everyone. This leans more towards those whose tastes are varied and whose mood often dictates listening material. An album to complement those quiet nights in, when it’s just you, a copious amount of mind- altering smokage and a telescope. But that’s only a ‘serving suggestion’, as large companies often print in tiny letters to make something appear more delicious than it actually is. That isn’t an issue here. This goes down smoothly and comes highly recommended.
https://blazardoom.bandcamp.com/album/fatal-cosmic-wound
87
Ett Dödens Maskineri (Sweden) – Kulterkriget
November 23 (Suicide Records)
Prepare to get smashed!
Although this is delivered with (mostly) Swedish vocals, there’s little argument even without translation that the album overflows with frustration and angst.
Unlike many other offerings following similar parameters, however, this is supremely accessible, akin to vodka without the ‘bite’. Rhythms are criminally easy to get behind, much like, for many, the rhetoric the band hopes to convey. And there’s little doubt that a full play through will leave one smiling like an absolute maniac, dazed, bruised, exhausted, and likely scrambling for texts to support the bands viewpoint and arguments.
Standout elements include varied percussive approaches, including but not limited to Punk sensibilities as well Alternate leanings, varied pace, and varying degrees of palpable angst. I have little doubt that if this wasn’t so anti-establishment in composition, it would feature dominantly on a slew of radio playlists. Huge props in this regard to the band for “sticking to their guns,” and it should go without mentioning more so for creating an audio collection that’s so readily consumable and thus effective. This is surprisingly listenable and eons removed from that which one might assume based on the materials synopsis. This isn’t your parents’ punk, that’s fer’ damn sure.
https://suiciderecordsswe.bandcamp.com/album/kulturkriget
90
Hyperia (Canada) – The Serpent’s Cycle
November 23 (Independent)
I’m not sure what to make of this album’s cover. A decaying yellow landscape trodden underfoot by a wandering mystic. Topped by the Eye of Sauron? I’m most probably reading too much into it. Perhaps a dissertation on the color yellow is in order?
The audio, however, is on another level entirely.
This is Thrash! It’s vicious and nasty at times, classical tinged in others, with smidges of Power metal sensibilities tossed in wily nily to spice things up. The musicianship is top notch, the energy level hardly lets up for an instant, the rhythms are boisterous, change at a whim, and evolve with wicked potency. Prog elements are at a minimum, and this doesn’t feature the ‘disjointed’ feeling I’d typically associate with Exodus. This is melodious, features a slew of humorous soundbites, and even a passage or two which recall Speed Metal meets Classical ala The Great Kat (which likely only the true connoisseurs will recognize). But I have yet to mention the vocals. They would truly have to be special in order to fit the albums shred-tastic motifs, and they are indeed. Marlee Ryley has the vocal prowess to fit without qualm within many an extreme audio genre. The albums bonus track, a play on Heart’s ‘Crazy on You,’ proves this point. In this instance and genre, her qualities shine, only making the album that much more enjoyable.
Recc for fans of Thrash, Power, and melodic DM. Don’t sleep on this!
https://hyperiametal.bandcamp.com/album/the-serpents-cycle
88
Coffins (Japan) – Sinister Oath
March 24 (Relapse Records)
A virtual maelstrom of severed hands, a severed head and a cathedral like snail construct. I typically wouldn’t write all these elements off together as something which I could look upon and call insanely wicked as shown here. Suffice to mention that this art has my attention. Now, for those living under a rock, Coffins have been around for twenty-five years, are Japanese and by all accounts boast a discography to leave a fan of the OSDM scene with sopping wet knickers.
It doesn’t take long to find out why this isn’t just merely rumor, or hearsay, but a concrete fact. It isn’t just that the opening track entices you in the Coffins lair, it’s that the following track proceeds to inform you that the lair isn’t that in the slightest, but rather a gaping void. A space within which the listener will gladly accept whatever it is that’s offered. In this case there’s a smorgasbord of audio torture in the offering. Bludgeoning riffs, doom laden harrowing soundscapes, rumbling chaos, groove to loosen limbs from their perch and unadulterated filth; a swampy morass strewn with putrescent unidentifiable detritus which the listener will gladly bath within as this is allowed to slither through the senses. It’s truly difficult to put into words the emotion an album such as this elicits. True, it doesn’t deliver Post or Prog elements, typically associated with the word ’emotion’, this isn’t that type of album or band, but rather a quality (of OSDM) which leaves one dazed, ecstatic and delighted and truly honored to be able to experience.
Forget the posers, the wannabes, those who draped in hype. Coffins are the standard bearers, whose maturation is akin only to a fine wine (perhaps whiskey fits better here?). Though likely a liquid one wouldn’t wish to ingest orally, I could only imagine the internal fallout from such.
https://coffins.bandcamp.com/album/sinister-oath
100
And yes, for those paying attention, that’s my first perfect score!
Lucifuge (Germany) – Hexensabbat
May 24 (Dying Victims Productions)
First off, I love the name.
Fun fact, it’s the title of my absolute favorite ‘pygmy crooner’ album (a gold star for any reader who can name the artist). Secondly, the hyper Frazzetta styled art. It’s gorgeous, vividly adult in tone and rendered in stunning BnW. A Barbarbarian, a Bloody axe and plentiful Boobs. In essence, the three B’s of fantasy. What more could one ask for, seriously? Sure, I’m being a little adolescent here, but it’s all in good fun. As too is the audio. Wickedly swift, manacing, and steeped in homage to the most vicious speed metal of yore it excites, incites movement, throws one back a few decades to nostalgia ville and makes one wish the stereo had an extra volume setting. The album unabashedly wears influences on its sleeves. Another definite aspect of such comes by way of the Hardcore and Punk realms, as heard here in the gruff n blunt vocal approach and through the albums slightly muddy, undoubtedly vinyl throwback, but nevertheless still highly enjoyable, production values.
Thus is a fantastic slab of Blackened Speed made only better by the realization that a single person (Equinox) is responsible, except obviously in the instance of live performances. To make this short, the art brought me here, and I stayed because of the audio and also, again, because of the art.
https://lucifuge666.bandcamp.com/album/hexensabbat
88
Noctem (Spain) – Credo Certe Ne Cras
October 22 (MNRK Heavy)
Blast beats, snarled evil tongues, a hellish unforgiving battery, archaic textures, criminally infectious rhythms, and palpable atmosphere all seeped in stunning ancient mystery. There’s literally nothing here that doesn’t get my ears hard, and dripping in excitement!
This is Blackened death par excellence. While some decide to stay with the heavy hitters and prefer to stay on the same well trodden path, I’ve decided to veer. And I’ve found Noctem. They quell those darkened musical urges with undeniable savagery and precision. Might I suggest a listen, or six?
https://noctem.bandcamp.com/album/credo-certe-ne-cras
96
And, Why the Hell not?
A Recc via @joewebber (Twitter)
Fires in the Distance (USA) – Air Not Meant for Us
April 23 (Prosthetic Records)
It takes but a quick glance at the track titles, the albums name, and the elongated track running times to come to an assumption. This is likely Doom in nature, perhaps with a touch of melodic death tossed in for good measure.
And it is!
But don’t log off just yet!
Whereas some albums might veer too much in a certain direction; either too much of the synth dreamy textures, composition tipping the death scales. Or perhaps it’s likely the two styles don’t mesh. Hey, it happens! In this instance the stars have somehow aligned (nope, sorry, I’m not going to pontificate upon the magnificence or lack thereof in regards to the recent eclipse). This is actually good, damn good. In fact, it’s utterly sublime. The album flows without sounding forced, time loses substance as one becomes transfixed, gleefully immersed in the perfect marriage of melody, heavy and melancholia. Synth elements, although heavy in the mix, perfectly accentuate the evoked emotion courtesy of driving percussion and a vocal style sporting exquisite cadence; a growl of sorts that’s (appreciatively) perfectly decipherable, although I never tjought Id write those words, ever. Think Novembers Doom, at instances Be’lakor and also Insomnium for this is where this delightfully brilliant audio collection resides. This is so impressive, I believe I could honestly spin this several times without getting bored.
https://noctem.bandcamp.com/album/credo-certe-ne-cras
98
And Another Recc
Courtesy of Metalegion Magazine
Varathron (Greece) – The Crimson Temple
December 23 (Agonia Records)
It is truly daunting trying to keep abreast of all that the (metal) scene offers. Especially since there are so may more genres now than there has ever been before. For those in the know, and within BM realms, the name Varathron should be all too familiar. Formed around 88′, theirs is a moniker synonymous with the very foundation of the Hellenic scene. Now imagine, how silly I must feel on account of this being my initial experience of that which they offer onto the ever-thirsting extreme audio masses.
The Crimson Temple is the bands seventh full length within a discography that spans over thirty-five years.
Stylistically, the album borrows heavily from melodic Heavy Metal, has its fair share of Folk essence and oozes atmosphere by way of synth created accompaniments. The whole is likely not what one might expect given the BM label description. However, the audio is exceptionally easy to appreciate. Vocals, arrive by way of the only original member (Stefan Necroabyssious) are of traditional origins, and delivered with enough bite and venom to please even the most devout purists among us (you know who you are!). Cultural flavors are infrequently peppered throughout, fantastic touches, accompanying diverse composition arrangements, to aid in the audios undeniable, often lulling, hypnotic, appeal. Varathron’s percussive approach (it might be mentioned) recalls another Greek acts output, namely Rotting Christ. Although there’s certainly enough individuality here to be able to differentiate between the two.
In short, The Crimson Temple is arguably an album one would not expect from an act with journeyman status. One might assume bearing in mind the bands celebrated history and longevity that this might be a watered down, or a phoned in affair.
Nope. Not at all!
Not here.
If anything, this is a prime example of that which is possible when one decides to meticulously craft without fear of the possible reprisal resulting from the tinkering of assumed BM parameters. And don’t think for an instant that this doesn’t deliver that which fans demand. This bears the atmosphere, a wicked mixture of melodies, swiftness in all the right places, cresting riffs, archaic textures and an exquisitely molded palpable essence which enthralls. An album showcasing a multitude of ingredients, a recipe delicately produced by master craftsmen making for a result that’s well worth the wait. Or for those like me experiencing Varathron for the first time an excellent jumping on point within a discography which promises to be intoxicating.
96
That’s it,
I need a nap.
B
CultMetalFlix 