Well that title is certainly a mouthful. I suppose it matches the girth of the guitar work. This is some truly original death metal that maintains an oddly psychedelic atmosphere. Plenty of guitar work for the avid student to drool over without become an arduous affair. While things do get a little off-the-wall at times, there are plenty of hooks and headbanging rhythms to keep everyone happy. You can check it out or purchase it HERE or HERE if you prefer.
Taking a break from 2015 releases, someone dropped this bomb on me yesterday from 2014. Think Primitive Man meets Pig Destroyer on steroids. Within these 18 minutes of "music" are some of the most brutal vocals I have heard to date. Not to be outdone, the drums and guitars crank out some ugly, punishing riffs at breakneck crust speed. There is a track that is less than a minute, but I think that one left the biggest smile on my face. It takes a certain type of mind to leave a memorable mark within that short a timespan, and to Vermin Womb that seems to be just business as usual. You can listen to the album HERE and also name your price for purchase. Another easy decision added to my library.
Just when I thought I might not have anything post-worthy today, I decided to spin this recommendation that has been sitting in my cue for a few days. Somewhere, in an odd niche between Ulcerate's ominous tech death and Behemoth's riff-heavy blackened death, lives this album. It's a nice marriage of the two, managing to enjoy the best qualities of each. Throes sport some impressive musicianship without being impenetrable. Just listen to those guitars and drums. No seriously, go listen. Very cheap on bandcamp as an added plus.
It is not wise for a man to judge a book
by it’s cover (or in this case, an album by its album art). Then again,
I don’t claim to be a wise man and looking at the demon spawn suckling
on the teats of the masked goat creature, I could not resist checking
out ‘Daemonic: The Art of Dantalian’. This is fourth full length from Belarus based death metal unit Veld, outon Lacerated Enemy Records. This
is sturdy piece of death metal that carries a lot of influence from the
European bands and it’s pretty straight forward in its approach.
Veld have
a strong Polish death metal influence in their sound and the blackened
sound provides adequate amounts of evil feeling in the music. The sound
can be compared to the early days of Behemoth. There is
also a smidgen of technicality thrown into the mix and the combination,
though not entirely fresh, is adequately entertaining. From beginning
to the end, the brutality and heaviness is constant, only broken up by a
beautiful instrumental interlude to keep things interesting.
The guitar riffs carry a certain level
of technicality, all the while maintaining the constant heaviness that
is characteristic of a death metal album. I like the fact that the
technical stuff is not too over the top and it can be enjoyed without
breaking your head trying to figure out how they pulled it off. Melody
is also present in the form of subtle orchestral touches and it is
emphasised upon during the guitar solos.
Veld borrow
a bit of every facet of death metal and put it together to create an
interesting album. The sound carries the blackened touch with
technicality, symphonic touches, a wee bit of a melody and enough
brutality to sound relentlessly heavy. None of these elements outshines
the other. They work in tandem to create an entertaining mix.
The album ends on a high note with ‘Annihilation of Divinity / Trust Upon Ignorance’ which
is the longest track on the record. The track features a section with
childish female vocals singing along to distorted riffs, ending things
on an experimental note. The production is a big high point in the
record. The top notch production quality leaves nothing to be desired.
‘Daemonic: The Art of Dantalian’ is slab of death metal that one should explore to experience all things good in the genre.
I don't know why it has taken me so long to put this one up. This album succeeds in creating a palpable atmosphere: one that is inspired by the nightmares of Naas Alcameth (Nightbringer). Despite having only a few tracks, there are some great ups and downs and real progressions within their meaty runtimes. While I would have liked to see just a little more finesse in the guitar-work, there were some truly chilling uses of simplistic hooks as with the high-pitched ringing tones that recur throughout personal favorite, "Consummation." The synth work is also very layered and quite beautiful. Repeat listens definitely led this to grow on me. I would be more than happy to throw down for its bandcamp digital pricetag of 6.66 Euro, but I am personally holding out for an affordable copy of the digipack for this gorgeous cover art. I'm in the US, so it's only the shipping that kills me. You may see a full review for this at some point.
If you like Portal, and you dig Malthusian, meet the halfway point. A bit noisier than the latter, but still more orderly than the former; these (also) Irish blackened death metallers are true to their demo's title. Total Vacuum seems to suck all of the air from the immediate surroundings and replace it with utter nothingness. I am not even going to rate this, because I honestly don't know how to. You'll just have to LISTEN for yourself.
If you asked Portal to write a pop
song, the end result wouldn't be far from Malthusian. Fitting
somewhere between the catchy, riff-driven ugliness of Lord Mantis and
harrowing, technical death metal of Ulcerate; this quartet knows how to
walk the tightrope between solid hooks and challenging compositions.
After being introduced to their first demo a few months back, I was
eager to hear more of what the band describes as “Cavernous murk.
Echoing poison. Claustrophobic hallucinations.”
However, unlike Demo MMXIII, Below the
Hengiform is not as readily accessible. Of course I use that word in
the loosest possible sense, but the fact remains that the band's
latest EP is a bit more mentally taxing than its counterpart. The
memorable qualities that immediately drew me into their debut are
still present, but buried beneath further layers of Irish fog.
Instantly recognizable guitar lines as on “The Mother's Blade”
have been traded in favor of something far more sinister and
mysterious.
Fortunately, perseverance will be
rewarded. I argue that the term “grower” ceases to have meaning
if one must listen 10+ times to “get it.” There comes a point
where connections are forged out of sheer force and fatigue. Not so
with Below the Hengiform. It was only between my second and third
attempt that these constantly twisting, tentacled compositions began
to take firm hold and squeeze. The drumming is as strong as ever
with plenty puzzling time signature changes. Trying to count along
is being Jack Torrance lost in the frozen labyrinth and always thirty
paces behind. There are some slower moments of note as well,
particularly the pulsating final minutes of “Forms Become Vapor.”
Meanwhile, the guitars and vocals
assault the senses with broken glass and razor blades. There is
something about these bending, discordant melodies that must be
experienced rather than simply described. They worm their way into
the flesh with doom, sludge, black, and death metal seemingly all at
once. Screams alternate between guttural death howls and blackened
retches, sometimes overlapping the two with spine chilling results.
If Zev Dea can give Portal's “Curtain” the Poe treatment in “The
Conqueror Worm,” then “The Gasless Billows” should represent
the undulations of “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
Final word: worth the wait. While I am
still more inclined towards Malthusian's soul-shattering demo, Below
the Hengiform represents a group willing to explore the depths of
“extreme music” without sacrificing the latter half of the
phrase. I also respect their sentiment that continued short releases
allows time to hone their craft rather than rushing into a full
length album. You can find the album for pre-order on BANDCAMP and
also stream it HERE. It's only 5 Euro.
