Saturday, January 18, 2020

Herem - Pulsa diNura (2008)

 
 The appearence of a new stoner band is usually such an event that could be compared to when a drop of water falls into the sea. It's quite hard to fail in this style, groovy, bouncing riffings, decent amount of '70s influences and a gruff voiced frontman (who also can sing) is enough for the stoner soup. And the audience will love it. But these circumstances are kind of disadvantageous in case of the appearence of a genuine band, because they hardly can get wider attention.
   Herem played a bit more complex music, sludge/stoner/doom, and that only wouldn't be enough to change anything, but even though they showed mixed influences, their music was quite antinomic. The sound was enough heavy to fit to the style, and the themes compensed that by their chilling main effect. The '70s feeling is also there somewhere deep, available to puzzle together from the sound, repetitive themes and the lyrical references. Still the main impression is darker than it was usual in stoner/doom, but far not noisy enough for sludge. The lyrical concept also prefers the dark side, but without self-destruction overdose. The influence of bands like Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard or Kyuss is evident, but this is a different perspective somehow. Still the heaviest feature in their music that cannot save them to be marked as a sludge band is the growling female vocal that would also fit into death metal. And that's something that may count too much in sludge/stoner/doom. However, the band successfully created balance by this combination of aggressive vocal style - chilling music - dark impression, and therefore their music was extraordinary. Stongly recommended for the fans of the mentioned styles!

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Arditi - Omne Ensis Impera (2008)

   Arditi is a marching industrial project close to ambient with neoclassical elements, made by black metal musicians. It's kind of an unusal and less popular aspect of industrial, but interesting and expressive at the other hand.
   "Omne Ensis Impera" summons the atmosphere of world wars, and would fit as background music for the short propaganda films of those times, which were played in cinemas. Of course those were made to manipulate and to make people believe that everything happens for a good reason and goes in the best possible direction. But the deeply obscure and demoralizing effect of this music would fit better to illustrate what actually happenned. People living in poverty, constant fear, and forced mass production for keeping up the war that seems like will never end. But must keep on going to gain victory, no matter the cost. A mass insanity led by state propaganda, that takes millions of sacrifices to achieve something that the leading elite believes being authorized for. Arditi's instrumental music gives back this feeling better than any other world war related concept. The neoclassical parts recalling the times that have been passed, the cutten narrative details are sounding exactly like the radio and cinema news and reports about the ongoing war, and the industrial basics are dictating the beats for marching. It's a forced march already, there's no way back from this point. For all of this came a very dark tone that leaves no doubts about the inevitable unfortunate outcome.

Son of Earth - Son of Earth (2008)

   If there was a direct gate portal somewhere in the North to a hellpit, Son of Earth probably would came from there to this world with their one and only album. Not much is known about the band, but the most important thing is that they've created the most effective Swedish death metal album since a very long time.
   Their music is like the mix of the old school style of the local scene with further influences, and embedded into modern, but quite noisy sound. The themes are simple and heavy, early Grave and Carnage could be mentioned as possible direct influences. A strong echo effect assists to create an obscure and cold atmosphere and gives the short and noisy solo parts to a Netherworldish impression. By slow, occasional melodies new depths are getting opened, but not for long, soon the noisy destruction continues. The album is quite diverse, not stucked at constant hammering, not too raw and not unifacial either, but still not one of the easy ones to go into. They frequently switch to a combination of very fast themes and blast beats, that are not quite usual in the local scene, but more common to hear at American bands like Immolation, or in black metal. The vocal style also reminds to Immolation's, and to the unique growls of Marc Grewe in Morgoth. The main view is heavy and endlessly sick the same time, strongly recommended material.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Sinners Burn - Pre-Mortal Autopsy (2008)

   As it was mentioned before, Paganizer debuted as a traditional '80s styled metal band that mixed the that time actual  musical directions, such as heavy, speed, thrash and even black metal. A traditional band, with a style that never even existed in this form in the '80s. That line-up formed Sinners Burn and they didn't keep their "origin" in secret, since the band name is also a reference to that.
   Even though it was evident from the beginning, that Sinners Burn is a death metal band, there is some analogy in their concept with the first Paganizer album. After "Deadbanger" Paganizer played devastating sounding death metal, but fortunately Sinners Burn didn't become a side project that's exactly the same like the main band, like what's usually happening in most similar cases. They played traditional Swedish death metal in a form like how it never existed in the early '90s. The style features are easy to identify, but still it's different somehow. The classics of the Swedish scene sounded heavier, more aggresive and their purpose to be exaggerated can be sensed in their music. They did that with primitive, but catchy themes. Sinners Burn combined some thrash influences with even simpler themes that were not meant to be the most suitable background noise for the upcoming apocalypse. Their music is intense, but they're not hammering like if it was a must, often stucking at middle speed instead. The outcome is kind of chilling compared to the oldies of the local scene, like if a death metal band existed before the debut of Entombed, Carnage and the others to form a bridge to them, they probably sounded like this. But of course there was no time for chilling back than in the middle of the competition of brutality. Still, "Pre-Mortal Autopsy" is an excellent old school Swedish death metal nostalgia album - a bit different like how it was usual.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Gravdal - Sadist (2008)

   Even though traditional Norwegian black metal have quite strict rules, there are some bands who are not really trying to keep all of them like if it was a must. There have been a few examples for that even in the golden age of the genre, but lately the motivation have changed too: the point is not to create something new, that's nearly impossible; but to show a different perspective and to be more creative.
   Very familiar themes and sound are waving back from Gravdal's music, as their approach enroots at the basics of the local scene, but still it's somehow different. The sound is way cleaner than at the old classics of black metal, and therefore the atmosphere have secondary role. Melodies and themes are in focus, and not even the ordinary fast black metal hammering parts can't take their lead. It sounds like balance could have been the keyword while "Sadist" was created. The themes are diverse, and the band also preferred to switch the speed commonly if it was needed to sound more effective. The traditional blackened themes are always returning in some form. It could be said that it's an experimenting album, but it's enough unified to not mean it literally. It sounds like the result of something that they've worked on since a while. The album is quite short, basically doesn't sound so deviant as the title and the visuals might suspect, but it can offer enjoyable entertainment for both the fans of ordinary black metal and the fans of the modern aspect of the genre.
 

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Execration - Syndicate of Lethargy (2008)

   If there were any expectations about the band's music based on their origin - cause probably most would think about some Norwegian black metal, or Swedish death metal related influences -, it's better to forget about them as soon as possible. Execration debuted with such raw and noisy death metal, that only could be compared to a road roller, that's smashing everything on it's way.
   The album starts already like if tons of steel panels would fall on the listener. If it's a must to find any analogy, Diskord should be mentioned, since they are also from Norway, and their music is also everything, but not easy to go into. Execration also symptahized with technical ambitions, but the disharmony they've combined with an exaggeratedly brutal and noisy sound that's similar to Incantation's. Basically the short song intro and outro parts that are mostly serving as melodic intermezzos to let the listener to chill a bit before the musical apocalypse continues, but they've filled those with noise too. There's no opportunity to keep calm, like if the overwhelming insane heaviness wasn't enough. This kind of obscure approach counts as modern compared to old school death, because it leaves no chance to focus on anything else but the oppressing brutality. Still, it's not focusing first of all on the brutal features and not letting too high role for technical themes, so a very heavy, kind of shocking effect gets left behind after listening. The album offers excellent entertainment for the fans of the heaviest, obscure sound of death metal.

Unaussprechlichen Kulten - People of the Monolith (2008)

   Maybe the newer South American bands didn't keep the genuine style of their local metal scene that was usual in it's early era, but Unaussprechlichen Kulten is the proof that they still didn't lose from their extreme intensity.
   If the band's goal was to give a new definition to the scene, they've succeeded, since their music is endlessly sick. It's like the mix of brutal and old school death metal with modern sound and a very insane and obscure approach. Their songs are quite heavy and disharmonic the same time. Even though the songs are kind of short, and the album is also not much longer than 20 mins, it's enough complex and noisy to effect like if it was twice longer. Their influences could be various, the album sounds like a mix of Incantation, Deeds of Flesh and Avulsed, and effects similar like Infester: an extremely heavy load of musickness. As the name already tells, their lyrical concept is based on Lovecraft's novels, and it's probably their most brutal musical aspect. The short song lenghts is the only reason why "People of the Monolith" is a bit easier to go into than the music of the previously mentioned bands, but still it's hard to imagine it as a sunday afternoon relaxing background music after lunch. Though the disharmony the songs are well composed and telling about the serious musical past of the band members. It's an excellent album in it's style, and recommended for the fans of extreme musickness.