Dead Rooster - Midnight Special (2013)

   It is (or should be) widely known, that since the early '90s no real metal styles or genres have shown up, only the mix of already existing ones. And since then it's also impossible to make anything new, no matter how much the mainstream scene is struggling to introduce new "perspectives" (the hipster way) or made up genres (weird style mixes), or styles that simply haven't been known yet for mainstream audiences. However, to make something good and impressive is still possible, though it's also challenging to not do it as an exact rip off (like how nowadays most commercial extreme bands do). From this approach Dead Rooster was definitely one of the most impressive and most interesting bands in the early '10s underground scene. 

   They've debuted in 2012 with "Witches of Belial", a strongly drone influenced sludge/doom EP. It was quite an actual style pick at the time, when the importance of sound - and to be exact, mainly noisy, heavy sound - grew, and plenty of new bands experimented with something similar. But for their full-length album they didn't continue the same line, instead they switched to something way more intense, by releasing a thrash / punk influenced record. It was literally the opposite of what anyone could have expected from a drone/doom band. And it seems like the band felt to be at home in both styles, since both "Witches of Belial" and "Midnight Special" were just excellent. The drone-ish, sludgy influence made the simple punk /thrash riffs sound way noisier and dirtier than usual. Also the same sound and rusty-shouting vocal style turned the basically punk themes less punk-compatible and more thrash-like. This step was advantageous in two ways: first, immediately it switched in analogy with the currently also quite actual old school / vintage tendencies in the underground, and second, it was like a remake of the transit from punk and heavy metal to the birth of thrash metal. Like a modern, rough reintroduction of the early '80s, from a band that switched from the modern pathfinder way to a vintage, old school, but also quite actual direction. And to hear a quote from Venom while listening to the album is just the tip of the iceberg. Two songs from their previous EP also could be found here as slightly more intense, re-recorded versions. The contrast of the mainly determining fast intensity and the down-pulling, apocalyptic tone is also golden. Despite its short length and raw simplicity, "Midnight Special" became a quite impressive and energetic album. An underrated masterpiece that highlighted a long time missing piece and spirit from the main metal scene.

Infernal Curse - Awakening of the Damned (2012)

   Infernal Curse had a stunning full-lenght debut that showed a slightly different aspect compared to the usual sound of black/death. 

   Their music is quite close to war metal, but as it's known, that style have quite strict rules, and doesn't really offer various possibilities. However, the sound of "Awakening of the Damned" fits to those rules, but also reminds to what some new waved old school bands doing, by trying ro recall the most ancient sound of extreme metal with so high accuracy as possible. Probably it wasn't Infernal Curse's intention to recreate the feeling of the '80s like how bands like Excoriate or Death Breath did, but the combination of nearly rehearsal quality, strong echoing effects and the returning basic thrash metal-like switches might lead to the same point even unintentionally. Nostalgia bands usually operating with the same toolbar. The two ways crossed each other, since both desire to sound primitive and inhuman the same time. Their mixed style could have been influenced first of all by the old school bands of the local scene, and their music is definitely relatable to that. Still, it's somehow different, and the same music and sound features could be found responsible for the differences, like for the similarities. The same concept, the same approach, but still, Infernal Curse is somehow unusual compared to other South American bands, and even though their musical concept might have different roots, their music shows more similarities with the European new waved old school tendencies. 

Bloodfiend - Under the Evil Command (2011)

 Bloodfiend became one of the best South American death metal bands quite soon after their formation and the release of "Under the Evil Command".
   Their old school rooted and mainly Northern death metal referring music recalls the evergreen classics of the early '90s death metal scene. Northern because their sound isn't like the usual Swedish buzzsaw sound, and the song structures showing analogy both with the tendencies of the Swedish and the early Finnish scene. That makes primitive, basic, but catchy themes with rude sounding vocal style (that are definitely Swedish features) mixed with a repetitive leading melody, that serves as a same way unifying and distiguishing frame for all songs. This kind of songwriting requires experience, so the band members certainly had some musical past before Bloodfiend too. They preferred thrashy basics mainly played in middle speed, and frequently switching to intense hammering. The album sounds nostalgic and refreshing the same time by being intense, heavy and devastating in enjoyable proportions, according to which feature is more required. It could be a potential favorite for the fans of old schoold death, by offering enjoyable diversity of themes, that could be compared only to the biggest names of the early '90s.  

Eternal Grave - Arquitectura del horror (2009)

   Somehow it's always appreciating to find new bands who are playing in old Cannibal Corpse style. Partly because it's not easy to give back the same combination of heaviness and sickness, and partly because it's exaggerated effect could be addictive.
   Eternal Grave recalled that very familiar feeling with success. They've reached the same level of heaviness, brutality and intesity, even the deep growling vocal style is quite Chris Barnes-like. For direct comparsion the album reminds the most to "The Bleeding", except in the case of sick melodies. They experimented with some short ones, but they didn't become the essential part of the songs like at Cannibal Corpse, only showing up as some background melodies for a while. Some of them worked out well, others not that much, but sometimes they've shortened them to weird fripperies. Therefore the noisy brutality have absolute leading role, and this way the main impression is quite raw, but keeps staying enough enjoyable to keep the listener's attention. The band preferred common slow downs between the hammering parts. "Arquitectura del horror" might be fun to listen for the lovers of Cannibal Corpse nostalgia, and also for the fans of gory brutal death.

Angkor - Infectus I.N.R.I. (2007)

   Angkor was formed in the early '90s, and they had several demo tapes during the time until their full-lenght debut came out in 2007.
   After the date of formation it might be not surprising that similar to other old school South American metal bands, their music includes various influences, and it's difficult to sort them into a specific style. Officially they play black/death metal, but of course it's different from anything that's usual under this term. Thrash/death influences are definitely there, their songs reaching the same intensity, the sound has the necessary heaviness, and the themes are including the old school features of the early '90s. But "Infectus I.N.R.I." is far more diverse than an average nostalgia album. Musical references even from the '80s are possible to find in the classy lead guitar themes that are having remarkable heavy/speed metal touch. The whole album has a strong atmosphere that makes it sound like that if was planned to be released 2 decades earlier. This and the lead guitar play made the album more melodic. The suffocating/screaming vocal style suspects that some antropomorph vampiric bat creature is making these noises, and together with the atmospheric sound the main view has a strong theatrical impression that reminds to "Nightmare Theathre" by Exorcist. There may be an analogy to find in concept with some symphonic black metal bands, but Angkor had different musical roots. It's interesting that they used up the "yet unused" middle part of the painting "Lovecraft's Nightmare" by Michael Whelan as album cover. The first part appeared as the album cover of Obituary's "Cause of Death", while the last part on "Epidemic of Violence" by Demolition Hammer. But for those who are not interested only to play album art puzzle, "Infectus I.N.R.I." may hold an interesting and genuine musical experience.

Vibrion - Closed Frontiers (1997)

   Vibrion was one of the oldest Argentinean death metal bands, and probably an influental one too for the local scene. But the main cause that made them extraordinary is that their style was quite different from what was usual at old school South American metal bands.
   They debuted with an ordinary death metal album, so it didn't sound like a mix of related genres. The pure aggressiveness they performed on "Diseased", returned in a different way on "Closed Frontiers". The main scene was changing and death metal lost it's actuality already, and it seemed like they tried to follow the style of late Sepultura. The guitar themes sounding very characteristic on the album, so it's almost impossible to confuse them with other bands. Their repetitive groovy themes are already suspecting their late ambitions to involve industrial influences. The vocal style is more like aggressive shouting than growling, so even though it was the same on the first album too, it also sounds like a hint for a style change. Their drummer tried to compense with constant snare drumming that he simply couldn't play so fast as it was needed, so the main view is quite interesting, but not bad at all. It's hard to decide if "Closed Frontiers" counts as an experimenting album, or the way how the musicians tried to find their own way through their confined abilities made it exciting. Probably both.