Deamonolith - The Monolith Cult of Death (2024)

   By the complexity of Deamonolith's full-lenght debut, it's evident that the band members having a longer past in the metal scene, since the album just doesn't sound like the debut of newbies. 
   Their music in general could fit next to the '00s progressive brutal death bands, except they laid way more importance on unified sound and song compositions. Therefore the experimenting ambitions are limited, and progressive and other mixed influences are easily distinguishable from brutal death hammerings (usually they come by slow downs). Probably the sound went through the most widest spectrum of experiments. While the brutal death parts having a more modern, but the same time noisy, rumbling impression, the softer parts are varying from classic progressive metal themes supporting sterile sound to late '90s third wave black metal atmosphere. The clear separation of death metal and progressive parts turning the contrast between the two directions quite evident, and basically making the music easier to go into than in case of  '00s progressive brutal death bands. The whole thing also might have a more old school oriented, "respect the classics of the genre" perspective, and somehow it seems like as a necessary step to keep the most identifying style features clear. By their intensity and complex themes, bands like Dying Fetus, Vital Remains, Kataklysm and Vader could be named as their possible influences. "The Monolith Cult of Death" might become a potential favorite for the fans of the modern sound of death metal. 

Stereoshval' - Split (2024)

   Previously it was mentioned, that stoner rock isn't the most difficult genre to work with, however, there are plenty of situations (especially in the modern scene), when this rule gets broken. Like when styles getting mixed up. This happened exactly at the debut of Stereoshval' - a young Russian band from Moscow area. 

   In reverse situation the rules turning upside down as well, and the difficulty will lie in creating something extraordinary, that's able to catch the attention (mainly) of the mainstream audiences. Stereoshval' definitely have the potential for that for 2 main reasons. First: their style mix of stoner, alternative and hard rock turned out pretty unified. The songs are well composed, and even though they are complex and showing a wide range of diversity and productiveness, they're kind of easy to go into. That's one of the essential features of great songwriting abilities. The results are enough unified to not even suspect at first the complexity that lies behind. And second: it's a great quality production. Similar sound and performance quality used to be expected to come from the US, and even after several listening, nobody would expect, that this music was recorded in Eastern Europe or in Russia. However, if someone paying attention on the current tendencies in the main scene, will not expect anything similar from the US, and nowadays the possibility turned reverse too. It makes a funny contrast how shortly the band expressing themselves in title giving, but the same time flooding the listener with the greatest pile of musical diversity and wealthiness. Even in similar style the material that was used to made this album, would be enough to create 2 different albums. Or would be divided into 2 releases, even if the total length wouldn't  make it necessary. Also complexity might be the only aspect how this record could be harder to go into for some (especially for ordinary storer rock fans), but for the fans of hard rock and progressive rock, it's definitely a potential long term favorite. 

Further information abut Stereoshval':

https://stereoshval.bandcamp.com/album/split

https://band.link/StereoSplit

KATO - Abyss (2023)

   Kato's returning EP continued the path that have been introduced by the debut: traditional black metal with confident experimenting ambitions. 

  It's important to state, that since the past decades experimenting with the genre became the most usual thing, and on such level, that the old school features only partly have been remained. In Europe it could be called as hipster black metal, and the very roots of this so to say abstraction could be found already in the late period of the first waved Norwegian black metal bands. Kato is interesting, cause it shows a way different perspective came by slightly different influences. Even though modern waved influences are wider and more confident than how they have been on "Conflagration", they didn't reduce the importance of the traditional elements. The music is still vile, dark and atmospheric, and it cannot be confused with the tendencies of European black metal. The reason could be that not a thick blackened atmosphere or the so called sizzling sound creating the frame that holds together the various themes, but the themes themselves have been composed to be unified. This basically takes way more effort and productiveness, and that makes Kato's music exceptional. For first hearing the "Abyss" might sound chaotic, but soon it gets clear that everything there is on it's place how it supposed to be. Similar musical wealthiness isn't usual to hear in this genre, except if it's directly mixed with another style like in case of black/doom metal. In Kato's music the mixture isn't so evident, since it's not limited to involve only a few styles, and also there's diversity in other dimensions: chaos - order, harmony - disharmony, sound - atmosphere ect. 
    The "Abyss" is not only long for an EP by it's nearly half hour length, but it also includes so many surprises for the listener, that it's able to show something new by every listening. It's complex, but not too dense or not hard to go into. Strongly recommended for the fans of black metal!

https://katokosmos.bandcamp.com/album/abyss

Vephar - Ascension Through Torture (2022)

    Vephar was formed in 2021 and debuted with a stunning EP titled as "Human Beasts". Their music combines the features of old school and brutal death metal embedded in the modern sound of the genre. And with the inevitable assistance of deep growling vocal style. According that it's performed by a female vocalist, this authentic performance might count impressive and exemplary not only for fellow male growlers, but also for the nowadays unfortunately widely spreading metal girl barbie wave.

   Their returning, full-lenght release follows the line that they have started, but on a more intense level. Their style is kind of complex and developed for a new band, and as for possible influences that suspects old school bands that had more technical tendencies on the side of staying at raw brutality. Bands like Morbid Angel, Vital Remains, Suffocation or Immolation. However Vephar didn't go too far in any of the mentioned directions, and they seem to prefer staying on the border of brutal, technical and old school tendencies. Modern, clean sound proved to be advantageous with this kind of hybrid style, by being able to highlight the effectiveness of these mixed features. Even though massive brutality is the most memorable feature of the album, common speed and theme switches making it more diverse. Unlike at most other similar bands they're not relying on the effectiveness of sudden and unexpected switches, but instead continuity and balance had determining importance on the album. In summary "Ascension Through Torture" is a well composed high quality record, potencial favorite for the fans of the old school and brutal aspects of death metal.

Atomic - Separate Races (2018)

   Atomic debuted as one of the most updated Hungarian metal bands in the early '90s, and their quite updated approach led them to switch style and record an industrial metal album in 1996.
   Even though their full-lenght debut "Slashing Victory" was quite uncomparable in quality to anything that have been released in Hungary in the '90s, the band was badly underrated, and they have split-up, so "Seperate Races" wasn't released until 2018. The album's main influences followed the changing tendencies of the middle '90s, when most metal bands tried various ways to renew their style. Industrial metal started to rise from the early '90s thanks to bands like Nine Inch Nails, Ministry or Fear Factory, and even some previusly way heavier bands like Sepultura drifted closer to these tendencies. For most old fans the mix of metal and industrial was kind of controversial, and similar style switches didn't seem to be the most fortunate steps. However, Atomic did something extraordinary again by this switch, since nothing similar could have been heard in the Hungarian scene even since now, and again the quality of their music matched to the standards of the international level. In it's local scene "Separate Races" was ahead of it's time again, maybe even more than the band's debut was. The themes are catchy and enjoyable even in their repetitive form, and to the heavy sound factory production noises are assisting, to increase the cold, unfiendly impression. All the key features of industrial metal were applied in the most advantageous way, and if it's about '90s industrial, "Seperate Races" could be compared only to the best albums that have been made in this style. In general the album is intense, and despite it's cold impression, it also shows some party compatibe aspect. Atomic's approach was quite genuine, and it's easy to distingush them from all other well known intustrial metal bands and projects.

More information about the band:

https://www.facebook.com/atomicthrashband

Ferum - Asunder / Erode (2022)

   Ferum from Italy debuted with an EP "Vergence" in 2018 released by by the label Everlasting Spew that's mainly known about it's death metal and grindcore releases. After Samantha's (guitars, vocals) relocation to Estonia, and by an Estonian drummer Are Kangus joined the band, it could be also called as an international project. With this line-up Ferum's first full-lengh album have been released in this August. Samantha previously played on guitar in bands like the Swedish styled death metal band Undead Creep and the blackened sludge/doom female band Saturnine.

   "Asunder/Erode" was completely worth waiting, since a high quality death/doom release have been born. While the themes of "Vergence" mainly reflected the features of old school Swedish death, the music in total reminded more to the that time less known early '90s Dutch scene (to bands such as Acrostichon or Sempiternal Deathreign), and the EP represented a raw form of death/doom by it's frequent intense themes. Compared to that on "Asunder/Erode" the role of speed switches and intensity reduced, and therefore their music drifted closer to the most essential definition of the style. And due to which direction made death/doom popular, it's very roots are lacking the more melodic, romantic concept. Instead there's overwhelming heaviness, simple, but chatchy riffs and downpulling rotting impression. Probably the death/doom classic Cianide could be mentioned as main musical influence (to them even direct reference can be discovered). Obscure lyrical concept performed by deep growling vocals are assisting to this slow but certain march to the horrors of inevitable doom. The ominous, demoralizing main view sounds nostalgic and refreshing the same time according to the past, current and main tendencies of the genre. Similarly impressing and defining releases are rare to find. 

More information about Ferum:
https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/asunder-erode

https://www.facebook.com/ferumdeath

Kato - Conflagration (2022)

    Even though there have been plenty of experiments since the middle '90s by Americans to play black metal, they rarely succeeded in the preferred way, mainly because of the inevitable influence of the strong American death metal scene. It's enough to think about Miss Dana Duffey's Demonic Christ, or Mr Phil Anselmo's Christ Inversion just to mention some of the bigger names and earliest tryings the same time. Excluding a very few exceptions the situation didn't change much... until present times.
   Kato - a one man project - relesaed a very promising demo in 2020, that seemed very close to skip that mentioned "tradition" by playing black metal in a way that's kind of rare to find in the United States. The upcoming debut EP will make sure that something is definitely about to change in the scene. Excellent and intense blackened themes opening wide perspectives for the listener, that are between the traditional and modern sound of black metal. In this case the great sound quality and the complexity of the songs are responsible for the modern features. The songs are kind of long, and their duration have been used up well by diverse theme switches. In general the main impression is melancholic, melodic and gloomy, but by wild blackened hammering the raw, aggressive side also gets frequently introduced. These changes doesn't seem to build on the contrast, it's more like to create a unified sound from diverse components, that are basically all essential features of black metal. The genre itself went through plenty of changes in the past, and compared to the latest "hipster compatible" wave of black metal, Kato represents a refreshing return to the basics in a genuine approach. In total "Conflagfration" definitely worth to pay attention for the fans of black metal. 

https://katokosmos.bandcamp.com/

Release date: 18. February, 2022

Kato is George

Session drums by Krzysztof Klingbein

Mastered by Greg Chandler, Priory Recording Studios