Mastodawn

By Spicie Forrest

In his most recent visit to terrorize the unwashed masses known as writers, Steel gave me a choice: volunteer to cover Gruta or be voluntold to cover something (else) of his choosing. So it was that I found myself reviewing Gruta’s sophomore release, Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem. Hailing from Bogotá, Colombia, Gruta plays a style of black metal they’ve labeled “Chaos Black, a twisted gnarled amalgamation of black metal’s most vicious bits.”1 Between this description, loudly antifascist messaging, and opening the record by sampling the Dark Lord Sauron, my expectations were high. Does Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem deliver, or is Gruta just another passionate young band in search of their identity?

The core of Gruta’s sound straddles the line between black metal’s first and second waves. Although Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem opens bright and playful à la Slaegt, it quickly settles into something more traditional (“Niebla”). Drummer Flama unleashes blast beats and d-beat-laden assaults in equal measure, while guitarists Agnen and Garmr wildly oscillate between punky Bathory riffcraft and Immortally searing tremolos (“Oda a la Ruina,” “M.A.F.M”2). The resulting baseline is like a distant cousin to Darkthrone. Vocalist Dagnir is nearly a dead ringer for Mayhem, frog voice and all. Whether whipping up a crowd (“Ramas de Araña,” “Sword of Defilement”) or shouting incantations like Saruman over the winds of Caradhras (“Transfiguración”), Dagnir commands an impressive range of rasps, howls, shrieks, and croaks. Rather than choosing between black metal’s punky origins and the icy, atmospheric howl it became, Gruta uses both as a springboard for what they ultimately create.

“Chaos Black” had me expecting unhinged war metal, heavy dissonance, or traces of grindcore. Not so, apparently. While their blackened core is indeed closest to Darkthrone, Gruta incorporates DSBM atmospherics (“Stygos Tou Kosmos,” “M.A.F.M.”), heavy metal (“Oda a la Ruina,” “Ramas de Araña”3), Slayer-esque thrashing (“Al-Shuhada,” “Sword of Defilement”), punky piss and vinegar (“Ramas de Araña,” “M.A.F.M.”) and even emotive atmoblack structures (“Vorágine Espectral”). Rather than a caustic brew, the result shares much in common with Kvelertak. By injecting their formula with such wide-ranging styles, Gruta offers a fun and engaging ride. In crafting this refreshing take on black metal, Ataecina’s bass unexpectedly steals the show. Surprisingly forward in the mix, it’s vibrant and warm, very like Iron Maiden’s early releases. Ataecina weaves and dances around central riffs and rhythms, nimbly alternating between counterpointed leads and supporting Agnen and Garmr’s guitars (“Oda a la Ruina,” “Ramas de Araña”). Gruta is certainly black metal, but it is their ambitious maelstrom of influences that separates them from the pack.

Gruta’s biggest difficulty is in keeping their momentum up through the album. Opener “Niebla” struggles to get off the ground because of a false ending one minute in, and with a slow, atmospheric interlude that takes up a quarter of the track, “Niebla” feels more like a botched teaser than an actual song. “Stygos Tou Kosmos” suffers similarly. It downshifts from mid-paced, Mayhem-heavy black metal to haunting and eerie DSBM around 1:30, lingering there without clear purpose until it fades out two and a half minutes later. I hate to knock a song that literally screams “Death to Fascist Metal,” but “M.A.F.M.” has the same issue; the first half is an absolutely vitriolic barn burner, but the back half runs out of gas early and takes a couple minutes to eke across the finish line. I think if these songs were cut up differently, or perhaps ordered differently, this may not be as much of an issue, but as it stands, I find myself wanting to skip about a third of the album.

Opening with a soundbyte of Sauron the Deceiver is a good foot to start on, but Gruta doesn’t really need it. Retro guitars, iconic vocals, a deliciously clever bass, and punky, energetic drums come together to honor the greats and forge a path all Gruta’s own. Far from the harrowing trip I expected, Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem has a classic, old school feel, decked out in fun, nostalgic threads. Gruta’s style does come dangerously close to the kitchen sink, and I’d like to see a smidge more focus and a keener ear toward holistic composition on future releases. But problems aside, Hymnus Ad Atram Mortem is a solid and exploratory sophomore effort from a passionate band, and I’ll be very interested to see what Gruta does next.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Liminal Dread Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

#2025 #30 #Bathory #BlackMetal #ColumbianMetal #Darkthrone #Gruta #HymnusAdAtramMortem #Immortal #IronMaiden #Kvelertak #LiminalDreadProductions #Mayhem #Nov25 #Review #Reviews #Slaegt #Slayer

Angry Metal Guy Oct 25

Revenge – Night Danger Review

By Creeping Ivy

Like all subgenres, speed metal exists at the nexus of other genres: namely, classic heavy metal and thrash. Whether a band leans towards a classic or thrashy version of the sound becomes the primary distinguisher. Night Danger, the latest LP from longstanding Colombian band Revenge, is a speed metal record in the vein of Running Wild and Razor. But Revenge leans in a classic direction, claiming Judas Priest and Helloween as inspirations. Indeed, that Helloween-inspired artwork, coupled with the band’s longevity, should be enough to convince speed freaks to give Night Danger a spin. Those who observe the speed limit, however, will probably need more than the orange glow of a horse’s face to be convinced.1

Speed metal fans will be happy to hear that Night Danger consistently fulfills the promise of the genre’s adjective, with quality performances across the board. All but one of its songs gallop at the pace of the steed adorning its cover. To the list of Revenge’s self-professed classic influences, I would add the contemporary heavy metal band Century as a sonic touchstone, insofar as Night Danger tends to keep things up-tempo and, production-wise, traditional. The first half of the album races through songs that veer more in the classic direction, offering harmonized guitar melodies (“Black Sight”), fist-pumping choruses from Esteban ‘Hellfire’ Mejía (“Night Danger”), and impressive solos from lead guitarist Night Crawler (“Soldier’s Heart”). On the back half, Revenge delves into thrashier terrain, building songs around more menacing riffs (“Desire from Pain”) and stompier bridges (“The Devil Race”) that allow drummer Hell Avenger to show off his double bass skills. Despite really having only one speed, Night Danger doesn’t overstay its welcome; no song feels overlong, and the album sensibly clocks in at just under 40 minutes.

Even for speed metal aficionados, though, Night Danger will read less like a holistic album and more like a collection of similar songs. The title track, for example, follows up opener “Black Sight” with a similar kind of introduction: a riff punctuated by drum accents before blastoff. From there, “Night Danger” also mirrors the opener’s pre-solo, half-time bridge. By the time the intro riff to “Soldier’s Heart” rolls around at the midpoint, the listener feels as if they’ve already heard a version of it as the intro to “Night Danger.” Closer “Crushing Death” is one of the stronger cuts on the album, morphing its righteously thrashin’ riff into a jaunty verse and a chorus with uber melodic guitar tags. Nothing about it, however, makes it feel like a closer; it could just as easily live somewhere in the middle of Night Danger.

This is not to say, however, that there’s no songwriting variation to be found here. As the only mid-tempo track on Night Danger, “Misty Night” first comes to mind. Beyond its tempo, the song’s solo also contains a minute variation, picking up on the melody of the main riff before shredding the listener’s face off. Speaking of solos, “The Devil Race” refreshingly opens with one (and, yes, has one during the bridge). On the low end, bassist Camilo Hernandez is periodically noticeable, adding countermelodies that would make Steve Harris proud (“Night Danger,” “Desire from Pain”). Switching from strings to voices: Hellfire is a solid vocalist, but the gang vocals on “The Hammers Fall” add a refreshing flavor to the mix. All of these variations, however, are infrequent and virtually imperceptible.

Speed metal is gonna speed metal, but the lack of variety on Night Danger will likely pose issues for devotees and neophytes alike. Fans of the genre should dig this, but they’ll also crave a few more mid-tempo tracks to keep things interesting. Those less familiar with Revenge’s influences won’t easily forgive the album’s mono-temporality. Night Danger probably won’t turn you into a speed freak, but if you already are one, it’ll satisfy your need.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Websites: revenge666.bandcamp.com/album/night-danger | facebook.com/revengespeed
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025

#25 #2025 #Century #ColumbianMetal #DyingVictimsProductions #HeavyMetal #Helloween #JudasPriest #NightDanger #Oct25 #Razor #Revenge #Review #Reviews #RunningWild #SpeedMetal

Jake in the desert Oct 16

#NowPlaying the second Funeral Vomit single from their upcoming LP Upheaval of Necromancy'. This is "Altars of Doom" and its visualizer video -- seriously brutal and crushing in true Funeral Vomit style. Psyched to hear the rest of this one in December!

https://youtu.be/_Kbr-th-n_Q

#metal #DeathMetal #Columbia #ColumbianMetal #ColumbianBands #2025Albums #2025Records #FuneralVomit #ThursDeath