Serpent Rider – The Ichor Of Chimaera Review

By Steel Druhm

Steel never gets his fill of old-timey, sword-swinging trve metal. It’s one of the few genres that pulls me away from the rot pit these days, and a break from the reek of putrefaction is always nice. Enter The Ichor Of Chimaera, the debut from Los Angeles-based trvesters Serpent Rider, featuring Brandon Corsair of Houkago Grind Time and Draghkar. Their goal is a convincingly throwback sound and an epic vibe, taking pages from Manilla Road, Brocas Helm, DoomSword, and newer acts like Smoulder. With ample musical chops and solid appreciation for the sounds of past glories, can Serpent Rider tame the snakes of inexperience and triumph over the other trve hordes stalking the wastelands?

Things open in a deceptively low-key way on “Steel is the Answer.” The title would lead one to expect pounding war drums, martial marching, and much chest-thumping bravado, but instead, you’re met by the smooth and decidedly mellow vocals of R. Villar, who operates in a sedate, hypnotic space despite spinning tales of steel conquest and retribution. The supporting music is fully retro, with 80s-centric proto-metal riffs and flashes of glory-seeking harmonies. This creates a bit of a disconnect, but it isn’t bad at all. The war hammers rattle more forcefully on “Radiant,” where the might of trve metal reveals itself, even if the vocals never rise to match the fervor. The album grows stronger as it goes along, with the victorious, valorous (and somewhat liturgical) “Matri Deorum” charging into that sweet spot between Cirith Ungol, Manowar, and DoomSword, and I want to hoist a banner in its honor. This is the stuff that brings Steel to the fightspace.

Other moments of entertaining throwback barbarian fury include “Tyrant’s March,” which is what I expected more of based on the genre and promo language. This is more like all thunderous war galloping and ravaging, and I’m here for it. Closer “In Spring” changes things up with bouncy NWoBHM riffs that eventually merge into blackened terms and frantic blastbeats. This is an ingredient they should have mixed throughout the entire Manocake for added thrills and kills. There are a few stumbles on the way to Helm’s Deep, however. The title track is a decent enough 5-minute song stretched on the Rack of Elongation to an unwieldy 7-plus minutes, and it gets tiresome before it retreats. “The Hero’s Spirit” suffers a different fate, opting for a quasi-Goth doom sound that recalls Within Temptation, but doesn’t quite come together. At a crisp 36:11 minutes, most of The Ichor of Chimaera goes down pretty easily like ice-cold Night Train. The production is warm and appropriately retro, with a certain Cirith Ungol-esque clang and clomp I appreciate.

Though a vocalist can often be the guiding force for a trve metal act, in the case of Serpent Rider, it’s the fretboard acumen of Paul Gelbach and Brandon Corsair that fills the sails and cracks the whips. They run through a variety of old time influences along the way, like Cirith Ungol, Helstar, and Manilla Road, and they know exactly the sound and vibe they want to invoke. They’re adept at creating 80s-centric soundscapes and bring a goodly amount of heat to the forge. R Villar is an interesting frontwoman. Her smooth, laconic delivery is pleasant but feels out of place on songs that sound like they were made for battle and heroics, and the music cries out for more passion and invective. Her laid back approach works better on the slower, doomy cuts like the title track, but I still want MOAR oomph from her. She seems unwilling to take things into a more forceful gear, even on the aggressive cuts like “Radiant” and “In Spring.” This makes me long for Tower’s Sarabeth Linden to show up and roar against the dying of the light.

Serpent Rider exist inside the trve wheelhouse of Steel, and I enjoy what they do on The Ichor Of Chimaera. I just wish they brought more swords to the slaughter and fewer Gothic sleepytime lullabies. There’s plenty to like here, and a few keepers to honor in the Playlists of Titans. They just need to dial the trveness up a few more notches if you hope to curry favor with the Lords of Metal on Mount Crom. Hoard the damn swords, people. HOARD THEM!

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: No Remorse
Websites: serpentrider.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/serpentriderband | instagram.com/serpentriderofficial
Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AmericanMetal #CirithUngol #DoomMetal #HeavyMetal #HoukagoGrindTime #ManillaRoad #Mar25 #NoRemorseRecords #Review #Reviews #SerpentRider #Smoulder #TheIchorOfChimaera #TrueMetal

Ripped to Shreds – Sanshi Review

By Saunders

Four albums deep into a promising and increasingly impressive career, California’s death mongers Ripped to Shreds continue to hammer away and chisel a jagged path to the hearts of old-school death-loving folk. Following back-to-back bangers, the band’s prolific mastermind and guitarist/vocalist Andrew Lee (also of Azath, Houkago Grind Time, Draghkar amongst a plethora of other projects) readies his battle-hardened companions for another sick, ugly dose of grind-injected old school death mayhem. Quality writing and a deft hand at intertwining classic influences with an unvarnished modern twist, has trademarked an engaging, consistent body of work. Lee lives and breathes the musty airwaves of death metal’s storied, murky past, but composes and plays this shit better than most. Can the fourth album Sanshi capitalize and expand upon the sturdy groundwork and scene cred the Ripped to Shreds brand has so far established?

Despite the occasional proggy foray, this latest platter of crusty nastiness, breakneck speed, and gnarled hooks finds Ripped to Shreds refining a formula that seeks the advancement of their signature style, without muddying the waters with bold attempts at innovation. Few modern acts nail the retro aesthetic and rancid, fleshy appeal as well as Ripped to Shreds without leaning too heavily into derivation or tired recycling of old ideas. Ripped to Shreds sounds invigorated and full of punky, gritty aggression and songwriting flair. The roots of the Ripped to Shreds sound feature the classic vibes of the buzzsawing Stockholm and swampy Floridan scenes of yesteryear. Throw in a healthy dose of early Pestilence and vintage grindcore influences, think prime Terrorizer, and some flashy melodic shreddery, and you have a recipe for awesomeness.

Overall, the grind influence is more pronounced, unloading some of the band’s nastiest work to date, balanced by the increasingly noteworthy use of extravagant melodic solos and leads. The tradeoff vocals from Lee and the backing efforts of his bandmates work a treat, blending nasty guttural grunts and higher-pitched explosions with anguished van Drunen-isms and all manner of rip-roaring variations. Sanshi opens ambitiously, launching a six-plus minute juggernaut courtesy of the multi-pronged “Into the Court of Yanluowang.” Length isn’t an issue due to the propulsive energy, structural shifts, and an action-packed blend of death, grind, and thrashy melodeath influences, touching on some Horrendous vibes. The punky grind meets the thrashing death punch of “燒冥紙 (Sacrificial Fire)” jams swaggering grooves and melodic guitar embellishments into a violent tornado. Ripped to Shreds balances its crisper melodic tendencies and production values expertly with its feral, abrasive instincts. Balance is the key to much of Sanshi’s success. The album’s varied songwriting palette is showcased through blunt force grooves colliding with riff-driven thrashy death (“冥婚 Corpse Betrothal”), compact, blazing deathgrind numbers (“Force Fed,” “Perverting the Funeral Rites, Stripping for the Dead”), and brutish beatdowns punctuated with heroic shredding solos (“殭屍復活 [Horrendous Corpse Resurrection],” “Cultivating Towards Ascension”).

Lee’s skills as a composing architect, accomplished axe-slinger and chief vocalist are well established, however, there is an argument Lee is really coming into his own with a fully-fledged line-up of like-minded souls. The whole band fires on all cylinders, the material fueled by ripping tempos, technical precision, and gritty, yet undoubtedly infectious songwriting. Brian Do’s sick, blasty drum performance is worth noting, while the addition of second guitarist Michael Chavez proves a masterstroke, adding firepower, showmanship, and a potent dual axe dynamic to the formula, emphasized through the string of stunning solos and memorable riffs, touching on thrash, death, melodeath, and grind influences. I could use a little more fuzz and grime to the guitar tone, and the bass drums are a little clicky, otherwise, the production adds sharp edges and crisp punchy tones to compliment the album’s rawer charms.

Ripped to Shreds remain as consistently solid as ever with this latest opus. Sanshi takes the ingredients that have worked so effectively for Ripped to Shreds thus far and ups the ante to reveal some of their most potent, impressive work to date. Lee’s songwriting skills are reaching increasingly esteemed heights and the expertise in which the band wield speed, melody, abrasiveness, chugging grooves, and catchy writing is top-shelf. Every Ripped to Shreds album has delivered quality, teetering on the precipice of greatness. Sanshi keeps the consistent trend going, though takes it up a notch and showcases the Ripped to Shreds juggernaut operating in peak form.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stinky Stream
Label: Relapse Records
Websites: rippedtoshredsdeathmetal.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/rippedtoshredsband
Releases Worldwide: September 27th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AmericanMetal #Azath #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Draghkar #Grindcore #Horrendous #HoukagoGrindTime #OldSchoolDeathMetal #Pestilence #RelapseRecords #Review #Reviews #RippedToShreds #Sanshi #Terrorizer

Houkago Grind Time – Koncertos of Kawaiiness: Stealing Jon Chang’s Ideas, A Book by Andrew Lee Review

By Cherd

It’s a reliable pattern that every two years, Andrew Lee (Ripped to Shreds) crawls out from under his waifu body pillow, clears his work bench of Haikyuu!! figurines and Mountain Dew Code Red cans, and assembles a new full-length LP of otaku-themed death grind. Houkago Grind Time’s appropriately named third album Koncertos of Kawaiiness: Stealing Jon Chang’s Ideas, A Book by Andrew Lee finds Lee bowing to his senpai of Discordance Axis and Gridlink fame, the first to deem anime an appropriate theme to explore through the lens of grindcore. If you’re familiar with past Houkago Grind Time material, or anime culture in general, you’ll be well prepared for these 21 minutes of completely unserious meme music packaged as brutal death played at neck-snapping speed. For the uninitiated, I’ll break it to you gently: there’s less hentai here than you were probably hoping for.

As I noted in my review of Houkago Grind Time 2: The Second Raid, this all may be ridiculously themed novelty metal, but Lee is a talented death metal riffsmith. You can expect stank face grooves like the ones in “Some More Moe” and “Miyajima Reiji Can’t Keep Getting Away With It” and impressive, if short, guitar solos like the one in “Kirara Chainsaw.” Lee, who handles all instruments as well as vocals, employs a deep, distorted belch/growl that approaches goregrind levels of burbling illegibility. There are “lyrics” to the songs here, but the vocals don’t match them since both exist in that same joke-space as the concept and spirit of the entire project. Themes range from annoying character catch phrases (“Nico Nico No!!”) to criticizing those who worship at the altar of that little piece of shit Shinji Ikari (“Cruel Grinder’s Thesis”), but if you really want to know what’s being said, all you need are the lyrics for “Yuru Yu-Rot.”

Koncertos of Kawaiiness is a good record, and I’ll happily tell you why in a minute, but first let’s lay out why it isn’t better than good in this reviewer’s estimation, though the potential was there. Facing his battle opponent (me), Lee dons a bejeweled Shinobi headband, slightly askew. He takes his stance and initiates his technique. “Sound Breathing,” he says, “Sixth Form: PONG SNARE!” and with that, his huge, chained Nichirin blades whirr, jab, and PONG from all directions. For a high-ranking Upper Moon like Dolphin Whisperer, this attack would pose no issues. He would laugh maniacally and insult Lee’s bloodline. But I’m not even a Lower Six when it comes to annoying drum tones, so it’s a barrier for me. If someone like Kenstrosity, an enjoyer of pong snare and other brutal death metal affectations is Mob from Mob Psycho 100, that would make me the fraudulent but well(ish) meaning Reigen. So be it. It tarnishes an otherwise highly enjoyable grind record.

For those who can push through the snare tone, fun brutality awaits. Songs like the knuckle-dragging “You Broke My Nutbladder” make good use of the contrast between the frequent UwU sound samples and the stupidly violent deathgrind assault. The real highlights come when ugly grooves jumble together with sudden machine gun blasts and economical solo squealing like so many toddlers in a bouncy castle with one big kid that just keeps launching them into each other (“Some More Moe,” “Kirara Chainsaw,” “Houkago Grind Time Still Cares”), but songs like the 30-second scorch mark “Get On the Stage Bocchi” form the connective tissue that make Koncertos of Kawaiiness a more varied yet unified effort than The Second Raid. There are fun riffs packed into every corner of these 21 minutes, and Lee’s gore gurgles are employed with more creativity than most.

If you appreciate sick death metal riffs played really fast and girls in school uniforms, Houkago Grind Time might be your jam. If you like those things AND snare drums that go “pong” AND pig burp vocals, you’ll be chasing after Koncertos of Kawaiiness like a pathetically love-sick Zenitsu Agatsuma chases Nezuko Kamado.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Outrageous Weeb Power Productions
Websites: houkagogrindtime2.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/houkagogrindtime
Releases Worldwide: August 16th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AmericanMetal #Aug24 #DeathGrind #DeathMetal #DiscordanceAxis #Goregrind #Gridlink #Grind #Grindcore #HoukagoGrindTime #KoncertosOfKawaiinessStealingJonChangSIdeasABookByAndrewLee #Review #Reviews #RippedToShreds #SelfRelease

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Exclusive Album Stream: Houkago Grind Time Demolish Cuteness with Koncertos Of Kawaiiness

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Album Review: Houkago Grind Time – ‘Koncertos Of Kawaiiness: Stealing Jon Chang’s Ideas, A Book By Andrew Lee’

Manga-based grindcore? Well it had to happen. Houkago Grind Time chuck cute sound samples into the mix and then beat them to a bloody pulp with requisite tin can snare, and g

https://www.moshville.co.uk/reviews/album-review/2024/07/album-review-houkago-grind-time-koncertos-of-kawaiiness-stealing-jon-changs-ideas-a-book-by-andrew-lee/

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