Confess – Destination Addiction Review

By Owlswald

What happens when you’ve survived the unthinkable? This haunting question moves Destination Addiction, the fourth album by Iranian/Norwegian groove metal duo Confess. Following the release of 2015’s In Pursuit of Dreams, frontman/multi-instrumentalist Nikan Khosravi and DJ Arash Ilkhani endured a harrowing eighteen-month imprisonment by the Iranian government on charges of blasphemy and propaganda against the state. The story of their incarceration and subsequent escape to Turkey while appealing their six-year sentences has much online documentation, which earned them broad support from the global metal scene.1 Despite a punitive sentence from an Iranian court in absentia2 Confess obtained asylum in Norway and channeled their rage into 2022’s Revenge at All Costs. The New Wave of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM) and thrash-influenced release landed them a spot on Nile’s European tour and a legendary session drummer in George Kollias for the new record. With the threat of persecution now behind them, Confess is ready to unleash Destination Addiction on the masses.

Bolstered by Kollias and top-notch production, Confess has honed their craft on Destination Addiction. The potent one-two punch of Kollias’s nimble hand-foot patterns with Khosravi’s seven-string attacks propels Destination Addiction forward with raw unabated strength, injecting a sharp death metal edge into an otherwise familiar tone. The bludgeoning grooves of opener “Built on a Grave” and the blasting brutality of “Only Shackles to Lose” harken back to Anticult-era Decapitated. Additionally, the polished and balanced mix, with its monstrous guitar and drum tone, further magnifies the material’s quality and authenticity, with the influences that fueled Revenge at All Costs remaining alive and well. Lamb of God shredding (“After Goliath”) and Slipknot enthused anthems (“Expedition,” “Origami God”) frame Khosravi’s vitriolic, dirty growls, nu-metal screams, and pensive vocals amidst Ilkhani’s turntable manipulations. With the weight of their past torment, and Kollias’s exceptional drumming driving their refined sound, Destination Addiction’s raw emotion and anger explode through the speakers with undeniable force.

Confess holds great strength within its explosive energy with the instrumental prowess between Kollias and Khosravi generating power enough to fuel your New Year’s gym resolution. Incorporating brooding buildups and breakdowns amidst their heavy grooves and death-inspired onslaughts, the guitar-drum juggernaut effectively balances extreme aggression with accessible hooks that keep me coming back for more. Ferocious palm-muted riffs, relentless blasts, and hardcore slams ignite “Built on a Grave” and “Slaughterhouse,” while “Only Shackles to Lose” and “Breathe In. Breathe Out.” deliver a devastating finale of pummeling double bass, pit-inducing thrash, and syncopated paradiddle patterns. Khosravi’s vocal veracity elevates the vigor of the music through spirited cadences and excruciating howls, their aggressive and vengeful tone matching the emotional weight of the subject matter.

This cumulative ferocity makes it even more disappointing when the pace and intensity of Destination Addiction falters through the album’s midpoint. After an intriguing start, the overlong “Dark on Both Sides” succumbs to a familiar nu-metal-tinged formula of string bends and open chord progressions, while Ilkhani’s turntablism and Khosravi’s ordinary growls struggle to pick up the slack. The Machine Head-esque “Final Lap” suffers a similar fate, sprawling into an aimless, multi-minute ramble in its back half, derailing the momentum built by the initially engaging disparity of plodding harmonics and whirlwind bouts of tremolos, blasts and string rakes. Thankfully, the thrashing movements of “Suicide Song” and “After Goliath,” including an impressive guest solo by Marzi Montazeri (ex-Superjoint Ritual), help bridge the gap between the strong front and back halves until Confess recapture their gusto.

Confess has taken a large step forward with Destination Addiction, channeling their rage and resilience yet again into a refined sonic assault that leaves little doubt that they mean business. The addition of a drummer of Kollias’ magnitude, coupled with a crisp and polished production, has elevated their sound to new heights. While a couple tracks falter, Destination Addiction succeeds overall in delivering a potent blend of death, thrash, and NWOAHM grooves that transmits the raw energy, aggression, and emotional intensity of the unimaginable adversity Khosravi and Ilkhani have faced. Born from distress, as some of the best music has been, Destination Addiction leaves a lasting impression.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: EVIN Productions
Websites: confessband.com | confessband.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: January 31, 2025

#BlackMetal #Confess #DestinationAddiction #EVINProductions #InternationalMetal #Jan24 #Review #Reviews

#NationalObservanceDay #NationalComplimentDay #Jan24

National Compliment Day comes around every year on January 24. On this day, take the time to give someone a genuine, pure hearted compliment. It just might make their day!

https://nationaltoday.com/national-compliment-day/

Happy #Macintosh day!

#Jan24 #1984 #41Years #68000 #68k

Carnal Savagery – Into the Abysmal Void Review

By Felagund

I’m a sucker for a gnarly album cover. Give me a detailed image of a zombie, ghoul or otherwise undead creature holding a bladed instrument for use in committing appalling acts, and I’m a happy guy. It was this passion for putridity that led me to choose Into the Abysmal Void, the fifth album by Gothenburg, Sweden-based death metallers Carnal Savagery. While I wasn’t at all familiar with the band’s music, I just couldn’t say no to this most common of death metal tropes. Sure, we’ve all seen our fair share of monsters, madmen and mayhem gracing album covers, but unlike some buzzkills out there, I’ve never grown tired of this pastime. And so I grabbed Carnal Savagery in my grungy mits, hoping that they would prove to be just as grimy and gratuitous as their artwork.

Carnal Savagery are nothing if not grimy n’ gratuitous, and that’s exactly what I was hoping for. They traffic in a pungently pleasant, meat-and-potatoes style of OSDM (a similar point the Good Lord Steel made in his review of the band’s fourth outing in 2022), overflowing with guts, gore, filthy guitar tones, crunchy riffs, beastly grooves, and inhumane snarls. Is it any surprise these Swedish carnal savages kneel and worship at the combined altars of Dismember and Entombed? One of the more interesting aspects of Into the Abysmal Void is the light layer of blackened char that crusts over this death metal behemoth’s scarred hide. Vocalist Mattias Lilja’s vox are a bit higher pitched and dynamic than your average OSDM growler, and the guitar is muddy while still maintaining a dangerous, highly-honed edge. Taken together, these elements result in an album that, much like a Bowie knife duct taped to a sledgehammer, both pummels and slices.

The first track is called “Defleshing The Bones.” What more do I need to say? This is a buzzy, bloody, and brief OSDM onslaught with a memorable chorus to boot (albeit just a hearty repetition of the song title). It’s also a perfect roadmap for the rest of Into the Abysmal Void. You get plenty of frenetic blast-beats, screaming solos, and a guitar that should be legally required to have “The Saw Is Family” inlaid on fretboard (thank you, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, for making that tortured reference possible). “Stench of Burnt Decay” slices through your eardrum with crunchy, eviscerating riffs, as does the mutilating maelstrom that is “Reek of Decomposing Flesh.” At the same time, Carnal Savagery are more than willing to slow things down, building atmosphere and crushing you beneath more unbearable heaviness than Giles Corey. “Morbid Death” is a true groove fest that weds sparse drumming with plodding, hefty riffing. “Column of Maggots,” which wins the award for best song title, leans into that doomy groove, while also throwing in some ominous keys that establish a perfect, unsettling tone and serve as the ideal setup for the return of a grimy, Swedeath adrenaline surge.

Where Carnal Savagery fall a bit short on Into the Abysmal Void is their overreliance on repetition. While there’s no bad song on the album, there are certainly ones that tend to drag, especially on the back half, and I chalk most of that up to too much emphasis on the band’s established songwriting structure. By the time you’ve gotten to the seventh song “The Revenant,” you realize it sounds a lot like the previous tune “Choked to Death.” And while the deathened charm is still there, it’s not quite strong enough to make you forget that even fun filler is still filler. Add in the nit-picky observation that nearly every chorus is simply the song title emphatically growled several times, and it’s clear that while repetition is a generally effective part of Into the Abysmal Void’s formula, Carnal Savagery could stand to shake things up a bit more.

The term “Meat and potatoes” seems to have garnered a negative connotation, and that’s a shame. I used it earlier in this review, and I meant it as a genuine compliment. The idea, as far as I see it, is that something doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel to be engaging and enjoyable. Sometimes comfortable, straightforward and reliable is good. And for us unwashed miscreants, old school death metal is just that. Despite some of its issues, Abysmal Void’s latest is honest to goodness meat and potatoes, and for that, I give thanks. I’ll happily clean my plate and go back for seconds, just do me a favor and don’t tell me where this slab o’ protein came from.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 192 kbps mp3
Label: Moribund Records
Websites: carnalsavagery.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/carnalsavagery
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2022

#2024 #30 #CarnalSavageryIntoTheAbysmalVoid #DeathMetal #Dismember #Entombed #Jan24 #MoribundRecords #Review #Reviews #SwedishDeathMetal

Byron – Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant Review

By Iceberg

As metal spawns an ever-growing army of combo meals, sometimes it’s nice to go back to the basics. Finland’s Byron, previously reviewed here by our gone-but-not-forgotten Huck n’ Roll, peddle a brand of occult rock with dashes of NWoBHM. Led by drummer Johannes Lahti—styling himself as Byron V—the band has emerged four years after their debut The Omega Evangelion with follow-up Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant. One would imagine Lovecraftian themes of impending doom and epic tales of heroism should provide fertile ground for the fuzzy proto-metal world of the ‘70s. With that in mind, and conscious of the hurdles presented by their debut album, I put on my best oversized fire cloak, lit some candles of intention, and pressed play.

Although Byron play a time-worn style of metal, they don’t confine themselves to a single sonic palette. Early doom tends to be the jumping-off point for occult rock—think Black Sabbath and Pentagram—but that’s not the case with Byron. Chapter II… takes cues from the mysticism of Led Zeppelin (“Sword of the Apostle,” “The Golden Galley”), the swagger of Deep Purple (“Resignation,” “Return to Celephais”), and even the galloping theatrics of early Maiden (“The Lotus Covenant,” “Sometimes Dead is Better”). Melding all these influences is a tall order for any act, and Chapter II occasionally shows its seams as a result. But the more time I spent listening, the more I realized this is an energetic, well-performed, and most importantly fun record.

While bandleader Lahti takes his share of the spotlight with the curtain-raising drum fill of “Overture,” vocalist Johanna Eteläkari shoulders much of the weight of Byron’s sophomore outing. The band wisely jettisoned the weaker harsh vocals of their previous effort to place Eteläkari front and center, and the album’s all the better for it. Her performance guides a smörgåsbord of fist-pumping tracks, from the riff-fests of “The Lotus Covenant” and “The X,” to the ominous Hammond B3-led “Resignation,” and the epic storytelling of “Sword of the Apostle.” The orchestration of Chapter II lends variety and life to the album, featuring a bevy of accompanying instruments including strings, auxiliary percussion, and an omnipresent tambourine. Noteworthy guitar solos anchor Byron’s sound with classic heavy metal idiosyncrasies, but they also provide dynamic shape propelling the song rather than segmenting it (“Sometimes Dead is Better,” “The X”).

Taken track-by-track, a lot of Chapter II makes for a kick-ass occult throwback, but the album as a whole doesn’t digest quite as easily. Excluding obligatory opener “Overture,” the album only features 7 proper tracks delivering 33 minutes of runtime. Normally I’d praise self-editing and the absence of bloat, but with 7-plus minute “Sword of the Apostle” smack in the middle, I’m left with the feeling that Byron actually shortchanged the album. Songs tend to barrel through tight structures and then end rather abruptly (“The Lotus Covenant,” “The X”). The band proves they are no one-trick pony by showcasing multiple instrumental tracks, a spoken word segment, an acoustic-driven ballad, and at least two literary references—Lovecraft and Stephen King—amongst the standard sing-along choruses and shredding leads. But for all this variety it’s tough to parse out any musical through-line due to the brevity of the album. Byron rarely stay in one place long enough for me to absorb their take on the style. As much as I appreciate the skill on display, I’m left missing the definition of the band and the album alike.

That being said, Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant is still a good album that needs to build a greater sum from its parts. The band has a lot going for them in a solid lineup, solid performances, and a vibrant sound that feels resurrected and yet original. But the album as a whole is the art form at stake here, and adherents to the heady days of vinyl should keep that goal foremost in mind. Still, if you’re looking for burly riffs, catchy choruses, classic guitar solos, and a whole lot of tambourine you could do worse than Byron’s latest effort. I look forward to the band’s next album with cautious optimism, and until then I’ll turn on Chapter II when I’m burnt on genre word salad and need to tune in and drop out.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Goatmancer Records
Websites: facebook.com | Bandcamp

Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024

#2024 #30 #BlackSabbath #Byron #ChapterIITheLotusCovenant #DeepPurple #FinnishMetal #GoatmancerRecords #HeavyMetal #IronMaiden #Jan24 #LedZeppelin #NWOBHM #OccultRock #Review #Reviews

The Infernal Sea – Hellfenlic Review

By Dear Hollow

Black metal is a finnicky beast. While it’s cohesively devoted to the barbed-wire sonic abuse of the darkest variety, and themes range from the occult, misanthropy, and our old pal Satan, The Infernal Sea dwells in history’s halls. While prior full-lengths Negotium Crucis and The Great Mortality respectively deal with themes such as the medieval church’s exploitation and the Black Death, 2024 finds the Brits exploring a distinct figure: the “Witchfinder General” Matthew Hopkins. Son of a Puritan minister, Hopkins’ three-year crusade against witches and other perceived heresies, through brutal confession extraction and torture in the name of God, would live on in infamy. The Infernal Sea embraces the viciousness of this theme, never neglecting a tangible weight through a riff-first assault, tinged by meditation and tragedy.

The Infernal Sea would likely not raise heads with their style of second-wave. The quartet relies primarily on the unholy trinity of tremolo, blastbeats, and shrieks to carry their style, but attack it with a sour attitude and violent ruthlessness. Hellfenlic tells the tale of the Witchfinder General from zealotry to brutality to downfall through the dark lens of blackened barbarousness, a distinct album-long lyrical and sonic crescendo. With hints of thrash, black n’ roll, and atmosphere, The Infernal Sea composes their third full-length like a story, with tangible darkness and realized tragedy. Ultimately a wonky affair of intense proportions sidewinded by different genre influences and unhinged segments, while its reach exceeds its grasp periodically, Hellfenlic is an intriguing piece of storytelling whose vicious M.O. never questions the allegiance to “trve kvlt.”

If riffy black metal is your jam, The Infernal Sea has got you covered in the 1349 and Dark Funeral School of the Dark Arts. From the scathing Darkthrone tremolo of openers “Lord Abhorrent” and dancing raw melodies of “Shadow of the Beast,” to the head-bobbing heavy metal groove of “Witchfinder” and black ‘n roll riffs and punky rhythms of “Black Witchery,” Hellfenlic will not hesitate to beat you senseless with their uniquely scathingly raw yet hefty guitar tone. Tasty leads that behold a multitude of motifs are utilized throughout to convey the gravity of its source material. Bass is utilized beautifully, injecting a sinister contemplativeness into the abusive tracks “Witchfinder” and “Bastard of the East.” Proving they are not just a one-trick pony witchfinder, the closing tracks elevate Hellfenlic to a more evocative and human dimension. “Frozen Fen” incorporates sprawling and textured overlapping riffs that give a tangible meditation of Hopkins’ downfall, while closer “Messenger of God” utilizes mournful violin and emotive chord progressions alongside contemplative blastbeats to convey the tragedy and destruction wrought in the Witchfinder General’s wake, that indeed, his godly intentions led to the deepest cruelty.

The problems that plague The Infernal Sea are rooted in the adherence to the thrashing second-wave that can often derail creative compositions. Most notably, without several listens to dive into the first half in particular, the tracks can blur together: “Shadow of the Beast” and “The Hunter” have identical structure and lose memorability, starting with a frenetic tremolo/blastbeat assault, before succumbing to a punchy groove about two-thirds of the way in. “Bastard of the East” features a frail chord progression that derails the darker vibe that preceded, and its concluding kickass riff is its only saving grace; “Witchfinder” is likewise an album highlight but its kickass closing riff comes at the end of a tempo-wavering sloppy chug. Despite the nitpicks, the biggest qualm of Hellfenlic is that it is unabashed black metal. Schooled in both the cutthroat speed of Dark Funeral as well as the riff-centric blackened thrash of Absu or Toxic Holocaust, The Infernal Sea is loud and proud with little subtlety to spare.

At the end of the day, Hellfenlic is an album I can blast again and again in spite of its flaws. Tracks like “Black Witchery” and “Witchfinder” are vicious and venomous thrashers, while “Frozen Fen” and “Messenger of God” are thoughtful respites in the attack. The Infernal Sea neatly balances the riff, rooted in thrash and black ‘n roll, with its heavy-handed commentary on an infamous figure that somehow avoids the pitfalls of insensitivity or compositional neglect. While it’s unashamed black metal through and through, and that may not be for everyone, its intriguing theme and sonic blend of the thoughtful and vicious.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Candlelight Records
Websites: theinfernalsea.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/theinfernalsea
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024

#1349 #2024 #30 #Absu #BlackMetal #BlackNRoll #BlackenedThrashMetal #BritishMetal #CandlelightRecords #DarkFuneral #Darkthrone #Hellfenlic #Jan24 #Review #Reviews #TheInfernalSea #ToxicHolocaust

Dissimulator – Lower Form Resistance Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

“My name is Clyde, and I arrive from beyond with terrible news.”

I’ll never forget the Wednesday that I saw the future. Bag, coffee, keys, phone, wallet in tow, I stepped to the porch as I’d done countless times, but down the path I saw staring back at me what appeared to be a Russian tortoise. With its gaze intense as one who had seen a thousand lifetimes, a small pneumatic lift carried and affixed the anguished being at eye level. I could see the morning sun glistening against titanium stitches in a war-torn shell and claws attached to arms for defense. A holograph appeared in front of me—a memory. Clyde cried out in anguish as a limp and head-cracked Ferox lay splayed out, beside him a paperboard sleeve that read simply Dissimulator Lower Form Resistance. Without language my mind began ringing.

“He’s dead. Ferox—my best friend—is dead. You must warn him.”
“Of what?” my thoughts raced.
“Let me show you.”

A ticking cymbal turned my head to the left. I was transported into a wasteland of contorted, lifeless bodies. My breathing intensified as a sick ass riff coursed through me. My black slacks turned to faded and shredded jorts. I could feel the gentle breeze against my freshly exposed arms, the rest of my upper body covered only by a sleeveless, tattered tee that read Whiplash.

“The ‘Neural Hack’ is complete. Now you know. Ferox has passed into a Coma of Souls. This is his Punishment for Decadence. He once thought the riff was his home, but it came to be his Nemesis. Warn him. Save him. Study the riff. Learn its angles.”

Clyde left me and Lower Form Resistance continued on repeat.

I’d encountered ripping thrash before, much of which had sounded in some way like Dissimulator. However, many quirks accompany the crossover-leaning tempo shifts that threaten necks across Lower Form Resistance (“Warped,” “Hyperline Underflow”)—the words progressive and rhythmically frantic come to mind. Philippe Boucher (Beyond Creation, Chthe’ilist) commands his kit with domineering precision, with blackened blasts giving way to skanky pit rolls (“Automoil & Robotoil”) and cymbal strikes signaling massive propulsion (“Neural Hack,” “Lower Form Resistance”). And riding right alongside his wild and dynamic snare, Antoine Daigneault (Atramentus, Chthe’ilist) plunks noodling runs behind spacious chord strikes (“Warped”) and furious pops behind galloping kick lines (“Cybermorphism / Mainframe”). Moments pass where the maelstrom seems to be nearing a steady. But it’s never long before one of these two dastardly players intensify the platform on which the mighty riff leans, turning a snappy stumble into frenzied and tackling strut.

Yes, ultimately, Lower Form Resistance thrives on the frightening, contentious, riff. Claude Leduc (Atramentus, Chthe’ilist), knowing this tool’s power to be both over-leveraged and under-thought, never shies away from breaking character with a Voivod-ian bright chord clamor (“Cybermorphism / Mainframe,” “Lower Form Resistance) or squealing hot lead lick. Similarly, Leduc manipulates the mic with both digital, vocoder-like screenings1 and a hurdling, deathy growl that dips toe into forceful, blackened realms2 on a dime (“Automoil & Robotoil”). Even when the vocals stray into cleaner, prog-borrowing croons, it’s in accentuation of elated cries or slippery slow downs, never quite overstaying welcome. Possessing the ability to wrap lengthy banger in whammy echoes (“Outer Phase”) or escalate creeping scale weeping into hairpin-turn tumult (“Cybermorphism / Mainframe”), Dissimulator makes every movement feel fresh with campy thrash and sci-fi exuberance.

“Clyde, the secret is to maintain a careful bend at the knee, a thoughtful crouch, one arm swinging back, one arm swinging forward as you enter the Thrash Zone.”

As my eyes opened back to the world and this message made its way to present-day Ferox, a smile came to Clyde‘s weathered visage. The proud tortoise began to dissolve back into, presumably, a happier timeline. Dissimulator challenges the energy that technical death-thrash leaders Revocation and Cryptic Shift bring to the masses while also standing vibrantly beside the timelessness of the thrash titans to whom they’ve written this love letter. It’s understandable, then, that Lower Form Resistance hits with heavy-handed nostalgia, grips with tension-testing songwriting, and lands with enough momentum to sweep the floor from under your feet. If you’ve listened and persevered, hold tight to the thrash rager that now sits hot in your catalog. And if you haven’t? Consider this a warning and brace for impact.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin | Bandcamp3
Website: facebook.com/dissimulatorofficial
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024

#20BuckSpin #2024 #40 #CanadianMetal #ComaOfSouls #Coroner #CrossoverThrash #CrypticShift #DRI_ #DeathThrash #Dissimulator #Jan24 #Kreator #LowerFormResistance #Nemesis #Obliveon #PunishmentForDecadence #Review #Reviews #Revocation #TechnicalThrashMetal #ThrashMetal #ThrashZone #Voivod #Whiplash

Acerus – The Caliginous Serenade Review

By Steel Druhm

The Chasm have been cracking skulls since 1994 with their riff-intensive, wildly creative death metal. Over the years they evolved from ass-scratching caveman death to technical insanity engineers, but skulls were always smashed just the same. Though I’ve been a fan forever, somehow I missed that The Chasm’s bassist/guitarist/vocalist Daniel Corchado had an epic/trve metal side project called Acerus and had been releasing albums since 2014. For this, I feel great shame and now I must make amends. The Caliginous Serenade is their fourth release and this one will be properly exposed to the AMG masses! And what should one expect on an Acerus outing? Basically, it’s The Chasm’s blueprint directly applied to 80s trve metal like Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Virgin Steele, and Omen, with wild guitar work out front leading the charge. It’s retro as Hell, trve as fook, and will have you joining a rampaging horde before the first song ends. Before we go on, let me ask you this: How’s your sword arm hanging?

As soon as opener “Dying Consciousness of an Old God” kicks into life you will feel stronger and capable of great war wiolence. The galloping guitar lines attack lustily with a big clanging bass following behind as a rear guard. Esteban Julian Pena’s vocals are passionate and sit somewhere between Mark “the Shark” Shelton (Manilla Road) and Tony Taylor of (Twisted Tower Dire), with side quests into Brian Ross (Satan) style sneer-crooning. It works and it will inspire you to heroic deeds. It’s the guitar work by Ed Escamilla and Daniel Corchado that takes center stage, however, and boy do these guys bring the wizard thunder! It’s such a feel-good opener loaded with olden metal tropes, but it kicks plenty of modern day ass. The fun continues on rollicking cuts like the excellent “The Perception” where riffs overrun large swaths of the free world and establish a 1,000-year Empire of Mano-metal. “Failing Visions” fuses the classic trve metal sound with Slough Feg-isms and knocks the weird hybrid out of the park because RIFFS! My personal favorite is “The Serpent is King” which comes at you with ravenous riffcraft with just a shade of blackened menace and thrashy recklessness.

The entire first half of the album is a pornocopia smorgasbord of throwback sword and loincloth metal that’s so freaking trve it may cause hysterical sword blindness. Unfortunately, the second half can’t keep up the high energy, high-quality onslaught, and a few songs feel like lesser versions of the righteous starter set. “Toward the Enigma of No Return,” while good, feels less stunning. “Prevail” is fine but also overstays its welcome, and “The Fourth Pentacle” is quite entertaining with a HUGE Virgin Steele vibe, but the falsetto vocals don’t really work and once again, things go on too long. The album wraps with the 10-minute title track, and while it’s good with very good moments dotted throughout, including more Virgin Steele worship, it too is oversized. The combination of these family-sized tracks makes the album’s 53-minute runtime feel quite heavyset by the end of the campaign.

Excess issues aside, this whole thing is a guitar fiend’s wet dream and there’s simply no way to listen to it without cramping your air guitar fingers. The riffs are stacked on other riffs and shored up with still more riffs. It’s a mammoth riff edifice where other riffs are brought to be sacrificed to the Riff Godz. Ed Escamilla and Daniel Corchado borrow from every notable trve metal act on their way to becoming immortal guitar gods themselves through the unnaturally large volume of ass-kicking leads they cover everything with. Even if you don’t like the classic 80s metal style you won’t be able to resist the swirling, churning guitar insanity. Esteban Julian Pena does a fine job with his vocals, channeling many legendary vocalists. His forays into falsettos aren’t great, but they’re thankfully rare. Corchado’s bass is audible and pops away to imbue some Cirith Ungol atmosphere and round out the uber-macho sound.

I’ve had way too much fun with The Caliginous Serenade and am currently racing through Acerus’ back catalog. If the album was a bit shorter and the editing a tad tighter, the Score Safety Counter would feel their merciless wrath. Even with the extra dad padding, this is too much fun to quit. If you want to experience trve glory, you need to get measured for a Caliginous suit right the fuck now. Tell em’ Steel sent ya. See you on the battlefield, chumbo.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 293 kbps mp3
Label: Lux Inframundis
Website: facebook.com/thechasm.acerus
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024

#2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #CirithUngol #HeavyMetal #IronMaiden #Jan24 #LuxInframundisProductions #ManillaRoad #Omen #Review #Reviews #TheChasm #VirginSteele

Almost Dead – Destruction Is All We Know Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier

I’ve never heard of Almost Dead, despite them releasing material since 2007. And, honestly, some of it is pretty fucking good. Albums like Internal Chaos and Mindfucked are pleasing bits of Pantera-esque thrash and groove. There are also interesting influences sprinkled in, like the cruising, old-school Lamb of God vibes of Mindfucked’s “Dead Enemies” and the Downy clean vocals of “Ignus Fatuus.” But, things began to change when Lay Them Down to Waste came along. The title track, for one, sounds so much like Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” that I see Batman in my peripheral vision. Since then, the band has tended to lean more heavily into their Panteraisms, producing fun little ditties that never quite capture the energy displayed on Internal Chaos. With that knowledge now cemented in your brain, let’s check out Destruction Is All We Know.

I’d be a fool for not giving Almost Dead some credit for not giving two fucks what anyone thinks of their straightforward and sometimes strange style. That said, Destruction Is All We Know is the oddest album of them all—no doubt with some help from dial and toggle man Zac “Friend o’ the Blog” Orhen. One moment, the album cruises along with Warbringer-like thrashings, the obvious stop-start motions of Pantera and Throwdown, and the unlikely inclusion of Mors Principium Est-like melodeath. But, the oddest influence gives one track, in particular, a Dimmu Borgir edge. Destruction Is All We Know is like nothing the band has ever done before, and, boy, am I praying for them.

“Warheads in the Sky” kicks off the back-to-back-to-back collection of the strongest tracks on the album. Incorporating some of their key atmospheres, this song slings a Warbringer chorus at Throwdown licks, building and growing before failing to keep its momentum with its lackluster, backend breakdown. But, follow-up track, “Commandments of Coercion,” does its damndest to keep things on track with its slick introduction and fitting, melodic cleans. At the midpoint, it transitions to a knuckle-dragging riff that powers its way to yet another riff—this time, set up beautifully by the drums. As the vocals throw wads of spittle at each other with Crisix-like energy, the song settles into a pleasing groove before concluding. The third member of this trio, “Eight Eyes of Black” adjusts the pace with those classic stop-start chugs made famous by Pantera. It even leans hard into the angry choruses Phil Anselmo used to be so good at. And, for the first time, the bass surfaces and sets up a back-half transition that grows into a Vulgar Display of Power frenzy.

It’s the flip side of the album that gets weird. Leading that charge is the record’s black sheep, “Within the Ashes.” It takes those key atmospheres from the opener to a whole ‘nother level. But, it’s not apparent at first because the song goes absolutely nowhere for two minutes. Then, it morphs from a thrasher to a straight-up Dimmu Borgir-style symphoblack piece. It’s one of those songs where you look at your music device to figure out if you are still listening to the same album. It’s not bad per se, but I just can’t get behind it. “Brutal Devotion” and “Where Sinners Cry” both have winding-down conclusions that remind me of Machine Head’s “A Thousand Lies,” growing slower and slower until they fade away. The first starts with some heavy Metallica vibes, but ultimately goes nowhere. The most notable part of the song is the chorus where, I swear to Satan, the lyrics are “I need to change my fucking lobster.” The other delves into melodeath territories, but is far too long and meanders too much.

In the end, Destruction Is All We Know adds another record to the band’s thrashy, groove-oriented career. Though, as stated, there are a lot of weird decisions made here. Some work but most don’t. While unique, to say the least, they completely disrupt the flow of the album—adding little to the overall experience. After exploring the band’s catalog, their older stuff is definitely the direction I’d rather they take, but I understand that there’s always evolution. However, the combination of these new influences and styles doesn’t work for Destruction Is All We Know. Would they work if the album was designed in such a way that you expected them? Maybe. Destruction Is All We Know is a perfect example of a mixed record. Still, I’m interested enough to see where they go from here.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Innerstrength Records | Bandcamp
Websites: facebook.com/bayareahardcoremetal
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024

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Knoll – As Spoken Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

I got a chance to see Knoll live in 2022 shortly after the manic Metempiric dropped. All in all, only twenty people scattered about my favorite hometown venue—a homely bar with a solid stage attached to a bowling alley. This ragtag group of kids who looked to be no older than high school graduates gave the performance of a lifetime—gut-churning rhythms, sudden breakaways from ripping guitar phrases to crying trumpet blares, a vocalist whose life depended on the successful bleeding of the audience’s ears.1 Knoll represents the ideal of youthful ambition. As Spoken is the result.

Did you know that partially choking yourself and maintaining the lurch of a nutritional expulsion both qualify as valid and effective vocal techniques? If you didn’t before, take note that Knoll’s frothing mouth (and wildly curling tongue), James Eubanks, gargles phlegm through vicious snarl and unkempt hiss throughout the entirety of As Spoken, akin to every voice of Left 4 Dead2 at once rather than a typical grunt or gargle. The caustic shrieks and fiercely overtone-rich retches play as refined deathcore techniques taken to new highs and lows—and free of lazy breakdowns in Knoll’s caustic world. As Spoken does not travel in any traditional waters, nary a chorus nor crowd chant nor guitar solo nor pentatonic lick cross its projection. Its forty minutes instead flutter as an amalgamation of contemporary dissonant and ritualistic styles distilled in an arcane mysticism that feels just as campy as it does deadly serious.

The most intense moments of As Spoken render with an unmistakable physicality. Knoll’s guitar attacks strike as weighted, twisting, winding, the bent passages of “Offering,” “Mereward,” “Shall It Be” hitting similarly to warped compositions of an early Dodecahedron piece but with all brightness stripped away. That is until a muted, waning trumpet cry pierces the murk of “Revile of Light” and again against the rage of closer “Shall It Be.” These contrasts act like snow-capped tops amongst the menacing mountains that surround them, important earmarks in the somewhat self-similar assault. The same is true of the riff-less, glottal punishment of “Utterance” which highlights Eubanks’ already crushing performance in a manner that unsettles and awes all at once. Knoll still knows how to throw hands with “Unto Viewing” and “Fettered Oath” delivering late-album calls to violence that feel like ascended oaths to a rowdier youth. Sometimes the quickest path really is that straight cut, unsewn, and expelling.

As this album’s artistic vision dictates, in fascination of an antiquated and blistered grayscale, its sonic palette flourishes in tones of low and lower. Chords and phrases find emphasis often through skewed doubling and layered hammering. Drums hammer in thumping toms, low pop snare, and dull splash cymbals. These choices render the dry bass as mere rhythmic counterpart rather than stabbing counterpoint as you hear more prominently in acts that fall along a similarly dissonant path (check the Portal-ish pounding of “Portrait”). Knoll escapes rumbling muddy but also evades a shar clarity in foggy presentation of the math-inspired, jagged runs that litter As Spoke. Against expanding songcraft, Knoll has used this threatening drawl as tool that gradually dissipates with each passing summoning, casting “Shall It Be” as the most treble-driven, ripping affair that collapses in conclusion as a consequence of its reckless momentum—fickle but fitting.

Finding a throbbing pulse that echoes the relentless march of a contemporary avant-death mongers Aeviterne and a narrative focus that rivals the horror-tinged mathgrinders Fawn Limbs, Knoll has moved bounds beyond earlier efforts. Looking back at Interstice and Metempiric, now, it’s easy to see that Knoll fancied themselves as punks with a frightful and macabre aspirations rather than the full-fledged storytellers that As Spoken required. While the riff and pummel of deathgrind maintains a splotch on the board, this new moody, creaking, and real-time dissolving piece needed a pigment that only time could stain. As Spoken lives loudly even if its trials earn minor scuffs and squabbles from over-reliance on fading ambience to affix intention to exclamation. But you may notice that throughout this written discovery, Knoll exists only in approximations of the sounds that other bands present—their voice rings unique and expressive. And with a little more time to fester and form an evolving vision, Knoll will be a name that extreme metal hopefuls chase.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream!
Label: Self Release
Websites: untoviewing.com | knollgrind.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/knollgrind
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Aeviterne #AmericanMetal #AsSpoken #AtmosphericDeathMetal #Deathgrind #DissonantBlackMetal #DissonantDeathMetal #Dodecahedron #FawnLimbs #Jan24 #Knoll #Portal #PostDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #SelfReleases