REVIEW: Vantafrost - "Dispossessed" [EP]

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 31/10/2017

Label: Independent

New Jersey’s Vantafrost is an old school black metal quartet, riding a fine line between first wave primalism and second wave speed crust.  Time will tell whether they reach the insane heights of Celtic Frost or Darkthrone, but on their debut they manage to meld their ancestor worship with some genuine originality, and blast out some killer metal along the way.

“Dispossessed” CD//DD track listing

1. Nazgul

2. Dark Hammer

3. Demon’s Breath

4. Lead Pumper

The Review:

               

In the States, black metal continues to entrance newcomers and seasoned metal heads alike, especially in various hybrid forms and blackened amalgamations.  A lot of this stuff is really interesting and challenging, and occasionally, it actually rips.  New Jersey’s Vantafrost is an old school black metal quartet, riding a fine line between first wave primalism and second wave speed crust.  On their debut EP, “Dispossessed”, they eschew too much experimentalism and instead offer a lo-fi homage that occasionally betrays compelling musical influences (beyond their beloved Tom Warrior).

               

Few topics are as ripe for black metal adaptation as J.R.R. Tolkien’s blighted denizens of Mordor.  Whether orcs, trolls, or the dark lord himself, the demonic entities of Lord of the Rings are practically embedded in the DNA of black metal.  Vantafrost’s “Nazgul” is a thoroughly menacing, literal retelling of the story of the ringwraiths, propelled by crusty drumming, Hellhammer-reminiscent riffs, and subtle guitar harmonies.  Sun King’s strange cadence, sometimes reminiscent of Attila Csihar, clutters and spreads over the verses – a weird enjambment of syllables that is memorable, if an acquired flavor it takes several listens to fully absorb.

               

“Dark Hammer” has some solid first wave riffing, occasionally stuttering over idiosyncratic rhythms, but coalesces around a switch to 6/8 time and a solid outro.  “Demon’s Breath” is practically a hardcore number, with a particularly smashing bass tone.  There is an insane, warped effect on the vocal that can be unpleasantly or pleasantly disorienting – you may find yourself wondering if you’re on the verge of an aneurysm.  Closer “Lead Pumper”, however, is a righteous finale, soaring on some brutally catchy progressions and snarling vocals.  Another pop culture homage (this time to the classic demonic first person shooter DOOM), “Lead Pumper” manages to slip some personal anguish into an ass kicking track, lending some emotional heft that should be explored more on their next release.

               

Vantafrost isn’t reinventing the wheel, but they manage to infuse some life into the skeleton conjured by Hellhammer and their lo fi cohort.  Like the Swiss pioneers, their EP is a warts and all affair.  Time will tell whether they reach the insane heights of Celtic Frost or Darkthrone, but on their debut they manage to meld their ancestor worship with some genuine originality, and blast out some killer metal along the way.

“Dispossessed” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Slabdragger/Wren - “Mothers Of The Beef And The Magic Of Invention” [Split]

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Split 12”

Date Released: 27/10/2017

Label: Holy Roar Records

Both bands deliver the best kind of cover version; one that takes the source material and imbues it with their own unique spirit to create something new and exciting.  An essential purchase for any fans of the UK heavy underground and maybe it’ll turn some old Zappa and Beefheart heads towards the sludgier side of life too

“Mothers Of The Beef And The Magic Of Invention” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Slabdragger – “Muffin Man”

2). Wren – “Electricity”

The Review:

Slabdragger and Wren are a formidable duo of UK riff merchants. Bringing together the two slowest and heaviest bands on Holy Roar to unleash a split 12” leads to exactly the mighty results you would expect. What is less expected is that these behemoths manage to create characteristically earth-shaking offerings in the form of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart covers.

Both bands deliver the best kind of cover version; one that takes the source material and imbues it with their own unique spirit to create something new and exciting. Slabdragger take Frank Zappa’s one riff wonder “Muffin Man” and throw in a filthy radioactive swamp, only to have it emerge as a mutant city-levelling Godzilla. The track is a perfect blend of modern dirty sludge and retro jam band freedom. This ten minute monster is bookended by classic monolithic Slabdragger riffage while the middle section sees them really channelling the spirit of Zappa with every band member getting a solo.

While Slabdragger offer up a cover that sticks structurally and sonically close to the original, Wren’s take on Captain Beefheart’s “Electricity” is a different beast. The original song is one of the notoriously difficult Beefheart’s catchiest numbers, three minutes of raw, warped funk. Wren take the source material and twist into a new dark form that stretches over eight dark and powerful minutes. If you listen closely you can hear the parts of “Electricity” that Wren have dragged out to create a sinister post-metal epic that would fit in seamlessly on their amazing “Auburn Rule” LP. The hypnotic elastic groove of the original is transformed into a huge lumbering riff that ushers in the tracks punishing climax.

This is a fine split from two awesome bands on crushing form. An essential purchase for any fans of the UK heavy underground and maybe it’ll turn some old Zappa and Beefheart heads towards the sludgier side of life too.

“Mothers Of The Beef And The Magic Of Invention” is available here

Band info: Slabdragger || Wren

ALBUM REVIEW: Coughdust - "Worldwrench"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 01/09/2017

Label: Suicide Records

Coughdust stirs up a blend of doom and stoner riffs that may intrigue your musical sensibilities for their sharp contrasts – the doom stylings are most assuredly doom, while the stoner orientation very clearly recalls the psychedelic, even classic, chords associated with this subgenre. Coughdust's sounds can be truly refreshing and with an added death metal influence, you'll find some spellbinding music within.

“Worldwrench” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Serpents of the Earth

2. The Second Principle  

3. Gripless

4. Worldwrench

5. Dead Calm

6. Blind

The Review:

Composed of players who have performed with death metal staple Deathbound, progressive/heavy band Lowmen and death metal group Corpset, Coughdust stirs up a blend of doom and stoner riffs that may intrigue your musical sensibilities for their sharp contrasts – the doom stylings are most assuredly doom, while the stoner orientation very clearly recalls the psychedelic, even classic, chords associated with this subgenre. Considering how often stoner can end up in form and function sludge in so many words, Coughdust's sounds can be truly refreshing. Add to this death metal influences and you'll find some spellbinding music.

The road for the four-piece has included a 2012 debut EP, a 2014 full-length and a 2015 split with fellow Finnish stoner/doom group Demonic Death Judge. With "Worldwrench," Coughdust follows up those outings with new evolutions of its brand of doom.

As in its previous releases, Coughdust excels through the powerful and original vocals of Antti Murtonen, who has fronted bands like Ward and Conform. His particular microphone approach is faithful to how contemporary extreme music is visioned today, while remaining distinct in its timbre and intensity. "Serpents of the Earth," which kicks off the new album, helps the uninitiated get a handle on this cutting vocal, where agonized howls alternate with bitter lyricism. The listener also is drawn in by the violent drum work of Petri Hartikainen, who you may have heard as part of the Finnish death metal band Worthless. Hartikainen offers a death metal consignment to "Worldwrench," amping up the speed and pacing to match what becomes harder playing than standard doom.

Coughdust tends to be most unique in its atypical tracks. "The Second Principle" is a departure from the open and plants the stoner flag, much like "Dead Calm" later on the album. Both give a grinding, corrosive accounting for the group until settling in with a hallucinatory slog of guitars, noise and distortion. These avenues are quite unexpected, given the way the tracks begin, but are nevertheless impressive.

Considering the intersection of death metal with this group, you probably won't be shocked to hear these elements in tracks like "Blind." How they're composed is quite inventive. Heavy, asymmetrical chord progressions, fierce bass and the previously mentioned drum patterns are standout. The overall organization of songs and rhythms are paired well throughout, and will undoubtedly thrash you.

One of the only complaints about "Worldwrench" is its length. At just around half an hour, the album feels like it ends far too early, and you do not get more out of Coughdust as you might otherwise want. Nevertheless the group makes an audacious return, one that will please its base and lure in those curious about its emerging reputation for archetypal sound.

"Worldwrench" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Sect – “No Cure for Death”

By: Mark Tremblay

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/11/2017

Label: Southern Lord Recordings

Sect have set the standard for hardcore music and what it should aspire to in 2017. If you’re looking to heavy music with a message, look no further than “No Cure for Death”.

“No Cure for Death” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Open Grave

2. Day For Night

3. Crocodile Prayers

4. Reality’s Wake

5. Stripes

6. Liberal Arts

7. Born Razed

8. Transaction

9. Least Resistance

10. Avoidance Ritual

The Review:

The hardcore supergroup Sect follow up last year’s self-titled release with a more pissed off/dystopian blast-beat infested “No Cure for Death”. If you’re looking for the sonic equivalent to Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”, this is the closest thing to it.

The one thing that immediately jumps out off of this record are the blast-beats.

This record is much more concise than its predecessor; nothing goes to waste, and no musical idea overstays its welcome. Even though none of the songs on this record hit the four minute mark, it is very clear that these songs have been carefully crafted for maximum effect and impact.

There are all sorts of riffs on this record. From the Siege-influenced “Stripes”, all the way to the Yautja-like “Reality’s Wake” there is something on here from all spectrums of heavy music. Even when bound to the tonal parameters of the Boss HM2, guitarists Scott Crouse and James Chang are able to employ such a wide range of feel and variety. Like any Chris Colohan record, however, the lyrics are the albums highlight.

Everything from society’s imminent demise with “Open Graves”, to commentary on the education system in “Liberal Arts”, there is not an aspect of North American culture and politics that is left untouched.

Sect have set the standard for hardcore music and what it should aspire to in 2017. If you’re looking to heavy music with a message, look no further than “No Cure for Death”.

“No Cure for Death” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Omotai - "A Ruined Oak"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 06/10/2017

Label: Tofu Carnage Records

Omotai shines best on songs like "A Savage Sky," where their hardcore foundations converge with doom and other influences for exceptional tracks. Omotai answers the lingering queries about its return with a resoundingly solid new release, gives a unique varnish to possibly familiar grounds.

“A Ruined Oak” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Welcome to the Adders' Land

2. Ruined Oak

3. Last of the Green Vial

4. Arms That Flood            

5. Blackjaw         

6. Back to the Drifting Satellite

7. A Cruel Weight, Thy Wound

8. Fire is a Whore

9. A Maiden Nerve           

10. The Savage Sky           

11. Augustina     

12. Tusk Aurora

The Review:

The city of Houston, Texas has a lot of be proud of. Its Astros just won the World Series. It continues to prosper. And Houston has developed a serious pool of metal talent that has caused waves this year. Blues Funeral is just one of many Texas heavy acts to release albums in 2017, and now Houston-based Omotai is back after a three-year layoff with "A Ruined Oak."

The quartet's progressive/doom vibe has been making Houston better since 2009. With a debut EP in 2010 and full length releases in 2012 and 2014, "A Ruined Oak" hurtles Omotai back into the heavy music fray. The scene has seen many evolutions since its last recording. How Omotai can pull off its style, which has been reliant on new and classic inspirations, could have been the most tantalizing questions coming in.

The brisk "Welcome to the Adders' Land" sets a hectic pace to mark the band's newest. Its more doom-inflected elements are laden with some hardcore drive, making this an excellent start. This mood continues on the title track. The composition is aggressive, tight and focused. Vocal duties throughout the album are shared among instrumentalists Sam Waters, Melissa Lonchambon Ryan, Jamie Ross and Daniel Mee, making for an intriguing mix on the second song, and across other cuts. A song like "Blackjaw" is one of the better showcases for such multi-layered vocals. As well, here and on "Back to the Drifting Satellite," Omotai creatively interpolates progressive touches to its very dense landscapes. Some could fault a few cuts for potentially being derivative of more popular acts. However, Omotai gives a unique varnish to possibly familiar grounds.

The band's most strongly progressive takes start around the final third of the album, with "A Cruel Weight, Thy Wound" being the signpost. It is a masterful cut, with syncopated guitar riffs soaring with the varied vocal approaches. The band's chemistry is just as bewitching on "Fire is a Whore," where pulsing rhythms meet oscillating chords and contrastive singing and effects. However, the percussion kicks in come "A Maiden Nerve," indicating a turn back to the atmosphere of the album's open.

Omotai shines best on songs like "A Savage Sky," where those hardcore foundations converge with doom and other influences for exceptional tracks. Even when a melodic progressive cut like "Augustina" may have benefitted from better placement, you still won't lose sight of how innovative its harmonies and orchestration are. Overall, Omotai answers the lingering queries about its return with a resoundingly solid new release.

"A Ruined Oak" is available here:

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Morbid Angel - "Kingdoms Disdained"

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 01/12/2017

Label: Silver Lining Music

This album is a statement of intent, placing the focus on convulsive rhythm changes and dissonant, jagged riffs over accessibility.  ‘Kingdoms Disdained’ is Morbid Angel's most uncompromising album of their career and their best album in nearly twenty years, and I don’t consider that light praise.

‘Kingdoms Disdained’ CD////DDLP track listing:

1. Piles of Little Arms

2. D.E.A.D.

3. Garden of Disdain

4. The Righteous Voice

5. Architect and Iconoclast

6. Paradigms Warped

7. The Pillars Crumbling

8. For No Master

9. Declaring New Law (Secret Hell)

10. From the Hand of Kings

11. The Fall of Idols

The Review:

‘Illud Divinum Insanus’ was a fucking disaster. I’ll never begrudge artists testing new waters or feeling like they need to do something different. But when the end result is shitting the bed, the best you can do is take it as a learning experience and head back to the drawing board. In Morbid Angel’s case, that meant Trey Azagthoth scrapping the entire lineup from ‘Illud Divinum Insanus’ and starting over completely. Replacing that lineup here is Steve Tucker, returning to the bassist/vocalist role he held for most of the period from 1997 through 2004, along with current Annihilated/ex-Abysmal Dawn drummer Scott Fuller.

The fruit of these extensive changes is ‘Kingdoms Disdained’, and the obvious point of interest here is whether they were able to put something together worthy of the Morbid Angel name after such a brutal fall from grace. The answer is a resounding yes. At this early stage, ‘Kingdoms Disdained’ feels like Morbid Angel’s best work since “Formulas Fatal to the Flesh”. Of course, there will be some that prefer ‘Gateways’ or ‘Heretic’, but to these ears, this album beats them both. Those two albums took a lot of time and effort to appreciate, with a lot of attempts made to try to hear what other people liked so much about them. By contrast, ‘Kingdoms Disdained’ clicked immediately despite being an incredibly dense piece of work. This album is a statement of intent, placing the focus on convulsive rhythm changes and dissonant, jagged riffs over accessibility.

“D.E.A.D.” might be the song most emblematic of the whole of the album. It’s a three-minute death metal freakout, rarely staying in one space for more than a repetition or two, completely unwilling to sit still. Azagthoth’s guitar work and Fuller’s drumming alternate between maniacal swarming and spasmodic outbursts of galloping rhythm and stabbing musical punctuation. Throughout the rest of the album, these themes are explored in others songs in longer forms, but “D.E.A.D.” gathers them all into one place and condenses them.

Even the album’s low points never drop below the “fine” threshold, though I think a case can be made that the album would be better-served at forty minutes rather than forty-eight. Really, the only song worth cutting out altogether is “The Pillars Crumbling”, which is only able to offer a less interesting version of everything else going on around it. “Declaring New law” gets hung up on one rhythmic idea for too long, and would have benefitted from having at least one other major section to keep things from being monotonous. But even with these faults, the greatness outweighs the skippable moments by a gigantic margin.

If I had to guess, I’d imagine that fan reaction will be mixed for ‘Kingdoms Disdained’. I can see this album being difficult to get into for some fans, if only because it’s so hellbent on being a complete repudiation of the album that came before it, that it throws just about any kind of accessibility by the wayside. You’re not going to find any instantly memorable riffs like those of “Maze of Torment” or “Where The Slime Live” here. In that sense, ‘Kingdoms Disdained’ overcompensates for the indiscretions of Morbid Angel’s recent past, but in the process makes the most uncompromising album of their career. For my money, that’s enough to make this their best album in nearly twenty years, and I don’t consider that light praise. Now all we can do is see how well an album like this stands the test of time.

“Kingdoms Disdained” is available to order  here.

Band info: Official || Facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Hallatar - "No Stars Upon The Bridge"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 20/10/2017

Label: Svart Records

"No Stars Upon The Bridge" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Mirrors

2. Raven's Song 

3. Melt

4. My Mistake (with Heike Langhans)          

5. Pieces

6. Severed Eyes

7. The Maze

8. Spiral Gate

9. Dreams Burn Down (with Aleah Starbridge)

The Review:

Stunning art can at many turns be informed by loss. Perhaps it is the vulnerability or universality of such experiences that brings us in as an audience. Maybe it is because the artist's stories mirror our own. Their memories help us grieve. Sometimes they aid us in coming to grips with our own recollections and histories. Hurt is something each one of us experiences. It is thus no secret that music, a unifier in its own right, can encourage us to heal.

Death has informed a number of musical releases in 2017. Bell Witch is most prominent among those bands that have lost members. For acts like Mount Eerie, core performers have seen the departures of loved ones shape the direction of their music. Finland's Hallatar join these tragic ranks. Swallow the Sun and Trees of Eternity principal Juha Raivio launched Hallatar following the death of partner and Swallow the Sun vocalist Aleah Starbridge from cancer last April. "No Stars Upon the Bridge" is the resultant album, which sees Raivio joined by HIM's Gas Lipstick and Tomi Joutsen of Amorphis in a cathartic and revealing nine songs.

However, do not expect ballads out of "No Stars Upon the Bridge.

The death/doom experiment in Hallatar is instead a tightly wound emotional trek. Raivio has stated in interviews that the albums lyrics were written shortly after Starbridge's death, with a further commitment not to edit or alter the feelings expressed on the days the songs were composed. "Mirrors" opens as a pained flare of energy. The mix of spoken and growled vocals continues on "Melt," as Raivio lays bare his feelings and searching for meaning amidst the anguish. Colored against the real-life backdrop, it is impossible for the music not to have a weight that goes beyond what we usually expect from the music.

Hallatar offers a few particularly important parts of the performance. Heike Langhans of Draconian provides a feature on "My Mistake" that will surprise you. The haunting atmosphere in "The Maze" makes this one of the album's best songs. At once menacing and dejected, Hallatar conveys distress and heartache in a despairing struggle. "Raven's Gate" and "Spiral Gate" offer poetry that connects the music. And finally, "Dreams Burn Down," the climax, weaves Raivio's inconsolable lyrics with the posthumous singing of Starbridge in what is a heavyhearted song lifted up by the soaring tones. In all, "No Stars Upon The Bridge" is a fitting goodbye that is not wholly a goodbye.

"No Stars Upon The Bridge" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Hooded Priest - "The Hour Be None"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 01/12/2017

Label: I Hate Records

This is doom metal that will appeal to anyone with a sense of theatre and anyone who wants to bang their head as well; there is some great metal on offer here. Huge and sprawling in its ambition, “The Hour Be None” is a doom tour de force and I recommend it highly.

“The Hour Be None” CD//DD track listing:

1). Dolen – Exiting The Real

2). Call for the Hearse

3). These Skies Must Break

4). Herod Again

5). Locust Reaper

6). Mother of Plagues

The Review:

Dutch doomsters Hooded Priest return with their second full length album and now with the backing of the I Hate label. There is no need for a full track by track breakdown here: this is epic trad doom. If Candlemass is your thing, Hooded Priest will be too. If you are looking for the more street end of the trad doom spectrum (The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, R.I.P) then this may be too far towards history and fantasy for your liking- but that said, the music here is top notch so why not give it a go anyway?!

Six tracks of epic scope and sound are on offer, one track well over ten minutes and two well over nine! There are huge riffs here too- “Mother of Plagues” is just massive, with an expansive sound. My stand out track would be “Herod Again”- great riffs, themes and performances of biblical proportions- top quality doom with just a measure of traditional metal thrown in. Every track is a winner, the sound is suitably massive and the vocal performance is perfectly matched to the musical ideas. There are time changes aplenty as well; it keeps the tracks interesting and allows the song lengths to be worthwhile exercises in quality as well as quantity.

This is doom metal that will appeal to anyone with a sense of theatre and anyone who wants to bang their head as well; there is some great metal on offer here. Huge and sprawling in its ambition, “The Hour Be None” is a doom tour de force and I recommend it highly. 

“The Hour Be None” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Ulkum - "Ulkum"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 08/11/2017

Label: Live Fast Die Records

Songs like II" has an intelligent build up on the way to a pulsing tone that creates the sort of dread that the best doom can conjure.  Should you love that description, this album will be the red meat you're waiting for.

 

“Ulkum” CS//DD track listing

1. Rehearsal I

2. Rehearsal II

3. Rehearsal III

4. Clothed in the Ashes of Fallen Brethren

5. Breathe Darkness, Swallow Light         

6. Children of Ulkum

The Review:

How many funeral doom bands can you think of that make their primary business live performances? Certainly a few, but the majority seem to be studio acts. That is because this particular subgenre is so much about atmosphere that it is rare to really be able to strike that mood in a bar, or with restless attendees, even ones who are into it.

In the case of Minneapolis four-piece Ulkum, its trial by fire has been largely on the performance circuit. Its debut album, "First Prophecy" from October, was a live performance on community radio station KFAI. Before that debut, Ulkum released a demo, "Demonstration," in January of this year. Now back with its eponymous full length, which features its three tracks from the demo and three fresh editions of songs from the live album, fans finally get a sense of what the group can truly do.

Ulkum is composed of some of the region's experienced musicians, including bassist Jesse Geirr Conaway of the black metal band Drona; drummer Jonathon Andrew Roll, formerly of black/death metal outfit Autumnal Winds and black metal group Feral Light; lead guitarist Aaron Lott of progressive metal crew Chaos Frame and melodic death metal act Pestifere; and vocalist Joshua Ans of death metal performers Fallen Empire. Given its lineage, Ulkum's form of doom has had prominent black metal and death metal influences, as well as a lo-fi aesthetic that audiences caught on that original demo. Should you love that description, this album will be the red meat you're waiting for.

If you caught the group's initial release, the first three cuts will be your reminder of Ulkum's sound. Those cuts, titled "I" to "III," are tighter versions of the "Demonstration" sessions that are still raw, decidedly on the low-end and muddy. It may have been challenging to figure out if that was purposeful, or just a casualty of austere recording, but there are plenty of dark glimmers to nevertheless appreciate. In particular, "II" has an intelligent build up on the way to a pulsing tone that creates the sort of dread that the best doom can conjure. If you are familiar with the previous songs, these renditions are particularly strong, and perhaps even better, than the originals.

The second half of "Ulkum" covers the cuts from "First Prophecy." The tracks released from that October performance gave listeners glimpses of growth from the band. There is perceptibly more mature compositions between a song like "I" and "Clothed in the Ashes of Fallen Brethren." On this album, the versions of "First Prophecy" songs feel almost identical, beyond a few touches. This is a positive thing. In fact, if you owned or streamed "Demonstration," this is a good chance to own the most quality versions of those cuts, plus the even better versions of tracks from "First Prophecy."

"Ulkum" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook