TRACK PREMIERE: Swedish rockers Night debut "Feeling it Everywhere"

Swedish rockers Night are back with new material, their first release since “Raft of the World” in 2017.  The A-side of 7-inch is "Feeling it Everywhere," a track that shows a new direction for the band. The B-side, "Kings of the Night," was written in the same period of time as “Raft of the World”.  Both of these energetic tracks were recorded live in the studio together with the band's new drummer Linus Fritzson (Ambush).

Sammy Ouirra says of the new music, "Rock is a serious thing, but at the same time it can't be taken too seriously.  Rocking is fun and fun it shall remain.  For us, I think the future is looking bright and feeling groovy.   Put on your boots and get ready for the next chapter of NIGHT!  Imagine a twilight zone where disco didn't die and rock music was allowed inside Studio 54!"

Night is preparing to release a full-length album in autumn 2020. The band is once again taking help from producer Ola Ersfjord (Primordial, Dead Lord, Imperial State Electric) that the band started to work with on “Raft of the World”.  But until that album comes out, this self-titled 7" will be a taste of Night's Saturday night fever.  Check out “Feeling it Everywhere” below

Band info: Facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Frayle, "1692"

By: Andrew Davie

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 14/02/2020

Label: Aqualamb |

Lay Bare Recordings

“1692” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1) Introduction (Arise)
2) 1692
3) Gods of No Faith
4) Monsters
5) Darker Than Black
6) Dead Inside
7) Burn
8) Godless
9) If You Stay

10.) Stab

The Review:

Frayle, from Cleveland, Ohio delivers an incredible doom album in “1692.” A two piece band, formed in 2017, they have released some singles and extended plays, but their first full length album is stellar. Even though we’re still in the beginning of the year, I’m predicting this album has the longevity to remain important throughout the entirety of 2020.

Frayle combines thick sludgy doom metal riffs with melodic vocals, which on paper might not necessarily seem to mesh well. However, they manage to compliment each other perfectly and make for a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. While this combination of elements is not altogether unique, I have trouble coming up with other bands with whom to compare Frayle in terms of their style and sound.

This album has everything a doom metal enthusiast would want including excellent musicianship. If you are looking for insightful melodic lyrics, thick and unforgiving riffs, complex yet simple arrangements, this album has all of the above and more. They have managed to incorporate everything one might want in a doom metal record. They have found the proverbial sweet spot between the harshness of the instruments and the soothing melody of the vocals.

While the entire album is good, highlights for me included the tracks “Gods of No Faith”, “If You Stay”, and “Stab”. Fans of doom riffs and operatic vocals will be rewarded.  I’m looking forward to hearing more from Frayle in the future.

“1692” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Exhumation, “Eleventh Formulae”

By: Thomas Gonzales

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 28/02/2020

Label: Pulverized Records

“Eleventh Formulae” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Mors Gloria Est
2. Inferno Dwellers
3. Formulae I: Malediction Bells
4. Grandeur Dawn
5. Vicious Ecstasy
6. Arcane Dance
7. Formulae II: Ironheart Rapture
8. Ominous Chants
9. Blood Trails
10. Perdition Spells
11. Formulae III: Eleventh Vessel

The Review:

Exhumation’s “Eleventh Formulae” is an album 6 years in the making. Formed in 2008, Exhumation follows their 2014 Sophomore release “Opus Death” with yet another blistering example of raw feral Death Metal. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Sevid Salasughi, there is a distinct personality to Exhumation’s style of music. It is reminiscent of classic 90s Death and Thrash Metal, but filled with enough blackened subgenre sensibilities to keep them from being swallowed in the ever-deep tar pit of bands by the same name.

Befitting of a group whose members go by the monikers Ghoul and Bones, the band’s lyrical focus is on themes of darkness and death, and when laid over the thrashing drum beats, and gnarled vocals, the musical atmosphere creates a sonic landscape of chaos. While the album isn’t particularly long, it succeeds instead as an exhaustive rise and fall of the pulse, relenting only for soft piano or spoken word interludes.

It’s these bizarre transitions that help to make “Eleventh Formulae” stand out. One moment the listener is caught in the very familiar tide of guitar riffs, and the next, they are being lulled by a melody that shouldn’t even exist in this sonosphere, before crashing back down into the cacophony. Unlike some of their peers who’ve adopted flashy guitar solos and extensive lead segments, Exhumation likes to keep things simple, relying on the songs as an unbroken piece with only an occasional flourish to raise the tension.

One track that stands out in particular, is the song “Inferno Dwellers”. Bones’ raspy vocals remind the listener of the early days of black metal, alongside the scratchy distorted guitar, and blast beats, it’s a refreshingly traditional return to form with only a few splashes of tremolo picking or growls to keep things interesting. Follow this up with “Malediction Bells”, and you may forget this isn’t a second wave Extreme Metal album.

For fans of early Morbid Angel, Obliteration, Repugnant & Putrid, “Eleventh Formulae” will be released on vinyl with 100 copies on Bone Vinyl (Pulverised Exclusive), 100 copies on Oxblood Vinyl (Cudgel Exclusive) and 300 copies on Black Vinyl, with cover artwork and additional illustrations by B. Mors, whom had also previously provided artwork on the “Opus Death” album. “Eleventh Formulae” showcases a slew of guest musicians such as S. Iblis of Possession, and T. Zama of the now-defunct Sewercide, which for fans of genre should serve as a reassurance that they're in for a good time.

“Eleventh Formulae” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Scissorfight, "Doomus Abruptus Vol. 1"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released:  06/12/2019

Label: Salt of the Earth Records

“Doomus Abruptus Vol. 1” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Caveman Television

2). Dumpfight

3). Coagulus

4). Rock And/Or Die

5). Where Eagles Drink

6). Piss In The Wind

7). The Battle Of (Mudhole Mountain)

8). Lead Venom

9). Whatcha Get

The Review:

Break out your shitkickers.  We're going for a ride and it's gonna get anything but classy.  Scissorfight take us on a good time romp of stoner jams dripping in southern swag and rock and roll attitude. Fun will be had, whether you like it or not.

“Doomus Abruptus Vol. 1” is filled to the brim with hard rocking riffs, sure to get you going on the dancefloor.  From funky jams to full on swampy doom drudgery. Like an eighteen wheeler on an all night haul straight to hell, this thing gets going and just doesn't want to stop.  This is an album best enjoyed over a few beers with friends, passing the funny stuff back and forth and pumping a fist in the air.

Tracks like “Coagula” rock with a forgotten swagger of years gone by, conjuring visions of exposed chest hair and souped up Camaros.  It blazes down the highway without a care of what lies before it.  It's hard and heavy, caring only for the blurring highway and the wind in its hair.  This is the general tone prevailing through the album's forty minutes. It's a rocking and rolling party that you don't want to miss. That's not to say there's no depth here though.

“Battle of (Mudhole Mountain)” is a country tinged story song that can hold its own with anything that Johnny Cash could throw at it while hitting harder than a freightliner.  A beautiful mix of genres that grooves and swoons and swings and broods. The bluegrass riffing is a delight, and a highlight of the album. 

 

Scissorfight serve up some fine southern comfort with all the riffs you could ask for.  A monument to raw rock and roll power. Grab a cold one from the icebox, spark up a joint, and gather round the bonfire. “Doomus Abruptus Vol.1” is a roaring good time, and this party is going all night long.

“Doomus Abruptus Vol. 1” is available HERE

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Midnight, "Rebirth by Blasphemy

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/01/2020

Label: Metal Blade Records

“Rebirth by Blasphemy” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Fucking Speed & Darkness

2). Rebirth by Blasphemy

3). Escape The Grave

4). Cursed Possessions

5). Rising Scum

6). Raw Attack

7). Devil’s Excrement

8). Warning from the Reaper

9). The Sounds of Hell

10). You Can Drag me Through Fire

The Review:

Midnight, North America's Venomous Motorhead acolytes are back with this ten track panzer of an album. This is their fourth album and all is operating exactly as you would expect. From the first album proper in 2011, “Satanic Royalty”, it was obvious where Midnight were coming from, going to and what they intended to do on the way.

For those who don't know, this is Motorhead by way of Venom and any other down 'n' dirty rock 'n' roll acts you can name. I missed “Sweet Death and Ecstasy” in 2017, but I was in on the ground floor for both “Satanic Royalty” and “No Mercy For Mayhem”. This is closer to “Satanic Royalty” than “NMFM”. The rolling grooves are ever present and the Fast Eddie-esque leads of the title track let you know that the band's modus operandi has not changed one jot.

Indeed, the opener of “Fucking Speed and Darkness” reads like a manifesto. It's simple, really: if you like classic Motorhead and classic Venom, you will love this. You can pick any track and it represents the band; “Escape The Grave” is superb and Motorhead-ish, “Devil's Excrement” is excellent and Venom-like as is “Rising Scum”.

As a one man band in the studio, there is no real sense of any of this being sterile and over-produced (!) but there is some variety in tempos and riffs. Athenar has done a great job as a lone wolf musician as it sounds like a band playing in the studio- no mean feat. I prefer the more Motorhead-esque material- “Warning From The Reaper” is perhaps a good example- but there is absolutely nothing to dislike here.

Just as there are no bad tracks, there are no huge stand outs either- this is just a consistent and rock solid album. If “Satanic Royalty” had “You Can't Stop Steel” and “Rip This Hell”, while “No Mercy For Mayhem” had “Prowling Leather”, this album has ten tracks of uniformly high standard that will please fans of old and anyone new to the band who gets what they are about. If pushed, I might go with “The Sounds of Hell” or “Fucking Speed and Darkness” as the pick of the litter, but there are good arguments for any song here.

With a pleasingly 80s drum sound and rough and ready mix, this is simple blackened rock n roll. The closing “You Can Drag Me Through The Fire” is a slight departure from the blueprint with its longer intro, but really it's a case of business as usual once the track gets going. This is another good album from Midnight and one that will please the already committed violators or newcomers to the band's satanic rites.

“Rebirth by Blasphemy” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Canopy, "Humanity Loss"

By: Peter Morsellino 

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 31/01/2020

Label: Independent

“Humanity Loss” DD track listing:

1). Intrusion

2). Hostile Architecture I

3). Hostile Architecture II

4). Exigent Weight

5). No Cure

6). Adrenochrome

The Review: 

The fourth release by Atlanta's Canopy is coming, and if you're not ready for it, it will destroy you.  This thing is crushing, not just in its brutal riffing, but in its dense, foreboding atmosphere.  This is a visceral, unforgiving listening experience.  Prepare yourself for “Humanity Loss”. 

The album begins perfectly with “Intrusion”, an ambient collage of dark undulating tones and melancholic guitars that descend into swirls of chaotic feedback and panicked screams. I'm not usually a huge fan of this type of introductory track, but here it serves an absolutely necessary purpose. It's a warning, a disclaimer. Shit is about to get real, and it doesn't take long for it to begin. 

“Intrusion” feeds directly into “Hostile Architecture l & ll”, creating a suite of devastating emotional destruction. The atmospheres don't quit, keeping you wrapped in a nightmare world that you fear you may never awaken, while the band alternates between trying to break skulls and lull you to sleep. It is as beautiful as it is ugly, as hopeless as it is powerful. These three songs will fill you with such a wondrous dread, it may in fact creep into your outside world. 

Canopy doesn't lighten up its grip on you at any point of this album.  “Exigent Weight” is a hypnotizing blur with some fight riffs that will tear you apart.  “No Cure” brings you down to your absolute emotional core, with a depressive tone that strips away all hope. 

The album closes out with the dark epic “Adrenochrome”.  Pained vocals tear through a dreamscape of crushing riffs and pounding drums. The melodic guitars on this track are a particular standout, calling back to the melancholy picking of the introduction.  The atmosphere is black as night. It is a goddamn masterpiece. 

I take back what I said earlier in this review. You cannot prepare yourself for the onslaught that is “Humanity Loss”. This album will destroy you, and I doubt there is anything you can do about it.  It will lay atop you like a hag, boring deep into your soul with its crushing weight.  And if you're anything like me, you will love every single second of it.

“Humanity Loss” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Orbiter, "The Deluge" (EP)

By: Chris Markwell

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 29/01/2020

Label: Independent

“The Deluge” DD//LP track listing:

1. Bone to Earth

2. Astral Racer

3. Orchids

4. In Echoes

The Review: 

Music has a power unlike any other.  A sonic gift to transport us away from our worries at times, a time capsule to transport us back to a milestone moment at other times.  In any case, good music will evoke a response that transcends the sounds to which you’re experiencing.  

Enter from the wild lands of Finland: Orbiter.  Their EP “The Deluge” is coming out on January 29^th 2020, and… well, it’s already going to be on my Top Ten list for the year.  It’s hard to remain objective and give a detailed review about this simply transcendental piece of work, but I’m going to do my utmost.  

Four tracks long, this EP from the Finnish quintet is all about quality and making every second mean something.  There’s not a song that doesn’t hit the mark, for me: with riffs so fuzzy my speakers developed a five o’clock shadow, it’s a blend of Sabbath, Clutch, Turbowolf, and Kyuss goodness, with a smattering of heavier Hawkwind hits drizzled on top of the mix.  Seriously, you could eat some of the sounds on this EP with a spoon, they’re that thick.  

Vocalist Carolin, the newest addition to the band’s line-up, has a truly haunting voice.  Like, ‘move a Ouija board planchette with her vocalisations’ haunting.  The dual vocals on EP closer track ‘In Echoes’ remind me, strangely, of folk singer Maddy Prior (of Steeleye Span fame).  The track’s verses have this minimalist approach to it, just a suggestion of guitar touches, which then descends into the heaviest pit of distortion and sonic compression.  Tuomas, in charge of the low frequencies, really makes his presence felt in each track, but especially in this 8-minute epic, where you feel the bass notes touch you like an old friend’s embrace one minute, then hit you like a lightning bolt the next.  

“The Deluge” has truly drenched my musical soul to its very core.  Orbiter have created a prog/doom/stoner EP that has not only knocked me out of the stratosphere but caused me to be taken in by their mighty sonic gravity.  As a satellite, I will happily keep coming back to Orbiter forevermore. 

“The Deluge” is available HERE

Band info: Facebook || Instagram || Bandcamp || YouTube

ALBUM REVIEW: Dukatalon, "Involuntary Action"

By: Benjamin Gomes

Album Type: Full Length 

Date Released: 01/01/2020

Label: Independent 

“Involuntary Action” DD track listing:

1). Above The Flames

2). No Consolation

3). Conscience Bleeds

4). Dark Pool

5). Involuntary Action

6). Blackened Disease

7). Myopia

8). Angels In Red

9). Quicksand Warning

The Review: 

10 years after their Relapse Records debut, ​“Saved By Fear”, Israeli riffmasters ​Dukatalon ​return to crush our ears with ​“Involuntary Action”, a rather unique exercise in heaviness that albeit being traceable regarding influences, stands on its own as a great sludge release.   

Sonically the album is very akin to the works of bands like ​High On Fire, ​early ​Mastodon​ or the first ​The Sword​ albums. During its whole duration the band always grips the listener closely with their groovy riffs but also keeps the songs interesting with some beautifully intertwined leads that never feel unnecessary and give some air to breathe before getting crushed again by their excellent riffage.   

Throughout the album, the band also explores more atmospheric influences which is the case on the title track, which wouldn’t seem displaced if it appeared on an album by ​Cult of Luna​ for example. With all the sonic realms covered through this album the band shows that their comfort zone is pretty diverse and that they don’t sit within a specific sound which contributes to their uniqueness in the sludge scene.  

If you want a great time with a magnificent sludge album that crushes your soul while leaving you wanting for more, ​“Involuntary Action” is definitely what you’re looking for. 

“Involuntary Action” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Thy Catafalque, "Naiv"

By: Thomas Gonzales

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/01/2020

Label: Season of Mist

“Naiv” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. A bolyongás ideje (4:55)

2. Tsitsushka (5:39)

3. Embersólyom (4:17)

4. Számtalan színek (2:34)

5. A valóság kazamatái (5:30)

6. Kék madár (Négy kép) (6:27)

7. Napút (3:48)

8. Vető (8:17)

9. Szélvész (5:36)

The Review:

Self-labeled Avante Garde solo artist Tamas Katai brings yet another evolution to the ever-changing stylings of his opus Thy Catafalque. While not a “band” in the traditional sense, Thy Catafalque’s latest release “Naiv”, is an ensemble of musicians showcasing no less than 10 guest artists. Tamas once again shifts the dynamic of underground metal, covering a wide array of genres, including Black Metal, Folk, Electronic, and even Pop. Under his band’s moniker, Tamas has woven a diverse tapestry of sound, into a colorful exploration of sonic ingenuity, communicating why Thy Catafalque is such a prolific force in the metal consciousness.

Opening strong with the track “A bolyongás ideje”, Thy Catafalque’s roots in Black Metal are put on full display in a hauntingly dark jam, befitting of an extreme metal veteran. However, it isn’t long before the listener is swept up in Hungarian Folk instruments and jazz inspired hooks, shifting seamlessly through various genres, before peaking with electronic sections and Pop sensibilities; then once again giving way to his brand of Blackened Folk Metal. 

Track 8 “Veto” is a whopping 8 minutes long, and begins with a conventional metal hook, but eventually transitions to a chilled-out post rock bop, complete with twinkling synth effects, and droning keyboard tones. It is as frenetic as it sounds, but it is pieces like this that showcase the variety and cultural influences of Tamas’ compositions. Folk drums and flutes weave amongst Hungarian choral singers before ultimately culminating in an intense melodic burst of metal. There’s a little something for everyone, and if you wanted to cover the spectrum of sounds present here-in, this is the track to share.

Getting their start in the late 90s, Thy Catafalque’s current sound is far beyond simple experimentation, “Naiv” is a fascinating study of traditional songwriting paired with Black Metal, that is dynamic and diverse enough to stand out in the field of their Progressive and Avante Garde peers, but it still be enjoyed by their long-time fans seeking something a heavier.

Thy Catafalque do not pretend to create “easy” listening music, but instead stay true to the artistic vision with which they approach each project. This is not an album that someone can pick or choose a single from and find satisfaction, but it is instead meant to be heard as a cohesive concept. While it may take some listeners multiple attempts, those who are vigilant will be rewarded with a unique and fulfilling experience that transcends the scope of conventional songwriting.

“Naiv” is available HERE

Band info: Bandcamp || facebook

VIDEO PREMIERE: Icelandic stoner rockers Keelrider debut "Sun"

Infusing a driving stoner metal sound with vestiges of Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden, Keelrider's new single "Sun" provides an intriguing look at what's on the way from this Icelandic band.  Following the success of their debut album “North”, Keelrider has retooled its lineup and offers "Sun" as a preview to their upcoming sophomore LP. Check it out below, light up and watch you speaker die. 

Band info: Facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Nero di Marte, "Immoto"

By: Peter Morsellino 

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/01/2020

Label: Season of Mist

“Immoto” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Sisyphos

2). L’Arca

3). Immoto

4). Semicerchi

5). La Casa del Diavolo

6). Irradia

7). La Fuga

The Review:

I don't know what you'll want to call this beast.  Words like progressive, post, grind, djent; they will all be thrown around in discussions about it.  But none of that is important. Words can't really describe the sound of this album, but I'll try my best to prepare you for it.

Nero di Marte's third album hits on many levels. Its heavy, its complex, it's a thing of beauty.  Impossibly technical rhythms pepper this album, backing up a jazzy blend of noodling, crunchy riffs, and some very interesting vocal patterns.  Comparisons will be made to Animals as Leaders, yet this is nowhere near good enough. “Immoto” is a thing all its own, and it needs to be consumed as such. 

A very dense and somewhat frightening atmosphere hangs over the album as a whole.  It puts you into the middle of the music and grabs on to you emotionally. I think that this is what will separate Nero di Marte from their contemporaries in technical metal music. There is a personal connection that helps you feel connected to the sound personally. This isn't mile a minute speed jazz for you to try and fail to tap your foot to. This is a visceral experience. This is a sound that will sink into you and take you wherever it's going, and you had better hang on lest you be left behind.

I'm trying to keep this brief, as it is very difficult to explain without you having listened to it already. Give it a play. Let it consume you. Let the riffs crush you to the ground. Let the rhythms tear you apart while the atmospheres hold you together.  Let the vocals take you on their magical journey through the "motionless, transformative place within (you)," as the band themselves put it.  Let it speak for itself. I hope you enjoy, I know that I did.

“Immoto” is available HERE

Band info: facebook || bandcamp