ALBUM REVIEW: Benighted - "Necrobreed"

By: Conor O’Dea

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/02/2017

Label: Season of Mist

Benighted are the equivalent of a gargantuan, hyperactive monstrosity, hybridizing the manic-spastic energy of a joyous slasher rampage with the gurgling insanity of some cthonic abomination. 

“Necrobreed” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1.Hush Little Baby

2.Reptilian

3.Psychosilencer

4.Forgive Me Father

5.Leatherface

6.Der Doppelgaenger

7.Necrobreed

8.Monsters Make Monsters

9.Cum With Disgust

10.Versipellis

11.Reeks Of Darkened Zoopsia

12.Mass Grave

The Review:

It's taking me a while to put this review to bed. This is because Benighted, particularly with this bloody album, are the equivalent of a gargantuan, hyperactive monstrosity, hybridizing the manic-spastic energy of a joyous slasher rampage with the gurgling insanity of some cthonic abomination. This is my turgid, long-winded way of saying that it is nearly impossible to sit still long enough to write a review about this album while listening to this album.

I will confess: as a long-time devotee of Osmose Productions, I was mildly nervous when Benighted made the jump to Season of Mist. Now on their third album on SoM, it actually feels like a pretty good fit despite some reservations I have about the wider roster. Everything about “Necrobreed” feels over-the-top in the best way possible; the pure adrenaline exuded by every track lets it outpace “Carnivore Sublime” in every relevant category. In the FFOs mode, I found in this album whatever intangible element seemed to be missing in Anaal Nathrakh's otherwise excellent “Whole of the Law...” it just comes together slightly better and has the feeling of a cliffhanger at almost every juncture, complete with jump scares and moments of sheer terror. If pushed to identify highlights, I would nominate the aggro-fest of “Psychosilencer” and the terrifyingly crusty title track. “Mass Grave” also makes for an exceptional album closer.

Energetic, fun, shrieking, guttural, pulverising, perversely ecstatic. Proof that deathgrind still has a sense of levity and enjoyment in the music it produces. Apologies to the band that it took so long to get this out - but it is a compliment, ultimately...I was too busy enjoying your music and the ensuing tachycardia to write about it.

“Necrobreed” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Rebel Wizard - ‘Invocation of the Miserable Ones' EP (Review)

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 11/12/2015

Label: Independent

If you can handle the programmed drums, you’re in for 17 minutes of truly fantastic music. The riffs here are remarkable.  Lead off instrumental “Too Late” is mid tempo heavy metal bliss, perfectly striking a balance between 80s Judas Priest with European-style melody a sound that returns for “On the Unknown Self They Ride”. Elsewhere, we’re treated to a muscular speed metal/power metal hybrid on “A Place to Rest the Dead Inside is Never to Be Found”, complete with locomotive double kick.  The quality here is best of the year list-worthy, if given the kind of production this music truly deserves.

‘Invocation of the Miserable Ones’ DD track listing:

1. Too Late

2. A Place to Rest the Dead Inside is Never to Be Found

3. On the Unknown Self They Ride

4. Invocation of the Miserable Ones

The Review:

This review, much like this EP, will be quick and to the point.

Rebel Wizard’s a one-man operation, and it sounds like it. I don’t mean that in a negative context, either. What I mean is that outside of a handful of exceptions, you’re not going to find too many solitary metal projects that sound like full-fledged bands. The vast majority of musicians aren’t going to be able to play drums, bass, guitar and do vocals all at a high level in a studio setting. So, some concessions end up getting made, and you work with what you can, because there either aren’t suitable band mates in your area, or you just don’t fucking like other people. Whichever the personal case may be when talking about NKSV and Rebel Wizard, the one big concession at work here is drums and drum programming. If you’re able to deal with some pretty barebones, obviously programmed drums, you’re going to love the hell out of this album. If not, it’s going to be a tough sell.

If you can handle the programmed drums, you’re in for 17 minutes of truly fantastic music. The riffs here are remarkable. Lead off instrumental “Too Late” is mid tempo heavy metal bliss, perfectly striking a balance between 80s Judas Priest with European-style melody a sound that returns for “On the Unknown Self They Ride”. Elsewhere, we’re treated to a muscular speed metal/power metal hybrid on “A Place to Rest the Dead Inside is Never to Be Found”, complete with locomotive double kick. The vocals are done in a black metal style with added distortion layer on top for added filth, which gives the EP a sense of old Witchery by way of Anaal Nathrakh.

The larger point is that these are riffs that deserve better than to be discounted because of their sonic surroundings. I would urge you strongly to do your best to accept or look past the mechanical sound of the drums, because these songs are absolutely worth the effort. The quality here is best of the year list-worthy, if given the kind of production this music truly deserves. Still, I understand the circumstances that lead to this kind of recording quality, and it’s usually out of necessity rather than lack of effort.

‘Invocation of the Miserable Ones’ is available here

Band info: Facebook

Gnaw Their Tongues - ‘Abyss Of Longing Throats’ (Album Review)

By: Chris Bull

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 07/08/2015

Label: Crucial Blast

‘Gnaw Their Tongues has opened up a portal into hell and is dragging you with him. Fear the worst. Expect to suffer. If you make it out alive, expect some severe emotional trauma.’

‘Abyss Of Longing Throats’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Like The Poison From The Cave Walls

2). Through Flesh

3). Abyss Of Longing Throats

4). From The Black Mouth Of Spite

5). The Holy Body

6). And They Will Be Cast Out Into Utter Darkness

7). Up Into The Heavens Down Into The Circles Of Hell

The Review:

Mories and his Industrial/Black Metal machine Gnaw Their Tongues has become somewhat of an institution in extreme music. As well as several albums, EPs, splits and compilations released through both widely renowned and über kvlt labels, as of today, he's been announced to play Temples 2016, he's played fucking Roadburn and after nearly 10 years can pretty much do what he wants. Thankfully, what he wants to do is make grimy, disturbing, unrelenting anti music. 'Abyss Of Longing Throats' is straight from the filthy mop bucket left in a dingy basement is a suburb of Hades.

When 'Lick The Poison From The Cave Walls' strained feedback and dissonant drums started, everything went dark, my worldview became disjointed. Horror. Disgust. Anguish. 'Through Flesh' fared much the same, Mories' disturbed, distant vocals, as always, in excellent form and the chaos contained within it's confines felt like a raging beast trying to smash through it's concrete walls, stopping for moments to catch it's breath and psych itself up. The title track was more straight forward industrial black metal in it's make up, like the joining line between Anaal Nathrakh and Abruptum, the blasting is relentless, the squeals and scrapes permeate the soundscape as spoken word samples provide a brief moment of suspense before the punishment continues. 'From the Black Mouth Of Spite' is a knife frenzy of a song that's as terrifying and torturous as  you can get. Random harsh swooshes and crunches of sound swarm around like a pack of hungry wolves as you bleed in the snow.

'The Holy Body' starts rather startlingly, like the scene in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre where Leatherface emerges from behind the sliding doors to deliver a fatal crushing blow to the skull, except the blow didn't kill you, only awaken your senses to allow you to feel the full force of the dismemberment you are subject to. 'And They Will be Cast Out Into Utter Darkness' is very discordant and disorienting for the opening bars before something that resembles a tune (a very gnarly tune) rears it's pale, screaming head, it's spitting blood at you in sheer panic. 'Up Into the Heavens, Down Into The Circles Of Hell' is a death knell signalling the finality of existence. Drawn out for an extended period before frantically gasping for oxygen. Strained strings and ghostly howls sit atop the carnage of distorted screams and blasts beats. Total darkness. The fear of isolation. Death has spared you but you wish he hadn't. 

Gnaw Their Tongues has opened up a portal into hell and is dragging you with him. Fear the worst. Expect to suffer. If you make it out alive, expect some severe emotional trauma.

‘Abyss Of Longing Throats’ is available here

Band Info: Official | Bandcamp | Facebook

Live Review: Anaal Nathrakh @ Boston Music Room, London. November 5th, 2014

Anaal Nathrakh always claimed never to be a touring band. For their recent album releases however this has changed, so to my delight as a long time Anaal Nathrakh fan they came over to London to play a show at the Boston Music Rooms in Tuffnel Park, a venue infamous for holding concerts for a great number of metal acts.

Starting off the evening with the groove orientated intro track from the new album, I have to say, I was shocked at how sloppy they were. Literally none of them were in time with each other, worst of all was the drummer who just couldn’t seem to get any kick’s in time. Surprising as I was told he plays to a click.

Moving on though, the night did improve, but it struck me that perhaps they didn’t warm up before hitting the stage, big mistake for a band that doesn’t play a lot of shows. After the second song the band went into full swing and really got into it, the grindy madness was tighter and more controlled.

The singer was definitely the best part for me. He was consistently spot on, whether shrieking, growling or belting out the operatic choruses. He was also a great front man in the sense that he knew the songs well enough to put emphasis on crowd participation in just the right spots. Also he looks like one mean motherfucker!

One glaring problem was that the lead guitar was far louder than the rhythm. The rhythm guitarist had a much more controlled tone in comparison, and in a band that plays as fast and distorted as AN, he deserved to be turned way up in the mix. Although all this is true, it did make the lead parts absolutely shine, with the tremolo picked melodies sounding ultra brutal.

Crowd involvement was at its peak for the shows and there was at any one time at least two people on stage and then diving off two seconds later. The band actively encouraged it too, with the rhythm guitarist asking for more stage diving in between one of the songs. Hilariously at one point, some dude tried to hug the singer in between a song. The singer wasn’t very happy about this and shoved him away, looking unbelievably pissed off. This dude then had the cheek to get up multiple more times throughout the night and throw himself into the crowd.

Overall it was a pretty good gig. Definitely not the best gig ever, and considering my expectations were pretty high because I love the recordings, it could have been a hell of a lot better. But maybe it was an amazing gig, and maybe I was too far back or not in the right mood? Sometimes when you see a band you really love and come out disappointed, you have to take a step back and ask yourself if you are the correct audience for the show. The majority of people there were getting really stuck in and going absolutely nuts, which at a grindcore/ black metal show I’m sure is the norm. I’m just not that kind of guy though, so for me it was just a tad disappointing.

Thanks for reading Y’all!

Words by: Asher G. Alexander.

Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum (Album Review)

Album Type:  Full Length

Date Released: 28/10/2014

Label: Metal Blade Records

‘Desideratum’ CD/DD track listing:

01. Acheronta Movebimus (03:30)
02. Unleash (03:41)
03. Monstrum in Animo (04:01)
04. The One Thing Needful (03:53)
05. A Firm Foundation of Unyielding Despair (03:37)
06. Desideratum (03:59)
07. Idol (03:38)
08. Sub Specie Aeterni (Of Maggots and Humanity) (03:16)
09. The Joystream (04:24)
10. Rage and Red (03:30)
11. Ita Mori (03:42)

Bio:

Anaal Nathrakh was created for one purpose - to be the soundtrack for Armageddon, the audial essence of evil, hatred and violence, the true spirit of necro taken to its musical extremes. Since being founded in 1999, the band has gained a reputation for embodying precisely these things, with a history including not only the release of seven albums and an EP to rapturous acclaim, but collaborations with such legendary figures as Attila Csihar (Mayhem), Shane Embury and Danny Herrera (Napalm Death), Nick Barker (Testament, Dimmu Borgir), Joe Horvath (Circle of Dead Children), Sethlans Teitan (Watain) and so on. This, alongside appearing on BBC Radio 1 at the personal behest of sadly missed icon John Peel, headlining a stage at the renowned cult Inferno Festival in Norway as their debut international live appearance, countless placings in 'best album of the year' polls and album of the month awards in the press and cover appearances on leading magazines such as Terrorizer… Anaal Nathrakh's status as one of the leading lights in extreme metal is undeniable

The Band:

Mick Kenney | guitars/bass/programming
David Hunt AKA V.I.T.R.I.O.L | vocals

Review:

Following 2012’s monolithic masterpiece ‘Vanitas’, noisy grindsters Anaal Nathrakh yet again offer listeners a complete sonic barrage in the form of ‘Desideratum’. Known for combining elements of all the most extreme subgenres within metal, Anaal Nathrakh prove once again that they can obliterate ear drums and bring the destruction.

Taking a step back and looking at the past works of Anaal Nathrakh you can see a definite progression from pure black to where they are today. Albums like ‘Hell Is Empty And All The Devils Are Here’ stepped up their game with groove orientated verses and operatic vocals. Although this may not have been the first time they used elements like those, it was certainly where they started to feature heavily in their signature sound. Their previous album ‘Vanitas’ took the groove, power metal vocals and big choruses and mashed it perfectly with the sharp production and grindcore stylings into a beafy blackened death battery for the senses.

This album tends to lean more towards the black, death and grind side than it’s predecessor, which by no means is bad, just slightly unexpected seeing as the last two albums made it look as if they were going to commercialise their music slightly (again, not a bad thing).

Fans of the past 3 albums will feel right at home here. It completely rips in places with blast beats and classic inaudible screaming used to completely desolate your mind. It’s because of this however that it has lost quite a bit of its groove however. With ‘Vanitas’ it seems more like a riffy affair, where ‘Desideratum’ returns to their more tremolo picked songs that fly past at a million miles an hour.

There is no reprieve from the brutality. Not one point does it let you rest from the insanity to take in a cool section or space out the onslaught of blast beats. But really lets be honest, who would relax by listening to Anaal Nathrakh? Anaal Nathrakh are the sort of band that you could imagine a high school kid listening too before shooting up a school.

All round this album has everything you would expect from them in spades. Noise, pummeling verses, big choruses and some groovy sections to top it all off. There really is a lot of great extreme metal out there at the moment and you’d be doing yourself a favour not to ignore these guys. Not that you could even if you tried!

Thanks for reading Y’all!

Words by: Asher G. Alexander

You can pick up a copy here

For more information:

http://www.anaal-nathrakh.com
https://www.facebook.com/Anaalnathrakhofficial
https://twitter.com/ANOfficial
https://www.youtube.com/user/anaalnathrakhtv