ALBUM REVIEW: Asphyx, "Necroceros"

By: Richard Maw

 

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/01/2021

Label: Century Media Records 

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

 

1. The Sole Cure is Death
2. Molten Black Earth
3. Mount Skull
4. Knights Templar Stand
5. Three Years of Famine
6. Botox Implosion
7. In Blazing Oceans
8. The Nameless Elite
9. Yield or Die
10. Necroceros

 

The Review:

 

Asphyx are back with this, another feral stab of doom-death. Van Drunen's wail is intact and as rough and ready as ever. The production is as gnarly as you might expect from these Dutch death masters. Asphyx have had a pretty solid career with a death metal classic as their debut (“The Rack”) and then “Deathhammer” being a real late period highlight. Their last outing, “Incoming Death” was good and punk infused, but this is the band back to their best.

 

The songs are pretty urgent and the band sounds focused and vicious; the riffs are stellar, the slower passages invoke Bolt Thrower at their doomiest and the whole effect is one that is really rather majestic. If you want to sample the wares here, just go for the opener, “The Sole Cure Is Death”. It's Asphys, through and through- as are the remaining nine tracks here. As usual, there are plenty of those aforementioned slower passages and, again as usual, the band don't break type by doing any silly blasting passages or trying to go for a more American sound or any such folly.

 

I've always been very fond of Asphyx because of their idiosyncratic sound; I view them as a kind of Euro-Obituary in that they stand out and stand apart from the others. “Mount Skull”, for instance, starts slow but gets up to thrash pacing with some nasty lead work and truly neck snapping riffage before... dropping back down again. There are plenty of post-five minute songs here, as well as a smattering of more urgent tracks but it's the listener who win as each song has its own characters and the band, thankfully, have gone for a finely crafted album approach rather than front loading with the most immediate songs and then just tailing off (naming no other death metal bands, of course....).

 

The subject matter, well, it's death metal. Not entirely, though. You get a song about the Knights Templar here, a little dark sci fi fantasy there- it's varied enough for a band at this stage in their career for sure. The sound, incidentally, is superb. Probably the band's best production yet in terms of clarity and ferocity. The whole band sounds like a well oiled machine (obviously a tank- what else?!) and whether it be the straightforward deathly joy of “Botox Implosion” or the more measured “Three Years of Famine”, they are never less than deadly in their delivery.

 

Of course, fifty minutes of this level of heaviness is a lot to take in but the record is varied and brings a fair amount of light and shade (or shades of black, maybe) that makes the album work as a whole. There is no way you could say that “The Nameless Elite”, say, is the same as “Yield or Die”. Asphyx have always been quirky and this record is no different.

 

The title track is epic in length and scope, allowing the beastly bass tone to be heard clearly at the start. Just like that, the record is over. The title, subject matter and delivery are all very appropriate for the current times we find ourselves stumbling through. It is hard to say where “Necroceros” will sit in their overall discography rankings, but I'm confident it will be right up there. It is certainly better than “Death... The Brutal Way” and “Incoming Death”. “Deathhammer” is a personal favourite of mine... but this has all the elements that you could possibly want from the band and has the production, vitality and songs to challenge anything they have put out. Truly, Asphyx are the band for these times.

 

“Necroceros” is available HERE

 

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Valafar, "Wolfenkind"



By: Richard Maw

 

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 13/11/2018

Label: Independent

 

there are no bad tracks here and over the course of the eight tracks the band have crafted a fine and vicious album. Valafar are a band to watch and they are destined for greater things

 

“Wolfenkind” CD track listing:

 

1). Úlfhéðnar

2). Brotherhood of the Wolf

3). Path of the Warrior

4). Bloody Spoils of War

5). Shunned from the Light

6). The Ballad of Plainfield

7). Odin’s Call

8). Born of the Nine

 

 

The Review:

 

Valafar hail from West Yorkshire and have imbued this Viking/death/metal with a good deal of the grit the region is famed for.  Keighley and surrounding areas would historically have been part of Northumbria in the dark ages, as would (oddly)  a fair bit south of the River Humber as well- everything from Lincoln upwards was firmly Viking territory. It is not so strange, then, that these Yorkshire bruisers would be espousing a Norse doctrine and bringing tracks enthralled to the Ulf/Varg/Ulva in the form of “Brotherhood of the Wolf”.

 

With other tracks named “Path of The Warrior”, “Odin's Call”, “Born of the Nine...” you know what to expect thematically from those titles! Musically, this is absolutely rock solid- good production job, growled vocals, tales of glory and mayhem; it's all here. I suppose as a reference point this is kind of like a death metal Grand Magus. There are cracking riffs to be had here, it's not mindlessly “brutal” as the songs are thought out and the band has brought some seriously groove filled and sludgy riffs.

 

In short, this is not just speed for speed's sake death metal, but neither is it anything less than very heavy. There is something here for fans of death metal, trad metal, thrash metal and even doom metal, as well as Vikings of course. Sound wise, this is perhaps closer to Swe-death than Florida death metal, but Euro death is closer again to the mark. Think Asphyx jamming with Grand Magus via Revel in Flesh or similar and you are getting there.

 

To be clear, there are no bad tracks here and over the course of the eight tracks the band have crafted a fine and vicious album. Valafar are a band to watch and they are destined for greater things- watch this space and get out to see them live when you can. Stirring stuff.

 

“Wolfenkind” is available HERE

 

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Deserted Fear - "Dead Shores Rising"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full  Length

Date Released: 27/01/2017

Label: Century Media Records

This is finely honed death metal, referencing all the greats of the genre from this side of the pond and managing to create an identity all of its own. Deserted Fear are ones to watch for sure: feral stuff, crushing all in their path. This album puts 2017 off to a great start for death metal!

“Dead Shores Rising” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Intro

2). The Fall of Leaden Skies

3). The Edge of Insanity

4). Open the Gates

5). Corrosion of Souls

6). Interlude

7). Towards Humanity

8). The Carnage

9). Face Our Destiny

10). Till the Last Drop

11). Carry On

12). A Morbid Vision

13). The Path of Sorrow

The Review:

Deserted Fear specialise in the kind of death metal so beloved of Scandinavian and European bands. Don't think Nile or Immolation. Think Asphyx and Entombed. This is the band's third full length and they bring their Teutonic terror to the masses in fine style here. The tanks roll, the sound is pleasingly clear and bright, but with the right amount of grit to make this sound... real.

No super fast blasting here, no so-low-you-can-barely-hear-them vocals. This is honest to goodness (not much goodness) death metal from Germania. “The Fall of Leaden Skies” is the first track after a scene setting intro and it really sums up the record: if you like this one then “The Edge of Sanity” will get your neck snapping in similar fashion.

The band offer up their own sound, but the aforementioned bands, Revel in Flesh, At The Gates, Dismember and so on are all valid reference points. “Corrosion of Souls”, “Towards Humanity” and “The Carnage” offer up concise and rocking workouts; the song writing is lean and effective: riffs, changes, good vocals. Some tracks are pacier than others, but this is all head nodding stuff. Death metal, as I live and breathe!

“Face Our Destiny”, “Till the Last Drop” and “Carry On” cap off the album in grandstanding style; so consistent are the band in their sound that the record just flies by. The album also comes with two bonus tracks, both of admirably high quality and a nice touch from Century Media to include them.  “A Morbid Vision” was my favourite of the two, with its' Bolt Thrower esque pacing. There is absolutely nothing to complain about here. This is finely honed death metal, referencing all the greats of the genre from this side of the pond and managing to create an identity all of its own. Deserted Fear are ones to watch for sure: feral stuff, crushing all in their path. This album puts 2017 off to a great start for death metal!

“Dead Shores Rising” is available now

Band info: facebook

FFO: Grave, Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, Bodyfarm

AL BUM REVIEW: Revel in Flesh - "Emissary of all Plagues"

By: Richard Maw

Album Review: Full Length

Date Released: 02/12/2016

Label: Cyclone Empire

This record is a simple proposition: death metal, of the old school Euro/Scandy variety- done well with vicious conviction and one that demands attention from even casual fans of the genre.

“Emissary of all Plagues” CD//DD track listing:

1). Emissary of all Plague

2). Casket Ride

3). Fortress of Gloom

4). Servants of the Deathkult

5). Torture Throne

6). The Dead Lives On

7). Lord of Flesh

8). Sepulchral Passage

9). Dead to this World

10). Doctor, Doctor (UFO cover)

The Review:

Revel in Flesh may sound like a throwback to the early 90's with the Dismember and Entombed (you could tell from the name, right?) buzz saw sound and aggression- but their melodic riffing hints at later genre examples and if you know that they have actually only been around for half a decade, well, it makes even more sense.

Revel in Flesh have quite the work rate and this full length beast follows up their last album from 2014 and several splits since then. This record is a simple proposition: death metal, of the old school Euro/Scandy variety- done well with vicious conviction. There are hooks here; the song and phrase “Fortress of Gloom” will enter your consciousness after only one listen and there is no mindless blasting. This is a dark record, but not without catchy elements. The opening title track sets the tone perfectly and there are nods to prior work on “Servants of the Deathkult”.

The band even throw in a cover of “Doctor Doctor” (yes, by UFO!) to close out the album- this is a lot better than you may think it would be, but still with a  little too much novelty factor for my liking. The heads down thrashing and blasting of “The Torture Throne” is where the band's strengths really lie and when Revel in Flesh really lay things down, they do so with aplomb. “The Dead Lives” on is another prime example of the band's furious sound.

The band keep things tight and focused, even on (relatively) longer songs such as “Lord of Flesh”- which is a doom laden delight worthy of Asphyx. Through faster material such as “Sepulchral Passage” through the latter stages of the record, the band don't ease off the gas. This isn't a front loaded record- it remains strong throughout. For my money, these guys along with Entrails are the best out there at this kind of death metal these days. Cyclone Empire have an ear and nose for this type of thing- the label has delivered quality albums again and again (when is the next Icons of Brutality album coming out?!) and this is another addition to their sterling back catalogue.

The album's closing original material is “Dead to This World” which utilises a longer playing time to good effect and allows the band to run through the gears while creating a deathly atmosphere. This is a very fine death metal record, quite simply, and one that demands attention from even casual fans of the genre. All hail Revel in Flesh- long may they reign.

“Emissary of all Plagues” is available here

Band info: facebook

FFO: Entrails, Dismember, Entombed, Puteraeon

ALBUM REVIEW: Asphyx - "Incoming Death"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Lenth
Date Released: 30/09/2016
Label: Century Media Records

this is a fantastic Asphyx album and a ferocious beast of a record all around. It adds to the band's considerable legacy and confirms Asphyx as one of the very best operating in this arena. Indeed, such is their sound, they are in a category of one, really. I have always thought of them as being kind of the European equivalent to Obituary; cult favourites with a unique sound and style. This is indeed death/doom, done the brutal way.

‘Incoming Death’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Candiru

2. Division Brandenburg

3. Wardroid

4. The Feeder

5. It Came From The Skies

6. The Grand Denial

7. Incoming Death

8. Forerunners of the Apocalypse

9. Subterra Incognita

10. Wildland Fire

11. Death: The Only Immortal

The Review:

Asphyx return after the superb “Deathhammer” from a few years back. Van Drunen and co. are firing on all cylinders here. Asphyx are certainly a classic band- one of the first to really mix doom and death together and they have a certain viciousness which I have always found rather teutonic (rather than Dutch). It is business as usual for the opener “Candiru”; fast and furious, a thick sound that is a little warmer than its predecessor's production, but certainly no less deadly.

Naturally, after the fast paced pummelling comes the slower delivery of “Division Brandenburg”- ruthlessly heavy and with the Germanic sound that the title suggests. The band summon the sound of rolling tanks very effectively just as Bolt Thrower or Ravens Creed have done. “Wardroid” is also fantastically weighty and crushing. Over the course of the eleven tracks, the band don't put a foot wrong. The vocals are pleasingly as rough as ever, the band playing with authority.

The tempo kicks up several notches with “The Feeder”; the band barrelling along at Motorhead pace, dropping to half time when needed... and then dropping again. “It Came from the Skies” is a beast; a maelstrom of riffage and mid tempo groove. There are two tracks which go over into epic length territory; “The Grand Denial” is a veritable feast of doom/death at over seven minutes in length, with the final track, “Death: The Only Immortal” running over eight!

The rest of the album is a focused and toned listen with most tracks following actual song structures rather than the riff-soup approach of many death bands. The title track is particularly vicious and sprints by in under two minutes. Just as “Deathhammer's” title track was a stand out, as is “Incoming Death”. Awesome stuff.

“Forerunners of the Apocalypse” is another stomper of a riff and rhythm that is guaranteed to get your head banging. “Subterra Incognita” shifts the gears downwards again, giving a good ebb and flow to the album's structure. Unsurprisingly, “Wildland Fire” sounds exactly like its title; fantastic riffs, good use of tempo shifts and all in all, a late album stand out. The aforementioned “Death...” closes proceedings in epic style. Eight minutes of carefully balanced doom and death- with that monstrous bass sound pushed front and centre.

To sum up, this is a fantastic Asphyx album and a ferocious beast of a record all around. It adds to the band's considerable legacy and confirms Asphyx as one of the very best operating in this arena. Indeed, such is their sound, they are in a category of one, really. I have always thought of them as being kind of the European equivalent to Obituary; cult favourites with a unique sound and style. This is indeed death/doom, done the brutal way.

‘Incoming Death’ is available here

Band info: facebook

RIYL: Autopsy, Hail of Bullets, Bolt Thrower, Obituary

Horrified - ‘Of Despair’ (Album Review)

 By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 25/03/2016

Label: Stormspell Records (CD),

Infernal Devastation (LP),

Till You Fukkin’ Bleed (CS)

While the straightforward death metal moments are very good, it’s those moments of downtempo grandiosity that separate Horrified from other modern day death metal bands. It’s in those moments that Horrified offer us reassurance for death metal’s future, even in being so reminiscent of its past.

‘Of Despair’ CD//LP//CS//DD track listing:

1. Palace of Defilement

2. Infernal Lands

3. Chasm of Nihrain

4. Funeral Pyers

5. Amidst the Darkest Depths

6. Dreamer of Ages

7. Of Despair

8. The Ruins That Remain

Horrified is:

Dan Alderson | Guitars/ Vocals

Rob Hindmarshh | Guitars

Dan Hughes | Bass

Matthew Henderson | Drums

The Review:

Changes in musical direction are nothing new in metal. In fact, most bands end up changing over time, often quite a bit. For some it’s much more abrupt. You could point to Metallica moving away from the dense and imposing thrash of ‘...And Justice For All’ to the ham-fisted arena metal of their self-titled album. Or, to make more relevant comparison for this review, it can happen the way it did for Hypocrisy, who moved from ugly, punishing death metal to a synth-heavy melodic death metal sound. Hypocrisy’s change was more of lateral movement, remaining firmly entrenched in the death metal scene, even while coming up with more accessible, easily-digested songs.

In the case of Horrified, and the their sophomore album ‘Of Despair’, the transition is a bit softer as they’ve retained elements of what worked on their début, ‘Descent into Putridity’, but have broadened their horizons considerably. They’re very clearly still a death metal band, and the album’s tempo is pretty similar to their previous material, but the guitars have taken a much more melodic turn, by and large.

I had a chance to check in with guitarist/vocalist Dan Alderson, and when I asked him about what led to this more melodic turn, he had difficulty putting a finer description to it. In his interview with Kat Gillham at IronFistZine.com, he pointed to Dan Swanö’s legendary “Edge of Sanity” as being a primary influence. When you combine that with a general change in listening choices, and that he wrote most of ‘Descent into Putridity’ at a much younger age; the changes make perfect sense.

Aside from “Edge of Sanity”, it’s easy to hear bits and pieces of any number of melodic swedish death metal bands as the album moves along, even if Horrified still work from a foundation built upon bands like Asphyx and Dismember. With Horrendous’ Damian Herring handling the mixing and mastering of the album, it feels like everything fell into place for this album and the result a huge leap forward for Horrified as a band.

That ‘Of Despair’ and Horrendous’ material share some common links shouldn’t be surprising, but the two bands are still different beasts. Horrendous, especially on ‘Anareta’, is a band straddling the fence between underground melodic death metal and the accessibility of 80s heavy metal and thrash. Horrified, on the other hand, walk a line between nastier, primal death metal and the swed-death which the two bands share in common.

When trying to find a couple of songs to act as a microcosm of the album as a whole, “Dreamer of Ages” and the title track stand out, not just as album highlights, but as the songs that best encapsulate the album’s overall diversity. “Dreamer of Ages” rages early on, with brisk thrash tempos and tremolo death metal riff fit for Sunlight Studio in 1990. Once the song gets to the halfway point the speed slows dramatically, and the song becomes a mournful dirge, bursting with phrased twin guitar leads.

When I asked Alderson about the role of each guitarist (himself and new guitarist Rob Hindmarsh) he explained their dynamic as follows: “Rob only tracked his leads on Of Despair. His solo work on the album gives the trade-offs a nice 80s feel, and I think his shreddy lead work trades off with my more phrasey leads well.” Alderson’s more deliberate and expressive lead work takes center stage on the album’s instrumental title track, a song I hope is a harbinger of what future material will sound like.

While the straightforward death metal moments are very good, it’s those moments of downtempo grandiosity that separate Horrified from other modern day death metal bands. It’s in those moments that Horrified offer us reassurance for death metal’s future, even in being so reminiscent of its past. The performances are imperfect, just like those of the subgenre’s pioneers, but ‘Of Despair’ is also gushing with melody and atmosphere; something that’s all too often lost in translation when the death metal bands of today look to the past for inspiration.

You will be able to preorder the album on CD here. Check back for vinyl pre orders here, and do the same for tapes here.

Band info: Facebook

Mourning Beloveth - "Rust & Bone" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/01/2015

Label: Ván Records

For a band that have been around for nigh on a quarter of a century, Mourning Beloveth incorporate a surprising amount of experimentation. That said, they have their sound and are sticking to it. They incorporate death, doom, even elements of black metal and so on into their sound and deploy them all for variety across their albums. Although we may have heard the tricks before, the quality remains high and the band remain inspired with great depth and breadth to their compositions.

“Rust & Bone” CD//DD track listing:

1). Godether

2). Rust

3). The Mantle Tomb

4). Bone

5). A Terrible Beauty is Born

Mourning Beloveth is:

Tommy Johnson | Drums

Frank Brennan | Guitars, vocals (clean)

Darren Moore | Vocals

Brendan Roche | Bass

Pauric Gallagher | Guitars

The Review:

Mourning Beloveth, the Irish doom metal force of nature, follow up “Formless” with this beast of an album. Certainly, these are five tracks of misery and downcast despair. “Godether” gets down to murky business over the course of its sixteen and a half minutes (!). Don't expect an easy listen, choruses or any kind of songs, per se. These are more like mood pieces/movements. Whether the French film of the same name as this album from a  couple of years ago had any influence on this record, I cannot say- but the mood is in some ways similar (no happy endings here, though).

Certainly, there is death metal within Mourning Beloveth's doom, but this is not like Asphyx or something- it is primarily doom metal, with melody and mood intact. Sweeping backing vocals lift the track down the penultimate stretch and the opener is well crafted and pitch black. The blast section towards the end will come as a shock, too!

“Rust” is a pretty acoustic interlude, with a folk sensibility which sets up the following “The Mantle Tomb” nicely. The track sprints- well not really- out of the gates with a flowing riff and an expansive sound. The clean vocals are a nice addition; dramatic and operatic and thus matching the mood of the music. For a band that have been around for nigh on a quarter of a century, Mourning Beloveth incorporate a surprising amount of experimentation. That said, they have their sound and are sticking to it. They incorporate death, doom, even elements of black metal and so on into their sound and deploy them all for variety across their albums. Although we may have heard the tricks before, the quality remains high and the band remain inspired with great depth and breadth to their compositions.

“Bone” is the second part of the title and this time utilises electric sounds to create a rather wistful atmosphere for a charming bridge into the final part of the album. The closing seven minutes of “A Terrible Beauty Is Born” uses acoustic instruments with an excellent and insistent rhythm, over which vocals are layered to good effect. It is an unusual and interesting way to end a doom album. Overall, then, another quality release from Ireland's masters of the genre. If you want some doom over this rather depressing period of darkness and grim weather, then look no further.

“Rust and Bone” is available here

FFO: My Dying Bride, Officium Triste, Novembers Doom, Hooded Menace

Band info: facebook |official

ALBUM REVIEW - Hooded Menace - "Darkness Drips Forth"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 30/10/2015

Label: Relapse Records

Hooded Menace has delivered a powerful and dynamic record with plenty of doom, fully informed with the approach of death metal of a more Euro/Scandi approach. For me, there is nothing to dislike here and everything to enjoy. A fine and focused record.

“Darkness Drips Forth” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Blood For The Burning Oath/Dungeons of The Disembodied

2). Elysium of Dripping Death

3). Ashen with Solemn Decay

4). Beyond Deserted Flesh

The Review:

Death/Doom monsters Hooded Menace return to “Finnish” us all off with a brand new masterpiece! That is the most levity you will get from me when reviewing this album. To say that it is not a cheery listen would be a huge understatement.

This is slow. This is heavy. This is very, very dark. In fact, rarely has an album title summed up the contents held therein so accurately. Opener “Blood For The Burning Oath/Dungeons of The Disembodied” is packed full of ideas- leads, melodies, very dark riffing and deeper than the ocean vocals combine to make this eleven minute plus track just fly by (or at least crawl speedily).

I find the production to be a step up from 2012's “Effigies of Evil” and the band really deliver a tightly played opus, neatly shifting time feels and using dynamics to good effect. In fact, the heart of the record is as death as it is doom- in terms of approach and structures, certainly.

“Elysium of Dripping Death” continues the macabre journey with some very funereal sounding doom passages, mixed in with more familiar doom and melancholy. Generally speaking the tracks come in somewhere around the ten or eleven minute mark, so across four songs you get well over forty minutes of music. This is worth noting, as it means that the album does not outstay its welcome and the band is allowed to focus their ideas into the strongest possible showing over the course of the record. It is not all unremitting oppressive weight; there are moments, if not of levity, that at least lift the shroud a little and allow some lighter elements to enter the sound.

“Ashen with Solemn Decay” boasts an enormous and reverb heavy drum sound for the intro and then the guitars kick in with a rather Paradise Lost style lead/rhythm riff section before the doom gets going again. Again, there is rather more lead and melody than I expected on the album as a whole and that is a fine thing.

“Beyond Deserted Flesh” has some excellent chugging riffs and recalls a much slowed down version of peak Swe-Death. Indeed, the track is the best on the record for me. It could be that it takes a while to get into the overall sound and approach, but once you do you will be hooked- if death/doom is your thing.

Hooded Menace has delivered a powerful and dynamic record with plenty of doom, fully informed with the approach of death metal of a more Euro/Scandi approach. For me, there is nothing to dislike here and everything to enjoy. A fine and focused record. 

“Darkness Drips Forth” is available here

FFO: Asphyx, Coffins, Druid Lord, Autopsy

Band info: facebook | twitter | bandcamp