ALBUM REVIEW: Goatwhore, “Angels Hung From The Arches of Heaven”

 By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 07/10/2022         
Label: Metal Blade Records
 

“Angels Hung From The Arches of Heaven” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1. Invocation 3
2. Born of Satan's Flesh
3. The Bestowal of Abomination
4. Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven
5. Death from Above
6. Ruinous Liturgy
7. Victory Is the Lightning of Destruction
8. Voracious Blood Fixation
9. The Devil's Warlords
10. Weight of a Soulless Heart
11. Nihil
12. And I Was Delivered from the Wound of Perdition
 
The Review:
 
Yet another classic band from NOLA, Goatwhore have been at the coal face of extreme metal for twenty years plus. Unbelievable, but true. They’ve enough albums under their (studded?) belts now that I was wondering if the spite, the energy, the ferocity would still be there. Well, it’s not only there- it’s burning brighter than ever!
 
“Invocation 3” sets the tone and then “Born of Satan’s Flesh” brings the speed and power. From there, it’s all ferocious… and with a myriad of genres cropping up. This is not one dimensional at all. It mixes death metal, thrash, post metal and black metal in a gumbo that I can only really describe as ‘extreme metal.’ Each track brings something different, whether it be the blackened/post vibes of the title track or the thrashing brutality of “Death from Above”.
 
The songs themselves are uniformly tight and muscular in terms of composition; and they are aided by an appropriately tight and muscular production and mix. There’s no fat here and only the closer “And I was Delivered from the Wound of Perdition” really lengthens the band’s stride. Elsewhere it’s all focus and drive.
 
It’s one of my favourite extreme metal releases from the last year and I can’t fault it. It has the energy and burning ambition of bands half Goatwhore’s age (both in the band members’ physical age and in terms of their recording career). There is everything to like about this gnarled beast of an album and nothing to complain about it. It’s well balanced, streamlined and brutal in the right measure. Just have a listen to any track, or try “Victory Is the Lightning of Destruction” or “The Devil’s Warlords” Or “Ruinous Liturgy” or… well, any track.  Superb and vicious metal, in every way.
 
“Angels Hung From The Arches of Heaven” is available now

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

INTERVIEW: Rouen blackened hardcore merchants Pilori discuss their genre bending new record

Stéphane Marry (c) @pixels.story

“Hell is only a word, the reality is much worse” Event Horizon 1997

Delivering a record with the ferocity and intensity of Pilori’s sophomore Quand Bien Meme L’Enfer et le Deluge S’abbattraient sur Nous,” roughly translated as “Even though Hell and the Deluge Would Fall on Us”, makes me wonder whether the band themselves, have actually visited hell and brought this record back with them.

To experience “Quand Bien Meme L’Enfer et le Deluge S’abbattraient sur Nous“in all its hellish glory, is to imagine being wrapped up in barbed wire and thrown down a hill.  Today we have invited front man Greg from Pilori to discuss how this punishing record came to be.  

SL: Hey Greg, welcome to THE SLUDGELORD!! Could you tell our readers a little about yourself, how you started playing music, leading up to the formation of your band?

 Gr. (vocals): First of all, I wanna say 'hi !' to all the readers of this. Then, we're Pilori, we come from Rouen, in Normandy (France), and we're four lads in the band. As so many and many bands, the start of Pilori is simple and not so interesting. I know my guitarist, R., for years now and one day, at the release party of his other band, The Birds End, which is instrumental post-rock, he came to see me cause he wanna play something different, something more in his black metal/death metal/crust hardcore roots. I was fucking excited about the idea to play this kind of sounds that I loved, but even more excited to play with him cause he’s a fucking good guitarist and a fucking good guy. We began to write the first tracks, we began to looking for musicians to play with us... So it was, as simple as it seems, the beginning of Pilori. Nothing more. You see : not interesting haha !

SL: For those people unfamiliar with Pilori, are there any bands on the scene past and present that you would use as a reference point to describe your band, and who or what continues to inspire you and push you to try new things?

Gr. (vocals): I think that Pilori is a sum of a lot of different bands, of a lot of different influences. I think this is our print now, our style, and it's that people often write and say about us. You can find black and death influences, blend with some grind, chaotic and crust influences. So, I could tell about bands like Napalm Death, Entombed, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Angelcorpse, Immortal, Watain, Rotten Sound, Darkthrone, Nails, Full of Hell, Gaza, Cult Leader... For the most recent stuffs, and also more local cause they're french, I wanna also talk about Fange, Mourir, Plebeian Grandstand, Celeste...

I just talk about bands from the scene that we really like, cause we aren't listen just extreme music. For example, I'm a huge listener of post-punk shit and there are a lot of bands who inspired me in this kind of sounds. It's the same for the other members. I really think that the other genres are opening us to new sounds and allows us to try new things.

SL: What can you tell us about your latest record “Quand Bien Même L'Enfer et le Déluge S'abattraient sur Nous” and where do you feel it sits within the context of your local scene and the wider metal scene as a whole?

Gr. (vocals) : I can tell you something simple and very cliché : we're fucking proud of it ! But I mean it a lot! When you read many interviews of many bands, especially mainstream bands, they're still proud of their new album even if it sounds like shit compared to the oldest. But it's just some promotion talks. Corey Taylor is a specialist of it, but who really think that Slipknot's new records are better than the first ones? Anyway, we're so proud of this second LP, we're proud of our writing process, of the production, the way it sounds, ‘cause we worked a lot on it, even harder than we worked on “À Nos Morts”. On our first record, nobody expecting us, and even us we don't know what we can expect. We just wanna made a LP, period. Nothing more, nothing less. For this new one, we want more haha ! We knew ourselves better, what we want to do, what we can do, and we prepare it the most that we can do. I also think that we find our own sound, our “Pilori style”, and we assume it more.

Personally, there are plenty of songs in this album that I really really like, that I like to listen to, that I like to play. I like my own voice, what I've done, which is not always the case, even if I still think that here or here I could do more, I could bo better... Regarding our local scene, in Rouen, I think that no one does the same sound or the same style as us. I also think this is real for the French scene in general. We're pretty unique haha !!! But I don't like comparison, competition, so I'll stop it right now.

SL: What was the writing and rehearsal process like for your album

Gr. (vocals): Our first LP, “À Nos Morts”, was released in May 2020, during the Covid pandemic. So we were in a dynamic, we wanna make things, and in the meantime we were very frustrated, but not resigned. We try our best to take all the opportunities to play and tour when it was possible, and we also have some times to keep writing songs with the curfew or lockdown. This first album was very well-received, so it motivated us a lot. We took this dynamic and this frustration, and, in addition to “classic” rehearsals, two times we rent an Airbnb in the Normandy countryside, in the middle of nowhere, and lock ourselves during days, to write this new album. We just played music all day long between us. After that, we keep writing and make the song arrangements from home cause it's very easy now, all the new technologies allowed it.

 

SL: What stands out as your overarching memory from the recording sessions?
 
Gr. (vocals): A lot of positive things. Really. Even if I try hard, I can't remember something negative. We were very well-prepared, we made demo of each song, we went a lot in rehearsals, and we recorded in a place that we know by heart with a guy who know us by heart (La Gare aux Musiques with Bertrand Lebourgeois, at 30 kms of Rouen). When we made our first album, we were less prepared, and, except for the drum parts, we done it in some kind of DIY spirit, ‘cause we recorded it ourselves in the super tiny home studio of our former bassist.
 
For this new record, we took more times, in a “real” studio with better stuffs, better materials, and a “real” sound guy. Everything was easier, and every one of us was super excited to play and record his parts. If I could keep just one memory, I would say the first day of guitar takes. When my drummer, my bass player and me came at the studio, our guitarist was already there and has already prepared all his stuffs with our sound guy. There were 4 cabinets with 4 amp heads and a ton of pedals around, and nearly ten mics to record all this shit. I can easily remember the smile on all our faces, and the excitation that we all felt at the moment where we started recording the guitar and when we heard that crazy sound.
 
SL: Does anything spring to mind when you think about the completion of your new album and with than in mind, how is the mood in the camp at present?

Gr. (vocals): In our camp, the mood is always good, always positive! I think that is why the things goes so well for Pilori : I've the huge chance to work with great dudes who are great friends, they all have a good mentality, a good state of mind. I'm serious, I mean it, this is the best line-up and the best people to work with. So, the mood is offensive now: we wanna do things, play a lot, defend this album anywhere and everywhere !

SL: There is often very little focus given to the album artwork, which for me is an integral part of the record, can you tell us a little about the artist, how the artwork come to fruition and your thoughts on the completed piece?  Perhaps tell us about some of your own favourite album covers?
 
Gr. (vocals): The artwork was made by an Indonesian artist, Jois Cabe. He's also the guy behind our first album cover. It's an amazing artist and a great dude, it was a real pleasure to work with him again. I've just gave him the name of the album, the meaning of it, and he can do whatever he want and feel. Our talks and exchanges were good, he quickly understood the point. Like you, the visuals are an important part of an album for me, and I really think that this artwork is the perfect fit for this album. We're very proud of it, really, we find it awesome, more than expected! And we've very good feedback on it.
To talk about my favorite album covers, I just wanna say that I've always loved covers without artist names. When you have just an artwork, a visual, and no other infos. I always found it great, that's why we do it with Pilori haha!
 
SL: With your new record completed, what are you planning as far as shows in the near future?
 
Gr. (vocals): We plan to do a lot of shows cause we love playing and touring so much. Be on the road, it's one of the thing we like the most. So it's the plan: play as much as possible, anywhere. Till the end of 2022, we already have 19 shows scheduled, in Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and for sure, in France. Some shows and tour are also already booked for 2023. And, when we'll be tired about playing and touring, we'll do a new album !
 
SL: Finally, do you have any last words?
 
Gr. (vocals): Thanks to you for your interest, thanks to everyone who's reading this, thanks to everyone who support us in any way.  And don't forget to support your local scene and independent/underground bands. Go to the shows in the tiny club of your city, buy some merch, and keep listening to all the underground scene. It's always a thug time for this scene, and it's always getting worse and worse. So many independent venues are closing...
 
The End.

Band info: piloriband

ALBUM REVIEW: Pilori, “Quand Bien Meme L’Enfer et le Deluge S’abbattraient sur Nous”

By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 26/08/2022
Label: 7 degrees | Abyssal Cvlt | Bad Moon Rising |
Black Omega Recordings | Black Terror Distro | BRC-30
Coups de Couteau | Hecatombe Records | Itawak Records |
Black Omega Recordings | Black Terror Distro | BRC-30
Coups de Couteau | Hecatombe Records | Itawak Records |
Loner Cult | Sleepy Dog Records | Terrain Vague | Ugly & Proud Records |
Wrecking Crew Records |Total Dissonance Worship

 
 
“Quand Bien Meme L’Enfer et le Deluge S’abbattraient sur Nous” CD//CS/DD//LP  track listing:
 
1. De Guerre Lasse
2. Meurtrière
3. Entre Chien Et Loup (feat. Gabriel Dubko from Implore)
4. Maelström
5. Quand Bien Même L'Enfer...
6. Une Livre De Chair
7. Où Gisent Les Ancres
8. Au Prix De Tous Les Sacrifices
9. En Haut Des Cimes
10. ...Et Le Déluge
 
The Review:

Clearly, these French blackened crust/death/grind merchants are not trying to be as accessible as possible to non-French speakers; the titles are stretching my GCSE level of French well beyond its meagre limits. Regardless of language barriers, this is furious and ferocious stuff. There is a post metal element to their sound with dissonant guitar work rearing up now and again. The bass tone is suitably grimy, the drums thrash, blast and roll with admirable aggression and the whole experience is one of being wrapped in barbed wire and thrown down a (French) hill, perhaps landing in the moat of a chateau at the bottom.
 
The album has the speed and power to mix it with any band booked for the smaller stages at Damnation festival and the record rattles by at a fair clip. The band do what they do extremely well with real grind elements mixing with a very blackened feel, “Maelstrom” (that one I can understand!) is exactly like the title implies while elsewhere the band mixes hardcore, black metal, grindcore, post metal and punk elements to concoct a heady mixture that works.
 
It's an exhausting listen and one for fans of genre blending bands. The band are active and gigging in France- perhaps they will make the trip across from Rouen to the UK? I’m confident that everyone from crust punks to black metal fans would enjoy this both on record and in the live arena. Frightening stuff.
 
“Quand Bien Meme L’Enfer et le Deluge S’abbattraient sur Nous” is available HERE 

Band info: piloriband

ALBUM REVIEW: Venom Inc., "There's Only Black"

By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 23/09/2022
Label: Nuclear Blast

 
“There's Only Black” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1. How Many Can Die
2. Infinitum
3. Come To Me
4. There's Only Black
5. Tyrant
6. Don't Feed Me Your Lies
7. Man As God
8. Burn Liar Burn
9. Nine
10. Rampant
11. The Dance
12. Inferno
 
The Review:

Venom Inc. return after a five-year gap following the rather good “Ave” from 2017. A few things have changed since then; Mantas has survived serious heart problems and is now back to match fitness, Abaddon has departed the fold and been replaced by American Jeramie Kling while Tony ‘Demolition Man’ Dolan remains at the helm, as steadfast as ever.
 
“Ave” was a good album, but there were a few issues; the rather machine like (!) quality of the drums and a few stylistic detours meant that it was strong rather than an out and out classic. This time around, though, the band goes all out. No industrial inflections, no moody aesthetics- unless that mood is anger, of course.
 
“There's Only Black” is out and out grimy anger- Motorhead on steroids with Marshall stacks fired up to the limit, drums pounded close to breaking point and Dolan’s vocals as vital and gritty as ever. The guitar work is fantastic throughout- the lead breaks in “Infinitum” are testimony to this, the fast and furious riffing of “How Many Can Die” sets the tempo and tone. This sounds like a band playing live, effectively- with a nice natural sound to all the instruments and no fancy production sheen. It’s raw, it’s loud, it’s full of bite.
 
The heavy hits keep coming; “Come To Me”, the title track- they just steamroll the listener. There is some light and shade to be found; “Tyrant” has guitar work that is Maiden-esque in places and it offers a surprising line in melodic playing that is by no means out of place. Indeed, it is complementary to the other tracks on offer here.
 
As the record progresses, it’s clear what the band went for: balls out speed and aggression. It works so well because THIS is what we want from Venom Inc. Nobody listens to “Welcome to Hell” for subtlety. No metalhead ever played “Black Metal” or “Prime Evil” expecting pastoral soundscapes. Nope: we want the sound of the gates of hell being opened. We want to feel like we are in league with Satan and are quite prepared to lay down our souls for it.
 
Over the course of twelve tracks, the record is remorseless in its violence, relentless in its aggression. You can play any track; “Man As God”, “Inferno”, “Rampant…” literally any other track and you know what band this is. It’s a life affirming, gritty, leather encased blast of proper metal. Even “Burn Liar Burn” puts the pedal to the metal after lulling the listener into a false sense of security. By the time “Inferno” closes things out with the bludgeoning power of a bulldozer you’ll have been thoroughly convinced and thoroughly beaten down by the metallic power conjured up here.
 
Venom Inc. have become what they always were live and what they were often on record previously- they are just that all of the time here. This is highly recommended and it’s hard to imagine how this could be bettered by any version of Venom, past or present.
 
“There's Only Black” is available HERE 

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Hexis, "Aeternum"

By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 26/08/2022
Label: Debemur Morti Productions

 
“Aeternum” CD//SS//DD//LP track listing:
 
1. Letum
2. Divinitas
3. Exhaurire
4. Interitus
5. Tacet
6. Accipis
7. Nunquam
8. Vulnera
9. Captivus
10. Memento
11. Amissus
12. Aeternum
 
The Review:
 
Copenhagen’s Hexis have clocked up over 800 gigs over their lifespan thus far- so hard touring seems to be part of their DNA. The rest of their DNA seems to be blackened hardcore- mixing the aggression of Agnostic Front with the sweeping wall of noise of, well, any number of Scandi-BM acts.
 
These Danes bring aggression and speed across the first two tracks and when “Letum” and “Divinitas” have given way, the dissonant and sinister tones of “Exhaurire” showcase another aspect of the band’s sound. Truthfully, it is the faster and sharper material that I gravitate towards here and there is no shortage of it; most songs clock in between one and a half and four minutes with only a handful extending this run time.
 
This is an album which sounds good- it’s clear and noisy/filthy at the same time. The post metal aspects of the band’s sound can be heard on tracks like “Vulnera”, while elsewhere the band bring weight as well as speed.
 
If you like the idea of blackened hardcore mixed with sludge and post metal elements, then this band is exactly the kind of band you might see on one of the stages at Damnation Festival that would rip the place apart. There is nothing wrong with this album at all and it is as fine an example of the melding of genres as I can think of. Vicious.
 
“Aeternum” is available HERE 

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Chestcrush, "Vdelygmia"

By: Peter Morsellino
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 14/07/2021
Label: Independent
 

“Vdelygmia” CS//CD//DD track listing:
 
1). The Ingester
2). Different Shepherd Same Sheep
3). Grudge
4). Theocracyst
5). Burden
6). Let Them Crawl
7). Skullcrush
8). Vothrodoxia
9). Vaptizetai O Doulos
 
 
The Review:
 
 
With their first full length album, “Vdelygmia”, Edinburgh’s Chestcrush set out to stake a claim to the throne of the Blackened Death Metal world.  Meaning abomination, filth, or repulsion, “Vdelygmia” is the perfect title to describe what it is the listener is about to hear. 
 
Chestcrush come out the gate strong.  A very creepy ambient introductory track gives way to the bludgeoning punishment of proper opener, “Different Shepherd, Same Sheep”.  This track provides a solid thesis for the album, acting as an overture towards what is to come.  We are presented with an incredibly heavy sound, combining elements of Death Metal with Black Metal and Grindcore.  Tempos shift from a sludgy grind to passages of blistering speed with ease.  A strong sense of dread is present throughout each track, creating an unsettling atmosphere that pairs perfectly with the darkness of Chestcrush’s lyrical themes. 
 
Other stand out tracks include “Theocracyst”, with its slowly picked introduction lulling listeners to a false sense of security before beating them over the skull with the pounding rhythms that the young band will certainly become known for.  “Let Them Crawl” is a positively evil sounding track, that I am sure could summon the devil himself with its swirling dynamics and crushing grooves. 
 
Chestcrush presents its own unique brand of Death Metal to listeners at the breakneck speeds that are to be expected from the genre, but that is not that the sound is without heart.  Each track brings together a range of emotion, preventing the songs from falling into the cold trappings of soulless blast beats and guitar soloing.  Each note is presented with purpose here, creating a musical experience that will last long after the first listen.
 
“Vdelygmia” is not an album for the faint of heart.  This falls securely into the range of music that can peel the paint off of walls.  It can crush skulls (and chests, I suppose,) and lay waste to the surroundings of your sound system.  But if pounding rhythms and searing leads are what you are looking for, then you will not want to sleep on Chestcrush.  Give it a listen.
 
 
“Vdelygmia” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Rorcal & Earthflesh, "Witchcoven" [EP]

By: Josh McIntyre
 
Album Type: EP
Date Released:02/04/2021
Label: Hummus Records

“Witch Coven” CS//CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Altars of Nothingness
2). Happiness Sucks – So Do You

The Review:

 I am always impressed by Rorcal’s ability to be immaculately heavy. I mean it’s pure black bile smashing into your face with the weight of anvils. It melts your eyes and makes you feel smaller, more insignificant as an existential being. The guitars are huge, the drums are huge, the frequencies are huge, and the vocalist (who has one of the best tones in metal) roars like the meanest devil sent to drag you to Hell. Add in Earthflesh, their collaboration partner with this release, and the layers of noise make it sound like being forced into a meat grinder.

Speaking of Hell and devils, these two songs (both around 15 minutes) sound like occult rituals of the most frightening sort. The first song, “Altars of Nothingness”, begins with deep, choir-like vocals that certainly recall religious ceremonies before building up into a vile sludge fest. I’m normally one of those people who views religious and occult themed metal to be played out and cliche but somehow Rorcal and Earthflesh turn out something that really, truly sounds like the soundtrack to someone being set to flames. It isn’t just some band playing rock n’ roll songs about Satan, they manage to bring about an intensity that brings to mind the emotional state of someone in great pain who knows that all they have left in life is pure torment.

It feels as if the first track takes place on Earth, our living realm, while the second half takes place in a Hell-like dimension. Switching to blastbeats and buzzing guitars it sounds like the pure dread of someone falling to their doom, knowing that this is all they have left in life. As the song develops it continuously wavers between these faster parts and back to more doom sections. It feels natural as it flows and when the EP ends the quietness is quite apparent given the last half hour journey.

“Witch Coven” finds a brilliant balance between crushing atmosphere and riff to move the body (particularly the chugging section of the first track). Rorcal is truly at their best when throwing these juxtapositions together. The clean vocals and layers of sound from Earthflesh add to make this a special flavor of extreme music, one that is rich in mindfulness, a focus on emotive feel, and pure devastation.

“Witch Coven” is available HERE

Band info: Rorcal || Earthflesh

ALBUM REVIEW: Ad Nauseum, “Imperative Imperceptible Impulse”

By: Josh McIntyre

Album Type: Full Length 

Date Released: 12/02/2021 

Label: Avantgarde Music

 

“Imperative Imperceptible Impulse” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Sub Specie Aeternitatis 

2). Inexorably Ousted Sente

3). Coincidentia Oppositorum 

4). Imperative Imperceptible Impulse

5). Horror Vacui 

6). Human Interface to No God

The Review:

There’s weird music and then there’s this. Avant-garde is thrown around a lot to describe odd metered and dissonant death/black metal bands but Ad Nauseam truly deserves the title. I don’t think that consonance is even in the band’s musical lexicon. The riffs and rhythms swarm around, constantly shifting and melting into the brain. This wasn’t made to headbang to, this is a challenging musical experiment that demands detailed attention. In other words, this needs to be listened to multiple times to appreciate.

This album in particular is much dryer sounding than Ad Nauseam’s past works and comparable bands such as Ulcerate and Blut Aus Nord. This makes the constant array of clashing guitar notes and clanging bass all the more an assault. This physicality combined with the unpredictability of the rhythmic flow of each track honestly makes me feel anxious. It’s like being lost in a dark cave. You can’t see anything, you don’t know where you are, and every little sound frightens you.

It’s damn brilliant. This record is getting a lot of high marks and for good reason. While being clearly inspired by a certain school of experimental metal the band takes it to another level. The aggressive left/right panning of the two guitars that almost always play highly contrasting riffs might be the most notable factor here. At all times the brain is listening to at least two different patterns and the natural desire for some kind of melodic or rhythmic resolution is thrown out the window like a helpless, unwanted child. Still, in the midst of this chaos the band does provide for slower, quieter moments of slight relief, a factor that allows listeners to bear the journey in addition to being enjoyable in itself.

Ad Nauseum is far from the first death metal band to reference 20th century classical music or jazz but those influences, I suspect, give the greatest rise to the intense atmosphere and discomfort at display. At times I’m even reminded of the bleakest parts of works by The Caretaker, the ambient/sound collage artist that seeks to create the musical equivalent of the human mind deteriorating from dementia. It’s even comparable to the surreal horrors of Bosch’s depictions of Hell or the terrifying phenomena in a Junji Ito universe. If someone asks you what fear sounds like show them this album.

“Imperative Imperceptible Impulse” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook