REVIEW: Craft, "White Noise and Black Metal"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 22/06/2018

Label: Season of Mist

With their frenetic guitar work, inspired bits of avant garde songwriting, and bleak lyrics, Craft are dead set on reminding us that the vast majority of existence is a lifeless, black wasteland.  

“White Noise and Black Metal” CD//CS//DD//LP track listing:

1. The Cosmic Sphere Falls

2. Again

3. Undone

4. Tragedy of Pointless Games

5. Darkness Falls

6. Crimson

7. YHVH’s Shadow

8. White Noise

The Review:

               

Summertime black metal is a weird proposition for me.  It’s warm, it’s sunny, everyone is hitting the beach, and, here in the northeastern US, it’s been repugnantly humid.  It feels much more like deathy, sludgy, occasionally grind weather to me.  That deep, swampy rot that makes you want to pass out in the shade somewhere, until the temperature starts to drop at night and the prospect of frost in the morning is suddenly in the air again.  The real beginning of black metal season, in other words.  But occasionally you get something that blasts a frozen gust through the humid misery, showing a glimpse of that endless, cold waste at the heart of black metal.  From what I’ve heard, Immortal’s newest record manages to return the listeners to Blashyrkh, even in the hundred degree days of July.  Less heralded but no less impressive is the latest from Sweden’s Craft, who have been quietly amassing a small but incredible discography in the last twenty years. 

It’s been seven years since Craft laid out a full length, and metal empires have risen and fallen.  It’s appropriate that with opener “The Cosmic Sphere Falls” coalesces around timeless themes: depression, dread, apocalypse, death and destruction.  “It is eternal. It is beyond.”  The winding, interweaving guitar lines, slightly askew time signatures, and whispered/screamed lyrics are hypnotic and terrifying – almost avant garde but simultaneously catchy.  The bass is palpable and there’s nearly no midrange – in my ears a perfect black metal balance.  And while the drumming is amazing, it’s not overly busy.   Lyrically, “Again” is far more harrowing than the icy cold opener.  A description of self-harm descending into self-annihilation, it’s juxtaposed against an undeniably hooky guitar line and rhythmic stomp.  The dual guitar leads of Joakim Karlsson and John Doe, skewing off into discordant tremolo bursts, are sickening, while the double-time bursts are oddly affirming against such miserable themes.

“Undone” solidifies the tension at the core of “White Noise and Black Metal”: personal turmoil and universal chaos.  “Undone” pulls back from the suicidal precipice of “Again”, focusing the speaker’s rage toward a cosmos in need of annihilation.  The tone is appropriately symphonic – spiritually, that is.  This doesn’t go full Dimmu Borgir or anything.  “Tragedy of Pointless Games” trades the epic for the individually misanthropic once again.  It’s a somber dirge that sounds like the best of mid-period Celtic Frost – I even expected some OUGH!s to burst through the gloom.  Instead, singer Nox opines “Awakened and cast into fleshbound pain / Into a tragedy of pointless games,” with such conviction that I felt utterly frozen in the midsummer heat. 

When it feels nearly unbearably grim, “White Noise and Black Metal” shifts toward a black ‘n’ roll banger, “Darkness Falls”.  Somewhat evocative of latter day Satyricon (natch), the first track of side two is a bit of an amalgam of the themes so far, with some creepy otherworldly descriptions sneaking into a grim reality.  But before things can get too fantastical, the true horror emerges at the end: “There's a shadow hanging under a tree / And a rope is a tool to set one free.”  Instrumental track “Crimson” is an interesting dirge, highlighting the musical prowess of Karlsson and Doe, and allowing bassist Phil Cirone’s skillful and restrained work to shine, but it still feels a lot like any other instrumental interlude.

Thankfully the last two tracks may be the best on the record.  “YHVH’s Shadow” is a blasphemous screed that is, once again, catchy as hell, especially in a four on the floor headbanger midsection that may be the most fun on a depressing record I’ve had this year.  The sinewy, sinister lead guitar line was stuck in my head for days after my initial spin of the record, and is some simple, inspired songwriting.  The final track, “White Noise”, is a final kissoff to existence itself – individual or universal, where the human experience is something to be endured, a “distasteful, tiresome thing.”  I should note here that Nox’s delivery is uniformly excellent on the record, but on this track it may be the most intelligible, adding extra heft to the fury.  There’s a dynamic balance between the chugging rhythm guitar and the high end lead work, and a final crescendo that’s so intense it feels like the world itself may be falling to pieces.

Against all expectations, I found myself truly immersed in a black metal record despite the season, despite the warmth, the sun, the muggy misery.  I was reminded that the heat death of the universe is inevitable, that the nature of things is stasis, that death is so, so much longer than the brief bits of living.  “White Noise and Black Metal” is more than a glimpse of winter – it’s a blast of cosmic cold.  With their frenetic guitar work, inspired bits of avant garde songwriting, and bleak lyrics, Craft are dead set on reminding us that the vast majority of existence is a lifeless, black wasteland.  That’s far more chilling than even the darkest Norse myths or winter nights.

“White Noise and Black Metal” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Rivers of Nihil, “Where Owls Know My Name”

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 16/03/2018

Label: Metal Blade Records

“…devastating, melodic, labyrinthine and jam packed with ideas. “Where Owls Know My Name” will go down as a classic genre expanding album and one giant leap forward in  extreme metal

“Where Owls Know My Name” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Cancer/Moonspeak
2. The Silent Life
3. A Home
4. Old Nothing
5. Subtle Change
6. Terrestria III
7. Hollow
8. Death is Real
9. Where Owls Know My Name
10. Capricorn/Agoratopia

The Review:

Following 2015's “Monarchy” was always going to be a mammoth undertaking- as Rivers of Nihil's last record really was superb. They have managed it by taking not only a massive leap forward but also a sidestep of sorts. Think of the difference between “Master of Puppets” and “...And Justice For All” and you have an idea of the differences.

Indeed, this record can perhaps be accurately described as avant garde- in the same way that Celtic Frost's “Into The Pandemonium” was. After the atmospheric scene setting intro of “Cancer/Moonspeak” we are straight into “The Silent Life” which is devastating, melodic, labyrinthine and jam packed with ideas. To be fair, that track description could sum up the whole record. This is not really like anything else I have heard in the extreme metal genre. If “Monarchy” was largely identifiable as tech-death, this is something else entirely.

To be absolutely clear, the textures and sounds on this album are not to be found on many records at this end of the musical spectrum. Saxophone, clean guitars, synths, jazzy drums and noodling bass all combine to make this a fascinating listen. If Cannibal Corpse and Obituary represent two sides of the same death metal coin, then perhaps Rivers of Nihil are akin to something like Bitcoin.

As the record progresses, things get even more progressive; the breadth of sounds and arrangements here are quite dazzling and highly unusual. Picking tracks as highlights is almost impossible being as the record exists as a total piece. It is uniformly consistent in that it is experimental and progressive, it is not in any way samey or boring. The likes of “A Home and Old Nothing” are all of the epithets used so far. There are pulverising bass drums, there are blasting sections of ferocious speed. There are also jazz fusion type breakdowns and an otherworldly atmosphere throughout.

The sounds and approach of “Subtle Change (Including The Forest of Transition)” is a crazily good example of technical performance and forward thinking arrangements coupled with a state of the art production. I guess Mastodon (at their best) could be used as a reference point along with black metal like atmosphere and a harnessing of technology (both in production and instrumentation) that has not always been seen as a good thing in the world of metal.

“Terrestria III: Wither” could soundtrack a 2000AD/Judge Dredd film and contains not a trace of death metal in its sound or scope. The second half of the album pushes forward just as much as the first with “Hollow” or “Death Is Real” being great examples of the record's depth and overall approach (fantastic bass work on the latter) and the title track being an Opeth-like example of prog rock by a band who are absolutely expanding the boundaries of their own playing and also the genre(s) they are operating in.

By the time of “Capricorn/Agoratopia!, I was left wondering (on first listen) what to make of it all. It's hard to take it all in. There is so much going on that the record is very hard to assess on the first couple of listens. I have no idea how much I will listen to this album going forward- it may be all the time, it may be every once in a while. However, one thing is for sure: it will go down as a classic genre expanding album. It's like nothing else I have heard and will deserve the plaudits heaped upon it. One giant leap forward for extreme metal has occurred.

“Where Owls Know My Name” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Vantafrost - "Dispossessed" [EP]

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 31/10/2017

Label: Independent

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

“Dispossessed” CD//DD track listing

1. Nazgul

2. Dark Hammer

3. Demon’s Breath

4. Lead Pumper

The Review:

               

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

               

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

               

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

               

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

“Dispossessed” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Order - "Lex Amentiae"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full-length

Date Released: 28/07/2017

Label: Listenable Records

 

This is harsh, in-your-face, old-school black metal. From the opener "Winter" onward, Order stakes a claim to the thorny crown with its barbarous shrieks, lumbering bass and unyielding guitars.

"Lex Amentiae" CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Winter

2. Prophet

3. Torquemada

4. Dugma

5. Procreation (of the wicked)

6. Victimized

7. Folly Grandeur

8. Order

The Review:

Order clearly cares little about doing itself favors to the first-time listener. Before even kicking into the first song, you'll already know its members claim a lineage going back to the original wave of Norwegian black metal as well as the region's important death metal scene. If that's not enough to make you take note, its players have done time in a host of groups you know and love, including Celtic Frost, Mayhem, Gluecifer, Cadaver and Satyricon. And this is not just some dude who joined the group in Lineup Version 245; we're talking drummer Kjetil Mannheim and Eirik Norheim, of the original 1980s' Mayhem with the late Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth. It is the squad that literally defined the Nordic black metal sound. Serious O.G. cred, for real.

The question remains, how is a fresh Norwegian black metal act with a debut recording gonna even come close to that sort of pedigree?

Fortunately enough for the members of Order, they know what they do and do it well.

On its 2017 release "Lex Amentiae" (roughly translated to 'law of insanity'); Order jumps out with a classic black metal boom. No subtle string arrangements. No imagery of trees, candles and crows. This is harsh, in-your-face, old-school black metal. From the opener "Winter" onward, Order stakes a claim to the thorny crown with its barbarous shrieks, lumbering bass and unyielding guitars. It's a refreshing sound, given how amazing the band sounds together and the number of black metal variations we have right now. But far from a throwback or novelty, Order feels original and invigorating in metal.

Nearly two generations have passed since these guys birthed what many a corpse painted youngster have sought to do. In songs such as "Procreation (Of the Wicked)," Order make it clear they still have more music in them, and lessons to teach the new kids. There is an undeniably quintessential black metal ethos. Such a paradigmatic take may thus make finding new influences harder. Yet, there is a maturity to the music many new bands can learn from and be pushed by to test themselves as well.

In recent interviews, Mannheim has remarked the album itself is in concept intended to address humanity's willingness to choose belief over facts, and to side with authoritarians and monsters, through scourges such as religion. That sort of social commentary in black metal has been hard to pull off, though the critique of religious faith is quite familiar. Cuts like "Order" draw an uncompromising parallel between religion and fascism, with the most audible, spoken-word-style lyrics of all the songs. It is a somber close to one of the subgenre's more provocative new releases.

"Lex Amentiae" is available here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: God Root - "Salt and Rot"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: July 11, 2017

Label: Horror Pain Gore Death (Digital) &

Independent (CD)

God Root have managed to craft one of the most ambitious, progressive, and emotionally harrowing offerings of 2017.  The cosmic journey of “Salt and Rot” is one that will leave you shaken to your fleeting, human core.

“Salt and Rot” CD//DD track listing

1. Reclamation

2. From Hounds to Silent Skies

3. The Peak is Our Threshold

4. Conscious Disease

The Review

         

Deep time is one of those concepts I return to over and over again, hovering between meditation and obsession.  In short, deep time (or geologic time) is the scale with which we measure planetary, galactic, or universal history.  It’s the point at which humanity becomes a fraction of an instant, where the movement of tectonic plates becomes the respiration of the Earth, where the lifetimes of stars and their clustered masses indicate the inevitable decay of those things we view as eternal.  This type of timeframe literally exists outside human understanding, and breaks down into various metaphors.  Two years, for instance, is infinitesimally small – a fraction of a fraction of a second to a planetary consciousness.  Yet in human reckoning, empires collapse, dynasties ascend, species go extinct.  And, for God Root, in a brief two year span, they’ve managed to follow up an impressive debut with a masterful LP that balances human struggle with transcendent melodies. “Salt and Rot” is a shamanic expedition into the heart of entropy itself, a pitch black encapsulation of universal decay, a record written in the altered consciousness of deep time.

Like their self-titled first release, “Salt and Rot” opens with a nearly instrumental piece: “Reclamation”.  Between the tribal drumming and monastic chants, the track begins like an ascent from primordial tidal pools.  Yet with Jordan Stiff’s electronic manipulations and feedback, timeframe becomes fuzzy – harsh noise melds the prehistoric and apocalyptic while the beat crawls toward dissolution.  “From Hounds to Silent Skies” refocuses the collective around a churning sludge riff.  The tremolo lead is a chilling counterpoint to the sonic and emotional heft that bursts from the speakers.  This ineffable sorrow is by design: as part of a project dubbed “Let Go”, God Root’s friends and family entered the studio to contribute their most personal thoughts and memories, which were manipulated to preserve anonymity.  These ghostly echoes through “From Hounds to Silent Skies” transform the song into an exorcism rite.  Ross Bradley’s repeated bass figures highlight the unbearable tension and chaotic tightening of Grabosky’s drum fills, culminating in complete tonal collapse.  God Root gives their nameless vocal revenants and feedback free reign before a reprise that, with its clear lead harmonies, is triumphant and transcendent.

“The Peak is Our Threshold” is a noisy, textural freak out that recalls Wayne Bell & Tobe Hooper’s “Texas Chain Saw Massacre soundtrack” – another momentous work that evokes corporeal and cosmic decay.  Grabosky’s drumming, like some of the best metal drummers, is equal parts pound and swing, and here he really gets to rip.  In fact, it’s jazz as fuck.  The relative excess leads perfectly into the measured precision of album-closer “Conscious Disease”.  A delirious mix of drums, bass, restrained vocals and spoken word builds for nearly two minutes before kicking into pure sludge head banger mode.  Once again, the unpredictable lead guitar work serves as perfect counterpoint to the earthy riffing (think Celtic Frost at their most avant-garde).  In its final two minutes, “Conscious Disease” aligns around minor key guitar harmonies and propulsive rhythms that feel like some final, terrible elevation beyond the merely human into some boundless outer realm.

Simply and without reservation, “Salt and Rot” is one of the best records I’ve heard this year, and a uniquely disorienting listen.  With its balance of inhuman tones and ritual chant, it feels simultaneously outside of history and utterly indebted to it.  Packing such epic arrangements into a 33 minute record feels impossible, as lesser acts have failed to pack similar ambitions into double disc efforts.   This paradox got me back to that concept of deep time.  For some reason, the writers and artists who have captured its essence are masters of economy: H.P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin, and the musical mystics of God Root.  They have managed to craft one of the most ambitious, progressive, and emotionally harrowing offerings of 2017 and left me craving their next revelation.  God Root will be touring the US throughout August in support of this milestone with fellow northeastern sludge masters Sunrot.  If their live ritual approaches the sheer menacing power of their recorded output, quite a few people will be singing their praises this autumn.  Whether or not you manage to witness their dark magic in person, the cosmic journey of “Salt and Rot” is one that will leave you shaken to your fleeting, human core.

“Salt and Rot” is available on CD here and digitally here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook  || Instagram

ALBUM REVIEW: Nightbringer - "Terra Damnata"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full-length

Date Released: 14/04/2017

Label: Season of Mist

Remarkably, with Nightbringer approaching two decades of existence, they’re pulling off some of the best black metal the country has to offer, with a rabid intensity that, for all its darkness, remains inspiring.

“Terra Damnata” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. As Wolves Amongst Ruins

2. Misrule

3. Midnight’s Crown

4. Of the Key and Crossed Bones

5. Let Silence Be His Sacred Name

6. Inheritor of a Dying World

7. The Lamp of Inverse Light

8. Serpent Sun

The Review

The “Intro” track has become a standard of most genre releases. Whether an atmospheric, instrumental piece, a sample of dialogue from some esoteric movie, or a full-fledged song that gradually builds up to the kinetic bombast you expect from a metal record, the “Intro” has become as standard as post-credits sequences in blockbuster movies – and, if we’re honest, as hackneyed.  It speaks to Nightbringer’s nearly two decades of excellence and confidence that “As Wolves Amongst Ruins” burst through my speakers, so intense that I wondered if I had a mislabeled track listing.  This opening barrage is a definitive mission statement from Colorado’s premiere occult-minded black metal wizards: “Stand unbent / Unbroken in storms untamed / And let the winds / Stir your embers to blazing-flames!” The five-piece should have everyone’s attention with this latest full-length record, their third for Season of Mist and fifth overall.

There’s a distinctively European flair to Nightbringer’s dense metal, with touches of synth and organ that never slide into the pomposity of “symphonic metal”.  Rather, the US five-piece eschews the psychedelia and dreampop influences of coastal US standouts, immersing listeners into a hellish nightscape with few moments of relief.  That isn’t to say the album lacks beauty; the intricate guitar work relies on tight tremolo picking, harmonies that glide between sinister and triumphant, and provide perfect high end counterpoint to Norgaath’s churning, essential bass riffs.  Menthor’s drumming, meanwhile, has the ability to turn on a dime, from double-bass mayhem to doom-adjacent, monolithic fills.  The triple vocal attack of ar Ra’d al-Iblis, and guitarists Naas and Ophiis, recalls the demonic lords of Milton’s Hell – Azazel,  Beelzebub, and Satan himself, alternating between black metal shrieks, guttural growling, and infernal preaching.

Each track on “Terra Damnata” shines with instrumental precision and unholy depths worthy of any brave enough to explore.  The mini epic, “Let Silence Be His Sacred Name,” is a true standout – a track so densely packed with harmonies, shifts in timing, and vocal tradeoffs that I hope to hell I get to see Nightbringer pull it off live.  If it approaches the power of the album cut, there may be many more converted to the unholy faith at metal shows across the US soon.  After the frenzy of this 8+ minute track, the rest of the album provides some much-needed space: the dirgey, doom-y “Inheritor of a Dying World” approaches moments of Celtic Frost avant garde madness, and “Lamp of Inverse Light” is an instrumental meditation on several repeating themes over a spoken word sample buried under layers of distortion.  “Serpent Sun” balances between the mid-tempo oppression and breakneck double bass drumming that lumbers and ascends before culminating in a sublime death spasm.  Remarkably, with Nightbringer approaching two decades of existence, they’re pulling off some of the best black metal the country has to offer, with a rabid intensity that, for all its darkness, remains inspiring.

“Terra Damnata” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Obituary - "Obituary"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/03/2017
Label: Relapse Records

 

Obituary haven't sounded this deadly and taut for a long, long time, this is even better than “Inked In Blood”- itself an impressive record, A unique band in the genre.  Obituary have always stood apart from other death metal bands. They now stand above them again, too, because this is a death metal tour de force

 

“Obituary” CD//DD//LP track listing:

 1). Brave

2). Sentence Day
3). A Lesson in Vengeance
4). End it Now
5). Kneel Before Me
6). It Lives
7). Betrayed
8). Turned to Stone
9). Straight to Hell
10). Ten Thousand ways to Die
11). No Hope

 

The Review;

Obituary return with a focused and rampaging record here. If their last album, “Inked in Blood”, was an improvement on “Darkest Day” and “Executioners Return” (which it was), this has upped the ante again. Again, as per, the opener is a rager, just over two minutes of thrashing fury prior to another up tempo cut in “Sentence Day”. The production is raw this time around, raw and big sounding- closer to the band's live sound if anything. The drums in particular have a heavier attack with a rather pounding snare sound to be heard. There are solos too, lots of solos- with a more aggressive edge than has been heard from the band for some time.

By the time “Lesson In Vengeance” swings out of the speakers, you know this record is going to be a winner. Obituary haven't sounded this deadly and taut for a long, long time. The Tardy brothers are on fine form as usual, the bottom end is convincingly handled by Terry Butler (not the first time he has been involved in classic death metal) and Trevor Peres and Kenny Andrews prove again to be a deadly pairing. The death metal just keeps on coming here; “End It Now” brings both a positive message and a rolling, thrashing attack (just kidding on the positive part).

“Kneel Before Me” is another crushing groove- the whole album has this element. I can only describe it as Obituary, as heavy as normal but with a greater sense of... urgency. The slight increase in tempos are coupled with a large increase in intensity. The drums sound huge, the guitars saw away viciously and the bass truly rumbles. “It Lives” kicks off the second half of the album and brings some dark riffing and story telling to the fore; great track. “Betrayed” is simplicity itself in the riff department (echoing their heroes Celtic Frost) as the band lock tight into a groove. It has a very tasty solo as well.

“Turned To Stone” is absolutely par for the course Obituary- their doomier side, that is. An oppressively lurching, slow groove is what this one is all about. At ten tracks the band waste nothing; “Straight to Hel”l is the penultimate track and is surprisingly catchy for a song this late in an album. There is a slow section that is unexpected and welcome, again showcasing the doom tendencies that the band has always had, before a groove and riff showcase down the backstretch. The album closer, “Ten Thousand Ways to Die”, will be familiar to those who bought the EP of the same name last year, but it is a very strong track and finishes this death metal tour de force impressively.

This is even better than “Inked In Blood”- itself an impressive record. In fact, I think that this is the best Obituary record in a long, long time. A unique band in the genre as there are no blast beats, no reliance on speed and no gimmick per se. With a distinctive vocalist, a keen sense of actual song writing and a sound which manages to conjure up the oppressive environment of redneck Florida from whence the band hail, Obituary have always stood apart from other death metal bands. They now stand above them again, too.

“Obituary” is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: official || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Vainaja - "Verenvalaja"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/05/2016
Label: Svart Records

This is superior death doom, the sound is uniformly bleak with no real light and shade in vibe, but would you want anything else?! If you like such bands as Serpentine Path, Hooded Menace, then you will enjoy this immensely. Dark stuff, superbly delivered.

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

1). Risti
2). Sielu
3). Usva
4). Valaja
5). Kultti
6). Kehto

The Review:

Finnish death doom, made by three maniacs with a distinctly early 90's penchant as far as influences go. The riffs are slow, the vocals are low... except when there is a clean-ish chant sections (which are awesome). All six tracks are fairly lengthy (nothing under five and half minutes and nothing over eleven, if that helps...).

Really, you will know if you like this from the opening of the first track. “Raita” leads off with all the elements mentioned above plus some nice lead work. Things do speed up for “Sielu” and there is some nice guitar work again, with a pleasingly sizeable sound all around; nicely reverb soaked and suitably rumbling. Naturally, the burst of pace does not last the whole track, but there are some rhythms that are closer to rolling tanks than they are to climbing sloths.

“Usva” is the album's centre piece and introduces spoken word at the start, while the pace is still low for the main sections (very slow, in fact, for the vocals). Orchestral flourishes finish the track off, proving that there is some depth and breadth to the sound on offer here. The title track tips us over the half way point with some creepy verse guitar work. The sound is uniformly bleak; no real light and shade in vibe, just dynamics. This being death doom... would you want anything else?!

“Kultti” is a lumbering beast, but with an almost swinging groove to it. A despairing track slithers forth. The vocals are so low as to be positively bestial. “Kehto” rounds the album out with a weird underwater vocal effect to start, along with quieter instrumentation generally. The tracks builds from there, cultivating a real sense of darkness and menace- but without as much heaviness as earlier tracks, at least initially. The album ends on this rather creepy note.

If you like such bands as Serpentine Path, Hooded Menace et al, then you will enjoy this (if that is the right turn of phrase) immensely. Dark stuff, superbly delivered.

“Verenvalaja” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

RIYL: Serpentine Path, Hooded Menace, Rippikoulu, Celtic Frost