ALBUM REVIEW: Marduk, "Viktoria"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/06/2018

Label: Century Media Records

Black metal continues to be one of the most divisive and politically charged of metal's sub genre's, but there is also fantastic music to be found from the genre's biggest and best players. Marduk are amongst the elite.

“Viktoria” CD//DD//LP track listing:

01. Werwolf

02. June 44
03. Equestrian Bloodlust
04. Tiger I
05. Narva
06. The Last Fallen
07. Viktoria
08. The Devil's Song
09. Silent Night

The Review:

Sweden's premier WW2 obsessed black metallers are back with a vicious counter attack against the controversy that the band have faced in recent years. A more underground proposition than Watain, Marduk has always been amongst the best in their chosen genre. Opener “Werwolf” is truly venomous and makes use of an extremely well suited production. As I am always at great pains to point out, I am no expert on the world of black metal (or anything, for that matter!) but I know what I like and this is one such record.

Nine tracks of 3-4 minutes each; varied in tempo and approach is what you get. I think this even outstrips the fantastic “Frontschwein” of a couple of years back; it's feral and exciting stuff. This is how lack metal is supposed to sound: raw, uncompromising and very, very cold.

If you are a fan of Marduk, much like any band, you probably have your favourite album (“Panzer Division Marduk” seems to always feature on such lists- as it does for me), but this one may well be up there for old and newer fans alike. It's dramatic- hear “Equestrian Bloodlust” for proof- not afraid to slow down when necessary and offers up some seriously impenetrable blast sections as well. As the best black metal often does, it also retains an almost punk like approach to the writing and the sound; rough and ready (but not “Transylvanian Hunger” rough!) and features some interesting stops and starts via slow cymbal counts- a cool trick.

Picking out highlights is tough, as the quality is uniformly high, but if you want an example of where Marduk are at this time around, then try out “The Last Fallen” or the title track- both are reliably vicious, albeit in different ways.

If you like black metal of a certain type (Scandinavian, classic, trve etc) then this is absolutely a record to hear and own. If you have ever liked what Marduk did in the past, you'll like this. If you are more into modern post-black metal... leave the hall. Black metal continues to be one of the most divisive and politically charged of metal's sub genre's, but there is also fantastic music to be found from the genre's biggest and best players. Marduk are amongst the elite.

“Viktoria” is available here



Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Wolves in the Throne Room- ‘Thrice Woven’

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/09/2017

Label: Artemisia Records

There’s a kind of theatrical gravitas throughout ‘Thrice Woven’. It’s supremely confident, gravely serious, and stunning in its ability to pair serenity and sorrow with pain and anger.

‘Thrice Woven’ CD//LP//CS//DD track listing:

1. Born From The Serpent’s Eye

2. The Old Ones Are With Us

3. Angrboda

4. Mother Owl. Father Ocean

5. Fires Roar in the Palace of the Moon

The Review:

It’s human nature to want to have new experiences. We’re always looking for something different. Whatever aspect of life we’re talking about, things are always moving. Sometimes the perception is that we’re moving forward, but there’s almost always movement of some kind. The same is obviously true of musicians and artists.

Wolves in the Throne Room took their music in an entirely different direction with 2014’s ‘Celestite’. The album was all over the place, ranging from light synthy ambient music to caustic drone and plenty more between the two. The reaction to the album, from fans and press alike, covered a broad spectrum too. Some hailed the band for their artistic freedom, some spurned the album for its failure to fall in line with the band’s previous work, and everyone else fell between those two points.

With ‘Thrice Woven’, Wolves in the Throne Room have essentially retreated to familiar ground, while bringing back some of what they found in the great beyond. Were it not for some of the synth work and dramatic atmospheric elements at work throughout, this album might be Wolves in the Throne Room’s most traditionally black metal album since ‘Diadem of 12 Stars’. A lot of the riffs and tremolo leads would feel right at home in a 90s scandinavian black metal context. “Born From The Serpent” features a section in the first half of the song that could have been on any early Marduk or Enthroned album.

The production too feels like something older. The drums in particular have a very dry sound, which is out of character for Wolves in the Throne Room. The snare has a crisp, thin feel to it, like on Sacramentum’s ‘Far Away From The Sun’. The guitars have a hazy texture to them, though you could call them muted or dull. It would feel constricted and spaceless if these compositions were any different, but here it fits surprisingly well. The guitar leads aren’t in a constant battle with everything else, struggling to shine through in the mix. They’re right up front and clear as day, pulling everything else along with it. What the production sacrifices in sounding massive, it makes up for in clarity.

 There’s a kind of theatrical gravitas throughout ‘Thrice Woven’. It’s supremely confident, gravely serious, and stunning in its ability to pair serenity and sorrow with pain and anger. It harnesses all the bleak melodrama that made ‘Two Hunters’ such a compelling album, and puts it into a universe that’s rooted in a style of black metal they’ve avoided until now. And yet, it never crosses that boundary into second wave worship. This album is a testament to just how deep and rich black metal can be as a genre. I hope they stick around in this space a little while longer.

‘Thrice Woven’ is available digitally here and a CD/LP/CS copy here.

Band info: Official Site || Facebook

Cryptopsy - ‘The Book of Suffering - Tome 1’ EP (Review)

By: Daniel Jackson (Review One) &

Richard Maw (Review Two)

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 30/10/2015

Label: Independent

Every song sees Cryptopsy firing on all cylinders, including Matt McGachy, who seems to be channeling his inner Mike DiSalvo at certain points through the album, resulting in his best performance to date. With this EP, Cryptopy finds themselves as a band every bit as good as they were at their best. For a band that just recently passed the twenty year anniversary of their debut, that’s no small accomplishment.  Cryptopsy are one of the finest exponents of “extreme” on the face of the planet and dammit, I know real metal when I hear it. This is as real and as extreme as it gets. Hail.

‘The Book of Suffering - Tome 1’ CD//DD track listing:

1. Detritus (The One They Kept)

2. The Knife, The Head and What Remains

3. Halothane Glow

4. Framed by Blood

Cryptopsy is:

Flo Mounier | Drums/Vocals

Chris Donaldson | Guitar

Matt McGachy | Lead Vocals

Olivier Pinard | Bass Guitar

Review One:

It wasn’t all that long ago that people were starting to write Cryptopsy off, after 2008’s ‘The Unspoken King’, an album that a substantial part of the band’s fanbase rejected. It’s hard to argue that the kinds of different ideas implemented on the album, Matt McGachy’s melodic singing in particular, were bound to have that effect. Pairing the abrupt vocal change with some musical choices that were almost certain to put the orthodox part of their audience in a bad mood as well, and sadly you had an album that was something of a disaster.

There are plenty of bands that have bounced back after a bad experience with an album. Cryptopsy themselves came back with a strong follow up with their self-titled album in 2012. While the album certainly made a lot of progress towards righting the ship, as far as death metal purists are concerned, there was still something missing compared to their classic 90s material.

‘Book of Suffering - Tome 1’ sees the band reaching that same kind of peak again. The four songs that make up the EP are their best in seventeen years. In fact, the album most closely resembles their last truly great album, ‘Whisper Supremacy’, of any of their previous work. It has that familiar mix of violent chaos and tasteful, melodic death metal, which made ‘Whisper Supremacy’ a landmark album for death metal in the late 90s. ‘Book of Suffering - Tome 1’ is the work of a band inspired to be as good or better than they’ve ever been, and it shows.

One of the benefits of the EP format is that there’s less chance of a song being a clear weak link in the chain, and ‘Book of Suffering’ is an excellent example of why the format can be a great advantage. Every song sees Cryptopsy firing on all cylinders, including Matt McGachy, who seems to be channeling his inner Mike DiSalvo at certain points through the album, resulting in his best performance to date. With this EP, Cryptopy finds themselves as a band every bit as good as they were at their best. For a band that just recently passed the twenty year anniversary of their debut, that’s no small accomplishment.

Review Two:

Cryptopsy is a well known name in the death metal world and they deliver an EP here which is almost impossibly extreme at times. The band has been around for a long time, you could forgive them for mellowing out, slowing down or even... giving the vaguest nod to commercialism. Instead, there are many changes. There are many blast beats. The sound is punchy, digital and captures every snare beat, every bass pop and every growl and scream. The production really is crystal clear and the mix is stellar. The material is extremely aggressive, with opener “Detritus (The One They Kept)” straying into grind territory in its approach and level of aggression.

“The Knife, The Head and What Remains” is prime time Cryptopsy and is as visceral an example of modern death metal as you could find anywhere. The band play with all the subtlety of a jackhammer, so dynamics are off the table. This is about speed and aggression, plain and simple. “Halothane Glow” is barbarically extreme with some blasting sections being a maelstrom of metallic fury.

It would be fair to say that to most people, Cryptopsy would be unlistenable. The material is so dense and so lacking in hooks or even repetition that most listeners simply would not fathom it. We live in a world where most of the masses cannot conceive of a band more extreme than the material played by Metallica in the 1980s (if they have ever heard real metal at all). The likes of Cryptopsy, Nile or black metal like Marduk would be simply “noise” to most. Doom at least has recognisable patterns, time feels and riffs. Death metal, for me, stands alone as the most extreme form of metal there is. And Cryptopsy are one of the finest exponents of “extreme” on the face of the planet.

This nasty little four track EP finishes with “Framed By Blood”. I honestly have not made out a single lyric over the course of these four tracks but, dammit, I know real metal when I hear it. This is as real and as extreme as it gets. Hail.

 

You can pick up a digital or CD copy here.

FFO: Suffocation, Gorguts, Origin, Wormed

Band info: Facebook | Official

"A Year in Review": Black Metal's "Sonic 6" for 2015

By:  Aaron Pickford

As part of our review of 2015, over the coming days, I will present the definitive “Sour 16” for 2015 and this will be generated by looking at all releases throughout the year, however I thought it would also be cool to look at specific genres too and whilst I would have loved to have generated a “Sour 16” for each popular genre at The Sludgelord, that would have taken up an inexplicable amount of time. Of course we all gravitate to a favourite genre, however each has its own merit, therefore I thought it would be a good idea to highlight, “six of the best” releases of 2015 within our most popular genres.  So today, as we reflect upon an awesome year of music in 2015, we present Black Metal’s “Sonic 6” for 2015

The Sludgelord’s ‘Sonic 6’ for 2015 is compiled based upon page views alone and calibrated into the list below, we will be presenting further lists during the lead up to Christmas, but for today roll up, kick back and Hail the riff!  Check out Black Metal’s “Sonic 6” for 2015 (full reviews can be viewed by clicking the artwork and total views since the date of publication are highlight in red). 

6). Imperial Triumphant - “Abysmal Gods” (562)

Certainly Imperial Triumphant share a stratosphere with the Gorguts, Artificial Brains, Pyrrhons and Deathspell Omegas of this universe, but this is a different breed of genius. There’s a sickness, a mentally “unwell” aspect to ‘Abyssal Gods’ that you simply cannot find anywhere else. The jangling, out of tune ragtime break early on in “Opposing Holiness”. The hallucinogenic guitar solos in “Black Psychedelia”. It all points to an album no one should miss out on, although you’re likely to come out the other end of it a worse person, or at least in a worse mood.

5). Arcturus – “Arcturian” (614)

The number of influences on this record is immense. Traces of classical, polka, noir, fusion, black metal, power metal, and many more can all be found on this album. Vocally, among the peppered black metal roots, there are traces of middle eastern scales, clean harmonies, and several other influences including Tool as one of the more obvious. The harmonies alone seem to come at the listener from all directions, adding to the intense psychedelic atmosphere.

<

4). Kjeld – “Skym” (737)

If you should listen to just one Black metal record of the year this could be the one because this is another Dutch fist in the face of God!

3). Enslaved – “In Times” (941)

Everyone has “their” Enslaved album and that runs a wide spectrum of possibilities because Enslaved have been excellent in a number of different ways. ‘In Times’ is just another example of Enslaved finding a new energy and turning that energy into something beautiful.

2). Drudkh – “A Furrow Cut Short” (1064)

‘A Furrow Cut Short’ is undoubtedly up there with ‘Autumn Aurora’ and ‘Blood in our Wells’; albums that are possibly the best to have emerged from the newer wave of ‘atmospheric’ black metal. Nothing is more satisfying than when one of your favourite bands releases potentially the best album of their career over ten years on. So clear a spot at the top of your album of the year list because ‘A Furrow Cut Short’ is it.

1). Marduk – Frontschwein (1428)

This black metal of the highest quality and of the most palatable type to a casual fan such as myself, all elements are present and correct with the band on great form. Looking for something to compound your winter blues? Look no further.

Reviews featured in this article were written by: Daniel Jackson, Joel Willis, Sven-Ake Alveving, Heather Blewett, Richard Maw

The Sludgelord News: Daily Digest

Your rundown of the top sludge news stories of the day …

PRIMITIVE MAN - Relapse Records will be releasing the new PRIMITIVE MAN EP on February 17. The four song EP will be 31 minutes long and will be released digitally and on vinyl. The vinyl release will constitute 1000 copies, 750 on standard black wax and 250 on silver. You can stream the opening track “Loathe” at this location and you can pre-order the EP at this location.

The band has also announced a U.S. tour starting May 16 after they return home from their UK tour with Sea Bastard in late March and April. The U.S. tour will take the band from Omaha, NE through their scheduled appearance at the Maryland Death Fest and finish back home in Colorado on the 29^th.

Primitve Man tour schedule:

3/30/2015 Unicorn - London, UK w/ Sea Bastard
3/31/2015 TBA - Nottingham, UK w/ Sea Bastard
4/01/2015 Roadhouse - Manchester, UK w/ Sea Bastard
4/02/2015 South Sea Live - Sheffield, UK w/ Sea Bastard
4/03/2015 South Sea Live - Newcastle, UK w/ Sea Bastard
4/04/2015 Audio - Glasgow, UK w/ Sea Bastard
4/05/2015 Bannermans - Edinburgh, UK w/ Sea Bastard

5/16/2015 TBA - Omaha, NE
5/17/2015 The Black Hole - Cedar Falls, IA
5/18/2015 Skeletunes Lounge - Fortwayne, IN
5/19/2015 The Sanctuary - Detroit, MI
5/20/2015 Now That’s Class - Cleveland, OH
5/21 – 5/25/2015 Maryland Death Fest – Baltimore, MD
5/26/2015 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA
5/27/2015 TBA - Dayton, OH
5/28/2015 The Demo - St. Louis, MO
5/29/2015 Flux Capacitor - Colorado Springs, CO

Visit these links for more info:

https://www.facebook.com/primitivemandoom

http://instagram.com/primitivemane

https://twitter.com/primitivemane/

https://primitivemandoom.bandcamp.com/

http://primitivemandoom.com/

Source:

Relpase Records

*************************************************

MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN - Napalm Records unleashed a maelstrom of announcements today, including the signing of band Unleash the Archers to their recording roster, Portuguese gothic metallers Moonspell have released a trailer for their new album, new Swedish heavy metal band Civil War have set release dates for their upcoming album set to drop in early May, German death/black metal band Thulcandra have released a preview of their new album, but the most exciting news for Sludge-o’s is the release of a new video.

Midnight Ghost Train have released a video for “BC Trucker”, the first single of their upcoming album ‘Cold was the Ground’. You can watch that clip at this location. No telling how much the album title has to do with the original Blind Willie Johnson song, but if you live in Europe, maybe you can ask them yourself when they roll through town (click to expand the poster next to this text).

For More Info Visit:
www.themidnightghosttrain.com
www.facebook.com/themidnightghosttrain
www.napalmrecords.com
www.facebook.com/napalmrecords

Source:

Napalm Records

*************************************************

MARDUK - It’s not “Little Drummer Boy”, that’s for certain. Images of war and devastation waver in the distance. The march of war drums carry over wails and blast beats. That’s just some of what you can expect from black metal legends MARDUK’s latest promo video.

The clip is for the title track off their 13^th album, ‘Frontschwein’, just released through Century Media. The “Frontschwein” video is now playing at this location. War is the theme of the video and the album (which you can find at this location) and the soldiers of Marduk will be on the march around the globe through much of the next three months, touring Japan, Europe and the UK.

Here are the theaters of conflict:

JAPAN 2015
Jan 22 – Osaka – Nanba Rockets
Jan 23 – Nagoya – Imaike Club 3Star
Jan 24 – Tokyo – Shibuya Cyclone
Jan 25 – Tokyo – Shibuya Garret

EUROPEAN HEADLINER tour
with Belphegor (special guest) and two support acts
19.02.2015 HOL Rotterdam / Baroeg
20.02.2015 HOL Eindhoven / Effenaar
21.02.2015 HOL Sneek / Het Bolwerk
22.02.2015 BEL Vosselaar / Biebob
23.02.2015 UK Plymouth / The Hub
24.02.2015 UK Manchester / Academy 3
25.02.2015 UK Glasgow / Audio
26.02.2015 UK London / Underworld
27.02.2015 FR Paris / Divan du Monde
28.02.2015 CH Monthey / Pont Rouge
01.03.2015 FR Toulouse / Dynamo
03.03.2015 SP Madrid / Caracol
04.03.2015 SP Barcelona / Apolo
06.03.2015 ITA Turin / Cafe Liber
07.03.2015 ITA Brescia / Circolo Colony
08.03.2015 SLO Nova Gorica / Mostovna

HATEFEST 2015 with Six Feet Under, Vader and Hate
02.04.2015 DE – Leipzig, Hellraiser
03.04.2015 AT – Wien, Gasometer
04.04.2015 CH – Pratteln, Z7
05.04.2015 DE – Essen, Weststadthalle
06.04.2015 DE – Saarbrücken, Garage
07.04.2015 DE – Lindau, Club Vaudeville
08.04.2015 DE – Ludwigsburg, Rockfabrik
09.04.2015 DE – Hamburg, Markthalle
10.04.2015 DE – Geiselwind, Musichall
11.04.2015 DE – München, Backstage
12.04.2015 DE – Berlin, Postbahnhof

MARDUK online:
www.marduk.nu
www.myspace.com/truemarduk
www.facebook.com/mardukofficial

Century Media Records online:
http://www.centurymedia.com
http://www.myspace.com/centurymediaeurope
http://www.youtube.com/centurymedia
www.twitter.com/centurymediaeu
www.facebook.com/centurymedia
http://gplus.to/centurymedia

Century Media webshop:
www.cmdistro.com

Source:

The Noise Cartel

*************************************************

ABSTRACTER - Oakland’s apocalyptic blackened sludge quartet ABSTRACTER are now streaming a new song from their upcoming LP at Vice Magazine. “Cruciform” is the second single from the album, the first, “Lightless” is being streamed at Cvlt Nation.

The four song, 42-minute ‘Wound Empire’ will be released on February 20 on vinyl through various labels around the globe and on cassette and digitally through Sentient Ruin. Vice Magazine wrote that “Abstracter must figure the end is coming any day now, so they've written the apocalypse a theme song” in their introduction to “Cruciform”. You can stream it now at this location. Americans can pre-order the album at this location while European readers might want to try 7 Degrees Records or Vendetta Records instead.

http://www.abstracterband.com
http://www.facebook.com/ABSTRACTER
http://abstracter.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/SentientRuin
http://www.fragilebranch.com
http://www.7degrees-records.de
http://www.facebook.com/hatecof/timeline
http://anout.bandcamp.com
http://vendettarecords.wordpress.com

Source:

Earsplit PR

*************************************************

AKASAVA - Fans of the dark subgenre labeled occult rock, get your pen and paper ready, you may want in on the ground floor with this new band. Newborn French occult rock quartet are set to release their debut EP in late Spring, it was revealed.

The EP will be called ‘Strange Aeons’, and a single is expected to be released sometime in March. The band cites Jacula, 13^th Floor Elevators, Blood Ceremony and Kadavar among its influences which are high standards for a band just formed this past July to attain to. Though the world will wait 'til late Spring to find out just how high the band climbs in its artistic pursuits, the curious can get to know the band at the following locations:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/akasavaofficial
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5kNHITAE4VeS72p42CTREQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Akasava_band

Source:

Dewar PR

*************************************************

CULT LEADER - Another band set to record a new album are Salt Lake City hardcore metal icons CULT LEADER. The band has booked studio time with Kurt Ballou in Salem, Mass, for after their month long Northeastern U.S. tour in March. The band is expecting their sophomore album to be released by Deathwish Inc. before the end of the year.

More information has been promised. For now, you can catch the band live at the following dates:

March 3 Denver, CO @ 7th Circle Collective
March 4 Kansas City, MO @ Art Closet Studios
March 5 St. Louis, MO @ FUBAR
March 6 Indianapolis, IN @ 5th Quarter Lounge
March 7 Columbus, OH @ The House with No Name*
March 9 Washington, DC @ The Dougout*
March 10 Wilmington, DE @ Claymont VFW*#
March 11 Montclair, NJ @ Uncle Slevs*
March 12 Amityville, NY @ Amityville Music Hall*
March 24 Burlington, VT @ Monkey House^
March 25 Sherbrooke, ON @ La Murdoch^
March 26 Montreal, QC @ La PBR^
March 27 Ottawa, ON @ Le Bistro^
March 28 Toronto, ON @ Hard Luck^
March 30 Buffalo, NY @ Sugar City^ %
March 31 Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class%
April 1 Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary%
April 2 Chicago, IL @ Club Rectum%
April 3 Omaha, NE @ Midtown Art Supply
April 4 Cheyenne, WY @ Ernie November

* w/ Purge
^ w/ Old Wounds
% w/ Hollow Earth
# Full of Hell

For more info visit:

https://www.facebook.com/CultLeaderMusic

https://twitter.com/CultLeaderMusic

http://cultleadermusic.tumblr.com/

http://instagram.com/CultLeaderMusic

Source:

Cult Leader

*************************************************

KING PARROT - It was also announced that Australian thrash grind band King Parrot is set to invade American shores this March in support of Weedeater. After a short run in Europe, also supporting Weedeater, the month long American tour will take the quintet around the country, where they will visit two dozen cities.

"We're honored to be heading out with the legendary Weedeater,” the band said in a released statement. “We've heard only awesome reports about this great band live, and we can't wait to have our own chapter in the folklore of Dixie Dave and company. All the people working behind the scenes on this tour have been excited about pairing our bands for some time, so I'm sure this will be one for the ages! Expect all the crazy shit you would at a high octane punk or metal show, and then times it by ten, as I'm positive both bands will bring their proverbial A game. I've heard from people around the country, 'If there's anyone crazier than KING PARROT, it's Weedeater.' We'll be out to prove them wrong! We'll also be playing a swag of songs from our new album to be released mid-year, so come get a sample of what we have in store."

You can catch the craziness on the following dates:

3/06/2015 Kavka - Antwerpen, BE
3/07/2015 Sound Control - Manchester, UK
3/08/2015 Underworld - London, UK
3/09/2015 Aeronef - Lille, FR
3/10/2015 Glazart - Paris, FR
3/11/2015 Ptr,Usine - Geneva, CH
3/12/2015 Freak Out - Bologna, IW
3/13/2015 Juha West - Stuttgart, DE
3/14/2015 Vortex Surfer - Siegen, DE
3/15/2015 Burgerweeshuis - Deventer, NL
3/21/2015 The Lost Well - Austin, TX
3/24/2015 Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
3/25/2015 Pub Rock Live - Scottsdale, AZ
3/26/2015 Casbah - San Diego, CA
3/27/2015 The Complex - Los Angeles, CA
3/28/2015 Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CA
3/29/2015 DNA - San Francisco, CA
3/30/2015Starlite Lounge - Sacramento, CA
3/31/2015 Dante's - Portland, OR
4/01/2015 Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
4/02/2015 The Pin - Spokane, WA
4/03/2015 Neurolux - Boise, ID
4/04/2015 In The Venue - Salt Lake City, UT
4/05/2015 Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
4/07/2015 Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
4/08/2015 Wooly's - Des Moines, IA
4/09/2015 Rock Island Brewing - Rock Island, IL
4/10/2015 Pyramid Scheme - Grand Rapids, MI
4/11/2015 Subterranean - Chicago, IL
4/12/2015 Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
4/13/2015 Saint Vitus - Brooklyn, NY
4/14/2015 Nectars - Burlington, VT
4/15/2015 T.T. The Bear's Place - Boston, MA
4/16/2015 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
4/18/2015 Ziggy's By The Sea - Wilmington, NC

http://www.facebook.com/kingparrotband
KING PARROT on YouTube

Source:

Earsplit PR

*************************************************

WRATH OF VESUVIUS - And finally, it was announced that California technical death metal quintet WRATH OF VESUVIUS or WRVTH have signed on with Unique Leader Records to release their upcoming third album, which is expected this Spring.

"We are beyond excited to be working with Unique Leader Records,” the band said in a statement. “They have always had cutting edge heavy bands that stand out among the modern metal scene. They're a solid label which means a lot these days, and we couldn't have asked for a better partner in taking our next step. We took a fresh approach to writing this record and it’s really starting to come together. This band has changed a lot over the last few years, and we think this record will display the distinctive character and eclectic personality that we bring to each song."

In related news, the band will engage in a Western U.S. tour beginning late February to mid-March. The “Enter Into Atonement Tour” will see WRVTH co-headline with labelmates Inanimate Existence. Here are the dates:

2/26/2015 The 207 - Stockton, CA
2/27/2015 EPEK Print Shop - Salinas, CA
2/28/2015 Musichead - Medford, OR
3/01/2015 The Third Street Pub - Bend, OR
3/02/2015 The Pin - Spokane, WA
3/03/2015 The Palace Lounge - Missoula, MT
3/04/2015 Machinery Row - Great Falls, MT
3/05/2015 Loading Dock - Salt Lake City, UT
3/06/2015 Bushwackers Saloon - Denver, CO
3/07/2015 The Blu Phoenix - Albuquerque, NM
3/08/2015 Joe's Grotto - Phoenix, AZ
3/09/2015 Slidebar - Fullerton, CA
3/10/2015 Boondocks Tavern - Banning, CA
3/11/2015 White Oak Music - Van Nuys, CA
3/12/2015 Strummer's - Fresno, CA FREE Show!
3/13/2015 The Divebar - Las Vegas, NV
3/14/2015 Arlene Francis Center - Santa Rosa, CA
3/15/2015 On the Y - Sacramento, CA

http://www.facebook.com/WrathofVesuvius
http://www.uniqueleader.com
http://www.facebook.com/UniqueLeaderRecords

Source:

Earsplit PR

*************************************************

And now you’re all caught up in the world of sludge.

Marduk - Frontschwein (Album Review)

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 19/1/2015

Label: Century Media Records

‘Frontschwein’ CD//LP//DD track listing:

1). Frontschwein (03:13)

2). The Blond Beast (04:26)

3). Afrika (03:59)

4). Wartheland (04:17)

5). Rope Of Regret (03:51)

6). Between The Wolf-Packs (04:28)

7). Nebelwerfer (06:16)

8). Falaise: Cauldron Of Blood (04:58)

9). Doomsday Elite (08:11)

10). 503 (05:11)

11). Thousand-Fold Death (03:45)

12). Warschau III: Necropolis*

*bonus track on Ltd. CD Mediabook Edition

Marduk is:

Mortuus | vocals

Morgan | guitars

Devo | bass

Fredrik | drums

Review:

The Panzer Division return with militaristic fervour! Black metal abounds as blast beats roll. So, has the mighty Marduk progressed? Well, I am not by any means au fait with all their back catalogue- I would describe myself as a casual fan prior to hearing ‘Frontschwein’- but it sounds to me like business as ferocious as usual.

For those with an interest in black metal, but also those who are not experts, this is at the more traditional end of the spectrum- both in black metal and straightforward metal terms. There are recognisable riffs, the blasting is not constant (or complete with triggers to disallow dynamics), and the vocals are a croak of bile and hate. For what it is worth, this is how I like my black metal. For me, Dissection, Mayhem, Burzum et al have always been where my interest lies. Marduk fits with this well. Was it ever so? Well, actually, no! Marduk have dropped the more death elements of their sound over time and changed themes from their early blasphemous take on extremity to Third Reich history and so on. The band has been around for over 20 years! Yes, their membership has changed, their sound has altered a little, but you still expect and get Marduk.

‘Frontschwein’, ‘The Blond Beast’ and ‘Afrika’ all offer black metal- but there are changes and differences between the tracks. The title track sets the scene, ‘The Blond Beast’ is more groovy (yes, really) than you would expect and ‘Afrika’ is a veritable maelstrom of black metal aggression. There are few bands who can match this level of fury (Mayhem, Belphegor- please step forward). Marduk's reliability is their strength. You know what you are expecting and the band deliver.

‘Wartheland’ is spiky and chilling prior to the carnage- but of the mid paced variety. Again the riffs and sounds roll relentlessly onwards, much like the aforementioned tanks. ‘Rope of Regret’ is simply furious in its blasting, with classic slow moving melodies lurking in the fast picked riffing.  ‘Between The Wolf Packs’ has a totally appropriate lope to the tempo and riffs- again with a very cold feel to things; a speciality of the Scandinavian bands. The song has blast sections, of course, but uses the tempo changes well.

‘Nebelwerfer’ is a freezing proposition of reverbed snare and funereal riffs. It is thus a welcome change of pace and assists in sculpting the album and elevating it above a simple collection of songs. ‘Falaise- Cauldron of Blood’ sounds as you would predict from the title- blasting and venomous vocals create a stirring (ha!) black metal call to arms. Worth noting at this point is that you get your money's worth- the album tracks a lengthy- not interminably so, but usually running well over four minutes. In the case of ‘Doomsday Elite’, the band venture over the eight minute mark, with the extra playing time paying off in spades with the atmosphere of dread and fear created. ‘503’ is restrained in comparison, but still runs over 5 minutes and makes use of some technology in the production. Slower tempos are here, too, making for another memorable track.

The album goes out strongly with ‘Thousand-Fold Death’. It's hyper fast and again has a kind of rolling feel- even mirrored by the vocal delivery. There are some excellent guitar passages that are almost elegant in terms of black metal. Marduk are undoubtedly back- and as if they never went away. This black metal of the highest quality and of the most palatable type to a casual fan such as myself, all elements are present and correct with the band on great form. Looking for something to compound your winter blues? Look no further.

Words by: Richard Maw

You can pick up a CD/LP copy here.

For more information:

Facebook | Official