ALBUM REVIEW: Nile, “The Underworld Awaits Us All”

By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released:23^rd August, 2024
Label: Napalm Records
 

 
“The Underworld Awaits Us All” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1    Stelae of Vultures
2    Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down on a Stake in the Underworld and Made to Eat Feces by the Four Apes
3    To Strike with Secret Fang
4    Naqada II Enter the Golden Age
5    The Pentagrammathion of Nephren-Ka
6    Overlords of the Black Earth
7    Under the Curse of the One God
8    Doctrine of Last Things
9    True Gods of the Desert
10    The Underworld Awaits us All
11    Lament for the Destruction of Time
 
The Review:  

Five years after “Vile Nilotic Rites”, Karl Sanders (and George Kollias et. al.) blast back with this capable and muscled offering. “Stelae of Vultures” may start slowly, but it soon blasts off- or down- into the underworld which apparently awaits all who listen to this album. The vocals are impossibly low, the drums impossibly fast, the solos impossibly fluid the album overall is… improbably good. It’s over twenty years since “In Their Darkened Shrines” and thirty since Nile started out, but their mix of brutal death metal, Egyptian themes and middle eastern musical motifs is still as irresistible as ever.
 
“Vile Nilotic Rites” was a fairly immediate listen- and so is “The Underworld Awaits Us All”. It’s both familiar territory and wide enough in scope so as to bring the listener in. Truthfully, I loved this one as soon as I heard it. It’s sonic carnage in its most precise form and I still marvel at the musicianship on EVERY Nile album. It’s simply astonishing how far the boundaries of death metal have been pushed since the likes of “Seven Churches” or “Scream Bloody Gore” first dropped jaws in the metal world.
 
“Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down On A Stake In The Underworld and Made To Eat Faeces  By The Four Apes” not only pads out this review’s length, but is also both a ridiculous song title and an excellent track- lightning fast and with some hooks in the riffage. Elsewhere, there is not much let up-“The Pentagrammathion of Nephran Ka” may be a lovely instrumental interlude (echoing some of Sanders’ solo work) but as soon as “Overlords of the Black Earth” kicks in, the band simply lays waste to the listener. It’s fast, brutal and effective, with a creeping slowness introduced after the frenetic first act.
 
The dissonance of “Under The Curse of the One God” is different again, with excellent time changes between very slow and hyper fast, plus a female backing vocal on the chorus and a kind of middle eastern acoustic outro. I like the fact that Nile broaden their sound out on each album, it brings unexpected moments and provides an aural break to the metallic brutality. At 53 minutes in length, it’s not like this is an easy listen, exactly, but it’s so uniformly good, that the playing time flies by. “Doctrine of Last Things” may be buried in the track list running order, but it’s strong- with experimental vocals and percussion- and as such represents another worthwhile entry into the band’s catalogue.
 
The album manages to keep my attention all the way through- “True Gods of the Desert” is just superb; a slithering viper of a track that mixes clean vocals with slow tempos to excellent effect. It’s only at the penultimate point of the record that the title track is deployed and it is worthy of the honour bestowed upon it. Epic in length, while musically, it displays most of what Nile can do- the insane speeds, the crazy time changes and the excellent riffs. The production and mix, I note, are excellent. Tight and punchy, crystal clear- exactly what music of this pedigree deserves.
 
By the time the album finishes with the morose and atmospheric “Lament For The Destruction of Time”, Nile have assuredly done what they set out to do- they’ve made another excellent technical and brutal death metal album; another classy entry into their discography. With Karl Sanders now 60 years of age, how much longer this can continue is anyone’s guess, but on this evidence, the band are not ready to be interred into the pyramids yet. Essential for all fans of the band and genre.
 
“The Underworld Awaits Us All” is available HERE

Band info: facebook 

ALBUM REVIEW: Nile, “Vile Nilotic Rites”

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 01/11/2019

Label: Nuclear Blast

“Vile Nilotic Rites” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Long Shadows of Dread
2. The Oxford Handbook of Savage Genocidal Warfare
3. Vile Nilotic Rites
4. Seven Horns of War
5. That Which Is Forbidden
6. Snake Pit Mating Frenzy
7. Revel In Their Suffering
8. Thus Sayeth the Parasites of the Mind
9. Where Is the Wrathful Sky
10. The Imperishable Stars Are Sickened
11. We Are Cursed

The Review:

Four years on from “What Should Not Be Unearthed”, Nile return with a new guitarist and bass player, with Karl Sanders and George Kollias still in place. However, it really is business as usual as far as the record's sound and approach are concerned. “Long Shadows of Dread” is, as always, impossibly dextrous and fast. Oxford Handbook of “Savage Genocidal Warfare” is brutal, the title track is a welcome change of tempo and offers up some excellent dynamics and song writing. The sound is excellent- the vocals are particularly well mixed and recorded.

What, then, what can Nile offer a couple of decades into the game and having rejuvenated the genre with their earlier albums? Well, the band sounds enthusiastically focused and are technically incredible, of course, and the Egyptian themes remain. Nile, at this stage in their career have entered into a similar strata as Obituary or Cannibal Corpse. They will no longer innovate- they have their own sound and style- but they will remain at the forefront of the genre and some albums are better than others! I found “Vile Nilotic Rites” to be more instantly gratifying than “What Should Not Be Unearthed”- insofar as that the songs are somehow less wilfully tech-y and seem to be a little more natural in their composition and delivery.

Whether it be the excellent scene setting intro of “That Which is Forbidden”, the epic “The Imperishable Stars are Sickened” or the straightforward aggression of “Snake Pit Mating Frenzy”, there is a lot to listen to here; the individual instruments, the superlative production and even... the song writing. It's not perfect; there is nothing here that can match Deicide for memorable 'tunes' and there is nothing to trouble a listener who heard “In Their Darkened Shrines” years ago and was blown away... However, this is a perfectly serviceable entry into Nile's musical canon and is, I think, better than their last album (which I loved at the time, but after exploring other albums rate a little lower these days) while not being up there with “ITDS” or “Annihilation of the Wicked”.

For fans of technical and brutal death metal, any Nile album is a must, for those who are new to the band- why not start here? For connoisseurs of Nile... well, it's solid and the band sound fully engaged and committed. On that basis, it's one of the best death metal albums you will hear this year but only time will tell how this fares in the overall Nile discography. A classic band have thus delivered a good album. No complaints here.

“Vile Nilotic Rites” is available HERE

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Contrarian, "Their Worm Never Dies"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 15/03/2019

Label: Willowtip Records

if you miss latter day Death, feast your ears on Atheist or love the Cynic debut then this will be music to your ears, because this is impressive stuff.

“Their Worm Never Dies” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Vaskania (The Evil Eye)

2. Exorcism
3. My Curse
4. The Petition
5. Among The Misled
6. Their Worm Never Dies
7. Whomsoever Worships the Whiteworm

The Review:

Technical and progressive death metal is surely an acquired taste- particularly when it comes with the jazzy inflections that bands such as Contrarian deliver by the bucketload. I reviewed the debut “Polemic” back in 2015, but I missed their sophomore effort, “To Perceive Is To Suffer”. 

So, what have the Rochester, New York, based outfit come up with this time around? Well, it once again references the past greats of the niche genre; latter day Death and Cynic are both in there. Naturally, George Kollias being behind the kit is a huge draw for many DM heads anyway. However, this is no Nile re-tread as he plays technical and jazzy; he's using brushes at the start of “Exorcism” for satan's sake! The sound is pretty great- quite spacious and not too slick. In fact, there is audible hiss and an almost demo like quality to the sound. It's not compressed beyond believe and it sounds authentic, old school and “real” in a way that albums made on pro tools grids alone do not. The drum sound may take a little getting used to, but that is for the listener to decide on. Don't expect boxy and muted sounds... but don't expect zero triggers either!

As the record progresses, it's clear that a fan of the first album will like this one; the leads that open “My Curse” are great, the vocals are another selling point; closer to Schuldiner than Corpsegrinder and they help by dialling down the brutality- this is not hyper-aggressive stuff. The riff passages are excellent and the clean intro of “The Petition” segues perfectly into some mesmerising riffage.

The progressive riffing of “Among The Misled” coupled with the off kilter rhythms does a great job of making the listener pay attention (cracking bass work, too). The title track is three minutes of melancholy vibes and keen lead work- an unexpected twist in the album's tale. The closing eight minutes of “Whomsoever Worships The Whiteworm” is the most extreme track on here, in terms of structure, delivery and sounds. The bass is super dexterous the time changes come thick and fast and the playing is sublime. 

To sum up, then, this third album is a highly credible slice of technical and progressive death metal. This is for all fans of any of the bands mentioned here in comparative terms. Just like the debut, if you miss latter day Death, feast your ears on Atheist or love the Cynic debut then this will be music to your ears. Impressive stuff. 

“Their Worm Never Dies” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Dying Fetus - "Wrong One To Fuck With"

By: Jack Taylor

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23/06/2017

Label: Relapse Records

Like any classic Dying Fetus song, opener “Fixated on Devastation” is saturated with amazing riffs, fantastic drumming and clever song writing. It’s a thrilling ride and one which carries on throughout this record.  One could argue that the band sounds more or less the same as they have done since “Descend into Depravity”, but as long as they keep up this quality of song writing, nobody will complain.

“Wrong One To Fuck With” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Fixated on Devastation

2). Panic Amongst the Herd

3). Die with Integrity

4). Revelling in the Abyss

5). Seething with Disdain

6). Ideological Subjugation

7). Weaken the Structure

8). Fallacy

9). Unmitigated Detestation

10). Wrong One To Fuck With

The Review:

Dying Fetus’s ‘Wrong One To Fuck With’ is the band’s first release in five years, and marks the longest period between albums in the group’s history. It’s been worth the wait – this album is a cracker.

From the first minute of this album, the listener is in no doubt over what they’re in for or who they’re listening to. A bewilderingly technical but catchy and, most crucially, relevant riff opens proceedings before a slamming groove slows things down and John Gallagher’s distinctive bark jumps into the mix.

Like any classic Dying Fetus song, opener “Fixated on Devastation” is saturated with amazing riffs, fantastic drumming and clever songwriting. It’s a thrilling ride and one which carries on throughout this record.  “Die with Integrity” has another insurmountable groove followed by frenetic riffage and torturous passages, while “Revelling in the Abyss” is the longest song the band have written in some time, clocking in at over six minutes. The clean guitars on “Weaken the Structure” make a welcome change from the relentlessly violent and scything riffage. After the last notes of “Seething with Devastation” ring out, you need a halfway break – this album and the band in general, are so intense that stomaching a whole album in one sitting would be tough going.

Have the band progressed? One could argue that the band sounds more or less the same as they have done since “Descend into Depravity”, but as long as they keep up this quality of songwriting, nobody will complain.

“Wrong One To Fuck With” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

FFO: Suffocation, Misery Index, Nile, Aborted

ALBUM REVIEW: Deserted Fear - "Dead Shores Rising"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full  Length

Date Released: 27/01/2017

Label: Century Media Records

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

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

1). Intro

2). The Fall of Leaden Skies

3). The Edge of Insanity

4). Open the Gates

5). Corrosion of Souls

6). Interlude

7). Towards Humanity

8). The Carnage

9). Face Our Destiny

10). Till the Last Drop

11). Carry On

12). A Morbid Vision

13). The Path of Sorrow

The Review:

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

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

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

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

“Dead Shores Rising” is available now

Band info: facebook

FFO: Grave, Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, Bodyfarm

Death - "Scream Bloody Gore" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Reissue
Date Released: 20/05/2016
Label: Relapse Records

Overall, this is the definitive release of this classic record- it is unlikely that it will ever sound any better and comes in a form so expanded as to be the last word on this era of the band. “SBG” is undoubtedly one of the most important releases in the death metal- and even metal- genres. Interestingly, the same could be said for probably at least three further Death albums. Not a bad tally, and one that places the band in the league of Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, and so on- albeit arguably only within their own sub genre.

“Scream Bloody Gore” CD//DD//LP track listing:

 
Disc 1

01. Infernal Death
02. Zombie Ritual
03. Denial Of Life
04. Sacrificial
05. Mutilation
06. Regurgitated Guts
07. Baptized In Blood
08. Torn To Pieces
09. Evil Dead
10. Scream Bloody Gore
11. Beyond The Unholy Grave
12. Land Of No Return

Disc 2

13. Torn To Pieces (Original Florida Session)
14. Legion Of Doom (Original Florida Session)
15. Scream Bloody Gore (Original Florida Session)
16. Sacrificial (Original Florida Session)
17. Mutilation (Original Florida Session)
18. Land Of No Return (Original Florida Session)
19. Baptized In Blood (Original Florida Session)
20. Regurgitated Guts (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
21. Sacrificial (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
22. Sacrificial - Take 2 (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
23. Torn To Pieces (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
24. Do You Love Me? V1 (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
25. Infernal Death (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
26. Zombie Ritual (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
27. Beyond The Unholy Grave (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
28. Do You Love Me? V2 (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)
29. Denial Of Life (Rehearsals 08-20-1986)

The Review:

The reissuing of Death's seminal back catalogue continues here; the debut in two disc expanded form. The first disc comprises the original twelve tracks in remastered form, while the second disc takes in a further seventeen (17!?) versions of the songs on the record and oddball tracks. “Scream Bloody Gore” is, arguably, the first death metal album (yes, Possessed have a fair shout for this too, as do Celtic Frost etc etc). It finds the band on feral form, with Evil Chuck's vocals noticeably more brutal than on later releases. It was certainly hailed as a classic of the genre throughout the 90's, but since that time, Death's latter day catalogue has seemingly overtaken it in terms of reverence.

Truthfully, I prefer the later Death albums such as “Symbolic” (when is the remaster and repackage of that holy grail coming out??!) and “Individual Thought Patterns”, but there can be no denying the impact of this one. The remaster sounds great; crisp and live sounding with some tape hiss audible here and there. The thrashing beats are very fast in places (albeit blasts are still away off in the death metal canon).

Naturally, you cannot argue with the songs here; “Zombie Ritual”, “Torn to Pieces”, “Baptized in Blood”, “Mutilation...” the list goes on. Each track is an example of early death metal. For contextual purposes, it is important to remember that just four years earlier, “Kill Em All” by Metallica was the most extreme record ever released (the Venom issue is arguable). This is how far metal had come in those years; faster, heavier, gnarlier, more extreme in every way. Things would only get more extreme form here; Napalm Death and the emergence of Grindcore all the way to ultra tech, ultra brutal modern day outfits such as Nile. The groundwork is here, though, in Chuck's guttural vocals, riffs blurring with speed, copious use of double bass drums and so on. The record is not without flaws, of course- the time changes on “Denial of Life” still sound odd to my ears- but the album stands as a classic of the time and of all time.

If the album itself is an essential part of every death metaller's collection, what can be said of the bonus material? As is often the case, and as I have written about the Death reissues in the past, this is a completist's dream but a nightmare for fans of hi fidelity audio everywhere. The demo versions are exactly as you'd expect. The oddities such as “Legion of Doom” are well worth a listen if you have the time, though. To go through this with a fine tooth comb to look for differences in songs between demo and album is a luxury that I cannot really afford at this point, but for big fans of the band and album it could be a rewarding exercise. The inclusion of two rehearsal snapshots of “Do You Love Me” is at best mildly diverting.

Overall then, this is the definitive release of this classic record- it is unlikely that it will ever sound any better and comes in a form so expanded as to be the last word on this era of the band. Death would go on to make better records, but whether Chuck and whoever he hired would ever reach this level of influence again... who is to say? “SBG” is undoubtedly one of the most important releases in the death metal- and even metal- genres. Interestingly, the same could be said for probably at least three further Death albums. Not a bad tally, and one that places the band in the league of Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, and so on- albeit arguably only within their own sub genre. Certainly, within death metal only a handful of bands could make similar claims;  the bands who only have one classic to their name are not eligible for inclusion...

“Scream Bloody Gore” is available here

Band info: facebook

Aborted - "Retrogore" (Album Review)

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/04/2016

Label: Century Media Records

The story of ‘Retrogore’ is that of an album that creates memorable moments, rather than relying on pure heaviness and technicality.  There is plenty of variety from song to song, with Aborted showing that they’ve found a way to come up with new ideas without throwing their standard strengths as a band out the window in the name of progress. On that basis, Aborted are undeniably at their best on this album.

‘Retrogore’ CD//LP//DD track listing:

1. Dellamorte Dellamore

2. Retrogore

3. Cadaverous Collection

4. Whoremageddon

5. Termination Redux (Album Version)

6. Bit By Bit

7. Divine Impediment

8. Coven Of Ignorance

9. The Mephitic Conundrum

10. Forged In Decrepitude

11. From Beyond (The Grave)

12. In Avernus

Aborted is:

Sven De Caluwe | Vocals

Mendel Bij De Leij | Guitars

Ian Jekelis | Guitars

JB van der Wal | Bass

Ken Bedene | Drums

The Review:

Aborted have been doing this for nearly twenty years at this point. The band’s history paints a story that’s becoming all the more common as the years wear on. They hit an early peak with ‘Engineering the Dead’ and ‘Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done’, in 2001 and 2003 respectively, before losing their way on the albums that followed. Their attempts to add strong influences from hardcore and groove metal into their sound produced decidedly mixed results.

Of course, a band is always going to try new things, and by the time 2012’s ‘Global Flatline’ had arrived, Aborted had settled back into a much more straightforward death metal style anyway, and they’d become ridiculously tight as musicians in the interim. 2014’s ‘Necrotic Manifesto’ was likely their best since ‘Goremageddon’, though the album seems to have been carried more by its dizzying brutality than truly memorable songs, in retrospect. Were ‘Retrogore’ to follow suit, I’d probably be writing about a case of diminishing returns. Thankfully, the story of ‘Retrogore’ is that of an album that creates memorable moments, rather than relying on pure heaviness and technicality.

A key example of Aborted allowing atmosphere and clever riff writing to shine through the dense, note and blast-heavy tempest is “Divine Impediment”. The song opens with some relatively clean guitar work aiding in building to a big moment as the drums progress towards their absolute peak in intensity before finally exploding into a furious riff that takes on a different tone altogether. Interestingly, from that point on the songs echo Nile’s excellent ‘Annihilation of the Wicked’ and ‘Those Whom the Gods Detest’ albums. It’s worth noting that every member of the band is positively on fire throughout the rest of the album as well, with the guitars putting together the band’s finest performances to date both from a rhythm and lead standpoint.

‘Retrogore’ stands to hold up as a much more interesting album than ‘Necrotic Manifesto’ for its variety as the years go on. There is plenty of variety from song to song, with Aborted showing that they’ve found a way to come up with new ideas without throwing their standard strengths as a band out the window in the name of progress. Aborted are undeniably at their best on this album.

You can pre-order a digital copy here and a CD/LP copy here. 

Band info: 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

Contrarian - "Polemic" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 20/11/2015

Label: Willowtip Records

Far more nuanced than Nile, this is a tour de force of modern tech death, done in a way which recalls old school tech death(!). No blasting, no mindlessly labyrinthine and continuously brutal riffage. What you get is jazz infused death metal with the kind of subtlety not heard for quite some time.

“Polemic” CD//DD track listring:

1). Polemic

2). Need for Apathy

3). Retrieval

4). Foreknowledge

5). Predestined

6). Libertarian Manifesto

7). Diogenes at Delphi

8). Nothing is Everything

Contrarian is:

Jim Tasikas | Guitars

Ed Paulsen | Bass

Brian Mason | Guitars

Leon Macey | Guitars (Lead)

Cody McConnell | Vocals

George Kollias | Drums

The Review:

Death metal- of the progressive/tech infused kind is what you will find on this record which features the inimitable George Kollias on drums (whose right foot speed is now up to 280bpm, apparently!). It will come as a surprise to none of you that  the production is crystal clear, the bass work sublime and jazz inflected and the vocals very low indeed (think Nile). The opening title track sets the tone, albeit with some blast type sections, while “Need for Apathy” and “Retrieval” further cement the way the record is going to be (there are some interesting sections therein which may surprise you a little, too).

The likes of “Foreknowledge” and “Predestined” don't stray too far from the Atheist meets Nile meets late period Death template, while the excellent “Libertarian Manifesto” features some fantastic playing from Kollias and is a real stand out. Excellent lead work makes this shape shifting track an absolute joy. Far more nuanced than Nile, this is a tour de force of modern tech death, done in a way which recalls old school tech death(!). No blasting, no mindlessly labyrinthine and continuously brutal riffage. What you get is jazz infused death metal with the kind of subtlety not heard for quite some time.

“Diogenes at Delphi” is complex and dreamy, with swathes of synth here and there and excellent use of dynamics. The time signatures stray well outside of 4:4 and the track meanders along a very twisted path indeed. The riff at the four minute mark is excellent, by the way, as is the clean and airy section that closes. “Nothing is Everything” will be familiar to anyone who listened to “Individual Thought Patterns”... as it is a cover from that absolute classic of death metal. A finer album to find in the genre is a hard task (“Symbolic” just pips it, in my humble opinion) and Contrarian really do the song justice. The reproduction is faithful with DiGiorgio and Hoglan's parts being admirably laid down. The vocals go low, in keeping with the rest of the album, and the guitars are, forgive me, set to stun.

I enjoyed the record hugely- non aggressive death metal with more than a nod to Atheist, Cynic and Death, played by some of the best in the business. I recommend giving it a go, even if you have never liked death metal or lost interest in the genre at some point in the 1990's. It will take you back and it may even take you to some new musical territory as well.

“Polemic” is available here

FFO: Nile, Atheist, Cynic, Death

Band info: facebook | official | twitter