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This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
Total misanthropy. That's what sums up Ravens
Creed. This is masterful thrash/death metal for people who hate everything
and/or like Venom
“Get
Killed or Try Dying” CD//DD
track listing:
1).
Intro – Unrelenting Extremity
2).
Dead Bird on Winchester Street
3).
Death on a Rival
4).
Get Killed or Try Dying
5).
Hymn or Hearse
6).
Off with their Legs
7).
Treacherous Rector
8).
Rats Beneath Our Feet
9).
Remember the Hammer
10).
Sound of Sirens
11).
When a Deaf Man Goes Blind
12).
The Trauma of Being Haunted
13).
Outro
The Review:
Ravens Creed have always been a feral
and vicious beast, but this album sees them return with a new level of
aggression and power. After the knockout one-two combination of “Albion Thunder” and then “The Power”, their third record “Ravens
Krieg” suffered a little in terms of songs. No such issue here: once again
it is just wall to wall riffs from Iron Monkey's Steve Watson. The songs all
clock in short and are tightly wound.
Rod
Boston and Jay
Graham supply a lock tight rhythm section and Al Osta's sandpaper growl
compliments this full metal racket perfectly. You get thirteen tracks, all
around the two or three minute mark, non stop thrash/death metal with no
pretensions whatsoever.
What
are Ravens
Creed in this for? World domination? No. They hardly play any gigs,
aren't interested in promoting themselves and are unlikely to trouble the
promoters of Download any time soon. Extremity, then? Pushing the musical
boundaries? Not really- there are really catchy elements to most tracks here
and the riffs are the work of a true master craftsman. I can only conclude that
it's just pure hatred keeps them going.
Total
misanthropy. That's what sums up Ravens Creed. That and pun ridden song titles,
of course. Masterful thrash/death from the East Midlands by way of West Yorkshire. For people who hate everything and/or
like Venom.
“Get Killed or Try Dying” is available to
pre-order/buy here
This is highly
recommended for anyone who likes the gnarlier end of metal from Motorhead to
Venom to Exodus to early Sepultura to Ravens Creed and so on. Nasty. And great!
“Decision Day” CD//DD//LP track listing:
01. In Retribution (06:14)
02. Rolling Thunder (04:22)
03. Decision Day (04:03)
04. Caligula (04:01)
05. Who Is God? (04:35)
06. Strange Lost World (04:59)
07. Vaginal Born Evil (05:15)
08. Belligerence (04:00)
09. Blood Lions (03:17)
10. Sacred Warpath (05:34)
11. Refused To Die (04:27)
12. Predatory Instinct (04:44) (bonus track for vinyl and iTunes edition)
The Review:
From
their early days when they played a kind of primitive black metal akin to Venom/Hellhammer,
to the seminal albums of the late 80's, Sodom have occupied a rather special niche.
They remain part of the German Big Three (arguably four, if you count Tankard)
with Kreator
and Destruction.
Truthfully, I have never gone through Sodom's
back catalogue in the same way as I have Kreator's, but that may now have to change.
“Decision Day” represents another
quality release in the Sodom
discography. You get eleven tracks of feral thrash. From opener “In Retribution”, through the title track
and beyond, this is evil and dark music from masters of the genre. The
technique is most certainly there these days, with Tom Angelripper backed up
very impressively by Bern Kost and Markus Freiwald. Keeping to the power trio
format has been the band’s strength over the years: think of them as a thrash Motorhead.
You know what you want, what you are getting and what the band will inevitably
deliver.
There
are surprising moments of melody to go with the bombast- a lead break here, a
tempo change there- it all adds up to a record that is well rounded and
impressively adrenaline fuelled. The bass sound, as heard on “Caligula” is also mightily impressive. Sodom have kept the
somewhat inventive/bizarre phrasing from earlier albums with titles like “Vaginal Born Evil" and have certainly
kept their anger intact. This is metal of the old school variety- when it was
still dangerous and a bit... well, scary.
It
is on the most focused and succinct tracks which the band really shines- “Blood Lions” being a prime example- but
the album is such that there is nothing spare here, nothing wasted. The song
lengths are fairly uniform- around four minutes, although sometimes on either
side of that and this is indicative of the fact that Tom and crew have their
style down and write in a particular way as pertains to structure and changes.
Ultimately, this is a huge strength: the band know exactly how to do this and
they do it very well.
By
the time “Refused To Die” rolls
around, the album has proven to be very much a heads-down-see-you-at-the-end
thrash fest. This is highly recommended for anyone who likes the gnarlier end
of metal from Motorhead
to Venom
to Exodus
to early Sepultura
to Ravens
Creed and so on. Nasty. And great!
Album Type: Full Lenth Date
Released: 30/09/2016 Label: Century Media Records
this
is a fantastic Asphyx album and a ferocious beast of a record all around. It
adds to the band's considerable legacy and confirms Asphyx as one of the very
best operating in this arena. Indeed, such is their sound, they are in a
category of one, really. I have always thought of them as being kind of the
European equivalent to Obituary; cult favourites with a unique sound and style.
This is indeed death/doom, done the brutal way.
‘Incoming Death’ CD//DD//LP track
listing:
1.
Candiru
2.
Division Brandenburg
3.
Wardroid
4.
The Feeder
5.
It Came From The Skies
6.
The Grand Denial
7.
Incoming Death
8.
Forerunners of the Apocalypse
9.
Subterra Incognita
10.
Wildland Fire
11.
Death: The Only Immortal
The Review:
Asphyx return after the superb “Deathhammer” from a few years back. Van
Drunen and co. are firing on all cylinders here. Asphyx are certainly a classic
band- one of the first to really mix doom and death together and they have a
certain viciousness which I have always found rather teutonic (rather than
Dutch). It is business as usual for the opener “Candiru”; fast and furious, a thick sound that is a little warmer
than its predecessor's production, but certainly no less deadly.
Naturally,
after the fast paced pummelling comes the slower delivery of “Division Brandenburg”- ruthlessly heavy and with
the Germanic sound that the title suggests. The band summon the sound of
rolling tanks very effectively just as Bolt Thrower or Ravens Creed have done. “Wardroid” is also fantastically weighty
and crushing. Over the course of the eleven tracks, the band don't put a foot
wrong. The vocals are pleasingly as rough as ever, the band playing with
authority.
The
tempo kicks up several notches with “The
Feeder”; the band barrelling along at Motorhead pace, dropping to half time when
needed... and then dropping again. “It
Came from the Skies” is a beast; a maelstrom of riffage and mid tempo
groove. There are two tracks which go over into epic length territory; “The Grand Denial” is a veritable feast
of doom/death at over seven minutes in length, with the final track, “Death: The Only Immortal” running over
eight!
The
rest of the album is a focused and toned listen with most tracks following
actual song structures rather than the riff-soup approach of many death bands.
The title track is particularly vicious and sprints by in under two minutes.
Just as “Deathhammer's” title track
was a stand out, as is “Incoming Death”.
Awesome stuff.
“Forerunners of the
Apocalypse”
is another stomper of a riff and rhythm that is guaranteed to get your head
banging. “Subterra Incognita” shifts
the gears downwards again, giving a good ebb and flow to the album's structure.
Unsurprisingly, “Wildland Fire”
sounds exactly like its title; fantastic riffs, good use of tempo shifts and
all in all, a late album stand out. The aforementioned “Death...” closes proceedings in epic style. Eight minutes of
carefully balanced doom and death- with that monstrous bass sound pushed front
and centre.
To
sum up, this is a fantastic Asphyx album and a ferocious beast of a record
all around. It adds to the band's considerable legacy and confirms Asphyx
as one of the very best operating in this arena. Indeed, such is their sound,
they are in a category of one, really. I have always thought of them as being
kind of the European equivalent to Obituary; cult favourites with a unique sound
and style. This is indeed death/doom, done the brutal way.
Welcome, all lovers of the riff, you know the
deal by now, however for those of you that do not, let us recap. Each
month, you the reader are unwittingly compiling a list of the top 16 records of
the month, covering all genres of metal, but predominately the best the
doom, sludge, stoner-psychedelic genres have to offer. Is it not a chart,
in which reviewers or contributors extol their opinion about their favourite
music, but simply, the ‘Sour
16’ are the records you guys (readers) have been most
interested in over the last month and checking out on this page.
So here is the The Sludgelord’s‘Sour 16’for
October 2015, the 16 records you’re most looking forward too or are currently
checking out. Dig in, spread the word and perhaps revisit some records
you may have overlooked. The results are compiled based on page views
alone and calibrated into the list below. So without further ado,
enjoy the ‘Sour
16’. Roll up, kick back, chug a beer and Hail the riff! For
more info click on the artwork. (Total views at the time of
publication highlighted in red)
16). Zillah – ‘Serpentine Halo’ (210)
I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by saying that ‘Serpentine Halo’ is easily the band’s most accomplished work to this point. If forced to give an easy reference point, I’d say that this is a blend of ‘Whisper Supremacy’-era Cryptopsy along with very early Mastodon and a dash of Gorguts at their most disjointed and jarring. If that sounds as appealing for you as it does me, you should be in good hands with this album.
15). Seahag – ‘The RX Epidemic’ (220)
Metal never sounded so good and I’m
glad these dudes woke from their slumber to produce this powerful and chaotic
release. So many elements woven together with immaculate structure creating an
intense ride that keeps this in constant rotation for me.
14). Suma – ‘Ashes’ (233)
It's a masterpiece of post metal
tinged doom. The riffs are straightforward but able to smash through concrete
with the volume and vehemence of which they're played. The guitars are layered
heavily to allow them to invade your consciousness and claim your brain. If
you're reading this and have yet to listen to this album, stop wasting your
time and listen at full volume!
13).Great Falls – ‘The Fever Shed’ (236)
Right
from the first note of “Dressing the Saints”, there is nowhere to hide as the
band assault the listener with an abrasive opening salvo of shards of metallic
noise. Even when the volume dips during sparse minimal sections, there is
always a taut menace to proceedings which feels like it could give way to chaos
at any second.
12). Goblin Rebirth – ‘Goblin Rebirth’ (235)
If you want something that is out
there, entertaining, and from a legendary band, look no further than Goblin
Rebirth's self titled debut. Bend your mind, but only to the best of beats with
these Italian masters of the reptilian beat!
11). Ravens Creed – ‘Ravens Krieg’ (239)
Once again, it is all about the riffs-
Steve Watson managing to accurately mimic the sound of tanks rolling through
your town and laying waste to it. What you get is thirteen tracks of
spiteful fury as the riffs and songs rage by. If you like metal, you
really should like Ravens Creed, being as they present the genre in its purest
form: riffs, aggression, adrenaline and pace all combine to make a satanic
racket of biblical (ha!) proportions. Uncompromising, extreme music
from an island of festering resentment. Hail The ‘Creed
10). Drowning Horse – ‘Sheltering Sky’ (246)
I am
brought back to why I listen to this kind of dirge: it taps into the static,
that universal thrum, and serves as a meditation, a reprieve from the chaos and
noise surrounding us. A job extremely well done and I’ll have my eye
on Perth’s Drowning Horse going forward, hoping that they continue to
churn out the catharsis
9) = Graveyard – ‘Innocence & Decadence’ (247)
All in all, “Innocence and Decadence”
could be viewed as a polarizing record. Graveyard may lose fans, or they could
very well gain them. They’ll probably always have older fans pissing and
moaning over “the good old days,” but it’s also likely that, regardless of the
extreme reactions people may have against this album, Graveyard will remain one
of the most top notch bands around today.
9) = Hyne – ‘MMXV’ (247)
They show off groove without being
flashy, talent without being full of themselves, and honestly which puts many
bigger bands to shame. If we can see more of this, I am going to have to get
more hours in my day! And listen for that little Sabbathian charm!
7). Bastard Grave – ‘What Lies Beyond’ (255)
From the opening of ‘From The Depths’,
you know exactly what you are getting; feral death with a punk sensibility.
This continues right the way through the album, I am pleased to say. Each song
fits nicely with all the others. No melodies here; straight forward
Entombed/Dismember/Grave worship- chainsaw guitars, meaty but rough and ready
drums and that bass sound you love are all present and correct. For
fans of all the bands noted along with Entrails and any other sons of Northern
darkness you care to name. Ripping stuff!
6). Grim Van Doom – ‘Grim Love’ (273)
I can tell from the off that run of
the mill stoner/doom this most definitely is not.
'Goddamn This Love' has your doomy qualities but with an Unsane edge to it
(without being too obvious an influence). Vocally I'm reminded of Stephane Azam
from French avant-sludge troupe CROWN, and Fade Kainer from Batillus. 'Snowfields'
is straight from the Abominable Iron Sloth/Will Haven school of riff writing,
jagged and angular but at the same time, round and smooth. This band has set a
high standard for whatever they follow this up with, can they do it? I'll be
waiting to find out
5) Terzij de Horde – ‘Self’ (283)
As someone who has been listening to
black metal for nearly twenty years, I’m thankful that there are bands out
there like Terzij de Horde challenging black metal’s standards, to keep it from
losing what made it special to me in the first place. Beyond being one of this year’s
finest albums, ‘Self’ is important because the beliefs and mindset that gave
this album life are as purely black metal as it gets.
4). Clutch – ‘Psychic Warfare’ (311)
It’s the precise interplay in each of
these songs that make “Psychic Warfare” – dare I say it – a competitor for
album of the year. Be it the way Maines bridges Gasters swing with
Sult’s stiff blues in “Quick Death in Texas,” or how the chorus in
“Firebirds” only works because of the foundation provided by the verses,
“Psychic Warfare” is a mature, well-written album.
3). All Them Witches – ‘Dying Surfer Meets His Maker’
(320)
Groovy and slow like the rocking back
and forth of a fishing boat on a quiet lake seems to be the state of mind, but
it’s not a lazy album. The free falling jams are certainly laid back and the
songs are no different, such as the case with “Open Passageways,” a prime cut
that tells a bizarre story while being guided by a wonderful string section
that takes this song to a whole new level.
2). Girra – ‘Girra’ (329)
Girra plays a gothic form of blackened
doom, and they play it effectively. Their tones, bleak and unflinching, wash
like a tide with their almost clanging rhythms, over a very melancholic flat
sounding drum beat. It sounds like the beating of a rotted gourd made into an
instrument.
1). Horrendous – ‘Anareta’ (439)
There’s so much to enjoy and unpack as
I listen to this album again and again, because every song offers a new wrinkle
to the formula or another compositional element that most bands wouldn’t think
to use. It’s so fucking rich and dense. To put a finer point on things,
‘Anareta’ is the sort of album that lifts death metal as a genre up. It’s
everything I could ask of a death metal album in 2015 and there’s virtually
nothing in metal as a whole that’s in Horrendous’ league right now
The
‘Sour 16’ features reviews by, Chris Bull, Eric Crowe, Hunter
Young, Dan Jackson, Richard Maw, Mike
Wilcox, Victor Van Ommen, Charlie Butler & Eric
Sugg
Once
again, it is all about the riffs- Steve Watson managing to accurately mimic the
sound of tanks rolling through your town and laying waste to it. What you get is thirteen tracks of spiteful fury as the riffs and
songs rage by. If you like metal, you
really should like Ravens Creed, being as they present the genre in its purest
form: riffs, aggression, adrenaline and pace all combine to make a satanic
racket of biblical (ha!) proportions. Uncompromising,
extreme music from an island of festering resentment. Hail The ‘Creed’
‘Ravens Krieg’ CD//DD track listing:
01. Rock Cemetery
02. Palmer the Harmer
03. Jungle Justice
04. Riding the Pillock
05. Lecturn of Burning
Swords Reversed
06. Victory in Defeat
07. VIP Treatment
08. Go Home
09. Bitten By Witch Fever
10. Brigade '77
11. Dirty Diary
12. While You Were
Sleeping
13. Carrion
Screaming
Ravens Creed is:
Steve Watson | Guitar
Jay Graham | drums
Rod Boston | Bass
Al Osta | Vocals
The
Review
Nottingham's
(and Leeds) noisiest bastards are back with this third full length release.
Once again, it is all about the riffs- Steve Watson managing to accurately
mimic the sound of tanks rolling through your town and laying waste to it, this
is a major band selling point- but of course the whole band more than pulls
their weight. I may be biased, but I think vocalist Al Osta is a better fit
than Big Ben Ward of Orange Goblin who
graced the first album. The vocals come thick, fast and unintelligible.
The
record marks bassist Rod Boston's foray into full length territory with the
band and the sound produced here is suitably rumbling and crushing. You get
thirteen tracks of spiteful fury as the riffs and songs rage by. Most songs are
around the two minute mark and take no prisoners. With the liner notes
containing hateful song explanations rather than lyrics, you get a sense of the
band's raison d'etre. ‘Rock Cemetery’flies out
of the speakers and there is no real let up. The songs remain taught, focused
and well titled throughout (‘Riding The Pillock’?!).
Once
again, Jay Graham makes the splinters fly from behind the kit. Accuracy and
metronomical reliability are the hall marks of his playing. As the saying goes:
Your band is only as good as your drummer... Witness the diminishing live
presence of Metallica for proof.
‘Victory in Defeat’ marks a nice change of pace for the band,
veering as it does into sludge and doom territory, and the album's half way
point is reached. The likes of ‘VIP Treatment’ are feral fury
crystallised into aural form as is ‘Go Home’ (and the rest of the
album). By the time ‘Dirty Diary’ tears past you, you
may well be in need of a re-think about what made you get into this type of
stuff in the first place. Certainly, ‘While You Were Sleeping’ and ‘Carrion
Screaming’ won't give you any respite. Indeed, the song length of ‘Carrion
Screaming’ is not a manufacturing error. It really is a lot longer
than two minutes! It manages to maintain its intensity over the course of
thirteen and a half minutes. No mean feat.
If
you like metal, you really should like Ravens Creed, being as
they present the genre in its purest form: riffs, aggression, adrenaline and
pace all combine to make a satanic racket of biblical (ha!) proportions. Simply
put, this picks up where “The Power”
left off and does the legacy and lineage of bands like Venom, Motorhead and Napalm Death proud.
Uncompromising, extreme music from an island of festering resentment. Hail.
The show started
oddly, being the doors to the gig were at 4pm.
I certainly missed the other support bands- so sadly I cannot comment on
what they were like. Regardless, I and
other intrepid metallers attended to witness Ravens Creed tear the Purple
Turtle a new one. The turnout (even for a 7pm stage time) was disappointing,
but those who were there were into it. The band fairly ripped through a set
mostly culled from “The Power” opus released a couple of years ago. Yes, ‘Stand up and Be Cunted’ made an
appearance (from the Ward-era “Albion Thunder” album) but highlights for me
included ‘Kick to Kill’, ‘Bashed In’
and ‘Unleash The Ratbashers’.
Steve Watson delivered the riffs with iron fisted spite while new (ish) recruit
Rod Boston held things down on bass- complete with foot on the monitor stance
marking him out as Nottingham’s rock god in waiting.
As usual Jay Graham
proved that independence of limbs is more important than speed when it comes to
playing drums properly. His right foot and left hand were right on the money
every time- playing thrash beats as they are supposed to be played. His right
hand gave great cymbal work in support and the left foot came in for well timed
and dynamic double bass drum parts (instead of just continually rolling away,
as many metal drummers do). Front man Osta gave an aggressive performance,
stalking the stage with barely checked menace- in contrast to his wilder stage
persona manifested in Satanic Dystopia’s live shows. The band played short and
sharp, clocking in a set time of shy of half an hour- but when the set is this
intense, that really is all you need.
Come 8pm Pentagram
Chile were waiting in the wings and ready to go after what had clearly been a
trying journey over from their European shows. Having witnessed these
death/thrash denizens in 2013 at Live Evil I knew that they would not
disappoint and they turned in a strong and professional performance of real metal.
There is something about South American
metal bands that always stands out- they are wholly committed to the cause and
mirror German bands in this regard- they take their metal seriously, but not
without a sense of fun. The musicianship on the part of all band members was
superb. Anton Reisenegger led from the front with his camo-patterned guitar
blazing through some unorthodox and totally metal solos.
The two Juan Pablos
(Uribe and Donaso) provided able and kinetic support- with Donaso particularly impressing
on drums- fluid and expressive playing being his hallmark. The bass was
convincingly handled by Dan Biggin (I think the lineup remains the same). The
band used unusual rhythms and motifs to their advantage throughout the set,
drawing from 2013’s “The Malefice” and their earlier demo material- ‘Temple of Perdition’ making a very
welcome appearance. Song introduction of the night goes to Anton for this gem:
“This song is about having a psychological aversion to all that is holy...
SACROPHOBIA!” Well, quite!
Reisenegger made a
couple of references to the show not being their best- and even left the stage
in frustration at one point after guitar
problems, but he and the band persevered to turn in a convincing and evil sounding
set. Fortunately, the room was full for the Latino headliners- Chile is a long
way from the UK, and it would have been very disheartening for them to play a
set to the number that witnessed Ravens Creed (hell, even Nottingham is a long
way from London in more ways than one!). It appeared that many punters simply
massed outside, only coming in for the headline act. Nothing new there, but it
has been a feature of London shows of late. A shame, as it robs the support
acts of exposure, the venue of profit and the event of atmosphere (although
£4.20 a pint in the venue is fucking outrageous- albeit not by the capital’s
ridiculous standards). Those minor gripes aside, the show demonstrated two of
the best underground bands around- if you ever get the chance to see Pentagram
Chile, take it without hesitation as you will not be disappointed.
While you’re at it:
check out “The Malefice”- I overlooked it to a certain extent last year. It
made my year end list, but not as high up as it should have been. I would like
to redress this balance now: it is one of the best metal albums of recent
years! So good, in fact, that I bought the two CD edition online and whilst at
the gig I picked up the vinyl and a t-shirt! I support Pentagram Chile and
think that anyone who likes metal in the vein of Venom, Bathory, early
Slayer/Sepultura etc would do well to do the same. Real metal, real musicians
and a great show!
