I've been a big fan of Howie Bentley and pretty much everything he's created from his music in Cauldron Born and Briton Rites, to his fiction and novels. He's also entirely sincere and friendly all the time. I just love the guy. There - I said it. These demos are taken from several places. The two tracks that appeared on For Mircalla, "Carmilla" and "A Meeting In The Woods", are off the preceding demo from 2009. The opening track "In Hell I Will Rule" is from a compilation released by DMR, the label releasing the Swords and Steel short story compilations which have featured Bentley several times as well as other notable artists such as the late Mark Shelton, Bryon Roberts, and Scott Waldrop. There is also a previously unreleased track called "The Wizards Pipe." Compared to the album material, the quality here of the two newer tracks, is on par. The production is on point and the song writing and riff machine which Bentley is has not taken a step back. What I love about the Briton Rites material is how representative of the Doom moniker it holds itself to be. It's basically if you were to provide a random person on the street and tell them 'this is Doom Metal' they would nod their head in validation and say "I get it!." It's about as pure as refined gold. Once again all the tracks feature Phil Swanson on vocals. "The Wizard's Pipe" is a highlight for me and stands up to the best tracks on For Mircalla. Swanson's vocals on the outset are, for lack of a better description, hazy and smokey and revert to his unique crow by the middle of the track. The song also showcases the seemingly free-form genius of Bentley's student bassist John Leeson who fills in gaps with huge runs of bass notes on demand. I daresay the two demo versions of "Carmilla" and "A Meeting In The Woods" are better than the album versions. The guitar tone is more crisp and less muddied and simply gargantuan. I can't seem to turn up my stereo loud enough. When "A Meeting In The Woods" plays anywhere in the world, I intuitively clench my fists, wrench my face into a snarl, and bang my head. It has to be in my list of top ten Doom Metal songs of all time. This compilation is a free download from the Briton Rites bandcamp. Don't be a snot-nosed dweeb; there is no reason to not have this downloaded at least four times for no good reason. Buy For Mircalla. It demands ownership.
I know I have refrained from reviewing singles in the past but Countess gets a pass because it's Countess. This reworking of a much older track is a perfect addendum to what Orlok and Countess have been doing lately; reworking and re-composing older tracks from the band's extensive discography. Orlok told me there's no real reason as to why they have been re-recording them; "We just have been playing these songs live again and quite differently from the original versions, so we thought it would be cool to record them again and release them." He added also that it's "nice to have some new stuff every now and then between albums." So where does this version of "Ritual of the 7 Priests" compare to the original that appeared on The Return of the Horned One? For one, the song has been shortened and the spoken/yelled invocation section from the original replaced with a timely keyboard melody courtesy of Haxa. The trumpeted sections that drew out the original too long have been cut as well. What we are left with is a more mature, refined, and clean composition that remains true to the original version of the track. Orlok's vocals on the new recording are less frivolous and sharp. The rest of the track musically, is more driving. The details like the guitar solo at the end of the track which remind me heavily of Bathory, and the previously mentioned keyboard elements are utilized expertly to enhance the track. Mortuum's drumming is extremely tight and minimalist in a Phil Rudd manner. Ultimately, this is a single worth checking out whether you are already familiar with Countess or not; the clarity, composition, and execution are of a quality that puts the focus entirely on whether the listener enjoys Countess' absolutely unique take on Heavy Metal. In my opinion, this is an ideal track to begin a foray into the band.
A group of jazz and world musicians creating quite interesting soundscapes and textural combinations. Deep Energy Orchestra's main brain is jazz bassist Jason Everett, who plays fretless bass across Playing with Fire and shines throughout the four tracks on display. He often takes a back seat to allow for phenomenal tabla playing, or Selvaganesh's drumming, or Trey Gunn's guitar playing, or some of the most abnormal vocalizations I've heard on a record. Opening track "The Return" is evidence of these abnormal vocalizations which solidify this record as something totally new and unique in my listening experience - and one of the reasons I enjoy world and folk music. While the deeply spiritual sounding melodies and instrumental can easily be the focus, these vocal moments are truly what I enjoyed the most oddly. I wasn't sure if I was listening to something from a tiny obscure musical style never before witnessed in the west or a country auctioneer rattling off prices. The guitar playing and percussion is phenomenal here, and Radhika Iyer's violin playing is captivating. A great listen for those with an interest in world, fusion, and jazz instrumental music. Top track is the desert-like "Resolve Improv Caravan" but really all the tracks had a lot of interesting moments.
After several listens, I found Exorcise and Steal, from the Brazilian thrashers Exorcismo, to culminate into a solid modern thrash album that should be on the radar of anyone into old school thrash. Exorcismo falls somewhere between a Bay Area thrash band and the German bands around the late 80's early 90's. Destruction specifically comes to mind, as I felt similarities between Exorcismo and an album like, Mad Butcher or Cracked Brain. Where Exorcismo offer some change is in the vocals of drummer Denis Violence. Violence's snarl is on the lower end of the spectrum, as opposed to the higher youthful rasp and pitchiness of Marcel Schirmer. He almost reminds me of Barney Greenway's more growling yell from the mid-90's Napalm Death material. It's a good sound though, as it portrays the band's material as more serious and in spirit with the original thrash movement compared to what we were seeing sprout from what was deemed the New Wave of American Thrash Metal a few years ago. Guitarists Anderson Razor and Carlos Ragner handle their duties adeptly. Some interesting moments surface on the album such as interesting clean breaks in "Disgrace and Terror" that have been composed into the solo section. "Ready To Violence" is my highlight for the record, with a frantic intro. The rest of the track is composed of twists and turns and a ton of riffs. Exorcismo do a great job utilizing interesting and unique transitions and once-and-done bridge riffs to get them through songs and into section written specifically for circle-pits or specifically for headbanging. The band seems very much aware of where to place what. They never repeat themselves too many times or allow songs to stagnate. Not a bad record worth some spins for the die-hard thrash fans out there but if I'm being honest, I could see the album boring those who are more difficult to please in terms of thrash.
Back in college, I was playing "Necrosis" from the Wither Without You demo on my radio show. Now Gutwrench's phenomenal debut demo along with their second equally awesome demo Beneath Skin are finally getting a deserved re-release through Vic Records. The Art of Mutilation contains the two demos as well as several rehearsal tracks and another track specific to the compilation. Wither Without You is one of the best of the Dutch death metal demos from the early 1990's and tracks like "Necrosis" contain enough dreary melody to never go out of style. What really highlights Gutwrench's material is something which often gets misused in the Dutch scene in that the band knows when to get techy and when to maintain a more simplistic foundation. Counter to Phlebotomized or Iniquity, Gutwrench followed more in the Asphyx vein and threw splashes of technicality into their material by way of compositional flourishes such as the numerous riffs under the elongated solo section in "Beneath Skin." What is also interesting about the material, mostly that which is on the "Beneath Skin" material is the numerous non-Dutch elements. "Pest Controller" shows the creeping influence of the Gothenburg style into Gutwrench's toolbox and East Coast New York Death Metal gets thrown into the mix in "The God Complex." Even with these disparate stylistic tendencies, Gutwrench somehow manage to never lose the Dutchness in their sound. This is a desirable compilation for those that will never own the original demos. Gutwrench have absorbed the best qualities of their Dutch home scene while squirreling away small stylistic tendencies from abroad to cook up top tier death metal.
Into The Cave's Insulters of Jesus Christ is loaded with songs proposed to the listener with the deep South American death metal thrash background that shouldn't need much explanation. Think Headhunter D.C. and Hellhammer and you're not far off. I wasn't surprised to learn that Into The Cave were from Brazil after getting a few songs through the album. The production is very good and showcases Bitch Hunter's excellent lead guitar work which assaults each track with divebombs, squeals, and generally wild-style solos. The drumming of Erick Fryer is on point as well, while the occasional interesting rhythm shows up, such as that in "Pure Filth From The Grave," he more often than not bashes and smashes his way around the drum kit to drive the songs forward with basic thrash beats in a frantic manner. Vocalist Bestial Vomitor provides a sturdy presence throughout with low, deep growls throughout and grunts smartly placed in tracks. I wish that the bass playing of Dyd Bastard was more varied. He lingers way too close to the guitar lines all the time and doesn't offer much in the way of depth to the songs. While many of the songs are strong but standard South American death thrash, a few stand alone. "Scarlet Queen" is nearly pure speed metal, a death metal take on Midnight. "Heretic" starts off with a slow intro topped with some keyboards for kicks. "Massacre Bestial" is a bit convoluted stylistically after it's opening Heavy Metal-esque intro. My personal favorite from the record has to be the intense "Vomiting Blasphemies," which in a meager two-minutes simply pummels the listener. Overall a really good album that offers a lot with each listen.
Three tracks heavily influenced by the progenitors of doom, Black Sabbath. Secondary influences seem to be mixtures of Pentagram, Pagan Altar, and Cirith Ungol. Of interest immediately is the nature of these Australians, Lucifer's Fall. On this particular demo release, Deceiver offers all the guitars, bass, and vocals with Unknown and Unnamed playing drums. Considering there are guitars and bass and sections of layered vocals, it's clear this demo isn't a true rehearsal demo since there must have been several takes done. Evident from the start is that though this demo is comprised of rehearsal material, the production quality is exceptional. Each instrument in clear and audible. Special attention was seemingly paid to ensure that vocal levels were done properly. This is likely only possible due to previously described situation of recording here. I find it rewarding that Deceiver cared enough about singular arrangement and composition details to go through the extra effort of incorporating everything into a rehearsal demo*. In all honestly, though this is a trio of rehearsals, the overall quality is better than I've heard on many full lengths and I actually like the rawness. Natural production aside, from a composition angle, the songs are all very well put together. "Mother Superior" which builds off an extremely memorable bass line and then runs through a section of layered vocals along with some killer doom riffs, is a standout. Closing track Unknown Unnamed starts with some shouted lyrics in a bizarrely satisfactory manner. Deceiver's vocals throughout the rest of the track are genuinely doom; he attempts to hit higher notes and somehow always seems to sound just barely reaching them. It lends the demo a feeling of authenticity, youthfulness, and confidence that works in this setting. Overall a rather impressive first release from this Lucifer's Fall.
Raw Raze - Thunderblade (2004)
Brazilian band that released two demos in 2004 and 2005 and whose members dispersed into numerous other bands and projects. This short demo, their first release is heavily influenced by Iron Maiden. The intro is a short minute long recording of... thunder. The songs are very simple derivatives of standard traditional metal. The performances of the musicians - Daniel Raze (Vocals), Linsandro Freire (Drums), Vinicius Amorim (Guitars), and Carlos Fintelman (Guitars and Bass) - are adequate but not ultimately impressive. The songs aren't bad in themselves, just don't stand out in anyway. "Fight For Metal" is evident of some amateur mistakes such as the hard transitions from section to section that are too abrupt. There are some noteworthy moments that shine, such as some of the guitar leads and melodies. Raze's vocals are a hair better than average but he does not go the distance. He strains to reach higher notes across the record and his melodies are tightly linked to the other instruments in a way that stymies deeper exploration of the vocals. You can download this for free from the band's website. Mostly what I get out of this demo is the formative importance of Iron Maiden for aspiring musicians within heavy metal.
This Chilean horde is following up their 2016 debut EP, Black Rites, with a new EP entitled Wowk Otrr which is once again firmly in the second-wave Norwegian style though the rawer production encountered on Black Rites has given way to a more balanced, yet no-less-aggressive production. Vocalist and bassist Alvaro Lillo, who has also offered his services to Watain and others as well as guitarist Juan Pablo Nunez who also supports on vocals are the driving force behind the project. I was Impressed with the overall record. Every song is well paced and stirring, particularly "Ten Hashpen (In Darkness Remains)" and the sublime "Xosh Kassek (Chant To Hosh)," both the highlights of the album for me. With "In Darkness Remains," Xalpen drag the listener through myriad fast and slower movements and subtle melodic shifts. The repetitive nature of "Chant To Hosh" proves the band is capable of working with different compositional structures, both exploratory, threaded and linear, as well as the timeless black metal structural motif of repetitive and minimalist. This minimalism is also worth noting in terms of the melodic usage on the record with several songs hinging on two-note melodic structures which interestingly produce a primitive memorability via simplicity. Also worth noting is "K'terrnenqar Shwaken (The Vengeance of K´térnen)" which is the most urgent and pressing aided by multiple huge short-lived driving bass bridges. Lillo's bass tone is a key presence on the record, taking up a large amount of mix-space with a gravely and booming strength. I did feel that the overall album could have been paced slightly differently, with "In Darkness Remains" later on the EP, as the final two tracks don't do much overall for the record - a track of growls and rasps for two minutes followed by a piano-only outro. I also thought that there were too many vocals at times that didn't give enough leeway for the music to tell it's story as equally. Xalpen is putting out a three song EP shortly. I'd be vigilant for that.
