Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, in his famous work, Entretiens Sur La Pluralite Des Mondes or Conversations on The Plurality of Worlds, makes a worthwhile observation on a shared characteristic of all natural things while discussing the potential variety of life on distant planets. In the book, his female student, the Marquis, eloquently states "My imagination's overwhelmed by the infinite multitude of inhabitants on all these planets, and perplexed by the diversity one must establish among them; for I can see that Nature, since she's an enemy of repetition, will have made them all different." This astute description on the nature of the natural world is notable in musical criticism as well. In describing a recording as 'natural' we imply the feeling of the music as having been produced without digital trickery, that the sounds arranged to create the music were produced in a natural manner of performance, and that we are not being duped by mass-production or artificial articulation. The best of the best music within the genre does not hide behind post-production perfection.
Is this not the single-most important component of what we know to be the traditional metal genres of Heavy Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, and Black Metal? I find it worth pointing out that much of the material reviewed here that impressed me had this natural disposition. Abazagorath's live recording: absolutely natural in every way. Disciples of Power's dizzying death thrash: definitely recorded with no cut and paste repairs. The Autocrat and Black Knife material? Humbly natural in it's presentation. These nuanced recordings emphasize a character of natural being that exists inertly within. The feedback of drone and doom, the rawness in production of black metal, the creativity of guitarists throwing elaborate solos in damn near any place possible, and importance and preponderance - even still - of demos and physical media all further strengthen the tie of the natural world to Metal.
Disciples of Sacrilege, a live rehearsal from legendary US Black Metal band Abazagorath, channels darkness and hatred from beyond in a way few live releases are capable of doing. Recording handled by Abazagorath at Wrong Planet Studios, - in reality just the home studio of guitarist Ciemnosc and the same location where the band recorded their recent full length, The Satanic Verses - the tracks span a large portion of the band's discography with tracks included from their debut album, Tenebrarum Cadent Exsurgemus, their second offensive, Sacraments of the Final Atrocity, as well as from splits, EPs, and demos. Ultimately, this is a perfect entry level release to discover the band with only a few classic tracks not making the set. The packaging and layout comes across as underground and minimalist, in step with the raw and barbaric production and clearly natural energy. Songs like "Ancient Steel", "In The Heart of a Dying Star", "Buried In Hell" and "Ancient Steel" are presented with purified and renewed energy and effect. Warhead is, as always the case, impressive drums, however he handles all of the vocals here as well and is as vicious behind the microphone as he is behind the kit. He has been one of the top black metal drummers for a long time in the US scene, and there is no reason to doubt his fanaticism for the art of black metal here. Ciemnosc and Aversario add the necessary final elements. Joe Aversario's bass playing is of note, being integral for the punchiness and power this live album conveys. The production is stellar; everything is clear and audible, but mixed to leave in the dirt and grit, especially on the bass. This is a must-have tape. The songs are huge, powerful, and reek of the old-school black metal and death metal of the late 80's and early 90's. Easily one of the best live releases I've heard in a long time. Procure this from Eternal Death. Abazagorath have been going for a long time and maintain their rank as a top tier US black metal band. I hear there are good things in the pipeline as well. Stay vigilant!
The opening minutes of Coalescer's Album No. 1 are promising: lush textures which resonate rich and vibrant in one respect but ring cold and at times industrial. The album thusly yields a very confounding atmosphere. It's like being in an art-deco theater with huge rusting and slowly moving set-design pieces that are built to mimic space exploration in the far off future. In truth, throughout the record, these Swiss musicians create some very interesting and potentially rewarding music in the experimental / electronic sphere. The problem is that these inspired segments are never enough to hold a song together and often slide in and out of existence much like an turtle slips gently into a pond. For example, "To The Town," is decisively obnoxious with God-knows what making whooping noises throughout and samples from police scanners or something used as a vocal element, but culminates in a dark rock-noir climax with vocalist Ben Plüss sitting right on top of it crooning. It's my least favorite overall song, but one of my favorite singular moments here. "Destroying the Planet" mimics the progression implied in the title by slowly getting more percussively chaotic and industrialized over time. In some songs, modern electronic dance seems to hold an influence. "All You want, My Money," is one example where at times the music would fit relevantly on a Garbage album but also has long sections that sound closer to Sloth's Slow As Shit. There are some themes which Coalescer seem to return to throughout Album No. 1. The first theme is that of trees and forests. "It Has Started In A Forest", "Back To The Forest", "Trunk Marks", and "When The Forest Becomes Silent" all refer to the arboreal not to mention the inclusion of a band member named The Monster of the Forest who supplies the album's "screams" which I am not actually sure exist. Interesting experiment in textures but I'm not sold on how everything here comes together. The whole thing sounds like something Marilyn Manson would put on in his dressing room as he zips up his best androgynous stage gear. The best moments are when Coalescer is not trying to incorporate the rock elements and essentially compose texture experiments of which "Trunk Marks" is the best creation here.
This reissue of Ominous Prophecy, Disciples of Power's sophomore album, is frighteningly excellent evidence of the sheer number of hidden gems from the 90's in the death / thrash genre. Once again this one has been resurrected by Vic Records, the obscurity reissue magicians. These Canadians manifest a truly twisting and unpredictable technical outing that shows an influence from defining period bands such as Gorguts and Atheist. Where Disciples of Power excel is quite simply in the riff architecture itself. Every riff - and there are swarms of them - is refined to the point of being individually powerful enough to carry an entire song. Disciples of Power never ride any particular riff long, though, and are more prone to simply mutate riffs into new riffs and phrases using sharp transitions and accents. Ominous Prophecy has an experimental flair to it without being pretentious. Songs like "Sleeping Dead" transport the listener into compositions which are, for lack of a better description, contorted miasmas of fluidity. These compositions are laden with details, frills, and shiny parts to make the listener come back over and over to once again engage with the songs. It's tough to pick out singular tracks and so, this is an effort that is best experienced as a complete unit. Ominous Prophecy is a volute of complicated rhythmic and melodic creations that will surely appeal to those that enjoy more technical death metal and thrash that hasn't yet lost it's balls by infusing jazz tubas solos or fusion keyboard segments. Just death metal and thrash with insane riffs. Well-worth the investment and time. I'll be rummaging through the rest of their discography for sure.
One of those oddball, one-and-done outfits from the late 80's, Infected's Dark Century is most likely to be run into while researching off-shoot bands via the Messiah connection. Drummer Steve Karrer was involved in Messiah's early 90's period. Recently remastered by Vic Records, Dark Century is not a must-own for everyone but it does have a place in collections of fans with a heavy interest in late 80's thrash. Infected find themselves nestled between the thrash and death metal genres, with a slant towards bands like Morbid Saint but with definite Teutonic influence. The only death metal component in their sound is Amos Gersmann's vocals which are more of a guttural yell with a snappy quickness. At times, more traditional influences appear such as during "Headless" which has an early Iron Maiden gallop and bass integration. Theo Hilfiker on bass is a key ingredient in Infected's sound, being very prominent across the record, he adds low end and power as well as a layer of auditory interest to what are sometimes mediocre riffs. I am put off by the somewhat lame song titles such as "Backstabbing Small-Talk", "Brutalities Behind Your Back", and "Media Control" which come across as amateurish. This extends to the bonus track "Money Rules" as well. That said, musically, "Backstabbing Small-Talk" is the best track on the record. The intro is engaging, with a heavy mixture of instruments coming together to create the potential for something above the norm. Tapping bass and guitars weave slick and angry melodic undertones before transitioning into the verse, a standard Germanic thrash riff. The central instrumental section is atonal and interesting but could have improved by removing the plunky rhythm. For me, when considering Dark Century, I immediately think about the standard for Swiss thrash from this period, Coroner. The album does not come close to fellow countrymen Coroner in quality and for a 1989 album, No More Color is superior. Dark Century, though, is a commendable effort and will find acclaim with fans of some of the aforementioned thrash bands looking for the next obscurity to latch onto.
What initially caught my eye regarding Onset's recently released EP, Unstructured Dissemination, was that Mirai of Sigh status provided additional keyboard and synth accents. If this doesn't rattle your interest sensors you may be in need of a trip to your local bio-mechanic; there are more hints at the quality within. While the artwork immediately reminded me a certain famous cinematic moment in Phantasm, also standing out was the release was backed by Weird Truth who has put out a quantity of solid material over the past years such as Hyponic, Ataraxie, Stargazer, and Mournful Congregation. Onset (ӨПƧΣƬ occasionally for whatever reason) is in fact the duo of Singaporean craftsman Shamtos and Calvin. Two statements are made on Unstructured Dissemination for a total of twenty five minutes worth of material. "Permeation: The Ordeal" is a moving piece that combines powerful driving rhythms drawing from the world of doom that borders funeral doom but doesn't quite give in to the temptation of the 'ultra-slow' with solemn and worried atmosphere. In many ways this reminds me of the previously mentioned Hyponic or Ataraxie. Guitarist Calvin is left to handle the melodic movements, which he does cleanly. His melodic guitar lines are full of emotion and the weepy guitar tone he's chosen to highlight in these sections works spectacularly, giving a depth of tone against the bruising rhythm guitar work. Shamtos' drumming is slow and calculated. It provides solid footing for the foundational bass playing. Second track "Pestis: The Suppressing & Recurrence" has a quicker pace however is structured similarly: Calvin entices on top with a melodic guitar line while a shifting foundation churns beneath with only minor variation. Both tracks are patient and textural; themes and subject matter entirely expressed through the layering of sound and lack there-of of urgency. Additional nuanced subtlety is added with the mid-song synths of Microchip Terror that lends a spacey, futuristic dread. A captivating listen that could be serviced with more narrative elements and dynamic shifts to Onset's otherwise skilled sense of movement and emotion to create climax and a greater evocative sense.
One of the blessings of being involved in underground metal is that it's quite common to learn and self-educate based simply on band names. Phylactery are an example of a band that have chosen a word for a band name which I've never heard before and, after looking up the meaning, am more curious as to why they decided to pick this word as their band name. Phylactery: A small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law. Are Phylactery 'keeping the law' with their debut demo? It appears so! I'm impressed with the production presented. Heavy bass and drumming in the mix gives a really in-your-face live feeling to this death thrash mixture. Vocals are a little higher in range, with a snarl and screech that makes me look towards a more blackened influence. Overall the mixture is not unlike Deathchain's excellent Deadmeat Disciples; thrashy riffs, death metal drumming and mix, and black metal vocals. The drumming is particularly driving. K.T. - who also handles vocals - is an impressive hell-raiser and you can hear how he has built the drumming around the vocal lines in a song like "King Of Ruin." Each fragment of vocals is interrupted by a new and interesting drum line that leads back into the next vocal section. K.T. uses every opportunity to highlight the riffing with drum accents. It creates unique composition and arrangement moments. Though the riffing of guitarist T.G. is often complex and nuanced, it never obnoxiously intricate. The three piece is rounded out by bassist J.M. who is integral in pulling everything together by adding the constant low end that the mixture requires. It's almost as if K.T. plays lead-drums with T.G. and J.M. playing the rhythm section. The mixture is identifiable and unique enough to march onward with. Though the three tracks are all solid, the band is best on "King of Ruin." It appears that K.T. and T.G are partners in Dire Omen.
With a collective run time of seven minutes, Punebre, which features Calvin of Onset on drums and vocals, and their two available releases is a quick blitz of grinding death metal. It's almost too quick, but nevertheless there is enough here to pass judgement. The verdict? Power and brutality in short bursts team up with Filipino horror samples for something unique. "Patay Na Ang Diyos" is a highlight for me and evidence that Punebre has the creativity to stand out. As the track just seems to get going, it ends. And it ends on a strong note that after two listens to the under-one-minute song. It is like a fruit that was picked just before ripe and still tastes delicious. The melody is supplied by samples on two of the tracks from Manananggal and done well. The final track, "Anita" is a one-minute blunt-object bludgeoning at just over mid-tempo. The rehearsal demo doesn't impress as much when compared to the better Manananggal. A live version of "Anita" does not sound as powerful. The final track, "Halimaw" is Punebre's longest effort at two-and-a-half minutes long. It is not nearly as grindy as the other songs, borrowing mostly from the Swedish style of bands like Grave and Entombed. It could be simplified, shortened, and pampered to fit well with Punebre's other material and I hope that this rehearsal version is not in fact the finality of the composing process for this track. What is most lacking on the rehearsal are the samples which gave the debut demo a sense of identity. The rehearsal recording could be anyone. The band's highlights are "Patay Na Ang Diyos" and "Anita" from Manananggal. Both demos are free to download off their bandcamp.
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