Deadmarch - Initiation of Blasphemy

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#PER CHI AMA: Experimental Death Metal

Allora, procediamo pure con calma per farvi capire che cosa avete fra le mani: 'Deadmarch: Initiation of Blasphemy' è stato il primo album registrato dai The Project Hate MCMXCIX nel lontano 1998, album che tuttavia non vide mai la luce, per una serie di incidenti ed episodi che ne portarono alla perdita del master originale. Finalmente nel 2005, la versione originale viene rilasciata dalla band sul sito ufficiale, in versione Mp3. Ma il desiderio di rilasciare questo cd in una versione più "ufficiale", con le vocals ri-registrate fu molto forte, tanto da spingere Lord K. Philipson, insieme a Dan Swano (ai mitici Unisound Studios) e alla Vic Records, a soddisfare questo desiderio. Cosi, finalmente riusciamo a capire le origini dei The Project Hate e capire da dove arriva quello straordinario sound, misto di follia, rabbia e creatività. Le otto songs di 'Initiation of Blasphemy' sono perfettamente in linea con le produzioni della band scandinava: brani tutti abbastanza lunghi, complessi e articolati, una forma embrionale dei vari 'Armageddon March Eternal', 'In Hora Mortis Nostrae' e via dicendo, in cui si intravedono già le enormi potenzialità della band. Gli ingredienti ci sono tutti: le songs viaggiano su un mid-tempo ragionato, con il giusto apporto tastieristico, le vocals crude di Mikael Oberg e l'angelica voce di Mia Stahl che irrompe, come un angelo buono, per contrastare la brutalità del maligno Mikael. I soliti cambi di tempo, magari non così geniali come nelle più recenti produzioni dei nostri, l'utilizzo dell'elettronica e la classe primordiale di Lord K. Philipson completano un lavoro, che tutti i fan della band svedese e non solo, dovrebbero avere! (Francesco Scarci)

(Vic Records - 2009)
Voto: 75

http://www.theprojecthate.net/

Exhumation - Seas of Eternal Silence

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#FOR FANS OF: Death Metal, Death

Alongside Shadows Fall, Jungle Rot, and Hecate Enthroned, the Greek incarnation of Exhumation released its first album in 1997 to round out a diverse expanse of underground metal debuts during this waning period of the '90s. What makes Exhumation stand out among that list of comparatively more successful releases is how deep a diamond this band is in the rough. Finding few friends among the three other stillborn starts from other outfits under the same name by that year (and five more since) this Greek iteration finds itself digging its heels into the thrashier end of the death metal spectrum in order to provide a staunch bedrock on which to build its more melodic moments.

Engulfed in erratic percussive energy, lamentatious guitar is swallowed by whirlpools of melancholy washed with orchestral swings as Exhumation attempts to navigate its 'Seas of Eternal Silence'. Where the Hellenic quintet is characterized as melodic death metal for its flowing guitars hinging on accessible arrangements that end up enchanting with delicate diminishing measures, this outfit doesn't shy away from the intensive thrashing roots of death metal that so many bands in the melodic offshoot seemed to have shunned in subsequent years when infusing their own styles into the substantial beatdown necessary to elicit such anguished harmonies.

Exhumation shines by taking a quintessentially Death sound in “Dreamy Recollection” right off its strict rails into a broad melodic tangent through such a drastic deviation that it would definitely satisfy Schuldiner's more progressive sensibilities. Starting out with the hammering snare and rolling double bass from Pantelis Athanasiadis, shredding guitars from Panos Giatzoglou and Marios Iliopoulos provide an imposing thunder thickened by the bass handled by John Nokteridis as his vocals give a gruff scream until a raucous chorus comes up. Curt bellows of heaving melody crash into the meter and fall back into the atonal treble rhythm like white caps appearing in a battleship grey surf. Holding onto its hammering initial structure and squeezing it into a kaleidoscope of creativity puts this song evenly on the fence between 'Leprosy' and 'The Sound of Perseverance' in a way that honors the waning career of Death while Exhumation also forces itself forward from miring in its own grief to actively embracing the coming storm. While the band cannot help but mollify its passages in “Ceaseless Sorrow” and let its anguish flow, Exhumation makes sure to fight through its anguish with the furious trappings of extreme metal to make for a fruitful journey rather than a fitful forlornness.

Regal synth sounds common to albums like 'In the Nightside Eclipse' or 'Dark Requiems... and Unsilent Massacre', usually employed in ominous interludes between aggressive moments, end up becoming a beautiful baying backdrop to the crumbling curls of emotional melodies expanding the title track from its furious base into a melancholic motion. In “Forgotten Days” this synth seamlessly blends into the breathy space between brash lead guitar notes and whips the groovy mechanical rhythmic interlude into majesty as this synthetic orchestration, hammered by the desolation of the drumming, meets the human acumen for improvisation to ramp up the delirious depression before becoming trapped in a melodic whirlpool with its tentacular appendages inhaled by the sea.

Still, what becomes increasingly noticeable throughout this album is that Exhumation, while plotting out some compelling endpoints to its apogees, has trouble forging the path to those places without losing its way in filler where it would benefit to make a clean break. Where the band's ideas are expansive, shortening some of its songs and tightening up its structure would likely allow a wider range of ideas to come forth. Cutting off one grotesque head in order for two to come up, Exhumation could conjure its own hydra without losing itself in the tumultuous middle passages of each voyage. Though it is true that storms like these provide the drama necessary to start a shanty, not every cruise leaves a fleet as lost as Odysseus. This uncertainty seems as much due to Exhumation's influences, starkly sourced from Sepultura in the likes of “Passing Suns”, as it seems the band was wowed by the achievements of early Death and the increasingly extreme thrashing troupes throughout the style's early years and provides an honest attempt at emulation but simply has trouble rounding itself out as gracefully as it had in “Ceaseless Sorrow”.

Regardless, Exhumation's forthright and impressive first full-length is made even more inspiring in its placement in time. Released six months and five days prior to Amon Amarth's first full-length, 'Seas of Eternal Silence' is an album that harbors its intensity with the foreboding contraction of an ocean and expresses itself in the indefatigable onslaught of a tsunami when it finally rips out of its malaise. “Guilts of Innocence” riles itself up from the thrash drum cadence into roiling blast beating that provides apogee to its assault and finally is able to blend itself into the aggressive atonality that compliments with percussion the lofty ambitions of the treble that, through this frantic piece, pits Death's thrashier momentum up against the increasing velocity of an emerging generation. A curious aspect of Exhumation's art is in how closely it sticks to the oldschool elements of early death metal. Showing its uneasiness with the hyper-aggressive approach of the new blood, Exhumation comes across as a demonstration of this transitional time in the traditional death metal approach, showing an appreciation for the aggression of the previous years while attempting a more artsy attitude in its own execution. (Five_Nails)

(RRS/Vic Records - 1997/2019)
Score: 87

https://www.facebook.com/exhumation

Gutwrench - The Art of Mutilation

#FOR FANS OF: Death Metal, Autopsy

A very short-lived death metal band from the early days of the subgenre, Gutwrench is the Dutch response to a steadily fragmenting series of death metal styles at the time. With its cohesive and crushing sound, the band harnesses the unhinged intensity of New York death metal, the speed and screaming treble of the Florida sound, and the cavernous horror hiding Sweden's sickness. 'The Art of Mutilation' is a compilation and re-release of the two demos that Gutwrench had delivered within a year and a half period from March of 1993 to September of 1994. The first five tracks comprise 'Wither Without You' while 'Beneath Skin' makes up the final six tracks. Between both of these demos is a previously unreleased song, “Asphyxia”, that serves as a strong transition between these two distinctly different demos.

'Wither Without You' is the exact sort of filthy, meaty, thickly textured metal that spreads teeth and sticks deeply into gums and ribs. Whereas a slice of early rhythm in “Meatlocker” would see its cousin come up in Lamb of God's “In the Absence of the Sacred”, Gutwrench throws that sound into a dike filled with sewerage as the quintet quashes any notion that the percussive New York style was a fluke. Emerging in 1993, this cavernous and hammering cassette was initially distributed by Displeased Records, a company that would also go on to sign the likes of Nile, Cryptopsy, Deeds of Flesh, Disgorge, and plenty of other easily dropped names that pad many a metalhead's collection. Displeased seems to have known the direction the sound would take over time but somehow Gutwrench got lost in the race.

Gutwrench's sound is not only a fascinated with the viscous 'Effigy of the Forgotten' swamp that had overtaken the death metal world at the time, but it provides the variety necessary to keep its sound fresh and appealing with some Swedish as well as Florida licks along with a good sense of flow and groove making “Crawl” live up to its namesake. A great harmony setting off “Necrosis”, sounding a bit bluesy and plenty doomy with some melancholic flair, achieves the pummeling style that we all know and love as it malignantly mutates. However, in Autopsy fashion, Gutwrench drags the song into the dirt so that skin can fester and maggots can feast, malleting those 'Mental Funeral' moments into a coffin fit for an infant.

Gutwrench enjoys the call and response of scraping strings as cymbals storm through the milliseconds between them, creating an unhinged sound that grooves as much as it growls. This makes the storm of guitars in the title track crash with a thick backdrop of swirling cymbal winds and stomp on paper cities like a '50s Japanese monster. The rudimentary beginnings of this band show the strength of death metal's direction through the early '90s, one that relied on raw talent and beastly riffage rather than focusing on production value and incorporating tropes from other styles to create an exquisite sound that grabs an ear. Gutwrench is sheer aggression pushing its limits and making mincemeat out of its audience, fitting seamlessly into its time and unfortunately having been lost by the wayside during its hangover.

'Beneath Skin' comes right out the gate bearing some some striking moments with a most familiar shrill scream across the treble, rising in a harmony, that has me thinking of later more accessible bands and takes its middling pace a step or two into melodic death metal territory as it leans more towards the Gothenburg style that, by 1994, was firmly planting itself. At its heart though, Gutwrench is still a death metal band that thrashes its way 'Beneath Skin' and stomps on the exposed bones of the “Scarred and Hollow”. An overflowing putrescence of riffing and blasting makes such a dissection drown in reverberating muck before finding a rise in an echoing flying riff joined by double bass and pounding snare to make the most encompassing moments in the production erupt from their elaborate catacombs like a startled swarm of bats. Simultaneously gorgeous and treacherous, the massive and meaty “Cain” brings that New York crush to the fore before brutalizing a melody until a snippet of soloing brings this frenzy rampaging to bloody conclusion featuring a slight hint of the synth that Enslaved would ride into nihil nearly a decade later in “The Dead Stare”.

Like the obscurity in which these demos reside, the members of Gutwrench maintained marginal roles in the death metal underground with guitarist Edwin Fölsche being the only member to come up again in as recognizable a band as Pentacle, playing guitars on the 1996 EP 'The Fifth Moon'. In all, Gutwrench seemed to have moved on long before the turn of the millennium and the beginning of this new era where underground sounds are so easily accessed and finally giving this band its deserved due. Dirty, corroded, and very much a product of its time, Gutwrench's short output is as enjoyable as it is a time capsule, filled with gems from decades past and buried in the rough underground but entirely worth being unearthed. (Five_Nails)

(Vic Records - 2018)
Score: 85

https://www.facebook.com/Gutwrench-Holland-243787062452594/

Mystifier - Profanus

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#FOR FANS OF: Black/Death

Here I have my review of an offering called 'Profanus'. This record is the fourth full-length studio album released by Brazil's Mystifier in 2001 under Encore Records. This coming November 24th 2017, the album will be re-issued by Vic Records with bonus tracks of Mystifier's 'Wicca' and 'Göetia' albums. I first heard of this band way back 2010, as I stumbled upon their sophomore full-length offering 'Göetia'. I dig that album a lot because of its dark and clandestine vibe, and its raw unrelenting assault on the listeners' ears. 'Profanus', however, falls short in both those categories.

Now I actually can stand listening to 'Profanus', but it just doesn't have the right amount of elements that made me admire Mystifier's first three studio releases and early demos. This album, although strongly in the black and death metal rank, holds several good classic heavy metal touches and thrash metal fragments. It has a number of decent thrash rhythm riffs and melodic traditional metal leads, and the album's tunefulness even has those Iron Maiden-influenced riffs thrown into the mix. Even the guitar solos are acceptable due to its dusky and ditty dispatch.

The bass is pretty clear on the album, no question to that. We can also observe that there are numerous fair amounts of blast-beats present in each song in here. I also would like to praise that vocal performance which is a good mixture of death metal growls and high pitched black metal screams. Except for "Beyond the Rivers of Hades" and "Superstitious Predictions of Misfortune", as those two has a clear power metal and dingy pitch vocal parts. But even those two tracks are both satisfying and entertaining.

We can also listen to keyboards in certain sections of the album. The keyboards provided are tolerable, but they lack of that dark and concealed feeling. The guitars, bass, drums, and the vocals are all fine to me. They pack enough force that catches the attention of the audiences. But the goth-sounding keyboard section is what doesn't really convince me about this release. I deem it weak, and it does not offer that level of spookiness that adds an atmospheric effect which you can find in early releases like 'Wicca' and 'Göetia'. Those two mentioned records by the Brazilian ensemble have that eerie keyboard sections similar to Emperor’s 'In the Nightside Eclipse'.

If the band had stuck with their relentless and bleak music disposition, like what they had done with the previous records, this release might have been more influential and compelling. Again, I want to be clear that I am entertained by this offering. Unfortunately, it just doesn't give me that same inkling impact that Mystifier's old recordings did.

To conclude, Mystifier come up with a fairly good record on 'Profanus'. Most of the instruments and the elements in the album -- except the keyboard part -- are appeasing, were well played and well performed. Loyal fans of the band can find this appealing, considering the catchy guitars, relevant drum blast beats, and suitable vocal haulage. Sad to say that for me, 'Profanus' just isn't that imposing and striking as the band's past materials. Well, at least the keyboards here aren't as lame as Dimmu Borgir's keyboard playing, where they play just for the sake of inserting a keyboard section on their music. (Felix Sale)

(Encore Records/Vic Records - 2001/2017)
Score: 60

https://www.facebook.com/mystifier666/

Johansson and Speckmann - Mask of the Treacherous

#FOR FANS OF: Old-School Death Metal, Paganizer, Revolting, Master

International death metal collaboration Johansson and Speckmann are certainly putting their collective might together in this project that brings the two luminaries together once again for a spectacular assault of old-school death metal. As befits the status of the men involved here, this is their usually simplistic and overly primitive-styled mixture of straightforward death metal augmented with strong thrashing overtones. This utterly simplistic and not all that varied music within here allows it either to be a rather tight and ferocious charge swirling with mid-tempo agonized riffing and plodding paces or generates a crunchy thrash-laden series of rhythms that offer up some rather frantic and blistering efforts, and it really sounds like a full-on mixture of both artists’ main groups. While there’s plenty of rather enjoyable work here because of that, it tends to run itself into quite predictable realms because it’s all about letting their main bands come together in one area without much deviation and it does crop up as something within this one. Still, it’s got plenty to really like here in other regards. The opening title track uses tight, crunchy riffing and plenty of ravenous rhythms bouncing along to the straightforward patterns that keep the thrashing elements present during the charge into the final half for a solid and enjoyable opening effort. ‘Inhuman Lust’ has a light intro that turns into a thrashing mid-tempo assault of blistering riffing and tight drumming that switches between mid-tempo pummeling and ravenous straightforward patterns that leads into the swarming leads in the final half for another solid and enjoyable effort. ‘Through the Filth and Riddled Ages’ features a swirling mid-tempo groove fitted with plenty of heavy chugging with a plodding mid-tempo backing up the straightforward, simplistic patterns as the heavy thumping patterns carry on into the final half for a fine highlight offering. Both ‘The Wicked Marches On’ and ‘The Bringer of Pain’ take on strong and blistering rhythms with plenty of furious and strong rhythms backing into the frenzied riff-work that thrashes along throughout here with rather frantic abandon while incorporating plenty of epic melodies in the final half for fine highlights. ‘I'll End Your Rotten Life’ also uses the frenzied swirling riffing and blasting drumming while offering more of a mid-tempo crunch in the rhythms leading into the series of tight patterns throughout the final half for a rather enjoyable offering. ‘Within Reach’ offers strong blasting and frantic riffing that brings along the utter ferocity and intensity throughout here with plenty of tight, ripping riff-work that flows along to the speed-driven thrashing of the finale for a rather ripping effort. ‘Enslaved in Filth’ uses more tight and ripping rhythms that come along with plenty of stuttering crunchy patterns in the riff-work that really works into a strong blistering charge throughout the frenzied final half for a solid, blistering effort. Lastly, album-closer ‘A Grave for This World’ features thumping mid-tempo swirling patterns and plenty of agonized churning riffing that charges along through the rather tight, twisting rhythms that generates the kind of ravenous intensity that carries along throughout the final half which gives this some great work to go out on. This really furthers their collaboration quite well. (Don Anelli)

(Vic Records - 2015)
Score: 85

https://www.facebook.com/Johansson-Speckmann-225899484206206

The Gathering - Downfall

#PER CHI AMA: Death/Doom, Celtic Frost

Attenzione! Prima di procedere nella lettura di questa recensione, rispondete alle seguenti domande: siete dei fan sfegatati dei primissimi lavori dei “The Gathering”? di quelli che se vi capita di ascoltare il loro “Always...” vi coglie un attacco di nostalgia canaglia? Pensate che Anneke van Giersbergen (sospiro) come unica voce li abbia rammolliti? Non vedete di buon occhio il mitico “Mandylion” (a me piaceva da matti, nostalgia canaglia) e ancora meno “How to Measure a Planet”? Se avete risposto “sì” ad almeno due di queste domande, potete continuare nella lettura. Questo è un prodotto dedicato agli ammiratori senza remore del gruppo. Altrimenti potete tranquillamente passare oltre che non mi offendo... vabbé un po’ sì. Vi sembra di riconoscere questo album? Avete ragione, infatti si tratta di un ri-edizione di “The Falling - The Early Years”, una loro raccolta del 2001. La Vic Records la ri-pubblica cambiando scaletta e aggiungendo un sacco di extra, alcuni dei quali davvero rari. Le tracce presenti si rifanno ai tempi in cui i nostri producevano un oscuro doom/death metal e le voci femminili erano solo “backing vocals”. Tracce in cui esce il desiderio di creare atmosfere rarefatte ed evocative di sensazioni oscure. Il disco si apre con le prime sei tracce che derivano da un promo del 1992 di “Almost a Dance”; scopro che qui il cantante non è il Niels Duffheus della versione finale dell’album, ma il growler originale Bart Smits. Per me è una bella sorpresa, non ho un gran ammirazione per Niels e forse Bart, sebbene pure lui non fosse particolarmente adatto al desiderio di quei tempi di cambiamento della band, avrebbe dato a “Almost a Dance” un’anima diversa, chissà. Va be’, dicevamo? Ah già, si continua poi con canzoni presenti nella prima edizione del ciddì. Derivano dai demo “An Imaginary Symphony” (1990), “Moonlight Archer” (1991) e da altri inediti. Spicca la cover di “Dethroned Emperor” dei Celtic Frost, ulteriore indizio sulle loro origini. Si prosegue quindi con una serie di registrazioni di performance dal vivo. Una parola sulla qualità del suono: visto quando sono stati registrate, non è per niente male. Cosa ci rimane alla fine di questa cavalcata nei primi vagiti dei “The Gathering”? A me viene naturale confrontare questa raccolta con ciò che lo ha seguito. Il risultato è un sensazione un po’ divertita mista ad una nostalgia distaccata. A coloro che han sostenuto il gruppo fin dagli esordi, e magari poi abbandonato, questa riedizione regalerà sicuramente emozioni più forti. (Alberto Merlotti)

(Vic Records)

Voto 60 

http://www.gathering.nl