Church of Disgust - Weakest is the Flesh

http://www.secret-face.com/

#FOR FANS OF: Death Old School

Best way to describe this release is that it's HEAVY and BRUTAL death metal. The first hearing this album and I was impressed. However, I wasn't immediately on the assumption that this deserved an "75" rating. But upon repeated listens to, the more I thought higher and higher of. These guys aren't entirely new to the scene, they have some full length LP's. Based in Texas and on Hell's Headbangers Records they've really stepped up a performance. The guitars and vocals seemed to grow on me. They just downright heavy. It's kind of like Shed The Skin's latest 'Thaumogensis' which is another band on Hell's Headbangers. That label attracts some brutal stuff, but good!

The guitars are noteworthy and catchy. Alongside the vocals, they're really equipped to accompany the music. There was small bits of keyboards too, but not while the guitars were playing. Something unique to have on a death metal record. Reminds me of the second Malevolent Creation release 'Retribution'. The vocals are just chunks of slab hoarse as all hell.

The sound quality was good, there were no instruments drowned out by anything. Really well produced. My favorite parts are the chunky guitars mixed with the voice. Overall, a great effort. I'm not too interested in their older work, I just hope that they'll continue to progress musically. With this gem being as it is, I'm hopeful they'll keep up with momentum. The songs are really fast they're moderate to slow tempos and the lead portions (guitar) are pretty technical. There aren't a heck of a lot of leads, they just are featured on a few songs. Their musical maturity is way there and they show that they're definitely a solid band.

This clocks in about 40 minutes which I wish would've been longer but they made their mark in death metal history with this monument. There's nothing else that I would change about this except the duration. However, I feel that they made their contribution to the extreme metal community. And that they have! Don't wait any longer, this is where it's at in a landmark release on this label. Do what you can to find more out about it! (Death8699)

(Hells Headbangers Records - 2022)
Score: 75

https://church-of-disgust.bandcamp.com/album/weakest-is-the-flesh

The Embraced - The Birth

BACK IN TIME: recensione gentilmente concessa da Nihil Zine

#PER CHI AMA: Melo Death

Death metal melodico a tratti aggressivo per questo secondo album della band norvegese. I The Embraced riescono nella difficile impresa di catalizzare l’attenzione dell’ascoltatore, senza stancare; questo perché donano ai pezzi varie sfumature inserendo parti potenti alla At The Gates o Eucharist con altre parti acustiche e rilassate. La voce risulta estremamente convincente con un tono greve e deciso. Otto brani per circa un’ora di musica, e come potrete capire, la durata delle canzoni è abbastanza elevata, ma c’è molta carne al fuoco e prima di essere cotta a puntino ce ne vuole, e alla fine però si rimane soddisfatti del risultato. C’è da dire inoltre che pur non avvalendosi di studi rinomati, i The Embraced sono riusciti ad avere una registrazione eccellente. Quindi, anche se il sound non è originalissimo, ha tutte le caratteristiche per essere apprezzato, sia dagli estimatori del genere, sia da chi non è ben addentro, ma non vuole velocità esasperate e opta anche per una ricerca della melodia.

(Aftermath Music - 2001)

Voto: 74

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/The_Embraced

Cadaveric Incubator - Nightmare Necropolis

http://www.secret-face.com/ 

#FOR FANS OF: Death Old School

This is some brutal music that features two genres into one. Death metal mixed with grindcore. One thing that really lagged on this release was the sound quality. But the music is still audible though trying to make out the riffs to each song becomes quite difficult. The leads on the other hand were poetic in the sense of their vibe whizzing through the fretboard. I heard some of their previous LP and didn't like it at all. This is a step-up in quality whereas I failed their predecessor. The music on here is quality, but the extent of the production is where it wanes. Sounds like they tune pretty low on the guitar and have an old-school vibe to the songs.

 

The thickness on the guitars is what makes it heavy as all hell and the vocals are well along the guitar riffs. All eight songs are just striking and HEAVY. Not much into the lyrical content, but the music and vocals I hold onto the most!

A few songs to take note of are "Blood Lust" and "Through The Flesh." They're all pretty well composed. Definitely a step up from their previous (as I previously discussed). This kind of reminds me of old Carcass via the 'Symphonies of Sickness' era. That's what it sounds much alike to. I'm sure old Carcass is amongst their favorites. I'm not saying that they're duplicating Carcass's earlier work, but it's a striking resemblance of it. Carcass nowadays is much more polished and melodic, nothing like the old except the tuning of the guitars. But they're both probably in 70 or 70-flat. The chunkiness is what does it for me.

Thirty minutes of brutal music as I capped off in the beginning to what this is like. So don't expect anything melodic just all destroying your speakers. I'd give this a higher rating if the production was better. But it is what it is. Old Carcass revisited into the Finnish based Cadaveric Incubator! Be sure to check it out! It's worth checking out if you are into extreme metal! (Death8699)

 

(Hells Headbangers Records - 2021)

Score: 70

https://cadaveric-incubator.bandcamp.com/album/nightmare-necropolis

Skythala - Boreal Despair

#FOR FANS OF: Experimental Black Metal

The US-based trio Skythala appeared in the scene with a debut album ready to conquer the listener who wants to escape from a standardized black metal sound, at least in its spirit and how the songs are composed. There is not much information about the origin of this project, although Ryan Clackner, known as ‘R’ in this project, is known to participate in several projects (e.g. Primeval Well, Coffin Hunter), some of them tied to extreme metal. Unsurprisingly, taking into account Skythala’s sound, some of them also have certain tendence to integrate experimentation in their sound.

Going back to Skythala, the band was able to catch the attention of the reputed label I, Voidhanger Records, to release its first opus entitled 'Boreal Despair'. If you want to listen to traditional black metal, I warn that you will be disappointed, but if you are thirsty of some experimentalisms and weirdness, 'Boreal Despair' may be something of your interest. In any case, this album is firmly rooted in the black metal genre, as you will notice in the continuous blast-beasts that songs like the album opener "Eternal Nuclear Dawn" has. Moreover, the sharpened guitars and raspy vocals will inevitably remind you the very own foundations of the genre. But leaving aside these core elements, the riffing and the eclectic arrangements give to the compositions an undeniable avantgarde touch and the usual complexity and unexpectedness that this subgenre usually offers. The orchestrations are as experimental and strange as you may imagine, creating like a chaotic atmosphere that complements the also ‘bizarre’ riffing work. The second track, "Variegated Stances of Self Mockery", combines in an interesting way, the chaotic brutality with atmospheric arrangements and a slightly more varied pace, although the speed is also quite present here. The composition abruptly stops with long and equally bizarre atmospheric interlude, which as intriguing as you could imagine. The second half of the song brings back the metal elements, but with a more hypnotic and slow-paced final section. As aforementioned, Skythala doesn’t disown of the expected brutality and speed, as their compositions are mainly remarkably fast and sharp. The arrangements play a major role in the forge of experimental sound of this album, as they are numerous, varied, and well-placed in each song. They can sound just atmospheric as a counterbalance to the chaos of the guitars or even increase this sense of madness and experimentation depending on the moment, which happens many times. "Boreal Phrenological Despair" is probably my favorite track as it shows how diverse the orchestrations can be, sounding both beautiful and weird in the same composition. Pace-wise the rest on the songs follow similar patterns with the exception of "Rotted Wooden Castles", whose rhythm is much slower until its final section, where the already known velocity comes back.

All in all, 'Boreal Despair' is not an easy album to digest. It can be a bit too experimental and weird for the classic fans, and perhaps too brutal for those who want pure experimentation. But if you like the merge of both worlds, this album can be a demanding, yet satisfactory listen. (Alain González Artola)

(I, Voidhanger Records - 2022)
Score: 72

https://skythala.bandcamp.com/album/boreal-despair

Nenia - La Casa Del Dolore

BACK IN TIME: recensione gentilmente concessa da Nihil Zine

#PER CHI AMA: Dark Ambient

Meravigliosamente agghiacciante il primo disco di Nenia, gravido di desolazione e morte sin dai primi secondi. Musicalmente 'La Casa del Dolore' è composto da lenti e minimali brani oscuri che potrei classificare come dark ambient sperimentale rischiando di non riuscire ad essere sufficientemente esplicativo poiché il gruppo, per tutta la durata di questo capolavoro oscuro, dimostra di essere personale e capace, libero di sperimentare ed esprimersi senza alcun timore. È esaltante la sensazione di immobilità e morte che sprigionano gli otto stupendi brani da incubo per quaranta minuti di morte totale… Hell yez! "Alone" è un notturno per pianoforte che scandisce il movimento delle onde di un mare che trasporta “… una nave senza vita…”, "L’Ultima Stagione" è il sentore della fine ormai prossima (“sento le bestie farsi vicine/ il loro respiro tutt’intorno…”), "Dottrina Psichica" scandisce invece il ritmo delle gocce che riempiono il vaso, in attesa dell’ultima goccia che lo faccia traboccare. Con i Nenia ci si trova ad assistere ad un funerale con le sue noiose ritualità, le futili credenze e i luoghi comuni; poi l’ultimo brano "De Morte Transituri Ad Vitam" ed è la fine.

(Beyond Productions - 2000)
Voto: 80

https://tripsundtraume.bandcamp.com/album/tt4-nenia-la-casa-del-dolore-lp 

Lifeless - The Occult Mastery

http://www.secret-face.com/

#FOR FANS OF: Swedish Death, Dismember

Definitely more brutal than 'Godconstruct' just not as catchy, I felt. But still a good album. A lot of screaming and brutality. Some really good melodies as well. They didn't earn this "70" rating for nothing! I just thought that it was their more extreme side to them. And the leads were solid. Pretty clean and fast! I just felt this evil vibe to this one but it's the direction that they wanted to take on here. Everything on here is super intense and tight. I just felt that they should've slowed down a little but the Swedish type of guitar tone is that of other bands that have this vibe on the guitars such as Dismember, Entombed (old) and Entrails (to name a few). However, they're from Germany acquiring this taste in guitar sounding Swedes. Fleshcrawl is another German band with the Swedish sounding guitars. They use the same pedal.

This album spews forth anger and aggression. They really are over-the-top on here. It's something to listen to when you're angry. The music is fast and the vocals are ferocious. I would venture to say it's without a doubt their most extreme release.

They don't change it up much in terms of their brutality here. It's just over-the-top noise-terror! They have a little variety here in clean guitars but not much. They're overall release is utterly uncompromising. It's one of those albums that is just balls out intensity.

They haven't been actively releasing albums since 2017 when this one came out. Maybe they're going to re-assess and slow down a bit. But I'm not sure if they're going to venture on that route. Maybe or maybe not. Overall, the guitars were devastating and the vocals totally blaring in your speakers! They fit the music pretty well. The guitars featured a lot of tremolo picking and other fast melodies. Can they reenact this intensity I'm not sure. But this album deserves some recognition for being extreme as it is. I'm surprised there have been no reviews for this release. It's baffling, what an intense and melodic yet evil vibe. What are you waiting for? Check it out! (Death8699)

(F.D.A. Records - 2017)
Score: 70

https://fda-records.bandcamp.com/album/the-occult-mastery

Die Sünde - Strega

#PER CHI AMA: Post Metal/Hardcore

No, i Die Sünde non sono l'ultima new sensation tedesca, i nostri sono infatti una nuova realtà del nostro paese, di Padova per l'esattezza. Questo è il loro EP di debutto che li vede proporre un sound all'insegna di un post metal/sludge dalle forte tinte crepuscolari. L'unico pezzo incluso nel disco è rappresentato dai 20 minuti abbondanti della title track, "Strega", che si apre con le tiepide percussioni e dove la batteria assume il ruolo cardine, con la chitarra relegata solo in secondo piano. La voce fa la sua comparsa al quarto minuto con una tonalità stridula in uno screaming quasi black. Nonostante questi vocalizzi, la musica si conferma però come un mid tempo guidato dal tremolo picking delle chitarre che disegnano con discrete melodie. Largo spazio poi allo strumentalismo con una lunga parte scevra da isterismi musicali fatti di furia e violenza. Detto che la batteria si conferma costantemente in primissimo piano, un break quasi di mutismo cosmico si palesa verso il minuto 7.30 per segnare qui una sorta di punto di svolta per la band, con la proposta dell'act veneto che si fa ora ben più cattiva. Tuttavia, la musica stenta a decollare se non per una sfuriata post black al minuto 9.30. Forse un po' poco per ascrivere questo disco tra i debutti più memorabili della scena metal nostrana. Una nuova variazione al tema, soprattutto a livello vocale, per l'utilizzo di un cantato post hardcore, lo sentiamo verso l'undicesimo minuto, con la musicalità che si fa altrettanto malinconica. E qui sembra di aver a che fare con una band totalmente differente, peraltro che si lascia apprezzare maggiormente rispetto al più spigoloso lato black ascoltato sin qui. Al dodicesimo minuto (manco fosse una telecronaca di una partita) assistiamo ad una nuova ripartenza, un break chitarristico, una lunga parte strumentale che di certo non ruba l'occhio per originalità. Il disco scivola cosi quasi mestamente lungo la sua conclusione, senza ulteriori spunti degni di nota. Il lavoro alla fine necessita urgentemente di un miglioramento sia a livello musicale che di sognwriting, soprattutto laddove (leggasi nel finale) la band finisce per avventurarsi in territori più disarmonici e particolari. Da riascoltare. (Francesco Scarci)

(Drown Within Records - 2022)
Voto: 63

https://drownwithinrecords.bandcamp.com/album/strega-2

Municipal Waste - Electrified Brain

http://www.secret-face.com/

#FOR FANS OF: Thrash/Crossover, Nuclear Assault

Some great crossover/thrash. I got the CD, it's totally worth it! They have A LOT of energy. Still a 5 piece I believe with vocals that are tight with the music. I like the guitars the most. The rhythms are fantastic. The songs clock about 2-3 minutes in length, but they're still good! And the energy is all there. The music is what grabs me the most. The vocals not so much. They're a little annoying it's an acquired taste with them. I don't think they're bad just take some getting used to. I own previous albums of this band and I've had the same issue. A lot of guitar solos too but good! The songs are really catchy.

I'm glad they came out with a new album. It's totally tight too! Clocks in only about 33 minutes and 14 songs. All of them are good but if I had to select some to check out would be "Demoralizer", "High Speed Steel" and "Barreled Rage."

I think this band will be active for a while. They make very good music and they're consistent. They kind of remind me of old Nuclear Assault. There are some similarities to that band with this one. Both very good songwriting.

The production quality was clear the instruments and vocals are mixed well absolutely! It does the band justice and more desirable to own. That's the problem with some crossover acts like Enforced or Power Trip. Their recordings are too solid. But on here, everything is crystal. I'm really pleased on how this album turned out to be. Aside from just marginally liking the vocals, the music and energy were stifling. A lot of songs but they're solid and catchy. They're not overly heavy just fast paced. There are not many songs that are slow. The tempos are pretty much fast throughout. What a great full-length yet again! (Death8699)

(Nuclear Blast - 2022)
Score: 77

https://municipal-waste.bandcamp.com/album/electrified-brain-2