Soulfly - Totem

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

#FOR FANS OF: Thrash/Groove Death

My first release from Soulfly was 'Savages' which I found to be interesting. This release seemed bland the first few listens to. Then it kind of grew on me. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect here and well this one is a little bit more experimental and cut-throat. I've been a fan of Max Cavalera since the early Sepultura days in the band. He took quite a different approach then those days here is experimental Max. I like it though, the not knowing what to expect here sort of idea. The brutality, the temperance, the enlightenment. It's 40 minutes of in your face metal with vocal effects and odd time signatures.

This type of metal has a bit of a groove to it with death metal components. A really odd release including the leads with terror on the vocals bellowing. These guys have riffs that are simply atypical and sort of bizarre. I don't know how else to describe this album but just that: ATYPICAL. It might be the norm of how Soulfly works and that's how Max wants it, I just sense a peculiar sounds and rhythms. Nothing seems to remain the same it's just different from all respects. Then the clean tone guitars, it gives me pause about the direction the band is taking here. Weird metal and highly atypical.

Forty minutes of this going on what I've described here. It's solid here, Max sounds odd on this it's forceful but not to the extent reflective of Sepultura's Max in your face. Hell, he's in his 50's now still making metal and Igor doing Sepultura tributes too. He's had to relearn their songs but still sounds good. Soulfly is his project. Weird metal it's totally him just whatever he's doing he's putting his thoughts into this music the rhythms are cool and heavy but this experiment with Soulfly puts Max in a different position. I don't hear a plethora of fans liking this band. Those I do because it's metal but it's just different genres.

The anger and brutality is here but Max is in a league of his own dynamics. If he continues in this direction, who knows what to expect on the next LP. More experimenting or something more straightforward? It's unpredictable as to where he's going here. Heavy guitars, clean bouts and vocals with an echo/reverb. This guy is totally metal, it's just his ideas for metal aren't at all the same as the Sepultura days where he's utterly thrash galore. But on 'Roots' is where his strange where his writing went opposed to 'Beneath The Remains' and 'Arise'. I think the expectation is a new Sepultura here with Max but it's so not. Don't expect that at all. For Soulfly fans, this is a keeper! (Death8699)

(Nuclear Blast - 2022)
Score: 74

https://www.soulfly.com/totem

The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

#PER CHI AMA: Indie Folk Rock

È tassativo non offuscare l'elemento di maggior fascinazione, vale a dire il nitore del songwriting di Meloy. Occorrono arrangiamenti accuratissimi ma trasparenti ("Spectoriani", li definisce giustamente qualcuno). Si spazia quindi dal pop-piano-da-radio (l'inspiegabile singolo "Make You Better") a certe caciare indie-'90 alla R.E.M. ("The Wrong Year"), al doo-wop pruriginoso mid-'60 ("Philomena") al "gospel bianco da convention democratica" (la definizione è sempre di quel qualcuno) della cripto-biografica "The Singer Addresses His Audience" (da confrontare con "Anathema" degli Anathema), alle dolenti e austere "Till the Water is All Long Gone" e "Carolina Low", collocabili tra i Dire Straits di 'Private Investigation' e il Roger Waters di 'Each Small Candle'. Buona parte dell'ultima facciata del vinile (la terza) sembra una sorta di doveroso tributo al folk di Dylan e Young, cui Meloy deve sicuramente molto più di una cena costosa. (Alberto Calorosi)

(Capitol Records - 2015)
Voto: 80

https://www.decemberists.com/

Abhor - I.gne N.atura R.enovatur I.ntegra

BACK IN TIME: recensione gentilmente concessa da Nihil Zine

#PER CHI AMA: Symph Black

Credo che gli Abhor siano una band che ha saputo farsi apprezzare nel corso degli anni per la loro semplice essenza di band "nera". Questo è il loro CD d'esordio, per la X-Horizon Records. Il CD si presenta con una veste grafica semplice ma "sincera", evitando le pacchianate in voga ultimamente. Sono inclusi anche i testi, sicuramente necessari, se mai servisse a testimoniare qual è l'anima degli Abhor. Il loro black metal sinfonico, sinistro e notturno, non è mai vuoto ed è un continuo incedere creato dagli intrecci di vocals sempre "feroci" ed efficaci, melodie che sapientemente sembrano accompagnare l'ascoltatore verso un punto in cui strane ombre si sono date convegno. Le tastiere, pur rivestendo un ruolo importante all'interno degli Abhor, non sono mai invadenti, e in alcuni intermezzi si riesce a notare uno spessore compositivo davvero notevole. Ma gli Abhor sanno anche pestare e lo dimostrano ampiamente in molte tracce. Veloci ma senza perdere mai il controllo sulle loro composizioni, sanno sempre esattamente cosa stanno facendo, riuscendo ad avere l'incondizionata attenzione dell'ascoltatore perchè a volte si ha l'impressione di poter trarre davvero qualcosa di più da questo CD. CD che mi regala come ascoltatore due tracce che credo, e difficilmente qulcuno potrà smentirmi, siano un po' la rappresentazione dello "stato di grazia" degli Abhor e cioè "Wizard" e "Trees of Stone". Per quello che riguarda i testi siamo sicuramente ad un livello superiore rispetto alla media, trattando argomenti sicuramente "pesanti", ma con l'umiltà di chi vuole apprendere e non insegnare, il che li rende meritevoli sicuramente del massimo rispetto. In definitiva sarebbe riduttivo dire che è un lavoro di black metal sinfonico, suonato con buona tecnica e discreta produzione (a proposito di produzione, come ho detto discreta, ma forse priva dell'alone di "cripticità" che potevamo ascoltare sui demo). Io l'ho apprezzato molto, e in genere non mi attrae molto la musica che ad un ascolto superficiale sembrerebbero proporre gli Abhor. Ma, misteriosamente, come sapienti alchimisti, gli Abhor mi spingono ad andare oltre, perchè l'essenza è nascosta.

 

(X-Horizon Records - 2001)

Voto: 75

https://legioneocculta.bandcamp.com/album/i-gne-n-atura-r-enovatur-i-ntegra 

The Halo Effect - Days of the Lost

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

#FOR FANS OF: Swedish Death

I immensely liked this especially since the members and ex-members of my favorite bands are in this. The likes of Dark Tranquillity, Gardenian and In Flames shined on here. They really kicked ass in this melodic death metal onslaught but mild, not brutal. I wouldn't call these members here as "has beens" they are top notch musicians. With those bands and the variety in the music (distorted/clean) guitars it's not for really extreme metal it's more of mild as previously stated. They really put together some great melodies with utmost emotion to the likes of that at least. I liked all the songs I thought that they were well thought out songs.

I was waiting for this to come out and I wasn't disappointed at all. It's pure emotion in the vocals and guitars that are wholly experimental. The band did really good on here it's melodic death but not at all brutal. It's soft-listening. Kind of like the latest Dark Tranquillity 'Moment'. At least that's how they are on a lot of that release. They seemed to feel that the softer the better. I can understand that it doesn't resonate with every melodic death fan but it sure did with me. Jesper is still making music which is good because without him, In Flames took a turn for the absolute worst. It's good he's here.

These guys have produced good music with the guitars, vocals and keys/effects. It may get more negative press because of the tranquil songs wholly emotional but heart-felt. They didn't want something brutal in any aspect and that's apparent. They wanted something filled with diehard melodies and licks. Not a lot of lead guitars on here just harmonies and songs that kind of resemble In Flames-esque especially apparent on the In Flames 'Clayman' LP. That would be where Jesper steps in. But they all sound a mix of all three bands: Dark Tranquillity, Gardenian and In Flames. They just weaved melodic death into it and soared.

I realize that a lot of what I've said is that this release is a positive mark in the melodic death community but just remember it's really not heavy or wholly intense. These guys are making music still, yes but there's absolutely no brutality here. They just wanted something that's mild and diverse. So don't be disappointed that it's not heavier than it is the way it's come out. It's just soft and melodic but diverse and peaceful. I liked it immensely. I wasn't disappointed at all. It's something I needed to hear and it's not all about hard stuff all the time. This release will remind you of that. Check it out! (Death8699)

(Nuclear Blast - 2022)
Score: 82

https://thehaloeffectse.bandcamp.com/album/days-of-the-lost

Quo Vadis - Day Into Night

BACK IN TIME: recensione gentilmente concessa da Nihil Zine

#PER CHI AMA: Melo Death

Bravi questi Quo Vadis. Gruppo tedesco nato nel 1993 con all'attivo numerose release tra cd e partecipazioni a varie compilation. Un death metal tecnico sulla scia degli ultimi Carcass di 'Heartwork', che secondo me ha nelle melodie ed in alcuni riffs alcune influenze di stampo nordico. Parti di chitarra e batteria molto molto tecnici si uniscono a intelligenti intermezzi acustici i quali, si possono riscontrare anche in alcuni brani strumentali molto attraenti ed ispirati. Le tracks sono tutte molto originali e ben suonate. Oltre all'ispirazione thrash, in questo full length si possono trovare sicuramente tracce di power metal e speed metal, per quanto riguarda i riff, addirittura hard rock per alcuni assoli molto ben studiati. Come detto sopra, per quanto riguarda gli intermezzi classici si possono trovare tracce di violino suonato dal chitarrista. Tutto ciò dà un forte tocco di origalità a questo gruppo già ottimo di per sè. L'ottima produzione dà ancora maggior risalto a tutto ciò mettendo perfettamente in evidenza tutti gli strumenti e la potente voce. Consiglio vivamente questa band a tutti gli amanti della potenza e della melodia ma, in primis, della tecnica e dell'originalità. Ultima nota di lode va all'ottimo artwork di Sv Bell, illustratore di fama internazionale.

(Hypnotic Records - 2000)

Voto: 70

 

http://www.quovadis.qc.ca

Krisiun - Mortem Solis

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

#FOR FANS OF: Brutal Death

A step into the older Krisiun via 'Conquerors of Armageddon' but slower. There's a similar production quality but better. The riffs on here seem to flow. Reminds me also of 'Ageless Venomous' at least the songwriting as well. It's a dive into the middle of those both releases mentioned! I like this one a lot, but it's not getting higher than a "75" rating. They basically found some riffs to work with the vocals but the time signatures are not constant blast beating. In fact, a lot slower. These guys have been going strong since their origin in the year 1990. I'm surprised no second guitarist this whole time just the brothers Alex, Max and Moyses.

This one lasts for about 40-45 minutes and well worth it. A lot of the riffs are technical though they don't receive the blast beating like 'Conquers...' did. I don't think they'll ever make an album as good as that one in my humble opinion. But they show us fresh riffs and that they still have it in the songwriting category. Moyses doesn't have a whole heck of a lot of leads but the licks shine in glory. Brazilian death metal-ers never seem to let up. The sound quality of the album is quite good nothing really muddled everything flows well. The vocals, guitar and drums are top notch. They've gotten a little experimenting with the music.

It's wholly brutal here but they have a lot of things that they've done differently. I still think that 'Conquerors...' and 'Ageless...' are better but this one has a lot of high points where they've just constructed some great melodies for a death metal band. Maybe take out the acoustic guitar and leave it to utter brutality. I suppose that they just wanted to vary it a little but I didn't find it necessary to include that. Otherwise the whole album just shines. It's just a different approach to their music. I thought it could be a little faster but maybe this is going to be the way they're going to be writing like till they break up and go their own ways.

There are a lot of highlights to this album I just think it could've been faster. That's my only beef I have of this whole album. The end of 'Conquerors..' and 'Ageless...' into their own "new" era of the band. They still uphold the brutality at times but all is variety. I like the album and I encourage purchasing a CD or if you wish to stream it's on YouTube and Spotify. These guys need support even though they've been around for over 30 years. They still have it and hope that they will continue have it. Show your gratitude that these guys still are making good brutal death metal! (Death8699)

(Century Media - 2022)
Score: 75

https://www.facebook.com/krisiun.official/

Murder Corporation - Tagged & Bagged

BACK IN TIME: recensione gentilmente concessa da Nihil Zine

#PER CHI AMA: Death'n'Roll

Spietati, brutali, pesanti come macigni i Murder Corporation sono stati una band in cui militavano gli stessi componenti dei Deranged. Questi gangsters svedesi non concedevano un solo attimo di tregua all'ascoltatore. Si esce infatti storditi e boccheggianti dall'ascolto di 'Tagged & Bagged'. Johan & soci con gli strumenti ci sanno fare, come ben sapete. Se siete alla ricerca di un sound realmente granitico, 'Tagged & Bagged' è l'album che fa per voi. Non vi segnalo nessuna canzone in particolare, perché sono tutte meritevoli d'ascolto. Non poteva mancare una cover: in questo caso si tratta di "Survive" dei Nuclear Assault. I Murder Corporation, prima dello scioglimento avvenuto dopo questo stesso album, avevano tutte le qualità per far presa non solo sui fans del grind e del brutal death, ma anche sui patiti dell'hardcore. Le nuove canzoni suonavano quasi death’n roll. Del resto sono loro stessi a citare i Kiss tra i propri gruppi di riferimento! Tenete presente che il cd conteneva anche una traccia video davvero ricca di sorprese: ben quattro filmati (dal Fuck The Commerce Fest svoltosi nel ’98 in Germania: “Hostage Situation” e “Retract The Hostile”; quindi “Chaos Killed The World” in due versioni in studio); la storia del gruppo; informazioni dettagliate sulla discografia con tanto di copertine; e, per ciascuna release, una canzone da ascoltare. Ve le cito, per darvi un’idea della qualità del lavoro svolto per questo dischetto: "Bulls Eye Eight in the Head" (da 'Blood Revolution 2050'); "Violated" (da 'Kill'); "Chaos Killed the World" (da 'Murder Corporation'); "Retract the Hostile" (dal 7" omonimo); "Procreate Insanity" (dallo split con Vomitory); "Murder in Mind" (da 'Whole Lotta Murder Goin’ On'); "Fooled by Fools" (da 'Santa is Satan'). Tutto questo materiale va naturalmente ad aggiungersi alle 11 canzoni incluse. Mi domando cosa si possa volere di più.

(Displeased Records - 2001)
Voto: 70

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

Prometheus - Aornos

#FOR FANS OF: Atmospheric Black/Death

The Greek trio Prometheus returns two years after its crushing 'Resonant Echoes from Cosmos of Old' with a new opus, hopefully destinated to confirm the strengths found in the aforementioned album. The line-up has suffered only a change, although a quite important one, as the vocalist Aggelos was replaced in 2021 by Meleager, who is part of the also interesting project Archemoron.

Prometheus mixes black and death metal influences with certain atmospheric touches. If in the previous album, I noticed there was a great contrast between the first part, which was more brutal and sinister, and the second, where the atmospheric touch has a more prominent role, I can definitely say that Prometheus new opus continues to have this clear contrast between compositions. 'Aornos', the name of the new beast, begins with a short and nice intro, despite the real beginning is the second and brutal track "The Devouring Chasm", where Prometheus effortlessly mixes black and death metal influenced riffs. The mentioned contrast is clear as certain riffs are truly heavy, while the black metal ones have a classic tremolo style. Furthermore, the track also has some atmospheric keys, which enrich the composition and highlight the difference between the most melodic and smashing sides of Prometheus music. The new vocalist Meleager does sound a bit different, being his growls not as deep as the former singer’s ones, although they are quite competent. Apart from this, I appreciate his effort to add more nuances to his vocal performance, with black metal influenced shrieks and also some cleaner voices, which sound quite phantasmagorical. The subsequent tracks "Slithering Tongue and Lethe" and "Mnemosyne", leaving behind the fact that the later one has an atmospheric/folk intro and an ambient outro, sound closer to the most brutal side of Prometheus music. The death metal tendence is quite clear, as both the demolishing drums and the heavy riffage follow the patterns of this genre. In any case, the track also includes some typical black metal riffing which is adequately included in both compositions. As it happened in 'Resonant Echoes from Cosmos of Old', the second half of the album brings back some of the atmosphere we enjoyed in the album opener. The track "Vessel of Empiricism" is clearly the slowest track of the whole album, with a strong atmospheric flavour, a quite peculiar vocal approach, and an interesting guitar work, which includes some captivating melodies. The album comes to its end with an epic composition divided in two parts, "The Alpha and the Omega Revealed". The fast pace returns in the first part in a composition that breaks the usual balance between death and black metal, which a sound clearly tending to the later one. The guitar work is again quite interesting and enjoyable, as it adapts to the changing pace of the composition, even though it always sounds quite melodic. The second half still has a strong black metal approach, but also includes some riffs which sound closer to the death metal genre and they even have some dissonance at moments. Thanks to its remarkable length the song has many ups and downs in its pace and a quite varied vocal performance and structure. Moreover, it also includes some atmospheric keys again which makes me happy, as I have already mentioned in the previous album, that Prometheus always includes simple yet quality key sections.

'Aornos' is definitively a solid continuation to the excellent 'Resonant Echoes from Cosmos of Old' despite the fact that it doesn’t sound as inspired as the previous album. Stylistically it is perhaps a better-balanced effort, but I feel, and this is totally subjective, that the strongest moments of that album might be greater that the ones we find here. In any case, this is a very good album of black/death metal with excellent compositions and great work behind it. (Alain González Artola)

(I, Voidhanger Records - 2022)
Score: 80

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/aornos 

Death Knell Compilation

BACK IN TIME: recensione gentilmente concessa da Nihil Zine

#PER CHI AMA: Black/Death

Generalmente le compilations suscitano una certa diffidenza nel pubblico, che teme di ritrovarsi fra le mani antologie di brani di seconda scelta. Cercherò dunque di riferire in modo oggettivo quale sia il contenuto musicale di questo cd, prodotto da un'etichetta colombiana. Esso racchiude sedici brani, riconducibili ai seguenti filoni: thrash, thrash-death, black metal e death-noise. Fanno da apripista i colombiani Agony con un brano mid-tempo in cui si colgono non poche reminiscenze di Marylin Manson. Seguono i tedeschi Ancient Ceremony: la loro è una canzone cupa e teatrale; le vocals femminili e le chitarre ricordano a tratti i Cradle Of Filth. Gli slovacchi Dysanchely praticano un heavy metal cadenzato il cui solo elemento aggressivo è rappresentato dalla voce. Gli olandesi Tombe eseguono un brano violento, veloce, di grande impatto, benché non originalissimo. I Denata con "666" ci offrono una vera e propria sferzata di energia: diretti e senza fronzoli, questi svedesi. E dalla Svezia giungono pure gli Incinerator, la cui formula consiste nel riproporre tali e quali soluzioni sonore risalenti ai primissimi albori del "movimento" thrash: avete presenti gli Exodus di 'Bonded By Blood'? I canadesi Horfixion ricordano "appena appena" i gloriosi S.O.D., (c'è Billy Milano dietro al microfono?) ma si fanno ascoltare. Nella compilation compaiono tre gruppi italiani ben conosciuti: Stormcrow, Nefarium ed Hatework, ciascuno con un brano che ben esprime il loro stile. I russi Festerguts non saranno il massimo della tecnica ma la loro canzone, per quanto non immune da vaghi richiami ai Cradle Of Filth, è cupa quanto basta e satura di atmosfere malsane. La traccia degli olandesi Warlust, introdotta da colpi di cannone e raffiche di mitragliatrice, è un'interminabile sventagliata black come se ne sono già sentite tante. I brasiliani Abomination si fanno avanti con una breve canzone thrash, caratterizzata da un riff piuttosto morbido. Si cambia totalmente spartito con i Mithras, dal Regno Unito, che ci immergono in un groviglio cacofonico incandescente, interrotto da un intermezzo soft, il tutto condito da una voce brutale e cavernosa. Dei pazzi rumoristi non privi di idee. Coi polacchi Throneum si resta nei paraggi del death-noise. Il loro è un brano criptico, intricato, con il basso in bella evidenza e una voce furiosa. Chiude l'album una canzone breve e bizzarra degli argentini Prosopia, in cui una voce ruvida si va ad innestare su un tappeto di chitarre stile anni Settanta. In ultima analisi, una compilation variegata, che offre un interessante spaccato del mondo metal underground.

(Eternal Night Records - 2001)

Voto: 70

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NYyVQsw0ZY