Griftegård - Psalm Bok

"Look I am your mind, see me I'm your nature

and this is how I paint your day

with strokes of black upon the grey."

I first got to know about Griftegard at the DDD festival (a doom festival in the Netherlands) last year. We were walking from the station towards the venue, but seeing as this was the first time we were frequenting this particular venue, we were kind of lost. So it took us much longer then expected to arrive there, which sucked quite a bit, because that meant that I had missed Subrosa. It was only afterwards that I heard that they called it a day after two songs, due to technical issues, so I didn't miss that much. Upon arrival at the venue, I bought my ticket and was waiting for my friends to pay for theirs, when I heard something unbelievably HEAVY in the background. This was my first encounter with Griftegard and their no-mercy-heavy-as-hell doom metal. I ended up seeing them for only about 10 minutes, but it were the best damn 10 minutes of 2008! Psalm Bok is heavy. Really heavy. It could just end my review here, but perhaps you prefer a more in-depth description? Ok. Griftegard has a religious theme and imagery, they may not be wearing a thousand crosses like Reverend Bizarre, but they are nonetheless an orthodox doom metal band. To add to this religious feel, we can hear a choir singing at the beginning of Charles Taze Russell – the absolute heaviness that follows the chants tells you pretty much all you need to know about Griftegard. Looking back at those 10 minutes in Rotterdam I was not only impressed by the sheer heaviness, but even more so by the super vocals of Thomas Eriksson. He delivers them in a clean fashion, but also some harsher ones appear to give the extra bit of emotion at certain times during a song. The fact that the music is so heavy, but the vocals fairly melodious makes for a great and surprising combination. Musically this is some of the slowest and heaviest doom metal that you'll come accross. This doesn't speed up at all and yet it's fantastic all the way. When their performance was finished I remember standing in complete shock, staring in front of me, not quite fully grasping what I just saw/experienced. I thought I had seen it all, little did I know that later that day Worship had plans to destroy everything on its path with their performance…So I guess my statement about those 10 minutes being the best of 2008 wasn’t really true. It was however a real memorable performace and the same can be said about Psalm Bok.

Griftegard - Psalm Bok

The Lamp Of Thoth - Cauldron Of Witchery

The Lamp Of Thoth are a bit of a newcomer to the doom metal scene, but immediately managed to impress with Cauldron Of Witchery. They had already released a demo the year before, but recognition only really started coming with this. Cauldron Of Witchery features only 2 The Lamp Of Thoth songs, the third song being a cover of Frost & Fire by Cirith Ungol. The rerelease has 2 more live songs; Blood On Satan's Claw and Into The Lair Of The Gorgon. Of the two songs created by these guys themselves, I feel Sunshine is the stronger one. But by no means is the self-titled song a bad one, on the contrary, it's a real epic heavy metal song not unlike what Manilla Road used to do. Sunshine, however, has a real doomy riff dominating most the song, shying away from the epicness of the previous song. The second part of the song is a little more up-tempo and continues to throw around spectacular riff after riff, which reaches a peak at about 3 minutes in the song. Headbanging ensured! Then another highlight follows; Frost & Fire, a song by enfant terrible Cirith Ungol, covered here. The Overtly Melancholic Lord Strange (vocalist The Lamp Of Thoth) hasn't got the best voice out there, but performs in an honest and down-to-earth manner that demands respect. The rerelease is a wide-spread item and should be easy to track down. Those were lucky enough, managed to get the die-hard limited version which contained a certificate with a number and the name of the owner, a shirt and a patch. True dedication!

The Lamp Of Thoth - Cauldron Of Witchery

Gospel of the Horns - A Call to Arms

Hailing from Australia comes Gospel of the Horns, which is formed by veterans from the Aussie black/thrash scene like Kill for satan, Funerary Pit, Deströyer 666, amongst many others. As a rule for the Aussie black/thrash these guys are highly influenced by Punk music and to be honest it works great! I hate most punk, but here it works great. Why does it work great? Pretty simple its excellent for headbanging and the beat of the music is excellent. The music itself is pretty thrashy and midpaced and with a lot of hate and dislike for religion, this is very noticeable at the beginning of Absolute Power when Houwitser says in his raspy scream "We are the hatred Lucifer's fury combined." For the ones familiar with Deströyer 666's first album, this is not similar to that album, the music here is more 'mainstream' don't let that turn you down, this is not mainstream at all it is just more catchy. The riffs are incredible good a bit too much in the background for some reason, the vocalist seems to be more in the front than the guitarists and the drumming is also a bit higher in the production than the guitar. One interesting aspect of this album is the feeling that some of the songs have, especially Slaves which it's incredibly emotional for some reason, it feels like some one is telling you a story where something really really bad happened. The riffs in Slaves are also unbeliavable good, they are slow for thrash, but it works in phenomenal way. The leads are also good, they are not exactly brilliant or intricate, but they manage to give something very special to the music. Houwitser gives a lesson to a lot of vocalist from the black metal scene and of course of the black/thrash scene, his vocals are raspy yet they don't sound like many other vocalist that don't transmit anything, Houwitser on the other hand gives something more than hate, an unique feeling. Understanding what this band is about? Is about feeling, that's it, just feelings on the music, no it is not anything emo or melancholy it's just a different kind of feeling. The production here could have been better, but it's good enough for me, the maim problem is that the guitars sound in one speaker, the drumming in the other speaker, and houwitser in both, probably that was their idea who knows. Enjoy an amazing release from Australia and lets hope they keep improving.














Gospel of the Horns - A Call to Arms

Sanguis Imperem - The Stagnation of Centuries

This is perhaps one of the most interesting new acts from the US of the recent years. Sanguis Imperem play an extremely aggressive form of death metal that is heavily influenced by military marches, war, genocide, and similar topics. As expected the atmosphere of the music is incredibly militaristic, especially the drumming department where is noticeable the most. The music is very simple and unique, there are only two bands to whom I can compare this guys with. The music itself sounds like if it was immersed in a battle where hate, revenge, and killing is all that matters. The ep starts with the Fall of 66 which is by far their best song, from the very beginning the military influence can be felt. The riffs are very modern sounding, and of course when I say that I'm not talking about bands such as Disgorge, Benighted, and so on, but as in Martial Barrage, Dead Congregation, and so on. They riffs itself are very dissonant and they vary from extremely fast tempo to slow almost doomy, these changes of tempo keep the listener interested and focused on the music. Although the riffs are not trashy the beat is perfect for headbanging. The drumming is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this band and it's also one of the reasons of why I like them so much. The drumming is by no means your average one, not technical yet not simple, it changes a lot from the tempo, pattern, and the style. The intro of Fall of 66 is a good example. The vocalists are also extremely proficient at what they do, the growls are very different and on the low spectrum and sometimes in the high,but for the most part in the low. The production is also good, every instrument can be heard without trouble. Again as a rule or something in modern bands the bass is nonexistent. The particular weak aspect of this album is its length, only 5 songs that only last near 30 minutes. Enjoy a great release and hope these guys releases an album in the incoming months or next year.




















Sanguis Imperem

Impureza - Inquisition Demos

From the land of cheese comes Impureza an agressive act of death metal with some of the most hilarious song names, or is it because I'm a Spanish speaker, whatever is the reason do not care for the song names. What I find interesting about them is how they use flamenco solos in their music, I did try a band on the past that was formed by members of Sadist (Ita) and was a total crap. These guys; however, sure know how and where to use those flamenco moments. This is modern death metal, but don't let that be a turn off, they play it exactly how most of us old school death metal fans enjoy it aggressive, hateful, and excellent riffs! There is only one band to whom I can compare these guys and it's no other band than Martial Barrage, Canada's finest act of death metal in this very moment. The riffs are not trashy, yet they are perfect for headbanging and also the fore mentioned solos are extremely good some of the best that I have heard from new bands, not that I listen to a lot of modern death metal though. The drumming is excellent, lot of blasting yet it doesn't bother due the production that the demos had, which is something extremely weird in metal for the most part. The vocalists are perhaps what makes this band ahead from many other modern acts, both vocalist use two different growls, the main one uses a extremely deep growl while the second one uses a raspy and screechy growl. Both vocalist sing in a different patter, sometimes in duo other times one after the other, like I said before, is pretty interesting. As mentioned before the production is pretty good for demos, actually incredibly good if we take into account how's the quality of most demos. Every riff can be heard without trouble, the drumming sounds good, the bass is absent like in many modern bands. Keep an eye on these guys and their full album,these demos are just an appetizer of how their full length its going to be.




















Impureza - Inquisition Demos

Trancelike Void - Destroying Something Beautiful

Trancelike Void first saw the light in the year 2007 and quickly came up with a surprisingly good debut full-length. S. (the main character behind this project) didn't feel like wasting much time with demo's, EPs and such, but immediately went for the ambitious choice and created this album. A bold decision, that many similar bands choose nowadays, but unfortunaly it usually ends quite horrificly and in the end proved to be a way too ambitious effort. Luckily, this is not the case here. S. is a quite experienced musician (also the main driving force behind the promising Kilte, who have been discussed here during June 2009) and therefore took the right decision when he chose to immediately release Destroying Something Beautiful. On this album we find 3 parts, each divided by an additional interlude. Together it forms a cohesive ensemble and especially the different interludes give it a rich texture. Trancelike Void creates a kind of black metal that drones fairly heavily and puts the listener into a trancelike state. Drum patterns are simple and minimalistc, as is pretty much everything found here. The vocals are quite distorted and sound perfect alongside the shoegaze-y and again very simplistic riffs. Despite being fairly basic, this feels rather complete. The interaction between the different parts and interludes is reponsible for creating this effect. While the general execution is rather simplistic, the overall texture remains rich and that is an accomplishment that only the talented few can achieve. It's clear that this album was created with a specific sound and concept in mind. A lot of the time when a band tries this it usually ends up being way too ambitious and generally sounding rather disjointed. This is however not the case here. The fact that this album ends with a quote from fight club is a testimony as to how awesome Destroying Something Beautiful is. If you don't mind a repetitive and minimalistic take on black metal, then get this, but let it be clear that these elements make for a rather inaccessible listen and only a select few will be able to value this accordingly. Simplicity is the key here and it does wonders for this project. Whereas others have to incorporate a dozen different instruments and special symphonic effects to impress, this band merely relies on the basic instruments and creates music that easily surpasses all of that bullshit out there.

Trancelike Void - Destroying Something Beautiful

Verloren - In Zalvend Onmin

Verloren are a short-lived band part of the talented Goatowarex roster. After 5 years of existance they released their only full length titled In Zalvend Onmin. In Zalvend Onmin starts with a highlight after the intro called Doelloos Dwalen; rather catchy song with an almost rock 'n roll feel to it, a bit groovy even and riff-fucking-tastic. A contrast with the lyrical themes and vocals. Lyrically Verloren tap from the same pool as many contemporary colleagues. Subjects as misanthropy, solitude, etc. are all over the place, but instead of being an uninspired Burzum or Bethlehem rip-off, they opt for a slightly different approach. Doelloos Dwalen is a perfect example of this. Verminking starts with a cleanly played guitar riff, after which the devestating vocals and distortion kick in. The vocals are not that special, but are nonetheless perfect for this album. They aren't the ridiculous high shrieks that seem to be a common approach nowadays, but instead are a more traditional black metal scream filled with emotion and despair. With Verminking the album drops paste significantly and will hypnotize the listener into a state of complete apathy, until about 5 minutes in the song, when some fast-paced tremelo's make an introduction and the music again goes up a few notches and treads into mid-paced territory. This constant change in paste provides for a nice variety and constantly highlights different emotions. Vloek Der Negatiefheid starts in a similar fashion as the previous song, again clean guitar lines with in the background the excruciating screams. Paste again slow for about a minute or two, until a mid-paced part presents itself again backed up by the trancelike riffs that will keep repeating itself in your head, long after this album is over. They are pretty simple, but highly effective. Vloek Der Negatiefheid is a perfect example of this, at about 4 minutes into the song, a riff comes crawling up that's easily one of the best to be heard on In Zalvend Onmin and perfectly portrays all the negativity present in this song. It's a shame Verloren never continued what they had started. They are obviously a talented bunch and were a musical highlight of 2006. Like so many talented bands, Verloren quit the underground scene with just one album, but by now it's common knowledge that usually those albums (and bands) end up reaching a legendary status. Future will decide wether Verloren will continue this trend or not. Verloren are recommended to those individuals who enjoy mid-paced / slow riff-based black metal with highly effective screaming in the background and a general gloomy and despondent mood.

Verloren - In Zalvind Onmin

Elysian Blaze - Levitating The Carnal

The last couple of years I can count on one hand how many times i've played this album. I rarely listen to it, because it requires something extra. This is weird music, which can only be enjoyed if all aspects are in your advantage. You'll soon notice why this is such a monstrosity of an album and I mean that in a good way. Elysian Blaze play black metal, but a very unique type. Mutatiis - the man behind Elysian Blaze - experiments not only with the music itself, but especially with the production. He makes Levitating The Carnal sound really distant and the entire thing has this sort of echo effect to it. It almost seems like i'm listening to this album in a cathedral, like the one depicted on the album coverart. So this clearly was a move intentionally done by Mutatiis and he completely succeeds in creating this. The value of the production is very important to notice, as without this particular type of effect, it would lose a lot of it's unique strength. Levitating The Carnal progresses in a mostly mid-tempo and slow fashion, but has some faster sections as well (Macabre Be Thy Blood). The guitar tone sounds exactly like everything else, distant and echoing and creates long-winded, but moving and slightly melodious riffs that make up for a very solid basis for Mutatiis to work on. Extra depth is created by frequently using a piano. The hard part about Levitating The Carnal is that it's so goddamn inaccessible. Even listening to it is a nervous experience. Not one factor in your own surrounding can change as it might ruin the whole listening experience. Combine that with the fact that this album has a playtime of almost 70 minutes and you know chances of you listening to this a lot will be pretty slim. It demands your entire attention. When it eventually has your full attention it will allow you to sink in the entire atmosphere and experience the brilliance of Levitating The Carnal.

I should say that this should possible be experienced as you might experience some Lustmord or Northaunt or basically anything similar. Even though this is unmistakingly heavy metal, the complete package has a very ambient feel and should therefore also be considered as something along those lines. Don't expect to be headbanging 70 minutes to this, because that will not happen. If you prefer your black metal thrashy or of the scandinavian school, then think twice as to wether you really want to try Levitating The Carnal, as it might turn out to be a frustrating experience. If you like the french or perhaps to a lesser extent the greek scene and enjoy the typical mystical atmosphere those scenes are known for (I realise that this might be a stretch for some people, but i'm purely comparing moods generated by the music and not the music itself), then by all means, add Levitating The Carnal to your collection. Be prepared to be entranced by this repetitive, minimalistic and unique take on black metal!

Elysian Blaze - Levitating The Carnal

Grimfaug - Defloration Of Life's Essence

The Defloration Of Life's Essence kicks off in a very promising way. Thick, fuzzy guitars immediately begin with a nice riff, backed up by a doomy tolling bell and prominent bass action, which further develops this doomed atmosphere. After about a minute one of the best riffs on this album comes into play and prepares the listener for a complete onslaught of destructive blast beats and mystifying riffs. As many bands, Grimfaug follow the scandinavian school of black metal. Fairly heavy on the blasts, terribly fuzzy guitar tone and vocals that remind me of Skamfer of Heresi fame. Grimfaug have passed by fairly unnoticed, but are however a member of a respectable and well-known labal such as Eerie Art Records, which features bands such as Hypothermia, Nachtmystium, Lyrinx and enigmatic Icelandic act Vhernen. While Grimfaug play a style of black metal which has been done to dead, they do manage to bring a high-quality variant of it. Good solid riffs, nothing outstanding, but at least they are consistent all the way, drumming that is pretty vile and blasts away most of the time, with some occassional fills and some nice thrashy drum rythms here and there as well as some good double bass action. A production that is rather raw, but creates a real misty ambiance, where you really do get lost in. The 3-minute Despoiler Of Hope is an ambient piece that enriches the entire atmosphere this record is going for and contrary to a lot of bands who incorporate something such as this in their music, it's no filler material. The highlight of Defloration Of Life's Essence is definitely the last track (also the longest track) Apocalypse... which again continues in the same way as this album started, slower paste and moody. A perfect sinister way to end this solid effort. Kudos to these guys for realising the importance of a bass and how it can add something to even a genre such as black metal. The bass is not present all the time, but is audible when appropriate. The guitars have this over the top buzz saw tone, which I can greatly appreciate, it allows the listener to sink in the moody atmosphere. Grimfaug won't be breaking any new grounds, but remains faithful to the roots of the genre and creates with Defloration Of Life's Essence something that should be valued for what it is; a good, solid effort.

Grimfaug - Defloration Of Life's Essence

Unearthly Trance - Season of Séance, Science of Silence

"The counter of creation resets to zero."

With their recent works Unearthly Trance have been referred to as the modern day Celtic Frost. When they first started out, however, they had a totally different sound and approach. They started out playing really grime and filthy blackish sludge doom, over the years they gradually softened a little bit if that's the right thing to say here and continued onwards in their own direction moving away from what they had done on their debut. This leads to a logical conclusion that Unearthly Trance have a following that is usually divided into Season of Séance, Science of Silence followers and those who think their best period lies in their future works, meaning everything that came after this. I would situate their peak around In The Red; the album that followed the debut. It took the harsh and heavy aspects of the previous album and mixed them up with what eventually would become their new sound. Unearthly Trance have some firm rooting in the black metal scene (Thralldom is perhaps USBM best kept secret) and those influences find their way into Season of Séance, Science of Silence as well, especially in the vocal area. Season of Séance, Science of Silence is at times incredibly slow and heavy, having a kind of ritualistic sound while this guy is screaming in the background. This basically sums up Mass of the Phoenix. The screams are fairly standard and could be those of any good black metal vocalist, but where Lipynsky differentiates himself from others is with his clean howls. They provide a melodic touch and help balance the riff based music and the excruciating heaviness. As always heavy metal revolves around the quality of riffs present and this is where Season of Séance, Science of Silence proves its worth. While the drums aren't anything spectacular on the technical level - they do manage to create this very ritualistic atmosphere - the riffs are very well performed and not in the least bit as simple as the drums. Throughout the album there are moments where these guys decide to speed it up a little as well, mostly during shorter songs such as When Anti-Humanity Flourishes and Black Heart/Black Lung. As you might be able to tell from the song titles, this once again, deals with nothing but the most deep-seeded misanthropy. A constant theme throughout the career of Unearthly Trance. Some more Crowley inspired songs are present as well. I would suggest giving this one a try and then switch to The Trident, then make up your mind as to what camp you belong to. If you end up liking both then you are one of the fortunate souls, such as myself, who just praise everything Unearthly Trance have released up until now. A last bit of advice. If they ever happen to play somewhere in your area, then make sure you are there, because you are in for a blast!

Unearthly Trance - Season of Séance, Science of Silence

Dead Congregation - Purifying Consecrated Ground

One of my favorite discoveries from 2007 and perhaps the best discovery from that year. Dead Congregation's first ep after changing names is one of the best EPs that I have heard of this new old school of death metal. Dead Congregation shares this position with bands like Repugnant, Excoriate, Deteriorot, and Maim. For the ones familiar with their full length released last year it's gonna be bit different, for the ones familiar with their old stuff is also gonna be different. This is death metal played in a very black metallish way, it's very close yet it stands without trouble as a death metal act. The riffing is impressive, sinister, and it kinds of surround the listener and takes it in a trip to the underworld. The riffs are done in a tasteful way combining NYDM, black metal, and Old Finnish DM. The riffs go from extremely thrashy to extremely slow and kind of doomish, not that slow but slow enough. I could talk about the guitar section throughout the whole day and don't get tired of it, they really took their time to record this. The vocalist is extremely good at what he does, he sounds like a fiend calling us the listeners to join him on a great adventure, again top of the top. The drummer is also extremely proficient at he does, funny that he also plays in shitty band as inveracity, he blasts here and there, but all fits and he is really do at filling, always busy and keeping a nice beat in the music. The bass is pretty much unheard throughout the whole album, which is one of the few weak spots of the album. Production wise it's really neat, flat for the most part, not bassy at all. Hail Hades!



















Dead Congregation - Purifying Consecrated Ground

Grand Belial's Key - Judeobeast Assassination

Grand Belial's Key are undoubtedly the kings of American black metal. This album would be the climax of them and what a piece of art it is. This is nothing, but mockery. The whole album revolves in making fun on a real sinister, morbid, and funny way of Judeo-Christianity , and it works great just have a look at the cover art. This is not NSBM, this is just something else, whomever categorizes this band as NSBM should be shot! Also I'd like to consider GBK and Grom as the best examples of USBM, riffs, great lyrics, and highly proficient musicians. The riffs found on Grand Belial's Key are great for headbanging, the solos are also extremely good (also something extremely rare on the whole black metal scene). Like I said before the riffs are extremely good, they are not the typical bm riffs, they are very different, hard to describe, kind of punkish, but with a especial touch. The couples of solos are also extremely good, Gelal gets a bit loose on Doves of war and shows of how solos have to be in black metal, wild yet not technical at all. The drumming is also extremely good, the drummer did an excellent job fitting on the album, the pattern is very interesting especially in The Shitagogue. The keyboard is well played, it is only present for a couple of seconds though. The vocalist is perhaps the best thing after the guitarists, he does a great job throughout the whole album, especially the parts here he does solo vocals. The wide range of his vocals are the most interesting part, he goes from a screechy scream to an almost death metallish growl. The production could have been better, this is the only weak aspect of the album, production should not be a turn off for most metalheads, if someone can't listen to this it shouldn't be listening to metal. The lyrics of the album are also incredible funny, this is something not to take serious, they are only making fun of religion, have a problem with that? deal with it and fuck off! This is a mere example of a song:

"Satanic bullets destined to perforate
The chosen people of Z.O.G.
Hordes of true Black Metal arsonists
Roast the red fathers of the protocol"

And that's only a part of it. The music could be rated as complex, for the genre, but everything is kept simple. These guys however don't share any of the aspects that the Scandinavians, French, and others are so proud of. None of the 'kvlt' faggot look like corpse paint is found here. That said one can have an idea of the mentality of these guys, extremely arrogant and that is great! Another excellent release from the US, enjoy!




















GBK- Judeobeast Assassination

The River - Drawing Down The Sun

The River, often referred to as the heaviest band in the UK and while that is a pretty inaccurate statement (most likely just a gimmick), it is however true that this is pretty heavy stuff. They combine the hard-hitting and headsmashingly heavy guitars with soothing and elegantly performed female vox by Vicky. Unfortunaly she has already left the band in the mean time and therefore these guys are still looking for a good replacement. Wether they will again opt for a female approach, I don't know, but it will work just as good (perhaps even better) with a good male voice. Swedish Griftegard being the proof of that. Serpentcult is another group who chose to combine skullcrushingly heavy music with female vox, but they incorporate a more groovy approach, whereas The River is simply put bleak and gloomy. The guitars having this sort of humming sound to it, still retaining some of the droney aspects, that were much more prominently present on Oneiric Dirges In Mono. At it's core this is just a continuation of what gods as Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Black Sabbath started. Some small criticsm is appropriate; while the female vocals are an interesting approach for this type of music, they aren't really that strongly executed and here there is definitely still room for improvement. It has however not really deducted anything from the overall experience, it's just too solid for that. Lyrically The River are a fairly one-trick pony and deal with the normal subjects such as loneliness, depression, etc. but they are basically pretty simple and straightforward. Others might just look at it as honesty and praise this rather straigthforward approach. It's a matter of personal taste. Drums are outstanding. Constantly performing interesting fills, providing for a nice variety. He constantly has to show his creativty in his play, he cannot be lazy and just start blasting away when inspiration has left him. Real solid traditional doom and once again it's coming from the UK!

The River - Drawing Down The Sun

Krabathor - Cool Mortification

The Czech has gave us all sorts of weird bands such as Master's Hammers, Age of Storm, !T.O.O.H! and those are just some of them. When I first got recommended Krabathor I was expecting some more of the weird Czech scene, this band however is far from that. Although it was not anything weird, it happened to be one of the best death metal albums I have tried from eastern Europe, other good bands from that scene would be Depresy and Dehydrated. Krabathor plays death metal, but is hard to mention a band similar to them. The reason is pretty simple, the riffs are heavy, magnificent, and unique yet they are melodic and yet they aren't melodeath or any of that modern crap. To keep things interesting the guitarists show us how a subtle tempo change can change a song, also the way the riffs progress over the song is very interesting. I've yet to try their other albums, I'm only familiar with this one and Orthodox which is also extremely good and shares many of the ideas presented here, although that one is a bit more heavy and not as memorable. That's another aspect of this album, its extremely memorable, the riffs are extremely catchy and the solos are worthy of remembrance, especially the riffs/solo at the end of The Loop, I have found myself repeating that last minute over and over again a million of times. The drummer is highly proficient, no blast beats whatsoever, pretty sure he spent a lot of time writing everything to fit the music and not make a name of himself. The vocalist is also good, well that's obvious by just looking at specifically one band that he played at and is no other than Master, his growls are deep yet what he is saying can be understand. The music itself is mid paced, which is my favorite when it comes to death metal, it gives the listener time to appreciate the abilities of the musicians and also lets us enjoy the music in the background without trouble. The production is neat, no instrument over the other for the most part, the riffs are heard without trouble, and the solos take the spot when needed, the only bad thing about this album is that the bass lines are pretty much non-existent. This however is a gem of the Czech scene, and also of the Eastern European scene, the way it sounds heavy yet melodic gives the listener the opportunity to put on repeat this album and will never get boring, or annoying. Enjoy!




















Krabathor - Cool Mortification

Excoriate - On Pestilent Winds...

Excoriate is a band from Germany and although they are a new band they deliver an amazing piece of old school death metal, the only 'new' band that I can compare to them is no other , but Repugnant. Excoriate has achieved something unique, interesting, and although it sounds old some how it manages to be fresh. This album is like a fine bottle of whiskey, it got put into a fine oak barrel for more than 15 years and this is the result. It pretty much blends everything that was recorded during all these years. The atmosphere of the album is very sinister, obscure, and primitive. The riffs are extremely good, no single riff is bad and each of them is headbangable, yes they are that good. Most listeners will find themselves headbanging from the beginning till the end of it. This is an album made of riffs, Satan, and metal, nothing else was needed. The music itself is tremendously thrashy, and the tempos ranges from mid to fast paced. The vocalist somehow reminds me of Van Drunnen, however this guy sounds like he is in the underworld calling us to join him with only one purpose, to follow the call of our master. Nothing here was left to luck, the production, the drumming, all is fine tuned. The production is flat, which is excellent so the riffs are heard without trouble, no bassy production, just perfect and well balanced production. The drumming is also good, blast beats are used only when needed, other than that the guy keeps it pretty simple, nothing is overdone. So here have a try and hope these guys release an album in the incoming years. Repugnant is probably gone, but these guys sure are good substitutes. Hail Satan! Hail! Hail! Hail!




















Excoriate - On Pestilent Winds...

Decomposed - Hope Finally Died...

"Lay to waste my stiffened core, all hope is gone, all life is lost."

Decomposed a forgotten UK band from the early nineties. Hope Finally Died... was released during the year when that other similar monumental piece Transcendence Into The Peripheral saw the light and now acts as a good reference point of quality early to mid-nineties doom death metal. Decomposed were defintely not doing something new and weren't particulary innovative at the time, but when the quality of the music is as good as this, then who cares. Until today they have remained an obscurity, all the attention was centred on the peaceville three who were, as you know, also from the UK. If this had any role in the early demise of Decomposed, I don't know, but I can imagine something along those lines. It would be wrong of me to make any judgments about this, so I will let it be. Hope Finally Died... is fairly similar to Transcendence... in that aspect that it equally grinds away at ferocious speed and then all of a suddenly drop the paste to a mid-paced or slow one. Not as extreme as Disembowelment, where they literally went from a grinding assault to practically a complete halt upon which the music barely progressed at all and turned into this massive behemoth. Not here. Decomposed do speed it up quite frequently as well, but opt for a more mid-paced progress rather than really go for the agonizingly slow one. In this aspect they will be more accessible, but perhaps also less memorable? Not exactly. The strongest aspect of Hope Finally Died... are the riffs. At their best they manage to bring forth waves of misery upon the listener in a way that manages to create a sort of peaceful setting where dead seems like an agreeable thing. Everything feels very natural and flows perfectly, this especially goes for some of the guitar solos. Timing is outstanding and they actually add something and aren't simply placed there because they felt they needed some guitar solos. Drum fills are outstanding and some blast beats are present as well, making for an interesting mix. The entire atmosphere is what's so interesting about Hope Finally Died... . Some aggressive parts are present to keep it interesting, but generally this a very morbid take on death metal and will try to convince you of your own deathwish.

Decomposed - Hope Finally Died...

Warmaster - First War

Hailing from the Netherlands with their brand of OSDM Warmaster released last year a mighty strong album with all the characteristics that the typical old school fan enjoy such as riffs, great lyrics, and of course the ability to listen to the album again and again without getting tedious or boring. One thing that is actually kind of interesting is that Hail of Bullets also released their album which can be compared to this one. Lyrics are based on the same topic, they also play OSDM, and both bands from the Netherlands. However HoB is a band formed by superstars of the Dutch scene, while Warmaster is not. Most people will beat their money on HoB, but that would be wrong. HoB album is tedious, boring, and with a horrible production, being that the worse aspect of the album. These guys managed to release a fresh slab of death metal, that while it sounds very old school, is not a clone or anything like that. The music could be categorized as 'groovy', don't get me wrong it has nothing to do with brutal death or any of that, it has a really especial feeling that most people will enjoy. The riffs are amazing and pretty damn thrashy from time to time. The riffs are also extremely catchy and so are the solos, which are not complex, but rather simple to keep the music simple. One thing that really caught my attention is how they repeat the same riffs throughout the songs and they never get boring, kind of like being fired at, and I guess that's what these guys were trying to prove. The drumming is pretty simple, how it should be with OSDM, blast beats are nowhere to be found, which is something good. The only thing about the drumming is that the sound is kind of flat, almost no bass coming from the drum bass. The vocalist is extremely good, it keeps everything very interesting and his growls are very different in comparison to other famous vocalist, something between a raspy and deep growl, again the vocalist or vocalists are very good at what they do. The production overall of the album is very simple, nothing modern sounding, which is good for the instrument and like I said before the only downside of the production is the sound of the drums, other than that it's a great album that will be appreciated by most metalheads, especially the ones that are familiar with the old scene. I can only hope that these guys release a new album in the incoming two years, and don't rush it. I rather have quality over quantity.




















Warmaster - First War

Derkéta - Goddess Of Death

Goddess of Death is a compilation of rehearsal tracks and previous EP/SPLIT/DEMO -material. The music has aged and that's exactly how it sounds - captured for more than a decade in some obscure crypt remaining hidden from the masses, until 2003, when Necroharmonic decided to unveil this secretive slab of doom death. As is custom for that time Goddess of Death sounds rather muddy, miles away from any clinical production that is now widespread. More often this kind of approach adds to the overall atmosphere greatly. You can almost imagine the recordings taking place in some long lost burial ground taking inspiration from all dead beings surrounding the area and transforming it into some horrifying unity. The production on Goddess of Death varies depending on the material. The first 7 tracks benefit from a fitting production that suits the music very well, after that things get even more muddier and we're presented some real obscurities that most likely have rarely seen any daylight. It doesn't really take much away from the performance delivered on Goddess of Death, but nor does it add much. Where Goddess of Death really shines out is in the vocal department. Sharon Bascovsky sounds really possessed, surely some foul abomination has taken possession of her and together they create a beastly sound, that forms a core part of the strong atmosphere presented on Goddess of Death. Most tracks progress fairly slow, to mid-paced, there are some vile faster parts (Time of Awakening), but they are sparse. Afterall this is doom death that focusses on atmosphere and there is tons of that on Goddess of Death. Crypts of Darkness is a perfect example of that, it starts off with some dungeon-like ambiance, backed up by tolling bells, before a rather omnious riff comes crawling upwards and beastly Sharon kicks in with her typical demonic grunts. Next up is, Begotten Son, another hightlight and simply again an ode to all that is dead. Most songs follow the same pattern, very high on the atmosphere, mostly slow to mid-paced, but it's highly effective and makes up for a very consistent listening experience. Goddess of Death is a definite must for anyone into death metal, others might have some difficulties with the fact that is mostly slow to mid-paced, but then again, that and the vocals are what make Derkéta such a succesful formula. Hopefully, Derkéta will soon release In Death We Meet, but in the mean time, we've got Goddess of Death to satisfy our grim needs.

Derkéta - Goddess Of Death

Forgotten Tomb - Love's Burial Ground

Whenever Forgotten Tomb becomes the subject of conversation a reference is made to the two early full lengths; the new Negative Megalomania is usually avoided and rightfully so, but for some reason the best one is left behind. Love's Burial Ground hardly gets any mention at all and is left to wither away. I do not know what caused this sudden change of mentality towards Forgotten Tomb as there is not that much difference with what came before this. Whereas early Forgotten Tomb had a clear depressive undertone, this one favors a slightly different approach, focussing on simply delivering a dark, but aggressive anti-human piece of italian black metal. There is a nice mixture of blasting, aggressive tunes such as 'Kill Life' and 'Forgotten Tomb MMIII' and the more familiar approach that we're used to hearing from Forgotten Tomb, which reaches an absolute climax during 'Alone', one of the highly praised Forgotten Tomb songs, but not the best on this record. Alone features a sickening sort of catchiness, a bit strange, seeing as lyrically this is just one slab of pure negativity. These two elements combined make for a surprisingly good song and proove that Forgotten Tomb don't hold on to a particular formula and aren't afraid to experiment a little. Unfortunaly they went a little too far with the whole experimentation on their following album. Nonetheless, this kind of approach will always receive my full support. Back to Love's Burial Ground; after Alone comes House of Nostalgia which again shows these guys at their best, Herr Morbid screaming out his lungs singing spreading anti-human propaganda. Lyrically Forgotten Tomb have never been the strongest competitors, a travesty which took extreme forms on Negative Megalomania. This small piece of criticsm doesn't harm the songwriting on Love's Burial Ground however, but it has to be said that some lyrics are pretty cringe-worthy, even though they deliver a message that perfectly matches the music. The best song found here is without a doubt 'Slave To Negativity'. The opening riff is again performed with a certain consistency that's found throughout the entire album. The general songwriting here is incredibly strong, slowly leading to a climax that will hold you by the throat and won't let go. Incredible! Production here is pretty much perfect. Not the afwul clean production that just sounds incredibly dull, but clean enough to hear every instrument. Let it be known that this album is not one that deserves to fade away in obscurity. This is superior to early Forgotten Tomb and should be recognised as one of the better black metal albums of the last decade. This is a band that is not afraid to experiment, but still manages to hold on to a solid basis (at least on this album). Even though Songs To Leave and Springtime Depression were in fact very memorable albums that deserve all the praise they got. I still feel that here lies their finest hour, it takes the strong elements of the early two albums, but mixes with a little more aggressive approach and a willingness to experiment. Do not ignore this outstanding piece of contemporary black metal, it will be your loss.

Forgotten Tomb - Love's Burial Ground

Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black

Ah yes another Greek black metal band, but this is just not any band this is Necromantia, one of the main pillars of the whole Greek scene. Necromantia together with Rotting Christ, and Varathron were the ones that made the Greek scene famous, well if I even can say famous due that the average metalhead would only know the recent albums of Rotting Christ, which is highly unlikely. If you are familiar with Rotting Christ then Varathron would sound very similar to some extent, but if you are a bit familiar with the fore mentioned bands, Necromantia would be the strangest one of them all. Why? The answer is pretty simple, Necromantia's style is a bit faster, just fast enough, and when it comes to the instruments that they use is a whole different story. Necromantia doesn't use electric guitars in their alignment, other than for the solos, those riffs that are you hearing come from two basses, an eight string hand made bass which is played by Makis and a normal four string played by Magus. As the album goes on Necromantia becomes even more weird, the use of many instrument is present such as saxophones, acoustic guitars, and so on. Something curious about all this is that none of these instruments ever take the spot light, they are just to make the listener experience something out of this world, and this works every time the album goes off, it never gets old. As mentioned before the music never gets old, the riffs are pretty unique, especially the ones in black mirror which is my all time favorite song of Necromantia, the drumming is pretty good although I'm still not sure if it's actually human or a drum machine, sometimes sounds machine, sometimes human perhaps is a combination of both. The solos that are found throughout the album are extremely good, especially the bass solos, it shows how proficient Makis is with the bass and how creative he is. The guitar solos are also extremely good, especially the one found in Spiritdance it gives the song a very Mediterranean touch. This album also has a lot of symphonic moments and none of them ever take the front, besides the one on the second part of Pretender to the throne where is used the Ride of the Valkyries as an intro, this is true art! Everything in this album blends so well that is not surprising that once somebody listens to it, it will get addicted to it and it will be something joyful to listen time after time. The production is also pretty neat, flat I would say, no instrument is played over the other, the riffs can be heard with no trouble at all. This album would sadly be the climax of Necromantia, after it they never recorded something as especial and no band has never got as close to release an album as different, surprising, and perfect as this one.

From every angle this album is seen it can't be seen just as a piece of music, but as a monument of art dedicated to the dark side. Everything here is played close to perfection, nothing is missed, not even the lyrics which are very entertaining and some of them talk about many of the myth and stories of Hellas and its ancient tribes.




















Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black