Disma - The Vault of Membros

From the US of A comes a magnificent slab of chunky old school death metal. This band is formed by well a really veteran crew, the vocalist is no less than Craig FUCKING Pillard! With that being said the quality of this demo is already known. That's not it though, the guitarists are from Incantation and Funebrarum, does it get any better than this? Well the drummer is also the current drummer of Funebrarum. A lot of people tend to say, I'm one of them, that metal bands formed by 'metal stars' don't tend to work, but this time is not the case. This is death metal in a really morbid, dark, and sinister way. The riffs are most of the time mid paced, but also slow paced which feel like a sledge hammer crushing one's skull time after time, again and again. The solos are also pretty fucking good. The drumming is extremely good, but that's something to expect. Craig Pillard like usual, delivers great vocals that can't be compared to anyone else. His growls are deep, evil, and extremely gassy. Enjoy this new release, and hopefully we shall write reviews more often.




















Disma - The Vault of Membros

Decrepitaph - Condemned Cathedral

"The book of Death gives the power to summon

From the graveyard they are beckoned to live again

Smell of rotting flesh is in the night air

Up from hell they rise to feast on your skin"

Decrepitaph are a US-based death metal band. They describe themselves as playing ancient, primitive dark death metal influenced by the old masters Incantation, Asphyx, Derketa, ... . They are part of the Razorback catalogue and as is custom with that label their lyrics take inspiration from old horror flicks. When Elektruktioner was asked wether they would ever write a song that doesn't involve zombies, he promptly replied "No!". Decrepitaph came to life in 2004 with their Grotesque Dwellings demo and by the time they released the Ancient Death Metal promo they managed to spark the interest of Billy from the Razorback label. I am personally not the biggest Razorback fan, but at least they support death metal in it's most ancient form and that's always a good thing.

On a band picture of Decrepitaph you can see Elektrokutioner supporting a Nortt shirt. That should give you somewhat of an indication, that Condemned Cathedral is going be pretty heavy. The guitar tone is incredibly distorted and very vile. The vocals are mostly deep guttural growls with some filthy snarls in between and the drums are interesting all the way through. Mostly venturing in mid-paced territory, sometimes a bit faster and at times devestatingly slow like on the closer track Crawling Out From The Crypt or the ending of A Burial In Hell. The slower moments make for a perfect template to add some really morbid riffs and leads and that's exactly what is being done, just listen to the ending of Crawling Out From The Crypt. Crushing heavy death metal while a morose guitar lead graces the background solemnly. Decrepitaph don't try to cram a thousand riffs into one song. They use repetition to their advantage, but still provide the necessary variety by throwing in particulary effective guitar leads and changing the paste frequently. Condemned Cathedral is heavy and doomy, but the whole album supports a sickening kind of groove (Worship The Dead), which makes it perfect for your headbanging pleasures. This is a blind purchase for anyone who likes their death metal ancient and primitive. And from what I gather, a new album is in the works and to be released soon!

Decrepitaph - Condemned Cathedral

Cruciamentum - Convocation of Crawling Chaos

This is a living proof that not everything that is old in metal rules! Cruciamentum is a band hailing from UK, and boy they deliver one of the best demos of black/death that I have listened to in recent years. This is not your typical modern black/death band that only talks about worshiping the devil and so on, these guys took a lot of time and effort to do this. This can be felt through their riffs, which deliver an atmosphere comparable of bands lie Dead Congregation's demo, it might not sound as evil as them, but sure as hell is good. Another interesting aspect of them is the use of synthesizer to create an even more haunting experience, the vocalist kicks ass, the growls are exactly the kind that I enjoy, long, deep, and "gassy." The music is pretty much mid paced, sometimes it gets very slow others extremely fast, this doesn't bother me, the tempo changes are always interesting, and it's always good to see how a band would sound and if the musicians can do it with no problem. The production is pretty flat, which is good for a demo, every instrument can be heard with no problem. I recommend to listen to this band with earphones, why? The reason for that is pretty simple, the atmosphere just gets better and better with them, with speakers there is too much space between the actual music and the listener. Enjoy and lets hope for a full length somewhere soon.











Cruciamentum - Convocation of Crawling Chaos

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

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

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...

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