Of Earth And Sun - Uncoiled

Genre: Dark Ambient, Experimental
Label: Malignant Records

Fuck, man. How the hell am I supposed to review an album that chills me to my very core? I've been grappling with this notion for a couple of weeks and I figured that now is as good a time as any to get over my slump with some borderline unreviewable material. Enter Of Earth And Sun (a project manned by one Matthew Huntzker) and his offering, Uncoiled.

Uncoiled reminds me of Rasalhague's Rage Inside The Window in the way it can give me the physical heebies and psychological geebies. Don't get me wrong now, Uncoiled is more of a "death is an inevitable factor in the universe and there's nothing you can do about it, so quit your bitching and enjoy the sounds of this bone flute," where as Rage Inside The Window is more "JESUSFUCKWHYCAN'TIESCAPETHISMADNESS!??!" I guess what I'm getting at is that Uncoiled is one of only two dark ambient/experimental/
etc... albums that I NEED the lights on to listen to, because shit get intense.

The first two tracks acted as a set up, slowly lulling me with lower oscillator tones and slow almost medicinal beats as tension builds and releases to the unheard tempo of some greater lifeform's heartbeat(s)... and then we enter Veil Of Illumination. The title sounds like it should be a light and comfortable experience, right? Well... if the sounds of the breath of the living passing through the bones of the dead is your ideal soundtrack to a relaxing canoe trip... more power to you. To me, it was nightmare fuel for a couple of nights! Worms made of pure energy entered and exited my skull as they saw fit as the ribcage of the family cat played host to a smaller version of it's self that desperately tried to claw its way out.

I could easily do a track-by-track review of Uncoiled and share all of the soul twisting craziness my schizophrenic brain translates this music into, but I have a mountain of reviews to get to, so this is where I apply the breaks on the crazy train. Uncoiled it a trip and a half that can find footing in the libraries of fans of H.P. Lovecraft, Eraserhead and all of that other shit that probably gets you put on a watch list somewhere for something...

Of Earth And Sun on Facebook

Norselaw -

Genre: Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Fucking Metal
Label: Unsigned

Man, who would have thought that buying an album based entirely on pity would yield such positive results? Allow me to explain:

Norselaw himself apparently had a dispute with his then employer that ended with his (in my opinion, wrongful) termination. Having only recently lost my job due to similar but completely different circumstances, I decide to toss my fellow warrior a bone and bought one of his albums. He 'suggested Serpent In The Circling Sea' as it would play to my tastes... how this metal marauder knew such a thing is still a mystery to me, but goddamn, was he ever right!

'Serpent In The Circling' Sea features a plethora of headbanging highlights from beginning to end. Norselaw's mastery of the art of the shred, for one. Where on Earth did this guy learn to wield a guitar in such a manner? My guess is he transferred whatever skills he learned as an axe swinging viking from hundreds of years ago to his new modern day "axe". Or at the very least, he's The Doof Warrior from Mad Max... hmmm...

Up next on the docket, we have the vocals. Let's get the clean vocals out of the way; they're rough. Not bad by a long shot, but they could definitely use some refining. As for his bellowing, fuck man, if he shouted at me to, "Get out of the way," in that tone, I'd be in the next state over before he could finish his command. Motherfucker is scary.

Have I mention lyrical content yet? Norselaw pulls his imagery from everyday political strife ("fat blue line guarded by swiiiiine!"), to Conan The Barbarian to H.P. fucking Lovecraft. And speaking of Lovecraft, Fungi From Yuggoth is one of the best tracks on the album, not only due to the ever-presence of the Old Ones, but because of Jamie Lannister's energetic drumming. Guy lets his fucking hair down and says, "fuck your ability to ever hear anything ever again!" and proceeds to rupture the eardrums of anyone within range in a berserk barrage of percussive power!

If you walk away from this review and can only manage to remember one thing, make it this: Norselaw is law. These guys fucking rule!

Yen Pox - Between The Horizon And The Abyss

Genre: Dark Ambient
Label: Malignant Records

Having been a rabid fan of Yen Pox's Blood Music (the 2010 two disc re-issue to be precise), you could easily say that I was more than a little excited to find Between The Horizon And The Abyss in my mailbox. The damnedable duo of dark ambient is back in my library and ready to make the missus second guess coming to bed with me (Phelios, Yen Pox and False Mirror are regulars in my nightly rotation and she happens to find them, "scary").

Between The Horizon And The Abyss starts off like just about every other dark ambient record you've ever heard; low rumble droning that gives way to small crackling noises and eventually syths and yadda yadda yadda. If you're a fan of dark ambient/noise/drone/blech, you know the drill... wait, did a ping pong match break out during the recording of Cold Summer Sun? What the hell is that and why does it sound out of place, yet it feels like it fits right in as if it were guided by some kind of auditory feng shui?

The point is, Yen Pox takes what you thought you understood about this genre and the abilities of the various instruments therein and tears down the veil to reveal an infinitely expanding universe of sonic possibility and impossibility. It's goddamned crazy, man.

I don't think that I can make my admiration for this project any clearer than that, but I'll just hammer the point home here in case you missed it: Yen Pox are fucking geniuses. Just shoot the next Yen Pox albums into my veins...

Yen Pox On FaceBook

Ancient Wind - The Chosen Slain

Genre: Blackened Thrash, Death Metal
Label: To The Head Records

Hailing from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, an aspiring hotbed of scathing molten metal mayhem, Ancient Wind bring the passion and the pain with their debut album, The Chosen Slain.

Here, Ancient Wind fuels a massive storm of deathened, blackened thrash with raw vocals, a hatred for all things "poser" and enough aggression to level a city. The meeting of these styles has led to the actualization of what, I believe, Feasting Amon Amarth would sound like... only a fuck-ton more thrashy and way better than I could of imagined!

Vocalist Roberto Inferno rips the mic to shreds with his battle ready roars and occasionally sounds like the man-mountain, Johan Hegg. So, no complaints here. Next, I have to mention Girth Brook's drumming. Kudos to you, sir. You managed to smoothly blend together genres that, while normally do blend well together, tend to leave lumps in the batter. Normally in a situation like this, you usually hear more of one influence than the other(s). Here, Mr. Brook manages to give equal time to three different styles.

As for the string section of Ancient Wind... fuck. Do I have to keep writing? I think you get how I feel about this band already. They fucking rule! If they were a Portland band, I'd be at their next show with a tray of my special brownies as an offering to their godliness... though, living in Colorado, they've probably had they're fair share of magical baked goods...

In summery, Ancient Wind out-metal some veterans of metal scene that are 15+ years their senior! Keep your bloodshot eyes on these guys! Easily recommended for those of you who are just straight tired of Skeletonwitch's even softening sound...

Ancient Wind On Facebook

At The Seams - In Shadows Of Giants

Genre: All Of Them
Label: Unsigned (but not for long, I'd bet...)

No risk, no reward. Know risk, know reward.

It has been my experience in these past nine years of criticising other's work (when I couldn't hope to achieve anything even remotely cool if my life depended on it) that the more you blend genres together, the farther away from "pure" or "true" metal you are, the more you seem to get hated on. Especially here in Portland, where local metalheads like their sludge metal thick, their grind filthy and their black metal BLACK! Thankfully, bands like Titarius (purveyors of the truest "blender metal"), Stonecreep and Beyond The Red Horizon (R.I.P.) and their ilk, made it their mission to buck conventional metal trends in the area and gave us all something new to wrap our heads around. Now, in 2015 (since 2012), At The Seams is here to tear the Portland metal scene apart... stitch by stitch? That doesn't sound quite right....

The album's title, In Shadows Of Giants, might be alluding to all of the influences that At The Seams pulls from. It's a veritable orgy of styles and genres slamming together and birthing a litter of blended metal tracks. One minute, there are influences of DevilDriver's groovage that run into Immortal's neck breaking, blackened speed. A little bit of Hatebreed's hardcore bounce gives way to a Sodom-level thrash attack. And so on...

Vocalist Spencer Tyler leads the charge by bouncing back and forth from a scathing black metal rasp to a formidable roar that would give Randy Blythe's tempered pipes a run for their money. Not wanting to be left behind, the tandem guitar attack co-helmed by axe swingers Edward Kilpatrick and Kevin O'Leary, slash and destroy all within reach with an arsenal of slowed 'core chugs and rippin' thrash riffs. Dan Anderson's drum work runs a similar range in speed and ferocity and never seems to lose any of it's punch due to In Shadows Of Giants mastering. The same can thankfully be said about Brian Chilson's bombastic bass brutalization, since that's a layer that so many people tend to miss out on.

I'm a little peeved at In Shadows Of Giants meager six tracks/thirty-two minute run time. But I think we all are since this shit is like crack! I might even try to worm my way out of the 'burbs and into the big city to catch a live show soon. There should be a few coming up since apparently At The Seams are already working on their second release! Paint me motherfucking excited!

At The Seams On Facebook

Xibalba - Tierra Y Libertad

Genre: Hardcore, Death Metal
Label: Southern Lord

Xibalba is a band, nay, an experience that nobody prepared me for. I assumed from the name that I was going to be thrown into the razor lined maw of a savage black metal band akin to Sarcofago or maybe an old fashioned Sepultura-like deal. I was right about the savagery, but I missed the genres by a bit and underestimated to which degree I'd be brutalized by the Pomona, California based hardcore act. Within the first minute of the first track, 'Enemigo', I found myself compulsed to message my friends, going, "Oh my God, dude! Xibalba! XIBALBA!!!", like I were advertising for a horror flick in the 1950's. (Minus the, "dude!" part, I guess.)

The assault, hereon in to be known as Tierra Y Libertad, begins with a bloodthirsty growl. The kind of growl that is usually the last thing someone hears when they're pissing off a fucking lion! And then... the drums. Like some sort of futuristic, concussive machine gun that fires sonic booms made of giant fists, they pummeled and bludgeoned and beat and (get it? They're fucking brutal) bloodied the absolutely hell out of me! This vicious attack didn't relent until the forth track ('Pausa', a minute and a half long breather).  The guitars chug and chunk up and down the heavy riff spectrum, undoubtedly breaking the notably sturdy measuring instrument in the process.

I can't stress enough just how brutal every aspect of this album is. And not in that "br00tal" or whatever kind of way you might assume. I wasn't entirely wrong with the Sarcafago comparison earlier since I ended up thinking of them throughout this album. The spirit is there. That attitude. That intensity. That rage. It's all there. But in a fresh, new form that will stomp you just as dead. If you're going to walk away from this review, please let it be this: Xibalba and Tierra Y Libertad are more than worth your time if you consider yourself a fan of raging hardcore or intense music in any form. The concussion it inflicts is also worth it.

Xibalba On Facebook

Lord Dying - Poisoned Altars

Genre: Sludge Metal
Label: Relapse Records

Ah, Portland. Home to Voodoo Doughnuts, entitled bicyclists, The Roseland and far too many sludge/doom metal bands. Seriously, the city is crawling with them. I always figured that we'd be known as a thrash or speed metal town before anything else. Eh... at least, that was what I was thinking before I played Lord Dying's sophomore album, Poisoned Altars. Well, I still think that there are too many sludgey/doomy type bands in the area. Only now, I just really dig one more of them (the others being Deep Sea Vents, Red Fang, YOB and Agalloch... those all count, right?).

Poisoned Altars forces you to bang your fucking head (thankfully it allows you the option of wall or no wall) with it's HEAVY riff driven songs. So much so that I managed to work up a sweat while doing so. This may be the first album that gave me a fucking workout! That being said, the riffin' is definitely the strongest aspect of Poisoned Altars. Songs like, '(All Hopes Of A New Day)... Extinguished' and 'The Clearing At The End Of The Path' are prime examples of C. Evans lead guitar work and vocalist E. Olsen's rhythm guitar work. His vocals are also nothing to sneeze at. Yeah, they're not anything you probably can't do yourself, but this just fucking sells it! Olsen stays steady with a gruff bellow for most of the album, but occasionally he breaks off into a raspier vocal that isn't quite singing or shouting. (I dunno, you tell me what I'm supposed to call it...)

I'm not trying to sell the rest of Lord Dying short here. Rob Shaffer's drumming is fun and at times can even be a little on the experimental side of wild and crazy. Now, I'm not sure if it was my head phones of if it's the mixing, but I had one hell of a time isolating the bass. However, from what I can tell, it's right were it needs to be. (Kinda the lot of the bassist, eh?) It really sucks that I couldn't make it out since I assume that it's on par with the rest of Lord Dying's sound and is just as deserving of this praise.

I highly recommend Poisoned Altars to anyone who digs their sludge on the lighter side of serious, heavy on the heavy and less than zero fucks given about it. Lord Dying bathes in the puddle of muck that is thier genre and ends up leaving it sludgier than they found it!

Lord Dying on Facebook

Eye Of Solitude - Dear Insanity (EP)

Genre: Dark Ambient, Doom
Label: Kaotoxin Records

I was introduced to this band through Apoch (yeah! THAT Apoch from Apochs.net!) a couple of weeks ago and haven't been able to properly shake the memory of the intense ride that today's review subject sent me on. I mean, look at the band's name: Eye Of Solitude. It elicits thoughts of barren lands, emptiness and abandonment. The perfect moniker for the band responsible for the creation of Dear Insanity, a ballsy effort consisting of a single, forty-nine minute track that mixes a dark ambient base with segments of hammering doom.

The opening to Dear Insanity is pretty much how most dark ambient experiments begin: a spacey, airy mesh of static and dull tones. But after about a minute, the horizon expands and a wide open sound emerges out of nowhere. That airy atmosphere that you were settling into becomes progressively claustrophobic and the world begins to decay and crumble around you as the minutes pass by...

And then, at the 8:29 mark,  the walls of my tiny, fragile world were ripped open as the Earth began to shake and the sky boiled away to reveal a blood red infinity that loomed over me like the great perching Doomthulhu! Eye Of Solitude break away from the ambient drones and finally say 'Hello' to insanity! HEAVY chords slowly riff their way across the cosmically irradiated soundscape to the pounding of a post-apocalyptic beat. It's the soundtrack to the deathmarch of the mentally afflicted, at this point. (A congested conga line I would undoubtedly find myself in... oh well. At least the tunes are badass!)

Daniel Neagoe's vocals range from a barely audible whisper, to a very high in the mix clean, to a vicious shriek at strategic points during this EP. The mixing proves to be only slightly problematic once or twice and it mainly has to do with the vocals overpowering everything else. But that's just me pissin' on about nothing since the rest of the forty-eight some odd minutes are a flawless work of art.

Eye Of Solitude on Facebook

Seizure Crypt - You've Been Had!

Genre: Hardcore, Metal, Punk
Label: Independent

It’s been a while, but hitting play on Seizure Crypt’s latest testament to the D.I.Y. lifestyle, "You’ve Been Had," is like reconnecting with an old friend. That may seem weird to anyone who knows about my older reviews (back at E-Metal Reviews/E-MetalSpace) of their albums, "Hello My Name Is… MADNESS" and "Under The Gun" since I barely gave the first one a chance and said that the second, “only kind of sucks”. But here, wherever I am and in whatever year this is, I’ve grown older and wiser. And guess what? I think I’ve spent enough time in the Crypt to understand what these motherfuckers are all about!

Where to start…

Well, I guess I can address the fact that this album does, in fact, sound like it was recorded using Do It Yourself methods, but by guys who’ve been doing this sort of thing for a while. Yeah, the sound can be a little rough and grainy at times, but Seizure Crypt seems to know how to tweak it to their advantage. That or their music is so full of “FUCK YOU!” that even sound itself bent the laws of physics to accommodate their hardcore lifestyles! I’m going to go with that last one.

Normally, you don’t go into a Seizure Crypt album thinking that it’s going to be a mind-blowingly awesome experience with complex riffs and off-time drumming… and this album is no exception. It’s just simple but entertainingly aggressive punk/hardcore tunes that will be the perfect soundtrack to a wild and drunken night of slamming people through bar furniture! Also note that both vocalists give there all to shout, bark and psychotically rant their message at you in the scuzziest, most street level way possible! It has become a matter of charm at this point, believe it or not. I’ll probably be cutting this review short since my hard-on for these guys keeps growing and I can’t bring myself to understand why exactly… The guys in Seizure Crypt do what they do because they love to do it. If more bands were like this, then there would be better music all around for everybody!

I’ve since gone back and listened to my other two Seizure Crypt albums and I can safely say that "You’ve Been Had!" is the best offering to date. If you’re a fan of the D.I.Y. spirit, pick up this album (and maybe the others later) and bang your skull until that gray mush comes out! And remember, “Life is not a fad you fucking poser!” Throw yourself into the Crypt!

Seizure Crypt Homepage

An Interview With Scott Mosher of Oceans Of Night (from 2009)

Typhon: First off, thanks for agreeing to this interview Mr. Mosher. Where did the name Oceans Of Night come from and why didn’t you go by it sooner? (lol)

Scott Mosher: Good question and one I've wondered many times recently myself. I should have operated under a good band name from the beginning but I didn't really think I'd release 5 CDs over the years. In hindsight Oceans of Night should be stamped all over my name on all the covers and PR materials, at least since Virtuality in 2001. The name Oceans of Night actually was a song title I have in the archive. It's kind of fitting actually... mysterious, enigmatic, somber and slightly poetic. I think it represents the music and my lyrical/graphic concept rather well. I'm not sure it screams "metal" like Metallica does, but the artistic association is there.

T: While we're on the subject, where did the title, "The Shadowheart Mirror" come from?

SM: You know, I'm not really sure. It's kind of an abstract concept. To expound upon that, the mirror is literally a reflection of one's sense of self, or state of mind. The shadowheart concept is a metaphor for turmoil and times of despair and anger. In other words, it represents the recurring lyrical themes on the CD, which are based upon the personalization of relationship strife and personal anguish in coming to terms with life during a dark period. I'm glad you asked though, because it's become quite theraputic for me to contemplate the reason and meaning behind the title.

T: When did you start on your path as an uber talented musician? Did you have a nurturing/musical upbringing?

SM: I commenced on my path to uber talented musician upon graduation from uber talent school. That is right before my attendance at the Derek Zoolander school. Honestly, I'm not sure. There's plenty of more talented folks out there, I guess I just have enough talent to fuel my artistic ambitions, but not enough to make me dangerous. Between music and my day job as a graphic artist, I'm knee deep in the arts. I think my lack of any kind of technical acumen speaks volumes about where my focus in life should be. I've been involved in music on a personal level probably since grade school to be honest, and it just grew out and onward from there. I definitely focused on my artistic and musical abilities as best I can, but it's something I'm constantly trying to improve upon as well.

T: I once read a review of Deep Horizon where the guy who reviewed it threw a bitch fit that it wasn’t thrash or something along those lines since your name is "Mosher." Is that a common misconception, or is he a lone ballbag on this one?

SM: I think you just coined a term that needs to find its way into the next edition of the Collegiate dictionary, "ballbag". I've gotten used to folks assuming my last name is a pseudonym or a PR creation, but I assure you and ballbag out there, that my official last name is indeed Mosher, although it's prounced "mow" and not "mosh". Use a french accent and you'll be on the money, though I'm not french. As far as reviews are concerned, I post any and all I get in their entirety on my website(s). No problem there. Good bad or indifferent, if someone takes the time to review my stuff, I'll make sure I post it.

T: How did you hook up with Scott Oliva? Was it easy getting him to do the vocals on your projects?

SM: I'm not sure what you are implying there but I'm not sure I like the tone of your voice or the insinuation. Haha! As far as the manner in which I enlisted Mr. Oliva to join my on my musical voyage you'll have to peruse the liner notes of the Oceans of Night CD, but let's just say it concerns questionable Myspace photos!

T: Have you ever considered forming and/or joining a band instead of being a (mostly) solo project? Or is the freedom (as is my understanding) of being a solo project just to great to let go of? …or are you just an uncompromising asshole that won’t let anyone get an idea in edgewise? (LOL Only kidding!) And is there a specific recording process that you favor, or are you constantly experimenting (as your music suggests)?

SM: There is, but it's fairly straightforward. My process is compose, arrange and record the songs, construct and record the guitar solos, work on vocal tracks and lyrical concepts with Mr. Oliva and then mix/engineer the CD in an outside studio (Freedom of Speech with my dawg, Micky James), replicate, and enter the marketplace and shameless self-promote. Believe me the music is where all the experimentation takes place, man.

T: Are you wondering why SPV/InsideOut Music didn’t snatch you up? Or am I the only one here? (lol)

SM: I'm wondering the same thing! ;-) I have some opinions on why I've not been able to secure a record deal... some of it is in my control, some not, but I'm not really doing this for profit. It would be nice, and I'll take the exposure a label can generate, but I'll keep plugging away with or without the support of any kind of financial backing. I think operating under a proper band name is one step in the right direction, though! Honestly, I've tried and I will continue to work that aspect of promotion, but believe me, I'm not bitter or resentful in the least.

T: Is there anything you’d like to add for the audience?

SM: I'm gratified by your kind words and enthusiasm, and even more appreciative of the fact I didn't have to pay you to say any of these things. For the uninitiated out there or folks who are interested in music that skews slightly left of center, musically of course, surf on over to oceansofnight.com. Thanks for your time, consideration and attendence.

Oceans Of Night on Facebook
Oceans Of Night Homepage

Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds

Genre: Groove Metal, Thrash
Label: Nuclear Blast

Oooookay. Here we go. This is actually my very first experience with Machine Head, which is apparently eight albums in. I've heard a bit about them over the years. Some of it was good and some of it was hilariously bad. I don't really know what "Bloodstone & Diamonds" has in store for me, so let's just jump right in...

Wow. If you like getting beat to death with "the groove", this album (and probably most of their library) is for you. I'm no stranger to groove metal and would also consider myself a fan of the genre, so I was digging it for the first two tracks. But then I hit a bit of a wall due to Rob Flynn's vocals. Dude, come on. Nobody wants to hear you hyperventilate into the mic or use your sexytime whispers as a vocal style. His shouting is serviceable, but gets old way too fast for me.

Jarred MacEachern's backing vocals on the other hand hit all of the right notes and add accents where they're needed. If anything, I think he may have been underutilized in this aspect. His bass work is also a high point, with it being every bit as driving as Dave McClain's drumming. This is a duo I'd keep together for a while if I had my druthers.

The guitar work (both Rob's rhythm and Phil Demmel's leads) are engaging and can even be innovative at times (Ghosts Will Haunt My Bones and Eyes Of The Dead come to mind). Both guitarists seem to play well off of one another and help keep that groove going in the right direction. However, after a few listens, you'll start to notice that a couple of tracks sound similar and even kind of bleed into one another.

I can tell you that I'm a pretty big fan on U.K. avant garde, instrumental outfit, The Devil and their work with soundbites taken from the news that are used in place of a vocalist. The track, Imaginal Cells is reminiscent of this style and tickles me just right on my. "Ooooh! That's different!" spot. Instrumentally, it's par for the course for "Bloodstone & Diamonds", so don't get excited for it being too different, though.

In the end, I'm left thinking that Machine Head probably has better entries in their catalog than "Bloodstone & Diamonds" (and with a few recommendations, I might find them). It's a good listen if you need something to bang your head to for a track or two, but it manages to wear out it's welcome with it's repetition and needlessly long tracks.

Machine Head On Facebook

Karma To Burn - Arch Stanton

Genre: Stoner Metal
Label: Faba Records

Karma To Burn didn't waste any time kicking my ass with thier newest stoner metal sentinel, "Arch Stanton" so I won't waste any time boring you with a history lesson about West Virginia's shameful, smokey secret, Karma To Burn. All you need to know is that these guys are the best at what they do.

"Arch Stanton" starts things off by galloping straight over you with another of Even Divine's driving beats. These things will get into your head and stay there for at least a couple of days, effectively throwing off your foot taping playlist's queue. Three tracks in however, things take a turn for the heavy and we begin to experience a dirtier sound with everything thickening up like the world's sludgiest roux.

After that, things kinda go all over the place in terms of heavy/fast/etc..., like a mesquite, musical smorgas board of William Mecum's tasty riffs. I've said it aloud before and now I get to type it out; it's like the guy knows exactly what we want to hear and when those transitions need to be made. It's almost eerie, but still completely welcome since the end result are songs like these.

Once again, Karma To Burn keep to their instrumental ways and forgo having to deal with the perpetual pains in the ass known as, "vocalists" (unless you count Clint Eastwood in the last track) and are, once again, better off without one. And at this point, it would be pretty odd to just suddenly have one, right? I mean, I think we all loved Waiting On The Western World and their cover of Never Say Die, but a permanent singer now would just feel off. So, YAY! Instrumental album!

The only complaint I have about "Arch Stanton" is that the song titles are still numbers. Ask your average Karma To Burn fan what their favorite song of theirs is and I bet it doesn't go over too well. Other than that, it's what we want and what we always get from the guys in Karma To Burn: their best.

Karma To Burn on Facebook

Vise Massacre - Expendable Humans

Genre: Hardcore, Punk, Grindcore
Label: Independent

After submitting my review for Seizure Crypt a couple of days ago, it was suggested that I gave another hardcore band from New York a shot. After a couple of days of letting Expendable Humans sink in, it is crystal clear that I owe my brother-in-metal, Dave, a big ol’ THANK YOU!!! I’m not ashamed to say that Vise Massacre had me won over in a matter of minutes with their hyper aggressive hardcore style and filthy, almost grind percussion tactics!

The overall sound that Vise Massacre spits out is a grimy hardcore masterpiece full of fresh ideas and time tested structures. There are tracks here that are reminiscent of If He Dies… He Dies, Oroku and even a little bit of a sped up Fog Wizard. So it’s safe to say that I had a massive erection forming over the first two tracks of this album.

I mentioned aggression just a few sentences ago and I don’t think that that description alone does the mood that this album conveys any justice whatsoever. Imagine walking through a crowded shopping mall, the day after Thanksgiving. You’re overheated, tired from getting up super early and fed up with all of the idiotic mouth breathers that are usurping your oxygen. An overweight house frau steps on your toe and doesn’t so much as break her waddling stride to apologize for crushing your big toe under her bovine hoof that’s crammed inside a two sizes too small croc.

Getting pissed yet?

Well, now imagine that in your hands, you’re holding two .357 Desert Eagles that never need reloading and all of the doors leading out of the mall have been locked from the outside…

Expendable Humans is the soundtrack pumping out of the P.A. system overhead as you mow down the annoying and tolerable alike.

Aggressive! Psychotic! Hateful! Fucking Perfect! Vise Massacre unlock the homicidal maniac in you through their blend of loud pounding drumwork, hardcore bellowing and grinding riffs. Expendable Humans is a hardcore adventure unlike any other that I have gone on before and couldn’t wait to take it again as soon as the album was finished. And I did. Over and over again. Once while I was strolling though the mall even…

Overall: When all is said and done, a recommendation  to listen to this album couldn’t be glowing enough from me. This is easily an album that I could listen to for days on end, tell a friend about it and listen to it with him/her for more days on end! Vise Massacre may prove that humans are expendable, but they themselves are invaluable to the metal/hardcore community!

Vise Massacre On Facebook

Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum

Man, do these guys even need more attention? I remember just a few years ago when NOBODY outside of the UK had heard of the British duo of Sir Scream-A-Lot and Sir Fast-Play. But here we are, roughly eight years later and they're attached to Metal Blade Records and I saw more Anaal Nathrakh t-shirts at my last black metal show than any that were supporting a band that was actually there. Or is that a cultural norm that I'm only just now picking up on? Meh...

Anyhow, Anaal Nathrakh's eighth studio effort, Desideratum is a smooth and steady progression from 2012's Vanitas, complete with all of the bells and whistles you've come to expect from these British bastards. Up to and including; "how does he do that?" level screaming, "probably out of place the first time you heard it, but now it's grown on you" clean vocals, "Merlin enchanted your wrists and ankles with an endurance spell" drumming and "simply chaotic" string work.

On the newer side, there's a slightly heavier focus on some of the more electronic effects than in albums past. There is an occasional sample here and there ("What you call genocide, I call a days work." Deep Space 9 for the win!) and a little more "wub" than I'd really like to hear. But in all honesty, they make it work for them in a way I doubt that most other metal bands ever could without alienating their audience.

Other than that, there's no real innovation to speak of. I know that it's unfair to lay down an expectation of improvement on a band that consistently blows you away, but "blast beat, scream, riff, blast beat, scream, riff," ad nauseam to infinium can start to get stale to even the most dedicated of fans. Does that really hurt this album though? Not really. But it seemed unfair to not point that out.

Well, it seems that Anaal Nathrakh have built an asylum of sonic destruction, planted a garden, dug a shit ditch and rooted themselves in to stay, comfortable in their trademarked sound and unwilling to budge regardless of how much they make the neighborhood's windows rattle.

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