High Fighter – “Scars & Crosses” (Svart)

Posted by Fraggle on

high20fighter20scars2020crosses202020202020album20front20cover_20by20dominic20sohorHigh Fighter are a five piece doomy sludge band from Hamburg, one of the busiest places in Europe. As Germany’s Equivalent to Amsterdam in terms of the culture and party-like atmosphere of certain districts and areas, the city is also a hotbed of musical activity and given it’s proximity to Wacken, its no surprise many metal bands love to go there, be it touring or passing through it on the way to one of the most celebrated (and extremely divisive) festivals on offer. With some real praise being lauded on them, by the likes of Conan, arguably the biggest doom band currently active right now, John Garcia, a pioneer of stoner rock and various media outlets such as the iconic Sludgelord, big things are expected from this band. Let us see if these guys can fight their way up high.

“A Silver Heart” opens the album up with an initially lightly distorted progression before the dirt kicks in. Rich distortion, deep rumbling bass and steady drums going at a slow pace shift to a lone guitar riff before it kicks in. The bass is clear as it rings out under the hazy, hypnotic and melodic progressions which roll off the guitar with little fuss. Vocally, its clean with a solid tone, occasionally lapsing into the harshness where required and with a very similar feel to the delivery of Mike Patton. As the track progresses there are some slight rhythmic shifts and little rapid drum fills but it maintains that steady pace with ease. The bluesy lead break goes down a treat with some sublime sounding licks and the descent into the heavily spaced out musically and vocally  raw section makes for a great end. In all, an intriguing opening effort.

“Darkest Days” follows and it is more upbeat than the previous one. With a real rocking groove and infectious melodic hook, it has a great stoner vibe to it. Subtle in the verse with rich vocals and a warm bass tone, it gets a little rawer towards the chorus. With plenty of hypnotic and surreal feel, the mid section has a great progression from clear to murky in both vocals and sound. The subtle lead melody, hidden behind the sea of clashing symbols and fuzz surfaces from time to time, punctuated by the growled vocals and as an ending, it does the job well, leaving the track to fade into some heavy breathing and scraping sample noises.

“The Gatekeeper” comes in with its phaser-laden guitar intro. The swirling effect is delivered well as it adds a surreal edge before the bass and drums come in, thickening the sound up well. Slow and steady paced, the verse goes down easy with its simple beat and the vocals have a hazy feel about them. Darkening for the pre-chorus, with some sludge styled harsh vocals, it gets heavier before taking a more melodic and fuller sound in the chorus. Bringing back the phaser, the second verse gets that surreal edge again and the reverb on the vocals just adds that little bit extra before the sludge to melody shift happens again. The hard hitting riff section follows this, speeding up a little and bringing a pseudo-Sabbathian sound before the big build up moment which results in a great sounding classic rock influenced lead with wild wah and fuzz to round the sound out for a solid ending which drifts into a howl of feedback.

“Blinders” has a quick paced intro. With a bouncing feel, a real booming bassline and fuzzed out main riff, it brings the sludge side right out. The harsh vocal delivery hits hard and as it slows to a steadier paced delivery, the vocals clean back up just in time to transition back to the sludge laden groove feel again. With a subtle melodic lesd hook and surreal sounds courtesy of effect use, it comes alive once more before going into the rawness once more. The simple structure and alternating from sludge to melodic in terms of delivery works great and just like before, the howl of feedback signals the end of the track and the first half of the album.

Opening up the second half of the album, “Portrait Gods” hits with a heavy, pounding riff. Heavy on the groove, the vocals really ring out on this one, shifting from raw and harsh growls to soft and expressive cleans with little effort required whilst the riffing sounds like an extremely heavy ‘Welcome To Sky Valley’ era-Kyuss. With ringing out muddy cleans and fat fuzz laden monstrous riffs full over power, it really hits the spot. Not too fast, not too slow, not too overpowering but with plenty of bite where needed and a touch of spaced out for good measure. It’s a joy to behold and the trippy, almost psychedelic solo with the massive wah and phaser use is tremendous!

“Gods” keeps with the more stoner frock friendly sound whilst still containing that power of the doom riff. This time coming off more ‘Blues For The Red Sun’ era-Kyuss meets Fu Manchu, it lays on the fuzz and infectious feel and groove. Subtle lead melodies work in harmony with the vocals, rounding out the sound and giving a twin-headed approach, the power and groove of the riffs and rhythm facing off with the hypnotic delivery of the vocals and hook laden lead. Heavy enough to still maintain links to the doomier side of their sound with the thick sound from the guitar and bass, but having the real rocking flow of the stoner end of the spectrum, its a well balanced track which holds up well.

“Down To The Sky” has an intricate clean intro which flicks to distortion quickly. The slow pace, ringing arpeggios and deep bass create a warm feel reminiscent of Goatess, precariously teetering on the edge of Sabbathian styled doom but having more of a psychedelic edge to it. Heavy but not overpowering, the sound is fantastic with a real depth and fullness to it. The steady pace and powerful vocal delivery works like a charm. The pace allows for some headbanging if needed, but sitting back to appreciate whilst nodding along works well. In the mid section there is a touch of harshness to the vocals but the way the riffs hit with some melodic kicks here and there is what really caps it off. The frenzied wah solo kicks it up a gear as it rips through the steady pace, giving it a more balls out approach which comes in at just the right time. Honestly, this is the best track on the album by far!

Closing the album is “Scars & Crosses”. With a Bill Ward styled drum pattern, it goes into a real raw sounding wah laden lead and you guessed it – right into Sabbathian doom territory. With a brisk pace, a real bite to the snarling guitar tone, this one is a real live-wire. Rough around the edges vocals with some harshness at points cap the faster sections whilst the simple hypnotic main riff hammers away. The lead fills and melodies keep the frenzy going and the shifting from rapid to steady with the pace and delivery is balanced well. Carefully crafted, this track does well to draw on the whole album but adding even more in its final minutes. Solid riffs, great lead progressions, rumbling bass and tremendous drums, this has all the makings of a cracking live track and it serves as a fitting curtain call on an impressive debut full length.

As evident by my review, this album is clearly one of two clear halves. The first half is more orientated to the doomier and sludge side of the musical spectrum whilst the second half, my personal favourite leans more towards the stoner and Sabbathian school of doom with a hefty dose of psychedelic quality added for good measure. When both halves are combined, it gives a well rounded recording which touches on all bases, satisfying fans of all kinds of doom and its sub-genres whilst sounding fresh and unique.

The lavish praised heaped upon Hamburg’s High Fighter is warranted and I highly suggest you should see what the fuss is for yourselves!

(8.5/10, Fraggle)

http://www.facebook.com/highfighter

Overkill/Vader/One Machine – Sound Control, Manchester, 6th April 2016.

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Thank Lemmy for consistency… Yes, I am fully aware that the saying is thank God, but if films have taught me one thing, it is that Lemmy IS God, so yeah!

 

Anyway, back to the review… Very few bands these days can keep the same intensity and approach as they have done when they first started out these days, it is a natural fact that all things will deteriorate over time. Thankfully it seems that East Coast Thrash veterans Overkill seem to be immune to the effects of time with each year that passes. Their sound has remained as intense as always and this was proved by 2014’s White Devil Armory which stands up there along with Years Of Decay in terms of classic Overkill releases.

Joining Overkill are Polish metal titans Vader who have a relentless approach to delivering full on, high quality death metal and One Machine who are comprised of musicians who have featured at some point in Testament, Forbidden, Savage Messiah, Nevermore, Endeavour and Biomechanical. Given the quality on this line up, it looks to be a fairly promising, fast paced evening where heads will be banging and spinning and bodies will be moving.

Initially the doors were supposed to open up at 6 and the first band, One Machine taking to the stage shortly after that, but for some reason, gig things happened and everything got shunted back a little which meant the evening was spent wondering whether I could catch the full Overkill set or not due to last train home and the like..

Eventually, the ball was rolling and the night had begun. One Machine were first up and after the initial exotic sounding intro sample, we were treated to some raw, classic styled thrash. Clean vocals were the mainstay, delivered by a real powerhouse of a vocalist and there were some slips into more rawer and harsher sounding territory, but it was a welcome approach. The instrumental component of the band was solid – a fully cohesive, precise and heavy unit which delivered the goods magnificently – the rhythm section was thunderously heavy whilst the guitars were full on in their approach to riffs and soloing. Tracks like “New Motive Power” were thunderous in their delivery, packing a real raw slice of thrash based aggression into their delivery whilst the closing track “Summoning Of The Soul” could be likened to a thrash version of the Rime Of The Ancient Mariner with its epic story telling feel, long length and slightly nautical themed delivery at times. Real melodic and heavy, it had a real atmospheric delivery and it acted as a great advertisement for the band. It’s a shame their set had to be cut due to the timing mishaps but these guys are one to watch in the future!

Vader were up next and after some sound tech issues initially, things finally got underway. Now, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Vader as a real force in the death metal scene. The way they deliver both in the studio and on stage in terms of the musical quality is fantastic but (you knew this was coming…) seeing them live just does nothing for me. I can’t quite see the spark which other death metal bands usually have with me, but it still doesn’t stop me appreciating it. Technically sound and intense, delivering their trademark crushing musical attack, the fourpiece hit hard with tracks like “Dark Age” and “Come See My Sacrifice” but despite a good portion of the crowd really getting into it and the rest nodding along, all I could keep thinking was ‘square Peg, Round Hole’ for their place on the line up.

Finally, we got to the main point of the night, Overkill!

With the dramatic and tension building “XDM” leading into the relentlessly heavy “Armorist”, the crowd went wild and were in full voice. Bodies were flying and the riffs were flowing as Bobby and the boys were in full swing. Following up quickly was the classic, “Rotten To The Core” and the thunderously powerful “Electric Rattlesnake” and from there on, it just went on like any Overkill show. Bobby worked the crowd the way he always does and the rest of the guys brought the music. “Nice Day For A Funeral” got even more crowd participation and somewhere in the midst of the chaos as I was hurling myself around, I managed to go up and over the rail, getting a fist bump from Bobby in the process which pretty much validated my whole reason for buying tickets for the gig! The groove laden delivery of “Thanks For Nothin’ ” tore the venue a new one and things just kept going great, even if they had to cut two songs from their set due to the timing issues.

Bringing a close to the night, the triple blow of “Ironbound”, “Elimination” and the Subhuman’s cover and arguably Overkill’s trademark song, “Fuck You” capped off a fantastic evening and left Sound Control in pretty much the same state Overkill left it last time they swung by for a night – bodies battered, broken, drenched in sweat and screaming Fuck You at each other. As always, it was a top night and a fantastic thrash party and one can only wonder what it would have been like had the band got the full time allowance.

Still, Overkill came to Shred, In Union we were standing and afterwards, we all felt Rotten to the Core!

(Fraggle)

 *Sadly, I was unable to get any pictures or footage from this gig. If anyone who attended has pictures they would like to share, I will give you credit and put them in here*

Goatess – Purgatory Under New Management (SVART)

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Doom is such a wonderful genre. It ranges from the depths of despair with the crushing, monolithic walls of sound which accompany funeral doom to the groove laden, raw and rocking feeling of stoner doom and of course, Black Sabbath’s ‘trinity of doom’ albums from 1971-1973 (Master Of Reality, Volume 4 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath). The sonic landscape within this genre is vast and there is so much to choose from. Sure, bands like Sleep, Electric Wizard, Saint Vitus, Church Of Misery, Pentagram and other notable names stand out and you can add Goatess to that list.

Formed in 2009 by Vocalist Christus (Christoff Linderson, Lord Vicar, ex-Saint Vitus,) and Guitarist Niklas in Stockholm, the band were conceived with the notion that their music would be more about the ‘power of the riff’ – taking a guitar or bass riff and expanding on it, creating a massive soundscape and atmosphere. The result ended up in their self-titled debut ‘Goatess’, released in 2013 on Svart Records and the best way to describe it would be psychedelic stoner-doom metal. Full of wonderful riffs and captivating and mind bending sounds, this album received high praise and three years later with a slightly changed line up, Goatess return once again to blow our minds. With Purgatory apparently being under new management, let us see how it fares under this new stewardship.

The slow, melodic descending guitar line with a warm and rich bass tone opens up “Moth To Flame” and almost instantly you are sucked into it. The subtle drums give it some slam kind of timing whilst the stringed section slowly encircles you and when Christus’ vocals kick in, everything just transforms. Delivered softly with a real remarkable sound, the vocals combine with the music behind them to create a hypnotic effect. Emotive and expressive, the music slowly begins to build up momentum giving a great feel to it and then it happens… Two minutes in, the riff kicks in as the clean, melodic section reaches its crescendo and to put it bluntly.. Fuck!

The fantastic tone is just something beautiful. Rich fuzz and perfectly balanced, the guitar riff brings the bass and drums to build up more and what results is a full on groove which opens up a new feeling and forces you to surrender yourself to it. With more power behind the vocals this time, they have a real hook to them as Christus’ delivery paints a vivid picture with the music bringing it to life. It’s not heavy as such, but the pounding feel and intensity is massive and you just find yourself caught up in it. Before you know it, you’re at the later stages of the track and the riffs become slightly darker and heavier and a sense of urgency and franticness appears, bringing with it some wild guitar sounds and dramatic, powerful vocals, really shaking it up before it subsides and fades out. What an opening track!!!

Title track, “Purgatory Under New Management” follows next and it starts off with a slow, building drone-like riff under a spoken word sample about the assimilation of paganism into Christianity. As this builds up and sets the scene, the drums and bass come in to build it up some more and the sound of the bass is delightful, clear in the mix and with a great tone! Progressing through the track, it begins to get heavier as the vocals bring the lyrics to life, creating another hypnotic effect over an intricate guitar lead melody and much like the previous track, it builds in intensity and atmosphere before getting more distorted, heavier and intense, resulting in an intricate guitar and drum heavy section to end the track!

With a title which is a clever play on the widely known ‘Murphy’s Law’ which is often the go to explanation for pessimists and realists, “Murphy Was An Optimist” is the next track on this album. Opening up with a real driving feel, the solid riff and drums are accompanied by a booming bassline, creating a steady pulse which is perfect to headbang to whilst the vocals are solid and help push the track on. The riff changes throughout the track, in parts it becomes more melodic for the guitar parts, in others the bassline becomes more melodic but whatever approach it takes, it still maintains that headbanging pulse, the whole idea behind Goatess and their musical vision – create the riff then build the atmosphere around it. Be it the hypnotic feel sections later on in the track or the rumbling and melodic lines earlier on, the simple structure of this track appears so massive because of the little touches the band add to create the atmosphere and the simplistic lead line which ends the song caps it all nicely.

Instrumental track, “Crocodillians And Other Creepy Crawly shh…..” is your typical ‘out there’ moment of the album and not just because of its title. The track consists of a slow, doomy riff which grows in volume and presence, accompanied by a hypnotic wah-laden bassline and steady drums all underneath some samples from a wildlife documentary… Yeah… Anyway, it is hypnotic and captivating. The way the bass’s rich tone and then the intricate clean licks of the guitar combine, it has a real surreal quality to it and as it gets heavier once more, surging and swirling effects really bring it to life, making it the musical equivalent of mushrooms or other hallucinogenic substances!

 

Bringing us back to reality so to speak, “Shadowland” can be described in four simple words – ‘All Hail The Riff!”. With a sound reminiscent of the ‘doomy’ Sabbath era, this track sounds fantastic and would easily fit in with the likes of ‘Sweat Leaf’, ‘Snowblind’ and ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ in the musical department. Vocally, its slightly darker and more ominous to the other tracks and as usual Christus’ delivery brings it all to life. With great timing, excellent delivery and memorable hooks across the track, this is just one to lose yourself in. Round the 3:30 point, we get the iconic ‘lone guitar riff’ moment which leads to a thunderous sounding section which is massive in all elements. Pounding basslines and solid drums lay down a huge sounding foundation for the guitar to freely express itself with a unique solo which has a surreal edge to it before the riffs come back once more.

“Silent War” takes us away from the altar of Iommi and into a spookier place. With a thick basslineand swirling sample, it goes into a real heavy riff underpinned by a steady pulse and coated with a powerful presence. With slightly hazy vocals coming and going between the clear deliveries, it further increases the unease about the track and the solid, chugging riffs give a great groove to it. Round the 5:30 section, there is a huge wah-laden guitar riff which really builds the track up, leading it into a huge sounding section. With a rich and boomy bassline, great vocal work, captivating drums and hypnotic guitar lines, it keeps you in its trance before a real slick and delightful guitar solo blows you away, giving the track a real magical edge.

“Wrath Of God” is the penultimate track and it will consume you. With a rich sounding clean intro laced with a melodic quality, the guitars ring out wonderfully whilst the bassline drives it on and the intricate drum patterns lock it all down to a steady pace. It picks up as the vocals come in and round the 2:20 part, we get a big kick as the distorted section comes in with a real thick sound but it isn’t as overpowering as you would anticipate. Going back to the clean sound, it gets hypnotic once again and as expected, it distorts once more, bringing in a real headbanging feel section before the vocals trail off as a melodic guitar lead takes over. Shifting once more, a hypnotic wah-laden bass heavy section follows with subtle vocals and here is where reality starts to slip away. A clean lead is accompanied by ‘Ahhh’ like backing vocals and subtle synths which all create a fantastic and epic sound and atmosphere. From here, it’s just a case of sit back and enjoy as the leads guide you through to another distorted section, backed up and in places, augmented by the backing vocals and synth, it hits with real power and honestly, this track right here is the best way to describe why you need this album!

Closing the album is “Good Moaning” and it’s back to a more groove-orientated feel. With its heavy, steadily thumping rhythm section and muted guitar chugs, it has a powerful edge which is only amplified by the enticing vocal delivery. Changing feel slightly, the riff alters the pace of the track and switches it to a pounding feel before shifting back again, all the while retaining its thunderous feel and delivery, giving it a real heavy sound. Constantly riddled with subtle changes, it keeps flowing smoothly and draws the album to a close.

Overall, this is a phenomenal release. Laden with great riffs, captivating and hypnotic sensations, a massive sound and atmosphere which just takes you away and blows your mind, Goatess have managed to create a masterpiece here which ranks up there with the best of them. Purgatory is under new management and if this is any indication, Purgatory sounds like a wonderful place to visit! Even though we’re only in the first half of the year, Goatess could very well have released album of the year!

(10/10 Fraggle)

https://www.facebook.com/baldersounds

Exodus, Lost Society, Deified (O2 Academy, Liverpool, 3rd March 2016)

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Liverpool is very hit and miss when it comes to gigs. It’s metal scene cries out for action but when the action comes, those who are most vocal about it are reluctant to show up and support it. Massive attendances only seem to be for higher profile bands, thus starving the underground scene which despite the lack of opportunities in its home, is still thriving somehow… But for how long?

With the fall of Facemelting Entertainment due to gig apathy, Deathwave Promotions have stepped up to the mark to try and breathe life into a dying scene which is plagued by indifference, an inflated sense of self entitlement from a percentage of the punters and the council destroying the musical heritage of the city, one venue at a time.

But enough of the ranting, like many people, I find Thrash metal a great outlet for blowing off some steam, and when two thrash bands and one thrashy groove band are all on one bill, you know its going to be wild!

Opening the stage were Merseyside 2015 Metal To The Masses winners Deified. Before they even came on, the venue was filling up nicely, giving the local based band a damn good crowd to warm up and maybe to get some new fans from. Granted, before they came on, the venue was pitch black, almost as if someone hadn’t paid the ‘leccy bill with the only lighting coming from the stage, but when the five piece appeared, the lights came on a little and we could see. What we saw was a well oiled groove metal unit with a real thrashy edge to their sound. Rumbling feedback gave way to a pounding heavy groove with some real harsh and venomously delivered vocals. Tight as fuck with the relentless groove, the band sounded fantastic. Thunderous low end, a fantastic drummer and the energy of the crowd made for a perfect combination and when they played “Wetwork”, the crowd lapped it up. Sounding like a more thrash orientated Lamb Of God, Deified pounded away at the crowd who were begging for more groove and in this small venue, they sounded even bigger than they already did. Closing with “Ascend”, which ironically went down well (see what I did there ha!), the crowd loved every second of their punishing assault and the heartfelt thanks of the band for the turnout and participation really spurred everyone on. These guys are one to watch out for!

Following this up was Finish thrash fourpiece Lost Society who have just released their third album “Braindead”. Normally, you would associate Finland and the bands it often spawns  being of the doomier, blackened, symphonic or power metal varieties, but these turbo charged metalheads are thrash through and through which makes for a pleasant change. Full of energy from the off, you cannot deny they love being on stage. Old school sounds laid waste to the O2 and it was beautiful to witness.

Air raid siren vocals, frantic paced riffs and some serious speed really put the European representation on this tour down as a firm favorite of the crowd, and with the energy of the frontman, bouncing across the stage, hyping the crowd up even more who in turn drove him to be even more energetic was brilliant. Granted, they weren’t all about playing fast as fuck because they could. “Hollow Eyes” hit like a sledgehammer with a real powerful sound and solid steady thrash groove whilst “Terror” kicked things back up a few gears and really upped the pace of the evening once more whilst “I Am The Antidote” had the mandatory crowd participation sections which the majority of thrash acts utilise with the empowering ‘Oi! Oi!’ section with fists pounding rhythmically in the air. These guys were fantastic from start to finish and they really got everyone ready for Exodus.

Now, 31 years in Thrash is a pretty long time and let’s face it, line up changes will happen in this time and the guitarist shaped elephant in the room was of course the big issue for many (Personally, for me it was the fact that Dukes still hadn’t returned to vocal duties but Zetro was sufficient to say the least!).

Exodus took to the stage and it was pretty much like the last time I saw them indoors. In June 2015, they played Manchester Academy 3, a small room in the middle of a heatwave. March 3rd 2016, they played Liverpool O2 Academy 2, a small room but in the middle of a cold snap. Either way, extreme temperatures and thrash were involved but the cold matter little as the bay area veterans came out.

No fucks given and no prisoners taken, it was a maelstrom of chaos from the off with bodies flying left and right. Wild, classic sounding and raw as hell, the guys delivered exactly what everyone wanted. Jumping from their classic works to the most recent releases without a single beat missed, the old and the new went down exactly the same – flawlessly delivered. The lack of Gary was addressed on stage again but by now, no one really cares anymore, we get he’s going to pick Slayer over Exodus nine times out of ten and the way Exodus have simply carried on proves that one man doesn’t define a band with the legacy that the Bay Area titans have.

“A Lesson In Violence” was dedicated to Lemmy after they addressed how this was a fantastic night that they were having and after paying compliments of the highest order to Lost Society, they paid their own respects to the generation which came before them. Other favorites like “Blacklist”, “War Is My Shepherd” and the seldom played “Vlad The Impaler” were well received and the ending double shot of “Toxic Waltz” and “Strike Of The Beast” which signalled the obligatory build up wall of death spot closed the set, allowing the newer generation, the millennial metal kids to see just what the previous guard had to show them and it was a true lesson in violence.

 

By the end of it, there were few down in the action zone who weren’t going to be feeling it in the morning. For a wet and cold Wednesday night, the metal scene of Liverpool rallied and came out in force to attend a gig which this city should be capable of attracting but the same old will happen – people will moan that there is nothing on and the average gig attendance will drop back to 30-60 people tops. Still, negativity aside on that point, this was a fantastic night, a tremendous turn out and it did offer hope for those who love the live scene in Liverpool and maybe the efforts of Andy, the mastermind behind DeathWave Promotions who managed to get this gig going will be recognized and rewarded as the scene pull together to support each other once again.

Not wanting to sidetrack this any further, it was a phenomenal night and I highly recommend all three bands.

(Fraggle)

Chestburster – “Slime And Guilt” (Svart)

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unnamedWith a name like Chestburster, you’d expect something horrific lurking beneath the surface, ready to explode to life and bring forth something totally terrifying and impossible to grasp the reality of and this three piece may just be that. With a few EP’s under their belt already, the trio from Kouvola, Finland are set to unleash their debut offering, titled “Slime And Guilt”. With a name like that, you have to wonder just how filthy this album really is.

Wonder no more, as the opening bars of “Faces In The Rain” reveal all you need to know. With a real sludgy feel with doom-like atmosphere backing it up, it’s unsettling and evil, just the way we like it. Initially steady paced, it really hits in for the verse, delivered hard, fast and rather loosely, there is a real punk vibe to it, hidden under all that grimy sludge harshness coating it. Despite being rough around the edges, both instrumentally and vocally in terms of the delivery, there are subtle lines of melody buried within the layers and when you pick up on them, they are rather good. Delving into Black Metal territory slightly round the break with a real frantic paced delivery with huge sounding chords played at a blistering pace, the song just jumps from varying levels of intensity on a whim, keeping you on your toes, especially towards the end with its screamed vocals and sinister sounding lead guitar section for a chaotic end.

“Experienced Virgin” has more of a real raw stoner feel to it, oozing with copious amounts of sleaze and dirt. With a raw tone and slightly ‘off-beat- feel, the hazy vocals have a slight hypnotic effect to them. There’s plenty of nifty little blues licks across the track, all of them packed with plenty of flair and character but as you’d expect, Chestburster don’t do things normally. Speeding proceedings up, it gets more chaotic and all of a sudden, there is a lot more happening – wild drums, fast paced bass and guitar and harsh vocals all lead to a real solid sounding solo soaked in a fantastic wah-rich tone to round it all off. Title track “Slime And Guilt” switches it up again, this time rolling back the years to a real hard and loose late 70’s styled punk sound. With the raw and loose feel about it, combined with the hazy vocals, it really captures the essence of the album so far, that being it is wild, uncoordinated and frantic with no real flow to it whatsoever.

“Gas Station Pilgrim” keeps this lack of flow going, changing it up again and bringing a near 10 minute epic to the party. Its real slow blues feel works like a charm, allowing for some great atmospheric build up without much intensity to it. When the verse finally lands, the bass is stupidly heavy and those hazy vocals return yet again along with small flashes of intensity to the sound. With the chorus, it gets more prominent, having a ‘bigger sound’ to it and you kind of get the feeling this is like a slow burning fuse, just waiting to explode to life but as it goes on, through some real hook laden riffs and plenty of ominous vibes given off, there isn’t that explosion which is so brilliantly teased. It does get heavier towards the end after the massive solo section but the only explosion is the expressive lead to cap this epic length track off.

From here on out, things begin to settle in to some kind of flow. “The Arm Stretches Out”, “Rojo Sangre” And “Licking Letters” all have real prominent feelings of stoner-doom groove to them. Packed with riffs which in some cases are tributes to the Godfather of riffs himself, Iommi, and others which are more hook laden and infectious in nature, this trio of songs gets some good momentum and continuity building and shows just what the band is capable of when they settle on one direction. There are flashes of the chaos which ran through the opening tracks, it wouldn’t really be Chestburster without those, but it is a welcome change to have a block of tracks which work well with each other.

This of course changes for the final two tracks. “Tame” is more doom friendly than stoner/groove and the sinister sounding guitar and bass intro really sets up the massive Sabbath styled riffs perfectly, but from here, it is anything but tame. Picking up the pace significantly for the verse, it goes flat out before slowing down again, repeating this pattern to the end of the track. Each section has some great pounding riffs (Slow) and some reall hook laden instrumental sections and slick lead line deliveries, but after the continuity of the previous tracks, it just feels a little off. “Ice Age Inside My Head” is the closing number and this brings back the groove feel. With a solid pace, some great melodic hooks to the riffs and some good energy in it, the track brings the band back to doing what they do best . More accessible than most of the album, its an enjoyable track to listen to with its straight to the point rock and roll vibe coated in a thick stoner styled delivery and the guitar work is magnificent, oozing class be it in the lead sections or the riffs.

In all, “Slime And Guilt” is an album of two parts, the opening part in my mind being the weaker of the two. If you can get past the first four tracks, you have a remaining 5 which are great slices of groove laden doom which would make the perfect soundtrack for some high and good times. It is an album which does get better as it goes on, but given how different the two parts of this release are, its a case of persevering and dealing with the dynamic and entropic qualities of the first half.

Still, it’s not bad, it’s just not for everyone.

(6.5/10 Fraggle)

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‘Of Ghosts and Gods Tour, 2016’: Kataklysm, Septic Flesh, Aborted. Manchester Soundcontrol 18-02-2016

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When a tour like this rolls round, you’d be foolish not to grab a ticket and get along to it. Two of Death Metal’s most titanic bands in the past decade or so along with another Symphonic Mediterranean based Death Metal band in a small venue which has great acoustics and is easily accessible is a night you do not want to miss out on and the fact that Aborted were on the bill sealed the deal for me.

My first encounter with Aborted and Kataklysm was back in 2007 when they played Damnation Festival 2007 up in Leeds and needless to say, it was fantastic! Since then, I have always tried to catch Aborted whenever I can and it seems like when they are in town, Kataklysm aren’t usually far behind or they play the following year.

Getting to the venue for doors at 6:30, the first stop was the merch table manned by Sven, the charismatic and commanding frontman for Aborted and after forking over some of my cash for a new shirt and then hitting the bar for Red Stripe, I was all set. I was still amazed with the fact that they were the opening act (personally, I saw them as a headliner but ah well!) but when the opening music from the film “Hellraiser” was used for their walk out, a quick look around the venue, seeing it fairly packed out for the opening act, all that went out the window – only brutality mattered.

And brutal it was. The grindcore tainted death metal slammed into you like a jackhammer and didn’t stop. Pummeling with harsh vocals, blasting drums and intense guitar and bass, everything was spot on as you would expect from the long standing five piece. Recent works such as Necrotic Manifesto and Termination Redux went down a storm with the crowd, as did the relentless onslaught of brutal riffery and sublime lead work but the most well received part was the talk of a new album either coming in April, or work beginning on it in April. Either way, I am eagerly anticipating this.

Up next after a brief changeover were Greece’s Septic Flesh. Greece has a rich history for extreme metal bands, the most notable riding the wave of interest being Rotting Christ and a lot of people were eagerly anticipating this act.

Opening up their set, you could tell the symphonic element was a key component to their sound as it really augmented the death metal beneath it. With a grand feel about them and a decent tone too, they delivered the goods. I don’t know much about them so I cannot really say which tracks went down a storm and so on, but the crowd loved it. Interacting well with the crowd, the frontman had a good stage presence and the music was filled with blasts and solid death metal grooves under the dramatic and sinister symphonic overtures, the latter of which I found enjoyable and found myself wondering if a venue with better suited acoustics to this kind of music would make them sound phenomenal. Their final song, “Prometheus” really sparked the crowd after the dedication to the bands and those in attendance and it did have a real epic feel to it and maybe it may be worth investigating this group more, but to me, as good as they were in the live setting, they didn’t sit right on the bill for me and personally, I feel they should have opened.

With those down and more booze in me, it was time for the headliners. Kataklysm, hailing from the United States of Canada (according to Septic Flesh’s frontman) are a band who really need no introduction.

From the off, the solid groove driven brutal death metal hit hard and didn’t relent in the slightest. Tight and precise, it was excellently delivered and the band the majority of those in attendance were there to see were received as expected. Breaching the Asylum opened the proceedings and from there, it just rolled through. With tracks spanning their discography for the most part, there wasn’t a song which wasn’t happily lapped up. Rarely played Open Scar’s went down a storm whilst crowd favorite Crippled and Broken tore the place a new one setting up an encore of Iron Will and Elevate to round off a storming live performance.

By the end of the night I was a bit bruised but not as crippled and broken as I would have expected to be, but one can only put that down to Aborted opening the show and not closing it!

The ‘Of Ghosts And Gods Tour’ is one of those special tours which comes by every now and then and it is well worth trying to catch it, after all, where else can you find three of the most in form Death Metal bands of the moment on the same bill? Symphonic, Groove, pounding, brutal… It was an enjoyable night for all who went!

(Fraggle)

Baphomet’s Blood – “In Satan We Trust” (Iron Bonehead)

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Italian dark thrashers Baphomet’s blood take the primal and grim ambience and atmosphere of black metal and the occult and mix it with the early thrash styled approach of the early 80’s to create a real fast paced and evil sounding record. Aptly titled, “In Satan We Trust”, every track has a name drop or reference to El Diablo himself/herself/itself, whether it be samples from horror films or screaming out his name, it’s very evil and that’s always a fun thing.

From the 2 and a half minute sample based opening of the album’s first track, “Command Of The Inverted Cross” to the final bars of “Eleg”, a Farao cover, it’s a fast paced, stripped back, simplistic and predictable approach, mixed with plenty of dark themes and ill intent. Powerful drums and basslines pin the pace down and allow the wild and untamed guitars to do their thing. Buzzing away like a swarm of angry locusts dosed up on Methamphetamine, the twin guitar assault with the Venom-meets-Motorhead styled vocal delivery, the speedy Satan praising thrash onslaught pulls no punches. With that classic 80’s sound and some lightning quick and blistering solo’s, it is a full on assault.

“In Satan We Trust” brings some Merciful Fate styled sounds to the table with the hybrid bastard offspring of heavy metal and thrash metal, packed with plenty of speed and plenty of bite, but instead of the piercing wails for vocals, it’s the raw and sleazy shouts , complete with a guitar solo trade off spot which goes down well. “Hellbreaker” is frantic paced from the get go, hitting speeds which veteran windmillers like Corpsegrinder would have trouble keeping up with at times and the vocals are even wilder. After this, the remaining tracks all follow the same formula and structure near enough – fast, wild, shouted vocals, solo’s played at rapid pace and plenty of powerful rhythms.

“Infernal Overdrive” breaks this mold slightly, being the most intense track of the album. Starting off dramatically, it builds before it peaks and explodes into a thunderous sounding and venomously delivered slice of no bullshit thrash. Pounding drums, powerful and booming basslines with tight and precise lead fills and licks which have a building feel, ramping the intensity up even more, it really gets going and as expected, the wild and maelstrom of chaos which comes in the form of the solo is fantastic.

Overall, “In Satan We Trust” is a solid album. It isn’t shit, but it doesn’t excel or shine out either compared to its contemporaries which were released in the thrash scene this year. All it is, is no nonsense speed-thrash metal with some darkness, primal anger and shameless Satan supporting with a real 80’s feel to it. It’s worth a listen, especially for the diehard thrashers out there, but as for everyone else, you’ll either like it, or tire of it quickly. To the point, no fucking about, Baphomet’s Blood trust in Satan, and that trust has been repaid with some fast as fuck riff wizardry!

(6/10 Fraggle)

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Seer – “Volume 1 & 2” (Art Of Propaganda)

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Seer are a doom band with some serious sludge and psychedelic influences. Hailing from the Pacific coast of Canada, the sound the guys come out with is just as massive as the expanse they hail from. A two-part release, Volume 1 & 2 promises a surreal journey through the vast expanse with some serious sonic landscapes to traverse and many challenges to whether ranging from intense to heavy to ominous and discomforting. Perhaps named in tribute to the guys who started it all, Black Sabbath, Seer are certainly ready to unleash something special and with a raft of guest musicians to make this possible, we can only hope the two parter makes one complete piece.

Opening up with “Glimmervoid”, a wall of colossal sounding riffs backed up with some booming bass kicks things off and the slightly hazy, spaced out vocal delivery gives it a real ominous and surreal edge. Shifting into a fantastic groove laden section, the vocals get harsher, taking a real sludge-like edge to them before it quickly slips into the powerfully delivered chorus. The ‘bouncy’ feeling riff with a great tone and clean vocals once again come in, changing the pace slightly, and this approach continues throughout the track, slipping from slow paced to thick and heavy groove, clean and trippy singing to real harsh roars. It’s a simple exploit of dynamics, but it works fantastically. As the track continues, it gets heavier and there are some wonderful sounding riff sections and some real heavy pounding moments, all leading up to a dramatic and intensely heavy ending which eases off into some howling feedback to draw the track to a close.

“Hive Mind” is a steady paced, dissonant feeling and huge sounding track. With a melodic lead over a pulsing drone-like rhythm, it has a hypnotic quality to it. The clean hazy vocals return and as they float across the riffs, the rich and booming bass really shines, acting almost as a counter melody to the vocal progression. Guitar-wise, it sounds similar to Sleep’s ‘Dopesmoker’ with the harsh and powerful droning tone and it certainly hits like it in parts – a huge wall of distorted noise and roared vocals near the mid-section is both captivating and intimidating, very similar to Conan in some ways. Some real filthy riffs round the 4:30 mark lead into a slick solo which brings in a frantic feel which in turn leads to more feedback which acts as the curtain call for part 1 of the release.

The second part, “Volume 2” opens up with “Cosmic Ghost”. With some samples of wind blowing over a vast empty expanse backing up a clean acoustic guitar which has some droning to it, it has a real atmospheric feel to it. The vocals are cleanly delivered with that spaced out edge once again. The added string sections add an extra edge and the spaced out chanting like vocals of the slightly droning acoustic guitar really creates a relaxing feel, even as the distortion subtly begins to creep in halfway through. As the distortion grows, the slow and steady pace with acoustic layering remains, keeping it more restrained than the previous tracks.

“Haunter” opens up with a Sleep styled riff before really kicking in. Massive sounding and almost crushing in the delivery, the thunderous pounding just hammers away at a mesmerizing pace. The hazy vocals are layered just behind the pounding musical onslaught, almost lost in the noise and this mixing trick works to good effect, making you fully immerse yourself in the sonic landscape the track has created just to hear it. Luring you in and taking hold, it puts you under its spell, smothering you with the distortion and the wild almost atonal guitar solo before going into a harmonized riff section which acts as a slight reprieve before it goes more atonal and even heavier, pummeling you with harshness which persists until the end.

“Antibody” is the penultimate track and it has a more Black Sabbath feel to its intro riff. With more of a kick to it but still retaining the heavier edge of Haunter, it powers along with a great headbanging pace, bringing some up-tempo doom styled riffery with some great vocal harsh moments in the right places to really kick it in. With more precise and dissonant sounding leads over thundering rhythms, it embodies chaos whilst still having a solid groove and it sets up for the closing track quite well. “Aeons” brings a dramatic sounding close to the album. Howling wind samples with some atonal sounding chords and bass bring the track slowly in, almost mimicking a bell tolling. Slowly progressing, it has a very unsettling feel to it and this persists throughout. Some small melodic melody lines and heavily effects-laden vocals fade in an out, toying with the listener and keeping them on edge, anticipating the explosion of noise. Except this explosion doesn’t come. Instead it stays like this before slowly trailing off into silence, giving a strange and uneasy end to a strange album.

Overall, “Volume 1 & 2” is a fascinating release. The intensely heavy opening double of Volume 1 brings the intensity and despite some slight dips into this sound in “Volume 2”, the later quadruplet of tracks are more atmospheric and bring a different kind of intensity. One favours noise whilst two favours toying with the senses. Starting off with a harsh and heavy variant of sludge-laden doom, it evolves into a full on psychedelic sludge-doom hybrid which keeps you under its spell for the whole duration of the album. Head on into the Glimmervoid and follow the Seer.

(7/10 Fraggle)

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Aborted – “Termination Redux” (Century Media)

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635826745208491354Death Metal is such a diverse genre which slips into so many other genres with relative ease but also has its own unique sound and feel. Whether it is brutal, traditional, USDM, UKDM, Melodic Death Metal or doom, black, grind or gore tinted, it has that signature intensity which sets it apart and currently, none seem to shine brighter than Belgium’s own Aborted.

I first discovered this band back in 2007 when they played Damnation Festival 2007 along with Kataklysm and strangely enough, nine years later, the two are touring once again! The Belgian five piece are uncompromising in their approach, laying waste with harsh vocals which are barked or guttrally smashed into you whilst the precise rhythm unit of the band lock everything down to lay a solid foundation for some real phenomenally heavy and brutal riff work. In all, its a band who after 20 years in existence, seem to have reached that point where it comes so easy to them. As a taster for what is to come and to celebrate 20 years in the DM scene, Aborted release Termination Redux, a short EP with all new brutal material. Are you ready for some blast beats?

Opening up with “Liberate Me Ex Infernus”, we have the usual introduction setting short sample intro track which sets the scene. With distorted voices and a sinister atmosphere, it would have served better just being a part of the track it leads into, but nevermind, it does the job well enough and as “Termination Redux” explodes into life, it is time to experience the full fury of Aborted. Opening up with a sheer wall of force, hitting like a sledgehammer to the skull, the blasting drums with evil sounding guitars crush all in their path with no remosre. The verse speeds things up significantly, the harshly delivered vocals create a maelstrom of chaos as they tear ahead and the delivery is just spot on. Precise rhythms, effortless blasting and brutal feeling riffery, its exactly what you expect from the band. Round the 2 minute mark, things take a sinister turn with a real malevolent sound and feel – a big breakdown section with haunting clean melodic lines over harsh vocals and a slower pace which brings a sense of unease. This slips into a fluid and flowing technical solo which in turn leads to a massive vocal roar which signals the return of the maelstrom , ending the track with an explosion of brutal proportions.

“Vestial Disfigurement Upon The Sacred Chantry” is furious from the off. The relentless blasting of the drums with intricate and pounding guitar riffs played at a rapid pace cuts through with little fuss or care for what is in its way and the venom in the vocal delivery is magnificent. With a wild and chaotic feel, it is unbelievably intense and heavy and that is just the opening minute! It slows slightly into a more controlled section which has a real thunderous feel to it and the guttral vocal stylings begin to rear their head once again, adding to the intense atmosphere. Speeding up again, the twisting, harmonic laden riffs up the frantic feel as they squeal out clearly between blasts and chugs and overall it has a fantastic no nonsense death metal groove to it.

“Bound In Acrimony” is another full force, relentless sonic assault with some serious power in it. The blistering pace from the off, provided by the furious blasting on the drums gives a real tightly controlled groove with an intense delivery. It doesn’t let up, from the thundering bass to the buzzing guitars and machine gun like drums, it just keeps on going, letting nothing get in its way, making for what could be a spectacular track in the live setting just for the sheer ferocity of it! Closing the EP is “The Holocaust Reincarnate”. Possibly the heaviest and most intense track on this short EP, the closing number has it all. Pounding bass which brings a heavy as fuck quality to the sound, really letting the low end thunder through whilst the buzzing guitars and drums bring the pace. Slipping into a full on audio-assault of death metal, the precise and rapid-fire groove just steamrollers everything in its path. Like a madman on PCP charging through the streets, shrugging off tasers and gunshots, the venomous delivery of the track pulls no punches and takes no shit! Even when it slows down with an ominous sounding breakdown, it has a full on headbang feel with plenty of slam styled riffs to keep the intensity going, occasionally broken up by sporadic bursts of pace and rapid riffery, leading into a technically sound solo over the controlled brutality to draw it to a close.

Overall, this isn’t just a stop-gap release. This is a signal of intent, a statement, something to show what 20 years of brutal and technical death metal can lead to. Termination Redux is a taste of what Aborted plan to bring to the table with their next full length release. Uncompromising, taking no prisoners and demonstrating why they are shown so much respect and admiration, Aborted have delivered once again. In roughly 15 minutes, the brutal Belgians have got 2016 off with a blastbeat and the coming tour with Kataklysm promises so much.

(8/10 Fraggle)

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Sonic Recapitulation’s top 20 of 2015

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2015 was a stellar year for releases. Anyone who said there was nothing worthy or of note released seriously needs to take a long look at themselves and ask the question – “Just what the fuck was I listening to?”

Great tours, Fantastic albums and some bands stepping up to the plate and others passing on the torch or re-inventing themselves and showing what they can do with some new ideas, it was a great year for some and a let down for others.

This has been a rather interesting year musically! I’ve probably reviewed around 100 albums since the start of the year and listened to a few more so I had a pretty big list to try and condense down. There were some expected musical deliveries, some surprise packages, some expected dreadful albums and a handful of one’s which should have been so much better than they actually were, it was rather disappointing (See Slayer, Geoff Tate). Anyway, there won’t be any honorable mentions this year so lets crack on with it:

 

1) Iron Maiden – “The Book Of Souls”. (EMI)

It had to be this really, the moment I heard “Speed Of Light” before the album was released, I was impressed with the more hard rock vibe delivered in that classic Maiden style. Bruce has had some big health troubles recently, but you’d never have thought it listening to his work on this album. For me, it’s the best one they’ve put out since Bruce rejoined for ‘Brave New World’ as it pushes the boundaries a little more for Maiden – actually using drop-D tuning for one song, Harris only being the creative mind in half of the tracks and of course, that epic closing track, “Empire Of The Clouds” which showcases Dickinson’s creativity, ingenuity and fantastic vocal story telling… Also, can’t forget mentioning that sweet guitar solo on “Tears Of A Clown”!

 

2) Night Viper – “Night Viper” (Svart)

This was the surprise package and for the past week or so (at time of writing this up), it was the one thing which actually came close to topping Iron Maiden on my list. Delivered with that classic NWOBHM style sound, mixing the early Maiden, Priest and Saxon sounds with some realy modern grit and fantastic vocals, the Swedish classic sounding metal outfit produced one of the best debut albums of the year and one of the most authentic sounding metal albums which borrows heavily from the 80’s. My review of this album really explains just what I think of the release so feel free to give it a read.

3) Armored Saint – “Win Hands Down” (Metal Blade)

Whilst this album didn’t score as high as the album in the #4 position, this is possibly one of my most listened to records of 2015. A solid album which showcases why John Bush is easily one of the finest metal vocalists of our time and how the often overlooked and underrated thrash and groove metallers always deliver when its time to offer up a new record. With scathing views on society combined with fantastic guitar work and some slick bass and drums, it’s an all round album which was so nearly my album of 2015 if it wasn’t for the two above it!

 4) Jupiter Falls – “Revolution” (Broken Road)

I said enough about this release in my review and my opinion still hasn’t changed. To me, it is a modern day version of Appetite For Destruction – it’s got all the bases covered, it’s an explosive sounding album made by people who really know how to put together some solid sounding tracks and play a wide range of styles, from your modern metal to classic sleaze tainted rock to big heartfelt tracks. Having heard a demo of a new track for the follow up, I can safely say this is an album which will solidify Jupiter Falls in years to come! A fine debut and one hell of a sound!

 5) My Sleeping Karma – “Moksha” (Napalm)

The album which literally blew my mind when I listened to it was again another heavy contender for album of the year. In fact all my top 5 were, that is how close they all are! Stunning songwriting, beautifully arranged melodies and a massive sounding sonic landscape for you to immerse yourself in, the German instrumental psychadelic doom and groove merchants have created easily the best instrumental album of 2015 and probably recent years too. If you do anything, just listen to the title track and prepare to be left an awestruck drooling mess after it!

6) Evil Invaders – “Pulses of Pleasure” (Napalm)

Much like Night Viper, Evil Invaders have brought out a convincing classic sounding album with some modern edge to it. Speed Metal at its finest, “Pulses of Pleasure” is a high tempo, high intensity, full on metal onslaught. Big riffs, big solo’s, air raid siren vocals and copious amounts of attitude behind it, it shits on a lot of the speed and thrash metal releases. Mr Araya and Mr King could learn a few things when it comes to recording a thrash album if they listened to this before hitting the studio!

 7) Diemonds – “Never Gonna Die” (Napalm)

Infectious and melodic hard rock with sacks of attitude, Diemond’s were another surprise for me this year. The great melodic hooks laced across the tracks, combined with the solid vocals from Priya which go from 80’s sleaze friendly to seductive and powerful just get stuck in your mind and the rebellious attitude flowing through each track just grows on you more and more. Simple, straight to the point and memorable, it’s an album you should take the time to check out!

 8) Napalm Death – “Apex Predator-Easy Meat” (Century Media)

It’s fucking Napalm Death, do I need to say any more?

 9) Psycroptic – “Psycroptic” (Prosthetic Records)

Aussie technical death metal fourpiece Psycroptic blew me away when I saw them in a tiny venue, performing a real storming set which had the crowd in the palm of their hand. Technically precise, intense, heavy and pulling no punches, this is one release I am glad I picked up!

 10) Iris Divine – “Karma Sown” (Sensory)

The top progressive metal album of the year for me. A massive sound from a three piece, channeling the spirit of Rush but with a heavier edge to it. With some fantastic arrangements, intricate solo’s and riffs and plenty of hidden nuances in each track which you discover each time, like hidden bass solo’s in a chorus or soaring synths which teasingly fade in and out of earshot between the heavy metallic riffery, it’s fantastic!

 11) Anthropia – “Non-Euclidean Spades” (Adarca)

 12) Abhorrent Deformity – “Entity Of Malevolence” (Comatose Music)

 13) Jorn Lande and Trond Holter present DRACULA – “The Swing Of Death” (Frontiers)

 14) Apophys – “Prime Incursion” (Metal Blade)

 15) Queensrÿche – “Condition Hüman” (Century Media)

 16) Cattle Decapitation – “The Anthropocene Extinction” (metal blade)

 17) PIST – “Rhythm and Booze” (When Planets Collide)

 18) Vision Of Disorder – “Razed To The Ground” (Candlelight)

 19) Weedeater – “Goliathan” (Season Of Mist)

 20) The Answer – “Raise A Little Hell” (Napalm)