Hailing from Hungary, Morbid Carnage‘s Pulverised Records debut Night Assassins unloads seven vile and bludgeoning thrash tracks with an energetic delivery. While the music on the band’s first full length isn’t going to revolutionize or make a dent in the already thick thrash genre, the band’s delivery is what helps set them apart from their peers. The overall vibe that this album exudes is maniacal, evil and aggressive.

Now, they just need to add in a bit more variety in their song writing (oh, and a little more time spent on the album artwork) and we’ll have something a more to talk about next time around.

Warlust
Frenetic riffs and bestial drumming dominate the opening track as the vocals are delivered harshly and with plenty of vitriol. There’s a high energy groove that is shoveled down your gullet as these dudes tear through the song as quickly as they possibly can. The pseudo breakdown about half way through helps break up the unrelenting pace a good deal.

Slaughtering
At 3:35 in length, “Slaughtering” is the shortest song on the album so you know there are some lengthy thrash tracks on the disc — which ultimately leads to some monotony unfortunately. At any rate, this here song is chock full of burly drums, catchy guitar work and a vehement vocal delivery.

Funeral Pyre
“Funeral Pyre” has a bit of a Slayer feel to the slower opening moments before going for a darker tone as the vocals come in. The pace to this song is a bit more restrained than the previous couple songs, but it’s no less powerful. The pace eventually picks up to a solid gallop with the gang chorus. Don’t miss the sick lead around 2:30. I’m digging the later half of this song a good deal — the riffs and subsequent chugging mosh make for a head banging good time.

Empty Graves
A more varied opening and series of riffs before the guys settle into their high energy rhythm helps set “Empty Graves” apart some from the rest of the album. The song lengths are getting a bit overwhelming at this point. The band needs to interject some variety and change-ups in the songs if they are going to keep them longer than four minutes. Morbid Carnage do break up the pace a bit mid way through this song, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to break up the feeling of repetition that tends to sneak in. Other than that, there are some truly burly riffs and mosh found throughout this track.

Deviant
Searing guitars and an animalistic attack on the drums explode out of the speakers at the start of “Deviant.” I’m not sure how the guys managed it, but they squeezed out some more aggression and energy, delivering this song with piledriving force. The gang vocals are a nice touch and offer you the opportunity to get involved with the band. This is one of those songs that’s so violent and in your face that you’re willing to overlook the lack of variety in it — accepting the full frontal assault on your skull with pleasure.

Castle In Pain
Ok. I’ve already whined about the unfortunate effect of thrash in songs that are just too long, well here we have the seven minute opus, “Castle In Pain.” It starts off with a mid-tempo pace and your standard thrash riffing before eventually ramping up to a quicker pace and more aggressive guitar work around 2:30. There are a couple of memorable riffs at the half way point, but they are eventually swallowed by a decent enough lead and then that standard thrash chug. If you’re going to write a song this long do something with it. There’s just not enough variety in this one to keep my full attention.

Night Assassin
The title track rounds out a pretty good debut with bigger riffs and beefier drums than the last song. The band has certainly made up for the rather disappointing “Castle In Pain.” This last song is aggressive and raw with plenty of head banging mayhem. It’s probably my favorite song on the disc.

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Additional Notes:
n/a

Man, if I hadn’t known better (and without looking at what disc I just threw into the stereo) I would have sworn that this was a Jamie Jasta (Hatebreed) spin-off. While the music on Arma Gathas‘ debut Dead To This World is firmly rooted in early 90′s Hatebreed style hardcore, there are some heavy thrash and metalcore leanings to be found throughout the disc.

Featuring slick guitar work from Simon Füllemann (Cataract) and Marc Niedersberg the album is chock full of catchy riffs that would be happy on Burn My Eyes-era Machine Head, but with bit more hardcore influences thrown in. The rhythm section know how to lay down some burly beats and up-tempo gallops, driving the dueling guitars deep into your skull. Vocally, Ché Snelting (Born From Pain) has a delivery and cadence very similar to that of Hatebreed’s Jamie Jasta. I don’t believe that he’s going out of his way to ape the style, but I’ll be damned if it’s not confusing at times.

Overall, Dead To This World is one of those albums that’s not going to end up on many year-end lists, but it’s easy as hell to get caught up in. There is plenty of groove, aggressiveness and catchy sing along sections with the choruses that you can’t help but have fun with this one.

Antagonist
Arma Gathas open up the album with this brief instrumental that’s rather subdued and has a sound clip over top of gentle guitars. It’s an interesting track since it sets up a bit of atmosphere that’s bleak and sort of goes with bludgeoning hardcore/thrash that fills the remainder of the album.

The Rise And Fall
“The Rise and Fall” open up ferociously with a big scream and massive guitars, waking you from the gentle slumber that the opening instrumental lulled you into. There’s a great groove permeating this song. And dammit, those vocals are so uncannily similar to Jasta’s (especially the vocal patterns) that it sort of throws you off track at first. Once you get past that the rest of the album is pretty damned decent.

Losing Hope
“Losing Hope” transitions in seamlessly from the previous song, but hits a great deal harder with a more ferocious vocal delivery that’s accompanied by driving riffs and bestial drum work. Man, this is a heavy song. There’s a pretty slick lead at 1:27 that you should definitely check out. Overall, this one definitely has that Hatebreed sound, but it’s still enjoyable as hell.

The Lies Of Man
The opening riffs on this next one are catchy and lead into a decent groove as the vocals arrive on the scene. There’s a bit of a lull in the attack just before the two minute mark that then jumps into groove filled riffs and drum work. Not a bad song, but not nearly as aggressive as “Losing Hope.”

The Damage Done
“The Damage Done” sounds like a thrashed up song from Hatebreed’s Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire. It’s a bleak, ferocious and aggressive song that has plenty of opportunity for you to get into it and shout along with the chorus. This is a burly track that is sure to move a few circle pits. The track dissolves into a mass of noise as it fades into the next instrumental.

Liberate Me
“Liberate Me” is a relatively tame 1:22 long song with moody guitars and a string arrangement that comes in during the second half. I’ll be skipping it in the future.

Depopulation
Now this is what I’m talking about. This is one of those songs that dark, brooding and heavy as hell. It’s got thick groove driven guitars, a catchy chorus you can shout along with and a bruising pace that’s sure to snap a few necks. The lead around 1:50 fits in nicely, as well.

New Saviour
“New Saviour” has all sorts of layered vocals that add a new dimension to the band’s overall sound. This is a pretty beefy track with pile driving drums and driving rhythms. It’s got a bit more of that early Machine Head sound that’s a nice addition, as well. The end of the song is quite epic in feel.

Generation Doom
After that rather interesting ending to “New Saviour,” the guys gets down to business with “Generation Doom,” a thrashing, menacing song. The vocals on this one have seen a shift as well. I’m not sure if it’s a guest vocalist or if Snelting is just being more authentic with his own voice, but I’ll be damned if I don’t prefer this style so much better. Overall, this is easily one of the best (if not the best) songs on the album. It’s got a more metal vibe to it and is what I would love to hear more of from the band.

Protagonist
This is the last instrumental on the album and quite honestly probably the most poorly timed one. It absolutely kills the momentum that “Generation Doom” had built up. On a side note, the sound clip used was also recently employed on Mr. Death’s Detached From Live.

God’s Wrath
After that brief interlude, the band gets back into the metal tinged hardcore beat down. “God’s Wrath” also sees the revised vocal presence that still reaches into the Jasta realm of deliveries, but not too much. There’s a good deal of groove flowing through this monster of a song.

Constant Hunt For Blood
I’m digging the overall feel of this next track as the lead work is overlayed on top of some burly riffs. Once the guys settle in, the pace is ramped up with bruising drum work and driving riffs. The vocals are delivered aggressively and with plenty of vehemence as the song progresses.

Our Final Breath – Our Last Goodbye
The final track starts off with distant, muted guitars and drums for the first minute or so before coming up to a more upfront volume along with the vocals. The main riff that weaves in and out of the burlier moments of the song is catchy and quite memorable, adding a bit of solemn melody to the mix. Hot damn, we finally get to hear some more variety in the vocals with the addition of some ragged screams and deeper, more guttural growls. Talk about saving the best for last! I’d love to hear more of this stuff on the band’s next release — fucking awesome.

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Additional Notes:
n/a

I am a big fan of Black Breath‘s debut EP, Razor to Oblivion — it’s raw, grimy thrash is infectious and raucous. Well, this time around, for their first proper full-length, the band builds on that energizing brand of thrash with a little Entombed-esque death n’ roll.

With Kurt Ballou at the helm of Heavy Breathing, the band has brought in elements from all over Entombed’s discography: big, dark riffs from the Stranger Aeons EP (one of my favorite releases of all time, by the way), the thundering groove of Wolverine Blues and even some of the more traditional sounds of Clandestine. That all said, however, the band keeps the album’s sound all there own, only incorporating key items from outside influences and never relying on any of them as a crutch.

Personally, I don’t think you can go wrong with riotous, death-metal-injected thrash that carries a guitar tone very similar to the legendary Swedes. It’s a recipe for constant rotation in my stereo, that’s for sure.

Black Sin (Spit On the Cross)
When I first received a copy of this promo, I was told to first and foremost check out this song. And dude was right, this is a full throttle ripper. From the opening, evil riffs to the thundering drums to the blasphemous lyrics (as cheesy as they may come across at times), the song is a winner. The vocals remain energetic and active through a mid-range gruff shout. There’s a bit of that Entombed sound here and there, but it’s incorporated smoothly.

Eat the Witch
There’s a massive groove to “Eat the Witch” that’s chock full of head banging fun. The thicker-than-thick guitars churn right along with rolling drums and rumbling bass. This one is more akin to the songs found on Razor to Oblivion in overall feel, but it does take a shift toward the old school Swedish death metal feel in the latter half.

Escape From Death
I love the opening guitars to this next one. They are both classic and evil as the drums build slowly up to a chugging rhythm with thick, textured riffs. Man, this is a pummeling song. It’s raw, yet oddly refined and delivered with more than enough enthusiasm on the band’s part. Hell yeah!

I Am Beyond
Hot damn! The opening series of riffs sounds like it could have been pulled right off of Wolverine Blues. I absolutely love it! While the band’s previous work had been raging and aggressive, Ballou has taken that fury and focused it into a keen, sharp direction while still retaining that loose feel that I loved from the EP. This is a damned tasty album. The crushing mosh around 3:40 is burly as hell.

Virus
Rolling drums shift into a high paced tempo as the driving riffs come in quickly. This one jams its foot down hard on the accelerator and never relents, only carrying that frenetic momentum through the length of the song. This is another damned solid track with a pretty slick lead around 3:35.

Heavy Breathing
The title track starts off a bit slower than the first half of the album and carries a more foreboding, brooding atmosphere. The track picks up about a minute and a half in with a slick bit of guitar work and brighter overall sound before shifting into an Entombed influenced series of riffs. As far as instrumentals go, this one was bad ass.

Children of the Horn
“Heavy Breathing” leads smoothly into the thrashing mayhem that is “Children of the Horn,” a raucous, aggressive song. I don’t know what else to say about this one, except hang on tight and wipe that damned grin off your face.

Fallen
Another smooth transition from the previous song delivers us into “Fallen.” After a little reverb and a massive scream, the band jumps head first into the churning fray of driving riffs and manic drums. This one has a bit more of that punk vibe that I enjoyed on Razor to Oblivion. Combine that with a little touch of Entombed and you have yourself one hell of a kick ass song.

Unholy Virgin
“Unholy Virgin” is easily the slowest, most methodical song on the album. It’s chock full of thudding bass, textured guitars and steady drums that ebb and flow nicely with the shouted vocals. With everything that this song contains (including a sick groove), it’s probably the best structured and written song on the album and serves as a nice change up from the unrelenting onslaught we’ve been presented with thus far.

Wewhocannotbenamed
“Wewhocannotbenamed” wraps up a stellar disc slick, memorable guitars, rumbling bass and calculated drum work that combine for a swelling opening minute or so. It isn’t until the vocals come in around 1:40 that all hell breaks loose with rampant drumming, sharp vocal barks and driving riffs. Talk about ending strong. This song is a beefy helping of death influenced thrash. I’m already drooling for what these guys come up with next.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Formed in 1996 after the dissolution of Order of Chaos, guitarist Chuck Keller and drummer Mike Miller started Ares Kingdom and remained relatively unheard of from the mainstream metal world. With a string of EPs and their first full length (Return to Dust) under their belt the band is back with an impressive blend of traditional death metal and thrash with their sophomore release Incendiary.

I’m usually much more of a fan of the faster, more maniacally paced style that dominate the death-thrash genre, but there’s something to be said for a band that is able to tame the unrelenting hooves of Hades with slower to mid-paced tempos yet still retain a solid and quite powerful overall sound. While the pace may be slower for the most part, Incendiary is just that, a highly combustible, aggressive, yet melodic blend of bruising death metal and thrash with just about no filler at all.

Amongst the stacks of catchy, well written and transforming riffs that the band packs into the album is a tinge of melody that reveals a more unique approach to death-thrash that’s quite refreshing. Ares Kingdom seem to sense the perfect moment for each ebb and flow, each swell of discontent, each spleen rupturing blast — and deliver it with precision and feeling. This is one hell of an album!

Incendiary
The opening track is a beast of a song, letting loose right from the onset with a pretty up-tempo, bludgeoning pace and shredding riffs. Vocally, the band’s message is delivered with a raw, raspy and down right evil growl that is relatively easy to understand. The pace slows a bit for the the majority of the song, but picks up here and there to change things up on you, especially with the face searing lead around 1:40. There’s a bit of a blackened edge to this song that adds an additional dimension to the album’s aesthetic.

Descent of Man
“Descent of Man” is a more burly song with beefier riffs and heavy drum work. There’s a bit of a groove running through the song’s textured guitars and growling vocals. The band’s melodic elements aren’t as prevalent in this song as the album opener, but they do make an appearance here and there. This is another caustic, ripper of a song that at almost seven and a half minutes in length packs a boat load of everything the band has to offer. Holy hell, the lead around 4:40 is bad ass and just descends into the fire pits of Hell before rising once again into the world of mere mortals.

The Destruction of Sennacherib
A much more open, melodic sound greets the listener on this next track. It’s catchy, well performed and has plenty of atmosphere as the first lead comes in. The riffs that follow have a classic thrash vibe to them that just carries the song’s momentum along smoothly into the next bit of guitar fun as news sound clips fade in from the distance, giving the track a bit of a chaotic, disorganized feel. This short instrumental last but two and a half minutes.

Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence)
After that brief break in the action, Ares Kingdom get back down to business with a hellified lead to open up “Silent Mortal Flesh.” The patterns to the lead vocals on this one match the groove of the song perfectly and only add to the head banging fun that ensues. There’s another stellar lead around 2:40 that really shows what Keller is more than capable of producing. Fucking awesome song.

Ashen Glory
“Ashen Glory” takes about 20 seconds or so to fade into light guitar work that has a vibe that reminds me of Cathedral for some reason. That feeling of similarity is quickly eclipsed, however, as the guitars eventually morph into driving, thrashing riffs along with pounding drum work. The overall feel of this song is a bit more raw and evil when compared to the fuller feel of the previous tracks. I love the riffing and screams that close out the song.

Beasts That Perish
Mmmm… sound effects. After the sounds of giant croaking frogs has passed the band really lets loose with a crazy array of disjointed drumming and riffs before settling into a churning, driving pace with pile driving rhythms. This is a no-frills, blasting death-thrash song if ever there was one. This is the kind of shit that gets me pumped for an album. At over seven minutes in duration, this is another song that has more than enough to keep you fully entertained without and meandering or stalling.

Consigned to the Ages
“Consigned to the Ages” is another short (2:43), well written instrumental that features acoustic guitar.

Gathering the Eagles
“Gathering the Eagles” has a bit of a blackened vibe to the opening guitar work that accompanies some seriously pounding drums — dude must have been pissed at something when recording this track. This is a slower moving beast of a song with melodic influences on the guitars and contrast nicely with the raw vocal barks and growls. I’m digging the hell out of this song.

Abandon in Place
Wrapping up the album is “Abandon in Place,” a song that starts off slowly with riffs and drums that fade in over the first 1:20 or so before the band gets into a frenzied pace with driving guitars, aggressively delivered vocals and unrelenting drums. The lead around 2:15 has a bit of a muffled feel to it, but it works well for the song. Man, these dudes picked the perfect track to close out an album — this thing is a bruising monster of a song that descends into temporary madness before arising from the dark pits on soaring guitars. Wow.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Where War Metal Battle Master saw the band deftly wielding a blood and skull fragment bejeweled battle axe, Lair of the Minotaur‘s latest sludgy offering has the band hammering their brand of crusty thrash with some massive war hammer studded with a variety of nasty barbs and spikes. Evil Power is a solid, grimy bludgeoning if ever there was one, retaining that vibe one comes to expect from these dudes.

The album features a less urgent, but no less powerful delivery on the part of this Chicago triad of blood spilling heathens. There’s also a slightly heavier leaning towards death metal and a touch of a grind-like aspect added to the band’s repertoire this time around. Thicker-than-all-get-out guitars are smeared with plenty of sludgy textures and a static similar to the likes of Unleashed in their overall feel and tone. The rhythm section is still on top of their game, as well, laying down burly bass lines and barbaric drum work. This is one of those albums that you jack up to 11, grab something heavy and beat the shit out of everything in sight.

Attack The Gods
“Attack The Gods” is a chock full of memorable, burly riffs and bruising rhythms that definitely does the job setting the tone for the rest of the album. The pace isn’t nearly as up-tempo as the previous album, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t sound heavier. The thick groove working its way through this song is head banging fun.

Let’s Kill These Motherfuckers
Man, this song kills it! A memorable opening bit of drums and reverb introduce the gruff main vocals as the riffing sits in the background temporarily. Once this one gets going you’ll be shouting along with the band almost immediately. It’s a raucous song packed full with mayhem and vengeance. I’m loving it!

Riders Of Skullhammer, We Ride The Night
This sub two minute track is a riotous, growl along with song that’s pure, unadulterated bruising destruction. It’s got a catchy groove and vibe as the dual vocals delivery layer shouts, growls and screams on top of one another to great effect. The song is over before you know it.

Evil Power
The bass throughout the title track must be channeling some evil power. There’s no bottom end to the thickness that it contributes to this song. The chugging mosh that accompanies the chorus on this one is massive and sure to have a few folks in a supportive collars for a variety of neck sprains. Damn!

Goatstorm
“Goatstorm,” huh? I was always under the assumption it rained cats and dogs. Goats are a new one to me. At any rate, this is a burly song with a grinding vibe and thick rhythms. The vocals on this short track are definitely on the death metal edge of things with more guttural growls and screams. This is a dark, violent song.

Hunt And Devour
As the shortest track on the album, “Hunt and Devour” has a lot to do to match the ferocity and burly nature of the longer songs. Luckily, it’s up to the task with catchy guitar work, aggressive vocals and plenty of swampy tones. This is a bad ass song for sure.

Metal Titans
The opening sound clip sounds like it should be in a Conan movie intro or something. It’s short lived and quickly succombs to the plunding and raiding guitars and rhythms that carry this song along at a pretty brisk pace. These dudes certainly know how to lay down a thick, sludgy groove amongst their thrashing destruction.

Blood From The Witch’s Vein
I love the opening guitar work to this next one. It’s memorable, a bit on the catchy side, yet still pretty damned evil. The quicker tempo to the song helps push it along and breaks it from the slower, thicker tones of the previous tracks. The layered guttural growls add a nice depth to the vocal delivery, as well.

We Are Hades
Violent, evil and malevolent, “We Are Hades” is one hell of a song. It’s got some serious swampy grooves flowing under the textured guitars and bruising rhythms. This one sounds like it was pulled right from the band’s last album — it’s a bit more up tempo and has a slightly brighter tone to it that matches some of that material. At any rate, it’s a bad ass song.

Death March Of The Conquerors
A small bit of dramatic sound effects open up this next song, covering the first 30 seconds or so before some massive riffs and a spoken, gruff delivery comes in. The first half of this song is interesting and a bit theatrical, but it’s the second half of the song that really makes it. The huge, swampy riffs and slow pace make for a massive sound that begs to be played as loud as possible. In fact, I think that’s what I’ll do — let’s hope I don’t blow these speaker or piss off the wife too badly.

The Violent Iron Age Of Man
The final song is a relatively slow moving monster with big, sludgy guitars and a restrained vocal delivery that’s broken up by some seriously hellish screams. It doesn’t quite pack the same wallop that the rest of the album does, but it’s damned heavy nonetheless.

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Additional Notes:
Released on band members’ new label and distributed by Southern Lord Records.

It’s been nearly 20 years since Bay Area thrashers Heathen released an album. Now, that’s not to say that the band has been entirely dormant during that time. Featuring guitarists Lee Altus (Exodus) and Kragen Lum (Prototype) along with Dave White on lead vocals, bassist Jon Torres (Angelwitch) and returning drummer Darren Minter, the individual parts of Heathen have been plenty busy on their own — which is part of the reason The Evolution of Chaos has been so long in the making.

After spinning this epic album numerous times now, I can safely say that it was well worth the wait. Built on a foundation of mid-tempo thrash, The Evolution of Chaos is chock full of a sound that bridges several decades, pulling in that “retro,” old school feel while maintaining a crisp, modern vibe.

Altus and Lum let loose with volley after volley of guitar mayhem, trading off one another amongst swelling, thrashing riffs, melodic hooks, vibrant leads and creative fills. The length of each song definitely allows these guys to play around a bit with their instruments. The same can be said for the rhythm section, which lays down some serious galloping groove and atmosphere in all the right places. Vocally, White is on top of this one like all get out, delivering a mixture of clean and gruff vocals that match the music perfectly — making The Evolution of Chaos one of the more complete thrash albums I’ve heard in the past couple of years.

Intro
The opening track is a middle eastern tinged instrumental that serves more as a lead into the first song than anything else.

Dying Season
Man, the galloping pace to “Dying Season” is exactly what the doctor ordered as layered guitars bring in White’s vocals. The clean production throughout the album really adds an impact to each drum fill, riff and bass rumble. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this song — it gets the blood pumping for the rest of the album. There’s a sick lead at 3:13 that flows into Testament inspired riffing before once again jumping into another sweet lead. Hell yeah!

Control by Chaos
“Control by Chaos” is a monster of a track, coming in at just over seven minutes in length. It starts out a bit slower with melodic riffs before shifting into a nice mid-tempo gallop with a sick lead around the :50 mark. The vocal patterns throughout the album (especially on this track) are well timed and perfectly executed. There’s an old school vibe to this song that permeates through the modern production and tones. The trading leads around 4:20 are freakin’ awesome.

No Stone Unturned
At over 11 minutes in length, “No Stone Unturned” is an epic track, that, despite it’s length, never feels too long, even after repeated listens. There’s a bit of a familiar feel (Metallica, perhaps?) to the start of the song as it builds up from staggered riffs and steady drums into decent groove with melodic hooks and thick bass. The band uses just about every second of this monolith to fill your ears with emotion and skillfully played mid-tempo thrash that borders of straight up metal. Overall the track is broken up into roughly two sections, the first of which ends around 5:40. Acoustic guitar starts off the second phase of the song with a softer atmosphere and overall tone. The instrumentation through this portion of the song is stellar and full of power as it shifts into full on thrash mode three minutes later. All I can say is wow, what a song.

Arrows of Agony
Following up the masterful “No Stone Unturned” could not have been an easy endeavor, but the guys in Heathen have done a pretty damned good job, carrying a similar, though slightly darker tone into this next song. This is pretty much a classic, bay area thrash song through and through — it’s got catchy riffing, Dickinson-like vocals and pummeling rhythms. The backing vocals and chorus around 3:15 are infectious, as are the series of soaring leads that follow.

Fade Away
“Fade Away” has a more technical and ferocious feel to it than the previous songs. It’s still got the mid-tempo groove of the first half of the album, but it’s also got a beefier footprint on the album that’s a nice change up from the more soaring and open feel of the first few tracks. The track takes a slight turn to the weird with production affected vocals around 2:50 that I’m not entirely sure I dig, but if the band wants to play around, that’s cool by me — just as long as they keep following up experimentation with leads like the one that follows the oddly treated vocal delivery.

A Hero’s Welcome
I’m all for supporting out troops who have done more than their fair share for their country — my old man served in Vietnam, earned a silver star and has a roadmap carved into his midsection as a result of a sniper — but the overly dramatic spoken vocals at the midpoint of this song are a bit much. The music that accompanies the lines of text is beautiful and heartfelt for sure, but the military documentary voiceover feels out of place. Other than that, it’s a pretty decent song.

Undone
I love the opening guitar work to this next song. It’s memorable and somewhat dark as the bigger riffs and drums come in shortly after the first few notes. There’s a weightiness behind this one that gives in a much heavier feel. Perhaps it’s the technical shredding or the beefier tones. At any rate, it’s a burly song with gruffer (yet still clean) vocals to match. Even the leads match the darker, more somber feel.

Bloodkult
Aside from the opening intro, “Bloodkult’ is the shortest track on the album and it’s still 4:31 in length. It’s also got a darker overall vibe to it along with a quicker tempo and a feeling of urgency. I have enjoyed the album thoroughly so far, but would love to have some shorter songs to break up the longer tracks. Something like “Bloodkult,” but a bit shorter and more often. I absolutely love the tortured, wailing guitar noise that ends out the song.

Red Tears of Disgrace
After that more up tempo and darker song, Heathen slow things down a bit with softer vocals and acoustic guitar during the first minute or so of “Red Tears of Disgrace.” The band ultimately builds up a slow paced, yet moving series of riffs and melodramatic vocals. It’s an interesting song, but certainly not my favorite on the album.

Silent Nothingness
“Silent Nothingness” wraps up an album that I’m sure will be on many “year end” lists. It’s a song that’s full of guitar wizardry, beefy riffs and creative drum work. It’s definitely a summation of all that the band has thrown at you so far and proves to be a great closing song that leaves you with the need to hit play journey once again through The Evolution of Chaos.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

High octane, raw and violent while echoing the likes of Death and Autopsy is no way to go through life. For this New York thrashing death metal outfit, however, it’s the only way. Disfigured Dead‘s debut full length, Visions of Death contains an old school vibe that is dirty, somewhat messy at times and flat out abusive. The album is comprised of 12 tracks reminiscent of the days of old, combining early Death and other Floridian bands of that time with the likes of Cannibal Corpse and Autopsy.

While the production and musicianship is raw and unfiltered (I love this by the way), it’s the dual vocal attack that really makes this album for me. All together the band delivers what essentially amounts to an homage to the pioneers of death metal, delivered with a frenetic and aggressive pace. I can’t get enough of shit like this.

Beyond The Darkness
Massive riffs and a bit of thick bass get the album going as the first song builds up to a pulverizing pace as the unrelenting drums come in. Man, if this ain’t a throw back song, I don’t know what is. It’s got a muddied production and it’s got its flaws, but I’ll be damned if I haven’t played the track a dozen or so times now. The high/low vocal combination is a nice touch and adds that extra little something that keeps the band from sounding too dated.

The Gates Of Hell
“The Gates of Hell” has a darker tone to it as the dual vocals growl along with chugging guitars and pile driving drums right from the start. There are a couple of spots where things are slowed down a bit for a decent bit of guitar work, but for the most part this is a pretty thrashtastic song.

Screamatorium
Now, you know before the song even starts, based on the title, that this one is gonna have a good bit of Autopsy thrown into the mix. And you’re right. It’s there, but delivered with a bit more of a thrash influence. The chorus is aggressive, layered and nasty as hell. Love it!

Mentally Mutilated
A much slower pace gets this next track moving along for the first 30 seconds or so before some thick bass rolls into the mix. This song has got a more technical oriented feel to the guitars, but is still pretty straightforward and raw thrashing death metal. The vocals are delivered with malicious intent. I’m digging the groove and vocal patterns that come together around the three minute mark.

Welcome To The Morgue
“Welcome To The Morgue” starts off just as slowly as the previous song, building ever so steadily to a mid-tempo as the vocals come in just before the one minute mark. This one, overall, is much different than the album so far. It’s a bit on the wacky side, allowing the guys to have a little more fun with themselves. The last two minutes or so are full of memorable guitars and decent riffs.

The Act Of An Unsound Mind
Here’s another song with a little Autopsy love thrown in for good measure. It’s a chaotic, aggressive song that hits from every angle and then some! Lyrically, it’s just as disturbed as some of the earlier stuff the aforementioned influence unleashed on the metal work back in the day.

Dead But Walking
The opening riffs and deep guttural vocals have plenty of groove for you to head bang maniacally along with the band. This up-tempo beast of a song has some evil guitar work and chugging pace to go along with its vicious vocals. The more I listen to this album, the more I love the completely unproduced feel to it — the album has a reckless and malevolent feel as a result.

Trapped Between Worlds
The opening riffs to “Trapped Between Worlds” are beefy and thick and really set the tone for this chugging monolith of a song. The dual, layered vocals make this song sound that much more malevolent. This is a pretty damned good track with plenty of tempo shifts and riffing mayhem.

Visions Of Death
The title track has some sick bass work through the first 40 seconds or so before the band descends in the maniacally pounding rhythms and vicious vocals. The barbaric and blasting drum work throughout the song is killer. The dual vocals and the sick groove after the two minute mark are a nice touch.

They Hear Your Heart Beating
Holy hell! The opening to this next song is beyond evil as a stand along riff accompanies some serious belches and growls for the first 50 seconds or so before the chugging drums join in. I’m really digging the morbid and morose feel to this one especially during the slower moving portions. Awesome song!

Possessed Dead
The morbid tones of the previous song are echoed in the opening guitar work for “Possessed Dead.” That is, until the drums and vocals come in. Then it’s pretty much straightforward balls to the wall destruction. The latter half of the song has some decent groove work along with a catchy chorus that’s easy enough for you to remember and growl along with.

Eternally Entombed
The final song has a slightly lighter tone to the opening guitars before all hell breaks loose around the 30 second mark with a much thicker tone and bass heavy rhythms. This is another chugging monstrosity of a song. It’s not the strongest song on the album, but a decent enough one to end a pretty damned good disc on.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Natron have been in the Italian death metal game for about 17 years now. Rot Among Us is their first album in five years — with a new vocalist (Nicola Bavaro) nonetheless. The title of this album is an intentional play off of the Misfits classic Walk Among Us. Those are the facts.

This is the opinion. Rot Among Us is a thrashing beast of an album. The pummeling death metal contained within this thin sheet of plastic is frenetic, frenzied and played like the seasoned pros these dudes are. Each track is memorable and furious in it’s delivery. I know absolutely nothing about this band or any of their other releases. I do know, however, that I have been playing the shit out of this album ever since receiving it several weeks ago.

Rot Among Us
The title track gets the album off to a burly start with massive riffs and thundering drums as the band builds to frenzied attack at 1:30. The pace is rapid as the drums pile drive their way through the song. The guitars have an old school feel to them, but with modern song structures. The vocals are deep and gruff, but easy enough to understand. This is a thrashing bastard of death metal that will have necks snapping in no time as you try and keep up. This is definitely one hell of a way to open up an album.

Dead Beat
These guys don’t back away from the accelerator as they increase their furious delivery with blasting drums, raucous riffing and an aggressive vocal delivery. This song is set to 11 the whole way through, leaving you little room to catch a breathe or relax. Holy hell, this song is bad ass. There are some decent tempo shifts that will keep you on your toes and thoroughly entertained. Don’t miss the lead at 2:17.

Bullet Of God
Nothing like starting off a thrashing beast of a song with a sick lead. Once the high flying guitar subsides the guys settle into a manic and frenzied rhythm that’s thick, unrelenting and full throttled mayhem. I haven’t heard any of the band’s previous material, but if it’s anywhere near as intense as Rot Among Us, I’ll be purchasing their back catalog for sure. The dude on drums unleashes hell on each and every song, like his life depended on it.

Prime Cuts
“Prime Cuts” starts off with some layered noise for the first 15 seconds or so before hitting you upside the head with some slick riffing and machine gunning drums. There’s a slick groove that sits beneath the thick guitars and gruff vocals that carries the song along quickly. I love the mosh and guitar work at 1:50 — it’s beefy and menacing.

Heads Are Rolling
I love the opening to this next track as it builds to some thundering drum work and memorable riffing. The thrashing groove that the guys settle into as the vocals come in is infectious. There are enough shifts within the riffs and the tempos that heads will surely roll after listeners do everything they can to try and keep up head banging with the manic pace.

Enthroned In Repulsion
I’ve listened to this album too many times already and I have yet to find a fault with it. I love the aggression, the production and the sheer ferocity that these guys let loose with. “Enthroned In Repulsion” is no different as the barbaric drum work will leave you black and blue as the frenzied riffing cleans up the mess with sickening precision. There are a couple of nicely timed guitar sqelches around the 1:30 – 2:00 stretch in the song that add a little extra something to the mix.

Only Living Witness
Wow. The guitars that gets this next one under way are quite memorable especially with as quickly as the vocals and drums come in. “Only Living Witness” is a burly song with catchy riff work and manic drums. There’s really not much else to say about this one except hang on for dear life, it’s a ripper.

Planet Corpse
Much lighter guitar starts off “Planet Corpse.” The acoustic notes carry a melancholy tone through the brief instrumental as sound effects fade in here and there.

Roadkill
After that quick breather Natron get back into a rolling groove like that of an out-of-control steamroller. It’s nice to hear the band slow it down a bit while not losing any of the power and ferociousness they have had so far on the album. There is some really creative drum work throughout the song, but it never really over shadows the rest of the band. There is some decent melody thrown into the mix that tempers the menacing nature of the band’s sound nicely. This is a pretty damned good song.

The Infection Theme
Hell yeah. Sick riffing and building drums get this one flowing like puss from your favorite infection. The vocals are even that much more vehement and sick. The layered vocal work is a really nice touch that gives the song some nice depth. The chorus is catchy enough to growl along with, as well.

Backyard Graveyard
The final track is a violent and aggressive song with blasting rhythms and sick riffing. There’s an old school tinge to the song, but it’s also got a very modern thrashing death metal vibe. I’ll tell you what man, you’ll be hard pressed to find as complete an album as Rot Among Us. It’s got everything a metal head could want, yet is quite cohesive and short enough to not get tiresome. Well done, Natron!

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Originally formed in 2005 as Despotic Robot, this small band of maniacs from Massachusetts have finally gotten around to unleashing their first full length album and it’s a ripper. Combining retro thrash with a snarling punk element, Ramming Speed deliver 13 songs packed full with aggression, speed and hellified mayhem.

Brainwreck isn’t going to win any awards or be crowned the new messiah of old school thrash, but what it will do is kick you in your ear hole with enough vehemence to make you like it and come back for more. There is and old school aesthetic to the band’s sound (mostly in the production), but there’s also a modern twist to the overall vibe of the album. I think it’s the hardcore and punk attitude that’s spitting at you throughout each and every song. Hell, there’s even a bit of a grind influence thrown in for good measure.

Speed Trials
“Speed Trials” gets us off to a rabid start with driving, punk tinged guitars, pummeling drums and the raspy shouts that dominate the vocal delivery (although a deeper more guttural growl shows up here and there). If there’s one thing I’ve found through listening to this album repeatedly the past couple of days — I mean beside the Slayer influence the peeks in here and there — is that this fucker needs to be played loud. Real loud.

The Threat…
A more spastic opening few seconds introduces us to the next song. It’s a violent, aggressive song with plenty of raw, unbridled, in you face attitude. We also see the more guttural vocals for the first time on this song. The lead at 1:03 is pretty darn good.

Lazer Assault
I love the opening guitar work and animalistic drums that gets this next song going. It’s evil and speedy — a great combination in my book. More deep vocals make an appearance in here as well as some group shouts that once you figure out how to keep up with the band are nice enough to shout along with.

All In All
There’s a bit of a beefier feel and thicker sound to this one as the guys bludgeon their way through chugging riffs and steady drum work. I’m digging the vocal work throughout the album. You can tell dude isn’t holding back in putting as much in his shouts and snarls as he can.

Shane Embury Is The Brad Pitt Of Grindcore
Besides having the best song title on the album, this one will also beat the fuck out of you with a more aggressive grind feel. The deep, guttural vocals certainly don’t hurt either. This is a wild track.

Bogus Facade
A slick bit of riffing gets “Bodus Facade” off to a sweet start with steady drum work and a more mid-range shout. This is just one of those songs that is just too much damned fun to listen to. It’s speedy, aggressive and neck-snapping awesomeness. There’s plenty of opportunity for you to shout along with the band on this one.

Sound The Alarm
Mmmmm… reverb. The start of this next one certainly sounds like alarms going off — which really isn’t helping my hangover any. The guitars on this song are huge as they build to the chugging riffs that the band eventually settle into for this mostly instrumental track. The lead that dominates the middle of the song is hellified good just before the guys let loose with everything they have in a blinding whirlwind of riffs and drums.

Immigrant Song
Nope, this certainly isn’t a cover of the classic by Led Zeppelin. In fact, it’s something so far removed from the original, but goddamned if it doesn’t punch you in the balls repeatedly with driving riffs, grinding drums and gnarly layered vocals. This is a violent ride for sure.

Political Party
“Political Party” fades in quickly after the end of the previous track with punk tinged riffs and barbaric drum work. This is pretty much straightforward in both terms of the lyrics and the means with which the band deliver their message.

Man vs. Machine
Big drums and reverb get this next one off to another rabid start as the drums erupt into a frenzied pace. Violent, aggressive thrash through and through, “Man vs. Machine” will beat you bloody and wanting more. There are also some nice gang vocals before the lead at 1:28.

Arrested Development
The overall tone to the guitars on this besides their furious delivery is a bit darker. This one hits the accelerator hard and never lets up as the guys plunder your ears with caustic riffs, pile driving drums and aggressive vocals. I love the hell out of this song.

A Modern Myth
“A Modern Myth” starts off with a classic bit of punk drum work before the guys get into their burly thrash groove as the vocals come in. This is a beefy song that will leave you winded and unsure if you can take the final song.

Heavy Metal Thunder
I’m pretty sure that this is a Saxon cover, but I didn’t notice anything in the press release that came with the disc. It’s definitely an old school song.

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Additional Notes:
N/A