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

I was almost to the point where I was ready to write off listening to metalcore anymore, but then this disc by five dudes from Sweden showed up in the mail — and well, I’m not so sure I’m totally done with the genre. Walking With Strangers debut EP, Buried, Dead and Done definitely contains your traditional metalcore trappings. There’s the requisite mid-range growls shifting to a more cleanly delivered shouts then shifting back to deeper, more guttural growls. There’s also the Swedish death metal influence in the guitar tones as the band jumps from burly riffs to melodic bursts of activity.

But, there’s also something more here. I can’t put my finger on it, but these guys have gone beyond your run-of-the-mill metalcore with this release. Perhaps it’s the meaty breakdowns or the gang vocals that show up from time to time. Perhaps it’s the band’s delving into technical death metal or the thick grooves that also make an appearance throughout the disc. Either way, Buried, Dead and Done is an impressive, diverse debut within a genre that’s long been stagnate — I can’t wait to hear more from these guys in the future.

Intro
The appropriately title “Intro,” is just that — a brief track with some crushingly massive riffs and a couple of guttural belches for good measure.

The Provider
The first real song on the EP starts off with a big sound as beefy, stuttering riffs accompany thundering drums and thick bass. The overall feel of this one is definitely that of metalcore that features meaty, moshing guitars and a touch of chugging death metal. The gang vocals are a nice touch as is the melodic guitar work that’s found through the entire track. The vocal destruction around the three minute mark is pretty damned brutal and is quickly followed by a decent helping of mosh.

Buried, Dead & Done
The title track starts off nicely with cleaver melodic riffs and steady drum blasts as the vocals come in. There’s a bit more of a technical edge to this song that’s tempered nicely with some excellent melodic passages (melodic, yes, sappy, no). There is a range of highs and lows throughout the song that gives it great depth and powerful sound. This is an outstanding song.

Lost
“Lost” is a tremendous example of a song that balances softer, emotive and melodic passages with utterly crushing and menacing breakdowns. It contains such a varied spectrum of musical flavors yet never seems disjointed, flowing smoothly with a steady groove to its final few notes. The production for this EP also really shines through on this song.

Unforgiving
The final song on this short, but impressive disc contains some thundering rhythms and head banging groove. There are some slick technical (yet melancholy tinged) flourishes from the guitars peppering the song as the rest of the guys lay down some burly mosh, as seen around the one minute mark. This is a great song to end one of those discs that keeps me from outright abandoning a style of music that I had become bored with. Metalcore owes Walking With Strangers a huge thank you.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Karloff is a Ft. Wayne, IN based straight-edge band that plays some seriously vicious d-beat influenced hardcore. The band’s first EP, Bled Dry, is a DIY effort (the dudes formed their own label to release it) that straddles a few genres in the seven short tracks it tries to restrain.

Blending that hardcore base with influences of grind and punk, these dudes hit hard and heavy with thick bass, bruising guitars and beefy drum work. Vocally, there’s usually a couple of dudes shouting their balls off at you, but for the most part it settles in a mid-range raspy shout. The EP is short (like an EP should be), but packs a solid punch to the ribs.

Suicide By Fire
The opening track is the longest, starting off with thudding bass and nicely timed riffs that build to a chugging swell as the drums come in. The pace is pretty slow for the most part, but that quickly changes at the one minute mark as the guys throw it into over drive with a quickened rhythm and punk tinged, thrashing guitars. The vocals are harsh and direct in its delivery.

Desolation
I dig the grinding opening to this next song as the guys let loose with a flurry of activity from every one. The gang vocals and thick bass will eave you drooling and bruised for more — also offering a good opportunity to shout along with the band.

Graves
I love the bass tones that the band is throwing around in this EP. It’s thick and solid, giving the rest of the band a rumbling foundation to build off of. There’s a bit of a stoner vibe to this song around the :35 mark that is a bit odd for straight-edge dudes, but it’s a nice touch and keeps the EP fresh.

Bled Dry
The chill opening to the title track will definitely catch you off guard. The smooth, subtle rhythm slowly builds into a churning mass of riffs around the :40 mark as the vocals come in. The overall tone is thick and monolithic. Karloff have done a nice job adding in some different influences outside of what you would expect from a group that primarily plays bruising hardcore.

Dissent
“Dissent” is a grinding, power-violence monstrosity of a song even though it lasts a mere minute or so. The opening is furious and messy as hell, but works real well for the song as the guys shift into thrashing guitars and an up-tempo bludgeoning. The vocals are vicious and in-your-face.

Dreams and Nightmares
Seriously, the bass on this EP has a great presence in each track. “Dreams and Nightmares” is no different as the thudding bass drives along relentlessly as decent riffing and steady drums keep the momentum flowing. There’s a much darker tone to this song, especially around the 1:15 mark with some beefy riff work.

Faithless
“Faithless” starts off slowly with some solid bass and steady drums but settles into a trading vocals delivery with guitar hits. There’s definitely a whole lot of head banging and fist pumping groove in the sludgier tone of this final track. There pace picks up just after the one minute mark with a mid-tempo rhythm and chugging guitars, but then takes a turn to the dark side with some beat-down riffs as the tone becomes more violent. This is definitely a bruising way to end a pretty damned good EP.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

I’ve never been a big fan of symphonic black metal. I hate overdone, cheesy keyboards drowning out perfectly violent and bleak ferocity — it’s just never made any sense to me. Neo-Satanic Supremacy, the latest album from this Norwegian merry band of blasphemers isn’t going to make me a fan of the music any time soon, but at least Troll have the presence of mind to keep the keyboards balanced within a crisp production that serves to amplify the blasting drums and furious riffs found on the album.

Putting the symphonic elements of the album aside, the music found on the album is essentially unrelenting, flesh searing black metal that isn’t just mindlessly stomping on the accelerator. No, there’s definitely some thought and creativity thrown into each track, even at the higher speeds.

Til Helvete Med Alt
I initially cringed at the thought of the opening keyboard work, thinking to myself that I should just turn the damned stereo off, unplug it and burn it to a bubbling puddle of plastic, but then the manic drums and swirling riffs showed up about 35 seconds into the song. The fury of the delivery was enough for me to overlook/ignore the symphonic tones that cover each song. There are some decent riffs found within the pummeling you receive on this first song.

Alt for Satan
“Alt for Satan” continues the nonstop keyboards, but at least the band throws in some hellish growls and screams to make up for it. The layered vocal delivery on this song adds some much needed evil to the mix as the blackened thrash riffs and driving drums are enough to wake the demons of old. The problem with the symphonics is that, while it adds atmosphere, it’s not necessarily the right mood for the metal it’s accompanying. There’s nothing dismal or menacing about the black metal here. Sure it’s aggressive and is delivered with an unrelenting ferociousness, but the keyboards make it feel more like a sulking goth teenager angry at his parents for not lending him money for a new shroud.

Ga til Krig
Monilithic riffs and creative drum work do their best to eclipse the repetitious keyboards over the first 30 seconds or so before all hell breaks loose. See, now this is what I’m talking about. The stretch of blackened mayhem before the one minute mark is exactly what this album needs more of. Kick the keyboards to the curb, sacrifice a goat or two and shred some fucking metal.

Burn the Witch
“Burn the Witch” may be one of the slower songs on the album, but it’s a masterful track full of sweet riffage and a hellish, head banging groove — that is, if you can ignore the keyboards stuck on repeat. There’s a new layer to the vocals (deeper and more guttural) which provide a bit more meat to the overall feel of the song. This is probably my favorite one on the album.

Morkets Skoger
Talk about putting the pedal to the metal. After a brief piano-like intro and a couple of massive riffs the guys unleash an unrelenting torrent of blackened mayhem before pulling on the reins a bit. The rest of the song is a mix of tempo changes and keyboard injections that only prove to muddle the momentum the band builds and then abandons. This song has some potential for being a hell raiser.

Hvor Taken Ligger Sa Trist Og Gra
The over-synthed opening to this next one was enough for me to skip the track outright the first couple of times I spun this album. It’s only when I decided to review the disc that I listened to the song in full. The only redeeming value the song has is a couple of catchy riffs that are fairly beefy yet carry a melodic touch. It’s a relatively slower paced track when compared to the rest of the album, but I’ll be damned if those keyboards won’t be the death of the album — an album that I really want to like.

Neo-Satanic Supremacy
The title track thankfully forgoes the keyboard build up and gets right into the meat of the matter. Blasting drums and malevolent guitars carry evil growls and screams across your soul like razor blades through your flesh. This is a beastly track that really shows how the band should use the more orchestral elements in the future — minimally and to the benefit of the sacrilegious music these guys shovel down your gullet in two and a half minutes. More, please.

At the Gates of Hell
“At the Gates of Hell” is a mid-tempo song that incorporates the keyboards that do more for the music instead of overtaking it like some of the earlier stuff on this album. This is a head banging, groove oriented melodic, black metal track. It’s as simple as that. Sure, it ain’t revolutionary, but it is executed perfectly and just too damned infectious to ignore. More of this too, please.

Smertens Rike
“Smertens Rike” is a pretty run of the mill symphonic black metal song. It’s got the keyboards, the rolling drums, driving riffs and slower vocal delivery just like the stuff that I hated back in the 90’s. Thankfully, there are a couple of nicely timed out bursts to keep me from slitting my wrists from boredom.

Age of Satan
The final track starts off with a killer riff, but is quickly dumped on by shitty keyboards. Dammit! I had high hopes for this one after hearing the opening few notes of that riff. Yeah, so there you have it. Two or three damned good songs on a well performed album that brings a bit more to the table than your standard symphonic black metal, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to start liking the genre now.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Fuck the Facts, simply put, is one of those bands that epitomize DIY work ethic. They book their own shows, design their own packaging and other merchandise — all the while unleashing chaotic hell in manic bursts for discordant grind-core. Their latest effort, Unnamed EP follows the band’s heritage with six songs of caustic growls and shrieks, abstract grinding noise and thick, pummeling rhythms.

Heading out on a tour of Europe in March, the band couldn’t have timed this blasting gem of a disc any better. Untitled EP will have everyone showing up at the shows frothing at the mouths and ready to tear the venue apart.

untitled
The opening track starts off with layers of reverb before jumping into a chaotic mass of crushing, textured guitars and drums that are all over the place, yet still retain a semblance of rhythm. This is a violent, train wreck of a song that will leave you dizzy and partially deaf if, much like myself, you played it a tad too loud. The short lead at 1:20 works to break up the grinding onslaught.

Loss Upon Loss
This next one’s got a bit more structure initially, but quickly descends into grinding madness with obtuse guitars, amorphis rhythms and vocal destruction. It’s a good thing the band keeps these songs relatively short, I’m not sure how much more unadulterated glee I can mentally handle.

Wake
After a brief bit of sound effects, thick guitars arrive to begin the bludgeoning. Vocally, this is probably the harshest and most violent of the songs on the EP. I love the additional noise layered on top of the swirling grind and massive riffs that’s packed into this short song. “Wake” is sure to be one of those songs that will stick with me for a while. Damn good.

Time as a Dictator
“Time as a Dictator” is a complete departure from the previous tracks, relying more on atmosphere and a bit of a drone to capture the appropriate mood with slightly distorted guitar tones, spoken vocals (or a sound clip) that meander in and out from the distance. The brief interlude acts as your only opportunity to catch a quick breathe before “La Tete hors de L’eau” erupts out of the gate.

La Tete hors de L’eau
I absolutely love the touch of melodic guitar that weaves throughout the rabid drumming and harsh vocals. There’s a bit of a black metal feel to the song — melancholy tones envelope you as the grinding noise chugs along relentlessly. For as violent as this track sounds on occasion, it’s got a great ebb and flow in momentum and feeling. It’s a huge song that has to be heard a couple of times to fully appreciate all that’s going on within its three and a half minute lifespan.

Doghead
The Ep’s final track is a 36 second shotgun blast to the face and one hell of a way to end a disc I’ll be playing for a long while after this review is published. I’m not sure if it’s just noise or some uber guttural vocals, but the gurgling evilness that shows up about half way through the song is a nice touch.

Sweet merciful crap. That was fun.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Pissed off, agitated and despondent — Dangers deliver their commentary on society with more aggression and vehemence than I’ve heard in quite some time. Messy, Isn’t It? is chock full of discordant guitars, barbaric drums and a vocal delivery that is raw, tortured and honest, even as the lyrics cut to the bone like a blunt edged ax.

The 19 tracks on the band’s sophomore effort take up just over 36 minutes in duration. That’s 19 songs, averaging under 2 minutes a piece, delivered with vehemence, rawness and a directness that should raise some eyebrows. While most of the songs reside in the hardcore realms, the band does a great job bringing in all sorts of influences into the mix to keep things fresh, on edge and ready to throw down at the drop of a hat.

Stay-At-Home Mom
The opening track starts off rather subdued, but eventually crests like a tsunami of discordant riffs and raw vocals. The pace is fairly slow which makes the harsh vocal delivery that much more in your face. The track swells at all the right points and really does a great job as a first introduction to the band.

I’ll Clap When I’m Impressed
This next one is decidedly more uptempo and unrelenting with animalistic drumming and driving guitars. The vocals are angst filled and raw, layering nicely to create a great juxtaposition. The overall tone of this one is much darker, tinged with a bit of bleakness. There are some nicely crafted and doomy riffs added into the mix. I love the feel of chaos that the multiple vocal deliveries give to the band’s sound.

Pyramid Of Empties
More uptempo goodness follows suit with this next song. After a bit of memorable guitar work, the guys settle into their multi-tiered vocals chaos as the drummer does his best to beat his way through the center of the Earth. Despite the raw and aggressive nature of the band’s delivery, there’s actually a pretty decent groove flowing through this one, well, that is until the massive riffs to end out the song.

Saved By The Buoyancy Of Citrus
“Saved By The Buoyancy Of Citrus” is a raucous song with plenty of manic drums, thick bass and reverb. This one will roll over you like an out-of-control semi in the middle of rush hour traffic. Hell yeah!

Check, Please
Man, this next one is all over the place initially — chaos everywhere. Once the guys settle into a “groove,” the track continues along it’s one way course with caustic, driving guitars, aggressively paced vocals and manic drums. There is a nice ebb and flow to the song as the band collapses in upon itself with less aggressive sequences before ramping up again to tear you a new one.

Opposable
At the request of the lead shouter, the bass thunders along with raw screams for the first 30 seconds or so while guitars pop up hear and there. The riff work that follows is catchy as hell and instantly memorable as the harsh vocals continue along with steady drum work. This may be one of the slower songs on the album, but it’s still quite powerful and well written.

Cure For Cancer
Classic punk guitar work and up tempo drumming gets this next one moving along nicely. The guys do a great job allowing the shorter songs to breathe and become an entity of their own without overwhelming the listener with more than they can handle — often resorting to minimal music behind the caustic vocals.

Cure For AIDS
This one is dark and disturbing as fuck with layered vocals and next to no music for the first 20 second or so. It’s a menacingly simple song. When the riffs finally do arrive around 1:15 they are massive and direct, joining the vocal patterns nicely.

Straight As She Wants To Be
Holy shit! There’s a great grind influence in the rhythms of this next track as the band jumps from manic blast to manic blast and back again, all in a short 26 seconds.

Under The Affluence
“Under The Affluence” builds up slowly to rapid, thunderous drumming and a thrash-like vibe as the guitars and vocals get down to business. This is a violent, blood pumping ride that ends with you neck-deep in a full body cast.

Teenage Porno Hunter
The thick tone that ends the previous song fades in smoothly to this next track with distant guitars that come to the forefront about 30 seconds into the song. The vocals follow shortly there after just before the one minute mark as the drums also announce their presence. The rest of the song is brief, yet powerful.

Goliath
“Goliath” picks the pace up once again with driving hardcore riffing and drum work. It’s a pretty straightforward track that only lets up once during a brief lull in the storm for some emphasis on the vocals. The song ends violently with layered vocals and driving guitars.

(Messy, Isn’t It?)
The title track has some bluesy horn elements, distant thunder sound effects and bluesy piano that fills up the full minute and a half.

Bottom Of The 9th Ward
“Bottom Of The 9th Ward” exits the chill blues bar vibe and enters with desolate and desperate tones that sort of remind of a slower Adamantium. There’s a good deal of soul and feeling thrown into the vocal delivery, as well as backing female vocals that completely change the overall feel of the band into something more than just your average hardcore act.

Tarantula Type
After that more melancholy song, the guys in Dangers get back down to business with this fairly straightforward, fist pumping hardcore track. “Tarantula Type” is another song that’s got a few touches of Adamantium in the mix, most notably along the thick bass lines. The explosion after the one minute mark with dual vocals and thrashing guitars is sweet as hell.

What Goes Up
“What Goes Up” is a violent burst of frenetic drumming and raw vocals. There are more tempo changes in this short song than found on most of the album as the band shifts from throttling powerviolence to more groove oriented rhythms and back again. The kids singing “America the Beautiful” is symbolic of something, I’m sure.

No Vonneguts, No Glory
The aggression levels are kept hight with this next song as thick riffs and manic drumming open up the song. The track as a stop/start sort of feel to it that’s a nice change up, as well.

(Love Poem)
This next track encompasses several nice folks reciting Richard Brautigan’s poem on top of one another. It’s an interesting concept.

The El Segundo Blue Butterfly Habitat Preserve
The final track leads off with some memorable guitar before settling into a harrowing blend of tortured melodies and caustic aggression. The song is a summation of the band’s efforts on Messy, Isn’t It? It’s raw, grating, emotional and honest.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Suspension of Disbelief from New Jersey’s The Binary Code is one of those albums that can only be fully appreciated after a handful of listens much like the influences on the band (Dillinger Escape Plan, BTBAM among a few). There’s so much material — from technical death metal to jazzy progressive instrumentals — that a single listen does not do the album justice. Listening to the album, you can tell these dudes can shred and play the hell out of their instruments, but they’ve done a nice job not over doing it and not showing off, too much. Sure, there are some seriously technical flourishes throughout the album, but there’s also a measured restraint that is quite refreshing for a younger band.

Musically, the band’s sound stretches across several underground genres, but doesn’t stop there — incorporating jazzy tones, smooth instrumentals and bruising riffs. Vocally, you’ll be greeting with a delivery that’s nearly as eclectic as the music it accompanies. Deep guttural growls combine with mid-range screams while both a menacingly spoken and softly sung delivery are mixed in amongst the progressive song structures and roaming instrumentals.

Suspension Of Disbelief (Part I)
The two part title track starts off the band’s debut album with bruising, staggered riffing and machine gun-like drumming. The vocals primarily sit within a mid-range metalcore styled delivery as the band shifts and jumps from tempo to tempo. There’s a definite Dillinger influence on this song as the guys blast and erupt with burly drum work and frenetic guitar highlights.

Suspension Of Disbelief (Part II)
The second half of the song is a rather, for the most part, subdued instrumental with progressive guitar work and rhythms. There’s a nice ebb and flow to the three minute track.

Mechanical Seas
“Mechanical Seas” starts off with pretty technical guitar work and creative drums before the deeper vocal delivery comes in about 25 seconds into the track. This is a pretty damned good track that straddles the technical with the progressive nicely. The vocals shift from raw, mid-range shouts to deep guttural growls. This is a pretty even tempered song that’s highlighted by gang vocals and a calm, atmospheric interlude around the four minute mark.

Ghost Planet
For as even flowing as the previous song felt, “Ghost Planet” is anything but. It’s a beastly, frenetic and active song that will have you dizzy and confused in record time. The structure to this one is fragmented, yet coherent, carrying you along a vicious ride through manic blasts and shredding guitar. There’s a pretty rocking set of riffs just after the three minute mark that’s got a slight doomy, stoner vibe to it.

Void
“Void” is another instrumental breather with light guitar work, jazzy tones and chill overall temperament.

The Story (Intro)
The first part to this next set of tracks last only 20 second or so and is pretty much unnecessary.

The Story
The vocals at times, throughout this second half of “The Story,” take on a feel similar to Hunter-era A Life Once Lost. There are also a couple of cleanly sung portions that add an interesting feel to the swelling progressive metal that’s packed into this track. The soft interlude after the three minute mark feels a bit out of place, but is quickly devoured by driving riffs and burly vocal work.

Human Condition (Intro)
The opening notes for the second part of this song are slick as hell. The instrumental only lasts just under a minute.

Human Condition
The second half of “Human Condition” carries the same riffing mechanism from the previous track smoothly as layered growls and screams come in a few moments later. The riffing throughout the song is burly and accompanied by a few massive, machine gun drum blasts. There are also some slick little outbursts to the guitars that add a bit of a schizophrenic, yet technical aspect to the song. There’s a good deal of BTBAM influence in the song that’s a nice touch.

Awaiting Necropolis
“Awaiting Necropolis“ carries the same fragmented, technical structure as the previous song, but is a bit darker and aggressive in tone. There is a boat load of stuff going on during this song — layered vocals, swirling guitars, creative drums. The two tracks as a whole make for a hell of a listening experience. The bursting drums just before the three minute mark are accompanied by some sweet guitar work.

Void II
The final track has some tremendous atmosphere. The short song is packed with slow moving, roaming jazzy guitars and serves as the calm after the storm. Not bad.

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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:
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Is there a deep, dark dungeon beneath the mighty weight of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France? A perpetual blizzard atop it’s mighty peak?

No? Well, then how to explain this blasphemous, dissonant and bleak black metal with more than enough malevolent atmosphere leached from the catacombs of the very same city that Aosoth hail from. Featuring the lead singer of on-hiatus(?) Antaeus, MkM, as well as ex-Aborted guitarist Sebastian Tuvi on guitars, this two man effort lets loose with cold atmospheric black metal delivered quickly and ferociously.

While the songs on Ashes of Angels are unrelenting in nature and evil by default, they aren’t necessarily all that original. The band’s sound sort of falls in line with the likes of Deathspell Omega. The production is strong and powerful, but has a rawness that gives the album a desolate and more atmospheric feel.

Songs Without Lungs
The opening song wastes little time getting down to business with some seriously evil riffing and maniacal drumming all shrouded in darkness and textures atmosphere. The song is damned catchy with a decent rhythm and melancholy guitars. Vocally, MkM sits more in the background, playing more of a supporting role to the swelling atmosphere and mood. This isn’t a droning, static filled Xasthur EP mind you. This thing is ripping black metal at it’s more ferocious and bleakest.

Ashes Of Angels
The title track is definitely the standout song on the album. There’s a decent dose of melody injected into the cold veins of the guitars as MkM screams beneath the barren funeral drapings. This is a violent song that will drag you straight to hell given half a chance. The guitars are catchy as fuck. The drum work is spot on shifting from groove oriented chugging to godless blasting blasphemies (try and say that three times real fast). Holy hell this song kicks ass.

Path Of Twisted Light
“Path Of Twisted Light” slows things down a bit with evil guitars that build up methodically to swirling black metal that never really takes off in any one violent direction, yet surrounds you in a veil of grim and disheartening textures. This is one hell of an evil song that very well could have a few of you thinking of offing your corpse-painted-selves. This song ebbs and churns just out of site in the deepest, blackest bowels of whatever you call Hell. The track finally erupts just after the 3:30 mark with a cacophonous blast of vileness and manic drums before settling back into it’s predetermined flight path into your souless sack of flesh.

Embrace And Enlightenment
Where the previous track took it time, “Embrace And Enlightenment” does the complete opposite, tearing at your flesh and soul with violent drums and driving riffs. There’s still more than enough atmosphere covering the thundering rhythms and vile vocals. This thing is a wall of blasphemies if ever there was one. All I gotta say is bring some holy water.

Teaching/Erasing
“Teaching/Erasing” is another stand out song on the disc. The vocals fall further into the background as the textured atmosphere takes on more of a prominent position within the bands sound. This is a powerful song even in it’s slower moments. Overall, the song is a swirling mass of tortured souls that will leave you dizzy. The guitar and vocal combination around the two minute mark is pretty damned sick.

Summon The Dead
The warbling sounds piled on top of the dissonant opening guitar work is a nice touch that adds some depth to the bands sound and there isn’t a more appropriately titled song on the album. MkM’s screams accompanied by the blasting drums are sure to cause enough of a commotion to wake the dead from the nearest cemetery.

Cries Out Of Heaven
I love the way the melancholy riffs of “Cried Out of Heaven” fade in smoothly from the previous track. It makes for a great listening experience. The thick bass lines that accompany the higher toned guitars is a great touch and shows some creativeness within the song writing. This is another atmospheric epic of a track chock full of thick rhythms and vocal destruction.

Communion Through Pain
The thick wall of sound continues with this next track as the pummeling drums never transition smoothly from the previous song and carry the dissonant guitars along nicely. The vocals once again slip to the background a bit adding to the dense sound the band has been oozing throughout the album. The uptempo feel to the song is infectious as it slithers beneath the swarming and demonic bees that buzz throughout the song.

Banished
Wow. After the brief swirling sound effect that opens up the song, the guys get down to some serious business with this ferociously delivered bag of mayhem. This is pile driving, blasting black metal that never lets up from the gas pedal as the band runs you down with evil guitars and drums that could collapse cranial cavities. This is the fiercest song on the album by far and really shows that these dudes can forego the atmosphere for a full one blasphemous beat down, pure and simple. Easily, my favorite track on the album.

Inner War
This is a cover from MkM’s other band, Antaeus, that I am completely unfamiliar with. It starts off with industrial noise and some distant, distorted sound clips before erupting into machine gun drums and driving guitars. This and the previous song, “Banished,” are the more beastly tracks on the album and really pack a wallop in wrapping up a pretty damned impressive disc.

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Additional Notes:
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Abysmal Incantations is a sweet compilation of a couple of early demos from Sweden’s Insult — Decree from 2005 and Axiom from 2007. While the music from each demo is of the old school Swedish death metal variety, the sound/production of each demo is vastly different, as is the vocal work. The first six songs come from the later demo (Axiom) and carry the better production with deep growls delivered by Johan Svensson. The second half of the disc has a much muddier production with the lead guitarist on growls.

Now that we’ve gotten the individual demo facts out of the way, let’s get down to business here. Insult play old school Swedish death metal (as previously mentioned), but they inject enough of their own personality into the dense riffs and rumbling rhythms to keep the album from festering in mediocrity. The sound between the demos can be a bit of a distraction, but it’s revealing to see how the band shifted their sound from the bass heavy earlier work to the more dense and destructive Axiom.

Blitzkrieg 666
I know why the record label lead off with the more professional sounding Axiom, but it would have been more interesting to hear the demos in chronological order. At any rate, these dudes get the blood flowing immediately with “Blitzkrieg 666.” The guitar work on this song is evil and thick. The rolling rhythms will leave you flattened in the band’s wake as the deep, guttural growls deliver the band’s message with vehemence. Older Dismember comes to mind when listening to this song. Good start so far.

Oath of Eternal Desecration
“Oath of Eternal Desecration” keeps the pace up tempo with chugging riffs and driving rhythms. This song has plenty of manic blasts and twangy bass work in the background. The mosh/riffs around the one minute mark will no doubt lead to some serious head banging mayhem. Overall, this is a bruising track with a hell of a lead just before the two minute track.

Slaves of Holy Righteousness
Straight forward thrashing death metal with deep guttural vocals is all you’ll find in this next song. It’s a thick, full throttle, blasting attack with animalistic drums, crushing riffs and aggressive delivery. The lead at 1:25 is like an evil blend of insanity and melody — which just flat out makes it sick.

Manhunt
“Manhunt” sees the band slow it down a good deal with guitars tinged with an evil, distant tone. Once the vocals come in, the band settles into a thick, churning groove that’s violent and dark. Bleak and memorable, the song will surely haunt you for a good while after it’s gone. The duel vocals just before the two minute mark are a nice touch, adding another element to the band’s arsenol.

Procreation of Perdition
Thundering bass and bestial drum work gets this next song off to a beefy start that quickly shifts into manic overdrive with blasting drums, driving riffs and guttural vocals. There’s a great deal of bass rumbling throughout the track that really pushes this song along at a good clip. The group vocals/growls durning the short chorus are pretty sweet, as well.

Apocalyptic Plague Inferno
“Apocalyptic Plague Inferno” is the final track from the Axiom demo with a building start that reminds me of Slayer for some reason — that is, before the dense riff work comes in. Even without the addition of the earlier demo work, Insult have done enough in these six songs to let you know that they mean business.

A Doubters Manifesto
Starting off the older Decree demo is “A Doubters Manifesto.” The demo overall has an older sounding production that really emphasizes the bass and carries an odd tone with the drums. The vocals are pretty raw and throaty, but suit the music well enough. The song itself, is pretty decent, but the bass and drum tones really distract from the overall feel of the track.

Unholy Triumph
“Unholy Triumph” has a slick bit of riffing to get it going, but once again the bass and drums just throw me for a loop once they kick in shortly after the track starts. The vocal patterns are catchy and lead to plenty of head banging. There are times when the forwardness of the bass are a nice touch and that’s during the brief lead around 1:35.

Bestial Bloodshed
The chugging groove to this one is too catchy to ignore. You can definitely hear the band’s progression from this song to the later demo. This reminds me of something I’ve heard in the past year or two, but can’t put my finger on. This is one of the few tracks on the demo where the more prominent bass lines work to the song’s advantage.

Beast of Heresy
Slayer like reverb opens up this next one before the thick bass and vocals come in with distant guitars. The vocals have a much more evil tinge to their delivery. Not a bad track with plenty of groove and decent guitar work.

Diabolical Decree
“Diabolical Decree” wraps up the older demo with more thick bass and drumming that seems to be a bit scatter brained. The lead at 1:35 is pretty damned tasty though. I definitely prefer the newer demo over these five song, but there are some decent moments here and there that make this combined release that much more enticing.

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Additional Notes:
N/A