Take three immensely talented musicians, put them in a turbine and shake them up for a while, then tell them to play the first thing that comes into their head. Voila, you have Behold… The Arctopus. ‘Skullgrid’ is a complete headfuck of an album, its technical fret wizardry terrifying in its complexity. Thank God its instrumental, because I couldn’t concentrate on anything else with such fret mangling going on.
Behold…the Arctopus are metal on the Dillinger Escape Plan/Botch/Psyopus edge of reality, an amalgamation of black/death/math/prog/jazz/anything else really that drips with melody and confusion in equal amounts. Spiralling counterpoint tech death abounds in the titanic ‘Transient Exuberance’, while the title track takes three completely different musical lines and coalesces them into an overload of technical prowess. Progressive is a poor word for what Behold…the Arctopus are trying to do here; this is metal for the space age, where Infinity is calculated via King Crimson-esque prog and demented jazzy breaks. ‘Some Mist’ provides the album’s highlight however, with loose, fusion basslines competing with jazz inspired drumming and chaotic guitar solos to create one inspired, original whole.
If you enjoy metal on the very edge of the spectrum, thrusting out into strange new worlds where Psyopus or early Dillinger thrive, ‘Skullgrid’ is the album for you. Or if you need something to fuck your music teacher up, look no further!
(with regards to the picture, normally I put the album cover, but this is the guitar/bass hybrid Colin Marston plays on this album. It has twelve strings, usually played by tapping and can handle bass and guitar at the same time. Madness)
Being a huge Nevermore fan, I have looked forward to this album since it was announced. It’s difficult to imagine how Nevermore will be able to top ‘This Godless Endeavour’; an album of such awesome technical prowess and unrivalled quality, and yet Nevermore have managed to meet those expectations. ‘The Obsidian Conspiracy’ will leave fans of Nevermore fully satisfied that their last album was merely the beginning.
The album opens with ‘The Termination Proclamation’, an opener in the style of ‘Born’ or ‘Narcosynthesis’, rife with twisting Jeff Loomis riffs and those otherworldly herald-of-destruction vocals from Warrel Dane. It is instantly recognisable Nevermore fare; thick, labyrinthian riffs layered with a great drumming performance from Van Williams. ‘And the Maiden Spoke’ is another Jeff Loomis tour-de-force, his ever progressive riffs and solos matching with Dane’s tales of the titluar maiden. Dane’s lyrics are another highlight of the album; insightful and thought-provoking as ever, he is without a doubt one the best lyricists in metal today. The best example is ‘Emptiness Obstructed’, where he laments “So the river ends in this calamity we call heaven, is this perfection, are we spinning into the grey again, and transforming into the insane…”. ‘The Blue Marble and the New Soul’ opens with haunting acoustic guitar and piano, a ballad along the lines of ‘Sentient 6′ with spiralling guitar solos and mournful vocals, and the slower tempo ‘The Day You Built the Wall’ refines and builds upon a chugging riff before wrapping it in a wonderfully melodic solo. ‘The Obsidian Conspiracy’ contains fewer full force thrash songs than ‘This Godless Endeavor’, but the complexity of arrangement has certainly increased, and it is probably the band’s most technical impressive album thus far. The solo work of both Warrel and Jeff have clearly made an impact here; the virtuoso Loomis from his solo album meets with Warrel’s more melancholic side.
It’s difficult to pull a specific song or moment from ‘The Obsidian Conspiracy’ as a definite highlight; this is a package of consummate quality and ability unrivalled in the progressive metal world. Nevermore have made it more difficult this time for their fans, with more complex arrangements and extra strings to their bow (there is nothing much in their back catalogue like ‘The Blue Marble and the New Soul’). Mix that in with the riff fests of ‘The Termination Proclamation’ and the stunning title track and you have the next step in Nevermore’s unfaltering march to the top of the prog metal mountain. Opeth and Dream Theater watch out, they’re coming for you…
Once one of the most important communication and entertainment devices on the planet, music has fallen by the wayside in the march toward technological totalitarianism. Music is a comforter, a provider, a passer of messages and a staple of human communication since before we can all remember. But is its time in the sun fading? Popular music is controlled by corporations who manufacture the kind of acts that sell shedloads of records (digitally of course) when they first arrive on the scene, then are left to rot when new acts are found and pushed. It happens in all styles; who has heard anything from the likes of early reality TV show winners like Gareth Gates or Michelle McManus recently? These were two talented people who (however not to my taste) surely seemed to have earned their right to become the popstars they wanted to be, and yet were forgotten when the next series began.
Rock music is another victim in the onslaught of digitalised music. The vinyl record, once a cherished purchase for fans, now is nothing but a curio for the more hardened collectors, and CDs look to be following suite. I personally have a collection of over 1000 CDs, yet fear that there will come a time where new releases I desire will not be available to add to my collection, and thus I will also have to bend to the will of the masses. I have little desire to have a digitalised music collection; if not for my iPod I probably wouldn’t even have one at all. I have no problem with bands releasing their material in whatever format they desire, but I feel the vinyl or CD still has plenty of potential to create the perfect package for music fans. Who wants a load of digital images to accompany their mp3s? Not me.
Instead of this focus on what is currently popular and by proxy, what will sell, labels and record companies should be focused on pushing good bands that provide more than just a quick buck, merchandising and a popularity contest. I’m not saying that companies should throw away all ideas of making money; there are thousands of bands out there that deserve the money they make for the music and effort they make. But it should be about quality, not quality. The dying emo scene needs an injection of quality to remove the stagnancy that grows within it now. We don’t need another band with a swept over fringe, eyeliner, skinny jeans and lyrics of teen angst. We need something of substance for our disillusioned teen generation, something that they can take with them beyond their twenties.
I don’t paint all of these companies with the same brush, not at all. I know there are record labels who dedicate themselves to finding top quality talent and giving them the stage on which to showcase themselves. Profound Lore are one, Southern Lord are another. I just wish that there were more of them. To quote Steven Wilson of UK progressive rock heroes Porcupine Tree; ‘One of the wonders of the world is going down, it’s one of the blunders of the world, that no one cares’. Let’s hope we can save this wonder before it is too late.
In preparation for the new Abscess album, ‘Dawn of Inhumanity’, I picked myself up a copy of the last one, 2007’s ‘Horrorhammer’. Part of me is a big fan of this kind of death metal, because it represents what death metal was really about when it first arrived; thick sludgy riffing, raw production and a commitment to old school values. Unfortunately many bands have jumped on the ‘old skool’ death metal band wagon of late, but with Abscess’ pedigree including members of primeval death legends Autopsy and Death, they are simply a cut above the rest.
‘Horrorhammer’ is a triumph of raw, dark, tar-thick death metal, doing almost nothing original but feeling all the more welcome for it. Too many bands try to experiment with their sound and end up ruining what little appeal they had. Not so with Abscess. They know what they want to play, and they play it, no bullshit. A raw, almost punkish death metal vibe runs through all of these tracks, from the doom of ‘When Witches Burn’ to the proto-thrash of ‘Hellhole’.
They may not be reinventing the wheel, and sometimes the similarities between songs can be grating, but as an overall album, there is little to complain about. Abscess play old school death metal the way it was supposed to be; evil, simple and supremely dark. Opener ‘Drink the Filth’ is a rager, pulling out a tearing, wailing solo within the first 30 seconds of gurgling vocals and rampaging death riffing.The songs are generally short, most under 3 minutes long and the longer tracks, like ‘Beneath a Blood Red Sun’ or ‘Poison Messiah’ have some great, slow atmospheric points.
If you like your death metal raw, punky and atmospheric like the old days, there are few better albums by modern bands than ‘Horrorhammer’. It’s rather satisfying to hear old school death metal still played by proper legends of the scene who were present at the birth of the genre, and have it pulled off well. It’s not as original as it used to be, but there’s nothing wrong with such an excellent homage. Try and buy!
Dazhbog isn’t the kind of band that I usually listen to. My music intake is pretty much 90% metal at least, with the occasional foray into rock, electronic music and pop/rap from my youth. But Dazhbog are a completely different proposition, mixing sweet synth lines, natural noises and piano lines. It’s a really odd experience for me, but admittedly quite refreshing.
Opening track ‘The Dawn Bloomed In Your Eyes’ sets the tone nicely. You’re guided through a soft, hazy mix of melodious piano lines, synths accenting the peaceful nature of the material, with hints of birdsong fluttering in the background. It is rather similar to, say, an intro or interlude of some symphonic goth metal album, say Nightwish or Within Temptation, but without pomposity nor complexity. This is a feeling that repeats itself throughout the album; it is purely and simply an ambient folk album, written to amplify and revere Mother Earth and all her treasures.
With natural sounds present in every song, the album becomes like one of those sleep aid tapes; it lulls you into a dreamy state, allowing you to absorb and appreciate the music. It’s good relazing music when you require nothing complicated, heavy nor thought provoking, just a desire to sink blissfully into benign rest. It can become rather overbearing after a while however, with enough subtle changes between each track to tell them apart, but yet not quite enough to inspire repeated listens. It is almost certainly too airy and light for most metalhead, but I can see people who are into bands like Zero 7 or Air to maybe get a kick out of it.
With such a heavy focus on metal in my musical tastes, there isn’t much room for an artist like Dazhbog. Yes, ‘Sunset: Legacy of Solitude and Love’ is indeed a nice, well played and relaxing album, full of moments to release tension alongside and it would no doubt be favoured highly amongst people who enjoy this sort of thing. However it is an album deserving of a time and place, and unless fully receptive to its charms, most listeners may find it a tad repetitive and dull.
Betnatnash play harsh, unforgiving symphonic black metal with large helpings of dissonance. They’re Mexican, and have opened for Dimmu Borgir there but that gives only a small hint of their sound.
After a suitably melodramatic intro, first track proper ‘Black Cyclone’ kicks in with some raging riffing and minor key keyboards lines. It’s an odd track, its 8 minute length mixing a huge array of influences together. We have thick industrial keyboard lines, tremolo black metal riffing and acoustic laden interludes almost, which sound quite pagan/folk metal esque. It is clear Benatnash aren’t here to make it easy for any of us to get them, and this theme continues into ‘Red Storm of Yr’.
Unfortunately, it’s a mix that doesn’t always work effectively. Certainly parts of ‘Red Storm of Yr’ sound chaotic, and not in the usual black metal style. The symphonic element isn’t necessarily overplayed, but it comes off as messy with almost jazz like disregard for timing. If executed well, this would be pretty impressive stuff, but for me it doesn’t work well. The songs are also, on average, too long for their own good. A more rigorous cutting of tracks are really in order for future works, as I did find myself skipping onto the next track too often. ‘Benatnash’ does offer something of a warped carnival atmosphere behind the rasping, which is pretty cool but it is unfortunately one of only a few highlights for me.
Benatnash have some interesting elements, and certainly a more original take on the black metal genre than many bands who resort to basic riff and screech mentality. ‘War Prophecies’ is solid enough, but solid doesn’t really cut it anymore. We want inspiring in our metal these days, and Benatnash simply fall flat. Too much mix and match, not enough quality.
It becomes difficult to review live bands on the basis of one song, in this case Zebadiah Crowe. I arrived just in time to catch the close of their set, and unfortunately cannot really comment on them. Following act Artisian were a solid, if uninspiring blast of thick blackened death metal. It was not a bad performance per se, but they fell victim of being support to acts that 99% of the occupants of the venue came to see. Bassist Mørktår and guitarist/vocalist Møløch make a solid pairing; the former looking scarily young, and the savage rasp of the latter making their less exciting material become more palatable. One possibly to look out for.
Brummie extreme maniacs Anaal Nathrakh are completely insane on record, but totally unhinged live. Amiable frontman V.I.T.R.I.O.L. jumps around, flailing arms and shrieks the most unholy noises you can possibly imagine, while Mick Kenney and the rest of the band go hell for leather at their instruments. Its difficult to fully describe the sheer intensity to someone who has never seen the band live. Tracks like ‘The Final Absolution’, ‘The Destroying Angel’ and the titanic ‘Do Not Speak’ send the fans crazy, which Anaal lap up. With directions to the bouncers to ‘let the people do whatever the hell they want, if they break my neck, thats my fault not yours’, the place comes to pieces under the sheer weight of the performance. Imagine Emperor wrestling with Pig Destroyer. Then times that by ten. Then you have Anaal Nathrakh.
Marduk have a seriously tough act to follow. But they manage it, just. Marduk are renowned for the sheer force of their music; enschewing dynamics, song writing and any hint of melody for pure blitzkrieg attack. Well, until these last two albums at least. ‘Rom 5:12′ and ‘Wormwood’ have shown a more misanthropic bent to song writing that is beginning to branch out into less direct attack. But their live show is still awe inspiring vicious. Moments between songs are welcome to catch your breath again before another frost bitten battering ram takes your head off. It’s a stunning exercise in malevolence and intensity. Closing with a guest appearance from Primordial’s Alan Nemtheanga for ‘Accuser/Opposer’, Marduk have provided more evidence that they are one of black metal’s staunchiest pillars. The black metal war machine rolls on…
The return of Decapitated to the death metal scene is a more than welcome, especially since the hiatus was caused by the death of one member and the severe injury of another. It has been almost 4 years since the Polish masters last devastated us with ‘Organic Hallucinosis’, and tonight’s return is all the more poignant after they dedicate ‘Spheres of Madness’ to Vitek and Covan.
But openers Man Must Die were not ready to be just filler before the main act. The Glaswegians brutalised their way through a short set of hard hitting death metal, coupled with hilarious stage banter (‘Are you guys gonnie go mental or are ye gonnie stan’ there like yer havin’ tea wi’ yer granny?’). Man Must Die are unfortunately a pretty underrated band, and dealt with a slow start with consummate ease to have the sold out Ivory Blacks appreciating them fully by the end of the set. Hopefully their addition to the bill on Machine Head’s next appearance in Glasgow this month will open them to a wider audience.
Kataklysm were up next, the Canadians laying waste to the pogo-ing masses with their slick, refined death metal assault. Kataklysm brought groove to the precedings, allowing the circle pit to get properly started. Tracks like ‘The Vultures are Watching’ and ‘Crippled and Broken’ went down a treat with a seemingly endless supply of stage diving fans, including one little red haired girl who took off from a speaker and disappeared within the swelling mass of bodies, never to be seen again.
Finally, Decapitated took the stage and were overwhelming by a roar of praise and adulation. What followed was one of the most impressive shows I’ve seen in a number of gigs; a maelstorm of tech death wizardry backed by pure passion and answered by the place going crazy. The pit grew in size, velocity and violence, with stage divers grabbing the overhead beams and swinging out onto the crowd. Standout tracks ‘Day 69′ and the aforementioned ‘Spheres of Madness’ were particularly impressive, but the whole set was a joy to behold, and it was so heartening to see the band overcome past adversities and rule just as hard as they ever did.
Ξ February 4th, 2010 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Demos |
Spaniards Vitreus have waited a mere five years to release their debut demo, ‘No Shadows Without Light’, a slice of gothic doom akin to Opeth, Paradise Lost and Sentenced. How these sunny countries can through up depressed stuff such as this always astounds me…
Opening track ‘Benighted Existence’ sounds like HIM. A lot like HIM in fact, with the simple arrangement and clean, crooning vocals. Unfortunately, opening with your weakest track is not the best idea, and this one certainly isn’t fantastic. Second track ‘Metaphorically Forgotten’ is much better, with a thick guitar sound overladen with soft, echoing keyboard lines and a much more palatable deathly growl. It also slows to a more melancholic dirge halfway through, and is torn apart by a mournful guitar solo that adds to the atmosphere. There’s something about that I really enjoy; its evocative yet not forcefully sad.
Tracks like ‘Nombres Perdidos’ and closer ‘Dark Walls’ remind me of a rawer Sentenced, or a much stripped back Opeth or Paradise Lost; a winding piano line in ‘Nombres…’ breaking up the guitar led stuff to nice effect. Vitreus are also not opposed to moving into death metal territory as well, witness the heavier ‘Double Trick’ and ‘Metaphorically Forgotten’’s growling roar. There is also shades of black metal seeping into some of the keyboard lines in the title track.
The tough thing to swallow about ‘No Shadows Without Light’ however is the fact that the band have taken a full 6 years to compile this 6 track demo, rerecording and redefining the sound until it was perfect for them. Six tracks in six years isn’t exactly a great output, especially when the quality of this demo ebbs and flows. Quality tracks like ‘Metaphorically Forgotten’ and ‘No Shadows Without Light’ are hindered by poorer material such as the opening track. The band also seem to struggle with identity; at one point being doomy gothic metal, the next a more typical death metal band without being able to excel in either.
There’s definitely enough potential in this demo to suggest that Vitreus are a good band with the ability to excel. What they need to do now is cut away the poorer material and build themselves an identity that they can stick with and that works. Experimentation is fine at such an early stage in a band’s career, but the forging of a strong identity and vision is key to success. Find yourselves Vitreus, then the people will find you.
The Acacia Strain have been peddling their patented brand of deathcore since 2001, and have pretty much perfected their modus operandi by the time ‘Continent’ arrived in 2008. Sturdy, slam ridden death metal that chugs, growls and thunders its way through its almost 40 minute length.
For a style that has almost become totally redundant in terms of originality and room to manoeuvre, the Acacia Strain provide you with a welcome batch of meat and potatoes hardcore, laced with a sharp, metallic edge. Darker than previous efforts, ‘Continent’ also wipes out all these tedious little attempts at experimentation that many bands use to distract the listener from the fact that they don’t have good songs. ‘Continent’ possesses those in spades, be it the thunderous chug of opener ‘Skynet’, the eerie Morbid Angel-esque intro to ‘Chthulu’ or the harmonies that permeate the riffing pleasure of ‘Baby Buster’.
There also seems to be a Meshuggah influence creeping into the riffs of ‘Continent’, breakdowns have a slight unpredictableness and drumming parts sound slightly Tomas Haake- like. Closing track ‘The Behemoth’ provides a perfect end to a solid album; a soaring instrumental that ebbs, flows and sounds completely different to what has come before. It’s generally difficult to add something like that into an album without it seeming like a gimmick or contrite, but it works here to great effect.
‘Continent’ is exactly what you want in a deathcore album; big solid riffs, breakdowns that are not overly predictable but welcoming, and a huge lack of pretension. That is why this band slay. Buy ‘Continent’ and bang your head.
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