Astral Path - An Oath to the Void

Artist: Astral Path
Release Title: An Oath to the Void
Year: 2016
Label: Avantgarde Music
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Maroon Sea
2. An Oath to the Void
3. Between Appalachia and the Shield
4. A Virulent Delusion
5. To Vega... Nebulous Anatomy

The debut album from Canadian atmospheric black metallers Astral Path offers a decent enough spin on this particular style in the genre as they go about launching their career. This here is based around traditional tremolo riff-work with plenty of swirling melodic keyboards weaving along throughout the tracks which adds a fantastic atmosphere here with the ability of the tracks leads to a celestial ambiance that coincides with the riffing arrangements. This is highly pleasing and engaging which makes for a great time here as the central basis for their work is nicely fused with the fiery traditional tremolo riff-work alongside the rather engrossing atmospheric melodies added together. There’s a rather big stumbling block here with this effort in that the album’s rather simplistic nature doesn’t really offer up a strong sense of variation within here as the album can run through tracks that can tend to feel as though it’s one-note. That’s mostly apparent in the one rather bland track that doesn’t go anywhere because all it does is just run through the same rhythms and melodies for the entirety of the track without doing anything new or varied with it, and it’s quite apparent in the album as a whole elsewhere even with that being the greatest singular example. As well, there’s the short running time as there’s only five tracks which can be quite a shock with the sudden ending, but otherwise there’s a lot to like here.

The tracks here aren’t really that bad and play well within the genre. Opener ‘Maroon Sea’ takes an extended synth-driven celestial riff that turns into driving swirling tremolo riff-work and frenetic drumming charging along the melodic rhythms running along throughout the steady pace as the swirling atmosphere driven throughout the final half makes for a strong opening impression. The Void title track takes simple swirling riff-work and plodding, simplistic drumming as the atmospheric riffing and celestial melodies weave throughout the series of droning rhythms carrying out throughout the extended patterns as the crashing riffing continues into the extended droning finale for a strong if somewhat repetitive effort. ‘Between Appalachia and the Shield’ uses the faded celestial synths crashes into a rather simplistic series of plodding melodic tremolo riffing as the simplistic melodies and steady rhythms carry on throughout the mid-paced riff-work leading into the light ambient celestial-inspired final half for a long, drawn-out and mostly dull offering. ‘A Virulent Delusion’ features immediate blasting drumming and ferocious tremolo riff-work running along through a frantic pace with the buzzing celestial melodies driving into the slow-down section with the light riffing and steady rhythms holding on throughout the final half for a rather enjoyable effort. Finally, album-closer ‘To Vega... Nebulous Anatomy’ uses an extended crackling fade-in intro that gives way to searing tremolo riff-work and frantic drumming whipping through a series of driving paces as the swirling melodic riffing turns into an extended section of atmospheric rhythms and light melodies before firing back into the frantic energy for the finale for yet another solid effort that ends this on a fine lasting impression.

Though the length is the clear-cut issue here, this is still a solid enough representation of the genre that does what the style provides without much change-up and makes for a solid if non-essential listen for aficionados of the style while those looking for more traditional style should heed caution.

Score: 75/100

Does it sound good to you? Order it from here:
http://astralpath.bandcamp.com/

Nordjevel - Nordjevel

Artist: Nordjevel
Release Title: Nordjevel
Year: 2016
Label: Osmose Productions
Genre: Old-School Black Metal
Tracklisting:
1. The Shadows of Morbid Hunger
2. Sing for Devastation
3. Djevelen i nord
4. The Funeral Smell
5. Denne tidløse krigsdom
6. Blood Horns 03:38
7. Det ror og ror 04:50
8. Når noen andre dør...
9. Norges sorte himmel

The self-titled debut release from Norwegian black metallers Nordjevel is pretty much exactly second-wave Norwegian black metal of the highest order without much difference of execution. There’s not a whole lot here that separates the band from their countrymen peers pumping out the same kind of quality two decades ago, being expertly-designed and executed black metal full of ripping tremolo-picked rhythms soaked in brimstone and hellfire that sounds positively explosive in this dynamic mix. Buzzing along at a tight, frantic tempo which gives this a definite melodic air against the more ravenous and vicious rhythms that are much more prominent here. Still, the melodic undercurrent here is still very much a part of the attack as the buzzing rhythms create a more melodic base against which it can securely meld these vicious riff-patterns and utterly chaotic drum-blasts that tend to make the music all the more vicious and engaging as it features both rampaging full-throttle riffing against infectious melodic harmonies. While it can be said that there’s nothing all that original here about the band being so blatantly and openly aping that sound and aesthetics throughout the album here, it’s a moot point here being as fervently enthusiastic and engaging here as this is the only real flaw within their music and it gets lost quite early on as its drowned out in a sea of passionately-played, competently-executed riffs and melodies that make for an immensely enjoyable effort from a promising new project.

The first half here expertly displays what’s featured throughout this one. Opener ‘The Shadows of Morbid Hunger’ features an extended howling-wind intro before blasting into vicious drumming and ravenous swirling tremolo-picked rhythms along surging up-tempo paces full of buzzing riff-work and dexterous drumming keeping the intensity in check throughout with the blistering tempos into the droning-sampled finale which makes for a wholly enjoyable and impressive opening here. ‘Sing for Devastation’ takes a more melodic sprawling tremolo riff into a dynamic and rather frenetic mid-tempo run with fervent melodies and dynamic drumming that continues along at a steady pace with the tremolo rhythms augmented nicely by the melodic tendencies in the final half for one of the album’s better efforts. ‘Djevelen i Nord’ offers a simple melodic series of swirling riff-work and plenty of dynamic drumming that takes the melody-driven tremolo-picked rhythms nicely along the intense blasting drumming as the sprawling melodies surge through dynamic charging tempos loaded with intense riffing into the up-tempo finale for yet another impressive effort. ‘The Funeral Smell’ features pounding drumming along with stylish up-tempo tremolo riff-work bouncing along at a feverishly up-tempo pace with plenty of blasting drumming and melodic riffing buzzing along to the frantic tempos with the clattering drumming working into a ravenous final half for another furious effort. ‘Denne tidløse krigsdom’ blows through the air-raid siren intro into bristling double-bass blasts with ravenous tremolo-picked riff-work and tight, mid-tempo rhythms that continually blaze along at varying up-tempo paces as the swirling tremolo-picked riffs buzz through vicious patterns into a more melodic finale for an incredibly enjoyable track.


‘Blood Horns’ takes a steady, bombastic mid-tempo approach with chaotic drumming blasting through the furious tremolo-picked riffs full of up-tempo blasting alongside those swarming rhythms as the urgent rhythms and intensity packed into the furious and frantic mid-section further the vicious final half makes it a true lasting highlight among the already impressive offerings. Offering back-to-back blasters as ‘Det ror og ror’ takes a swirling melodic riff into a rather frantic mid-tempo series of swarming tremolo riffing as the blitzkrieg-style drumming continues blasting throughout the feverish speed-driven sections full of melodic harmonies amongst the blinding speed continually blasting along throughout the finale for yet another stellar highlight. ‘Når noen andre dør…’ features sparkling tremolo harmonies against the blasting full-throttle drumming that takes a more vicious run away from the melodic qualities in the mid-section full of furious riff-work alongside the utterly punishing drum-work that manages to bring back some melodic rhythms in the still-frenetic final half for an overall impressive outing. Lastly, the epic ‘Norges sorte himmel’ features a melancholic riff against droning militaristic drumming that settles into a fine mid-tempo march with the swirling tremolo melodies and pounding drumming that successfully adapts to quicker tempos with more furious riff-work and blasting drumming carry the devastating mid-tempo pace along with the occasional solo section or mid-tempo break as it settles into a relaxing piano-led finale for a rather enjoyable slower-paced offering. Their album-closing cover of the Slayer classic ‘Raining Blood’ offers a lot of the same riffing and speed but loses a lot of the engaging heaviness going through the notions here as the varying riff-work comes off enjoyable if slightly obvious in the final half which ends this one on an overall fun note.

This one turned out to be among one of the most faithful and utterly engaging second-wave worshipping bands in the genre, and that this one is only their debut immediately makes them top contenders right out of the gate with what is easily an essential release for anyone remotely interesting in traditional black metal fare or looking to rediscover the glory days of the Norwegian scene.

Score: 96/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/nordjevel

Paradox (Gr) - Pangea

Artist: Paradox (Gr)
Release Title: Pangea
Year: 2016
Label: AFM Records
Genre: Power/Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Apophis
2. Raptor
3. The Raging Planet
4. Ballot or Bullet
5. Manhunt
6. Cheat & Pretend
7. Pangea
8. Vale of Tears
9. Alien Godz
10. El Muerte

The seventh effort from German thrashers Paradox once again shows them as perhaps the most underrated and overlooked of the scenes’ acts and continues their legacy nicely. Much like their previous efforts, this here is basically set-up to feature their classic speed/thrash metal and churning power metal melodies into one raging mixture. Taking tight, crunchy patterns more influenced by the Bay Area style with the occasional burst into a melodic mid-tempo chug, this here manages to spell out many of the band's trademark rhythms here and gives this a solid thrashing energy. Those are driven along by a rather frantic and impressive amount of technicality in the riff-work which adds a superb amount of energy and dynamic bounce to the material alongside the excess melodies that makes for a soothing and utterly appealing mixture here that plays much like the band’s signature style from the very beginning.

The first half here sets this one up spectacularly. Opener ‘Apophis’ slowly works through a gradual intro to build into tight, raging riff-work and plenty of thumping drumming keeping the frantic rhythms twisting with technically-challenging rhythms driving the melodic charge through the dynamic solo section and keeping the tight rhythms along into the final half for a stellar opening. ‘Raptor’ takes churning riff-work and stellar melodic chugging to explode into a mid-tempo series of riff-work bristling with technical patterns and pounding drumming keeping the up-tick into far more frantic mid-tempo patterns for the solo section and furiously charging through the finale for another strong effort. ‘The Raging Planet’ features swirling technical riff-work and charging rhythms with pounding drumming carrying through the fine series of impressive challenging riffing leading along through the melodic solo section and bringing the tight rhythms along through the extended final half for one of the better efforts here. ‘Ballot or Bullet’ uses a brief sampled speech before blasting through blazing riff-work and plenty of high-speed drumming charging forth in tight, crunchy patterns frantically blasting into the surging solo section and letting the blistering rhythms carry into the finale for another stellar track. ‘Manhunt’ uses a swirling, melancholic intro  with sterling melodic flair that quickly turns into ripping riff-work churning through the tight, technical patterns with frantic speed-drenched patterns furiously keeping alongside the pounding drumming through the swirling series of churning riffing into the solo section carrying along through the bristling final half for an utterly spectacular highlight.

The second half here is slightly lower than the first half but still comes packed with highlights. ‘Cheat & Pretend’ takes a simple mid-tempo churning rhythm and plodding mid-tempo drumming brimming with plenty of steady melodic patterns in the riff-work holding this in a very simple, straightforward pace leading into the solo section and leading along through the finale for the album’s first real bland effort. The title track features buzzing discordant riffing to lead into stellar and frantic thrashing patterns with stellar mid-tempo churning riffing leading through the fiery arrangements leading to the melodic solo section and letting the energetic riff-work and pounding drumming carry the frantic tempos in the finale for an absolutely stellar highlight that gets this back in action perfectly. ‘Vale of Tears’ offers melancholic riff-work and light ambient rhythms throughout the soft patterns with a gradual appearance of pounding drumming alongside harder arrangements switching along between the different styles as the churning solo section carries the plodding tempos into the final half for another rather bland effort. ‘Alien Godz’ features churning mid-tempo riffing and pounding drumming to eventually settle into a blistering charge full of speed-drenched riffing and plenty of pounding drumming carrying the frantic, fiery rhythms and blasting drumming that fires through the solo section and carrying along through the finale for another strong, impressive offering. Finally, album-closer ‘El Muerte’ uses a tight, thumping technical series of riff-work and pounding drumming with plenty of challenging rhythms leading into plenty of fiery patterns and pounding drumming carrying the high-speed rhythms along through the swirling solo sections and charging along to the frantic final half for a bruising and dynamic highlight that ends this on a high-note.

For a band to remain as consistent and enjoyable as they’ve been from the beginning makes them one of the undervalued and overlooked heavyweights in the style with ease as this is another stellar addition to their discography and makes for a superb choice for thrashers in general, aficionados of the more classic metal sound or just those looking for good solid metal in general.

Score: 96/100

Does it sound good? Order it here:
http://shop.afm-records.de/en/paradox-pangea-en.html

Nervosa - Agony

Artist: Nervosa
Release Title: Agony
Year: 2016
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Retro Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Arrogance
2. Theory of Conspiracy
3. Deception
4. Intolerance Means War
5. Guerra Santa
6. Failed System
7. Hostages
8. Surrounded by Serpents
9. Cyber War
10. Hypocrisy
11. Devastation
12. Wayfarer

The second full-length from Brazilian thrashers Nervosa positions them near the top of the class for the South American revival scene and perhaps the movement in general. As expected for acts in this type of scene, the main focus for the majority of the album is the old-school Bay Area riff-work prominent on the songs which generates the same crunchy, tightly-wound rhythms that were present back then, coming off with the same fiery energy and drive here that makes that material all the more impressive for creating that same impact. Without much soloing featured, instead the main focus is on the rhythms and occasional lead-work being featured, giving this one a far more mid-tempo vibe overall with a few touches off into the more brutal and blistering tempos that works nicely here adding a nice impact to the proceedings when they occur as it acts accordingly to the tempered rhythms being focused on by the majority of the tracks. This though is clearly exacerbated by the fact that the album is slightly too long for it’s own good, featuring a few too many tracks here that serve the same purpose as each other so it really feels like it could’ve used a trim to knock off one or two to make for a tighter and less repetitive experience as that gets highlighted listening to three tracks in a row featuring the same effects for the most part, which really serves as the one lone flaw here.  Had this trimmed off one or two of the weaker offerings this would’ve scored quite high overall.

The first half here features a lot of strong work overall. Opener ‘Arrogance’ brings blistering drumming and tight, crunchy riff-work along to a raging mid-tempo charge with pounding rhythms, plenty of deep, heavy riff-work and dynamic drumming that works over several varied tempo changes leading to furious riff-work into the series of leads into the finale for a decent enough opener. ‘Theory of Conspiracy’ immediately blasts through furious crunchy riff-work and plenty of raging drumming that races along at a charging mid-tempo pace that allows the swirling rhythms to charge alongside the crunchy patterns leading into plenty of utterly pummeling breakneck riffing and furious drumming into the final half for a stand-out highlight. ‘Deception’ uses simple, build-up crunchy riff-work with a strong series of swirling leads alongside the pounding drumming that works into the screeching leads of the solo section as the frantic, chaotic leads hold along through the tight, dynamic rhythms as the crunchy riffing leads through the finale for a solid and enjoyable effort. ‘Intolerance Means War’ features raging leads and plenty of pounding drumming whipping along through a series of dense, tightly-wound rhythms propelled along at a frantic pace with plenty of swirling leads mixed along to the crunchy riffing and tight drumming leading along through the final half for a solid and decent-enough effort. ‘Guerra Santa’ fires off tight, blistering riff-work and plenty of ravenous rhythms with the tight, blasting drumming keeping the flurry of tightly-wound riff-work firing along at a furious pace that charges along with the frantic patterns along through the final half for another strong highlight. ‘Failed System’ utilizes a tight chugging intro with plenty of fiery drumming blasting along to the frantic rhythms charging along through the twisting swirling leads pounding along to the furious thrashing riff-work leading through the frantic solo section and carrying on throughout the finale for another strong thrashing highlight.

The second half doesn’t feel as immediate as the first half but has a lot to like. ‘Hostages’ works through a stylish, plodding series of rhythms with plenty of pounding drumming that opens up into a blistering mid-tempo series of swirling patterns and furious chugging rhythms that weave through the frantic solo section and carrying through the tight final half for a solid and decent track. ‘Surrounded by Serpents’ takes rolling drumming and a series of swirling leads through choppy chugging rhythms featuring a strong charge into tight, blistering riff-work and furious drumming patterns keeping the choppy chugging drumming inline through the charging finale for an enjoyable enough effort. ‘Cyber War’ features a thumping bass-intro with a fine build-up segment that turns into tight, thumping series of raging riff-work that brings along various full-throttle tempos surging along through the blistering drumming as the frantic leads charge along into the final half for a strong, impactful effort. ‘Hypocrisy’ slowly works through a gradual build-up intro that thumps along into a tight, furious blast with pounding, charging drumming flowing along through the heavy chug rhythms and pummeling, furious drumming that carries along through the strong, charging finale for another strong, enjoyable track. ‘Devastation’ features utterly blistering and dramatic drumming alongside tight, heavy chugging riff-work along a frantic series of rhythms that keep the tight paces featured alongside the furious riffing charging along into the stylish chug patterns flowing along throughout the final half for a solid and enjoyable effort. Finally, ‘Wayfarer’ features a light, chugging bass-line with swirling riff-work that takes a bouncy hard rocking pace with the thumping rhythms eventually moving along into the raging thrash riffing patterns with the blistering, pounding drumming utilizing the furious rhythms until the soulful acapella female vocals for the finale for a fantastic rampaging thrasher which gets a little undone by those bookended pieces for a decent lasting impression.

Through no fault of the music itself and really only hurt by a feeling of overkill with too many tracks for it’s own good, there’s so much to like here as the group continues to harness it’s destructive old-school thrash sound that this ends up being of a solid, worthwhile choice for fans of the bands’ past or those looking for a solid retro-thrash experience.

Score: 89/100

Does it sound good? Order from here:
https://shop.napalmrecords.com/nervosa-agony-digipak-cd.html

Mortal Infinity - Final Death Denied

Artist: Mortal Infinity
Release Title: Final Death Denied
Year: 2015
Label: Red Dagger Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Grid Specter
2. Cult of the Dead
3. Revived by Surgery
4. Under the Serpent Tree
5. Hell Is a Crematory
6. Body Collector
7. Haunted Mental Asylum
8. Sleep Paralysis
9. Neurotoxic Fire
10. Dystopia

The second full-length from German thrashers Mortal Infinity offers up a rather enjoyable if slightly faulty attempt at a more American styled thrash attack than their German counterparts. In their thrashing modes, the band here is far more intent on utilizing the traditional Bay Area-styled attack here for the majority of their work. Utilizing tight, crunchy, mid-tempo chugging as the basis for this one, this one really puts those rhythms to great use in generating the kind of up-tempo, frantic paces that work best with this style of attack. Alongside the faster, blistering tempos this one really manages to get out a lot of the more mid-tempo work on display where the chugging patterns and tight, steady drumming tend to work over even more of the tracks here for what’s the most prominent style featured on the album. While this effort does get plenty of mileage out of those chugging rhythms, it does crop up as one of the main points against this one. With the group relying on that mid-tempo pace here without much deviation here within their patterns and arrangements, the tempos on so many songs seem to mostly plod along to the finish line without really generating the kind of vicious streak mostly associated with so many thrash acts. Likewise, beyond this problem with the main rhythms, another problem emerges here in the fact that this one ends up being far longer than it really should’ve been. While some of this comes from the plodding riff-work, others are far more curious as to why it’s so overlong where it certainly builds up to a ripping, full-speed thrasher only in the later half after most of the track has been a plodding mid-tempo series of crunchy riffing without a lot of energy. That’s understandable, but the epic isn’t graced with such excuses as it just wears on with the same riffing for nearly ten minutes without let-up as it winds on through it’s paces seemingly endlessly which results in a gaudy, overlong effort that stretches this out needlessly. It really is a problem moreso for being the closer, and it leaves a disappointing lasting impression that way.

The first half here sets this one up quite nicely. Opener ‘Grid Specter’ features tight, twisting riff-work and pounding drumming along a steady furious pace with plenty of twisting technical patterns within the mid-tempo charge with thumping rhythms driving the frantic riffing through the blistering solo section and on through the winding final half for a solid, raging opener. ‘Cult of the Dead’ uses a tight, crunchy series of riffing against utterly blistering, frantic drumming into a steady, solid mid-tempo charge with plenty of blistering rhythms working into a frenzied pace holding the main rhythms into the melodic solo section leading the discordant rhythms to carry into the finale for another strong effort. ‘Revived by Surgery’ takes a stuttering series of start/stop swirling riffing and tight drumming into a plodding mid-tempo series of riff-work that turns into a rather frantic series of blazing riff-work and frenzied drumming leading into the fade-out final half for a wholly unappealing and rather disappointing track. ‘Under the Serpent Tree’ uses a steady, gradual build-up that turns into a bouncy up-tempo series of crunchy riffing and plenty of pounding drumming that manages to bring the explosive patterns to thrash along to the strong swirling riffing stuttering into the solo section and carrying along into the finale for a more enjoyable effort. ‘Hell Is a Crematory’ features steady, mid-tempo charging riff-work with plenty of crunchy riff-work along through the plodding rhythms that work alongside the squealing leads with the plodding chug riffing before kicking up the energy with furious riffing and pounding drumming in the solo section and carrying that through the final half for a better track in the later half.

The second half here isn’t as enjoyable here and really shows off the album’s flaws. ‘Body Collector’ uses the sampled squished-meat intro to lead into a steady mid-tempo rhythms with the occasional blast into raging up-tempo drumming that manages to bring the riffing out of the plodding paces into tight, crunchy chugging into the solo section and carrying into the finale for a decent if not all that impressive effort. ‘Haunted Mental Asylum’ takes rocking drum-work and stylized riffing on through a bouncy mid-tempo pace with a steady crunch from the riffing holding the main series of thrashing riff-work running along throughout the raging solo section and keeping the blistering paces throughout the final half for a stellar highlight. ‘Sleep Paralysis’ features crunchy mid-tempo riffing chugging along to mid-tempo drum-work that settles nicely into mid-tempo thumping rhythms with stylish, fiery riffing keeping the steady pace along through the atmospheric melodies before kicking back into the frantic rhythms in the finale for a solid and enjoyable effort. ‘Neurotoxic Fire’ features simple swirling riffing with steady, mid-tempo pounding drumming keeping the rumbling chugging patterns holding along at an unchanging tempo with a sweeping series of crunchy chug-patterns throughout the solo section and keeping hold until the final half for a wholly solid and enjoyable effort. Finally, the epic album-closer ‘Dystopia’ uses an extended fade-in intro as the scratchy sampled voices gradually give way to ripping drumming and crushing mid-tempo chugging riff-work keeping a steady stream of thrashing rhythms along at a straightforward pace that lets the series of solo sections work through the varying tempos utilized with the straightforward tempos working along into the mid-tempo finale for a solid and decent if entirely overlong effort for a somewhat disappointing lasting impression.

While it’s a fine enough listen on its own right, the fact that this one here hardly ever seems to go for the kill in regards to it’s intensity and ferocity does hold it back to the point that it’s really more for the most undiscriminating thrash aficionados or German metal connoisseurs who will find the most to enjoy here as others will undoubtedly approve of more vicious acts out there.

Score: 78/100

Does it sound good? Order from here:
http://www.facebook.com/MortalInfinity

Cavador - Prohibido Nacer EP

Artist: Cavador
Release Title: Prohibido Nacer EP
Year: 2015
Label: Self-Released/Independent
Genre: Retro Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Prohibido Nacer
2. Campo Desolado
3. Ausgebombt (Sodom cover)
4. Prohibited Be Born

The new EP from Argentine thrashers Cavador features enough intriguing moments of old-school thrash which fits nicely into the South American variants in the genre. For the most part this here is mostly a crunchy, Bay-Area styled riff-work that rattles along with a series of sloppy arrangements which feature the type of frantic up-tempo paces that typify the kind of energetic and frantic off-the-rails thrash that’s utilized here. It’s one of the few kinds of efforts that manages to weave out far longer and winding arrangements than it really should because of that riffing style where it swirls around building up into the kind of overlong efforts here as this one really does work along quite nicely despite that rather disjointed feel. Even with that facet, the short running time here with the three original tracks and the cover simply makes that kind of riff-work all the more apparent because that’s all that appears here where the three long, winding tracks are buffered around the simple, one-note cover which sticks out here.

Overall here this one wasn’t all that bad. The opening title track works through the series of swirling rhythms into a mid-tempo series of thumping riffing alongside blasting drumming throughout the series of winding rhythms and scalding leads thrashing alongside the blasting drumming through a strong series of thumping rhythms leading to the acoustic-driven final half for a strong opening impression. ‘Campo Desolado’ takes tight, mid-tempo riffing and simplistic drumming into a steady, straightforward mid-tempo pace as the swirling rhythms carry along through plodding mid-tempo sprawling for a melodic buffer against the raging, surging solo section and carrying into the stuttering finale for an enjoyable if slightly weaker effort. Their cover of Sodom’s classic ‘Ausgebombt’ offers an incredibly faithful and enjoyable homage to the original with plenty of fiery rhythms and the same punk-ish attitude as the original yet still feels a little out-of-place as their original material is a lot more complex and involved compared to the stripped-down and simple nature of this one though it’s still remains a faithful and endearing version. Finally, ‘Prohibited Be Born’ features a tight, crunchy series of explosive riff-work and simple drumming working into a rather frenetic pace with plenty of tight, furious leads driving the raging rhythms into the surging solo section as the melodic riff-work leads into the charging finale for a strong and enjoyable lasting impression.

Despite a minor problem with it that gets a bit more pronounced over time, that isn’t a big enough factor to really overwhelm the raging energy featured here which makes for quite an appealing time here for fans of the bands’ past work or devout followers of retro-fueled South American thrash.

Score: 80/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://cavador.bandcamp.com/album/prohibido-nacer

Debunker - The Invisible Disorder EP

Artist: Debunker
Release Title: The Invisible Disorder EP
Year: 2015
Label: Self-Released/Independent
Genre: Groove/Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. The Invisible Disorder
2. The Logical Zombie
3. After the War
4. Red Shift
5. Blindsided

The debut EP from Portuguese groove-laced thrashers Debunker starts off their career in fine form with a rather appealing and intriguing effort with a lot to like. This here is mostly based around the kind of tight, raging groove riff-work which is quite an appealing ploy by enabling a kind of vicious, intense aggression to the tracks which makes for quite an impressive take here that comes from that kind of tightly-wound groove throughout the effort. There’s even a sense of variety within the tempos as well where there’s a difference in the driving riff-work full of more atmospheric parts to the tracks that’s somewhat removed from the straightforward pieces that typify more groove-centered efforts, and that’s a quite impressive mixture for these styles to get pulled off throughout here, though it does seem to feel a little short overall here with the short tracks sometimes being quite abrupt before it leads into the next effort. This quite easily could’ve been a more full-length.with the work here, and this really starts building up to a great time before it quickly ends, which really keeps it down.

The tracks here are quite fun and have a lot to like. The title track opens into a rousing series of rumbling drumming and tight, groove thrashing that settles into a rousing mid-tempo thumping pace as the swirling groove rhythms keep the utterly pummeling drumming through the surging solo section and on through the blasting final half for an utterly impressive opening effort. ‘The Logical Zombie’ features tight, swirling riffing pounding alongside the tight drumming into a stylish mid-tempo series of rhythms keeping an intense series of churning riff-work thumping along to the blistering and frantic solo section and holding on through the finale for a slightly weaker but still enjoyable track. ‘After the War’ uses a tight, simple series of groove-filled riff-work with a steady, simplistic pace leading along through the up-tick into more energetic and thrash-filled rhythms into a charging solo section and moving along throughout the pounding drumming of the final half for a strong overall effort. ‘Red Shift’ takes a strong, immediate groove riff through a raging, tight blast of frantic energy through the charging rhythms with a series of strong, pounding drumming thumping along to the rather simplistic rhythms with the soaring solo section keeping up the intensity into the finale for a strong and enjoyable effort. Lastly, album-closer ‘Blindsided’ takes a simplistic and gradual build-up series of riffing into the series of frantic groove rhythms and pounding drumming keeping the simple rhythms and the fine thumping drumming that works along the solo section and into the charging final half for an enjoyable effort that ends this one nicely.

Though it does seem a little short with it’s brief ending overall, there’s still a plentiful vibe and energy that carries throughout the tracks here that makes it quite enjoyable which starts off their career nicely, making for a suitable time for those into the more aggressive and brutalizing thrash efforts.

Score: 84/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://debunker.bandcamp.com/

Vampyrsgard - Phantom der Nacht

Artist: Vampyrsgard
Release Title: Phantom der Nacht
Year: 2015
Label: The Horror Dimension
Genre: Black Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Vampyrsgard
2. Believe in Darkness
3. Sensual Neck
4. Phantom der Nacht
5. Fallen
6. Under the Power of the Midnight Fullmoon
7. Black Coffin
8. Deliciuous Blood

The debut album from Spanish black metal band Vampyrsgard comes off as a rather intriguing and at times enjoyable release from a band without any releases prior to this point. From the onset this here seems to be set-up primarily as a rather traditional outfit just with a much more melodic bent to the music. The main genesis is still swirling tremolo-picked patterns straight from the second-wave Norwegian originators, though they get balanced out by much heavier melodic leads running throughout the tracks. There’s a solid usage here towards generating the more up-tempo variety to really work nicely overall here utilizing a more mid-tempo and plodding pace within the confines of it’s simplistic style here of it holding onto a steady pace without overdoing or needlessly complicating itself than it really has to here, giving the songs a nice impact without offering up tons of over-used rhythms or patterns. This does feel very nice when the tracks work, but it can lead to deathly boring affairs when the pacing and songwriting aren’t up to par which is the main element holding this one back. It’s a problem inherent in the tracks due to the bands’ overall inexperience and youthful age where it hasn’t had the opportunity in really honing in on their prefered style rather than just jumping out with a full-length effort right from the start where honing out how to properly make their style a lot more cohesive, and that does manage to stick out here because of that..

The first half here does showcase the bands’ attitude the best on here. Opener ‘Vampyrsgard’ features utterly blistering tremolo riff-work and frantic drumming that settle into a rather steady pace with a thumping drive to the main rhythms alongside the ambient keyboards driving along through the clanking tremolo patterns swirling throughout the final half for a solid opening impression. ‘Believe in Darkness’ takes a gradual build-up with pounding drumming and stylized mid-tempo tremolo riff-work building along to the thumping drumming and stylish mid-tempo paces running along with the thumping rhythms holding alongside the pounding patterns of the finale for an enjoyable enough offering. ‘Sensual Neck’ utilizes impressive swirling tremolo-pitched patterns and steady, simplistic pounding drumming to keep the steady tempos in place throughout the melodic main rhythms running with the simplistic and rather stylish mid-tempo rhythms carrying through into the final half for a nice highlight offering. The title track uses a light acoustic intro before blaring into raging, frantic patterns with furious blasting drumming and melodic swirling tremolo patterns leading throughout the highly melodic up-tempo swirling riff-work pounding along throughout the finale for another strong back-to-back highlights.

Though fallen from the upper half, this one does have some decent enough moments in the second half. ‘Fallen’ uses an extended melancholic intro before turning into a stylish mid-tempo series of swirling tremolo riff-work with pounding up-tempo drumming keeping the steady patterns along throughout the droning endless swirling riffing holding throughout the final half for an enjoyable if still somewhat bland effort. The instrumental ‘Under the Power of the Midnight Fullmoon’ also utilizes the acoustic lead-in that runs along through the swirling riff-work with plenty of melodic leads and simplistic drumming throughout the mid-tempo pace leading into the finale for a solid mid-album breather. ‘Black Coffin’ features melodic swirling rhythms and steady, simplistic riff-work droning on into an endless series of swirling slow-tempo patterns as the drum-work keeps the plodding tempo in check throughout the plodding rhythms into the final half for a rather bland and drawn-out offering. Lastly, album-closer ‘Delicious Blood’ uses tight swirling riff-work and blasting drumming throughout the steady mid-tempo patterns holding the droning melodic leads nicely alongside the simplistic drumming that nicely brings the swirling tremolo riff-work throughout the finale for a solid lasting impression.

Though the bands’ inexperience and youth does become apparent at times throughout here, there’s enough quality and worthwhile moments here that it doesn’t hold back to where it should end up appealing quite nicely with fans of older black metal or those that prefer the slower, heavier side of the genre.

Score: 83/100

Does it sound good: Order from here:
http://www.sklep.oldtemple.com/album/310-phantom-der-nacht-vampyrsgard

Dimlight - The Lost Chapters

Artist: Dimlight
Release Title: The Lost Chapters
Year: 2015
Label: Sliptrick Records
Genre: Symphonic Gothic/Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1. The Inception
2. Spawn of Nemesis
3. Shattered Idols
4. Invoking the Hunter
5. Dark Things of the Desert
6. Children of Perdition
7. Torrents of Blood
8. Fear of Heavens
9. Clash of Immortals
10. Fields of Carnage

The third full-length from Greek gothic/death metal unit Dimlight offers even more to like here with the bands’ take on symphonically ornate gothic overtones with death metal ferocity. As can be expected here, lush, grandiose keyboards swirl around throughout the majority of the work here which makes for an over-the-top display of orchestral work here from the keyboards being accompanied rather nicely with the operatic vocals being featured. Mixing the striking clean female soaring vocals with the raspy male counterparts may seem like gothic metal basics but it works here with the slow, pounding rhythms at the forefront of the bands’ other attacks. Coming complete with pounding drumming and the occasional deluge into romantic arrangements within the rest of the music here, it’s all quite fun and dynamic here with this one mostly utilizing the up-tempo work and offering plenty of gothic-tinged symphonics to put a lot of enjoyable work on display here. For all this good points, though, the band does tend to fall into minor trouble with the fact that there’s nothing really unique or creative about this kind of symphonically-charged gothic/death metal as it’s pretty basic and by-the-numbers styled work generating all the rather familiar notes here with one-note blistering drumming, up-tempo riffing and orchestral-styled keyboards offering a bombastic symphonic undertone. They’re clearly competent and cohesive enough but not without a lack of identity to really stand out here even if the songs themselves are enjoyable.

The first half here sets this up quite nicely. Instrumental intro ‘The Inception’ features a deep droning noise intro with a spoken-word storytelling set-up that leads into proper first track ‘Spawn of Nemesis’ featuring blistering drumming amidst grand orchestral keyboards charging along into a frantic series of symphonic flurries while keeping the Gothic rhythms at the forefront with the over-the-top keyboards and drumming continue swirling along into the light choppy rhythms throughout the final half for a fun overall effort. ‘Shattered Idols’ uses grandiose symphonics over blazing drumming and tight riff-work carrying along simple rhythms while keeping the over-the-top symphonics buzzing along through the series of thumping patterns with the extended instrumental interlude carrying the symphonics throughout the finale for a dynamic highlight. ‘Invoking the Hunter’ features a dark, haunting swirling series of riffing alongside the sweeping patterns and pounding drumming into a steady mid-tempo attack as the swirling rhythms lift for romantic keyboards and soft riffing that off-sets the quiet energy throughout the final half for a decent enough effort. The instrumental mid-album breather ‘Dark Things of the Desert’ simply serves as a brief storyline segue to lead into the next track.

The second half is rather enjoyable much like the upper half. Bleeding through the previous effort, ‘Children of Perdition’ opens with swirling riff-work and a blistering series of orchestral symphonics alongside utterly raging drumming that soon settles into a mid-tempo series of meandering rhythms and light melodic work carrying through the slight variances in tempos throughout the finale for a solid if unspectacular effort. ‘Torrents of Blood’ takes a swirling operatic intro with the symphonic keyboards leading into blasting drumming and sweeping riff-work leading the tight chugging riff-work and light symphonics plodding along to a slow, sluggish pace with plenty of sweeping orchestral work in the final half for another overall solid-if-unspectacular offering. ‘Fear of Heavens’ uses strong swirling symphonic keyboards alongside blasting drumming with plenty of tight riff-work that flows into a steady mid-tempo series of chugging symphonic patterns with blasting drumming carrying the bombastic keyboards along into the charging symphonic-led finale for a strong and impressive offering. ‘Clash of Immortals’ features light, soft romantic patterns before exploding into furious drumming alongside sweeping majestic symphonic keyboards and light gothic riff-work that deviates nicely between several strong tempos with sweeping orchestral work coming through into the final half for an overall fun effort. Lastly, ‘Fields of Carnage’ takes epic symphonic keyboards and haunting melodic notes to gradually build into crushing drumming blasting throughout the sweeping majestic keyboards that turns into driving mid-tempo symphonics with plenty of tight rhythms and ornate symphonic orchestral movements leading throughout the grandiose finale for a solid lasting impression.

For the most part, there’s a lot to like here with this one that ends up making it one of the more impressive and enjoyable entries in the style and as long as those can stand to overlook the flaws here with this one it’s a solid listen for those who enjoy impressive gothic-tinged metal or symphonics as well.

Score: 85/100

Does it sound good? Order from here:
http://www.dimlightband.com/shop/the-lost-chapters/

Dethrone (Swe) - Incinerate All

Artist: Dethrone (Swe)
Release Title: Incinerate All
Year: 2016
Label: Massacre Records
Genre: Thrash/Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Reborn in Fire
2. The Plague Carrier
3. Rat King
4. Morbid Existence
5. Spiritual Deception
6. Where Darkness Dwells
7. I Am God
8. Failure
9. Dawn of Demise
10. The Inevitable End

The second full-length from Swedish thrashers Dethrone continues to follow the old-school way of bristling and energetic full-on mixture of death and thrash metal. Judging from the music alone, it’s pretty clear that what’s on display here is prime-era Swedish-styled thrash that was exploding on the scene at the start of the last decade, and it’s carried over here. Ripping razor-wire thrash riff-work, sounding not too dissimilar to the burgeoning Metalcore scene, dominates this one from the get-go and shows a keen ability of this one feeling like a revival act for that time period letting the more vicious patterns and arrangements get utilized instead of the tight crunch and more traditional riff-work that made it’s way in the Bay Area influenced acts. There’s even a nice amount of chugging patterns here to further that connection within the music, and combined with the odd moment of melodic interjections in the leads featuring explosive soloing and more dexterous, dynamic drumming that keeps things in spurts or offering a mid-song breakdown to lead back into some fine intense thrash patterns, this becomes quite fun and far more rousing than it really should be. This does manage to feature the bands’ old-school influence quite nicely but also holds it back from the standpoint of wearing those influences far too close to the vest as it were. There’s not a whole lot of originality on display, running through many of the same patterns and riff-work that was on offer there which is only given a more melodic boost with the leads featured here but is otherwise still very much of that style for the most part.

The first half here is a fine starting point to this one. Opener ‘Reborn in Fire’ gradually builds into a frenzied series of swirling riffing leading into thumping rhythms and frantic, full-throttle tempos running along the frantic thrashing riff-work buoyed by razor-wire melodic hymns and pounding drumming leading into the melodic solo section and into the swirling finale for an explosive highlight offering immediately. ‘The Plague Carrier’ uses pounding drumming and stylish technically-precise riffing to lead through the steady, mid-tempo thumping pace that features plenty of melodic flurries to offset the steady pounding riff-work swirling along into the final half for an enjoyable effort. ‘Rat King’ features tight, immediate riff-work and thumping dexterous drumming keeping a fine mid-tempo pace with plenty of steady swirling melodic thrashing patterns swirling along into the frantic stylish riffing and dexterous patterns along the steady mid-tempo finale for a decent enough effort. ‘Morbid Existence’ uses a thumping mid-tempo series of swirling riff-work and pounding drumming that holds a steady pace with the frantic interludes bringing the fiery melodies along into the rather dynamic choppy rhythms pounding along to the up-tempo pace into the solo section and on through the final half for a rather enjoyable if unspectacular offering. ‘Spiritual Deception’ immediately blasts through swirling razor-wire riffing and dexterous drumming that keeps the tight melodic rhythms running along into the fine breakdowns holding the melodies through the frantic series of buzzing riff-work following the tight leads into the melancholic finale for a rather enjoyable effort.

The second half does come off a little better in regards to some better songs overall. ‘Where Darkness Dwells’ uses a series of tight and blistering riffing with plenty of heavy thumping rhythms and dexterous drumming with frantic, fiery melodic leads running along to the mid-tempo speed-drenched rhythms that hold the tight riffing into the solo section and on through the charging final half for a strong effort overall. ‘I Am God’ features a tight, thumping build-up intro into a series of explosive patterns racing along at frantic stuttering tempos letting the steady riffing thrash along to the steady patterns leading into the strong melodic leads as the frenzied patterns hold out into the tight finale for another strong track. ‘Failure’ takes strong swirling riff-work chugging along with utterly relentless double-bass blasts and tight crunchy riff-work carrying a strong series of melodic rhythms running along through the strong series of twisting leads in the solo section and carrying on through the final half for a really impressive highlight. ‘Dawn of Demise’ utilizes raging swirling riff-work and blistering drumming through a frenzied pace with a steady series of mid-tempo pounding drumming and plenty of crunchy razor-wire patterns leading along through the choppy thrash patterns full of crunchy riff-work into the finale for a decent enough effort. Album-closer ‘The Inevitable End’ uses crunchy riffing alongside frantic drumming and plenty of razor-wire rhythms keeping the steady mid-tempo pace along throughout the steady series of intense riff-work with plenty of sterling razor-wire patterns leading into the dexterous drumming that carries along the final half for an enjoyable enough lasting impression.

Though nothing here is really all that innovative or original, there’s a noticeable enthusiasm with regard to how this comes off that makes this old-school throwback far more compelling than it really needs to be and makes this an ideal choice for the old-guard for Swedish-flavored thrash or thrash in general.

Score: 84/100

Does it sound good? Order from here:
http://dethroneswe.bandcamp.com/