Battery (Den) - Martial Law

Artist: Battery (Den)
Release Title: Martial Law
Year: 2016
Label: Punishment 18 Records
Genre: Retro Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. The Rapture
2. Proxy Warfare
3. Kukulkan
4. Downfall of an Age
5. 2083
6. Forced Retaliation
7. Battery by Authority
8. Evil Offspring
9. Evoke the Morbid
10. Martial Law

Taking their influences even further, the Danish thrashers under the banner Battery have continued to bring out the bands’ absolute dedication to the old-school Bay-Area style of thrash which has been a part of the group’s history from the start. Being the last recorded output of long-time drummer Andreas Joen before leaving the band, the sophomore release was originally released November 25, 2016 on Punishment 18 Records.

As was the case for the bands’ career, the vast majority of this one concerns the absolutely frenetic and enjoyable bursts of old-school flavored thrash metal. Like many of their compatriots, there’s a strong sense of the rhythms taking plenty of influence from the Bay-Area style here with the fiery, crunchy riff-work and that ever-familiar rumbling series of bass-lines that clang and rattle along with the music quite nicely. With these being the more vibrant and intense tracks, they capture that sense of frantic, engaging thrash-scene effectively with the tight, ripping rhythms being given that old-school sheen due to the crunchy riff-work while also allowing for the group to descend into more laid-back and mid-tempo gallops in order to offer some rather nice diversity which rounds this out nicely. That also does highlight the main issue in that the album is incredibly one-note and one-sided in its appreciation and devotion to the scene that it never once comes off all that original in terms of appearance and generally feel. This one manages to play that same general tactical approach in the old-school riffing and blistering leads which really makes for a rather familiar time that really overwhelms and lowers it somewhat. As well, the fact that it’s quite short due to the tight, frantic rhythms does lower this one somewhat as the intensity levels do bring it back down from what it could’ve been as they’re over before it really matters. However, it’s not nearly as big a detriment as the overall familiar attack.

Although it does have a rather familiar approach and attack that does get hindered here somewhat, the overall infectious attitude and enthusiasm that’s featured here is quite able to overcome much of that in order to make for a solid and worthwhile if non-essential choice for revivalist thrash fanatics or less-discerning thrash fans.

Score: 83/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
https://batterythrash.bandcamp.com/album/martial-law

Olÿphant - Expedition to the Barrier Peaks

Artist: Olÿphant
Release Title: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Year: 2016
Label: Self-Released/Independent
Genre: Traditional Heavy Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Dreams in the Witch House
2. Brown Jenkin
3. Incidents in the Butterfly Garden
4. The Grey Havens (To the Sea)
5. S3
6. The Expedition
7. Before the Fall
8. Slave

Formed in 2009, Massachusetts metallers Olÿphant were originally conceived as a classic metal cover band before quickly moving on to writing original music that brings a classic metal with doom and stoner influences to prog and thrash elements alongside. With the group rounded out by second-guitarist Brett Hess prior to the release, the group prepares to self-release it’s debut full-length October 7, 2016.

This has a quite prominent and wholly enjoyable burst of old-school style heavy metal which features a grand assortment of stylistic elements to like about it. Basically dripping with sprawling, mid-tempo dirges, the album’s main focus becomes quite clear early on with the ability to effortlessly shift from these wide-ranging elements as there’s a strong showing of spindly, galloping heavy metal, swirling stoner riff-work and plodding, oppressive doom rhythms that all come together here. This wide-ranging set of influences creates a wide-ranging sense of free-flowing and unpredictable work, never really journeying through the expected realms of the genres in order to continually warp themselves into a finely-tuned effort that’s quite enjoyable when it drops these vastly-varying elements into the journey without warning. At times, though, that does the album a slight disservice as this rarely manages to feel like it shifts all that cohesively, being essentially a wide-ranging hodgepodge of influential elements coming together to create a seemingly jarring and discordant array of tracks without a singular connecting vibe between any of it. That can make for a draining experience rather than what’s expected here with this one being so disjointed in approach that it can take away the surprises in store when it drops in these elements, and is an issue to contend with as the band carries on. Since this is a debut, it does get a slight pass in that regard, but it’s a noticeable issue.

Despite not really containing too many detrimental issues that sprung up throughout this one, the fact that not only was this a debut offering but had a lot to like anyway was more than enough to overcome that in order to be a solid-if-overall unremarkable addition to any fan of classic old-school metal.

Score: 72/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
https://olyphant.bandcamp.com/album/expedition-to-the-barrier-peaks

Impure Devotion - Raping the God Privileged Flesh EP

Artist: Impure Devotion
Release Title: Raping the God Privileged Flesh EP
Year: 2014
Label: Self-Released/Independent
Genre: Black'n'Roll
Tracklisting:
1. Lusting for Lilith
2. Locusts of the Omen's Wake
3. Raping the God Privileged Flesh
4. Entombed in Silent Eternity
5. 5.
6. Sluts of Hell (Nattefrost cover)

Storming out of the underground, Texas-based punk/black’n’rollers Impure Devotion have come together to bring out the exceptionally depraved and demented sounds they crave that gets explored quite adamantly throughout this piece. Representing their first professional release, the bands’ debut EP was originally released December 11, 2014.

Featuring a rather raw and garbled approach, the band certainly steps out in the spotlight with a fierce and fiery first assault that’s quite decent at its overall style. The main genesis to be found here is the filthy, thrashing riff-work that carries out the same dirty, high-energy style and content generally featured in a raucous, simplistic manner that really exposes their punk leanings due to the overall simple-minded nature of the material. This rattling, ferocious material gets plenty of work here over the pounding drumming and fierce vocal work that contains a rather high amount of engaging rhythms full of explosive thrash and punk leanings, and when it’s then taken a step further with the low-fi, ultra-raw and near-garage-band quality production here it makes this all the more frantic and intense. Still, that production is going to be a major hurdle to overcome as the vast majority of the album blends into an indecipherable blur of thrashing guitar noise and thudding drumming which is pretty much what the entire album as a whole consists of. There’s not a whole lot of differences in the tracks which gets emphasized by the simple-minded nature of what’s on offer, and basically that all comes down to lower this one somewhat. Even with these flaws, though, it’s still got quite a lot to like at times.

Despite a few minor missteps that hold it back, the main part of this one offers up enough to like here in terms of raucous energy and intensity that manages to generate enough interest for those that can appreciate this kind of style while those that look for more professional output in the music should heed caution.

Score: 60/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
https://impuredevotion.bandcamp.com/releases

Откровения Дождя (Revelations of Rain) - Акрасия (Akrasia)

Artist: Откровения Дождя (Revelations of Rain)
Release Title: Акрасия (Akrasia)
Year: 2016
Label: Solitude Productions
Genre: Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Алтарь блудниц (Altar of Whores)
2. Сквозь ночь Фобетора (Through Phobetor's Night)
3. Эшафот (Scaffold)
4. В грусти и радости (In Joy and Sorrow)
5. Вместо тысячи слов (Instead of a Thousand Words)
6. Демоны милосердия (Demons of Mercy)
7. Корень всех бед (Root of All Evil)
8. На снежных крыльях (On Snow Wings)

Still exploiting their melancholy vibes, Russian melodic doom/death metallers Откровения Дождя, romanized as Revelations of Rain, continue to bring the anguish, atmosphere and power that has remained at the forefront of their sound for over a decade. Coming together after a three-year break, the group finally releases their fifth full-length album October 24, 2016 on powerhouse label Solitude Productions.

There’s very little reinvention going on throughout this album, and that tends to be one of it’s more impressive marks as it’s focused on their previous works. Continuing forth with an epic grandeur, the album is backed with crushing, monolithic riffing that’s slow, deep and immensely heavy which allows the band to effortlessly shift to varying stylistic approaches without losing their own identity. Utilizing the agonized, lethargic sprawling tempos for the vast majority of their tactical style and then balancing that out with sections of light atmospheric trinkling that showcases a fine melodic bent alongside fiery, up-tempo sections containing the band putting a lot more energetic and riffier segments of more melodic death metal elements getting introduced which really completes the whole dynamic on display. The fact that this one manages to stay on course throughout here without really deviating too much from their standard sound as this one manages to go for a wide range of gloom-infused melancholic doom/death featuring the fine melodies, haunting riff-work and simply crushing patterns that make up the majority of this one that are wholly impressive in their delivery and execution which really helps this one generate quite a large amount of positives over the one low-riding flaw to be found here. This one is exceptionally overlong and really does manage to feel it’s length as it’s quite weighty during various segments in here. It’s not necessarily a detrimental effort, but it’s still noticeable.

Although it gets too weighty and lengthy at times for its own good, the fact that this is still a highly impressive and completely crushing effort which really works nicely here in regards to the genre so that all fans of their past works or melancholic doom metal are encouraged to take notice of this one.

Score: 95/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
https://revelationsofrain.bandcamp.com/album/akrasia

Vesen - Rorschach

Artist: Vesen
Release Title: Rorschach
Year: 2016
Label: Soulseller Records
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Damnation Path
2. Pray for Fire
3. Target: Horizon
4. Blood, Bones and Pride
5. Screaming Sane
6. Crown of Scars
7. Vulgar, Old and Sick Blasphemy
8. All in Vain
9. Away the Tormentor
10. Final Insult

Finally returning to active duty, Norwegian black/thrashers Vesen have brought forth a concept album about the deteriorating mental state of an individual and how they deal with that told with the traditional sense of style found in their previous work. As the four-year break has brought along their same progressive edge to the forefront, the groups’ fourth full-length was released December 16, 2016 on Soulseller Records.

As what was so prominently a part of the bands’ past catalog, there’s a loud, raucous attack featured throughout here that makes for a generally explosive effort. Fueled by furious, swirling thrash rhythms and a generally full-throttle approach, the vast majority of the release carries this high-energy surge through the material aided nicely by the dark, filthy production style that adds more life to the proceedings. Unleashing the thrashing riff-work to delve into a raucous charge with the high-energy, fire-spitting rhythms that are nicely topped off by the darker patterns featuring plenty of the swirling black metal patterns that are introduced here to give this one quite a prominent darker facet to the music. Balancing it out quite nicely are efforts which drop the high-energy thrashing in favor of the slow, sprawling elements that extend this one out far longer into epics that counteract the tight, vicious thrashing elsewhere here, which is a nice feature though it does seem somewhat out-of-place here with the slow, ponderous rhythms being quite jarring against the more vicious, intense stuff throughout here. It does get a little slack here being that this is a concept album requiring those be placed here to carry the storyline out, but it’s still somewhat of an issue.

As there’s a lot to like here with the bands’ vicious and intense side rather than the more epic, sprawling material which holds it back, those few minor problems are just enough to knock this one back and makes this one really for the most devout and undiscerning fan of blackened thrash metal.

Score: 85/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://soulsellerrecords.aisamerch.com/item/42826

Enemy of Reality - Arakhne

Artist: Enemy of Reality
Release Title: Arakhne
Year: 2016
Label: F.Y.B. Records
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Martyr
2. Reflected
3. Weakness Lies Within
4. Time Immemorial
5. Nouthetisis
6. Afraid No More
7. Showdown
8. The Taste of Defeat
9. In Hiding
10. I Spare You
11. A Gift of Curse

After the success of their previous works, Greek symphonic metallers Enemy of Reality have taken the style and musings of their Greek heritage to present yet another concept album about the titular spider’s creation and carries on from what occurred in the debut. With keyboardist Marianthie being replaced by Leonidas, the groups’ second full-length effort was originally released October 23, 2016 on F.Y.B. Records.

Once again fueled by the bands’ leanings, the main focus here is once again dwelling mainly in bombastic and grandiose rhythms and melodies as befits their symphonic leanings. Loaded with swirling operatic rhythms at the forefront of the music here with the main use of cinematic keyboards offering the dramatic and wholly soaring material present here which cuts through the album as a whole nicely, and fits alongside the remaining parts of the album. Featuring plenty of progressively-tinged Gothic riff-work, dripping with atmospheric touches and a rather strong beefy tone it creates quite an impactful connection here which makes for a much nicer and cohesive whole here that’s given quite a wide berth over the album with the remaining sections going for a more plodding operatic style that keeps this one much more inline with the simplistic side of the Gothic spectrum. Combined into a cohesive whole there’s quite a lot to really like here as this one gets quite a complete sound together, though it does stand as a bit out-of-place at times when it goes for the raspy male shrieks here as the vast majority of the album is quite competent with the dual vocalists together while those other parts just stick out quite badly. It’s not nearly enough to ruin the experience but it’s distracting at times.

Despite a few minor elements where it’s not nearly as impressive as it really could’ve been, for the most part, this here is a highly enjoyable and impressive slice of Gothic-infused symphonic metal that really comes off quite nicely here for hardcore fans of this style or those looking for impressive female-fronted metal acts.

Score: 89/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://enemyofrealityofficial.bigcartel.com/product/arakhne-album

Decayed - The Burning of Heaven

Artist: Decayed
Release Title; The Burning of Heaven
Year: 2016
Label: Hellprod Productions
Genre: Old-School Black Metal
Tracklisting:
1. The Rise of Darkness - Prologue
2. The Burning of Heaven
3. Son of Satan
4. Dark Soul - The Prophecy
5. War of the Gods
6. Defy thy Master
7. The Mirror of Usire
8. Halls of Torment Part II
9. Night of the Demons - Introduction
10. Deaf Forever
11. Cravado na cruz

One of the country’s first genre practitioners, Portuguese black metallers Decayed have brought a rather charging and damaging attack that has been their main basis throughout their twenty-five-plus years of existence that began nearly at the birth of the genre itself. With the power-trio having honed their material into a coherent whole, the groups’ twelfth full-length album comes nearly a calendar year after their last album on July 31, 2016 on Hellprod Records.

Given their history and durability in the genre, there’s quite a prominent and heavy influence here with the bands’ old-school influence firmly on display. This one goes for a mostly simplistic, buzzing quality to the rhythms that features utterly straightforward and truly one-note tremolo-styled riffing firmly entrenched in the crossover area between the first and second-wave black metal movements, containing that fiery, frost-riddled atmosphere while containing the rocking energies and simplistic rhythms that manage to merge these two styles together quite well, and given the genesis of their creation it’s quite appropriate to mix together these styles. While these make up the majority of the album overall, it’s given a nice boost of variety here with the inclusion of vicious, punk-laced efforts that drop all pretenses of mixing together these styles and just go for raging, dirty-thrash styled rhythms and blistering speed. There’s little pretense about these, they’re just straightforward and utterly devastating as a result by focusing primarily on the energy generated by these patterns, and on the whole, there’s not a whole lot to dislike about this. The main issue this brings up here is the fact that the jarring approach that creates here is a rather obvious and wholesale one going through so many wild and varying tones here with the simplistic approach clashing with the raging rhythms as if this were two separate works mashed together for a split album. Likewise, there’s little need for the album to go from twisting, turning ten-minute epics to minute-long interludes which aren’t part of a concept album and leaves the release even more obvious about its discordant feel. However, these are really all it has going against it.

While there’s not a great deal to dislike here, this one still comes off with a somewhat scattered feel and tone that clashes against each other part here that it really seems to offer itself mainly for the bands’ fans or to fans of the more raw, first-wave style of black metal as aficionados of more modern black metal should heed caution.

Score: 81/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
https://decayed666.bandcamp.com/album/the-burning-of-heaven

Temple of Demigod - The Great Old Ones

Artist: Temple of Demigod
Release Title: The Great Old Ones
Year: 2016
Label: Black Lion Records
Genre: Symphonic Black/Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Labyrinth
2. Ominous King
3. The Awakening of a Mighty One
4. Azathoth Supreme Chaos
5. Mountains of Madness
6. Lurking in the Threshold
7. Embodiment of Chaos
8. The Great Old Ones

Formed in September 2014, Armenian one-man symphonic black/death metal project Temple of Demigod wasted little time getting material out as main-man Mark Erskine sought to evoke the majesty and terror found in the writings of legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft into crushing black/death metal. After several years of preparing, the bands’ debut full-length was originally released December 24, 2016 on Black Lion Records.

Echoing the lyrical themes explicitly, the main crux of the bands’ style is found in the sweeping mixture of ornate blackened death metal spiced up with symphonic elements. The material is mostly kept charging along at a crunchy mid-tempo augmented with thick, beefy riffing and tight drumming that carries a stellar atmospheric tone throughout here, letting the main focus shift nicely between the black and death metal realms. That heavy crunch to the riffing and the more textured focus on varied tempo changes as the album continues through its paces which give this a decidedly more prominent death metal aspect to the rhythms for the most part which is balanced out nicely by the fiery melodic accents and bombastic keyboard-laced symphonics that come into play here. This makes for a wholly more intriguing dynamic when it starts in on the more advanced integrations between the raging over-the-top symphonics and the twisting, turning riff-work which adds a larger degree of theatrics to the package that gives this the kind of tempo shifts that give this an added benefit to be had here with the more heavy, crunchy patterns added to the bombastic nature here. These here really help to make for a rather impressive if seemingly overly-familiar time here. The album plays way too close and familiar to plenty of other bands in this style which really has very little originality in their rhythms and arrangements which come across often in the album moves between so many easily-identifiable sources. Still, the enthusiasm of the project is enough to overcome that and holds this up for the most part.

Despite featuring some rather familiar and overly identifiable sources in terms of noticing influences, the debut nature and high-energy quality of the material rises this one up more than enough to make a worthy choice for those that enjoy the members’ other works or fans of the symphonic genre.

Score: 89/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
https://templeofdemigodus.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-old-ones

Surgikill - Sanguinary Revelations

Artist: Surgikill
Release Title: Sanguinary Revelations
Year: 2016
Label: F.D.A Rekotz
Genre: Old-School Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Sanguiniac
2. Murderous Thirst
3. Relentless Revenge
4. Psychopathic Awakenings
5. Black Angel Assassin
6. Devil Haunted Dreams
7. Realm of the Resurrected
8. Alchemy Death Queen
9. The Bleeder
10. Planet of the Vampires

Formed just in 2015, US-based death metallers Surgikill have combined as a veritable, bonafide supergroup of scene veterans that continue Billy and Vanessa Nocera’s connection to old-school death metal as they’re joined alongside Stevo de Caixao, William Stevers, Ash Thomas and Zdenka Prado. Quickly taking their sound into a studio release, the sextet issues this debut full-length March 18, 2016 on F.D.A. Rekotz with a vinyl repress August 26, 2016 on Hells Headbangers Records.

From the outset, this is quite an appealing and damaging effort that really handles an explosively chaotic take on old-school death metal that comes through quite clearly here. Managing to mix together the rather fine, explosive riff-work which is filled with simplistic, sprawling chug patterns that really stay in mind quite easily despite the inherent simplicity with a rather fiery charging pace full of ferocious riffing, more lively patterns and an increase in variations throughout, this becomes quite a fierce display that’s welcoming and wholly immersive. With each variation taking on their own enjoyable elements, with the more simplistic patterns keeping the interest with wholly intriguing patterns and solid arrangements while the faster sections adding a chaotic slant here with the advent of primitive-styled sloppy death/thrash arrangements that counterbalance the refined and controlled chugging, creating a uniformed feel throughout. While that in itself gives this one plenty to like just based on the inherently impressive old-school attack, the bands’ true ferocity is demonstrated on the vocal front with the group employing nearly everyone to supply screams, grunts and growls. That results in four of the personnel supplying the screaming here and the resulting audio assault is nothing short of nightmarish, running the gamut of wet gurgling, howling screams and high-pitched female growls permeating this one. Worse off is the fact that they’re layered over the tracks resulting in several of the vocalists growling in unison and leaving a rather impressive display of truly squeamish qualities throughout here, merging these sounds into a truly effective whole with the ravaging music here.

Though it may come off simplistic for some, it’s about the only thing really wrong with this one as otherwise there’s such a truly explosive, wholly impressive offering of savage, striking old-school death metal on display here that this one truly becomes a recommended listen to fanatics of the genre, revivalist-aficionados or fans of the creative personnel within.

Score: 98/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://www.surgikill.bigcartel.com/

Swine Soul - Black Noise Plague EP

Artist: Swine Soul
Release Title: Black Noise Plague EP
Year: 2016
Label: Merdümgiriz
Genre: Black/Noise
Tracklisting:
1. Bats Crawl From Thy Lady's Maw
2. Animalistic Deathcry of Despair
3. AbsoluteBlackNoiseWarPlague
4. Dying Disharmonies Of A Soul's Light
5. Emaciated Recollections Echoing From Cold Walls Long Forgotten
6. TotalAndAbsoluteSoulObliteration

Heading off in a blaze of glory, US black/noise project Swine Soul have once again offered up quite a thrilling and explosive offering of their final release which continues to explore the anger and despair that has long been held in high quantities for their career. Now attempting another effort with the same outpouring of anger and disgust, this new EP release for the group was originally self-released November 26, 2016 before a re-release December 3 on Merdümgiriz.

Churning out the sickness, the group continues to utilize the rather tortured and anguished soundscape at their disposal to create their aural cries. The main impetus of that comes from the sweeping, droning riff-work which is a chaotic mixture of blistering tremolo riffing and utterly pummeling rhythms bursting at the seams as the whole affair is topped off with feverish, nightmare-inducing vocals that drive this one forward at a generally intense pace. This intensity is further boosted with sampled feedback and screeches which creates a dense industrial-style collage of noise which appears at selected intervals to or even full-on tracks as a whole, creating a disjointed and maddening effort that’s also increasingly inconsistent and chaotic. As it slogs through this type of frantic and chaotic sections without any rhyme or reason to further the musical narrative, the music ends up simply being raw, incoherent screeching noise augmented slightly by fits and spurts of classic black metal riff-work without really generating the kind of elements typically associated with the genre. In the end, it leaves this one with only a few select moments of enjoyment beyond the need for creating the sonic madness.

The fact that this is a solid representation of the style’s usual output doesn’t really make enough headway here with this one as the fact that the vast majority of the music comes off with the noise-factor leaves this one simply for those fans while others who aren’t should heed extreme caution.

Score: 60/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://www.merdumgiriz.org/BNP.html