Epping Forest - Lebabvoid

Artist: Epping Forest
Release Title: Lebabvoid
Year: 2017
Label: Unexploded Records
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Inception: Everblasting Doom
2. Though-o-Matic: The Pyramid and the Exodus
3. Affair: The Curse and the Heal
4. Kria: Resistance Is Useless
5. Lebab Void: The Universe in a Machine
6. Foretoken: A Mountain-Gorges Lullaby
7. Summoning: Three Hundred Out of the Sky
8. Demise: Twelve Times Twelve Sars
9. Hereafter: We Are Alone in the End
10. Cruel with Us

Certainly taking their time on releases, Portuguese blackened death metallers Epping Forest have always been more interesting in unleashing quality darkened material as evidenced by their two releases in nearly twenty years of existence honing their core sound. Following up after nearly a decade of silence with new bassist Trevash, the groups’ sophomore release was originally released March 10, 2017 on Unexploded Records.

Bringing their full intensity to bear, the band offers up plenty of furious and utterly dynamic work throughout here which allows for a lot of positives. This one tends to go for rapid-fire tremolo-picked riffing that is added nicely to the churning rhythms beneath so that the swirling riff-work takes on a frantic tone, offering up plenty of up-tempo sections that brings out the crimson-soaked accents in those tremolo patterns. By offering the majority of the tracks in this up-tempo manner, the riffing becomes even more dynamic with the blackened crunch taking centerstage for the majority of the album and giving this a blistering overall sound. Elsewhere throughout here, there’s a fine display of melodic brought to bear with the usage of exotic middle eastern melodies and rhythms to add a different dynamic to the album. These are mainly in the more down-tempo, slower sections which are balanced out incredibly well with the crushing rhythms alongside as the frantic blackened intensity dropping into sprawling melodic accents creates a perfect balance here. For the most part, it’s really only the sections here where they adopt a more ethereal, somewhat clean crooning that the album dips somewhat into softer realms that are quite an odd contrast against the raging blackened cacophony on display during these sections. Beyond this issue, it’s a wholly explosive offering.

Without too many issues to detract this one from it’s more enjoyable elements, this explosive comeback offering brings about just about all the classic elements expected from the band which makes this a wholly worthwhile offering for fans of their previous work or fiery death/black metal in general.

Score: 97/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
https://eppingforest.bandcamp.com/album/lebabvoid-deluxe-golden-digipack

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

Booby Trap - Overloaded

Artist: Booby Trap
Release Title: Overloaded
Year: 2016
Label: Firecum Records
Genre: Crossover Thrash Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Bring It to the Mosh Pit
2. Overloaded
3. Fuck Off and Die!
4. Bloody Mary
5. Nightmare (Go Away)
6. Vulgar Display of Semen
7. One of Us Is Dead
8. Von Beer
9. Drunkenstein
10. Booby Trap 2.0
11. Carved in My Bones
12. Beber até Morrer (Ratos de Porão cover)
13. The Boat Is Full
14. Time for My Meds
15. Manifesto

Continuing to lead their country’s charging scene, Portuguese crossover legends Booby Trap have steadily built their legacy and reputation on the intensity and aggression of their youth as they continue to display their old-school influences. Taking a three-year gap that marks the recording debut of new drummer Hugo Lemos, the group’s second album was released October 17, 2016 on Firecum Records.

Still utilizing their old-school sound here, the bands’ still quite adept at managing to perform their rather frantic and engaging brand of material. Full of raucous and truly gripping thrash-style patterns alongside the hardcore influences still at play throughout here, this one manages to really generate the kind of high-energy style that remains quite prominent of the crossover style while working the tight, frantic rhythms into generally vicious runs of static, swirling hardcore patterns with the thrash connecting it all, which lets this one get in the usual feature of the genre with the vibrant, charging tracks and shorter running time usually featured here. Still, even with all this great work, there’s still the main issue here that manages to get attached to almost all crossover acts in that the influence of the hardcore riff-work here generally makes for quite a scattershot and generally haphazard series of attacks here that comes off far sloppier and much more amateurish than expected. Though it captures a raw, raucous energy quite well, that doesn’t really translate well into a professional-sounded tone or approach here which gives this one the kind of approach and appeal that doesn’t really serve it all that well. Likewise, the fact that this one features way too many pointless interludes to break up the tension which consists of lame sound-collages or skits from sampled soundbites that really aren’t that funny and only serve to showcase that amateurish side even further which is all mainly included simply because of the crossover influence. It’s really the biggest obstacle holding this one back.

Though it does fall victim to a large amount of structural issues that plague so many crossover bands, this one still has more than enough to like about it’s wild, raucous high-energy affair that it should be quite the enjoyable and appealing effort for fans of the bands’ past or the style in general.

Score: 70/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
https://www.facebook.com/firecumrecords

Inthyflesh - The Flaming Death

Artist: Inthyflesh
Release Title: The Flaming Death
Year: 2016
Label: Altare Productions/BlackSeed Productions
Genre: Old-School Black Metal
Tracklisting:
1. The Sinister Herald of Death
2. Blood Howling Eternity
3. Subterranean Harbinger
4. Oppressed Under Deceit
5. Through the Splendour of Night
6. Forever Insanity
7. May the Rotten Wisdom of the Dead Return
8. Sorrowful Moonlight Pt. I - The Fever of Blood
9. Breath of Darkness
10. The Brightness of Your Decay
11. Beyond What Eyes Can See
12. A Thousand Tongues Burning
13. A Grasp Between Hate and Madness
14. Velvet Burial Shroud
15. Rituals Inflicted upon Scars
16. Abysmal Silence
17. Dismal Awakening
18. Sorrowful Moonlight Pt. II - Catacombs of Infinity

Furthering the prolific local scene, Portuguese black metallers Inthyflesh have been thriving during their sixteen-year career which has been assembling a vast and ascendant discography, showcasing a simultaneous devotion to the black metal ethos and a continuous excursion into deeper spiritual and unfathomable concepts. Now five years of work and sweat has resulted in this monumental, massive double-album released September 9, 2016 as a co-release between Altare Productions and Blackseed Productions.

When this one is on, there’s so much to readily like about this one that it’s basic approach which is a gravelly, raw old-school tone to the riffing that’s flowing throughout the whole album, generating the spiraling tremolo-picked style that’s wholly indicative of the second-wave of Norwegian acts. This is mostly kept in a frantic, up-tempo series of tempos where the album’s frantic assault gets the most play and lets the album rattle along quite well with a series of utterly blasting rhythms that carry it through a wholly chaotic sensibility while being able to augment these sections with grandiose, majestic sprawling sections as well. These are a slightly slower, more majestic series of rhythms that take slow, plodding tempos and warmer melodies to the forefront against the raging inferno elsewhere here, and this strong dichotomy between the two offers this with plenty of superb, standout moments. Still, for all the good this album generates, it’s still nearly impossible to get over the fact that there’s just so much material here that it’s positively exhausting to get through it all. Not only is there nearly twenty tracks of music that combines into a nearly full two-hours of music, but the length of so many of the tracks reaching well over six-plus minutes is what really makes this not only a chore to listen to but a draining and boring experience as well. This one truly becomes a challenge to get all the way through with so much of the tracks here taking up so much time and space that it’s far easier to cut, hack and trim this thing down especially with it being as strong in execution as it is already. While this is a significant and bounding hurdle to get through, there’s still a lot to like here.

While this is unquestionably an exhaustive release for the most part as the endless running order and overlong tracks make this a challenge to get through in one sitting, the fact that the album’s principles make up such a powerful and devastating release that it should make a mention to all fans of the rawer, old-school scene or the curious looking to see what this is about.

Score: 90/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://blackseedprod.bandcamp.com/album/the-flaming-death

Dark Oath - When Fire Engulfs the Earth

Artist: Dark Oath
Release Title: When Fire Engulfs the Earth
Year: 2016
Label: WormHoleDeath Records
Genre; Melodic Death Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Land of Ours
2. The Tree of Life
3. Battle Sons
4. Watchman of Gods
5. Thousand Beasts
6. Death of Northern Sons
7. Wrath Unleashed
8. Vengeful Gods
9. When Fire Engulfs the Earth
10. Brother's Fall

From their start in 2009, Portugese melodic death metallers Dark Oath have endured a rotating stream of musicians between releases, leaving guitarist Joël Martins as the sole original member. With vocalist Sara Leitão returning from the previous release and now joined by bassist Afonso Aguiar and guitarist Sérgio Pinheiro, the group prepares to unleash their full-length debut April 15, 2016 on WormHoleDeath Records.

The most obvious part about this album is the fact that from the start it really stacks on the epic tag with plenty of moments focused mainly on weaving that within the music as often as possible. Ranging from the utterly epic song-lengths to cinematic-style backing keyboards and even massive, majestic rhythms blaring away with a progressive edge due to needing to fill out those overlong arrangements, this release does sound quite massive and truly epic. It balances all this out with a fiery edge from the engaging and wholly melodic riff-work that employs a driving charge with the drumming that captures a death metal sound but yet flirts quite egregiously with power metal rhythms which keeps this focused on gorgeous melodies and tightly-wound rhythms for that warm melodic charge against the raging full-throttle tempos. With plenty of fun progressively-tinged technically-challenging patterns being played out here with the rhythms it all makes for a grand, stylish attack. The problems with the album surface again right from the very start, where you only have to look at the running time of the tracks for it’s complete total to see that the band clearly has problems with their writing. This is severely in need of trimming down as this is the epic kind of writing that’s exhausting overall rather than immersive as there’s times where the band will run through a dynamic section of the track then switch it up for no real reason other than to drag the running time out and make the tracks appear far longer than they need to be. Chopping off about five-to-ten minutes total here would do wonders for this album as it wouldn’t have to keep returning to arrangements simply because the track isn’t over yet and would still keep the epic part of their sound intact.

While this is a wholly overlong and incredibly bloated release that could easily do with some slight trimming-down, it’s a facet that comes with a debut album and might be a feature that’s fixed in the future so it’s not nearly as detrimental as it could’ve been and results in this being a solid choice for those looking for more melodeath in their lives or appreciate female-fronted extreme metal acts.

Score: 79/100

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

Antiquus Scriptum/Krigere Wolf/Waldschrat/Notre Amertume - The Beginning of the End split album

Artist: Antiquus Scriptum/Krigere Wolf/Waldschrat/Notre Amertume
Release Title: The Beginning of the End split album
Year: 2015
Label: Fallen-Angel Productions
Genre: Viking/Pagan Black Metal; Black/Death Metal; Black/Folk Metal; Atmospheric Black Metal
Tracklisting:
1. Krigere Wolf - War's Ancestral Prophecies
2. Krigere Wolf - Come to Die with Us
3. Krigere Wolf - Supreme Energy of the Universe
4. Waldschrat - Wer Wind sät..
5. Waldschrat - Die Ruhe vor dem Sturm
6. Waldschrat - ...wird Sturm ernten
7. Notre Amertume - Cella Serpentibus
8. Notre Amertume - Tartaros
9. Notre Amertume - Le Sand d'Ouranos
10. Antiquus Scriptum - Primordium / The Skeptic Beholder

Gathering four bands together, this new split effort containing Italian black/death upstarts Krigere Wolf, Austrian black/folk metal newcomers Waldschrat, internationally-based atmospheric black metal group Notre Amertume and a lone track from Portuguese black/Viking metallers Antiquus Scriptum for a wholly enjoyable mixture and variety present. Released January 11, 2015 on Fallen-Angel Productions, this here is as fine a sampler pack ever unleashed for each of these bands and presents most of them in great fashion.

Starting with Krigere Wolf, their pummeling mixture of frantic tremolo-picked black metal with the dexterous tempo-changes and rather pounding rhythms here makes this quite a ferocious beast, making their swirling tremolo patterns at the forefront to create a dynamic and wholly-enjoyable up-tempo assault that rattles along at consistent speeds for maximum impact and devastation while still managing to successfully incorporate the sprawling majestic melodies in the appropriate manners for the perfect augmentation to the ferocity presented elsewhere. This is easily the best band on the split and really has a lot to like with their three blistering tracks.

With Waldschrat, again the omnipresent use of swirling tremolo patterns is at the forefront though instead there’s a far more pronounced blend of folk-influenced arrangements for the riffing. This still carries itself along quite well with plenty of strong and truly ferocious rhythms presented here, but the blasting tendencies are cut in favor of melodic swirling patterns and rather looser-fitting arrangements that are given a raw edge to the overall work with some great harmonic lines throughout which helps this out infinitely more to give another dynamic impact to the music. Some of the longer sprawling sections seem to go on far longer than they really should but overall there’s a lot to like here.

Up next is Notre Amertume and the international project is the clear weak-link in this offering. The simplistic, sluggish nature of their tracks is hardly impressive next to the other works, and their cliched use of celestial-influenced arrangements, plodding drumming and lethargic doom-like sprawling sections predominant in their music isn’t that enjoyable with numerous other bands attempting those elements at far more pronounced and enjoyable mixtures. The main impetus holding them back is the lethargic, lifeless doom-like paces that don’t really give them much room to really express their atmospheric patterns and in the end their three contributions are on the whole eminently skippable. 

Finally, Antiquus Scriptum contributes just a lone track, which is a highly enjoyable one even with all the different elements thrown into it. There’s symphonic keyboards, medieval-sounding horn-blasts, swirling tremolo riffing and more in the near-twenty-minute effort, and it does seem like overkill given the track has no need to go that long and really could’ve been trimmed down into a more digest form. Still, the generally up-tempo pace and convergence of influences makes for an overall fun time here and overall there’s a lot of rather enjoyable work here as there’s at least one or two sections present to appeal to most fans.

Though one of these groups is a clear weak-link and doesn't really leave much of a lasting impression, the fact that the remainder of the bands provide not only incredibly fun and exciting work that this ends up being an undeniably effective introduction to these groups as well as those longing for more bands in each of these styles.

Score: 80/100

Does it sound good? Order it from here:
http://fallangels.cafe24.com/product/detail.html?product_no=1617&cate_no=33&display_group=1