Category Archives: EP Reviews

Carnivora – The Vision EP

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I tend to feel spoiled living in Massachusetts. Why spoiled? Because it’s very easy for me to sit back, enjoy a Miller High Life, and put my elitist hat on when it comes to extreme music. Just look at our track record. The dirty water state has given us bands like SS Decontrol, Sam Black Church, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Converge, Shadows Fall and The Red Chord. We’ve had it pretty good.

But unfortunately with such a strong pedigree comes the risk of complacency. It’s easy to rest on those laurels because we assume that the old guard we be there forever. All it takes is watching the latest deathcore clone or third-rate djent band posturing as progressive metal at the Palladium for me to realize that “The Bay State’s” reputation can be tarnished. We cannot soil our history with guitar backing tracks and shitty neck tattoos.

While it is always best to air on the side of caution, I dare say that the future of Massachusetts metal is safe and sound. We have young bands like Pathogenic, My Missing Half, The Summoned and George Orwell the Musical to fly the flag. Joining that vanguard of New England brutality is Carnivora with The Vision EP.

I was fortunate enough to have as guests on my radio show, Stress Factor, in 2013 when they were promoting their first LP, Eternal. The shred was strong on that début offering and I wasn’t the only one impressed as they embarked on a seamlessly never-ending string of regional shows and battles of the bands.

Less than two years later and with appearances on the 2014s Summer Slaughter Tour and Mayhem Festival, the gentlemen from Danvers have returned with an even sharper collection of songs. While everyone has stepped up their game, it’s the guitar tandem of Cody Michaud and Mike Meehan that take center stage on tracks like ‘A Vision in Red’ and ‘Razors & Rust.’ So much so that if given time to further develop they’ll be hanging with great Massachusetts guitar tag teams like Ken Susi and Buz McGrath of Unearth or Shadows Fall’s Matt Bachand  (who manages Carnivora) and Jon Donais.

So no need to worry. I say that the future is ours.

8.0/10

HANSEL LOPEZ


Karma Violens – Skin of Existence EP

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It is rather satisfying to discover that Greek extreme metal folk Karma Violens belong to ‘Growl Records’, as not only is it an apt pun but it encapsulates the aggressive ruminations that the band so artfully proffer to their ravenous audience. Their latest release Skin of Existence develops satisfyingly from their EP Katara, which merely hinted at the potential of the band to become something prodigious.

Skin of Existence has obviously leanings towards the bands prestigious peers, Arch Enemy being the most prominent. However, unlike the aforementioned, Karma Violens sound has most definitely been upgraded with the venturing forth with the sole intention of ruining everyone’s stereo equipment…and ears for that matter! Oddly, but not unwelcome, the album has catchier edge to it with songs like ‘Bloodbath’ and ‘Soulless Child’ ensuring vigorous toe-tapping as well some rather ferocious head banging. Very few bands can achieve this balance, and it is key to the success of this album. The nature and sonic delivery of songs like ‘About My Creator’ (a perfect song to soothe road rage) mean that this album was clearly meant to be heard in a live setting. Imagine if you will, a small, dingy basement venue. One where the beer tastes like it’s been through a digestive system already and there is very little room for maneuver or escape. Perfect for the onslaught of brutality, a chance to let one’s demons out in a safe and (somewhat) controlled environment.

The only criticism of the album, and one which even the most prolific bands of the genre can’t escape, is the repetitive nature of the songs. Karma Violens may not be the worst offenders by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a sense of “if you’ve heard one song, you’ve heard them all”. Let us hope they do not descend into the pedestrian trappings many of their peers have suffered. Still, the overall sound and feel of the album distracts from this, leaving you the perfect album to lose your shit to. Whether in a venue with fellow metalheads or in a car at red lights earning you worriedly curious looks from passersby.

 

7.0/10

Karma Violens on Facebook

 

SARAH WORSLEY


Pyrrhon – Growth Without End EP

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I’ve got a confession to make – I’ve never really understood EPs in Metal. On paper I can see the value of a short, sample-length exploration of a band’s sound, but Metal is such a grandiose, overblown and thoroughly unsubtle discipline that it seems to demand nothing less than albums to sprawl across.  Double albums. Surely forcing any band who aren’t Slayer to record less than thirty minutes of material is restricting their creativity and turning them into a boy-band?

Apparently not.

Following up their 2014’s staggering Mother Of Virtues (Relapse) – which, in a just world, would have topped a lot more Album Of The Year lists than it did – Growth Without End (Handshake Inc.) develops their distinctive blend of abstract Death Metal, Starkweather-style Hardcore and early Dillinger Escape Plan by sharpening it down to a razor-sharp point.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Growth Without End is how it seems to squeeze all the depth and scope of Mother Of Virtues into a fraction of the running time. It lasts for under twenty minutes, but leaves you feeling like you’ve endured an album’s worth of beating.  It’s as if – crude journalistic analogy alert – they’ve trimmed all of the fat from their compositions, leaving behind exactly what they need to make their point and not a second of indulgence. The economy and directness of the best Grind married to Pyrrhon’s range of influences and moods to make one of the most simultaneously focused and diverse Metal records you’ll hear this year.

Last year, vocalist Doug Moore went to lengths to discuss why the band should not be described as “freeform”, and though it was intended as a compliment to the band’s unpredictable and unconventional song-structures, Growth Without End can help you to understand why – there is not a moment on here that is not utterly deliberate and precise, rehearsed to the point of almost inhuman tightness.

Pyrrhon are – with absolutely no hyperbole – one of the most exciting Extreme Metal bands in the world right now, and Growth Without End is both the perfect next step for their existing fans and an excellent introduction for the uninitiated.

Genuinely recommended without reservation.

 

9.0/10

Pyrrhon on Facebook

 

RICHIE HR


Warcrab – Ashes of Carnage EP

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It’s something of a chucklesome name in some respects: ‘Warsnail’ or ‘Warcod’, anyone?! There’s little humour, however, in the nastiness peddled by Plymouth, Devon sextet Warcrab.  Ashes of Carnage, last year’s EP from the band, is an incendiary mix of Deathly Sludge, blastbeats and groove, topped with howling leadplay and fearsome vocals, and gets a label reissue here through Contagion Records.

The deep growl seeping through ‘Lay All to Waste’ covers a saw-rhythm riff, whilst the scream akin to a pig squeal adorning opener ‘In this Iron Tomb’ shows the contrasting vocal range and provides hostile variation. Brief explosions of Thrash-style soloing are another welcome diversion, as is the ability to switch rhythms on a sixpence and take the tracks into a bulldozing furrow. The savagery and frequent turns of speed are remarkable, given that the rhythm section carries the doomy weight of a dead herd of elephants: the quickened rampant battery of ‘Scourge of Usurpers’ still kicking the bass cans with alarming force, while the knee-buckling bounce of ‘Entombed in Flames’ is delivered with such booming ferocity you’ll envisage an accompanying mountain troll, ninja-moshing into the pit.

The closing title track is a marauding crush through a hammering death groove, that heavy-as-lead power coating it in joyous reverberation. With the added bonus of two tracks from their 2012 eponymous album (Independent release), this is a refreshingly brutal and infectious addition to the low-end canon, steeped in old school sensibilities, and is a deeply satisfying listen.

Beware the waking ‘crab…

 

7.5/10

Warcrab on Facebook

 

PAUL QUINN


Wolfnote – Wolfnote EP

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When musicians form a new band alongside their current band, it is safe to say that they usually stick to a similar genre, or even the same genre. This cannot be said for Wolfnote, who are comprised of members from Harm’s Way. For those of you who are not familiar with them, Harm’s Way are a popular metallic hardcore band from Chicago, who usually create hardcore music. If you are looking for brutal riffs to headbang to then you have definitely been mistaken, as Wolfnote are an alternative rock group with infectiously catchy riffs.

Although the EP comprises of only three songs, it manages to give you a good indication of what Wolfnote are about: solid riffs, haunting vocals and well-written lyrics. Opening track ‘Luna’ is a passionate and hard-hitting rock anthem, and it is instantly apparent that they have strong influences from Alkaline Trio.

‘Sick’ begins with a more mellow and melancholy riff, not dissimilar from something that The Cure would use. The strong and passionate vocals are able to shine through perfectly, making a powerful impact on the listener.

Final song ‘Prowl’ is upbeat and fast-paced, returning to the style of the first track. The harmonies sound beautiful, and you can instantly tell that every member of Wolfnote is a talented musician. Sounding like a fusion of Alkaline Trio and Bayside, Wolfnote are able to introduce a new wave of music fans to the alternative rock and punk genres.

Although Wolfnote probably will not appeal to fans of Harm’s Way, it is easy to see exactly why so many people have been excited to hear this self-titled EP (Head2Wall). If you are a fan of alternative rock/punk then you should definitely keep an eye on Wolfnote: it won’t be long until the whole world knows about them.

 

8.0/10

Wolfnote on Twitter

 

JULIA CONOPO


The Meads of Asphodel / Tjolgtjar – Taste of Divine Wrath

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The Meads of Asphodel are no strangers to split LPs, nor is Tjolgtjar for that matter, but this is the first time the pair team up for a co-creation. The result is Taste of Divine Wrath (Eternal Death).

The Meads of Asphodel has one of the best song titles I have seen in a while: ‘An Ebullient Prelude to a Loathsomely Grim End’. This short intro has a high level of bombast and the promised ebullience with its orchestra and choir, and gives way to the sufficiently grim ‘Chidiock Tichborne’. This song is very high paced and strange. The lyrics “High treason, hung, drawn, and quartered,” really impart the loathsomely grim end that was referred to in the previous title. The grunts are slow when compared to the music, and this contrast, together with the variation in styles of grunt, makes the song interesting.

Then follows an utterly bewildering cover of ‘You Got the Love’, called ‘You’ve Got the Hate’. It is mystifying and confusing, but actually quite good.

The penultimate song on the A-side is about Balthasar Gérard, the infamous murderer of William I of Orange who was gruesomely executed for his deed. This song details the execution and questions the value of the assassination. The music is rather atmospheric and beautiful, with acoustic guitars and synths, and contrasts rather poignantly with the subject of the lyrics. The atmospheric style continues into the final song ‘Infidel’, but this also contains some of the musical brutality of ‘Chidiock Tickborne’.

The B side of the split is Tjolgtjar, a one-man project in a genre known as “Black’n’Roll.” The first song, entitled ‘The 5th Mass & Her Works’ is a bit of a cut and paste of a mind-boggling mixture of Psychedelic oriented Rock’n’Roll with sections of Black noise. The next song, ‘Near You Always’, is far more balanced, having mostly a base of Psychedelica with a topping of Black rather than the rapidly altering sections of the previous song. I was rather pleased with the sounds of an actual goat in ‘A Goat in the Woods’, which is an instrumental song firmly entrenched in Psychedelic territory. The main guitar riff for ‘Winter Research’ is brilliant and catchy. The voice-overs at the start, middle, and end of this side make this a strange collection, however, the alien manifesto and satanic cults do make for very interesting listening.

With songs well put together; if you are interested in the strange and experimental sides of black metal, this split album might just broaden your horizons.

 

7.5/10

The Meads of Asphodel on Facebook

Tjolgtjar on Facebook

 

LORRAINE LYSEN


Codas – Currents EP

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Largely, samples and Electronica really piss me off. Where’s the musical aesthetic or skill in roughing-up a squealing knob, for Christ’s sake (unless it’s George Osborne…)? When those bleeps are accompanied by low-fi riffs and drums which gradually increase in pulverising power, however, as with the opening track to this EP from one-man Brooklyn project Codas, the amalgam can be very effective.

An instrumental affair, Currents (Crowquill) is an Industrial sequence-fest. Sound effects twist and growl through ‘Follow The Blind’, which begins with an artificial drum section before the guitar grabs the song by its lapels to take us on a viciously swirling journey of grime-coated riffs and ‘Post’ leadwork. It remains as beguiling as it is compelling; the closing mess of howling feedback going absolutely nowhere, yet retaining a curious interest.

The nasty, fuzzed guitar and rapid drum battery, reminiscent of Royal Blood, marks ‘White Black’ as the most attractive track for those of us who appreciate more structured, less synthesised outbursts. The closing title track, however, returns to the tiresome ‘scratching’ and stuttering samples, only briefly punctuated by the warning growl of the strings. Rare, Post-rock lead strains occasionally threaten to keep the interest alive and there’s a harsher edge to the second half, with an eerie poignancy; but overall it’s an irritating quarter of an hour that I’ll never get back, and sadly indicative of the EP as a whole.

There’s obviously interest in this stuff, but really it’s nought more than incidental music in a movie scene and, for this technophobe, as dull as dishwater.

 

4.5/10

Codas on Facebook

 

PAUL QUINN


Unmothered – UMBRA EP

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For those who stopped paying attention to Mastodon when they started getting all proggy and had the nerve to feature twerking in their music videos, help is at hand from Austin, Texas power-trio Unmothered who churn out some seriously hefty sludge on new EP UMBRA (self-released), a blink and you’ll miss it slice of blackened southern riffs, pummelling tribal drums and angry, snarled vocals.

Featuring a mere three tracks, UMBRA is presumably stop-gap release before the trio get their arses in gear and record a new full-length. They already have one long player to their name in their self-titled 2012 effort, and fans of the dark, sludgey tones captured on that release will be all over this like a hillbilly on fresh road kill.

Opening track ‘Magnetar’, named after a neutron star with an extremely powerful magnetic field wields a seriously catchy riff that stops and starts between booming percussion fills before the band march off into the unknown with some vaguely Minsk-esque tribal effects giving things a primitive and primal feel.

Next track ‘Huntress’ is thankfully nothing like the lame mainstream wannabes of the same name, but instead features a selection of pounding riffs that fellow Southern grizzlies Black Tusk would sell their most potent moonshine for. Keeping still to this one is pretty much impossible so it’s probably a good thing it only lasts for just over two minutes.

Last up is the gradually building crush of ‘Scarp’ which toys around with a menacing discordant riff for a couple of minutes before wandering off into the swamp, replete with ominous background percussion, stark melodies and muffled spoken word before everything finishes in a blaze of glory that harks back to the glory days of Remission-era Mastodon.

Not content to blindly recycle the usual clichés of their genre but at the same time not straying too far from the path, Unmothered know it’s the riffs that matter and they have plenty of big dirty ones for you to cop an earful of.

 

7.0/10

Unmothered on Facebook

 

JAMES CONWAY


Shadow Age – Silaluk EP

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Oh, Jesus. Richmond, Virginia has proved a fertile ground for the heavier end of metal over the last two or three years, but the cheesy 80s synth and tinny-sounding drums that overshadow Silaluk (6131), the début three-track EP from quartet Shadow Age, sadly give me all the wrong kind of chills.

Changing their name from Colony some months ago, their ethos has remained post-Punk yet the feel loses some of that intensity. The rapid bass of the opening title track underpins coldly mellow strings, while lacklustre yet melodic vocals, a cross between Barney Sumner and Morrissey, enforce the pervading Mancunian air. Sadly, save for the lead shimmers and slightly more urgent delivery of ‘A Portrait of a Young Man Drowning’, the first two tracks have more of the Indie / Pop of New Order than the angular, piercing swagger of forefathers Joy Division.

It’s the booming drums and Post-rock leadwork of the moody, balladic closer ‘Innocence’ that finally give this outing a bit of steel. The building swathes of pensive atmospherics take the listener into Shoegaze territory, that Smiths vocal link ever more apparent and lightly dusted over the emotive instrumentals which are evocative of the heady days when both U2 and The Sisters of Mercy were both capable of appealing to the harder rockers among us. The sound that Shadow Age are peddling is indeed an attractive one in many respects, but overall it’s missing a row of teeth which would generate real interest outside the NME readership.

 

6.0/10

Shadow Age on Facebook

 

PAUL QUINN


Darke Complex – Widow EP

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So-called ‘anonymous’ bands seem to be all of the rage nowadays, with bands such as King 810, The Hell and Ghost BC attempting, and often failing, to keep their identities secret. Although this is often used as a gimmick, Darke Complex have definitely managed to use this to their advantage, intriguing metalcore fans from across the world and managing to create a loyal fan base. The mysterious band refers to each member as a number from one to four, so excuse the rather ambiguous review!

Opening track ‘Crows’ is full of grindcore-like riffs and heavy breakdowns, instantly proving the musical direction of Darke Complex. The filthy bass-heavy music merges perfectly with the harsh vocals of the anonymous vocalist(s), creating something both unique and exciting. There are so many different elements to this song which may seem like it would be disorientated, however, they merge together extremely well. If you played ‘Crows’ to someone who had never heard of Darke Complex before it is safe to say that they would either absolutely love it or completely despite it.

‘Frigid’ includes rap-style vocals, which fuses perfectly with the ominous and almost grime-like music. This track does not sound like metalcore music at all, but more like horror-style rap music. With every track sounding completely different than the last, it is clear that the Darke Complex are using their anonymous identities to explore many different styles and genres of music without any pre-conceptions.

Final song ‘Intrusive Thoughts’ is hard-hitting and furiously fast, proving that the Darke Complex do not like to slow the pace down. With such energetic music it would definitely be interesting to see exactly what the Darke Complex are like live: if it is anything like their Widow EP (Spinefarm) you should expect carnage!

If you are an open-minded metal fan who enjoys listening to something which breaks stereotypical genre constraints then you should definitely give Darke Complex a listen: even if you do not like their music you will probably end up respecting them for their experimental nature.

 

9.0/10

Darke Complex on Facebook

 

JULIA CONOPO