It’s not enough for Scandinavia to export the world’s best black metal; the region is pumping out great punk and hardcore as well. Perhaps it’s the confrontational outsider approach both genres have in common. Denmark’s EYES are stepping up to bring their take on hardcore to a larger audience with Spinner (Prosthetic Records). This does not mean they are compromising but balancing out their volatile nature with Deftones -like grooves that put them on the metal-core side of the equation, yet they are not making pop music with the occasional scream but retaining an in your face aggression that builds up into spastic outbursts at times. Are there underlying nu-metal vibes? Yes, but without any of the Adidas swagger. Continue reading
Tag Archives: brutal
ALBUM REVIEW: Ancient Death – Ego Dissolution
Having already dropped a handful of short-form studio releases, Massachusetts Progressive Death Metal act Ancient Death finally unleash Ego Dissolution (Profound Lore Records), their full-length debut album. Having already built up a well-deserved reputation in just a few short years, the four-piece from Walpole throw their psychedelic hat into a ring occupied by such luminaries as Gorguts and current darlings of the scene Blood Incantation.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Dormant Ordeal – Tooth And Nail
When it comes to Death Metal, Polish duo Dormant Ordeal have all the trappings of a colossal contender within the scene.
Tech Death tendencies, groovy vocal lines, venomous guitar tones, sizzling percussion. They have it all and then some.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Visions Of Disfigurement – Vile Mutation
ALBUM REVIEW: Maul – In The Jaws Of Bereavement
Maul is about as self-explanatory as the name suggests, and In The Jaws Of Bereavement (20 Buck Spin) gets straight to the point.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Undeath – More Insane
ALBUM REVIEW: Wolfbrigade – Life Knife Death
Sweden’s Wolfbrigade occupies a very specific place in hard-core. The band’s 11th album Life Knife Death might be their first for Metal Blade Records, but it does not venture far from the sonic ground they covered on the previous ten albums. This aligns them closely to Motorhead in a few ways, the first being they are steadfast in their dedication to burly hardcore champs. It charges at you with all the Punk and rocking fury you might expect from this band who infuses Entombed’s dense guitar tone with Motorhead’s reckless energy. The raw-throated vocals are more Lemmy-influenced than metal. There is a scant trace of the stomping sections you might expect from hardcore, though this is way heavier than punk, thus making it hardcore. Ten albums in they know what they are doing.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Monument Of Misanthropy – Vile Postmortem Irrumatio
Shining light on a deranged serial killer isn’t exactly the most taboo concept, especially in Extreme Metal. And really, what better vehicle to use for that purpose?Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Carnophage – Matter Of A Darker Nature
In thirty-three minutes, Carnophage balance some of the most fetid vocals with cheeky technical bluster, leaving a mark on Matter Of A Darker Nature (Transcending Obscurity Records) which leaves an enthusiastic Brutal/Tech-Death impression.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Vulvodynia – Entabeni
Don’t call it a comeback.
After dispatching a certain troublesome vocalist, South African Deathcore titans Vulvodynia did the only thing they know how: returned with Entabeni (Unique Leader Records), a rapturous, bites-your-head-off full-length that only furthers the outfit’s comfortable position atop the genre.Continue reading