Eden Demise - "Retaliation" (Official Video)

BAND: EDEN DEMISE

STYLE: BEATDOWN HC/METAL

LOCATION: ATHENS, GREECE!

WEBSITE: Facebook

LABEL: ON THE ATTACK / ?

 

So you must already know that Greece has a long history in brutal, metallic hardcore! No matter the trends of today (full of PC and fake DIY mentalities), I also remember the days that hardcore kids weren't afraid of mosh parts and bands with harder attitudes. Oh well..

One of the bands that did not stray from their own path is Eden Demise. These guys stuck with the heavy metallic 'core, and I guess now that this sound is coming back everywhere (with bands like Warhound, Xibalba, Incendiary etc), these guys are the lucky ones.

Eden Demise recently released a video from their upcoming album. What we have here a video of clean "in your face", just as it happens in the streets of Athens every day. I have to add that for me Eden Demise has taken that big step up musically, making a new sound of their own which incorporates modern beatdown and extreme metal (i.e. prog deathcore, black metal) ingredients... The band had their bassist move to guitar duties recently, and that is the wisest choice they could have made, since the dude can churn out stompy riffs like a motherfucker. You gotta hear it to believe it!

Now check this video and don't forget to RETALIATE!

Providence (Paris Hardcore) on Eulogy Records

BAND: PROVIDENCE

STYLE: BEATDOWN/METALLIC HC

LOCATION: PARIS, FRANCE

STATUS: ACTIVE!

LABEL: EULOGY 

If you are into heavy hardcore, there are good chances you know Providence. This French Powerhouse brings it with some of the heaviest imaginable grooves on the planet. We are talking about a dose of 100% brutal hardcore with a cold urban attitude.. which is nothing but perfect in our book!

Providence Facebook // Eulogy Records

The Parisian bruisers are now signed on Eulogy Records' roster (Walls of Jericho, Shattered Realm, xTyrantx, Donnybrook & much more!). I think it's just great to see European HC bands crossing the barrier and get signed by bigger US labels. This type of support from the US will helo make hardcore a bigger, more tight-knit transatlantic family!

p.s. Note the One Two Six tshirt on the right? Take note because this is Greece's fast-rising hardcore clothing line!

I LOVE MOSH: HEAVYWEIGHT COMPILATION VOL. 1

Good news for all you kids into brutal and beatdown hardcore!

I Love Mosh, one of the most active and popular hardcore download blogs around, has just issued a comp filled with 40 (!) songs of heavy-ass, brutal/beatdown hardcore! Some bands are already established names in the HC scene, but you will also get into a lot of new stuff thru this comp. The production level stays pretty good all the way through,which very vital for underground moves like this!

The comp also contains two songs from two of Greece's best hardcore bands: Senseless and Overpain!

Now go over to I Love Mosh's bandcamp page and heck that shit out!

OVERPAIN - "Underrated, Overhated" Review

Hell yes! Salonica Hardcore Crew's lifers are back with a bruising full length record, so you better listen. Whenever you hear about SHC or Overpain, you can be sure you'll be getting some brutal hardcore with a "realer than real" street attitude. Yes, this is what these guys do and they do it very well, bringing it back to the roots of hardcore being, well... hard. I am fucking glad that at least someone's still here to represent the style of hardcore that I grew up with. This shit is heavy and metallic, but with an urban hip hop attitude and an undiluted dose of hardcore integrity.

Musically, Overpain is on top of the beatdown game. But actually, they've taken things a step further. Most beatdown hardcore is unfortunately kind of repetitive and pretentiously negative. On the contrary, Overpain comes at you with words of strength and honesty, and a sound that goes back to how brutal hardcore used to be: full of beatdowns but also with many old school hardcore influences. In other words, Underrated, Overhated slowly departs from typical modern beatdown and moves back to the roots of the genre and Hatebreed's Perseverence. Even though there are many beatdowns going on, the record quickly moves in a more upbeat direction that includes higher speeds at classic hardcore paces. That's what we're talking about!!!!

There is plenty of double bass action here for all you metal freaks (like myself) and a clean production that makes the drums transform into a relentless hardcore assault. The 2 guitars create a double-barrel attack that shoots straight  at you, only to be strengthened even more by the groovy-ass bass. Last but not least, Nick's vocals prove that he is a possessed madman with the heart of a sincere hardcore kid. Yes, we need frontmen like these in the scene, I mean hardcore kids that believe what they're singing about and support hardcore with their very presence.

I am not just out to praise the bands that I like (even though in this case it's easy). Overpain has reached a very high level of combined brutality and catchiness so this is pretty much perfect for fans of the style. I guess a few guitar leads here and there could add some spice to the mix and make it more catchy, but I bet these guys want their sound just heavy and straight, with no additives. The guest appearances of well-known hardcore growlers are another extra. Even though I am not the biggest fan of multiple guest appearances in hardcore albums, in this case it's all good since they just add some color and do not steal the show or nothing.

These guys are passing the record around for free, respect to them, and this record has been long due. It is a piece of current Greek hardcore that has a lot to say, so let's work together to bring it to the world cause it's totally worth it! "100% hardcore"

Overpain Bandcamp 

Overpain - "Underrated Overhated" preview (coming late 2012)

Hell yes! Greece has always been a place for harder, brutal hardcore bands. A tradition that is kind of fading nowadays, but Overpain are here to reaffirm their city's (proud members of the Salonica Hardcore Cew - SHC) and country's legacy in brutal, heavy ass street hardcore.

I have to say that I've been very positively surprised with Overpain's new stuff, which sounds totally brutal but still has that definite old school approach. This is not the shitty, overproduced metalcore beatdown shit that most bands churn out these days; no, this is real hardcore with a metallic edge, slow 'n' heavy breaks, but the 'core' is definitely here (both attitude and music-wise).

Overpain's music brings me back to older times, when the harder street attitude was definitely mixed with hardcore, when throwing mosh parts in your music wasn't a crime, when bands were competing for who makes the grooviest and heaviest shit, and not who is the most politically correct.

Support this Greek band that has paid its dues and is still continuing to put out quality hardcore and perseveres an almost forgotten legacy!

http://www.facebook.com/overpainhxc

In Clear Sight - "Fuck Fairytales, this is Reality"

Band: in Clear Sight

Country: Belgium 

Band Website: soundcloud

Label Website: Clenched Fist Records

Metalcore/Deathcore are genres generally viewed upon with much contempt, however, there will ALWAYS be the bands that make the exception to the rule. Personally, as a fan of all things brutal in metal and hardcore, can't find myself to resist bands such as In Clear Sight and their heavy as fuck metallic hardcore.

Withoutout deviating too much from the norms, ICS manage to avoid the ultra-boring cliches of the metalcore genre and go on to create some dark, powerful and devastating music. All you need is here: the pounding drums landing on your head like a ten-ton hammer, the mean NY-flavored riffs, and of course the state of the art brutal beatdowns. The vocalist spits the lyrics in a pretty guttural manner, but there are many other types of vocals (perhaps coming from other band members?) which keep a good balance between the guttural, the street, the death metal and a more hip hop style. In fact, there is quite a bit of dark hip hop imagery going on, not unlike Wu Tan and Jedi Mind Tricks. The production ties everything together in such a way that In Clear Sight is the aural equivalent of a rabid, fighting pitbul barking right in your poor face. Some more metal-oriented elements come to finish things off and put the last nail in the coffin... And if you didn't catch the above reference, this album is perfect for fans of Born From Pain, Walls of Jericho, old Hatebreed etc.

Not all music needs to generate introspection and beautiful feelings - not all music needs to display profoundly high technical abilities; music like In Clear Sight is specifically manufactured in order to do one thing: keep you angry as fuck. If you have a hard day in front of you or something pissed you off real bad, put this band on and you'll remember what I mean. This shit is also perfect for long and exhausting runs, pumping iron, relentless moshing with no reason, and general venting of frustration and hate. If you don't get it, the best thing about this band is that it is fucking frantic, and that is exactly the point most current bands miss these days.

If Clenched Fist Records puts out music like this, I'll make sure to check it again & again!

Featured Band - Hard Times: Negative Hardcore from the WV Streets

Genre: old school/heavy hardcore

Country: West Virginia, US

Band Website: facebook

Label: Unsigned 

 Hard Times (probably taking their name from the classic Cro-Mags song) is a hard as fuck, old school heavy hardcore band from Huntignton WA, USA. This band brings back the hateful mosh sound that was prominent in the late 90s and early 00s and let me tell you... Hard Times has a lot of spite to spit right in the face of every non-believer.

If you like hardcore guitars accompanied by an punishing use of double bass drumming and hip hop busts, then this is for you. The vocals are 100% hardcore and so full of rage. We are not talking about another weak-ass, wannabe hardcore hipster frontman here, but a guy that will spit his rage no matter what. This is real, hateful hardcore for pissed off people and if you know what's good for you, you will get into Hard Times right now. Fuck.

http://www.stereokiller.com/HardTimesHHF

Record Review: World in Arms - "Strong at Heart" (self-released)

Genre: Melodic Metalcore

Country: Providence, US

Band website: bandcamp, www.worldinarms.com

Label: - (self released) 

Metalcore can be both a good and a bad thing; and in this case it is a VERY good thing. World in Arms plays emotive, modern metallic hardcore that the same time hits harder than the proverbial ten ton hammer. This is no joke; these guys took the lead from all good things in US metalcore and went to create a masterpiece of pent up emotions, accumulated sadness and blind rage.

The ep (7 tracks in total) starts of with an heavy youth crew-ish intro and the phrase "you did this to your self" manically shouted with gang vocals. This is the type of shit that shows me right away the record will fucking rule. The driving guitars contrast the gnarly vocals, the latter (along with the lyric subjects) clearly placing this band in hardcore and not so much in metal. The vocals - and I don't say this easily - are some of the best I've heard lately in this genre. There is so much passion and anger in them, but also a heavy dose of melancholy and despair. We're talking really thick, raspy vocals with a unique identity, and obviously totally removed from the Terror clones you hear every day. Dude also attacks with some ear destroying death metal vocals evey now and then, and puts the cherry on the cake with some classic (in HC) spoken words over the music.

World in Arms continues to wreck shit all trhough the album, but there also is the correct amount of diversity to keep things interesting. There are some clever and super bouncy beatdown parts that luckily don't last forever, and thus serve their purpose boosting the songs and making them sound more groovy. Then again, there are some cool clean parts that are not emo by any means, but do add a bit of atmosphere to the whole outcome. These parts make the ep sound really modern and give it a strange avant garde (dare I say) aura. But let us not kid ourselves; it's the guitars that shape most of the things around here, with the aggressive yet melodic approach which brings to mind stuff like Misery Signals or even With Honor. This is good shit!

I just want to sum this up by saying that even though metalcore is looked down by some as the flavor of the day, let us not dismiss the bands who are doing things with heart and do have something to offer. Music styles, values and aesthetics come and go as fashions in hardcore, but there are always those who are true -- and this you can suss right away. World in Arms is just like that, and they hit so fucking hard. You won't forget them easily so get into them.

Fotis TxYxS

WORLD OF PAIN - New Album Hits Hard!

World of Pain is a brutal style hardcore band, in the vein of early Hatebreed and 100 Demons. This San Diego outfit has a new album out on Beatdown Hardwear records that will crush you like it ain't no thing! What makes this band stand apart the thousands of boring beatdown acts is the fact that they actually have that tried and true, oldschool heavy hardcore sound that isn't so easy to come by these days. It takes knowledge and love of hardcore to pull this style off and not come off as another clone, and these guys manage to do it. There are plenty of metal elements here, but all molded into hardcore in such a way that you can't tell one from the other. This is just 100% mosh.

These guys stand tall alongside other contemporary HC heavyweights like Lionheart and of course the whole Beatdown Hardware roster of bands like Ruckus, Stout etc. This is the definite sound of worldwide heavy hardcore at its purest form. Their new, much awaited, self titled album is out now. Get it!

P.S. Props for the awesome japanese-style tattoo artwork which goes hand in hand with the intensity of this brutal HC musicv. Now go get it tattooed on you or something and start moshing!

www.facebook.com/worldofpainhc

www.facebook.com/beatdownhardwear

www.beatdownhardwear.de

Record Reviews: BEAR "Doradus" (Let It Burn Records)

Naming your band "BEAR" is all good when you actually make music that sounds like a huge fucking bear landing on your head!

And this is the case here. These wild Belgians have managed to take the hardcore/metal background and shoot it to the moon. In my book, their new album entitled Doradus deserves a place right up there with the essentials of  tecnhnical and progressive hardcore/metal like Coalesce, Curl Up and Die, early Converge, etc. Putting the cherry on the cake for us, Bear also manage to produce some huge sounding, epic moshing rock (or rocking mosh) that is catchy and tuneful, and goes down well any time of the day. It's awesome to hear some music that retains the true hardcore fury of previous époques, but also goes the extra mile, maintaing an equally badass and intellectual feel all the way through.

When a band plays such an interesting mix of sounds, the production that coats the music is always crucial. On Doradus, Bear packs a crystal clear production sound that creates a wrecking ball out of the twisted metallic riffs and groovy drum patterns; Everything crumples under the undisputed pressure of this solidly built destruction machine! The songs are pretty short for this genre (around the 3 minute mark), which is a good thing. However, Bear manage to squeeze in all the power, intensity and passion in each and every song, as they scoop the best elements from deathcore, progressive/post hardcore, djent, and even good old black metal.

The most important thing that this record reminds us, is that even though it's good to take different elements and mix them into the melting pot, balance and composure (sic) are also essential. It's no good to have an album that sounds like it's made up of guest musicians. That is to say identity is all important for a band, and Bear have that in check. They manage to unite all the influences into something we can simply call hardcore/metal, and which isn't overly progressive and/or tiring. Congrats to Let it Burn records for having a band like this on its roster! I am super happy to see hardcore music still making a progess without losing its touch! Check this shit out!

www.facebook.com/bearpropaganda

UPs: Super tight playing, super groovy rhythms, good catchiness factor without going pop, brutal and heavy without being chaotic.

DOWNs: None that I can find.

LOWDOWN: Diligent metallic hardcore making a tour de force, celebrating all extreme music.

Featured Band: LIONHEART - Brother's Keeper

LIONHEART is an awesome metallic hardcore band in the vein of BLOOD FOR BLOOD, HOODS etc. The band hails from Northern California and specializes at delivering the best in brutal, ultra-angry hardcore. Their new record on Mediaskare Records hits hard and will go down nice with all fans of heavy hardcore.

Before some people dismiss LIONHEART as another 'macho' or 'tough guy' band, I would like to mention just one thing. If you notice the title of the song, it says 'Brother's Keeper'; the song's lyrics are about brotherhood and watching out for your friends. Therefore - and because I know that many HC kids out there are quick to judge - please check your shit and actually check out a band for what it's worth and what they sing before going off on one.

Just because these dudes are built like brick shithouses and they're and angry as fuck, it doesn't mean that they aren't down with what hardcore is all about.

http://www.facebook.com/lionheartca

ALTARS - 'Opposition' EP Review

Today we have another review brought to you by our good old pal, Nick Tolis. He has reviewed the very interesting and brutally beatiful new work by stalwart moshers, ALTARS. Their new ep entitled Opposition is a perfect example of new age, epic beatdown hardcore with melancholic touches and NO clean vocals. Enjoy!

ALTARS - Opposition EP

A mix of sounds

In case you are a fan of metal-hardcore, with lots of beat downs I guess you have found your thing here. The good thing is that this band manages to play something common but so different at the same time. After the intro song the album starts with a heavy beat down that will catch you from the head and throw you miles away. At the first seconds of the song “Advocate” I questioned my self whether this is a death metal band heavily influenced by Morbid Angel or a metal hardcore band. Things change rapidly. Fast beats, melodic loops, some screamo parts and some samples giving an industrial feeling create an interesting plus remarkable album.

To give a clearer idea, the album sounds like a mixture of Poison the Well, Comeback Kid, Born from Pain, Walls of Jericho and Chimaira. The good thing is that Altars succeed to put their signature to the album and to be proud to say that this is their music and not someone else’s music.

Overall, we have a six track EP, really well played, melodic-metal-hardcore with interesting ideas and lots of beat-downs to move your head up and down and enter the mosh-pit. Last but not least, the lyrics are faith-God-Christian oriented. Not really my thing to be honest but… nevermind the bollocks… let the guys play their music and express their thoughts…since they play it well… I am okay with it.

http://www.facebook.com/AltarsHC

Nick can be reached at nikostolis [at] gmail [dot] com 

AS HEAVENS COLLIDE- 'What They Fear the Most" Review (Full-Length,2011)

When I listen to stuff like AS HEAVENS COLLIDE, it makes me angry for the amount of whack musicians and bands out there with no technical proficiency and inability to put together good songs. AHC is the exact opposite of that. I had their new release sitting on my "To Review" list for quite a while, and now I am furiously asking myself WHY I didn't listen to this earlier so I could groove to it and mosh like a mad dog!

This may very well be the best brutal metal/hardcore I heard in 2011 so far. AHC go all out and manically destroy everything that stands in their way, moshing all the way through - breaking, ravaging and tearing apart. They only stop every now and then to throw you into some mysterious avant garde halts that give you the creeps and throw you in a meditative state of altered consciousness... of death!

It is so hard to pin down this band; they may base their shit on metallic downbeat hardcore, but have so much technical skill that they can go from tech-deathcore to epic symphonic metal to old school hardcore breaks like it ain't no thing. There are so many influences and mixed genres in What They Fear the Most that I cannot even begin to explain, I would just bore you. What YOU need to do is go and find this album and get ready for some really heavy stuff.

If you like listening to cool music with tons of layers and are not afraid of mixing melodic death metal with rabid, huge hardcore parts and a new age feel, then please do yourself a favor and listen to this band. It's totally TYS approved!

www.asheavenscollide.com

www.asheavenscollide.com

www.asheavenscollide.com

www.asheavenscollide.com

xAFBx Reunion!

xAFBx aka Armed for Battle has been one of the most crucial straight edge bands of the previous decade. During times that the only straight edge music around was fast hardcore and neo-youthcrew, xAFBx held the flag for no shit, metallic hardcore that totally kept in touch with the movement's essential characteristics. As far as I know,  xAFBx is also one of the most popular bands for all the die hard, militant, hardline etc straight edge kids worldwide. Dudes got some pretty legendary status. Now they're back, and I can't wait to see what the remaining straight edge members (Tony Battle and co) will give the world through their upcoming release on 7th Dagger!

FATAL BLOW - "Running Over You" Video

Just a few days ago, we did a review of FATAL BLOW's scorching new album Rise from Disgrace. Since it is hard to put to words the intensity that these guys deliver, we are glad to post this brand new video for the song "Running Over You". This is 100% REAL hardcore action and it is guaranteed to crush everything that stands in its way. Enjoy the real-talk Brazilian HC mobsters at work!

Yeah... hope you enjoy that uber old school bass break at 0:29!

FATAL BLOW - 'Rise From Disgrace' album review (2011)

Brazil: a place of mesmerizing landscapes, diverse social conditions and crushing motherfucking hardcore! Fatal Blow are here to stamp their name on the genre with their new album entitled Rise from Disgrace. We are talking about some real intense, brutal old-school hardcore that brings the best of the 90s sound (Breakdown, Hoods) in collision with a full-fat, hard as nails modern production. It's a win-win situation!

Rise from Disgrace contains 10 fast & heavy hardcore blasts including an awesome cover of Agnostic Front's 'Your Mistake' (from 1984's classic Victim in Pain album). This is just non-stop, full blown hardcore action with pissed off vocals and crazy, over the top, seriously bad ass drumming. The guitar and bass deliver the frantic NY flavored riffs one after the other, leaving the listener with very little space for breathing and relaxing (just space for moshing and two stepping). I am glad to say that there is no punk, no Oi!, no street punk, no 'progression' etc on this album, but only 100% ferocious hardcore... and that's the way we like it when it comes to this style of music.

So if you like simple, honest, brutal hardcore that overflows with anger and attitude, this album's for you. You will not be disappointed by the energy these guys bring when you blast Rise from Disgrace at full volume. This is bulldog style music!

---------------------------

Be sure to check FATAL BLOW on bandcamp. For a previous post of this awesome Brazilian hxc ourfit, go here.

Better Left Buried - 'King of Kings' EP Review (2011)

Holy shit! These Dutch maniacs are back to deliver a crushing dose of downtuned deathcore with their aptly titled King of Kings ep!

I am quite selective when it comes to deathcore and beatdown/downtempo hardcore these days, but Better Left Buried definitely know what they're doing. I liked their pervious ep which came out last year, but this new 4 song ep is so much heavier and so much meaner than their previous stuff. They have gotten more techinical and more death metal for sure, and they have a huge production sound that crushes your head and destroys your happy feelings.

To be honest this ep is quite a surprise for me, cause BLB have erased all their old school dark heavy hardcore elements and have moved to more modern, downtuned metal territory. There is a sick range of death metal vocals, 7 string (?) heavy as fuck guitars and anxiety inducing, freaked out lead parts that accompany the dead-serious mosh. There are also a lot of manic blastbeats and some distinct industrial black metal influences. Hell if I know how BLB manage to fit all these influences in one ep, but they do it - and they do it WELL.

There are many bands doing the beatdown/death metal thing nowadays, but most of them sound like babies compared to BLB. These guys don't only fuck around with open chord riffs, they take this genre to the next level! Not head nodding fake gansta metal, but KILLER MOSH!

The Acacia Strain - The Hills Have Eyes (Video)

OK! So we had quite a bit of punk rock, pop punk, whatever the last few days; now it's time to get real and tune in to some crazy-ass, perfectly exectuted downtuned deathcore. Or actually it should be death CORE cause TAS are one of the few deathcore bands who actually draw from hardcore as an influence. There are not many bands who can do this style better than The Acacia Strain. This video has made the rounds quite a bit but it is pretty funny and it is full of mosh so there you have it (let alone these guys are pretty much unknown here in Greece - no shit!). And if this is too metal for you, go find Cockpunch 'Attack' (awesome straight edge hardcore with TAS members). Enjoy you fuckers!

Street of Possession - 'The Wolfman' EP (self-released) Review

Just how much ambient instrumental beatdown death metal have you heard lately? Probably not much... Nevertheless, this crazy 'prog meets mosh' band from Lyon, France is here to create a new niche and satisfy your insatiable need for new, crazy, and heavy as fuck music.

The thing with Street of Possession's amazing new EP The Wolfman is that it is actually has no vocals and consists only of heavy downtuned guitars, sick groovy rhythm patterns and beatiful ambient layers to accompany all the unsurmantouble heaviness. A one-man project on this one, SOP also work on stuff with death metal vocals on other recordings, but here Jeremie (guitars, bass, drum prog, samples) ventures on his own to create a masterpiece of avant garde post-deathcore. This is really like nothing else I've heard before, as this kid takes the ball from bands like White Chapel, Misery Index, For Today etc and keeps running, stripping it all down to the bare essentials.

SOP manages to combine the heaviness with some hair raising type of melodies, thus balancing between the extreme and the almost catchy, even mainstream sound if you like. The record is also based on something like a concept theme, about the cruel transformation of a man into a wolf. Sounds kind of crazy (or maybe typical if you're a metal fan), but as I am into all that anarcho primitive, back to wilderness feral type thinking, I can surely dig! Our feral edge is always calling, waiting to make a beast out of us again... Another interesting fact is that  since there are no lyrics, each song leaves you on your own to start making a plot in your head based only on the song title and the complexity of the music.

Awesome work from this French beatdown eccentric! I easily give it a [9.5/10]. I am just curious to see how the next stuff (with vocals) will sound like...

Heavy Sh*t: Trail of Lies, Abysmal Dawn, Doomsday Mourning, Without Remorse

Yeah so as the title shows, we have quite a few releases from some heavy as hell bands waiting to be reviewed. Light hearted punks and people with pop sensibilities might want to skip this one! This post only deals with death metal/deathcore/brutal hardcore etc.

Trail of Lies - Demo

I will start this off with Trail of Lies and their amazing new demo. This brand new band from Syracuse do one thing and do it well: they fuck shit up. Their brand of heavy hardcore is reminiscent of the good old 90s, when bands actually wanted to do some damage with their core. This is the type of hardcore that is coming back: no BS, pissed off and straight to the point. TOL mixes the heavy NY sound with some old school hip hop attitude (check the artwork) and just punishes the listener with heavy, phat guitars, distorted metallic bass, heavy hardcore vocals and some relentless - but not overused - double bass drumming. Fans of Neglect, One Life Crew and other 90s metallic hardcore need to get this [9/10].

Abysmal Dawn - 'Leveling the Plane of Existence'

Moving on to some clean death metal territory, we got Abysmal Dawn's killer new album amazingly titled 'Leveling the Plane of Existence'. Fans of Krisiun, Malevolent Creation and Suffocation gather round these new kings of brutal death metal. These perfectly technical metalloids also mix some dark, black metal elements to their sound as well as some black metal vocals, thus making the outcome all grim and disgusting. Hail! Everything is done with such perfect precision that you can really admire the music amidst the brutality. At some points, I can even make out what the singer is saying! If someone asked me what I am listening for metal these days, this is the album I would play them! All killer, no filler, seriously blackened technical death metal. You bet [8/10].

Doomsday Mourning - 'The Science of Exploitation'

I can't say I am overly excited with Doomsday Mourning's downtuned deathcore. It sounds a lot like Emmure and despite 4 out of 6 songs featuring well known personalities from today's metal scene, I'm afraid this doesn't cut the cake. It's all mid tempo with a lot of beatdowns and I guess it does have some head nodding quality to it, as well as some cool psycho, stress-inducing guitar work over the heavy riffs. But every song is kind of repetitive and there is really nothing innovative musically to keep things really interesting. In times with so much good stuff coming out from everywhere, another downtempo deathcore band with nihilistic rap stoner attitude giving it all on the open chords doesn't do it for me, I'm afraid. The kids out there do seem to like this for some reason (maybe cause it's all brutal with no melodies whatsoever), but what do the kids know, really [4/10]?

Without Remorse - 'The Truth Hurts'

Moving back to more familiar and more worth talking of territory, we have groovy hardcore kids gone death metal, Without Remorse. Here is a band that knows what it's doing, by delivering 8 songs of heavy ass, unforgiving death metal with strong hardcore elements. The vokills are not exactly death metal, but bounce back and forth between DM and hardcore (and some gore-metal), while the guitars create a huge wall of sound which is led by the ongoing double bass drum action. This is the new millenium's death metal sound: groovy, phat, jump up and down, let's fuck shit up music. Just utter craziness and grooviness for fans of death metal and brutal hardcore alike. No matter if you're a metalhead who's shaved his head or a hardcore kid that gets carried away listening to Job For A Cowboy and Dying Fetus, you will like this record. The only downer with this record are the tiring cannabis references, but that seems to be a tie-in with a lot of modern death metal for some reason I cannot understand [7/10].