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 

Featured Band: Denial Fiend - Deathly Thrashed into a Horror Holocaust

Simply put, Denial Fiend is a bunch of crazy fuckers who destroy the world with their awesomely evil death/thrash metal. I mean we all listen to a lot of metal and hardcore and whatnot, but every now and then we find a band that really stands apart due to its heaviness/originality, and Denial Fiend seem to have both of these factors in check. Also, if you are sick and tired of hearing a certain Municipal Waste come up whenever the term "thrash" is mentioned, maybe it is a good idea to start supporting these fellows here.

Denial Fiend packs a ton of energy and has that extreme death thrash sound that was forsaken somewhere in the annals of extreme music history. They have the excessive double bass drum use and the sick guitar riffs, but they also manage to keep it extreme, catchy and fun. Because we should let it be known that when we say thrash, we mean something heavy and extreme and not just sped up punk with stupid lyrics and no shock value. So remove the beer/party thrash punk from your mind and get into the real, original, evil thrash about death and destruction!

http://www.facebook.com/denialfiendband

We should also mention that the song posted above from new album Horror Holocaust features Denial Fiend's new singer, who is no other than the legendary Accused's Blaine Cook. For an even heavier, more guttural Denial Fiend, check the band's older album They Rise.

CRUCIAMENTUM - Convocation of Crawling Chaos

Today's review is an offering by fellow partner in crime and long time contributor, Rigas. This guy may look like an outgoing peaceful rastafari dude on the outside, but he actually has a soft spot for brutal, underground and uncompromising music. He has gotten me into loads of bands in the past and UK's Cruciamentum just got added to the list. This guy knows his shit; read on to see what he had to say about this ultra-brutal band's new offering and be forewarned: this is some of the heaviest stuff we've ever featured here!

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Death metal in 2011 bares the long history of one of the most extreme musical expressions. The genre had ups and downs in popularity but also quality; nevertheless there is a rich legacy with numerous landmark releases. Therefore, the bar is set high for new bands and I believe there is only room for dedicated people and crucial stuff, like this one.

Learn more  out the awesome cover by Alexander L. Brown here

Cruciamentum play death metal - just that - and that is very refreshing in times saturated by music overproduction where every band is blending countless styles in their songs (deathcore is now on demand, following the metalcore hype). While others try to broaden their sound in a superficial cut & paste fashion, Cruciamentum take the time to focus on their sound and devote themselves to the long tradition of death metal. As they go deeper they bring much more for us to listen: three death metal epics with manifold yet ‘organic’ shifts in exciting flow, ultra-heavy ‘buried’ sound, low guttural and relatively discreet vocals and a ritualistic occult feeling.

There is a cryptic ambience omnipresent; Cruciamentum are interested to create a specific sound and atmosphere in which to deliver their music. Knowing how to play authentic death metal, they are not exhausting themselves just playing as fast and brutal as possible. Their sound draws parallels to Dead Congregation, Disembowelment, Funebrarum, Demigod, Immolation, Incantation and Winter (less). It somehow reminded me also Morbid Angel of ‘Gateways to Annihilation’ era, but much more low-fi.

Cruciamentum shift skilfully a lot of tempos yet they incorporate also some slow, doom parts (remember Disembowelment! e.g. the 3^rd minute mark of ‘’deathless ascension’’) which are very effective in their music. They also throw in some ‘morbid’ yet majestic melodies which at times are even reminiscent of early 90’s atmospheric doom/death (they use synths at the end of the EP). Surprisingly, there is a crushing beatdown part in ‘’Rotten flesh crucifix’’ which fits great and is very functional in the flow of the song, while later is coated with an obscure, bitter melody. Frankly, it is one of the best death metal releases I heard in years with its superior black & white aesthetics.

Cruciamentum hail from UK and they were formed back in 2005, but their line-up solidified in 2009. “Convocation of Crawling Chaos” comes in MCD and 10’’ MLP formats from the Greek Nuclear Winter records. It is a re-issue of their 2009 demo. ‘Rotten flesh crucifix’ has been already released as a demo in 2008. They are part of a stream of serious, original, crafty, quality death metal bands (Dead Congregation, Ectovoid, Swallowed, Eibon etc.) which are well-distanced from the gore death produced by the kilos. This wave of bands has been also visualized by committed artists like Alexander L. Brown (check also Timo Ketola, Toshiro Egawa, Mark Riddick and Scott Stearns among others), who illustrated this magnificent cult cover.

Support and disseminate original music!

http://www.last.fm/music/Cruciamentum
http://www.wikimetal.info/wiki/Cruciamentum

http://www.nuclearwinterrecords.com

Reasons Why I Still Like Terror

On this short article I would like to explain just a few reasons why I still consider TERROR as one of the best current bands in hardcore music. They might be the most popular hardcore band since Hatebreed, but usually when the kids dig something so much, there is actually a good reason for it. So, here's my list why TERROR still rules...

• They stick to the basics. In other words, they don't have to 'progress' and ruin everything. So sir. Just good old hardcore with tons of mosh, the way it is supposed to be done.
• They are the everyday hardcore kid's favorite band. They don't sing about stuff you don't understand; they don't fuck around with pointless music patterns; they shoot to kill! And so, the kids get it.
• They infuse positive values through hardcore. Although they're not your typical 'posi' band by no means, their songs are all about empowerment, venting your frustration and feeling strong through hardcore. What else do you need?
• KOTF. Finally, someone brought back the Crew mentality that was missing from hardcore for so long. Keepers of the Faith, baby! We need more hardcore bands that defend hardcore music like that.
• Members' credibility. Their singer sang for Buried Alive. Their bassist sings for Down To Nothing. Their drummer was in Carry On. Their guiatrist is also in Donnybrook. These are all bands with some pretty timeless value in the hardcore scene.
• You can tell they're having the time of their lives. Have you ever been to a TERROR show? Then you know what I am talking about. I am sick and tired of bands and frontmen who can't be bothered to have fun on stage.
• They maintain the old school hardcore aesthetics. Excuse me, but hardcore is not about tight jeans and the right kind of sneakers. It's about wearing your athletic fucking gear and feeling ready to combust at the show!
• They are the perfect band to mosh to. No explanation needed, really.

These are just a few of the reasons why I still like this band after all those years. One thing I know is they've outlasted quite a few hardcore kids who are now into more 'mature' kind of music and the like. You know the deal. The Keepers of the Faith are still here!

ENTRAILS - "The Tomb Awaits" Review

I see death metal in the same way I see a lot of hardcore; that is, as a style of music that metaphorically destroys everything in its way, and which gives the listener a sense of absolute strength and raging power. Heavy music has a magical way of destroying weakness and depression, and we have bands like Sweden's ENTRAILS to thank for that!

This awesome band has just released 12 songs of pure Swedish death metal at its best, similar to stuff like early Entombed, Dismember and Sinister (even though the last band is Dutch).  This album really  brings us back to a time when metal albums actually had substance to them and carried their own distinct identity. This is exactly what happens in The Tomb Awaits: there is plenty death metal carnage but at the same time the whole album is filled with a nice diversity which makes it so much more of a pleasant listen. At the end of the day, this is exactly what Swedish DM is traditionally all about: clever ideas combined with aggression!

What I mean by the above is that even though ENTRAILS do play pure and solid death metal, there is enough space for musical expression and a somewhat darker (compared to brutal death) atmosphere. The guitarists are capable of creating some pretty sick atmospheric riffs with the lower guitar strings that will send shivers down your spine and make the zombies in your local graveyard rise up. At the same time, the drums and vocals show no signs of compromise and just beat your brain and ears with endless aggression! Add a tiny dose of Swedish crust to the mix and you will get what I'm talking about!

The production sound also carries the recognizable Swedish identity, with the distorted bass on equal levels with the guitars and the overall outcome sounding brutally bubbling, but in a way controlled.  Finally, I will also give the band kudos for the awesome acoustic guitar introduction, which gets the cemetery atmosphere going before all hell breaks loose.

http://www.myspace.com/entrailsreborn

For an extensive ENTRAILS interview go here.

PROS: Definite old school death metal feel, quality riffs, excellent Swedish production, wide variety of extremely brutal death metal vocals, crust-core rhythms here and there.

CONS: If you listen to this late at night you might sh*t your pants.

DA LOWDOWN: Awesome, solid Swedish death metal with room for sick melodies without being overly technical.