Broken Hope - Omen of Disease album review

Broken Hope - Omen of Disease
Century Media - 2013

Broken Hope is a band I have many fond memories of.  Their first album I purchased was Repulsive Conception in my 'metal infancy' in 1995 and then special ordering Loathing when it was released (before we had the joys of going to the Internet and purchasing online).  Loathing still stands as one of my favorite death metal albums and I wore out my shirt several years after receiving it.  After vocalist Joe Ptacek was tragically lost, I never thought we'd see the day of a Broken Hope reunion, but low and behold, in a year of death metal comebacks (Carcass, Gorguts, to a lesser extent Suffocation), this was one of my most anticipated of the lot.

Everything about this album reeks of classic Broken Hope.  First off, the cover art is fantastic!  One of my absolute favorites this year, it reminds me a bit of the creepiness of their Loathing cover, but even more badass.  The Broken Hope guitar tone is still there, just listening to "The Flesh Mechanic" before Omen's release gave me some goosebumps in how it seemed the band never lost a step.  Ptacek's replacement, Damian Leski, keeps things just as sick vocally.  Going for those super low, extremely unintelligible vocals really hits the target and keeps the spirit of Broken Hope intact.  Lastly, Jeremy Wagner's penchant for gore-soaked lyrics have not dulled with age and things are just as strongly written as ever.

With 13 songs in about 36 minutes, the band truly cuts to the chase with each track.  The lengths rarely go above the 3 minute mark, hearkening back towards their Bowels of Repugnance and Swamped in Gore days (there is even a re-recording of "Incinerated") of frenetic blasts of speed and groove.  That's not to say that the songs are a whirlwind of relentless and unremarkable goregrind.  On the contrary, each song is densely packed with some surprisingly memorable moments (for death grind that is).  From the goofy sampling of "Rendered into Lard" to the surprisingly atmospheric ending of "Ghastly" to the satisfying solos sprinkled throughout, you'll find something worth checking out again.

What will certainly draw you back though is the sheer number of killer riffs on this album.  My favorite one here, and certainly one of the most headbangable riffs of the year is that of "Predacious Poltergeist" (start at about 0:28 seconds).  "Give Me The Bottom Half" has a great driving riff with plenty of groove too.  Finally, the full-out start of "Choked Out and Castrated" deserves mention as well.  These are just the first ones come to mind, the whole album is full of some real gems!

Back in their heyday,  Broken Hope never really got the fan base of their brethren like Cannibal Corpse or Deicide, which is unfortunate given the quality of their material.  While they may no longer be the most technical or brutal band on the planet, Omen of Disease serves as a love letter to those long-standing Broken Hope fans.  This is some of their best work to date!  Highly recommended!  

Albums You Should Be Listening To: Ad Patres - Scorn Aesthetics

Ad Patres - Scorn Aesthetics
Kaotoxin Records - 2012

Ad Patres is a French death metal band that I recently discovered.  Scorn Aesthetics is their debut release of unrelenting old school yet modern death metal, founded by drummer Alsvid (Seth, ex-Enthroned).  While it may not sound like the most original band on the planet (it's not), they serve up a dish of brutality that many bands just can't compare with.  Ad Patres never try to wow you with their technical ability or crazy time-shifts, they just go straight for the throat and never let go.  There are certainly some allusions to older bands like Sinister and Deranged as well as Yyrkoon and early Decapitated in their blast-friendly material   Songs like the title-track and "To The Fathers" launch a blistering assault while others like "All That Remains" provide some slightly slower, more headbanging riffs in the mix.  The production here is solid as well, giving the more visceral, old-school approach a more modern edge and an almost clinical sense of precision.

The album's short run-time works to its advantage as it ends before it overstays it's welcome.  While some of the songs due blur together, the overall package is still impressive as you just don't this type of album nowadays without having the technicality overwhelm you.  If you like pure death metal, and any of the bands I mentioned, you'd be well advised to check this one out.  I think these guys will be starting to gather some buzz any day now.

Eternium - Repelling A Solar Giant album review

Eternium - Repelling A Solar Giant
Blast Head Records - 2013

It seems much less common nowadays to see a piece of striking artwork from an unknown band and just need to know more about them immediately.  This was not the case here, as Repelling a Solar Giant has one of the most visually eye-grabbing covers I have seen in quite some time (created by Sarafin Concepts).  I caught a glimpse of the cover back in May, then jumped over to their Facebook page and heard "Aura Infernum: The Flight Over Massless Soul".  Needless to say, I was completely sold and this became one of my most hotly anticipated albums of the fall.  Upon hearing it as a whole, I can thankfully say that it was worth the wait.

Just to give some background, Eternium is a symphonic black/death band hailing from St. Louis though you'd never guess this is a US-based band by listening to them.  This is completely clear of any core/modern elements and comes across as a mix between Dissection, Sacramentum, Emperor, and early Dark Tranquillity.  It is the brainchild of Markov Soroka, who wrote this album at the age of 17!  He is a name to keep track of within the metal community, because once you have heard this album, you can practically see the potential oozing out of the speakers each time you play it.

Repelling a Solar Giant is an ambitious, flowing concept album filled with betrayal, anger, love, and sorrow.  With only 6 tracks clocking in around 45 minutes, each of the 5-10 minute songs are densely packed and run through a gauntlet of full throttle black metal, atmospheric melodies, and driving melodic death riffs. Lyrically, I really enjoyed the way Soroka used characters to create the story and it comes across as rather interesting and unique compared to most metal lyrics.  He also backs it up with a range vocals from powerful roars, high pitched shrieks, and agonized screams to whispers and even maniacal cackles (though the placement of a few of the cackles can feel a bit goofy).

As with the nature of a concept album, there really isn't a standout song per say but I'm compelled to listen to the whole thing again and again with some cool moments that sprinkle their way through the disc.  From the cold, haunting feeling I get from the opening to finale "Aura Noir: Repelling a Solar Giant" to the dizzying blasts of "Aura Amethyst: Her Gaze Cast Obsidian Death" to the sorrow-filled riffs of "Aura Sentium: Concord of Ember and Zephyr", the songwriting has kept my interest piqued throughout repeated listens this week.

Eternium has delivered a debut of mammoth proportions with Repelling A Solar Giant.  If you enjoy any extreme metal, this should be at the top of your next to-buy list.  An album that should rightfully adorn many a top 10 list for this year and solidify Eternium as one metal's hottest bands to watch.  Highest recommendations!


Blasthead Records Bandcamp - You can stream the album and purchase it here!

Listen to Aura Noir - Repelling A Solar Giant

Tyr - Valkyrja album review

Tyr - Valkyrja
Metal Blade - 2013

Folk/power metallers Tyr have released their seventh album, Valkyrja, to their broadest audience yet.  Their first release for Metal Blade Records, it seems the band has finally the audience they deserve at precisely the right moment.  Valkyrja is easily their best work to date.

Valkyrja sees the band going further in the direction of the previous few albums, with an uplifting mix of folk influences and guitar-driven power metal with Heri Joensen's charismatic vocals.  If anything, the band has continued to hone their craft, making the riffs more memorable and the choruses even more sing-along friendly.  Valkyrja is also a concept album that tells the tale of a Viking warrior who leaves his home in order to impress the Valkyrie on the battlefield so he may be brought to Valhalla.

Honestly, it's hard to think of an album that is as catchy as this in 2013.  The first three tracks ("Blood of Heroes", "Mare of My Night", and "Hel Hath No Fury") set the tone for the catchy choruses and uptempo riffs that are almost as catchy as the lyrics.  "The Lay of Our Love" slows things down and features a duet with Leaves Eyes vocalist Liv Kristine with thankfully avoids the cheesiness that could have been and works surprisingly well.  "Grindavisan" has an almost religious/church-like quality to the chorus that stands out as one of the more unique moments of the album.  Of course, the two covers of Iron Maiden's "Where Eagles Dare" and Pantera's "Cemetery Gates" deserve a mention in their ability to stay true to the source material while giving enough of a Tyr vibe that they don't feel out of place.  Probably my favorite of the bunch is "Lady of the Slain", with it's crunchy opening guitar melody and epic chorus.  I feel it should become a live staple for the band.

There's really not much to find fault with here.  Tyr continues to improve with age and if you for some reason have yet to check them out, this is the perfect opportunity!  Any fan of folk metal or power metal won't find much better this year.

Ulcerate - Vermis album review

Ulcerate - Vermis
Relapse Records - 2013

Ulcerate is a band that requires tremendous amounts of patience to truly grasp.  Over the course of their career, they have become an incredibly complex band, though not in the usual uber-technical way most metal bands tend to go.  Instead of piling in surgically precise fretboard destruction, they have opted for a more "atmospheric" route that is ominous and foreboding.  Their mix of Immolation, Gorguts, Neurosis, and Deathspell Omega oozes of a darkness and uncomfortable feeling that most bands could only dream of achieving.  The music for Vermis is perfectly realized by the artwork, in it's stark and bleak and overall grimy feeling.  This is an album that wants you to writhe in the dirt a bit.

Vermis is a challenge upfront due to it's lack of conventional hooks.  There are truly no "catchy" riffs or groove to hold onto, relying mostly on dissonance and atmosphere.  The one advantage of this album over it's predecessor is that there are a few more dynamic shifts.  The Destroyers of All spent a good deal of time in slower, murkier waters and restraint whereas Vermis does see the band inputting more death metal back into the mix, especially with some of the faster tracks like "Clutching Revulsion" and "Confronting Entropy".  It's the tracks like "Weight of Emptiness" and the sprawling "Cessation" that the dynamics within the song start to bloom, offering frenetic bursts of intensity alongside almost post-death ambiance.

Once you breach the learning curve though, the rewards begin to appear.  The subtle moments of grimy beauty begin to rear their heads.  That one monster guitar riff you didn't notice the first few times through, or how the intensity begins to culminate only to switch over effortlessly to a slower, atmospheric drive only to ramp itself back up again ("Await Recission").

Vermis takes the listener through a realm of foreboding darkness that is ultimately their strongest work to date.  While there will be just as many people that just will not "get it", those of us who seek the nuances below the surface of this album will reap the benefits for a long time to come.  A tough album to sell but one that will captivate you with it's textures.

Ashes of Ares - Ashes of Ares album review

Ashes of Ares - Ashes of Ares
Nuclear Blast - 2013

The latest band to claim "supergroup" status is that of Ashes of Ares.  Consisting of 2 ex-members of Iced Earth (Matt Barlow, Freddie Vidales) and Nevermore's Van Williams, it's easy to get excited by the prospects of the talent involved.  Consider that Matt Barlow, despite his long presence in the scene, has always been more of a side-player and this is the first time he's really been given full creative control and that just hypes things even further.

Obviously, there will be comparisons to Iced Earth made with this release.  Barlow was always a defining characteristic of the band, even when he wasn't in the band, so it can occasionally be hard to separate this notion.  However, it's also inevitable to say that older fans of Iced Earth will find plenty to enjoy about this release.  It must be said that Ashes of Ares is without question, one of Barlow's finest vocal performances to date.  He has one of the most identifiable voices in metal and he delivers the goods and then some on this release.  His highs, gruff bellows, mournful harmonies, and everything in between is finely represented in top form.

Unfortunately, the music behind Barlow occasionally suffers from repetition and playing it safe.  On the one hand, the heavier tracks like "Punishment", "Chalice of Man", "Move the Chains", and album highlight "What I Am" contain memorable riffing and thunderous drumming that gives an intense backbone to Barlow's varied vocal delivery.  Album ballad "The Answer" sees Barlow at his most genuine (and much less sappy than some of IE's ballads) and provides another highlight.  The remaining tracks linger around the mid-tempo speed for far too long and suffer from a lack of memorable riffs.  Opener "The Messenger" just doesn't capture the ear as well as "Move the Chains" and closer "The One-Eyed King" just can't compete with the crushing tempo and fantastic chorus of "What I Am" before it.

While I am a bit critical of this release, know that I have enjoyed listening to it quite a bit.  I just feel that an entire album at the strength of the songs that I mentioned would have really knocked it out of the park.  Though hearing Matt Barlow's pipes is always a welcome treat, I am more eager to hear how the band will step things up with the next release.

Thunder and Lightning - In Charge of the Scythe album review

Thunder and Lightning - In Charge of the Scythe
Hammersound Records - 2013

I freely admit to not listening to much power metal.  There are a few bands here and there I enjoy but ultimately it's bogged down by two factors for me: the ultra-high vocal registers of many of the frontmen (and women) and the lack of aggressive riffs.  Enter Thunder and Lightning, whom I found on Twitter of all places!  I was drawn in by the cover art, as there aren't a number of comic book-ish covers that I've seen lately so I went to their bandcamp page and gave it a shot.

Low and behold, In Charge of the Scythe suffers from neither of the subgenre's two pitfalls I described earlier.  First, the vocals of Norman Dittmar never reach those high falsettos that grate my nerves, instead providing some bellowing power and charisma.  He can belt out a great heavy chorus like in the title track or "Soldier's Tired Eyes" yet keeps the ballad-y beginning of "Two Sons in My Sky" from from reaching cheesiness and providing some genuine emotion.  The guitar section of Dammrich and Wustenhagen provide some punishing crunch to a barrage of power and classic metal riffs.  Some songs like "The Unborn Truth" and "Booster Shot" have some real neck-breaking riffs in them and will certainly appeal to some of the fans of thrashier power metal such as Rage.  I also like that the drums are more thunderous (pun intended) than on many similar bands and makes the overall assault more intense.

All in all, this is a great songwriting package.  There isn't a chorus here that fails to hit it's mark, a lead or solo that fails to grab your attention, or riff that fails to get the neck muscles moving.  This is unfortunate, because this is the 4th album they have released and it seems they should really have a larger fan base at this point.  As far as I'm concerned, you won't find a better power metal album this year!  If it's strong enough to convince a non-power metal regular, that has to say something about the overall quality of the material right?  Strongly recommended!

Thunder and Lightning Bandcamp page

The Unborn Truth

Fit For An Autopsy - Hellbound album review

Fit For An Autopsy - Hellbound
eOne Music - 2013

Honestly, there isn't much deathcore out there at this point that I tend to enjoy.  Most really entirely too much on breakdowns or try to blend in djent elements to keep current and sound dime-a-dozen.  This is not the case with Fit For An Autopsy.  Their debut, 2011's The Process of Human Extinction was pure violence in audio format.  They tended to stick much more towards the death end of the spectrum rather than the core, and the only thing that seemed to hold that album back was a less than stellar production.  I also caught the band live back in 2012 on the Slaughter Survivors tour and their live presence was equally punishing.

This brings us to their newest offering, Hellbound.  If you enjoyed The Process of Human Extinction, you will love this.  Armed with a much more suitable production and much tighter and cohesive songwriting, Hellbound stands leaps and bounds above it's predecessor.  The songs, while they aren't covering any new ground within the genre, provide a visceral feast that never becomes too tech-laden or rely too heavily on providing breakdown after breakdown.  FFAA aren't afraid to pick up the pace on a regular basis (see "Dead In the Dirt" and "The Travelers") before slowing things down to a crawl and really giving a breakdown the breathing room it needs to be effective.  The ending of "Children of the Corn Syrup" has to have the most punishing breakdowns I've heard in recent memory and is truly as viscous as corn syrup itself.  Like their previous effort, the riffs tend to sit more at the death metal end of the spectrum, but there seems to be more character to them now, even occasionally dabbling into some dissonant and *gasp* melodic riffing.  Don't worry, it's still very angry and abrasive, but the variety keeps it from becoming one-note and monotonous.

It's hard not to make note of Nate Johnson's guttural vocal approach as well.  He has to have one of the most intense vocals within the genre at this point.  Incredibly in-your-face and abrasive, there are a number of guest performances from members of The Acacia Strain and Thy Art is Murder (among others) but nothing seems to take the spotlight away from him. The lyrics can be anthemic (see "Still We Destroy"), yet occasionally they tackle more socio/political issues with more impact than you may expect (see "Thank You Budd Dwyer", "Children of the Corn Syrup").

While there really isn't much new brought to the table here, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better sounding album in the genre this year than Hellbound.  FFAA has dotted all their I's and crossed all their T's with incredible conviction to the point that even non-genre listeners will stand up and hopefully take notice.

Katatonia - Dethroned & Uncrowned album review

Katatonia - Dethroned & Uncrowned
Kscope - 2013

Last year's Dead End Kings was not only one of my favorite releases of 2012, but one of my favorite releases from Katatonia period.  While some accused the band of being stuck in a rut, I viewed it as the coming together of everything the band had been trying to reach with their sound over the past few albums.  It was a real culmination from Last Fair Deal to the present.

As someone who has 'collected' all of Katatonia's EPs and singles over the years, I can't say that I have ever truly enjoyed these remixes so I was a bit hesitant when the band announced their concept to essentially strip all of the tracks from Dead End Kings and release them in a new form. My fears were calmed when they released the stripped down version of "The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here." and it seemed that the integrity of the original song was truly kept intact.

I can't help but be impressed at how well this turned out after repeated listening to the entire album.  Not quite an acoustic album due to it's use of brooding atmospheres and synths to replace the distortion, you will find this significantly more mellow than the album from which it came.  The way that they shifted the riffs or put some sort of a variation of them and brought them to a different instrument is occasionally breathtaking.  Undoubtedly the strongest 're-imagining' to me is that of "Leech".  While I thoroughly enjoyed all of the songs on Dead End Kings, "Leech" was never my favorite but that has changed here.  The addition of piano and strings as well as pulling Jonas' vocals to the forefront creates one of the most poignant and emotionally charged choruses from the band to date.  Keeping in mind that the vocal lines were kept the same (though occasionally some additional effects were added in), this is quite a feat.  It truly speaks volumes to how much Jonas' vocals have improved since the Discouraged Ones days and the entire album finally pulls them out of the background.  Some of the other songs that seem to benefit the most are "The Racing Heart" and "First Prayer" (though it does feel more like acoustic versions).  Truth be told, the only song that doesn't really seem to mesh is "Buildings".  Every time I hear it, I just keep yearning to hear the rather identifiable distorted guitar riff before the chorus but it never comes.  I do like the dark ambient vibe in it's place but it just can't replace the original that has burnt it's way into my brain.

All in all, this is a very creative offering from Katatonia that any fan of Dead End Kings should immediately check out.  It's a great experiment and they really nailed what they were going for here.  If they can figure out the best way to blend what they have accomplished here with returning a bit of the distortion back with the next album, it could be simply incredible.

Necrogoblikon - Power EP review

Necrogoblikon - Power
Independent release - 2013

I was first introduced to Necrogoblikon with their 2011 album, Stench.  Like fellow folk-metallers Trollfest, Finntroll, and others, Necrogoblikon tread the fine line between crushing metal and absurdity quite well.  Their musical chops are there to back up the goofy humor and quirky infusion of some traditionally nonmetal instruments.  The guitar crunch on tracks like "Bells & Whistles" and "Nothing but Crickets", the bass lead on "Powercore", or the frantic soloing of "Friends (in Space)" will surely knock the notion that Necrogoblikon is a gimmick band right out of your mind.

The two big changes from Stench are the increased presence of clean vocals and the goofy factor seems to be turned up to 11.  I think the clean vocals actually work quite well, particularly on "Nothing but Crickets" and "Powercore".  They do seem to add some uniqueness and add to the overall upbeat nature of the songs.  The lyrics are undeniably goofy but it does add to their charm.  Really the only thing I can find to fault the album concerns the lyrics of the opener "Friends (in Space)" where they frequently namedrop themselves in the chorus but it's not a deal breaker by far.

If you are looking for some catchy, upbeat metal that is as fun as it is heavy, pick up Power immediately.  Unfortunately it only lasts about 19 minutes so hopefully that means a new full length isn't too far down the road!

Purchase Power at Bandcamp

Shadecrown - Shadecrown demo review

Shadecrown - Shadecrown
Independent release - 2013

Shadecrown is a melodic death/doom metal band from Finland.  I recently discovered them on bandcamp, where this demo is available for free (though it's always nice to throw the band a few bucks if you can).  If the opening sentence wasn't clear enough, Shadecrown does sound quite a bit like their other Finnish peers (Insomnium, Rapture, etc) but it's done quite well, especially for what appears to be their first demo.  If there is one thing that could separate them, their songs do have a bit more of a 'kick' to them and when they go all out (see the end of "Ghostlike Existence" for a prime example) it's a bit more aggressive and upfront. I enjoyed how "Silent Hours" opens with a nice acoustic guitar before gracefully moving into that signature melancholic crunch predominantly found in the style.  Of the three songs here, "The Sun Shines Cold" strikes me the most with it's rich atmosphere and gloomy riffing at the start and a short keyboard break towards the end of the song.  This is certainly a band I look forward to hearing more from in the future.  Go check it out!

Shadecrown at Bandcamp

Shadecrown facebook

Ghostlike Existence

Albums You Should be Listening to: I Legion - Beyond Darkness

I Legion - Beyond Darkness
Independent release - 2012

I Legion is the mastermind of Canadian Frederic Riverin, who got some help from Chris Clancy (Mutiny Within) to produce this foray into melodic death alongside Bjorn Strid (Soilwork) and Jon Howard (Threat Signal).  Additionally, some songs feature some additional guitar work from Andy James, Peter Wichers, Angel Vivaldi, and Brandon Jacobs.  If that doesn't give you a slight caliber of the music presented on this album, I'm not sure what will.  This is melodic death metal of the highest quality.

The 13 tracks provided, there is one instrumental opener ("Hexagram") and the remaining tracks are broken up between Chris Clancy (5 songs), Bjorn Strid (4 songs), and Jon Howard (3 songs).  One of the strongest features is how easily the songs mesh with each other despite jumping from vocalist to vocalist, and I believe this is a real credit to the songwriting strength of Riverin.  The songs themselves aren't really anything out of the ordinary for the genre in theory, ranging from the mid-tempo to the occasionally quicker bursts, but again, the execution is basically flawless.  All three vocalists are on top of their game, giving the growls and sung vocals they are known for.

I find it hard to come up with favorite tracks, but I thought I'd comment on a few tracks.  "Night Calls" (Clancy) has to be the album's catchiest number and features some of Clancy's best vocals on the disc.  I cannot get enough of their cover of "Love is a Battlefield" (Strid).  The song has been metalized and Bjorn's vocals are a perfect fit.  "Despite Your Grace" has some major toe-tapping groove going for it along with possibly Speed's best chorus.  One of the faster numbers has to be "Escape as Deliverance" (Howard) and shows the riffs are just as gorgeous at top speed as they are with the more mid-tempo melodies.

Perhaps the best testament I can give to the album is that it has been out now for almost a year and I am still listening to it fairly consistently, despite the banner year that we have been having in 2013.  While I am not sure whether there will be another I Legion release, I can certainly cross my fingers and hope, though Frederic is currently involved with another project with Bjorn Strid by the name of Bear River.  One of 2012's greatest hidden gems, this is not to be missed!

I Legion Bandcamp page (you can listen to the entire album here for yourself)

Signs from Above (Bjorn Strid)

Snippet of Night Calls (Chris Clancy)

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Labyrinth album review

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Labyrinth
Nuclear Blast - 2013

After 2011's Agony, Fleshgod Apocalypse became a force to be reckoned within the metal community.  Sure, Orales and Mafia were quite well received, but jumping to Nuclear Blast for Agony and the sonic shift that accompanied it made them much more of a household name so to speak.  I personally gushed all over Agony when it was released but found myself more drawn to their back catalog after the initial 'spark' of Agony had disappeared a few months after it's release.  This was mostly due to the flat production of Agony and the shift that saw the band surrendering all of the interesting musicianship from the guitars to the synths.  Still, when Labyrinth was announced, you could toss my name in among the many to set skyscraper-level expectations and the earlier release of the track "Elegy" did nothing to change that.  Now after listening to this an embarrassing large number of times this week, I feel comfortable saying that Labyrinth pretty much wipes the floor with Agony and sees the band at the absolute top of their game.

Instead of simply being Agony part II, Labyrinth cranks up everything in the band's arsenal up to 11.  The orchestration is notably more epic in scale, with more operatic vocals in place from Veronic Bordacchini. While Agony had a slight concept to it, Labyrinth tells the tale of the Labyrinth of Knossos and has a very unified feel to it.  Most importantly, the guitars, which felt slightly neutered last time around, have found their way back into the mix.  The union of the orchestra and the guitarwork is much more synchronized and it seems the band has found a way to create a middle ground between that of Oracles and Agony.  Don't get me wrong, the orchestra has certainly strengthened itself and sounds fantastic, but instead of the guitars just surrendering and chugging along (as they frequently did on Agony) they occasionally pick up the harmonies and it is goosebump-inducing (see "The Fall of Asterion" or "Under Black Sails" for the best results of this).

In terms of the songs themselves, Fleshgod Apocalypse have not lost their love of speed but they are beginning to learn when to kick things down a notch.  Burners like "Elegy" (the most Agony-like track on the record), "Kingborn" and "Warpledge" sees Francesco Pauli's blasting, seemingly inhuman drum work at it's best.  There's just something to be said for the slower numbers, like "Epilogue" and "Minotaur" that forgo the usual balls to the wall speed and trade it in for more atmospheric bludgeoning.  Fleshgod at slower pace just has a crushing sound to it.  "Minotaur" in particular has such grandeur and scope I feel like it should have been included somewhere in the last God of War game.  Of course, in Fleshgod tradition, the album closes out with the title-track piano piece, which provides some needed reflection time at the finish.

If Labyrinth does face one problem, it's that it is a very densely packed and ambitious listen.  This is basically a death metal opera.  Don't expect to truly "get it" for a number of spins.  There is so much going on at any given moment that the first few listens to it as a whole left me somewhat disappointed.  You've got thunderous drumming, operatic singing, orchestration, bass lines, guitar leads, and growls all competing for your attention in a very compressed space.  There is no track like "The Violation", which immediately catches the ear, on this record due to it's more unifying theme.  This is the type of album that high-quality headphones were made for.  It demands an active listener in order to give you the complete version of itself but it is ultimately the more rewarding for it.  I've listened to this at least 20 times at this point and I'm still discovering new things in some of the songs and am changing up favorite tracks on a regular basis.  

Despite the initial overwhelming nature of Labyrinth, it's obvious that Fleshgod Apocalypse set out to really raise the bar with this one.  While they are certainly not the only ones to use an orchestrated sound (a style that seems to be growing in leaps and bounds over the years), they are the ones that have lately set the standard for it.  With all of the copycat and sound alike bands out there, especially in the technical death scene, you can hear a Fleshgod song and immediately identify it.  They have become masters of their craft and I can only wonder how they will eventually top this one.  I'm all but certain this will be one of the best metal albums you'll hear this year.

Equilibrium - Waldschrein EP review

Equilibrium - Waldschrein EP
Nuclear Blast - 2013

It's been a while since we've gotten any new Equilibrium, so this 5 song EP will have to hold off the rabid fans until next year's promised full-length disc arrives.  The one 'new' track, "Waldschrein" is exactly what you would expect from the band musically.  Fast and upbeat, epic-sounding folk metal with the only surprise being the first use of clean vocals that I can remember the band using.  They don't sound bad and do not detract from the band's sound, so they'll only help on the upcoming full-length as long as they aren't overused.  The second track, "Der Sturm" is a re-recording of the track from Turis Fratyr, which definitely 'sounds' better production-wise but I can't help but like the original a bit more (maybe it's nostalgia).  Track number 3 is the previously unreleased "Zwergenhammer".  It's nothing extraordinary but a solid Equilibrium track.  I'm glad it was released for public consumption.  The last two tracks are instrumental in nature, with the first being the cover of the Skyrim title theme titled "Himmelsrand".  I played this on repeat when Skyrim (and this cover) was released and it's nice not to have to search for it on YouTube when I want to hear it.  The final track is an acoustic rendition of the title-track, which fits well along side the acoustic tracks on the bonus disc from Rekreatur.

All in all, it is more of an appetizer to hold off until next year, but if you're a fan of Equilibrium it's easily worth the cash, particularly for the title-track and Skyrim cover.

Albums You Should be Listening to: ADE - Spartacus

ADE - Spartacus
Blast Head Records - 2013

We'll start with a simple analogy:
____________ is to Roman death metal as Nile is to Egyptian death metal

If you are not answering ADE, then you clearly haven't heard of them.  From the same lands that have given us Hour of Penance, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Hideous Divinity, chalk up ADE as the next big Italian death metal band that you need to familiarize yourself with!  I use the Nile comparison for two reasons: first, George Kollias did some drum work for the album and second, it gives you a sense of the amount of class on this album.  This is ADE's second release of Roman-themed death metal and what strikes me most is how ingeniously they integrate the appropriate, traditional instruments (think Gladiator or 300) alongside the technical, blistering death metal without watering down either one.  Despite the frenzied pace, the traditional instruments help to keep things fresh and add a level of grandeur that not many find in this particular sub-genre.  It also helps that they keep things from being a complete blastfest and know how to slow things down with a bone-crushing riff.  Take one of my personal favorites, "Six Thousand Crosses": it opens on a slow build and doesn't really enter the frenzied zone until about a minute in only to slow things back down a bit with one of the album's most bludgeoning riffs at 1:15.  "The Endless Runaway" also works in this same mechanism with some excellent interplay between the guitars and the instrumentation throughout it's playtime.  You'd be hard-pressed to play Spartacus from beginning to end and not have at least 5-6 riffs on repeat in your head for the next few hours.  That's not to say that you won't get plenty of blasting if that's what you are into and it works very well in tracks like "For Everything to Be the Same", and "Divinitus Victor".

If you enjoy any type of death metal, you really can't go wrong with this one!

ADE

Betrayer from Thrace

Dueling the Shadow of Spartacus

Albums You Should be Listening to: Black Crown Initiate - Song of the Crippled Bull

Black Crown Initiate - Song of the Crippled Bull
2013 - Independent release

Over the past few months, I've found myself using Bandcamp more and more to discover new bands.  I've found some impressive music, perhaps none more so than Black Crown Initiate's 4 song release Song of the Crippled Bull.  This is actually 1 21-minute long song dissected into 4 parts.  They fluidly move from one song to the next and the lyrics that start the disc are also the last on the disc, which I thought was pretty clever.  The influences on this thing are all over the place, going from more mellow atmospheric moments to technical death to black metal to doomy sludge and prog.  The most surprising part is how cohesive the album flows with all of it's colored influences, especially for such a young band!  The opening track, "Stench of the Iron Age", seamlessly moves from slow acoustic guitar and clean vocals to frenetic, blistering tech death with bellowing roars to some later almost Meshuggah-esque riffing.  "Ghost She Sends" has a more doomy, almost Daylight Dies or Ghost Brigade vibe with a little Gojira spread around for good measure.  "The Mountain Top" is the most chaotic of the bunch, mostly going at a frantic pace that would rival Behemoth if not for the almost melodeathy chorus, complete with clean vocals.  The end of the song almost has a Anaal Nathrakh vibe going for it with the vocals hitting a crazy, raspy level with pummeling blastbeats.  As I mentioned earlier, "Song of the Crippled Bull" ends things to cycle to the beginning once more with the same vocal line used, just sung a bit more triumphantly with an absolutely mesmerizing final riff.  All in all, its an ambitious, refreshing listen that despite the numerous influences I've cited, is exponentially more than the sum of it's parts.  This is probably the best compliment I can give them, as I cannot honestly say that of many bands around today.

At $3, you really don't have an excuse not to check this out.  If all is just with the world, I don't imagine these guys staying unsigned for much longer.  Highly recommended!

Black Crown Initiate
Black Crown Initiate on Bandcamp

Albums You Should be Listening to: Parasite Inc. - Time Tears Down

Parasite Inc. - Time Tears Down

Gooddamn Records - 2013

Parasite Inc. are putting the 'death' back in melodic death metal.  If you listen to the album, the two best comparisons that I can make would be that of The Duskfall and their country-mates Heaven Shall Burn.  Heaven Shall Burn comes up due to the intensity and fury of the music itself and The Duskfall in their ability to come up with absolutely gorgeous guitar melodies in each song and the vocalist does not sing and maintains the visceral, in-your-face vocal style.  Truth be told, the melodies on tracks like "Function or Perish" and "Armageddon in 16 to 9" are some of the most inspired I've heard this year.  Some of the soloing is enough to make Alexi Laiho blush.  There isn't one track where a riff hasn't embedded itself into my skull for a while.  It's great that they can also keep the energy pumping with all of these melodies, with "Back for War" offering a bludgeoning start and nicely end capped by "Hatefilled".  There is also no absence of groove on closer "The End of Illusion" and "Scapegoat".  While they may not be treading new material in terms of genre, their execution is flawless.  This one is a no-brainer if you love melodic death metal.

Official website

Official Facebook

The band is obviously aware of the quality of material that they have created, as they have continued to release a number of tracks onto the internet, I've provided two of my favorites below.

Function or Perish

Pulse of the Dead

Summer Slaughter - August 10, 2013 @Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park, NY

The Summer Slaughter Festival - Upstate Concert Hall (Clifton Park, NY) 8/10/13

Cattle Decapitation

It's been a while since I was at Upstate Concert Hall (Northern Lights).  I believe the last time was to see Fear Factory about 2 years ago.  I grew up in the Saratoga area, and Northern Lights was always a reliable place to see some great shows.  With all of the controversy and griping about this year's Summer Slaughter line-up, I had really debated going, despite the fact that I have missed catching Cattle Decapitation and Revocation within the last year locally and really wanted to see them live.  As luck would have it, my wife and I entered to win some free tickets from IndieMerch and low and behold, my wife got an email stating that she had won!  So my mind was made up for me and I figured that since tickets were free, I had no conscious concerns about leaving the show early (since I wanted no part of seeing Dillinger Escape Plan, Periphery, or Norma Jean).

My wife and I arrived about 2:15 and things were just about to begin.  There were two local acts: Hollow is thy Heart, and the other one which escapes me.  Neither of which really struck me in any way but both bands got some decent exposure, with a much more crowded venue than I had anticipated at that time of day.  First on the billing was Thy Art is Murder.  I went into the show thinking they were generic but okay but they put on an great show.  They played mostly songs from their newest release (due to short sets, this was the common theme of the day) but were quite effective with it.  The breakdowns were crushing and due to the set length, they didn't overstay their welcome.  Next up was Rings of Saturn, which will go down as one of the worst performances I've seen in a while.  The guitarists basically stood there the entire time staring at their instruments as if the necks of their guitars were telling them what to do next.  You can blame the technicality of it if you'd like, but I've seen plenty of other bands with staggeringly technical guitar work NOT staring down at their instruments so that was a major turn-off.  Not to mention the 'bro-metal' persona of the vocalist....really not sure how these guys are making such a name for themselves at the moment.  Consider me unimpressed.

 Aeon

 Aeon

Next up was Aeon, and I must say that by this point, it was nice to see a band on stage that didn't look like they had just graduated high school.  They put on a solid set, despite their guitarist being sick and the vocalist pulling double-duty and their brand of old school Floridian death metal by way of Sweden came across quite well.  

 Revocation

 Revocation

The final three bands of the day for me were the ones I wanted to see them most and none of which disappointed.  First up was Revocation, who shredded as hard as they could in the small time allotted, and were easily the most impressive band of the night.  My wife, who groaned every time I played their music in anticipation of the concert, absolutely loved their set.  The band was having a great time on stage and that energy carried itself throughout the venue.  They did some showy stuff but it was all in good fun.  Again, sticking to mostly new material (they tossed 2 old ones in there as well), they thoroughly smashed my expectations and cannot wait to catch them again live!  The ending of "Invidious" was just as destructive as I imagined it would be.

 The Ocean

I had seen The Ocean live back with Devin Townsend two years ago and didn't really know who they were at the time.  I had done some research and listened to some songs but only had passing familiarity.  After seeing them last time, they won me over with their live show and this performance did nothing but amplify that.  Playing entirely off Pelagial, which I would claim is their strongest effort, the crowd was quite a bit more enthusiastic than I had expected.  The vocalist repeated jumped into the crowd during the heavier sections and even the softer moments live have more energy than on disc.

 Cattle Decapitation

Cattle Decapitation

Ending the day on a high note, Cattle Decapitation was the last band we watched before we left.  They sped through their 6 song set, playing almost entirely from their last disc.  Travis Ryan was entertaining to watch as he repeatedly tried to catch his own spit back into his mouth and/or snort it up his nose whilst replicating his crazed vocals quite well (though some points it was too low in the mix).  "Forced Gender Reassignment" was as punishing live as I had hoped it would be and we called it a night at 7:15.  

Revocation - Revocation album review

Revocation - Revocation
2013 - Relapse Records

I didn't really jump on the Revocation bandwagon until their last full-length, Chaos of Forms.  After hitting their back catalog and enjoying last year's Teratogenesis I came to the conclusion that Revocation has to be one of the most consistent bands today.  The short version of this review states that Revocation will continue that same thought.  While many bands use the "self-titled" album as an opportunity to re-establish a band, Revocation firmly stands as a testament to the core sound of the band and what they stand for.

Just in case you haven't heard of Revocation, a short description would be that of retro-thrash coupled with technical death metal.  David Davidson's masterful guitar work is also a key component of the band's established sound, churning out meaty riffs and shredding solos like it was going out of style.  David's vocals mainly stick in the harsh realm, with mid-range rasps with the occasional roars and pseudo-sung vocals sprinkled throughout.  They aren't nothing particularly outstanding, but they fit the music well and leave plenty of room for the real stars to shine: the guitars.  The ending of "Invidious" will undoubtedly be one of the most crushing and whiplash-inducing riffs you hear this year.  Meanwhile, the ability to create memorable riffs without diluting their aggression is practically unmatched.  "Numbing Agent" and "Fracked" practically bore their way into your ears and just won't let go.  Honestly, there is at least one to two riffs in each song that will fight for space to be played on repeat in your brain for days.  Then the soloing throughout (some favorites would be "Entombed by Wealth" and "Fracked") is extraordinary and will certainly put a smile on any metal lover's face.

While you can make a pretty good assumption about what you are going to hear on Revocation, that's not to say that the band doesn't throw in a few curve balls for good measure. The haunting atmosphere that set's up the record is one of the first "intros" I've enjoyed in quite some time, opening up directly into one of my favorite riffs.  The acoustic break towards the finale of "Archfiend" offers the listener a moment to catch their breath before wrapping things up.  Also, the banjo on display during "Invidious" can only be described as awesome.  Some will note that the technicality usually present on a Revocation release is streamlined a bit here, but when you can compose songs so well that the instrumental track ("Spastic") is more interesting than many other bands entire catalog, I don't think there will be too many that have a problem with it.

If you have somehow missed out on the band until now, Revocation is the perfect place to start. While it doesn't change much from previous efforts, it certainly takes what they've done and presents it in a manner that shows them at the top of their game.  Revocation has been generating a ton of buzz as of late, and it's nice to see it going to such a deserving band.  This is the type of album that both older and younger metalheads can genuinely enjoy as well as pull in some newcomers to the scene.

Welcome/Mission Statement

Welcome to my humble page!  I have been writing to a self-made Facebook "fan" page for a few months now and decided to move some of it over here to make things look more "official", as I am not the type to sit around generating memes all day (though I'll still share some of the ones that I enjoy on the Facebook page) and using terrible grammar like "dat" and "lolz".  Maybe I'm getting old or just sick of dealing with the juvenile talk after teaching middle school students all day.  I'll still be using the Facebook page regularly but for any detailed writing, I thought it would be easier to keep tabs on all reviews if they were searchable and organized.

I have always enjoyed writing about metal, as it is my #1 passion.  I wrote for close to 10 years and published almost 700 reviews at a smaller website (www.harm.us), but as we grew I started getting tired of having to deal with reviewing horrendously awful promo cds that needed to reviewed by a certain date by promoters or labels. As my family began to grow I had less time for writing and consistently reviewing music I didn't really care about had taken it's toll to the point where it was no longer 'fun' so I stopped writing.  After going a bit with the Facebook fan page option, my heart is back into it and I'm ready to push things a little bit more once again.

I decided upon the name "Metal Nerd for Life" since it nicely represents my state of mind and my approach to things.  I am currently 33 years old and have listened to metal since I was about 15 years old.  Metal is and will always be a part of everything I do.  Updates may not come as regularly as I might like sometimes, but getting older means occasionally having to sacrifice things for my family, such as some time at the computer or a local concert.  I don't have the intention of being the biggest or best around, I am writing simply for myself at this point.  I still love discovering new bands and will now gear some articles in that direction along with the reviews.  One of my favorite things I used to do write writing at Harm was to push some more underground bands and give them some exposure, no matter how little it may have been and I will start leaning more in that direction with this page.  If I can entertain and possibly share some of my knowledge with a few people, that's good enough for me.  You can count on reviews and articles that I feel passionate about, be it positively or negatively.  I will not review something for the sake of doing it; if the words don't come to me it's not going to happen.  Likewise, if someone wants to send something to me for review purposes, please understand that a review submission does not equal a review.  If it doesn't strike me, I am not writing about it.

So again, welcome!  Don't be afraid to tell me how I'm doing!

Kyle