I do not like flying. My ears never pressurize properly, I can’t sleep on planes and I watched way too many episodes of Seconds from Disaster as a child. However, I do like Flight a whole hell of a lot. Hailing geographically from Norway and temporally from 1976, this quartet takes to the skies with a sound steeped in the sensibilities of the ’70s. Their 2015 debut was serviceable but never quite got to cruising altitude. Now, with a stable line-up and a longer writing process has Flight melded their many influences into an airtight aeronautic marvel?

The band members themselves cite Saxon, Camel and Winterhawk, but even a cursory listen will reveal a myriad of other artists present within their music such as Kansas, Boston, and early Judas Priest.¹ Given that A Leap through Matter sports influences from just about every ’70s band with a guitarist, it would be entirely possible if not plausible that the tracks here are nothing more than pale imitations of the source material. Fortunately for listeners of all ages—72-year-old grandparents, 48-year-old parents, and myself, Flight have composed eight worthy homages that are wildly enjoyable regardless of the color of hair atop your head. Every single song here falls somewhere between good and great.

Things start off with an instrumental intro in “Arrival” that feels entirely necessary and fully developed, which is rare these days. From there you’ll encounter Rush-lite compositions on the title track, Boston-inspired moodiness on “Pendulum” and Jimmy Page-worship solos scattered throughout several songs. “Ride On” barely edges out the competition for best song on the album, due to an amazing riff as its central theme that feels like a higher energy version of the opening riff to Hällas’ “Star Rider.” In addition to the abundant supply of good guitar work, Jonas Bye’s omnipresent bass develops from soothing rumble to something far more interesting upon repeated listens. While I initially wasn’t enamored with Christoffer Bråthen’s even keeled androgynous vocal delivery, his ability to emote without utilizing a large vocal range grew on me and eventually reminded me of Donald Roeser from Blue Oyster Cult.

A Leap through Matter gets a lot right. It possesses a replay value to rival some of my favorite albums, even if it isn’t quite as good. This is due to three main factors; uniformly good songs, a lithe 42-minute runtime and a crystal clear production job that balances immediacy and depth about as well as can be done. The only thing holding Flight back from a gaudier score is the lack of standout moments. I was being very literal when I said the songs are uniformly good here. There isn’t a single weak track or wasted moment on A Leap Through Matter, but there is also a distinct lack of amazing moments that an album needs to surmount the mark of “great.” Flight established a fantastic baseline for an “average” song, but never introduces any peaks within that baseline to truly conjure musical magic. Given that this is their first album with all four members involved in the writing process, their sophomore effort ends up acting more as a second debut than as a true follow up.

I really enjoyed my time with A Leap through Matter. My musical journey began with many of the bands Flight is influenced by, and it’s a testament to their skill that they still manage to sound entirely unique with so many iconic inspirations. The performances are as tight as the runtime, the production as stellar as the phenomenal artwork. Now that the band has had time to fuse into a cohesive unit and get their second “debut” done, I expect that the baseline of good songwriting demonstrated on A Leap through Matter will be injected with some truly inspiring moments that catapult a band from good to great. There has been a recent spate of exemplary retro prog rock, Southern Empire and Hällas in particular coming to mind, and Flight’s next effort could see them ascending to similarly vertiginous heights.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: High Roller Records
Websites: flightheavymetal.bandcamp.com | flightheavymetal.com | facebook.com/heavyflight
Releases Worldwide: November 23rd, 2018

Written By: Nameless_N00b_14

In hindsight, my wife likely now realizes the grievous error she made last Christmas when she gifted me a turntable, despite my reputation as a notorious collector. No sooner could you say “second cactus,”² then I was down a rabbit hole of crate-digging and Discogs forums, acquiring new and dusty vinyl at an alarming rate. ‘80s metal LPs from my youth that had been sitting unloved for more than 30 years were restored to glorious life. Initially, my fervor and appetite knew no bounds, but with time, my reason slowly returned. I became a more discerning consumer once again, discovering that delicate balance between our all-you-can-stream present and the nostalgic allure of the needle drop. However, what this diversion into the world of vinyl did provide me with, besides a lighter wallet, was a newfound appreciation for the album-based hard rock, heavy metal, and prog of the ‘70s; bands like Captain Beyond, Dust, Wishbone Ash, Camel, and early Judas Priest. It was apropos then that I was issued Flight’s A Leap through Matter from the promo bin. Heavily indebted to the bands above, NWoBHM, and more recent peers like Graveyard, it’s a solid slab of old-school worship that fans of traditional hard rock will enjoy.

Established in Norway in 2012, Flight are a four piece that released their self-titled debut in 2015 to little fanfare. This sophomore effort ups the ante with regards to the ‘70s influences and overall vibe with its stripped-back sound, raw production, sci-fi lyrical themes, and progressive time-changes. At the core of their sound is a dual-lead approach a la Iron Maiden and Wishbone Ash that isn’t overly fussy or showy. Two guitars are put to brilliant use on tasty harmonies (“Arrival,” “Ride On”) and addictive riffs that threaten to make one’s head bop into oblivion (“Reviving the Waves,” “One with the Sun”), not to mention the many superlative leads that pepper the album. The rhythm section is no slouch, either, with bassist Jonas Bye providing the driving lines that have been this genre’s stock-in-trade since Hawkwind, with ear-pleasing choices that complement and counterpoint the guitar melodies. Drummer Carl Christian Holmes brings everything home with a kick-ass performance that again, isn’t flashy, but is just what the album needs.

Harkening back to the ’70s homage, this is an album in the truest sense; a collection of tunes held together thematically, in this case, movement through space and time. I’m not sure whether it’s bravery or stupidity for an unknown band to open things with a lengthy instrumental, but with the 3-minute “Arrival” sets the tone—and starts the journey—for the whole album. Second track “One with the Sun” launches us into the album proper, and is arguably the killer cut with its riff-driven instrumental intro, catchy chorus, time-changes, and old-school guitar harmonies. If the song titles didn’t give it away (“Ride On,” “Traveler,” etc.), the lyrics all reinforce the metaphorical journey of the listener, though poetically they’re nothing to write home about. While the album has progressive elements, it’s prog without the pretense; no track drifts past the 7-minute mark, so its brisk 40-minute running time seems to sail by.

Unfortunately, the vocals are the weak link here. While Christoffer Bråthen knows how to craft a hook—I can hum the chorus of every track by memory—his delivery lacks punch and edge. It also feels like he’s struggling to hit the notes at times, such as during the verses on “One with the Sun,” and a particularly high note during the second chorus of “The Pendulum.” His entire sound here is eerily reminiscent of Denis Bélanger’s approach on Voivod’s controversial Angel Rat, and while I initially struggled to parse what was lacking, the only word I could think of was conviction; he sounds a little too laid back. Overall, it’s not a deal breaker. Once I accepted it and moved on, I came to like the odd nuances of his delivery as part of the album’s charm.

This album was a grower for me. I initially wrote it off as a mediocre also-ran, but the more I listened, the more I came to appreciate the musicianship and technique on display here. A Leap through Matter is a hooky, memorable, head-bopping record that I can see myself returning to again and again—so much so that I considered buying the vinyl, if not for the exorbitant shipping to the States. These guys deserve an audience.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

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Whilst I remain unconvinced by some of the musical tags attached to Splendidula, Post Mortem is undoubtedly a stronger album than their previous effort. On first listen, I took an immediate dislike to the ‘spangly’ (a technical term, dear reader) introduction, “Post.” On second spin, however, I forgot to skip it as I had planned and was forced to reconsider. Actually, as it gathers volume and intensity, “Post” provides the ideal lead in to Post Mortem’s strongest (and longest) song, “Nami,” which does, in one track, everything Splendidula failed to do on their debut. It showcases Kristien Cools’ strong and versatile voice, as she mixes powerful, yet fragile singing reminiscent of The Gathering in their mid-90s goth pomp (think, Mandylion), with haunting, wordless chanting. “Nami” blends atmospheric passages with faster riffage, at times bordering on thrash, as well as doom-tinged sections, where Cools’ voice contrasts sharply but effectively with guitarist Pieter Houben’s harsh screams.

“Nami” is in fact a compressed version of Post Mortem as a whole, with the album juddering between goth-tinged stoner, instrumental passages and, sadly, all-too-few droning doom riffs. In a few places, Splendidula strip things back to just a lone acoustic guitar offset with Joachim Taminau’s solid drum work. Despite being based around some fairly simple building blocks, each track on the album offers something a little different too, making for an interesting package in the round. As “Too Close to Me” opens, you could be forgiven for thinking, if only for a few moments, that someone has put on Pixies’ “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” an impression not dispelled when Cools starts counting down from seven later in the song. The curiously hypnotic, chant-driven “Aturienoto” gradually gathers pace and energy, before breaking into mid-paced doom riffage, which seems on the verge of going somewhere great, just as it finishes.

And this, in a nutshell, is the issue that Post Mortem grapples with throughout. At times, or perhaps ‘moments’ would be more accurate, Splendidula show a huge amount of promise, like on “.38” where they finally let loose, allowing a post-metal riff and Houben’s guttural vocals to do battle with a syncopated drum line and dark chanting from Cools. These moments are all too brief, however, and are not given the time or space to deliver on their undeniable promise. Every track on Post Mortem has at least a brief moment where I got excited, thinking we might be heading into YOB-inspired territory but each time Splendidula swerve away, falling back on Cools’ chanting or a chugging mid-paced riff. Throughout Post Mortem, the band seem torn as to the direction they wanted to take, ultimately failing to either deliver the sludgey doom hinted at in places or fully commit to the darker, atmospheric passages that predominate.

Splendid Post Mortem is not but it is nonetheless an interesting listen, with Cools’ versatile voice the undoubted centerpiece as she flits between languages, often sounding possessed. Around Cools are a group of capable musicians—in particular Taminau on drums—who deliver a few nice up-tempo riffs and could, if they were so inclined, also serve up some solid doom. All of which only serves to highlight where they pull their punches. Splendidula have developed hugely since their self-titled debut, with a more refined sound and defter touch on Post Mortem, which has some great, dark moments. If they continue on their current trajectory, their third installment has the potential to be a belter.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Inverse Records
Websites: splendidula.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/splendidula
Releases Worldwide: December 14th, 2018

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This is the most earnestly and deliberately old death metal record I’ve heard this year. Outre-Tombe sounds like old Quebec death metal bands less technical than Cryptopsy (Necrotic Mutation or Gorelust) decided to merge their own style with a concoction of Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, Entombed, and Autopsy. Outre-Tombe plays this style as if it never got old, because it never really did; the boring bands in this vein just ran out of riffs. One working theory is that Outre-Tombe has simply been hoarding all of those missing riffs and decided to unleash them on Nécrovortex so we puny plebs can get a taste of deathly delicacy.

The general praise I see about Nécrovortex involves it sounding like a record left behind in the early 90s unearthed and unleashed upon the world in 2018. This is a bit misleading, as Outre-Tombe are clearly trying to continue down the trail blazed by the old masters of the style—this ain’t no reheated rehash. An uncanny knack for writing great death metal songs and a palpable energy is what links them to the classics of old. Close listens show a band writing decidedly new songs that build on, but never slavishly emulate, the source material.

Trying to detail the highlights of Nécrovortex is annoying. This is music that lends itself to listens at ear-shredding volume where you’re clobbered with riffs for thirty-six minutes straight. Sometimes you’re slapped with the best Bolt Thrower style riff you’ve heard in years on the title track. Other times, you’re hit with the quintessentially death metal main riff in “Aberration” with those stuttering drums emphasizing all the right notes in all the right places. Another time you’re bulldozed by the heaving death-doom riff in “Écorché Vif.” Then there’s the flaying of the great “Captor of Sin” meets “Left Hand Path” intro lead of “Désintégration.” The list goes on and on.

I debated even writing one of these for Outre-Tombe, mainly because saying this is killer death metal is like splashing someone with water and saying “this is wet.” Records this good should be ignored by nobody, and if you only have space in your heart or funds in your wallet for a few old-school death metal record this year, Outre-Tombe should be at the top of your tiny list. At thirty-six minutes, Nécrovortex absolutely flies by and practically pushes play again by itself. This is essential death metal with no frills or lulls, only riffs.

Tracks to Play and Remember Why You Liked Death Metal in the First Place: ”Vengeance Spectrale,” “Nécrovortex,” “Désintégration”

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Shit, there’re still albums coming out in 2018? Good ones, too? Yet, with my top ten already complete, it’s easy to write off December. But Madam X’s watchful eye doesn’t sleep. And thank your lucky stars for that. Because we would have walked right past Rauhnåcht’s newest release, Unterm Gipfelthron. I know, not another black metal review from Grier. And because of that I know I’ve lost about half of you so far. Either because you hate black metal or think all pagan black metal bands are Nazis. Or maybe you think flute isn’t metal. Well, Austrian’s Rauhnåcht ain’t a skinhead group and, go flaut yourself, flutes are so metal. Now, go put on your mittens, get the fuck out in the snow, and let Unterm Gipfelthron be your hypothermia.

If you know the band, don’t assume you already know what their third full-length is gonna sound like. Opener “Zwischen den Jahren” might surprise you. While this track sports lone-member Stefan Traunmüller’s classic black rasps, the thick backing vox/chants will turn heads. Having recorded all the harsh and clean vocals in the past, with this new release, Traunmüller chose to enlist a small army of guests to fill the gaps. And not only in the vocal department. Two such guests on Unterm Gipfelthron deliver mood-setting flute and clarinet accompaniment. A perfect compliment to the rich key-mospheres that drip like the blood of Windir and Wintersun. What this means for Unterm Gipfelthron is that it might be the band’s fullest record yet. Which is quite the feat when you consider 2014’s amazing Urzeitgeist.

Now, back to “Zwischen den Jahren” and its upbeat, flutey, Finntrolling character. While previous Rauhnåcht releases tend to open with epic pieces that grow and evolve over six-to-eight minutes, Unterm Gipfelthron begins with a fun piece that falls short of five minutes—pairing perfectly with the album’s other bookend, “Winter zieht übers Land.” The upbeat, yet deathy, opener to the closer’s traditional, Týr-like folk. For eleven minutes, this song climbs and climbs, using its folk qualities to craft a staircase of mahogany and finish it with growing guitar, keyboard, and choral intensity.

Of the other three tracks, “Ein Raunen aus vergess’ner Zeit” and the title track are the most similar. Both are over nine minutes in length and combine folk with meloblack to produce a classic pagan black metal sound. “Unterm Gipfelthron” weaves flute and clarinet into a thick choir of pagan chants. Halfway in, the song takes on a darker tone and the clarinet finds itself buried in rasps and black tremolo pluckings. Once these break, the track returns to Alcestian atmospheres that conclude in burly Viking fashion and soothing acoustic guitars. “Ein Raunen aus vergess’ner Zeit” is as complex but in a more Wintersun-like, key-driven way. Like the title track, it alternates between folky clean vocals and melodic atmospheres, harsh shrieks and aggressive black metal riffage. It’s a tapestry; one layer painted over the other—thick with definition and possessing every known shade of black and white.

That said, “Gebirgsbachreise” is the album’s best. Cutting the album in two, this five-minute instrumental is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of Rauhnåcht. It’s fucking gorgeous with its acoustic guitar rhythm and heart-melting bass leads. As it builds, a gentle distortion arrives, taking pace with the orchestral air. Each minute is another layer of the cake and the finish won’t disappoint.

In the end, Unterm Gipfelthron is as good as Urzeitgeist. If not better. Traunmüller’s inclusion of woodwinds and full-chested choruses push past anything the debut record, Vorweltschweigen, ever achieved. While nothing here is groundbreaking and, in actuality, quite typical of the genre, Unterm Gipfelthron shows a band (or man) refusing to settle. The progressions are subtle but they’re there and Unterm Gipfelthron is arguably Rauhnåcht’s best.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 192 kbps mp3
Label: Debemur Morti Productions Official | Bandcamp
Websites: sturmpercht.bandcamp.com | alpineblackmetal.at | facebook.com/alpineblackmetal
Releases Worldwide: December 7th, 2018

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Them will! Their music is a satisfying mixture of power, speed, and bit of thrash metal. I hear some Iced Earth, Powerwolf, Blind Guardian, some Iron Maiden, strains of post-Peace Sells Megadeth, and of course King Diamond. The vocals are an obvious draw; KK Fossor has a powerful mid-range, great falsettos, and a good growl. Combined, it’s theatrical, bombastic, and engaging. Hearing the story unfold adds to the fun, as every song moves the plot forward and I found myself rooting for Fossor against the villainous witchfinder Peter Thompson. Opening with “Circuitous” after “Residuum” sets the scene, the speedy power (or powerful speed?) metal gets its hooks in quick. Fossor’s big opening falsetto brings “Angel of Death” to mind, just not as good (but what is?). The verse is hooky as the above-average chorus, the pre-chorus is the best thing DragonForce never wrote, and the chorus is unforgettable.

What’s fun about Them is that they give an aura of being a band that could be someone’s favorite. There’s a whole mythos (the Fossor tale), they provide songs that are accessible to most types of metal fan, and are uniformly great, remaining both part of the story and in a tier of quality most modern speed or power metal bands would kill for. There’s something undeniably fun about Them. They’re a band with personality. This personality makes Them more fun to like, more fun to root for, and Manor of the Se7en Gables something to reach for when you want to hear Them, not just high-quality speed/power metal. Remember “Divide/Devour” from Iced Earth’s middling The Crucible of Man – Something Wicked Part 2? “Seven Gables Burning” is basically that but better and without the bloated concept record surrounding it. The hint of Queen in the chorus harmonies of “Malificium” works as well here as when Blind Guardian does it. The chorus of “Witchfinder” is downright anthemic and sounds like Ghost would if Ghost wasn’t a largely bland retro-rock band.

I could go on, but I’ll spare you. Se7en Gables sounds polished, but the upshot of this is that Mike LePond’s always great bass work is easily audible for every note, and the traditional big guitar leads shine brightly and take center stage. Like a stage production, everything you’re meant to see is shown to you under the stage lights, conspicuously visible and projected with professionalism. An extremely pleasant surprise, which is not insignificant when it comes to creating year-end lists.

Tracks to Spook Yourself With: ”Circuitous,” “Witchfinder,” “As the Sage Burns”

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Stylistically, pretty much none. Just like the sound they peddled on Breath (not to mention the metric assload of splits they’ve released since their 2008 formation), sophomore album Worm Ritual shows the band once again swirling together a putrid concoction of death, thrash, and old school punk. Imagine a punkified version of Venom, or perhaps Nunslaughter infused with the snottiness of GG Allin, and you have some idea of the aural puss you can expect to ooze from your speakers. Riffs are blaring and simple, songs are brief and typically juggle only a few ideas, and vocals consist of a maniacal rasp that contains just a hint of attitude. If “grunge” weren’t already the name of a genre, Nekrofilth could very well have laid claim to that tag.

The problem with music this simple is that so much rides on the quality of its riffs. Sadly, all too often these 15 tracks feel bloated with generic ideas that don’t go anywhere. I once heard “bad things come in threes;” on Worm Ritual, they seem to come in twos. “Dead Brain” and “Severed Eyes” are grindcore-length songs that contain two riffs each, leaving them feeling throwaway and unfinished. “Night of the Leech” and “Gutter Oil” attempt to mix things up by slowing down the tempo, but their sluggish progressions simply amble along without a destination. “Cruel Addiction” and “Feast of the Rats” initially seem promising with their charging headstrong riffs, until you realize those riffs sound exactly like something The Casualties or any other punk band have already been playing for the better part of three decades.

For a band whose schtick is all about being as disagreeable as possible, it’s actually pretty amusing that their music is this generic. There are better moments, sure, but even those are decent at best. “Rot with the Dead” and opener “Ready to Defile” are somewhat fun with their snappy tempos, basic yet wild riffs, and prominent shouts of the track title. “Worm Ritual” contains an extended “invocation of worms” intro, followed by some stormy death metal riffing that’s more interesting than almost everything else here. Likewise, the ragged guitar tone is a good fit, while the occasional solos work well in the way they flail around like a belligerent drunkard.

Ultimately, it’s hard to endorse Worm Ritual. As the early works of Bathory and Venom showed, there’s nothing inherently wrong with simple music. The problem is when it lacks inspiration. It’s telling that Nekrofilth’s cover of Venom’s “Poison” is the best track here, as often I’d hear those riffs and think to myself “hey, this album isn’t so bad!” until I remembered I was listening to a cover. While I appreciate the band’s snotty energy, the songs are bereft of interesting ideas and the riffs are tired as hell. With five years since their last album, you’d think they’d be able to come up with something better. Instead Ritual is as rotten as that heap of whatever-the-fuck is on the cover, and despite the band’s aesthetic, that isn’t a good thing.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hells Headbangers Records
Websites: nekrofilth.bandcamp.com | nekrofilth.com | facebook.com/nekrofilth
Releases Worldwide: December 28th, 2018

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But that doesn’t mean there is nothing good to be mined here, if you look for it. The production, for instance, is actually very nice, if a tad thin. It reminds me of High Spirits in its light sound with great clarity. The bass has a classic twang that ensures the few scale-running tricks are not lost in the mix. The vocals are set forward, but not at the cost of the guitars or the drums, each of which has a classic sound as dictated by Thin Lizzy. A bigger surprise yet is the amount of healthy, catchy songwriting across the eight snappily composed tracks. I can easily imagine some of these riffs coming from Slough Feg’s stables, and that is about as big a compliment I can give a trad metal band by my book.

But where it all falls apart is the execution. Jo’s performances across the board are as sloppy as an eating contest where all participants have to eat a bowl of bechamel sauce with their hands tied behind their backs. The timing of every instrument is constantly off the mark, and oftentimes any attempts to change up the composition lead to noticeable and unintended changes in speed. The amount of dropped or false notes spur the idea that everything was recorded in one take. But worst are Jo’s vocals. He veers uncontrollably from off-key note to off-key note with the enthusiasm of a middle-aged cubicle worker. His voice is often matte and lifeless, and when it’s not, he over-exerts himself and lands even fewer notes. Out of everything the man should not have done himself, the vocals stand head and shoulders above the cornfield, ready to be mowed down.

It’s a strange dichotomy, and a rare way to destroy an album. I firmly believe, as I’m sure most of you do, that metal musicians are by and large the most talented instrumentalists in the business. Standards for technical execution are higher than ever, and as such, most albums that crash and burn do so with uninspired songwriting, unsuccessful experimentations or unmemorable melodies. Ice War flipped this around by composing an album with decent-to-good songwriting (despite some awkward transitions) and massacring it on the studio floor. Had these compositions been sold to a Slough Feg or a Gygax, it could have been a very enjoyable album after a little spit and polish. Instead we’re left with a deflated mess I can only feel sorry for.

The talent of the world is not divided equally. A favorite quote of mine, often misattributed to Einstein, says: “Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Jo Capitalcide is not a stupid man. He clearly has an ear for classic productions and he can write a doozy of a riff when the stars align. But his talents don’t lie in the execution part of the equation. Perhaps he spreads his instrumental focus too thin to become truly proficient at one role. Perhaps he has trouble recording to clicktracks, which is hard to avoid as a solo artist. Whatever the reason, Manifest Destiny might be the most well-written disaster of the year.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 11 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Websites: icewar.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/icewarmetal
Releases Worldwide: December 23rd, 2018

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Lifesick’s Swept in Black begs this question. On this full-length debut, the Danish quintet eschews interesting writing in favor of fat, stomping grooves, and simple, chunky riffs. The is metallic hardcore that doesn’t just worship the breakdown, it IS the breakdown. Throughout these 10 tracks, you’ll hear echoes of Terror, early Integrity, and even Power Trip’s slower moments. The Power Trip comparison is furthered by a few fast, thrashy passages that—while still far from complex—at least offer some rhythmic variety, not to mention being more interesting than the band’s typical blunt riffing.

For an album that seems decent on the surface, it’s amazing how banal it really is. Initially, the huge groovy swagger of songs like “Buying Time” and “Cage of Fear” had me banging my head and admiring the sheer heft until I realized heft was about all they had going for them. These songs are virtually bereft of interesting riffs or anything more complex than a power chord. While I’m sure they would be absolutely devastating in a live setting, giving them repeated and focused listens on record reveals just how basic and barren they really are. There is no intent to do anything beyond offering muscular breakdowns, and even the effect of those is neutered by the strained, shouted vocals which sound like a million other hardcore bands. Other songs attempt to do more but don’t succeed. Opener “Lifesick 2.0” begins with crawling sludge riffs before jumping into some chugs, but those chugs feel prematurely truncated and thus leave the song feeling unfinished. Closer “A Million Steps Ahead” features a mirror image of the same problem, opening with chugs and closing with a sludgy section that feels underdeveloped and weak.

My biggest issue with Swept, however, is the lack of emotion. Initially the tag of “depressive thrash hardcore” made me believe this would be something like the emotionally devastating hardcore of Ruiner or More Than Life. Instead, while the vocalist sounds vaguely angsty, he lacks conviction and elicits no deep emotional response. While there are a few scattered moments of downcast melody and clean picking that make things feel a little darker than your typical hardcore, that’s nowhere near enough to warrant calling this “depressive.” Fortunately, the production accentuates the beefy guitars and makes the riffs feel big and powerful, even if the basic music is still likely to turn off most discerning ears.

Swept isn’t a total loss. “Suicide Spell” is built off an earwormy melodic riff that’s far more memorable than anything else here, while “Keep Me Under” wisely keeps things short and sweet with a battering, thrashy opening that collapses into a breakdown whose appearance actually feels earned. In fact, as a whole Swept is a brief and smartly constructed affair, with a 30-minute runtime that evenly spreads its better moments throughout. Closer “Serpent King, in particular, features a nice vocal hook and reigns as one of my favorite tracks. Sadly, most of these songs lack both hooks and memorable riffs, instead slinging around beefy grooves like a jock chucking dumbbells at the gym. If you’re looking for something superficially heavy, Lifesick is just what the doctor ordered. But for anyone who actually wants to listen to their music, you best turn your ears elsewhere.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Isolation Records
Websites: lifesickhc.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/lifesick
Releases Worldwide: December 21st, 2018

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Nasum

Inhale/Exhale was the culmination of a half decade or so of toiling in the underground, releasing a variety of splits and EPs before arriving at their debut LP, a 38-track blitzkrieg of grind violence. Subsequent albums may have found Nasum further honing and sharpening their tools of destruction with outstanding results, but the gritty, slightly rawer power of Inhale/Exhale remains as vital today as it did 20 years ago. The crusty guitar tone fucking rips, the dueling screams and growls of Mieszko and drummer Anders Jakobson provided one of the best and most potent grind vocal performances in existence, while the songs carried incredible weight and memorability regardless of their scant timeframes.

A combustible clusterfuck of wonderfully crusty, buzzsaw riffage, relentless blasts, unhinged aggression, and some of the catchiest grind on the planet, Inhale/Exhale is best consumed as an epic whole (at a shade over 43 minutes, Inhale/Exhale is a lengthy album in grindcore terms). Crunchy groove tracks like “Inhale/Exhale,” “Shapeshifter,” and “When Science Fails” lends the album great balance and diversity, beautifully complimenting the punky grinders and death-grind fireballs that dominate the album. Isolating individual tracks is challenging considering how many there are, but I can confidently state the album is devoid of weak links. Even ridiculously short songs, like the 18-second “Digging In,” finds Nasum cramming an unbelievable amount of energy and aggression into such a brief composition. More fully fleshed songs, such as early highlights “The Masked Face” and explosively catchy “Time to Act!” or later album gems “Shaping the End” and seething, hardcore-flavored “Worldcraft,” are just a handful of fine examples of Inhale/Exhale’s many strengths and endearing power.

Nasum always had a unique gift of writing dynamic grind songs, differing greatly from their peers in this regard, especially within a genre that can be found guilty of being overly one-dimensional. Mieszko was a fantastic guitarist, who seemingly had an infinite supply of killer riffs, while Jakobson left his mark as one of grind’s truly elite drummers. Aside from the immense power and quality of each composition, Inhale/Exhale boasted a killer production job, focusing on thick, buzzing, and organic tones, a keen balance of clarity and heft, and just enough rough edges to keep things honest and gritty. The DR8 master provided ample breathing space. Also, it should be noted that Mieszko and Jakobson created this monster as a duo, capturing lightning in a bottle with their shared chemistry and combined talents.

Inhale/Exhale remains an essential slice of grind history, a debut album of mammoth proportions, and late ’90s grind classic, kick-starting a powerhouse career of worldwide grind dominance from Nasum. Although their ending was a tragic one, Nasum’s legacy is set in concrete, leaving an indelible imprint in the history books of grind. Inhale/Exhale is a critical early statement from a timeless band and a surefire grind classic not to be missed.

The post Yer Metal Is Olde: Nasum – Inhale/Exhale appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Kill Everything acts as a reunion between ex-Devourment members Brian Wynn and Mike Majewski. Wynn played guitar on Molesting the Decapitated, and Majewski played bass there before switching permanently to vocals. Wynn’s chunky eight-string riffs abuse the lowest frets and hardly venture elsewhere. They’re weirdly catchy, using palm-muting in the right spots and brief bursts of speed to keep things from being monotonous. Drums jackhammer away and bass bolsters the riffs. Vocally, Majewski sounds powerful. He’s got a more slam-oriented approach than on Devourment’s latest record Conceived in Sewage, but he still enunciates well and forces his gutturals out of his chest, giving them a full-bodied sound.

While each song is distinct, there’s little to say about them individually. Each is a three-to-four minute bludgeoning, packed with moments to get those hammers thrown, make the knuckles drag on the floor, or get permanently banned from your city’s transit system for crowd-killing some dude wearing a Slipknot shirt on the bus when an especially beefy slam rears its head. If I want to hear slam for a half-hour and remember exactly why I like the genre, a spin of Scorched Earth will do the trick.

If you liked slam and haven’t listened to Kill Everything yet, find a spare half hour of your life and let the music gently caress your innards with a machete and then drop you headfirst into a wood-chipper². Kill Everything will smash your skull with a meat tenderizer and jam your privates into a household blender. Scorched Earth will forcibly drag you to the weight bench. Kill Everything converts your speakers into wimp-crushing weapons, and Scorched Earth is the ten-ton ball in your newly acquired slam cannon. Kill Everything will pickle and jar your entrails. Scorched Earth is a steamroller to the face. Translated out of brutal death metal hyperbole: Kill Everything is a very good band and Scorched Earth is great slam, residing in the cream of the crop for 2018.

Tracks to Help Your Bench Press Stats: ”Scorched Earth,” “Thermal Liquidation,” “It’s a Wonderful Knife”

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