Underground Discoveries II

It is back! We are extremely excited to be back with the follow up to the first edition of Underground Discoveries! No genres will be revealed in this little introduction but you will not be disappointed. Jacob have been handling the coloured album covers while Alexander's discovering has resulted in the greyish albums. 

Bioplasma


Bioplasma was formed in 2009 by a fellow named 5R, originally called 'Sudden Infant Death' after three years of not releasing demos he got smart and changed the name to Bioplasma, and this, my friends is some pretty sick shit. Raw technical brutal death metal at its best!


Sulphurous


Supreme Danish death metal in the style of occult death metal masters such as Incantation and Rottrevore.


Slægt


Another Danish band, this time its pure black metal. Pure evilness and a raw sound dominates this evil oneman project by a fellow named Asrok. Only released one demo conviently called 'Demo', check it out, pretty cool stuff.


Into Darkness


From the land of silk suits and olive oil, I bring you Into Darkness. This young band plays death/doom metal the way it was supposed to be and bands like Asphyx are going to proud of this offspring! The band is female fronted but do not judge them upon that because the death metal vocals are superb so forget all about Angela Gossow! In 2012 they released their self-titled demo which brings you back to the glorious 90's, so I kindly demand you to step into the darkness...


DeathCult


When it usually comes to black/thrash metal, I pass. The reason why is the vocals that bothers me, but when it comes to DeathCult from Chicago it is another story... Formed in 2011, the debut "The Test of Time" smashed the streets into pieces when it was released in early 2013. The black and thrash influences has been blended in together so well that even if you hate black or thrash metal you won't get overdosed with either of the genres by this band. I urge you to check out this band, they are definitely somebody to keep your eyes on in the future... Hail the DeathCult!


Garden of Worm


You might be pumped after the previous entries but now we are slowing it down. Named after a King Crimson song, Garden of Worm plays doom metal with progressive influences. Formed all the way back in 2003 in Finland, their latest released material dates back to 2010 with their self-titled debut album. So if you're in for some hard hitting doom blended immensely well with some laid back progressive passages, then Garden of Worm is something for you!

Lycus - Demo MMXI

''I reflect in Solitude...''

Lycus is a funeral doom band hailing from Sacramento, California. They were formed in 2008, and after several months of the formation of the band, with very limited live perfomances, a self-released demo and numerous lineup changes the band were forced to split-up due to the wavering of the bands lineup. After relocating to San Francisco, Jackson and Deschryver, the founding members reunited with a new lineup and finally released this demo. And thus brings us to this review...

The demo starts out with the track 'Resonance in Aether', this track is just pure gold because of its intro with dissonance guitar-riffs and choir-vocals and when finally the real vocals comes in with those monstrous growls that brings chills down your spine. The vocals really compliment the guitar riffs, and also works well together with the drums. The bass is also quite audible, soothing to the ears and plays quite pensive riffs... this especially can be heard on the intro to the track 'Among the Ruins', it also just pounds the living shit out of the open string riffs during the midsections of all the songs which is really nice if you're listening to this on a big stereo like I do. The lyrics are also quite good, giving that you read the lyrics while you listen to the music, they give you a sense of doubt and that the world is going to end pretty soon... or that has already ended and these guys are the only ones left to play their sorrowful funeral doom to the mass graves of humanity...

The production is also some worthy of mentioning, its relatively clean, not giving the demo a 'poppy' sound but instead intensifying the record by adding a little muddiness to the mix. Greg Wilkinson who were responsible for the recording of the Asunder and Graves at Sea split (which is one of the best splits I ever heard) and mixing the Necrot demo and Atriarch's Forever the End really did a great job on here... I hope he comes back and mixes the full-length Lycus has planning to record and release soon enough.

Demo MMXI is easily one of the best demos 2011 had to offer.. even for the genre of funeral doom it was the best of that year! So yeah... not much more to be said than... fuckin' listen to it.

Rating

7.6

Saxon - Sacrifice

"Wheels of Repetition"

I guess it is not really a surprise that Saxon already got a new album thrown out into the streets, as they more or less have been keeping this 2 year span between each album for quite some time. Is that a good thing that we keep having all this brand new material or is it a bad thing...?

The album contains the usual ingredients that you would find on a Saxon album. Good production, solid band performance and the usual topics you would expect from Saxon.
Biff's voice is still going strong and I do not doubt he will be able to perform on a high level for a couple of years in the future, though he has reached into his sixties. Through the first two or three listens the album doesn't really offer much but then it grows on you a bit, and that is pretty much how it goes with a lot of Saxon albums post their "glory days". I was however from the looks of the cover hoping that the Aztec theme would shine through and bring some diversity into their discography. Since that is not the case you can always hope for some new smashers, which there of course is. But besides that, it is actually not that different from previous albums. Some fillers and decent songs and then some tracks you can add to your Saxon play list. Other than that, there is really not that much to blow up about this album, as it has been done countless times before by the band. 

"Sacrifice" also offers us five re-recorded songs. 'Just Let Me Rock', 'Forever Free', 'Crusader', 'Frozen Rainbow' and 'Requiem (We Will Remember)'.
The orchestral version of 'Crusader' is decent. Sometimes the orchestra is a little misplaced and doesn't quite fit the rest of the music. But it isn't really as orchestral oriented as it could be, but without hesitation I would always listen to the original, though the normal re-recording from "Heavy Metal Thunder" is an okay fresh take. Adding these re-recordings definitely was a wise choice, at least for my taste. I love some good re-recordings, of course the band already released "Heavy Metal Thunder" in 2002 which only featured such tracks. The two standards 'Just Let Me Rock' and 'Forever Free' are funny enough fresh takes as well. Though 'Just Let Me Rock' never really got through to me and is rather forgettable, and that goes for the original and new version. 'Forever Free' however is a really solid take on an already good song and is easily a re-recording I would play some more in the future!

Normally I don't really want to listen to acoustic versions of tracks, I can't really come with any explanation. I just can't see the use in some way... But the first version 'Requiem (We Will Remember)' which have been cut down in length which suits the song a lot, is actually pretty good. As the song already was a kind of a ballad but maybe a little to long in duration, this acoustic version serves the track a lot of justice and it definitely something I will listen to again! Now, 'Frozen Rainbow' is one of my favourite songs by the songs so I really feared for this song's awesomeness in acoustic "mode". But... They actually didn't ruin it. As the previous song, it has been cut down in length, not that much though. It is nice and calm, and originally it also had a ballad feel to it. I really applaud Saxon on those acoustic songs. It really shows the skills of the band that they can "transform" some old tracks like that and not making them doll. It's like they have gotten and overdose of breath mints. Totally fucking fresh. Now I got two versions of one of my favourite Saxon songs. Perfect! Normally I don't do track by track reviews but to me it just seemed like something good to do, for old and even new fans so you know about the quality of these new recordings. If you of course care about re-recordings, and if not... Oh well!

Oh the cover... Well it is a typical Saxon cover with the logo taking up a big space of the cover and then some sort of badge or illustration. But unlike "Into the Labyrinth" it just got a boring black background and it kind of kills it... The man behind the cover is Paul Raymond Gregory who has worked with the band before and created covers like "Unleash the Beast" and "Rock the Nations", so he is capable of more, just a shame the band chose this as the final cover. From the core of the track list with means the ten new tracks I would highlight 'Sacrifice', 'Made in Belfast' and 'Guardians of the Tomb'. It is not much but they are the only tracks that really stand out, but if you want to make the three track span a little bigger then add the re-recordings of 'Requiem (We Will Remember)', 'Frozen Rainbow' and 'Forever Free'.

Instead of dishing up with these albums within a 2 year span I think they should take some more time off to write better material. A real fucking smasher, which the band really need, to get some more success which they deserve. Personally I prefer Saxon over Iron Maiden (oh yea I said it), but that is just me. Saxon got so many hidden gems, you just got to find them. But I really think they deserve a real breakthrough, it almost makes me sad that they are so under appreciated. So when reflecting "Sacrifice" doesn't really add anything new to the table that the band haven't already released. However it was a nice surprise with the acoustic versions of some old songs, maybe they should incorporate acoustic songs more on their albums, because they really got a nose for it!  It is not a bad album but not a great one either, just a decent performance, though some of the re-recordings really pulled this album up in rating.

Rating

7.9

War Device - The Anger

"The Greek Army's New War Device"

When it comes to Greece and metal I know just about nothing, the only band I know about is Suicidal Angels which I saw back in 2010. But the Greek thrash scene got a brand new contender in the likes of War Device. The band was formed in 2012 in Serres, and this year they released their first piece of material in the likes of "The Anger".

The EP contains five tracks and an intro, and the intro itself was actually surprisingly good. It doesn't have a name so it is simply called "Intro". It is a recording of a guy who goes into his room and listens to some different bands. So throughout the intro you will be warmed up with bands like: D.R.I., Overkill, Megadeth, Sodom, Slayer, Venom and Razor. Note the last band. My favourite thrash band, so I got totally hyped when 'Evil Invaders' started playing. It ends with some radio scrabbling and then breaks into the first track 'Evil, Death and Hell'. From start till finish, not only on this track but the whole album it is just non stop madness. When new thrash bands pop up these days I always fear that they try to re-invent the genre but often end up sound re-cycled. However War Device keep a fresh and aggressive approach the entire time and even take the time to start of the title track with a bass line. I really enjoyed that myself, it is nice with some diversity! The music itself takes roots all the way back to the early eighties and you can definitely hear some Slayer in there from the "Show No Mercy" days, and mix that up with Max Cavalera vocals and you got War Device. The production... oh yes, the production. This shit is not overproduced in any way, the band have gone for a old school sound and they got it. The vocals has also been mixed perfectly for the purpose of this EP.
When I first laid eyes upon the tracklist it first struck my eyes that the band had a cover of Kreator's 'Under the Guillotine', and since I hadn't heard the band before I was really frightened that it would suck. Of course it doesn't, you just have to imagine Max Cavalera in his prime singing a cover of it, because musically it rips and the band got the shit under control!

The cover for this release is nothing special and is without any doubt photoshopped, but not over worked so it looks too shitty. When it comes to EP's I don't really highlight any tracks because it is so short, and since this EP is really good so there's not going to be any problems listening the whole thing through. It will be well worth your time.

With the right amount of promotion this release will without any doubt make a way for War Device and if they manage to follow up with a debut album that contains just as good or even better material then I would say the future is bright for the Greek thrashers. So if you are on the lookout for some new thrash metal that keeps it the way it is supposed to be and filled with good and interesting influences then I will definitely recommend you to check out War Device.

Rating

8.5

Underground Discoveries I

In this first edition of our brand new feature "Underground Discoveries" we got five bands for you. Jacob has been on the lookout, and found a variety of bands, while Alexander have been taking a firm look at the thrash scene in Croatia.

Caladan Brood


Caladan Brood were formed in 2008 and plays an epic/atmospheric black metal, they recently released their first full length album by the name of "Echoes of Battle". Their musical style is very similar to Summoning, but they still manage to have a style of their own. And instead of singing about the works of Tolkien, which admittedly most epic/atmospheric black metal bands do, they sing about Steven Erikson's epic fantasy series "Malazan Book of the Fallen". Also the band's name is taken from an eponymous warlord of the series, kick-fucking-ass!


Morgue of Saints


Morgue of Saints is a soloproject by multi-instrumentalist Elliot C. who resides in Montreal, Canada. They mix avant garde and drone with doom metal and they even have hints of funeral doom and dark ambient sounds.


Bronza


Formed in Zagreb, Croatia back in 2010, Bronza plays straight forward thrash metal and sounds like the really early Slayer. That means expect some hard hitting shit in the vein of Show No Mercy and Haunting the Chapel. That is just when it comes to the music, because the vocals is another story. They are not clean, but pure evil. That is the way I would describe them as they don't lean towards black or death metal vocals. Evil thrash metal, is what would describe this band. At the moment the band have not released any material but got two faceripping tracks on YouTube. So they need a bunch of support, and they deserve it.


Vortex


We are staying put in the land of Croatia but moving from Zabreb to Osijek where we find Vortex. With a story growing since 2007 they released a demo in 2009 called "Thrash is Alive" which was nothing over the ordinary and would fast drown in the still growing new wave of thrash metal. But after a few replacements Vortex were ready in 2012 with the EP "We Kill the Angels" they band found brand new energy and actually sounded fresh and individual. Definitely a band you would keep an eye on in the future.


Descender


It is probably not a surprise when I say that we stay in Croatia. This time however we are moving back to Zagreb and taking a look at Descender who has been around since 2008. Obviously when talking about thrash metal it is aggressive. But these guys are on some serious shit to bring forth the hard hitting power that is behind their debut album "Descending Into Chaos" from 2012. You could compare them to the old Sepultura pre-groove when it comes to the vocals, and the music as well sometimes, but it is a mix of all you know and love about aggressive thrash!

Newsted - Metal

"Risen From the Flames"

So Jason Newsted is back. To be honest I haven't really been following him since he left Metallica and he has been abroad in various bands since then. He played with Ozzy and Voivod for example and he also recorded a single with Tony Iommi and Ian Gillan in WhoCares. I am actually not that surprised that Jason formed his own band where he would be leading the massacre. Even way back in the day with Metallica he definitely had the energy to front a band and his vocal duties live was not that bad either!

There is so many influences on this EP. Motörhead for once. Then some Black Sabbath. It is all blended in together over the course of the four tracks. Of course there is more to it than those two bands just mentioned. It just sounds old school, and I really mean old school. There is definitely also some 70's stuff in there besides Sabbath and though this might scare some people of, groove. But that is in there too, it doesn't shine through to much though which could be why it becomes so interesting. To kind of sum it up simple, it contains what probably has inspired Jason for all of his career and also what he played himself. What bothers me the most is the annoying filter which is applied to the vocals from time to time. Hopefully that idea will be scrapped for a future album where it is just more raw and non-filtered... The tone is very different as well sometimes. When the groovy parts hit in you are assured that it is heavy as fuck, but if you take the main riff of 'Soldierhead', it sounds more rock oriented so to say, with the "right" tone it could had a killer thrash tune. But it is not that bad and reflects the already mentioned mixed bag principle of this EP.
Some people might...well no, some people ARE going to say this EP is better than anything Metallica has released since Newsted left them is just... well it depends on your taste, and many people hate the new Metallica. I used to do that too, but this EP is not even close having its claws into St. Anger (yes I said it) or Death Magnetic. Lulu however... Yea, the EP is better than Lulu.

Metal... When I first saw the title I almost facepalmed. It is so unimaginative that it hurts. It's not like we expected this release to be a Jazz album. But to be straight forward with it all I think it was just something that was put together to really announce that Jason is back for good and here to stay. That goes for the cover for this release as well, not really that much to it, more or less just a "I'm back bitches" statement. Maybe the band don't want to be labelled as thrash, speed, groove, heavy and whatnot. Just metal, and that actually makes sense since this is release is such a mixed bag of goodies.

Though I stand with some mixed feelings towards this EP, I am actually looking forward to the debut whenever it comes out. The band have a really solid base to build upon and I am really looking forward to see what they come up with, and hopefully they will drop the vocal filter. If you like Jason from the Metallica times or some other times then check it out. If you would like some solid metal with a bunch of different influences hidden in each track then get your filthy hands on this album.

Rating

7.7

Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance

"Surprise of the Year"

From the evil, cold and grim mountains of Norway, oh wait this is not a black metal album...

There is some releases that I am actually looking forward to during the course of 2013, but I certainly wasn't looking forward to the new Darkthrone when it was announced with cover art and so on. I definitely do enjoy some nostalgia with some of their old black metal and occasionally some of their death metal as well. So when word came out that The Underground Resistance would be released I really couldn't care less because of the band's development into punk through out the last couple of years. And for the record, I do not like punk. At all.
But of course my mind was changed when a friend of mine told me it was like speed metal. To be honest my first reaction was: "You have got to be shitting me", but I was not dumped upon. There definitely is a good range of influences on this album. Heavy metal and speed metal are the primal influences and there is also a bit of Viking, but that is solely because of the track 'Valkyrie'. Speaking of that track, when you look at the album and the tracks it contain 'Valkyrie' is kind of misplaced in a way as it got that Viking metal influence to it and unlike the other tracks it got clean vocals the whole way through. But since it is the surprise of the year, I guess it was coming anyway, and do not think that it is a bad track, it is actually pretty good and I wouldn't say that there really is any weak tracks on the album.

'Leave No Cross Unturned' is the song that changed my mind about the new Darkthrone as it was the song that was put up back when the album's release date or something like that was released. The track reaches almost 14 minutes in total length and that is pretty long for a heavy/speed song, and maybe it should have been cut into two tracks. I actually can't quite decide because it doesn't really feel like it is that long when you listen to it, and that is a very fortunate thing for the track that it hasn't been dragged out! Or maybe it is dragged out and just too awesome for it to be a problem? Decide for yourself. A little side note, for the fans of the bands early black metal it contains a funny little gem for you/us. Simply wait till the 6:22 mark.

The band hired a new man to do the album artwork for them in the likes of Jim Fitzpatrick. Maybe the name doesn't really ring a bell at first but Jim did create most of the cover art for legendary Thin Lizzy and has also made a cover for Manilla Road. For an album in the genre it is, the cover could be kind of misleading as it features Vikings... But the track 'Valkyrie' makes up for that! Great cover and hopefully they'll keep Jim on board for the next album.
When it comes to the tracks of choice regarding The Underground Resistance the mandatory winners are: 'Dead Early', 'Valkyrie', 'The Ones You Left Behind' and 'Leave No Cross Unturned'. Fenriz really gets the shit done on the drums, it is catchy and serves the album quite right. As for the guitar work. Just splendid, I did not know those two guys had it in them. There is heavy metal, then some speed influences, but also slower sections, and with solos to fit it at some times. I would like to find a way to clap my hands while still writing this review, because they did such a good job on the album. No matter if you're an old fan or new, this is something that must be checked out.

I named this review "Surprise of the Year" because I did not see it coming, obviously. Even though we at the moment of this review are in the beginning of 2013 I think at least for my own musical taste and also when I look upon what else is coming out this has got to be the surprise of the year. A really good one indeed! Who knows, maybe the next Darkthrone album will be Viking metal, it wouldn't even surprise me... or?
I am not really going to speak on behalf of the catalogue of Darkthrone since I haven't been through it. My listens primarily reaches their work up till '95. I have heard some of the newer Darkthrone in the punk vein, but as I mentioned earlier... I do not like that. This is such a fresh release and I would not mind if Darkthrone made another album in the likes of The Underground Resistance, though it only contains 6 tracks and reaches just above 40 minutes of playtime. For the tricky part, who the hell should I recommend this album to? If you expect crust punk you're in for a disappointment and the same if you expect black metal. If you however are open for an amazing sound heavy/speed metal album you won't be disappointed at all! Give it a try and if doesn't appeal to you, then try again.

Nocturno Culto!

Rating

8.4