Finnish death metal is in a state of complete conflagration. By that, I don’t mean it’s burning to the ground and turning to hellish dust. Instead, that country’s output is getting hotter and more volatile, giving the world hope that maybe one day when people mention the metal that comes out of Finland, Children of Bodom won’t be the first name off everyone’s tongues. We can dream.

Dark Descent has had a gigantic hand the last couple of months in exposing the best of what the Fins have to offer the death metal world. They unleashed crushing new records from Maveth and Desolation Shrine, two albums that were released so late in the year, they likely never even made it to consideration for most people’s year-end, best-of lists (when are those compiled? October?). But both gave a taste of the scorched, destructive sounds that were brewing in Finland, and now the label’s latest release is getting in on the fun of making Finland seem like the home of outright brutality (Woodcut Records is handling the Euro version, by the way).

Vorum’s debut album “Poisoned Void” has a very fitting title, because that’s where you feel like you’re headed listening to this eight-headed monster. With only an EP and a split effort to their name before this thunderous release, it’s surprising how sharp this band’s teeth are already. They sound properly channeled, polished from a performance aspect, and completely bloodthirsty and hungry for devastation. They’re not exactly reinventing the wheel, but they sure are finding a way to make today’s death metal machine run bloodier and uglier and are righteously trying to wrest the genre away from melodic, overproduced bands that get passed off on listeners. This is the real shit right here.

Vorum grew out of the band Haudankaivaja, as three of its members are present here, including guitarist/vocalist Jonatan Johansson, guitarist Mati Jalava, and drummer Mikko Josefsson. They are joined by bassist John Finne, and they hit the ground roaring on this album. They wisely keep this album on the shorter side, with eight songs that generally blast you in the face and get out in a hurry, with only its closing title track running longer than 5 minutes (it’s 7:09). That makes for a leaner, meaner record that has a better chance of sticking with you. And trust me, it does.

“Impetuous Fires” is your introduction to Vorum’s tumultuous world, as churning riffs and fiery playing, combined with Johansson’s vicious growls, set the pace for the record. “Death’s Stains” gets started with dizzying guitar work and then shifts towards thrash metal a bit, though it remains grounded in death through and through. “Rabid Blood” pretty much tells you what you know from its title. You don’t need to do much imagining, yet you’ll still be overtaken by charnel guitar work and the raspy growls that are Johansson’s trademark. “Thriving Darkness” keeps the bloody whirlpool going, as melodies flutter, and the guitar lines hit the gas pedal and burst into speed.

“Evil Seed” is one of the gnarliest songs on here, as it grinds when it opens, it has a simple, memorable chorus you can growl back with ease (of course your throat will hurt later if you’re untrained), and Johansson brings down the coffin lid with a thud when he howls, “In chaos, we are dead.” “Obscurity Revealed” seems to pay homage to classic Slayer at times, and it also shakes your bones with a great vigor. It makes a penetrating path through your mind and is awash in heaviness. “Dance of Heresy” hits some trance moments and eventually blows up into a death spiral. The 7-minute title track is a blistering finish, with a crusty open, some classic metal threads, and an earthquaking double-bass drum assault that sounds like marching into war. In sections underneath the song, there is something that emerges that reminds me of very early Metallica at their hungriest and most determined, and the song crashes out wonderfully at the end, leaving a trail of smoking ash.

So Vorum’s the latest in our line of Finnish death metal bands, and they show that this country has real promise in helping revitalize a genre that’s gotten way too glossy and friendly. I love their passion and their anger and their willingness to get as ugly and gut-busting as possible, and I dig their penchant to blend in other elements into what they do. These guys have a ton of potential, and I’m really interested in hearing album two.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.vorumdeath.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/store/

Or here: http://www.woodcutrecords.com/main.html

For more on the label, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/

In everyone’s life, there are mountains we must climb. It’s up to us to decide if those major obstacles and crushing roadblocks will stop us in our tracks or if we will endure, fight on, conquer what’s ahead of us, and live to dominate another day. A lot of times, people just give up and refuse to carry on, potential glory be damned.

Canadian thrash legends Voivod could have folded camp once their longtime guitar player and overall awesome force Denis “Piggy” D’Amour passed away in 2005 after a battle with cancer. He was practically the heart and soul of the band, one of the most unique players in the genre, and a completely unsung hero whose inspiration you can hear–many times uncredited or unacknowledged–in so much prog metal and death metal. Even a huge mainstream band such as Tool owes a gigantic debt of gratitude to Piggy, and Voivod as a whole, for paving the way for their sprawling, spiraling epics that so many see as the height of genius. Um, they got those ideas from somewhere else.

There was new music after D’Amour passed away because he had some guitar parts recorded and demoed for upcoming Voivod releases, but nothing was in a state of completion. Amazingly by culling what D’Amour had created, the band was able to cobble together two records–2006’s “Katorz” and 2009’s “Infini”–with the rest of the band playing around Piggy’s parts. As expected, the results were just OK, and much of it did feel kind of thrown together. Before that, their 2003 self-titled comeback record was the most recent example of Piggy’s fully realized playing, and he was the bonafide star of that album. It seemed with “Infini” we had heard the last from Voivod as far as records go. But that’s where Daniel Mongrain comes in.

The band decided to do some live shows, with Mongrain (Martyr, Gorguts) on guitar, and it just so happened he was the perfect choice since he patterned much of his playing after D’Amour’s. Original bassist Jean-Yves “Blacky” Theriault returned to the fold (along with vocalist Denis “Snake” Belanger and drummer Michel “Away” Langevin), Mongrain was given the name “Chewy,” and Voivod were a full-on beast again. Word surfaced a new record was in the works,  and while these boys sounded great recreating their old songs live, a new platter was a different story. Could the band find the magic they hadn’t shown since the early 1990s? Could Mongrain step in for the legendary guitarist on which he patterned his style? The answer to both is an overwhelming yes.

In fact, it doesn’t take long at all to get an idea for just how great Voivod sounds on this 13^th album, as they blast off with the awesome title cut, an energetic cut that bubbles with life, imaginative guitar work, and some of Snake’s most spirited vocals since their 2003 return. “Kluskap O’Kom” follows, and it’s more punchy, sci-fi goodness, with a weird, animalistic chant to start, a killer melody, and some gang vocals that make the band sound decades younger. “Empathy for the Enemy” follows in the same path, showing a revived, energized Voivod, and that spills into “Mechanical Mind,” a song that debuted on the Internet before the holidays in 2012 and is full of alien weirdness, punk and thrash magic, and it’s one of the best songs they’ve released in years. “Warchaic,” despite its name, is pulled back and isn’t the full-out assault one might think from the title. During the song, Snake howls about seeking “a brand new world,” and the song is atmospheric and thought provoking.

“Resistance” is a really fun song with loopy guitar work, some sections that are even a little poppy, and eventually a sludgy section that adds some muscle to the track. “Kaleidos” is a real throwback-style song, with guitar work that sometimes reminds of “Tribal Convictions” from 1988’s “Dimension Hatross” and the band reminding you of what made them so special in the first place. “Corps Etranger” is thorny, thrashy, and proggy, and Snake even pulls out some lyrics he sings in French for good measure. “Artefact” has a nice, thick bassline from Blacky, and this is one of the great examples of why he was missed so badly. The song sounds like a bizarre cosmic transmission, but it’s also solidly based in rock and roll. Closer “Defiance” is a little odd. There’s a flurry of guitar work and some speedy bass, but just as the song seems to gain its ground, it fades out and the record is over. Less than two minutes. So the record kind of falls flat at the end, but what comes before it is so damn good, it’s a very small complaint.

Voivod are one of the most important bands in metal, and to have them back and performing at such a high level is a great treat, especially for those of us who have been around since the band’s early days. Piggy always will be missed, and the metal world owes him a huge debt of gratitude, but Chewy proved he’s capable of taking over and driving the band admirably into the future. Just when we all thought it was over, Voivod go and do this. Turns out, they were just beginning all over again.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.voivod.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.cmdistro.com/

For more on the album, go here: http://www.centurymedia.com/

Denouncement Pyre

Darkness and evil can be both menacing and fun, depending on what you’re absorbing. I guess it also can be both at the same time. Whatever. It’s not like I’m some high priest of something speaking with any intimate knowledge on these things. Anyhow, where was I?

Oh right, evil, darkness, the devil, those things. They’re as much a part of heavy metal lore as guitars, bass, drums, amps, beer, what have you, and those elements aren’t going away anytime soon. It’s good and healthy to explore the darker sides of things, whether it’s done to better inform you on what’s out there or to get a better connection with the lurking shadows that would terrify most people. Metal’s always been a great vehicle for those things, and while there are those people out there who want to warn you to stay away, for you will spend eternity in damnation if you even smile at any of those records, I think we all know that’s bullshit. It’s art. Everyone settle down.

One label that’s been kicking out the filthy and evil for several years now is Hells Headbangers, and if you have weak flesh or psyche, just looking at their logo might frighten you away. But they’ve been putting out some damn good metal even since their inception, including records from bands such as The Royal Arch Blaspheme, Inquisition, Black Witchery, Children of Technology, Deiphago and tons more. HHR already is off to a cataclysmic start in 2013 with heavily anticipated full-length records from Denouncement Pyre and Vomitor (both from Australia!) that continue along the path the label has been blazing all along and that also add two destructive–and quite varied from each other–albums into your ears.

Denouncement Pyre, based in Melbourne, have been terrifying audiences for a decade now, though their first full-length “World Cremation” didn’t land until 2010. They have a fairly straightforward approach to modern black metal and easily could play alongside Watain or Marduk and probably be able to upstage either one. Their new record “Almighty Arcanum” ups the ante from their debut album, and it sounds really good. Yeah, people like their underground, primitive black metal to be raw and chaffed, but when you come up with something that sounds this impressive, there’s no shame in making the album sound as good as you can get it. On that front, they succeed masterfully.

The band’s inspirations appear to be deep and mysterious (the alchemic album title should clue you in), and their nine-track new record is mighty and overpowering in the best possible way. Guitarist/vocalist D, bassist R, and drummer L (these guys also inhabit other bands such as Hunter’s Moon, Order of Orias, and Nocturnal Graves) are channeled and on fire on this record, and they clue you in early to that fact on the dripping, eerie “Intro: Breath of Tehom” and the furious and dizzying “Extension of the Void,” where the metallic wizardry hits an early high point and drives you headlong into an abyss. The title cut opens like a pained wail in the night, as its speedy tempo and punk finish surge and destroy. “He Who Conquers All” is trancey and suffocating, with its terrifying melodies and cult-like chants, peaking when the band howls, “Release! Release your fucking spirit!”

“The Deceiver” continues along the same line as the rest of the album, remaining violent, furious, but also unmistakably melodic. It’s a punchy, angry number, and D unleashes some of his most direct growls on the album here. “Drakon: All Is One” is a smeary, dreary instrumental that sounds dreamt up in a dungeon, and that spills into “Circle of Serpents,” a short, to-the-point blast of black punishment that’s over before you realize what got you. “Darkness Manifest” is a swirling, intoxicating number that’s as imaginative and thorny as anything on here. The blasts bust open your lips, and the monstrous growls achieve authoritative status. Closer “The Redeemer” goes back to trippy and nightmarish, but it also provides a stunning bit of savagery to close the record.

This band is not for the weak of mind, body, and/or spirit, but if you’re willing to peek into their chilling souls for 45 minutes, you’ll find a well-played, crushing black metal document that’ll stick with you and make you wonder how soon it’ll be before these guys get wider recognition. Time has come, everyone.

Vomitor

Now, Vomitor on the other hand are a little cheekier. That doesn’t mean for a second that you shouldn’t take them seriously, because to pass them off would be to err majorly. But they have a little more fun with things, they seriously scuff up what they do, and they just open up and thrash you silly. Their records sound like the Brisbane-based band guzzled a ton of beers, plugged in, and fucking went for it, and they have no real concern for polish. Their third album “The Escalation” is a damn fun time.

The unit of vocalist/guitarist Death Dealer, bassist Anton Vomit, drummer Hellkunt, and new guitarist Horror Illogium (of the mighty, mysterious Portal) waste no time in getting things going, ripping into “Pits of Nightmares/Pitch Black,” a two-piece song that starts with a long instrumental run including churning feedback and guitars ringing out their dissatisfaction before they rip into a punk-fueled, lo-fi slab of pain. It’s thrashy, punchy, and just right for an evening of debauchery. “Prayer to Hell” is an ideal heathen anthem, with speed, gurgly vocals, and a blazing tempo that’s designed for swinging your head around and sustaining life-long neck damage. “Salem Witches Grave” is loud and disruptive, abrasive, and full of guitars spitting noise and interference.

“Hellburst to Fight” sounds exactly like its title indicates. It’s a violent, speedy, charred bit of metallic goodness that is blissfully brush burned sonically. The title cut has the same face, one that is a bruised, bleeding, and looking like you stumbled in the door after a night of alley fights and bad decisions. “Metal or Die” is not a tough one to decipher or wrap your head around, and it’ll batter you while you’re too out of your mind to know what’s going on. Closer “Horrors of Black Death” sounds like it was recorded and mastered in hell, with the tapes burning and melting on their way to the surface. The guitars are melodic yet sinister, and the vocals sound like they were, well, vomited out. It’s a nice finish to a delightfully ugly record.

These records are likely to appeal to different sections of the extreme metal audience, though certainly there’s plenty of room in the middle for people to meet. These bands are ugly, immoral, infernal, and nasty, and I’m pretty sure fans of these groups, and of the label, wouldn’t have it any other way.

For more on Denouncement Pyre, go here: https://www.facebook.com/DENOUNCEMENTPYRE

For more on Vomitor, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vomitor/170920829616359

To buy the albums, go here: http://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/

I remember the first time I heard the Paul Di’Anno-fronted Iron Maiden as a kid, which was well after I heard and fell in love with the Bruce Dickinson version. See, as a youth with zero internet, hardly any money, and not a lot of friends with the same musical interests, it wasn’t really that easy to go and explore a band’s back catalog. So it took some time before the band’s self-titled debut and their follow-up “Killers” made their way to me.

Friends at the time who had heard the Di’Anno years and knew my love for Dickinson’s work warned me that I wouldn’t like the early stuff. They were right. I didn’t like it; I loved it! There was something about the dusty sound, the vintage power, and the punk rock energy that really excited me, and while it felt like a completely different band than the one I was used to, this version was really exciting as well. This discovery also led me to eventually exploring the NWOBHM bands (a Lars Ulrich-backed compilation tape helped out a lot), and even stuff like Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, Blue Oyster Cult, and Rainbow, the bands that were setting heavy metal’s foundation and roadways for genre jumping and thorough exploration.

To this day I still have affinity for bands that play classic heavy metal, and a great example of that is Christian Mistress, a band that’s become one of my favorite acts in metal. On those same lines is the label Shadow Kingdom Records, a place that has championed lesser-celebrated classic heavy metal bands such as Manilla Road, Pagan Altar, and Altar of Oblivion, who all made incredible entries into the metal world but just didn’t get widespread attention that would get them mentioned regularly alongside the groups we already cited. But they also have been reaching out to younger bands who have the same classic heavy metal fever and the chops to do it right, and they’ve found a killer new entry in Corsair.

This Charlottesville, Va., four-piece band grew out of an annual Black Sabbath tribute group, when some of its members decided to get serious about making music of their own. That brought together guitarist/vocalist Paul Sebring, guitarist Marie Landragin, bassist Jordan Brunk, and drummer Aaron Lipscombe to form Corsair and get headed down the road toward making the brand of hard rock and heavy metal they loved. That led the band to putting out two EPs –2010’s “Alpha Centauri” and 2011’s “Proxima Centauri” — and eventually a self-released, self-titled debut full-length, a piece of work that would bring them to the attention of Shadow Kingdom, who are now re-releasing the record to a wider audience. If you love old-style, true heavy metal, you’re going to want to track this down and get some beers, because you’re in for a huge dose of fun.

The record starts off with a blast of an instrumental, as “Agathyrsi” unloads catchy guitar riffs, some classic rock thunder, and a nice late ’70s/early ’80s ambiance that gets you ready for the rest of the record. “Chaemera” is your first full blast of Corsair magic, as the song has a driving NWOBHM feel, more air guitar-ready riffs, and vocals from Sebring that are perfectly crafted for this song, with singing that’s clean but laid back, striking at those Thin Lizzy comparisons. “Falconer” — and the band’s going to have to forgive me for this one, if need be — starts with a punk-fueled melody line that reminds me of Coheed and Cambria’s early work. It’s ultra-infectious and makes you want to drive your car faster. Again, Sebring strikes perfectly, inserting passion and drive into his vocals and never going over the top. Like the band I just mentioned. “Gryphon Wing” ups the emotional ante, and it’s one of the most metallic songs on here, though Sebring reaching for a higher register doesn’t totally work. The vocals are a bit thin and stretched, something a strong backing vocalist could have covered up. No matter, it’s still a good song.

“Path of the Chosen Arrow” kicks off the second half of the album, with more classic metal guitar work for which backpatch-adorned jean jackets were made, though the vocals again are a little shaky. “Mach” is a spirited, spurty instrumental that keeps your juices flowing and your energy high, taking you into “Of Kings and Cowards,” a song that sounds patterned after the early days of Maiden, with grittier vocals and a faster tempo. Closer “The Desert” is trippy and spacey for the most part, with vocals that go a little higher than they probably should, but it rocks out for the most part and provides a memorable ending to a really super album.

So many bands purposely try to do a vintage sound and just come off as pretenders. Corsair genuinely appear moved by the sounds of what you hear on their debut record, and if they were transported back to the late ’70s or early ’80s, no one from that time would think anything is out of place. This is just a damn fun album, a killer slab of classic heavy metal, and a promising debut from a band whose bright future is built on the past. Can’t wait to hear more.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.skykrakken.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://shadowkingdomrecords.com/store.php

To buy it digitally, go here: http://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/corsair

For more on the label, go here: http://shadowkingdomrecords.com/index.php?action=label

Marie Landragin

Upping the ante is a fun thing to do. Take something you’re already doing well and amplify the shit out of it. Yet that also could go awry if you try too hard or are just doing something extreme and taking it over the top because you know you can. It has to be done right to be effective and meaningful, otherwise it’s just loud noises.

“Baphometic Chaosium,” the third album from Los Angeles-based black metal heathens Lightning Swords of Death, manages to help the band take their game to the next level in a way that sounds well thought out, calculated, and accomplished. They sound like a new band, in ways, from their last record, 2010’s “The Extradimensional Wound,” and their playing, approach, and chemistry are abundant and overflowing on this tremendous new album. They try new things, they show off new sides of their personalities, and they don’t paint by numbers on this record one bit. Yeah, there’s a lot of menace, a lot of audio violence, but the presentation itself and the way this record sounds proves this band wasn’t comfortable staying where they were and playing it safe.

LSOD still bludgeon for the most part, and speed and destruction remain important elements of their game. But take a close listen to what’s brewing on “Baphometic,” and you can hear their disassociation from the norm and the expected and a newfound dive into weird sounds, strange compositions, bleakness, and really interesting vocals that still are menacing for the most part but also find new ways to be scary. At times, vocalist Autarch seems in a trance, warbling strange things that sound zombified, but it never comes off as anything but strangely effective. It’s like what Tom G. Warrior did with Celtic Frost when he’d go on monotone, ghostly rants. That happens here, too, and injects a new kind of personality into LSOD’s music.

The LSOD crew now are a five piece unit, with Autarch combined with guitarists Roskva and newcomer “Inverted” Chris Velez, bassist Menno, and drummer Mike Vega. It is apparent, especially if you followed the band since their 2007 debut “The Golden Plague” as I have, how far this band has come since their formation a decade ago, and if the incredible leap in quality and poisonous visions we saw from “Extradimensional” to “Baphometic” is any indication on what the future holds, we may just be at the beginning of a volcanic, intense run. We also might be seeing one of USBM’s most creative bands, one that finally may have figured itself out and is ready to crush full speed ahead. And they already were awesome before this album.

The record opens, fittingly, with the title cut, with its eerie start, loopy guitar lines, and eventually bomb blasts into speed and melody. The growly shrieks from Autarch declare being “compelled by flame” as the fury completely unloads on you. “Acid Gate” is where things really start to get interesting. The verses have Autarch bellowing trance-like, like someone reciting from a horrible script in a dream, and while he returns to the more savage vocals here and there, his robotic recitation is what really stands out here. It’s a fucking great song, maybe the best in the band’s history. “Psychic Waters” goes for the throat again with dizzying guitars and terrifying screams, and that leads into the spooky, ghostly instrumental “Cloven Shields,” a song that gives you a physical breather, but not a mental one.

“Chained to Decay” is vicious and doom-encrusted, with Autarch hissing, “Sleep. There is no sleep inside my casket.” The song is punishing and murky, and the slow-driving madness gets inside your head and rots away at your insides. “R’Lyeh Wuurm” obviously takes its roots in Lovecraft and is purely terrifying. Much of the song is embedded in black metal storming, with Autarch howling, “My name must never be spoken in this life,” dragging the listener on a suffocating trip under the ocean floor. “Epicyclarium” brings back Autarch’s bellowing, as the song sonically is tied to “Acid Gate,” and its calculating delivery burns a hole through you. It’s not particularly fast but it is dangerously heavy, and the hopelessness of lines such as “we shall never find our way back” hammer home the song’s intent. Closer “Oaken Chrysalis” is the most pure example of black metal on the whole record, so much so that it seems like an odd ending to a mind-stretching record. It’s a killer song, though, and it should provide some wonderful bursts of violence live, but it just feels weird as a finale.

Lightning Swords of Death have come a long way in 10 years, but never has their growth accelerated more than it has the last three years. These guys are becoming one of USBM’s more compelling bands, and this record requires many listens in order for you to absorb each bizarre bit. LSOD are a killer unit that just seem to be getting their fires raging, and “Baphometic Chaosium” is an evil spirit that returns for you each night when you’re at your most vulnerable.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/lightningswordsofdeath

To buy the album, go here: http://www.indiemerchstore.com/item/17451/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.metalblade.com/us/

The 1980s comprised a rich period for German hard rock and heavy metal, perhaps the most prosperous time for that nation’s extreme music scene. From rock to thrash metal to death to pure heavy metal, it seemed great music was pouring from that country’s borders.

Of course you had Accept, who are alive, well, and productive today on Nuclear Blast; Helloween, the power metal warriors who put out some of the sub-genre’s best music during that decade; Warlock, a pure metal machine that cranked out defiant anthems charged by singer Doro Pesch; and heavier bands such as Kreator, Sodom, Steeler, and Destruction that helped set forth the thrash movement and even influenced other bands to get into death metal. And this really is just scratching the surface of the phenomenon. Germany was on fire.

Another band that emerged during that timeframe also is still around, still making relevant records, and still sounding healthy. Paradox, whose new record “Tales of the Weird,” started to make noise in the middle of the 1980s and eventually were signed to highly influential Roadracer Records for their debut album “Product of Imagination.” Their sophomore 1989 album “Heresy” also was released by Roadracer, and then we wouldn’t hear from the band again until the turn of the century, when they signed to their current label home AFM and released their third platter “Collision Course.” The only member of the band that returned 13 years later was singer/guitarist Charly Steinhauer, the only original member remaining these days.

“Tales of the Weird,” the follow-up to 2009’s “Riot Squad,” boasts a revamped lineup from the one that recorded that album. Steinhauer and bassist Olly Keller are the only holdovers, and joining them are new guitarist Christian Münzner (Obscura, Spawn of Possession) and new drummer Daniel Buld, who do a fine job contributing to this record. Funny, the one thing I always found to be a bit of a drawback for Paradox is Steinhauer’s vocals. He’s not a bad singer by any means, so it’s not that. He always sounded like a guy more fit for a classic rock-style band, yet here he was fronting a thrash-flavored power metal band. Even further, his vocals sound kind of dated in 20013. That likely is just my tastes coming out here, and I’m sure plenty of listeners never had that issue before, so take that for what it’s worth.

The record blasts open with its nine-minute title track, a song that shows the band’s dexterity, hunger, and ability to show as much as fire as they did in the early days of the group’s existence. The song is nice and thrashy, the long guitar sections are poetic and flow nicely, and the track contains Steinhauer’s best vocals on the whole disc. “Day of Judgment” is a bit of a letdown, as the intensity is not as great (though they do land a few punches), but aggressive “Brutalized” gets things back on the right track with a display that does its best to make good for the song title. “Fragile Alliance” is a decent song that goes more the traditional rock path, and thematically it’s not difficult to figure out what it’s all about. “Escalation” is one of the faster songs on the record, and the guitar work leans toward classical terrain from time to time. Fans of ‘80s Euro power metal should dig this one.

“Brainwashed” is another long one, running 7:33, and it’s melodic and gritty, almost like Foreigner with a metal makeover. There also are some tastefully proggy sections, especially with the guitar work, and this is one of the strongest compositions on the album. “Slashdead” is a little silly and kind of forced-violent, but in all, it’s a decent track that’s pretty damn bruising. “Zeitgeist” is an acoustic-led instrumental interlude that leads into “Downward Spiral,” which is a pretty strange song. It sounds like they’re decrying people who haven’t learned from history’s atrocities, but lyrically it’s a little clumsy. Musically, it’s just fine. Closer “A Light in the Black” brings back the prog rock in a huge way and stays there, which is a curious cut to use as the finish. But that’s not a bad thing, and the song does rock here and there, but it lasts a little too long at 7:16.

It’s cool to hear Paradox sounding as lively and focused as they are, and they certainly aren’t trying to mail this in and rely on their audience to hold them up. Perhaps part of that is they still feel they have something to prove since their name isn’t one of the first that come from people’s mouths when discussing German metal. Despite a few rough edges, they do a good job proving their have a lot of gas in the tank and likely will fire up the people who have followed them nearly three decades now.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.paradox-bangers.de/

To buy the album, go here: http://shop.afm-records.de/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.afm-records.de/

The world didn’t end Dec. 21, 2012. I know. You’re shocked. John Cusack went and made that shitty movie for nothing. Luckily my wife got to spend her entire birthday alive and well since the alleged Mayan prophecy did not come to pass.

Yet, I don’t know. Maybe in some ways the world has been ending for some time now. I endured 3.5 hours of CBS-driven, skull-mashing promotions for their incredibly awful yet bafflingly popular programming while watching a really bad playoff game Sunday (where a man who allegedly took part in a murder was glorified every posible chance the broadcast team got), and that included ads for the People’s Choice Awards and the fucking Grammy’s. If we need any more evidence that the creative apocalypse of pop culture is at hand, then I shudder to think what would convince the masses. Restaurants run ads with these overblown new dishes that might as well come with as lifetime supply of insulin. Yet people feast. We can’t, and also refuse, to figure out how to protect school children who are just trying to learn how to do some math or spell some words. The world’s not ending, you say?

So, OK, maybe the globe didn’t melt 12-21-12, but our path is carved. Get ready for shit to just get worse. In anticipation of the world coming to a glorious, fiery end, Cultus Sabbati prepared a soundtrack “Asgardsreia” that they released on what many thought would be that fateful day. But even though we’re still walking and drawing breath, don’t think for a second this still isn’t the perfect score to the end of all times. I feel like the world is about to explode just about every day, so this record offers an endless supply of emotional fodder to soothe my anxiety and anger so that if I do see continents hurled into space, at least I won’t have to endure some asshole with an overflowing shopping cart in the 8 items or fewer line. Fuck that guy.

Cultus Sabbati

The mysterious trio behind this band, who claim hell as their home, aren’t exactly forthright with their identities or anything like that, and they don’t owe that to anyone. This is one of those perfect examples where the shroud of mystery adds to the thick blackness of their doomy, scary, black noise, because if they were to sneak up on you to drag you into the night, you wouldn’t know to fear your attackers. We brought you their last effort “The Hagiography of Baba Yaga” last year when it was released by Land of Decay, and if what you read here sounds interesting, then good news for you: You can download the album for free. Link will be at the bottom.

The nine-track album really is like one sprawling epic, with each song feeding into the next, and what follows builds on what came before them. “Come Ancient Riders” opens this piece with winds whipping, birds cawing, and a tribal woods feel trickling through the song. That flows into “Dark God of the Hunt,” a black drone piece with buzzing riffs, whispers, and other chilling parts, which sets the stage for “Black Hounds of Annwn,” full of tribal pounding, penetrating noises, and inhuman screeches, drawing a huge contrast to what the concept of mythological Annwn is supposed to be. It’ll make you shiver in your guts. “Sluagh’s Sorrowful Wrath,” the album’s first epic at 11:22, is drenched with noisy guitars, demonic howls, piercing wooshes, and frightening warbling.

“Ride of Asgard” lets the guard down a bit, with some acoustic guitars, weary keys, and echoes, and that leads into the album’s second epic track “Those Who Don’t Go Alive Go When Dead,” a song that begins gently and atmospherically but eventually comes on like a fever nightmare. Feedback hisses and spits, melody is buried under the horror, and a psychologically damaging statement is draped over you like a webby, dusty blanket. “Woden’s Fury” is more like an interlude that opens the doors to the final two tracks on this cataclysmic demonstration. “The Wake of the Passing Storm” stomps, with dripping piano notes, strange retching, shrieks that are buried under the cacophony, and fury and fear smeared everywhere. Closer “Wreckage of the Dawn” babbles gently at the start, and calm sweeps across the land. The birds return, drone and noise erupt, everything pulsates, and the destruction erodes into ash, as you can imagine all creation being swept away.

So yeah, we’re still here, but we won’t be forever. There already are things about society and the way people are that make me want me wonder if the sun isn’t ready to set on us. So perhaps in some way Armageddon already is here, unfurling ever so slowly. That’s why having this album will be a nice companion, because as I watch it all burn away, at least I’ll have Cultus Sabbati’s music to soothe the holes rotting into my psyche.

For more on the band, go here: http://cultussabbati.org/

To download the album, go here: http://www.mediafire.com/?76luw5mgfmeaokx

So, it would appear nothing normal or run of the mill comes out of Iceland, at least musically. From groups such as Sigur Ros, Mum, Amiina, and the Sugarcubes (who, of course, introduced to us Bjork, another totally out-there performer), the music from that country has been pretty weird, but also very captivating.

As far as metal is concerned, we’ve had a fair share of bands come from that land, including Skalmold, Solstafir, and Beneath, though none have really become huge players in the metal world, at least as far as things are concerned here in America. But a relatively new band that hails from Reykjavik perhaps can elevate the land’s metal scene a little more with folks who aren’t totally tied with the deep underground, and their debut is landing in our hands by way of Candlelight’s Cult Series.

Kontinuum aren’t exactly tried-and-true metal, and a lot of times, their sound reaches into gothic rock and post-metal as much as anything. Yeah, they have their heavy, crushing moments on “Earth Blood Magic,” but they’re way more spaced out than what you get from most metal bands, and interspersed is riveting, colorful music that’s full of emotion and darkness. As far as this latest run of releases from the Cult Series, this album has the best chance at acceptance from listeners beyond metal’s gates, though the more adventurous, dream-embracing extreme music fan will find a lot to like as well, and when these guys turn on the power, they’re incredibly moving.

When they do go full metal, it’s more of the Viking-inspired style of black metal, which is understandable, but it isn’t expected or paint by numbers at all. It’s enthralling, and it reminds me a lot of old Enslaved. The band is comprised of guitarist/vocalist Birgir Thorgeirsson, guitarists Thorlakur Thor Gudmundsson and Ingi Þor Palsson, bassist Engilbert Hauksson, and drummer Kristjan B. Heiðarsson, and on their first record they already sound like a tight accomplished unit, which seems to bode well for their future. In fact, of all the bands in this version of the Cult Series, I’m most interested in this group’s future because I really am curious to hear what they sound like on their second record once they get more experience under their belts. Gloomy sky is the limit.

“Endgame” opens the record with a driving post-metal feel, a dramatic, gradually building instrumental statement, and what sounds like the untrustworthy, apocalyptic words of a preacher gone awry. That takes us into “Steinrunninn Skogur,” one of the songs that is sung in their native tongue, and it’s a spacious atmospheric slab of rock that’s pretty invigorating. There are cleaner vocals that are dark and brooding, and the song ends with spirited chants that sound like they were committed in the heart of the woods. “Moonshine” goes heavier into goth rock territory, seemingly indicating they are paying homage to The Cure, Depeche Mode, and Sisters of Mercy, but they turn up the aggression later in the song with shrieks and terror breaking out. “Stranger Air” brings things back down a bit with more of a rock-centered song that’s uptempo and melodic. Then things change.

“Lightbearer” is heavy, prog-fueled, and surging, with the most forceful vocals yet and a real sense of melodic aggression. This is where the band most sounds like Enslaved and some of the second wave of Nordic black metal bands, and it shows the sharp teeth they possess. “City” is in the same vein, with absolutely crushing drums and a continued reliance on heaviness, but they also let some air in the room and use more clean vocals. It’s a nice mix of the hard and soft. “Lys Milda Ljos” also slips back into traditional rock terrain, following what sounds like a long walk in the snow, and it’s a nice breather before leading into “Red,” one of the most impressive song on the album. A female vocalist handles the bulk of the song, rendering a rich, hearty performance, asking, “Can you fall in love with me before I die like you?” But as the song transforms, Thorgeirsson comes back in and joins her, and the two carry the tale to its conclusion. Closer “I Gljufradal” is practically a ballad, with piano acting as a lead in, the vocals remaining soft and tender, strings sweeping in to give it a baroque feel, and the track giving the record a breath-taking conclusion.

Weirdly, Kontinuum is the least cult of all of the releases in this series so far, but they’re perhaps the most promising. They blend in sounds from all different areas, so they’re not steadfastly metal, but their more extreme tendencies work wonderfully and have more color than most. I really like what Kontinuum did on their debut record, and I’m excited to hear what they dream up next.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/kontinuumice

To buy the album, go here: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com/store/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com/

Anonymity is something that’s basically absent from the music world. Like, I don’t listen to even a second of modern pop music because I find it that dreadful, yet I know way too much shit about some of the, uh, artists because everything about their lives is exposed. Too much info out there.

Metal is not immune to the overload. Like, last week we all found out Dave Mustaine is pissed at Men’s Wearhouse. Why do I need to know about this? Why can’t I live the rest of my life without that information? So it’s nice when a band comes along that eschews all the media attention, all the whoring out of useless and mundane details, and simply decides to reveal nothing about themselves. I can see where that approach also could be met with skepticism because what if the band’s art just isn’t that good and they don’t wish to plaster their names on it? I can see that being a reason, so it comes down to digesting the band’s work and deciding for yourself.

We first came to know of the band Nine Covens last year when they released their debut “…On the Coming of Darkness,” though we didn’t learn much about the forces behind the group other than them taking their name from the English witch/magician George Pickingill. Apparently the group was comprised of noteworthy musicians from the UK extreme metal scene, but none chose to reveal their identities. So, if that was true and these figures really are well-regarded musicians, their choice was an interesting one. After hearing their debut, it was clear they weren’t hiding because of their creative output. It was solid, dark, yet melodic black metal that might not wow the underground kvlt enthusiasts, but sure was good enough for someone like me. It was a nice debut, one that I never imagined would get follow-up treatment quite so soon. Yet here we have “On the Dawning of Light,” the band’s second album and an entry in Candlelight Records’ cult series.

Like their debut, the band still isn’t saying who they are. Has there been turnover in their ranks? Did they add any guests? Who knows? We don’t even know who was in the group in the first place, so forget all of that. As for the music, it’s still melodic, wrenching, adventurous, and even approachable. It has elements of Nachtmystium, Craft, and even a band like Wodensthrone, though this band’s songs are not nearly as long and sweeping. Nine Covens keep their explosive output in check with their longest track just topping seven minutes and most of their songs landing somewhere between four and five minutes. Nicely done because they never overstay their welcome. This also is an album that the more time I spend with it, the more I like. There is an epicness and a passion that is catchy, and while they’re not exactly reinventing the wheel, they’re playing their music with gumption and grit.

The record opens with “Origin of Light,” a melodic and sinister number is full of churning guitar work and throaty shrieks. “As Fire Consumes” has a stirring lead line and also some punk rock attitude. It’s crunchy and punchy, yet it’s also sort of accessible. I know that black metal isn’t supposed to be, but I think that’s archaic thinking. “At the Ocean’s Strand” has more punk fury but also a sludgy, cataclysmic feel. The vocals are delivered with more of a growl, and some of the guitar work reminds me of Immortal. “The Mist of Death” has a mystical beginning, as the song takes some time to set the stage, but then it grows harsh, forceful, and atmospheric.

“The Fog of Deceit” has some of the best, most memorable guitar work on the entire record, and the lead line very well may get stuck in your head like it has in mine. The drumming is a little different on this one as well, getting a little jazzy in spots, and the song overall is perhaps their most riveting work to date. “To Quench a Raging” explodes out of the gate, with deeper, growlier vocals, a renewed dedication to speed, and throat-mangling shrieking that sounds both agitated and evil. “White Star Exception,” the album’s longest track, is an instrumental that’s contemplative, cosmic, and whirring, and it’s the track that makes me think of Nachtmystium’s two “Black Meddle” releases. “Over the Ocean’s Way” also is spacious but has its moments of thorny intent and outright violence. Closer “A Burning Ember” sounds frosty and wind chilled, which always goes over nice in the winter months, and it’s a crushing ending to a really interesting record of modern black metal.

Nine Covens have opened their campaign with two impressive records that breathed some life into the black metal scene. Their new one indicates they have a ton of gas in the tank and vitriol to burn, so that’s a good thing. We may never know who is behind this band, but as long as they keep making records like this, who really cares who they are?

For more on the band, go here: http://ninecovens.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com/store/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com/

For all the millions of bands out there now trying to ply their trade at metal, or whatever genre they’re trying to impact, there are just too many that stay a particular course and don’t deviate from expectations. I end up labeling most of those bands as boring. Then there are those who push things and try to experiment, and while it doesn’t always work in their favor, I tend to have a little more compassion for those bands because at least they’re not trying to stay confined to a box.

I thought about that when tackling the third album from Swiss post-metal beasts Zatokrev. Just looking at the title of the opus — “The Bat, the Wheel and the Long Road to Nowhere” — is enough to make you wonder what it’s all about, and then there’s their music, that falls somewhere around the lands dominated by Cult of Luna, The Ocean, and ISIS. Sure, there are a lot of bands doing that very thing, but these guys seem to have a knack for the sound and pull it off quite capably.

This record, by the way, is another in Candlelight’s ongoing “cult series,” where they put a spotlight on bands that have been doing things on the underground, perhaps haven’t gotten the right exposure before, and have some interesting aspects to their music. The three bands in this new series all are quite different from each other (we’ll bring you the other two records next week), which makes this one of the more intriguing installments of the series to date.

Zatokrev do fall into some traps, however, when it comes to knowing when to say when. The band — guitarist/vocalist Frederyk Rotter, guitarist Julien Duseyau, bassist/backing vocalist Lucas Low, drummer Frederic Hug — has a knack for noodling. And noodling and noodling. An editor is really what they need to take their game to the next level, and they have all the tools to do so. But at 76 minutes and nine songs, it gets to be a little much. Don’t get me wrong. They’re really good players, and never is the record irritating, which musicians with a tendency to drone tend to be. They have good ideas, and they execute them OK, they just don’t know when to put a cap on things. It’s the biggest complaint I have about this record that really could have been a stand-out release if it was about 25 minutes shorter.

“Goddam Lights” opens the record, and at 9:23, it sticks around for a while. There’s a good bit of sludge and post-metal wandering going on, and the vocals are screamy and abrasive as they convey a sense of independence away from a source of pain. “9” perhaps is named that because it’s nearly that many minutes long, as it’s one that would work far better at half that time. It’s a sludgy cut that meanders a little too much, and some of the instrumental sections where not a heck of a lot is going on could stand to melt away a bit. “Rodeo With Snakes” is the shortest song on the whole set, and it has an American rock feel, along with barked vocals and a grimy finish. It’s then onto “Medium,” a song that’s nearly 11 minutes long and has a decent amount of melody and some muddy, mangled thrashing. But there’s also an attempt to set an ambient atmosphere that never really takes and feels more like walking in place.

“The Wheel” recovers and goes in more of a mid-tempo pace, and while it pushes 10 minutes, it manages to stay pretty interesting over the duration of its running time. The dual “Feel the Fire” cuts, combined, last more than 12 minutes, but to the band’s credit they manage to make each half fresh. The first part again examines more rock and roll-style terrain, while the second part is more muscle-bound and rough, with some adventurous riffing. The final two cuts on the album – “The Bat” and “Angels of Cross” – take up 20 minutes combined, and what’s become a theme, they’d both be far better chopped in half. “The Bat” has some lurching sludge that sounds pretty good, but it just goes on too long, while “Angels” has some promising ideas and real moments of inspiration, but it just feels like it’s never going to end and doesn’t have a terribly inspired finish. It isn’t bad; it just doesn’t inspire much emotion.

I happen to be a listener who likes and has patience for really long songs, and many of my favorite records of the past couple years have been chock full of epics. But sometimes there’s no justification for tracks to be as long as they are, a trap in which Zatokrev fall too often. There’s promise here, they can play, they have some good ideas, they just need someone to help edit them. A good producer could do wonders for this band, who might be a great album away from opening a lot of eyes and ears.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.zatokrev.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com/store

For more on the label, go here: http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com/