I’m not a huge demo guy. It’s not that I don’t like them, because I actually really do, but it’s because I don’t have the proper time to scour for them. As it is, my inbox is bursting at the seams with press releases and album downloads from tons of labels and publicists, and if I checked out/listened to each one, I’d have no time to do this site. Or anything else. At all.

I just don’t have time to spend hours on the Internet trying to find good demo releases, and since I don’t run a label or PR agency, I don’t have them pouring into my e-mail account, quite sadly. But now and again I’ll get something I really like (we’ll be talking about the Obolus cassette release soon)or I’ll pick up on some word of mouth about something that’s lighting people’s worlds on fire, and I’ll see what the fuss is about. That happened last year with the two-track demo by Rhode Island trad doom band Pilgrim, and it turns out all the praise heaped on this thing was totally justified. It was a rough recording for the most part (which I like), the magic and majesty were there, and once it was announced they band signed on with Poison Tongue/Metal Blade, my anticipation shot through the roof.

You can tack onto these guys the normal reference points such as Black Sabbath, Witchfinder General, Electric Wizard and St. Vitus. You easily can imagine this music was made in a dungeon or in a castle overlooking a mad sea, and with names such as The Wizard (guitar/vocals), Count Elric the Soothsayer (bass) and Krolg Splinterfist, Slayer of Men (drums), they may very well have been as inspired by “The Legend of Zelda” and “Game of Thrones” books as that type of darkness envelops their music. It may come off as a little dorky to outsiders, and really, it kind of is to me, who enjoys all the elements of their game. But who cares? I dig that about them. Dio had his hilarious moments, but I wholly revere his legends. With more albums like “Misery Wizard,” Pilgrim could have volumes of prose written about them, too.

Along with the slow-driving doom, skull-crushing punishment and ventures into fantastical realms come The Wizard’s passionate, cleanly sung vocals that often remind me of Jethro Tull’s leader Ian Anderson. He has a world-weariness yet timeliness to his singing, and on a time when vocalists don’t often stand out anymore, he does the moment he opens his mouth. His delivery and storytelling are like no other, and when he bellows a line such as, “Don’t you torture me,” on the title cut, it stands out as the most memorable destination point of the song. He’s a serious strength to the Pilgrim machine.

Both demo tracks – “Quest” and “Forsaken Man” — show up here, albeit in re-recorded and expanded form. The creepy chant/prayer that cites Astaroth still is a major part of “Forsaken,” and it’s done in such a monotone, robotic form that it makes it scarier. But the band refines the song a bit and expands upon its borders, making for a stronger piece. Speaking of that hellish prince, “Astaroth” opens the record, letting the same brands of evil and darkness into the room that always have been a major tenet of this style. The song has tasty Tony Iommi-style guitar trickery and a nice, stomping tempo, and it’s an effective introductory for anyone hearing Pilgrim for the first time. “Masters of the Sky” is an excellent epic, clocking in at about 11 minutes and really letting the band unfurl its flags. The Wizard even changes up his vocals a bit and goes deeper when warning, “Rejoice and fear them, they’re the one true god.” “Adventurer” is a nice change of pace, as it’s a far shorter song that is faster and more aggressive, and it acts as a bridge to the closing journey “Forsaken Man.” I found that while the album asks a lot of me and makes me take herculean steps in my mind, I always want to go right back again.

There’s going to be a lot of doom metal that comes out this year, but when all is said and done in 2012, “Misery Wizard” will persevere and be remembered as one of the genre’s finest. This is an exciting new band that does things in an old-school fashion but sounds very up to date. There’s evil afoot and adventure around every turn, and chances are you’re going to step in more than one blood puddle. Pilgrim make every investment in their music more than worth your time, and if you’re a doom junkie, you’d be a fool not to spend time with this titanic document.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/hailthepilgrim?sk=info

To buy “Misery Wizard,” go here: http://www.indiemerchstore.com/item/13505/

For more on the label go here: http://www.metalblade.com/english/content.php

And here: http://www.poisontongue.net/

When I think of sludgy, muddy metal, my mind tends to gravitate toward the southern portion of the United States. Georgia and the Carolinas, more specifically. That usually is where that stuff is cranked out factory-style these days, so when you get a hold of a debut album from a relatively new group that puts together many of the same traits as bands such as Mastodon, Baroness and Black Tusk, it’s easy to assume that’s the area from where the artists hail.

If you took on “From Solemn Ash,” the first album from Rising, you’d be wrong to figure they also are swimming neck-deep in the southern comfort. In fact, the band doesn’t even hail from the U.S. at all, instead calling Denmark home. There’s a curveball for you. But they don’t just do sludge by numbers or anything. They also add elements of doom, power metal, ’70s psychedelic/prog rock and even some hardcore into their recipe, so while they have a similar sound to the artists mentioned above, they by no means sound like copies. The band has its own touch, and if you played their music alongside, say, Mastodon or Baroness, you easily could pick Rising from the pack.

“From Solemn Ash” is out on Exile on Mainstream, and folks in Europe could have gotten their mitts on this disc last fall. As for us in the United States, we didn’t get a release until this year, so the record remains fresh to us. The album has its share of abject heaviness and monstrous stomping, but Rising also have a knack for meaty hooks, leading your mind to follow along right until the chorus strikes. It’s not poppy or anything, so don’t think of it that way, but the fellows know how to make their songs stick.

The trio – vocalist/bassist Henrik Hald, guitarist Jacob Krogholt, drummer Jacob Johansen – puts its cards on the table on the opener “Mausoleum,” a doomy, punchy song that’s easy to remember and, as mentioned above, gets you good on the chorus. From there they make stops to “Sea of Basalt,” that should excite fans of High on Fire and Kylesa and keeps the record quaking along; “Cohorts Rise” has a cleaner opening and stays mid-tempo for the most part, but it starts really trucking as it draws to an end; “Through the Eyes of Catalysis” drops an anvil right away, launching with classic Iron Maiden-style speedy guitar runs, melting into grimy mashing and shining with really strong guitar work from Krogholt; “Under Callous Wings” lets Hald unleash some throatier vocals. For the most part, he sings fairly cleanly on this record, but with a hint of ill intent in his voice, but here, he just kind of lets things go. “Heir to the Flames” is the one that’ll remind listeners the most of early Mastodon, especially with the cleaner guitar passages trickling under the fires; and closer “Seven Riders” is a bit more plodding than the title seems to indicate, but that doesn’t hurt the song any. It’s pummeling.

I’m interested in hearing how Rising’s version of sludge-based metal shapes and shifts throughout the years as they grow as a band and perhaps let more of their peripheral influences into their music. They could end up being one of the more unique bands in the metal universe, and if they do, that would make “From Solemn Ash” just a first step, albeit a pretty stellar one.

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

To buy “From Solemn Ash,” go here: http://www.mainstreamrecords.de/shop/cd/eom055

For more on the label, go here: http://www.mainstreamrecords.de/

There’s something about a nice blast of chaos that’s packed into a small package that doesn’t take too long to make its point. That’s why Nails are so effective. You get an 11-minute album but a through ass kicking. No more is needed. Same goes for Trap Them and Black Breath, bands that are as savage as any Satan-worshipping black metal outfit but know how to make a point quickly and effectively.

That opening, and those bands I mentioned, feed right into today’s topic, that being “Cycles of Light,” the debut full-length album by hardcore crushers Everything Went Black. The St. Louis band formed in 2009 and put out a few smaller efforts before offering up this album for Lost Shepherd/Prosthetic. This 27-minute lip-splitter will make you think of the bands cited above, as well as groups such as Converge and The Hope Conspiracy, with a touch of the death metal must-haves Slayer and Entombed that are embraced by this genre. It’s heavy, often doomy, continually raucous and yet another solid entry into the growing list of metallic hardcore bands that have been trumpeted by labels such as Southern Lord and Deathwish Inc. But this one is Prosthetic’s gain, a label that’s made some damn interesting signings lately with this band, Primitive Weapons, Hour of Penance and Mutilation Rites (one of my more anticipated records of 2012).

“Cycles of Light” takes no time at all to set up shop and then level that area with a wrecking ball. After the doomy, newsfeed-heavy opening instrumental “IX,” the band rips right into “Gods of Atlantis,” a song that has some melody at its core but also bludgeons you with thrashy riffs and a stomping tempo. “Halo of Vultures” pulls back on the reins some, but Brandon Hoffman’s throaty growls sound no less venomous. “Lifeless” takes things back down a rocky road, with violent twists and turns, along with some oddly gothy melodies. And you rightfully can draw a conclusion from the song title that things are looking pretty bleak lyrically. “Parades” and “Kingdoms” stand as the “epics” of this collection, both clocking in at over five minutes, with each track letting the band expand their sound a bit. In fact, “Parades” ends in a cascade of churning cello and somber emotion. “Thorn Feeders” is a total demolition, and the record ends with “Baptists,” a crushing anthem that goes right for your throat.

Everything Went Black are doing metallic hardcore a lot of good by adding their two cents into the swirling madness. They belong mentioned in the same breath as the like-minded bands above, and their live show must be a thing to behold. The video below is your evidence. Cover your face. The band also inspired me to dial back the prose, as less is more when discussing the band. They’re a band that must be experienced, so shut your mouth, stop reading and go get your face kicked into the back of your skull.

For more on the band, go here: http://everythingwentblack.us/

To buy “Cycles of Light,” go here: http://store.prostheticrecords.com/index.php/lost-shepherd-recordings.html

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

Napalm Death have been in the forefront of extreme music for more than three decades now. It’s impossible to find someone who listens to grindcore, death metal, thrash metal, what have you, who are not familiar with the band’s brutal catalog and political and social prowess. Their current lineup may be totally foreign from the one that recorded the classic “Scum,” but these four bruisers – vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway, guitarist Mitch Harris, bassist Shane Embury and drummer Danny Herrera – have made up what we know as Napalm Death for the past two decades solid. Their 14^th record “Utilitarian” is out at the end of the month, and it’s pure Napalm through and through, with a few strains of their punk and experimental past. It’s a heady record based on the utilitarian philosophical theory, and if you’re not familiar with the subject, a trip to Wikipedia may do you some good.  Greenway, their outspoken, thoughtful and friendly vocalist, took some time to speak to Meat Mead Metal during a slate of media days. When asked if those marathons ever get the best of him, Greenway chuckled and quipped, “I mean, it’s not like digging roads. Let’s be honest.”

The new album “Utilitarian” sounds massive. How do you feel about it?

You know, it’s pretty good, but I always find it hard to micro-analyze our albums anyway, even after I’ve just done them. I’ve probably done about 200 interviews and have heard all these different perspectives on the album.

It sounds like there’s sort of a newfound sense of savagery on this one, not that Napalm Death records ever have been tame of anything.

Yeah, of course it’s angry, all of our albums are angry, but anger can only take you so far. You have to have an end product from the anger because, you know, taking it literally, anyone can jump up and down and shout at people. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be productive or that it’s going to sell what you mean to sell, so you have to have something beyond the anger. But it has that Napalm attack to it. Napalm Death has a certain attack that probably sounds angrier than most extreme bands. I find when some bands record they kind of stick to their tempo or their zone. We tend to be more of a runaway train. We just do things as we want, and if it comes close to coming off the rails, then so be it. It’s the same for us live as it is for recordings.

It’s a really natural process for us. One thing we don’t do before we go in to make an album, is we don’t check little boxes. We don’t make a checklist and say, “These are the things we’ve got to do.” We generally try to keep things as spontaneous as we possibly can. It has an edge to it as far as elements that we have done before but haven’t quite arranged in the way that we have on this album, so that gives it a different flavor. But in terms of rage in our delivery, that’s been pretty consistent. I wouldn’t say this new one jumps out at you any more than our previous ones.

You have John Zorn playing on this record (“Everyday Pox”). Any other special guests this time around?

John Zorn is the only one, actually. We only have guests if we feel the person can complement the song, and we have an idea of what the person can do. It doesn’t mean anything to just go randomly get people just so you can have a few more names on a press release, you know? They have to have some kind of contribution. I mean, look at the guests we’ve had. Jello Biafra because we knew what he could do with the song. We had Anneke (van Giersbergen) from The Gathering because she had the kind of voice (we needed). Now we have John Zorn because that part on the album, when we sat down and thought about it, it was exactly the type of part he should be recording.

This may seem like a silly question, but the band’s made it to 14 albums now. What keeps you guys going?

I just feel we still have things to offer, you know? That’s always subjective, but we feel we still have good songs in us, good albums, and we know that within that, we’re always two or three steps away from making white noise, basically. (laughs) And we love that! From my own perspective, if we ever got to the point where we were going through the motions or something like that, I just wouldn’t bother anymore, to be honest with you. Fifty percent for me, doing something like Napalm, it wouldn’t be worthy for me or for the people who come through the doors and pay money to see a gig. People who see us shouldn’t get 50 percent, and people who buy our albums shouldn’t get 50 percent. If I ever feel that way, it’s time to quit. I’m certainly not afraid of that, because I think it’s a natural, human trait to lose a love for things, to lose enthusiasm. I think sometimes people protest too much about losing passion, but it happens. It’s a part of the natural human attention span, it’s part of human emotions. If it happens, I just won’t bother doing it anymore, and the same for anyone else in the band. I would expect they’d do the same thing, and I wouldn’t be negative toward them for thinking that as long as they felt they were being honest about it.

Lyrically, I’d imagine the well never runs dry for you. There’s always something going on somewhere, and there’s always some event that deserves a commentary. Could you ever imagine a day when you didn’t have something to say about what’s going on in the world?

Well, no, because the very structure of the world, the hierarchical society we live in means there are always observations. You think of it like this: Every person in the world has feelings, and those feelings create thoughts. It’s the same principle. And because Napalm has such a wide palate of things to draw from, it’s very much the same thing. We’re dealing with the feelings going on in our lives, so it’s an inexhaustible amount of things to observe and gives you inspiration to write.

You chose the title “Utilitarian” for the album, and it’s a word and concept that’s certainly open to interpretation. Why did you pick this as the name of the album?

Well, it would have been pointless for me to talk about it and make a judgment call on it without using (“Utilitarian”) as the name. It’s a philosophical theory that says many things, really, but to me, its core is, first, good actions promote good consequences, and when you put that into the wider context of the world, the world becomes a better place. Second, it’s the achievement of total happiness. It’s a really wide spectrum of ideologies , and sometimes it seems quite easy. There are some animal rights people who use this as their ethos, and on the other hand, there are many, many ultra-consumerist, ultra-capitalist kind of thinkers who like it because it promotes total happiness. And that means happiness could be achieved by any means whatsoever, though that happiness could mean causing other peoples’ unhappiness.

Now, I don’t know personally if I am a utilitarian. I wouldn’t necessarily want to classify myself as one. But what I wanted to do was draw a parallel in a sense that I live my life pretty ethically. If my actions will have a negative consequence somewhere down the line on another person or people, then I won’t do it. I won’t undertake that action. But I think living that way, acting that way, is very human. But you have self-doubt. Everyone has self-doubt. But you have to think to yourself, “Why am I doing this? Why am I living this way?” But I think a lot of people just get on with things and don’t think about these things and the consequences of their actions. I think the reason for this is we expect immediate results from everything. But ethical thinking has an end result of making a difference, but when people don’t see that difference straight away, they get impatient. You want to see the product of your efforts, and that’s where the self-doubt comes in. I kind of wanted to express that. But if you take it one step further, and this is the conclusion to everything, it’s that you do need to persevere, of course. You need to live with a certain level of resistance, and if you don’t, then that leads you toward those things that you are protesting in the first place. That leads to people and all sentient beings having been exploited further. So it’s not quite as simple as just taking that title and making an immediate decision about it.

I was thinking about the happiness aspect and kind of applying that to what’s going on in the United States with the presidential race. It seems that with the Republicans, as they’ve been accused, their idea is to promote happiness for the top level of people earnings-wise. So that’s given way to the Occupy movement. Yet, they seem to be taking on criticism because they’re not seeing the results of their actions right away.

Right, and the Occupy movement understands that it’s going to be a progressive thing. I do very much, for the record, support the Occupy movement, and they seem to understand these situations on a very basic level. You have the Tea Party movement, and I think they stand for selfishness, protectionism and self-interest. I think it would be funny if it wasn’t so serious. And now some low-income people have come out as Tea Party supporters, and what that’s effectively saying is what’s important is the power of rich corporations and individuals who completely absolve themselves of social responsibility. But it’s like if you’re not born in life with those privileges, then you’re screwed. I think there’s a real irony in all of that.

The Occupy movement is very sympathetic toward (lower-income people) and are genuinely striving for social justice. Surely that’s the point. They want people to listen, and they are determined to have people listen.  We’ve had a lot of times like that in the U.K. when people have been out on the streets and protesting. We have a long history of that, and in other countries Europe too. I think people are really sick and tired of not being listened to, so I think the Occupy movement is a very good thing. And it doesn’t look like it’s going away.

Funny enough, it seems like critics of the Occupy movement paint these people as jobless with nothing better to do. So there’s this sort of dismissal of the movement.

What, so, they’re not relevant? You don’t have a job, so you’re not relevant? Think about that statement in itself. How inhumane is that? That’s actually a quite inaccurate picture of the Occupy movement, as there are a lot of people of people who do have jobs, and they come from all across the class system, for lack of a better term, so I think they’re very relevant.

Well, what do you hope people take from “Utilitarian” once they get the record, read through the lyrics, and digest the music?

I hope they have a sense of enjoyment from the music. On the level of ethos, I am not trying to have everyone believe the things that I believe and subscribe to every perspective I put across. Yeah, I’m putting my cards on the table and saying, “This is what I think and these are the reasons why I think this.” There is a logic to this. But I don’t expect listeners to follow that path. What I do expect from people, and I think this is only right, is that they open their eyes and think for themselves. For example, if you’re religious, step out of your religion for a moment and see what’s going on. See things with your eyes open for your own self, and form your own conclusions.

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

To buy “Utilitarian,” go here: http://www.cmdistro.com/Search/napalm_death

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

In the 1980s, the Parents Music Resource Center, the silly-ass PMRC, set out on a misguided mission to expose the evils and dangers of hard rock and heavy metal. Artists as diverse as Tom Petty and Twisted Sister were put under the Washington wives’ blade to squirm and repent, though the total opposite ended up happening as the committee ended up looking like the morons that they were. It’s a good thing “Dismal Hollow,” the second effort from King Giant, wasn’t in Tipper Gore’s grubby hands, otherwise her head might have exploded.

Of course, there’s nothing sick, evil or deranged about King Giant, unless you’re referring to the stories and characters they dreamt that inhabit these eight songs. As for those folks, it’s not always bloodshed for the sake of it, as you need to invest time getting to know the people and situations that make up “Dismal Hollow” (out on their own Graveyard Hill). You might even see a little bit of yourself in some of them, even if you don’t participate in some of the activities they do. But ultimately these are stories, often gruesome ones, and if they fell into the wrong hands – you know, a group like the PMRC – the misinterpretation fest would be in full swing.

If you’re not familiar with King Giant’s music, it’s not terribly easy to explain. There’s a dirty Southern rock vibe for sure, an Appalachian folk sensibility, some doom, some classic metal. When I hear them, I typically think of Clutch, Down, ’90s Corrosion of Conformity, and Danzig, mostly because of Dave Hammerly’s baritone below and yelps that sound a heck of a lot like Glenn’s singing. But not in a copycat sense. It just sounds like when he opens his mouth, that’s what comes out, and there’s no trying to shape it into something as homage. I love his vocals, and they add an extra element to the storytelling vibe that goes on with these songs. And trust me, even if you don’t plan to, you will be sucked into the worlds created by each track.

The band hails from Virginia, a pivotal state in the Civil War struggle, and the opener “Appomattox,” named after the site of the conflict’s bloody final battle and where the Confederacy’s Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union’s Ulysses S. Grant, tells the side of soldiers who came up on the wrong end of history. Hammerly howls about “young men, young lives,” who do their deeds in the killing fields, until the whole thing comes to an end in Wilmer McLean’s parlor. Doesn’t matter where you live, it’s impossible not to be affected by this song, that revisits one of the saddest eras in American history. I cannot say enough good things about this track, and you should go out of your way to hear it. In fact, here’s the video below (it’s, um, decidedly not Civil War-ish).

From there, things mostly stay grisly and ugly, and the band’s powerful galloping and trudging make enduring such harrowing tales almost a joyous experience, as perverse as that may sound. “The Tale of Mathias” reveals the grit of a battered woman, bruised and abused by a drunken lover, but eventually she has her day. “He didn’t think I had it in me/He coughed and then he died/Last time he ever laid a hand on me,” are the words that come raging from Hammerly’s mouth, and the conviction in which he delivers those lines lets you know what corner he’s in. I’m in the same corner. “Pistols and Penance” starts and ends gently, on the strains of acoustic guitars and eventually cello, but in between is a stomper that speaks of a small town girl who gets a little too deep into the clutches of a stranger and loses everything. The guitar work from guitarists Todd Ingram and David Kowalski provide the proper thunder and swagger and leave you exhausted. “The Fog” is eerie and doomy, with a tale that seems to be about bootleggers running moonshine, and make no mistake, these boys will put a bullet in you before they let you get in their way. Closer “O’Drifter” sends this collection off with a bang, as Hammerly tells of a man driving his sunburnt orange Camaro down the highway, looking for ladies to pick up, have his way with, and eventually dump back onto the shoulder. It’s criminal and sick, but it’s just a story, kids. And the song packs a filthy wallop that’ll have you coming back to hear the yarn spun again.

King Giant are an honest, warts-and-all rock machine that always gives you all they have emotionally, musically and creatively. You need a breather when it’s all over, like you just watched an old slasher film that kept you on edge. You take these journeys with the band, my friends, and the music on “Dismal Hollow” captures you. Just don’t live like some of the people you hear about here, otherwise you might find some lead in your chest courtesy of someone who knows an undesirable when he or she sees one.

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

To buy “Dismal Hollow,” go here: http://www.kinggiant.bigcartel.com/

The New England Patriots play in the Super Bowl this weekend, and there have been major questions as to whether their shaky defense can hold up enough to bring home the Lombardi trophy. Turns out they have some warriors in their own backyard who might not be able to suit up Sunday but could drive the team’s defenders into a bloody fury come game time.

Black Pyramid label their violent emissions “psychedelic war metal,” and taking on the hulking sophomore effort from this New England-based trio lets you know right away that you better be prepared for fire and shrapnel. Maybe someone can slip this bad ass record into the locker room at Lucas Oil Field and get those dudes ready to decapitate Eli Manning. I don’t care either way. I’m a Steelers fan, and our defense isn’t allowed to tackle Tom Brady for fear of a lifetime ban from the No Fun League. Chances are if these dudes could suit up, they’d prefer to fly at you from the outside linebacker spot, with intentions of burying your chest in the grass.

So, in case you can’t tell from that opening, the music here is pretty relentless and unforgiving. It plays a bit with death and black metal, but a lot of what these guys do can be described as aggressive doom, almost like a gnarlier High on Fire or Gates of Slumber. The stoners are served as well, as their smoking riffs and leads should aim to please those whose minds are floating in the Milky Way, but for the most part, you’re going to be looking eye to eye with a battering ram. If said battering ram had eyes. You get what I mean. You’re going to get smashed, OK?

The nine tracks on “Black Pyramid II” are a step up from their initial full-length offering (they’ve put other smaller releases since then), itself a really good record that still gets played at my house fairly often. The new one’s got some highly refined songwriting, even better music, and two epics that are worth the price of admission on this dark terror. Add to that Andy Beresky’s vocals got a longer stronger and work perfectly to spread the band’s bleak messages. And that’s where out story gets sad. After the album was done, Beresky quit the band and went a little batshit on the band’s web site (according to a story at The Obelisk found here: http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2012/01/23/blackpyramidinterview-2/), leaving drummer Cam Neely and bassist Gein  to pick up the pieces. They’ve since recruited guitarist/vocalist Darryl Shepard, but we have a little while to wait to hear stuff from the new unit. So onto the “II” version ….

“Endless Agony” kicks off the record with a tempo that reminds of early Iron Maiden and a melody section that sounds alarmingly like Civil War-era song “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” and it’s only a hint of what follows. “Mercy’s Bane” is piledriving yet catchy, as they tell their tales of rape/pillage/plunder in a way only ancient villages could understand. They even call on Moloch to wreak some havoc. “Night Queen” is full of stoner gallop, as their character rides alongside the unholiest of partners. “Sons of Chaos” sparks memories of Mastodon’s earliest work, as well as everything Matt Pike has created, and it’s filled with tremendous soloing and guitar magic. “The Hidden Kingdom” is heavy in its own right, but if you sink underneath, you can see lush pockets of psychedelic keys and acoustic pathways. As for those epics, “Dreams of the Dead” seems half as long as it is, as it’s interesting, adventurous and stunning, while closer “Into the Dawn” plods along for its first half before continuously changing its pace and keeping you guessing just where in outer space they plan to drop your body.

It’s too bad this band came apart a bit right before putting out their best work yet, but they obviously have a plan for survival. Time tell if the next incarnation will be as effective, and a new guitarist/vocalist is a pretty large role to replace and could change the face of this group. But “II” is an excellent addition to your doom catalog, and while we wait to hear what the reworked lineup will bring to the plate, we can enjoy this stunner that’ll knock you on your ass.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.blackpyramid.net/

To buy “Black Pyramid II,” go here: http://blackpyramid.bigcartel.com/

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

Saying a band does things in retro fashion doesn’t mean a whole lot these days. Taking trips back into time to grab sounds from other eras seemingly is done by everyone now, so it’s become less special and more of an annoyance. I wonder if one day we can all move forward and try something new. Then again, bands did try to do that in the ’90s, and we ended up with the scourge that is nu-metal. Eck.

That’s not to suggest each band that reaches backward isn’t worth it. Many are. There are a lot of bands traveling trad doom paths, vintage thrash roads and classic death swamps to try to reinvigorate a sound or simply pay homage to a style the group admires. One such band that sounds as if they’d have been more at home in the middle of the 1980s is Sweden’s RAM, whose new record “Death” is out on Metal Blade. In fact, that’s the very label where they likely could have landed had they originated three decades ago. This stuff is made for a “Metal Massacre” compilation. Their music reminds of when I’d see new bands on Headbangers Ball (um, the first incarnation) and wonder who they were, where they came from, who they sound like. I peg RAM as a bit of Mercyful Fate with a handful of Judas Priest and a helping of Metal Church. All of those are favorable elements, as far as I’m concerned. Most of what they accomplish on this third record works, though it’s not without some drawbacks.

RAM, who hail from melodic death metal stronghold Gothenburg, have bounced around to different labels for all three platters — debut “Forced Entry” was put out by Black Path, sophomore effort “Lightbringer” was released by AMF, and now they’ve landed at the Blade. They’re now in the best place to make a major impact on the metal world and get better support, and I could see “Death” doing that for them. It rocks out pretty steadily, and while it sometimes has some more serious lyrical content, such as on “Hypnos,” it’s something you can put on while in the car, set the volume high and let the guitar magic take you there.

The band gets impressive guitar work from Harry Granroth and Daniel Johansson, as both shine on leads and do a nice job switching off seamlessly during solos. They’re the reason to listen to this band, and while I’m no expert musician, I could see this duo ending up heroes in your everyday guitar magazines. Vocalist Oscar Carlquist is both a benefit and, at times, a hindrance. He’s got a fine voice for power metal and thrash, and for the most part he carries this journey capably. But when he tries to go to all King Diamond territory vocally, it just doesn’t work. It sounds forced and unnatural coming from him, but luckily that doesn’t happen a whole lot on “Death.” For the most part, listening to his vocals gives me a bit of a nostalgia trip back to my youth when thrash and power made up my entire record collection.

“Death” is book-ended by instrumental tracks, the opener being the weird, whirry, B-movie sci-fi title cut; the closer the ominous, doomy, somber “1771.” In between is where these guys clip you with their horns.  “…Comes From the Mouth Beyond” launches the band into the meat of the record, with a galloping rhythm line, searing leads and some of those higher-register vocals I cited. “Release Me” sounds like a tribute to classic heavy metal; “Defiant” is pushed forward by the twin-guitar assault and an unshakable melody; “Frozen” takes me back in time the most, reminding a bit of “Headless Cross” era Black Sabbath, with its mid-tempo hulking, spooky lyrics and confident singing; “Under the Scythe” is a bit of cheeseball metal, especially during the chorus, but that’s fine in small doses; and “Flame of the Tyrants” is a ripper that could excite Priest, Iron Maiden and Dio fans, who may not identify with a lot of today’s sounds. and On it, Carlquist howls their battle cry, “This heavy metal tyranny!”

“Death” won’t go down as the metal album of the year or anything, and as noted, it certainly has its flaws. But as a shot of throwback, vintage metal goes, this one will get you going. The guitar work is a lot of fun, the songs are a blast and the record goes down easily. Metal gets taken a little too seriously sometimes and dissected too carefully, and I’m as guilty as anyone with that action. This takes me back to a time when metal was fun and I could put on headphones, close out the world, and battle on the side of a mountain for a little while. Hmm, I think it’s time for some “Zelda.”

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/RAM/128575340510564?sk=info

To buy “Death,” go here: http://www.indiemerchstore.com/item/13160/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.metalblade.com/english/content.php

Hey, you got 10 minutes to kill? Don’t say you don’t. Really, what do you have to do that’s so important? So sit down, shut up and get prepared to have your body beaten to a gory pulp.

I generally go long with the reviews on this site because I like to give as much insight – valuable or not – that I can about the music, but it would seem silly to go on and on about the new split effort from Nails and Skin Like Iron. This four-track piece of soul burial is over before you realize what happened, and if you’re compelled to go back and get flattened by this steamroller over and over, then I’m right along with you. Plus, as noted, the damn thing is 10 minutes long. That’s shorter than your average coffee and smoke break, and it’ll make said breather give you a boost of adrenaline that no latte or five-hour energy deal could match. Plus, you know those five-hour things are going to eventually be revealed as utter poison for your body. This split effort won’t be.

Skin Like Iron hail from San Francisco, an area that’s given us a lot of heady metal over the years from the likes of Giant Squid, Ludicra, Palace of Worms, Cormorant and so many more. These fellows are not quite of that ilk musically, but they are emotionally. Their stuff is heavy and satisfying, but strong melody lines runs underneath their emissions, giving what they do a bit more of a classic punk sound. The band has a smattering of recordings out on labels such as React!, Six Feet Under and Free Cake (many you can download for free at the Bandcamp link below), and their D-beat friendly, catchy hardcore sound likely could find a home at Deathwish Inc. at some point.

The band’s two offerings here are infectious and punishing at the same time, with charging guitar work, raspy shouts from Alex Capasso, and a musical environment that hints their shows would be as fun as they are physically demanding. They kick off with “Disappear,” an abrasively friendly anthem that should make all the fake assholes who pass themselves off as punk rock these days feel like the fraudulent jerks that they are. “The Parade” has more of the straight-up hardcore vibe, though the guitars remain colorful as ever, and the environment remains inviting to those who don’t mind doing a little sweating. Skin Like Iron could be a band that also could cross over to, say, the Warped Tour to give those kids a good shaking and a waking up. But that’s probably way too corporate for these fellows, who probably are just as content to rip down a club or VFW hall near you.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/skinlikeironsf?sk=info

And here: http://skinlikeiron.bandcamp.com/’

And here: http://www.blacksummer.com/sli/

Temporarily departing from today’s topic, if you have 11 minutes, make sure you visit Nail’s Southern Lord debut “Unsilent Death.” It’s over in a blink, but don’t think that, if you haven’t heard that platter yet, that you’d be wasting your money on such a compact full-length. It’s heavy and nasty and bloody good, and you should make a point to check it out alongside this split effort. They also have stuff out on Six Feet Under and Street Cleaner, and all of it will rattle the hell out of you. In fact, these dudes are so relentless, they qualify as one of the most violent hardcore acts out there, and their live show is said to be one to behold.

Nails’ tracks are like two hammers exploding into molten chaos. They are furious like no one’s business, and just listening to this music on your home stereo system or your iPod or whatever might get you maimed. “Annihilation” drops an anvil on you right off, and the fumes from Entombed can be sensed in your nasal passages. It’s grimy, throaty and mangling, and it will leave you in the dust. “Cry Wolf” is classic Nails, lasting a mere 22 seconds and ending in a tirade of profanity that’ll both make you worry and probably chuckle at its unquestioned venom. Nails’ packages may be tiny in size, but they’ll rip your face off like the Unabomber’s most heinous creations.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nails/173545712686679?sk=info

And here: http://www.streetcleanerrecords.com/unsilentdeath/

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

It’s been some time since we talked the mead portion of Meat Mead Metal, and since it’s Friday, I can’t think of a better time to fix that. Lots of people mark the end of the work week with a nice brew, and I’m no different. Typically I’ll take a ride over to D’s here in Pittsburgh to grab some mix and match stuff, and that’s how I came to know of the beers we’ll cover today. Oh, and then we’ll get to some Japanese death metal.

You cannot walk past 21 Amendment’s creatively designed cans without stopping to take notice. They’re easily the most eye-catching, attractive cans I’ve ever seen, and even if you’re a diehard bottled beer or draught consumer, you’d be making a huge mistake passing these by. What’s inside of them consistently has blown my mind and taste buds, and this has become one of my go-to breweries when I’m just looking to pick up a few things to relax during the evening.

The San Francisco-based brewery, owned and run by Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan, has a number of different styles, normally housed in an American history-inspired name and can. With a twist. So if you need something to make these GOP debates a little more tolerable, you can do worse than these beers. In case you’re not American, or if you are and have no clue about the nation’s history, the 21^st amendment to the Constitution brought an end to prohibition, repealing the 18^th amendment that called for a nationwide ban on liquor. This brewery celebrates that great feat, as well as the freedom to do whatever moves them when it comes to making great-tasting  craft beers. It’s a win all around.

I haven’t tried all of 21^st Amendment’s stuff yet, but that’s only because I haven’t quite gotten my hands on all of products. I spotted Fireside Chat, a winter-style ale that’s emblazoned with a drawing of FDR’s Depression-era radio talks, but was out of cash. Now I can’t find them anywhere. That made me sad because I love winter-style beers. But I’ll keep looking in case there are a few hanging around. I have had a chance to copiously sample Allies Win the War! (I have a can in my fridge right now), Back in Black IPA and Monk’s Blood, a gory-sounding beverage that’s the most delicious of all the 21^st stuff I’ve had. In fact, let’s start there.

Monk’s Blood is a Belgian dark ale that pours a nice and deep reddish brown and tastes amazing. It doesn’t get a cool American-style name (though the can kicks ass), but that’s to be understood. Our brewmasters took a trip to Belgium to explore new recipes for their ale, according to their tale, and struck gold … er, red … near the Trappist abbey of Westvletren. Thus, the name. The wonderful waves of vanilla, fig and cinnamon wash over you nicely but never overwhelm. The tastes play together like prog-death where you can point out all the parts and can explain what’s going on, but you can’t imagine the entire thing working nearly as well without all of those elements. The ABV is 8.3, and it’ll make you feel really nice and toasty if you take your time (and you should, by the way). I really love this beer, and I hope to travel to their restaurant one day to try it straight from the tap. Go get this.

The other two brews, both of which are worth your time and indulgence, also have become familiar with my ice box. Allies Win the War, a meeting of the minds involving 21^st and Ninkasi in Oregon, also is stronger at 8.5 ABV, and if you like a hops-friendly brew, this one will thrill you. In a can that looks like an old WWII newspaper front page, you’ll be thrilled these powers came together to create this dark majesty, brewed with dates, that’ll play to your sweet tooth. As for Back in Black, if you like IPAs, you need to give this a whirl. It looks like it should be a deep, bitter stout, but it totally surprises you when you drink it. It’s lighter-tasting and not thick like bread, so it’s a sort of shock to the system. Once you get over that, you get a nice drink that works best with the lights down low. Sadly for 21^st, I had this for the first time watching the 49ers/Giants NFC title tilt. Hey, guys, I tried.

For more on 21^st Amendment Brewery, go here: http://21st-amendment.com/

For more on the 21^st amendment, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-first_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

For more on Ninsaki, go here: http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/

Now for some metal, and I feel kind of bad talking about a beer can that reminds me of the Allies’ triumphs in WWII and seguing into a piece about a Japanese death metal band, but we’re all friends now, right? What I’m on about is “Implicit Obedience,” the debut full-length from Desecravity. The album (produced by Hate Eternal’s Erik Rutan, who knows a few things about how to capture savagery in the studio) comes our way via hometown powerhouse Willowtip, who obviously have a knack for finding some of the hardest-hitting, most mind-blowing bands out there. These guys are no exception, and their guttural, vicious, brutal death injects a serious dose of poison into a genre that has been crippled by groups whose sole purpose it to get their shirts into a Hot Topic bin. If you’re one of those people all pumped for Mayhem festival (God help you if you are), this band will scare the hell out of you and liquefy your guts in no time at all. THIS is mayhem.

Desecravity remind me of the early ’90s, when finding new death and thrash cassettes was a way of life. That’s when you took more chances, bought based on album cover and song titles and sometimes went home with a crushing new gem. The band’s approach is heavy and filthy, but they have an undercurrent of technicality that gives everything a dizzying feel. You get crushed and spun around a million miles per hour, and once you finally get your wits about you, you wonder what just hit you. The blazing riffs, total crunch and mind-altering madness are most potent on cuts such as tricky, trucking “Hades”; “Enthralled in Decimation,” where the drumming owns your ass; hellishly grinding and furious “Enthralled in Decimation”; and cavernous and face-beating “Dark Dimension.” By the way, Yujiro Suzuki’s infernal, guttural growls match this destruction perfectly. Dude’s throat has to hurt when he’s done.

“Implicit Obedience” is a mean-sounding, ill-intentioned, skin-shredding dose of death that typically isn’t conquered by such a young band. These guys have a promising future, and as long as they keep reaching elbow deep into the cesspool of humanity for inspiration, they should remain a dangerous group for years to come.

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

To buy “Implicit Obedience,” go here: http://www.willowtip.com/releases/details/desecravity-implicit-obedience.aspx

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

It’s story time, kids, so go grab a cookie and your favorite blanket. Here goes: As devoted as I am to the heavy metal medium and just about everything it entails, it wasn’t always that way. I lost my way at one point, despite being a large devotee from middle school into my early college years. Once I started DJing at my school radio station, I turned more toward indie and alternative and got caught up in the world just as it was exploding across the rest of the planet. While I still kept my Iron Maiden, Testament, and  Metallica (uh, the good albums) stuff nearby, they got less and less play.

But it was a phase. Eventually when I started writing about music, I decided I wanted to start exploring heavier music and the stuff I had kind of missed while I was away. I also was going through something of a mid-20s crisis, and a lot of things were blowing up and changing. My tastes were one of them, and they started to desire something raw, emotional and heavy. But it didn’t go straight to me digging up Darkthrone records or anything. Instead, my path back to extreme metal actually went through post-hardcore first. Bands such as Thursday, Cave In, Thrice, Boysetsfire, the North Atlantic and Glassjaw became more the norm, and I started to come out of the music coma in which I allowed myself to slip.

I don’t listen to a lot of that stuff anymore, and while I have tried to keep up when any of those bands release new material since I have an emotional connection, it’s only occasionally I’ll go back. And when I do, it’s always the groups’ earlier stuff since that’s what helped mold me. Occasionally, newer bands will touch on some of the things that made the post-hardcore style work for me, and that’s always a welcome thing. I felt that twinge when taking on the new split effort “Well Worn” from Caravels and Gifts From Enola. In fact, this thing has me dusting off records from some of the bands I mentioned. So we may be in nostalgia mode in my house for a bit.

While the band Caravels, who hail from Nevada, had been introduced to me preliminarily via various web sites and whatnot, I hadn’t immersed myself in much of their music until “Well Worn.” They record for Topshelf Records and pretty much bleed that heart-ripped-through chest ethos so many bands had in the early ’00s. This band would have been a juggernaut a decade ago, changing kids’ lives, helping people identify with their inner turmoil and letting their audience emote along with them. That’s not to suggest they can’t have an impact today, because so much punk and hardcore has been neutered by that Warped Tour, Hot Topic, high-commerce crap that has robbed the scene of its identity. These guys clearly have conviction and passion, and silly song titles aside, everything they do is ink-smeared-journal-page real and raw.

I can’t stop listening to Caravels’ side of the effort. Their music reminds me of the days when I’d drive around in my car, no real destination planned, and just try to find some meaning along with what was emanating from my speakers. Over the course of these three cuts – “Sagan Genesis,” “Beer Pressure” and “Bone Voyage” – this band serves notice that hardcore and post-hardcore don’t have to be so shallow. I could see this band ending up at Deathwish Inc. and having a long, happy run there, because they would fit in so well. I love their energy, and while I can’t imagine going to a hardcore show ever again (I’m old and hate kids acting like ninjas …), I’d like to see what these guys bring live. I’m going to keep enjoying these three cuts, as well as their back catalog I’ve just acquired.

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

To visit Topshelf, go here: http://topshelfrecords.org/

I got to know Virginia’s Gifts From Enola better this past summer when I reviewed their kick-ass self-titled album for Outburn. It had some of that punchiness you get with the post-hardcore thing, but they also have a keener eye for instrumentation and experimentation, sparking the parts of my brain that love Pelican and ISIS. They also can be emotional and caterwauling, but you get that in equal amounts from their vocals and their compositions. It’s a total package. You might not want to punch out a lamp when hearing them, necessarily, but that’s fine. I think it’s easier to sift through my senses and find a semblance of reason when I hear Gifts From Enola. Their gazey, fiery guitar work allow the synapses to fire, but when they even things out, that’s when I know it’s OK to breathe. It’s a full catharsis.

Gifts From Enola have two cuts on “Well Worn,” both running a few minutes longer than Caravels’ cuts. “Angel Face” is the punchier, more charging of the duo, with manic, yelped vocals, turn-on-a-dime riffs and leads, and a pace that’ll leave you frantic at points but ultimately satisfied when it’s all said and done. “Water Torture” is the dreamier song, though it does have its explosive elements, and it tends to go down more of an indie-charged hardcore avenue after bands such as Slint or Shellac. It’s a loopy, constantly evolving song that dabbles a bit in prog (drawing some At the Drive In moments), and it is an adventurous, surging ride.

“Well Worn” is one of those splits that’s bound to have its many owners picking sides, and it’ll all depend on what approach you prefer. If you want a volcano of emotion to erupt in your living room, you’ll lean toward Caravels. If you want to have something that’ll make you work a little harder to examine what’s going on in your heart, chances are you’ll choose Gifts From Enola. Or you can be like me and embrace this great package as a whole and appreciate these bands for unearthing something I lost: my love for true, passionate post-hardcore, something I feared was extinct.

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

To buy “Well Worn,” go here: http://www.mylenesheath.com/catalog.html?&Vl=32&Tp=2

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