Dispirit - "Separation" preview

Preview track off the upcoming Dispirit cassette coming out this summer in time for their tour with Lycus.

Ruined - Hunter's Premonition

Upcoming cassette release by Planning For Burials new label Glowing Window Recordings.  Hunter's Premonition is really despondent gloom with moments of  beautiful intensity.  The drum/bass duo are from Grand Rapids MI and just finished a mini tour with Planning For Burial.  If you get the time, check out their previous release on their bandcamp page.

Review: HOUSE OF ATREUS - THE SPEAR AND THE ICHOR THAT FOLLOWS

House of Atreus – The Spear and the Ichor That Follows

2015 – Dark Descent Records

Mythology and heavy metal, is there a better match? At this point in the genre’s history it’s almost a cliché/copout for a metal band to use mythology as lyrical and visual fodder but, regardless of the overuse of mythological imagery and content, when it’s done right you can’t help but raise a fist to the elder gods and pay tribute.

Over the years tons of bands have adopted themes from mythology and folklore in an attempt to convey brutality and mysticism. Some succeed because they fully commit, such as Nile’s historically accurate depiction of Egyptian rituals or Primordial’s use of Celtic themes, but many fall victim to repetition and creative stagnation; Amon Amarth’s gimmickyViking metal shtick is one barnacle that springs to mind. The trick lies in a band’s ability to balance well-worn thematic ground with compelling songwriting. History proves this is easier said than done.

On paper, Minneapolis’ melodic death metalers House of Atreus probably seem like they belong in the latter category; Greek mythology inspired melodic death metal? Yeah, that sounds boring. Thankfully quality trumps convention, and on House of Atreus’ debut full length, The Spear and the Ichor That Follows, quality is priority number one. Riff after riff, this albums shreds like a wood chipper.

But let’s take a step back and talk about the elephant in the room; melodic death metal isn’t “cool” anymore. Melodic death metal gained popularity in the late 90s as an extension of the hugely influential Swedish death metal sound made popular by bands like Entombed, Dismember, Grave, and Nihilist (whose guitarist Leffe Cuzner created the signature “buzzsaw” guitar tone by running a maxed out Boss HM-2 through a Boss DS-1). But where the Swedish DM sound focused heavily on traditional blues progressions and melodies, the Melodic DM sound of the late 90s opted for more dual harmonies and prog-rock influences and eventually included almost equal parts clean and guttural vocals.

If you were a metalhead growing up in the 90s then you likely remember the explosion of this particular style. Bands like In Flames, Dark Tranquility, and Soilwork quickly became the darlings of the scene, and by the early 2000s the influence of those early Swedish pioneers could hardly be heard anymore. The Gothenburg (the geographical home base) style of death metal took over and overstayed its welcome long after the initial buzz faded. I’ll admit to falling for the melodic styling of the aforementioned bands but, as I mentioned, the massive popularity of this new style of extremity quickly saturated the metal media and lost its luster. In recent years the melodic death metal scene has lost a lot of clout, and thankfully we are seeing a resurgence of the older styles of death metal.

So what does this have to do with House of Atreus? Everything and nothing. My little history lesson serves to highlight a stigma in the metal community. For many the term “melodic death metal” is synonymous with low-rent rock radio bullshit and Hot Topic loitering teens–not a pleasant thought. But House of Atreus are melodic death metal in the strictest of terms. Their brand of death is deeply rooted in the Swedish tradition, but their use of melody is akin to the guitar stylings of NWoBHM bands like Iron Maiden and Cloven Hoof, with a little early era Bathory thrown in for good measure.

The combination of these influences results in some truly glorious songwriting; riff after riff House of Atreus create battle-ready mid-paced death marches, from the first track to the last. The use of Greek mythology actually adds a layer of depth to The Spear… It gives these anthems a clear context and purpose, and the lyrical content matches the intensity and glory of the riffs surrounding them. The vocal performance is about as solid as it gets for this type of death metal, and Anxietous Nero’s mid-range growls and occasional dips into black metal territory never overshadow or detract from the music. It should also be noted that the drumming on this album is simply amazing. It’s easy to overlook the drums on a record with so much stellar guitar work, but Ogre Thumos’ performance gives the perfect backbone for the guitarists to build upon.

Songs like opener “Trenches of Fortune” kick off with machine gun riffing that quickly breaks into a positively epic little melody that sets the tone for the seven tracks that follow. “Heir to the Crown of Sodom” changes things up by using an up-tempo black metal riff before chugging forward like a bulldozer. Even album closer “The River Black” goes for the throat, which might be the best way to describe the entire album; The Spear… is as relentless and fun as death metal gets.

Yes, The Spear and the Ichor That Follows is a melodic death metal album, but that doesn’t mean what you might think. This is real death metal: no clean singing, no keyboards, and no spacey interludes. It’s four dudes from the Midwest who know how to fucking play. House of Atreus showed a ton of promise on their 2013 EP Into the Brazen Bull, and their full-length fulfills every promise they made–putting them among the ranks of underground heroes like Sacriphyx and Ares Kingdom. Regardless of your opinion of melodic death metal or mythology, every metalhead who pays tribute to the power of the riff should give The Spear and the Ichor That Follows a spin.

Review: AUTOKRATOR - SAME

Autokrator – Same
2015 - Iron Bonehead Productions

France has long held an idolatrous position in the pantheon of cultural meccas, but below all the mushy love-caked bourgeois fluff lays one of the most intense metal scenes in the world. The birthplace of bands like Deathspell Omega, Aosoth, Peste Noir, and the mighty Blut Aus Nord; France continually churns out some of the most interesting and challenging metal, past and present.

Enter Autokrator, a band that claims no influence or allegiance to the lauded French metal scene, yet whose sound falls in line with the tradition of crushing mind-fuckery many have come to expect from this corner of the globe. While Autokrator play a brand of death/industrial/drone that doesn’t necessarily share the stage with the chaotic French black metal bands who’ve gained attention over the years, a close listen reveals a lot of similarities in their approach to extreme music.

When I pressed play on the first track of Autokrator’s debut album Same I thought, “Damn! That’s dense!” Dense–--that’s the one word I would use to describe the entire album. In my experience, density in metal music can have two effects: either a band is able to craft a listening experience that continually unfolds with repeat (and patient) listens, or the density is a studio mask covering up a lack of originality.

In the last few years a number of bands' use of density changed the way I listened to music. Darkspace’s 2014 album absolutely destroyed my perception of both black metal and industrial metal, and in 2013 Grave Upheaval created a death metal album so dense it borders on ambient music. But while those albums are shining examples of how to use density to compliment a forward thinking record, there are also bands that try and fail; such as Ritual Chamber on their 2014 album The Pits of Tentacled Screams, which just sounds muddy and sloppy.

So where does Autokrator fall on this spectrum? They (mostly) succeed. For a debut album, Same does a lot of things right. It’s one of the few times I actually feel the word “crushing” is a suitable adjective and not just something you say when you can’t think of an actual description. The atmosphere on Same is fiendishly oppressive, and I think that’s the point. This isn’t meant to be an easy record. If you asked me what my favorite track is, I’m not sure I’d have an answer¬–or maybe I’d say “all of them,” because once Same gets going it’s almost pointless to think of it in terms of individual tracks; these are movements designed to create a singular experience. An experience best described as being trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building during an air raid.

It’s a HEAVY record for sure, but beyond that it’s a record played by a band that knows its strengths. Autokrator play death metal first and foremost, but their core member, Loic.F, was also the mastermind behind the now defunct industrial metal band N.K.V.D., and that industrial influence shines through and permeates the entire album. Same is a very mechanical album. I know that might sound sterile, but in this case the mechanized sounds are mainly used on the low end and add a layer of heft that surrounds the muted riffing and roaring vocals, creating a sonic storm that actually works quite well. Autokrator also tote the drone genre tag, which is a little bit of misdirection because Same is NOT a drone record. The use of drone can be heard in some of the interludes that connect the songs together, but other than that you’d be hard pressed to pick out a drone part while the storm rages.

So, while Autokrator succeed in their use of density on Same, I wouldn’t put it in the same category as Darkspace or Grave Upheaval’s recent albums. It’s an album that shows a ton of promise, but it’s not the most varied thing you’ll hear this year. To their credit, Autokrator don’t seem to care if your mind gets blown, they just want to crush you into dust. Consider me crushed.

Plagues - Vintern Var Hård

Somewhere between ethereal and bleak, I find this Plagues tape from 2013 hypnotically addictive.  Without a doubt repetitive, but every time I listen it still feels like the first time.  lo-fi experimental black metal/noise.  Probably not for everyone, but I cant get enough.

Taphos Nomos - West of Everything Lies Death

Taphos Nomos are a Death/Doom band from Pittsburgh, PA. The band recently released their debut EP, West of Everything Lies Death via Caligari Records and it shows a lot of promise. Look for a full review from me in near future.

Intolerance - Hail The Triumvirate!

Iron Bonehead recently  released the debut demo tape from Alberta, Canada's Intolerance and it's really quite good. Mid-paced 2nd wave style black metal that is big on grooves and atmosphere. I can't wait to hear more from this band. This is one of the best things I've heard all year. 

Aelter IV