Month: January 2022

Aegrus, The Carnal Temples (Osmose Productions 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

Finland’s black metal veterans Aegrus unleash a new EP onto the world: The Carnal Temples.

Aegrus has three full-length albums in their catalogue, and a host of EPs and demos dating back to 2006. Originating in southern Finland, Aegrus is part of the storied landscape of black metal history. According to the Metal Archives, the band is Praestigiator (guitar), Lux Tenebris (guitar, bass), Inculta (vocals), and Serpentifer (drums).

There are four tracks on the new EP, each running in the six minute range. First up, “The Carnal Temples.” A solitary guitar strums a direct riff and is soon joined by the rhythm section and the hissing, strained vocals we were waiting for. An episode of chaos follows, and then the rampaging riff returns. “In Death Rapture” opens slower, but you know the kick is coming … and it does, fierce and excoriating.

“Moonlit Coffinspirit” dooms up front with a heavy trod and a melancholy melody. The pace does grow throughout and the song ends on a vocal duet and a hammering groove. It is a very different song from the other three on the record and stands out as my favorite of the set. The final flourish is “Flesh And Blood,” a traditionally savage black metal beast. The song does have divergent groovy hooks in a couple of spots that mark it for notoriety.

If you have been following Aegrus all these years then you are in line already for this new one. It is a good place to start for newcomers to their music, too, because it shows a nice array of the variety of music the band produces. Recommended.

The Carnal Temples is out through Osmose Productions on Friday, January 28th. In the US, Bandcamp is the place to go.

Links.

Website, https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/the-carnal-temples

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Aegrusofficial

Osmose Productions, https://www.osmoseproductions.com/

Aegrus, The Carnal Temples (Osmose Productions 2022)

Earthless, Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons (Nuclear Blast 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Heavy psych-metal trio Earthless are back with a new two-track, sixty minute album: Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons.

Earthless is a trio that play guitar-driven, primarily instrumental, music. You could call it stoner, and that counts, but heavy psych makes a little more sense to me. I am a huge fan of instrumental heavy music, and Earthless has been a favorite of mine since I first heard them – so label them however you like so long as you listen to the music. The band is Isaiah Mitchell (guitar, vocals), Mike Eginton (bass), and Mario Rubalcaba (drums).

Earthless is known for long instrumental pieces, as on their seminal on albums Sonic Prayer (2005) and Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky (2007). More recently, on 2018’s Black Heaven, they created shorter songs, many with vocals. While the singing was a surprise, I liked that album a lot, too, because it still had the amazing musical compositions I had come to expect from the band. On One Hundred Demons, it is back to the long form.

According to the band, the new music was sparked by an ancient story. “The album and its title were inspired by an ancient Japanese legend in which a horde of demons, ghosts and other terrifying ghouls descend upon sleeping villages at night, once a year. Known as Hyakki Yagyō, or the “Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons,” one version of the tale states that anyone who witnesses this otherworldly procession will die instantly—or be carried off by the creatures of the night. As a result, the villagers hide in their homes, lest they become victims of these supernatural invaders.”

There are two tracks on the new album. The title track is forty minutes long and split into two parts. The second song is “Death To The Red Sea,” a mere twenty minutes. The short one was released in advance of the album, so I heard it first. It is an incredible high-energy heavy metal guitar jam sustained over the entire run time after only a very short on-ramp. It is simply incredible. It don’t know how the musicians can do it, frankly, especially Mitchell, whose fingers must have been on fire by the end.

“Night Parade of One Hundred Demons” begins more slowly and has a beautiful opening section that builds quietly, hopefully. The tempo turns sharply about seven minutes into a more dramatic posture and urgent style and pace. There is a roaring guitar movement near the fourteen-minute mark that is the inevitable result of the preceding arc. The second movement takes off in the mysterious direction and leads us along the ever-blurring path of nighttime and the cosmic realm. The incredible guitar passages are here, too, of course, and the finale is a grand exposition.

Earthless delivers on every level with this new album. The extended, intricate pieces are absorbed into your psyche while you listen. This is top-form work. Highly recommended.

Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons is out now through Nuclear Blast Records.

Links.

Website, https://www.earthlessofficial.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/earthlessrips

Nuclear Blast Records, https://www.nuclearblast.com/eu/earthless

Earthless, Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons (Nuclear Blast 2022)

Dark Meditation, Polluted Temples (Satanik Royalty Records 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

Polluted Temples is the perfect title for the new Dark Meditation album as it takes no prisoners and preserves no icons.

Seattle metal mongers Dark Meditation started their band in 2019. They released a demo that year and a second the following year. Polluted Temples is their first full-length album. The band is J. W. Mullett (bass), Will Klintberg (drums), Rane (guitar), Ian (guitar, Synth), and A. D. Vick (vocals).

There is an intro piece and nine tracks on the new album. “Babalon.Money.Magick” gets the show going with a catchy rolling riff and medium-coarse vocals walking together on a city street that seems to be changing into something else as the song goes along. The twin guitar leads has superb punches and nice overlaps. This is a mid-tempo warm-up. “Haunt Of Fear” follows and it is more severe, more pressing.

“Strange Caress (Of The Night)” takes a different chop at heavy – the opening salvo reminded me a touch of Thin Lizzy but departed after that toward a pseudo-melodic Misfits-inspired pugilism. And then “Masters Coil” is off in a slightly different direction, more solemn and darkly yearning.

There are flat-out dashes like “The Howling Wild,” and more measured and reflective tracks such as “Nocturnal Forever.” It all comes to a close with the title track, a brooding tale of woe that casts doubt on our understanding of ourselves. Surprisingly sentimental, the final song unerringly delivers the needful metal. The expansive lead work is as credibly thoughtful as it is headbanging. I got the feeling listening to this album that the band has a lot more to say and other landscapes to explore. I am looking forward to the journey. Recommended.

Polluted Temples is out on Friday, January 28th from Satanik Royalty Records. Make your offerings and take your blessings.

Band photo by Sarah Hammel.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://darkmeditation.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Darkmeditation

Satanik Royalty Records, https://www.satanikroyaltyrecords.com/

Dark Meditation, Polluted Temples (Satanik Royalty Records 2022)

Mantic Ritual, Crusader (M-Theory Audio 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

Mantic Ritual release a new 7-inch with hints of more music to come later this year.

The history of Mantic Ritual is incomplete. We know they formed under a different name around 2005 and that they released a full-length album through Nuclear Blast in 2009 called Executioner. They did a good deal of notable touring and then the original lineup split up around 2010.

Reforming in just last year or so, the new group includes originals Dan Wetmore (vocals, guitar), Jeff Potts (guitar), and Ben Mottsman (bass), with now Carlos Cruz (drums) joining the mix. It looks like they are planning to put out more music later this year, and right now we have a new song and a classic cover.

“Crusader” is the new one and it flat out rips. The charging primary riff is an elemental force of nature. Traditional heavy metal frameworks get a new hammering here, and the lead work is a treat. The vocals are clear and strong – this is everything a heavy metal song should be.

The other song is a cover of the Mercyful Fate classic “Black Funeral.” The music is faithful to the original (with some modern enhancements) and the vocals track King Diamond’s style. It is a welcome homage.

If this single is any indication of the future music to come from Mantic Ritual, then we are all in for a great ride. Recommended.

Crusader is out through M-Theory Audio on Friday, January 28th. Hit the links below for more info and for ordering options.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://manticritual.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/manticritual

M-Theory Audio, https://www.m-theoryaudio.com/

Mantic Ritual, Crusader (M-Theory Audio 2022)

Battle Beast, Circus Of Doom (Nuclear Blast 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

The unstoppable Battle Beast launches their sixth session of epic metal mayhem: Circus Of Doom.

I saw Battle Beast at the Worcester Palladium a few years back at what might have been the final New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. They were one of the earlier acts then, opening, in a way, for bands like Kamelot. I have to say Battle Beast gave the best show of that group. They had a positive, high-energy attitude and they did not hold anything back. I have had my eye on them ever since.

Circus Of Doom is Battle Beast’s sixth full-length album, following 2019’s No More Hollywood Endings. There have been a few line-up shifts, including one highly publicized schism. Whatever effect this had on the band, in the years since I have been following them there is only evidence of growth in songwriting and performance. Each album is a notch up from the one before, and the legion of fans for the band from Finland keeps expanding.

The title track opens Pandora’s Box with a calliope of metal. This is dramatic, epic music. In other words, intense, layered production surrounds the clear, powerful vocals of Noora Louhimo, who has one of the best voices for metal performance working today. The heavy guitar and rhythm makes appearances by stepping into the light and then sidles back to the shadows, but it is always there. Epic metal is a clear and particular lane for heavy music, and Battle Beast charges right down the middle of it.

Every song is up-tempo, and each has a combination of smoother and rougher elements, some leaning more on the one and others, the other. Put together, then, the album is a great success in variety and delivers to fans exactly what they are looking for. Recommended.

Nuclear Blast issues Circus Of Doom on Friday, January 21st in a plethora of physical forms and, of course, digital. You can get it anywhere that heavy music lives.

Links.

Website, https://battlebeast.fi/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/battlebeastofficial

Nuclear Blast Records, https://label.nuclearblast.com/en/music/band/discography/details/7563223.591628.circus-of-doom.html

Battle Beast, Circus Of Doom (Nuclear Blast 2022)

Döminance and Submissiön: A Tribute to Blue Öyster Cult (Ripple 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

The universe has needed a new a Blue Öyster Cult tribute album for a long time. It is finally here: Döminance and Submissiön: A Tribute to Blue Öyster Cult.

The idea for this recognition and tribute to BÖC was initiated by the late Steve Hanford (Thee Slayer Hippy), in conjunction with Ian Watts of Ape Machine. The album is being released by Ripple Music, and this is how they describe the evolution of the project.

As Poison Idea’s drummer and producer, Hanford, lived the hard road of the rock veteran. He played on two highly influential hardcore records, ‘War All The Time’ and ‘Feel The Darkness,’ and worked as a producer on indie rock projects such as Heatmiser (with Elliot Smith) and punk albums for notable names like The Hard-Ons. Following struggles with addiction and a seven-year prison sentence, he turned his life around, starting work in a music program and playing drums first in The Skull and then joining Ape Machine as drummer and producer. While on the road with Ape Machine, Steve decided to produce a tribute record to one of his favorite bands, Blue Öyster Cult.

Hanford was an accomplished and respected musician, able to round up a star-studded cast of bands for the tribute. Passing away in May of 2020, he didn’t see the project’s completion, but he completed most of the recordings, leaving Watts to gather the final pieces.

The album, then, honors and remembers a classic band and the proceeds of its sales are going toward a good cause.

For fans, knowing what’s in the box is a big deal, so here it is. “ME 262” – Mondo Machine; “Flaming Telepaths” – Great Electric Quest; “Dominance and Submission” – Cosmo-Daemonic Telegraph Company; “Godzilla” – Howling Giant; “Transmaniacon MC” – Tony Reed (Mos Generator) with Thee Slayer Hippy; “Wings Wetted Down” – IT; “Tattoo Vampire” – Mondo Generator with Thee Slayer Hippy; “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” – Ape Machine; “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll” – Zeke; “Stairway to the Stars” – War Cloud; “Fireworks” – Year of the Cobra with Thee Slayer Hippy; “7 Screaming Diz-Busters” – Fetish; and “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” – Spindrift.

I am approaching super-fan level for Blue Öyster Cult so I have a lot of opinions about hypothetical tribute albums. Which songs should be included? I can tell you. Which bands should perform the songs? Hey, just ask. When I first saw this list for this new record I had an instantaneous rush of reactions. Some of the biggest hits from the band are included, as expected. I was shocked to see a couple of my favorites songs on the album that I didn’t think would ever be included, like “Transmaniacon MC,” “Tattoo Vampire,” and “Wings Wetted Down.” Respect.

The take the bands had on the songs was typically in line with the originals. It is always a choice, isn’t it, how closely to replicate the song you are covering. Different fans will have different opinions, naturally. I liked every track. While I will always prefer the originals, it is also great to hear the well done iterations.

Döminance and Submissiön: A Tribute to Blue Öyster Cult is out now through Ripple Music. Take a look at Bandcamp or on Ripple’s site.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/d-minance-and-submissi-n-a-tribute-to-blue-yster-cult

Ripple Music, https://www.ripple-music.com/

Döminance and Submissiön: A Tribute to Blue Öyster Cult (Ripple 2022)

Abyssus, Death Revival (Transcending Obscurity 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

Greek death metal band Abyssus starts their tenth year with a full-length addition to their canon, Death Revival.

The new album might be only the second long-player from Athens-based Abyssus, but that statistic is misleading because they have released a great deal of music in the past decade. In fact, there are so many splits and EPs it is hard to keep track of them all. The band did release a compilation in 2016 called Once Entombed… that collects some of the earliest work they did, and that helps fans and collectors keep up. The best way to get started if you are new to Abyssus is to listen to their new album, Death Revival.

The music is a sort of thrash-inspired death metal. The new album hosts seven ravaging tracks that walk the line and, at times, crash right over it. Once you hear the album, you are going to want to go back and listen to more. The band is Konstantinos Analytis (vocals), Panos Gkourmpaliotis (guitar), Konstantinos Ragiadakos (bass), Jan Westermann (drums), and Chris Liakos (guitar).

“Metal Of Death” begins with a gentle rainstorm then comes crashing in hard and fast enough to give you a nose bleed. It is very much a thrash track with the riffs and lead breaks to match, and heavy vocals that turns it toward the world of death metal. Other songs are structured this way as well, but then you have divergences like “The Beast Within,” that strike a heavy groove and pair it with peppering blast beats.

I have a particular affection for “The Witch,” the shortest song of the set, for its sinister vibrancy, and for the closer, “When Wolves Are Out To Hunt,” which is the longest track. That final piece is dramatic, cinematic, and thoroughly rousing in every metal particular. Listening to it is an experience. Seek this album out – it is most excellent. Highly recommended.

Death Revival lurches to life today, Friday, January 21st, through Transcending Obscurity Records.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://abyssusgreece.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Abyssus666

Transcending Obscurity Records, https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/

Abyssus, Death Revival (Transcending Obscurity 2022)

Druid Lord, Relics Of The Dead (Hells Headbangers 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

Druid Lord conjures deep decaying darkness with their third full-length album, Relics Of The Dead.

Druid Lord has been haunting the catacombs for more than ten years. After the initial long-player Hymns For The Wicked in 2010, the band released a string of splits and a couple of EPs before the most recent full-length, Grotesque Offerings (2018). With a focus on the morbid and horror in general, the themes of the compositions are what you might expect from a doom-laden heavy music band so named. The Metal Archives records the band members as Elden Santos (drums), Pete Slate (guitar), Tony Blakk (vocals and bass), and Chris Wicklein (guitar).

There are six long songs and two transition tracks on the new album. The style is doom and death metal played both in alternating passages and as crossover experiences. “Relics Of The Dead” is a delightfully dreary requiem that drags your spirit through the muck. The following track, “Thirteen Days Of Death,” unsurprisingly, offers no sunshine. The song rolls out in a funeral procession, with heavy, hopeless vocals and slow, churning guitars. The pace becomes spritely after a couple minutes, but that does not elevate the mood. An excellent, depressing song.

I really liked “Festering Tombs,” I must say, with its nice lead flourishes and a driving, dooming intentionality. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention “Mangled As The Hideous Feed” as well – it is a song more well-titled than most. The album wraps up on “Monarch Macabre,” a beautifully rendered cinematic story of unrelenting darkness. The final bow is a short uscita that sounds like a creepy invitation to play the album again. Which I did. This one is a keeper. Recommended.

Relics Of The Dead is out on Friday, January 21st in digital, tape, and CD formats through Hells Headbangers. A vinyl version will follow in the coming months.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://druid-lord.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DruidDeathCult

Hells Headbangers Records, https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/

Druid Lord, Relics Of The Dead (Hells Headbangers 2022)

Great American Ghost, Torture World (MNRK Heavy 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

In their tenth year, Great American Ghost offers up a bloody aperitif in the form of Torture World.

Boston hardcore band Great American Ghost has been doing their thing for a while now, and has documented their rage on a number of albums including Everyone Leaves (2015), Hatred Stems From The Seed (2017), and Power Through Terror (2019). The new four-track EP is just as expressive as anything they have done before, and it seems to me that it is meant to charge up their fans for the current tour they are on with Fit For An Autopsy and Enterprise Earth. Mission accomplished. The band is Ethan Harrison (vocals), Niko Gasparrini (guitar), Davier Perez (drums), and Grayson Stewart (guitar).

“Kingmaker” sounds excessively angry and also, inexplicably, holds a kind of groove. In contrast, “Torture World” begins quietly and sweetly for a couple of seconds. The liltyness recurs throughout the song, shining a bright light on the savagery.

“Womb” is unbelievably intense with its off center attack and recursions. It is a horror elemental, inspiring fear and trepidation. The final track is the clangy and gritty “Death Forgives No One” which, despite its title and theme, has a catchy chorus that could be a radio hit in different song.

This music makes me feel punchy, makes me want to crack some heads – makes me remember the taste of blood. I don’t know if Great American Ghost has this effect on everybody, but the adrenaline injection I received is exactly what I wanted, and I am not interested in coming down. Recommended.

MNRK Heavy releases Torture World on Friday, January 20th to the masses, whether they are ready or not. Get your heaping helping at the links below.

Band photo by Chris Klump.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://greatamericanghost.bandcamp.com/album/torture-world

Website, https://tortureworld.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/GreatAmericanGhost

MNRK Heavy, https://mnrkheavy.com/

Great American Ghost, Torture World (MNRK Heavy 2022)

Buffalo Revisited, Volcanic Rock Live (Ripple Music 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

Australian metal pioneers Buffalo, performing as Buffalo Revisited, release their first live album, called Volcanic Rock Live, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the studio original.

Buffalo is a band a lot of fans today never came across but I am convinced they would be happy to hear them if they got a chance. The Australians released five full-length albums back in the 1970s, the most well-remembered being Volcanic Rock (1973). Founder and front man Dave Tice has been performing in recent years as Buffalo Revisited, playing songs from the early albums. Interestingly, Buffalo never released a live album. Until now.

Recorded on June 6, 2018 at The Bald Faced Stag Hotel in Sydney, Buffalo Revisited plays the entire Volcanic Rock album. Troy Scerri (guitar), Steve Lorkin (Bass), and Marcus Fraser (drums) joined Dave Tice to make it happen.

Some of my all-time favorite music was created in the 1970s, so I figured I was going to be on board with this one, too. I had heard Volcanic Rock before, and a couple other Buffalo albums, so I was ready.

What you realize immediately about this music is it’s a great stoner record. Laid back riffs and weathered lead guitar work seep easily into your readied head. By the second song, “Freedom,” I had settled in. I remember having a fleeting thought hoping the album was playing on a loop because I did not want to get up. Tice sounds great, and he and the other musicians celebrate the 45th anniversary of the classic album in style.

Whether you have heard of Buffalo before or not, you should listen to this album. If you are a fan of the Ripple Music catalogue, then this is for you. It fits right in. Highly recommended.

Volcanic Rock Live is out now from Ripple Music and available at Bandcamp or through the label’s on-line store.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/volcanic-rock-live

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/buffalorevisited

Ripple Music, https://www.ripple-music.com/

Buffalo Revisited, Volcanic Rock Live (Ripple Music 2022)