New Haven

Bone Church, Bone Church (Ripple Music 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

The self-titled album from Bone Church gets a re-issue with bonus tracks.

One of my favorite albums from 2020 was Bone Church’s Acid Communion. It is as solid a set of blues-infused heavy groove you are likely to come across. Each song is an extension and a complement to the one before. It is fantastic.

When you hear a record like that, you want to go back and listen to everything else the band has released. Ripple Music is making that easy for you with a deluxe re-issue of the first Bone Church album. The new edition has the complete original Bone Church set plus two live tracks.

As soon as you drop the needle on the first album you see where the second came from. The music is heavy metal laid down with the confident ease of musicians channeling primal elements. “Altered States” and “Pale Moon Sacrifice” are my favorite tracks but they all qualify as top picks. These are the two songs that have live versions included on the re-issue so that puts me over the moon.

Bone Church is going to be at Ripplefest Texas on August 7th and I can’t wait to see them play live. At this writing you can still get tickets to that event (link below) so grab them while you can.

Bone Church is out now. Don’t let another day go by without hearing it. Highly recommended.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/bone-church-reissue

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

Ripple Music, https://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/product/bone-church-s-t-reissue-limited-digipak-cd

Ripplefest Texas tickets, http://www.outhousetickets.com/Event/17387-Ripplefest_Texas/

Acid Communion review, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2020/06/03/ripple-round-up-2020-round-01/

Bone Church, Bone Church (Ripple Music 2021)

Entierro, El Camazotz (2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , ,

Connecticut-based metal band Entierro flap in on blackened wings for with their latest EP, El Camazotz.

The band has been active as Entierro since 2013 and have released two prior EPs and the long-player Entierro in 2018. They play a solid, middle-of-the-road heavy metal that lays the attitude plainly out and backs it up with expert performance. The band is Christopher Taylor Beaudette (vocals and bass), Victor Arduini (guitar), Chris Begnal (guitar), and Dave Parmelee (drums).

“Camazotz” refers to a wicked bat creature that shows up in the Popol Vuh and is a deity in Mayan mythology. It is excellent framing for a metal album. The music itself is not quite as dark as the title might imply, but it is heavy and surging.

Here we get five tracks: four originals and a spicy cover. “The Penance,” the opener, is a perfect driving tune with a catchy set-up, melodic chorus, and a great, tight lead break. The pace backs down on the next track, “The Tower,” offering a more serious and dramatic tone as the lead-in before turning into a driving march with a clever hook. The lead breaks are fantastic on this song, too.

“The Past” is reflective and a little melancholy, and then the title track flat out flies. You can really feel the demon bat coming for you on “El Camazotz.” The final song on the set is a cover of the Judas Priest song “Call for the Priest.” It is a faithful rendering and the world can always use more Judas Priest so it is great to hear this song chosen for the EP – one that is not often covered. It fits right in with the new music and is an effective closer.

You can get El Camazotz right now. Check out the Bandcamp link below. Recommended.

Links.

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

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

Entierro, El Camazotz (2021)