Sweden

Necrovation, Storming The Void / Starving Grave (Blood Harvest 2023)

Wayne Edwards, , , ,

Death metal band Necrovation breaks back into this dimension with a new EP, Storming The Void – Starving Grave.

Necrovation first stirred in Sweden twenty years ago. They laid down a string of reliable heavy metal releases including a couple of EPs, a demo, and two long-players, Breed Deadness Blood (2008) and Necrovation (2012). After that, they went on an extended recording hiatus. Until now. I am not sure what happened between now and then, and maybe it was nothing more than the musicians choosing not to record anything. Whatever it was, the new music is what is important today. The Metal Archives reveals the band members to be Anton Wanstadius (bass), A. Bünger (drums), and Sebastian Gadd (vocals, guitar).

There are two tracks on the new EP. “Storming The Void” is a lunging production, fierce enough the wake the dead. The death metal framework is at first familiar, but the music veers off in obscene directions with no notice at all, playing freely with multiple genres and subgenres. The muted aggression at the end of the song is a withering, frightening affair.

Its companion, “Starving Grave,” challenges the opener in intensity, but at a different pace and approach. After a measured beginning, the engine explodes and shrapnel flies in every direction, opening wounds. The melodic passage that follows is not reassuring, but is instead taunting, and a critical pummeling does indeed follow. There is a constant feeling of the presence of disembodied souls drifting nearby in the midgame, putting an elemental twist on the composition.

There are only two songs here, and they are both great. It makes me want to hear more, but until that comes to pass, this brief return is more than welcome. Recommended.

The new EP is out on Friday, February 24th through Blood Harvest Records. In the US, Bandcamp is the reliable source.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/storm-the-void-starving-grave

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

Blood Harvest Records, http://shop.bloodharvest.se/

© Wayne Edwards

Necrovation, Storming The Void / Starving Grave (Blood Harvest 2023)

Avatar, Dance Devil Dance (Black Waltz 2023)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

The dark circus comes back to town – Avatar has a new album out: Dance Devil Dance.

I first noticed Avatar just a few years ago on the festival circuit in the US. They have been producing fascinating metal albums since 2006’s Thoughts of No Tomorrow, and the band formed five years before that. Clearly, I was seriously out of the loop. I have been doing some catching up in the past couple of years, and every time I see them perform live, I am even more intrigued. Avatar is Johannes Eckerström (vocals), John Alfredsson (drums), Jonas Jarlsby (guitar), Henrik Sandelin (bass), and Tim Öhrström (guitar).

Appropriately, “Dance Devil Dance” kicks off the set. I immediately see the band on stage in my mind when the first tones drop. Avatar is known for their stage show, and they have said that they write their music for performance. I think that comes through in audio-only experience as well (although, of course, I can’t unsee them now, can I). The song has a great clip to it, and the expected satiric creepiness. I can imagine this on the radio, and I can see fans singing along at a festival, too. The music has broad appeal in the heavy music community, and that is one of its strengths.

“Chimp Mosh Pit” follows and is more directly active, almost chatty in a way. There is a great hook in there, and Eckerström’s talkative approach to the vocals on this one is engaging. It has a crisp snap. “Valley Of Disease” is more serious in tone, and heavier. It is a face-in-the-dirt kind of metal song with melodic choruses. “On The Beach” takes an aerobic approach, and when you add up these opening tracks you notice that Avatar is going to put you through the paces on this record. There is always a riff or melody or trap in every song that grabs you, no matter what the surrounding compositional structure might signal. It is a distinctive feature of their music.

If you like your metal a half-bubble or so off, this record is for you. Fans of Avatar are going to get what they are looking for. I especially like “Gotta Wanna Riot” for its joyous destructive energy. And then there is “The Dirt I’m Buried In,” which is almost a club song, and “Train,” a gloomy western gothic folk tale that erupts halfway through before returning to its essence. This is a wild album. Highly recommended.

Dance Devil Dance is out now through Black Waltz. Hit up the band’s store at the link below to see what’s what.

Live performance photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

Avatar website, https://avatarmetal.com/

Avatar store, https://usa.avatarmetal.com/

© Wayne Edwards

Avatar, Dance Devil Dance (Black Waltz 2023)

In Flames, Forgone (Nuclear Blast 2023)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

Sweden’s In Flames release their 14th studio album of mesmerizing metal, Forgone.

Much has changed for In Flames in the past thirty years. There have been line-up shifts, and an evolution in the band’s sound as the decades have passed. What has been consistent the entire time is the quality of the music and the push for excellence. Whatever direction In Flames moved in, they moved with purpose and determination. The band is Anders Fridén (vocals), Björn Gelotte (guitar), Bryce Paul (bass), Tanner Wayne (drums), and Chris Broderick (guitar).

Talking about the new album, Anders Fridén says, “In a way, it sounds stupid to say we wanted to be more ‘metal,’ because we always felt that we were. Over the last couple of years, the world became even more hostile and evil in certain ways. We have a war in Europe. People, in general, are more stressed. All of that energy and anger helped fuel this album. We went in to make something on point, heavier, and yes, ‘more metal.’” He goes on to say, “This album is about lost time. Everything is going in the wrong direction. We can’t make up for the lost time. That’s why the album is called Foregone. We’re destined to end. That realization creates different emotions – panic, frustration, fear. ‘Scary’ isn’t a horror movie or an angry metal guy screaming. The real horror is what’s going on in the news from around the world. We are basically doomed. The album is about the few moments we have left and what we do with them.”

There are a dozen tracks on the new record. First up, “The Beginning Of All Things That Will End.” It is an acoustic mood-setting intro. It is quiet and sweet at first, then turns a bit melancholy as it progresses. “State Of Slow Decay” brings out the big guitar riffs at the front. Steady reckoning turns to a charging attack setting up the intense vocals, which are urgent to the point of straining. The tone becomes most ominous as the end approaches, and the darkness begins to swell. “Meet Your Maker” is fierce and speedy, more aggressive than its predecessor. But suddenly there is a melodic, almost lyrical passage that makes you begin to understand that what is happening in complex. Then comes “Bleeding Out,” a song that frees of the last of your expectations for the music and insists you sit back and listen. It has a surprisingly proggy presence (and lead guitar break) to go along with the alternating rugged and mellowing moments.

As with In Flames albums from the past, there is a lot going on here. That is one of the things fans like so much about this music – it gives you many perspectives and offers depth to go along with the singable choruses. Save a special place in your brain for both parts of “Forgone,” and, when you hear “In The Dark,” know that it will be hard to shake. In fact, the entire album will ring in your ears long after the turntable stops. Highly recommended.

Forgone is out on Friday, February 10th through Nuclear Blast Records. You’ll find more information at the links below.

Links.

In Flames website, https://www.inflames.com/

Bandcamp, https://inflamesofficial.bandcamp.com/album/foregone

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

Nuclear Blast Records, https://www.nuclearblast.com/eu/band/in-flames

© Wayne Edwards

In Flames, Forgone (Nuclear Blast 2023)

Leper Colony, Leper Colony (Transcending Obscurity 2023)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

New music for the death metal legions: Leper Colony.

Leper Colony is a new vehicle for Rogga Johansson, best known for … what is he best known for? I mean, after all, he is in a bewildering number of bands. Here is a list of acts he is associated with, according to the Metal Archives: Battle Axis, Bloodgut, Carve, Catacomb, Dead Sun, Disruptor, Down Among the Dead Men, Echelon, Eye of Purgatory, Fondlecorpse, Formaldehydist, Furnace, Gauntlet Rule, Ghoulhouse, God Cries, Grisly, Heir Corpse One, House by the Cemetery, Humanity Delete, Johansson & Speckmann, Lobotomy Dept, Massacre, Megascavenger, Metal Against Coronavirus, Monstrous, Necrogod, Never the Dead, Paganizer, PermaDeath, Pile of Skulls, Putrevore, Reek, Revolting, Ribspreader, Rogga Johansson (solo), Severed Limbs, Stass, Stygian Dark, Svitjod, The Cleaner and Mr. Filth’s Van Murders, The Dead Cold, The Skeletal, Those Who Bring the Torture, To Descend, To the Gallows, Troikadon, and War Magic. Presumably, this is a partial list. I am most familiar with him being in Paganizer. Oh yes, and of course, Leper Colony, a new band that seeks to ensure “that the music has all the undiluted appeal of the classic albums of Death, Massacre, Morgoth and the like.” If experience counts for anything, Leper colony has a leg up. Johansson is joined by Marc Grewe (vocals) and Jon Skäre (drums).

There are nine boisterous tracks on the new record. The egg is cracked with “The Human Paradox,” an up-tempo death-thrasher with an excellent push and angry, gruff vocals. The lead guitar break is hectic and satisfying. So far so good, and, as it turns out, a sign of things to come. “Perdition’s End” keeps the ball rolling and offers an alternate take on the established premise. Like the other tracks on the album, there is a great riff here setting up thoroughly enjoyable metal. I like the speed and agility of the compositions, and the eclectic down- and side-shifts, as on “Tar and Feathers,” especially. “Leper Colony” is perhaps the oddest song in structure, and still it delivers the goods. The is an excellent set.

If you like what you have heard before from these fellows, then chances are you will like Leper Colony as well. I certainly do. It is catchy death metal, solid as granite all the way through. Recommended.

Leper Colony is out on Friday, January 13th through Transcending Obscurity Records.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://lepercolonydm.bandcamp.com/album/leper-colony-death-metal

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

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

© Wayne Edwards

Leper Colony, Leper Colony (Transcending Obscurity 2023)

Pagan Rites / Vulcan Tyrant, Split (HPGD 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Black metal madness times two is laid bare on the Pagan Rites / Vulcan Tyrant split.

Pagan Rites is a black metal band from Sweden that has been punishing the world with their heresies since 1992. They specialized in EPs and demos in the early days, but more recently have published a massive barrage of full-length albums. The band contributes two songs on the split.

First up is “Pain of the Flesh.” The song has a theatrical opening that slowly gains a more sinister purchase, laying into hooks that hold on while the vocals claw at you. Ultimately a pummeling ensues, replaced at last with gentler tones that remain, nevertheless, threatening. The other track is “Sign of the Horn,” and it leans a bit in the punk direction, setting it in feisty juxtaposition to its partner. Nicely done.

Vulcan Tyrant, from Rotterdam, Netherlands, had a strong beginning in 2005, then took a break for more than a decade just two years later. Concentrating on splits with other bands, Vulcan Tyrant did release one long-player in 2021, Vulcanocide. Like Pagan Rites, they add two tracks to the album.

“Invocation Of The Lion-Headed Serpent” is set up with a more old school arrangement than the other band’s songs, and its recording is decidedly different – more distant and echoing. It is speedy, thrashing. “Vexed By A Wicked Nightmare,” then, has a grand sound as its herald. The pace turns blistering after only a few bars, and then it is mainly in line with its forerunner.

Originally released by Take This Torch Records in 2021, the split is now available from Horror Pain Gore Death Productions in digital and CD forms. Hit the links below. If you don’t have this already, the HPGD release is a ghastly find. Recommended.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/split-12

Pagan Rites Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/PaganRites

Vulcan Tyrant Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/VulcanTyrant/

Horror Pain Gore Death, https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

© Wayne Edwards

Pagan Rites / Vulcan Tyrant, Split (HPGD 2022)

Floating, The Waves Have Teeth (Spirit Coffin 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

Sweden’s Floating debuts with a remarkably layered progressive death metal album, The Waves Have Teeth.

Floating is the duo Arvid Sjödin and Andreas Hörmark, both known for their work in the band Morbid Illusion. They decided to branch off with this new project after the former band split in order to “explore the possibilities of merging deformed and dissonant death metal the old-school way with their newly bolstered post-punk sensibilities.” The result is impressive and innovative.

There are six collateral songs on the new album. “The Seep” begins as a doom metal rumination then transforms smoothly into death metal that courses back and forth between melodic, traditional, somber, and groove. It is an intriguing combination in all of the instruments. You notice the shifts in the percussion, sure, but also in the guitars, rhythm, and vocals. It is captivating and entangling. “Gag” is a bit more linear, straight-forward horror metal song with a nice, twisted riff and periodic screeching and blast beats. “Pile of Birds” is practically a rambler, generating a great rolling guitar alongside sensational growling vocals. Feisty.

“No Eyes” lays down a prominent bass line and follows it through. The movement toward the middle is quiet almost to silence, and its reflective depth is the strength of the song. The gentle ending leads directly into “The Hill Will Know Him” where the music turns toward the esoteric and peculiarly frightening. There is no mistaking the unease that is introduced in advance of the harsher passages. It is a diabolical precursor for the final nine-minute movement, “The Floating Horror.” One song bleeds into the next throughout the album, and that transitional technique is most effective here. There are short and extended builds, as well as vast plateaus. The final flourish is muted and eccentric, delivering a final touch of uncertainty and one last shiver. Recommended.

The Waves Have Teeth is out now through Spirit Coffin Publishing on CD and digital. A tape version will follow in December.

Links.

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

Spirit Coffin Publishing, https://spiritcoffinpublishing.bigcartel.com/

© Wayne Edwards

Floating, The Waves Have Teeth (Spirit Coffin 2022)

Defleshed, Grind Over Matter (Metal Blade 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Defleshed have reformed and have created a new full-length album of blistering metal, Grind Over Matter.

Back when I first listened to Defleshed, I thought of them as a thrash band. Listening back on those albums from the 1990s, I can hear grindcore and death metal prominently as well. Whatever labels we might hang on them, the metal band from Sweden that is Defleshed was a major presence on the international scene in those days, but then in what seemed like the blink of an eye, they disappeared in 2005. Last year, the original core lineup got back together to record a couple of new tracks with the idea of including them on a vinyl boxset of their old material. The sessions went so well that what resulted was eleven new killer tracks that are collectively now known as Grind Over Matter. The band is Gustaf Jorde (vocals, bass), Lars Löfven (guitar), and Matte Modin (drums).

The album starts on “Bent Out Of Shape,” and with the opening notes we are immediately reacquainted with Defleshed. The heavy chop and pounding percussion is a feast for your ears and a strain on your throbbing jugular. Jorde’s vocals are as powerful as ever and the pace continues to be bewildering. The title track cranks next, and it feels like a sort of call to arms. It is “One Grave to Fit Them All” that seals the deal for me – I love this song with its hook and de-balancing act. The title of the album really sinks in by the third song, too, and I start to wonder how much longer can they keep this up. The answer is eight more songs.

The tracks are hard and fast, and on the brief side, running two or three minutes each, which is more than enough to get the job done. Every song has the ability to flatten you. I really like “Dear Devil” for its absolute ferocity and “Blastbeast” – I bet you can figure out why from the title. The closer, “Last Nail in the Coffin,” is a hard and sustained crack to the neck, a flurry of furious metal. If you are a fan of Defleshed then you are going really like the new album. This record is also the ideal gateway drug for new fans. Recommended.

Grind Over Matter hits the streets on Friday, October 28th through Metal Blade Records in a variety of formats. Choose your poison at the links below.

Links.

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

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

Metal Blade Records, https://www.metalblade.com/us/news/defleshed-announces-new-album-grind-over-matter/

© Wayne Edwards

Defleshed, Grind Over Matter (Metal Blade 2022)

Soilwork, Övergivenheten (Nuclear Blast 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

Soilwork make it an even dozen with their new album Övergivenheten.

Soilwork came together in the mid-nineties in Sweden. Initially, their music would probably have been categorized as melodic death metal. Later it evolved toward a groove metal, although the melody never went away. Over the decades, the band has released eleven other full-length studio albums plus a plethora of singles, EPs, and splits, making them one of the most prolific metal outfits in the business. The new record carries their banner further down the path, and delivers mana to Soilwork’s waiting fans. The band is Björn “Speed” Strid (vocals), David Andersson (guitar), Sven Karlsson (keys), Sylvain Coudret (guitar), Bastian Thusgaard (drums), and Rasmus Ehrnborn (bass).

The Google translator will tell you that Övergivenheten is “the abandonment” in English. It also offers “desolation” and “desertion” as possibilities for Övergivenhet. Even if something is lost in the translation, we certainly get the general idea.

There are fourteen tracks on the new album, including a couple of transition pieces. The title song breaks the ice with acoustic emanations, voices, and a banjo. Layers and multiple elements soon join and intertwine as the music builds until, a minute and a half in, the song really takes off. The first principal vocals are gruff and insistent while the surrounding music is less dire, and a melodic voice merges in soon enough. It is the perfect way to position the set.

“Nous Sommes La Guerre” breaks off a snappy riff up front to generate the initial mood, but the song itself is complex. Certainly, this is what we expect from Soilwork, and they offer it up on every song with their signature style whether the thrust is fast or slow, dark or light. There is no track that is simply one thing. “Electric Again” starts out as a ravager, loud and harsh enough to peel off the top layers of anything it encounters, but it also has calmer moments. “This Godless Universe” walks in quietly and bares its teeth later on. Some songs have a catchy riff, like “Death, I Hear You Calling,” while others, like “Golgata,” are front loaded with more challenging, technical presentations. Throughout it all, there is no mistaking this music for anything other than Soilwork – they have come through again with an album that raises an already high bar. Recommended.

Övergivenheten is out now through Nuclear Blast Records. Links below.

Links.

Soilwork website, https://www.soilwork.org/

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

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

© Wayne Edwards

Soilwork, Övergivenheten (Nuclear Blast 2022)

The Halo Effect, Days Of The Lost (Nuclear Blast 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

The Halo Effect brings back the glory days of melodic death metal on Days Of The Lost.

Veteran musicians from bands such as In Flames and Dark Tranquility came together last year to form a new band, The Halo Effect. The idea behind the new band was for the members to “go back to the roots and explore what the groundbreaking metal sounded like then[, a]nd add the experience and skills of what the members could bring to the table now.” The style of music they are referencing is often called “The Gothenburg Sound,” and, under a broader umbrella, melodic death metal, or melodeath. The musicians are Peter Iwers (bass), Daniel Svensson (drums), Jesper Strömblad (guitar), Niclas Engelin (guitar), and Mikael Stanne (vocals).

Over ten contemplative tracks, The Halo Effect have definitely achieved their goal. The album growls to life with “Shadowminds,” where gruff vocals live together with teedling juxtapositions and rough-and-ready guitar riffs. This is indeed a very particular kind of music. The compositions combine without irony light, bouncy lines with others that are clearly intended to be sinister. You can hear this even more clearly on the title track. It is like a medieval battle at a renaissance fair.

The execution of the ideas is flawless, and there is notable variety across the tracks while the principle is maintained. “The Needless End,” for example, is generally harder-edged while a song like “Gateways” plays toward an overall softer range. In every case, the songs are crisp and sharp, and the production level is quite high. This set is destined to be embraced by its intended audience, and it is so well done it might start a resurgence of the form. Recommended.

Days Of The Lost is out now through Nuclear Blast Records in many instantiations. Connect through the links below.

Links.

The Halo Effect website, https://www.thehaloeffect.band/

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

Nuclear Blast Records, https://www.nuclearblast.com/eu/band/the-halo-effect

© Wayne Edwards

The Halo Effect, Days Of The Lost (Nuclear Blast 2022)