All Will Gather To The Shores - Their Bodies Clutter The Sea

I'm going to cover both of Russian act All Will Gather To The Shores' releases. This is their first release, Their Bodies Clutter The Sea.

Drone and ambient work well with psychedelic. The visual aspect of psychedelic has always been the main draw, and as I'm finding out now, the main draw for drone, ambient, and noise. Unlike most purely electronic or synthetic ambient or drone, All Will Gather To The Shores utilize subtle and limited strings and extremely distorted, low-mixed vocals. The latter pop up infrequently, and on this release only on "Gale" and "Calm." "Gale" is appropriately the least soothing with its noisy, distorted looping and dissonant chord transitions. As a concept it serves quite nicely, although it isn't the most compelling track.

Follow up tracks "Hope" and "Despair" are two sides of the same coin with "Hope" being guided by relatively peaceful string sounds. It's nice coming from "Gale" but since the track is barely over a minute "Despair" slowly kicks in, which is surprisingly less melancholy than the name. It's a lackadaisical track, like basking on the sun-baked deck of a ship left adrift after a monstrous storm. "Calm," the longest and most acutely developed track on the album is much more solemn in its development. The soft strings kick in before the vocals do - as harsh and distorted as ever - until they fade to light guitars and a droning outro.

The guitar tone is of note on Their Bodies Clutter The Sea. It's doomy, heavy, and distorted, and the higher register notes sound like the audio interpretation of sun rays beating down onto sunburnt backs. In a way, Their Bodies Clutter The Sea almost evokes a desert image in that regard.

A solid, but slightly underdeveloped taster of the sound that would await on Deity Of Ruin.

6.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Gale
2. Hope
3. Despair
4. Calm

Bandcamp

The Serpent's Breath VI: Passion

The formula wearing thin, Anaal Nathrakh have opted to mix it up a bit on Passion. The duo break out the grind and industrial elements with more abundance this time around.

It works to an extent. A very limited one.

As musicians, both Dave Hunt and Mick Kenney have grown far past their primitive, honest origins on The Codex Necro. Kenney's chops have been getting progressively more varied, aggressive, and melodious, while Dave Hunt has shown numerous feats of technical harsh-singing prowess by changing styles on a whim. These elements of instrumentation carry over onto Passion perfectly fine. The production, something the band has always had an issue with, hurts them in every way possible. Guitars are subdued in the worst of ways, the bass is virtually inaudible, the drums are once again sterile and that damn snare is clicking again.

High-speed grinders like "Post Traumatic Stress Euphoria" and "Locus Of Damnation" are as aggro as you would expect from these guys. Dave Hunt's vocals on "Tod Huetet Uebel" are technically brilliant and as deranged as ever, and the slower second half of the track is a unique touch for Anaal Nathrakh. "Drug-Fucking Abomination" is another pseudo-experiment on their part: it features a prolonged intro and eschews the typical popular song construct that they tend to follow. That dynamic pops up on "Paragon Pariah," which is decent at best coming from a back catalog of so many similar tracks.

Passion at times feels like a vain attempt by Anaal Nathrakh to avoid stagnating in their own filthy, misanthropic mire. The duo love their trademark sound but don't seem to know where to go with this release, and it leads to half-baked tracks on the latter half of the album. The last three are inane, lifeless tracks that don't do much to further the sound they started toying with early. The redeeming qualities on Passion, ones we've seen time and again, aren't enough to make it worth listening to over their vastly superior back catalog.

5.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Volenti Non Fit Iniuria
2. Drug-Fucking Abomination
3. Post Traumatic Stress Euphoria
4. Le Diabolique Est L'ami Du Simple
5. Locus Of Damnation
6. Tod Huetet Uebel
7. Paragon Pariah
8. Who Thinks Of the Executioner
9. Ashes Screaming Silence
10. Portrait Of The Artist

Listen // Buy

Oblivionized - Abhorrent Evolution

Alright, finally back to reviewing. It's going to be a sporadic summer with all these shows going on. Last night I just saw Ulcerate with Tombs and Svart Crown at an extremely small venue. Needless to say it was fucking awesome, but sadly their set was relatively short. Jet lagged, I assume. Next week there's a few hardcore shows and Nasum. That alone should leave me incapacitated for awhile.

Anyway...

UK technical deathgrind band Oblivionized awed the world with their extremely accessible debut EP Abhorrent Evolution last year. It reached a degree of acclaim that solidified Oblivionized at the top of the "to watch" lists for many.

Capturing the grind essence of aggression with a tasteful sense of melody and technicality, Abhorrent Evolution doesn't disappoint. "Born Into Decadence" is a strong opener with multilayered vocals and some cool effects, while "Subject to Extinction" and the title track are both more pummeling exercises in brutality. The title track features a solo as well, something most grind-influenced bands would be proud to exclude. Each track is memorable, although they are a bit more in line with technical death metal length-wise.

The aggression on here is primarily thanks to the powerful production and mixing. The snare is loud, dominating, and pounding. The guitar tone is strong as well, and the multiple vocal tracks make for a solid sense of texture. Abhorrent Evolution is a solid release if perhaps not exactly the most unique one. A great first stepping stone for a band that I look forward to seeing more from.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Born Into Decadence
2.	Abhorrent Evolution
3.	Subject to Extinction
4.	A Modern Prometheus

Bandcamp.

Death Grips - Exmilitary

Exmilitary is the stunning debut by Death Grips, a noise-hop trio from Sacramento, California. Hella drummer Zach Hill founded the project along with vocalist Stefan Burnett, and since then they've garnered a pretty big reputation in the underground scene.

To someone educated in the ways of hip-hop, these guys may seem to have an unorthodox style. Fuck, to someone uneducated in the ways of hip-hop, these guys have an unorthodox style. The vocals are not really fine-tuned for flow, but are instead loud and abrasive. It's a shock and awe tactic that works wonders on Stefan Burnett's part. Featuring some very no-wave influenced beats, each with plenty of held notes and strong basslines, Exmilitary is an album that has to be heard to understand.

It's hard not to get behind Burnett's vocals on Exmilitary. They're mixed loud and fast, filled with gusto, and are absolutely empowering. You feel like beating in someone's face when you hear his gut wrench out those wretched shouts on "Guillotine" or the killer "Takyon." Lyrically speaking Exmilitary is just as dark as it is abrasive, and features some new takes on classic topics. Take for example, "Klink," which approaches police-state dominance from a more intelligent angle that questions the concept that police are "protecting" people by invading their privacy. The track ends with a shoutout: "For my real ones who understand, What it feels like to have your rights read to you by the ..." It's relatable and it's a more explorative way of looking at how worthless and hindering police presence can be for the average person doing no wrong. At least it's more explorative than moronically shouting "fuck the police" over and over...

...Well that's not to say Death Grips doesn't go the extreme route from time to time. On the same track, there's lyrics like:

"Six feet deep below the street
So they can't never say shit again
Fuck the man with a thick broomstick
And put a black flag on the end"

It's the way Burnett goes about delivering such great lines that make Exmilitary in my opinion a modern hip-hop classic. His delivery is pounding, anguished, and pissed off. It's like listening to a grindcore album in hip-hop form. Tracks like "Takyon" and "Lord Of The Game" are absolute monsters in this regard, featuring plenty of furious delivery. There's plenty of dark religious undertones too like the numerous "Satanic" references, which are all in good fun.

Some of the later tracks like "Known For It" are a bit less exciting and energetic, but they have their own unique qualities. "I Want It I Need It" for example features some cool riffs, while "Thru The Walls" has some loud and driving rhythm courtesy of Zach Hill's drumming. His production job in general is really solid too, making Exmilitary one of my favorite experimental hip-hop releases.

8.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1. Beware
2. Guillotine
3. Spread Eagle Cross the Block
4. Lord of the game
5. Takyon
6. Cut Throat
7. Klink
8. 5D
9. Culture Shock
10. Thru the Walls
11. Known For It
12. I Want It I Need It (Death Heated)
13. Blood Creepin

Free on ThirdWorlds // Soundcloud

Revolting - In Grisly Rapture

"Revolting. And Revolting. And Revolting. And Revolting. And Revolting." That's the sample used to end Revolting's genitalia-covered, In Grisly Rapture.

Melody is a term applied to bird songs and shitty Gothenburg bands. However to Rogga Johansson the term means "Leads. Leads everywhere." Rogga's infectious leads are back, but this time their prominence is dominating and a bit forced at times. "The Plague Of Matul" features some fun yet aggressive melodies, and "Dr. Freudstein" follows up with some nice arpeggiated riffs in the verse and holds some melodious notes in the chorus. In Grisly Rapture loses the fun horror-schlock feel of it's predecessors though in exchange for a more serious, sombre tone. Honestly it hurts the sound when coupled with the more melodic riffing.

I'm not sure how I feel about this change in direction. Each track remains catchy, hook-laden, and fun, but to a lesser extent now that the melodies have been amped up and are now more prominent. Part of the reason I enjoyed the other Revolting albums so was the heavy, headbanging grooves. In Grisly Rapture trades most of them away. The track "The Devil Witch" which seem to have grooving potential devolves into boringness while more intense tracks like "(Beyond) The Book Of Eibon" and "Human Exterminator" are shadows of former glories on The Terror Threshold, although "Human Exterminator" is one of the better tracks on the album.

The production is a bit weaker as well and less bass-heavy. The mixing job isn't nearly as good this time around and it makes In Grisly Rapture feel somewhat subdued. Everything about it is weaker than it's predecessor, although there is always fun to be had with some hook-filled Swedish death metal.

7.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Hell in Dunwich
2.	The Plague of Matul
3.	Human Exterminator
4.	Dr. Freudstein
5.	"Died of Fright"
6.	Sucked into the Sand
7.	(Beyond) The Book of Eibon
8.	The Devil Witch
9.	Hideous & Revolting

Tyler The Creator - Goblin

Tyler The Creator remains extremely popular to the extent that he now has his own TV show debuting March 25th, is working with Sony Red to establish an Odd Future label, and has a big mainstream hip hop release with Goblin.

And Goblin is really weak. I'm sorry, but what the fuck is with this album? People praise it for being different, people praise it for being an insight into the anxiety expressed by Tyler when he was picked up by a big name label, and I understand those...uh...emotions can be expressed or have an impact on the music. However I feel like how these bleak emotions were expressed is the worst way to go about doing it. Thus Goblin is dull. There are sparks of ingenuity with tracks like "Yonkers" and "Tron Cat" or even "Nightmare." However the rest of the album pales in comparison to the few solid tracks, evocatively and musically.

Once again the title track starts the album, and this time serves as less of a song and more of an intro. That's fine, as it leads into the killer "Yonkers." Here we have Tyler at his best, talking about stabbing Bruno Mars in the neck (who wouldn't love to do that?) and insulting fake ginger Hayley Williams. It's a bit of black comedy, angst, and theatrical brilliance. Something that more hip hop artists need to adapt. There are a few other instances where this shines through on Goblin. Notably on "Tron Cat" where the aggressive beat compliments the lyrics perfectly.

However most of the time you're stuck with lackluster beats and lyrics that are either too devoid of flow to be entertaining, or are too mundane to be threatening. "Radicals" features throwback lyrics from Earl's Earl, and tracks like "Window" are just boring. "Fish" features some cool chromaticisms but otherwise isn't notable, and there's another fucking swag song on here: "Bitch Suck Dick." Fuck this swag shit. It sucks. Lil B sucks. Based God is my bitch and he isn't deserving of any bitches. Fuck off. At least "Golden" makes for a solid conclusion referencing Tyler's relation to the missing Earl (who is now back a year later to everyone's joy). It's a bit emotional, has a decent beat, and as a fan of Earl, something I can relate to.

The beats on Goblin are significantly weaker than on Bastard and are often extremely uninspired. There's no abrasiveness, no eerie sounds, and not much in the way of texture. Plus the samples are god awful and sound like something out of fruity loops. There's not much more to say here other than Tyler should be given more creative control over his own music and mixing.

Tyler also feels it's necessary to point out that he's not serious everytime he gets a bit aggressive in his style. He did it uncannily on Bastard, but on Goblin it feels forced and like the label asked him to do it. If he (or the label) thought it'd stop people from being offended, he was clearly in the wrong since after Goblin's release he was called out for homophobic comments and misogynist comments as well. My suggestion? Stop giving a fuck by trying to apologize. People will still see "evil" where there isn't any regardless, and those people are so worthless as human beings that their opinion is insignificant. However mine isn't because I'm not a dumbass, and I gotta say this album is pretty weak.

2.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1. Goblin
2. Yonkers
3. Radicals
4. She (feat. Frank Ocean)
5. Transylvania
6. Nightmare
7. Tron Cat
8. Her
9. Sandwitches (feat. Hodgy Beats)
10. Fish / Boppin Bitch
11. Analog (feat. Hodgy Beats)
12. Bitch Suck Dick (feat. Jasper Dolphin & Taco)
13. Window (feat. Domo Genesis, Frank Ocean, Hodgy Beats, & Mike G)
14. AU79
15. Golden

You won't be finding (or wanting) a download for this.

Deceased - Surreal Overdose

Drugs are fun. If you disagree or are one of those militant straightedge dipshits (like those people who go out of their way to prove it to others), then get the hell out. Luckily most people aren't like this, straightedge or otherwise - and they shouldn't discount trying Deceased's Surreal Overdose. As a band that's been around since '85, these guys are lucky to have a sound that still hasn't aged. They take death/thrash and inject a bit of horror into the mold, and it was great on their 2011 release.

The music on Surreal Overdose is pretty seamless with the thrash side of things taking dominance, especially on pit-stompers "Off-Kilter," "Kindred Assembly," and "The Traumatic." Like a healthy take of hallucinogens, each track slowly evolves into something pleasingly different as they bounce along. The bass is extremely prominent and plods along to every riff, each passage being speedy as thrash tends to be. The solos are also another highlight but not in the traditional sense. They don't stand out, but they compliment the tracks perfectly and add another layer to the mix.

Surreal Overdose is a big helping of fast-paced enjoyment. Other than the vocals there's not much to complain about, and even then the vocals are relatively easy to get used to. They're somewhere in the awkward range of not being guttural or gritty enough to be death metal and not being as melodic or as shouty as thrash metal. Another minor complaint is that "Skin Crawling Progress" while a great opener is a bit overlong, and "Dying In Analog" seems a bit overlong at times, but it unlike the former it does a good job of concluding the album. I have no complaints otherwise about Surreal Overdose that shows these oldbies still got a lot of life left.

8.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Skin Crawling Progress
2.	Kindred Assembly
3.	The Traumatic
4.	Cloned (Day of the Robot)
5.	Off-Kilter
6.	In the Laboratory of Joyous Gloom
7.	A Doom-Laden Aura
8.	Dying in Analog

buh-leted

Encoffination - O' Hell, Shine In Thy White Sepulchres

Fuck this week. Still. At least it's finally snowing.

Doom is a great form of metal. It embodies all the 'darker' and 'muted' emotions, ranging from fear to despair. Death on the other hand embodies all of the more vibrant mindstates like rage, intensity, and passion. Combine the two and you get a frolicking gloom that expands to encompass all that you know. Riffs swirl to convoke demons or consecrate corrupted mausoleums, while ceremonious drumming brings horrors forth from dimensions far beyond human understanding. The sound is massive and thunderous like the roar of a behemoth crawling through the darkness. That's what listening to Incantation or Funebrarum is like, and it's the sound Encoffination wishes they had.

They do an alright job of mimicking the style on O' Hell, Shine In Thy White Sepulchres though. As an album I've put off reviewing for quite awhile, I feel like it's had ample time to grow on me. Initially I found the cavernous riffing to be a bit trite and uninspired, but now I just find them boring. The funeral procession begins strong with the entrance of the corpse on "Rites Of Ceremonial Embalm'ment," but the embalmer clearly had no idea what he was doing because the corpse continues to decay on later tracks, leaving nothing but the empty shell of a sound. There are some great uses of bells to administer a healthy dose of atmosphere on tracks like "Elegant In Their Funebrial Cloaks, Arisen," and the chants on "Pall Of Unrequited Blood" give way to some of the best riffs and grooves on the album. However for the most part, this is a funeral you'll want to get through quick and easy.

That won't happen since the pacing is as slow is molasses on O' Hell. With tempos set to 'off' tracks like "Washed And Buried" and "Ritual Until Blood" crawl along like watching bacteria rot out a skull. It's not a pretty sight, and it's not very fun to listen to either. Riffs are droning-level boring and make you want them over with quickly. The production is also relatively bassy if just fitting for this style of death doom. I can definitely give the album a definitive nod in the atmosphere department though - it just goes to show that atmosphere can't make an album.

6.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Sacrum Profanum Processionali
2.	Rites of Ceremonial Embalm’ment
3.	Ritual Until Blood
4.	Elegant in Their Funebrial Cloaks, Arisen
5.	Crypt of His Communal Devourment
6.	Washed and Buried
7.	Pall of Unrequited Blood
8.	Annunciation of the Viscera

Artificial Brain - Demo

Running out of creative titles here, not that the other posts' titles before this were very creative to begin with. This time I've got a demo for you. In my opinion it's easily the best demo of 2011 and it's by a band featuring members of Revocation, Biolich, and Cyanide Breed. That's a pretty sick lineup and the Revocation and Biolich sounds are obviously present. I haven't listened to the deceased Cyanide Breed's only full-length release so I can't say if their sound is in here, but I could see it if Metal Archives is correct in calling them progressive death metal.

 

Don't get the wrong idea about Artificial Brain though. The music contained on this demo is anything but flamboyant Dream Theater self-indulgencies and is instead blisteringly frenzied and bizarre technical death metal in the vein of the bands the members are from.

"Tongues" rips into existence with a harmonized tremolo riff. These occasional segments are the only black metal influence you'll hear on the demo aside from the occasional rasp, and as the tremolo part ends on "Tongues," Will Smith's (is that really his name?) guttural vocals take over the mix. I'm really impressed by the clarity of the instruments and vocals. The mixing on the demo is fantastic and allows for all the subtleties and nuances of technical instrumentation to shine through. Odd rhythms and time signatures add another layer to the sound on here, and they're really noticeable on "Spacid." The drumming in particular is excellently done, and Keith Abrami's work is highly skilled. The riffing on "Spacid" is a bit less exuberant and exciting than the other two tracks, but it's a rhythm-dominated track, and the bass is well-performed on here as well. "Lightwaves Birthing Ages" opens with a flurry of guitar intensity courtesy of Dan Gargiulo. Multiple vocal tracks work wonders on the ears as their timbres weave dense textures around the riffing. The solo builds the track up and it collapses into a colossal, melodic drone riff that echoes out the end of the demo.

The production and mixing really blew me away for a demo, and although it is kind of silly to put that much emphasis on it, the production is clearly better than most full-length albums by established bands (especially in technical death metal). These guys know how to compose excellent death metal and each track builds to some sort of exposition or follows the sort of linearity that I absolutely adore in bands like Flourishing. I'm really pumped to hear a full-length.

8.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Tongues
2.	Spacid
3.	Lightwaves Birthing Ages

Bandcamp (it's free!)

Cianide - Gods Of Death

After reviewing Alcest I figured you should get a dose of ballsy, testosterone-fueled death metal. So I present to you: Cianide's Gods Of Death!

Masculinity: This album has it. These old-school death metallers from Chicago don't know when to relent. High gain riffing and muddy, reverb-drenched soloing dominate the soundscapes on Gods Of Death. Consistency is the name of the game for Cianide and their sound really hasn't changed much since the early '90s. However this time around there's more than one track that breaks the seven-minute mark...

Balls: This is what Cianide excels at. "Rising Of The Beast" is filled with thrashy d-beats and some unintentionally funny, traditional death metal lyrics like "six, six-fucking, six" and "All your gods are dead, now you fucking die!" It's this goofy charm that makes Gods Of Death so appealing. Pit fiends and ripped dudes wanting to flex need not worry, there's plenty of bruising to be done when the pit riffs on "Idolator" and the entirety of "Terrorstrikes" play too. I feel like Gods Of Death is a hard album to hate for that reason. The album is fun and energetic, not to the point of stupidity or cheesiness, but it has all the bouncy crossover sounds of thrash seamlessly blended with the intensity of death metal. Sadly the longer songs are really boring. The second long track, "The One True Death" almost borders on doom/death metal, and that'd be fine if it was one of the many OSDM revival bands that usually incorporate that sound like Funebrarum, but instead it makes for a boring track that I often find myself skipping over.

Good: That's what Gods Of Death is. It's not really much more than that to be completely honest. The production is clear but filled with just enough reverb, and the riffs are sometimes catchy enough to become stuck in your head, but there is absolutely nothing special on Gods Of Death.

7.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Desecration Storm
2.	Forsaken Doom
3.	Rising of the Beast
4.	Dead and Rotting
5.	Idolator
6.	Terrorstrikes
7.	The One True Death
8.	Contained and Controlled

Cormorant - Dwellings

Cormorant's Dwellings was one of my favorite albums of 2011 as you could see on my top 25 list. The full cover art is also pretty sweet and captures the progressive, whimsical feel of the album.

 

I'm not normally a fan of progressive metal. I find the whining vocals and over-indulgent instrumentation and soloing to be dull and emotionally transparent. These guys are an exception, although I wouldn't go so far as to label them as purely progressive metal. They have elements of black metal and folk metal present in their sound as well, and Dwellings is anything but an album that can be pigeonholed in such a way.

Opener "The First Man" should be an obvious example of why Dwellings can't be easily labeled. The main riff is folk-ish, with a treble dominant sound, and it slowly progresses into a mid-paced jazz break halfway through the track. The whole album flows like the winding coils of a snake, undulating between black metal riffing, progressive melodies, all backed with a dense ethereal atmosphere. Slower tracks like "Funambulist" and "Unearthly Dreamings" dominate the soundscape with rich textures and solos that remain fluid. Cormorant never delves into self-indulgent wankery either. Even the mid-album instrumental "Confusion Of Tongues" avoids this while remaining a solid showcase of musicianship. The folk melodies resurface on"A Howling Dust" while "The Purest Land" has what is perhaps the most black metal influenced intro on Dwellings. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the variety is here if it's what you're looking for - and all of the different styles are implemented near flawlessly.

Speaking of flaws, there aren't many on Dwellings. The most blatant complaint I had is with the vocals. The cleans and monotone shouting work most of the time, but sometimes on tracks like "Junta" and the latter half of "The Purest Land" they get a bit grating. The production values are pretty stellar and every instrument is completely noticeable. Thanks to the huge amount of variety on here, Dwellings succeeds in being an atmospheric and emotionally compelling piece of progressive metal.

8.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	The First Man
2.	Funambulist
3.	Confusion of Tongues
4.	Junta
5.	The Purest Land
6.	A Howling Dust
7.	Unearthly Dreamings

Bandcamp (because the interbutts is dead)

All Pigs Must Die - God Is War

All Pigs Must Die caught my ear with their self-titled EP last year. Their first full-length God Is War caught my ear and kicked my ass as well. Here crusty kids All Pigs Must Die are as abrasive and chaotic as ever, with all the raging disdain that the genre is known for liberally sprinkling throughout its music. "Pulverization" hits like a truck, "Third World Genocide" slices with intense arpeggios, and the phenomenal "Sacrosanct" will have even the most ignorant neo-conservative Baptist joining in on the pit calls.

Did I already mention that "Sacrosanct" is phenomenal? I can't stress that enough. The track is everything crust punk should be. To summarize it's a fun, d-beat track with a great bass solo and some killer tremolo riffs slightly akin to those found in black metal. This gives "Sacrosanct" a unique feel that most crust tends to lack. All the praise I'm heaping on that one track doesn't make the rest of God Is War any worse. As I mentioned a few of the other tracks share the same themes and aggression. The opener "Death Dealer" builds into a hardcore monster and "The Blessed Void" descends into a crossover thrash riff that had me headbanging the first time I listened to it. Surprisingly the weakest track on the album is the title track, which is slower and a bit more repetitive. The closer "Sadistic Vindicator" shares some of those elements but is a bit more interesting musically, riff-wise and in exposition.

The anti-religious themes are something I find interesting. Not because they're unique themes, but they're slightly more unique when brought into this kind of music. They link these themes lyrically with the traditional crusty whining about corporatism, which is pretty cool. Another thing that I can attribute my like for this album to is the dense, highly abrasive production. The guitars are heavy, the kicks have some bass to them, and the bass itself is overdriven and apparent on nearly every track. It's a nice touch that covers the entirety of God Is War. If I had given this a listen last year I would've included it in my top 25 of 2011. It's that damn good.

8.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1. Death Dealer
2. Pulverization
3. Sacrosanct
4. God Is War
5. The Blessed Void
6. Third World Genocide
7. Total Extinction
8. Sadistic Vindicator

Pulling Teeth - Funerary

Been really busy these past few days. There was the Super Bowl which I didn't give a fuck about, rampaging fans all over the school with riot police, flashbangs and rubber bullets, class work, and a bunch of other shit. I also acquired around 2gbs of hip hop and have been listening to a lot of crust lately.

And thus I shall begin my triumphant return to the blogging world with Pulling Teeth's aptly titled final album, Funerary.

Pulling Teeth plays ballsy hardcore punk that is often similar to (real) metalcore or crustcore. Funerary is my first foray into Pulling Teeth's music, and it is exactly what I expected based on that description: heavily riff-based hardcore with some intense breakdowns and pissed off vocals. Following the worthwhile keyboard intro "A Bitter Harvest," crustcore anthem "From Birth" unleashes a full myriad of furies upon the listener. It's got all the fast, metallic riffing of crust as well as the soloing, the absolutely ferocious vocalwork of Mike Riley, and it all coalesces into a breakdown. The song clocks in at just under three minutes, and on the first half of Funerary that's pretty long.

The tracks following the awesome opener, "Extinction" and "Brain Drain," are both further exercises in the style. The former opens with a grinding riff followed by a breakdown, while the latter is an exercise in more traditional hardcore with its d-beats and shouts. As you can expect from the label "metallic hardcore," some of the tracks on Funerary are a bit more metal influenced, like "The New Dark Age." This isn't a bad thing by any means, but these tracks are a bit more slow to mid-paced. They're placed in the middle of Funerary as a transition. As the album closes, the tracks get longer and much more slow-paced. "Funerary" is a droning exercise in doom-structuring that continues through "At Peace" and the clean vocals and solo-driven "Whispers." It's a fitting conclusion to the band's career and the name of the album applies perfectly here. However these songs are a bit slower and more predictable, and often delve into sludge territory.

Musically speaking Pulling Teeth doesn't do this doom-influenced style perfectly despite it being fitting for the album, but since it fits the dismal atmosphere of the album so well I'll cut them some slack. The production is also very "metallic" for lack of a better word, with high gain and reverb, which adds to this atmosphere. Shame to see these guys go since the album is pretty awesome, even if the later tracks are a bit weak in their execution.

7.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1. A Bitter Harvest
2. From Birth
3. Extinction
4. Brain Drain
5. The New Dark Age
6. Grudgeholder
7. Plastic Tombs
8. Funerary
9. At Peace
10. Whispers
11. Waiting
12. August 29

Dark Castle - Surrender To All Life Beyond Form

Dark Castle is (was?) a cool sludge and post-metal duo. Their debut Spirited Migration featured straightforward, fuzzed out riffing and the psychedelic stylings of genre titans Ufomammut. Sadly Dark Castle took the elements that made their debut decent and tossed them out the window in favor of a more "freeform" approach to songwriting that neither flows well nor succeeds in creating a compelling psychedelic atmosphere.

Surrender To All Life Beyond Form is a bit heavier than its predecessor and a bit more fuzzed out or noisy. That's not a bad thing at all and if I spun it the other way I'm sure I'd convince you that this album kicks ass. Don't get your hopes up. It doesn't. The doom riffing on "Seeing Through Time" is pretty cool and chick vocalist Stevie Floyd does a decent job on there with both spoken word cleans and her scratchy, high-pitched rasp. However for the most part her vocals are weak. There was a stylistic change here from Spirited Migration, where she implemented more guttural vocals that were surprisingly impressive. Instead her screeching gets a bit grating and often sounds forced and unnatural, especially on "Stare Into Absence" and the intro to "I Hear Wind." "Spirit Ritual" is a dull ambient-fest that could put even the most coked up dudebro or acid-eyed stoner to sleep. "To Hide Is To Die" isn't much better either. This spoken word track fails to capture any emotion at all and serves as filler on a filler-filled album.

To be honest it's painful to listen to Surrender To All Life Beyond Form. The album is awash in the aforementioned droning 'psychedelic' noise, and more often than not it detracts from the atmosphere. I've listened to pure noise albums more exciting than this and with significantly more artistic elements that don't feel forced. I read a review that commented on how pretentious the song titles are and I can agree wholeheartedly since the album doesn't do a good job of holding up to its own arrogance. Some songs aren't THAT bad though. "I Hear Wind" does feature some interesting atonal riffing ala the infamous French black metal scene and "Heavy Eyes" isn't half bad either. However songs like the stupidly-titled closer "Learning To Unlearn" are pure shit and serve no other purpose than to annoy the listener.

I wouldn't doubt if this album was written solely to fulfill a contract deal since it's so devoid of quality elements. The lack of structuring (Get it? These songs are "Beyond Form" hurr), weak vocals, and nonexistent riffs really make this one of the bigger letdowns of 2011.

3.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Surrender to All Life Beyond Form
2.	Stare into Absence
3.	Create an Impulse
4.	Seeing Through Time
5.	Heavy Eyes
6.	Spirit Ritual
7.	To Hide Is to Die
8.	I Hear Wind
9.	Learning to Unlearn

Don't even bother. Not that I could find a link anyway.

Entrapment - Crawling Morbidity

Entrapment's Crawling Morbidity is merely a demo. A demo that's weird as fuck because after listening to it I have no clue where these guys are going: either down the traditional death/thrash revival route, or the less traveled, more experimental version of the same path. There are definitely a few cool song ideas (other than the obvious "play d-beat death metal") and riffs on here, mostly on the track "Mass Obliteration." It's a pick-slide filled track with a few atypical death metal riffs thrown in close to the beginning. The opening riff honestly reminds me of something almost akin to Demilich. However it's just a fleeting passage as the demo picks up speed and predictability.

The latter two tracks "Carnal Fear" and "Crawling Morbidity" are a bit more traditional death/thrash metal with a Scandinavian, primarily Nihilist-influenced sound especially on the former (with those ghoulish laughs and all). There's quite a few d-beat passages with downtuned crossover riffing too. I usually like this stuff, but I've heard it so many times before and it's not really impressing me this time around. It can be fun in the right context especially with the raw, lo-fi production though. There's really nothing else to write about as the demo is short and doesn't leave much to the imagination. I wouldn't mind hearing a full-length from these guys though since they clearly have talent. I just wish they'd use that talent on writing some more original songs.

6.25 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Crawling Morbidity
2.	Carnal Fears
3.	Mass Obliteration

It's a trap!

Elder - Dead Roots Stirring

Settled back into school. Took a few days off from doing anything to accomplish that goal, except I devoured a few newer releases: Elder's Dead Roots Stirring being one of the better ones.

This album is everything the newest Yob wishes it could be. Freeflowing, expansive, and somewhat impulsive, this album takes the stoner/doom mold and combines it with '70s jammy goodness. In fact it basically sounds like a very highly organized and cohesive jam session. Now you might be like "that's what music is you idiot" but Dead Roots Stirring features the "jam" sound in how it's organized and put together rather than as a byproduct of it. Here there's plenty of freeform tracks chock full of catchy riffs that all work together to create a sonic stream that ebbs and flows with no real end in sight. Sounds vague I know, but it'll make sense to you after you listen to the album. Even moreso if you take some hallucinogens prior to doing so.

The riffs are mostly blues-based with Elder's Sabbathian influences. The songs sometimes enter more acoustic and almost folksy passages like that on "III," however "Gemini" and the title track are both killer riff-o-rama. The latter half of the former is like a constant lead while the latter is a bit heavier and significantly more bluesy. The song length is upwards of ten minutes for each track and not a single second is wasted on pretentious silence or self-indulgent "ambience." Well maybe "III" as a transition track is a bit dull, but "The End" is a fun, bass-filled track. "Knot" is a bit of a standout because it's by far the fastest song on the album and it does a great job concluding it as well.

Dead Roots Stirring also has an absolutely swampy production. I mean that as a compliment. The guitars are heavy, the bass is adequate, and the drums don't sound fake. Despite being a doom release the higher register notes are the primary focus throughout the album, and it works well with the production. There's a lot of variety in the riffs and with all those wild, acid-infused songstructures and this one's a huge go for me.

8.75 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Gemini
2.	Dead Roots Stirring
3.	III
4.	The End
5.	Knot

Files are going to be tough to find. Most places are shutting down accounts and deleting content left and right to cover their asses after the US government decided to go ahead and force some sites to close or make appeals. It's a ridiculous situation if you ask me and despite the whole SOPA/PIPA thing falling flat on its face, there's quite a few other bills that threaten the internet (which is how a lot of great bands are found, heard about, and marketed -- through downloading both legal and "illegal") currently on the table as well. ACTA being the primary one people are dealing with at the moment...

So yeah no downloads for now because they're all down.

Occult 45 - Grind Funk Railroad

It's been a hectic week with me trying to run around and visit as many friends as I can before I head back off to school. Now that the week is coming to a close and I've made my rounds, I actually decided to check my email and I noticed a message about this free grind demo, Grind Funk Railroad, from Philadelphia-based Occult 45.

Free grind? Color me interested. This is some cool shit. Fuzzy and with a lot of d-beat influence, there are some relatively unique passages on this demo. The opener "Intro/The Farmers Daughter" is a brooding, groove-laden monster of a track. The intro passage is slow, almost doom influenced, and guitarist Dean Sykes' use of bends works really well with the fuzzed out, feedback filled production. What I assume to be "The Farmers Daughter" begins after a True Romance sample, and leads straight into "Body Melt," which is easily the most grindcore track on the demo. Drummer Jason Dost plays some absolutely frenetic blastbeats while vocalist John Hauser ferociously belts out the title of the track.

One thing I noticed with "Body Melt" and even the extremely short "Passion for Ignorance" is that these guys know how to break it down. I tend to enjoy it when even the most abrasive grind tracks devolve into a groovy, slam-pit rut. The final track on the relatively short (even for grind) demo "Tehran Desert Vampire" is a bit crustier which is a welcome change of pace coming from the previous two tracks.

Overall while Occult 45's sound on Grind Funk Railroad isn't the most original, they make up for what they lack in originality with the execution of that sound. There isn't a bass on Grind Funk Railroad, and that's what made me think of Magrudergrind the first time I listened through the demo. That's not to say there isn't any bass frequencies though, as the guitar is tuned low and has a very fuzzy, organic tone. They've also got all the ferocity of Magrudergrind to boot. Definitely worth checking these guys out as they release more material.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

	1.	Intro/The Farmers Daughter
	2.	Body Melt
	3.	Passion for Ignorance
	4.	Tehran Desert Vampire

Choo Choo! (Bandcamp)

Beyond Creation - The Aura

Technical death metal: a polarizing genre that will often devolve into a jazz vs. classical debate, or people bitching about how lame the production is. I might be part of the latter most of the time, but Beyond Creation's debut The Aura is (was) certain to spark debates over the former. Essentially being a technical death metal showcase, it features elements of both neoclassical and jazz music, seamlessly combining the two to create a very rewarding listening experience.

There has to be something in Canada's water supply that causes children to grow up as musical virtuosos. Quebec is known for housing technical titans Gorguts as well as other big names like Quo Vadis, Augury, and now Beyond Creation. The Aura features a ton of melodious, apreggio-based riffing and progressive basslines thanks to Dominic Lapointe's use of a fretless. There are a few times where the riffs on The Aura sound a bit too much like something out of Muhammed Suiçmez' playbook, but for the most part that's the appeal. Virtuosic and semi-indulgent, it's tough to say no to these hooks.

That's not to say there isn't any real heaviness on here either, although a light bass tone and neoclassical riffing might dissuade certain listeners. Tracks like "No Request for the Corrupted" feature chugging low passages, and the superlative "Omnipresent Perception" features a brutal death metal influenced breakdown. Most of the tracks on here are also filled to the brim with hooks and catchy fills that had me coming back for more. "Social Disability" features some great and fluid time signature changes and  "Coexistence" sports what could be classified as one of the more simpler hooks on the album, being primarily melodic death metal influenced. That's not to say it's bad or dumbed down either, as the song for the most part holds up well save for the needless breakdown. The title track is solid as well with it's great basslines. In fact I'd have to say the bass is by and far the highlight instrument if there was one on this very composed album. The bass solo on the aforementioned "Omnipresent Perception" is fantastic, and it comes as no surprise that Lapointe is one of the best bassists to come out of the Quebec technical death scene.

And now to the part you saw coming: the production. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It fits the album well and allows the listener to audibly discern every instrument at pretty much every part, but I'm not too keen on the lack of bass again. The high tone of the fretless removes the need for it, but I can only imagine how much more awesome this album would be with some thick, gain-ridden sound to it. It's a minor complaint compared to the obvious sound similarities to German bands Necrophagist and Obscura, but otherwise The Aura is an absolutely stunning debut.

8.25 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	No Request for the Corrupted
2.	Coexistence
3.	Chromatic Horizon
4.	Omnipresent Perception
5.	Injustice Revealed
6.	Le Détenteur
7.	The Aura
8.	Social Disability
9.	Elevation Path
10.	The Deported

Tombstalker - Tombstalker

Quickies. Solely because my music listening habits in the past week have been pretty erratic and I don't feel like reviewing albums we've all heard time and again, at least not right now.

Prior to releasing any full-lengths, some bands play it reluctantly. Kentucky's Tombstalker is one of those bands. They've released nothing but demos and performed on a few splits with various black metal bands. Last year they released their self-titled EP which is full of black/death thrashing fun. A track by track review is in order as the EP consists of a mere four songs.

"Lecherous Aeon" opens with a tremolo theme, and if the guitar tone wasn't so fuzzy and distorted I would probably mistake it for something out of Skeletonwitch's early discography. It's got all their melodic tendencies but a decent production to back it up. The tremolo theme makes a recurring appearance and overall the song is really well-written. "Ocularis Terribus" is a more death metal influenced romp. It even has a few pinch harmonics which with the production give some of the riffs an interesting sound. "Supreme Veneration of Death" like the previous two tracks is littered with d-beat goodness and the closer "Bastard Warriors" is, if described in one word, blastacular. In several words it's a bit more dull than the previous tracks but it could've been worse.

The mixing is pretty sound on here, with the riffs being prominent and powerful but also distorted to proper levels. The vocals are primarily black metal influenced, with high growls and thrash grunting being frontman Anton Escobar's primary form of communication. I think the best part of Tombstalker's self-titled is that it gives us something to look forward to. These guys clearly know how to write catchy songs with integrity, and I'm really hoping they keep that sound when they release a full-length.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1. Lecherous Aeon
2. Ocularis Terribus
3. Supreme Veneration Of Death
4. Bastard Warriors

Heresiarch - Hammer Of Intransigence

'Bestial' black metal is one of the more prolific subgenres these days. New bands seem to pop up on a weekly basis to display their affinity for Sarcofago, Blasphemy, Von, Profanatica, etc. New Zealand is notorious for part of this resurgence, with bands like Diocletian and Witchrist. Heresiarch which contains members of Diocletian debuted with their EP Hammer Of Intransigence after releasing a demo in early 2011. Heresiarch's brand of bestial black metal is similar to all the aforementioned bands with an added dose of that "war metal" feel that the genre is known for.

Air raid sirens blaring, "Carnivore" starts the war march and it doesn't end until "Intransigent" is finished. Militant, snare-dominated blasting really pervades Hammer Of Intransigence through and through. There are a few slower breaks like in the latter half of "Carnivore," and of course there's the intro track "Abomination" which is, like 99% of ambient intro tracks, worthless. The rest of the album sticks to the familiar: blastbeats, 'bestial' chords, and a primitive tone. They work the familiar pretty competently as well. The production is also pretty fitting if nothing special.

Honestly the artwork is probably the best part of this album. It's colorful with the symbol of chaos brazened above a pile of skulls. Very metal, very well done, and the color scheme is perfect. Sadly the rest of the album isn't as great. Just more cannon-fodder for the bestial war march.

6.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Abomination
2.	Carnivore
3.	Iconoclasm
4.	Thunorrad
5.	Conflagration
6.	Intransigent