Blunt Force Trauma -- Vengeance for Nothing (review)

Band: Blunt Force Trauma
Album: Vengeance for Nothing
Genre: slam death metal
Year: 2012
Label: Macabre Mementos Records

Made up of the former members of slam weirdos Jenovavirus, Blunt Force Trauma is slamming brutal death metal straight from Japan.  The one thing that seems to get thrown around when talking about these guys is their stark similarity to Dying Fetus.  It is obvious these guys took influence from the death metal icons (they're named after a Fetus song).  Despite these similarities, Blunt Force Trauma have engineered their own unique sound.
Upon listening to this album, a few things become apparent to the listener.  The first is the guitar tone.  It slices through your ears, and it's nice and heavy.  The drums also have a very powerful sound (especially that thumping kick).  Vocals are handled by all three members.  As a result, there is distinct variety with some vocal lines being somewhat intelligible and others being more primal and guttural.  The last thing that stands out is the sheer number of slam riffs that this thing packs.  The second half of "Forgotten Absolutely" is a slam riff extravaganza, and tracks such as "A Terror with Armed Intervention" and the closer "Inconsistency Politics" are merely vehicles used to deliver a plethora of slams to the listeners' ears.
One thing that really sets these guys apart from most slam bands is their fine-tuned sense of groove.  This album grooves harder than most in the genre.  "Blackboard Jungle" and "Live for Nothing or Die for Something" feature infectious rhythms, but "Exploitation of Humankind" tops them all with its furious grooves and rap-inspired vocal lines.
My only issue with the record is the "Intro" track.  I skip it every time, as "A Terror with Armed Intervention" serves as a better opener for the album.  "Intro" is good, it just should have been part of another track.
By the end of this album, I feel I can safely say that this is more than mere hero worship.  Blunt Force Trauma manages to slam and groove through ten brutal tracks resulting in a solid release.  You can give it a listen here.


Rating: 5 / 5
Top Tracks:
Live for Nothing or Die for Something
A Terror with Armed Intervention
Exploitation of Humankind
Forgotten Absolutely

Crepitation / Splattered / Gorevent / Stillbirth -- Worldwide Slamicide (review)

Bands: Crepitation, Splattered, Gorevent, Stillbirth
Album: Worldwide Slamicide
Genre: slam death metal, brutal death metal
Year: 2018
Label: Rising Nemesis, Amputated Vein

Prior to listening to this 4-way slam masterpiece, I knew of each band and was thoroughly familiar with Crepitation, but I wasn't really into any of these guys.  And then I listened to this monster.  Four bands, four different takes on slamming brutal death.
Starting off with Crepitation, the band I was most familiar with (I highly recommend their full-length, The Violence of the Slams), this shit is hot.  I know these guys for their fast slam attacks, downright sick sense of humor, and nutty vocals.  Let me emphasize the kooky, crazy dual-vocal performance.  The listeners ears are drenched in a torrent of spittle and vomit from start to finish.  I guarantee there are few vocalists out there with this much variety (if any).  It's totally whacked out.  The songwriting is just as crazy with sudden changes in tempo and shifts between riffs.  Of course, the slams come first in the scheme of things, and there's plenty to snap your neck to.  The quintet top off their wildly unique sound with samples of a dark, humorous nature.
Next up we have Splattered, who turn out to be my favorite of the bunch.  Beforehand, I had only heard a three-track promo, but their display on this split leaves me wanting more!  They start off with "Antediluvian Horror" which features almost straight groove riffage.  These riffs are punctuated with brief leads and coated with thick guttural secretion.  The song closes out with a crushing breakdown which highlights the punchy production.  "Gutted" continues the aural assault with one of the heaviest slams on the whole release.  This is quickly followed up by another slam and a blazing guitar solo.  Splattered close out their section with a pounding cover of Abominable Putridity's "Entrails Full of Vermin", a fitting homage to the slam titans.
Gorevent fills the next slot with three raw slabs of slamming death.  For those familiar with the Japanese slam kings, these tracks originally appeared on the Human Garlic Baking EP, which, I will admit, I originally wasn't a fan of.  This time around they are fucking amazing.  Tons upon tons of primitive slam riffs heaved upon the listeners' bleeding ears.  If you like old school Devourment and Cephalotripsy, you will love Gorevent.  This shit was made for knuckle-dragging cave dwellers, and it is worth every last primitive note.
Finally, we arrive at Stillbirth's three tracks.  The most modern sounding (alongside Splattered), Stillbirth mix pummeling brutal death metal with groovy slamming deathcore.  The tracks feature numerous tempo shifts and a multitude of breakdowns and slams.  The vocals are split between two vocalists and are a cross between standard deathcore and brutal death styles.  What stood out the most to me were the production values.  The guitars are very polished, and there are a number of strobe effects utilized throughout.  They manage to pull this off without overdoing it as many bands are wont to.
Overall, this is a massive split and, dare I say, album of the year (at least so far in my ears)!  Highly recommended to anyone looking for good slamming brutal death metal.  Give it a listen and pick up this death machine from the Rising Nemesis bandcamp.


Rating: 4.5 / 5
Top Tracks:
Crepitation -- Gelatinous Interdimensional Spunk Trumpet
Splattered -- Antediluvian Horror
Gorevent -- Kill
Stillbirth -- Hypnotized by Lies

Various Artists -- Odour of Dust & Rot (review)

Band: various artists
Album: Odour of Dust & Rot
Genre: black metal
Year: 2011
Label: Rhinocervs

This V/A compilation collects tracks from a number of West-Coast US black metal bands and presents a dark, mystifying experience.  For such a release, this is a very cohesive compilation; it almost feels as if a singular group is playing all the songs.  What's more is none of the offerings stands out as particularly lacking in quality, yet not everything seems inherently essential to this comp either.
The highlights of this hour-long behemoth are the opening and closing numbers.  "Enslave Every Star" leads us into the comp with waves of eerie dissonance, which effectively sets the tone for the subsequent tracks.  The artist is frustratingly uncredited, and it would seem they (possibly) provided a number of the comp's tracks (6 total uncredited tracks).  The closer is a slow, morose number by Absum (who also have multiple cuts on the release).  Their other two tracks are likewise doomy and sullen with a vocalist who is incomprehensible but clearly in agony.
The other artists bring forth equally depraved cuts of black metal fury.  Glossolalial's "Filth In the Light" stands out with its dissonant lead guitars, and Nihilobstat provide a slab of doomier black metal filth.  The longest track is provided by Kuxan Suum at nearly eleven minutes.  This piece, titled "Principle of Harmonic Resonance", takes the listener on a psychedelic, cosmic journey through Mayan astrology.
Overall, this comp is very well put together.  The tracks flow seamlessly, almost as if the bands were all one entity.  Give this fine compilation a listen on YouTube here.


Rating: 3.5 / 5
Top Tracks:
unknown -- Enslave Every Star
Absum -- Restless Specter
Glossolial -- Filth In the Light

Your End -- Le sombre triomphe (review)

Band: Your End
Album: Le sombre triomphe
Genre: blackened death/grind/sludge
Year: 2017
Label: independent

Your End started out as an extreme metal duo in 2017, but they sound as if they've been honing there sound for at least half a decade.  Needless to say, these guys exist to deliver sludgy, HM-2-driven black/death.
The EP opens with my personal favorite track, "Endless Agony."  The sludgy riffing and crushing breakdown set the morbid tone for the hail of frantic blasts and dark melodies that follow.  When the band kicks it into high-gear, the songs sound as if they are on the verge of falling apart, like all the screws are loose and everything is violently rattling.  As a result, the music sounds urgent, as if Your End is trying to record the whole thing before they shatter into oblivion.  That may not sound so good on paper, but the EP benefits from this greatly.
The pacing of the music varies from frantic blast beats to slower sludge metal passages.  There are plenty of riffs and melodies to make each track stand out from the rest.  The vocals are very much a cross between black metal rasps and grindcore growls and grunts.  The track "Dead Before Dawn" even briefly features some more emotive vocals.
Overall, Le sombre triomphe is an excellent, raw debut release from this American extreme metal duo (now a trio).  I highly recommend procuring their full catalog.  You can download this EP (for free/name your price) on bandcamp.


Rating: 4 / 5
Top Tracks:
Endless Agony
Dead Before Dawn
Drain

Within Destruction -- Deathwish (review)

Band: Within Destruction
Album: Deathwish
Genre: slamming deathcore
Year: 2018
Label: Rising Nemesis Records

Let's start 2018 out with something heavy!  My introduction to the Slovenian behemoth Within Destruction was their sophomore full-length, Void.  That album was heavy, slammy, melodic, and the double bass was fast as fuck.  So their latest outing should take that good reputation and improve upon it, right?
Well, the band did introduce new elements this time around, which is good considering the fact that this is still a relatively young band (8 years, didn't really take off 'til 2016).  The melodic passages are different than what was present on Void.  I would describe these melodies as kind of light and fleeting, whereas Void's melodic riffs were more ominous.  The vocalist has also revamped his style a bit.  The intense growling is occasionally broken up by some less-harsh moments.  It seems like the song is gonna lapse into melodic metalcore, but he reverts to tunnel-throating it as quickly as he stopped.
Aside from the aforementioned tweaks in style, this thing just turned out to be another run-of-the-mill "slam deathcore" album.  Anything that made the band's 2016 breakthrough interesting is painfully lacking here.  I couldn't even force myself to see an ounce of originality in this.  Everything from the production to the music to the album cover is so done-to-death it hurts.  Please, stop beating this dead horse.
Bonus: the guest feature on the title track made me never want to listen to Psychosadistic Design ever again.  It is that BAD.
Maybe someone can find something good to say, so check it out here.


Rating: 1.5 / 5

Батюшка -- Литургия (review)

Band: Батюшка
Album: Литургия
Genre: black metal/Orthodox chant
Year: 2015
Label: Witching Hour Productions

The Polish black metal scene has produced yet another fantastic band.  Батюшка (Batushka - title of an Orthodox priest) put a unique spin on the genre by drawing influence from the Russian Orthodox faith.  The three members of the band are shrouded in mystery, but most people say that they are involved with other projects.
Литургия (liturgiya - liturgy) is the band's debut LP, and right off the bat I am impressed.  The album is divided into eight ектении (yektenii - litanies).  The music incorporates Orthodox liturgical chants which give the album a ritualistic feel.  The chanted vocal parts are not samples like most bands use.  The chants are composed and performed by the band; thus, a good portion of the vocal work is done in this manner.  Keeping in line with the theme of 'orthodoxy', the lead vocalist employs the traditional black metal scream.  Overall, these vocal parts are central in the context of the album.
The instrumentation, while not unique, is well composed and executed professionally.  The album is dotted with killer riffs and memorable melodies.  The drumming is predominantly blast beats, but they feel somewhat subdued by the mix (which honestly works here).  The bass has a nice tone and gets a chance to be the center of attention on "Ектения VI: Уповане."  Occasionally church bells chime in between tracks.  In fact, the album feels as if it is being performed in a Russian church.  The guitars create a cavernous atmosphere, and the chants and shrieks echo off the walls.  One can almost smell the air, thick incense.  Литургия aims at creating an atmosphere first and foremost, and it succeeds while also providing quality riffage.
The sum of these litanies is an eerie yet beautiful execution of Polish black metal.  Hopefully this is not a one-off project as I hope to hear more liturgical black metal from these mysterious, talented musicians.  You can give Батюшка a listen on YouTube here.


Rating: 4 / 5
Top Tracks:
Ектения I: Очищение
Ектения III: Премудрость
Ектения II: Благословение

godheadSilo -- The Scientific Supercake (guest review)

Band: godheadSilo
Album: The Scientific Supercake
Genre: sludge/experimental
Year: 1994
Label: Kill Rock Stars

While he can err on the side of excessive “hipsterism” and I don’t always agree with all of his opinions and analysis, I still find Chuck Klosterman one of my favorite journalists because of our common interests. Klosterman’s famous “VORM” article I read in his compilation X strived to find the value of each individual musician in a band- first by calculating a musician’s worth relative to their other band members, then calculating that band’s relative worth to other bands. Ambitious? Yes. Controversial? Certainly. I had listened to most of the bands at the top of the weighted spectrum (Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Radiohead) but one name that caught my eye was godheadSilo, intriguingly weighted the same as R.E.M. Curiosity = piqued.
Watching some of the band’s mid-nineties YouTube performances, I got a sense that you had to be there. I just knew a video recording couldn’t do these guys justice- it was just a bassist (Mike Kunka) and drummer (Dan Haugh) slamming away on their instruments with relentless fury. Both the band members have experienced hearing loss and discomfort from their brutal shows, and I knew I had to pick up The Scientific Supercake right away to further my artistic experience.
After a few listens, I concur that godheadSilo were certainly less songwriters than soundcrafters. There’s almost no way to describe the SOUND of this thing- if I had to compare it to any other record I’d probably pick Godflesh’s Streetcleaner, but listening to this album at any decent volume with good speakers will make your skin crawl. I’ve always been a sucker for more sonically than technically ambitious albums, so I found this right in my wheelhouse. Fun fact- if you turn the bass all the way up on your speakers and play this, it’ll blow them out. Not that I’m willing to try.
Opener “Nuts To You” has Kunka’s strangled vocals higher in the mix than any of the other songs, with Haugh’s mutated rhythms taking center stage. They settle into a more comfortable crushing tempo on “Birthday Sandwich”, but it isn’t until the freaky white-noise blasts on “Another Schizoid Ambelism” that the record truly reaches its hair-raising peak. The heart of the record is “Mr. Push Up”, which serves as the quintessential godheadSilo song; extended, creepy intro, percolating tempos, and harsh treble spurts. “I Luv U….Nicorns” has almost a pop sensibility to it, with catchy, ripping riffs, and “Hopefully They Will Learn” serves as a bleak, disturbing intro to the final two songs, which wind down all the thrashing somewhat. Short interludes are sprinkled throughout the record, ranging from melodic (“Two Peanuts Are Walking Down The Street”) to esoteric (“Ventriloqueef”).
Kunka and Haugh haven’t explicitly expressed the desire to record again since 1998’s Share the Fantasy, so we may have seen the last of this incarnation of heavy noise rock. While the riffs can get repetitive and janky at times, and Kunka doesn’t have much to offer as a vocalist, I haven’t even heard of anything close to the general sound and diverse range of influences this album draws from, and it hasn’t been commodified and diluted by legions of poor imitators. The sound of this album draws you in initially, but the strong songwriting and attention to detail gives it multitudes of replay value. Definitely recommended.


Rating: 7.2 / 10
Top Tracks:
Another Schizoid Ambelism
Mr. Push Up

Guest review by Adam Nohl