Reviews

***Originally printed in Feral Noise #1 ***

Hellbastard/Dissent split 7” EP (Torture Garden) This is a pretty damn good split release between two great bands. Hellbastard is an old group I remember back from their Earache LP Natural Order. That album was unrelenting, fast thrash. The updated material for this split sounds somewhat different. I am sure that has to do with the fact that only one original member remains. The music is still heavy and thrash influenced but more crust sounding. Regardless, I still like their side of the split. My only complaint is the vocal effects on the song “Sea Shepherd”. I feel that ruined the whole song.

On the flipside was Houstonian band Dissent. Honestly I found their songs the best of the split. Dissent just sounds so much more brutal. The opening track “Built on Blood” really grabbed me by the throat and would not let go. That chokehold continued through the following two tracks. They really do grasp the elements of crust, death and thrash. On the first listen I had an open mind, but Dissent’s side really blew me away. Hellbastard’s tracks are pretty good, but could not stand up to Dissent’s fury.

Plutonian Shore / Humut Tabal - Oaths ov Stygian Dusk (The Dread Lair) After some procrastination, I finally picked up this Texan split EP at Sound Exchange. Being a fan of both bands, my expectations were extremely high. Was I let down? Absolutely not, both bands delivered some quality material.

“Unicursal Mediation” is the opening track by Plutonian Shore. A great piece of ambient atmosphere along the lines of a late 70s Italian horror score. For some reason it also reminded me of the soundtrack from the mutant bear movie Prophecy (1979). I think that comparison is mainly to the deep keyboard tones that dictate the piece.

For track 2, Humut Tabal rips open the moody haze with the fiery “Smiting the Peons”, an epic black metal scalping. I really like the mix on the song; all instruments are decipherable yet maintain a haunting atmosphere. The riffing on this song is memorable, with lots of changes. The listener is definitely given a plethora of flavors.

Plutonian Shore come along next, not to be outdone, they deliver the goods as well. “To Conjure Goetic Spirits” is black metal in the darkest tone. Fast beats woven with some mid tempo cadences really paint a beautifully evil landscape. When closing my eyes I envision a medieval foundation, yet with an American flavor and I mean that in a positive way. The production is comparable to Humut Tabal’s, raw with a supernatural brutal aura.

Humut Tabal finishes things off with “Ode to Misanthropy – This I swear”, a powerful track, perfect for leading the listener to the end of the CD and to the jaws of Lucifer. As in their accompanying track, the trash elements are there, but the hypnotic middle stanza is what stands out. The spoken word section is extremely creepy, almost like a spell from a diseased alchemist. I know that sounds cliché, but that is the best way to describe it. 

Overall, my judgment is extremely positive. This split EP is a nice taste of both bands that will make the listener crave more.

War Master – Pyramid of the Necropolis 12” (Torture Garden) Early on this band was considered Bolt Thrower worship, but I honestly think they really have found their own sound. I have liked all their releases, but this record really does put them on a different playing field. As one would expect, there are plenty of mid tempo war metal numbers, but also are some more upbeat tracks. From beginning to end, I like all the songs included. So it is hard for me to decide on a favorite. The recording is clean and the production is thick, giving the record a wall of destruction causing chaos. The vocals are still guttural and menacing. Instrumentally, everything is solid. Lots of catchy guitar riffs are found throughout.

The packaging is magnificent. The cover artwork is definitely fitting for a 12” sleeve. Also included is a glossy fold-out poster featuring the cover art and band photos. No printed lyrics are to be found. That is ok, because I listen to this record for the rage filled emotion the overall sound creates.

Bahimiron – Rebel Hymns of Left Handed Terror (Moribund) Although the production is muddy in sound, it really does compliment the music nicely. If this album was produced any other way, the whole atmosphere would be completely lost. There are some cool tempo changes that set the pace behind ripping guitar riffs. The vocals fall somewhere between Death and Black Metal. Collectively, all the tracks work together as one functioning unit. From beginning to end, images are brought forth of a journey through Satan’s diseased rectum. The dark desolate world is amplified with a few ambient interlude tracks between the songs.   

The packaging is nice, with simple, yet effective demonic cover art (I believe was done by a member of Chronophage). The booklet, of course has the lyrics. Also you will find old era satanic woodcuts, the same ones that everyone has already seen before. I really like the cover artwork and wish they had used the same artist to fill the booklet.

My slight criticism about the booklet is minor. This is raw, chaotic black metal in its darkest form. The disc is still in my car. With no exaggeration, I probably listened to it 20 times in a row. That is how much I like it, or maybe I was forced into some sort of trance. I am not sure.

Heavy Roach Activity (HRA) S/T 12” In this day of bland hardcore bands, I always find myself sticking with the old classics when listening to this genre. HRA, on the other hand have reached back into the past of attitude filled hardcore punk and forcefully brought it here in the present. Consisting of veterans of the Houston music scene, this band has recorded a fantastic piece of throwback hardcore. I can hear influences of bands such as the FUs, Negative Approach and the Necros. Even the cover artwork reminds me of an image that would be on a Wasted Youth album. Don’t get me wrong, this is not just a piece of nostalgia. This music is fast, aggressive with a modern day, pissed off attitude. The vocals are performed in a rapid, shouted delivery, which is perfect for the music. 20 songs packed in a for a circle pit listening extravaganza. Production wise, it really does justice in recreating the aggressiveness of a live setting. This record is not exactly brand new, but I felt a need to cover it here.

Bound in Flesh - S/T (Dread Lair) This Houston band rips out some pretty good death metal in the classic sense. Although only two tracks, they are powerful. Bands such as Suffocation and Pyrexia come to mind when listening to this release. Amongst the classic death metal riffs you’ll find some catchy, memorable mosh parts. For good measure some doom sections are thrown in. The production showcases the music perfectly. All instruments and vocals can be heard. They are a three piece, but their powerful sound would make one think otherwise. A debut full length is in the works, so this EP is a pleasant sample of what to expect.

Anal Cunt - Fuckin’ A (Patac) Now this CD is a solid example of why Mr. Putnam will be missed. His sudden, but not surprising, demise last year was a great loss. No more will we have the pleasure of hearing his foul, offensive humor. So where do I start? Well for one, the cover is a rip off of Motley Crue’s “Too Fast For Love” LP. That image alone is a small sample of what to expect. The booklet itself is worth the price. It features nice, color photos of debauchery. The best one features Mr. Putnam shooting up with a needle while receiving a blowjob from a whore. I find that completely hilarious. Unlike many of the early AC EPs, this actually has lyrics included. The topics are your usual pop rock features: Heroin, STDs, rape and violence. You know the type.

Oh I almost forgot, the music. Those of you who are familiar with AC know what to expect. However this album actually has structured songs and no blast beats are to be found. As with the Motley Crue inspired cover, the songs are pure hair metal cock rock, AC style. A different sound compared to other AC releases, but still just as heavy and noisy. It is a matter of taste, but this one gets my vote. If your feelings are easily hurt, stay clear of this release.

Discharge - Disensitise (Candlelight Records) A brand new Discharge record! Was I excited? You bet! Being that it was released on Candlelight, I expected something special. Well I was slightly disappointed. Don’t get me wrong; the songs still followed the formula that they are known for. The only problem is the production. To be forward, it was demo quality. I like that raw sort of sound, but from a legendary band with a new release on a larger label, I expected a whole lot more. I assume they were trying to recreate the sound of their early singles. That early material is a pillar in time that can never be replicated.

What I find sad is that today there are many bands playing this style and playing it better than Discharge themselves. This sounds like a bad review, but not really. The album has some good songs and I do still listen to it. I just expected a lot more.

Nails - Unsilent Death (Southern Lord) Speaking of bands playing the Discharge style the right way, we have Nails. Although this three-piece is not a direct D-Beat rip off band, they do have a metallic hardcore punk approach. The packaging is definitely reminiscent to a Discharge release, a simplistic cover and a black and white layout. I like that style and it is one that always catches my eye.

All the songs are short, raging manifestations of aggression. Nails is a hardcore band for sure, but with an early Napalm Death twist. The drumming varies between traditional beats, breakdowns and blast beats. The production is really what brings out the aggression. The guitars are thick and the drums are loud. As for vocals, they are conducted in a half scream, half shouting manner. I think they work perfectly with the music. Nothing is original here, but then again what is original these days? This is a great band and I will continue to pick up all material released by them. The best words to describe this band’s music are aggressive and violent!

Morbid - Year of the Goat (Century Media) First off I must commend Century Media for doing an incredible job on this attention-to-detail package. This 2 disc set is definitely catered to all the collector nerds. The packaging is quite impressive. The CDs are housed in a large DVD/book type case. Also included is a collector’s book, which I feel is the highlight of the package. The pages are saturated with photos and memorabilia. The memorabilia consists of old demo/bootleg covers, flyers, hand written letters/lyrics/drawings from Dead and more. The meat of the book is a comprehensive band history, gig details and recording info. Nothing from the band’s history is left untouched. 

The audio portion contains the infamous December Moon demo, a rehearsal session and the rest are all live tracks. Obviously the demo is the most listenable of the collection, but for historical purposes it is interesting to have everything presented.

Morbid is mainly legendary because of the bands some of its members went on to join, namely Mayhem and Entombed. Regardless, the band will always remain a vital landmark in the extreme music scene and this release does a grand job of celebrating its existence.

Black Witchery - Inferno of Sacred Destruction (Hells Headbangers) One listen to Black Witchery’s chaotic black metal conjures one word, Blasphemy. Literally the description comes from the word’s actual definition, but mainly from the band called Blasphemy. BW is heavily influenced by those Canadian Satanists, and do not deny it. Even the band photos pay homage to the Blasphemy look, hell even one of the members is sporting a Blasphemy shirt. Original? No. Great album? Yes!

From start to finish, this CD is a continuous barrage of goat semen coated, shards of glass. There is literally no time to catch a breath during this auditory molestation. When coming to the end of my listening adventure, I literally felt if a q-tip was put in my ear it would be covered in black grime. What a fantastic experience!

The packaging gets an A plus for a lavishly illustrated booklet, which is slightly thicker than one would expect in a CD. Of course the darkened disease called lyrics was on display as well.

There is more. Imagine that? A bonus concert DVD which is shot with multiple cameras. The sound and video are clear. In actuality, the DVD could easily have been sold separately. Inferno of Sacred Destruction is a win/win situation.

Destroyer 666 - To the Devil his Due (Hells Headbangers) Well another solid release by the Hells Headbangers. They continue to produce the goods. On this collection you will find all this Australian band’s EPs. The sound quality varies from track to track, but still all mandatory. Destroyer is a veteran band, so you should know what to expect, high quality thrash influenced black metal. All lyrics, original EP covers and liner notes are included. Not to mention some old photographs. This is a testament of the band’s progression. With each EP it is overly apparent of the growing musicianship. Beginning with a Motorhead/Bathory type influence migrating to the Destroyer sound of the present, all is covered here.

Werewolves on Wheels – Soundtrack (Finders Keepers) This film has one of the best titles in cinematic history …..and a fantastic tagline: “Tough Gang vs. The Bride of Satan!”. If you’ve seen this motorcycle gang-lycanthrope exploitation movie, you know the absurdities and the soundtrack follows that same course. Scored by country-pop songwriter Don Gere, this album is the pinnacle of b-grade camp. Being a child of the 70’s, this recording is filled with hallucinogenic passages, a couple of ridiculous folk pop songs, satanic hymns and a fuzz pedal driven guitar. The disc ends with two original radio spots. Although bizarre in its own way, this is probably one of my most played CDs.

To accompany this great disc is a thick booklet filled with a ton of information. Everything a fan would want to know is covered, the history of the film, Don Gere’s recording history and a large amount of photos. This is definitely an acquired taste that is not for everyone.