The various listens I had over the previous week, first staying up-to-date on current releases before going through the ages to listen to an older release.
First up is the newer releases:
Illvilja-Endless Rivers (76/100)
The sixth release from the Swedish one-man Black Metal project. Simplistic, swirling riff-work and ethereal keys dominate a sluggish, atmospheric-drenched affair filled with laconic tempos spiced up with the occasional drum-blasts and double-bass outbursts. Given the general one-note approach to the material, the straightforward nature renders it easy to predict where it's going with very little deviation in the rhythms beyond the general tempo and structure here. The general vibe and atmosphere generated by the plodding riffs and spacious, sprawling keys are effectively evocative of the frosty outdoors of nature but is otherwise kept to such a lethargic pace that the few outbursts to charge up the tempo can't overcome the mood present which is the most dominating factor here. Remarkably, though, the lighter ethereal nature of the work is due to the fine production that mixes everything down a lighter, atmospheric tone for a fun experience.
Bloodmessiah-Denounce Your God (89/100)
The second release from Floridian Death Metal two-piece. A vicious whirlwind of swirling tremolo riff-work, dynamic drumming that runs the gamut from frenzied blastbeats to steady mid-tempo beats, and a pummeling atmosphere from the rhythms that leaves everything tight, up-tempo, and quite intense. The riff-work remains quite enjoyable with the tremolo rhythms and mid-tempo thrashing chugs providing a vicious impact with the ability to drop the intensity down into the mid-tempo range in order for the more impactful up-tempo sections to strike with a more devastating tone. It tends to dip slightly when the stuttering tempos, groove-chugging patterns, and relentless one-note double-bass blasts emerge in the writing which highlights the fact that the bands' tricks are quite commonplace in the genre with everything here being quite formulaic from other groups in the style. Still, the positives here far outweigh those negative points and keep this one quite engaging throughout.
Pulmonary Embolism-Requiem (30/100)
The long-delayed debut from the one-man California Death Metal project. Sluggish, plodding rhythms and lackluster sweeping patterns dominate this one, generally lending to a highly uninvolved time here since the general approach feels incredibly one-note and just ineffective all-around. The riffing is utterly simplistic relying on sweeping, swirling patterns attempting to inject some atmosphere to the whole affair but just completely fail to make any kind of impact or impression beyond swirling background noise interrupted by sluggish drum-beats that are just as simplistic and dragging as the riffing. With an arid production that further robs the material of life, raspy vocals that barely have any bite or ferocity whether it's hoarse shrieking or breathless clean-croons, and a real lack of diversity within the material as a whole, the whole thing becomes that much more unengaging.
Bestial Profanation-Sanctuary of the Living Dead (80/100)
The full-length debut from Argentine old-school Death Metal group. Ravenous, old-school simplicity fueled with an equal mix of chugging patterns and a frantic driving series of drum-blasts that retain a vicious mid-tempo groove charging throughout the material. The swirling leads and fast-paced rhythms manage to keep this one up-tempo and generally engaging with the tight drum-work to make for a highly likable old-school series of rhythms to match the general atmosphere of the production. The simplistic nature of the riffing is never compromised as the short, compacted rhythms are generally given plenty of space to build into dynamic outbursts that carry quite a punch overall. The decision to include grand sweeping melodies here, mainly in the mid-album instrumental interlude break and on the closing moments of the outro song is serviceable enough injections to mix up the playing style here and there but the main highlight is the devastating attack generally featured here.
Toxic Thrill-...And Still After (77/100)
The fourth release from the Mexican revivalist thrashers. A straightforward and ultra-simplistic bout of aggressive thrash riffing, stuttering groove-laced tempos, and the occasional burst of frantic drum-blasts for a fun retro-styled romp. The razorwire riffing caters almost to the crossover-styled chugging and speed metal patterns that are generally quite formidable and leave a strong impact against the more melodic injections brought into the fray through the straightforward work here. With a massive multi-sectioned epic that's far too technically skilled and involved for their skill-set at the moment, it sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the tighter, more raucous material elsewhere throughout here which is kept to shorter, more aggressive chugging thrash riffing instead of plodding mid-tempo sweeps and causing it to drop some of the momentum established elsewhere here. It's only a minor grievance against the rest of the aggressive work that's quite enjoyable.
Inhibidor-Vértigo (83/100)
The debut solo album from the Argentine guitarist with instrumentation and solos provided by guests in the scene. Steady, chugging traditional-minded riffing and straightforward structures graced with sprawling mid-tempo patterns, stuttering drum-work, and thick bass-lines provide a fantastic grounding for the emotional rhythms that follow. The melodies are brought to the forefront through the lively production that places an importance on these rhythms standing out against the rest of the rhythm section at play with the clanking bass in the background and steady, simplistic drumming pounding out a solid mid-range base to work off of, with the guests providing some vibrant, fiery soloing to match the atmosphere conjured by the rest of the steady patterns featured here. The material seems to always be stuck in that mid-tempo gear, embracing the odd Latin-styled melodic arrangement for variety but never letting loose and keeping everything at nearly the same pace and register which can make for a challenge with as many tracks as there are here and could've done with chopping one or two out to save on that happening. Still, it's not that detrimental to the album as a whole.
Ethnix MX-Amor de burjas (92/100)
The first proper album from the Mexican Thrash/Death Metal project. Tight, crunchy riff-work chugging along in ravenous, up-tempo grooves with short, static patterns and simplistic, pounding drumming that keeps this moving along at a fine clip. The compact structures and chugging riff-work keep this firmly rooted in the Thrash realm while dealing in steady, straightforward charges for the most part. When the pace picks up into more frenzied arrangements and blasting drum-work against this straightforward approach, this controlled chaos offers a fine variety and deviation onto the primary driving focus of the album in the latter half which changes the approach from a tight, chunky mid-tempo thrashing for a more ravenous assault that's quite fiery and frantic. The songs work much better in the shorter, compact structures rather than trying to bring in some exaggerated variances and elements but it's not that obvious or even detrimental.
Bipolar Disorder (It)-Threshold of Madness (64/100)
The first-ever release from the two-piece Italian Death/Thrash group under the name. Tight, churning riff-work featuring a series of razorwire riffing, a steady mid-tempo charge with plodding drum-work, and simplistic chugging patterns which offer a straightforward approach throughout. Without a slew of technicality present in the riffing as the lengthier segments are kept to straightforward approaches that are winded through extended sections of steady riffing patterns and mid-tempo paces, the majority of the work here comes off as sluggish and laidback without much in the way of over-the-top dynamics or variation, and an unnecessary instrumental with very little interesting arrangements doesn't help much. This all ends up rendering this one quite straightforward without much in the way of anything really special to make this stand out in the slightest with the lack of interesting rhythms on display here against the few instances when it adapts more speed and energy. Those keep it somewhat enjoyable but aren't enough to really work elsewhere in here.
Nocturnal Graves-An Outlaw’s Stand (93/100)
The fourth full-length from the Australian Blackened thrashers. Crushing thrash-based rhythms and tight speed metal patterns alongside a series of ravenous drum-blasts and extreme blasting patterns creates the expected extreme soundscape. The Thrash and Speed Metal patterns keep this raging through frantic up-tempo sections throughout as the pacing slows down merely for the frenzied solo sections or slower mid-tempo grooves to spice up the rhythms slightly. Augmented by tight tremolo riffing to create the cold, frosty atmosphere with the vicious drum-blasts, the effective combination of ravenous Thrash Metal speed and Black Metal rhythms is carried throughout here. While this lack of a letup with the constant speed buzzing along throughout here makes picking out tracks somewhat difficult at times, the relentless charge and effectiveness of the approach mean more overall here.
Inferno Sunn-Injustice Plagues American Lives (72/100)
The debut full-length from Indianapolis-based Heavy/Thrash Metal group. Simple, direct mid-tempo thrashing section coupled with a series of plodding mid-tempo drumming that keeps everything pretty standard and straightforward for the most part. The stuttering Thrash riffing and mid-tempo paces create a highly enjoyable solid backbone upon which the melodic interludes come through which have the sprinkling of traditional metal based upon the steady patterns and noodling solos on display. Effectively wrapping themselves together into a one-approach note where the faster sections offer more of a thrash-based approach while the slower sections offer a straightforward trad-metal style, this one comes off quite enjoyable if effectively making the album quite indistinguishable from everything else with the same straightforward structure on display. It’s still got time to bring its own taste to the table, though, and isn’t that overall detrimental
Oshiego-Jaljalut (90/100)
The fifth full-length from the maniacal Singaporean Black/Death/Thrash ravers. Raw, ravenous thrashing madness complete with blistering drum-blasts, dark riffing patterns, and straightforward riff-work delving into either simplistic mid-tempo chugging or tremolo-laced razorwire rhythms. The setup comes off quite straightforward, with the mid-tempo patterns and steady drumming carrying the slower sections while the thrashing tremolo riffing and chaotic blasting offers a frenzied counterbalance to the experience. Dripping with a raw, primitive nature in the production that creates a highly enjoyable attack here that matches the energy of the bands' attack, the only letup comes from the infusion of exotic Middle-Eastern rhythms that provide a stellar melodic aspect to the blasting intensity. Some of the songs could've been left off as the blasting attack and mid-tempo sections feel like overkill with the unnecessarily beefy tracklist featured here but it's a minor disservice to the rest of the work on display.
And for our classic releases:
Belphegor-The Last Supper (93/100)
The first offering from the Austrian Black/Death Metal legends. Cold, ravenous blasts of primitive Death Metal lashings graced with stylish riffing patterns and utterly vicious drum-blasts that provide a devastating counter to the thick rhythms on display. The approach is decidedly more focused on the traditional Death Metal crunch featured by the riff-work which keeps this one barreling along a crazed, frenzied route of spiraling rhythms and speed metal outbursts augmented by the hyper-speed blasting for a chaotic assault overall. With the occasional outburst of keyboard washes and symphonic horns to add dynamic outbursts to the unrelenting pummeling aggression on display, this assault breaks down just slightly to bring forth the occasional tremolo riff-pattern that stands out significantly due to the lack of true Black Metal elements elsewhere here. With the ravenous assault taking centerstage though, there's little breathing room or opportunity for much else to stop the assault featured throughout here.
Belphegor-Blutsabbath (94/100)
The second release from the Austrian Black/Death Metal maniacs. Frosty, blistering riffing and a dynamic series of blasting drum-attacks create a highly intriguing soundscape for the most part here. Offering the same swirling patterns as before only with more of a tremolo-based arrangement in the leads which doesn't make the same tight, frenzied approach but scales back the tempo slightly into tight mid-tempo chugging that carries the same speed metal outbursts as before, this is less frantic but just as pummeling of a style. With the blasting segments and frenzied riff-work still employed to devastating effort, the overall approach is blistering aggression with hints of melodic sections to quiet the outbreak of violence just enough to bring the blasts back to the forefront in a frenzied manner. It doesn't have the same memorability in the riff-work that the debut did but the sonic impact here is just as devastating and brutal which seems to be the impression.
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