NUCLEAR REVENGE/Dawn of the Primitive Age
(Helldprod Records)
Total old Kreator worships all the way down to the vocals too. I mean this was better than a Cannibal Corpse Jr. clone, but in saying that, I don’t dig much for having an early Kreator clone neither. This just didn’t excite me much. Every tune is just speedy old thrash in the vein of early Kreator/Destruction/Sodom. For those fans not around back then, you’ll probably love this
BLAZON STONE/Damnation
(Stormspell Records)
Some very cool heavy metal from this band. The singer has a nice set of lungs ha ha as he belts out the lyrics with a fury and he fits right in with the music mind you. I can see lots of heads banging and fists being pumped when this band plays out live if they ever get to with this COVID shit. Nice production lets everything flow neatly as well. Good find Stormspell.
THRASHTALK/Cold Beer, Space Dick
(Self Released)
This band big-time reminds me a lot of the Municipal Waste boys and since I like that band, I don’t mind this. I do mind when they attempt to go in a death metal style with the low grunts as it sounds so out of place. Guys keep it the way you are mostly doing it as when you stray away it sounds forced and out of place. The music is short bursts of thrash with shouted vocals and while like I said not super original, doesn’t mean enjoyable. Production is solid and this is early on in the band’s career so will have to see how they develop
HIDEOUS DEATH/Remnants of Archaic Evil
(Invictus Productions)
This was a total old school death metal band, but the thing with this is the 4 tunes on this all sounded the same and nothing sounded different. The same riffing and the same drum pounding and the same singing. Nothing stood out at all on this and it’s a shame cause the singer is decent and I like the old school production on this, but it just falls flat on its face I’m afraid. Maybe next time.
CERES/Tyrant’s Rise EP
(Stormspell Records)
Total 80’s power metal feel and sound on this. Now the vocals are like King Diamond, meaning you will either like, love or hate them. Me, I don’t mind them and they do fit in with the music. This is classic 1984-1985 sounding heavy metal with that crunchy sound as a lot of bands like Warlord, Omen, etc were doing back then. This would be a Brian Slagel delight for sure. The production even has that 80’s feel to it and is not too polished or modern-sounding at all, which was welcome to these old ears haha. A metal fan lovers dream this band is.
PAZUZU/Oath of Unholy Sacrilege
(Nihilistic Holocaust)
Nice to see some smaller labels sending me some stuff to review. This is a death/doom band and they aren’t bad. While I’m not a fan of doom per say, the faster parts on this were unreal to me. That chainsaw sounding death metal riffing was really getting to me. The vocals are pure death metal growls and I also liked the fact there was more mid paced and faster material than just all and out doom on this. Worth a listen for sure
APPARITION/Feel
(Profound Lore Records)
Total generic death metal that has been done to death and then some. Incantation and Immolation worship except this is not even close to neither band. This just didn’t excite me at all and it rather bored me as the riffs and songs structures did nothing and went nowhere fast. I need that hook or feeling as a tune comes on and this had nothing but the emptiness I’m afraid. Faceless death metal.
EVIL DAMN/Necronomicon
(Hells Headbangers)
This band hails from Peru and this is their debut release and they play old school death metal, but it wasn’t exciting death metal to my ears. There was nothing catchy in the riffing and the song structures that made me stand up and take notice. The singer I did like as his voice was powerful and I could feel it as he was singing. The same can’t be said for the songs on here. They just go on with nothing memorable at least in my book. I mean this is better than Cannibal Corpse done over 500 times, but this just didn’t knock me over.
HELGRIND – Insurrection
(Metal Rocka Recordings, One Eyed Toad Records, Cargo Records)
Oh, there is some good things on this and just some god awful things. This is total Exodus worship (2nd and 3rd albums) and actually isn’t bad with the Bay Area crunch there and the songs are catchy and speedy and fast. Now the bad, oh the vocals are a 2 fold thing. The singer isn’t bad, but when he goes into the low death metal nu metal growls I was like “are you fucking kidding me”. It sounds horrible and is so out of place on a thrash record I can assure you of that. The production is top-notch and the Exodus crunch is right there and if you can get by the nu-metal vocals here and there, you’ll love this.
ETERNAL EVIL/The Warriors Awakening Brings the Unholy Slaughter
(Redefining Darkness Records)
A pure sonic thrash metal attack baby. Just a speed attack that will smash and crush the weak. This is just oozing that old school sound and attack and this band know how to write and create memorable tunes and that speed they use and have is off the charts. It is a mix of early Kreator meets early Whiplash. When I saw the Hallow’s Eve shirt on one of the band members I was hoping this was gonna be good and fuck yeah it is. A pure thrash metal delight.
RUDE/Outer Reaches
(Co-Release by Dawnbreed Records and Caligari Records)
Later in the year. There are 6 tunes on this and 2 are instrumentals. The problem with this is for me the songs are all over the place. I found nothing of value on this. Nothing stood out and it was like a bunch of mishmashes. I guess you could almost call this a progressive death metal band and for me, I just didn’t feel it or get it. I found the tunes boring and nothing struck me or sucked me in. The guitar player’s solos were all over the place too leaving me with nothing to even like at all. Not for me.
DESTRUCTO/Demonic Possession By
(Dying Victims Productions)
This label is called this thrash metal, but this for sure isn’t thrash to me as it seems more like a mix of thrash and death metal especially in the vocals. The music isn’t anything to write home about as it is below average tunes with a singer who is pretty bad. All he does is growl into the mic with no feeling at all and he didn’t do a thing for me and when you combine that with some awful music, it makes for an uninteresting combo
MAZE OF TERROR/Offer to the Fucking Beasts
(Xtreem Music)
This band plays a mix of old school thrash and death metal like the above band and just like the above band, there is a serious lack of solid and catchy tunes on this as well. Why can’t bands sit down and write catchy tunes and riffs anymore? Listen to early Exciter, Kreator, Destruction, Whiplash. That shit has some of the more memorable music of the underground period. This doesn’t even come close. It is easily forgettable as so many other bands making the rounds these days. The singer on this is pretty damn good as his vocals are memorable and good. This didn’t do anything for me.
DARK REDEEMER/Into the Deep Black
(Blasphemous Records)
This is decent death metal and the riffs and song structures are played with feeling and I could feel that as this played on. I wasn’t a huge fan of the singer in certain parts of the tunes, but that razor-sharp death metal tuning sucked me in. The band have a bit of that Swedish death metal sound to them, but I wish the singer was singing in a bit of more regular death metal style as he doesn’t at times and those laughs need to go. Overall though, this isn’t bad
THE OBSIDIAN RESURRECTION/Same
(Self Released)
This was actually recorded in 2005 and the band is back together and plan to re-record the tunes on this and I would assume some new tunes for a release in 2022. There are some good and bad things about this. First guys, I hope there will be no keyboards on your new release as I hated them on this. Also, the pig squeals are a dime a dozen with bands and if you want to at least try and stick out from the crowd, lose them. The music on this is at least to my ears melodic style death metal and if that is what they want to play then keep the keyboards. I understand what the band is trying to do, but it is hard to really judge something you recorded in 2005 and they are going to re-record it in 2021! Oh this band, at least music-wise didn’t sound like every band making the rounds back then, so they got that going for them
