Paramus, NJ band Monument Of A Memory creates what some call “modern death metal” and others, with a nod to its origins in a late punk/death metal hybrid, deathcore. The band is about to release its second recording, Catharsis, and vocalist Tommy Gehringer and bassist Josh Correa took the time to give us some insight on music and the theory of being a metal band in the current age.
7 CommentsLech Releases Misere EP
Galveston, Texas doom music band Lech has released its second recording, an EP entitled Misere, which features a departure from its pure noise and bent sound style into a guitar-based style approximating a cross between Eyehategod and Sunn o))). (more…)
No CommentsTags: doom music, lech
Teitanblood – Death (2014)
All metalheads secretly want the return of early 1990s death metal and black metal. Instead we get nostalgia bands who prey on our desires by delivering aesthetic imitation of the past, but with none of its depth, and by doing so, make a mockery of the underground as desperate metalheads embrace this stuff.
20 CommentsTags: 2014, blackened death metal, crust, crustcore, death metal, noise, review, teitanblood, War Metal
Hate Mail (#5): Fornicating Freedom of Speech
“666 YOLO SWAG 666” commented on Death Metal Underground’s coverage of the Highline bar in Seattle refusing to let Fornicator open for Profanatica:
I didn’t read the whole thing, just wanted to leave this here:
– The Highline is a bar located in the widely known “Gay Neighborhood” of Capital Hill in Seattle, WA.
– Gay Pride weekend was taking place during this show.
– Owning a bar (or any business) in this kind of a neighborhood is different.
– Sure there’s the whole “I GERT MAH FREEDOM ERV SPEECH”, but come on, with everything going on lately and the environment this neighborhood was trying to provide for this weekend, it only makes perfect sense for the management to make such a decision.
If the lazy piece of shit had bothered to read the article or the actual complaints, he would have realized that homosexuals weren’t the ones complaining. The whiners like “666 YOLO SWAG 666” were crusty, white heterosexual women who felt Fornicator’s incomprehensible lyrics threatened their communist worldviews. I highly doubt a death metal show would be appealing to the stereotypical gay pride festival marcher outside of the leather jackets. Actually, “666 YOLO SWAG 666” is the only person implying that Fornicator actually wanted to physically harm homosexuals like the closeted Islamic fundamentalist turned terrorist in Orlando. Continue pumping Drake “666 YOLO SWAG 666”.
Tags: Brutal Death Metal, communists, death metal, fornicator, free speech, Goregrind, Hate Mail, Highline Bar, homosexuality, lazy, lyrics, metalgate, moribund records, profanatica, Seattle, sjws
Morte Macabre – Symphonic Holocaust (1998)
Article by Johan P continuing Death Metal Underground’s progressive rock coverage.
Morte Macabre is a collaboration between members of the Swedish prog revivalist groups Landberk and Anekdoten, who joined forces to create progressive rock that is equal parts beautiful and disturbing. Their only album – Symphonic Holocaust – is a real treat for those who enjoy creepy music in general, especially 1970s Italian horror movie soundtracks. It is a tribute to the darker side of 70s progressive rock, with reference to Italian groups and composers like Celeste, Goblin, Museo Rosenbach, Fabio Frizzi and Riz Ortolani. An explicit Red-era King Crimson influence permeates the album as well.
14 CommentsTags: 1998, covers, hard rock, Horror, horror film, horror films, horror movie soundtracks, keyboards, mellotron, Morte Macabre, movie soundtracks, prog rock, progressive, progressive rock, review, Sweden, Symphonic Holocaust
A Decade of Dio: 1983 – 1993 Box Set Announced
The late Ronnie James Dio left Black Sabbath with drummer Vinny Appice to pursue a more mainstream, vocal-driven hybrid of hard rock and heavy metal that laid the groundwork for later vocal-driven, power metal. Rhino Entertainment has announced a remastered box set of Dio’s first six albums on CD and LP for everyone who wants to buy them again.
4 CommentsTags: Dio, hard rock, Heavy Metal, mainstream metal, reissue, remaster, Rhino, Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, vocal driven, vocal driven power metal
Dark Fury – This Story Happened Before (2016)
Dark Fury present a mid-paced black metal work of catchy lead melodies atop generic power chord metal riffing. These leads are never jaw-dropping or profoundly clever but mostly effective in the context of the songs. This Story Happened Before‘s problem is that many of the best leads send out a sense of déjà entendu and are only occasionally progressed to fitting melodic conclusions; Dark Fury rely too much on highly-structured rock song formats with bridges and breaks almost making the album a riff salad. Many of the rhythm riffs are the sort of filler power chord chugs used by death metal bands and the few war metal bands that actually care to occasionally have metal riffs such as Diocletian. Dark Fury too often use this as a songwriting crutch.
13 CommentsTags: 2016, anti-islamic, Black Metal, Dark Fury, islam, Lower Silesian Stronghold, poland, review
Аспид – Кровоизлияние Released on Bandcamp
Аспид’s (Aspid) lost early 90s technical speed metal album, Кровоизлияние (Extravasation), has been released as a pay as you go, CD-quality lossless FLAC digital download on Bandcamp by Metal Race. Prior to Metal Race’s recent CD from the original DAT tape of the mix supplied by the band that was hard to get outside of Russia, Кровоизлияние was only available on the extremely limited original LP and a horrible sounding CD from a secondary source that was slightly sped up. Listeners worldwide may now enjoy some of the best post 1980s speed metal, resembling a more progressive Destruction.
22 CommentsTags: 1992, Aspid, Extravasation, Metal Race, progressive speed metal, reissue, Russia, Russian metal, Speed Metal, technical metal, Аспид, Кровоизлияние
Master’s Hammer – Ritual (1991)
Ritual is the pinnacle of the Central European black metal style characterized by continuing the riffing tradition of traditional heavy metal and strict adherence to speed metal song structure; Hellhammer, Mercyful Fate, Slayer, and even Megadeth influences are easily heard along with Bartók’s folkishness and Chopin’s romanticism. While their compatriots Root presaged the Hellenic scene, Master’s Hammer’s operatic use of the mellotron inspired the divergent atmosphere Emperor employed on In the Nightside Eclipse.
11 CommentsTags: 1991, bartok, Black Metal, chopin, Czech black metal, Heavy Metal, Master's Hammer, occult, review, Ritual, Speed Metal
Bulldozer Vinyl Repress
Bulldozer’s first two albums of drunken Motorhead, proto-underground metal in the style of Venom and Sodom are being repressed on vinyl from the original tapes for the first time in thirty years by F.O.A.D Records. Neither of these albums ever had good CD releases (the CDs sound like compressed needle drops) so fans of beer-fueled, 1980s first-wave black metal might want to check these out.
Tags: beer metal, Black Metal, Bulldozer, F.O.A.D Records, Heavy Metal, Italy, proto-underground, reissues, repress, Speed Metal, The Day of Wrath, The Final Separation, vinyl