Funereal Presence – Achatius

by Nicholas Vahdias on December 31, 2019

Following the tale of one of the fourteen holy helpers Achatius, more commonly known under the name of Saint Agathius, the patron saint against headaches and more importantly a central figure in the various wars against the Ottomans. His story is that of a soldier who was tortured and decapitated for not relinquishing his faith and therefore becoming a martyr. Funeral Presence expand on this brief tale by playing a form of Black metal that exists within the confines of the first wave yet but with subtle influences in overall scope and direction from the second wave.

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SMR – La Vie Est Une Farce, Apprends À Rire

by Nicholas Vahdias on December 28, 2019

Pensées Nocturnes – Grand Guignol Orchestra:
The Grand Guignol was a form of French theater known for its exaggerated performances that fused horror and comedy in revealing the most violent tendencies that lie hidden within every individual. Outlandish yet poignant and a precursor for what the best horror cinema had to offer. Pensées Nocturnes confuse this with the circus and make carnival music with a wide variety of instruments that eventually has to rely on dissonant Black metal riffs. Ideas aren’t connected to each other and the songs follow a riff salad pattern that sees the traditional instruments fade away for some sub-standard attempts at Black metal. Only the vocals manage to convey both horror and comedy as demented howls meet pseudo operatic singing. The constant need to shock the listener loses its potency as its predictable nature is quickly revealed as its base, this is bad Black metal taking from influences it doesn’t have the slightest grasp on to create the lowest denominator metal at which fails completely.

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Introduction to the Art of the Sequence – “Satan Spawn the Caco-Daemon”

by Nicholas Vahdias on December 26, 2019

Legion has always been described as being pure rhythmic intensity exemplified within Death metal. While that assertion is true, it remains a deviation to what Deicide truly accomplished in their prime. The use of non-diatonic sequences that were’t bound by conventional notions of melody but rather a combination of chromaticism and atonality where each note was chosen individually for a specific function not held down by any scale or mode.

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SMR – Descend Into Boredom

by Nicholas Vahdias on December 13, 2019

Fleshcrawl – In the Catacombs of Flesh
Fleshcrawl return after a twelve year layoff with this abortion of an album that should be avoided. The overall motion of the album is extremely bizarre as the band start with one decent song before slowly spiraling into simple chugging rhythms reminiscent of later Entombed and slowly falling into pure saccharine Melodeath. The vocals have devolved into the almost shouted Nu Death vocals popular in the early 2000s. The weak vocals lead these songs and help distinguish them by shouting each title multiple times. The lyrics perfectly illustrate to what mentally deficient depths this band has descended to with golden quotes likes “Suffer you fucking cunt, die you fucking cunt”. The drums have devolved into follow the riffs without any of the intelligent fills and patterns that were once emblematic of this band. In the Catacombs of another man’s flesh!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypcJiUCqB84

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Gevurahel – Un Nuevo Amanecer Satánico (2019)

by D.A.R.G. on December 13, 2019

Coming back not with a reformulation or evolution of their sound but a deepening of their purpose, Gevurahel give us a new presentation of old and new compositions that fine tune their expression of satanic devotion. The musical style has been boiled down to essentials of unity and comprehensibility, letting the variation and exploration take place in a more controlled way. These designs are not random nor do they respond to a musical urge, but rather to an inner insistence upon necessity with respect to purpose. That is, the direct opposite of music for its own sake.

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Metal Comedy: UADA Cancel Show Due to Slightly Warm Temperatures

by Nicholas Vahdias on December 6, 2019

Hipster band and MGLA knock-off UADA were unable to play a show in Mexico because of a bit of sunlight in a country known for its year round high temperatures. Apparently playing droning songs with occasional Dissection like melodies in a vest is such a challenging feat that anything above room temperature is considered a battle against the elements. While UADA are in no way rockstars it seems that they have taken up such mannerisms and petty behavior. The fans who paid to see this band should consider themselves lucky after this. UADA may pretend to be some kind of profound art with an important message but in reality they are bunch of trendsters who falter at the slightest challenge. Hopefully the band die of heat exhaustion in the Sahara.

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Xymsa Releases 2CD Compilation Xysma Of Beach Boys Influenced Grindcore

by Brett Stevens on December 6, 2019

Nearly thirty years after the heyday of death metal and grindcore (1983-1994) one of those “odd” bands, Xysma, similarly situated outside normalcy as Disharmonic Orchestra, Phlebotomized, Comecon, Afflicted, and Carbonized, finally releases a mass production compilation of its oeuvre of experimental death metal and grindcore.

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