REVIEW: The Black Dahlia Murder's 'Everblack'

This album will absolutely slay live!

With 'Everblack,' TBDM forge onward with their undeniably unique sound, and combine the best elements of previous albums to create an album that is an absolute blast.

It has been two years since 'Ritual,' an album which impressed with its catchy riffery (Moonlight Equilibrium), fun melody (Graverobber's Work), and brutal aesthetics (Carbonized in Cruciform, a personal favorite). It has been a few more years since Noctural, in which the boys demonstrated their ability to take romping slams and mini-breakdowns to breakneck speeds and navigate the twists and turns of melo-death songwriting.

'Everblack' combines these premier elements into a supremely enjoyable ride. The tracking is done superbly: every song is different than the one before it, and each brings something new to the table. Again, this is all done while maintaining the signature TDBM sound that has propelled them into stardom thus far.

One thing which stood out to me was the abundant use of tremolo riffs. These are used impressively to great effect across the album. In Hell is Where She Waits for Me and Phantom Limb Masturbation stand out in particular. Whether used to convey overwhelming dread, or deadly thrills, these riffs are a new and improved feature of TBDM shreddery.

The rollicking slams found on Into the Everblack, the melodic leads of Raped in Hatred by Vines of Thorn, the catchy chorus of Blood Mine. These elements swirl and co-mingle on the album's ten tracks-- an enjoyable, galloping, crushing ride through melo-death territory and beyond. The closer, Map of Scars, is immense. This album is a success, examined from any angle. And yes, it no doubt passes the cliched test: returning fans will eat it up like hotcakes, and newcomers will be wow to the point of losing their socks.

Highly recommended.

-L. U'cut

REVIEW: Arsis - Unwelcome

The revolving door that is the Arsis lineup has stopped spinning long enough to craft an overwhelmingly fun album with a long and diverse track list.

A few big things to note before even listening to the main bulk of this album:

1. It includes the entire "Leper's Caress" EP that was released a while back.
2. It includes a cover of "Sunglasses at Night." Cheezy, but rock on.
3. Sick album art by Riddick, as per usual with Arsis.

Starve for the Devil was a bit odd for Arsis-- a departure into a semi-new realm on the verge of satire. Enjoyable, of course, but a bit different than the fast, furious and classically-tinged melo-death of Celebration of Guilt and We Are the Nightmare. Unwelcome is an excellent new release for the band in that it merges everything that James Malone has built up thus far.

It takes the best of previous Arsis releases, and uses them to craft 17 tracks which all slay with familiar elan. Celebration channeled raw emotion and grit into songs which slashed and cut with remarkable groove and precision-- not in the vein of hardcore music, but more in the style of dark prose written by Edgar Allen Poe wracked by torment. This can be found in Unwelcome; see Choking on Sand and Scornstar. The Nightmare album soared in a neo-classical sense, for it combined virtuous instrumentation and blistering technicality with artfully crafted solos and mood-setting intros and outros. It was a display of both musical bombast and discipline. These traits, too, can be found in Unwelcome; see the title track and Haunted, Fragile, Frozen. And lastly, Starve assembled Arsis' vision of hair metal riffery with over-the-top lyrics and showy whammy-laden solos. This brought an element of amusement and pure fun to their canon, previously not to be found. This is seamlessly integrated into Unwelcome: see Handbook for the Recently Deceased.

These elements only rarely seem at odds: the few less-thrilling moments on the album come when a song cannot decide how to proceed. This is rare, but does indeed throw off the otherwise-riveting kilter of the album. Additionally, there are a few moments of vocal weakness, where screams and roars struggle to overcome the music, but these minor shortcomings of Mr. Malone's can be easily overlooked, to be sure.

The album is a triumph. Any existing Arsis will enjoy it's extended length, for it traverses the band's well-crafted valleys of despair and peaks of intensity, without feeling rehashed. Yes a few lyrics motifs return: guilt, blindness, and an aura of mourn, but they again appear as if given new life, crowned upon the building blocks of Arsis' established library. Metalheads new to the band will instantly latch on in one way or another: the diverse composition provides myriad hooks, while the prodigal performance level will substantiate any budding interest.

Highly recommended.

REVIEW: Psycroptic's "The Inherited Repression

This album is beyond reproach.

Psycroptic's new album is a tremendous triumph. Over the years this band has so clearly cemented themselves in the utmost echelon of the tech-death genre. On "TIR," these Australian bruisers show undeniable discipline and progress. With this mammoth effort, Psycroptic have balanecd their trademark sound elements with a stronger classic heavy-metal presence.

Songs like "Carriers of the Plague," "The Throne of Kings," and "Unmasking the Traitors" demonstrate this precisely. The classic Psycroptic sound you know and love returns in spades: jaggedly sharp guitar tones, mechanized tremolo picking, frenzied speed fretting and twisting serpentine leads. Combined with impassioned vocals, and what I consider to be the best-sounding crash cymbal in metal, these elements form an astonishingly strong album.

Of course I have not even mentioned the sheer mind-melting technicality contained herein. If you've heard Psycroptic before, you know the sky-high bar that has been set by these genre-leaders. Consider it met, to be sure.

The album is tremendously fun to listen to. It's a mix of technical wankery (without the overly-progressive nonsense), and face-smashing, head-banging riffs. Well, actually, within this album, there's less neck-snapping than on Ob(servant), but more straight-up head-banging. You'll see. My only negative comment on this whole album is that some songs tend to lazily drift toward bland, vanilla passages for slightly too long. I am certainly a fan of textured song-writing, but there are (fortunately) just a few moments that cause the listener to zone out and lose focus.

To wrap up, you should definitely get this album. Longtime blogfriends, MetalSucks, recently declared that Psycroptic was indisputably a member of the "Big Four of Tech Death." This is most certainly true. And "TIR" reminds us why. Psycroptic has created a unique sound that is tremendously enjoyable and technically explosive. The band's mastery of the delicate balance between technical shredding and head-stomping riffery comes through with perfect clarity. No small feat in this day and age.

-L U'cut

REVIEW: As They Sleep

I read on their myspace that As They Sleep is gonna be the next big thing in metal. Hmmm... A bold claim, but can they live up to the hype?

Ultimately, the answer is no, they won't.



ATS plays fast, modern, melodic metal. Parts In Flames, parts AILD, and a bit of your new-school melodic metalcore, say, This or the Apocalypse. Their debut, "Dynasty" is a fun romp through subject matter that essentially boils down to world history class. Songs touch on Egypt, Mesoamerica, Atilla's empire, and the Dark Ages while showering the listener with plenty of melodic riffs and speedy thrash-esque chugs.

The eleven tracks on Dynasty are well-executed and sleek pieces that tempt the ear, but fail to fully engage. The vocals are passionate, call-to-arms style screams and roars that are fairly intelligible, to boot. They always avoid the common pitfall of wandering into boring, hardcore-style shouts for more than the odd phrase or line. The drums are accessible and reliable throughout. There are no inappropriate, gratuitous blast beats, nor excessive fills. My one gripe would be the lack of standout cymbal work-- it often gets lost in the mix, and a steady china or ride gallop could certainly add to the headbang-ability.

The guitars are crunchy and jittery-- quick, colorful riffs that display plenty of prowess, and the occasional lock-step groove can be found in the mix. Unfortunately, the majority of the fretwork consists of B-grade Gothenburg standard fare. Again, performed competently and the guitars ring in a unique tone to be sure, but the real substance just isn't there in most songs. Standouts like "Bedlam of the Nile" and "Oracle of the Dead" are jaunty and catchy. "The Darkest Ages" features an intriguing whammy solo that's all too short, but this is ultimately the only truly memorable solo. Overall the guitars feature spots of bright promise, but their best moments are overshadowed by waves of barely-above-average riffery.

Two bad puns to close.
As They Sleep certainly don't let the listener doze off during their debut, when stripped to its best few cuts: it's fast, fun, energetic and refreshing. Will it establish them as a modern metal Dynasty? Most likely not.

-L. U'cut

NEW SHIT: Septicflesh Single from 2011 Release

Holy smoke these Greek bastards have done it again. (Check the sick new single cover art by bassist/mastermind/H.P. Lovecraft-protogé Seth Siro Anton!!)



Septicflesh's new single, "The Vampire from Nazareth," can be streamed here on their myspace page:


CHECK IT OUT. IT SLAYS. LIKE LITERALLY, IT SLAYS VAMPIRES. IT IS LITERALLY ABOUT SLAYING VAMPIRES.

Anyways, this group is known for their orchestral/symphonic slightly-blackened death sound. Their most recent full-length, Communion, brought all those elements together for a rich, resounding triumph of artistic metal. It was ominous and heavy, but not in a doom metal way, it was more akin to the soundtrack to a epic battle in a grim horror movie. Their focus on mythology and the occult serve to bolster their overall package into a very thorough listening experience.

This new track is quite promising. It ups the level of horror through the roof. The riffs are ultimately unspectacular, but it is the complete product that makes the song such a success. Resounding horn, string and choir tones paint a deep soundscape for your listening pleasure: one that is bleak, terrifying, and one that will crush your skull.

Check it out now.

REVIEW: Daath's Daath

Hmmm... first and foremost, it didn't live up to its potential.

Now the redeeming factors here are: 1. its potential was nigh-limitless, and 2. nothing could surpass or even meet the bar set by the previous works of Daath, specifically guitarists Emil Werstler and Eyal Levi.

Unfortunately, this album amounts to a bland melange of all things Daath up to this point.

And again, I'm only reviewing this in a seemingly negative light because I love Daath and thus view them with a more critical lens than other bands I am not so passionate about. I HATE BECAUSE I CARE.

Hinderers: industrial influenced thrash/death
Concealers: non-southern, pure groovy thrash/death metal
*YES I'M INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:
Levi/Werstler, "Avalanche of Worms:" proggy nerdgasm with tons of shred and progressive elements

And now we have
Daath: proggy wankery that tries (weakly) to be technical and simultaneously groove-driven, spread out across too many tracks.

I remember first hearing a taste of this album via "Destruction/Restoration." Fun, shreddy solo, but not much else. Just fast. The thing I liked about Hinderers/Concealers was the band's ability to balance tempos and tension in a thrilling manner. For the majority of this album, songs follow a pattern: slow, melodic intro followed by 'fast,' with an abrupt ending. (Self-Destruction/Restoration, The Decider, Exit Plan, Manufactured Insomnia, etc.) I'm not sure what to call the body of these songs other than 'fast,' because they don't accomplish that much (of course I mean, RELATIVE TO WHAT THEY COULD ACCOMPLISH--> i.e. INFINITY!).

I really like Sean Z as vocalist, and Kevin Talley is really coming into his own (with strong support from Jeremy Creamer), and the skinsman reminds me a bit of Chris Adler. But the Levi/Werstler song-writing guitar duo unfortunately bog this album down with, ironically, too much speed. Favorite older songs: "From the Blind," and "Self-Corruption Manifesto." If you know these songs, you witnessed the intense groove meted out at an enticing pace. Specifically, they keep you head-banging along, eager for the next part. This new s/t album mostly just throws everything in your face at once. Songs like "Accelerant" and "NATGOD" do a good job of this-- and the latter injects a memorable solo into the mix, that avoids the premature blowing of the shred load in other songs.

Also this album is mixed oddly-- the sound levels make it a bit difficult to appreciate all of the intricacies. This does not help their cause. There is certainly much to be gleaned upon subsequent listens, but this hampers the listener's full connection with the album.

So to wrap up, I am totally biased and can never give Daath the benefit of the doubt: their potential is limitless and one cannot realistically expect them to fully meet it. This album is strong. Quite strong. It has shred, it's a riff-o-rama, and has plenty of diverse sounds (the combined guitar-playing knowledge in this band is encyclopedic).

No it does not live up to its potential. Yes it is still quite enjoyable. Fave songs: "Indestructible Overdose," "Double Tap Suicide," "Accelerant," and "N.A.T.G.O.D." (annoying acronyms ftl...) Phew. Ok. That's that. Enjoy.

TL;DR? ADD? Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUwJnF1q694

.

NEW STUFF: I'm thankful for Tuesdays

NEW SHIT TODAY:

AFTER THE FUCKING BURIAL-- IN DREAMS
BURNING THE FUCKING MASSES-- OFFSPRING OF TIME

GET THEM.

BENEATH THE SURFACE: Abriosis

Beneath the Surface serves to put the spotlight specifically on underground, unsigned, emergering and generally unheard of bands. Check out their myspace, go see 'em at a show, and buy some merch!


from myspace.com/abriosis

Abriosis. Not a real word. Sounds intense though. Read on.

You know the genre tags on a band's MySpace? i.e. metal/hardcore/death metal... well these guys describe themselves as "Dissonant/Disgusting/Death Metal." If that appeals to you, you will like them-- read no further, just go listen to them. If that is not appealing to you, WAIT! Don't sign them off just yet! (Unr.-- they're unsigned!! :P)

Abriosis are pure brutal tech-death. That is what should be in the MySpace genre description. They are also pure awesomeness. And I don't use that term lightly.

Ok so enough about their name and their MySpace... in terms of sound, think Necrophagist and Origin as primary inspiration. Supplemented by Deeds of Flesh and maybe some Spawn of Possession.

The riffs display boatloads of chops, combining machine-gun speed and precision with robotically-articulated sweeps and arps. Hence the Origin and Necrophagist inspiration. This is an excellent foundation for their songs, which across their 5-song EP, combine the cold, crushing, calculated mechanality of, say, Beneath the Massacre/Brain Drill (loosely) skillfully woven with myriad classical textures in the same vein as Suicmez's solos and leads. The guitars alternate between rapid-fire weedily passages and concrete-smashing staccato. The vocals are standard tech-death fare, done exceptionally well, and they complement the overall sound quite well. The instrumentation and vocals take turns playing lead and support: select segments feature percussive riffs to bolster low grunts and growls, while others allow extended screams/roars to spotlight a colorful lick's soaring flare. Certain scream/riff combos are quite reminiscent of Diskreet, if you happen to be familiar with them. Unfortunately, the drums and bass are a bit under-utilized. The drumming provides excellent foundational support for the hard-hitting slams, but does little to differentiate itself. And of course the bass is barely audible. Frown.

Overall these Canadians know how to rip it up. Their music combines the best aspects found in the technical death metal spectrum into a "dissonant, disgusting" (AKA KICK-ASS) sonic assault. They avoid common pitfalls such as feelingless guitarplaying, over-repetition, and self-indulgent wankery.

There's a quote from Decibel on their myspace page that says something to the tune of "potency of an area's weed is directly proportional to the quality of their metal." Translation, Vancouver has great bud. I MEAN, FUCKING LISTEN TO THIS BAND.

http://www.myspace.com/abriosis

-L. U'cut

My dorm neighbor thought I was playing bass, but my guitar was just tuned to drop A. MLI\m/

REVIEW: IT HAS SOLOS!!

Ok first off, this is a review of Within the Ruins' new disc, "Invade."

If you know the band already and/or are a fan, the above headline is all you need to see. It's better, and it has solos.



SO, for the rest of y'all: WtR is a prog/tech/melo/death(-core) band on Victory Records. Their first album, "Creature" was a fun romp through colorful two-step passages and blazing yet off-kilter mini-shreds. Yes. You read that right. It was one hell of a unique beast.

Anywayz, their newest wankfest, "Invade," comes with a new guitarist and new vocalist, but there's a whole lot more to it. This band has a pretty straightforward MO: show off their guitar playing chops. They do this by putting on clinics on myriad techniques, and composing intriguing passages and song structures that will snap your neck if you lose focus for just a second.

They improve upon their previous formula of riff A --> riff B --> breakdown --> riff C --> ... end. Their new songs have much less of a strict formula. THERE ARE INDEED SOLOS. The first album was lacking this often taken-for-granted feature. With such shred, you'd think they'd be eager to launch into a solo as often as possible. On Invade, Joe Cocchi and Jay Van Schelt pepper their riffs and solos with essentially every technique in the book, while emphasizing those that keep their sound so unique: drop-G# tuning (OUCH!), plentiful dive-bombs, whammy squeals, staccato flurries, polyrhythmic breakdowns, and a strong balance of emphasis and rest. Overall very fun, very entertaining, and unlike any other.

So yes, there are solos. There are 2 (legit) instrumental tracks (the intro track doesn't really count as anything) that provide colorful progressive journeys. "Ataxia" is the pinnacle of what WtR can accomplish; I say this not in a limit or peak way, but in a triumphant way. The solos are quite enjoyable, for they use an even more over-produced sound, which equates them to delicious garnishes to the entree songs.

If you thought the vocals were dumb until previous vocalist Joe Grande, just wait until you hear the work of Tim Goergen. "If god is real then he's an evil motherf*cker." Solid stuff, really. Quite excellent. His work is my biggest concern, by far, on this album. He does indeed break from his heavy, raspy monotone, but many of the more intelligible parts are quite blunt and don't match the intricacy of the instrumental work. "Faith is a crutch/You fear what you don't understand." Really?

I played this album about 8 times in first 24 hours I owned it, and I will keep playing it in the foreseeable future. It's fast, it's fun, it's like nothing you've ever heard, and it shreds.

Highly recommended.

-L. U'cut