BLODSGARD - Solve et Coagula demo review

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BLODSGARD - Solve et Coagula demo
Self Released
Genre: Black Metal
Rating: 5/5

The only thing bad about this Norwegian band's four song demo is that it's too short. This is their third demo release since starting out in 2006. I can see with line-up changes making matters tough. Then there's wanting to put out that opus which will brand your band logo upon people's souls. Well they've done it on Solve et Coagula so now it's time to get out of the bush leagues and take your place amongst True Norwegian Black Metal's elite. Actually I don't know if they're all into that. They might be just content to put out quality sounding demos. Most of the demo releases I get are not of this quality aka: perfect production, musicianship top notch and songs that some in the BM realm would sell their souls to have a writing credit to. BLODSGARD doesn't try to spook you out with keyboard interludes as a back drop. They're basically into fast songs with crushing riffs that get tempered by slight melodies. The vocals are of the harsh rasp variety kinda like a younger Shagrath.


Just eighteen seconds of an atmospheric intro to the first cut "Pakallelsen" and then you're swiftly knocked over by a northern blast from a blackened storm which lasts less then three minutes. Yes that's right a three minute BM song that actually has some decent melody and is still epic as fuck with blast beats which remind me if they've got Hellhammer behind the kit. "Sjeler vil brenne" follows with a somber strummed opening then the drums destroy everything in their wake until the vocals kick in. At the time when the song finally steadies out in a brooding fashion the drummer decides he's had enough and a hail storm of blast beats ensues. It kinda bleeds into the following cut "Mentalt minefelt" which is the best song on here. There's a great balance of brutality from the drums and melody courtesy of some dissonant riffs plus a blood curdling scream. The last cut "Kaoskonstruksjon" is very similar to the first song with a short atmospheric opening then the vocals plus a wall of riffs and drums crush you like an avalanche. Although the song slows down to a cold ambient beauty with just long enough for you to catch your breath. The song ends with the band obliterating everything in it's wake with Nordic power.

Let's be honest here, the dust will never settle upon Norwegian Black Metal despite what it's detractors have to say. As long as bands like BLODSGARD strive for that excellence in sound and song structure quality then they will bury the naysayers. This band hasn't reinvented the wheel and there's definitely past influences being harnessed but in the long run that's good enough for me. I'm biased so what at least I admit it and I haven't heard anything of late that has taken the Second Wave of Black Metal to the cabin on top of the mountain for a thorough blood infusion. BLODSGARD has got something going with this four song release. Hopefully a full length is next on their agenda.


Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/blodsgard

CALCIFERUM - The Beast Inside CD review

CALCIFERUM - The Beast Inside CD
Self Released
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Rating: 4/5

French Death Metal is never this brutal or should I say "brootal", which should not be confused with Brutal Death Metal. Ok you're probably confused. The fact is that the French are very technical when it comes to their DM as represented by GOJIRA. The reason I could only think of one French DM band just goes to show how much I give a shit about Tech Death. Hell I know more about the bands from Quebec and they're just as technical. So CALCIFERUM are a big time surprise with this eleven song beast. This is their first full length but they do have an EP from 2009 out. I'll be honest with ya by saying The Beast Inside is the best thing I've heard from a French DM band but of course that's based on musical taste and not musicianship. I'll take a hatefest of atmosphere with a touch of BELPHEGOR over technical ecstasy anyday. Oh yeah this French band loves their BELPHEGOR and maybe a little AUTOPSY to boot.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/calciferum

BIRTH A.D. - Stillbirth of a Nation CDEP review

BIRTH A.D. - Stillbirth of a Nation CDEP
Self Released
Genre: Punk/Hardcore
Rating: 3/5

This could of been a demo from back in the 1980's with better production of course. BIRTH A.D. are a three piece who hail from Texas, have two former AVERSE SEFIRA members and sound like a second tier HC act from back in the day who were influenced by DRI. They actually cover a FEARLESS IRANIANS FROM HELL song, "Blow Up the Embassy", which I give em props for because you have to be cool to have known of that band. Their originals cover all the bases as far as subject matter went for Hardcore Punk back in the 80s. I gotta say that the themes still hold true for today. Songs like "This Scene Sucks", "No Jobs" and "Failed State" all carry that nostalgia feel. This was originally released by the band back in 2009 and I had it sent to me now by their production company. Are we ready for retro Hardcore Punk? I really don't have the answer to that one but this release garners the same length of a review that I would've written back in 1985, which is when I started writing about extreme music.

Official: http://www.birthad.com/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/birthad

DECREPITAPH - Profane Doctrines Unburied CD review

DECREPITAPH - Profane Doctrines Unburied CD
Razorback Records
Genre: Death Metal
Rating: 4/5

It's gotten to the point where if I see that Elektrokutioner is involved with a band then I know it's gonna be fuckin great. On here Elektrokutioner (drums) is joined by Sinkworm who takes care of the guitars, bass and vocals from the bowels of Hell. DECREPITAPH is not a new project for Elektrokutioner in fact he's been involved with it since 2006. They've been fairly prolific over the years with 2010 being one for over achieving since they released a full length, an EP and two splits. If you're familiar with the band's past material (and if you're not then you should start) then you know the territory being walked upon. Listening to Profane Doctrines Unburied is like walking through the killing fields using the bodies as stepping stones on a path to morbid fascination. This is not far from overdosing on early OBITUARY and AUTOPSY then having some sick fucks fondle your corpse at the morgue before they drop ya in the hole. Sinkworm graduated from the school of filthy riffs and creepy solos. I've already mentioned where he conjures up his vocals from. As far as Elektrokutioner's percussion talents go it's perfect just like when he's drumming with his other bands. This is almost fifty minutes of death doom which any extreme nutjob, myself included, would crawl through a mile wide mass grave to find.

Label: http://www.razorbackrecords.com/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/decrepitaph

A.N.S./RAMMING SPEED - 12 inch split review

A.N.S./RAMMING SPEED - 12 inch split
Tankcrimes
Genre: Hardcore/Thrash
Rating: 4/5


Sadly these two bands have flown under my radar over the years. I know more about Pagan Folk Metal bands, with Power Metal flirtations, from Eastern Europe than I do my own country's Hardcore (real Hardcore that is and not that metalcore crap) scene. That's where my friend Big Jon comes in. I turn him onto old bands like BATTALION OF SAINTS and BEYOND POSSESSION and in turn he tells me all about the newer bands. As a matter of fact he had seen A.N.S. live, playing in someone's (choose one: livingroom or basement) before. I was listening to RAMMING SPEED's debut full length from a few years back, Brainwreck, a week ago at his house while drinking a few beers. I know the band would've wanted it that way. Strangely enough I wanna beer now while listening to this Texas versus Boston Hardcore/Thrash throwdown.

Both of these bands play fast aggressive shit that makes you want to start trashing your surroundings as you thrash around. A.N.S. start things off with four cuts. The first three, "Pine’s Perdition", "The Quest Lives On" and "Can’t Let This Go" are fast blasts which remind me of a host of cool bands from back in the day. Their final cut, "Roehrs’ War", thrashes out for little over a minute and then spends the next seven minutes in a metallic stoner jam. RAMMING SPEED take things more to the brutal side of the aisle with their three entries. The first cut, "Betrayed", is a three minute beatdown. This is the soundtrack to a fight outside of a club. "Last Drop / Dogmatic Horde" is a grinder that bounces back and forth from face ripping intensity to thrash melody. It bleeds into their third cut "Perdition" which is just pure Hardcore madness. I'd have to say RAMMING SPEED wins this match hands down although Andrei Bouzikov's cover art is probably the overall winner.

Label: http://www.tankcrimes.com/site/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ans

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/officialrammingspeed

MOONSORROW - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa CD review

MOONSORROW - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa CD
Spinefarm Records
Genre: Folk/Black Metal
Rating: 4/5

Looking at the cover photo of this Finnish band's latest release you get the idea that MOONSORROW are in a league of their own. It's that whole top of the mountain thing. Well technically they are especially if you toss in words like epic, majestic and lets not forget grandiose when describing their audio output over the past ten years. We're talking about the band who a few years back put out an almost hour long release, V: Havitetty, which only contained two songs. They followed that up a year later with an EP which was longer and had METALLICA and MERCILESS covers. So now we have this their sixth full length with a title that translates to As Shadows We Walk Through The Land Of The Dead. It's basically a concept album dealing with humanity's demise and the survivor's struggle to keep going in the face of hopelessness. Kinda sounds like the plot to the comic book series/TV show, The Walking Dead, although there are no Finnish zombies in here. If you are wondering is this borders on the Doom side of things you would be correct. The tempo is very slow and the atmosphere as epic as ever. Although there's plenty of folk touches and progressiveness abound all surrounded by blackened vocals.

As far as the songs go there's four long over ten minute cuts with three short intro/sound bites intermixed. The opener "Tähdetön" (Starless) sounds like Viking Doom cometh early on then gradually sets a more melodic tone about midway through to the end. "Muinaiset" (The Ancient Ones) turns up the epic metal meter a few notches almost bordering on Power Metal. "Huuto" (The Scream) is my favorite song on here with a running time of around fifteen minutes. It combines much in that time slot, starting out as a folk melody than switching to some powerful BATHORY like sweeping arrangement. It's at this point where you just turn the volume up and let everything overwelm your senses. The final cut “Kuolleiden Maa" (The Land of the Dead) simply crushes. Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa is a good release but there is a slight draw back and that's the depressive mood which the music sets.

Label: http://www.spinefarm.fi/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/moonsorrow

Official: http://www.moonsorrow.com/

Video of the Month: Kids sing IRON MAIDEN classic

According to Metro.co.uk, a video clip of children from Wattville primary school in Birmingham, England singing IRON MAIDEN's 1983 classic "Flight Of Icarus" has become one of the most shared videos on YouTube this week. The four-minute clip shows the children singing the song while headbanging and later engaging in a bit of classic air guitar. Some of the children even have fake plastic guitars with them as the chant they way through the tune.

The video, which can be seen below, was uploaded on YouTube on Tuesday and has already been watched by over 20,000 people and "liked" 355 times.

The song is part of Kerrang! magazine's Cash For Kids charity which is aiming to "raise funds for sick and underprivileged children across Birmingham and the West Midlands to help local kids in crisis."

Read more from Metro.co.uk.

THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT. YOU'VE GOTTA START EM OUT YOUNG WITH THE CLASSICS AND NOT THE CRAP. NEXT UP JUDAS PRIEST's "SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE"?