OCTOBER FALLS – A Collapse of Faith CD review

OCTOBER FALLS – A Collapse of Faith CD
Debemur Morti

Like all of this Finnish band’s releases it’s always recommended to listen while alone. Their dark yet hypnotic sound is not something you wish to share with guests. You’re better off just letting them borrow it or burn them a copy. I’d warn you because giving this or any one of their previous releases as a gift is akin to handing a gun to someone who is obviously suicidal. This band’s music is so miserable and weighty but yet so lush with that post Black Metal ambience that dances around your psyche. You can’t do anything when the music is playing except sit there, listen and contemplate life’s bleak outlook. M. Lehto’s vocals sound like some forest beast whose foot is caught in a trap, has lost his life long mate to a hunter and hasn’t eaten in a week. We’re talking some serious pain here people. Even when the acoustic guitar passages intertwine with the sheer electric intensity of melodies there is no breaking from the sorrow. A Collapse of Faith is simply the title track cut into three pieces lasting over forty minutes. I think of them, actually it’s mainly M. Lehto who handles everything with two other guys on bass and drums, as a more Doom like DRUDKH.

www.debemur-morti.com/

BONDED BY BLOOD – Exiled to Earth CD review

BONDED BY BLOOD – Exiled to Earth CD
Earache Records

One of the more promising bands of the Thrash Revival decides for their sophomore release to make a concept album. There’s nothing wrong with these types of albums as long as you have a decent concept to work with. These Californians came up with the concept of Earth in the future, a dominating alien race and human warriors fighting for freedom. Ok so my first guess is that they didn’t come up with this idea by passing around an L. Ron Hubbard novel on the touring bus. I say they got it from one of the tons of video games out now with this type of scenario. I’m not into video games but I’ve read plenty of science fiction and by those standards this concept has been done so many times that it’s an insult to most people’s intelligence.

When this band’s debut came out Thrash fans gave them a pass on their choice of a band name because their music was decent. What has kept the naysayers of the Thrash Revival at bay was that half of the bands released pretty good follow-ups. Unfortunately BONDED BY BLOOD has not done that with Exiled to Earth. I’m guessing the argument for this will be that people are tired of the silly Thrash themed albums which bands like EVILE produce. Well sure who isn’t? So the next best idea you could come up with was to base your album on something that only lonely guys who sit at home on Friday nights playing X-Box will appreciate. Pardon the pun but you really alienated your fan base with that generic idea. There is a good side since this will sell well in Germany where fantasy metal is king. They could tour this album playing it beginning to end as long as there’s plenty of concert seating. In the future, if they have one, the band can pull a RUSH and do it as a melody.

Musically it doesn’t get any better. I never noticed it on their debut but on here the pitch of Jose Barrales’ vocals can be annoying. The background vocals/shouts are really pathetic as if they were recorded in the janitor’s closet. There is absolutely no fuckin bass on here except for the title cut. I think they only used the guy for photo ops. If there’s a good thing on here it’s the clean solos and a few non recycled riffs which cut through the boredom on each song. You gotta give credit to guitarists Alex Lee and Juan Juarez for just keeping this interesting enough that it doesn’t become a skeet target. “Desolate Future” is probably the best cut on here thanks to those two and should be part of their live set. I’d predict a few more but I don’t want to come off sounding like the name of another band’s concept album and yeah I thought that one was sub par as well. Exiled to Earth might not be a turd but with three quarter’s of it being in the toilet I found its ability to float disappointing.

www.earache.com

LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR – Evil Power CD review

LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR – Evil Power CD
The Grind-House Records

“Let’s Kill These Motherfuckers”, a song from this release, should be the anthem of 2010. I know when the November elections roll around I’ll have that song bouncing around in my cranium when I go to polls to vote. I’ve been very angry at some politicians for the past few years, very angry, but I won’t dwell on that here. As far as LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR, I didn’t get into them until 2008 when I picked up their War Metal Battle Master release. It was one of the best releases of that year as far as I was concerned and frankly that’s all that matters. Now I’m a huge fan and this release hasn’t wavered my appreciation of them one bit in fact I’ll say now that Evil Power will be on the Scumfeast Metal 666 fave list for 2010. Hyperbole on my part again, I don’t think so. One of this band’s main influences is violence. I learned that in 2008 and it’s what really appealed to me in their music. Another thing is that this trio from Chicago has a sound and style that crosses all genre boundaries. In the past they mixed everything from sludgy doom, black & death metal and full on thrash. I take back what I said before. This band doesn’t just cross genre boundaries, they smash through them.

On Evil Power, their fourth full length, the band cuts back on the sludge and picks up some more speed. There’s more hints of angry, pissed off hardcore from days of old. When I say “days of old” I’m talking about 1981 to 1988, the era when HC was real before it became crowded with hippy commies. The above mentioned anthem is a song some modern day punk rock kid only wishes one of his fave bands could’ve come up with. But they couldn’t because they’re pussies and think Punk started with RANCID. Then there’s the more thrash approach which these guys, with a new bass player, seem to have swallowed whole and crapped out. It’s barely controlled aggression which makes it tough to even type this review. Every time I concentrate on the music my fists clinch and suddenly both middle fingers fly out like switchblade knives as if I’m ready to battle the world. It’s the title cut which is almost a call to arms, a call to war.

This came out a few months back so I deliberately kept away from reading reviews or hearing songs from their site. I wanted to feel the power of this release like full force trauma. That’s how I discovered War Metal Battle Master. I saw it in the store, remembering seeing their name before but that was it. I took it home, placed into the stereo and pushed play. When that release kicked in it was like a shotgun blast point blank right in the gut. Thankfully I’ve got a tough hide unlike many of you of course. As far as Evil Power goes, this was like traveling down the highway going 90 miles per hour in a muscle car and crashing head on into a bridge embankment. Of course I’d survive that, remember I said muscle car and not some piece of crap hybrid. I doubt you could get one of those things up to 90 miles per hour before they started shaking and pissing just like a little dog. Violence! Yeah it’s a beautiful thing.

www.thegrind-houserecords.com/

ENFORCER – Diamonds CD review

ENFORCER – Diamonds CD
Heavy Artillery Records

After a few listens I’d say this band’s sophomore release is a winning follow up. I saw them back in 2009 in a local club playing with CAULDRON. That was one fantastic show which brought back some cool memories from my early days. While on their debut Into the Night I thought their sound was firmly planted in the second tier of NWOBHM bands from the past. On Diamonds they’ve obviously moved up to the top tier with the MAIDEN influenced “Midnight Vice” along with “High Roller”. We’re talking first era MAIDEN of course. Think of the galloping rhythms and twin guitar assault of Killers but with a little more melody along with a higher pitched vocalist. On other cuts there’s a further reach back to the Metal days prior to NWOBHM. It’s as if, while in their early teens, their parents threw down a dozen old LPs for them to play with. One of those records must have been from RIOT another one might have been the first DEF LEPPARD LP or even the pre pop days of the SCORPIANS. Listen to “Running in Menace” with its MTV era pop metal overtones or the blaze of “Take Me to Hell” with its crowd inviting to sing along chorus. “Katana” could be their set closer with its guitar duel off. Yeah everything about Diamonds is pure nostalgia worship and done right. It obviously appeals to me since I grew up then and saw almost all the original bands. We didn’t have genres back then. We just called it Metal, son. For today’s generation, lucky bastards, you get to see it all done true to the original from a band that is still doing clubs. Well maybe not anymore after this one.

www.heavyartillery.us

EXODUS – Exhibit B: The Human Condition CD review

EXODUS – Exhibit B: The Human Condition CD
Nuclear Blast Records

I’ve always given this band credit for staying in the fight with all the problems they’ve gone through. The Baloff/Souza frontman switch off did lead to some fun debates but those days are gone, as is Baloff. Rob Dukes, whether you like him or not, is firmly planted behind that mic now. (???) Secondly he has lead this band through the Thrash revival by still keeping them relevant or at least good for a few surprises. What my peers seem to forget is that Dukes is in the Dio/SABBATH paradox. This is EXODUS for the newer generation of Thrash “therefore I am” enthusiasts. He wasn’t doing too bad trying to put the band’s past behind them with their two Dukes on the mic releases. Then in 2008 they fucked it all up by releasing Let There Be Blood. You know keeping a few classic cuts from the past in your live set which you never originally sang on wasn’t that bad. But to do the whole Bonded by Blood album and in your newer style well that was stupid in my not so humble opinion. I’d have to include my own foolishness since I saw it in the store then and automatically picked it up thinking “new EXODUS, yeah!” It wasn’t until I got home, pulled it out of the bag and looked hard at it then groaned “oh no”.

This newest one is somewhat redemption for that last mistake. I give Gary Holt alot of credit for writing material that’s far more than cheap rehash thrashers. The songs have gotten longer as in epic proportions and more intricate. It’s like what I mentioned earlier that you just don’t know what to expect from these guys anymore. A perfect example is opener “The Ballad of Leonard and Charles” with its acoustic intro. I literally jumped out of my chair, pulled the CD out from the stereo and examined it to see if it really was EXODUS. It was but things get moving in the right direction after that. I’d say half of this is righteous thrash with the rest being mediocre moments which by now we’ve become accustomed to. A friend of mine told me he could take the best songs from the Rob Dukes era of EXODUS, put them on a blank CD and still have room for Bonded by Blood. Ouch! Yeah he is not a huge fan of Dukes growled type vocals but to the man’s credit he does expand his vocal style on here. Some of the better cuts are “Hammer And Life”, “Class Dismissed”, “March of the Sycophants”, “Democide” and “The Sun is My Destroyer”. Not all of which are thrashers in fact “The Sun is My Destroyer” is slightly more death metal oriented. This is a long CD coming in at over an hour which is like two thrash records from the 80s. I’ve got the American release version which has the extra cut “Devil’s Teeth”. Supposedly the Japanese version has a SCORPIONS cover??? Maybe I don’t want to know?

www.nuclearblast.com

UNLEASHED – As Yggdrasil Trembles CD review

UNLEASHED – As Yggdrasil Trembles CD
Nuclear Blast Records

Does Johnny Hedlund still drink mead from a horn on stage or is it really iced tea? If you ever see some band on stage taking pulls from a Jack Daniels bottle, it’s actually iced tea. I’m not sorry if I ruined your drunken rock star fantasy worship but it’s about time you come down from the ceiling. The same could be said for this long time Swedish Death Metal band. Don’t get me wrong because I’m still a fan. In fact I was playing their Where No Life Dwells CD from 1991 the other week. The music still pushes me to pick up my ballpean hammer and chuck it at the picture of a christian monk I have on the wall. Take that you missionary fuck, Viking Death Metal rules! Unfortunately the war is long over and we’ve been involved in an occupation for quite some time. 2008’s Hammer Battalion was definitely a worthwhile release but that’s the rub. The word “exceptional” hasn’t been used to describe an UNLEASHED release for a while and it’s not going to be done here.

This new one is consistent with the previous out put of UNLEASHED, so if you’re a fan then you won’t be disappointed. Obviously Nuclear Blast Records is banking on it since scooping them up from SPV. So just like previous releases this new one gives you a heaping helping of Norse mythology to study upon. The title goes into so much detail that this would turn into a Wikipedia insert instead of a review. Hedlund’s vocals are at their most attack mode in a while. I doubt it means this is his last battle since Nuclear Blast probably has him signed for two more. Musically UNLEASHED are as always a group of bloodied but unbowed warriors who are ready for a fight anytime anywhere and they will win. The riffs on here are cleaner than normal thanks to a better recording budget. Fans know they’ve reached more to the melodic side over the years but this time they’ve landed and have placed a flag on the beach. Still the guitar lines on here will flay your christian sympathies and if that doesn’t work then the drums will crush your skull. As always I’ve never looked upon an UNLEASHED release for having standout tracks. To me it’s always been the body of work taken as a whole and on here it is the same way. Is this a great release? No, but they are a consistently great band who have yet to put out a disappointing release. And if you don’t believe me I’ll chuck a ballpean hammer at your face.

www.nuclearblast.com

FITCAGE – Pigumanity CD review

FITCAGE – Pigumanity CD
Soul Flesh Collector Records

From Russia with Grindcore plus plenty of Death Metal, inbetween song sound bites and western influences. Grindcore is technically universal so seeing that this band was from Russia really didn’t excite me one bit. They could just as well be from bumfuck Oklahoma or that little piss ant burg where you call home. The sound and style is pretty much going to be generic with a few exceptions of course. This genre does have some high water marks which I definitely praise from time to time. But for the rest of the crowd I look for deficiencies which always turn me away. If a Grindcore band sounds like a bunch of brats screaming left leaning knee-jerk political rhetoric than fuck em. Grow your hair out, get an acoustic guitar and stand on a corner in that college town you live in to play for spare change you fuckin hippie. Secondly if your release has more less than a minute songs than over a minute than you really suck. You’re not making music you’re just cranking out annoying noise to piss people off. Guess what? You’ve pissed me off too and I’m coming over there to that shithole you call a practice space to beat you senselessly with your own fuckin instruments.

Why am I so angry? Well it’s this fuckin CD and it’s good. FITCAGE fit into my prerequisite for good Grindcore because the music simply makes you angry. There are nineteen songs on here with only six under a minute. As far as the influences go these guys know their NAPALM DEATH and NASUM inside out. Some grind snobs might find that a bit too much but not me. If your sound pays homage to two of the five standard bearers of Grind then more power to ya comrades. Another thing is that FITCAGE don’t mind a little Death metal creeping in for a great effect. There are Grind snobs who believe having DM in their sound is impure and beneath them. I just wanna shoot assholes like that in the back as they run. I’d like to shoot em where they stand but they’re cowards and always run like scared rabbits. That’s why when you aim for their heads you’ve gotta lean into the shot. But enough of my weekend exploits, I’d say FITCAGE are probably one of the better Grindcore bands I’ve heard this year which ain’t saying much. I’m not saying Grindcore in 2010 is equal to the sight of an unflushed toilet after a week’s worth of usage. I just don’t get much Grindcore coming to me because of the politically incorrect nature of Scumfeast.

www.sfcollector.ru/