The Infernal Sea / Old Corpse Road - Insidious Art and Serpentine Rites

Three Swords Records 2014

 

Side A: The Infernal Sea - Tannis Root

Side B: Old Corpse Road - The Sockburn Worm

 

Two of the UK’s most promising black metal acts, The Infernal Sea and Old Corpse Road, have been brought together on this split 7” release, two dramatically different takes on the genre but both promising a very high standard if previous releases were anything to go by.

The Infernal Sea kick things off with ‘Tannis Root’ which begins in a mournful  fashion, building a morose atmosphere before blasting in with a barrage of hate-filled and scathing black metal, melodic in essence but played under a torrent of blast beats and faster, scornful guitar work. The song never really lets up in both pace and attitude and when the band does play at the higher paces they begin to sound a lot like Dissection and Enthroned in equal measure. Production wise, it’s quite raw, but this suits the style of music perfectly. As the song fades to its conclusion, the morose atmospheres that introduced the song return, feedback buzzing in amongst the haunting and swirling vocals and the eerie baby cries, great stuff (8 out of 10).

 

Side B takes no time at all in introducing itself, OCR blasting in with their uniquely atmospheric brand of black metal. This new song, 'The Sockburn Worm' follows on perfectly from the bands previous album, which was praised so highly here at UKEM. Fans of the band will know that they have so much going on in every song they write, and the same can be said here. Vocals vary from high pitched screams, to death metal growls, to chants to spoken words, they have it all and it has to be said, each variation works well with the music. Add in the keyboards and the acoustic guitar passages, and not to mention the dramatic black metal, then you can’t fail to be impressed. The song really gathers pace and momentum as it draws to a close, the haunting chants sitting really well alongside the faster black metal and blast beat section as the song concludes. Yet again, OCR prove their worth as leaders in the UK Black/Pagan metal underground (8.5 out of 10).

 

Overall, this is a great release from two fantastic UKBM bands, definitely one for fans of both bands and collectors only however. If you’re unfamiliar with both bands, then this wouldn’t really be the release for you to become acquainted with them both, you’d really need to listen to previous albums and e.p's with more songs on to truly get to grips with their music. One song from each band just doesn’t seem enough; such is their appeal. That said, it’s still a fantastic, limited edition release that comes highly recommended.

8 Out of 10

 

 

 

 

Arrogant Destruktor - Hate Legions Ride

Self Released 2014

 

1.Frozen In Time 2.Hate Legions 3.Parasitic Roots Of Earth

 

Second demo from Birmingham based black metallers Arrogant Destruktor is definitely a no bullshit affair! Opening track “Frozen In Time” doesn’t hold back at all, the bands brand of spiteful and hate-filled old school black metal rages from start to finish. It’s so refreshing to hear a band that strip their songs back, almost going back to basics and writing songs that are catchy, memorable and that are actually songs, not just a bunch of riffs cobbled together with demonic vocals screamed at every opportunity to mask the shitness of the song writing. The band doesn’t opt for the ‘speed rather than song’ approach either, preferring to mix tempos, generally sitting comfortably in the mid-paced territory. ‘Hate Legions’ follows on in similar fashion, starting at a groove laden, yet harsh mid-paced speed. Again, simple song structures and arrangements really make the song stand out and actually provide it with its strength rather than detracting from the overall appeal. What really defines the band’s sound is the thumping rhythm of the guitars and the drums, pounding along extremely powerfully and it’s what really sets the band’s sound apart from many other black metal bands.

Closing this unique three track demo is “Parasitic Roots Of Earth” which begins in a torrent of blast beat laden black metal harshness before dropping back to the slower to mid-paced more powerful approach. Here the band sound a lot like Ugra-Karma era Impaled Nazarene, especially the guitar riffs which definitely have a really catchy sound and are again arranged simply, but very effectively! The Abrupt change in paces work extremely well in this last track, when the band do up the pace then another influence begins to show through, namely early Satyricon (Nemesis Divina), a fantastic way to end what is a fantastic demo. There might only be three tracks on offer, but they clock in at around the 17 minute mark, so you’re definitely getting your monies worth if you decide to purchase this….which you should, if not for just the music, then for the packaging also (Hand-made clam shell cardboard box individually numbered and including a jacket patch). As mentioned earlier, there is simplicity to the band’s sound which is actually their strength and gives each song its catchiness and appeal. Old school influenced black metal, played from the (blackened) heart with no fuss or complication, ‘Hate Legions Ride’ is something truly unique in the UK black metal underground and this demo stands the band in good stead to hopefully move onto bigger and better things, should they decide that’s what they want - comes very highly recommended.

 

8.5 Out of 10

 

Band Page: Here

Decrepid - Mausoleum Of The Forgotten

Self Released 2013

 

1.Asylumaniac 2.Indulgence In Self Destruction 3.Fear Within

 

London based old school death metallers returned in 2013 with a new three track demo after the 2011 album ‘Devoted To Death’. Their sound is definitely not for the feint-hearted, being ugly, grim, murky and morbid. Opener ‘Asylumaniac’ is quite a simple affair, thrashy death metal which definitely belongs in the early nineties. Being a demo, the song does have that ‘demo sound’ to it which was so prevalent back when it all began, mainly due to the analogue recordings back in the day. Not too sure if Decrepid are trying to re-create and pay homage to that era or whether they just haven’t spent too much time or money in the studio, it’s hard to tell. ‘Indulgence In Self Destruction’ mixes things up a little more, tempos are varied more often, from the all-out sludge laden doom sections through to the faster, more frantic passages which work well and add variety to the band’s sound. As with the opener, the sound and song structure are very simple. If the band are going for that early nineties old school sound, then the guitars should really pack more punch, as they sound a little weak and at the back of the mix. Again, not sure if this was intentional or not!

‘Fear Within’ closes this short demo and is probably the strongest track of all three, sounding altogether better composed and structured and a lot catchier than the previous two songs. Decrepid seem to have a sharper edge when they up the pace, the slower passages somehow seem to fall a little flat which is a shame. However, the vocal delivery is excellent, especially the main death metal gutturals, really standing out and adding extra grimness to the sound. Assumptions can be a dangerous thing, but from this three track demo I can only assume that the band didn’t spend too much time worrying about the production, which really lets the songs down. Yes, it’s only a demo, and yes the band are old school death metal at heart, but in today's over saturated underground, to gain any real attention a little more effort needs to be indulged on your releases, even if they are only demo tracks. Maybe I’ve missed the point, and the lo-fi production was intended, but for heavy old school death metal, its way off the mark. If you love your death metal that is stuck in the early nineties and sounds like it’s been copied from tape to tape a thousand times, then this will be right up your street. If you prefer your old school death metal with a bit more rotting flesh on its rancid corpse, then you might want to pass on this one. Check it out, but don’t expect to be taken by surprise.

 

6 Out of 10

 

Band Page: Here

Cryostorm - Version

Self Released 2013

 

1.Cryostorm 2.Vitality 3.Solacing 4.I Am Anomaly 5.Vivify

6.This Vivid Night 7.Septentrion 8.Fate & Evolution 9.Taciturn

10.Vorticity Spiral 11.Apocrypha

 

Cryostorm have been around for quite some time now and have had a couple of successful releases under their musical belts to date, but this, ‘Version’ is their debut full length and after hearing their previous releases expected the standard to be high and from the opening bars of first track ‘Cryostorm’ it was apparent the standard was going to be very high indeed. No fucking around, the band blast straight into their very unique brand of blistering melodic death metal. Unique is a very apt description of their sound, especially their use of guitar solos and lead breaks which they use very often and to great effect. This opening track rages along at quite a pace and is over before you know it, a great introduction to this new offering. ‘Vitality’ is tinged with a slightly more thrash sound with the pace slowed down for the more melodic passages and as ever the melodic guitar solos are there and really stand out as they are actually written as part of the song, rather than added over the top of songs as an afterthought. Blast beats are also introduced which adds real variety and gives the song some real ‘bite’. ‘Solacing’ again sees the pace slowed down with some really big solo sections used which really adds to the ‘melodic’ death metal sound. The solos are again a real highlight, well written and very well executed. Following on is ‘I Am Anomaly’ which is another feast of sharp and snappy riffing mixed with lengthy solos sections and again ferocious blast sections have introduced and work really well in amongst all the melody and really adds variety and makes for a great sound all round. Having compared the band (in a previous review) to Dimension Zero (Sweden) this still stands to a point. Cryostorm add a lot more melody in to their death metal, so haven’t really got the snap of D.Z but are equally as potent. If any further comparisons were needed, then next track ‘Vivify’ is reminiscent of early In Flames, having a more Swedish death metal feel about it. What stands out here is the fact that the guitar solos are written as part of the songs, as almost rhythm tracks, as part of the structure of the song as vocals are snarled over the top of solos which isn’t often heard in general, but works extremely well here. ‘This Vivid Night’ is a nastier beast altogether, slightly faster in pace than the previous songs and when the blast beats are re-introduced they really add a short, sharp and frantic edge to the song. As ever though, melody is never far away through the use of the guitar harmonies and solos. The band does sound particularly good when they up the pace and introduce the faster blast beats sections….more please gents!

‘Septentrion’ follows on in similar fashion, mixing all of the elements the band has to offer, namely melodic death metal that is led by the harmonies and solos with the added brutality of faster blast heavy sections….it’s a great mix that continues to work. The album seems to be gathering momentum as ‘Fate & Evolution’ springs to life, drums introducing the song on their own briefly before opening up with a more frantic and technical feel, the double kicks getting a good hammering from the outset. The song does drop off slightly, back to the more familiar, slower and melodic themes before ending frantically in a storm of blast beats. ‘Taciturn’ is vicious, again the band smashes open in brutal fashion, the drumming especially proving the point that the band know how to be punishing and brutal as well as melodic in the same song. The also show off their technical abilities here, the musicianship is of the highest standard and really shows – standout song so far! ‘Vorticity Spiral’ continues the more brutal theme extremely well, albeit not quite to the storm heard in the previous song but which still offers a snarling, melodic tinged death metal storm. The album has definitely gathered momentum through its latter stages and has now built a really epic feel as it begins to draw to a close. Eleventh and final track ‘Apocrypha’ pulls back from the brutality and harks back to the slow to mid-paced sounds heard earlier in the album. The songs has an almost ‘stripped back’ feel to it, sounding a lot simpler in composition with each instrument playing s more simple patterns, almost as if the band have purposely ‘gone back to basics’ to end the album. That’s by no means a criticism; there’s been so much going on throughout this album that having one track that does stand out as been slightly different makes perfect sense. There’s a very ‘spacey’ feel, almost ‘Cyinic-esque’ in sound which actually fits in with what the band are all about and is probably the ideal way to end things. Anyone who knows Cryostorm knows ‘their sound’ and fans of the band will definitely not be let down by this release as the standard has well and truly been maintained, if not bettered from previous offerings. The musicianship and execution of the album is top quality and it has a lot to offer in terms of extreme metal. It’s melodic, its brutal it’s blistering and it’s frantic and it’s a fantastic release which fans of melodic death metal will absolutely drool over. Comes very highly recommended.

 

8.5 Out of 10

 

Band Page: Here

Buy It: Here

Nordland - The True Cult Of The Earth

Glorious North Productions 2013

 

1.The Great Hall of the Sky 2.Dawn Calling of Thunor 3.Eithtelor

4.Heathen Lands 5.I Am the Winds of the Earth 6.A Mound to Lay My Bones Upon 

7.Crows

 

‘The True Cult Of The Earth’ is the second full length album from one man black metal band Nordland. Having praised the band’s first album, this second offering promised a lot from Vorh and his misanthropic brand of Black Metal. Opening Track ‘The Great Hall Of The Sky’ is an absolute monster of a track, being the longest on the album and clocking in at just over thirteen minutes. It does however have a lot to offer, beginning slowly and mournfully in extremely grim fashion, the ‘moaned’ vocals and very slow, doom laden pace makes for a very sombre opening passage. There is a change of pace, a faster blast beat section being used, but overall the pace of the song is kept to a minimum throughout the majority of its life which in all honesty is where the song sounds at its best. Haunting atmospheres, windswept soundscapes all make for a chilling, haunting and utterly devastating opening track. The fact that the song is over thirteen minutes is insignificant as you get drawn into the utter morbidity on offer, and time becomes irrelevant as the music takes over. ‘Dawn Calling Of Thunor’ is introduced through the use of a bellowing horn before the harsh and scathing black metal riffs take over. There is a slight increase in pace as the song gradually comes to life, but this doesn’t last long, the slower more mournful pace used so successfully in the opening track again implemented here to great effect. These slower paces are so much more effective. However, there are some really catchy guitar lines which utilise a faster pace which really gives the song a truly epic feel. Great Stuff!

‘Eithtelor’ is an extremely hypnotic track, very simple in composition, seemingly stripped back to a minimum in terms of song writing. That’s not a criticism, as the simplicity this song offers is key to its success. Again, short passages of fast blast beat, hate-filled passages are introduced and sound extremely effective here and once again makes for a very effective black metal offering. ‘Heathen Lands’ is the shortest song on the album, but still comes in at well over five minutes long and is another fine example of very catchy and epically atmospheric black metal. There’s almost ‘Immortal feel’ to this track, both musically and vocally which isn’t a bad thing at all as again, its catchy and its epically grim and makes for great sounding black metal. ‘I Am The Winds Of The Earth’ is fantastic, the pace has been upped, there’s a greater sense of urgency to this track which has a more traditional feel to it, i.e. the faster drumming, the faster picked, harsh guitars and the utterly scathing vocal delivery. Vorh has a great ability to write compelling black metal, no matter what the speed, be it the slower of faster, the end result is still first rate, catchy and memorable! ‘A Mound To Lay My Bones’ follows on in similar fashion, differing paces again utilised to great effect albeit with a more punishing and exhaustive approach. The haunting atmospheres heard in the earlier tracks rear their ugly heads again as the song ends its existence in devastating fashion. Brilliant! The simply titled ‘Crows’ ends this monstrous album, all sixty-one minutes of it, and it takes a slightly different approach to anything heard so far, taking on a more chaotic approach in places. To its credit, the song does offer up a mix of everything heard throughout all of the other songs and draws the album to a close in brilliantly epic fashion. The pace is slowed down as the song starts to draw to an end, the tension slowly building into a morose atmosphere before another ferocious barrage of blast beats are unleashed upon the listener which actually take you by surprise. Quite unexpected, but sounding perfect and placed brilliantly. Once again, Vorh has produced another master-class in stunning, atmospheric and truly brilliant black metal and coming from one man makes it all the more impressive. If you enjoyed his debut album, then ‘The True Cult Of The Earth’ is a cd you must hear. There’s no faulting this album at all, that’s how good it really is. Seven epic tracks of harsh, yet atmospheric black metal executed flawlessly and played with utter conviction, its another Nordland album that very highly recommended.

 

8.5 out of 10

 

Band Page: Here

Buy It: Here

A Split Worse Than Death

Grindscene Records 2013

 

A Split Worse Than Death brings together 5 death metal bands from the UK, all relatively well known on the current underground scene.

 

First up are five tracks from Bury sickos ‘Foetal Juice’. Their style is probably best described as old school grind. There is a real catchiness to their music, each song tending to bounce along at a really good pace. Their intro track “Introjuice” is actually one of their longest and sets the tone perfectly for the remaining four tracks. The production the band use is dirty and suits their music perfectly and is well balanced with an ‘unpolished’ feel, but anything different wouldn’t have suited their style, they have it bang on. Their songs aren’t overly complex, but they don’t need to be, the catchiness and simplicity is what is so appealing about Foetal Juice. They are playing old school influenced grindcore and are playing it really well. The Vocal delivery is a real highlight, the ultra-guttural vocals complimented very well with higher screamed backing vocals. Genre standard yes, but executed extremely well here. Its nasty, its brutal, its old school and its very impressive.

 

8.5 out of 10

 

 Next up is everyone’s favourite gore obsessed, serial killer worshipping sickos ‘Basement Torture Killings’. The London boys don’t hold back at all, from their opening track ‘Tapestry Of Putrid Genitalia’ through to their closing song ‘The White Chapel Murders’ the pace is an absolute frenzy. In fact everything about their music is frenzied, the blast beat laden drum work and schizophrenic guitars prove to be absolutely devastating and definitely the soundtrack some sickening murders. Playing at a faster pace can be a problem for some bands, finding the balance between speed and writing a memorable song, but BTK does this perfectly. Think older Carcass mixed with the likes of Impaled and Exhumed and you’ll not be far off the mark. Manic, brutal and utterly pummelling, BTK once again prove to be utterly devastating and their five tracks cannot be faulted at all.

9 out of 10

 

Brutal death metallers ‘Decimation’ follow on and offer four tracks of brutal as fuck death metal. Their style of death metal is relatively straightforward, sounding akin to modern day Cannibal Corpse. What really stands out is the production the band has opted for. The guitars are so heavy and every instrument has been mixed and balanced very well to the point where every song wouldn’t sound out of place on a Cannibal Corpse album, such is the professional standard attained. Their songs do sit firmly in the “mid-paced” bracket with forays into faster blast beat sections with equal measure. But, this mix of paces suits their brand of bludgeoning death metal very well indeed. All very impressive. 

 

9 out of 10

 

 

Ireland’s 'Zombified' are a different beast altogether, their style of death metal harks back to the early nineties when death metal was raw, nasty, conceived in the gutter and belched out in sub-human fashion. Offering up three tracks of dirty and nasty old school death metal, they really bludgeon through every track with real menace and don’t let up at all, blast beats; frenzied guitars and ultra-guttural vocals really mix well together and provide some extremely nasty music. The band have an almost ‘Finnish’ sound to their music, or maybe old school Swedish death metal, but the early European influence is definitely on display. Stand out track must be ‘The Immolation Race’ as it offers up everything you’d want from horrible old school death metal – faster catchy Swedish influenced riffs; slower Autopsy influenced sludge laden sections and an uncompromising vocal delivery. Utterly nasty, but purely perfect!

9 out of 10

Closing this split cd are ‘Nailed’ who with three full length albums under their belts are the releases ‘veterans’ and don’t let down at all. Brutal death metal with a slight thrash influence, all four tracks from the band absolutely crush and demolish the listener. Not the heaviest production in the world, the band more than make up for it in the speed and blistering delivery they offer up. Each song is an absolute whirlwind of brutal and technical death metal which definitely pummels the listener at every chance. If any comparisons were needed, then Malevolent Creation springs to mind every now and again, although when Nailed let loose with the blast beats they sound much more effective. A great band to close what is a great split release

 

8.5 out of 10

 

Overall: A Split Worse Than Death is an excellent introduction into the UK extreme metal underground and each band offers up something different to the other giving the listener a really good insight into the varying styles and bands currently ‘out there’. If you’re a newcomer to the scene, or a seasoned veteran, this release is a varied and extremely enjoyable listen and comes highly recommended

8.5 out of 10

Buy It:Here

 

 

Cognizance - Inquisition & Cognizance (Demo 2014)

Self Released 2013

 

1.Clones of the Night Sky 2.The Perennial Struggle 3.Epistemology

4.Defying a Natural Process

 

Yorkshire based duo Cognizance are a studio based death metal project that utilises the efforts of countless guest musicians. Debut e.p. ‘Inquisition’ starts with opening track ‘Clones Of The Night Sky’ and what an introduction to the band this is. Blasting drums accompany brutal and technical guitars which when combined absolutely pummel. There is a melodic edge to the guitars which really stands out when compared to many brutal death metal bands. The band come across as a ‘Unique Leader Records’ style of band, brutal and effortlessly technical with a melodic edge all extremely well produced and balanced – great start! ‘The Perennial Struggle’ follows on in suitably brutal fashion with more of the same except there is more of a technical edge on display, the guitars switching from dazzling and technical riffs to brutal and pummelling sledgehammer sections with great ease. There are a lot of guitar solos utilised which in places are reminiscent of Cynic, not that the band sound in any way like that, just the way the solos are phrased and played. ‘Epistemology’ is another short, sharp and technically brutal lesson in how to play technical death metal and play it well. More speed used this time round; the blast beat sections really show the band at their best. The mix of these faster sections and the more technical and slower melodic passages works extremely well, not necessarily unique in the genre, but definitely unique to the UK. Closing this short e.p. is ‘Defying A Natural Process’ which begins life very technically, the song structure really been mixed up and showing the bands talents off brilliantly. It almost sounds out of control but you just know these guys know exactly what they are doing such is the standard of musicianship on display. Musically there’s a touch of Atheist, and again Cynic, to their sound. However, the brutal and guttural death metal vocals really set them aside from such bands. Four tracks of technical and brutal death metal; this is a highly impressive introduction to the band. The standard these guys have set is very high and it would be fair to say you’d be hard pushed to find a brutal death metal band in the UK playing to such a standard. Comes very highly recommended.

 

9 Out Of 10

 

Self Released 2014

 

1.Assemblage of Ancient Authority 2.Deep Geological Disposal

 

2014 sees the band release a two track demo and again, the band utilised the talents of guest musicians to help out. One of the better known names to appear being drum god Romain Goulon. Opening track ‘Assemblage Of Ancient Authority’ shows a marked improvement in the bands ability. There’s more of a technical edge to their sound and approach to song writing and the addition of such a well renowned drummer has boosted the overall effectiveness of the music. It really adds new bite to their songs and gives them a much darker and sinister sound. Having said that, the melodic solos are still being used and the comparisons to the likes of Atheist and Cynic still stand true. ‘Deep Geological Disposal’ again blasts open unmercifully and again the improvement in the bands playing and song writing is more than apparent. The stop start technical passages are mixed brilliantly with the faster blast beat heavy sections and move from one to the other seamlessly and effortlessly. It’s a real shame there are only two tracks on offer, and listening to them it’s hard to believe these have just been produced for a demo. The standard in the production and playing is so high that there’s no faulting this at all. Hard to believe these guys are unsigned, surely that won’t be the case for too much longer? Another master-class in technical and brutal death metal, only two tracks but they again come highly recommended. If you haven’t heard these guys, get on it now, you won’t be disappointed!

 

9 out of 10