Upcoming Metal: Week of August 10th
Baest
Colossal
Releases August 16th on Century Media Records
Genre: Death Metal
From the opening of “Stormbringer”, Baest lead with an old school, death n’ roll vibe right out the gate. Lasse Revsbech & Svend Karlsson are just chugging with riffs that deliver a hybrid of melodic death metal, combined with death n’ roll and modern heavy metal. “Collosus” adds that chuggy, downtuned, sludgy groove throughout, while “King of The Sun” which features Jesper Binzer of D-A-D, almost harkens back to the 80’s metal sound of Accept and Judas Priest, but mutated into heavy, brutal and pounding death metal. I love the band’s genre-fusion and sound that not only pays homage to the origins and roots of classic heavy metal, but also adds dynamics and a unique sound that helps make their sound standout amongst other death metal acts. If you like your death metal with a little tinge of rock and roll and a bit of groove, I HIGHLY recommend this album as it sounds like Baest might be helping start a new wave of death n’ roll.
SCORE: 4.5 / 5
The Final Witness
Beneath The Altar
Releases August 15th on Rottweiler Records
Genre: Progressive Thrash/Groove Metal
On their debut album, this one-man project delivers a nice amalgamation of classic 80’s thrash, with a nice mix of groove and modern metal. “Principalities” showcases a bombastic drum/riff combo, interspersed with some deep gutturals by the band’s main man Josh Henderson. With the song featuring tinges of metalcore that you’d find on classic Killswitch Engage releases. On “Beneath The Altar”, the eerie and ominous guitar opening, into cannon-like double bass and drum strikes hit hard in the headphones. Bringing a heavy, groove to the main dark track throughout with gun-shot sounding snare strikes punching through the mix. The same vibe is also felt on “Sanctum of The Holy”. With a Lamb of God-vibe, both in the drum playing and vocals. Though the production could be mixed a bit better, it is a pretty good debut and the potential and intrigue is there for this project to see where they go on their follow-up.
SCORE: 4 / 5
Cruel Bomb
Cruel Bomb
Releases August 15th Independently
Genre: Thrash Metal
Cruel Bomb deliver a punch of classic thrash metal right from the start of “Target Neutralized”. Hostile vocals by Brandon James compare to Ringworm in it’s brash, distorted and aggressive delivery. Kyle McKeown’s galloping double bass add that driving force on the track and throughout the entire album. Abrasive and pissed-off energy drips throughout the entire track. “AC-130” slow to a more groove-heavy riff, but still gives off that “don’t fuck with me” attitude as soon as the riff intensifies and drums double-time. “Scorched Earth” is just a banger for the full two-minute runtime, and “Glass House” gives off a metallic hardcore vibe that just intensifies and dominates as the song progresses. Strong debut and definitely a record to blare when you just want to flip the world the finger and break everything in your wake.
SCORE: 5 / 5
Anthrodynia
Unspeakable Horrors Emanating From Within
Releases August 15th
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
From the drowning and pummeling distortion and chugging from the album opener “Severed From Mundanity”, this Canadian death/doom deliver a slab of sludgy, heavy and high-octane death metal riffs straight from the Florida death metal scene of the 80’s. Fans of acts like Portal and Ulcerate will dig that wall of distortion production style, combined with gurgling, almost unintelligible vocal delivery. Though only five tracks, the album is just filled with layers of production and sounds that add to the crushing weight of the band’s sound. “Engulfed in Grief” and “A Rotten Sun” toy with the listener, giving off moments akin to funeral doom pacing and atmosphere, before bringing the intensity of the guitars and pounding drums. Worth a listen if you want that atmospheric, demo-like production that adds a dark, gloomier edge to your old school death metal.
SCORE: 4 / 5
Warmen
Band of Brothers
Releases August 15th on Reaper Entertainment
Genre: Melodic Death/Power Metal
With their seventh album, Warmen deliver that creative and hostile, but yet intricate sound of death and power metal that acts like Children of Bodom helped bring into popularity. Janne Warman flies all along the keyboard on the album opening title track. “Nine Lives” is a true guitarist track, with the riff being such an earworm and headbang along to that it’ll have you banging along in no time. I adored “Kingdom of Rust” as a driving, double bass heavy track with soaring lead guitars and soaring strings amongst the driving chaos of the drums. Though for me, some songs did sounding too similar at certain pieces, it was a solid record. With the band delivering heavy, creative and complex pacing while also delivering the dynamic and diverse keyboard sections amongst the barrage of heaviness.
SCORE: 3.5 / 5
Abhorrent Expanse
Enter The Misanthropocene
Releases August 15th on Amalgam Music
Genre: Experimental Death Metal
One of the most unique and avant-garde acts I’ve heard in awhile, Abhorrent Expanse is just a sonic description of chaos from the get-go on the opening of the band’s second album. The album’s title track delivers jazz-like drumming, haunting and cinematic atmosphere, gravely black metal, into up-tempo, manic drumming. Eclectic, manic and schizophrenic, confusing the listener into a feeling of “what the hell am I listening to?”. Songs like “Kairos” play around with odd time-signatures, odd plucking of guitar and bass, and just all over the place drumming. On “Assail The Density Matrix”, the band truly delves into an odd, anxiety inducing spiral from the opening. D-beat style drumming, church bells and an ascending/descending bass, makes the journey a little overwhelming and not sure where the song is going. This is experimental in it’s purest sense and will definitely be a little dividing depending on who listens to it. For me, it was a little too chaotic and “free-form” for me, but to someone else, it might be “brilliant” or give off the vibe of “you don’t get it” in a way. If it makes sense to you, then I tip my imaginary cap to you, but for me and after several listens to try to understand it, this just went over my head.
SCORE: 1 / 5
Castrator
Coronation of The Grotesque
Releases August 15th on Dark Descent Records
Genre: Death Metal
Castrator are pissed-off of the injustice and mistreatment of women and deliver that message with a stab to the throat and continue twisting the knife on their second album. Clarissa Badini’s vocals are deep and guttural, drawing comparisons to Frank Mullen of Suffocation on certain parts of album opener “Fragments of Defiance”. Sara Loerlein is just a beast on the guitar, with wailing old-school thrash bends, into chugging, slam heavy death metal riffs. Songs like “I Am Eunuch” add that brutal death metal delivery, into just unmitigated brutality and violence. “Mortem Opeterie”, “Deviant Miscreant” and album closer “Metal Command” are just fist-pumping, aggressive, and overall songs that will destroy live. Drawing comparisons to Emasculator’s debut EP last year The Disfigured and The Divine, this album was a damn blast and I immediately spun it again after it finished. HIGHLY recommend this record for any death metal fan as this band are ready to rip and tear across the world and pray to God as a man you don’t get in their way.
SCORE: 5 / 5
