Bastard Noise/Xiphoid Dementia - Human Extinction Engine

Labels: Scry Recordings/Phage Tapes/Existence Establishment/Terror

Formats: Vinyl

Release Date: 01 Mar 2019

Tracklist:

1. Xiphoid Dementia - Malevolence

2. Xiphoid Dementia - Spirals

3. Xiphoid Dementia - Fangs

4. Bastard Noise - Avenge The Global Animal Holocaust By Any Means Necessary

5. Bastard Noise - Mandatory Human Exit

6. Bastard Noise - Cries From The Pterosaur Graveyard

7. Bastard Noise - Extraterrestrial Spring Evening

Tonight's review material is one that I approach with great caution. It features music from long-running US electronic/industrial project Xiphoid Dementia and Bastard Noise, the noise alter-ego of legendary power-violence act Man Is The Bastard. This split was released on vinyl at the beginning of the month via Scry Recordings, Phage Tapes and Existence Establishment in the US, as well as Terror from Lithuania. Egan from Existence Establishment was very kind and sent me over a copy of the record, which came on brown vinyl with red, white and black marbling. 

Side A belongs to Xiphoid Dementia and opener Malevolence is filled with scary noise-scapes and electronics that are akin to Author & Punisher. It’s a song layered with various elements of torturous noise that in turn are joined by equally harrowing spoken word samples. The subject matter of the sample here will give you chills and a genuine sense of horror, more so than any fictional horror movie could ever do.

Lengthier compositions are prevalent within this sub-genre and after the near seven-minute opener, Spirals surpasses that mark with a haunting ambience that’s stripped-back and minimal. It may still be early in the song at this point but it’s still enough to put your subconscious into overdrive. The further you get into Spirals, the greater the feeling of foreboding peace becomes, until more of the chilling samples emerge. Journeys without words can sometime be even more vivid and this is no exception.

Orchestral textures give XD’s final song Fangs a much more musical feel, in a traditional sense. It follows the theme laid out by Spirals and reminds you that all is not well. You may think that you’re of sound mind and body but this will convince you otherwise, even as the dark-jazz instrumentation drags it to it’s conclusion. 

Bastard Noise begins with Avenge The Global Animal Holocaust By Any Means Necessary, which is  a song aimed squarely at those who kill animals and it’s genuinely terrifying glitchy, screech-laden noise that I’m scared to turn up too loud. The vocals are deep growls that at times are whispered and are shrieked at others. Structurally it’s way more chaotic and abstract than XD’s offerings but that’s no criticism. There’s nowhere to hide.

Mandatory Human Exit is the first of two short numbers from Bastard Noise and it’s the last one with vocals. Minimalist and with an undercurrent of white-noise that’s difficult to escape from. High frequencies and piercing electronic sound manipulation that brings to mind a broken ADSL line, while being indulging also. Following that, Cries From The Pterosaur Graveyard delivers images of a futuristic re-awakening of the dinosaurs from their infinite slumber. 

From there, a chill wind blows over you as Extraterrestrial Spring Evening plucks you from the earth and drops you onto a distant and dystopian planet where only your thoughts keep you company. Whalesong-like electronic noises dominate this final track alongside more distant ambience. Providing a time for reflection is very clever and that reflection is needed, as you try to soak up what is both alien and comforting.

I’ve always skirted along the edges of the harsh noise/power-electronics genres, afraid to jump into the deep perilous waters but hearing this collaboration, it makes more sense to me now. Both Xiphoid Dementia and Bastard Noise show that their collective experiences both as musical projects and beings on this earth, have helped to forge ornate and thought-provoking soundscapes.

You can stream Mandatory Human Exit by Bastard Noise as well as Xiphoid Dementia's Malevolence below:-

Xiphoid Dementia - https://www.facebook.com/xdementia/

Bastard Noise - http://www.bastardnoise.com

You can buy vinyl copies from the labels below:-

Scry Recordings - https://www.scryrecordings.com

Phage Tapes - https://phagetapes.miiduu.com

Existence Establishment - http://existest.org/ee_v3/

Terror - http://www.terror.lt/index.php?page=home

Scry Recordings - https://www.facebook.com/scryrecordings

Phage Tapes - https://www.facebook.com/phagetapes/

Troll Mother - South Coast Hunger Tour (April 2019)

Southern UK sludge band Troll Mother will shortly be heading out on a run of UK shows down on the south coast. If you happen to be down that way, head out to one of gigs listed on the flyer below:-

They'll be playing alongside a whole host of underground UK bands including Spidervayne, Nunchucker, Hellripper, Enslavement, aAnd?, No Worth Of Man, Endea, Anthropophagite and Nausicaa. Check out the event pages below:-

April 7th - London, The Fighting Cocks

April 8th - Brighton, The Quadrant

April 12th - Bournemouth, The Anvil

April 13th - Southampton, The Hobbit

April 15th - Portsmouth, Edge Of The Wedge

I reviewed Troll Mother's EP "Forest Child" late last year and you can read my review here. You can stream and download it below:-

Troll Mother - https://www.facebook.com/TrollMother/

Invoker Interview (UK Tour w/To Kill Achilles Starts Today!)

Swiss hardcore band Invoker are due to play four dates in UK with To Kill Achilles and Reclaimer, beginning today. I recently caught up with the band to ask them a few questions about what hardcore means to them, about the writing process for their recent EP "Cursed To Feel" and about coming across to tour the UK for the first time. Read on...

TNIO - First up, what is the history behind Invoker? How did you guys meet and what made you decide to form the band? 

Andy Meier (Guitar) - When Peter’s and my old Band split up in 2012, our desire for a new music project grew, that’s when David, our singer who played in different Bands before, got involved. We all knew the new project would circle somewhere around Hardcore. Shortly after, we asked Raphael if he wanted to join us on the drums. We all grew up in the same Village in the countryside of Lucerne, Switzerland. Our rehearsal room was in a barn, and we’re quite glad that these times are over and we moved to a nicer place about two years ago, haha! 

Shortly after we started rehearsing our first songs, we began looking for a bass player. That’s when Patrick, a good friend who we knew from the Swiss hardcore scene, joined the band and completed the line-up. 

What does hardcore mean to you, especially being part of a growing European scene? 

AM - It means a whole lot. Even though we listen to a whole bunch of genres ranging from like hip hop to grindcore, we still see ourselves as hardcore kids. We just feel home in hardcore.

First: Hardcore shows are still the best thing ever! The energy onstage and in front of it is unmatched! 

Second: There is a common sense in this genre, that appeals to us. Like believing in equality and a big “fuck off” statement to stupid shit like racism, fascism, sexism or homophobia to name a few. It’s just normal in hardcore like it should be everywhere. And speaking of the growing European scene: You can feel this everywhere in Europe! Hardcore is one big family and we are happy to be a part of it. 

I reviewed your 2018 EP “Cursed To Feel” not so long ago and really enjoyed it. Can you explain about the writing process that Invoker goes through? 

AM - Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! The writing process goes mostly this way: Peter or I are writing the song ideas or sometimes whole demo songs at home. We are lucky to live in this digital age and both have recording software at home, what makes it so much easier. After we have the ideas or demos together, we send them to Raphael and he adds or reworks the drums. David has most of his lyrics written before the song material. After the adding of the drums we come together build in the lyrics and work on the material until we feel happy with the result. 

What subjects do you cover on “Cursed To Feel” (if you want to reveal them)? 

AM - The songs on “Cursed To Feel” circle around the matter of mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. Some in our bands struggle from said subjects and our singer David processes this in his lyrics. He went through some dark times and writing the lyrics to those songs helped him a lot to handle it. 

We think that mental illness, even though it somehow became something of a trend, is still a taboo for many people and in lot of cases don’t get to be taken serious. We want to help those people who feel mistreated or misunderstood and want to show them that they are not alone. 

You teamed up with Grim Reality Records to release the EP. Is it important to you to have your music available on physical formats as well as digital ones and why? 

AM – Yes, it is! We all love to hold an LP in our hands and put it on for a spin. I think the CD as a format will go extinct in the next couple years, but the revival of the vinyl showed that people still love having physical copies and we do to! Of course, all our music can be accessed digitally but having it in physical form is way more satisfying. 

You’re going to be playing some shows in the UK with To Kill Achilles in March. Have you played in the UK before? If so, can you tell us what it was like playing here compared to mainland Europe? 

We have never played in the UK before and we are hell of excited! We’ve all been to some shows in the UK on vacation and those were sick! So, we are stoked and I’ll gladly give you a feedback and compare the UK shows with the mainland shows after the tour! 

What bands do you guys count as influences? 

Oof! There are so many. We take our influences from everywhere. I think if you love music and listen to a lot of stuff you unintentionally take influence from everything you listen to. But if I had to cut it down to five bands that just pop in to my head I’d say: Counterparts, Modern Life Is War, God Is An Astronaut, Landscapes and Totem Skin. 

What is your local hardcore scene like now and are there any other bands from the Lucerne area that we should check out? 

Well you could count Switzerland as one local scene. The country is small enough that the scene spans over multiple cities and it is a scene that is still growing! When we speak of our hometown Lucerne, there are two bands that you should check out. Insanity and Cancel. Both are just the coolest dudes and their live shows are killer!

When we speak of whole Switzerland as a scene, there are too many bands we love to decide. But We made a playlist some weeks ago with bands from friends: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0kCeY6MumQmkxyE6rtl6AI 

Check it out! 

With regards to the UK dates mentioned above, Invoker's van broke down yesterday after their Prague show and as such, they won't be able to make it in time for the first show in Birmingham. Check out the poster below for the other dates (Note: it looks like tomorrow's gig in Oxford may have been replaced by Manchester, see the Facebook event page here - https://www.facebook.com/).

You can read my review of "Cursed To Feel" here. You can stream the EP and purchase it on vinyl, CD or digitally below:-

Invoker - https://www.facebook.com/weareinvoker/

Grim Reality Records - https://www.facebook.com/GrimRealityRecords/

Foxmoulder - Lethe 7"

Labels: Boslevan Records/Middle-Man Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 02 Mar 2013

Tracklist:

1. Tesslyn

2. Hum

3. Havelock

4. Endless/Blameless

I haven't done one of these for a week or so but the latest instalment of my review series looking back through the mighty Zegema Beach Records roster. As with previous reviews in this series, the band featured today are no longer release music as a unit. Canadian quartet Foxmoulder called in a day in 2017 and left behind an EP called "Hindsight", splits with Sartre, Coma Regalia and Eaglehaslanded, an appearance on the awesome "Swollen Lungs" 7" comp and this four-track single-sided EP, which was released in conjunction with Boslevan Records and Middle-Man Records. Member from Foxmoulder still play in Respire.

Screamo at it’s rawest, loudest and most emotive. Foxmoulder pretty much rage throughout this entire single-sided 7”. Opener Tesslyn is filled with foreboding melody and a chaotic backdrop of heavy instrumentation that matches the screaming, which itself sounds and feels angry. There’s no catching of breath in between songs as the intricate technicality and outright ferocity of Hum rings out for what seems like forever, but in reality is only sixty seconds. Havelock is a journey and one that twists and turns, as Foxmoulder move between stop/start introspection and full-band craziness with dexterity and integrity, which are both at the core of their music.

The feedback at the beginning of closing song Endless/Blameless heralds one more blast of reality from a band that make (or indeed made) it their mission to speak out against intolerance and hate, while projecting their emotions creatively and wearing their hearts well and truly on their sleeves. This wasn’t Foxmoulder’s final (ever) song but it has that feel about it, especially as the guitars fade out and are replaced by the impassioned screams at the end. As a standalone release, ‘Lethe” is both brief and impactful at the same time. Gathered together alongside the band’s other output, it details the timeline of a tortured band that was being the best they could be.

You can download "Lethe" as a name-your-price download below:-

Foxmoulder - https://www.facebook.com/foxmouldertoronto/

7" copies are available from the stores below:-

Middle-Man Records - http://middlemanrecords.storenvy.com

Zegema Beach Records - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com

Middle-Man-Records - https://www.facebook.com/middlemanrecords/

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords/

Dianacrawls - Too Many Puppies (Primus Cover) Song Premiere

On March 28th, Canadian label No Funeral Records will be releasing its first compilation and today I'm thrilled to be able to bring you one of the songs that will be featuring on it. You can stream Too Many Puppies (Originally by Primus) and covered by self-confessed Canadian "Glitter-violence" band Dianacrawls below. They've managed to capture the mad-cap essence of Primus while making the song their own:-

As well as Dianacrawls, the compilation will feature both familiar and new bands including Karloff, Botfly and Burial Etiquette (also from Canada); Joliette (Mexico); Our Wits That Make Us Men and Gillian Carter (United States); and finally Piet Onthel (Malaysia!).

The compilation will be released on tape format as well as digitally and any orders over $40 made with No Funeral Records will receive a free copy!

Pre-orders are now up at No Funeral's online store here - https://nofuneral.storenvy.com/products/ and also keep an eye on their Bandcamp page for the digital stream too - https://nofuneralsound.bandcamp.com.

Botfly - https://www.facebook.com/botfly902/

Burial Etiquette - https://www.facebook.com/BurialEtiquette/

Dianacrawls - https://www.facebook.com/dianacrawls

Gillian Carter - https://www.facebook.com/gilliancarterofficial/

Karloff - https://www.facebook.com/Karloff

Joliette - https://www.facebook.com/joliettemx/

Our Wits That Make Us Men - https://www.facebook.com/OurWitsThatMakeUsMen/

Piet Onthel - https://www.facebook.com/pietonthelpunx/

No Funeral Records - https://www.facebook.com/nofuneral8/

The Wandering Ascetic - Crimson

Labels: Transcending Obscurity Asia

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 12 Feb 2019

Tracklist:

1. Eva Braun

2. I Sing The Body Electric

3. The Exorcism Of Mrs. Doe

4. The Gods Bleed!

5. Beast Of Burden

6. The Will To Live

7. To Hell, Back And To Hell Again

8. Here For The Good Things

9. Assassins

10. Orang Laut

It feels like a Friday night. I wish it was! That being said, I really don't have a reason to complain. I'm even happier due to that fact that I can actually sit down and write about something tonight. That something being the recent debut full-length from Singaporean black/death band The Wandering Ascetic. "Crimson" was released in February via Transcending Obscurity Asia (an imprint of Transcending Obscurity Records) and it comes a whole a whole six years after their first EP "Manifest Destiny". 

The Wandering Ascetic is billed as a black/death/thrash band and the trio is definitely heavy. The vocals and the drumming follow the black metal blueprint on opener Eva Braun, while the guitar work is groovy and melodic, which may throw you out. Thankfully it works well and adds a really listenable element to the song. The musical layers on I Sing The Body Electric drag TWA’s music in a more blackened direction but there’s still no escaping the more upbeat feel of their music. I know it seems wrong of me to say that, but there’s just something about it. I love hearing the genre interpretations laid out by bands from far flung countries and this record is no exception to that. 

That groove I talked about earlier adds a sludge/doom slant to The Exorcism Of Mrs. Doe and it’s great. So many different fusions of extreme sub-genres yet everything works in harmony. None of the songs on “Crimson” are especially long but TWA manages to shoehorn a lot into them musically. They retreat from the groove on The Gods Blessed! and head in a more occult direction with a stripped-down song that’s joined by choral chanting that sounds menacing at its best. It’s here that the bass guitar is also more prominent, proving once again how proficient these guys are with their instruments. 

TWA’s black/thrash attack unleashes itself on Beast Of Burden. It’s not truly bestial, instead taking more from thrash legends like Metallica and Megadeth over the likes of Revenge. The thrash continues on The Will To Live, which has a horror-like aesthetic to it (but maybe that’s just because of the rabid vocals) as the solo-work is impeccable and way more rock n roll than you might expect, even if the audible lyrics suggest something more sinister!

Before you know if you’re thrust headfirst into To Hell, Back And To Hell Again, which is the album’s shortest track and indeed goes by all to quickly, leading straight into Here For The Good Things (a terribly positive song title for a black/death/thrash band, but who am I to question). It might be an ironic song title but it’s still got punch and a dystopian view towards the end that’ll make you realise that the irony was used in quite an effective way.

Penultimate song Assassins is as barbaric as TWA gets in both tempo and outright delivery. The kick-drumming is more over the top that it’s been on the rest of the record, leading to a truly neck-snapping song. It’s left to album closer Orang Laut to provide one last dose of groove-laden black metal and it just goes to highlight the breadth of skill involved in this release and the trio that produced it. If you want something both extreme and catchy (dare I say it) then look no further. “Crimson” is a great record from yet another great talent from Singapore. 

You can stream certain tracks from "Crimson" via Transcending Obscurity Asia below:-

Peek below for the CD/T-shirts that are available via the bandcamp page below:-

The Wandering Ascetic - https://www.facebook.com/wanderingascetic/

Transcending Obscurity Records - https://www.facebook.com/transcendingobscurityrecords/

Apostles Of Eris/Raining - Split Songs Premiere

Early April 2019 will see the release of this new split tape via Zegema Beach Records and Larry Records. I've been given the awesome privilege of being able to premiere a song by both Apostles Of Eris and Raining.

Apostles Of Eris began life as the solo-project of Nashville (now Richmond, USA) musician Jesse Mowery (of Dawn, Karoshi, Altar of Complaints, as well as many more). David Norman (Swallows Nest, The World That Summer and more) has since joined AOE and provides vocals on the split. The duo's song Mikey Got His Gun is rash but beautiful hardcore with subtle emo-whimsy.

Raining calls Dunedin (New Zealand) home and shares connections with Apostles Of Eris, as some of their members used to play with Dave Norman in a band called Emö Lendvai when he lived in the land of the long white cloud. Members also played or play in the likes of Sewage, Astronaut Club and Glorified!, as well as more. Their song Inoperant is a savage blast of emo-violence with multi-layered vocals.

You can stream both songs via my Youtube channel (embeds below):-

These songs fill me with excitement and I can't wait to hear the full split when it's released. Keep your eyes peeled on the various band/label links below for more news and pre-order info. The tape is only limited to 100 copies so you'll want to move fast!

Apostles Of Eris - https://www.facebook.com/thegoddessprevails/

Raining - https://raining.bandcamp.com

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords/

Larry Records - https://www.facebook.com/larryscrammo/

Musmahhu - Reign Of The Odious

Labels: Iron Bonehead Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 18 Jan 2019

Tracklist:

1. Apocalyptic Brigade Of Forbidden Realms

2. Musmahhu, Rise

3. Slaughter Of The Seraphim

4. Burning Winds Of Purgatory

5. Reign of The Odious

6. Spectral Congregation Of Anguish

7. Thirsting For Life's Terminus

Swedish death metal duo Musmahhu uttered their first inhuman cries in 2018 with the release of their debut EP "Formulas Of Rotten Death". It was released via Iron Bonehead Productions, who have now also helped to release the band's debut full-length "Reign Of The Odious". Musmahhu is indeed a mysterious entity; however, both of its members share both experience and bands, as well as links to Ancient Records.

With the wind whipping up once again outside, this feels like an apt soundtrack. Musmahhu presents an otherworldly persona and it’s immediately clear that the music is king as opener Apocalyptic Brigade Of Forbidden Realms begins. The drums are totally pummelling, while the guitar work is both frenetic and impressive. The vocals sit in the middle of it all and provide the level of hellish gloom that you’d expect. Following that opening onslaught, their call-to-arms of Musmahhu, Rise is ushered in with a solemn atmosphere before the battery takes hold once again. There’s more tempo changes present here, as Musmahhu flits between fast and sludge-like passages that are filled with subtle melody that has more of an impact than you might think. So far, this is very impressive. 

There’s no death metal I’ve heard in recent years that I could compare to this, and that isn’t a hollow statement either. I’ve been racking my brain and while there are plenty of old-school flourishes and smatterings of black metal present on Slaughter Of The Seraphim, it’s much better to enjoy this release as if it were completely in it’s own genre. The lengthy compositions thus far are compelling to say the least. At the mid-point of the album, there’s a short but equally torturous piece called Burning Winds Of Purgatory, which takes you deeper into the crazed minds of those behind the band. It’s does break things up a little while still allowing the record to sound uncomfortable (in a good way). There’s also some modern metal touches within it too, though these are buried amongst the death and only peer through the soil into the light.

The title-track brings things crashing down around you once again with no moment of rest. It’s this intensity level that makes “Reign Of The Odious” such a great listen. Yes it’s extreme in every sense, but sometimes that extremity is cleansing. If you’ve run out of records that force you to sit and take notice of their entirety then this is definitely for you. Penultimate beast Spectral Congregation Of Anguish is probably the most full-throttle song here with it’s utterly inhumane blasts and kick-drum frenzies. The haunting guitar/keyboard melody adds a further layer of density while the ghoulish deep-bellows and high-pitched shrieks bury themselves deep. Technical, challenging but also moving. 

It’s left to closer Thirsting For Life’s Terminus to provide some old-school Swe-death worship, with a mid-paced song full of riffs and true darkness. Yes there’s still a lot of percussive speed here but it retains the sort of presence that was honed by their Scandinavian forefathers. It rounds out an album that will leave your jaw agape and your saw neck wanting more. Fantastic stuff!

You can stream and buy "Reign Of The Odious" on all formats via Iron Bonehead Productions below:-

Iron Bonehead Productions - https://www.facebook.com/IronBoneheadProductions/

V/A - Hardkore Dokument UK #1 7"

Labels: Kibou Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 05 Dec 2018

Tracklist: 

1. The Domestics - Cherry Blossom Life

2. Pizzatramp - The Only Good Tribute Band Is A Fucking Dead One

3. Grand Collapse - Dock

4. Wolfbeast Destroyer- Carved Into Bone

5. Rash Decision - The Shaman

6. Guilt Police - It's A Dirty Church But We All Love Filth

Technology may be our "friend" now but it can still be notoriously slow. While I wait for things to happen I have some prime listening time, so I'm getting down and dirty with the latest comp 7" from Kibou Records, focusing on 6 of the UK's best hardcore-punk bands. If you've been following the blog for a while you may well be familiar with both Wolfbeast Destroyer and Rash Decision, as they've both featured before. The Domestics, Pizzatramp, Grand Collapse and Guilt Police are familiar names but this is the first time I've listened to them, so again the comp format more than proves it's worth.

Opening band The Domestics have close ties to Kibou Records so it’s only right that they kick things off. Their fast hardcore almost crosses over to madcap PV on Cherry Blossom Life. Angry and rageous but with tight musicianship and a sense of fun too. There’s no tough guy core present on here and Pizzatramp delivers good old-fashioned noisy, driving hardcore on The Only Good Tribute Band Is A Fucking Dead One. In fact no song on here goes beyond two-and-a-half-minutes, so you’re in the right place if you like it fast.

Grand Collapse lull you into thinking they’re a melodic punk band before blazing a trail with powerfully screamed vocals and instrumentation that borrows from garage-punk on Dock. As a band, Grand Collapse really stands out, though there’s not a bad band on here. I featured Carved Into Bone by Wolfbeast Destroyer when I wrote about their split tape with This Ends Here in 2017, so I’m not gonna go into too much detail about it here. What you get with Wolfbeast Destroyer is driving crusty hardcore with a nod to Motorhead. 

Rash Decision is back with a new song in the form of The Shaman and following on from last year’s awesome album “Karoshi”, it’s yet again filled with rage and riffs. They’re fast turning into one of the UK’s best, which is what this comp has set out to showcase so it’s no surprise. Ending with the raw, bass-filled noise of Guilt Police and It’s A Dirty Church But We All Love Filth reminds you of the dirty underbelly of UK hardcore-punk and it couldn’t be better. It shows that less-polished doesn’t always mean sloppy and it rounds out a comp that’s filled with quality over quantity. This review might not be the longest I’ve ever written, but it doesn’t need to be. Let the music do the talking.

You can stream the comp and buy it on vinyl and digitally below:-

The Domestics - https://www.facebook.com/TheDomestics/

Pizzatramp - https://www.facebook.com/Pizzatrampuk/

Grand Collapse - https://www.facebook.com/GrandCollapse/

Wolfbeast Destroyer - https://www.facebook.com/wolfbeastcrust/

Rash Decision - https://www.facebook.com/rashdecision/

Guilt Police - https://www.facebook.com/guiltpolice/

Kibou Records - https://www.facebook.com/kibourecords/

Violblast - Theater Of Despair

Labels: Hostlie Media

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 11 Jan 2019

Tracklist:

1. Trivialization Of Murder

2. Theater Of Despair

3. New Orphans Elegy

4. Martyrs Without A Cause

5. Secret Reality

6. The Shadow No Longer Rests

7. Prevail

8. Broken Scepter

9. Painless

10. Scopaesthesic

There's some serious thrash metal stirrings going on in Europe right now. From Portugal's Toxik Attack, whom I featured recently, thrash has found it's way across the border into Spain and into the laps of Violblast. Okay, so they've been peddling their wares since 2012 (initially under the name Betrayer) but 2019 could be their year, thanks to their second full-length "Theater Of Depair", which was released by UK label Hostile Media in early January. 

Violblast’s thrash is technical and has a lot in common with that of their Italian comrades. Trivialization Of Murder also borrows from UK bands like Onslaught, especially with it’s mid-paced delivery during the verses and the semi-audible vocals. The lead-guitar work is something all-together more skin shredding though. The title-track is a lot more savage than the album opener, with blasting drums making their presence heard amongst the confidently played thrash. Confidence is one of the obvious plus points here for sure. 

At times their riffing is more akin to war metal; however, they’re certainly more approachable and songs like New Orphans Elegy exhibit both sides of their sound, as well as some great modern touches too. Another European influence that looms large on this release is German teutonic thrash. The kind that Destruction and Kreator are famous for and you can here it during the brutality of Martyrs Without A Curse. There’s no let up during Secret Reality either, though the melody that Violblast injects into it save it from being a pure straight-ahead bang-a-thon (not that it isn’t heavy).

The second half of the album starts with breakdown-like guitar riffs on The Shadow No Longer Rests, which is amongst the most modern sounding songs on “Theater Of Despair”. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, as it serves as a great song on its own terms and proves that Violblast are more than worthy song-writers. There’s still plenty of time to sit back and appreciate their craft and Prevail is an apt song in which to do it, as it’s where they truly prevail (no pun intended, really!). They may only be two albums into their career at this point, but you wouldn’t know it on this showing. 

When Violblast hit the loud pedal, they take no prisoners. Broken Scepter is filled with urgency and quality musicianship that’ll stop you in your tracks. It doesn’t stop there either, as Painless is not only the quickest song on “Theater Of Despair” but it’s also the most vicious and is over before you know it. I guess that’a one way to keep the momentum going! Album closer Scopaesthesic begins with a meaty mid-paced (almost doom-like) intro but morphs back into a thrashing assault shortly afterwards. It’s a great way to end a very strong album. Violblast is definitely another name to add to your essential band list. They’ve certainly won me over!

You can stream and download "Theater Of Despair" via Violblast's Bandcamp page below:-

CD copies are available from their store here - https://violblast.bigcartel.com and from Hostile Media here - https://hostilemedia.bandcamp.com/merch.

Violblast - https://www.facebook.com/Violblast

Hostile Media - https://www.facebook.com/hostilemedia/

The Glorious Rebellion - Scholars Of War

Labels: Sludgelord Records

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 29 Mar 2019

Tracklist:

1. Turn Around, Bright Eyes

2. This Is Fine

3. Burn It Down, Lemon (Burn it Down)

On March 29, Floridian noise rock band The Glorious Rebellion will release their latest EP "Scholars Of War" digitally via Sludgelord Records and their own Bandcamp page. Since their formation in 2014, the trio has been garnering plenty of attention both in the press and on the stage, as they played alongside the likes of Jucifer, Black Tusk and KEN Mode (amongst others). It's been nearly three years since their last release "Euphoric" and TGR are ready to ensure that they've not be forgotten.

TGR’s rock is most definitely noisy and sludgy too. Turn Around, Bright Eyes is like stepping into a bar brawl with no chance of winning. It’s loud and there’s a fair bit of metal attitude coursing through it. It’s off-kilter and brutal thanks to the cacophony of authoritative instrumentation and powerful growls. It doesn’t get any calmer as TGR rips into This Is Fine. Again, it’s filled with off-kilter riffs and the kind of mentality that will make you slightly afraid of them. The atmosphere created by the feedback and those angry vocals won’t comfort you either.

Burn It Down, Lemon (Burn It Down) starts with a scathing blast of feedback before TGR fully launches into what is a nine-minute plus beast. Despite it’s length, the song flies by with choral backing-vocals, constantly driving aggressiveness and towards the end, they dial things back for a brief moment in order to at least take a breathe. This is a heavy release and one that’s bound to make an impact on anyone that hears it. The Glorious Rebellion is the soundtrack to all of 2019’s ills, of which there are plenty. You may as well bang your head and let it all out now.

You can stream This Is Fine via TGR's Bandcamp page below, where you can also pre-order the EP digitally if you're on North America:-

For us Brits and others, you can head to Sludgelord Records here - https://thesludgelord.bandcamp.com/album/scholars-of-war

The Glorious Rebellion - https://www.facebook.com/thegloriousrebellion/

Sludgelord Records - https://www.facebook.com/SludgelordRecords/