Vimur - Transcendental Violence

Labels: Boris Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 02 Apr 2022

Tracklist:

1. Aeonic Upheaval

2. Transcendental Violence

3. Infallible Contra Animus

4. Emanations From The Sun Behind The Sun

5. The Greatest Dying

6. Death Absolution

7. The Warrior Seers

I spotted a pattern when I came to write this review. All three of Vimur's fill-length albums to date have started with the letter T. Anecdotal as that might seem, I thought it was worth mentioning as I wasn't sure how to open this review. Atlanta, Georgia's (USA) Vimur began playing USBM back in 2006. but it wasn't until 2014 before their first demo was released (though a demo CD from 2010 pre-dates that). Since then there have been two full-length album, a live album and an EP leading up to this, their third album. It was Boris Records that first brought Vimur to my attention and it was they who helped bring Transcendental Violence to the ears of plenty of extreme metal fans last year.

I feel this burst of extremity is very much needed, given the purgatory that has been my day job over the last couple of days. Album opener ‘Aeonic Upheaval’ is full of blasting percussion, ground-shaking bass work, icy yet atmosphere-building riffs and vocals that cut through the instrumentation like cold sharp steel. I don’t recall Vimur’s sound being this black metal heavy on previous releases, but it is an enjoyable sound that they create here. That enjoyable factor comes in the form of the groove that’s prominent in their song-writing, I’m not talking stoner/doom groove but there is something mesmeric about the closing bars of ‘Aeonic Upheaval’.

From something pretty lengthy to something altogether more brutal sounding. The album’s title-track ‘Transcendental Violence’ drip feeds death metal into Vimur’s sound, albeit subtly as they still take no prisoners when it comes to their black metal. The other thing worth noting here is the sheer volume of the recording on this thing. It’s pretty damn loud even at half volume!

The tempo on ‘Infallible Contra Animus’ is deceiving, especially following that title-track. It’s the riffs that seem to slow it down in places even though most of the time it almost reaches grinding intensity. That intensity gives off a false sense of time because the song isn’t even halfway through at this point. It’s latter half does nothing to dispel the sense of pace and it leaves you wondering how Vimur can sustain such velocity for so long.

That same velocity is carried through to ‘Emanations From The Sun Behind The Sun’, which pretty much follows in exactly the same vein. Hearing the guitar melodies ringing out amongst the percussive blasts is a dream-like experience if you find solace in heaviness. After escaping the bludgeoning of ‘Emanations...’, the metallic lead guitar of ‘The Greatest Dying’ brings you back to life with quite the shock. It’s only a brief shock though as Vimur once again stride forth with more unrelenting black metal. It’s final third leaves some room for breath but it feels only fleeting.

Doom, death and black metal form a holy trinity on penultimate song ‘Death Absolution’. It’s the atmospheric piece that Transcendental Violence has been promising and it shows another side to Vimur’s song-writing ability As somebody who has been drawn further down the post-metal rabbit hole of late, I have to say that I find this side of Vimur more appealing (but ask me in a couple of weeks and I’ll probably say that their rabid black metal is hitting the spot). That says more about my constantly shifting attention span than it does about their music,. 

Album closer ‘The Warrior Seers’ eschews that post-metal calmness and retreats back into the cold shadows, enveloping you one final time in Vimur’s black metal majesty. You could describe it as cinematic, as Vimur reaches a climactic peak with such ease and poise. This album is the perfect length in my humble opinion. It captures the attention and the imagination without being too long. A great listen but don’t just take my word for it.

You can stream and purchase Transcendental Violence on all formats from Vimur below:-

Vimur - https://www.facebook.com/vimurofficial

Copies are also available from Boris Records below:-

https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/transcendental-violence

Boris Records - https://www.facebook.com/borisrecordsatl

Tombstalker - Age Of Darkness EP

Labels: Boris Records/Morbid Aggressor Productions

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 29 May 2023

Tracklist:

1. Astral Combat

2. Titan Warlord

3. Age Of Darkness

4. The Final Night

Things have been a little quiet over the last week, mainly due to work life getting busy. Thankfully the long weekend allows for some breathing space (but not much), so I can finally get back to it. At the end of this month US thrash/death band Tombstalker will release their latest EP Age Of Darkness, via both Boris Records and Morbid Aggressor Productions. It's their first release in about six years and will help to mark their fifteenth anniversary as a band.

Age Of Darkness is filled with boundless energy straight from the off. ‘Astral Combat’ opens things up with the right mix of rawness from the intense vocals and catchy, assured instrumentation. Tombstalker’s experience really shows here with the quality of their performance, especially during the extended instrumental passages later on in the song.

‘Titan Warlord’ appears to be more straightforward thrash/death on early listening; however, it isn’t long before Tombstalker’s more progressive tendencies take over again. I use that term loosely here, as they don’t go full-on Cynic/Atheist or anything, but there definitely is a melodic and creative side to their music. The solo that helps to close ‘Titan Warlord’ is amongst the best you’ll hear all year too.

The EP’s title track ‘Age Of Darkness’ is a delightful acoustic instrumental that harks back to similar ones that were performed by some of thrash metal’s true titans of old (Death Angel is the first name that springs to mind here for me and obviously S&M era-Metallica).

EP closer ‘Final Night’ sees Tombstalker rejoicing in their destructive heaviness one last time. There’s a real authenticity to the music on here and with the current explosion of death metal in all it’s variations right now, Tombstalker should be right up there with the best.

You can stream 'Astral Combat' in advance of the full EP release via Boris Records below:-

You can also pre-order Age Of Darkness on vinyl, tape and digital formats via Boris's bandcamp page above.

I can't locate any links to Morbid Aggressor Productions. If anybody knows of any, please send them my way and I'll update the review.

Tombstalker - https://www.facebook.com/tombstalkerband

Boris Records - https://www.facebook.com/borisrecordsatl

Misanthropic Aggression - Alcoholic Polyneuropathic Freaks In Hell 7"

Labels: Boris Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 20 Apr 2020

Tracklist: 

1. Alcoholic Polyneuropathic Freaks In Hell

2. Retired From Life (Last Day Of Work)

3. Blacklisted

I finally have enough energy to write again. Sorry for the radio silence over the last week. I didn't have the big-C but the effect it's having on society is obvious to see. The Prime Minister announced earlier that all bars, pubs, clubs, restaurants and other social spots need to close from midnight tonight, to help reduce the spread of the virus. This is massive for bands, fans and for society as a whole. Of course, it was always going to happen but announcing it as late as they did on a Friday means that everyone's going to party as if it's their last night out ever. 

I've had my fill for the evening and my party involves the brand new 7" from Atlanta (USA) black-death thrashers Misanthropic Aggression. The band was formed in 2015 and released their first demo in 2017. They released the Inability To Cope EP the following year via Boris Records, whom they're working with again for this new release. 

Opening with a spoken-word sample that brings to mind American doom-sayers, Misanthropic Aggression launches into title-track ‘Alcoholic Polyneuropathic Freaks In Hell” with some sludge-like riffs that flow into deathly black-thrash. The riffs and blasting percussion are joined by hellish vocals of both the low and higher-pitched variety, leaving no time for respite. It’s catchy though and awesomely old-school.

‘Retirement From Life (Last Day Of Work)’ is a heady mix of slow death metal and cold black metal. The tempo does increase toward the latter half and it becomes a grooving mess of extreme madness that ends abruptly. Closing song ‘Blacklisted” hits the spot in terms of tempo and upbeat riffs. That’s not to say it’s an easy-listen but M.A. does make it a fun one. In fact this is probably the most fun number on the 7”. 

This EP definitely contains a huge element of that old-school heavy metal vibe, which makes it’s infectious spirit even more enjoyable. Extreme music doesn’t have to be all evil and anti-life. M.A. are great fun and this EP proves why.

You can stream the title-track below via Boris Records on bandcamp:-

The 7" is also available to pre-order in both physical and digital formats via Boris Records above.

Misanthropic Aggression - https://www.facebook.com/MisanthropicAggression/

Boris Records - https://www.facebook.com/borisrecordsatl/

Berator - R.A.I.D.S Demo

Labels: Boris Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 31 May 2018

Tracklist:

1. Sultans Of Incest

2. Swine Cult

May 2018 saw the release of the first demo from Chicago's latest black/death horde Berator. The "R.A.I.D.S" demo was released by Boris Records and while tape copies have now sold out, there's still more than enough reason to give this demo a spin. One such reason being that Berator are due to start tracking and recording their debut full-length very soon. The band features current members of fellow Boris Records band Disfigurement and also Cryptic Fog.

Berator’s sound is intense and Sultans Of Incest is a full-blown attack featuring blasting drums, relentless riffs and dual-death metal screams. It follows the old-school path that so many good USDM bands have gravitated towards of late and there’s absolutely no let up whatsoever. 

The demo’s second song Swine Cult thrashes like a maniac and carries on the momentum. When Berator slows the tempo down just before the mid-way point they’re able to still retain their ferocity and make way for a great solo. as well. This demo provides a teasing glimpse into what these guys have in store on their up-coming full-length. Blast this loud and on repeat until then!

Steam and download the demo below:-

It's also available digitally here - https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/r-a-i-d-s-demo

Berator - https://www.facebook.com/berator/

Boris Records - https://www.facebook.com/borisrecordsatl/

Malformity - The Rapturous Unraveling 7"

Labels: Boris Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 13 Jan 2018

Tracklist:

1. Rapturous Damnation

2. Unraveling

I've been watching a few Youtube videos by a black/death metal fan who goes by the name of "Scourge Of Vinyl" recently and because of him, I've been rediscovering a lot of killer bands and also felt eager to discover those that are new to me. Atlanta, Georgia's Malformity is one such band. They formed in the early 90s, releasing a demo called "Black Holes To Heaven" before calling it a day in 1995. Two decades later they returned and released an EP called "Lectures On The Apocalypse", which coincidentally was the name of a band that featured founding Guitarist/Vocalist Dan Ratanasit. "The Rapturous Unraveling", their latest release, came out in January on Boris Records. To celebrate this new 7", they played a January Boris Records showcase in Atlanta and they're due to play alongside both Cannabis Corpse and Brutality soon as well.

Malformity plays a brutal but old-school form of death metal. Opener song Rapturous Damnation is filled with furious blasts, technical but headbang-able riffs and guttural vocals. Members of Malformity have previously spent time in bands such as General Surgery and Regurgitate, so they know their way around death metal pretty damn well and it shows. The twin-guitar melodies and brooding atmosphere in the latter half of Rapturous Damnation is good enough to break up the brutality while also adding an extra spectacle to the music.

They weave hints of Swe-death into the intro of Unraveling, which is mixed in with extreme USDM to great effect. There’s personality in the music, which can be lacking in certain areas of the death metal genre nowadays. The underlying melody and Malformity’s ability to fit a lot into a relatively short space of time are skills that set them apart. All in all this is damn solid death metal played properly. The US is filled with so many bands vying for the same listeners but it’s bands like Malformity that really deserve the attention.

You can stream "The Rapturous Unraveling" via Malformity's bandcamp below, where you can also purchase it digitally and on 7" vinyl:-

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

You can also buy the 7" from Boris Records here - https://borisrecords.bandcamp.com/merch

Boris Records - https://www.facebook.com/borisrecordsatl/