Amenra - De Toorn

Labels: Relapse Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 28 Mar 2025

Tracklist:

1. Heden

2. De Toorn (Talisman)

Earlier this year Belgian post-metal/extreme metal band Amenra released two EPs via Relapse Records, called De Toorn and With Fang And Claw. Both EPs look back at their career to date while also looking forwards to their future as a band. Over recent years they have become one of the most admired/revered acts in extreme music and this November, they'll be touring the UK and Europe around their much anticipated performance at Damnation Festival in Manchester.

The weight of life that sits heavy on our shoulders can sometimes become too much. With economic, personal and technological pressures (AI and social media being two prominent examples); it’s hard to switch off and appreciate the beauty, and humanity that surrounds us. This week is about doing just that for me and after a day filled with lazy solitude, being surrounded by heaviness is perfect.

Opening De Toorn with ‘Heden’, which builds very slowly from a quiet percussive beginning, the stirring musicianship of Amenra comes to life. The spoken-word lyrics are sparse yet striking, the instrumentation clear and spacial. It allows for self-inward reflection without it being sign-posted, and it shows what a band can do without dissonance or feedback ruling the recording, Obviously, this wouldn’t be an Amenra release without that heaviness and they wait until the song’s final quarter to unleash it. It’s a shock to the system in a way but also extremely cathartic and cleansing too.

Second track ‘De Toorn (Talisman)’ follows in very much the same form. Not as slow building but not immediate either. Subtle percussion and bass grow alongside melodic guitar, and more spoken-word vocals/choral ambience; though the music itself doesn’t build as expected. I think that’s kind of the point here, as nothing should be expected or be predictable in life. Amenra take that thought process by the hand and deliver another crescendo-like ending. 

Ultimately, this EP will fill you with all kinds of emotions. Amenra have crafted something truly beautiful here and a live setting is the best place to experience it, if you’re lucky enough to be able to catch one of their up-coming shows.

You can stream the EP digitally and buy it on all physical formats below:-

You can also buy physical copies directly from Relapse Records here - https://www.relapse.com/collections/new-releases

Amenra - https://www.facebook.com/churchofra

Relapse Records - https://www.facebook.com/RelapseRecords

Sarmat - Upgrade

Labels: I, Voidhanger Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 28 Mar 2025

Tracklist:

1. Upgrade

2. Serum Visions

June ended up being a little quieter than I had planned but also somehow turned out to be a bit of a record breaker. I want to try and gain better writing momentum again but I'm not forcing it either. With all of that in mind, I've chosen to write about US jazz/progressive extreme metal band Sarmat and their latest release, Upgrade. The two-song EP was released on CD and digitally by I, Voidhanger Records in March.

Sarmat is more a musical collective than a band and for this release it comprises drummer James Jones, bassist/keytar player Steve Blanco, guitarists Zachary Blakeslee-Reid and Ryan Hale, upright bass player Niko Hasapopoulos, trumpeters Oskar Stenmark and Jerome Burns, as well as vocalist Ilya Belko. It was recorded live at Gojira's own Silverchord Studio and was mixed/mastered by Colin Marston.

It’s so frustrating seeing the highest profile music festival in the UK (if not the world) paying such little respect to heavy music and it’s bands. On the flip-side, the same thing also happens in some grassroots venues too, as experienced just last Sunday when I attended a gig where the venue made no effort to promote one they were putting on, which featured four up-and-coming bands trying to reach new audiences.

With that in mind, I’m trying to play my small part by sharing the newest release from Sarmat, which so far has left people both bewildered and enthralled in equal measure. Starting with title-track ‘Upgrade’, you’re thrown straight into some utterly insane, extreme metal, filled with improvisation and uncharacteristic instruments. The trumpet of Oskar Stenmark joins the drums, bass and guitar (of James Jones, Steve Blanco and Zachary Blakeslee-Reid respectively), providing an inspired dark-jazz/experimental layer.

Nothing about this piece of music is conventional and is exactly what I’d love to witness live at my local live music venue here. It combines everything I love about extreme metal and enough weirdness to leave me grinning from ear to ear. The addition of Ilya Belko’s harsh vocals in the song’s latter half push the extreme envelope further, while not detracting from Sarmat’s metallic progressiveness. 

Second piece ’Serum Visions’ is somewhat shorter than ‘Upgrade’ was, yet it feels even more of a headfuck because of it. This time Steve Blanco switches to keytar and is joined by Niko Hasapopoulos on upright bass, Ryan Hale on guitar and the trumpet of Jerome Burns. It retains Sarmat’s heavy sound but ratchets up the otherworldly experimentation to greater levels. You’ll understand what I mean when you hear it. 

I really don’t know how I reached this point of musical exploration but I’m thankful for it. Being curious enough to dig deeper Into the outer, creative edges of genres (or music in general) gives a feeling of wholesomeness, even if what you’re listening to is extreme. The ever changing collective that is Sarmat makes it even more worthwhile. Please lend them your ears.

You can stream and purchase Upgrade both digitally, and on limited digipack CD from I, Voidhanger Records below:-

Sarmat - https://www.facebook.com/Sarmatproject

I, Voidhanger Records - https://www.facebook.com/i.voidhanger.records

Malauriu/Sinoath - Scuru/Symphony of the Scythe Split 7"

Labels: Doomentia Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 20 Jan 2025

Tracklist:

1. Malauriu - Scuru

2. Sinoath - Symphony of the Scythe

Czech extreme metal label Doomentia Records recently gathered together two bands rooted in Sicily (Italy) for a split 7" of epic proportions. Featuring one song from both Malauriu and Sinoath respectively, it's a proper nod to the old-school way of doing things. Split releases like this don't come round very often, what with the current fashion of bands shooting for collaborative albums instead. Malauriu is a duo that has been active for over a decade now (splitting time between Italy and the UK), while quintet Sinoath stretch all the way back to 1990.

Malauriu started out as a black metal band before heading in a more experimental rock/darkwave direction (according to Metal Archives) and it’s their song ‘Scuru’ that opens this split. Their sound contains all kinds of elements from ambience to orchestral organ/synths and the black metal that signalled their formation. As somebody who isn’t a huge fan of the recent dungeon synth explosion, nor symphonic metal in general, the extreme metal that forms the backbone of this song is perfect and I really appreciate the honest approach that Malauriu takes.

Sinoath have many years of recording/performing experience under their belts compared to Malauriu (who haven’t exactly wasted any time themselves) and ’Symphony of the Scythe’ is a hellish soundscape filled with raw black/death metal. It’s very European sounding as you’d expect and the addition of both brass, and classical piano textures add bombast where there was none before. The solo towards the end exhibits their musical prowess even further.

This split is executed brilliantly as it showcases two bands from the same region/country who both have their own unique interpretation of extreme metal. At first Malauriu didn’t hit me properly but their music is catchy here and it soon grew on me, while Sinoath’s old-school rawness was unexpected before being overpowered by classy instrumental layers. Sometimes, it’s easy to form expectations as long as you’re prepared for them to be shattered. Mine were here but in a very good way.

You can stream and download this split digitally below:-

Vinyl copies are also available to purchase from bandcamp above, as well as from Doomentia Records here - https://www.doomentia.com/7/.

Malauriu - https://www.facebook.com/malauriuofficial

Sinoath - https://www.facebook.com/SinoathOfficial/

Doomentia Records - https://www.facebook.com/doomentia

Weston Super Maim - 180-Degree Murder EP

Labels: Dark Trail Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 16 Jul 2021

Tracklist:

1. 180-Degree Murder

2. We Need To Talk About Heaven

Just when I thought I'd seen every band name ever, one comes along and borrows two-thirds of a Somerset (UK) seaside town's name. Band-name semantics aside, Weston Super Maim is a two-piece math/tech metal band that crosses oceans with one member residing in the UK and another in the US. Original band founder Tom Stevens is joined by vocalist Seth Detrick (of L.A. thrash band PDP). This EP is being released via US label Dark Trail Records on July 16th and it follows the band's 2020 compilation album The Neglected Works. 

Weston Super Maim have been constantly compered to Meshuggah in their press releases and you’ll hear a lot of that band in the duo’s music here, but there’s more to them that just that one similarity. The title-track ‘180-Degree Murder’ is a beast with destructive percussion, earth-shaking bass, off-kilter riffs for days and a vocal delivery that’s out of this world heavy. It’s kind of like if Trap Them joined forces with Oceano and listened to mathcore for two weeks solid! 

Second song ‘We Need To Talk About Heaven’ is more melodic during it’s intro, before the music pauses briefly to welcome another huge slab of varied tempos and intense heaviness. Perhaps I’m being a little general (or hyperbolic) in my description of the music here but everybody interprets it in their own way anyway. I just merely talk about how I hear it. Both Tom and Seth are clearly on the same page here as they’ve produced an instantly memorable and impactful EP.

If the current global situation is grinding you down…fear not, this composition will help provide some perspective as well as mental release. Weston Super Maim provide the kind of aural catharsis that we all need right now. Jam this as loud and as often as you can

You can stream and pre-order the EP on both vinyl and digital formats below:-

CDs (as well as the above formats) can be ordered from Dark Trail Records here:-https://darktrailrecords.bandcamp.com/album/180-degree-murder

Weston Super Maim - https://www.facebook.com/WestonSuperMaim

Dark Trail Records - https://www.facebook.com/darktrailrecords

Tragic Death - Born Of Dying Embers EP

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 25 Oct 2019

Tracklist:

1. Gloaming

2. Dead Flies

3. Apparations

This is the first recording in five years to come from Wisconsin (USA) black/extreme metallers Tragic Death. The quartet has been releasing music in this current state for almost a decade, with their  "Pre Apocalyptic Demo 2011" and debut full-length "Apocalyptic Metal" coming within twelve months of each other, before a split with Fiends At Feast called "Purgatory Rites" that saw the light of day in 2014 via Horror Pain Gore Dead Productions. They're back now having found their own path and refined their sound along the way.

The main bedrock of Tragic Death’s sound is black metal but they approach it in an experimental way, which at times is more akin to the extreme metal played by the likes of Cadaveric Fumes and Skelethal. It has swathes of the occult flowing through it and an orchestral/symphonic edge adding to the evil contained within EP opener Gloaming. The guitars provide the majority of the forward progression while the percussion and vocals are undoubtedly venomous. 

Despite the bleak image that second-song Dead Flies portrays, the musicianship at it’s beginning is exceptional with melodic guitar building up to something that’s slower in tempo but that fits the EP really well. It’s kind of like black/doom initially before Tragic Death’s technical side takes over with fast/slow passages and riffs that dictate the tempos. It’s off-kilter and as with Gloaming before it, there’s plenty of instrumental-only sections. The passion the band has for their music is plain to see and hear.

Left till the end of this three song EP is Apparations. All seventeen-plus minutes of it. The ambient yet horrifying sample that makes up the intro signals a leap into much darker territory and what you get is black metal filled with sinister melody and heart-wrenching torment. It descends into an unholy mash-up of mesmerising noise and ice-cold shrieks that seem to blur into one another and even though at times it has a lo-fi feel, when everything is at full chat it’s massive. The classical/hispanic-inspired acoustic guitar mid-way through breaks up the heaviness and is really relaxing as it leads into a final third that's restrained and focused.

Focused is definitely a good descriptor to use when talking about “Born Of Dying Embers”. There’s a lot of music to lose yourself in here but thankfully Tragic Death goes about it all without losing you as a listener. Delivery is everything and this is spot on in terms of extreme metal. It’s accessible while also being dissonant enough to ward of the uninitiated. Great job and another reason to still be digging out the last few 2019 releases that may have escaped you. 

You can stream "Born Of Dying Embers" below and purchase it on tape/digitally too:-

Tragic Death - https://www.facebook.com/218tragicdeath

夢遊病者 (Sleepwalker) - Ѫ (Yus)

Labels: Sentient Ruin Laboratories

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 26 Apr 2019

Tracklist:

1. First Utterance

2. Last Utterance

Ever since I reviewed their split with Sutekh Hexen earlier this year, I've had an itch that's been gnawing away at me. The heaviness that was contained on that split was epic and the black/Experimental noise of international band 夢遊病者 called me back. Now, I'm jumping back a month, give or take, to their latest solo release. Ѫ (Yus) was released on 12" etched vinyl by Sentient Ruin Laboratories in April.

The integrity that seeps though Sleepwalker’s music is unbridled. They’re keeping ancient themes alive while being rooted firmly in the modern day and on Yus, they’re focusing on contradiction that it’s meaning carries amongst different languages (I hope that's right, but kindly correct me if not). First Utterance isn’t so much black metal but more a layered musical piece, featuring elements of it alongside more traditional instruments. At times it does venture into more extreme territory, but those moments are short-lived and fade in and out, ensuring that melody is ever-present,

Last Utterance is very much a heavier prospect. There’s guitar riffs that move between traditional heavy metal and obscure, off-time jazz. The drumming is equally off-kilter and the vocal rasps are buried within the dissonance. That jazz element remains as Sleepwalker finds quieter moments, though their mind-bending extremity is never too far away. This song and indeed Sleepwalker in general demonstrate why you shouldn’t try to understand what’s inside the head of somebody who likes extreme music. Just listen for yourself and you’ll hear the artistry and genius that exists within it.

Stream and purchase Yus both physically and digitally from Sentient Ruin Labs below:-

Sentient Ruin Laboratories - https://www.facebook.com/SentientRuin/

2018 UK Extreme Metal Newcomers - Youtube Playlist

I've been playing around a little bit in preparation for 2019, as I'm going to try and be a bit more social media savvy next year when it comes to promoting both my blog and the bands/labels that I write about and enjoy. I've not really pushed this side of things too much over the last years or so, but feel it's the right time to do it. With that in mind, I thought I'd create a small Youtube video playlist focusing on some newcomers to the UK extreme metal scene that have released their first material this year (using Metal Archives are a guide). 10 bands in all with a mix of single songs and full release streams. The link to the playlist is below:-

https://www.youtube.com/playlist

Bandcamp/social media links (if any) to the bands are below:-

Lunaar (Black Metal - Newcastle, England)

https://deathkvltproductions.bandcamp.com/album/among-the-dead-stars

Godthrymm (Doom Metal - Halifax, England)

https://www.facebook.com/godthrymm/

https://godthrymm1.bandcamp.com/releases

Temple Moon (Black Metal - Scotland)

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/temple-moon-demo-i

Drought (Progressive Stoner/Doom Metal - Liverpool, England)

https://www.facebook.com/droughtuk/

https://thisisdrought.bandcamp.com/releases

Usurper (Heavy Metal - Newcastle, England)

https://www.facebook.com/UsurperUK/

https://usurper1.bandcamp.com/releases

Enferum (Black Metal - Darlington/Durham, England)

https://www.facebook.com/enferum/

https://enferum1.bandcamp.com

Devastator (Black/Thrash Metal - Derbyshire, England)

https://www.facebook.com/devastatorukthrash/

https://devastatorukthrash.bandcamp.com

Abyssal Crypt (Death Metal - London, England)

https://www.facebook.com/AbyssalCrypt/

https://abyssalcrypt.bandcamp.com/releases

Rancid Skull (Thrash Metal - Southend-On-Sea, England)

https://www.facebook.com/rancidskullband/

https://rancidskull.bandcamp.com/

Thuum (Sludge/Groove Metal - Bournemouth, England) - A quick note about Thuum: They're currently on hiatus but I wanted to include them because they release an EP earlier this year. 

https://www.facebook.com/thuumuk/

https://thuum.bandcamp.com/releases

Technical Damage - The Introspect

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 15 Sep 2018

Tracklist:

1. I: Everything Is Forever

2. Reflections

3. Reshape

4. Crystal Angels

5. II: Awakenings

6. Eviscerate

7. The Introspect

The weeks are flying by faster than ever, which is fine with me as it means that I get to Friday night quicker and I get to curl up with my favourite beverage and some awesome music, which tonight is delivered by Canadian death metal band Technical Damage. The band formed towards the end of 2016 with the release of their debut EP " Damaged Nation" and they've only recently released their debut full-length "The Introspect". When a metal band sites influences such as Killswitch Engage, Misery Signals and Opeth, it's usually a good sign so lets see...

Modern metal albums wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory atmosphere-building intro song and it’s present here in I: Everything Is Forever. Reflections is the first sign of Technical Damage’s progressive death metal and it doesn’t initially contain the level of melody that their intro promised. What it does deliver though is low brutal vocals and instrumentation that flits between modern death and post-hardcore. It’s clearly slick but the volume of recording seems a little low on early listen. The guitar work and solo’s are great though! Their music can at times be considered Djent (oh how I hate that term) but as Reshape shows, they are so much more than that. Technical Damage fits a lot into their songs and musically they are incredibly tight. The mathy elements towards the end take things in another direction as well. 

Things get heavier on Crystal Angels, which is definitely a more straight-up death metal song, albeit with a few breakdown-like riffs here and there. There’s some passionately delivered clean vocals that sit well alongside the melodic guitar and make the heavier sections sound heavier still. They break up the album with a rousing instrumental piece called II: Awakenings, which is quite folk-sounding. It leads into penultimate song Eviscerate. The Spanish guitar is a welcome addition that seems to fit the album perfectly and gives Technical Damage a very different sound and feel. It gives way to yet another blast of off-kilter death metal that’s more progressive than technical. The quieter acoustic-led passages are more European than North American. 

With the title-track placed at the end of the album, Technical Damage has one more shot at atmospheric drama and the intro to the song manages to achieve that drama. They follow it with more rhythmically intelligent metal that’s surprisingly easy on the ear. The reggae in the mid-section does nothing to change that either. Overall, this album is very well played and Technical Damage are sound at what they do. This will definitely appeal to those with a modern metal disposition and that’s no bad thing.

You can stream and purchase "The Introspect" digitally below (and from all of the usual outlets):-

Technical Damage - https://www.facebook.com/technicaldamageofficial/

Finis - Visions Of Doom

Labels: Iron Bonehead Productions

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 28 May 2018

Tracklist:

1. 11 Temple Stones

2. Visions Of Doom

3. Fosforos

Iron Bonehead has found a band from their native land and they've released a three-track LP with them. Finis is from Germany (though I'm not sure exactly where) and they released a demo called "At One With Nothing" in 2016. It was enough for Iron Bonehead to take note and fast-forward a couple of years and here we are. The trio dabbles in both death and black metal, with swirling doom adding atmosphere. Note: I started writing this review a couple of days ago, so contrary to what it's opening sentence says below, I've not had a couple of beers this morning. It's way too early for that!

I really shouldn’t write reviews when I’ve had a couple of beers. I tend to type really incoherent sentences as a result. Thankfully the doom-death & black metal of Finis is able to focus the mind pretty well. LP opener 11 Temple Stones is a collage of both extreme and oddly catchy death metal. Okay, so it’s not easy to grasp if you’re not an extreme metal fan already but there’s definitely a lot to be enjoyed as the melodic guitars fight for space with the ethereal growls. 

The title-track leans more towards the black metal end of the spectrum with melodic buzzsaw guitar work and percussion to match. It’s relentless pace of the song is offset by the clever song-writing that helps Finis to keep hold of the listener. They’re experimental leanings are present too, with a mid-section  that contains bell tolls and a lot of fuzzy guitar noise. 

LP closer Fosforos is an incredibly atmospheric instrumental piece, which is a welcome change of direction after the bands heavier and more barbaric numbers earlier on. This song once again shows how good Finis is in song-writing terms and there’s still a lot to get lost in, musically. Finis is about more than just black/death/doom metal. There’s a lot creativity and sensitivity hidden within the heaviness. It’s going to be a fun journey watching how the band develops but for now, “Visions Of Doom” is a fantastic starting point for new listeners.

You can stream "Visions Of Doom" below:-

It's available now on vinyl, cd and digital formats from Iron Bonehead Productions above.

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

Pa Vesh En - A Ghost 7"

Labels: Iron Bonehead Productions

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 14 Mar 2018

Tracklist:

1. Haunting And Mourning

2. Gruesome Exhumation

Iron Bonehead continues to unearth plenty of raw black/death metal. The label released this 7" earlier this year, featuring two song by Belarussian raw black metal project Pa Vesh En. This is the band's third release for Iron Bonehead, following the two earlier demo tapes "Knife Ritual" and "Dead Womb" respectively. 

This 7” follows a familiar and well-trodden path when it comes to the recent release campaign of Iron Bonehead. Raw, hellish black/death metal from countries with growing scenes. Haunting And Mourning is noisy and it’s form contains a sound that’s bristling with guitar feedback and embittered shrieks. The drums and bass are buried deep within the recording’s core. It’s uneasy but because of that it’s also engaging and enjoyable if you like something that’s outside of the norm.

Like Haunting And Mourning, second song Gruesome Exhumation is another lengthy number, with less focus on blasting and more on head-splitting noise that crawls forward at it’s own pace. There’s subtle melody present here, buried within the feedback and that gives it a nice level of ambience. With Pa Vesh En being such a new entity, it’s only natural that the band’s sound is developing but there’s no harm at all being done by this teasing EP. Another underground extreme metal band to keep tabs on for sure. 

You can stream and purchase "A Ghost" both physically and digitally below:-

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

Ward - Downfalls

Labels: Ramekuukkeli-Levyt

Formats: Tape

Release Date - 19 Apr 2018

Tracklist:

1. Waves

2. Singularity

3. Dominion

4. Every Day The Hard Way

5. The Valued Things

6. New Problems

The sun may have nearly disappeared from our skies over Britain but the heat is no less oppressive, which makes it the perfect atmosphere for this recently released slab of heavy Finnish doom metal. It was released earlier this year via Ramekuukkeli-Levyt on limited tape. Ward is a quartet and they formed in 2005, before releasing two splits with Havitys and True Lords Of Vatican, in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Their full-length arrived just over a year later. There's not much else I can say about Ward, apart from that one of their members used to play in Sink and plays in Abbot.

Ward’s doom is thick and heavy. It sounds so at home on tape, with a warm fuzz to the recording. The tempo on Waves is slow and the vocals are delivered as a deep rasping growl with English lyrics. The further you get into this opening song’s 10+ minutes the easier it is to get lost within it’s strangely addictive melodies and humming, throbbing bass tones. It ends with alarming levels of droning feedback before Ward take a very short breather. Singularity comes into view soon after and it immediately picks up the tone from the tape’s opener. There are long passages without vocals and crushing riffs that have to be heard. Sometimes it’s more like funeral doom but other times there are post-metal textures and calmer doom elements flowing through it. It’s certainly not a straightforward listen though.

The b-side begins with Dominion, which straight away reveals more of the lovely analogue warmth that can only come from tapes. It’s raw in nature and the vocals here remind me of the heavier aspects of bands like Dark Tranquility and Hamferd in some ways (and yes, I appreciate that neither of those bands are from Finland). The song is more than just about those comparisons though, as it’s melody peers through the riffs to create something that’s extremely listenable. Ward takes on a thrashier form with Every Day The Hard Way, which could be mistaken for a youth crew hardcore song-title. It’s tempo and energy is surprising and adds a lot to the album. 

The previous song seems to break up the misery that is intertwined within the record and it’s not long before The Valued Things is dragging you back down again. It’s one of those songs that hammers itself into your head and leaves you paralysed to the spot. Closing song New Problems isn’t any better (in a good way) but it does contain some nice technical drumming. There’s also more in the way of technicality in the guitar work, which heads more into experimental stoner territory for brief moments in time. This record is perfect for the tape format and Ward plays doom music that’s sympathetic to the genre’s early days while still being heavy. Great stuff.

You can stream both Waves and Singularity via bandcamp below. Both songs are also available to purchase digitally too:-

Ward - https://www.facebook.com/wardtrefin/

Physical tapes can be purchased from Ramekuukkeli-Levyt here - http://ramekuukkeli.nettisivu.org/

Ramekuukkeli-Levyt - https://www.facebook.com/Rämekuukkeli-levyt

Aparthiva Raktadhara - Agyat Ishvar 7"

Labels: Iron Bonehead Productions

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 21 Jul 2018

Tracklist:

1. Blood Oblation to Ista-devata

2. Dismal Anahata Transmissions

3. Proclamations Of The Empty

2018 will see the release of Indian death/black trio Aparthiva Raktadhara's debut demo "Agyat Ishvar" via Iron Bonehead Productions. The Indian extreme metal scene is really flourishing currently with this trio set to join the likes of Demonic Resurrection, Heathen Beast and Tetragrammacide at it's forefront. 

The opener to “Agyat Ishvar” is the sampled menace of Blood Oblation To Ista-Devata. The Indian spoken word sample that features at it’s heart is surrounded by swirls of noise and it prepares you for Dismal Anahata Transmissions, which is a raw, blasting mix of death and black metal. Crashing cymbals and muddied yet still audible guitar work is joined by hellish shrieks. This is far from a primitive demo but it’s still very much for the die-hards.

Third and final song Proclamations Of The Empty carries furious layers of guitar noise alongside the band’s percussive backbone, creating something that’s chaotic but also entrancing in equal measure. There’s very little let-up as Aparthiva Raktadhara prefer to march forth and level your auditory senses. This demo is steeped in the creativity that’s present within the Indian scene and this trio, while being more martial in approach, are certainly ones to watch.

You can stream Proclamations Of The Empty below:-

Aparthiva Raktadhara - https://www.facebook.com/aparthivaraktadhara/

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

Isdal - Demo

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 13 Jul 2018

Tracklist:

1. Reduced // Returns

2. Weight In My Spine

In this digital age it's odd to see a band promoting their music without it even being present online to stream in some form or another. Seattle (WA) heavy hardcore band Isdal are doing just that though and after letting their music do the talking in a live setting, they're about to release their debut demo later this month. I managed to get a sneaky advance listen so that I could give you my first impressions on this new band. Isdal formed in 2017 and features members of Into The Storm, Prison and NUMB. They also recently played their first hometown show, Top Knot Fest (in March) alongside the likes of Heiress and American Standards (as well as others). 

Isdal’s demo clocks in at nearly six minutes and it’s a noisy, abrasive affair. Reduced // Returns is a quickfire blast of chaotic noise with grinding instrumentation and caustic screams. It’s metallic in places but also blackened with plenty of metal influence. They mix it up with slower, sludgy parts as well.  

Weight In My Spine uses more of the sludgy atmosphere that the demo opener hinted at. The lowly bass rumbles shake you at first before Isdal launches into a crawling, down tempo verse that kind of reminds me of 90s metalcore. They experiment with different time-signatures and the sound on the demo is raw but still very warm in tone. 

I know it’s early days for this band but I already want to hear more by them. There’s something oddly comforting about chaotic hardcore/metal and Isdal seems to know exactly how to do it well while not ageing what’s come before. A really solid start.

You'll have to wait to hear this demo for yourselves but Isdal have posted a very short teaser video on their Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/Isdalband/.

Here's hoping that artwork finds it's way onto a physical release in their near future.