My year in review

I'm not doing a best of 2012 list (not because I'm boring), but because A)I can't decide and B)because like my blog, I like to appreciate the music on it's own merits. However, I thought I'd write a small review of some of what's made this year good for This Noise Is Ours:-

So 2012 was the year that my blog blew up. I re-branded it from Stay Ahead to This Noise Is Ours to make it stand out more from the crowd. I also hit the 40,000 reader mark, which has been a massive milestone for me!

I grew my tape collection, in part thanks to the mighty Church Of Fuck. That label can do no wrong in my eyes and has introduced me to some ace new bands including - Knife Crimes RIP, Swinelord, Esoteric Youth, Iced Out, Trudger, Razoreater, Cholera, Dead Bong, Nigh and Armour of Contempt. The label also releases some great releases by some more familiar bands and are gonna be even bigger in 2013.

I discovered We Came Out Like Tigers through the brilliant Dog Knights Productions. 

I made it out to some really good gigs too, including the North Yorkshire Hardcore Fringe fest all-dayer, where I discovered Farman amongst others. In Leeds, I witnessed my first to gigs at the Royal Park Cellars (I love that venue). I got to see Hexis, This Gift Is A Curse, Black Veins, Razoreater, Lich, Rot In Hell and Moloch. I've not been to that many gigs this year, but they were definitely highlights.

The news that Killswitch Engage were welcoming their original singer back to the fold was a highlight, as I love Alive or Just Breathing.

I've received records/tapes/zines from across the globe, including the Jagernaut/Hello Bastards split tape from Bak at Scull Crasher Records in Greece. I got a copy of the first issue of the zine Hotet Fran Skogarna from Sweden, which featured some great d-beat and hardcore bands. I also received some great ambient/black metal records from my friends in Moloch (UKr) and Deviator (Ukr). This year proved to me that there are no boundaries in metal.

I could have gone on and on with this review and it's probably woefully short, but these were just my highlights.

Needless to say, 2012 has been epic music wise, not just because it's seen the rapid expansion of my vinyl/tape collections, but because it has. 2013 though is shaping up to be much bigger! Stand by!

   

Burn Everything - Hollow Victory 7"

Burn Everything are not a new band to the pages. I was lucky enough to review their previous EP Last Run Through The Ruins, earlier this year. Burn Everything released a four track 7" in March through Dullest Records. Burn Everything are a five-piece hardcore/mathcore band from Rochester, USA.

Tracklist:-

1. Hollow Victory
2. Holy-Diverticulitus
3. Maintain Radio Silence
4. Vengeance in The Night Sky


One of the first things that struck me with this release was the record's cover art. The black and white image really stood out to me.

Burn Everything start things off with the title track, which slams you in the face from the off. Their mixture of pounding drums, off-kilter riffs and Matt Dalberth's screamed vocals, certainly batters the senses. It's certainly heavier of the metal than the core. It has plenty of aggression, which would go down well live! I like the end of Hollow Victory, where Burn Everything slow things down to an almost sludgy pace before ending with one last, quick fire blast-beat. Brutal!

This song title, Holy-Diverticulitus made me laugh, as it's clearly aping Holy Diver by Dio! The song itself is more mid-paced that the opener and relies more on the vocals.

The guitars and bass seem to hold court underneath, with a low rumble. It's a more sinister track all round and a nice opposite to the mathy mayhem of the opener.

Maintain Radio Silence notches the pace up again. Plenty of syncopated riffs bounce along. Burn Everything don't favour actual melody too much, preferring to just sound heavy as hell. Final song Vengeance In The Night Sky closes things off in similar fashion, but this time with a few more math inspired sections. Burn Everything show themselves to be forward thinking in their delivery, while not compromising on their heavy aspect. Also that fact that this EP has been released on vinyl makes it even better!

It's definitely worth a listen and should help convert more people to Burn Everything's agenda. If you like crushing metal, get at these guys!

You can stream the whole 7" via Burn Everything's bandcamp page:-


You can pick up the 7" as a name-your price download from their bandcamp page or you can buy physical vinyl copies from Dullest Records at http://dullestrecords.bigcartel.com/product/hollow-victory-ep.

Burn Everything are also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/burneverythingnow.

Egos At The Door - Blankets of Denial

It's always nice to review a record by a band that really care about what they and from a label equally as energetic about the band. Egos At The Door, from Blackburn are such a band. This mad-cap punk four-piece released this album in March this year, through UK institution Lockjaw Records.

Egos At The Door are part of a very close knit scene and are always touring. They recently went across the pond for a massive US tour!

Tracklist:-

1. Calisthenics
2. 9-5 Ethics
3. My Car Is Thirsty, I'll Fight Cancer Tomorrow
4. Rumble In The Jungle. Horus vs Jesus
5. Joshua Barron Hated On Me Before It Was Cool
6. Threading
7. An Ode To Folly
8. It's All On You Kiddo
9. The Only Brown Bread That's White
10. Better Over Worse
11. Southpaw Claw

Egos At The Door don't align themselves to any particular genre, so you have no

idea what you're in for when Blankets of Denial kicks off. It starts with the intro track

Calisthenics, where they build up using some cool guitar melodies and skillful drumming. 9-5 Ethics begins straight off the back of Calisthenics and is pretty much a massive slab of math-punk, with some wicked jazz sections in it. The vocals are screamed in a hardcore vein and Egos use gang vocals too. The musical imagination here is what sets these guys apart though.

I like the fact the Egos let each song merge into the next; it keeps their momentum up and improves the listening experience. Egos switch between melodic riffs with pop-punk influences to abrasive math-core very well. They also manage to mix longer, more involved songs with shorter more punk inspired songs to keep things really varied.

The intro at the start of Rumble in The Jungle, Horus Vs Jesus is pretty head smashing. They manage to combine heavy guitar with more jazzy elements to make a sound well and truly of their own. My ears are also picking up some screamo influences in the guitars, but not mass-produced screamo, the decent stuff and also a bit of Billy Talent! It all adds up to a great listen and I'm only the fifth song!

My standout track on Blankets of Denial has to be An Ode To Folly. It's just utterly mental. From the jangly, improv-style guitar to the furiously screamed vocals, it all pretty much sums up what Egos are all about. The second half of the album seems to pass a bit quicker, with the songs being less experimental but no less awesome.

Egos rely more on their hardcore/punk side here, but still inject some great musical flourishes into songs like It's All On You Kiddo and The Only Brown Bread That's White.

The final two tracks, Better Over Worse and Southpaw Claw take this album to a heady crescendo, which leaves you battered and broken. Egos At The Door have really surprised me with this record. Hats off to them and Lockjaw for releasing such an intense and forward-thinking album. Awesome!

The track An Ode To Folly is streaming via the Lockjaw Records bandcamp page, so you can get yourself an idea of how good Egos At The Door sound:-


You can pick up Blankets of Denial vie the Lockjaw Records online store below:-
http://lockjawrecords.bigcartel.com/

Egos At The Door are on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/EgosAtTheDoor.

Hunt/Gather - False Monuments + Hunt/Gather EP

That's right, I decided to do a double review. Hunt/Gather recently released their new self-titled EP as a follow up to their album False Monuments, which came out around June this year. Both releases were follow ups to the EP Former Rust, which came out towards the end of 2011. You can read my review of that here.

For those not in the know, Hunt/Gather are a four-piece hardcore/noise band from Glasgow. Like their hometown, they play with a bleak and harsh sound. They have recently played alongside Deathwish Inc band Birds In Row and recently opened up for Rolo Tomassi, in a gig that also included Oathbreaker and Goodtime Boys! They're certainly getting their name out there.

Tracklist:-

1. B/W Gush

2. Grounds for Divorce

3. Harbouring

4. Anchorage

5. Denver Shaking

6. Cold Furnace

7. Pyramid Eyes

8. Stay Gold

9. Innards Out

 

False Monuments begins with an angry, raging slab of mid-pace, sludge ridden hardcore. There are plenty of off-kilter time signatures and subtle melodic moments. The raspy screams make the overall atmosphere very oppressive. Hunt/Gather introduce a post-hardcore influence into their sound, thanks to some nifty clean vocals. The urgency is turned up as Grounds for Divorce is unleashed. The metallic guitar leads are more evident here, adding more melody, but it's when they're at their most abrasive that you begin to see the direction they're coming from. On Facebook, the band list their influences as bands like Knut and Beecher amongst others and that isn't far from the truth, in terms of their sound.

Their songs a sharp and too the point and don't last longer than they need to. Harbouring breaks thing up with the clean vocals heading up the song. I like the fact that Hunt/Gather don't restrict themselves to one particular genre, but pepper their sound with a myriad of influences and textures. After the short interlude of Anchorage, Denver Shaking takes over, with initial indie inspired melodic guitar alongside the noise. The vocals at times remind me slightly of At The Drive-In, not sure if anyone else is hearing that!

The intro to Cold Furnace whisks your off to another place briefly, before some soulful singing warms your soul and rescues you from the cold of the previous songs.

It's easy to get truly lost in the song as it winds its way through nearly five minutes of awesome hybrid hardcore. Pyramid Eyes is all the more furious in its urgency, with vocalist Geoff sounding pretty possessed. Stay Gold is not a cover of the pop-song of the same name, but a hugely angry and sinister hardcore song, with a riff on repeat for part of it, which paints a hypnotic vision. It all ends abruptly, as Hunt/Gather herald in Innards Out. This song is out and out, one of their most vicious tracks. It has plenty going on, from the dual screaming too the crazed drumming.

So impressions are very good as False Monuments comes to a close. It shows Hunt/Gather in pretty formidable form, not wishing to stand still or stick to one particular sound.

You can stream False Monument below:-

 
So, it's on to their recently released EP -

Tracklist:-

1. Conveyor Belt Vertebrae

2. Phoenix Maker

3. Black Gossamer

4. 0800

5. Feral Tact

Hunt/Gather's new EP follows on from False Monuments, but ratchets up the noise, experimentalism and hardcore values. The droning intro to Conveyor Belt Vertebrae illustrates this perfectly. The vocals take on more of a caustic slant too, which fits well with the sound. They seem to become heavier with each passing song. Phoenix Maker has some ace grind-inspired drumming in it, but it's when the sludgy sections come in that H/G sound at their biggest.

H/G seem to have taken a path towards blackened hardcore with this release. It's a good take on it too. Just listen to Black Gossamer to hear it for yourselves. The production is different too. It's seems louder and more in tune with the music. The songwriting seems to be slightly more focused, while losing none of its inherent experimentalism. 0800 just sounds nasty (in a good way).

Feral Tract sees H/G going...well...feral! Like Conveyor Belt Vertebrae at the starts, it weighs in at over five minutes in length and marks the perfect closer to this EP. This is a fine EP, which sees Hunt/Gather dragging themselves upwards towards a darker, more accomplished place.

Check it out below:-

In summary then, Hunt/Gather have got a big year ahead of them in 2013, which should see them climb the ranks of the British scene and get wider publicity, which is no less than they deserve!

Keep an eye on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/huntgatherband for news and make sure you go and see them at a gig soon!

White Walls - Mad Man Circus

Tracklisting-

1. Friends for a While

2. The One Who Walks...

3. ...Into the Water

4. The Lost Art of Chapeaugraphy pt.1

5. The Lost Art of Chapeaugraphy pt.2

 6. The Lost Art of Chapeaugraphy pt.3

7. Sinner

8. Curtains

I'm beginning to work through some of the earlier submission I received this year, due to the fact that my backlog is a substantial size now. Romanian band White Walls got in touch with me a while back about reviewing their album Mad Man Circus. White Walls are a four-piece progressive metal band from Constanta, Romania. They've been together since April 2009 and this is their debut album. It was released back in 2010 by net-label Asiluum.com.

White Walls initially hit you with Friends for a While, which features a semi-sludgy sound, before lurching into an off-kilter, grooving attack. The drums and guitars sound pretty loud on the recording and they include various different influences, including math-core, straightforward heavy metal and clean singing. When those clean vocals kick in, the first band that comes to mind is System of a Down! There's certainly plenty going on and for a debut album, White Walls sound very focused and assured.

Second track The One Who Walks... starts with a grind inspired intro, featuring some crazed drumming. It settles down though into a more mid-paced song with really cool guitar and vocal melodies. This song has a slight rock-opera feel to it, but then that shouldn't surprise you when White Walls badge themselves as a progressive metal band. They even include brief piano flourishes! They dive into some kind of free-form jazz at the start of ...Into The Water, which sounds really awesome. Their sound at times also matches that of Dream Theater, which I know is a big statement to make, but one that I stand by. There are still moments of out and out brutality though, especially within the crunching mid passages that features some great guitar work and deathly vocal screams.

White Walls even throw in a 3-parter to Mad Man Circus. It's the song entitled The Lost Art of Chapeaugraphy and it's split into parts 1,2 and 3. A pretty bold move but one that White Walls carries off very well. There are moments of pure off-kilter, noise beauty interjected by calm, quiet interludes that split the parts out. These parts help to keep the momentum going for White Walls and make Mad Man Circus an exciting listen. At this point to, I think it's a good place to talk about the musicianship and the production on the record. The musicianship is real quality. White Walls obviously features musicians who can play and play more than just metal at that!

The production of the album brings out that impression, with an incredibly clear sound but one that isn't over pronounced. I mean, just listen to the grooving southern rock inspired riffs toward the end of pt.2, which encompasses some heady time signatures. This is another fine reason for you to discover this band!

The songs on Mad Man Circus vary in length, from more traditional short songs of three-five minutes long to longer songs, like The Lost Art of Chapeaugraphy: pt.3, which is over eight minutes in length. Album closer Curtains, is the longest song and over thirteen minutes. This kind of variation in length and artistry make for an interesting record. Short songs make up the majority of the record, but also stand as a tool for keeping things focused amongst the longer songs, which in turn keep you hooked as a listener. A fine example of this exact point is the penultimate song Sinners. It's sandwiched between the two longest songs on Mad Man Circus and while still being a progressive song, it showcases the ability White Walls have to write more in your face, immediate numbers.

It's left to the leviathan that is Curtains too close the album. It's thirteen minutes that encapsulates pretty much the whole of Mad Man Circus and squashes into one song. After all, it is White Walls last chance to highlight their song-writing and playing prowess. They of course, do it with abundance. Overall, this entire record left my jaw agape. I wasn't expecting what I heard at all and was left in no doubt that with more attention from the wider metal world; White Walls will grow into a huge band.

Man Man Circus can be streamed below via the bands own Soundcloud page - 

 
White Walls were also featured as the first part of a series called Asiluum Case Studies, which is posted on Youtube. Check it out below:-

White Walls can be found on their website at http://whitewalls.ro and on Facebook too at http://www.facebook.com/whitewallsofficial?ref=ts&fref=ts.

Northless - Valley of Lead 10"

While I'm on a role, I thought I'd bring your a review of the latest 10" to come from Milwaukee's Northless. It's a three tracker and has been released by Halo of Flies.
This record is special however, as the cover is made from hand-cut wood, hand branded with the Northless "N" and all screwed together. Inside you get a 10" green slab of vinyl, a 9x9 insert and a download card. It's also strictly limited to just 300 copies. If that's not special enough, I don't know what is!

Tracklisting:-

1. Valley of Lead

2. Casualty

3. Elegy

Valley of Lead begins with a slow, winding sludgy build up. It breathes a heavy atmosphere out of the speakers. The vocals are low, melodic vocals, sung slowly over the top. As the song lurches and winds forward, it seems to become thicker and heavier. The infused guitar melody adds a sense of mystery to the record. At risk of embarrassing myself, I'm going to mention that this is the first time I've heard Northless, so I'm approaching this with a fresh outlook and fresh ears. I really like it when the low, growled vocals take over from the singing and the band lurch into the hypnotic section, which is filled with heavy guitars and pure noise!

An awesome introduction!

The next song, Casualty shows a different side to Northless, as they're faster and rely more on their hardcore influences. The vocals in Casualty are brutal from the off and the rhythm section keeps a beat that's off kilter and the guitars chasing. It's the kind of song that would be pretty suffocating live and would probably force unbelievers scurrying to the safety of the bar! You wouldn't see me doing that though, as burst eardrums are much more appealing than a cold beer!

Elegy sees Northless settle back into a slower tempo. The instrumental build up is bleak and conjures up all kinds of harrowing visions. The vocals here seem to be less crazed, almost spoken-word in their delivery. They blast you one last time with a final wall of noise, which sees the guitars and the cymbals blasting for prominence. It's a euphoric way to close this EP and as it dies, you're left with only your thoughts for company!

You can order the 10" directly from Halo of Flies at http://www.halooffliesrecords.com/label-releases/halo49-northless-valley-of-lead-10/

Second track Casualty is also streaming via the same link. The record should also find it's way into various European distros as soon as it's ready/

Northless have their own website at http://www.northless.com and are on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/NORTHLESS/.

Mörse - S/T EP

Mörse are a crust-laden, hardcore band from Lille, France. They got in touch with me directly about reviewing their self-titled EP which was released earlier this year through Eastrain Records. The cool thing about the e-mail that I got from Denis was that it mentioned that they had just come back from five days of touring Loma Prieta! I feel guilty for sitting on this for so long, so here's a review.

Tracklist:-

1. Sous Terre

2. Le Bannissement

3. Pour Qui Préside l' Effroi

Any EP that starts with ringing feedback is a winner in my book and that's exactly how this one starts, with opener Sous Terre. Mörse play great punk inspired hardcore. It's less abrasive than I thought it would be and at it's heart, there's some great melodic guitar. The EP's sound has a great live feel to it too. It's not overproduced either. The fact that Mörse sing in their native tongue adds integrity and feel to the record too.

Le Bannissement is a faster, more hardcore ridden song with plenty of guts and glory throughout. EP closer, Pour Qui Preside L'Effroi has a southern bluesy feel to it thanks too some great guitar work and with it's slower pace, sounds really heavy. Those passionate screams are pretty relentless too, adding a cathartic edge to the music. Their punkier overtones stride back in halfway through. They inject some melodic backing vocals too, which underlines their punk influences.

This EP is too short! The songs are quality and Mörse play with passion. Fear not though, as a new record is on the way in the New Year, with four songs already written. I can't wait to hear it!

The whole EP is streaming via Mörse's bandcamp page below:-

You can still pick up this EP on vinyl and CD from Eastrain Records at http://www.eastrainrec.com/. The vinyl version comes with two different sleeves, including a limited red version. There's also band merch available too.

Mörse are on Tumblr at http://morsereigns.tumblr.com/  and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/morsereigns.

Hands Like Houses - Ground Dweller

Hands Like Houses are a modern melodic hardcore band from Canberra, Australia. They released Ground Dweller very early on this year, via Rise Records and have gone on to gain a huge following across the globe, while supporting bands like The Get Up Kids in their home country and touring the US with Attack Attack! We Came as Romans and The Acacia Strain amongst others. Ground Dweller was their Rise Record debut.

They even managed to enlist Dance Gavin Dance vocalist Jonny Craig and and Tyler Carter from Woe, Is Me to appear on the song Lion Skin.

01. Antarctica

02. Don't Look Now, I'm Being Followed. Act Normal.

03. This Ain't No Place For Animals

04. Spineless Crow

05. Starving to Death In the Belly of a Whale

06. A Clown and His Pipe

07. The Definition of Not Leaving

08. Lion Skin (Feat: Jonny Craig and Tyler Carter)

09. One Hundred

10. Watchmaker (Feat: Matty Mullins)

11. The Sower

Ground Dweller begins with the electronic heavy intro of Antarctica before bursting into melodic guitars and soulful post-hardcore vocals. The thing that hits me here is the use of electronic gadgetry in the percussion. Hands Like Houses mix dance-like beats with a background of modern post-hardcore to try and enrich their sound. I've said it before, but I'm not a fan of the overuse of electronics. I don't want to be over critical of Hands Like Houses, as their formula is popular with a lot of fans, but it seems that this sub-genre has been overpopulated of late and is seeing a good many bands moving away from the heavier, more organic roots of the genre. Don't get me wrong though, the guitars are still crunching and the soulful vocals do sound really good, if you're after something less brutal to listen too.

Also, with songs like Don't Look Now, I'm Being Followed. Act Normal, HLH don't allow things to go on for too long and thanks to a top notch production, the record sound clean and very listenable. The start of This Ain't Place For Animals reminds me slightly of Linkin Park at times. The melodic lead guitar sounds ace here and probably sounds epic live. HLH produce some pretty heavy breakdowns too, below the electronic gubbins, which undoubtedly gives them a harder edge. It's a very theatrical and sometimes, you think you're listening to Panic At The Disco; such is the swoon of the vocals, especially during Spineless Crow. Starving To Death In The Belly of The Whale again, is very hard-hitting from the off. Very danceable and featuring plenty of layers. There's a lot going on yet it fits together really well.

The Definition of Not Leaving rains things in slightly and brings a slightly calmer edge to HLH's sound. This doesn't last long though as Lion Skin kicks in straight away. This is one of the standout songs on Ground Dweller, purely for the pace of the music and vocal melodies that seem to be unstoppable. The programmed beats in the song seem to get faster and faster as the song builds. The melodic gang vocals are a perfect opposite to the lead vocals, thanks to their deep tones.

As the album comes to an end with Watchmaker and The Sower, you've been a witness to an album filled with ideas and modern twists. Ground Dweller has earned Hands Like Houses a great number of fans and there is no reason why that can't continue. It won't appeal to everyone but it fills a gap between the mainstream and the underground that allows new metal fans to cross the gap. For that, it has to be applauded.

You can pick up Ground Dweller from iTunes or from Rise Records at http://www.riserecords.com/.

You can find Hands Like Houses on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com./handslikehouses

Fisthammer - Devour All You See

It's good to get back to a bit of sanctuary, especially as we're nearing the christmas and I have a horrible thing called real life bearing down on me. Still, that should only be short-term pain, so to clear my head for a few hours, I'm posting some new reviews. Starting with Philadelphia's tech death sons, Fisthammer and their debut album, Devour All You See.

Fisthammer was born in 2008 and have been releasing demo's, touring and writing music  since then. They record normally as a three-piece, but are a four-piece live, with the addition of a bassist. Their debut album was actually released in January of this year through Horror Pain Gore Death Records. It seems a pretty natural fit to me!

1. Intro (The Final Hour of Darkness)

2. Razorwaves

3.  Aten: Fear The Obliteration of Earth

4. Kull The Conqueror

5. Bullet Rape

6. Berserkers

7. Doom of The Gods

8. Harvest

9. Zombocalypse

10. Cross The Lines In Blood

11. The Resurrection of Bastet the Devourer

Devour All You See kicks off with a suitably majestic intro, with stirring orchestral and interesting percussion sounds. It definitely hints at the bombast to come.

Razorwaves kicks things off properly with insane kick drums and thrash inspired guitar. The guitar is very clean sounding and the vocals have a modern sheen to them, which makes an unexpected sound. I was expecting the usual muddied, old school affair, but that's not the case here. That drumming is really frenetic! You can certainly here why these guys have been chosen to support Master on their 2013 US tour.

Fisthammer just plough straight into Aten: Fear The Obliteration of Earth, as if rests and breathers don't exist. It follows much the same template as Razorwaves, sounding very much like a straightforward continuation. The dual deep/high growls from Max Svalgard and Kevin Welch add a more familiar tone to their music and the epic guitar solo shows great skill. There's still no getting away from the frankly insane drumming of Danny Piselli though. Perhaps he's secretly an octopus!

The quiet guitar that herald in Kull The Conqueror gives way to a more mid-paced song, which isn't a bad thing. It certainly sounds menacing and highlights the atmosphere that Fisthammer are going for. It's not long though before the pace picks up again and you're left flailing mercilessly under the weight of the music crashing from your speakers. There are subtle orchestral tones in the background here, which hints at the bombast I talked about earlier, but thankfully it doesn't overpower what really matters here, the crushing death metal.

The plunge straight into the brilliantly named Bullet Raped, leaves you breathless again and the thrash metal overtones become more evident, in the clean riffs and twin harmonies. There are strange moments of otherworldly solace here too, when all the instruments are playing in unison. It's almost hypnotic! There is certainly no quarter given and nobody left unscathed by the brute force and pace with which Fisthammer attack. Just listen to percussion in Berserkers. Things take a slight twist in the middle of the song, as Fisthammer briefly cross into a really groovy, techy section, which sounds like they took lessons from electro metallers Pain. It doesn't last long though, as you're soon propelled back into the mire.

The opening riff of Doom of The Gods could have been written by any of today's current modern metal bands, as it hold such melodic heft. It sounds ace and again, is very unexpected.  I have to admit too that I was sat through most of this song, trying to move my feet at the speed of drummer Danny Piselli, as if I was controlling the kick pedals, but alas I nearly kicked through my floor, such was the relentless pace.

Harvest is more your traditional death metal song, but it's still think with amazing fills, chunky riffs and screaming leads, which perfectly intertwine with the deep, deathly growls. This album is still only two thirds of the way through at this point, but it's already shaping up to be one of the best death metal albums I've heard all year.

Sci-fi inspired Zombocalypse features some math-inspired time signatures in places, but these are few and far between as it’s not long before Fisthammer make it back to the safe haven of blasting death. As you reach the final two tracks on Devour All You See, you know you've witnessed an incredibly well written, modern death metal album. It's got a huge amount going for it, with the touches that would make traditional death metal fans happy, to the modern structures and influences that will help convert a new generation of fans onto their version of death metal. If you only have to listen to one more metal album this year, make sure it's this one!

I strongly recommend that you give this record a listen via Fisthammer's bandcamp page below:-

Fisthammer have also made Devour All You See available for digital purchase on their bandcamp pager or you can buy a physical copy from Horror Pain Gore Death at http://hpgd.comoj.com/releases.html.

Fisthammer are on Facebook too at http://www.facebook.com/Fisthammer.

Despite Exile - Re-Evolve EP

Tracklist:-

1. Oscillate

2. Perfection Neutralized

3. Mechanical

I decided to finally stop procrastinating and crank out another review before the weekend was out. This is another EP that I've found buried amongst my "digital" review pile and thought it's be a bit different from what I've been reviewing of late.

Despite Exile are a progressive metal band from Italy. They released an album called Scarlet Reverie back in 2011 (which I also have to review somewhere) and Re-Evolve is their follow up EP, that was released earlier this year.

Their video for second song Perfection Neutralized has already amassed well over 21,000 views on BlankTV. I've posted it below, so you can see what all the fuss is about - 

Anyway, onto Re-Evolve itself. It's three tracks spread across almost twelve minutes.

Oscillate, as the name suggests has a very modern slant to it. It's full of quick fire guitar leads, djent inspired drumming and bass and the modern metal screams that you should be well used to by now. The guitars present a dissonant edge for the most part and Despite Exile seem to break into a mathy section mid-way through the song.

It kind of reminds me of early Periphery and Scar Symmetry at time, which isn't bad by any means. When they produce a breakdown later in the song, Despite Exile are at their heaviest and it's pretty brutal, in modern metal terms.

Perfection Neutralized carries on in the direction. The low end makes up most of the musical textures here, along with some deep, death-core style vocals. They are clearly very skilled musicians, especially when they are switching between rhythmic patterns so regularly. The production helps them too, as it's clear and everything you'd expect, with a modern, progressive record. Some people may find that it's a bit too Americanised for their ears, but I guess that comes with the territory.

Mechanical has been billed as their most melodic song so far, but that is only true in the guitar leads. The rest of the band and the music is just a brutal as before. Actually, those riffs do add a great element to the music, even rewarding the listener almost.

For an unsigned band, this is a really assured EP and seems to have already gained them a lot of fans. It's a short EP, which is also good, as sometimes, progressive metal bands can sometime be a little contrite, but Despite Exile plough through three action packed tracks, which keep you listening till the final note. Really good stuff here from a band gaining momentum in their chosen sub-genre.

Re-Evolve is up for streaming on Despite Exile's bandcamp page, where you can also pick it up digitally, for 2 Euros. Listen to it below:- 

You can follow Despite Exile via their website at http://www.despiteexile.com and via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/despiteexile.