ALBUM REVIEW: Malevolent Creation. "The 13th Beast"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 18/01/2019

Label: Century Media Records

Resolutely traditional, old school Florida death metal with a modern production, iIn other words, for fans of the genre and band it is an absolute winner

“The 13^thBeast” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. End The Torture
2. Mandatory Butchery
3. Agony For The Chosen
4. Canvas Of Flesh

5. Born Of Pain
6. The Beast Awakened
7. Decimated
8. Bleed Us Free
9. Knife At Hand
10. Trapped Inside
11. Release The Soul

The Review:

Malevolent Creationare certainly one of death metal's old school elite and even with powerhouse vocalist Brett Hoffman gone, the band (Phil Fasciana and able cohorts) press forward. Lee Wollenschlaeger is a fine death metal vocalist, as is demonstrated by his opening growl on “End The Torture”- and he brings an almost NYHC aggression to his delivery. Once again, the sound is razor sharp, the production suitably brutal, the sound is timelessly death metal.

As is standard (now and then) the drums are triggered and thus audible in their intricacy. The sound is pro-toolsed and the performances are spot on. These days, you would be hard pressed to find the endearing amateur aggression present on some of the biggest bands' debut recordings, but what you get instead is machine like precision born of experience.

There are blasts aplenty (“Agony For The Chosen”), some very thrashy moments (“Mandatory Butchery”), plenty of shifting tempos (“Canvas of Flesh”) and all of these elements rearing their heads at various times in most tracks. Over the course of eleven tracks there is no real relaxation time- just straight ahead death metal. This is, though, so what did you expect?!

Try out “The Beast Awakened” if you want a flavour of the best elements of the record in one track (it slays!), but if you like Malevolent Creation you are pretty much guaranteed to like this album. Is it their best? To some listeners it will be, to some it will be “another” good MCalbum. That the band are keeping quality control high and are still putting out impressive records is highly commendable and something that cannot be said of many old-school bands.

That there is nothing new here goes without saying- “Decimated” would fit on any of their albums past or present- but death metal is a taste you develop and if the bug has bitten you in the past, suffice it to say that this album will satisfy all death metal needs and wants you may have.

As the album progresses through “Knife at Hand”, “Trapped Inside” and “Release The Soul” you will know exactly what kind of album this is: resolutely traditional, old school Florida death metal with a modern production. In other words, for fans of the genre and band it is an absolute winner. Enjoy.

“The 13^thBeast” is available HERE

Band info: facebook

REVIEW: Six of Swords, “Regime Decay” EP

By: Richard Maw


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 19/10/2018

Label: Independent

This record is wedded to the corpse of early to mid 90's old school DM and is all the better for it

“Regime Decay” CD//DD track listing:

1). Eye for an Eye

2). No Amnesia

3). Malodorous

4). Hunted

5). Hells Messiah

6). Hedonistic Gluttony

The Review

Six of Swords, Canada's finest death metal troupe, return with this beastly collection of six prime cuts. “Polar Vortex” was an EP release that ran surprisingly hot, reviewed on the blog a few years ago. This record has taken all elements present there and ratcheted them up a notch. 

Once again, the production is clear and powerful and the opener “Eye for an Eye” demonstrates that there is more to the band than out and out speed. The main refrain is straight out of the classic Morbid Angel playbook and the band keep things reined in tight- the expected blast never comes and instead this track is a crawling wretched beast. “No Amnesia” changes gear but not style- very pleasingly, this record is wedded to the corpse of early to mid 90's old school DM and is all the better for it.

Once again, the vocals alternate a little with lows as the main course and highs as the extra. “Malodorous” is a fetid exhalation of doomy breath, but the band also switches up to much faster pacing here as well. Excellent lead work and unexpected dynamics come up for air here too- great track. “Hunted” continues the tar-thick vibes and brings with it an Entombed-esque rhythmic approach.

“Hells Messiah” and “Hedonistic Gluttony” continue with some Euro/Swe-Death flourishes and it is clear that SOS have built upon the great “Polar Vortex” to hone and expand their sound. There are some great riffs here, some great leads, an excellent production and nothing that goes too over the top- no endless blasting, no pointless tracks that go nowhere. This is a focused and lean release that I heartily recommend to fans of any band mentioned in this review.

“Regime Decay” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

6 NEW BANDS: THE SLUDGELORD's 666 PACK REVIEW (May 2018)

By: Nikos Mixas

Art by: Joshua M. Wilkinson 

It’s the May edition of THE SLUIDGELORD’S 666 PACK REVIEW!  While some of you may be graduating school or looking for a summer job, the album/demo submissions keep pouring into THE SLUDGELORD’S inbox for review.  If you’re new to this, each and every month we handpick 6review submissions and critique them by only using 6 words, then we rate them on a scale from 1to 666!  Check out our very spring-like rating scale below: 

1– We’re guessing when you let your mother listen to your band on Mother’s Day, she cried...       

2– Even with Shinedown, Sevendust and Five Finger Death Punch releasing new material this month,          that still won’t help your cause.    

3– May is the most average month of the year, it’s not too shabby, nor exactly great.  Congrats on being   a May!       

4 – Just like the new Candlemass, we’re intrigued.  Keep working at it.    

5– Time to start planning those mini-tour dates!  You need to get yourselves out there! 

666– THE SLUDGELORD crowns you with flower helmet encrusted in emeralds representing fertility and success because that’s the best we can do for May!  Hails! 

Caveat:  Even though the 666 PACK REVIEW is meant to offer humorous critique, there are no safe spaces here and your gripes will only make you sound like a bellyacher.  THE SLUDGELORD is a picky listener…and doesn’t care what you think of his opinions….

1). vAv,  “vAv”(Tel Aviv, Israel)    Rating: 3

Textbook doom that plays it safe.

2). Arakk, “Under Søvnen” (Copenhagen, Denmark)   Rating: 3

Two songs, too similar, too bad.

3). End of Hope,“D E M O” (New York City, U.S.A.)   Rating: 2

I’m “hoping” this isn’t the “end.”  

4). Denim Casket,“Demo” (Boise, U.S.A.)   Rating: 5

Old school grind meets G.G. Allin

5). Titanosaur, “Eat Me”(Hudson, U.S.A.)   Rating: 1

One man band with computer skillz.

6). Montagne, “Spring Birds” (Paris, France)   Rating: 4

Post Hardcore is still a thing?

Bonus: Yanari, “Marine Leg Demo” (Buffalo, U.S.A.) Rating: 4

Solid doomage.  Vocals are missing reverb.

Band info: vAv || Arakk

REVIEW: Cist, "The Frozen Casket"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/04/2018

Label: Redefining Darkness Records |

Reaper Metal Productions

This is eight tracks of resolutely filthy and crusty death metal, each of the tracks is reassuringly feral with some excellent twists and turns.

“The Frozen Casket” CD//DD track listing:

1). Antiseptic

2). Incubation

3). Injected Obsession

4). Mitosis Simulation

5). Cryonesia

6). Chemical Tomb

7). Imitator

8). Synthetic Life

The Review:

Ripping old school death metal... if that is what you want, Cist will supply it in spades. This Russian band is a fantastic squad of musicians. This is twenty plus minutes and eight tracks of resolutely filthy and crusty death metal. Great riffs, lead breaks, screeching vocals and, whisper it, songs!

Each of the tracks is reassuringly feral with some excellent twists and turns. It sounds great, with a gnarly but clear production. There are some more progressive death style influences here and there (bass lines in “Incubation”, for instance), but for the most part, these boys keep it low down and dirty with riffs to die for. Picking a highlight is hard as all the tracks here are top notch. For me, perhaps “Injected Obsession” and “Cryonesia” might take the cake.

An electrifying EP of deathly delights.

“The Frozen Casket” is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Revel In Flesh, "Relics Of The Deathkult"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Compilation

Date Released: 16/03/2018

Label: War Anthem Records

 Revel In Flesh are amongst the best operating in the death metal sphere, so if Entrails and Paganizer made you bang your head last year then don't hesitate to purchase this compilation- it is exactly as you want it to be.

“Relics of The Deathkult” CD//DD track listing:

1. Bonecrusher
2. Corpus Vermis
3. Chant Of Misery
4. Deathkult
5. Phlebotomy - Blood Dripping Healing
6. Nightrealm Ghouls - The Dead Will Walk The Earth
7. The Ending In Fire
8. Casket Ride
9. Pay To Die (Master - Cover)
10. Mutilation (Death - Cover)
11. Deny The Light (Headhunter D.C. - Cover)

The Review:

Germany's Revel In Flesh are not a band to wait around very long between releases. Coming off the back of their last full length (not even a year ago on Cyclone Empire!) comes this ten track compilation charting the band's progression from their earliest days up to the here and now- which actually does not cover as much time as you might think.

From the opening “Corpus Vermis” to the closing three covers (Master, Death and Headhunter D.C.) this is a feast of deathly delight. As noted in my last RIFreview, the band plays straight ahead death metal of the old school variety- Dismember, Entombed, Asphyx and so on. As such, if you enjoy that genre and style, you will enjoy this. There are plenty of riffs and thrashing sections (“Deathkult”), good production throughout- even if “Pay To Die” by Master is a little lo-fi by comparison and lots of spooky intros that conjure up a firmly old school vibe. I particularly enjoy the angular riffage of “Casket Ride” and the death doom flavour of “The Ending Fire”, but other listeners will have their own favourites here.

Aficionados of the Euro-death genre need look no further- Revel In Fleshare amongst the best operating in their sphere, so if Entrailsand Paganizer made you bang your head last year then don't hesitate to purchase this compilation- it is exactly as you want it to be.

 “Relics of the Deathkult” is available here

Band info: facebook

INTERVIEW: "Descend into the Allure of Despair" - Amped & Doomed with Dan Alderson (Horrified)

As with all genres, the popularity of bands that are influential shifts as time goes on. Amongst the more underground death metal bands, the primary influential bands have been comprised of two main camps in recent years. On one side there is early Incantation and Autopsy and on the other is Dismemberand Entombed. On the Incantation/Autopsyside, we have bands like Father Befouled, Ignivomous, and Dead Congregation. On the Dismember/Entombed side we have bands such as Black Breath, Miasmal, and Entrails. Those two camps have dominated the more old school-minded of the last several years.

A few years back, a new camp began to develop with a new set of influences. Specifically, Asphyxand Death, with the Deathinfluence tending to come from the pre-‘Individual Thought Patterns’ era.  Two of the best albums of 2014 and featuring these influences were from Morbus Chronand Horrendous, along with several others. Indeed Horrified were one such band and they emerged with their debut album ‘Descent Into Putridity’ featuring similar influences, whilst also making use of the Sunlight Studios sound of Dismember. The focus of this debut album was on the uglier, simpler side of things as compared to Horrendous’ more melodic approach. It made for an enjoyable album but one that was not without its flaws, but with a nicely varied song writing style already in place, the future looked bright for Horrified. 

On their sophomore album ‘Of Despair’, they retained elements of what worked on their debut, but broadened their horizons considerably. Whilst they were very clearly still a death metal band, with a similar tempo to their previous material, the guitars on “Of Despair” took a more melodic turn and while the straightforward death metal moments on the album were  very good, it was  moments of downtempo grandiosity that separated Horrified from other modern day death metal bands.

Today will see the release of the highly anticipated third album from Horrified, “Allure of the Fallen” a work of towering, melodic death metal majesty.  To celebrate this release we offer this exclusive interview with main man Dan Alderson, who talks us through his influences and everything else in between, as we get AMPED & DOOMED with one of death metal’s rising stars. 

Can you give us an insight into how you started playing music, leading up to the formation of Horrified

I actually started playing music by picking up the Bass guitar when I was still in high school. All of my friends were getting into rock and getting their first instruments so I kind of followed suite. The bass didn't last long and I acquired my first guitar from one of my close friends and started taking it seriously as a teenager. I ended up going on to study music at college after high school, in my second year of college I finally met other capable musicians playing metal and started playing in bands.

Can you remember who are what inspired you to pick up the guitar and are there any bands, guitarists, musicians currently on the scene that continue to inspire you and push you to try new things?

Well back in those formative pre metal days classic choices such as Hendrix and Jimmy Paige really did make me to pick up the guitar and try to get some good lead chops down. The first metal album I ever heard was Megadeth's"Rust In Peace" album, which I discovered by one of my best friends sending me "Holy Wars.." via MSN messenger around 11 years ago now. I think looking back in hindsight the reason why I loved Dave's playing so much was down to him taking those classic pentatonic licks / runs and playing them at pretty insane speeds. I would honestly say that I owe a lot of my lead chops down to Alexi from Children of Bodom, when I was becoming more advanced in college, I really did challenge myself to start learning his leads, which lead me on to search out lessons and advice from other players to actually learn how to sweep pick and such in order to progress.

Ultimately my favourite lead players of all time are Andres Rain and Olaf Thörsen from Labyrinth, the lead playing on "Return To Heaven Denied" for me is simply unmatched and I often still jam lead sections from tracks such as "Moonlight" and "Night of Dreams" in order to keep my lead playing up to scratch and inspiring me to still focus on lead playing, which really does have to come second to songwriting now.

Whilst we’re on the subject of inspiration or heroes, do you have 5 records that stand out as favourites, what influence did they have upon you and what is it about those record that particular resonates amongst others?

This is going to be a long answer, as I love talking about albums close to me, here goes:

Edge of Sanity – “Crimson II”

This for me is my ultimate album, my greatest inspiration. Not only does this album inspire me to write music the most out of any album I've heard, but it also helps me push on through life during hard times. The entire album is incredible from start to finish but those highly layered, intense melodic parts stand out the most and has really made me push my song writing to layer up a lot of sections and build on themes in order to strive for really epic and tight arrangements for Horrified. This album really does captivate my imagination and create an emotive response unlike anything else.

Caladan Brood – “Echoes of Battle”

The album which made me read "The Malazan Book Of The Fallen" I wasn't prepared for the impact that series would have on my life in general and the inspiration it gives me. But back to the album itself, again, it's all about those dense, heavily layered sections which really do define the term "epic". This album manages to encapsulate the feeling of a 11k word plus series in a 70 minute run time and that is definitely a huge achievement and an inspiring feat in my opinion. Countless times this album has moved me and still does on every listen; I can assure you this has racked up a pretty insane play count since it was released in 2013.

Horrendous – “Ecydsis”

Oh boy, this album really did follow me through the most difficult and demanding 2 years of my entire life. I have followed this band closely ever since “The Chill”s and started communicating with Damain online via discovering his studio work in the run up for the release of “Ecydsis”. This album was a huge step up from the debut in my opinion and added incredibly sombre, melodic sections to an already melodic, intense death metal style and at the time that was everything I wanted to achieve in music and given to me on a silver plate with this record. This album really did inspire me to improve my own song writing and push on through times of severe adversity in my personal life. For all those reasons stated, this album will always remain close to me.  

Sacramentum – “Far Away From The Sun”

This should be pretty obvious if you have heard "Allure Of The Fallen”. This is the ultimate black metal album for me. The overall intensity from start to finish and melodic atmosphere is unmatched by anything else. The Swedish, melodic black metal movement of the mid 90's is easily my favourite scene overall. But the icy, sombre and nihilistic atmosphere of the riffs, vocals and lyrics hits me the hardest out of the countless gems from that time period.

While Heaven Wept – “Of Empires Forlorn”

Probably one of the saddest albums ever made, it’s hard for me to go into detail what makes this such an important record for me without going into very personal details. Musically an inspiration and a very relatable record in every way for me.   

Can remember your first electric guitar?

Yeah, it was an entry level Washburn guitar included in one of those beginner packs to get you started. I mentioned it in an earlier question, but by that time it was a pretty beat up guitar with a very high action. I ended up getting my first decent guitar the Xmas of that year.

What guitar(s) are you using today and how did you gravitate towards the guitar you currently use?

I'm currently using an Ibanez ICT 700 or "The Iceman". I played one of these on a music trip to a gear convention in college, pretty expensive guitar at the time though. So my first guitar close to the high end spectrum was a Jackson DK2M, which I used for countless shows and tracked guitar parts for quite a few releases with. Both guitars are actually discontinued, around 9 months ago now I really, really wanted another guitar with a fixed bridge and also a little more high end than the Jackson. I ended up scoring my Iceman for around retail price used and it now serves as my main axe. I would always remember playing that iceman at the sounds live in college and knew I had to get one, one day.

What do you like about the guitars you currently use and has there been any specific modifications to it?

“The Iceman” has a neck thru neck and a string thru bridge, the sustain is insane and the Dimarzio pick ups are incredibly high end. The action is very, very low and it’s an overall joy to play. The guitar has not been modded at all. 

What amps and pedals do you currently use? Do you use a combination of amps, or a full half stack? Talk us through your set up both in the studio and in the live environment?

I use an ENGL Powerball II - 100watt tube amp for live's, this will go into a 4x12 at any venue we play.. The tone is incredible and I just play it direct in with no pedals. Obviously Horrified had a history of being a HM2using band and I have a Japanese model HM2 I used to use all the time, but it's currently out of action at the moment. I don't really have much of a studio set up (Oddly enough even though I have a music production degree) Guitars for releases I write and play on are tracked dry with my interface for reamping purposes later in the mix phase

What are your amp/ pedal settings?

On the ENGLI use something close to this:

Gain - 7
Bass - 6
Mid (boosted) - 5
Treble - 7/7.5
Presence - 6/7

What tunings do you use and why, and as a result is there a specific brand / gauge of string you prefer ?

I have been playing in D standard for years and using 10 gauge strings for a very long time. A lot of people poke fun at how light gauge strings I use but I much prefer playing a lighter gauge strings. I find it much better for phrases and legato runs in terms of lead playing, as for the reasons for playing in D standard. I just find that it’s a tuning that provides a perfect middle ground in terms of pitch and I also love writing in D Minor. Since Horrifiedis quite melodic going any lower would be out of the question.

Do you have any advice for up and coming guitars players, bands?

Be patient, put the work in and keep grinding out. 

Do feel there are deeply help misconceptions about being in a band?

A ton, haha. Being in a band isn't touring the road 24/7 and partying. Its hard work, its stressful, there are elongated periods of little to no activity on the live front, its lots of practice, it can be disheartening, frustrating, etc.

Moving on a little then, what can you tell us about any of your current projects, tours, CD's, etc you’re currently promoting, completed and anything else band related we should know about?

The new Horrifiedalbum "Allure Of The Fallen"is coming out on Shadow Kingdom Records on September 29th, a release I worked incredibly hard on and I'm very excited for it to be finally coming out! This is the best record Horrified have done to date, we are also working on getting back out on the live front to support the release. With at least one show planned and hopefully gaining interest again from promoters to book us for shows post release. I'm also playing live in Sojourner and our debut live appearance is currently being organised and that may progress into a touring band to. I've also been working on my funeral death side project called Enshroudment. Which I have wrote a three track EP for, we have been practising it in the shadows for around a year and we are about to record the EP and start playing live in the final 1/3 of 2017. So after a pretty tough year of inactivity and hard work in regards to making "Allure Of The Fallen" I'm pretty excited for what the music has in store in the future!  

What springs to mind when you think about the completion of your upcoming record and how is the mood in the camp at present?

Excitement and maybe some nervous anticipation. We are all very eager to push the new album hard and start playing again, it’s been a long and at times tough journey. But now things are finally coming to fruition... 

What can fans look forward to from you over the next 12 months? How is your schedule shaping up?

Hopefully a few decent shows for Horrified, it’s long overdue and deserved with this new record I feel. I'm also starting to write material for the fourth album. I want to try and out do “Allure…”and give Shadow Kingdom another epic!

Finally, do you have any final comments/word of wisdom you’d like to bestow upon us?

Just a thanks for the continued support from THE SLUDGELORD and anyone else out there who has been with us, or will join us with this new record. A lot does go into Horrifiedand I greatly appreciate all forms of support for the band, cheers all!

The End

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: From the Hellmouth | Mutilatred (Split)

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Split

Date Released: August 4, 2017

Label: Redefining Darkness |

Seeing Red Records

This release will satisfy fans who are craving some crushing death to usher in the autumn decay.

From The Hellmouth / Mutilatred Split CS//DD track listing

1. From The Hellmouth - Cast Into the Sea

2. From The Hellmouth - The Wolves Must Be Fed

3. From The Hellmouth - Campaign of Lies

4. Mutilatred - Crippled By Prescription

5. Mutilatred - Part of the Decay

6. Mutilatred - Split from Inside

7. Mutilatred - Prescribed Death

8. Mutilatred - While It Floods

The Review

               

There must be something putrid in the waters of Ohio.  As the coastal metropoles continue to offer sometimes thrilling, sometimes rote black metal hybrids, avant garde sludge experimentation, or crusty metallic anarcho-punk, the Buckeye State spews out death.  Cleveland’s From the Hellmouth and Toledo’s Mutilatred are the latest purveyors of nauseating toxicity, and offer up an unhealthy half hour on this untitled split EP.

               

From the Hellmouth skews toward melodic death, with harmonized guitar leads that recall At the Gates, The Black Dahlia Murder, and all the hardest parts of Castlevania.  Noah Buchanan’s vocals are surprisingly discernable for death metal, and the refrain of “Relentless attack!” on EP highlight “The Wolves Must Be Fed” makes me anxious for a full-length.  If they pump out more catchy, memorable riffs in this vein, they’ll garner a dedicated following, chanting along to every chorus.

               

If its traditional death filth you’re after, Mutilatred is death metal that could have come from Morrisound in the 80s heyday, albeit with some major experimentation.  McDonagh’svocals are pure guttural grunts, while the guitar tone is dirtier than Lake Erie.  Sometimes this is a bit of a drawback, as McDonagh and Meyers’ intricate guitar riffing can get lost in the mix, especially in the washed out midrange.  Regardless, Mutilatred’smusicians show some serious chops, especially drummer Clay Lowe, who is an absolute beast at the kit.  “Split from Inside” is a real standout, with ferocious thrash riffing and circle pit intensity, while “Prescribed Death”slips into a hypnotic, exhilarating groove.  With closing track “While It Floods”, noise manipulators Fakesand Meyers take center stage, with occasional spoken word from McDonagh.  I honestly was waiting for the full band to kick in and close out the split, but the track is pure noise.  If they manage to meld these elements in a future release, they’ll have a uniquely surreal formula in place.

               

Like most split EPs, this offering may not be featured as a “year’s best” or “major release” of the summer, but makes a solid case for both bands as up and comers in the US death scene.  If nothing else, it will satisfy your craving for some crushing death to usher in the autumn decay.

“From The Hellmouth / Mutilatred” is available here

Band info:

From The Hellmouth: facebook ||  bandcamp || Mutilatred: facebook || bandcamp