RECORDS OF THEIR YEARS:...with KEN mode guitarist/vocalist Jesse Matthewson

Brenna Faris (c)

Winnipeg trio KEN mode made a welcome return with new LP "Loved" at the end of August and is is by far the nastiest entry in their impressive body of work and all the better for it.  Almost 20 years into their existence KEN mode has set the bar for riff-heavy noise rock in 2018.  With the release barely a few weeks old and with the band set to hit the road in support the album we hooked up with guitarist/vocalist Jesse Matthewson to discuss some of his favourite records.  Welcome to RECORDS OF THEIR YEARS..., 

SL: Favourite album from the year you were born? 

Black Flag, "Damaged" (1981)

Jesse Matthewson: I’d probably have to say Black Flag – "Damaged". There’s no way it’s not the most influential, and even if I don’t listen to it as much anymore compared to other Black Flag records, it probably edges the Birthday Party’s   - "Prayers on Fire" by a smidge in terms of pure enjoyment for my own personal taste. That’s tough though. 

SL: First record you bought with your own money?

Green Day, "Dookie" (1994)

JM: I think it may have been Green Day’s "Dookie". It was pretty much the most popular thing going on at the time with teens/pre-teens, and it sounded fun. I know I ended up selling it maybe a year later because I found it boring…a pretentious piece of shit even at 13.

SL: Favourite non metal / rock album?

Badbadnotgood, "III" (2014) 

JM: Lately, maybe Badbadnotgood’s "III" record. It’s just such a fun sonic mix of jazz, some hip hop, trip hop, whatever. I had a hard jazz kick a couple years ago, and this got way too much play, and has ever since. 

SL: Album that most disappointed you?

KEN mode, "Success" (2015)

JM: I always struggle with questions like this, because it exposes the inherent entitled nature of music listeners. “The piece of art you made this time didn’t connect with me in the same way as that one from a few years ago that fit what I was looking for perfectly; and I expected it to!”

I dunno. I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus on this one. How about this? I’m most disappointed in KEN mode’s "Success" because it wasn’t what people who like us necessarily wanted to hear as much and we worked really hard on it. How’s that?!

SL: Favourite album of all time or if you prefer album (s) you’d run back into a burning building to rescue

JMN: I don’t have a single record…at this point it’s more of a top 10 maybe. Nirvana’s "In Utero" was a milestone, Melvins, "Ozma" another…Kittens, "Bazooka & the Hustler", Dazzling Killmen, "Face of Collapse", Today is the Day, "Willpower", Zeni Geva, "Desire for Agony", Tad, "Salt Lick", the Jesus Lizard. "Goat", Rollins Band, "Hard Volume", Drive Like Jehu, "Yank Crime". Maybe it needs to be a top 20. I don’t know. The older I get, the more I hate this kind of question. 

SL:Favourite album (s) of 2018?

JM: Tomb Mold – "Manor of Infinite Forms"
Not Of – "Hypocritic Oath"
Pig Destroyer – "Head Cage"
Nightmarer – "Cacophony of Terror"
The Lion’s Daughter – "Future Cult"
Imperial Triumphant – "Vile Luxury"
Hot Snakes – "Jericho Sirens"
Craft – "White Noise and Black Metal"

SL:..And finally The last album you bought? 

Imperial Triumphant, "Vile Luxury" (2018)

JM: I ordered the Euro pressing of Imperial Triumphant’s, "Vile Luxury" from Throatruiner because I wanted their exclusive coloured vinyl variant. All the cool colours were already sold out at Gilead Media in the US, so screw it…I’ll pay for the extra shipping from France.

"Loved"is available to preorder/buy HERE & HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Tusk, "T.C.B.T."

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/08/2018

Label: Season of Mist

Black Tusk, as the title of the album suggests, are taking care of business in the most direct and ferocious way. No fat, no let up- just pure high energy rock n roll.

“T.C.B.T.” CS//CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). A Perfect View of Absolutely Nothing
2). Closed Eye
3). Agali
4). Lab Rat
5). Scalped
6). Ghosts Roam
7). Ill At Ease
8). Rest With the Dead
9). Never Ending Daymare
10). Orange Red Dead
11). Whispers
12). Burn the Stars

The Review:

Punk rock fury. That's what Black Tusk are bringing with them to this particular party. Corey Barhorst of Kylesa fame has taken over from Athon (having seen the band live with both line ups, no one could replace Athon, per se) and he holds down the low end and his portion of the vocals impressively and never without anything less than 100% conviction.

Through their previous records, the band has channelled stoner, sludge, metal and rock n roll to go with the punk element, but it is the band's punk tendencies which shine here. The album is raw and angry and the first three tracks after the intro clip by at an astonishing intensity. The sound expands with “Scalped” and “Ghosts Roam”, but the band really are taking care of business in the most direct and ferocious way. No fat, no let up- just pure high energy rock n roll. To say that if you crossed Sick of It All with Mastodon you might get Black Tusk... well, it's not wide of the mark.

I confess to being a big fan of the band and this album was never going to disappoint. Their finishing statement with Athon, “Pillars of Ash”, was reviewed by me for THE SLUDGELORD a couple of years ago and that still stands as a vicious and rocking slab of primal screams- “T.C.B.T.” is different but no less good. Through releases such as “Tend No Wounds” and “Taste The Sin”, Black Tusk have always put their own personal stamp on their approach and sound and have never really sounded like the other Savannah bands (Kylesa, Baronesset al) by virtue of their directness and energy. They remain a different proposition here and perhaps can be viewed as the Motorhead of the Savannah scene: cool, uncompromising and having a good time, all the time- even through the worst times.

Through the twelve tracks here the band are intense and on fire. Sure, not every riff is memorable and not every hook is golden, but the band make up for this with shear commitment and will. Equally, picking stand outs is tricky here as every track has something to offer and every track is bursting with energy. “Never Ending Daymare” is a fine example of what the trio do best; and the energy with which they do it, but I couldn't argue with any listener picking out “Closed Eye” or “Ill At Ease” or... pretty much any song here.

The final three tracks on the record burn just as brightly as the first three and with that, the record is over. If there is any criticism to be levelled here, it is not at the band themselves but the cover art leaves a little to be desired. To go from the beautifully haunting imagery of John Baizley's art work on previous releases to the stark black and white dullness of the cover here, well, it should have been better.

That said, Black Tusk, as the title of the album suggests, are taking care of Black Tusk(“T.C.B.T.”) in the only way they know how: with full on enthusiasm. The album is a joy to hear and shows that triumph can come from tragedy and can happen without compromise. I for one am very glad that the band are still around. We are lucky to have them.

“T.C.B.T.” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Craft, "White Noise and Black Metal"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 22/06/2018

Label: Season of Mist

With their frenetic guitar work, inspired bits of avant garde songwriting, and bleak lyrics, Craft are dead set on reminding us that the vast majority of existence is a lifeless, black wasteland.  

“White Noise and Black Metal”CD//CS//DD//LP track listing:

1. The Cosmic Sphere Falls

2. Again

3. Undone

4. Tragedy of Pointless Games

5. Darkness Falls

6. Crimson

7. YHVH’s Shadow

8. White Noise

The Review:

               

Summertime black metal is a weird proposition for me.  It’s warm, it’s sunny, everyone is hitting the beach, and, here in the northeastern US, it’s been repugnantly humid.  It feels much more like deathy, sludgy, occasionally grind weather to me.  That deep, swampy rot that makes you want to pass out in the shade somewhere, until the temperature starts to drop at night and the prospect of frost in the morning is suddenly in the air again.  The real beginning of black metal season, in other words.  But occasionally you get something that blasts a frozen gust through the humid misery, showing a glimpse of that endless, cold waste at the heart of black metal.  From what I’ve heard, Immortal’snewest record manages to return the listeners to Blashyrkh, even in the hundred degree days of July.  Less heralded but no less impressive is the latest from Sweden’s Craft, who have been quietly amassing a small but incredible discography in the last twenty years. 

It’s been seven years since Craft laid out a full length, and metal empires have risen and fallen.  It’s appropriate that with opener “The Cosmic Sphere Falls”coalesces around timeless themes: depression, dread, apocalypse, death and destruction.  “It is eternal. It is beyond.”  The winding, interweaving guitar lines, slightly askew time signatures, and whispered/screamed lyrics are hypnotic and terrifying – almost avant garde but simultaneously catchy.  The bass is palpable and there’s nearly no midrange – in my ears a perfect black metal balance.  And while the drumming is amazing, it’s not overly busy.   Lyrically, “Again” is far more harrowing than the icy cold opener.  A description of self-harm descending into self-annihilation, it’s juxtaposed against an undeniably hooky guitar line and rhythmic stomp.  The dual guitar leads of Joakim Karlsson and John Doe, skewing off into discordant tremolo bursts, are sickening, while the double-time bursts are oddly affirming against such miserable themes.

“Undone” solidifies the tension at the core of “White Noise and Black Metal”: personal turmoil and universal chaos.  “Undone”pulls back from the suicidal precipice of “Again”, focusing the speaker’s rage toward a cosmos in need of annihilation.  The tone is appropriately symphonic – spiritually, that is.  This doesn’t go full Dimmu Borgir or anything.  “Tragedy of Pointless Games” trades the epic for the individually misanthropic once again.  It’s a somber dirge that sounds like the best of mid-period Celtic Frost – I even expected some OUGH!s to burst through the gloom.  Instead, singer Nox opines “Awakened and cast into fleshbound pain / Into a tragedy of pointless games,” with such conviction that I felt utterly frozen in the midsummer heat. 

When it feels nearly unbearably grim, “White Noise and Black Metal” shifts toward a black ‘n’ roll banger, “Darkness Falls”.  Somewhat evocative of latter day Satyricon (natch), the first track of side two is a bit of an amalgam of the themes so far, with some creepy otherworldly descriptions sneaking into a grim reality.  But before things can get too fantastical, the true horror emerges at the end: “There's a shadow hanging under a tree / And a rope is a tool to set one free.”  Instrumental track “Crimson”is an interesting dirge, highlighting the musical prowess of Karlsson and Doe, and allowing bassist Phil Cirone’s skillful and restrained work to shine, but it still feels a lot like any other instrumental interlude.

Thankfully the last two tracks may be the best on the record.  “YHVH’s Shadow” is a blasphemous screed that is, once again, catchy as hell, especially in a four on the floor headbanger midsection that may be the most fun on a depressing record I’ve had this year.  The sinewy, sinister lead guitar line was stuck in my head for days after my initial spin of the record, and is some simple, inspired songwriting.  The final track, “White Noise”, is a final kissoff to existence itself – individual or universal, where the human experience is something to be endured, a “distasteful, tiresome thing.”  I should note here that Nox’s delivery is uniformly excellent on the record, but on this track it may be the most intelligible, adding extra heft to the fury.  There’s a dynamic balance between the chugging rhythm guitar and the high end lead work, and a final crescendo that’s so intense it feels like the world itself may be falling to pieces.

Against all expectations, I found myself truly immersed in a black metal record despite the season, despite the warmth, the sun, the muggy misery.  I was reminded that the heat death of the universe is inevitable, that the nature of things is stasis, that death is so, so much longer than the brief bits of living.  “White Noise and Black Metal” is more than a glimpse of winter – it’s a blast of cosmic cold.  With their frenetic guitar work, inspired bits of avant garde songwriting, and bleak lyrics, Craft are dead set on reminding us that the vast majority of existence is a lifeless, black wasteland.  That’s far more chilling than even the darkest Norse myths or winter nights.

“White Noise and Black Metal” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Full Length: Full length

Date Released: 26/01/ 2018

Label: Housecore Records |

Season of Mist

Songs like "Mixed Lunatic Results" and "Delinquent" are Anselmo at his best, holding court and being the wildman savant his fans adore. Say what you will about his persona, but Anselmo is as spellbinding as ever, and songs like "Photographic Taunts" show you how he's still got it.

"Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue" CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Little Fucking Heroes

2. Utopian

3. Choosing Mental Illness

4. The Ignorant Point

5. Individual

6. Delinquent

7. Photographic Taunts

8. Finger Me

9. Invalid Colubrine Frauds

10. Mixed Lunatic Results

The Review:

A friend once said he loved hip-hop legend Cam'ron because he was the king of ignorant rap. The former Killa Cam has made a 20-year career out of having wealth, screwing women, making trouble and slapping haters. It's just narcissistic music for the club that is blessed by an artist with a seductive flow who knows his lane is the Wraith and Hennessey, and not Black Lives Matter or introspection. He seems to like it that way, as do his fans, who have followed Cam'ron through the various Diplomats reunions, guest spots and feuds.

Metal's Cam'ron is almost certainly Phil Anselmo. No one in the last 20 years has been as polarizing or reliable/predictable as the former Pantera front man and lead for Superjoint and Down. Rage and seething are largely the emotional spectrum. Anselmo's continued stumblings into political commentary have earned him a reputation as a neo-Nazi, a label he has repeatedly rejected, unconvincingly. His excesses would have killed most of us. And, like Cam, Anselmo's worst enemy has been himself. Fans may point to stylistic growth. It's just not terribly convincing either.

On "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue" Anselmo offers the first glimpses in some time at attempts to prove his haters wrong. Granted, it's done in that pretentious Anselmo way of not caring what you think, but it's evident nevertheless. When the album's title track was released in November, it featured vintage Anselmo alongside elements of his Down and Superjointincarnations. Guitarist Marzi Montazeri is gone from this version of the Illegals. And Anselmo suggested this go-around was more collaborative, and intended to convey a story of facing mental health issues.

This renewed energy comes at the right time. As with Cam'ron, the music Anselmo once led has steadily been growing beyond him, and some switches were in order. Metal has since Black Sabbath been a convergence of commentary. Social media and growing political divides, however, have sparked more than a few heavy acts to blend critique into their music. For years, Anselmo has had a penchant for voicing his opinion in his music and elsewhere; unfocused, it can become a trainwreck, such as in his white supremacist flirtation. The topic of mental health herein is a loaded one. In mid-February, a 19-year-old man with an apparent mental illness killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida. There's a worldwide opioid epidemic spurred by attempts to deal with psychiatric problems. How Anselmo contributes to the discourse feels interesting, to say the least.

On the first Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals album since its 2013 debut, there is plenty of red meat for Anselmo's hardcore base. He's still mad, still dropping that rumbling vocal and still backed by a bruising metal ensemble. The album's opener, "Little Fucking Heroes,"delivers a white-hot blast of fury, driving rhythm section and raw riffs for the vocals to tear into. Anselmo, who turns 50 in June, is undoubtedly grown from the kid who fronted 1988's "Power Metal," though his passion is timeless. Unmoored by a band's larger identity, Anselmo feels freer than usual, roaring into the microphone with the muscle that made him famous. Songs like "Mixed Lunatic Results" and "Delinquent" are Anselmo at his best, holding court and being the wildman savant his fans adore. Say what you will about his persona, but Anselmo is as spellbinding as ever, and songs like "Photographic Taunts" show you how he's still got it.

However, don't hold your breath for Anselmo to go Kendrick Lamar on this album in regard to the mental health crisis. Rather than a slam on Congress, insurance companies, Big Pharma or state failures, the critique throughout "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue" seems aimed at anyone who's not him. It's the wary eye generations of rockers have cast at politicians, liberal social justice warriors, media, institutions, parents and anyone else who just doesn't get it. The two types of people in the world, Anselmo says on "Invalid Colubrine Frauds" are those who just want to be left alone, and those who won't leave them alone. On "Individual," he declares, "I don't want to be part of your pack. Shut the fuck up, you don't even listen… I'll never be what you created." In these sentiments, Anselmo implicitly opens another conversation, most vividly illustrated in the Nikolas Cruz case: where does the right for someone who is seemingly unstable to be left alone end and the community's safety begin? Amidst the American debate over gun control, issues like institutionalization, mental health and the near-manic desire to be self-involved collide too. There are no easy answers.

"Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue" is available here

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Sinistro - "Sangue Cassia"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 05/01/ 2018

Label: Season Of Mist

Think a heavier Massive Attack, a dash of post-rock, a helping of menace and a blend of orchestration that makes it really an interesting listen.  This is exceptional stuff for a band you may not hear lots about, but they’re definitely worth your time.

"Sangue Cassia"CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Cosmos Controle

2. Lotus

3. Petalas

4. Vento Sul

5. Abismo

6. Nuvem

7. Gardenia

8. Cravo Carne

The Review:

Most people have heard of Cirque De Soleil, the French-Canadian aerial troupe that has evolved from a hipster, no-animal circus into an entertainment powerhouse in Las Vegas casinos, Beatles and Michael Jackson-themed acrobatic arena tours and worldwide television. Even if you have never attended, you have probably heard of Cirque's elaborate stunts and interpretative dance. It caters to the culturally curious, while staying relatively accessible to the suburbs. Its performances are punctuated by a rich score, one that melds influences from world music, contemporary rock and pop and live instrumentation in a fashion aimed at pulling together its often quirky tales. If you are familiar with Cirque's soundtrack, hearing Sinistro is probably one of the few times you'll be brought back to that mental space of being inside one of the act's big tops.

Such a comparison is a compliment and not a put down. Cirque has a fine attention to detail and effortlessly sets up a scene in a way most musicians struggle with. "Sangue Cassia" is an intelligent and infinitely listenable album. However, the comparison may also serve as fair warning to you, generous listener. If you read the standard descriptions of Sinistro as doom or a rock/metal derivative, you will soon learn the five-piece is not. It shares an atmospheric or tonal quality of doom, possibly – most strongly on cuts like "Cosmos Controle" and "Cravo Carne" – yet it's not that really. It is instead a dash of post-rock, a helping of menace and a blend of orchestration that makes it really an interesting listen. Think a heavier Massive Attack. You may not like it if Morbid Angel or Tombs are your jams, though.

The Portuguese band has been around a minute – 2012 to be exact – but it seemed to take off in 2013, when it added vocalist Patricia Andrade. Andrade brings to Sinistro a particular beauty to the double-guitar stylings of Rick Chain and Ricardo Matias. You will soon discover her range is formidable; songs like "Lotus" and "Vento Sul" are an outstanding showcase for what Andrade does best, using her strong voice to draw the emotion out of Sinistro's heady blend of an experience, creatively supported by Paulo Lafaia on drums and Fernando Matias on bass and synths.

"Sangue Cassia" is at its greatest when his forceful guitars show out on tracks such as "Petalas"or "Abismo." Andrade is commanding with her singing (it's clean, by the way), while the bass and drums foment the energy. A post-rock song like "Nuvem" matches Andrade's ethereal vocals with droning rhythm and guitars. The noise influence on "Gardenia"has underlying hints of paradoxical subtlety. Overall, across these divergent selections, is an aesthetic that has a distinctly symphonic flair. It's not the Carach Angren kind of symphonic, but it has a 'big' feel. Exceptional stuff for a band you may not hear lots about, and worth your time.

"Sangue Cassia" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Hooded Menace - "Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed"

By: Andre Almaraz

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 26/1/2018

Label: Season of Mist

Hooded Menace, is the quintessential death-doom metal band and this album is a crawling behemoth with so much gloom and doom that it feels like a slimy dense fog is pouring out of your speakers and into your unsuspecting lungs.

 

“Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1.Sempiternal Grotesqueries
2. In Eerie Deliverance
3. Cathedral of Labyrinthine Darkness
4. Cascade of Ashes
5. Charnel Reflections
6. Black Moss

The Review:

“Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed”is the fifth full length album by Finland’s reigning kings of death-doom, Hooded Menace. It also happens to be their first full length release as a five piece unit since their recent acquisition of new member, Harri Kuokkanen, as stand alone lead vocalist. The recording consists of six tracks which combine to make up forty-two minutes of total running time and the scheduled release date by Season Of Mist is January 26th, 2018. It appears that a seventh bonus track does exist on some formats but unfortunately, we did not have it made available to us for this review.

First track, “Sempiternal Grotesqueries,” is the longest running song of the album. This lumbering juggernaut slowly builds up from an epic graveyard crawl which eventually transcends into that classic Hooded Menace gallop, after which we are thrown into a frenzy of double-kick drums and pummelled into oblivion. This song has all the classic cornerstones that we love about Hooded Menace and it bounces our brains back and forth between them all for over ten and a half minutes. It is an all encompassing thrill ride of pure death-doom bliss in such a way that only Hooded Menacecan deliver.

Second track, “In Eerie Deliverance,” begins with those signature guitar harmonies which have always accompanied many of the band’s massively haunting riffs. The opening movement has a bit of a twist in its groove and some unorthodox drumming, slightly akin to something Immolationmight do - to give you a rough comparison. I feel like this aspect combined with the melodic chorus part make this track a bit of a standout from their usual repertoire. This is a good indication of a band that is continuing to grow and not afraid to take some chances outside of their usual comfort zone which is very admirable. Plenty of melody and double-kick while having minimal guitar soloing make this one an interesting listen for seven minutes and it works very well.

Third song, “Cathedral Of Labyrinthine Darkness,” lets the heavy dirge rumble of the bass guitar take the lead for a few brief seconds in the very beginning and leaves me wanting more. This one in general is a crawling behemoth with so much gloom and doom that it feels like a slimy dense fog is pouring out of your speakers and into your unsuspecting lungs. It is pure suffocating slow death. Fourth song, “Cascade Of Ashes,” creeps in like an undead zombie dragging its decayed carcass across the night’s shadows after a brief acappella vocal line chimes in to start off the number. The central focus point of this track comes in the form of a small break in the middle that leaves only a solitary guitar to ring out some unconsecrated notes that segue into a groovy tribal drum beat. This seems to me as another venture into slightly unusual territory for the band and again, it works very well.

Fifth song, “Charnel Reflections,” much like the opening track is a stroll through the familiar cemetery of the damned that Hooded Menace have worked so hard to create and perfect over the last 11 years. It is another fine example of the band's classic style of riffs and melodies which we, as fans, have come to know and admire. The sixth and final track, “Black Moss,” is an instrumental two plus minute outro that morphs from a heavy driving riff with plenty of guitar soloing into some classical guitar as it fades off and unwinds us from the bludgeoning assault of dust and cobweb covered ancient headstones that have been hurled at us for the duration of the previous five songs.

As always, the musicianship on this album is indisputable metal mastery at its finest and the production is near flawless. Although the vocals are a bit different this time around, but I feel it is not a drastic change and in my opinion, the new vocalist suits the band well. One can only appreciate that Hooded Menaceis still growing and changing ever so slightly with each new release but one thing is certain; as long as Lasse Pyykkö is at the helm, they will continue to hold their place at the top of the death-doom subgenre and never grow stale in their craftsmanship. Hooded Menace, to me, is the quintessential death-doom metal band and this album shows that they remain as relevant as ever.

“Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed” is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Septicflesh - "Codex Omega"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 01/09/2017

Label: Season of Mist

Septicflesh mostly sticks to what it is strongest at, and where its legend has been built: in beautifully composed, wicked death metal.

“Codex Omega” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Dante's Inferno

2. 3rd Testament               

3. Portrait of a Headless Man

4. Martyr              

5. Enemy of Truth

6. Dark Art           

7. Our Church below the Sea

8. Faceless Queen

9. The Gospels of Fear

10. Trinity

The Review:

Hailing from Athens, Greece, Septicflesh has carved one of the most distinctive paths in extreme metal. Ten albums into its career, the quartet creates a brand of symphonic death metal that is rare for its style as it is in terms of longevity. "Codex Omega" marks the first album for the group since 2014, when "Titan" beguiled audiences. However, Septicflesh has a catalog of many triumphs, including 2011's "The Great Mass" and 2008's "Communion" as well as many more.

While symphonic death metal is admittedly not as populous as its cousin, symphonic black metal, Septicflesh is, virtually without question, regarded as the best group in the subgenre. Since its formation in 1990, the Greek ensemble has created some of the best music in the scene. Even with a four-year layoff following a breakup and reunion in the early 2000s, Septicflesh has managed not to lose its stride and instead put out some of the most respected music available. "Communion" is still today regarded as a touchstone moment for symphonic death metal. So, when "Codex Omega" was announced, hopes for the group could not have been higher.

Septicflesh begins with "Dante's Inferno." The strings and woodwind create the space here, only to make way for Christos Antoniou's explosive guitar. If you have heard the band before, its ascent on this song will feel familiar. Kerim Lechner's epic drumming surges through the opener, then into "Third Testament." There is nearly a scientific preciseness to it; chords unleash Hell as the orchestra meets them like an infernal chorus all their own. Later, songs like "Dark Art" and "Our Church" hew a similar path. Its signifiers -- lumbering riffs, diabolical vocals and a mammoth sound made larger by the overall arrangement – are not unique for the veteran band. Its members have the reputation they have for outstanding musical performances, and the opening of "Codex Omega" seems poised to do that legacy justice.

"Martyr" begins with a folkloric touch, until the more substantial guitar attack snakes in. With lyrics that convey themes of faith and intolerance ("A strife has grown between faith and wisdom/You choose to stand for the exalted ego/Your creation, a creation maimed/Blame the vultures for their vile way"), Septicflesh is also dedicated to powerful songwriting. The beauty of such a consistent and consummately great band like Septicflesh is you know what you're getting with their albums. The interchange between Christos Antoniou's guttural vocal and Sotiris Vayenas' clean vocals is one of those better features. On a song such as " Portrait of a Headless Man," the duo alternate with aesthetics that share a story ("I am a man with strong regrets/I followed great deceivers/Believe in headless leaders/They played their game, true sons of Cain/But I was a hopeless dreamer/With my head deep in the clouds") and also create an air of menace, even remorse. Their chemistry reminds you why Septicflesh is so loved among death metal devotees.

Septicfleshhas, at different points, mixed gothic and black metal influences into its symphonic death metal formula. Those elements are evident in cuts like "The Gospels of Fear." However, Septicflesh mostly sticks to what it is strongest at, and where its legend has been built: in beautifully composed, wicked death metal.

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: River Black - "River Black"

By: Mark Tremblay

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/07/2017

Label: Season of Mist

River Black’s self-titled release picks up right where Burnt by the Sun’s “Heart of Darkness” left off, the riffs and instrumentation are crushing, as well as vocalist Mike Olender being the best he has ever been, For anyone who enjoys Metal and hardcore at its finest will find this record to be of their choosing.

“River Black” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Jaws
2. Honor
3. Low
4. Shipwreck
5. River Black
6. South x South
7. Boat
8. Move
9. #Victim
10. Haunt
11. Sink
12. Everywhere

The Review:

River Black’s self-titled release picks up right where Burnt by the Sun’s “Heart of Darkness” left off in ways that are both impressive and terrifying. The positives are that the riffs and instrumentation are crushing, as well as vocalist Mike Olenderbeing the best he has ever been. The terrifying element is that the lyrical continuity between “Heart of Darkness”and “River Black” indicates the human condition has only grown worse in the band’s absence. Fans of Burnt by the Sun will not only welcome this new record, but also be blown away by the progression of River Black’s sound.  

The album gets off to a pummelling start from the get-go with “Jaws” and “Low” are riff-oriented tracks very reminiscent of the “Soundtrack to the Personal Evolution” era of Burnt by the Sun. The album takes a turn in the middle with the self titled track and “South x South”.These songs show a more matured band exercising restraint and understanding the best qualities of their sound. It is the little things that make such an impact; particularly with the double kick pattern and the string arrangements on “South x South”, you see the growth still capable within this band. As mentioned previously, Mike Olender’s vocals are nothing short of spectacular. With “River Black”, the listener really gets the sense of a man who has had many life experiences between his studio albums. Particularly with songs like “Haunt”and “#Victim”, you get the sense Mike is not only a seasoned lyricist, but has completely mastered his craft as a metal vocalist.

For anyone who enjoys Metal and hardcore at its finest will find this record to be of their choosing.

“River Black”is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook