Mark Z.

Wömit seasön!

Vomit Angel – Imprint of Extinction Review

By Mark Z. on July 16, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Danish Metal, Death Metal, Grind, Iron Bonehead Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 27 comments

“There are two types of bad art in the world, just like there are two types of turds. The first type is embodied by the movie The Room. It’s a massive turd. It’s a turd that you look at and marvel over how it was produced by a human being, a turd that you immediately want to share and laugh about with your friends. And then, there is the fouler type. This is the turd that is spoken of in hushed tones, the pungent semi-diarrhea laced with the partially digested remnants of yesterday’s corn, the turd with a stench so foul it would wrinkle the nose of Beezlebub himself. This is the turd you immediately want to flush and never want to speak of again. This turd is Vomit Angel’s Imprint of Extinction debut.” Up the creek without an angel.

Kryptos – Afterburner Review

By Mark Z. on July 6, 2019 in 2019, AFM Records, Heavy Metal, Indian Metal, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 37 comments

“”Full speed ahead—let’s burn up the night!” So screamed Kryptos vocalist and guitarist Nolan Lewis, thus closing out the Indian quartet’s 2016 opus Burn up the Night. That album excelled by infusing classic heavy metal riffs with harsh vocals and it more than earned its spot on my Year End list that year. But apparently full speed is no longer fast enough. Fifth album Afterburner sees the band cranking the throttles into overdrive and doubling down on everything that made Night great.” Still burning in the night.

Mysticism Black – Return of the Bestial Flame Review

By Mark Z. on July 1, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Black Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Black Metal, 14 comments

“Thirteen years later, ‘OldNick’ has recruited former Ceremonial Castings drummer ‘Blood Hammer’ for sophomore album Return of the Bestial Flame. But does Flame reignite the passion of yesteryear or merely linger like an awkward conversation with an old acquaintance you ran into at the grocery store?” Flaming beasts will set the world on fire.

Infernal Conjuration – Infernale Metallum Mortis Review

By Mark Z. on June 21, 2019 in 2019, Death Metal, Iron Bonehead Productions, Mexican Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, 22 comments

“Barring pre-Hero Bölzer, I’ve never seen a band without a full-length generate as much passion as Sadistic Intent. The southern California death metal band formed in 1987 and have released little more than four EPs in their career, yet they’re still earning high slots at festivals and seem to be adored by a lot of people. It’s a testament to the quality of their music, I suppose, and I must admit their musty take on early Morbid Angel has tickled my fancy on more than one occasion. Yet their sporadic and limited output generates an obvious demand for more music in the style, and that’s where Infernal Conjuration come in.” Infernal overkill.

Power from Hell – Profound Evil Presence Review

By Mark Z. on June 17, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Brazilian Metal, High Roller Records, Reviews, Black Metal, 10 comments

“A few years ago I had a strange and insatiable desire to find the simplest and punkiest blackened thrash imaginable. My search led me to find gems like Chapel and other bands I didn’t enjoy as much, including Power from Hell. Led by vocalist and guitarist “Sodomic,” the Brazilian trio have been kicking around since 2001 and released four albums before their 2015 Hells Headbangers debut Devil’s Whorehouse.” Power outage.

Barbarian – To No God Shall I Kneel Review

By Mark Z. on June 7, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Italian Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 54 comments

“‘Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.’ It’s odd that a metal album calls to mind Genesis, but in this case it feels strangely appropriate. Even within genres, different bands occupy different niches. Some bands make music that’s tight, slick, and professional, some bands make music that sounds like a bunch of cavemen somehow acquired and learned to play modern instruments. True to their name, Italian trio Barbarian tend toward the latter. But lest you think that’s a slight against them, think again.” Honey, I think someone is at the gates.

Funeral Storm – Arcane Mysteries Review

By Mark Z. on May 31, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Greek Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 42 comments

“Mystical. Archaic. Melodic. Militant. Triumphant. All words that could be used to describe Greek black metal, and all reasons why albums like Macabre Omen’s Gods of War – At War and Rotting Christ’s mid-00s material hold a special place in my blackened heart. Funeral Storm aren’t technically a new name on the scene, though you’d be forgiven for never having heard of them given they’ve released virtually nothing other than a few splits since their 2002 formation.” Putting the Hell in Hellenic.

Nihility – Thus Spoke the Antichrist Review

By Mark Z. on May 23, 2019 in 2019, Black Lion Records, Black Metal, Death Metal, Portuguese Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 117 comments

“It’s been said that the scariest monsters are those which are vaguely familiar. From zombies to the shape-shifting alien in The Thing, it seems the best way to leave a sense of lasting fear in your audience is to take familiar traits and twist them into something grotesque and appalling. Metal (usually) isn’t designed to scare people, but the same basic principle applies. The new releases I enjoy the most are those which take recognizable features from other bands and morph them in their own unique way. Portuguese quintet Nihility are a great example of this. With their Thus Spoke the Antichrist debut, the group take the Behemoth and Belphegor influence promised in the promo blurb and mutate it with an injection of brutal death metal.” Familiar Hell.

Call of the Void – Buried in Light Review

By Mark Z. on May 16, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Hardcore, Reviews, Translation Loss, Hardcore, 34 comments

“Metal ebbs and flows. Genres get popular, fall out of favor, and then go through extended periods of dormancy before once again experiencing sudden and violent upheavals in popularity. Perhaps the most notable recent example was the metallic hardcore boom of the early 2010s. Back then “Entombedcore” bands like Black Breath and metallized powerviolence groups like Weekend Nachos were the cool kids on the block that every blog was posting about. Yet today, while some of these bands are still going strong (Full of Hell and Nails), many have either disbanded (Enabler and Trap Them) or become largely inactive (Black Breath). For a while, Colorado’s Call of the Void fell into this last category.” Out of the void, into your ears.

Ares Kingdom – By the Light of Their Destruction Review

By Mark Z. on May 13, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Death Metal, Nuclear War Now! Productions, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 25 comments

“There’s so much music out there that it’s easy for good bands to get lost in the shuffle. Enter Ares Kingdom. Formed in 1996 by guitarist Chuck Keller and drummer Mike Miller shortly before the breakup of their famed blackened death metal band Order From Chaos, the Kansas City group soon added vocalist and bassist Alex Blume (Blasphemic Cruelty) to their ranks to become the ultimate death-thrash power trio. Their 2006 debut Return to Dust and 2010’s Incendiary are two of my favorite albums the genre has ever produced, with the latter still reigning as one of my favorite records of this decade. The band’s frantic and melodic riffing, dynamic songwriting, and empowering lyrics about warfare and history have always reminded me of a death-ier Destroyer 666, which is about the highest compliment that can be given by a slobbering D666 fanboy like myself.” Gods of War (metal).