“Some bands make fans wait years between releases and drive them bonkers with their lack of productivity. Others like Finland’s Decaying release an album every year like clockwork. One to Conquer is the fourth album I’ve been dealt since joining AMG and though they started as a blackened death act, they quickly morphed into war metal enthusiasts, taking heavy inspiration from Bolt Thrower, Hail of Bullets and Asphyx.” The war goes on, but some must be sent to the rear to do the filing.
“I’ll be the first to admit that I truly enjoy the old school death metal (OSDM) revival that seems to have been going on forever in the metal scene. That said, it does have its fair share of problems. Too often bands hopping on the OSDM train will focus on and nail down the cavernous murk that helped define classics like Onward to Golgotha and Diabolical Conquest, but forget that atmosphere was only half the battle…” The OSDM train just keeps chooglin on down the line, but do you still want a ticket to ride?
“As many AMG readers know, production quality plays a major role in the reviews posted on this site. Love it or hate it, care about it or don’t give a fuck about it, awareness of the “Loudness War” and the desire for quality metal is real. And with a new Angry Metal-Fi article out on dynamic range, I found it timely that I would be reviewing Deserted Fear’s sophomore release, Kingdom of Worms. Why, you ask? Well, Dan “The Man” Swanö himself handled the mixing and mastering of the album.” Here Dan is to save the day!
“In a world where Rogga Johansson bounces between innumerous death metal projects like he’s caught in a psychotic game of musical chairs, you have to tip your cap and give the man his proper respect. Juggling Paganizer, Just Before Dawn, Demiurg, Megascavenger and 50 other bands is something few could pull off, let alone as successfully as he does. Now add to the workload Those Who Bring the Torture and it’s clear the man won’t be taking his vacation days anytime soon.” By the time you read this review, Rogga will have recorded three albums. Fact.
“The idea of a death metal version of Tobias Sammet’s ambitious and overblown Avantasia vanity project is sure to inspire curiosity and I suspect, a fair amount of bemused doubt and sniggers. After all, that vehicle famously attempted to cram every notable metal vocalist into diverse styles of music ranging from Euro-power to hard rock and even poppy hair metal. Leaving aside the success ratio of that project (which was surprisingly high), dragging that template into the crusty world of death metal could easily lead to a train wreck on the scale of Six Feet Under covering Yes and Jethro Tull.” Is this a disaster or a delight? Steel Druhm gives you the straight skinny.
“No matter how over saturated or played out a musical genre may become, there are always one or two bands that can make it all vibrant, fresh and new again. Whether it’s their raw conviction, enthusiasm or killer song writing, those bands make the years melt away and remind you how it felt to hear the style for the very first time. That rush of excitement, feeling of awe and the sense of being there at the next step in metal’s evolution, that’s what it’s all about! When it comes to classic Swedish death metal, Blood Mortized is THAT band for me.” Stand back! Steel has been waiting for this one with baited breath and now he’s on it like beast at a beast emporium.
“Its been a long time since I’ve been impressed by a doom metal record. You would figure it would be a pretty easy thing to get the hang of, if you think about it: create an atmosphere of (circle one: sorrow, solitude, deep introspection) utilizing well-timed (female vocals, violin, acoustic guitar) passages before (crushing ruthlessly, lamenting sadly, turning loose some swans). Yet somehow, at best, recent doom releases have given me a feeling of “meh,” and at worst, eliciting some unintentional chuckles. Eye of Solitude have a few things going for them: they’re young (only been around since 2010), they’re UK-based (and they KNOW their doom metal over there), and they’re hungry. Canto III, their third album, not only has given me hope for the genre once more, but they also have a serious contender for a Best of 2013 record.” Grymm is notoriously difficult to impress when it comes to doom/death, but that’s exactly what Eye of Solitude did.
“Well slap my ass and call me Skippy, the premier name in super-mega, old school, retro, throwback thrash (rethrash for short) is back to teach another post-grad lesson in violence. For those not in the know, that means a new album from Joel Grind’s Toxic Holocaust. Yes folks, things don’t get more painfully stuck in the 80s than the speed churned out by Mr. Grind and if there was ever a man born too late, it’s him. You see, Joel was meant to exist during that original wave of thrash, releasing revolutionary new music to shock the world alongside the likes of Slayer and Exodus. Alas, the Fates turned a mean skein and he was cast forward to this cruel future, where all his best thrashing and bashing is considered tired, recycled and irrelevant by many. Tis quite the shame too, since the man has a true gift for penning genuine 80s thrash and his stuff always has an aura of authenticity that’s lacking in most rethrash.” When I say rethrash, you say Grind!! That was fun, right? But is this album fun? Steel Druhm, a veteran of the rethrash wars, will chime in.
“While the mighty Bolt Thrower lies in their house at R’lyeh, dead but dreaming, Dutch super group Hail of Bullets have become the undisputed champions of war-themed death metal. Featuring the likes of Ed Warby (The 11th Hour, Demiurg) and the immortal Martin van Drunen (Asphyx, ex-Pestilence, ex-Bolt Thrower), these grizzled veterans have made a name for themselves by adopting a winning Bolt Thrower meets Asphyx meets more Bolt Thrower schtik and they’ve churned out some truly tank-busting, old school death over their short but nasty career. Their albums always feature a fantastic mix of classic death grooves and monstrously oppressive doom riffs (especially on On Divine Winds) and they remind me of long forgotten Winter and the dirgey glory of vintage Celtic Frost and Hellhammer. III The Rommel Chronicles doesn’t upset the ammunition cart and the band delivers another broootal, throwback album with little in the way of finesse.” Old school death metal about war and battle. That shit just sells itself, don’t it? Yes it does!
“It’s common knowledge that some of the most raging metal music today is coming from South America. Countries like Peru, Chilé and Colombia are producing what seems like hundreds of awesomely raw death and black metal bands. They are insanely passionate about old-school metal, their love for Satan is strong, and they release ridiculously obscure demos that are always fun to chase down. Case in point: Chilean death metal duo Ancient Crypts, who have released a cassette-only death metal monstrosity entitled Devoured by Serpents.” South American death metal is like a fine steak. It’s bloody, but delicious. Join Mr. Fisting as he takes us on a trip to the crypts!
