Pharaoh - Be Gone (2008)

Full Length, Cruz Del Sur Music
April 24th, 2008

Genre: Power Metal/Heavy Metal
Region: USA

You guys may have noticed that absolutely no power metal has been posted on Equivoke (much to the relief of most of you I suspect). I'm sure if there have ever been any purists, elitists, strict old-schoolers, etc. that have stumbled upon this blog they were probably irritated by the lack of trueness and left quickly to do write up on how hipsters are ruining metal.

First: this isn't a post to appease cunts like that. Second: truthfully I was never a huge fan of power metal. I always found it to be far too cheesy and filled with pseudo-epic wank, and while I like bands such as Falconer, Blind Guardian, Iced Earth and Sabaton I do not listen to the genre much nor do I enjoy it nearly as much as other genres. Pharaoh (like Falconer) are a band in the genre I've always had a soft spot for though.

As on previous releases the writing is very solid and complex on Be Gone. Lyrical themes run the gamut of fantasy and war situations and there are some excellent technical, melodic and memorable riffs and brilliant solos spread throughout with a healthy dose of restraint on their skills, so as to not fall into overblown wank. A quality that is much appreciated. The amount of cheese is minimal (no keyboards), the vocals are raspy while retaining the Iron Maiden-esque style, production is great, etc. Be Gone is an impressive entry in a genre that is often neglected, managing to retain the key elements while injecting some new life into the style with great results.

This is one of those posts that will probably be very unpopular based on the genre alone but I'd encourage you to give Be Gone a spin. You can listen to it in full on bandcamp. Pharaoh have put out some quality shit, and they have a new album out in a few weeks titled Bury The Light which is one reason I was prompted to post this up. You can pick this up over at the label's page if you like what you hear.

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Obolus - Lament (2012)

EP, Flenser Records
February 1st, 2012

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Region: USA

So the gentlemen over at The Flenser have just made the first EP from newcomers Obolus available for free for a limited time. Their 2011 demo was very promising and for those who were waiting for the next release you won't be disappointed.

Opening with the sound of rainfall and sprinkling these samples throughout the 20 minute crawl, soaring mournful atmospherics are what you'll encounter in Lament. Building on the strong foundations of their demo and pushing the screaming guitars and drum blasts alongside spectral shrieks to extreme levels before settling down for a slower, depressive journey. Brief moments of shaky clean riffs evoke dark and misty mountain ranges and abandoned, haunted cabins long neglected.

Lament then can shift to rawer levels of black metal as well as the riffs conjure storms of pain and grief, pummeling the listener with relentless barrages of percussion, subtle keys and animalistic screams. Darkly melodic and smothered in foggy sadness it is a great progression of their style.

As with the demo, Lament's approach to the genre is to concentrate the hazey, damp ritual of modern black metal into far shorter songs than is the norm without losing any impact and indeed sometimes increasing it.

Highly recommended. A powerful, focused and sorrow filled release sure to be one to creep into the top  of many fans' lists this year. The vinyl release will be coming up soon so keep watching The Flenser for news on it's arrival, until then listen to this wicked record on Obolus' bandcamp and download it for free.

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Witch In Her Tomb - Witch In Her Tomb (2012)

Some really dirty, really crusty black metal. Crunchy guitars, soaring, reverb-drenched screams...Great stuff.

Artist: Witch In Her Tomb

Album: Witch In Her Tomb

Genre: Black Metal

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Sutekh Hexen - Luciform (2011)

Full Length, Wands
August 2nd, 2011

Genre: Black Metal/Noise/Ambient
Region: USA

I only just got around to listening to this and kind of regret waiting as long as I did. They have a new record coming out in the next month called "Larvae" so I figured I better get on this.

Luciform is a harsh and noisy animal. It seems though young, Sutekh Hexen have a masterful ability to mix orthodox styles of raw black metal with absolutely bleak noise and frightening ambiance to conjure up something unique and challenging. Sharp screeching and wailing mixes with the fuzzy, quick riffs and drumming with a few short but haunting ambient breaks to relieve you from the relentless onslaught of terrifying furor.

It may require a few listens to grasp the wicked riffs and subtle melodic touches beneath the dark, jarring static and noise that this album revels in but once you do you uncover a ferocious storm of chaotic black metal. It's short but concentrated, blasts that are unnerving but manage to retain an identifiable structure despite the initially overwhelming waves of chaos.

This record is already in its second pressing over at the Wands shop and you can get it at Nuclear War Now! as well so I suggest grabbing a copy when you can. Highly recommended for fans of strange and harsh sounds.

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Dodecahedron - Dodecahedron (2012)

Full Length, Season of Mist
January 20th, 2012

Genre: Avantgarde Black Metal/Death Metal
Region: Netherlands

Dodecahedron were brought to my attention by Haxan over at Forever Cursed a week back so much thanks to him and his keen ears for this one.

These guys are a new and twisted group entering an unexplored space between black metal like Deathspell Omega and to bleak death metal like Ulcerate, creating some wonderfully angular, dissonant, dark music that certainly stands out from even those creepy bands with their fresh and intriguing atmospheric avantgarde-ish alien approach.

It's a hard one to describe as there's a lot going on in this record but it never feels crowded or awkward despite the various directions it takes. Creeping, discordant riffs dipped in thick ethereal atmospherics, sometimes slow like Ulcerate's most recent offering and sometimes on the fast/technical end like Gigan, Baring Teeth, and Flourishing. The bass grooves take a very pronounced approach playing off the guitars and often spinning their own path through the chaos created by pummeling percussion, while the vocal utterances hit raspy death growl levels with some elements of alienesque phaser distortions at times.

There's a spacey, cavernous vibe that cloaks this record. It can almost be called frightening at points as it stretches its slender tendrils out and grasps you coldly, injecting gulfs of swelling ambiance amongst the harsh black and death metal riffs; or even subtly melodic in the latter half of the album. This is especially true of the final three tracks which could be considered one long, winding song. Truly something epic is shown here.

Dodecahedron bring a disturbing, cloudy batch of tracks in their first effort. Extremely solid and unique, one of the first big surprises of 2012. You can listen to this in full over on their official page which is also where you can buy the cd or preorder the vinyl version (or you can get it from the label).

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Vale of Miscreation - Emergence Within the Corridor of Unholy Lacerations (2007)

Full Length, Dead World Syndicate Records
2007

Genre: Technical Death Metal/Brutal Death Metal
Region: USA

I don't know where these guys went, if they're still active and working on new material in some festering crypt somewhere but this one and only album makes me wish they'd get on that shit.

Right off the bat lets get something out of the way: the production here is sorely lacking. Some will say that it just adds to the brutality this behemoth oozes which is fine but I would still like to have the guitars and drums higher in the mix. Having acknowledged that, Emergence Within the Corridor of Unholy Lacerations is a rapid fire, relentless wall of chaotic technicality and unfettered brutal slams I feel was lost under the piles of brutal death bands that exist today.

Clocking in at just over 20 minutes it's a short ride but one I wouldn't pass on. The vocals are very much akin to Phleg from Wormed/Human Mincer, Antti from Demilich, or the various vocalists Disgorge (USA) has housed: bubbling, gurgled, undecipherable and truly vile. Guitars swing from intense slams to mind-fuck sweeps perfectly with short bursts of alternate picking between them and man does it rule. Drumming and bass lines are just as technical reaching incredible speeds, causing one to break a sweat just listening.

A veritably unknown record that I feel deserves some attention from death metal fans, certainly those who enjoy Wormed, Human Mincer, Disgorge, Vomit the Soul, Embryonic Depravity, etc. I'm not sure if this is available directly from the band or label but if you can find it pick it up.

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Inveracity - Extermination of Millions (2007)

Full Length, Unique Leader Records
April 24th, 2007

Genre: Technical Death Metal/Brutal Death Metal
Region: Greece

Extermination of Millions — what a vicious and dense record of brutal and technical death metal. It has a shit ton of replay value. Inveracity obviously take a lot of influence from Suffocation but what brutal or tech death band doesn't to some degree?

The songs on this album are impressive, a testament to tight skills and excellent writing ability. They clearly know how to play the shit out of their instruments but resist the all too common temptation to let that slide into soulless wank territory. Always at a breakneck pace with only two or three slow sections, everything here is geared towards focused and precise sonic dismemberment.

Eleven tracks that rarely hit the 3 minute mark but are packed so full of sharp and face shredding riffs that it will surely knock you on your ass within the first three. I've had this in my library for a while and always come back to it due to the perfect mix of technical alternate picked riffs, deeply satisfying powerchords alongside well placed pinched harmonics and a vocalist with an unholy growl. The bass gets lost in the mix but the double kicks will blast you into the ground, and when there is a slam it's absolutely killer and will kick your balls up into your throat.

I really recommend this shit. I have a hard time picking a favorite track as they all are equally devastating and jaw dropping. Extermination of Millions is a perfect balance between blistering technicality and ugly slamming brutality, quite a sick and memorable chunk of death metal well worth your support so pick it up over at the Unique Leader store.

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Bad Life - The Day You Die (2011)

Full Length, Music Ruins Lives
October 11th, 2011

Genre: Experimental/Post-Punk/Shoegaze
Region: USA

More weird and gloomy DIY hipster experimental shit that I was made aware of recently. From Music Ruins Lives:

"Every day blurs the same. The lines under your eyes are a map of your mistakes. The day you die, nothing changes. Bad Life is a procession of every half-heard sound that ever seeped through heat-cracked walls distorted. The Day You Die is eleven death rattles as rallying cries, grinding against the walls of this world."

Less bizarre and experimental than Wreck And Reference but still falling within that sound for the most part, Bad Life bring elements of doom, post-punk, shoegaze and pop together to create some strange but accessible experimental tunes. The vocals at times remind me of The Cure or The Killers with a clean, shaky, gloomy droning tone and this is put alongside the mix of sparkling synths, midi elements, sometimes shoegaze/sometimes doomy riffs bringing the depressive feeling even further into focus.

It's a distinctive sound and can be a little jarring at first but as is the case with this genre-splitting style as you continue listening it becomes less grating and more hypnotizing, with most songs not sounding to similar to each other. It's dark, warped and quirky but at the same time deceptively easy to grasp. A weird mix that works surprisingly well without becoming tired.

Definitely a sleeper of 2011. Highly recommended for fans of Wreck And Reference, Have A Nice Life, Swans, Hateful Abandon, etc. The final track of the album is not available online so you should pick up the cd from Music Ruins Lives. You can however hear the rest of the album on the label's bandcamp, and the rest of their material on Bad Life's bandcamp. Follow them over here.

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Amenra / Oathbreaker - Bretheren Bound By Blood Split (2011)

Split, Self-released / Church of Ra
May 15th, 2011

Genre: Atmospheric Sludge / Hardcore/Metalcore
Region: Belgium

A big thanks to the guys over at The Elementary Revolt for putting this up. I didn't get a chance to rip this and before I got it I was scouring the internet for a link even before that. Two excellent bands with one offering each.

This is the third split in the Bretheren Bound By Blood series and what a perfect pairing. Amenra's side is the first half of the first track from the spellbinding 23.10 Live DVD they released not long ago, and the rendition of Shapeless Pain here is possibly more destructive and heavy than the album version.

Amenra are unparalleled in their creation of soul crushing darkness and pain. It may only be the first 5 minutes of the song but it's simply incredible and if you don't believe me just fucking watch the full version:

Buy that DVD guys. It's impressive without a doubt.

The second side is a track from Oathbreaker who last year unleashed their first full length Maelstrom. This was not on their demo or full length but is well worth hearing as it's a wicked storm of pissed hardcore with that Converge-ish tone with a few slower moments. Great riffs and Caro's vocals are absolutely terrific, she kills it both when clean and screaming.

Get this now. It's a perfect split.

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Black Monolith - Demo EP (2011)

Demo, Self-released / Independent
May 7th, 2011

Genre: Crust/Blackened Hardcore/Hardcore
Region: USA

A short demo from Black Monolith, but a fierce and beastly one at that.

Powerful and dark. Bristling with copious amounts of thrashy blackened hardcore throughout the 3 tracks, twangy riffs and frantic drumming, and a dude with a wicked rasp spitting over them. The last track begins a lot more slowly and with a darker tone, an angry chick laughing mockingly before the more substantial dissonant and crushing leads kick in. This gives way to more of what you heard in the first two tracks: addictive crusty powerchords, fast paced drums and hoarse yells.

This is a solid effort that leaves you wanting more, and I do hope they're working on full length. Highly recommended especially for those who love Young and In The Way. Up for free on bandcamp and follow their blog over here.

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