Demoncy - Enthroned Is the Night

Demoncy are a great band. They were one of the very first black metallers and created stuff that was far filthier and more primal than anything Darkthrone was doing at the time. And, of course, any black metal fan worth their salt knows the uncompromising dark masterpiece Joined In Darkness. The band took a bit of a turn on the next album, Empire of the Fallen Angel, and was criticized for trading their brute evil for a more generic form of black metal with actual chord progressions and song structures. This was true, but I personally think they didn’t do such a bad job of that style. Anyway, after that album mainman Ixithra couldn’t handle any further progression into the mainstream and demonstrated his anger by destroying all the recordings of the new album in progress and sacking off all his bandmates. After a 9 year recluse, Demoncy remain a one-man-band, and Ixithra has brought us the new album Enthroned is the Night.

You’ll be glad to hear that Demoncy have definitely regressed a bit on this recording, but it’s possible that Ixithra tried too hard to do this and ended up making something that was less gruelingly evil than his intentions. It is definitely not the nasty, minimalist dirges of Joined In Darkness (production’s too good, for one thing), but it does lean much more on the side of early Demoncy than the last album. There is melody here, but it is dirty, evil melody, and this is certainly not melodic black metal. There is no stray from the thick wall of sound outside the droning filler tracks, but you will notice is has a very polished tone to it when compared with 90s Demoncy, and it sometimes calls to mind a death metal sound. There is too much blastbeating, but some of these riffs could easily be at home on an old school DM track.  This was something Demoncy always previously managed to avoid despite having retardedly downtuned guitars. None of this changes the fact that some of these riffs are delightfully destructive (see standout tracks), and the songwriting is actually pretty good…. But wait. They question is, why is there any songwriting on a Demoncy album?

In short: You can see this is a good album, and if this were a different band, I might’ve thought it was pretty punishing, but it does not really touch on the twisted depravity of Demoncy’s classics, it only gives it a good shot.

Standout tracks: Winds of Plague, The Arcane Aristocracy

Score: 7.0

Coldworker - The Doomsayer's Call

I was thinking about doing a Coldworker review and not comparing them with Nasum, but decided that that was too hard. Keep in mind that all comparisons made in this interview are mainly there because the primary reason people are going to listen to Coldworker is to hear Anders play (that’s why I listened to them, after all). Coldworker and Nasum are two very different bands, despite playing in similar styles, and should each be viewed in their own right; that is to say, without one looming over the other’s head, because Coldworker and Anders are not trying to ride Nasum’s wave of fame. They handle their music with respect and have taken it in a naturally different direction.

For those who don’t know that direction is straight up fast, aggressive death/grind with a bit of a technical edge. This album in truth features a wide range of sounds, from crust punk to old school Morbid Angel . The song Vacuum Fields has a brilliant segment in which, while churning out a brutal mid-paced thrash riff, vocalist Joel Fornbrandt chants (or does spoken word) with a very sinister whisper gurgling quietly in the background behind him. I say this is sweet. The next song is even better, a flawless fusion of death, thrash and grind, impossible to actually tell in which genre any riff truly lies. All songs are distinct, although some are better than others, due to riffs that seem bland and generic in a few places. This strikes me on roughly the first few tracks of the album, but once we hit midway, The Doomsayer’s Call really takes off, laying out the most punishing, modestly technical riffs left, right, and centre. It is impressive how they manage to pull off being melodic and also actually crushing at the same time, rivaling more than your average band in plain old dirty brutality. The lyrics are also quite good, focusing on social problems, but with a nice little inventive gore thrown in on Becoming the Stench. I highly approve. Instrumentation is perfect, but I’m not sure I entirely enjoy the style of the vocalist. While he is clearly talented, he sounds like many others I seem to have heard.

Where does it lie comparatively to Nasum? Well, one thing you notice immediately is that there’s a lot more death here. The chain-gun pulse of Nasum is diminished and the drop-offs into the breakdown’s are not as steep; what I mean to say is the Coldworker give a variety of memorable riffs, but they rely on a more epic song structure, as opposed to the sudden contrasts between riffs that Nasum used to define their albums. Although short, songs remain contained, as opposed to being merely a tool in a bigger picture (aka the classic grind trick of single riff, one-or-less-than second songs). That said, you can definitely feel Anders’ presence here and there are moments where you feel nostalgic. The main thing is that these guys are doing what they want to do, and not selling out. Coldworker doesn’t even pretend to be Nasum, but the deathgrind is in their blood, and this serves as a worthy successor to one of the greatest grind bands of all time, although I do believe they have yet to reach the height of their potential. Hopefully next time Coldworker will bring us their masterpiece.

Summary: What would have been a brilliant album from a band with a very cool style is marred by a few boring riffs and vocals that don’t distinguish themselves.

Standout tracks: Vacuum Fields, Living Is Suffering, The Walls of Eryx

Overall: 8.5

Heidevolk - Batavi

Heidevolk play folk/pagan/Viking (whatever) metal. Okay, yes this is true, many of the melodies are folk ones, but what about the riffs, the riffs? Heidevolk throw thrash, black metal, speed metal, and hard rock riffs around like pocket change. Well, actually, no: they handle their riffage with much more care than that, as will be seen when Batavi absolutely destroys you. This is a concept album about the ancient Germanic tribe Batavi who were near the place in the Netherlands where Heidivolk come from about two thousand years ago. They were a tribe renowned for their bravery and used by the Romans as war pawns.  Although this is their first concept album it is also a departure from previous works musically. While this is still definably Heidevolk, the folk influences have been toned down just a notch, trading acoustic passages (featuring only once as an interlude) for more continuous hard-rocking thrash and speed riffs. I think Heidevolk’s strongest point lies in their vocals, which float ethereally over the breakneck guitar melodies, remaining almost apart and aloft from them as if sung from Valhalla above, and yet the harmonies between the different instruments are blended expertly. The tone of the voices is pure and more controlled than before and once again there are battle calls and injections of black rasping. The album entertains from start to end, and should be on anyone who like’s folk or speed/heavy metal’s lists.

Conclusion: Heidevolk’s strongest and most metallic album, Batavi is the year’s best folk metal release as of yet.

Standout tracks: De Toekomst Lonkt, Het Verbond Met Rome

Score: 9.0

Asphyx - Deathhammer

Already, within three months, 2012 has been a high year for metal, with many great quality releases across the scene, and it makes me excited to see the way the scene is developing and optimistic about its future. Like many other metal releases of the twenty-first century, Deathhammer is special because it does not break serious ground, but slowly and carefully shaves back old styles to create something that respects its foundations and does not fall into the folly of bravery and pretentiousness, and also something that focuses simply on writing music that is good. Some (I) would argue that these kind of developments in the scene are not necessarily regressive but have the ability even more progressive than, say for example, something like making a Nepalese gurkha-themed metal band or recording the ambience of claustrophobia while in an ancient diving bell at the bottom of the ocean.

Asphyx are a band who I think have been showing unrealized potential for a long time. It seemed like through three disbandments and many lineup changes that Asphyx were struggling to release an album that actually, well, yes, hit like a hammer. A Deathhammer, to be precise – a great name for a great album. It’s not that earlier Asphyx albums were not good, it was quality metal, but they were lacking in terms of production and consistency. Asphyx showed a stronger brand of their death/doom/thrash style on the2009’s Death… The Brutal Way, which at least showed proper production quality and some deadly riffage, but it ultimately turned out to be one of the albums that peters steadily off in quality from track to track, with the best material remaining at the start of the album. Deathhammer, however, was the real leap for Asphyx. Production values are flawless and musicianship shows synchronized chemistry; the guitar tone thick and meaty and the songs very memorable, belting out dark death/thrash crackers and slow-grooving doom/stoner epics. The poor consistency of song-quality has also been ammended – every track on Deathhammer is a surefire win. Even the cover art is better than on their other albums, showing some kind of dark cthulonic tome. There is nothing new about the style that Asphyx play, but the song quality really is a cut above. Asphyx have refined their style over many years, and their experience shows. This is quality, old-school metal and one of the year’s finest releases so far.

In short: Great album that captures the old school spirit of metal and provides for 47 sweet minutes of unstoppable headbanging.

Standout tracks: Deathhammer, Der Landser

Rating: 9.5

Meshuggah - Koloss

Meshuggah. So everyone knows that Meshuggah are the most technically killer musicians on the extreme metal scene (figuratively speaking). Some fans would say they revolutionized thrash. Other fans would say they don’t play thrash at all. Both are wrong. First of all their songs are too difficult for anyone in a revolution to copy, and second, they do play thrash – mathematized thrash. Invent any new subgenre you want, I’m gonna leave it at technical thrash. You all know who Meshuggah are anyway, so I’ll quit speaking shit…

Koloss. Is it good? The answer is yes. This is Meshuggah. They are going to impress you. Is it better? I’m not entirely sure. Koloss pretty much just follows on the footsteps of obZen to be honest. Some tracks are jarring, dysfunctional pieces of nightmare/insanity-themed, mid-paced material and some are the most ridiculously brutal and precise thrash gunshot wounds that ever hit you. I prefer the latter, of course, and these days I wish Meshuggah would stop farting around in their angular, “unpredictable” element and give us a bit more good old mechanical tech thrash! Although to be fair, even the “avant-garde” stuff rocks, and I’m just kind of sniffing around for problems, although I do think the more conventional thrash is by far Meshuggah’s strongest material. Anyway, basically I just put it down to another Meshuggah release with loads of superheavy wicked songs on it!

In summary: More of where obZen came from, meaning nothing to complain about. Meshuggah don’t drop the ball.

Standout tracks:  The Demon’s Name Is Surveillance, Swarm

Score: 8.5

Lunar Aurora - Hoagascht

I sense there will be quite a few people hating on this album, and generally I loathe those people. I appreciate staying trve to a style and cvltivating strict dark arts, but that doesn’t mean I don’t also appreciate it when a band has the balls to do something different, to rock out the way they have the urge to, which is what we see happen gloriously here on Lunar Aurora’s Hoagascht. Gone is the straight up and down epic black metal LA used to play, you can pretty much tell when the first song Im Gartn introduces itself with an obscure synthline, a sound like fairies playing in the distance, lackadaisical and unreal. If you couldn’t tell by that, you know for sure when the alternative/indie rock riff hits next. In the second song we are confronted with a triumphant tremolo black metal riff that is laden with drums that could’ve been found on a Marvin Gaye record. And by the time you reach this point of the album, you’ll probably know if you love it or hate it.

Let’s analyze. Production is rich, more of a shoegaze fuzz to it than previous LA. Guitars play a goth rock-black metal fusion. The drums in general are slow and simple, rhythmic and groovy, only occasionally breaking into a double-kick gallop for variation and emphasis. All of the blast beats have been thrown in the bin, and gone is the speed in general; this is not a fast album. LA have previously used some interesting atmospheric synthesizers, but certainly never anything as stylistically daring as this. These synths exude a kind of dreamy euphoria, an indefinable state of bliss or mystery. They are not chilling, creepy or cold, and nor do they sound like someone blowing spit into a sensitive microphone. If anything one might call them ‘spacy’ or ‘trippy’, the way the hover fleetingly around the riffs. Vocals are rasped, but contain less fury than before and integrate themselves with the music more. Actually, the whole band is very tight, with a nice and evenly meshed sound.

So, let’s cast our black metal purists (and purisms) aside right now and admit what must be admitted, namely that Hoagascht rocks, and is going to succeed in rocking the worlds of many receptive individuals the world over. This is an incredibly atmospheric album with a very clear identity that can be listened to in moments of bliss or excitement or even melancholy.

In summary: Goth/alternative rock-cum-black metal with space age synth vibes sounds like a risky mix, but Hoagascht is just its own thing and I would simply recommend it to anyone who likes rockin’ tracks. Another fantastic album released this year.

Standout tracks: Nachteule, Haabergoass

Score: 9.0