Agrimonia – Rites Of Separation

Exhausting, mesmeric, destructive, and provocative are just four potent declarations to place upon the impressive and riveting new album from Swedish metallers Agrimonia. Rites Of Separation is an angry aural magnet for the senses, a rapacious tempest of ear twisting, passion brewing, and psyche sculpting atmospheric malevolence. It is a consumption which feeds and fractures thoughts and emotions whilst exploring the soul, the bands and listeners, with startling enterprise. Not always an easy listen it is perpetually a compelling and impacting confrontation with rewards far outweighing its caustic touch.

The Gothenburg-based quintet featuring members of Martyrdöd, Skitsystem, At the Gates and others formed in 2005 and from the very first days has employed a constant regime of live shows and tours. Their self-titled album of 2008 brought the band to the attention of post-rock and crust devotees with its caustic imaginative textures which their follow-up Host Of The Winged two years later built upon, taking the band to wider recognition. It led to the band hitting on the US and Mexico for a successful West Coast North American tour. Having signed with Southern Lord in mid-2012 the band return with their third full length in the mighty shape of Rites Of Separation, the record another hour long expanse of corrosive yet invigorating intensity alongside inspiring imagination and an inventive diversity which offers new horizons and twists with each intriguing and fully committed encounter.

The album again fuses crust, progressive, and sludge rich metal provocation of one full landscape through five individual intensive emotively exploitive endeavours, all a startling and evolving, perpetually shifting aural travelogue of ingenuity and sonic revelation. Opening track Talion immediately sets the scene, the song emerging from a bristling breath speared with highly acidic and irresistible sonic scorching which comes and go within a full and almost suffocating atmosphere. Into its stride the track offers sinews in rhythms and riffs which drive the passions to the surface and flames of brass or keys which try to break free in the background behind the scowling and serpentine rasping vocals of Christina Blom. The air of the track is hazy, its touch scuzzy refusing definition to some elements yet enhancing and elevating the intensity and already sweltering touch of the song. It is a thrilling start, those hidden treats a seductive tease within the changing fascination of gait and expression cross the eleven minute sensation. There is little to dislike or not find an ardour for in the song leaving the appetite for the rest of the release dripped in hunger.

The following Hunted opens on emotive keys, their slight melancholic voice a sheltered beckoning light which lures in thoughts and emotive responses before the equally potent bass narrative adds its presence. Once the scene is set the band smother it to unleash a towering blitz of thumping rhythms and gnawing riffs, the arrived fury bruising and incendiary as its effect is sculpted further by the again great malicious vocals of Blom. The song like its predecessor is an ever evolving fire of imagination and irresistible invention with a seamless fluidity and descriptive majesty.

Through the outstanding While Life Lies, a track with a deliciously haunting but welcoming keys led opening embrace being subsequently forced into the blackened grasp of a doom laded fluctuating inferno rife with sonic captivation for a sweet and sour taste, and the equally impacting The Battle Fought, the release offers an enthrallment which carves up and sears the senses whilst leaving them basking greedily in a creativity which is pure sonic alchemy. The second of the pair and shortest track on Rites Of Separation at just short of seven minutes, is a black metal intensity with a predatory storm of energy and psyche twisting invention pervading its spiteful atmosphere, and another dramatic treat.

Closing on one final and the most extensive exploratory experiment upon thoughts and senses in the scintillating emotive violation Awaiting, the album leaves one lost in fully awoken thought, Rites Of Separation offering a canvas which colours the imagination yet leaves a wealth of visual contemplation to be completed by the listener. At times tracks do stretch limits with their length, though not always in time used but the amount of rich invention at work making moments occasionally hard to absorb, though as mentioned each return unveils more depths to devour so not really a long term issue. Agrimonia have provided an album which employs every responsive atom of the listener for a wholly stimulating and engrossing experience, a release all metal fans should get involved with.

http://agrimonia.info/

8/10

RingMaster 08/05/2013

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Raven Lord: Descent To The Underworld

    Looking at the line-up of Raven Lord it is impossible not to imagine and expect their debut album to be a rather accomplished and imaginative slab of creativity, and Descent To The Underworld certainly does not disappoint. It is a thunderous expanse of riffs fired by a furnace of melodic might and invention, an explosion of classic metal all fans of the genre will expel a full passion for.

The sextet consists of the fiery vocals of Csaba Zvekan (Killing Machine, Sardonyx, Emergency), guitarist George Karafotis (Vermillion Days, Operation X), bassist Jamie Mallender (Tony Martin Band, ex-Black Sabbath), keyboardist Alessandro Duo (Voodoo Highway), drummer Lawrence Paterson (Blaze Baley, Iron Knights), and newest member lead guitarist Joe Stump (HolyHell, Reign of Terror). Together they have ignited a sound which combines power metal and neo classical influences to their core heavy metal heart for a towering encounter which commands the ear. Released via Mausoleum Records, the Zvekan produced and Fredrik Nordström (At The Gates, Arch Enemy, Nightrage, In Flames, Dream Evil and Opeth) mixed Descent To The Underworld is a continually enthralling album which offers plenty to reward anyone with a taste for melodic metal if not the genre it is settled in. It is a muscular confrontation at times which sparks as much enthusiasm as the sonic and melodic flames which sear and engross the senses throughout.

The album opens with the compelling charge of pulsating bassline, tightly grasping riffs, and warm mesmeric caresses from the keys of The Rebel. The track is soon blazing with the expansive vocals of Zvekan who rings the emotion and sound from every note with skill and passion to match the guitar play of Stump. It is an impressive start to the release which immediately confirms expectations and more which were in place over the formidable line-up.

Through the likes of Attila the Hun with its Middle Eastern kiss from the keys and surging sonic enterprise, the mesmeric Seal Of The Cross with its symphonic gait, and the rampant hunger and energy of Promised Land, the album persistently offers variety and smouldering imagination to keep a strong intrigue and unpredictability within the umbrella of classic metal electricity. The latter of the trio is an outstanding brawl of seductive mysterious keys, ravenous riffs, and evocative solo mastery from Stump which leaves one breathless.

Further greater highlights come with the majestic yet corrosive Black Friar and the riveting Metal Knights, another song where the keys wash the senses with a golden glow of Eastern promise from within an exhausting drive of devouring riffs and caging rhythms. Both tracks show the band at its best creatively and musically with the vocals of Zvekan certainly in the latter of the two, scorching the small hairs from the surface of the ear with his sonic squalls which run the fine line between pain and bliss for great results.

Descent To The Underworld is an album fans of the likes of Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath will find a rich home within but it also has plenty to keep those of us who do not necessarily find the deepest of riches in classic metal more than satisfied. Raven Lord is a band destined to lead their chosen genre in the near future.

www.raven-lord.com

www.facebook.com/ravenlordmusic

7/10

RingMaster 20/02/2013

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Aetherium Mors – Drenched In Victorious Blood

It has taken eight years for UK blackened death metallers Aetherium Mors to get to this point of releasing their debut album but Drenched In Victorious Blood shows the wait was worthwhile. An inventive and accomplished release, the album is a collection of songs written across their years as a band but soaked in a melodic wash of imagination and skill which is as fresh as it is rewarding.

Formed in 2004, the Plymouth band took inspiration from bands such as Death, Carcass, At The Gates, and Dissection, their form of classic extreme metal openly flavouring the sound of Aetherium Mors. The band was originally a quintet but forced into becoming a studio project with the departure of members. This left the band in the accomplished hands of guitarist/bassist/drummer Dan Couch and vocalist Kane Nelson. Their involvement with other projects (Couch drumming for UK Black/Thrash band Holodomor and the guitarist in progressive metal band Daggers Drawn and Nelson fronting UK Sludge/Death band Warcrab) meant the band was enforced into a time of inactivity. Now the duo has returned with Drenched In Victorious Blood, the album a long overdue kind of record to date of the band and its journey.

The songs making up the release musically are inventive and well-formed providing an engaging and intimidating backdrop to a lyrical scathing indictment of the Christian religion. The songs, ‘Tales of a fictional, bloody conflict are entwined with influences of Lavey’s philosophies of mortals empowered into becoming self-made Gods.’ With new songs being written for an EP for late 2013, the album is a chapter musically in the creative presence of Aetherium Mors which belies the length of time the tracks span such their fluid companionship. You can tell the later songs, their maturer songwriting and breath clear but an easy fit with the older tracks showing the strength of early songs.

The opening Sons Of Men immediately seizes attention through the gnawing riffs and scowling growls of Nelson, his delivery a mix of death and black metal rasping. The rhythms have a metronomic gait which is hypnotic if distracting at times but it is the impressive guitar invention of Couch which leaves the biggest pleasure. The vocals and drumming is skilled and takes a worthy place in the fury of this and each song but the guitarist steals the biggest acclaim throughout, his stylish and adventurous attack compelling.

The strong start is exceeded by Luciferian March; a slowly consuming erosion which unleashes flurries of energy and senses poaching sonic malevolence to match the serpentine vocals. The track opens up greater thoughts and appreciation for the band, again predominately through the fine guitar play and continually shifting presence of the song. It is fair to say there is not a wealth of new avenues being explored by the band, those inspirations clear and dominate but it does not disguise the promise and satisfaction being explored and given across the release.

Dreadlord is the insidious encounter which comes next, its irresistible groove and acid coated melodic flourishes framed by imaginative and forceful rhythmic brutality whilst guest bassist Rhys Jackson (Athura) adds extra deep menace. It again ignites a further rise in appreciation for the release whose greatest pinnacles are found in the tracks The Fall Of God and Order Of The Talion. Both songs hold a greater expanse of expressive heart and inciting energy to enflame the ear, the first bringing a twisting groove and ravenous breath to spark full enthusiasm for its infectious creativity and the second offering mesmeric spires of sonic and melodic brilliance against the blackened gait of the song. These two songs especially inspire anticipation that the promise shown will be realised into something startling in the future from the band.

Closing with the towering Annihilating Fire which has additional guitar solos from Steve Dean (ex-Holodomor, Carcinoma) within its pleasing flames, Drenched In Victorious Blood is an album well worthy of investigation. With a desire for greater diversity to the still more than decent vocals of Nelson the only personal wish to make the album even more gratifying, Aetherium Mors is a band which should be watched closely especially if they can now concentrate on themselves without further distractions.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aetherium-Mors/196329630411544?fref=ts

RingMaster 15/01/2013

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Corroosion: Dirt Awareness

Like the effect of sand in a wind tunnel notched up to the maximum, the new album from Italian deathcore band Corroosion is as abrasive and lethal as their name gives hint to. It is a nasty and destructive piece of work, a sonic blistering without mercy or respect. It is also corruptively magnificent. Dirt Awareness is not the easiest of listens or probably not the most appealing for some at times but stare it right in the eyes and it is becomes one of the more rewarding albums to assault the senses this year and has the makings of an insatiable addiction.

From Turin, Corroosion emerged from the ashes of Hekatomb in 2005. Consisting of vocalist AnD, guitarists Sentenza and Lino, bassist Marco, and Dave on drums, the band made their first mark with their 2008 demo Maze Of Human Deprivation. Relentless gigging followed as well as the six track EP Two Steps Before The Vein, the band all the time creating attention grabbing strokes with their storm of extreme metal leading them to sharing stages with bands such as The Acacia Strain, Deicide, Neaera, Annotations of an Autopsy, Knights of the Abyss, and Slowmotion Apocalypse. Mid 2009 and the band signed with Rising Records and set to work on their debut album Punish The Mind with producer Alan Douches (Killswitch Engage, Emmure, Carnifex, The Acacia Strain, Cannibal Corpse),which was released the following year. 2011 saw the band destroy stages alongside the likes of The Ghost Inside, Bleed From Within, Suffokate, Trigger The Bloodshed, For The Fallen Dreams, before working on their second album. Produced by Fredrik Nordstrom (At The Gates, Job For a Cowboy, Bring Me The Horizon, Dimmu Borgir, In Flames) and released again on Rising on July 23^rd, the album is a titanic treat of invention, imagination and outright violence.

The album creeps up on the ear with the opening to Awareness as echoes of war emerge from the sinister whispers to be replaced by the intrusive windings of guitar grooves and flesh grating vocals. At full stretch the track badgers the senses with crisp punchy rhythms and bruising riffs through an attack which seems tempered, as if the band is simply teasing and taunting its victims. The intensity though is oppressive throughout and heightened in the climaxing storm of scowled group vocals, rigid beats, and manipulative guitars, and the song itself the intimidating beginning and appetizer for the annihilation ahead.

The crushing and quite brilliant track The Loser Slave flies for the jugular within seconds of its appearance, air flaying riffs and grinding grooves to open up the deepest sores laying siege upon the senses. The song evolves into a raging stomp of sounds and bestial borne vocals with a ravenous hunger not to be denied. It is pure malevolence brought with the surest ferocity but dive beyond the surface and there is a continual evolution of invention and sound going on which makes every rampage a new offering. It is this which has the band standing out over other similar bands and makes Dirt Awareness far more than a great album.

More impressive brutality comes in the form of the greedily consuming and relentlessly raging Crimes Of Fathers Times with its dehabilitating diversity of riffs and rhythms skewered with a cruelly niggling groove and the stunning Polarity, both further scarring on the ear and scrambling of synapses with sharp twisting manipulations. The second of the two is a maelstrom of hellacious energy and sounds which use their notes like kinder to spark an inferno of fury and creative excellence to bring one to their knees.

The release is simply one continual high quality and imaginative brute with just the intensity and the caustic covering uniformal. The songs twist and turn within their skins, tempo disruptions, unexpected breakdowns, and perfect unpredictability raging in the eye of every storm such as in further triumphs like Collective Humiliation, Falena, and Repulsion, though every track deserves a mention such the depth of excellence.

The suspicion is Corroosion is still an unknown most have yet to discover but with Dirt Awareness the days of that secret is numbered with the band surely on the verge of deserved major attention.

https://www.facebook.com/corroosion

RingMaster 11/07/2012

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Martyrdöd: Paranoia

Paranoia the new album from Swedish crust punk/D-beat band Martyrdöd is quite simply a blistering assault upon the senses. The eleven track blast across the ear is merciless and brutal, the crushing intensity it infiltrates with is at times overwhelming but ultimately very rewarding thanks to the skilful and imaginative underlying melodic impactful invention. The first release since recently signing to Southern Lord it is hard not to be confronted by and seized by the sounds the album for the fullest satisfaction. Though admittedly it is not the easiest of releases to engage with certainly initially, it is ultimately one of the more impressive extreme metal releases this year so far.

Since forming in 2001 Martyrdöd has been a persistent and challenging contributor to underground metal through their always impossible to ignore releases. With ex-members of the likes of Skitsystem, Agrimonia, and Miasmal, the band had a dedicated following which has grown through each of their outputs and live shows across Europe and the US. Paranoia was recorded at the infamous Studio Fredman (At The Gates, Amon Amarth, Opeth) and has emerged with the band arguably even more aggressive, intense, and full of discord and disassembled melodic invention.

From the opening Nog Är Nog the band is snarling and scraping flesh with decisive guitar play within angry riffs. The addictive scorched groove offers slight respite but the track takes no time in scouring the senses with abrasive melodic play and unsophisticated venomous vocals. As the whole album the lyrics are in Swedish but the malcontent and passion behind the lyrics is unmissable.

As tracks like Överkom Er Rädsla, and Klassfienden follow, the rabid intensity shows no sign of abating instead becoming even more forceful and spiteful. Each track though brings compulsive invention to line the insatiable energy and malevolence, their blackened and acidic melodic conjurations twisting and turning with fresh poison in each song. The second of these two lights up the ear with an initial attention grabbing rhythmic attack before plastering the senses with barbaric riffs, beats, and venomous guitars.

The album is firmly consistent if at times under a similar consumptive mass but with concentrated endeavour the full diversity of the songs are to be found. As mentioned it is not an easy listen but as here many releases needing focused intent and patience are the most satisfying.

Ett Hjärta Av Eld, title track Paranoia, and Köttberg, are easily the biggest highlights on the album. The first is a sprawling expanse of insistent energy and enveloping droned guitar menace. The track writhes and teases with a muscular breath and intrusive touch without fully violating every inch of the senses instead leaving them sizzling under its mesmeric distressed melodies. The other two of the trio are similar in their ability to manipulate and offer a hypnotic pull though Paranoia is a far nastier and caustic track whilst the latter of the three is a visceral aural destruction of the synapses.

      Paranoia is a fine album which demands and deserves more attention than maybe most will want to give but dive beneath the vicious surface skirmish of aggressive energy and Martyrdöd give you far more rewards and fulfilment than many other releases especially of the extreme nature.

RingMaster 01/06/2012

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