Blunt Force Trauma: Beyond

 

    From the first abrasive riff to its very last raptorial note the Beyond EP from Australian metallers Blunt Force Trauma allows no time for the listener to take a breath or seek refuse in any less intensive opportunities. The release is a furnace of aggressive passion unleashed through a torrent of exhausting enterprise and bruising confrontation and one thrilling adrenaline soaked encounter.

From Perth, the 2009 formed band has garnered a towering reputation for their performances and music, its sound bringing them the tag of “Thor’s love children.” The past few years has seen the quartet leave audiences wasted from performances alongside the likes of Macabre, The Amenta, Truth Corroded, 4arm, Desecrator, and Grotesque and with the release of their new debut EP and tours confirmed in India, Asia, and North America over the year ahead, 2013 is looking a breakthrough period for the band, something which would be a shock if it did not come to pass such the might of their release.

Opening track Whore of Eden gravitates into view with industrial hydraulics before exposing firstly coarse riffs and then an engrossing spine entwining groove. Blunt Force Trauma brings a fusion of groove metal and metalcore with rich veins of numerous other rewarding unique genre inventions and the first track is an immediate explosion the resulting impressive corrosive excellence. As riffs rip flesh with their muscular snarl and sonic sabre cuts the ravenous caustic vocals brawl upon the senses with purpose, viciousness, and contagious effect. Clean vocals add a compelling lure alongside the rabid growls whilst the rhythms of drums and bass prey on the wounds caused with pack like militancy and ferocity. The track is a tempest of confrontation fervour and outstanding craft with loud whispers of Bloodsimple and Killswitch Enagage. It is hard to say the song is offering anything toweringly new sound wise but few bands recently have found the depth and power let alone primal pleasure instigated here.

Closing off its capture of imagination and passions with a sirenesque groove and equally tempting predatory bass flirtation the track is an immense start matched by the following Meat Puzzle. The song initially grazes the ear as if waiting for a reaction before breaking into a stomp equipped with a tight slightly wanton groove and hungry eager heavy riffs. Clean metal vocals burst from the core of the song to instantly bring variation to the whole release, something which each subsequent song reinforces with skill and imagination. Though not the riotous onslaught of its predecessor the track still rampages with an energy and intent which leaves the senses eagerly agitated whilst with its classic metal overtones within the guitar teasing and expressive vocals, a feverish greed is soon driving the appetite for more.

Defiance instantly caresses the ear with a mellow yet sinewy melodic guitar cascade of fiery sound and invention with the again formidable rhythms and muscular bass coaxing its flames higher for further pleasure. It is not long though before the song is charging with the drums calling, the march of their insatiable rapid punches evolved into a rumbling pulse framing another insidious groove manipulation firing the senses with devilish efficiency. The track is a maelstrom of passion, aggression, and thought plundered by superb moments of melodic and emotive clarity, vocally and musically. For the main though it ravages with impossibly infectious enticement from riffs and rhythms, it is not over complicated or dramatically ground breaking but oh it is irresistible.

The closing Eulogy is an explosion of unrestrained metallic revelry, thrash, and punk dished up in an insatiable storm of mayhem and sonic lust. Equipped with waspish grooves, bone splintering rhythms, and savage energy the track is simply rock n roll at its very best…and most inflammatory.

With The Beyond EP, Blunt Force Trauma shows with a vengeance why they are one of the loudest names on the lips of the underground scene and simultaneously declares their intent to infest and enflame the wider world with their towering sound, something it needs and deserves..

http://www.facebook.com/BluntForceTrauma.au

9/10

RingMaster 07/03/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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Cancrena: Hidden Depravity

    Recent months have seen numerous impressive thrash metal assaults unleashed to which Italian metallers Cancrena have added another formidable release with their thunderous predator Hidden Depravity. Whilst the album uses well mined sounds and ventures it turns them into one of the most powerful, destructive, and downright thrilling records to ravage the passions. The album is a brute of an encounter and thoroughly irresistible.

From Bari, Cancrena formed in 2000 reaping essences from influences such as Pantera, Testament, and Sepultura. Loaded with heavy merciless riffs and an even hungrier energy the band became a recognised force on the local live scene spreading outwards across southern Italy through further gigs and festivals. From a two track self-titled demo in 2003 and the self-produced seven track Fears demo of 2005, which included that first duo of songs, Cancrena grew their reputation further to inspire mounting acclaim through their shows and the new EP. Another demo Underneath emerged the following year leading to a signing with Vision Metal Records in 2008 who gave the demo distribution in the US and UK. Shows with the likes of Obituary, Extrema, Pino Scotto (ex-Vanadium), Finntroll, Vomitory, Malevolent Creations, Paw Power and many more followed over the next three years before the band ventured in the studio last year to record Hidden Depravity, a powerhouse of southern thrash metal.

Released through Logic(il)Logic Records, Hidden Depravity takes no prisoners as immediately evident by the beginning of opener Serpent Skin. Emerging from within senses gnawing carnal mists, the song steps forward through a bassline with the most compelling snarl and a torrent of tight destructive rhythms and ravenous riffs linked by a groove which scythes through the ear like a sonic sabre.  Soon the vocals of Francesco Morgese unleash passionate scowls with skill and enterprise to match the already riveting guitar play of Francis Farinola. Well into its stride the song is openly soaked in the aggressive malice of Pantera and driven by an insatiable rich creative craft comparable to a Sepultura or Metallica. It is an explosive start to the album which never lets up through to the end.

The following tempest of hungry energy and senses corroding intensity brought by The Pessimist is equally contagious and demanding. At times there is a Dez Fafara venom and growl to the vocals which lay a deeper abrasion upon the listener whilst musically the track fuses annihilatory intent and smouldering melodic flames together for a full on torrent of voracious invention. Nearing its end the song stops as if over then returns with a furnace of a climax which leaves one breathless and delirious.

The bass of Fab Chiarazzo is a perpetual hypnotic joy across the whole album, his deeply rapacious lines as devastating as they are dangerously seductive whilst the rhythms of drummer Ruggiero Ricco feel like a torrent of unpredictable donkey punches upon the senses. Through the tremendous assaults of songs like Pervert Priest, Dark Torment, and Backdraft, the pair unleash a heavy persuasion and brutality which alone leaves the passions aflame but once lock ‘n’ loaded into primal shotguns of songs alongside the burning craft and rich potency of the guitars and vocals, a willing submission is only a matter of crossing the ’i’s and dotting the ‘t’s.

The further in the release one is thrust the more the intensity and pleasure escalates, tracks such as Black Underground with its twisting vehement structure and crushing union of rhythmic ruination and rabidly greedy riffs, the Bloodsimple toned ravaging Ancient Strength, and the staggering title track, all finely honed storms of savagery and sonic mastery. The last of these three is a mighty metallic wrath which consumes and devours the senses with rich rage and violent authority but as across the album, the band tempering it slightly with a wonderful skilful and imaginative melodic warm.

From first note to last the release is a snarling ravager though it unexpectedly and beautifully gives respite nearing its end through the magnetic instrumental To Nerve Oneself, the piece showing the band as able to create colourful melodic pictures as skilfully and easily as they can grievously decimate. Of course it is only a moment of relief as the band end the album with another staggering riot of murderous rampage in the intensive Under The Law. With sonic fires flaming with melodic brilliance within the ferocity it is a mighty end to an outstanding album. Many will suggest there is nothing new going on upon Hidden Depravity and arguably they are right but when it sounds this sensational who cares. Cancrena makes thrash metal which matters and far better than most.

www.facebook/cancrena

8.5/10

RingMaster 08/02/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Infernal Poetry: Paraphiliac

Bakerteam Records has started off the year with a blinding unleashing of irresistible extreme metal. In a twin upper cut of aggressive magnificence the label has released the newest assault of deathcore malice from Straight On Target and on the same day this week let loose the new corruption from Italian psyche grooved death metallers Infernal Poetry. Paraphiliac, their fourth album and first with Bakerteam, is a masterful outpouring of venomous destructive passion through a caustic tempest of contagious compulsion. Like the release from their label mates, the new album does not worry the heart of uncharted territories preferring to use the weaponry available but again like their compatriots has turned it into a sensational and invigorating assault for ear and heart.

With the roar of bands such as Devildriver, Cryptopsy, and Bloodsimple amongst others to its presence, Paraphiliac is an explosive violation of exhausting intensity, impressive technical malefaction, and infection causing imagination. It immediately takes charge of the senses and passions with no thought for subtlety or gentle persuasion, instead ripping the flesh from the ear and force feeding its delicious and virulent energy not to forget enterprise through to the core. Having been formed in 1996 it is surprising and disappointing this is the first time the band has come to our notice but now they have come into view and infected, they and their album hold a tight grip.

Following on from their acclaimed album Nervous System Failure of 2009, Infernal Poetry has forged a release which devours the soul. As mentioned it storms paths arguably well-trodden by other bands but turns them into turbulent and erosive journeys newly heard and felt. The album fuses to its sound everything from groove metal and grind to at times a bedlamic melodic teasing which almost touches avant-garde. The album within a recognisable and thrilling tempest of sound and energy is unpredictable and enthralling, each song an incessant maelstrom of intensity and anger which leaves one in lust for the new yet familiar overwhelming brutality.

Off the brief coarse ambience of intro Preliminaries, the album ignites with Stumps, a track which claws at the ear before turning into an insidious brawl of intensive abuse and invention. The vocals of Paolo Ojetti squall and crawl all over the senses with malevolent provocation whilst the rhythms of drummer Alessandro Vagnoni and the ravenous bass of Alessandro Infusini lay aggressive shadows and weight upon the under sieged ear. It is an intimidating presence veined by an impressive melodic intrigue offered by guitarists Daniele Galassi and Christian Morbidoni from within their constant blaze of unforgiving riffs. By mid-way the Ancona hailing quintet has seduced the passions with their turbulent onslaught and from there on in through the rest of the album just work deeper into the psyche and heart.

The irresistible rage continues unrelentingly through the likes of the outstanding In Glorious Orgy and Everything Means “I”. The first is an erosive rub with a sonic groove as persistent and nasty as a swarm of hornets and the continuing great deeply grazing vocals of Ojetti. The song sweeps into less intrusive winds at times, an almost progressive lilt adding potent whispers to the simmering fire of the moment though for the main the track is a flaming furnace of intense and raw intent. The second of the two also takes one on a varied and shifting trip of burning invention and twisted experiences. A feisty inviting groove flares from within the bruising course of the track with a wanton teasing at times to offer extra irresistible invitations to the enveloping abrasion. The track also adds a magnetic sonic aside which lights bolder fires within for its craft and imagination but like its companion both songs as excellent as they are pale against the song which splits them.

Hypertrophic Jellyfish is sensational, a track which fingers every lustful demands you could want from a song for the deepest pleasure. It is a stomping encounter of thumping rhythms, acidic discord, and a fury of schizophrenic grooves and insane melodic wantonness, all fuelled by an insane breath which disturbs as much as it excites. One of the best songs to bless our ears in recent times it is the loftiest pinnacle on the album of constant highlights.

Through songs such as the ruinous Cartilages, the distress touching satyric The Miss-Treated, and the grievous Paraphilias to mention just another three, Paraphiliac continually lays rich ravishing rewards and far reaching satisfaction on the senses. Extreme metal is off to a stunning year and Infernal Poetry to the fore of the reason why.

http://www.infernalpoetry.com

RingMaster 15/01/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Subjektive: Self Titled

If you are aware of Australian rock band Subjektive through their excellent My Perception EP of 2010, then you will have a good idea of what to expect from their debut self-titled album which has just been unleashed upon the world, though saying that you will still be blown over by the force of the storm which drives the excellently crafted songs through the ear. If you are new to the Melbourne trio then you are without doubt in for one muscular treat. Fusing the finest sinews and invention of rock to the strongest aggressive intensity and spite within metal, Subjektive creates a sound which leaves the listener bruised, battered and very satisfied.

The band was formed in 2008 by vocalist/bassist/guitarist and songwriter Aaron ‘AzCORE’ Stevenson, a musician who after playing in many successful and respected band wanted to create his own self termed rock driven metal, bringing the melodic textures and bone crushing might of both genres in a fluid and expressive bulldozer of a sound. The line-up was completed by the addition of drummer Luke ‘MasTemA’ Beltramello in 2009 and guitarist Joel ‘Chamber’ Moriss the following year with the band soon laying waste to audiences with their immense live performances and the release of My Perception. The threesome was soon drawing a rapidly growing legion of loyal fans not only in their homeland but around the world as well as receiving with radio play across the globe on the likes of The Bone Orchard. Their new album shows the band has evolved further since the EP, their sound still a merciless rage against the senses but with a further maturity to its textures and acutely crafted facets. The album is like a brawl between the likes of Machine Head, Mudvayne, Devildriver, Sevendust and Bloodsimple, an excellent fusion of sounds which caresses, charms, and lights up the passions with melodic excellence whilst unrelentingly turning the senses into a grateful staggering victim of explosive rhythms, destructive riffs, and combative intensity.

The release opens on insidious whispers as Veins emerges from the chilled mists. Soon tight highly charged riffs crowd the ear whilst the bass prowls within their scorching touch and the drums cages the whole affair. It is not the most aggressive track on the album it emerges but with the continually licking serpentine sonics and ear lashing growls of Stevenson it is an intimidating pleasure. Into its stride the track herds thoughts and emotions into a blissful place whilst snapping the senses into satisfied slithers of primal engagement.

It is a great start soon slapped into its place by the rampaging R.D.M., a track which stomps on the wounds already incurred with heavy booted riffs and leaden rhythms. Throughout the tempest an infectious groove ignites an additional heated pleasure whilst the fiery solo is a delicious topping to an excellent song. The established quality is unrelenting through the likes of Too Far Gone with its stirring and rampant blaze of rock melodic warmth and corrosive metal abrasiveness, the blistering and intense Mental, and the expressive chewing of the ear masquerading as Watch This Space, all crushing riots of towering energy and attitude with honed weaves of melodic grandeur and imagination pouring from their formidable stances.

Further highlights come with the ever impressive Coward, a track which featured on their earlier EP, as do another pair on the album, and still stands as a classic and fully pleasing confrontation matched by the sensational Split From One Source. The first is a powder keg of adrenaline and anger thrust through the ear with crippling rhythms and unbridled creative energy whilst the second is a track which opens and closes on a wonderful emotive wash of just vocals and guitar within a chilling atmosphere. In between the song is a glorious journey of emotion, passion, and enterprise moving through multiple layers of intensity and sound whilst combining the warmth of melodic rock to the malevolence of extreme metal seamlessly and majestically. It is a song with a completely unique presence to the others showing the depths of the songwriting, imagination, and skill of the band. If you had to muster a slight criticism of the album it would be a similarity between some of the tracks in their breath but certainly not here.

Finishing on another sonic and merciless maelstrom in Shattered (Wasted), the album is an outstanding release which will ignite fires in rock and metal fans alike. Subjektive take no prisoners but they treat you right at the same time with one of the finest albums of 2012.

http://www.subjektive.com

RingMaster 20/12/2012

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Silas: World Of Colour

Though aware of Silas, it is fair to say they had not made a major impression with the two or so songs we had heard of theirs, primarily because of numerous distractions at the time stopping a proper assessment of the band. Aware of the growing buzz surrounding them all the same, it was when approached by Tom Ross from the UK quintet that we had the reminder and proper opportunity to get to grips with the band through the chance of reviewing their new EP World Of Colour. All that can be said is that we have been missing out if their previous release and songs were as impressive as this new six track gem. It is a powerful and captivating release of tracks which reap the essential essences of many genres to breed a distinct and inspiring sound. As thunderous and aggressive as a landslide whilst as warm and irresistibly engaging as a smouldering fire, the release is an immense storm of pleasure.

Consisting of the aforementioned Tom Ross (guitar/drums backing vocals), and twin brother Mike (guitar/drums/backing vocals), alongside Dave Runham (vocals), and Matt Drumm (bass guitar), the band has been making steady progress since its formation in 2008. Their To The Ground EP the following year drew strong positive responses the way of the band and was followed by an acclaimed performance at the Bloodstock Open Air festival in 2010 and airplay on the Friday Night Rock Show presented by Bruce Dickinson. Renowned for their impacting live shows, Silas now unleash an EP which stands as one of the most ferocious and enterprising releases this year in the UK, a record which just gets better and better with each and every listen.

Starting with the senses rifling Cause And Effect, the release rages a riot of metal intensity and brutality alongside irrepressible hard rock grooves and plenty more unexpected but greedily welcomed additives such as progressive and funk rock. The opener snarls within the ear from the off, hungry raptorial riffs chewing at the senses to get the juices flowing. Things take a small step back in intensity to allow the vocals of Runham to step forward side by side with the prowling lines of Drumm. It is a kind of respite though not without its own passion and might which accentuates the melodic craft and invention of the song. Arguably the track does not offer the depth of imagination as the other songs on the release but for a strong and enterprising beginning it is a formidable encounter.

The following Set To Fail is a less forceful but even greater proposition, the track strolling through hard rock and Pearl Jam like emotive invention, whilst engaging just as powerfully. Spined by a magnetic groove which twists around the senses squeezing tighter and tighter as the track progresses, it is an expressive and thrilling expanse of sound. There is a great unpredictability to the song, the band interspersing slower melodic caresses and vigorous metal grinding with seamless fluidity, and with the intrusive and synapse threatening climax driven by the sonic mischief of the guitars, there is nothing less than rapture left in its wake.

What We See and Journey To The End both continue the attention gripping diversity and adrenaline soaked onslaught. The first is a furnace of caustic breath and incendiary riffs veined with precise and dazzling sonic skill, the blues jazz gait of the solo alone a flame which captures emotions and ardour amongst the Bloodsimple like metallic tempest. The second is more predatory; the corrosive seizure of the senses from riffs and squalling vocals framed by combative rhythms, an unholy abrasion which rages like a mix of Devildriver and Life Of Agony with a just as eclectic fury of sounds within the towering sonic storm. It is a titanic track which again is unpredictable in its course and deeply rewarding.

The infectious engagement of Art Of The Cure swaggers in next, its jazz funk swing and deliciously teasing bass fused into the spiralling energy and rising metallic crescendos which switch and dance with the melodic party in full force. The track smoulders with catchy hooks and insatiable mischief like a Faith No More/ Karnivool exploration fuelled by a progressive metal heart which ensures by its end one is breathless and basking in pleasure. From vocals to bass, and guitars to drums, the skill and imagination is faultless and only inspires one to bask in more of the glory.

The closing Negative One continues in the vein of Art Of The Cure, the funky gait in full flow within the claws of the again Bloodsimple spiced ferocity. The song is sensational, evolving and twisting throughout its presence with especially the waspish groove a real joy within the magnificence unleashed. It is hard to pick a favourite but the final slab of excellence makes a strong shout.

World Of Colour is exceptional, its carnage and melodic persuasion a contagion which will never expire. The recommendation is go and check out Silas right now whilst we go and kick ourselves for missing out till now.

https://www.facebook.com/silasbanduk

RingMaster 21/11/2012

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Driven – A Breakdown Of Character

A Breakdown Of Character, the debut of UK rock band Driven is a beast of a release, an animal with constantly rippling muscles and howling energy to the fore but sculpted with melodic definition from a skilled touch. The EP is immense, one of the most impressive and thrilling introductions to appear this year. It is a heady fusion of metal and rock, a hard and vibrant brew of sounds and intensity which leaves one breathless and enamoured with songs which are still ringing around the head long after their dust has settled.

Hailing from Harrow, Driven has been building a strong and dedicated following since forming in the early part of 2011. Ever hardworking their live performances have brought strong and growing acclaim with the band exciting audiences alongside bands such as Knuckledust, Painted Smiles (ex Sikth), Mortad, Daken, Skreamer, Sanguine, and Sedulus. Earlier this year they turned to concentrating on recording their first release, going into the studio alongside Phil Kinman to create five irresistible and formidable slabs of rock n roll which have more aggression than a footballer with a Twitter account.

The very first beat and guitar rub of opener The Fool has attention looking in only one direction. It is easily sparks up the juices and as it rattles on the spot before breaking into an eager stomp an immediate grin is in place just knowing something special is in the air. The song is a bruising joy of rampaging riffs, jabbing rhythms, and vocals which are outstanding either clean and firing with expression or as a grizzled growl snapping at the ear. The sound is an incendiary mix of bands such as Pantera, Metallica, and Hell Yeah with a predominant dose of Bloodsimple to its presence. It is a blend which wonderfully burns up the senses and further enflames the wounds with scorches of melodic fire and excellently imagined diversity. There are many sizzling flavours which drip from the sound, all spicing the overall pleasure with impact and invention.

The following track leaps for the throat from the first note but once taking hold intersperses its charge with smouldering enterprise in harmonies and melodies through a wash of irresistible restraint. Like the first track, The Silver Lining writhes through variations and invention to ignite the imagination and primal energies. The vocals of Adam Leader again just impress with their ease of variation and passion whilst the guitars of David Mena Ferrer and Rory Kay leave the senses drooling from either their onslaught of precisely targeted riffing or sonic mesmerism.

Showing further invention in thought and songwriting, Ghosts opens with a gentle and magnetic weave of guitar manipulations and vocals with the bass of Fazz Couri bringing the shadows. As the striking drums of Hov Yardim build up the intensity the song constantly threatens to explode but instead returns to the heated yet reserved croon. Of course with high octane fuel in their veins Driven cannot hold back their instinct for long and eventually the song erupts into a white hot furnace of blistering sonics and intimidating rhythms. It is a beautiful riot which offers a lava like blend of Bloodsimple and old UK band I-Def-I through its spearing veins.

Vacant Thrones brings a southern twang within its fuel, the band adding a Down like abrasion to their music. It is another magnificent track to confirm the release as impressive in its consistency in every aspect of its incendiary body as the sound itself. The song swaggers with confidence and provocation without needing to turn to destructive tendencies to make its mark, guitars and bass strolling with purposeful riffs and delicious melodic strikes whilst the drums persistently barrack the senses giving no rest for the fired up enthused reactions.

Uproar closes the release just as dynamically as it all began the song a surging storm of swerving energies and fluid invention, the song igniting a furnace of joy to leave ears singed and the heart bursting. Leader for the final time just shines throughout the song, immediately placing himself as one of the best emerging vocalists around to match a band which is simply outstanding.

Good things about the band were bandied around before A Breakdown Of Character came into view but they gave no real justice to the truth. Driven is a new and mighty force which will set metal and rock alight, the EP is only the impressive start.

www.facebook.com/drivenuk

RingMaster 10/10/2012

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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Outcast: Awaken the Reason

As we go into the fourth month it is increasingly becoming apparent that the choosing of an Album of the Year when December closes its darkened eyes is going to be a task and a half, the amount of impressive contenders already building up into a formidable challenge even this early into 2012. Well that was until French metalers Outcast stole a march on everyone with their staggering new album Awaken the Reason. The release is truly immense in sound, power, and invention. It is a disruptive and addictive maze of ingenuity and invigorating ideas, a maelstrom of unpredictable diversions, senses twisting manipulations, and a beast of intriguing mischief and heightened intensity. It is simply brilliant, an album that sets the heart on fire, sends the mind racing, and triggers deep emotions to an orgasmic conclusion.

      Outcast is like an alchemist come sonic chef. The band takes ingredients from previous inventions, as well as flavours and spices borne in musical recipes elsewhere to turn them with their own special ingredient of imagination, into something completely and stirringly new. Awaken the Reason is an explosion of innovation and a seemingly chaotic tapestry of sounds, a mighty journey that challenges, hypnotises and offers something new on each quest taken within its pulsating metallic walls.

The Parisian band formed in 1998 and originally under the guise of Overlander, started grabbing attention from the French underground scene with their death metal tinted thrash flavoured debut 4 track CD The Source Of All Creation in 2002. March 2005 saw the release of First Call/Last Warning, a ten track album blending the power of Swedish thrash metal with the intensity of death metal whilst bringing in passion fuelled melodies. The current line-up of vocalist Wilfried Fagnon, guitarists Jean-François Di Rienzo and Nicolas Soulat, bassist Clément Mauro, and Mathieu Santin on drums, was established in 2007, the quintet releasing the second Outcast album Self-Injected Reality a year later and the emergence of a diverse and technical sound alongside their enflamed melodies that has evolved wonderfully in Awaken the Reason.

Released via Listenable Records on April 4^th this metal/progressive jewel is set to place the band firmly in the eyes and ears of the world. If the likes of Uneven Structure, Texture, and Meshuggah get your juices dribbling, Awaken the Reason is an essential must, but there is so much more within the release and its creations. The progressive metal Outcast unleashes has essences found in the likes of Between the Buried and Me and Circles, the aggressive uncompromising intensity they grip the ear with can be heard from the likes of Bloodsimple and especially vocally Society 1, whilst the sheer eccentric and unpredictable conjurations remind of bands like Five Star Prison Cell. All this is disassembled and designed into something wholly unique and wholly Outcast.

The album breaks out with the opening frenzy that is Elements, the track taking no time in sending splintered acidic melodies and grunting riffs through the ear whilst seeking and filling every corner of the senses with progressive meanders seeded in insanity and upon an intimidating metallic vein. Flitting through chaotic changes and detours the song never sits still or leaves one time to grab a deep breath, its driven manic evolution surprising and pure temptation from beginning to end.

Every aspect of the band and songwriting is at a staggering height, from the manipulative guitars that mesmerise and exploit with intrusive riffs, the acute and scorched melodies that sear the senses with innovational skill, through to the uncompromising yet stunningly and attentively crafted rhythms. Adding vocals that bring a caustic menace and expressive added texture to the brilliantly conceived constructs of sound, the likes of Abysmal, the epic A Solace from the Shade, and the metal wildness of Isolation, emerge as the astonishing results.

     Awaken the Reason – Part IV: When Dawn Brings Clarity slows things down with a beautifully atmospheric piece of music, the haunting ambience and piano/string grace striking at a personal level as it transports one to a lonely shore and mind. It finds a climax that unravels within a distorted cloud to turn to the best track on the album in Spin Angular Moments. The track blisters the ear with stupefying acute explosions of melodic insurgency and uniquely structured provocative rhythms and malignant toned growls and power. The senses are then blindsided by wonderful progressive invention before succumbing once more to the psychotic nature of the composition. It plays like the continually shifting mind of a madman, a glorious ingenious kaleidoscope of warped brilliance.

There is not a weakness on the album as the likes of What Would be my Final Commitment? and the closing Awaken the Reason – Part XI: Reprise prove. Mixed by Jochem Jacobs (Textures) and mastered by Alan Douches (Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan) Awaken the Reason is truly a masterful and magnificent feast. Outcast have probably escaped the attention of a great many until now but with this stunning album that is just about to change.

RingMaster 31/03/2012

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Bloodloss: The Struggle

The Struggle, the debut mini album from UK metalers Bloodloss, is quite simply stunning and it is frightening to know that as mightily intimidating and impressively crafted as it is, you know there is so much more yet to come from within the London quintet. The release inflicts merciless rampaging riffs upon the senses and striking melodic incursions which take them into blistering realms of ingenuity. For a band new to metal and making its first marked venture into view the release is beyond immense, Bloodloss announcing their arrival with brutal aggression and high quality melodic imagination and vision. The fact that at the end of it one still feels the band has yet to find its true sound is even more impressive and anticipation of what is to come for the band deeply eager.

Released March 5^th The Struggle denies resistance to its might from the opening note, the title track leading the consumption of ear and beyond like a mighty goods train flattening all before. Riffs muscle their way through the ear opening up the senses with their staccato attack and a groove that winds itself tightly around its victim. Like a military manoeuvre the song demands and takes complete control to then unveil an expanse of melodic guitar and atmospheric emotion that immerses one like a warm lake. Vocalist Matt Hobbs floats along this passage with smooth vocals that caress and a seamless contrast to the excellent caustic growls he delivers for the majority of the song, and album. The song carries a tinge of Five Finger Death Punch and more than a taste of Bloodsimple but is definitely all Bloodloss.

With a chest thumping entrance This Still Remains  takes over to raise the heat even more. With riffs from Rob Ironmonger and Mark Browell that fracture the defences like sledge hammers the song explodes with group shout vocals and more expressive melodic ventures within the ever gripping intense assault. Pierced with some great rock guitar and further smooth vocals which carry as much emotive fuel as the bestial power thrusting the song forward through bassist Dave Smith and the formidable drums of Dan Kelly, the song is the proof of how good this band is and how mighty they are destined to be.

Things though only get better with the best track on the album Stand Alone next swaggering in like a mighty silverback. Confident and arrogant the song bleeds attitude and defiance, its nerve snapping intensity absorbing every sense possible. The song further unveils the craft to the songwriting skills and invention within the band and the skill to bring it forth without depleting the unrelenting power.

The remaining three tracks are just as jaw dropping astounding, the bruising Reborn with a groove as tight as a noose around the neck, the brilliant Lost which stomps over the already surrendering senses with even more passionate aggression, and  the closer Paradise and its full arsenal of essential metal weaponry, all continue the wonderful annihilation. The final track is the most diversely creative of what  are six intelligent and varied  compositions, and a closing declaration of how grand and powerful this band is destined to be musically and in standing.

The Struggle is simply already one of the best and most impressive releases from not only a new band but of any albums or EPs already laying waste to and feeding the ears of the world of metal this year. Do yourself a favour and join the bruising with Bloodloss, you will not regret it.

RingMaster 28/02/2012

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