Kill With Hate – Voices Of Obliteration

From making an immediately contagious introduction at its start to ending up as one of the most enjoyably violating brutal romps to come along this year to date, Voices Of Obliteration the debut album from Hungarian death metallers Kill With Hate is an album all extreme metal fans should make an acquaintance with. From its mighty start the album is a constant treat with extra fires of quality emerging throughout and though it is questionable as to how much originality the Budapest quintet has forged into their release there is no denying it’s invigorating and thrilling impact.

Formed in December 2007, the band took no time in becoming a potent presence in the metal underground scene of their homeland. Sharing stages with bands such as Onslaught and Moonsorrow, Kill With Hate released their first EP in 2010. Evolution of the Beast was well received from fans and media and helped lead the band into playing with the likes of Job For A Cowboy, As I Lay Dying, and Belphegor. Some line-up changes followed as well as the chance to support The Black Dahlia Murder in 2011, followed by shows with Origin, Psycroptic, Leng Tch’e, and Cannibal Corpse over the next year. 2012 also saw the band record Voices of Obliteration and at the beginning of this, they signed with PRC Music for its CD release.

After the ok intro Revelation (It’s Just Murder), only really notable for its didgeridoo and male cloister union, the album kicks off its corrosive tempest with Submersion. The track falls upon the ear with riffs and intensive rhythms crowding and abusing their recipients. Taking a brief breath for the grooves and intensity to stake its claim the song explodes again into a tirade of bone snapping drums punches from Bence Turcsák and deliciously insistent riffs and grooved temptation from guitarists Ákos Olt and Márton Hartvig. All the while the bass of Patrik Pornói prowls with predatory malevolence to further intimidate whilst the guttural scowls of Krisztián Gyémánt reap caustic treachery with the lyrical intent to exhaust the emotions further. With a latter flame of sonic melodic teasing which is enjoyable if short on impact, the track is a very satisfying murderous confrontation with destruction on its mind.

The short roll of crisp drum raps aligned to a deep bass groan opens the way for another furnace of violence from The Beast Within. The track is an outstanding carnivorous fury with  death and black metal styled vocals unleashing their dual malice upon a driving energy of riffs and vengeful rhythms. Unrelenting and merciless, the carnage of the torrential hellacious drumming and equally demanding and imposing riffs taking its toll on body and psyche, it simply leaves a wasted carcass grinning from ear to ear in its wake. At this point the album has made a strong persuasion and ignited greedy passions which the following Servant of God, Epistle of Fire, and Pray for War confidently and competently continue. Fair to say the trio of songs do not live up to their predecessors or others to follow but all leave a depth of pleasure and accomplished temptation which for many other releases would be their highlights.

A new heightened barrage of vindictive enterprise breaks free within Doubt to return the experience to the levels forged at the beginning and take them beyond. A ravenous sacking of the ear coursing with the now expected ferocity from the band and their imagination, the song wrongs foot by going against type with a scintillating twist of melodic guitar and similarly gaited bass lines  which offer a rock voice within the cavernous aural vehemence around and above them. It is a surprising and exhilarating thrust of invention within ultimately a tsunami like blitzkrieg. Imprisoned then takes over to offer an individual and equalling marauding storm of invasive spite. Mixing up vocal styles again as well as rippling with sonic intrigue and mastery from the guitars, the riff and rhythm incursion chains and enslaves with blistering efficiency. It is a maelstrom of energy, sounds, and black hearted passion honed into a tumultuous and inescapable nasty pleasure.

Completed by Speeches of the Defendant and a decent cover of Internal, a song of old Hungarian death metal band Extreme Deformity, Voices Of Obliteration is an excellent album from which it is hard to find anything not to hungrily like. Originality is debatably scarce maybe but the great sounds and violently aggressive encounter given, more than makes up for it. With this album, Kill With Hate is poised to find awareness well beyond their home borders one suspects.

http://www.killwithhate.com

http://facebook.com/killwithhateband

8/10

RingMaster 17/04/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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Six Feet Under: Unborn

    Approaching Unborn the new and tenth album from Tampa death metallers Six Feet Under there was a mix of expectations after hearing the songs making up the release were written around the same time as those on their more than decent previous album Undead of last year. Would they be tracks which were deemed not good enough or suitable for their previous album or could they stand alone with equal or superior results? It does not take too long to realise they certainly have the strength and quality to match those on the last album though equally they do not leap beyond it in standards or engagement either. It is basically a sister release to Undead, a sideways step or second part depending how you look at it which leaves one more than satisfied but devoid of any fired up passion towards it.

With a new line-up of guitarists Ola Englund and Steve Swanson, bassist Jeff Hughell, drummer Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Chimaira), and the distinctive corrosive tones of band founder Chris Barnes (ex-Cannibal Corpse), Six Feet Under return to the scene of ‘the crime’ satisfyingly created with Undead to give arguably a more vicious and visceral musical breath to the again Metal Blade Records released Unborn. The songs making up the album again are borne from when Barnes wrote with a group of guitarists/songwriters in Ben Savage (Whitechapel), Rob Arnold (ex-Chimaira) and Jari Laine (Torture Killer), a union which has brought rich rewards across both albums.

The album makes an initially gentle approach with inviting guitar caresses to open up Neuro Osmosis but is soon opening up its muscles and intent with dramatic grooves and caging rhythms whilst Barnes exploits every syllable of his delivery with a corruptive and intimidating abrasive primal growl. The song whips and scores the ear with accomplished and inventive sonic intimidation crafted into barbed lures which equally seduce and threaten. It is a pleasing start which captures the imagination ready for the following encounters starting with the prowling Prophecy. The track swaggers with spite and devious intent knowing its weaponry of sinewy riffs and hungry rhythms is a seduction hard to resist. The song does make the keenest persuasion and ticks all the boxes a musical appetite has but its failure to find anything unique to really excite slightly defuses its promising strengths a little.

It is a good start though and leaves one more than happy to delve deeper into the release with an immediate reward from the outstanding Zombie Blood Curse. The track stomps with confidence and magnetic unrelenting purpose, the guitars chugging with a greedy hunger and bass adding extra raptorial malevolence to the rampant endeavour. Mid-way the track slips into a sonic enticement which initially feels wrong but soon leaves an appealing flavour before the song returns to its carnally conceived romp. It is by far the best track on the album and a rival to the greatest moments on the previous album too.

The likes of Decapitate, the carnivorous Fragment with Barnes at his most venomous, and The Sinister Craving with crippling drum skills from Talley carving up the senses, all make their mark though without lighting any rages or fires inside. Despite that the album continues to satisfy and pull the listener into its firm grip squeezing with extra thrills through Alive to Kill You and Psychosis. The first of the two chews and exhausts the senses with a riotous and eager bloodlust honed by the vocals and sharp guitar scything across the ear whilst the second moulds and perverts emotions with fiery sonic teasing and imaginatively destructive guitar confrontation.

Unborn is certainly a strong and pleasing release which alongside the last album sees Six Feet Under finding a much more widely palatable and impressive presence with vital grooves and moments of inciting invention to those not already persuaded by the band. Whether it will convince all that the band is their new passion is unlikely but neither will the album leave any depth of displeasure in its wake.

https://www.facebook.com/sixfeetunder

7/10

RingMaster 19/03/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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Skineater: Dermal Harvest

    

    Rife with sabre sharp sonics and a carnal malevolence transferred through destructively precise riffing and viciously antagonistic rhythms, Dermal Harvest the debut album from Swedish death metallers Skineater, is an impressive and savage pleasure which leaves pure satisfaction and pleasure in its annihilatory wake. Arguably the album is not venturing into new realms but with its aggressively sculpted malice and charnel house of blood drenched intensity and bone splintering violence it does not need to be to ignite the passions.

Skineater was formed in 2008 by guitarist Håkan Stuvemark (ex – Wombbath, In Thy Dreams, and Vicious) upon leaving as bass player in GrandExit. Moving back to his main instrument he recruited drummer Jeramie Kling, drummer in The Absence, Infernaeon , and Ninety Minute, with the pair recording two songs the following year. It was not until 2011 though that the project found impetus with Stefan Westerberg  (ex- Carnal Forge, In Thy Dreams, World Below, and Steel Attack) taking up the bassist position in the band. Soon after signing with Pulverised Records with whom the album is released, the band expanded further with the addition of guitarist Kari Kainulainen (ex – Mourning Sign and Amaran), vocalist Jörgen Ström (The Mary Major), and replacing Kling, drummer Matte Modin (Raised Fist, ex – Dark Funeral, Defleshed, and Sportlov). Recorded at various locations with mixing and mastering at Studio Underground (Carnal Forge, Steel Attack, Fleshcrawl, Necrodeath) in Sweden, Dermal Harvest is an irresistible result of a group of veteran musicians unleashing a fresh and voracious passion and sound which has maybe been festering within over the years, such its organic and instinctive animosity musically and lyrically.

     He Was Murdered makes the first rapier like incision into the senses though its finesse only follows a bludgeoning entrance from riffs and rhythms  with vocals squalls casting acid on the ear like venom filled cluster bombs. With a slight aside in energy for the guitars to seep their own tightly weaved sonic  malevolence, the track forges a violent intrusion with blistering guitar play and crippling drums assaults menacingly accompanied by the delicious malefaction of the bass. It is a snarling brawling encounter which exhausts the energies whilst leaving one simultaneously enthused and ignited by primal intent.

The following Dismantling and Your Life Is Mine continue the ravaging assault on the person mentally and physically, both tracks raw and unrelenting in their abrasive animosity and unforgiving ferociousness. Like the opener they also entwine moments of sheer melodic beauty which are as unpredictable and rewarding as they are unexpected and warmly welcomed as some respite within the towering destruction surrounding them. The guitar play and invention of Stuvemark and Kainulainen is exceptional and their imaginative quieter melodic addresses sit perfectly within the tempests without any seam or drop in fluidity present.

In hindsight though immensely impressive and pleasing in their company, the first trio of songs are mere appetisers which certainly leave the listener enlivened but not as fulfilled as tracks like Made Of Godsick manage to achieve such their triumph. It is at this point that the album fully fires up its heart and furnace to wreak the strongest havoc and pleasure upon the person. The song is a riveting construct of quarrelsome fervour and burning invention which sows the deepest pleasures within. It is a mordant storm musically and in intensity equalled by the excellent and sonically rabid Through The Empire and then exceeded by the sensational Stab. This track strips, grinds, and seduces the senses and emotions throughout, its passage insistent, unrelenting, and sizzling with melodic flames, scorching imagination, and predatory hunger. The best track on the album it sums up the wonderful grotesque that is Skineater perfectly.

The rapacious, and perversely addictive Drifting is another major player of the passions, its greed and hunger musically and violently pure hellacious manna for the heart. Again it shows just how masterful and skilful the band is as individuals but also as a unit and combining the melodic side of the genre to outright volcanic metal fury.

Dermal Harvest is an exceptional release which leaves one smouldering contently under its aggression and quality, and also possibly whimpering. Yes it is not breaking new ground but it is using the essences of the genre in a way not many others can contemplate let alone employ. If the likes of Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Bloodbath, and Hypocrisy exploit your passions, than Skineater is a band for you.

http://www.skineater.se

www.facebook.com/Skineater666

8/10

RingMaster 21/02/2013

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Nervochaos: To the Death

    Raw, ravenous, and potently aggressive with a maelstrom of insidious grooves which just tease and coax the passions into their version of an erection, To the Death is an album you just cannot avoid finding strong affection for. The new release from Brazilian metallers Nervochaos is not without flaws or maybe a sense of a lost opportunity but it also leaves one more than satisfied and willing to share precious time with the release on a regular basis.

Formed in 1996, Nervochaos has unleashed their underground acclaimed blend of death and thrash metal consistently through the years and over a series of well received releases. They do not offer the most angry or violent sound around and you will find other more intense and destructive encounters elsewhere for sure but as with this their fifth album, the band has a compelling presence and creativity which ticks enough of the right boxes to be a welcome and pleasing companion. The grooves unleashed within the death metal breath and thrash powered bruises posing as songs are of a devil spawn irresistibility and make the band one you cannot ignore. Released via Cogumelo Records, the new album follows their live album of 2011 and the previous full length release Battalions of Hate of the year before, both Tumba Records released. Gaining a cult status in the underground extreme metal scene the quartet of vocalist /guitarist Guiller, guitarist Quinho, bassist Felipe Freitas, and drummer Eduardo Lane, has equally impressed alongside the likes of Venom, Cannibal Corpse, Agnostic Front, Mayhem, The Exploited, Carcass, Divine Heresy, Ragnarok, and many more, the quartet continually adding to their strong reputation.

The album opens with the high energy Mark of the Beast, a fury of unforgiving rhythms and gnawing riffs shaped around a hungry persistent groove. It does not offer anything new or inventively breath-taking but like a sonic magnet has ears and attention locked into its unfettered energy. Ok it is relatively undemanding but still opens up the album with an accomplished and riveting presence which sets up the rest of the release perfectly.

Sheep Amongst Wolves with its gnarly bass and serpentine sonic flames stands tall next to continue the emerging compelling persuasion of the release. Again there is irresistibility to the flowing craft and intent of the song with another defined groove at mischievous play alongside further inviting melodic fire from the guitars. It does not quite live up to the opener but makes a more than decent bridge to the first of the highlights of the album in Your World’s Trend. This track opens almost identically to how its predecessor ended but soon opens up a variation to the sonic beckoning and pummelling rhythms it unleashes. It is the group vocal shouts alongside the persistently scarring scowls of Guiller which help raise the game further and lies impressively against the excellent erosive grind of the track.

Whilst the following likes of Gospel of Judas, The Exile, and Smoking Mortal Remains ensure one is gripped by a strong need to delve deeper into the album, the release saves its finest moments for a couple of tracks nestled within the trio. The title track opens with the snarling bass opening its deep cavernous throat with tight mesmeric grooves of the guitars soon joining the confrontation. Unrelenting rhythms soon entrap the senses within their merciless tempest whilst now into its stride, the track sets frees a deluge of eager synapse chewing riffs and a sonic whipping which leaves only bliss in its glorious wake. It is two and a half minutes of delicious enterprise and greedy contagion impossible to deny and heartily welcomed. To match the impressive attack of the first the following Hate piles on more infectious riffing and primal chuggery around instinctive rapture sparking twisting grooves.

Arguably the album never reaches the heights of this excellent pair elsewhere but still offers plenty to grab the imagination. To the Death does have a familiar uniformity across a lot of its creativity and sound which holds the release back reaching the depth of acclaim maybe it could have found but is still impressive and enjoyable enough to make the album one easy to recommend. As songs like Mind Under Siege, Destroyer of Worlds, and Warlords Unbound continue to make the encounter a pleasing one this is an album that is easy to continually return to and Nervochaos a band with some of the most agreeable grooves and riffing ability around.

www.facebook.com/NervoChaos.

RingMaster 29/01/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Depopulate: Till Man Exists No More

Rich in primal malevolence and driven by bestial spite, the debut EP from Polish death metallers Depopulate is a towering threat to the senses and an equally rewarding treat for the passions. Till Man Exists No More does not venture to unknown places of originality or intrigue but simply unleashes invigorating violent assaults borne of well-trodden but accomplished violations. It is a crushing release which brings solid satisfaction and inciting maliciousness; whether it is good for the health is debatable but no one truly cares when it sounds as good as this.

Originally formed in 2012 as Eviscerated, the Katowice quintet of vocalist Kostek, guitarists Rumun and Bishop, bassist Skowron, and Jack on drums has become an emerging force within a full and busy Polish underground scene. The release of Till Man Exists No More is a step which with its strength and great sounds should take the band to the fore locally and to good attention further afield. It is a menace with muscles which leave permanent bruises on the psyche and a ravishment that shows no mercy or restraint, what could be better?

After a hellish but unsurprising intro, the album seizes control of the ear and beyond with Deranged I Slice. It is an instant corruption of sonic lashing and crippling riffs from the guitars and bass, destructive unrelenting drums, and guttural bile cored vocal scowls which just captivate. It is basically a storm of aggressive spite and energy sapping malice brought with skill and enterprise. As mentioned there is not anything particularly adventurous going on but the song and release ignites something different with its raw and uncluttered presence. It is extreme metal dragged through hell by its strongest assets and Depopulate the accomplished deliverers.

The first track is brief and explosive, a pleasing trait for the whole release as the likes of Pandemic Lust and Wastesoaked next add their infernal corrosions. The first is a sand blast of caustic venom with again the drums of Jack nothing but impressive and the sonic scarring of the guitars a lethal confrontation to devour eagerly. The track gnaws and tears the senses from start to finish with rabid hunger, its inspiring passage a ragged embrace. The second emerges out of the wake of its predecessor and continues the unbridled pummelling. The bass finds an extra menace to its prowling intent whilst the song as a whole just bears flesh ripping rhythmic teeth and sonic viciousness throughout.

The romantic Show Me The Way To Your Heart steps up next… well with a title like that there is an uncertainty as what it will offer but rest assured it is as hateful and deadly as what came before with no sap included. Like all the tracks it is not always an easy listen but completely rewarding. It is a monstrous outrage which demands many returns to its lair, though the release is exactly the same to be fair and both receive their wishes.

Closing with the final sonic humiliation of the senses with the excellent Harvesting Human Flesh, the EP is a mighty release which one can only recommend to all genre fans. It provides all the fruits to satisfy all needs from a death metal release and for an introduction will ensure Depopulate is a name to be noted. Certainly for fans of bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Devourment, Obscenity, and Aborted, Till Man Exists No More is a recommended listen.

https://www.facebook.com/depopulate

RingMaster 12/12/2012

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

 

 

 

Flayed Disciple: Death Hammer

      

    Death Hammer is the debut album from UK extreme metallers Flayed Disciple, a release which might not venture into new pastures with the impressive thrash fuelled death metal it and the band unleash upon the ear, but one which leaves demands and expectations not only fully satisfied but basking in accomplished invigorating splendour.  Released via Grindscene Records, the album is a rabid storm of debilitating rhythms, carnivorous riffs, and devouring intensity which endorses why the band is garnering strong acclaim.

Formed in 209, the Taunton quintet of vocalist Tim Whyte, guitarists Thurston Howe and Jon Whitfield (lead and rhythms respectively), bassist Paul Williams, and drummer Phil Tolfree, has earned great respect through their earlier release the Drawn Viscera EP of 2009 and live performances which have seen them play prestigious festivals such as The Neurotic Deathfest and Bloodstock, as well as numerous shows around the UK alongside bands like Cerebral Bore and Aeon. The tail of last year saw the band sign with Grindscene Records leading to the recording of their first album with producer Chris Fielding this past February.

Stalking the same extreme realms as the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Immolation, Deicide, and Exodus, the five piece rampage with constant brutality and skill from the first note of the album to its very last. Their fusion of thrash and death metal leaves a blissful carcass in its wake, a breathless collection of senses which whilst not treated to majorly new invention is lost to a towering and magnificent tempest of aggression and creative intensity. It is high grade destructive metal, carnal rock n roll which constantly and deeply rewards whilst simultaneously sapping the strength from its recipients.

The album begins its unleashing of spiteful corrosive energies with Bring Down The Hammer, an ear chewing stomp of ravenous riffs, crippling rhythms, and sound bites submerged within the brawling weight of energy. It is an initial confrontation softening the senses for the tsunami of viciousness to come starting with The Westboro Massacre. The song plunders the body with the bone splintering violence of drummer Tolfree lashing out from the midst of the squalling sonic display of the guitars as well as their ravishing riffs. The guttural growls of Whyte are bestial in the extreme but offer clarity to grasp and be impacted by the lyrical strikes as forcibly as the crushing sounds. It is an intensive start which just inspires the need to dive into the heart of the album.

Interceptor and Feast In The Forest Of Impaled Bodies conjure up the blackened sonic devil next, both carrying veins of sadistic brooding malevolence which erodes the senses as the thrash urgency and persistence batters and saps the flesh. They complete their bruising with aggressive layers and unmistakable craft of the band deliberately placed to work on the already sore and merciless wounds caused by the release. It is a masterful display commanding only respect and praise which excels throughout the whole of the album.

    Exodus is another terrific violation drawing only acclaim and just one of the continuous highlights offered, though all fall to the towering might of The Shrine Of Dahmer. The track is a colossus amongst giants and one which is merciless in its destructive intent and venomous breath. Completely infectious without losing its intimidation, the song is a riot of imaginative butchery and compelling invention.

The remaining quartet of songs are all equal to the previous triumphs, Bleaching In The Sun and Torsofucked rasping incursions of nastiness especially the latter of the pair, and the closing Ejaculate While Killing and Pig sheer maliciousness, the first through inspired sonic mastery of the guitars and the last just because it is pure evil in all aspects.

Death Hammer is an excellent album which all metal fans will take to their shadowed bosoms once entering its grievous annihilation. Flayed Disciple maybe have yet to find a unique voice to their unadulterated murderous creativity but the album show it hardly holds them back from being a notable entrant in extreme metal.

http://www.flayeddisciple.com

RingMaster 11/12/2012

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Altar of Pain: Severe Scourge

Severe Scourge is the latest EP from Portuguese death metalers Altar of Pain, a release which drives its festering consumption with a technical skill to match the destructive passion. It is also another example of the quality of bands and music bursting out from the country, every way you turn there is a not only another band waiting to be announced but one with a craft and invention to step out from the masses. Altar of Pain is no different and though Severe Scourge feels like an above average demo it is a mighty and impressive release which only fuels further promise from the band ahead.

From Madeira, the quartet of Elder Abreu (vocals), Guilherme Abreu (guitar, keyboards), Zé Rodrigues (guitar), and Marcelo Rodrigues (bass guitar, synth-fx), formed in 2010 with the intention of making heavy brutal death metal based music. Inspired by bands like Vader, Death, Morbid Angel, Asphyx, and Cannibal Corpse, the band first drew wider attention with their debut album The Ritual Has Begun of last year. Severe Scourge continues their fine progress with a storm of expansive and imaginative ideas fuelled by a blackened and skilled intent. There is nothing healthy about the sounds of Altar of Pain but nor is there anything dismissible, each song a stirring and concussive enjoyment which is so easy to return to again and again.

The EP is a release with only one real issue to contend with, the drums. They appear and sound as if they are all computerised. Though the band overall just get away with it, there are times it is a niggling itch which diminishes the quality elsewhere. The sound does not really integrate into the organic playing of the band and makes for an irritant which can distract too much at times. The thought though is that if the band find a strong and skilled drummer there will be no stopping them.

Opened by the senses crippling Death By Exsanguination, the release takes no time in igniting the fullest attention. Triumphant Pantera like riffs slash the air whilst a groove dripping in infection, twists around the ear with fangs sunk deep. The song is a breathtaking expulsion of energy, the band unrelenting in their bruising and exciting of the senses. The guitars scythe fiery patterns with their razor sharp play whilst the bass stomps and prowls around with a rabid menace for a combination which is impossible not to fall eagerly before. With the varied guttural growls of Abreu flinging words like plague ridden carcasses on top, it is a storm only pleasure can spawn from.

From the impressive opener Fatal Disease and The Fleshless Goddess offer their own unique corruption as the band explore and unleash further inventive play, the guitars especially in the first scorching the atmosphere with explosive solo work and scarring riffs. The pair keeps things boiling but it is with the latter part of the release where greater highlights lay in wait.

Infected is a corrosive beast which sears the synapses with crushing intensity and acidic guitar enterprise. Arguably less infectious as other songs, its deep rooted groove is merciless in its lure whilst the vocals and energy is a dehabilitating oppression allowing no place to hide.  Again the band shows their songwriting is expansive and unafraid to explore which brings freshness to each and every song.

Top track award goes to Scriptorium, a song which is aural addiction. From an almost lumbering start it explodes into a raging rampage of battering corruptive riffs and incendiary melodic hooks, both leaving whiplash and adoration in their wake. With vehemence oozing from every syllable of the vocals and piercing sonic lashing accompanying the melodic contagion, the track is nothing but immense. Stick a live drummer in there and we are talking probable classic.

With only the earlier mentioned issue to throw at its hide, the Severe Scourge EP is an impressive slab of melodic death metal which genre fans will relish. It is surely only a matter of time before Altar of Pain is given the opportunity to unleash themselves in a full studio with all its armoury, when it happens watch them bring a real explosion to the corruption.

http://altarofpain.bandcamp.com

RingMaster 14/08/2012

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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Offending: Age of Perversion

Taking its heart and breath from the US seeded strain of early death metal, French band Offending has brought a fresh if not new air to the genre with their second full length release Age of Perversion. It is an album which wears its influences like battalion colours and engages and assaults the senses like a merciless determined force. It does not venture too far into new pastures or ignite the fiercest fires with its sounds but the album is far more intriguing and absorbing than most, its skilled play and perpetually contagious imagination ensuring a full and satisfying experience each and every time.

The Bordeaux based quintet of vocalist Jesus The Butcher, a man with a tar like bestial delivery, the striking and inventive guitarists GP and Cyriex, and a rhythm section to incite the deepest primitive instincts in bassist Yoni and V.R. on drums, send the ear and senses reeling with a sound recalling the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Vile, Hate Eternal. Up to this point the band has grabbed a mounting attention through their 2005 demo as well as stage sharing with the likes of Killers, Genital Grinder, Necropsy, and Prophecy. They further accelerated that interest with 2007 mini CD The Destruction of The Human Spirit which marked the debut to the band of Butcher and Yoni, and their greatly received debut album Human Concept of 2010 through Deepsend Records who have also released the new album. Age of Perversion has found the band deepening their obvious creative skill and thought whilst emerging as a release which is brutally intrusive and infectiously manipulative, and sure to increase the acclaim.

The album opens with Infested By His Burden. The track offers an initial sinister and ominous crawl to its energy with the guitars almost teasing the ear whilst the rhythms behind have an insistent but yet to be demanding intensity. It cannot hold back for long though and soon the song is eagerly feasting upon the ear with incisive and divisive guitar craft and drum intimidation. As the track evolves it changes in to an even more combative militant gait, the previous insistence becoming a domineering violence. Though by its end one finds it easier to remember particular elements than the song as a whole it is still one of the more gratifying tracks whilst in its abusive company.

A triplet of consecutive highlights next follows, a trio of exceptional tracks which leave the others on the release in their wake. Firstly there is Within This World, a track with a hunger to twist and manipulate the senses like a military trained wizard, their consumptive intensity consistent and devastatingly exact whilst completely mesmeric. The blend of technical persuasion and bludgeoning malevolent is impressive and entirely insatiable in its desire and ones welcoming. This rampaging melodically armed annihilation leads into the equally ravenous Modern Enslavement. It is like its predecessor a track which blinds one with its dazzling guitar invention and scorched melodic beckoning to the overwhelming destructive purpose of the storming intensity around it. Though not quite as contagious as the previous song it is equally outstanding and thrilling.

The third of the strongest peaks on the album comes in the shape of best track of all, Dominion XXI. The song captures a pure infection with its melodically bleeding riffs and hypnotic rhythms, using the combination as a lure for the senses in the face of another full strength bone splitting strike. There is an anthemic pull for the emotions from the song, its urgent inciteful energy and drive sparking eruptions of instinctive dormant malignance.

These three tracks are worth an investigation of Age of Perversion alone but are ably supported by the likes of the venomous Religion Depravity, the corrupting title track, and the synapse rioting Hopeless Submission, all making for an album which is a very worthy use of any ones time.

Age of Perversion as mentioned is maybe not the most original release and apart from the truly outstanding threesome of quality arguably lacks further immense artillery to constantly enflame the heart. It is though one of the more pleasing and enterprising albums from the genre and easily a companion to share multiple times with and that is what it is all about surely.

RingMaster 18/06/2012

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Six Feet Under: Undead

To be honest the enthusiasm going into the new album from death metal giants Six Feet Under was not at an all time high. This is a band that has not really lit any personal fires or imagination since their emergence leading into the mid nineties most predominantly from the dislike of the style of vocalist and founder Chris Barnes, something the attention to his previous band Cannibal Corpse also suffered when he was fronting them. It is purely personal taste and without any reason, just an aversion to his vocals as simple as that. This has led to only fleeting acquaintances with their previous eight albums until now. It has to be said Undead again did not cause any mass jubilation or a breakout of unbridled passion with the initial contact relatively underwhelming. But it is a sneaky little beast and given the deserved time and multiple chances to state its case the album proves to be a bit of a slow and persistent burner. It still does not have flags flying but it is a feisty little piece of pleasure that proves its worth even with Barnes as distinct as ever.

Released via Metal Blade Records, Undead is the first release with new guitarist Rob Arnold (ex- Chimaira), who we are led to believe also contributed the bass parts too as new bassist Jeff Hughell joined after the recording. Alongside Arnold and Barnes the album also sees long time guitarist Steve Swanson and drummer Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus, Misery Index, and Chimaira), also new to the band. The album has been quoted by Barnes as “…a rejuvenation, it’s a rebirth of Six Feet Under, and fans will definitely latch on to my excitement and how focused I am in the lyrics I’ve written.” Whether it is down to the energy and creative input of the new members or not there is certainly a freshness and intensity to the release that had vacated some of the previous albums. Arguably originality is still not in full force but allowed the attention and time to express itself the album is certainly rewarding and at times rather impressive.

The opening bomb that is Frozen at the Moment of Death from a first feeling of this is good but… evolves into something additive and openly hypnotic. With a groove that churns up the senses into a tight knot and riffs beating it around the ear the track grows more essential and striking the more it meets the ear. As assumed the vocals stoke up the expected personal preference immediately though once realisation that he sounds just like the Judoon out of Dr Who emerged there was an extra sense of fun attached. As said Barnes is a strong if unvaried vocalist with many others far worse around and it is merely personal taste involved but saying that as the album progresses even a warmth to him emerges or is it submission.

The following Formaldehyde is a blistering assault upon the ears whilst 18 Days with its striking waspish persistent groove sends sparks through the senses. By this point Talley has left nothing but an immense impression upon the music and thoughts, he is a literal machine but with organic instinctive passion and invention. The guitars of Swanson and Arnold too impress as they bustle and cut through the ear with fine play and intensive sounds to ensure each track is intriguing and gratifying, whilst Barnes is Barnes, you always know what you get with his brutish guttural delivery.

Whether the band have worn down the defences or there is a sudden vein of something new the best two tracks on the album by far step up to challenge and inspire next. Firstly the Molest Dead collapses on the ear like a juggernaut of death and destruction, its sprawling fetid breath soaking every note with an atmosphere of dread and violation. This is immediately backed up by Blood On My Hands, a song from an initial predatory crawl which envelopes its host in a soak of spiteful malevolence completes the malefaction with a scorched melodic entrancement and groove which blisters every surface it consumes.

It has to be said by this point and entering into the last third of the album one is hooked especially when the obvious but irrepressible and irresistible Reckless rumbles across the ear. With the most wanton of grooves and an insatiable infection the track rummages through thoughts and darkened corners with eagerness.

     Undead is far from a classic but it is an album that in hindsight ignited a few more flares of passion than at first thought and the more times shared the hotter they become. Six Feet Under did arguably find a rejuvenating essence for the album and it turned out quite striking if not stunning.

RingMaster 24/05/2012

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Cattle Decapitation: Monolith of Inhumanity

Without having a full and firm knowledge of the career and previous output of Californian death grinders Cattle Decapitation, there is still a feeling that it is not too far from the mark to claim their new album Monolith of Inhumanity is up there as possibly the best thing they have unleashed upon. The album is immense, a towering brutality that takes all that the band is known for to a deeper and harsher level whilst stretching themselves and the genre with an incisive invention and inspired originality. With previous album the excellent The Harvest Floor as the main reference to compare the new album with, there is a further defined intention and realisation on the new album to bring not only the aggression and combative directness but also themselves and their music as a whole into new and imaginative avenues.

Cattle Decapitation have not veered sharply away from the intense and dehabilitating extreme sounds they have been known for and cultured since their beginning in 1995, in fact they have turned that aspect up to flesh searing and bone snapping heights. Into this though they have brought irresistible melodic insertions, groove fuelled hooks and lures, diverse vocals, and multiple infectious invitations unlike anything the band has created before. These are used subtly and sparingly but when used they bring something special to the visceral decimation going on all around. Monolith of Inhumanity is outstanding and makes being punished by its limitless violence a pleasure.

Released via Metal Blade Records on May 8^th Monolith of Inhumanity sees the first appearance of bassist Derek Engemann in songwriting and recording. Joining vocalist Travis Ryan, guitarist Josh Elmore, and David McGraw on drums and alongside producer Dave Otero (Allegaeon, Cephalic Carnage), together they have spawn an album which lives and breathes to annihilate the senses as it brings through its concept of where humanity will end up if it continues its current course. From the moment the opening track The Carbon Stampede swarms around and bears its heavy vindictive weight upon the ear you know Cattle Decapitation have not lost their might and viciousness but have increased it with relish. The track rages like a furnace as the riffs splinter the sinews holding the ear in place whilst twisting the senses into a defenceless molten obedience. It is a devastating start still only suggests the greater things to come.

The darkly grinning bass of Engemann in the following Dead Set In Suicide alongside devastating rhythms from McGraw send bestial claws straight into the soul but it is the impressively varied and contrasting guttural gratings of Ryan with presumably his own high higher pitched demonic chorus which whips the song to be an immediate highlight. With riffs puncturing the body like offspring from a semi-automatic and melodic guitar play as sharp as cheese wire the track is enormous.

The album though just gets better and better, from the consuming vehemence of A Living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat with more brilliant diverse vocals and …well, just about everything, through the spiteful deeply intrusive Gristle Licker with a groove that opens up in the latter stages as demanding and additive as heard anywhere, to Lifestalker a track which almost breaks out initially into a wanton grooved swing attack until its bestial heart reasserts itself, the quality simply rises and rises.

The best is saved to last though with the trio of tracks Do Not Resuscitate, Your Disposal, and the closing Kingdom Of Tyrants. The first of the three turns the senses into a splatter board for the debris from its uncompromising intrusions of blistering riffs, acidic invention, and ravenous vocals. As shown everywhere the production allows each member to express their individual agenda and malice to bring a fuller and open but no less titanic assault from Cattle Decapitation. Your Disposal is the best song on the album, bringing all the best elements on the album into one rampaging maelstrom of intensity, violation, and ingenuity. It is like being in the middle of a charnel pit as your skin and bone are flayed by the sounds.

Kingdom of Tyrants is equally impressive and unpredictably imaginative, the perfect creative and destructive end to an outstanding album. With essences of the likes of Carcass, Dimmu Borgir, and Cannibal Corpse spicing up their own distinct death, grind, and what is at times melodic black metal, Cattle Decapitation have let loose one of the best extreme metal albums in a long time. Monolith of Inhumanity will leave you on your knees and devoid of feeling but most of all it will leave you fully satisfied.

RingMaster 03/05/2012

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