Let’s not beat around the bush here. Of course, the new split album from Heavy Psych Sounds featuring Nebula and Black Rainbows is excellent. How on earth could it not be with those two bands featured on it. The Californians from Nebula and Italians from Black Rainbows never disappoint, with even their weakest material it is still excellent. Here, on In Search Of The Cosmic Tale: Crossing The Galactic Portal we get three songs from each band, just enough to tease you and leave you wanting more but don’t be so greedy because at least you get these six rippers.
The last time I wrote a Nebula review it was for the live album and was not soon after there was a death in the band. Somehow now I write about a Nebula release again under the same circumstances, as the band lost their bass player for a second time (RIP Ranch). Keeping the focus on the music here, these three tracks both rip and bend your mind, not always at the same time, but no matter what is happening you are revelling in the awesomeness that is Nebula. Acid Drop is one of the rippers that could have been a leading track on any of their recent material, highlighted, of course by the wonderfully fuzz guitar mastery of Eddie Glass. Mid way through they get all heavy psych on us, dropping in with just a killer solo and amazing jamming, with Michael Amster’s drumming highlighted as well.
The vibe in the room is turned down to chill, with the very psych Eye Of The Storm. The bass helps to drive this slower burn but there is always this threat of the guitar to bust down the door and take over the place. About halfway though you are transported to another time via a brief appearance of an acoustic guitar, until the room starts melting. We get even weirder and more wonderful with Ceasar XXXIV that has an interesting almost spoken word-like vocal until something right out of 1968 kicks in with all of its fuzzy glory.
200 Stab Wounds - Manual Manic Procedures (Metal Blade Records) [GC]
Looking back, it doesn’t seem like 3 years since 200 Stab Wounds unleased their debut Slave To The Scalpel but it is and it just shows how fast time flies, in the time since their debut they have built up a ferocious live reputation and their old school, meets new school death metal has gained them an ever growing fanbase and here we have album 2 Manual Manic Procedures that will hope to push them on even more!
On opener Hands Of Eternity they don’t go for blunt force violence from the off, instead choosing to build an eerie and menacing track that is has its influences firmly in melodic death metal territory and when the song full kicks in the groove is infectious throughout and nails the more old school death metal perfectly, it takes a while for any vocals to kick in but when they do the sound is completed in the best way. Gross Abuse is just a straight up grooving death metal track and while it’s certainly not big or clever, it lasts just under 2 minutes but it is one hell of a fun and wild ride while its around! Keeping up the short and sweet theme the title track Manual Manic Procedures keeps the pace going with some more thundering OSDM that blasts and grinds away and has the added treat of some soaring guitar solos added in for texture and once again the main thing to be taken away from this is the amount of groove 200 Stab Wounds are able to crowbar into every track so far.
Looking back, it doesn’t seem like 3 years since 200 Stab Wounds unleased their debut Slave To The Scalpel but it is and it just shows how fast time flies, in the time since their debut they have built up a ferocious live reputation and their old school, meets new school death metal has gained them an ever growing fanbase and here we have album 2 Manual Manic Procedures that will hope to push them on even more!
On opener Hands Of Eternity they don’t go for blunt force violence from the off, instead choosing to build an eerie and menacing track that is has its influences firmly in melodic death metal territory and when the song full kicks in the groove is infectious throughout and nails the more old school death metal perfectly, it takes a while for any vocals to kick in but when they do the sound is completed in the best way. Gross Abuse is just a straight up grooving death metal track and while it’s certainly not big or clever, it lasts just under 2 minutes but it is one hell of a fun and wild ride while its around! Keeping up the short and sweet theme the title track Manual Manic Procedures keeps the pace going with some more thundering OSDM that blasts and grinds away and has the added treat of some soaring guitar solos added in for texture and once again the main thing to be taken away from this is the amount of groove 200 Stab Wounds are able to crowbar into every track so far.
Charmingly titled Release The Stench takes you all the way back to the early 90’s with its squealing leads and swampy riffing its like being right in the midst of the Morrisound explosion and its as gloriously OTT and as wonderfully grimy as you would expect it to be. We now get to Led To The Chamber- Liquified which has another slow and lengthy build up and when it does kick in its full of doomy, slow lurching riffs layered with more big leads and some lovely guitar work towards the end and its only when you get more towards the song finishing that you notice they seem to have forgotten to include any lyrics and it all ends a bit chaotically and noisily and honestly? I’m not sure if I actually enjoyed it or not but that is all swept away with Flesh From Within which is back to the good stuff absolutely fantastic groove laden death metal and here the more contemporary metal edge shines through and its another absolute blast of a song that can’t fail to raise a smile on the face of any death metal fan.
Defiled Gestation is one of the lengthier tracks clocking in at over 4 whole minutes and they use every second wisely mixing in some enormous bass sounds over the now familiar blasty death metal but also they incorporate some of the more doomy segments in expertly and I’m not sure what it is about them always taking an age for any lyrics to kick in but here once again its not until past 2 minutes that they arrive to round the sound off disgustingly again! Ride The Flatline dials back down on the song timescale but doesn’t scale down on the savage intentions this is a scathing attack from all angles, razor sharp guitars, big drums and bass rumbling throughout and some more wickedly savage vocal delivery, Parricide finishes off the album in another glorious OSDM throwback that doesn’t sound like its copying the old school sound it sounds like its listening and improving on what has come before, astonishing stuff!
I have to hand it to 200 Stab Wounds, Manual Manic Procedures is a fantastic album full of everything a death metal fan could want, it harks back to past scene glories without sounding boring or dated and also updates the sound to drag it into the modern day, barring that one song I was slightly unsure of you cannot fault this album and if your into death meatal you need to make it your business to listen to this today and bang your head till your brain falls out! 9/10
The Eternal - Skinwalker (Reigning Phoenix Music) (James Jackson)
Abandoned By Hope, that’s a message loud and clear and The Eternal, based in Australia, have taken that statement and drowned it thoroughly in melancholy and Doom laden riffs. There’s an incredibly catchy hook and chorus line to the second track, Deathlike Silence, so catchy in fact that I must have played it three times in a row before moving on to the rest of the album; Under The Black is a rather subdued track throughout the verses, building upon an acoustic guitar led melody, quite soulful and mesmerising.
I have to hand it to 200 Stab Wounds, Manual Manic Procedures is a fantastic album full of everything a death metal fan could want, it harks back to past scene glories without sounding boring or dated and also updates the sound to drag it into the modern day, barring that one song I was slightly unsure of you cannot fault this album and if your into death meatal you need to make it your business to listen to this today and bang your head till your brain falls out! 9/10
The Eternal - Skinwalker (Reigning Phoenix Music) (James Jackson)
Abandoned By Hope, that’s a message loud and clear and The Eternal, based in Australia, have taken that statement and drowned it thoroughly in melancholy and Doom laden riffs. There’s an incredibly catchy hook and chorus line to the second track, Deathlike Silence, so catchy in fact that I must have played it three times in a row before moving on to the rest of the album; Under The Black is a rather subdued track throughout the verses, building upon an acoustic guitar led melody, quite soulful and mesmerising.
Temptation’s Door and The Iconoclast follow, the former track feels more like an album intro than it does a midway break but The Iconoclast pulls out the stops with soaring vocals, growled vocals, solemn melodies and at times a very military style drum pattern. When The Fire Dies offers an almost ballad like air to the proceedings, there’s something about the chorus that just hits differently, it’s haunting and yet simultaneously uplifting, a mark of a well written piece.
The album is nine tracks long and each of them has an immense amount of going on with them, I’ve touched upon the majority of the album but those I’ve not mentioned are no less impressive than those I have; there are tones of lighter notes amongst the dark, a more upbeat tempo to contrast the traditionally slower Doom riffs, growled vocals to accompany the cleaner notes; I literally can’t find fault in anything. The Sun is shining in the UK, what better way to enjoy it than with an album as satisfyingly Doom as this. 10/10
Neaera - All Is Dust (Metal Blade Records) [Mark Young]
All Is Dust is the latest opus from German metallists Neaera, which coincides with their 20th anniversary and is their 8th album to boot. It’s the follow-up from their self-titled comeback album which broke 7 years of inactivity for the band. Again, they are a band that I haven’t come across before, but they are revered in some circles as one of the leading lights of the German metal scene, combining melodic death and metalcore aspects to their sound.
Antidote To Faith wastes absolutely no time at all in wanting to kick your teeth in. No drawn out opening or acoustic meandering, it starts at a rapid rate and stays there. Vocals are truly venomous; spat with a fury you wouldn’t expect on an 8th album. It is everything you expect from a band that has been around for a while: drum/guitar riffs in synch, extreme vocals all delivered like a machine gun. There is a crisp production in place too, so you don’t lose any clarity as they speed on by. It’s a good start, with Benny Hilleke laying down a marker with his vocal delivery.
With a title like Swords Unsheathed you would want something grand to start it off, so they do. The Melo-death is still there, it follows a spot-on start that has that massive feel to it that is complimented by a foot-to-the-floor attack. By the track's end it moved more into that black metal way of playing, with chords shining through which is quality. Next up is one of my favourites, Per Aspera which is a furious collection of riffs, which drops off for a melodic break into a lead that shows some nimble fingers without it being excessive. It is an exercise in brutal efficiency, the right riffs at the right time and they consistently deliver like this, especially on Edifier, which has this wonderful old-school attack to it. It's not the melo-death I was expecting after some recent releases that have left me cold. It does possess a massive breakdown, and I mean massive as they slam the brakes on and slow to an almost sludgy stop. It should cause absolute carnage live!
In Vain goes for that controlled approach, and to be fair it is ok but when placed against what has come before it feels a little flat. There is nothing wrong with it, at least it isn’t an instrumental, but it feels as though they are catching a breath before the next one kicks off. So, when Render Fear Powerless boots off, all is forgiven. It’s back to the foot down, kick the teeth in motif that sees it speeding along. There is a storming section around 1.40 where everything is in synch, its metal perfection. Dividers coming in as the second to last, muscular riffing and a stomping swing to it that is finely balanced with the speedy melodic approach that follows whilst Into The Hollow provides that final smack to the head, it's full on with all the blasts you can want and brings the album to a close, keeping that high bar of quality in place.
Neaera - All Is Dust (Metal Blade Records) [Mark Young]
All Is Dust is the latest opus from German metallists Neaera, which coincides with their 20th anniversary and is their 8th album to boot. It’s the follow-up from their self-titled comeback album which broke 7 years of inactivity for the band. Again, they are a band that I haven’t come across before, but they are revered in some circles as one of the leading lights of the German metal scene, combining melodic death and metalcore aspects to their sound.
Antidote To Faith wastes absolutely no time at all in wanting to kick your teeth in. No drawn out opening or acoustic meandering, it starts at a rapid rate and stays there. Vocals are truly venomous; spat with a fury you wouldn’t expect on an 8th album. It is everything you expect from a band that has been around for a while: drum/guitar riffs in synch, extreme vocals all delivered like a machine gun. There is a crisp production in place too, so you don’t lose any clarity as they speed on by. It’s a good start, with Benny Hilleke laying down a marker with his vocal delivery.
Pacifier leans more into the melodic aspect of their sound but is no less immediate than the opener. There is still plenty of low-string action, and early on Sebastian Heldt emerges as being fleet of foot. Wisely they mix it up with some cracking riff work, again with drums laying down the aggressive foundation that keeps them flying forward. All Is Dust keeps that energy and momentum, but it is at this point that there is a little touch of repetition creeping in. However, they recognise this by dropping in more of the controlled melodic touches to it before upping that tempo again. It must be difficult to write what can be described as a fresh take on a genre such as this and what they have done is bring in some black metal phrasing which must freshen it up for them playing it.
With a title like Swords Unsheathed you would want something grand to start it off, so they do. The Melo-death is still there, it follows a spot-on start that has that massive feel to it that is complimented by a foot-to-the-floor attack. By the track's end it moved more into that black metal way of playing, with chords shining through which is quality. Next up is one of my favourites, Per Aspera which is a furious collection of riffs, which drops off for a melodic break into a lead that shows some nimble fingers without it being excessive. It is an exercise in brutal efficiency, the right riffs at the right time and they consistently deliver like this, especially on Edifier, which has this wonderful old-school attack to it. It's not the melo-death I was expecting after some recent releases that have left me cold. It does possess a massive breakdown, and I mean massive as they slam the brakes on and slow to an almost sludgy stop. It should cause absolute carnage live!
In Vain goes for that controlled approach, and to be fair it is ok but when placed against what has come before it feels a little flat. There is nothing wrong with it, at least it isn’t an instrumental, but it feels as though they are catching a breath before the next one kicks off. So, when Render Fear Powerless boots off, all is forgiven. It’s back to the foot down, kick the teeth in motif that sees it speeding along. There is a storming section around 1.40 where everything is in synch, its metal perfection. Dividers coming in as the second to last, muscular riffing and a stomping swing to it that is finely balanced with the speedy melodic approach that follows whilst Into The Hollow provides that final smack to the head, it's full on with all the blasts you can want and brings the album to a close, keeping that high bar of quality in place.
In a genre where some releases are guilty of front loading an album with the best tracks, or of following a firmly beaten track Neaera have managed to freshen things up by being themselves. It sounds great, the production capturing the heaviness without losing any of the melodic touches within each song. Going back to the start, with this being their 20th year as a band they have certainly dropped an album that has an energy to it that you find with some bands that are just starting out. They should be very proud of what they have done here, and its well worth your time. 8/10
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