When a band is classed as grindcore, I will always be interested to hear what they are like because there are many forms of grind and some is good and some is awful as is the same with every genre, I prefer the short, sharp under 1 minute type grindcore and it looks like Grieving by Barren Path is just that so its time to buckle up and prepare for the ride!
Whimpering Echo is exactly what I want its got scuzzy and furious guitar work with drums that sound like they have been recorded in an old dustbin in an back alley and throat shredding vocals that sound like someone is being tortured, it’s a blistering way to start, Subversion Record harks back to the glory days and has a real Insect Warfare feel to it, the no nonsense fashion that it just blast into existence and then it’s all over within 40 seconds is exactly how grind should be.
Primordial Black has a bit more death metal incorporated into the song and it’s another beautifully messy but precise song that will please all those old enough to remember the 90’s in a beautiful throwback way, No Geneva is our first epic track at 1:13 but again there is no fluffing or wasted time it’s just full throttle foot to the floor savageness and there’s really no way of padding out the review because you miss most of the song if you don’t pay attention!
Isolation Wound is another song with a slightly more death metal feel but the way the rawness of the grind shines over everything is really something to behold and it really is that raw and painful sounding music but that is usually the best sort I almost choke when I see that The Insufferable Weight is almost 2 minutes long! I needn’t really have been worried because more time just means more violence in music form, they really just manage to create such a disgusting noise that takes all the best parts of grindcore and mixes them with the savage rawness of punk and death metal in such an expert way.
Relinquish is never going to stray to far from what we have heard so far, and you know, if it aint broke, don’t fix it! This is another blink, and you will miss it track, it starts, it blasts, it grinds, then it finishes! Perfection! The Unreliable Narrator is probably the most ‘’welcome to the 90’s’’ track you will hear in 2025 and that’s not to disparage the song in anyway, it’s a compliment of the highest order believe me, it’s so unrelenting, savage and brutal in all the right ways!
Slight complaint at Celestial Bleeding as it’s just a weird 43 seconds of echoey noise that really offers nothing and could have and should have been left off completely, stupid choice, anyway moving on to Lunar Tear they more than make up for it and is another mix of wonderfully sludgy death metal and psychotic noise that just has to be heard to be believed.
Horizonless is a wonderful and bruising beast that actually almost threatens to break into some sort of melody at one point but swiftly fucks that off and just continues with the wonderfully bleak brutality we have been treated to so far In The End, The Gift Is Death is the final kick to the teeth on this wonderfully batshit album that has delivered some much and then some in what was a totally unexpected but wonderful surprise!!
Apart from 43 seconds, I loved absolutely everything about this record and cannot recommend it highly enough! It is everything you could want in a grindcore record and then some, a wonderfully executed and thoroughly enjoyable 20 minutes! If you’re looking for something mind-expanding that will take your soul on a journey or something like that avoid this but if you want to know what the sound of being kicked in the testicles 11 times sounds like this is for you!!! 10/10
Aquilla - Sentinels Of New Dawn (High Roller Records) [Simon Black]
Oh dear. A concept album…
Concept albums can go very well or very badly in my experience, and there’s an awful lot of them about. You can’t move in the Power Metal world without tripping over a dozen new ones in the Musipedia slush pile on an almost weekly basis, and separating the gems from the brown stuff is not for the faint of heart, which is probably why there’s only a couple of us who ever choose to tackle them on a regular basis.
Apart from 43 seconds, I loved absolutely everything about this record and cannot recommend it highly enough! It is everything you could want in a grindcore record and then some, a wonderfully executed and thoroughly enjoyable 20 minutes! If you’re looking for something mind-expanding that will take your soul on a journey or something like that avoid this but if you want to know what the sound of being kicked in the testicles 11 times sounds like this is for you!!! 10/10
Aquilla - Sentinels Of New Dawn (High Roller Records) [Simon Black]
Oh dear. A concept album…
Concept albums can go very well or very badly in my experience, and there’s an awful lot of them about. You can’t move in the Power Metal world without tripping over a dozen new ones in the Musipedia slush pile on an almost weekly basis, and separating the gems from the brown stuff is not for the faint of heart, which is probably why there’s only a couple of us who ever choose to tackle them on a regular basis.
However, of late I have stopped sifting the pile for myself and asked our esteemed editor to just load me up with a bunch of new releases sound unheard each month, because my time is limited (amazingly none of us earn a crust from all this work) and it stops me just playing safe all the time. So, I come to this band with no knowledge or expectations, which to be fair is how it should be if you are going to be truly objective in this reviewing lark.
The band hail from Warsaw in Poland, and have been knocking around since 2015, with a couple of EP’s and a debut album already under their belt, but by their own account they were not happy with that debut album, so I am curious to hear what this record delivers given that there have been fundamental line-up changes since then. In many ways this is a new start for the band, and definitely feels like the kind of energetic debut that young acts across the globe are delivering as they dip into the early 80’s and pick fusions of NWOBHM, Speed and Thrash metal like their parents and grandparents had not been doing that for the past forty years already…
Aquilla are definitely worshipping at that particular altar, with a well delivered cover depicting some epic SF battle scene, and which in the musicians’ case would appear to extend to diving into the 1980’s dressing up box for studded wristbands, leather trousers and waistcoats, with shirts optional (maybe they sold them off of their backs at their merch stall) judging from the accompanying photo. I have this sight in front of me when the spoken word intro of The Chronicles hits my ears. It’s so cheesy I start to think I might need to bail on this one, but the moment the music starts in earnest I’m in a whole new place. The look and the intro may be cheesy, but the music has a much more authentic and impactful edge.
Production wise they are following the trend of trying to sound like the music was cut on equipment hailing from that distant time, and musically this is straight ahead NWOBHM circa 1982, with just a hint of the arrangements of speed metal, with the likes of early Maiden, Saxon and Riot standing loudest to my ears. Lyrically these boys clearly have a deep love of the kind of Sci-Fi epics movies that have also been around since the 80’s, and that epic feel is distilled into the music as well, with the kind of arrangements and use of anthemic singalong chorus lines, power chord structures and riffage designed to raise the roof on any decent size venue you could name. Like the Power Metal movement, this ability to take an audience with you at a festival even if they don’t know your material is crucial, yet elusive for many acts.
To be honest I’m not that impacted by the concept and it only gets obviously intrusive when they cheesy spoken word bits intrude, but this is clearly intended, along with their stage gear, to be all part of the fun. And fun is what comes across loud and clear here. With a line up with names like Captain Paradox on vocals, Jaspar De Phaser on rhythm guitar, Kris Invader on lead guitar, Pete Slammer on the drums and the frankly epically monikered Hippie Banzai winning the best name for a bassist since Nasty Suicide, this is tongue in someone else’s cheek par excellence.
As for the songs themselves, they deliver the goods, with Paradox’s strong and well-ranged delivery wrapped in a charismatic phrasing and delivery, fronting a band that is musically very tight, fluid and cohesive. Even when taking on a ten-minute epic with The Prophet, they’ve taken care to not self-parody whilst crafting a strong and epic finish to their story. More importantly, the songs all stand up on their own independent of any concept and time passes swiftly, with the band clearly understanding that if you want an audience to listen to an album end to end for forty-nine minutes, you need to work hard and craft well. And that they do.
Original? No.
Derivative? Yes.
Reverential and bang on the head? Abso-frickin-lutely. 9/10
The band hail from Warsaw in Poland, and have been knocking around since 2015, with a couple of EP’s and a debut album already under their belt, but by their own account they were not happy with that debut album, so I am curious to hear what this record delivers given that there have been fundamental line-up changes since then. In many ways this is a new start for the band, and definitely feels like the kind of energetic debut that young acts across the globe are delivering as they dip into the early 80’s and pick fusions of NWOBHM, Speed and Thrash metal like their parents and grandparents had not been doing that for the past forty years already…
Aquilla are definitely worshipping at that particular altar, with a well delivered cover depicting some epic SF battle scene, and which in the musicians’ case would appear to extend to diving into the 1980’s dressing up box for studded wristbands, leather trousers and waistcoats, with shirts optional (maybe they sold them off of their backs at their merch stall) judging from the accompanying photo. I have this sight in front of me when the spoken word intro of The Chronicles hits my ears. It’s so cheesy I start to think I might need to bail on this one, but the moment the music starts in earnest I’m in a whole new place. The look and the intro may be cheesy, but the music has a much more authentic and impactful edge.
Production wise they are following the trend of trying to sound like the music was cut on equipment hailing from that distant time, and musically this is straight ahead NWOBHM circa 1982, with just a hint of the arrangements of speed metal, with the likes of early Maiden, Saxon and Riot standing loudest to my ears. Lyrically these boys clearly have a deep love of the kind of Sci-Fi epics movies that have also been around since the 80’s, and that epic feel is distilled into the music as well, with the kind of arrangements and use of anthemic singalong chorus lines, power chord structures and riffage designed to raise the roof on any decent size venue you could name. Like the Power Metal movement, this ability to take an audience with you at a festival even if they don’t know your material is crucial, yet elusive for many acts.
To be honest I’m not that impacted by the concept and it only gets obviously intrusive when they cheesy spoken word bits intrude, but this is clearly intended, along with their stage gear, to be all part of the fun. And fun is what comes across loud and clear here. With a line up with names like Captain Paradox on vocals, Jaspar De Phaser on rhythm guitar, Kris Invader on lead guitar, Pete Slammer on the drums and the frankly epically monikered Hippie Banzai winning the best name for a bassist since Nasty Suicide, this is tongue in someone else’s cheek par excellence.
As for the songs themselves, they deliver the goods, with Paradox’s strong and well-ranged delivery wrapped in a charismatic phrasing and delivery, fronting a band that is musically very tight, fluid and cohesive. Even when taking on a ten-minute epic with The Prophet, they’ve taken care to not self-parody whilst crafting a strong and epic finish to their story. More importantly, the songs all stand up on their own independent of any concept and time passes swiftly, with the band clearly understanding that if you want an audience to listen to an album end to end for forty-nine minutes, you need to work hard and craft well. And that they do.
Original? No.
Derivative? Yes.
Reverential and bang on the head? Abso-frickin-lutely. 9/10
Bastard Cröss– Crossripper (Morbid and Miserable Records) [Spike]
Philadelphia’s Bastard Cröss isn't here to make friends or to push the boundaries of technicality. They are here to give you Blackened Thrash in the proud, filthy tradition of bands who think Motörhead was too slow and Dissection needed more street-level violence. Crossripper is their full-length debut and it is exactly the kind of unholy racket the title promises.
This record is a nine-track barrage built for pure, high-velocity blasphemy. The sound is drenched in the grime of a low-budget horror flick, which makes sense, as the lyrical themes skip seamlessly between Lycan Knights and the documented brutality of religious history. The constant, frenzied speed is the engine here. Drummer Infernal Bastard and bassist Beheader Of Priests ensure the foundation is a relentless, punishing groove that rarely lets up.
The vocal attack is what gives Crossripper its signature snarl. Guitarists Blasphemous Axe and Heathen Chevalier share vocal duties, trading off between razor-acid shrieks and deeper, guttural pronouncements. This dual venom keeps tracks like the title track Crossripper and the blistering opener Parasitic feeling chaotic and unpredictable, like being jumped by two different maniacs in an alley. There is melody here, but it's the kind of sinister, catchy melody that seduces your soul right before the chaos resumes.
While some might argue that the album locks into one gear a bit too often, that is missing the point. The intention is immersion, not innovation. The thrash riffs on Satanic Pandemonium are designed for one thing: getting the pit moving like a cement mixer. They even briefly detour for the 80s cheese on Demons At Midnight, but it retains enough venom and crunch that it still works like a charm.
The album closes with Behead The Priest, a track that opens with an unsettling soundbite about "Evil, pure uncorrupted, ancient" before dissolving into a stomping, galloping drive. It is five minutes of pure savagery that finally, shockingly, drops into a moment of haunting, clean reflection at the end. It’s a sombre pause before the next wave of blasphemy. 8/10
Outlaw - Opus Mortis (AOP Records) [Mark Young]
And to properly round the week off comes Outlaw, with their latest platter Opus Mortus. Forming in 2015, their intent is to continue to bring (in their words) raw, visionary and unbound metal. It certainly starts on the front foot with Blaze Of Dissolution, a rapid jaunt through discord and double bass drumming. Almost immediately that promise of raw material is delivered straightaway, but this isn’t just a one-dimensional speed-fest. They bring in a touch of melody to proceedings which is good in its own right but starts to meander a little before they sort their direction of travel and get back to bashing heads. As openers go, it’s a decent start with all the key ingredients in place.
When Through The Infinite Darkness starts it was case of it almost being a carbon copy of the one before, such was the similarity in the melody line to Blaze. The speedy guitar gives way to a more harmonious guitar line that changes as the song progresses. Its an attempt in a way to inject a level of atmosphere to proceedings that wasn’t really necessary and sees the song run through the same lines in an attempt to stretch it to suit the run time. I was expecting more of the raw, gritty attack rather than a reliance on that repeated measure. Had this been half its length it would have achieved a greater effect, and I’m hoping that its not something that becomes the calling card of the album.
The Crimson Rose is next up, and that feeling of familiarity kicks in. It shares the same approach, the same methods of attack that on their own are fine to listen to but as the third of three it becomes a little samey. The day is saved on this one with the inclusion of a well-presented lead break and then them picking the speed back up. It cried out for more sledgehammer and less toffee hammer, delivered in what feels like a safe manner. The early raw promise seemingly disappearing.
A Million Midnights starts like the others, a repeated melody line before they kick it in properly. The concentration of using melodic measures when they should be dropping super hard riffs is frustrating to me. You appreciate it that they are trying something different with it but sometimes you need it to be brutal. Throw some bottom end in there, make it sound like the apocalypse is coming but above all don’t rely on one trick.
A Million Midnights starts like the others, a repeated melody line before they kick it in properly. The concentration of using melodic measures when they should be dropping super hard riffs is frustrating to me. You appreciate it that they are trying something different with it but sometimes you need it to be brutal. Throw some bottom end in there, make it sound like the apocalypse is coming but above all don’t rely on one trick.
In saying that they then go and drop Those Who Breathe Fire which is more like it. Of course it has a fast melodic line, but the main body of the song is some rapido riffing, which has been sorely missing. It’s a great example of a song that instead of following a certain formula the band go with it and as a result sounds fantastic. It’s a cracker where all of the little things come together in a superb manner.
It doesn’t last, as A Subtle Intimation returns to a safer black metal arrangement, bringing that style back into play. Its ok, it really is but it can’t compete with Those Who Breathe Fire. By the time Ruins Of Existence rolls around, I’ve lost the appetite to continue. Like the others, there is nothing wrong with it other than it doesn’t grab me as metal should. It continues to mine a particular stylistic seam without wanting to go too far from it. It’s likely that another set of ears will really dig this but not me.
Ultimately, its an album where the songs needed a ruthless touch applying to them. As I’ve mentioned, in isolation the songs are good, its when you put them together, they achieve a steady state or level that they rarely exceed. In their defence, they don’t dip below it either but for me it was missing an element of excitement, of wondering what was coming next. Some of these songs needed to be trimmed, be more aggressive and direct. Again, personal opinion being the wonderful thing that it is, somebody else will be more than enthused with what is being served here. 6/10
Ultimately, its an album where the songs needed a ruthless touch applying to them. As I’ve mentioned, in isolation the songs are good, its when you put them together, they achieve a steady state or level that they rarely exceed. In their defence, they don’t dip below it either but for me it was missing an element of excitement, of wondering what was coming next. Some of these songs needed to be trimmed, be more aggressive and direct. Again, personal opinion being the wonderful thing that it is, somebody else will be more than enthused with what is being served here. 6/10
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