Nox Irae have been in existence since 2015. The french four piece have recorded one demo in 2016’s Night Without Return. Here The Dead Live is the band's first EP. Nox Irae play either Thrashy Death metal or Deathy Thrash, it’s a mix of the two styles, with the emphasis on the Death. Phantom Parasite Trauma kicks things of in an explosive way as we are dropped strait into an insane solo that is very early Slayer in style. The rest of the song is blastingly fast death metal. The vocals are harsh and effective throughout the album. All Is Over is mid-paced but driving and powerful. There is a slight chuggy, thrashy feel to the song, and it has a very powerful ending.
Knife Under Throat is probably the most thrashy track on the album, it has a very good chorus and a cracking solo. Cold Wind vacillates between huge and heavy, and savage old school death metal, which is a very pleasing juxtaposition. Primordial Lie is mid-paced but has loads of energy, and a crushingly heavy and slow ending. The EP is brought to an end with Supposed Dead, another chuggy thrasher, that is beautifully melodic and a great way to bring Here Lie The Dead to an end. Nox Irae might not have been going for very long, and this is only the first thing the band have released, but this is a great EP. The band has clearly hit the ground running, this is packed with great riffs, great (blast) beats, and some very impressive grooves. I’ve really enjoyed listening to it, an I am now looking forward to a full length album so I can enjoy the band for longer. Great piece of work! 8/10
The 69 Eyes: West End (Nuclear Blast) [Manus Hopkins]
The 69 Eyes’ West End comes just in time to keep up the band’s consistent output, as they’ve released an album every two to three years since 1992. For the most part, West End is an enjoyable record, despite its air of commercialism. Not that it doesn’t hit hard when it hits, but there’s just something a little bit too friendly in these songs that sound as if they could be so much more sinister. The album kicks off with one its stronger pieces, Two Horns Up. It’s fitting that this track features a guest vocal by Dani Filth, as it’s got an undeniable very Cradle Of Filth sound about it, albeit a little lighter than most of Filth’s music. Slower, creepier songs like Change bring forth the band’s gothic elements, making use of piano and strings to accentuate the dramatic melodies. Another stronger work on the record is Burn Witch Burn, which sounds lie it would make an excellent live song. West End is a solid effort that is fits well in The 69 Eyes’ catalogue and adds some fine new weapons to their musical arsenal. 7/10
Creeping Flesh: Into The Meat Grinder (Growls From The Underground) [Paul Scoble]
Creeping Flesh have been making nasty music since 2013. In the intervening time they have produced 2 EP’s in 2014 and 2015, this album is the five piece’s first album. The main sound on Into The Meat Grinder is old school death metal, but of the slower and heavier kind. The vocals are harsh and nasty, which works very well, with the mainly war/military themed lyrics. The production job isn’t bad, the guitars could have a little bit more crunch to them, but I think that might just my personal taste, and me being a little picky. The band do speed things up in places, the second half of the track Black Twisted is nice and fast, and batters the audience. Meat Grinder is another track where the tempo picks up and things get speedy.
For the most part though, this is a slow and heavy album, rather than blast beat heavy death metal. However, don’t take that as a criticism; Creeping Flesh are very good at slow and crushingly heavy. Tank Core Unleashed is heavy and brooding, it feels unstoppable; battering the listener into submission. Panzerfaust Sacrifice has a relentless quality that I really enjoyed, it felt driving and unrelenting. The riffs are very well written, slow but full of melody and drive. The second half of the track Bones Of The Conquered has some of the best slow riffs on the album. They drip with tritones, and sound just a little bit like Bolt Thrower (slow, nasty, military themed Old School Death metal? There's no way I was going to get through this review without mentioning Bolt Thrower at some point).
Although there is a lot to like about this album, as with most things in life, it isn’t perfect. The risk of doing slow and heavy Death Metal is that if it doesn’t work, there is a possibility that things might end up being, well, boring. This album does suffer from this a little bit (It is only a little bit, but I have to mention it, if it’s there). The track Zaamurets does feel a little plodding and lacklustre in places. The track Shtrafbat has the same problem, just that little bit of sagging in the riffage, it isn’t all through the track, but it does effect your enjoyment of the song. Into The Meat Grinder is a very good album. It’s driving and powerful, it does slow Death metal very well. It’s a shame that in a few small places it looses the drive that most of the songs have, but it’s only in a few places. It’s only the bands first album, so this isn’t in any way a disaster, for a first try this is stunning. This could have been a fantastic album, but for a few riffs. However, it is a very, very good Death Metal album, there’s plenty of time for perfection. 7/10
Sleeping With Sirens: How It Feels To Be Lost (Sumerian) [Manus Hopkins]
It has to be asked why Sleeping With Sirens is even bothering to release new music in 2019. Earlier this decade, they were among a charge of bands that seemed about to take over the world—fortunately, the teenage fans lost interest when they outgrew their scene phases. In order to remain relevant, bands like Sleeping With Sirens would have had to mature with their fans. It doesn’t even take a full listen of How It Feels To Be Lost to know that hasn’t happened. It’s hard to decide whether the lyrics or the vocals themselves are more high school-sounding. They’re accompanied by easily forgettable, tired and typical metalcore chugs and breakdowns. It’s difficult to tell to whom this record is geared—Sleeping With Sirens’ “old-school” fans are in their 20s now, and hopefully no longer concerned with the vacuous teenage drama problems the album centers around, and the kids today have plenty of new, younger boy bands to listen to. It might be time for Sleeping With Sirens, instead of asking How It Feels To Be Lost, to ask how it feels to be a bunch of men in their 30s. 0/10
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