Viperous is the third album by Norwegian blackened death metal horde Vredehammer. Vredehammer are a band I have heard bits of in the past but never listened to a full album until now. I will definitely be checking out the Vredehammer back catalogue as Viperous is a magnificent album. The mastermind behind the band Per Valla is joined by returning guitarist Kristoffer Hansen and new drummer Schattendorn. A new element to the Vredehammer sound is the introduction of keyboards also played by Per Valla. Coined as 80’s horror keyboards they add an extra dimension of atmosphere perfectly complimenting the guitar riffs. The purists will probably despise the use of keyboards but that’s their loss. The 80’s horror keyboards kick off the album in the introduction of opening song Winds Of Dysphoria before a maelstrom of furious riffage, bludgeoning drums and ferocious vocals come stampeding out of the speakers.
This intensity does not let up for the duration of the album with songs such as Aggressor, Suffocate All Light, Skinwalker and Wounds dialling up the carnage to stupendous levels. Every now and then the violence is broken up by a quick drop to the keyboards before it comes crashing back in to devastating effect. The only song that differs is the closing From A Spark To A Withering Flame which dials down the pace but loses none of the malevolence and intensity of what has gone beforehand. It’s safe to say that I fucking loved Viperous. There were moments where I literally cackled with glee at the sheer levels of violence from the music abusing my eardrums and no doubt the eardrums of my neighbours. I absolutely adored the use of the keyboards which whilst adding something new to the Vredehammer sound did not detract from the core of the band. Black metal and death metal fans this is seriously one album that should not pass you by. 9/10
Svengahli: Nightmares Of Our Own Design EP (Self Released) [Rich Oliver]
Nightmares Of Our Own Design is the debut EP from Svengahli which is the side project of Exist bassist Alex Weber. It is somewhere in the realm of technical death metal and progressive metal with clear influences from bands such as Obscura and Gorguts and classic prog bands such as King Crimson. The EP is made up of four songs. Opening song Writing On The Wall is a near 10 minute opus of swirling and shifting technical progressive death metal. It is an incredibly complex piece of music and a real tour de force of musicianship. The next three tracks are the three part title track - Echoes Of Prejudice starts off mellow and relaxed with clean vocals before shifting to a very aggressive and discordant style and definitely is the most extreme song on the EP. Adrift is a short instrumental of dissonant soundscapes which segues into Our Hate Ignited which returns to the technical progressive death metal style of the opening song. This is a great little EP from Svengahli. Being written by a bass player the songs are very bass prominent and Alex Weber proves himself to be a phenomenal player as well as a competent vocalist both with his clean and harsh vocals. As with this genre it can be a bit style over substance but if this technical and progressive style of death metal is your thing then this is well worth your time. A decent and promising EP. 6/10
Naat: Fallen Oracles (Argonauta Records) [Alex Swift]
Creating a mood and illusion that is as apocalyptic as cohesive, on Fallen Oracles Naat deconstructs the conventions of metal to create an enrapturing experience. Sleepeater proves a menacing and tumultuous opener with the bass and synths battling for dominance over the mythical melody that pervades throughout, while the guitars create an ominous sense of threat as their eerie distortions alter and sway. Liquor gives off a gloomy and mesmerising aura, not unlike the feeling of being in that creepy yet calming space between sleep and awake. Here, the instrumentals carry a greater sense of melodic melancholy, with the ethereal instrumentals intersecting and playing to create dreamlike textures – often peaceful, sometimes nightmarish. In fact, the entire way in which these musicians utilise disquieting sonic textures to create a kind of dark serenity is fascinating!
Svengahli: Nightmares Of Our Own Design EP (Self Released) [Rich Oliver]
Nightmares Of Our Own Design is the debut EP from Svengahli which is the side project of Exist bassist Alex Weber. It is somewhere in the realm of technical death metal and progressive metal with clear influences from bands such as Obscura and Gorguts and classic prog bands such as King Crimson. The EP is made up of four songs. Opening song Writing On The Wall is a near 10 minute opus of swirling and shifting technical progressive death metal. It is an incredibly complex piece of music and a real tour de force of musicianship. The next three tracks are the three part title track - Echoes Of Prejudice starts off mellow and relaxed with clean vocals before shifting to a very aggressive and discordant style and definitely is the most extreme song on the EP. Adrift is a short instrumental of dissonant soundscapes which segues into Our Hate Ignited which returns to the technical progressive death metal style of the opening song. This is a great little EP from Svengahli. Being written by a bass player the songs are very bass prominent and Alex Weber proves himself to be a phenomenal player as well as a competent vocalist both with his clean and harsh vocals. As with this genre it can be a bit style over substance but if this technical and progressive style of death metal is your thing then this is well worth your time. A decent and promising EP. 6/10
Naat: Fallen Oracles (Argonauta Records) [Alex Swift]
Creating a mood and illusion that is as apocalyptic as cohesive, on Fallen Oracles Naat deconstructs the conventions of metal to create an enrapturing experience. Sleepeater proves a menacing and tumultuous opener with the bass and synths battling for dominance over the mythical melody that pervades throughout, while the guitars create an ominous sense of threat as their eerie distortions alter and sway. Liquor gives off a gloomy and mesmerising aura, not unlike the feeling of being in that creepy yet calming space between sleep and awake. Here, the instrumentals carry a greater sense of melodic melancholy, with the ethereal instrumentals intersecting and playing to create dreamlike textures – often peaceful, sometimes nightmarish. In fact, the entire way in which these musicians utilise disquieting sonic textures to create a kind of dark serenity is fascinating!
Where a moment like Relics might be viewed as a needless interlude on many albums, considering the wraithlike and tentative moods being toyed with here, the minimalism makes emotional sense. Nothing prepares us though, for The Moth – a thunderous and roaring piece, led by a riff sized like a monument to the gods – the percussion here is equally fascinating, carrying that idea of prominence and otherworldliness with erratic precision. Something that can be alleged for both this song and the record as a whole is of a determination to keep the ground shifting and shaking beneath your feet, so the minute you feel you’ve settled into stability, you are thrown off course to experience yet another aspect of Naat’s musical personality. Inner Shelter is another moment where the influences from traditional metal and blues are lurking, yet a sense of matchlessness still suffuses the uncanny rhythms, distortions, and abrasive production, so that an ever rattling sense of wildness may pervade.
That’s exactly how this track feels, like the inner soundtrack to one who is physically or mentally imprisoned, and whose thoughts lull from pernicious to pacific. Ether proves another scaled back piece, this time taking peacefulness and tranquillity as a guide. In triumphant style, The Highest Tower has an elated and exhaling aura. The rising and falling waves create a sense of harmony amongst the disarray, and from start, to finish there are grandiosity and ambition at play. While I have made clear before that I struggle with music without lyrics, after discovering more and more instrumental music that I love, I don’t know if that’s still accurate. Perhaps a better analysis was that I struggle with music without meaning, whether that’s with vocals or not. Naat, however, do not need to use any words to convey a sense of poignancy. I can interpret them and consider them in the same way as I would a piece of prose. Perhaps that should be the test of all music in the vein of Fallen Oracles. 8/10
No Kings No Slaves: New Lease Of Life (Self Released) [Liam True]
Metalcore from a European country always intrigues me, and I don’t exactly know why. Maybe it’s the fusion of other genres they use within their song writing that speaks to me. So you can imagine my interest peaked when this band were a combination of both modern Punk and Metalcore. The Ghost Inside meets Gallows/Pure Love is the only way to describe it. The vocals and instrumentals collide perfectly together in a way that creates an enjoyable listen as both gutturals & clean melodic vocals intertwine with each other to give off the perfect vibe for the record. Since their last EP in 2015 the band have been touring and working on this record. And they should be proud of this outcome. Granted it’s not the most original in the scene at the moment, but you can’t deny they’re experimenting with the sound and making their own way up the chain. 7/10
Metalcore from a European country always intrigues me, and I don’t exactly know why. Maybe it’s the fusion of other genres they use within their song writing that speaks to me. So you can imagine my interest peaked when this band were a combination of both modern Punk and Metalcore. The Ghost Inside meets Gallows/Pure Love is the only way to describe it. The vocals and instrumentals collide perfectly together in a way that creates an enjoyable listen as both gutturals & clean melodic vocals intertwine with each other to give off the perfect vibe for the record. Since their last EP in 2015 the band have been touring and working on this record. And they should be proud of this outcome. Granted it’s not the most original in the scene at the moment, but you can’t deny they’re experimenting with the sound and making their own way up the chain. 7/10
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