Æther Realm are on the list of bands I've been noted to listen to but have never actually given them any time. I’ve seen them announce supporting slots of some of my favourite bands, but have never seen them. I’ve seen them advertised on websites, Spotify and other areas but never given them a listen. Until now. and I'm disappointed in myself for leaving it this long. Redneck Vikings is full of everything I've heard about the band. Symphonic elements left right and centre, done perfectly well. The crushing vocal ability of Vincent Jones is magical on top of the already heavy instrumentals. Drummer Tyler Gresham keeps the band in line with his drumming ability keeping pace between the blast beats that melt your face. The slow synth elements are haunting and beautiful, only to be filled with the crunchy riffs that pollute the album.
They take the Viking Metal aspect, which to be honest, has become somewhat of a laughing stock within the Metal community, pack it full of Melodic Death Metal riffs, vocals and atmosphere. Not that the North Carolina natives are copying anyone at all, they take the style made famous by bands such as Ensiferum and Finntroll and make their own twists and turns on the album to provide a backdrop to the beer-swigging times of yore. Closing the album with a vicious progressive instrumental, with a few added melodies and dynamics to die for, it’s a massively audacious end to the already fun album. This is shaping up to be one of the best albums of the year already. And with some time to go, this is already my number one pick. 10/10
Cryptic Shift: Visitations From Enceladus (Blood Harvest Records) [Charlie Rogers & Dr Claire Hanley]
Captain’s Log: Stardate 3/5/2020. We’ve received a transmission from a northern sector, colloquially known as “Leeds”. 47 minutes in length. Four distinct sections. Visitations From Enceladus reaches forth from the ether.
It’s hard to describe the opening track Moonbelt Immolator in a general way, since it is longer than most local bands’ set lists - and yet it’s engaging, keeps you mesmerised, fixated in a trance. The aural equivalent of a kaleidoscope. The track moves through passages, taking the listener on a journey, rather than the usual verse-chorus-verse pattern. There’s an expert use of dynamics, tempo shifts, and sonic textures. It sounds absolutely massive in places, and yet infinitesimally small in others (small, or just far, far away?). The mix is perfection - the bass playing is absolutely jaw dropping throughout, and it shares the spotlight with the dazzling guitarwork. At times, the haunting vocals are just out of earshot, adding to the mysterious vibe. Faint murmurs of a conversation you’re not entirely privy to. The chaos of the instrumentation masking the dark narration from beyond. Clocking in at just shy of 26 minutes, it’s reminiscent of the final track from Blood Incantation’s latest album. From the get go, Cryptic Shift give the Denver death metal maestros a serious run for their money, with both technical ability and masterful songwriting skills on display.
Up next on the album, (Petrified In The) Hypogean Gaol is a drastic departure from the inscrutable overture that precedes it. Holding nothing back, it blasts off straight into the riffs. With an upbeat feel, and infectious rhythm, the song maintains a high velocity for the most part, building towards a truly unique mid section. Here, the tonality takes on a more major form, creating a bright, excited feeling of hope and wonder, which crashes against the darker atmospheric parts. This is especially prominent in the solo section, which features backing riffs and soaring leads that wouldn’t be out of place on a Racer X record. In stark contrast, The Arctic Chasm opens with an eerie, foreboding texture. Ice cracking in the audio, you’re instantly transported to a desolate snowscape, peering over the edge of a deep fissure in the tundra. Tie up your Tauntaun. Cavernous growling invokes regret, as the Chasm seems to be home to more than frigid air. This is a serious headbanger. A blizzard of riffs, saturated with groove. Planetary Hypnosis closes the album with another dose of high energy. The drums are particularly thunderous, with punishing double kick ripping through the track.
A blend of themes from previous songs, it accelerates towards an unknown end, in an almost manic fashion. The outro, phasing out of reality, brings this masterpiece to it’s thrilling climax. Cryptic Shift are destined for greatness. It is inevitable. This is one of the most spectacular extreme metal records we’ve ever heard. Go buy this album, now. 10/10
Tombstoner: Descent To Madness (Redefining Darkness Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Tombstoner is formed of two sets of brothers from Staten Island, New York. They have been in operation for just over a year. This debut EP combines elements of old school death metal, grindcore, thrash, hardcore and brutal slam – a potent mix of intensity which snarls like a chained pit bull. The opening track is self-titled and is a raw, grinding beast whilst Filth Hole is aptly named. It’s gruesome, dirty and brutal; a battering mix of grinding thrash and fist in face death metal. Guttural vocals are no surprise on an EP of this style, but the amalgamation of vocals from bassist Thomas Megill and guitarist Jesse Quinones adds variation in delivery. The ferocious screaming on the explosive thrasher M.Y.F.B contrasting with the more familiar death metal growls elsewhere. There’s more riffage than at a guitar convention, think Power Trip or Gatecreeper. Guts is a pounding, muscular chunk of extreme, the thrash elements particularly pleasing. It’s bruising, punishing and as solid as the Welsh scrum circa 2019. If this is a taste of what is to come from Tombstoner, then bring on the full-length album as soon as possible. 8/10
The Outsider: From Ancient Gods And Forbidden Books (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Recorded using the 8 Dimensional Audio effect which for the uninitiated is "an effect applied to a stereo track where songs have been edited with spacial reverb and mixing to make it seem like the audio moving in a circle around your head" From Ancient Gods And Forbidden Books is the second full length record from The Outsider a one man project based out of Mexico City and it is his most out-there work to date. Unlike a lot of one-man projects this has a huge cinematic scope drawing from Middle-Eastern rhythms (check out the grooving Tabla based section of Primordial Abyssal Chaos) while also adding the orchestral swells of Septicflesh and Rotting Christ to the thumping electronics of Gary Numan to a epic death metal base that also leads into doom, drone, jazz and industrial soundscapes as well as using a real choir rather than effects.
When bands say avant-garde they usually mean a dash of progressive metal or some symphonic but in the same style as Igorrr The Outsider is a genre-defying 12 track record that dashed between various different sounds at random though never detracting from the track as a whole. As I said everything here has been written, arranged and performed by The Outsider from the brilliant drums, savage death metal guitars to the huge organs that close out The Wish That Became A Curse along with the fizzing electronics on tracks such as The Headless Horror where a black metal aggression also features heavily. Now the only additional musicianship here comes from extra vocalists Kristian Niemann (Sorcerer, ex-Therion), Kelly Shaefer (Atheist) and Rick Loera (The Legion Of Hetheria), who also recorded, mixed mastered and co-produced the record, all of them adding a little something different to the with The Outsider's growled delivery.
The only other musician here is on the jazzy Suicide Is Progress where there is a nifty sax solo from Jørgen Munkeby and some Phil Collins-like electronic drums from a track that is made for the 8D recording technique. From Ancient Gods And Forbidden Books is about as avant-garde as you can get in a record spinning tales of Eldritch horrors using every facet of musicality you can lay your hands on, the scope here is much to be admired and while it can be quite a daunting record to listen to, it also displays many times the talent of The Outsider. I urge you to listen to this album and decide for yourself as it's one that I found very difficult to describe. 7/10
Tombstoner is formed of two sets of brothers from Staten Island, New York. They have been in operation for just over a year. This debut EP combines elements of old school death metal, grindcore, thrash, hardcore and brutal slam – a potent mix of intensity which snarls like a chained pit bull. The opening track is self-titled and is a raw, grinding beast whilst Filth Hole is aptly named. It’s gruesome, dirty and brutal; a battering mix of grinding thrash and fist in face death metal. Guttural vocals are no surprise on an EP of this style, but the amalgamation of vocals from bassist Thomas Megill and guitarist Jesse Quinones adds variation in delivery. The ferocious screaming on the explosive thrasher M.Y.F.B contrasting with the more familiar death metal growls elsewhere. There’s more riffage than at a guitar convention, think Power Trip or Gatecreeper. Guts is a pounding, muscular chunk of extreme, the thrash elements particularly pleasing. It’s bruising, punishing and as solid as the Welsh scrum circa 2019. If this is a taste of what is to come from Tombstoner, then bring on the full-length album as soon as possible. 8/10
The Outsider: From Ancient Gods And Forbidden Books (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Recorded using the 8 Dimensional Audio effect which for the uninitiated is "an effect applied to a stereo track where songs have been edited with spacial reverb and mixing to make it seem like the audio moving in a circle around your head" From Ancient Gods And Forbidden Books is the second full length record from The Outsider a one man project based out of Mexico City and it is his most out-there work to date. Unlike a lot of one-man projects this has a huge cinematic scope drawing from Middle-Eastern rhythms (check out the grooving Tabla based section of Primordial Abyssal Chaos) while also adding the orchestral swells of Septicflesh and Rotting Christ to the thumping electronics of Gary Numan to a epic death metal base that also leads into doom, drone, jazz and industrial soundscapes as well as using a real choir rather than effects.
When bands say avant-garde they usually mean a dash of progressive metal or some symphonic but in the same style as Igorrr The Outsider is a genre-defying 12 track record that dashed between various different sounds at random though never detracting from the track as a whole. As I said everything here has been written, arranged and performed by The Outsider from the brilliant drums, savage death metal guitars to the huge organs that close out The Wish That Became A Curse along with the fizzing electronics on tracks such as The Headless Horror where a black metal aggression also features heavily. Now the only additional musicianship here comes from extra vocalists Kristian Niemann (Sorcerer, ex-Therion), Kelly Shaefer (Atheist) and Rick Loera (The Legion Of Hetheria), who also recorded, mixed mastered and co-produced the record, all of them adding a little something different to the with The Outsider's growled delivery.
The only other musician here is on the jazzy Suicide Is Progress where there is a nifty sax solo from Jørgen Munkeby and some Phil Collins-like electronic drums from a track that is made for the 8D recording technique. From Ancient Gods And Forbidden Books is about as avant-garde as you can get in a record spinning tales of Eldritch horrors using every facet of musicality you can lay your hands on, the scope here is much to be admired and while it can be quite a daunting record to listen to, it also displays many times the talent of The Outsider. I urge you to listen to this album and decide for yourself as it's one that I found very difficult to describe. 7/10
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