Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s the latest record from the Grandads of grindcore, the fathers of filth, the one and only, Napalm Death. This time it’s a mouthful, named Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism, and while the title doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, it rolls of the speakers infinitely better. Contained within are twelve utterly filthy tracks that grab you by the throat, and do not let go until they’re damn well finished. Throes... is yet another jewel in Napalm Death’s crown- they’ve had a remarkably consistent sound across their career, but it’s got just enough variation to keep things from getting stale. Among all the blast beats there’s even one or two slowed down tracks like Amoral and Invigorating Clutch- hell there’s even some French in there in the form of Joie De Ne Pas Vivre. I can’t say if grindcore experts will appreciate the variation, but I certainly appreciated the momentary respite.
Each song bristles with that evil energy, and the title track hits particularly hard. Barney’s vocals are still utterly vicious, and age doesn’t seem to be slowing him down one bit, nor anyone else here for that matter. The drums blast away with furious fervour beneath the monolithic riffs, and the lyrics still cut through to the bone just as they always have. The production is fresh and clean but doesn’t detract one bit from this album’s crushing and filthy sound. Overall, this album is yet another deadly weapon in Napalm Death’s tremendous arsenal, containing oodles of classical grindcore goodness, but also a healthy shot of experimentation to keep the whole thing feeling fresh. Fans are bound to love this album, and I’d have no hesitation recommending it to them. 8/10
1782/Acid Mammoth: Doom Sessions Vol. 2 (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Matt Bladen]
Back in July Paul S took the first installment of Heavy Psych Sounds' Doom Sessions Split EP's. That one featured the dense as a black hole sounds of Conan and Deadsmoke, this one lays at the altar of Satan with some occult doom stylings from Italians 1782, a band formed in honour of all the murdered 'witches' of that year.
1782/Acid Mammoth: Doom Sessions Vol. 2 (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Matt Bladen]
Back in July Paul S took the first installment of Heavy Psych Sounds' Doom Sessions Split EP's. That one featured the dense as a black hole sounds of Conan and Deadsmoke, this one lays at the altar of Satan with some occult doom stylings from Italians 1782, a band formed in honour of all the murdered 'witches' of that year.
Joining them are Greek mob Acid Mammoth who we have featured numerous times on the blog. So as before the EP is split between the two bands, the first three tracks come from the occult doomsters 1782 who take things into the Electric Wizard style of mind-bending psych fuzz on the trudging Hey Satan and their first track Bloody Ritual while they mix things up a little with the heavy Sabbath vibes of Witch Death Cult their longest, slowest cut.
I missed 1782's album from last year but their dramatic Satan worship has impressed with these three songs displaying the full dynamic range of the band. On the other hand Acid Mammoth's music, like I said, is very familiar to us and their three songs again show what these Greek occult stoners can do with Black Wedding having more of a early-Ghost vibe, as Sleepless Malice brings fuzzier realms as does closing number Cosmic Pyres which takes off into outer space through the medium of heavy stoner rock. Another great showcase of some of the shining lights on the Heavy Psych Sounds record label that's worth a punt if you like your doom. 7/10
Crafting The Conspiracy: The Cosmic Key, Part II (Innerstrength Records) [Liam True]
Deathcore is a genre you’d primarily think to be all about breakdowns, chugs and incomprehensible screaming. The majority of it is that, but then you come across the diamond in the rough that stands out in the wailing sea of agony and produces it’s own pedestal to stand on. The Cosmic Key, Part II is that that diamond in the rough fields of Deathcore. In a second of two EP’s, with Part I being released last year, it has a sizable amount of depth to it. Filled to the brim with guest vocalists, memorable riffs and song composition to die for, Crafting The Conspiracy have created a magnificent EP. Instrumental opener Prologue leans right into the vicious twist and turns of Autonomy Of Ascension, with guest vocals by Michael Alverez (Flub) & Jamie Hanks (I Declare War) they create a perfect noise complimented with the leading wails of Josh Miranda. The instrumentals themselves throughout the album are just terrific in their own right.
Crafting The Conspiracy: The Cosmic Key, Part II (Innerstrength Records) [Liam True]
Deathcore is a genre you’d primarily think to be all about breakdowns, chugs and incomprehensible screaming. The majority of it is that, but then you come across the diamond in the rough that stands out in the wailing sea of agony and produces it’s own pedestal to stand on. The Cosmic Key, Part II is that that diamond in the rough fields of Deathcore. In a second of two EP’s, with Part I being released last year, it has a sizable amount of depth to it. Filled to the brim with guest vocalists, memorable riffs and song composition to die for, Crafting The Conspiracy have created a magnificent EP. Instrumental opener Prologue leans right into the vicious twist and turns of Autonomy Of Ascension, with guest vocals by Michael Alverez (Flub) & Jamie Hanks (I Declare War) they create a perfect noise complimented with the leading wails of Josh Miranda. The instrumentals themselves throughout the album are just terrific in their own right.
The nimble fingers of guitarist Sebastian Bracamontes as he flies up and down the fretboard creating a slew of notes to make Alexi Laiho jealous. Bassist Marcus Williams creates the rumbling background noise with enough force to shatter the tectonic plates & drummer Gil Gon uses his octopus like appendages to make an apocalyptic noise. The slew of guest vocalists is impressive as Alverez & Hanks have already made a name for themselves in the scene you also have the angelic like voice of Christina Rotondo on Equilibrium that shows that even the heaviest of songs can sound amazing with high soaring cleans. Ending trio Cosmic Key Parts I – III are separately great songs and bring a lot to the table. Together back to back as one big orchestrated movement it’s a flawless end to the EP. With the mixture of blast beats and gritty guitars it’s a phenomenal end to the Texan four piece’s brilliant EP. 8/10
Hell In The Club: Hell Of Fame Score (Frontiers Records) [Steve Haines]
Italian rockers Hell In The Club have released their new album and it feels like an 80s/90s rock throwback. There’s nothing wrong with taking influences from the likes of Def Leppard and Motley Crue but when the record sounds like a peer of theirs rather than being influenced by them, for me it’s a problem unless you’re a parody act – though at times Hell In The Club edge dangerously towards that territory. The bulk of the songs feel like filler tracks from any 80s glam metal album you could think of – very formulaic and, well, they’re just there – not good, not bad, just making up the numbers. At the end of this bell shaped curve are the good and bad outliers. On the bad side, there’s Lullaby For An Angel which is the token ballad and even the name alone makes you want to retch with the saccharine sweetness of it.
Hell In The Club: Hell Of Fame Score (Frontiers Records) [Steve Haines]
Italian rockers Hell In The Club have released their new album and it feels like an 80s/90s rock throwback. There’s nothing wrong with taking influences from the likes of Def Leppard and Motley Crue but when the record sounds like a peer of theirs rather than being influenced by them, for me it’s a problem unless you’re a parody act – though at times Hell In The Club edge dangerously towards that territory. The bulk of the songs feel like filler tracks from any 80s glam metal album you could think of – very formulaic and, well, they’re just there – not good, not bad, just making up the numbers. At the end of this bell shaped curve are the good and bad outliers. On the bad side, there’s Lullaby For An Angel which is the token ballad and even the name alone makes you want to retch with the saccharine sweetness of it.
This ballad ticks every box for 80s rock ballads. Also, we have Joker; nothing wrong with the song musically, but lyrically it’s clearly based on DC’s Joker which feels like jumping on a saturated bandwagon. On the plus side, there are a few better tracks: Tokyo Lights and the poorly named but musically good Lucifer’s Magic are pretty good songs but the big irony for a band putting such faith in nostalgia is that the best song is called Nostalgia. Here it sounds like the band have their own voice and have something to say. The driving drums and guitars lend an urgency to the song that makes the end result stronger. Overall, this album will be loved by fans of 80s rock, though they will find nothing new here. General rock and metal fans may like it but perhaps be put off by how dated it feels. 6/10
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