Reviews: Undeath, Bodysnatcher, Incite, Axel Rudi Pell (Reviews By Matt Cook & Matt Bladen)

Undeath – It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave (Prosthetic Records) [Matt Cook]

If you’ve ever found yourself partaking in a night of debauchery at your local cemetery and needed a soundtrack to accompany you, well, here it is (and you might also want to talk to someone about that).
Undeath – the New-York based death metallers who burst on the scene thanks to 2020’s Lesions Of A Different Kind – are back and grimier than ever. It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave is archaic in its vocal production, gnarly in its instrumentation and another notch in the five-piece’s blood-stained belt. 

Before long, it’ll have you moshing over the corpses of strangers buried decades ago. There is no shortage of galloping, dashing riffs (Rise From The Grave, especially) or headbanging-inducing madness (Fiend For Corpses, Funeral Within). Frontman Alexander Jones (luckily not that one) is measured in his approach of OSDM. It hardly sounds phony or artificial. There is purpose and meaning in his attack, and with the help of Matt Browning mercilessly thrashing his drum set, it makes for a rollicking good time. Additionally, the dual threat of axemen Kyle Beam and Jared Welch offer pristine chug on Necrobionics and hellacious soloing on opener Fiend For Corpses. 

It’s reassuring that in 2022, Death Metal isn’t overly produced or transforming into some modern garbage that fans of the 90s’ scene would scoff at. And Undeath is becoming a forerunner in that respect. At times brooding and menacing but also weighty and dense, It’s Time… should please fans of the genre. It’s challenging not to get overly excited about what the future holds for Undeath. Merely two full-lengths into their career, these guys clearly possess the attitude, the finesse and the filth required to lead the charge in keeping Death Metal sounding primitive and petrifying.
8/10

Bodysnatcher – Bleed-Abide (MNRK Heavy] [Matt Cook]

Named in reference to Ed Gein, Bodysnatcher built their third album with aggressive one-liners, plenty of breakdowns and extremely exceptional Hardcore vocals. Bleed-Abide proves the Floridian four piece are here to stay, and have every right to grace the scene with their fiery brand of Deathcore. Vocalist Kyle Medina is not afraid to voice his anger and hatred, with lyrics such as ‘I don’t need your fucking help’ (Abide), ‘Complain a little more, you selfish bitch’ (Value Through Suffering) and ‘I’m scared I don’t have a soul’ (Wired For Destruction). 

There is a brooding breakdown which ends Absolved Of The Strings And Stone and thankfully, we also get a pig squeal on Flatline. But I couldn’t shake the fact that Medina’s Hardcore delivery (in the same vein as The Ghost Inside) is as raw as it is polished, angry as it is pleasing. Bodysnatcher presents a magnificent combination of Death Metal and Hardcore, but with an emphasis on the latter that isn’t always apparent within the genre. Also, funnily enough, three-fourths of the band is named Kyle (sorry, Chris Whited). The album closes with The Question. Aptly, it commences with a breakdown and builds up to a crushing composition. The guitars pound and reverberate, and the drums sizzle and scream. 

Appropriately, Medina chooses to sign off with an extended, yelled-word, emotional section that further solidifies his imposing presence. Bleed-Abide is instantly a listenable compilation of 13 songs. It’s such an easy playthrough that never seems to become stale or like it’s white noise in the background. It commands your attention from front to back. It punishes you for listening yet awards you for sticking around. 8/10

Incite - Wake Up Dead (Atomic Fire) [Matt Bladen]

When any band features a Cavalera in it expect violence. Incite are no different, and on Wake Up Dead (does MegaDave know it's called this?), Richie Cavalera stepson of Soulfly/Sepultura frontman Max, is supporting that family name well with Incite, when it comes to bringing battering groove driven thrash. Wake Up Dead is their sixth album and comes with all the traits you'd want from any record carrying a Cavalera name. It's got blasting speedsters that are down with a crossover thrash attitude, while tracks such as War Soup bring that stomping groove of Soulfly as Max males an appearance. 

This record is split into two discs, the first full of new tracks and the second new versions of tracks from previous albums. Incite have successfully carved their own niche with their music, the traditional Cavalera sounds are there but Incite take from bands such as Machine Head and Lamb Of God too that modern thrash style cut through with groove and core touches. New guitarist Eli Santana shreds up a storm throughout but really if you're a fan of Incite from before you'll dig the nastiness of Wake Up Dead, however they don't break any new ground. 7/10

Axel Rudi Pell - Lost XXIII (Steamhammer/SPV) [Matt Bladen]

I said in my FM review a while ago that familiarity is sometimes a good thing. Axel Rudi Pell is a one of those acts that brings familiarity. He hasn't shifted his style for many years concentrating on playing guitar driven melodic rock with flashes of metal, massive ballads and six string virtuosity. He has released countless albums and compilations, creating a loyal fan base and name recognition as well. 

Even if you didn't know the style you'd know the name just due to how prolific he is as a performer. Lost XXIII is actually his 21st studio album (sorry Roman Numeral fans) and features all of the things that have been present on ARP's solo career, there's NWOBHM on Follow The Beast, bar room rock on Down On The Street, and big epics such as the Maidenesque Gone With The Wind all having that typical ARP slickness. Again Pell's band consists of bassist Volker Krawczak, keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg, drummer Bobby Rondinelli and singer Johnny Gioeli, they are all at the top of their games musically delivering the melodic rock with passion and power. 

If you were to show someone what ARP have been doing all these years, like with any of his records, Lost XXIII provides a blueprint. Not necessarily interchangeable but just consistent. The record finishes with the 8 minute title track satisfying that ARP and his crew are still going strong. 7/10