Omega Infinity comprises Tentakel P from Todtgelichter and Xen from Ne Obliviscaris and they have come together to release what I believe is their second album via Season of Mist and it is a strong, vital effort from the them with some great guest spots too,
Drawing from the wellspring that is Phase 1 black metal for this, the second release from the two-piece Omega Infinity is surprisingly melodic and thought out and it has to be said that I couldn’t hear the link between these and say Hellhammer or Venom. I guess its in the attitude of how they play and the themes they write about as opposed to how it sounds.
Starting on a wave of feedback Rotten Fester Decay then introduces the scuzzy, lo-fi, dirty riffs we heard back in 1989 and is a slow and sludgy beginning until the last minute or so that slightly picks up the pace and leads directly into Hash The Tongue which is exactly what you expect it to sound like, its fast and the riffs are again sczuzzy and the vocals sound like they have been recorded in a puddle.
Stench Of Decay lumbers forward at 3:38 it is something of an epic, its all starts off well enough and the guitars cut and vocals slice through nicely before it all sloooooooooowssss down and we get the first proper introduction to the bass rumble that has clearly been there but struggles to compete but here it finally shines before a wail of the guitar smashes everything back together for one last hurrah and the riff at the end also shows that there is more here than you might expect, its crisp and bouncy and a real winner. Psychopharmacist is a full-on grind assault for 20 seconds before fading back in with a probably not needed ending?
I really tried my best all the way through this review not to mention the C word BUT, as good as this is, I feel they sound EXACTLY like Carcass did 34 years ago which isn’t a crime but that was edgy and groundbreaking THEN, not now! While Reality Rotten To The Core is fun to listen to it, I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s been done before and doesn’t need to be rehashed. Try something new and you will be rewarded, copy something and you will be derided. Sorry boys, it was a brave and fun try but just not original enough for me to really love it. 6/10
Drawing from the wellspring that is Phase 1 black metal for this, the second release from the two-piece Omega Infinity is surprisingly melodic and thought out and it has to be said that I couldn’t hear the link between these and say Hellhammer or Venom. I guess its in the attitude of how they play and the themes they write about as opposed to how it sounds.
There is a great cover of Emperor included as a bonus track which just rips. It’s not brutality for brutalities sake as they navigate their way through the seven original tracks on here taking that influence and adding their own stamp to it with keys, ambient background noise and better production.
Vocally, it’s a really strong effort that doesn’t just rely on shrieks, there are some deep growling going on and fits each song. The songs where they have guest vocalists in each song where nothing is added unless it fits and makes the song stronger. Each song is separate from the one before in terms of the music within but continues to follow the concept of development that is the backbone of this album.
It’s not just a normal Black Metal release, it takes influence from early band but somehow applies a third wave filter that suggests that their ambitions go beyond that style. However, what is stopping me from giving this a higher mark is the length of the seventh track which given its twists and turns is just too long.
Overall, Its heavy, its fast, its brutal and its great. 8/10
To The Grave - Directors Cut (Unique Leader) [GC]
I didn’t get any sort of press pack for this album, (My Bad - Ed) so after a quick check online I can see that To The Grave have been around since 2010 and had a handful of releases, of which I have heard none! They are described as deathcore which is a genre that can be two things completely awesome or total dogshit, time to find out where these lads fit into it!
I almost skipped opener Warning Shot as I (wrongly) believed it would be some pointless intro track, IT IS NOT! To my joy it is actually a minute of brutal beatdown riffs, devastating drums and scattergun lyrics that mix so many styles together I don’t know what has hit me!! What a fucking start that was!! Red Dot Sight bulldozes its way through your skull next and again is full of big fat chuggy riffs and beatdowns galore and the drumming is a thing of beauty, there is not on ounce of subtlety on offer here and neither should there be as to water this type of anger down would be a crime, to try and compare it for a reference, I get a mix of Thy Art Is Murder & Emmure which is not a bad thing!
Full Sequence starts of with a squeaky, djenty string bending riff and again gets straight into the brutality courtesy of some unhinged vocals and destructive drum work, everything is turned up to maximum violence and doesn’t relent from start to finish, then B.D.T.S almost threatens to slow down the barrage as it begins with a moody spoken word intro but, before long explodes into life and I can imagine that this song live is going to be destroying venues far and wide very soon.
Vocally, it’s a really strong effort that doesn’t just rely on shrieks, there are some deep growling going on and fits each song. The songs where they have guest vocalists in each song where nothing is added unless it fits and makes the song stronger. Each song is separate from the one before in terms of the music within but continues to follow the concept of development that is the backbone of this album.
It’s not just a normal Black Metal release, it takes influence from early band but somehow applies a third wave filter that suggests that their ambitions go beyond that style. However, what is stopping me from giving this a higher mark is the length of the seventh track which given its twists and turns is just too long.
Overall, Its heavy, its fast, its brutal and its great. 8/10
To The Grave - Directors Cut (Unique Leader) [GC]
I didn’t get any sort of press pack for this album, (My Bad - Ed) so after a quick check online I can see that To The Grave have been around since 2010 and had a handful of releases, of which I have heard none! They are described as deathcore which is a genre that can be two things completely awesome or total dogshit, time to find out where these lads fit into it!
I almost skipped opener Warning Shot as I (wrongly) believed it would be some pointless intro track, IT IS NOT! To my joy it is actually a minute of brutal beatdown riffs, devastating drums and scattergun lyrics that mix so many styles together I don’t know what has hit me!! What a fucking start that was!! Red Dot Sight bulldozes its way through your skull next and again is full of big fat chuggy riffs and beatdowns galore and the drumming is a thing of beauty, there is not on ounce of subtlety on offer here and neither should there be as to water this type of anger down would be a crime, to try and compare it for a reference, I get a mix of Thy Art Is Murder & Emmure which is not a bad thing!
Full Sequence starts of with a squeaky, djenty string bending riff and again gets straight into the brutality courtesy of some unhinged vocals and destructive drum work, everything is turned up to maximum violence and doesn’t relent from start to finish, then B.D.T.S almost threatens to slow down the barrage as it begins with a moody spoken word intro but, before long explodes into life and I can imagine that this song live is going to be destroying venues far and wide very soon.
Protest Sever has a big bouncy riff as the main weapon of attack and has atmospherics running through to add another layer to the pummelling and create an almost uneasy feeling while listening and the midpoint beatdown of this track to the end of the song is a work of art, hang it in the Louvre as they say! Manhunt does nothing to slow down the pace and the vocals on offer here just continue to impress and get better and better, a truly remarkable performance!
At the halfway point, I think I have only one criticism so far, if you were to pick this up for the first time and not be too familiar with deathcore you might get a bit overwhelmed and not really get it, because as much as I love this type of music it is getting slightly repetitive. Just as I say that next track Found Footage starts out as an eerie spoken track, morphs into a slow burning monster and then sprawls into a beautiful droning beast of a song and to be honest it’s kind of a relief that they are trying something slightly different but, then Axe Of Kindness is also a more straight forward death metal song and obviously does have their style all the way through it but does offer that bit more substance and variation and again the end section is just a thing of beauty!
At the halfway point, I think I have only one criticism so far, if you were to pick this up for the first time and not be too familiar with deathcore you might get a bit overwhelmed and not really get it, because as much as I love this type of music it is getting slightly repetitive. Just as I say that next track Found Footage starts out as an eerie spoken track, morphs into a slow burning monster and then sprawls into a beautiful droning beast of a song and to be honest it’s kind of a relief that they are trying something slightly different but, then Axe Of Kindness is also a more straight forward death metal song and obviously does have their style all the way through it but does offer that bit more substance and variation and again the end section is just a thing of beauty!
Reversing The Bear Trap is decent enough but just feels a bit, meh? Just didn’t really like it, seems like it might have just been an afterthought and added at last minute, Shame. Cut Off The Head is then just a straight up monster and back to what they do best big chugging riffs, bowel shaking drums and disgusting lyrics, one of the highlights of the whole album for me! Then its onto Die, Rise to close the album and unfortunately at 8:30 seconds it is far too long and although they do mix everything into one sprawling track that encompasses all they have to offer, it loses me halfway through which is a shame to end that way.
Having gone in completely blind, I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard. Sure there is not a whole ton a variety and if you want to get lost in an album this isn’t the one, this is a brutal and uncompromising fuck you , if you don’t like it I am sure To The Grave will not give on single solitary fuck and that the beauty of what is on offer here, its violent, its angry, its belligerent and most of all its fucking ace to listen too. 8/10
Ontborg - Following The Steps Of Damnation (Black Lion) [Mark Young]
Wasting no time with acoustic introductions or discordant keyboards, Ontborg kick off with the steady and dependable HM2 tone that fans of early 90s Swedish death metal will love. The one thing about these guys is that they are as far removed from Sweden as I am, hailing from Italy and I had absolutely no idea until I read about them online. The fact that they are Italian and have managed to get that Swedish sound captured is one of the great things about Ontborg.
This is their second album, having signed with Black Lion in 2022 and is one of my favourites for 2023 which considering we are only in February is remarkable. Its just pure metal, and KNOWS it is metal. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre it just wants to show you what they can do, and it does.
Having gone in completely blind, I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard. Sure there is not a whole ton a variety and if you want to get lost in an album this isn’t the one, this is a brutal and uncompromising fuck you , if you don’t like it I am sure To The Grave will not give on single solitary fuck and that the beauty of what is on offer here, its violent, its angry, its belligerent and most of all its fucking ace to listen too. 8/10
Ontborg - Following The Steps Of Damnation (Black Lion) [Mark Young]
Wasting no time with acoustic introductions or discordant keyboards, Ontborg kick off with the steady and dependable HM2 tone that fans of early 90s Swedish death metal will love. The one thing about these guys is that they are as far removed from Sweden as I am, hailing from Italy and I had absolutely no idea until I read about them online. The fact that they are Italian and have managed to get that Swedish sound captured is one of the great things about Ontborg.
This is their second album, having signed with Black Lion in 2022 and is one of my favourites for 2023 which considering we are only in February is remarkable. Its just pure metal, and KNOWS it is metal. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre it just wants to show you what they can do, and it does.
None of the songs sound contrived or by the numbers but what you do find is that even with the best exponents of Swedish melodeath and to an extent the HM2 sound, some of the tracks can lose their individuality and it is no exception here. To the North slows things down to give us a probably the most epic track here and you can imagine that live this would be an absolute stormer.
The ten tracks here show that Ontborg have done some great work, it’s not flashy or full of solos or keyboards it is just here is some heavy metal, no frills, just fast, heavy, and well executed. It could have benefited from maybe keeping the song length shorter but that is a minor quibble on my part. One thing that this album does well is the ability to make you nod your head at your desk which is always a good thing.
The ten tracks here show that Ontborg have done some great work, it’s not flashy or full of solos or keyboards it is just here is some heavy metal, no frills, just fast, heavy, and well executed. It could have benefited from maybe keeping the song length shorter but that is a minor quibble on my part. One thing that this album does well is the ability to make you nod your head at your desk which is always a good thing.
They have taken not just the sound and made each song memorable; they have somehow channelled a Scandinavian feel which brings old school and new phase death metal together. 7/10
Festerdecay - Reality Rotten To The Core (Everlasting Spew Records) [GC]
As soon as you see the cover of Reality Rotten To The Core you know EXACTLY what this is going to be, basically its Symphonies Of Sickness by Carcass but in 2023. Festerdecay are from Japan and have the aim to revive goregrind, they do say imitation is the best form of flattery after all.
Festerdecay - Reality Rotten To The Core (Everlasting Spew Records) [GC]
As soon as you see the cover of Reality Rotten To The Core you know EXACTLY what this is going to be, basically its Symphonies Of Sickness by Carcass but in 2023. Festerdecay are from Japan and have the aim to revive goregrind, they do say imitation is the best form of flattery after all.
Starting on a wave of feedback Rotten Fester Decay then introduces the scuzzy, lo-fi, dirty riffs we heard back in 1989 and is a slow and sludgy beginning until the last minute or so that slightly picks up the pace and leads directly into Hash The Tongue which is exactly what you expect it to sound like, its fast and the riffs are again sczuzzy and the vocals sound like they have been recorded in a puddle.
Fall In Grind flows from this and slows down a bit and leads with a bass intro that sounds like it could actually be the guitars again such is the way with goregrind but when the guitars do kick in the riff is actually pretty solid and packs a decent rhythm to get to paying attention and when it kicks off the main part of the song actually ties everything together pretty well.
Disintegration of Organs keeps on with the slowed down intro and the vocals actually stand out well here finally finding a way to shine through the muddy sound, it stays slow before blasting on from midway until the end and it’s good to also note the riffs really stand out here, Aborticide starts off with a completely unnecessary sample of a baby crying, so you know? You get that it’s violent and gory! The song itself is decent enough and grinds away nicely.
Stench Of Decay lumbers forward at 3:38 it is something of an epic, its all starts off well enough and the guitars cut and vocals slice through nicely before it all sloooooooooowssss down and we get the first proper introduction to the bass rumble that has clearly been there but struggles to compete but here it finally shines before a wail of the guitar smashes everything back together for one last hurrah and the riff at the end also shows that there is more here than you might expect, its crisp and bouncy and a real winner. Psychopharmacist is a full-on grind assault for 20 seconds before fading back in with a probably not needed ending?
From The Dark Tomb is practically in instrumental for most of its 2:45 running time and shows they can introduce some death metal into the mix before they throw some grind in at the end for good measure. Exposing the Skin Tissue is another all out grind blast, with a great buzzsaw riff shinning and the vocals taking on a Spazz style vibe midway through which also moulds that part of the song into an old school hardcore track which made me smile.
Carcasses Revenge is a big, brutish, swaggering monster that weaves death metal into grind and keeps a solid pace with both, probably one of, if not the best song on the album, and so next its Cryptic Wounds which is a blur of guitar wails, scuzzy riffs, muddy vocals and pounding drums, before criminally we finally get the first sub minute track of this grindcore album Liquidized Gallbladder and it’s a beauty, bass intro, smash into the verse, guitar wails, done! This album needed more of this!
Scum’s Karma again falls back on the tried and tested lo-fi death metal meets grindcore scuzz fest. Then we get the most ‘’swallowed a medical textbook’’ track of all Reconstruction Of Malignant Miasma which is the longest track on the whole album and it’s a doozy! Big death metal riffs to start off with, more of the low-end bass rumble permeates throughout and the hardcore vocals take the lead and it’s a delight, the groove and flow continues all the way through until the end grind section which is just utter chaos and the perfect way to finish.
I really tried my best all the way through this review not to mention the C word BUT, as good as this is, I feel they sound EXACTLY like Carcass did 34 years ago which isn’t a crime but that was edgy and groundbreaking THEN, not now! While Reality Rotten To The Core is fun to listen to it, I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s been done before and doesn’t need to be rehashed. Try something new and you will be rewarded, copy something and you will be derided. Sorry boys, it was a brave and fun try but just not original enough for me to really love it. 6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment