Texas Death Metallers Frozen Soul return once more to unleash some cold-blooded, bone-chilling destruction with their new album Glacial Domination. Immediately setting the tone for the album is its opener Invisible Tormentor which has subtle sci-fi tones amongst unforgiving riffs & drum patterns, this is then followed up with a track that Memoriam's Karl Willetts would be proud of Arsenal Of War
The ferocity & intensity continues with the short sharp Death And Glory whilst Morbid Effigy sounds like something straight out of a John Carpenter movie as too does the short follow-up instrumental track Annihilation. The title track Glacial Domination keeps a steady pace with immediately catchy riffs & solos with early Amon Amarth tinges, with the follow-up track Frozen Soul once again experimenting with science fiction. The combination of these two tracks makes up my favourite section of the album.
Forging on with Assimilator & Best Served Cold" it's clear that Frozen Soul are laying the groundwork to take their spot as death metal heavyweights and as the album progresses to Abominable & final track Atomic Winter it's safe to assume that when Glacial Domination is unleashed to the masses the band will be standing high and proud on top of that ice topped mountain.
Absolute Article Annihilation. 8/10
Moor - Heavy Heart (Blood Blast/Believe) [Paul Scoble]
Heavy Heart is the first album by Hamburg based band Moor. The lineup that recorded this album was made up of Erüment Kasalar on guitar and vocals, Christian Smukal on bass, Ben Laging on guitars, David Kaisar on guitars, and Chad Popple on drums. The band members have had experience in several other bands such as Tephra, Sport, The Ocean, Gorge Trio or Rha.
The reason I have referred to the lineup that recorded this album rather than Moor's current lineup, is for tragic reasons. In 2022 Christian Smukal and Ben Laging were diagnosed with Cancer. Later that year founding member and bass played Christian Smukal lost his battle with Cancer. Heavy Heart is a very apt title for Christians last recording, forming a part of his musical legacy and a tribute to his memory. “For Me, its a gift to be a part of Christian’s last recordings” says guitarist David Kaiser, “Everything we did during that time, all the strokes of fate we went through together formed this Heavy heart, and it will keep on Beating”.
The style of music on Heavy Heart is broadly doom, but not of the traditional Black Sabbath worship or Stoner, this is of a far more murky and dense sound closer to Neurosis, Drown or Omega Massif. Dark, thick and impenetrable riffs with mostly harsh vocals batter the listener, there is a sludgy feel to some of this, not overt, but more in how some sections have a furious aggressive aura. The sound is fairly simple, but relies on dynamics to build the songs, this album is all about ebb and flow, minimal sections with clean guitar juxtaposition with huge aggressively heavy riffs and in some places lots of dissonance.
A good example of the bands main sound is the opening and title track Heavy Heart. Built out of heavy and opaque riffs that drive forward in a purposeful way, the vocals are harsh and aggressive, and get more so as the song progresses. Heavy Heart builds as it goes, not in tempo but in intensity, and when it has reached its zenith the song abruptly ends. Restless has a similar feel to it, riffs that are slow and almost ridiculously heavy build throughout the song to become some of the heaviest I have heard. The track does have a section in the middle where the riffs feel much more expansive, with softer clean vocals, but the abiding feeling is of monumental heaviness.
Under Your Wings is an interesting song. The track features a riff with a simple melody that stands out as melody is only used sparingly on this album, but when Moor do use it, it shines out and is very effective. As with everything on this album the dynamics are impressive, the song vacillates between this riff with a simple melodious feel and much softer, minimal sections giving the song a beautiful ebb and flow that is very powerful.
The song that I probably find the most fascinating is the track Pale Grey Snow. This track has a slow measured pace and layered riffs. These layered riffs interact in a way that gives a sense of dissonance, where one guitar holds a note it feels inharmonious and this adds an extra piece of nastiness in to the mix that really works well. The song has a less aggressive section, with quite a minimal feel, but it quickly disappears to be replaced by Dissonance that builds and builds to a huge and horrific ending.
Heavy Heart is such an appropriate name for this album, as it forms a tribute to Christian Smukal and his final recordings; but it also fits with the music that Moor are making. It takes a less travelled path to heaviness and doom, although I have mentioned other bands to give you an idea of what this sounds like, Moor’s sound is unique. It might be less comfortable that a traditional approach to doom, but in making their audience less comfortable they have made something that is challenging, but is also very original and enjoyable. Highly recommended if you have an open mind and a love huge, heavy music. 8/10
Blindfolded And Led To The Woods - Rejecting Obliteration (Prosthetic Records) [Mark Young]
A name can suggest many things and this name certainly conjures up a myriad of different situations, all of them bad. As we know, one of the metal rules circa 1981 was ‘Cool band name, cool music’ and this was a hill that you would die as you defended your choice against attack. Therefore, they should be one of the coolest bands out there. Hailing from New Zealand, here they throw their 4th album of progressive death metal in your face and say, ‘take a look at that’.
Over the next 45 minutes you get taken on a multiple speed and vary-directional journey from a band that wants to split your head open and are not content to stay within the box labelled death metal. From how the songs are built and put together they have a very unique take on what they feel progressive technical death metal should sound like and have no interest in being constrained by opinions of others. The skill on display is often mesmeric and the riffs seem to be coming from everywhere. Monolith, for example starts proceedings with that speed split of maniac drums vs grinding guitar that mutates into an electronic equivalent of a spider spinning a web that is just intent on trapping and then consuming you.
It is like this all the way through, and Cicada is another that start with blast beats, savage and discordant riffs, and guitar lines that seem to be running from anywhere on the neck. It settles into a pulled back moment that is almost happy in its sound. Almost, as they break back in and kick the remainder of the song to its dizzying completion. Its furious, absolutely furious. Funeral Smiles hits you with more of that mental dexterity combined with some killer riffs that get as low as you can get and still hear everything going on. Its that clarity here that really shines through because with music like this you have to hear everything to get that full effect.
Caustic Burns hits every stop on its way to finish the album, from pure rage and speed to delicate solo breaks. The riffs carry a dark emotional heft, all set against an atomic clock of percussion. They really go for it on this last song and is one of the finest album closers I’ve heard in a while. Fans of technical death metal will have an absolute ball with this, those whose love of metal is perhaps more straight-forward might struggle to get into it (me included in this) as it will need repeated listens to get under its skin. 7/10
Lust - Invictus (Violence In The Veins, Cruzade Records, Vinilako Records, Egg F#cktory Records, Knuckle Records, Hombre Montaña, Sin Piedad Records) [GC]
Caustic Burns hits every stop on its way to finish the album, from pure rage and speed to delicate solo breaks. The riffs carry a dark emotional heft, all set against an atomic clock of percussion. They really go for it on this last song and is one of the finest album closers I’ve heard in a while. Fans of technical death metal will have an absolute ball with this, those whose love of metal is perhaps more straight-forward might struggle to get into it (me included in this) as it will need repeated listens to get under its skin. 7/10
Lust - Invictus (Violence In The Veins, Cruzade Records, Vinilako Records, Egg F#cktory Records, Knuckle Records, Hombre Montaña, Sin Piedad Records) [GC]
Formed back in 2019 in Madrid after doing a bit of reading up on Lust you can see they have a lot to say about a lot of things such as (deep breath) anti-fascist struggle, racism and not supporting any kind of discrimination to any vulnerable collective they also support the defence of animal rights, as well as solidarity towards those in need and in a very ‘’we are hardcore’’ way they are always working together as a brotherhood. Let’s see if they have what it takes to back all this up.
Opening track Revelation doesn’t fill me with much hope as it’s a drumbeat loop with a bit of guitar included which is just pointless really, however first actual Traitors fares much much better, starting off at a break neck speed with a huge roar of defiance and blast beats a plenty it then kicks into a big ugly hardcore rhythm and just refuses to let you be at ease throwing the blasts in and out of the two step heavy hardcore and before you know it Fenix has started and is another full throttle hardcore attack all done with very old school vibe that mixes enough modern influence so as not to sound like some weak tribute act.
You can tell that this isn’t going to be a dressing gown and slipper type album and Live To See doesn’t stray too far from what has proceeded but is probably the most metal sounding song without losing the hardcore edge and even throws in some melodic vocals to good effect, Inquisidor has a fantastic riff that is sure to get the pit circling and everyone 2-stepping and starts to build up a tension from halfway through and then fully explodes back into life right at the end to finish on an exhilarating high.
Halfway in and only clocking in at around 12 minutes, this is how hardcore is done! Isolation has all the hallmarks of a classic hardcore track with its big jumpy bass line, groovy as fuck riff, simple but effective drumming and a set of impassioned and heartfelt vocals and that easily makes it my favourite track on the album, everything here is on point, and it just hits in all the right places and there is not a single second wasted in the whole song.
Halfway in and only clocking in at around 12 minutes, this is how hardcore is done! Isolation has all the hallmarks of a classic hardcore track with its big jumpy bass line, groovy as fuck riff, simple but effective drumming and a set of impassioned and heartfelt vocals and that easily makes it my favourite track on the album, everything here is on point, and it just hits in all the right places and there is not a single second wasted in the whole song.
Exodo carries on with another barnstormer of a track that I can’t stop smiling while listening too from second one and it reminds me a lot of Misery Index when they get all hardcore and that’s a compliment of the highest order in my book as they are one of the best about but this isn’t about them it’s about Lust and 2K21 carries on the death metal infused hardcore savagery and manages to throw in some atmospheric death metal variant in as well which is another decent surprise and just like that its onto Palabras Vacias to close the album and it now takes over as the most metal track on the album but does again mix in more blast beat filled sections in between the usual chunky hardcore riffs and then does the bring the riff back but slower thing to end the song and it all just feels like it rounds everything off nicely.
As you may have guessed already, I thoroughly enjoyed this album! It’s no frills, angry as fuck hardcore that also mixes in a decent amount of death metal but never get too lost in one style or the other and manages too always be interesting. This is Lust’s debut album and if they are capable of this type of stuff on their first album, I cannot wait to hear more from them! If you like hardcore, listen to this, if you don’t like hardcore you can fuck off but, listen to this anyway because it’s one of those albums that might make you change your mind, it really is that good! 9/10
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