Dutch metallers Severe Torture have been pedalling their brand of brutality since the release of their debut back in 2001, Feasting On Blood. Although their career spans over 25 years, there had been a hiatus that started 2010 until the addition of new drummer (Damiën Kerpentier) in 2018 started the fires burning a little, leading to 2022’s Fisting The Socket. This fresh impetus has carried them on to drop this slice of death metal which is available on the 7th of June for those who love this genre of extreme metal.
So, I was conscious that their PR referred to them as raw, visceral and (that word again) brutal which conjures up thoughts that they could favour one form of attack over variety, of vocals that stay within that ‘low’ register that somehow constricts the music behind it. Raw and visceral could equal poorly produced which again I’m not a fan of. I am happy to report that the attitude behind it satisfies whilst sounding good. Its straight in, no intros or drawn-out ambient noise. Its blast beats, guttural vocals and trem picked guitars.
Right from the bat, they set out a line in the sand and say this is what you are getting for the next 10 songs. If it’s not for you, the door is there. The Death Of Everything is the lead off track and it’s a cracker. Guitars have that crunch and there is some serious drum-nastics courtesy of Damiën Kerpentier who seems hell bent on dragging the others along on his personal hell ride. Is it new and ground-breaking? No, but it lives up to their promise that once it starts it will go full pelt until it finishes. Marked By Blood And Darkness is a relentless attack and an arrangement that comes from that OSDM era. And there is nothing wrong with that at all.
Hogtied In Rope shows that they are not averse to bringing in a little of the technical into the mix and throws a top lead at us too whilst title track Torn From The Jaws Of Death hints at classic era Morbid Angel in its build. Again, this is not a bad thing as it starts full-on and stays like it.
What you do find is that the songs do bleed into one another as the album progresses and I guess that if you are writing music within a given genre then there is not a lot of room for manoeuvre so there has to be a trade-off. Do you go down a tried and tested route or expand your sound whilst possibly alienating your audience? The build may not differ from song to song so Christ Immersion, whilst it rips is similar to the ones before it and after.
Hogtied In Rope shows that they are not averse to bringing in a little of the technical into the mix and throws a top lead at us too whilst title track Torn From The Jaws Of Death hints at classic era Morbid Angel in its build. Again, this is not a bad thing as it starts full-on and stays like it.
What you do find is that the songs do bleed into one another as the album progresses and I guess that if you are writing music within a given genre then there is not a lot of room for manoeuvre so there has to be a trade-off. Do you go down a tried and tested route or expand your sound whilst possibly alienating your audience? The build may not differ from song to song so Christ Immersion, whilst it rips is similar to the ones before it and after.
The key here is the attack behind each track. They have attempted to go for the throat on each song, so that each one drips with the attitude of ‘go on, you write something better. Because 9 times out of 10 you won’t’. Putrid Remains is an example of that. It has everything you want in death metal and it’s the same with Through Pain And Emptiness. It’s just top-level music in a genre which is nearly 40 years old. Let that sink in.
Watch out for Those Who Wished Me Dead, it is furious and just burns out of the speakers. It’s the shortest track here but probably hits the best because of it. Tear All The Flesh Off The Earth finishes us off with the same impact that The Death Of Everything had. I still maintain there are hints of Morbid Angel in there, just in the way drums remind me of Pete Sandoval. Give them a listen and you will know what I mean straight away. This will probably not appeal to those who like technical death metal nor progressive. It will definitely appeal to those who love OSDM, and those that love extreme music that is just bang, bang, bang with one battering after another.
Watch out for Those Who Wished Me Dead, it is furious and just burns out of the speakers. It’s the shortest track here but probably hits the best because of it. Tear All The Flesh Off The Earth finishes us off with the same impact that The Death Of Everything had. I still maintain there are hints of Morbid Angel in there, just in the way drums remind me of Pete Sandoval. Give them a listen and you will know what I mean straight away. This will probably not appeal to those who like technical death metal nor progressive. It will definitely appeal to those who love OSDM, and those that love extreme music that is just bang, bang, bang with one battering after another.
The argument that it is not offering anything new, well you can forgive that because what they have done is give us 10 songs of prime death metal. Yes, the songs don’t vary a lot but on reflection I don’t want them to. In doing that it wouldn’t be true to the core of Severe Torture’s ethos. That is what I like about it, that is why you should go out of your way to get it. What it also shows is that despite the band age hitting 25, they can still tear it up like it’s 2001. 8/10
Nightmare – Encrypted (AFM Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Our only encounter with Nightmare in these ages was when I reviewed 2016’s Dead Sun. I rated it a 7/10, noting that the band’s sound has changed several times since their reformation in 1999. Not only has their sound evolved, but so has the line-up, with 2016 seeing singer Maggy Luyten feature. She moved on after three years, replaced by Madie for 2020’s Aeternam, who in turn was succeeded by Barbara Mogore, who makes her recording debut on the band’s latest release, Encrypted.
Nightmare – Encrypted (AFM Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Our only encounter with Nightmare in these ages was when I reviewed 2016’s Dead Sun. I rated it a 7/10, noting that the band’s sound has changed several times since their reformation in 1999. Not only has their sound evolved, but so has the line-up, with 2016 seeing singer Maggy Luyten feature. She moved on after three years, replaced by Madie for 2020’s Aeternam, who in turn was succeeded by Barbara Mogore, who makes her recording debut on the band’s latest release, Encrypted.
It's therefore something of a new outfit which we are dealing with here. Only Yves Campion (bass/vocals) remains from the original NWOBHM band of 1979 although guitarist Franck Milleliri is a 20-year veteran, with Matt Asselberghs over a decade in.
The band are clearly pleased and confident with their direction. “With the arrival of Barbara transcending Nightmare in new dimensions, we have decided to move to new heights in terms of musical approach to make Encrypted our most ambitious album to date in terms of production, musical direction and achievement… You can find here some traditional power metal riffing in the trademark of Nightmare but also extreme metal parts and some highlights even reaching melodic death metal… making Encrypted our most varied opus so far, beyond all boundaries and expectations…”
Initial listens prompted some questions. There are elements of power metal, death, thrash, and more traditional metal wrapped up in this release, and evident immediately. Two tracks in, the opening Nexus Inferis and The Blossom Of My Hate see the band flick between soaring symphonics and crushing death metal bursts. It’s the kind of schizophrenic playing that makes sticking any label other than heavy metal on them almost redundant. If anything though, it’s the blasts of power metal that shine. It comes complete with some ferocious guttural roars that fit neatly with the music.
Ten tracks then, sitting comfortably between four-five minutes in length, Encrypted is well-paced over the 48-minutes. There’s ample here to enjoy, with the sweeping drive of Voices from The Other Side seeing additional layers added to the vocals and a rather grandiose and impressive sound. My recollection is that there was certainly some thrash on Dead Sun, and here and there on Encrypted the odd flash appears from time to time. Riffs are plentiful, and combined with the soulful vocals combine to provide a typically European sounding release.
The anthemic Saviours Of The Damned and Wake The Night are songs that demand you fist pump the air, the latter a darker, more sinister sounding track with a tolling bell adding dramatic atmospherics. The drama continues with the sweeping orchestral segments that interlink with some ferocious riffing on the title track. It’s got a majestic feel, imperious and imposing, and is certainly one of the highlights of the album.
There is a threat that the album will tail off when we reach White Lines, which is a little routine, but Borderlines picks the tempo up again, a stomping head banger of a song that leads to the finale, the 2023 version of Eternal Winter. Those initial questions answered, Encrypted is an album that is very much worth a listen. 8/10
DVRK – Infinite Reminiscence (Season Of Mist) [Zak Skane]
Formed in 2019 DVRK initially started as a solo project but throughout the years the band have recruited members; Peter Morgan on vocals, Bestain Deleule and Gerland Audiard on guitars, Fabien Letren on Bass and Vincent Vidal on drums. The band take fresh twist on the metalcore and hardcore genre by incorporating inventive electronic elements and sound designing into classic assaults of low tuned breakdowns and harsh vocals.
The opening track Distant Roads begins with these short synth key melodies before we get smashed in the face with the modern sounds of low tuned guitar rhythm patterns that are synced up with machine precision with Vincent’s kick patterns to create this bludgeoning force. Whilst these pounding grooves are playing away these layers of ambient leads and pads weave in and out of the mix. Peters vocals on this track provide this thick body of low growls that remind me of a more angrier Winstern Mcall from Parkway Drive. The short and sweet track Breathless continues with the crushing breakdowns along with this crushing modern Darkglass styled bass tone but contains with these interesting robotic Konami video game sounding samples.
The Secret mashes up the jarring sounds of bands like Knocked Loose and Vein along with the mind melding low tuned rhythms of bands like Emmure and Meshuggah, whilst also combining industrial samples and electronic break beats. Paco take us into a emotional journey with it’s heavily reverbed mix consisting of lo-fi’d pianos, emotional post-rock sounding heart filled tremolo picked guitar melodies, whilst echoed drums and reverbed vocals leaves a haunting presence to the listener. Colors takes up back to familiar territory with it’s low tuned groovy assault whilst the drummer Vincent Vidal is driving the songs with his complex foot work.
Finally to close this album F.A.M brings us old school Northlane styled Djenty rhythms layered with these tremolo effected lead lines that have come straight out of Meshuggah's play book, whilst layers of trap drums, eerie samples and even police sirens come in and out of the fold during ear punishing breakdowns.
DVRK harnesses the meat and potatoes of breakdown driven metalcore bands like Emmure and Darko US, whilst adding their personal take on the sub genre by adding these industrial elements like the rhythmical soundscapes in Breathless, the eerie choirs on Paco and the electronic drums in F.A.M which provide this fresh identity in the metalcore scene. The only criticism that I can give….and that is me just splitting hairs is that I can find the low harsh vocals to could do with EQ-ing some low end out because with it’s low pitch vocals played along with low tuned guitars the annunciations tend to get lost in the mix, but other than that, this six track is worth checking out. 8/10.
Intranced - Muerte Y Metal (High Roller Records) [James Jackson]
DVRK harnesses the meat and potatoes of breakdown driven metalcore bands like Emmure and Darko US, whilst adding their personal take on the sub genre by adding these industrial elements like the rhythmical soundscapes in Breathless, the eerie choirs on Paco and the electronic drums in F.A.M which provide this fresh identity in the metalcore scene. The only criticism that I can give….and that is me just splitting hairs is that I can find the low harsh vocals to could do with EQ-ing some low end out because with it’s low pitch vocals played along with low tuned guitars the annunciations tend to get lost in the mix, but other than that, this six track is worth checking out. 8/10.
Intranced - Muerte Y Metal (High Roller Records) [James Jackson]
Death and Metal, allegedly that’s what the interpretation from Spanish to English is; the first full length album from Los Angeles based Intranced. Coming from a Spanish speaking background the band have made a conscious decision to sing in Spanish upon some of the tracks, an ode to their heritage.
I am completely oblivious to the bands that have, according to the bio, inspired Intranced; most of them listed are, quite obviously, Spanish but they cite the 70’s and indeed the 80’s Rock/Prog and it’s acts from those decades that I’m particularly reminded of as I listen to the album. Switchable, the second track and first in English, has a hint of Ted Nugent’s Cat Scratch Fever to the lead guitar in the intro, vocally one of the first lines references an alley cat - possibly a coincidence or a very intentional nod to the Rock/Metal that they’ve been inspired by. Life, love, sex and Death, the standard tropes of Heavy Metal lyrics are portrayed by James-Paul Luna and his vocal style is befitting of the 80’s Metal era, soaring and emotive.
What plays out upon this album is a Traditional Rock/Metal composition and I’m reminded of so many tracks from an old compilation album featuring the likes of Motörhead, Quiet Riot, Blitzkrieg and Uriah Heep; whether the vocals are sung in Spanish or English the end result is the same, hook filled tracks that are instantly “danceable” and by dance I mean nod my head and tap my feet - I’m old and tired. Complete with the standard Rock ballad, the rather soulful album closer, See You On The Other Side; Intranced’s Muerte y Metal is an ode to a bygone era that refuses to die and quite rightly so. 7/10
I am completely oblivious to the bands that have, according to the bio, inspired Intranced; most of them listed are, quite obviously, Spanish but they cite the 70’s and indeed the 80’s Rock/Prog and it’s acts from those decades that I’m particularly reminded of as I listen to the album. Switchable, the second track and first in English, has a hint of Ted Nugent’s Cat Scratch Fever to the lead guitar in the intro, vocally one of the first lines references an alley cat - possibly a coincidence or a very intentional nod to the Rock/Metal that they’ve been inspired by. Life, love, sex and Death, the standard tropes of Heavy Metal lyrics are portrayed by James-Paul Luna and his vocal style is befitting of the 80’s Metal era, soaring and emotive.
What plays out upon this album is a Traditional Rock/Metal composition and I’m reminded of so many tracks from an old compilation album featuring the likes of Motörhead, Quiet Riot, Blitzkrieg and Uriah Heep; whether the vocals are sung in Spanish or English the end result is the same, hook filled tracks that are instantly “danceable” and by dance I mean nod my head and tap my feet - I’m old and tired. Complete with the standard Rock ballad, the rather soulful album closer, See You On The Other Side; Intranced’s Muerte y Metal is an ode to a bygone era that refuses to die and quite rightly so. 7/10
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