There is nothing more exhilarating than a well done grindcore record and today I have Permanent Dawn from Earthburner who promise to deliver ‘’uncompromising grind’’ as far as I am aware there isn’t really any other type of grindcore, but they have my attention now!
It begins promisingly enough on Necrodisiac which is a blitzkrieg of thundering drums and guitars that seem to have a muddy production on purpose but it doesn’t take anything away from the sound and nothing gets lost even if the vocals are maybe mixed a little high but overall it’s a good start, Like Dogs is exactly what you want, its fast, scuzzy, scathing and more importantly 37 seconds long which gives you no chance to really moan about anything as everything is precise.
It begins promisingly enough on Necrodisiac which is a blitzkrieg of thundering drums and guitars that seem to have a muddy production on purpose but it doesn’t take anything away from the sound and nothing gets lost even if the vocals are maybe mixed a little high but overall it’s a good start, Like Dogs is exactly what you want, its fast, scuzzy, scathing and more importantly 37 seconds long which gives you no chance to really moan about anything as everything is precise.
On point and razor sharp then at the other end of the spectrum we get Broken Head which at 2:08 is practically an epic, but seriously the longer run allows for a more death metal groove to be added in and bounce off the grinding assault which is a nice touch as it’s a definite old school throw back and adds a real depth to the track that you may not get with a straight forward grind track.
Facelift is back to the core sound, and they really deliver again here with more DM groove and some hardcore influences sprinkled on top for good measure to really beef up the sound nicely but never straying to far from the essence of what makes good grindcore so exciting!
Permanent Dawn is another 2-minute epic and once again shows a more death metal pacing, its still ultra-fast and doesn’t let up on the viciousness but needs the more bulked out sound to fill the time of the track because as much as I love sonic nastiness sometimes it can get tedious but not here as it’s all done brilliantly well.
Uncreation ramps the pace back up and leans heavily back into the uncompromising grind that we were promised at the start and when they sound this furious its hard not to get comparisons to the mighty and much missed Insect Warfare which says a lot about how good Earthburner really are at times!
Perception For Profit charges forward and just batters you about with another honed and brutal slice of grinding death but again more on the grind side here but the way they seamlessly switch between both styles is absolutely amazingly done, there’s no gaps or obvious missed beats anywhere.
Cadaveric Coprophagia is a title that could have been lifted of any early Carcass album and musically its not too far removed from it either, with the low fi and muddy guitars still produced well enough not to get lost in the mix and the drumming just continuously pounding your skull and the vocals while still a little high in the mix do not actually overpower everything there’s not a foot put wrong here
Then with Hunger Pains we almost crack the 3 minute mark for the first time, which is pushing it a bit for me, the track itself doesn’t lose any of the savageness you expect and it is another well executed song but, I am sort of missing the sub 1 minute tracks I would be expecting.
Slaves To The Screen doesn’t disappoint and is just fucking brutal in every way, musically and vocally it really does just hit the sweet spot with an unrelenting grinding death attack which just leaves Positive Outlook that has an 80’s D beat influence mixed in to the more old school grindcore sound which is of course an absolute thing of beauty and really ends the album on a quality note.
After listening to Permanent Dawn, I only had a couple of issues, and they were minor in the grand scheme of things and would never stop me from listening to this again or recommending it highly. This is a brilliant grindcore record that is vitriolic, angry and urgent and also has a lot of great death metal and hardcore influences throughout and what is not to like about that? 9/10
Paganizer - Flesh Requiem (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Mark Young]
Having a quick shufty online for background on Paganizer, I was amazed that they had been present and releasing music since 1998 and are considered one of the torchbearers for that style of Swedish death metal. Their latest release, Flesh Requiem continues in their attempt to keep that flame burning with a solid, if unremarkable collection of metal with album number 13.
Normally, I’m quite enthused about reviewing any music that comes from Scandinavia, especially Sweden as they seem to do that gnarly guitar/blast beat combination better than most. Paganizer are no different, and as Life Of Decay starts off with that unmistakable tone, all frenzied trem picking with manic drumming it feels like if the whole album is like then it’s going to be a cracker.
Having a quick shufty online for background on Paganizer, I was amazed that they had been present and releasing music since 1998 and are considered one of the torchbearers for that style of Swedish death metal. Their latest release, Flesh Requiem continues in their attempt to keep that flame burning with a solid, if unremarkable collection of metal with album number 13.
Normally, I’m quite enthused about reviewing any music that comes from Scandinavia, especially Sweden as they seem to do that gnarly guitar/blast beat combination better than most. Paganizer are no different, and as Life Of Decay starts off with that unmistakable tone, all frenzied trem picking with manic drumming it feels like if the whole album is like then it’s going to be a cracker.
However, what develops is that it is a quick 3-minute blast that serves to basically set the table for how the next 12 songs will drop. Given that they are in the veteran bracket now, there is still a fire burning within them for bringing the heaviest material they can.
There is no arguing with their application and what happens is that the basic approach on Life Of Decay is then repeated on Meat Factory, with more or less the same arrangement and already I’m disappointed.
Flesh Requiem changes tack slightly, a looser feel to it that has a punk vibe to it but still shares the same ideas as those we have heard already. It’s fine, heavy but that’s it. It feels that with the first three tracks, they represent what the remainder will be like.
Flesh Requiem changes tack slightly, a looser feel to it that has a punk vibe to it but still shares the same ideas as those we have heard already. It’s fine, heavy but that’s it. It feels that with the first three tracks, they represent what the remainder will be like.
Hunger For Meat picks up that pace once more and I should be happy with that except that it confirms my suspicions that what we will be getting is further variations on a theme. And we do (I hate being a smart-arse like this) as Viking Supremacy echoes both Flesh Requiem and Hunger For Meat in terms of how they play out.
World Scythe goes for the melodic, and again its perfectly decent and you and I know that words like decent should not be used when describing this type of music. Decent equals meh and it makes me want to throw the towel in. This kind of music should elicit feelings of excitement and it doesn’t.
Fare Thee Well (Burn In Hell) is next and doesn’t go any better than those that preceded it. Neither does Necromonolithic and by this point I’m actually sick of listening to it. I’m frustrated by this because I expected so much more from them given their rich history and reputation.
World Scythe goes for the melodic, and again its perfectly decent and you and I know that words like decent should not be used when describing this type of music. Decent equals meh and it makes me want to throw the towel in. This kind of music should elicit feelings of excitement and it doesn’t.
Fare Thee Well (Burn In Hell) is next and doesn’t go any better than those that preceded it. Neither does Necromonolithic and by this point I’m actually sick of listening to it. I’m frustrated by this because I expected so much more from them given their rich history and reputation.
I’ve never tapped out of a review before (and let’s be clear, I’ve reviewed some soul sapping stuff) but this is the first time I’ve considered skipping songs because they do not offer any reward in listening to them. The final quartet of The Pyroclastic Excursions, Just Another Doomsday, Suffer Again and Skeletons come and go with varying degrees of success. Each one sounds like the one before and ultimately the album as a whole.
There is nothing wrong with them, but there is also nothing here that makes me want to recommend them to anyone else. I’m pretty sure that fans of the band will love it, at least initially. For me, it was uninspired and a flat experience. 5/10
The Body - The Crying Out Of Things (Thrill Jockey) [GC]
When I get a new release to review it’s always good when you get a bit of background on the band and their story, nothing has been provided for The Body, so my old friend the internet tells me that this is their eighth album!!! That’s quiet (if you will excuse me) the body of work they have! So, The Crying Out Of Things is here and ready for review, let’s get going.
There is a subdued opening that goes on for an absolute eternity before opening track Last Things kicks into life and when it does, I’m not actually sure what I am listening to as the track sounds like its feeding back and the instruments are being hit with sledgehammers and the screeching vocals are an absolute nightmare to try and listen to.
The Body - The Crying Out Of Things (Thrill Jockey) [GC]
When I get a new release to review it’s always good when you get a bit of background on the band and their story, nothing has been provided for The Body, so my old friend the internet tells me that this is their eighth album!!! That’s quiet (if you will excuse me) the body of work they have! So, The Crying Out Of Things is here and ready for review, let’s get going.
There is a subdued opening that goes on for an absolute eternity before opening track Last Things kicks into life and when it does, I’m not actually sure what I am listening to as the track sounds like its feeding back and the instruments are being hit with sledgehammers and the screeching vocals are an absolute nightmare to try and listen to.
Its an uneasy and uncomfortable listen in both good and bad ways, it doesn’t get any easier on Removal with its sparse and eerie drawn out crawl that incorporates dense atmospherics and noises to ramp up the already uneasy feeling you have when listening, it sounds like a nightmare being soundtracked by someone having a nervous breakdown and I like it but also don’t like it, easy listening this is not!!
Careless And Worn does actually have some music that is almost audible to the human ears with another draining and harrowing noise coming from the drums and the echoey atmospherics that bathe you in misery and the vocals are ear piercingly horrible but at this point you are almost used to them and they really create a disturbing and painful picture and you are actually pleased when the song is over for your own sanity more than anything!
A Premonition is what you might imagine the sound of the very bottom of the ocean would sound like and all the horror of modern-day life feels like it is cascading forward and into your conscious and once again its so uncomfortable and weird to listen to but you are just hooked and intrigued as to what is coming next.
Unfortunately for anyone listening its Less Meaning which is now throwing in thudding dance beats into the already disturbing mixing pot of sounds and the they are fed through a distortion filter so have that feeding back nature and it sounds like your speakers might explode at any second if you continue with the song and of course you have to at this point but it never gets any easier to listen to and I’m saying that in a good way.
The Citadel Unconquered is a bit of a relief amongst all the nastiness its more of a mid-album break than a song as it’s just a bit of electronics and atmospherics but it does allow you the time to prepare yourself for the next round of punishment.
However End Of Line does take its time to become as unhinged as the rest of the album it’s a slow build that creates a tension you should not get when listening to music but in a way that is the best thing about this record it just grips you and takes you on a journey, once you’re in your hooked.
The Building continues with the slow and menacing build up that has worked well on the tracks and when it does eventually spring into life its not for very long and the calm before the storm effect is wonderfully done on this track, so then All Worries is the last track and it’s the slowest and probably most haunting track of all, it just drags its heels and pulls you along for the journey and then just like that it’s all over and you can breath again.
This was not an easy listen! It was harrowing and painful but beautiful in its own horrific way, full of raw emotion and unhinged brutality that hid behind a wall of upsetting and disgusting noises, there was no let up from the engulfing nature of the sounds you here on this album and it’s well worth you preparing for the worst because nothing can prepare you for what you are about to hear, in a good way, I think? You really need to hear this album to know what I mean! If you dare!? 8/10
Anomalie - Riverchild (AOP Records) [Mark Young]
As I finally catch up with myself, Anomalie’s Riverchild is next up on my ‘to do’ list. It’s another first time for me with a band that has been active since 2011. Described as post-black metal, I’m not quite sure how it will land.
Well, it starts very well, Mother Of Stars kicking off with an expansive arrangement with a vocal delivery that took me by surprise. Chris ‘Marrok’ Brauch opts for a goth-tinged style that I found quite refreshing. The song build is engaging, unhurried and is very thoughtful in how they go for an economic riff. When the black metal vocals come in, they still have a rich timbre to them instead of the shriek which again really serves the song well. There is a lot going on in the background with this and true to their word they provide something you can get your teeth into. It’s a strong start that doesn’t come in at a 1000mph.
This was not an easy listen! It was harrowing and painful but beautiful in its own horrific way, full of raw emotion and unhinged brutality that hid behind a wall of upsetting and disgusting noises, there was no let up from the engulfing nature of the sounds you here on this album and it’s well worth you preparing for the worst because nothing can prepare you for what you are about to hear, in a good way, I think? You really need to hear this album to know what I mean! If you dare!? 8/10
Anomalie - Riverchild (AOP Records) [Mark Young]
As I finally catch up with myself, Anomalie’s Riverchild is next up on my ‘to do’ list. It’s another first time for me with a band that has been active since 2011. Described as post-black metal, I’m not quite sure how it will land.
Well, it starts very well, Mother Of Stars kicking off with an expansive arrangement with a vocal delivery that took me by surprise. Chris ‘Marrok’ Brauch opts for a goth-tinged style that I found quite refreshing. The song build is engaging, unhurried and is very thoughtful in how they go for an economic riff. When the black metal vocals come in, they still have a rich timbre to them instead of the shriek which again really serves the song well. There is a lot going on in the background with this and true to their word they provide something you can get your teeth into. It’s a strong start that doesn’t come in at a 1000mph.
An Unforgiving Tide is next, those clean vocals coming again, and they just fit so well within the context of the song. Switching it for the extreme as it changes gear is spot on, and I know its not a new thing but on here it sounds right, it feels like it is a natural choice as opposed to being something that is shoehorned in for effect. Its not super heavy, but it is heavy enough to work. They work in some dissonant touches too and again these are work so well.
Perpetual Twilight sees them change those gears up, showing that they can offer that traditional build when required. What they aren’t afraid to do is to keep that clean vocal style going and why not because it works so well. This style gives them so much more scope in building a more unique sound that represents them. Don’t worry though because they drop the extreme style in when required. There is a section around the three-minute mark where they do this subtle guitar measure that’s in combat with Lukas Schlintl on drums as they power away like they are possessed.
Perpetual Twilight sees them change those gears up, showing that they can offer that traditional build when required. What they aren’t afraid to do is to keep that clean vocal style going and why not because it works so well. This style gives them so much more scope in building a more unique sound that represents them. Don’t worry though because they drop the extreme style in when required. There is a section around the three-minute mark where they do this subtle guitar measure that’s in combat with Lukas Schlintl on drums as they power away like they are possessed.
Its these little touches that I love, the band knowing that they don’t have to do the normal thing here. There is a great melodic flavour that runs through this and continues into Heart To Beat, and I begin to see what Post Black metal is all about. This is a gentle, measured take on traditional black metal motifs and arrangements whilst Awakening goes old-school in its attack. This is something that they do so well, that balance between knowing when and where to do what they do. I always say that if a song makes you want to pick your guitar up then it is doing its job very well. Awakening does that, the guitar lines are quality and playing it would be a ton of fun.
The best thing is that they keep this level going too, Riverchild has its acoustic opening whilst the sounds of nature are played over it. Obviously, they kick it up and go loud but it’s done in that balanced way where they are still able to tell the story. It’s a deft, glorious track and one that shows a subtle change from the earlier goth atmosphere. The vocal style switches are handled organically, with an audible transition instead of an immediate start/stop. It’s the little things that make this the album it is. Among Shadows picks up the traditional once more, chiming chords and blast beats but with that commanding clean vocal that has changed again, and as I mentioned on Riverchild it’s the attention to how the voice should be used and when that sets this apart.
A Cosmic Truth and Thoughts are our closing tracks here, with the former weighing in at a hefty 7minutes it is an expansive work that gradually builds into a stomping measure whilst the guttural singing is in play. The addition of swirling background effects provides a touch of cosmic wonder to it, and it has momentum to it that belies its length. The guitar sound here has more of a brittle feel and the ending barrage that blitzes you is perfectly done. Thoughts could be the only track I didn’t get on with. It is an introspective affair, possibly leaning into folk territory and under normal circumstances I would find this to be ok. Except it follows A Cosmic Truth and being honest it pales against it. Let me be clear, its not a bad track at all and I’m glad its at the end but it doesn’t sit well with the tracks that preceded it.
So, it’s a masterwork. I don’t believe I can add anymore to what I have said above, apart from the fact that it is a stunning piece of work. Any fan of metal should get behind this really because it is that good. Again, the last track is the only thing stopping it from getting full marks and even saying that it is subjective opinion. You might love it and think it was the right way to finish. Anyway, I’ll leave it at that. 9/10
The best thing is that they keep this level going too, Riverchild has its acoustic opening whilst the sounds of nature are played over it. Obviously, they kick it up and go loud but it’s done in that balanced way where they are still able to tell the story. It’s a deft, glorious track and one that shows a subtle change from the earlier goth atmosphere. The vocal style switches are handled organically, with an audible transition instead of an immediate start/stop. It’s the little things that make this the album it is. Among Shadows picks up the traditional once more, chiming chords and blast beats but with that commanding clean vocal that has changed again, and as I mentioned on Riverchild it’s the attention to how the voice should be used and when that sets this apart.
A Cosmic Truth and Thoughts are our closing tracks here, with the former weighing in at a hefty 7minutes it is an expansive work that gradually builds into a stomping measure whilst the guttural singing is in play. The addition of swirling background effects provides a touch of cosmic wonder to it, and it has momentum to it that belies its length. The guitar sound here has more of a brittle feel and the ending barrage that blitzes you is perfectly done. Thoughts could be the only track I didn’t get on with. It is an introspective affair, possibly leaning into folk territory and under normal circumstances I would find this to be ok. Except it follows A Cosmic Truth and being honest it pales against it. Let me be clear, its not a bad track at all and I’m glad its at the end but it doesn’t sit well with the tracks that preceded it.
So, it’s a masterwork. I don’t believe I can add anymore to what I have said above, apart from the fact that it is a stunning piece of work. Any fan of metal should get behind this really because it is that good. Again, the last track is the only thing stopping it from getting full marks and even saying that it is subjective opinion. You might love it and think it was the right way to finish. Anyway, I’ll leave it at that. 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment