Norway’s Variety Jones have chosen their name well…
This old school bunch of Rock ‘n’ Rollers have been touring Europe, supporting Nazareth and Danko Jones as well as the UK on their own last year, despite this debut album not being released up until this point. That’s what we call “creating a buzz” which is either a sign that a major label is hyping something out of all proportion, or that there might be something actually going on here.
Well, their label is independent Norwegian outfit Apollon Records, not a major throwing its cash around, and having spun it a couple of times now, I have to confirm that it’s the latter case, because this is actually pretty damn good.
But back to their name – because there is plenty of variety here, whilst still being firmly attached to the maypole of Hard Rock. From the raw and edgy opener Shell Shocked, to the more catchy, bouncy and anthemic floor filler Enigma, we get a lot of nods to their different influences, whilst still keeping a really distinct weaving-based house sound, which tells me that these songs have been gestating around for a while and probably reflect where they were as a band at different points over however many years it took them to get this cut and releases.
But back to their name – because there is plenty of variety here, whilst still being firmly attached to the maypole of Hard Rock. From the raw and edgy opener Shell Shocked, to the more catchy, bouncy and anthemic floor filler Enigma, we get a lot of nods to their different influences, whilst still keeping a really distinct weaving-based house sound, which tells me that these songs have been gestating around for a while and probably reflect where they were as a band at different points over however many years it took them to get this cut and releases.
To be honest I get the sense it was probably not all recorded in one go either, but I don’t care to be honest, because there’s no fat in here, with nine crisp and to the point belters that scream loud and proud that this is a band to watch.
This is solid Hard Rock, with a lot of influences from the late 70’s and 80’s clearly there, but then this style of music never quite goes away and it’s always refreshing when a young act comes along and shows old farts like me that new records are as good as the 40-year-old ones in my collection.
This is solid Hard Rock, with a lot of influences from the late 70’s and 80’s clearly there, but then this style of music never quite goes away and it’s always refreshing when a young act comes along and shows old farts like me that new records are as good as the 40-year-old ones in my collection.
Lots of groove and emotion throughout, made to sound simultaneously smooth and effortless, but with enough rough edges and looseness to feel like the real deal, which is probably the very definition of Rock ‘n’ Roll for most folks. 9/10
Eschaton - Techtalitarian (Transcending Obscurity Records) [GC]
I think our boss may be trying to find a way for me not to be my grumpy normal self because another new release week has come and I have another Transcending Obscurity record to review, and this usually means a good score and a happy GC! Today’s offering is of course death metal in the shape of Techtalitarian by Eschaton.
After a muted 20 seconds or so Inferior Superior allows Christian Munzner and Josh Bradley to flex their guitar hero muscles and is full of virtuoso widdling that crashes head on into some furious tech death, that you should probably be expecting from the album title, it’s a dizzying mix of beautiful precision and ugly brutality, which exactly what I want!
Eschaton - Techtalitarian (Transcending Obscurity Records) [GC]
I think our boss may be trying to find a way for me not to be my grumpy normal self because another new release week has come and I have another Transcending Obscurity record to review, and this usually means a good score and a happy GC! Today’s offering is of course death metal in the shape of Techtalitarian by Eschaton.
After a muted 20 seconds or so Inferior Superior allows Christian Munzner and Josh Bradley to flex their guitar hero muscles and is full of virtuoso widdling that crashes head on into some furious tech death, that you should probably be expecting from the album title, it’s a dizzying mix of beautiful precision and ugly brutality, which exactly what I want!
Devour The Contrarian continues in the same vein and mixes some absolutely God-like guitar playing with a frankly ridiculous drum performance by Darren Cesca and then you also get the bass form Scott Bradley shining through where most basses would just whimper in the background and then to top everything off.
Mac Smith’s vocals are absolute perfection, Blood Of The People has a build up that is neither slow or polite its just the barrage of sounds that have been pummelling and moulding you but its muted and then its not and everything is happening everywhere all at once yet again, there is nowhere to hide musically here because every note and sound is executed to perfection and everything hits on point like a specifically heavy sledge hammer directly to the back of your skull.
Ultimately this is going to please a lot of different folk. It manages to take those two genres and blend them into a crushing sound. It is uncompromising and aggressive which is exactly what this music needed to be.
Hellfire’s Woe opens with a church organ and chanting and that’s about as relaxed as it gets because of course it doesn't seem like any of these lunatics know how to dial anything down or relax, even the in song breaks to add some nuance to the attack don’t slow the tempo or dim the savageness of the music, this is brutality but with brains!
The Bellicose Duality is of course as mental and hectic as you would expect but also manages to shoehorn in some groove to the already eclectic melting pot and is a heavily djent lead song, it doesn’t get to involved in itself and manages to keep you guessing at every turn, once a section has ended very rarely does the next one sound the same and to do this and not lose any of the impact is utterly brilliant!
Econocracy is another frenzied blur of guitars, drums and bass that manages to sound ultra tight while still managing to be playing some of the most intensely difficult music to play and then throwing in some beatdowns just be-fucking-cause, this album has everything you could really ever want as a heavy music fan, another breath-taking display of technical and brutal death metal.
On Antimatter the first thing I notice is how well the bass comes through and pushes the song onwards not that any of the other instruments need any help but its just good to hear and the rest of the band back this up with another stellar performance with more power and destructive elegance that is getting difficult for me to try to explain just how good it really is!
Title track Techtalitarian now explodes onto the scene and as you would hope it’s a perfect distillation of everything that this record has been so far, you expect the title track to stand out and demonstrate what a band are about and on an album of tracks that stand out and show you what they are all about this one stands out as another example of extreme metal perfection!
The Sufferer’s Dichotomy actually feels like a little more direct than anything else so far and has a real deathcore sound, of course the technicality is there in abundance, but it feels slightly more focused in one direction than the rest of the songs, not in a bad way its just very to the point which is a good thing.
Castle Strnad then goes back to the bat-shit craziness and throws the chaos directly to front and centre for one last explosion of demented tech death/djent/deathcore/jazz/math whatever core you can think of its in here somewhere on this glorious mindfuck of an album.
WOW, WOW, WOW! I was not ready for this album to be just as good as it is! From the second it blew my head off to the last second of its stamping on my head and bruising my brain, there was not a second of Techtalitarian I didn’t enjoy!
WOW, WOW, WOW! I was not ready for this album to be just as good as it is! From the second it blew my head off to the last second of its stamping on my head and bruising my brain, there was not a second of Techtalitarian I didn’t enjoy!
2025 has already had some stellar death metal releases and Transcending Obscurity have just gone and done it again with Eschaton, who have released a worldie of an album that you will need to come back to time and time again just to realize what special album this really is!!
I know that it’s only May, but I think I already have one of my contenders for the AOTY list! This is a fucking unbelievable album. If you like extreme metal in any form this album is definitely for you, listen to it, take it all in, listen to it again and thank me later! Stunningly wonderful stuff. 10/10
Obstruktion - The End Takes Form (Suicide Records) [Marl Young]
This is wrapped so tight I don’t think I can think of another way of describing this, I really can’t. Its 33 minutes of being punched repeatedly about the body by a collection of songs that have been designed and executed to cause bodily harm. It’s probably the first review I’ve had in a while where I’ve pressed play ahead of checking them out online and so had no preconceived idea about what they are about
They are about crushing you with a Hardcore / Death Metal blend that is brewed at 100% lethal, songs that sit comfortably in both genres, delivering songs that are able to satisfy both sides of the extreme coin.
Obstruktion - The End Takes Form (Suicide Records) [Marl Young]
This is wrapped so tight I don’t think I can think of another way of describing this, I really can’t. Its 33 minutes of being punched repeatedly about the body by a collection of songs that have been designed and executed to cause bodily harm. It’s probably the first review I’ve had in a while where I’ve pressed play ahead of checking them out online and so had no preconceived idea about what they are about
They are about crushing you with a Hardcore / Death Metal blend that is brewed at 100% lethal, songs that sit comfortably in both genres, delivering songs that are able to satisfy both sides of the extreme coin.
Album opener, The End Takes Form basically sets that scene up bringing that blend together and yes, it’s quite the statement, one that they continue with as each song deploys.
There are a number of short tracks on here, but for me Machinery Of Delusion is the very epitome of the shortest, sharpest shock and yet they manage to squeeze in some top-class riffs that enable this to take flight. Grotesque Order is of a similar standard, except it’s has a wider arrangement which allows for them to drop a break in around 3 minutes (is it a death break? Help out if you know) and move out with some chunky riffing. Its all-good stuff but over the course of the album it starts the songs bleed into one another.
There are a number of short tracks on here, but for me Machinery Of Delusion is the very epitome of the shortest, sharpest shock and yet they manage to squeeze in some top-class riffs that enable this to take flight. Grotesque Order is of a similar standard, except it’s has a wider arrangement which allows for them to drop a break in around 3 minutes (is it a death break? Help out if you know) and move out with some chunky riffing. Its all-good stuff but over the course of the album it starts the songs bleed into one another.
As Grotesque Order finishes it segues into Touched By The Void with barely a pause for breath and as a result it becomes difficult to separate them. Now, as Touched progresses it takes its own effective journey with a solid end but it doesn’t change that to my ears it is very similar from one to the other.
I’m not saying that the music here isn’t any good, its very good and does its job well. I mentioned earlier that the music is wrapped tightly and that first impression didn’t change.
This feeling is ever-present, even on the last track, Born Of Contempt. This comes at you from a completely angle using a longer runtime to allow them room to let the guitars ring out and degrade. Its still riff heavy and picks its feet up when needed but it adds a welcome change to the relentless battery of the preceding 8 songs.
Ultimately this is going to please a lot of different folk. It manages to take those two genres and blend them into a crushing sound. It is uncompromising and aggressive which is exactly what this music needed to be.
However, each song was pitched at the same level of intent so that after a while they lose their impact which is why the final track works so well. I can only imagine that based on this they must be devastating live and I would say that if you liked their debut release then you will love this. 7/10
Warrior Pope - A Morbid Parody Of Justice (Self Released) [Rich Piva]
Grabbing a record labeled “doom” by a band called Warrior Pope seemed like a good idea at the time, then the trombone kicked in. I kid, kind of, but I did struggle with the band’s new record, A Morbid Parody Of Justice. This record leans more towards the blacked doom side of things, with screamed vocals and a rawness that feels like it is right out of Norway, instead of their native UK.
The record is a slow, slow plodding heavy and raw doom that randomly brings trombone to the dirge, but really does not do anything to enhance the songs here. I do like the title Twenty-Four Popes Later, and how that song rips it up for its minute long length, but I really am struggling to connect with the rest of the record.
I am sure there are folks out there who will like A Morbid Parody Of Justice. Like those of you who like your doom blackened, like your vocals screamed, and enjoy trombone in your plodding doom. It was just not for me well done for thinking outside the box, Warrior Pope. 4/10
Warrior Pope - A Morbid Parody Of Justice (Self Released) [Rich Piva]
Grabbing a record labeled “doom” by a band called Warrior Pope seemed like a good idea at the time, then the trombone kicked in. I kid, kind of, but I did struggle with the band’s new record, A Morbid Parody Of Justice. This record leans more towards the blacked doom side of things, with screamed vocals and a rawness that feels like it is right out of Norway, instead of their native UK.
The record is a slow, slow plodding heavy and raw doom that randomly brings trombone to the dirge, but really does not do anything to enhance the songs here. I do like the title Twenty-Four Popes Later, and how that song rips it up for its minute long length, but I really am struggling to connect with the rest of the record.
I am sure there are folks out there who will like A Morbid Parody Of Justice. Like those of you who like your doom blackened, like your vocals screamed, and enjoy trombone in your plodding doom. It was just not for me well done for thinking outside the box, Warrior Pope. 4/10
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