Fleshcrawl: Into The Catacombs Of Flesh (Apostasy Records) [Rich Oliver]
It’s almost the end of the year but 2019 is still serving up some top quality albums and one of the latest is the ninth album from German death metal veterans Fleshcrawl. If you are a death metal maniac then Fleshcrawl are a band who need no introduction yet despite being around since 1991 and releasing several fantastic albums such as Descend Into The Absurd and Made Of Flesh I don’t feel they are a band who have gotten the recognition they quite rightly deserve. It doesn’t seem to bother Fleshcrawl though as despite Into The Catacombs being the first album from the band in 12 years they pick up straight from where they left off with 39 minutes of gnarly old school death metal.
Into The Catacombs Of Flesh is 12 songs of filthy death metal putridity with sharp riffs, plenty of groove, tight rhythms, guttural roars and a guitar tone dirtier than a portaloo at the end of a festival. The songs range from the fast and flesh ripping such as Chained Impalement and the title track, mid paced numbers with plenty of dirty groove such as Grave Monger and Ossurary Rituals and songs which have leanings into melodeath such as Obliteration Bizarre and Among Death And Desolation. Into The Catacombs Of Death is another formidable entry in the Fleshcrawl discography and is essential listening if you like your old school death metal. This is a fantastic return for Fleshcrawl showing that nearly 30 years later that the old school bands still do it the best. 8/10
Moon Chamber: Lore Of The Land (No Remorse Records) [Matt Bladen]
What do you get if you form a band with Marta Gabriel, singer of Crystal Viper and Rob Bendelow founder and guitarist of British rock stalwarts Saracen? Well you get a band influenced by 70's/80's hard rock an drenched in English folklore and history (something Bendelow is particularly au fait with). Opening with the De Temporum Ratione, the prog gets amped up from the outset as Bendelow guitar passages bring open power chords when linked with drummer Andy Green (Pagan Altar) and Marta on bass (though Rob's son Richard is now the bands bassist) it's the organs of Saracen's Paul Bradder that are especially prevalent giving the track an element of Rainbow as it explodes into a guitar solo finale. It's a strong way to open the record unfortunately the poppy Only is much weaker, happily When Stakes Are High gets better and has a NWOBHM gallop along with lyrics about witches, it gets the pace going showing Gabriel's vocals to their full.
I must say here that Rob's guitar playing is brilliant throughout (it's part of the reason I actually quite like Saracen), Ravenmaster maintains the NWOBHM sound as We'll Find A Way layers folky acoustics with romantic lyricism, it's a brilliant ballad that breaks up the album as it sits in the middle of the record. Leading to folkier tunes such as The Nine Ladies which has some excellent fiddle as it moves into the dramatic The Goddess And The Green Man, which is built around Gabriel's vocal histrionics and a strutting riff. I'll level with you, when I listened to this album first I didn't really think much of it, maybe it was a bad day, maybe it was the copious amount of death metal I'd immersed myself in, I don't know. But after another listen it hooked me, this isn't some band from the "good old days" reconvening for one last gasp, this is one of the originators of the genre (who are still recording and touring) teaming up with members from bands influenced by it for some classy hard rock that has some big hooks, fist pumping riffs, clever lyrics and a cover of Saracen's Crusader, Lore Of The Land is an accomplished debut for this band that I hope are more than a one off. 8/10
Burning Witches: Wings Of Steel (Nuclear Blast) [Rich Oliver]
Wings Of Steel is the latest release from Swiss heavy metallers Burning Witches. Released as an EP this is really a glorified single with one new song and three bonus live songs. The new song itself is the title track which opens this release and is an enjoyable piece of storming heavy metal with a big wedge of power metal influence in there as well. The pace is fast, the riffs are aggressive, the drumming is relentless and all presided over by then melodic yet snarling vocals of singer Laura Guldemond. It’s a great song to be fair and a good teaser of what is to come on the upcoming third album from Burning Witches. The rest of the EP is made up of three live songs recorded at Wacken Open Air earlier this year and whilst they are decent recordings they lack a bit of energy and are somewhat inferior to the studio recordings. They are by no means terrible but they lack a wow factor. This EP is decent enough for fans of the band but somewhat redundant for anyone else as it is essentially a glorified single. 6/10
It’s almost the end of the year but 2019 is still serving up some top quality albums and one of the latest is the ninth album from German death metal veterans Fleshcrawl. If you are a death metal maniac then Fleshcrawl are a band who need no introduction yet despite being around since 1991 and releasing several fantastic albums such as Descend Into The Absurd and Made Of Flesh I don’t feel they are a band who have gotten the recognition they quite rightly deserve. It doesn’t seem to bother Fleshcrawl though as despite Into The Catacombs being the first album from the band in 12 years they pick up straight from where they left off with 39 minutes of gnarly old school death metal.
Into The Catacombs Of Flesh is 12 songs of filthy death metal putridity with sharp riffs, plenty of groove, tight rhythms, guttural roars and a guitar tone dirtier than a portaloo at the end of a festival. The songs range from the fast and flesh ripping such as Chained Impalement and the title track, mid paced numbers with plenty of dirty groove such as Grave Monger and Ossurary Rituals and songs which have leanings into melodeath such as Obliteration Bizarre and Among Death And Desolation. Into The Catacombs Of Death is another formidable entry in the Fleshcrawl discography and is essential listening if you like your old school death metal. This is a fantastic return for Fleshcrawl showing that nearly 30 years later that the old school bands still do it the best. 8/10
Moon Chamber: Lore Of The Land (No Remorse Records) [Matt Bladen]
What do you get if you form a band with Marta Gabriel, singer of Crystal Viper and Rob Bendelow founder and guitarist of British rock stalwarts Saracen? Well you get a band influenced by 70's/80's hard rock an drenched in English folklore and history (something Bendelow is particularly au fait with). Opening with the De Temporum Ratione, the prog gets amped up from the outset as Bendelow guitar passages bring open power chords when linked with drummer Andy Green (Pagan Altar) and Marta on bass (though Rob's son Richard is now the bands bassist) it's the organs of Saracen's Paul Bradder that are especially prevalent giving the track an element of Rainbow as it explodes into a guitar solo finale. It's a strong way to open the record unfortunately the poppy Only is much weaker, happily When Stakes Are High gets better and has a NWOBHM gallop along with lyrics about witches, it gets the pace going showing Gabriel's vocals to their full.
I must say here that Rob's guitar playing is brilliant throughout (it's part of the reason I actually quite like Saracen), Ravenmaster maintains the NWOBHM sound as We'll Find A Way layers folky acoustics with romantic lyricism, it's a brilliant ballad that breaks up the album as it sits in the middle of the record. Leading to folkier tunes such as The Nine Ladies which has some excellent fiddle as it moves into the dramatic The Goddess And The Green Man, which is built around Gabriel's vocal histrionics and a strutting riff. I'll level with you, when I listened to this album first I didn't really think much of it, maybe it was a bad day, maybe it was the copious amount of death metal I'd immersed myself in, I don't know. But after another listen it hooked me, this isn't some band from the "good old days" reconvening for one last gasp, this is one of the originators of the genre (who are still recording and touring) teaming up with members from bands influenced by it for some classy hard rock that has some big hooks, fist pumping riffs, clever lyrics and a cover of Saracen's Crusader, Lore Of The Land is an accomplished debut for this band that I hope are more than a one off. 8/10
Burning Witches: Wings Of Steel (Nuclear Blast) [Rich Oliver]
Wings Of Steel is the latest release from Swiss heavy metallers Burning Witches. Released as an EP this is really a glorified single with one new song and three bonus live songs. The new song itself is the title track which opens this release and is an enjoyable piece of storming heavy metal with a big wedge of power metal influence in there as well. The pace is fast, the riffs are aggressive, the drumming is relentless and all presided over by then melodic yet snarling vocals of singer Laura Guldemond. It’s a great song to be fair and a good teaser of what is to come on the upcoming third album from Burning Witches. The rest of the EP is made up of three live songs recorded at Wacken Open Air earlier this year and whilst they are decent recordings they lack a bit of energy and are somewhat inferior to the studio recordings. They are by no means terrible but they lack a wow factor. This EP is decent enough for fans of the band but somewhat redundant for anyone else as it is essentially a glorified single. 6/10
SxWxP: Trans Am Jams (Self Released)
From Louisville, KY come groovesters SxWxP, founded by singer/guitarist Dave “Sailor” Bryant formerly of My Own Victim and Surviving Thalia. He's formed a new band and has obviously listened to a lot of Down and Alabama Thunderpussy in the interim as this album is full of NOLA grooves, Rising Tides purrs like a V8, as Bryant's vocals move between soulful and shouted as Closing Time brings some Pantera guitar riffs, though it never really moves away from this style. It's as American as apple pie, riffs to make you nod your head and some searing solos that are reminiscent of Dimebag of Zakk Wylde, especially on I Tried, Drink Till I Die is a bit more of change with some doomier riffs after the acoustic opening. SxWxP have made a heavy metal album that has jumped in the gap left by both Abbott brothers, if you like this kind of Southern Groove metal then you'll be cranking up these Trans Am Jams as loud as possible. 6/10
From Louisville, KY come groovesters SxWxP, founded by singer/guitarist Dave “Sailor” Bryant formerly of My Own Victim and Surviving Thalia. He's formed a new band and has obviously listened to a lot of Down and Alabama Thunderpussy in the interim as this album is full of NOLA grooves, Rising Tides purrs like a V8, as Bryant's vocals move between soulful and shouted as Closing Time brings some Pantera guitar riffs, though it never really moves away from this style. It's as American as apple pie, riffs to make you nod your head and some searing solos that are reminiscent of Dimebag of Zakk Wylde, especially on I Tried, Drink Till I Die is a bit more of change with some doomier riffs after the acoustic opening. SxWxP have made a heavy metal album that has jumped in the gap left by both Abbott brothers, if you like this kind of Southern Groove metal then you'll be cranking up these Trans Am Jams as loud as possible. 6/10