Static Abyss - Aborted from Reality (Peaceville Records) [Mark Young]
Now this is how we start the week. The second album from industry veterans Greg Wilkinson and Chris Reifert who you will know as members of Autopsy. Just from the art alone, we could be back in 89 or 90 and I am so excited for this.
Kicking things off with the title track, its straight in, heads up classic sounding death metal in the old school method. Similar to DeathCollector, its apparent right from the get-go that this is no facsimile, it’s the real deal from those who have seen it and wrote it the first-time round. It is an 11-song battering that really takes me back to the time when all this was new (and all fields etc etc).
Wormskinned has that delicious harmony discord going on, setting the low-end riffing in place before they press go and it takes off. And yes, there is nothing original in this at all, but I care not. Its just classic death metal, given the benefit of experience from those writing it. Cathedral Of Vomit (see, even the song titles rule!) grinds methodically, almost like stretching a piece of meat to beyond breaking point and is an exercise in getting as much as possible out of a simple musical passage. The vocals are suitably deep and guttural, and you expect nothing less from those who made Autopsy what it was.
Cerebral Ghost mixes it up fast / faster / grind and is just so cool because they are not writing this in a ‘lets take the piss’ way it’s a serious endeavour and I thank them for it. Same with Mind Tentacles, its just a blast and you can say that for the entire album. Each song could be from a lost album from an unknown band waiting for rediscovery and rather than give you a blow-by-blow account, I’ll just get straight to the point. This is a collection of top quality, old-school death metal, complete with all the mental drumming, grindy guitars, guttural vocals and double bass.
Virgin Steele…not so virgin considering the Long Island, NY band has been around since 1981 and the new album, The Passion Of Dionysus, is album number 18. What is weird is how a Long Island band around during my formative years on the Island never passed through my ears until pulling this out of the review folder. Better late than never, right?
Well…if The Passion Of Dionysus is any indication, I think I was ok missing out, because I just could not connect with this album. Virgin Steele has become close to a one-man band at this point, and you can kind of tell. The production on this record is not good. It sounds way too much like a school project. The songs are not terrible, in fact the opener The Gethsemane Effect has a lot going on in a good way. Nice guitar work, some piano, cool vocals, but I cannot get past the production in this record….and my favorite band is Guided By Voices whose best stuff was recorded on a boombox.
I wanted to like this considering Virgin Steele have hung in there since 1981 and are fellow OG Long Islanders, but this was a tough listen for me. I give them credit for the effort and some of the ideas but overall, I could not really get into The Passion Of Dionysus. 5/10
Coffin Mulch - Spectral Intercession (At War With False Noise) [Erick Willand]
There has been an enormous amount of quality Death Metal released in the last 5 years, it is in my humble opinion a Death Metal golden age. As a fan this great, and endless stream of gore drenched sounds for our ears to be pummeled by and many fantastic t-shirts to hunt down. For bands, especially newer bands it can be tough to get noticed in the virtual tidal wave of sonic brutality. Enter Scottish mad men Coffin Mulch who dropped a zombie festooned EP in 21 titled Septic Funeral that caught this review's ears with its combo attack of swampy doom, speedy punk and classic old school vibes.
Now in the year of our discontent 2023 Coffin Mulch have returned with a crunchy full length, Spectral Intercession. Lets get mulched.
Now this is how we start the week. The second album from industry veterans Greg Wilkinson and Chris Reifert who you will know as members of Autopsy. Just from the art alone, we could be back in 89 or 90 and I am so excited for this.
Kicking things off with the title track, its straight in, heads up classic sounding death metal in the old school method. Similar to DeathCollector, its apparent right from the get-go that this is no facsimile, it’s the real deal from those who have seen it and wrote it the first-time round. It is an 11-song battering that really takes me back to the time when all this was new (and all fields etc etc).
Wormskinned has that delicious harmony discord going on, setting the low-end riffing in place before they press go and it takes off. And yes, there is nothing original in this at all, but I care not. Its just classic death metal, given the benefit of experience from those writing it. Cathedral Of Vomit (see, even the song titles rule!) grinds methodically, almost like stretching a piece of meat to beyond breaking point and is an exercise in getting as much as possible out of a simple musical passage. The vocals are suitably deep and guttural, and you expect nothing less from those who made Autopsy what it was.
Cerebral Ghost mixes it up fast / faster / grind and is just so cool because they are not writing this in a ‘lets take the piss’ way it’s a serious endeavour and I thank them for it. Same with Mind Tentacles, its just a blast and you can say that for the entire album. Each song could be from a lost album from an unknown band waiting for rediscovery and rather than give you a blow-by-blow account, I’ll just get straight to the point. This is a collection of top quality, old-school death metal, complete with all the mental drumming, grindy guitars, guttural vocals and double bass.
Its an album to be appreciated not just as a call back to the early days but as a signpost to the future. It’s showing that you don’t need super down-tuned guitars to make a damm good death metal album. It’s showing that you don’t have to super progressive instrumental moments to make something worthwhile. The final three of Unrepentant Mutant Serpent, Dehumanized and The Static Abyss give a masterclass in approach and arrangement and I’m probably a little bit biased, but this is well worth your time. 8/10
The Cartographer - The Cold Black (Self Released) [Zak Skane]
As the abiembiece swells in The Cartographer open this four track with crushing blows of stamping breakdowns, harsh throaty harsh vocals to voice chord tearing roars that just ooze vemon from very lyric that the vocalist spits inflicks on the earth with Emmure styled aggression.
As the abiembiece swells in The Cartographer open this four track with crushing blows of stamping breakdowns, harsh throaty harsh vocals to voice chord tearing roars that just ooze vemon from very lyric that the vocalist spits inflicks on the earth with Emmure styled aggression.
Misery System holds true to it’s technical metal roots with Architects influenced, interval hoping riffs whilst ambient layers are played in the background of anthemic choruses. Whilst this track holds it’s sharp technical precision it can still deliver the deathcore styled brutality. Fiend brings in the modern Nu Metal bounce with bowl rumbling riffs that only Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit) could muster whilst throwing some classic hair on hardcore hooks. Then finally Red Tape still carries on the nu metal energy with it’s old schools slipknot style break beats, Corey Taylor style aggressive vocals, whilst the guitars are sharpened with the modern edge by fast percussive riffs and polyrhythmic drum beats.
Throughout the four tracks the band did not hold back. Through crushing breakdowns, to sharp precise technical riffs accompanied with venomous vocals and crushing grooves this is a solid four track EP from the Derbyshire act. For fans of Emmure, Chelsea Grin and Architects. 8/10.
Virgin Steele - The Passion Of Dionysus (SPV/Steamhammer) [Rich Piva]
Throughout the four tracks the band did not hold back. Through crushing breakdowns, to sharp precise technical riffs accompanied with venomous vocals and crushing grooves this is a solid four track EP from the Derbyshire act. For fans of Emmure, Chelsea Grin and Architects. 8/10.
Virgin Steele - The Passion Of Dionysus (SPV/Steamhammer) [Rich Piva]
Virgin Steele…not so virgin considering the Long Island, NY band has been around since 1981 and the new album, The Passion Of Dionysus, is album number 18. What is weird is how a Long Island band around during my formative years on the Island never passed through my ears until pulling this out of the review folder. Better late than never, right?
Well…if The Passion Of Dionysus is any indication, I think I was ok missing out, because I just could not connect with this album. Virgin Steele has become close to a one-man band at this point, and you can kind of tell. The production on this record is not good. It sounds way too much like a school project. The songs are not terrible, in fact the opener The Gethsemane Effect has a lot going on in a good way. Nice guitar work, some piano, cool vocals, but I cannot get past the production in this record….and my favorite band is Guided By Voices whose best stuff was recorded on a boombox.
There are some other good ideas too, like A Song Of Possession which would be a ripper if it sounded better through my speakers and The Ritual Of Descent that has some early Maiden vibes. I am fine with some cheese in my metal, which is what you get with songs like Spiritual Warfare and To Bind & Kill A God, but again, it is so tough to get through given how this has been produced. It is a shame, because I would love to have heard this done with any kind of production budget.
I wanted to like this considering Virgin Steele have hung in there since 1981 and are fellow OG Long Islanders, but this was a tough listen for me. I give them credit for the effort and some of the ideas but overall, I could not really get into The Passion Of Dionysus. 5/10
Coffin Mulch - Spectral Intercession (At War With False Noise) [Erick Willand]
There has been an enormous amount of quality Death Metal released in the last 5 years, it is in my humble opinion a Death Metal golden age. As a fan this great, and endless stream of gore drenched sounds for our ears to be pummeled by and many fantastic t-shirts to hunt down. For bands, especially newer bands it can be tough to get noticed in the virtual tidal wave of sonic brutality. Enter Scottish mad men Coffin Mulch who dropped a zombie festooned EP in 21 titled Septic Funeral that caught this review's ears with its combo attack of swampy doom, speedy punk and classic old school vibes.
Now in the year of our discontent 2023 Coffin Mulch have returned with a crunchy full length, Spectral Intercession. Lets get mulched.
Opening with what I can only call cosmic horror screams I'm instantly brought aboard the Event Horizon ready to stare in the blackness. Little time is wasted here however and the song proper quickly punches you in the forehead with a drum beat that makes you want to move. I dont know for sure if vocalist Al (no last name?) is using any effects here but he literally sounds swampy. The vibe on this album is..palpable. Its purpose is to pound you into the dirt like a tent spike.
Into The Blood, Metal Suicide, and In The Grip Of Death are intense, pounding and coated with a vocal approach that is just torturous. In The Grip Of Death is a highlight here with its sharp 1:45 run time its like a high speed kick in the shin. Fall Of Gaia changes this up only slightly with a more martial drum feel and some howling vocals, topped with a brief guitar solo that just fits so well. Chefs kiss x10. Now we come to Gateway To The Unseen with a fantastic opening that sounds like you are actually banging on a giant forbidden gate. More quick martial drumming and some of the best guitar riffs of the album this for me is a stand out track. Right into the personal playlist. Infernal Mass opens with a doom vibe but quickly switches it up to a punky old school ripper with the most urgent in-your-face vocals yet.
Final track on this old school beating is Eternal Enslavement, a slow doomy opening that doesnt kick in until Vincent Price himself heralds famine, pestilence, disease, war and death at the 1:20 mark. This hefty slab keeps the heavy as a dump truck doom vibe for a decent drag down a broken street. It is admittedly the weakest track on the album, slogging on for just over 6 minutes it feels like a leftover track from the EP. Its not a bad OSDM song, just not as good as the previous songs. Good idea to slap it on at the end.
I totally dig the vibe on Spectral Intercession. Crunchy where it should be and punky where it needed to be, this is a solid buy for fans of the Old School. Does it stand out among the horde of other Death Metal slabs this year? Only a little I'm afraid, only a little. The cover art by artist Brad Moore here is eye-catching but I have to admit I'm not a huge fan, it's difficult on the eye and I could write about that alone for another 5 pages but I digress. So, its good, Ill buy it but...my final score is… 6/10
Into The Blood, Metal Suicide, and In The Grip Of Death are intense, pounding and coated with a vocal approach that is just torturous. In The Grip Of Death is a highlight here with its sharp 1:45 run time its like a high speed kick in the shin. Fall Of Gaia changes this up only slightly with a more martial drum feel and some howling vocals, topped with a brief guitar solo that just fits so well. Chefs kiss x10. Now we come to Gateway To The Unseen with a fantastic opening that sounds like you are actually banging on a giant forbidden gate. More quick martial drumming and some of the best guitar riffs of the album this for me is a stand out track. Right into the personal playlist. Infernal Mass opens with a doom vibe but quickly switches it up to a punky old school ripper with the most urgent in-your-face vocals yet.
Final track on this old school beating is Eternal Enslavement, a slow doomy opening that doesnt kick in until Vincent Price himself heralds famine, pestilence, disease, war and death at the 1:20 mark. This hefty slab keeps the heavy as a dump truck doom vibe for a decent drag down a broken street. It is admittedly the weakest track on the album, slogging on for just over 6 minutes it feels like a leftover track from the EP. Its not a bad OSDM song, just not as good as the previous songs. Good idea to slap it on at the end.
I totally dig the vibe on Spectral Intercession. Crunchy where it should be and punky where it needed to be, this is a solid buy for fans of the Old School. Does it stand out among the horde of other Death Metal slabs this year? Only a little I'm afraid, only a little. The cover art by artist Brad Moore here is eye-catching but I have to admit I'm not a huge fan, it's difficult on the eye and I could write about that alone for another 5 pages but I digress. So, its good, Ill buy it but...my final score is… 6/10