2015 - First Reviews

Bloody hell, I'm a bit behind with my reviewing. I spent more time in the gym over the Christmas period than I did in front of my computer. So here's my first batch of 2015. Plus a couple of links to video clips I've been told about the past week

Abbess

Welcome to the secretive world of Abbess. Their debut release is self titled and the songs are simply marked in Roman numerals, I to VII

I contacted the band via Bandcamp as I couldn’t find any info online about them. And here’s the info I got back. “Two of the members live in Western Maryland in the mountains, and one lives in West Virginia not too far away.”

So now you know as much as I do.

And I guess that makes this album just a little more intriguing, especially as it’s so fucking good.

Musically, it’s sort of Black Metal. I say sort of, as I hear loads of other styles, which are equally as prominent. And this seamless melding of styles makes it impossible for me to categorise. Which I guess is another plus point for the band. But they offer up wave after wave of rolling riffs, slower, doomier sections to moments of all-out attack and groove laden, head nodding excellence. Basically they just cram a load of different shit together and make it work.

And that’s probably a fair assessment of Abbess. The whole album feels like a huge jam session and you can just imagine the three band members rocking out in an old barn, just laying down the grooves and having a blast.

So there’s no fanfare, no hype, just good music… just as it should be

https://abbessband.bandcamp.com/releases

Apocrophex

I’ve reviewed Apocrophex once before and was impressed with their technical take on Death Metal.

This time around, it’s a harder listen for me. Musically, this is a supreme creation and the sound is absolutely perfect. But generally I have a problem with the flow of more technically minded music, and that’s the case here.

10 out 10 in terms of musicianship and sound, but it’s a hard track for me to digest. But if you’re a fan of Technical Death, then I’m sure you’ll love this.

https://apocrophex.bandcamp.com/

Apocryfal

This beast has been out for just over a year, but has just made its way to me. It matters not that it took a while to reach me, I’m just glad that I’ve not missed out on this gem of a release.

Mastered by the ever reliable Dan Swano, this is a mighty slab of Finnish Blackened Death, with the emphasis on the Death Metal side of things. Basically it rips you a new asshole from start to finish (no puns that I should have said start to Finnish…..)

The band stated that they wanted to keep the sound raw, but the production as clean as possible. And they’ve achieved that aim rather wonderfully. The sound is very clean, but they’ve captured the energy and spite needed to make this succeed.

Regular readers of this blog will know I’m not the Worlds biggest Death Metal fan, yet this release has me completely hooked.

Hopefully these guys will go far as they have a genuine talent for what they do

https://www.facebook.com/Apocryfal

https://apocryfal.bandcamp.com/album/aberration-of-mind

NilExistence

Most of these guys were in Disfigured Dead and this promo is basically to announce the new name of the band and a new direction etc…

 And while I agree with the idea of presenting their new band and a fresh sound with a short promo, their new singer, Mark Berlin, joined after they recorded their forthcoming album, so it kind of renders this completely redundant. Especially as he may make the band sound completely different once again.

So, commenting solely on what’s on offer here, I like what I hear. From my limited knowledge of Disfigured Dead, NilExistence seem to have expanded upon the more basic Death Metal sound of their previous band and have matured to include other influences, as well as a few time changes, spoken word parts, more melody etc…

The two songs here are extremely well structured and have many layers, compared to the more one dimensional sound of their previous band. The only area they’ve not improved upon is in the “imagery” department, as this promo has an extremely poor cover. But that’s a very minor quibble, that can be easily ignored.

Their new album should be out in the first half of 2015. Keep an eye on the band via Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/nilexistenceofficial

Stardestroyer

Hailing from Finland, Stardestroyer are a miserable bunch.

I struggled to pin this down to one style on the first couple of listens. It shifts through a few territories, including Doom, 80s Goth and a few Alternative leanings. But I decided in the end that it’s just a damn miserable listen.

I know Finland used to be the suicide capital of the World (no idea if it still is) and that may explain why this album is so bloody morose. The guitars are straight out of 80s Gothdom and they jangle along at a sedentary pace and they just reek of unhappiness. Same deal for the drums and bass. I’m sure there’s a Bauhaus influence in there somewhere, mixed in with a few Doom influences, just to add an extra layer of self loathing.

It’s only the upbeat Stoner groove in Dysphoria that adds any light to this dark palette.

If you want to wallow in the misery, this album is available for free via Bandcamp.  Just keep your wrists protected at all times, because if this doesn’t incite you to consider slitting your wrists, nothing will.

https://stardestroyer1.bandcamp.com/releases

PS: I do actually like this album

And here's a couple of video clips to end the update with

My Hidden Sin

Schöngeist