Brave - Monuments

I love the sound of female singing. But I generally hate it in metal, usually through no fault of the singers. Its usual context is what I'll call "corset metal," over-produced schlock with billowing hair and faceless male minions. It's all drama and no nuance. Lacuna Coil were actually a good band before they became a Pro Tools plug-in farm.

Driven
Something to This

If instead Century Media and Nuclear Blast signed more bands like Brave, the world would be a better place. This DC band has the chops, songwriting, and, yes, the polished production - Monuments needs only a label logo to go on shelves - yet it preserves its singer's humanity. Michelle Loose has one of the most wonderful voices I've heard in ages. It's technically adept, yet big and soulful. She knows exactly when to push her voice and make it "break up"; contrast, for example, Dolores O'Riordan's histrionics in The Cranberries' "Zombie." Metal hasn't had such an appealingly accessible female presence since The Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen.

Brave is that rare band where each instrument stands out. The guitars are robust, the bass is warm, and the drums burst with tasty fills and propulsive accents. Violinist Suvo Sor is Brave's secret weapon, complementing Loose with mournful melodies. In "Sooner or Later," he even breaks out a shredding solo with four-string arpeggios, the classical precursor to guitar sweep picking.

Many influences enrich Monuments. "Driven" is straight-up, fist-pumping Eurometal. "Stronger" swims in a sea of Pink Floyd echoing guitars. "Forgiveness" plumbs Katatonia's moodiness, while "Hero" is a swirling stew of prog odd meters and Viking melodies. The poignant "Something to This" begs to be a video, in a good way. (But please leave the wind machine at home.) Monuments has more hooks than a UFC fight card, and will make my Top 20 this year.

Buy:
Brave (CD)
DigStation (MP3)

Bongripper - Hate Ashbury

Referencing the notorious San Francisco district Haight Ashbury, Bongripper relishes another opportunity to smash the hippie mold. Hate Ashbury re-affirms the Chicago quartet's slogan, "The only good hippie is a dead hippie." A hostile illustration plasters Hate Ashbury with anti-beatnik animosity. All peace, love, and happiness vanish as the fingers of the peace sign are torn from the joints.

Pt. III (excerpt)
Pt. IV (excerpt)

Yet Bongripper conjures a sweet high, injecting dense doom with kisses of ambient mist. After two minutes, "Pt. III" lingers like smoke escaping weed-infested lungs. The delay pedal, bass hum, and drum batter caress like soft hands. The atmospheric delicacy is nice for a change, but it evaporates as guitars plow into the vapor on "Pt. IV." Despite its lack of vocals, the transition is an awakening. When asked why Bongripper despises hippies, guitarist Nick Dellacroce replies, "The real question is, 'What is there to like about hippies?' Fuck peace. Hail Satan. Worship doom." If there’s food for thought in those statements, I suggest the latter for mass consumption.

- Jess Blumensheid

Buy:
MySpace
Cassette

Howl, Mendozza

Howl

In the current issue of Decibel (#44, Iron Maiden cover), I've done the "Throw Me a Frickin' Bone!" column, which reviews demos and unsigned records. Some of them are actually good. The two of note this time are by Howl and Mendozza. Both are hairy and sound like it. (One of my non-metalhead friends read the column, after which she turned to me and asked, "What is 'beard metal'?" It was so cute.)

Howl - And the Gnawing...
Mendozza - The Rise of the Piscean

Howl hail from Providence, RI, and remind me a little of Lair of the Minotaur, but with more color. Dig that half-speed Slayer riff in the middle of "And the Gnawing..."! This June, these dudes and dudette will play at Indiana's Dude Fest, which really should be called Beard Fest. Also hirsute and heavy are Vancouver's Mendozza, who drop an absolutely nasty wah-wah workout in "The Rise of the Piscean." The criss-crossing bluesy leads are pure Sabbath, and pure awesomeness. Somehow this band ended up on the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack next to Atreyu and My Chemical Romance - WTF?!

Buy:
Howl
Mendozza

Eibon - Promo '08

Paris' answer to Eyehategod, Eibon have a new promo CD out. Its two massive tracks total 22 and a half minutes in length. Eibon hammer riffs into the ground with the best of 'em, yet shape them into surprisingly graceful journeys. "Asleep and Threatening" is the more aggressive offering, and is audible on Eibon's MySpace. It drops from sludge into a hole of doom, then climbs back out with rough-and-tumble percussion before alighting on moody Tool-isms.

Staring at the Abyss

"Staring at the Abyss" is even more patient, settling into a hypnotic three-note theme. It then traverses a wide variety of feels, including candlelit pyschedelia, a lumbering shuffle, and luminous, tremolo-picked drones. Dig those runs at 7:40 that sprout up out of the dirt like small plants. The recording is perfectly earthy, highlighting tasty drumming by Jerome Lachaud. Last year, Eibon put out a solid split on Bones Brigade with fellow French sludge metallers Hangman's Chair. I reviewed it here; it's available at Bones Brigade, Hellride Music, and Relapse. Someone sign this band!

Tid - Bortom Inom

Swedes can bring the umlauts, too. Tid hail from Linköping (and Stockholm) and have a bassist named Björn, a guitarist named Söderberg, and songs titled "Synvända" and "Västanvind." I can't do much with the Swedish lyrics other than bask in the profusion of umlauts and cute little circles above the letter "a." (The one in Mikael Åkerfeldt's name is almost angelic.) And that artwork! It screams "'70s synth project." You had me at ELO.

Se

Tid don't bring progressive cheese, but psychedelic hardcore doom. That sounds like a bad MySpace description, but it's literally true. Bortom Inom is like a cross between Cave In's psychedelic pop period and their later return to heaviness. Spacy, gauzy tones alternate with huge, ball-dragging distortion, with midrange hardcore-ish screams. Tid evoke that Boston hardcore-gone-sludge vibe (Isis, Old Man Gloom, Zozobra), but more melodically; they're keen on bittersweet oscillations between major and minor thirds.

I don't understand why Tid aren't on Hydra Head yet with Technicolor all-over prints by Aaron Turner on white hoodies. This EP is godlike. "Se" is a towering edifice of "awesome." These four songs last almost half an hour, and almost make me want to start smoking weed. Best of all, this EP is free to download - in both MP3 and WAV versions, complete with artwork! Tid couldn't have packaged this gift more nicely. Do them and your ears a favor, and grab this EP here.

Ambient Death - Time Eclipse

"Ambient Death" is an improbable name seemingly spawned from a music genre name generator. This Brooklyn band's sound could also come from a machine, one of time warp. The aptly-titled Time Eclipse is the most accurate re-creation of early '90s progressive death metal I've ever heard, when bands started exploring jazz fusion, but with thrash still in the rear-view mirror.

Manhunt

Two records from 1990 come to mind - Atheist's Piece of Time and Death's Spiritual Healing. But unlike today's thrash revival, which only makes me want to revisit old albums, this EP has the open-ended spirit of its inspirations. The songs are nonlinear yet compact. Synths sparkle throughout, coming not from keyboards, but from a guitar synth (geekily awesome). The guitarist is obviously schooled in classic metal, but bends familiar melodies into new shapes. Atheist's Roger Patterson's ghost is strong in the bass, and the drums are colorfully unpredictable. The production values (especially the vocal reverb) are a perfect throwback to the early '90s.

This is one of the most talented American metal bands I've heard in ages, and they're unsigned??? I've only posted one clip, as the EP has five tracks. The band's MySpace has more sounds, as well as the EP for sale. It comes in a nice, six-panel digipak, and could very well become a legendary, sought-after collectors' item. You want it.

Time Eclipse is available from Ambient Death's website and MySpace, and from CD Baby.

Fugazi - In on the Kill Taker (Albini demos)

Others have written on these demos, but I'll revisit them since yesterday's mixtape had a tune from In on the Kill Taker. Fugazi were somewhat creatures of habit. They jammed at Ian MacKaye's grandparents' house in Guilford, CT; they recorded at Don Zientara's Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA (interesting how the various Fugazi albums recorded there sound so unlike).

For their third full-length, they tried something different and recorded demos in Chicago with Steve Albini. Band renowned for live chemistry + engineer renowned for live-sounding recordings = match made in heaven, right? Not exactly. Neither band nor engineer was happy with the results, and Fugazi returned to Inner Ear to record their most aggressive album.

Fugazi - In on the Kill Taker (Albini demos) [23.2MB .zip]

In an interview, MacKaye said that these sessions never saw daylight. However, MP3's labeled as such have floated around the Internet. I don't know if they're the real deal, as (a) the MP3's are encoded at an abysmally low 160 kbps, and (b) evidently the band also did previous demos at the Guilford house.

But I'd believe that Albini did these demos. The ambience and snare sound seem like they could come from him. Albini has always claimed not to have a sound, only capturing bands as they are. But while his mind may be objective, his hands must be subjective. He has to make choices regarding what sounds best to him. Thus, he's probably prone to tendencies. The sturdiness here is quite Albini-esque.

Public Witness Program (Albini demo)
Public Witness Program (final version)

Origin aside, these demos are interesting as such. At this second round of demoing, the songs were pretty much set. But they still had fascinating work-in-progress differences from the final products. "23 Beats Off" didn't have a long noisefest of an ending; "Public Witness Program" didn't have handclaps, which to me is 50% of the song.

These differences aren't as huge as, say, those between the demos and final tracks of Jimmy Eat World's Futures (all of which are on that record's 2-CD edition, which I highly recommend; it is amazing to hear ugly (and I mean ugly) duckling demos turned into pop perfection). But they're meaningful. For a band as seemingly spontaneous as Fugazi, these demos show that every vocal "ad lib" and string scrape was not only planned, but also finely tuned.

Kowloon Walled City - Turk Street EP

Yeah! I have not been this excited by a demo in a long, long time. For an extremely young band (their first show was in November), Kowloon Walled City are absolutely killing it (if you don't know what the band is named after, one of the Earth's most unique places ever, rectify that here). The members themselves are music veterans, having done time in bands such as Redemption 87, Lord God Bird, L'og, Boy Found Floating, and others.

Turk, Taylor, and Jones
My Hands Are Turning to Bricks

Kowloon Walled City - Turk Street EP [25.5MB .zip]

KWC cite bands like Unsane and Melvins as influences, which are certainly present. However, there's something very Bay Area about KWC's noisy, downtuned, heavy-as-hell filth. I'm thinking of a lineage that includes Eldopa, Noothgrush, early Neurosis, and so on.

The band even talks about Bay Area filth - "Turk, Taylor, and Jones" are streets in San Francisco's Tenderloin district, notorious for its piss-stained sidewalks full of crackheads, homeless, and prostitutes. KWC's rehearsal space is there (I happen to live nearby also). Singer/guitarist Scott Evans (who co-runs a label called Wordclock) handled the perfectly crisp yet dirty recording. Best of all, you can download the EP for free (see link above).

A full-length looms imminent in a few months. At a Loss, Alternative Tentacles, 20 Buck Spin, Relapse, etc., are you listening?

Seraphim Slaughter - Scum Terror

Seraphim Slaughter (not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name) was "founded on the most Satanic holiday of the year, Groundhog's Day [sic], in 2002." The band hails from New Jersey, presumably the most Satanic state in America. Its debut, Scum Terror, is out on its own AIDS Needle Records, which should give an idea of its sensibilities (the artwork says, "Fun Songs about Murder, AIDS, Sex, Rape, Terror, Alcohol, Satan").

Stabbed with an AIDS Needle
To Cataclysmic Path

Black metal, crusty punk, and lo-fi thrash desperately race around like sperm in a used condom on a sidewalk. Creepo's raspy vocals are appealingly abrasive, and the production is appropriately raw. Ride cymbals, in particular, cut through the buzzsaw guitars effectively.

Later Darkthrone comes to mind, as does early Bathory. Like S.O.D., the band's cited influence, the content is politically incorrect and juvenile. Basically, it's offensive to all. At times, it's funny, as in "I'm the Unholy Motherfucking Master." At others, it's pointless, as in "Armageddon Rape Rampage." Such toilet grade humor is a shame, as jams like "Cervix Ripping Sex" are otherwise, um, slamming. I suppose that if GG Allin or Anal Cunt can get props, the sky's (or whatever is the opposite of the sky) the limit for filth.

This record may not have much to say lyrically, but musically it's one big ball of F.U. I'm digging this. You can find it at Amazon, the band's website, or digitally from the band's MySpace.

Senate - The Great Northern Scenekill

Contrary to what its title might suggest, The Great Northern Scenekill (self-released, 2006) has nothing to do with Pantera. It's modern thrashy melodic death metal, and quite aggressive - think Darkane or Darkest Hour. This Canadian band features Martyr drummer Patrice Hamelin (who's touring with Despised Icon this year); this record has Threat Signal's Marco Bressette on bass, though he's no longer in the band. Tue Madsen did the mastering, with Tue Madsen results - punchy and compressed.

Victorious Hatred
Queen of Sorrow

This album is a perfect example of why I love doing this site. You'd never guess from hearing it that the band isn't signed. It easily stacks up against the rest of what's out there. Even if it's not the most original stuff, I invariably find myself tapping my foot and throwing some goats.

It's also a perfect example of what drives metal - riffs. Basically, this album is one bad-ass riff after another, and ridiculously so. Just count the killer riffs in "Victorious Hatred" - it's almost brazen. That choppy last riff in "Queen of Sorrow"? Sick. I picture these guys slaving away in a sweatshop; they're not making Hallmark cards or fortune cookies, but killer riffs. There's this guy with a whip, and he won't let the band leave until they've made 50 killer riffs each day.

Yes, I know I'm weird.

A few rookie mistakes on this debut-full length: a cute but completely inappropriate jazz guitar intro, fluctuating levels of vocals in the mix. I don't mind the latter, though, as the raspy yells are somewhat faceless. "Queen of Sorrow" does hit some awesome multitracked singing at 4:28 that's so Def Leppard - hell yeah.

Eat poutine, drink Molson, and find this at Senate's MySpace. The entire album is available for streaming at the band's website.

Romans - All Those Wrists

At first Romans' name had me fearing yet another Botch rip-off. But while math meters and spiraling dissonance are present, the band's sound also spans melodic post-hardcore and atmospheric metal. The caustic riffs here contrast nicely with dreamy, wide-eyed textures. Romans would be equally at home on Blackmarket Activities, Hydra Head, and Crucial Blast (labels, take note!). In fact, some of the reverbed, Americana-ish tones recall Crucial Blast band Souvenir's Young America.

All Those Wrists
Carve Up and Give Away

All Those Wrists (self-released, 2007) is this Burlington, VT band's DIY debut. At under 24 minutes, it's more of an EP than a full-length. Brevity is a virtue, though, and leaving me wanting more is a good thing. The track sequencing is incredibly seamless. In fact, the band chopped up passages into separate tracks when it could easily have left them together and called them one track. Thus, this release feels like it has fewer than its 12 tracks. The recording is crisp and punchy, with gnawing guitars and round bass tones.

My only complaint with this disc is that it's too short. I've listened to it many times, and it hasn't lost any luster. Those of you who dug that Aussitôt Mort I posted a few days ago should check this out. To pick up this disc, contact the band via its MySpace.

Age of Evil - Living a Sick Dream

Arizona's Age of Evil remind me of Trivium, not in sound (AoE play a blend of thrash and traditional heavy metal) but in precocity. They comprise two pairs of brothers, ranging from 18 down to 15 years old (!), and they exhibit what Trivium had, at least on their first record: jaw-dropping chops, catchy songs, horrible lyrics, and competent, not quite developed, vocals.

Land of Yours
Glimpse of Light

Living a Sick Dream (self-released, 2007) in no way betrays the band's youth (well, aside from the lyrics). Some of the more technical thrash brings to mind Marty Friedman-era Megadeth and Nevermore, which are definitely not vibes most 15 year-olds can evoke. The band even got Friedman himself to contribute a guest solo and liner notes - but that's just icing, really. The guitar work is ripping; the solos have exquisite melodies and gorgeous architecture.

If they work on their lyrics and vocals, this group will go places. These teenagers are already schooling musicians twice their ages. I'm surprised labels aren't knocking down their door yet. This debut is available physically and digitally from the band's webstore.

Vougan - Silent Souls

What a debut! Vougan is a Brazilian power metal quintet that impresses mightily on the Silent Souls EP, available as a free download. The EP contains five tracks - an instrumental plus two fast and two slow tunes. The faster numbers have hints of Priest, as well as other unexpected bits. "Behind the Lies" unleashes rides galore and delightfully burbling, fusion-esque keys, while the title track resounds with unexpectedly soulful vocal harmonies.

Behind the Lies
L.O.S.T.

For me, the test of a power metal band is the slow song (i.e., can they do one without making me vomit). "Unspeakable" is a typical piano power ballad, but "L.O.S.T." delivers with quasi-exotic melodies, tribal drumming, and deliberate grooves a la later Queensrÿche (in a good way). The production is strong, preserving guitar bite while keeping keyboards balanced in the mix. Most people will hear the EP as a download, but the physical version has a cool, heavy stock sleeve with a nifty pocket for the CD.

Vougan will release its first full-length, Mind Exceeding, this fall, featuring new singer Izack Salvatierra. They're not signed yet??? Given this EP, that should change soon.

The Abodox - New Knife of the Berserker

After enough listens, I like even the ugly-ass artwork of New Knife of the Berserker. It fits the record, which is hairy, lo-fi, and violent. Imagine Fantomas with worse chops and better songs, fuzzing out 14 tracks in 29 minutes. Metal, punk, prog, skronk, and general chaos collide in a grand mal bout of uneasy listening. It reminds me of a tougher version of Chicago's Sick Room Records, which vomits forth some of the most interesting and unlistenable music I've ever heard. Some moments have raging riffs; others have melodica and horns and sputtering free jazz.

Nice J-B God
Malnourished Labida

Normally, I have little patience for this kind of indulgence. But the riffs are memorable, and the band tears them off like bandages from a fresh wound. This kind of glorious mess would be perfect for, say, Crucial Blast, not to mention a drunken night out. To pick up this piece of filth (self-released, 2003), hit up the band's MySpace.

Scythian - Suffering to the Conquered

This is easily the best demo I've received to date for review. London's Scythian rolls out thrashy death metal with Swedish grit and touches of black metal atmosphere. The six songs on Suffering to the Conquered burst with nasty, memorable riffs and lots of little runs and switch-ups. The solos have an awesomely old-school, thin and distant vibe. There's even a vicious cover of Bathory's "Holocaust" that gives the original a run for its money.

Shattered Idols
Suffering to the Conquered

The production is natural and balanced, the performances are ripping, and the minimal artwork looks sharp. Judging from the layout of its MySpace (from which this demo is available for purchase) and overall presentation, this band knows exactly what it's going for and how to get there. If I had a label, I'd sign these guys in a heartbeat. This is some of the best death metal I've heard in years. Labels, get on it!

In the Guise of Men - Demo

France's In the Guise of Men features vocalist Heitham Al-Sayed from English rap/metal outfit Senser. Its demo is an intriguing but bumpy ride. The songs are extremely choppy, often stringing riffs together seemingly randomly. Math-y grooves a la Meshuggah butt heads with prog bits and melodic, more traditional metal. The latter is the most successful, highlighting Al-Sayed's strong singing. At times, though, he breaks into a fast, System of a Down-esque bark that's grating and unnecessary.

Sewn Receptors

The guitar work is colorful and diverse, slightly reminiscent of Teppei Teranishi's work in Thrice. For a demo, the production is quite good, and the performances are tight and professional. Catchy riffs and good ideas abound here; they just need focus. You can hear all five songs of this demo at the band's website.

Rainfall / Umbra - Arboreal Eternity

Arboreal Eternity is a split featuring Florida's Rainfall on two cuts of black metal and Australia's Umbra on four tracks of dark ambience. Despite their frequent juxtaposition, the two styles don't fit together well here, though they share a lyrical affinity for nature themes.

Rainfall - Moonlight
Umbra - Drawn to Rotting Caverns

Rainfall's black metal is plodding, one-man business, with a harsh, raw recording. The riffs are somber and enjoyable, but there's no reason for them to carry on for nine and seven minutes. "Long" does not necessarily equal "hypnotic." The vocals are jarring, with powerless rasps that feel unnatural and affected. If you sing about casting yourself "into the fires of the astral plain," then sound like it!

Umbra's tracks fare better, though they're undercooked. They're truly "ambient" in that they don't command foreground attention. Instead, they rest on vaguely foreboding pads with occasional environmental sounds. Percussive sounds drop in at times, but instead of taking flight into, say, industrial territory, they inevitably yield to soft pads. A track called "Awakening of the Forest's Malevolence" should sound like the wrath of the Ents! There's potential here, especially in the processed vocals, so hopefully future efforts will be more challenging.

You can download the split for free here; a CD-R release is due out shortly on Greek label Daemonokratia Productions.

Oblivious Enslavement - Beneath the Ashes

Minot, ND (pop. ~36,000) is hardly a metal metropolis, so when I recently visited there, I was surprised to see two metal bands in the "local" section of the record store. Turns out that the extreme metal scene in Minot consists of three bands, who share the same core personnel.

Void of Disbelief
Eternal Decimation

Oblivious Enslavement plays a hybrid of melodic black and death metal that's amazingly accomplished for having started in 2005. The Beneath the Ashes EP (self-released, 2006) has five tracks of twisting riffs and unpredictable structures. Carcass comes to mind in some of the harmonies, and the songwriting is fluid and dynamic, with subtle, complementary drumming. The production is a tad raw, but in a good way, and the bass maintains a warm presence throughout. Normally, "melodic black metal" means the same old minor scale, but the riffs often venture beyond that for some welcome variation.

Death metal is a bit stagnant these days, so hearing songs this melodic yet non-obvious yet heavy is a breath of fresh air. Very creative stuff - pick it up at Severed Head or via the band's Myspace (and if you live in Minot, it's available at Budget Music & Video).

Wolfhunter - Frostbitten Hymns from the Desolate Pennsylvanian Forests

Wolfhunter is William "Wyl" Anderson, who is also bandmates with Ryan Bussiere in Oblivious Enslavement and Viscera, the two other extreme metal acts in Minot, ND. Anderson has had quite an itinerant life, having bounced around among Louisiana, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania, where he recorded the Frostbitten Hymns demo, before ending up in Minot.

Oskorei
Blood Moon Ritual

It's raw even for one-man black metal, with vocals snarling deep below a murk of buzzing guitars, digital clipping, and drum machine percussion. At times, the recording hinders the force of the material, but there are some bad-ass riffs here (how about that sick time change in "Blood Moon Ritual"?). Evidently, a Wolfhunter double album is in the works, with one disc each of folk and black metal. Anderson's obviously a restless musical talent, and I eagerly await future efforts. In the meantime, you can pick up this demo for a mere $3 from Severed Head, or by contacting Wolfhunter's MySpace. If you happen to be in Minot (perhaps true of everyone there, as no one is there by design), it's available at Budget Music & Video.

And This Army - Foe

English shoegazing meets NeurIsis heaviness - the typical result would be buried vocals, but Brendan McDermott's soaring singing is this band's trump card. The songwriting is a little undisciplined (either give me the perfect three-minute song or go the whole 10-minute distance), but the tension is interesting. Song or sound? Why not both, see Swervedriver.

The Ghost of Johnny's Pizza
Blackbeard

I'm curious how And This Army sounds live, since McDermott is its only guitarist. At times, I found myself wishing for more high-end information, but maybe with enough pedals and amps, the overtones are enough. With the guitar sketching out harmonic clouds, the bass takes up the melodies with assertive tones. The rhythm section uncorks some nice post-punk rhythms; the overall attack reminds me at times of Shudder to Think's Funeral at the Movies.

What's up with the strange, Gauguin-esque cover art (by Ben Partrick)? The lyrics come from a "rock songwriting" angle, and it's refreshing for me (as a "metal guy") to see narrative and play with language. This Brooklyn band has intriguing ingredients, so I'm excited to hear it hone them. In the meantime, you can find Foe (self-released, 2006) at the band's website.

Deathbringer - Homo Divisus (promo)

The band's name is literal - not only does it draw heavily from later Death, it's also recorded four Death covers in its career. Like other Death-obsessed groups, this one walks the line between theft and homage. Ultimately, though, this Belarusian band shows enough creativity to avoid clone status. This is especially true on the almost 14 minute-long "Black Pilgrim," which adds contemporary rhythms and dissonance a la Meshuggah. Death never stretched out on epics this long, but this tune hints at the possibilities.

I Am What I Am
Aversion
Black Pilgrim

Little touches add interest throughout, like the reversed guitars in "I Am What I Am" and the jazzy, rimshot-driven break in "Black Pilgrim." Cool bass runs abound, and they sound like fretless bass - but the pictures say fretted? The recording is dry and crisp, with clean tones glistening as needed. Evidently, these three tracks offer a taste of a full-length album awaiting label release. It's a shame what gets signed these days, and what doesn't. Deathbringer has the chops and vision; I just hope it has the sound of perseverance.

Obscene Gesture - Straight Outta the Gutter

Man, I haven't heard crossover like this in a long time! An exact midpoint between thrash and hardcore, Straight Outta the Gutter is 11 minutes of pure middle finger. Sometimes one wants a musical boot to the face, and this demo more than delivers. Simple riffs, simple beats, lyrics that approach nursery rhymes in complexity - but the delivery is fierce, as Obscene Gesture features past and present members of Agent Steel, Steel Prophet, Detente, and Body Count. A full-length, Living in Profanity, is due out on Xtreem in August. In the meantime, you can order this demo directly from the band.

Killing Kids
Don't Matter

The Unchallenged - Sceneries

Causal Reasons
Reversal

Self-Released
2001


"Sounds like ____" is tricky business. Really, it's best (though perhaps not for commercial purposes) to sound unique. But since that's basically impossible, given today's cultural forces (perhaps someone in some media-deprived locale could hit upon playing heavy metal, but I highly, highly doubt it), most musicians hope to remind listeners of something good they've heard before.

Which makes The Unchallenged such a, well, challenge. This German band sounds amazingly like mid-career Death. It's all there, from the the sixteenth note riffs to the abstract harmonies to the raspy vocals. Occasionally the band busts out with thrash or power metal bits - until I remember that Chuck Schuldiner also had those influences. Death is one of my favorite bands, and it's fascinating and heartwarming that people would duplicate that sound. But it's also a little creepy. A tribute to the fallen, or a voice from the grave?

Originality aside, The Unchallenged bring the goods - chops aplenty, firing riffs, tight arrangements. So far, the band has only one full-length, 2001's Sceneries. But it remains active and seeking a record deal. You can download the album for free here. Schuldiner was heading in new musical directions when he passed; I'm curious if The Unchallenged will be similarly exploratory.

Thanks to reader Joerg for turning me on to this.

Stormental - Self-Titled

The Conquer

Self-Released
2006



Brazil's Stormental gives "ProgPower" new meaning by splitting the difference between the genres. Its sound is surprisingly stripped down, as the band only has four members, with one guitarist and no keyboards. Thus, the instrumentalists have more room to flex their considerable skills, with particularly fine work by the bassist.

I never thought I'd say this, but I wish the vocals were more over-the-top. The singer hits his notes, but I found myself wanting more oomph. I realize that's essentially asking for more cheese, but there is a perverse pleasure in glass-shattering vocals that make your balls shrivel up in pain. Instead of big, technicolor peaks, these songs coolly glide along, with occasional flashes of shredding.

Adding to this sense of restraint is the bare production. The guitars sound so dry that I'd wager that they were recorded direct. I also never thought I'd say this, but I wish the production were "wetter" - more reverb, lusher, deeper. This is a slippery slope, of course, but more sonic depth would enhance the epic nature of the melodies.

The lyrics are also quite epic, with a historical/colonization theme running throughout. They read like textbooks: "In the end of feudal system, Europe was in crisis / A lot of homeless were living in the streets / Everyone was searching for gold and silver / And a foreign place for providing raw material." Not very rock 'n' roll, but if your Settlers of Catan game needs a soundtrack, you know where to go.

Stormental's debut album is available as a free download at its website. I'm not sure how I feel about bands giving away their music this way. Is it desperation? Cost cutting? A clever way to get people to hear music? All of the above? Regardless of motive, the album, complete with Sadus-esque font, is worth checking out.

Blakk Market - Hateful Affection

Twisted Broadcast

Self-Released
2004



This demo CD has two original songs, but it also includes a video, photos, and two "pre-production" MP3's. The band also sent a paper bio with full-color photos along with another CD containing two MP3's, a cover of Anthrax's "Indians" and another "pre-production" track. I don't know why the band calls these other tracks "pre-production" instead of "demos." Since some of this stuff is newer, and the actual demo is three years old, I'll treat this all as one entity.

However, I've never gotten a submission with this high an extra stuff to music ratio. The demo comes with a logo of the guitar company sponsoring the band, for crying out loud. It's good to be serious about the business of being a band, but I can't help but feel that Blakk Market is letting that overshadow its music.

As for that aspect, this Brazilian band does competent melodic thrash/death metal. The somewhat raw recording hinders the force of the material, and the band isn't as tight as it could be. The guitarists can play, though, busting out with fluent harmonies, and the drumming has some interesting accents. The vocals are thin, but perhaps that's because they're low in the mix. Better production, especially with more low end, would help the band, as well as some good old-fashioned woodshedding to weld it into more of a sonic unit.

The Anthrax cover really puts things in perspective, as the songwriting of "Indians" is much stronger than the rest of this demo. It has catchy riffs and choruses, coherent transitions, and a sense of identity and drive that Blakk Market's songs don't have yet. The band has good taste, at least, and hopefully it can learn from this example. Its newest track, "Nova," begins with a chord progression so Lacuna Coil-ish that at first I thought it was a cover, too. And what are those syrupy keyboards doing in the mix? This band has the skills to do what it wants; it just has to figure out what that is.

Skeletonwitch - Worship the Witch

Fire from the Sky

Self-Released
2006



Skeletonwitch is yet another retro thrash upstart. The references tossed around in this Cleveland band's publicity puzzle me, as it doesn't give me much of a thrash vibe. I do hear thrash moments, but the blackened vocals and tremolo picking keep getting in the way of the old-school worship I'm evidently supposed to do.

This is very competent *metal*, if somewhat insubstantial at 12 minutes over four songs. These guys try hard with that logo and beautiful, Pushead-esque artwork, but this EP comes off much better sans thrash expectations. As with much of nu-old thrash, it's way too melodic to qualify as old-school. It keeps using that Black Dahlia Murder harmonic minor scale, and the raspy vocals only add to that impression. I'm digging the natural production, and...whoa, some blastbeats and death growls just flew by.

Again, how can this claim to be old-school??? You make my head bang; just stop telling me what you're trying to do. Worship the Witch is available at Prosthetic and The End.

Crown the Lost - Reverence Dies Within

No Reprieve
A Way Out of Madness

Self-Released
2006


I ain't gonna lie: these guys sound like Nevermore. Then again, so does Eidolon, and that band doesn't seem to catch flak for it. Sounding like another band can be both bad and good - bad in that it's unoriginal, but good in that it can sound like something (else) good. I like Nevermore, and with that understanding, let's continue.

It surprises me that anyone sounds like Nevermore. That's a tough target to hit. But these vocals are amazingly Warrel Dane-esque and the spiky, fast runs on guitar are pure Jeff Loomis. Overall, the sound is melodic thrash updated with modern speeds and blastbeats. The drumming is energetic, and the guitars are wickedly shredding. Even the most air-guitar-challenged will reconsider here.

My only gripe is how harmonically conservative the songs are. They stay in the same standard scales and chord progressions, leading to a lack of tension and release. Nevermore's core sound is the same, but it adds depth with dissonance and alternate tonalities. In fact, on Nevermore's last album, Dane sang over some downright challenging harmonic settings.

This isn't anything time can't fix, though. Most bands don't write first albums this strong, let alone reach this level of technical proficiency. Crown the Lost obviously have skills, so I'm excited to hear them apply them more adventurously in the future. In the meantime, you can pick up this CD directly from the band.

Maitreya - New World Prophecy

Grief
Leave This Place

Self-Released
2005


Maitreya is the Buddha of the future, a savior figure who will return to Earth to do good things, unite people, and so on. Quite a lofty name for a band. Whether this Swedish outfit will save metal remains to be seen, but its debut certainly shows promise.

Opeth comes to mind - death metal with melodic, proggy passages. Maitreya isn't as heavy, though and its light parts are lighter. The clean vocals are pleasing, as are the subtle keys and acoustic guitars. Songs range from three to 10 minutes in length. The longer ones are quite mature, with gently rolling grooves. True to the band's name, the lyrics describe an apocalyptic future, with the possibility of rebirth. The production is clean and crisp. For having been written when the band was a two-piece, the album shows great vision.

"Why isn't this band signed yet?" also comes to mind. Has it really been shopping this record for two years? Maybe #1 contributes to #2, but Opeth is hardly a bad band to emulate. It's certainly a better touchstone than the cookie-cutter metalcore that labels are still signing. This band writes lovely songs; give it time, and it may serve up some Deliverance. You can order this CD directly from the band.

Gloomy Grim - Tapetum Lucidum

The Bells Toll My Name

Self-Released
2007



My first impression of the cover of Tapetum Lucidum was "Gravediggaz" (with "Paul Wall" and "Goldie" close behind). Turns out I wasn't far off - Gloomy Grim plays self-styled "horror movie metal," with haunted house synths over melodic black metal. The result is rather campy, like if Rob Zombie did black metal. When you reference scariness so much, you lose that quality.

However, this four-song EP is well-done. It's one of the best-sounding self-released productions I've heard. The guitars and synths mesh well, the drums have impact, and the mix sounds professional. The "things that go bump in the night" lyrics are nicely laid out as a photograph. Close listening reveals subtleties and cool little flourishes in the "orchestration" of the synths. They're making sounds a real orchestra (on a scoring stage, anyway) would make. I can't tell if this Finnish band is being tongue-in-cheek, but they don't sound like anyone else I know. You can order this EP directly from the band.

Digression Assassins - Next Step Can Only Be Supposed

Chaotic metalcore is getting very, very crowded nowadays. I generally like the style, but it takes increasingly more for such a band to impress me. Thus, I'm pleased to present Digression Assassins, who hail from Stockholm, Sweden. They fill me with unadulterated pleasure, and not just because their name contracts to "dig ass."

Bully the Weak
Existence Is So Latent
New Stars
Next Step Can Only Be Supposed

The band is aptly named, with songs that feel like high-speed pile-ons. Post-Botch, tons of American bands do the chaotic thing. For some reason, though, European practitioners of the style seem crazier. That is, American bands focus more on technique and heaviness, while Europeans are just plain gonzo. Americans play in community centers, while Europeans play in squats, which are ten times gnarlier - maybe that has something to do with it.

I don't know what the budget or production circumstances were, but this demo sounds phenomenal. The drums sound natural, the bass is audible, the guitars have the right amount of grit and twang, and the vocals fit perfectly on top. This is one of the best recordings I've heard this year, and it's self-released!

The performances have an unhinged quality that leaps out of the speakers. Of course, the band isn't really unhinged; disjointed material like this requires tightness. In "New Stars," the band demonstrates this by slowing down and speeding up as a group, yet keeping its raw energy. The title track, too, goes through delightfully dadaist pauses and accents that feel like elbows to the face.

Someone sign this band! You can find out more about Digression Assassins via their MySpace or by emailing them directly.

Gwynbleidd - Amaranthine

The Awakening

Self-Released
2006



What is Gwynbleidd doing in Brooklyn??? From the sound of its debut, Amaranthine, it should be in Europe, playing metal festivals and the occasional medieval faire. Its rolling tempos recall Agalloch, its death growls suggest Opeth, its acoustic guitars and sonorous singing bring to mind Borknagar. Thus, folk, death, black, and prog metal all enter the mix, with the result simply and best called "metal."

Four songs total 40 minutes - basically, an album. However, the band says that what separates this EP from a proper release is lack of conceptual unity. With no printed lyrics, this is impossible to judge. However, the songs themselves are unified microcosms. They flow smoothly and feel epic, yet shorter than their lengths. The songwriting is rich, subtle, and melodic; however, like the slightly rough but beautifully natural production, it's a work in progress.

"The Awakening" hits the highest peak, with a goosebump-inducing breakdown and buildup near its end. Gwynbleidd attains greatness here; elsewhere, it's merely "damn good". Perhaps on its forthcoming full-length, the band will fulfill this promise. In the meantime, you can order this EP from its MySpace or The End.

Fentanyl / The Clouds Are Coming to Kill Me - Run for Cover

Death Has Prevailed

Fat Lenny
2007



Run for Cover is one of those splits where bands cover each other; it also includes two originals by each. Fentanyl formed in 2003, but it nails the old school thrash sound, down to the raw production and lead guitar tone. The Dutch band's MySpace says it's "putting the speed back into metal," which isn't true. The grooves are mostly midpaced, with the occasional double-time moment. The performances are loose, but the riffs do the job. It's simple stuff, yet the sound is so authentically '80s that I can't help but dig it.

Since this is out (anagramatically) on "Fat Lenny Productions," it's probably self-released. Unfortunately, the artwork is horribly primitive. Why didn't the band try harder? The tracks by The Clouds Are Coming to Kill Me are the worst-sounding recordings ever professionally submitted to me. They're thrashy, too, but they sound like someone tape-recorded the output from a blown car speaker.

Evidently, a new Fentanyl full-length is on the way. In the meantime, you can get this for next to nothing from the band's website.

Light of Shipwreck - From the Idle Cylinders

Sun Rise then Explode (excerpt)

Self-Released
2007



Light of Shipwreck is Ben Fleury-Steiner, who also runs the Gears of Sand label. From the Idle Cylinders layers processed electric guitars and vocals over programmed percussion, with occasional bass and acoustic guitar. For lack of a better word, the result could be called "ambient." It's a testament to this CD's quality that I've listened to it for almost four hours on repeat, and I haven't tired of it yet.

For a recording to do that, it must be both low-impact and abstract. In other words, it doesn't tell you how to react to it. It just is, and its openness to interpretation makes each listen a unique experience. But while this album doesn't hit you over the head, it's also not a chillout session. In fact, the percussion is rather lively, with full-kitted patterns building up to climaxes that feel like gusting winds. Bongos/congas sometimes enter the patterns, but the album avoids the "ethno techno" trap. We're dealing with pure dynamics here, with almost no genre referents.

I say almost, because electric guitars are recognizable as the sound sources. But aside from a few clean-toned parts, you won't hear gestures that signify "rock guitar" (i.e., attack). However, you'll hear results that do (i.e., sustain, release). In other words, you'll hear the feedback from the note, but not the original note itself - imagine James Plotkin processing live Hendrix recordings, with Aphex Twin programming drums underneath.

The album consists of three tracks ranging from 12 to almost 20 minutes in length. Each track is really a set of subpieces that enter and exit via audible crossfades. The effect is like a DJ mixing between very different records, and it's refreshingly unpredictable. Overall, though, the mood is psychedelic. With electric guitars distantly howling through reverbs, this album conjures up the desert in that "Bullet the Blue Sky"/"Mountain Song" sort of way.

From the Idle Cylinders will be coming out shortly on a label TBA. This is my first experience with Fleury-Steiner's music, but for sure it won't be my last.

Ethereal - Demo '07

Open Wound Salvation
What Is Worst?
Driven by Hatred

Self-Released
2007

"Swedish" and "death metal" go together like "Swiss" and "chocolate." That's true for Ethereal, which sounds neither like its name nor the signature style of its Gothenburg area home. Instead, this band does straight-up death metal that balances simplicity and technicality.

What jumps out immediately is the band's tightness. The performances are surgical, with production on a par with professionally recorded albums. Atypically for metal, bass lines are warm and audible. The best song, "Open Wound Salvation," comes first - a good move for a demo. It's a catchy headbanger with a few technical runs for color. "What Is Worst?" does likewise, with a solid feel that recalls Kataklysm or Bolt Thrower. "Driven by Hatred" has chugging riffs that do that half-time Behemoth "Conquer All" thing, with precise machine gun bursts near the end.

No reinventing the wheel here - just well-done death metal with well-done artwork and a strong sense of purpose overall.

King Giant - Burden Demo

City

Self-Released
2006



Virginia's King Giant accurately cites Black Sabbath, Clutch, Down, and Eyehategod as influences. The desperate, clawing spirit of the latter looms large here. The band's bio states it was "born from personal tragedy and drug addiction." Even though this six-song demo doesn't have printed lyrics, I'd believe it just from the sound.

King Giant is that rare band that makes Eyehategod sound complex. The songs have thick, heavy riffs, with vocal patterns that border on simplistic. Although their repetitiveness initially sticks out, the vocals help hammer the riffs into yr skull. The riffs are often bluesy, though they're not as Southern-fried as the band's influences. Heaviness rules here, so you're not going to boogie down like you would with, say, COC. In fact, some parts remind me of '90s noise rock (AmRep, Touch & Go) in their raw, crusty intensity.

David Kowalski and the mighty Don Zientara of Inner Ear Studios turn in a hard-hitting, natural-sounding recording. It's both startling and refreshing to hear sounds this honest and straightforward these days. You can pick up this demo directly from the band.

Belladonna - Metaphysical Attraction

Black Swan
Mystical Elysian Love

Self-Released
2006


Not the Anthrax singer nor the adult film star, Belladonna is an Italian band that falls somewhere between hard and goth rock. But these terms are really too crude to describe this band. The former implies a certain simplicity, and the latter a certain aesthetic, neither of which apply here. Whatever it's called, I'm not normally into music like this; it's a testament to its quality that I quite enjoy it.

Evidently, almost 48,000 other people on MySpace do, too. The band currently boasts over 200,000 profile views, a staggering number for an unsigned band. By comparison, Helmet and The Haunted have fewer profile views. MySpace is the promotional tool de jour of bands, but I'm suspicious when one pushes that angle this hard. "The most popular Italian unsigned band on Myspace!" "Belladonna in the Top 100 Artists MySpace chart