Album Review; Ethereal - Opus Aethereum

Released Via Candlelight Records
Genre: Black Metal

Track Listing:

1. Nomicon
2. Overwrite The Archetype
3. Unholy Ungodly
4. Psalm Of The Deciever
5. Devouring The Forsaken
6. Contorted Utopia
7. Aethereum
8. Waking Death


Founded in Liverpool over a decade ago, Ethereal have slowly but surely refined their black metal sound through two prior EP’s and a rigorous touring schedule, including support slots for bands like Fleshgod Apocalypse and Gorgoroth. ‘Opus Aethereum’ is the band’s first full-length, and it’s an intriguing beast that shows Ethereal’s worth more with each listen. The sound itself is equal parts traditional and modern, due to the steady supply of accessible hooks, musical dynamics and the symphonic bombast. There are shades of death metal to be found within the in-your-face instrumental attack, but at its heart this is grandiose black metal with no pretence. From song to song this record maintains a relentless drive that is attributable to the concise execution of each track as much as songs themselves being very well written. The production of the album matches this band completely, as each and every element of sound is remorselessly aimed straight at the listener’s temple. Ethereal have managed to avoid the pratfall that suckers in many other new black metal bands; they don’t come across like a shameless throwback to the Scandinavian scene of yore. Instead, Ethereal already sound very much like their own entity. You can practically feel the years of effort and pure determination bursting from the speakers like a caged beast, and that kind of urgency and fury is exactly what a band like this should possess, and what could see Ethereal climbing higher in the scene.

Rating: 9/10

Links: https://www.facebook.com/EtherealDarknessUK?fref=ts
           http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/
           https://www.reverbnation.com/etherealblackmetal

Album Review; Entrails - Obliteration

Released Via Metal Blade Records
Genre: Death Metal

Whether you look at Entrails as the classic Swedish band who never made anything past a couple of demos in the 90s or as the resurrected band responsible for the widely revered ‘Raging Death’ album, one thing is for sure; you’ll be anxious to hear this record. You might find the starting portion of the record to show a large difference quality of the songs. ‘No Cross Left Unturned’ sees Entrails announce what would appear to be the arrival of yet another twisted old-school Swedish death metal record, but this is succeeded by ‘Epitome Of Death’, a rather ore confused track that sees the guitar duo of founding member Jimmy Lundqvist and new recruit Penki trying to incorporate the death march into the end of the tracks, and rather than being cool or suiting the deathly aesthetic of Entrails, it just ends up sounding very Spinal Tap. After this shaky start, everything then carries on to be as retro as one would expect, from the riffs to the steady tempos, the melodic hints and the gnarled vocals. There are tracks that catch the ear from the first few listens, such as ‘Skulls’ and the sinister ‘Midnight Coffin’, and the album runs pretty seamlessly, but it’s a little too clear to hear that there’s nothing here that is quite as essential as what we heard on ‘Raging Death’, which is undeniably deflating. All that said, ‘Obliteration’ is worth the time it takes to listen to it, and is an enjoyable listen without a doubt, but it wouldn’t surprise me if some people stick to the recent Entombed A.D. and Bloodbath records.

Rating: 7/10

Links: https://www.facebook.com/Entrails666
           http://www.metalblade.com/us/

Album Review; Dulcamara - El Anagonista

Released Via Art Gates Records
Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Track Listing:

1. La Eternidad Genetica
2. Pariah
3. Cuestion De Honor
4. El Antagonista
5. Gehena
6. El Arte De La Degradacion
7. Donde Nacen Las Pesadillas
8. Invencibles
9. Romance Mecanico
10. Ciudadano Ejemplar
11. Dioses Antiguos

An epic feel and keen ear for melodic hooks seem to be the fundamental ingredients behind Dulcamara’s fourth release. While the overall sound is very obviously rooted in the melodic death metal scene, it’s the use of synths and the heavy groove throughout the album’s eleven tracks that help prevent the album from sounding derivative. Every component of the band is given their room to shine bright; whether it’s the impressively powerful vocals on show during ‘Cuestion de Honor’, the Morton-meets-Amott riffing showcased on ‘Pariah’ or the beautiful piano cadences giving the third dimension to ‘Gehena’; Dulcamara prove themselves to be a tight, efficient unit. It might come across as a tired cliché to say this, but this is an album that is best consumed as a whole. Obviously, the lyrics are all in Spanish, but don’t let the language barrier put you off, as this is a multi-faceted band that knows how to keep the flow of an album constant without losing the attention of the listener or ending up with an album that sounds the same from track-to-track. ‘Donde Nacen Las Pesadillas’ demonstrates perfectly that this band can write instantly memorable music with little to no difficulty. This record deserves a place of distinction in any metal fan’s collection for this year.

Rating: 8/10

Links: https://www.facebook.com/dulcamaracomanches?fref=ts
           http://www.artgatesrecords.com/

Album Review; Divahar - Divarise

Released Via Sleazy Rider Records
Genre: Black Metal

Track Listing:

1. Shadows
2. Blindness
3. Call Of The Fire
4. Alien
5. Ravenstone
6. Into The Heights
7. Areakan
8. Insane Silence

Here we have a relatively solid and concise debut album from this Armenian all-female band. Through the eight tracks present here, there are enough mid paced riffs (mid paced for black metal), pompous symphonic arrangements and scattered grinding salvos to please fans of the genre. There is a paradox to be found in the album as there is ambition on show, but too often the songs themselves feel safe, rather than displaying the sinister venom that is present in the best black metal releases.

It is clear from ‘Shadows’ and the ominously grand first single ‘Alien’ that there is enough musical ability in the four-piece to pass the test, especially from the band’s vocalist Dev, but it’s puzzling to hear that even though keyboards and orchestration play a prominent role in shaping the sound of the band there isn’t much to be found in the way of dynamics from song to song. The decidedly off-kilter ‘Call Of The Fire’ is the most obvious exception to that statement, and the stand-out track on the album.

A treat for the black metal faithful is to be found on ‘Blindness’ in the form of a guest appearance from Mayhem vocalist Atilla Csihar, whose demented tones lift the song a step higher than it otherwise would have been. There’s not much else on here that could be described as special, although there is a hint of potential to be heard. If a future release is given a huge cinematic approach then Divahar could be onto something more worthwhile.

Rating: 5/10

Links: https://www.facebook.com/divaharband?fref=ts
           http://www.sleaszyrider.com/index2.html

Album Review; Disasterhate - Mirroring The Abyss

Released Via Club Inferno Entertainment
Genre: Thrash/Death Metal

Track Listing:

1. Me = Android
2. Desecrated Sick Reality
3. Shining Black Reality
4. In A Rarefield Morning Sun
5. Blank
6. Toxic Sleep
7. The Abyss
8. Day Of Zero
9. The Isle Of The Dead

It’s with destructive verve and cold charisma that ‘Mirroring The Abyss’ blasts its way out of your speakers. This is achieved with a surprisingly slick amalgamation of influences including the futuristic fury of Fear Factory, eighties thrashers Forbidden, the melodic heaviness of Nevermore and progressive leanings that knowingly nod to early Opeth.

These nine tracks are full of class that can only come from meticulous construction. It’s been seven years since the Sicilian quartet’s initial release, so this is not an album that has been churned out for the sake of it. For proof of this; just pick a track! Whether you feast upon the thrash of ‘Me = Android’, revel in the groove of ‘Toxic Sleep’ or embrace the progressive in closing track ‘The Isle Of The Dead’ you’ll find something worthy of celebration here.

The songs are often not as straightforward as they may appear. There are sideways twists and turns to be found all over this album that thankfully do not set the songs off-track. The focus is never lost and the flow is never interrupted, keeping the album sharp and concise from start to finish. As far as performance goes; the band comes together well as a unit but the outstanding contributions of Reitia and Klaudia, both of whom take on guitar and vocal duties, are worthy of praise on their own. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take another seven years before we hear more from Disasterhate.

Rating: 9/10

Links: https://www.facebook.com/disasterhate?fref=ts
           http://www.club-inferno.org/

Album Review; Dendera - Pillars Of Existence

Released Via Metalbox Recordings
Genre: Heavy Metal

Dendera’s debut ‘The Killing Floor’ was an enjoyable trek through heavy metal soil that felt modern but a little too familiar at times, but I can say with great pleasure that ‘Pillars Of Creation’ comes across as a much more mature beast. Influences of Judas Priest, Megadeth and Dream Theater all shine through the dust on this record, but it’s the few hints of progressive metal that give this record the more up-to-date feel that the aforementioned debut lacked slightly. ‘Claim Our Throne’ starts slowly before bursting into a solid opening track, then ‘Bloodlust’ takes things to the new level. This is a track destined to impress live audiences on the band’s upcoming slot supporting Anvil. ‘In High Tide’ bears the British mark of Judas Priest with its melodic majesty, though Ashley Edison’s vocals are more reminiscent of Bruce Dickinson. This is perhaps the biggest triumph of Dendera; they’re easily the most impressive pure heavy metal band to come out of the UK in recent memory. Other bands would do well to take note that while there may be no extreme vocal styles on show here, this sounds very fresh. This is simply due to the fact that in the metal scene as it stands today, this does sound fresh. ‘Disillusioned’ shows there is more darkness in this classic metal style than some modern genres, whilst ‘Unholy’ is an anthem in lyrics, riffs and singalong power. Dendera have more to them than meets the eye and have proven that we should make no assumptions of throwbacks when we see the tag ‘heavy metal’ in 2015.

Rating: 9/10

Links: http://metalboxrecordings.com/
           http://www.dendera.co.uk/
           https://www.facebook.com/DenderaUK

Album Review; Dead Existence - Endless Misery

Released Via Black Bow Records
Genre: Doom/Crust Metal

Track Listing:

1. Consume
2. End Devoured By Beginning
3. ...
4. Worthless
5. Tear Apart The Veil
6. Obsidian Black
7. Delusion Of Hope
8. Regretamine

Dead Existence have been making waves, indeed. This record displays why; through a combination of frantic sludgy metal, a definite punk mentality, and a hefty slab of doom metal, Dead Existence have a musical Frankenstein that many people within the echelons of the UK scene’s more influential people will grasp onto with both hands. Lest we forget, doom and sludge metal are ruling the UK metal underground at the moment. However, where many other bands that we see absolutely everywhere at the moment seem to be a tad formulaic, there’s an element of liveliness to Dead Existence through which you can hear some soulful playing and writing. Neurosis are clearly in this group’s list of influences, as shown by the sprawling, ever-shifting nature of this record. End Devoured By Beginning’ starts off with some jazzy drumming and very low-key guitar playing, but it soon bursts into a leviathan-sized riff, complete with furiously barked vocals and more drumming that simply will not be tied down for too long. Naturally, very long songs are the agenda of the day, with all but two of these tracks ducking under the five minute mark. As the album title would suggest, depressive hopelessness is on the mind of Dead Existence, but rather than wallowing stupidly through endless doom metal monotony, Dead Existence choose to seethe for a duration of time before exploding into fury, and as they do this, many interesting musical ideas come to the surface. This is doom metal with a fire in its belly, and I’ll be keeping an eagle’s eye on this band.

Rating: 8/10

Links: https://www.facebook.com/DeadExistenceuk
           http://www.blackbowrecords.com/