Condemned - Desecrate the Vile (2007) Review

Right from the wretched womb that gave birth to Disgorge (one of the tightest brutal death metal bands of all time), released just a couple of weeks before the debut of Cephalotripsy (one of the filthiest brutal death metal records of all time), and sharing members from both aforementioned monstrosities, Condemned's debut Desecrate the Vile was released in 2007 through Lacerated Enemy Records with a clear goal to be the most accessible album you'll come across.

If you've been around the blocks of this blog, I shall not continue. I have mixed feelings for both Realms of the Ungodly (2011) and Desecrate the Vile when the maniac side of my brain takes over, but when in the mood for thick, brutal as hell extremity, then riffs of a band like this stomp on the heart like the proverbial ton of bricks. 

The album embodies everything the genre’s devotees demand. From subterranean gutturals to slam-laden riffing, it keeps the sense of suffocation constant and has a production so dense, you'll feel like swimming in honey is easier. It's their right to paraphrase legends:

"You merely adopted the slam, I was born in it, molded by it".

- Angel Ochoa

I'm sort of missing a bass sound in this mayhem, yet it's definitely there, as one can notice from the first seconds of the album's highlight "Chapter of Defilement". 

Most of the tracks are fairly short (1 - 3 minutes), monotonous, borderline underdeveloped but with primal purpose, and then you have an 11 minute composition, "Amputated Repugnance" as closure. Worry not, as it's largely distorted, post-apocalyptic noise / dark ambient creepiness from the third minute onward, as if you're playing a video game and navigate through a barren wasteland with creatures of unknown origins hunting down on you.

Otherwise, Desecrate the Vile would be 20 minutes long instead of half an hour, and that would then make it a masterpiece!

No epitaph to be found

---

 

Recorded in July 2006 at RedCrosby Studios Fallbrook, CA.
Mastered at Imperial Mastering, Pacheco, California, USA.
Produced by Jeremy Craw and Condemned.

Akercocke - Antichrist (2007)

I enjoyed Akercocke's return in 2017 with Renaissance in Extremis quite a lot, and I have raved with their side project The Antichrist Imperium (and especially their latest album Volume III: Satan in His Original Glory) more than most albums of the current decade, it's that awesome. Looking at the works of these guys for the last 25 years, one may think they are the most evil satanists on the planet. 

Yet, at the time of release of Antichrist, the band was shortly featured on BBC after it caught the attention of conservative Ireland due to an upcoming live show there, which you can watch here. Apart from the sound delay that damages communication between the musicians and the panel, which just adds to the overall situation, the back and forth argumentation is one as old as time. 

In lovely English accent, Akercocke explain that the fans love them and that they never meant to offend, instead they believe in freedom of speech and are against "censorship on any level" with a lot of key words thrown around without considering their magnitude.

I'd rather not talk too much about the specific album itself, this is incredibly forward thinking, unique and well delivered death metal that is instantly recognizable, and in my book this is the only band that has treated clean vocals fairly. They wouldn't top Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone from 2005 but no one can, yet Antichrist's quality shines.

More importantly, their stance in that video is simply disappointing, and so banal that it makes me wonder if these guys actually comprehend aspects they talk about, or is it all just teenage wondering angst without any actual maturity.

Akercocke clearly seeks to offend with edgy titles and lyrics, and playing dumb when Christian communities are offended by their material. You're turning your back on your work when you play the neutrality card, avoiding to stand by your own statements by adopting the safest, most superficial approach possible. Everything they said in that video is textbook pseudo-intellect.

Here is a snippet of another interview they did (available in full):

We also wanted to reflect the lyrical content in the imagery, hence a lot of the rather attractive young ladies that featured heavily in the Robert Nye version of Faust from where the band name came... and let's be honest, the ever-present sexism that is implicit in most heavy metal! Sex sells. So, we used it to sell. We weren't as sexy as the girls, haha!

Some other responses there also paint the picture of, well, essentially what being a poser actually looks like.

Man, these dudes may be even worse than Behemoth in that topic. Once you dare to take a step towards this anti-religious, blasphemous content, learn to support it when someone puts you in the spotlight. Or else, don't do it at all. Spooky covers, titles and lyrics don't scare anyone here.

Once again relevant:

Spectral Lore - II (2007) Review

Release date: 2007
Genre: Black Metal / Dark Ambient
Origin: Greece
Label: Self-released
Listen: Bandcamp

A couple of points right off the bat, is that both the original and reissue covers look more beautiful than their respective predecessors of Spectral Lore’s debut album, I. A year later, II came out and it introduced itself (at all times, intrinsically rather close to the previous work) with a ducky acoustic guitar introduction and then a humongous, 24 minute long piece “The Thorns That Guide My Warpath”. At a first rapid listen, I didn’t know what kind of noisy sounds were jamming in its beginning aggressive part, which then turned out to be the drums, and that says a lot about the production of II, a record that sees Spectral Lore significantly putting their stuff together compared to the debut, yet aches from its burying sound. A lot of little gems to discover exist around in II, from emotional clean guitar melodies to more spacey ambient (a foreseeing of the chaos), but above all, more concentrated and adequate black metal.

There’s numerous intriguing lines in that first track alone, which could go for a separate little review on its own as it has the length of an average EP today, and even more than that. Vivid and playful acoustic in between more attacking grimness for the first nine minutes, post / atmospheric black metal drenched in soft pads for a while before the distortion returns, where Ayloss goes towards more epic guitar patterns of Spectral Lore’s own melodic repertoire. Harsh and serene intersect and swap with beautiful choreography, which makes this a piece that fully demonstrates Spectral Lore’s hunger for fully musical compositions with much more complexity and payload than the average metal track. Again, a proper production could do this much more justice than what it actually got, but by now the star had already started taking form and shining. A pattern starts to emerge: heavy melodies, taped with rich dark / space ambiance. Repetitive lines that go almost towards depressive black metal. Keyboard parts that a new listener would label today as “dungeon synth” inspired.

That’s what I am thinking while listening to “Towards the Great Crossroad”, “Recoiling Beneath the Waves” and “To Wither in Silence and Dismay”. Ayloss throws all his arrows at once with these pieces, in an album that sounds more confident and ambitious than its older sibling, but out of the same elements. Spectral Lore were never a typical black metal band, and II contains many more different branches than its raw sound suggests. There is less noise experimentation in II, and more layering, clearer ambient, clear even from the dreamy outro “Where Nature Won’t Ever Yield to Man”. The shortest track “Leaving the Stars Behind”, only three minutes long, could very easily be absorbed in a longer composition as part of it, but probably it has a separate meaning. The production baffles me the more I listen to it though, as guitars / guitar-like sounds, and different instruments, sound different at different points in the album, or at different volumes. 

Honestly, II is also another record I don’t go back to easily. It still seemed to me that with its abundance of ideas, it is not as concise as the circumstances demand, and the wall of sound is just another barrier. Nevertheless, noticeable steps forward were taken in just one year, the album – apart from my personal liking – has a bunch of neat moments for you to enjoy, if you like Spectral Lore and not under the umbrella of their later clearer sound. For me, from Sentinel and on is where the real magic happens, and where new levels are unlocked and achieved dominantly from Ayloss. Before 2012, what’s left for me is the history and its turns to acknowledge.

Tracklist:

1. Introitus 

2. The Thorns That Guide My Warpath

3. Towards the Great Crossroad 

4. Leaving the Stars Far Behind 

5. The Drone's Journey, Recoiling Beneath the Waves

6. Through an Infinite Dreamscape

7. To Wither in Silence and Dismay

8. Where Nature Will Not Ever Yield to Man

Damage: 3/5 [Good]

Ravencult - Temples of Torment (2007) Review

Country | Greece
Genre | Black Metal
Date | April 30th, 2007
Label | Dark Essence Records

| Where gleaming shadows crawl |

Even though the formation of this band came later than the era of the second wave, it does not differ that much from the early bands and is a high quality act in the extreme underground. Ravencult have been riveting from their first demos and EP in 2000 - 2005, a force slowly gathering strength only to unleash it in 2007 with their debut full length album Temples of Torment. The band bows to the northern legends of the genre, fueled with an old school, pure anger and resentment.

The guitar work here is very much influenced from the Norwegian scene and bands like Immortal or Enslaved, missing a bit of variety in the long run. However, there is an immense success in the collection of riffs that makes the album quite amazing, while the sound is edgy, agressive and forthright, crushing the distorted melodies into your head. From that angle, the album is a non stop bombardment of the time honored cacophony that we all love. Each track has memorable moments and the overall vibe represents what the music is all about perfectly, from the aesthetic to the lyrics and the compositions themselves. It might not be the most original album you have ever heard, but it is produced in a way that the similar points can easily be ignored, providing a highly enjoyable outcome.

While the band has studied well the ideas of the Nordics, something that can be recognized from their immidiate, cold riffs, personal nuances are not amiss. The album contains fast paced tracks as well as slower, agonizing moments and there is a slight punk influence in "Onlsaught Command", mainly because of the speed and the drum pattern. Moreover, tracks like "In Times of Demise", "The Nightsky Codex", "Utter Cold Void" (which reminds a bit of the introduction of Gorgoroth's self-titled track on the guitar) are painfully stagnant, while "The Sigil Of Baphomet", "Blessed In Heresy" and "The Needles of Truth" are swift and cadaverous. The last track, which is "The Needles of Truth", is 31 minutes long in most versions of the CD, but it's mostly silence and contains a hidden track somewhere at minute 23 with a cover of Bathory's "Sacrifice". The main song also has one of the most incisive and powerful riffs in the whole album.

I personally like all the tracks of the album except "Blessed In Heresy", which is a bit fuzzy and unplanned, maybe meant to be used as a filler track only. It still has some kick ass lines and apart from that, the remaining seven tracks are exactly any blackster's cup of tea. It starts and ends with church chants, alluding a connection with the orthodox black metal scene, where bands often use such samples for the appropriate atmosphere. Played by exquisite musicianship and accurate song writing, Ravencult is all you loved of the original Scandinavian scene with some extra, sprinkled throughout the whole record. The band was not eager to re-record tracks from their demos (which are full of amazing tunes) to fill up their debut, instead they built one from scratch and did a fine job with it.

DAMAGE: 8.0/10

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Dethklok - The Dethalbum (2007) Review

Dethklok "The Dethalbum"

Autumn 2007, Williams Street

Listening Needs

Physical Needs

Dethklok is a fictional band that was created for the series "Metalocalypse", starting back in 2006. This show is animated and its about a killer death metal band that rules the world. Their fans die in shows, they destroy nations with their gigs, they live in a moving fortress called Mordhaus with a bunch of executioner servants, they are being watched by an Illuminati group because their actions affect global economy, and a lot of other crazy stuff for you to watch. If you wonder who is behing all this, more information can be found here.

Now, that band also plays music in the episodes, which are later released as albums by the band. There are four seasons and three albums so far. The series is mainly comical, even though it has plenty of bloodshed, dead people, torturing and other delightful activities. Which are still funny, so yeah, the series is comical. If metalheads ought to have their own series, this is it. Quoting the band's frontman Nathan Explosion, who suspiciously looks like Peter Steele or Corpsegrinder:

"We're here to make coffee metal. To make everything metal. Blacker than the blackest black, times infinity."

This is the first album by the band. It can be described as death metal with some melodeath elements. I think the album is nothing special if you listen to it without being familiar with the show or the story behind the songs, and that is the reason i enjoy it very much. I love the first season and every song reminds me of the bloodied and hilarious times Dethklok have in there, its entertaing and made me dig the songs very much. I strongly suggest you see the season and then listen to the album. A birthday song, a song that brings up an ancient troll, a song made for underworld sea creatures, a song about how much they hate their fans, an orchestral song, a song about coffee, songs about vikings and goes on. The reason im enjoying this stuff so much is because the show is exrtaordinary.

It is a joke band. You can't be a strict critic when it comes to something like this, they are not trying to prove themselves as great musicians, even though they are. If you compare it with actual death metal bands, it is a bit simple and generic, softer at some times. The drum and vocal work sound simplistic and weak in some parts. The awesomeness lies in the connection with Metalocalypse itself, and that's why the records sell that much and they are so popular. This proves how death metal or extreme metal in general can have good sales, its all a matter of promotion and labels should think about it. It seems like all the comments i did on the album are negative. However, i love it. Parody death metal animated, with songs to be packed in albums, its a good idea and it works.

DAMAGE: [6.5/10]

Suicide Silence - The Cleansing (2007)

Country: USA
Genre: Deathcore
Label: Century Media Records
Quality: CD-Rip 320kbps
Website: Facebook / Myspace

As you have probably noticed, the mainman of Suicide Silence passed away a couple of days ago, suffering fatal wounds from a car accident. Its really sad to see such talented musicians to die so young, even if you hate their music it has nothing to do with the person, its all a matter of respect.

I liked Suicide Silence a lot, i don't really care about the rest of their fanbase or how mainstream they are. I think its good heavy music. The first release by them is the most deathcore-ish album, has some classic songs in it.