LP Review: "Chapters of an Evil Transition" by Ravenous Death

Chapters of an Evil Transition

In the world of tomorrow, Death Metal has cleaned up its act.

Long gone are the drums featuring as much distortion as the guitars. The vocals now have changed into something barely recognizable to those weened on Carcass and Master.

In days gone by, the subgenre was rearing its head out of the muck left in the wake of Thrash.

Death Metal is the unholy second division of metal.

Bands like Morbid Angel, Arch Enemy, and latter day Carcass turned it into something clean. Surgical even.

That's all well and good, but horror, classic horror show...you can see the strings. You know the blood is actually Hershey's Chocolate Syrup... That's when it's time to listen to music that sounds like a two by four to the face feels. Today, Ravenous Death is willing to give us the blow that we all need to take from time to time.

Chapters of an Evil Transition is a dirty thing. The tracks are slimy and it'll be like your first time hearing death metal all over again.

RELEASE 1/21/19 BANDCAMP FACEBOOK

LP Review: "Human Annihilation" by Ruin

Human Annihilation

When the right music hits me at the right time, it's one of the best feelings in the world.

Right now, your friend and humble narrator is dealing with a chest cold that's been spreading about my body in slow motion. It started two weeks ago with a pain in my throat.

Then slowly, it spread to my chest, and now it's in all places in my body. It's been absolute misery, but it has gotten me out of a bit of housework. So there is a small upside, though my house is a bit messy....

Ruin's latest LP, Human Annihilation, feels like that chest cold. It's a brutally obscene slab of death metal, but it's unlike most forms of the genre, because the music is slow. Well, it's slow for extreme metal anyway.

The vocals sound like coagulating blood. The mixture of the vocals and the rest of the band is one of the most exquisite pieces of ugliness to hit my ears in some time.

Ruin is so brutal, they're making me wonder if their album even counts as proper music, but that's why it's amazing. It's something new and evil.

Release: 10/22/18 BANDCAMP

LP Review: "Entropic Disillusion" by Shrine of the Serpent

Entropic Disillusion

In my younger years, the idea of making music with my high school best friend was something that was so unreal and so  mystical.

It was nearly impossible to endure those sessions of his trying to teach me songs on guitar and bass. Because he was my friend, I did it.

Years later, after I'd moved back to St. Louis and our friendship was fizzling out it finally happened. We hung out together and played music.

He was on his Stu Hamm signature bass and I on my Gremlin guitar through an amplifier that had two sounds: inaudible and broken down rusty chainsaw. There was no need for a distortion pedal in that setup. His father came downstairs and laughed at my tone...with good reason.

LP Review: "Cavern of Foul Unbeings" by Ectoplasma

Cavern of Foul Unbeings

Look, I don't want to be that guy, but it's not the right season for this music.

So, for the past three months or so, I've been screaming at the world, it's not Christmas time yet!

My daughter, my wife, my boss, my every single god damned store...

But now, here I am again and what is there than can be said in my defense? There's nothing to say for me and my actions are indefensible...much like a vote for Donald J Trump.

Memento Mori has sliced open a vein and putrid death metal is pouring out. You may have noticed the post on Rotheads. This record label has been looking for the bands that wish 5150's never happened.

LP Review: "Sewer Fiends" by Rotheads

Sewer Fiends

In this world there is nothing like personal tradition.

My family and I are making our own traditions and they bring us great memories as we look back on them.

Think about what your grandmother used to do during holidays. Even when I think about her prayer before dinners, I still smile and think that it was just a part of what we did.

The feeling for that which is familiar is a most powerful emotion. It's capable of elevating our mood or it can bring us crashing down.

Music is no different. Many fans reach a point where they're done with new music, because as the epochs change, the styles change and it's no longer familiar. It's this new beast that sounds like muddled noise....crabcore (it's a thing) I'm looking at you....

Album Review: "Sepulcrum Viventium" by Austerymn

Sepulcrum Viventium

How many genres of music were really musical movements?

Meaning, they went so far and then they, or all intents and purposes, ended?

I can think of grunge, disco, NWOBHM, old school hip hop, acid rock, and yes even the original death metal.

In this reviewer's opinion, 90's death metal is often still the best. Carcass, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Deicide, well there's a reason why all of these bands still have legions of fans, still record, and still tour.

Today, let's enjoy a newer group that plays that style of metal.

This band was originally formed in the early 90's, so they're not precisely retro, but they've also changed  names a dozen times. So, let's just take this for what it is...a death metal record.