Review : Zealotry - At The Nexus Of All Stillborn Worlds by LaGrosseRadio

Via La Grosse Radio : "AvecThe Last Witness(2016), les Américains de Zealotry avaient su frapper fort pour se faire rapidement un nom dans la scène death metal underground. Il n'aura pas fallu attendre longtemps pour voir la suite arriver, tant le quatuor mené par Roman Temin (chant, guitare) est constitué de boulimiques de travail. Avec un artwork sublime, l'emballage donne déjà clairement envie de se pencher sur ce nouvel opus. Et croyez-nous, vous ne serez pas déçus du voyage !

A première vue, pour un néophyte du death metal, la musique de Zealotry n'est pourtant pas des plus abordables. Changements de tempo divers, cassures rythmiques, et surtout riffs dissonants (toutefois moins prononcés que chez Ulcerate ou Gorguts) dominent chaque minute de l'oeuvre. Zealotry officie dans un style labyrinthique où la voix caverneuse de Roman Temin sert de fil d'Ariane à l'auditeur.

Pour autant, certains passages mélodiques permettent de reprendre son souffle (l'interlude au piano "Accursed" judicieusement placé avant "Lethe's Shroud"), tels que ces choeurs emphatiques sur l'intro de "The Sky Bleeds Nightmares" ou le final d' "Irredeemable", longue pièce progressive de plus de dix minutes. Là oùThe Last Witnessétait toutefois plus expérimental et progressif (on se souvient de ces très beaux passages au violoncelle ou à la guitare acoustique sur "Silence"),At the Nexus of the Stillborn Worldsest en apparence plus concis. Mais le quatuor mélange à merveille ses influences, passant de passages mid-tempo dissonants (l'introduction de "Primus Venatoris", le riff groovy d'ouverture de "The Hole" ou le pont de "Universal Deceit" à 3:05) à des envolées techniques et mélodiques (écoutez ce solo de basse à 2:20 sur le titre d'ouverture pour vous en convaincre).

Chaque pièce forme un tout cohérent et solidement construit, pour aboutir au meilleur titre de l'opus, le final "Irredeemable". Ce titre constitue une sorte de montagne-russe pour guitariste, où chaque seconde est parfaitement maîtrisée, jusqu'au très beau solo de guitare dePhil Tougasà 8:04.  Cette pièce, et cet album, ne pourront que séduire les amateurs d'un death metal alambiqué, tortueux et recherché, à la manière de ce que proposent Gorguts, Ulcerate ou encore Karmacipher, tout en gardant une bonne dose d'agressivité et de violence contenue ("Universal Deceit").

Finalement, le seul point de regret concerne l'absence d'éléments judicieusement placés sur l'opus précédent, tels que ces petits ponts mélodiques au violoncelle ou à la guitare acoustique, qui amenaient un contraste au sein des morceaux. Si nous lui préférons donc son prédécesseur,At the Nexus of the Stillborn Worldsest toutefois une excellent opus, où chaque détail a son importance, depuis la pochette, jusqu'à l'écriture minutieuse de chacun des morceaux. Zealotry confirme ainsi tous les espoirs que l'on avait pu placer en eux il y a deux ans et devrait logiquement sortir rapidement du seul cercle des initiés pour séduire le plus grand nombre. 8/10."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB0AVpKcA4I

Originally written by Watchmaker for https://www.lagrosseradio.com/

News : Serocs - The Phobos/Deimos Suite ranked #3 in Metal-Temple's top 10 albums of 2018

Via Metal-Temple : " Isn’t every year a good one for Metal?  Of course but even among them, 2018 has stood out.  I’m in my third year of being a reviewer at Metal Temple thus this my third top 10….and it was harder than the previous two years to pick a top ten.  It wasn’t this way because of a dry spell for music….it was a flood of music.  I spent months coming up with this list—indeed, with each great release my list would change.  I eventually made my top 10 and stuck with it, no matter what else I heard.  I wanted to change it many times but…at some point you have to stop.  So this is it: my top 10 Metal Albums of 2018.  Please note, my number one is definitely the best of the year but after that there isn’t any real order.

No. 10: Band:  Oubliette Album: The Passage Genre: Melodic/Atmospheric Black Metal General Information: Year of Formation: 2011 Record Label:  The Artisan Era OUBLIETTE and their second full length album ,”The Passage,” is a stirring example of how to make Black Metal break the confines of its limitations while still carrying that blackened spark that made it so special in the first place. “The Passage,” is chocked full of many moments where the band turns on a dime to mix up their aggression or approach.  All the elements in play with all the instruments are a constant force of perpetual motion that enables the album to be played straight thru without a moment of boredom creeping in.

No. 9: Band:  Solstice Album: White Horse Hill Genre: Doom General Information: Year of Formation: 1990 Record Label:  Independent There is a lot going on in this album so its hard to really describe them…they definitely have a sound all their own.  Although Doom owes everything to bands like BLACK SABBATH, PENTAGRAM, CANDLEMASS, TROUBLE, MY DYING BRIDE, and KATATONIA, these Englishmen really don’t sound like any particular type or era of Doom.  Rather, they pull from each style of a variety that often goes unnoticed to most.  Their guitarists WALKER and WHITTAKER really lay down riff filled songs and melodies that are so grandiose that I found myself humming along to them and trying to “sing” them.

No. 8: Band: Sacral Rage Album:  Beyond Celestial Echoes Genre:  Power/Speed/Traditional Metal General Information: Year of Formation: 2011 Record Label:  Cruz del Sur Music The overall package is indeed chocked full of different elements but the band plays with such fervor and cohesiveness that the ride never fills forced or bloated.  It is definitely a lot more adventurous than your average thrash album and definitely not as narrowed minded.  Simply put, there is a lot of music here to listen to with plenty of hooks, nooks, and crannies to bring you back for another listen for a long time. Each song presented can go from break neck speed, to melodic moments, and even to some progressive elements. No matter what direction the songs go into, there is an energy here that I haven’t heard in some time and it is always full speed ahead.

No. 7:

Band:  The Crown

Album:  Cobra Speed Venom

Genre:Death/Thrash

General Information:

Year of Formation:  1990

Record Label:  Metal Blade Records

I’m happy to report that “Cobra Speed Venom,” not only brings back the whiplash but it also their best since 2000’s classic “Deathrace King.” The boys don’t have a bad album under their belt but this is their most urgent mix of Death and Thrash in some time.  With “Cobra Speed Venom,”THE CROWNhave crafted a cleverly written, superbly played everlasting ode to all that is brutal, evil, and dark in Metal.  It is a statement that they are better than ever and will not thrash quietly into the night.

No. 6: Band:  Omnium Gatherum Album:  The Burning Cold Genre: Melodic Death General Information: Year of Formation: 1996 Record Label: Century Media Records Eight albums into their career and these Finnish Melodic Death giants have no idea what the phrase, “law of diminishing returns,” means.  With “The Burning Cold,” they build and extend their sound into a new era without compromising their stellar combination of hard-hitting metal and moments of sheer melodic beauty.

No. 5: Band:  Assumption Album: Absconditus Genre:  Death/Doom General Information: Year of Formation:  2011 Record Label:  Everlasting Spew Records “Absconditus,” is a special album for a special segment of Doom Metal fans.  Even within the realm of the most slow, dark, and heavy Doom, this album still stands out as being even further away from the mainstream. The overall atmosphere is made up of wonderful crushing despair contained withing long songs that, while slow to burn, do ignite into a forsaken Doom sound not of this world, featuring long spacey filled clean guitar, flutes, and some strange keys/synth that bring about a second heavy layer on top of the crushing guitars and vocals.

No. 4: Band: Vessel of Light Album: Woodshed Genre: Doom General Information: Year of Formation: 2017 Record Label:  Argonauta Records Everything about their EP has been expanded and raised up quite a few notches. Opposition and Lorenzo  have really grown as an exciting song writing duo; despite the fact their other bands/projects don’t sound anything alike, the two have found common ground on this violent and dark Doom Metal release. VESSEL OF LIGHT’s “Woodshed” is an album that envelopes the listener in a world ruled by two guys who have honed their song writing prowess to a very sharp point.  Not only did they avoid the so called “sophomore slump” but have raised the bar for themselves and modern day Traditional Doom Metal.

No. 3: Band: Serocs Album:  The Phobos/Deimos Suite Genre: Technical Death Metal General Information: Year of Formation:  2009 Record Label: Everlasting Spew Records This album is without a doubt the most insane Death Metal album I’ve heard this year. Still, the album is surprising in its ferocity and uncompromising approach to an audible mental hell, much of what the lyrical content centers on. SEROC’s approach to modern day Tech Day is so refreshing to my ears; the album focus on telling the story through not only the lyrics but the music itself, giving the atmosphere a focus that, instead of subduing the craziness, actually gives it room to grow.  In the end, SEROC’s fourth album “The Phobos/Deimos Suite,” is a near perfect representation of Tech Death and is quite the trip into insanity’s requiem.

No. 2: Band:  Construct Of Lethe Album: Exiler Genre: Death Metal General Information: Year of Formation:  2010 Record Label: Everlasting Spew Records “Exiler” is an album that is built upon a punishing foundation of Death Metal that expands and grows.  The atmosphere of this album is incredible, due in no large part to the impeccable production.  The album sounds like the soundtrack to the apocalypse; the riffs, the bass, drums, and the overall tone of the punishing Death Metal contained within is harrowing.  Even with such an arresting piece of music, the band still displays song writing at an extremely intelligent level; this is definitely thinking man’s Death Metal.  Just when you think you have it figured out, they throw a wrench into the works; the music conjures up images from the depth of my imagination until everything is just one big fluid movement of inner struggles and Hell itself, perceived or otherwise.  If I made a Top 10 Death Metal album of 2018 list, this one would be at number one, no question.

No. 1: Band: Amorphis Album: Queen Of Time Genre:  Melodic Death/Folk/Prog General Information: Year of Formation:  1990 Record Label: Nuclear Blast My favorite album of the year should come as no surprise, as I’m sure it has made many a best of list from other sources.  As one would expect from their name, this album sounds different than what came before but it still pulls in elements from their entire career; as such it is not only the best album of the year but also the most varied and dynamic. AMORPHIS maybe almost 30 years into their career but they have proven that old dogs can definitely learn new tricks.  Simply put, “Queen Of Time” is a modern day Metal masterpiece that cannot be missed."

Originally written by Justin "Witty City" Wittenmeier for http://www.metal-temple.com/

Review : Chthe'ilist - Passage Into The Xexanotth by Metal Archives

Via Metal Archives : "Although I was previously aware of and enjoyed Chthe'illist's first demo, 2016 was the year I really realized that Phil Tougas was a force to be reckoned with in the death metal scene. Not only did he release a fantastic slab of twisted Finnish inspired death metal for Chthe'illist's first album, but he had a hand in Zealotry's stunning sophomore album and released a bonkers tech death record with First Fragment. Surely this Stakhanovite work effort couldn't endure indefinitely. Flash forward to 2018 and he's somehow in even more bands, Zealotry has dropped their third album, he's on the first Cosmic Atrophy album in a decade and if that wasn't enough Chthe'ilist has dropped a new EP. I think it's safe to say that Phil will be a major force in modern death metal for the foreseeable future.

"Passage into Xexanotth" is the only original song here and it kicks just as much ass as Chthe'ilist does on the full length. You have the same twisted, groove-infested riffage, frantic drumming and the best slap bass in death metal this side of None So Vile. "Passage" keeps the hellish bizzaro vibes going, and this would make a great soundtrack to reading cosmic horror. While Chthe'ilist's detractor's will gripe about the similarities to Timeghoul and Demilich (and a handful of other Finnish death metal bands if they have a good ear), something Chthe'illist does that no one can accuse them of "DemiGhoul" worship for is the inclusion of classic 80's metal guitar solo here. This is present here, and the face-melting dueling guitar leads is Phil at the top of his game.

For the second half of the EP, we get a Crematory cover. Phil has mentioned this Swedish death metal gem in pretty much every interview I've ever read by him, and they're indeed quite awesome. It's a shame they never got to the point of releasing a full length album. The demo he's taking "Beneath the Crypts" from is quite raw and loose, and the production and technicality here is no doubt miles above the original. It doesn't make it any better or worse, it just makes it different. This is a lot more simple than the twisting narrative song structure of "Passage" and it's cool to see such different songwriting work perfectly side by side. While mostly relatively straight forward filthy death metal, "Beneath the Crypts" does have some of that off-kilter angular groove riffage Demilich would later become known for. I wouldn't be surprised if Crematory were one of Demilich's influences.

Passage was recorded over a period of three years and you can really tell the difference in production between the two songs. The original has higher production qualities and the cover is more raw. The production jobs work well with their respective songs. This is a nice little grab bag of quality material until the next album drops. This is one band where I don't give a single flying fuck how original they are and it's honestly becoming a tiresome debate. The next album is going to be a monster if this is any indication." 88/100

Originally written by Thumbman for Metal-Archives.com