Review: Meresin – Black Messiah

Review by Sandre the Giant

Polish black metallers Meresin’s debut record, ‘Black Messiah’, was released independently last year and has now seen a physical release on CD through Via Nocturna Records. The band mix savage, anti-Christian sentiment with black metal and electronic/symphonic elements that bring to mind Aborym or Dødheimsgard. It is out now.

The martial fury of the title track drags us straight into an oppressive, atmospheric black metal world where harsh screams echo over bleak riffing and scabrous electronic enhancements. It feels like everything is filtered through this suffocating, static murk. ‘Let It Burn’ is a more straightforward black leather boot stamping your face into oblivion, while ‘Legions’ and particularly ‘Salvation by Flesh’ give you a slower and more rounded impression of the band’s miasmic, effects laden sound. The additional electronics/symphonics never detract from the darkness or violence though, much more they work as atmospheric enhancement or scathing secondary assault. The shapeshifting ‘Irreligious Feelings’ has a lot of more esoteric electronic moments woven in, feeling almost like a dancefloor filler in the most nihilistic goth club on earth. It reminds me of Aborym a lot.

What I do enjoy a lot is how the album changes in scope as it progresses. Songs become a little more experimental and the band really grow into their sound as we get deeper in. ‘Hate You!’ throbs with sinister intent, ‘Exorcism’ provides a surprisingly spacious take on more traditional black metal tropes and the closing ‘Fanatics’ gives you a majestic, regal slab of black metal that is steeped in a dark ambience. ‘Black Messiah’ is a record that doesn’t like to stick too closely to the classic blueprints of black metal, and Meresin’s work is much the better for it. They could’ve easily vanished into the sea of black metal acts, but they stay afloat thanks to their experimentalism and creativity. Bravo.

https://www.facebook.com/Meresin.Official

https://meresin.bandcamp.com/releases

https://vianocturna.bandcamp.com/

Review: Teratoma – Purulent Manifestations

Review by Sandre the Giant

The debut effort from Berlin based death metallers Teratoma, ‘Purulent Manifestations’ actually came out last year, but is seeing a number of releases in 2022, including on CD and vinyl through Unorthodox Emanations, the first release from the new death metal branch of Avantgarde Music.

The bulldozing, Asphyxian riff that crashes out of ‘Tortured Voices’ is a beauty, groaning under the weight of its old school assault and low end brutality. Sometimes these days it is difficult to feel any excitement about death metal that is trying desperately to be as good as the stuff they are aping. Not with ‘Purulent Manifestations’ though; this band have got something about them that hooked me right in. ‘Detached Existence’ has some surprisingly melodic soloing sandwiched within a serrated, nasty rusted riff machine, ‘Nero’ is a thunderous, chugging monster and the more said and listened to about the sinister rumbling of ‘Horrid Stench’ the better. It is probably my favourite track here; really capturing a truly fetid brutality.

As ‘Oceanium Inferi’ gives us a love of brutal Swedeath chainsawing guitars, and closer ‘Corporeal Mess’ brings sludgy, crawling horror to the fore, Teratoma’s work is a love letter to the genre but full of elegant, original prose. ‘Purulent Manifestations’ FEELS right, not just sounds it. It is ugly, brutal and unbearably memorable and that is what you say about most death metal greats. Awesome stuff.

https://www.facebook.com/TeratomaBerlin

https://teratomadeathmetal.bandcamp.com/releases

https://avantgardemusic.com/tag/unorthodox-emanations/

Review: Truchło Strzygi – Gwiezdny demon

Review by Sandre the Giant

The newest album from Polish necropunks Truchło Strzygi is ‘Gwiezdny demon’, which it seems translates to ‘Star Demon’ which is an excellent album title for any band. It is out now through Godz Ov War Productions, and combines a black metal aesthetic and tone with punk energy.

When you open with a raucous, energetic piece like ‘Strumień świadomości’, you know you’re going to be in for a good time. It’s a little slow burn to start but when the riffs kick in, it’s a fun ride through nasty black metal attitude and punkish . The more obvious comparison would be latter Darkthrone, but Truchło Strzygi don’t make it quite as necrotic, and keep a huge amount of anthemic, crowd hustling energy in it. ‘Kreatura obrzydlistwa’ is furious, spitting teeth and fueled by icy riffing, while the grimly anthemic ‘Krew strzygi’ is way catchier than it has any right to be; I especially like that little crowd singalong bit at the end.

From the melancholic opening tones of ‘Zagłada’ bursting into the strongest, and probably most black metal, of the tracks here through inevitable crowd pleaser ‘A.C.D.C.’ to closer ‘Planeta Astrid’, Truchło Strzygi often confuse your mind,. You’re ready for the bleak black metal and all of a sudden you’re banging your head and raising a fist to their insidious punk melodies. ‘Gwiezdny demon’ is an album of fun surprises, and one that will probably linger with you longer than you think. Good stuff!

https://www.facebook.com/plonie.horyzont/

https://truchlostrzygi.bandcamp.com/

http://godzovwar.com/

Review: Tigguo Cobauc – Trial by Combat

Review by Sandre the Giant

British blackened sludgers Tigguo Cobauc, the ancient name for their home town of Nottingham, have been around for four years but ‘Trial by Combat’ is their first proper album, following a couple of demo/single releases. Their sound is described as a hybrid of 80s black metal as well as old school doom and it is out now through Spectral Hound Records.

Opener ‘Demolished Blood’ possesses a nasty, grinding riff for a start, groaning and creaking through a rumbling tribal drumbeat and a potent roar. It truly is a melting pot of influences, with the more feral ‘Ravaging the Innocents’ up next with a more serrated guitar tone and frenetic pace at times. What the whole record definitely has though is a real ingrained feeling of grim groove; swaggering nihilistic groove coated with blackened sorcery. ‘Gjallehorn’s Warning’ somehow combines Godflesh and Crowbar into a martial sludge beast, while the eponymous track really leans into their brutal bluesy groove and slathers it in searing roars. ‘New World Collision’ is a fiery, infectious number and closer ‘Endless Suffering’ touches upon everything we’ve learned about Tigguo Cobauc so far and creates a fine amalgation of brutal low end chugging, visceral hardcore and an incredible, righteous sludge groove that you’d have to be dead to not appreciate.

‘Trial By Combat’ is an impressive piece of work for a new band, and Tigguo Cobauc’s potential seems difficult to quantify. They’re creating music you don’t often find sludging around these rotten isles, and we should definitely find more bands like this to stock the cabinets. Tumultous, scathing and insatiably catchy, this is a band to watch closely.

https://www.facebook.com/tigguocobaucband

https://tigguocobauc.bandcamp.com/

https://spectralhoundrecords.bandcamp.com/

Review: False Gods – Neurotopia

Review by Sandre the Giant

I’ve reviewed a couple of False Gods releases over the years here and here at the Killchain, and I’ve always enjoyed their powerful, hardcore tinged sludgy doom brutality. Their newest release, ‘Neurotopia’ is out today (22nd July 2022), and what better time for me to find it than on release day? It is out via Seeing Red Records.

‘Peloquin’s delicate, bleak tones strike an immediate ominous chord, before a titanic riff slams down upon you, complete with a powerful scream. Then a potent chugging riff kicks in, and we’re off to the races with proper sludgy doom. False Gods have always been consistent with their focus on weight amongst their more nihilistic tendencies, and this is crushingly heavy at times. ‘I, Cemetery’ channels the best of Crowbar’s sludgy groove, while their hardcore streak comes galloping through in parts as well. The band’s work has gradually increased in length as well over the years, as they funnel in more influences, maturing song writing and attention to detail. All but one songs are over five minutes in length, and the closing Integrity cover ‘In Contrast of Sin’ comes in at over eight. This is a band who are taking their time to give you exactly what they want.

From the epic solo and post metal spaciousness of ‘Your Thoughts Are Void’, through the bleak and brutalist chug of ‘Ghost Story’ and the Godflesh/Jesu-esque shimmer of ‘To Defy Purity’ until said Integrity cover, a titanic undertaking of jagged hardcore fury and Neurosian force, False Gods continue to impress. Their sound has built upon their dense sludgy roots with charismatic post metal influences and a gleaming sense of empowerment. ‘Neurotopia’ feels like a coming of age, a moment where everything False Gods have been trying to become comes to fruition. This is just superb stuff, and one of my favourite records of the year so far.

https://www.facebook.com/falsegods1

https://falsegods1.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.seeingredrecords.com/

Review: Orgrel – The Oath of the Black Wolf

Review by Sandre the Giant

Italian black metallers Orgrel are following up last year’s ‘Red Dragon’s Invocation’ debut album with their new EP, ‘The Oath of the Black Wolf’, which is out now through Iron Bonehead Productions. Recording new material so soon after a full length, can lead to suggestions of leftover materials, but I don’t think Orgrel will suffer that idea gladly.

Openeing with the sinister, Gregorian tones of ‘Hunt’, galloping horses and banging thuds against what I can only assume is a big oak door on an ancient church, the fiery black metal guitar work flows like magma into that channel of darkness. The ferocity is full on but it belies a low key powerful melody line that runs through and adds a real dose of classic Immortal to proceedings. ‘Curse’ amplifies that tendency the band have to fill out their classical sound with a truly epic scope, expansive in scale and yet somehow tight and traditional in execution. ‘Fury’ slows everything down and adds some nice atonal scales while a propulsive low end provides a murky battery. Imagine a more sombre mid 90s Satyricon, and I think you’ll be nearly there.

Closing with the rapturous ‘Judgment’ which switches from groaning crawl to rampant blast with the greatest of ease, galloping through a nasty epic riffing section that I love, Orgrel’s latest addition to their canon sees them at a peak of creative fury. It isn’t easy to make this kind of murky, furious black metal feel essential these days, what with every band and their mother trying to do something similar, But Orgrel hooked me when I first heard them and they are only growing into this sound. ‘The Oath of the Black Wolf’ is a great release.

https://www.facebook.com/orgrelofficial

https://orgrel.bandcamp.com/

https://shop.ironbonehead.de/en/

Review: Monasterium – Cold Are the Graves

Review by Sandre the Giant

Originally published here: https://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/monasterium-cold-are-the-graves/

I know that Poland’s history with metal isn’t exactly empty, but I feel like the last two years has been awash with great records from Polish bands in a variety of genres. Monasterium are a striding, epic doom band from Krakow whose third record, ‘Cold Are the Graves’ is out now through Nine Records, and we are expecting a vinyl release in September too! But does this have enough to join the pantheon of Polish perfection?

The cold, strident tones of opener ‘The Stigmatic’ would almost lead you to believe you’re about to get some bleak black metal until a big thick Candlemassian riff rolls in, and then those iconic Swedes feel like a major influence throughout the rest of this massive melancholic stomp. A morose and grandiose sound, Monasterium’s riffs are sodden with a gloomy coating but their approach still feels almost upbeat. Rousing tales of fantasy and epic myth underpin the powerful ‘Cimmeria’, which has some real King Diamond vibes to it, as well as the galloping ‘Seven Swords of Wayland’, which brings me to an Angel Witch comparison, particularly of their ‘As Above, So Below’ record. It melds trad metal to a more measured and heavier pace in a way I find really intoxicating.

Monasterium’s work reminds me a lot of Twilight of the Gods, Nemtheanga’s ‘true metal’ project and their brilliant ‘Fire on the Mountain’ record from 2013. ‘Cold Are the Graves’ captures a love of metal’s most core principles, and a rousing return to classic metal’s obsession with swords, sorcery and myth. You feel that in the beautiful acoustica of ‘Remembered’, a mythical forest camp fire ballad if there ever was one, or in the storytelling panache of ‘The Siege’. There’s a couple of Iommi-isms in the guitar work of ‘The Necronomicon’ that give me literal shivers of joy, while the booming title track is all Edling/Marcolin worship in its most sincere and flattering form. During the acoustic interlude you can almost see the misted mountains and endless woods if you close your eyes.

I feel like the world of proper epic doom struggles to find real champions in this day and age, with the genre tending to roll downhill towards death/doom and funeral doom. But if Monasterium have anything to do with it, there will always be a champion of the grand, striding thunder, wielding mighty riffs and powerful vocals. ‘Cold Are the Graves’ is that champion’s weapon of choice, and potent it surely is. All hail!

https://www.facebook.com/monasteriumdoom

https://monasterium.bandcamp.com/

http://shop.nine-records.com/

Review: Sermon – Three Songs

Review by Sandre the Giant

I wish I had a better name for this review, but Turkish death/doom band Sermon have made three tracks available through the Earache Digital Distribution platform, and they’ve asked me to take a listen. Their promotional shots have the band in Entombed and Paradise Lost shirts, so I can sense where they might be coming from. Now, a small band needing some exposure and feedback? That’s what the Killchain is here for, so let’s dive in.

‘Posthumous’ starts with a soft, rising synth before a big chunky riff obliterates it and we’re drowning in full on Swallow the Sun territory straight up. I’ve always enjoyed the understandable growls, so this works for me a lot over monolithic riffs hewn from stone. There’s moments of My Dying Bride atmosphere lurking in the background, and when the band go full Type O Negative around the halfway mark, then my interest is really peaked. ‘Destined to Decline’ gives you a bit more of that gothic flair with the violins entwined with a glacial crush and it becomes a morose stride through apocalyptic lands. ‘Requitement’ has a really nice, almost soulful lead melody into a lumbering melancholic swagger, and that melody sticks with you throughout the rest of the song, as growls and titanic low end conspire to obliterate your neck slowly but surely.

I don’t know if I listened to them in the right order, but I really like how the different pieces of Sermon’s sound work together, from the gloomy goth leanings to the titanic modern death/doom sheen. Hopefully the rest of their work will stick to this high standard and I’ll get a chance to hear more soon!

https://www.facebook.com/sermonTR

https://linktr.ee/sermonbandtur

Review: VHS – Lenzi

Review by Sandre the Giant

Canadian death/thrash/grinders VHS have been dropping albums of pure horror infused chaos since 2015, and I was particularly taken with their 2020 full length ‘Gore from Beyond the Stars’. Their newest EP, ‘Lenzi’ is out on the 22nd of July, and it is a two track tribute to cannibal horror movie icon Umberto Lenzi.

The sample intro to ‘Primitive and Pissed Off’ pretty much sums up what you’re about to listen to. A sinister bassline leads us before gates of churning death metal, more samples of torture and screaming and a guttural roar intonating tales of cannibalistic horror.VHS have definitely gone for the slower and more sinister on ‘Lenzi’, enschewing thier usual breakneck violence for something much darker and more disturbing. I assume this is a deliberate echo of Lenzi’s movie style, which is definitely more sinister and disturbing than a lot of slasher films etc. ‘Crispy Skinned Maniacs’ has got more of a kick to it, while starting off slowly and menacingly again it will give us a turn of pace and brutality every so often while ramping up the atmosphere of decay and death. It feels really a part of the sleazy filth of the 70s horror scene.

I like the change of direction for ‘Lenzi’; VHS have always worked better for me as a full speed, breakneck grindcore/thrash band on their previous work, but this shows that they can adapt their style into something that works well with the source material. Matching the musical style to the inspiration could be a way forward for the band, but we’ll see on the next release. Meanwhile, if you like dark, primal, almost death/doom music, this is for you.

https://www.facebook.com/violenthomicidalslasher

https://vhshorror.bandcamp.com/releases

https://lifeafterdeath616.com/

https://lifeafterdeath.bandcamp.com/album/lenzi

Review: Light Dweller – Lucid Offering

Review by Sandre the Giant

‘Lucid Offering’ is the fourth record from Arizona’s Light Dweller in the five years of their existence, and you’d think their brand of suffocating black/death dissonance would be hard to replicate on such a frequent scale, particularly as they appear to be a one man operation. ‘Lucid Offering’ is out now through Total Dissonance Worship.

‘Succumb’ is a suffocating, cacophonous opener, channeling the best of Ulcerate, Gorguts and Portal into a dark and dissonant execution. Time signatures change between jangling atonal chords and thunderous low end stop/starts amongst guttural, abyssal growls. It is a work of jarring heaviness, and immediately sets expectations for what is to come. Challenging music is what I’m here for a lot of the time, and there’s so many tracks here that are sent to alter your perceptions and mangle your synapses. The combustible title track, the writhing dissonance of the spellbinding ‘Conjurer of Light’ or the off-kilter chug of ‘Hominal’; each track mesmerises and discomforts in equal measure.The magnificent ‘Spiritual Eclipse’ closes us out, evolving from a sombre death/doom stride into a triumphant cataclysm of black/death chaos at its most majestic.

How something this complex, well written and professionally produced can be created by a single person is astounding to me, but Light Dweller’s work would put most full bands to shame. ‘Lucid Offering’ is a terrifying, dizzying array of technical, dissonant death metal drowning in a miasmic black metal atmosphere, and is a true highlight of 2022’s darkest, densest offerings.

https://www.facebook.com/lightdwellermusic/

https://lightdweller.bandcamp.com/

https://totaldissonanceworship.bandcamp.com/