Trenchrot - Necronomic Warfare - 11 Track Album - Unspeakable Axe Records - To be released 18th February 2014

Trenchrot

Necronomic Warfare

11 Track Album

Unspeakable Axe Records

To be released 18^th February 2014

Brutal!

Written for Ramzine

Trenchrot – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/Trenchrotdeathmetal

Genre: Death Metal

Biography:

“Formed only recently in 2012, TrenchRot make music within the structure of two rules:

1. Play Death Metal

2. Crush posers”

I am pretty stoked to review this one! The titles alone spark sheer joy into my blackened heart and the album cover is just superb! Now onto the main reason – the music!

Death by Trenchrot

And what a way to go! This track just ravages and rampages to a brutal melee of spiteful energy. Contagious rhythms, harsh edged vocals and a splurge of riffs – I don’t mind dying if it is by Trenchrot! Thrilling to the last note!

Gustav Gun

A savage, melodic anthemic track with thunderous arms of predatory riffs that will engulf you as soon as look at you! Vocally devours whilst the rhythms will polish off all the gristly bits – sonically engaging, the guitar riffs explode into a frenzied madness.

The most unspeakable of acts

The energetic gait is prevalent here – expect no mercy from its ever tightening grip! This is an encounter you won’t forget in a hurry.  Fluent in robust melodic riffs and captivates using a scornful vocal that sticks to the aural like a leech.

Mad Dogs of War

Pummeling madness and vocal fury, complimented by audacious riffage is strongly appealing and 100% potent in every sense of the word. Death metal with a blackened twist like a rusty knife in the shoulder blades.

Sickening Devotion

Compelling and voracious it springs to life with more than vengeance, it never lets up tension or intensity for a second.  Pummeling with sheer brute force it will smash you in the head and make your eyes water!

Necrotic Victory

Another predatory track that will leave you somewhat disorientated as the strenuous muscular arms of brutality once again grabs you by the throat and doesn’t just throttle the aural but more like rips it from the head. Provocatively heavy just as you would expect and then some!

Maddening Aggression

It’s straight into more vocal madness and damming drumming helped along by towering riffs and ungainly rhythms – this live will no doubt be a pit starter and nobody will come out alive! It definitely lives up to its title.

Necronomic Warfare

Stops for a moment... this is sinister and ambient. Giving way to a riotous vocal and then swoops into a powerful hunger of malevolence. It emulates evil from every pore so much so if it was a virus it would have spread around the globe in seconds.

Gallery of the Dead

Another anthemic alluring little ditty that bursts into yet more fast and ferocious goings on backed up by perpetual gnawing vocals that seethe in the aggression of the track and as a result is one riveting listen! Without a doubt one of my favourite tracks on the album and I shall be listening to it several times more before my thirst is thoroughly quenched.

Trapped under Treads

This track will leave large bloody footprints on your head as it rampages and soars through its entirety, unleashing more malevolence and aggression with every riff and rhythm it produces.

Dragged down to Hell

The insidious grooves make their presence felt in no uncertain terms, growling and vicious it continues its mighty onslaught and forces you along into a world of sheer brutality. The guitar sounds like an unruly horse neighing vehemently and will no doubt kick you in the gut when you least expect it.

To Sum up:

This is one raw and punishing album that will no doubt be played to death – good job it is not on vinyl as it would resemble black lace at the end of its play time. Feisty and addictive this is one album that should be played at least thrice a day and taken with a few aspirins as it will cause plenty of head-banging and heaps of adrenalin rushes that may not be good for the faint of heart!

In short it is an incendiary device that once put in the player will go totally nuts and explode into a riotous outbreak. Superb album! Death by Trenchrot - it is the only way to die!

10/10

Track List:

Death by Trenchrot

Gustav Gun

The most unspeakable of acts

Mad Dogs of War

Sickening Devotion

Necrotic Victory

Maddening Aggression

Necronomic Warfare

Gallery of the Dead

Trapped under Treads

Dragged down to Hell

Members:

Steve Geptik - Bass

Justin Bean - Drums

Brooks Wilson - Guitars

Steve Jansson - Guitars, Vocals

Rain of Acid - Ghost Town - 10 Track Album - Violent Journey Records - To be released 24th January 2014

Rain of Acid

Ghost Town

10 Track Album

Violent Journey Records

To be released 24^th January 2014

Superb new Album out soon!

Written for RAMzine

Rain of Acid – Vassa, Finland

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/rainofacidofficial

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Discography:

Lost Souls              Full-length   2011   

Ghost Town            Full-length   2014   

Biography:

“Kicking it since 2008, Rain of Acid, a melodic death metal band from Vaasa (Finland) will release its second album "Ghost Town" through Violent Journey Records on January 24, 2014.  Before starting the recording sessions of the second album in 2012, Rain of Acid had the opportunity to be a supporting act for Before the Dawn on a massive Finish tour. "Ghost Town" was produced and recorded by Tuomas Saukkonen, the lead singer of Before the Dawn and Wolfheart. He also contributed as a session drummer on the album.  A music video of the song "The Closure" will be released at the end of January”

Intro

The opening track is a powerful instrumental that weaves a very colourful picture of blended acoustic guitars and allows the listener a sneak preview of what is to follow.

Unveiled

As suspected the Finish bands don’t mess about, they produce solid no nonsense tracks that are always glued together with melodic time frames and superb vocals of which this track is no different.  It rampages dangling the bait in front of your ears and has you gripped. Absolutely brilliant track!

The Tower of Glass

Vocal scorning prevalent and meets the aural full on to a rasping delight of rhythmic guitar that suddenly ebbs and then picks up speed to produce a thoroughly engaging listen. The melodic fluidity from guitar and drums are powerfully captivating and fuse together a vibrant colourful track of sophistication.

Unchained

Aurally challenging, this track reaches peak before it gets there, it’s fast and holds a vehement melodic rhythm that is serious on all accounts shaping the imagination and influences with a teasing of intensity.

Wasteland of Dreams

The solid bass hooks come flying in and are then accompanied by the shrill guitar riffs that hold a rapacious gait, followed by a constant predacious beat. The vocal scathing is raw and brittle. That melodic tone is to die for and for that reason alone this has become my favourite track on the album, although they all have their bite and no doubt there will be more favourites to follow but this is simply stunning!

Broken

Nothing like a good drum battering to get the get the blood flowing and a strong traumatic vocal to proceed it.  The mighty rhythms tower and soar into oblivion. This track is like a kick in the gut with steel cap boots on. The feisty powerful beats live up to the band’s name as they shower down on their victim. A great track indeed so get that volume up and savour every last morsel.

The Darkness of Light

The now distinctive sound of Rain of Acid dishes out more slabs of melodic energy and produced another irresistible masterpiece of varying melodic rhythmic flavours of intensity.

Lobotomy

Fast paced and malicious the rhythms sear past the ears and will leave a trail of dust behind it! The rhythmic attack leaves nothing to the imagination as it splinters with the spiteful harsh vocal. Another sure fire winner on this album of delights.

The Closure

Metal meltdown is upon us once again as the aggressive urgency of the track becomes apparent early on. They do not disappoint, with a gurgling vocal presence and an inferno of sonic rhythm that will simply destroy the aural as the bone crunching beats fire in quick succession – this is pure mastery of metal – you will hear this as soon as that guitar comes into combat and batters you to death – outstanding!

Ghost Town

This has a shrill and stark feeling as an acoustic guitar swaps its rapacious attack for one of more beauty.  It meanders until the electric guitar takes over and plunders its flavour with rigid ferocity. The vocals however do not compromise their tones of sheer hunger for anyone and possess their territory with vigour.

To Sum up:

This album is typically Finish – they know all the right buttons to press to make their albums more than worthy of listening to so it’s hard not to be sucked into the melodic melee that confronts the aural and gives you something to follow. Each track becomes compelling in its own right.

In short this is one extreme album that holds so much for the listener to chew over, possessing towering rhythmic swagger and drumming that will knock you down in an instant. Vocally extreme and superb it all blends in together and as ever offers infectious grooves of extreme pleasure.

It isn’t just one or two tracks either, the whole album just bristles and splinters with aggression, even the slower more intricate tracks as they begin turn malevolent at the drop of a hat. This is nothing short of stunning! The album cover is just as menacing as the music contained within it – so the only thing you can do now is join forces as it is guaranteed 100% potent and is a demanding infectious listen!

10/10

Track List:

Intro

Unveiled

The Tower of Glass

Unchained

Wasteland of Dreams

Broken

The Darkness of Light

Lobotomy

The Closure

Ghost Town

Members:

Esa Uusimaa - Vocals & Guitar

Sami Sandberg - Guitar

Teemu Hauta - Drums
Mikko Keränen - Bass

MaYan - Antagonize - 11 Track Album - Nuclear Blast - To be released 3rd February 2014

MaYan

Antagonize

11 Track Album

Nuclear Blast

To be released 3^rd February 2014

Great Cover!

Written for RamZine

MaYan – Netherlands

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/mayanband

Genre: Symphonic Death Metal

Biography:

Formed 2010 MaYaN is a Dutch symphonic death metal band founded by vocalist Mark Jansen, keyboardist Jack Driessen and guitarist Frank Schiphorst. The name of the band was chosen by Jansen out of his fascination for the ancient Maya civilization.  On the 6 September 2013 Nuclear Blast released a press statement that confirmed that tour members from the first album Laura Macrì and Henning Basse have become full time members.

Bloodline Forfeit

Indiscriminately invades the senses, possessing clean, scourging and soprano vocals – this possesses more than just the soul in its grasp. It does have an old school feel about it due to the clean male vocal, however, it does twist on occasions but doesn’t quite come through the door of the 21^st century.

Burn Your Witches

A rather predatory track that stalks with unmerciful prowess. Possesses a strong appeal of melodic enterprise as well as a raucous battering of rhythmic energy.

Redemption

Festers with an evil intent that gathers up momentum and simply ravages the aural licking it with choppy keyboard and infectious beatings. The harsher guttural growls being more appealing to me it has to be said.

Paladins of Deceit

A gnarly brutal swagger of rhythms play out to a suffocating backdrop of harshness, however the uplifting and haunting symphonic slurry and ambient high pitched operatic vocal certainly gives it that powerful edge. Euphoric and extreme - this hits below the proverbial metal belt buckle.

Lone Wolf

Sinisterly engaging as the cruel guttural supreme vocals hit the aural senses, it builds furiously into a conglomerate of metal symphonic madness, however the clean vocals really do not do this track justice at all and I personally think that this track with all its rampaging should shroud itself in the brutal vocal to get its point across.

Devil in Disguise

A mesmerizing start bursting into a rapacious flurry of symphonic wonder. Devilishly packed full of hard edged, but similarly melodic strength.  Back to the harsh guttural vocal that holds so much malevolence this is a feisty track that warrants further play.

Isano

A beautiful guitar and choppy keyboard notes accompanied by a sweet haunting female voice not normally heard on a death metal album, but certainly adds a lot of diversity, and something I wouldn’t normally like but this is just so perfect it is very hard not to.

Human Sacrifice

Gruff and grisly vocals invade this track with a vengeance.  The undertones of keyboards are a superb touch along with a good battering of strong drum beating – the twists and turns on the track are superb, with the female vocals making a return with a maelstrom of serious keyboard outage and strong rapacious riffs is very appealing – brilliant track!

Enemies of Freedom

With the words “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good man with a gun!” this track then melts into a powerful onslaught of savagery. Vocally engaging in more harshness and a run of mesmerizing riffs.

Capital Punishment

A swathe of keyboard swirls endlessly into a void of darkness helped along with bone crunching guttural pit born growls and haunting female vocals that would break glass, possesses a solid endeavour to reach its peak of madness. This track carries you to the edge of oblivion with no escape.

Faceless Spies

Melodic and inspiring it twists one way then the next meandering into an uplifting and serious run of plaguing keyboards that are allowed to run rampant and backed with the sumptuous growling vocals. However, the clean vocals seem to ruin it somewhat as they make their presence felt, be it only briefly. 

To Sum up:

This would be an immense album if it were not for the clean male vocals that seem to keep it from rising potentially to its goal, keeping it in the old school frame of the 80’s and not letting it progress fully into the 21^st century which is a real shame. However, the gritty growls and soprano vocals do work extremely well together and the music is overwhelming with intensity.

With eight members in its sight this will no doubt be a sight for sore eyes on a stage and plenty to focus on live of that there is no doubt, providing that the stage would be big enough to hold eight members plus instruments.

The classical structures are just so powerful and engaging it defies being in a death metal genre if not for those savage growls that prowl unmercifully to the invigorating guitars, you may think differently.

The symphonic haunting keyboards are brilliantly executed and really adds a new depth to the proceedings, making this album worth listening to – for me personally, it works and would without a doubt have reached ten on the scale if it had not been for the clean male vocal that tends to weaken the structures of the tracks and not allowing the album to fully immerse itself with 100% intensity.

8/10

Track List:

Bloodline Forfeit

Burn Your Witches

Redemption

Paladins of Deceit

Lone Wolf

Devil in Disguise

Isano

Human Sacrifice

Enemies of Freedom

Capital Punishment

Faceless Spies

Members:

Laura Macri – Vocals Soprano

Frank Schiphorst – Guitar

Mark Jansen – Grunts, Screams and Orchestration

Ariën Van Weesenbeek – Drums and Grunts

Rob Van Der Loo – Bass

Henning Basse – Clean Vocals

Jack Driessen – Keyboards, Orchestration and Screams

Merel Bechtold - Guitar

Fallen Fate - Into the Black - 10 Track Album - Pledge Music - To be released 30th January 2014

Fallen Fate

Into the Black

10 Track Album

Pledge Music

To be released 30^th January 2014

Not long to go now!

Fallen Fate – Darlington UK

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/fallenfateuk

Listen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UURWvrjPbwnaAHIU3d2QuXng&v=DD9fL8aeDFs&utm_source=Future+PR+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=d7302edf34-1_3_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fe8c3462e0-d7302edf34-72394861

Discography:

The Virus has Spread – 2011 Debut Album

Into the Black - 2014

Genre: Thrash/Speed/Technical

Biography:

Formed way back in 2005 and from Darlington this quartet have remained steadfast and now produced another sizzling creation of fast blinding metal. Playing at some of the larger festivals, as well as appearing in Terrorizer Magazine but still find the time to write this their second release from which was recorded in Stymphalian Productions in York with Producer James Stephenson in early 2013.

In Lee’s own words:

‘Based on a horror movie theme around a young girl called Vespa the concept of 'Into the Black' plays a big part in how the album sounds and how it is visually portrayed through the artwork and upcoming videos. It contributed to the evolving sound of the band as we introduced more keyboards and experimental sounds into the mix, giving it a different dark feel and sound.’

The Rise (Intro)

The satisfaction this track gives out is just phenomenal.  The build-up, the crazed whisperings, the impressive gnawing vocals, it literally swoops down and embeds itself into your very soul – Vespa lives!

Blackened Within

How anything can survive this brutal onslaught is beyond me! It rips so fiercely through the aural it leaves burn marks. Punctuated by an emotive force of guitar and exciting rush of drum beats, if this does not get your blood rushing through your veins you must have met with a vampire!

Until the Final Hour

Bawdy, bedlamic and bold – just three words to describe this track for its brutal scourging never ceases throughout. It wraps greedily around the senses and is awash with brutal energy that surely has been lurking in hell and now cannot be contained any longer!

Into the Black

A rather slow but ambient start that lures although it possesses a rather schizophrenic trait as it coaxes you into a false sense of security. Let’s face it Fallen Fate are not known for their slow ambient starts, so I should have known better! This turns into one riotous storm of malignant pleasure.

Possession

A flurry of rapacious riffs come from out of an atmospheric haze and into a rather provocative light. Vocally scathing as ever and very dramatic in delivery awash with dark revelry, potent to say the very least!

I welcome the dead

If your heart beat can keep up with the beats emanating from this track then you must be doing a marathon. Holding nothing but spiteful venom it oozes a bewildering appeal of madness that spreads like a disease.

Rituals

Sinister and atmospheric this could be a sound track from one of the most terrifying horror movies ever made – I will leave you to guess which one! The rapaciousness and towering rhythms leave nothing to the imagination.  This track comes out kicking and screaming and will no doubt give you a sleepless night.

Last Rites

This tracks broods and brews up an intricate web of temptation. Creative and dramatic and tears up speed leaving a trail of dust that you may have to wipe out of your bloodshot eyes. The clean vocal along with the bruising screams compliment the track superbly in only a way that Fallen Fate could pull off and survive – this is an immense offering of total annihilation.

The Demise

A symphonic and haunting embrace shrouds and smothers the aural with an evil whisper from Vespa and then the lights go out!

Vespa

This is the track we have all been waiting to hear as this is Vespa, evil, dark and awash with malignant tendencies of creativity and passion. Fallen Fate have more than managed to capture a sonic presence of darkness and have now let her loose. The ‘She-Devil’ of metal!

To Sum up:

To have this album on less than 11 would be an insult to Fallen Fate who have put together and created a malevolent dark spirit. It is one labour intense album that possesses more than just thrash, speed and technical but also consists of classical structures and used them in such a unique and spellbinding way, that it has battered open a door that leads straight to hell, and will feast on the blood of any living soul that disagrees.

This album has a leaning towards the black as its title suggests is a new direction for Fallen Fate, although, I feel the right way for them to progress and leave behind their comfort zone, experimenting with new sounds that will definitely give them the edge over other bands who just stick inside their comfort zones with their slippers on!  I think Fallen Fate is just going to keep climbing and sooner rather than later will become an all-out top selling band. Let’s face it they deserve it without a dark shadow of a doubt.

The atmospherics and the ambiance this album creates is like a tsunami that far reaches into realms of the unknown and conjours up dark forces from within a pit of fire and brimstone and yet they still manage to possess a beautiful melodic intensity that simply explodes into one massive potent rush of ravenous rhythms. A highly intense listen that only the hardened of metal heads could withstand.

This is the real deal! This is Fallen Fate! And a band to watch out for this year! They have hit the ground running with this album.

10/10

Track List:

The Rise

Blackened Within

Until the Final Hour

Into the Black

Possession

I welcome the dead

Rituals

Last Rites

The Demise

Vespa

Members:

Lee Skinner - Guitars & Vocals

Piers Donno-Fuller - Guitars

John Wright - Drums

Peter Hodgson - Bass

Aborted Foetus - Private Judgement Day - 10 Track Album - Comatose Music - To be released 18th February 2014

Aborted Foetus

Private Judgement Day

10 Track Album

Comatose Music

To be released 18^th February 2014

Out soon!

Written for Ramzine

Aborted Foetus – Russia

Links:

http://abortedfetus.ru/en/news/

https://www.facebook.com/Abortedfetusbrutality

Discography:

World of Bleeding – Demo 2000  

Intestinal Crisis - Demo   2001   

Murder and Rape Your Flesh - Demo   2002   

Excoriating Abdominal Emanation - Split 2004         

Devoured Foetuses - EP 2005    

Goreconception Reality -Split 2006

Fatal Dogmatic Damage - 2010

Goresoaked Clinical Accident – 2012

Private Judgement Day – 2014

Genre: Brutal Death Metal

Biography:

This brutal death army has been throwing out albums left right and centre since their formation in 2000. The new album is diverse and packed full of surprises as they possess some grind elements as well as more complex structures so plenty to enjoy here.

Savage Dominance

This shakes the aural somewhat with unruly terrifying screams and vicious pig squeals makes my heart flutter with delight! Grinding and unmerciful, seething and raw it portrays all that is unholy! One bestial track that presents itself with a high octane onslaught!

Necropolis Demography

This track will have the blood surging round the veins make no mistake but likely to cause the blood to clot in the process. It is barbarous and methodical in its approach but for me just does not last long enough to engage in its armory. A typical ‘grind’ trait!

Garden of Kidney Stones

Did I just read that right? Garden of Kidney Stones? You know this one is going to hurt badly and it does! Vibrant and obnoxious it instantly draws you into its venomous magic with full on vocal squealing – can it get any better than this??

Fuck in a Pesthole

Crazy title and one we all know what is about to hit the senses. Outstanding vocal presence without a doubt with more madness to follow in a blinding spiteful frenzy it all happens on this track in abundance.

Private Judgement Day

The title track to the album bristles with sinister noises and brutal samples, hideous screams all washed down by a technical drum beat and squally riffs that are ripe for metal ears. May the squeals last an eternity, I could never get sick of this!

Malignant Pregnancy

If you expect fluffy white clouds and birdsong think again – cos you are listening to the wrong album!  This is just as nasty as the title. Sparks fly just as the riffs explode and with a low guttural edge those vocals come raining down in quick fire succession – I just died and went to hell! Bliss!

Gastronomic Confession

Is more than just a feast of hideous sounds I have to confess, If you like your steak rare with blood oozing from it and your fish raw then you have come to the right place, this track will more than whet your appetite.

Brown Totem

With ambiance and sinister beginnings come the most gruesome of spoken voice probably raised from the bowels of hell as it delves hastily into a festering madness of putrid ferocity leaving you gore-soaked in more than just blood!

Guinea Pig

No fluffy little furrie’s here I am afraid just a grotesque and enthralling venomous onslaught that will leave you questioning your own sanity as you reach for the volume that is already surpassing its limits to engage in further ear bashing!

Morning Inferno

Squally haunting ferocious lampooning, bursts into a festering melee of hard core revelry. Damming brutality from feet that defy science as they slam those pedals with a vocal that Satan would be proud of – brilliant track!

To Sum up:

To the devil hell, to Aborted Foetus a malingering infestation of gnarly madness and rife rapacious riffs plucked from a simple electric guitar. These guys know how to captivate and enthral and do it to the best of their ability.  This striking album will not make you wane from its glory but have you basking in its delights providing you like your metal this way. A definite sound for sore ears that will evidently crush the brain cells.

Rawer than Sushi, gorier than a murderer’s basement, intensely gratifying and brutally insane it’s Aborted Foetus – from Russia – with love!

10/10

Track List:

Savage Dominance

Necropolis Demography

Garden of Kidney Stones

Fuck in a Pesthole

Private Judgement Day

Malignant Pregnancy

Gastronomic Confession

Brown Totem

Guinea Pig

Morning Inferno

Members:

Andrew - Drums

Alexander "Implant" - Vocals

Alexander "Meatgrinder" Chernishev - Vocals, Guitars

Roman Kozodoy - Bass