Demise Of The Crown - Self-Titled (2016)

Hailing from Quebec, this project mixes together progressive power metal with elements of melodic death and thrash, matching heavily the Nevermore comparison, but not so much the others I have listed on my on my press release. So I'm going to junk those and throw in one that really reminds me of the fucking band – Mercenary. No, I'm not talking about early Mercenary or their latter discs, I'm talking about the stuff in the middle, particularly 11 Dreams. We could also compare them to Sanctuary, especially the version of Sanctuary that Warrel Dane is fronting right now. Additionally, let's throw in some chorus heavy power metal, stuff like Brainstorm and Nocturnal Rites. Yet there's a bit more song structure to some of these pieces than I've heard on a few of their records as of late and I feel that's worth mentioning.

Unfortunately, the disc is only about thirty minutes and feels a little short for a debut (they could have added about three or four more songs) even though it definitely shows what this band is capable of. Their Bandcamp page is a bit vacant, so I'm assuming that one man by the name of Kevin Jardine (Slaves On Dope) is responsible for most of this record, and he certainly shows his strength with the use of such muscular guitar compositions that make this act a hell of a lot more interesting to me than Slaves On Dope ever were. Not only that, but he commands a powerful vocal approach that amounts to mesmerizing harmonies, as well as some falsettos that remind me heavily of Rob Halford, Tim Owens, Stu Block and many others. Because the record plays in the worlds of groove, death, progressive and classic heavy metal; it's very hard to actually pinpoint and that's what makes it exciting. Most notably, the Nevermore and Mercenary comparisons will be made and fans will grasp this disc with a fervor because of that. The band truly sounds larger than life on this debut and I really hope that maybe we'll get more information out of them later, because people need to hear this one to believe it.

Demise The Crown still feels like an EP release, but it shows me that the act has an awful lot of promise, beyond what I can describe here in a review. If you want catchy choruses, hard hitting solos, more melodies than you can shake a stick at, and melodic death metal/groove incursions (that normally wouldn't work well with this kind of material unless they were done properly, which is indeed the case) then you need to look no further than this disc which you can pick up for seven bucks. A dollar a track isn't a bad deal at all, especially when several of these pieces are worth far more than a dollar. Give it a listen, I think you'll enjoy it very much. I can't wait to see what is next for the act.

(7 Tracks, 30:00)

8/10

Black Sleep - The Whales Of The Grey Sea (2016)

Black Sleep are one of the most interesting new bands that I've heard in years. Why I say that, is because they've mixed together two styles of music that you just wouldn't think would ever worked. Quite simply, this EP sounds like Arcturus if they had a run-in with the groove metal of Fear Factory. You can obviously hear both influences in the music, and it's admittedly very odd – but oddly catchy as well. They're a four-piece from out of Finland, and this is obviously their debut release even though it's short enough to be placed in with our demos and EP's over at New Noise. Comically, I'm also seeing several other review blogs mentioning the band as Black Sheep, which I also thought was their name until I really took a look at it. The frontman has a very similar tone to Garm, which I thought was very unexpected, especially from a Finnish act where that sort of Norwegian influence would have to be a learned one. But even if the guy did stay up all night trying to imitate Garm's performance on records like The Sham Mirrors, I can certainly say that he's done it justice. “Tiny Pieces” gives a heavy dose of chunk and synth, but paired with that unusual vocal approach, it comes out as something altogether different. But that's just the icing on the cake compared to “Soulcatcher” which is definitely one of the best cuts on the release. This is where more of the slightly operatic avantgarde elements come into play, along with the clean chorus, which reminds me of Burton C. Bell a little bit. Now there's obviously some angry grunts used here along with the new metal crunch, but it's definitely a change in styles that I can get into. Another one I liked was “Moonsick” for the same reasons, which would be a strong clean vocal and symphonic element. The disc's closer “Animal Puppets” also stands out, ending the record on a promising note. Again, there is definitely an avantgarde sense to Black Sleep and I think that it's strong enough here to get your attention over the more groove-oriented and nu-metal elements laden within. But I also really enjoy these sections, so the band works as a solid whole for me. But with as many intriguing pieces as The Whales Of The Grey Sea contains, it still feels like a good first step that needs further exploration and evolution. I really hope that such an uncanny act continues to make music like this, as it's something very fresh that we truly need in the metal scene today. I really hope that these guys continue, because they're one of the few acts that actually caught my attention out of the hundreds I receive on a weekly basis.

(6 Tracks, 32:00)

8/10

Casket Robbery - Evolution Of Evil (2016)

Wisconsin's Casket Robbery are back at it again with another taste of melodic groovy death slop that's recommended for fans of Jungle Rot, Gojira and Pantera. But I'm hearing other acts in there, like Australia's Eight Foot Sativa and even Walking Corpse Syndrome, who you already know are one of my favorites. The record features a guest solo from John Laux of Warbringer as well as a guest speaking role from horror filmmaker Cory Udler (who I'm oddly not aware of for some reason, even though I'm very particular about my horror films after having seen so many sub-par efforts that didn't manage to come off either funny or scary). In any case, the disc delivers as far as I'm concerned and I was quite happy with it the first time I heard it. There are many times where I'd more or less consider myself “The Groove Lord” and this is just the kind of album where that proves to be true. You're not getting a very long record, but you're getting a very thick one, which also contains slight instances of technicality, or what some might also call song structure. These guys just don't load the album with grooves, and due to the know-how of Cory Scheider (Luna Mortis, Epicurean, Echoterra) you're actually hearing some memorable leads in each song. I also like that while all of the songs still carry the same groove mentality, they don't all sound the same. As a matter of fact, these guys seem to pride themselves on every song sounding different from the rest, which I think is a good attitude to have. Grunts are being carried out Dustin Foesch still, who proves his mettle on tracks like “Undead Living Hell” and the amazingly badass “Curse Of The Nightstalker” which are just some examples of this formula done right. As I said, there's a little bit of technicality in the riffs and you might hear some of Atheist/Gorguts/Cynic influence, but that's the not the whole of this. I'm getting a real old sense of death metal here, like you'd expect with Grave, Entombed, Bloodbath and Revolting. There's actually more than a few creepy riffs to be had within this mixture and that's something I really look forward to. Sure, play around with all the technical wizzums you want, but make it sound evil. It is death metal after all. That being said, I think some of the heads expecting a pure old school style might be turned off a bit. But to them I'd say, give it a chance anyway. While it's definitely a more modern approach, I'm still hearing what I know to be death metal and that's more than enough for me to recommend it. It actually feels like a gateway drug to those old cemetery slabs some of you have sitting on your shelves (or in constant rotation) right now. The kids could be listening to far worse shit than this as far as I'm concerned and I truly embrace this kind of experimenting. It keeps our genre fresh and accessible. If you don't like accessible records, that's fine. There's plenty of other shit out there that you'll find intriguing. But if you don't mind seeing an old dog learn some new tricks, check out Casket Robbery. I could play this thing ten times right now and not get tired of it, but you might if you're not a fan of all the grooves or modernisms I mentioned.

(10 Tracks, 36:00)

9/10

The Erkonauts - I Did Something Bad (2016 Reissue)

Formed from the remains of industrial melodic death metallers Sybreed, The Erkonauts don't quite make the kind of music that you might have expected. Originally this thing was released in 2014, but I sure as hell didn't know about it and chances are, neither did you. Both of those 2014 pressings sold completely out and it's easy to see why. First of all, the label (Kaotoxin) has these guys pegged as sounding like Primus, mid-90's Suicidal Tendencies and The Offspring. But maybe someone over there must have not heard the black metal influence in “Tony 5” and the Emperor/Borknagar/Ihsahn inspirations particularly, which are painted all over it. These guys have always fucked with a bit of black metal, particularly on “Lucifer Effect” which is still one of my all-time favorite Sybreed tracks. Speaking of Sybreed, the band features former vocalist Ales Campanelli who also tackles the bass, along with their former drummer Kevin Choiral. Guitarists Sebastian Puiatti and Adrien Bornand are completely new, but are just as talented. These two definitely command catchy grooves amidst the industrial feel that still manages to exist somewhere within the confines of this formula. This being said, there is definitely some catchy blues to be found here as the leaflet claims, and it's quite like what you might expect from a band like Clutch or Down. I Did Something Bad really is a mixed bag, so you never know what to expect.

Right now I'm listening to a toe-tapper by the name of “Nola” but just before that came the rather sappy (but keep in mind this is coming from the same band who wrote “Next Day Will Never Come”) “All The Girls Should Die.” Out of most of the tracks here, that one seems to resonate with me the most and I'll no doubt add it to my personal play list. If we keep listening, we'll run into the High On Fire/Superjoint Ritual influenced “Dominium Mundi” which also seems to toy around with darker territory just a bit. It also works to remind me a lot of mid-era Gojira. Rest assured, the piece certainly doesn't sound “silly” and instead seems a little more heartfelt, albeit gut-wrenching. But that's just the kind of musical passion I'd expect from Campanelli and I'm really glad to see that that hasn't changed. When I first read the press release for this one, I almost choked a little. I was a bit worried that perhaps the guys would take it a little too comical with songs like “The Great Ass Poopery” and in the process end up killing what they really do best. Yet I am aware that this isn't Sybreed and it should stand as a replacement for what that band meant to me. Nevertheless, I'm really glad that what I remember and love most about Sybreed is still here in The Erkonauts, just flavored a bit differently. It works and I personally enjoy it.

When we get into “Hamster's Ghosthouse” which also takes on a slightly darker approach, I'm again reminded of the power in such an act like this. Take the use of the thick Gothic organs mixed in with the proggy Pink Floyd inspired blues on this same track, and you've got a noteworthy act from the start. I don't think it's necessary to discuss the entire album and spoil it for those who haven't heard it, but I will talk a little about the bonus tracks, as they are exclusive to this version of the album. The first one of these we have definitely feels a little more robotic, as such it is titled “Machine.” There will also be a video for this one upon release of the album. As for the song, it almost feels like a Sybreed cast-off with a much different vocal approach. We could compare it to something from Fear Factory or Gojira. The second song is actually quite long and feels like maybe something from Godflesh with a cleaner vocal approach. You could compare it to Killing Joke, but I think it's too slow of a number to tie it to Fear Factory again. But when I even utter the words, “Killing” and “Joke” that should be enough to already get you interested. In the end, both tracks are actually really good. They both stand out on the disc and are not mere filler. I actually feel kind of bad for those who bought the earlier version of this record, because these tracks are very good and it seems a little unfortunate that they have to buy the record again to get a copy of them. The band really should have just held out to put these on another record. It would have been worth the wait. If you don't already have the DIY pressings, then please go pick up this album, especially if you like Sybreed, sludge, post metal, groove and acts like Fear Factory, Gojira and The Killing Joke. As the leaflet said, there are some silly moments here, but there's more passion and conviction than comedy. I like the sound of that. It almost feels like ending Sybreed was the best thing these guys could have done, because The Erkonauts just feels far more inventive and tasteful. I felt that the final Sybreed album, God Is An Automaton really said it all and that The Erknonauts are a necessary evolution. Let me know what you think.

(11 Tracks, 54:00)

9/10