Iotunn - The Wizard Falls (2016)

Iotunn are hugely promising, and this isn't the first or even second time I've heard this EP either. From what I've observed, these guys mix together a brand of what could be a mix between heavy, thrash and power metal, albeit with added doses of death metal, which I didn't expect. It reminds me a little bit of the Nevermore debut with a little more bite and energy. I always thought that it was a decent album, but I never thought it offered so much vigor, which is what I'm certainly hearing from Iotunn. Oddly enough, these guys will probably get confused for some damn Viking metal or black metal act, even though they're clearly not. Iotunn are actually one of the best modern heavy metal acts I've heard in several years and it's easy to see why. When I say structure, I mean structure. There are so many wonderful little layers ebbing and flowing on this disc, making such a powerful Warrel Dane influenced frontman sound all the more greater. The drumming on the record is also quite potent and that's not just in the vein of beating the hell out of the kit. No, this guy does far more than that, and that's what you're going to notice. Listening again, maybe the “death metal” part isn't all that noticeable with a slew of growls interjected here and there but if you listen to the work as a whole, does Iotunn really need them? I don't think so. Surely they've got a strong enough front end, a magnificent guitarist and a more than suitable drummer to round them out plenty without the need for gimmicks. I mean, there's no real “death metal” sections that require such a vocal performance. The disc stands well on it's own two feet and may bring us the next damn Sanctuary or Nevermore. Though the disc is quite raw in terms of production value, it doesn't splotch the insurmountable performance issued here. Recommend this disc? What, are you fucking kidding me? I'm keeping my eyes on Iotunn after this masterful metal achievement, and whatever else they do after this, I'll be sure to cover. If there was ever a band to take notice of in 2016, it's these guys for sure. Please don't stop what you're doing, as it would be a great disservice to metal music in general. The mighty gods of metal implore Iotunn to continue for many years to come! May they take the torch and hold it ever proudly.

(5 Tracks, 25:00)

9/10

Blood - O Agios Pethane (2016 Reissue)

More often than not, I review brand new releases. Yet every once in a while, I get something that many would consider a relic and this record from German death metal/grind legends Blood is exactly that. What we're getting stuffed down our gullet here is essentially a mix of death, thrash and grind that delivers exactly twenty songs at a little over half an hour. Though it isn't the kind of half an hour that you'll easily cast aside, especially if you love absolute carnage and chaos delivered in the same way that several similar acts in today's metal scene seem to think is something new. But these guys were playing this kind of shit since those guys were in diapers and a record like this one really shows where much of their style came from. Aside from the pounding drums and garbage-mouthed vocals, you're also getting some unexpected and rather necessary doom riffs, which tend to make the whole thing a little more foreboding. The very fact that this record doesn't stick to one damn tempo and only one damn tempo, makes it very interesting to me. These guys really could have gone out there in '93 and played the kind of record that many younger bands give us today, where every song goes a million miles an hour without any real thought to the performance other than to make it “brutal.” Although the disc is brutal and offers just as much speed I feel, but there's so much more to it than that. It's death with grooves, kind of like what you might find on the blunt object that these guys musically beat you to death with, yet it also has substance. You can actually discern the thick doom riffs, these terrifyingly evil leads that make such a classic performance work and sound anything but outdated even decades after it's release. The press release does mention solos, but there aren't so many of those as we might think and they're not the kind of really long solos that you might expect to hear with other bands. These guys prefered a more straight-forward to death, grind and groove, but there’s definitely some thrash and doom too. The press release tells me there’s some punk in here, but I’ve yet to hear it. Even though it sounds like a hodgepodge and most early grind was; it all manages to work well on this ancient release, which I'd definitely recommend. Maybe the production isn't amazing, but it was '93 and the technology wasn't quite like it is now. Even so, you'll still find it a real blast from the past in the form of death/grind's early years, which I still think were when it was at it's peak (at least compared to most of the stuff that I hear from the sub-genre today.)

(20 Tracks, 33:00)

8/10

Deathraid - Submit To The Will Of Chaos (2016 Reissue)

These insane Italians were active from '97 to '01 and are no longer together, but the only demo they've ever put out is being reissued somehow and I'm here to observe that. But first, let's talk a little bit about these guys. First, they were known for very obscene gigs, which caused them to be banned from several venues. They also spent all their money on drugs and alcohol and were known as thieves and burglars. They also used to cut each others arms before gigs and all sorts of other things. It's obvious that they were trying to be “extremely extreme” and it's a surprise that they're still among the living. In any case, the only real recording that we have from them has surfaced and it's a rather rough death/thrash album. It's not all that long, but it's all we're probably ever going to hear from the band that has been defunct for almost twenty years now and I'd hope that these guys are making better life choices in their later years. Folks, this shit may sound cool until it comes back to bite you in the ass. Be a musician, be an artist – not a fucking delinquent.

Pep talk out of the way, these guys had some pretty awesome shit to showcase. Wrathlord was an absolute madman on the kit, as Convulsion belted out lyrics as quickly as he could, with a noticeable ferocity. Susiak and Skum both knew their way around thrash and death metal, bringing in some killer riffs and Sarcofago influence, which also found it's way into their solos. There's a lot of Sarcofago worship on this disc and that's not a problem for me. You're getting an almost grindy performance sometimes due to just how punishing it is, and these guys really could have been something if they'd spent more time on their music instead of just trying to be fucking crazy. If you want a set of brass knuckles delivered right to your eardrums, then check out this chaotic mess of absolute mayhem. Speaking of Mayhem, it seems that they were an obvious influence on the band as well. But they didn't set anything on fire, so I guess they played it a lot safer than the Norwegian church burners (which Ridley Scott is set to make a move about now, how the times have changed) and have lived to see other musical acts. Deathraid is done for, but you can still hear Convulse in his newer project, the stoner/doom act Midryasi; and Susiak is now in death metallers Horrid. As for Wrathlord, his awesome drum skills continued in Clothes Of Death, DoomSword, Fury N Grace, Wotan and some former projects that he played in. It's good to see that these guys survived those crazy years of their life, regardless of the equally crazy music that they made here, and that Submit To The Will Of Chaos isn't the only thing we'll ever hear from them. Some acts, well... they aren't so lucky. (The Grim Lord)

3/5

Ripper - Experiment Of Existence (2016)

The Sophomore effort from these Chilean death/thrashers reminds me a hell of a lot of the bands that are referenced right here in the press release – Death, Slayer, Destruction. But we could also compare these guys to acts like Sarcofago and Destroyer 666 as well. This is definitely that old school kind of beatdown that you get when old school thrash mixes in with extreme metal, whether that be the black of Destroyer 666 or the black or Sarcofago. The record is just a little over forty-five minutes in length, but that to me is perfectly fine as we pretty much get the idea and don't need it dragged out. There's even an instrumental called “Anatomy Of The Galaxies” and a bass solo (Chromatic Fantasies) put in there to spice up the performance. These guys seem to have the technical thrash aspect down, as you're going to hear a lot of fast paced, almost speed metal riffing with Death friendly vocal abhorrences placed over the top of it.

Experiment Of Existence doesn't exactly beat around the bushes about what it is, but it is colorful enough to stand out among several similar thrash albums of it's ilk. These young dudes can play pretty damn well and I think that's the selling point here. It's definitely technical, it's definitely brackish and it offers plenty of bite. Perhaps they utilize a lot of the same style, but you can tell where the proggy influences come from and as I've said, it has enough teeth for the listener to see beyond that. If you're looking for a technical death/thrash record that sounds like it came out of the past, you'll really enjoy this one. I don't know how in the hell they can emulate the classic sound and production so well in Chile and other South American countries, but I'm really glad to see that it can be done, and with the same sense of firepower that these records had in their heyday.

Perhaps it's still a bit too simplistic for me (and I wish that I could hear some of the noodling a little better, it does get buried in the mix) and I wish they'd change the tempo from nine-hundred miles an hour to something a little bit slower, but I know that some people want the fastest stuff you can possibly imagine and you'll get that here – it's just a little brainier than similar acts offer. Certainly nothing to pass by at any rate, these guys have definite talent and I'm sure they'll only get better with time. Make sure you give it a listen, especially if you really dig the old sound. It's amazing that these guys can be so young, yet sound so classic.

(11 Tracks, 46:00)

7/10

Destroyer 666 - Wildfire (2016)

If you don't know who Destroyer 666 is, then you've got a hell of a lot of backtracking to do. Their newest album and first in quite a while, Wildfire pretty much sounds like metal at it's best. But hell, let's just call it what it is – the better than Venom, Venom. I've nothing against Venom, they're still a pretty solid band, but Destroyer 666 are doing everything with this little ditty that I've wanted to hear Venom do for years. Did you like Welcome To Hell and Black Metal as much as I did? (Truth be told, I actually like Welcome To Hell more than Black Metal) Well, then you're going to love this awesome band. Of course, you should know that already. Classic thrash riffs pervade throughout the piece, but with enough structure and firepower to separate them from more than ten-thousand Venom clones. Chances are that you don't just know about Destroyer 666 because they're a signed band, but because they're a legitimately awesome one. I've yet to hear a bad record from the band and Wildfire just works to capture the mix of black and thrash that they do best. Searing solos, threatening scowls, the heat and warmth of the eighties coupled with today's modern production – that's what you're getting here. If you love heavy metal, you're going to want this record. Note that I said heavy metal, not the more modern stuff – Wildfire sounds like the genre used to and that's more than enough reason for me to recommend it to you. Now there's nothing here that I would consider really unique, but there doesn't need to be. I really don't want Destroyer 666 to employ pan flutes, didgeridoos or untz untz electronics. That's never why I've liked them. You see, when I get a record from these guys, I know that I'm getting the best of two great genres, coupled together with enough patience and hard work to make waves.

Sit down and listen to these guitar compositions folks, this isn't just noodling for the sake of noodling. It's not just shredding for the sake of shredding. This is the kind of music that plays in the background of a huge metal battle, in which guitar-wielding iron knights battle horrendous demons for control of the world. This is the kind of music that you want to blast over the bumping Hip Hop music from the guy next to you, while you're waiting for the light to change. This is the kind of music that you blast while you're in the parking lot as all the regular people give you mean stares. When you see a bunch of the younger crowd blasting their core or alternative rock stuff out the windows, you blast this. It really does start a fire, and just keeps burning on and on without control. Is it even worth it to tell you how each track sounds here? Of course not. You know very well what you're getting from Destroyer 666 and they've done nothing more than improve on their awesomeness with yet another killer metal disc. There's nothing else that you could call these guys other than metal, and that's just fine with me. To be honest, this is the kind of record that Vinyl was made for. Perhaps you might want to get a record player just for the classic, old-school sound. If you've got one, then chances are that you've been blasting Wildfire for days now and don't need my reassurance to grab it. While it's true that some bands are hit or miss, and many bands have a hiccup every now and again, but I don't see anything like that happening to these guys anytime soon, which to me is definitely fucking awesome. Be sure to vote for Destroyer 666 this year, a name you can trust. It's too bad that they're not on the ballots.

(10 Tracks, 42:00)

9/10

Anger As Art - Ad Mortem Festanimus (2016)

These Californian thrashers, made up of current and former members of Bitch and Abattoir have released their fifth album here in Ad Mortem Festanimus. However, it would be wrong to consider them a mere thrash act, as there are elements of classic metal, doom and even some more extreme moments on display. You'll hear just what I'm talking about on the surprisingly punchy “Aim For The Heart” which features a serious of unexpected blasts from skinsman Rob Alaniz. Danny Oliverio's vocals also tend to go into what I would consider much fiercer territory for mere thrash, as his inhuman scowls seem to bring an almost death/thrash sensibility to it, making the band far more than a simple eighties throwback. When the thundering grooves kick in during “Tombward” an incredibly brackish performance is offered, which makes for a truly punishing listen that once again, is far more volatile than mere thrash. Truly, Anger As Art could be one of the few thrash acts that might find mass appeal beyond that of the mere thrash hordes who want the same old thing. As much as I love classic thrash done right, I also love it when bands explore beyond what is truly an aging form of music. We've done almost everything there is to do with thrash these days, so I feel that the polish and experimentation offered here is just what the doctor ordered to keep such an approach from becoming stagnant. Adding to that, we have the utterly explosive licks from Oliverio as well as Steve Gaines, who both manage to serenade us right into solo heaven. I mean, this is the way that thrash solos are supposed to sound.

This is all well and good until you realize that for the rest of the record, the band more or less want to thrash as they had been doing on the last one, which was only relatively decent. They still manage a proficient job, but it's nothing compared to the rush one gets with the scathing vocal punishment unleashed towards the beginning of the record. I was at first hearing something that almost reminded me of my favorite era of Testament, but that quickly turned into something that just sounded like regular old Testament, especially when the squeals come in. It sounds like one of these guys is being stepped on like a squeaky toy and that doesn't gel with me at all. I do realize that this kind of vocal approach was used a lot in early thrash, which is why I guess such a thing is lost on me. Oddly enough though, things change to material that reminds me a little bit of, well... Iron Maiden. Yeah, I was just as surprised as you will be when “Praise The Firehead” starts up and while Oliverio is no Bruce Dickinson, he still tries his best to deliver that kind of vocal power. It's actually quite potent, but I'm sure some thrash fans will scratch their heads a bit as they wonder what this segue into classic heavy metal is doing on a “thrash” disc. It's a very good piece though and I certainly wouldn't kick it out of bed. Once again, they're experimenting and I think that's a good thing. If you don't like it, you can always skip it.

Following that, we have Castlevania style organs and neoclassicism that works to introduce a closer entitled “Dim Carcosa” that sounds like it doesn't even belong on this record. There's almost a power/thrash sense on here and to be honest, I'd rather hear this than those four or five basic thrashers in the middle of the album. I really like this change of pace right towards the end, and while some might throw up the “OMG, this band is fucking confused!” card (waiting on you, Autothrall) I'm just glad that I didn't have to suffer through a regular old thrash album. In conclusion, I'm quite pleased with Ad Mortem Festanimus and would recommend it to fans of not only thrash, but several other genres as well. There's a lot to chew on here, but I'm hoping that the next one will showcase even more of the band's abilities. They're only getting better with each record, which is definitely a good thing.

(11 Tracks, 48:00)

8/10

Exumer - The Raging Tides (2016)

Let me be brutally honest here. Exumer's a thrash act and you'll catch that from the moment you put this record on. But at the core, there's just way too much fucking Slayer worship here for me. I get it, you really dig that early Slayer and that punk attitude that they had, but for the love of all that's metal, differentiate it up a little bit. I listened to the entire album from front to back and only a small bonus cut called “Forever My Queen” managed to actually change the tempo a little. Which means I literally sat through almost forty minutes of what sounded like the same damn song. Granted these guys definitely have the Slayer formula down and they certainly deliver in the solo department with the utmost care and concern, but as far as the meat of these cuts, it doesn't really seem to go too far beyond Hanneman's legacy. It would be nice to hear them do some groovier cuts, some slower cuts, or maybe just utilize more than the same old sets of riff patterns that I've already heard in the opener. But don't take my word for it, listen to the record itself. Granted I can hear the hardcore influence here, but I'd much prefer something like Pro-Pain or Prong's thrashier stuff. It's noting against the guys, as they're doing a great job with what they're doing, I'm just not getting anything I haven't heard before and it is a bit bland. Aside from the solos, of course. One again, the band really did put a lot of thought into the album's solo sections and those are at least memorable. If you're looking for speed-thrash that pulls no punches, give the record a listen. But know what you're getting here, which is approximately forty minutes of classic Slayer worship with some punk and hardcore influence.

(12 Tracks, 41:00)

6/10