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

Resurrection Kings - Self-Titled (2016)

There's a lot of people out there who say that rock is dead, and at sometimes you can get a little overwhelmed at the lack of rock rock guitars in mainstream music these days. Yet when I hear a record like this one from California's Resurrection Kings, I soon become aware that all that has been told to me is wrong, and that rock n' roll music is far from it's final days. The band is a project from Craig Goldy, who used to play guitar for Dio and also features Chad West (Foreigner, Bonham, Tree Of Gypsies) on vocals, Sean McNabb (Dokken, Quiet Riot) on bass and Vinnie Appice on drums. Resurrection Kings certainly seem to do just that with this self-titled effort, as they're literally bringing back the spirit of the eighties rock n' roll kings in a big way. I never tire of these classic rock acts, because it's a style that I find is almost infectious – songs like “Livin' Out Loud”, “Wash Away” and “Had Enough” are just a few of the awesome cuts you'll hear here, where big huge choruses are the main standpoint, coming in with as much force as one might expect from a guitar-powered steamroller of rockin' might.

While it's true that some of the younger generation out there might throw out the dreaded “dad rock” and “old man rock” terms, many of us know that this is the way the music used to sound, and because of the dedication to the craft, it still does. I still feel that there are a lot of people out there who would enjoy this music if they knew that it was still being made today! So maybe the electronic effects on “Fallin' For You” sound a little more modern than what we might have had back then, but you're still hit with pumping power chords, and one of the most awesome chorus lines I've heard in a while. It's pretty simple, but the way he belts it out – that's what really gets me. Then we have a simply awesome solo piece, as if the song couldn't ascend to any greater heights. That's the magic of real rock music, folks – it's certainly not lost on me.

Resurrection Kings is not the kind of record that requires about four or five paragraphs to describe, and I'm sure not going to break it down that way. Any fan of rock from early Bon Jovi to Aerosmith to Rainbow to Motley Crue to Whitesnake will find something to like here, and that's more than enough for me to recommend it to you. We have our ballad “Never Say Goodbye” of course, and several thumping tracks right on top of that, but the whole listen is ultimately solid and full of what I remember from the genre back when I was just a boy. There's a reason that I didn't become a hip hopper or whatever they call them, and I think it's because I discovered the magic of rock n' roll music at a young age. Revolution Kings are single-handedly bringing back that magic and really hope that people will check out this record and allow that awesomeness back into their life. The eighties are far from over as far as I'm concerned, and this album proves it.

(11 Tracks, 53:00)

8/10

Demonstealer - This Burden Is Mine (2016)

I think it would be best to consider this one man Indian project with guest drumming by George Kollias of Nile as something of a modern/melodic progressive death metal. I'd say this, because the vocal approach utilized here reminds me very much of early Shadows Fall and later Jungle Rot – it is very lightened in the growls, which leaves frontman Demonstealer (Reptilian Death, Demonic Resurrection) with a very small amount of pebbles in his mouth. As far as the riffs are concerned, the work is heavily melodic and quite technical, but seems to offer much in the vein of clean vocal elements, which are delivered beautifully. The disc has a decidedly raw production value, but is audible enough that such a thing won't matter. The clean vocals really try for Garm/ICS Vortex territory, but seldom every reach that level of intrigue. But you'd better get used to the cleans, as you'll be hearing far more of them then you will the death metal sections. Even so, there's an obvious effort being put into practice here and a definite sign of passion.

Here, you get that kind of raw passion and energy that can't be filled with high quality gloss. There are no special effects here to aid the vocals, they come off just as realistically as you'd expect for a live performance, and much of it sounds like it's coming from a band whose members are all playing in the same room. Sometimes we have keyboard atmospheres, which help the performance just a little and would probably be a greater asset if they could be heard a little better. But the very fact that these guys are definitely taking cues from acts like Borknagar and Edge Of Sanity says something. Sure, there's a definite modernism to these cuts as I explained with the Shadows Fall earlier, but Demonstealer have a lot more to offer than that and I think we'll hear an even greater effort the next time around.

This Burden Is Mine is an awfully heavy record, but it's also a rather classy and clean one as well. You'll get a beating, but you're also going to get a slew of wonderful serenades. I don't think they're on the level as the (now defunct) Disillusion (GER) debut, Back To Times Of Splendour but this is definitely in the same vein I think and could become something just as great with time. I hear loads of promise from a young band like this, and I hope that I'm completely blown away the next time around. Even so, I'd still recommend that you give this one a listen, as you might really be able to get into it and there's a lot of meat to chew on here in lieu of song structure and length (in which these gentlemen truly excel). It's still good metal.

(9 Tracks, 57:00)

7.5/10

Omnium Gatherum - Grey Heavens (2016)

I thought the last disc from these Finnish melodic death metallers, Beyond; was rather boring to be honest. I couldn't really get into it at all. Maybe there was a song or two that popped out in the mix, but nothing more than that. In fact, that record was so bad that I was ready to consider the band all washed up. They had only really made waves with New World Shadows as far as I was concerned, and nothing else had been all that entertaining. I wasn't even all that fond of The Redshift nor debut Spirits and August Light, which are both heavily praised by fans. (Although I will say that I liked Spirits and August Light much more than the former.) That was, until I heard this unexpectedly brilliant album, which is what I would consider a return to form in the vein of true melodic death metal and quite possibly, one of the band's greatest efforts. It's safe to say that Grey Heavens surprised me and even though Autothrall's lone review on Metal Archives seems to state it as rather bland, I should mention that he appears rather biased towards anything from these guys that isn't Spirits and August Light, including their highest rated release, New World Shadows (of which I mentioned earlier.) Everything that one might expect from high water marks efforts from bands in the vein of In Flames, Dark Tranquility and Insomnium are here for your enjoyment, and this return to the roots performance is what I feel I needed after suffering through that previous effort.

On the second listen, I don't feel that “The Pit” is nearly as strong as it was the first time I heard it. It comes in and delivers a rather solid job of melodeath that sounds pretty much like virtually anyone, with a growled vocal approach that is also common. But the keyboard work seems to really shine here, as well as the clean vocals when they finally come into the mix and update the approach a little bit from melodeath's heyday. “Skyline” changes the tempo to welcome grooves, maybe reminding me a little bit of In Flames' “Only For The Weak” and it's very similar. Folk influenced melodies seem to compose most of the chorus line, albeit the chorus itself is quite strong on a vocal end. That's indeed where it hits, just as hard as anything that early In Flames did when they were engineering this style. It feels like a tribute, but it's a good one. “Frontiers” is the single, which caught my ear immediately. It's arguably one of the best songs I've heard from the genre in years. The mix of technicality and gravelly vocal grunts seems to really work well, but I think that chorus riff is pretty damn amazing. It's a pretty simplistic set of leads, but it really fucking hits – keeping in mind how well they expand upon it. The song is also a bit heavier than you might expect, with a lot of effort being placed in kit destruction, regardless of the fact that those leads can sound like a dream. There's a bit of a break here too, right before a rather awesome solo section that I sure as hell wasn't expecting. The song was already good enough because of that catchy chorus lead, but throwing a solo on the end of it really sold it to me. I also need to mention how well this song is broken down near the end, they really hammer it down as the solo comes into top it off. There's really no need in the clean vocal section at the end though, it seems overkill.

“Majesty and Silence” is nearly nine minutes in length, but such a measure is used so that the band can really spread their wings and utilize more atmosphere. It's a crunchy piece, but it gives way to more colorful leads and acoustic elements, a little bit like they did with Beyond, but not as overbearing. It was also nice to hear that some of those minutes were given to a flurry of solo efforts, which always seem to fill out such a lengthy piece quite well. For a number that feels so dark, evil, and dare I even say grim; there's something really mushy on the inside that doesn't come off quite so expectable. Don't forget about the clean vocals and the post riffs. The last one we're going to delve through is “Rejuvenate!” which comes off as an equally rather colorful slice of melodic death metal, possibly a bit more colorful than some of the previous efforts have been. It's decent, has a short solo and leaves it's mark, but doesn't really seem quite as potent as “Frontiers” or the lengthy piece I just heard.

As we go further into the album, we'll hear a couple of other memorable pieces like “The Great Liberation” and the instrumental “These Grey Heavens” but I will say that during the second time around, I don't nearly feel as strongly about this record as I did the first time through. It's incredibly melodic and captures much of what traditional death metal is, and is supposed to be – but it doesn't really innovate as much as I thought it would. Yet I look at the band's past catalog and think to myself, “Should it?” There's absolutely nothing wrong with melodic death metal, nor what these guys have done here, yet I don't think it will stand out as one of the greatest melodic death metal albums in the history of man. I think they already achieved their best years ago with New World Shadows and would place this just behind that one, which says quite a lot about how much I still value this performance. As a longtime lover of melodeath, I don't feel that any listener of my ilk would be upset or disappointed by this album. Simply put, Grey Heavens does what a melodic death metal record is supposed to do. You shouldn't want anything more than that, and I don't think that I would ever expect anything more from these guys either. If nothing else, I think that Grey Heavens is a sign that Omnium Gatherum aren't ready to throw in the towel just yet and still have some tricks up their sleeves.

(10 Tracks, 56:00)

8.5/10

Morgue Supplier - Self-Titled (2016)

Chicago's Morgue Supplier features former members of Crematorium, but that's far in the past now. These guys have been together since '99 even though this is only their second album. You might be surprised to know that this is a side project of Drug Honkey, who band mastermind Paul Gillis also plays in. Along with World Of Sin's Eric Bauer and current bassist Steve Reichelt, these guys craft a mixture of death metal and grindcore that is the literal polar opposite of anything you'd find in the LSD trip gone wrong mixture of doom and death that is Drug Honkey. As a matter of fact, it more often than not feels like the auditory element of one getting beaten to a living pulp. The drums pound ferociously, even if the guitars have slowed down to an almost doom level and the vocals never seem to let up. There's definitely a bit of experimentation here and there as well, which keeps these fourteen pieces from becoming boring. Songs will range anywhere from a little over a minute to nearly five minutes in length, but the majority of the cuts here are close to a mere three minutes in length, which is pretty long for anything with the word “grindcore” in it's description box. This is the kind of grind that utilizes solos as well, but the record isn't really bombarded with any extra element other than the sheer brutality and vehemence that we might expect from such a punishing disc.

That being said, sometimes there's a lot of technicality, sometimes we get a few sections of doom atmosphere (like that of Drug Honkey, but not so psychedelic) and other times we just get unbridled mayhem. Morgue Supplier is the kind of record where riffs actually get the chance to stick out every now and again as well, so it doesn't always sound like a mass of monstrous mess. I can recall acts like Pig Destroyer when I hear this, and if you're a really big fan of those guys and similar, you're going to want to pick this one up. I'd definitely say that it's as good as Pig Destroyer record I've heard and like the aforementioned, it actually manages to do more with grind than just grind. Grind has always been a tough genre for me to get into, but certain bands manage to make it stand out, especially when they're adding new elements to the genre that make it worth listening to. That being said, there's really no black metal influence here (aside from some sections in the album closer) like you'll hear with another grind crossover act, Anaal Nathrakh. Though that's a good thing, as I wouldn't want a band like Morgue Supplier or even Pig Destroyer to traverse the same territory as their peers.

Morgue Supplier haven't released a full-length album since '04, which means that many have been waiting a long time for this one, but rest assured that your wait was worth it. I'm pretty sure that you'll end up playing this record more than just once and come back to it many times through, at least until they release another record. But let's give them some time, as this disc is more than good enough for me.

(14 Tracks, 40:00)

8/10

Megascavenger - As Dystopia Beckons (2016)

Sweden's Megascavenger have returned with an oddity of a collaboration album, and I don't say that lightly. Nearly every song on the disc has a guest vocalist, even though Rogga Johansson is perfectly capable of doing this on his own as The Plateaus Of Leng displayed. Since there are so many collaborations here, it might be best to do a brief overview of the rather short (it's only half an hour), but intriguing experience. The first track, “Rotting Domain” features Fleshcrawl's Sven Gross in addition to what reminds me of a Fear Factory level of industrial death mayhem, just without the influence of clean vocals. Gross has a rather common vocal approach for death metal, which sounds like a veritable meat grinder of grain and gravel. Dave Ingram (Hail Of Bullets, Echelon) stops by for “The Machine That Turns Humans Into Slop” as we're introduced to the sounds of clanging anvils (more bands should really use the sound the sound of clanging anvils) as well as some samples. It's still death metal though, so don't let the electronic samples frighten you. Next we have Jocke Svensson (Entrails) taking the mic for “Dead City” which is actually a few seconds longer than most of the bite sized clusters of death that you'll find here. It doesn't really go too far out of it's territory and sounds just like a classic death metal disc. Aside from some slight electronic sections, it's another day at the office. Now the record might sound a little too basic aside from the industrial elements, at least for the first half – but I really like what was done with “As The Last Day Has Passed” which features Loch Vostok's Teddy Moller on vocals. But it's not the industrial element, or even Moller's vocal work (it is pretty great) that affects me, it's that damn sorrowful melody that plays throughout the whole thing. This is the kind of riff that we might expect from a band like Anathema or Katatonia, so it's interesting to hear it used here. It makes for a track that just isn't interested in sounding like many of the death metal sloggers on here, allowing for some needed variety.

The next cut “The Hell That Is This World” features Kam Lee (Mantas, The Grotesquery) on vocals, but oddly has more of an electronic influence than some of the other pieces have had. The electronic influence is very thick here, and a reverberating node seems to make up a large part of the performance as a whole. Electronic drumming opens up our next track, “Dead, Rotting and Exposed” by which Brynjar Helgetun (Crypticus) is featured. The industrial elements are pushed even further on this track, which is starting to make for a record that seems to be more industrial death than death metal, and that is fine with me. It's different, for starters. Sinister's Andrie Kloosterwaard is featured on the shortest track here, “Steel Through Flesh Extravaganza” which jumps from death metal into electronic drum and bass (DNB) territory rather quickly quickly. The final cut, “The Harrowing Of Hell” also features Kam Lee on vocals as a much different style of song approaches. This isn't death metal, it's a sort of industrial Goth metal that you wouldn't expect from Rogga or Lee. Some death metal fans will shit themselves over this in disgust, but chances are that if you've made it this far, you're going to accept this as well. Perhaps Lee's clean vocal approach isn't perfect, but it does manage to do what it set out to, regardless of what others will think. There's a long outro here in the form of the title track, but it's not really what you'd classify as a song. It's technically a revolting electronic atmosphere, replete with a demonic vocal that sounds like what a trash compactor might if it had been given sentience, fused with a horde of other appliances and decided to take out it's revenge against the humans.

Simply put, As Dystopia Beckons might not be Megascavenger's strongest record, but it shows more signs of experimentation, which even break the death metal barrier completely in some instances. It's definitely what I'd consider to be a decent performance, especially if you're looking for something that sounds both familiar and a little different than the majority of records you'll hear from the many guest vocalists and even Rogga himself. I'd recommend listening to a few tracks before you decide to pick it up, as the material here might not be as suitable for everyone and my colleague noted that he thought the album's production was quite raw and not to his liking. I didn't notice this issue personally, but you might, so I've included it in this review.

(9 Tracks, 31:00)

7/10

The Road Vikings - Requiem Of An Outlaw Biker (2016)

The Road Vikings are a crossbreed between metal and rock, but to me it just sounds like classic heavy metal and I love it. Coming straight out of California, (San Francisco to be precise) these guys have a hell of a lot of promise with this stunning sophomore album, which I'd recommend for fans of Judas Priest, especially when Tim “Ripper” Owens fronted them. Now there's also a hard rock semblance here, but it's nothing that I haven't heard on newer Priest records and is delivered with enough bite to matter. Seriously, these guys have got it and someone just needs to take note of that. Dan Bryant is the mastermind behind this project and he certainly can play just as well as he can sing (remember, he sounds like Ripper) which is why several of these cuts simply explode with frantic fretwork that you'll have to hear to believe. “Black Magic Knights”, “Full Moon” and personal favorite “I Burn In Hell” are examples of some of the best that this record has to offer and that's not just in the lieu of catchy choruses, which they all deliver pretty well on – it's also the song structure utilized, which you'll catch after listening to the disc for just a few minutes. As “I Burn In Hell” is literally the album opener, you're already going to bare witness to the sheer majesty of Bryant's playing skills, which are downright astounding and again, need to be taken note of. I don't care who you are, you can't tell me that this man can't play and exceptionally well. Not to mention that there are some keyboards and other things in the mix that bring a little bit of unexpected prog to the compositions and I'm certainly not going to turn that away if it'll put meat on the songs. I hate to say it, but not even Priest really delved into that territory as has been done here. Dan Bryant has been through literal hell trying to get a project off the ground, but with this one I dare say that he has has it.

I also need to mention that the thumping bass riffs here are performed by Lisa Tonra who also heads up the backing vocals. These can sometimes make for strong duets on a few pieces like “Live To Ride” and “Lovebound.” We also have Dave Dab on drums, who adds that extra punch to these performances and makes his presence known just as much as anyone else. I will say that there's a sort of oddball in “Headwind” which sounds a little less thunderous and more like the prog-rock of Hawkwind, than some of the more piss n' vinegar anthems you'll hear on the disc, but it was obvious something new that they wanted to try out and you'll either love or hate it. As I said, progressive rock is as much of an influence here as the crunching metal side of things and I think that you'll appreciate that just as much as I have. What's not to like about tracks with more to chew on than just a verse and a fucking chorus? But if that's not enough for you, then you'll need to listen to the harmonica shredding on the record's title track. I think it goes without saying that The Road Vikings are something that the world of rock and metal needs to keep it's eyes firmly glued on, and even though I wasn't expecting much at first, I soon became blown away beyond all logical expectation. The record is ten dollars on CD Baby, but you can pay a little more for a physical copy. Either way, these guys are well worth supporting and promoting. Requiem Of An Outlaw Biker has a real sense of purpose, and that's what makes it stand out among the rest of the pack.

(10 Tracks, 46:00)

8.5/10