Embalmer - Emanations From The Crypt (2016)

From a name like Embalmer, death metal fans already know what to expect – and they won't be let down by this short, but menacing offering anytime soon. You already know that there won't be any clean vocals or beautiful melodic pieces to be found within the depths of this Cleveland born madness, so let's tear off the face of this wretched whore and get right down to the bottom of it. The mix here is obviously warm and raw, sounding like a death metal record made back in the day and you'll notice that from the first track. Sometimes it'll be hard to hear everything perfectly in the mix, but that's just way it is when you're recording a bunch of guys in one room, rather than everything being made through file transfer and studio polish. The drumming is ridiculously brutal, and a definite part of what makes the sound here so memorable. The ridiculously deep gutturals and harsh shouts that we're hearing definitely add to the already potent drum abrasions, and sometimes these two approaches end up drowning out the guitars completely. But surprisingly, you will be able to discern a handful of leads amidst such a furious onslaught of chaotic carnage, which is exactly what you should expect with this kind of disc. Sometimes the guys observe thick doom moments like “The Casket Calls” and the title track, which might seem out of place in their lack of vehemence, but can come as welcome periods in which to brood for a while before the next punishment comes – and they come plenty. When you put Emanations From The Crypt into your player, be prepared to get your face ripped off, your eyeballs gouged out and your tongue used for a fucking jump-rope. These gentlemen don't play around when it comes to death metal and we're all the more thankful for it. All the dirt and grime that you could ever ask for, recalling the days of the greats. Death metal is definitely not dead. (The Grim Lord)

4/5

Decrepit Soul - The Coming Of War (2016)

Sometimes there's this thing called war... and these Aussies are going to be talking about it's coming... even though you probably gathered that from the album title. However, the language they'll use to describe this war is what I'd consider a very fierce, hard-edged and uncompromising take on death metal, which delves into black every now and again, even if that's just a couple of blast beats here and there. There's even a doom section right in the middle of opener “Awaken” to put things in perspective. But I couldn't call Decrepit Soul experimenters either. These two guys just aim to make great extreme metal, and with an approach that sounds right out of the nineties, (especially as far as the rough production value is concerned) I'm pretty sure that this will be a welcome throwback for old school heads. So what if I can barely hear the fucking solo on the title track? This record goes back to the DIY days of analog and fuzz, back when metal sounded warm enough to keep you from freezing during a cold snap. Both of these guys also seem to take on vocals, with demonic shrieks giving way to thick grunts and even what you might refer to as demonic duets. Obviously, The Coming Of War isn't for everyone. You've got to have a taste for this kind of approach and having been exposed to much of extreme metal's early days should help your palette. It was all about being louder, heavier, faster and more unhinged than the other guy, which you can hear manifested within this disc pretty clearly. It's a disc that you're going to bang your head to and be glad that you have it – that this style of metal is still being made in 2016's digital age. Perhaps it's not the most original thing out there, but it comes in and gets the job done – and there's nothing wrong with that. If you're expecting a demon to beat you over the head mercilessly, then you'd better check this one out. It comes in loud and fast, leaving you with no regrets. (The Grim Lord)

3/5

Keeper - The Space Between Your Teeth (2016)

California's Keeper play a type of rather raucous doom metal, which seems to edge towards the more darkest of moods. This isn't quite your Candlemass or Manilla Road, it's something with a bit more emotional gravity and although these songs are named “The King” and “The Fool” respectively, the dumped out pill bottle with the wedding ring inside of it tells me that they're not singing about fanciful realms filled with mighty warriors and great beasts. No, The Space Between Your Teeth seems to take a more human approach, which only the darkest and palest realms in this genre can take. It's not funeral doom, either. There's too much life in it, so I'd put it closer to something a bit more ravenous. The vocals especially describe this, as I'm literally being confronted with a man who is one-hundred percent completely pissed off and frustrated with his life, society and the world at large. I can relate, as many of you have (and soon will) witness in my next musical offering. I'm not sure if these guys will tour or anything of that matter, but if conditions were ever ripe for my band to tour a couple of states, I'd definitely want to play a show with these guys. Keeper make the kind of doom that you feel right down in the pit of your gut. It's the sound of real pain and anguish, not bullshit like “my girlfriend left me” even though that admittedly does suck. But I don't think such a cardboard instance in society is worthy of true sorrow like has been experienced here. Some might want to throw the sludge title on here because of the vocal approach and maybe how the bass sounds, but in all honesty that's just silly. Musically, there's nothing “sludge” about these guys, it's just melodic doom metal with thundering drums and horrendously scowling vocals. But we'll let the hipsters have their terms, as “sludge/doom” becomes quickly thrown in. If I were to grade this record by means of personal opinion, I would definitely say that I prefer the nearly twenty minutes of “The King” over “The Fool” which contains a lot of drone and drum portions that I feel take away from the melodies and sorrows laden here. I'm all for experimentation, but when it sounds like you're trying to echo a cement mixer in there, I feel that I'm far too covered in concrete to identify. Keeper offer two extremely long and slightly varied approaches on the disc, and the one you'll prefer more will depend completely on taste. You may even wind up liking them both. But with a frontman like that, by which such passion flows forth from his venomous jaws, it's very easy to see how these guys could become a household name in the genre. (The Grim Lord)

4/5

Valyria - Steel Inquisition Single (2016)

Previously known as Winter's Legacy, this Canadian Melodic/Death Power Metal act released an EP back in '14 by the name of Collatus. Now they're releasing a short single to most likely promote their next offering which will be upon us soon enough. First of all, the track starts off rather heavy with absolutely blistering drums and melodies that remind me heavily of Ensiferum or Rhapsody of Fire. There's also a bit of Neoclassicism here, which makes for an elegant, yet surprisingly brutal and slightly modernized piece. Cam Dakus (Bass) is considered the band's lead vocalist, but both guitarists (Andrew Traynor and Jeremy Puffer) use more of a death core approach to vocals, which duels with the clean vocal approach and makes for a rather accessible sound. But where these guys really excel is in structure and atmosphere. As I said, this track reminds me of something like Rhapsody of Fire, Ensiferum or Wintersun, albeit an early approach that will get better with more time and experience. Even so, both the axemen show that they've got the style down and manage a pretty nice solo piece in lieu of all the pomp. It definitely has that “epic melodeath” style sound and you don't need me to tell you that. It's quite promising and much better than I would have expected at first. They've got the chops down and this track works for me – but let's see what else these guys can do. (The Grim Lord)

3/5

Goatcraft (Slovakia) - Oletheros (2016)

Slovakian black/death act Goatcraft sounds like the kind of act you might hear in a fucking cave. But not the kind of cave that you would want to go into either. This is the kind of ominous sound that feels like it was literally composed in the dark recesses of the underworld itself. I'm hearing a lot of thrash in the death metal here, but that's fine as it shows the band's roots. There's in essence a very classic sound afoot here, which comes mixed in with short atmospheric clips that you might not expect to be found on such a record. But don't worry, just because they're using sound effects doesn't mean that you're getting something that sounds polished and pretty. As I said, and will reiterate – Goatcraft sounds like they recorded inside of a CAVE in the DEEP recesses of the UNDERWORLD. Sometimes the sound is so cavernous that I can barely hear Vrana's solos, but that's alright as the record really doesn't have that many lengthy cuts on it, in which to really explore their craft. “Temples Of The Underworld” and “Invocation Of Death” are both close to five minutes each, but the rest of the tracks here are only a little more than a minute and go in and out with a flash. But, you have to keep in mind that Goatcraft do two things – they create blistering old school metal, and they make atmospheres that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Don't believe me? Just give the record a bit of a listen and you'll see the decidedly creepy pieces sandwiched in here. I will make on complaint though, which is that the record does somehow still manage to elicit a few of those whiny howls I hate so much and find unnecessary. But they're used so sparingly that I don't really care to make that complaint a major deciding factor in the album's score. D is pretty much responsible for everything here, including the vocals, bass, drums and even some guitar licks of his own. If we yank out all of the little atmospheres here, we'll have about four or five tracks and fifteen minutes of metal. But we'll also have a rather bland disc without the level of experimentation that D brings to this act. Just because it's supposed to sound like it's recorded in a cave doesn't mean that it has to be fucking bland as well. All in all, they're a pretty promising group of cave-dwelling demons, and I think you'll be pleased with this one. (The Grim Lord)

3.5/5

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

Beastmaker - You Must Sin EP (2016)

California's Beastmaker produce a sort of doom that almost sounds like it has it's hands in occult rock, and there's nothing wrong with that. This review is actually based on the '45 release, which just features two songs, “You Must Sin” and “Eyes Are Watching” so you can't compare it to the EP version on Bandcamp, which actually has more songs that I haven't even gotten the privilege to hear. But I will say that if you really like Sabbath, you'll find something on the album's second cut, “Eyes Are Watching” which reminds me one-hundred percent of classic Ozzy fronted Sabbath, albeit with a more feminine touch to the vocals. Trevor William Church is responsible for that uncommon touch, which sounds different for this type of metal. But one can say that acts like Candlemass and Sabbath never really have been ones for a deep vocal approach and Ozzy's vocals were far from what we'd consider “masculine.” Still, it's a formula that works, contains a bevvy of nostalgia and should give doom fans something to smile about. Church is also responsible for the riffs on this record along with the thick bass riffs of John Tucker, as skins are being handled by Andres Alejandro Saldate. Both of these guys pound their instruments mercilessly, making for thumps loud enough to raise the devil, or whatever spirits they're trying to summon here. It's nothing amazing at this point, but doom fans will like it and that's what matters. Look out for the band's forthcoming debut, Lusus Naturae coming later in the year. (The Grim Lord)

3/5