5 New Reviews 5/24/2014

Blood Red Fog - On Death's Wings- CD/ Digital ( Saturnal Records)

So Black metal still comes in may forms and with Blood Red Fog we are going back to more of the roots of the sound. Low Fi, Thrash Filled, Dissident and just that tone of torment and nightmares you would expect from early Burzum, Darkthrone, Negura Bunget and even late 90's  Polish Black metal sound. There is melody going on at time but its nothing in that symphonic way that later on took the world by storm. This is just dark and smoothering Black metal like you wanted it over 20 yrs old. Blood Red Fog are not here for hope or positivity. This have a very Bathory vibe at times as well. I would rather have a band like this then one that jumps from trend to trend you know what your getting with Blood Red Fog and they have been creating it since 2005 so its not going to change any time soon.

http://www.saturnalrecords.com/

VANHELGD- Relics of sulphur salvation-CD/ Digital/Vinyl ( 20 Buck Spin)

This is one of the catchiest Black Black albums I've heard in yrs they have elements of so many artist going all at the same time it just mixes the Blast, Grind, Melody and Complexity into a steamroller of talent and passion. I just from the 1st few songs here  Bolt thrower, Hypocrisy, Death, Dismember , Entombed and Marduk all in they music that is presented. The album production so so much to help it as well . I want to call this Blackened War metal and it sounds like a tank is coming through to Kick ass and destroy all that is in VANHELGD path. 20 Buck Spin has an album that will inspire and challenge  Death, Doom, Black and Extreme metal fans the world around. The vocals are really what set the band apart as they are going more for the old Earache/ Relapse Thrashy/ Grind vocals so it adds a more combative element to the album as a whole. The guitars have these razor sharp melodies and the Bass and Drums are a warm and massive tone . They have that mid tempo Bolt thrower meets Marduk Black Grind going on. I can not say enough good things about this release. It's an album not to miss.

http://www.20buckspin.com/

Insomnium-  Shadows of the dying sun- CD/ Digital ( Century Media)

Avant, Prog, Tech Death  metal with a huge melodic and harmonic element going on here. When I listen to this I think of bands like Opeth, Katatonia, Dan Swano, Dark Tranquility , Old Dead Tree,  Anathema, Paradise Lost. You clearly get where I'm going with this there are clean and death vocals intertwined with harmonic solo guitars with a doom and bluesy feel and a nod very much to the UK and Swedish Melodic Death metal movements. I don't want to say goth as they are not that but there is a mix of  Delicate and Bombastic going on as an eternal struggle as well they also come into focus of bands like Septic Flesh, Samael  and Orphaned Land with the rich textures but that gothenburg tone does really shine through out the release but is never the imposing side of the band.  I will use it here as well its more Thinking Mans Metal .... Hats off to Insomium as they made one hell of a release.

http://centurymedia.com/

HellSpirit- Dawn under curse-CD/ Digital (Saturnal Records)

HellSpirit is very clearly a Black Thrash force with a very classic sound I hear over and over form the tracks on this album Sabbat, Kreator, Bathory and Vemon in the way this is presented and created . If your into the most extreme of metal music from the late 80's into the early 90's them a band like HellSpirit is just the band for you.  They have those early day black metal cut throat vocals and the galloping  Bass and  Guitar line and very millitary percussion of the more over the top Thrashers like Sodom and Dark Angel  etc. I know many will call this retro and it is but its retro in a way to breathe no life into such in 2014.  Saturnal another impressive release here. Keep it up..

http://www.saturnalrecords.com/

Waxen- Agios Holokauston-CD/ Digital ( Moribund Cult)

So Toby of Godless Rising has a project that is all his own and it's an over the top Black Industrial noise fest . The Chaos factor of this release is amazing . Some times I swear he just produced the album so its a such a hot and high level that the drum machine and guitars are just Black noise. I love this album btw. It reminds me of Black metal if it was created a thousand yrs in the future by aliens that have just received the early days of black metal signals to there home world and now there are bedroom artists in other galaxies creating the music for the blackest and darkest of souls in those realms..  If Oxiplegatz, An Oceans and MZ412 were faster, more noise and more black metal you would have Waxen as they have elements of all 3 in this release. Moribund is a content innovator of the black and death metal scene . Always finding the cutting edge and setting it out to the world whether it wants it or can handle it yet. 

http://moribundcult.com.