4 for the Labourers ... And I call it an evening ...
AD PATRES -A Brief Introduction to Human Experiments - CD/ LP/Digital ( XENOKORP)
Yea yea yea I'm late to the party here as this came out in Feb 2019. What I'm listening to is a kick ass slab of Brutal and Slamming Death metal with a groove to it as well and a touch of Blackened fury for good measure . So what I'm hearing is bands like Altar, Deicide,Vader and Sinister to me. The tones and riffs are punishing to say the least and catchy as all get out. I would say that have some Unleashed and Vital remains going on here. Its not a simple listen but love that Old School Black/Death vibe and will live and die by that style of sword. When its good Death Metal its just good Death metal. Stop over thinking it people and just thrash out with AD PATRES..
Shadowpath- Rumors of a coming Dawn-CD/ Digital (Sliptrick )
So this is something I not sure I love or hate I'm very in the middle here. This Swiss force is a mix of Nightwish , 3rd and the mortal mix with Septic Flesh and Samael . The Synth player does the growls as at times this sounds so Edge of Sanity as well. I really don't like the operatic female vocals they really take away from the overall greatness of the rest of the record Simone voice seems so forces and over the top. I love the Dan Swano meets Samael Death vox going on here. Even at time Shadowpath have this very Prog metal meets Death metal vibe. They are very talented band they need to 86 the female vocals and keep the more aggressive vocals and if they want a female vocalist need to find one in a lower more pleasing range.
Gygax -High Fantasy-CD/ LP/Digital (Creator-Destructor )
Fuck I dig this its total 70 Arena Rock meets 80's Classic Metal so if you could just mix Deep Purple, T Rex, Thin Lizzy ,Early Iron Maiden, Judas Press and Diamond Head. Those solo's are so damn soaring .The vocals are down right infectious as well. This is toe taping, get down with you bad self Bluesy Heavy rock and just make you smile listening to and want to listening to more. It's another example of when something is good why change it just make more kick ass music like . Love the album cover this is total Stranger Things meets D & D rock .The closest bands I listen to like this right now are Grave Pleasures, Slough Feg and Jesse and the ancient ones. You hear so much 80's hard rock here too bands like Y&T, Whitesnake and Autograph. Man this is making me re-live my youth great shit men great shit. Oh how could I forget KISS, KISS, KISS !!!! Get this damn album asap.
Karyn Crisis Gospel of the Witches- Covenant-CD/ Digital/LP (Aural Music)
If you have never heard Crisis or Ephel Duath then you need to start there as there are elements of both that come in to play with Covenant. The 1st Gospel of the Witches on Century media is more of an extreme avant metal meets Post Hardcore record with Covenant Karyn's vocals have never been more beautiful and sinster at the same time. These are the a most amazing clean vocals I've ever hear from her especially on " Drawning down the moon" . I think they may have found a perfect home with Aural Music as this is were Ephel Duath came out of with Code666 (Aural Sub label) they seem to like the progressive, dark and doomy in the world of extreme music and let bands be themselves as this is somethin I would put with (Manes, Atrox and Fen ) other bands on label that follow a similar path. Davide is the musical mastermind behind this (Ephel Duath, Howling Sycamore) and Skin Lab drummer to mix it all out. This is Occult metal or more then that Pagan/Heathen music of the extreme variety and Covenant is really the perfect mix of sensual, haunting, frantic and harmonic that it will hook you and never let go. The snarls and slide guitars give this Bluesy Post Metal vibe that really just needs to be heard to fully understand. Emotion and textures of guitar and bass tones can make so much coming alive in music esp when you have a vocalist like Karyn going from Angelic to Demonic within sometimes the same passages. If you have check out the the two Crisis album on Metal blade and Esp Hemmed by Light from Ephel Duath you are missing out on some very magical moments that will bring you hear nicely. Enough talking make this band a legend in the underground already damn it ....
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