Scent Of Death - Woven Into The Book Of Hate (Bloody Productions, 2005)

It’s been some time since I got my hands on some good brutal death metal (save the latest Hate Eternal opus). Looks like the aforementioned genre has fallen in popularity in recent years from the acceptance it enjoyed back in the early to mid 90’s. Nonetheless a fall in popularity does not insinuate a fall in quality and that’s what these Spaniards are here to prove with their debut. In retrospect, Spanish death metal has managed from time to time to offer a breath of fresh air to the now seemingly stagnant European brutal death metal scene with acts such as Human Mincer, Cerebral Effusion and Fermento. Scent of Death are the latest addition to their ranks. Their debut album churns, grooves and blasts all your favorite death metal goodies throughout its 35 minutes of musical onslaught. The band takes heed of the U.S. school of death metal such as Monstrosity, Immolation (specially that break down groove trademark of theirs) and ofcourse Cannibal Corpse. Technically the Spaniards hit it hard all the way being on par with other tech death metal acts such as Deeds of Flesh and Spawn of Possession. There is a certain groove to the music I have to say which does manage to satisfy your cravings for ferocious musicality. Garnish the whole blend with the vocal clone of Immolation’s Ross Dolan and what you have here is a brutal death metal powerhouse capable of giving quite a few quality headbangs to the initiated and not only. Oh and their Morbid Angel cover is quite pleasing in the least although inexplicably it is merged with the album’s final track.

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - September 2005)

Abominator - The Eternal Conflagration (Displeased, 2006)

The Australian scene seems to have a knack for pernicious, militant, extreme metal musicianship, sometimes collectively termed as ‘war metal’ sporting monikers such as Bestial Warlust, Gospel of the Horns and the cult-figures Sadistik Exekution to name a few.  As such, things are pretty simple with Abominator’s latest offering: blast away and tear our eardrums to shreds in the process. Essentially this is eight tracks of sheer mayhem, which spew out their hateful spite in all directions driven by scything riffs that reek of Angel Corpse and a pummeling double-bass seemingly stuck in blast mode. The song riff-o-logy stems from that gritty offshoot of death metal which remains un-moved by the technical coagulations and rhythmical grooves introduced to the genre by the likes of Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse adhering instead to a more traditional, thrashy semblance. Abominator’s musicianship on the album is tight and convincing, assimilating elements from death metal’s most blasphemous acts such as Morbid Angel, Incantation and of course Angel Corpse with an added tinge of black metal’s razor-sharp aggression and thrash metal’s raw delivery to rev up the overall outcome. A furnace of rage-driven profanity is how one might describe ‘The Eternal Conflagration‘, spitefully angular in its delivery and appropriately chaotic in rhythmical dynamics. A decent effort if I do say so myself.

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 2006?)

Infernum - The Curse (Sound Riot, 2006)

For the record Infernum are not a bad band, they’re simply content dabbling with ‘tried-and-true’ formulas rather than straying far into uncharted territories and I must say that this is a prudent decision nonetheless but don’t expect high scores in the originality department. That being said, Infernum’s plodding, ritualistic brand of black relies more on creating elongated, menacing soundscapes rather than mind-numbing the listener with excessive blasting; quite enjoyable but not particularly engaging. The keyboards that are in abundance plus the female vocals and male narratives bolster the album’s ritualistic atmosphere. After the eldritch-minus-innovative intro the title-song follows through, mostly comprised of simple three-chord riffs subtly reminiscent of early Samael atmospherics laid against an eerily melodic keyboard-driven musical background. Blasting through at higher speeds, “Storm Rider” effectively meshes fast-tempo rhythms with the brooding melody of Hellenic black’s most renowned exports or even Mortuary Drape’s more claustrophobic works. Reverting back to slower themes, “The Crock Of The Gold” and “Pagan” harmonically engage in a more epic template of sorts with an interesting touch of both female and male narratives. Not before long and five seconds into the final song before the outro, I’m looking for the accompanying booklet just to make sure that I’m not listening to a “Freezing Moon” cover. Needless to say, Epitaph’s intro riff is strikingly reminiscent of Mayhem’s signature track but nonetheless it closes quite painlessly before the outro bids us farewell. To sum it up, I can’t say that this is a necessarily ‘stand-out’ album, but they do make a good first impression.

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 2006?)

Belenos - Chants de Bataille (Adipocere, 2006)

Belenos’ first effort released almost a decade ago was one of the French underground’s best kept secrets, a dark blend of melancholic black indulging into pagan themes. Alas, their continuation would not prove to be as gratifying, at least for the hopeless romantics among us. Hinting towards Satyricon's early albums (especially Nemesis Divina) with a strong pagan-cum-majestic vibe, the French quartet creates an interesting musical dish this time round which can keep your CD-player turning a number of times. To my distaste however there are no 'hooks' to be found on this release, the album flows through leaving a bland aftertaste for the most part. Not exactly lackadaisical by any measure, the band is managing a decent effort here but in general they do little to escape from their musical template they imposed on themselves. Being of a mostly symphonic black metal affair, compositions are strewn with male orations and symphonic interludes which exploit complex and mystical themes but unfortunately there are also musical passages where the band simply begs to be convincing. Nothing really out of the ordinary with Belenos' third effort to date, and certainly not the best the French black metal underground has to offer as of late.

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 2006?)

BurialMount - Devil's Work (Sound Riot, 2005)

Originally recorded in 2003 and after a rather tumultuous series of mishaps with their record label, the album was finally released in 2005 through Sound Riot Records. Oh well, better late than never… Although of a Finnish origin, Devil's Work is not exactly your typical primitive filth galore that we've come to love from the Finnish scene. Instead it employs a relatively clear production, relying mostly on aggressive, thrash-tinged riffage moving within a distinctly death metal framework. Making extensive use of abrasive guitar work and a pummeling drum-attack, it is an album more death metal than anything else. And lest we forget, Raven’s sickening vocal delivery doesn’t fall short in keeping up with the album’s inexorable brutality. Influences abound; from that slow Incantation-esque sickness to early Swedish forerunners Entombed and Grave. There is however a hazy melodic undertone present which makes itself known at times, accentuated in parts by sporadic passages which bring to mind old In Flames among others. Burial Mound’s incisive, no-nonsense approach won’t necessarily blast you off your seat but all in all it does go well with a couple of pints and an appropriate mood. 

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 2005?)