Loudblast - Disincarnate

LOUDBLAST - Disincarnate (LISTENABLE Records - LP 2015)

I don't know much of Loudblast catalogue, I only have two albums from their discography in my collection, but both of them are really great death metal albums, in my opinion. "Disincarnate" from 1991 definitely belongs to the best European death metal albums of that time, sadly at the same time it may be one of the most underrated records as well. In my opinion, this album has everything a death metal maniac should love and even more! So, I cannot understand why it so rarely appears in any rankings or when someone mentions best albums from that time. It deserves more. 

Loudblast from 1991 played this absolutely infectious technical, kind of progressive death metal, with hints of thrash metal, which I could easily put in the same category as albums of Death, Atheist, Pestilence, Cancer, Morgoth or Mercyless. What I love about "Disincarnate" is that it's technical death metal, but it still sounds very aggressive, brutal and nasty. The material here is very diverse, from blasting parts to slower, crushing stuff. From pure, aggressive straight forward pieces to more harmonious riffs. There's everything here and the whole album is very dynamic, powerful and it never bores or sounds tiring. Songwriting is top notch, I really cannot say anything bad about these riffs or arrangements, because they are fantastic. A lot of that album is memorable and basically every song is a standout track. Slower stuff like "Outlet for Conscience" is heavy and very dark sounding, while faster pieces like "Steering for Paradise" are angry and vicious, but none of the songs are one dimensional, there's a lot going on in each of them, so I am sure you will be very interested to hear them. I also need to mention the production from the mighty Morrisound Studios, which is simply fantastic and so well fitting to this sort of death metal. And Stéphane Buriez, who is just as excellent composer and vocalist as Schuldiner or Mameli. I have nothing more to add, this is a classic death metal record and not only one of the best French death metal albums ever, but also one of the highlights of 1991 European death metal scene in general. 

Standout tracks: “The Horror Within”, "Arrive Into Death Soon", "Steering for Paradise", “Wrapped in Roses” 

Verdict: 85/100 

Graves / Grave of God - Concilium

GRAVES / GRAVE OF GOD - Concilium (PUTRID CULT - CD 2019)

Graves / Grave of God split titled "Concilium" is another CD, which recently came from Putrid Cult. Both bands featured on this album are from Portugal and are very little known, but some of you may already know Graves' debut album "Liturgia da Blasfémia", which was released by Iron Bonehead also in 2019. On this split you'll find nine songs in total, 35 minutes of music... and this review will be very short and simple, as I don't think there's much to say about the content. Both bands hail the classic Norwegian black metal from the early 90's, with its characteristic simplistic nature, primitiveness, harsh sound and cold, grim atmosphere. Gorgoroth and Darkthrone are the most obvious influences for Graves and Grave of God. And honestly, if I mention these two bands, it should be enough for you all to imagine what is the music like on this CD.  

But is it anything worthy? Well, neither Graves of Grave God does anything original or insanely amazing, neither of them sounds like "a must to hear" kind of band... But they're not that bad, to be honest. Especially Graves sounds OK, I like their riffage and that necro sound they have, and even if such "Sagrado Pecado" sounds soooo fuckin much like Gorgoroth, it is solid and I am sure that the most die-hard fanatics of that sound will like it. I cannot say that I will be coming back to this CD often, there are many, many better bands and releases to care for and spend time with... But there's no problem to add this CD to the collection. 

Standout track: "Sagrado Pecado" 

Verdict: 60/100  

A Canorous Quintet - As Tears

A CANOROUS QUINTET - As Tears (CHAOS Records CD 1995)

Some of you may remember the second part of the 90's and how the Swedish scene was flooded by melodic death / black metal bands, mainly focused around No Fashion Records. Back at the time I wasn't so much impressed by most of them and I really wasn’t big fan of Ablaze My Sorrow, Throne of Ahaz, Dawn, The Moaning, Gates of Ishtar or Decameron. Nowadays I like their music much more, it grew old surprisingly well, so I listen to these bands much more often. That goes also for A Canorous Quintet, who wasn’t my favourite band back in the 90’s, but nowadays I really like all their works. I think that all these bands I mentioned had something unique to offer, an intriguing blend of death and black metal with rawness and aggression combined with strong melodic base, dark and sinister atmosphere (even if most of these bands sounded exactly the same).  

"As Tears" is just brilliant example for that Swedish melodic death / black from its early stage. Rather raw sound and pure straight forward attitude with a lot of doomy passages give these songs enormous energy and feeling. And diversity is a key word here, because there's death, black, doom, fast parts, slow parts, melodic, mournful riffs, a lot of atmosphere and totally vicious, neckbreaking parts also. 

The opening song “Through Endless Illusions” is a good example for all that. It may be quite much in At the Gates vein (from their debut EP), even the screaming vocals can remind Tompa a little bit... But the song is fast and uncompromising throughout, with few tempo changes and even an addition of acoustic pause at the start and the end. That gives an impressive change of the atmosphere, from aggressive to sorrowful. The final result is great, I love that song. “The Joy of Sorrow” is less aggressive, more doomy, definitely more melodic and melancholic. There are some clean vocal parts in it, what gives even more mournful mood to it. Again, the song has quite complex structure, with many riff changes as well as the tempos. Those doomy parts are playing an important role in two remaining songs also, in “When Happiness Dies” and “Strangeland”, but A Canorous Quintet never sounds dull there, there’s always something going on, there’s time to change the pace or the feeling. Which is why the final result is absolutely fantastic, I love all these riffs and melodies, so I can easily say that “As Tears” is one of my favourite recordings from No Fashion. 

For me this is an underrated gem and quite forgotten recording, but I can guarantee that it is a good one. It has more doomy parts than everything else from A Canorous Quintet, but all these four songs sound very, very well. I realized that I missed The Crypt vinyl version of this EP, so I definitely need to grab it one day, damn it! 

Standout track: “Through Endless Illusions” 

Verdict: 90/100 

Sinistrous Diabolus - Total Doom//Desecration

SINISTROUS DIABOLUS - Total Doom//Desecration (PUTRID CULT - CD 2019)

I've enjoyed quite many releases from Putrid Cult, but hardly any of them made such a big impact on me as Sinistrous Diabolus and their "Total Doom//Desecration". I probably should know this album earlier, as this New Zealand project from the members of Temple Nightside, Witchrist or Vassafor released it back in 2013 for the first time, but it was a very limited vinyl only release on unknown to me Internecion Productions, so no surprise that I missed it. Putrid Cult unleashed this pest on CD for the first time and added a couple of bonus tracks, which gives us over an hour of the most extreme sounding doom / death metal you could imagine. 

I suppose that for many, it will be a real challenge to go through the entire album. Sinistrous Diabolus music is very difficult, it's joyless and it's anything but not an entertaining or catchy music for your average metal head. It's more like a soundtrack to your nightmare and an album, which requires specific conditions to be played at. Turn the lights off, play it loud and just sit down and listen. Then these sounds may devour you completely. Sinistrous Diabolus music creates very dark, sinister atmosphere, it combines heavy, doomy riffs, ghoulish vocals and many moments of noise or ambient sounds, so there's no typical song structures, catchy parts or whatever. Even more difficult to the listener may be the fact that this album has two long parts: one is 20 minutes long and the second is 40 minutes long. So, you cannot even skip a fragment, which you dislike, but have to listen to "Total Doom//Desecration" in its entirety. If you can manage of corpse. Have I? Yes, more than once. I really love this bleak, mournful atmosphere of that music, its simplistic nature and generally how Sinistrous Diabolus sounds. When I've listened to it on the headphones, I was especially amazed, it was quite special experience and something very, very interesting. Sure, maybe it would be better if they divided these songs into shorter parts, just like they appear on the original vinyl (I think?), but on the other hand I would still listen to the album in its entirety, without skipping some fragments, so it doesn't even matter. Everything here sounds like a journey into the abyss or something very dark and sinister. There are obviously some very, very goods riffs, like in "Wipe Out Christianity (Pestis)", but mind that it's not an album, where the typical extreme metal means have big importance. It's about creating the atmosphere and almost like putting you into trance. It's total doom.

All in all, I can only recommend "Total Doom//Desecration", it's fantastic album, in my opinion, and a very strong title in Putrid Cult's catalogue. I hope they will also unleash their second full length album on CD soon. 

Verdict: 80/100 

Cadaveric Possession - Sephirothic Desiccation

CADAVERIC POSSESSION - Sephirothic Desiccation (PUTRID CULT - CD 2020)

I never had a chance to listen to "The Malevolent Predestination" album or "Cadaveric Goatserpents' Coronation" split (with Hell’s Coronation) from Cadaveric Possession, but when hearing "Sephirothic Desiccation" I feel quite interested to get those two efforts also. Cadaveric Possession are Polish duo, which brings us six bestial death / black metal anthems on this new CD and if you're into the harshest, most obscure and primitive forms of this music, which would also create the very diabolic and sinister atmosphere, then "Sephirothic Desiccation" will be up your street. A lot of influences from some Finnish or American death legions, but also from some Polish hordes such as Nekrofukk and Bestial Raids, Cadaveric Possession does not waste time and simply shred from the very first second of their new filth.  

By using the most simplistic means, they crush with a lot of killer slower riffs - and these slower parts are definitely my most favourite moments of their music. When played at the faster pace, the music becomes obviously more aggressive and chaotic, but it doesn't have that sinister aura of slower parts (this is probably why “Seven Bloodsoaked Candles on the Altar” is my least favourite song from this EP, because it’s the fastest piece, but I also don’t like some vocals from it). Frankly, Cadaveric Possession doesn't stand out with anything special from similar type of bands, they are quite mediocre when compared to some... And I cannot say that it would really be an album that I could listen to often. But occasionally, from time to time I definitely am in mood for something so obscure and primitive and as such, "Sephirothic Desiccation" definitely works very well.  

Verdict: 65/100 

Neolith - I Am the Way

NEOLITH - I Am the Way (MYTHRONE Productions CD 2019)

This is only fifth Neolith's full length album in their nearly 30 years long existence, but if I can be honest with you, I've never paid much attention to the music of this band. I’ve never liked their early recordings, with that boring doom / death metal so typical for the Polish scene of mid to late 90's, which they played then. Also, I'm not a fan of their later album "Individual Infernal Idimmu", from 2010. So, forgive me my scepticism for Neolith's new album "I Am the Way". The only reason why I actually wanted to hear it was a song from the split 7" with Betrayer "Of the Angel and His Orison", which showed me a band whose music was miles away from what they sounded like in their early years. You couldn’t even compare them anymore, so different they sound. And I liked this song a lot, with its aggression, fast pace and death / black metal sound. I hoped to hear something in the same vein here... and I'm not disappointed. 

This new album sounds very good. If I had any complain, then the only one I can think of is my hope to hear a bit faster and more straight forward music. It's not even a complain, but rather that’s what I hoped to hear. But the music on “I Am the Way” is much more diverse, and the majority of it is mid paced at most, with some occasional faster parts. After a while I came to the conclusion that it's not bad at all and in exchange the music becomes more atmospheric and darker. Stylistically it's sort of more modern sounding (in contrast to all that old school stuff I listen to) death metal, with hints of black metal. Comparisons? Arghh, who cares for them. The music is very tight, very much focused on vicious and aggressive guitar riffage, with no interference of keyboards whatsoever, what definitely is good news for me. There's plenty of variety in the sound, from straight forward, malicious stuff to more melodic patterns - but the result is interesting and enjoyable, with very good songs all over the album, with my favourites like “Wanderer Who Bestows” or “Ask and Thou Shalt Receive”. 

Good album then, positive surprise for me. It means I need to get their previous album "Izi.Im.Kurnu-Ki" also and I definitely will one day. 

Standout tracks: “Wanderer Who Bestows”, “Ask and Thou Shalt Receive”, “Irarazakku” 

Verdict: 70/100