Gnida - R.A.K.

GNIDA - R.A.K. (DEFENSE Records / MYTHRONE - CD 2020)

What a nice, jolly band is here. They call themselves Gnida, which is a name I often call politicians from the ruling party with, along with other pretty names like kurwy or chuje. With such name, Gnida has to play a nice, melodic and truly pleasant music. Right? Of corpse they don't and I'm taking a piss here. Gnida - use google translator if you want to know what that Polish word means - is a band, which presents us their brutal death / grind metal. Not necessarily music, which I would often play, but in this case I can easily admit that I like what I hear. 

First off... This is third album from Gnida. Their previous CDs were called "S.Y.F." and "A.I.D.S.", so "R.A.K." sounds like a fitting title in this sick concept. There are 16 tracks on "R.A.K.", and with 23 minutes on the clock you can be sure that their music is fast, straight forward and no bullshit. Gnida doesn't waste time, but rips with their grinding death metal right from the first second. Or from 55th second, because obviously there has to be an intro first! Anyway, this music is short, brutal and fast, so it is sweet as fuck and very energetic. Luckily, "R.A.K." is far from being brutal and sick just for the sake of being mindlessly brutal and sick. Gnida actually do have some cool riffs, there's a nice diversity in the music, the production is very good, so it's not just fast and boring... And there's even a bit of groove and shit like that, so it truly sounds fine to my ears. Yes, I enjoyed it. With songs like “Drug Lord” Gnida should try their chance in the next Eurovision song contest. I am sure people would love it. 

Verdict: 70/100

Deathspawn - Reverendus

DEATHSPAWN - Reverendus (DEFENSE Records - CD 2020)

Few years ago I had a pleasure to review debut album from a band called Resurrection and titled "Betrayed by God". In this review (where I rated the album with 8/10 points) I concluded that there's a great potential and hopes for this band. It turns out Resurrection is no more! But Deathspawn is born and the debut CD "Reverendus" is out on Defense Records. Well, I am not sure what happened there that the name was changed and if Deathspawn is completely new entity or rather continuation of Resurrection... But I know one thing - the music is still great. 

And if I compared songs from "Betrayed by God" to the likes of Immolation, Krisiun, Morbid Angel, Aeon, Hate Eternal or Malevolent Creation, then here I can really do the same. And that should already tell you everything about what to expect from "Reverendus". So, this is very intense, brutal and ferocious death metal, which is somewhere in between the old school and modern styles. The production is one of the aspects, which will put it to the more modern death metal tag - it's clean, but powerful and absolutely crispy. Everything here clicks perfectly, which is a nice sign of times, where such a young band can achieve such a good production. This sound fits this death metal sound perfectly, this is why riffs sound like sharp razors and drums are blasting like crazy. 

As for the songwriting, I have absolutely nothing to complain. Deathspawn does everything right. As I mentioned, the music is very intense, so there's a lot of fast death metal, Deathspawn is like a machine, punching with relentless force. But there's enough diversity to get more interesting results. I truly like these riffs, as well as some nice guitar leads almost alike to James Murphy. And I don't really need to mention anything else. This album is very even, there are no weak points, with 36 minutes on the clock, all songs sound solid and I just like how nasty and energetic this shit sounds, especially if you play it loud, to give a nice headache to all neighbours. And I know that nowadays’ scene preference is mainly that murky, suffocating death metal alike to Spectral Voice and the likes – and I also love it. But don’t forget about pure blasting death metal also. Recommended. 

Verdict: 80/100

Archives of the Dead part XXXVII – Afflicted – Ingrained

Archives of the Dead part XXXVII – Afflicted – Ingrained (7”EP 1990)  

Line up: Joakim Bröms (vocals), Jesper Thorsson (guitars), Joacim Carlsson (guitars), Fredrik Ling (bass), Yasin Hillborg (drums) 

Recorded at Studio Sunlight in October / November 1990. Produced and mixed by Tomas Skogsberg and Afflicted. 

Few words now about one of the best Swedish death metal EPs ever, in my opinion. Originally called Afflicted Convulsion, Afflicted belonged to the most promising and original death metal bands in Sweden in the first half of the 90’s. Right from the beginning they were showing their great worth with 1990 demo “The Odious Reflection” and then with “Ingrained” 7”EP. And the high peak of the greatness came with the full length album called “Prodigal Sun”. “Ingrained” was recorded exactly at the same time as the demo, also in the Sunlight Studio, but this EP sounds better than the songs the band recorded and used for the demo. I guess they putted more effort into mixing and producing these two tracks as they knew they’re gonna be released on 7” vinyl. This is why the difference is so hearable. 

All in all, this EP is far superior to the demo. First of all, both tracks are fast and aggressive as hell. They’re no compromise Swedish death metal, but with some more twisted and harmonious riffs spread all over them! There's a brilliant songwriting in both songs with killer ideas and arrangements, from fast, grinding death metal to slower and more melodic stuff. There’s even a bit of more progressive stuff. Both tracks are very diverse, they have many tempo changes, various sickening guitar solos, I love that slow and melodic ending part in “The Empty Word”... It’s all there. I absolutely love how it all sounds, I really do. 

More so, you can easily notice how original was their music. It's Swedish death metal, with all its characteristics, but just not the same as Entombed or Dismember. Of these two songs I prefer “The Empty World”, especially that ending part sounds wonderfully epic. But “Viewing the Obscene”, which is opening the EP with furious and rather simple riffage, also has some fantastic melodies in its instrumental middle part. And more so, sounds damn angry and vicious. Only two songs, but I can assure you that there’s so much going on here, there’s such a great diversity in this music... I am literally obsessed with its sound. Perfect stuff. Also Joakim Broms’ vocals were great, so you should not be surprised if I say that “Ingrained” belongs to my favourite recordings ever. 

Verdict: 100/100

Stillborn - Los Asesinos del Sur

STILLBORN - Los Asesinos del Sur (ATAMAN Productions CD 2012)

I believe that the name Stillborn is well known to you, after all, for several years this band has been recognized as one the best underground Polish death metal acts. And if you do not know them, then there's a lot of material to catch up - five albums and one or two EPs. Here's one of them - "Los Asesinos del Sur". If you're surprised by the Spanish title of this album, well it's been some sort of characteristic thing for all albums by Stillborn. I have no idea what's the purpose, really, but it's always something different. Anyway, "Asesinos..." is another portion of blasphemous, vicious death metal. I write death metal because it is the main core of Stillborn's style, but we cannot ignore the fact that black metal and ancient thrash metal also play a great role in the music of the band from Mielec.  

If you hear a riff similar to Sodom or Kreator here and there and then a real smasher alike to Morbid Angel, then your hearing is right. In addition, there are vocals that are not typical death growls, but they are closer to thrash scream and sometimes in a black metal shrieking manner. This is the devilish mixture Stillborn offers and I am fully into it. Their main goal is to cut off as many heads as possible, not taking any enemies and blaspheming as much as possible. There is no denying that most of this material was played in fast tempos, the slowdowns appear here rather sporadically, mainly as a short break and a moment of breathing before the next cannonade of riffs, which bombards my ears very efficiently. "Hymn of Destruction" will be the best example of this, a great song with tremendous power and a dose of energy that even twenty of espressos will not give you. The same applies to other tracks from this album (e.g. "Son of the Holy Motherfucker" - what a tactful title hehe), because the material is very even, there are no fillers or lame songs at all. The atmosphere is also something of great importance, as you can immediately recognize that morbid, evil, possessed aura in the music - something what should never be missed in such music. Also, Stillborn belongs to those bands, which clearly had their own style, and that is another great value of "Los Asesinos...". 

And well, looking back now to all Stillborn albums, "Los Asesinos..." may be my favourite nowadays. I like its harsh, savage and vicious feel. Riffs are great, sick vocals of Killer also... Great stuff, really.  

Standout tracks: "Los Asesinos del Sur", "Hymn of Destruction", “Blood and Dust” 

Verdict: 80/100

Krohm - The Haunting Presence

KROHM - The Haunting Presence (DEBEMUR MORTI - CD 2007)

I know that Krohm has a lot of respect among the US black metal bands and generally this project belongs to the most interesting names from there. But for some reason I never had many opportunities to hear Krohm's music. Actually, I only know this one album, "The Haunting Presence" from 2010, which I have in a promo CD format. Which one day I need to swap for a vinyl. Because this is really damn interesting record. 

What happens here is that Krohm almost casts a spell on the listener, it's so hard to break away from the music of this album. Its atmosphere is incredibly dark and majestic, epic and ghastly. The pace is mostly slow and the title of the album "The Haunting Presence" is very relevant to the content. This music really haunts you, slowly dragging you into the atmosphere of horror. And there, inside the seven sorrowful chapters, you will find great examples of classic, flawless melancholic black metal. Nothing on this material is out of place; the sound is great, the vocals are like a whisper of death, the riffs and melodies are just impressive... Even the delicate, rather discrete sound of keyboards has been perfectly put together, completing the atmosphere and improving the final effect.  

These songs seem to move slowly, almost infinitely, forward (such a "Lifeless Serenade" lasts for eight minutes), but there is nothing monotonous and dull here; the feeling of being overwhelmed by the cold, eerie atmosphere of these songs simply prevails. Basically, you could put "The Haunting Presence" aside with the albums from Xasthur, Strid, Leviathan or Nachtmystium - and it will not sound any weaker. It's just a great album, in my opinion, and a perfect soundtrack for a winter walk. 

Verdict: 80/100

Tehace - Yearning for the Slime

TEHACE - Yearning for the Slime (Self financed CD 2014)

Continuing with the series of overlooked albums, here's one, which I admit I also have forgotten about. But in the past few days I've played it so many times that I hope that I catched up with it enough. Here's "Yearning for the Slime" - from Polish band Tehace. Well, they're not band, which would ever get much attention, even though their debut CD "Zipped Noise from Hell" (2006) was pretty damn solid. They kind of stuck in the deep underground, not really able to rise above the mediocrity. It led to a long recording process of "Yearning for the Slime" and finally even longer release - the band ended up self-releasing this album actually, which is also weird, because definitely this album deserved more, especially a good promotional work of a record label. 

But well, shit happens. Was no one interested? Really? Meanwhile, "Yearning for the Slime" is a great material, if you ask me. It very much fits how the Polish death metal sounds like in XXI Century, with acts like Trauma, Lost Soul, Ogotay, Vader, and so on... So, expect brutal, quite technical and sort of modern style and sound, but very intense, often fast and uncompromising, with truly vicious and venomous riffage. And riffs here are truly spectacular. Sure, they often sound a bit Morbid Angel-esque or Vaderous, but I cannot resist to their powerful and neckbreaking sound. I love diversity and dynamic feel of this music, how smoothly Tehace can go from brutal, fast part to something slower, even slightly melodic. And with such "Neverending Day" they made my jaw hit the floor so hard that I lost all teeth. This is slower, almost progressive sometimes, piece, which really stands out here with its riffs, fantastic melodies and atmosphere. Also, the instrumental piece "Road to Slavery" is in the same, more melodic vein, and it also sounds bloody good. But honestly, from start to finish, everything what's going on on this album is the highest quality death metal. I should also mention great technical aspect of this music, because every band member did killer job here, I especially love the drumming and guitar leads. 

What a shame then that "Yearning for the Slime" perished somewhere in the underground. What a shame that Tehace is so silent and they don't seem to exist anymore. And even if they do, they don't do anything. Well, you should search for this album at least, it is simply awesome Polish death metal. 

Standout tracks: "Neverending Day", "I (Misanthropy's Origin)", "Road to Slavery", “Meatgrinder (Iron Claws of Fate)” 

Verdict: 85/100