Reviews
Review: Assault - The Exceptions of the Rebellions
- Monday, 17 October 2011 14:32
- Written by Joe Henley
Did I miss the Scandinavian invasion of Singapore? Is one of the last few city states in the world now known more for its top-three finishes at elite level hockey tournaments and Nordic event dominance at the Olympics than it is for its vaunted multiculturalism and clean streets? If not, how else could you explain a band like Singapore’s Assault pulling off the melodic death metal sound, forged by the likes of Swedish luminaries such as At the Gates, In Flames, and Dark Tranquility so well?
Assault has well and truly arrived with its first EP, The Exceptions of the Rebellions, a four track effort many years in the making. Featuring great production, not just for an indie release, but genuinely clear, powerful production, blackened, clearly enunciated vocals, and Euro inspired riffs and tone, the mini album kicks off with “Subversion.” The track features the patented harmonized guitar attack during the verse, heavily inspired by the many European melodeath acts that have come before. It’s both catchy and dramatic, with soaring hammer on and pull of solos over a straight ahead, driving hard rock/metal beat.
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Review: Psycho - Pain Addict Pigs
- Thursday, 14 April 2011 12:54
- Written by Frank Huang
這一兩年來只要一提到新加坡的金屬場景，大家直覺反應都會是被英國廠牌耳痛(Earache Records)簽下的Wormrot。但是在新加坡本地還是有許多非常優秀的樂團，如之前來參加過UMF音樂節的Meza Virs、去年才剛參加過未知物種音樂祭的技術死金Nafrat、老牌殘死Cardiac Necropsy，還有最近被少注目的旋死新秀Assault等等，都是非常優秀的樂團。Psycho是在2005年由吉他手Bryan John、主唱Penny Torture、Bass手JY跟鼓手Byron Kaz四人共同組成的金屬樂團。他們在新加坡本地場景靠著獨特的現場演出得到許多注目，終於在2010年得到跟美國金屬廠牌Moribund的一紙合約，在今年發表樂團第一張專輯＂Pain Addict Pigs＂。
Review: Necronoclast - Ashes
- Thursday, 31 March 2011 12:55
- Written by Frank Huang
一人樂團這個詞彙在黑金屬中並不罕見，這樣的樂團形式與黑金屬音樂對個人主義追求及自我意識表達特性十分契合。Necronoclast的主腦Greg Edwards(吉他/主唱/鼓機)就曾在一篇專訪中提出：「One-man black metal band" is not a sound, or a genre, it is an observation. …… I will continue to write and release music that achieves the emotion and the atmosphere that I desire to create; I am what distinguishes Necronoclast from other bands.(一人黑金屬樂團並不是一種聲音或是類型，它是一種觀察形式。……我會不斷發行實踐我內心情緒跟氛圍的音樂。是我讓Necronoclast跟別的樂團不同。)」Necronoclast成軍於2003年蘇格蘭，在2004年發行第一張Demo「Beyond The Light」，但是要直到2007年的「Monument」發行後才被美國獨立金屬廠牌Moribund Records發掘，隨即07跟08年發行「The Plague」跟「Haven」兩張專輯，樂團開始受到重視。
Review: Expurgo - Burial Ground
- Saturday, 26 March 2011 19:28
- Written by Joe Henley
After putting out a collection of split releases and a demo, Belo Horizonte, Brazil's Expurgo finally came out with their debut full length album, Burial Ground, in 2010 on Black Hole Productions. The ten-year veterans of gore and grind have sharpened and honed their craft like a well-used machete, and are hitting the sick in the head masses with 29 tracks and 39 minutes worth of horror-inspired, full bore blood and guts grind.
Leading off Burial Ground is “Blast of Truth, a blazing track of pure grind. With gravel throated vocals courtesy of Egon and desperate backing proto-grind screams from guitarist Phillipe, this track is heavy on the groove. Precise and pummeling are the words that spring to mind like a serial killer from the shadows on the next song, “Only the Depressive Trades”, a Napalm Death-inspire approach to old school death and grind with some punk panache thrown in. Egon possesses a rapid fire vocal delivery throughout the disc that breathes thick, flammable sputum, while Phillipe and drummer Anderson channel Terrorizer's Jesse Pintado, the grindfather himself, and Pete Sandoval respectively.
Review: Sargeist - Let the Devil In
- Friday, 25 March 2011 14:08
- Written by Joe Henley
Finnish blacker than all things black metal act Sargeist, having been around since 1999, have released three full length records along with an unholy host of splits, EPs and demos. The latest full length offering is 2010’s Let the Devil In, a bleak and blackened altar awash in razor riffed anti-Christian and anarchistic filth.
“Empire of Suffering” sets the idol ablaze with some blast-addled black metal, screeching and void of all light or hope. It slows to foot-on-monitor black n’ roll, and creeps back to blast, chaotic and melodic all at once. It’s almost classical in its influences, Wagnerian but not overly symphonic. “A Spell to Awaken the Temple” follows with a standalone guitar intro riff that ignites into the typical black metal busy blast you would find on a Marduk or Limbonic Art album. It’s furious and whipping like winds ripping in from the Arctic Circle, cold and militantly Satanic. Whirling black metal riffs sweep violently across the mix, complementing the throat scarring vocals.
Review: Offal - Macabre Rampages and Splatter Savages
- Friday, 18 March 2011 14:17
- Written by Joe Henley
Brazilian gore mongers Offal have returned with their latest disc of horror-inspired gratuitous carnage, Macabre Rampages and Splatter Savages. The album sets the tone with an eponymous intro that is dark, old school, and twisted, with some modern slam and psychopathic bounce. Things then kick off in earnest with “Feast for the Dead”, with its dripping wet, gory vocals, simplistic and menacing lead riffs, and old school rhythms. The focus is on atmosphere and blunt brutality, with tips of the hollowed out cranium to acts such as General Surgery, Death Breath, Autopsy, and Massacre. Offal takes the listener back to the dead old days when true evil in death metal first revealed its disgusting, hybrid form.
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Review: Eskhata - One with the Earth
- Sunday, 09 January 2011 13:51
- Written by Joe Henley
Young Serbian folk metal band Eskhata’s debut EP, One with the Earth, brings the spirit of the Balkans to the great frozen north as this promising quartet showcases a fine knack for combining battle ready riffs with melodic death and power metal leanings. The EP kicks off with the upbeat track “The Falcon Spirit”—pure Ensiferum worship with growled black metal vocals, back end keyboard support sweeps, and some Amon Amarth thrown in for good measure. It’s a spirited track to get the crowd jumping.
Review: Mockingbird - S/T EP
- Sunday, 09 January 2011 13:49
- Written by Joe Henley
With a name as innocuous as Mockingbird, you just know this band is setting you up to catch you off guard with some teeth shattering, creeping, crawling heaviness, and that is precisely what they do. Their self-titled EP kicks off with “Puma Punca”, with doom riffs so heavy they sound like they were constructed from god particles and shouted vocals that would make Scott Kelly curl up into the fetal position. Stoner doom worship oozes through the speakers with a mantra-like vocal delivery. This is proof positive that heavy doesn’t have to be technical, and takes the Sabbath school of riff riding to scary new locales of unseen subterranean terror. Or you could just say it’s High on Fire slowed down a few RPMs.
Review: Fuck the Facts - Unnamed EP
- Sunday, 09 January 2011 13:18
- Written by Joe Henley
Perpetually active Canadian grinders Fuck the Facts Unnamed EP sees the band at its noise drenched, uncompromising, and catchy best, with six furious tracks that exemplify its broad range of influences and seemingly inexhaustible creativity.
The opening song, which has no title, brings art grind feedback behind the guttural screams of vocalist Mel Mongeon, who is as fierce as any front man or woman in the game. Its math metal mixed with grind and pure conviction, and is about as catchy as grindcore can get.
Review: MenSheng - Twisted Sight
- Wednesday, 03 November 2010 10:14
- Written by Edwin Lo
After playing around the Hong Kong independent live circuit for over three years, hardworking metalcore band MenSheng decided to take on their first recorded effort last year. The release titled Twisted Sight effectively conveys and captures the intensity and passion of this celebrated live act. Exceeding the common expectations of locally released metal albums, MenSheng’s music is not the least lacking or underwhelming even compared to offerings by similar Western contemporaries such as Underoath or The Devil Wears Prada. In a way, Twisted Sight can be seen as a milestone on the evolution of HK heavy metal music since local hard rock legends such as Beyond and Anodize first hit the scene.