Metal music reviews, top albums and forums (2024)

3.75 | 2 ratings

UMUR

"Banished By Sin" is the thirteenth full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Deicide. The album was released through Reigning Phoenix Music in April 2024. It´s the successor to "Overtures of Blasphemy" from September 2018. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Mark English has been replaced by Taylor Nordberg. The latter is a relatively prolific name in death metal circles having performed with artists like Massacre, Ribspreader, and Wombbath (among others...). "Banished By Sin" was released to some controversy regarding the AI generated cover artwork, which many fans heavily critiziced.

Stylistically there are very few surprises on "Banished By Sin" if you´re familiar with Deicide´s output since "Till Death Do Us Part" (2008). Lead vocalist/bassist Glen Benton maybe sings more of his high pitched demonic vocals and thereby complimenting his raw throaty growling vocals which ultimately makes the vocal part of the album relatively diverse, but other than that this is Deicide as we expect them to sound these days...anti-christian/blasphemous lyrics and all. Although they can still whip up a storm of blast beats and fast-paced riffs, "Banished By Sin" is predominantly a heavy and mid-paced affair. Everything is delivered with great energy and skill though, so Deicide are definitely still a force to be reckoned with (scene veterans or not). The lead guitar work is blistering and powerful, and Steve Asheim as always delivers a sharp and brutal drum assault.

"Banished By Sin" features a clear, heavy, and powerful sounding production job, but to my ears it´s almost too polished for Deicide´s music style. A bit more grit would have suited the material better. Upon conclusion "Banished By Sin" is a good quality death metal release from Deicide, but it´s not an album which rival their classic 90s releases, which isn´t surprising since nothing they´ve released since the mid-90s have been able to do that, but that doesn´t mean it´s not a release worth investigating and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

• 8 days ago
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• Report #879881

3.17 | 2 ratings

siLLy puPPy

As one of rock and metal’s most distinct guitarists on the scene since the 1980s, MARTY FRIEDMAN has remained one of the most creative musicians beginning with his days with Cacophony, crafting neoclassical classics like “Dragon’s Kiss” and of course bringing Megadeth to the highest ranks of the world of metal music. Despite his contributions to the world of shredding and guitar virtuosity, FRIEDMAN has also displayed a firm command of exquisite compositional creation with emotive albums such as “Scenes” and “Introduction.” After relocating to Japan, FRIEDMAN has also delivered many albums worth of J-pop inspired metal and has proven that his relentless pursuit of new avenues of exploring where the guitar playing can go is virtually limitless.

Now well into his 60s and nearly four decades after his work with Jason Becker in Cacophony, FRIEDMAN is still going strong and returns in 2024 with his latest solo extravaganza, DRAMA which finds him back in the role of guitar god after seemingly exhausting his love of Japanese themed music set to the world of metal music. DRAMA is a near hour’s run of FRIEDMAN doing what he does best and that is namely delivering sharp melodic hooks in the form of some of the most phenomenal guitar playing moves in the known universe. Like most of his solo offerings, DRAMA is a mostly instrumental affair but also finds a couple tracks, “Dead Of Winter” and “2 Rebeldes” with vocal contributions.

Also joined by drummer American Gregg Bissonette of David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai fame, DRAMA also finds some classical music support from cellist Hiyori Okuda and violinist Miho Chigyo. as well as offering emotive orchestrations with Japanese pianist / keyboardist Mika Maruki adding beautiful textures to his melodic tunes. Long abandoning the one-dimensionality of pure shredding, DRAMA offers a collection of mostly mid-tempo tracks that implement some of the now familiar exotic scales FRIEDMAN is famous for and while shredding seems to be MARTY’s laser preferred mode of guitar expression these days, he still has the ability to crank out some amazingly virtuosic moves however always in the context of the melodic composition at hand.

In many ways DRAMA sounds like a collage effect of some of FRIEDMAN’s 90s work with a mix of alternative metal riffing, slower clean guitar playing on various musical scales that are melodic and in the case of this album an emphasis on emotive atmospheres and subordinate instrumentation. Personally i prefer the instrumental tracks as the vocal ones don’t work for me (i assume FRIEDMAN is the singer) however many of the melodies and styles seem a bit recycled and there is even a reprise of the track “Triumph” in an updated form that first appeared on the 1992 “Scenes” album. Overall this album is a bit too much of what’s been done before for my tastes. I haven’t really been blown away by anything FRIEDMAN has done since the 2002 album “Music For Speeding” but it’s a well played and well performed album. A little too mellow overall and i wish there were more upbeat metal moments. It’s a good album but not one i would call essential in the FRIEDMAN canon. Great to hear him still doing his thing though!

• 14 days ago
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• Report #879763

4.04 | 5 ratings

UMUR

"A Mortal Binding" is the fifteenth full-length studio album by UK doom/death metal act My Dying Bride. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in April 2024. It´s the successor to "The Ghost of Orion" from March 2020. There have been a couple of lineup changes since the predecessor as guitarist Neil Blanchett has joined as the band´s second guitarist (he actually already joined in 2019 but didn´t perform on "The Ghost of Orion"), and drummer Jeff Singer has left and has been replaced by a returning Dan Mullins, who previously played with My Dying Bride in the 2007-2012 period.

It´s been quite a few years and albums since My Dying Bride released anything which surprised the fans of the band (the last time was with the release of "Evinta" in 2011), but My Dying Bride actually used to be (pre-2000) a pretty experimental death/doom metal act in terms of developing their music greatly between releases (the first five studio albums are quite different in sound and style), while still staying on the path of their trademark death/doom metal style. After 2000 they´ve released many high quality releases, but also a few less inspired ones. The latter are still quality releases, which could easily be other death/doom metal artists masterpieces, but when you set the standard as high as My Dying Bride have done throughout their great career, the fans also have very high expectations each time a new My Dying Bride album hits the streets.

"A Mortal Binding" is not one of the most unique nor is it one of the most adventurous My Dying Bride releases, and as a listener you get pretty much what you expect. So all the ingredients of a My Dying Bride album are in place. Lead vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe switching between death metal growling and darkly poetic goth tinged clean vocals, heavy doomy riffs and rhythms, atmosphere enhancing keyboards, and melancholic leads delivered by both guitars and violin. What "A Mortal Binding" does different than the last couple of releases is the focus on rhythm. My Dying Bride were always a relatively rhythmic death/doom metal act, but the return of Mullins has definitely pushed My Dying Bride in a more rhythm focused direction. So it´s not all just long droning power chords and slow minimalistic drumming.

The sound production is more raw, less polished, and more immediate than the last couple of releases, and at this point it´s a relief to hear that My Dying Bride still have a bit of grit in them. Opening track "Her Dominion" is the best example of that, as it´s a pretty heavy death metal track solely featuring growling vocals. Although other tracks on the album also feature death metal growling, "Her Dominion" is however a bit of the odd one out track on "A Mortal Binding", and I´d say the remaining tracks are more in line with what you´d expect from post-2000 My Dying Bride material. Highlights include "Thornwyck Hymn" and the 11:22 minutes long "The Apocalyptist", but as always My Dying Bride are impressive in terms consistency, and there´s nothing on this album, which isn´t quality material. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

• 15 days ago
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• Report #879762

3.67 | 2 ratings

UMUR

"Unicursal" is the second full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Nocturnus AD. The album was released through Profound Lore Records in May 2024. It´s the successor to "Paradox" from May 2019, so it´s been five years betweeen the two album releases. There haven´t been any lineup changes, so the lineup who recorded "Paradox" is intact on "Unicursal".

Although the current incarnation of the band formed in 2013, drummer/lead vocalist Mike Browning has a long history in US death metal, being the original drummer and vocalist in Morbid Angel. After leaving Morbid Angel Browning formed Nocturnus and performed on their two classic albums "The Key" (1990) and "Thresholds" (1992) before being fired from the band he co-founded. He shortly formed Nocturnus AD in 1990 but changed the band name to After Death. In the period 2000-2013 After Death released quite a few demos (all material from the demos can be found on the 2007 compilation album "Retronomicon"), but in 2013 Browning opted to change the name back to Nocturnus AD. He always felt that Nocturnus was his creation and he wanted to carry on the legacy of the band, but since he had lost the rights to the name, he added the AD to avoid legal action from his previous bandmates who still owned the name. When playing live Nocturnus AD also play Nocturnus songs, so in effect (since Nocturnus haven´t been active since 2002), this is the closest you get to the real deal.

"Unicursal" is a concept album continuing the sci-fi story of Dr. Magus which was initiated on "The Key" and continued on "Paradox" (a sci-fi story mixing anti-christian themes, with futuristic sci-fi themes, and fantasy mystical themes). Stylistically the material on "Unicursal" naturally continue the sci-fi themed old school death metal featuring prominent use of keyboards, which the band also played on "Paradox". Browning is a raw shouting/semi-growling type vocals, and while his vocals aren´t the most powerful death metal vocals I´ve encountered and his staccato delivery can get a bit one-dimensional and tedious, he has a personal style which is more than you can say about a lot of other death metal vocalists.

While the core of the compositions is more or less thrash oriented old school death metal the dominant use of keyboards and the blistering lead guitar work are some of the features which set Nocturnus AD apart from other death metal acts with the same base elements. The music on "Unicursal" isn´t terribly different from what Nocturnus put out in the early 90s, but I guess that´s the whole point. The novelty of having a permanent keyboard player in a death metal band wore off a long time ago, but that doesn´t mean the addition of keyboards to Nocturnus AD´s death metal music isn´t effective and atmosphere enhancing, because it certainly is. To my ears the keyboards have at times maybe become a bit too dominant and provide the music with an epic symphonic feeling, that´s a bit generic if you compare them to how the keyboards where used on the original Nocturnus albums, where they either provided an eerie effect or even worked as a lead instrument.

"Unicursal" is a well produced release, sounding clear and powerful, and featuring a lot of details. Producer Jarrett Pritchard has done a great job here. So upon conclusion "Unicursal" is another good quality death metal release from Nocturnus AS, cementing their return to the scene and showing the world that they still have lots to give. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

• 23 days ago
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• Report #879668

1.75 | 2 ratings

UMUR

"Levels of Perception" is the tenth full-length studio album by Dutch death metal act Pestilence. The album was released through Agonia Records in April 2024. It features twelve re-recordings of tracks which have appeared on some of the band´s earlier releases. Not all preceding albums are represented (there are no re-recordings of tracks from "Malleus Maleficarum" (1988) or from "Spheres" (1994)), but all other Pestilence studio albums are represented with at least one track each...

...and the tracklist is up for debate. It seems a bit odd to me, why Pestilence would chose to re-record no less than four tracks from their last album "Exitivm". Re-recordings are usually done to show how a current version of a group plays older classic material, but it seems Pestilence had another vision with "Levels of Perception". "Consuming Impulse" (1989) and "Testimony of the Ancients" (1991) are represented by two tracks each (I guess they didn´t dare leave out "Out of the Body") but that´s the only pre-reformation material featured on "Levels of Perception". It´s not that Pestilence more current material isn´t decent, but it just seems a bit strange to re-record material from 2021 on a 2024 release.

When that is said, there are unfortunately much, much worse things to say about "Levels of Perception" which is through and through a horrible release. I can´t call it anything else than an abomination and a terrible misstep in the discography of Pestilence. The material is what it is, but the performances and some of the new arrangements are tame and uninspired. Honestly it almost made me cry listening to the re-recordings of "Twisted Truth" and "Out of the Body", which are two of my absolute favorite Pestilence tracks, both of which are butchered here (Patrick Mameli how could you?).

But the performances and the weak vocals from Mameli aren´t even the worst here...it´s the production values. The drums were recorded live at one studio in 2021 and everything else was overdubbed at other studios during the next couple of years. Many artists have made live recordings of drums in the studio and have gotten great results from it, but that can´t be said about the drums on "Levels of Perception", which sound like they were recorded at a rehearsal space (and not at a studio like they are) using an old fashioned four-track tape recorder. This is demo quality sound production values. And it´s not just the drums. The guitars feature an odd high end tone which is grating on the ears, Mameli´s voice is distorted and you can´t always make out the words he sings (which usually isn´t an issue on Pestilence albums), and the bass is completely disconnected from the rest of the instruments in the mix...and bass player Joost van der Graaf often sounds like he is playing another song than the rest of the members of the band.

A pretty harsh critique, which I´m not happy to deliver since Pestilence have long been some of my heroes, but I have to call it like I see it. Honesty and full disclosure. Pestilence have some work to do, to drag themselves back from this disaster. Their next album better be the best album they have released since reforming in 2008 or they may find themselves a fan or two short. You don´t come back from something like this without some careful consideration and reflection in terms of what went wrong, and what should we never do again...a 1.5 star (30%) rating is warranted. I´m tempted to give an even lower rating, but I´m trying to be fair and at least give Pestilence some sort of credit for existing, but there really isn´t much to give them credit for after listening to this album.

• 29 days ago
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• Report #879582

3.50 | 1 rating

siLLy puPPy

Although emerging from the tiny nation state of Liechtenstein sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland, the gothic symphonic metal band ELIS found popularity all over the German speaking world and is unfortunately most remembers as the band that experienced the sudden collapse and premature death of its lead vocalist Sabine Dünser, an event which almost ended the band’s existence. Originally starting out as Erben der Schöpfung with keyboardist Oliver Falk, guitarist Pete Strait and vocalist Sabine Dünser, the band released its first single called “Elis” in 2001 as well as a couple albums before adding guitarist Jürgen Broger, drummer Frankie Keller and bassist Tom Saxer. It’s at this point the band pulled the ole switcheroo with its namesake and became ELIS.

Enjoying a healthy live circuit career, the band most famously performed at the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig which got its unique take on gothic metal noticed by the German press. The band only existed for an eleven year run and put out four albums starting with this debut GOD’S SILENCE, DEVIL’S TEMPTATION which came out in 2003 on the Napalm Record label. The band’s name is associated with the poem “An den Knaben Elis” by Georg Trakl which was Sabina’s favorite poet. After the recording of this album the band found all over Europe and immediately captivated the audiences with its energetic gothic metal sound that mixed with symphonic backing and bought to life by Dünser’s captivating vocals.

In many ways ELIS sounds like a typical female fronted goth metal band only more in the symphonic realms of Xandria, Nightwish, After Forever or Epica only without any trace of the power metal aspects that symphonic metal usually employs. ELIS delivered a darker sound with strong melodic grooves led by the female vocals and occasional joined in by the beauty and beast effect of growly male vocals. This album is dominated by crunchy guitar riffing joined by a predominance of eerie atmospheric keyboard embellishments. Lyrics are mostly in English but the track “Sie Erfasst Mein Herz” is in German. The band does a good job at keeping its mood setting in the realms of the worth of gothic metal with the symphonic elements adding a certain expansion of the band’s style.

All in all GOD’S SILENCE, DEVIL’S TEMTATION is a decent slice of symphonic goth metal and pretty much a continuation of style that was delivered on the Urban der Schöpfung albums. The tracks are all melodically beautiful as are Dünser’s elegant soft sung vocals. Beautiful piano runs, turbulent atmospheric keyboard runs and twin guitar heft work together to keep the music from becoming too aggressive or too sugary pop sweet. The one downfall of the band is that it lacks a true originality and is clearly following in the footsteps of the aforementioned influences however ELIS pulled it all off fairly well with just enough differences to make this debut not sound like a total clone of bands like Epica. Overall a decent album although not one that exactly makes me want to run out and purchase it at any cost as this style of goth metal has showcased a multitude of similar variations throughout the decades. Nice to know a tiny nation like Liechtenstein has yielded some worthy bands to explore.

• 1 day ago
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• Report #879978

4.12 | 4 ratings

siLLy puPPy

The island of Jersey’s NWOHM band LEGEND may not have reached legendary status but rather is one of those bands that has earned its creds over the long haul. One of the original NWOBHM bands that formed on the self-governing British Crown Dependency of Jersey off the coast of Normandy, France, LEGEND formed quietly in 1980 in its small island enclave of less than 120 square kilometers (47 square miles) and cranked out two highly developed and accomplished albums in the early 1980s before disbanding four years later and reforming in 2002. This band is not to be confused with the legions of other LEGENDS out there including the Connecticut based prog / metal hybrid band nor the other English band from Kent.

Also developing simultaneously as Iron Maiden, early Def Leppard, Saxon and all the famous bands that have become NWOBM royalty, LEGEND remained obscure in the underground although gained enough traction to support Thin Lizzy in its 1981 UK tour. The band released both this self-titled debut album as well as the following “Death In The Nursery” independently and the original lineup featured Mike Lezala on vocals, Peter Hasworth and Marco Morosino on guitars, Eggy Aubert on bass and drummer David Whitley. The band’s origins lay in an early band called Dr. Morris which featured Haworth on vocals and Whitley on drums. After securing the proper talent, band leader Peter Haworth wrote this first album of material which sounded quite differently than the regular NWOBHM sound.

Inspired as much by Black Sabbath as Led Zeppelin, Budgie, Jimi Hendrix and other 70s hard rock / heavy metal giants, LEGEND developed a less aggressive take on the NWOBHM with elements of the Sabbath inspired doom metal dominating large chunks of its soundscape. The guitar playing more resembled the Scorpions’ original guitarist Uli Jon Roth however the band’s musical style was all its own with a less operatic vocalist delivering lyrics about politics, humanity and other subjects outside the mainstream. LEGEND also had a darker overall sound style than Iron Maiden, Angel Witch and other bands that were dominating the scene although many similarities such as the twin guitar attacks, strong bass and drum grooves and classic power chord breakdowns.

The album featured seven tracks at a typical album’s run of over 42 minutes and showcased a clear display of talent that emerged from the small but vibrant Jersey metal scene. The beauty of this debut album is how diverse it is and although clearly one of those links between the hard rock 70s and NWOBHM 80s, LEGEND truly did stand out from the crowds with Lezala’s unique vocals sounding like no other as well as a greater emphasis on slower traditional doom metal grooves that alternate with the more upbeat NWOBHM styles. The sound on this low budget debut is as you would expect, namely raw and focused more on the compositions rather than any slick production tricks. The band excelled at what it performed and therefore must have been a captivating live act as it performed regularly for its small island population base.

Definitely one of those worthy from the vaults sort of bands that had the talent to take things much further but just out of the reach of developing anything larger despite some significant exposure on the Thin Lizzy tour. Strong songwriting, strong musicianship and a unique band sound that set them apart keeps LEGEND relevant some four decades later after its initial run. Its reformation in 2002 only continues to gain the band more attention with an album coming out as recently as 2013’s “The Dark Place.” LEGEND continues to record new material well into the 21st century but none is as compelling as this earliest raw recordings of the band’s first years. LEGEND’s debut album is definitely a nice addition to your NWOBHM collection once you’ve exhausted the usual suspects.

• 1 day ago
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• Report #879977

2.50 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Ritually Abused Orifice" is an EP (maybe demo...it´s a bit unclear) release by US cyber goregrind act Lysergic Rites of Sadopriest. The EP/demo was independently released in 2009. Not much can be found about Lysergic Rites of Sadopriest, but I was able to dig out the fact that a guy named Hepatitis Steve (real name Steve Snider) is responsible for performing vocals and that Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed...etc.) is credited for mastering this release.

Stylistically the nine tracks on this release is an electronic cybergrind and gore themed type of grindcore. Eerie atmospheric samples, electronic beats, and distorted shouting/growling vocals are the main ingredients of Lysergic Rites of Sadopriest´s music. So this is not your typical Carcass influenced goregrind act. Everything is programmed and features an industrial edge. Although there are regular noisy blast beat sections on some songs, I´m pretty sure that both bass and guitars (or what sounds like those instruments) are programmed too.

It´s obvious that whoever is behind this project knows what he is doing. The music style itself may be slightly one-dimensional and the lack of real guitars/bass also makes the music a bit sterile sounding, but other than that this is a professional and pretty creative recording. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

• 1 day ago
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• Report #879976

3.58 | 2 ratings

UMUR

"Paper Wolf" is a one-track digital single use by Danish rock/metal act Vola. The single was released through Mascot Records in August 2023. It´s the follow-up release to Vola´s third full-length studio album "Witness" (May 2021). It´s possibly the first single from a forthcoming fourth full-length studio album, or it could be a standalone single, similar to when they released the "Glasswork" single all the way back in 2010, which was also a track exclusive to that single release. Since at this point the fourth full-length studio album hasn´t been released yet, your guess is as good as mine.

Stylistically "Paper Wolf" pretty much continues the slick, polished, and melancholic rock/metal style of the material found on "Witness". So if you´re familiar with "Witness", you won´t be surprised by what you hear when listening to "Paper Wolf". Asger Mygind´s strong and paatos filled vocals dominate the track, and atmospheric keyboards and electronic effects are complimented by mellow/loud dynamic rock and metal sections. It´s not a particularly heavy track, but Vola still produce some relatively heavy riffs and rhythms when that is called for.

"Paper Wolf" is a well produced track (produced by Mygind and mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen) and a nice little breather before Vola opt to record and release their fourth full-length studio album. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

• 1 day ago
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• Report #879975

4.04 | 17 ratings

CounterClockWorld

Salival is the first and unfortunately only live album by TOOL. I say unfortunately because this is really, really good and left me wanting more and I'm not even a big TOOL fan. This album is has mostly original material on it and God damm this must've been one hell of a show. The album opens with one of of not my favorite songs by them "Third Eye" it has a new intro and imo it flows better than the studio version, the ambient section always killed the paceing of the song but this version is slightly altered. The next track is a song from their debut EP "Opiate" the song "Part Of Me" and sounds better than the studio version, it's much more aggressive you could say it has more much more room to breathe. The next song is the final track that shows up on any studio album, the rest are originals/covers. This version of the Ænima track "Push*t" is a slower more tribal jam with a slightly longer runtime clocking in at 13 minutes, this is probably an unpopular opinion but I was never the biggest fan of (the studio version) but here I much prefer it. There's a quick interlude "Message To Harry Manback 2" not much to say about it other than it's creepy but an interesting track nonetheless. "You Lied" is a cover of a PEACH song, aka Justin Chancellor's old band and this song is a highlight for me, BUZZ OSBORNE of THE MELVINS shows up as the second guitarist on this track, Maynard's vocals are also really good here. Merkaba is one of the strangest songs by the band, it opens with this percussion sounds like it could be a xylophone or marimba, the song turns into a drum solo that's layered with a repetitive vocal sample and psychedelic effects, the song sounds like the older brother to Chocolate Chip Trip from the Fear Inoculum album. The next song is a cover of the legendary LED ZEPPELIN song "No Quarter", like the "You Lied" cover they remake the song in their style, it's dark and atmospheric the song has an extended instrumental section making it 11 minutes. The album ends with (what I believe was a hidden track on the CD) is L.A.M.C a skit type track with these dare I say creepy sounding repetitive (I think there call hammer strikes but don't quote me on that) the whole atmosphere is just off, for lack of better words. The next song is a personal favorite of mine "Maynard's Dick" it sounds like a parody of the alternative rock at the time and it's hilarious. But overall this is probably my favorite TOOL release, the instrumentation is amazing, the tones on the bass and guitar are phenomenal the drumming (like always) is on point and the vocals are insane Maynard in his prime, this has honestly become my favorite TOOL album I don't understand why both Prog Archives and RYM have this rated sort of low

• 2 days ago
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• Report #879969

2.83 | 4 ratings

UMUR

"Necrology" is an EP release by Swedish goregrind act General Surgery. The EP was released through Relapse Records in November 1991. The original vinyl version features five tracks, but the 1993 (Nuclear Blast/Relapse Records) CD version features two bonus tracks. General Surgery formed in 1988 and released three demos during 1990 but "Necrology" is their first "official" label release and ultimately also the only label release before they split-up. The members have since been part of other prolific Swedish death metal and grindcore acts such as Dismember, Afflicted, Crematory and Regurgitate (some of them simoultaniously with their involvement in General Surgery). The band reformed again in the early 00s and have been putting out a string of releases since 2003.

The music style on the 15:35 minutes long EP is Carcass influenced goregrind. General Surgery is probably one of the earliest examples of a Carcass clone (along with an artist like Xysma). The vocals are the typical imitation of early Carcass too with one high pitched snarling vocal style, one deep growling vocal style and one gurgling/burping vocal style. The song titles are of course ridiculously long and filled with strange gory imagery like "Slithering Maceration Of Ulcerous Facial Tissue" and "The Succulent Aftermath Of A Subdural Hemorrhage". So while there are nods toward old school Swedish death metal in the music too, this is first and foremost a Carcass tribute release. These are just a bunch of guys who came together to share their affection for Carcass and ended up releasing the stuff they wrote.

The production is raw, savage, and brutal, but you´re still able to hear what´s going on most of the time, so while it´s pretty lo-fi in nature, it suits the music perfectly. "Necrology" is generally a celebrated release in goregrind circles, and it is indeed an effective and for the genre also relatively varied release. General Surgery don´t really bring anything original to the table, but if you´re interested in listening to an early tribute recording the Carcass goregrind style "Necrology" is arguably a good choice. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

• 3 days ago
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• Report #879961

2.50 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Internecine Prurience" is the third demo recording by Swedish goregrind act General Surgery. The demo was recorded on the 28th of September 1990 at the band´s rehearsal space. Only 50 cassette tape copies were made. Everything was recorded live in the rehearsal space, so no overdubs here. since the previous demos vocalist Richard Cabeza has left and has been replaced by Grant McWilliams.

While the Carcass influenced goregrind style of the first couple of demos is continued here (some tracks are re-recordings from the first demos), the rehearsal recording techniques (or lack there of) makes "Internecine Prurience" a much more raw, savage, and filthy sounding goregrind release than it´s direct predecessors (the March 1990 "Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" demo and the April 1990 "Pestisferous Anthropophagia" demo). There´s definitely some nasty gore drenched charm and some pretty effective songwriting hidden somewhere beneath the noisy and unpolished sound production, but sometimes it´s a bit hard to tell.

When that is said "Internecine Prurience" is still an entertaining and effective goregrind release by General Surgery, and it´s certainly proof that these guys were on to something good. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

• 3 days ago
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• Report #879960

3.00 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Pestisferous Anthropophagia" is the second demo recording by Swedish goregrind act General Surgery. The demo was recorded on the 29th of April 1990 at Sunlight Studio, Stockholm, Sweden with producer Tomas Skogsberg.

The Carcass influenced goregrind style of the March 1990 "Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" demo is continued on "Pestisferous Anthropophagia", but now we get to hear General surgery´s take on the goregrind genre with much better sound production values and it does make a difference. It´s still a brutal, heavy, and filthy sounding production job, but compared to the unpolished rawness of the first demo, this features an almost pristine sound quality.

General Surgery obviously also understand how to compose effective goregrind songs, so although the premise of the goregrind genre is relatively one-dimensional, the band are still able to change pace and riff style, drumming style, and vocal styles enough times during the three tracks, 5:44 minutes long demo for this to be an entertaining listen. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

• 3 days ago
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• Report #879959

2.50 | 1 rating

UMUR

"Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" is the first demo recording by Swedish goregrind act General Surgery. The demo was independently released in March 1990 and it´s the first of three demos which General Surgery recorded and released during 1990. General Surgery formed in 1988 as a tribute to the early Carcass releases and it was always a side-project for the involved parties, who also worked with contemporary artists like Afflicted/Afflicted Convulsion, Dismember, Carnage, Unanimated, and Carbonized.

So with that premise laid out, it´s no surprise that the three tracks on the 5:51 minutes long demo are brutal, filthy, and gore themed grindcore with some deep slimy growling vocals complimented by higher pitched snarling vocals. General Surgery hit the balance right in terms of paying tribute to Carcass but also bringing just a little bit of themselves to the table. Thankfully "Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" is not one long blast beat fest, and General Surgery actually quite often take the pace down to a heavy mid-paced groove.

Considering that "Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" is a goregrind from early 1990 it´s pretty well produced. it´s of course noisy, unpolished, and raw sounding, but that´s how this type of music should be experienced. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

• 3 days ago
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• Report #879958

3.86 | 7 ratings

UMUR

"Witness" is the third full-length studio album by Danish rock/metal act Vola. The album was released through Mascot Records in May 2021. It´s the successor to "Applause Of A Distant Crowd" from October 2018. A few videos were released to promote the release of the album.

Stylistically this is unmistakably the sound of Vola. Melancholic and atmospheric rock/metal with the strong and paatos filled vocals of Asger Mygind in front. Influenced greatly by artists like Katatonia, Riverside, and fellow Danish art/progressive pop/rock act Mew (although the influence from the latter was stronger on the preceding album). Compared to the more mellow and electronic tinged "Applause Of A Distant Crowd", Vola have opted to include more heavy distorted guitars and heavy drumming again like they had on their debut album. Keyboards and electronic effects are still a big part of the band´s sound as well as atmosphere enhancing choirs and harmony vocals. The tracks are predominantly vers/chorus structured and for the most part easily accessible. The strong melodies and melancholic atmospheres are the greatest assets of Vola´s music.

The album features a gorgeous, polished, and powerful sound production, which perfectly suits the material. This is not the type of music which would benefit from a more gritty and raw sounding production job. So upon conclusion "Witness" is another high quality release from Vola. To my ears it´s maybe a bit too formulaic and a few more musical experiments wouldn´t have hurt (including a rap part on "These Black Claws" does not qualify as being experimental IMO). A 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved though.

• 3 days ago
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• Report #879957