Deicide – In The Minds of Evil

“In The Minds of Evil” marks the 11^th release from death metal’s favourite blasphemous band, and while the lyrical impact of Deicide has diminished over the years, the music continues to be pummeling. After three albums of Ralph Santolla’s out of place (though enjoyable), melodic ramblings, the band has once again recruited Kevin Quirion, who contributed to a bulk of the songwriting. This simple change has led Deicide to sound like the band that everyone knew from the self-titled debut through “Serpents of the Light”. In particular, the guitar solos are not virtuosic, but instead are some of the most evil guitar patterns written, much in line with what the Hoffman brothers used to do in the band.

Another way the band tried to capture the old-school sound was through the production and song structures. In the case of “To Hell With God”, both of these elements were very obvious and in your face. The production was loud and modern, while the songs were not particularly complex (at least for Deicide). On “In The Minds of Evil”, the band makes use of more intricate riffing and patterns, while hiding behind a less startling production. A song like “Thou Begone” uses riffs with more complicated time signatures in order to bring back the feel of old Deicide. The riffs in general tend to jump between heavily muted power chords, and feature plenty of chugging.

Knowing that Quirion and Jack Owen have done their job, the discussion now needs to turn to the band’s veterans, Steve Asheim and Glen Benton. Asheim’s performances have never been in doubt. Once again, he provides a rhythmically pummeling showing that would put other drummers to shame. Armed with a barrage of blast beats and double bass, Asheim is practically a machine (though his performance never feels mechanical like in bands such as Fleshgod Apocalypse). Moving on to Benton, he mostly retains the style of vocals he used on “To Hell With God”. He no longer gargles his way through the album, but instead uses the brutal and understandable vocal style he was known for in the 90’s. In addition, the harmonized high and low harsh vocals he continues to use still impress. Though they are not as frequent as they used to be, it just makes their appearance more impactful. 

“In The Minds of Evil” is not only a great record, but also a surprising one. Although each Deicide album feels unique to me, I’m willing to admit I’m a pretty big fanboy of the band. This release is truly a return to form of one of death metal’s best bands. Picking a favourite track is largely an effort in futility. Songs like the title track, "Godkill", and "End The Wrath of God" are certainly the catchiest, but this album is simply a cohesive force of riffs known as Deicide.

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Highlights

"In The Minds of Evil"

"Thou Begone"

"Godkill"

"End The Wrath of God"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Written by Scott 

Satan’s Host – Virgin Sails

In my formative metal years, I had always hoped that there would be bands that combined the music of more extreme styles of metal with cleaner vocals. Some bands had elements of this; certain power metal bands started incorporating blast beats, but no band had even come close to creating the sound I had hoped for. That is, until I found Satan’s Host. Led by the legendary Harry Conklin (Jag Panzer), Satan’s Host creates a serious blast of brutal metal with satisfying melodic overtones. It is worth mentioning, however, that this album isn’t simply an amalgamation of two contrasting styles. Instead, the band also uses occasional harsh vocals, and even some rougher clean vocals. In the end, the album feels pretty natural in its transition between vocal styles.

Right from the onset, Satan’s Host display a sludgy, doomy guitar tone on “Cor Malifecus – Heart of Evil”. Everything about the production and presentation of “Virgin Sails” feels like it was written for fans of crushing extreme metal. The production sounds almost cavernous, with its monolithic drum and guitar sounds. The music supports this, as it doesn’t simply rely on speed like most extreme metal (though there is no shortage of speed either). Instead, the opening track, for example, uses mid-paced riffs to amp up the heaviness, and let Conklin’s soothing vocals hypnotize you. Other tracks, such as "Of Beast and Men", display more prototypical death metal riffs (the opening riff of this track sounds like it was inspired by Cannibal Corpse).

With 8 full songs and almost 55 minutes of material, sometimes this album meanders around. There are no doubt definitive choruses throughout the record, but Satan’s Host does not conform to simplistic song structures. Instead, each song takes you on a journey through different tempos and feelings. Though this can initially be off-putting, it makes for a more satisfying experience in the long run, as there is always something new to discover on the album. With that said, I would not be averse to cutting a couple of songs. The two beginning tracks are standouts, but beyond those, none of the other songs are particularly notable. 

“Virgin Sails” is not necessarily what you might expect if you’ve never heard Satan’s Host before. It is certainly darker, yet less brutal than I expected, but overall very impressive. There is an enormous supply of riffs, as well as the necessary aggression, so it should be enjoyable to fans of nearly all style of metals. With that said, if you struggle with more extreme styles of metal, this record is by no means catchy enough to convert you.

Be sure to check out and like Satan's Host on Facebook!

Highlights

"Cor Malifecus - Heart of Evil"

"Island of the Giant Ants"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott 

Evil Madness - Maze of Souls

From the metal underground of Chile comes one of the more brutal bands in a long line of young thrashers. Though they’ve been around since 2003, Evil Madness released their first album, “Maze of Souls”, in 2010 and they use it as an opportunity to deliver some very primitive raw thrash. These guys are undoubtedly fans of early Sodom, Destruction, and Celtic Frost, where razor-sharp guitars, simplistic riffs, and putrid vocals reigned. The only fair semi-modern comparison would be to Colombia’s Witchtrap, but Evil Madness definitely has their own flair to things. 

The best place to start is the vocals. As you might imagine, they’re hard to decipher and very rough sounding. In fact, it’s almost as if the singer was singing too loudly for his microphone, or he was singing too close into the mic. This is apparent because the vocals often sound unclear and somewhat crackly. This technique was obviously done on purpose to achieve a certain effect, and it works within the context of the album. Behind these shouting vocals are riffs that won’t amaze, but certainly are appropriate. Many of them take influence from the NWOBHM, but are played faster and with more aggression. There isn’t a lot of stereotypical downpicking or chugging on this album; instead, the band uses a lot of those early death metal riffs where there is tremolo picking on one note that is accented by a power chord at the beginning and ending of each new note. This is where the Witchtrap comparison comes in, because both bands use a lot of the same style of riffing. There isn’t a lot of melody on the album, though there are guitar solos and a few flares of lead guitar. In general, however, “Maze of Souls” is meant to be a punishing affair from start to finish. As you might expect, this means the songwriting leaves much to be desired. There are some cool riffs (such as the mid-paced ones found in the middle of “Poison”), as well as the odd catchy chorus (“Mad Attack”), but you won’t find yourself with much recollection of the past 40 minutes when this album is over. The drums are relatively solid (though a bit predictable), and the bass pops out at times, but ultimately, it is the energy and passion of the band that make this album worth hearing. If you crave raw black/thrash, “Maze of Souls” is essential listening.

Be sure to check out and like Evil Madness on Facebook!

Highlights

"Mad Attack"

"Poison"

Final Rating

3.75/5 or 75%. 

Written by Scott 

Iron Dogs - Free and Wild

Hailing from Canada, Iron Dogs is a primal force of speed metal. Adorned with bullet belts and the influences of their underground heroes, this current 2-piece band has just unleashed their second record, “Free and Wild”. Though I have no doubt this will be an instant hit with fans of the 80’s heavy metal and USPM scenes, this record actually did not have such an effect on me. It is clear that there is a certain punkish DIY charm to the album, but that doesn’t mean its flaws can be ignored.

The first major issue with this record is the production, and more specifically, the guitars. Not only are the guitars louder than everything else, but they are completely powerless. To call them razor thin doesn’t quite do justice to how poor the guitar tone is. And this doesn’t even apply to the lower-end; it’s only when more melodic bits show up that this tone is frustrating. It sounds amateurish, and despite being no expert musician myself, I could get a far more impressive metal tone out of my own rig. The other issue with the guitars is the dependence on melodic licks as opposed to riffs. There are definitely a ton of riff-driven parts to this record, but every single song is littered with melodic leads to the point of redundancy. Normally, I have no issue with leads like this, but some of these leads are less than impressive. Any musicians out there will know that when they first got started, they came up with melodies that didn’t make a ton of theoretical sense, but they also didn’t sound good. This can include things like using tons of chromatic sequences of notes, as well as using less common choices for harmonies, and Iron Dogs do both of these often. To clarify, I’m not saying it’s a problem when bands don’t follow music theory, but it’s usually pretty easy for a riff to pass the “ear-test”, and I suppose that these melodies did for Iron Dogs, but they don't for me. If the band laid off on the constant melody, this record would be far better for it. 

To be fair to Iron Dogs, they have a lot of things going for them. The vocals are great. They are a prime example of someone who is not the most technically skilled, but puts in a lot of effort to give a convincing performance. In that sense, their vocalist reminds me a lot of Lips from Anvil because there is a lot of character in the singing on this album. The other great thing about “Free and Wild” is its Motorhead-like energy. The songs are upbeat, raw, and fairly stripped-down. You aren’t going to be wowed by the prowess of the musicians, but the band doesn’t set out to do that. Despite my complaints, this is a band with a lot of potential, and there’s no doubt that “Free and Wild” will appeal to a very specific crowd. If you have any interest in the heyday of old-school heavy metal, give this record a chance.

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Highlights

"Firebird"

"Adversity"

Final Rating

3.5/5 or 70%. 

Written by Scott 

Noisem – Agony Defined

With the recent release of their debut album, “Agony Defined”, and their involvement in the The Black Dahlia Murder tour, Noisem is a band that has popped out of nowhere quite quickly. What is less known, is that this album was actually released as “Endless Aggression” last year when the band was known as Necropsy. Band history aside, listening to “Agony Defined” it was immediately clear that this is a record for the old-school thrash fans. That doesn’t mean simply hashing out Exodus riffs with crystal clear production (though I love that stuff too). Rather, Noisem deliver astonishingly authentic sounding late 80’s/early 90’s death/thrash. Think Solstice, Demolition Hammer, and Sadus, and you’re on the right track. The production is perhaps the most convincing aspect because there isn’t a single modern element to it. Instead, the band sacrifices clarity for unrelenting brutality. Take the track “Mortuary”, for example. Vocalist Tyler Carnes yells out endlessly, to the point where you start to wonder how long a verse can truly be. It’s very reminiscent of those Demolition Hammer moments where you are bombarded with mouthfuls of words. Unlike their skull fracturing heroes, however, you won’t need a dictionary to decipher Noisem’s lyrics.

Where “Agony Defined” is most like the old death/thrash classics (in particular, Sadus’ “Illusions”), is in its unbelievably short, yet completely satisfying length. The album is under 26 minutes, and the longest track clocks in at a little over 3 and a half minutes, yet this album is remarkably satisfying when it finishes. There is so much aggression, speed, and violence delivered in this sub-half hour record that you are never left wanting for more content. Though this approach generally foregoes songwriting in favour of brutality, this is once instance where that is perfectly acceptable. “Agony Defined” is the type of record that you can throw on and thrash out to, without worrying about getting bored. In fact, just around the time that you might be ready for something a bit more memorable, the band comes up with “Split From The Inside Out”, which is far and away my favourite track. The chorus of this track really displays how perfectly crunchy the guitar tone is, as well as how vicious Carnes’ vocals are. Ultimately however, this track is a microcosm of the album, just with slightly better songwriting. Nothing about this short experience is weak, and you’d do yourself a massive disservice if you miss out on Noisem’s “Agony Defined”.

Be sure to check out and like Noisem on Facebook!

Highlights

"Voices In The Morgue"

"Mortuary"

"Split From The Inside Out"

Final Rating

4.25/5 or 85%. 

Written by Scott