Macabra - Blood-Nurtured Nature

Just because Sweden is the top tier country for death metal nowadays (And the past), that doesn't mean that the States doesn't have any bands waving the flag of filthy, old-school ancient metal of death, because there are quite a few and Macabra happens to be one of the best I've come across. Their brand of early Autopsy worship meets Craig Pillard and some random black metal musician hailing from a very grim and evil forest is fantastic. 

As mentioned earlier, the vocals here are very reminiscent of Craig Pillard and even have a touch of Karl Willetts thrown in for good measure, as they smother the listener and add even more heaviness to the music on "Blood-Nurtured Nature." But there is also some more guttural and raspy vocals that come and go as they please, which goes back to that battleaxe-wielding, corpse paint wearing guy from the forest who slipped his way into the recording studio. The mix of these vocals mesh together very well and it shows, especially on the songs "Blood-Nurtured Nature" and "Exile of Sanity." The Pillard-esque vocals command the midpaced assault to perfection and then our friend from the forest adds a more uneasy, and evil feel to the music which sounds terrific. 

Riff-wise, Macabra resemble "Severed Survival" era Autopsy and that is definitely a positive factor here. The midpaced riffs chug along and retain an extremely old-school and raw feel that will have the listener reminiscing, remembering the first time they heard "Charred Remains" while simultaneously headbanging to tracks like "Consuming the Fleshy Wax" and "Fragments of Torpor." The band also has some of that doom influence that Autopsy did, though to a less extent. The intro to "Hominal Peel Daggers" is some grade A sludgy, riffing that eventually turns into an onslaught of great riff after great riff. 

In addition to the midpaced Autopsy lovefest that occurs, that sneaky Norwegian makes his presence felt again, as there are several instances where a piano or some other kind of ambiance is added to the music, though it isn't a very prominent part of the music or overbearing, therefore it doesn't bother me. At the end of the day, "Blood-Nurtured Nature" is already a front runner for the death metal album of the year and anyone looking for something new, yet ridiculously old-school and wants something other than the Swedeath worshiping bands, then Macabra is the band for you. 

Be sure to check out and like Macabra on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Macabra/310425612309931

Highlights

"Hominal Peel Daggers"

"Consuming the Fleshy Wax"

"Exile of Sanity"

Final Rating

4.5/5 or 90%. 

Pharaoh - Bury the Light

Remember when power metal meant powerful metal? Those were the days when keyboards were used sparingly (if at all), when vocalists sounded like a banshee screaming their lungs out, and when the guitars had just as much crunch as they did flare. Don’t get me wrong, I love the newer power metal bands, but it seems the older style of power metal is not as prominent as it used to be. Luckily, Pharaoh is here to bring back the glory days of the 80’s.

Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Pharaoh is the very definition of US power metal: hard-hitting riffs, wailing strong vocals, and plenty of speed. “Bury the Light” is their 4^th release, and is my introduction to the band. It’s safe to say that this is a solid metal record. In fact, aside from the originators of this style in the 80’s, I don’t think another band has been as convincing as Pharaoh.

Vocalist Tim Aymar, of Control Denied fame, steals the show on this album. His vocal melodies soar over top of an endless fury of riffs. The majority of the album is pretty fast, although many of the songs feature a short interlude that helps to prevent everything from blurring together. The exception to this relentless speed is “The Year of the Blizzard”, which is the longest song featuring a couple of acoustic parts, as well as a riff that is very reminiscent of Rush. For the most part though, the previously released song, “Castles in the Sky”, sums up the whole album. It’s one of those albums where every song is so energetic that you can’t help but get sucked into it. It also helps that the melodies are so well-written (both vocal and guitar lines).

Every song is fairly technical, but Pharaoh avoids the pretentiousness of being excessively techy. There is no lack of great musicianship here; as great as the riffs are, the solos are even better, and would challenge just about any guitar player. The bass playing is typical but does get a few moments play on its own, such as in the opening track “Leave Me Here To Dream”. It’s not too difficult to hear the bass, and it’s very noticeable on “Graveyard of Empires”, but for the most part, this album is about the guitars and vocals.

While Pharaoh continues the legacy of US power metal bands, they avoid sounding like a copy of any of them. There are certainly some similarities to Jag Panzer and Liege Lord, but the only band that ever seems to resemble Pharaoh is Brazilian speed metal band Hibria. Ultimately, this album delivers 9 full tracks of relentless, powerful metal. It might not be my album of the year, but I’m certain it will top quite a few lists.

Be sure to check out and like Pharaoh at their label’s page on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/cruzdelsurmusic?sk=app_204974879526524

Highlights:

“Leave Me Here To Dream”

“Castles in the Sky”

“Graveyard of Empires”

Final Rating:

4.1/5 or 82%

Written by Scott

Coldworker - The Doomsayer's Call

Death/grind has always been a real love or hate relationship for myself. Some of it I find to be the best music out there when the wanting for vicious death arises and the usual culprits I turn to are old school masters like Exhumed and Blood, or the new-schoolers who get better and better, Landmine Marathon. Now, Coldworker isn't exactly a full on death/grind act, but there is enough influence from both subgenres to call them as such, and coming from the home of some of the best death metal bands as well as tremendous grind acts like Nasum and Regurgitate, these guys have some mighty big shoes to fill. In case you didn't guess, these guys are indeed from Sweden which is home to some kind of birthing device that spews out great band after great band, but is Coldworker one of those bands? 

After listening to "The Doomsayer's Call," I would say that they're good enough. This album pretty much sums up what I said earlier about that whole love/hate relationship. I love some of the stuff on here and I hate some of it. Let's start with the good though. The best part about these guys are definitely their talent for conjuring up some brilliant midpaced riffs that absolutely reek of grind influence. The riffs found in songs like "The Reprobate" and "The Glass Envelope" are agony for the listener's neck, but great for their corrupted soul all the same. Coldworker also excels at weaving in some nice tremolo sections with the midpaced riffs like on the intro to "Murderous" as well as the rager "Pessimist." 

The vocals on "The Doomsayer's Call" are quite good, as they don't sound very much like a death metal vocalist from Sweden would sound, but they command the frenzy of brutality throughout the album well enough. The bass is audible as it thumps along heavily, and other than the very cool moment early on in the song "Murderous," I'm rather indifferent towards anything that the bass is doing. The drumming is very precise and there's no question that the man behind the kit is skilled as he blasts away and adds some terrific fills at times. 

Now, for the bad. This album was flat out boring and monotonous at points and I was almost tempted to skip to the next song on quite a few occasions, but luckily there's at least one decent enough riff or moment on each song (except for the intro track "A New Era," I found that one to be entirely skippable). The main problem was the repetitive blasting and tremolo bursts that seemed to be extremely bland and uninspired. It was like the band needed something random and fast in the background until they came to a riff worth listening to. 

Luckily, the good outweighed the bad on "The Doomsayer's Call," an album that could have been fantastic rather than just good. Fans of Exhumed, Nasum, Carcass, etc, should have no problems with this record as it could sustain for a good few listens and it shows some level of potential to be a grower that sneaks it's way into a regular rotation. 

Be sure to check out and like Coldworker on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/Coldworker

Highlights

"The Reprobate"

"Pessimist"

"Vacuum Fields"

Final Rating

4/5 or 80%. 

Putrified - Neurotic Necrotic

And he we are once more with another album from the motherland of all that is great metal, Sweden, this time it's Putrified, the one man band operated by A. Death and his second offering to the death metal underground, "Neurotic Necrotic." With so many great death metal releases out nowadays, it's become increasingly difficult to stand out and make a name and the usual best way to do that is by adding a twist to the traditional sound, but Putrified would have none of that whatsoever and the result is an album that is drenched in old-school Swedeath worship. 

The familiar guitar tone is present on "Neurotic Necrotic," though not as heavy as others. The tone is perfect though for the midpaced madness that occurs on this record. Just about every song on here follows the same structure of mixing midpaced tempos with much faster riffs that range from ripping death metal tremolo sections or some thrashier riffs. The opening song, (the title track) kicks this album off with a nice tremolo burst before the pace picks up to much faster speeds before leveling you with a heavy midpaced riff that is eventually followed with the familiar growls of A. Death. 

There are some extra little pieces of traditional Swedeath sound that find their way onto this album, as well as some more doomy elements. Tracks like "A Chamber Beneath" and "The Return of Ashes" feature their fair share of sludgy, downtuned chords that just creep along as well as some doomy melodies that wouldn't sound unfamiliar at all to any fan of Asphyx or Amorphis. The dark melodic sections on the song "They Speak" are also top notch and really give the song an evil feel that looms over the song and adds a brilliant uneasiness to the overall atmosphere. The bass also gets some moments to shine and boy is it absolutely heavy, especially on the song "These Forsaken Lands," which also happens to be the best song on "Neurotic Necrotic" with its stellar midpaced riffs that stomp the listener throughout. 

Honestly, nothing more really needs to be said about this record. It's not the best death metal album to come from Sweden in the 21st century, nor is absolutely mindblowing but it is a fun listen that any fan of old-school, rotting, filthy death metal could enjoy. 

Be sure to check out and like Putrified on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Putrified/139314062811752

Highlights

"The Land of Pharoes"

"These Forsaken Lands"

"The Return of Ashes"

Final Rating

4.2/5 or 84%. 

Ominous Crucifix - The Spell of Damnation

Oh you didn't know? Death metal is back, and back with a vengeance I would say. Yes, death metal never left, but it did start to get pretty crappy and then the technical and brutal death metal bands started to clog the scene with their shite, but in the past couple of years, the old school has returned in full force with a bunch of young bands that are playing just about every style of death metal around. Whether your flavor is Incantation worship, filthy Swedeath groups, even filthier and more vile bands that take their influence from Autopsy, Asphyx, Convulse, etc, there is a band out there for you. But where does that leave Mexico's Ominous Crucifix? 

These ragers from south of the border play some pretty heavy and atmospheric death metal that takes a lot of influence mainly from bands like Bolt Thrower, Benediction, and Master, bands that didn't really take their music to the extreme, but instead just hit you with some heavier than hell riffs and trampled you underneath their midpaced march. The first half of this album definitely leans toward the aforementioned influences as songs like "Third Day Resurrection" and "Primitive Sin" really don't stray away from the midpaced monotony, and I say monotony because these songs are just that. Boring. They don't really stimulate the listener or get the listener to bang their head like a maniac, they're just there while the vocalist howls over them. 

Luckily, Ominous Crucifix manages to save themselves later on the second half of "The Spell of Damnation." The songs here are all longer, but they have more dynamics to them than the snoozefests earlier on. The track "Secular Omens of Doom" couldn't be more aptly named. The doomy chords that open the track recall those that could be heard from bands like Autopsy or Paradise Lost, and the overall feel of the whole track really captures a great atmosphere that the earlier songs lacked. The title track and "Defiling the Altars of an Absent God" also bring that same dark aura, by weaving some terrific melodic passages with the heavy riffs and crushing vocals. These aren't your typical Gothenburg, melodeath kind of melodies, but the kind that could be heard from the Finnish death metal bands (Amorphis in particular) that gave an evil kind of atmosphere, and Ominous Crucifix knows how to use them well. 

Overall, "The Spell of Damnation" isn't the amazing album that it could have been, mainly due to the horrifically mediocre songs earlier on, but when Ominous Crucifix does write some well-written music, it is quite good and worth checking out. 

Be sure to check out and like Ominous Crucifix on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ominous-Crucifix/213914485299717

Highlights

"Defiling the Altars of An Absent God"

"Secular Omens of Doom"

"The Spell of Damnation"

Final Rating

4/5 or 80%.