Sinister Realm - World of Evil

In just a few short years of existence, Allentown, PA’s Sinister Realm is already on their third record, “World of Evil”. This was my first hearing of them, and after seeing the album cover, it was clear that some serious heavy metal was about to be unleashed upon my ears. Perhaps rather than heavy, the key word here should be power. That isn’t because this is power metal (it’s not), but rather, it’s because of the sheer strength of the vocals of Alex Kristof. His ability is far greater than he ever lets on throughout the course of this record, and that is a great thing for the band. Rather than trying to deliver a consistently over-the-top performance (ala Ripper Owens), Kristof uses his normal singing voice and lets the catchy melodies take center. This is no more obvious than on the opening track, “Dark Angel of Fate”, where his voice soars over the uplifting guitar leads underneath. If it isn’t clear yet, Kristof’s performance is the highlight of “World of Evil”.

Luckily, however, the rest of the band delivers as well. Though this album is never particularly fast, there is no shortage of interesting, heavy riffs. Sometimes when bands play more mid-paced stuff (“Bell Strikes Fear” is one such rocking song), there is a tendency to become plodding and boring, but that isn’t the case with Sinister Realm. For one thing, the bass cuts through the mix consistently, making Steve Harris proud, and offering relief in case you ever want to look beyond the riffing. Speaking of Steve Harris, the bass tone is remarkably similar to any of the four Iron Maiden reunion records. Very few albums manage to command this much attention on the bass, and it is satisfying to say the least. Beyond the rhythm work and the riffs, the guitars also offer wicked harmonized leads. The best example is the bone-chilling opening to “World of Evil”, which sets the mood for a true heavy metal classic, where once again, Kristof's vocals shine in the chorus. 

At this point you may have noticed that I’ve only made reference to the first three tracks. As with many records that was deliberate. These three songs (alongside “The Ghosts of Nevermore”) are by far the strongest on the album. This is definitely a front-loaded record, but unlike other similarly designed records, the remaining songs on “World of Evil” are still very good, just not up to par with the first four. Nevertheless, the record as a whole is a bit of a grower because of its slower pace, and so these other songs may become more interesting over time. “World of Evil” is highly recommended to anyone who can appreciate brilliant singing, and a fantastic attention to songwriting.  

Be sure to check out and like Sinister Realm on Facebook!

Highlights

"Dark Angel of Fate"

"Bell Strikes Fear"

"World of Evil"

Final Rating

4.25/5 or 85%. 

Written by Scott 

Interview with Jose Kurtz of Stormwrath/Voice of Hate/Extreme Noise Terror!

I recently reviewed the first and only record from Spanish thrashers, Stormwrath, and was subsequently contacted by vocalist and bassist Jose Kurtz for an interview! Read on to get an idea of the various projects he's been involved in, including a new one that will feature members of Absu and Puissance!

SFM: Greetings Jose! Let’s jump right into things. You mentioned prior to our interview that you have been playing thrash and death metal since 1988. How did you first get started playing this style?

Jose Kurtz: I was a teenager who discovered bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead and I needed to go beyond this sound. I met another guys who liked the same style and I was trying to start a band with them.

SFM: Back in 1988, what bands were your biggest influences? Have your influences changed over the years?

JK: Slayer, Metallica, Sodom, Anthrax, Kreator, Bathory, any extreme band in those times was very welcome, any magazine or information about this scene.

My influence along the years didn´t changed too much, maybe I included another genres or bands into my likes but everything turns back to the roots and this is the example of Stormwrath.

SFM: You spent over a decade playing in Voice of Hate. Tell us a little bit about that band, their sound, and why they ultimately split up.

JK: Voice of Hate was a band with lot of members from another interesting bands, we started in 1992 until 2007. 15 years of releases, gigs, tours, etc… In VOH played members of Assück, Profundis Tenebrarum, Abazagorath, Funebrarum, Citizens Arrest, Extreme Noise Terror, Visceral Damage, Violent Headache, Taste of Fear, and many more. We released CD´s, 7” ep´s, split albums with Cadaver, Taste of Fear, In Slaughter Natives... Our sound was Death Metal but always with this old Thrash Metal influence.

The band died in 2007 because the members had another bands and projects, it was a friendly separation and we decided to stop to continue conquering another fields into extreme music.

SFM: In addition to singing with Voice of Hate, you were briefly a part of Extreme Noise Terror. How did that gig come about?

JK: I was directing their videoclip “Awakening”, their singer Dean Jones listened Voice of Hate and then he invited me to sing in their European tour 2001. That was great times.

SFM: After these two bands, you started Stormwrath. How long have you had you been working on the songs that finally appeared on “Swords of Armageddon”?

JK: We started working on the demo 2009 and the album at the same time, but the album had another direction more solid. We started recording the album in December 2009. Some of the songs of “Swords” was written by Dary Kahan (Funebrarum) and Rob Mikael (Urgrund), these lyrics was for VOH songs that I had abandoned but finally we used for Stormwrath, it was the case of “Beyond Trinity”, “Ascend to Hell” and “Extermageddon”.

We was working on the album before to start recording around 4 months or so. We spent 3 months recording in the studio.

                  Jose Kurtz

SFM: What was the response like when “Swords of Armageddon” was first released?

JK: Seems that we had good response, even in the gigs we played. We featured in some magazines with good reviews. A pity the band dissapeared.

SFM: What can you tell us about the unreleased Stormwrath album that was written? Why was it not ultimately released?

JK: After the release of “Swords” we started composing a new album that never was recorded, it was in one of the process of writing this material when we split-up. This album was going to be faster, more intense, shorter songs and more minimalist. Just like a machine gun spiting fire during 30 minutes!

SFM: Do you think Stormwrath will be resurrected at some point in the future?

JK: Never. And if some old member exhumate the band then it will not be the same that was before.

SFM: Your new project will feature members of Puissance (Swe) and Abazagorath/Funebrarum (USA). What will this band sound like and when will fans be able to hear the material?

JK: I am drawing a plan with Alberto Hellstabber (Stormwrath), Fredrik Süderlung (Puissance) and Proscritor McGovern (Absu) to start a band/Project of Thrash-Black with NWOBHM parts. I have to say that it will be something never heard/seen before. I hope to start working along 2014 into this project, still nameless. But I can promise a overdose of interesting and great material with talented musicians from cult bands.                                                                        Alberto Hellstabber

SFM: Having played in several bands from Spain, how do you feel about the Spanish metal scene, and how has it evolved over time?

JK: In Spain we have good bands, Altar of Sin is my favorite. I think there are undervalued bands that needs to be rescued from oblivion, bands like Legion, Barbarian, Obscure, Estigia… many cult bands.

SFM: Are there any new wicked bands out of Spain that you want to mention?

JK: Sure! The band that shocked me the last years is Litmus (UK), a Space-Rock band that I recommend. I also would like to mention Nachtmystium, Absu, Blood Ceremony, Witchcraft, Aura Noir, Puissance…

SFM: Any final words for the fans out there?

JK: “Without music life would be a mistake” (Fredrich Nietzshe). 

Thanks a lot for the interview!

Entrails - Raging Death

In the story of revivalist old-school Swedish death metal, Entrails has a unique part. They are the only band that I’m aware of that were formed in the early 90’s at the peak of the scene, released nothing, and then reformed recently and began putting out new material (at an astounding rate). “Raging Death” serves as my introduction to the band, and from the get-go, you know exactly what to expect. If the band’s logo doesn’t send thoughts of Entombed to your head, the music is even clearer about the band’s influences.

“Raging Death” provides ten tracks that are filled with crunchy, buzz-saw tone riffs. The guitars are so downtuned that the tone sounds like the natural result of plugging in these guitars, but rest assured, the famed Swedish toy definitely sounds like it is in use here. The riffs are mostly upbeat (and are often combined with punk-inspired drumming), but sometimes revert to slower passages. Unlike many of their contemporaries however, Entrails don’t exclusively rely on those doomy sometimes-harmonized leads that were pioneered by Autopsy (they do exist though; see: "Descend to the Beyond"). Instead, when the band slows things down, it is often to deliver crushing power chords that bludgeon the listener with their brutality. These passages allow the death-entrenched vocals to take the forefront. Guttural does not even begin to describe the vocalist on this record. If Johan Hegg from Amon Amarth was slightly less clear in his delivery, that would give a good indication of the vocals on this record. 

Given all of that praise, “Raging Death” is certainly worthy of your collection, but it is not without faults. For one thing, how much of this sound can we really take anymore? It could be my general preference of Floridian and New York death metal to the Swedish sound, but Entrails is just one of a long line of bands that devoutly worship this sound with little attention to songwriting. Sure, “In Pieces” is a wickedly brutal opener, and “Bloodhammer” has its moments, but if I’m just looking for 45 minutes of razor-sharp guitar tones, I could just throw on an old Unleashed or Dismember record. Those two bands are great examples of what to do with this sound; both bands have added other elements to their music since their fantastic debuts. Dismember did so in the form of Iron Maiden like melodies, whereas Unleashed took a more melodic death metal approach and combined it with some black metal influence. By avoiding being a straight replication of their sound, they’ve created some worthy of returning to. I won’t fault Entrails, however. If you love this style, “Raging Death” is going to blow you away. It puts all of the elements well together, it just happens to miss the one I enjoy most: hooks.  

Be sure to check out and like Entrails on Facebook!

Highlights

"In Pieces"

"Bloodhammer"

Final Rating

3.7/5 or 74%. 

Written by Scott 

Ranger - Knights of Darkness

“Knights of Darkness” marks the first major release for Finland’s Ranger. Though often hailed as a speed metal band, Ranger plays the line between thrash and speed metal very closely. All five tracks on this EP feature primarily fast thrashy riffs, and there is not a lot of attention to melody. In fact, though speed metal is often considered to be “Iron Maiden at double speed”, there are very few Iron Maiden-like melodies on “Knights of Darkness”. One notable appearance, however, is on the track “Steel Dawn”, where the band has a harmonized guitar lead that sounds like it was pulled from “Majesty” by Blind Guardian. Aside from this section, and the intro to the EP, the majority of “Knights of Darkness” is a journey into primitive, evil-sounding speed metal. “Knights of Darkness” is loud, fast, and noisy. Right from the opener, “Ranger”, you are assaulted by a battering of drums that don’t let up. The vocals are nothing more than an extension of what Cronos would sound like if Venom played a bit faster. Though the actual tone is different, the attack is much the same. Guitar solos are frequent and are purposely frenetic, adding to the wild fury that the band displays proudly. 

Where this EP loses me is in the songwriting itself. There’s nothing wrong with doing something that has been done before, but there’s little to cling to when the EP finishes. It makes for a hollow, superficial experience. Sure, it’s fun while listening to, but at the rate that new bands are spewed forth, I need something that I’m going to come back to often. With that said, I have to commend the band for doing something different from their contemporaries. Very few new bands are playing this style of speed/thrash metal, and it is certainly refreshing to hear.

Be sure to check out and like Ranger on Facebook!

Highlights

"Ranger"

"Steel Dawn"

Final Rating

3.6/5 or 72%. 

Written by Scott