The Revenge Project – Figment Paradise

“Figment Paradise” is the 4^th full-length record by Bulgarian death metal band The Revenge Project. For the uninitiated, these guys have been around since the turn of the millennium, and play old-school death metal that wipes the floor with nearly any modern band. Immediately upon hearing this album, the first word that came to mind was inspired. It is clear that The Revenge Project have a very good handle on what made so many of the bands before them great. The riffs, while not overly unique or proprietary, are killer. They’re just different enough that it doesn’t feel like you’ve heard them before, yet true to the style the band emulates. It is worth pointing out that “Figment Paradise” shows how death metal can actually be improved with good production. Forget the murky caves that dominate the scene these days; this album is clean and clear. You can hear every instrument perfectly (bass included), with all musicians working towards the same goal: interesting songwriting.

The Revenge Project is not a band that simply blasts their way through an album. Sure, there are blast beats here and there, but the song takes center stage. A great example is the opener, “Redeemers and Believers”. Not only does this track have some of the most killer riffs the world has seen since the mid-1990s, but it also locks into a huge groove about halfway through. Indeed, The Revenge Project make use of groove multiple times throughout the record, and put others to shame with how they do it. Good groove always comes from the drums – occasionally aided by bass - and not the riffs (Vio-lence is another band who understood this). There are numerous times throughout the album where the rhythm section locks into sometimes a bit more restrained, and you can’t help but bob your head to the beat they put forth.

From a riff perspective, “Figment Paradise” has a lot going on. Of course, there are the standard tremolo-picked riffs (and even quite a few that don’t sound like you’ve heard them 1,000 times before), but songs like “Road To Revenge” also show some more intricate, muted melodic patterns. They even manage to make mid-paced songs like “Son of Abyss” interesting. This is in part due to the sheer heaviness of the riffs (again, because of the sharp production), and the use of more dissonant patterns that let notes ring out to their fullest. The band’s axemen are incredibly skilled, and they ensure you know that as often as possible. They offer up speedy, dazzling solos that are a perfect fit for each song. The aforementioned “Son of Abyss” has some truly twisted-sounding leads, which complement the bludgeoning, methodical nature of the track.  

Not being content to restrict themselves to just death metal, The Revenge Project does offer some experimentation on the final track on the record. This song features the use of clean vocals, and while the two methods of singing don’t often mix well (especially on a pure death metal album), The Revenge Project does an admirable job. In fact, I’ve never really heard them incorporated into death metal in this way, which makes “Figment Paradise” worth hearing. It almost morphs into a power metal track at times. This song also demonstrates the band's affinity for clean guitar sections, which are used on more than one occasion (though this particular song uses them in a more upbeat banner than in their other appearances).

Overall, “Figment Paradise” stands out amongst a very crowded death metal field. The Revenge Project have better riffs, songs, and execution than many of their peers, and the result is an album that is going to cause a lot of mayhem in the pit. This is exactly the type of band that should be signed to a record like Dark Descent, as they deserve much more exposure than they've received to date.

Be sure to check out and like The Revenge Project on Facebook!

Highlights

"Redeemers and Believers"

"Road To Revenge"

"Son of Abyss"

Final Rating

4.6/5 or 92%. 

Written by Scott

Cemetery Filth / Ectovoid / Sabbatory / Trechrot - 4 Doors to Death

As the name implies, “4 Doors To Death” is a 4-way death metal split album featuring a number of bands from Unspeakable Axe Records. This release hearkens back to a time where split albums where more than just 2 bands smashing together a couple of demos, and instead offers a full-length release with a coherent sound, yet distinct styles. “4 Doors To Death” is aided by the fact that each band has their own unique nuances in the production, so you can tell when moving from one door to the next, yet it doesn’t feel like a jarring change.

Cemetery Filth

The first door on this album belongs to Cemetery Filth. Their 3 tracks serve as an excellent example of the band’s sound: rotten, murky, downtuned death metal goodness. A lot of their riffs also sound reminiscent of early Morbid Angel, as they’ve got a slightly sideways approach to songwriting. The band isn’t afraid to slow things down to create ominous sounding riffs that provide the majority of melody on the record (as they do in the opener “Consumption of Volition”, as well as the brooding solo that kicks off “Dagonian Dialect… The Obelisk Unearthed”). This contrast with the faster, more muddled sound gives off a feeling of controlled chaos. Cemetery Filth provide some dastardly riffing, but do so with incredible precision. It is difficult to imagine a better start to this split than Cemetery Filth’s offering.

Ectovoid

Ectovoid is the only of the 4 bands on this release that I admittedly was not familiar with prior to this album. With only two tracks, the band has less of a chance to make their mark, and unfortunately they don’t quite pull it off. Relative to Cemetery Filth’s wild, but tight approach, Ectovoid leans more towards being noisy. Good riffs exist, but are shrouded by loud drums (particularly the cymbals), and fuzzy guitars. The songwriting feels less deliberate, and tends to blur together. This is particularly evident when the band’s drummer makes use of blastbeats, where it is almost impossible to pick out what is going on. The unfortunate part about this door is that when you really focus and try to block out the drums, there’s a lot to like here. With better production, Ectovoid would definitely be up to par with the other 3 bands on this release. This is particularly evident in the second half of “Possessed By Ancient Dread” were the band locks into a chugging riff that is sure to cause some neck pain.

Sabbatory

The only Canadian band on this split is Sabbatory, who put forth an amazing album last year. Fans of that album will be happy to know that the band’s production on “4 Doors To Death” is quite similar, as it still features that awesome crackly snare that made their debut stand out. They also still have a huge punk feel that is driven by the drumming. The remainder of the music is nothing foreign to death metal: tremolo-picked riffs, growling vocals, and an overall monolithic wall of sound. Nevertheless, the band manages to come up with some unique riffs that distinctly sound like Sabbatory. Even as someone who is by no means a connoisseur of death metal, this is a band always that sticks out in a good way within 30 seconds of hearing them.

Trenchrot

The final door to enter belongs to Trenchrot. Relative to their 3 peers on this release, Trenchrot is the band most responsible for bringing the doom. While Cemetery Filth and Ectovoid had a few slow sections, it is Trenchrot that makes them the most crushing. From the opening seconds of their part of the split, Trenchrot hurls you into a colossal dissonant world. “Hell Pilot’s Call” eventually transforms into a song with a cold, marching beat to it. Of the 4 bands on this release, Trenchrot is by far the most unique, largely because their sound is a lot cleaner (by death metal standards) and more mechanical sounding than the other bands’. Despite their tendency towards doomy sections, Trenchrot proves they can play just as fast as everyone else with the closing track, a cover of Death’s “Evil Dead”. Similarly, the majority of “Powerful Kandarian Steel” is speedier than the first track the band presented.

“4 Doors To Death” is a really fun listen because it feels like it exists for a purpose. In an age where bands only collaborate to reach a slightly bigger audience, this release feels like a celebration of modern death metal (not to mention a great label), as it takes bands with slightly different twists on the subgenre, and puts them onto one release. It certainly has its ups and downs, but all 4 doors have something to offer, and for that reason, it is an essential purchase for death metal maniacs!

Be sure to check out and like Cemetery Filth, Ectovoid, Sabbatory, and Trenchrot on Facebook!

Highlights

"Consumption of Volition"

"Ascention To My Holy Tomb"

"Hell Pilot's Call"

"Evil Dead"

Final Rating

4.25/5 or 85%. 

Written by Scott

Paraphrenic Hostility – Prepare For War

“Prepare For War” is the first demo from Philippines-based thrash metal band Paraphrenic Hostility. The title is an apt description of the 3 songs the band presents on this release. Their approach is fast and noisy, but the playing is tight. Riffs are thrown at the listener with rapid fire, rarely letting up. While these riffs are grounded in thrash, Paraphrenic Hostility’s singer takes more of a rougher death/thrash approach. The combination of his low-pitched grunting alongside being a bit further back in the mix keeps the riffs in focus throughout this release. It is only when the guitar solos appear that the riffs take a back seat. These solos demonstrate that the band’s guitarists are quite talented, as their sound is not dissimilar from early Kreator. In other words, Paraphrenic Hostility’s guitarists play speedy atonal licks that are designed to make the music feel even more chaotic. 

Though the band is successful in achieving a noisy sound, it also hurts them. There is little semblance of memorable riffs or vocal lines. The guitars put forth such a buzz that one can’t help but feel that sounding cleaner would greatly benefit the band. When thing are simplified, such as in the breakdown near the end of “Kamatayan sa Kamay na Bakal”, the band really gets on a roll. Most of the time, however, it is too difficult to discern what is going on. Overall, “Prepare For War” is a demo that shows potential, but is harmed by production. Fans of thrash should still check it out, but it is likely that Paraphrenic Hostility will go on to greater things in the future.

Be sure to check out and like Paraphrenic Hostility on Facebook!

Highlights

All/none

Final Rating

3.25/5 or 65%. 

Written by Scott