Conflicted – Under Bio-lence

“Under Bio-lence” marks album two for Chilean thrashers Conflicted. This release is a short but sweet ode to old-school thrash, as it prominently displays the vast majority of the subgenre’s traits. In fact, one might even say it is too true to the subgenre. Conflicted doesn’t inject any elements of speed, death, black, crossover, or power metal in their sound, making “Under Bio-lence” a very pure sounding record. This means that bands like Exodus or Vio-lence are the primary influences on this album. Of course, this acts as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s hard to mess up this style, which is why this is a serviceable record that is loaded with awesome riffs, gang vocals, and other thrashy moments. On the other, it’s also hard to stand out. The only real way to do it is to write truly great songs, and that is unfortunately where Conflicted falls short. Despite having listened to this album numerous times, nothing has stuck yet.   

To be fair to the band, this album has perfect execution. The production is huge, meaning that the guitars manage to be both thick and crunchy. The single-axe attack means that the bass playing can be heard loud and clear, particularly during a guitar solo (“Legal Emptiness” and “Public Privacy” having the best examples; some other songs have added rhythm guitar backings while these ones forego it). The drums are balanced to perfection, meaning that you’ll never miss a cracking snare. Even the singing on this album is exactly what you’d expect. The vocalist’s accent is minimal, perhaps even non-existent. He’s also very clear, and doesn’t resort to growling at all. On the whole, “Under Bio-lence” is an album that delivers on its premise. While not offering anything unique, you can be sure that this record will fit as well in your thrash collection as the album artwork does.  

Be sure to check out and like Conflicted on Facebook!

Highlights

All of it

Final Rating

3.5/5 or 70%. 

Written by Scott

Exmortus – Ride Forth

Less than two years removed from their last record, American thrashers Exmortus are back with a new album entitled “Ride Forth”. Fans of the band will be glad to know that this release is stylistically quite similar to the last one, and just as good. In fact, the opening moments of “Speed of the Strike” immediately show off what Exmortus is all about: hyper-technical guitar playing that is heavily inspired by classical music. Another way to describe it would be saying that Exmortus sounds like what would happen if Yngwie Malmsteen made a thrash record. The sheer complexity of the riffs is astounding (especially when you consider that one of their guitarists is also singing). At a certain point it becomes more of an exercise in memory than technical ability. No song offers a rest, as the band thrashes with full force all throughout the record. Even the bassist gets in on the action. The harmonized guitar work offers Exmortus’ low-end plenty of room to shine (this is particularly evident on "Hymn of Hate"), and their bass player moves between also harmonizing with the guitars, or offering less crazy, but more melodic lines. The technicality builds throughout the record until the band hits “Appassionata”, a 5 minute instrumental that shows off everything they have. Moving up and down the fretboard with ease, this song will make you want to quit playing bass or guitar, as you’ll never be able to compete with Exmortus.

“Ride Forth” has a lot more to offer than mindless shredding though (a term that is unfortunately derogatory to a lot of metalheads; I love this kind of stuff, and certainly don’t like calling it mindless). Jadran Gonzalez’ vocals are an excellent complement for the rhythmic assault the band provides. He uses a harsh tone that leans more towards death than thrash, not unlike Mille Petrozza or Tom Angelripper. Though the drums have less room to be flashy relative to the rest of the music, they provide an aural attack that makes for some seriously aggressive music. The two work in tandem particularly well in a song like “For The Horde”, where Gonzalez’ screams of “Whiplash! Hack slash!” seem perfectly synced with the rest of the music. Another song where they do something a bit different is “Black Sails”, which locks into an awesome mid-paced riff. This is a bit of an homage to more old-school thrash, as it lacks the technical wizardry of a lot of the other riffs on this album, but hits such a nice groove that it is gladly welcomed. 

Relative to “Slave To The Sword”, “Ride Forth” is a more consistent record, but with less individual highlights. In other words, the prior album had higher highs, but lower lows. There really isn’t a moment on “Ride Forth” that won’t induce serious pain on your neck, but there also isn’t anything quite as anthemic as “Metal Is King”. Nevertheless, “Ride Forth” is a worthy successor simply because Exmortus still makes this style of thrash interesting. There is no other band in the metal scene that sounds like Exmortus, and “Ride Forth” is another stellar release!

Be sure to check out and like Exmortus on Facebook!

Highlights

"Speed of the Strike"

"For The Horde"

"Appassionata"

Final Rating

4.3/5 or 86%. 

Written by Scott

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