Grethor – Cloaked In Decay

“Cloaked In Decay” marks EP number 2 for Grethor. This American black/death metal group plays really twisted music. It’s almost misanthropic; this EP truly sounds like the soundtrack for anyone who hates anything and everything. This is most obvious from the vocals, which hack, wheeze, and scream their way through the EP. Despite offering a variety of different vocal styles, all of them sound bizarre. Of course, this is a perfect fit for the music, which presents unique-sounding sections of excessive dissonance. The guitars are often playing melodies and riffs that are technically unpleasing (though this is the intended effect). It seems that as these guitar lines stray further and further from any sort of standard music theory, the rest of the band also ramps up the intensity, with the drums usually finding a way to blast at inhuman speeds.

The band does spend some time playing more straightforward black/death metal. There’s no shortage of brutal, downtuned riffs on “Cloaked in Decay”. Many of these riffs tend to be consistent 16^th note patterns that flow well with the continuous thunder of double bass. As these sections are not the primary focus relative to the dissonant sections, it is understandable why the production is not particularly clean. This EP is on the noisy side of things, with no one instrument really winning the battle. Certain aspects of the drums are quite a bit louder than others (noticeably the ride cymbal), but for the most part, the instruments are jumbled together in a way that will take multiple listens to truly decipher. Nevertheless, this approach to production seems congruent with the band’s musical direction, and you can’t really fault them for it.

Admittedly, I’ve never found much appeal in this style of music. Grethor does execute it well, but it feels like once you’ve heard one album like this, you’ve heard a lot of them. Perhaps that changes with extensive listening of this style, but sometimes the idea of making music that breaks all of the rules is better than the actual result of it. Again, this is no comment against Grethor’s musical quality, as “Cloaked In Decay” accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do.

Be sure to check out and like Grethor on Facebook!

Highlights

All of it

Final Rating

3.5/5 or 70%. 

Written by Scott 

Denouncement Pyre - Almighty Arcanum

Only a little more than a month into 2013 and Australia has already unleashed an album that will more than likely find its way to the top of many year-end lists, and that record is Denouncement Pyre's sophomore "Almighty Arcanum." Of course, an album as awesome as this needs an equally awesome label like Hell's Headbangers to spread this unholy beast across the metal underground, and like nearly all of the label's releases, this one is worth your money. The Australian metal scene is no stranger to bestial black/death metal bands, so it should come as no surprise that this trio of darkness (which features members of the insanely good Nocturnal Graves) has gotten the formula for mesmerizing, yet punishing death metal down to a science, creating eight tracks of blasphemous perfection that should please fans of bands like Destroyer 666, Weapon, Beherit, Bathory and the like. 

The riffs come in dozens throughout "Almighty Arcanum," and the guitarist D. doesn't write too many lackluster ones, as a majority of the riffage on this album ranges from decent to excellent. The amount of fast and pummeling riffs is almost equal to the amount of crushing mid-paced passages and melodic sections, making for a well-balanced assault. There is absolutely no lack of quality to be found on this release, and the superior songwriting throughout guarantees it. "An Extension to the Void" is the opening track and it immediately showcases what this band does so damn well, and that's create memorable music. The song clocks in at a little over seven minutes, but it should have no problem in holding the listener's attention, as the riffs flow together with the thundering drums and haunting vocals in such a smooth manner, that the listener has no reason to tune out, but sit back and continue to be the recipient of a sonic beat-down courtesy of one of Austalia's finest in Denouncement Pyre. 

Aside from the impeccable songwriting skills and numerous riffs, these Aussies are able to create memorable death metal by conjuring up an evil and dark atmosphere that spans the whole album from beginning to end, making every slower passage that much more chilling, and the faster and heavier stuff stand out from atypical thrash riffage masked by intense drumming and extreme vocals. The title track and "He Who Conquers All" are the best examples of this, with both songs featuring a solid mix of rapid-fire tempos and mid-paced headbangers, but there is always that lingering dark aura that identifies the music as Denouncement Pyre and no one else. "Almighty Arcanum" is a monolithic record in terms of just how heavy and massive the sound is, proving this isn't your typical basement metal act looking to make extreme music for the sake of being extreme. This is not for the faint of heart or those looking for innovation, simply for those who enjoy music soaked in blasphemy and evil. 

Be sure to check out and like Denouncement Pyre on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Denouncement-Pyre/18810643921

Highlights
"Almighty Arcanum"
"He Who Conquers All"
"The Deceiver"

Final Rating
4.4/5 or 88%.

Weapon - Embers and Revelations

I've only become familiar with Weapon within the past month or so, but I've listened to their first two records "Drakonian Paradigm" and "From the Devil's Tomb" constantly (and eventually added this gem to rotation) since, and am I fucking glad that I stumbled upon these guys. The Canadian quartet plays a brand of black/death metal (that at points blurs with other subgenres of metal) that gives Weapon a sound that they can call their own. If you've heard the first two records, then there isn't a reason you won't love this one like the rest, as "Embers and Revelations" evolves the group's sound in a natural way that doesn't sound forced, yet they've also retained a lot of that "weird" goodness that fans of the band have become quite fond of. They'e also continued to mirror some of the greats in their work that have drawn comparisons to amazing bands such as Absu, ("Altars of Madness" era) Morbid Angel, Watain, Beherit, among other acts that have provided plenty of evil and eerie tunes as much as they did crushingly heavy songs. 

"The First Witnesses of Lucifer" kicks off the album, and it shows off the main tenets of the band's sound - dark melodies, thrashy riffs, incredible solos and top-notch musicianship, making for an ideal opening track. Another aspect of "Embers and Revelations" that immediately becomes apparent, is the production of the record. It's not very raw sounding (especially when compared to the previous albums), yet the music doesn't lose any of the eerie atmosphere or the harsh edge to the riffs. "Vanguard of the Morning Star" is easily my favorite track here. The cohesiveness of the band really shines through on this song when the melodic tremolos mesh perfectly with the blackened vocals to create a chilling sound that is followed with more stellar riffs and lead guitar work. Speaking of the lead work, the guitarists for Weapon have just the right amount of technicality in their songs, never going into a complete wankfest that takes away from the focus on writing actual riffs. This really shows on the guitar solos which possess a lot of melody and technical skill, but most importantly, they fit the rest of the music. 

All of the tracks (sans the decent instrumental) on "Embers and Revelations" showcase what Weapon truly does better than most bands, and that's write terrific songs. These four metalheads structure their songs in a very awesome fashion that allows each track to have multiple moments that have the listener wanting to hear more. The amount of riffs, bass work, solos and every other aspect of the songs is balanced to perfection, creating a controlled frenzy of chaotic music that isn't too sporadic or hard to digest, instead memorable. Overall, Weapon accomplishes what they've set out to with every one of their albums, and that's continue to forge their unique and brilliant sound by conjuring wicked songs meant to haunt those who enjoy the dark music, as well as vicious tracks that'll get your headbanging. With the way that this band has been progressing, I'm already awaiting their next release which is sure to cement Weapon as one of this generation's premier bands. 

Be sure to check out and like Weapon on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/theweaponchakra

Highlights
"The First Witnesses of Lucifer"
"Vanguard of the Morning Star"
"Liber Lilith"

Final Rating
4.4/5 or 88%.