Krisiun – Forged In Fury

It has been four years since the last death metal opus from Brazilian legends Krisiun. “Forged In Fury” marks the bands 10^th full-length record, and it is an impressive effort in continuing the band’s unrelenting hate-filled legacy. Make no mistake, this album is not for the weak. Over the course of 51-minutes, these three brothers unleash every single riff in their arsenal and leave every neck sore. Though their recent records have delivered the same point in equally compelling form, Krisiun is a band that is essentially going to bludgeon you over the head continuously with brutality. The drumming in particular is quite maniacal, as it makes extensive use of blastbeats (not to the point of ad nauseam, but certainly a lot). As you might expect, double bass is also very prominent on this effort, and Krisiun’s drummer ends up putting on an absolute clinic in terms of endurance and aggression.

The rest of the performances fall in line with the drumming. Riffs travel a mile a minute, and are often tremolo-picked. The bass playing isn’t as loud as I’d like, but that’s because it is usually being drowned out by an insanely heavy riff or blasting. Surprisingly, the lead playing feels a bit more melodic than what I’d expect from Krisiun. The most prominent example is the beginning of the opening track “Scars of the Hatred”, but it does show up as well in songs like “Strength Forged Fury”. Krisiun’s vocalist is as brutal as ever. If you put in a bit of effort, you can make out a good deal of what he’s saying, but that’s not particularly important on this record.

While I’m a big proponent of memorable songwriting, this is the style of album where it becomes less important. There isn’t much that will stick with you after a listen of “Forged In Fury”, but that’s likely because your skull will be smashed into several pieces. The band delivers such an enthusiastic performance that it doesn’t matter whether or not you can match certain riffs to each song. Long-time fans will love this album, and newcomers to the band should be instantly convinced: “Forged In Fury” is a definite purchase!

Be sure to check out and like Krisiun on Facebook!

Highlights

All of it

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott 

Angelus Apatrida – Hidden Evolution

Quite a few years ago, I stumbled across a great band from Spain called Angelus Apatrida. They had a couple of albums out at the time, and I checked out their first one, “Evil Unleashed”. It was somewhat of an interesting release because it was more similar to a Pantera-esque groove-thrash (“Cowboys From Hell”-era) than it was straight ahead thrash. Over the years, I’m sort of lost track of the band, largely in part because their albums are not easy to find in North America. That all changes with “Hidden Evolution”, their fifth record.

At some point since the band’s first album, they’ve refocused their emphasis to be more on the thrash side of things. Make no mistake, this album has little, if any, ties to Pantera’s music. This is evident on “Immortal”, which hits you with a drum fill and a thrashing monstrosity of a riff right out of the gate. Perhaps more importantly, this song shows why I always enjoyed Angelus Apatrida’s first album: they keep the focus on the songs. There are so many hooks and catchy moments on this song, and they never stop coming throughout the album. Whether the band is playing at warp-10 speed or being a bit more melodic in their approach, it always seems to work.

One reason this band is so great is because of their singer Guillermo Izquierdo. His accent is not noticeably thick, and he has incredible control of his voice. Though he differs sonically from someone like James Hetfield, he has the same ability to bark out words and then instantly switch to something with a little more range. His versatility is a huge asset because it allows the band to utilize less aggressive drum patterns that the vocals can follow. Much in the same way Metallica varied up their tempos, Angelus Apatrida does so successfully, and this makes “Hidden Evolution” very easy to sit through, even at 52 minutes.

In terms of their formula, Angelus Apatrida does not experiment too much. The title track is a bit of an epic journey, and has some twists and turns. Additionally, sometimes they push the melodicism a bit further, such as parts of “First World of Terror” and "Tug of War", but they do not try their hand at a ballad, or anything more in a death/doom/black metal etc. direction. They really don’t need to mix it up though. It feels so rare to hear a genuinely great thrash band that plays straightforward thrash these days. Most of the time, modern thrash bands either sound like an Exodus rehash and aren’t that great, or they’re great because they bring new elements into a thrash sound. Angelus Apatrida does neither of those things. They just play thrash with so much energy and conviction that you can’t help but headbang to it. In hindsight, I’m really not sure why this band hasn’t blown up and become huge yet. Sure, they’re bigger than a lot of other thrash bands these days, but given how long Angelus Apatrida has been around and how good their music is, they should be appreciated much more heavily in the thrash arena than they are. That said, if you are a thrash fan, “Hidden Evolution” is a must purchase!

Be sure to check out and like Angelus Apatrida on Facebook!

Highlights

"Immortal"

"First World of Terror"

"Tug of War"

"End Man"

Final Rating

4.5/5 or 90%. 

Written by Scott

Deicide – In The Minds of Evil

“In The Minds of Evil” marks the 11^th release from death metal’s favourite blasphemous band, and while the lyrical impact of Deicide has diminished over the years, the music continues to be pummeling. After three albums of Ralph Santolla’s out of place (though enjoyable), melodic ramblings, the band has once again recruited Kevin Quirion, who contributed to a bulk of the songwriting. This simple change has led Deicide to sound like the band that everyone knew from the self-titled debut through “Serpents of the Light”. In particular, the guitar solos are not virtuosic, but instead are some of the most evil guitar patterns written, much in line with what the Hoffman brothers used to do in the band.

Another way the band tried to capture the old-school sound was through the production and song structures. In the case of “To Hell With God”, both of these elements were very obvious and in your face. The production was loud and modern, while the songs were not particularly complex (at least for Deicide). On “In The Minds of Evil”, the band makes use of more intricate riffing and patterns, while hiding behind a less startling production. A song like “Thou Begone” uses riffs with more complicated time signatures in order to bring back the feel of old Deicide. The riffs in general tend to jump between heavily muted power chords, and feature plenty of chugging.

Knowing that Quirion and Jack Owen have done their job, the discussion now needs to turn to the band’s veterans, Steve Asheim and Glen Benton. Asheim’s performances have never been in doubt. Once again, he provides a rhythmically pummeling showing that would put other drummers to shame. Armed with a barrage of blast beats and double bass, Asheim is practically a machine (though his performance never feels mechanical like in bands such as Fleshgod Apocalypse). Moving on to Benton, he mostly retains the style of vocals he used on “To Hell With God”. He no longer gargles his way through the album, but instead uses the brutal and understandable vocal style he was known for in the 90’s. In addition, the harmonized high and low harsh vocals he continues to use still impress. Though they are not as frequent as they used to be, it just makes their appearance more impactful. 

“In The Minds of Evil” is not only a great record, but also a surprising one. Although each Deicide album feels unique to me, I’m willing to admit I’m a pretty big fanboy of the band. This release is truly a return to form of one of death metal’s best bands. Picking a favourite track is largely an effort in futility. Songs like the title track, "Godkill", and "End The Wrath of God" are certainly the catchiest, but this album is simply a cohesive force of riffs known as Deicide.

Be sure to check out and like Deicide on Facebook!

Highlights

"In The Minds of Evil"

"Thou Begone"

"Godkill"

"End The Wrath of God"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Written by Scott