Rest in Power - Mke Browning

 

Tampa Metal's legned drumm/vocalist Mike Browning, who passed at the age of 62  on July 13th.From liver failure, which would not be a huge surprise to those who knew him and his tenouw lifestyle,. The deaths caused by the rock ' n ' roll lifestyle are sometimes slower coming than others.  He played in the earliest incarnation of Morbid Angel that went by the names Ice and Heretic before settling on the name they are famous for. He played on "Abominations of Desolation," which would not see the light of day until 91. He would be replaced by Terrorizer drummer Pete Sandoval as the classic lineup of the band took form. He played briefly in a band called Incubus, not the stoner Faith No More wannabes, then formed Nocturnus, which included in its earliest line-ups the bass player for Agent Steel and Vincent Crowley of  Acheron. 

What set these guys apart from the pack when it came to the Tampa death metal scene of the 90s was that they had sci-fi themes, and keyboards were very dominant to aid in this atmosphere. When I bought their masterpiece "The Key" as a teenager, I was surprised that the drummer was also the vocalist. They felt like a death metal version of Coroner to me due to their technical prowess. To this day, that album still sounds great. I recently got the full dynamic range mix, and it holds up against anything today. It is an album that shows they were at one time able to stand toe to toe with Morbid Angel, who are more consistent in their releases as until recently I had not paid much attention to wehre they band was after "The Key," which is their best formula

I know they have had other vocalists to allow Browning to focus on drums, but his voice is a signature of the band. Their later work had a high bar to live up to when it came to being weighed against "The Key," but you gotta give him props for sticking to what he loved. He was one of the most important figures in the Tampa death metal scene, and here is to hoping Tom Morris has some songs from the Key session buried until Mike's page in the Necronomicon is turned, and it shall come down in a demon comet to be made an MP3. If you are a death metal fan, go listen to "The Key".

 

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Nocturnus AD : "Unicursal"

Mike Browning from Morbid Angel returns with his other class band Nocturnus, now Nocturnus AD. I had to go back and listen to "The Key" again to see if I was just not remembering things right or if something was weirdly different. Things are weirdly different as "the Key" sounds just like I remembered it. By the song "Mesolithic" it sounds like the same band, the first couple of songs just take some getting used to as Browning is not getting any younger so his approach to things might have changed. His snarls are more spoken than not. While it helps him to narrate this HP Lovecraft-like yarn he is continuing with this album, it does create an odd cadence at times. It reminds me of Coroner to some extent. I am never sure about the drummer being the lead vocalist. 

The synths are similar to the sounds heard on "The Key" so that works for me. I know it sounds like I am pretending "Paradox" was not released. I gave "Paradox" a 9, but it's not the album they are going to be measured against. It is interesting going back to read that review, as I mentioned many of the same things I am noticing with the sound on this album The vocals really are the only glaring weak spot the rest of the music compensates for. Things are more progressive and less angular on this album. "Mission Malkuth" finds the vocal style more spoken, though this makes the lyrics stand out there is not a great deal of grit to it. The riffs are pretty awesome and balance it out like a more acrobatic version of Morbid Angel, though the album does not hold the same kind of crunchy production of a Morbid Angel album, leaving things to sound like a thrash version of Pestilence at times. 

"Yesod..." finds more of a death metal groove forming as the pace picks. Portals are a huge theme on this album. Which is fine with me, works as well as Satanic themes for me, and could be interchangeable. At times, even occult themes are thrown in with the sci-fi which is on brand for this project. The riffs really improve here. "Hod the Stellar Light" is yet another song referencing the Tree of Life, and finds Browning's drumming excelling. Though I have always thought Pete Sandoval was best for Morbid Angel. There is a more Morbid Angel-like mood at the onset of this song, though the cosmic ambiance does take over in places. The delivery of the vocals might find him spitting the lyrics out in the most awkward manner yet, but the music continues to compensate. 

"Netzah the Fire of Victory"  might slow down into a cool doomier riff, by the time we get to the song I can not shake the thought that Browning should have just stuck to drumming and gotten someone who could have growled the lyrics, which would have better served the songs. Yeah I know he has always been the vocalist for this band, but if you can't cut it, oh, well. `The instrumental outro works well enough for what it is, and that is perhaps for the best as the vocals had gotten on my nerves.  Due to the vocals, I will round this down to an 8.5, I recognize that I am picky about vocals and do not see them as a thought but my primary focus and I factored that in when taking things into consideration regarding this album, I have always felt these guys were the most underrated death metal band out of Tampa, but his delivery makes it hardly death metal this time around. The album drops May 17th thanks to Profound Lore and you can make up your own mind about it then. 

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the Top 10 Death Metal Albums of 2019

It's that time of year again, to sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, then use them, to compile the top 10 albums of the year. Later in the month I am making  the top 10 lists for the decade, though to be blunt  this is the decade's weakest year for music.  Especially when it comes to new artists,  7 of the 10 bands are veterans.  You had to search much harder to find ten albums that rose above, yet that is what I did. As in  past years I am  giving a brief explanation as to why these albums stand over their peers in lower positions on the list. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However  I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No,  I do not care what you think about it.   I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list  and  have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 Death metal   albums of 2019 .

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10- Cold Colours -" Northernmost" 


 Despite a Swedish tinge to the sound of this Minnesota band, at the end of the day they are more death n roll. his album is really well produced and these guys have a big guitar sound that plays to their strength as a band. Sure there is a large dose of melo-death to what they do , but it's not all guitar harmonies. They throw a few different shades of death metal at you and they all work well together.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/01/cold-colours-northernmost.html

9- Nightfell- "A Sanity Deranged" 

 There is no shortage of grim atmosphere on his album, sometimes they are closer to death doom at other's they are flirting with black metal, but aggression is their stock and trade. The guitars are so mean it's sick and despite all the other shades they throw at you at the bleeding heart of this album it is death metal. They beat out Cold Colours for this spot because these guys are darker.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/08/nightfell-sanity-deranged.html

8-Cloak-"the Burning Dawn"

 This time they are less haunted by Swedish influence and coming int more of their own sound thanks to matured song writing. The guitar tone is more dialed in and some of the chugged riffs are heavier and cooler. This album grew on me and even the vocals became more accepted to my ears. These guys beat out Nightfell due to their melodic nuance.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/10/gothtober-cloak-burning-dawn.html

7- Nocturnus Ad- "Paradox" 


 Drummer Mike Browning was one of the founding members of Morbid Angel. Is he as good as Pete? No, but he is pretty solid and he sings ..ok, growls on top of playing. "the Key" was one of the best albums of the early days of death metal, while there is not the same level of feral chaos here it has been replaced with more technical savvy , like a death metal version of Coroner. I normally do not like technical death metal, but Browning's matured song writing skills sell it. It is this prowess that puts them over the younger Cloak.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/04/nocturnus-ad-paradox.html

6- October Tide - "In Splendor Below"


 This Swedish band features two members of Katatonia, the Norrman brothers holding down a twin guitar attack for the band's 6th album. It starts off as melodic death metal not far removed from say Bloodbath, sometimes having more in common with earlier Katatonia This album grew on me due to , it's catchy song writing which is more than the bulk of death metal you hear these days. This sense of inherent groove vaulted it over Nocturnus.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/03/october-tide-in-splendor-below.html

5-Nailed to Obscurity- "Black Frost " 


 If you are going to be a death metal band that upon occasion employs cleanly sung vocals do it like these guys as it doesn't sound contrived. It's death metal for a cold rainy day. The mood is what beats out the somewhat similar October Tide.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/01/nailed-to-obscurity-black-frost.html

4- Blood Incantation- "Hidden History of the Human Race"


 At first I thought ok this is another band that wants to be Morbid Angel, and then things began to take some twists and turns. For all it's technical and progressive leanings , the groove is seldom compromised. Rooted in a classic sound while being ambitious enough to strive for more. This willingness to pla y with the formula is what puts them ahead of Nailed to Obscurity.



 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/10/blood-incantation-hidden-history-of.html

3-Creeping Death- "Wretched Illusions"


 They care about writing songs and are steeped in old school death metal. They also give me some fucking grooves that keep my head moving. If I was going to compare them to any old school death metal band it would be Obituary. They have the same nasty slime coming off their riffs. The sheer weight and aggression they attack these songs with gives them the edge over Blood incantation.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/08/creeping-death-wretched-illusions.html

2- Coffins-- "Beyond the Circular Demise"


 This band's sound is it is organic, yet dark and dense. When they lock into a mid paced chug , it is probably their best quality. They do not do it every song , or even every other song, but when you hear it there is no denying this fact. It is heavy as fuck. Not to the point they have thrown the song out the window either. The tighter riffing is what beats out Creeping Death.



 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/09/coffins-beyond-circular-demise.html

1- Pulchra Morte : "Divina Autem et Aniles" t


This album is focused and doesn't get carried away with atmosphere. The vocals seem very intentional and not just an after thought as does the addition of strings that seems to increase the deeper into the album you get .. You would think it would be common sense for the focus to be on the songs rather than just beating you into submission. This album came out earlier in the year so it makes sense, I listened to it more since I had the time to simmer on it. Listened to it more since and there was time to simmer on it.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/02/pulchra-morte-divina-autem-et-aniles.html

Nocturnus AD : "Paradox"

Drummer Mike Browning was one of the founding members of Morbid Angel. Is he as good as Pete? No, but he is pretty solid and he sings and, growls on top of playing. "the Key" was one of the best albums of the early days of death metal. There is not the same level of feral chaos. Calling this a mature  performance might be premature. He is a more refined songwriter. Which a veteran player should be.  The opener is pretty solid and hearkens back to the classic death metal sound. Keyboards helped set these guys apart and are still a big part of their sound, though there is less of a sci-fi tone to them. On the second song, he lets up on his growl and it gives the song more of a thrash feel til they speed up. In some parts, he even sounds like Tom Warrior.

Sometimes their sound takes on a more angular feel. "Procession of the Equinoxes" is more focused on its aggression to the point that it establishes some solid head-banging grooves. The vocals are not this album's strong point. I think if they had more menace it might make certain passages feel less awkward. The guitars and drums are capable of doing the heavy lifting, and the phrasing of the vocals would help smooth it out song-wise."Return of the Lost Key" tries to pick up where the first album left off. Some of the more intricate noodling guitar parts are not as powerful as the more direct approach. The vocals do take on more of a snarl on this one which is an improvement.

Several moments remind me of a death metal version of Coroner. "Apotheosis" is one of them.  I think some of the more progressive grooves work best on this song. "Aeon of the Ancient Ones " takes on a darker and more traditional side of death metal. Chaos only breaks out around the guitar solos. With an old-school ethic to songwriting, they are very compact and pack most songs in at under seven minutes. So not much time is wasted on the atmosphere. The guitars are technically sound, but also pretty mean when they want to be. I'll round this album up to a 9 and see how it grows on me. It is being released on Profound Lore.