Mutilation Rites : "Chasm"

Many of New York's black metal bands come from the hipster circles of Brooklyn. They bring elements of punk, post-rock and avant garde indie rock into the mix. Mutilation Rites separates themselves by only bringing more metal into the equation. The closest to punk is grind core which I can hear more of on the first song "Pierced Larynx". On board this time is new drummer Tyler Coburn, whose double bass in convincingly metal despite his more avant guard past. "Axiom Destroyer" picks up where the previous song left off though it is more straight forward and blasting. The production on this album gives the band a bigger and heavier sound.

"Ominous Rituals" has more groove in its throb than the previous song, but if what is it doing that we have not already heard in black metal before is asked then the answer might leaving you thinking. It does a have passages that are darker and more melodic than anything we have heard on this album so far. The vocals sound like and after thought and for these guys typically are the weakest link. More of a powerful grind drives "Ominous Ritual" which is just what this album needed to break up the blast. It goes in a much more death metal direction. There is a riff lurking in the frenzy the song boils into that reminds me a little of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", it's suffocated beyond recognition. The drummer is killing it, which after the last time I saw them with their old drummer is an accomplishment as they guy was a hairy beast in daisy dukes. The guitars are also well layered here as they are not just doubling each other, but providing a counter point.

The title track finds them getting a little darker, before blasting off into a rapid rage powered by double bass. It goes from a more thrash drive feel to more of a speedy blur. The vocal spew makes me wonder the merit of the lyrics that become a mute point. It does converge back into a more death metal pounding that reins things in before taking off again which provides the needed dynamics to keep me interested rather than losing me in blasting for the sake of blasting. There is a really cool riff that kicks off "Putrid Decomposition" that closes out the album. At ten minutes this journey has the needed twists and turns so no time is wasted in drone, as every minute is well invested. Angular dissonance possesses many of the riffs here. That is not to say this is not executed with a great deal of power and finds them more on the death metal side of what they do. I'll give this album a 9. Most of the improvements come from the production end, as they might weigh in on more of the death metal side of  their sound, but the identity of the band is firmly intact even with line up changes. Comes out July 20th. />

Anthrax : " For All the Kings"

Anthrax used to be one of my favorite bands and to this day "Among the Living " is without a doubt one of the best metal albums ever with "Spreading the Disease" not too far behind. I hung tough with the band for the first six albums, even liking Jon Bush's first album. Then we grew apart.  "Worship Music"  saw the return of singer Joey Belladonna, but I never gave it a shot. I am giving them a chance here and while Belladonna might be 55, but I just reviewed the new David Bowie, and he is 69 so no body is slipping by due to age. Age might have helped Anthrax here , because with age Belladonna's voice is lower than even on "Persistence of Time" , but it gives him more aggression, which might have helped on albums like the almost too happy "State of Euphoria". There is younger blood injected in the band as Jonathan Donais from Shadows Fall is now in the band. They a surprisingly melodic section into the middle of the opener before thrashing back into it. They do not let up on the heavy with "Monster at the End", though it has a smoother groove allowing Belladonna's vocals to coast into a hookier chorus. A little less thrash and closer to mainstream metal, it's still a solid headbanger.

The title track opens with Belladonna belting by himself in a very Dickinson like manner. Charlie Benante proves he still has it as well on this song, though the melodies don't hit me as powerfully as they did on the first two songs. At this point in the album it's obvious the vocals are way up front in the mix. There is a more classic anthemic metal ring to the chorus of "Breathing Lightning" , though it is mindful of where more melodic hard rock is at today. The vocals do feel more hard rock than metal on this song and have big layered harmonies creating an almost Dream Theater like soaring. Which is well executed it just doesn't have the classic Anthrax bite, but this proves to be a good song regardless. Things are clearly not in the 80s for the machine like chug that kicks "Suzerain" into gear and balances out the vocals which hit a better blend of aggression and melody. Scott Ian has said in interviews that "Evil Twin" is about the mass shootings in the media . In some ways it reminds me of a faster version of say "Indians" .

The more deliberate "Blood Eagle Wings" is a different sound for Anthrax, but it's darker and heavier than the previous song and the vocals fit into the groove better. At first there is a moshier groove to "Defend Avenge" before their hard core roots start pounding the riffs around. There are some cool guitar sounds, but the song is not as finely tuned of a metal machine as the others. "All of Them Thieves" carries pretty much the band's trademark sound without sounding dated. There is a pretty mean groove to "This Battle Chose Us"that recalls the bands best moments. Sure the vocal hook is slightly more blatant, but it works. The more thrashed out "Zero Tolerance' is rougher around it's edges as it abandons groove for more of a hard-core tinged break neck speed fest. I'll round this one up to a 9 because they exceeded my expectations on this one. Some solid metal that strikes an excellent balance of past and present.

Teloch Vovin : Further Down the Tunnel"

It's no secret most of the black metal coming out of New York tends to defy convention. Bands like Liturgy, Krallice, Sannhet, and Tombs come to mind. Teloch Vovin doesn't sound like any of those bands. They carry a raw death metal snarl and are not apologizing for being metal. They open up with an intro piece which would not be out of place on a King Diamond  album. While this album is not what I would call theatrical there is a fair amount of drama to ritual. "Thaumiel" find the crazed vocals going berserk like if Glen Benton was possessed by the poultrygeist. In one part it even sounds like he is screaming dead by dawn. They more of first wave  approach to  black metal that in someways is similar to Mortuary Drape, but even more straight forward. The blast beats feel more death metal to me than black metal. The drums on this album already sound like they were beaten to hell and back and then thrown down the stairs. After a few listens the crazy haphazard approach to both song writing and production begins to grow on me.


"Vena Cava" is more chaotic, with the vocals holding it together, the guitar sound could stand to be a little thicker as you have to jam the ear buds in your ears to get the full effect of their chug.The lock in together before the two and a half minute mark and then close the song.There is some weird experimentation with the instrumental " Breathe Deep..." that sounds like it could be from a 90s horror movie. They close out this ep with "Adoration/Vexation" . It starts off with a gang vocal chant before launching into what is like a more typical black metal battle gallop. The vocals do not follow the screamed patterns that most black metal bands adhere to giving them more of their own personality.Clean vocals come in with a chanted verse that haunts the song in the songs final minutes. I would love to see how they are pulling of these vocals live as there are so many over dubs.

I'll give this one an 8.5. It is innovative though not in the ways I expected going into this. The band accomplished what they set out to do and I'm interested to hear where they will go from here on a full length that might allow for more time to indulge in some of their experimental leanings that were placed on the altar of sacrifice here to appease the metal gods.If you like a good dose of 80s death metal to go with your black metal or wish Deicide was more black metal then this album is worth a listen. It is being released September 23rd.




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Catching Up With 2014 : Ruin Lust : s/t

This album drips with crust and filth. Not since Disma's album have I heard something with this much grime to it. This is the band's first album, which was released back in May on Psychic Violence. Ruin Lust  might benefit by having  drummer Mike Rekevics on the throne, as he is the go to hip New York metal drummer, playing with Ash Borer, Fell Voices, Vorde, but it's the guitar tone that captures the feeling of this album. All three members vomit on the mic to some extent. Can't say the vocal styles are very distinct most have a lower coarse roar. "Primal Vision" switches gears into something a little more grind core. Until the solo ish section, which is a single note drone, it's beating you with one thing. Live with the band cranked up in a New York dive, that is pretty effective but it's not until the punches come and break everything up does the song get fun . A real guitar solo even shows up to the party.

They trample you with bloody thunder on "Tethered and Lashed", whats with all the bdsm references in metal today, just got done with another death metal album all bout the humiliation. This song is rawer and more of a challenge to embrace the noise caking what they do. When the guitar comes in a the two minute marks it's clear the static drenched sound they slugged you with at the beginning of the song was intentional. It works well for these guys, they make sounding bad sound good.The anguished sound of puke into the p/a works to accent the vocals, which can be one dimensional and my least favorite part of this band.

The second half of the album is "Skin Hunger" part one and two. One is a murky sewer water tasting death metal. It's dragging sludge borders on doom. The growl to this song is one of the better vocal performances on the album. It becomes even more of a dirge as the song dips into a depression. The part two is a bestial explosion of heaviness jack hammering  your skull. For the drummer have played with so many black metal bands the blast beats on this album are more punk in the way they hit the snare. This is pretty much in your face what you see is what you get filthy shit. The sound of this album is so raw and brutal it's unreal, so if savagery alone gets you by then you might rate this higher than the 8.5 I am rounding this one up to.

Mutilation Rites : "Harbringer"

The first thing I think of when I think of this band is I have no idea where my Mutilation Rites Shirt is.Seeing them live they were so loud all the riffs bleed together into more of a sonic pounding. So it will be interesting to see how these songs translate. There is more of a sonic element that is receiving attention to detail on this album, and the attack feels less thrash inspired. Not to say they don't throw some blasting in. it is just used much more tastefully. The guitar tone is more organic and spacious on this album as well, are some of the immediate thoughts that come to mind.

That is not too say this album is devoid of thrash influence as"Exhaling or Breathing in" has some mandatory heading in the riffage midway through.Their is also the ultra thrash filled "Contaminate" that is going to be a lot of fun for those into old school metal. "Suffer the Children" also has some thrash elements in the manner the speedy guitar shows it's teeth, but find some dynamic ground that goes into a more sonic place than what you think of when it comes to thrash, but the vocals keep everything blackened in some respect.

 The dense nature and adherence to their style makes it sound like "Tactical Means of Ouroboros" is a continuation of the previous song.The vocals somewhat attribute to this element, as the growls and screamed are barely articulated making the lyrical element totally obtuse.The drum break is where the song begins rather than it just being a renewed fervor for blasting. The verse riff and the low gurgled vocals are pretty straight forward to the point of almost sounding like death metal until the second verse takes a more sonic turn. The guitars eventually ring out in a more experimental manner that might remind you of Liturgy.

The only time it sounds like the almost get lost speeding through the labyrinth of blast beats in on "Gravitational Collapse." There are a few cool punches that help the song congeal into something more powerful in the song's third act.  The albums ends on a blast with "Conspiracy of Silence" coming out of the shadows with a very second wave of NBM sound, with only the spastic cadence of the harsh vocals to separate it  from Darkthrone. The main riff that is almost a call and response to the blasting part , has a powerful heft to it

Overall this album is short and sweet with the opener being the longest song on the album at 7 minutes. The song writing is more mature without the band having to abandon their feral tendencies.This album passes in a blur, sometimes the songs bleed in together and the pummeling numbs you out, but I think it's a forward step for the band and I will give this one an 8.

Tombs: "Savage Gold"

The first thing that strikes me about this change in direction for the bands is the precision, especially in the drumming that conjures forth a more Ulcerate like vibe. They lurch out of the darkness, so while I am happy the band retained their darkness, I am still worried they might have abandoned the post- rock leanings of the last album. Hill's rasp is more conventionally black metal setting it against a dense blend of doom and technical death metal.

"Portals" is more straight forward than the cavernous sound you might remember Tombs bringing in the past, in fact their is almost hints of thrash in it. It's metal not doubt, and retains the stain of the blasting.The arrangements have some winding moments of dynamics this one stay in a similar blackened sphere of heavy with varied levels of hooks coating the riffs. "Seance" is arguably more black metal than the previous track. The elements of shadowy melody  haunt this one is a manner that is more familiar with the sound you know these guys for. The groove creepier and the raspy vocals carry more purpose. The guitar tone thickens with the punches as the song drifts forward.

Fours songs in and my fear about the purging of post-punk from the bands sound is rectified."Echoes" the guitar gets gothy and his vocal tone takes on a more death rock like quality. It does eventually launch into a hardcore tinged black metal. This is also where I begin to notice some of his gruff vocals begin to sound like Neurosis."Deathripper" also indulges their darker side. The bass line takes a chilling chug and the guitar cuts like Robert Smith on "Pornography". The first hints of more Neurosis trickle in as the song builds, though Neurosis has similar Killing Joke and Swans influence.

The pace picks back up on "Edges of Darkness"/ This touches on the more hypnotic elements of black metal groove that Watain dabbles in.The meat of the song is a mean creature. It's equal parts dark and driving, which is a perfect combo in my book. Some of the riffs might be catchier than black metal is supposed to be if you are questioning purists. To me it's the dissonance that makes it black metal. At times the density and the tempo flirts with sludge but I recall this being present with the last album.

"Ashes" takes of on a rapid blasty course.The vocals return to the Neurosis like gruffness, almost painfully narrating. This articulation makes the lyrics stand out and the song touches on more sonic passages, which create even more of a Neurosis element though the speed of their attack counters this comparison.Sure it gradually gets even more Neurosis, but it also becomes hard to argue with the chug they take on.

They flip back and forth from the speed driven pound to a more ominous bellow on  "Legacy" that maintains the momentum of its forward charge while loses some of the more nuanced moments that come with such a sacrifice for rawness. The transitions from song to song are a little off. Sure it's fine how "Severed Lives" drops the bottom out to dip into a moodier moment with Hill singing rather than bellowing. The whispered moments are more Neurosis here.

The album ends with the pound of "Spiral". It comes as a blur that attacks with jack hammer like intensity. The blasting fury countering again the more Neurosis roar. The production is tight , not letting anything echo out like the last album and the drums benefit the most from this and show their chops as thanks.

I will give this one a 9 it's a fine chunk of metal, but I wanted them to dig even darker into their black hearts, some of the more Neurosis like moments left me puzzled with how to take them so this album might grow on me  in either direction.