Henry Kane : "Circle of Pain"

 

This Swedish death metal project uses a great deal of atmosphere to bring their grim tidings to life. The second song feels like a marginally more deliberate march into darkness than the first song. There is a uniformity in the brand of aggression they are hitting you with. Not far removed from Behemoth in terms of heaviness, with shades of Rotting Christ coming up at times as well. They are trying to write songs and not just be heavy for the sake of being heavy. There is an anthemic feel to what is being done here. Another plus is that for a Swedish band they are not playing melodeth or trying to sound like Entombed or At the Gates. 

They are dark enough that when they pick up the pace it sometimes borders on being black metal. However when they speed up the drums sometimes suffer in the mix and become a patter in the background. The lyrics are articulated within the growl well enough, though I am unsure what the narrative message of this album is. They are possibly against religion, but what lies beyond that aside from a desire to not be forced to do as they are told is unsure. They distract you from this with some crunchy riffs. The title track chugs by in a manner that does not demand my attention, it sounds like an extension of everything they have done so far here. 

The guitar melody to "Wealth of Obscenity" makes it stand out more than the straightforward approach of the previous song. "Weird Fiction Founded" is an interesting title. There is more nuance and a cool melodic breakdown section that does not kill the momentum of the song or album. In fact, it is more interesting than when they just charge straight ahead at you on the last song.I will give this album an 8.5, it's pretty solid, and cares about the songs despite falling into t some of the uniformity this genre breeds,  

pst191

Heads For the Dead :" In The Absence Of Faith"

Horror themed death metal...I think I will. The first guitar melody that opens the album is one the brighter side. There is a Bloodbath vibe when it comes to the growl of the vocals. The more melodic guitar parts are layer in the verses. Things break down in a theatrical manner. This German band makes good use of symphonic synths and sound big without losing their edge. This is not their first gore fest as these guys have played in Wombbath, Sentient Horror and Revel in Flesh.  The second song finds them dig into things in a more straight forward fashion that is heavier than it is dark though a little creepiness lingers. They continue to use the keyboards to their advantage. At times reminding me of Nocturnus. Though the guitar work is more rooted in melody than chaos. 

Possession movies are obviously the inspiration here as the religious tones of choirs and soundtrack tinged hymns flourish around "the God Forsaken". There is a great guitar solo on this song, if you are into that kind of thing, it adds to the song, which says a great deal since I am normally not that impressed by solos. They do relent to speed at times on this one, which works to contrast the more deliberate moments, but sounds like they were defaulting to it. Despite it's melodic beginnings "Self Immolation" gallops into becoming pretty much what you expect from metal. There are moments where the speed might be best tempered with a little more restraint. 

"Possession" starts off with the riff from Mike Oldfeild's "Tubular Bells" which you know as the theme to the Exorcist. It's mid paced and works off a pretty solid theme that finds the band firing at the best of their abilities.  These guys are worthwhile as they care about the songs, perhaps not as dark as I prefer things , but the melodic elements are the compromise in this regard I suppose so will give this album a 9. There is a European flare to what they do so if you are a fan of European death metal then it is worth your time.