Vhöl: Deeper Than the Sky (2015)

Vhöl is turning out to be--as their debut might suggest--more than just a supergroup. It's a worthy, unique band in its own right. As I described them before, they're sort of an American Darkthrone, combining black metal with old-school heavy metal, crust, and thrash.



The formula from the first album is intact, but this time around the song lengths are more varied. The title track here is a mesmerizing 12 minute piece, but most of the other tracks tend toward more conservative lengths. But more importantly, the thing that sets Deeper Than the Sky apart from its predecessor is pure riffage. The riffs here are simply unimpeachable, incredibly memorable, and they will make you bang your head.

Again, I must mention Mike Scheidt's vocals. I'm not a long-time YOB fan--I've come to appreciate them more--but here is where his high-pitched, old-school metal voice really shines. This was his calling all along.

This one is definitely worth your time and money.

The Verdict: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Christian Mistress: To Your Death (2015)

Christian Mistress released a fantastic slab of heavy metal with Possession not too long ago. But looking back, it was a cover song—the titular track—that was clearly the best on the album. Regardless of the fact it was a little-known song before the cover, that’s still a red flag. I wondered how good their follow-up could be.



The answer is, it’s still rockin’. Husky female vocals over old-school heavy metal is a formula that’s tough to beat. It’s also a formula that needs no additional explanation, so I won’t waste your time with that.

It sounds good. It’s got hooks and energy. But without the incredible cover tune of the first album, and no serious song-of-the-year contenders, it’s not nearly on the level of Possession. But To Your Death is still worth a listen.

The Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars

Dawnbringer: Night of the Hammer (2014)

Back-to-Basics

Chris Black is on a roll. An unstoppable heavy metal force. He is truly one of metal’s most gifted songwriters at the helm of two of metal’s most likable bands.

Oh, do you still need more? After the last couple of Dawnbringer albums and the great High Spirits record from earlier this year, I thought you’d already be convinced that you need Night of the Hammer. Well, this time around the promo spiel is self-contradictory, claiming this is “more unique and even stranger” but also “more straightforward . . . and traditional.” I’m going to lean toward the latter claim as the truth.

Death Denied: Transfuse the Booze (2014)

Intravenous Polish Brewtality

I’ve mentioned this time and again, but it’s worth mentioning again: My early 20’s found me in love with Black Label Society and the southern metal version of Corrosion of Conformity. Poland’s Death Denied are once again taking me back to that time, with their first full-length album.

When I reviewed EP Appetite for Booze, I thought it sounded more like COC, and now I think it sounds more BLS. That’s not a huge shift, exactly, but who would want it to be? The opening riff of “River of Booze” is solid Zakk Wylde-esque material. “The Morning After” (which has an excellent BLS riff) also makes use of a trick Wylde often does on the whammy bar (hey, I’m no guitarist, but I’m pretty sure that’s how it’s done). These guys are strong, determined, merciless, forever.

Heavy Metal Briefs 2013

Long Overdue

Since I don't listen to all that much pure heavy metal these days, this post is long overdue.

darkWaters: Golden Age of Decadence
3.5 out of 5 stars

DarkWaters is a mix of Pantera and Guns 'N' Roses. It took me a while to warm up to it. They do not start the record on a positive note, and I have no soft spot for GNR. But after a while the genuine enthusiasm of this Portuguese band is contagious.

Albatross: The Kissing Flies / Vestal Claret - Black Priest (2012)

Vestal Flying Albatross Priest

Review by Metallattorney. He is the law.

If you can parse this title then I am impressed. I think I represented it correctly. Essentially, this is a split album from Indian heavy metal outfit Albatross and the former vocalist of Hour of 13's new band. Now Indian metal is not something I am overly familiar with. I was not aware there was much of a scene in India. I have a lot of mental associations with India, mostly due to my first real girlfriend being from there, but metal music is not one of them. Anyway, enough of that. Only one band from this split is Indian anyway.

Albatross kicks things off with four out of the five songs on the split. Why so many? Well Vestal Claret's song is 18 minutes long, that's why. Albatross's music strongly resembles King Diamond's solo work and that seems to be the major influence. The songs generally tell some sort of horror story and feature very impressive lead guitar melodies weaving through traditional heavy metal riffs. The vocals are higher-pitched and include a lot of wailing and the occasional blood-curdling shriek. Singer Biprorshee Das does not have the range of King Diamond, but his voice is effective enough to match the horror atmosphere produced by the eerie melodies.

High Spirits: You Are Here (2014)

A Subtle, but Important Distinction

The first few times I listened to High Spirits, I thought, "Man, that guy sounds like Chris Black, but better." By sheer coincidence, it is Chris Black.

Dawnbringer has no doubt made a strong impression on you with their last couple of releases. The mastermind isn't done yet. High Spirits is not a huge departure, and it's going to be tough to draw the right distinction in words alone. It's just different enough to justify using a different band name. Like its name suggests, it's a little more feel-good, a little more happy-time. Well, not always happy, just a little less dark. As my 6th-grade teacher used to say, "Clear as mud?"

Of course, I'm sure you'd be perfectly happy with another Dawnbringer album. Don't worry, you'll like this too. And you'll agree that it's not a Dawnbringer album.

Satan's Host: Virgin Sails (2013)

Infinite Impossibilities

Review by Metallattorney. He is the law.

I love Satan's Host. I have made absolutely no secret of that over the years. Their last full-length of original material nabbed the top spot on my end of the year best albums list. I even enjoyed a lot of their black metal material when their Satanic lyrics and image were overwhelming. Of course even though Patrick Evil's stunning guitar work was the star attraction, as it has always been throughout the band's history. Their blackened power metal style of their last album is still my favorite. So I was pretty excited when Satan's Host released a new album.

This is the long-running evil Colorado band's second album since Leviathan Thisiren, aka Harry Conklin of Jag Panzer, returned to the band for the first time since their 1987 EP. His return had brought back a clean vocal style instead of the blackened rasp of former vocalist L.C.F. Elixir. This change in vocal style brought a significant amount of attention back to the band, even though their black metal material was actually pretty strong.

In Solitude: Sister (2013)

The Promise. The Hype. The Reality.

Out of all albums released in 2011, I’ve probably listened to In Solitude’s The World. The Flesh. The Devil. most. I happened to have a physical copy of it, which is unusual for me, and said copy happened to end up in the minivan I occasionally drive. That’s right, when I’m with the kids in the minivan, we’re either rockin’ Rainbow’s Rising or In Solitude. The World . . . has its flaws, but in that kind of context it’s hard to beat.

So when I read Decibel’s enthusiastic, effusive praise of Sister, I got a little excited. Here is the band, it seems, to create the next evolution of Mercyful Fate. I can hear the hype machine grinding, but I was inclined to believe that it was just possible they were as good as Decibel says.

Metal Briefs: More Short Briefs of 2013

Two by Two

Two-song releases comprise a lot of my listening lately. It only seems fitting they get two-sentence reviews.

Aktor: I Am the Psychic Wars
4 out of 5 stars

This sounds almost exactly like Dawnbringer's last two albums, but with prominent synths added to the mix. Pretty fucking rad.

Metal Briefs: EPs of 2013

Quickly, There's No Time

Sometimes, it's good to be brief and to the point.

Arkhamin Kirjasto: Undead Priest of Holy Trinity of Death
4 out of 5 stars

Parts of the title track sound just like something Solefald did a few years back, or maybe like something Ghost would do. Other than that, this EP is full of that awesome sing-along heavy metal with Swe-death veneer that Arkhamin Kirjasto introduced us to last year. They're easily one of the most interesting and entertaining bands in Finland right now.

Leviticus: The Strongest Power (1985)

On the Rock

I don’t normally bother with reviewing a reissue, but when a non-Christian label takes an interest in a long-forgotten Christian metal band, that’s something worth noting. I was intrigued, to say the least.

My son recently finished Vacation Bible School. The theme was “Kingdom Rock,” and as much as I enjoy watching the kids while they’re singing along to the music . . . the music itself can only be described as insipid. Leviticus could have saved it. Lyrically it’s all along the same lines, but it’s a lot more energetic and a whole lot less repetitive.

Venomous Maximus: Beg upon the Light (2012)

Slipped through the Cracks of Hell

There’s something infinitely rewarding about finding some hidden gem, an excellent album that nobody else knows about. Metalheads love that shit. For good or ill, those kinds of releases are getting fewer and farther between, because labels with clout will no doubt pick them up and re-release them.

That’s what’s going on with Venomous Maximus’s debut Beg upon the Light. Supposedly it was released on Occulture last October—as far as I can tell, that means it was self-released on Bandcamp. Napalm Records took note of this extremely deserving record and has given it a lot more exposure.

Volbeat: Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies (2013)

Quack

For something like five years, I’ve been saying Volbeat should be big in the U.S. There is absolutely no reason they shouldn’t have the same status as the biggest bands to straddle that line between heavy metal and hard rock, like Godsmack and Disturbed (and yes, that those are the names I picked betrays my age).

I’ve also been defending their metal cred for just as long. But at my most recent opportunity to do that (a recent Opeth show), my defense was a less than zealous one. That’s because I had been listening to the band’s fourth release, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies. In contrast to previous albums, it’s tough to pick out more than a couple spots where they sound like a metal band.

Summary Judgments, Volume 4

Bags

Sometimes, it's just not my bag. Sometimes, I've already got a bag like it, and I'm happy with that. Sometimes, it's a bag of shit.

As always, the X out of Y songs tells you how far I made it into the record before shelving it.

Persefone: Spiritual Migration (2013)
(5 out of 13 songs)

I haven't read the site in a couple years, but I bet the guys over at MetalSucks absolutely shit their pants over Persefone. It's very high-quality prog-metal with (synthesized) symphonic elements, like a heavier version of Symphony X (or to a lesser extent, Dream Theater). I'm not so much into that kind of thing anymore, but this was good enough to hook me for a while anyway. The thing that eventually turned me off was, I can hear how much these guys are a part of the metalcore generation. They have some of the rhythms I hate from metalcore, and the vocals (both clean and harsh) are right out of that school of metal. I'm just too old for this, but for what it is--it's pretty awesome.

Ghost: Infestissumam (2013)

The Second Coming

Ghost dominated the metal world in 2010. With their anonymous image, ecclesiastical parody costumes, and stated intent of making Satan palatable to the masses, they were so enigmatic and divisive that people couldn't stop talking about them. But without the tunes to back it up, of course, it doesn't matter how interesting your image is. Of course they had the tunes to back it up: Opus Eponymous made countless end-of-year lists. And it had many detractors.

With their sophomore album, Ghost* have not gone the safe route. Instead of continuing in their Blue Öyster Cult upgrade, they've crafted one of the most eclectic albums of the year. What misguided comparisons there were to Mercyful Fate are sure to be put to rest by this one.

Vhöl: Vhöl (2013)

Turn Up the Vhölume

Let’s get the clichés out of the way first. Number one, Vhöl is going to be attached to the term “supergroup” because it features members of Ludicra/Agalloch, Yob, and Hammers of Misfortune. There are times when you can guess what a supergroup is going to sound like based on the members’ other projects. That barely applies here. Number two, the band’s self-titled debut is on Profound Lore, so you can almost guarantee it will be good. That one does apply here. But I’m going to do my best to avoid those clichés from here on out.

Vhöl is going to be one of the most interesting sounds you’ll hear in 2013. There’s always a risk of oversimplification when a reviewer hands down a formula, but it’s a useful tool. This is what could have happened if Ludicra had gone the way of Darkthrone, keeping some of their black metal intact but falling in love with the crust punk and heavy metal of the 80’s.

Darkthrone: The Underground Resistance (2013)

How It Works

Let me tell you a little something about how reviewing works in this world. I get a lot of promos. Most of them are pretty decent, overall, but the more you hear, of course, the more "pretty good" just sounds like shit. I begin culling the herd based on convenience rather than merit, just deleting anything that's at 128 kbps, or if the tags are in ALL FUCKING CAPS or if the music isn't tagged with anything at all.

And I don't always put something into my library the minute I download it. So I was about to delete this untagged album. I had no idea what it was. But I thought, well, I could listen to a little bit on the off chance I could identify it. In this rarest of instances, I listened to about 5 seconds and said, "Oh, that's the new Darkthrone." It was a one in a thousand chance, but there's no mistaking Darkthrone.

Surgeon: Chemical Reign

Shockingly, Not Tech-Death

As far as I’m concerned, Surgeon came out of nowhere. As I write this, the Philly band doesn’t even have a Metal Archives entry. But apparently these unknowns were promising enough to attract the attention of Steve Albini, who lent his talents to the recording process for a prior EP. Debut LP Chemical Reign is my introduction to the band.

I hadn’t read much of the press material before giving this a listen, but I have to say I was shocked when I pressed “play.” Ignore the band’s name, the album name, and the album art. Surgeon has nothing to do with technical death metal, or death metal at all. This is pure heavy metal, in a modern vein. They inhabit that rare space that could attract rock radio attention as well as a good share of the trve among us. I know that’s true because I can’t get these songs out of my head.

Metal Briefs: Up the Irons!

Iron: The Original Black Metal

Briefs by joanismylover, the third metal attorney.

Iron “is the most common element (by mass) forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. . . Iron metal has been used since ancient times.” Add the right amount of carbon, and iron “produces steel, which may be up to 1000 times harder than pure iron.” These “[s]teels and low carbon iron alloys … are by far the most common metals in industrial use, due to their great range of desirable properties and the abundance of iron.”*

So too is “Iron” the most common word in my iTunes metal library, a search of which results in six different artists, 39 different albums, and a whopping 420 songs. Certainly, iron has been employed “since ancient [metal] times” being wielded to all time heavy metal thunder perfection by Iommi and co way back in 1970 – “Iron Man” practically started it all.

And now, thanks to the FULL METAL ATTORNEY, I have three more Iron Bands: Iron Curtain, Iron Dogs, and Iron Kobra. Certainly these bands recognized that Iron is “by far the most common [of the] metals in [] use, due to their great range of desirable properties.” And we get some great, some desireable, and some that need work in this range of Iron metal products.

Let’s start with the great. Iron Curtain hail from Spain and play straight up heavy metal. There’s nothing new on "Road to Hell", and that’s the point. Releases like this live and die by how well they execute. How well they execute is usually a byproduct of how much they love what they are doing. Iron Curtain love what they are doing. They are doing it well. I will play “Taste My Whip”, “Scream & Shout”, “Black Fist” and “Marshall Law” over and over as much for their clever word play as for their memorable choruses and ripping solos. “Road to Hell” is the best produced of these three and Iron Curtain don’t waste that production with pointless intros or interludes. They were “Ready to Strike” and get to the point. A lesson many bands would do well to heed. 4 out of 5 stars.