Ulcerate at Myspace

Ulcerate hails from New Zealand, and have sent out an awesome slab of death metal that balances both technical and brutal aspects incredibly well; “Everything is Fire” truly combines the best of both worlds while not sacrificing songwriting at the altars of either subgenre. All eight of its songs are over five minutes, but none feel overlong Instead of relying on blast beats or just showing off how fast they can play, Ulcerate were smart enough to include some slightly slower and quieter (but still brutal) sections. These do a great job of making sure the record doesn’t bog down in monotony like some other tech-death bands (Origin, anyone?)

The vocals aren’t bad at all, but they’re not quite as good as the instrumental backing, as they tend to sound a bit samey after a while, with a bit too much yelling and not enough guttural growling. I also didn’t like the fact that the guitars drowned out the bass and (to a lesser extent) the drums most of the time, but I don’t really have any other complaints. This is an essential death metal release and one of the best of 2009 to date.

Porkfarm at myspace

Playing a style of Death Metal very similar to Dying Fetus, Brain Drill, Necrophagist, and Beneath the Massacre, Young English Death Metal act Porkfarm display an apt control over both the brutal and technical sides of the genre. They keep the technical wizardly and the “slam” side of their sound under control displaying in where the song progresses to a point where either of them is needed but not veering off into either direction willy-nilly and it is this disciplined approach that gives this six song EP an air of supreme professionally.

At Nineteen minutes this release makes you demand more. Along with the Tech-Death and Slam influences some of the songs such as “Suffer” and “Torn Apart” have some old school influences such as vintage Morbid Angel and Deicide, and with many new bands falling into the deathcore/wigger slam trap its great to see a new band making death metal how its supposed to be made. Definitely one to watch in the future

Meshuggah at Myspace

Let’s face it the quality of Meshuggah’s material has been on a downward spiral since 1998’s “Chaosphere”. 2002’s “Nothing” was a mid paced boring trudge and 2005’s “Catch Thirty-Three” was an overly pretentious journey to the musical equivalent of the middle of nowhere with nothing to show for it. The problem with both of those releases is they were too obtuse and for want of a better term ‘mathematical’. You are probably saying “but the whole point behind Meshuggah’s music is their use of complex almost mathematical rhythms; how can their music be too mathematical!” The problem is when the mathematics overpowers all the other elements of the bands formula so that it becomes a staid series of theoretical musings in obscure time sequences and forgets the adrenalin rush and off kilter momentum that made songs such as “Future Breed Machine” and “New Millennium Cyanide Christ” so memorable.

The songs on “Nothing” and “Catch Thirty-Three” had the momentum of a bulldozer stuck in quicksand and instead of making you want hurl yourself around your room instead lulled one into a feeling of drowsiness. “ObZen” at first listen seems to have rectified this problem with the first song “Combustion” which is a full throttle poly-rhythm attack that engages the senses like having a hive full to the brim of hornets flung at you at top speed. In theory if there are a few fast songs on “ObZen” then that should allow the slow ones to be more memorable as they won’t blend into one featureless mid paced chug a la “Nothing”.

However, this is not the case as the next six songs are mid paced and whilst tracks such as “Lethargica” and “This Spiteful Snake” have unnerving yet atmospheric discordance that the material on “Catch Thirty-Three” could never hope to achieve. Unfortunately tracks two to seven to seem to blur into half an hour of mathematical chugging nearly always at the same tempo that betrays however unworldly and mind-blowing this material may appear to be at first listen, when presented like this with not enough fat cut away from the meat, the Meshuggah sound seems as formulaic as Cannibal Corpse or Dark Funeral.

“Pravus” is a faster paced and less samey track which helps to some degree to bring any listeners attention that may have wandered back to the fore. It’s too late though as it’s the penultimate track and its now the turn of the nine and half minute album closer “Dancers To A Discordant System” to finish off the job of disappointing us once more. A moment roughly around 5:45 is oddly reminiscent of Gojira which isn’t surprising given the influence Meshuggah have had upon them, but it further hammers it home that barring a surprise return to form, Meshuggah’s time as innovators and leader seems to be over. With one brilliant track with the rest ranging from “kinda alright” to “deserving to be on “nothing” ” this has proven to be a disappointing album.

The Faceless at Myspace

The Faceless are sometimes wrongly dumped in with the Deathcore camp due to their touring partners, record label and a few breakdowns (which came from Death Metal anyway) that is to be founded littered in the sea of technical Melodic Death Metal. Stylistically nothing new is done here, but it’s done in one hell of an entertaining way. Think about a more melodically inclined Necrophagist mixed with Arsis and some of the Later The Crown material with at least one Grave/Bolt Thrower style breakdown and some nifty keyboards thrown into every song. The only black mark on the record is “Horizons of Chaos 2: Hypocrisy” which sounds like Necrophagist masturbating over On Broken Wings corpse and should have been taken off the record. The other 7 tracks are pretty much quality in the guilty Gothenburg wannabe pleasure stakes.

As previously stated its not exactly reinventing the wheel, but in these day and age finding any sort of new record with a melodic death element that isn’t absolute wank is quite an unusual event so this one can be filed along with Arsis, The Absence and Nightrage as nostalgic but not world shattering music for those of who got into heavier metal via discovering the melodic death metal sound by accident sometime in the early 00’s. I can’t be the only one who by somehow hearing an At the Gates or In Flames song realised there was more to metal than just the classics, and if you have had a similar introduction to metal, you might find some value in something that’s a pleasant trip down memory lane without listening to your nearly worn down copy of “Slaughter of the Soul” again.

Sickening Horror at Myspace

Sickening Horror Hail from Greece and at the time of this recorded had Nile drummer George Kolias in their ranks. This is quite an interesting death metal record that features black Metal and jazz elements and is certainly an album worth exploring if you like experimental death metal that retains most of all the atmosphere and hallmarks of the genre that we all know and love. “When Landscapes Bled Backwards” displays a discreet technical edge in that although these guys could if they wanted to spend their time pulling some Necrophagist style material off, they use their extremely proficient skills only when it suits the song itself allowing the groove of the tracks on display on here to flow admirably and naturally.

The death metal style on display mixes a more technical take on post-Chris Barnes Cannibal Corpse with a more bombastic and chaotic Morbid Angel circa “Blessed are the Sick” with just a pinch of Vader. Now if this was just what Sickening Horror were about alone they would be of interest to devoted fans of Death Metal at the very least, but the combination of Black Metal and Jazz influences makes this release rise above being something only of interested to genre devotee’s. Avant-Garde Black Metal bands such as Dodheimsgard and Ved Buens Verde are cited as influences and this can be seen in both the searing icy ‘almost BM, but not quite’ passages that punctuate the death metal segments at point and the industrial keyboard effects that add an unsettling ambience to certain tracks.

The jazz influence can mostly be seen in the rhythm section pairing of Kolias and bassist Ilias Daras, who bring a highly technical and novel approach to the concept of a Death Metal rhythm system whilst not forsaking any of the concepts and facets that Death Metal fans have come to expect. Daras’s performance on this album is highly impressive with his bass work being reminiscent of Steve DiGorgio’s work with Death with “Forsake my Bleeding” being a prime example. On the eighth track “Virus Detected” Sickening Horror do something a little difference and massively increase the Jazz elements of their sound to create an almost linear piece of work which sounds like Ephel Duath being beaten up at a death metal gig.

This is an experimental Death Metal album that dares to leap into the unknown but still has enough genre trademarks within it to appeal to traditionalists but crucially without isolating those who want something more on the edge. In conclusion it’s well worth a purchase.

Brain Drill at Myspace

One thing that can be said about Brain Drill’s debut and perhaps only album “Apocalyptic Feasting” is although its not an album that will universally loved by all death metal fans, some devotees of the genre will find lots on offer here. Imagine Necrophagist’s technical wizardry/overkill (delete as appropriate in regards to your preferences) with the straight up chaotic brutality of King of all Kings/I Monarch era Hate Eternal and you’ve basically thought up Brain Drill. For those of you who loved the virtuoso performances of Mohammed Sucimez and co, you will be blown away by the level of technical ability exhibited all members of the band on this record. To be honest I think the “Apocalyptic Feasting” Brain Drill line-up probably just about beats the Necrophagist’s “Epitaph” line-up in terms of sheer musical skill.

There are people out there who aren’t really that fond of Necrophagist; they believe that concepts such as song-writing and atmosphere are jettisoned in pursuit of excessive and almost masturbatory technicality. Well don’t worry as that doesn’t necessarily mean that this is a record that you will automatically stay clear of. Brain Drill have superb song writing skills and their brutal death metal Influences ensure that the tracks are well rounded and natural flowing pieces of tech death metal.

For a debut album, this is about as good as it gets these days, and it has to be hoped that Brain Drill head honcho Dylan Ruskin can put together a new stable line up as although some death metal fans will regard “Apocalyptic Feasting as an abomination I’d love to see where these guys progress if they make another album.

Sahg at Myspace

‘Sahg II’ is unsurprisingly the Second album by Norwegian Doom Metal super-group Sahg. Their first album, unsurprisingly titled ‘Sahg I’, was a superb piece of inventive trad doom inspired principally by Black Sabbath and Candlemass. Their second effort expands both the range of influences and range of contrasting style contained with Sahg’s sound immensely. There are two main directions that Sahg are pulling on ‘Sahg II’. The first is 60′s and 70′s psychedelia with the likes of Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, Cream and Hawkwind being key references points. The swirling, lush and almost seductive tones of the ‘Echoes Ring Forever’ with its epic, seductive drugged-up outro and the chilled out and inventive instrumental that follows it, “from conscious sleep” being prime examples of this.

The second major influence is that of NWOBHM and pre thrash 80’s heavy metal in general such as Witchfinder General, Angelwitch, Manilla Road, and Witchfynde. These elements are usually more subtly placed within the overall ‘Sahg II’ sound with them only coming to the foreground in the fast paced stomper ‘Pyromancer’ but just like the progression between their heroes Candlemass debut and sophomore, the trad heavy metal influences that are more prominent on ‘Sahg II’ than on ‘Sahg I’ change the chemistry of this slice of doom distinctly and when combined with the more overt and noticeable heady psychedelia create a cocktail of metal that is just about irresistible. From the Nostalgic Hammond Organ on ‘Starcrossed’ to the sinister campfire hymn to the dark side of the Age of Aquarius that is ‘Escape the Crimson Sun’, ending with the spacey epic album ender that is ‘Monomania’ this is one sophomore release that ends up bettering the bands stunning debut rather than paling in comparison to it.

Emeth at Myspace

Emeth (which, according to Wikipedia, is Hebrew for “truth-seeker” and is the name of a devil-worshipping character from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) are a death metal band just starting to dip their toes into more progressive, technical metal.  It’s no surprise, as their guitarists are total pros, and this album has some of the sickest metal drumming I’ve heard.

I usually don’t focus too much on drums, but it’s impossible not to notice them here.  There’s an assault of insanely fast beats throughout the album – seriously, this guy must have four arms and three feet!  If he’s not rocking the double-bass, he’s rolling on everything else; yet he always manages to back off to give a good riff a little breathing room.  (Usually, when a band constantly uses fast double-bass it drives me crazy because it’s intense but gets boring fast; this is some of the most tasteful double-bass I’ve heard.  Check out “Anochi Kofer” for an example of this.)

Everything else on the album falls into place – really, these guys are pros, and while the album isn’t especially brutal, it has some top-notch songs.  One of my favorite tracks is “Folly and Weakness”, which starts out as your standard chugger, but ends with some rockin’ harmonic flourishes, key changes, and even a switch to half the tempo that works so perfectly (and is used so sparingly) it puts every shitty hardcore breakdown to shame.  None of the (few) solos really stand out, but there are plenty of memorable riffs – and you’ll keep coming back for the insane drumming.

Anata at Myspace

‘The Conductor’s Departure’ is a no-frills, 100% ass-kicking tech metal album.  Seriously, how many times have you cringed when you’re listening to a band for the first time, and those sweet riffs and guttural vocals give way to church organs, tambourines, and a heartfelt serenade from a tough guy?  Fuck that.  Real metal doesn’t need freshening up.

It’s 2008, but Anata still deliver exactly what I want to hear.  The guitar tone is warm and beautiful and constant; the riffs are exciting and memorable; the solos are technical yet subtle.  The drums are excellent; the vocals aren’t anything to write home about, but the dark growl works well with the music.  They really take a back-seat to the guitars, though.  Check out the soaring riffs on ‘The Great Juggler’, or the constant assault of ‘Disobedience Pays’, or the sneaky, show-off title track.  Anata ain’t exactly the usual Swedish death metal band, but they sure as hell remind me of why I fell for Soilwork, In Flames, etc. in their prime.

Hunab Ku at Myspace

Where do I begin?  This album is spaz-tastic from start to finish.  These boys cover a broad spectrum of avant-garde and technical metal.  The album starts out stressing their evil carnival sound, recalling Dog Fashion Disco and Mr. Bungle.  After the organ disappears from the mix, you’re left with one brutal treble-y guitar that weaves in and out of barely decipherable rhythms.  The vocalist really does the Mike Patton thing well, which I can’t say I like that much, but he switches styles often enough, sometimes sounding like the Deftones or the Red Chord, that it doesn’t get stale.

If the frantic circus riffs aren’t your thing, there are a few other treats buried here and there.  My favorite track is the two-minute droning “Midnight Assassin”, which despite having so few notes, is so brutal that I’m worried the guitarist will stab out my eardrums with a guitar-pick shiv.  Sure, the crazy rhythms and harmonies on the rest of the album are great, but this short little song shows that these guys can be as brutal with a few notes and a howl as they are with all guns blazing.  If anything, this band knows how to pace itself, letting you relax just long enough that their attack hits you 10x as hard when it arrives.

RIYL: Swarm of the Lotus, Dillinger Escape Plan, Car Bomb, Dog Fashion Disco