For those of you who haven’t had the chance to check out Ohio’s own Skeletonwitch, the band specializes in modern thrash metal (or blackened thrash, if you wanna take the time to make that distinction). Their signature sound combines the speedy side of thrash with the tones and tremolo picked harmonies of black metal, modern shredding and other extreme metal elements infused into straight-forward thrashers and short epics. This month brings us their 4th major release (third for Prosthetic Records) entitled Forever Abomination.

In the sea of new thrash metal bands the last decade has brought forth, Skeletonwitch remains one of the most distinguishable here in 2011. Gain-y and grainy, the band’s guitar tone itself is somewhat hard to mistake from others. The powerful, gargling black metal growl supplied by vocalist Chance Garnette is surprisingly memorable as well… making the combination altogether unmistakable. That being said, the new songs are just that; new. Forever Abomination stands out on its own while retaining all of the previous albums’ best attributes.

At a total length of 32 minutes, the album is a few minutes shorter than the previous two. Opening track This Horrifying Force starts out with a few bars of acoustic guitar serving as the album’s intro and becomes a sprawling, mid-tempo melodic black metal rocker (reminiscent of Dissection’s Reinkaos) that concludes with the same acoustic guitar. At 4:10, it’s the album’s longest song… and one of the band’s longest as well. The album continues on gaining momentum with each track.

Single Reduced To The Failure Of Prayer (listen above) starts out with a crash and deep growls over a hammer blast, and continues to emphasize the down beat for a time before the riffs move on and set the song’s pace. The song ends rather abruptly, on lead guitar and at it’s maximum tempo… which makes for a seamless transition into the faster Of Ash And Torment. But for the breakdown with its welcomed ringing chords, this song and the next are classic Skeletonwitch thrashers. While the fifth song, Erased And Forgotten starts out quick with blasting and tremolo picking… it smoothes out into a melodic gallop at its midpoint before building its speed back up.

The Infernal Resurrection is another very interesting moment on the album, as it opens on more ringing chords at a mid-tempo and then displays the band’s comfort at speed… then breaks down briefly and rings those opening chords some more in conclusion. Moments like this one supply a measured amount of breathing room for this album, and surely translate into widening the options the band has for their already immense live set. Rejoice In Misery thrashes right out of the gate and maintains a good upper tempo before slowing somewhat halfway through and keeping a brisk melodic pace for it’s spreading guitar lines to ring out fully.

One of the main things that Forever Abomination has over the others is how often big, full chords are allowed to ring out. This combined with a more refined drum sound and more polished drumming from new drummer Dustin Boltjes, makes this release overall the most melodic in Skeletonwitch’s discography. This is most apparent in the next and most varied song on the album, Cleaver Of Souls. It’s latter half is one big breakdown, with all the goods you’d expect from a virtuous metal band.

The last three songs are thrashers, none of which is much of a closer. While the last song, My Skin Of Deceit has ample slow blasting a-la slower black metal, good pace and a moment of the singing dual guitar leads that fans have come to love this band for… it’s also the shortest on the album, with an ending that’s dry and abrupt. The last two albums ended with singing, sprawling epics… top notch closers. However, they started very differently as well… so while some of us (myself at least) may have been hoping for more of the same, it isn’t enough to disappoint.

All in all, Skeletonwitch has managed to put out nothing but refined music. Forever Abomination stands as a good follow-up to the straight-forward Breathing The Fire and in my opinion brings a fresh feel for the band.

Whenever a respectable extreme metal band releases a new album that doesn’t fully impress me (coughMegadethcoughMorbidAngelcough)… I don’t bother to write about it. In my opinion, these relatively unpopular bands we love deserve only our praises or lack thereof. Plus, there is a horde of metalheads that will voice their thoughts regardless. That being said, anyone reading this has my guarantee that I am impressed with any album I review.

Skeletonwitch has delivered greatness yet again, full of speed and furious as always. The black metal tinge is still strong, and with ample legato in the leads and song-writing that isn’t at all stagnant. Forever Abomination is an album that all Skeletonwitch fans should make haste to hear, and all extreme metal lovers should at least check out.

Slayer was of course one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands from the 1980’s, and continues to be an icon for just about anyone even casually into heavy music. But their legacy goes beyond how cool their logo looks on a t-shirt. Any metalhead will acknowledge Slayer as one of the most influential extreme metal bands of all time, and affirm that their 1986 masterpiece Reign In Blood debuted onto the Billboard 200 at #94 despite virtually no radio play, and set the pace for the entire burgeoning death metal genre.

In May of 1992, after the 1991 album Seasons in the Abyss, drummer Dave Lombardo quit the band. He didn’t return until 2002, and eventually recorded their previous effort, 2006’s Christ Illusion. Slayer sounds like exactly what they were for that album: A band who just got their one and only definitive drummer back after over 20 years without him. Musically Christ Illusion was refreshingly fast and undeniably heavy, but the songwriting wasn’t impressive and the lyrics fucking sucked. Hard. The album might’ve sold well and Slayer may have won a Grammy, but what does that honestly say about it? We heard it for what it was; Slayer getting back into the swing of things. Out here in the real world, the album fell flat on its face and will certainly not withstand the tests of time. Hardcore Slayer fans already wanna forget that it happened at all.

Fortunately, World Painted Blood is not another Christ Illusion. It isn’t incredible, but it’s definitely better in every way. The record is shorter, faster and well… Slayer! The lyrics are overall better than anything they’ve written in a long time, the riffs are memorable again. I must say that I think the album would be a lot stronger without Americon and Playing With Dolls. But when was the last Slayer record that only had two weak songs?

The album starts off with a very Slayer, practically old-school “creepy intro” that leads into the title track. The next two songs, Unit 731 and Snuff are bona fide thrashers that really take you back. After those we come to Beauty Through Order. The song starts off evil-ballad style a-la Seasons In The Abyss, and builds up to another helping of speed and solos that fit perfectly, then breaks down with an old ‘classic Slayer’ constant 8th-note ride cymbal pattern over a slowly down-picked guitar riff. I have to say, I didn’t see it coming at all. It really makes a good Slayer song great, especially at the end of 2009. The icing on the cake is that the song’s lyrics are about the first known female serial killer.

Another song I can’t help but mention, is the colossal Public Display Of Dismemberment. It’s two minutes and thirty-four seconds long, has an awesome breakdown, and at its fastest moments the beat is a bomb-blast. Yes. A Slayer song with a bomb-blast (not the only one on the album that does, too) that fits perfectly. It’s quickly and easily landed itself on my list of all-time favorites.

Here, have a listen:

Unfortunately, singer/bassist Tom Araya isn’t certain if this will be the last Slayer record or not. World Painted Blood is the last record of their deal with executive producer Rick Rubin, and apparently discussion about the band’s future is now on the table. I can’t say that I know how to feel about that. It comes down to whether or not the members of the band feel like it’ll be worth it. If they can’t put out another album on this level, I think this is a great place to call it quits as far as recording goes. It sounds like they’ve still got it.

Behemoth has long been one of the most extreme Death Metal bands in the world… and it’s clear that they intend to stay the course. While the band has never wanted to confine themselves to one specific branch of extreme metal, the formula has almost always been a cross between the brutal side of Death Metal and the blurry, menacing atmosphere of the finest Northern European Black Metal. Evangelion does not deviate from that legacy.

As a longtime fan of the band, I can confidently say that for me, this is the band’s greatest achievement. The songwriting is easily on par with albums such as Thelema.6 and Zos Kia Kultus, but effortlessly blended with the band’s last two efforts’ speed, power and density. Personally I enjoyed 2004’s Demigod and 2007’s The Apostasy. But I still feel that both albums sounded unfocused, and at times, overproduced. I think many Behemoth fans would agree. Evangelion sounds much like a cross between the epic moments of the last album, and the very natural yet relentless sound of Zos Kia Kultus: Here And Beyond.

As far as brutality goes, the tremolo-picked and bomb-blast laden tracks are just as cacophonous and nasty as anything off of Demigod. Yet, the band’s vision for this record is nearly as diverse as The Apostasy. All around, this is the quintessential Behemoth. A honed and perfected version of the dense, blackened blasphemy we all know and love… Broken english and all.

There’s no shortage of blasphemy coinciding with the release, either. The original cut of the music video for the single Ov Fire And The Void got banned from YouTube within one day. Probably due to the demonic themes throughout, such as the band pulling apart and feasting on a fully nude angel. Check it out:

In case it wasn’t obvious, if you work in the type of establishment that frowns upon eating the flesh of nude angels, then this video may be unsuitable for viewing during business hours.

All 9 tracks are great, and in my opinion, this is the best Behemoth album to listen straight through. If you had ever thought that this wasn’t an “album band…”
Think again.

The subject of this review, Gorod, is a Technical Death Metal band hailing from France. France has been putting out great Death Metal for some time. Disavowed has risen far past my expectations, but upon discovering Bordeaux’s Gorod, my outlook on Europe’s impact on Tech Death changed immediately. Their prior albums, Nuerotripsicks and Leading Vision are incredible… but the sheer immense of the new material has found its way into my heart in record time.

The US has always dominated Technical Death Metal. First with Atheist and Cynic and now with such bands as Arsis, Dying Fetus, Decrepit Birth and Sickening Horror. Not to say they don’t have Tech Death bands overseas… Ours have just always kicked their asses. But now, Gorod and Germany’s Necrophagist help prove that the other hemisphere can hack it too.

Founded in 1997 under the name Gorgasm, the band has had their share of bumpy roads to go down, not releasing an album until 2004. It wound up being enough to land them a deal with Willowtip Records, which re-released it in 2005 with two new songs. Simultaneously they changed their name to Gorod so as to not be confused with the long-time Chicago death metal outfit of the same name. 2006 saw the release of their follow-up, Leading Vision and some extensive touring… and then finally things culminated in 2008, when uniting with drummer Sam Santiago resulted in the tighter, even more ridiculous material we have here.

Released the second of this month in Europe and July 28th here in the states, Process Of A New Decline embodies everything a technical death metal release ought to be. It’s fast, needlessly complex and pulls out all the stops. But that’s really not the whole story. What sets Gorod apart from most Tech Death, is their straight-forward melody and syncopation. Not to say Gorod doesn’t exercise their right to start and stop at will, the manner in which it’s done is simply less jarring on this record. Fans of Arsis’ last release We Are The Nightmare will especially enjoy this album’s ample melody throughout the onslaught of gutterals and growls, every category of blast beat, 32nd-note double bass, odd time signatures and unreal guitar prowess.

I especially enjoy the tinges of powermetal on Programmers Of Decline and Splinters Of Life, though I can’t say which of these would be my favorite track. The song The Path somehow manages to have some synth vocals that I don’t hate. The song is still mostly adrenaline and vastness, but the little break is nice. It envokes similar feelings as parts of Between The Buried And Me’s last epic, Colors. There are even many classic rock/hard rock attributes in a bunch of the song’s leads. This band is just all around monstrous.

I suggest attaining this album and playing it straight through, but if you need a sample, here’s Programmers Of Decline:

Bottom line, if you are a Death Metal fan, you should keep your eye on this band.

Process Of A New Decline
July 28, 2009
Willowtip

01. Disavow Your God
02. Programmers Of Decline
03. Diverted Logic
04. Rebirth Of Senses
05. The Path
06. Splinters Of Life
07. Guilty Of Dispersal
08. Gilded Cage
09. A Common Hope
10. Watershed
11. Almighty’s Murderer

Since their debut album Endless Pain in 1985, Kreator have been at the forefront of extreme metal. This year brings us Hordes Of Chaos, their follow-up to 2005’s Enemy Of God. Kreator’s 12th studio album, these 9 songs are some of the best Thrash Metal I have ever heard. Period.

Before its release I had read & heard things about the band wanting this album to feel more like their live shows. Everything besides some additional vocal tracks, a few guitar solos and some other small additions was recorded in a live studio setting on a 4-track analog recorder.  The result is, in my opinion, the most natural sounding Thrash record of this decade.

Much faster than its predecessor, Hordes Of Chaos seethes aggression. Despite a return to a more classic feel and lyrical style, this is a very modern album. The guitar sound is brighter and the riffs are fresh… but there’s more than that. There’s something else there now. It seems like after all the experimenting this band has done, they have found a higher ground to trample to death. I don’t mean to imply they’ve pulled an Emperor and gotten pretentious… But there is definitely a new hint of flavor in the mix. Much like Arsis’s last album, there is an underlying Power Metal attitude present here.

Kreator has always been a very fast band, and the melodies here continue that tradition. But much of it is cleaner now… dare I say playful sounding? The song Radical Resistance is a prime example of Kreator’s trademark anthem-writing abilities carrying over into a rockin’, catchy new type of material that I already can’t wait to chant along with live.

I feel particularly moved to go on about the eighth track, To The Afterborn. A song with a title like that usually means a mid-tempo churn-fest for Kreator fans. Not this time. This song has everything. The lyrics are in my honest opinion, the best that Mille Petrozza has ever written. There is so much in this song you’ll find yourself hearing bits of other bands in it. Three quarters into it, the guitar immediately reminded me of something Sepultura would’ve used.

Just as it should, the closing track Demon Prince reflects all the power and presence that the band has made themselves known for.

However you look at it, it’s obvious that the band is tighter than ever before. Mille and Sami’s guitars might as well be singing you the last songs you’ll ever hear. Christian’s basslines are tight, solemn and very proud sounding… and Jurgen Reil’s drumming is tight and monstrous as usual. Hordes Of Chaos is a breathtaking listen and a huge landmark for one of the longest running and most important bands in their genre.

Hordes Of Chaos
January 13, 2009
Steamhammer

1. Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite)
2. Warcurse
3. Escalation
4. Amok Run
5. Destroy What Destroys You
6. Radical Resistance
7. Absolute Misanthropy
8. To The Afterborn
9. Corpses Of Liberty
10. Demon Prince

My first encounter with the texan metal outfit As Eden Burns was met with both hope and skepticism. Far too many bands have set out to achieve this coveted middle-ground but never managed to sound natural (at least to these ears) in their musical endeavors. After a brief listen, most of my skepticism had dissolved and I found myself going out of my way for their independently released 5 song EP the next day.

I was stunned at how tastefully everyone in the band approached what modern death / thrash middle-ground has become- only exercising bombast when most appropriate and maintaining unapologetic, haunting melodies throughout. To this day I remain awestruck at the depth of the lyrical content, and the placement of the dedicated dual-vocal work capturing it.

Now, just under three years since their formation, As Eden Burns have finally released their debut LP, entitled The Great Celestial Delusion and it is every bit as satisfying as the original EP. Despite their youth, these texans sound as though they had been playing death / thrash straight through the 90s. They’ve got a natural maturity that is supposed to only come with age, and in a relatively short time they’ve managed to develop into a tight, concise outfit despite some lineup changes.

For the most part, the songs are of average lengths. But with vicious, memorable hooks in every song and a dense and epic style (think Protest The Hero meets early Morbid Angel) every one’s an excursion. The hardest knockout comes from back-to-back triumphs Ever Again and Conceptual Decay. The closer, Lost Counsel And Untimely Doom, is a wooly mammoth, the likes of which every heavy metal album ought to end with. Have a taste- here’s Ever Again:

All in all, this album is a top-to-bottom thrasher only stopping to catch its breath (and for one acoustic guitar interlude) between its eight barrages of double bass and tremolo picking, and never once straying from fully focused songwriting. All of the modern death metal adornments are present… swept guitar lines, dual melodies, standout basslines, tastefully executed blastbeats, everything you wanna hear in late 2008 without losing sight of the objective: That balanced middle-ground. The Great Celestial Delusion is a massive debut any extreme metal fan is sure to enjoy.

The Great Celestial Delusion
November 11, 2008
Willowtip

1. The Great Celestial Delusion
2. Endless Rebirth
3. Enemy
4. Ever Again
5. Conceptual Decay
6. Guilds
7. Golden Age
8. Lost Counsel And Untimely Doom