This first line lead singer Bryan Funck screams in “The Unnamed Path” exemplifies one of Thou’s main goals: to dwell in and utilize the power of suffocating sounds and emotions to come away feeling hopeful and empowered. For 24 minutes, Thou’s brand of sludge/drone/doom barely lets go; apparently To the Chaos Wizard Youth’s outright bludgeoning is meant to be a counterpart to 2010’s Summit’s experimentation and an outlet for new drummer Josh Nee to impress and win over hesitant fans (for said fans hear the last 1:44 of third track, “Helen Will Have Her Revenge on New Orleans”). Additionally, this EP demonstrates something the band perfected with “Another World is Inevitable” off last year’s said full length, Summit, which is, oddly enough, subtlety.

Now, hold on. No one in their right mind would describe Thou’s music as sounding subtle. In fact, …Chaos Wizard sees the Baton Rouge, LA band as forceful, direct and unhinged as ever, losing much of the post-rock tendencies found on early full-lengths Peasant and Tyrant and focusing on what might seem like bluntness and ferocity. One complaint, which might be a common response to the way Thou currently structures their songs, is that this new format is boring, that nothing changes. The same riff is repeating itself. Take a closer listen and you’ll notice that the tempos shift in much more subtle ways than before, as riffs lumber over and over they speed up and slow down, often aligning themselves with a tonal shift in the lyrics. When changes do ensue they feel more momentous than before, more earned.

For example, “The Unnamed Path” builds with guitars wailing, cymbals kissing and crashing all the while the drums take slow steps, carrying the song towards its righteous and unholy dirge. When they finally enter, Bryan’s vocals are as ghastly, vicious, vulnerable and impassioned as ever, spitting lyrics that announce triumph after triumph over political corruption, greed, indifference, and systemic violence against fellow human and earthly beings. Delivered this way, repeated and spat out over the top of such monstrous and crunchy riffs, I can’t help but feel that these triumphs are impending. Then, around the 5:40 mark we find a turn in the lyrical listing of triumphs to what I interpret as the grandest, a shift in consciousness toward “outward reflection.” Here the band cuts out, if only momentarily, as Bryan exclusively screams, announcing a diatribe from one voice to all others with as much force and conviction to possibly reach them all.

The three other songs on Chaos Wizard work in a similar fashion: build by repetition and subtle nuance until Bryan’s vocals have no choice but to boil over, bringing the rest of the band with him into ferocious but ultimately hopeful and uplifting territory. Thou inspires the type of productive anger manifested not by “the violent impotence of the masculine savage” but towards the restoration of “the unity of synchronicity,” which is both refreshing and inspiring in a community unwilling to reflect on the power and violence it so often inspires or is inspired by.

Though some fans might miss the older, post-rock tendencies, which allowed songs room to breathe in between the sludge, I welcome the newer, more suffocating approach. With this, Thou more successfully convinces its listeners that the collapse of much of the status quo just might be more beautiful (albeit terrifying too) than the destruction of our creative abilities to see outside it. The lyrics from “Helen…” most redolent of this welcomed collapse read, “Someday a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets,” reminding us of the creative duality of storms to both destroy and reanimate. For some this may evoke apocalyptic thoughts, somehow suggesting that the “world’s” survival requires human beings to voluntarily self-extinct, but Thou don’t seem all that invested in giving up on the capacity to radically adjust to what the world asks of us.

Sacrificial Slaughter are the more veteran act with two full-length albums under their bullet belt since 2002 and their 5 songs are high octane, death metal tinged thrashers with dual screamed/growled vocals, well produced, big burly guitars and a cut throat tempo. Obvious nods the the ’80s/’90s Bay Area and German thrash are abundant (I mean Sacrificial Slaughter just sounds like a late ’80s thrash band name) and the very slight death metal flock, gives it a nastier edge, though they are still thematically rooted in the ’80s thrash with titles like “80 Proof Justice” and “Acid Reflux”. The five songs blaze by with a purposeful hi-tempo with a few stern thrashy marches here and there. While I’m not blown away by the likes of “Reign of the Hammer” and “Acid Reflux”, they did get my foot tapping and made my head thrash a little bit–it’s about as red blooded and denim clad as American metal gets–but not much else as I can’t say I’m going to actively seek the band’s back catalog or future releases, despite the obvious energy and honest influences.

Enfuneration offer something a little more up my alley with a more gnarly, evil take on metal that has a touch of thrash via the strangely cold (and almost bassless) guitar tone. Structurally this is more typical US styled Floridian death metal. Parts of Cannibal Corpse, Deicide and Malevolent Creation can be heard throughout the band’s five longer  songs, complete with dual demonic vocals and shrill chaotic solos. After the blasting start of “Insidious  Domain”, the band caught my attention with the more epic start of “Baring Their Scars” — very nice mid-paced march and confident delivery. “Stygian Darkness” then gets back to no-nonsense death metal ferocity with some very nice churning moments.  The 6+ minute closer “Grieving Process Denied” also features some nice variation between militant marches, solos and more traditional death metal blasting with an opening salvo that reminded me of Brutality. Enfuneration aren’t doing anything ground breaking, but I’d certainly welcome any future releases if they’re able to beef up their mix and production a little more.

All being said, American Death Thrash  is one of the more satisfying and lengthy splits (42 minutes) I’ve heard recently, even if it’s released on a label whose name appears to have been created by a 10 year old boy.

Feb 16th 2010 was the day I got Blackjazz. Here I sit Feb 14 2012 reviewing Live Blackjazz. Two year old songs released as a live album? What’s the motivation to get this disk? For one, The older pre 2010 material is reinvented for Shining‘s new persona, and works even better. For another, this is a live album from a band that really shines live.

I first heard Shining back in 2002 stumbling on them through Jaga Jazzist, where Jørgen Munkeby spent seven years. It was there he was exposed to the electronic pop side as well as smooth jazz. Munkeby started out emulating Jan Garbarek then Coltrane. Drummer Torstein Lofthus is the only other founding member. The Norwegian Academy of Music teacher has been on the drum stool throughout Shining’s metamorphosis, and the drumming on display is top notch, worthy of his name in the credits. I can imagine jazz purists hating on his efforts here, unfounded I must say.

So leap forward to 2005 when Shining really established their new direction and take Meshuggah and Emperor and Olivier Messiaen and throw them into the mix. Think Messiaen when you listen to “Healter Skelter” and “Goretex Weather Report”, think Meshuggah when you listen to “Exit Sun.” By 2010 they had a name for their style. “The idea was to set a name on the music we played, and make it the name of our record. Just like the Ornette Coleman record Free Jazz, or Venom´s Black Metal. Up until then everyone asked what music we played, and we could not answer, but now we can. We play Black Jazz.”

Complex arrangements, odd time signatures, frequent time changes, short dissonant phrasing, long wandering linear compositions, intense energy, bombastic solos, all hallmarks used in both jazz and metal, yet for decades I’ve encountered a wall in people’s minds, jazz on one side metal on the other, and never the two shall mix. In Shining you’ve got progressive rock, which was heavily influenced by the likes of Ayler, Coleman, Miles Davis then add back in jazz influences directly, everyone from Basie to Braxton, add to that the progressive black of Enslaved and Emperor, which is itself influenced by progressive rock acts like King Crimson and Yes, and therefore linked back to the jazz greats, so anyone out there that says Shining is not jazz is pretty dense, and probably has a strong distaste for Peter Brotzmann.

I am one that has always said the jazz fusion label should have been changed to rock fusion because all those bands, Weather Report, John McLaughlin, Graham Bond, Tony Williams, etc. all those guys recorded and played with jazz icons yet the music they were putting out was more rock and soul than jazz. So here we have Shining, a self proclaimed metal band that comes out of the jazz scene, and not just by way of fusion and progressive rock, but by way of studying jazz full time at music school. They even signed with Indie Records, a known extreme metal label, an act that would offend jazz purists if they were still paying attention, because signing with them would align them more fully in the metal sphere. So after more than a decade of performing at jazz festivals and having albums named jazz album of the year have they finally turned to the dark side, the correct side, and despite the fact they have performed to 80,000 fans, should we as metal fanatics allow them into our club?

So since this is a live set of their favorite songs from throughout the later half of their career it makes sense to discuss that evolution. Lets get the rest of the ‘sounds like’ list out of the way. Slayer, Dillinger Escape Plan, Sun O))), Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa, Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Meshuggah, Nine Inch Nails, Emperor, Bach, Weather Report.

First thing is that programming and arrangements are often complex. The music is always intense and hard driving, but even at its harshest extreme its jazz foundation shows through. To this virtuosity and progressive rock complexities, add in some third stream classicism. Metal fans will find many things to hate. Jazz fans will find many things to hate.

So now we should discuss this DVD. Several of the songs are spot on and a few are streamlined for the live set. The older songs are updated. Some of the intricacy is lost live but not because of a lack of playing ability but from the ramped up intensity of the live set. Add a few more musicians and they could pull off their more intricate compositions as originally written. I count myself a fan of the early releases and would have liked to have heard “Herbert West-Reanimator” and “Small Steps” reimagined for today’s vision. I have been listening to Shining since 2002 and yes I still listen to the first two albums. “Stalemate Longan Runner” is another gem that could stand the re-polishing treatment.

The cd tracklist is “Fisheye” (the single version), “The Madness and the Damage Done” (from Blackjazz), “In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster” (from Grindstone), “The Red Room” (from Grindstone), “Goretex Weather Report”(from In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster), “Winterreise” (from Grindstone), “Exit Sun” (from Blackjazz), “HEALTER SKELTER” (from Blackjazz), “21st Century Schizoid Man” (from Blackjazz). The DVD includes “Omen” (from Blackjazz), and “RMGDN” (from the vinyl edition of Blackjazz).

“Goretex Weather Report” combines moody solos with electronic repetition and heavy rhythmic guitars. Linking it all together is a simple engaging riff and the power of Lofthus’ drumming. “In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster,” is an ungodly heavy, slow punishing number that screams metal. Heavy guitars and punishing drums infused with an undercurrent of notes that pick at your innards and ooze a twisted delight. “Winterreise” is a symphonic frenzy that exudes metal with a third stream classical middle section. Sheer power and a ferocious delivery melds into a beautifully jagged dark classicism. “Fisheye” is heavily built around one huge riff and intense blasts of saxophone shrieks, all of which are held together by the synth. “The Madness and the Damage Done” is opened with a ferocious vocal delivery filled with repetitive riffing that rips through you as much as the incessant screaming. The keyboards really shine. Wait for the final minute. And don’t bother thinking of Neil Young‘s “The Needle and the Damage Done.” The impossibly complex “Healter Skelter” is a straight forward extreme jazz piece with monstrous guitar and frantic saxophone that has Peter Brotzmann’s name all over. This version of King Crimson‘s seminal “21st Century Schizoid Man” comes from a request for a cover song. The guys in the band were asked to cover this song and said they did not really know King Crimson. It is quite obvious they have respect for the band now, this marvelous rendition is sure to infuriate all King Crimson megafans out there, which is what a cover song should do. The original was chaotic, Shining’s version is easily the most penetrable song on the disc. And then there is the amazingly intense and brutal 10 minute long “Exit Sun” and the 20 minute long “RMGDN” that closes out the show in mesmerizing fashion thanks in no small part to the schizophrenic synths that would have extended Weather Report’s career if Zawinul had thought it out. Too bad it is only on the video. Also only on the video do you get the full onslaught of a nearly thirty minute instrumental tear that features seamlessly flowing “The Red Room” into “Omen” into “Goretex Weather Report” into “Winterreise” into “Exit Sun,” where we get some vocals half way through. Along the way Munkeby tears it up on sax, guitar and flute, a true highlight of the show. Do what I did, rip the audio from the dvd.

The DVD clocks in at one hour thirty-eight minutes, about forty minutes more than the cd, and features multiple cameras, tons of close ups and excellent sound quality. And of course the usual light and smoke show. All in all a quality presentation of outstanding music. Blackjazz would have made my 2010 best of list but I was still thinking of them in a jazz context. They signed to Indie Records because of the various black metal bands on the label and because the label would push their name in metal circles. Good enough for me, I put Live Blackjazz on my 2011 best of list. Welcome to the metal world.

The intro and main riff of “Darkness & Disguise” sound like a slower version of Pentagram’s “Forever My Queen”. The song progresses from a laid back groove to a gallop as the guitarist toys with some screeching wah. They use small doses of eastern scales to great effect “Valley of the Kings” and “Earth Choker” and closer “The Sleeping Prophet” has a brilliant cascading wall of fuzz. The driving pummel of opening track “Rebirth” is as punishing as they get and, with the exception of acoustic instrumental “Weightless”, they’re content to keep the songs focused on head nodding slow and mid-paced riffs.

On the other hand, the vocals are unremarkable. Clark’s cries and croons dominate the record and are accented by occasional shouts from bassist Michelle Temple. They fit the music well enough to be unobtrusive, but they won’t catch your ear as particularly unique or impressive. The riffs are quite good though and there are a number of quality tracks here, particularly “Darkness & Disguise” and “Valley of the Kings”. They like to settle in to a sturdy groove and ride it out to give guitarist and vocalist Kevin Clark room for some nice leads and expressive solos.

On the Wings of Time is a classic case of good. It’s one of those albums that’s not exceptional, different or particularly memorable, but still finds its way in to your stereo occasionally. It won’t knock your socks off, blow your hair back or any other cliché that might be substituted for “great”, but it’s got some good songs and there’s no shortage of decent riffs. Black Skies have talent and conviction and sometimes that’s all you need.

Named after a 1756 incident where 146 prisoners were placed in 14 x 18 dungeon cell in Calcutta and 123 of them died, this LP features some killer artwork (with a cool skeletonized version on the back)  on a chipboard sleeve and some equally impressive if raw music on the clear or black vinyl (I got the black). The style of BHOC is a very analog form of crust/grind that initially sounds pretty sloppy, a fact which is not helped by a vocalist who sounds like he’s out of breath while delivering his screams and growls. However, the energy of the music more than makes up for the lack of tight musicianship. At times, the music reminds me of the early 90 late 80s punk/crust coming out of the UK such as Unseen Terror, Deviated Instinct, Napalm Death and  Cerebral Fix.

Other than 4 tracks (opener “One”,  “Survive”, ‘Parasites” and closer “Being Young, Outta Luck”), the 12 tracks are short,  bursts of dirty power chord/d-beat gallops , loose blasts and feedback drenched lurches. Throw in aforementioned, often exasperated growls and roars, a mix that seems to vary from track to track and you get the potential for a real basement quality piece of music. However, on the  strength of the riffs and sheer, raw energy, it comes together to form something rather enjoyable.

The LP breaks down into 6 tracks per side and while none of the tracks really standout, each side of the LP delivers a rather addicting sound. Seeing as BHOC play the kind of music that’s perfectly suited for vinyl, you can let some of the sloppy sounds slide as they still manage to create a sonic havoc that’s brutal yer catchy. The likes of “Deathtube”,” Teeth”, “Parasites” punky “Humans=Earth’s Slow Death”,  and the closer “Being Young, Outta Luck” just kind of maul you into liking them as its about as honest and DIY sounding as anything from the 80s, but with some 90s bite and snarl.

Throw this release in with Abaddon‘s 2008 effort,  Life Out of Balance, I Fail’s Highways EP, and the United Sons of Toil LP as well as the recent Impatience cassette, and Krang LP gives you a whole bunch of reasons to go to some Good Will store or garage sale and grab an old school stereo record/cassette player, hit Sacred Plague’s webstore then  throw on some denim and rock the fuck out.

1. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Agony.
2. Entrails – The Tomb Awaits.
3. Kverlertak – s/t
4. Light Bearer – Lapsus
5. Vildhjarta – Masstaden
6. Wolves In The Throne Room – Celestial Lineage
7. Ulcerate- The Destroyers of All
8. Disma– Towards the Megalith
9. Life in Your Way – Kingdoms
10. Obscura – Omnivium
11. Deafheaven – Roads to Judah
12. Insomnium – One for Sorrow.
13. Origin – Entity
14. Loss– Despond
15. Mitochondrion – Parasignosis
16. Anomalous – Ohmnivalent
17. Hull – Beyond the Lightless Sky
18. Obsequiae – Suspended in the Brume of Eos
19. Primordial –Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
20. Mournful Congregation – The Book of Kings
21. All Pigs Must Die – God is War
22. Alestorm – Back Through Time.
23. The Living Fields – Running Out of Daylight
24. Morne– Asylum
25. Sleeping Giant – Kingdom Days in an Evil Age

Albums that I heard in 2011, that would have been sure fire for 2010: Journal – Unlorja, Rhino – Weight of Coronation

Sorry guys, you got bumped by a ridiculously good late year flurry of releases and discoveries: Anaal Nathrakh– Passion, Fen – Epoch, Ana Kefr – (II) The Burial Tree, Dekadent – Venera : Trial & Tribulation.

Sorry guys, I Didn’t Get the Hype: 40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room, Absu –Abzu, Vektor – Outer Isolation, Revocation – Chaos of  Forms.

Sorry guys,  I didn’t have enough time to get to know you properly, but I’m pretty sure you were awesome: Unexpect – Fables of the Lost Empire, Tombs –The Path of Totality , Vale of Pnath – The Prodigal Empire , Killing the Dream – Lucky Me, Flourishing – The Sum of All Fossils,  Saille– Irreversible Decay.

Album I had to find a spot for and at least mention somewhere: Ever Forthright – S/T.
Best Vinyl release: Dead in the Dirt – Fear 7″
Best Re-issues: Augury – Concealed, Uncanny – MCMXCI-MCMXCIV
Best Self Released CD (and best fucking cover art)- Vore – Gravehammer
Best Demo – Hessian Crucible – Morbidity
Best comeback: Autopsy – Macabre Eternal
Best EP- Corpsessed – The Dagger & The Chalice
Biggest surprise: Jungle Rot – Kill On Command
Best labels: Dark Descent/ Southern Lord/Profound Lore
Worst albums: Morbid Angel – Illud Divunum Insanus, Denial Fiend– Horror Holocaust.
Best album everyone hated because of the artist, not the actual music: – Liturgy – Aesthetica

Best Songs: Fleshgod Apocalypse “The Betrayal” and “The Violation”, Light Bearer “Primen Movens”, Augury “Lair of Purity”, Alestorm ” I am a Cider Drinker”, Hessian Crucible “Shame Spiral”, Ulcerate “Cold Becoming”, Kverlertak “Utrid Die Svake”, Subrosa “House Carpenter”, Turisas “Hunting Pirates” and “Venetoi! Presino!” , The Living Fields “Glacial Movements” and “Perseverance”, Woods of Ypres “By the Time You Read This” and “I Was Buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery”, Liturgy “Tragic Laurel” and “Returner”, All Pigs Must Die “Death Dealer”, Dekadent “Day of Solace”, Illdisposed “The Taste of You”, August Burns Red “Carpe Diem”, Century “Painting Leprosy”, Vrani Vlossa “Rising Red”, Anaal Nathrakh “Drug Fucking Abomination”, Deafheaven “Tunnel of Trees”, Morne “Volition”, Rose Funeral “Malignant Amour”, Primordial “Mouth of Judas”, Ulcerate “Cold Becoming”, Hull “Earth From Water”, Lock Up “Stigmartyr”, Svartsot “Farsoten Kom”,Hands “Northern Lights”, Monsterworks “Everything You Believe is a Lie”, Thousand Year War ‘Spartacus”, Taake “Myr”, Loss – “Cut Up Depressed and Alone”, Skyrim Theme.

Don’t expect rocked up versions of traditional Christmas carols from this holiday release, though. The two tunes here are certainly traditional, but you probably haven’t heard either at your family Christmas party before.

The main track is a cover of King Diamond’s “No Presents for Christmas.” It’s an obvious choice for a metal holiday release, and Holy Grail covers it pretty much straight up like the original. In place of the original “Jingle Bells” intro, they opt for a piece from the Nutcracker Suite, but after that, it’s pretty much note for note. James Paul Luna’s vocals are not as piercing in the highs as King’s, obviously, but he does a pretty good job with it. The song also features the recording debut of new guitarist Alex Lee, and he, along with Eli Santana, provide some scorching axe work throughout. The song goes off-script again at the end, skipping the “Rudolph” interlude and adding a few lines going into the “I’m dreaming of a White Sabbath” line.

The second track is a cover of Rainbow’s “Kill the King,” reportedly chosen simply because Santana was listening to a lot of Rainbow at the time they were recording. Like the King Diamond cover, the Rainbow cover is pretty straightforward. Holy Grail juices the song up just a little bit, throwing in some heavier guitars and drums in later verses, but sticks with the melody line and key points of the original. That’s a good idea since, particularly with an iconic song like this one, you’re not going to outdo the original.

If nothing else, Luna shows that he has a huge set by belting out these songs from two of the most distinctive voices in metal – King Diamond and Ronnie James Dio. Naturally, he can’t match either, but he doesn’t try. He sings the songs the best he can, and that’s pretty damned good. His performance here, and on the band’s last record Crisis in Utopia, is a far cry from the weaker vocals he showed on my first encounter with him, White Wizzard’s High Speed GTO, and I’ve got a new respect for him.

The digital version of the release also features covers featuring a couple of other big voices – Judas Priest’s “Exciter” and Accept’s “Fast as a Shark.” I would have liked to hear both of them, but sadly, they weren’t included with the promo download.

Seasons Bleedings is a fun little two-song set for the holidays, and it also serves to whet fans’ appetite for a new full-length Holy Grail offering, hopefully coming in 2012.

Oh man, well I’ve lived here in Missouri my whole life. I think I first got into metal when I heard the Mortal Kombat soundtrack when I was in 4th grade. It had songs from Type O Negative, Napalm Death and Fear Factory on it. When I heard the vocals on the Napalm Death track (“Twist the Knife (Slowly)”) I was just into metal from that point on.

So at what point did you decide you actually wanted to create this form of music?

Oh I think I was about 18 or 19. Old Ways was actually my first recording, even though it was just released a couple of years ago. I’m actually 26 now so you can see. There was a significant delay in actually getting these albums released from when they were actually recorded, that’s why I have so many releases.

That’s actually a great segue! Lets talk about that, you’ve got to be one of the most prolific musicians out there. 5 CDs this year alone and 13 total since 2006… that’s just crazy! What’s the cause of this production? Do you have a vast back catalog of written music or are you continually writing?

A little of both. I’ve got a large back log of material and obviously since I’ve been recording since I was 18 without releasing it the back log is pretty big. I also write a lot. I have a part time job, so I have a lot of time to write and I’d go crazy otherwise.

Of your 13 CDs, it’s split between the abrasive black metal and more ambient, electronic atmospheric stuff that’s completely different. What’s your logic for releasing them under the same moniker? Have you given any thought to releasing the atmospheric stuff under a different name?

I guess I look at it like Perez, a composer who would compose some orchestral work but he would also compose a solo piece.  It’s all the same personality coming through in the music. The only changes would only really be idiomatic or stylistic — it’s still the same mind creating it. It’s just different ways to express the same musical personality. Unless I had a really specific purpose for a project, I can’t see releasing anything under another name.

So what exactly does Jute Gyte mean?

Let me think about this for a second [pause] It really doesn’t mean anything. With electronic music and metal, there are all these bizarre , unusual titles and names, and I think if I had chosen something more black metal, I would have been more limited in my style. I kind of made it up. It leaves me very free to pursue any sound I want without being limited.

You also run and own the label Jute Gyte CDs are released on, Jeshimoth Entertainment, right?

Yes, me and a friend of mine run Jeshimoth… very ineptly I might add. It’s m0stly for Jute Gyte. There are a couple of other bizarre things that my friend does.

Tell me a little more about your influences. Obviously being a one man black metal act there’s going to be some Leviathan and Xasthur references, right?

I’ve heard a little of Leviathan and Xasthur. But the  black metal I listen to or mean the most to me are the first two Burzum albums, the first Havohej, Judas Iscariot, Inquisition… stuff like that. I don’t really know a whole lot about the USBM scene outside of Xasthur and Leviathan. I’ve seen some reference to Krallice in some reviews but I’ve never really listened to them.

I don’t really hear Krallice in your music, I think you are much harsher. But on each album, you seem to shift a little in style and sound. Old Ways was super harsh and abrasive, Verstiegenheit was a more organic, Ulver-sounding record and on the new one, Impermanance, you seem to inject a little groove and dare I say actual, simple riffs into the the mix of all the above. And that’s not even including all your atmospheric electronic stuff like Young Eagle.

Well, the thing with Old Ways, I think it’s an interesting sound, but I think it limits what you can write. You can lose clarity so quickly within all the layers of noise and distortion. I felt if I continued with that sound I’d be backed into a creative corner. With Young Eagle,  it sounds really buried. It’s not my intention to change sound for every album,  I’m  just trying to find the ideal expression of the kind of black metal I like. I don’t try to innovate or change or try to innovate for the sake of innovation. I just try to make music I like.

When can we expect another album? Later on tonight? Have you released an album while you were sitting here? 

[laughing] Oh probably not a black metal CD until next year, though I may try and release something electronic by the end of the year.

I assume you do everything in-house and DIY-style. including the recording. A basement I imagine?

Right, it’s all in-house. Though I don’t have a basement, it’s just a dedicated room/space with instruments, computer and mic set up

I’ve always been curious about the process of songwriting for a one man band. Especially when it comes down to these 11 minute type songs. Is it a riff, then everything built around that? Or a beat or lyrical theme and the riffs built around that?

A lot of it happens after recording. I’ll simply record several riffs. Then it all gets overdubbed and arranged in the studio with a structure lines and software. Coming from electronic music, I like being able to move things around and play with the music after it’s recorded. I never really have a set structure fully developed when I’m recording. It all gets put back together afterwards.

What about the lyrics? Do they come before or after the music? A lot like your music, they seem all over the place.

Lyrics are the hardest part of the process for me. They take forever to write. I’ll have some written before I record and some after. Its odd, I really don’t care a whole lot about the lyrics in other peoples’ music. I really don’t read them. But in my own music, I feel like I should put some effort into them and make them high quality. I try to write lyrics that don’t hide behind typical black metal tropes and standards. With Impermanence, I was really trying to deal with issues like mortality… death of loved ones. Just trying to come into terms with unpleasant things in life.

So it sounds like the music and lyrics are certainly a bit of a release for you?

Yup. They are a headache to write, but when I’m performing them, they are definitely a release.

So I image that makes for some awkward moment with roommates, neighbors and such?

[laughs] Ha! Actually, when I was recording vocals earlier this year, a postal worker came by and heard me recording and I guess thought I was being murdered or something, because the police showed up at my door. I had to show them the mic and instruments to convince them there was nothing going on.

So, I’m going to ask the questions I’ve been dying to ask since I got your first CD for review: Why the heck do you puts your CDs in those DVD cases instead on regular CD cases? Those things are a pain to store in normal CD racks and shelves. Are DVD cases cheaper or something? 

[laughs] Well, I would be very happy if I could dispense with cases and just release things digitally. I hate messing with proof copies and packaging. Honestly, I like having a little more room for the artwork as some of them wrap around the DVD case. And actually the DVD cases are more expensive, even though it’s marginal. It was definitely an aesthetic decision I made.

Do you have any ambitions of spreading your creative and musical wings into another genre, say a doom side project or something?

I have some more doomy stuff recorded, and little more noise/electronic stuff. It will still all be all under the Jute Gyte moniker if I do release it.

So, like everyone in the scene now, I assume you’ve heard the new Liturgy record as well as the now infamous manifest that Hunter Hunt Hendrix did. Any thoughts?

The music itself — I can take it or leave it. It doesn’t do much more me, what little I’ve heard of it. I actually don’t listen to much black metal.

Why is that? As black metal musician wouldn’t you want to expose yourself to the style more? Whether to compare yourself or at least stay on on current trends?

Well, I try to not just limit my self to black metal. I like Deathspell Omega, but I like lots of other music, especially bands like Grief. As far as black metal, I keep coming back to older Burzum. I like Forgotten Woods I guess. I actually like a lot of old school, simple death metal. I love Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, Jungle Rot… that kind of stuff. I even like some of the brutal pig squeal death metal like Cephalotripsy.

That’s surprising, considering the music you play. Can we expect a slam death metal record from Jute Gyte?

I can’t do the death metal vocals! On the new record I have a couple of songs with death metal vocals, but I’m just not very good at it. I wish I could growl like Karl Willets, I love that authoritative deep growl. I loved Barney Greenway’s vocals on Napalms Death‘s stuff Fear Emptiness Despair. Oh, and I like Martin Van Drunen a lot too.

How in the heck are you not signed to a label like Moribund? They seem to be a perfect fit. Are you not really trying to be on a label?

I guess I’m not really trying, in today’s day and age, it’s not really necessary to be on a label. Especially with music going in a much more digital direction. I’m happy with  where I’m at now.

 http://jutegyte.bandcamp.com/

Consisting of 3 separate EP’s; The Kingdom of Man, The Kingdom of God and The Kingdom of Darkness, this release can either be had as a 3 disc, deluxe digipack, or as a free download (which blows my mind). But regardless of the format , these 13 songs show that this Connecticut act are simply the best Christian metal act out there, and are as glorious to me as Lazarus’s return from the dead.

Despite being a hardcore atheist, Life In Your Way just do something for me. Their form of melodic metalcore filled with gorgeous melodies, driving riffs and uplifting choruses is the nearest I would ever come to a religious epiphany. And if the actual religion of Christianity and Christians gave me near the same feelings that this band did, I’d be converted in a heartbeat. But unfortunately, that will never happen, so I’m left to enjoy Kingdoms in all its musical glory.

The first 4 tracks that comprise The Kingdom of Man seems to represents man’s nature- conflicted, contentious but full of promise and desperate for help. The music reflects this with a sonic duality that shifts from fierce metalcore to more soaring choruses. As the EP opens with Joshua Kellem screaming “FOREVEEEEEEEER!!!!!!!!!!” and the instantly recognizable strains of Life In Your Way‘s layered, passionate melodic hues you know the album will be special. “Blind in Retrospect” and “Forsaken Me” both deliver this dichotomy of human nature, with “Growth in Passion” providing the EP’s uplifting, if more commercial highlight.

The five tracks that deliver The Kingdom of God are the releases most soaring, melodic and beautiful moments of the release, obviously reflecting the grace of God as opposed to humanity’s nature. After the opening sermon of “Induction”,  you get the angelic  break  and chorus half way trough “Who Am I?” which segues into the hair raising, soaring choruses of ‘”Like a River” , “The Healer” and the gorgeous acoustics of “Ascension”, which make me feel all warm and fuzzy as they are arguably the standouts of the entire release.

The Kingdom of Darkness, as you may have already guessed, is the releases more violent, metal third. Starting with the surprisingly hefty “Ruler of the Air” and “Take Notes”‘,  the first two of the last four tracks are less clean and graceful focusing on choppy, discordant, if still layered and cautiously melodic metalcore. The with “Swarm” we see a little more light rising from the dissonant darkness with a rousing gang chant. But “Buried Idols” fades out the releases with stirring melodies and an almost “get your shit together” foreboding mood.

There have been  a lot of good, potential replacements for Life In Your Way while they were gone (We the  Gathered, Hands, Your Memorial, It Prevails, etc) but the true kings have returned and claimed the throne of truly moving Christian metalcore.

Life is about balance and as much as I enjoy the likes of Napalm Death, Cannibal Corpse, Origin, Deicide and other more brutal, offensive acts, its a band like Life In Your Way that balances me and my music out and stops me from becoming as vile and violent as the aforementioned acts. And lets face it, this world could use a little more balance. on the positive side…

Second, how in the fuck is Arkansas’s Vore still not signed, how is this album still Self Released? Especially with THAT  cover??????? Jungle Rot is on Victory Records for  crying out loud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I reviewed this band’s excellent (also self released) second effort Maleficus back in 2005, and speaking of Jungle Rot, I made a direct comparison between the two bands. Vore play a similar style of mid paced, chugging, simple, but downright effective form of death metal that’s no frills and completely un-inventive, death metal but (also like  Jungle Rot‘s surprisingly good last CD, Kill On Command) it just hits the goddamned  spot.

The production is clear and hefty, and the vocals are bare bones deep growls, but Vore need no window dressing as Gravehammer is all about the riff. Huge, thunderous almost doomy death metal riffs that lumber and lope like WWII battle tanks and covering machine gun fire. And while Vore may not be a ‘war metal’ band , their overall tone and gait certainly imbues all things, fiery, metal-y, shrapnel-y, destruction-y and war-y.

From opener “The Cruelest Construct” to closer “Sacerdotum Tyrannis”, Vore aren’t trying to make you like them, aren’t trying to wow you technicality or force any old school nostalgia down your throat. They just play death metal. From the groove half way into the opener, to the huge opening rumble of “Doomwhore”, to massive middle section of the title track, epic “The Claw is the Law” and the final, huge, militant march of “Progeny of the Leviathans”, Gravehammer delivers huge, satisfying 4- 8 minute chunks of double bass salvos and controlled, menacing hefty riffs meant for true death metal fans.

With nary a blast beat in sight, Gravehammer, simply bludgeons and rumbles with a Bolt Thrower like precision and pace. And while my 2011 year end list may have the likes of Obscura, Origin, and Ulcerate on it, you can bet Gravehammer will still be a heavy rotation for a long time to come. It just has  a throwback, honest feel that reeks of death metal’s true, original tenets.

Buy this.

Creating a sound that’s older and crustier than the panties King Diamond’s granny wore to her grave is no simple feat, yet Tormented have done it with flying colors.  Not really surprising considering the pedigrees of some of Tormented’s members though (time spent in Edge of Sanity, Pan.Thy.Monium, and Marduk).  So it should come as no shock to discover that the tunes of Rotten Death are appropriately filthy and buzzing with flies.

Opener “Rotting Death” gets the coagulated blood flowing, using evil movie samples as an intro layer before lurching into a full-on pummeling of the ears.  It’s here that the listener begins to be sucked down into the putrid, whirling vortex that Tormented create so expertly.  The sick, haunting guitar melody in “Blood of the Undead” complements the underlying audial filth behind it — a thick, rank wall of distorted and buzzing guitars, hellish drum assaults, and painfully gruff vocals.  The commanding, torturous chant of “Come back from the dead!” and solo blitz of (you guessed it) “Come Back from the Dead” keep up with the theme of rotten death that pervades throughout Rotten Death.

Along with newer groups the likes of Death Breath and Entrails, Tormented hold the deteriorating, puke-soaked flag of old school Swedish death metal high, waving it furiously in the faces of their enemies (purveyors of deathcore, perhaps?) before swiftly kicking their proverbial teeth down their breakdown-mangled throats.  Long live the sounds of decay!

From Blabbermouth.net:

David Gold, a founding member of the Ontario, Canada-based black and doom metal band WOODS OF YPRES, was killed last night (Thursday, December 22) in an accident near Barrie, Ontario. He was 31 years old. A memorial service is tentatively scheduled to be held in Gold‘s hometown of Sault Ste. Marie on December 28.

WOODS OF YPRES‘ new album, “Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light”, will be released on January 31, 2012 via Earache Records. The CD was recorded with producer Siegfried Meier (KITTIE) at Beach Road Studios in Ontario, Canada, and was mixed by John Fryer (NINE INCH NAILS, PARADISE LOST).

Gold previously described “Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light” as “a tighter, more effective WOODS OF YPRES for a broader audience of listeners young and old, new and loyal. A satisfying ‘press play and drive’ kind of album drawing the best from old WOODS, current WOODS and the WOODS yet to come on what will be a milestone album, our sixth in less than 10 years and nearing the 10th anniversary of the founding of the band. We’ve never sounded better and we’d never been fully satisfied with any recording, until now. 10 songs, just as much about modern life as death, existence, society, the forest, the city, hurt and love. Story-wise picking up where ‘Woods’ 4 and 4.5 left off, sound-wise evoking the feelings of ‘Woods I: Against The Seasons – Cold Winter Songs From The Dead Summer Heat’ and ‘Woods III: Deepest Roots & Darkest Blues’ with modern and futuristic tweaks. There is black metal, there is doom, there are ballads, there is pop, guitar solos, double bass, blasts, techno, dark humor, irony, reality, harmonies, uplifting hope to get you through the moment and crushing, irreversible sadness. I count a total of 7 genres in 10 songs. It’s a new WOODS OF YPRES album and I can’t wait wait for you to hear it!”

Formed in 2002, WOODS OF YPRES has earned critical acclaim for its ever-evolving, envelope-pushing mix of blackened doom metal. Most often compared to bands such as AGALLOCH and TYPE O NEGATIVE, WOODS OF YPRES toes a thin line between the catchy, the artistic and the extreme to create an unmistakable signature sound.”

We here at Teethofthedivine.com pass on our deepest condolences to the Gold family.

The best part is that if you already hate Fistula’s brand of seething we-make-Eyehategod-sound-like-a-Sesame-Street-soundtrack sludge crawl, insane paced crust romp, and lunatic-hardcore-by-way-of-Venom-on-meth, then you will stab yourself in the eardrums over this sucker. And that’s why we love Fistula! Making your way through this EP, you’ll revel in a seven-minute steady-beat crusher that explodes into blast beating goodness called “Picking Up Chicks,” a 26-second freak-out called “I’m Glad Nate’s Not in A.C.,” and the two-beat mashing of “The Hounds.” Comfortably covered in filth by now, you’ll dive right into the awesomely titled “Mutant Tooth,” a tempo varied bout of mental illness, complete with the whirring noise effects/samples of Jesse Kling. The three-minute title track goes equally ape shit between mid-tempo incineration and psychotic speed addling before it all wrap ups with the seven-minute “Coma Forever,” which offers up a little bit of everything you just heard, something like a hammer-to-skull reminder for the ADHD brain. You deserve it. You really do.

Be afraid, be very afraid. That’s the way Fistula likes it and the devoted are thankful for it. Loser is here to cleanse you of any last bit of decency to which you’ve been clinging for all those years of acting like you’re better than us. You ain’t.

I’m a huge fan of the seminal recordings of both guitarists, especially those on which Brother Wayne played, As such, it was with great enthusiasm that I agreed to shed some figurative ink on the little buggers in exchange for the privilege of adding them to my fireplace mantle along with the likes of Alice Cooper, Lemmy Kilmister, and Iron Maiden’s Eddie, amongst other various and sundry heavy metal and rock ‘n roll items.  My particular Riffing Collectibles are hand numbered 24 and 166 for James and Wayne, respectively, on a cool box that also includes a biographical sketch of each guitarist.

So what’s the big deal about Wayne Kramer and James Williamson? Allow me to get you up to speed. Brother Wayne Kramer lit it up like the 4^th of July on 1969’s MC5 debut album Kick Out the Jams, considered one of the greatest live albums of all time (and rightly so), as well as on subsequent studio albums Back in the USA (1970) and High Time (1971). The Detroit quintet was politically militant to a rabid extent, involved with the likes of manager John Sinclair’s White Panther Party (a radical organization established to support the Black Panther Party) and raising hell at events like the riotous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.  Well, “Brother” Wayne, as late vocalist Rob Tyner called him during one of many magical moments on Kick out the Jams, and his partner in crime (in more ways than one) the late Fred “Sonic” Smith were tossing out ferocious riffs and scorching solos like they were Molotov cocktails at a violent Vietnam war protest. After spending time in federal prison and dabbling in various other activities, musical and otherwise, Wayne went out to release some damn solid solo albums, his debut The Hard Stuff hands down the best of the bunch. To quote from the biography on the box, “As the teenaged founder of Detroit’s legendary MC5, Wayne has been credited with leading musical movements as far reaching as high-energy sci-fi rock and roll in a mind meld with free jazz, to resisting recognition as the primary progenitor of not only punk rock,  but also heavy metal and grunge.”

In the way of digression, I periodically think back to those old Corrosion of Conformity shirts from the 1991 Blind tour that stated in big white letters on the back “Free Dope and Fucking in the Streets.” Where do you think the inspiration for that statement originated?  You may recall Pepper Keenan sporting an MC5 shirt with some frequency in fact. I’m still pissed at myself for not buying one of these when I saw COC (with Rollins Band) on that same tour in Pontiac, Michigan. Last I looked they were selling for around $200 on e-Bay.

Moving on to Mr. Williamson, James is best known as the guitarist that played on the third Stooges release Raw Power (1973). That was the album that saw The Stooges become Iggy & The Stooges, owing to Pop’s ascendance as a world class Wildman who was taken under the wing (sort of) of one David Bowie.  In any case, Williamson brought a wide open, more traditional in a sense (though absolutely savage) style of guitar playing that contrasted with the primal, less-is-more approach of Ron Asheton on the self-titled debut and Fun House. In fact, Ron would move to bass guitar to make room Williamson. In any event, Raw Power made a tremendous impact on what would become punk rock, as well as heavy metal. The album is considered one on which the songwriting style become more conventionally structured, but was far more extreme than much of what was being released at the time. Williamson also played on Iggy Pop’s Kill City album (1974).

Musicians like Slash (Gun N’ Roses), Lemmy (Motorhead), and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) have all praised Raw Power as being enormously influential. James Williamson would later join the reformed Stooges for world touring purposes after the passing of Ron Asheton in 2009.  Last I heard the jury was still out on whether there will be second Iggy & The Stooges album with Williamson. We’ll see.

So there you have it, folks. I’ve never written about bobble heads or action figures of any kind until now. I rather enjoyed it. If you’re interested in acquiring these fine products, then please click on one or both of the following links.

http://mvdb2b.com/s/WayneKramerGuitarGodsFigureNumberedLimitedEdition/GRTGODS102

http://mvdb2b.com/s/JamesWilliamsonGuitarGodsFigureNumberedLimitedEdition/GRTGODS103

Bahimiron’ s Rebel Hymns of Left Handed Terror is the musical equivalent of German midget amputee  Bukkake. And ironically,  I sometimes use my left hand.

Most of the metal I review is fairly safe and predictable, drums, guitars growls, maybe some post black ambiance , maybe some B movie grinding death metal. But occasionally you come across a Gnaw Their Tongues, De Magia Veterum or Bahimiron and you feel truly dirty or queasy after listening to it.

It’s been three years since Southern Nihilizm, and apparently Bahimiron have been lurking, seething and brooding in the depths of Houston, Texas and honing their malicious form bestial black death metal that also brings to mind some of the foreign nasties (Revenge, Impiety, Hacavitz) . Amid the band’s fuzzed out, seething cacophony there’s also atone of slightly ritualistic perversion to Bahimiron also. Not an esoteric, mysterious aura, but a sweaty, insidious deviance that’s palpably dangerous. The only bands that come close to me are the aforementioned duo, as well as Teitanblood.

After the feedback drenched and quick, vicious blast of opener “Anointed in Serpents Blood”, the band really finds a groove (literally, about 1:15 in) with “Goathorned Messiah of the 7 Gates”, which shows the bands really should be considered a more important player in USBM. At the core of this track, along with the  sickly guitar tone and nauseating moods, are the vocals of Grimlord. This dude’s contorted screams, growls, wails and whispers are truly disturbing. But it never sounds hokey or forced.

When not shredding your spleen with the truly nasty likes of “Their Blood Shall Fill My Chalice”, “Wielder of Demon Blades” or “The Abattoir Inferno” Bahimiron are capable of spreading their  malevolent, decrepit wings and deliver more sprawling and controlled form of lengthier, but still depraved, varied torture. “Bestial Raids of Antichrist Darkness” and “Rebel Hymns” are both over 8 minutes and two part closer “The Death of Divinity: I. Storm of Lucifer II. New Dawn Fades” is 7. All three deliver plenty of the subversive noise, but inject some creepy, occult slithering atmospherics to the mix, with the latter actually being a full on, sanity sapping instrumental/ambient piece.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go look at a nice clean, safe Playboy,then take a shower.

Willowtip has officially signed Sydney, Australia atmospheric death metal band Beyond Terror Beyond Grace.  The label will release the band’s newest album, Nadir, on April 3^rd, 2012.  Recorded and mixed by Joel Taylor (The Abandonment, Encircling Sea) at Three Phase Studios in Melbourne, Australia over only two weeks in May 2011, Nadir captures a band completely in its natural element, defying genre categorization and ignoring all current musical trends.  The artwork and layout was created by Colin Marks (Nevermore, All Shall Perish, Whitechapel, Strapping Young Lad) and can be previewed at the band’s Facebook page:

The end result is the bands most ambitious, atmospheric and realized effort yet. Cold, climactic and expansive, Nadir is a consuming experience of monolithic bleakness and dense majesty.

Beyond Terror Beyond Grace offer their comments:

“We’re extremely excited to be a part of the Willowtip family as it’s a label we’ve admired for a very long time and not to mention been big fans of the many high quality releases Willowtip has put out over the years, of which there is almost too many to name! Our forthcoming album ‘Nadir’ is by far our strongest to date and Willowtip has been very enthusiastic about it from the first listen, and we feel they are a perfect fit for us. We can’t wait to get the album out there and see what the next chapter has in store!”

For more information on Beyond Terror Beyond Grace please visit their official website: http://beyondterrorbeyondgrace.com/

Folk metalers TURISAS will be heading back to North America this spring for “PaganFest: America Part III”, their first-ever US headlining run! Joining the Finnish sextet on their triumphant return to the States is a gathering of bands from across the world: Scotland’s ALESTORM, Rome’s EX DEO, Russia’s ARKONA, and the US’s very own HUNTRESS.

So don’t miss out! Check the dates below to see when TURISAS and “PaganFest” will be coming to a city near you.

Rock The Nation America presents: “PaganFest: America Part III” feat. TURISAS with ALESTORM, EX DEO, ARKONA, HUNTRESS

3/29 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
3/30 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium
3/31 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
4/1 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
4/2 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
4/3 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
4/4 – Detroit, MI @ Blondie’s
4/5 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
4/6 – Saint Paul, MN @ Station 4
4/7 – Louisville, KY @ Vernon Club
4/8 – Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
4/9 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
4/11 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
4/12 – Lubbock, TX @ Jake’s
4/13 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
4/15 – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
4/16 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
4/17 – San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
4/18 – West Hollywood, CA @ Key Club

However, where The Red Shore seemed to somehow improve on their debut and blow my balls right off my taint, for some reason I’m left a little underwhelmed by The Rat King.

I cant quite put my finger on why The Rat King isn’t impressing me as much as I’d hoped. I mean its essentially the same, brutal, beefy burly sound that blasts and bludgeons with down-tuned might only letting up for a few mammoth grooves. And even with  the style that essentially bruises and batters for most of its duration, which I typically don’t mind ( see The Red Shore, Those Who Lie Beneath), I simply cant get excited about The Rat King.

While the band still essentially mixes European death metal (Behemoth, Decapitated, Aborted and Behemoth are tangible influences) and American death metal (namely Suffocation and Morbid Angel), they seem just remain on the outside fringe of excellent song writers. The brutality and musicianship is there in spades and for many a moment on The Rat King, your chest might tighten at the hefty music on display (“You Should Be Paranoid”, “Bleeding Structure”) but for the most part, there’s no real reason to return to the album’s 38 minute run time. If the likes of  opener “Conqueror”, “Slaves to the Kingdom of Fear”  or closer “Bleeding Hands” or show up on random on my Ipod, I’ll give it a listen and give my head a quick nod during the song, but I’m hardly likely to replay the song or seek out a song.

And its not because I’m burnt out on death metal or deathcore, as I’m still rocking many CDs from both both genres, and its possible that Reflection caught me at a good time,  but to these ears The Rat King is just a step back from Reflection. Not a huge one or even a bad album, it’s just lacking that certain ‘it’ to make it something more than just a ear bashing.

I’m sorry, SerpentCult.  I tried to like you; I really did.  I played Raised by Wolves in a variety of settings: in the car while driving, in the car while not driving, in the car idling and half asleep and staring mindlessly out the window, at home doing laundry, at home drinking a beer and looking at LOLcats, in the office on shitty headphones, in the office (cautiously) without headphones when everybody left for lunch, chasing around a screaming two-year-old, even while doing things I’d blush to say (like suckling from the supple teat of a mother wolf…I was raised by wolves too, you know).  Sometimes you accentuated the extreme awesomeness of whatever it was I was doing at the time, but five out of six times you were just boring background noise.  And not even well-planned out or executed boring background noise (ex: elevator muzak), just boring music that’s boring enough to make everything else I’m experiencing seem more bland.  And you’ve never really incited my imagination, which saddens me.  I’ve tried so hard to like you.

With a name like SerpentCult, I expected some wicked awesome black metal, or blackened thrash, or some hideously bludgeoning death metal.  Really something, anything, other than what you’ve delivered, which is sludge.  Okay, I can deal with that.  Generally not my cup of tea but there’s good to be found in anything if it’s well done. If I had to guess, I’d say you like The Melvins and Neurosis  and that’s cool too. Whatever it is, you seem to be trying hard to give this music some depth, which is commendable.  But to these ears, Raised by Wolves is superficial.  I mean, with four tracks approaching 10 minutes each, it’s reasonable to expect some substance to surface…otherwise, what’s the point, right?  But I’m not getting it.  These nearly 10 minute passages (especially with “Crippled and Frozen,” which is sadly a kick-ass title that sadly doesn’t translate to your music) are — I hesitate to word the word excruciating — really too much.  You gotta know when to throw in the towel.

Now, it’s not all boring.  “Growth of the Soil,” your closer, has some killer moments of dissonance and anger.  The intro of the tune building, growing like a cancer, exploding into a full-on black metal rage assault with ties back to the roots of the song…fuck yeah.  That is what the kids call METAL.  This sort of thing is what you should be doing the whole album, in my humble opinion.  It saddens me that I have to skip the first three-fourths of the album to get to this.  Why do you do this to me?  I could listen to that shit on repeat…well, if it wasn’t so damned long.

So, SerpentCult, where does this leave us?  You’ll mail me a postcard; I won’t respond.  Phone calls are out of the question.  All joking aside, though, anyone with a sense of musical integrity should be respected.  I’ve got respect for Raised by Wolves.  I just don’t want to listen to it.  Sorry if I’m just an asshole who’s missed the point, but this one will probably not get repeated plays from me.

Whereas Your Prayers Mean Nothing was more of a stomping, mid-tempo affair that recalled the groovier works of Immolation and Morbid Angel, The Spear of Longinus sees Infernal Legion raising its technical game and upping the speed. The guitar work is notably more complex and once you settle into the overall vibe you’ll find numerous moments of dazzling riff structures, fiery leads, and a certain level of diabolic melody that becomes more evident with each spin. Opener “Reborn Through Bloodshed” is a good example of all those elements, while tracks like “Dawn of the Last Day” offer strong changeups into, for example, doomy parts with dark melodic soloing. It is evident that the time between recordings was spent increasing skill levels and writing more challenging songs.

In an overall sense, what you’ll hear is a whirlwind of blasting, technically adept mayhem, which is also a reason why The Spears of Longinus takes some time to appreciate. The Benton-esque vocals of Josh Smith are undeniably fierce, but his patterning often feels out of sync with the music, resulting in moments that tend to detract from the impressive musicality. A case in point is the contrast between the grand iniquity of the attack and the vocal patterns of “The Immaculate Deception.” It’s not a huge problem and Smith’s hellish delivery fits into the overall miasma of evil and sonic terror concocted, but there is a frequent feeling of disjointedness. That and the need for more beef in the rhythm section sound makes The Spear of Longinus a bit more difficult to enjoy than should be the case, especially by the time you’ve reached the two-thirds mark at when the controlled chaos starts to drag.. As a result, this one took more spins than usual before I could pass final judgment. None of that should be taken as a damning assessment of Infernal Legion’s new long player, as there is still a lot to like about it. The Spear of Longinus just doesn’t grab me the way that Your Prayers Mean Nothing did, even though I can appreciate the compositional aspects and the firestorm of blasphemy on offer.

Hey there! I’ve been listening to the latest Hate Eternal album a lot, as well as the new Nader Sadek (Steve Tucker, Flo Mounier, Blasphemer…) which I think are both fuckin’ excellent death metal records. Really makes you just wanna lock yourself in a rehearsal room for about 10 years ’til you sound as good, hehe. In the car on the way to gigs and such, we’ve been blasting a lot of Dissection, Down, Vader and various stoner rock bands.

Does the name “As You Drown” make a reference to a famous murder of some sort from some country (e.g.: Like “The Black Dahlia Murder”) or was it just a name you guys thought would be cool to have?

The idea originally came from a song by one of my favourite bands, Gothenburg sludge lords Abandon. Their vocalist Johan, who was a good friend of mine, tragically passed away a couple of years ago, so I see it as a kind of homage to him. In the context of our music, I think the name conjures up the image of watching from a hill as the world drowns in its own filth and misery, as described in our song “Driven by Hatred”.

Coming from a country famous for melodic death metal and groovy old school death metal (à la Entombed), it is pretty rare to find a death metal band such as yourselves who doesn’t play in the aforementioned styles. I am curious to know, what shaped you guys into As You Drown when y’all were surrounded by so many bands that didn’t play in your preferred style now?

 I think there’s definitely some influence on our sound from those kind of bands as well, as you say it’s part of what we grew up with. However, I think all of us listened to a lot of American and Polish death metal during our formative years as well, which is probably what has been most instrumental in shaping our sound.

How did it feel to be able to support the legendary Polish death metal titans Vader on a tour last year? Who do you all hope to be able to tour with next?

 Fuckin’ amazing! I’ve been a huge fan of Vader since I was 15 years old and stumbled upon the “Litany” album for the first time, so it was kind of a childhood dream come true for me. We had some really great gigs on that tour, and both the Vader guys and their crew were truly awesome and down to earth people, so it was a truly fantastic experience all around.

Do correct me if I am wrong, but your music actually sounds like Behemoth with deathcore influences. Was this a direction you guys were aiming for right from the start or did it just happen naturally? 

Behemoth is definitely a big influence on us, as well as other Polish greats like Decapitated and the aforementioned Vader. I don’t think we’ve been all that influenced by deathcore, since the band was started back in 2003, before ‘deathcore’ was even a thing. However, we probably share a lot of influences with that kind of bands – stuff like Cannibal Corpse, Meshuggah, Suffocation and so on.

Which brings me to a few other details I noticed: 2009’s Reflection had an artwork reminiscent of Whitechapel’s own dark and gritty, almost-as-if-photographed album covers, while 2011’s Rat King features a cartoonish and morbid piece of artwork reminiscent of many designs found on deathcore shirts. Oh, throw in the spiky band logo as well. Were these elements consciously incorporated into the overall visual appeal of the band as, perhaps, displaying deathcore influences?

 I actually think the artwork for the new album looks a lot more old school than the last one. The cover was made by Mark Riddick who’s made gruesome and horrific art for tons of death metal bands, both in the underground and for more high-profile bands like The Black Dahlia Murder. I think it looks a bit older, more refined and a helluva lot more evil than our first album. Additional artwork was made by Sven de Caluwé of the mighty Aborted, and he did a great job of conveying the dark and intense feeling of the album in his images as well.

Many members of the metal press have reported that Rat King has a lyrical theme that deals with “the medieval German folk phenomena of rat kings, which were associated with plagues that devastated the European continent.” Is it just an interesting topic for you all to sing about or is there a greater socio-political message behind it?

It’s not really a concept album with a coherent story running through it, or anything resembling that. Rat kings were supposedly these huge groups of rats that had become knotted together by their tails, and were said to warn of oncoming disease, death and destruction. The title is meant as a metaphor for the overarching theme of the lyrics, which deal with the concept of impending doom in a number of different shapes and forms. There’s definitely a socio-political element to many of these lyrics, I think the feeling of things falling apart and turning to shit is stronger in both Europe and the US than it has been for a long time. For instance, the words for the song “Rabid Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing” can be seen as the rage of the 99% [of the world], bellowing out their disgust against the unscrupulous elite that control almost all of our planet’s resources. “You Should Be Paranoid” is about the ways that the puppet masters are trying to control us through various forms of surveillance, caging us in what Michel Focault called the “trap of visibility”. There are also lyrics that deal with the ‘impending doom’-theme on a more personal level, through topics like drug abuse and the inevitability of death.

Have you all grown in any (musical or lyrical) way from Reflection to Rat King?

Most definitely. Musically, I think it sounds a lot darker and has more of that majestically epic feeling that bands like Morbid Angel, Behemoth, Nile, Hate Eternal and Immolation do so well. It’s also a bit more varied and dynamic both in rhythm and melody and the performances from every member are stronger and more nuanced as well. As for the lyrics, I’m about a hundred times more satisfied with them this time around than I was with the ones for ‘Reflection‘. I was kind of new in the band when I wrote the stuff for our debut and a lot of the lyrics are old ones that I just edited a bit. This time I got to write everything from scratch and theirs is more of a unifying theme that ties the lyrics of the album together. Also, they are just a lot darker, vicious and more brutally honest on this one.

What can we expect from the next record?

I think we are gonna go for an even darker, more twisted and evil sound on the next one, without losing any of our intensity and aggression. There may be a bit more of a black metal influence to it. The main thing we are discussing right now is making everything a lot more dynamic though, and trying to really find our own sound which is uniquely ours. In a way ‘Reflection‘ was kind of a test run, a collection of the best songs we had written thus far. ‘Rat King‘ feels like our first real album in a lot of ways, since it’s the first one that this line-up got to create from scratch, a statement of where we are today. Now that we have finished that one, it feels like the time has come to really seek out our own identity and forge a sound that is our very own.

Here’s the ubiquitous question! Who are your greatest sources of inspiration and influences?

Anyone that (in the words of Bill Hicks) plays from their fucking heart, really. I’d say the main influences on the music are American and Polish death metal bands though. Names like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Hate Eternal, Decapitated, Behemoth, Vader and such come to mind. A lot of other types of metal seep in as well though – Meshuggah, Pantera, Gojira, At The Gates and Slayer are some examples. For me, vocal-wise, I’m inspired by anyone that sounds genuinely aggressive and has a unique voice. David Vincent, Brett Hoffman, George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fischer, Johan Carlzon, Scott Kelly, Piotr Wiwczarek, Frank Mullen and Tom Waits are some of my faves.

Any non-musical activities you guys spend a lot of time on as well?

Well, working shitty jobs mostly. You don’t exactly get rich from playing death metal. Other than that I guess it’s the usual: Reading, watching movies, playing video games, kissing goats, attending ritual sacrifices and so on.

Here’s a random question. Do you guys bring along Ikea meatballs together with its inseparable brown sauce on visits to countries which serve up food that doesn’t look very edible?

 Eh, nope. Sometimes we bring goat’s blood. Most countries we visit have pretty decent food though, and we’re not too picky. Thanks for the interview!

http://www.facebook.com/asyoudrownsweden

http://www.myspace.com/asyoudrownsweden

http://www.last.fm/music/As+You+Drown

As with any good one man black metal project, there’s boons and pitfalls. The pitfall here is the programmed drums. And the boon is that Vultyrous,  despite the ‘band’s’ early pagan thrash days (this is his second effort [out of four albums] in this style), has developed a nice, twisted, and developed sense of grim, experimental and darkly deliberate, doomy black metal.

Other than the drums, the production is decent. The guitars have a nice big burly crunch and the keyboards are used effectively with a sensual, yet twisted, orchestral operatic vibe. Vultyrous himself has the typical vocal range for such a release ranging from pained distant howl, deep bellow, vampyric whisper and even an passable singing voice (“The Thorn of Capricorn”).

Not nearly as experimental as label mate Ekove Efrits, Pandemic Transgression is far more consistent as the likes of “Of Fornication and Folklore” “Twin Suns”,  “Cold Colossus”  and surprisingly heavy closing riff of “In Times of Weakness, My Being is Compromised” tend to prove. The thing is far more riff centric and memorable, even with the heavily used but twisted, psychotic  orchestration (“Oblique”). The pace is either a slow haunting crawl or slightly menacing steady trot, but both are effective in conveying a Jekyll and Hyde aura of unsettling moods and unpredictable shifts.

The only real misstep is “No One has the Right to Exist” as the rock based drum beat just further exposes their programmed nature. But luckily, the 8 and a half minute “Glacial Ceremony” erases the memory of that track with the album’s best mix of depressive atmospherics, eerie strings, crawling riffs, whispers and a harsh black metal climax.

With only two albums of this ilk to his name, Vultyrous looks to have a pretty firm grasp on the dynamics needed to make an effective one man black metal album in this style, and if he keeps improving  and being this productive (four albums and a split in just 4 years), he’ll be one to watch out for.

I use the term black metal very loosely here, as with many one man acts treads the thin line between atmospherics, drone and doom, even if clad in a depressive,  experimental black metal shroud. And it’s the experimentation on this record that holds it back a bit.

On a base level, when kicking out fuzzed out morose, string back moments of blackened despondency, Ekove Efrits’ Conceptual Horizon is rather effective, with a tangible sense of sadness and depression, even with the drone-y, but effective clean vocals mixed into the pained rasps. The first track “Unmeaning Circle” is a good example, and is especially good at evoking some truly sad tempos. But more often than not, the Count’s sense of ambition outdoes his skill and songwriting capabilities, resulting in a few messy tracks amid some relatively impressive moments of melancholy.

After the first two tracks (second track “Faceless Moments” using a child’s narrative particularly effectively), “All That We Lost” seems a a bit busy and muddled with too many layers that don’t jive and the programmed, experimental nature of the release starts to negate the organic, depressive  style of the music.

The balance between solid, morose atmospherics (the aforementioned tracks as well as “Eternal Wounds” and “We Can Fly Once More”)  and muddled experimentation (“I Just Wish…”, “Hills of Ashes”, “Floating Energies From Nature”) is about half and half with a  few of the tracks mixing it within the tracks themself  (i.e. “A Celebration for Sorrow”). And what’s interesting is that Count De Efrit doesn’t force any Middle Eastern gimmicks to try and bolster the ambiance.

The end result is certainly an interesting; a niche album that fits the young label’s mold, but is probably my least favorite of the last three albums they’ve released this year (Ov Hollowness and Funeral Fornication being the other two).

I ready to come out and show self to public. Not because I need money but because I sick and tired of stupid beef jerky commercials. I so angry from ads make fun of Bigfoot that I write death metal album to show everyone I not hairy clown.

I get together with fellow Sasquatch to has band. We make new metal we call “neandercore.” It not anything to do with hardcore.

We learn old-school death metal from hiker tents we attack one night. Me not read album titles but they look old so we write songs like that. Not stupid new death metal with stupid pauses that make me take giant shit.

Me and gang find guitars and drums from van of hikers we kill and eat. Learn play real good and tight like young doe. You be surprised how tight and groovy we make death metal. I has great singing voice. It sound like you expect but I make many noises. Only few pig noises which not really pig, is moose. You see.

We keep songs short and change up way we play so not get boring. I inspired by double rainbow I see in sky one day so I add melody to make songs fun you listen to.

I name songs after things from Sasquatch life. I make “Beaten and Eaten” which about hikers who shit in my woods. Or “Skunk Ape Rape” which about normal Saturday night. I make “Mummified Yeti Hand” violent like albino Chinese ancestors who live far on snow mountain and fuck yaks.

One of favorite memories make me write “Fight For Your Life,” which about time I surprise couple in tent one night. I rip woman leg off. Then I beat boyfriend with bloody leg when he try to fight me. He sit in mud and cry. Then I bash head in with leg. I also write slower song called “Caught on Super 8” which about bad day I has when stupid family catch me on camera fuck deer. I make song slow and groovy like way I break all their bones.

Anyway you listen Bigfoot album, is much much better than you think from death metal album about Bigfoot. If you no like, I come hide in woods behind your house and have you like deer when you take trash out.

“Helena (Ruins at Dusk)” begins with some heavy crush and gradually brings on thicker and thicker waves of wah and harsh vocal roars. They pull back around the seven minute mark, only to build the riff back up in an immense wall of psychedelic doom. It’s a mood setter. The simple structure, the density and riffing of the climax, prime your ears for the more varied “Nature is Satan’s Church”. Opening at a slightly brisker pace, they dive headlong into a morass of steady, churning riffs, layers of clean female vocals and hearty roars, and the now ubiquitous wah pedal.

They draw back to a more basic two-movement approach for “The Hymn of Medrengard”, using a couple of basic riffs to uncoil mind melting solos and acidic vocals. They conclude with the 20+ minute “The Fate of the Gods (Parts I and II)”, a spacious, swirling and superbly crushing force of leaden doom. It starts bluesy and slowly adds more  heavy to the equation until it bursts in scattering rays of psychedelia and the drift of Subarachnoid Space.

The album plods along at a sludgy crawl but retains dynamic motion. They’re always adjusting, building, adding to the riffs to keep the songs eminently listenable. I haven’t heard a wah pedal pummeled this heavily or smartly in a long time. The density and cohesion of their sound is tremendous and there are a lot of little things to pick up on subsequent listens, particularly with headphones (the panning on the vocals on “Nature is Satan’s Church”, for example). The album was recorded in collaboration with 7 musicians and the sound benefits from every last contribution. The Ruins at Dusk is thoroughly hypnotic and tremendously enjoyable.