Author: Badger

I am a 37 Year old metal head who has been listening and playing metal for the better part of 25 years. I have been playing the drums since '93 and have been in metal bands. I listen to all music respectively however I am passionate about metal. For me it is all about the music, the scene, the lifestyle, and spreading the word. To keep metal bands touring, and putting out great music. I run this website because I believe that metal needs as much support as possible, to keep the bands we love playing and making music, and also everyone's favorite bands started out as a local unknown band that would grind their way to making a name for themselves. I take pride in the format I write reviews, each song deserves to be recognized. This is to inform the listeners about what they can expect. If you are in a band and want us to review your E.P. or album send us an email at badgersmetalbreakdown@gmail.com we will always accept and handle your music with integrity. We do receive a lot of submissions daily and can't always review everything we receive, we try our best to cover everything we can. We will premier songs if you have an album getting near the release date and we also do interviews. If you love metal, we hope you enjoy your visit to our site.

The Devil’s Due- December 12th, Defeated Sanity- “Disposal Of The Dead/ Dharmata” Split 9/10 \m/

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Defeated Sanity

Disposal Of The Dead / Dharmata

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released July 22, 2016

Lille Gruber – Drums
Jacob Schmidt – Bass
Christian Kühn – Guitar
Josh Welshman – Vocals

Today the Devils has brought us a truly unique and mind blowing release in the form of self split CD. Yea a split CD with Defeated Sanity, and themselves. This album is fucking mind blowing, it’s a split cd, with half being the brutal death metal that Defeated Sanity is known for and then some really cool jazz infused progressive death metal on the latter half of the CD and titled Dharmata.  This album is brilliant, the way that this album opens up. The tribal ritual like intro on Remotio Mortuorum. It’s a subtle way of allowing the listener to acclimate oneself to the music that is about to be projected from speakers or headphones. Into the Soil comes in hard and fucking fast, with the blast beats being surgically precise and just the slightest ping on the snare.  I’m loving just how brutal this album is for the first half of it, consuming the grief is a great track. In particular the way it starts out, fast and those gravity blasts sound great. I think that this album is truly one of the best albums of 2016 mostly due to the sheer talent that these guys are delivering in this one album. But it’s essentially a split with themselves. And the latter half of the album with the jazzed up progressive death metal is truly top notch.  And I think it’s an important part of the music process also, for the people that “don’t understand” metal. Especially brutal death metal , I think its assumed that sure  metal bands can growl and play drums fast but  there’s no real talent there… right? WRONG  and this is what I love about this album, these guys tear shit up  following their modus operandi, but then half way through the album they decide to go south paw on us and deliver a different form of brutality. And these guys are really fucking good, this album is a must have for anyone a fan of death metal, let alone brutal death metal, and also progressive metal and the sub genres associated with it. One listen to even just the track Dharmata is enough to have sunk its claws in me and I wasn’t going to pass on this album. This album has everything from a hard hitting yet rapid hail of blast beats, and jazzy bass and guitar riffs with a more progressive drum feel to the songs, and the vocal are also different. I mean they didn’t just change the sound of the guitars or drums, they changed everything the vocals everything. And that adds a little more to what makes this album great. Because it’s like they wanted to do something with a clean slate but still get a chance to put it out with some recognition by their already established fan base, and then could also cross contaminate their fan base and generate a larger group of fans that will be following their musical creations. 9/10 \m/

 

 

 

 

Like what you are hearing? then pick up your copy by heading over to their BANDCAMP page and ordering this killer album.

Also don’t forget to give them the ol’ thumbs up on FACEBOOK

 

 

 

-Badger \m/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

The Devil’s Due- December 11th – Enigma- “Stars Misaligned” 9/10 \m/

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Enigma

Stars Misaligned

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released July 22, 2016

 Petr Oplatka – vocals

Byron Leon – guitar

Ryan McNatt – guitar

Dan Saltzman – bass

Harley Blandford – drums

 

Today the devils has brought us the debut E.P Stars Misaligned from the San Jose California tech death misfits Enigma and what a fucking brilliant E.P. it is too. Did you guys know it’s on bandcamp with a “name your own price” tag on it, which means download it for free or give them a couple bucks and help support them to make more killer music.

This E.P. is the real deal, these guys must have spent a lot of time working on the material for this and making sure it sounded just right. This E.P. has stellar production quality.  You have to appreciate their blend of melodic death metal and technical death metal. They are walking on that razors edge of balance and they seem to be able to seamlessly transition between both well within the middle of the song and all without over doing it.  For a group of musicians who may not be on everyone’s radar, sure know how to fuck shit up when it comes to playing bad ass music.

I really enjoy the acoustic guitar melody’s that are played throughout the E.P. because it adds that unplugged human element to the music, but hot damn can these guys shred too.  I think my biggest gripe about this E.P. is that it is just an E.P.  When I first listened to this it blew me away, I wanted more.  I still want more, but that’s because this E.P. kicks so much ass. You never heard of people wanting more of something that sounds like garbage do you? I dig the vocals and on songs like “ Of Vile and Bliss” Petr pulls off some Strnad style vocals, also similar to bands like carcass. A higher pitched vocalization but piercing as it has a staccato delivery.  Now I’m not saying this should get best album of 2016, but best E.P. of 2016 and it is going to be right up there. The fact that they have it on BANDCAMP for free is insane. But they made a bold statement doing that, I already got mine because it’s a solid E.P. one of the best I have heard in a damn long time. I thoroughly appreciate the fact that the E.P. has no fluff or filler, sure it has that intro on the first track, but that adds to the music, it doesn’t take away from the E.P. The E.P kicks ass, get on it.9/10\m/

I can almost guarantee that this E.P. is going to make many “best of” lists this month, and it looks like they might be working on new material too. So hopefully 2017 will be another good year for Enigma, and the metal heads looking for some kick ass technical melo-deth.

 

 

 

Like what you have read so far, well how about giving this E.P. a listen.

 

Like what you hear? Then pick up your copy or download for free whatever is clever but don’t fuck up and miss out.  Click here to go to their BANDCAMP page

 

You can also follow them on TWITTER

 

 

Or give them a like on FACEBOOK if that’s your social media preference.

 

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

The Devil’s Due- December 10th Throen- “Brennenburg” review 8/10 \m/

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Thoren

Brennenburg

released October 28, 2016

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Anthony Lipari: Guitars and Composition
Joseph Paquette: Bass
Chris Burrows: Drums

 

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Today the Devil has brought us a dark and dissonant surprise by the name of “Brennenburg” which is the debut album by Michigan extreme metallers Thoren.  Now I should warn you, what you are going to hear when listening to this is a lot of dark, abrasive dissonance,  killer drum work and dematerializing guitars.  They are a three piece band featuring Coma Cluster Void drummer Chris Burrows as the beat maker.  We got a taste of his  drumming skills  this summer when  CCV put out their album, but it was a great surprise to find out he had more stuff to offer in 2016.  Now im not going to bullshit you, this album is not for closed minded people, but metal of any form is not for closed minded people. Its how the metal genre was birthed, through open minded individuals who wanted to do something different.  So if you have an open mind, and want to hear some hauntingly sophisticated poly rhythms and catchy guitars then have a listen.  No vocals means no one can have the excuse of saying “ I don’t know what they are saying” all you need to know is this is some fucking cool and brooding dissonant metal, something you would play to cleanse your palette of whatever your go to music style is.  Give a fresh look into Brennenburg and you will see for yourself why we like them so much.  You don’t get this type of music everyday, and every where.  You could take any song off this album and use it for a suspense, thriller, or horror movie.  Shit you can play this anytime of any day and anywhere, and no matter what you are going to find people overhearing will have a twisted facial expression.  Its because when people don’t understand something they seem to be almost offended by it, but when you break down exactly what these guys are playing its quite impressive actually.  Not sure if you agree with me, here is a clip of Chris on the drums in a way demonstrating poly rhythms with screen notation.

 

So yea he’s not p[laying the typical 4/4 time signature and basic down beats and  8th notes on the h hat. Fuck that shit, the derivative demon himself plays complex percussion and the music  that he is involved in is a mind bending thought provoking dark practically carcinogenic heavy as fuck and truly is one of a kind. Like it or leave it, but I guarantee some will appreciate it musically as the complexity of the music is blatantly apparent, but its cool. Its cool because it flows in a strange way  it flows, it may not keep a 1,2, beat but that’s not how it flows. It flows in a way that only unlocked minds will be able to comprehend. The way this album hit us it came at a time when we were looking for something different, and one spin gave us what we were looking for. 8/10 \m/

 

So the question is, are you one of those people, and if so would you like to listen to Brennenburg and see if this one was for you?

 

 

 

If you like what you hear head on over to their BANDCAMP page and get your copy

 

Also go on give them a like and show them some love on FACEBOOK

 

 

 

-Badger \m/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

 

 

The Devil’s Due December 9th, The Devils Of Loudun- “Enduring Creation” review 8/10\m/

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The Devils Of Loudun

Enduring Creation

Released April 8, 2016

loudun

The Devils of Loudun is:
Scott Hermanns – Guitars
Drew Tuel – Guitars
Ben Velozo – Keyboards
Vance Bratcher – Vocals
Billy Keller – Drums
LJ Cline – Bass

 

 

Today the Devil has brought his pals The Devils of Loudun to the stage. And we will be checking out their E.P. released back in April.  This is such a surprising E.P.  From Seattle these guys don’t follow the typical Seattle music scene style. (Pearl jam and other 90’s grunge bands) nope these are delivering some seriously suppressed Seattle melo/tech death.  This cool E.P. really flew under many peoples radar, and I’m not entirely sure why that is.  I suppose possible they were overshadowed by a larger mainstream release. But one listen to this E.P. will have you wondering why you haven’t heard them until now.  But take the chorus of the song Thrown to the Void for example. That shit is catchy as hell, and while we are the subject of that song. I will admit this is actually my favorite song off the E.P.  Simply put, that song fucking rips.  The song really delivers the melo-death aspect of this band really putting a lot of emphasis on the keys.  There’s melodic metal bands, and melodic death metal bands, but I am really impressed by the blended styles because these guys really make this sound their own.  Bonus points to Vance because I am a sucker for guttural exclamations, blurts,   spewt( see Ryan Travis for explanation) that retching sound that some vocalists add and it’s like having a drummer who has a cowbell at his set.  It’s just another tool and I fucking dig it.  Adding the keyboards, and the really fucking contagious hooks, these guys have pulled off an amazing feat.  Everything is technically precise like tech death, its heavy as fuck like death metal and the melodic aspect does not soften the blow. If anything, it’s the one two punch these guys pack.  I’m hooked I don’t know about the rest of you, but if you haven’t heard this E.P. yet, get on that. Songs to def. check out are going to be Thrown to the void, Cast The Stone, and Until the night ends. But wait that’s three out of five songs. Well I just figured if I told you to check out those three you would end up checking out the rest, because let’s face it. This E.P. kicks ass, and it’s time to give it a listen. If technical melo-death is something you would be interested in, than this E.P. is for you, 8/10 \m/

 

 

There is also this video they put out for Cast The  Stone

 

Check out their BANDCAMP page to get your copy of this awesome E.P.

 

Also if you like what you hear check out their FACEBOOK page and give them the ol’ thumbs up and stay up to date.

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

 

The Devil’s Due- December 8th Vale Of Pnath- “II” review- 10/10 \m/

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Vale Of Pnath

II

Released June 10, 2016

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Vance Valenzuela – Guitar
Eloy Montes – Guitar
Reece Deeter – Vocals
Eric W. Brown – Drums
Alan Parades – Bass

 

Today the devil has brought us the second album by CO melodic tech death Jedi’s Vale Of Pnath.  If for some reason you missed this album when it came out, or you still haven’t listened to it, then you fucked up.  This album rips, it has a melodic yet technical death metal feel to it, and the use of classical piano as well as organ in the tracks Klendathu and Heart Of Darkness they set the bar high.  There are albums that are great, and then you have albums like this one, from start to finish it fucking kills it. Start with the first track of the album “Blacker Than” which is the most subtle way of the band showing the listener the bar that they are raising right before you. It starts out so mellow and smooth (in comparison to what you will experience later) with the acoustic guitars playing for just shy of half a minute before the guitars go to distortion and the drums come in. But it’s the vocals at the :48 second mark that leave the lasting impression.   I can honestly say that after listening to this album since the summer I am a fan and will be for the foreseeable future.   Now the tricky part is trying to tell you guys why you should check this out, and what songs to listen to. But the fact of the matter is that every track on this fucking holds their own.  It really depends on what your personal tastes are, but just know that Vale deliver the tech in a way that many haven’t done before.  They are incorporating all these different elements together but they pull it off. The talent and the shear amount of craftsmanship that went into making this album is astonishing.  Drums are surgically precise and have a hard attack.  The drums sound great too, but that’s not all, I mean each instrument can be heard and fuck these guys are talented.  But let’s shed some light on points of interest, now for starters I am going to explain probably my favorite part of this album. On the Track “A Nightmare Phantasm” you listen to that track and get to the 1:31 mark and you are going to hear one of the coolest, most bone chilling guitar solos of 2016. It’s short and to the point but man that guitar wails.  This song is my most played track off of the album to begin with, however you still have tracks like “ The Serpents Lair” that track absolutely decimates the feeble listeners who doubt what Vale Of Pnath have in their arsenal.  I would love to tell you the one to three tracks you really should check out but the fact of the matter is, that this album is 100% bad-ass. The talent these musicians have is impressive, and the sound quality and production are in top form. These guys did their homework, they took everything they could from their first album, and improved, they did not disappoint with this album.  It doesn’t happen often but this album is a solid 10/10 \m/ and should be in everyone’s collection who are fans of melodic metal, death metal, tech death and all the sub genres that are spawned from the previous mentioned genres. Vale Of Pnath will be a big name, the proof is in the pudding, and they only have time on their side to keep raising the bar in the same way they have been.

Want to hear what all the hub-bub is about click play below

 

 

Yea now you know why this is a must have, (so if you have a metal head on your Christmas list and don’t know what to get them look no further) and why it got a 10/10 \m/ rating.  The album, plain and simple kicks ass, a whole lot of ass, and it just keeps kicking.  I’m still spinning this album, and I haven’t gotten to a point where I wasn’t amped up when listening to it. And that guitar solo in A Nightmare Phantasm gets me every time.

 

 

Check out their BANDCAMP page and order up your copy of II

 

Also head on over to their FACEBOOK page and give them a like to stay up to date on Vale of Pnath news.

Or Follow them on Twitter if that’s your social media vice of choice.

 

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

The Devil’s Due- Dec 7th- Throne Of Botis ” Hymns Of Homicide” Review 7/10 \m/

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Throne Of Botis

Hymns Of Homicide

 released August 30, 2016

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Tim Crabb – Vox
Michael Tepper – Guitar / Additional Vox
Kevin Ansell – Drums
Alex Trotter – Guitar
Adam Dietzel – Bass

 

 

Today the Devil has brought us some Virgina Beach brutal death, by the name of Throne Of Botis. Throne of Botis  is some grimey brutal Virgina Beach Death Metal with a little bit of slam.  The debut E.P. from the Virginia Beach Brutal Death Metallers, contains 5 tracks of unmerciful death metal that  crushes all your expectations. From the first track you can tell that they are walking the line of death metal and slamming brutal death. “Malfeasance Of Mankind” will get you hooked early on in the song and I must say the production is solid. Sometimes you see “ Debut E.P.” from a band you haven’t heard of before and it turns out to be a demo recording in someone’s basement or a live setting and I am happy to say that this is not one of those situations.  With songs like “ This Sordid Abattoir” I’d be willing to bet they were influenced by bands such as Death, Suffocation,and Vader.  I have been spinning this E.P. for a few weeks now and I have to say, the more I listen to it, the more I enjoy it.  From the heavily armed drums, to the chugging guitar riffs, then you have those grizzly vocals.  What Throne Of Botis has done with “Hymns” is launch an assault on the listener with a barrage of blasts, and  guttural vocals with some catchy riffs.  This E.P. released in September of 2016 on Lost Apparitions Records has a few guest appearances on it, and absolutely crushes. Tracks that we really enjoy are Dismantled and Dissolved which is just brutal, honestly this is our most played track. It’s a filthy fucking track that has everything that appeals to a death metal fan like myself. The vocals are straight up post apocalyptic grizzly sounding, and the drums are tight.  From the rapid blasting to the clear ping of the cymbals when hit the sound is awesome. There is nothing we don’t like about this E.P. its heavy as fuck and when listening will trigger your mean face.  Solid E.P. and I cant wait to hear more from these VA death metallers. 7/10 \m/

Have a Listen for yourself and see what Virginia Beach brutal death sounds like

 

 

 

Like what you are hearing then go to their BANDCAMP page and grab your copy of their Debut E.P.

 

And don’t forget to give them a LIKE on FACEBOOK to stay updated on Throne Of Botis news and their music.

 

Released through Lost Apparitions Records
 Artwork by Uglies Art
 Recorded by Steven Miller Recording

 

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

 

The Devil’s Due- Dec 6th- Veilburner “The Obscene Rite” album review 8/10 \m/

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Today the devil hath brought us a dark, and brooding album to listen to titled “The Obscene Rite” the third release from Pennsylvania  experimental black/death metal band Veilburner.

 

 

Veilburner

The Obscene Rite

released September 30, 2016

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Mephisto Deleterio – All musical compositions/performance, engineering/mixing, and backing vocals

Chrisom infernium – Main vocals, lyrics/themes, and album artwork

 

 

 

Now this is an album that came out back in September and while trying to review this album in my own regular format (track by track) due to the nature of the album.  This is not an album you can really breakdown the way I do on most reviews. But after giving this album many spins it was apparent that to get the true and full effect you actually need to listen to this album from start to finish without stopping or skipping.  To listen to each track and focus on one is taking away from the album as a whole. The songs blend right into each other and it really needs that continues play through to get the big picture.  This is the third release by these guys and holy hell is it dark and intriguing. The first track (Postmortem Excordium)  is the one that is going to set the pace of this album  because when listening to it you really get the full spectrum of what they are going to be hammering you with for 9 tracks.  The vocals are the closest thing to a pure evil entity summoning a dark and malevolent being. Yea it’d kind of like that, its dark and ghastly to listen to.  The lyrical content follows very dark and thought provoking theoretical situations about the human race and evolving past physical and mental limitations.  I mean lets just take a moment to understand their lyrics for a moment.  They are writing songs with lyrics that are based on humans evolving beyond our limitations, if that’s not enough to get you interested I don’t know what is. I mean any band could make lyric content about the typical themes, gore,  and the like. But Veilburner focus on a different (if not darker) point of view and the music relays that. Vaterchen is a great example of this, because the darker the content the music is going to reciprocate the feeling.  This is where they excel, really pulling out the big guns to make this some of the darkest music you have heard in a long time.  fans of Deathspell Omega, Akercocke, and I’d say Dodheimsgard will really appreciate this album.  If you like your metal dark, sinister, straight up mind bending evil sounding,  Veilburner have just what you need with their latest album. 8/10 \m/ But don’t take our word for it, have a listen for yourself by listening below.

 

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Bonus:  since the album really should be played start to finish, and their previous releases are just as compelling as this one and it is cool to listen to Noumenon, and then The Obscene Rite from start to finish and back to back. But I must warn you, it’s probably going to fuck with you on various levels so make sure you are in the right frame of mind before you do.  Other than that get ready to have your mind warped from the brilliant and  mysterious Veilburner. Also it is worth mentioning that when The Obscene rite came out they were unsigned. And shortly after the release they signed to Transcending Obscurity Records.

 

 

 

 

If you like what you hear then head on over to their BANDCAMP page and grab your copy of The Obscene Rite

 

Also if they offer up a sound you can really dig, then give them a like on FACEBOOK and stay current with Veilburner news.

 

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

 

 

The Devil’s Due – Dec 5th- Solium Fatalis “Neuronic Saw” review 9/10 \m/

on By 1 Comment

Today we listen to the third album from the  NH based metal band Solium Fatalis titled “Neuronic Saw” and it is one hell of an album, very dark and very heavy. So lets get to it shall we

Solium Fatalis

 Neuronic Saw

solium

released November 11, 2016

Jim Gregory – Guitars
Jeff DeMarco – Vocals & Bass
Ryan Beevers – Guitars
Jeff Saltzman-Drums

1) Nuclear Messiah

This song is a quite chilling and visual song giving the title of it, and the classical style of the song.  Jim Gregory the mastermind behind Solium Fatalis has done it again. This song is not just another intro track, it’s the bar they just raised. Now you’re going to have to buckle yourself in and get ready for the riffage.

2) Symbiotic Plague

Well this song starts out  very cool, solid intro with the guitars and drums playing  and building things up  and vocals join in before the thirty second mark. I dig the rhythm of this song, it has an impending and sinister feel about it.  And I am really digging the drums on this track so far.  It is worth mentioning that there is different drummer than on the previous albums, and based on how the drums sound. I am liking Jeff Saltzman behind the set for Solium. This is a cool song, very catchy, and I should mention the guitar solo right around the 3 minute mark.   This song has a lot of that blackened melodic death feel to it. I like this track because it has new blood on the drums. Being able to compare this track to the previous albums and seeing how Solium has evolved. This is a great track especially to be coming out of the intro with.

 

3) Fractured Divinity

This song has a slightly more moderate pace about it, but none the less the track kills it.  Vocals remind me of older century media, Earache and Nuclear blast bands. You know what I am talking about, old Arch Enemy, Carcass etc. They have a darker delivery that’s more of a primitive form that is very effective with the imagery of the music really.  At three minutes and thirty one seconds this song cuts right through you with ease. Its not a long drawn out tune, they just steamroll right on through. The song is a killer track, it sinks its claws in to you with the guitar solo around the 1:50 mark and keeps you hooked. I mean listen to the guitar solo and tell me you aren’t interested in what Solium has to offer.

 

4) Myopic

This song has a short fade in before that rhythm takes a hold of you and the 175 bpm gets you locked in for the ride that this song is going to take you on.  But damn does it get you moving before the vocals even join in, and I like the cymbal accents Jeff is playing on the ride.  The one thing I will say about Solium Fatalis, is they have a “take no prisoners” delivery to the music.  I mean take the vocals right at the :47 second mark,  no fucks given right there. They don’t hold back anything, ever. And that’s what I like, zero fucks given from these guys.  They formulate a song that’s as catchy as it is visual and when listening you find yourself to be lifted to your chill zone because you zone out almost hypnotized from the music. It flows in a way that is very appealing, straight to the point and catchy.

 

5) Hymn To The Infected

Well if that’s not a kick ass beginning, than I don’t know what would constitute as one. Just shy of thirty seconds and that set up was killer, fucking riff-nado, and a hailstorm of blasting drums.  I like this track so far, it’s profoundly dark in tone and delivery. From the album art to the music it’s all pretty dark, and its catchy as hell. Not to mention the guitar solo about halfway through the track really hits the spot. I like when a band throws a guitar solo in the song, Solium Fatalis are good for that. You have a lot of talent in the band, and then to not display what they are really working with would be an injustice to their music and fans. When listening to this song I have to admit, the talent that’s packed into this group is amazing. Its songs like this I get the distinct feeling that Solium Fatalis will become a more familiar name with the release of Neuronic Saw, and anticipate their fan base will continue to grow rapidly if they keep making songs like this one.

6) Retch Atma

This song has more of an old school feel to it, and that beginning is awesome. When listening to this track you will undoubtedly be moving your body somehow, be it tapping your feet nodding your head or just losing it completely and throwing haymakers. This song has a feeling of satisfying your bloodlust.  Yea it’s like that, this is like the soundtrack for a criminally insane charismatic cult leader planning on opening the ninth gate. But before you know it the song is over, they packed so much into three minutes and eight seconds that kept you captivated the entire time and when you realize it you are reaching for the back button to listen to it again.

7) Harvested to Necrosis

Alright, so this is the song right here. For Solium Fatalis, they have put out three albums full of solid tracks, but there is always that one track that has just a little more to it. The song has just a little more meat to it.  It’s the song that many will deem their favorite, well let us be the ones to say it first. This is our favorite track off the album.  After listening to the album in it entirety a handful of times this song is it. This song is the gem that is the one you should listen to first if you are going to formulate your first impression of Solium Fatalis.  If you aren’t moving to this song when you have gotten to the one minute mark then you aren’t listening to the same thing I am, this song rips. The 1:53 mark they kick it into high gear with filthy guitar riffs and ravenous blast beats. They made a statement, they came for blood and now you got a taste of it yourself. Do you keep listening to the album or spin this track a few times, we had to listen to this track a few times ourselves because it crushes.

 

8) The Carrion Feast

They start things off heavy for the first ten seconds and then take it up another level when the vocals come in. This song is a slightly slower tempo again, but for each BPM less they make up for it in the dark angry delivery of the music.  And I am really enjoying those backing vocals on this track, this song is going to have to be my number two. There is something very visually detailed about this song, and if that’s what they are going for, then the guitar solo starting at the 2:38 mark seals the deal.  You can’t listen to this track and wonder why Solium Fatalis isn’t coming out of the mouths of so many more metal heads out there.

 

9) Contagion

Cool perpetual guitar riff sets up the blistering blast filled drums and the vocals are right alongside them. This song has a lot of built up animosity. This track is savage as a fucking primitive beast with a thirst for blood and its feeding time. This is another great example of how they do not hold back. This song rips on so many levels, it makes a statement. The ferocity of this track is undeniable, the need to listen to this track also undeniable.  The beginning rips right from the get go and then following the drums and the rhythm. They hit us early in the song with a killer guitar solo around the 1:31 mark. This is one of those songs that when you listen to it, it gives you the mean face. You know what I’m talking about. This is an example of mean face right below. Jim gets it, be like Jim and shred some serious metal.

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10) Serpent Crown Redux

The final track off of the album, and while we would love to break this one down. You really ought to do that yourself. We have to save this one for you to man an opinionated decision  on your own.

 

This album is brilliant, Solium Fatalis are such an underrated band. The production of this album was stellar, not to mention it had Chris Donaldson of Cryptopsy working on this at his studio The Grid.  You don’t go to the grid and get a bad product, you don’t go to the grid if you don’t have something awesome to be recording. I listen to this album and every time I do I find I could sit and just loop tracks over and over. This album gets the job done from tracks like Nuclear Messiah, to contagion, the album has a lot of range, a lot of dark and savage range. But couple that with the talent those guys have is what makes this album a hit.  Check this shit out, you won’t be disappointed if you do. 9/10

 

 

 

Check them out on FACEBOOK by clicking here, and don’t be a dick, throw them a like while you’re there.

 

Head on over to their BANDCAMP page and pick up your copy of NEURONIC SAW

Photo credits belong to : Beyond the Lens of Grace Cook and Pamela Murphy

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

The Devil’s Due- Dec-4th Equipoise- “Birthing Homunculi” album review 7/10 \m/

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Today’s Band of the day for our Devil’s Due segment is Equipoise, with their E.P. “Birthing Homunculi” released August 5th 2016 and we couldn’t let this one not make the list.

Equipoise

 Birthing Homunculi

Released August 5th 2016

Stevie Boiser- Lyrics, Vocals
Nick Padovani- Song composition, Rhythm/lead guitars, drum programming, Keyboard/piano, Lyrical concept, percussion
Zach Hohn- Song composition, Rhythm/lead guitars
Hugo Karout- Fretless bass
Jimmy Pitts- Keyboard arrangements, Keyboards/synths

 

 

  1. Alchemic Web of Deceit

This track begins with acoustic guitars playing a cool melody for just shy of thirty seconds until drums and guitar distortion joins in. and then right at the :45 mark the song picks up in tempo and power.  I really enjoy being able to hear the bass being played, when you have a talented bassist it is really rewarding for the listener to be able to hear that talent. I really dig Steve’s vocals on this one. At a few moments in the song it maintained a solid tech death feel to it, but bring sounds reminiscent of old man’s child. The 1:25 mark is an example of this, it totally reminded me of a section you would get from pagan prosperity.  The fact that the beginning of this track has acoustic guitars with a specific feel to them, and then this section. There are so many aspects of this song that display a great foundation of influences. Now add in the lyrical content and you have something more than just a song off an E.P.  I’d say the only downside is the production sound seems a bit fuzzy. But music wise this song is a killer track to kick off the e.p. with.

  1. A Suit Of My Flesh

This song has a slowed down tempo, and that bass is still very pleasing to hear.  The song maintains the beginning melody and tempo for about fifty seconds before going through its first tempo change. Which is also the same time when vocals kick in, and they are more ferocious on this track than the previous one.  Steve, expands on his range for this song. Not to mention the fact that around the 1:38 mark besides Steve there are guest vocals that add to the uniqueness of this track.  While I do love the bass lines I will say, drum programming is a bit of a turnoff for me.  The guitar work is great, but having programmed drums has an element that a human drummer has. And for that I have a hard time with the drums.  On the other hand the drums programmed for this song sounds solid.

  1. Birthing Homunculi Part 1: Shrouded

This song begins with acoustic guitars playing and fading in, with the rhythm being tapped on the side of the guitar like a drum.  It’s a nice little filler/ instrumental track.

  1. Birthing Homunculi Part 2: Sigil Insidious

This track is a faster track certainly heavier than the previous song. It basically grabs you right from the get go.  It has a groove about it that you can adhere to. This is hands down my favorite track on this E.P.  as it satisfies my need for songs that are rapidly fast, soul crushingly heavy, and has ample amounts of technicality and groove.  The very beginning reminds me of Anticosmic Overload, by Obscura. I love it, it’s fast, its heavy, it pulls you in.  Right around the :33 second mark, Steve hits us with that classic, guttural, blurted vocalization.  I just want to go on record by saying I love it when a vocalist does this, (just as long as it is at the right moment in the song) he pulls it off perfect here.  For me that just makes a song more enjoyable, call me crazy but when I am rocking out to a song, I am going along with the words, and then they drop a “blech” before a section change to me it sounds badass. I love it, it makes the song fun to listen to. It’s a signal that lets the listener know something is about to change, maybe shit is about to get fucked up, and most importantly it’s fun to make noises, especially an offensive sounding noise.  So, Steve ups the points for bringing that bad ass split second blurt to the table. Now let’s talk about the solos, yes the two solos on this track.  Both are awesome, and both come at a great point in the song. The first happens right around the 1:55 mark in the song and playing till the 2:26 mark. Coming out of that is a hell of a sinister section where Steve is laying down some evil vocals, and the rest of the band are whipping us with the precision technicality and high tempo. The second guitar solo comes at the 3:44 mark and is straight up shredding for fifteen seconds roughly. They come out of that solo and really give us everything they have got left in them for this song.

 

  1. Birthing Homunculi Part 3: Reincarnation

This track is like an instrumental outro track. It does progress a bit more than Shrouded, however it is still really an instrumental track. I dig the guitars and the rhythm being played on what sounds like hand drums and also the side of an acoustic guitar.

 

 

All in all this was a pleasantly surprising E.P. it came out back on and slipped right below the radar.  It’s a solid effort, and while the sounds quality isn’t the best, the musicianship is what I am focusing on most.  The bass is awesome, the fact that you can hear the bass gets points, because they have a talented bassist on this, and it’s good to be able to hear that talent.  Often times I find that the bass is masked by all the other instruments and vocals, but with Equipoise, Hugo shines.  I do have to point out the programmed drums. While I get it, its flawless, as you can “program” them, it lacks a human element.  Drummers that have tech death talent are, hard to find. However, there are still a handful of drummers out there that are session drummers.  Drummers for hire if you will, like Kevin Talley, pretty sure you can throw any tech death sounding project at him, and he can pull it off.  That’s what Equipoise needs, either a drummer, or to get someone like Kevin Talley or Hannes Grossman to do the drums.  You will get the quality of programmed drums, but it adds the human element, and that gives the music more power.  The E.P. has a few instrumental tracks and while they are enjoyable, I’d prefer there was more tech death to go along in this E.P.  Maybe the next release will have more, I will certainly be looking forward to any other music coming from Equipoise, and I also would like to point out that Equipoise has been donating all proceeds to Jason Becker’s Foundation. Not sure who Jason Becker is, google him.  If you are a guitarist and don’t know him, you should do some homework, but for all others if you don’t know him, check him out.  He has influenced many guitarists you are a fan of. So all in all I have to give this E.P. a 7/10 \m/ it’s an E.P. which don’t get me wrong I love E.P.’s but there was a lot of instrumental. The sound quality could have been better, but this is the first release by Equipoise. Nick is a killer guitarist and we feel they will  hit us with something far heavier, far more complex, and raise the bar in the process in the near future. Not to mention the rest of the talent in the band/ on this E.P. you can tell when their is a lot of talent and the members have a strong appreciation for the music.  Also its worth mentioning that they recently joined the Artisan Era family.  So yeah shits going to get real soon.

 

Head on over to their BANDDCAMP page to get this for a name your price option

Give them a like of FACEBOOK and stay up to date with Equipoise!

 

-Badger \m/

 

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

The Devil’s Due- Dec 3rd- Minachrist- “In Absence” album review- 7/10\m/

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Minachrist

In Absence

released May 27, 2016

Connor McNamee- Lead/rhythm guitar, clean vocals, songwriting, lyrics
Nick Shaw (Black Crown Initiate) – Bass guitar, engineering
Jerry Martin (Alustrium) – Harsh vocals

 minachrist

Back in May, Minachrist dropped this album and it slipped right under so many radars, that we found it to be very justifiable in adding it to this months Devil’s due segment. Think of 12 days of Christmas, only its 31 days of metal you should be checking out.

Well if you are looking for some progressive blackened death metal that absolutely crushes.  I have always been a fan of blackened death when its done right. Well Minachrist have formulated a way to make the black and the death blend so well that when the progressive metal element is introduced as a listener you have embraced every note that has flowed out of your speakers.  Yea this album kicks a lot of ass, a whole lot. “Our Rose Garden” is one of our top played tracks, it is a downright killer track that has so many infectious elements that pull at you. With every change and transition you are wanting more. but then there are the softer tracks that are just as compelling as the fast and heavy bringing out that progressive feel.  They do rock clean vocals on this album, whether you like them or hate them. our opinion is that if you are going to do them, make sure they really fit the music. Well Minachrist walks that balanced delivery and you will be reminded of bands like Opeth that switch from really clean guitars and vocals to heavy as fuck guitars and vocals. The production of this album is on point and  after listening to this a good handful of times  its very deserving of the 7/10 \m/ rating we give it.  Have a listen for yourself and tell us what you think.

 

 

Also featuring:
Andy Thomas (Black Crown Initiate) – guest guitar solo on “Our Rose Garden”
Ethan McKenna- guest guitar solo on “The Ecstasy of Dreams”
Ceia Schweitzer- lyrics for “Our Rose Garden” inspired by poem of the same name

 

If you like what you heard then head on over to their BANDCAMP page by clicking Here

And dont forget to head on over to their FACEBOOK page and give them a like to get all the latest.

 

-Badger \m/

Visit our FACEBOOK page \m/_(><)_\m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com