Category: death metal

Bleak Flesh- Overcoming Reality 9.5/10 \m/

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Hi guys! I am honored and extremely stoked to bring you my review for the brand new release from my Chilean brothers in Bleak Flesh!

First, let’s look at a bio of the band…

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Formed in 2004 in Santiago de Chile by Matias Quiroz under a different name. By 2009 the project had evolved to what is Bleak Flesh. Soon after, bassist Enrique Carvajal joined ranks. By 2012, talented drummer Sebastián Vidal had joined the ranks and they had recorded some demos which would later be released on a compilation in 2015 called “A Glimpse from the Past: The Unreleased Demo Collection”. In 2013 the band was complete with addition of Nicolas Martinez on guitar and Paulo Carcamo on lead vocals. The band would the release their 2013 debut EP, THE GATEWAY, presenting an interesting mix of genres like technical and melodic death metal with progressive touches and nice synth mixed in. In 2014 Bleak Flesh released their first full length album called TRANSCENDENCE. The album got great reviews from fans and critics alike and I even reviewed it a while back! The CD’s even sold out! This EP should be highly anticipated based on the great response Transcendence got, not to mention the brand new vocalist. On January 1st 2016 Radial Velocity came out as the first song recorded with Ngen Kerruff on vocals, being the first single for the new OVERCOMING REALITY EP. On December 19th 2016 they released the second single for the EP, The Spectral Path, along with a sweet music video.

Order or stream their new EP here:
https://bleakflesh.bandcamp.com/…/overcoming-reality-ep-2017

Their music is extremely well rounded within seamlessly molding different subgenres together. Not the same way Cyborg Octopus does, but these guys are still completely unique. They mix Progressive Metal with synths, Technical Death Metal, Djenty and other groovy and sometimes funky riffs, melodic Death Metal and more!

Line up for Overcoming Reality and current line up – Matías Quiroz – Lead Guitar, Enrique Carvajal – Bass, Sebastián Andrés Vidal Romero – Drums, Ngen Kerruff – Vocals

The vocals are powerful and have a great tone. His delivery isn’t quite as enunciated as their previous vocalist Paulo, however he makes up for it by having a really excellent tone and range. He does have enjoyable delivery as well and a wide range. He can go from gutturally low, which he only does on occasion, to a powerful, almost Polish DM sounding mid low and some soaring awesome highs which are also kind of dark and intense. They remind me of the blackened highs heard in Slugdge. Though overall, the bands are very different, they are both slightly experimental and incorporate similar vocal traits at times.
There is still clean vocals on this EP, like their previous work, but it is different and it isn’t coming off forced. That being said, no vocoder. Which I am OK with because I don’t really like vocoder and their previous work war the only use of vocoder I have ever managed to enjoy in any band. In fact the clean vocals in songs like Overcoming reality, where the cleans come in right away, before they even proceed to get brutal, and Sunshine, which has some great epic but totally add to the overall vibe and epic-ness of the songs. Sunshine by far has the most cleans and I think they are really fitting. It also has some great riffs and beats and grooves. The cleans remind me of the cleans that Cyborg Octopus lays out in their Neo-classical influenced song, Divine Right (In D Minor). I personally like them a lot.

The bass work sounds great! The opening and title track, Overcoming Reality has some sweet bass lines, especially during the parts with prominent synth. It sounds like there are some cool slapped bass licks and fills.
Expanding the Existence has an excellent bass solo when it mellows out and then goes in to a beautiful guitar solo section. They mellow it out the first time and he plays a great bass line and then they go to a nice upbeat riff for a bit and mellow it back down to the amazing solo sections.

The guitar is very enjoyable as well. Matiaz is an amazing player who can create beastly riffs and beautiful solos. The riffs are exciting and very upbeat. Expanding the Existence has some super catchy and quite intricate riffs and that absolutely lovely solo mentioned before after with wicked bass sections. Galactic Monolith is a great and varied song. Several awesome grooves and lots of really wicked fast parts too. I particularly love the little melodic lead near the end of the song!

The instrumental track, The Dawn of the Ancient Realms, is simply outstanding!

They soften it down at just before 2:00 and the bass has some totally awesome lines, then they go into a rather freely and super epic solo, into a sick groove with more awesome bass! This then leads into another fantastic solo! Love the tone too! The riffs are extremely exciting and quick with really blistering drums, though he has great feel when they need to let the song breathe too. The synth is pretty prominent through most of this song and it is used well. It fades out with a kind of tribal feel.

The guitar solo in Radial Velocity, which was one of the first singles for the album, released last year, is absolutely amazing. It is fairly lengthy and goes through several different ‘sections’ and is extremely well written. The solo section in the more recent single they released at the beginning of this year is out if this world as well. The Spectral Path has all sorts of incredibly catchy riffs, wicked intense drums and roaring and soaring vocals. But that solo is just absolutely fabulous!

The drums are killer. Great beats and mix. The cymbals sound great as is but when the synth is going, it is mixed really well too. The frequencies add a really nice angelic feel. He sometimes tastefully incorporates gravity blasts as well. Such as in Galactic Monolith, which also has some wicked groove at times and some excellent fast double pick and ride beats that I lust love. And also such as in Spectral Path, which has awesome blistering fast beats that are perfectly placed and not only speed, but excellent feel as they give this song room to breathe several times and every instrument totally plays into making it work, especially the guitar and drums in this song. All sorts of other enjoyable cymbal work as well. not only on that song. The EP is packed with awesome grooves, sweet super fast yet creative beats with lots of great cymbal and especially ride work, and seamless transitions.

It makes me proud to hear this EP. These guys are amazing people and musicians, creating truly unique and inspiring Death Metal. Fans of original and slightly experimental sounds with great melody and groove, this band is for you! The vocals are well ranged and have an exciting delivery and great tone. The drums have incredible speed and excellent beats and fantastic groove and feel when called for. The riffs are creative and very intriguing, with tons of stand out bass through this EP! I strongly urge you to give this a listen! I know this band can have a bright future in this genre if they reach the right amount of fans! It would be a dream come true to see these guys live or play with them some day!

For fans of Atlantis Chronicles, Between The Buried And Me, Dark Matter Secret, Cyborg Octopus, Slugdge, Flub, Black Crown Initiate

9.5/10 \m/

 

LINKS
https://www.facebook.com/bleak.flesh
http://www.bleakflesh.com/
https://bleakflesh.bandcamp.com/…/overcoming-reality-ep-2017
https://www.youtube.com/user/bleakfleshband
https://twitter.com/BleakFlesh

 

 

-Brett /,,/(°o°)/,,/

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

Lock Up- Demonization- Album Review 8.5/10 \m/

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Lock Up

Demonization

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Released March 10th 2017

Shane Embury
Kevin Sharp
Nick Barker
Anton Reisenegger

 

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First started as a side project by Shane Embury, they are now on to their fourth album this time featuring Kevin Sharp on vocals. I had to go back and listen to “Pleasures” with Peter Tagtgren , and then albums with Thomas Lindberg on vocals to be able to compare Kevin to both. I have seen some people express dissatisfaction with this album, and a lot comparing Kevin to Thomas. However to really give Kevin the benefit of the doubt he needed to be heard alongside the Tagtgren style also.  And after listening to a lot of Lock Up recently, I can honestly say, I really enjoy this album. Kevin is a great fit in my opinion. However one thing I really picked up on was the fact that Nicolas Barker had more range on his drums and the clarity of his drums are fucking crisp.  If you have been under a rock and don’t know who Nicholas Barker is, or have known any of his other bands. He played with Cradle of Filth on five albums including Cruelty and the Beast, as well as Dimmu Borgir and a handful of other bands with albums an E.P.’s.  but the one thing I always wished you could get from a Lock Up album was to get better sound of Nicks Drums.  But with songs like “The Decay Within The Abyss” Nick rattles off a roll out on the toms that you just didn’t get on previous albums.  It has just that much more to offer than previous albums when it comes to the drums in my opinion.  The album starts out with “Blood And Emptiness” a solid opening track, music starts out hard and fast after a short sound clip.  They slow it down, but you hear the first example of Nick’s drums being so crystal clear around the :53 second mark.  This is the moment when my ears perked up, and I knew that this album was going to be a good listen. The song goes through a few tempo changes but really maintains a heavy dose of death grind in typical Lock Up style.  They follow up with The Decay Within The Abyss” and that tracks starts right out of the gates with such a clean and fluid rollout on the toms before engaging an arsenal of blast beats.  This song really gets the listener amped up with plenty of blast beats but also riffs that provide a thick layer of groove.  I find I enjoy this album so much because of the added elements with this album.  Nick is an unbelievable drummer, the guy has so much talent and unless you were a fan of his, you might not realize it. I think in all previous albums my biggest gripe was even though nick was the drummer, his name in the credits. I just didn’t hear the Nick Barker I had listened to for years. To be honest the only reason I became a Lock Up fan in the first place was because I saw Shane Embury, and Nicholas Barker were in a band, and I knew it was going to be cool.  There are still tracks like “Locust” that are basically saturated with grinding blasting mayhem that are going to keep the die-hard’s satisfied. I really have enjoyed my time listening to this album. The album has the same raw aggression as previous albums, but it has Kevin Sharp on the microphone, and that adds a few other spices blended into this album. Kevin has a bit of a blend between Tagtgren and Lindberg almost down the middle, he has similarities to both vocalists prior. I dig this album, and I like what Kevin brings to the mix, but being able to hear Nick’s drums with more free range and crisp sound really helps out.  8.5 / 10 \m/

 

If you like what you hear, check them out on FACEBOOK

You can also follow them on TWITTER

Then CLICK HERE to grab your copy of Demonization

 

More Links to click

http://www.shop-listenable.net
http://www.facebook.com/listenablerecs
http://www.listenable.net

 

 

-Badger \m/

 

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

www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

Slugdge- The Cosmic Cornucopia- triple threat review 9.3/ 10 \m/

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I have a very special review of Slugdge – The Cosmic Cornucopia.

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Slugdge is a fantastic 2 man studio Death Metal project from Lancashire, UK. The band consists of Kev Pearson on instrumentation, guitar & bass performance, main composition and Matt Moss on vocals, lyrics and composition. I have been following Slugdge for a few years now, and it makes me so happy to see them finally able to physically release their material. They play an absolutely enthralling take on Blackened Death Metal with prominent elements of OSDM, Sludge, Prog-Death & Doom Metal. They mix these genres so well and fluently, it really makes for an amazing musical journey. When I first heard them it was about a week after they dropped Gastronomicon. My friend showed me them on bandcamp and we each bought both of their first albums for $20 each. (They are on bandcamp for NYP download).

This album is the Bible of The Greatfather Mollusca, harvester of the universe. An epic, 24 track, reverse chronological order compilation of Slugdge’s 3 full length albums, Dim and Slimeridden Kingdoms, Gastronomicon & Born Of Slime. Each album contains 8 dark and progressive Death Metal tracks.

First you have their newest album Dim and Slimeridden Kingdoms. The songs are pretty long, with only 1 song clocking in just under 5 minutes and most of them being between 6 and 8 minutes. They do not drag on though. They progress wonderfully with great songwriting that allows the riffs to flow to one another perfectly. This album is definitely the most diverse Slugdge album. It has the most technical riffs out of any of their other albums, and some of the blackened parts, always present in Slugdge, are more Technical and Progressive in this album. One thing that may come as a downfall to some, is that this album seems to have more clean vocal range and cleaner clean vocals & ‘Priest Chants’ as I like to call them. The gents have clearly progressed at their respective instruments. Definitely noticeable in the advancement of the clean vocals and the grim highs as well as the technicality of the riffing. That’s not to take anything away from their previous works.

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The middle of the album consists of most of my favourite Slugdge songs, in Gastronomicon. It has a really great instrumental intro whoch flows directly into the title track, which is almost 8 minustes long as it is. I like to think of the intro, Dark Side Of The Shroom (LOL) as part of the song Gastronomicon. This song also contains the lyrics which they will choose for their compilation title. This album has a very bleak, but yet spectral feel to it. It is dark, epic, and fantastical, all at the same time.

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The last third, Born Of Slime, this is Slugdge’s first full length album, and it’s pretty much just as great as the other 2. It’s place on this compilation is well deserved even though it does sound more primitive and raw than the other 2. Slugdge, to this day has a very dark vibe to their songs, but this album is especially grim and bleak. One interesting piece of trivia is that this album’s cover art was very obviously inspired by The Destruction of Soddom and Gomorrah, painted by John Martin in 1852.

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Sometimes people tend not to like compilations, and for me, it depends on the case but I generally don’t care. This one is great because it makes all 3 of Slugdge’s fantastic releases, available physically to the fans. The first 2, physically for the first time. Plus, the albums do flow really well. Though I do kind of feel that it should have gone oldest release to newest release, they obviously chose this order for a reason. One thing that I like about Slugdge that is not musical is that their titles are parodies of classic Metal titles that most fans of Slugdge have probably heard before. It is a fun Easter egg and reminds me of Cannabis Corpse and Dethklok.

For fans of Behemoth, Bal-Sagoth, The Chasm, Apocrophex, Emperor, Nile

9.3/10 \m/

OUT NOW

 

LINKS
https://www.facebook.com/Slugdge/
https://slugdge.bandcamp.com/album/the-cosmic-cornucopia-2
http://www.willowtip.com/releases/details/slugdge-the-cosmic-cornucopia-2.aspx

-Brett   /,,/(°o°)/,,/

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

Carnal Decay – You Owe You Pay- 6.8 \m/

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Carnal Decay

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You Owe You Pay

Released February 10, 2017

Carnal Decay is:
Vocals: Michael Kern
Guitar: Isabelle Iten
Bass: Nasar Skripitskij
Drum: Markus Röthlisberger

 

 

 

 

Today we take some time to cover last month’s fourth full length album by Swiss BDM outfit Carnal Decay.  The first thing I will point out is the over the top album artwork. You can’t help but like it, it’s not some sort of spacey multi-dimensional abstract piece of art.  Its cover art that really projects to the viewer what the album will be like. Its blunt, and straight forward just like the music is. its a little over the top, packs a punch and seems like its definitely something worth checking out.

They start the album with “No Sequel” a blast saturated track that is heavy hitting from the first note. You have to really appreciate breakdowns in metal to fully enjoy Carnal Decay, this first track delivers the breakdown and sets the bar. When I listen to this song I just think of all the live performances this band does, and how there must be some poor bastard that got tickets to a show that they were not prepared for.  This song really sets the album up for the few who have not heard Carnal Decay before.  I think this albums track list is very appropriately laid out.  Not sure everyone will agree with me, however I figure it would be hard to argue after listening to this album start to finish. This album has many elements of brutal death metal, and hardcore/ metal.  You Owe You Pay really walks a line of brutal death and hardcore fueled breakdowns. The vocals have a very wide range to them, while the guitars don’t.  And I am not saying that is a bad thing either. All I am saying is, Isabelle seems very confident in her sound and style.  When you listen to the album you don’t hear a mixture of different guitar tones, and experimental sounds. There is a plan, and she sticks to it, playing BDM, with catchy riffs, and a heavy sound. The ability to throw a really catchy section in, songs like “Show Your Fucking Face” around the 1:12 mark it doesn’t come off like something you would hear form a BDM band. But I really dig it.  This band is playing really catchy, heavy, and fun BDM.  Yes I said fun, you look at the album cover, and you listen to the lyrics, read the song names, and get to the breakdowns. Yea it is fun to listen and enjoy the album that they created.  It’s not boring, it’s not dull, “Murder  A La Carte” is another great example of a song that is not only fun, but should come with a warning that the haymakers will be flying and people will be spitting Chiclets if they don’t stay alert.  Song after song I find myself enjoying this album for what it is. It’s a full length album just overflowing heaviness, and breakdowns that will cause some listeners to lose their shit altogether.  The guest vocals on this album are pretty tight too. You have Julien Truchan on Your Guts my glory, and also Melchoir Borg on Show your Fucking Face. This album is a good listen, its heavy, it has guest vocalists, and it has fast rapid fire blasting as well as killer breakdowns. The guitar, and bass are matched sonically to not overpower one or the other, but to provide equal destruction to the listener’s ear holes. It doesn’t seem like they came into this trying to win Grammy, and they didn’t come to make little to no impression either. They came to fuck shit up, plain and simple, and I think that’s exactly what they do here. They didn’t re-invent the wheel. They came to make heavy music, that’s exactly what they did.  They don’t pussy foot around it, they just come right out, and do what they came to do.  While I must admit I did enjoy this album let it be known it won’t win album of the year. There are too many people that look for that album of the year and focus on it. Well what I can say about this album, is if you have heard Carnal Decay before, than you won’t be disappointed, if you haven’t heard them before. Be prepared for a style you have not witnessed before or often. It’s a solid album, no fluff, and because of that I don’t feel this is anything less than 6.8/10 \m/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out their Website by clicking HERE \m/

Follow them on FACEBOOK and stay up to date on all things Carnal Decay

Follow them on TWITTER if that’s your social media platform of choice

If you are looking for some Carnal Decay Merch click HERE to go to their Big Cartel page

 

-Badger \m/

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

 

From The Shores- Of Apathy 8/10 \M/

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From The Shores

Of Apathy

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Released: November 24, 2016

Luke (vocals)
Theo (bass/throat)
Leo (guitar)
Giorgio (guitar)
Nicolò (drums)

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From The Shores deliver some tasty riffs with this E.P. that came out at the end of 2016. somehow it flew under our radar, but alas we have been rocking it hard and are ready to spread the word on this very catchy and awesome E.P.

They start out with an introductory track titled “This aint another feast for Crows”
and it is more than what you would normally expect. They begin with some atmospheric sounds but within seconds go right into a tasty riff and  ravenous blast beats delivered by Nicolo. It may be only forty three seconds long but it really sets up the pace of this E.P. from this track you instantly know what you are diving into.

“Heavens Dark Harbinger” is absolutely a catchy song, from the very first note you hear, it grabs you. Much like that beast on the cover. you get locked in the powerful jaws of this ferocious beast of a song. Those guitars, the drums, they blend perfectly, and I really dig the guitar tone. I am no expert on guitars by any means, but I know what I like and what sounds good and this song delivers. That section at the 1:30 mark is a great example of how catchy this song is, because the riff before the solo gets the job done. However the solo adds that finishing touch to get you really hooked.

“The Constellation Thirst” is yet another song that has zero fluff, no time wasted getting the ball rolling. They hit you with the vocals, blast beats, and an infectious guitar line to get you ready for the first verse. I can guarantee when you listen to this E.P.  you will not be disappointed. Right after the first verse, they have a short transition before the next verse. That little eight second long section is great. It’s not too long, not too short, its enough to sink its hooks in you and get you to listen to this E.P. start to finish.

“To Rest In Arms of Perfection” seems to have a deeper tone, but they have not fallen down on the job here, this song is catchy as hell. Just like the previous tracks. This song has a great sound, the song has a slightly not much but slightly slower tempo to it, and the deeper tone adds a bit of a change up but not a bad one. Its a more sinister sounding song, but the way the song ends is just badass. Those last thirty plus seconds of the song are killer. I don’t know who is doing lead guitar or rhythm but both are on point and sound great.

“Incest of the Wretched” is the song I will not talk about in this review but its because if I come across something I haven’t seen get the attention it deserves I want to let all you metal heads out there give it a listen and see how you like it. I don’t want you to take my word for it, I want the music to do the talking. I set you up to know that this E.P. kick a lot of ass, but you should ultimately be your own judge. So do yourself a favor hit the play button below, then click the bandcamp link and get this in your digital music collection. I have had the opportunity to listen to all the limited press songs and I can tell you From The Shores will be a band I keep my eye on. This was the first time I have ever even heard of this band, but they impressed me. Its always been my opinion that from every corner of the world there is great music, killer metal. and bands that are all about the same thing, making heavy and hard hitting music that is enjoyable to listen to. These guys are from Venezia, Italy and if I find myself ever in that area you bet I will be trying to catch a live show from these guys.  8/10 \m/

Check out their FACEBOOK page by clicking here.

Or if Twitter is your social media preference check them out their TWITTER PAGE

Check out their BANDCAMP page and grab your copy of this killer E.P.

Check out their Youtube channel by clicking HERE

plus you can click on any one of these links to check these guys out.

http://www.fromtheshores.bigcartel.com/
http://instagram.com/fromtheshores
http://www.lastfm.it/music/From+the+shores
http://www.myspace.com/fromtheshores
http://www.purevolume.com/fromtheshores

 

-Badger \m/

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

Condemned- His Divine Shadow 7/10 \m/

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Condemened

His Divine Shadow

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Release Date March 10th, 2017

Sam Townsley – Vocal
Steve Crow – Guitar
Ryan Reidy – Bass Guitar
Tyson Jupin – Drums

 

Today we take a listen to the latest Condemned
Album set to be released on March 10th, 2017The artwork really catches the eye, and I feel as though that is something that many of us metal heads do appreciate about the genre. The cover of His divine shadow really pops out and males you want to hear what the album will sound like.

Starting with the first track it seems as though it is simply the introductory track. With some ominous and Industrial sounds that fade in until a pattern begins formulate and lead right into the following track titled ‘Dawn”. Which is the first you hear Condemned’s brutal assault of death metal in a few years. The drums are tight, no power lost with the blast beats, but I find the balance between drums and guitars is a little more in the guitars favor. However, the drums actual sound is crisp, every cymbal strike is clear, the snare has a nice tone, and matches the guitar tones very well. There is no denying that the chemistry between all instruments is on point. considering I typically go for songs that are more uptempo, i really have gravitated towards “ascending the Spectral Thro” as one of my favorite tracks. there is something about the way it starts out. Listen to the first thirty seconds and it just grabs you, its a low and slow beginning that eventually evolves into something with some quick blast beats. but the groove is what hooks the listener, and the guitar riff around the 1:27 mark. its infectious and is actually when I really began to enjoy this album more and more. but i do have to point out the way Sam’s vocals sound at the 2:38 mark reminds me of some Chris Barnes SFU guttural vocals.(that should earn this album some bonus points in my book)  The entire album is filled with gut punching groove and a heavy dose of brutal breakdowns. The overall sound to this album will appeal to fans of bands like suffocation. Ten tracks long, this album contains nine tracks of complete unwavering brutal death goodness. I have found that the more I listen to this album the harder it have deciding which tracks I like the most. But one things for sure, when you listen to tracks like; “Ascending The Spectral Thro”, “His Divine Shadow”, and “World Reading Terror” you will understand how easy it is to get hooked. This album has plenty to offer, and has a ton of groove to get caught up in. I am digging this album, make sure you check this out.  7/10 \m/

 

Tracklist

  1. Penumbrae
  2. Dawn
  3. Omniscient Perturbations
  4. Legion
  5. Ascending The Spectral Thro
  6. Nefarious Sanguine Decree
  7. His Divine Shadow
  8. Pestilential Reign
  9. The Hive Ablaze
  10. World-Reaving Terror

Recorded at Trench Studios

Mixed at Mana Recording and mastered at West West Side Music

Check out the video for Legion

Check out the Condemned FACEBOOK page and show them some social media support \m/

Give them some of your hard earned money by grabbing your copy from their BANDCAMP page

They still have some merch bundles over at http://www.indiemerch.com/uniqueleader/band/condemned

And don’t forget to follow Unique leader on Facebook.

-Badger \m/

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

Buckshot Facelift announce new album “Ulcer Island” due out Mid- April. \m/

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New York powerviolence death grindcore veterans Buckshot Facelift (who just back in October put out a a little 3 track E.P. including a Ramones cover.) Today they announce their upcoming fourth full-length, Ulcer Island, at  41-minutes long this album is sure to pack a punch . Ulcer Island will be released through Paragon Records on April 14th.

Vocalist Will (Artifical Brain, Afterbirth) comments on the album: “Ulcer Island is a concept album in which the narrative gradually moves from the oblique street level view into a dreamlike introspection, Ulcer Island‘s blend of grindcore, powerviolence, and death metal is arranged in a way that mirrors this transition as the album progresses.”

Ulcer Island Track Listing:
1. Ulcer Island
2. Czech Yourself
3. Afterbirth Puzzle 2016
4. Ascend to Descend
5. Burn the Baby Raper
6. OxyDocs
7. Sundress Skeletor
8. Comptroller Cult
9. What Does Fergus Dream Of?
10. Hell Eats Repetition (Goodbye)
11. Don’t Hang from the Pipes
12. Weathered Mask of Autumn (Unearthing the Armless)
13. Delusions of a New Age
14. Dustification (End Times Version)
15. A Trophy Cup Intoxicant

 

For those who love the band and those who haven’t heard them before  below is some listening material to get you ready for Ulcer Island.

 

 

Click here to go to Buckshot Facelift’s Facebook page \m/
Click Here to go to their Bandcamp Page \m/
Click here to go to the Paragon Records Facebook Page \m/

 

 

-Badger \m/

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

Beheaded- Beast Incarnate- Album review 8/10 \m/

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Beheaded

Beast Incarnate

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Released January 27, 2017

David ‘Cejca’ Cachia – bass
Omar Grech – guitars
Simone Brigo – guitars
Davide Billia – drums
Frank Calleja – vocals

Track List

  1. Beast Incarnate
  2. The Horror Breathes
  3. Crossing The House Of Knives
  4. Reign Of The Headless King
  5. The Black Death
  6. Cursed Mediterranean
  7. Fid-dlam Tadejjem
  8. Punishment Of The Grave

The guys in Beheaded waste no time with their title track opening for this album, that quick set up and then the drums rolling into a truly menacing riff. That riff is 100% responsible for my uplifted attitude and mean mugging while air drumming right now.  These guys have no subtlety to their brutal intentions from what I have heard in only two minutes of the first track. I can’t even begin to describe how much I am enjoying the title track. What a way to kick off an album. I must admit I have looped the title track several times now because they hit you with such explosive force and god damn those guitars and drums. The drums are a driving force and the guitars back it up with brutal and unwavering showmanship.  The album continues on the same destructive path, track after track.  I have yet to hear any particular track on this album that made me feel differently from how I felt listening to Beast Incarnate for the first time.  By the time you get to “The Black Death” the listener has already succumbed to the relentless pummeling they have endured for the first half of the album, but The Black Death has a slower approach, but the beginning with the sounds from an old ship just creaking as it sails through the open water with the wind as the only other background noise, growing louder and louder with the occasional waves crashing against the side of the ship. The drums and guitars fade in, slowly over the course of a few bars to build up to this eight minute long track. I really enjoy this track as it breaks the album up enough to show that they aren’t going to be sticking to a specific formula of driving guitars and blast beats.  They have more to this album than what’s on just the surface, the second half begins at almost half the tempo of the first four tracks. But it’s how they end the album with “Punishment Of The Grave” that brings back an old school melodic death metal feel and that guitar solo halfway through the track seals the deal.  I am very impressed by this album, and have enjoyed my time spinning this these past few weeks. The vocals stick to their style that works for them, I find nothing bland about them either. They just seem to follow the rule “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” approach. The guitars have a great tone, but the talent and craftsmanship is modestly distributed. They are not showboating their skills, and they have great skills they bring to the table.  The drums are on point, never over the top and keep the listener engaged. and it is worth mentioning that Dave also plays the drums for Hour Of Penance. So the drums kick ass as you would have expected them to.  8/10\m/

Find them on FACEBOOK and give them a “LIKE” to stay up to date on all Beheaded news by clicking HERE

You can grab your copy of this kick ass album over at the Unique Leaders BANDCAMP page by clicking HERE

-Badger \m/

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http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

Samskaras- Asunder E.P. review 7.5/10 \m/

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Samskaras

Asunder

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Released January 20, 2017

Samskaras is:
Eric Burnet – Vocals, guitars, bass.
Alexandre Dupras – Drums.

 

 

Track list

  • Fuelscape
  • Solar
  • Separate
  • Conqueror

 

Samskaras kick this E.P. off with a track like “Fuelscape” and at first, it sounds like a typical modern death metal act.  Its dark and heavy, I can’t put my finger on it but the vocals have a few different styles to them.  And I am not 100% sure that Eric is handling all vocals duties.  But the vocals from “Fuelscape” don’t sound exactly like them on the track “Separate”. They really grab your attention around the 1:20 mark of “Fuelscape” when you hear the line “see how easy it is, to destroy a planet.” The song takes on a ferocious and dark turn, the blast beats consume you and that riff hooks you. The accents on the bell of the ride during the blast beats adds some spice to it. But then they come out and have clean vocals layered and they sound like something you would get from BTBAM.  Not clean vocals in the sense that they are trying to get on the bandwagon of clean vocals.  But they aren’t growling, and they aren’t bad either. I like them.  I really dig “Fuelscape” so I was eager to hear more off this E.P. Solar begins like a song you would get from Animals as leaders, more melodic  for at least the first thirty seconds and then they get ready to crush you again in short time.  If you have never heard of Alexandre Dupras before, or heard him play. Well than this E.P. should be enough to get you familiarized with him.  The drums are on point for the entire E.P. they just mesh with the guitar tones well.  These two guys have a lot of talent. But having them together on this project, they are a force to be reckoned with. I have to admit the vocals on “Separate” had me thinking a few times that the vocals sound just like D. Randall Blythe from Lamb Of God, while the rest of the music going on is so much darker and heavier. Check it out on “Separate” when you get to the 1:10 mark there are similarities. But it’s the 1:43 mark that I really get this vibe.  They have a really great balance of melodic to technical guitar work. Alexander’s drums are superb they sound awesome and he has gotten my attention for his talents. I know this is a 4 track E.P. but it comes with a “Name Your Price” option. The production is great, the music is awesome, and some of those riffs just get you instantly hooked and ready to throw some fists. it is worth mentioning that this E.P. was mixed and mastered by Chris Donaldson from The Grid so you know it sounds great.There is virtually no fluff as far as I am concerned, the clean vocals have a purpose and it’s not to show off their soothing voices.  So don’t get hung up on the clean vocals until you hear them for yourself.  I’ve been listening to this E.P. a lot personally and I dig it 7.5/10 \m/

 

 

 

If you like what you hear, then go on. It’s a name your own price. Throw the guys some money and get some kick ass metal. Click HERE to go to their BANDCAMP page and get your copy

 

 

Want to stay up to date with Samskaras news, well then go give them a “Like” on FACEBOOK

 

-Badger \m/

 

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

http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maze Of Sothoth- “Soul Demise” album review \m/

on By

Maze Of Sothoth

Soul Demise

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Released 01/09/2017

Fabio Marasco: Guitars/Synth
Matteo Moioli: Drums
Cristiano Marchesi: Bass/Vocals
Riccardo Rubini: Guitars

 

Tracklist

01 – Cthulhu’s Calling

02 – Lies

03 – Seed Of Hatred

04 – Multiple Eyes

05 – The Outsider

06 – The Dark Passenger

07 – At The Mountain Of Madness

08 – Blind

09 – Azzaihg’ Nimehc

10 – Divine Sacrifice

The album begins with the track titled Cthulhu’s Calling which is an ominous introductory track really playing towards the dark and intriguing nature of this band. Now I have never heard these guys before, but I gotta admit, the moment those guitars kick in for the second track titled “Lies” I was hooked. Those guitars sound mean.  It reminds me of old Morbid Angel, it’s got me mean mugging while I’m head banging here. They have a solid minute and a half of spine splitting guitar riffs before the vocals join in. The ferocity of the sound is impressive, they walk the line of technical death metal. Is it too early to say that Lies is my favorite track? Holy shit that song blew me away. But they follow that up with an absolutely crushing track like Seed of Hatred. Now I usually will focus a lot on the drums, however I really want to point out the guitar tones. Riccardo and Fabio’s guitars just sound nasty, when thinking about a death metal sound. These guitars deliver the death blow by blow and throw in those classic old school pinch squeals. I dig the guitar solo on “Multiple Eyes” that song really leaves you wanting more. One thing that I really enjoy about the music on this album, is that for every track there is a solid set up between the guitars and the drums. They have really grabbed your attention within the first minute of every song and managed to get the listener hooked rather easily. The sound quality is great, and I dig that artwork. Looking for some new school death metal with a bit of old school influence and technical riffs and blistering drums. Then you will want to check out Soul Demise by Maze of Sothoth. 7/10 \m/

 

If you like what you hear, then grab your copy of this killer album from their BANDCAMP PAGE

 

Also go on and give them a “LIKE” on their FACEBOOK page

 

-Badger \m/

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

www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com