Cannibal Corpse - "Torture" CD Review (Metal Blade)

Long-running band Cannibal Corpse is back with their twelfth disc, Torture (released March 13th on Metal Blade). This new twelve track disc combines the raw thrash of the band’s early works with the technical precision of the band’s later works and complements this with clear production from (Hate Eternal/x-Morbid Angel) Erik Rutan. This new disc is the band’s third with Rutan and it follows in a similar musical vein as Kill (2006) and Evisceration Plague (2009).

Torture is everything that you would expect from a Cannibal Corpse disc – brutal riffs and technical solos, throat-shredding guttural vocals and pounding blast beats. To mix things up, the band slows down on a couple of numbers (“Scourge of Iron” and “Sarcophagic Frenzy”) for some down-tuned, slow burning dirge. Rutan’s clean production gives the band’s music an ‘accessibility’ that really wasn’t heard on previous discs as each song has room to breathe and stand on its own. The production also highlights the band’s maturing songwriting and brings out the razor-tight interplay between the members. In an interview with ThisIsNotAScene, guitarist Rob Barrett said “we have got to a point where the chemistry has developed to its best point, now we’re all writing songs to a point where we’re keeping each individual in mind, as opposed to before where perhaps we were writing whatever we wanted to play and weren’t really keeping into consideration what anyone else was going to play”.

Some of the standout tracks are the Barrett-penned “Sarcophagic Frenzy”, “The Strangulation Chair”, which has a killer bass solo from Alex Webster and “Intestinal Crank”, with its chugging bass and tightly integrated start/stop riffs.



With track names like “As Deep as the Knife Will Go” and “Followed Home Then Killed”, one can see that Cannibal Corpse’s lyrics continue in the same horror/gore vein as past releases (…as if anyone would have expected differently). Going back to the This IsNotAScene interview, Rob Barrett said “When we were thinking about potential album titles and ended up agreeing on the ‘Torture’ title that pretty much gave us a focus of what we were going to write all the lyrics about, each song deals with some sort of form of different torture.” Adding to the overall experience is a return to the horror/gore art of the band’s early days with carefully packaged gruesome album cover by artist Vince Locke.

Cannibal Corpse Tour Dates
Apr 05 - Jacksonville Beach, FL, Freebird Live
Apr 08 - Huntington, WV, V Club
Apr 13 - Rochester, NY, Club @ Water Street
Apr 14 - Cincinnati, OH, Bogart's
Apr 15 - Phoenix, AZ, Rhythm Room
Apr 16 - Des Moines, IA, People's Court
Apr 21 - Grand Junction, CO, Mesa Theater
Apr 25 - Houston, TX, Jake's
Apr 27 - Columbia, MO, The Blue Note
Apr 28 - Oklahoma City, OK, Diamond Ballroom
Apr 30 - Nashville, TN, Exit/In
May 01 - Birmingham, AL, Zydeco (Upstairs)
May 02 - Pensacola, FL, Vinyl Music Hall
May 03 - Gainesville, FL, Double Down Live

Links:
Cannibal Corpse

Cerebral Bore - "Maniacal Miscreation" Interview with Guitarist Paul McGuire (Earache)

Scottish death metal band Cerebral Bore kicked off their third US tour last week with a show at Tobacco Road (aka Port 41). The band just signed to Earache Records and their Earache debut, Maniacal Miscreation, came out last week in the US.

I had the opportunity to catch up with guitarist/tour manager Paul McGuire prior to the show and we talked about the band's signing to Earache, the new disc and the upcoming tour.



Here are Cerebral Bore's upcoming US tour dates:

June 7th - Amarillo, Texas, USA
June 9th - Tucson, Arizona, USA
June 10th - Las vegas,Nevada, USA (Las vegas Death Fest)
June 12th - Los Angeles, California, USA
June 16th - Cancun, Mexico
June 17th - Merida, Mexico
June 18th - Co Del Carmen, Mexico
June 19th - Campeche, Mexico

Links:
Cerebral Bore

Gravehill: Maryland Deathfest 2011 Photos and Live Video

You have to love Gravehill's bio: "Formed in a fucked up alley next to the dumpsters and meth labs in Southern California in 2000, Gravehill was spawned to bring back the true way of death fucking metal. The “Practitioners Of Fell Sorcery” was then unleashed upon the world. Only a few copies were made. These demons were inactive for a few years due to drug abuse, homelessness, incarcerations (stints in the Pen), or hiding from law enforcement and government agencies."

Gravehill was the first band on the outdoor stage on Sunday and they braved both the heat of the mid-day sun and the in-town lacrosse tournament to take the stage blood-spattered and in full leathers (at least singer Mike Abominato was in leather).

From Gravehill - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD 5-29-11

From Gravehill - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD 5-29-11

From Gravehill - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD 5-29-11

From Gravehill - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD 5-29-11

From Gravehill - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD 5-29-11

From Gravehill - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD 5-29-11

Links:
Gravehill

Scound - "At The Point of Death" CD EP Review (Crystal Productions)

Scound is a self-described metalcore band from the Czech Republic who released their second CD, "At The Point of Death", on Crystal Productions last year. Scound has been around since 2003 and this new six-track EP follows the band's 2006 full-length No Second Chances.

It took a few listens before I got into this disc and I think the reason was that I was expecting to hear the big choruses and clean vocals of a typical metalcore disc. Scound's music uses some of the melodic double guitar sound of the metalcore genre but the overall sound seems more in line with the death metal genre. Vocalist MicL sings in a standard death-metal growl while the guitar sounds burst in staccato, chugging riffs over the double bass drum. Regardless of whether the death metal or metalcore label sticks, the challenge with "At The Point of Death" is that most of the songs don't go far enough down either path to be memorable. I'm not sure what the purpose is of the disc's final track "Outro" as it doesn't fit (at all) with the other songs but the melodic, acoustic guitar and strings-driven piece is one of the more memorable songs on the disc.

I don't mean to slag the band as they are obviously talented (the melodic guitar leads are killer) but hopefully next time out, they push the envelope a bit as the band's early live videos show that they can work up a good head of death-metal steam. Check out the video trailer for the band's latest disc along with an early live video and see what you think.





Links:
Scound

Disfigured Corpse - "Human Corrosion" CD Review (Crystal Productions)

Czech Republic death/thrash metal band Disfigured Corpse released their sixth disc Human Corrosion (Crystal Productions) earlier this year.

As this is the first time that I've heard Disfigured Corpse, based on the band's name alone, I was expecting them to have gore-core lyrics, similar to bands like Cannibal Corpse. After listening to this disc, I found my assumptions to be completely off-base. The band's outlook is significantly closer to a grindcore point of view - “We are DISFIGURED CORPSE, but in our lyrics you can´t find flying brains and ripping corpses. We are disfigured by the system we live in. Social topics, politics, establishment, religions, everyday life, this is our words we sing about and also have some fun with the posers and trendy styles still going around”. (From the band's MySpace page)

Musically, Disfigured Corpse play with the speed of a punk/thrash band so there is no superfluous guitar shredding or blast beats. Surprisingly clean (for the genre) production brings out the power of the band's attack and they sound somewhat like Cannibal Corpse crossed with D.R.I. Most of the songs utilize the (now standard) down-tuned guitars but singer Vladis breaks away from the gargled "Cookie Monster" vocal style that too many bands employ and sings with a hoarse, but understandable growl so the lyrics are mostly discernible. Breaking up the death metal tunes are straight-forward thrash songs like "Social Sterility" and "Terrible Certainty" which leverage (reasonably) clean vocals and guitars.

The disc goes by fairly quickly as the band blasts through seventeen songs in about 35 minutes. While Human Corrosion covers musical ground that will be immediately recognizable to fans of the genre, they do so with a freshness and old-school vigor that allows them to stand out from the pack. After nineteen years as a band, Human Corrosion shows Disfigured Corpse still standing strong.



Links:
Disfigured Corpse

Order of Ennead - Interview with Guitarist John Li (Earache Records)

Florida black metal band Order of Ennead released their sophomore disc, An Examination of Being, today on Earache Records. This new nine-track disc has been getting great reviews and one of the noted highlights is guitarist John Li's melodic shredding.

Last month, I had the chance to catch with John when he and Kevin (Quirion) were visiting Earache Records. We talked about the new disc, John's former guitar teacher (Ralph Santolla), John's side project Mandragora, tour plans and more.



Order of Ennead are playing a few one-off dates this summer and are planning a full US tour late in the year.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

June 12, 2010 -- TBA, Gainesville, Florida
June 13, 2010 -- The Brass Mug,Tampa, Florida
August 28, 2010 -- Hostile City Fest @ Polaris, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Links:
Order of Ennead

Starring Janet Leigh: Live Footage & Interview from "Metal As Art" Tour, NYC 3-4-10

Metal Blade/Ironclad Recordings band Starring Janet Leigh was in town last week for a show at Fontana's, which was also the final night of the "Metal as Art" tour. The death/math-metal band has been touring behind their debut CD, Spectrum, which was released in 2009.

I had the chance to catch up with Matt Z. ( Guitar), Matt N. (Vocals) and Justin (Bass) before the show to talk a bit about Spectrum, the current tour and what's next for the band.



Starring Janet Leigh's set was great; the band plays death metal that is punctuated with some serious jazz breaks that is comparable to Mr. Bungle or a harder, more out-of-control version of Candiria. The music shifts from brutal chugging riffs to intricately played jazz notes and polyrhythmic drumming in the blink of an eye but all of it sounds very purposeful and focused.

Links:
Starring Janet Leigh

Aeternam - Disciples of the Unseen CD Review (Metal Blade)

Disciples of the Unseen is the debut release by Canadian epic death metal band Aeternam. The band signed with Metal Blade last year and this new release is coming out next Tuesday, Feb. 16th.

Aeternam's new release stands out from a number of the bands in the death metal genre as they effortlessly combine brutal riffs and growling vocals with Middle Eastern and tribal rhythms and sweeping guitar solos. Nile is a close point of comparison but Aeternam's music is more diverse and more melodic.

The disc starts with an almost Gregorian instrumental ("Ars Almadel") which then leads into the pounding blast beats of "Angel Horned" (live video below). On songs like "Goddess of Masr", the band combines the aggressive with the sublime. This song starts with some epic guitar solos before heading into a breakdown and then coming out of this mid-way through the song for some melodic and restrained guitar work, finally ending the song with some church-like chanting. Other songs include the acoustic "Interu" which features clean vocal harmonies from the band combined with intricate Middle Eastern bass and drum rhythms. Vocalist Achraf Loudiy also uses clean vocals on "The Coronation of Seth" and this track could easily find its way into heavy rotation on metal radio stations. While Aeternam is based in Quebec, the overall tone of this disc is closer to some of the metal that has been coming out of Europe as of late rather than some of Aeternam's North American contemporaries.

Disciples of the Unseen was produced by mastermind JeF Fortin (Neuraxis, The Last Felony) and he brings out the subtle complexities of the music which makes for great headphone listening. It sounds like every note on this disc was chosen with care and the band never stoops to raw brutality just for the sake of it. This a great debut and the diversity of the disc should attract fans from across a variety of metal sub-genres.

Aeternam is planning on spending most of the next year out on the road so I'm looking forward to catching the band live whenever they get to NYC.



Links:
Aeternam

Lightning Swords of Death Play Lit Lounge in August / Added to the Soundtrack for the PlayStation Game "Undead Knights"

California black metalers Lightning Swords of Death are playing Precious Metal night at Lit Lounge on August 17th. Sharing the bill is Bastard Sapling (Richmond, VA black metal) and Agrath (NYC black metal).

Cover is $6.00

In other news, Lightning Swords of Death were recently invited to take part in the soundtrack to Undead Knights, a new PlayStation game from video game publisher TECMO. This sounds like the perfect game for a black metal soundtrack as this is one of the first games that I've ever heard of where you get to play the anti-hero.

“Undead Knights follows a being from hell as he destroys his enemies and turns them into undead soldier-slaves for his army,” reiterated LSOD vocalist Autarch excitedly. “Once the premise of the game was presented to us, it was clear that this rare opportunity provided yet another form of media that could be used to spread our message, without sacrificing the principles and ideology of the band. We also take delight in the idea of children all over the world receiving the glory of our hymns while enslaving the dead.”

Undead Knights will be released this Fall.

Lightning Swords of Death are playing a few shows cross-country on this current tour:
8/09/2009 Java Lounge - Sacramento, CA
8/11/2009 Club Expose - Salt Lake City, UT
8/14/2009 Kansas City Power Metal Festival with Manilla Road @ The Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
8/17/2009 Lit Lounge/Precious Metal Night - New York
8/21/2009 Viaduct Theatre - Chicago, IL

Links:
Lightning Swords of Death's MySpace Profile

With Passion Heading Back to CA and are Looking for a Show Along I-80

Following up on my previous post about With Passion's show at Club Europa in Brooklyn being canceled, it looks like the band's East Coast tour completely fell apart. The band posted the following to their web page:

So, the booking agent who booked this tour only came through with 2 dates on the way home from the east coast to California, but they are 6 days away (in Kansas City and Denver). So instead of sitting in a parking lot somewhere for 6 days we are just going to end up going home after our show tonight in Michigan. We would have started booking stuff on our own over a month ago but the booking agent assured us he would have shows for us, but he didn't pull through. We are sorry to anyone who planning on attending the shows in Denver and Kansas City but we can't afford to sit around in our van for 6 days. If anyone has a house show that is along Interstate 80 in the next 2 days or any kind of last minute show we can play email us please at withpassionmetal@yahoo.com

With Passion Show Canceled Tonight at Club Europa

With Passion's show at Club Europa is canceled tonight. The band posted the following message to their MySpace page:

We had two shows cancelled on us due to all the other bands dropping off this tour. We are on the east coast right now so if you can help us with a show last minute hit us up, we will play your backyard, basement, living room - anywhere there is room. The 24th we play at El N Gee in CT, and the 27th we play at Yesterdays in Wheeling WV, so if you can book us in between those dates in that vicinity even if its a house party show please hit us up. All we want is an oppourtunity to sell some merch because having days off sitting in Wal Mart parking lots all day is no fun when we could be playing shows. Thanks a lot.

If anyone can help the band out, please contact them through their MySpace page.

With Passion - What We See When We Shut our Eyes CD Review

Imagine a death metal band whose music is anchored by a guitarist that sounds like a Yngwe Malmsteen disciple. With Passion's music goes beyond the boundaries of technical death metal as the soaring guitar leads (which carry across all tracks) are closer to jazz-oriented power chords than the blistering speed metal of many tech-metal contemporaries. Across this disc, the music takes many twists, ranging from typical death metal stomp to soft melodic interludes -- often within the same song. The musical prowess of the band and diversity of sounds keeps this disc interesting through repeated listenings.

The band just finished filming their first video for the song "Pale Horse Rider" and have posted some stills from from the video shoot (link). The video is described as "dark and evocative, the shoot...capture(s) the band’s live performance coupled with a horror themed storyline that is sure to accentuate the eerie sentiment of the song." A release date for the video hasn't been announced but it looks like this will be something to watch for.

The band has just started a US tour and will be playing Club Europa in Brooklyn on April 23rd. I haven't (yet) seen the band play live but I have been watching some of the band's live clips on YouTube (below) and am looking forward to the show.

What We See When We Shut Our Eyes will be released on Earache on May 8, 2007.



Links:
Main Website (link)
MySpace Page (link)

Anata - The Conductor's Departure CD Review

This CD made a number of "Best of 2006" lists and, while I never made a "Best of" list, I have to agree. This is one of those rare CDs where the vocals serve as an instrument and all the instruments serve a clear purpose. Clear production highlights the talent of the band and none of the instruments are mixed on top of others. Every note seems to have been chosen with precision and Fredrik Shalin's vocals go beyond the cookie-monster growl that is used too often in this genre. The technical precision of the band isn't to say this is "math metal" -- the tempos are a bit slower than some of Anata's contemporaries and there is no "speed for the sake of speed". The slower tempos add to the pounding brutality of the songs and yet every song is still melodic. My favorite tracks are Downward Spiral into Madness and The Great Juggler. I also enjoyed the disc's instrumental track Children's Laughter. There is a poll on Anata's website where visitors get to select their favorite songs and current fan favorites are Downward Spiral and Better Grieved than Fooled.

The lyrics are fascinating and complex. I was impressed with the response that Fredrik gave when asked about the lyrics to The Great Juggler (from Anata's web forum):

I'm glad to hear that there is at least one person who read my lyrics, thanks! The great juggler is like most of my lyrics about myself. Firstly, I am the great juggler. It's about how I was (dis)regarded by other people in my younger years, aspiring to achieve something musically. "Joined the circus at seventeen" stands for forming Anata. Later on it deals with getting so consumed by my music that I almost alienated from the rest of what is life. You prefer staying inside and doing your thing, while neglecting a lot of other things. And the thing is, that no matter how good you get at doing your thing, in this case playing alternative music, the circus tent will always be very small. You will forever be regarded an outsider and a freak. For most of the time I love it, but sometimes it hurts quite a bit.

Btw I initially wrote this as a short story "(taken from) A letter from The Great Juggler". It's about a person that travels with a circus, now writing a letter to his old friend. Later I wrote some music to fit parts of the story, and that is what you hear in The great juggler.

Feel free to ask about other lyrics! I'll try to check in once in a while.

Fredrik
ANATA

The band also posted to their web forum that they are recording a new CD this summer. Let's hope for a US tour to follow.

At The Gates - Slaughter of the Soul CD/DVD Review

Earache has done a really nice job with some of its recent reissues. The inclusion of six bonus tracks along with a bonus DVD with the recent reissue of Slaughter of the Soul should make fans seriously consider picking up a second copy of this release. (As this release is routinely included in "Best Metal Album/CD" polls year after year, I am assuming most people reading this already have a copy).

For those who aren't familiar with At The Gates, Slaughter of the Soul was originally released 11 years ago and the band broke up in 1996 (after two US tours in support of this CD). This CD is a rarity as it is one of those few CDs that define a musical genre and serve as a blueprint for bands that follow. Slaughter of the Soul set the standard for melodic death metal and its influence can be heard in a number of current bands today (most notably Shadows Fall).

There isn't a bad track on this CD and the music has aged well over the years. The first track, Blinded By Fear, was a MTV Headbanger's Ball staple (and the video is included on the bonus DVD) and starts the disc off with pounding intensity. The band never loses its heaviness as the songs range from brutal onslaughts to beautiful instrumentals. The final track The Flames of the End is an instrumental that would fit well as the soundtrack to a horror film. (This track was originally written by Anders for one of his low-budget horror movies). The bonus tracks are also a real treat. They include the two track demo from 1995 (Onto Others and Suicide Nation) which got the band its contract with Earache along with covers by No Security, Slayer and Slaughterlord.

I have never been a fan of "The Making of the Record" documentaries as I immediately associate them with poorly made VH1 Behind the Music specials. This DVD was surprisingly good. It features Tomas Lindberd, producer Fredrik Nordstrom and a very quiet Martin Larsson (who gets very animated when talking about just how bad Anders' homemade horror films were). The documentary adds a lot of insight on how the record was made (on a shoe-string budget) and why the band broke up after its recording. The new liner notes in the CD booklet also add to the understanding of where Tomas and the band were at this point in their lives and career.

Rating: 10/10

I have seen a lot of questions on the 'net about new At the Gates material and the persistent reunion rumors:

• Anders has put up at At the Gates website and MySpace page which has some interesting info about the band and its past history. While neither of these sites discuss reunion rumors or what the band members are currently doing, there are some pretty cool YouTube clips from the band's final tour posted on the MySpace page.
• Peter (vocalist from the Haunted) and others have hinted about an At the Gates reunion (see text from an interview he gave last year). These rumors have been denied by other band members.
• Adrian posted a three track demo from Terror, a side project he worked on with Anders and Jonas prior to the recording of Slaughter of the Soul