Album review: Dearthe – Dispirited Obscurity (2020)

Dearthe – Dispirited Obscurity

Australia

Third Eye Temple

Dearthe from New South Wales, Australia, released their debut album last year entitled, "Dispirited Obscurity" which is a bleak and harrowing assault of abyssic black/death.

It seems that "Dispirited Obscurity" went somewhat under the radar, as the music on said album is nothing short of excellent, including the fact that the band features members from well-known bands like Temple Nightside, Ill-omen and Vesicant. There's even a killer cover of Demoncy's "Hypocrisy of the Accursed Heavens" which should tell you a lot about where the band stands in terms of sound and influences.

The music conjures a sinister atmosphere that is both profound and hypnotic, as it overtakes the listener with a series of apocalyptic riffs and eerie howls that sound like they emanate from some torture chamber in hell.

The bass is quite notable in the mix and pairs well with the riffs and drums. There are some melodic segments scattered throughout, although they are essentially morbid sounding.

If opaque and murky black/death is your thing, then "Dispirited Obscurity" should be right up your alley, as it is the perfect embodiment of this style. (HT)

Interview: Cambion (2021)

Cambion from El Paso, Texas, have released one of the most crushing black/death metal albums of the year with "Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium", which has been a regular on my playlist since its release. Fans of bands like Diocletian, Angelcorpse and Lvcifyre take note. The following interview with the horde was conducted in support of their deadly music.

Greetings! Firstly, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. Secondly, congratulations on the release of your crushing debut album.

Thanks so much for the support, it helps push our endeavor forward.

To my ears, "Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium" is one of the best black/death metal albums of the year. Few albums have come close to matching its aggression and sheer ferocity. In addition, the production really does the music justice. What was the overall writing and recording process like? Are you satisfied with the overall result?

Thanks again for the positive words. Thorben and I are separated by many thousands of miles, but our songwriting rapport is uncanny. With a love of frantic Death, the music is constantly flowing. We rarely disagree on how a song should progress. As for the final result, the band is very, very pleased. Christian Erkens took our tracks and mixed them to an ultimate crushing level. The sound is just raw enough to rape your ears, but everything is balanced and heavy.

Cambion’s music is technically proficient and pushes the boundaries in terms of sonic access. Do you rehearse a lot to achieve such a sound?

Yes, definitely. I mean there are way more technical awesome bands out there, but we try to push our own boundaries and that comes with keeping our chops up as best we can.

Would you ever sign to a "bigger" label or are you content with your place in the spectrum of the underground?

Lavadome has been very forward and fair to us. Jan is a complete underground maniac, not just a 'collector of bands' - he puts out stuff that he really digs. Cambion are among some imposing labelmates there. As for a larger label, they would need to understand our non-live situation before anything could move forward. Never say never.

What are some of your biggest musical inspirations?

Rich: speaking personally, I'm driven to create music for Cambion by classic Slayer, Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal, Krisiun (first 3), and Gene Palubicki's stable of bands (Angelcorpse and Apocalypse Command in particular). Others include Centurian, Fallen christ, and newer stuff like Lvcifyre and Omegavortex.

Thorben: Classic Slayer for me as well. Mixed with some Swedish old school death metal and some more technical stuff such as Origin, Nile, Defeated Sanity, Insidious Decrepancy, Gorgasm and modern bands like Cytotoxin.

What themes do you explore with your latest work and what is the significance of the title?

I'm a simple man, I enjoy the classic tropes in Metal music like the Devil and occult-related themes, Robert E Howard/Clark Ashton Smith, the Annunaki, as well as some historical stuff. The title track talks about how Catholic pigs shelter child molesters, and the 'what-if" heaven itself sheltered these degenerates after death. The Lord of Hell leads his hordes to burn the whole shit-house down, "cauterizing the firmament".

What can you tell us about your drummer? The man is an absolute beast behind the kit.

I had the pleasure of seeing Chason Westmoreland play drums with Hate Eternal live. The man was splintering roof-beams with his merciless power and speed. He beats the shit out of his kit, unlike a lot of the current tapping nancy-boys. Fortunately, Jan at Lavadome reached out to him and Chas agreed to play on our record. We have our fingers crossed that he can play on our second album, let's see what the fates allow.

How would you personally describe your music to someone who has never heard it?

If you like excessive blastbeats and relentless face-melting solos, you'll dig Cambion.

10 albums you can't live without? In no particular order:

Rich: Hell Awaits, Pleasure To Kill, Morbid Tales, Black Force Domain, Covenant, Abduction Ritual, Legion, Exterminate, Horrified, and World Downfall.

Thorben: Reign in Blood, Ride the Lightning, Legion, Effigy of the Forgotten, Formulas Fatal to the Flesh, In Their Darkened Shrines, Antithesis, Entity, Psalms of the Moribund, Masticate to Dominate.

What are your favourite sub-genres in metal? Are you someone who mainly listens to black and death metal, or do you like other sub-genres as well? What kind of music excites you?

Rich: Favorite subgenres are Heavy Metal and extreme Doom, but Darkambient like Kammarheit is great for driving the lonesome distances through West Texas. I do mainly listen to Black and Death, but also regularly to stuff like Waylon Jennings, Hank Sr., Willie Nelson, The Highwaymen, and Bob Wills.

Thorben: Currently very technical Death Metal or Brutal Death Metal. Like Rich I also love to dig into Darkambient but also other things like the darker or virtuose pieces of classical music.

Can you tell us about the artwork of the album and what kind of vision you had in mind? I think it fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the music.

The piece is called "Ordeal of the Abyss" and it's by Shaari Moth, an artist out of California. Its a pretty big piece, done on canvas with acrylics. The artwork has actually been very polarizing; some despise it and some love it. I personally think it's a style that's not so common these days. The artist was basically given free-reign to make a hellish cover with a lot of hidden symbolism. As a side note, she used a real insect on the doorway on the left side of the art.

What is your opinion on the current underground scene throughout the states? And in your opinion, does each state that has a developed metal scene have its own distinctive sound like some of the countries in Europe?

There are lots of good bands if you know where to look. I think, generally speaking, American acts have a tendency to be more on the brutal side. Sadly, there are more bands than ever, so it becomes difficult to comb through mountains of average material. Since I'm a grouchy old man, I screen bands on youtube and almost immediately stop the song if it's something I don't like.

Do you have any merchandise available for people to get hold of? Also, if any zines or promoters out there would like to get in touch with the band, how should they do this? Cheers and thanks!

The best place to look is directly to the Lavadome bandcamp. The album is available on CD and shirts are in the works. I have a few copies of Conflagrate for stateside maniacs. The best way to contact us is through the Cambion Facebook messenger or Lavadome Productions. Thanks to Death By Hammer for the interview, H&K to our supporters!

EP review: Aempyrean - Fireborn (2018)

 

Aempyrean - Fireborn

India

Cyclopean Eye Productions

Aempyrean joins the ranks as one of India's better extreme metal acts with this pretty solid debut EP titled "Fireborn". Four tracks packed to the brim with odes to hell and old-school black/death/thrash can be heard on this release. The band unleashes a barrage of throat-cutting riffs, frantic solos, feral vocals and pounding thrash beats. The atmosphere is permeated with a rather rancid stench, with a sound reminiscent of early Morbid Angel, Possessed, Destroyer 666 and the like. There's no doubt as to the prominence of the musicians, as the music bombards the listener with a series of pungent riffs and solos that drill right through your fucking skull. In other words, riffs are in abundance. The production is suitably raw, giving this EP a profoundly menacing feel. The cover version of Morbid Angel’s "Chapel of Ghouls" is a nice surprise and quite well done, doing justice to the original. "Fireborn" is a must for fans of killer Black/Death. Especially if you're one of those maniacs with a penchant for discovering obscure bands from the hellish depths of the underground. Aempyrean delivers. For fans of: Weapon, Bestial Mockery, Communion. (HT)

Album review: Cambion - Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium (2021)

Cambion - Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium

USA

Lavadome Productions

“Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium” is the debut album from these Texas based maniacs and is a profoundly hard-hitting and militant slab of Black/Death. The musicianship on this album is as tight as it gets, including the fact that the music is utterly ferocious, with the bulk of the music consisting of blazing fast drums, shredding riffs, and evil vocals that are more akin to black metal. Essentially, the output has more in common with death metal (at least musically), although there is a fair amount of black metal in their veins, at least in terms of atmosphere. In my opinion, anyone who likes bands like Angelcorpse, Force of Darkness and Infernal War will go absolutely nuts over this, as this album delivers the goods. I'm not saying the band sounds like the aforementioned bands, but they are definitely on par with them in terms of intensity. The music is truly fast for the most part. But not in a bland sense, as each track is peppered with tempo changes and solos that make the music way more interesting than the usual "fast-all-the-time" brutal black/death band. There is enough variety in the songs to maintain a consistent flow and not become repetitive. Slower parts are well interspersed and used to break up the intensity a bit while still keeping it relentless and crushing. I have read a few comments comparing Cambion to Angelcorpse, which is fair enough, though they are far from being called "Angelcorpse worship" as they have a sound all their own that is easily identifiable when you actually listen to their music. There are a myriad of interesting and razor-sharp, flesh-piercing solos, and it's even more impressive considering the band only consists of three members, and considering all the chaos you're being subjected to literally comes from one guitarist backed by a maniacal battery, incendiary drumming and hate spewing vocals. The bass is also very involved in the mix and makes a valuable contribution to the execution. It's a thorough and well-executed display of bludgeoning and vicious black/death that deserves to be heard and is a prime example of proper American black/death. Cambion fucking slays! (HT)

Album review: Nexwomb – Exegesis of Nihility (Reissue 2020)

Nexwomb – Exegesis of Nihility

USA

Morbid Chapel Records (CD) / Nihilistic Noise Propaganda (Tape)

 

This is the first album from Oregon's Nexwomb, which embodies nothing and nothing less than pure Black/Death savagery spawned from the very depths of hell. The songs on this album can be characterized by its immensely cavernous production, complemented by a series of explosive and well-played riffs that keep you interested while constantly bombarding you with caveman violence from beginning to end. There is a hint of dissonance in the riffs that adds an extra layer of murk to the overall experience, while the drums constantly pound your skull with brute force. The vocals are so incredibly feral that you wonder if it's even a human and not some mutant cave beast behind the mic, though metal archives will confirm that it's a human who goes by the name Vardlokker and who is also behind killer projects like Witchbones and Conduit of Chaos. “Exegesis of Nihility” is an extremely ferocious pursuit of barbaric Black/Death that is both impossibly primal and viscerally enjoyable for those who dig this kind of stuff. Some idiots on the internet will attempt to sound lofty by calling this "caverncore", but you should never listen to them, because most of those who use these terms are usually self-absorbed hipsters who have nothing better to do than spout pseudo-intellectual nonsense on the internet all day. This is violent and bestial black/death metal. Simple as that. (HT)

Split review: Thecodontion / Vessel of Iniquity - The Permian-Triassic Extinction Event (2021)

Thecodontion / Vessel of Iniquity - The Permian-Triassic Extinction Event

Italy / England

I, Voidhanger Records / Dead Red Queen Records / Bad Moon Rising 惡月上昇

Well, holy shit! The material on this split is great. I have never heard of either bands before listening to this release. Admittedly, I really like splits as it's always interesting to hear how bands represent themselves, and often times splits have great songs from bands that are not always featured on their other releases. The split in question features two pretty awesome bands: Thecodontion from Italy and Vessel of Iniquity from England.

Thecodontion is up first, presenting two tracks that reach the 6-minute mark each. This band has a sound rooted in pure black/death metal, but with an experimental touch, including the fact that the music is quite atmospheric. Now the term "atmospheric" can often times be misinterpreted as music with soothing melodies that bring tears to your eyes or bring a warm smile to your face. This is not the case with Thecodontion, as the music emits a deeply sinister tone that evokes a sense of utter horror, and yet the music is so incredibly catchy that it is impossible to resist. They have some of the best bass playing I have heard from a new black/death band in a long, long time. The bass is a driving force in the music and reminds me of Swedish death metal band Karnarium, as they employ it in an almost similar way. References could be made to bands like Antediluvian, Mitochondrion and Chaos Echoes as they have a similar approach to songwriting and atmosphere. The drums are very adequately played and even quite technical in a kind of straightforward sense. The drums and bass definitely have a good chemistry on this release. Thecodontian has a wholly unique sound and take on black/death metal and all I can say is that I will be listening to more of their music.

Vessel of Iniquity is the far more chaotic entry of the two bands and assaults the listener with a terrifying 11 minute piece of frantic black metal with some harsh noise elements. I think the overlapping elements make this a really interesting and enjoyable split. I am not sure what state S.P. White was in when he recorded this madness, but it certainly sounds like he was in a murderous trance or something. It seems like the track "The Great Dying" is split into two parts but stitched together as one composition, which is interesting because there's a bit of a breather from all the chaos about halfway through when the listener is subjected to a rhythmic percussion with an eerie ambience in the background, followed by more hyper-blasting madness and screams coming straight from hell. The riffs, percussion and vocals are all exceptionally well put together as the music shows a heightened sense of atmosphere that will transport you to another realm.

Overall, it's a very interesting and enjoyable split that I will certainly be coming back to, considering the quality output of both bands. Props to I, Voidhanger for putting out such a harrowing and abstract piece of aural sickness. (HT) 

EP review: Cthonica - Lessor Incantations of Cthonic Lore (2021)

 

Cthonica - Lessor Incantations of Cthonic Lore

Venezuela

Sentient Ruin Laboratories / Caligari Records

From the depths of Venezuela, a communist country rife with crime and oppression, comes the duo known as Cthonica. The band plays dark and subterranean black/death reminiscent of bands like Antediluvian and Grave Upheaval. "Lessor Incantations of Cthonic Lore" is their sophomore release and the follow-up to their excellent 2019 debut album, eerily titled "Typhomanteia: Sacred Triarchy of Spiritual Putrefaction." The music exudes a deeply sinister atmosphere that makes you feel as if you've just entered an alternate dimension of pure evil. Most of the songs follow a similar flow, but are able to put the listener into a trance with their hypnotic and impossibly dark overtones. The vocals are monstrously cavernous to match the music, while the drums, bass, and guitar are drenched in a rather primitive production. The guitar sound is absolutely perfect for the style they play and gives off a very gritty atmosphere that makes your skin crawl. The production is suitably raw for this kind of cacophonous music, coupled with their knack for excellent songwriting that contains a lot of depth. There are a lot of bands that have tried to play some sort of dark, murky black/death over the years, but few come across as convincingly as these Venezuelan maniacs. These guys are, without a doubt, the real deal. Highly recommended! (HT)

Interview: Chestcrush (2021)

CHESTCRUSH is a solo project from Scotland playing a dark and nasty fusion of Black, Death and Grindcore. The band had just recently released their debut album called "Vdelygmia" (read review here) and are ready to take the underground by storm. I got in touch with its creator and mastermind, Evangelos, to gather some info regarding its vile creation. 

Hails. How's everything going in Edinburgh? For those unfamiliar with Chestcrush, can you please give us an introduction and tell us what the band is all about? Also some info about the line-up would be helpful.

Evangelos: Hello. First of all, thank you for the awesome review on the album and for this in-depth interview. Edinburgh is beautiful as always but a little warmer than usual at this time of the year, but we had a fair amount of cold and snow this winter so I shouldn’t complain.

Chestcrush is my extreme metal solo project. It combines my musical creativity and my need to get some things off my chest. It’s not exactly a one-man band but I write all the music and lyrics and I track the guitars and bass as well. Thomas Blanc (vocals), Krzysztof Klingbein (drums) and Ben Jones (mixing and mastering) helped me to bring this beast to life.

Can you give us some details about the recording and writing process of the new album "Vdelygmia"? Were there any obstacles that you had to confront in regards to the creation of your new opus? Are you satisfied with the outcome?

Evangelos: This album took much longer than I expected and one of the reasons for this is that I didn’t have the time to sit down and track the guitars and bass. At some point I got infected with Covid-19 and I was isolated for 2 weeks, so I took the opportunity to record everything, and I tried to finish as soon as possible just in case I die. I didn’t (die). The other reason is that I wanted to mix it myself like I did for the Demo, but it was very challenging for me to mix real drums opposed to the drum sampler that I used for the Demo, so after weeks of mixing I got burned out and I decided to work with a pro. It took me some time but I found the right guy (Ben Jones). It took me a while to find the right drummer as well, I tried to work with 3 other drummers before Krzysztof, but it didn’t work for different reasons for each drummer. Thankfully with Krzysztof everything went perfect.

The writing process is a combination of improvisation, experimenting and editing until it sounds right. The songs usually are double the length of what they end up being. I just want them to be straight to the point and not repetitive. There is so much stuff I left out that I think I could make another album just with the leftovers of this one.

The outcome is good enough but it’s not 100% what I wanted it to be, there are always some minor things that I want to change that possibly no-one else would notice other than me.

Musically, what’s some of your biggest influences and do you think that it’s noticeable in your sound? What kind of atmosphere are you going for?

Evangelos: I don’t know man, I like so many different things, and influences are kind of subconscious, it doesn’t have to be my favourite band, it may be a random song that I listened to the other day that I didn’t even like. Also, if a riff I wrote sounds very familiar I just don’t use it, or I change it until it becomes something else. I really like it though when people compare Chestcrush with bands that I don’t even know or with genres that I might not be so familiar with. But if I have to name some bands that I think have influenced me I would say Slayer, Morbid Angel, and early Black Metal in general. Not very original on that.

As far as the music writing is concerned I wasn’t going for a certain atmosphere. I just keep the riffs I like the most and turn them into songs, but it seems there is a consistent atmosphere in all of the songs/releases. I was surprised to see some of the first reviews talking about a “horror atmosphere” or even “horror movie atmosphere” because I’m a huge horror fan but I wasn’t trying to make a horror atmosphere, it just happened naturally, my ear “clicks” on dark and ominous sounds. But as for the general aesthetics like artwork and sound production, I was going for a mix of Black metal and Grindcore. I wanted it to feel raw, bleak, very aggressive and real. It’s not a coincidence that the cover artist and the sound engineer mostly work with grindcore /power violence/Crust bands.

How would you describe your sound to those who haven’t heard it before? Do you think a band’s true depth can go unnoticed when the music is mislabelled?

Evangelos: Every review I had in the past mentioned the same 4 genres, Death, Black, Grind and Sludge. So I go with that.
It depends who’s listening and how much he cares about labels. I don’t really care, there are so many subgenres, sometimes I don’t even get the difference, but some people do, a little too much. I guess when something is labelled as “A” it creates some expectations, and if you go in and you listen to “B” you might get disappointed, or you might get pleasantly surprised, so I don’t know, as I said it depends on the person and the moment.

What prompted the name Chestcrush?

Evangelos: Chestcrush isn’t very original but it’s very appropriate for this project for two reasons. The first is because of the lyrics, as I said earlier, I want to get some things out of my chest, I write about things that suffocate me and infuriate me. Some are about my own personal demons that caused me a constant crushing feeling on my chest. The second one is that I literally had my sternum cut open wide because of a heart surgery I went through, and I’ll always have a nasty scar and a life lasting medication treatment to remind me of human fragility. So, for these reasons I found the name Chestcrush very fitting to the occasion.

What inspired the title "Vdelygmia" and what does it mean? Furthermore, where do you draw inspiration from for your lyrics?

Evangelos: Vdelygmia was one of my potential band names. I don’t remember exactly how I came up with this word but it was on my notes. I keep notes on lyrics, titles etc. like I do with riffs and song ideas. At first I was thinking of not naming the album but I don’t know what happened and I changed my mind. Vdelygmia is a Greek word and it means “filth”, “abomination”, “repulsion” “disgust” etc. and it’s used to express hatred of a person or an action through a litany of invective criticisms. It is very suited to the lyrics. I draw inspiration from two things so far. I used to struggle with some mental issues (PTSD, phobias, severe panic attacks, night terrors etc.) and I use this sometimes for inspiration. The Demo (all lyrics and cover) was about this thing only, as a matter of fact the lyrics of all the songs on the Demo is actually one long song. The other thing that inspires me is my hatred towards certain manifestations of human depravity. I channel all this soul-crushing toxic energy towards this musical project as a kind of self-therapy I guess. It’s not as pleasant as when I grab my guitar and start playing riffs, but it ends up being the same, leaving lots of things out and polishing the edges afterwards.

What can you tell us about the artwork for "Vdelygmia"? What does it depict?

Evangelos: At first I tried to make the cover art myself like I did for the Demo. I finished a design but it just wasn’t good enough, it didn’t feel right for the album and it was the best I could do at the time. So I started looking for artists that could visualise the sound of the album. I was looking for someone that makes black and white images using digital collage, or mixed media, I didn’t want illustrations, I wanted an image that would feel real, bleak and hopeless. After browsing for endless hours I discovered two amazing artists on Instagram, CVSPE and PLA.G.U.E, with the latter one making the front cover art. I sent him some of the songs and lyrics and explained to him some of the backstory and told him to do his thing. He worked on a couple of ideas and the final result is this cover.

What can you tell us about the metal scene in Scotland? Are there any bands from there that you feel are worthy of support?

Evangelos: Unfortunately I can’t say much about the scene here. Nothing much (metal wise) happens in Edinburgh. Glasgow is the place for gigs usually. Some good Scottish bands that I discovered are Coffin Mulch, Hellripper, Grat Strigoi, Atragon, Cerebral Bore and Ageless Summoning.

Are you inspired by any films? What are some of your favourites?

Evangelos: I’m a big horror/violent/bleak drama/or just plain weird movie fan. I don’t think I’m inspired by any movies. Some of my favourites, old and new, are:
Golden Glove, I Stand Alone, Singapore Sling, The Thing, Naked Lunch, From Beyond, The Beyond, Hellraiser 2, TCM 2 (1986), Inside, Possessor, Father’s Day, The Taint, Adam Chaplin, Soul Kicking, Night Of Something Strange, Brawl In Cell Block 99, Gutter Balls, Baise Moi, The Strange colour of Your Body’s Tears, Brain Dead, Green Room, Snow Town, Calvaire, Evil Dead, VFW, I could go on forever.

What’s some new bands that you are currently listening to? What’s the last album you bought?

Evangelos: There are so many good releases that keep popping up that it’s hard to follow! Last album I bought was Gulch’s “Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress” on vinyl. It’s a fucking great album, powerful, nasty and short. Some “new” bands that I’m currently listening to are:

Caustic Wound, Black Curse, Body Void, Vermin Womb, Vitriol, Knoll, Cult Leader, Amnutseba, Journey Into Darkness, Death.Void.Terror, Graveolence, Gulch and Hyperdontia.

Being initially from Greece, what is your opinion on the Greek metal scene and what's some of your favourite bands from there?

Evangelos: The Greek metal scene is huge for Greece’s population, loads of metalheads and loads of bands/musicians but for some reason very few bands make a breakthrough, even for underground standards. Some of my favourites are Flames, Thou Art Lord, Homo Iratus and Dead Congregation.

Give us a list of 10 albums you can’t live without.

Evangelos: I ‘m not good with lists, I find it very difficult to narrow down my favourites. I’ll mention 10 of my 100 favourite albums that just came to my mind right now.

Slayer – South of Heaven
Morbid Angel – Covenant
The Exploited – The Massacre
Venom – The Singles 80-86
Impaled Nazarene – Latex Cult
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Burzum – Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
Deicide – Once Upon the Cross
And a couple of non-metal albums..
Madrugada – Industrial Silence
Tom Waits – Bone Machine
The Cramps – …Off the Bone

Your thoughts on the following:

Drugs: Not all drugs are the same. Enjoy responsibly.

Crust punk: When reality hits you hard.

Christianity: Another depraved authoritarianism organisation that somehow survived after all these crimes against humanity and even though it’s so fucking absurd and illogical, especially for today’s standards, still manages to brainwash the large majority of people and take advantage of them for its own benefit.

Black Sabbath: I love early Black Sabbath. It’s probably the first metal band that I’ve ever listened to. What can I say that hasn’t already been said?

Existence: Great movie, Cronenberg is one of my favourite directors. Oh wait, you meant Existence, not Existenz…

What’s the songs “Different Shepherd Same Sheep” and “Let Them Crawl” about?

How come you’re asking me about these two songs? 

I think “Different Shepherd...” is self-explanatory. It’s about this mental state that some people are in that they need to belong to a group, to have a label to identify themselves, and they build their whole personality and life around this, around a manifesto, or a leader, and they become “blind followers”. Colour blind actually, because everything is black or white for them, and it’s either you’re with them or against them, there is no other option or point of view, and even if they see something wrong with it they will turn a blind eye because they don’t want to ruin the illusion.

I’m not talking about the kind of person who is passionately dedicated to a cause because he is aware, self-realized and knows what he’s doing. I’m talking about the kind of people whose fanaticism over a certain subject was just a matter of circumstances and coincidence and not research, they could have been on the “opposite side” just as easily. Their need to follow and to belong is more important than who, or what they follow, or worship. And if this doesn’t work for some reason, they will find someone else to follow and another label to stick on their forehead and identify themselves as this or that.

“Let Them Crawl” was originally called “Kneelers” and it’s not very different. It’s about another kind of followers, the humble servants who will excessively kiss the ass of their master and delude themselves that they’re in the same class, secretly wanting to stab them in the back, take their place, and be ten times worse.

What’s some of your hobbies and interests outside of playing music?

Evangelos: Illustration and graphic design even though I gave up on it recently due to lack of time. Also reading books has become difficult lately as well. I love movies as I said earlier. Rarely I’ll read a comic, last one that I enjoyed was “Crossed”. I also play some video games, mostly horror.

Lastly, what’s next for Chestcrush and how can people interested in your music get in touch? Thanks for your time!!!

Evangelos: Next for Chestcrush is promoting this album and writing new music. I’m thinking of making a single if the new album takes too long but it’s really too soon to tell. I already have some ideas but it’s a slow process.
People can get in touch via Bandcamp (chestcrush.bandcamp.com), Facebook (facebook.com/chestcrushband), or Instagram (instagram.com/chestcrush/).

I really appreciate your support. Cheers!

Album review: Lykhaeon - Opprobrium (2021)

Lykhaeon - Opprobrium

 

Switzerland

 

Repose Records

Lykhaeon’s second opus "Opprobrium" is a decidedly coherent affair of bleak black/death/doom with many quality aspects to it. A very thick atmosphere drenched in gloom pervade this record, including the infusion of eerie horror soundscapes redolent of being in the midst of some profane ritual. Black metal sensibilities are omnipresent, as the music draws you into the darkest corridors of the abyss. This isn’t so much an avant-garde experience, as the band retains a sense of barbarism that flirts with more ritualistic nuances. The superlative and dense production really accentuates every detail on this record, which makes everything more digestible. “Opprobrium” is a commendable work of transcendental black/death art and comes highly recommended for those into bands like Teitanblood, Cultes des Ghoules, Necros Christos, et cetera.

Album review: Prezir - As Rats Devour Lions (2018)

Prezir - As Rats Devour Lions

Poland

Godz of War 

I’m a cranky old-fart metal elitist. Yet, somehow, I found myself reviewing new albums in the most life-embittered way. This review is the story of the album “As Rats Devour Lions” by Prezir.

Prezir is an interesting band. They come from Milwaukee, WI in the USA, but they maintain a connection to the Balkans. The name of the band is the Serbian word for “Contempt.” And this fits the band’s music nicely. They are distinctively American, but they do have European undertones in their music.

Prezir describes themselves as Anti-Ideological Metal, which is accurate, considering the lyrical content. For simplicity’s sake, I would say that they straddle the line between several genres, but I think they lean closest to War Metal. They are definitely Black metal, but they incorporate elements of Death and Thrash Metal.

This variety is for a reason for this. The various members have been involved in multiple very different bands over the years. Rory Heikkila (Gust, Heedless Descent, Promethean Parallax, and Shroud of Despondency) and Tyler Okrzesik (Cholernik and Sillage) are on guitars; Luka Đorđević (Khazaddum and Promethean Parallax) is on vocals; Brian Serzynski (Pig’s Blood and Shut In) is on drums; Jerry Hauppa (Ara, Concentric, Northless, and Steel Iron) is on bass. These are working musicians who keep their skills sharp.

“As Rats Devour Lions” was released 18 August 2018 by Godz ov War on CD; and they selfreleased it digitally and on cassette. This is their second release; their first being “Contempt” back in 2017.

This is a varied and enjoyable record. Yes, it maintains a traditional Black Metal sound and feel, but it is much stronger than most Black Metal records – thanks to a noticeable Thrash influence. The vocals range from high-pitched Black to deep Death styles. What really is exemplary in this album is the how the interplay between the guitars and bass. I should mention at this point that I can hear a very strong “Anthems”-era Emperor influence in the guitar playing. And this is a very good thing.

While there are no particularly weak songs, this album has several tracks that stand out. “Dar alHarb” has some outstanding interplay between the guitars; it’s reminiscent of “Howl Ravens Come” by Einherjer. “Serpents in the House of Ra” is downright groovy – not groove metal, but groovy; I don’t know any other Black Metal song that I can say this about. 

“Hamatsa Death Ritual” is the high point of the album. It shifts gears seamlessly, has a good solo, and the instruments play off of each other really well. It also has this certain intangible something that makes it great.

“As Rats Devour Lions” was produced by Shane Hochstetler. The production on this album is clean, so all the instruments are clear. They complement each other instead of fighting for the listener’s attention.

Now, the lyrics – Despite what the scenesters will have you believe, Black Metal was created to be offensive to our most dearly-held beliefs. And Prezir delivers. As I pointed out before, they play “Anti-Ideological Metal,” and they spare no one. All the major religions and political stances are directly criticized in this album; and they do this to encourage the listener to form his own opinions as an individual. Also, these criticisms are not vulgar and mindless; quite the opposite – they are rooted in history. Each song gives a historical context and reason for their criticism. These lyrics are what really make Prezir stand out from the hordes of Black Metal bands.

Prezir’s “As Rats Devour Lions” is one of the very few bands that hold true to Black Metal’s roots while playing music that is both intelligent and enjoyable. If they continue to grow in this direction, they will become legends. Black Metal fans should run out, and buy this album, because you will not find a more honest and engaging album. (Hiram 3-5-7)

Album review: Ordo Caper - Aphorism of Baneful Acts (2020)

Ordo Caper – Aphorism of Baneful Acts

Costa Rica

Dunkelheit Produktionen

Ordo Caper from Costa Rica is one of those bands that deserve more attention, especially taking into account the quality of their music. The music presented on Ordo Caper’s debut full-length “Aphorism of Baneful Acts” is some decidedly crude and blasphemous black/death metal that sounds like some totally strange, yet interesting fusion between bands like Incantation, Bestial Warlust, and Sadistik Exekution. The band also experiments with “noise” elements rendering to the overall chaos. I think it’s safe to say that Ordo Caper isn’t just another war metal band, as there are definitely some characteristic elements in their sound, and this can be heard on every track. Even the way they play the riffs are totally unique. This whole release radiates total insanity redolent of bands like Sadistik Exekution. The band did do a split with Rok, so I guess they must’ve been influenced by them. They play with various tempos, as the instruments constantly interplay with each other. It’s a pity that most people would overlook such a killer release, because Ordo Caper is the real deal and their music has an incredible amount of depth to it. There’s a lot of weird and discordant riffs that borders on prog, all the while maintaining a degree of minimalism. All in all, this is a very cool release, and I’ll probably listen to it again later, considering that there’s still some details that haven’t fully sunk into my brain yet. Fans of the bands mentioned earlier should check this out. There's a reason Rok recommended these guys! (HT)