Album review: Thunraz - Borderline (2023)

Thunraz - Borderline

Self-released

Estonia

Thunraz is a death metal project from Estonia (Northern Europe), consisting of Madis Jalakas, and “Borderline” is the third album (and the fifth release overall) under the project’s name.

It’s worth noting that Thunraz released two albums in 2023: “Revelation” and “Borderline” So how does “Borderline” compare to “Revelation”, you might ask? Well, “Borderline” hits every bit as hard as its predecessor. If anything, the album sounds heavier and more chaotic, with nine tracks of devastating and soul-crushing death metal that also incorporates influences from hardcore and doom.

The recording has a murky quality to it, yet everything sounds comparatively audible. On the previous album, Jared Moran (Acausal Intrusion, Psionic Madness, etc.) played drums, but on this recording Madis pretty much handled everything himself, from bass to guitars to vocals to drums, and did an excellent job.

The guitar rhythms are tighter than Rambo’s headband, with exceedingly heavy riffs that maul you like a spiked whip, coupled with flexible bass riffs and pugnacious vocals that range from martial growls to hellish screams. The inclusion of clean vocals makes the songs more interesting and even reminded me of Dax Riggs from Acid Bath. The sludge influence is obvious due to the slow-to-mid tempos, although it’s interesting how the songs manage to sound so discordant even during the slower segments.

The atmosphere on this release is exceptionally dark and melancholic, often bordering on black metal, although it’s not impossible to assume that there’s some black metal influence given the hopeless and negative texture of the music. If anything, I'd say Thunraz is in a class of their own as they combine an array of influences and yet miraculously make it work with relative ease as each composition is cohesive, succinct and straight-to-the-point.

Some bands that come to mind while listening to Thunraz include Immolation, Acid Bath, Soilent Green and Godflesh. These reference points should more or less give you an idea of what to expect. Every track on this album is killer, but some highlights include “Monument”, “Weight of Time” and “You and Me” (unarguably the apex of the album).

Thunraz is an underground extreme metal project that categorically puts out great releases for the style they play. This being said, “Borderline” is a solid offering from beginning to end, with 30 minutes of deranged Death Metal madness that will make all pretenders leave the hall, as the music on this release comes from a sincere and dark place.

EP review: Melting Eyes – My Final Resting Place (2021)

Melting Eyes – My Final Resting Place

Netherlands

Independent

Melting Eyes is a four-piece hailing from the Netherlands that plays heavy, doom-laden Death Metal and "My Final Resting Place" is the band's debut EP. The music presented here is an all out assault of crushing death/doom that grabs the listener by the throat as soon as the first note kicks in. Each track is full of chugging riffs, pounding mid-tempos and menacing growls. The style may not be particularly unique, but it is still solid material and the execution is pretty tight. The Dutch have always had a penchant for hefty death/doom and Melting Eyes is further proof of that, as "My Final Resting Place" is a solid little EP, well worth your attention. That being said, Melting Eyes is a band to keep an eye out for and comes recommended to fans of bands like Asphyx, Grand Supreme Blood Court, Pentacle, etc. (HT)

EP review: Evocator - Chronicles of Pestilence (2021)

Evocator – Chronicles of Pestilence

Sweden

Self-released / Independent

Formed in 2007, Sweden's Evocator release their latest EP and follow-up to 2010's "Untitled" demo, which is a pretty big gap of inactivity. Nevertheless, they have decided to come back and present the world with three emphatically crushing tracks of gloomy death/doom clocking in at 30 minutes long.

There is a hefty bass presence in the tracks that adds to the heaviness of the music, along with a guitar rhythm that is nothing short of soul-crushing. Evocator are masters of mid-tempo death/doom and mostly stay within that range while repeatedly subjecting the listener to an overwhelming sonic assault reminiscent of vicious hammer blows to the face from start to finish. The vocals alternate from vicious growls to psychotic high-pitched screams and are perfectly executed. This is one of those death/doom bands that puts more emphasis on bludgeoning the listener's mind with pure aggression than impressing girls with sweet melodies, not to mention the atmosphere surrounding this album is purely dark and from another realm.

You might assume this is an atmospheric black metal band based on the greenish colour and forest on the cover, but that could be your biggest mistake – or did you not see the hooded figure staring at you from the mist? That hooded figure is Evocator and they have come to bring us death. All in all, a strong and devastating EP recommended to fans of quality death/doom. (HT)

Album review: Telluric Effluvium - Dissolution of the Threefold Self (2020)

Telluric Effluvium - Dissolution of the Threefold Self

USA/Mexico

Hostile Records

I have always understood that playing slow music like this is more difficult than most people may realize, since you have to keep the listener trapped. Funeral/Doom cult Telluric Effluvium are no strangers to the craft. 

It’s all about the aura the song and/or album conjures, including what is transmitted through the music. On this album especially, the structures of the songs are arranged with delicacy and precision. Mostly it is calm, but sometimes it is chaotic. Calm can be seen as a long descent into an underworld of dark emotions. An amalgam of fetid, funereal and melancholic thoughts. The production and sound is excellent. Of course, being a Funeral Doom Metal band (by this I mean that the music manifests at a slow speed) all that quality can be appreciated much better. Beyond the aforementioned subgenre, I can also hear some Death/Doom segments when the band steps on the gas a bit, particularly with the vocals, which seem to be erupting in an ultra deep and unhinged way.

All in all, I truly enjoyed listening to this true and epic work with its dark and rotten essence. What a way to release a debut album. This is exactly how it should be done. Recommended! (Catacombs Walker)

Album review: Orthodoxy – Novus Lux Dominus (2019)

Orthodoxy – Novus Lux Dominus

Spain

The Sinister Flame

Hailing from Spain, Orthodoxy is a four-piece death metal outfit featuring members from bands such as Devotion, Profundis Tenebrarum, and Pestkraft. The band was formerly a solo project and released a relatively well-received 5-track demo in 2015, entitled “Shaarimoth. The release in question, “Novus Lux Dominus,” is their debut full-length and an absolute juggernaut of an album informed by only the darkest and heaviest bands in the realm of black/death metal. An immensely morbid atmosphere permeates this release from start to finish, augmented with the injection of harrowing doom tempos. The ingenious and rotten production adds to the overall feel of the album. It’s clearer than a demo recording, yet rawer than what most bands would opt for on an album. It walks that perfect middle-ground. Using references are effective in giving the reader an idea of a band’s sound, but at the same, also subjective. That being said, I feel like Orthodoxy might just be the death metal counterpart to a band like Vassafor, as both bands have a strong predisposition for ominous soundscapes, as well as infusing a hefty amount of doom in their music. The difference is clearly the genre boundaries, as this leans more towards death than black. Overall, if it is dark and brooding death metal you seek that sounds like it was recorded in a mortuary somewhere in the midst of some bizarre necromantic ritual, then Orthodoxy’s “Novus Lux Dominus” is an absolute essential listen. If death ever had a soundtrack, this would be it. (HT) 

EP review: Penny Coffin - Τεφρα (2021)

Penny Coffin - Τεφρα

Scotland

Self-released

The debut EP by Scottish trio, Penny Coffin, offers three tracks of unholy, knuckle-dragging Death Metal that leaves more than just a few dead hippies in its wake. The music is reasonably well-recorded, with a production job that allows everything to be heard and stand out. The band employs blood-curdling vocals with meaty, galloping riffs that is nothing short of devastating. The guitars sometimes venture into more technical territory, with riffs sharp enough to cut through bone. This whole release induces a menacing atmosphere augmented by an array of sludgy rhythms and heavy low-end. The drums are mixed well and consists of various tempos that compliment the music. I didn’t hear any solos in the mix, although, the songs does not seem to lack any depth without them and are well executed regardless. If you’re looking for something slightly different, yet still totally heavy as fuck, then check it out. “Τεφρα” is an auspicious first offering and a hint of what the future holds for the band. For fans of: Cruciamentum, Cerebral Rot, Diabolizer.  (HT) 

Demo review: Phthisis - Embodiment of Decay (2020)

PHTHISIS - Embodiment of Decay (Demo 2020)

USA

Brutal Cave Productions

“Embodiment of Decay” is the debut demo from Colorado miscreants, PHTHISIS, and was released by BRUTAL CAVE PRODUCTIONS (Portugal) on CD. The demo features 4 tracks of cavernous Death/Doom, with a pinch of power electronics on the first and third track. The vocalist emits a powerful growl, backed by hellish rasps here and there. The guitars are well executed and do a good job at conjuring an ominous atmosphere. The bass is nicely laced in the mix and add an extra layer of heaviness. The drums are well implemented, with the drummer doing some pretty inventive fills and stuff. The production also isn't bad for a demo and does well at augmenting the performance. The atmosphere evokes horrifying images of being locked in a dark room with some hideous monstrosity. “Embodiment of Decay” is definitely a very solid entry and considering that it's the band's first demo. 4 tracks of pure sinister Death/Doom madness that clocks at 23 minutes. Recommended. (HT)

https://brutalcaveproductions.bandcamp.com/album/embodiment-of-decay

EP review: Larvae - Sickening Cadaveric Perversion (2020)

 

Larvae - Sickening Cadaveric Perversion (2020)

Italy/Romania

Independent

LARVAE is the putrid manifestation spawned from the darkest recesses of Lucilia's Sericata's morbid mind. The monstrosity that is LARVAE has its disgusting roots in Italy, but since Lucilia now resides in Romania, the band can be seen as an Italian/Romanian collaboration. The vocals are absolutely sick – even terrifying. I don't think I've heard many woman lay down such evil, eerie, and twisted vocals. (Sonya Sepulchral from BESTIAL HOLOCAUST is another great female vocalist that comes to mind.) There's even segments of maniacal laughter in the songs, which is quite inventive, if not disturbing. The music can be classified as Death/Doom, but of the heaviest, sickest kind. The atmosphere radiates pure fucking decay, as a variety of abysmal vocals are vomited over the mic, supported with riffs heavier than king kong's balls. The primitive drum beats by Disgusting Dennis are well done and fitting for this style. I like the implementation of horror movie samples, which definitely adds more texture to the music. You know you're in for something utterly morose when an EP is called “Sickening Cadaveric Perversion.” Fans of GOATLORD will go absolutely apeshit for LARVAE, as they embody the true and unholy essence of Death/Doom, but with an approach closer to early CARCASS in terms of themes. Overall, an excellent fucking EP that comes highly recommended. (HT)

https://larvae-gore.bandcamp.com/album/sickening-cadaveric-perversion-ep

Review: Witchbones - Goaty (2020)

Witchbones – Goaty (2020)

USA

Morbid Chapel Records

Witchbones from Oregon, USA, plays crushingly heavy death/doom that radiates despondency and evil. This is the kind of music that you would listen to before blowing your brains out. The atmosphere tone is bleak, ritualistic, heavy and powerful. The music constantly assaults the listener with its monolithic heaviness and oppressive aura. The cover art for this album does a good job at capturing the album's foul essence. Worth mentioning is the fact that Witchbones is a one-man project. Some of the most haunting music ever recorded were by one-man bands. It could be the isolationist factor, or maybe these people are too messed up to work with other musicians? Whatever the case may be, Witchbones' music perfectly captures that state of darkness, mania and isolation. The music strikes an interesting balance between death/doom and dark ambient, which sounds almost like an amalgamation of bands like Impetuous Ritual, diSEMBOWELMENT, and Gnaw Their Tongues. Maybe my references doesn't do the music justice, but that's the best I could come up with. There's a lot of creativity on this album and the band manage to create a very dense and chaotic atmosphere. "Goaty" is quite experimental and shows a multifarious range of elements, but remains a death/doom album in essence. Conclusion: If you like any of the above-mentioned bands, including music that sounds like it was spawned from some unholy abyss realm, then definitely check it out. (HT)  

https://morbidchapelrecords.bandcamp.com/album/goety