Welcome metalheads! We get sent just a ton of awesome metal here at TDBS so here are some of my recent favorites from our inbox. Quite a lovely metal mix for you today. Enjoy!
Click for previous Fast & Furious Reviews
Every week (ok pretty much daily) we receive tons of albums some from labels and PR firms and some from indie bands themselves. Some of it is awesome and some sucks big sweaty donkey balls but rather than trash the garbage which is a waste of your time and ours we try to only share what we actually enjoy. There’s more than we can get to with just what we like without wasting time over the auditory refuse. So here is some of what has landed in our inbox recently, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did or even more!
Dzhatinga – Black Wings
Released: August 31st 2015
Label: Independent
From: Belarus
Released: August 31st 2015
Label: Independent
From: Belarus
This is one that happily was sent to us directly by the band themselves so I've had the opportunity to listen to it a few times in the last couple of weeks. If you're a fan of the last couple Whitechapel albums then you're gonna love Dzhatinga. Call if "chugcore" or deathcore it doesn't really matter just call it Heavy Fucking Metal! Black Wings starts off stomping you into the ground and never relinquishes until you're a flattened bloody splatter on the ground by the end. It seems metal is sprouting up all over Russia and the former Soviet republics and these Belarussians are as good as anyone in this new sub-subgenre of deathcore getting labeled as chugcore. If you like your deathcore with a little groove to actually make it interesting then look no further than Dzhatinga! My favorite tracks off Black Wings were Act II: Neverwhere and Act III: Bearpaw featuring Anastasia Palamar of Exist M. If you just wanna bang your head and get out some aggression this is a perfect album for you!
4 out of 5 Zombies Agree... Seek it out, BUY IT!
Herida Profunda – Self Titled 2015
Released: July 7th 2013
Label: No Sanctuary Records
From: Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland
Released: July 7th 2013
Label: No Sanctuary Records
From: Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland
Speaking of music that will help you get out some of your pent up aggression, how about some hardcore crust punk from Poland! Several weeks ago one of the members of Herida Profunda (Spanish for "Deep Wound") reached out to me through Facebook to see if we'd be interested in the above album while they awaited the release of their newest album, HELLBASTARD. I took a quick listen bookmarking the bandcamp page to come back to when I had the time to give it a proper listen. Then I promptly forgot about it with the multitude of music we get sent. Don't worry HP I do this all the time, it wasn't personal or intentional. This initial offering from HP is extremely well produced sounding as crisp and clean as... well as crisp & clean as crust possibly can. The album is super aggressive and filled with groove that I can tell you held my attention. Vocals? Well do you like Converge? Then you'll love it just don't try to decipher any lyrics, LOL! Honestly this is an album that was a lot of fun to listen to if you're into a bit of crust punk with hardcore leanings. Every song on this release is worthy of your little earholes but I did thoroughly enjoy Dlaczego? ("Why?" in their native Polish) which I believe has a guest female vocalist though I don't know who or if it was a guest or not. If you're pissed off at the world this one will help you work through it.
3.5 out of 5 Zombies Moshing In The Pit!!!
Lurid Memory – Dematerializing Ep
Released: September 18th 2015
Label: Funeral Noise Records
From: San Diego, CA
Released: September 18th 2015
Label: Funeral Noise Records
From: San Diego, CA
Out of aggressive hardcore crust punk into the progressive death metal arena we go here with the latest Ep from Lurid Memory (formerly known as just "Memory") featuring current and former members of Gortuary. The only thing hurting this new Ep to my ear is the production value, it sounds a bit muffled which reminded me of the last Fallujah album which suffered a similar issue. That one still landed on my Best of 2014 list so I can overlook it. So other than not sounding as crisp as I think Dematerializing deserves given the technical prowess on display here, it's still a pretty damn good introduction to Lurid Memory giving me hope for future releases. I tend to enjoy prog death which is somewhat of an overused label sometimes. If you enjoy a band like Fallujah or the last Job For A Cowboy album then you should dig this offering from Lurid Memory. I have no complaint with any of the music on Dematerializing I only hope the production value is better on any future work. My favorite tracks on this one were Fantasy of the Terminal Moment (great fuckin' title too!) and I Too... but all five tracks have an epic feel without a bunch of terrible guitar wankery. The music is solid and tight and the vox are in the Charles Elliot (Abysmal Dawn) realm so you should know I enjoyed it.
4 out of 5 Zombies Agree... BUY IT!
Vastum – Hole Below
Released: November 3rd 2015
Label: 20 Buck Spin (CD & Vinyl)
Sentient Ruin (Cassette)
From: San Francisco, CA
Released: November 3rd 2015
Label: 20 Buck Spin (CD & Vinyl)
Sentient Ruin (Cassette)
From: San Francisco, CA
This one comes courtesy of our newest friends at Sentient Ruin Laboratories who have been enlisted with the cassette distro for this offering. It seems Sentient Ruin never lets me down as they always seem to find unique bands in genres we think we know everything about. Vastum came listed as simply "death metal" but if you're expecting to hear another Death or Entombed wannabe then you're listening to the wrong album. Vastum play a form of blackened death that is unique and refreshing in a genre that, let's be honest can get a bit monotonous and bland at times. I'm not saying you'll like the uniqueness of Vastum but I can tell you I do. Vastum keep the vocals back in the mix giving them that "calling out from beyond" quality. I see it used in doom quite often but not generally in death or black metal. The musicianship in Vastum is solid and the production is top notch so none of that will distract you from how good this one is. Some may call this an Ep since it's only six tracks but with song lengths of the more epic 6-8 minute variety I think this can easily be considered a full length. Whatever you call it doesn't really matter it's just damn good. If you're tired of the same old, same old out of blackened death metal then Vastum is hopefully right up your alley. I particularly enjoyed Amniosis and title track, Hole Below, the best but this entire album is completely enjoyable. So enjoy fuckers!
4.5 out of 5 Zombies Say.. Get Yourself a Copy!
Bloodwraith – The Omnipresent Darkness Demos
Released: October 16th 2015
Label: Independent
From: Canonsburg, PA
Released: October 16th 2015
Label: Independent
From: Canonsburg, PA
This one came to us courtesy of friends at Grand Sounds Promotion, the subject of my Fast & Furious post yesterday. This one is black metal which is usually outside of my personal wheelhouse but on occasion I like to check out bands with the moniker just to see if someone will change my mind like Mephorash did recently. Keeping in mind that this is a demo so the production isn't the finished product I see lots of potential here. Vocally it reminds me of Satyricon with the music in the tri-tone vein of most black metal. Bloodwraith also mix in some thrash evident right off the bat in the second track Black Desecrating Metal which sounds like something that would fit in on an early Venom album like Welcome to Hell or Black Metal. Personally I enjoy the mix of what we would now consider traditional black metal and the thrashier tracks more akin to early Venom. Honestly for just a simple demo there is plenty of diversity which makes the eventual release of polished material from Bloodwraith highly anticipated for me. If you're not a huge pure black metal fan like me I think you'll like this very much as Bloodwraith mix in some thrash and even a little Sabbath-esque doom in spots. Keep an eye out for a full album from the band soon. We'll definitely keep you informed here.
3.5 out of 5 Zombies will patiently await a polished release!
That’s what I have for now. Time permitting today I’ll have more. I still have about 20 albums that I haven’t had time to get to yet so I’m trying to get to as many as I can for you. Hang on for a bunch more new metal albums from both Cult and I. Buckle up it’s gonna be a metal filled day (and pretty much the whole week)!
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What do you think metalheads? Find something new to love in here today? Suggestions for future review? Let us know in the comments below.
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