Reign of Terror - Threnody of the Impaled

Rating 9/10
Year Released: 2001
Evil Vengeance Records

Review by: Necrotizer
January 4th, 2013

Threnody of the Impaled is the third full length release by this Texan three piece powerhouse.  Reign of Terror does not disappoint with this release. You will be barraged with evil. The samples match both the album art and the music while never dragging on so long you want to eject the disc. By now, if they hadn't already, ROT has perfected the brutalific synergy that is so desperately sought after by die hard fans of old school death metal. The guitars and bass put forth a powerful explosion of shredding harmonious lines that leave you dwindling in the sorrows of your pathetic existence. It has a feel similar to Morbid Angel or Deicide at times (far from worship), but chugs so hard on the back of the beat that you have no choice but to involuntarily start banging your head. The drums stay pretty simple, backing up the riffs, and squeezing sick fills in at just the right moments. You will hear all of your favorite classic blast and chug patterns with very few surprises from merely the drums. The vocals keep your hair spinning because they come in at just the right times, never being forceful enough to overpower the impressive display of unique and original song structures. Very rarely am I a fan of the vocal styles of combining lows and highs, but these guys pull it off, while playing bass, no less. The variety of tempo, volume, and the reciprocation of harmony between the doomy, shredding, and classic old school death metal chugs truly make Threnody of the Impaled a gem among avid death metal fans. You will never get bored listening to this album unless you like generic and repetitive metal.

Malignancy - Eugenics

Rating 10/10

Year Released: 2012

Willowtip

Review by: Necrotizer

December 20th, 2012

I originally discovered Malignancy sometime in 2006, and when Inhuman Grotesqueries hit the tables a year later, I was hooked. 5 long years later, I caught up with Danny in Chicago on their tour and picked this up. Appropriately titled 'Eugenics', this concept album plays on your imagination as you envision any number of all encompassing metaphors from the lyrical content. More technical then ever, Malignancy is unmercifully tricky as they gracefully pummel their unique, complex, and creative whirlwind phrasing into you with this epic display of raw talent and true dedication to their art. This begs the question, are they  inter-dimensional beings channeling creative ideas from the source, prophesying the end game? or just some of the sickest musicians/composers in death metal today with a knack for creativity? The compositions never cease to amaze those who pay attention, as their motifs are mostly short-lived (replay value!), nevertheless, every track boasts a perfectly seasoned blend of speed, agility, brutality, and technical wizardry to leave you entertained for years. It's like they are a living fucking Rosetta Stone. 20 years into their journey, Malignancy performs light years ahead of the majority of their brutal death comrades. Eugenics has a phenomenal mix - producing a juicy/sharp timbre that punishes you only if you fear to turn it up.  This release is easily in competition to be one of the best brutal technical death metal releases of 2012.  

Scattered Remnants - Inherent Perversion (EP)

Rating 9/10

Year Released: 1995

Self-Released

Review by: Necrotizer

January 4th, 2013

Often overlooked in the current scene, Scattered Remnants, has seemingly been lost in the shuffle. This EP is a gem, and if you see it, you need to snatch this epic release up. These east coast slammers kick it off right with a smooth acoustic melodic line that explodes into an extremely brutal half-time groove that starts your head banging, and rarely lets you stop. This album is an accurate representation of some of the true roots of "slam". They have what the modern generation of slam has overlooked or not cared to include. These guys meddle in melody and groove like they invented it. Every (heavy) riff is enjoyable from the first listen. Scattered Remnants will not be denied, as they prove by this by self-releasing Inherent Perversion. The tone and mix of the recording is gritty, desolate, and evil - setting you up to take in the full effect of the sounds and styles of days of old. The only reason this did not receive a perfect score is because there are two sections that have long acoustic intros (unacceptable for a 5 track EP).  It's too bad these guys couldn't keep it together when they tried to reunite, because they have the talent and balls to put out some of the heaviest slamming blackened brutal death metal in the scene. All in all, this album leaves you thirsting for more, but nothing else they have released, that I have heard, has come as close to being as full of energy, as fluid, groovy, or as brutal. The styles of brutal death metal presented on this EP seem to be fading fast from the modern scene. If you are looking for something different, but wildly entertaining, you need to let these guys show you what the 90's east coast brutal death scene was all about.

  

The Secret - Solve Et Coagula

Rating 9.5/10
Year Released: 2010
Southern Lord Records

Review by: Piratehooker
January 4th, 2013

Whilst browsing Southern Lord's website a few months ago, I stumbled upon this band. I had no idea what to expect from the logo and artwork, but a quick Youtube search left me speechless. The opener track, 'Cross Builder', is awash with rolling, fuzzy black metal riffage, setting an extremely dark tone for the rest of the album. But on track 2, 'Death Alive', the album quickly changes pace from brooding black metal chaos to ferocious, rip-roaring Entombed-style death/punk, recorded and mixed with the signature Swedish 90's style. The rest of the tracks until the closer, '1968', continue for the most part in this fashion, leaving no survivors by the end of this monster of an album. Though the album is brief, clocking in at under 40 minutes, The Secret really have put together a masterpiece with 'Solve Et Coagula'. The Italians stand out from the slough of fusion bands emerging recently as particularly feral and misanthropic, combining two very different yet equally dark genres flawlessly, creating an album that leaves one guessing the band's next move after each track.The band has recently released 'Agnus Dei', their follow up to this album. Definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Colonize The Rotting - Composting the Masticated

Rating 9.5/10
Year Released: 2010
Sevared Records

Review by: Necrotizer
January 4th, 2013

Hold on to your dicks, because this album will make you piss yourself. This album slams so hard, you want to start smashing shit from start to finish. Catchy technical melodic slam, Colonize the Rotting (CTR) came from sunny California - bludgeoning the scene, featuring ex-members of Flesh Consumed and Dead Syndicate. The first two tracks impress and keep you grooving, but once Regurgitation Carrion unfolds, you have no choice but to gaze into the abyss with awe, as you try to contemplate how such a fluid composition can be so immaculately conceived. These are some of the heaviest hitting riffs, and you won't want to listen to anything else for at least a few days. After such a hard track to follow, Genesis of Putrescence has no problem dominating your eardrums with bone crushing bass drum blasts behind instantly classic riffs. Audio chefs, CTR cooks up a sincerely flavorful tones that you can really bite into. The vocals are unique and so incredibly brutal, you sometimes get the bass mixed up with them! The bass has great crispy and sharp tone, periodically blatantly slapping you in the face with brutality. Don't let your grandma catch you masturbating to this album. Far from forgettable, these pros come out shredding and brutalizing, letting you know that they are still in the game and ready to party!

Torture Krypt - Ressurecting the Krypts

Rating 9/10
Complete Demo Compilation
Year Released: 2010
Pathologically Explicit Records / Sevared Records

Review by: Necrotizer
January 4th, 2013

This impressive release is a compilation of all of Torture Krypt's previously releases on one disc.  I'm thankful that this re-release happened, or else I may have never stumbled across this extremely brutal old school NJ death grind.  Deep, rich, and evil - with flesh ripping song structures and riffs, this is one band the scene will not forget.  TK brings an explosion of finger-bleeding patterns that melt you faster than the citizens of Pompeii.  Rotted Remnants ('95) the best produced of the three, kicks us off, while we travel back in time with Bestial Mutation ('94), and then to their self-titled Torture Krypt ('93) backing up the assault.  A short 3 tracks, the '94 demo is perhaps best represented in the slightly higher fidelity version EP - Rotted Remnants.  Despite the duplicates, Sevared gives us the pleasure of hearing TK a year earlier and through a different production.  The songs are so good, that you won't mind hearing them again anyway.  The vocals are sinister and hypnotically evil - separating them from being easily pinpointed as worship.  The guitars and drums are chaotically driven weaving your hair in braids as you try to keep up while circle banging.  These melodies, beat-downs, and grooves will stay stuck in your head for weeks, leaving you humming and air guitar/drumming to these sick carnivorous zombie slams.  Its like they listened to Internal Bleeding's early days and then took it one step further in the true east coast death style while still giving you their own branding on their style of the genre.  If you missed out on the tape-trading days, its recommended you pick this up.

Goretrade - Mistaken Conception

Rating 6/10
Year Released: 2010
Brutalized Records

Review by: Necrotizer
January 4th, 2013

Goretrade, a long standing Colombian powerhouse in brutal death metal blurs the line between deathcore and brutal death metal with this almost controversial release. I have to respect their tenacity, as this album rarely slows down, however, some of the riffs are a little too simple and too catchy for my taste. The vocals sound like poetry, and we're blasted with a dual vocal audio injection. This trendy release is definitely worth a listen, but Goretrade has produced better. They possess the talent and riff-writing abilities to produce such a better full length, and this album won't stop me from listening to their next one. Although when some of the riffs are styled after Lamb of God, you can't but wonder if they are trying to appeal to the pop metal culture of America. On a positive note, some of the songs are straight up brutal death metal with relatively few minor annoyances sneaking in to your cd player when their hybrid genre crosses the line into the forbidden.  For long time fans of the legendary Goretrade sound, I would guess this album has about an 80% disappoint rate.  Nevertheless, they blast out the seemingly simple riffs and phrasing with classic Colombian prowess.  I do have to say its one of the few brutal death metal / deathcore crossover album that I still spin every now and then.