Misery Index - Heirs to Thievery

My last post here at NWMetalhead was a review of deathgrindsters Leng Tch’e’s latest effort, which failed to completely enthrall me. So it is almost fitting that with my next review I discuss a band that does deathgrind extremely well. Misery Index is a band that goes unnoticed all too often, which is a shame because they utterly destroy on all their records as well as in the live experience. If you see them coming to your town, do all that is possible to witness their sonic brutality. Heirs to Thievery is the follow-up to 2008’s incredible Traitors. That was an album that is difficult to live up to but HtT is up to the task and may even surpass its predecessor. Starting off the album is the crushing “Embracing Extinction.” This track is a pure grind song which does not stop the pummeling for the entire duration of the song. It sets the tone for the rest of the album showing that it will not let up with only few mid paced moments that only lets you catch your breath before finishing the obliteration. “Sleeping Giants” is one of the standout tracks in my opinion. What makes this track so great is that it basically brings the band full circle. The band started out with former members of death metal giants Dying Fetus and the song features guest vocals from John Gallagher of Dying Fetus. When his guttural growls hit the song almost turns into a DF song, which is not a bad thing at all. His distinct style of “singing” brings an extra layer of heaviness that makes the track one of my favorite Misery Index tracks ever.

What makes this album so great is that there is not a throw away track to be found. From start to finish every song is very good, which we see less often these days. A lot of bands seem to have albums with a few tracks made to be singles and some other decent songs to fill out the album. HtT is one that is an entire album of great songs. The drums stand out to me as they are brutally fast and rarely let up. They create a low end that drive the songs but do not overpower the guitars or vocals. The production is set up perfectly for their deathgrind sound. Grind is supposed to be a gritty, raw sound but when combined with their version that incorporates death, the clear production really emphasizes their sound. Overall this has ended up being one of the best releases of the year so far. It is definitely one you should all check out.

www.myspace.com/miseryindex

Album Review

Leng Tch’e

Hypomanic

The newest offering from Belgian death grindsters Leng Tch’e is a heaping dose of loud aggressive death metal with varying hints of grind and hardcore. The album starts off with Wirehead Imbeciles, a track that begins with a typical fade in intro that segues into some fast death metal but quickly turns into a basically hardcore chorus. The guitars slow down to a metalcore chug with breakdown worthy double bass kicks. It really did not start off well with me. Track number two, A.Men, starts to get closer to the grind that I had been looking for but about halfway through the less than 2 minute long song the same type of core-ish breakdown appears that eventually leads into more death stylings. Track number three continues in the same fashion but breaks it up in the middle with a riff that seems like it would fit better on a thrash album. It is a great sounding riff that leads into some great death/grind that makes the song much better than the previous two tracks.

What I have noticed with the first few songs is that the band seems to try to be everything to everyone without fully honing their skills in any one genre. I, for one, love the sub-genre melting pot that is metal these days. Blackened thrash, blackened death, folk/black; there are any number of ways to integrate different sub-genres into a band’s sound and make it sound amazing. And one of the most important parts of mixing genres is making the normally different sounds complement each other and weave seamlessly together. What Leng Tch’e have done here is bring together death, grind, and hardcore and just put several different passages into each song. Bringing together these different genres and making it sound great is possible, Misery Index is a great example of a band that is able to accomplish this. What didn’t work for me was that each sound was separate and almost made each song have different tracks within themselves. Death then grind then hardcore then death, next track. This carries on for the entire album. Not even having Barney Greenway contribute guest vocals can make this a must have album. All in all I can call this a decent but not great album.

Pure Molten Metal

One of the great facets of metal music is that there is practically no end to the amount of bands that you can find. Every day there are new bands forming from scratch, side projects being formed, collaborations coming together, and bands reuniting. That makes this art form pretty special because there are limitless options when you want to listen to something new. One of the main options that one has is to listen to the local bands from your area. Granted, you will probably find more bands that are subpar than ones that you will continue to listen to for many years, but it is your chance to discover new talent that the majority of the metal listeners in the world have not yet heard. Small bars, clubs, and even house parties are great ways to find these bands. One of the best ways to see them when bigger bands come to town and local bands get to open up for them. This is where I have discovered several great local bands.

Living in the Seattle area is great because there is no end to the amount of bands around. This area has birthed such amazing bands as Nevermore, Himsa, Wolves in the Throne Room, Book of Black Earth, and Queensryche. They are started with humble beginnings and rose to incredible heights. There was some point in all of these bands’ careers that they were simply a really good local band. It is from this foundation that they ascended to the top of the game. Many times people discover new bands from their area and hope that they become these impressive stars that the above mentioned bands did. Below I have listed some great bands from the Seattle area that I believe have the ability to climb those heights. They have all played big shows in town, opened for bigger bands, and played local festivals. Soon many of them could land higher profile tours, get big record contracts, and become household names, in the extreme metal world. Feel free to give them a listen and check them out so that they can become bigger stars. Feel free to share some of your favorite local bands so that other can become fans as well.

Shaded Enmity (http://www.myspace.com/shadedenmity)

Dying to Bleed (http://www.myspace.com/dyingtobleed)

Funeral Age (http://www.myspace.com/funeralage)

Gravenloch (http://www.myspace.com/gravenloch)

No Living Witness (http://www.myspace.com/nolivingwitnessmusic)

Beltfed Weapon (http://www.myspace.com/beltfedweapon)

Drakul (http://www.myspace.com/drakulwa)

Future Disorder (http://www.myspace.com/futuredisorder)

Album Review

Blasphemophagher

…For Chaos, Obscurity, and Desolation…

Evil, demented, loves Jesus: guess which one of these does not apply to the new Blasphemophagher album. If you guess “loves Jesus” you would be correct, congratulations!!! Here we are with a new blast of blackened death brutality from one of the best bands to come out of Italy. Ten tracks of unrelenting pummeling that will send you into a pit of destruction against anything and everything in your path. This is truly an album to destroy the world to. The album starts off with the slow building “Intro / Descending into Extermination,” which climaxes into utter madness. The song ascends to chaos which sets the tone for the rest of the album. “Perverse Multiverse of Damnation” is the third track and it is the epitome of brutality as the drums seem to be taken over by a machine and not a man. Necrovomiterror sets the rhythm for the song by beating the bass drums like a madman and creates a speed with which not many bands can keep up with for short bursts much less a whole song or even an album. In the middle of the song, a nice little guitar solo breaks up the brutality to show that the band want to create more than just a loud mix of pure madness. It is a short burst but nonetheless shows that the band does have great musicianship. The album never lets up and shows what makes death/black metal such an amazing force. If you are new to the genre make sure to check out this album!!!

Playlist

Dark Faith – Desecrated Silence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVpzb2jBv20&feature=related

Valdur – Blodhevn / Vendetta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT41kE8poDY

Lightning Swords of Death – Let This Knife Lead You To US

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjW9rS7ylVY&feature=related

Angelcorpse – Stormclouds Unbound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuhTh_4MmTQ&feature=related

Overkill – Horrorscope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnbkooM9CM8

Arkona –Ot Serdsta K Nebu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvWjn4zBBPs&feature=related

Thy Majestie – Maiden of Steel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCnXO1ovNR8

Lockup – A Life After Purgatory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK0xHGoqOHE

Severe Dementia – Howls of Murshidabad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ1WneBeS4c

SSS – Thrash With A Mustache

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHxOW6N0N98

Album Review

Immolation

Majesty and Decay

It is always a big deal when one of the leaders of the death metal community comes out with a new album. I believe metalheads are always looking forward to these albums because they love to hear their favorite bands come out with new material and hope that it still carries the same qualities that drew them in when they first heard the band. Immolation is one of those legendary bands that can create a huge buzz simply by putting out new material. And their new album, Majesty and Decay, lives up to Immolation’s illustrious career.

The album starts off with “Intro,” an eerie mix of screams and atmospheric effects that gives the listener chills when listening for the first time. Then without any warning, “The Purge” kicks in and pummels you into submission. Bludgeoning double bass kicks capable of giving the listener a concussion starts the song off and gives you a hint of the journey to come. The drums rarely stop even when the guitars slow down, creating a devastating impression of pure doom and dread. Next up is “A Token of Malice,” a short but brutal track with intense lyrics. “Cast the fire, scorch the earth / Punish them and rip the ground away / Storm with vengeance, leveled plains / Leave them nothing and lay the land to waste.” The following track is the namesake of the album, “Majesty and Decay.” The song epitomizes the entire album by showing brutally fast riffs and solos (majesty) as well as the slower, incredibly intense passages (decay.) When Ross Dolan growls over these evil sounds one can be forgiven if they think that devil is actually being invoked through their speakers.

The album continues on to completely obliterate most of the death metal albums that have come out this year. Immolation continue to further their legacy of being one of the greatest death metal bands of all time. With an uncompromisingly heavy sound, Immolation maintain their tradition of writing great albums while proving that death metal is a true art form when done the right way.

Pure Molten Metal

Well, here we are, about to jump into another summer season of hopefully great tours. This is the time for bands to really shine, to prove that everyone should be out there and buying their albums. Putting on great performances leads to more album sales, more merch sales, bigger tours and more chances to play in front of adoring crowds. I recently went to see Dying Fetus, Arsis, Misery Index, Annotations of an Autopsy, Conducting From the Grave, and No Living Witness and it was incredible. Opening up the night was local band No Living Witness who had great stage presence and a very good sound, just unfortunate that there was barely a crowd to witness otherwise they would have gotten a bigger response. The next 2 bands, AOAA and CFTG, were not my style preferring to play the much maligned deathcore brand. While having a lot of energy, I just could not get too into them. Up next was the incredible Misery Index, a band birthed from former members of Dying Fetus, and they completely slayed the crowd. Following them were the powerful Arsis playing their brand of thrashy melo-death that melted the collective crowds' faces. And finaly Dying Fetus came to the stage playing such classics as Pissing in the Mainstream and Skull Fucked. The pit was churning, the crowd was loud, the band was intense, and the overall show was amazing. They continue to be one of my favorite bands.

What I am getting at with this short concert review is that to get the true metal experience one must see the spectacle of the live perfromance. You get to witness the power of the vocals, the thunderous beat of the drums, and the wizardry of the guitars and bass that make up your favorite albums. In addition to this, you get to discover new bands. There have been several shows where one of the opening bands completely steal the show from the headliner and I walk away with their shirt on my back. It allows local bands to perform along with the bands that they look up to and allow them a chance to be discovered as well. There is the camaraderie between you and your friends that all go to the show, between the countless people that you can meet at the show, and even the bands themselves because many of them spend time at the merch booth and even at the bar just hanging out. Going to shows is integral for every metalhead and the summer-time is a perfect chance for everyone to go to shows. This summer bands such as Saint Vitus, Soilwork, Death Angel, Orphaned Land, Immloation, Nile, and countless others are making the rounds and I will be at as many shows as I possibly can.

See you in the pit!!!

Ronnie James Dio - July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010

As we all have undoubtedly heard by now, one of the pillars of the metal community has past on. Ronnie James Dio, the man with the incredible voice who had the undeniably difficult task of taking over the vocal responsibilities for Black Sabbath after Ozzy left the band, has succumbed to stomach cancer after being diagnosed less than one year ago. This is one of those monumental times where you will never forget where you were when you heard the news of his passing. In my opinion, this ranks up there with the deaths of Hendrix, Morrison, and Cobaine. With a career that spanned four decades, his presence has been felt by several diffierent generations. His work with Elf and Rainbow were the kickoffs for his illustrious career but it was when he got the call in 1980 to join the heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath that he really became a household name. The albums Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules were classic albums that helped regenerate Sabbath as a power in the music world. He then continued his success with his solo career and put out one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time with Holy Diver. It was and continues to be a pinnacle in metal, one that every metal musician aspires to achieve.

Even as he went on in years, his voice never faltered, his enthusiasm for performing never waned, and his dedication to his fans continued to grow. He was the consmate front man and, from everything I have ever read about him, he was a genuinely kind human being. This is a great loss for metal and we will never see a man like Dio ever again.

Rest in peace Dio, you are gone but never will be forgotten.

Week 2 Playlist

Here it is, the new playlist format. Come check out some great death, folk, and black metal. Enjoy and keep up the horns!!!

Urgrund – Saga of Redemption

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQitgGSirO8

Ignivomous – Noneuclidean Maelstrom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pucsXy3qgS4

Melechesh – Ladders to Sumeria

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgIclwhNgo&feature=related

Eluveitie – Thousandfold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb8WGig0MLU

Coldworker – Reversing the Order

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xZqcloVRr8

Krisiun – Combustion Inferno

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRBy2_Un_zY

Resurrection – Pure Be Damned

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNGx_vXow8k

Dying Fetus – Pissing in the Mainstream

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suhc5FfF8YQ

Nile – Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who is In the Water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq_KJnb7djY

Zimmers Hole – When You Were Shouting At the Devil….We Were In League With Satan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpAA-NBUqYk

Correction

So my idea for having a playlist did not pan out because I cannot find a way to put a media player on the blog, so stay tuned for some new ideas to show you all some great metal. Keep those horns up!!!!