TECH/EXTREME PROG METAL

Deviating significantly from 2018's "Àmr" which saw IHSAHN approaching a more commercial sound at times, this eponymously titled release looks back to the Emperor years and rekindles the spirit of symphonic black metal only this time he replaces the synthesized embellishments with a fuller orchestral sound courtesy of advancements in sampling technologies. While orchestrated metal albums are hardly anything new, IHSAHN delivers a anew approach that eschews a mere symphonic backing and rather features two independent musical scores laid upon each other resulting in not only a more dynamic symphonic metal approach but also by spawning a secondary release that features the orchestral side of the equation exclusively.

Almost sounding like Emperor is playing over a Hollywood blockbuster soundtrack of some sort, IHSAHN crafts his usual mix of nerdy progressive metal replete with all the avant-garde elements that makes him exist in a world of his own along with the black metal raspy vocals, thundering guitar riffs and percussion to match. The album that features 11 tracks at nearly 49 minutes is reminiscent of some of Dimmu Borgir's later releases that offer an equal playing field for the orchestral musical score that oft soars above the black metal mania. And while the album sounds like IHSAHN has been accompanied by an entire philharmonic orchestra at times, the guest musicians only add up to three additional percussionists and a violinist leaving IHSAHN the chore of handling vocals, guitar, bass and orchestral sampling.

IHSAHN is actually quite a diverse album (would you expect anything else?) with varying tracks that features clean vocal led prog metal as on "The Promethean Spark" to full out raging black metal on such tracks as "A Taste Of The Ambrosia" but scattered throughout are tidbits of pure classical orchestration as heard on the opening "Cervus Venator" and the middle intermission "Anima Extraneae." Tempos vary, dynamics vary and stylistic approach may but the gist of this is a mix of crunchy black metal in tandem with classical orchestrations. Tracks like "Blood Trails To Love" feature a mix of the clean vocal prog metal with the raspy more extreme black. While hinting at Emperor's past glories, the metal on this release isn't nearly as full throttle as such magnus opuses as "In The Nightshade Eclipse."

Overall IHSAHN is a decent album but it's a bit uneven with no clear stylistic approach really dominating. While that can become a good thing if the sum of the parts add up to something more profound, this album seems a bit scattered which at times reveals both the metal aspects and the orchestral ones seem to cancel each other out a bit. The novelty of orchestral metal has long worn off and the execution of this seems less than satisfying. The addition of dreadfully long moments such as the album's 9-minute version of a ballad - "At The Heart Of All Things Broken" is actually really cheesy and i seriously would love to cut that entire track from the playing list.

The album seems to lose steam too much with half-assed percussion and metal that doesn't get up to full force. The orchestral parts just seem to dance around and don't really offer a very memorable experience either in a meaningful way. All in all it's a decent album but hardly one of IHSAHN's best. All the rave reviews about this bely it's downsides. I was somewhat impressed on the first listen but more attentive listening sessions reveal serious flaws that i can't shake. The patchiness of the album ruins its flow but as on all IHSAHN albums there are more than enough moments of triumphant victory. As a true fan i couldn't imagine not owning this but it certainly won't rank as a top contender for favorite IHSAHN releases.

3.5 rounded down

"Catalfalque - Comet" was immediately released but recorded from 1997 - 2002 which served as a transition album between the two phases of the band however by the time the band released its 2009 album "Leavings of Distortion Soul," TENEBRIS had mostly shed its death metal heritage and moved more into the world atmospheric sci-fi themed prog metal that adopted all kinds of various metal styles including a nod or two to its previous incarnation. ALPHA ORIONIS, named after a star cluster in Betelgeuse, followed in 2013 and took the band even further into the world of the avant-garde and experimental with a focus on psychedelic textures, jazz influences and even zeuhl based cyclical rhythms.

ALPHA ORIONIS is a strange album that really doesn't sound like any other. It's a veritable mix of the spacey atmospheric sounds of early Cynic especially when the few moments of death metal come in but through the run of 9 tracks that add up to 46 minutes of playing time, TENEBRIS really dishes out healthy doses of the entire metal universe with different stylistic approaches including totally distinct vocals appearing throughout the album's run. While mostly set to clean vocals, the occasional death growls occur during the more aggressive contrasts but for the most part this is a very atmospheric metallic version of space rock with layers of synthesizers offering subtle backgrounds and even more upfront cases of spacey keyboard runs.

The music can range from somewhat familiar progressive metal in the vein of early 90s Pestilence to very strange groove metal based sounds reminiscent of Nevermore. In addition to the sung vocals are lots of spoken vocals appearing throughout. The music alternates between heavy extreme metal, more atmospheric prog metal not unlike Porcupine Tree's heaviest to pacifying non-metal moments with clean guitars, heavy layers of synth and dreamy atmospheres. While all these styles come and go they usually play out for a lengthy period before changing the mood dial. ALPHA ORIONIS is a true progress metal album in that excels at crafting demanding time signature workouts despite the album's overall flow feeling quite relaxed despite the business of the heavy drum, bass and guitar workouts.

This is definitely a unique album from this Polish band and for those seeking out some of the weirdest and unorthodox extreme metal out there then this album shouldn't be missed. It features a really nice production and a strange procession of metal and space ambient sounds that somehow keep a nice flow with some zeuhl inspired rhythms. Possibly a bit claustrophobic sounding for some and admittedly a bit busy in the atmospheric department with the vocals often low in the mix but all of this guarantees a very strange album experience that won't disappoint those looking for something different. Personally i think this is a great album that showcases as much extreme originality as it does extreme soundscapes. Definitely one for fans of the difficult music listening section.

It´s Phlebotomized first professional studio recording and it means a lot as a listener to be able to hear their progressive inclined old school death/doom metal with better sounding production values than the ones found on their early demo recordings. This is a band with many interesting songwriting ideas and compostional details, which are now audible in the soundscape. In addition to heavy distorted guitar riffs and drumming, the music also features some gloomy/eerie sounding keyboards and a violinist has also been added to the ranks since the last release, which provides the band´s music with another layer. This would unfortunately be Barry Schuyer´s last release with Phlebotomized, because his ultra brutal deep growling vocals are both powerful and well performed.

If comparisons should be made to any contemporary artists I´d mention Pan.Thy.Monium as the band who Phlebotomized have most in common with. The unpreditability of the song structures, the use of gloomy/eerie sounding keyboards, and the adventurous approach to songwriting. This is a band who can go from sounding like a lot of other old school death metal artists from the early 90s (with both heavy mid-paced sections and faster-paced blasting), to playing melancholic/mournful doom/death metal parts, to playing some pretty interesting progressive ideas. All within the same song. Definitely worth a listen this one. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

Stylistically this is death/doom metal with faster death metal parts too (even blasting) and a brutal growling vocalist. What makes Phlebotomized stand out from the crowd is their use of gloomy/eerie sounding keyboards which provide their music with something a bit different from other contemporary artists. This is still pretty grim and brutal old school death metal though, but just with the occasionally added slightly progressive edge because of the addition of keyboards.

"In Search of Tranquillity" is an atmospheric instrumental intro track while both "Subtle Disbalanced Liquidity" and "Desecration of Alleged Christian History" are more regular death/doom metal tracks. The quality of the material is decent and these early recordings from Phlebotomized are certainly promising and also well performed and relatively well produced (considering that these recordings are culled from a demo). A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

The potential which was heard on the "Live" demo is fully realized here. The studio sound production is still raw and brutal, but you can hear all instruments and vocals in the mix. Stylistically the material is death/doom metal with gloomy/eerie sounding keyboards. There are still faster-paced death metal parts (even blasting) here, so their death metal/grindcore past under the Bacterial Disease monicker hasn´t been completely forgotten. The vocals are brutal death metal growling.

The demo features a couple of shorter intro/outro/breather tracks, so it´s only four out of the seven tracks featured on the 28:10 minutes long demo, which are "regular" death/doom metal songs. The tracks are relatively unconventionally structured and the addition of keyboards provide Phlebotomized with a progressive touch. They certainly ensure that "Devoted To God" isn´t like listening to any other death metal demo from that time. So this is definitely an interesting and quite adventurous death/doom metal release from the early 90s and it´s well worth investigating. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

It´s a bit unusual for a band to release a live demo as their first release (mostly debut demos from that time were rehearsal demos or relatively lo-fi 4-track tape recorder demos). Phlebotomized have however managed to produce a decent sounding live demo which in terms of production values are a least on par with most contemporary rehearsal demos. It´s certainly both lo-fi, murky, and noisy, but you still get a good idea of what Phlebotomized are about. Although Phlebotomized are a bit more death metal oriented they tab into a lot of the same stylistic elements as their fellow contemporary countrymen in The Gathering. Doomy death metal with keyboards. Where The Gathering present a romantic and epic take on the genre Phlebotomized are a bit more brutal and gritty though. Early Paradise Lost is arguably a big influence on the sound here.

"Live" features four tracks and a total playing time of 27:24 minutes, so there is both quantity and time to get to know Phlebotomized. Although the band feature a permanent keyboard player in the lineup, the keyboards aren´t a dominant feature of Phlebotomized sound. at least not at this point, but when they are heard in the mix they add the right gloomy/eerie atmosphere to the music. Lead vocalist Barry Schuyer has a brutal growling vocal style and in terms of musicianship the band are solid. Nothing outstanding and nothing out of the ordinary for the time, but they are a well playing band. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

there is a type of band that releases material and then rarely appears, that hides in the shadows with an unpredictable nature and then releases other material and disappears again, Starkweather is that type of band.

Nightmare Memory is my first contact with this band and this little 21 minute EP is very solid, they are a Metalcore band, but not the kind of Metalcore you expect, and the first song on the EP ''Armed Memory'' already hits with full force, atonal and heavy metalcore riffs with a distorted virtuosity and along with that, from Harry Rosa versatile drum and Todd Forkin crazy guitar to Rennie Resmini vocals, I particularly like them, they are quite original and he sings with agonizing and frightening way that contributes greatly to the overall atmosphere of this EP.

''Armed Memory'' is a very solid track that surprised me because of how overwhelming and strident it is, everything is executed very well, and then comes my favorite track and the last one ''Nightmare Factory'' is a spectacle and further elevates its predecessor, an abstract cinematic flow of insanely raucous metalcore riffs, a tortured and distorted atmosphere, with a very interesting and frightening progression, it genuinely feels like a nightmare, and it ends in a way that wow...if It equates to El Mundo Frio from Corrupted for me in terms of atmosphere.

Starkweather is characterized by extreme metalcore riffs and cinematic structure with avant-garde and prog touches and abstract lyrics, and on Nightmare Memory they do this masterfully, it's not an EP that I could call a masterpiece, but the way they play is so unique and interesting and executed so well that I highly recommend it, however, I only recommend this EP to those who can or like listening to heavy music, what's here may not please many and Starkweather is certainly inaccessible, but overall, an excellent EP.

8.8/10

Deemed as one of the best British debut albums ever released by Terrorizer magazine, AKERCOCKE hit the scene and immediately stood out for its erratic stage presence, unorthodox musical style and over-the-top celebration of everything Satanic and psycho-sexual. In this regard the band took the ethos of the early 70s band Black Widow where it did away with any subtitles and ambiguity and simply announced in full celebratory glee that Christianity was bad and everything Satan or Lucifer was to be revered. Perhaps a little adolescent in approach but adds a humorous element to an otherwise extremely intense delivery of death metal growls that mixed grindcore, black metal, post-punk and a touch of progressive rock.

This debut is quite different than the more progressive albums that followed. RAPE OF THE BASTARD NAZARENE was the band's gritty grimy DIY self-released album that featured a muddy production and a give no [%*!#]s attitude about how to deliver a stream of Satanic extreme metal compositions and crazy spoken word narratives that pop up throughout the album's original 33 minute plus run. After the short declaration of two girls denouncing all things Christian and declaring only Satan and Lucifer as the true way, the album starts off with a bizarre metal style that is really apparent what exactly it is. It sounds like death metal with growly vocals, blastbeat drumming ferocity, speedfest riffing and the intensity of an old school death metal but it also features a buzzing guitar sound, call and response female vocals backing up the growly leads and an unorthodox sort of grindcore meets post-punk compositional style.

The tracks retain a rather industrial style as if Killing Joke were the basis of the rhythms while the death metal handled the tones, timbres and delivery system. The track "Marguerite & Gretchen" jumps into a strange progressive metal style with clean vocals and crazy time signatures along with varying musical motifs that find the clean vocals and the growly ones having a full fledged duet along with female singers as the backups. The album is regularly interpreted by various intermissions that reaffirm their allegiance to Satan such as the 2-minute "Conjuration" which makes the entire album feel as if it was made by a Satanic cult. In this regard it reminds me of those Father Yod and his Ya Ho Wa 13 projects from the 70s were the cult members participated in chanting and other subordinate musical contributions.

I guess the best term to describe this would be avant-blackened death metal but really the debut by AKERCOCKE is unique even by the band's own standards. It's like the ferocious old school death metal of Obituary collided with the Luciferian first wave black metal of Venom with the giddiness of 70s Black Widow, the grind aspects of Pig Destroyer along with some prog technicalities and dark ambient rituals. The album doesn't seem to get a lot of love in the greater AKERCOCKE canon but it's actually one of my favorites. It's so bizarre and unapologetically evil as [%*!#] that it becomes endearing in a very morbid twisted way! Best of all the album is a testament to the creative spirit of a newbie band spewing its venom on the world's stage. Add to that the instrumental interplay is excellent and the juxtaposition of styles and interludes makes the entire thing come off as a stage performance of some kind. While the production is the main complaint on this one, personally i find it makes the underground cult feel more authentic. To me this is an excellent slice of crazy extreme metal from the 90s.

While The Faceless first two albums ("Akeldama" from 2006 and "Planetary Duality" from 2008) were both scorching technical and quite brutal death metal albums with a progressive edge, "Autotheism" took the progressive element of the band´s music a bit further and left behind some of the most brutal parts of the band´s music, and that tendency is continued on "In Becoming a Ghost" which is a highly progressive and technical death metal album, featuring more clean vocals than any The Faceless releases before it and the album also features a lot of excursions into progressive metal territories in terms of unconventional song structures and songwriting ideas. This is still to some extent death metal and at times still pretty extreme music, but the extremity of the band´s music is often overshadowed by the adventurous songwriting ideas and melodic and atmospheric approach to their compositions.

"In Becoming a Ghost" is well produced, featuring a powerful, detailed, and clear sound, which suits the material well. So upon conclusion it´s another high quality release from The Faceless. If you enjoyed the more progressive inclined songwriting on "Autotheism" over the technical and brutal death metal of "Akeldama" and "Planetary Duality", then "In Becoming a Ghost" should most certainly be right down your alley. Compared to "Autotheism" I´d even say that The Faceless master this style better on "In Becoming a Ghost", which to my ears is a more coherrent release (including the cover version of "Shake the Disease" by Depeche Mode). The one feature bringing my rating down a bit is the clean vocals. They aren´t out of tune or badly performed but Keene simply doesn´t have a very interesting or distinct sounding voice. It´s like listening to the clean vocals on Enslaved´s releases. They´re decently performed and quite inoffensive, but they don´t really add much to the music. They are just there and it´s hard not to think that the music would have had more impact with a stronger vocalist performing the clean vocal parts. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

It´s an interesting idea to pair two artists like Bewitched and F, as they have very little in common. Usually when you purchase a split you´ll expect that the artists featured on the split have some sort of musical connection, but that´s certainly not the case here. Bewitched deliver a lo-fi blackened doom metal attack, which sounds like a very primitive and not very professional version of early Katatonia. The vocals are doubled with both growling, high pitched screams, and clean vocals. The material features a dark and occult sound, which is pretty much what it has going for it, because the performances are pretty amaturish and the songwriting simple and not very interesting.

The F part of the split is a completely different beast, as the listener is now exposed to over 20 minutes of avantgarde and experimental music. F (and before they changed their name Funcunt) are one of the most odd and experimental acts from the late 80s/early 90s Finnish extreme metal scene, and "Pronimo" is just as crazy and weird as the material which came before it. F produce an incredibly eclectic, ever shifting, and busy avantgarde sound, which features elements from mathcore, fusion, psychedelic music, alien atmospheres, and just a complete disregard of regular song structures. If you enjoyed the 1993 "I-III" debut album from F, you´ll surely appreciate the "Pronimo" track too, as it´s in a similar style.

Upon conclusion "My Death for You on a Night of Cursed Full Moon / Pronimo" is an almost impossible split to evalute as the two artists move in such different directions and the skills and professionalism of the two artists almost couldn´t be further apart. I´ll go with a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating as a compromise. The Bewitched part of the split is probably around a 2.5 star (50%) rating and the F part is a 4 star (80%) rating, so a compromise is only fair.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).