BLOOD BECOMES FIRE

I first heard BEASTWARS a few years ago when I was practising with my old Wellington band The Postures. One night, we stopped for a break and from the room next door, instead of the usual crap covers band murdering ”Sweet Jane” we heard this mammoth riffage of the kind that makes one automatically throw the horns. Turns out these sludge/doom merchants were Beastwars, and we could immediately tell they were destined for great things. Over the next couple of years, once they finally started playing shows, the seeds of the songs that we had initially heard booming through the walls at the practise space turned into mighty doom metal anthems.

Beastwars' credo is simple: Obey The Riff. Throughout their second album, Blood Becomes Fire, that mantra resonates through every gargantuan chord, monolithic bass line, thunderous drumbeat and the truly monstrous vocals. You could say much the same of the band's eponymous 2011 record - everything that was great about that album is present here, only cranked up to 11! 

"Dune" opens the album with a wallop; those stunning riffs, a sci-fi bend to the lyrics,  and some great interplay in the rhythm section of James Woods (bass) and Nato Hickey (drums). The thing that makes Beastwars such a kick-ass band is the way everything works together, with no wasted notes or unnecessary sonic detours. The songs move forward with an economy of purpose, and tend to finish where most other bands would proceed to play a riff to death. Matt Hyde's commanding roar is one of the most unique things about the band, and his range is diverse, with an almost bluesy turn on "Rivermen". 

Time, mortality and prophecy are predominant lyrical themes, like great metal albums before them (Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son springs to mind), all of which feature on "Tower Of Skulls". The bass-driven "Ruins" quickens the pace, before descending into a pile-driving mid-section. The title track opens with a riff and rhythms reminiscent of industrial sludge kings Godflesh, but moves into vastly different territory thanks a haunting performance from Hyde. "The Sleeper" closes the album in an epic way; guitarist Clayton Anderson's searing lead break is absolutely triumphant. 

Dale Cotton's hefty production avoids over-embellishment in favour of just capturing the band's performances at their finest. Like their first album, Beastwars have utilised the talents of Nick Keller to create some majestic gatefold album art, something which one can only really appreciate on the vinyl version of the album. I've only had the record for under a week, and already it seems destined for a long residency on my turntable. The good news  for those of us on the other side of the Tasman is that the band are making a trek over to Australia in May, after an album release tour of New Zealand. The dates are as follows:

May 10th – The Manning Bar, Sydney with Unida and Truckfighters
May 11th – The Bendigo Hotel, Melbourne with The Ruiner, Broozer and Batpiss
May 12th – The Hi Fi , Melbourne with Unida

Check out the video for "Tower Of Skulls" below, and listen to and purchase the album on the band's website or Bandcamp page.

http://bloodbecomesfire.com/ 

http://beastwars.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beastwars666

Photo: David James

BLACK BREATH

BLACK BREATH - The Reverence Hotel, 11 April 2013

I've been a fan of the Seattle five-piece's d-beat/crust-infused death metal for a little while now, and they did not disappoint live. Black Breath's vibe is decidedly old-school - ceiling-scraping Marshall stacks, two bass drums, as well as the fact the band are bunch of hair farmers from way-back - and their delivery is polished as fuck. I have not seen a band this tight in a while, and the way they casually ripped through material from both of their full-lengths was breathtaking - by which I mean the singer had barely a moment to take a breath between onslaughts! Opener "Endless Corpse" from latest LP Sentenced To Life set the stage for what was to come, namely a flawlessly executed set. Their command of the classic Entombed buzzsaw guitar sound is a mighty thing on record, but the two guitarists took it to another level live: the result was some utterly crushing riffage, and the leads venture into the more melodic end of the spectrum, like those Swedish bands from back in the day. Vocalist Neil McAdams possesses a monstrous roar, and a great stage presence - though his voice seemed to be flagging a bit by the set's end, possibly because the guy has been giving it his all over their Australian tour, so it's not a critique, just an observation! And let's not forget the quality of the songs - "I Am Beyond", "Escape From Death", "Black Sin (Spit On The Cross)" - these guys have riffs with hooks, and in no way is that a bad thing! The drummer was on form throughout, alternating between rapid-fire blasts to the more mid-tempo material with aplomb. The band were clearly stoked to be here, and finished the night with a mighty version of "Wewhocannotbenamed' from Heavy Breathing. All in all, a great show. All hail the new wave of crusty death metal!

https://www.facebook.com/BLACKBREATH.MUSIC

Photo: HEAVYMETALFACE

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This blog has been inactive for a little while now, so I have taken it upon myself to restart it. Expect much more content! This time I mean it! \m/

NUMBSKULL & METH DRINKER - SFBH 26.01.11

There's something of a lack of local content here, something I will remedy right this instant! I caught these two bands at San Fran the other night, an great show to be sure (the bar ran outta beer, if that says anything!). Numbskull specialise in awesome thrash/grindcore, with some of the shortest songs this side of Napalm Death. They manage to pack more into a 10 minute set than most bands pack into their whole career! Originally a trio featuring members of local heroes Entrails and Razorwyre, they have added a bass player to the line-up and if anything, made their sound even heavier. They also opened with a bit of a nod to Sabbath, always a good sign in my book. Hopefully they will get a release out soon (also a t-shirt too, as they have some great graphics, see above!). If anything, this show was a fantastic clash of opposites, as Meth Drinker followed and proceeded to get very, very heavy and very, very slow, with some sludgy doom that rattled one's skull in the best possible way! There ain't enough bands playing doom or sludge in Wellington, and these guys are doing it very well indeed. They also have a 12" record out, head over to Always Never Fun Records and pick up a copy.

UPDATE: check out Numbskull's demo tape here!

Numbskull:



Meth Drinker:


Videos by Marms.

METALFACE RECOMMENDS...

Ghost

Welcome to 2011! I have been quite slack in updating the blog for a while now, clearly I haven't been listening to enough metal! Here are some recommendations that I've been thrashing over the last little while, featuring a couple from the great US label Profound Lore, and fantastic new Swedish emissaries of Satan, Ghost.

Agalloch - Marrow Of The Spirit (Profound Lore)



This Portland, Oregon avant-black metal band has been around for awhile now. I first heard them with their 2006 release Ashes Against the Grain, which is a pretty solid album, taking strong melodic cues from the post-rock/post-metal sound (think Isis, Pelican et al.) that abounded at the time. Vocalist/guitarist John Haughm, however, kept things firmly black metal with his incredibly harsh voice, sitting on top of the music almost slightly uncomfortably. Listening to their latest album Marrow of the Spirit , the polished production of Ashes... has largely been discarded in favour of a more integrated and organic sound. Haughm's vocals in particular are blended more effectively into the surrounding music, which is amongst the finest and furious black metal I've heard. Like fellow Americans Wolves In The Throne Room, Agalloch's themes largely concern nature, death, and rebirth, and this is wrought into a toweringly dark and epic album that flows as a singular piece of music. For instance, over the course of album centrepiece "Black Lake Nidstång" they veer from a folk-tinged industrial soundscape into a slow post-rock build that crescendos with Haughm's anguished vocals and fades into a keyboard and arpeggiated guitar passage that finally explodes into a full ensemble thrash-out. Elsewhere, on tracks like "Into the Painted Grey" and "The Watcher's Monolith", orchestral and post-rock influences abound throughout the inspired arrangements, yet what anchors these songs is the frantic blastbeats, shredding guitars and Haughm's guttural vocals - in other words, the metal!

The Howling Wind - Into The Cryosphere (Profound Lore)



The Howling Wind are taking cues from Darkthrone, aesthetically at least: two dudes, no shows, raw as fuck. Guitarist/vocalist/etc. Ryan Lipynsky (Unearthly Trance/Thralldom) and drummer Tim Call utlise a incredibly heavy and stripped down approach that simply annihilates everything in its path. This is a concept album about Antarctica, the song names conjuring up images of malevolent cold, chilling frosts and the malicious wrath of the elements: "Teeth Of Frost", "Ice Cracking in The Abyss", "A Dead Galaxy Mirrored In An Icy Mirage". A great amalgam of black/thrash/sludge metal, Lipynsky and Call know when to change it up and keep it interesting: from varied, polyrhythmic passages to straight-up d-beat thrash, with an almost industrial tone emerging in places. Amidst all the blastbeats and tremolo picking, "Impossible Eternity" takes things down a notch and manages to sound like Neurosis. Into the Cryosphere is definitely worth a listen, no doubt heard best at midnight on an icy tundra under the indifferent and freezing moon!

Ghost - Opus Eponymous (Rise Above)




I wouldn't hesitate to describe this band as Satanic metal at it's finest. Recalling the work of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate (particularly the 1984 album Don't Break the Oath), Sweden's Ghost have discovered that the best way to convert the unknowing to their evil cause is to veil it in the trappings of 70's metal, and throw in a good dose of catchy pop sensibility. It sounds a bit bizarre on paper, but trust me, a couple of listens and you'll be singing along. These "nameless ghouls" also look the part, the vocalist dressed like a satanic pontiff and the rest of the band going for classic hooded black robes. Their debut release, Opus Eponymous, begins dramatically with a spooky organ intro, and from there it doesn't let up, from the awesome riff (and Latin chants!) of "Con Clavi Con Dio", through to the chorus of "Ritual" ("this chapel of ritual/smells of dead human sacrifices/from the altar bed"), and songs about notorious metal muse Elizabeth Bathory. Shades of Sabbath emerge on "Death Knell", and "Prime Mover" showcases the singer's amazing talents. "Genesis" closes the album with a upbeat instrumental, that closes on a pastoral acoustic note. All told, this album is something out of leftfield - the "retro" feel doesn't fit in alongside the wealth of Satanic fare that dominates subgenres like black and death metal, yet Ghost manage to be waaaay more evil than any corpsepainted internet troll trying to be kvlt. Initiates, bow down and worship!

Here's a live clip from the Hammer of Doom festival in Germany:

NEED TO CONTROL

Brutal Truth

A bit of a slow week here, but the blog has a new logo thanks to Chris at Witch Ghetto. Head over and check out his excellent design work!

Earache Records have re-released Brutal Truth's mighty 1994 album Need To Control, along with bonus tracks including a hilarious and WTF-inducing Pink Floyd cover! This is a great album - opening cut "Collapse" takes a turn toward the industrial, then is followed by the frenetic and blasting "Black Door Mine". It's hardcore punk taken to it's logical conclusion, played with metal chops but not wasting any time showing off their (frankly awesome) technical ability. Continuing the industrial theme, "Ironlung" is a sampled apocalyptic soundscape (either that or a bong-rip slowed right down!). Throw in a Germs cover ("Media Blitz") and some crushing doom ("Ordinary Madness") for good measure, and you have a grind record that is constantly taking by you surprise, but unexpected leftfield craziness is all part of Brutal Truth's M.O. This one is essential for any fans of grindcore, or just good, experimental metal in general.

METALFACE RECOMMENDS....

Colin Marston from Krallice (photo from Brooklyn Vegan)

This will be a regular feature where I rant about some albums that I've been listening to lately.

TWILIGHT - Monument To Time End

A black metal supergroup? Yeah, sure, why not? Looking at the resumes of the people who made this record (members of Nachtmystium, Isis, Minsk, Leviathan and more), that this is a seriously varied record is to be expected (see: post-punk disco breakdowns, ambient interludes, choral vocals), and it is underpinned by some seriously awesome drumming courtesy of Wrest from the band Leviathan. Twilight clearly went for an experimental approach when making the album, but the risk-taking works extremely well and some of the tunes on here are absolutely massive. Check out "8000 Years", which is pretty much a straight-up pop song (relatively speaking, of course)!



KRALLICE - Dimensional Bleedthrough

I discovered New York post-black metal band Krallice after finding an album by the band's guitarist Mick Barr, who records incredible solo guitar/monolithic trance induction as Ocrilim/Octis and the highly technical/spaz duo Orthrelm. Checking out his myspace, there was a link to the Krallice page, and lo, soon I was listening to some progged-out, complex, and brutally fast metal, definitely coming from the black metal tip, but it's a particularly unique take on the style, featuring intense shredding from Barr and Colin Marston (Dysrhythmia, Behold ... The Arctopus) so fast it becomes rippling textural and melodic passages moving through the music, and Mick Barr's emaciated and sparingly-used rasp is a far cry from the gurgling grimness of something like Immortal. Combined with math-y, tech (but not too tech, if you dig) drumming, both the albums Krallice have released are epic, focused and dense, deserving of repeated listens as the intricacies of the songs reveal themselves over time. Their latest, Dimensional Bleedthrough, is an expansion from the 2008 debut, no drastic stylistic changes have occured - the production is better and if anything, the songs are even more detailed and layered, particularly the 18 minute album closer "Monolith of Possession". Highly recommended!

Here's some live footage:

CURSED IN ETERNITY

Norway's MAYHEM are recent vistors to these faraway shores - unfortunately I was unable to make it up to Auckland, but by all accounts it was an excellent show. Some awesome cat shot this video at the show of "Cursed In Eternity" from the album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas.



Also check out this NZ TV interview with Necrobutcher and Attila Csihar - interesting how they talk about the press focusing on particular aspects of Mayhem's history (i.e. murder and suicide), then the actual news story goes on to do exactly that. Some things never change...