Desolate Shrine is a three piece dm/bm band from Helsinki, Finland. The members are vague in the their description they are listed as L.L. - All instruments, M.T. - Vocals, R.S. - Vocals. The Heart of the Netherworld album to be released on January 13th 2015 on Dark Descend Records. Great production. The drums are intense, brutal double kick drums. All the cymbal hits come thru with crystal clarity. Gritty distortion for the guitars and is a perfect fit in the mix. Bass sounds good although I prefer it to be more punchy but that's just my opinion. Vocals are killer and remind me of old Grave or Benediction. The album is seven tracks of pure chaos and mayhem. The opening brings to mind Dario Argento horror films. The Black Fires of God sets the tone, it batters the senses in true dm form, just crushing and relentless. If Monstrosity and Behemoth had a baby, Desolate Shrine would be it. This is one of those albums that I truly enjoyed every single song. Its hard to pick a favorite. We Dawn A New is one of the most epic tracks on this album. It is close to fithteen minutes long and never gets boring. A journey to hell, desolate and tormented lands. The build up sucks you into the void without you realizing. The song Desolate Shrine has a catchy beginning with the bass and drums playing some solo for a few bars then transitioning into malevolent guitar riffs. The track Leviathan is another favorite. I can envision a beast rising from the dark depths and ravaging everything in site. In conclusion, I will be adding this one to my collection, it has haunting melodies, brutal transitions and excellent riff arrangements. I recommend it for fans of Nile, Suffocation, Morbid Angel(early), Death and Monstrosity. ~Artemortifica facebook-desolateshrine
Ghoulgotha is a three piece band from San Diego CA. Members are; Sarantopoulos, Mann, and Koryn. Their genre is described as Unorthdoom, Unorthdeath. The band started in June 2012. The Deathmass Cloak album to be released in January 13th 2015 under Dark Descent Records. In terms of production, overall good sound. Raw dirty distortion sound reminds me of early Entombed. Bass sounds good, all the string instruments are tune down very low giving it that sludgy doom metal feeling. Drums sound great, a solid performance. Every piece is clear and upfront. Double kicks are punchy and devastating, with the exception of the song Levitate Within The Curse which sounds like it was recorded at a different time than the rest of the tracks. Vocals have a strong reverb effect and remind me of the bands Gorefest, Morgoth and Gorguts. The album is the first full length by the band and it is ten tracks in total. The majority of the compositions seemed to be influenced heavily by the early nineties death/doom style which I happen to be huge fan of. Cranking the volume through the entire album and finding the best tracks was difficult but I would have to say some of my favorites are Saturnal Rites, twisted and haunting opening riff. The low end rumbles thru the speakers with pure veracity. Citadel of heathen Flesh has some memorable passages and I like the steady double kick work the drummer exhibits on this particular song. In conclusion, a wicked and tormented release. I recommend for both old school death/doom fans as well for the younger fresh listeners who want to experience low rumbling brutality. ~Artemortifica facebook.com-ghoulgotha666
Zero Gravity is a five piece DM band from Indore. Members include; Kratika - Vocals, Deepraj - Guitar, Prafull - Rhythm Guitar, Anuj - Bass , Divyansh - Drums. The band started in 2012. Holocaust Awaits album released on November 2 2014 through Transcending Obscurity Distribution. In terms of production the quality is great. Drums are clear and dominant. Guitars are heavy distorted yet maintain a warm tone. The bass sounds awesome, full and clear, fitting perfectly with the drum mix. Vocals come through with intensity and power. This is the bands debut album. There are nine songs in total. After listening to it several times, I can say the majority of the songs have a modern metal style like Chimera, Lamb of God and Trivium. Vocals express different ranges from low guttural to mid and highs. A good example of it can be heard on the track Chronicles of A Radical Mind. I also enjoy the spoken word verses that appear in some of the tracks like the song Weapon's Edge. I feel this give the tune a unique feel. Along with the more modern riffs, there are several breakdown compositions that might be a bit much for old school metal heads like me but will resonate with a younger generation of metalheads. The guitar solos are great and stand out to me in each song, they are well crafted and never overdone and have enough flare to stay in my mind. In conclusion, this band is worth checking out. They have a lot to offer to both the new generation and old school metal fans. The songs are easy to bang your head to and powerful enough to get the mosh pit started. ~Artemortifica facebook.com-Zero Gravity
Destroying Divinity is a four piece death metal band from Ratiskovice - The Czech Republic. Current members are; Erik-Vocals, Gassi-Guitar, Flagin-Guitar, Ommurtag-Drums. The band began in 2001 and have three previous albums on their roaster. Hollow Dominion album released on September 21 2014 on Lavadome Productions. Excellent production quality. Heavy distorted guitar, tuned down to give it that brutal dm feeling. Bass tone is pummeling and destructive. Drums have a very strong presence in the mix. Crushing double bass kicks which are relentless in every song. Vocals are on the low guttural side which fit perfectly with the low tuned instruments. The album is devastating on all levels. I really can't find anything that I didn't like. The arrangements are well thought out and executed. At times it reminds me of the bands Sinister, Grave, early Cannibal Corpse, and Behemoth. I like the way the guitars compliment each other, it keeps each song interesting and give them more dimension and depth. Although I enjoyed the entire album, some of the more stand out songs would have to be "Inner Slavery", the dissonant chords really stick in my mind. The solid double kicks are awesome and bring this one to the next level. Scent of Death, opens with a hellish tormented growl that could shake anyone's spine to the core. The track "Sinful Omens" ends with some interesting solos that are reminiscent of early Pestilence albums. In conclusion, a brutal and devastating album. I recommend it for fans of extreme brutal death metal. ~Artemortifica facebook.com-DestroyingDivinity
Gory Blister is a technical death metal band from Milan Italy. Current members are: Raff - Guitars, Joe - Drums, Paolo "John St. John" - Vocals, Emi Dattolo - Bass. The Fifth Fury full length album released in May 2014 on Sliptrick Records. Excellent production quality. Heavy guitar tones and crushing bass lines. Drums sound intense and its easy to pick out all the dynamics being expressed. Vocals have good low gutturals as well as mid range and dm highs. The band has been around since 1991 and have a wealth of other releases. This is their current exhibition and features the new bassist, former Illogicist bassist Emi Dattolo. I listen to this album several times. There are many layers within and most passive listeners would probably not get it. These are very well thought out and complex arrangements. Some of the compositions remind me of the band Atheist, albums like Piece of Time and Elements. Their is also a good amount of early nineties style of death metal riffs like Death, Carcass, Obituary and others from that era, however the technical and progressive nature of their writing style give them a unique feel. It is one of those albums that even if you listen to it a hundred times you would probably still be finding new things that you might have missed along the line. One of the surprises that really caught my ear was the bonus track Heretic Infected Orchestra. Much different than the other songs but still complex in its delivery, its one of my favorites from the album. The track Toxamine has some killer twist and turns with fast grinding drums. The song Devouring Me features a catchy intro riff, sounds like a twelve string guitar or Octave effect. I also enjoyed the clever drum arrangement that really make you think as to what he is going to play next. Prometheus Scars is another track worth mentioning, each instrument expresses different arrangements but stay within the context of the song, its difficult to describe but when you hear you know they spent some time composing this track, well executed and memorable. The band also released four other albums as well as two demos and an EP. There's been several line ups and they have played many shows. In conclusion, this is a great album with several levels to explore. I recommend it to fans of technical death metal and progressive listeners of the DM genre. ~Artemortifica facebook-goryblister
Misanthrope Monarch is a death metal/thrash band from Oberhausen Germany. Current band members are Kristian Gøbels - Guitar, Pat Fleischmann - Bass, Markus Gornik - Vocals. The self titled and self released EP on July 2014. This is their debut EP and it features Mike Smith (ex-Suffocation) on drums. A solid and crushing production. Heavy and powerful guitar tones. Punchy and devastating bass lines. Drums are intense and upfront in the mix. Vocals are aggressive but still clear and comprehensive. These songs are short but pack a lot of energy and intensity. The riffs come at you with relentless brutality. The entire thing is over before you can even begin to figure out what hit you. The opening track Ash is melodic and spine shaking. In my opinion it could have gone a little longer but its still a good way to lead you in. Crushing the Unbeliever waste no punches and stomps you to the ground with some killer verses and brutal grinds on the drums. Father of Sin and Hollow Spirit, some of the things that caught my ears on this particular song were the fast guitar compositions, good scale run downs and also a catchy solo riff towards the end easily stays in my head. The track Disintegrate closes out this EP, its more like an out-tro and goes by rather quickly at only a minute and fifteen seconds. Overall I enjoyed the entire listening experience. The shortness of it leave the listener wanting more which is good. I recommend it for fans of Testament, Deteriorate, Dragon Lord and Kataklysm. ~Artemortifica facebook-misanthropemonarchband
Askrinn is a Pagan B/M band from France. All instruments, music and production by Valenten. Hjørleifsljóð self released full length album on November 2014. Production quality is good. Raw distorted guitar tone. Strong solid bass sound. Drums are not as dominant as the other instruments in the mix but still maintain a decent constant rhythm through out the album. Vocals are dark and dissonant, high screams and hellish whispers. I am always intrigued by solo band projects such as this. There's a great deal of work that goes into composing and recording every part of an album. Consider how difficult it is for full bands to coordinate and put out some music. It is always a pleasure to hear what one man can accomplish when he sets his mind to it. There are five tracks totaling thirty four minutes. I enjoyed listening to the entire album. All the elements of the B/M genre can be heard in each track. Some of the riffs that caught my ears were the clean strumming riffs like the one in the song "Hjørleifr mægðist við Hreiðar konung", it sets a somber and sorrowful mood and leads into the chaos perfectly. Frá spám Marmennils is another notable song. Strong opening riff and a heavy punchy bass lines are catchy and memorable. Overall the album is worth exploring and I recommend for fans of Astral Winter, Prometheus Rising and Dark Space. The album hard copies were set a sixty and are currently sold out. There is a way to get a free digital copy by visiting the band official site and signing up by email. Askrinn.com ~Artemortifica
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