Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genre: Death Metal, Grindcore
Label: Comatose Music

Death metal, death metal, death metal, grindcore! Savagery mixes with speed in On The Inexistence Of God like nitro-glycerin laced Kool-Aid served with a drop of LSD at a Jonestown reenactment! Half exploded bodies litter the twisted compound as the survivors flail about wildly, with limbs half attached, screaming about the devils in their hair…

…or at least, that’s the impression I got off the first track of Blasphemer’s debut album. The only real way to describe this band is with an overused word (in this issue and in general); fucking brutal! And not just for the sake of sounding brutal either. The marrow-melting riffing coupled with the machine gunning blast beats and snare abuse make for a heavy dose of awesome! A gripe and plea from the very depths of my soul to the vocalist: variation, please! The same pig squeals and grunts over and over again don’t spell returning customer for yours truly. (He sort of sounds like grindcore version of Morris Day, “Oh-e-oh-e-oh!”)

Overall: A formidable outing for these Italian extreme metalers! On The Inexistence Of God is straight up death/grind done right. That fact in indisputable..

8/10

Blasphemer on MySpace

Originally posted on E-MetalSpace

Genre: Deathcore, Metalcore, Post-Hardcore
Label: Self-Released

San Diego, California. It’s a large city, so it’s be reasonable to think that there are a lot of people there. A lot of people means a lot of bands. A lot of bands means a lot of metal (weather or not the metal is true or enjoyable, reasonable men can differ…).

Here we have a ‘core outfit (who’s currently looking to recruit a bassist) that sticks their toes in the pools of post-hard, metal, and death -core related styles. Normally, I could give a rat’s ass about that sort of thing (metal music in ANY genre can be enjoyable since good tunes is good tunes) and this time is no exception. The vocals are vicious, the breakdowns are brutal and the lyrics are (re)latable. Problem is, it’s a little on the boring side. Kenova has nothing new to offer any of the related genres and tends to play at a medium pace, which I’d imagine wouldn’t make for a good live show. But I digress, Kenova has chutzpah. They seem focused and motivate, so I’m sure their next EP will be loads better. Call it a hunch…

Overall: This four song demo from Kenova can be summed up with a simple… summery: Dig the ‘core? This is for you. Don’t dig the core? You’re better of eating glass.

6.5/10

Kenova on MySpace

Originally posted on E-MetalSpace

Genre: Gothic, Black Metal, Symphonic
Label: Napalm Records

The brainchild of Morten Veland (that guy from Sirenia, Elusive and ex- Tristania), Mortemia blends elements from black metal, gothic metal (if that’s really even a genre) and even death metal to present to you, the listener, Misere Mortem. Can he pull it off without sounding too much like a Dimmu-Therion clone? Let’s read on…

Ok, so there are certain things you expect from a guy like Morten: melodic guitars, harsh vocals and clean structures. Mortemia has all of this so fans of his previous work won’t be disappointed one bit. There is an engulfing symphonic tone to it all as well that is helped along with the addition of a gothic choir that chants the choruses and accentuates the powerful riffing and semi-clean vocal approach. The thought that one man can put all of this together is inspiring to say the least!

Overall: Dark, powerful and overwhelmingly beautiful, Misere Mortem is a jewel in the already studded crown of Mr. Veland. If you dig the darker side of metal but don’t want the pretentious Satanism or to have to associate with pissy the black metal elite, then this is your album.

8.5/10

Mortemia On MySpace

Originally posted on E-MetalSpace

Genre: Death Metal, Grindcore
Label: Comatose Music

Wait, this isn’t Disgorge? …anyway, the oddly odoriferous order of the day is Carcass-grind with high school health class grade pathological phraseology.

If you’re looking for some complex or poignant, you won’t find it here. Age Of Onset is straight up gore, guts and grit! Pathology’s brutal beats barge their way through the length of Age Of Onset with killer blasts and less than average use of cymbals (which I enjoy, since I think overuse is annoying and becoming commonplace.) Other than the drums however, Pathology kind of falls flat. Recycled rhythms and riffs and dull (but deeep) vocals do nothing to pique the listener’s already waning interest. To their credit, I get a Skinless vibe off of them as well. And if you’re anything like Skinless, then at least you’ve got a fun factor (especially in your live show) that can’t be beat!

Overall: It everything you’ve ever heard before in the field of death/grind, sans the longevity. It ain’t bad if you’re taking your first dip into the gelatinized grind-pool, but if you’re a seasoned vet, you’ll be bored to tears.

6.5/10

Pathology On MySpace

Originally posted on E-MetalSpace