Funeral Rain Press Corps

Legendary Singaporean blackened warbeasts Impiety are set to unleash eighth studio album through Pulverised Records this May. Offering up eight grisly tracks, including a cover of Bathory’s “Sacrifice,” the aptly titled Ravage & Conquer was recorded, mixed and mastered over a course of two weeks at Studio 47 in Singapore and features cover art by renowned illustrator, Lord Sickness (Sabbat, Witchaven, Zygoatsis, etc).

Savagely innovative, technical, and uncompromising, Ravage & Conquer lives up to its name. Led by frontman Shyaithan, Impiety’s covenant of chaos remains impenetrable, delivering some of the harshest and most vicious brand of blackened death metal the world has witnessed.

Ravage & Conquer Track Listing:
1. Revelation Decimation
2. Ravage & Conquer
3. Weaponized
4. The Scourge Majesty
5. War Crowned
6. Legacy Of Savagery
7. Salve The Goat
8. Sacrifice (Bathory cover)

Impiety Personnel:
Shyaithan – Bass, Vomit
Nizam Aziz – Lead Guitars
Dizazter – Drums

Ravage & Conquer will be released in North America via Pulverised Records on May 8, 2012.

Impiety on Facebook.

Genre: Atmospheric Death Metal, Funeral Doom
Label: Selfmadegod Records
Format: Digital Promo (Earsplit PR)

After several listens to this dirty, old school, obscure death metal album, I’m convinced that Encoffination are going to be leaders of the atmospheric death and funeral doom genres for a long time to come.
This is not your typical pretty sounding modern death metal. There are no clean breaks, no well-defined vocals that are enunciated and easily understood, no immensely fast solos, and no breakdowns. This is also not the doom that Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, or even My Dying Bride have created.
O’ Hell, Shine in thy Whited Sepulchres is guitar and bass driven, but organs and bells make their presence known, adding layers of atmosphere; combined with excruciatingly slow riffs and the very voice of death Himself, this album is not so much a collection of songs, but a collection of bodies. Of which, you can count your own a part of after listening.
The opening track is a short instrumental intro, “Sacrum Profanum Processionali”, and it helps to set the tone of imminent doom.
“Rites of Ceremonial Embalm’ment” follows, dragging you down into an ancient mortuary currently run by spectres of a diseased past.
The tone and feeling doesn’t ever let up through “Ritual Until Blood” and “Elegant in Their Funebrial Cloaks, Arisen”, only getting more oppressive and obscure in “Crypt of His Communal Devourment” and “Washed and Buried”.
“Pall of Unrequited Blood” and “Annunciation of Viscera” are somewhat faster than the rest of the album, but by no means any less oppressive feeling. “Annunciation…” is also the longest track on the album, taking just under eleven minutes to destroy your will to survive.
In all, this is a great album. I’ll be coming back to it a lot, for both pleasure and inspiration.
8 out of 10.

Encoffination on Facebook.

O’ Hell, Shine in Thy Whited Sepulchres Tracklisting:
1. Sacrum Profanum Processionali
2. Rites of Ceremonial Embalm’ment
3. Ritual Until Blood
4. Elegant in Their Funebrial Cloaks, Arisen
5. Crypt of His Communal Devourment
6. Washed and Buried
7. Pall of Unrequited Blood
8. Annunciation of Viscera

O’ Hell, Shine in Thy Whited Sepulchres Personnel:
Elektrokutioner: Drums, Percussion
Ghoat: Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Organ, Bells

Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade
Format: Digital Promo (Earsplit PR)

I’ve listened to this album a couple times now in the past two or so weeks, and I’ve come to realize something vital about it: it’s awesome. It’s not going to break ground in the genre; it might not ever achieve classic status, and even past albums from Cannibal Corpse might overshadow it for some fans (Kill comes to mind first). But right now, at the beginning of 2012, Torture is exactly what I want to listen to, and the more I do hear it the more I love it.
The band claimed, and has backed up, that they were going to keep the sounds of the past few albums while going back to the more frenetic approach of the first two albums. Every single note is crystal clear, every chord struck is nuanced, but there is a little bit more of a chaotic feel to the structuring of the riffs and many of the solos are just off the registers for intensity. George’s trademark clarity of enunciation is perfect for this album, because he is able to achieve disgusting speed with his vocals while still being intelligible, which matches the insane speeds of some sections in these songs and their crisp production.
The album will appeal to most Cannibal Corpse fans, and it will be a good way for people who aren’t into death metal to get into the genre. It follows the path of CC’s evolution perfectly; it looks at the older albums for inspiration while keeping the more accessible sound of The Wretched Spawn, Kill, and Evisceration Plague. There are some seriously solid tracks on this album, including the lead-off single “Demented Aggression” (listen to it below) and its follower, “Scourge of Iron”, the mid-paced “Followed Home Then Killed” and the manic “Crucifier Avenged”.
8 out of 10.

Torture Tracklisting:
1. Demented Aggression
2. Sarcophagic Frenzy
3. Scourge of Iron
4. Encased in Concrete
5. As Deep as the Knife Will Go
6. Intestinal Crank
7. Followed Home Then Killed
8. The Strangulation Chair
9. Caged… Contorted
10. Crucifier Avenged
11. Rabid
12. Torn Through

Torture Personnel:
Alex Webster: Bass
Paul Mazurkiewicz: Drums
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher: Vocals
Rob Barrett: Guitar
Pat O’Brian: Guitar

Band Continues Work On Forthcoming Album

Fear Factory today confirm Matt DeVries as the band’s new bass player. DeVries, previously of Chimaira and most recently Six Feet Under, joins the band replacing Byron Stroud. The announcement comes as the band continues work on their upcoming new album, planned for release early Summer. The album is currently being mixed in Canada by Greg Reely while artwork for the album’s packaging is nearly complete.

DeVries comments: “I have been asked by Dino and Burton to join one of my favorite bands. I have been a fan of
Fear Factory since 1992 and I could not be more excited to be part of this incredible band. We have shared the stage many times together and now I’m beyond stoked to be on the same stage playing together. Thank you to all my fans worldwide for sticking by me and I will be seeing you all on the road very soon.”

Guitarist Dino Cazares and vocalist Burton C. Bell note: “We are very excited to have Matt playing bass for Fear Factory. We feel he is a great addition to our touring lineup. He has been a friend for a very long time and he’s a great musician who will be a perfect instrument in the FF machine.”

Fear Factory’s new album will follow 2010’s highly regarded Mechanize. Said Blabbermouth of the record, “this is the album fans have been waiting for…a fiery and evolved rebirth of the band that changed metal in the ‘90s.” Revolver Magazine called Mechanize, “one of the best albums of the band’s career. Its combination of new-wave melody, rapid-fire aggression, and electronic ambiance sounds as fresh today as Fear Factory did nearly 20 years ago. Call it the soul of their new machine,” while Decibel Magazine added, “Fear Factory are back and beyond intact.”

Specific details with regards to Fear Factory’s new album are expected to be released in the coming week.

Genre: Industrial Metal
Label: AFM/13th Planet Records
Format: Digital Stream (Earsplit PR)

I’ve gone through this digital promo a couple times now, and one thing is really sticking out for me: it kicks ass! Grinding industrial slammed into grinding metal with lyrics that range from Al’s troubles in the industry (“Ghouldiggers”), voter apathy (“Get Up, Get Out and Vote”), the Occupy Movement (“99 Percenters”) the end of the world (“Relapse”), and more. The album is a veritable gold mine for topical discussion, and many of it will not be dated for years from now.
Riff-wise, it’s pretty much standard Ministry style, somewhat simplistic and repetitive, but not to the point of boring. Perfect stuff to bang the noggin to. If you’ve never experienced the Ministry sound, you’re missing out. There’s nothing like them. Old fans will love this album, and in some instances they may even think it’s the best so far. Al has never sounded so good vocally, and with Tony Campos running the bass this time around, there’s a definite more industrial touch to it, but with an organic feel behind the scenes.
When this hits the streets, you need to grab a copy of it.
8.5 out of 10.

Relapse Tracklisting:
1. Ghouldiggers
2. Double Tap
3. Freefall
4. Kleptocracy
5. United Forces
6. 99 Percenters
7. Relapse
8. Weekend Warrior
9. Get Up Get Out n Vote
10. Bloodlust
11. Relapse Defibrillator Mix

Relapse Personnel:
Al Jourgensen
Mike Scaccia
Tommy Victor
John Bechdel
Tony Campos
Aaron Rossi