Funeral Rain Press Corps

Dubai based death-thrashers Nervecell have set Psychogenocide as the title of their long-awaited new album, due for release late March 2011 in Europe through Lifeforce Records and Spellbind Records for the Middle East. The artwork has been a concept, which the band have been working on for quite a while they are extremely proud of how it has turned out, perfectly matching the aggression and musical direction of the new album.

Psychogenocide is scheduled to be mixed and mastered at Hertz Studios (Behemoth, Decapitated, Vader) in Warsaw, Poland by the Wieslawscy Bros. This will mark the follow-up to Nervecell’s first full-length Preaching Venom which was released on October 26th 2009 via Lifeforce Records. The new songs are sounding aggressive, fast and dark! The fans can expect a heavy dosage of old-school death metal, modern thrash metal, intertwined with a touch of Eastern melodies and brutality.

Stay tuned for the album track list and more details to be announced very soon.

The artwork was designed by Killustrations (Aborted, Severe Torture, Zyklon)

Genre: Blackened Death Metal, Post Black Metal
Label: Abyss Records

What would happen if Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir had a child? Bane.
Seeming to also draw sonic influences from Dark Funeral and Dissection as well, Chaos, Darkness, Emptiness takes the listener for a ride. It’s fast, it’s slow, it’s loud, it’s quiet…
It’s pretty damn good.
I think my favorite song on the album is “Abhorrence”, which is also the song that most reminds me of Dimmu Borgir (In Sorte Diaboli era).
It’s not the most original album I’ve ever heard, but when it’s this good that doesn’t matter so much. Bane take things that have already been done, put a couple of them together as one, and make something that is theirs only, which is as close to originality one can get in music right now.
My best advice is for you to check these Serbs out.
7 out of 10.

Bane on MySpace.

Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: Listenable Records

Musically, these guys are awesome. A less symphonic and majestic sounding Behemoth, featuring current and former members of Aborted, Akercocke, and Cradle of Filth. Vocally, fucking outstanding. Very much a violent black/death sound coming out of B.S.T.’s throat.
But lyrically… I don’t know. The band’s name amounts to The Order of Satan (Apollyon basically being the Greek name of Satan). But their bio and photos paint them as a very Christian band. I hope these details become clearer and soon.
In the end, good stuff. I recommend them if you’re into Behemoth, Morbid Angel, and really good death metal in general.
7.5 out of 10.

The Order of Apollyon on MySpace.

Genres: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Rock
Labels: Armoury Records, Mystic Production

The second album out of three from Eagle Rock’s package, Black River is a very nice surprise. Especially considering that two of the members are from the Polish blackened death legends Behemoth, and this album is really nowhere near black or death metal.
In fact, it’s pretty much straight up cock rock right out of the pages of AC/DC’s Book of Writing. And damn it is an asskicker of an album. It’s hard, heavy, and pure fun. Lyrically, it’s about drugs, drinking, and fucking, so there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t own this.
8 out of 10.

Black River on MySpace.

When: Wednesday July 8, 2010
Where: New City Likwid Lounge, Edmonton, Alberta

Long story short, a French death metal band called The Seven Gates were going to be destroying New City with Sonorous Odium as direct support, with Titan’s Eve and Auroch from Vancouver opening the show up. Shit goes down and suddenly The Seven Gates were not able to make it. Sent back to Frace from what I understand to be a passport issue. So Sonorous Odium were given the headliner slot. Now, onwards:

Titan’s Eve took the stage and very quickly impressed me and Mrs. Blaspheme. Their overall sound reminds me of Trivium without the polish, something still thrashy and much more raw. Before and after the set we ended up talking to Brian, their singer, and he’s definitely one of the most humble musicians I’ve met, and a really cool dude too. Wait for that video to hit the intertubes soon!
If you ever get the chance to check Titan’s Eve, do it.

A short while after Titan’s Eve left the stage, their fellow Vancouverites and brothers in metal Auroch stepped up with a very different approach to death metal, one that got them a few fans around the room. Mixing clean vocals, high falsettos, and gutterals all from the same throat, they sound a lot like Morbid Angel in the music department at times. Solos fly like bats out of hell, with intricate leads and intense rhythm, and Lovecraftian lyrics. Really fucking good, they definitely made sure that Sonorous Odium were going to have to be on their A-game.

Which, well, they were. Edmonton’s own pride and joy, Sonorous Odium play melodic death metal that reminds me of Arch Enemy (whom their guitarist sported a shirt by incidentally). They also pay some tribute to black metal in some riffs, going as far as covering Behemoth’s “Demigod” as a show closer. These guys fucking kick ass, and I think you’ll be hearing a lot of them over the next couple years. If not from others, at least from me.

In all, it was a great night. My first show upstairs in Likwid Lounge and I am not disappointed in the least, despite the headliner not showing up. Oh well, maybe next time they’ll make it.

Titan’s Eve on MySpace.
Auroch on MySpace.
Sonorous Odium on MySpace.