Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genre: Deathcore
Label: Earache Records

Right from the start of Maniacal Miscreation a drill begins to quickly enter my brain, taking the route through my ears. But rather than being completely sharp, there are sections that are blunted, adding a punching force to the fast spinning, oversized bit that is turning my headmeats into mush.

This must be where the band takes their name from.

“Epileptic Strobe Entrapment”, the opening track, doesn’t let up once, and it isn’t until the second song, “The Bald Cadaver” that we’re afforded a small breather, right at the start. For three seconds. Then the carnage begins again, the blood flowing from my skull rather nicely now. Thankfully, “The Bald Cadaver” has a couple spots where one can take a breath, but “Open Casket Priapism” starts up and the real pummeling begins. There are sections of the track that remind me a bit of newer Cannibal Corpse, with some pig squealing sections tossed in for fun, and there aren’t much slower spots until after the four minute mark. Definitely some moshing sections though, if that’s your thing.

“Entombed in Butchered Bodies” begins with a slaughterfest, filled with Cookie Monster and Miss Piggy in a bear trap vocals, and surprisingly their singer is pretty understandable throughout. Any death metal fan can generally attest to needing a few listens or a lyric sheet to get what’s being said, but for much of this song it wasn’t needed. The track middles and ends with a slaughterfest, followed by more slaughterfest in “Mangled Post-Burial”, which has a more groove-based section, a welcome respite from the pure speed displayed in the first four songs. It’s also the shortest song on the album, not even three minutes long.

“Flesh Reflects the Madness” has some furiously fast riffing and blasts that for whatever reason give a feeling of horror that makes you want to run. In a good way. Think good horror movies, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or House of 1000 Corpses, when victims are getting chased by the psychopath and you, the viewer, don’t want them caught. But in this song, you’re the victim. Cerebral Bore are the psychopath. But, like the movies, you get caught. And you die.

The title track “Maniacal Miscreation” starts off with a more classic death metal sounding riff and growl, stripping away the ‘core for pretty much the entire track. There are still elements with a pig squeal delivery of some vocals and a slow ass breakdown that is far too short for my liking, but for the most part it’s straight up DM.

The final song, “24 Year Party Dungeon” starts fast and stays fast, keeping more of the classic death metal delivery from“Maniacal Miscreation” but adding more deathcore to it, which makes for a really good track. A suitable closer for a pretty fucking good album.

In the end, my cerebrum has been well destroyed, as have my ears, but not once did I get bored. Cerebral Bore, despite being a genre that I normally don’t like at all, have created a disc that I do like, and will probably return to for listening pleasure.

7 out of 10.

Cerebral Bore on Facebook.

Genre: Brutal Death Metal, Grindcore

Label: Earache Records

Based on the name (one of the most badass weapons in first person shooter history), I’m guessing that Brain Drill broke up (again), reformed and sort of renamed themselves.

:: Actually listens to Maniacal Miscreation:: Ok, so it’s DEFINITELY not Brain Drill, thank the maker. Cerebral Bore has been kicking around the U.K. for about six years, releasing two demos and a single, shredding riffs and faces while busting heads and grooves wherever they may roam. But finally, someone took notice and signed these brutal death metalers. And now, we have Maniacal Miscreation! Eight tracks of broken glass, gasoline and razorwire! A glowing review MUST be imminent…

But first, this gripe:

Man, these are some pretty average vocals. I mean, they’re almost so run-of-the-mill that it becomes painful. You know the kind I’m going on about, don’t you: growl, squeal, grunt, repeat… wait, what? IT’S A CHICK? Well that changes… absolutely nothing! (That’s equality for you.) What they are is what they are and that’s all there is to it. A set of ovaries isn’t going to change that.

Now that that little piece of FUCK YOU to the promo writers is complete, we can carry on to the meat of this album: everything else! I know that the word “brutal” is thrown around a ton nowadays. But my friends, believe me when I say that this band completely replaces Webster’s Dictionary’s definition of the word! Fuck! The word altogether is now useless! Brutal Death Metal shall now be known as Cerebral Bore Death Metal. Now, when someone gets a savage pummeling you must say that they were, “Cerebral Borely beaten”. In Mortal Kombat 3, now you must enter a code to finish your opponent with a Cerebral Boreality. Etc…

Stepping back and taking a listen to the instrumentation is almost destructive since everything blends together to make this firestorm of an album come together so seamlessly. But if I must, then I must. The riffs in this album are concussive! Every chord is a broken rib, played, mended and then re-broke! Bass-wise, I have to say that I stoaked to even hear the fucking thing, let alone be astounded that a fast played death metal bass can sound so damn great! The drums are technical, violent and far too fast for anyone who may want to emulate them later. They’re probably my favorite ANYTHING attached to this album.

Overall: Yes, yes. The vocals are serviceable. But the rest of the band is what you want to focus on here. It’s polished to a blinding shine, technical grind for those of you who like newer Napalm Death, The Berzerker and the first Whitechapel album.

8/10

Cerebral Bore On Facebook

Genre: Metalcore

Label: Earache Records

I reviewed this Earache anomaly a few years ago, back when they were the up and coming melodic death metal act Ignominious Incarceration. And aside from switching monikers, they went ahead and switched genres too. Now they’re more metalcore than anything else.

…they were much better off before all the switcheroo-ing.

I mean, they manage to be a pretty decent pre-Howard Jones Killswitch Engage cover band (which just makes me laugh at track 6 entitled, Clones). But that’s like saying Lick It Up is better than Psycho Circus. In short: even if what I said was accurate, nobody will give a flying fuck.

In all seriousness, The Soulless play Isolated as a straight forward metalcore album that is, while mediocre, still entertaining and played well (and with soul, regardless of what the band is called). The vocals are pretty damned intense and are an improvement over the screaming in Of Winter Born. Drummin’? It’s typical ‘core fare. Good, but not great. Simplistic, but not lazy or sloppy. Honestly, the guitars are the most enjoyable part of Isolated since they’re heavy with melody, tight and technical and occasionally stray into a progressive area.

Overall: All needless bashing aside, The Soulless put together a good metalcore album here. It’s just that if you’re into this kind of music, YOU HAVE heard Isolated before! And if you were a fan of Ignominious Incarceration’s Of Winter Born, you’ll be confused, if not disappointed. An unoriginal release from a band that I expected so much more from.

6.5/10

The Soulless On Facebook

Genre: Thrash Thrash Thrashity Thrash
Label: Earache Records

Ok… I just listened to the Extinguish The Weak EP a dozen or so times, Feed The Beast about five more times than that in order to psych myself up to… Exiled To Earth! The upcoming (August 10th. Not too far away…) post-alien occupation concept album set six hundred years in the future!

With obvious influences from the likes of 80’s thrash titans like Testament and Annihilator, there’s sure to be a few nay-sayers out there who will continue their few years running “anti-young thrash bands” tirades (I know who you are and you know who you are)… but(t) fuck ‘em! Exiled To Earth (and Bonded By Blood altogether) is as real as it gets nowadays.

Frontman Aladdin has had some time to hone his vocal assault down to a fine point, focus it on some hapless shmucks and launch it like a poser seeking missile, causing instantaneous cranial collapse! His shouting seems a bit more structured than in Feed the Beast and it’s all for the better. Meanwhile dual axemen Alex and Juan rend and tear through riff raging mosh makers like title track Exiled To Earth, Prototype: Death Machine and Prison Planet! Drummer Carlos blasts, rolls slams his way through everything form toned down intros (Desolate Future) to flash-fests (Cross-Insemination) without *ahem* missing a beat.

Unfortunately, I’d like to give the same kind of glowing praise to bassist Jerry, but I couldn’t fucking hear him! I don’t know if it was due to poor mixing (which would suck since the rest of the mixing aspects seem top notch) or maybe it could have been my speakers. Who knows? It’s a damn shame since I dug his work in Taking Over…

Overall: It looks like in 600 A.B. (After the Bomb), the only things that survive are a handful of humans, cockroaches and head bangin’, neck rippin’ thrash! Bonded By Blood has done it again! Fuck the Crong!

9/10

Bonded By Blood On MySpace

Also Posted On E-MetalSpace

Genre: Deathcore
Label: Earache Records

Taking several different influences from several different genres and ramming them together into one bag then brutally bludgeoning it to death, And Hell Followed With are pretty damn intense.
This is deathcore to the… uh… core… and as such the guitars are down tuned to Drop-H and palm muted in a chug and the drums are insane, clicky blast beats. There’s also some black metal keyboards, and even some blackened vocals to go with them. Gutterals and pig squeals that would normally be found in a pornogrind or cybergrind song are present, but for whatever reason don’t make me want to kick the vocalist in the face. There’s even hardcore vocals present too!
But while faced with the conventions of the trends in deathcore, And Hell Followed With also whip out some other influence and show it off, be it a classic rock solo done with thrash tones, tremolo picking, or even just a slower doom riff.
In the end, And Hell Followed With have a slightly stale album in Proprioception, but considering the vast amounts of influences that they are displaying and the fact that this is their second as far as I know, I think the next album will be better, and the fourth album will be just killer.
7 out of 10.

And Hell Followed With on MySpace.