Füneral Rain Press Cörps

Genres: Thrash, Black
Label: Unsigned

Since I am admittedly a HUGE fan of the blackened thrash outfit known as Nuclear Wasteland, I had pretty fucking high expectations for Sacrifice Of The Blessed. And not surprisingly at all, these post-Apocalyptic thrashers from Thrashcouver, Moshington did not disappoint.

Sacrifice Of The Blessed is a four song demo that takes you on a turbulent ride through the harshest of the fallout saturated lands on the back of a berserk, irradiated timber wolf! Bands like Kreator and Toxic Holocaust immediately come to mind while listening to Here Come The Bombs or The Peacekeeper, but Nuclear Wasteland appear to keep some originality intact with Bastion Of Sin. The production value is a bit of a gripe. Sure it’s loads better than on their first demo, but it would sound soooo much better if they up it only slightly! Vocally, we are reminded of blackened thrash shrieks tied to the fin of a Fat Boy and backed up well with a six sting Riff-O-Matic of Mike Sifringer-like proportions!

Overall: The grim production of this demo makes Sacrifice Of The Blessed feel more black metal than thrash at times, but if you can see (or hear) past the viciously charred veil, you’re treated to a thrashing of a lifetime!

9/10

Nuclear Wasteland On MySpace

Originally posted on E-MetalSpace

Genres: Thrash
Label: Unsigned

Can you spell thrash? If not, it’s easy! Here, I’ll show you: V-I-C-I-O-U-S-A-T-T-A-C-K!

Chicago’s own beer swilling bastions of all things supersonic present Blade Of The Reaper. Exodus, Testament, Slayer, Destruction and many others would be proud to know that they’ve inspired such a forceful creation! Every song on this EP is an instant classic and is guaranteed to shred it’s way straight into your brain!

Vicious Attack easy, sleep and live thrash! And it shows with the blistering pace they play at and with songs that carry true thrashin’ appeal. Such as Infestation with it’s memorable chorus.
“Swarm of insects in your room! Their very presence spells your doom! Etc..”
There are wrist snapping riffs and finger melting solos dusting the entirety of this EP, so speed freaks need not worry. Blade Of The Reaper’s only hindrance is that it’s only four tracks long, so it may feel like a bit of a tease to some of you out there. But let me tell you, the blue balls are totally worth it!

Overall: I predict big fucking things for these thrashing maniacs! Namely: a big fat contract with Earache or maybe Slaney Records! *HINT*

9.5/10

Vicious Attack On MySpace

Originally posted on E-MetalSpace

Genres: Melodic Death Metal, Folk Metal
Label: Unsigned

An now we’ve heard it all! Folk metal that blends the merciless attack of melodic death metal and the colorful mythology of the Far East! Not only is this demo original in concept and execution, but it also boasts a squeaky clean production that lends to the powerful experience that is Shangren! And I shout a hearty “FUCK YEAH!” to master of ceremonies, one Leonard Ong (key tickler from Starforge) from for his tour de force performance on all instruments on this five song demo! The vocals bounce from a brutal death roar (akin to Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth) to a blackened rasp (in the song The Battle Of Water And Fire, he kind of sounds like Harvey Firestein. Funny and cool!)  that blend very well. The riffing is heavy, fast and melodic and the solos play their part in making you believe you’re being transported to a mythical realm of the Monkey King and Sky Dragon within the Jade Empire! As far as I can tell, it’s not quite traditional, but it sure hit’s the spot as far as entertaining and fascinating metal goes!

Overall: Hopefully, this demo is the beginning of more Oriental folk metal! I don’t know how long exactly I’ll have to wait to hear the full length album Mr. Ong has planed, but I can tell you that it’s not coming out fast enough for me!

10/10

www.myspace.com/shangrenmetal

Originally posted at E-MetalSpace

Genres: Heavy, Metalcore
Label: Unsigned

Finally! A band that likes Pantera, but not enough to be a shitty quasi-cover band! Livevil’s “The End of Ideology” does owe a wee bit of it’s sound to the Cowboys From Hell, (i.e., the vocalist’s classic Phil one, two combo of roaring/screeching, or the machinegun double bass roll heard in every other song) but not so much that they have problems retaining their identity. Livevil sounds like Livevil. And let me tell you, Livevil sounds fucking good! Every member seems to carry their weight throughout the entirety of this album. The vocalist harmonizes well with the mood of each song and adds his own bit to the “Phil roar” (which, in my opinion is ten times better than that windy old hack’s). It actually kind of sounds like a Phil Anselmo/Corey Taylor hybrid scream/growl. The guitarist, on an entirely different hand, is well on his way to becoming a fucking guitar god! Not a single riff or solo had me even thinking of yawning! His talents are showcased best in the title track and POW. I also love the bassist’s funky lines he drops in just the right places (especially in POW. Fucking awesome man!), keeping it fresh. And last but not least, the lyrics. It’s great to know that these guys aren’t idiots! Each song is a meaningful sonnet or malicious threat to the opposition! In summary, Livevil is a band to keep you eyes and ears on.

Overall: As far as Pantera-core goes, this is about as flattering and actually good as it can get. (Tie with Endless Rage)

8.5/10

Livevil on MySpace

Originally posted at E-MetalSpace

Genres: Melodic Death, Metalcore

Label: Unsigned

Dedicated For Life’s “Another Dawn” is another entry in the ever expanding library of melodic death metal. The first thing that jumped out at me in terms of innovative and just plain awesome was the album casing. It’s a leather bound booklet donning the raised face of a tribal wolf. Very interesting. Unfortunately, the actual album is no where near as innovative or interesting. Nor is it bad at all. It’s another case of “been there, heard that”. The guitars leave a haunting echo in your brain for a while after you’re done listening (holding a Desensitised or possibly a Killswitch Engage edge to it). A question I have for Dedicated For Life is, “where the hell did the bass go?” Seriously! It’s completely inaudible! The vocals on the other hand are pretty damned good. A deep guttural growl followed by annoyance free screeching, reminiscent of the Black Dahlia Murder or a slew of other melo-death bands. It’s a solid effort but “Another Dawn” will remain on my iPod for a little while longer, but not too much longer.

Overall: Worth a listen, but ultimately forgettable.

6/10

www.myspace.com/dedicatedforlife

Originally posted at E-MetalSpace