Blëed - The Hatred Inside

On first listen The Hatred Inside by Blëed sounded kind of derivative. Subsequent listens didn't lead to some epiphany but the critical edges were softened. That doesn't mean Bleed are poised to make serious waves but for a modern (mainstream-ish) metal album it's not too bad. If you didn't know already, I'm more of an underground guy.

They still sound like weekend warriors that recorded an album but at least it's fun. There's no lack of mosh/bang-worthy riffs or rhythms as they bash their way through these 11 tracks. They also change things up enough from one track to the next to keep the listener awake.

I'd say it's mostly thrash based but there's melody working its way in. Death metal makes an appearance and NWOBHM drops by a few times to let everyone know what's up. More often than not I'm reminded of GWAR oddly enough. The lyrics are more earthly but the vocals have an Oderus/Green Jelly flavour and phrasing. Rounding out the list of styles comes a smattering of nu-metal in the vein of Slipknot/Mudvayne without ripping them off too obviously.

The bass stands out often in the mix and even gets some solo time. At times it does come off a bit sloppy but it's a heck of a lot tighter than I could ever hope to be. (Even though I did have a few solos in the only band I was ever in.)

It's hard to compare Blëed to any one band but that's good. The Hatred Inside is a solid slab of mainstream metal suited for the masses that are content to throw back some brews and headbang until they can't see straight. Going to far as to tear yourself apart as depicted on the cover is a stretch but the longer you listen the deeper it sinks its teeth in. And truth be told, some of those riffs are pretty fuckin' killer.

Released September 29, 2015



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Wilt - Moving Monoliths

Artwork by Nick Keller

Writing about Moving Monoliths did not come easy. That’s not to say the latest from Winnipeg black metallists Wilt was uninspiring. Quite the contrary. But it’s such a personal sounding album that rather than pick at it, internalizing it and experiencing it is more satisfying and it’s hard to break away from.

Kingdom of Noise readers may remember that I dubbed Wilt EP of the year for 2012. I also said a lot of nice things about it that I could replicate here as this album carries the same spirit. However, Moving Monoliths delves deeper into despair. Listening to the howled laments and downtrodden, doom-inflected black metal for hours on end can be quite depressing. Trust me, I know. But the atmosphere and melody that Wilt manifest is hard to turn away from.

“Illusion of Hope” opens things with lethargy, melancholy and doom, setting the tone for the album. Blasting from the doldrums, smashing percussion (with some simple yet effective movements), fierce guitars and ferocious vocals run the listener over before settling down somewhere in the middle.

Throughout, lush, sweeping melodies weave through the soundscape with atmosphere clinging to the soul like a fog, sending a deep chill into the bones. Anguished vocals hang heavy yet feel empowering and cathartic despite the obvious pain. Wilt do a good job too of building a sense of internal pressure and releasing it in a way that becomes encapsulating. Yet no matter how high that explosion of raging tremolos, blasting drums and bestial fervor becomes, Moving Monoliths inevitably returns to the despairing depths.

It’s not all rise and fall though. The title track more or less stays solemn and melancholic with a slower general pace, pained vocals and a hopeful melody rising about the darkness but unable to break away. It’s resolute in its misery and full of so much sadness. As it reaches its apex in the track’s final moments one can feel the transcendence of sorrow. How the listener perceives that transcendence (rising up, or giving up and carrying on) is a matter of opinion.

As with their self-titled EP, Wilt manage to inflict all manner of emotions upon the listener. Rage, hopelessness, defeat, determination and a measure of catharsis flow through Moving Monoliths’ icy veins. The terrible laments bleed pain and struggle, atmosphere strikes the pit of your heart with a frozen dagger slid slowly between the ribs. Bleak guitars and powerful percussion surround and pound, leaving the listener in a daze of conflict.

Moving Monoliths does just that and more. It runs the gamut of emotional, atmospheric and melodic black metal informed by the dread and despair of doom. It’s a wonderful stroke of bleakness and stark, open-hearted emotion and sometimes, all you can do is wilt.

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[Evertrapped] - Under the Deep

I wouldn’t say I listen to much melodic death metal at all. Lamb of God I suppose if we’re going by the RIYL line for Under the Deep by Montreal’s [Evertrapped]. Mostly because I find much of it sounds the same and it stopped doing it for me years ago. That’s not to say I wasn’t cautiously optimistic about hearing this one.

After the intro track things started out pretty good. Ample aggression and obvious chops. Good, good. Definitely melodic death. Nothing offensive to my intelligence. Not weak. And I can pick up bits of bands like At the Gates, Devildriver and lots of Soilwork. Okay.

Concussive rhythms mix with blazing runs often with melodies shifting beneath the weight. Stop/start dynamics find their place giving the spine a workout. The drummer puts on a veritable clinic and the throaty cop/raspy cop vocals are well-executed.

Now this is all fine and good, I suppose. In measured doses. At least for me. Where I find issue with this non-djent (thankfully) slab of technical aggression is how there isn’t much to differentiate [Evertrapped] from other bands of their ilk. Or even themselves. They follow much the same formula as their kind and keep that formula consistent across the album. It’s good to have a style but I shouldn’t have to check the track number multiple times thinking I’ve circled back around.

Don’t let me discourage you too much though. Like I said, I don’t consider melodic death metal to be an area I delve into often. But the songs never fall short on aggression or musicianship and I’m sure they pull shit off live.

If melo-death is your thing, especially At the Gates and Soilwork, then [Evertrapped] and Under the Deep fall right into your wheelhouse. You can find them on almost all those streaming platforms so you might as well check them out.

Released October 16, 2015 on Hellstorm Recordz

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Fallen Angels - World in Decay

A band from Seattle of all places that’s steeped and schooled in the art of ‘80s Bay Area thrash? Yup. Fallen Angels prove that grunge didn’t finish the job. Their third album, the Michael Rosen produced World in Decay couldn’t be thrashier.

The quintet is locked tight with dual leads battling amid razor sharp rhythms, prominent bass keeping up, and vicious percussion holding down the fort. The musicianship here was never in question. But can they write songs?

Sure. These nine tracks of pure thrash attack are well-composed operations that keep up the adrenaline with timely breaks in the aggression letting the listener catch a breath. Throughout they show off their ability to induce the kind of furious headbanging and fist pumping that thrashers live for.

One can hear their careful study of classic acts such as Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax as well as second-tier thrashers. With those pitiless riffs and blazing solos Fallen Angels can hold their own against today’s collection of neo-thrash flag wavers like Havok and Evile.

Fallen Angels aren’t blazing any new trails but they’re running along those well worn with enthusiasm, skill and a healthy appreciation for their roots. Thrash on, brothers. May patches be ever on your jacket.

Released August 4, 2015 on Cyberdyne Records.

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Wrekmeister Harmonies - Night of Your Ascension

Night of Your Ascension is the third full-length composition by J.R. Robinson under the Wrekmeister Harmonies banner. For this release he’s enlisted the talents of members of Indian, Yakuza, The Body, and Bloodiest as well as Sanford Parker, vocalist Marissa Nadler, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and harpist Mary Lattimore among others. (Extended list below)

Inside are two compositions, “Night of Your Ascension” based on events in the life of Don Carlo Gesauldo and his madrigal “Ahi Dispietata e Cruda” and “Run Priest Run” inspired by the brutal in-prison murder of convicted child molester Father John Geoghan. Both are harrowing explorations of justified violence - at least in the eyes of those carrying it out - putting together sorrowful beauty and doomed ugliness.

The title track ushers in a beautiful quiet with female vocals casting a haunting yet serene melancholy. It delves into solemn and repetitive contemplation with delicate melodies dancing like butterflies. String and harp speak with ancient and downcast voices, giving way to a deep cello groan and rising, tension-filled noise. Guitars and drums come in with a crash that’s still emotionally draining but is swollen with doom.

That inescapably oppressive doom is shaded by voices and a madness of overstimulated nerves. Violence is unleashed, cymbals abused and lamenting voices join the angelic and an unbroken rush of corruscating guitar fills the space. A brief respite ensues then returns to the sinister pall. Melody and doom tremble with energy. Noise filters through a determined chord progression with ghastly howls curdling the blood and deeper chants suffering under spine-tingling noise until its abrupt end.

“Run Priest Run” starts out ominous with a quiet tension as if a foul smell is carried on the whispering breeze moving the wind chimes, triggering events about to be set in motion. Choral voices call into being thunderous and malevolent doom. Doom for the unrighteous. A violent and cruel justice.

An angelic voice casts a darkness that gains intensity until Chip King unleashes his most unholy howls of terrifying and maniacal violence. Methodic yet uncontrolled madness flails through the plodding chords and crashing percussion bringing a swift end to the victim. When all's said and done peace and justice is restored by pristine melody.

Over 32 and 17 minutes respectively “Night of Your Ascension” and “Run Priest Run” explore the human condition. Solitude, violence, peace and murder play out through a draining display of composed art. Sonic extremes meet and mingle in both cooperation and conflict. Any Wrekmeister Harmonies release is an emotionally taxing journey and this is no exception. It fills both the soul and the mind with a spectrum of pain that can deeply affect the listener.

Wonderful work again, Mr. Robinson.

Incomplete list of contributors:

J.R. Robinson, Chip King and Lee Buford (The Body), Alexander Hacke (Einsturzende Neubauten), Eric Chaleff (Bloodiest), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Sanford Parker (Buried at Sea), Dylan O’Toole and Ron DeFries (Indian), Solomon Lee Walker (Morrissey), Cooper Crain (Cave), Marissa Nadler, Mary Lattimore, Olivia Block, Mark Solotroff (Anatomy of Habit), Chris Brokaw (Come), Jaime Fennelly (Mind Over Mirrors), Fred Lonberg-Holm



Released November 13, 2015 on Thrill Jockey Records

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Born Broken Blast Out A Tune For The Canadian Election!

From Asher Media Relations:

BORNBROKEN Post New Track ‘A Nation of Ignorance’ Protesting Canada’s Federal Election; Announce New Vocalist Pepe Poliquin (ex-Endast)

       Montreal’s death thrashcore rippers BORNBROKEN have added new vocalist Pepe Poliquin (ex-Endast) to their line up and have just unleashed a new whopper of a tune featuring Peloquin entitled ‘A Nation of Ignorance’ for metal heads gearing up to vote in Canada’s federal election this week.

Guitarist Mike Decker comments:

“Doesn’t it seem that there are more lies exposed then truths being revealed and are we are letting it happen right before our eyes? Our latest single talks about a nation of ignorance we elected into power, that conceals everything behind a cloak of secrecy, conspiracy and silence. Well it’s time we expose the incompetence, stop the confusion before it all turns into chaos. The best way to protest and raise your voice is by voting. Make yourself heard and not be one of the forgotten.

We also like to add, we like to welcome into the band Pepe Poliquin (ex-Endast) on vocals. Pepe stepped down from playing guitar (for health reasons) and has given everything he’s got to be the voice for BornBroken. We also like to thank everyone who hung out along for the ride since our debut album “The Healing Powers of Hate”. It’s been a long a bumpy road, since our last single “Watch the World Unwind”, with lots of curves and dead ends, but we always seem to pull through. In the immortal words of Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies) “You Cant Bring Me Down!.”

Its time to hear the cry once more, and feel the rise again! The battle hasn’t just begun and it will never be over, unless we raise our voices together as one.

Keep in touch and most of all keep it real.”

Demon Lung - A Dracula

Back in 2003 I reviewed Demon Lung's The Hundredth Name for Ghost Cult Magazine giving the album a 9/10 and likened it to a “modern doom masterpiece.” Time has done little to alter that sentiment as the CD still finds itself in rotation in the car. However, it might be usurped by the Vegas group's latest offering, A Dracula. This time the doom quintet base their concept on the 1977 flick Alucarda, the gist of which is this: the daughter of Satan falls in love with a nun and converts her to the dark side. She is killed by her fellow nuns, is resurrected by Satan's Daughter and together they exact their revenge on the nuns and the world. How cool is that?!

The band once again worked with Billy Anderson. His engineering helps give the music that penetrating warmth that envelopes the scene like a fog, obscuring all that lay beyond the here and now, allowing the listener to become one with the music. Music that somewhat manages to be even more epic than its predecessor.

After the acoustic intro “Rursumque Alucarda”, Demon Lung launch into A Dracula with “Behold, the Daughter”. The track features some swift rhythms that have no place on a doom record but Demon Lung make them work. Hey, Cathedral didn't drag their feet the whole time either. As we're introduced to the evil temptress those rhythms bring trepidation and mimic the pounding hearts of those confronting the Daughter. It does slow to groovier movements and ominous doom however. Through it all Shanda Fredrick's perfectly suited voice leaves no doubt that this is doom no matter the tempo.

Throughout A Dracula we can feel this dynamism. Fast sections give way to pounding riffs in a sludge vein as well as chugging doom signalling action of a most dark sort. One even finds quieter moments with Fredrick's croon dominating. Those times are ones of abject sorrow yet are usually followed by the muscular doom we've come to expect. One can think of and feel those times like tears drying and a resolve building into the resulting destruction. Revenge.

Time and again the unholy trinity of Phil Burns and Brent Lynch (guitar) and Jason Lamb (bass) serve up powerful and epic riffs reaching the highest spires and the deepest dungeons. Their unity is as natural as it is overpowering. Undoubtedly doomy tone and a bevy of riffs, punctuated by concussive chords slam the listener hard enough to make the heart skip a beat and the variety of moods pieced fluidly together reflect the drama of the narrative.

All this ensures not only a feeling of doom but also of terror through those racing tempos, barely perceptible, more felt than heard atmospheric touches and Fredrick's coldly seductive delivery. Saving perhaps the best for last, A Dracula concludes with “Raped by the Serpent”, where all things come to a head and Fredrick puts forth her most powerful performance.

There is no doubt Demon Lung have crafted a superb doom album here but what makes it special, and so intriguing, is how they're able to adapt the film into the lyrical concept without it sounding cheap. Especially without the use of samples. Other than the arresting chorus on the closer, my favourite lyric is from “Deny the Saviour” with “You worship death, I worship life.” I love that this is the Daughter speaking to the nun.

With A Dracula Demon Lung have once again rendered my soul to the darkness and put forth an album I'll be sure to listen to for a long time to come. Lurching doom, terror-filled runs more akin to death metal, Jeremy Brenton's thunderous percussion and Fredrick's (splendid) voice comprise the pieces of this excellent (sure, I'll say it again) masterpiece.

Released June 29, 2015 on Candlelight Records

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FULL ALBUM STREAM: BLLIIGGHHTTED - Zeroes

Kingdom of Noise is pleased to be streaming the new album from Blliigghhtted entitled Zeroes for your listening (dis)pleasure!

The highly prolific Turkish artists (Ruahanathanas, Emir Toğrul and Merdümgiriz) bleed a chaotic strain of highly experimental black metal. Zeroes consists of two tracks both breaching the 20 minute mark. Icy guitar melodies drift lazily countered by blasts of apocalyptic freakouts. Feral incantations are highlighted by spine-tingling howls. Washes of synths create an impermeable atmosphere of ancient dread. And the percussion is truly possessed, following unpredictable paths, all in the name of creating a desperate sounding and unique identity.

The trio appear totally absorbed by their creative forces and thusly, the listener is drawn in as well, wrapped under layers of sonically manifested terror and confusion. As expected from this group of musicians, Zeroes is a challenging and exhaustive experience. Prepare thyself.



For more BLLIIGGHHTTED, including complete discography and merch, visit the links below:

Official: http://www.merdumgiriz.org/Blliigghhtted_Official.html

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blliigghhtted/1438110206469700

Bandcamp: http://blliigghhtted.bandcamp.com/

Lord Dying - Poisoned Altars

Sludgy is as sludgy does, sir! That's the kind of straight backed reaction Poisoned Altars, the newest from Lord Dying will give you. There's nothing sloppy or undisciplined about it. The mission is to pound the listener's will into oblivion under a barrage of chugging rhythms, dangerously heavy riffs and venomous vocals. Mission accomplished.

The Portland group continues on from Summon the Faceless without a hint of a sophomore jinx. They've just honed the edge of their deadly, hammering sludge. The dirty tone and gruff vocals keep it rooted in the filth with fiery runs and galloping guitars emerging from the muck. The resulted blend of down-tuned force and massive riffs makes Lord Dying one of those bands that end up sounding like the energy they put into the tunes.

Their thrash is handled in the same way as High on Fire. It's not all about unbridled speed or flashy solos but you know they'd like nothing better than to see a thousands fists in the hair as waves of hair banged furiously along to their wicked riffery.

On Poisoned Altars you won't hear the band trying to overcomplicate things. Dooming out and steamrolling while remaining dynamic can be achieved with guts and grit and that's what Lord Dying are doing here. They got vigour and dark intent without trying to terrify.

Red Fang's Aaron Beam lends guest vocals to "An Open Sore" and his cleaner voice works well alongside Erik Olson's bullying bite. You can hear a lot of hardcore in Olson's delivery to go along with it's gruff character.

There's isn't a dud to be found on Poisoned Altars. The tone leads to the overwhelming urge to shower, the riffs are epic and profoundly catchy and it's all pulled together by an undeniable groove. They've cemented themselves well in the sludge world, ranging from High on Fire to former tourmates Howl to early Mastodon while bringing in those thrash and stoner flavours a la The Sword.

There's no ill effects to feel from approaching Poisoned Altars. It's got all the muscle and heart of it's predecessor and then some. But it seems more realized and tighter. The guitars are more confident and the attitude is more pissed. High energy sludge with plenty of hardcore edge. Amen.

Released January 27, 2015 on Relapse Records.

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