Weekly Temptations: May 30, 2016

Ok, so there's no way I'm going to get this done every week but I have a plan. I don't know quite how to execute it yet, but I have one. In the meantime, now that I fixed my last.fm scrobbling issue (sort of) you can see what the last few days had in store.

Withered - Grief Relic (May 27, 2016 on Season of Mist)

The return of WITHERED!!!! Their "tortured blackened doom" has added more death to the mix here. They've also added Colin Marston on bass and his presence is definitely felt. Far from a instant gratification type album you've really got to crack this one open.



Eleanora - Allure (May 7, 2016 on Consouling Sounds)

I'm used to having Consouling release albums with an ambient side. Eleanora however obliterate ambience. Their allure comes from a savage, sludgy, hardcore place that builds up primal urges in the listener. Disgustingly good.



Cough - They Still Pray (June 3, 2016 on Relapse)

You know you're getting heavy-ass shit with Cough. It was produced and recorded by Jus Oborn of Electric Wizard with Windhand's Garrett Morris.  I can hear that. Massive slogging doom. There's no medicine for this and prayers don't work.



Begrime Exemious - The Enslavement Conquest (March 4, 2016 on Dark Descent)

Vicious, searing, crusty, blackened, thrashing death. Canada has a tonne of great bands but Begrime Exemious are one of the best. They continue to pummel brains and terrorize eardrums on this latest release. I really should order physical copy of this. Perfect for raging out in the garage when I need to blow off some steam.



Phobocosm - Bringer of Doubt (May 13, 2016 on Dark Descent)

Another deathly Canadian product! The difference here is Phobocosm are fucking weird. Eternally dark and twisted, they make you feel uncomfortable all the time. It's terrifying and technical death that lurks close to the floor to drag you into nightmares.



Red Wizard - Cosmosis (April 8, 2016 on Ripple Music/STB Records)

Ripple Music and STB Records are two of the kickin'-est labels going. And Red Wizard are pretty kickin'. Fuzzy grooves and dirty bellows abound amidst no frills stoner rock. Bands like this (and their labels) bring back memories of the good ole Man's Ruin days. Cosmic!



Voidnaga - Demo MMXVI (March 11, 2016 on Iron Bonehead)

Malicious Malaysian death/black metal! This one-man project exudes darkness and the stench of foul beings. Crawling doom atmosphere, varied tempos, soul-swallowing vocals. If this is just a demo, the world is in serious trouble.



Deformatory - Malediction (February 5, 2016 on CDN Records)

The third of four Canadian entries. Ottawa's Deformatory brutalize with speed and dexterity while keeping the wankery to a minimum. They're not inventing any new tricks but that's not an issue when you can channel bands like Suffocation to devastating effect.



Mortillery - Shapeshifter (May 27, 2016 on Napalm)

Blistering thrash from Edmonton pulling from the wild and crazy heyday of speed metal and injecting bitchin' vocals into the guitar fury! It reminds me of the neo-thrash savagery of bands such as Warbringer and Havok, even topping those bigger names. MORTILLERY FUCKING RIP!!!!

Skeletonwitch, Withered and Landmine Marathon @ Time to Laugh, Kingston, ON Nov. 26, 2010

I knew this was going to be a great night. How often do you get to see three bands of this caliber on the stage for $12? I would easily have paid $12 each! So in order to make things "fair" in terms of cost-to-enjoyment, I bought a shirt and vinyl from both Withered and Landmine. I got a 3/4 sleeve baseball style tour shirt from Skeletonwitch last time they were in town. So I ended up spending a bunch of money I didn't really have but it was worth it. However, my wallet wasn't the only thing that paid for it. A full 7 days after the show and I am still nursing a fairly painful bangover. (Special thanks to Chris Woodford of Toronto band Titan, for, to the best of my knowledge, creating that word.) Meh, some people pay for worse kinds of pain than pulled neck muscles. Like in Hostel 2, when the guy pays to kill the one chick and she ends up cutting his dick off with a pair of scissors. It can always be worse. Right, the show.
As usual I missed most of the first band. Fashionably late. I don't think I missed much with locals Ponderous Chain. They weren't horrible but they were brought down by the complete lack of stage presence displayed by their singer. This is metal, man! Put your fucking back into it! I do believe one  guitarist used to play for Rozea Haven and he's got some chops, so there is an upside here.
The other "beer band" on the bill was Darkness Rites. Pretty young band but they seemed to know what they were doing. Death metal with breakdowns but I wouldn't class them as metal/deathcore. Their singer was the polar opposite of the previous band's. He may have looked like a poser, but he had a pretty good set of lungs on him and he was VERY passionate. If I think my necks hurts, that guy is gonna need a team of Swedish masseuses to set him straight.
Landmine Marathon. This is where the self-induced bodily injury came in. I knew what to expect. I was quite well acquainted with their 2010 offering, Sovereign Descent. So when the band took the stage and singer Grace Perry started tearing us a new arsehole, (that lady can scream!) I (at least tried to) lead the neck-snappin' charge. Perry herself jumped off the stage a few times and engaged the crowd. At one point, she whipped me into the pit and tore another guy's shirt right off his back! That's fuckin' hardcore, dude. Despite having a shorter set, Landmine was able to rip out a mix of songs from Sovereign as well as some older tunes. I was a little rusty (ha!) with the tunes from Rusted Eyes Awake but that didn't matter. Their whole set was loaded with brutality. Their brand of doomy deathgrind is just as awesome live as it is on CD/vinyl/cassette (all formats were available). I'm not sure how many people knew who Landmine Marathon were at the beginning of the night (Let's be honest, most of the people were there to see Skeletonwitch), but by the time they left the stage, they'd gained plenty of new fans. And that's what touring is all about. Getting out there and getting the music heard. The merch table ended up being pretty busy but I did manage to get a shirt and a copy of Sovereign Descent on vinyl. In getting said vinyl signed by the band (Perry, guitarist Ryan Butler and Dylan Thomas, bassist Matt Martinez and drummer Andy York) I was able hang out with them for a little bit. I love when bands are approachable and easygoing. I tried not to be too much of a fanboy and since we shared some of the same views and interests, it was easy to talk about things other than music.(For example, how my daughter, Grace, insisted I tell Grace Perry that they have the same name. Spooky fact: my daughter was born the same year Landmine Marathon formed.) I sincerely hope Landmine is able to come back and play Kingston someday. They're the kind of band Kingston needs to see more of to help the fans embrace underground metal. Maybe next time I can stop moving my head long enough to actually SEE them perform. And maybe next time they can play "Steadfast Hate" because they just plain ran out of time. Right? (wink wink)
Speaking of not being able to see, Withered had all the stage lights turned off to set the mood. "Tortured blackened doom" doesn't call for flashy lights. It made perfect sense to create a dark and ominous atmosphere for dark and ominous music. Like Intronaut, the bass plays a central role in the band. And also like Intronaut, the bassist takes center stage flanked by both guitarist/vocalists. Being a bassist myself, I kinda like that setup. Again, I didn't SEE much of the performance as I did feel it. When I wasn't violently thrashing about to the driving black metal thunder, I was soaking in the soundscapes with my eyes closed. Like the time I saw Yakuza, the music goes so far beyond the visual that you feel the need to close off that input and let the sound penetrate. The blasts unleashed upon the masses came mostly from 2010's outstanding Dualitas. It was the first show by a more or less black metal band I've had the pleasure of attending. While I don't consider Withered your "typical" black metal band, by witnessing the raw force, emotion and passion of their set, I have gained a new level of appreciation for the genre in general. They are one of the first (that I know of) blackened doom bands to play Kingston and I felt like the crowd wasn't prepared for it. (Pre-Apostasy Behemoth came through once. I missed it.) I mean, there were people "into it" but I felt like saying "Come on people! It's fucking WITHERED!" Then again, I was one of the only people losing my shit when Jucifer, Psyopus, Cattle Decapitation, Yakuza, Terror and Intronaut played. (Not all at the same time!) I guess I'm just lucky to have a deep knowledge of great metal. It's hard to believe that after the aural pummeling doled out by these doom dealers, this now tortured soul was actually able to walk. The powerful and stirring set could just as easily brought me to my knees. (Bowing to the greatness, of course) Alas, there was some sah-weet merch to acquire. Besides, I wouldn't want to get trampled by the hordes crowding the stage for the headliners.
Ohio's Skeletonwitch are touring machines. Near constant touring as honed this band's abilities. By which I mean their ability to drink you under the table and still put on a killer show. These blackened thrashers know how to have a good fucking time! Master frontman Chance Garnette and Co have sharpened their live show to a razor sharp edge. They're tight, enthusiastic, and well, fun! Crowd pleasers to say the least. Back in July they played 3rd fiddle to High on Fire (NObody plays after HoF. Nobody) and Priestess but you'd never have known they were the openers. As headliners this time around, they were given more time to pound their catchy riffs and scream-along choruses into our eager eardrums. You can't help but at least nod your head or tap your feet. I've probably said this before but Skeletonwitch is fist-pumpin' metal. Cuz that's what you want to do the whole time. Throw your fists in the air in salute to a brand of metal that appeals to a wide range of fans. I saw fans there that looked 10 years old, and fans that looked like they were 10 years old when Black Sabbath first played North America. Long hairs, hardcore dudes, nerds (represent!), jocks, you name it. One of the most amazing things was that the bands they were touring with were just as excited as the people who paid to see them.That's when you know your doing something right. Rarely have I seen a crowd that unified. The band tore through a diverse set featuring tunes from their whole catalog. Whether it was a track from '09s Breathing The Fire or an older one such as my personal fave, "At One With The Shadows", the crowd gobbled up what the 'Witch was brewin'. It doesn't make much sense to have that much fun listening to songs about killing and dying but that's just what happens at a Skeletonwitch show. On CD, they feel much more sinister. But live, it's all about "having a good fuckin' time!" I guarantee you will. Skeletonwitch vowed to return but not without stipulations. Until they come back, we were instructed to "Drink beeeer! Smoke weeeeed! And eat some fucking pussy!" Sounds like a plan to me!
I was surprised that given the fact that some of the bands on the bill have a blackened element that there was no mention that show was on Black Friday. I thought that would have been a given. No worries, I got some shopping in and everything I bought was black!

Withered - Dualitas

Before I get in to the review, I just have to say that I am over the fucking moon excited to see Withered on Friday. I'd be stoked enough if was just them and some locals but they're playing with Skeletonwitch AND Landmine Marathon! I will barely be able to walk/talk/breathe by the time that show is over.
Anyway, I'll be reviewing the show so check back sometime next week to see how much self-destruction I caused.
Now, it's been a while since I've heard Memento Mori or Folie Circulaire but I get a different feeling from Dualitas. It could just be my horrible memory, but it seems more spacious than previous releases. While the oppressive parts are just as oppressive, they are interspersed with more, shall we say, reflective passages. After I actually shell out money to buy a physical copy of this (vinyl?) on Friday I may be able to confirm my theory that the theme of this album is duality. Not in a split-personality sense or "good and evil exist in all of us" way, but more of a two sides to every story idea. For example, some parts are loud and fast and powerful and make me think of war and destruction and all the adrenaline and hot blood that goes with that. That will then fall into a slower, more pensive sounding passage which brings to mind the other side of war. The loss and the sadness. But as I think about it more, the mournful side could be the reflection of the "victors" (no one wins in war). The part where the triumphant survey the destruction they have wrought and think, "What have we done?" "What have we become?" Every time I've listened to Dualitas I can't help but think about the two emotions that rise in my heart, triumph and sorrow. The driving black metal aspect conjuring images of militaristic conquest and victory and the slower, doomier aspect revealing the bloody aftermath and an overwhelming sense of loss. "Interlude" is one of the saddest sounding pieces of music I have ever heard while other parts of the record would flay the skin from your bones and laugh with terrible glee.
Withered have really outdone themselves in creating such an enjoyable yet emotionally draining album. Powerful, cerebral music with a soul.

Withered - Folie Circulaire

This is gonna be a weird review. I'll start with that.
I am gonna just say what comes to mind as I listen to this blistering lab of metal called Folie Circulaire by Withered. okay?
nice dirty guitars. wailing away as the bass trudges along underneath. demonic blackened vocals. I really like that underlying bass line. very jam like. OOOOH! full-throat growls. me likey! (track 3 Dichotomy of Exile).
Track 4 - Gnosis Unveils starts off with a kinda Baroness type feel. nice intro. again with the jammy bass kinda doing it's own thing. That would be Mike Longoria. Did you know that Mike Thompson (guitar, vocals) was in Social Infestation with Troy Sanders from Mastodon? There are moments here that remind me of Mastodon come to think of it. Alot of the bands from the Atlanta area have a "feel". Like Withered, Baroness, Mastodom, Black Tusk...... Like Seattle in the grunge era. Except this is way more awesome. This track is sort of all over the place but it's tighter than most bands who do that. It's very deliberate and good song writing rather than "let's go crazy!!!"
Withered is rounded out by Chris Freeman on guitar and vocals and Beau Brandon on drums.
Purification of Innocence is a killer track. Smack you in the face at the start, growls, fast very black metal, then it slows down into an epic sounding midsection then picks right back up again around the 3 minute mark. Does it ever pick up! mid-tempo sludgy part, banging my head at the computer. dual layered vocal slower part, then BAM with the speed again to finish it off and lead right into Drawn Black Drapes. Nice transition.
This would be very fun to scream along to if I could make out the words. Probably the fastest track of the album so far. Paul Romano did the wicked cover art.
Revealing the Essence of Suffering sounds really cool. I like the pace. gallopy. Until it slows down. haha they do that alot. but very very well. What I really love about this is how the bass doesn't just follow along with whatever the guitars are doing. (ie. Metallica) and there is no way these guys follow any kind of verse-chorus-verse structure. Like now its strummed guitar (whole notes) over a nice noodly bass line and then the rocket boosters kick in again and it's off to the races. That feels like at least 4 times changes in one song. They have really found a way to meld many styles together. They've been described (even on their own website) as Tortured Blackened Doom and that really sounds pretty accurate.
Clamour Breath has some different vocals in it. Cleaner. more punk/hardcore. It works. According to Encyclopaedia Metallum, Chris Freeman was in Social Infestation too (still is, those 3 are the band). Check out the Mastodon DVD The Workhorse Chronicles for some slips of Social Infestation. s'good stuff.
the last track is a cover of Necrophobic's Into Armageddon. Kinda makes me want to check out Necrophobic.
So basically, Withered take the straight ahead speed and tone of black metal, with all it's bleakness and blastbeats and meld it with southern sludge and blow your fuckin mind.
It's a wonder I haven't listened to this more this year. It should make my Top 40. 2006 was Mastodon at #1, 2007 was Baroness. I don't think Folie Circulaire will top my 2008 list but it has represented Atlanta very well.
I could do this same thing for Abysmal Dawn's Programmed to Consume (one of the best death metal albums of '08) but have like everyday stuff to take care of. I'll be back.