Southern Demolition
5 new bands from south of the border that will make Trumpty Dumpty’s wall idea seem even more fucking idiotic. Featuring some proggy OSDM, eerie atmospheric black metal, 80’s style South American thrash, deathgrind and more!
Question
Who are Question? Mexico’s answer to Scandinavian death metal.
Why the fuck haven’t I heard them before? They have only released one full-length back in 2014.
What do they sound like? Old-school progressive death metal at its finest.
Progressive? Yes.
That’s kind of an ambiguous term these days, what exactly do you mean by that? Each song is an amorphous entity filled with captivating riffs that seem to gradually morph, shifting into the next with a deft fluidity.
Sounds a bit artsy, I like my death metal to retain some degree of primeval energy, will I be able to headbang to these riffs? Most certainly, unless you’re dead, your neck will be snapping along for the 25 minute duration.
How does the production compare to the classics? Gnosis Primordial will give you everything you want and more.
Who will this release please most? Fans of Morbus Chron, The Chasm, every good Finnish DM band from the 90’s, even fans of some more recent stuff like Nucleus should be all over this shit.
Why am I still reading this instead of clicking play below? That’s one question I can’t answer.
Gnosis Primordial was released on the 27th of January through Chaos Records.
Praecognitvm
On their debut demo, Chilean band Praecognitvm offer an odd yet alluring blend of occasional dissonance and the more conventional melodic motifs associated with atmospheric BM, oscillating between the two like a warbling AM radio wave. Inalienable Catharsis is equal parts a show of future potential and also of a young band reaching a little beyond their grasp. To be fair, one can’t be too critical as this is merely their first demo after all, and what they’re aiming for some bands never manage cohesion with, even at their peak. The cryptic clean tones invoke an aquatic unease, rather than the usual dreamy ethereal vibe that prevails in the sub-genre. This facet of their sound, especially when combined with the distorted riffs that seem to wrangle one another just to stay in tune, really helps to foster the distinct undercurrent of dissolution that carries these 4 tracks through the depths of abject despondency, toward the morose spectre of death itself. Even for a demo this is an ambitious and relatively unique composition from a band that I will definitely be keeping an ear out for in the future. Inalienable Catharsis comes out on Iron Bonehead Records on February 10th.
Hellish
Thrash may have been born north of the Equator (*), but its heart surely beats in South America. Around this time last year I stumbled upon this little ripper of a debut from Chilean band Hellish. The Theurgist’s Spell EP did just enough during its four short tracks to not only warrant an instant purchase but also to keep the band’s name reasonably high up on the exponentially increasing “bands to watch” list (I actually started a spreadsheet once to try and keep better track of all the shit I wanna keep up with, but I ended up forgetting about it too. Fuck you, I’m old). So here we are one year later and the maniacal four-piece have penned another 6 tracks to combine with the aforementioned EP, to give us their debut album titled Grimoire. Thankfully, not much has changed in their music style-wise; most of the hallmarks of the classic mid-80’s South American & Teutonic thrash sounds are still vividly on display here, for better or for worse. While you may not be getting the technical blitzkrieg of countrymen Ripper, nor the razor-sharp precision of Mexican fiends Profanator, what you get instead is a sincere throwback to a time when metal was free from a lot of the pretence that often seems to cloud the songwriting of young contemporary bands. Although the record was released independently late last year, it seems as though Unspeakable Axe have picked it up for a physical release on February 28th. FFO: Invincible Force, Invocation Spells, Throaat.
* – Subject to conjecture, still waiting to see its papers.
Evil Priest
BANG! On their debut demo, Peruvian duo Evil Priest nail the Toilet Ov Hell trifecta. Long-time listeners of the TovH Radio show are likely to already know what I’m talking about. Band: Evil Priest. Album: Evil Priest. Song: “Evil Priest”. If that’s not enough encouragement for you to give this release a shot, then what are you even doing here? I guess I can give you a little more info. Evil Priest play that primitive thrash-infused form of death metal that South America are renowned for, you know, the one where the riffs either swarm like a million meth-addled hornets or slowly swamp your entire being, sticking to your skin and clogging your every pore, as if even the air in the stiflingly humid jungle wants you dead. The drumming is suitably primal and barbaric, with a touch of tribal urgency; the vocals roar, cutting through the fetid environment, hunting you down with every breath. If you’re the type of person who at breakfast uses a meat-tenderiser to crack your eggs, and a raging fire pit to cook your bacon, Evil Priest is your soundtrack. Evil Priest can now be picked up through Caverna Abymsal Records. FFO: Mystifier, Possessed, sweating profusely.
Porta Daemonium
Prior to about 40 minutes ago, I don’t think I could remember having heard a brutal death metal band from Chile. Although to be honest, brutal death metal as a whole never really excites me much, aside from a few notable exceptions, I find the sub-genre to be a little irrelevant, seemingly attempting to be extreme just for the sake of it. So why are you writing about this album then you dickhead lizard? Firstly, when I saw the combination of the cover art and band name I assumed Porta Daemonium’s music would fall into the black/death spectrum. Secondly, Blood Harvest Records releases typically fall right into my wheelhouse. Lastly, because my shitty connection tonight took 40 minutes to download it so someone must suffer the consequences.
So after going in blind (or deaf as it were in this instance), the weird 3 minute ambient zzaaaazzzaaaasss zzaaazzzzaaaassss zazzzzzaaassss (moar like zzzzzzzz) intro track failed to help me elucidate what was to follow…slam snare, sloppy as shit guitar tone, and hoarse vocals. Did I just unwittingly agree to a 30 minute aural assault from Santiago’s equivalent to Coprophagic Rancidity? Nah, not gutteral enough. As the track progressed I came to realise that Serpent Of Chaos is more of a conglomerate of ideas pulled from the realms of brutal death metal, deathgrind, and regular ol’ death metal. While the transitions between the all-out blasting and the less frenetic sections are not exactly seamless, and the production is generally a mess, you just know that this is all deliberate and that it is exactly the combination some lunatics crave. Lunatics who no doubt frequent this site. Lunatics like you.
