{"id":63654,"date":"2017-03-23T13:00:54","date_gmt":"2017-03-23T18:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toiletovhell.com\/?p=63654"},"modified":"2017-03-23T13:03:13","modified_gmt":"2017-03-23T18:03:13","slug":"mini-reviews-from-around-the-bowl-230317","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/mini-reviews-from-around-the-bowl-230317\/","title":{"rendered":"Mini-Reviews from Around the Bowl: 03\/23\/17"},"content":{"rendered":"
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And just like that, a fourth of the year is almost up. Feel old yet?\u00a0Feast on\u00a0Isis<\/strong>, D\u00e9l\u00e9t\u00e8re<\/strong>,\u00a0Pissed On<\/strong>, Anomalie<\/b>, Havok<\/strong>,\u00a0Deathwish<\/strong>,\u00a0Disharmony<\/strong>, Funeral Storm<\/strong>, Celestial Rite<\/strong>\u00a0and Beheaded<\/strong>.
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\"\"<\/a><\/strong>Isis<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Live VII<\/em><\/a>
\nIpecac Records<\/strong><\/a> | March 31st, 2017<\/p>\n

Isis<\/strong> consistently released live albums starting in 2004, and upon their breaking up, I assumed VI<\/em> would be their last. I was disappointed knowing that none of the Wavering Radiant<\/em> material would get the live treatment, but much to my surprise, 7 years later, VII<\/em> was announced. With five songs from Wavering<\/em> and one from each of the other 4 LPs (and their 5th time using “Carry”), this is an excellent snapshot of the legendary band at the end of their career. I am particularly fond of these live albums because they tend the grab some sounds and oddities within the studio albums that you almost can\u2019t hear and bring them to the forefront, which ultimately changes how you listen to the studio versions. This is a limited release, so get your preorders in now. I\u2019m sorry Neurosis<\/strong>, I know you deserve some forefather credit and imma let you finish, but Isis was the greatest post-metal band of all time. OF ALL TIME. —Joaquin Stick.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>D\u00e9l\u00e9t\u00e8re<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Per Aspera ad Pestilentiam
\n<\/em>Sepulchral Productions<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0| March 18th, 2017<\/p>\n

At first nothing much on this new album by black metal Qu\u00e9becsters D\u00e9l\u00e9t\u00e8re<\/strong> caught my ear. But subsequent listens revealed a modest bounty of catchy and rousing tunes. It was as if I was an obstinate mollusk hiding in the muck of some briny seabed, plucked up and shucked open by the blade of D\u00e9l\u00e9t\u00e8re’s toothy riffs, my slimy innards lain bare to the cold light of their hypertriumphant melodies. Despite that ghastly (and most excellent) cover art, there’s nothing too grim here. The songs are elevated by\u00a0subtle yet ever-present keyboards and brightened by an exceedingly crip and tasteful mix. Stream some here<\/a>. —Richter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>Pissed On<\/a> <\/strong>\u2013 The Hanged Man<\/em>
\nAdvocate Records<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0March 17th, 2017<\/p>\n

There are two very unique instances where it is OK to be pissed on. The first is if you are a world leader who is covered in Cheeto Dust and you have an affinity for a water sports-style clean up courtesy of Russian escorts. The other instance, which would apply to the rest of us, would be to listen to the band Pissed On\u00a0<\/strong>and spare yourself the humiliation of having to explain to everyone you know that you are into some very twisted sexual acts.\u00a0\u00a0Fans of the likes of Pig Destroyer<\/strong> and Vermin Womb<\/strong>\u00a0will find plenty to enjoy on this five song EP which takes brain damage inducing death grind and meshes it with fits of doom and noise. Musically, Pissed On are\u00a0very bestial and primal in nature with varying degrees of dissonance coursing through their riffs along with savage drumming and harsh death metal growls to tie it all together. If that is to your liking, check out advance tracks here<\/a>\u00a0and here<\/a>\u00a0so you can hear what all the fuss is about. —Ron Deuce.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Anomalie <\/strong>\u2013 Visions<\/em><\/a>
\nArt of Propaganda<\/strong><\/a> | March 17th, 2017<\/p>\n

It came as no surprise to me that Anomalie<\/strong> is a project fronted by a live member of the post-rock\/black metal band Harakiri for the Sky<\/strong>. Visions seems to run in a similar vein as HftS, but with a slightly more introspective tone. Frontman Marrok<\/strong> has an excellent sense of how to layer melodic guitar riffs over relentless drums and the acoustic guitar sections add a really nice folk touch to the depressive atmosphere. I was pretty lukewarm <\/a>on HftS\u2019s most recent album despite its relatively high praise and I had a similar journey with this one. On first listen, I was beyond excited, but on subsequent listens my enthusiasm waned slightly. Pieces of it are undoubtedly great, so if you liked HftS, you will like this very much. Probably even more. —Joaquin Stick.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Havok<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Conformicide<\/em><\/a>
\nCentury Media<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>| March\u00a010th, 2017<\/p>\n

I must admit, not a lot of modern, cleaner produced Thrash is tickling my particular fancy lately, which is why Havok<\/strong>‘s Conformicide<\/em> was a nice punch to the nads. The band has been around for some time, but never really stood out from the pack to my ears; it seems like they needed one Bass Ultramaster Nick Schendzielos<\/strong> (Job for a Cowboy<\/strong>, Cephalic Carnage<\/strong>) to slap everything into place. And slap he does<\/a>, dammit. The bass is the highlight of the album for me, audibly emphasizing the guitars when necessary and funking things up with technical wizardry elsewhere. The drums sound really natural to me as well, and the overall mix is clean but not overly polished. Really, the one drawback from the album are some of the MEGA cringe-inducing lyrics, which get to be modern\u00a0Mustaine<\/strong>-level bad (“POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS A SOCIAL DISEASE!!!!”). Oh well. —Moshito.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/b>Deathwish<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Unleash Hel<\/a>l<\/i>
\nBeer City Skateboards & Records<\/b><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0March 10th, 2017<\/p>\n

I typically mock retro-leaning rock and metal bands since they’d oftentimes be better off performing covers at their local bar than writing their own tunes.\u00a0However, the Wisconsinites in\u00a0Deathwish\u00a0<\/strong>do it right.\u00a0Unleash Hell\u00a0<\/em>is just under 30 minutes of ripping, punky hard rock, almost a combination of bands like\u00a0Mot\u00f6rhead\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Black Flag.\u00a0<\/strong>Truthfully, any longer and the record would start to feel monotonous, so the short run time is a blessing. It’s just enough time to get the groove and not enough to feel bored. The riffs are tight and bassist\/vocalist “Bitty” has some killer screams that sound like\u00a0High on Fire’s\u00a0Matt Pike<\/strong> at a higher register. Makes me wanna grab my PBR tall boy and fucking fight someone shirtless in the goddamn snow. YEP! —Rusty.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Disharmony<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Goddamn the Sun<\/a>
\n<\/em>Iron Bonehead<\/strong>\u00a0|\u00a0March 3rd, 2017<\/p>\n

Disharmony<\/strong> falls into that vast vat of bands that made a few demo’s decades ago (in this case, the early 90’s) and disbanded. Only to be refound to see if their kvlt-kredit could be exchanged into success in the 21st century. Goddamn the Sun<\/em> is the band’s first actual album release, and belongs to the surprising side of Iron Bonehead<\/strong>‘s grave-reeking roster of bands dug up from gods know where (If you are reading this, not every murky demo from ’91\u00a0needs to see the light of day) that deserves their second chance. Vocalist Damien King<\/strong> and his gang of newcomers have crafted a very enjoyable album of Greek black metal, mixing it with a good dose death as not to\u00a0lose themselves in the shadow of the giants. Nevertheless, the first song proper “The Gates of Elthon” carries more than a little early Rotting Christ<\/strong>-vibes, but with their disjointed taste in leads having transitioned to the rhythmic playing, favouring more conjoined melodies. Here and there female vocals and faint-but-clear synths stir the pot just right, and keep Damien’s hoarse, monotonous croak from becoming too overbearing. Goddamn the Sun<\/em> comes heartily recommended from this Beargod. —Karhu.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Funeral Storm<\/a>\/Celestial Rite\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Funeral Rite (split)<\/a>
\n<\/em>Iron Bonehead<\/strong>\u00a0|\u00a0February 24th, 2017<\/p>\n

On the history of Hellenic black metal, Funeral Storm<\/strong> remains but a parenthesis – but the quality of their material would have warranted for more. Though beginning their career as a published band only in 2012, they sort of go back to the beginning of the millenia. Having graced the mortal coil with their works rather sparsely, only two other splits and a collection of archive material exists, their brand of highly traditional, melodic and thoroughly Greek black metal kept the quality high from dawn ’til dusk. For Funeral Rite<\/em><\/a> the sole returning member, Wampyrion, dug Necroabyssious up from his lair to croak upon the world – and the sharpest riffs that Rotting Christ<\/strong> and Varathron<\/strong> had left in their drawers. Though good through and through the band’s entire career feels like a big teaser so far, and one would hope the climax to be delivered soon. Unfortunately, their brethren in dark, musky and bass-heavy Celestial Rite<\/strong>, similarly having only released few demos sporadically, have seen fit to leave behind the woes of this age, and bid farewell with their half. Equally as unmistakeably Greek in style, though quite a bit less melodic by-the-way of leads, offering instead booming percussion, tremolo-heavy riffing and ethereal synths, ahrkening back to the early days of “symphonic” black metal. One of the better, and more balanced splits of recent times, a joint effort from two clans of men, who knew – where one lives, the other must die. —Karhu.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Beheaded<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Beast Incarnate<\/em><\/a>
\nUnique Leader Records<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>| January\u00a027th, 2017<\/p>\n

Unbewhom’ve’d’st to this nerd, Beheaded<\/strong> have been around their fair share of time. They return this year offering us a Beast Incarnate;<\/em>\u00a0a blast beat a tremolo guitar-filled Death Metal album that blends solid playing\u00a0with shouted vocals to make for a very solid listen (albeit maybe a bit repetitive one). The songs are mostly not long and not short, save for a few slower cuts with a bit more room to breathe and expand\u00a0in between the frontal riff assaults. If you like your Death Metal without those pesky frills and with a filling, crunchy production, Beheaded have your number.\u00a0—Moshito.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Hey you. Yeah YOU. Want to contribute to mini-reviews? Find an album you’ve dug (or not) that preferably hasn’t been reviewed on the blog yet and has been released recently (within the last few months, or year if you’re so inclined), write around 100-120 coherent words about it and send it to toiletminis[AT]gmail[DOT]com<\/strong>. Please include the album’s release date, title, label, a link to the band’s facebook (if they have one), another one to their bandcamp (or any other place to listen to\/buy the album if they don’t have one) and any other information\/links that you think are relevant and want to include.<\/p>\n

Don’t do it for me. Do it for the ghost of the MasterLord.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And just like that, a fourth of the year is almost up. Feel old yet?\u00a0Feast on\u00a0Isis, D\u00e9l\u00e9t\u00e8re,\u00a0Pissed On, Anomalie, Havok,\u00a0Deathwish,\u00a0Disharmony, Funeral Storm, Celestial Rite\u00a0and Beheaded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":63693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[70],"tags":[9923,9036,1861,9928,798,9926,2556,1024,3460,9925,9927,7948,7534,153,1751,187,9924,4318,17,9931,32,9930,672,9922,3260,4761,572],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/original.jpg?fit=5760%2C3840&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63654"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}