Berator - Elysian Inferno

8/10

I’d describe Berator as a black/death metal band with strong thrashy moments. If you dig bands like Archgoat, Order from Chaos and Destroyer 666 then Berator would be a shoo-in for you.

Berator hail from Chicago and are one of the newer bands on the illustrious Dark Descent Records roster. Their newly released ‘Elysian Inferno’ EP is my first introduction to the band. Prior to this EP, Berator put out a two song demo titled ‘R.A.I.D.S’ and those songs are also featured on ‘Elysian Inferno’. At first glance of the logo and album cover, I get strong vibes of black/death metal. But that’s me judging a book by its cover. What further cemented my suspicions were the band members’ partial involvement with acts like Profanatica and The Chasm as per Metal Archives. 

‘Elysian Inferno’ clocks in at slightly over 22 minutes and the six tracks went about in dizzyingly quick manner. After multiple listens, I can confidently say that my initial suspicions were not too far. I’d describe Berator as a black/death metal band with strong thrashy moments. If you dig bands like Archgoat, Order from Chaos and Destroyer 666 then Berator would be a shoo-in for you. 

The first track, ‘Sultans of Incest’ has a build up which then hits you hard in a frenzied chaotic manner. Midway the song hammers down the riffs hard. It’s definitely a promising start to the EP. ‘Onslaught to Absolution’ carries on this tempo of punishing black/death metal. ‘Dead Rats’ is a track that gets more interesting in the second half. The track explodes into hard hitting riffs, a black/thrashy section and then whammy bar guitar solos. ‘War Lust’ is heavy and creates a wall of sound but at this time for me, it feels a bit repetitive. I can commend the guitar solo and the barrage of riffs immediately after that which make it enjoyable. ‘Final crucifixion’ has a slower opening and pounds away in a very Archgoat like manner. Crushing mid-paced caveman riffs. The song does switch it up a bit with blastbeats in between. ‘Swine Cult’ is the last track on the EP. The guitars sound more buzzsaw-y than usual. It cuts right through. Out of the six tracks, I felt some were not as memorable but ‘Swine Cult’, ‘Sultans of Incest’ and ‘Final Crucifixion’ were definitely my highlights.

Right off the bat, when someone utters black/death and a band which is on a roster like Dark Descent’s, you’d imagine a muddled cavernous production. Berator’s production is somewhere between “medium rare” and “well done”. It’s perfect for my taste wherein the various instruments and vocals are equally audible. The vocals, although a tad “distant” and echo-y, it doesn’t get buried in the mix. The guitars are crisp yet raw. The rhythm section of drums and bass are tight. 

To sum up, I enjoyed ‘Elysian Inferno’. It’s a band true to their style and influences. They’re neither original nor do they seek to be original. So in that sense, the EP won’t blow you out of the water but the band’s efforts to create a slab of music which is hard hitting and honest to their influences is something worthy of checking out. 

Originally posted on Tempelores.com

Outre-Tombe – Abysse Mortifère

8/10

The band does what many fail to achieve – Make simple riffs sound extremely catchy and brutal at the same time.

Outre-Tombe return with their highly anticipated third album titled Abysse Mortifère. These Quebec death metal upstarts have made waves in the old school death metal community over the past decade with their straight-up, chuggy, death metal soaked in grimy atmosphere. It harkens back to the late 80s and early 90s Swedeath or Bolt Thrower sound. They also tend to throw in d-beat and punk influences, which keep their songs often bouncy and very energetic. Very soon you’d need a neck brace from headbanging too much. This was my first introduction to the band from a couple years ago and their previous efforts, Répurgation and Nécrovortex, have left a lasting impression on me.

The Abysse Mortifère album cover art is stylistically very similar to Nécrovortex, with the exception that they seem to have upped the gruesome quotient on it. It is stunning and perhaps captures what the band’s members hope the album sound is expected to look like visually. Let’s see whether this holds water!

The self-titled track, which is the album opener, kicks off with an eerie horror build-up and very soon the slow guitar riffs gather momentum and transform into heavy alternate picking. It’s very Outre-Tombe-ish alright and the band picks up right where Nécrovortex left off. Cenobytes, the second track, has a strong d-beat influence in its verse and chorus. The band changes it up with some tasty guitar work as a breakdown, followed up with some guitar solos which fit right over the mix. Crachat’s vocals are as Martin van Drunen-esque as ever and they cut right through.

I’m already ten minutes into the album and the album has the band’s signature style written all over it. It satiates my expectations almost completely. I felt the tracks Coupe Gorge and Desossé were a bit like filler tracks but I’m not disappointed because this was only building up to the monstrous Exsangue. It’s a song which perfectly stitches together four main riff ideas. They are groovy, they have cajones and are extremely headbang worthy. It’s easily the best track on the album and very closely rivals L’antre de l’horreur (from Répurgation) as my all time favorite Outre-Tombe track.

I might sound like this is the high point of the album. Exsangue definitely is but the B-side of the album is worth checking. In my opinion it collectively has superior quality compared to the first five tracks. Tombeau de glace has a fist-thumping intro and then meanders off into relentless riffs. Haut et Court has a very strong mid-section which will result in many circle-pits whenever the band gets to play live. Nécrophage felt more like business as usual. The album closer, Haruspex, is probably my second favorite track on this record. It mixes multiple ideas and executes them well. It has all the elements that make Outre-Tombe. From guitar buildup in the start to seamless transitions to tremolo riffing to some groovy bouncy OSDM and then frenzied guitar solos. The song ends just as it began, like the intro. And here we are, at the end of another Outre-Tombe album!

I think the quality of songwriting in Abysse Mortifère has been largely consistent with their previous efforts. The musicianship has been excellent within the realm of the band’s musical boundaries and Crachat continues to belt out his buzzsaw like vocals to match the instrumentation. What peeves me though the most is that the record lacks that punch-in-the-face sound. I love my muddy grimy production in albums, but not at the expense of taking a bit of oomph from the band’s sound. Compared to the previous albums, the production does feel a tad weaker. I’m not sure if many will nitpick on this aspect because overall, I do think Abysse Mortifère is a worthy successor to Nécrovortex.

If you’re looking for tech-death wizardry or something “innovative” (notice the air-quotes) in death metal, then this band is not for you. If you love old school death metal just the way the Swedeath pioneers wanted it to sound, then Outre-Tombe is definitely up your alley. The band does what many fail to achieve – Make simple riffs sound extremely catchy and brutal at the same time. They hit the sweet spot when many tend to overdo it. Abysse Mortifère is out on Temple of Mystery records and if you get an opportunity to catch the band live, drop everything and do it. I hear they put on a mean show. I’ll show myself out and listen to Exsangue for the umpteenth time!

Originally posted on Tempelores.com

Qrixkuor – Poison Palinopsia

9/10

‘Poison Palinopsia’ is a journey to be undertaken and it is by no means a casual listen.

Qrixkuor, a band whose pronunciation might get many tongues in a twist, have gone through a transformation over the past five years since their last release. With only the original guitarist ‘S.’ at the helm, DBH and VK of Grave Miasma and Vassafor fame respectively were recruited to join the ranks. As a result of this diabolic congregation, Qrixkuor’s first full length album came to life!

‘Poison Palinopsia‘ is ambitious to say the least. It consists of two tracks, each twenty-four minutes long. It proves that the band pursues and prioritizes its own creative interest rather than conforming to the norms. Qrixkuor are a death metal outfit alright, but in my opinion, they’re more of an “atmosphere” band than a “riffs” band. And by that I mean, the album sounds like a soundtrack made by an alternate reality Hans Zimmer who is a major fan of Portal, cavernous death metal and the like. Speaking of cavernous and black/death metal, I often come across bands going the extreme route to be “heavy” for the sake of it, but they eventually end up sounding try hard. I get no such vibes from Qrixkuor and it becomes eminently clear from the two tracks that the band’s aural nightmare of a sound feels very organically grown. It doesn’t seem to be intentionally inaccessible and it’s probably just how S, the founding member and main songwriter, views his brainchild.

The first track ‘Serpentine Susurrus – Mother’s Abomination’ opens up in an entrancing buildup, where the atmosphere grows suffocatingly with each passing minute. Around the sixth minute mark is when the tempo really kicks in highlighting the trio’s death metal roots. Midway in this twenty-four minute song, there’s a period to rest thy ears. Organ and ambient sounds take charge. I was expecting Phurpa-like mystical throat singing to intervene but that was just my mind playing tricks with me. ‘Serpentine Susurrus’ gets back on track with more blast beats with horrorific and ominous sounding guitar leads. The track culminates with haunting keys and fades away into oblivion.

The second track ‘Recrudescent Malevolence – Mother’s Illumination’ opens up in much the same manner as the first track had ended. Pound for pound, this track has more “musical instrumentation” and is loaded with guitar virtuosity. The leads, the tappings, the riffs, the pounding bass and drum onslaught all come together in this behemoth of a track. The orchestral outro is very fitting as the album-closer and it conjures up an image of a haunted playground about to get engulfed by something netherworldly!

The production is stellar on the album making it sound dark, brooding yet triumphant (in an evil way) while not compromising on the band’s grisly death metal roots. The instruments, the orchestral and atmospheric sounds meld perfectly together. I honestly can’t pinpoint a weakness in this album. Perhaps I’d say it’s a “black or white” album – it’s either something up your alley or it isn’t with nothing in between. ‘Poison Palinopsia’ is a journey to be undertaken and it is by no means a casual listen. It probably requires you to be in a certain frame of mind – let’s just say contemplative, reflective and brooding. At least that’s what worked for me. It took me at least a couple of listens for my appreciation to grow and I’d recommend putting in the time.

The album is out now on Invictus Productions as well as on Dark Descent and it sure will turn more than a couple of heads in the underground!

Originally posted on Tempelores.com

StarGazer - Psychic Secretions

9/10

StarGazer’s music is an experience which requires multiple immersions and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for good old school progressive death/black metal.

It’s been a while since I heard any new StarGazer and chancing upon ‘Psychic Secretions’ got me excited. The band has been around for twenty five years but it was their magnum opus ‘Scream that tore the sky’, released in 2005, that got the underground buzzing with their esoteric brand of blackened death metal. Since then, these Aussies have churned out three full-lengths and a host of singles and demos. ‘Psychic Secretions’ is their most recent effort and it further stamps the band’s authority in the annals of Australian underground metal.

If you’re unfamiliar with StarGazer, then expect progressive death metal played through a black metal filter, all while having very jazzy basslines. Whether you call it avantgarde or progressive extreme metal, it’s up to you. Any comparisons to past or present bands would be a disservice to the band. The band’s sound stands on its own. On listening to ‘Psychic Screams’, one instantly recognizes that this is something that would come from the band’s stable. The incredible range of switching from technical guitar wizardry to blast-beats to melancholic slow tempo passages to ritualistic ambient moments, all make StarGazer very unique.

No two tracks are similar and the band experiments with different structures almost as if they intend to take the listener on different journeys. I’d like to describe the songs that were my highlights. ‘Lash of the Tytans’ starts off with a melodic doom-y intro but soon rips into a verse laden with blast-beats before slowing down to a more double-bassy melodic chorus. ‘Hooves’ features warm drone-y riffs which will send you into a trance only to be woken up by the double-bass as the song gathers momentum. The ‘All Knowing Cold’ plays around with plenty of ideas. It’s a beautiful mess with eccentric guitar melodies, bass passages and ends with a chant, probably to conjure something ghastly. I love it and it’s my favorite track on the album.

The musicianship is masterful. If you’ve been a fan of the band (I wear my StarGazer metal pin proudly on my jacket), masterful musicianship is something you naturally expect. In that sense, ‘Psychic Secretions’ doesn’t disappoint. If you’re looking for “weird” riffs, StarGazer’s got your back. Denny Blake, aka the Serpent Inquisitor, crafts out unworldly riffs while also ensuring they fit the song structures. Alan Cadman, aka Khronomancer, is the new drummer in the band and he does not allow a single dull moment to slip through. I have to commend the bass work though. It’s gorgeous and it sounds effortless as it sits on top of the mix on each track. To be honest, without the sweeping basslines and the over the top flurry of bass notes, this album wouldn’t be the same. Damon Good, aka the Great Righteous Destroyer, does a great job here.

I can’t think of any flaws in this album. Perhaps for new listeners, it can come off as a bit dense. The songs, while unique in their own regard, have a lot going for them individually. Heck, there’s more in one StarGazer track than in entire albums put out by bands these days. This could be a hindrance to the casual listener though. It took at least a couple of listens for me to unpack everything in ‘Psychic Secretions’ and begin to appreciate it. It's worth the wait. StarGazer was never meant to sound accessible and I trust it has been the band’s vision to craft the weirdest sounds. StarGazer’s music is an experience which requires multiple immersions and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for good old school progressive death/black metal.

Originally posted on Tempelores.com

Exhumation - Eleventh Formulae

6/10

…where the album falls short is its identity and the repetitiveness of some good ideas

Exhumation is a death metal outfit from Indonesia. For those not in the know, Indonesia has had a burgeoning underground scene for a while now. They also have a long standing metal festival called Hammersonic which attracts the likes of Suffocation, Morbid Angel and the occasional “big” bands. But when it comes to Indonesian bands breaking geographical barriers, very few can be named. There’s Burgerkill but they are a fairly mainstream metal band. There hasn’t been a band which encapsulates the sounds of the underground and extreme music quite well. This is where Exhumation comes in. They’ve been active for more than a decade and their current members, Ghoul and Bones, are raising that flag even higher with their latest album, Eleventh Formulae. 

The band’s sound is very much rooted in old school death metal. But you will also hear guitar sounds very reminiscent of bestial death/thrash à la Deströyer 666. I also heard a similarity with the eccentric Norwegian death metal scene comprising bands like Obliteration, Diskord and Execration. The riffing is quite primal and simplistic but at a thrash-like tempo and a dirty raw-ish production, the songs can be quite hard-hitting. The vocals are raspy but mostly muffled because of the production values. If you enjoy bands on the Iron Bonehead or NWN! Prod roster, then Exhumation would be right up your alley.  

Mors Gloria Est, the album opener, starts off quite strong. Inferno Dwellers mixes it up a bit with a doom-y build up but soon gets back to normalcy with the Exhumation sound that you will get used to. The guitar solos cut through the thick atmosphere like sirens. Again, very D666-like. The rest of the tracks feature similar attributes. While in my mind, I can appreciate what Exhumation is trying to do. It’s crushing death/thrash metal, not in the mainstream sense. But the tracks meld together quite seamlessly and it takes me a while to identify the uniqueness of each one.

In order to offer breaks to the listener, the album does have two interlude-like tracks (both over three minutes long) titled Formulae I and Formulae II. I’m usually not a big fan of ambient/music-less disruptions when I’m listening to albums but here it seems like it offers some relief and possibly a way to identify tracks in the album easily. Blood Trails is by far my favorite track on the album. It starts with a guitar-noodly intro – eerie and ominous. The rest of the track just blends in so perfectly. The riffs are headbang-worthy and the tempo changes make this a really well composed track. The album closer, Formulae III – Eleventh Vessel, starts off with mumbling death chants – possibly trying to summon something evil. At the 1:30 mark, the outro track kicks into mid-tempo riffs without any vocals and that’s how Eleventh Formulae comes to an end. 

I personally dig a lot of bands who create this raw atmosphere while playing death metal. It’s not for everyone and it’s hard to appreciate the music when it’s not that decipherable. But that’s just me. Exhumation creates a killer atmosphere and they have a handful of really good hard-hitting tracks. But where the album falls short is its identity and the repetitiveness of some good ideas. With no disrespect to the band, if Eleventh Formulae was an EP with four tracks, strip away those interludes and some of the weaker songs, then I’d have said that this is probably the best EP of the year! But you can’t win it all. Check this album out for the tracks I mentioned and it’s great to hear quality death metal from the Asian underground!  

Originally posted on Tempelores.com