Matterhorn – Crass Cleansing (Special Edition)

5/10

There is little originality in Crass Cleansing but if you’re interested in how Hellhammer might’ve sounded in 2019, then Matterhorn is the band for you.

Matterhorn is a famous mountain peak part of the Swiss alps. Some call it “great mountain” or the literal German translation “peak of meadows”. But let’s agree among ourselves that this is quite a metal sounding band name. So it’s unsurprising that three metalheads from Switzerland decided to adopt this name and make it their own. I first heard of Matterhorn about two months ago when I learnt that there was a tour with DHG, Bölzer, Blaze of Perdition and Matterhorn were opening for them. In my books, the other three, (more established) bands made for a solid lineup and so that piqued my curiosity for Matterhorn.

Crass Cleansing is the band’s debut which was originally released in 2018. However, the special edition released in 2019 contains two bonus songs, Bydying and Clarity, which are live recordings. To me, since I’m relatively new to the band, Crass Cleansing makes for a fresh listen. The base sound of Matterhorn is that of thrash metal but it also has a strong leaning towards punk. The sound is raucous, the riffs are simplistic and often played fast. In essence, Matterhorn do their best to pay tribute to Hellhammer. Even the vocals are not too dissimilar from Tom Warrior’s when he was in Hellhammer. I’d say that Morbid, the Matterhorn vocalist, also makes the vocals more deathly and gurgly. 

The question I’ve asked myself though is – does Matterhorn pay homage to bands like Hellhammer or are they just a rehash clone, something similar to the rethrash movement of the 2010s? After careful consideration, I’d say it’s the former. To be honest, I barely found anything starkly original in Crass Cleansing. But in terms of paying tribute, from the music to the album cover aesthetics, to the band members’ names, it’s got Hellhammer plastered all over it. Have I exceeded the number of times I can say Hellhammer in this review? I’ve only begun! Matterhorn are definitely heavier and it may seem that they are more musically proficient too. I recall Tom G Warrior (ex-Celtic Frost, ex-Hellhammer) saying in an interview that Hellhammer at that time could barely play their instruments and they did their best with whatever little skills they had. In that sense, Matterhorn are a few notches ahead on that curve. 

Tracks like Violent Success, Teenage Emperors and the Hornhead are riff heavy and they drive the songs forward. The vocals seem a bit disjointed though and there are too many stop-start moments in the music’s tempo. But that’s just Matterhorn’s shtick. The guitar solos would definitely make Kerry King proud, as in they’re unstructured and very noodly. Noch Noch Nichts has a strong punk vibe and you’d probably imagine this bodes well with the crowds in the circle-pit. I quite enjoy the bonus tracks which in my opinion add a dash of variety to the Hellhammer-esque sound. Even though the tracks are live recordings, they are mixed well. The guitar tone in Bydying screams of first-wave black metal. Clarity is more of a mid-tempo thrash song and sways into more experimental territory. 

To sum up, if you’re looking for a groundbreaking band challenging genre definitions, then Matterhorn is definitely not for you. If you like old school thrash or 80s crossover then there may be something for you here. Like I mentioned earlier, there is little originality in Crass Cleansing but if you’re interested in how Hellhammer might’ve sounded in 2019, then Matterhorn is the band for you.

Originally posted on Tempelores.com

Diabolic Night - Beyond the Realm

7.5/10

If you enjoy your thrash metal, then grab yourself a cold one and go metal thrashin’ mad with Diabolic Night!

Germany has been the hotbed of thrash since the early 80s. Since then, the teutonic thrash stalwarts like Kreator, Sodom and Destruction have inspired several waves of thrash in the years to follow across several different geographies. A style that has been stamping its authority in the underground is the fusion of thrash with black metal sensibilities. I’d classify it as speed/thrash metal with vocals borrowed heavily from the first wave of black metal like Venom and early Bathory. If you’re familiar with bands like Nekromantheon, Black Viper, Condor, Deathhammer, Antichrist, then you’ll get a hint of the sound that I’m trying to describe. I’d like to place Diabolic Night in the same category of the aforementioned bands but there are definitely certain elements in their sound which differentiate them from the others. The band hails from Germany and their brand of music can be described like a sine wave – they have the highs with fast, skull-fracturing blistering thrash, and the lows which incorporate much slower guitar-driven sections. Both seem quite well stitched together which makes ‘Beyond the Realm’ an exciting listen as it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The album opens with a minute long instrumental called ‘Towards Forgotten Paths‘ which only serves as a build up for ‘Sovereign of Doom’, a blitzkrieg of a track. If you’re looking for a song to snap your neck to while headbanging, then this is it. The next track titled, ‘Crescent Moon Rising’, is my favorite track on the album. It opens with a chunky fist pumping riff and then it’s regular proceedings with Diabolic Night’s brand of thrash from there on. What amazes me about this track is that it rebuilds itself several times with tempo changes. It’s a bit difficult to guess the verse and chorus parts, it’s all meshed in there quite well. Midway through the album, you will chance upon the album’s title track, ‘Beyond the Realm’, a two minute long instrumental which has very Maiden-esque galloping riffs overlaid by a guitar solo. There’s also a section on the song where the bass guitar takes prominence – this was refreshing to say the least! ‘Odyssey’, another favorite track of mine, opens with an orchestral piece, something you’d probably hear in a ballet. Odd, right? But it strangely fits in, because by the 40 second mark, the melodic guitar lead takes ‘Odyssey’ to new horizons. The guitars definitely make the song more grandiose sounding. I like this concept quite a bit and it elevates the song to so much more than just a thrash metal song. 

The mix on the album is quite great – making every layer discernible. I was honestly surprised to hear the bass in every song and in some songs they even went as far as to give the bass its own spotlight. That’s pretty darn cool! The vocals are raspy and like I mentioned before, they are heavily influenced by the early 80s first wave of black metal bands. The band definitely earns old school metal cred in this regard.

It’s very difficult to pinpoint something that I didn’t enjoy about this album. The songs are well written and composed, and the band will surprise you by breaking away from the norms of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-lead-chorus structures. If you enjoy your thrash metal, then grab yourself a cold one and go metal thrashin’ mad with Diabolic Night!

Originally posted on Tempelores.com

Flamekeeper - We Who Light The Fire

8/10

I’d imagine Quorthon raising his two thumbs if he were alive to listen to this!

The mastermind behind Flamekeeper is Marco S, of Demonomancy fame. If you’re new to Demonomancy, then here’s a quick refresher. They’re a black/death metal band from Italy whose peers include Archgoat, Blasphemy and several NWN! Prod similar sounding bands (Nuclear War Now!). They’ve been around for slightly over a decade. My best guess as to how Flamekeeper was born would be that Marco wanted to channel his other creative energies beyond the ferocious Demonomancy sound. Being a multi-instrumentalist in this regard, definitely helps. Flamekeeper is thoroughly a solo effort where Marco plays all instruments and handles vocal duties. Musically, the project is influenced by thrash, black metal and 90s era Bathory. 

‘We Who Light The Fire’ is an EP with six tracks which also includes a cover of a Necromantia song. The EP opens up with an intro track titled ‘The Birth of a Tribe’ which comprises of a strong buildup with the blowing of horns, very viking-folk like chants and all in all sounding very triumphant. About two minutes in, the second track starts playing and that wastes no further time in showcasing what Flamekeeper is truly about. In my opinion, it is in this second track, ‘Nomads of the World Beyond’, that the EP peaks at its highest. It is quite the perfect track which captures everything that an old school metal fan will salivate to. The vocals are gruff, almost marrying the delivery and tone of Cronos (Venom) and 90’s Quorthon (Bathory). Musically, I would compare it closely to blackened thrash, in the vein of Deströyer 666. What makes Flamekeeper stand out from the aforementioned comparisons, are the short acoustic sections within the song and the vocal harmonies, both of which occur multiple times throughout the EP. 

Even though I mentioned that the EP peaks with the second track, the rest of the tracks are worth listening to. In `Until This Earth Takes Me`, Marco challenges himself vocally to be a bit more diverse and the catchy anthemic chorus will draw you into liking the song. The title track `We Who Light the Fire` creates a strong viking/folk vibe with the guitar work. There also seems to be an undercurrent of melancholy during the chorus. ‘Dead Sea Waters`, the last originally composed track, was a bit disappointing though wherein I felt Marco was playing around with similar ideas from the previous tracks, yet not delivering quite strongly as the title track or ‘Nomads of the World Beyond’. But that said, I think the decision to cover Necromantia’s ‘Ancient Pride’ was a good one. While the original has more variety in instrumentation such as flutes and has this rustic sound, Flamekeeper gives the song much needed heaviness. The choice to cover a legendary Hellenic black metal band’s song will attract criticism but luckily the cover is a good homage to the original. Stylistically, the song fits in with the EP’s overall sound. 

Flamekeeper’s EP is being released on Invictus Productions, the same label behind Demonomancy. I’d say that the label has put in a lot of faith in Marco and suffice to say, Flamekeeper have definitely delivered the goods. The EP is well produced and it leaves us wanting for more. I personally wish this wasn’t an EP but a debut full length. If I were to be critical on where this EP falls short, then I’d say I wished there was more experimentation with the sound. On repeated listens, I find myself wanting to listen to only the two tracks (out of the four original songs) that I enjoy a lot. Marco does try to create this definitive sound for Flamekeeper but I feel that with future releases, it might get lost with time where ideas are either repeated or recycled. I hope to be proven wrong. 

The overall aesthetic behind Flamekeeper is very old school and traditional – from the song titles, the sound, the promotional photoshoots. It’s something I support wholeheartedly. In my opinion, this EP would probably not be understood/appreciated by metal fans who lean more towards the modern, cleaner variants of the genre. But at the risk of sounding punny, Marco is indeed keeping this flame alive with this side project of his, albeit flickering in the gentle breeze. I’d imagine Quorthon raising his two thumbs if he were alive to listen to this!

Originally posted on Tempelores.com