Fubar – Lead Us TO War | Review

Mar 23 • International News, Releases, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 1915 Views

We haven’t really gotten out this June, and we apologize for this very fact. Today Mohammad Kabeer reviews the latest from Fubar titled Lead Us To War, released via Give Praise Records.

Fubar – Lead Us TO War

Tracklist:
01. Everything Is Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition 00:51
02. The Demon Rose From Greed 01:04
03. Grief 01:13
04. I Scream Protest! 01:08
05. Beasts As They Are 01:43
06. Requiem For Peace 01:08
07. Dysfunctional Parts Of The Machine 01:19
08. The Iron Cage Of Hope 01:42
09. Let Them Control 01:16
10. Communication Into Nothing 00:27
11. Lead Us To War 04:02
12. Worst Unfolding Tragedy 00:52
13. The Curse Is Upon Us 01:07
14. The Burden On The Back Of The Unknown Men 01:29
15. The Nail Facing Downwards 00:45
16. Flip The Coin 01:01
17. Doomsday Has Crossed The Horizon 01:19
18. Misplaced Faith 00:56
19. Damage Control 01:59
20. The Doom Tornado 01:05
21. Scaring The Monsters 00:31
22. The Sting Of Our Collective Conscience 01:28

Grindcore had its humble origins in the UK,   with Napalm Death trying to sound as raw and primal as they can. But if you look at it today, the genre although still maintaining much of its ferocity, is now more open to experimentation with bands like Rotten Sound and Pig Destroyer who have a more refined sound, Noisear, Maruta and Antigama which focus more on the technical side of the genre and, of course, you have bands like Wormrot and Cretin which are a kind of revival of traditional Grindcore. And then there is FUBAR which comes somewhere in the middle.

FUBAR is a band from the Netherlands, their sound  is too put it simply,  pure old fashioned  Grindcore,  fitting perfectly  with  Phobia P.L.F. and  Insect Warfare, however  when it comes to their actual  performance  there is more to it than what meets the eye.. or  should I say  ear . The band triesto  mix a lot of melodic  elements which are interwoven into  their  grind and can be heard pretty much throughout the album  with songs like I Scream Protest   and Doom Tornado,  these elements  reach  their  peak  in the songs The  Demon Rose from Greed and Misplaced faith, which to be honest sound really  bad,  The former sounds like a  bad  punk pop song  trying to be grind and the latter well..  Doesn’t really sound grind at all in fact it just sounds like really bad… uhmm.. Nu metal, and that’s exactly what’s the problem   here. When I heard this album for the most part, what I felt was that these guys were really trying hard to experiment but still   stay true to their roots, and honestly that’s all that they could do really.. Try, somehow the melodic stuff sounds very awkward when juxtaposed with old school grind, it doesn’t fit in at all   and as a result takes away a lot of the intensity which this album has and I think another reason for this is that I guess is the songwriting, the two don’t  really mix  seamlessly  into each other but seem more like interruptions  and  don’t   fit in well with the dynamics. But then there are some bright shining moments that this album offers and those are when the band decides to go full throttle  leaving experimentation aside  to play some pure brutal grind  with tracks  like the very dark The Burden  on the broken man the extremely chaotic Communication into Nothing  and  Doomsday has crossed the Horizon. These moments really  reflect the primal side of the band  which I enjoy a lot more because  I can feel that the band  is much more comfortable here and this side of the band seems much  more organic. It is the one that they should explore further.

So the final word? Well FUBAR  came pretty close  but didn’t  really get hold of any cigars but had they unleashed  that beast hinted at they could have had all the cigars they want.

Sanath Kumar • No Comments on Fubar – Lead Us TO War | Review

The Vein – Scouring the Wreckage of Time | Review

Mar 23 • International News, Releases, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 1644 Views

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy reviews the debut album/double EP from The Vein titled Scouring the Wreckage of Time, released via Shadow Kingdom Records.

The Vein – Scouring the Wreckage of Time

Tracklist

Chapter I: “The Poisoned Chalice”
01. “Pale Dawn Rising”
02. “Seeds Of Blasphemy”
03. “Acedia”
04. “The Poisoned Chalice”

Chapter II: “Born into Grey Domains”
05. “The Great Deception”
06. “Carving A Labyrinth Of Despair”

I’ve been guilty of rendering excessive praise to derivative bands in the past, but in my defense it’s because there are days when the metal scene seems to offer nothing but core crap and retro throwbacks. At least the bands who are trying recapture the magic of classic extreme metal acts from Bathory to Incantation are riffing off something I can relate to, and that can make me over-estimate them for a while. But if I’m honest, generic metal is just generic metal and has little repeat value, as can be seen by the pile of OSDM-worshipping CDs that I own but rarely replay. What really makes my day is finding a band that adds something new and valid to the metal mix, or does old things in an original way. The Vein, a fascinating new side-project from members of the epic doom act Altar Of Oblivion, does both.

Their sound draws on the more lugubrious elements of second wave black metal, a certain trace of early death metal and it also parlays epic riffs and melodies into a sound that’s much more extreme and raw than its parent band’s. The starkest difference lies in the growled vocals of course, but that’s not all. These songs don’t stop at evoking a single texture or style; without being willfully eclectic, they combine elements of slow yet pummeling black/death with long-breathed melodies, massive, elegiac riff structures and wistful interludes. This is questing, creative extreme metal music for the listener with the time and discernment to apprehend originality. Those looking for another posse of troglodytes storming long-crumbled ramparts in bullet belts, denim vests and all the other metal necrophilia fetish gear can apply elsewhere, but so can the trend-hoppers looking for some facile and ultimately inane mash-up.

Stream songs from the album below:

From the grinding slow-death of ‘Seeds of Blasphemy’ to the masterful passages in ‘The Poisoned Chalice’ that combine dolorous keys and a very classic metal riff with death metal vocals, The Vein effortlessly merges disparate elements into a sound that is as captivating and bleak as the quote from the latter-day SF classic film, ‘Sunshine’, which opens the album. This is a well-named album, conveying a sense of devastation and emptiness in a time and place beyond the last failed human hope. The music has variety, space and drama. The only shortcoming I find is that individual songs don’t always come across as sufficiently distinctive entities in themselves, although they all contain great passages and add immensely to the cumulative impact of the album. All in all, this is a compelling, distinctive debut and I hope that this project doesn’t turn out to be a one-off.

Sanath Kumar • No Comments on The Vein – Scouring the Wreckage of Time | Review

Kalmah – Seventh Swamphony | Review

Mar 23 • International News, Releases, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 2885 Views

Achintya Venkatesh reviews the new release from Kalmah titled ‘Seventh Swamphony‘, released via Spinefarm Records.

Kalmah – Seventh Swamphony

Cover art was done by the brilliant Juha Vuorma. He’s also done artwork for Autopsy, Edge of Sanity and other bands as well.

Tracklist

‘Seventh Swamphony’
‘Deadfall’
‘Pikemaster’
‘Hollo’
‘Windlake Tale’
‘Wolves on the Throne’
‘Black Marten’s Trace’
‘The Trapper’

Kalmah is one of those bands that I feel haven’t got the their due and deserved attention, even within the realm of melodic death-metal, overshadowed by a range of bands both within their specific sub-genre and furthermore by their world famous fellow ethnic compatriots, Children of Bodom, who in my opinion are even less consistent than the contingent of the second tier melodic death-metal bands from Finland, such as the immensely talented Wintersun (who also combine other eclectic folk/power metal elements in addition to their melodic death-metal style); the now defunct Norther, Swallow the Sun (who also have strong doom/death metal leanings) and Insomnium. Yet this is precisely what I would attribute Kalmah’s strong consistency and stylistic integrity over the years to – their relatively moderate popularity in turn leading to a cult following has only further fuelled the fire in their belly to continue to break boundaries and out do themselves, or at the very least annually churn out some reasonably unique and easily enjoyable tunes. Kalmah’s latest offering, Seventh Swamphony, once again a play on the word symphony in line with their thematic obsession with the environment, particularly revolving around the swamps of Finland, as well as a reference to the fact that the album happens to be their seventh studio album.

The album opener, which is the title track of the album, is a ball-busting start to the record, with blast beats, technical and blistering guitar solos, melodic, sing-along riffs and the right amount of dramatic keyboard work accompanying the riffage. The 2^nd track, Deadfall too is in a similar vein. The 3^rd track, Pikemaster is one of the standouts of the album and sees Kalmah’s ever so impeccable execution of grandeur in balancing melody and brutality, with a strong leaning to the former, of course. The next track, Hollo, charters into slower-paced territory and is a semi-ballad of sorts with an anthemic edge to it as the track progresses. The track features some emotionally evocative guitar work with harmonies at select and appropriate parts. Pekka Kokko alternates between roared, growled vocals, and subtle but somewhat tenuous clean passages.

The 5^th track Windlake Tale exemplifies epic in every sense of the word – blistering leads; hauntingly emotive and dramatic keyboard work and a barrage of roared vocals. The next track, Wolves on the Throne features some excellent fret-work in the form of uniquely sharp, relentless and hard-hitting riffs complimented by the bombardment of controlled blast-beats courtesy of Janne Kusmin. On the other hand, Veli-Matti Kananen seems to know just how to complement and enhance those heavy riffs with breathtakingly electrifying keyboard work. The 7^th track, Black Marten’s Race is a fairly conventional, anthemic Scandinavian melo-death song with some interesting keyboard work. The album closer, The Trapper, has a more marching pace relative to the velocity-driven songs on the rest of the album. This actually makes for a perfect album closer, and kudos to Kalmah for placing this appropriately in the track listing. All the elements, be it the vocals or the instrumentation are in an equilibrium of sorts, working together as opposed to trying to outshine the other, and is perhaps the most balanced track of the album. But to some, this closer might seem too slow or even plodding as compared to the other tracks and might not suffice as the theatrical and dynamic album closer that Kalmah intended it to be.

In conclusion, this album is an undoubtedly solid, but not particular groundbreaking release. The Kokko brothers have retained the crispness and sophistication that they derive from classic/power metal which has in turn lead to a unique brand of refined melodic death-metal, which gives a feel-good, invigorating vibe to the end product. Kananen’s keyboard work handles dramatism in a classy manner without descending into incessant melodrama, while Kusmin’s drum work also alternates between relentlessness and calculated restraint. Unfortunately, Timo Lehtinen’s bass is hardly audible in the mix throughout the album, except during a select segment of Wolves on the Throne.

Overall this album seems to only further reinforce the fact that Kalmah is a somewhat underrated yet formidable force in the melodic death-metal world and adds to their solid catalogue. Kalmah are well and back in shape after the sub-par For The Revolution and the return-to-form release 12 Gauge. They have lost that touch of blackened ferocity they once had and instead have replaced that with something vaguely thrashy, making them less unique but very enjoyable nevertheless.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcxlexAJycY?rel=0]

Sanath Kumar • No Comments on Kalmah – Seventh Swamphony | Review

Besieged – Victims Beyond All Help | Review

Mar 22 • International News, Releases, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 2255 Views

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy reviews the reissue of the album from Besieged titled Victims Beyond All Help, released via Unspeakable Axe Records.

Besieged – Victims Beyond All Help

Tracklisting:

‘Internal Suffering’
‘Death’
‘Buried Alive’
‘The End’
‘Victims Beyond All Help’
‘Trapped Inside’
‘Black’

This is fierce! Besieged isn’t just another gang of wistful reprobates longing for a mid-80s utopia of denim vests and white hi-top sneakers. They’re a fast, furious band who prove that thrash metal isn’t just an outmoded subgenre or an exercise in nostalgia. As far as I’m concerned, there are very few thrash revival acts out there worth listening to, and Besieged’s straight-for-the-jugular attack and relentless barrage of whipcracking riffage make it clear that they’re here to chew gum and kick some ass.

Remember when Sepultura was awesome? I’m talking Beneath The Remains and Arise. Remember Dark Angel at their peak? Remember how there was a time when death metal and thrash weren’t that far apart, when you could hear the genres bleeding into each other at the edges? Besieged operates in that space, but that’s not to say that their sound is a throwback. A song like the simply-titled, aggressively perfect ‘Death’ with its swirling riffs constantly ratcheting up the heaviness factor isn’t just an attempt to recreate the past; it’s an absolutely up-to-the-minute, vital and immediate song in a genre that still has a lot of life in it in the right hands. Nolan Smit’s furious, barked-out vocal delivery is pleasingly reminiscent of Max Cavalera at his most furious or Mille Petroza in his earlier years. Unlike the usual Bay Area necrophilia, the riffing draws as much on the Teutonic thunder of very Sodom as it does on American thrash. This makes for a volatile cocktail, one that erupts with dazzling incendiary violence on another album highlight, ‘The End’ or the title track, a veritable feast of riffs with enough chunky, sizzling mosh fodder to whet even the most jaded appetite.

There’s nary a misstep on this steaming platter of some of the juiciest thrash metal it has been my pleasure to consume in the past decade or so. The album was originally independently released, and major props are due to Dark Descent’s thrash sub-label, Unspeakable Axe who’ve picked another real winner for their sophomore release. I can’t wait to see what this band, and this label, has lined up for us next!

Sanath Kumar • No Comments on Besieged – Victims Beyond All Help | Review