Svart Crown – Profane | Review

Mar 22 • International News, Releases, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 1637 Views

Svart Crown – Profane

Tracklist

01. Manifestatio Symptoms
02. Genesis Architect
03. Intern . Virus . Human
04. In Utero: A Place Of Hatred And Threat
05. Until The Last Breath
06. Profane
07. The Therapy Of Flesh
08. Venomous Ritual
09. Ascetic Purification
10. Revelatio: Down Here Stillborn

The French seems to harbor a secret well of creativity which they draw upon to transform their brand of metal into something very sui generis. Today every single metal release from the country seems to generate a sense of buzz and excitement.  This prevailing state of reverence for the French metal scene has been laid down by a string of creatively transcendent releases from bands such as Deathspell Omega, Gojira, Blut Aus Nord, Gorod, and the rest of their unholy ilk.  Svart Crown is very much in the same vein and may as well serve to extend the mentioned lineage with their new album ‘Profane’. Blackened Death is a genre christened by the likes of Behemoth and Belphegor, while several bands have taken to their footing, they’ve never even come close to these giants in terms of quality musical output. Svart Crown arrives, takes hold and sustains that status, although not necessarily going beyond the benchmark set by aforementioned bands.

Staying true to the album art ‘Profane’ is Svart Crown’s third full length, their second with Listenable Records. Draped in the more blackened of death metal variants they lash out with relentless corruptible force. Every bit apocalyptic, the band tacks in several slow dissonant riffs that breed a certain sense of melancholy amidst all of the cultivated chaos that abounds. The black metal element almost always manages to rear its head in every track, yet it really hits its stride in the track ‘Until my Last Breath’ which is an obvious highlight of the album. Despite being one solid slab of blackened death, it falls victim to the now veritable ‘more in the same vein’ syndrome. Vocally and instrumentally, there is nothing out of the box here and almost everything falls on the very same line tread earlier and better by others in the genre. Yet several brilliant and catchy elements unveil themselves at a many a spot throughout the entire album. The ones that come to mind include the blissful yet brilliant chord progression towards the end of ‘In Utero – A Place of Hatred’, the bass drop triggered gigariff towards the end of opener ‘Genesis Architect’, the exercise in uber brutality that is ‘Ascetic Putrefaction’ and finally the laidback after-riff motif that appears twice in the closer ‘Revalatio – Down Here Stillborn’. Yet one cannot but hope to feel them all as few and far between.

Although monotony and weariness does ail the album at times, nothing takes away the unadulterated brutality that the album exudes throughout its entirety.

Sanath Kumar • No Comments on Svart Crown – Profane | Review

Heavy Prescription: Unmothered, Petrichor, Serpent Omega

Mar 22 • International News, Releases, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 1758 Views

Ah yes! Yet another edition of  Heavy Prescription comes your way. My new found interest in everything coming in dark and black never wavering, here are a few new tracks that i guess will need some serious checking out on your part.

NOTE: Images are deliberately displayed at large resolutions  for we think artwork is equally important to the overall musical output. If you find this a bit jarring then i humbly ask you to sod off and find some place else to hover over.

UNMOTHERED

1. UNMOTHERED

Despite the all pervasive nature of mainstream metal today there is still a lot of good music that simply eludes us. One can cite a plethora of different reasons for this particular prick called ‘lack of reach’ between the band and the listener. The most prominent ones include dismal promotion of the music at hand or its complete absence altogether and of the ever so common, diminished appeal of said music. When it comes to metal, the latter gains more ground and we end up missing out on bands such as Unmothered. Dark, haunting and soul piercing haunt rock is what Unmothered style themselves to be , and they do this with such cohesiveness hitherto missing in most of new metal today. The self-titled debut consists of tracks that  are far unlike forced caesarians. These songs have been given enough time and thought to develop into slow, trampling, blackened beasts. They take the staple rock diet and stuff it with elements of black, sludge and stoner motifs enough for leaving a dent in your cranium. I suggest you go stream through the entire album stream and hear for yourself.

Parasight Comorbid – Petrichor

2. PETRICHOR

Ah! Now on to something relatively close to our shores for a change. Petrichor from Pune, is definitely not a band that has been new to our site. For one they were featured on our exclusively Progressive Djent compilation, ‘Techwreck‘ whichwas released earlier this year. After which we streamed their tracks on a predated Heavy Prescription post. Now before you jump to conclusions, none of the band members are relatives of mine or have been my acquaintances, and i haven’t married their sisters. Their multiple feature on this site is primarily because i do feel a certain proclivity to the constantly improving standards of the band. As perfect testimony to this very fact, they have just released a new single titled ‘Parasight: Comorbid’. This is an exhibit of darkened metal constructed dexterously with each section given credit and so unlike the polyrhythmic riff fest that bands of the genre fall victim to. A conspicuous yet well placed clean guitar part to break things down so that the listener may be deluded with a temporary feeling of possible recuperation, only to be find themselves in the path of a groovy onslaught the next second. Although such tactics have been played at by bands before, they have rarely attained its true purpose. Masterly laid riffs and greatly improved vocals make this a totally worthy listen.

ERPENT OMEGA

3. SERPENT OMEGA

Let us take things down a notch here. Lets have a bit of that of that doom shall we? After all things never end well in life. Stoner, Sludge and Doom, three metal genres that have constantly given each other nods of approval all these years, join hands here once again in Serpent Omega. Sweden’s fresh breeding grounds have spawned yet another demonoid. With their self titled debut via Mordgrimm Records seeing daylight in the first days of January, they have just released a single track titled ‘Skullwand’. The main groove of the track seems to be a spell that develops an infectious curse upon the listener. Now scamper away! or be transfixed by the Skullwand.

Sanath Kumar • No Comments on Heavy Prescription: Unmothered, Petrichor, Serpent Omega

Diamonds in the Rough – March 2013

Mar 22 • International News, Releases, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 1552 Views

CLICK ON THE YOUTUBE PLAYLIST BELOW!!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxv2_0Gql1Kx_V4ZDcEtPbP6wxvhSSEwL

We just couldn’t make it for the February edition of Diamonds in the Rough and in fact i never seem to find much time for March’s as well. But then again, this month or there were in my opinion only a few handful of releases that have yet to be touched upon by some major metal site. So there are only 4 songs for this month, but pretty good ones at that. 3 songs from 3 brand new album releases made during the month of MARCH. Another small change is that all the songs on the list will be posted as one single Youtube playlist. This will make streaming much more easier and it gives the whole listening experience an uncluttered feel. Ok then here goes!

REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER

1. REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER 

Definitely one of the more lengthier names, and being completely in French don’t make things all that better. Translated as “See How They Fall’ RLHT is a band that revels in its obscurity. So little is known about them. A typical band – search entry into Metal Archives hits up at a dead end. Guess they are bent on following their fellow countrymen Blut Aus Nord and Deathspell Omega, when it comes to that. Their music as their name suggests is strictly dystopian. With riffs that seems to foretell mankind’s imminent fall from grace, it is as crushing as it is captivating. It is not everyday a band makes an individual feel such deep hatred for its own kind. A hideous concoction of blackened sludge and dissonant atmospheres. Check out the song “II Wanderer Of Eternity ” from their upcoming self titled debut. The record was released via les Acteurs de l’ombre

THE HOWLING VOID

2. THE HOWLING VOID

Sometimes creativity comes full circle when working in solitude. There’s been a constant number of people embracing the Quorthon like workmanship, and going DIY irrespective of the genre. The Howling Void from Canada is one such outfit. The whole band is more or less one man – Ryan and the track ‘Irminsûl’ listed here comes off his second EP titled ‘Runa‘. Runa is melancholy played out grand, with epic orchestrations thrown into the mix as well. Irminsul wallows in the dreary depths of doom and still holds on to a clear sense of melody although it can be far from what is considered to be uplifting.

BORIS

3. BORIS

Alright we come down to the last track on the playlist! From the far east this is Boris. Its a travesty that this band is little known in the metalverse(myself included) although not strictly fitting right into the metal bill. They are just too eclectic to pigeonhole into one particular genre. Taking cue from stoner, doom and sludge metal, coupled with layers of dream pop atmosphere to congeal it all together.  Taking their band name from a track off ‘The Melvin’s seminal album ‘Bullhead’, the Japanese trio make music which is sublime yet serene. Elegy floods your senses with a calming ambiance that opens doors to a flurry of emotions.  Rarely do tracks live up to their title and this one does with great finesse. The track comes off their 22nd release (goddamnit and how come i’ve never come across them?) titled ‘Praparat‘.

Sanath Kumar • No Comments on Diamonds in the Rough – March 2013

Birth A.D. – I Blame You | Review

Mar 22 • International News, Releases, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 2041 Views

 Jayaprakash Satyamurthy reviews Birth A.D‘s new album ‘I Blame You‘, released via Unspeakable Axe Records.

Birth A.D. – I Blame You

Cut the crap, here’s the thrash.

When this whole thrash revival scene kicked off, it didn’t take long for my excitement to turn to ennui. Blame it on one too many faceless bands who’d spent more time hunting down hi-top sneakers and bullet belts than they did on their songcraft; blame it on record companies eager to cash in and releasing material that tried too hard to ape the highlights from Bonded By Blood or Kill ‘Em All without aspiring to the same level of quality, never mind originality.

Birth AD, whose crossover thrash/hardcore sound reminds me of S.O.D., D.R.I. and the likes, kicks that whole scene to the curb with their righteous, one-minute-forty-one-second ‘Mission Statement’. Eschewing the unearned populism of so many wannabe thrash bands, frontman/bassist Jeff declaims ‘we won’t write any songs about thrash/or put it on our t-shirts for easy cash/we’ll never tell you to get in the pit/we don’t give a shit’. It helps that this statement of purpose is delivered over a buoyant, breathless punk-metal riff-fest, straightforward but never monotonous and, despite its short running time, not without a certain modicum of musical development.

The rest of the album follows in the same vein, delivering one short, cynical anthem after another. Songs like ‘Failed State’ and ‘Popular War’ take on political issues while ‘I Blame You’ and ‘Short Bus Society’ sees the band taking a jaundiced view of the blowhards, wingnuts and common folk who are as much to blame for the state of things. Before you start thinking this is all heavy political activism, like a punked-up RATM, the great thing about Birth AD, and what connects them more deeply to the subgenre they’re working in is the sense of fun – there’s just something in the snotty delivery, the gang shouts and the relentless, effusive energy of the band that makes it hard to keep a straight face.

Dark Descent Records has long been one of the most consistent labels in the death/doom/black metal scene; this is the debut release from their thrash sub-label, Unspeakable Axe Records. The integrity and quality of this release, all the way down to the memorable cover art, suggest that we can expect good things from both the label and the band.

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Iron Reagan – Worse than Dead | Review

Mar 22 • International News, Releases, Reviews, The Slumbering Ent • 1889 Views

Mohammad Kabeer reviews the new Iron Reagan record ‘Worse than Dead‘ released via A389 Recordings and Magic Bullet Records.

Iron Reagan – Worse than Dead

Tracklist:
1. Drop The Gun (1:16)
2. Slightly Out Of Focus (0:33)
3. I Predict The Death Of Harold Camping (1:15)
4. Cycle Of Violence (1:36)
5. Eyes Piss Tears (1:09)
6. Insanity Plea(se)? (0:45)
7. A Joke A Fraud A Fake (1:15)
8. Rats In A Cage (1:03)
9. We Know You (1:05)
10. Paycheck (1:22)
11. Midlothian Murder Mile (1:49)
12. The Debt Collector (1:56)
13. I Ripped That Testament A New Asshole (1:14)
14. Bodies (1:38)
15. Eat Shit And Live (0:49)
16. Two Examples (1:30)
17. Snake Chopper (0:54)
18. Warp Your Mind (1:55)
19. Walking Out (1:38)

In a short span  of time  A389  records  have proved to be  a  force to be reckoned  with when it comes  to extreme  music, Hardcore especially. From  signing veterans  of the genre  like Integrity,Pulling Teeth , Gehenna ,Eyehategod  and Ringworm to showcasing  newer talent like TRIAC,Full of Hell,Children of God, Weekend Nachos and even  pumping some  fresh new blood onto the scene like Cynarae,Seven Sisters of Sleep ,Homewrecker ,Sick Fix and Young and n the way. Iron Reagan is another  name   which  got added recently  to be amongst all these  talented bands.

Iron Reagan are a four piece super group from Richmond Virginia, consisting of members from Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour.  The band don’t really try to experiment too much nor try to keep pace with their contemporaries ,  this album right here is as old school as it gets, clearly fitting right inside the crossover thrash box. These  guys take  the  thunderous  palm muted chugs  of   Thrash  metal with the  simple yet intense chord play of Hardcore punk which brings out the best of both  the genres,  cutting out all the fat  and ultimately  creating  music  that’s simple ,straightforward  yet   energetic   and undeniably  exciting,  although there are times  when this album tries   to be a little more eclectic with the  tracks slightly out of focus and I ripped that testament a new asshole having a slight  black metal element to them  and paychech  showcasing a  metallic hardcore quality to their sound a la Integrity but for the most part this is just a full on assault.

So the final verdict? This album may not be a masterpiece, but is sure as fun as hell! ,  don’t  analyse to much just  put  on your thrash  metal jacket with patches  galore,grab some beer, crank up that stereo  and  BANG YOUR FUCKING HEAD!!

Stream the entire album below

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