Summer has
finally arrived and I bet all you wanna do is listen to cool hard-rock and
chill around with a cold drink. Or even worse: you wanna listen to the
radio and put your brain on hold with some easy-listening stuff.
Well, to
counter that, here are 3 different yet coolish BRUTAL releases that will remind
you how much heavy is good, and how much you can’t live without heavy.
The artwork is basically as awesome as the music: typical nevertheless amazing.
I really want to start with the newcomers CHAOS INCEPTION. In fact, they’re not exactly
newcomers since “The Abrogation” is their second LP, but that is the first time
I hear about the Alabama-based band. This record is Lavadome Production’s third release; and man, what a release! The Abrogation is an
impressive Brutal-Death record, with all the necessary ingredients the genre
requires: extreme brutality, technicality, smooth songwriting and that boiling
sense of urgency that will hang by the skin of your teeth all along these
insane 30 minutes.
Obviously,
you’ll need to enjoy brutality to appreciate such a record. But if you do like
your riffs fast, sharp and technical, there is no way you can miss Chaos
Inception. Their music reminded me of old-school acts like Morbid Angel, Krisiun and Incantation. The riffs are fast, brutal, technical and they just keep on
changing! I also need to underline the top-notch production; crystal clear yet
very organic and “warm”. Really appreciated that release although I can’t
pretend I’m a specialist when it comes to Brutal Death Metal. Songs like
“Hammer Of The Infidel” and “The Exterminati” (so heavy with a fantastic
melodic lead) stand out, as their songwriting skills are definitely one of the
band’s top assets.
Everything is
very typical here, but this is some very fine piece of work, done with passion,
dedication and truckloads of talent.
The second
record I’d like to mention today is a reissue out on the LOVELY I Hate Records. Horror Infernal is a compilation by Sweden’s Hypnosia. This
release comprises “The Crushed Existence” and “The Storms” demos, plus “The
Violent Intensity” mini-album from 1999 and 3 bonus tracks (“Outbreak Of
Evil”-Sodom cover, “My Belief”-Possessed cover, and a live track). This
Scandinavian Thrash Metal band has split in 2000, after the release of their
only LP “Extreme Hatred”. I hate
Records have remastered these songs and the result is really outstanding;
powerful and totally rough, exactly what you need for Thrash Metal. I’m
actually not surprised to see I Hate Records releasing that material, since
this is typically the music label founder Peter Lindén loves (just listen
to his band Terrorama and you’ll understand). This is
furious Scandinavian Thrash Metal (see my blog about Nekromantheon for a
definition of Scandinavian Thrash), driven by unbelievable riffs. Hysterical,
fast, furious, heavy, punk, aggressive, harsh; it’s all in there. You like
Thrash? Then you like Hypnosia, Period. Check out the songs “Undead” and “Haunting
Death”, probably some of the best Thrash songs you could imagine
Nice
Interview with the band on Voices From the Darkside Webzine right here.
Although I'm a bit late, I couldn't miss the reissue of Massacre’s ultimate Classic “From Beyond”
out on Earache. This edition comes with a red version of Repka’s sublime artwork,
a nice poster (so old-school to insert a poster in a CD!) and
most importantly, this release comprises the 1992 “Inhuman condition” EP, that
has become pretty hard to find.
What could I
possibly say about this record? It’s a classic, no doubt about that and about
the fact that it has definitely been underrated. The line-up still looks like a
supergroup today, with Terry Butler on bass, Bill Andrews on drums, Rick Rozz
on guitar and Kam Lee for the screams. Just go to Metal Archives and look at
these guys Curriculum to reconsider your definition of “super-group”.
Anyways,
here’s a fantastic collection of old-school Death Metal; that simply crushes
all the new bands that are trying to recapture that specific sound. I just love
the riffs, the crazy rhythm section -technical yet so instinctive- and
also the lyrics, so typical of the 90s! There is an immense amount of classic
songs here, like ‘Biohazard”, “Chamber Of Ages” (coolest intro for that one,
with those cheesy effects), “Corpse Grinder”…
The “Inhuman Condition” EP is no
exactly as impressive, but it does contain some awesome tunes, like the title
song or the Venom Cover “Warhead” featuring guest
vocals by Cronos himself.
All in all,
that is one essential release that you must posses if you like Death Metal.
Also note that the band has actually reunited and is currently touring with
Rick Rozz, Terry Butler Mike Mazzonetto on drums
and Edwin Webb on vocals.
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