I like Megadeth
therefore I like Vindicator. That’s a pretty simplistic statement, but it’s also a very reliable one. If any of you guys are Megadeth fans, then you will most
likely enjoy listening to Vindicator.
I got introduced to Vindicator when Heavy
Artillery (great old-school label, dicoverer of Enforcer, Vektor
and many other super talented bands, now part of Earache)
sent me a promo for Antique Witcheries, the band’s second album out in 2010.
After that awesome record, the band just went
under the radar (at least under my radar), and I found out almost by accident
that they released their third full-length; United We Fall on Slaney Records earlier this year. And trust me; for
less than 10 $/€(shipping included) you guys can acquire one hell of a thrash
record.
Original singer Marshall Law has quit the band, and the vocals are now
handled by mastermind guitarist and composer Vic Stown. The guy hasn’t got THE
voice, but he sure knows how to sing. Kind of like Mustaine -from you know what
band- uses his vocals smartly. Vindicator also got reinforced by former White Wizzard guitarist
James J.LaRue. By the way, White Wizzard already have one of the most
impressive “former members list”: 12 past-members listed by Metal Archives, for
a band that’s been active since 2007, I say BRAVO!
But let's get back to United We Fall as this record is made out exactly of the type of Thrash
Metal I love: it’s rapid, sharp, violent, and aggressive, it’s got some killer
riffs, awesome choruses and some outstanding solos. What else could you
possibly need??? I’m a huge fan of that old-school Thrash, still close to it’s
Heavy Metal and Punk-Rock roots. I mean, I can’t stand the “clinical” Thrash
Metal bands, that just accumulate heavy riffs without that hysterical and "close
to the edge" feeling. When I listen to Thrash, I want the music to screw with my
mind, make me nervous, it has to make me want to go down the street and start a fight.
It also has to make me hate the way our
society goes, and just protest over anything! If Thrash bands don’t do that,
then who the hell would do it anyway??!!
"Bastards Of Noise And Agression", by Vindicator
And that is why this band reminds me of
Megadeth, although musically there are some similarities as well. Just listen
to “Nationwide Ruination”, or “Fatal Infection”, you’ll feel that you’re back
in the late 80s, somewhere between Rust In Peace and Peace Sells. The similarities are sometimes so obvious that you can recognize some Hangar 18 solo parts here and there.
Now I don’t need to tell you that there are a
million other retro-Thrash bands out there, and some of them are signed on
important record labels. They put out their records in fancy boxsets that include patches
and wristbands, but when it comes to the music itself, believe me, these little
“Bastards Of Noise And Aggression” (Third track, AWESOME song) are above
average. I actually feel like mentioning each one of the songs, as they all
have something special; like a super riff, a nice chorus, insane solos…
One of my favorite thrashers this year, a MANDATORY purchase of you like Thrash Metal!
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.
I was pretty surprised to come across Beyond Magnetic on my local record store shelves. I thought this was supposed to be an exclusively digital release, but apparently, the fans demand was so strong that the band eventually decided to release the “physical” EP version.
These B-sides from the Death Magnetic sessions were originally a gift the band had made to its fanclub members. Then the songs were released on Itunes, and the feedback was extremely positive, so what the hell, why not put out a low-price CD? Great idea & an excellent way to move on after the DISASTEROUS LULU.
And that also explains the very minimalistic packaging: very simple cover, no booklet, just a cool picture on the back of the CD. At first, I was disappointed, but I have to admit it makes sense. These are only B-sides, and obviously the band just wanted to make them available for old farts like myself that absolutely WANT the physical CD. No need for a fancy packaging, bonus songs and useless linear notes. Simple cover, cheap price and most importantly: 4 very good songs; no more, no less, I kind of like that idea.
Simple yet very classy cover...
These 4 songs were originally composed and recorded during the Death Magnetic sessions, and they were eliminated when the band had to choose the final tracks. The songs are in their rough mix, non-edited version. They are pretty long; as you get 30 minutes of Metallica on that 4-song EP, and they sound indeed like rough mixes full of ideas, different riffs, breaks…
There are 2 ways to “analyze” that EP. The first one is pretty simple: these songs are really cool, I personally LOVE “Just a Bullet Away”, with it’s awesome riff and very cool/typical melodic break in the middle.
Your second option is to try and understand WHY these songs weren’t on the final Death Magnetic tracklist; especially that as said, they are pretty good.
If you listen carefully, you can clearly tell that these songs are more “rock” oriented than Death Magnetic; that had a clear METAL orientation. I mean listen to the “Hell And Back” riff; it sounds like it escaped from the Load/Reload sessions! If you dig a little further, these songs actually sound like the perfect transition between St Anger and Death Magnetic! Maybe St Anger wasn’t just a horrible accident after all…(OK, most of you Metal fans want to hang me now).
And that is probably the reason why these songs didn’t make it on Death Magnetic: they sound a little different, with a more rock’n’roll vibe, whereas the band wanted to make the Metal & Thrash orientation very clear. Makes sense…
And that’s why I’m glad Metallica did release that EP because I personally love it when they inject that groove and rock vibe into their music. I’m actually a fan of many Load/Reload songs and I enjoy a lot of the St Anger Riffs (I did say RIFFS, not songs J). Another funny “coincidence”: the band’s black & white picture on the back of the CD: really looks like a picture from the Load/Reload period!
You probably don’t know much about Nekromantheon yet. And if you pretend you like Thrash Metal than you need to be ashamed of yourself about that. Nekromantheon is a power-trio that has landed straight from hell (they might tell you they’re from Norway, but that’s just for the cover) a few years ago. Their first record came out in 2010 and remained confidential (High Roller Records released the 12” and Duplicate Records released the CD version). But things are about to change my friends, as “Rise, Vulcan Spectre”, their second LP is coming out next January; via the highly recommended Indie Recordings. Therefore the timing was perfect for a little interview with Christian “Kick” Holm, drummer of the band. It’s time to catch up dudes, Nekromantheon are one of the best Scandinavian Thrash Metal bands around.
My first question is pretty simple: what does your name Nekromantheon mean?
Nekromantheon was a temple in ancient Greece where you could communicate with the spirits of your dead ancestors. Roughly translated it simply means "Temple of the Dead". Pretty cool stuff, we actually visited the ruins of the temple a couple of years ago, and the air was filled with unholy chants from beyond the grave.
How does it feel to be releasing your second record?
Great! We're really happy with the way the album turned out, and feel we've expressed the feeling we wanted with the new material. Sounds more evil than before, too, which is always good.
That's probably their buddy Vulcan, chargin' through hell with his machete
You’re releasing it on Indie Recordings, which is a well recognized record label, seems like an important step forward…
Forward into Battle? Forward to Termination? We got a good record offer from some guys who seem to handle things seriously and accepted it. We wanted the label to take care of business, so we could take care of the music. Indie seems to do that, which is cool.
Does it add any extra pressure? Knowing that you’ll be much more viewed and listened to?
No. We don't make music so that other people can have something to listen to, we make music for ourselves. If other people like it, good for them. If they don't, so what?
The album name is also enigmatic, what does “Rise, Vulcan Spectre” stand for?
Vulcan was the Roman equivalent to the Greek god Hephaestus, lord of blacksmiths, craftsmen, metals, artisans and volcanoes. For us he represents the art of making something with your bare hands, and symbolizes the spirit of 80's metal in a very appropriate way. "Rise, Vulcan Spectre" is simply a command to bring back the spirit of old school metal, instead of the plastic trend that's been going on for too long.
Nekromantheon is comprised of Sindre (Bass Vocals), Christian (drums) and Arild (guitars, vocals)
How does it compare to the previous LP?
Faster, dirtier and more evil! Definitely better. Plus, Arse does all the vocals this time, and we feel it helps keep a wholesomeness to it all.
The songs are a little big longer this time around; there are more variations within them…
Yeah, this time we worked more on each track instead of making lots of short tracks. Think that was a good idea, cause it lets us play around more, and leaves room for some killer solos, haha!
Was it something you guys planned from the beginning?
Yup.
The album also seems more homogeneous. When were the songs composed?
We stared writing new material early 2010, but things were kinda spread over about a year I guess. In my opinion, the songs are more varied this time, but the overall feeling of evil and darkness is present all the way.
The songs also sound VERY spontaneous, how were they composed and recorded? Jamming and live recording?
Arse makes the riffs, and then we jam on them until we get the arrangements into place. We record one instrument at the time, but we don't use click tracks, sound replacements or that kind of stuff. Maybe that's why it has a spontaneous feel to it?
The sound is something I love about Nekromantheon. How do you make it sound so filthy, yet so powerful? Any special recording gear?
No special gear, just basic stuff and our own ears. It's a big deal for us to make it sound right, so we just do our best while mixing, that's all.
You guys play 100% Thrash Metal, what are your precise influences?
We listen to all kinds of stuff, but the most influential albums for Nekromantheon would probably be Slayer - Hell Awaits, Dark Angel - Darkness Descends and Sepultura - Schizophrenia. It shouldn't be a problem for a proper metalhead to figure out our other influences, the lyrics are packed with hails and homages.
Would you agree if I say that you specifically play Scandinavian Thrash? People call it black/Thrash. I personally hate that name, to me its just THRASH METAL! What’s so special with Scandinavian thrash?
We would simply say thrash metal, yeah. But our new LP is way too evil to be put in the same category as party-thrash bands, so we would feel more comfortable sharing sub-sub-genre with Aura Noir, Nifelheim or Sabbat (Japan). The Scandinavian thrash bands do seem to be on some kind of path, though. The new Antichrist album is amazing, by the way.
There is sort of a “revival” for thrash these days. You feel you belong to this scene?
Yeah, why not? We're just glad to hear more people are making the kind of music we wanna hear.
Nekromantheon's first album Divinity Of Death came out last year and it's just as sick as the new one
I haven’t heard of you guys touring? Did you play any shows after the release of Divinity Of Death?
We toured in the US and Canada around May/June 2010, and did some festivals here and there. Touring is fun, but we kinda prefer doing single gigs. Less hassle.
How would you describe Nekromantheon on stage? In 3 words?
Fast. Dirty. Evil.
And have you planned any tours?
We're doing a short tour around Norway in February, together with Aura Noir. Some festivals are planned for 2012, but no bigger tours yet.
Wanna experience them live? That's a overview of what carnage these guys are capable of...
What are the songs about? Blood and street fights? Are your lyrics serious, or just fun?
The new LP is all about defeating a greater enemy, reviving ancient gods and learning true wisdom. You decide what you wanna put into it, but if you read the lyrics and bear the meaning of the album title in mind, hopefully our point will get through some way or another.
Kick, you also play with the very cool band Audiopain; are we going to get a new record from that band soon?
Depends on how you define "soon". We've made a couple of great new tracks, but it's gonna take a while before you'll hear them. Things are moving slowly in the camp.
What would you guys like to add; maybe to convince our readers that Rise, Vulcan Spectre is the ideal Xmas gift??
Rise, Vulcan Spectre would be a TERRIBLE x-mas gift, as it's released on January 13th - way too late! If you're in need of a gift for a fellow thrasher, get the Condor - Speedwagon EP!
Thanks To Eileen From Indie Recordings for making that interview possible!
Do you remember that completely useless compilation Megadeth released in 2002, called “Still, Alive...And Well?”? It’s the only Megadeth official release I decided not to buy. But I have to admit it has a cool name. It’s always been the case with Megadeth. At least until Thr1rt3en came out. In case you didn’t get it, Th1rt3en is Megadeth’s thirteen’s album. It’s also got 13 songs, which is not a coincidence, since 3 of the songs are older songs that were actually re-recorded for this album. And just to make sure you get it, the last song on this album (the thirteen’s song) is called…”13”. Thank god there are only 12 months on the calendar, otherwise I bet the record would’ve been released on 13/13/13.
Not only a useless content, but also a nasty cover...
But then we would have had to wait another 2 years to listen to Th1rt3en; which would have been a damn shame since that new record from Mastermind Dave Mustaine is one of Megadeth’s best efforts since Cryptic Writings. In other words, this album is the best thing Mustaine’s produced since Marty Friedman left the band and since Mustaine decided to get back to his Thrash Metal roots.
Don't have that one yet? Go get it!
What I’ve always loved about Megadeth is that Dave Mustaine manages to write excellent songs that perfectly express his anger, and his extreme feelings. I’ve also always appreciated the fact that the songs nicely blended melodies and wild riffing. And that’s precisely why the Mustaine/Friedman team was so special: Mustaine is one hell of a riff-player, probably the best in Thrash Metal, and Marty Friedman is one of the best solo guitarists out there. When these two reached the peak of their symbiosis, they simply produced one of Metal’s all-time best: RUST IN PEACE. Not to mention a more mainstream but still amazing album: YOUTHANASIA, their biggest success so far (and probably their biggest ever). Some see that record as being a little bit too commercial. But guys: don’t forget that when it came out it was immediately praised as the best album of 1994, ESPECIALLY by the specialized Metal press.
One of my favorite covers
Th1rt3en really reminds me of Youthanasia. The balance between melodies and pure thrash fury is perfect and very efficient. The songs are full of cool choruses and heavy riffing. And the special Megadeth feeling (emotions, melodies, cool solos, Dave’s voice) is definitely there, stronger than ever. Which brings me back to the beginning of my post: this album could have been called "STILL, ALIVE….AND WELL!"!
Yes, Dave Mustaine is definetly BACK!
It now seems obvious that after the not that bad Risk (1999), Dave Mustaine spent a lot of time to recapture Megadeth’s true spirit. I think the album THE WORLD NEEDS A HERO (2001) is very weak, musically speaking. It’s one of Megadeth’s only true failures (that last song called “When” is a disaster!). The album was just a way for Dave to say: “Hey, I’m still around, and I can still play some electric guitar!”.
Things got a little better with The System Has Failed (2004), after Dave started to heal from his arm injury.But that record is no more than a collection of B-sides and leftover riffs that Dave has recorded on his own. What the hell, at least it sounded like Megadeth…
The album United Abominations (2007) however was much better and more consistent, Dave started to stabilize his new line-up, and wrote some pretty awesome songs.
Then Endgame came around (2009) and once again, Dave came up with some line up changes, as he hired young guitarist Chris Broderick, and things really started to become exciting again. Endgame is a great record, very dark and full of insane riffing. Megadeth was definitely back.
He's young, he's extremely talented, and he plays in Megadeth: the best is yet to come whith Chris Broderick
And it seems even more obvious now as Th1rt3en has been spinning on my record player for a few months: this is Megadeth’s strongest album since the 90s. The songs are consistent, they are very well balanced and each one of them has a special feeling, or a special feature that makes it stand out.
“Sudden Death” has a killer riff, “Public Enemy N°1” is one hell of a hit (the video of that song is also awesome), “Who’s Life Is this Anyway” has a cool rock’n’roll vibe, “Deadly Nightshade” has a typical dark Megadeth feeling…I could go on like that for ages telling you about each song on that album.
I also love the song “13” as it is a typical "Mustaine" song where he kind of speaks about his own life. It’s not as cool as “Victory” from Youthanasia, but as a fan of the guy, I really liked it.
People seem to think that the return of bassist David Ellefson to the band is the reason why Th1rt3en sounds so good. I don’t really know, to me it’s always been about Dave Mustaine and his own inspiration. However, the return of “Junior” may have helped Mustaine feel more “comfortable” and confident about his new songs.
His return is probably one of the reasons why Mustaine was so inspired on Th1rt3en
Just remember that this album is seriously awesome, that it has the potential to make you a Megadeth-addict and, that it will definitely be featured in many 2011 best-of lists.
One last word about the re-recorded songs, because they also stand out here: “New World Order” is from the Youthanasia sessions, it was released as a B-side on the “A Tout le Monde single”. “Millenium Of The Blind” is from the same sessions and was released on the remastered version of Youthanasia. As for “Black Swan”, that killer track was also released on the special edition of United Abominations.
It doesn’t really happen that often anymore; but receiving such an unexpected record from a totally unknown band is still one damn pleasure.
Entrench hail from Sweden, and they have an awesome name and an even cooler logo. Now that’s rare for a new band, as all the cool-sounding “Metal” names seem to have been taken.
Entrench was born in 2006, and after a few line-up changes and obscure demos, the band's just released it’s first album, called Inevitable Decay, through the US-based Abyss Records.
First observation: the cover of the CD is strange, absolutely not your usual Thrash Metal art (apparently done by bassist Joel Sundin). The rest of the artwork is more conventional with live pictures of the band and the lyrics. I also like the nice purple color on the back of the CD, really reminds me of those old Thrash CDs I used to buy back in the 90s.
Some might find this artwork horrible, I think it's just fantastic
Musically speaking, Entrench is a Thrash Metal band, or should I say a Scandinavian Thrash Metal band.
When it comes to Thrash Metal, we usually mention the American scene and the German scene. And that’s pretty unfair in my opinion as the Scandinavian scene’s contribution to Thrash Metal is equally as important. Some speak of Black/Thrash (we’ll discuss this soon with an interview of the band Nekromantheon) or Death/Thrash, but at the end of the day, it’s nothing else but pure Thrash Metal to me.
Entrench's audience: who needs anther proof that this is pure Thrash?
The fact that Entrench come from Sweden means a lot though as it does influence their Thrash. In fact, the guys say it themselves: they play Thrash Metal with early Death Metal influences. And that’s absolutely correct, as listening to Inevitable Decay feels a little bit like listening to the first Swedish Death Metal bands. There is that particular feeling of emergency and insanity, just as if the musician’s lives were at stake. And that makes the music sometimes sound clumsy, particularly when it comes to leads. Now if you play in a Metal band, please do remember that sounding “clumsy” or not being technically sharp sounds nice when the music you’re composing is genuinely inspired, otherwise, you’ll just sound shitty.
Hey, that's a typical Death Metal Scenery!
Entrench’s Thrash is very sharp, aggressive, hysterical, very epic and so nicely composed. Each song contains tons of variations, different riffs, and cool melodies; in one word: that album is extremely DYNAMIC. A little bit like early US thrash, particularly bands like Forbidden who also play a “clinical” and complex kind of thrash.
To this, of course, you need to add the screamed vocals and that “Scandinavian Touch” making the music more aggressive, and very dark, just like your early Death Metal used to sound like.
All the 8 songs on this album are very cool, but 2 of them really caught my attention: “Portrait Of A Phobia” and “Where Only Ruins Remain”. Maybe coz’ they’re even more epic than the other songs.
All you need to remember is that if you like Thrash, than I really think you should check this band out. Their Thrash is authentic, original, and therefore different from all those hyped retro-thrash bands the bigger labels are trying to make you believe in.
To Entrench means "To provide with a trench, for the purpose of fotifying or defending". Watch out guys, these warriors are here to stay, and they are heavily armed.
