Concert Review: Sepsis, Spectre, Enshrouded and Mefitis (11/22/2019)

  Saturday night in Castro Valley was a morbid gathering of four ruthless underground metal acts. Sepsis, Spectre, Enshrouded and Mefitis all proved to be sinister sounding bands with plenty of malicious sounding recordings to appease a group of ravenous metal fans.

  The show was held at a place called, The Shop, located just off of Castro Valley Blvd. This was a solid location for an underground metal show and although there was no massive stage with an over the top light setup and private dressing rooms for each band with bowls of brown M&Ms, the setting proved to be all that was needed for each band to deal out some devastating headbanging riffs. The crowd showed up in full support and throughout the night the audience was fully engaged during each performance.

  Opening the show was Sepsis, an up and coming death metal act from Santa Cruz that dealt a fiendish assault of old school death metal. I thought the band played with a tremendous amount of raw energy to get people hooked right away. If you enjoy that corpse crushing old school style of death metal where the riffs coming at you like an axe wielding demon high on speed, then you want to check this band out. Plus, major respect for their drummer and singer who handled both duties quite well. It is not an easy task playing drums and then having to lay down some venomous death growls, but this guy seemed to be up to the challenge.

Sepsis 

  The second band of the evening, Spectre, would be performing live for the first time, and you would not know it once they tore into their first song. This Oakley based tech death outfit demonstrated blistering extreme metal talent by coming up with these scorching technical compositions. Usually for a band’s first show there is always going to be some nerves when taking the stage, however, I can honestly say that Spectre played with great confidence and the band sounded very tight. Definitely interested in hearing some recordings from them, because I liked their dynamic sound that allowed them to write these unique cuts of mind bending death metal.

Spectre

  After Spectre finished, Enshrouded began setting up for their onslaught of diabolic sounding death metal. This local band does not perform that often, so I was interested in hearing them live especially after reviewing their debut demo. The band played with an unforgiving attitude and delivered their material in a vicious manner. All around the musicianship from each band member vividly stood out and together they conjured up such a ferocious selection of songs. From the intense blast beats and pulverizing rhythms to the hellish vocals that complimented the cranial crushing riffs, the band’s entire set flowed with a profound malevolent synergy. Definitely an act to I would recommend seeing live if you have the chance.

Enshrouded 

  The final act of the night was, Mefitis, a black metal group from the dark depths of the Bay Area. I thought they put together a decent set overall, even though I was having a hard time hearing the vocals due to the guitars and drums drowning them out. I will say that the drummer sounded extremely talented and in my opinion his playing stood out the most during each song. After the first song the band’s bassist and singer stated that they had backing tracks, but unfortunately due to technical issues could not use them. Even without having those backing tracks, I still believe they played a solid set. Sometimes shit happens and you have to make the best with what you have, backing tracks or not you play with that same amount of energy.

  If you are looking for some impressive up and coming extreme metal acts to check out, all four bands I think proved to be rather gifted in the art of making blasphemous sounding extreme metal music. As of recent there are not as many venues available for extreme metal bands to perform, so I think the bands who played did a spectacular job taking advantage of the opportunity by giving the audience one blistering and devastating show.


Links to their bandcamp pages:

Mefitis:

thetruemefitis.bandcamp.com/album/emberdawn

Enshrouded:

https://enshrouded.bandcamp.com/album/sanctum-of-the-shadows-2019-demo

Sepsis:

https://sepsisdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/track/facial-deformities

Decoherence "Ekpyrosis"

    Creeping through the cosmos in a destructive and ominous manner, Decoherence is an act capable of conjuring up some catastrophic recordings. Their debut album, “Ekpyrosis,” is an unapologetic blackened assault pulling listeners into a void with terrifying disoriented twists and turns that leaves you floating through realms of mind bending dimensional horror.

    After working with Sentient Ruin earlier this year for the release of their self-titled 7” EP, the band is teaming up with the label yet again to release their monstrous debut album. The band’s unconventional style of songwriting and chaotic sounding musical landscapes allows them to step away from your typical extreme metal acts. Decoherence is another example of Sentient Ruin finding a band that does not look to be a straightforward cookie-cutter metal band.

    The opening track, “Rearrangement Collisions,” is a gritty explosion of scorching guitar work accompanied by tormented unworldly sounding growls. You feel as though the drums and guitar parts collide to create a dark cluster of utter doom and despair. The overall atmosphere is a behemoth slab of malevolent sounds that spreads a blanket of unfathomable darkness. During the second track, “Primordial Replicator,” the band unveils a more punishing style of blackened aggression where the guitars seem to be ripping through the other instruments in a merciless frenzy.

    I found the third song, “Collapse,” to be less abrasive and more ambient than the first couple songs. The song’s distorted atmosphere is recorded in such a way that makes you feel like all light around you is being swallowed up into a dark oblivion. Track number four, “Vestiges of an End,” begins with a grim sort of tone and the entire track contains these haunting sounds used to amplify the cosmic chaos which the band executes extremely well.

    The final song, “Dimensionless Angular Momentum,” combines a lot of the common musical themes heard throughout the album and the main guitar parts seem to be the driving force of this cataclysmic onslaught. As a listener you succumb to the disorder and find yourself intently listening as the band constructs these unfathomable compositions.

    I do believe that Decoherence’s, “Ekpyrosis,” is one of those releases you either find fascinating, or you are completely overwhelmed by the album’s chaotic landscapes where there is no predicable song structures. In my opinion, what makes this such an impressive release is that the band writes music without giving too much away and their approach to crafting dynamic atmospheres allows ones mind to become fully engaged. I highly recommend this release for fans of harsh sounding atmospheric entropy with enough force to inflict galactic sized destruction.

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/ekpyrosis

Sentient Ruin Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/SentientRuin/

Goat Terror "Unholy March"

    Goat Terror’s debut 7” EP, “Unholy March,” is a blasphemous three song bludgeoning of merciless blackened death metal. The Belarusian based outfit demonstrates barbaric and uncompromising songwriting skills, crafting three tracks of gruesome skull smashing brutality.

    Drawing influence from bestial satanic war metal acts like Blasphemy, Impiety, Archgoat and Bestial Warlust, one can hear where Goat Terror captures the blasphemous spirit while also making their own devastating brand of apocalyptic sounding chaos. Those who relish in monstrous riffs, demonic vocals and tormenting instrumental compositions, will definitely want to check this release out.

     The opening song, “Thou I Proclame (III Nails to Each God),” is a bombastic explosion of distorted malice and feverishly hammers away at a brutal sounding main riff. Each member provides a morbid touch of sinister talent to construct an unholy sounding assault that has the potential to cause a priest to shit his pants. Track number two, “Unholy March (Death to All Alive),” focuses more on that relentless aggression with a vicious main riff that is accompanied by frantic and ear shattering blast beats. The singer’s ferocious vocals echo across the gory instrumental battle field to compliment the song’s abysmal sounding atmosphere.

    “World, Sacrifice to Satan,” is the final track off of the EP and presents a devil-worshipping landscape of unapologetic sounding terror. Overall, I would say that this band does not mess around and masterfully executes their destructive musical vision. Although I can name bands who sound similar, I find that this band is able to present the music in such a manner that I am really impressed by their brutal ambition.

    I am not surprised that Sentient Ruin will be releasing this EP through their label. They always seem to find those bands who have a knack for writing wicked cuts of extreme music. Goat Terror is definitely a band to keep an eye out for and I expect to hear more abominable offerings of brutality from these guys in the future.

Listen to  “World, Sacrifice to Satan” below:

Link to where you can purchase the album: 

http://sentientruin.com/releases/goat-terror-unholy-march

Concert Review: Unlucky Theta Invades the Bay Area

    For up and coming bands, touring serves as an opportunity to conquer new lands and build a larger fanbase by captivating a new audience with some killer music. People do not understand that even though we can sit on our computers and listen to bands from all around the world, a live show is more compelling and you will never be able to replace that intimate setting.

    Unlucky Theta, a trio from LA with a unique hard rock and metal sound, decided to take their music and venture up to the San Francisco Bay Area to play at the Lister Bar. The band also visited Santa Barbra and Santa Cruz before making their way up to the Bay Area. Unlucky Theta would be joined by San Francisco locals Sting Raze making this a two show bill.

    Upon arriving at the Lister Bar, I knew this would be an interesting venue experience. The bar seems to be very accommodating and before the show had a group of people painting, which I have never seen at a bar before, but I think shows how the venue is open to different artistic groups. I thought the stage was rather suitable and compared to some SF bars I’ve been to in the past, it did not look like it was falling apart.

    Opening the show was Sting Raze, a trio of hard rock psychedelic maniacs who enjoy jamming out some groovy sounding cuts of music. The band started their set off with a trippy instrumental piece that flowed in such cosmic and ethereal fashion. The band’s guitarist Kazuki did a great job constructing these progressive psychedelic chord progressions.  Bassist Abbas and drummer Terrance did a solid job holding down the rhythm section and added to that heavy jamming atmosphere. Overall, I liked how they crafted their songs and I felt like band was very tight.

Sting Raze

    The final act of the night, Unlucky Theta, may have been the out of town band, however, the band received a strong reaction from the crowd once they took to the stage. Their music instantly clicked with the audience, which I would attribute to the band’s overwhelming musical passion and dedicated drive as performers. The opening song, “Thrown Off Olympus Mons,” was a crushing piece of savage riff carnage. Singer and bassist Daniel Goodman played with raw emotion while guitarist Nick Kontje hammered out glorious headbanging riffs complimenting drummer Rel Bleiberg’s juggernaut sized rhythms.

Unlucky Theta 

    Another enjoyable moment during their set was the song, “Psalm,” a very powerful piece of music with Rel on lead vocals. Unlucky Theta’s ability to write dynamic pieces of music is one reason why I believe the crowd responded quite positively throughout their set. The overall musicianship was on point and the songs never seemed to lose that potent punch. Also I want to point out how the band was extremely thoughtful and although they enjoyed smashing out some ear shattering riffs, they offered free ear plugs to people in the audience.

    In the end, both bands exhibited tremendous amounts of impressive musical talent and even though you only had a two band bill, I think the audience enjoyed ever minute of the show. I recommend checking both bands out, because their passion for writing hard rocking mind bending music deserves much praise.

    So for all the young band’s thinking about just sitting around and playing their local scenes, get out and take a chance, because you never know who you might be able to meet and who might become a new devoted fan.



Unlucky Theta Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/unluckytheta/
Sting Raze Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/StingRaze/

Chthonic Deity "Reassembled in Pain"

    Prepare to be overwhelmed by sheer brutality and perpetual devastation with this debut demo from Chthonic Deity. “Reassembled in Pain,” is a carnivorous death metal offering that completely annihilates from start to finish.

    Featuring members from Scolex, Ascended Dead and Blood Incantation, Chthonic Deity is a group of death metal musicians who know how to write some vicious cuts of extreme music. The four songs on this demo are perfectly recorded to capture that raw and blistering style of old school death metal. There are plenty of gruesome sounding riffs and chaotic solos accompanied by pulverizing drums with enough force to send seismic shocks of unholy destruction throughout the world.

    The opening track, “Drained,” pulls listeners down into the hellish sounding depths by slashing away at a malicious sounding composition. I think the vocals provide such a profound touch of terror and the singer’s delivery really compliments the song’s haunting atmosphere. The second track, “Disintegrating Organs,” is yet another punishing piece of music that displays the band’s relentless drive and unforgiving attitude.

    Song number three, “Echoes of Death,” is a sadistic slice of death metal taking listeners on a joyride into utter oblivion with more crushing riffs and bombastic sounding drums. The final song, “Blood Ritual,” is where the band really comes together to craft a ferocious sounding track. When listening to this song I felt as though the guitar and bass parts were extremely well written. The entire song is what you want in terms of malicious sounding old school death metal and the band's sound really stands out compared to a lot of current up and coming death metal acts.

    As it stands, Chthonic Deity’s debut demo is my favorite demo to come out this year and one of the strongest death metal releases to come out this year for that matter. If these musicians continue to write and record songs like how they did on "Reassembled in Pain," I think the future of death metal is going to be looking great. In this crazy world where consistency and quality seem to be lacking, Chthonic Deity is a group to put your faith in without question.



Chthonic Deity Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chthonicdeitydeathmetal/
Link to Bandcamp:https://carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/reassembled-in-pain

Pale Cremation "Grimoire"

    Pale Cremation’s debut album, “Grimoire,” is a psychedelic doom journey through a trippy and heavy world of occult themed lyrics. The one-man doom band from Cleveland, Ohio cranks out some tasty jams of glorious doom with enough reverb and blasphemy to knock a god fearing Midwest granny off her porch.

    The album is rough, raw and pays homage to classic doom metal acts while still offering its own unique flair of savage riff filled debauchery. I like the heavily distorted and fuzzy sound of the guitars which adds such a groovy yet sinister element. The album begins with a blasphemous Lovecraft inspired sermon and jumps into the fiery second track, “The Serpent Mounds.” There is an emphasis placed on loud and bombastic riff compositions to where you feel each guitar and bass note hit you square in the gut.

    Throughout the album songs like, “Bastard Legions of the Devil,” and “Paimon, 8th King of Hell,” decimate your eardrums and deal out these monolith sized helpings of doom by never losing that pulverizing sound. The instrumental pieces on this album are also extremely well composed with my favorite being, “Monolith of Phobos.” The song’s dynamic atmosphere is a nice deviation from the other songs off the album and the overall sound creates such a cosmic euphoria that makes you feel like you are drifting into other dimensions.

    The final song, “Ceremonial Magicians of the Near East,” is long odyssey of pure doom drawing inspiration from bands like Sleep, Church of Misery and Electric Wizard. As the music flows in a hypnotic rhythm you just never get tired of hearing that main driving riff. The song is simply a really well written piece of music that does not sound sloppy, or comes at you with too many unnecessary parts.

    For a one-man band there is a lot to be said about Place Cremation’s, “Grimoire.” I like how this album was written and find that the artist has laid down a solid foundation to continue with more stellar doomy jams. If you are a fan of classic Sabbath like doom that will take you on a trip into smoke filled dimensions with demons and killer riffs, then you need to give this a listen!

Listen to the entire album below:

Pale Cremation FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/palecremation543/
Pale Cremation Bandcamp: https://palecremation.bandcamp.com/album/grimoire