Concert Review: Cardinal, Phantasmal Abyss, Varulf at The Caravan Lounge

    Downtown San Jose was buzzing last night with all the people in attendance for GalaxyCon along with the massive swarm of mini motorcycle riders tearing down S Market Street as if they were trying to recreate a scene from the iconic 1953 movie The Wild One starring Marlon Brando. However, the premier event was taking place at The Caravan Lounge featuring three ruthless and profanely savage bands. The line-up consisted of Cardinal, Phantasmal Abyss and Varulf, three Bay Area underground bands that know how to deliver some punishing cuts of sadistic brutality. 

     I was definitely looking forward to seeing Cardinal again after attending the show they played in Belmont with the mighty Empty Chalice from Canada. Actually, Varulf also played that show and I do remember the band putting on one intense set. Last night would be my first time seeing Phantasmal Abyss live, however I had heard some of their tracks before and looked forwarded to watching them unleash their vicious style of blackened death thrash. In regards to the venue, The Caravan Lounge is without question an iconic dive bar in Downtown San Jose that has been putting on underground music shows for years, which is definitely important given the limited amount of places for metal/punk bands to play these days. I will say that in terms of space, there is not a lot of room to move around, but you do get to experience that very intimate setting where you can be right up front getting your ears decimated by some utterly decimating riffs. 

Varulf 

    Opening up the show was the local black metal horde Varulf, and I must say that they were an optimal choice for the opening act. The energy that Varulf is able to conjure up is truly amazing to witness as the band plays with tremendous aggression and undeniable passion. Their drummer is perfectly locked in when laying down a cataclysmic beat that allows for the bassist and two guitar players to then hammer out some utterly catastrophic riffs. The vocalist is another key factor in adding to the band’s hellish sound and just like when I saw them performing in Belmont, he once again gave every ounce of energy he could muster up and unleashed these monstrous growls of pure pestilent disgust over the blackened abysmal sounding onslaught. Varulf really got the crowd into their performance and because of that they perfectly set the tone for the rest of the night. 

Phantasmal Abyss 

    After Varulf finished their set to a thunderous applause from the audience, Phantasmal Abyss started getting prepared for their set. I have to say before I start talking about their performance, I was really impressed by their professionalism as the band had their merch laid out and seemed to offer people a variety of items including beer koozies and tote bags. This trio from the East Bay offers up some utterly crushing riffs and can then transition into a more headbanging blackened thrash style. The band’s singer/guitarist Dara Santhai would scream into the mic with a fearsome look on her face while she conjured up some devastating riffs. Bassist Rafael Martinez played with great passion throughout the their set and his bass tone added a bombastically doomy touch to the overall mix. Towards the end the band’s set they had to restart a song, but the audience seemed to be forgiving and the band was able to not let it slow their momentum down. Then again, some of the people in the audience probably didn’t even notice as they were three sheets to the wind with a couple of them drunkenly bumping into me throughout the band's set. I had to breathe and count to ten a few times otherwise I might have gone full Jim Cornette at the Dairy Queen drive-thru mad (If you do not get the reference I recommend searching on Youtube as the video is epic...). 

Cardinal 

    The final band performing for the evening was Cardinal and let me tell you something, if you are a fan of raw and savage black metal with haunting atmospheres, then you need to check this band out right away. Cardinal is not just another generic black metal band putting on the corpse paint and playing cheap ass sounding tremolo style picking riffs to an audience full of apathetic metal hipsters wearing artisan beanies. They have such a strong malevolent sounding energy, and their songs really do remind me of the music from European black metal acts like Abigor, Nokturnal Mortum and Emperor. During their set I did feel that the band was working with less space than the last time I saw them before in Belmont, but they were able to make it work to where there was enough room to fit the keyboard, amps and drum kit. The band’s keyboardist provided a captivatingly spectral contrast to the harshly distorted riffs and fiendish drumming. I like how the band arranges their songs as the dynamic compositions really do keep you fully engaged and can instantly transition from a very dark slow tempo to a more intense sounding burst of bestial destruction. The audience was really into their music as well and you had plenty of people in the front banging their heads to the sinister riffs. Overall, I thought they played a really solid set and I am looking forward to them making a full-length album. 

    In the end, all of those in attendance for this diabolical gathering were dealt a might dose of blackened brutality from all three of these talented bands. If you have a chance to see them live I would highly recommend going without any hesitation. And to all those drunk people who kept bumping into me, I hope that you made it home safe and did not get run over by a gang of mini motorcycle riders, nor were harassed by some furries from GalaxyCon. You may think that you’re tough and kvlt, but those furries in numbers can be extremely dangerous. 

Cardinal Bandcamp:

https://c666.bandcamp.com/album/demonstration-2025

Phantasmal Abyss Bandcamp:

https://phantasmalabyss.bandcamp.com/music

Varulf "Fresh Blades for an Old Enemy (Single) 2024"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzSDnIml9JI

Matt Lasserre “Jungian House Dream”

    The architect behind Pale Cremation, Matt Lasserre, invites listeners on a unforgettable dreamlike exploration through various post-punk/new wave, avant-garde and progressive rock arrangements on his solo release titled, “Jungian House Dream.” Once again, Matt demonstrates his diverse artistic mindset while traversing across these vivid sounding musical landscapes with such keen attention to detail. 

    Over the years that I have come to know Matt, I have witnessed him really expand upon his musical ideas with vigorous fascination, thus allowing him to compose some unbelievably creative sounding releases. “Jungian House Dream,” is definitely one of his most ambitious and out off this world creations to date, which is why I was instantly drawn to the release after hearing a preview track. The post-punk and new wave elements conjure up some very dreamy and space like atmospheres, while the progressive rock arrangements add a dynamic flare to the overall sound. 

    From the very start, the album dives deep into the world of dreams and human psyche with a strong emphasis on progressive rock ethos driving the creation of a lot of the instrumental arrangements. The opening song, “Love Pill Theme,” is very new wave sounding from the opening electronic noises to the mesmerizing layers of synth. Along with the synths Matt throws in some post-punk influenced guitar work, and the notes vividly ring out in such a hypnotic fashion. Compared to work in Pale Cremation, I felt as thought there was more emphasis was placed on the how he was able to bring together all these different sounding elements, especially since the music feels almost cinematic at times. The second track off of the album, “Couloirs De Terreur Et De Decadence,” continued to build-up the opening song's heavy synth emphasis, but also added some progressive/avant-garde rock guitar lead touches towards the end. 

    Of course, Matt does incorporate song heavier elements into the album and on the song, “Architectural Model of the Psyche,” he conjures up more of an old school Sabbath like sound, which I thought really stood out and happened to be one of my favorite pieces of music off of the album. The song’s main riff sounded truly monumental with its Iommi-esque sonically devastating sound that instantly captures your attention. On the song, “Visitation,” you can hear a more industrial/thrash metal edge featuring more adrenaline pumping distorted riffs of high octane aggression that slightly reminded me of Matt’s time in the band Scrape the Earth. Eventually the music mellows out and transitions into a more calming almost transcendental direction, which ties into the experimental synth arrangements that tend to be guiding the listener throughout the release at various points. 

    Throughout the album you are constantly enthralled by the various arrangements and different audio clips detailing human consciousness and the power of dreams.  “Jungian House Dream,” is an album that I find comes from years of unyielding passion and an individual’s desire to bring out musical concepts that they have fondly amassed over years of being a open minded artist. Matt really took his time crafting this album by making sure each guitar riff, bass line, and synth made a distinct impact, so in the end listeners can experience a release that does not sound like a lot of what you are hearing from the rock/metal world today. I would highly recommend people give this album a listen, especially if you are open to progressive rock music infused with some post-punk, synthwave, new/wave, as well as some metal touches from one creative individual. 

Listen to the entire album via Doom Zone Productions Youtube channel :

Matt's Bandcamp:

https://mattlasserre.bandcamp.com/album/jungian-house-dream

Demonsmoke “Resin Wrought”

    The filthy doom metal savages in Demonsmoke once again emerge from the shadowy depths of the California Delta to unleash upon the metal world a profoundly monstrous creation. On their sophomore album titled, “Resin Wrought,” the band continues to hammer out sickening cuts of agonizing old school sludge and doom without any remorse. 

    The first time I heard Demonsmoke live was when I saw them play live in 2015 at a dive bar in downtown Petaluma. After seeing them perform I was instantly hooked by their vicious doom metal sound which heavily incorporates that profanely venomous sludge/doom metal vibe similar to groups like Church of Misery and Eyehategod. When they released their debut album “Morphine Moonshine” I definitely felt as though the band delivered a killer album featuring some utterly devastating songs with one of my favorites being “Creeping Down Your Neck.” Also, the band worked with legendary metal recording guru Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studios in Oakland, CA who returned and lent his recording and mixing talents on, “Resin Wrought.” I do believe Greg perfectly captures the band’s sound on this new album and even helped draw out a more insidious side to Demonsmoke that can be heard throughout the release. 

    The album beings with some malevolent high-pitched feedback noises followed by the band’s vocalist Cam unleashing a disgusted cry of unapologetic anger. Titled, “Caustic Truth,” the opening track features a pulverizing main riff as well as some punishing rhythms. The drumming and bass playing sounds extremely tight, and the impact can be heard throughout the song. Also, I can hear where the band added more harsh sludge elements on this release that I would say draw influence from acts like Grief and Noothgrush. The second track, “Earth Monkey,” is another southern sludge inspired doom onslaught containing more deafening noises to come mercilessly blaring out of your speakers. There is one riff during the song which hits with such seismic force by throwing down some meaty palm muted chord strikes. 

Taking a break from the album’s first two heavily cataclysmic sounding songs, the third track, “Onset,” is a trippy sounding instrumental piece that serves as the perfect setup for the next song, “Inebriated Muff.” Coming up with a more diabolically groovy sounding doom jam, Demonsmoke delivers out a real distorted banger with “Inebriated Muff.” There is a very bluesy vibe going on during the song, which I would even say captures that old school 70’s Black Sabbath spirit. The fifth song, “Eternal Abyss,” is probably the strongest example of Demonsmoke crafting a more hideous sludge offering, especially in terms of the putrid vocal delivery which can be heard violently screaming over the distorted chaos.  

    For the final two songs, “Blunt Force Trauma” and “Resin Wrought,” the band arranges even more abysmal mind-altering riffs and primordial doom rhythms. On the song, “Blunt Force Trauma,” Jimmy R from Transylvanian Recordings provides some guest vocal work and when paired with Cam’s vocals, adds a massive boost of hostility during the track. Towards the middle/end of the song there is a burst of hardcore punk fueled aggression giving the music more entropic edge. The final song, “Resin Wrought,” is a gruesome sounding sludge/doom drenched piece of raw aggression that once again displays this band’s truly wicked talents. From the start of the album until the end, Demonsmoke grabs the listener like a demonic entity taking possession of a host and driving them completely insane with maniacally heavy dose of distorted riffs. 

    Overall, Demonsmoke delivers an undeniably heavy and down right sinister album with the release of, “Resin Wrought.” Picking up where they left off on, “Morphine Moonshine,” the band was able to keep the momentum going, but they also added some even more hellacious sounding elements to their sound. I know in the metal world that there are some critics who label doom and sludge metal as being repetitive and sometimes the equivalent to an endless snooze fest, however, the new Demonsmoke is anything but a snooze fest. The moment you start listening to the album's first song, I can guarantee you will be fiendishly hooked until the very end. 

Check out the song "Eternal Abyss" below:

Demonsmoke Bandcamp:

https://demonsmoke.bandcamp.com/album/resin-wrought

Concert Review: Empty Chalice, Bezaliel, Varulf, Cardinal and Nøkken at Chris' New Harbor Bar (May 31, 2025)

    On May 31st, 2025 darkness descended upon the Bay Area, specifically the city of Belmont, CA where an unholy gathering took place featuring five utterly malevolent bands. Empty Chalice, Cardinal, Bezaliel, Varulf and Nøkken, looked to unleash some cranial shattering riffs and unapologetically blasphemous songs for the fiendish audience in attendance to savor. 

    The show took place at Chris' New Harbor Bar located in Belmont, CA which for all of those unfamiliar with the Bay Area, is a city just south of San Francisco on the San Francisco Peninsula. So unlike going to a show in San Francisco, you don’t have to worry about stepping in human feces and there aren’t hipsters on bikes riding right in front of your goddamn car. Anyway, I have to say that the venue was a perfect place for this type of underground black metal show and I thought the intimate atmosphere inside ended up being a huge benefit during each band’s set. 

    Opening the show was, Nøkken, from the shadowy woods of Boulder Creek, CA. I thought that they did a tremendous job starting the show off by getting the audience to bang their heads to the monstrous riffs. Right from the beginning, the band’s guitarist was utterly possessed as he hammered away at his guitar and he played with such ferocity throughout their set. The drummer also provided some ear shattering rhythms from behind the kit and definitely kept the music fearsomely moving without missing a beat. Plus, the band’s singer really captured the early 90’s black metal aesthetic both in terms of his vocal style as well as his overall image. Seeing him screaming into the mic with the corpse paint on looking like a tortured soul from beyond, just perfectly complimented the band’s misanthropic lyrical content. For my first time seeing them live, I thought the sounded solid and would definitely be down to see them again. 

Nøkken

    The second band, Cardinal, was a band that I had heard of before after watching a video of them playing at an ice cream shop in San Jose. Yes, there was a black metal show at an ice cream shop, probably because the Vietnamese coffee shop in San Jose was hosting an illegal gambling party that night. Now, I think what makes this band standout compared to a lot of other up and coming raw black metal bands is that they have an actual keyboard player coming up with some haunting keyboard arrangements during their songs. I have to say that all four members sounded extremely tight and know how to play their instruments. Also, the malevolent sounds of the keyboard contrasting with the savage guitar riffs sounded great live. Their sound reminded me a bit of what you can hear on Nokturnal Mortum’s “Lunar Poetry,” where the keyboards lull you into this false sense of security and eventually you become overwhelmed by the insanely intense raw compositions flowing at you with this pure evil synergy. Cardinal is a band that I really hope gets around to making a full-length album, because with their creative mindset and sinister passion for black metal, I bet that they could craft some profoundly diabolical tracks.  

Cardinal

    After Cardinal finished their set, the third band, Varulf, from San Jose started setting up for their pulverizing black metal onslaught. At first the ear piercing sounds of feedback and technical challenges delayed them from launching into their first song, however, once they got everything going there was no stopping this band’s demonically brutal energy. Right away, the dual vocals provided by the band’s singer and the band's bassist/singer amplified the music as they each growled mercilessly over the chaotic arrangements. Both guitarists played with tremendously ravenous passion as they hammered out evil sounding chord progressions. Varulf did not let off the pedal once as they continuously dealt out cataclysmic song after song. I feel Varulf is a band highly worth checking out live, because they know how to put on a non-stop adrenaline pumping performance. 

Varulf

    The fourth band on the bill was, Bezaliel, an evil act trio from the Bay Area that played their set with candles, incense burning and red siren lights flashing to establish a very ritualistic atmosphere, which I do believe visually looked great. Also, the bassist was all decked out in chains and spikes, but I must admit unlike some black metal musicians who have the look down yet cannot play their instruments to save their lives, this guy could play like a maniac. There were a couple songs where the bass player laid down some wicked sounding bass parts to inject a juggernaut sized boost of low-end brutality. Also, Bezaliel conjured up some punishing riffs that started getting people moshing around, so I thought that even after three previous bands the crowd was still going strong if they were running around pumping into each other. 

Bezaliel

    The final band of the evening, Empty Chalice, traveled all the way down from Victoria B.C., Canada and this black metal horde is so insanely malevolent and down right badass that they gave Justin Trudeau such terrible nightmares that some say it was why Trudeau decided to resign. If you have been following this blog I have reviewed some of Empty Chalice’s demos in the past, so for me I was very excited to finally see them live, especially after the release of their new demo Violated Oaths. As the members launched into the first song I could tell that they were ready to raise some hell. The two guitar attack provided by the band’s two guitarists provided some deafening riffs as the band’s bassist would also follow along sadistically strike his bass. At one point the drummer from Empty Chalice was playing so fast that one of his drum sticks flew out of his hand and went right by my head, but he pulled out another one and kept feverishly drumming away. During their set the band’s singer did a great job interacting with the crowd between songs trying to get people to headbanging and even took off his noose which was around his neck and then put it on someone who was not banging their head. The band did a killer cover of Marduk’s “Baptism by Fire,” as that is off of one of my favorite Marduk albums, so it was cool that they incorporated into their set. Overall, Empty Chalice sounded brutal and gave the audience a wicked set, so hope that they can comeback to the Bay Area in the future. 

Empty Chalice

    In the end, I thought all the bands sounded extremely solid and the crowd always seemed to be engaged. Unlike some shows where people only go to see their friends play and then just leave, I thought the people in attendance who were passionate fans of extreme underground music stuck around to appreciate what these bands had to offer. I definitely look forward to seeing what these bands have in the works and would recommend checking them out. The Bay Area like a lot places across the US has definitely seen a decline in the availability of venues for extreme metal music, so shoutout to the people who put on this show and Chris' New Harbor Bar for hosting this event. Also, anytime there is a Bay Area metal show and I don't have to drive into SF is a huge win, because when a city has an app that tracks the areas where people poop on the street, that is a place that I like to avoid. 

Empty Chalice Bandcamp:

https://emptychalicebm.bandcamp.com/

Cardinal Bandcamp:

https://c666.bandcamp.com/music

Bezaliel Bandcamp:

https://bezaliel.bandcamp.com/

Nøkken Bandcamp:

https://nokkensemperviren.bandcamp.com/album/demo-1

Prophetic Suffering “Rivalry of Thyself”

    The nefariously barbaric death metal outfit, Prophetic Suffering, sets out to pave a pathway of unforgiving brutality with the release of their debut full-length album, “Rivalry of Thyself.” The Edmonton-based band draws influence from the profane death metal acts of the early to mid 90's, yet also mixes in some harsh black metal elements to achieve an utterly grotesque and pulverizing sound. 

    Following up their 2022 demo release, the band will be working with Sentient Ruin to unleash their debut full-length upon the extreme metal world on May 9th. I strongly believe that the band’s savage artistic vision aligns well with the other inhumanely insidious acts on the Sentient Ruin roster. Their sound and approach on this album is all about hammering out sadistically ruthless death metal riffs, while also finding ways to violently alter their arrangements by incorporating these agonizing dissonant noises. The vocals on this release add to the gruesome imagery, and sound as if they were recordings captured from some blackened abyss where fiendish creatures attempt to viciously claw their way of the obsidian like darkness. Similar to a lot of other profoundly brutal up and coming death metal acts drawing influence from the monstrous old school bands that paved the way, Prophetic Suffering offers up a plethora of ear shattering rhythms and deafening drum work. The production quality and sound of the drums on this album is unbelievably catastrophic sounding at times. 

    The eight tracks featured on the album are all merciless pieces of death metal music conveying a primitively aggressive nature that never strays away from the band’s pestilent vision. For example the opening song, “Holy Death, Sacred Rot,” is a punishing introduction to the band's vile sound that stirs up these cyclone like riffs of entropic destruction. During the song you can really hear the bass as the notes seem to ring out along to the devastating drumming. Of course, the guitar playing is down right incinerating throughout the song, and the overwhelming rush of brutal and dissonant sounds coming from the guitars seems to be fueled by an endless amount of sinister adrenaline. There are songs on this album like "Foul” and “Gift of Decay,” where the band does not waste a moment of time by feverishly blasting out short death metal tracks to completely overload your ears these monolithic bursts of putrid death metal. 

    On the track, “East Prey (Weakness Defined),” I liked how the band maintained their simple barbaric approach, which allowed the singer to deliver a hellish performance to compliment the relentlessly aggressive guitar and drum attack. Another creative moment during the song was as the band was going all out with their musical onslaught toward the end of the song, an explosion rocked the soundscape and then the following sounds were of church bells ringing which I thought really stood out. The final two song, “Rivalry of Thyself” and “Oppressor Beheaded,” are two abhorrent offerings evoking more of that same hateful energy that can be heard on the previous tracks. “Oppressor Beheaded,” is an insanely sinister track with some dynamically terrifying riffs and lead parts to create an unapologetic nightmarish atmosphere for the vocalist to unleash all these monstrous growls. 

    Instead of going for the over the top progressive death metal approach to where you become confused by the pointless shredding and odd time signatures, Prophetic Suffering decided to keep the music down right horrifically brutal on, “Rivalry of Thyself.” I highly recommend checking out Prophetic Suffering if you are a fan of abhorrent extreme metal music, especially given that they are working with one of the top underground labels in the extreme music world for their debut full-length release. In the end, I would saty that this is definitely not band looking to push the technical boundaries of extreme metal, but instead they are looking to walk right up to people and manically punch them in the face with a mighty fistful of unfathomable brutality. 

Check out the song "Gift of Decay" below:

Link to Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/rivalry-of-thyself

Moonlight Haze “Beyond”

 

    The Italian symphonic power metal act, Moonlight Haze, once again conjures up an epic sounding journey across bombastic musical landscapes accompanied by plenty of awe-inspiring vocals and utterly catchy sounding riffs. For their fourth full-length album, “Beyond,” which will be released May 23rd through Scarlet Records, the band continues to enhance their overall sound which allows them to further explore their extremely deep and meaningful lyrical content. 

    Personally, I am very particular about symphonic power metal with a majority of the modern acts not really appealing to me given the lack of substance along with the repetitive sounding formula that has been beaten to death within the sub-genre. Also, I feel a lot of acts tend to put too much focus putting on their Renaissance Faire attire and they end up writing some very forgettable sounding songs. Such is not the case with Moonlight Haze, and after hearing their 2021 release, “Animus,” I could tell that they took their craft seriously and put effort into writing some profoundly passionate pieces of music. “Beyond,” isn’t just another step forward for the band, as I really feel as though they are taking a massive leap forward with this new material. 

    One of the areas on this new album that I noticed right away were the heavier elements added to their sound, thus injecting a more old school metallic edge at times. Also, vocalist Chiara Tricarico delivers another outstanding performance by showing off here magnificent range that confidently soars over the melodic instrumental arrangements. The guitar playing on this release is on point and the leads are fluid yet never over crowd the soundscape to where you find yourself bogged down by endless amounts of pointless shredding. Guitarists Marco Falanga and Alberto Melinato are talented players that come-up with some catchy sounding riffs that can deliver a more fiery flare when needed by throwing into some blazing solos, or an extra dose of heavy crushing riff sections. 

    The album’s opening song, “Beyond,” is a very calming introducing featuring a soothing piano arrangement accompanied by Chiara’s captivating vocals. I thought the intro’s ethereal overall tone was a perfect way to begin the album, especially considering the shift in terms of heaviness that can be heard on the album’s second track, “Tame the Storm.” I would say that, “Tame the Storm,” is definitely a more dynamically intense track and one that takes on a more fearsome old school power metal sound. Also, I was impressed by how Chiara’s vocals seem to naturally adapt to the music when the band transitions from a melodic section to a heavier sounding part. The same can be said on the song, “Chase the Light,” where the opening rhythm is utterly crushing, which I would attribute to drummer Giulio Capone’s monstrous drumming from behind the kit. From the energetic melodic lead guitar playing to vibrant chorus sections, the music just flows with such a graceful synergy. 

    Now, as much as I enjoyed the album’s heavier moments, I must admit that the calmer and more uplifting tracks are not to be ignored. One of the most deep and meaningful song’s off the album is, “L'eco Del Silenzio.” At first Chiara sings in English over a somber acoustic arrangement, but then she transitions into singing into Italian which I thought really strengthened the track’s bewitching sound. Another song that caught my attention was, “D.N.A. (Do Not Apologize),” with its scorching riffs and epic chorus where Chiara delivers a strong vocal performance. The final two songs on the album, "Time to Go," and "Awakening," are also very well recorded tracks featuring more brilliant symphonic power metal compositions as well as these truly electrifying chorus sections. 

    Overall, the “Beyond” is probably Moonlight Haze’s most sonically and lyrically impressive albums to date. The production on this album is extreme solid and I can tell that having the assistance of the highly skilled music producer Sascha Paeth made a significant impact on the final mix. If you happen to be a fan who enjoy symphonic power metal then I would highly recommend checking out Moonlight Haze. The band seems to really be pushing themselves in terms of their songwriting skills and musical abilities, which I could definitely hear loud and clear on this new album.  

Checkout the video for the song "Chase the Light" below:

Moonlight Haze website:

https://www.moonlighthaze.com/

Samiarus “Reign Destroyer”

 

    The debut EP from the sadistic SF Bay Area based black/death horde, Samiarus, is an inhumanely punishing release that seeks to land a profoundly devastating blow upon the world of extreme music. Titled, “Reign Destroyer,” the debut EP is a vile concoction containing some of the most profoundly extreme and down right unapologetic elements known to those within the underground music community.  

    Featuring members from Bay Area bands like Abstracter, Mentor, Doomsday, Abnutivum, Meth Sores, Flesh Dungeon and Slaughteruin, all of these accomplished extreme metal musicians in Samiarus really deliver a vicious decree of aural hostility. Right away I noticed the influence of war metal acts like Blasphemy and Archgoat, but I also could hear the anarchist punk/hardcore elements that seemed to fuel the band’s defiantly raw and savage vision. From the start of the EP, you are instantly hooked by the harsh surreal sounds of a world thrown into bleak entropic turmoil, which is eventually consumed by an utterly deafening riff onslaught. Songs like, “New Iron Age” and “Torment’s Spear,” feature plenty of bestial compositions as well as these horrifying vocals from the band's lead singer. I thought the vocals perfectly complimented the chaotic instrumental compositions by adding to the music’s agonizingly apocalyptic atmopshere. 

    Even though there are only seven tracks featured on the album, you feel as though you are constantly being overwhelmed by the band’s ferocious energy during each song. Also, unlike some of these modern black/death war metal bands that do nothing but mindlessly hammer away at recycled Blasphemy riffs, Samiarus really offers up something more with their sound and approach to writing songs. For example the song, “Throne Devoured,” is a monstrous piece of extreme music featuring some pulverizing rhythms, especially from the band’s fiendish drummer. The level of intensity from the beginning of the track until the end is almost unfathomable. “Crushed by Inferior,” is another solid track which once again contains some solid sinister guitar work while unleashing an aggressive sonic assault aimed at crippling the corrupt foundations working to oppress society. The album’s last track, “Exitium,” served as this more nightmarish industrial sendoff after all the decimating black/death metal riffs, and I thought the track was a clever way to finish off the album. 

    Overall, Samiarus did not waste one moment on this debut EP and they definitely left a ruthless everlasting mark when recording of this release. “Reign Destroyer,” is being released through Sentient Ruin on April 25th, so if you are a fan of extreme underground music then you better go get yourself a copy. I can honestly say that there are no half-ass compositions on this release, which is rare when you have so many extreme metal bands coming up with releases lacking substance, or just following trends to get noticed. Samiarus proves to be a band driven my uncompromising artistic ethos, which is why I would consider their debut EP to be one of the best extreme metal releases of this year so far. 

Check out the song "New Iron Age" below:

Link to Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/

Pale Cremation “Communion [Soviet Tapes 1984]”

    Having snuck some recordings out of a secret underground base similar to the one from Resident Evil: Retribution minus the Russian zombie soldiers that knew how to operate motorcycles, Pale Cremation was able to obtain these never before heard recordings from 1984. Titled, “Communion [Soviet Tapes 1984],” the latest Pale Cremation album is one of the most diverse sounding releases to date and the plethora of different influences perfectly captures the dynamic mindset of the artist behind this release. 

    The mastermind behind Pale Cremation, Matt Lasserre, conjures up yet another out of this world sounding creation by bringing together a variety of different musical styles on each of the eight tracks. Pale Cremation’s early releases were very much grounded in old school doom metal and hard rock, but with the last few releases I feel as though Matt has incorporated more old school progressive rock elements into his music along with more experimentation with synths and ambient noises. On “Communion [Soviet Tapes 1984],” Matt really embraces the sci-fi horror world by composing some very cinematic synth arrangements that pays homage to the film scores from 70’s and 80’s sci-fi horror movies. The most notable movie being, John Carpenter’s The Thing, which is referenced on the tracks, “Mimic” and “Indistinguishable to Human Eyes.” During the song, “Indistinguishable to Human Eyes,” you can hear audio clips from the movie while Matt unleashes a decimating doom onslaught mixed with hypnotic synth breaks wedged between the heavy sounding riff barrage.  

    On this album, Matt has drummer Anders Wienerholden handling the drum parts and coming up with some punishing rhythms to complement the bombastic metallic sounding riffs. The opening track, “Walls of Ice,” is very surreal sounding with this frantic build-up of drums and guitar that seems to create an atmosphere of sheer terror and suspense. I would even say that there are some trippy industrial arrangements sprinkled throughout the album, which definitely strengthens the album’s sci-fi horror/government cover-up theme. “Indistinguishable to Human Eyes,” is a great example of a horrifying industrial/doom metal like track, especially when you hear Kurt Russell’s voice from The Thing being heard right before a savage arrangement shatters the soundscape. 

    Speaking more on the cinematic emphasis that seems to be very prevalent throughout the album, tracks like “Eldritch Prophecy” and “”Shodan,” are both very futuristic sounding synth wave style tracks that I could almost see being used as the music for video games. “Shodan,” especially reminded me of something from a haunting sci-fi video game, or even an 80’s horror film John Carpenter might have worked on, because the song has that utterly bewitching synth sound. For listeners who prefer more hard hitting riffs Matt has you covered with tracks like, “Malevolent Cosmic Forms” and “Communion,” that contain some heavy sounding psychedelic progressive rock structures. I have to say that, “Communion,” was one mind-altering listening experience and the lead guitar parts provided by Eric Doyle were down right mesmerizing as the notes rang out over the cataclysmic compositions. 

    Overall, “Communion [Soviet Tapes 1984],” has to be one of the most creative releases from Pale Cremation that vividly demonstrates Matt’s talents, as well as his eclectic musical influences. I think this album can be something a wide range of people will find fascinating given the mixture of heavy metal, progressive rock and synth wave used to strengthen the album’s themes about malevolent extraterrestrial lifeforms trying to overtake humanity. One day when the world meets it’s inevitable fate at the hands of some superior galactic race, they will discover Pale Cremation’s “Communion [Soviet Tapes 1984],” and realize that humans were not all useless sacks of insufferable crap like that damn Hawk Tuah Girl, or those douchey frat boy podcasters. 

Check out the entire album below via 666MrDoom's Channel:

Link to Pale Cremation's Bandcamp:

https://palecremation.bandcamp.com/album/communion-soviet-tapes-1984