Sepulchre "Earthbound"

    Some bands will work on a demo and then decide not to release the final product until a few years laters, which to some might not make sense, but I think as long as the release gets to see the light of day that we should not complain. When I saw that Sepulchre uploaded a demo that they recorded back in 2017, I was instantly interested in hearing what this trio from Sonoma County had to offer, especially considering I have not heard new material from them in quite some time .

    “Earthbound,” is an ambitious effort and one that I would describe as a journey into this band’s unique extreme metal mindset. Unlike most modern death metal bands, Sepulchre does not play within the repetitive death metal box, and instead looks to tear down the box by jumping out into a void of dynamic creativity. I’ve known these guys for a fair amount of time and over the years I have had the opportunity to watch them rapidly grow as musicians and songwriters. Sepulchre shows a willingness to push themselves and this new demo is yet another example of that dedication to pushing the boundaries and forming their own extreme metal identity.

    The opening track off of this demo called, “Sum Quod Eris,” is like stepping through a gateway into an abysmal musical landscape shrouded in endless galactic darkness. Your ears are filled with the sounds of unworldly sounding guitars parts that are accompanied by ominous bass lines and catastrophic drumming. The band composes this unpredictable world of instrumental aggression pulling you through countless twists and turns, although never loosing that sense of purpose as the music evolves throughout the track.

Sepulchre live in 2015

    The second song on the demo, “Effigy Wounds,” is another ruthless vision into a realm of endless torment and instrumental entropy. I feel like the riffs on this track are presented in a more direct and uncompromising manner. Also, the lead guitar playing provides a frantic deviation at times to keep you completely engaged. When listening to the song you feel like you are being bludgeoned by an avalanche of noise, however, the band’s ability to harness all those different compositions is executed extremely well.

    In conclusion, “Earthbound,” is yet another example of Sepulchre demonstrating their strong progressive death metal talents. This release may not be in contention for album of the year, or might now be getting nominated for a Grammy, but what this release serves as is a glimpse into what these guys can accomplish musically. No matter what happens going forward, I will always believe that if Sepulchre can take what they have done on their demos, especially this new one, this group has the potential to record an exceptional and timeless death metal release. I hope that they are given that opportunity, because I strongly believe in these musicians.

    People tend to forget that Rush didn’t just write, “2112,” and that album became a legendary release overnight. Then again I am a huge Rush fan, so I know the story and the details. The album before, “2112,” which was, “Caress of Steel,” was considered by a lot of critics at the time as completely out of the ordinary. What no one will ever understand is that, “Caress of Steel,” was the rough draft that would eventually become, “2112.” If you actually listen to, “Caress of Steel,” it is a phenomenal album and allowed Rush a chance to experiment with their musical ideas that would eventually be fulfilled on, “2112.”

    I use my Rush example as a reason as to why people should listen to Sepulchre’s new demo and pay close attention to what these guys are trying to achieve. The seeds of something greater to come are there if you really pay attention, we just have to sit back and let time tell if those seeds will grow.




Check out the entire demo below:

Sepulchre Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/bayareasepulchre/

Sepulchre Releases New Single "Iniquitous Indiscipline”

    The Santa Rosa based death metal trio, Sepulchre, conjures up a brand new single so insidious sounding that you are left speechless after listening to the brutal onslaught. Recorded for a Sonoma County Metal and Hardcore Compilation, the new single, “Iniquitous Indiscipline,” contains some dynamic extreme compositions that convey an unforgiving overall sound of vicious death metal.

    Unlike some bands who just stick to the basic death metal formula, Sepulchre explores more progressive structures to incorporate into their blistering style of extreme music. Every second of this new single keeps you engaged and succumbing to the extreme realm of mind bending brutal guitar riffs, wicked bass parts and ear shattering drumming. The vocal presentation is another area that took me by surprise and you hear a strong delivery similar to that of bands such as Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death and Entombed. The music just hits you with such tremendous force that you really want to keep listening to this song over and over again.

    I have seen this band live on multiple occasions and I feel that, “Iniquitous Indiscipline,” finally captured their distinct savage and raw style of technical death metal. They are a creative bunch of musicians who are extreme metal fanatics, so I know that they have plenty more to offer the world of extreme music. I really would like to see a full-length album soon, but in the meantime I can listen to this song until they are ready to begin work on a full-length release. Definitely check it out if you are fan of old school death metal with a progressive mindset.


Check out the new single below via their bandcamp:

https://bayareasepulchre.bandcamp.com/track/iniquitous-indiscipline-2

Trecelence Release Show (10/8/16)

Trecelence

    There is without question that Saturday, October 8th at the Arlene Francis Center was a monumental celebration for the Sonoma County Metal and Hardcore Community. For this was not just another show, but the release show for Trecelence’s debut full-length album, “Justified Atrocities.” These die-hard local thrashers have put in a great amount of work leading up to the release of this album and playing in front of their local metal community made the release of this album even more special. 

    Playing alongside Trecelence were five other talented metal acts. You had Hellbender, Trial by Combat, Stained Humanity, Sepulchre and Hemotoxin. It was great to have Hemotoxin come from up from the East Bay to play this show. After reviewing their most recent album, “Biological Enslavement,” I was eager to hear the new material live. I found when arriving to the venue everyone was in great spirits as the metal community seemed extremely proud of Trecelence for their accomplishment. Plus, the guys in Trecelence were overly excited to play and give people a chance to hear some music from their new album. One could say it felt like Christmas, besides the fact that inside the venue was hotter than hell and could melt a snowman faster than a grindcore song. 

    Kicking off the massive metal celebration was Stained Humanity. I saw these guys for their first show and was looking forward to hearing how they have progressed. Compared to their first show, one could tell the young dudes were becoming more conformable onstage. The band is starting to form a solid sound that will help them continue to improve and allow them to open up more creative possibilities. The lead guitar playing stood out more too this time around and I think that is going to be an area where they can really explore their technical writing potential. Just need to keep practicing and finding ways to develop a tight and unique sound. 

    Second up was the Pittsburg, CA based group Hemotoxin, who would be playing Santa Rosa for their first time. I think the local audience responded quite well to the technical thrash four piece. Hemotoxin is an extremely atypical thrash group, because you have elements of old school death metal and the band even displays some progressive elements in their music. If you have followed these guys then you cannot deny that, “Biological Enslavement,” is a release that simply raises the bar for this type of music. The technicality in the riffs is top notch and the fluidity of the lead guitar playing is astonishing at times. Towards the middle of their set the pit was furiously moving and the band kept on delivering plenty of crushing songs to bang your head. 

Hemotoxin

    After Hemotoxin was local veteran metal warriors, Trial by Combat. The band would be playing their first show with a new drummer and hopefully he would not combust onstage like the drummer in Spinal Tap. The band of course unleashed their brutal assault of distorted destruction on the crowd and got the people going crazy within seconds. The vocals that came from singer Dashiel McKenzie offered up great amounts of brutality while the riffs from Jesse Palmer and Aaron Dudley annihilated people’s ears. Towards the end they threw in a cover of Amon Amarth’s, “The Pursuit of Vikings,” which went over well with the crowd. 

    Fourth up after Trial By Combat was the three piece old school death metal worshipers, Sepulchre. These guys are very talented and their sound takes from a variety of influences, which I think allows them to separate themselves from the usual old school death metal worship type acts. Also to point out, Chris Olney Burnett would be playing in Trecelence a little later in the evening, so for him to be playing a set with Sepulchre showed how much this young man is dedicated to the music. I would have also liked to see him play a set with his other band Amnesia, but already playing two sets was probably quite a test already. Overall, Sepulchre put on a tremendous performance that in my opinion is their best performance to date since I have known these guys. The passion that Chris along with drummer Forest Giulietti and bassist Luis Olguin had during their set was unbelievable. The riffs conveyed this malevolent sound from abysses beyond and the vibe from the music sounded simply unforgiving at times. For their last song they cranked out a very old school grindcore type song where Chris decided to break his guitar strings and let the crowd partake in the execution of the strings. 

Sepulchre 

    After Sepulchre delivered their killer set, Hellbender went on next to play their style of skull crushing metal. The guys in Hellbender are decent musicians who know how to get the crowd going. I just think a lot of people were feeling the heat inside the venue area and needed a chance to cool off and get some water. Even though the crowd was having a tough time with the temperature, I think the band played a decent set that was well received. They did a solid cover of Mötley Crüe’s, “Live Wire,” to finish off their set with Miguel Martinez from Aftertayst getting up onstage to sing with them.  

    Finally, the band of the night who would be playing songs from their new album hit the stage with an atomic explosion of raw energy. Trecelence tore right into the first song of technical thrash insanity that conjured up a cyclone of moshing metal maniacs. “Into the Gateway,” sounded spectacular and for me it brought back memories when they were guests on my old radio show and we played the demo version of the song. Bassist Zane Covington put on yet another solid performance by offering constant energetic stage presence. Chris Olney Burnett and fellow guitarist Donnie Small shredded their way through scales with tremendous skill and hammered out endless amount of wicked headbanging riffs. Behind the kit Ilan Cabrera pounded his way through each song and provided a strong backbone. Hearing the new material live was a great introduction for the audience and who were hopefully able to pick up a copy of the new album after the set. Overall, Trecelence kept on rocking hard and the crowd kept moving around until the very end. 

    Wrapping up this review, I just want to say that Trecelence should feel really proud about what they accomplished. Also, all the bands deserve major respect for their contributions to this memorable show. Now, I want to point out that the release of this album is a stepping stone for Trecelence. As the band sets their sights on the global metal world, I do believe their dedication, hard work and passion for the music will help achieve more of their goals. To conclude, may Trecelence keep melting metal minds for many years to come and congratulations on the release of, “Justified Atrocities.” Get yourself a copy if you can!  

Concert Review: Vital Remains at the Phoenix Theater

Photo of Sepulchre

    Sonoma County Metal and Hardcore really brought something satanically special to the Phoenix Theater last night. Six bands who all offered some extreme headbanging and mosh pit forming music took to the stage for one epic show. Ever since the show was announced, I had been anticipating the chance to see and hear these six bands decimate the Phoenix Theater with their sheer brutal force. Sure enough, they did just that last night and really gave the crowd a show to remember.

    When arriving at the venue I could tell everyone was in good metal spirits. I was glad to see a decently sized turnout that seemed to grow as the night progressed. The six bands billed were Sepulchre, Barren Altar, Embryonic Devourment, The Kennedy Veil, Necronomicon and the headliner...Vital Remains. Being an old school death metal band that has released a fair amount of albums, one would expect Vital Remains to attract more older metal fans. However, there was a mix of old and new fans with one fan being twelve years old. Another example of parenting done right by having your kid listen to awesome extreme music like Vital Remains.

    Kicking off the show on the side stage of the concert venue was Sonoma County’s young ambitious progressive death metal trio, Sepulchre. Having seen them three times before, I was thrilled to see them open this show. There was a decent amount of people who came early, so Sepulchre was greeted with a loud response once they tore into their first song. Playing in a lower tuning to add an even heavier tone to their songs, the band threw down some thunderous jams. Introducing two new songs, “Iniquitous Indiscipline” and “Immolated Conscience,” the guys seemed to be having a grand old time on stage and the music flowed naturally. I really want them to keep exploring their musical creativity, because the new material sounds great. Of course, “Destiny Destroyer,” is a song they should always keep around since the riffs in that song, especially the guitar solo, literally annihilate my mind every time.

    Second up and switching over to the main stage was Embryonic Devourment from Willits, CA. This technical death metal group really put on a blazing set. Their drummer seemed as if his mind was specifically programmed to perform technical blasts on his kit. The guy was sweating profusely by the end of the set! Overall though they delivered an extremely tight sounding performance. The bass player/vocalist was running around the stage banging his head, while the guitarist shredded his way on an amazing looking white guitar. The crowd was definitely beginning to come alive and the front of the stage maintained a passionate amount of energy during the band’s set.

    Once Embryonic Devourment finished their last song, everyone’s attention went back to the side stage where the third band had already set up and was ready to go. Taking the third slot was, Barren Altar, a blackened death doom band who puts on one haunting ritualistic display of soul crushing music. I could already smell the incense burning towards the end of Embryonic Devourment’s set, and by now Barren Altar had the candles out and were ready to destroy. Once that first riff hit with a force like two planets colliding, I felt instantly drawn to the heavy doom atmosphere. The band’s singer would hit himself with the mic before unleashing a brutal growl to cover the sinister slow compositions. Their final song, which was well over ten minutes, featured some brilliant dynamic parts. I saw the band put on a great set about a month ago, and somehow they were able to execute an even better one last night!

    After Barren Altar finished, the final three bands all performed on the main stage. Fourth up on the night was, The Kennedy Veil, who are one of two bands on tour right now with Vital Remains. The Sacramento, CA based band received plenty of roars from the crowd when they started their first song. They played some technical slamming death metal riffs and sounded pretty solid. Also, the singer maintained great stage presence by constantly interacting with the crowd. He had a strong death growl too, so the brutality from their songs never ended. I think the band has a good formula going, but I would like to hear maybe a little more variation in their songs.

    Once the Kennedy Veil walked off stage, the Phoenix staff and next band were ready to set up. Necronomicon, from Eastern Canada, was a black metal trio who at times conveyed some death metal elements. Dressed as traditional black metal warriors with corpse paint similar to that of Immortal, the band delivered a true frost bitten brutal sounding live show. I especially liked when the guitarist and bassist would headbang in unison. The drummer was wearing chainmail and perfectly playing intense blast beat rhythms. During the band's entire set the audience was going crazy and throwing the horns up. I think the crowd appreciated how far this band had come to play and the black metal style that they have made for an epic live set.

    Finally, the blasphemous death metal lords in Vital Remains were ready to give the concert attendees at the Phoenix Theater a lesson in satanic death metal. I swear, once the band hit the stage and began their first song, the energy in the place was massive. The band’s singer kept trying to get the crowd more ravenous and by the end of the night people were dog tired from all the headbanging and moshing. Vital Remains band simply sound great the whole time on stage. Their lead guitarist was shredding through quick scales and played with tremendous fluidity. To cap off the night, the band was able to create a wall of death and towards the end of their set the crowd began ripping apart a bible that some fan had brought.

    Truly an extreme Thursday night of heavy metal music at the Phoenix Theater. All six bands deserve tremendous respect for their hard work on stage. Of course, the fans deserve credit for coming out and giving their full support. I really hope we see more shows in the same vein as this one. Also, I hope more Sonoma County metal fans continue to find their way out to these awesome shows. More metal maniacs equals larger pits of moshing chaos... Hey, beats going to church! \m/

Photo of Necronomicon

Concert Review: Sepulchre, Gangrene, Accidentally Murdered, Abscission, Newtdick

    Sebastopol, CA would be invaded by brutal death metal for a night, causing the local hippies to lock themselves in their homes and drink organic wine.

    Yes, the Aubergine After Dark hosted five extreme metal acts last night. The line-up consisted of: Gangrene, Sepulchre, Accidentally Murdered, Abscission and Newtdick. Now, aside from Sepulchre who I have seen twice before, this would be my first time seeing these other acts. I was especially interested in hearing how Newtdick would sound since they have a down right hilarious band name.

    Taking the stage first was Gangrene from Petaluma, CA. This four piece band seemed to have a sludge sound, however, they definitely took on elements of death metal. I could hear a slower Obituary vibe going on at times. Their drummer was very talented and I was impressed by his movement around the kit. The rhythm section for this band was very solid. I do believe in time Gangrene will develop a really strong live presence if they keep working on developing their music.

    Following Gangrene was another Sonoma County based band, Sepulchre. I think Sepulchre’s progressive take on old school death metal helps separate them from the usual bands I have heard. For young musicians, they are better than a good portion of older bands I have either reviewed or seen live. During their set unfortunately, Sepulchre was plagued by poor sound engineering and the venue’s equipment not properly working. The PA system started hissing in between songs while the onstage monitors went out leading to the band not being able to hear themselves. Whoever was in charge of the sound for the venue really dropped the ball. I have had technical difficulties during my radio show that were out of my control, so I can understand what Sepulchre was going through. Even though they had to cut their set short due to the sound problems, the band handle the situation very professionally and never lost their cool.

    The third band, Accidentally Murdered, from Stockton, CA was a decent act. They only had one guitarist, a drummer and two singers. I thought their instrumental set up would not give them a full sound, but they were fairly loud for only having one guitarist. The drummer's blast beat skills were top notch too. Personally, I do not understand the two vocal contrast where one guy sings in a low growl and the other guy does more of a screaming growl. What next, death grind choirs?

    Santa Rosa’s, Abscission, was the fourth band to go on and hammer away at brutal riffs. I am not going to outright say that they were horrible, but they did not do much to captivate and push musical boundaries. They played a very generic style of death metal which at times made their songs sound the exact same. Each musician in the band seemed talented, but they never reached further in themselves to take their music to another level.

    The final act, Newtdick, from Redwood City, CA was the perfect band to close out this extreme music show. Dressed in reptile alien like costumes, the band played a style of metal called slime grind. When told that these guys dressed up I thought they would have some cheesy Halloween store costumes. However, I was completely wrong because the costumes looked as if they were used in a grindhouse science fiction film. Also, the band had some hilarious song titles and did a great job interacting with the crowd. They seemed to be having an enjoyable time playing on stage dressed in costumes. The fans were really digging them, because everyone was snapping pictures throughout the set!

    Overall the entire show was definitely worth attending and it helps support local acts that are doing this for the love of the music...or love of dressing up in costume. Again, support your local scenes if you can. Who knows? You might see a bunch of guys dressed up as newts playing slime grind...

Phoenix Theater Concert Review: Sepulchre, Phaneron, 5 Days Dirty, Death’n Taxes and Thought Vomit

    The local metal and punk fans were out this Saturday at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, Ca for a rip roaring show. Now, there may have not been the same amount of people there as at the Rush concert I attended a few days earlier... but there was a passion for the music being played at the Phoenix.

    The five bands billed were Sepulchre, Phaneron, 5 Days Dirty, Death’n Taxes and Thought Vomit. First off, when there is people skate boarding in a venue before the show you can tell the place is a casual and welcoming environment. You do not see that at Sonoma State's Green Music Center!    

    To begin the show, Santa Rosa’s Sepulchre went on about eight o’clock and did not let the small turnout from being the first opening band affect them. The band even handled themselves very professionally, especially when there was a drunk couple who were being extremely obnoxious. The band’s guitarist/singer had a very creative and dynamic approach to extreme metal guitar playing. He played some impressive leads that explored a variety of technical scales. The band’s drummer and bass player sounded very tight and added an extra explosiveness to the slower and more aggressive sections. In Sepulchre’s sound I definitely hear some Death influence mixed with the more progressive technical death metal elements from bands like Atheist. I think they have a lot going for them and can hopefully bring something exciting to the death metal world.

    Taking the stage next was Phaneron from Lake County. This band was a mix of metal and hardcore which if we do the math is metalcore. To be extremely truthful I find metalcore to be very repetitive and the lyrical phrasing can be simply uncreative. I could tell Phaneron’s singer had passion for the music and was getting into his performance. I commend him for that, but the songs were just not there. When the guitarist pulled off a blazing lead part, only then did I start to take more notice, but for the most part I just felt this band had nothing new to offer that I had not heard before.

    The third act 5 Days Dirty from the East Bay played a style of pop punk and slight hardcore. If anything they played pop punk that would sporadically change to metalcore. When a fan next to me with a DRI and Exodus patch kept shouting for them to play some hardcore style punk, I knew he was not going to get his wish. I am sure there are people who enjoy pop punk that might find 5 Days Dirty to their liking. However, I was lost in a cosmic sea of confusion and not really digging the songs. Also, their stage banter was juvenile to say the least.

    Coming in as the fourth act was Death’n Taxes. This group from Clearlake seemed to be the night’s wildcard and completely took me by surprise. All he musicians sounded very accomplished and the songwriting was unbelievably solid. Their sound was this unique blend of psychedelic garage rock and punk with a little drop of funk at times. Probably a band who I could see attracting a wide range of music fans. Their songs flowed with catchy riffs and jamming drum beats.

    The final act of the night was the local punk/metal band Thought Vomit who were able to take a small crowd and turn the place upside down. They just did not let anything bother them and played a confident and wild set. I think, respect, is the right word for what I have for the band after I left the Phoenix Theater. Any singer who will jump in the mosh pit and run around with the crowd, is very passionate about the music and determined to put on a killer show for the audience. Everyone seemed to be having a great time during Thought Vomits' set. There was even a dog running around during the band’s set!

    Wrapping up this review I want to say, please go out and try to support your local punk and metal scenes. These local acts can offer exciting entertainment at an affordable price. Also, places like the Phoenix Theater need to keep going strong. This world needs more venues that can put on awesome all ages shows for fans of extreme music. Again, keep supporting your local scenes!