Abstracter "Abominion"

   As the skies are consumed by an apocalyptic haze stemming from some horrendous catastrophic event, Abstracter shall reign supreme over the charred and decrepit ruins. The Bay Area band’s fourth album, “Abominion,” is without question one the most highly anticipated extreme metal releases to come out this year. Sentient Ruin once again maintains an undeniable dominance amongst the underground with yet another unfathomably pulverizing release to add to the label’s already devastating catalog. 

   When I heard the news that Abstracter was going to be releasing a new album this year, I was really looking forward to what the band had in store for listeners. The first time I listened to the band was when I reviewed their debut album, “Tomb of Feathers,” for another online metal publication. Ever since then I have been keeping a close eye on the band and being from the Bay Area myself, I have watched them become a well respected and highly regarding act amongst the local underground community. 

   They combine such a variety of utterly devastating musical influences ranging from sickening black metal to gruesome death doom and sludge metal. Just like Bay Area icons Noothgrush, the band is able to paint an abysmal and apocalyptic sounding world that hits you with tremendous eye opening force. Once you starting listening to their music, there is simply no stopping the instrumental armageddon that they are capable of unleashing. 

   “Abominion,” is a deeper exploration into the haunting sinister musical voids first heard on the band’s debut album, but carries more of the same harsh sounding themes heard on their last album, “Cinereous Incarnate.” The band has gone through some line-up changes since the last release, but the mentality and sound has not changed one bit. Actually, I hear an even more raw and ruthless sounding band on this new release, especially pertaining to the drumming and the earth shaking guitar arrangements. 

   Greg Wilkinson did a tremendous job recording and mixing this release by capturing the band’s vicious and soul-crushing sound. The opening track, “Eclipse Born,” wastes little time throwing listeners into a massive sounding world where all light seems to be swallowed up by some unseen inhuman force. There are plenty of deafening riffs and bludgeoning drum parts that violently echo out of the speakers. The vocals compared to the band’s earlier releases have become even more demonic and malevolent, which is why I would consider this album to be their darkest sounding release to date. 

   Throughout the entire album songs like, “Warhead Twilight,” “Tenebrae” and “Abyss Above,” deliver such an agonizing sound along with a sheer unforgiving attitude. Each composition contains a mighty helping of juggernaut sized riffs that come crashing down like a violent distorted tsunami. In the end, the final track on the album, “Lighteater,” steals the show by offering one avant-garde exploration into mountains of unfathomable madness. The overall arrangement conveys a bleak doom like presentation, while you also feel this haunting hallucinogenic pathway leading you down a rabbit hole of sickening destruction. To me the song is reason alone to buy this album, and really shows how talented these musicians are when pertaining to writing songs that leave an impact on the listener. 

    There are no throwaway riffs, or cheap sounding arrangements for that matter, because everything done on this new album is done with a strong creative and sinister purpose. So many bands have tried to blend extreme elements together in an attempt to come up with a "brutal" release, but few have the ability to keep it all together for an entire album. Abstracter is the real deal and their continuous work ethic has really culminated into something almost unimaginable in the world of extreme music. I shall make the claim that this right now is one of the most profound releases of the year and one people are going to want to get their hands on. Hopefully Sentient Ruin can keep up with the demand, because orders will be flying off the shelves faster than when people went crazy trying to get toilet paper and had sanitizer! 

Abstracter "Eclipse Born" (Album comes out October 1, 2021) : 

Sentient Ruin bandcamp/where you can buy the album:

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

Also Abstracter Bandcamp:

https://abstracter.bandcamp.com/

Graveland "Hour of Ragnarok"

 

    The hour of ultimate extreme sounding annihilation is upon us! The wait was well worth it, because Graveland’s new album, “Hour of Ragnarok,” is a cataclysmic release that will sweep listeners into an apocalyptic battle field of triumphant sounding black metal. 

    Ever since the band announced the release of this new album I have been patiently awaiting its release. Without a doubt, this is an album that I was extremely looking forward to hearing and for good reason. Graveland has been firing on all cylinders ever since the release of, “1050 Years of Pagan Cult,” where the band decided to rework some of their classic material and give the songs even more profound and epic edge. The band's early years of raw black metal have evolved into a more pagan metal sound, but the end result combines such brilliant sounding compositions that feel almost cinematic at times. Founding member and the true driving force behind Graveland, Rob Darken, has done a tremendous job over the years and creativity of this band never ceases to amaze me as a fan. 

    “Hour of Ragnarok,” is the culmination of years and years of hard work and constant drive to make solid recordings. As much as I deeply enjoy, “Thousand Swords,” which I consider to be one the greatest black metal releases of all time, I have really enjoyed the band’s evolution and creative direction by exploring pagan mythology in a way that vividly stands out. The attention to detail and strong emphasis on production quality is what separates them from a lot of other bands and I also respect them for not wanting to putting out the same sounding release year after year. 

    The album’s opening track, “The Wolf of Twilight,” is quite possibly one of the most profound statements in terms of an opening track. Right away you are thrust into this destructive sounding world with a thunderous rush of bombastic drum arrangements and skull splitting riffs. Rob’s distinct vocal style adds to the barbaric sounding onslaught and elevates the song’s cinematic like vibe. Holding nothing back the band is able to brilliantly transition into the next song, “Hour of Ragnarok,” conjuring up a devastating composition. The riffs are very percussive and inject a tremendous amount of unapologetic force into the overall arrangement.

    “Conspiracy of the Wizards,” is another monumental sounding piece of music and one where I can hear those slight touches that made “Thousand Swords” such a classic. This band gets what it takes to compose music that conveys a raw, yet larger than life atmosphere. During the track, "Children of Hyperborea," the band incorporates some epic sounding background vocals to contrast with the fearsome sounding instrumental arrangements. The themes on songs like, “Following the Azure Light,” and “The Three Gifts of the Gods,” are executed with a plethora of attention to detail, so in the end the music flows with a truly unique and confident synergy. 

    “Hour of Ragnarok,” is an album highly worth checking out and arguably one the most impressive Graveland releases to come out in recent years. Now, I’m not saying that some of the albums prior to this release are completely forgettable, however, I firmly believe that this release is on an even greater level. Graveland’s decision to rework their classic material on, “1050 Years of Pagan Cult,” was a brilliant idea, and pushed the band in this new direction musically, which has allowed the band to compose some utterly powerful recordings. 

    Sadly, Graveland gets a lot of criticism from the metal community for past statements and continuous attacks from social justice warriors that claim the band promotes a certain extremist ideology. If you actuality listen to the music there is no fascist ideology being incorporated into the albums, especially on this new release. Sometimes I wonder if it is jealously that fuels the Graveland hate, because no matter how many times Rob Darken denounces any pro-Nazi or fascist ideology associated with the band, people continue to throw around these cheap claims with very little evidence. 

 

    When it comes down to it, let the music do the talking, which Graveland has done extremely well given the quality of this new release. This band does not need support from supposed CVLT metal publications that kiss the asses of hipster black metal fans, because in the end the die hard and loyal fans of Graveland will continue to support the band and appreciate the artistic creativity that comes from this band. 

Check out the entire album below via the band's Youtube Channel: 

Glyph "Unbinding Sacred Writings"

    Even though there is very little information available about the band Glyph, I believe the mystery that surrounds this one man black metal band will only further listeners interest in the band’s music. The newest Glyph release, “Unbinding Sacred Writings,” is a blistering raw sounding black metal release and explores those abhorrent sounding landscapes where demons dwell in dark dominions eagerly waiting to be summoned. 

    I am actually somewhat familiar with this artist having reviewed a compilation they were on called, “Le Satanisme et La Magie,” which was released through Ritual Abuse Hysteria. Also, I reviewed a demo that the label sent me which I thought demonstrated a raw and compelling sinister sound. Where so many up and coming black metal bands have failed by coming up with the same recycled Immortal riffs and ridiculously cheesy promo photos, Glyph puts emphasis on dark ambience and atmosphere. If you enjoy black metal that constructs nightmare like atmospheres full of tranquil sounding chaos, then you will find this new demo to your liking. 

    The demo begins with an intro instrumental piece called, “Forbidden,” that I found to be a fairly decent setup for the next song, although I felt as if the transition between this track and the next one seemed a bit off. Even with my minor complaint about the transition, I was extremely impressed by the second track, “Codex,” which feverishly tore away at a blasphemous sounding arrangement. The haunting vocals perfectly compliment the hellish sounding environment, while the drumming provides a hateful rush of raw energy very reminiscent of early Emperor and Graveland. 

    On the last two tracks of the demo, Glyph mercilessly hammers out more sacrilegious sounding black metal riffs. “Interpreter,” is another intense joyride into the unfathomable depths of unholy darkness and features some blistering guitar work. The last song on the demo, “Admonition,” is an agonizing assault upon the ears with a flurry of tormented vocals and sanity smashing riffs. From the very beginning of this album you always feel the raw and unapologetic nature that comes rushing out of the compositions, and honestly there is never a lack luster moment. 

    Overall, this a very solid sounding demo right here and one that fuels interest for future releases. Production wise I definitely want to hear this band continue to explore and build upon the instrumental themes established on this demo, as well as the malevolent spectral sounding atmospheres. I have been really impressed by what this artist has been doing in recent months and I look forward to more releases.

Glyph Bandcamp:

https://keeperoftheglyph.bandcamp.com/

 

8 Hour Animal "Resigner"

   At first you almost don’t know how to react when listening to 8 Hour Animal’s debut full-length album, “Resigner,” because you find yourself trying to pick up the pieces of your shattered sanity after listening to this album. The blitzkrieg of harsh industrial elements and chaotic electronic noises creates a massive sounding mind altering atmosphere. 

   Once again, Sentient Ruin finds a one-man act who does not follow the stereotypical path and explores the most deviant sounds a human could possible conjure up. Imagine Ministry and all those Wax Trax Records band, but with a more inhuman approach that aspires to bring about a musical annihilation of unforgiving digital proportions. Some of the compositions on this album are truly phenomenal and captivating, while some are down right frightening in terms of the amount of overwhelming electronic sounds that pierce your ears without remorse. 

   The first song on the album, “Almost Free,” is a nightmare inducing piece of music and the audio clip in the beginning of the track adds to the song’s misanthropic theme. True electronic sounding disgust brings about a rush of hateful energy that dissolves into a sea of complete chaos. The second track, “Oblivs,” reminded me a bit of early acid house, but with a more darker and sadistic energy coming from the heart pounding rhythms. Actually, I thought the track was very catchy, so much that felt like I was in a complete trance as the music intensely flowed out of my speakers. 

   Track number three, “Clever People,” is another hard hitting industrial experimentation which I thought brought together a monumental amount of frantic sound effects. The muffled vocals were hard to make out, although I believe they were more intended to inject an extra boost of savagery into the overall mix. “Pushing Myself Down,” is the longest song off of the album with a total run time of around 13 minutes. Give this artist 13 minutes and you are sure to hear a plethora of unfathomable electronic compositions. The track definitely reminded me of some classic 80’s horror film score, but I would go as far to say that if this were used in a movie I would not be surprised if the concept of the film would be something truly sinister. 

   The last two tracks on the album are also worth checking out, “Wake” and “Once You Accept Everything,” however I was really impressed more with the beginning of this release. The level of unorthodox creativity that I heard on this album stood out from start to finish, which is why I would say that 8 Hour Animal is perfect for Sentient Ruin. Again, here we have a release that does not sound like most of what is being pumped out these days and actually explores so much more than just the typical industrial sounding release. Highly worth checking out if you are in the mood for something that will melt your mind and turn you brains into a puddle of liquid! 

Check out the entire release below:

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

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

Vessel of Iniquity "The Doorway"

 

   By now if you are a regular reader of this blog, you should all know that when I am going to be reviewing a band that is working with Sentient Ruin, I am probably going to be extremely descriptive and very complimentary in terms of the band’s unforgiving artistic expression. This time I have to be quite honest and admit that Sentient Ruin has found a band that is utterly insane and offers up one twisted sounding release. Vessel of Iniquity’s new full-length album, “The Doorway,” is an unholy doorway into one volatile sounding musical landscape full of unorthodox sounding arrangements. 

   This one-man project takes extreme dynamic creativity and literally throws a hornets nest of sounds and styles together to achieve a harsh hellish sound. At times I am drawn to the entropy and brutal confidence, then there are times where I am left scratching my head wondering where everything went wrong. From black metal to industrial noise elements to even some cinematic sounds to create a horror movie like atmosphere, this album is the equivalent of a Fellini film on demonic acid. 

   Out of the nine tracks, I can tell you that there is always something that grabs your attention and then there will be moments where you are completely consumed by some chaotic sounding composition. “A Glimpse of the Pattern,” kicks off the album with an ominous sounding riff that is slow at first, but eventually sets up one devastating blast beat assault. Throughout the album listeners will notice the music constantly shifting from slow tempos to extremely intense tempos, which creates a climate of unpredictably and constant chaos. The second track, “By Allusion Called,” has a more terrifying doom structure that makes you feel like everything is falling apart as you are hit unmercifully by a bludgeoning of violent sounds. 

   The production quality on this album is solid for the most part and on songs like, “The Doorway,” the ferocious compositions are well recorded to bring about a sense of primitive sounding brutality. At times you feel like some of the tracks are used more to inject a sense of surreal horror in the album’s overall theme like on, “Death State Boundary.” During that track I had no idea what was going on, because the muffled voice completely took me by surprise. Eventually you start to become dizzy from all the agonizing riffs and ear shattering blast beats, plus the ghastly vocals are almost inhumane sounding. Until the very end, I felt like the vocal parts on this album complimented the overall abysmal atmosphere. 

   Vessel of Iniquity definitely shares in the Sentient Ruin mentality, which is to create music that has no boundaries and looks to strike audial fear amongst the extreme metal community. “The Doorway,” is one release that I find has a lot to dissect, but in the end even if there are moments you might find to be a bit overwhelming, the overall execution is fairly solid and delivers plenty of unforgiving arrangements. If you like black metal mixed with some grindcore and industrial sounds, then you will definitely want to give this a listen. Sometimes these unconventional sounding albums are most welcomed, because let’s be completely honest, one can only listen to so many shitty Norwegian black metal copycats before one goes totally mental from hearing the same album over and over again. 

Check out the entire album below:

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/the-doorway

Disimperium "Malefic Obliteration"

   This release may only feature three tracks, however I recommend that you do not underestimate Disimperium’s sadistic sounding extreme metal vision. The band’s debut EP, “Malefic Obliteration,” is a blackened death onslaught, throwing listeners into a savage realm of fearsome desolation. 

   Featuring members from Misrule and Ascended Dead, this Portland, OR based band really turns up the intensity on their debut EP. Disimperium is not trying to do anything completely different from what one might expect from a merciless blackened death metal band that also mixes in some old school grindcore elements, although the band seems to know how to produce a vivid and hellish sounding release that contains some agonizing compositions.

   Yes, this style of music has been hammered out numerous times before, but what separates this band from the others is the solid production and brutal execution on each track. The open riff on the first track, “Malefic Obliteration,” is a sinister sounding assault that comes charging at you like a chainsaw wielding lunatic. The vocals were what really stood out the most and the singer unleashes some horrendous growls as the music violently transitions. So much chaos, so much insanity and so much utter insidious creativity that it literally makes your head spin. 

   The next song, “Fuming Nexus,” is very similar to the opening track, and once again throws you into this cataclysmic atmosphere full of brutal instrumental arrangements. I cannot believe the drumming on this release at times and how the force of the rhythms come rumbling out of the speakers like a Sherman Tank. Turn this release on at full volume and you are sure to become deaf after a couple listens! The album’s final track, “Infernal Machine,” was another wicked offering and the ending perfectly summed up the band’s destructive vision. Eventually the band stops playing and all you hear is feedback and inhuman noises as if everything has been completely decimated by some apocalyptic event. 

   Disimperium is a band that you should not be surprised is working with Sentient Ruin on the release of this EP. Once again, here is a group that gets how to produce a vicious sounding album and demonstrates a certain caliber of musicianship I feel is lacking at times amongst some up and coming bands. “Malefic Obliteration,” by Disimperium is highly recommend for blackened death metal grindcore fanatics who wish to hear something that is brutal from start to finish, and of course is being released through one of the premier labels within the extreme metal community. 

Check out the entire EP below: 

Sentient Ruin Bandcamp:

https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/malefic-obliteration

Snow Wolf Records “This Wretched Earth” (Global Black Metal Compilation Album)

    The world shall soon face the sinister wrath of a colossal black metal storm conjured up by Snow Wolf Records. “This Wretched Earth,” is a compilation album that brings together 16 bands from 14 countries, thus creating one great black metal heathen army to unleash chaos upon the global metal community. 

    I really like what Snow Wolf Records has done as of recent, and the bands they have included on this compilation are extremely talented up and coming acts. Some of the tracks provided by the bands are exclusive tracks and are not available anywhere else. From top to bottom, the album features some raw ritualistic sounding black metal, yet features bands that are able to step outside the generic extreme metal trends and offer up unique sounding recordings. 

    Even though we come from different countries, the passion for extreme music is a truly unifying force and one that has allowed people to share some unbelievably creative recordings. The album’s first track, “Black Metal Invasion,” by the Canadian band Spectral Dance, was the perfect choice to start off the compilation. The song has that primitive old school raw black metal vibe and reminded me of early Bathory. You hear a band ready to take on the world without any remorse and they have an amazing amount of venomous energy. 

    Throughout the album you will hear a variety of approaches ranging from straightforward raw black metal to haunting atmospheric black. Take for example, “Akvan,” a band that really caught my attention by constructing a track that contained a profound atmosphere and featured some mesmerizing guitar work. When it comes to production I felt that for the most part the bands on this compilation did a tremendous job recording and getting the music to have that certain quality needed to keep listeners engaged. Some of the bands are of course a bit more skilled than others, but the passion is definitely there from a majority of the bands. Gestorven from Malaysia was one act which I felt hammered out a killer sounding riff and capture the pure dark essence of black metal. 

    Some of the names on this compilation sounded familiar and sure enough one of the bands I reviewed before for this blog. Starer, a band that I reviewed back in January of this year, is an extremely impressive band worth checking out. The band’s solemn atmospheric black metal style is truly breath taking at times and features some brilliant dynamic arrangements. Another band that I felt composed a really impressive sounding track was Odyrmos from Greece. The song mixed together ambient dungeon synth with soothing atmospheric touches that reminded me a lot of Lustre. 

    So many of the bands featured on this compilation offered up some epic, blistering and blasphemous sounding tracks, and in the end all of them are worth checking out. Huge respect for Snow Wolf Records for putting this compilation together, and for bring together the global extreme metal community. We may come from different places, but all across the planet there are fiendish extreme metal fans and artists who share the same passion for this music and no matter what is going on in the world, we are united as one global extreme metal community! 

Snow Wolf Records Bandcamp (Compilation comes out August 6th on Cassette, CD, and Digital Download. Pre-Order now available!) : 

https://snowwolfrecords.bandcamp.com/album/this-wretched-earth