Mournful Cries Release New EP “Vices”

    They’re back! Mournful Cries keeps cranking out the demos and EPs with their third release to date, “Vices,” which is another strong invocation of pure doom. The Sonoma County Sabbath worshippers conjure up some wicked sounding riffs from cosmic worlds beyond and tell listeners some haunting tales of bone chilling terror.

    Ever since the band formed I have been tracking their progression and I can tell you that their sound keeps evolving with each new release. The first demo/EP  was definitely more raw and rough sounding, but demonstrated a talented trio that could write some crushing pieces of doom metal. Also, I need to point out how the band self-records their music and drummer Alex Hernandez who does the mixing and engineering on each release does a really solid job capturing the band’s sound. The drum, guitar and bass production on, “Vices,” really stands out and adds a deafening punch to each track. I even thought the vocals provided by singer and guitarist Luis Olguin vividly complimented the instrumental compositions.

    The two songs on this EP are both sinister cuts of doom and convey very dark heavily distorted atmospheres reminiscent to that of music by Saint Vitus and Pentagram. “Sinners Pyre,” is the opening track and slowly builds up into a blizzard of mind crushing doom. There is a catchy overall quality to the song, which is achieved by the song’s tight main rhythm. The other song on this EP, “Phantasmal Poisoning,” is another killer jam of heavy hitting doom with more dynamic compositions thrown into the mix. I thought the ending part of the song was without question the most captivating section. Bassist Matt Lasserre offers up some tasty bass lines and the music simply flows in perfect synergy until the end.

   There is much to be said about this young band’s progression from their first demo, however, in the end I shall sum it all up by saying Mournful Cries is moving in the right direction. A lot of young bands rush themselves by trying to get full-length album out right away and end up creating subpar recordings. I think Mournful Cries is smart for taking their time and slowly building up to their first full-length with these demos and EPs. You get a better sense for what this band can offer and how they are constantly working to improve their sound.

   So crank up the volume, turn out the lights, drink from the chalice and let “Vices” consume your soul...let the doom commence!

Mournful Cries bandcamp and FB:

https://mournfulcries.bandcamp.com/album/vices

https://www.facebook.com/MournfulCries/

Concert Review: Night Demon, Blood Star and Space Vacation at Thee Parkside (08/08/2018)

    If you think having a heavy metal show on a week night is a bad idea, well think again people! Given the right bands, the right venue and the right amount of headbanging fanatics, you might find yourself experiencing an all around great show. Such was the case this past Wednesday night in San Francisco at Thee Parkside where Night Demon along with Blood Star and Space Vacation, put on one monumental show for the ravenous Bay Area metal community.

    After being quite busy over in Europe since the release of their second full-length album, “Darkness Remains,” Night Demon finally was gearing up for a North America tour. The last time I saw the band perform live was around 2016 in Sacramento when they were touring with Ghoul, Crowbar and Carcass. Kicking off their North American tour in San Francisco seemed to be the most optimal place and the fans showed up in full metal force at Thee Parkside.

    Opening the show was Space Vacation, a local SF Bay Area band I had seen once before in Petaluma a few years back. These guys are all skilled musicians and they definitely know how to offer up that classic hard rock/NWOBHM sound with plenty of sweet sounding guitar riffs and bombastic ear pounding rhythms. Drummer Eli Lucas is a true maniac behind the kit and plays with great personality as he smashes his way around the cymbals and snares. Lead guitarist Kiyo Morgan shreds like a madman with true precision and is an amazing showman when executing his lead parts. Singer/guitarist Scott Shapiro has a strong voice which stands out especially during each song’s chorus section. Bassist Steve Hays handles the low end with crushing force and his ability to inject some extra force into each riff section does not go unnoticed. Fans seemed to be really digging their songs, so Space Vacation started night off right and was a solid choice as the opening act.

    After Space Vacation finished their set the next band, Blood Star, began setting up. I tried looking them up when Night Demon announced the tour and listed Blood Star as their main support. This band seems to be fairly new, however, I can honestly say that their stage presence and ability to perform did not seem that way. Their entire sound was tight and reminded me of that classic early eighties period in metal where the riffs are heavy yet the music is extremely catchy. Also, the band had these large black banners with their band logo and even had smoke machines, which I thought were great visuals to add to their performance. In the end, the singer really blew me away with her powerful voice and confident stage presence. I also thought the band’s sole guitarist offered up some tasty leads and hard hitting classic sounding metal riffs. I’m looking forward to hopefully an album from this band, because their live sound did not disappoint.

    As soon as Blood Star concluded their set to a thunderous applause, Night Demon started setting up the stage for their metal assault. Once the lights dimmed and the band took their positions waiting to break into the opening song, the entire audience was making noise and showing their support for the Venture, CA trio. The band opened their set with, “Welcome to the Night,” and set the tone for an overall thrilling performance by bringing tremendous amounts of energy. Singer and bassist Jarvis Leatherby displayed his exceptional skills as the band’s frontman by constantly giving one hundred percent during each song. Guitarist Armand John Anthony played with precision while cranking out some wicked sounding riffs and solos. Adding an extra boost of seismic force, drummer Dusty Squires was locked into each song and did not miss a single beat. All around, the musicianship just did not disappoint and all three musicians worked extremely well together to produce such a tight sound.

    The band’s set consisted of material from “Darkness Remains,”  “Curse of the Damned” which is the band’s first album and a few from the band’s debut self-titled EP. They also added a powerful and epic cover of, “In Trance,” by Scorpions. I was really excited to hear them perform songs like, “Save Me Now” and “Full Speed Ahead,” since those are two of my favorite songs off the first album. During the song, “The Chalice,” the band’s mascot Rocky appeared holding a goblet and received a major pop from the audience. They finished with their self-titled song and the place was still erupting even after a feverous set of songs.

    At the end of the night, all three bands put on one brilliant overall show, so everyone walked away satisfied and with their ears ringing. This is what heavy metal is all about and to see so many passionate metal fans show up is a testament to the longevity and loyalty within the heavy metal community. I think Night Demon is one of the most driven and hard working bands around. Their performance once again proved that they are true professionals that keep waving the flag for metal. Also, Space Vacation and Blood Star are two promising acts that I hope to see around more, because both bands know how to write some killer heavy metal jams. In conclusion, I am extremely optimistic about metal’s future as the fury just won’t die and we have plenty of bands and fans to keep the power and glory of metal moving forward.

New Cemetery Filth Song "Exhumed Visions"

    Cemetery Filth delivers that old school death metal filth and fury with their new track, “Exhumed Visions.” The Southeast USA based band offers up a gruesome sounding taste of what is to come and looks to be quite busy out on the road.

    Starting later this month Cemetery Filth is going to be touring with Church of Disgust around the eastern side of the United States. Also, the new demo song, “Exhumed Visions,” will be featured on a split tour promo tape that will be sold at the shows. With plans to release their debut full-length album in spring of 2019, the new song is an impressive preview of the ultimate brutality and casket crushing sound that this band can conjure up in the studio.

    I remember when I first heard them on the four band compilation album “Four Doors to Death” released through Unspeakable Axe Records, which was an all around exceptional release. After hearing Cemetery Filth’s two tracks on that album, I was instantly drawn to their sinister sounding style of old school death metal. The new track, “Exhumed Visions,” features some vicious old school sounding riffs along with some pulverizing drum parts. I find the songwriting and vocal delivery to be extremely well thought out and keeps you completely engaged from beginning to end. If this is just a small sample of what is to come, I cannot wait to hear what else the band has in store for fans when they drop their debut full-length album.

    With so many death metal bands putting together generic and sloppy sounding releases, Cemetery Filth brings old school death metal substance and the promise of a morbid sounding future of extreme musical terror. Definitely try to catch them on their upcoming tour with Church of Disgust as the shows shall be great gatherings of pure death metal insanity. In a world full of obnoxious and forgettable sounding music (Particularly that indie rock hipster bullshit that come from the Bay Area), we need Cemetery Filth to summon horrendous destruction and to open up the gateways of extreme sounding annihilation!


Check out the new song below!

Cemetery Filth Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/CemeteryFilth/

Abstracter "Cinereous Incarnate"

  Apocalyptic sounding destruction is what one shall imagine when listening to music from Bay Area based sludge metal juggernauts, Abstracter. Their sound is like a massive shockwave of extreme sounding terror rattling through the Earth and sending listeners into an abyss of endless distorted doom.

  Ever since I reviewed the bands first album, “Tomb of Feathers,” back in 2012 while writing for another website, I have always been mesmerized by the band’s striking dark sounding atmospheres of bombastic sounding sludge and doom. Also, there are a variety of elements incorporated into the band’s sound, so at times you will get some vicious blackened crust jams followed by a slower sludge riff section. This new album, "Cinereous Incarnate," which marks the third full-length album from these guys, is once again quite impressive in terms of sound and just all around extreme sounding devastation. The ambient touches on this album add to an already heavy sound by injecting more abysmal landscapes throughout each song.

  Containing six tracks, the album really does consume you as you listen by providing plenty of moments where you are focused on the sheer ferocity that Abstracter brings to the table. The opening song, “Nether,” contains some explosive sounding riffs and the song’s entire structure was very well pieced out. They are able to expand on basic heavy riffs while at the same time throwing in a few quick sections that reflect a more crust punk approach. The next track, “Cinereous,” is a short haunting ambient piece that is really intended to build up anticipation for, “Ashen Reign,” which hits with tremendous force. The drummer matches the burst of guitar feedback by pounding the utter crap out of his kit and making the music have a strong beating pulse.

  Track four, “Wings go Annihilation,” contains some dark sounding guitar sections and was probably my favorite song off the album. There is definitely more of a black metal side being presented and the diversity of compositions sounded great. Returning to a more ambient style, “Incarnate,” leaves you lost in a world of bleak sounding noises feeling as though you are gazing at the ruins of a fallen city of smoke and ash. Concluding the album, “Devouring Night,” happens to be the most suitable sounding conclusion for an already decimating release. The entire production sounds solid on this track, especially the vocals and how they are delivered by the band’s singer. You really have a hard time trying to find anything wrong with the band, because they all seem to be on the same page and their talents allow for the music to come across with such conviction on each track.

  I do believe Abstracter continues to thrive as they keep releasing new music and this new album is yet another heavy sounding release for fans to blast on their speakers. I need to see these guys live, because if they sound this heavy on their albums, seeing them live will blow me straight out of the venue. Extreme music is still thriving here in 2018 and Abstracter’s music is definitely helping the uncompromising brutality continue for us fans to enjoy.



Check out "Ashen Reign" below:

Co-released by the following labels:

- Sentient Ruin (LP/tape/digital - US/One of my favorite labels) - Vendetta Records (LP - EU)
- I, Voidhanger Records (CD)
- Tartarus Records (tape - EU)
- Daymare Recordings (CD - Japan)

Exmortus "The Sound of Steel"

   Exmortus is a band known for their ferocious technicality and strong heavy metal sound. Their music is what you would want playing as you ride through a bloody battlefield swinging your axe and chopping off some heads. The band’s new album, “The Sound of Steel,” is another  savage sounding release of shredding, headbanging and axe swinging metal music.

   “The Sound of Steel,” is the band’s fifth full-length album to date and is very much a continuation of what fans heard on, “Slave to the Sword,” and “Ride Forth,” which are the bands last two full-length releases. I honestly felt the band really started to establish themselves after the release of, “Slave to the Sword.” Around the time that album came out I saw them live and was blown away by their passion and musicianship. They have always been a hard working band and over the years they keep the pedal down by constantly touring. I think the new music is exactly what made me enjoy the previous releases and once again presents a heavy sound that features some brilliant musicianship.

   Singer/guitarist and founding member, Conan Gonzales is the only returning member on this album, so I was interested to hear how the band would sound after losing three out of the four members featured on the last two releases. I do believe Conan found some talented musicians to play on this new album and I hope they stick around for a bit. On bass Phillip Nunez does a solid job laying down some powerful bass lines, while Carlos Cruz is a monster behind the kit. Handling the second guitar duties, I think Chase Becker provides some exceptional guitar parts and adds to the band’s vicious thrash sound.

   In terms of songwriting, the band delivers plenty of battle themed hymns of heavy metal might. The opening song, “Make Haste,” is a fearsome strike of metal force to the ears with an intense thrash like composition. Conan’s vocals compliment the music quite well and the song’s overall production quality is rather impressive. I would say the song gets the job done as an opening track. Is this something new and ground breaking? Not really, however, Exmortus has found their niche and their sound and playing style is very consistent. The second track off the album, “Feast of Flesh,” really caught my attention, especially since the riffs and delivery of the music is extremely aggressive. Also, the lead guitar playing is exceptionally well done and does not go off into unnecessary directions by just shredding random notes without any thought.

   Other songs that stand out are, “Into the Maw of Hell,” “Strength and Honor,” and “Riders of Doom.” The music is extremely well written and you are able to hear the strong heavy metal talents each member possesses during these songs. The instrumental song on this album, “A Minor Instrumental,” is yet another phenomenal instrumental track by this band and probably my favorite song off the album. Exmortus is sort of known in the metal world for coming up with some amazing instrumental pieces and their cover of, “Moonlight Sonata (Act 3),” is one song that I still reference as a great heavy metal instrumental piece.

   In the end, I do believe fans of Exmortus will be pleased with how this album turned out. I do think the band’s lyrical content and themes are nothing new from what I have already heard on previous albums, but it happens to work well with their style of metal, so I can't complain too much. If you are looking for consistency, I do find Exmortus to be a band that shall deliver a solid shield smashing and skull crushing release from beginning to end. Plus, you can count on these guys to tour relentlessly when the new album drops. Just like barbarian hordes, Exmortus will ride forth from town to town unleashing heavy metal chaos leaving no hipsters alive…Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme, but this is heavy metal people!



Check out the video for "Feast of Flesh" below:

Woodswalk Release New Single “As You Sow, So Shall You Reap”

    After a few years of silence, Woodswalk emerges from the dark misty forests of Sonoma County with a blistering piece of raw black metal music. “As You Sow, So Shall You Reap,” is an offering of extreme music that takes you on a journey through pathways of infinite darkness and melancholy sounding atmospheres.

    Teaming up with Cosmic Pyre Productions, Woodswalk’s new single is what looks to be the start of more releases to come from this new and promising label. I am honestly extremely pleased with Woodswalk returning and putting out some new music. I remember when I first heard the band’s song, “Death of Tuireann,” which is definitely more ambient and atmospheric. With the new single the band sort of transitions into a very raw black metal sound with plenty of dynamic riff compositions and an overall harsh sounding traditional black metal tone. I thought the vocals were well recorded and did a great job complementing the instrumental arrangements. Also, the recording quality I think was another strong point and allowed the music to be presented in such a vivid and commanding fashion. You feel drawn into this blizzard of guitar distortion while also being bombarded by the vicious sound of the drums. Production wise, this track is everything you want in a black metal recording and definitely stacks up with some of the top black metal releases to come out in the last couple years.

    In the end, “As You Sow, So Shall You Reap,” is a track that makes me want more from Woodswalk. So many black metal bands focus on trying to be evil with their imagery first that the songwriting ends up being very lack luster. There is a certain energy, talent and attitude Woodswalk delivers that I believe separates them from most of the other black metal bands around right now. I am looking forward to hopefully hearing more music from Woodswalk in the coming months and appreciate that there is a black metal band willing to put thought into their music, while still conveying a very raw and grim sound.

Listen to the new single below:

Woodswalk Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Woodswalk-1532721717010189/

Cosmic Pyre Productions Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/CosmicPyreProductions/

Concert Review: Cinco De Metal

  Cinco De Mayo was transformed into Cinco De Metal Saturday night at the House of Rock in Santa Rosa, CA. Four local bands unleashed their extreme music making talents for an audience that was hellbent on hearing some raw and heavy hitting metal music.

   This would mark my first time seeing a show at the House of Rock and for the local metal scene, I thought that this was a great opportunity to lobby for more shows at this venue. The four bands billed: Mournful Cries, Oneiric Eclipse, Ancestors Wrath and Electric Funeral, really turned out to be a solid line-up. Right away though, I need to point out how the venue is extremely professional and the layout is quite impressive. There were video monitors that would show different shots of the bands while they performed and the lighting setup was unbelievably well done. The service that this venue provided made all these bands feel like real rockstars. I bet there were bowls with only brown M&M’s in the back for the artists!

  Taking the stage first was the power trio of doom, Mournful Cries, a band that knows how to hammer out some Iommi like riffs and conjure up wicked sounding jams of authentic doom. I thought band played a crushing set and music sounded extremely tight. Drummer Alex Hernandez was keeping the rhythm section moving strong and threw in some brilliant drum fills at times. Also, bassist Matt Lasserre played an important part in maintaining a heavy rhythmic backbone by thunderously striking his bass like a God of Thunder. Guitarist and singer Luis Olguin put on a strong show too and his guitar tone sounded like something you would hear back in the Vol. 4 days of Sabbath. Songs like “Sinners Pyre” and “Phantasmic Poising,” are such heavy riffing pieces of doom that I can’t wait to hear what they will sound like on a full-length release. From what started out as just a two man project has now turned into a determined trio of musicians playing on stages with video monitors. I tell you, hard work pays off!

Mournful Cries 

  After Mournful Cries finished, Oneiric Eclipse began setting up the stage for their ritual of raw and merciless grim sounding black metal. They brought out some candles and skulls to create a dark atmosphere that would compliment their style of harsh black metal. Standing on the side closest to the bass player, I was able to hear where this band offers a bit more than just raw straightforward black metal. His style of bass playing is not so one dimensional and he has a great prowess for adding fills when needed to inject some technicality into the music. The guitarist and singer did a solid job establishing that bleak and abysmal sounding atmosphere, while the drummer seemed to be playing with precision and not missing a beat. For their first show I think the band sounded really good and unlike some black metal bands, they were able to play a show without Antifa protesting them.

Oneiric Eclipse

  Third up was Ancestors Wrath, a band I would be seeing live for the first time. They were definitely channelling that 80’s thrash metal vibe with a vicious two guitar attack and their music kept the crowd banging their heads throughout the entire set. I thought the singer had outstanding stage presence and did a great job interacting with the audience. He would stick the mic into the crowd and people would actually sing along without forgetting the words. Overall their sound was tight and the songs sounded well written. If you enjoy kickass thrash metal that hits you right in the gut, I definitely recommend checking these guys out.

Ancestors Wrath 

  The final act of the night was, Electric Funeral, a Black Sabbath cover band from the local area. The singer in Electric Funeral, Lance Oskitzo, I have seen before with his other band Skitzo, so I was interested in hearing him tackle all these Sabbath songs. I think for the most part the band executed the cover songs rather well. Of course I have my favorite Sabbath songs, so hearing “Snowblind” and “Children of the Grave,” stood out the most to me. Observing some of the other folks in the crowd, I noticed people singing along word for word. The musicians looked confident playing the material and probably grew up listening to Sabbath to where playing these songs was like taking a trip down memory lane. Their set seemed be well received by the audience and Electric Funeral did a smashing job closing out the night, especially Lance using an air raid siren for their rendition of, “War Pigs.”

Electric Funeral 

  Once again, Sonoma County proves to be a place full of passionate metal bands and fans all celebrating extreme heavy music together. Also, House of Rock is an exceptionally well run venue to host a show. I do wish more local acts get the chance to play this venue, as I feel the people will show up and enjoy their experience. All you need is four crushing acts like the ones who played and you will have one massive heavy metal celebration!