Wormtongue - The Solstice Funeral EP (2007)

Hailing from the hotbed of black metal that is Richmond, Virginia we have one-man Wormtongue with The Solstice Funeral EP. Four lengthy tracks (and the ever present intro) of Tolkien influenced epic black metal with a folk leaning.

In fitting with the Tolkien influence this EP is driving black metal of epic scope. The songs flow between folksy acoustics and your usual tremolo fuelled distortion, supported by tastefully subtle keyboards. Hastoth also an ear for melody, none of the aggression is compromised as soaring guitar leads are delicately weaved into each composition. 'Year Of Cicada' is a particularly melodious affair, exuding an epic bombast only usually found within the unicorn riding realms of power metal. Each track appears to roll towards a climactic crescendo before retreating into an acoustic break or diaphanous keys.

Another wonderfully atmospheric slice of some of the best of black metal and probable contender for "EP Of The Year". The soundtrack of the Riders of Rohan.

5/5

Senthil - Septisemesis EP (2007)

Alright, it's time for another funeral doom release that probably none of you will like, but that I absolutely love. Senthil is easily the most fucked-up band I've heard. Jumping right in with some Nattramn-esque shock factor, the singers in this Texan band purportedly choke themselves with chains to create some of the vocals, and you'll believe it listening to the music. Shrieks, choking, roaring, gurgles, and general throat-mutilation saturate their music as if it were a recording of the most disgusting torture ever performed in a mental ward. The music is suitably dirty, plodding, and pensive. This is stripped-down, gritty, suicidal blackened funeral doom, so don't be expecting anything close to complex songwriting. Atmosphere is everything here, and there's nothing quite as sick as this. Of note on this album are the toned-down presence of guitars and the increased usage of backing synths, creating a more subdued and thoughtful sound.

While I'm not sure if I like this more than their split with Bosque, Septisemesis shows a strong refinement of Senthil's sound, and a worthy new offering. Hopefully the recent loss of one of their guitarists to suicide won't cripple further material from these sick fuckers. Don't check this out if you have no love for the extreme slow n low.

4/5

Bloodhorse - Bloodhorse EP (2007)

Hailing from Boston (ew Red Sox), Bloodhorse deliver some mean stoner sludge metal. This EP, clocking in at 35 minutes, is a fine start for the three-piece outfit off the Translation Loss label (who also happen to feature one of my favorite bands, Byla). It recalls almost a blend of Sabbath, Mastodon, early Clutch, and Monster Magnet, that combined with some awesome songwriting could make Bloodhorse a major player in the stoner sludge genre down the road. It's hard to describe the riffs on this album, I guess "infectious" would be the best term, as all of the songs are catchy in a way that stoner sludge/doom often isn't.

There's a lot going on with this record, it's apparent that the guys behind Bloodhorse know what they're doing, they know the type of music they're playing and they know how to give their music a certain spin to make it fresh in a perhaps oversaturated genre. This is definitely worth checking out, even for an EP, and I for one really anticipate what Bloodhorse has in store for the future. The vocal work here is buried in the mix, almost complementary to the music instead of its own element. It reminds me a bit of the singing in Om, except not done in a chanting manner. Included on the EP is a cover of The Who's "Sparks," I've never heard the original but Bloodhorse's version is pretty cool. All in all some cool stuff here.

5/5

Nauthisuruz - Sanity Funeral (2007)

Ok. So the logo is pretty naff. And the psychedelic-blood-vomit-swirl Stonehenge album cover is a bit dated. It's also self-produced "symphonic black/doom/avant garde metal with elements of neo-classics and electronics" from Russia. But don't let any of that put you off. Nauthisuruz may very well be Russia's answer to Summoning.

To call this album "epic" or "synth-laden" would be an understatement akin to suggesting that Paul Gilbert plays "a bit" of guitar. Though essentially guitar driven atmospheric black metal, half the album is comprised of ambient noodlings between each of the "proper" tracks. The blend between them is fairly seamless for the most part and the synth allows a majestic flow between each composition (see 'Purification of Energy' and 'Occult Reality'). The album as whole therefore is a complete piece that's much more than the some of its parts. It's a musical journey that ebbs and flows between soothing synth and distortion driven aggression. Close your eyes and you may find yourself fleeing the Nothing aback Falkor, before plumetting toward an abyss and into a climactic battle against Gmork.

The distant, ethereal vocals are textbook Summoning, but a broader range is showcased on the more aggressive numbers such as 'Chaos Is Eternal' or 'Deep Rage'. The wispy distant production is carried through to the guitars but without losing a meaty punch during the faster sections. An occasionally soaring lead punctures the mix, wistfully carried by the complementary strings. The synth work itself is blended naturally and at no point becomes overbearing, nor are the programmed drums an annoyance. It's a little rough around the edges in places admittedly but the album is carried with a feeling of majesty.

If only more bands listened to Summoning instead of trying to re-arrange tired At The Gates riffs. This isn't so much worship as homage with enough distinctions to stand out on its own. It's not quite perfect, there's a few clumsy sections and some of the ambient tracks don't add a whole lot to the proceedings. Either way, Nauthisuruz are very much deserving of one those "awesome favourite new band that no-one will ever hear about" titles. Given that all three of their albums are available, for free, from their website there really isn't any excuse. Sombre, beautiful, aggressive and majestic all at once.

9/10

http://www.nauthisuruz.victory-np.ru/

Defloration - The Bone Collection (2007)

Despite receiving regular flak from various circles in the scene, Cannibal Corpse remain an influential institution within death metal. Given this, you can barely swing a dead baby without hitting sound-a-likes. Germany's Defloration haven't so much taken pages from CCs book as torn the cover off and replaced it with their own.

Obvious comparisons begin with Rödel's vocals, being more than a little Corpsegrinder, albeit perhaps a little more guttural. Fortunately there is the occasional dual vocal layering in the usual form of high/low, the high in this case taking the form of a ghoulish growl. Riff wise we're looking at later era CC with the technical bent. The songs are built around repetitions of variant, spiralling riffs, (lacking Webster style in-your-face bass however) and apart from the closing track barely approach four minutes. Said track, 'The Bone Collection II - Crushed Bones And Empty Bodies' does add a little Candlemass via Nile briefly, but quickly degenerates into a Swedish style riff bonanza.

So, you might hear a bit of 'Psychotic Precision' in the 'The Last Breath' or a slight 'Hammer Smashed Face' breakdown in 'The Frozen. Originality isn't Defloration's strong point. What they do pull off however is taking some of CCs stronger moments and funneling them into an entire album. It may be a little samey, but its played with aplomb.

7/10

Sickening Horror - When Landscapes Bled Backwards (2007)

Death metal is a somewhat tough genre to crack these days. At some point it appears to have turned into a big competition. Bands competing to be the most brutal, desperately creating 30 minute albums of inaudible riffing in A standard and ridiculous phased vocals. At the same time other bands are turning out mindbendingly technical death metal with such incomprehensible riffs and solos that they're nigh on impossible to recreate more than once without serious tendon damage. And then there's those that combine the two. Along the way sadly, they all appear to have lost the ability to write actual songs with atmosphere. Its enough to make you want to stab fanboys in the face with a copy of Scream Bloody Gore. Sickening Horror are another entry in this technical brutality competition. They're particularly fanboy faptastic given the involvement of human drum machine George Kollias.

With these sorts of albums its difficult not to view them as a random collection of riffs and bass licks assembled to a backing track of blast beats. When Landscapes Bled Backwards suffers slightly in this department given that there is generally little coherency and flow through the album due to the stop-start staccato riffing and relentless blasting. However, this is clearly a musicians album, and as expected the drumming is the dogs bollocks. We're treated to whirlwind display of breathtaking riffs and as is the staple for tech-death the bass tends to remain muddied in the mix but is given room to breath on occasion. Vocals on the whole are pretty dull, nothing more than a staple death growl.

Much like Behold... the Arctopus this is either a waste of time or a wondrous wankfest. Even if you love this I challenge you to remember a single riff by the end of it. Bands like Nile, Anata and even Necrophagist can blend technicality, brutality and still craft some memorable songs. Sickening Horror can't.

3/10 (if you value song writing)

9/10 (if you masterbate nightly to a picture of Karl Sanders and use a Necrophagist shirt as a wank rag)

Le Grand Guignol - The Great Maddening (2007)

With the unfortunate demise of Arcturus there is gaping hole left in the whimsical realms of pomposity inhabited by the black metal avant garde. Though technically a re-release, Luxembourg's Le Grand Guignol (formerly Vindsval) are clearly looking to fill said hole with their batshit insane beauty The Great Maddening.

This epic journey through eccentric fantasy is, as you would expect, all over the place. Leading us through the gates like a deranged Ringmaster is 'Circus Lausenheyser'. This riff n'synth menagerie of an introduction is presumably what Solefald's next album would sound like if Danny Elfman produced it. And then we're off. Fuzzy guitar, a variety of alternating clean/black vocals (both male and female), pianos and strings (including a shamisen) are all encased in bouncing bombast as we tour the Circe du Insanity. With some neoclassical moments reminiscent of Ensiferum and whispy synth work evocative of Hollenthon The Great Maddening is masterful slab of symphonic metal.

An avant garde symphonic metal album with hints of black metal rather than the other way around, its not as guitar led or aggressive as it's comtemporaries. However, for those dissappointed by Solefald's more recent efforts and still annoyed by Vintersorg's vocals this is the perfect album

9/10