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Album Review – Gore Force V / At Full Force (2024)

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Get ready for an overdose of visceral Death Metal, acid humor, violence, and of course, pigs, in the new album by this unrelenting Belgian brigade.

Formed in the already distant year of 2007 in Zwijndrecht, both a village and a municipality located in the Flemish province of Antwerp, in Belgium, the Death Metal squad known as Gore Force V (or Gore Force 5) is back in action after three EPs, those being Happy as Pigs in Shit (2011), It Came from Behind (2012) and Metally Challenged (2017), with their first full length opus, titled At Full Force. Recorded by Sennen, Joshua K and Sasha B at Soundhound Studio, mixed by Sennen, and mastered by Sven Janssens, the new album by the aforementioned Sennen on vocals, Wesley Heyndrickx and Buysse Jeroen on the guitars, Dominique Michiels on bass and Jan de Maeyer on drums is a ruthless feast of violence, heaviness and (why not?) comedy, with the album’s artwork showing that once you hit play, get ready for some laughs while you’re brutally assaulted inside the circle pit by some nasty pigs.

Molokai Deathslam 2.0 : The Re-Slammening carries a wicked name for an even wilder sound, with Wesley and Buysse extracting sheer heaviness from their riffs, sounding absolutely brutal from start to finish; and the story progresses in Superior Mating Rituals, quickly exploding into a boisterous fusion of Death Metal and Deathslam, with Sennen barking manically until the end. The names of their songs are a thing of beauty, and in the case of Rudolph The Red Nosed Rapist the music is also pulverizing, as heavy as it can be spearheaded by the pounding drums by Jan. Jean Baptiste : De indoctrineer beer sounds a bit weird compared to the other songs, but it’s still a good option for slamming into the pit; then back to a more in-your-face, venomous sound and approach we have The Doryhole, with the infuriated beats by Jan matching perfectly with the guttural by Sennen. Their second to last explosion of demented Death Metal is offered to us all in Panda Porking Power Ranger, with the band’s stringed triumvirate formed of Wesley, Buysse and Dominique hammering their axes mercilessly; and last but not least, let’s all dive into the circle pit to Domates Soslu Pit Ninjalar (or “pit ninjas in tomato sauce” from Turkish), the most pulverizing of all songs, with Sennen sounding inhumane on vocals.

The band has  already stated that mid-2025 they will be dropping another EP to finish off the Grinding Nemo trilogy in order to keep everyone’s attention for the next full album, which will drop somewhere 2026. Hence, while we wait for their new material next year and in 2026, you can enjoy At Full Force in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, follow the band on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and of course click HERE to grab a copy of the album and supported those Belgian death metallers. Gore Force V definitely know how to mix good quality Death Metal with a huge dosage of acid humor, some violence, and of course, pigs, and they’re coming at us ruthlessly armed with their new album, inviting us all for some quality slamming at full force.

Best moments of the album: Rudolph The Red Nosed Rapist and Domates Soslu Pit Ninjalar.

Worst moments of the album: Jean Baptiste : De indoctrineer beer.

Released in 2024 Independent

Track listing
1. Molokai Deathslam 2.0 : The Re-Slammening 3:40
2. Superior Mating Rituals 3:31
3. Rudolph The Red Nosed Rapist 2:30
4. Jean Baptiste : De indoctrineer beer 2:03
5. The Doryhole 2:21
6. Panda Porking Power Ranger 2:39
7. Domates Soslu Pit Ninjalar 3:18

Band members
Sennen – vocals
Wesley Heyndrickx – guitars
Buysse Jeroen – guitars
Dominique Michiels – bass
Jan de Maeyer – drums

Album Review – Provectus / Postero Mundi (2022)

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Inspired by the early pioneers of the genre, this Belgian horde carries the spirit of old school Black Metal in their pulverizing newborn beast.

Founded in 2015 in Vosselaar, a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, while rooted from the minds of vocalist and guitarist Tempore Anomalia and drummer Obitus, the unrelenting, old school Black Metal horde Provectus focuses on creating quality 90’s Black Metal cutting into a diverse range of lyrical themes, always inspired by the early pioneers of the genre such as Immortal and Dissection. Now in 2022 it’s time for Tempore Anomalia and Obitus, together with bassist Roach, to crush us all with the rawness and brutality found in their first full-length opus Postero Mundi, which translates from Latin as “the next world”, the follow-up to their 2018 debut EP Existential Delusion. Produced and mixed by the band itself, mastered by Yarne Heylen at Project Zero Recording Studio, and featuring a sinister artwork by Kris Verwimp, Postero Mundi carries the spirit of old school Black Metal by distancing itself from the modern fusions and endless subgenres , being therefore highly recommended for admirers of the darkest and most sulfurous side of extreme music.

Sinister organ pipes and epic background sounds invite us all to join Provectus in pitch black darkness in the intro Gloria Dolorem before the trio pulverizes our souls with the title-track Postero Mundi, with Obitus delivering pure hatred from his old school Black Metal blast beats accompanied by the rumbling bass by Roach while Tempore Anomalia vociferates like a true servant of the underworld. In Aetherflow Dimensions we face poetry flowing from the song’s lyrics (“In a distant vision a grace to behold, where the dark has shifted and the space seems so cold. / Mystical and phenomenal sights of blazing lights beckoning to me.”) while the trio keeps hammering their instruments nonstop; followed by Bane of Existence, starting in a melodic, somber manner before Tempore Anomalia begin extracting pure obscurity from his riffage while growling deeply at the same time, and all that heaviness and violence keeps growing in intensity in the name of classic Black Metal.

It’s then time for the phantasmagorical, spine-chilling interlude Lucid Nightmare, led by the unearthly keys by Tempore Anomalia, captivating our souls before we face the imposing Torn Fabric of Time, bringing forward total fuckin’ mayhem in the form of unrelenting Black Metal masterfully blasted by those Belgian demons. Moreover, Obitus is on absolute fire behind his drums making the earth tremble, while Tempore Anomalia declaims the song’s infernal words from the bottom of his blackened heart, not to mention how metallic and sulfurous the bass lines by Roach sound and feel. A gargantuan roar by Tempore Anomalia kick off the fulminating aria Disordered Phenomenon, where his own riffs add tons of malignancy to the overall result and also showcasing another brutal performance by Obitus on drums; whereas in Fractured Entity we have one last round of their wicked lyrics (“The saga continues endlessly. / Insanity drifting the emotionless sea. / Absorbed and hexed by apathy. / The cosmic curse of the entity!”), presenting elements from Doom Metal to enhance the song’s obscurity.

The gates of the underworld are wide open, and Provectus are there waiting for you to join them in the name of old school, visceral Black Metal to the sound of their amazing new album, which by the way is available for a full listen on Spotify. Also, don’t forget to follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram, to subscribe to their YouTube channel, and above all that, to purchase the caustic, devilish Postero Mundi from the band’s own BandCamp page, from the Necktwister’s webstore, or from Apple Music. Provectus are among us to spread sheer hatred and obscurity with their newborn beast, putting Belgium in the map of classic Black Metal and, therefore, giving us all a very good reason to darkly smile while listening to their evil creations on our path to the next world.

Best moments of the album: Postero Mundi, Torn Fabric of Time and Disordered Phenomenon.

Worst moments of the album: Fractured Entity.

Released in 2022 Necktwister

Track listing
1. Gloria Dolorem 1:40
2. Postero Mundi 7:16
3. Aetherflow Dimensions 7:49
4. Bane of Existence 6:53
5. Lucid Nightmare 2:28
6. Torn Fabric of Time 10:02
7. Disordered Phenomenon 4:01
8. Fractured Entity 7:05

Band members
Tempore Anomalia – vocals, guitars, synths, keys
Roach – bass
Obitus – drums

Album Review – Pantheist / Seeking Infinity (2018)

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After almost a decade, this London-based Funeral Doom institution returns to their musical roots with a 60-minute cinematic journey through obscure and atmospheric landscapes.

A pantheist is someone who believes that God and the universe are the same, or in other words, that “All Is God”, as pantheism literally means “God Is All” (pan means all and Theos means God when translated from Greek). Brought to life in the year 2000 in Antwerp, Belgium by vocalist and keyboardist Kostas Panagiotou, but currently based in London, England, the dark and vile Progressive/Funeral Doom Metal entity known as Pantheist, one of the standard bearers of the Funeral Doom sound, is among us to prove that “All is Doom” with their brand new opus entitled Seeking Infinity, their fifth full-length album and their first release in seven years. Seeking Infinity is a 60-minute cinematic journey through Funeral Doom landscapes, a decisive return to Pantheist’s musical roots whilst still incorporating the atmospheric and progressive elements that have become an integral part of their sound over the years.

The long journey leading to the creation of this album started all the way back in the summer of 2012, when Kostas announced to his then band members an outline for a new concept album. A lot of things have changed since then and the concept and sound have evolved dramatically until the creation of the album; however, despite the changes, the philosophy behind this concept album and its singular purpose have remained intact. Recorded, mixed and engineered by drummer Daniel “Dan” Neagoe (Shape of Despair, Clouds) and enhanced with the enchanting artwork of the band’s visual artist Cheryl, the album sounds and looks both modern and familiar, surely to fill with nostalgia fans of old-school traditional Funeral Doom/Death Metal, while also drawing to its mystical sound new followers for the years to come.

An ominous intro named Eye of the Universe keeps growing in intensity, with an eerie and somber narration setting the stage for the sluggish, obscure and visceral Control and Fire, a lesson in Funeral Doom with Kostas sounding demonic with both his deep growls and his phantasmagorical keys, while Dan keeps the rhythm as lugubrious as it can be with his slow and potent beats, being effectively supported by Frank Allain and his slashing riffs, with the music flowing darkly and smoothly until 500 B.C. to 30 A.D.- The Enlightened Ones comes crushing with its beyond atmospheric start on the piano, complemented by its cryptic words darkly declaimed by Kostas (“You can run, but you can’t hide from the quiet flow of time / the dark tentacles of fate push you towards your destiny / and when you think you are free to live your life as you please / you’ll find you’re nothing but a pawn of history / There is a fire, a desire in my head / eat my battered body, drink my wasted blood / and tell me endless tales of who I am: / the man who feels inside him that change has come”). Put differently, this is a funeral march of metal music tailored for admirers of the genre, with its second half getting creepy and enigmatic, beautifully exploding into classy Blackened Doom.

Amidst obscure background elements and nuances, the acoustic guitar by guest Pete Benjamin (Voices, Akercocke) kicks off another multi-layered feast of Doom Metal by Pantheist titled 1453: an Empire Crumbles, also showcasing the deep Gregorian chant-inspired vocals by the other guest Andy Koski-Semmens (Syven, Pantheist), offering the listener six minutes of what can be called a Stygian and mesmerizing mass. Then the serene keys by Kostas are the main ingredient in the also slow and dense Emergence, with the low-tuned bass lines by Alexsej creating a menacing ambience in paradox with the delicacy of the piano notes. In other words, Pantheist will crush your senses mercilessly throughout the entire song in the perfect depiction of how visceral and vibrant Doom Metal can be. And lastly we have Seeking Infinity, Reaching Eternity, another deep and full-bodied display of Funeral Doom led by Kostas’ anguished roars and church-like keys, giving life to the song’s imposing, poetic lyrics (“I hear the sound of horns, I see a beast appearing from the sea / it has ten horns and seven heads / looks like a lion, like a leopard it crawls / I stretch out my shaking hand / and touch the body of the dancing Shiva / I want to scream, but I can’t / instead I cry, shake and shiver”), with Dan pounding his drums in perfect sync with Frank’s harmonious and fierce riffs and, therefore, keeping the atmosphere vibrant and thunderous until its climatic finale.

Pantheist are a Funeral Doom institution that’s certainly worth a shot, no doubt about that, and the extremely high quality of the music found in Seeking Infinity is a solid statement that this very talented band is here to stay, living up to the legacy of all classic and old school Doom Metal, Funeral Doom and Blackened Doom bands from all over the world. Having said that, I highly recommend you follow the band on Facebook and subscribe to their YouTube channel for more details about them and to enjoy more of their music. And, of course, purchase your copy of Seeking Infinity from their own BandCamp or webstore, from The Vynil Division’s BandCamp or webstore, from iTunes or from Discogs, and may the somber and lugubrious sounds and tones blasted by Pantheist permeate your thoughts whenever you visit the darkest corners of your mind.

Best moments of the album: 500 B.C. to 30 A.D.- The Enlightened Ones and Emergence.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2018 Melancholic Realm Productions

Track listing
1. Eye of the Universe 1:59
2. Control and Fire 11:45
3. 500 B.C. to 30 A.D.- The Enlightened Ones 13:13
4. 1453: an Empire Crumbles 6:04
5. Emergence 12:17
6. Seeking Infinity, Reaching Eternity 14:39

Band members
Kostas Panagiotou – vocals, keyboards
Frank Allain – guitars
Aleksej Obradović – bass
Daniel “Dan” Neagoe – drums

Guest musicians
Pete Benjamin – acoustic guitar on “1453: an Empire Crumbles”
Andy Koski-Semmens – vocals on “1453: an Empire Crumbles”