Focusing on struggling with the pain of loss, the new album by this Maryland-based metal band reflects all the dynamism and difficulties faced during all stages of grief.
Originally formed as an instrumental and acoustic solo project by vocalist and guitarist Alden Bradstock (Seventh Seal) in 2014, Westminster, Maryland-based Melodic Death Metal act Senescere grew into a full band with the addition of three new members in 2016, Nathan Heavel on bass, Andy Stark on drums and Josh Clark on additional vocals (all from bands such as Seventh Seal and Vestascension), allowing Alden to expand the band’s musical reach to a more aggressive and abrasive sound in their brand new opus Alive But Somewhere Else. Produced by Alden and Josh themselves, engineered and mixed by Josh at Dark Hollow Studio, mastered by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studio, and featuring a stylish cover photograph by Mandy Martz Chappell, the album focuses on struggling with grief, turning to unhealthy sources of comfort and creating a false sense of happiness to deal with a loss. As stated by Alden himself, “loss and aging have been the central theme of this project since the beginning. I think I’ll always find some inspiration there, and new ways of looking at the pain and struggles it can bring. There are all kinds of faces and stages of grief. It’s dynamic, it isn’t always dark and miserable. It’s deceptive and difficult to categorize. I wanted the music to reflect this somehow, and I think that’s why I enjoy mixing multiple styles and varying intensity in the songwriting. It’s allowed to be extra melodic and catchy at times, just as it’s allowed to dive into blasting drums and tremolo picking if the song calls for it.”
And the smooth guitar lines by Alden ignite the atmospheric intro Freezing Of The Hillside, setting the stage for the band to stun us all in Lost In The Cold, where Alden’s deep guttural roars walk hand in hand with the classic beats by Andy, blending elements from Groove and Progressive Metal with their trademark Melodic Death Metal. Then speeding things up and enhancing their rage the quartet blasts the thrilling The Low Clouds, bringing forward dark and pensive lyrics (“Here I, as a loner / Do feel the texture of the edge / Tracing paths for days on end / A crisp and jagged line / So easy to step over / So welcoming to fall from”) and the usual strength and fury from Scandinavian metal, followed by Alive, clearly inspired by the modern and melodic metal music played by bands like Insomnium and Amorphis, with Alden growling with tons of anguish while Nathan and Andy give a lesson in groove and intricacy with their respective instruments, not to mention Josh’s spot on backing vocals.
After such powerful display of metal music, simply sit down, relax and let the enfolding lines from the instrumental piece Melted penetrate deep inside your mind before a wall of sounds smashes your senses in the fantastic Resonate, where Alden’s crisp riffs are beautifully complemented by the low-tuned bass by Nathan, exhaling progressiveness and feeling and all spiced by Alden’s piercing guitar solo; whereas Alden and Josh make a fantastic vocal duet in Aging Affinity, blending the visceral and violent sounds of classic Death Metal with the harmony and complexity of more modern styles, ending in a cryptic and atmospheric way. Heartspace is perfect for slamming into the circle pit while at the same time enjoying the sharp and intricate beats by Andy and the thunderous bass lines by Nathan, resulting in another ode to contemporary Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal that ends up warming up our senses for almost ten minutes of Senescere’s wicked music in Moon And Sun, where the band’s razor-edged riffs, pounding drums and obscure vocals invite the listener to an exciting metal voyage in what’s by far the most progressive and detailed of all songs, even bringing hints of Black Metal and putting an introspective and climatic ending to the album.
Highly recommended for fans of the melodic and pensive heavy music played by renowned acts the likes of Dark Tranquillity, Amorphis, Opeth, Katatonia and Insomnium, among several others, Alive But Somewhere Else can be appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to show your true support to Alden and his henchmen you should definitely purchase a copy of the album from their own BandCamp page, as well as from Apple Music and Amazon. Also, don’t forget to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for news, tour dates and more of their classy music, helping you cope with loss and pain to the sound of our beloved Heavy Metal and, therefore, keeping Alden and his Senescere beyond inspired to create more of their multi-layered and meaningful music for many years to come.
Best moments of the album: Lost In The Cold, The Low Clouds and Resonate.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2020 Independent
Track listing 1. Freezing Of The Hillside 2:54
2. Lost In The Cold 4:12
3. The Low Clouds 5:36
4. Alive 3:36
5. Melted 2:13
6. Resonate 3:54
7. Aging Affinity 4:26
8. Heartspace 3:55
9. Moon And Sun 9:34
Band members Alden Bradstock – guitars, vocals
Nathan Heavel – bass
Andy Stark – drums
Josh Clark – additional vocals
An atmospheric and conceptual voyage through various stages of ancient Earth’s continental drift phase, blasted by two Italians who use no guitars – only death.
In case you’ve never heard of Thecodontion, they’re an Atmospheric Black/Death Metal band founded in 2016 in Rome, Italy by vocalist G.E.F. and bassist G.D. who don’t use guitars in their music. Instead, they use two finger-picked, distorted basses, with a third one for solos, accompanied by vocals and drums in order to convey a more ancestral sound. This approach compliments their lyrical imagery, which is based on prehistory, fossils and geologic periods, being highly recommended for fans of the music by Antediluvian, Mitochondrion, Mithras and Neurosis, resulting in what the duo itself likes to call “Prehistoric Metal of Death”. As a matter of fact, the name Thecodontion comes from “Thecodontia”, an Ancient Greek word meaning “socket-teeth”, or an obsolete taxonomic grouping formerly used to describe a diverse group of reptiles which included both the ancestors of dinosaurs and of modern alligators and crocodiles, among others. After releasing their self-titled demo in 2018, followed by the EP Jurassic in 2019, Thecodontion return in full force in 2020 with their first full-length opus titled Supercontinent, an Atmospheric Black and Death Metal sonic journey and another step for the ever-developing and evolving sound of this archaic entity.
Recorded at Snakes Studio in Rome by Guglielmo Nodari, mixed and mastered at Necromorbus Studio in Stockholm, Sweden by Marco Salluzzo, and featuring an array of special guest musicians the likes of session drummer V.P. (Seventh Genocide), vocalist Skaðvaldur (Urðun, Igor Mortis), guitarist J.G.P. (Seventh Genocide, Bedsore) and vocalist R.C. (Seventh Genocide), Supercontinent is a conceptual voyage through various stages of ancient Earth’s continental drift phase, from the earliest known supercontinent (“Vaalbara”) to the most recent one (“Pangaea”), with extensive researches with an almost scientific approach having been made for the lyrical department, also bringing forward four instrumental non-metal songs featuring short poems about “superoceans” and a phenomenal artwork by Stefan Thanneur (Chaos Echoes), with a colorful representation of the final supercontinental stage and climax of the record, Pangaea surrounded by the Panthalassa Ocean.
The low-tuned, metallic bass lines by the duo ignite the album in the atmospheric intro Gyrosia before rumbling sounds and noises permeate the air in Vaalbara, blending the vilest elements from Black and Death Metal led by G.E.F.’s devilish roars while G.D. and V.P. hammer their instruments mercilessly, followed by Ur, featuring guest Skaðvaldur blasting some deep, gruesome vocals, where the band offers more of their primeval bass-driven music, sounding absolutely tribal and Stygian from start to finish (not to mention the amazing job done by V.P. with his ritualistic beats). After such demolishing start to the album, madness and chaos from the prehistorical times invade our ears in Kenorland, where it’s impressive how G.E.F and G.D. are capable of extracting such crisp and strident “guitar” sounds only using their bass guitars, overflowing the always amazing groove and rage of old school Death Metal. Then cinematic bass jabs set the tone in the bridge Lerova, growing in intensity until the duo comes crushing our senses accompanied by the pounding beats by V.P. in Nuna, a lesson in how to fill every single space in the air with menacing bass sounds while G.E.F. vociferates the song’s cryptic lyrics in great Black Metal fashion.
And they’ll make your head hurt with their pulverizing bass punches in Rodinia, where G.E.F. sounds even more demented and berserk on vocals, feeling very progressive and raw at the same time (albeit going on for a little too long, though), whereas Tethys is another atmospheric and enfolding bridge that warms up our senses for Laurasia-Gondwana, featuring guest J.G.P. on the baritone guitar, with the band smashing our skulls viciously with their infernal jamming, blending the fury and violence of Death Metal with the venomous screeches from Black Metal. Then we have the amazing Pangaea, where guest R.C. shares the vocal duties with G.E.F., while G.E.F. himself and G.D. make the earth tremble with their visceral bass attack. Moreover, it’s quite interesting to notice how the music evolves and progresses like the formation of a supercontinent, flowing darkly until the somber outro Panthalassa brings forward reverberating bass lines and slow-paced beats, giving the album a proper (and melancholic) ending.
Thecodontion’s journey through the history of ancient Earth’s supercontinents will soon be available for purchase from their own BandCamp page, as well as from the I, Voidhanger Records’ BandCamp or webstore, and from the Repose Records’ webstore (in LP format), and you can also follow this dynamic duo from Italy on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details, and search from them on Spotify for more of their prehistorical metal music. As already mentioned, the duo uses no guitars in their music, only death, with Supercontinent undoubtedly representing the most important milestone in their short but already respectful career and, above all, a solid statement that the atmospheric, dark and heavy-as-hell music played by bands like Thecodontion will never face extinction.
Best moments of the album: Vaalbara, Kenorland and Pangaea.
Worst moments of the album:Rodinia.
Released in 2020 I, Voidhanger Records/Repose Records
Dealing with the apocalyptic reality we live in, the debut EP by this Qatar-based quartet brings to our ears a classic fusion of Death, Black and Thrash Metal.
Blending traditional Death Metal with a myriad of sounds ranging from Thrash and Black Metal to classic Heavy Metal and even Progressive Rock since their inception in 2015, the up-and-coming Doha, Qatar-based hellraisers Abanoch are the sole Extreme Metal band hailing from their homeland playing original music, proudly carrying the flag of metal and defying all social and religious norms wherever they go. Now in 2020 the quartet comprised of Almarri on vocals and rhythm guitars, Sefiroth Ounane on lead guitars, Dahman Ouzzane on bass and Geoff Fontillas on drums aims at new heights with their debut EP Buried And Left Behind, an awesome warm-up for their first full-length opus which is currently scheduled to be released by the end of this year. Taking their name from ancient Middle-Eastern demonology, more specifically from a book titled The Sun of Major Knowledge (or The Sun Of Knowledge & Kindly Knowing) by Ahmed Bin Ali Al-Bonny, meaning a demon king who ruled the Sabbath, Abanoch deals with the apocalyptic and dark reality we live in in their new album, calling for Abanoch’s saving in all his glory to take us out of this reality.
The quartet begins hammering their instruments mercilessly in The Rise Of Abanoch, led by the electrifying riffs by Almarri and Sefiroth while Geoff smashes his drums in great Death Metal fashion, also presenting eerie, atmospheric passages and a huge amount of adrenaline and rage. Then another round of their solid and intricate Death Metal comes in the form of Five Spells, with Almarri’s demonic screeches and roars adding an extra touch of darkness to the music while Almarri himself together with Sefiroth and Dahman keep the ambience aggressive and sharp with their stringed weapons; whereas in End Of Times the band mixes the violence by bands such as Death and Cannibal Corpse with the obscurity and epicness of Cradle Of Filth, with its demonic growls, slashing riffage and nonstop blast beats turning it into an amazing option for slamming into the circle pit, all spiced up by a spot-on guitar solo by Sefiroth. The title-track Buried And Left Behind brings forward the most metallic and cutting riffs of the entire EP, resulting in a Death Metal feast tailored for admirers of the genre with Geoff dictating the pace with his rhythmic and berserk beats, and lastly, venturing through more thrashing and visceral lands, the band offers us all Treacherous Ways, highly inspired by 80’s Thrash and Speed Metal and showcasing an amazing job done by both Almari and Sefiroth with their scorching shredding, reminding me of the early days of Megadeth. In other words, get ready for over eight minutes of experimentations, epic riffs and fast beats, flowing smoothly until its climatic finale.
You can enjoy Buried And Left Behind in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to show your true support to Abanoch you should follow them on Facebook and grab your copy of the album from their own BandCamp page. The metal scene in Qatar is making its baby steps, and with our support in spreading the word the guys from Abanoch hope they can encourage more bands to come out and create music in their homeland, elevating the importance of extreme music all over the country and, therefore, opening the minds of their young generation to the beauty of Death, Black and Thrash Metal. Just like in the aforementioned book, Abanoch are among us to save us all from our harsh reality with their first-class extreme music, with Buried And Left Behind representing only the first step in their promising career.
Best moments of the album: The Rise Of Abanoch and Treacherous Ways.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2020 Independent
Track listing 1. The Rise Of Abanoch 4:20
2. Five Spells 3:29
3. End Of Times 4:33
4. Buried And Left Behind 4:17
5. Treacherous Ways 8:17
Band members Almarri – vocals, rhythm guitars
Sefiroth Ounane – lead guitar
Dahman Ouzzane – bass
Geoff Fontillas – drums
Symbolizing the reincarnation of a project long believed dead, this five-piece act from Luxembourg comes crushing with their debut opus of cannibalistic and visceral Death Metal.
Founded in 2015 in Luxembourg, the “Gibraltar of the North”, by a group of friends, with the band’s roots actually dating from the years of 2007 until 2009, the up-and-coming Death Metal five-piece act known as Theophagist symbols today the reincarnation of a project long believed dead. Picking up where they left off a decade ago, Theophagist bring the listener the finest Death Metal made in Luxembourg highly influenced by many great Thrash, Black and Death Metal artists, old and new alike, finally uncovering now in 2020 their first full-length album titledI Am Abyssafter four long years in the making. Currently comprised of lead singer Sven Schosseler, guitarists Tiago Perdiz and Jo Conter, bassist Ben Schreiner and drummer Michel Conter, Theophagist seem to have finally reached their desired shape and form, with the music found in their newborn spawn perfectly depicting everything those talented Luxembourgians have to offer to the world of heavy music.
Simply hit play and a massive wall of infernal sounds spearheaded by Michel’s thunderous beats will invade your senses in Cannibal Preacher, showcasing disturbing words vociferated by Sven (“Your guilty flesh will be purified / Close your eyes, I purge the sins away / A rotten life served as tasteful bites / Pray to me, I purge the sins away / A hollowed scream, your first sacrifice / Bow to me, I purge your sins away”), and after such devastating start it’s time for a mid-tempo, heavy-as-hell extravaganza titled Burn That Witch, where Sven’s deep guttural is perfectly complemented by the scorching riffs by Tiago and Jo, inviting us all to break our necks headbanging in the name of witchcraft. And keeping the atmosphere dense, dark and infernal, the quintet blasts old school Death Metal infused with more melodic nuances in Recipe for Human Cake, with both Ben and Michel sounding truly menacing with their respective instruments. Moreover, I’m not going to write down the lyrics here, just search for them online and have an absolute blast with the band’s wicked and fun “recipe”.
A reverberating cello in the instrumental bridge Awakening The… sets the stage for the brutally heavy Terrors from the Deep, presenting classic, psychological Death Metal lyrics (“Your waves are endless, your foam, a dying star / A sea in millions, withering like a rotting scar / Terrors from the deep, lurking in me / Terrors from the deep, taking over me”) accompanied by a rumbling and intricate sound crafted by all band members, with Tiago’s and Jo’s furious, Black Metal-inspired riffs adding a touch of evil to the musicality, whereas in Epileptic Seizure the band ventures through more modernized and alternative lands, with the bass jabs by Ben sounding utterly metallic, therefore generating a bold background vibe perfect for Sven and his bestial roars. Then going absolutely berserk the band offers our avid ears the demolishing tune R.I.S.E., with the band’s guitar duo slashing their stringed axes in great fashion while their bandmates make sure the music remains as venomous and rebellious as it can be.
In Adeptus Astartes a Western-like intro quickly morphs into more of the band’s classic Death Metal, with Michel taking the lead with his pulverizing blast beats while Sven keeps on growling and giving the whole song a more aggressive punch, and the second to last blast of their straightforward Death Metal comes in the form of Agony of Christ Upon the Cross, following a similar pattern as its predecessor with its guitar, bass and drums smashing our skulls mercilessly. Finally, closing the album we face the ominous and old school Apocalypse (Redux), which was actually written during the first stages of the band over a decade ago, showcasing an amazing riffage blasted by Jo and Tiago boosting Sven’s harsh gnarls effectively, and ending in a climatic and grim manner as the true apocalypse draws near.
In case you’re curious to know how Death Metal made in Luxembourg sounds like, you can enjoy each and every track from I Am Abyss on YouTube and on Spotify, and if you like what you hear you can show your utmost support to those brave metallers by purchasing their debut opus from their own BandCamp page, as well as from Apple Music or from Amazon, or you can also click HERE to select the version of the album that better suits your needs. In addition, as it’s not everyday that we have the pleasure of facing a metal act from the tiny and beautiful Luxembourg, you should definitely follow the band on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, keeping updated with all things Theophagist and helping them spread the cannibalistic and visceral Death Metal to all four corner of the earth.
Best moments of the album: Cannibal Preacher, Terrors from the Deep and R.I.S.E.
Worst moments of the album:Adeptus Astartes.
Released in 2020 Independent
Track listing 1. Cannibal Preacher 4:07
2. Burn That Witch 3:25
3. Recipe for Human Cake 3:58
4. Awakening The… 2:37
5. Terrors from the Deep 6:24
6. Epileptic Seizure 4:02
7. R.I.S.E. 4:47
8. Adeptus Astartes 5:37
9. Agony of Christ Upon the Cross 4:50
10. Apocalypse (Redux) 3:20
Band members Sven Schosseler – vocals
Tiago Perdiz – guitar, backing vocals
Jo Conter – guitar
Ben Schreiner – bass
Michel Conter – drums
A unique and caustic album of Black Metal made in Poland about myths, projections, appearances, fears we fight, and the legacy we cannot deny.
Formed in the year of 2009 in the obscure basements and gray courtyards of the charming city of Kraków, in Lesser Poland by vocalist, guitarist and bassist Stawrogin (Gruzja, Massemord and Totenmesse) and guitarist, bassist and drummer Priest (Massemord, Totenmesse and Voidhanger), the Stygian Black Metal duo known as Odraza, or “disgust” from Polish, returns from the pits of the underworld with their sophomore studio album Rzeczom(“things”), the follow up to their 2014 debut opus Esperalem Tkane. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Impressive-Art Studio in Beskidu Małego, Poland, and portraying the stunning Polish model Dorota Maria Kuźmicka as its cover art, Rzeczom will take you on a dark and captivating journey through the wicked world of Odraza. “We dedicate Rzeczom to ourselves, the authors. It is a diary; excerpts from our lives and the lives of the people once close to us come across the words by the authors that inspire us. It is about myths, about projections, appearances, fears we fight, and the legacy we cannot deny. It is also about the lie – after all, it is but us who decide how many of those memories reflect what has never been,” darkly commented the duo about their new and weird creation.
In the opening tune titled Schadenfreude (“malicious joy” or “spitefulness” from German), an eerie, cryptic intro quickly explodes into modern and visceral Black Metal led by the duo’s scorching riffs, with Priest blasting savagery and intricacy through his beats nonstop. The album couldn’t have started in a better (and more venomous) way, I might say, with the duo’s rumbling bass igniting the title-track Rzeczom, sounding as if Triptykon went full Blackened Doom. Moreover, Stawrogin growls and barks like a true demonic beast throughout the entire song, spiced up by somber passages and vicious backing vocals, resulting in a song definitely not recommended for the lighthearted. Then back to a more ferocious and berserk mode those Polish metallers fire the Behemoth-inspired W Godzinie Wilka (“at the hour of the wolf”), bringing to our ears Blackened Death Metal at its finest with Stawrogin’s harsh gnarls being effectively supported by Priest’s pounding drums; whereas a serene, acoustic intro permeates the air in …Twoją Rzecz Też (“…your thing too”), evolving into a metallic and alternative, almost circus-like onrush of sounds showcasing the band’s versatility and their will to never sound outdated or repetitive.
Once again sounding wicked and vile form start to finish, the duo surprises us with another round of unusual extreme music in Długa 24 (“long 24”), where Stawrogin does a very entertaining job with both his darker vocals and his clean vociferations, followed by Świt Opowiadaczy (“dawn of the storytellers”), offering the listener six minutes of obscure passages and endless violence flowing from their damned instruments, with Priest stealing the spotlight with his frantic and intricate drumming. And venturing through the realms of Doom and Stoner Metal to give their core Black Metal an even more badass vibe, they offer us all Młot Na Małe Miasta (“a hammer for small towns”), with both Stawrogin and Priest extracting electricity from their stringed weapons and, therefore, keeping the album at a high level of obscurity and madness.
After such demented tune, we’re treated to Najkrótsza Z Wieczności (“the shortest of eternities”), a contemplative and melancholic display of extreme music made in Poland where Stawrogin devilishly declaims the song’s Polish words, being multi-layered and grim just the way we like it in Extreme Metal. Following this cryptic composition, a phantasmagorical storm is about to begin in Bempo, growing in intensity until morphing into ass-kicking Blackened Death Metal led by Priest’s always fulminating drums, also showcasing a razor-edged guitar solo by guest musician Azar. And last but not least, it’s time for Odraza to stun us once and for all with eight minutes of absolute darkness in the instrumental aria Ja Nie Stąd (“I’m not from here”), starting in a progressive and atmospheric manner and flowing beautifully to the riffage and beats by the band’s dynamic duo until its inevitable and ethereal end.
This precious gem of contemporary Black Metal made in Poland can be better appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course you should definitely buy a copy of the album from Odraza’s own BandCamp page, as well as from the Godz Ov War Productions’ BandCamp page or webstore and from Discogs, showing your true support to the talented Stawrogin and Priest and to the entire underground scene. Also, don’t forget to follow Odraza on Facebook and to subscribe to their YouTube channel for news, tour dates and more of their distinguished music. It doesn’t matter if you are a native Polish metalhead or if you don’t understand a single word said by the band in Rzeczom, this is the type of album that’s a must-have in your collection of dark and acid extreme music, and just like Odraza dedicated the album to themselves, you can go ahead a dedicate it to your own Black Metal persona in your most introspective moments in life.
Best moments of the album: Schadenfreude, W Godzinie Wilka and Młot Na Małe Miasta.
Worst moments of the album:Długa 24.
Released in 2020 Godz Ov War Productions
Track listing 1. Schadenfreude 4:18
2. Rzeczom 5:21
3. W Godzinie Wilka 4:50
4. …Twoją Rzecz Też 5:43
5. Długa 24 2:06
6. Świt Opowiadaczy 6:01
7. Młot Na Małe Miasta 5:41
8. Najkrótsza Z Wieczności 5:06
9. Bempo 6:29
10. Ja Nie Stąd 8:01
Band members Stawrogin – vocals, guitars, bass
Priest – guitars, bass, drums
Guest musician Azar – guitar solo on “Najkrótsza Z Wieczności” and “Bempo”
Are you ready to dive into the cold waters of the Beyond together with one of the meanest Black Metal hordes of the Lithuanian scene?
Formed in the already distant year of 2001 in Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania located in the south-central region of the country, by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kommander L. as a one-man band, the incendiary Black Metal act that goes by the somber name of Luctus (a Latin words that means lamentation, mourning or grief) has evolved into one of the most important metal institutions of the Lithuanian scene through the years, becoming a mature and stable creature with a trademark sound that has already toured extensively across their homeland and all over Europe. Currently comprised of Kommander L. on vocals and bass, Šatras and Dovydas on the guitars, and Vytautas on drums, this talented “Nihil Black Metal” brigade is back in action after five long years with their long-awaited fourth album Užribis, or “The Beyond”, conceptually continuing the path taken by their 2015 album Ryšys while musically representing a further step in the search for the purity of sound and an emotional impact. Recorded at Lapės Records Studios in Lithuania, mixed and mastered at Necromorbus Studios in Sweden, and featuring a cryptic artwork by José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal (also known as Hathrul), Užribis is a spiritual journey through the obscure depths of the soul, breaking through any boundaries of social life in search of what the band calls the “Other World”. Having said that, are you ready to dive into the cold waters of the Beyond?
Just hit play and the ethereal and cryptic intro Gilyn (or “into the depth” in English) will embrace your damned soul and set the tone for the devastating and hellish Sušiurpintas Ano Pasaulio Nuostabos (“stunned by the awe-inspiring Other World”), with the entire band providing their welcome card through their infernal blast beats, scorching Black Metal riffs and vicious vociferations, not to mention the song’s disturbing, phantasmagorical vibe. And the slashing guitars by Šatras and Dovydas ignite the sulfurous Kas Tu Esi? (“who are you?”), a demonic display of old school Black Metal with Thrash and Death Metal nuances where Kommander L. rabidly barks the song’s lyrics (always in his mother tongue, by the way); then a disturbing beginning will darken the skies in the title-track Užribis (“the beyond”), before Vytautas begins hammering his drums furiously in a dense fusion of Black and Thrash Metal. Furthermore, Kommander L.’s vile roars get deeper and more demented as the music progresses, resulting in a lesson in Blackened Death Metal the likes of Behemoth and flowing like the fires of the underworld until its fulminating finale.
Už Sapno Ribų (“beyond the limits of the dream”) is another pulverizing blast of extreme sounds by Luctus led by the evil riffs and solos by both Šatras and Dovydas, once again living up to the legacy of crushing Blackened Death Metal, whereas the band’s rumbling bass lines and berserk beats dictate the rhythm in Tikėjimo Paslaptis (“the secret of faith”), filling our ears with sheer obscurity and blasphemy in the form of classic Black Metal, sounding and feeling truly reverberating and dense from start to finish. Then we have Liejasi (“merging”), an absolutely sinister tune showcasing cryptic passages, eerie background sounds and strident guitars, exploding into a demented feast of Black and Death Metal titled Vandens Paviršiumi (“skimming over the water”), one of the most detailed songs of the album, bringing to our ears multiple layers of darkness, hatred and fury piled up by the quartet, with Kommander L. taking the lead with his deep guttural roars and suddenly morphing into the cadaverous outro Fascinatio Mortis, as Stygian and grim as it can be, putting a cinematic ending to such detailed album.
The gates to the “Other World” ruled by Luctus are open thanks to the amazing job done by this sulfurous quartet in their new album Užribis, available for a full listen on YouTube and on Spotify. Hence, don’t forget to show your true support to those Lithuanian metallers by paying them a visit on Facebook and on Instagram, and especially by purchasing Užribis from their own BandCamp page or from the Inferna Profundus Records’ BandCamp page or webstore (in CD or LP format), as well as from Apple Music or from Discogs. And then, but only then, after putting your hands on Užribis, you’ll be ready to cross the barriers of the Beyond together with one of the most prominent hordes from the Lithuanian scene.
Best moments of the album: Sušiurpintas Ano Pasaulio Nuostabos, Užribis and Vandens Paviršiumi.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2020 Inferna Profundus Records
Track listing 1. Gilyn 2:07
2. Sušiurpintas Ano Pasaulio Nuostabos 5:09
3. Kas Tu Esi? 7:06
4. Užribis 7:54
5. Už Sapno Ribų 7:40
6. Tikėjimo Paslaptis 6:45
7. Liejasi 2:39
8. Vandens Paviršiumi 7:11
9. Fascinatio Mortis 2:30
Band members Kommander L. – vocals, bass
Šatras – guitars
Dovydas – guitars
Vytautas – drums
Ravaging and rampaging the wastelands, the most infernal platoon hailing from Finland returns to the battlefront tighter and more caustic than ever with a brand new mini-album.
At long last, almost four years after the release of their fantastic debut album Iron Overkill, the venomous Lahti, Finland-based Black/Death Metal platoon that goes by the name of Front returns to the battlefront with a brand new mini-album titled Antichrist Militia, offering fans of the music by Marduk, Bestial Warlust and Motörhead decisive 23 minutes of brutality, rage, blasphemy and, above all that, war. Now expanded to a quartet formed by lead singer Kaosbringer, guitarist Von Bastard, bassist Meister F. and drummer Revenant, Front present in Antichrist Militia their deadliest Black and Death Metal sonic arsenal to date, with the ass-kicking artwork designed by Indonesian artist Jenglot Hitam (Abigail, Sabbat, Unholy Desecration) saying everything it needs to, that Front are ravaging and rampaging the wastelands, sounding tighter, more finessed and at the same time more caustic than ever, getting in and getting out with militaristic precision, and this time with a booze-reeking smirk across its barbed-wired face.
In the intro Doom Cult Legion, ominous and eerie noises from the pits of hell warm up our senses for the pulverizing title-track Antichrist Militia, where the entire band showcases their heavy artillery led by Revenant’s brutal and pounding drums while Von Bastard extracts sheer dementia form his guitar, all spiced up by Kaosbringer’s demonic roars and gnarls. Furthermore, this venomous tune is simply perfect for raising your horns while screaming the song’s name together with the band, not to mention its frantic, slamming and metallic second half, followed by Iron Front, their personal tribute to the almighty Motörhead, bringing forward a demented mix of Black and Death Metal with badass Rock N’ Roll where Meister F. hammers his bass in a way that would make the iconic Lemmy Kilmister (R.I.P.) truly proud, accompanied by Von Bastard’s hellish guitar riffs and solos. Hence, this ode to ruthless rock and metal will work perfectly during their live performances without a shadow of a doubt.
Leaning towards the current Black Metal sonority blasted by Marduk, Venom & Salt is a warlike tune spearheaded by Kaosbringer and his enraged growls, filling our ears with nonstop violence flowing from all instruments while Revenant shows no mercy at all for his drums, whereas an obscure start with somber voices evolves into a Black and Doom Metal chant titled Mouths of War, a Stygian song that will penetrate deep inside your psyche, disturbing your peace of mind while the quartet blasts evil and hatred form their weapons of mass destruction. Moreover, as the icing on the cake, the song also brings forward Winston Churchill’s renowned speech, the same form Iron Maiden’s hit “Aces High” by the way, just to give the final result an extra military touch. And finally, you’ll find yourself in the middle of a crossfire before Von Bastard puts the pedal to the metal with his sick riffage in Machinegun Blasphemy, with Revenant sounding absolutely infernal on drums from start to finish. This can easily be labeled “War Metal”, or in other words, the utmost depiction of what happens when old school Black and Death Metal unite in the name of war.
In a nutshell, Front bring forth in Antichrist Militia the precise soundtrack to inspire us all right before we head into the battlefield, and despite the album having only 23 minutes of music that’s actually more than enough to cause a nuclear explosion due to its gargantuan amount of heaviness and rage. Having said that, don’t forget to follow this infamous legion of metalheads on Facebook, and keep an eye on the Iron Bonehead Productions’ BandCamp page and webstore where sooner than later you’ll be able to put your dirty hands on such thrilling album of extreme music. Front’s “pocket version” of what can be described as a musical world war is almost upon us all, and based on the current state of our society I can’t think of a better option to bang our heads like true bastards until our inevitable and gruesome end.
Best moments of the album: Iron Front and Machinegun Blasphemy.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2020 Iron Bonehead Productions
Track listing 1. Doom Cult Legion 0:43
2. Antichrist Militia 5:05
3. Iron Front 4:20
4. Venom & Salt 4:06
5. Mouths of War 3:43
6. Machinegun Blasphemy 4:48
Band members Kaosbringer – vocals
Von Bastard – guitars, choir vocals
Meister F. – bass
Revenant – drums, choir vocals
Bang your head to the debut EP by an Australian one-man band with a huge focus on artistic expressionism, animal rights, veganism and the inevitability of the planet’s decline.
The name Klendathu, which means means “triangular” in the Zulu language, is the homeworld of the creatures known as the Arachnids from the 1997 cult movie Starship Troopers, while the expression “ad nauseam” is a Latin term for argument or other discussion that has continued to the point of nausea. However, when you put those two together the result is a Melbourne, Australia-based Blackened Death Metal/Dark Metal one-man project entitled Klendathu, formed in the beginning of 2020 by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Scott Masson, the lead singer for Metalcore/Deathcore act He Who Seeks Vengeance and more recently for Death Metal band Apocalyptian, both already reviewed at The Headbanging Moose. With a huge focus on artistic expressionism and with its lyrical content inspired by our ecological footprint, environmental issues, animal rights, veganism and the inevitability of the planet’s decline, the project’s debut EP Ad Nauseam will surely please fans of the music by Behemoth, Gorgoroth, Cannibal Corpse, Sylosis, Six Feet Under and Sepultura, among many others, while at the same time sending a strong message to everyone who still thinks our decaying world is doing just fine.
Scott, who’s by the way a very proud vegan and animal rights activist and environmentalist, has already hinted at that theme in his previous records with He Who Seeks Vengeance (They Will Speak Of The Ghosts That We Became, released in 2019) and Apocalyptian (Citizens Of The Apocalypse, released earlier this year), but it’s with Klendathu that Scott finally has all the freedom to be himself and express how he feels about the current state of things. In addition, just to give you an idea of how personal the album is, everything in the album was recorded by Scott himself, with the exception of the mixing part which was done by an electronic producer named Kibosh, and the final result is indeed very personal, heavy and dark.
An ominous intro grows in intensity until dark and damned sounds invade our senses in Denying The Birth, where Scott fires Doom Metal-inspired riffs and infernal blast beats while screaming like a rabid beast, reminding me of old school Behemoth with some phantasmagorical background elements to add an extra kick to it. Then once again demolishing everything and everyone with his insane beats and riffage, Scott vociferates and barks nonstop in Anger Awakening, presenting hints of the Thrash and Groove Metal by Sepultura from their Roots-era while keeping Klendathu’s core obscurity intact, followed by Bargaining The New Revelation, the most vicious and devastating of all songs, with Scott doing a great job with his harsh roars and thunderous bass and drums, therefore generating a reverberating sound that will crush your skull mercilessly, all spiced up by teen activist Greta Thunberg’s famous one-liner “How dare you!” and other parts of her speech during the UN climate summit in New York on September 23, 2019. After such bold and dense tune, Scott adds nuances of devilish Blackened Doom to his already scorching sonority in The Prelude Depression, where you can easily feel all the anguish and hatred flowing from his demented screams while the song’s keys and piano notes give the overall result a touch of finesse. And last but not least, more groovy and enraged sounds permeate the air in Accepting The End, with Scott going full Death Metal on vocals and firing crisp guitar riffs and solos. Moreover, its modern-day Black Metal-like drums are the ultimate proof that this incendiary song couldn’t have sounded more austere than what it already is.
You can follow Scoot and his very interesting Klendathu on Facebook, showing your appreciation not only for his music but also for his fight for animal rights and his efforts against all environmental issues we’ve been facing in the past few decades, and of course purchase his debut opus Ad Nauseam directly from his BandCamp page, as well as from Apple Music and from Amazon, or stream the EP in full on YouTube and on Spotify. In the end, as long as you bang your head to Klendathu’s flammable music while doing your part in trying to make this world a better place, I’m sure guys like Scott will feel utterly inspired to keep crafting meaningful heavy music for many years to come. That, of course, if the world as we know it doesn’t come to an end first.
Best moments of the album: Bargaining The New Revelation and Accepting The End.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2020 Independent
Track listing 1. Denying The Birth 6:19
2. Anger Awakening 4:52
3. Bargaining The New Revelation 5:27
4. The Prelude Depression 5:52
5. Accepting The End 5:02
Band members Scott Masson – vocals, all instruments
If there’s a woman that loves heavy music from the bottom of her (darkened) heart, more specifically our always controversial and blasphemous Black Metal, as well as music in general, that lady has to be the unrelenting Italian-born bassist Mia Wallace, who you’ll also find in several bands and projects under the names Michelle Mia Wallace, Mia W. Wallace, White Wallace or even Winter Wallace. As a matter of fact, either being a coincidence or not, the name Mia Wallace was given to the fictional character portrayed by the stunning Uma Thurman in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino cult movie Pulp Fiction, just to give you an idea of how mysterious, sexy and provocative our metal chick of the month of May can be, exactly how we expect from any true Black Metal musician. Known for her work in distinguished metal projects such as The True Endless (under the controversial moniker Soulfucker), Abbath, Triumph of Death and Niryth, among several others, Mia will undoubtedly hypnotize you with her obscure looks and smash your senses with her thunderous bass, proving once and for all Black Metal is and will always be home for some of the most talented women in the history of music.
Born somewhere, sometime in the always gorgeous Italy, Mia Wallace started playing bass in the now distant year of 1994. She said in one of her interviews that her boyfriend at the time, Italian multi-instrumentalist Marco De Rosa (R.I.P.), also known as simply M., who would become her bandmate in distinct bands and projects and best friend for over 25 years, encouraged her to try his white Fender Squier Vintage bass. She mentioned it was extremely heavy, but she immediately became passionate about that amazing instrument. Her first bass was then a four-string Hoyer SG-type from 1970, helping Mia become most probably the first female bass player in the entire Italy to wear corpsepaint, to play Black Metal on stage, and to perform fire-breathing during her live concerts. Among her gear, you’ll find some amazing stuff such as the Epiphone Nikki Sixx Blackbird, the BC Rich Beast and the Clover BassTard bass guitars; the Boss ODB-3, Boss DD-3 and Marshall Reflector RF-1 effects; and the Warwick Profet 5.2 amps.
There are several bands and projects where you can enjoy Mia kicking some serious ass with her rumbling bass, and in order to tell you a little about each one of those let’s start with the most recent or active ones and then move on to her previous bands which have either disbanded or have been put on an indefinite hiatus. Right now, we can say Mia is involved in two main projects, those being an Italian Electronic/Industrial/Alien/Darkwave Pop/Rock project entitled Kirlian Camera, where not only she plays bass but also keyboards (also doing backing vocals), and a mysterious Swiss project that goes by the name of Niryth, where she’s a co-founder, songwriter and lead bassist. There might be a third project which could be called her solo band Mia Wallace, but as there’s nothing online anywhere about it let’s just say there’s no reason for extending the topic on it.
Anyway, her role with Kirlian Camera (which name was taken from what’s known as Kirlian photography, a collection of photographic techniques used to capture the phenomenon of electrical coronal discharges) obviously goes beyond her usual bass playing duties, providing a unique support to the band’s mastermind Angelo Bergamini and frontwoman Elena Alice Fossi during their live performances. The band was founded in the distant year of in 1979 in the city of Parma by Angelo Bergamini and was a pioneering act of the Italian synthpop scene, featuring musicians from four distinct locations (Piombino, Marciana, Parma and Novara, all in Italy), and after a few ups and downs the duo now shares the stage with obviously Mia and other renowned musicians form the Italian scene such as Alessandro Comerio, Davide Mazza and Falk Pitschk. Having released a good amount of albums since their inception, starting with their 1983 debut effort It Doesn’t Matter Now until their most recent installment Hellfire, released in 2019, the project has always pushed the boundaries of experimental and electronic music, winning several awards through the years, with Mia bringing her share of heaviness and creativity to the band on stage. You won’t be able to listen to Mia in any of their studio albums, of course, but you can certainly enjoy some awesome live footage on YouTube such as this soundcheck in 2018 at a festival in Switzerland, this live version of the song V2K in Leipzig, Germany in 2020, or this 30-minute footage of the band live in Torino, Italy in 2018 playing some of their songs such as Holograms, Black August and News.
Her other project is considerably unique and I can’t even say if it’s still going on or if it has been archived by its band members. I’m talking about Nyrith, a distinguished metal project founded by Mia together with the one and only Tom. G Warrior (Hellhammer, Celtic Fost, Trypticon) with tastes of heavy and obscure doom, blending different styles from the music by Sisters of Mercy to Pink Floyd, all performed by not only one, not two, but three bass players. In one of her interviews Mia mentioned that Nyrith were ready to release their debut album depicting their visions of life and death, their struggles and pains, but so far nothing has been made official yet. She also said the idea of Nyrith came from Tom after Mia was left without a band a few years ago (and we’ll talk more about that later), including the idea of having three bass players on the same band, as at that time nobody was comfortable giving a woman the control of a new or existing band. In this project, Mia mentioned she was working on all the music which was refused by her previous band, a very restricted and traditional Black Metal act by the way, with all of her ideas being pretty much outside the Black Metal world. As aforementioned, there’s nothing officially released up to now, but we should all keep an eye on Nyrith as this is a very promising metal project (if it truly happens one day, of course). In addition, as an accomplished bass player, Mia has been asked several times about her technique, about how she enjoys playing bass and other nice-to-know details. For instance, when questioned about the fact she would play a five-string bass with Nyrith, she said that “I’ve been playing four-string basses for 20 years, but with Niryth, it is absolutely essential to play five-string bass, as the music requires far more versatility. I always felt good vibes with BC Rich basses. Among my favorite basses is a BC Rich Beast, in fact.”
Now it’s time to talk about all of her previous bands, starting with the one that’s in my opinion her most interesting and powerful project to date, Italian Black Metal horde The True Endless, founded in 1997 by M. and Mia (under the moniker Pollon, and later under her most controversial moniker Soulfucker) with the main goal of crafting violent and trendkiller music. After a couple of rehearsal tapes and some shows, The True Endless recorded their first studio work in 1999 called The Trendkiller EP, followed by an array of EP’s, splits, compilations, livr albums and obviously some very interesting and heavy-as-hell full-length albums, those being Wings of Wrath (2003), A Climb to Eternity (2005), Buried by Time and Dust (2006), 1888 from Hell (2008), An Year in Black (2009), Legacy of Hate (2013), and last but not least, Blacklight Inferno (2017), all with Mia kicking ass on bass and even working in the mastering of their 2008 album 1888 from Hell. Featuring lyrics in English, Italian and Novaras, a dialect of the Piedmontese language (Piemontèis) that was used to give their sound a more ancestral feeling, the scorching Black Metal played by The True Endless led the band to share the stage with some of the most important names of the extreme music scene such as Marduk, Deicide, Vader, Helheim, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Besatt, Morrigan, Vesna, Mortuary Drape, Opera IX and many more, playing through countless countries across Europe. You’ll “only” be able to find their latest released Blacklight Inferno on their official BandCamp page, but you can enjoy several of their songs and live footage by visiting their official YouTube channel (as well as other channels), as for example their cover version for Hellhammer’s classic Massacra, the songs Pale Waves, Under The Horned Waning Moon, Black Swamp, I Drink The Devil’s Blood and Nightfall, and this live version of Freezing Moon in the Czech Republic in 2011.
Unfortunately, after months fighting against a deadly cancer, the multi-talented M. sadly passed away on November 16, 2017 at the age of 43, and due to such tragic loss Mia and the band’s drummer Algol decided to end the project after 20 years of intense activity. However, as Mia herself always says, “the flame will burn forever.” And the skillful M. was also the founder of many other amazing projects such as Darkness, Huggin, Skoll and Teuta, most of them featuring our dauntless Mia on bass and/or on keyboards, and usually under the moniker Pollon. For instance, she played bass on the 2013 album Anti Human Life, by Italian Black/Thrash Metal band Darkness, on the 1998 demo Tales (from the Ancient Times), by Italian Black Metal horde Huginn, and played keyboards on the 1999 album Through the Mist We Come Back and on the 2000 split Keep Alive Your Heathenfolk/La oss slakte Guds lam, both by Italian Pagan Black/Viking Metal band Skoll. After listening to such amazing bands, we must all agree with Mia that the flame of M. will always burn bright through his classy and dark music across the centuries, no doubt about that.
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Another memorable moment in Mia’s undisputed career happened between 2019 and 2020 when she joined the iconic Norwegian Black Metal act Abbath, spearheaded by one of the co-founders of Immortal, one of the trailblazers of the infamous Norwegian Black Metal scene. When asked about how the invitation to join Abbath in 2019 happened, Mia said that she always been part of the Bergen family, and as Abbath needed a strong figure to replace his previous bassist he noticed her as an experienced musician who would fit perfectly into his lineup. Mia was the bass player in Abbath’s latest opus, his 2019 album Outstrider, and you can enjoy her thunderous and menacing bass lines in songs like Harvest Pyre and Calm in Ire of Hurricane. Mia mentioned Outstrider was pretty much written when she joined the band, with Abbath asking her to write the bass lines and then they decided together about some adjustments on them, also saying that she didn’t feel any real pressure as the replacement of one of the most recognizable bassist in Black Metal, the iconic King ov Hell (God Seed, Gorgoroth), as they’re two musicians with different skills that were not actually competing nor anything like that. However, on January 28, 2020, Mia revealed that she was no longer part of the band, being informed over the phone by the Abbath’s manager shortly before the beginning of the Outstrider 2020 European tour. No formal announcement was made by the band, but she was replaced on bass by touring member, Rusty Cornell. As you can check HERE, Mia was not happy about the way things happened. “I am disappointed that none of my former colleagues have contacted me in this process except for the five minute phone call from Abbath’s manager in which I was told I would no longer be needed. I was told not to contact anyone in the band. The explanation for this had no substance and just made more questions and confusion for me. Up until then I had been preparing for the European tour as I had been told to do. I had to cancel other plans, and get time off work for the tour which I spent much time preparing for,” said Mia, also citing her comments to the media after the disastrous Abbath two-song concert in Argentina in 2019 as one of the probable reasons for being fired from the band.
Another amazing project where we were all able to enjoy Mia’s crushing bass lines between 2018 and 2019 was Tom G. Warrior’s Triumph Of Death, a tribute to his former group Hellhammer, consisting of playing the legendary music by Hellhammer from their three demos (Death Fiend, Triumph of Death and Satanic Rites) and the EP Apocalyptic Raids onstage after 37 years, starting in the summer of 2019. According to Tom and Mia, Triumph of Death is a Zurich, Switzerland-based open-ended project playing only select concerts and festivals, basically choosing the songs from the band’s small but rich catalog depending on how they felt at that moment, always open to change from time to time. When asked about how she felt playing those songs together with Tom and therefore continuing the legacy of one of the pioneers of Black Metal, she said it was a true honor for her as she’s been highly influenced by Hellhammer throughout her entire career, and you can see how happy Mia truly was by watching her interviews together with Tom in 2019 at some of the best metal festivals in the world such as Hellfest, Wacken Open Air and Brutal Assault, always talking about how it feels to play with Triumph of Death, the legacy of Hellhammer and why the name Hellhammer wasn’t used, as well as performing at the same time with Tom and Abbath. In addition, if you want to experience the music by Triumph of Death live, you can check some awesome live footage on YouTube such as the song Vision of Mortality at Kilkim Žaibu (the biggest ancient traditions and Extreme Metal festival in the Baltic States), Blood Insanityat Hellfest, Triumph of Death in Essen, Germany, or this full concert at Psycho Fest in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States.
Lastly, there’s one more metal project that’s worth mentioning, which is Swiss Goregrind/Death Metal band Embalming Theatre, where Mia didn’t play bass or keyboards, but instead she was the one responsible for crafting the intros and outros to pretty much all of their releases from 2000 until 2006, such as the intro, intermezzo and outro to the 2003 album Sweet Chainsaw Melodies, and the intro to the 2004 split Death Metal Karaoke/My Flesh Creeps at Insects. One curious thing is that if you go to the band’s official BandCamp page you’ll notice most of the albums there do not contain the intros and outros by Mia, and I have absolutely no idea why those pieces are missing. Anyway, Embalming Theatre are a very entertaining Goregrind act, with all of their albums being worth a shot with or without Mia’s insane collaboration.
Regarding her main influences and idols in music and in life in general, as mentioned a couple of times already she sees the iconic Tom G. Warrior as her master and mentor, even saying that “he is the one who unleashed the dormant beast inside me.” Without him, Mia said she would not have been able to effectively express her music and her creativity, complementing by saying her writing and composing process is very similar to his due to the huge influence his music has always had on her since her childhood, even before knowing him in person. According to our badass bassist, there would be no Black Metal without Tom, with his classic bands Hellhammer and Celtic Frost being obviously among her favorite metal acts of all time. Mia also mentioned in some of her interviews the huge influence she also had from Abbath himself, whose real name is Olve Eikemo, always acknowledging the humongous importance his former band Immortal has always had on the birth and evolution of our beloved Norwegian Black Metal. I guess even after being fired from Abbath’s solo band the way it happened, Mia still sees him as a legend and as a true inspiration, and I’m sure she’ll always keep those moments onstage with him among her best memories in her musical career. Furthermore, in regards to bass players, Mia always mentions the enigmatic and multi-talented Peter Steele (R.I.P.), the lead singer, bassist and composer for Gothic Metal band Type O Negative, as her personal bass hero, but she also said she has always been fascinated by the onstage charisma of Martin Eric Ain (R.I.P.), the former bassist for Extreme Metal titans Celtic Frost, proving Mia definitely knows how to choose her music idols.
Finally, as much as we all see Mia as the talented and indestructible Black Metal bass player that she is, needless to say she’s also a human being like the rest of us, having to handle her own issues and struggles just like any regular person. As you can see in this article by Blabbermouth from the end of February, Mia mentioned in a special and very personal Facebook post that the past few months have been the been the darkest and most painful period of her life, with all recent events leaving her physically and emotionally destroyed. “I tried to face hell trying not to crack, always holding hard in front of events which, daily, were destroying my soul and my emotions, unfortunately, also physically, by pushing up that strong Mia everyone knows,” she wrote, complementing that by saying that “these terrible experiences are always destructive, but they also left a positive note: the ability to see who stayed, who, day after day, try to be close to me, without judging me or making me feel wrong, without making me feel the weight of my reactions dictated by despair, but simply making me feel that even though Mia is going through a negative phase, something good in her is still there, holding my hands and telling me that it will pass, listening to my pain, drying my tears and looking for the best way not to make me collapse.These people are the people who love me, my family, the people to whom my gratitude and love will remain as long as I am alive, and to whom I will give all of myself, with my strength and, unfortunately, flaws.” Those were the honest and austere words by “the imperfect” Mia, who we all wish a quick and healthy recovery and, of course, who we wish to see on stage smashing our skulls with her thunderous bass as soon as possible.
May 6, 2020 UPDATE: As you can see HERE, the unrelenting Mia Wallace has just been announced as the new bass player for Brazilian all-female Thrash Metal band Nervosa! The band’s mastermind Prika Amaral couldn’t have made a better choice to take care of their bass duties! Congratulations, Mia!
“As I have often been wont to do, I’ll quote Friedrich Nietzsche: ‘Without music, life would be a mistake.’ That has always been my modus vivendi.” – Mia Wallace
It’s time to listen to what these four (un)dead men from Orlando, Florida have to say in their thrilling new opus.
Three years after the release of the excellent The Sin and the Sentence, the unrelenting Matt Heafy on lead vocals and guitar, Corey Beaulieu on guitar and backing vocals, Paolo Gregoletto on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Alex Bent on drums and percussion, collectively known as Orlando, Florida-based Heavy Metal unity Trivium, return with another round of their always cohesive and breathtaking heavy music in What The Dead Men Say, the ninth studio album and another awesome addition to their undisputed career. Recorded at Studio 606 West in Northridge, Los Angeles, California, engineered, mixed and produced by Josh Wilbur, and mastered by Ted Jensen, What The Dead Men Say brings forward a myriad of styles and sounds that will please fans of all phases of the band, from Melodic Death Metal to Progressive Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal and Deathcore. “We’ve found a really great place to exist in this world. We love Melodic Death Metal, we love Death and Black Metal, and we love Hardcore. What the Dead Men Say is everything we do on one record,” commented Matt about their newborn spawn.
Furthermore, like The Sin and the Sentence, the lyrical content on What The Dead Men Say was inspired by modern aspects of life, with the album’s title being taken from a science fiction novella of the same name written by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in Worlds of Tomorrow magazine in June 1964. For instance, “Catastrophist” deals with the theme of humanity in a crisis, “Amongst the Shadows & the Stones” is about the horrors of war, “The Defiant” was inspired by R. Kelly’s documentary and abuse-enabling, “Bending the Arc to Fear” talks about the surveillance aspect of modern society, and so on, with the closing song “The Ones We Leave Behind” being about “running over” people to succeed in life, delivering a powerful message and portraying a whole new meaning in the wake of the 2019–2020 COVID-19 pandemic. With that said, it was more than obvious that the fusion of a precise and powerful music with meaningful lyrics would result in another future classic by Trivium, leaving us eager for more of their always-evolving and never-repetitive music in the years yet to come.
As soon as you hit play, the cinematic instrumental intro IX (a clear reference to the fact that What The Dead Men Say is their ninth full-length album) sets the stage for Matt & Co. to kick some ass with the title-track What the Dead Men Say, where Alex begins crushing his drums with tons of precision and fury accompanied by the scorching riffs by Matt and Corey. Bringing elements from the Progressive and Groove Metal by bands like Lamb Of God added to their core musicality, this is indeed an excellent way to start their new opus, followed by Catastrophist, one of the previously released singles of the album, keeping the groove and electricity flowing from start to finish. Moreover, its razor-edged riffs remind me of some of their compositions from their 2013 album Vengeance Falls, while Paolo makes the earth tremble with his sick bass jabs.
Then it’s time to go absolutely mental to the sound of Amongst the Shadows & the Stones, by far my favorite of all songs, presenting their trademark riffage and solos, intricate beats, tons of breaks and variations and an endless amount of violence in a hybrid of Groove, Heavy and Thrash Metal, with Matt rabidly roaring the song’s lyrics (“Bloodied corpses, broken bones reveal / A throng of clashes crushed, our nightmare sealed / Amongst the shadows and the stones”), whereas the semi-ballad Bleed Into Me, despite the solidness of the instrumental pieces (in special Paolo’s somber bass lines), doesn’t really click and falls flat after a while, but there’s nothing to worry about as this is the only low (or maybe I should say less intense) point of the entire album. And back to their usual high-octane mode the quartet fires the also amazing The Defiant, showcasing Iron Maiden-inspired guitars walking hand in hand with the vicious beats by Alex while at the same time presenting a great balance between Matt’s clean vocals and harsh screams. As a matter of fact, could this be an “alternate” version or a sequel to their classic “The Deceived” due to the sonic similarity between both songs? That’s a question only Matt, Corey, Paolo and Alex can answer, of course.
In the top-of-the-line Sickness Unto You a mellow and melancholic start gradually morphs into a violent metal feast by Trivium, with sheer rage flowing form Matt’s vocals while he and Corey demolish our ears with their razor-edged riffs, both supported by the always thunderous bass by Paolo, whereas Scattering the Ashes can be considered a good example of how diverse their new album is by blending the music from Silence In The Snow with In Waves, once again presenting a solid instrumental and spot-on backing vocals overflowing pure anguish. Then we’re treated to more of their always cryptic lyrics (“A strain of vigilance / Deep roots that all connect / We wait so diligent / Watching you / Watching you”) in Bending the Arc to Fear, starting in a Black and Thrash Metal-ish vibe and sounding perfect for slamming into the pit to the sound of the bestial drums by Alex. On a side note, I personally love the strident and metallic sound of their stringed axes throughout the entire album, enhanced by its crisp and polished overall production. Lastly, closing the album the quartet offers us all the melodic and vibrant The Ones We Left Behind, featuring the rumbling bass by Paolo accompanied by the stunning beats and fills by Alex while Matt and Corey give a lesson in riffs and feeling, concluding the album in a powerful and effective manner.
After listening to What The Dead Men Say in its entirety for a few times, you’ll quickly notice how not only the band’s technique and professionalism, but also their synchronicity, have been growing stronger and stronger through the years, pointing to an even brighter future for Matt and his bandmates in a near future and, therefore, positioning Trivium as one of the driving forces of modern-day metal music, never sounding tiresome nor predictable at all with each one of their releases. Hence, go check what the boys are up to on Facebook and on Instagram (especially because they’re all very active users of most social media platforms), subscribe to their YouTube channel, and above all that, grab your copy of such entertaining album from the Warner Music webstore or click HERE for all locations where you can buy or stream the album (and if you have some extra money go for the Japanese Edition of the album, as it contains two very special acoustic versions for the songs “Bleed Into Me” and “Scattering the Ashes”), raising your horns, banging your head and listening to what the (un)dead men from Trivium have to say through their unparalleled music.
Best moments of the album: Amongst the Shadows & the Stones, The Defiant, Sickness Unto You and The Ones We Left Behind.
Worst moments of the album:Bleed Into Me.
Released in 2020 Roadrunner Records
Track listing 1. IX 1:59
2. What the Dead Men Say 4:45
3. Catastrophist 6:28
4. Amongst the Shadows & the Stones 5:40
5. Bleed Into Me 3:49
6. The Defiant 4:29
7. Sickness Unto You 6:14
8. Scattering the Ashes 3:25
9. Bending the Arc to Fear 4:46
10. The Ones We Left Behind 4:57
Japanese Edition bonus tracks 11. Bleed Into Me (Acoustic version) 3:45
12. Scattering the Ashes (Acoustic version) 3:04
Band members Matt Heafy – lead vocals, guitar
Corey Beaulieu – guitar, backing vocals
Paolo Gregoletto – bass guitar, backing vocals
Alex Bent – drums, percussion
Originally formed as an instrumental and acoustic solo project by vocalist and guitarist Alden Bradstock (Seventh Seal) in 2014, Westminster, Maryland-based Melodic Death Metal act Senescere grew into a full band with the addition of three new members in 2016, Nathan Heavel on bass, Andy Stark on drums and Josh Clark on additional vocals (all from bands such as Seventh Seal and Vestascension), allowing Alden to expand the band’s musical reach to a more aggressive and abrasive sound in their brand new opus Alive But Somewhere Else. Produced by Alden and Josh themselves, engineered and mixed by Josh at Dark Hollow Studio, mastered by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studio, and featuring a stylish cover photograph by Mandy Martz Chappell, the album focuses on struggling with grief, turning to unhealthy sources of comfort and creating a false sense of happiness to deal with a loss. As stated by Alden himself, “loss and aging have been the central theme of this project since the beginning. I think I’ll always find some inspiration there, and new ways of looking at the pain and struggles it can bring. There are all kinds of faces and stages of grief. It’s dynamic, it isn’t always dark and miserable. It’s deceptive and difficult to categorize. I wanted the music to reflect this somehow, and I think that’s why I enjoy mixing multiple styles and varying intensity in the songwriting. It’s allowed to be extra melodic and catchy at times, just as it’s allowed to dive into blasting drums and tremolo picking if the song calls for it.”
After such powerful display of metal music, simply sit down, relax and let the enfolding lines from the instrumental piece Melted penetrate deep inside your mind before a wall of sounds smashes your senses in the fantastic Resonate, where Alden’s crisp riffs are beautifully complemented by the low-tuned bass by Nathan, exhaling progressiveness and feeling and all spiced by Alden’s piercing guitar solo; whereas Alden and Josh make a fantastic vocal duet in Aging Affinity, blending the visceral and violent sounds of classic Death Metal with the harmony and complexity of more modern styles, ending in a cryptic and atmospheric way. Heartspace is perfect for slamming into the circle pit while at the same time enjoying the sharp and intricate beats by Andy and the thunderous bass lines by Nathan, resulting in another ode to contemporary Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal that ends up warming up our senses for almost ten minutes of Senescere’s wicked music in Moon And Sun, where the band’s razor-edged riffs, pounding drums and obscure vocals invite the listener to an exciting metal voyage in what’s by far the most progressive and detailed of all songs, even bringing hints of Black Metal and putting an introspective and climatic ending to the album.
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 