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Album Review – Angelus Apatrida / Aftermath (2023)

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Spain’s Thrash Metal masters are back with a vicious and vital response to the chaos we see all around us, offering our avid ears all titanium-plated modern thrash of the highest order.

The world has taken a battering over the last few years, but Spanish Thrash Metal masters Angelus Apatrida are leading the fightback. Two years after their breathtaking self-titled album, the band formed of vocalist and guitarist Guillermo Izquierdo, guitarist David G. Álvarez, bassist José J. Izquierdo and drummer Víctor Valera returns to the battlefield with a striking new opus titled Aftermath, a vicious and vital response to the chaos we see all around us. Produced by the band itself, recorded by Juanan López at Baboon Records, mixed and mastered by Zeuss at Planet-Z, and displaying a classy artwork by longtime collaborator Gyula Havancsák of Hjules Illustration and Design, the eighth studio album in their undisputed career is titanium-plated modern thrash of the highest order, marking a pinnacle in the band’s determined and always fruitful career.

Their most thrashing side arises like a beast from the underworld in Scavenger, with Víctor showcasing a superb performance on drums while the guitars sound as caustic as they can be, followed by Cold, a very rhythmic yet visceral tune with its awesome lyrics being declaimed by Guillermo in great fashion (“I find myself in places that I’ve never been before / Tried to beat the weakness but I’m not even close / The sands of time are falling and it’s hard to get this far / Left behind in chaos I keep going the best I can”). Then, featuring guest vocals by the iconic Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, it’s time to add an extra dosage of Hardcore to their sound in Snob, where Guillermo and Jamey make a sensational vocal duo while the instrumental pieces sound pulverizing; whereas Fire Eyes is a darker, more introspective tune where Guillermo and David, plus guest guitarist Pablo García of Warcry, sound ruthless with their sharp riffage and solos. And Rats is faster, more brutal and electrifying, another Thrash Metal beast by Angelus Apatrida that will generate some insane circle pits during their live shows.

A slow and dark start quickly evolves into another thrashing attack by the quartet in To Whom It May Concern, with Víctor once again hammering his drums nonstop, not to mention it’s beautiful breaks, variations and guitar solos, and they keep blasting their instruments in Gernika, perfect for some action inside the pit to the venomous roars by Guillermo and the rumbling kitchen by José and Víctor. Are you still alive? If so, get ready to be crushed to pieces in I Am Hatred, with the guitars by Guillermo and David piercing our ears mercilessly; and featuring guest vocals by Sho-Hai of Violadores del Verso, What Kills Us All brings forward more of their acid Thrash Metal for our total delight, with Víctor stealing the spotlight with his classic beats and fills. Lastly, featuring guest vocalist Todd La Torre of Queensrÿche, we’re treated to the stunning Vultures and Butterflies, showcasing a beautiful chorus (“As deadly as a vulture / As fragile as a butterfly / Both dancers within nature / Circling till they die”) amidst a lecture in heavy music blending heaviness, melancholy and darkness in a sensational way. Furthermore, the digital edition of the album contains two killer bonus tracks, those being live versions of Indoctrinate and Give ‘Em War that sound absolutely insane, with Guillermo sounding flawless on vocals on both.

In a nutshell, Angelus Apatrida nailed it once again with Aftermath, proving why they’re one of the most respected, talented and hardworking names of the Thrash Metal scene worldwide. Hence, you can feel all the adrenaline and violence flowing form their bestial new album by streaming it in full on YouTube and on Spotify, and of course by purchasing your desired version of the album by clicking HERE. You can also start following the guys from Angelus Apatrida on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details about them, and subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their insane music and videos. “We can describe ‘Aftermath’ as what metal means to us,” commented Guillermo. “It contains the best songs we’ve ever written. It is just very difficult to pick just one or two highlights on this album since every single track could be a single itself.” Let’s say that he basically summarized the album perfectly, and if you consider yourself a true thrasher, don’t waste a single second and go slam into the circle pit while listening to such metal masterpiece.

Best moments of the album: Scavenger, Snob, Rats and Vultures and Butterflies.

Worst moments of the album: Fire Eyes.

Released in 2023 Century Media Records

Track listing
1. Scavenger 3:47
2. Cold 5:53
3. Snob 4:33
4. Fire Eyes 5:26
5. Rats 5:12
6. To Whom It May Concern 8:38
7. Gernika 3:59
8. I Am Hatred 3:27
9. What Kills Us All 5:02
10. Vultures and Butterflies 4:44

Digital Edition bonus tracks
11. Indoctrinate (Live in Bilbao 2023) 6:27
12. Give ‘Em War (Live in Barcelona 2023) 3:30

Band members
Guillermo Izquierdo – vocals, guitars
David G. Álvarez – guitars
José J. Izquierdo – bass
Víctor Valera – drums

Guest musicians
Jamey Jasta – vocals on “Snob”
Pablo García – guitars on “Fire Eyes”
Todd La Torre – vocals on “Vultures and Butterflies”
Sho-Hai – vocals on “What Kills Us All”

Album Review – Dauthuz / Cold (2021)

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Enjoy the new album by this ruthless squad that has been assaulting Dutch eardrums with their own twisted version of skull crushing, pounding Death Metal since 2015.

3.5rating

dauthuz-cold-2021Since their inception in 2015 in Zaanstad, a Dutch municipality in the province of North Holland, the ruthless Death Metal squad known as Dauthuz (old school slang for “the process of dying”) has been assaulting Dutch eardrums with their own twisted version of skull crushing, pounding Death Metal, and that couldn’t have been any different with their sophomore opus straightforwardly entitled Cold. Why Cold? Because cold are the calculations that operate the war machine, cold is the broken heart of the vengeful stalker, cold feels the barrel of the gun in the mouth of the victim, cold are the limbs of the last survivor on the frozen plain, and cold are those on the six feet deep descent. In other words, cold is death, and that’s exactly what vocalist Emiel, guitarists Dennis Jak and Hans Bijland, bassist Tim Roeper and drummer Bas Polder bring forth in their new album, recorded and produced by Dennis Jak, mixed and mastered by Kristian Kohle of the infamous Kohlekeller Studio, and featuring a stylish artwork by Italian artist Roberto Toderico.

The Evil Wicked Do is infernal and heavy right from the very first second thanks to the smashing drums by Bas and the visceral, deep growling by Emiel, or in other words, it’s classic Death Metal from the 90’s that kicks off the album on an aggressive and demented mode, and there’s no time to breath as the quintet keeps hammering our cranial skulls mercilessly in the fast and furious A New Dawn, where Dennis and Hans are unstoppable with their wicked riffage. Let’s keep slamming into the circle pit to the sound of The Dead, a pure Death Metal feast spearheaded by the strident guitars by Dennis and Hans while Emiel continues to roar and bark manically, accompanied by the rumbling bass by Tim and ending in a truly menacing way; whereas your ideal soundtrack to the end of the world must contain the song The Apocalypse, a fulminating lecture in old school Death Metal where Bas is once again infernal behind his drums, elevating the song’s darkness to a whole new level.

The title-track Cold will blacken your hearts and minds to the sound of the headbanging riffs by the band’s guitar duo while Emiel continues his path of savagery on vocals, not to mention the grim aura that permeates the air throughout the entire song, whereas investing in a darker and heavier sonority the likes of Unleashed, this unrelenting Dutch squad fires the massive tune Hellborn, inviting us all to crack our necks headbanging like true metalheads while Dennis and Hans deliver some sick guitar solos for our total delight.  Even more demented than its predecessors, Gore is a lecture in venomous Death Metal where Emiel sounds like a demonic entity on vocals while his bandmates make sure every single space in the air is filled with hatred and, of course, gore; followed by Termination, not as dynamic nor as detailed as the rest of the album albeit still presenting the band’s obscurity and heaviness from start to finish, with Emiel stealing the spotlight with his Stygian growling. Lastly, there’s nothing better than a pulverizing tune the likes of Crossfire to conclude the album, with all band members being on fire, bringing forth sheer malignancy while Bas once again takes the lead with his blast beats.

dauthuz-2021The unrelenting, demented Death Metal crafted by Dauthuz in Cold can be fully appreciated on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course if you want to show your true support to the underground you should definitely purchase the album from the band’s Big Cartel, from Apple Music or from Amazon, as well as follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and all things Dauthuz, and subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their music. Death Metal made in the Netherlands can’t get any colder than this, and by that I mean any darker nor heavier than what Dauthuz offer us all in their new album, setting fire to their path of devastation and pointing to a bright future ahead of such hardworking Dutch act.

Best moments of the album: The Evil Wicked Do, The Apocalypse and Gore.

Worst moments of the album: Termination.

Released in 2021 Stageblast Records

Track listing
1. The Evil Wicked Do 4:00
2. A New Dawn 2:52
3. The Dead 6:13
4. The Apocalypse 3:20
5. Cold 4:51
6. Hellborn 5:10
7. Gore 4:03
8. Termination 4:56
9. Crossfire 7:10

Band members
Emiel – vocals
Dennis Jak – guitars
Hans Bijland – guitars
Tim Roeper – bass
Bas Polder – drums

Album Review – NONE / NONE (2017)

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Over 30 minutes of chilling and despondent Atmospheric Black Metal by an unknown entity from the Pacific Northwest that will darkly guide you on a one-way journey to emptiness.

“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Chilling and despondent music from the Pacific Northwest is what you’ll hear on the impressive self-titled debut album by Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal entity NONE, a dark, full-bodied album comprised of three freakish and distinct arias interconnected by the howling winds of winter that will certainly appeal to fans of the Atmospheric Black Metal and DSBM (Depressive Suicidal Black Metal) crafted by groups such as Shining, ColdWorld and Woods of Desolation. Misery, grief, negativity and hopelessness are just a few elements you’ll find in the music by NONE, darkly guiding you on a one-way journey to emptiness.

Formed in 2015 in the city of Portland, Oregon, in the United States, NONE doesn’t carry its simple but enigmatic name in vain. NONE is precisely that, as they have no faces and they are no one, being solely represented by the depressive and obscure sounds emanating from each one of the three multi-layered compositions of the album. Drawing influences from the most melancholic and austere forms of atmospheric extreme music, NONE can quickly become the soundtrack to your most obscure moments, showing you that solitude might not be a bad solution at all in our lives.

In the opening track, simply titled Cold, the atmosphere couldn’t feel more sinister and disheartened, with its background noises and smooth piano notes quickly exploding into a puissant sonority. This is beautiful Depressive Black Metal perfect for closing your eyes and letting darkness embrace you, showcasing not only demonic gnarls and Stygian Black Metal guitars, but also presenting acoustic elements to bring some sort of false peace and hope to our hearts, before its climatic ending gets back to a somber and heavy sonority.

Also phantasmagorical and doomed, Wither is a direct sequel to its predecessor, with its Black Metal sounds invading our ears and souls while its hellish growls transpire hatred and despair. Furthermore, it brings forward a distressing aura found in the most sluggish and evil form of Blackened Doom, resulting in a delicate and at the same time powerful creation by NONE. And in Suffer we finally reach the stage where all songs together become one, displaying anguished screams and slow-paced Doom Metal beats complemented by the song’s serene piano notes. It’s a strong conclusion to the story being told by this arcane creature known as NONE, morphing into a desolated ending where it’s clear that darkness has taken full control of our souls.

You can purchase a digital copy of NONE at the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp, but if you prefer to actually put your hands on such bitterly cold and mordant Depressive Black Metal work-of-art, the album is available in a 6-panel digipack (limited to 300 copies) at the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ webstore, where you can also find it as a T-shirt + CD bundle, or at Discogs. You already know that after following the dark path crafted by this unknown entity there’s no way back, but I guess you really don’t care about the consequences. Quite the contrary, that’s exactly where you want to be.

Best moments of the album: Wither.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2017 Hypnotic Dirge Records

Track listing
1. Cold 11:57
2. Wither 8:45
3. Suffer 9:25

Band members
*Information not available*