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Album Review – Vile Species / Disqualified As a Human (2024)

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Get ready to be pulverized by 20 minutes of first-class Grindcore made in Greece not recommended for the lighthearted.

Formed in late 2019 in Athens, Greece, the ruthless Grindcore brigade known as Vile Species has just unleashed upon us all their pulverizing new album, titled Disqualified As A Human, the follow-up to their 2022 opus Against the Values of Civilization. Recorded, mixed and mastered by David Prudent at Made in Hell Studio, and displaying a stylish artwork by Giannis Nakos of Art Remedy Design (Suffocation, Vomitory, and many more), the new beast by Sotiris on vocals, Mat on the guitar, Chris on bass and vocals, and Michalis on drums offers our avid ears 20 minutes of first-class Grindcore not recommended for the lighthearted, in special the ones who should not be qualified as humans as the title of the album already states.

The album begins in full force with the title-track Disqualified As a Human, a lesson in Grindcore led by the brutally furious beats by Michalis, followed by Once a Body, Now a Corpse, another blast of sheer violence where Sotiris barks like a demonic creature for our total delight, whereas Those Who Act Violent is also as putrid and demented as it can be, keeping their animosity flowing strong. In Αγκυλωτός Σκοταδισμός, which means “hooked obscuration” in Greek, the visceral riffs by Mat sound utterly insane; and Mat and Chris show no mercy for their axes in Self Inflicted Mind Imprisonment, proving Greek Grindcore is perfect for some brutal slamming. There’s no sign of those guys slowing down, as it’s absolute madness blasted by the quartet in Preaching Hatred – Side Casualties, and by now I guess you know Injected With Apathy is going to be another round of Grindcore insanity made in Greece, while hammering drums and caustic riffs set the tone in the fulminating Plebs in Despair.

Battering Scum is by far one of the most demented songs of the album, if that’s humanly possible, with Sotiris roaring manically nonstop. Then Michalis sounds like a demolishing machine in Predetermined Decadence Pt.3, whereas in The Sound they let their Brutal Death Metal vein arise to the deep gnarling by Sotiris. The Invisible Ones offers us all a massive wall of insanity, violence and obscurity blasted by the band in the name of our good old Grindcore, followed by The Cradle Has Fallen, again injecting the aggression and heaviness of Death Metal into their sound, with Michalis once again taking the lead behind his drums. And continuing their path of savagery in the form of Grindcore we have A Cross Up the Ass = God As a Weapon, before all comes to an end in Sverkoma, offering a little over a minute of the carnivorous riffs by Mat while Chris pounds his bass ruthlessly until the very end.

This precious gem of the Greek Grindcore scene is available in full on YouTube, but of course you can purchase the album on BandCamp, or grab a vinyl copy of it from countless places as this is a co-release between EveryDayHealth, Gore Kitty Records, Helldog Records, Nihilocus Records, Nothing to Harvest, Nostril Bush and Throne of Lies Records, and there’s also a CD and tape release in the horizon. You can also find the band on Facebook and on Instagram, keeping up to date with all things Vile Species, and keeping more than pumped for some quality time inside the circle pit together with this amazing Greek band armed with their ruthless new album.

Best moments of the album: Disqualified As a Human, Once a Body, Now a Corpse, Battering Scum and The Cradle Has Fallen.

Worst moments of the album: Preaching Hatred and A Cross Up the Ass = God As a Weapon.

Released in 2024 Independent

Track listing
1. Disqualified As a Human 1:47
2. Once a Body, Now a Corpse 1:24
3. Those Who Act Violent 0:54
4. Αγκυλωτός Σκοταδισμός 1:25
5. Self Inflicted Mind Imprisonment 1:12
6. Preaching Hatred – Side Casualties 1:24
7. Injected With Apathy 1:08
8. Plebs in Despair 1:16
9. Battering Scum 1:37
10. Predetermined Decadence Pt.3 1:04
11. The Sound 1:33
12. The Invisible Ones 1:32
13. The Cradle Has Fallen 1:52
14. A Cross Up the Ass = God As a Weapon 1:18
15. Sverkoma 1:16

Band members
Sotiris – vocals
Mat – guitar
Chris – bass, vocals
Michalis – drums

Album Review – Waves Idle Symmetry / Ametron (2024)

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This talented Black Metal duo hailing form Greece will take you on a stunning and grim journey to the sound of their first full-length album.

Formed in 2021 Chalcis, also called Chalkida or Halkida, the chief city of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, the talented Black Metal duo Waves Idle Symmetry is ready to unleash upon humanity their first full-length opus, titled Ametron, following up on their 2022 debut EP Thalassa. Recorded, mixed and mastered by David Prudent at Made in Hell Studio, and displaying a classy artwork by Alexandra Kyritsi, the album presents a much stronger and focused duo comprised of G.K. on vocals, guitars and bass, and C.D. on drums, expanding their music to further horizons by including progressive and technical elements to their sound while always remaining loyal to their core Black Metal essence, turning the journey through the nine tracks of the album into a truly engaging one for all admirers of the genre.

The Middle-Eastern acoustic guitar by G.K. kicks off the Black Metal feast Adrift In Aegean, quickly morphing into an overdose of sharp riffs and blast beats while G.K.’s both clean vocals and demonic roars exhale madness, followed by Waves Aligned, again presenting the duo’s pensive lyrics (“Deserted eyes / Sparking hate and sorrow / Reflecting the uncertainty / That grows inside me / A monster becoming / Fed in a nest of apathy / Egoism reacts in order / To defeat the misery”) amidst a bold, piercing and extreme onrush of old school Black Metal magic. C.D. then delivers intricate yet visceral beats in the headbanging tune Resilient, accompanied by the always incendiary riffage by G.K., whereas the title-track Ametron offers our putrid ears another overdose of hatred, obscurity and fire led by the crushing beats by C.D., flowing into a melancholic, grim sound in All These That Ends, where the gnarls by G.K. exhale endless evil, therefore offering us all pure Black Metal until the very last second.

Then leaning towards contemporary Melodic Black Metal the duo crushes our souls in Mindweaver, bringing forward more of their harsh gnarling, blast beats and incendiary riffs, as well as interesting switches between their more old school sound and their more melodic passages; and it’s time to break our necks headbanging in the name of evil in The Sun Of Despair, with G.K. and C.D. generating a beautiful Black Metal atmosphere with their guitars and drums while G.K. keeps vociferating manically nonstop. The Pillars Of Dignity presents more of their poetic words (“The innocence ends / As reality of failure strikes / Taste how it feels / To reach rock bottom / And trying to stand on your feet / Saviors drift apart / Numbness buried deep inside”) while the music remains imposing and cryptic during the song’s four minutes; whereas lastly the duo offers a climatic, epic tune titled Άπνοια, which is Greek for “apnea” or “shortness of breath”, alternating between demonic, harsh moments and more serene passages, with G.K. sounding evil with his roars and riffs.

While Waves Idle Symmetry are a Black Metal band, after listening to Ametron you’ll realize they’re not your regular Black Metal band, offering an array of styles in their sound to make things bolder and more interesting in the end. Hence, don’t forget to give them a shout on Facebook and stay updated with all things Waves Idle Symmetry, to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their music, and of course to grab a copy of their newborn beast Ametron from their own BandCamp page. I think I don’t need to say how awesome the Greek Black Metal scene has always been, and we must thank bands like Waves Idle Symmetry for keeping the spirit alive and for embellishing the airwaves with their fusion of darkness and melody like what they have to offer in their new album, while us fans will have another reason to keep praising the Hellenic gods of metal for always offering us such amazing bands.

Best moments of the album: Waves Aligned, Ametron and The Sun Of Despair.

Worst moments of the album: Resilient.

Released in 2024 Independent

Track listing
1. Adrift In Aegean 5:26
2. Waves Aligned 5:02
3. Resilient 4:52
4. Ametron 4:46
5. All These That Ends 6:03
6. Mindweaver 4:48
7. The Sun Of Despair 4:15
8. The Pillars Of Dignity 3:46
9. Άπνοια 5:46

Band members
G.K. – vocals, guitars, bass
C.D. – drums

Album Review – Gravewards / Subconscious Lobotomy EP (2017)

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Enjoy 22 minutes of destructive Death Metal delivered by a Greek power trio aiming at unleashing metal music with tons of groove and vile vibes, blended with technical and aggressive thrash sounds and their own twisted atmosphere.

And the endless source of high-quality metal music that is the Hellenic Republic brings to us another recently born Death Metal act that goes by the interesting name of Gravewards, a Death Metal power trio based in the capital Athens and formed in late 2015. Aiming at unleashing metal music with tons of groove and vile vibes heavily influenced not only by old school Death Metal, but also by technical and aggressive thrash sounds blended with their own twisted atmosphere, this Greek band is the latest option in the market for fans of bands such as Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, Obituary, Death and Benediction.

Recorded at Made In Hell Studio in Athens in late 2016, and featuring a straightforward, dark artwork By Czech designer Vojtěch Moonroot Doubek (Moonrot Art), the debut demo by Gravewards, titled Subconscious Lobotomy, will bring to your avid ears 22 minutes of destructive Death Metal split in four original creations by the band, working as a solid warmup for their upcoming releases. Those guy might be “just” a power trio, but the amount of energy and aggressiveness they put into making their music feels like they’re a full-bodied band with five or even more members. Be ready to get smashed by Nikos on vocals and guitars, Fotis on bass, and Vasilis on drums, and enjoy the demonic music by another band that proudly carries the flag of Greek Metal wherever they go.

Distorted lines and a hostile ambience are the background for Nikos and his bandmates to begin crushing with their visceral Death Metal in Casket Entrapment, also presenting hints of Doom and Sludge Metal to make things even more interesting. Moreover, Nikos sounds like a rabid beast on vocals, while Vasilis punishes his drums mercilessly during the whole song. In the next song of the EP, the heavy and sluggish title-track Subconscious Lobotomy, not only the rumbling bass by Fotis together with the blackened guitars by Nikos dictate the rhythm, but it also has a primeval vibe perfect for breaking your spine headbanging. Put differently, this is the type of song that offers the listener a very cohesive sonority with that raw punch we always look for in good quality Death Metal.

Sounding even more enraged and demented than before, Nikos keeps growling like a beast while Fotis and Vasilis set the desired ambience for his vile gnarls in Crawling Chaos, a showcase of almost seven minutes of a groovy and violent bloodshed the likes of Obituary, Entombed, Unleashed and several other classic acts that play old school Death Metal. And lastly, Deathwomb Incubation begins with an eerie female voice followed by melodic guitars in a gripping rhythm, gradually becoming a menacing spawn of evil Death Metal with the desperate, deep growls by Nikos penetrating your mind while Fotis and Vasilis keep shaking the earth with their low-tuned weapons until the song’s vibrant and abrupt ending.

In summary, Gravewards have just risen from the pits of hell and are definitely here to stay, disturbing our peace with the ruthless and gruesome Death Metal found in Subconscious Lobotomy, giving a very good sense of the destructive path this honest and hardworking Greek power trio might take in their future releases. If you are curious to know more about the band, go check their Facebook page and YouTube channel, and in case you’re an admirer of underground extreme music you can purchase their debut demo at Discogs or at the Dying Victims Productions’ webstore. I’m sure the guys from Gravewards will appreciate your support, which will certainly fuel them for keeping delivering crushing Death Metal to your ears.

Best moments of the album: Subconscious Lobotomy.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2017 Independent

Track listing
1. Casket Entrapment 5:38
2. Subconscious Lobotomy 4:08
3. Crawling Chaos 6:37
4. Deathwomb Incubation 5:19

Band members
Nikos – vocals, guitars
Fotis – bass
Vasilis – drums