Tag Archives: ouroboros

Album Review – Yass-Waddah / Lust for Domination (2023)

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A lone wolf hailing from Spain will take you on a dark and mysterious Symphonic Black Metal journey to the sound of his third and bestial full-length opus.

Formed in 2011 in , Venice, Italy, but currently located in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, Spain, the unrelenting Symphonic Black Metal one-man army Yass-Waddah, which name was taken from the novel Cities of the Red Night, by American writer and visual artist William Burroughs (with Yass-Waddah being the name of a city, a “female stronghold” where “everything is true and nothing is permitted except to the permitters”) has just unleashed its third full-length opus, titled Lust for Domination, the follow-up to the project’s 2020 album This Reality Is Just a Deception. Written, recorded, mixed and mastered by the project’s mastermind, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Pietro Baldan, displaying a sick artwork by Gragoth of Luciferium War Graphics, and featuring guest drummer Arnaud Krakowka (Embryonic Autopsy, Shivered), Lust for Domination will take you on a dark and mysterious journey highly recommended for fans of Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and Septicflesh, among others.

A sinister intro suddenly explodes into a Black Metal feast titled Ride The Kali Yuga, with Arnaud kicking some ass on drums while Pietro sounds devilish with both his gnarls and riffs; and Pietro and Arnaud continue to darken the skies with their fusion of Symphonic and Melodic Black Metal in Decomposition Of Virtues, again showcasing an overdose of Stygian, infernal roars and visceral yet melodious riffs. Then after a grim spoken excerpt their Black Metal onrush goes on in Sophisticated Use Of Force, with the sound of the guitars living up to the legacy of classic Scandinavian Black Metal, whereas Collective Catatonia lacks the same energy and variations from the previous tracks, but the project’s core elements are there and the drumming by Arnaud sounds solid from start to finish. Then we have Ouroboros, perhaps the rawest, most Black Metal of all songs, where Pietro goes straight to the point with a sonic avalanche distilling his demonic gnarling and razor-edged riffs for our total delight, while also presenting some interesting tempo changes throughout the song.

The second half of the album begins with the beautifully titled Envelope Filled With Black Sand, where Pietro and Arnaud slow things down a bit while still sounding as heavy and obscure as possible, while Pietro delivers some striking solos to give the whole song an extra kick; followed by In The Name Of Progress, another infernal attack by the duo with Pietro taking the lead with his scorching vocals and riffs while Arnaud continues to smash his drums in the name of extreme music. Then investing in a even more demonic sonority we have Flesh Suit, where Pietro’s screeches and gnarls exhale Black Metal while the instrumental pieces sound absolutely demolishing. Their second to last Black Metal extravaganza, titled Burn Your Flag, will leave you totally disoriented due to its endless rage, madness and heaviness, presenting an amazing job done by Pietro on vocals supported by the thunderous drums by Arnaud, before we face one final demonic attack by Pietro and his Yass-Waddah entitled Fortune Favours The Brave, ending the album on a sulfurous note thanks to his always scorching riffs and rumbling bass.

In a nutshell, the bestial and symphonic Lust for Domination, which is available for a full listen on YouTube and on Spotify, will definitely help Pietro cement the name of Yass-Waddah in the underground extreme scene, bringing to our avid ears all of his talent, creativity and, of course, passion for heavy music in the form of an amazing album tailored for admirers of the genre. Hence, in order to support Pietro, you can purchase his new album directly from his BandCamp page as well as from Apple Music, inspiring our beyond talented musician to keep crafting majestic Black Metal music for many years to come under his Stygian and thrilling alter-ego Yass-Waddah.

Best moments of the album: Ride The Kali Yuga, Ouroboros and Burn Your Flag.

Worst moments of the album: Collective Catatonia.

Released in 2023 They Live We Sleep Recordings

Track listing
1. Ride The Kali Yuga 3:58
2. Decomposition Of Virtues 3:55
3. Sophisticated Use Of Force 3:33
4. Collective Catatonia 3:52
5. Ouroboros 3:04
6. Envelope Filled With Black Sand 4:17
7. In The Name Of Progress 2:48
8. Flesh Suit 3:18
9. Burn Your Flag 4:11
10. Fortune Favours The Brave 2:44

Band members
Pietro Baldan – vocals, guitars, bass

Guest musician
Arnaud Krakowka – drums (session)

Album Review – Pestilent Reign / Pyres (2018)

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Get ready for a feast of modern Death Metal blasted by a hardworking German act with their debut full-length opus, singing about the constant anger borne from injustice, human stupidity and religious bigotry.

It’s time to be absolutely pulverized by the frantic, modern and very technical Death Metal played by a German four-piece act known as Pestilent Reign, who are releasing their debut full-length album this year, entitled Pyres. Formed in 2013 by guitarist Lars Hägele and vocalist Christoph Sauner in the city of Sttutgart, in Southern Germany, Pestilent Reign released two EP’s after their inception, those being Shivering Chaos, in 2015, and The Zealot, in 2016, leading the band to play from local to international shows at festivals like Monthly Assault in Switzerland and Nice To Eat You in the Czech Republic, and sharing the stage with well-known bands like Benighted, Wormed, Unfathomable Ruination, Implore, Pighead, Analepsy, Omophagia, Spasm, Gutalax, Serrabulho, Deserted Fear, Rottenness, Warfuck and Abysmal Torment.

Across 39 minutes split in eight fulminating tracks, Pyres draws strength from a multitude of influences such as Psycroptic, Dying Fetus, Aborted and Revocation in a multi-faceted manner that’s as rewarding to listen to as it is fun. On Pyres, Pestilent Reign strikes the perfect balance between straightforward modern Death Metal, sledgehammer-like brutality, thrashy hooks, technically adept flourishes, and monstrous grooves. Featuring an obscure cover artwork by Bahrull Marta (Abomination Imagery) from Indonesia, and with lyrical themes based on the constant anger borne from injustice, human stupidity and religious bigotry, Pyres is the result of the band’s dedication and hard work, powerfully representing their passion and devotion to extreme music.

A song that starts with a crazy voice barking the sentence “PEOPLE ARE CANCER!” has to be violent and austere, and Martyr is all that, igniting the intricate and piercing devastation by the quartet with Sebastian Unić showcasing all his skills behind his drum kit, before Christoph starts firing his Barney Grimway-inspired growls in an entertaining exhibit of modern and aggressive Progressive Death Metal. And their sonic demolition goes on in You Will Kneel in Piss and Blood, a Death Metal tune with some Black Metal nuances where Lars sounds pulverizing with his metallic riffs. Moreover, it’s impossible not to love the breaks and variations presented by the band throughout the song, while Christoph keeps blasting furious gnarls and screeches nonstop. And the band offers another explosion of their scorching Death Metal in Saviour, which also sounds melodic and extremely vile at the same time, showcasing a beastly Sebastian on drums while Lars and his flammable guitar add an extra touch of dementia to the musicality. And in Ouroboros, it’s impressive how they master the art of blending the aggressiveness and rage from Death Metal with the intricacy of Progressive Metal, with Christoph sounding like a vile creature on vocals while the rest of the band will inspire you to crush your head into the circle pit.

Cleanse the Flesh presents razor-edged riffs and nonstop annihilation flowing from start to finish, with bassist Matthias “Mick” Figura together with Sebastian creating a dense background perfect for the rabid screams by Christoph; whereas in Zealot a brutal and electrifying intro morphs into ass-kicking Progressive Death Metal, with Sebastian and his blast beats adding a touch of darkness to the music. In addition, pay good attention to the interesting narration about going to a Death Metal concert and its connection with Satan, as it brings a pinch of comedic relief to their crushing music. A demonic screech ignites another circle pit-catalyst titled I.M.T.R.M., a great tune by this demented German squad with both Lars and Matthias grinding their axes like there’s no tomorrow. And last but not least we have Gutter´s Filth, perhaps the most intricate and wicked of all songs in Pyres, where all four band members are smashing and pounding their instruments mercilessly. Moreover, the level of complexity flowing from the guitar lines by Lars is outstanding, not to mention the demented performance by Christoph on vocals.

The fury spawned by Pestilent Reign can be better appreciated by following them on Facebook, and if you want to carry all the rottenness of old school Death Metal fused with the complexity of progressive music from Pyres (which by the way is available for a full listen on YouTube) with you wherever you go, you can buy a copy of the album at the Rising Nemesis Records BandCamp or Big Cartel, at the Rebirth the Metal Productions BandCamp or Big Cartel, as well as on iTunes, Amazon or City Disc, and keep supporting the always fun and always exhilarating underground Extreme Metal scene.

Best moments of the album: You Will Kneel in Piss and Blood, Ouroboros and Gutter´s Filth.

Worst moments of the album: Saviour.

Released in 2018 Rising Nemesis Records/Rebirth the Metal Productions

Track listing
1. Martyr 4:20
2. You Will Kneel in Piss and Blood 3:34
3. Saviour 5:28
4. Ouroboros 4:02
5. Cleanse the Flesh 3:08
6. Zealot 6:59
7. I.M.T.R.M. 4:58
8. Gutter´s Filth 6:07

Band members
Christoph Sauner – vocals
Lars Hägele – guitar
Matthias “Mick” Figura – bass
Sebastian Unić – drums