Tag Archives: thrash metal

Metal Chick of the Month – Sasha Zagorc

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Heavy metal lives in me!

If one day you have the pleasure of visiting the stunning country of Slovenia (in case you haven’t done so already), you’ll be able to admire several distinguished attractions such as the unique Postojna Cave, the awe-inspiring Lake Bled and the Bled Castle, the Škocjan Caves and, in case you have just one single day in the capital Ljubljana, you can have a relaxing walk through the city’s charming streets and savor the exquisite tastes offered by all of its fancy restaurants. Hence, as a tribute to this wonderful country, to its culture and its people, there’s nothing better than kicking off another year at The Headbanging Moose than with the gorgeous and “louder than hell” Slovenian bassist Sasha Zagorc (or Saša Zagorc in proper Slovene), the songwriter, manager and leader of Slovenia’s own all-female Heavy Metal band Hellcats.

Born on July 22, 1986 in the city of Ljubljana, Sasha started playing classical guitar at a very early age in music school together with her sister Sonja Zagorc, the drummer for Hellcats, who at that time was studying flute. When they finished music school, Sasha switched from classical guitar to bass guitar (also playing in a few local bands) and her sister from flute to drums (quite a change in terms of noise and impact), and then they decided to form their own all-female band. Well, I guess you know what happened next, and that’s where our tribute to this blonde bombshell will be focused on through the next few lines. Are you ready to rumble to the sound of the Heavy Metal by our headbanging diva Sasha and her kick-ass bandmates?

Apart from Sasha on bass guitar and backing vocals, and her sister Sonja on drums, the first all-female metal band from Slovenia is also formed by Katja Mavec on guitars and Dasha Makuc on vocals. The name of the band, which combines femininity with a strong Heavy Metal attitude, was suggested by a friend of Sasha who’s also a musician and an airplane aficionado. He named the band after the Grumman F6F Hellcat, a carrier-based fighter aircraft. Formed in their hometown Ljubljana in 2003, it wasn’t easy for the Hellcats to find many female musicians due to the small size of the Slovenian music scene, a country of only 2 million habitants. However, due to Slovenia’s high level of development, even metal music (a genre usually relegated to the underground as opposed to pop and folk music) has its space in the country’s rich culture, with MetalDays (formerly known as Metalcamp), a huge festival held annually in the city of Tolmin, being the driving force of Heavy Metal in Slovenian soil.

Despite being on the road for over 10 years, Sasha and the Hellcats have only recorded two albums so far, the first being their self-titled EP Hellcats, in 2011, followed by the full-length album Divja Pot (named Warrior Princess in the English version) in 2013. That doesn’t mean they don’t have enough material already for a powerful live concert, which seems to be the thing they love the most in life. The band has already performed in several festivals such as Metalcamp in Slovenia, Viva la Pola festival in Croatia, Metal Franconia in Germany, and several TV and radio shows. For instance, in 2012 the Hellcats were invited to tour Russia, where among all the cities they played their most memorable moments were being one of the main attractions at the female bands rock festival named Zheleznye Devy (or “Iron Girls”), in the city of Kaluga, and performing at the music festival named Jelen Demofest, in Banja Luka. Hellcats achieved 4th place among more than 400 groups, becoming the highest placed foreign band ever at the festival.

If you want to see the lovely Sasha in action together with the Hellcats, there are a few official videos on YouTube in both Slovene and English, those being the Power Metal tune Steelrider (or Divja Pot in Slovene), the sexy Demons Dreams (or Sanjam Demone), the high-octane song Now Is My Time (or Prerojena), and the kick-ass hymn I Am (or Naprej). As a huge admirer of old school Heavy Metal, I personally prefer their more straightforward compositions, which emanate electricity, blood and passion. How not to get thrilled to the sound of Proud To Be Loud or Hellcats, or even better, to their first ever single and best song to date, the awe-inspiring Heavy Metal? The song’s Manowar-inspired lyrics (“Heavy metal lives in me / The hell between will set me free / Heavy metal lives in me / The ones who fake it can just leave”) are a thing of beauty. In addition, there are even a few live videos of those awesome songs online, as for example these live versions of Hellcats and Heavy Metal, recorded in 2013, and if you want to have a delicious overdose of Sasha you can take a look at this YouTube playlist, where you’ll find all official videos, some live performances, interviews, and special covers by Hellcats of icons such as Judas Priest, Doro and AC/DC.

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Perhaps the most organic and crisp performance available online by the Hellcats is their participation in a radio show called Metalmorfoza on November 15, 2014 at the Studio Hendrix for a radio station named Radio Koper. In case you do not have enough time to watch the full show, you can get a taste of the amazing rumbling bass lines by Sasha in the song Vladar Noči, live at that same program. An alternative way to enjoy the music by the Hellcats is on a program called Na Sceni, recorded on October 29, 2013 at the Slovenian channel RTV 4, but let me warn you that if you do not speak Slovene the only thing you’ll be able to understand is the music and nothing else.

Our unstoppable bass player has always been a metalhead, always wearing her own black leather clothes anywhere she goes, being highly influenced by heavy, thrash and hard rock behemoths like Pantera, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica and AC/DC, among others. Shasa mentioned in one of her interviews that she and her sister grew up listening to those bands, helping them to become who they are today. She also mentioned her biggest motivation to write music is life itself, with their compositions being filled with optimism, energy, love, passion and strength. When asked about which language she prefers singing, if English or Slovene, Sasha said they let their emotions lead them, it doesn’t matter if it’s in one language or another, all depending on which one better suits the message and feeling of the music. As an example, she cited the single Heavy Metal, sung entirely in Slovene and being a big success among metalheads all over the world.

Having a band provides our blonde metaller some well-deserved relaxation, and she loves going on tour with her best friends. Sasha said it’s not hard for them to keep the band going forward, as they love what they do. That’s the main reason why during the auditions for the missing band members when the band started, she and Sonja were not only trying to find the right musicians, but they were also looking for good personalities to get along with and to become friends with as well. In her own words, she thinks this is very important for female bands, because “girls like to chat more than guys”. You can take a listen at a short clip with Sasha HERE, where she talks to BBC about how challenging it is to maintain an all-girl metal band, and if you want to know more about her role in the band and how she learned to headbang, among other topics, click HERE for a 30-minute interview with Sasha and the unparalleled bassist Doris Yeh (Chthonic). For instance, did you know Sasha is a professional architect and graphic designer, as at least for now Hellcats cannot make a living out of music itself?

When asked about how she envisions her career with the Hellcats in the next five to ten years, Sasha provided an answer that, albeit a little cliché, is exactly everything we want to hear from a true Heavy Metal band anytime, anywhere. “In the next five to ten years from now we see Hellcats touring and performing on big stages and to be more and more successful every year and to have more and more fans. Our biggest wish is to tour the Europe first and then go to the USA”, said our metal diva. Let’s hope her dreams come true, and that she includes Canada on her tour when the Hellcats come to North America, or we will riot.

Sasha Zagorc’s Official Facebook page
Hellcats’ Official Facebook page
Hellcats’ Official Twitter
Hellcats’ Official Instagram

“Our music is about love, desires, passion and strength. Our songs are filled with optimism and energy. We have a lot to tell and we want people to feel good when they listen to our music.” – Sasha Zagorc

The Year In Review – Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2016

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“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” – David Bowie

The unexpected death of the most badass musician in history, Motörhead’s heart and soul Lemmy Kilmister, on December 28, 2015 was a harbinger of all the bad, shocking and revolting things that would turn the year of 2016 a true nightmare for mankind. That dark prophecy was confirmed less than two weeks later, more specifically on January 10 when we lost another true star in rock music to cancer, the unparalleled chameleon David Bowie, just two days after the release of his final masterpiece Blackstar. If that was not enough to make 2016 a miserable year, we also had to endure the passing of other icons who, despite not being metal, have always inspired countless bands and artists in heavy music. We lost Prince, Leonard Cohen and Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), to name a few, all irreplaceable losses to music in general. In addition, important names in the history of Heavy Metal also left us in 2016, such as Nick Menza (Megadeth) and Jimmy Bain (Rainbow, Dio), not to mention the disbandment of amazing groups like Eths (who are by the way part of our top 10 this year), Crucified Barbara and Bolt Thrower. And I’m not even going to talk about all other types of disasters and tragedies that happened all over the world, as the list is too macabre and grievous to be remembered in full.

Fortunately, 2016 was considerably generous for us headbangers in terms of the quantity and quality of albums released throughout the entire year, especially for diehard fans of old school Thrash Metal. Except for Slayer and Exodus, all other prominent names in Thrash Metal blasted the world with their high-speed, thrilling music, led by another superb album by Testament. Even Metallica released a decent album this year, just to give you an idea of how fruitful 2016 was for this rebellious type of music. Having said that, it’s time for The Headbanging Moose’s Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2016, excluding EP’s, best of’s and live albums. And even if 2017 is as hideous as 2016, let’s never forget the wise words by Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted “Theodore” Logan. Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!

testament_brotherhood-of-the-snake1. Testament – Brotherhood Of The Snake (REVIEW)
Join the Brotherhood of Thrash Metal spearheaded by one of the heaviest, most technical and most electrifying bands on the entire planet.
Best song of the album: The Number Game

cover2. Charred Walls Of The Damned – Creatures Watching Over the Dead (REVIEW)
A magnificent lecture in Heavy Metal by four electrified beasts.
Best song of the album: As I Catch My Breath

Cover3. Eths – Ankaa (REVIEW)
One of the most prominent and innovative French bands of all time returns with a true masterpiece of complexity, darkness and heaviness.
Best song of the album: Nefas

cover4. Primal Fear – Rulebreaker (REVIEW)
Who said rules must be broken for a metallic eagle to spread its wings and soar high in the skies of heavy music?
Best song of the album: Rulebreaker

megadeth_dystopia5. Megadeth – Dystopia (REVIEW)
And the dystopian world portrayed in the brand new album by the iconic Dave Mustaine and his Thrash Metal army is beyond awesome.
Best song of the album: Lying In State

abbathsoloface_6386. Abbath – Abbath (REVIEW)
The one and only Abbath takes a new step in his career with a brand new band an album.
Best song of the album: Fenrir Hunts

death angel_the evil divide7. Death Angel – The Evil Divide (REVIEW)
Fast and furious anthems, dark mid-tempo songs, austere lyrics and endless stamina. This is how Thrash Metal should always be done.
Best song of the album: Hell To Pay

anthrax_for all kings8. Anthrax – For All Kings (REVIEW)
A classy and electrifying Thrash Metal album especially crafted for all of us, the real kings of heavy music.
Best song of the album: Breathing Lightning

front9. Axel Rudi Pell – Game of Sins (REVIEW)
You might be a sinner, but don’t be a fool and go relish another magnificent album by Mr. Axel Rudi Pell and his loyal henchmen.
Best song of the album: Falling Star

nervosa-agony-201610. Nervosa – Agony (REVIEW)
Brazil’s meanest power trio returns with another marvelous blast of their kick-ass high-octane Thrash Metal.
Best song of the album: Theory of Conspiracy

And here we have the runner-ups, completing the top 20 for the year:

11. Blaze Bayley – Infinite Entanglement (REVIEW)
12. The Silent Rage – The Deadliest Scourge (REVIEW)
13. Neverworld – Dremasnatcher (REVIEW)
14. Ancesttral – Web Of Lies (REVIEW)
15. Front – Iron Overkill (REVIEW)
16. Dö – Tuho (REVIEW)
17. Be Under Arms – Doomed To Life (REVIEW)
18. SystemHouse33 – Regression (REVIEW)
19. Gojira – Magma (REVIEW)
20. False Coda – Secrets and Sins (REVIEW)

As in Heavy Metal the artwork is just as important as the music itself, like what always happens with bands such as Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica, KISS and tons of other metallic titans, we decided to list the Top 10 Cover Artworks of 2016. There are several reasons for an album art to be considered outstanding, such as its strong connection with the music like Iron Maiden’s Powerslave, its visual impact (usually associated with its controversial content) like Slayer’s God Hates Us All, or its perfect minimalism and finesse like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon. Do you agree with our list?

1. Anthrax – For All Kings [by Alex Ross]
2. Primeval Mass – To Empyrean Thrones [by Karmazid]
3. Witches Of Doom – Deadlights [by Carlo Muselli]
4. Ragehammer – The Hammer Doctrine [by Robert A. von Ritter]
5. Howls Of Ebb – Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows [by Agostino Arrivabene]
6. Testament – Brotherhood Of The Snake [by Eliran Kantor]
7. Henriette B – Tales of Reality (EP) [by Pierre-Alain D.]
8. Skáphe – Skáphe² [by H.V. Lyngdal]
9. Diabolizer – Apokalypse (MCD) [by Robert A. von Ritter]
10. Hostis – Hostis [by Zvonimir Grabić & Milena Nićić]

Rest assured in 2017 we at The Headbanging Moose will keep providing you the best of the underworld of Death, Thrash, Black, Symphonic, Epic, Power Metal and all other genres and subgenres of heavy music, as well as our view of the biggest names worldwide. There are already brand new albums confirmed for 2017 by Kreator, Sepultura, Grave Digger, Battle Beast and more, which means at least musically the new year promises to be really good. Thank you very much for your precious time, and keep on rockin’! Au revoir!

Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year! See you in 2017!

Well, before we go, here’s a special gift from Iron Maiden to all metalheads all over the world… A nice festive yule log fireplace to keep our hearts warm during the entire season!

Album Review – +MROME+ / Noetic Collision on the Roof of Hell (2016)

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If you’re eagerly looking for truly independent music in the world of Heavy Metal, this idiosyncratic Polish project will satisfy your craving with their fresh and unorthodox experimentations.

Rating5

mrome_ncotrohThe last review of the year is the epitome of independent metal, something we at The Headbanging Moose truly love to support, being absolutely raw, anti-mainstream, not interested in promoting band members and not interested in touring at all. Founded in the now far, far away year of 1995 by a group of teenage friends in the city of Andrychów, located in Southern Poland,  Death/Black Metal project +MROME+ was reborn in 2009 after almost a decade of silence, finally releasing as a duo now in 2016 the idiosyncratic album Noetic Collision on the Roof of Hell.

+MROME+ produce their music in their own primitive studio in complete isolation from the local scene, with their only principle being that every new recording is a new start for the band, a new stage, keeping things as different and interesting as possible, and they do that by not labeling their music nor sticking to a predetermined formula. If you take a listen at their collection of demos from 1997 to 1999 baptized as The Basement Sophisma, you’ll see how versatile +MROME+ are, ranging from devilish extreme music to unique cover version for non-metal classics such as Faith No More’s “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies”, and in Noetic Collision on the Roof of Hell the band continues with their heavy experimentations, always pushing their creative boundaries further and further.

When the opening track Colors begins, you’ll be facing a crossover of Death, Sludge and Progressive Metal, with its bass lines rumbling in your face, while Key V transpires aggressiveness through his harsh vocals and P provides the right amount of heaviness and intricacy behind his drums. Then +MROME+ turn up the heat and blast a dark and vile Death Metal composition titled Crush the Moon, sounding amazingly underground and powerful. It has an old school punch thanks to its catchy chorus and melodious, angry guitars, being in my opinion one of the best songs of the whole album. And in Migration Cult we have a great fusion of Death Metal and Rock N’ Roll, with its flammable Thrash Metal riffs complementing Key V’s deranged representation of the song’s wicked lyrics (“Marching far south from Eden / There is still something what push us on / Missing primal fixations / Will we abandon the code / The Holy Fuck”).

How the Gods Kill is an awesome tribute to one of the most eccentric musicians of all time, the one and only Danzig, keeping up with the obscurity of the original version with the low-tuned and menacing sound of bass guitar paving the path for an explosion of evil Heavy Metal. Following that superb cover song, Trust brings forward more of the band’s uproarious Death Metal with Key V and P delivering straightforward heavy music to our ears in a compelling way, whereas Generation Anthem is heavy and distorted music from the pits of Hell. Furthermore, the duo seems to love those menacing mid-tempo songs, firing blazing riffs and fierce beats nonstop. But just when you think the band is going to stick to some sort of formula they fire Piss & Laugh, showcasing a somber rhythm inspired by Dark Metal with the Blackened Doom guitars and the deep gnarls by Key V enhancing its damned atmosphere. At this point of the album, you’ll realize that calling +MROME+ just as Death or Black Metal is an understatement of their musical range and capabilities.

mromeOnce again bursting poetry and madness through the lyrics (“Monstrous iron worms / Feeding on fire / And flash / Choke the ground / March against the dawn / East from nest of crow / Days of hunger / Lions hunt”), Locust Follows Word presents a berserk intro followed by more thunderous bass lines and a grumpy attitude, with all additional elements in the background helping in strengthening the musicality considerably. The second to last blast of underground metal by this interesting project, titled Magister Figurae Morte, will kick you in the face with its pounding drums and energetic riffs in this solid display of ruthless metal from darkness, before The Arsonist closes the album majestically, with Key V impersonating the arsonist himself by setting fire to the musicality with his growls and riffs. In addition, P accelerates his beats to a traditional Black Metal style, generating a high-end feast of hellish music with a climatic ending.

+MROME+ do not have a Facebook page, a Twitter account or any other type of social media. As previously mentioned, it’s all about their music and the concept behind it, which means all things +MROME+ are summarized to their BandCamp page in the form of heavy music, with Noetic Collision on the Roof of Hell being their newest sonic experiment, but not their ultimate one at all. Fans of truly underground metal will hear more about +MROME+ in a not-so-distant future for sure, as they’re already recording Roi-de-Rats, their next full-length opus. Well, I’m already eager to see what Key V, P and the band’s original bassist (who has just rejoined the project after all these years) will offer from their arsenal of extreme and primeval music.

Best moments of the album: Crush the Moon, How the Gods Kill and The Arsonist.

Worst moments of the album: Generation Anthem.

Released in 2016 Independent

Track listing
1. Colors 4:03
2. Crush the Moon 4:33
3. Migration Cult 3:31
4. How the Gods Kill (Danzig cover) 5:46
5. Trust 4:09
6. Generation Anthem 3:45
7. Piss & Laugh 4:24
8. Locust Follows Word 3:48
9. Magister Figurae Morte 4:32
10. The Arsonist 6:18

Band members
Key V – vocals, guitars
P – drums

Album Review – Big Guns / Six Shooter EP (2016)

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After the six shots of visceral Death N’ Roll fired by these dynamic duo of Russian outlaws, you’ll be pretty much dead.

Rating5

coverSome people might agree that whenever you face a really big trouble, all you need is a really big gun to solve that once and for all. With that insurgent idea in mind, two experienced Russian metallers from Moscow teamed up earlier this year to fight stagnancy in music and decided to shoot some traditional Rock N’ Roll music spiced up by the brutality of Death Metal, giving birth to the quick-draw, high-speed Death N’ Roll project Big Guns and releasing their debut EP entitled Six Shooter for the delight of all headbanging gunslingers all around the world.

Big Guns are comprised of multi-instrumentalists Postie (Conflict) on guitars, bass, drum programming, backing vocals and mixing, and Vaarwel (Frozen Ocean, Goatpsalm, Smothered Bowels) on vocals, lyrics and mastering, and based on the music found in Six Shooter, featuring a gory Wild West-inspired cover art by Anton Baskin (Contrast Arts), the synergy between these two outlaws of heavy music is beyond amazing. Postie and Vaarwel fire together six short, violent tunes perfect for getting piss drunk at an old saloon and have a pistol duel with that gunman that wants to steal your sexy lady from your arms.

Although Postie and Vaarwel have only six bullets locked and loaded in their first stint as Big Guns, the final result is truly devastating. Hard as Tin brings forward a minute and a half of madness, with the blast beats blending Death and Thrash Metal by Postie together with the deep guttural by Vaarwel turning this demolishing tune into the epitome of badassness. In Nightmares of Tomorrow, a pub-fighting Rock N’ Roll tune the likes of Chrome Division tailored for drinking a beer or slamming into the pit, simply enjoy its gentle lyrics (“I sang about entrails and gore / I extolled splattered women / I praised mutilation and deeply adored / Dead bodies choking on semen / Hate! Exsanguinate! / Hate! Eviscerate!”) while bass and drums burst sheer electricity into your ears. And in the metallic Natural Attraction, another brutal Rock N’ Roll creation by this explosive Russian duo, Vaarwel sounds like if the Devil went full Western.

big-gunsOur Moscow outlaws add a lot of gunpowder to their instruments and fire a high-octane tune perfect for some sick mosh pits titled Grammar Guerillas, with highlights to the amazing riffs by Postie and its berserk rhythm; whereas in Pearl Jammed an eerie love story is narrated in a very obscure way (“I met her at the Bon Jovi gig, she was pretty delightful / Long leather boots, violet wig, talking so happily sprightful / Word by word we felt this, chemistry burst like a blast / Pelvis dreamt of pelvis, lust language was unsurpassed”), leaning towards sheer Death Metal with hints of Sludge and Doom Metal just to make things more tasteful. Their last shot of aggressiveness, Dragon Hedge, gets back to their Death N’ Roll core essence, offering the listener deep, enraged growls enhanced by sharp guitar lines and heavy beats. When it’s over, I’m sure you’ll be eager for more of Big Guns’ immoral fusion of Death Metal and Rock N’ Roll.

Are you ready to face the most wanted duo of Russian bandits in the world of heavy music? If you have the guts to challenge them for a duel, all you have to do is visit their Facebook page and purchase Six Shooter through their BandCamp page. Six Shooter might be extremely short in duration, but that doesn’t mean this cool EP doesn’t have the devastating effect of a bazooka, all thanks to the intensity and dexterity of two musicians that have an insane amount of lead and gunpowder flowing inside their veins.

Best moments of the album: Nightmares of Tomorrow and Grammar Guerillas.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2016 Independent

Track listing
1. Hard as Tin 1:37
2. Nightmares of Tomorrow 1:55
3. Natural Attraction 1:43
4. Grammar Guerillas 1:48
5. Pearl Jammed 2:10
6. Dragon Hedge 1:53

Band members
Vaarwel – vocals
Postie – guitars, bass, drum programming, backing vocals

Album Review – Lectern / Precept Of Delator (2016)

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It doesn’t matter what happens to the world of music, these Italian metallers will never back off, always blasting our ears with their high-quality brutal Death Metal.

Rating5

lectern_precept-of-delatorIf there’s an underground Death Metal band that deserves our utmost respect for never giving up on extreme music, remaining always loyal to their foundations and beliefs despite all the hurdles faced during their entire career, it’s Italian death metallers Lectern. Since their inception in 1999 in the Italian capital city of Rome, the band led by lead singer and bassist Fabio Bava has been through several lineup changes, enduring an increasing lack of support from record labels and even the general public to any type of Extreme Metal, which ended up hampering the band from producing music for many years. But if you think that all those issues would cease their inner fire to craft old school brutal Death Metal, you’re absolutely wrong.

Inspired by all Death Metal bands from the United States from the 90’s, especially the ones based in Tampa, Florida, Lectern have always delivered excellent music to fans of the genre, starting with their debut EP Bisbetical in 1999, followed by a series of albums released after a huge hiatus, those being the EP Salvific Of Perhaps Lambent (2010) and the self-titled EP Lectern (2014), and their first full-length album Fratricidal Concelebration (2015). Now in 2016 it’s time for Lectern to haunt the world once again with Precept Of Delator, their brand new beastly album which features a Satanic old school artwork by Indonesian musician and artist Adi Dechristianize and an unbounded amount of sheer aggressiveness.

The opening track Gergal Profaner offers brutal devastation from the very first second, with drummer Marco Valentine being that rhythmic annihilator we all enjoy in technical Death Metal, while the band’s mastermind Fabio keeps growling like a beast. In short, this is awesome straightforward Death Metal for lovers of extreme music, period. Singing about the Catholic Church and their issues with pedophilia (“Palpation of sacramentarian / Sworn with fratricidal scars / Molested flesh / Eluded truth”), Palpation of Sacramentarian feels like old school Cannibal Corpse with a Thrash Metal vibe, with guitarist Pietro Sabato and Gabriele Cruz firing those traditional kick-ass riffs that always inspire us to slam into the pit; followed by the Satanic Fluent Bilocation, a brutal metallic massacre with Fabio and Marco dictating the rhythm with their respective gnarls and boisterous beats. In addition to that, the insanely good neck-breaking riff in the middle of the song keeps up with the basis of the Death Metal institution, proving how much those guys love that type of music.

lectern-2016Distil Shambles is a metal storm bursting aggressive growls and beats upon the listener, with all its tempo changes adding tons of ferocity and electricity to the musicality, as well as an excellent solo to close the song in an apocalyptic way. Then we have some ominous voices kicking off the obscure and putrid chant Pellucid, tailored for fans of pure pugnacity in music, with the guitars by both Pietro and Gabriele sounding truly menacing during the song’s five minutes of the most violent Death Metal you can think of. And Lectern continue their path of doom in Diptych of Perked Oblation, blasting brutal music with guitars and drums smashing your brain while Fabio roars each word of the song manically, turning this into a beyond excellent composition for their live performances.

Garn for Debitors brings forward two minutes of crushing riffs and drums, another song that sounds like the early days of Cannibal Corpse, and if you survive this hurricane of metal music you’re definitely a true badass headbanger ready for the title-track Precept of Delator and its pure Satanic lyrics (“With blasphemy reasons burn / Infamous scriptures / Devotional calvary / Precept of delator / Evil truth”). It might not be as fast-paced as its predecessors, but it’s dark and thrilling, with highlights to the furious riffage and solos by Pietro and Gabriele. Closing this brutal album we have another shot of traditional Death Metal titled Discorporation with Feral, showcasing a good pace and the deranged, deep growls by Fabio as its main ingredients.

All the exciting history, the metallic victories and the inspiring losses of such amazing underground band can be better appreciated at their Facebook page, and you can enjoy their extreme and technical music at their YouTube channel, ReverbNation and SoundCloud. Precept Of Delator, available for purchasing at the Via Nocturna’s BandCamp page and at the band’s Big Cartel page, is a solid and uproarious declaration by Lectern which confirms that it doesn’t matter what happens to the world of music, these Italian metallers will never back off, continuing to blast our ears with their belligerent Death Metal for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Gergal Profaner, Fluent Bilocation and Diptych of Perked Oblation.

Worst moments of the album: Discorporation with Feral.

Released in 2016 Via Nocturna

Track listing
1. Gergal Profaner 3:50
2. Palpation of Sacramentarian 5:13
3. Fluent Bilocation 3:45
4. Distil Shambles 3:35
5. Pellucid 5:05
6. Diptych of Perked Oblation 3:55
7. Garn for Debitors 2:15
8. Precept of Delator 4:34
9. Discorporation with Feral 4:43

Band members
Fabio Bava – vocals, bass
Pietro Sabato – guitar
Gabriele Cruz – guitar
Marco Valentine – drums

Album Review –Metallica / Hardwired… to Self-Destruct (2016)

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A lot better than anything this iconic band has released in the past 25 years, but still way below what they can truly offer to the world of Heavy and Thrash Metal.

Rating6

metallica_hardwired-to-self-destructReviewing an album by American Thrash Metal icons Metallica is never an easy job. This is a band that has an enormous potential to deliver the most amazing metal you can think of, but due to several external and internal factors they keep launching below average albums since their highly acclaimed (but not as good as people say) Black Album back in 1991, and because of that the reviewer is always confused trying to find a good reason for not criticizing the album too much and for not comparing it to classics like Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning. Well, here we go again with Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, their tenth studio album (I can’t believe I’m counting the abominable St. Anger as an album) and another perfect example of how the band doesn’t seem to care anymore about crafting truly remarkable music.

Hardwired… to Self-Destruct is their first studio album in eight years following their 2008 release Death Magnetic (an album I personally cannot distinguish one song from another, but that at least can be considered Heavy Metal), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in the band’s career. Let me be very honest with you, I had some good expectations with this album even not being a huge fan of the band, and after they released the first single, the excellent “Hardwired”, I really thought they would be back to their amazing Thrash Metal mode from the 80’s. However, after listening to the entire album, I felt a little tricked by the band, with a frustrating feeling of “so you guys released your most aggressive song as a single, but the rest of the album is quite slow and boring, uh?” In other words, it might be by far their best and most cohesive album since 1991, but that doesn’t say much taking into account their most recent releases are all pretty tedious.

As already mentioned, in the heavy and fun Hardwired a nice, thrashy start flows into classic Metallica, not as visceral as their metal hymns from Kill ‘Em All and Ride The Lightning but still pretty good and violent. Mr. James Hetfield sounds in pretty good shape with his trademark angry vocals, while Kirk Hammett fires some amazing riffs and solos inspired by old school Thrash Metal. This is the best song of the album by far, and unfortunately after that the album is just a sea of uninspired and generic metal, starting with the tasteless Atlas, Rise!, where a promising intro fades into an annoyingly repetitive rhythm. Despite some good moments and another decent performance by James on vocals, it’s way too lengthy for the lack of tempo changes and variations, in special the extremely basic and uninspired drums by Mr. Lars Ulrich. After two minutes, it sadly becomes that type of ambient or background music that you don’t really pay attention to, it’s just there. Not sure if it was on purpose or not, but the main riff in the following tune, Now That We’re Dead, sounds like an exact copy of the all-time classic “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”  by Judas Priest, but obviously this is not going to become a classic like that, not in a million years. Once again, it’s extremely repetitive and unexciting, going on for grueling seven minutes.

We finally get the “old school Metallica” promised by the band for this album in Moth into Flame, which together with the opening track is the best thing they’ve done since the fast and furious song “Fuel”. I love the sound of both guitars and the thunderous bass by Rob Trujillo during the whole song, not to mention that even Lars has a pretty solid performance in this high-octane tune. In Dream No More, they tried to copy their own classic “Sad But True”, but what we get instead is just a boring imitation of it as if Avenged Sevenfold decided to go full Metallica like they almost did in Hail to the King. Furthermore, Lars makes me cringe with his amateur and disconnected drumming in this horrible song, which is also the case in Halo on Fire, undoubtedly one of the most wearisome of all songs. Why this atrocity has excruciating eight minutes is beyond my knowledge, with just a few good guitar lines being enjoyable while everything else seems to be leftovers from Load and Reload. Although James tried hard to add some electricity to it on vocals, there wasn’t actually much he could do about it.

metallica-2016Confusion brings forward a marching intro that had an enormous potential for becoming an amazingly heavy and dark hymn, and despite not reaching that level of awesomeness it’s still a pretty decent composition which would have been a lot more effective if slightly shorter. Then Metallica offer us the unstable ManUNkind (which official video is supposed to be a “tribute” to Norwegian Black Metal masters Mayhem), with an Iron Maiden-ish vibe in the beginning that suddenly turns into another average composition that doesn’t do good or bad for the album showcasing the same basic performance by Lars, sounding like a lazy jam session instead of a real song. Rob fires some powerful bass lines in the above average Here Comes Revenge, with the guitars by James and Kirk also providing some extra energy to it. Elements from Black Album mixed with Load and Reload are found everywhere in this song, and albeit this is not the best Metallica are capable of doing, at this point of their career I’m more than fine with it.

Am I Savage? might be another generic tune, but at least it’s fuckin’ heavy thanks again to the job done by Kirk and Rob with their strings, and despite never really taking off it’s still enjoyable if you’re a fan of darker compositions like I am; whereas their tribute to the one and only Lemmy Kilmister, entitled Murder One, might have “One” in its name and even hints of one of the band’s biggest classics here and there, but it falls flat with nothing really outstanding to offer the listener except for some potent punches by Rob with his bass. Last but not least, we’re treated to one final blast of real Metallica in Spit Out the Bone, a bit sloppy at times and again too lengthy, but at least it has the fury that helped put this band on the map of heavy music decades ago. James sounds so much better when he’s angry, and perhaps this is what the band needs to do to cover all the issues with Lars’ drumming by sticking to the most primeval form of Thrash Metal.

I’m pretty sure there will be many diehard fans of Metallica thanking the gods of heavy music for Hardwired… to Self-Destruct (you can watch the official videos for every song on their YouTube channel), but for me, after listening to the whole album a few good times with an open heart, nothing ever truly clicked; it’s still way below their potential to generate stunning heavy music. Of course it has its good moments, in special when they cut the crap, speed things up and play straightforward heavy music the way we all expect, but the absurdly inflated length of most songs and the complete inability of Lars to provide any hint of intricacy on drums (Metallica definitely need a REAL drummer; even German a capella metallers Van Canto have one) ended up dragging the overall quality of the album down considerably. In other words, you can have some fun listening to Hardwired… to Self-Destruct a few times, but just like everything else released by Metallica in the past 25 years, it will soon become just another lost item in your dusty collection of albums.

Best moments of the album: Hardwired, Moth into Flame and Spit Out the Bone.

Worst moments of the album: Atlas, Rise!, Dream No More, Halo on Fire and Murder One.

Released in 2016 Blackened Recordings

Track listing
Disc 1
1. Hardwired 3:09
2. Atlas, Rise! 6:28
3. Now That We’re Dead 6:59
4. Moth into Flame 5:50
5. Dream No More 6:55
6. Halo on Fire 8:15

Disc 2
1. Confusion 6:43
2. ManUNkind 7:17
3. Here Comes Revenge 6:30
4. Am I Savage? 6:29
5. Murder One 5:45
6. Spit Out the Bone 7:09

Band members
James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitars
Kirk Hammett – lead guitars
Robert Trujillo – bass
Lars Ulrich – drums

Album Review –NordWitch / Mørk Profeti (2016)

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Behold the rise of a brand new Blackened Death Metal horde hailing from Ukraine, taking the entire world by storm with their high-voltage fusion of epicness and blasphemy.

Rating4

nordwitch-coverWatching the rise of Ukrainian Metal is a thing of beauty. Despite not having any major names yet in the world of heavy music, Ukraine has been growing in importance for all types of metalheads, with names such as Apostate, Sad Alice Said, Majesty Of Revival, Morkesagn and Gasoline Guns, among many others, blasting their powerful music to the four corners of the earth. Having said that, we might be witnessing the birth of a Ukrainian act that has all it takes to take the entire world by storm with their high-voltage fusion of epicness and blasphemy. That band is Blackened Death Metal horde NordWitch, who have just released their extremely heavy debut album entitled Mørk Profeti (or “dark prophecy” from Norwegian).

Formed in February 2015 in the capital city of Kiev, NordWitch are highly inspired by interesting (and usually controversial) topics like Satanism, Occultism and Norse mythology, all embraced by their mighty riffs, their intricate and crisp drumming, and the deep guttural by their stunning frontwoman Masha. The only difference from the band’s inception until today is Ukrainian drummer Eugene Hrulev, who has recently replaced the amazing Hungarian stone crusher Donets Stepan, but apart from that the band has been a solid institution ready to conquer the world with their scathing fusion of Black and Death Metal and a strong passion for extreme music.

As a great example of how powerful and melodious the music by NordWitch is, let me start by saying that they managed to make the three-minute instrumental intro Mørk Profeti truly interesting and exciting even without the vocals by Masha, with Donets smashing his drums flawlessly while Max and Leo kick some serious ass with their guitar lines a la Arch Enemy. As a matter of fact, if you love Arch Enemy you’ll find a lot of them in each song by NordWitch, obviously considerably darker and more blasphemous. Then we have Dominion, a fuckin’ devastating, robust tune (it can’t get any better than this!) tailored for lovers of modern Blackened Death Metal, where Masha and Donets are true beasts on vocals and drums, respectively; followed by Walker From The Shade,  with Masha growling deeper and deeper while Max and Leo continue their guitar onslaught, supported by the metallic lines by bassist Max Senchilo. Furthermore, the “evil Arch Enemy” offer us more of their melodious riffs and solos, not to mention the epic and menacing vibe crafted by all instruments.

nordwitchIn the top-tier chant Lady Evil, the fast and cataclysmic beats by Donets, together with the song’s great riffage and another infernal performance by Masha on vocals, turn it into one the most flammable moments of the album. Moreover, Max delivers an awesome guitar solo at the end just to make the song even more thrilling than what it already is. The Call To An Ancient Evil brings forward a brutal beginning to another sensational creation by NordWitch, where Masha seems to declaim the words in a guttural way instead of screaming them, whereas the musicality sounds very technical and progressive at times mainly thanks to the high level of intricacy found in the song’s guitars and drums. And highly influenced by Scandinavian Extreme Metal, the most epic composition by NordWitch and also one of the best of the album, the rip-roaring To Nord Gods, contains all elements we love in this type of music, including a Viking Metal acoustic intro perfect for the theme proposed by the band, a beautiful pace led by the guitar lines and solos by Max and Leo, and Masha telling a compelling story through her powerful guttural vocals.

In the last two songs of Mørk Profeti, the band’s Blackened Death Metal arises like the burning fires of the underworld similar to what the iconic Behemoth usually do, starting with No Regret, with elements of Thrash and Death Metal added to its already explosive formula, always making sure there’s a huge amount of harmony and cohesiveness amidst the sonic chaos generated by the entire band. And lastly, more Nordic sounds penetrate our ears and minds in the furious chant Messiah Of Death, where Donets is impressive with his precision and rage on drums while Masha gnarls like a female demon, closing such potent opus magnificently.

In my humble opinion, we should all follow the ascension of NordWitch through their Facebook page and VKontakte, and of course blast our ears with their demonic music through their YouTube channel and ReverbNation, because this band is definitely going places and if you love metal like I do you’ll also be very curious to know how high they can go. Mørk Profeti, which can be purchased at the Satanath Records’ BandCamp or webstore, is not only the first stone in their rising castle of darkness, but an album that will put you to bang your head and raise your horns nonstop, which is pretty much everything we want in good heavy music.

Best moments of the album: Dominion, Lady Evil and To Nord Gods.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2016 Satanath Records/Darzamadicus Records

Track listing
1. Mørk Profeti (Intro) 2:53
2. Dominion 5:27
3. Walker From The Shade 4:33
4. Lady Evil 4:44
5. The Call To An Ancient Evil 5:22
6. To Nord Gods 4:53
7. No Regret 5:15
8. Messiah Of Death 5:08

Band members
Masha – vocals
Max – lead guitar
Leo – rhythm guitar
Max Senchilo – bass
Donets Stepan – drums

Album Review – Arkaik Excruciation / Cursed Blood of Doom (2016)

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Invoking the impure sense of primitivism through their aggressive and ruthless music, here comes a new Spanish Black and Death Metal quartet with their excellent debut full-length album.

Rating5

front_cover_aeIt doesn’t matter if you go to Catalonia, Andalusia, Galicia, Madrid or any other region in Spain, you’ll always find amazing heavy music all over “la piel del toro”. And if the genre in question is extreme music things get even better, with names such as Sartegos, Balmog, Xérion and Suspiral, as well as bands already reviewed by The Headbanging Moose like Tsar Bomb, Mørknatt and EvnaR, proudly carrying the flag of Spanish Extreme Metal and turning the whole country into an oasis of cutting riffs, blast beats and demonic growls. Thus, that distinguished selection of extreme groups has recently been joined by another hellish band named Arkaik Excruciation, who are releasing their debut full-length album entitled Cursed Blood of Doom, a solid tribute to the foundations of Black, Death and Thrash Metal.

Invoking the impure sense of primitivism through their aggressive and ruthless music since their inception in 2014, when they released their first demo tape named Among the Vortex of Chaos, this La Coruña-based horde of darkness adds the most obscure elements from extreme music to their creations, something you can easily notice and truly enjoy while listening to each track from Cursed Blood of Doom, featuring an obscure artwork by artist Alejandro Tedín. There’s no secret ingredient in the music by Arkaik Excruciation, just well-engendered extreme music by four talented musicians, presented as eight powerful and straightforward tracks embellished by classy and somber names. In other words, how not to get thrilled by a song named “Swallow the Black Wings of Agrat bat Mahlat”, right?

Rude and putrid sounds will invade your ears in the bestial Black and Death Metal composition Spiral Scythes of Endless Pain, a darker version of Cannibal Corpse where drummer M. presents his business card through his demonic beats and fills, while lead singer and guitarist M.S. enhances the song’s ferocity with his metallic riffs and cavernous growls. And the song doesn’t actually end, it simply builds a direct link to the brutish Night of Sodom, where the band’s fast and furious carnage goes on with M.S. getting even more aggressive on vocals. In addition, the musicality feels more Death than Black Metal at times, showcasing the bands versatility when switching between extreme styles.

bandStills of Fire and Poison is an eerie interlude comprised of noises that feel they’re coming from the pits of hell, opening the gates for the infernal Swallow the Black Wings of Agrat bat Mahlat, a pulverizing lesson in dementia and heaviness in Extreme Metal and definitely one of the top moments of such obscure album, with highlights to the sick drumming by M. In addition to that, its guitars also keep spreading a constant and deranged sensation of hatred until its funereal ending, paving the way to Anesthesic Ritual of Silence and its initial wicked noises, replaced by the hellish guitars by M.S. and K. Moreover, M. provides some spot-on Doom Metal-inspired beats to this semi-instrumental track, while M.S. just keeps gnarling a little in the background in a dark and satanic way.

Suddenly, all hell breaks loose in the most demented of all tracks, Into the Fields of the Sun-Blood, a kick-ass hybrid of Black Metal with the extreme pugnacity of old school Death Metal where the screams by M.S. are effectively complemented by all other instruments and their nonstop savagery, creating a damned ambience that will devour your soul. The creepy and short Clockwork Devotional Saw works as a bridge to the last song of the album, the demented Sadistic Scourge, where elements from Black, Thrash and Death Metal are united in a high-octane demolishing way. K. and F. are unrelenting with their strings, whereas M. fires his groovy and menacing beats, fading into ominous noises and vociferations that go on for over two minutes until the song is finally over.

In case you want to know more about the demonic realm of Arkaik Excruciation, go check their Facebook page, and if you want to purchase a copy of the maleficent Cursed Blood of Doom (which can be enjoyed in its entirety HERE), you’ll find it for sale at their own BandCamp page, at the Caverna Abismal Records’ BandCamp and Discogs page, or at the Duplicate Records’ BandCamp and webstore. And, from now on, always remember that if you’re searching for good Extreme Metal, the region of Galicia (as well as the rest of spain) is your go-to place.

Best moments of the album: Night of Sodom, Swallow the Black Wings of Agrat bat Mahlat and Into the Fields of the Sun-Blood.

Worst moments of the album: Anesthesic Ritual of Silence.

Released in 2016 Caverna Abismal Records / Duplicate Records

Track listing
1. Spiral Scythes of Endless Pain 5:18
2. Night of Sodom 4:18
3. Stills of Fire and Poison (Interlude) 2:02
4. Swallow the Black Wings of Agrat bat Mahlat 5:50
5. Anesthesic Ritual of Silence 4:15
6. Into the Fields of the Sun-Blood 7:26
7. Clockwork Devotional Saw (Interlude) 0:26
8. Sadistic Scourge 7:15

Band members
M.S. – guitars, vocals
K. – lead guitars
F. – bass
M. – drums

Album Review – IceThurS / Unlocked Door (2016)

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Inspired by the Norse myth of the Ratatoskr, this Russian power trio brings forth nine first-class atmospheric and upbeat compositions in a unique fusion of genres labeled by the band as “Urban Folk Metal”.

Rating4

icethurs-unlocked-door-cover-1500%d1%851500x300dpi-rgbBrothers in arms, behold the rise of an awesome Russian Urban Folk Metal horde known as IceThurS who, guided by the one and only Ratatoskr, are going to put us all to dance around the fire pit and engage into some brawls to the sound of their debut full-length album, the uproarious, fun and catchy Unlocked Door (or НЕзапертая дверь in Russian). In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr, Old Norse for “drill-tooth” or “bore-tooth”, is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil, an immense mythical tree that connects the nine worlds in Norse cosmology, carrying messages between the Veðrfölnir (a hawk sitting between the eyes of an unnamed eagle that is perched on top of the tree) and the wyrm Níðhöggr (a dragon who gnaws at a root of the tree). If you got slightly lost with the explanation of who our hardworking squirrel is, just see it as a symbol of degeneration and constant change of the existing, the main ingredients of a diverse album evoking the feelings of joy, festivity, sadness, victory and defeat, sometimes all in one song.

Formed in 2011 in the city of Moscow, IceThurS bring forth a unique blend of modern Melodic Death Metal with traditional Folk Metal and Russian music in Unlocked Door, resulting in atmospheric and upbeat compositions that live up to the legacy of ancient Slavic tradition and myth. Singing about topics such as nature, paganism and Norse folklore, the power trio formed by lead singer Ekaterina Loky, guitarist Anton Garm and bassist Andrey Konurovskiy, supported by a legion of amazing guest musicians on bass, drums, backing vocals and other instruments, delivers nine distinct songs in Unlocked Door that will surely entertain you from start to finish, each one telling their own story and all being an important part of the bigger picture proposed by the band.

Get ready to start dancing and prancing while drinking a pint of mead as their Urban Folk Metal comes crushing in the opening track En Sjörövare Sagan (Пиратская Сага), where the fantastic vocals by Ekaterina guide the listener through a vibrant folk journey with highlights to the harmonious and electrified solo by Anton; followed by Gift (Дар), with its futuristic beginning morphing into modern Folk Metal with elements of Alternative Metal added to the background, while Ekaterina’s vocals continue to hypnotize us. In addition, guest bassist Igor Batsov provides the musicality his special blast of grooviness through his metallic lines, enhancing the overall quality of this solid tune. Then we are treated to a fun devastation brought forth by IceThurS entitled Compotator (Собутыльник), an explosion of Death Metal where Anton is a beast with his guitar, delivering a blend of Thrash and Death Metal riffs that sound at times like a folk version of Arch Enemy.

icethursGetting back to their foundations, the band brings forward White Road (Белая дорога), a charming Folk Metal chant where Ekaterina has a very passionate performance whereas guest drummer Efim Burak makes the song more potent and aggressive through his beats, with its second half being a violent and melodious display of modern folk. Efim continues to pound his drums in the epic and thrilling Loki (Локи), supported by guest bassist Ivan Izotov, providing Ekaterina what she needs to showcase all her vocal range throughout the entire song. And exhibiting elements from the band’s cultural background, Razguliai (Разгуляй)  reminds me of some of the creations by their countrymen Arkona, sounding very traditional but with the band’s modern touch added to it. The only issue for me is that the song loses some of its electricity after a while, despite still being very enjoyable until the end.

The rebellious War (Война) presents a powerful vocal duo comprised of Ekaterina and guest singer Dmitry Stempkovsky, an enraged song with blazing guitar lines and a very melodic atmosphere that will inspire you to raise your fists and glasses in the air, before Vengeance of Veles (Велесова месть) offers the listener once again modern extreme music mixed with traditional Russian elements. Furthermore, Ekaterina fires some sick growls while Andrey smashes his bass strings in a potent way in this beer-drinking anthem, and if you know nothing about Russian please enjoy the translation to part of the lyrics as they’re truly poetic (“Everything that existed before / And was pleasant for heart / Became our ice grave / Let the blood in the veins / Get cold / Fury has raised up / This heart”). Last but not least, the title-track Unlocked Door (НЕзапертая Дверь) is sheer heaviness blended with an intricate instrumental, all spiced up by Ekaterina’s thrilling vocal lines. Showcasing a beautiful balance between demented gnarls and folk clean vocals, this full-bodied composition perfectly depicts everything IceThurS stands for.

IceThurS and their wild Slavic music are waiting for you on their Facebook page, VKontakte and YouTube channel, and if you want to take the fast Ratatoskr home you can go to the Bud Metal Records’ BandCamp page, to the band’s Facebook shop, to iTunes or to Amazon and grab your copy of Unlocked Door. In other words, enter the world of Urban Folk Metal crafted by IceThurS, and consequently make a friendly mythological squirrel extremely happy, how about that?

Best moments of the album: En Sjörövare Sagan (Пиратская Сага), Compotator (Собутыльник) and Unlocked Door (НЕзапертая Дверь).

Worst moments of the album: Razguliai (Разгуляй).

Released in 2016 Bud Metal Records

Track listing
1. En Sjörövare Sagan (Пиратская сага) 3:47
2. Gift (Дар) 3:52
3. Compotator (Собутыльник) 3:28
4. White Road (Белая дорога) 5:03
5. Loki (Локи) 4:24
6. Razguliai (Разгуляй) 3:34
7. War (Война) 4:05
8. Vengeance of Veles (Велесова месть) 3:26
9. Unlocked Door (НЕзапертая Дверь) 3:40

Band members
Ekaterina Loky – lead vocals
Anton Garm – guitars, vocals
Andrey Konurovskiy – bass, vocals

Guest musicians
Dmitry Stempkovsky – vocals on “War”
Igor Batsov – bass on “Compotator”, “En Sjörövare Sagan”, “Gift” and “Razguliai”
Efim Burak – drums on “White Road” and “Loki”
Ivan Izotov – bass on “White Road” and “Loki”
Svetlana Faliy, Egor Palenik, Jana Artekovskaya, Jaroslav Minchenko, Nancy Dardis, Larissa Kolesnikova, Vladislav Ivanov, Eugene Chub, Dmitri Kalinin – backing vocals, choir

Album Review – Nervosa / Agony (2016)

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Brazil’s meanest power trio returns with another marvelous blast of their kick-ass high-octane Thrash Metal.

Rating3

nervosa-agony-2016Do you know what the main difference is between Brazilian Thrash Metal power trio Nervosa and iconic bands such as Slayer, Testament, Exodus and Death Angel? Instead of a bunch of big bad guys with fully grown beards and ugly faces, Nervosa are three charming and beautiful girls, but don’t think that because of that minor detail their music is less demolishing, vicious or infernal. Quite the contrary, Brazil’s meanest power trio plays a fantastic high-octane Thrash Metal that lives up to the legacy of the genre, putting the pedal to the metal in each one of their electrifying compositions and taking no prisoners on their path to stardom. Furthermore, they might be relatively new to the business, but what those three thrash metallers offer us in their brand new album, entitled Agony, has the energy and feel of an old school metal classic.

Formed in February 2010 in the metropolis of São Paulo, Brazil by guitarist Prika Amaral, who was joined in July 2011 by vocalist and bassist Fernanda Lira, Nervosa (which by the way is the female word for “nervous” in Brazilian Portuguese) have already built a respectable career in the underground of heavy music, having released their debut demo/EP named Time of Death in 2012 and their first full-length album, Victim of Yourself, in 2014, leading to their participation on some of the major European summer festivals such as Summerbreeze, Brutal Assault and Metal Days, as well as on the unique 70000 Tons Of Metal in the United States, sharing the stage with important names like Exodus, Raven and Samael through the years. All that enhanced experience, together with their always-improving technique, culminated in the release of Agony, an album that will mercilessly assault you like a rabid beast, starting by the deadly cover art designed by Godmachine, and when this gripping opus is over I dare you to not listen to it again and again.

The album starts at full speed in Arrogance, a brutal composition perfectly executed by those three talented women with drummer Pitchu Ferraz (who unfortunately has left the band recently) delivering sheer Thrash Metal beats before Fernanda begins firing her Hantu Kopek-like gnarls. And there’s no time to breathe as the second tune of the album, Theory of Conspiracy, is as visceral and fast-paced as its predecessor, with highlights to the brilliant job done once again by Fernanda with her enraged screams (especially when she barks the famous saying “what goes around comes around”). Furthermore, this song has what it takes to become a Thrash Metal classic, in special the lancinating riffs by Prika. And in Deception, a rhythmic composition with elements from Death Metal added to drums and riffs, sounding like contemporary Cannibal Corpse due to its pace and intricacy, the vocals by Fernanda get to a more Black Metal-ish level, which only makes things even better in the end.

The lyrics might sound cheesy in Intolerance Means War, but they’re spot-on with their message against our society’s cruel reality (“Different doesn’t means it’s not the way / Remove sex creed race, we are all the same / Confront ignorance with knowledge and awareness / Show respect / Dialogue is freedom / Intolerance is war”), and when Fernanda growls the word “war” it truly feels like her personal tribute to Mr. Tom Araya screaming the same word in Slayer’s all-time classic War Ensemble. Needless to say, this Thrash Metal anthem is ideal for some fun circle pits and wicked headbanging. Guerra Santa (or “Holy War” in English) is the only song in Agony entirely sung in Brazilian Portuguese, which ends up adding an extra touch of rawness to the overall result. Pitchu is a female demon on drums, as violent and demented as possible, blending the sheer heaviness of Death Metal with the groove from Thrash Metal in her beats, not to mention the cutting guitar sounds blasted by Prika throughout this phenomenal song.

nervosaFailed System reminds me of old school Exodus with hints of Black Metal, where Fernanda not only growls like a beast, but her bass guitar also emanates pure hatred; whereas Hostages, a song about how disturbing and horrible it is to be at a decaying public hospital in Brazil (and you should definitely check their official gory video for the song at the end of this review), is another straightforward chant bursting madness and anger where Prika continues to pierce our souls with her powerful riffs. More melodic and groovy, Surrounded by Serpents brings forward lyrics about the venomous effects of betrayal (“Poisonous snake / Disguised as friends / Enemies attack / Snakes stab you in the back / A beast wounds your body / A snake wounds your mind / Pretend disguise destroy / In a blink of an eye”), with Fernanda reaching some deep growls that effectively increase the song’s obscurity.

The rumbling bass by Fernanda kicks off another metallic and vile composition, titled Cyberwar, presenting an electrified Exodus-inspired Thrash Metal vibe tailored for slamming into the pit with the girls, with the awesome solo by Prika making this beautiful thrashy anthem a thousand times more adrenalized. The excellent Hypocrisy begins in a dark and atmospheric way before getting as heavy as hell, feeling as if Pitchu wanted to destroy her drums due to the strength she puts into her beats. Moreover, those unstoppable and remorseless girls yet again add elements of Death Metal to the song’s sonority, a recurrent technique they know how to use almost to perfection. And what better song to end such fulminating album than one called Devastation? That’s what Fernanda, Prika and Pitchu beautifully do, decimating every living creature that has the guts to face them in this more-modern-than-usual tune thanks to its hints of Groove Metal.

Instead of following those girls that only care about showing their asses on social media or that wear more makeup than an entire Black Metal band and live a complete superficial life, try following Nervosa through their Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube channel and SoundCloud. I’m sure you’ll have a much better and more productive time by doing that. And in case you want to purchase this high-end Thrash Metal gem, simply go to their official webstore or to the Napalm Records’ webstore and grab your copy of Agony’s Limited Edition Digipack, which includes a bonus track named Wayfarer, a 6-minute chant mixing Blues and Jazz to the band’s ruthless music by showcasing clean vocals and harsh screams together in a very creative and interesting form. After listening to Agony, the first thing that will come to your mind when you hear the world “Nervosa” is undoubtedly first-class Thrash Metal, and if you disagree with me I guess there are three mean and violent girls that will be more than happy to pay you a visit.

Best moments of the album: Theory of Conspiracy, Intolerance Means War, Guerra Santa and Cyberwar.

Worst moments of the album: None, of course.

Released in 2016 Napalm Records

Track listing
1. Arrogance 3:08
2. Theory of Conspiracy 4:17
3. Deception 3:54
4. Intolerance Means War 3:29
5. Guerra Santa 2:52
6. Failed System 3:43
7. Hostages 3:25
8. Surrounded by Serpents 4:32
9. Cyberwar 3:02
10. Hypocrisy 4:28
11. Devastation 3:32

Limited Edition Digipak bonus track
12. Wayfarer 6:17

Band members
Fernanda Lira – lead vocals, bass
Prika Amaral – guitar, backing vocals
Pitchu Ferraz – drums