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Album Review – Goratory / Sour Grapes (2020)

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A ruthless Death Metal entity is back from its putrid grave with a brand new album after 16 years to spread their filthy and immoral music to all four corners of the earth.

After sixteen years of absolute silence, Boston, Massachusetts-based sickest perverts Goratory are finally back with a brand album of degenerating, grinding and schizoid Technical and Brutal Death Metal entitled Sour Grapes, reigniting their path of devastation initiated with their 2000 demo Wrestling with Feces and that was interrupted in 2004 with their third full-length opus Rice on Suede. Mixed and mastered by the band’s own drummer Darren Cesca at House of Grind Studios, with the vinyl mastering being handled by Carlo Altobelli at Toxic Basement Studios, and displaying a psychedelic artwork by Tony Koehl, Sour Grapes is tailored for admirers of the gory and depraved death blasted by Malignancy, Cryptopsy, Gorgasm and Pillory, among others, showing why lead singer Adam Mason, guitarist Alan Glassman, bassist Zachary Pappas and the aforementioned Darren Cesca decided to come back from their putrid grave after so many years to spread their filthy and immoral music to all four corners of the earth once again.

Get ready to be bombarded with blood and feces by this evil horde of extreme music in Rat King, undoubtedly a bestial, sick and depraved display of Brutal Death Metal perfect for kicking off the album, with Darren being infernal on drums while Adam barks and vomits the song’s wicked words manically.  Then demented vociferations and endless insanity will haunt your souls in Losing Streak, an ode to gory and grim Death Metal where Alan shreds his axe with tons of violence accompanied by the fretting bass punches by Zachary, and there’s  no sign of the band slowing down or making things lighter in I Shit Your Pants; quite the contrary, it’s another feast of heavy-as-hell riffs and beats, showcasing the band’s dynamism, refined technique and passion for sheer brutality, followed by Bottom Feeder, where Goratory will smash your head to pieces to the sound of the unstoppable blast beats by Darren and the metallic bass by Zachary. Moreover, what the hell are those lyrics (“I recall it all in flashes. / What was left unconsumed is now ashes. / Power turned to powder. / Rice on my Suede socks? Chop you into pieces and puree you into sauce.”)?

Adam keeps growling and snarling like a rabid creature while his bandmates exhale aggression and progressiveness through their vicious instruments in Evolutionary Wart, displaying a great fusion of Technical and Brutal Death Metal, and you might not believe this but Goratory managed to sound even more violent and thunderous in The People’s Temple, highly recommended for fans of both Death Metal and Grindcore, with Zachary being on fire with his Alex Webster-inspired bass lines. The quartet then offers their personal tribute to Seth Edward Putnam (1968 – 2011),  the founder, vocalist and occasional guitarist of American Grindcore act Anal Cunt, titled Seth Putnam Was A Sensitive Man, bringing forward distinguished lyrics (“Fuck you cause you’re dead, / Now you’re giving Satan head. / Force fed demon splooge, / Loads of jizz inside of you, / Bukkake in a Putnam stew.”) amidst a sonic demolition that would put a huge and sick smile on Seth’s face. And lastly we have Back To The Grinding Machine, originally released as “Into The Grinding Machine” on their 2001 album Sexual Intercorpse, with the 2020 version maintaining the core malignancy, depravity and fury from the original one, with Alan and Darren making a venomous duo with their pulverizing riffs and beats.

Goratory’s vicious and brutal comeback can be better appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to show your support to those sick bastards don’t forget to grab your copy of Sour Grapes from the Everlasting Spew Records’ BandCamp page or webstore (in CD format or as a special CD + LP + shirt bundle), as well as from IndieMerchstore, from Apple Music or from Amazon. In addition, why don’t you give the guys from Goratory a shout on Facebook and follow them on Instagram? I’m sure that by doing those things you’ll inspire Adam, Alan, Zachary and Darren to keep blasting their demented music for many years to come instead of going into dormant mode once again, keeping our world as vile, insane and putrid as it can be.

Best moments of the album: I Shit Your Pants, Bottom Feeder and The People’s Temple.

Worst moments of the album: Losing Streak.

Released in 2020 Everlasting Spew Records

Track listing
1. Rat King 3:07
2. Losing Streak 3:35
3. I Shit Your Pants 2:58
4. Bottom Feeder 3:04
5. Evolutionary Wart 3:14
6. The People’s Temple 3:00
7. Seth Putnam Was A Sensitive Man 3:07
8. Back To The Grinding Machine 4:09

Band members
Adam Mason – vocals
Alan Glassman – guitars
Zachary Pappas – bass
Darren Cesca – drums

Album Review – Akhenaten / Golden Serpent God (2018)

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Steeped in the mythology and mysticism of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia while exploring forgotten paths of history, here comes an infernal duo armed with their brand new opus of crushing Blackened Death Metal.

Forged in 2012 in the fires of Manitou Springs, a resort city in Colorado, in the United States by the “Houseman Brothers” Wyatt Houseman on vocals and Jerred Houseman on all other instruments, here comes a unique and vibrant Black/Death Metal studio project infused with Middle Eastern Folk Influences (even called “Blackened Mesopotamian Folk/Death Metal”) known as Akhenaten with their brand new album Golden Serpent God, steeped in the mythology and mysticism of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia while exploring forgotten paths of history, extracting unknown lore and threads of truth. For instance, Akhenaten, known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV, was a pharaoh of Egypt especially noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism and introducing worship centered on the Aten, giving you a very good idea of how distinct and aggressive the music by the duo sounds.

With parallel themes to what’s found in the brother’s Symphonic Black Metal band Helleborus, and featuring an imposing cover artwork by Tony Koehl of Sketch The Soul and a title page artwork by Dennis Lee Hughes of Cythraul Art, Golden Serpent God will appeal to fans of the music by bands such as Al-Namrood, Narjahanam, Melechesh and Kartikeya just like what happened in their previous release Incantations Through the Gates of Irkalla, from 2015, whispering to the most remote regions of primal memory to the sound of their Blackened Death Metal, filled with exotic instruments and rhythmic structures of the ancient Near and Middle East. “The album is a mural of epics from Egypt and Mesopotamia. It tells stories of belief, warfare, men and Gods,” said Jerred about their newborn opus, inviting the listener to an idiosyncratic and extreme music journey together with the duo.

In the excellent opening track, titled Amulets of Smoke and Fire, ominous sounds take us to the Mesopotamian world of Akhenaten, with Jerred generating a dark and embracing atmosphere with his scorching riffs, whimsical keyboards and demonic beats, while Wyatt growls like an Egyptian beast; followed by the also imposing and devastating Dragon of the Primordial Sea, where the guitar and bass lines create a beautiful paradox with the epicness flowing from keyboards, while Wyatt declaims the song’s lyrics with his deep, visceral growls, enhancing the song’s taste and impact even more, creating an instant link with the crushing chant Throne of Shamash, where the drums by Jerred get more and more demolishing as the music progresses in an excellent display of classic Blackened Death Metal, feeling like a battle hymn due to its thunderous vibe.

Then Middle-Eastern and folk elements permeate the air in the captivating instrumental bridge Through the Stargate, setting the stage for Akhenaten to smash our senses in Erishkigal: Kingdom of Death, a full-bodied, metallic feast of darkened sounds and nuances where the Houseman Bothers are absolutely on fire and in total sync, with highlights to the rumbling sounds extracted from guitars and bass. And things get even more thrilling as the strident and piercing sound of keyboards take the lead in the melodic aria titled Pazuzu: Harbinger of Darkness, the perfect union of history, myths and metal music, with the vociferations by Wyatt matching the musicality flawlessly, whereas in Akashic Field: Enter Arcana Catacombs get ready for over seven minutes of tribal beats and Middle-Eastern tones and nuances in another fresh instrumental extravaganza by this talented band, with Jerred blasting hypnotizing beats while the atmosphere remains as cryptic as it can be.

Featuring Brian Palmer (Circaic) on the guitar, God of Creation is the most devastating and modern composition by Akhenaten, with Wyatt growling like a demonic entity while Jerred makes sure the ambience remains as violent as possible in a multi-layered, intricate feast of Black and Death Metal for our avid ears. After such furious explosion of extreme music we have another interesting display of Middle-Eastern music infused with Extreme Metal and even futuristic elements entitled Sweat of the Sun, sounding a bit too weird at times (not to mention it could have been slightly shorter and more metallic), while in Apophis: The Serpent of Rebirth the duo gets back to their more incendiary mode, blasting a potent fusion of Progressive and Blackened Death Metal, being therefore tailored for fans of bands like Behemoth. Furthermore, the intricacy flowing from guitars and bass are the exact background Wyatt needs to thrive with his gnarls, flowing like a firestorm until the music fades into the atmospheric and vibrant outro Golden Serpent God, with all its hypnotizing sounds generating an enfolding and obscure finale for such heavy and captivating album.

In case you want to explore in more detail the vast and eccentric realm of Akhenaten, simply pay them a visit on Facebook for news and other nice-to-know details, and grab your copy of Golden Serpent God (available for a full listen on YouTube, on Spotify and on SoundCloud) from their BandCamp page, from the Satanath Records’ BandCamp page, from the Cimmerian Shade Recordings’ webstore, from iTunes, from Amazon or from Discogs. Akhenaten offer you a one-way ticket into the blackened and mysterious lands of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in Golden Serpent God, and I’m sure such distinguished experience will deeply encourage you to stay there and not come back of your own free will.

Best moments of the album: Dragon of the Primordial Sea, Pazuzu: Harbinger of Darkness and God of Creation.

Worst moments of the album: Sweat of the Sun.

Released in 2018 Satanath Records/Cimmerian Shade Recordings/Murdher Records

Track listing
1. Amulets of Smoke and Fire 3:42
2. Dragon of the Primordial Sea 3:22
3. Throne of Shamash 2:50
4. Through the Stargate 2:35
5. Erishkigal: Kingdom of Death 4:03
6. Pazuzu: Harbinger of Darkness 4:09
7. Akashic Field: Enter Arcana Catacombs 7:05
8. God of Creation (feat. Brian Palmer) 3:22
9. Sweat of the Sun 5:59
10. Apophis: The Serpent of Rebirth 5:49
11. Golden Serpent God 2:44

Band members
Wyatt Houseman – vocals
Jerred Houseman – all instruments

Guest musicians
Brian Palmer – guitars on “God of Creation”
Rose White – female vocals