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Album Review – Isenmor / Shieldbrother (2020)

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As the dawn of battle approaches, let’s join Isenmor’s shield wall and drink to glory together with such talented Gewyrdelic Folk Metal band to the sound of their breathtaking new album.

After four battle-worn years of work, countless setbacks and even greater victories, the long-awaited debut full-length from Baltimore, Maryland-based Gewyrdelic Folk Metal band Isenmor, beautifully titled Shieldbrother, has finally seen the light of day, delivering tales of glory, sorrowful tales of woe and of course an “obligatory” Folk Metal drinking song, showcasing an incredible evolution in the sound crafted by Nick Schneider on lead vocals and violin, Tim Regan on the guitar, Mike Wilson on bass, Jon Lyon on keys, and newcomers Pete Lesko on lead guitar, Mark Williams on violin and David Spencer on drums compared to their 2015 EP Land of the Setting Sun. Produced by Mike Wilson, Mark Williams and Tim Regan, mixed by Tim Regan and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound, the album offers the listener a breathtaking blend of metal, orchestral and folk music, combining intricate violin leads and rich vocal harmonies with a strong guitar-driven Folk Metal base inspired by the stalwarts of the genre including Týr, Ensiferum and Eluveitie, bringing to life the history and legends of the Anglo-Saxon and Germanic peoples while inviting us all to join the band’s shield wall and drink to glory with them.

Isenmor’s dual violin attack begins in full force with Battle Scarred, with Nick already screaming manically while Mike and David make the earth tremble with their respective bass jabs and classic beats in an awesome hybrid of Viking and Folk Metal, whereas the title-track Shieldbrother sounds even more infuriated and vicious, with its lyrics reeking of Viking Metal (“Kin by blood and kin by shields / Strong stones set in a fleshen wall / Ring oaths kept in foot torn earth / Blood binds sealed among thirsting dust”) while also showcasing an amazing guitar work done by both Pete and Tim. And the strident violins by Nick and Mark dictate the rhythm in the dark Mount Badon, a sluggish and somber creation by Isenmor where all vocals and backing vocals exhale melancholy. It’s indeed a well-crafted ballad, albeit not as inspiring as the rest of the album, and those American Vikings get back to their trademark violin-infused metal madness by blasting the thrilling Furor Teutonicus, once again presenting a fantastic sync between Nick’s demented roars and David’s unstoppable drums.

Drink to Glory is one of those fast, short and extremely fun compositions that will inspire all fans of Viking, Folk and Epic Metal to drink a pint of mead while slamming into the circle pit, with Nick and Mark being on fire with their violins accompanied by Mike’s rumbling bass, and we’re treated to more of their adventurous lyrics (“In the deep dark wild you wander / Far from home amidst the trees / Suddenly you smell a stench that / Leaves you weak and on your knees”) in Kings of the Cold Mountains, boosted by their frantic music while the keys by Jon bring balance to all the aggressiveness flowing from the band’s riffs and beats. Then get ready to headbang to Wanderlust, another classic Vindlandic Viking Metal tune where Nick’s growls are nicely supported by all backing vocals, slashing riffs and their undisputed violin extravaganza, followed by a breathtaking 17-minute musical journey entitled Sigurd’s Song, changing its shape and form as the adventure progresses, with their violins “crying” majestically nonstop while the band also brings to our ears hellish roars, old school Viking Metal beats, harmonious background keys and endless epicness, ending the album in the most exciting way possible.

This fun, action-packed, violin-infused voyage through the lands of Viking and Folk Metal can be streamed in its entirety on Spotify, but of course I highly recommend you purchase the album from the band’s own BandCamp page, from Apple Music, or from Amazon, and don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram, as well as subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their vibrant metal music. As the dawn of battle approaches, let’s show our utmost support to Isenmor by joining their shield wall, becoming part of their tales of war, glory and death, and remaining always eager for more of their beer drinking, prancing and fighting music like the amazing collection of battle hymns offered to us all in Shieldbrother.

Best moments of the album: Shieldbrother, Furor Teutonicus and Drink to Glory.

Worst moments of the album: Mount Badon.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. Battle Scarred 5:11
2. Shieldbrother 6:35
3. Mount Badon 4:06
4. Furor Teutonicus 4:42
5. Drink to Glory 2:44
6. Kings of the Cold Mountains 3:17
7. Wanderlust 3:49
8. Sigurd’s Song 17:15

Band members
Nick Schneider – lead vocals, violin, mandolin on “Kings of the Cold Mountain” and “Drink to Glory”
Pete Lesko – lead guitar
Tim Regan – guitar, vocals, additional keys and sequencing
Mike Wilson – bass, vocals, additional rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar on “Wanderlust” and “Sigurd’s Song”, mandolin on “Kings of the Cold Mountain”, additional keys and sequencing
Mark Williams – violin
Jon Lyon – keys, vocals
David Spencer – drums

Guest musicians
Carter Cassedy – additional lead guitar
Keith Williams – cello on “Sigurd’s Song”

Metal Chick of the Month – Cammie Gilbert

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Holding on to everything you say… Cause’ your words they paint a picture of me…

In a very difficult year where the world sadly witnessed an increase in violence and racism against black people, and of course the more-than-necessary rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in their fight for freedom, liberation and justice, we at The Headbanging Moose want to share with all of you our humble tribute to another black woman who has been brilliantly fighting all that racism and showing to the world black women have their place in heavy music, just like other rock and metal divas who have already been honored here on our webzine like Melissa Bonny, Militia Vox, Alexis Brown, Thalìa Bellazecca and Kayla Dixon. I’m talking about the multi-talented and gorgeous vocalist and songwriter Cammie Gilbert, the stunning frontwoman for American Progressive Rock and Metal act Oceans of Slumber, a band that has already been labeled by many as “Opeth or Katatonia with female vocals”, but that in my opinion managed to craft their own sound and style, embellishing the airwaves with their delicate but at the same time scorching creations.

Born on October 8, 1987 in Shepherd, a city located in San Jacinto County, Texas, in the United States, Cammie joined Houston, Texas-based Oceans of Slumber at the age of 27, more specifically in the year of 2014 after the departure of the band’s former vocalist Ronnie Allen, who had been with the band since their inception in 2011. Cammie, who’s by the way on a solid and healthy relationship with the band’s founder, drummer and pianist Dobber Beverly, the sole reminiscent of their original lineup, became the primary songwriter for the group after joining, having already released with Oceans of Slumber the EP Blue, in 2015, followed by the full-length albums Winter (2016), The Banished Heart (2018) and more recently Oceans of Slumber (2020), all available for a full listen on Spotify. You can enjoy tons of amazing official videos of Cammie and Oceans of Slumber kicking some serious ass on their YouTube channel, including the songs The Decay Of Disregard, Pray for Fire, The Colors of Grace, The Adorned Fathomless Creation, Winter, To the Sea (A Tolling of the Bells), The Banished Heart, Strange Fruit, Suffer The Last Bridge, a cover version for Candlemass’ Solitude, an acoustic version for Turpentine, and a live in the studio version for the song This Road.

Currently comprised of the aforementioned Cammie and Dobber together with keyboardist Mat V. Aleman and newcomers Jessie Santos and Alexander Lucian on the guitars and Semir Ozerkan on bass, Cammie said that the band’s former guitarists Sean Gary and Anthony Contreras and bassist Keegan Kelly wanted to explore different influences and styles which never fit with what Oceans of Slumber were doing at that time, the kind of tension that’s absolutely normal, but she also said there were tensions as soon as she got into the band, resulting in a split between the former members not wanting to be “female fronted”. “There is a certain metal crowd that thinks its a gimmick. I’m not growling, I just sing clean and am emotional, but a lot of male singers have that emotion too. There’s just stigmas that make anything a woman does, the wrong thing for metal. We had a couple of those old school attitudes and transition wasn’t their strong suite,” mentioned Cammie in one of her interviews.

Apart from her years with Oceans of Slumber, Cammie is also the lead singer for a Houston, Texas-based project called Genoa Band together with Dobber and guitarist Christian Larson, another branch from Oceans of Slumber’s musical tree drawing upon the lyrical and atmospheric production of bands and artists like Nick Cave, Portishead and This Mortal Coil while still sounding heavy but more intimate, playing a fusion of styles such as Southern, Gothic and Dark Rock. However, there’s nothing officially released by the band and no news since mid-2019 when they announced their first single Paraffin was almost ready to be released, making me think if they gave up the idea of moving forward with the project due to everything that has been going on with Oceans of Slumber, including the recording and release of their 2020 self-titled album. You can also find Cammie as a very special guest in the 2020 album Transitus, by Dutch Progressive Metal/Rock project Ayreon, playing the part of Abby throughout the entire album. “We met a friend of Arjen Lucassen over in the UK and he was interviewing us and asked if there was anything that we wanted to tell Arjen. And so Dobber is like, ‘Yeah, if he could get any of us on an album, we’re big fans, and if you could have him listen to The Banished Heart, that’d be great.’ And so he followed through with that request. Shortly after that Arjen wrote that he loved The Banished Heart and he would love to work with me someday. And we were like, ‘Yeah, of course that’d be great.’ And then maybe a couple more months after that, it was, ‘You want to be on the album?’ And I peed my pants,” commented Cammie about her collaboration with one of her idols in heavy music.

When asked to make a list of the top 10 albums that changed her life, Cammie listed a collection of albums that usually occupy a dark corner of her mind where often emotions outweigh the heaviness of the music, including 40 Watt Sun’s 2011 EP The Inside Room, Agnes Obel’s 2013 album Aventine, Alice In Chains’ 1992 album Dirt (which by the way reminds her why she loves the kind of music that she makes), Anathema’s 2012 album Weather Systems, Eivør’s 2015 album Slør, Evergrey’s 2016 album The Storm Within, Katatonia’s 2016 album The Fall Of Hearts, Swallow The Sun’s 2015 triple album Songs From The North I, II & III, Agents Of Oblivion’s 2000 self-titled album, and last but not least, Type O Negative’s 1996 masterpiece October Rust. “I love Peter Steele. We love Type O Negative, there’s  just nothing like it. We go through a lot of his albums but that’s the main one for me. I love Cinnamon Girl, Be My Druidess and also Wolf Moon. Dobber saw them live once. Super jealous. I’ve just had to make up for it by reading the autobiography, and he buys everything he can as far as media regarding the band. It’s an experience to go through their songs. He [Peter Steele] is such a clever lyricist. It’s the funniest kind of music I feel like I listen to. It brings up my energy and makes me happy,” commented our talented vocalist about the unparalleled work by Mr. Peter Steele (R.I.P.).

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In one of her interviews, when questioned about the lack of more black women in heavy music, Cammie said that it’s due to a multitude of reasons, including sexist comments saying that her voice would fit pop or hip hop music much better than metal, and that clean singing that isn’t symphonic is connotated to sounding pop, which might influence the decision of a black woman to move towards a soul, gospel, R&B or blues direction. Cammie herself was basically told to sing in hip hop or pop and to never go anywhere near rock and metal, but no one ever told her why except for the preconceptions already mentioned. “And what Dobber heard in my voice and what he heard from me… I’m a very melancholy person. I’m in and out of bouts of depression and what I identify with metal and metal-adjacent music is, what I identify with the music that I find, if it makes me, if I’m already sad and it makes me sadder then I’m like, “This is going on a playlist.” And I like things that give me these, not give me these dark feelings, but validate my dark feelings, because I feel like that helps me release them,” said Cammie, also saying that she feels that’s changing as there are more and more alternative black and black metalhead females out there. For instance, her own parents were extremely religious, not allowing her to listen to extreme styles like Death Metal or Grindcore, but that’s different now as younger black kids and people in general can have access to all types of metal music through their phones, for example.

When questioned about the Black Lives Matter movement, racism and if metal has a problem with racism, she said that racism is everywhere, and that it’s something more people have to unlearn than they realize, especially in America. Despite being fortunate enough to not experience too many issues related to racism since joining Oceans of Slumber, she stated that she can no longer approach this subject without a multitude of emotions overtaking her resolve, nor keep the angry tears from welling up and pouring out of her eyes when black senators, mayors, celebrities and brave people online share their frustrations over America’s shortcomings. She feels like her history and the entire country are broken, with George Floyd’s death being a tipping point or a catalyst for a new generation to finally say enough is enough due to the undeniable ruthlessness in which his life was taken. “When you think about the history of America, there’s very little that’s good for anyone who isn’t white. That’s just the truth. It leaves a hollow feeling in your chest taking this information in from so many different outlets. You realize this country isn’t fixing something, it’s letting something go,” complemented Cammie about such delicate matter, also saying that in the days ahead we face the challenge of putting these emotions into goal-focused actions.

Lastly, always evolving as a vocalist and always ready to experiment with her music, Cammie is more than sure Oceans of Slumber are already starting to break out of the Progressive Rock and Metal scene, letting her inspirations guide her music and warning people who already like the band that they’ll have to let go of any expectations for what comes next, leaving us curious to see what the future holds for her and for Oceans of Slumber. Furthermore, as the fantastic vocalist  that she is, Cammie surely misses the stage and performing live to the band’s fans and to newcomers to their progressive world, and they’re already thinking of ways of getting back onstage in Houston obeying all recommended protocols of social distancing to keep everyone safe, including obviously all band members. And, of course, all of us fans of a good fusion of progressiveness, emotions and heavy music can’t wait to see Cammie back to where she belongs, mesmerizing us all with her powerful voice and showing us all black girls can and will forever rock no matter what.

Cammie Gilbert’s Official Instagram
Oceans of Slumber’s Official Facebook page
Oceans of Slumber’s Official Instagram
Oceans of Slumber’s Official Twitter
Oceans of Slumber’s Official YouTube channel

“I am a black woman in America and I am the great, great granddaughter of slaves. Memories upheld only in photographs; as a little girl I would try to imagine what their lives were like. But as it goes, reality unravelled the mystery behind my childish imagination. Now when I see old photos in civil war documentaries, I see their faces. When I watch the grainy black and white footage depicting the Jim Crow era, I see their faces. When I watch the films of the marches inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., I see their faces. And now when I sign into social media and see protestors getting tear-gassed, I see their faces, only now mine is there too.” – Cammie Gilbert

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

Metal Chick of the Month – Madame Mayhem

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Let the Mayhem begin!

As the year of 2020 has been nothing but pure chaos and mayhem, how about we celebrate the month of November and the fact we’re getting closer and closer to the end of such unique year in the history of mankind with our multi-talented metal chick of the month, the one and only Madame Mayhem, frontwoman of her own solo band Madame Mayhem? I’m sure you’ll enjoy knowing a little about her career, her personal life and, above all that, rocking like there’s no tomorrow to her electrifying and meaningful compositions, putting you to dance wherever you are even if it’s your own living room during this never-ending quarantine. Having said that, grab a cold beer, raise your horns and let the Mayhem begin!

Born on January 24, 1989 in Tenafly, one of the best places to live in New Jersey, in the United States, really close to the rich and multicultural Manhattan, Madame Mayhem, whose real name is Natalie Ann Cohen, began her musical training at the Manhattan School Of Music and went on to Frost School Of Music at the University Of Miami, where she completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, double majoring in Classical Opera and Musical Theatre, in three years. Before that, when she was still a little kid, she said her mom used to play music in the car when she drove her around to try to get her to nap, playing mostly grunge, which Mayhem’s likes to joke it was her “baby music”, making a big impression on her and helping develop her taste for heavier music as she grew older. Always having the will to perform, sing, write and create music, she said her nickname Madame Mayhem was actually created by her parents, meaning she needed to take control and rise above the “Mayhem” around her, taking charge of her own anxiety, hurt and frustrations, and then channeling all that towards her pulse-pounding anthems, instantly connecting with anyone who has struggled.

Madame Mayhem actually began her professional career back in 2011 when she was featured on Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio New Discovered and Uncovered Artist chart, before opening for Buckcherry’s Live Nation tour at The Sands Casino, already creating some buzz in North America and internationally. Having already performed all across the United States in famous venues such as The Roxy, The Viper Room, Bowery Ballroom, Knitting Factory, The Cutting Room and the Bluebird Café, she has also headlined the VH1’s “That Metal Show” annual Christmas Party, performed on Shiprocked Cruise in 2017, scheduled to perform at Sunfest in 2017, and has recently performed on national tours with renowned and respected metal artists such as Doro and Mushroomhead. Not only that, owner of a ravishing looks that blends the colors of goth, glam and nuances of other rock styles, our beloved diva has also been covered in both fashion and rock music media including Aquarian Weekly, Brave Words, Fashion Style, Gannett, Guitar World, KNAC, Loudwire, New Noise, Revolver and The Day In Rock, among others, and has also been featured in international publications like Sweden Rock Magazine, Aardschok Magazine, Rock Hard Magazine France and Metal Hammer Magazine Spain.

Musically speaking, she has already collaborated with a vast array of renowned rock and metal artists and bands such as Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Winery Dogs), Ray Luzier (KoRn, KXM), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses), Russ Parrish (“Satchel” from Steel Panther), Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon), Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio), John Moyer (Disturbed), Corey Lowery (Saint Asonia), Clint Lowery (Sevendust) and more, having also shared the stage with amazing bands the likes of Sevendust, Memphis May Fire, Fozzy and Doro. There’s a very good reason for all those connections with prominent names of the rock and metal scene, which is obviously the high quality of the music found in her three official albums released so far, those being her 2012 debut effort White Noise, produced by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Mark Hudson, her sophomore album Now You Know, from 2015, and her most recent album Ready For Me, released in 2017, always offering the listener a high-octane, fresh fusion of  Rock N’ Roll, Hard Rock and Alternative Rock and Metal.

Apart from those full-length installments, Madame Mayhem has also released a few more recent singles, those being her cover version for Paul McCartney’s My Valentine, in 2018, Broken, in 2019, and Breaking Down and an amazing cover version for Aerosmith’s Livin’ On The Edge now in 2020. Regarding her rendition of one of the biggest classics by Aerosmith, she said that “earlier in my career I covered Aerosmith’s Livin’ On The Edge during our live shows. We had recorded a version, but it stayed in the Mayhem vault of songs completed, yet never released…until now! During these times, I feel this song is especially relevant. I wanted to give fans and fellow music lovers alike, a little something to rock out to during these strange and difficult days which we are all experiencing together.” Hence, if you want to keep on rocking together with Madame Mayhem, you can also enjoy her official videos and live footage for songs such as Monster, a cover version for Alanis Morissette’s Uninvited, a live acoustic version of Broken, as well as Ready For Me, All Around The World, Left For Dead, Dead Will Rise and Save Me.

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Having always wanted to become a singer, a musician and a performer, therefore never having a plan B in life, Madame Mayhem has a very eclectic taste in music, looking up to and showing her deepest respect and admiration for countless artists, as for example Chris Cornell, whose incredible voice really got her and still does, and Alanis Morissette, a strong female artist who really impacted her as a child. According to Mayhem herself, Incubus was her first real rock concert, with every live show coming with awesome memories in her humble opinion. In addition, when asked about which artists she would love to collaborate on a song or album, she said she has been fortunate enough to already have collaborated with so many incredible musicians and artists, but some would be Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin, Korn, Halestorm, Evanescence and Sevendust, among many, many others. Also, she mentioned that opening up for Sevendust, Fozzy and Doro was an amazing experience, learning different things from each band she has toured with.

Regarding her life on the road, she mentioned that an average day on tour is not as glamorous as one might think, but when you’re surrounded by your band and team that all have each other’s backs every day is fun and great. When on tour, Madame Mayhem tries to interact with her fans as much as possible both on stage and after the concert is over, also trying to stay connected with them through all her social media profiles. Furthermore, in order to stay healthy while on tour, she said she tries to rest whenever possible, never partying too hard so that she can preserve her voice and put on the best show she can each night. However, as we’re all aware of, music concerts are pretty much nonexistent nowadays due to the coronavirus pandemic, and as bands cannot play live and sell merch to their fans, Mayhem said that apart from her social media, she’s more than happy to sell her products through her own webstore to keep her fans entertained, also making use of live streaming platforms like countless other bands around the world to keep the fires of rock and metal music alive while music concerts and festivals continue to be prohibited worldwide.

Still talking about the pandemic, she said that due to the fact she lives in New York she still spends most of her time in her apartment, having set up a small makeshift home studio and writing music, as well as playing some live cover songs for her Youtube page and doing some virtual festivals. Mayhem tries to stay active by doing cardio outside when she can and Les Mills’ Body Combat in her living room, saying those workouts have really helped keep her sane during such difficult times, and of course spending time home with her family has also been great. She even said that because of the extra time she has in her hands right now she was the one who put together the official lyric video for Breaking Down and the music video for Livin’ On The Edge, showcasing another one of her many talents as a musician and an artist. That’s also related to her belief as to how someone can become a better musician or singer, commenting that anyone should keep working hard and practicing as much as possible, complementing by saying that she’s an example of that by having periodic vocal training sessions, trying to practice every single day, and learning new things within the realm of her career as a musician and a singer, something she considers extremely important.

When asked about how she feels about streaming services like Spotify, Madame Mayhem said that although she has always been a fan of releasing full-length physical CD’s that you can hold and that the artwork and the music together can tell a story from front to back, streaming music has made it easier for people to discover new music and new artists, and I guess we must all agree with her on that as without streaming most independent and underground bands would have a hard time trying to spread their music everywhere. That also includes streaming of programs and movies, which in this case are very beneficial for the viewers who can enjoy an endless variety of shows and movies, just like what Madame Mayhem herself likes to do during her downtime. If you want to know more about our unstoppable vocalist and performer, you can find several online interviews with her such as this one to an online magazine named  Bionic Buzz,  where she talks about her latest releases, touring with Sevendust and Fozzy in Europe, and other fun stories. Having said all that, let’s keep banging our heads to our multi-talented artist and her incendiary Rock N’ Roll, and let the Mayhem continue forever and ever!

Madame Mayhem’s Official Facebook page
Madame Mayhem’s Official Instagram
Madame Mayhem’s Official Twitter
Madame Mayhem’s Official YouTube channel

“Music, singing, and performing have been my passions my entire life, and always will be.” – Madame Mayhem

Album Review – Kuujeojabenojujanomiashikushija / The Hunting Boar! The Hunting Tyrant! (2020)

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A solitary man on a mission seeking self-emptying and seeing the violent animal within brings to our ears his brand new experimental musical journey.

“You can kill it, but you must see it.”

If you throw  the expression “Kuujeojabenojujanomiashikushija” into Google Translator just out of curiosity like I did, you’ll see the app recognizes it as Swahili, translating it to “Come on in, take a look and enjoy yourself!” I have absolutely no idea if that was the intention of the mysterious American vocalist and multi-instrumentalist R.P. when he originally named his Experimental Death Metal project Kuujeojabenojujanomiashikushija, a solitary man on a mission seeking self-emptying and seeing the violent animal within, but just like its name, this extreme music entity offers a weird, uncanny and absolutely experimental musical journey to the listener in its second studio album, beautifully entitled The Hunting Boar! The Hunting Tyrant!, following up on all the madness found in the project’s 2014 debut EP 82121 and its 2017 full-length opus Hheoalle. In addition, as you might suspect based on the uniqueness of the project, absolutely everything in the album was done by R.P. himself, giving it an additional touch of lunacy and rawness and, therefore, sounding very organic from start to finish.

A mix of Industrial and Avantgarde Metal kicks off the album in the wicked intro Ripped Apart Under Glimmering Constellations, before R.P. slashes his raw, dirty guitar and crushes his drums like a maniac in the excellent Christ’s Descent Into Hell, and let me tell you that the song’s lyrics couldn’t have been more insane than what they already are (“Words accursed: mutational and eclipsed / Iron disc, zwarte zon / Coma of the soul from death to death / I wring the neck! It’s finished. / Poison diplomacy”). You better leave your mind and ears wide open as rumbling bass punches, cryptic vociferations and a sense of hopelessness and despair permeate the air in Vision Of Spinning Golgotha, uniting the sickness of Industrial Death Metal with the finesse of Progressive Metal, whereas R.P.’s demented riffs and beats are the main ingredients in Predator Reconfigured As Prey, another disruptive, dissident metal extravaganza that will make your head tremble throughout its less than three minutes of intense obscurity. And extracting sheer rage and insanity from his razor-edged guitar, R.P. offers our ears more of his Experimental Death Metal in Lycanthrope Before God, resulting in a headbanging tune tailored for admirers of the genre.

Then eerie noises ignite three minutes of industrialized sounds and tones in the instrumental (and lengthy) aria titled Entry, setting the stage for R.P. to roar venomous words (“If they can see me, I will kill them”) nonstop in They Can See Me, while the music remains as paradoxal to anything that can be called mainstream as possible, making an instant bridge with the also eccentric Murderer Swings The Censer, one of the most progressive of all songs, taking his innovative Death Metal to a whole new level of heaviness and fury and ending in a truly sick manner before R.P. comes ripping once again with his austere riffs and low-tuned bass in Scent Trail Under Arched Sconces. Blending the most visceral elements from Death, Groove and Industrial Metal with tons of feeling and darkness, this is one of the best songs of the album hands down. Lastly, are you ready for another round of sick guitars, pounding drums and wicked background noises? That’s what you’ll get in Do You See Over That Mountain?, sounding like an industrialized and instrumental version of the progressive madness blasted by Mastodon, and morphing into the idiosyncratic Epektasis, starting in an atmospheric and ethereal way before becoming a Progressive Rock and Metal exhibit by R.P. until all fades into the void.

I guess after all is said and done, the aforementioned translation to the project’s name, “Come on in, take a look and enjoy yourself!”, makes total sense, as if R.P. is indeed inviting us all to enter his wicked realm of experimentations and violence, take a very good look (or maybe I should say listen) around, and have a good time to the sound of each one of his multi-layered creations. Hence, in order to do that and show him your support and admiration for the underground, you can start following R.P. and his Kuujeojabenojujanomiashikushija on Facebook and purchase a copy of The Hunting Boar! The Hunting Tyrant! From the project’s own BandCamp page. As R.P. himself likes to cryptically say, “you can kill it, but you must see it”, or in the case of his newborn opus, you can kill “it”, but of course you must listen to his entertaining new album first.

Best moments of the album: Christ’s Descent Into Hell, Predator Reconfigured As Prey and Scent Trail Under Arched Sconces.

Worst moments of the album: Entry.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. Ripped Apart Under Glimmering Constellations 1:09
2. Christ’s Descent Into Hell 3:20
3. Vision Of Spinning Golgotha 1:55
4. Predator Reconfigured As Prey 2:45
5. Lycanthrope Before God 2:14
6. Entry 3:00
7. They Can See Me 1:30
8. Murderer Swings The Censer 3:23
9. Scent Trail Under Arched Sconces 4:03
10. Do You See Over That Mountain? 3:13
11. Epektasis 4:33

Band members
R.P. – vocals, all instruments

Album Review – Helion Prime / Question Everything (2020)

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A stunning concept album of Power Metal with each song revolving around different figures throughout human history who had the courage to question the status quo of their respective worlds and societies.

Two years after the release of their sophomore album Terror of the Cybernetic Space Monster, the unstoppable Sacramento, California-based Sci-Fi Power Metal entity Helion Prime returns with their third effort (and the much shorter title) Question Everything, their first album with new vocalist Mary Zimmer, from bands like Luna Mortis, The Ottoman Empire, Earthen and White Empress, among others, who has also accompanied the band on two separate tours of the United States. Not only that, Question Everything also sees the band’s original singer, Heather Michele, returning in a writing capacity and contributing in all lyrics and melodies, supporting guitarists Jason Ashcraft and Chad Anderson, bassist Jeremy Steinhouse and drummer Alex Bosson in their quest for science and heavy music. Mixed by Chris Collier and mastered by Brett Caldas-Lima with additional mixing, drum edits and reamping by Alex Nasla of Gear Gods Studio, and featuring a stylish cover art by American artist Marc Whisnant, Question Everything is a concept album with each song revolving around different figures throughout human history who had the courage to question the status quo of their respective worlds and societies, in some cases even dealing with harsh persecution as a result.

The exciting opening track The Final Theory kicks off in full force to the strident guitars by Jason and Chad, setting the stage for Mary and her smooth, powerful vocals and offering our avid ears some good classic Melodic Metal to start their 60-minute journey through space and science. In Madame Mercury, a beautiful song in honor of American mathematician Katherine Johnson (who sadly passed away earlier this year), whose calculations of orbital mechanics during her 35 years as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent US crewed spaceflights, we’re treated to strong lyrics declaimed by Mary (“Born in a time defined / By bias in our laws / Held to a standard of / Injustice with no cause / Came a mighty force of reckoning / A gale of objectivity / One with the audacity / To know where she belonged”) while the music remains solid, cohesive and epic from start to finish; followed by Prof, a headbanging tune led by the galloping bass and beats by Jeremy and Alex, with the music growing in intensity until reaching a truly epic rhythm and vibe, and with its background keys also making an interesting paradox with the slashing riffs by the band’s guitar duo.

In The Gadfly, based on the one and only Greek philosopher Socrates, a serene intro explodes into a fusion of modern-day Power Metal with Symphonic and Melodic Metal, resulting in one of the most progressive of all songs, with the solos by Chad being absolutely incendiary. Then we have the breathtaking Photo 51, based on the life and discoveries of English chemist and X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin, showcasing their most Iron Maiden/Helloween-inspired vein and with Mary living up to the legacy of grandiose female vocalists the likes of Brittney Slayes and Floor Jansen, not to mention how bestial Alex is behind his drums, whereas strident guitars ignite another Heavy Metal extravaganza titled E Pur Si Muove, where its keys add an extra touch of finesse to the overall result while Jason, Chad and Jeremy blast their stringed weapons in great fashion. And featuring guest vocals by American singer John Yelland (Judicator, Dire Peril, Principium), Words of The Abbot is another fast-paced, epic creation by Helion Prime, with the amazing job done by both Jason and Chad on the guitars providing Mary all she needs to shine on vocals once again.

Based on the fictional character Dr. Cornelius from the 1968 masterpiece Planet of the Apes (and I must say how much I love this movie, having watched it for the first time when I was just a little boy with my dad), The Forbidden Zone brings forward dark and epic lyrics (“What lies beyond / Those barren mountains / Hiding on that shore / I refrain”) with the music remaining absolutely loyal to the band’s foundations, offering us all their purest display of Symphonic Power Metal; followed by the title-track Question Everything, featuring the band’s former vocalists Heather Michele (Graveshadow) and Sozos Michael (Planeswalker), something I believe only Helloween had done before in the song “Pumpkins United”, with Michael Kiske, Andi Deris and Kai Hansen sharing the vocal duties. And let me tell you that the Helion Prime vocal triumvirate kicks some serious ass throughout the entire song, while Jason, Chad, Jeremy and Alex breathe fire, adrenaline and speed through their respective instruments. Then despite it’s 80’s inspired rhythm and vocal lines, as well as the soulful solos by Chad, Reawakening never really takes off, falling flat after a while, but fortunately for all of us the band closes the album with their cover version for Kong at the Gates/Forbidden Zone, from their 1999 album Famous Monsters by the Misfits (check out the original version HERE), with Helion Prime’s version sounding amazing (and very melodic) while presenting the band’s own twist, speahrheaded by the rebellious vocals by Mary.

“This album has truly been amazing to work on. The idea behind it is something I’ve been holding on to since around the time I started the band. Aside from writing some of what I consider to be Prime’s best work it was a great experience getting to work with Heather again on an album as she once again contributed her talents for the lyrics,” said Jason about the band’s newborn opus, and we must all admit it’s indeed their most complex and detailed about since their inception back in 2014. Well, when a Sci-Fi Metal band is named after an alien planet featured in the film The Chronicles of Riddick, you know their music will have a lot of content to support all their noise, right? It’s like if we could call their style “Nerd Metal” in the best way possible, and if you want to experiment their nerdy and thrilling music you can stream Question Everything in full on Spotify. In addition, don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram, and above all, to purchase your copy of their new album from their own webstore, from Apple Music or from Amazon. Those Helion Prime chose to write about in Question Everything faced prejudice, mockery and persecution, yet through it all they held true to their beliefs and ideas, serving as an inspiration for all minds to continue thinking outside the box and staying true to themselves, and of course for Helion Prime to unleash upon us one of the best Symphonic Power Metal albums of the year.

Best moments of the album: Photo 51, Words of The Abbot and Question Everything.

Worst moments of the album: Reawakening.

Released in 2020 Saibot Reigns

Track listing
1. The Final Theory 4:20
2. Madame Mercury 4:19
3. Prof 3:55
4. The Gadfly 6:35
5. Photo 51 5:13
6. E Pur Si Muove 5:48
7. Words of The Abbot 4:55
8. The Forbidden Zone 4:32
9. Question Everything 5:56
10. Reawakening 6:54
11. Kong at the Gates/Forbidden Zone (Misfits cover) 3:39

Band members
Mary Zimmer – vocals
Jason Ashcraft – rhythm guitars
Chad Anderson – lead guitars
Jeremy Steinhouse – bass
Alex Bosson – drums

Guest musicians
John Yelland – vocals on “Words of The Abbot”
Heather Michele – vocals on “Question Everything”
Sozos Michael – vocals on “Question Everything”

Album Review – Lord Almighty / Wither (2020)

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Transcending genre norms, the new opus by this amazing Progressive Black Metal band from Boston showcases an epic world that will surely be loved by all types of metalheads.

Formed in the grimy artist spaces of Rugg Road in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States in 2013 by vocalist and guitarist Keenan Carroll and guitarist Samuel “Goose” Willgoose, later enlisting bassist Phill Gelinas and drummer Christopher Narainen to complete the line up and hit the road, the unrelenting Progressive Black Metal unity Lord Almighty continues to play a crushing mix of Black Metal blasts and Rock N’ Roll melodics in their newborn opus entitled Wither, the follow-up to their 2015 full-length album Paths. Recorded by Goose himself at Murder Box Studios, mixed by Phillip Cope at Jam Room, mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, and featuring a Stygian cover Art by Adam O’Day, Wither transcends genre norms, showcasing an epic world that will surely be loved by all types of metalheads. “Wither is an album that really was written over a few years. There were plenty of experiences along the way that continued our descent into madness. It was a hazy time looking through smoke and double vision. Conceptually we had a lot of different emotions and life experiences that culminated to what you hear. If you listen hard enough, you might even hear the crackle of the fire in our building where we lived or the cops pounding on the doors. Or maybe even the dreams in which we envisioned when we found ourselves without homes,” commented the band about their new album.

Their sonic onrush of sounds begins in full force with the opening track Cry of the Earth, where Christopher already presents his heavy artillery while the guitars by both Keenan and Goose bring a thrilling fusion of Black Metal and Punk Rock to the music, building an instant connection with the also progressive, multi-layered Sundown, with their strident guitars and intricate beats providing Keenan all he needs to vociferate with tons of anger, alternating between more rhythmic moments and sheer brutality. After such exciting start to the album, the quartet invests into a classic Black Metal sonority, offering our ears Mercy, with Phill and his Marduk-inspired bass punches adding an extra touch of evil to the overall result, sounding imposing and grim from start to finish and suddenly morphing into a incendiary tune titled Rise, where the Jazz-ish guitars by Keenan and Goose grow in intensity until exploding in a bestial Progressive Black Metal feast led by the crushing beats by Christopher. Then we have V, an instrumental intermission spearheaded by Christopher’s tribalistic beats, setting the tone for the neck-breaking and utterly progressive Despite, showcasing devilish riffs and solos, low-tuned bass lines and the always hellish growls and snarls by Keenan, also bringing forward hints of classic Heavy Metal and Rock N’ Roll, therefore demonstrating all the band’s versatility and range.

Stifled is another one of their cryptic instrumental creations, this time offering our ears a somber atmosphere and background voices, keeping everything as dark and heavy as possible before they come crushing our spinal cords with the Doom Metal-infused aria titled Adrift, also adding a touch of Atmospheric Black Metal to the song’s already pulverizing sound. Moreover, all band members are on fire throughout the entire song, exhaling obscurity and hopelessness; and after some inspired jamming the quartet fires the demonic Black Metal extravaganza entitled Hour By Hour, where Keenan and Goose sound beyond infernal with their razor-edged riffs, not to mention Goose’s blazin’ guitar solo. Their second to last blast of malignancy comes in the form of the title-track Wither, bringing forward their core progressiveness with Phill’s bass jabs hammering our heads mercilessly in a vicious display of contemporary Melodic Black Metal, whereas closing the album the band brings forth the also strident and piercing Hooded Three. The song actually takes longer than expected to take off, but when it does it’s another display of brutality by Lord Almighty with the thrashing riffs by the band’s guitar duo inspiring us all to slam into the pit.

The beyond progressive and demolishing creations found in Wither can be better appreciated in full on YouTube, but of course as usual if you want to truly demonstrate your support to the guys from Lord Almighty and keep the fires of underground extreme music burning bright forever and ever, go check what the band is up to on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel, stream more of their music on Spotify, and above all that, grab your copy of their sulfurous new album from their own BandCamp page or webstore. As already mentioned, Wither is not only a very cohesive and vibrant album of extreme music, but it also translates into Black Metal all obscure experiences from each band member in their own descend into madness, which means you should definitely use the entire album as the soundtrack to your own downward spiral into the pits of the underworld. I’m sure the band would love to be part of that unique experience in your damned life.

Best moments of the album: Sundown, Rise and Hour By Hour.

Worst moments of the album: Hooded Three.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. Cry of the Earth 3:51
2. Sundown 4:05
3. Mercy 2:31
4. Rise 4:20
5. V 0:51
6. Despite 3:43
7. Stifled 1:34
8. Adrift 3:55
9. Hour By Hour 3:57
10. Wither 4:49
11. Hooded Three 5:11

Band members
Keenan Carroll – vocals, guitars
Samuel “Goose” Willgoose – lead guitars
Phill Gelinas – bass
Christopher Narainen – drums

Album Review – Crystal Spiders / Molt (2020)

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Bang your heads to the debut album by this amazing American duo of doom, dripping with fuzzed out riffs, thundering drums and dynamic, smoky vocals.

It didn’t take long for Raleigh, North Carolina’s own Hard Rock/Doom Metal unity Crystal Spiders to draw attention to their crushing fusion of heavy and groovy styles after their inception in 2018. Comprised of Brenna Leath (of Lightning Born) on vocals and bass and drummer Tradd Yancey, with the support of session guitarist Mike Deloatch and guest guitarist Mike Dean (of Corrosion of Conformity), who also produced the album, the band returns in full force in 2020 with their debut album Molt, following up on their highly acclaimed 2019 demo. Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Mastering Studio and featuring a stylish artwork by American tattoo artist Tyler Pennington, Molt showcases their deep devotion to riff-worship, dripping with fuzzed out riffs, thundering drums and dynamic, smoky vocals and, therefore, being highly recommended to fuzz-addicted legions from all four corner of the earth.

The low-tuned, creepy bass by Brenna kicks off the Stoner Rock and Metal feast titled Trapped, with Tradd smashing his drums powerfully while the song’s  obscure lyrics are darkly declaimed by Brenna (“There’s no one out here, just wild dogs and dust / Fill up the empty space with unholy sound and deathly grace / There’s something slithering away on a greasy belly / We’re trapped here in this place, drying up like old blood”), whereas the title-track Molt is a faster and more dynamic Rock N’ Roll party led by Tradd’s classic beats while Mike and Brenna slash their stringed weapons in great fashion, being perfect for banging your head nonstop while the band kicks ass on stage at a rock pub anywhere in the world. After such breathtaking tune we have Tigerlilly, one of the three songs from their 2019 demo, getting back to an old school, Black Sabbat-inspired Doom Metal mode, with Tradd being once again unstoppable on drums, providing Brenna all she needs to shine with her piercing vocals and dirty bass jabs. And eerie, minimalist sounds permeate the air in the grim Chronic Sick, where the sluggish beats by Tradd together with the acid riffage by Mike generate a neck-breaking ambience, with Brenna once again mesmerizing us all with her potent voice.

It’s time to speed things up once again and ride with Crystal Spiders on a highway to hell in C.U.N. Hell, where it’s impressive how devilish and sexy Brenna’s voice can sound at the same time, while Tradd dictates the pace with his wicked beats, followed by Gutter, another lecture in Stoner Rock and Doom Metal by the duo, with Brenna being on fire with both her high-pitched screams and metallic, fuzzy bass, taking us all on a journey back to the glory of the 70’s. Then let’s embark on another thunder-driven Rock N’ Roll journey together with Crystal Spiders in The Call, where Brenna, Tradd and Mike are on absolute sync, consequently making our blood boil in the name of the riff, not to mention the song’s addictive guitar solos. In the tribalistic, hypnotic tune entitled Headhunters the talented Brenna steals the spotlight with her witch-like vocal lines, setting the tone for Fog, featuring the aforementioned Mike Dean and his visceral riffs, a bestial, dark and delicious way to end such powerful album of doom. It’s slow and atmospheric from start to finish, with Brenna, Mike and Tradd building a damned wall of sounds with their respective sonic weapons, dragging us all into their foggy and somber lair before all is said and done.

If you want to experience Molt in its entirety you can enjoy the full album on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to show Brenna and Tradd your honest support and admiration you should definitely purchase the album from their own BandCamp page, as well as from Ripple Music’s BandCamp page or Big Cartel (in digipak CD or deluxe vinyl format), or simply click HERE to have access to all locations where you can buy or stream the excellent Molt. Hence, don’t forget to follow Crystal Spiders on Facebook and on Instagram, keeping the fires of underground doom burning bright for many years to come. The name of the album itself is already very suggestive and points to an amazing future for Crystal Spiders, as if the duo has just shed their old feathers, making their way to a new growth stage in their career, and based on the high quality of the music found in Molt it looks like not even the sky is the limit for their doomed wings.

Best moments of the album: Molt and C.U.N. Hell and The Call.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Ripple Music

Track listing
1. Trapped 5:09
2. Molt 3:37
3. Tigerlilly 5:38
4. Chronic Sick 6:49
5. C.U.N. Hell 4:09
6. Gutter 3:58
7. The Call 5:47
8. Headhunters 2:26
9. Fog 6:14

Band members
Brenna Leath – vocals, bass
Tradd Yancey – drums, vocals

Guest musician
Mike Deloatch – guitars (session)
Mike Dean – guitars on “Fog”

Album Review – The Glorious Dead / Into Lifeless Shrines (2020)

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Ranging from blasting intensity to a more down-trodden doom crawl, enjoy over 50 minutes of “Filthy Northern Death Metal” by this talented Michigan, US-based act.

Founded by T.J. Humlinski (Feast Eternal) and Marty Rytkonen (Prosthesis, Slaunchwise, Charnel Valley, Bindrune Recordings) in Traverse City, a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, Death Metal four-piece act The Glorious Dead is a band that finds its roots planted somewhere back in 2008 and 2009 with the three-song demo The Burdensome Ceremony of Internment. Upon suffering a few line-up changes the band went dormant until 2017, when drummer Chris Fulton (Reasonable Deception, Neither) relocated to the area and agreed to join the band. With Chris Boris from the Northern Michigan band and forest metal stalwarts Pan permanently joining the ranks on bass, the band finalized a two-year quest and all necessary material for their debut full-length album Into Lifeless Shrines, offering the listener songs that range from blasting intensity to a more down-trodden doom crawl. Highly influenced by ancient Death Metal and the 80’s darkened thrash movement, The Glorious Dead focuses on memorable and diseased sounding riffs lurking at its core in Into Lifeless Shrines, resulting in the rise of what they like to call “Filthy Northern Death Metal”.

The eerie, cinematic intro Solium Mortis opens the gates of hell to the putrid and violent Vitreous Hemmorhage, a solid and straightforward Death Metal song with no shenanigans where T.J. roars and growls like a creature of the underworld while his bandmates generate a venomous ambience with their instruments, whereas Chris Fulton pounds his drums nonstop in the heavy-as-hell The Noise of Gravediggers, another bestial Death Metal feast with T.J. and Marty extracting sheer savagery from their stringed axes, living up to the legacy of renowned acts like Cannibal Corpse, Deicide and Morbid Angel. And they keep smashing our skulls with their brutality in Cranial Festering, where Chris Boris and Chris Fulton generate a dense and menacing base perfect for T.J. to thrive with his gruesome gnarls, maintaining the album at a high level of aggressiveness and obscurity.

The band then ventures through the realms of Doom Metal and Blackened Doom, and the final result is a sluggish and grim creation entitled Tenebris Arca, with the slashing sound of the guitars bringing an extra touch of malignancy to the overall result, while the crushing beats by Chris Fulton dictate the rhythm in the venomous Putrefactive Adoration, a brutal display of classic Death Metal shredding by the band’s guitar duo, all spiced up by the always vile guttural by T.J. After such high level of dementia, it’s time for the quartet to arise from the pits of the netherworld and fire one more round of bestiality in the form of Reunite in Grotesque, a lecture in old school Death Metal with no artificial elements, just plain, unfiltered violence, tons of shredding and the unstoppable beats by Chris Fulton. And even darker than its predecessors, Celebrate the Corpse blends Death and Doom Metal with subtle nuances of Black and Thrash Metal, presenting a great job on the guitars by both T.J. and Marty while Chris Boris keeps delivering endless groove through his bass punches.

Into Lifeless Shrines, one of their oldest compositions, comes smashing our heads mercilessly, showcasing a violent pace boosted by the song’s austere lyrics while once again bringing to our avid ears classic Death Metal spiced up by the most Stygian elements from Doom Metal, and the rumbling bass by Chris Boris kicks off the also visceral Leave it with the Worms, where the guitars by T.J. and Marty will pierce your ears while Chris Fulton gives us all a very good reason for slamming into the pit. Following this ode to darkness, Cannibal Corpse-inspired riffage and intricate and berserk beats are the main ingredients in the Death Metal extravaganza titled The Ruin of Flesh, with T.J. demonstrating all his skills as a growler once again, and there’s nothing better than a huge dosage of gore and violence to end a Death Metal album, which is exactly what you’ll get in Exordium of Decay, with its wicked guitar solos and hammering drums keeping the music vibrant and grim until the song’s climatic finale.

If you consider yourself a fan of underground Death Metal, then you should definitely give the guys from The Glorious Dead a try, as their raw and pulverizing creations might be exactly what you’re looking for in extreme music. Hence, don’t forget to follow them on Facebook for news, tour dates and other details about the band, and purchase a copy of Into Lifeless Shrines from the Bindrune Recordings’ BandCamp page or webstore, fueling The Glorious Dead to keep demolishing our heads and disturbing our peace with their frantic and heavy Death Metal for many years to come. Put differently, let’s all hail the northern hordes of Death Metal together with the talented metallers from The Glorious Dead, with Into Lifeless Shrines marking the most cohesive and detailed step in their career so far.

Best moments of the album: The Noise of Gravediggers, Tenebris Arca and Reunite in Grotesque.

Worst moments of the album: Celebrate the Corpse.

Released in 2020 Bindrune Recordings

Track listing
1. Solium Mortis (Intro) 1:42
2. Vitreous Hemmorhage 4:17
3. The Noise of Gravediggers 5:02
4. Cranial Festering 3:16
5. Tenebris Arca 5:27
6. Putrefactive Adoration 4:21
7. Reunite in Grotesque 4:14
8. Celebrate the Corpse 5:33
9. Into Lifeless Shrines 4:20
10. Leave it with the Worms 4:11
11. The Ruin of Flesh 5:25
12. Exordium of Decay 4:37

Band members
T.J. Humlinski – vocals, guitars
Marty Rytkonen – guitars
Chris Boris – bass
Chris Fulton – drums

Album Review – Texas Murder Crew / Everyone’s Last Breath EP (2020)

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Capturing the music of the flies buzzing to the sight and stench of inhuman cruelty, this Dallas, Texas-based act will pulverize your senses with the boiling, filthy sound of their debut opus.

Capturing the music of the flies buzzing to the sight and stench of inhuman cruelty in their wicked creations, Dallas, Texas-based Brutal Death Metal/Deathslam six-piece act Texas Murder Crew will pulverize your senses with the boiling, filthy sound of their debut EP entitled Everyone’s Last Breath, drowning you as you reach in agonized desperation for a hand held out in pity. Featuring the dual guttural vocals of Logan Ross and Brent Wells, offering differing shades of sickening brutality, a thick wave of riffs by guitarist Kevin Clark (Devourment, Kill Everything), crushing foundations by bassist Timothy Dewayne Ratcliff and drummer Benjie Quezada, and hallucinatory shadows and the buzzing of the flies by Terry Burleson and his samplers, Everyone’s Last Breath is a must-have album for fans of underground brutality and rage, sounding absolutely verminous and gruesome, and having your body twitching, hungry for violence throughout its 17 minutes of unrelenting extreme music.

As soon as you hit play, a truly cinematic, somber intro grows in intensity until all hell breaks loose, preparing the listener for the pulverizing Curse of Humanity, with Brent and Logan making a bestial vocal duo with their sick gnarls and screeches while Kevin and Timothy decimate their stringed weapons mercilessly, resulting in a Brutal Slamming Death Metal avalanche infused with tons of groove and infinite aggressiveness. Destroy the Witness is another devastating lesson in Death Metal where Logan fires his Cannibal Corpse-inspired riffs while Timothy and Benjie shake the foundations of the earth with their thunderous instruments, not to mention how inhumane the vocals by both Brent and Logan sound, and if you thought they were going to slow down their savagery you’re utterly wrong, as the band keeps smashing our skulls in Beneath My Feet, offering us all three minutes of putrid, wicked Death Metal where Kevin once again takes the lead with his sick riffage. The band’s demented vocal duo continues to bark and vomit their gruesome words in the title-track Everyone’s Last Breath, with Benjie sounding like a stone crusher on drums, or in other words, this is a dense and cohesive Death Metal feast that perfectly represents the band’s dexterity and passion for brutality. Finally, Terry kicks off the closing tune Stronghold with his sinister samplers, being gradually joined by the violent sounds blasted by his bandmates, requiring only a little less than two minutes to annihilate us all.

There are multiple locations where you can put your dirty and blood-soaked hands on Everyone’s Last Breath, such as the band’s own webstore, Comatose Music’s BandCamp and webstore, Amazon, and other alternative options such as Randy’s Record Shop and Saturn. Also, let’s show the guys from Texas murder Crew our total support by following them on Facebook and on Instagram to know more about their music, tour dates and plans for the future, keeping the fires of Brutal Death Metal alive for many years to come and, of course, making sure those talented death metallers will keep delivering their wicked and brutal creations until their very last breath.

Best moments of the album: Curse of Humanity and Everyone’s Last Breath.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Comatose Music

Track listing
1. Intro 1:39
2. Curse of Humanity 3:31
3. Destroy the Witness 4:00
4. Beneath My Feet 2:50
5. Everyone’s Last Breath 4:19
6. Stronghold 1:29

Band members
Brent Wells – vocals
Logan Ross – vocals
Kevin Clark – guitars
Timothy Dewayne Ratcliff – bass
Terry Burleson – samplers, backing vocals
Benjie Quezada – drums