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Album Review – Monolith / Against The Wall Of Forever (2015)

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A remarkable album of pure heavy music that will take you on a journey back to the glorious early days of Heavy Metal.

Rating3

cover1400x1400There are bands that are born to play more progressive or introspective music, with thoughtful lyrics that will make you reconsider some aspects of your life. Other groups focus on a more theatrical side of business, relying heavily on their outfits, makeup, corpse-painting and/or stage production to differentiate themselves in the market. And there are American Heavy Metal saviors Monolith, which had only one thing in mind while crafting their superb brand new full-length album Against The Wall Of Forever: 100% pure Heavy Metal.

Founded in 2013 by guitarist Doug Walker (The Hookers, Nixon), with current and former members of MF Ruckus, The Embalmers and Zombie Cartel and having already played with names like The Dwarves, Sepultura and Electric Wizard, Monolith do not want to start any revolution in heavy music. What those talented guys from San Diego, California really want to offer us all headbangers is honest and electrifying heavy music inspired by their idols from the mid-70’s/early-80’s era of Heavy Metal, such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Metallica, and they simply nailed it with their new album, a serious contender for top metal album of 2015.

Against The Wall Of Forever is a huge kick in your face right from the start with the spectacular old school Thrash/Heavy Metal anthem The Emperor (The Suffering Of Fools), especially due to the excellent vocals by Aaron Howell and the exciting guitar duo comprised of Doug Walker and Jared Bliss. Their traditional riffs and solos remind me a lot of some Iron Maiden classics from the 80’s, and I don’t need to say how positive that is. Following that metal music havoc we have the title-track, Against The Wall Of Forever, which showcases more influences from the NWOBHM such as its thrilling galloping rhythm thanks to the great job done by drummer Ben Pincock and bassist David Ortuno.

The next track, Caravan, comes with a very simple question: are you ready for some intense circle pits? It’s amazing how they managed to create such polished music without losing that rawness needed in classic Heavy Metal, and you’ll feel pumped for screaming the name of the song together with Aaron during its chorus. Furthermore, none of the guitar solos sound out of place in this song (nor in the entire album). And can we call the dark ballad Kindly Dr. Jest (The Interrogator) as “Blues Metal”? Well, call it the way you prefer, as long as you acknowledge the incredible job Aaron does by impersonating the character of “Dr. Jest”, which based on my online research is an alchemist and chief interrogator of Melnibone who is a connoisseur of torture, and his life’s work is to elevate the infliction of pain in to an art form. It can’t get any better than this!

Monolith PicDie With Your Master, another of the top moments of the entire album, is a terrific tribute to the good old times of Metallica, inspired by masterpieces like “Whiplash”, “Metal Militia” and so on: it’s as raw and fast as it can be, and more than perfect for some furious mosh pits with your friends. Then a more progressive vein arises in The Prophet, with lots of breaks and variations nicely inserted amidst all the sonic madness.

The heavy music celebration  goes on with another very solid track named The All-Father And The Chaos Lords, which focus heavily on its headbanging riffs blended with the screams by Aaron. If you’re a fan of frantic metal music, the last part of this song is tailored for you. And last but not least, sounding even more Iron Maiden-ish than ever (apparently inspired by the all-time classic “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” or any other track from the flawless album Powerslave), Monolith offer us the excellent Elusive Prey (The Hunter), where Doug and Jared are kicking some serious ass on the guitars with their awesome riffs and solos.

Even the album art, by illustrator Matthew Haas, transpires Heavy Metal and perfectly represents how impactful the music by Monolith is. So go like them on Facebook, visit their YouTube channel, listen to their music on their SoundCloud page, and order your copy of Against The Wall Of Forever at the official Funeral Noise Records webstore (they have some cool bundles available). Although we’re already in 2015, Monolith will take you on a journey back in time, more specifically to the early 80’s when heavy music was beyond glorious and mighty.

Best moments of the album: The Emperor (The Suffering Of Fools), Kindly Dr. Jest (The Interrogator) and Die With Your Master.

Worst moments of the album: Honestly, it’s really hard to find something bad or uninspired in the whole album. Maybe The All-Father And The Chaos Lords?

Released in 2015 Funeral Noise Records

Track listing
1. The Emperor (The Suffering Of Fools) 5:02
2. Against The Wall Of Forever 3:34
3. Caravan 3:11
4. Kindly Dr. Jest (The Interrogator) 4:27
5. Die With Your Master 3:22
6. The Prophet 4:21
7. The All-Father And The Chaos Lords 3:54
8. Elusive Prey (The Hunter) 3:41

Band members
Aaron Howell – vocals
Doug Walker – guitar
Jared Bliss – guitar
David “Gordo” Ortuno – bass
Ben Pincock – drums

Album Review – Starkill / Virus Of The Mind (2014)

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These promising American death metallers return with an interesting mix of symphony, harmony and darkness.

Rating4

starkill_coverAs promised HERE, it’s time to review Virus Of The Mind, the brand new album by one of the most promising Melodic Death Metal groups in the market today (and they’re not from Sweden this time), American band Starkill. Sounding like a hybrid of Behemoth and Arch Enemy, with lots of symphonic elements and the band’s own unique dark touch, this is an excellent choice for fans of a more contemporary Symphonic and Melodic Black/Death Metal, which is at the same time brutal but very harmonious.

Born in 2008 in Bloomington, Indiana under the name of Ballistika and then Massakren, before changing it once and for all to Starkill and moving to Chicago, Illinois, the band was kind of “catapulted” to significant stardom at the end of 2012 when they signed to Century Media Records, releasing their debut album Fires Of Life in 2013. Now with Virus Of The Mind they sound even more prepared for reaching new heights, especially due to their capacity of mixing so many different genres and subgenres of heavy music such as Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal, Thrash Metal and Symphonic Black Metal in the most professional and polished way possible.

And their symphonic vein can be noticed from the very beginning of the opening track, Be Dead or Die, where the awesome keyboard lines blend perfectly with its Power Metal-ish drums at the speed of light by Spencer Weidner, all guided by one of the band’s trademarks, the harsh growls by Parker Jameson. Winter Desolation follows a more Melodic Death Metal line, especially its riffs and solos à la Arch Enemy, and the first “batch” of clean vocals is a welcome addition in order to expand their music range, while Breaking the Madness elevates the adrenaline of the listener, being perfect for live performances. Moreover, despite the vocals being so harsh, it’s easy to understand the dark and interesting lyrics Parker is singing (“Madness permeates / Into my body and my mind, it starts to break / Bit there is fucking nothing left to take / Nothing to feel / Trapped in the labyrinth, losing sight of what is real / So hard to tell which way to go”).

The title-track Virus of the Mind is a very symphonic tune where the smooth keyboard notes make an interesting paradox with the harsh vocals, while the also atmospheric and dark Skyward focus on the synergy between its guitar effects and keyboard notes. Before Hope Fades, one of the singles of the album, is a good reason why they should stick to fast and heavy music: it sounds a lot like the bland material from the last couple of albums by Nightwish (except for the vocals, of course), being so pop and generic it doesn’t represent at all the true heavy music the band is capable of doing. At least they get back on track with some Symphonic Black Metal the likes of Dimmu Borgir in Into Destiny, albeit the clean vocals do not sound as if they belonged to this song.

starkillThe last part of Virus Of The Mind has its awesome and pretty bad moments at the same time, starting with the amazing apocalyptic musicality in God of This World, focusing heavily on its keyboards and the more obscure and violent lyrics (“I shall smite the earth with a curse / Enemies to ashes on the soles of my feet / Shedding blood as long as it takes / To cease this engine of grief”), followed by My Catharsis, where all elements of Melodic Death Metal can be found: very technical guitar solos, fast drums, heavy riffs and huge doses of guttural vocals. And finally, Convergence, which was supposed to sound more epic, but in fact it doesn’t live up to the expectations and ends up being just filler and, consequently, the worst song of the whole album by far.

In summary, the second installment by those American death metallers is not only a nice and professional combination of harmony and darkness, but above all it also helps consolidate Starkill in the heavy music scene today as one of the most promising names in Melodic Death Metal. Well, I guess we can already stop calling them “promising”, as they’re indeed a reality, right? And if they keep providing us such enjoyable music, maybe one day they can go even further and reach the status of classic.

Best moments of the album: Be Dead or Die, Breaking the Madness and God of This World.

Worst moments of the album: Before Hope Fades and Convergence.

Released in 2014 Century Media Records

Track listing
1. Be Dead or Die 4:36
2. Winter Desolation 5:16
3. Breaking the Madness 3:55
4. Virus of the Mind 4:47
5. Skyward 4:05
6. Before Hope Fades 4:52
7. Into Destiny 4:02
8. God of This World 5:39
9. My Catharsis 3:54
10. Convergence 4:18

Band members
Parker Jameson – lead guitar, vocals, keyboards
Tony Keathley – guitar, backing vocals
Shaun Andruchuk – bass guitar
Spencer Weidner – drums

Album Review – Temple Of Void / Of Terror And The Supernatural (2014)

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If the Devil had a band, it would sound pretty much like this one.

Rating4

TEMPLE OF VOID - Of Terror and the Supernatural cover artWhen you put together the obscurity of early British Doom Metal and the sheer brutality of old school American Death Metal, the final result is usually very interesting. From Detroit, Michigan, United States, comes a band that was able to blend those subgenres of heavy music in a more-than-entertaining way, adding to their music their own touch of creativity and ferocity. I’m talking about American Death/Doom Metal band Temple Of Void, who have just released their debut album entitled Of Terror And The Supernatural. Are you ready for some sonic carnage?

Although they’re a relatively new band, having self-released only a demo in May 2013 prior to Of Terror And The Supernatural, those five Detroiters are so precise with their instruments that they sound like an already classic extreme metal band that has been playing together for decades. Besides, the overall production of the album is also very professional and polished, without abandoning that crude sonority necessary for a good extreme metal album but also without sounding awfully raw to the point it looks like an amateur demo, favoring the type of music crafted by the band.

The opening track, The Embalmer’s Art, begins the album on a high note by creating a truly eccentric atmosphere with its low tune riffs, demoniacal vocals and pure Doom Metal drumming, fortified by its morbid lyrics (“Potter’s bluff / The embalmer’s art / Master work of the wicked”). This song is already some kind of message from the band to the listener, like if they wanted to say “our music is not for the faint-hearted”, so eerie it is. The following track, Savage Howl, begins with a cool galloping intro before hell breaks loose: its guitar and bass lines, mixed with its intense drums, are perfect for some headbanging, with the last minute of it being as heavy as it can be. In addition, I wonder if singer Mike Erdody can do those deep growling vocals live, that must be really impressive.

TEMPLE OF VOID band photoBeyond the Ultimate showcases the most obscure Doom Metal riffs you can think of, nicely enhanced by some hints of Stoner Metal and its truly hideous lyrics (“Feed me / I must dine a feast of blood / Once, I too paid these / Sacrificial dues”), followed by Invocation of Demise, with some of the darkest riffs of the whole album and some extra guitar effects that provide it an extra dose of occultism, ideal to be part of the soundtrack for a Black Magic ritual. Not only that, after five minutes it sounds like a brand new song as it gets a lot more melodic, with drummer Jason Pearce dictating the rhythm.

To Carry this Corpse Evermore is just a melancholic semi-acoustic instrumental track (maybe to give Mr. Erdody’s throat a short break) that works like a bridge for the next song, Rot in Solitude, with its Death Metal riffs and a very somber rhythm; while Exanimate Gaze offers us an interesting mix of Paradise Lost and Black Sabbath, especially its guitar lines. By the way, the awesome instrumental boosts the overall quality of this song, with its last part reminding me of some good contemporary Black Metal songs. And as the final track in Of Terror And The Supernatural we have the 10-minute epic Doom Metal song Bargain in Death, with highlights to its disturbing lyrics about being buried alive (“Waking – You grasp and you claw / But there is no escape / Scratching – The slivers of pine / Stabbing under your nails”). The second half of the song is like a funeral march, as slow, perverse and eerie as possible, with some amazing guitar solos at the end elevating this tenebrous masterpiece to a whole new magnitude.

Lastly, the cover painting by renowned fantasy artist Bruce Pennington is also a very good indicator of how evil this album is and how perturbed you might feel after listening to it, obviously in a very good way. So if you enjoy the devilish music this band plays, simply support them by visiting their Facebook page, by asking them to play live in your city, and also by going to their official Bandcamp page to purchase Of Terror And The Supernatural, an album that sounds like if it was recorded by the Devil’s own heavy music band.

Best moments of the album: The Embalmer’s Art, Savage Howl and Bargain in Death.

Worst moments of the album: Rot in Solitude.

Released in 2014 Rain Without Records / Saw Her Ghost Records

Track listing
1. The Embalmer’s Art 6:25
2. Savage Howl 5:19
3. Beyond the Ultimate 6:14
4. Invocation of Demise 7:32
5. To Carry this Corpse Evermore 3:17
6. Rot in Solitude 5:34
7. Exanimate Gaze 5:29
8. Bargain in Death 10:41

Band members
Mike Erdody – vocals
Eric Blanchard – guitar
Alex Awn – guitar
Brent Satterly – bass
Jason Pearce – drums

Album Review – Isenblåst / Unleashing The Demon Scourge EP (2014)

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Forget the usual corpse painting and church burnings: this talented American band is here to offer us pure Black Metal music.

Rating5

ISENBLAST - Unleashing the Demon Scourge cover artLet’s talk about Black Metal, but not about those groups that care more about maintaining an impeccable corpse painting or setting fire to churches than actually playing their instruments to generate entertaining extreme music. The focus here is on the good Black Metal band Isenblåst, from Detroit, Michigan, United States, and their recently released EP Unleashing The Demon Scourge, and you’ll see you don’t need any black-and-white makeup or blazing torches to be a badass band.

Formed in 2009 by singer/guitarist Chronolith and guitarist Lord Kaiser, Isenblåst display a huge influence from the beginnings of the rich Scandinavian Black Metal, with bands like Burzum, Enslaved and Satyricon being among their main influences, but also incorporating lots of early Death Metal elements to their musicality in order to sound at the same time more chaotic and melodic. If you listen to their 2010 demo Isenblåst and to their 2013 cassette Forest of Frost, it will be really easy to notice the evolution in their music in Unleashing the Demon Scourge.

As soon as you hit “play”, you’ll be assaulted by the very raw and brutal Black Metal in the opening track A Fire of Knowledge and Power, a song with insane blast beats conducted by drummer Abominater, lots of guitar shredding and, of course, vocals as desperate as possible by Chronolith. And you know what? It sounds really cool, far from being annoying or cheesy like many “true” Black Metal bands.

ISENBLAST live photoThe title-track, Unleashing the Demon Scourge, has a very satanic instrumental, especially its excellent Black and Death Metal riffs, which together with some hints of Hardcore and Punk Rock give it a more melodic aspect than usual Black Metal. In addition, The Latin (or whatever language that is) used in the lyrics (“Ati me peta babka / Ea, usmi nuru / Usmi la atzu / Lu daku me”) ends up being an extra touch of darkness to the song.

Nocturnal Offering, with its musicality similar to Emperor, Immortal and other classic bands, offers the listener a good guitar solo nicely blended with the sick rhythm imposed by drummer Abominater, with its “thrashy” second part reminding me of some old Slayer songs such as “Criminally Insane” and “Reborn”, which in my opinion helps this song sound extremely enjoyable and consequently become the best of the EP. The fourth and last track of the EP is called Seven Gates, and although it’s more violent than the other tracks, with its vocal lines being as beastly as possible, it’s not just noise: all musicians make sure their music is audible and solid, as you can see by the excellent guitar solo by the end of the song.

In summary, forget about corpse painting, church burning and all other of those “traditional” things: if you’re a fan of good-quality extreme music, the Black Metal by Isenblåst might be a very interesting addition to your music collection. So go to their official BandCamp page, take a listen at some of their songs, purchase the EP and embrace the wickedness of Black Metal music.

Best moments of the album: Nocturnal Offering.

Worst moments of the album: Let’s wait for their full-length album to do so.

Released in 2014 In Satan’s Custody / Demon Breath Productions

Track listing
1. A Fire of Knowledge and Power 4:38
2. Unleashing the Demon Scourge 6:02
3. Nocturnal Offering 5:36
4. Seven Gates 4:33

Band members
Chronolith – vocals, guitar
Lord Kaiser – guitar
Mars – bass
Abominater – drums

Website Review – Metal Moose Radio

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An awesome 2-hour 100% indie show based in Oklahoma City featuring all types of heavy music from all around the world.

Rating1

Metal Moose Radio“Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in summer is perhaps the most remarkable; with the possible exception of a moose singing ‘Embraceable You’ in spats.” – Woody Allen

Those beautiful and inspiring words by one of the craziest and most amazing filmmakers of all time are perfect for introducing to you the Metal Moose Radio, a radio show/website based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, dedicated to playing and supporting underground and/or unsigned musicians, venues and management companies.

Before anyone asks, the Metal Moose Radio has absolutely nothing to do with The Headbanging Moose, except for our love for heavy music and support for independent bands. It’s just an “amoosing” coincidence! Founded and managed by Moose Jaques, this radio station airs every week The Metal Moose Show, a 2-hour indie show that features all genres and subgenres of Heavy Metal from bands and artists from different parts of the world, from the most obscure Black Metal to 100% mellow Hard Rock.

Metal Moose Radio_Moosefest01

Moosefest Oklahoma City

Here are the main links where you can listen to the show, get in contact with the radio station and check the bands featured on each episode:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Tumblr
Spreaker

After taking a listen at some of its most recent episodes, I have to admit The Metal Moose Show can be really mind-blowing for regular people who are not familiar with the independent music scene, and also a total delight for metalheads who are always avid for new stuff. There are so many awesome bands on the show that do not make it to the biggest Rock N’ Roll radio stations for obvious reasons, such as payola (and therefore not being “listed” in their top 40 mainstream), that it’s pretty hard to select a few as an example of how diverse, unique and entertaining The Metal Moose Show can be.

Anyway, here are some interesting bands and songs recently aired on The Moose Metal Show you probably don’t know anything about:

Cadaveria – Flowers In Fire
Zombie Death Stench – Darkstar Creation
Jennasyde And The Watchers – My Poison
Mortuary Science – Harvesting Putrefaction
Gathering After Ashes – Subconscious
Kissing In Graveyards – Little Psycho

Metal Moose Radio_Moosefest02

Moosefest Tulsa

Furthermore, if you have a band (and a functioning brain) and would like to see it on the show together with the ones listed above and many more, here are the very quick and easy steps you MUST follow in order to have your music played at The Metal Moose Show:

1. Send music in mp3 format
2. Include a bio
3. Must give written permission to air your music on The Metal Moose Show

Send all of these requirements to mooseriffworks@gmail.com

And last but not least, the Metal Moose Radio is currently organizing two festivals called MOOSEFEST, one in Oklahoma City and one in Tulsa, with lots of cool bands for a very decent price. These are excellent chances to show your support for the indie scene while enjoying some good heavy music. Just do not expect to listen to any moose singing an old popular song in spats, of course.

And as a taste of what The Metal Moose Show can offer for you, here’s the full September 9, 2014 episode. Grab a beer (or a Cheetos) and get ready to bang your fuckin’ head!

Album Review – Swine Overlord / Parables of Umbral Transcendence (2014)

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Get ready for 40 minutes of sheer savagery with this Guttural Brutal Slamming Death Metal band from the United States.

Rating5

SwineOverlordcdcover000If you’re one of those people who feel something is not right if you suddenly start yawning while listening to a heavy music album, no matter which song is playing, consequently changing the music to something more berserk, then Parables of Umbral Transcendence, the debut album by American Guttural Brutal Slamming Death Metal band Swine Overlord might be exactly what you need to feed your inner beast, always eager for the meanest type of metal you can think of.

Formed in December 2011 under the name Malignant Abomination, what once started as a project quickly evolved to a more serious and professional band, changing the name to Hypoxic and then one last time to Swine Overlord. On Halloween of 2012, the band released their first EP entitled Anthologies of Abomination (re-released in 2013 by Gore House Productions), and now in 2014 they’re finally releasing a full-length album which overflows furious riffs, blasting beats and blood-curdling vocals, including special appearances by guitarist/vocalist Mike O’Hara (Splattered Entrails), vocalist Josh Smith (Gutfucked), Hunter Pate, and vocalist Richard “Yeti” Kirk (Abdicate).

Swine Overlord’s  bestial sonic assault starts with Celestial Purge, with its Cannibal Corpse-ish riffs and drums as fast as a machine gun, followed by the even more insane Transformation and Rebirth, where the guttural vocals reach some really deep notes. This song is pure slamming and as brutal as one can imagine, which makes me wonder how just three musicians can generate so much violence in such a short period of time. Although the instrumental track Convergence slows things down a bit, even with its strong bass lines, it ends up working more like an intro to the next song, Post-Burial Defloration, which “desperate” sonority will be too disturbing for people not used to this type of music. Moreover, pay attention to the excellent double bass by drummer Devin Alford and to the last part of the song, these details are both very important to its overall quality.

Falsum Messias keeps up with the sheer brutality by Swine Overlord with its more melodic guitar lines, becoming some pure headbanging after two minutes, while Bleeding the Sinful is indeed a great song for fans of brutal music, with its vocals sounding so vile and devilish sometimes it can be really disturbing for the faint of heart. That can also be said about Chunks, where the whole band keeps the energy bar high with another technical and brutal performance. How amazingly violent would this song sound during a live concert?

Swine O PicThe next part of the album is composed by the excellent Cadaveric Pantomime, a song full of fuckin’ awesome riffs by guitarist Will Peplinski, in which Swine Overlord managed to sound even heavier than all previous tracks; Umbral Transcendence, with its heavy bass intro and more of the band’s characteristic brutal drumming and vocals; and the nice rhythmic breaks in Dissiliency, with highlights to the awesome job done by drummer Devin Alford, giving the song a lot more intensity.

Lastly, those North American metallers still have fuel left for more insanity with the violent Porkchop, The Man-Butcher (an interesting name for a song, by the way), where riffs and vocals go along flawlessly, followed by the headbanging track Dismantling the Flesh Construct, and finally what can be considered the darkest song of the entire album, Seeds of a Treacherous Creation, where it’s very interesting to follow the fast drumming blended with more obscure passages, and once again terrific guttural vocals that sound like if singer Anthony Davis was possessed by a demon.

In summary, with Parables of Umbral Transcendence, which is available for purchase at the official Gore House Productions webshop and as a digital album at the Gore House Productions BandCamp page, Swine Overlord summarize everything one needs to know about cruelty and brutality in 40 minutes of very raw and technical Death Metal. Furthermore, if they keep loyal to their principles and maintain that level of quality in their ruthless musicality, we will surely start seeing those guys kicking ass in different cities, venues and festivals pretty soon, injecting some much needed violence to the music industry, especially to the boring and stale U.S. market.

Best moments of the album: Celestial Purge, Falsum Messias and Cadaveric Pantomime.

Worst moments of the album: Convergence and Umbral Transcendence.

Released in 2014 Gore House Productions

Track listing
1. Celestial Purge 3:22
2. Transformation and Rebirth 1:49
3. Convergence 1:41
4. Post-Burial Defloration 5:14
5. Falsum Messias 4:00
6. Bleeding the Sinful 4:11
7. Chunks 3:11
8. Cadaveric Pantomime 3:09
9. Umbral Transcendence 2:51
10. Dissiliency 3:34
11. Porkchop, The Man-Butcher 3:31
12. Dismantling the Flesh Construct 3:03
13. Seeds of a Treacherous Creation 2:42

Band members
Anthony Davis – vocals
Will Peplinski – guitars, bass
Devin Alford – vocals, drums

Album Review – Anti-Mortem / New Southern (2014)

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Southern Metal as raw, exciting and heavy as it can be.

Rating4

anti-mortem_new southernSouthern United States has always provided headbangers lots of awesome bands such as Crowbar, Corrosion of Conformity, Down and, of course, Groove/Thrash Metal gods Pantera, and if there’s one thing that elevates this type of heavy music above many other genres is the passion those bands add to their music, an incredible mix of  Rock N’ Roll, Country Music and Blues that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Now, directly from Chickasha, Oklahoma, comes the excellent Southern Metal band Anti-Mortem, and their debut-album New Southern is just as heavy and dirty as hell.

The Anti-Mortem guys play with their hearts and souls throughout the entire record, never sounding bored or tired, which pretty much represents what Southern Rock really is. The songs might not be the fastest nor the most creative in the world, but they’re fuckin’ heavy (especially the lyrics and riffs), keeping the energy bar always high for the delight of all metalheads, hard rockers and bikers who enjoy sharing a cold beer with friends at a pub while listening to some good heavy music. Do not expect to listen to anything new or different in their music, like keyboards, electronic effects or any other kind of shit, the music here is just pure Rock N’ Roll.

The opening track, Words Of Wisdom, is an excellent summary of all that was said above: awesome heavy riffs the likes of Crowbar and Down, those dirty vocals we love, and a slow and heavy chorus that is totally catchy; while the following song, the title-track New Southern, provides us some more pure Southern Metal, as if the band is paying a tribute to Down with it. Then come my favorite song in New Southern, the powerful 100% Pure American Rage, with its engaging rhythm, direct riffs, cool lyrics (“We took all we will take / Our hate is American made / City to city, state to state / Our rage is American made”) and another great vocal performance by singer Larado Romo, and Hate Automatic, a more traditional Hard Rock tune with a chorus tailored for live performances. And if you didn’t like what you’ve listened to until here, well, I feel really sorry for you.

However, if you’re a true hard rocker and wants some more Anti-Mortem inside your ears and brain, you’ll enjoy the next song, Black Heartbeat, an interesting mix of Hard Rock and Glam Metal with elements from bands such as Skid Row, Alice In Chains, A7X and Audioslave, and simply love the excellent heavy tune I Get Along With The Devil, with its very southern sonority and explicit lyrics. Then we have the average song Path To Pain, which despite it’s nice vocals is nothing really outstanding; Wake Up, the type of song all hard rockers and bikers from the United States and the rest of the world just love from the bottom of their hearts; and the good Ride Of Your Life, with highlights to the good riffs which blend amazingly with the vocals.

anti-mortemNew Sothern’s last part has some good and not so good moments, which includes Stagnant Water, with total focus on the heavy riffs and the rumbling sound of the bass guitar, with a very cool guitar solo; Truck Stop Special, a generic song that doesn’t add any value to the album; Jonesboro, another average song which despite its good start could have been a lot better after all; and a fun and very competent cover version for Mr. Big’s A Little Too Loose as a bonus track. I guess the lyrics for this song (“I got a little too loose / In Oklahoma city”) were the inspiration for Anti-Mortem to record their version of it, don’t you agree?

And finally, ladies and gentleman, we have another 100% serious contender for “best album art of the year”: the front cover for New Southern is astonishingly perfect! Kudos to American artist Brent Elliott White, who has worked with so many awesome bands such as Trivium, Arch Enemy, Megadeth, Death Angel and Chimaira, which makes it easy to see why Anti-Mortem ended up choosing him to illustrate their music.

In summary, as I previously said, there’s nothing new in the music found in New Southern, but how can someone not get thrilled with it? It’s raw, honest, dirty and fuckin’ heavy, exactly the way Southern Metal should be, and while we have bands like Anti-Mortem spreading their powerful crude melody everywhere, we can rest assured heavy music will never die.

Best moments of the album: Words of Wisdom, 100% Pure American Rag, I Get Along With The Devil and A Little Too Loose.

Worst moments of the album: Path To Pain, Truck Stop Special and Jonesboro.

Released in 2014 Nuclear Blast Records

Track listing
1. Words Of Wisdom 4:24
2. New Southern 4:06
3. 100% Pure American Rage 3:36
4. Hate Automatic 3:57
5. Black Heartbeat 3:43
6. I Get Along With The Devil 2:57
7. Path To Pain 3:34
8. Wake Up 3:23
9. Ride Of Your Life 3:50
10. Stagnant Water 4:44
11. Truck Stop Special 4:05
12. Jonesboro 4:19

Bonus track
13. A Little Too Loose (Mr. Big Cover) 5:20

Band members
Larado Romo – Vocals
Nevada Romo – Guitar
Corey Henderson – Bass
Zain Smith – Guitar
Levi Dickerson- Drums