Mortalus – We Are Human Self-Released Release Date: 24/02/2023 Running Time: 32:09 Review by Victor Augusto 8.5/10
Mortalus! One of the greatest bands that I’ve had the chance to discover since I’ve been working in this complicated environment of heavy metal music. It makes me very happy when I have the chance to meet new independent bands, considering I always had this desire to support them, and I don’t think the fact of having a label behind a band could change many things in someone’s career.
The first thing that made me enjoy their music is how mature they are, displaying a freedom from any chains among their style. I’ll point out they are a Heavy Metal band even though it could sound like a silly observation from my side. But they’re different… Let me put it this way. They have the Rock and Roll spirit that Mr. Lemmy Kilmister and Motörhead taught us for many years, but with heavy arrangements. Am I less confused about my thoughts, now?
Well, you will hear good riffs and solos. They are very catchy and offer heaviness in a good measure that doesn’t let you get tired. Michelle Gann is responsible for the guitar work, and she also creates a good vocal line, that is perfectly well balanced between melodic and aggressive voices. Right after the first heart beating, which starts the opening song ‘Battle Born’, you will immediately feel hypnotised by the quality of music. By the way, I associate these heart beats with the album title, because this is the sound that proves we are alive and still humans. Maybe it’s just a coincidence.
The bass of Bryan Bedgood complements all the music, and we don’t have that empty or thin sound which some bands with just one guitar can suffer. On ‘Intended Victims’ it’s good to hear his clean bass lines from the first notes. The drums of Patrick Mahoney helps on heaviness, with a strong beating. The kicks reminded me of the famous arrangements by Lars Ulrich, mainly used after the black album “Metallica”.
It looks like the album title refers just to the lack of humanity that we have been living with all the chaos around the world. The album cover shows a mix of a human and something like a robot or android, which seems to be closer to becoming a reality than a fiction, as it was in the past when we saw many movies talking about this dystopia. ‘Blood Red Sunset’ even shows more introspective interpretations and depressive melodies.
The album finishes with a version of ‘Danger Zone’, which was a famous song from the movie “Top Gun”, in 1986. The difference is that Mortalus play it with a heavier arrangement, to offer a more aggressive sound. It’s funny because the original track was played in happy moments of adrenaline when the pilots flew their fighter’s jet. But if it was in a war situation with the risk of dying, I believe that the Mortalus version would fit better for a movie soundtrack like that.
Overall, I loved the album. The only aspect that I believe they could take care of for further releases is the recording productions, especially on the drum sound. It is a nice production, with a focus on an organic sound, which I loved, but I would like a bit more finesse . Nevertheless, it doesn’t decrease the excitement of any of the material.
What I most enjoyed is the fact that they don’t need to be chained by formulas or style. They know what they want to play, without sounding lost or confusing. No rules nor chain around it, just their souls and hearts, because they are all humans, and so are we!
‘Intended Victims’ Official Music Video
TRACKLISTING: 01. Battle Born 02. The FiXX 03. Fearless 04. Intended Victims 05. Dearest FriEND 06. Blood Red Sunset 07. We Are Human 08. Danger Zone
LINE-UP: Michelle Gann – Vocals and Guitar Bryan Bedgood – Bass and Vocals Patrick Mahoney – Drums and Percussion
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Brutal Fest Carnival Krisiun, Vazio, DFC, Fleshpyre Toinha Brasil Show – Brasília, Brazil 18/02/2023 Live Review by Victor Augusto
It was Saturday night when half of the regular Brazilian people were celebrating one of the most famous holidays in Brazil which is Carnival. But there were a few crazy guys, called MetalHeads, that preferred to avoid these bad parties and they went to see one of the greatest Heavy Metal bands from their country, the mighty Krisiun.
To make this Heavy Metal party even better, the event received two bands from Brasília. The Death Metal band Fleshpyre, also the legendary Hardcore band DFC. The last opening band was the incredible Black Metal band Vazio, from the city of São Paulo (Brazil).
I hope you enjoy this video review of the show as much as our reviewer Victor enjoyed being there.
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Kamala – Karma M&O Music Release Date: 24/02/2023 Running Time: 33:07 Review by Victor Augusto 9/10
Kamala! A 20-year-old Thrash Metal band on their 6th full album. A band who earned huge respect from their Brazilian and European fans, especially in France. I’ve been following their career closely since 2017, despite already hearing about them even before that and I can assure that they worked incredibly hard to be where they are now.
Here is “Karma”! The result of years of dedication. It finally sees the light of the day, after a long time of waiting. This material was done even before the pandemic chaos has hit the world, in 2020, but for those who had a chance to see what happened behind the curtains with the band, as I could, know that it was a wise decision to wait for the proper moment to release it!
Maybe the title of the album represents everything Kamala has been battling so far. Definitely, it’s the release that I have most loved from them, which carries all the aggressiveness and identity that I’ve heard on their music, mainly from “Mantra” (2015) to now. Raphael Olmos is playing insanely well. His skills to create catching and complex riffs are impressive. I felt that he is at his best as guitarist and composer.
Highlights also goes to the drummer Isabela Moraes. She has already shown her capability of playing double basses and creating good grooves on the previous album “Eyes of Creation” (2018), but here she is playing much better. Her versatility to change rhythms, using very complex fillings has brought my attention, especially because it is being played faster than before.
But what I most loved from the album is also done by Isabela and I am talking about the clean vocals she sang. Her beautiful voice brought a great sentimental feeling for the lyrics, especially in songs like ‘Fear’ or ‘Made me Bleed’. For me, it was the best addition to their music!
Musically, I can describe “Karma” as a furious Thrash Metal album full of Groove and high spiritual energy. The solos are very dense with a wah-wah pedal, but Raphael showed that it is perfect possible to create good technical solos using it. The bass is strongly present all the time and it is another lovely instrument to hear here. There is also a Death Metal diluted over all the music, like they incorporated something like the Gojira high level of intensity to dilute it alongside their Thrash Metal.
Lyrically, we can divide “Karma” into songs to give you a Shock Therapy to keep fighting and working hard on what you dream or how to be better, as a human being, as you hear in ‘My Will be Done’. The harsh side of the lyrics is about the bad acts of people that create all karma in someone’s life, as the title track, ‘Delusion’ and ‘Misery and Pain’ say.
There is an interesting (possible) connection between two of the tracks. ‘Made me Bleed’ is about someone we had turned their back on; ‘Fear’ refers to losses, but it’s about the fear of dying, also the desire to live. We can connect both tracks when we have people around us that kind of die, even though they are still alive, or about people that we want to stay in touch with, despite the fact that they are not here anymore. It’s just a matter of perception.
“Karma” shows an even more evolved band that I’ve heard before and it will put Kamala where they deserve. It’s so hard to have a band doing this so professional work in Brazil, where we are losing all hopes for heavy music. I often congratulate a band after a specific release that touches me, but today I must say thanks to Kamala. Thanks for please us with an album like “Karma” and I feel proud to have walked a few parts of this path with them.
‘Forgive The Weak’ Official Music Video:
TRACKLISTING: 01. Forgive The Weak 02. Karma 03. My Will be Done 04. Made me Bleed 05. Fear 06. Never Enough 07. Dharma 08. Delusion 09. Misery and Pain
LINE-UP: Raphael Olmos – Vocals and Guitars Isabela Moraes – Drums and Vocals Zé Cantelli – Bass
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Methane – Kill It With Fire Self-Released Release Date: 27/01/2023 Running Time: 31:26 Review by Victor Augusto 8/10
There have been a few times I’ve seen Swedish bands fleeing from what we are used to hearing from great bands from this country. One example is the Death Metal band The Crown, who put more elements from US bands than Swedish ones. I feel that Methane also walked on the same path, but inside Thrash Metal music. Of course, the good recording quality is totally present here to keep the trademark of Swedish Metal bands alive.
What I most enjoyed from Methane, at least in this album, was not only the incredible Thrash Metal and Groove, but I also really enjoyed all the versatility of their composition. You will be always surprised by the good changes along each song. The title track summarises what I am saying because it is a pretty straight forward Thrasher with precise riffs and solos. The lyrics carry a subject to reflect about all the chaos we are living on the edge of a new world war, like politics as the new demons walking through the earth.
‘Accuser (of the Brethren)’ is also related to religion but showing the worst of the fanatic side of their followers. And if you take a look at the many wars and conflicts that we have involving these kinds of things, you will understand the connection. There is a killer intro riff whilst you hear a speech of someone freaking out, probably related to the case of a woman that was trying to convert Walmart customers, but she was doing it in a very aggressive way as the band explains.
One positive aspect for the band was that they explain these details together with the lyrics. At least the press release I’ve received has it, otherwise I couldn’t go deep on the band’s message. I don’t know if we still have listeners that enjoy reading the lyrics as I still enjoy, but any information apart from the obvious can help to increase this connection.
‘Shock and Awe’ appears equally overwhelming as the meaning of the title. Again, the band explains this song title as a fast and violent use of force to neutralize enemies used by military forces and the song makes you feel like watching this attack engagement while it is happening. I enjoyed the short breakdowns before it returns to the typical Thrash guitar pickings, before the leads (or solos).
The heaviness increases on a more cadenced track ‘A Blood Red Sky’ with CJ Scioscia from Blood Feast, on solo. It is about the native Americans and all that they suffered. ‘Down in the Gutter’ keeps the freedom of the band to explore different elements. This time, I had the impression of hearing a few Biohazard influences. ‘Thin The Herd’ finishes the album and this time we have slower intro riffs, but don’t fool yourselves because they don’t get softer or weaker and everything turns killer again after a few seconds.
The album is played with all the anger of those who are seeing the apocalyptic mass killing around the world caused by religion and politics. Similar to the definition of what is ‘Shock and Awe’ for military forces, “Kill it With Fire” follows the same spirit to the listener. It is a short half of an hour of effective destruction. It is a pure Thrash Metal that is not afraid to add a few other elements too. Could you imagine the damage of having it played live? I wish I could witness it someday.
‘Shock And Awe’ Official Music Video
TRACKLISTING: 01. Kill It With Fire 02. Accuser (of the Brethren) 03. Declare Chaos 04. Shock and Awe 05. A Blood Red Sky (feat. C.J. Scioscia, Blood Feast) 06. Down in the Gutter 07. Thin the Herd
LINE-UP: Tim Scott – Bass and Vocals Jimi Mästerbo – Guitar Markus Grundström – Guitar Jonathan Fundin – Drums
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Screamer – Kingmaker Steamhammer / SPV Release Date: 13/01/2023 Running Time: 39:18 Review by Victor Augusto 8/10
As I’m getting old with my almost 40 years of existence, I push myself hard to not repeat the same things that I used to complain about people of this age, when I was younger. One of the constant complaints I hear is about old famous mainstream bands and their retirement coming close as they reached decades on road. It looks like people love to bother these bands. If Iron Maiden (for example) releases a new album, people won’t like the new songs, but if they don’t record a new stuff, people claim that these bands are only living by the old hits.
Instead of always acting the negative person about music, why people don’t try to find new bands to enjoy? And here is something that I can recommend for you in this case, from a classic traditional Heavy Metal album “Kingmaker”, which is the fourth full album from the Swedish band Screamer. By the way, I felt that I had discovered them in a good moment of their career, because they sound very professional after more than 10 years on the road together with the three releases during this period.
My first general impression is how good the guitar arrangements sound. Jon Morheim and Dejan Rosić have a great synergy to share good riffs, melodies and solos. They bring a mix of Judas Priest and Accept for the band. The bass of Fredrik Svensson Carlström is pretty strong to complement the quality of the music, and also very present. Another highlighted aspect is how clear and organic the instruments sound. Nothing plastic or digitalized; neither too raw.
I’ve mentioned two great Heavy Metal bands as reference that are very heavy bands when we think in this specific style, Screamer has chosen a simple drums and vocals lines approach and for me, it is a good fit, offering a good and relaxing sensation for the listener. Even faster tracks like ‘Chasing the Rainbow’ keep this spirit of a blend of Heavy Music with a source of peace to recharge your mind whilst you are listening to it. This song even carries a good keyboard addition in a very Jon Lord (Deep Purple) style, also few double bass from Henrik Petersson. Probably it is my favourite song from the album.
The melodies become more present in ‘Ashes and Fire’ and the cadenced guitars open space to an incredible vocal interpretation from Andreas Wikström. Personally, I think here is when Andreas put all his capability that shows how great he does his job.
Well, I could spend lots of word to describe the entire album, but I truly recommend that you do it by yourself. If you love a great Heavy Metal band from the eighties, which have a music full of power, also full of professional arrangements on their compositions, I have no doubts that you will love them.
Nevertheless, it worth a mention that the best quality of “Kingmaker” (for me) is exactly the amazing equation among all elements of a band from this genre. Nothing here is over-exacerbated or massive. It’s quite the opposite and you will have a good entertainment with this album, so stop to be a grumpy old man and go to listen to them.
‘Kingmaker’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING: 01. Kingmaker 02. Rise Above 03. The Traveler 04. Hellfire 05. Chasing the Rainbow 06. Ashes and Fire 07. Burn It Down 08. Fall of a Common Man 09. Sounds of the Night 10. Renegade
LINE-UP: Andreas Wikström – Vocals Jon Morheim – Guitars Dejan Rosić – Guitars Fredrik Svensson Carlström – Bass Henrik Petersson – Drums
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Hellevate – The Purpose is Cruelty EP Self-Released Release Date: 14/01/2023 Running Time: 27:33 Review by Victor Augusto 9/10
Here we are to salute 2023! Like all beginnings of a new year, we stay tuned to tons of best albums lists from the previous year, but at the same time, we also have time to get surprised by the first releases that have already arrived in January. The American Thrash band Hellevate is one case of bands that were like Formula 1 cars lined up on the first row, just waiting for the red lights to turn off to speed up and kick new asses around the globe. And they could kick a new ass which is mine here in Brazil!
Before we talk about the album itself, there are two things that I would like to mention. One is the fact that I am reviewing a band with 16 years of experience that has toured and released albums in a good frequency. It makes my expectations high, because it shows a band that knows exactly how they want to sound. The second detail is also about my expectations when I have a Thrash band from the USA, because I am a big fan of the early Thrash from America. So let’s talk about what really matters, which is music.
After a short narration, the title track pleased us with a very well-arranged guitar and I immediately could notice all influences from the masters of Thrash Metal in Hellevate’s music, especially the sound of their compatriot’s bands. Of course, they had it as reference, because there are a few interesting details that are worth a mention. First, I could notice a lower tune on the guitars which opened space to a bit of slower cadence for the music. As a consequence, the sound of the drums turned groovier and got a bit slower too, but it was good to make all the heaviness easier to digest.
The second track ‘Dagon’ appears a bit faster and here is the time for the vocalist to show good clean voices alongside his aggressive screamed vocal style. Again, the heaviness of the guitar is quite interesting. It made me feel like the band added a bit of New Metal elements over the pure Thrash Metal as we know, without fleeing from their main style. We still have good solos that suddenly change from one guitarist to another as we hear in many classic Thrash bands with 2 guitars.
So far, the songs tend to keep the same rhythm, without many variations, but in ‘Buried Under Mistakes’, Hellevate changes to a very Death Angel style, adding double bass, more melodic vocals on the chorus and good changes on the song structure, something very common for Thrash bands. It also carries great solos that made the best and the most complete song from this EP, for me. ‘Die or Be Killed’ goes the exact same way and ‘(No) Further Action is Required’ finishes the album in a great style.
“The Purpose is Cruelty” shows what a good album must have, which is a music that goes straight to the point. The compositions are very well thought and carry the best of the Thrash elements. At the same time, they bring details different from that pattern, what made them not slaves of only one genre. Now it is just wait and see what these guys will conquer while touring to spread their music.
Good luck to them and congratulations!
‘The Purpose Is Cruelty’ Official Lyric Video
TRACKLISTING: 01. The Purpose is Cruelty 02. Dagon 03. Buried Under Mistakes 04. Die or Be Killed 05. (No) Further Action is Required
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Hello, my ever-readers and friends! Here I am for one more top ten list, and that means that we survived one more crazy year.
Before I list my favourite albums, I must confess that I almost couldn’t make it considering how I was away from what happened in 2022 in terms of Heavy Metal releases. For personal reasons, I had to take time to put my chaotic life in chaos in order. I must say thanks to my Friends at Ever Metal staff to understand my lack of productivity. You all gave a lot of support to keep myself motivated!
Most of the bands on my list I put because I could review them, but there are always a few names that are an important part of my fan side of Heavy Metal, so here we go.
10. Phrenesy – Fears Apocalypse
My long-time friends from Hangover and Thrash Metal Phrenesy have finally released a new album. “Fears Apocalypse” is the result of what they conquered with powerful music and great parties with their friends. There are few Brazilian bands that really put in practice what we claim about union and inclusion of all tribes. For sure Phrenesy is one of them.
Thrash Metal is my favourite style, and I was curious how a new Megadeth album could sound after the addition of Kiko Loureiro. I know that is the second material with Kiko, but the previous one was already finished when he came to put his parts. This album still sounds like classic Mustaine music from the nineties, but he still can surprise us with his machine-gun way of playing riffs!
My friends in Deathgeist offered what was the easiest and lightest experience to review that I’ve had in 2022. I mean light, because they don’t get complicated, despite being pretty heavy and brutal. “Procession of Souls” is a straightforward album! Organic sound with good and catchy riffs for lovers of good Brazilian Thrash Metal.
Probably what most made me enjoy the new album of this Portuguese band is how their experience of decades on the road gave me a sensation of a band that knows exactly what they want to sound like.
Sacred Sin offers a good Death Metal which carries all the heaviness of this style, but they don’t let their music become massive or tiring. It is like listening to a Classic Metal band from the eighties, but in a Death Metal orientation!
Emannuel Thorsen, the vocalist and the brain behind this amazing project called Chrysalid once said that we are like dreamers trying to realise what we dream. I believe these words really reflect my relationship with music and everything related to it. For Emannuel, he had one of his dreams coming true which was to bring life to this project after decades of working on it.
He had the absolutely hard task to invite many incredible musicians from all around the world, like Ralf Scheepers, Timo Tolkki, Tim Owens and Steve Grimmett. He also had another complicated task to compose songs to fit the identity of all these guys and the result is inspiring material. At least, it inspired me to keep fighting and not give up on music!
The American Blues bassist/vocalist Lisa Mann has a kind of magic similar to what Ronnie James Dio had in his entire career. The magic of turning into gold whatever she touches. In this case, I am talking about music. She became part of the American Metal band Splintered Throne and despite already having a long career, Lisa helped them to offer an incredible album.
It is a pure Classic Heavy Metal album, like the best of Accept or Judas Priest. I really missed music like that. Nothing exacerbated, but it is very well done about composition, guitar work and Lisa gives a masterclass on her vocals!
Before I got contaminated by the Thrash Metal virus during my teenage years, I was a fan of Traditional Heavy Metal like Manowar and Iron Maiden. I remember when I discovered Blind Guardian with this mix of traditional Heavy Metal, but much faster than everything I’ve already heard. Sometimes, they sound even a bit Thrashy like in “Imaginations From The Other Side” (1995). Of course, their music had a few changes after many decades, but I still enjoyed their new face on the previous albums.
What made me dig “The God Machine” is exactly how they mixed the new elements with the old ones. After a long time, I’ve caught myself really hypnotised whilst hearing André Olbich, like we used to stay in the past. He is like a David Gilmour of Power Metal.
Blind Guardian are German masters that don’t disappoint their fans.
You often see me writing good words about Brazilian bands. Naturally, I receive many albums from them, because I still live in Brazil, but Krisiun is a different case. They became Death Metal masters around the world, and I had the honour to interview them this year.
Every new Krisiun album creates a good expectation for their fans because we know they will never disappoint us. “Morten Solis” is one of the band’s most mature albums with the perfect blend of an organic and clear sound together with all the brutal stuff they used to offer!
Maybe Caravellus hasn’t reached the proper world-wide fame yet, but I can 100% assure you that what they released is a masterpiece that could leave any famous band astonished to see these Brazilians playing.
“Inter Mundos” carries an intense history, full of cultural elements, mainly from the Northeast area of Brazil. It is so rich musically and literally. Although it has few parts of fiction, most parts of the history are related to exactly what the native Brazilians of this part of the country suffered in the past.
I’m not a huge fan of Progressive Metal, but “Inter Mundos” changed my conception about it. For sure it was one of the hardest reviews I’ve written, and this album made me feel that I am still able to go deep in the material. It also made me realise that I still love to do it.
I am writing this top ten list on December 30th, and I must confess two things. Just today I discovered that Behemoth had a new album and just today I listened to them. It was necessary to listen just once to have no doubts that they would perform in first place on this list.
What a brutal album! I felt that they rescued more of that aggressiveness from albums like “Demigod” with all the atmosphere from “The Satanist”. There was a long time that I was missing this energy in their music and now I just regret that I haven’t listened to it before this year.
It is not an album or EP, but it is the first single of the upcoming Kamala album. Listen to it just once and this blend of Death Angel with Machine Head spirit will make you believe that Kamala will appear in the top ten list of 2023 when they finally release “Karma”.
As a long-time fan and friend of theirs, I am proud of their path so far. A band that is an example of dedication and they also inspired me to keep on this journey.
Young guys playing a good Death Metal, full of dense atmosphere to recreate the nine chapters of “9 circles of hell” from the book The Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri). Considering all challenges to record an album in a small city, without resources, I believe that their anger and passion for music is the key that made this album special!
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Deathless Legacy – Mater Larvarum Scarlet Records Release Date: 09/12/2022 Running Time: 51:27 Review by Victor Augusto 8/10
Here I am in front of one more band that are one of my cases of love at the first listen! The Italians, Deathless Legacy, hit my ears about 4 years ago with their amazing album “Rituals of Black Magic”, with pure Heavy Metal with a great and dark atmosphere of horror and heavy themes. My love for them heavily increased when they released a masterpiece called “Saturnalia”, a 23-minute-long soundtrack of what became a short movie. It was not only the best album of the year (in my humble and irrelevant opinion), but it was one of the best songs I’d ever listened to in my life. So epic, and Italian history based as well. Now they are back with a new full album and let’s understand what we have here.
First, let me enforce the important impression I had of Deathless Legacy. They like to offer different sonority in each album, despite the fact that they already have their own identity. If you hear the previous albums, they are all mainly based in classic Metal, with a dense atmosphere created by the keyboards and a theatrical interpretation of the singer Steva, with her powerful and clear voice. But if the subject of “Rituals of Black Magic” looked like a gospel of Black Magic being told track by track, “Saturnalia” also relates to Goddess, black rituals, but it isn’t the main theme there. This last offering was more a history, based in an ancient Italian celebration which involves killing, betrayal and vengeance.
Now, I felt a blend of these two previous works. Again, we still have the occultism and dark themes, but the way the band entered in these subjects changed a bit. Even the heaviness of the instruments had to decrease to embrace this new concept. Before, I felt connected to them by how they reminded me of the eighties classic bands like Rainbow, Iron Maiden or Manowar. Now, when they play epic songs (with much more horror), I felt the Italians going more to something that Ghost (band) has been perfectly doing along the last decade.
From what I could understand from the lyrics, allied with Steva’s way of singing, it is like a metamorphosis of someone, probably a woman, living an inner conflict among the religious dogmas and all sins we have as temptation. Mainly in ‘Nightfall’ you can understand it. Even the solos are at a more calm and depressive speed, as you hear in ‘Hollow’, increasing the sensation of pain that is being talked about. In ‘Absolution’, this conflict shows to be clearer, when the character feels that faith, church and sin can often be connected and that she tends to keep going to what religion calls as The Dark Side, until reaching a point of no return.
My general impression is that the keyboards became the main instrument to guide all the band members, having the vocal as the lament over it. It also adds the religious side of this history by emulating the church keyboards and chants. Another change is how the bass offers a good versatility, also seems to be more present than before while the guitars sound more restricted to the basic, with few exceptions as you hear on ‘The Coven’. There we have a good remarkable riff on this intro and his work became more powerful in this track.
The same looks to happen with the drums of Frater Orion. On most of the songs, he maintains a cadenced but in songs like ‘Fade Into the Dark’ and ‘Queen of the Infernal Pantheon’ or ‘Run’, he shows all his power. By the way, these tracks I’ve mentioned rescue a bit of the musicality that I’ve heard in “Saturnalia”, especially on ‘Moonless Night’.
The best of the album is from ‘Queen of the Infernal Pantheon’ until the closing title track song where things turn heavier and dense. Here, we have more from what we already know of Deathless Legacy. She even stops to sing so melodically on the chorus on these tracks and it looks like it represents what happened after the character finally embraces the darkness. By the way, all these chances on Deathless Legacy sonority look intentional to really act like a soundtrack of this journey.
There is no doubt that “Mater Larvarum” is another incredible Deathless Legacy release! They kept strong in how to create a saga evolving in chapters, without repeating themselves. Musically, I wished to have more heaviness and aggressiveness, but it is what the history asked for the music, and they know what they do after many years releasing incredible albums.
For sure they are one of the best bands I had the pleasure to discover! Congratulazioni!
‘Moonless Night’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING: 01. Ora Pro Nobis 02. Nightfall 03. Hollow 04. Fade Into the Dark 05. The Coven 06. Absolution 07. Moonless Night 08. Queen of the Infernal Pantheon 09. Altar of Bones 10. Run 11. Mater Larvarum
LINE-UP: Steva – Vocals Frater Orion – Drums Alex Van Eden – Keyboards Sgt. Bones – Guitar Deadwood Nick- Bass Revyla – Performances
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Casket Robbery – Rituals of Death Blood Blast Distribution Release Date: 11/11/2022 Running Time: 32:30 Review by Victor Augusto 8/10
Time is something that really offers different results in your life. The same way it can destroy a relationship, it also can improve it. The same thing happens to work and I am not talking just about music. When I analyse how I created a connection with this amazing American band Casket Robbery, I feel that time was good for both sides. When I first reviewed them, back in 2017, I was a very immature writer, and I am sure I couldn’t feel all the band’s soul like I am trying to now.
The album in question was the amazing EP “The Ascencion” and I was a lucky guy to have had a chance to review it again, here on Ever Metal, few years later, when the band re-released it. The funny thing was that I discovered that I accidentally was part of that because I recorded an “Evil-laugh”, alongside with many other bands’ fans, that was used in a bonus track called ‘From Hell’. Of course, I became friends with the amazing guitarist Cory Scheider and the lovely vocalist Megan Orvold.
During these 5 years since we first talked with each other, I always got curious to know how they would sound with a new full album, considering they stayed very active in live concerts. It took a while but as I said, time can be good for some things and my first impression is that the experience and the waiting for this release helped them to stay very tight as musicians, and as a team. So, let’s try to understand the new album “Rituals of Death”.
First, I need to mention a certain identity that I discovered in their music since the first time I heard them. There is a kind of horror movie soundtrack diluted among the riffs which really makes us feel like a character in the movie. One great example of that is ‘The Hidden… the Hideous’. Maybe it’s not intentional but it’s an element that you often hear on the nineties Fear Factory albums despite the fact that Industrial Metal (or whatever you want to call the genre) is not the main style of the band. I believe that Horror Metal could be a good description of Casket Robbery’s sound.
The lovely Megan Orvold is a devilish singer with her powerful screams and energy to interpret the music. Corey is like the main brain, creating short lead guitars that increase the Industrial and “Horror” elements I’ve mentioned, and he has Troy Powell as his partner-in-crime to create a strong wall of rhythms. The power of Bryan Bykowski’s bass can be felt on ‘Don’t Forget the Eyes’, where he had his few seconds alone to show it. Funny that it helped to understand how all instruments are complementing each other here. Erik Schultek chooses versatility with fast beats on drums, but changing the cadence, even with few breakdowns sometimes.
All these elements from each member turned this heavy music into something easy to digest and at 30 minutes-long “Rituals of Death” doesn’t become massive. After the fast-closing song ‘Return to the Sky’, you will feel that Casket Robbery has done a good and precise job.
If you enjoy a good Death MetaI that brings different elements from Lamb of God to Cannibal Corpse, without sounding confusing or lost among all the references, for sure you will enjoy this material. I am glad they’ve done it and I hope they keep touring a lot to keep on this beautiful path they walked so far.
‘Post-Mortem’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING: 01. Worm Food 02. Don’t Forget the Eyes 03. Death’s Dance 04. Post-Mortem 05. Beautiful Death 06. Bone Mother 07. The Hidden… the Hideous 08. Old Ones 09. Reanimate 10. Return to the Sky
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Algebra – Chiroptera Unspeakable Axe Records Release Date: 19/09/2022 Running Time: 42:42 Review by Victor Augusto 8/10
Sometimes I catch myself thinking if I really know about music or if I’ve done right when I decided to start on this beautiful journey of music reviews. The reason for these strange thoughts is because I have Thrash Metal as my favourite musical style, not only to review, but also for listening at home or during my long runs on streets. I guess the music structure and the guitar sound offers a good adrenaline, but considering how much I love this style, I still feel that I don’t know it deeply.
When I got Swiss band Algebra to review, my first impression was that they offered amazing material and at the same time I thought how I could describe them, but not only using the basic adjectives like “They are heavy, brutal fast and pure Thrash”. If you already know them (sadly I’d never heard of them before this review) you are probably tired of hearing these words, considering you all know they are good. So let me try to give my overall view of their new material.
I felt that they tried to keep their roots in the European way of playing Thrash, like their compatriots of Coroner do. It means a sound that flees from that Bay Area formula even though they have different elements depending on which country the band is from in Europe. A small example of that is how British Thrash tends to bring few classical elements for their music and maybe bands from other countries bring things from that scenario. Well, it is an impression I have, considering my lack of knowledge about it and I am not sure if Algebra tried to do the same.
Despite all the gibberish I said, Algebra tries to navigate over everything I mentioned. Ok, I said they are more to the Swiss elements that I know from Coroner, but you still have that pure classic Thrash as the first song ‘Resuscitation’ (after the intro ‘The Fallen’). Another example is the beautiful wall of guitars allied with a fast double bass, like in ‘Kleptomaniac’, that reminded me of the musical structure of Exodus, for example. A killer track, by the way. Probably the one that I most enjoyed.
Another interesting detail is how fearless they are to explore things that even the most loyal fan could complain about. It starts smooth and early on the album, right on ‘Constricted’ with a few clean voices which is an escape from the heavy sound so far. This freedom to not be chained only to brutality. ‘Eternal Sleep’ also shows a more ‘laid-back’ approach that even gives a small sensation of a good Punk Rock or Hardcore moment, diluted among all the heaviness.
Overall, I loved the addition of all elements of a good Thrash band, no matter from which part of the world these influences came from. All the sonority apart from their main style just came to make it even more creative. “Chiroptera” is a mature album from a band that have been releasing materials in a good frequency throughout the last decade. Probably their experience of being on road helps to increase the amazing results.
‘Kleptomaniac’ Official Audio
TRACKLISTING: 01. The Fallen 02. Resuscitation 03. Kleptomaniac 04. Constricted 05. Accomplice 06. Chiroptera 07. Suspect 08. Eternal Sleep 09. Losing Touch 10. Burn the Bridge 11. The Great Deception
LINE-UP: Ed Nicod – Vocals and Guitars Nick Abery – Guitars Victor Brandt – Bass Florent Duployer – Drums
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
