SHORT REVIEWS Our thirteenth edition of Short Reviews for 2023 finds us selecting only the best from the final week of March so that I can get to work on a very packed April release schedule. Expect some big ‘old school’ feeling death metal records, some Finnish black metal and myriad evil oddities otherwise. I’ve done my best to showcase the most interesting works that I come across while still presenting some decent variety here but choices boil down to what sticks, what inspires or what is worth writing about. These are more easygoing than longform reviews, so relax and think for yourself — If you find something you dig go tell the band on social media and support them with a purchase! If you’d like your music reviewed, read the FAQ and send promos to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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The one major recommendation this week per this column comes from Italian atmospheric death/doom metal band Aphotic who’d formed back in 2020 between ex-members of death metal band Epykrosis and current members of funeral doom group Fuoco Fatuo, more-or-less combining the aggressive ordinance and sinister atmospheric values which those groups sport(ed) respectively. Though each of these seven main pieces manifest as ~5 minute death metal songs in a modern arguably blackened style their occasional use of martial beats, shouted clean vocals and dreary layers of semi-dissonant guitar techniques make for an experience fans of Jade, Into Coffin, and earlier Bølzer will appreciate. Throw in some light early industrial metal feeling movements, Incantation-esque riffing and a certain writhing quality to the atmosphere of this thing and ‘Abyssgazer‘ eventually reaches a considerable point of distant, increasingly restless cacophony during its ~45 minute run. Note: Available by way of Nuclear Winter Records in Europe.

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This third time around South Dakota-bound death metal quartet Angerot are going for a louder is better approach on all counts, doing their best to burst out the speaker and make a big first impression upon the listener with their Swedish death metal influenced but Behemoth-engorged sound. These folks have always gone big with each record in terms of getting notable guests, aiming for well-known producers/engineers, and featuring the talents of John Zig on each of their album covers and this’d been an easy in, a best foot forward as their sound developed in a more dramatic direction. Here on LP number three it seems the general flow of the record is slightly askew, the central idea of the band has stalled a bit, and the guest spots don’t necessarily add much to the experience. Their best album cover to date, though. A big part of my gripe with ‘The Profound Recreant‘ centers around the use of multi-layered vocals performed at different registers, all of which arrive at the same cadence and intensity from song to song. This creates an obnoxious, always jacked to 100% feeling with lacks any nuance alongside riffcraft which resigns to a most basic, functional level of death metal rhythm. When the intensity of this style of death metal music is resigned to impersonal vocal layers all firing off at once it becomes unreadable, and I wasn’t up for a ~40 minute spin when the rhythms themselves didn’t pick up the slack. I went in excited for this one, those first two records seemed to be going somewhere, but this time around the experience lacked any truly resonant moments for my taste. Not a bad album per se, just one that’d had me asking “Where are the riffs?” pretty quick.

Nervochaos are a thrashing death metal quintet from São Paulo, Brazil who’ve been releasing records since the late 90’s having surpassed the ten LP mark in recent years. While their sound has changed some it is still devoted to the real thing and is most influenced by the late 80’s/early 90’s death metal uptick and classic mid-80’s thrash metal aggression. They’d notably restructured toward this ‘old school’ thrash influenced feeling beyond 2020 and ‘Chthonic Wrath‘ continues that thread as a punkish death/thrash record which isn’t afraid of simple mid-paced grooves and what seems like a bit of a sense of humor here and there, nothing too goofy. If you’re a fan of earlier Torture Squad and don’t mind that level of repetition-heavy riffcraft there is a lot of fun to be had with this record. It wasn’t earth shattering stuff to dig into but it is still the sort of band I’d always show up to watch play live. Highlights: “Kill For Pleasure”, “Torn Apart”, “Ouroboros”.

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Sieluhaaska is a relatively new Finnish black metal project from musician Saasta and this is his first official release beyond a Wolfspell-released split with Foedus back in 2019. This introductory mLP provides two already accomplished guitar-driven melodic pieces, an inspired cover of lesser-known North Ostrobothnian black metal band Hämys, and a longer DSBM influenced piece (“Conjuration of the True Pain From Within”) to end the ride. Of course the cover song is intensely catchy, well selected from a hidden gem of a band, but the title track is just as effective in its memorable entrance, a hateful piece which mourns the self more than anything else. An inspired debut and a proper introduction for this ~new project.

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Still born, eulogized… and back again, who the fuck are Grieve? Of course we definitely know who, eh, I’d written a bit about their self-titled 12″ all the way back in 2020 wherein Werwolf and V-Khaoz collaborated on a somewhat atmospheric take on the vulgar majesty of true Finnish black metal. They’d eventually delivered a more raw, deathlike full-length (‘Funeral‘) in 2022 and called it quits. Here they return zombified and coughing up dirt with a bit more madness on display, bringing an obnoxious and snarling self on the first third of this record; A rawest yet guitar sound with vocals that rant chaos in all directions make the first impression and the up front effect is mayhemic, intoxicated in the best tradition but the full listen still comes with enough finesse that it doesn’t amount to anything too sloppy or busted to enjoy. Highlights: “Glacier”, “Twilight Woods”, “Eternal Winter, Eternal War”.

https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/grieve-wolves-of-the-northern-moon.asp

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Smallpox Aroma is a death metal influenced goregrind/grindcore trio out of Bangkok, Thailand who lean towards the more classic sensibilities of each sub-genre while presenting a very satisfying snare ping and plenty of riffs at once. ‘Festering Embryos of Logical Corruption‘ might appear to be a less serious occasion to start but after I’d sat with this record for 4-5 minutes I began to pick up on the Nasum, Last Days of Humanity and even some more crust-grind leaning influences which are not limited to spectacle and have more substance than pure throttling of speed. This type of band becomes increasingly rare beyond 2005 so, it was great to hear a band with such a strong handle on the riff-obsessed speed-blasted variety of grind and savor it. Granted this isn’t the sort of record I find myself wanting to return to after 2-3 spins lately much as I appreciate the drum sound and the hits of extreme speed throughout. Highlights: “Swallow the Defiled”, “Eternal Burrow”, “Gory Sight, Shining Bright”.

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The Evil is a Minas Gerais, Brazil-based doom metal quartet from members of well known rock groups alongside the current bassist for Chakal but perhaps more notably for us the main guitarist here is Wagner Antichrist of Sarcófago infamy. While their 2017 debut was more in the Electric Wizard-esque speaker blasting psychedelic horror/doom metal format this second full-length takes an entirely different direction. ‘Seven Acts to Apocalypse‘ is still doom metal in practicum but arguably in a space between the psychedelic direction taken prior and an ‘epic’ (as in early Candlemass) cadence which lends well to the lightly avant-garde path taken within its operatic presentation. This accentuates the concept of the record, that evil fully rules over this world now, and the seven deadly sins themed lyrics act as ideal foil for new vocalist Mistres Wournous to explore her impressive dramatic range. Overall this is a much more considered, serious feeling record which benefits from the direction of its concept and keeping the average song length around 6-7 minutes. I wouldn’t suggest simply previewing a track or two out of context but rather let the whole thing be a slow burn, all-in-one listen. Highlights: “Greed”, “Sloth”.

https://www.osmoseproductions.com/item/2/94903-110402-1212-1-0/124242987/the-evil-seven-acts-to-apocalypse.-black-vinyl.html

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Whereas the previous record (‘Mournfall‘) from London-area black metal trio Old Forest leaned deeper into its melodic doom metal influenced atmospheric black metal exploration this seventh full-length merely maintains the slower, steadier pace they’re somewhat known for while opting for a lean into their more classic atmospheric black metal gait. Simple riffs presented in elegant traipse often meet with distant guitar harmonies, folkish melodic sidebars and a very slightly progressive hints throughout. A simple effect delivered in easily read and enjoyed pieces which land uncomplicated and neatly set. For a project that’d started in the late 90’s their approach is decidedly more modern and entirely laid back than that era would imply but this shouldn’t at all disappoint anyone who’d been following their work since 2016, especially if you’d wanted an even more nighttime version of what they’d been doing on ‘Mournfall‘.

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