Behemoth – EVANGELION

Behemoth has just released their 9^th studio album entitled EVANGELION. Their best release to date, this brutal, blackened death metal band from Poland is decimating the uninitiated with their ultimate masterpiece. EVANGELION showcases amazingly fast drum beats, wickedly harmonized technical guitar riffs, and intense, guttural growls that spew blasphemous incantations that speak about liberating the self from the manmade concepts such as religion, tradition, and politics.

Behemoth’s new CD has a well defined depth to it’s production, often incorporating atmospheric elements such as eerie screams, crow sound effects, and orchestral keyboard overdubs. Their epic track entitled “Lucifer” incorporates all of these elements into a masterful tribute to the crown prince of Hell.

As to be expected from such a diabolic band, their first video for their head-banging track entitled “Ov Fire And The Void” has already been banned from YouTube. Fortunately for us, Behemoth’s American label, Metal Blade Records, is hosting the complete uncensored video here: http://www.metalblade.com/behemoth/index.html

EVANGELION’s 9 new tracks run a little under 42 minutes in length. The digipack edition will include a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage and expanded artwork. A must for all fans of Behemoth, and lovers of the blackened death metal genre!

Rating: 4 skulls ! ! !

Track listing:

01. Daimonos

02. Shemaforash

03. Ov Fire And The Void

04. Transmigrating Beyond Realms Ov Amenti

05. He Who Breeds Pestilence

06. The Seed Ov I

07. Alas, Lord Is Upon Me

08. Defiling Morality Ov Black God

09. Lucifer

Sources:

http://www.behemoth.pl/site/

http://www.myspace.com/behemoth

Uncensored “Ov Fire and The Void” Video: http://www.metalblade.com/behemoth/index.html

Thornafire – VOREX DECONSTRUCCIÓN

In America, music trends come and go every couple of years, but in South America their undying love for Metal has remained consistent for decades! They’ve produced such great bands as Sacrofago, Pentagram, Sepultura, and Krisiun, to name a few. Let us now look to Chile, where Thornafire’s new CD entitled VOREX DECONSTRUCCIÓN is making a huge impact not only the South American Metal fans, but on Metal fans all over the world.

Thronafire is an occult/anti-Christian Death Metal three-piece that writes immensely aggressive yet catchy songs that retain a groove and memorable structure. Their monstrous guitar riffs coupled with berserk blast beats and guttural growls place them in the vein of Morbid Angel, yet some of their tracks feature interesting keyboard overdubs and other tracks incorporate a female spoken voice. The vocals are entire in Spanish, but their message is blatantly clear, destroy and dominate all!

Thornafire will embark on their first ever U.S. tour in July with the legendary Monstrosity and Missouri's Torn the Fuck Apart. The band's amazing live performance is not to be missed.

Tour dates are as follows:

July 1 - Déjà vu Nightclub - Stuart, FL

July 2 - Volume 11 - Raleigh, NC

July 3 - The Half Shell - Virginia Beach, VA

July 4 - The Alhambra Arena - Philadelphia, PA

July 6 - The Lost Horizon - Syracuse, NY

July 9 - Zanies Too - Indianapolis, IN

July 10 - The Canopy Club - Urbana, IL

July 11 - The Riot Room - Kansas City, MO

July 12 - The Hideout - Omaha, NE

July 17 - The Jumping Turtle - San Marcos, CA

July 20 - The War Legion Underground - Amarillo, TX

July 21 - The Gypsy - Fayetteville, AR

July 23 - The Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA

July 24 - The Oasis - Charleston, SC

July 25 - Bourbon Street North - Port Richey, FL

Rating: 3 ½ skulls

Sources:

http://www.myspace.com/thornafire

http://www.thornafire.cl/

http://www.ibexmoonrecords.com/

Hail Of Bullets – WARSAW RISING

The Dutch Death Metal giants Hail Of Bullets have just release a new EP entitled WARSAW RISING. Fronted by ex-Pestilence/ex-Asphyx vocalist Martin van Drunen, with ex-Houwitser bass player Theo van Eekelen, Gorefest-drummer Ed Warby and both Thanatos-guitarists Paul Baayens and Stephan Gebédi, Hail Of Bullets is a platoon of veterans trained in the art of total destruction. The new CD features two brand new tracks, one massive cover of the Twisted Sister classic “Destroyer” and three live recordings that capture this all star quintet at their best! As an added bonus to the old-school collector, WARSAW RISING is also available as a limited edition 10 inch vinyl edition (500 handnumbered copies)! 

Rating: 3 skulls

Sources:

http://www.myspace.com/hailoffuckenbullets

http://www.hailofbullets.com

http://www.metalblade.com/

We Were Gentlemen – LIVING HELL

Virginia road-dogs We Were Gentlemen have just released their first full length CD on Century Media Records entitled LIVING HELL. This 10 song collection of bone crushing MetalCore madness features ungodly screams combined with heavy guitar riffs and killer cut time beats. This is their first release on a major label, so I would expect to be hearing a lot more from them in the near future. They demonstrate the ability to write good MetalCore and have the drive to rise to the top of their game. Be sure to pick up this CD, as it’s sure to become a classic in a few years.

Rating: 3 skulls

Tracklist:

1. Deep Blue

2. Night Terrors

3. Cradle Your Filth

4. Illusions

5. Evolve

6. The Insomniac

7. New Blood

8. Annihilative

9. Bed Ridden

10. The Ceremony

Sources:
http://www.myspace.com/weweregents

Arsonists Get All The Girls – PORTALS

Known as Santa Cruz’s most degenerate six-piece, Arsonists Get All The Girls has just released their latest GrindCore Masterpiece entitled PORTALS. Fusing blast beats with keyboard madness, AGATG has written 11 tracks of sick and twisted music to whet the appetites of all you grind-aholic Gorehounds who thrive on this brand of insanity.

Arsonists Get All The Girls offer a unique sound that unlike anything heard before, although they claim to draw their inspiration from bands like Despised Icon, Cryptopsy, and Dream Theater. Their musical arsenal if filled with technical guitar riffing, heavy-as-hell break down beats, screamed lyrics, and some of the oddest keyboard sounds ever merged with metal. Imagine listening to your favorite Death Metal CD while playing a Nintendo Video Game, that’s kinda what AGATG sounds like. If you’re into eclectic music with an aggressive edge, definitely check AGATG’s new CD PORTALS.

Rating: 3 skulls

Tracklist:

1. Interdimensionary

2. The 42nd Ego

3. My Cup's Half Empty

4. Skiff For The Suits

5. In The Empyreans

6. Saturnine

7. Violence In Fluid - Triceratops

8. Portals

9. I Lost My Loss Of Ruin

10. To Playact In Static

11. Tea Time Tibbons

Sources:
http://www.myspace.com/agatg

http://www.centurymedia.com/us/

Church Of Misery – HOUSES OF THE UNHOLY

Combining the best elements of 70’s era Hard Rock and traditional Doom Metal, Japan’s Church Of Misery new CD, HOUSES OF THE UNHOLY, delivers over 48 minutes of a dark and disturbing Acid Metal. The band’s love Wah-Wah driven Metal, and their fascination with disturbing lyrical imagery has brought about a unique listening experience that is liken to a psychedelic bad-trip. Their sound is heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, with that well defined 3 piece sound, but adds to it the random sound effect that mysteriously wanders into the sound-scape as part of the acid-trip effect.

Church Of Misery conjures up images of a latter-day Manson Family sitting around in blood-spattered tie-dyes, contemplating their next sinister move. Each one of the 7 epic tracks is dedicated to one the sickest know serial killers in human history. Albert Fish, Richard Speck, even El Padrino Adolfo Constanzo gets his tribute. So if you like your blood bath with a nostalgic 70’s vibe, be sure to check out Church Of Misery’s third full-length studio album HOUSES OF THE UNHOLY, and turn on, tune in, drop out.

Rating: 3 Skulls

TRACKLIST 

1. El Padrino (Adolfo De Jesus Constanzo)

2. Shotgun Boogie (James Oliver Huberty)

3. The Gray Man (Albert Fish)

4. Blood Sucking Freak (Richard Trenton Chase)

5. Master Heartache (Sir Lord Baltimore)

6. Born To Raise Hell (Richard Speck)

7. Badlands (Charles Starkweather & Caril Fugate)

Sources:
http://www.churchofmisery.net/

http://www.myspace.com/churchofserialkiller

The Crimson Armada - GUARDIANS

Not since the days of Stryper have I held such utter contempt for a band like I do for The Crimson Armada. These Black Dahlia Murder rip-offs have gone the route of preaching their spiritual benedictions while wearing the mask of Death Metal musicians. Attempting to layer their vocals like many of the more monstrous bands of this genre, The Crimson Armada falls short of reaching the proper aesthetics with lyrics like “Fall to your knees. I pray for mercy.” Not very brutal in my eyes!

The sad thing is that the guitar work is actually quite good on this CD. There is a high level of technical prowess between the guitarists. Their guitars harmonize nicely, and their riffing is very fluid with plenty of hammer-on and sweeping techniques used in their song structures. If only they didn’t try to sound so much like The Black Dahlia Murder and wrote some truly wicked music, then perhaps they would have won me over. But as far as I’m concerned, Death Metal is meant to be shocking and infernal, and this brand of Christian Metal is just not winning me over.

Rating: 1 ½ Skulls

TRACKLIST

1. Guardian

2. A Filthy Addiction

3. The Sound, The Flood, The Hour

4. In The Eyes Of God

5. The Serpents Tongue

6. Revelations

7. Desecrated

8. The Final Words

9. The Architect

10. Outro

Sources:

http://www.myspace.com/thecrimsonarmada