Thursday, January 26, 2017

DeathBlow-Demolition Deployment (Ep-2016)

Fast style of riffing. It’s like putting a microphone up to a speeding train raging over the tracks. Your CD isn’t spinning half as fast as these notes are smashing into your brain. Rampaging speed/Thrash metal songs featuring raspy, screaming vocals that keep things entertaining the whole ride through. This Ep is over-the-top speed, and therefore 99% perfection, and hence the 99% score. Yes, I used a calculator to figure this out. As far as the musicianship is concerned, highly impressive with his incredibly fast riffs and leads, both of which are highly memorable, every riff consists of hitting a single note furiously, then transitioning to a quick, catchy lick. The 3 songs take the same approach (including the cover of Motorhead-Mean Machine). This kind of stuff should appeal to you if you’re into aggressive speed metal like Exciter or Tank, but keep in mind that this is much more unique and full of its own quirks (oh yeah, and it’s a tad faster too). if you like your music fast fast fast - get your fix of Demolition Deployment NOW!
facebook.com/deathblowofficial
Review by Paul Caravasi

Killing Addiction-Shores of Oblivion (2016)

The sound of this is absolutely fantastic. Featuring  guitarists with a listenable tone. It’s clear, crisp, weighty, heavy and precise. The opening song sets the tone flawlessly and is a harrowing harbinger of what’s to come. Sometimes it’s unwise to start an album off with a kick ass song, but in the case of Killing Addiction, it shouldn’t have been done any other way. Starting it off with "Engine of Ruin" don't give the listener a chance to breathe before having their head held underwater. By the time "Cult of Decay"is done, you’ve already drowned. But the most remarkable thing about this album isn’t how extreme it is, or how it’s a fantastic riff-o-rama. It’s how damn catchy it is. "Shores of Oblivion" is essential death metal. I would recommend this to people who enjoy extreme metal of any variety, as this is that great of an an album that they should all hear and enjoy.
facebook.com/killingaddiction
www.xtreemmusic.com
facebook.com/clawhammerpr
killingaddiction.bandcamp.com
Review by Paul Caravasi

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Final Flag-Capture the Flag (2017)

I think it’s too simple to label this as crossover. Final Flag is a band from CZECH REPUBLIC AND U.S.A. featuring Eric Helzer (Wehrmacht) on vocals. We have hardcore influences showing up in most songs in the form of a related vocal and base line rampaging at breakneck speed complemented by some generic speed riffs. However, the majority of the riffs on here are undeniably thrash. The bass is very prominent in the mix, It works here because the bass lines are very lively and at times infectiously groovy. The production is spectacular.The album begins with" Swallow all the Drugs" a song which is an excellent indicator of how the rest of the album is going to sound. Awesome chugging riffs with excellent fucking bass underneath it to almost make your neck sore. How about charm? Does this album have any? You bet your ass it does. The unique voices help you know exactly what kind of band you're listening to once you hear it. This band is able to turn up the heat when they need to. Final Flag brings a whole new flavor to Thrash-Hardcore or whatever you want to call it, with their different levels of tenacity within the same album. Riffs and solos, intensity and a great voices, and the entire band brings grade-A metal from a hardcore band. The overall catchiness of the songwriting should be emphasized at this point. This album has a lot of hooks, both vocal and instrumental. Definitely this is recommended for fans of eighties thrash who don’t mind some hardcore. Also it features a cover song of ANTHRAX ( instead of Indians it is called PALESTINIANS) I FKN like this album. Buy it or dieeeeee !!!
www.facebook.com/FinalFlag
Review by Paul Caravasi

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Forahneo-Perfidy (2015)

This death/thrash metal album by Forahneo is one of my favourite ones in this genre. The production is one of the cleanest, if not the cleanest one, well all the instruments have a brutality load from it. The first track shows no mercy in pure death/thrash style, going on we can have  more brutal songs, violent riffs, for example in “You speak you lie” where the mid-paced parts are full of kick ass solo parts. The up tempo parts are clear-cut and devastating. The drums work by is devastating and the crunchy guitar riffage is more focused on  pure violence. I love the fast bass drum with great screams by Tito Melin (Undercroft). Always well balanced between arpeggios-lead and violent palm muting parts. Schizophrenic/catchy riffs, vicious attack and fantastic solos. The riffs on "Perdify" are mostly simple but they are pretty catchy and deadly effective. The finishing touch is the magnificent drumming. He plays his parts with mindblowing surgical tightness and a never ceasing amount of energy. All in all, this is a fucking great album to me, with awesome songs that are more focused on the pure violence with a production that is finally adapt to this genre. Anyway an album that already showed us how southamericans play killer metal.
www.facebook.com/Forahneo-100349880300213
forahneo.bandcamp.com/releases
Review by Paul Caravasi

The Fallen Symmetry-Renacer en la Tormenta (2015)

Musically, this album is a strong mix of accessible songwriting, technical instrumental construction, and a few surprises thrown in when they are least expected. Vocalist exhibits a full range without going into the obnoxiously high pitches that other singers of this genre use so often, riffs are powerful, the rhythm section is fairly solid, and keyboardist adds plenty of orchestrations and other elements that fortunately never overshadow the actual band. The songs themselves are brilliantly written and there does not seem to be a trace of filler at all on this album. A variety of styles is also present and includes a great deal of faster tracks "Renacer en la tormenta", "El ultimo despertar" "Fields of the fallen" (featuring Zak Stevens).Mid-tempo marches and plenty of epics filling the gaps. I recommend this album as a good starting point for fans willing to check out The Fallen Symmetry from Lima-Peru and heavy metal in general. You shouldn’t be disappointed. I feel that I need to be completely honest. This was my introduction to this band; they came along and gave me a new fresh sound. It holds a special place in my music collection. Impressive songs. Double-kicking tracks that has crunchy guitars and some nice soloing. Either way, this album is excellent. To me, it defines melodic heavy metal.
www.facebook.com/thefallensymmetry
www.reverbnation.com/thefallensymmetry
Review by Paul Caravasi