Vulture - Dealin' Death (2021)

Bursting out of Germany comes Vulture, one of those bands that teeters the lines of thrash and speed metal that took form a long time ago. Their latest album Dealin' Death dropped a few days ago, and has since ended up being a total grower of a record. I say that because it starts out sounding like the typical raw old school speed metal which i like a lot. The speedier tracks aren’t bad by any stretch. Although the album bounces back and forth between these songs and the more intriguing crawlers, this style is let on little by little as the disc progresses. "Malicious Souls", “Flee the Phantom” are the fastest, kick ass tunes, showcasing their speed side the greatest heights. Others like "Below the Mausoleum" are solid enough. The vocals are a chaotic boost with tailing screeches. ​I can safely say that Vulture have perfected the art of balancing the throwback tactics with originality. I didn’t expect much more than solid-enough speed metal that does its job, but I found myself returning to it over and over, and can confidently say that it’s the perfect grower. Essential listen, especially if speed/thrash are your forte.

facebook.com/vulturekills

metalblade.com/vulture

Review by Paul Caravasi

GOG - Self Titled Release (2021)

This heavy bass driven death metal is a notable act. Speed and slowness in a brutal way is what do you get. GOG's production is actually loud and audible. The pace on this cd interchanges quite frequently. Ranging from fast drumming to mid pace sections and to spice it up they throw in some crunching doom riffs. Vocals are extreme raw. Basically it is like a slow moving tank. How it arrives and you hear it coming. The sound being the loudest when passing but also faded when leaving. The best thing about this album is it is actually headbangable! Unlike other acts.  GOG proves this "noise" can be put into very productive ways. By creating a single deep heavy sound with variety thrown into a melting pot. And what comes out is brutal death metal with a hint of doom in this 2021 release that shall be the marching drums to your death!

Stand out tracks: "Reduced To One Atom" and "Chemical Boar"

gogdoom.bandcamp.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Nekromantheon - Visions Of Trismegistos (2021)

"The Visions Of Trismegistos" is a pure massive dose of brutal adrenaline, this will make you sweat like a horse just listening the godly drumming--in fact, drummer owns this entire album. His pounding drumming will make you break your neck banging away in time with it. "Seven Rulers of Fate" has the most crazed and lunatic soloing on the record, chaotic leads in the old slayer vein, and that's fkn wonderful, dirty, and evil as it slices your speakers to shreds.These 8 tracks will drag you through the fiery depths of hell, I highly recommend this to fans of Venom, Slayer, Dark Angel, and Exumer. Monstrous tracks with its epic guitar solos. The production, for the most part, is very fitting to this album. It's dirty, unpolished and gritty. Perfect ingredients to throw into a brutal and extreme album. The mix is fine. It showcase loud guitars and drums, which is great for this kind of album. All in all, "The Visions Of Trismegistos" is an album that is oozing with filthy, vile brutal anthems  The uncompromising speed, song structure and the sinister sound give Nekromantheon an identity to call their own. A brutal album that every extreme metal fan needs to own. Fantastic !!

facebook.com/nekromantheonofficial

nekromantheon.bandcamp.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Cannibal Corpse - Violence Unimagined (2021)

Cannibal Corpse’s latest  album "Violence Unimagined" and where do i begin? Well, for me, an old school maniac, Cannibal Corpse are back, kicking off with the brutality of "Murderous Rampage", it may not be 'Eaten Back To Life' with an insane riffage, but it is a fantastic way to kick off'. The first track announces that Cannibal Corpse have returned, Corpsegrinder’s voice is on point and never mind the foot tapping that goes along with it, before too long you’ll notice that the head starts to bang too! George has a distinct voice, that brutal growl which make  instantly CC recognisable. It clocks in at around 43 minutes making it short, sweet and difficult to lose your attention; all the hallmarks of a kick ass album. The ever present Erik Rutan/Rob Barret’ guitar claws through the mix, chugging away like a chainsaw swallowing down its gasoline, helped along with the stuttering blast beats of Paul which make tracks such as 'Inhumane Harvest', the superb 'Condemnation Contagion' and 'Surround, Kill, Devour ' Cannibal Corpse haven’t sounded this good in years. When you think about it, Cannibal Corpse have possibly recorded one of the best albums of 2021 and certainly it is their best work since 'Vile' in my opinion.  CC are back and doing what they do best. This is pure savage METAL, Period. Highly recommended for old school metal fans, and thrashers as well !!

cannibalcorpse.net

facebook.com/cannibalcorpse

www.metalblade.com/us

Review by Paul Caravasi

Solstice - Casting The Die (2021)

Solstice is back with vengeance!!. Still thrives on beating the listener over the head with as many riffs, insane drumming, kick ass bass lines and angry vocals. Their approach to death/thrash is fucking amazing. Ryan Taylor unleash pure vocal rage i must say. As a fan standpoint:“Casting The Die” absolutely nails it. Production quality is very high. Producer done excellent job. Guitars' sound very good, heavy enough, but not to escess. Drums fit perfectly. Sound of bass,is excellent - nothing irritates here. Alex Marquez really knows how to drum, and he is also very creative. Just see how many drum bridges are on this album! Aggressive as hell. I recommend this album to every death/thrash metal fan. Necksnapping Brutality!!!!

facebook.com/Solsticefl

emanzipation.dk

Review by Paul Caravasi

1917 - Omnicrisis (2021)

1917 from Argentina have been around a very long time and over the span of more than twenty five years have seen their reputation rise as many time as they've endured line-up changes. I remember discovering this band back in 1997 and after so many years of losing contact with Alejandro, Thanks to the internet this new album arrived in my hands. "Omnicrisis" is an album with something to prove. Few bands this deep into a discography are able to bring much passion and energy to their music but that's exactly what 1917 does. "Omnicrisis" crackles with energetic life: choppy, staccato chords and blurred tremolo riffs coupled to heaving, chunky basslines and tremendously powerful drumming - all slathered in a brutal atmosphere for horror and oppression. The band strides the Death/Black demarcation perfectly, crafting superb slowdowns of despair. And they've added a few new wrinkles to the mix too. It's an incredible experience, especially on headphones. Alejandro Sabransky delivers a fully demonic performance perfectly attuned to the band's occult lyrics. He is also in fine guitar fettle with brilliant riffs and flashes of genius in the few solos he delivers. In a genre rife with stagnation and imitation, it is refreshing to hear another SouthAmerican veteran band answer the challenge of their younger peers and then casually brush them aside with an album so masterly that it is somewhat hard to fathom. Overall, this is a perfect Extreme metal album. There are no flaws and everything about it is perfect from the guitar tone, to the fitting solos, to the drumming, and the bass playing. It all fits together perfectly like an elaborate puzzle. 1917 continue to progress and inspire and "Omnicrisis" is a true highlight of their discography. They have managed to pull off the difficult task of staying true to their roots while at the same time updating and tweaking their sound !!

Band contact:

FB /1917metal

nn1917@hotmail.com

Review by Paul Caravasi

Dark Zodiak - Ophiuchus (2021)

Dark Zodiak's "Ophiuchus" certainly gets the job done. At some points it suffers from too many quiet or soft parts, but the overall makes up for it. Passionately crushing solos, the melodies are mostly heavy and straight to the point. The production leaves the instruments somewhat clean, sheer and powerful. The drumming kicks ass when are given the main stage. The instrumental bits  are  headbangable as most of the album, they are fine pieces of music. As far as solos are concerned, I have no complaints. They deliver the goods in the style only Dark Zodiak has. They don't go cheap on them, yet don't go wild with ultra-fast virtuoso solos which show talent and feel and the riffs are pummeling throughout almost the entire album, not too fast, but heavy enough. My personal favorites: Invisible Apocalypse , Destroy Destruction and Total Freedom. At overall look, the album is pretty good, highly recommended!!

facebook.com/darkzodiakmusik

darkzodiak.bandcamp.com

Review by Paul Caravasi