Lobotomized/Obliteration/Execration/Diskord - Oslo We Rot Split

The New Wave Of Old-School.

This split album comprises three of the most respected up-and-coming death metal groups from Norway. Each of these bands does have their own style, but, they are all takes on early 90s American death metal. This is a must for any die-hard fan of the genre.

The first group on here is Lobotomized. They contribute three songs, two being covers to this split. Their sound is described as a mix between late-80s thrash, punk, and death metal. The sound of their recordings maintains that raw punk aggression where everything comes out loud and dirty.

Though these guys contributed the most songs, all of them only add up to just over six minutes. The first track, Piss On My Grave, is a quick aggressive burst of distortion and vocals. This track maintains a bit more of a thrash vibe, but the vocals are really raw and throat retching harsh. The next two songs, Golden Showers, a Mentors cover, and I Shit On Your Grave, an Autopsy cover, are pretty true to the originals, with the Mentors' cover hitting that gritty punk sound while the Autopsy one is fast and sounds exactly like the title.

The next band is Obliteration. This band is one of the most respected newer death metal bands to have come out of Norway, with their Autopsy meets Dismember style of playing. Their previous two full-lengths have garnered praises from both the press as well as Darkthrone drummer Fenriz.
They contribute one song, Envenomed. This track maintains that almost proto-death metal sound early on by starting very uptempo with almost a punk energy, but slows down near the track's end and goes completely doom. This guitar solo on this track completely tears through what's behind it, acting like a knife cutting through warm butter.
The third band on this split is Execration. They are by far the most technical and brutal band on here, citing groups like Gorguts, Suffocation, and Immolation as influences. So far they have only released one EP and full-length before coming on this split.

Entheogen is the title of the track they put on here. This track is not only the most brutal and technical, but also sounds the best; it retains the rawness that the other groups did, but is a bit clearer and not as muddy sounding. The sound of their influences comes through on here, mid way through the track a dark brooding atmosphere seems to enter the track, not unlike that of Immolation, while a good portion of the riffs used are more tremolo picked, recalling a bit of Suffocation.
The last group on this split is Diskord. They are by far the oldest band on this split, having been formed in the late 90s, but only releasing one full-length so far, 2007's "Doomscapes." Their sound is a bit more sloppy sounding compared to the other bands on here, but retains the same sort of vibe.

Diskord provide this split with two tracks, the first being As The Circus Leaves The Galaxy, and the second being Cease of Existence MMX. The first track is eerily similar to bands like Obituary and early Death, with a sound that is a bit sloppy, but is a bit more melodic. The second track is similar, but a bit has a bit more of a thrash edge.

Overall, this is a good and solid release that contains some of the best underground death metal coming out of Norway right now. Nothing on here is too modern sounding, in other words, this is not clean and polished sounding, it's raw, dirty, and truly aggressive. This is a must for anyone looking for some good old-school death metal.

Overall Score: 8

Highlights: Envenomed, As The Circus Leaves The Galaxy

Enemy of The Sun - Caedium

They Came From The Diversity Club.

Enemy of The Sun is an experimental gothic metal group from Germany. The group was formed in 2006 by guitarist/producer Waldemar Sorychta who helped shape groups like The Gathering and Lacuna Coil. This is the group's second album and is even more eclectic than their debut.
Even on the debut record, Enemy of The Sun was very diverse, often shifting between melodic death, gothic, and a bit of avant-garde metal. This album in that sense is very similar as a definitive style is still not a priority for these songs. This one factor is really the band's greatest strength and weakness, as the band are able to pull off each genre pretty well in most cases, but the songs themselves suffer for lack of a real catchy moments that sticks in your head.
Each member's performance in and of themselves is pretty decent though. Sorychta's guitar playing is solid and diverse, bouncing between melodic thrash metal riffs, Spanish acoustics, and the occasional progressive melody. The bass, Alla Fedynitch, is solid, not doing a whole lot to define a song, but keeping a good groove either on it's own or when laying low behind the guitars. The vocals, Jules Näveri, are also good, being able to pull off some good growls, but also some decent clean singing as well. The drumming, Daniel Zeman, is also well done, not doing anything overly technical or special, but keeping a nice foundation for everything else. That's the whole band, except for the keyboards that come in some tracks and really just turn some groovy tracks into a weird, almost avant-garde, song, hear the electronic beats on Castaways In The N.W.O.
It seems as though when the band get rid of the electronics, or use them very sparsely, the band can get a nice groove together that is still entertaining. There are several times when the band use simple symphonic strings to back them and end up sounding better than some of the weirder piano lines and other tricks used on some tracks. It turns out the best though, when Sorychta decides to make his guitar lines more progressive instead of using samples and keyboards to try and do that, hear tracks like Ticket and Paradigm. Songs that maintain a high level of energy also work as well, hear Stolen Sky.
Overall, this is a pretty decent album with some good songs on it. It might benefit the group to try and craft a signature sound for themselves for their next album, like they did for the latter half of this album hopefully. If you like melodic thrash metal that sticks it's feet into some other genres, check this out.
Overall Score: 7
Highlights: I Am One, Ticket, Sky Shooting Stars

Demians - Mute

Unfortunately There's No Such Thing As A Demians Tree.

Demians is a progressive rock group from France. The group gained success with their debut, "Building An Empire," which was entirely written and recorded by founder Nicolas Chapel. That recorded was applauded by Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) and was later followed with a tour together.
In many ways it wasn't all that surprising that Demians was praised by Steven Wilson and toured with PT and bands like Anathema, their sound is remarkably similar. Lush textures of sound create big and epic sounding songs that keep a nice hook for a chorus. Subtle vocal lines are sung similarly to the two bands above, so it's no surprise that they were able to tour together. But, in many ways that is what has made this record so different to the debut.
The debut was clean, sterile in fact, being very polished, filled with many different textures throughout any given track, this album contains a sound that is much more raw. Said to be recorded in only one or two takes, this album is a bit more "real" and personal sounding. Due to the stripped down nature of the record, the overall feel of a lot of these songs is a bit heavier, more metal in several cases, Feel Alive and Rainbow Rus.
Despite being a rawer record, this album still contains the experimental and progressive tendencies that the debut had. There are more than a few tracks on here that aren't rock based track and have more of a trip-hop or electronic feel to them. Some of the best moments on this album are the soft and more quiet moments of piano, Black Over Gold, where more emotion is visible. These moments recall a bit more of a modern Anathema style more than Porcupine Tree, but both of their influence can be seen on here, Overhead seems a bit like the band's own version of PT's classic show-ender Trains, moving from a acoustic and voice into a big metal sound.
The real treat here is how much evolution the band/project has gone through since the debut. No one will dispute the impact the debut had, holding the PT influence very close to home, both in style and composition, long epic tracks, even an epic 16 minute closer, but this album is, as mentioned above, simplistic in comparison. Tracks on here don't need to be epic 10 minute long tracks to reach where they're going, reaching their desired ending closer to 5 or 6 minutes, giving you a hook somewhere along and just letting it flow instead of build up.
Overall, this is a nice follow-up to the debut, but is perhaps not as powerful simply due to the debut coming off so strong. This album still has plenty to work with despite that, including plenty to keep fans of the debut coming back. If you don't yet know about this group, it's worth checking out.
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: Porcelain, Tidal, Falling From The Sun

Inhein - Pestrapture

A Bag Of Tricks Is Somewhere In Here.

Inhein is an experimental black metal group from Russia. This is the group's debut full-length album and definitely shows that this is a band that like to experiment, hence the genre. Throughout this relatively short disc, you'll hear a lot of different stuff.
From the opening riffs on The Path, Inhein demonstrate that they want to be different. A mix of angular black metal riffs that drift into progressive and death metal appear to carry the track from it's beginning to it's end. This is just the first track, but it does demonstrate a style that is used throughout the entire disc, even though there are some flirtations with ambient and symphonic elements as well later on as well, although they are misused, hear the odd Infinite Sunrise. It has to be said that the band can write some solid, meaty riffs though.
The songs on this album aren't really that long, appearing like the band want to cram as much as they can into short songs, which in some cases work, but others doesn't. In a lot of cases, since the songs are doing quite a lot within only three or four minutes, it seems like an idea doesn't really reach it's logical conclusion, ending before it should have. When the band do allow a song to stretch out into the four minute mark, it does do them some good; these tracks are the ones that seem to feature some more prominent experimentation instead of one riff following the other.
Since this is only a debut, it can be looked at as a lack of experience, and I'm willing to take it for that instead of poor songwriting. Despite some rather poorly composed tracks, there is still quite a bit to like on here, as well as plenty of potential. Hopefully this band will only get better later on in their career and be able to develop a sound that is more crafted.
Overall, this is a band that shows promise in their style, but still needs some improvement in their song craft. The riffs they write are certainly catchy and sound really good, which should be able to win them over a lot of people. If you like progressive tinged black metal that isn't too proggy, check this out.
Overall Score: 6
Highlights: Angel of Decay, Unlife, Rest In Nowhere

Bullets In Madison - We Became Your Family When You Died

It's So Small, But Sounds So Big.

Bullets In Madison is a post-rock group from Illinois. This is the band's third full-length and has gained a fair amount of praise duo to the group's unique take on the sound bands like Radiohead and Sigur Ross created. This is a band that does not make extremely loud music, in case anyone was wondering.
Like it's more poster child predecessors, BIM hold subtly in a high regard, using delicate layers and textures on these tracks to just allow the songs to really swell. Each track on here is like a small roller-coaster will all the building and falling that a track goes through. Despite all that, these tracks still hold the accessibility that their predecessor's did as well, utilizing an almost poppy sort of sound, hear opener Impossible Grave.
The vocals on here follow a similar style to what post-rock has kind of become known for, using more whispers and spoken words more so than singing. Despite this, the vocals only enhance the dream-like nature of the music behind them. It can be said that while the vocals are present in a lot of songs, they are ultimately ignorable in comparison to the music's lush layers.
The textures on here do ultimately make up for anything bad you may think of on here. The band utilize everything from pure atmospherics to piano, violins, and horns in their songs. These lush layers of sound really make a sound that is purely based within the realm of beauty. Don't believe that just because the music on here is very dreamy and beautiful doesn't mean that there aren't moments of darkness, the track Joel Found His Angel Cowering In The Garden is possibly the darkest track on here while still remaining fairly up-tempo.
The occasional venture into trip-hop/electronic doesn't hurt the band too much either. On tracks like St. Jude, the band seem to go almost completely trip-hop, utilizing more of a dancable club type of vibe. It can be said that every one of the tracks on here is not devoid of that characteristic though, even appearing to enter into I guess could be consitered dream pop at some moments.
Overall, this is a decent release that has quite a few moments that keep you listening for what's underneath it. This is a record that is easy enough to hear everything in just one listen, it does actually require several listens for some tracks to settle in. If you like post-rock, ambient whatever music, this is something you should definitely check out.
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: Joel Found His Angel Cowering In The Garden, The Eclipse, This Is The Last Night

Dutch - A Bright Cold Day

A Depressive Salvation.

Dutch is a trip-hop duo. The duo is comprised of Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind (Jedi Mind Tricks) and Liz Fullerton who have collaborated on two separate occasions before this record for a JMT track. This is the duo's first full-length and is the labor of three years of love.
Starting the record is a short intro dialogue that sets the tone for the more moody vibe that this album contains. Just Before The Rain enters with a punchy beat as Fullerton's sultry vocals enter and just move through your body. The duo have cited artists like Portishead, Cat Power, and Aimee Mann as influences, and they are certainly comparable within these songs.
Stoupe's style of beats and melodies on this album really do help make this album sound so much more seductive than it could have been. The beats, as said, are punchy and dynamic, yet subtle and quick, fitting with the melodies which all have a very haunting and dark mystique to them, while they all seem to contain an almost jazz/lounge feeling to them. Tracks like Woman Like The Wind and Charlotte seem to have the mood of a jazz club rather than a dance club, which does make this a bit more of a personal record and not something you turn on when you have friends over.
Fullerton's voice is very laid-back, recalling the lounge singers of the 40s and 50s. Her crooning on this album really is able to paint a picture for each track in your head of whatever the topic may be, California Cloaked In Wool is a good example of this, and you are able to just let whatever the story unfold. Her voice mixed with the darker music behind her just make this into a very sexy sounding record fitting for a night in front of the fire with your gal, or whatever.
Overall, this is a very good record filled with great songs that are just fun and laid-back. Definitely a record that has a ton of replay power and is worthy of at least a few spins. If you like trip-hop or dark records with a bit of the lounge or jazz feeling to them, this is something you should consider checking out.
Overall Score: 8.5
Highlights: Just Before The Rain, Woman Like The Wind, Cerulean

Sael - The Sixth Extinction

They Passed Through What Was Once Unknown.

Sael is an experimental black metal group from France. Since forming in 2002 the band has contained members to make them a super-group of sorts. Their critically acclaimed debut 2007 EP "Ocean" showcased a lot of potential in a rough sound, three years later and it's obvious to see how they've improved.

Members that comprise Sael come from both forward thinking black metal groups like Odem Arcarum, Secrets of The Moon, and Asmodee as well as from power metal group Heavenly. The combination of power metal and experimental progressive black metal is a bit odd, but thankfully the sound comes no where near the sound of power metal. What this album is comprised of shares a common ground with the experimental black bands above, bringing the extreme nature of straight ahead black metal as well as bits from prog rock, symphonic and ambient music, and a even a bit of doom metal. In fact, the member that comes from Heavenly is the keyboardist, who doesn't even add a power metal flair to this album whatsoever.

Each track on here does possess it's own unique sort of flavor, have you, within the mood and atmosphere surrounding it. Each track does shift around into different forms through each of their paths, but an atmosphere remains very translucent through it all, keeping a track centered. Some tracks, despite them all being very dark and angry, still manage to keep an almost emotional quality within them, Priest of Nothingness seems, in comparison to the opener, Being Judas, more upbeat for some reason, while Inner Wrath is the darkest and most menacing track on the album.

For some reason, maybe it's the influence of prog rock, but each member's performance on here has a more proggy feel to it. It could have something to do with the stunning guitar solos that are used fluently throughout, or the occasional jazzy breakdowns, or the well executed tempo shifts, it just seems more proggy than many contemporaries seem to be. The use of piano and organ is the main source of, audible, keyboards used on the album and they really do set a more sombre mood to the entire disc. Even the vocals, which for the most part are harsh and feral sounding screams even breaking into a few Garm-esque cleans within a few select parts of the album.

Overall, this is a very well done debut full-length album that shows a ton of potential as well as growth. From their 2007 EP to this album, a large amount of growth has been paid to both songwriting and instrumental craft. Anyone that loves experimental extreme music, this is a must for this year.

Overall Score: 9
Highlights: The Venom, Mantra of The Fourth Age, I Searched For The End of The Spiral