ALBUM REVIEW – NECROT

Necrot – Lifeless Birth

Reviewed By: Jon Santitoro

Review Score: 10

Much attention (and hype) has been given to the so-called “New Wave of Old-School Death Metal” in recent years, and deservedly so. Death metal’s third generation of bands have consistently proven themselves to be talented musicians, creative songwriters, and impressive live performers. Oakland, California’s three-piece “groove and grind” juggernaut, Necrot might very well be the best of the bunch.

Expanding on the success of their sophomore effort, 2020’s Mortal, Necrot have finally returned with their much anticipated follow-up; Lifeless Birth. And needless to say, this latest release does not disappoint. Lifeless Birth is a seven song battering ram that, at it’s core, embodies everything death metal is about. No frills. No gimmicks. No BS. Just a hook and riff oriented sledgehammer guaranteed to raise hell and please both new and longtime fans.

However, Necrot is much more than just the sum of it’s parts. Founding member Luca Indrio (bass, vocals) and his band mates Chad Gailey (drums) and Sonny Reinhardt (guitars) have always exhibited amazing cohesiveness in their songwriting, boasting a much tighter sound than most of their contemporaries. And as expected; Lifeless Birth is a stalwart display of savage riffs, pummeling rhythm, razor sharp hooks and Luca’s throat scraping vocals.

As per Necrot‘s M.O., the band gets the album off to a blistering start with the opening track, ‘Cut The Cord.’ Don’t look for any melodic intros or flowery acoustics here. All you’ll find is an aggressive, groove-heavy sonic beat down in the finest OSDM tradition. ‘Cut The Cord’ is an excellent choice by the band as their first single; as it brilliantly showcases their signature style of memorable riffs and a subtle, but highly effective lead from Sonny at about 3:50 in.

The title track, ‘Lifeless Birth,’ might be the best track on the album. The pummeling rhythm section of Luca and Chad provides a stomping, relentless backdrop for Sonny’s menacing guitar work here. The song itself just feels like an approaching storm; brilliant and frightening.

‘Superior’ is the most blast-beat driven track on Lifeless Birth. No death metal album is really complete without a high-octane face ripper such as this, and ‘Superior’ delivers in full. Yet even while blasting away at full speed, Necrot always maintains their trademark catchy hooks, as demonstrated here.

The fourth song (and second single) of Lifeless Birth is ‘Drill The Skull.’ This track is an interesting departure from the norm for the band that features a much more down-tempo groove than one would typically expect. It’s placed cleverly in the track listing, and serves very well to “shake things up” a bit. A stroke of genius there. This one will undoubtedly be a fan favorite in the band’s live set, as well.

Necrot returns to their tried-and-true formula on the next track, ‘Winds Of Hell’. Nothing fancy here, just a mid-tempo grinder chock full of everything Necrot does best. Their no frills, blue collar approach to songwriting is fully evident here, and that’s not a bad thing.

The next song, ‘Dead Memories’, is a runaway roller coaster of twisting time changes that features Sonny’s best guitar leads on the album. Although the tempos change from blasts to mid-paced and back again, those razor sharp guitar hooks once again hold everything together seamlessly. This is an excellent track that displays just what talented songwriters Luca and company are.

Lifeless Birth closes out with ‘The Curse,’ an eight minute opus of straightforward destructive power. This groove-laden piledriver chugs forth like an unstoppable legion of the undead. This one is the epitome of impending doom, and a great way to finish the album.

Overall, Lifeless Birth is about as flawless of an album as one could hope for; powerful, aggressive, well-crafted and subtly brilliant at times. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Necrot on the road and hearing these songs live.

Lifeless Birth is set for release on April 12th via Tank Crimes Records.

ALBUM REVIEW – MY DYING BRIDE

My Dying Bride – A Mortal Binding

Reviewed By: Kenneth Gallant

Review Score: 9

It’s been four years since Ghost Of Orion was released by My Dying Bride. When the album was offered
up in 2020, the world was reeling with the start of COVID and all the subsequent lock downs that followed. As for the album, it hit at the right time; becoming a grim, oppressive, and powerful soundtrack to reflect the time we all found ourselves in.

The band has always been prone to sweeping you up into a deeply emotional voyage of sonic dirges;
embroiling your senses along the way into a whirlwind of doomed sounds. They truly are one of the more unique bands in the doom/death/gothic metal genre and it shows here on A Mortal Binding. This
represents the band’s fifteenth studio recording and it’s a stunning testament to an enduring legacy that began at the start of the 1990’s.

As I attempted to gather my initial thoughts, I noticed how tight and refined the production was on this release. Much like the last record, the songs here are crisp, engaging and moving. The first track ‘Her Domain’ is completely guitar-driven and is proceeded by thick and doomy tones. Aaron Stainthorpe’s vocals are raspy and tortured sounding, but quite pronounced throughout this piece. He doesn’t let up for any reason and it’s a big statement to make on an opening track of this magnitude. At least on the next track ‘Thornwyck Hymn’ the vocals are dominated by clean singing and followed by soaring melodies that drip nothing but melancholia.

‘The Second of Three Bells’ starts up slowly and continues to pull back, until the guitars grind hard and the growls are heard. The song falls back again into what I feel is a beautifully realized track. ‘Unthroned Creed’ features some beefy guitars and probably some of Andrew Craighan’s best lead work. The lyrics fall inline perfectly and I love the line “I won’t help you anymore” repeated several times throughout the song.

Following that is the eleven minute opus called ‘The Apocalyptist’ which twists and turns with violins, heavy guitars and Aaron’s guttural vocals. I love how it rips along and then slows down to slither at a menacing pace. My ears can pick out a Ride The Lighning vibe in the guitars in one part and then suddenly hear the brilliance of a Tony Iommi riff in another part. This is my favourite track by
the way.

The second to last track; ‘A Starving Heart’ again blisters along with a sweeping melody; allowing Aaron to provide clean and snarly vocals on top of it. This is a solid piece overall setting up the final track ‘Crushed Embers’ to be ushered in at a slow and deliberate pace. There’s heaping amounts of doomy goodness here, and I love the line “I waited such a long time and questioned my sanity.” The growls at this juncture work so well; punctuating the ending of the song soon after.

A Mortal Binding clocks in close to fifty-five minutes and becomes an epic long player in the process. I
simply love the guitar harmonies and crystal clear production brings all that on point. Aaron Stainthorpe continues writing poetically and morbidly; getting better on every album with his lyrics. He can also switch effortlessly from clean to gnarly vocals becoming old hat to him at this point. There’s not a bad song to be found here and you can easily slot this release along side The Ghost of Orion. My favourite track is ‘The Apocalyptist’, but other tracks like ‘Her Dominion’, ‘Thornwyck Hymn’ and ‘Unthroned Creed’ are all equally good.

A Mortal Binding will be released on April 19th via Nuclear Blast Records.

LIVE REVIEW – BÖMBERS

March 23rd, 2024

Bergen, Norway @ Hulen

Photos By: Kim Baarda

Words By: Jason Deaville

What does one do after a sleepless fourteen hour flight from Canada to Norway? Well, of course, you get your ass off the plane and head to a cave (that also passes as a live music venue) to witness the one and only Abbath and his Motörhead cover band, Bömbers. I can’t think of any better way to be welcomed to Bergen!

Yes, you read that right. The venue on this night was a former bunker carved into a mountain – right in the heart of Bergen, Norway – that now serves as a music venue called Hulen. Tonight, the packed house was in for a treat, as it is not too often that Bömbers plays their hometown. Everyone who is anyone in Bergen was out to catch Abbath and crew take on Motörhead. If you were late to the party, good luck finding a place anywhere near the stage, as the venue, and particularly the area in front of the stage, is not a big space.

Without any warning, the band exploded onto the stage with a ferocity and energy that immediately recalled my few live experiences seeing Motörhead. If you are unfamiliar with Bömbers, the most telling thing is vocalist/bassist Abbath’s (ex-Immortal, ex-I, Abbath) uncanny resemblance to the late, great Lemmy Kilmister. The man is the spitting image, moustache and everything. Vocally, Abbath has perfected Lemmy’s hoarse, raspy delivery, yet with just enough Abbath coming through to not be a complete duplicate. Rounding out the lineup is legendary guitarist Tore Bratseth (ex-Old Funeral, Studfaust, The Batallion), and drummer Pez (Punishment Park).

The majority of Bömbers‘ set consisted of tracks from the first three albums, Motörhead, Overkill, and Bomber. The guys threw in a few goodies from various other albums, such as ‘Keep Us On The Road’ from the Birmingham 77 (Live) album, and a handful of tracks from Ace Of Spades, Iron Fist, Orgasmatron, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Bömbers could likely make a career as a full-time Motörhead cover band… they are that good and convinicing. That they choose to only play sporadically makes the experience far more special and sought after. I feel privileged having caught the guys on their home turf, surrounded by friends and Motörhead maniacs. Long live Lemmy!

LIVE REVIEW – GWAR, CANCER BATS, X-COPS

March 12th, 2024

London, ON @ London Music Hall

Photos: Kimberly Baarda

Words: Jason Deaville

To say things were going to get a bit bloody on this night is an understatement. In fact, London, Ontario, Canada would become drenched in oceans of blood, just as one would expect from “The Blood Of Gods” themselves, GWAR. The band rolled into Canada as part of their Age Of Befuddlment Tour, which also featured Toronto’s Cancer Bats, and a rare appearance of the mysterious and legendary X-Cops. GWAR frontman Blöthar The Berserker had this to say about the impending trek…

“The Invasion of Canada is nigh. We will start our campaign to bring befuddlement to the masses in the cultured and forward thinking American South, and from there, we will launch a coast-to-coast attack on the Great White North, leaving a swath of destruction not seen since the War of 1812. Stopping only to get high in the Pacific Northwest, we will dive directly into the gaping hole of the donut, the American Midwest, before gracing the Dirty South and ending again on the filthy streets of Baltimore! I wonder if we can score crack in the ‘City that Reads.’ Are You Not Befuddled?”

X-COPS
Outfitted in their obligatory police uniforms, this side-project featuring members of GWAR raided the stage like the law enforcement buffoons in the slapstick TV comedy, Reno 911. Their set consisted of songs mainly from there one and only studio album, You Have the Right to Remain Silent (released on Metal Blade Records way back in ’95), as well as two brand new tracks (‘Kinderhardened’ and ‘Light Em Up’) from a rumored EP set to be released later this year.

If I were to guess, a good portion of the sizeable crowd in attendance for X-Cops‘ set likely had no idea who the band were. That being said, they managed to the win crowd over with an incredibly competent performance that was as fun to watch as it was to listen to.

Setlist
Interloper, Barbells, Zipper Pig, Cavity Search, Kinderhardened, Light Em Up, Paddy Wagon Rape, Welcome To New Jersey, You Fucked Up

CANCER BATS
Toronto hardcore punkers Cancer Bats might have been slightly out-of-place on this billing, but they didn’t show it, delivering an incredibly high-energy set of songs from their extensive catalog of recorded material. Frontman, Liam Cormier, did an admirable job of getting the audience pumped and eating out of the palm of his hands, and that energy from the packed house was directed right back at the band. There was no doubt that a sizeable portion of the crowd was there to see Cancer Bats, which speaks volumes to the success and longevity of this hard-hitting band.

Setlist
Bricks & Mortar, Trust No One, Pneumonia Hawk, Lucifer’s Rocking Chair, The Hoof, Rats, True Zero, Road Sick, Hammering On, Sorceress, Winterpeg, Sabotage (Beastie Boys cover), Hail Destroyer

GWAR
From the deepeset reaches of space, the Scumdogs Of The Universe were sent to conquer this insignificant shitball floating in a dark corner of the universe; the planet Earth. Tonight, the unsuspecting, conservative city of London, Ontario, Canada was the target. With them, the band brought gallons upon gallons of blood in an effort to mark the city as their own.

With the venue now packed to the gills, the spectacle started with Black Sabbath‘s ‘War Pigs’ playing over the house speakers. This served to amp the crowd up ten-fold. As the song faded away into obscurity, the Scumdogs, fittingly, blasted onto the stage with the song ‘Battle Lust’ (taken from their Violence Has Arrived album released in 2001). The stout, pig-faced, horned-goblin of a frontman, Blöthar the Berserker, was an imposing force, spewing out the lyrics like a demon possessed, backed-up by co-vocalist Sawborg Destructo.

GWAR wasted no time, immediately launching into ‘Hail, Genocide!’ and ‘I, Bonesnapper’ much to the delight of the audience, who were now wholly-consumed by the force from the stage. It was around this time that the band then unleashed a torrent of blood onto the all-too-eager crowd, soaking the first five rows from head to toe. Those poor photographers in the press pit came out looking like Stephen King’s Carrie. The highlight of the evening was when the band brought out Joe Biden, who, as expected, shambled out out onto the stage and rambled incoherently as the band grilled him. In the end, things didn’t turn out so great for old Biden, with Blöthar quickly decapitating Biden while the audience cheered on in approval.

This was certainly one of the most exciting and engaging metal shows in London, Ontario in a very long-time. The best part was seeing the throngs of fans making their way out of the venue at the end of the night drenched in blood yet with glowing, satisified smiles.

Setlist
War Pigs (Black Sabbath), Battle-Lust, Hail Genocide!, I Bonesnapper, Mother Fucking Liar, I’ll Be Your Monster, The Cutter, Starving Gods (Death Whistle Suite), Krosstika, Completely Fucked, Immortal Corrupter, Maggots, Let Us Slay, Sonderkommando, Crack In The Egg, Berserker Mode, Sick Of You, Fishfuck, Fuck This Place

Remaining dates on the Age Of Befuddlement Tour are as follows:

March 16 – Saskatoon, SK @ Coors Event Centre FM
March 17 – Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall FM
March 18 – Calgary, AB @ The Back Alley FM
March 20 – Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue Theatre FM
March 21 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory FM
March 24 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater FM
March 26 – Davenport, IA @ The Capitol Theater FM
March 27 – Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot FM
March 28 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall FM
March 29 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground FM
March 30 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage FM

ALBUM REVIEW – COFFIN STORM

Coffin Storm – Arcana Rising

Reviewed By: Jason Deaville

Review Score: 8

When one thinks of Norway and metal, the first thing that comes to mind is likely black metal and all the associated drama and such that took place in the land of fjords and frost back in the 90s. Now, keeping in mind the theme of Norway, if I were to throw the following descriptors at you, what is the first thing to pop into that headbangin noggin of yours?

…classic heavy metal, slow thrash, and doom

If you immediately thought of Fenriz of the legendary Darkthrone, you’d be correct! If there is one guy in the whole of the Norwegian black metal contingent that espouses the virtues of old-school, classic metal-ness, it’s the hiking metal punk himself. Predictably, the man teamed up with some like-minded metalheads, forming the project titled Coffin Storm. It wasn’t long before they had a slew of vintage-inspired material, which took the shape of their debut album, Arcana Rising.

Overlooking the ancient lands of sensational heavy metal, Coffin Storm features a trio of Kolbotn, Norway metal veterans, which includes Apollyon (Aura Noir/Lamented Souls), Bestial Tormentor (Infernö/Lamented Souls), and is completed by the aforementioned Fenriz on vocal duties. The result is a torrent of rousing, accomplished titanic riffing from both Apollyon and Bestial Tormentor, commandeered by Fenriz’s unmistakable vocal prowess (as witnessed with his own Isengard project as well as multiple Darkthrone releases).

Now, let’s break this beast down track by headbanging track…

OVER FROZEN MOORS
The song immediately kicks in with a chugging down-picked riff of epic proportions that summons an early Celtic Frost vibe. Man, this riff is infectious. Seriously one of the catchiest grooves on the album. With the headbanging and fists pounding, Fenriz rips in on the mic with one of his finest performances yet of this old-school vocal approach. It’s clear that he has honed his technique to near-perfection on this track, coming across as a slightly-less falsetto-y John Cyrlis of Agent Steel (circa 85’s Skeptics Apocalypse and 87’s Unstoppable Force). From here, the song takes on an early Exodus-like verse riff that works incredibly well. The song ends as strongly as it started, with an infectious half-time riff that chugs its way out like a sledgehammer to the skull.

ARCANA RISING
Where the first track was a crushing headbanger of a ride, the title track, ‘Arcana Rising’, takes the listener on a morose, melancholic trip à la mid-eighties Candlemass. This is particularly evident in the vocals, where Fenriz summons his best Messiah Marcolin, while the rest of the band conjures the sleek, powerful doom of Epicus Doomicus Metallicus.

OPEN THE GALLOWS
The song opens with a riff not far removed from the reverb-soaked riffing found Metallica‘s classic Ride The Lightning album. This is followed by a full minute of back-and-forth licks that remind me of UK NWOBHM band Holocaust and the song ‘Heavy Metal Maniac’ from their cult classic album, The Nightcomers (a more relatable comparison would be Killers-era Iron Maiden). The similarities to Holocaust don’t end here, as the chug found later in the song is eerily reminiscent of the horn-raising main riff found on their song ‘Death Or Glory’. I can’t imagine this was intentional, as the riffs of this time were quite interchangable. Either way, a fantastic song that transports the listener to the mid-80s without even trying.

EIGHTY-FIVE AND SEVEN MILES
Would love to know the significance of this title. I can only imagine ‘eighty-five’ relates to the year, and perhaps ‘seven miles’ is how far Fenriz and his Kolbotn crew drove to see Pentagram at the local rec center. Whatever its meaning, the song starts with what can be best described as a heavier version of the intro riff found on the Pentagram song ’20 Buck Spin’ (from their self-titled debut released in ’85). At just over seven minutes, the song is a bit long for its sparse choice of riffing, with things becoming a bit same-y by the halfway point. On a positive note, there is some stellar lead work peppered throughout that showcases the antiquated talents of Bestial Tormentor.

CEASELESS ABANDON
Now, I know the band didn’t drop Celtic Frost as a specific influence for this album, but, man, I am getting some real Cold Lake and Vanity/Nemesis-like vibes from the opening riff of ‘Ceaseless Abandon’. As a BIG fan of both these albums, this is certainly a good thing. It has that infectious shuffling rhythm with both the guitars and drums that borders on the darker side of glam. Enter Fenriz, who puts a stop to such nonsense with his epic wailing that is the furthest thing from Tom G. Warrior’s goofy snarl on Cold Lake. The chorus leaves something to be desired, belted out a bit sloppily, yet still somehow effective in the context of this song, which, I might add, feels a bit looser than the rest of the album. In fact, the entire thing has an almost improvised feel to it.

CLOCKWORK CULT
Probably the most second-wave black metal-like song of the bunch. Even the production is a bit more vicious on this track. I mean, not to confuse anyone into thinking this is a proper black metal song, as it definitely is not that, but it does have some chord progressions that can be found on very early Mayhem and Darkthrone releases. I’m even hearing some very early Satyricon-like chord progressions in the last third of the song. For the most part, though, this track rides a mid-paced groove reminiscent of early Celtic Frost.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Sure, one could accuse Fenriz of perhaps being a little whimsical and technically erractic as it relates to the vocals, but when one looks back at the vocalists of the era he is paying homage, they had yet to master their falsettos. Fenriz’s strength lies in his passion and dedication to the music of that time, and channels it with a convicition that is immediately relatable and enjoyable. The same could be said for the rest of the band, where things feel a bit loose and improvised, but not to the detriment of the whole.

Arcana Rising doesn’t do much to stand out from other bands doing the same, but maybe that is the point. It feels like a full-on love affair with the music they consume day and night, plain and simple. Does it need to be more than that? Where it differs from the last few Darkthrone albums that have traveled a similar route, is that albums like The Underground Resistance, Arctic Thunder, Old Star, Eternal Hails, and Astral Fortress are far more refined and thought out.

In the end, Arcana Rising is an album that one should go into without expectations. Just throw it on and let it consume you for what it is. If anything, it may spark a renewed love for those classic vinyls from the 80s that may be collecting dust. If you are a fan of Darkthrone, Aura Noir, Inferno, Isengard, Agent Steel, Candlemass, Pentagram, Kreator, Paradise Lost, Cathedral, and early Metallica, Exodus, Celtic Frost, then this is an album for you.

Arcana Rising drops on March 29th via Peaceville Records.