Sarcolytic NEW SONG

"Manus Obscurus" has officially been posted on Sarcolytic's Myspace. This shows some nice compositional change from the previous demo songs, which were much more straightforward. Zig's vocals are a guttural style not unlike Cenotaph's, which will please some fans of theirs. The song structuring tends towards the progressive with some acoustic parts thrown in among the quick riffing. Drumming is cymbal heavy and abrasive, with kick drums being very loud as is usual in the style. I'm interested to see where this will lead (to a full-length?)...go check out the new song!

Inveracity - Extermination of Millions (Unique Leader; 2007)

I have to admit before I listened to Extermination of Millions I had never heard any Inveracity before. I had heard they were good, if derivative, but I was completely turned off by the terrible cover art of their previous album. However with much encouragement from Andy I decided to get their Unique Leader debut.

This is a superb CD. It has all the hallmarks of a (good) Unique Leader release: professional, well produced, well packaged and nice art. From the very beginning to the very end this album pulses with absolutely epic riffs that really feel heavy and brutal. Check out the beginning of Before the Uncreation, it's huge. The two bands that immediately come to mind while listening are Deeds of Flesh and Kronos. There is the alternation of melody and chugs that Deeds of Flesh use so effectively combined with the larger than life melodies that Kronos uses. This mixes to give us some fabulous and memorable riffs and songs. It makes you feel like you are one of the millions being fucking exterminated.

This is primarily riff oriented Brutal Death, but the drums, bass and vocals are all audible and well done. Vocals are not particularly guttural, just deep powerful roars. The bass is not terribly loud, but gets a few solos to add its input. Drums are what you'd expect but again, well produced and well done. Another things that I like is that the songs never overstay their welcome. Most are under 3 minutes, which allows the riffs to hit you and do maximum damage without getting tiresome.

Seriously, this is a fabulous album. If Infernal Revulsion hadn't released their album this year, Extermination of Millions may have been my number one Brutal Death release of 07. Either way it is a mandatory pickup.

Fetal Mutilation - Filipino Slam Masters

Nick has been telling me that slam death from the Phillipines is on the rise...and after a few more counts of battery on my ears from bands from that region, I think I'm convinced. But this is one of the more impressive acts...and what impresses me (and, yeah, also disturbs me and causes me to rethink why we even let labels exist if they won't put out awesome albums by bands like this) is that these guys are super, SUPER, BEYOND epic (riffs, breakdowns, technical parts, even the fucking vocals are better than 99% of slam bands...I mean, fuck!) yet, like I just mentioned, they don't have a CD out and apparently aren't releasing one anytime soon...

Barrett/Sevared should really listen to us here and sign this fucking band...he's got the ultra-brutal Down From The Wound putting out a CD soon (we'll have a review and interview from them soon right here!), the split between Human Mastication/Flesh Disgorged (both from overlooked Asian scenes; super kudos to the label for the attention to this part of the world...but seriously, sign Fetal Mutilation...now!!)...but...man, the rest of the world is missing out.

If you like your slams HUGE, your riffs BIGGER, your breakdowns EXTRA HEAVY, and your vocals sicker than your grandmother with tuberculosis...fuck, listen to this band. A demo review may be forthcoming...

Fetal Mutilation @ Myspace

Two Signings and a Rerelease

Here's a few news tidbits for you

Prophecy (TX, USA) has been signed by Grindethic records. Grindethic is from the UK and has recently released a slew of bands, including Defeated Sanity. This will be Prophecy's third full length and first in a while. It is to be entitled "Don't Fuckin' Mess With Texas".

Kronos (France) has signed with Neurotic Records and expects to release their next album sometime in 2009.

I can't say I'm a huge fan of either band, but it's nice to see the scene be healthy and bands getting signed.

On the rerelease front, Sevared Records has rereleased Septycal Gorge's (Italy) Growing Seeds of Decay and added on a few bonus tracks. This was one of my favorites from last year and if you don't have it yet, you no longer have an excuse. Get this album quick. The fact that it was rereleased after only a a year should show you how good it is!

Carnivore Diprosopus - Madhouse's Macabre Acts (Dan's Crypt; 2006)

Here we have the sophomore album by Colombian slammers Carnivore Diprosopus. Starting the album off is a very well-placed and well-chosen sample of a woman allowing a man entry to what she deems "the madhouse" which is "housing for potential murderers." Pretty fitting given the title. Immediately, the music begins after meshing nicely with the intro and we are treated to ultra-bassy slams with a lot of depth when listened to on headphones. The breakdowns are extremely well-written with good pinch harmonic sections right off the bat. The vocals aren't super guttural, but rather stay in kind of a mid-range guttural sound. So, in essence they're not as brutal as they could be, but I personally like this sound. Halfway in, we get the real treat; another sample, this time one of someone being zapped to a crisp, and we go right back into great slams with almost "gang"-like vocal sections.

I'm honestly quite impressed with this band. This is mature slam done in the traditional Colombian style (straightforward, high tuned snare sound, nice variation in slams like countrymen Suppuration if they were, well, better, to put it quite simply). This far surpasses a lot of the more old-style Colombian brutal death metal. All around you get extremely nice grooves complimented by subtle flourishes of melody all wrapped in a package of great slamming songwriting with nice change-ups from fast to slow and everything in between. Another positive note is the tasteful drumming; Sander knows how to put in the right amount of snare and hi-hat flourishes, and that's a virtue among common brutal death where, often, a drummer will randomly bang on things because he can, or otherwise completely overdo it. None of that here, everything the man does is for a reason, and the reason fits in with the concept of the individual songs.

The entire concept of the album is very good. We will forgive the band for their broken English on some song titles and such just because their slams and general sound are THAT damn good. "Nurse In Cannibals Orgy" begins with just the most kickass fucking slam section I've heard in quite a long time...I love blasting that, seriously...so primitive, so efficient, so damn quality. Some of the samples are kind of off-putting, such as the beginning of "Dancing With My Son's Corpse," which is also coincidentally kind of a weak/weird song title. But it's quickly remedied as they go right into a pulsing section of guitar grooves and fast double kick drumming. The last track, "Apocalyptic Crucifixion" has a very static sounding guitar part in the beginning, sounding almost black metal due to the tremolo style, but not as raw or high pitched; the band always opts for bass-style guitar playing and simplistic chords which sometimes burst with spontaneous technicality similar to the much-loved countrymen Amputated Genitals. And once you get a comparison to them, the review is pretty much over and everyone who wanted to hear something good about the band has just heard it. If you like Colombian death metal and don't have this in some form or another...I think you need to be commited to the madhouse!

-Andy

See Bottom For Myspace Links

To those out there who have not yet been completely indoctrinated into the cult of brutality, the bottom of this page contains links to what Nick and I feel to be a laundry list of good brutal death/slam/deathgrind bands. Please check back constantly as there will be more added as we discover them.

Rest In Peace Wayne Knupp: '76-'07

One of the originators of modern brutal vocals, Wayne Knupp has passed away Saturday September 16th 2007 from multiple organ failure tied to continuing alcohol abuse.

Both of us at SLAM-MINDED extend consolation to Wayne's family, friends, and other fans like us. There will be no other like him. May we continue to hoist the flag of brutality in his name!

Down From the Wound - Agony Through Rituals Of Self Purification - October 07

This post is to let everyone know that Down From the Wound (Philippines) is releasing their debut album on Sevared Records and it's coming soon. The scene in the Philippines is amazing right now with bands including Human Mastication and Pus Vomit, and Down From the Wound might be the best of them all. They are sick and slamming and should fill any Devourment fan's heart with glee. This release also includes their demo as an added bonus. If you haven't heard of this band or their countrymen check them out. I am very optimistic about this album and kudos to Sevared for bringing us all this great BDM from South East Asia.

myspace link: Down From the Wound Myspace

Demo/EP Level Slam/Brutal Bands

I've chosen FIVE slam or BDM bands who have released only demos and EPs, who NEED new albums soon. A couple have 'em on the way, but that's moot...these are bands people absolutely must hear...

Hyonblud (China) is first. Their infectious brand of fast-paced hyperblast slam has trained these ears to love the style. It started with a similar band from Japan who we'll discuss later, but these guys have released only a few demos of absolutely awesome catchy slam with no downsides. Everything is perfectly well done, great low vocals with some insane inhales, technical slams and pinch harmonics in the vein of Malignancy and Deeds Of Flesh and just great drumming/rhythm overall. I highly look forward to upcoming works by these brutal fuckers!

Orchidectomy (Canada) are the closest thing to Wormed you will find, but there are several differences from that style. While this is strictly incredibly fast slamming sickness, and the vocals are generally quite similar (the Spanish band's are higher in the mix, but that's a technicality) the riffs this band uses are not as distortion-heavy or focused on unbelievable low end. The slam breakdowns are also much more traditionally paced, in the TXDM style. Some catchy riffs pop out here and there, such as the end of "Celestial Excruciations." This band has an album coming out later this year, and I'm hotly anticipating it.

Woundeep (Japan) are at the absolute forefront of this movement, despite probably being the least consistently active of all of these crazy bastards. They have great depth in terms of lyrics/concepts and varying slam styles. The drumming is also great, well produced and deep on the first demo I've heard (featuring "Color Of Betrayal" and "Deceitful Existence" only) and more fast-paced and triggered (not a bad thing; on the Weapons Of Mass Protection EP). These guys have been saying for years that their album will be out soon, but I don't see it. Assuming they eventually DO come out with the album, it will likely be on of the best slam albums in recent years. Pay heed!

Disconformity (Japan) are another group of Asians (also friends with the previous band, if I remember right) playing massive, psychotic slam death. Their slams are FULL of amazing groove, possibly even surpassing the immensity of Devourment. The vocals are also very varied, even within specific songs, with the guy sometimes going for layered vocals (dual uber-guttural and inhaled, or what have you). The drums are well-produced, and the bass sometimes even plays above the guitar to make things a little more interesting. Great stuff here, hopefully they make it past the EP stage soon...!

Sarcolytic (TX, USA) are, of course, TXDM. They approach fast speeds a lot of the time, in a way similar to the masters of fast/slow technical BDM, Deeds Of Flesh, but they have a lot of time on their hands for Texas-stomp-style breakdowns amongst the tremolo riffs and fast-paced anti-groove sections. I foresee a bright future for this band, considering they are somewhat of a supergroup...members have been/are in other bands such as Images Of Violence, Disgorge, and Sect Of Execration, so I'm assuming you know what to expect by now. Still, incredibly brutal, very well written stuff from these psychopaths. Hails.

'Til next time...

Colombia: A Brutal Paradise

If you have any interest in Brutal Death you should now the amazing music the South American country of Colombia has given us. Not one other country on the continent comes close to the quality coming out of Colombia. There must be something in the water, but whatever it is, it is good for us brutalheads.

I'll start by talking about Amputated Genitals. They have released one album entitled Human Meat Gluttony. Like it's name it is exceedingly brutal. Wet gutturals similar to those of Cenotaph (tur) and Disgorge (us) cascade down backed by loud blasts. The guitar riffs are relentless and often remind me of the aforementioned Disgorge. What really makes me love the band though is that they add a few elements here and there to complement the excellent brutality. For example on the song Chessman Red Monday they do a nice melodic part that'll get you headbanging. On the song Garavito Attacks Again they begin with a nice vocal solo. It is this package of brutality-plus that makes me love them.

Another great band from the area is Ancient Necropsy. This is a one man band that makes extremely interesting death/grind. Not only is the music brutal, but the riffs and song structures will keep you engaged. My only issue is that the vocals tend to be weaker than I would like, but this is minor and forgivable when the man behind the project has to do everything else.

If you are looking for the more slam side of things, then you need to check out Carnivore Diprosopus. Listening to them reminds me of a zombie, flesh dripping off, staggering around. If this doesn't get stuck in your head I don't know what will. The slams are infectious and heavy. On the album Madhouse's Macabre Acts the production is a little shabby, which is unfortunate, but recent rerecordings have sounded excellent so I am optimistic about this band's future.

Lastly I'd mention the undisputed ruler of Colombian Brutal Death: Goretrade. God damn these guys are good. If these guys were the Beatles I would be a 16 year old schoolgirl screaming and tearing at my hair. Goretrade marries Brutal Death and Old School death perfectly. They are just as brutal as their contemporaries, but utilize the riffing style that made death metal great in the first place. Just when you want to bang your head to a nice tremelo old school riff, they bust it out. Then when you're sick of that, they descend into a mammoth slam. The vocals are well patterned and add a lot. A lot of people complain the drums are too loud, but I would disagree. Basically if you take one thing away from reading this, it should be BUY GORETRADE ALBUMS!

I know I haven't covered all the Colombian BDM (far from it), but these bands are a good starting point for anyone interested in the scene, so go out and get some Colombian BDM senor!

Soils of Fate - Swedish Slammers

Playing with the groove of twenty Devourments, the vocals of a rapping Matti Way-circa Cranial Impalement, and the almost exact style of music as Japan's Vomit Remnants, SOF are Sweden's answer to everyone else's slamming goodness. But just what makes them so good? Listen in...

1. The groove. This band would be nothing without a solid rhythm section, but listen to the varied and catchy drumming of both Nicklas Karlson and Jocke, who drummed on older releases (the band has since integrated drummer-for-every-band-ever, most notably Dying Fetus, Kevin Talley on the skins; how's that for star power?). The older drummers switch fluently from blasts to slower rolls and great kick patterns, as well as quirkier fills given the song.

2. The vocalizations. This guy is sicker than anything Disgorge has done since She Lay Gutted, so to compare him to anyone lesser than Matti himself would be a total insult. This guy spews out some of the most sickening gutturals in the genre. It even sounds almost funny when he "raps" (I usually categorize the music as what old-school hip-hop would sound like if it were metal instead), but he delivers all lyrics(?) with conviction.

3. The aesthetic. OK, so this isn't a part of their actual sound, but this lets these Swedes stand out. True crime slam death? I've died and gone to fuckin' heaven! Song titles like "Murder, Inc." and ".44" definitely give off that air of organized mob-crime very well, and the music sounds tailor made for people in the mob, inflecting the vocals and guitars with the brutality you need to be a cold, calculating killer and villain.

This band gets a solid A from me. They never fucked up their legacy (fingers crossed!), every song they made ruled, and they could probably do more stuff like this in the future, only possibly better...they ARE really consistent (both albums have the same general style, but you can definitely tell songs apart; there's a good deal of personality inherent, lacking in a lot of slam bands and in most of the BDM scene as a whole). Cheers to SOF.

Check Soils Of Fate out at their Myspace.