Guttural Secrete-Reek of Pubescent Spoilage
(Unmatched Brutality, 2006)

While I have to admit that I am getting a bit bored with the gore side of death metal, the music still manages to exhilarate me. I could take or leave the overall lyrics and artwork, but there is no denying that this band plays some violent and powerful death metal.

After a sampled pulled from Silence of the Lambs the band blasts into their guttural and unrelenting first song. This is pretty much bulldozing from start to finish. There are slower moments, but they are few and far between and are still very heavy. The band definitely comes from the Devourment or Dying Fetus school of death metal mixing fast and technical riffs with more rhythmic crunchy riffs. Pinch harmonic squeals are also very common and really add a lot of energy to the bands overall style. The vocals are mainly a guttural burp although higher vocals are used from time to time. The band also keeps things very short and concise. The entire album is only a half hour in length and the songs do not have any padding.

The production is very heavy, but a bit muddy as well. With the drums blasting and the vocals roaring it is sometimes a bit hard to pick out exactly what the guitar is doing. That is actually a problem a lot of bands in this style have and a clearer guitar sound might help things out a bit. Musically I think this band is quite killer but the artwork is a bit over the top and typical in my opinion. I love horror movies, but some of this artwork is a bit too much. I find myself liking the more cartoon or comic book looking gore these days.

That said though, all fans of sick and blasting death metal will definitely want to check out this band.

This Ending-Inside the Machine
(Metal Blade, 2007)

I was a big fan of A Canorous Quintet, so I was definitely excited to find out that this band was made up of former members. While it may be a bit more modern and not quite as amazing over all, this is definitely a solid thrash influenced extreme metal album.

The first thing that really stands out about this album is the overall memorable nature of the album. There are so many bands playing the thrash influenced melodic style of metal that it is really tough to become excited by an album these days. It might be because this band was actually around during the original wave of bands that the quality is still there. The fast moments are some of the best I have heard in a long time with razor sharp riffs and powerful snarling vocals.

One aspect of the album that does seem a bit lacking are some of the slower moments. Some of the riffs seem a bit too oversimplified and arent as powerful as they could be. Some of the groove riffs also seem a bit out of place amongst the faster moments. These moments are quite rare but I still do find myself enjoying the band much more when they are playing fast.

This album really isnt the powerful beast that I was hoping it to be. I might have set my sights a bit too high. This is definitely a good, if not great, album that does manage to stand out amongst all of the melodic death metal that is around right now. I just cant help but shake the feeling that the band has a better album in them though. Maybe next time around the band will write the monster that I know they are capable of.

the_network-This Is Your Pigs Portrait
(Black Market Activities, 2007)

This is a hard hitting album and one that actually makes me thrilled that heavy music may not just be as stagnant as I though it was becoming. This band essentially sounds like a mix of The Red Chord, Premonitions of War and the Blood Brothers. You basically dont know what to expect, and let me tell you the band throws a lot at you and quite quickly.

Im not quite sure exactly how to describe it, but the band is almost organically technical. By that I mean it doesnt sound forced or in the same vein as say Dillinger Escape Plan. It sounds quite natural for the band. The band is also very dissonant but they manage be creative and dont sound identical to many of the other bands that dabble with dissonance. I think the overall sporadic nature of the band is where I hear the Blood Brothers feel, although this is of course much, much heavier.

The recording matches the band perfectly. It has a warm analog feel which helps the dissonance stand out and still be very listenable. A cold, digital production would have made this album very hard on the ears. To be honest a typical metal production just wouldnt make sense for a band like this. It needs to be noisy and more natural and that is exactly what we have here.

This is an album that packs a lot of punch and rumbles and squeaks for nearly 40 minutes before giving you a chance to catch your breath. Fans of everything from Converge to The Daughters to The Red Chord will want to check out this band. This is one hell of a debut that is sure to make quite a name for this band.

Coldworker-The Contaminated Void
(Relapse Records, 2007)

Anders Jakobson has really outdone himself. Nasum was an amazing band, but Coldworker is one of the best bands I have ever heard in my life. This album gives me the same feeling I had when I first heard Brutal Truths debut album.

The album is fast and menacing but still very memorable. Each song is filled with memorable riffs and unique ideas. Whether it is a crushing slower riff or a blistering tremolo picked riff, the band does each equally well and never becomes stagnant. Even riffs that might have been typical in the hands of a lesser band come across as being original. The band really manages to put their own spin on things and never comes across as being typical.

One thing I would like to make clear is that this definitely isnt a typical grindcore album. Sure there are elements of the genre on display here but this is much more then just blasting and harsh vocals. This is a grindcore influenced death metal album I would say, but it definitely leans towards the death metal side of the tracks.

I dont think Im alone in my thinking that extreme metal has needed a kick in the ass for awhile now. This album may very well be that kick in the ass. I havent heard an album this vigorous and vital in quite sometime. Coldworker is a band that should be considered mandatory listening.

Rwake-Voices of Omens
(Relapse Records, 2007)

Rwake and Relapse Records seem like the perfect fit. The bands heavy and varied style of metal meshes well with what the label has released in the past but is also just a bit different as well. Take part Neurosis and part Sabbath and mix in some harsh vocals, melodic leads and driving beats and you have Rwake.

There is almost something atmospheric about the bands approach. The band repeats riffs quite a bit and the songs are quite lengthy. The songs may be epic in nature but they are definitely not devoid of catchy moments. Hooks are quite common and like I mentioned before the band repeats riffs quite a bit so they really have a chance to sink in. The album also has a few mellow moments complete with acoustic guitars. It gives the album an almost dark Southern rock feel at times and is one of the elements that really helps the band stand out amongst similar bands.

The vocals are rather harsh and range from a more midrange scream to a harsher shriek. I wouldnt really say that the vocals are the driving force behind the band though. The songs sometimes go for minutes at a time without vocals and the vocal lines themselves arent extremely memorable. They almost serve to add an ugly layer on top of the music and youd be hard pressed to pick out a chorus in any of these songs.

The album clocks in at just under an hour and the songs themselves are all mostly between 7 and 9 minutes in length. The band keeps the energy level high and the songs manage to never become boring. The tempo also never gets too slow and plodding which can sometimes be a problem with some doom influenced metal.

It is far too easy to compare bands that sound like this to Neurosis, even if they do share similar qualities. To my ears Rwake is much more energetic and really manage to avoid the typical feel of the genre. The melodic guitar leads and almost thrash like feel of some of the riffs gives the band a distinct edge as do some of the acoustic sections. If you like sludge or doom you will definitely want to check out this band.

Architect-All is Not Lost
(Black Market Activities, 2007)

I wasnt quite sure what I was going to get from this disc, but what I did get was some of the best rhythmic metallic hardcore I have heard since Coalesce was still bruising eardrums.

What really took me about this disc was that no matter how abrasive the riffing was there was always a strong rhythm and the band really likes to use grooves. Sure some of this stuff is quite fast, and often times the band does use odd time signatures, but it is always strangely straight forward. I guess because of the rhythmic nature you could almost say that the band sounds like a cross between Coalesce and Meshuggah, but that really does cut the band short as they do sound nearly identical to either.

I also like the fact that the band has thrown in a few shorter spacey passages in between some of the songs and some of the songs have a few longer sections of just feedback and noise. The last song on the album is actually much longer and much more melodic then the rest of the album. It still matches the same vibe as the rest of the album but it is definitely the most dynamic song on the album. Maybe in the future the band can work a bit of this style into their usually harsh output. Im not quite sure how they would make it work, but it would be interest to hear.

In a time when so many bands sound similar Architect do stand out considerable. The funny thing is there is a band from England called Architects that I just reviewed not that long ago that even sounds fairly similar. Hopefully neither band run into any problems because of the similar name. This band gets my vote for the better of the two though. Fans of abrasive and rhythmic metallic hardcore need to check this one out.

The Bezerker-Animosity
(Earache Records, 2007)

The only real way to describe The Bezerker is techno meets grindcore. It is a unique style, but also a style that might be a bit too weird for death metal purists. What do I think? Im sort of on the fence. I like it, but it isnt a style that completely grabs me either.

The band basically takes everything youd expect from a death metal band and wraps it in an electronic coating. You have harsh vocals, tremolo picked guitar riffs, and blasting drums that you would expect from death metal, but when you add in the electronic noises and very techno sounding bass drums you have a very original sound.

The main problem I have with the style of the band is that the songs do sound a bit similar from track to track, especially the faster songs. The slower songs do manage to sound unique and the style seems to work a bit better with a slower tempo. The band is quite fast though and sometimes it does sound a bit too busy during some of the faster moments. It could be a fault in the production though and not in the approach of the band.

Im trying to think of who exactly this band would appeal to. Forward thinking death metal fans that crave something original would probably be into this album. But it all comes down to whether you can get into the electronic elements of the band as they are a big part of what the band has to offer. Personally I like what the band has to offer and can definitely tell that the band is doing something original. I guess when it comes right down to it you will have to take a listen for yourself and see how the band sits with you as this seems to be one of those bands that people either love or hate.

Graboids-Infinite Delay
(Stick Figure, 2007)

This is the type of album that really makes my life hard when it comes time to write the review. How do you exactly put into words what a minimalist band sounds like? The album is instrumental and runs the gamut from noisier songs with very little structure to songs that sound a bit more traditional albeit still very noisy. These songs have the bass and drums playing a more traditional rock base with the guitars painting splashes of noise overtop.

A few songs are also quite melodic with weaving guitar lines that somewhat remind me of Hopesfall actually. I think that these songs might actually be my favorites on the disc and would be the only songs that would have any chance at working with vocals. There are definitely a few surprises as well. The song Top of the Network starts out with a beautiful guitar line before turning into a rap song. You didnt read that wrong. It does indeed turn into a rap song and surprisingly it works.

Despite this being an album full of well written and interesting music the overall feel of the band may limit the audience that would be receptive to a band like this. If you are an instrumental fan, especially one that likes music that shifts from being beautiful to being noisy, then this is one for you.

George Korein-Too Many Days
(G Records, 2007)


There are many times when I receive albums for review and I wonder why the hell they bothered to send the album to me. This is definitely one of those albums. The album is full of quirky electronic based rock that sounds like Weird Al gone techno. Some of the album is basically just noise as well, almost like they just wanted to layer as many annoying noises on possible on top of each other and laugh when someone actually bothered to listen. It really is quite awful and for some strange reason it almost seems like it was on purpose. I dont see how else someone could write something this awful without knowing full well that it is indeed awful. The fact that this album is almost an hour long makes it almost unbearable as I doubt anyone would have the constitution to make it through this entire album. I could have very well just not reviewed this album but I felt I had to warn anyone possible about this album. Avoid this at all costs, unless of course you like being in pain while you listen to music. If that is the case then by all means check this out and prepare to writhe in agony.