Filed under: death metal | Tags: Atheist, Black seeds of vengeance, Blessed are the sick, broken hope, cannibal corpse, Death, Deicide, effigy of the forgotten, From beyond, grotesque blessings, immolation, legion, Massacre, Millennium, Monstrosity, Morbid Angel, Nile, Nocturnus, suffocation, Symbolic, the bleeding, The key, unholy cult, Unquestionable presence, USA
A few years ago (2014) I revisited a post I had written in 2008 about my favourite Swedish death metal albums. The time has come to revisit another list I wrote back in 2011, of my favourite death metal albums from the USA. Since 2011 when I wrote that list I have re-evaluated some of the albums I’ve been listening to since the days of my youth. Looking back at this list there are albums that I still consider unique and unprecedentedly fantastic and I still agree that they rightfully belong to my personal “best off” list of US death metal, and some others about which I changed my mind. The ones from that list that I wouldn’t change are the following:
1. Massacre – From beyond (1991)
It could be argued that Massacre’s debut album was a latecomer in the US death metal scene. By 1991 many of the cornerstones of US death metal had already been released, including three albums by Death, two albums by Obituary, and the debut albums by Morbid Angel, Nocturnus, and Atheist. However, Massacre’s debut was not welcomed as a newcomer. Instead, the name Massacre and its members already enjoyed a somewhat cult status by virtue of being associated with Death, Mantas and the first wave of US death metal. In terms of substance, rather than status, the songwriting in this album is astounding and, in my ears, timeless. The logic that underlies these songs is really a lost art; you rarely listen to death metal today that has memorable riffs, vocal patterns and choruses. Kam Lee is, of course, the ultimate death metal vocalist. If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Dawn of eternity”, “Chamber of ages“, “From beyond”, “Symbolic immortality“.
2. Death – Symbolic (1995)
I set my own rule to only include one album per band in these “best of” lists. If I didn’t then I would end up with at least three albums by Death. This band reveals in a way what is wrong with lists such as this one. Death is a band that is so diverse, and wonderful in all its different incarnations, that by focusing on one period one neglects masterpieces from another. But I continue to support my choice of Symbolic, not simply because it is the album that opened my mind to unique forms of composition and musical aesthetics, but because it continues to enchant me every time I listen to it, despite listening to it for 22 years. Every single thing on this album, music-wise, lyric-wise, performance-wise, production-wise, is perfect. I still cannot get over Hoglan’s majestic performance, and Chuck, in my opinion, reached his pinnacle arrangement-wise. What can one say about the genius change of pace during the first minute of “Symbolic”, the brilliant layering on the chorus of “Sacred serenity”, the interlude on “Without judgement”, and so on? If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Symbolic”, “1000 eyes“, “Crystal mountain”, “Zero tolerance“.
3. Broken Hope – Grotesque blessings (1999)
I can imagine many, if not most, death metal fans criticising my decision to include this album in a top 10 death metal albums list. I imagine that most people would not consider Broken Hope a band of the highest order, and even if they did I can imagine that they would value other albums more than Grotesque blessings. The latter has indeed been criticised as an unsuccessful departure from their traditional sound. I disagree, as I can trace the origins of the more groovy and technical aspects present in Grotesque back to songs like “Felching vampires” off The bowels of repugnance (1993). Grotesque is simply the next step in the band’s evolution after Loathing (1997) and the steady, gradual increase of Griffin’s influence on the band’s style. From the very first time I listened to it I was enchanted. I remember really looking forward to the release of this album, since Loathing had demolished me (and I consider that one too as an absolute masterpiece, almost as perfect as Grotesque). Buying it upon its release I became obsessed with it, and I still cannot believe how perfect it is. The juxtaposition of Griffin’s surgically precise complex/technical riffing with Wagner’s more rowdy compositions, all coldly and inhumanly executed, has always astounded me. Add in the mix the brilliant and inventive lyrics, and Ptacek’s awe-inspiring voice and you have a masterpiece. If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Wolf among sheep“, “Necro-fellatio”, “Christ consumed“, “Earth burner”.
4. Cannibal Corpse – The bleeding (1994)
The bleeding also retains its position as one of USA’s favourite death metal albums of all time. A timeless masterpiece, and the zenith of Cannibal Corpse’s career and whoever disagrees they don’t know what they are talking about. The departure of Bob Russay meant that CC lost its unrefined brutality and unique identity. That was further reinforced by the influences introduced by Rob Barrett and the more technical path the band went down during this period. The result is a much more diverse and accessible Cannibal Corpse, with extremely memorable riffs, clever song structures, and catchy vocal patterns; and of course Scott Burns’s astounding production. If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Fucked with a knife“, “Pulverized”, “Staring through the eyes of the dead”, “The pick-axe murders“.
5. Suffocation – Effigy of the forgotten (1991)
In 1991 Suffocation was without a shadow of a doubt the most brutal death metal band. Their unique style of death metal eventually captured the imaginations of many musicians in the years to come, and Frank’s vocals, Mike’s drumming, and Doug’s and Terrance’s guitar playing developed into the blueprint of brutal death metal. In my opinion, all their albums up until the homonymous one from 2006 are fantastic, but the first one is still the best. Every single song is a masterpiece, a non stop riff-fest, with monumental breakdowns and furious grind, and one of the best sounds ever put down on tape. If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Liege of inveracity“, “Infecting the crypts”, “Reincremation“, “Mass obliteration”.
6. Deicide – Legion (1992)
Deicide’s sophomore masterpiece is still one of my favourite albums of all time. Deicide in this album is like a freight train about to go off the rails. The intensity with which everyone performs is unprecedented. Benton’s aggression is unequaled, and his lyrics are some of the best he’s written, mostly reflecting the usual anti-christian element, but also alluding to Lovecraft’s terrifying universe. The Hoffmans offer some of their best performances as well – some of the most memorable riffs and solos ever, and Asheim’s drumming is intense and inspired (check out the genius beat of “Holy deception“). If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Satan spawn, the caco-daemon”, “Repent to die“, “Revocate the agitator”, “Behead the prophet“.
The exclusion of the Immolation and Morbid Angel albums from the original list does not mean that I don’t love those albums anymore. It simply means that in the case of those two bands I decided that I prefer other albums from their discography, and I’d rather have on this “best of” list. So, I would like to replace those two albums with the following two:
1. Morbid Angel – Blessed are the sick (1991)
When I wrote the original list I was unsure about including this or Covenant, but I decided upon the latter probably due to the superior production. I’ve always felt uncomfortable about this choice though. Blessed are the sick has superior songs, and took the genre to new unreachable heights. Blessed… is almost an otherworldly experience, and in terms of intensity, I don’t think that any other Morbid Angel ever came close (maybe Altars of madness). If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Fall from grace“, “Brainstorm”, “Day of suffering“, “Unholy blasphemies”; one of a kind songs of pure inspiration, attitude and creative vision that will never be captured again.
2. Immolation – Unholy cult (2002)
The same thing that happened with Morbid Angel in the original list happened with Immolation. Over the years I have kept changing my mind about which Immolation album is my favourite. All of their albums are awesome, but in my opinion they reached perfection during the Failures for gods (1999) and Shadows in the light (2007) period. Unholy cult was, hands down, my favourite album of the year when it came out. It is an album where the band went for a cleaner production, but without losing the power and terrifying atmosphere of the previous albums. I think that this album has the best drum sound they ever had. Each song is a small miracle, unique, inventive and extremely memorable. I simply love how the different layers gradually come together to form one of the most awesome riffs on “Unholy cult” (the one after the chorus), and “Reluctant messiah” might be my all-time favourite Immolation song. An absolute masterpiece. If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Reluctant messiah“, “Unholy cult”, “A kingdom divided“, “Sinful nature”.
In the case of Autopsy, although I still love them and especially Mental funeral, right now I feel that I’d rather have any of the albums below. The same goes for Obituary, who I love, but I prefer other albums much more. So, the two places that have remained unoccupied in my original list could be filled by any of the following four albums, which I present in chronological order. A lot of thinking has gone into the following list, and although I can imagine most people finding my choices strange, these are albums that have stayed with me for many years, and have had a profound impact on my understanding of music, taste, and, of course, lasting enjoyment:
1. Nocturnus – The key (1990)
Nocturnus introduced a new logic of extreme music. It is a band that took me ages to appreciate, although I listened to them back in the mid-late 1990s. Today, and for a few years now, I cannot get used to the sheer perfection of this album. Most songs are complex, orgasmic explosions of creativity, and even a relatively simple song like “BC/AD” is unique, dark and imposing. Also, the impact that this band has on modern death metal often goes unrecognised. If Nocturnus did not shape the sound of Nile, then I don’t know who did (listen to the first minute – and beyond – of “Standing in blood” and tell me that Nile did not shamelessly copy every single aspect of it!). Another one of death metal’s most inspired bands, Sinister, has also clearly been influenced by Nocturnus (compare the main vocal pattern of “Lake of fire” to the chorus of Sinister’s “Sacramental carnage”; the second riff of “Droid sector” is pure Sinister). If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Throne of fire”, “Standing in blood”, “Droid sector“, “Neolithic”.
2. Atheist – Unquestionable presence (1991)
I have thought a lot about which Atheist album should be included in this list. I bought their debut in 1996 without knowing the band, after reading the sticker on the cover that announced “Death metal from Florida with a difference, you better believe it”. I probably got Unquestionable presence a year later, and at first I didn’t think it was amazing. It took me a few years to appreciate its awesomeness. Today I cannot listen to this album without getting chills down my spine from beginning to end. It is not very often that an album not simply does not get old, but also that it reveals new things to the listener every time they listen to it. Not that Piece of time (and even Jupiter) does not have the same effect, but this one is something else. Atheist is pure death metal, more so than most other bands that are widely considered death metal. Atheist, especially on this album, truly broke with all conventions of thrash by mixing up intensity and aggression with unorthodox tempos, dozens of different styles of riffing and melody. This is death metal. If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “An incarnation’s dream”, “And the psychic saw“, “The formative years“, “Your life’s retribution”.
3. Monstrosity – Millennium (1996)
When I bought this album sometime in 1997, it was my first contact with Monstrosity, and by that time I already knew Fisher from Cannibal Corpse’s Vile (1996). The level of musicianship on Millennium was unheard of at that time. Of course there were other technical death metal bands, but bands that played technical music on this high level and maintained an equally high level of brutality were few and far between. Lee Harrison’s drumming on this album remains one of the most inspired I have ever heard. Hear him shine as he artfully orchestrates “Dream messiah” and “Devious instinct”. Jason Morgan instantly established himself as a guitar god in my consciousness (unfortunately, as far as I know he didn’t do anything worthwhile after this album – I own the first Wynjara album and I don’t like it at all). Fisher gives one of his absolutely top performances on this album. What can anyone say about the pure brilliance of this album? The manic riffing and genius musical narratives on “Devious instinct”, “Fatal millennium” and “Dream Messiah”? The creepy atmosphere and ultra-massive break of “Fragments of resolution”? The grinding “Slaves and masters”? If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “Devious instinct“, “Fatal millennium”, “Manic“, “Dream Messiah”.
4. Nile – Black seeds of vengeance (2000)
When I listened to Amongst the catacombs… in 1999 I could not believe my ears. When Black seeds... came out I was a first day buyer. Nile, in my opinion, reached the pinnacle of their development with this album. It’s hard to think of a more majestic death metal album than Black seeds. A truly ambitious album in terms of orchestration and composition. A song like “The black flame” holds a unique position in the death metal genre. Derek Roddy wrote the absolute Nile drums which defined their style since. Kolias might be a machine but apart from precision he did not offer one single thing to the character of this band. Roddy’s drumming on this album is one of the best of its kind and can stand proudly next to the work of Gods of the genre such as Sandoval and Smith. If I were forced to choose the four best songs I would say: “The black flame”, “Masturbating the war god“, “Multitude of foes“, “To dream of Ur”. It’s worth noting that on the dark Lovecraftian masterpiece “To dream of Ur” Nile’s original drummer Pete Hammoura plays the drums.
Filed under: death metal | Tags: At the Gates, Atheist, autopsy, broken hope, brutal truth, Carcass, Desultory, Gorefest, obituary, suffocation
Over the last decade a large number of death metal bands that I consider important have reformed – or come back to death, if you will – and released albums after many years of absence, including Atheist, Asphyx, At The Gates, Autopsy, Broken Hope, Brutal Truth, Carcass, Desultory, Gorefest, Massacre, Obituary, Pestilence, Morgoth, and Suffocation. While I found some of these comebacks to be disappointing (Pestilence, Asphyx, Massacre) most were brilliant.
Re-united At The Gates.
Suffocation‘s comeback album (Souls to deny, 2004) might be my favorite album by this indisputably perfect and influential brutal death metal monster. The song structures, breakdowns, riffs, vocal delivery are just insane (check out the eponymous song). The production is also flawless and “real-sounding”, as opposed to their last two albums where the sound went from plastic to horribly overproduced. Gorefest returned to death with an album (La muerte, 2005, check out the massive and melancholic “You could make me kill“) that leveled me and made me crave for more. It’s a shame they folded again after Rise to power (2008). Obituary‘s comeback (Frozen in time, 2005) made me happy back in the day, since it reminded me a lot of my favorite Obituary album (that is, The end complete, 1992). I have slightly gotten less excited about it over time. Brutal Truth‘s comeback (Evolution through revolution, 2009) is another example of a fierce and full-on comeback. It is as if not one day had passed since their last grind offering more than a decade earlier and, in my books, it is every bit as perfect as Need to control (check out “Fist in mouth” and treat yourselves to some grindcore insanity – that change at 1:03 is sublime).
Re-united Atheist, in a picture reminiscent of their second album.
Atheist‘s comeback album (Jupiter, 2010) impressed me when it came out five years ago and still to this day I consider it a flawless old-school technical death metal masterpiece. In this album one can find clever and imaginative lyrics, interesting arrangements and variety in songwriting (check out “Live and live again“). Autopsy‘s comeback E.P (The tomb within, 2010, check out “Seven skulls“) and all albums since have been great, yet I never considered it a real comeback, as the Autopsy legacy lived on in Abscess. Desultory‘s comeback album (Counting our scars, 2011) is also brilliant and just keeps sounding better with time. It probably is my favorite album from them; I still cannot get used to songs like “This broken halo“, “Leeching life“, “Dead ends” and “Uneven numbers“. Broken Hope‘s comeback offering (Omen of disease, 2013) has also left a lasting impression on me. I thought it would be very difficult for the band to recapture the brilliance of their old albums, especially with Brian not being part of the reunion and Joe no longer being with us. However, the band with Jeremy and Shaun at the helm managed to offer an awesome album (check out the brilliant “Docking dead“).
Re-united Carcass.
Carcass‘s brilliant comeback album (Surgical steel, 2013) has been widely accepted as a masterpiece. As I have discussed in more detail here, it is an album that respects the huge Carcass legacy by sticking to the compositional canon that Carcass invented, without regurgitating their past. It is an album that both musically and lyrically gives what only a handful of bands manage to do: impress, cultivate, entertain, and influence. At the Gates‘ comeback album (At war with reality, 2014) is still fresh but I have listened to it enough times to be able to have a full-formed opinion about it; albeit non-comparable to their back-catalogue I consider it an awesome album full of great ideas (check out the brilliant “The head of the hydra“).
After all these awesome comebacks that happened, I imagine, for various reasons (nostalgia, creative need, friendship, habit, fame and money?), the question is “who next?”. Dismember disbanded four years ago. Although Dismember used to be my all time favorite death metal band, near the end I thought that they gave all they had to give. The last few records, although I did like them, were quite repetitive and felt a bit forced. There were a few brilliant ideas here and there, usually coming from Fred Estby (“Bleeding over“, “Chasing the serpent“, “Blood for paradise“, “Feel the darkness“) and David Blomqvist (“Questionable ethics“, “Combat fatigue“), but all in all, their main influences (Autopsy and Iron Maiden) tended to take over instead of being woven in their style, like in the early albums. Moreover, Karki’s obsession with war and militarism (especially the nazis) started to feel awkward and I would hate to see such a seminal band associated with fascism. Although a part of me wants Dismember to reunite, another part of me does not. Today, David, Fred and Christian are focusing their energy in The Dagger. Carbonized used to be one of the most brutal ambassadors of Swedish death metal. Their demos were a brutal mix of death and Grindcore. Their first album, a true masterpiece, also flirted with some weird dissonant melodies which they took further with their sophomore album. How cool would it be if Carbonized got back together and tried out some crazy death stuff! Of course, it would be extremely difficult to get Johnsson off his high horse. Comecon is another band from the 1990s which I love. Their leftist politics combined with a very unique musical style used to appeal to me in a big way. However, given that the core of the band (Pelle and Rasmus) have not done anything musical for two decades now, and since they never had a large following, I wouldn’t expect them to reform. Massacra is one of my all-time favorite bands and Signs of the decline (1992) will always be one of the most excellent albums of all time. Although I found their last two albums at best mediocre, I would love to see whether they have thirst for death metal and what they can do with it. Of course Fred is no longer with us, which I imagine makes things much more difficult. The last time I heard Jean-Mark Tristani’s name was on Dismember’s Hate Campaign promotional copy – he was the representative of the distribution company in France, or something like that. I wouldn’t mind if the Laws of the scourge (1992) era Sarcofago got back together with the desire to play some genre-defying death metal. For a while there were rumors that Unseen Terror would re-unite. Their debut and other demo songs provided the blueprint for grinding death metal, and Human error (1987) was only a powerful production away from being the definitive masterpiece of grindcore. However, given that post-Enemy Napalm Death resemble a lot old Unseen Terror, a modern Unseen Terror would sound like modern Napalm Death , so maybe there is no real need for a reunion. The band that I would love to see getting back together is Pungent Stench. Hopefully someday their un-released album from 2007 will see the light of day.
Now treat yourselves to a playlist of bands that have gone back to the grave:
Filed under: death metal, Heavy metal | Tags: Alice in hell, Altar, and justice for all, Annihilator, At the Gates, benediction, Black Sabbath, Blind Guardian, broken hope, Carcass, loathing, Metallica, Slaughter of the soul, Somewhere far beyond, Symphonies of sickness, tales from the twilight world, transcend the rubicon, youth against christ
The way in which an album begins can set the mood for the album, and determine whether the listener will become excited about it or not. For many recording artists, an album is not merely a collection of songs, but also a narrative that has a beginning and an end. As such, the song that will open the album has particular significance. Moreover, musicians and record company executives will make decisions regarding the order of the songs, with considerations concerning the satisfaction of the listener (driven, of course, by maximisation of profit concerns). Songs that are considered to be “fillers”, meaning that their role is to bring the album up to a number of songs or duration that agrees with the music industry’s standards, are more likely to be placed in the middle or the end of an album. Songs that are considered to be “hits” are positioned usually in the beginning of the album, in order to hook the listeners and to grab their attention. The following are album openings that I consider fascinating.
1. And Justice for all – Metallica (1988)
By far what I consider to be the best album opening of all times. One of the best melodies I have ever heard, slowly fading in, culminating in one of the best riffs ever written. It appropriately sets the mood – severe, melancholic, powerful – for one of the most important, innovative and influential thrash albums of all time (and my favourite Metallica album). Almost twenty years since I first heard it and it still sends chills down my spine, and makes me think about all the different ways in which Metallica have been innovators. Click here for a video of someone who demonstrates how to play this song, and admire the perfection of this intro.
2. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970)
Members of Black Sabbath have been quoted saying that at the time the debut album was written, the band wanted to create horror-film music. The way in which the album opens is indeed chilling. Rain, thunder, the chime of a church bell, and then the three notes of the Tritone (the Devil’s chord) accompanied by an ultra-heavy rhythm section resulted in a style that was bound to be revered by people who would take it and shape it into what we call today heavy metal. Combined with the terrifying album cover this introduction is pure horror. Although the band itself hadn’t settled on this specific style at the time, and the songs on this album are quite varied, this song embodies the true essence of heavy metal.
3. Slaughter of the soul – At the gates (1995)
No one in their right minds who have listened to this album have not gone berserk listening to this absolutely perfect introduction. For me, being one of the very first death metal albums I ever listened to, it defined what a death metal opening should sound like. It begins with industrial sounds that bring into mind decadence, coldness, and the non-human. Slashing sounds tear the soul apart (a lyric on the eponymous song) and bring the smothered words, “We are blind, to the world within us, waiting to be born”, into surface, culminating in one of the most perfect and recognisable riffs of all time. Pure genius!
4. Somewhere far beyond – Blind Guardian (1992)
Many metal bands over the years (including Metallica, Kreator, Sepultura, Unleashed, and Sinister) have decided to open their albums with a clean guitar intro, but never, in my opinion, has a band done it so perfectly as Blind Guardian did in this album. The mysterious-sounding chords played in the beginning of “Time what is time” are accompanied by a uniquely soulful and stellarly executed clean guitar solo, culminating in a powerful and extra-heavy, palm-muted triplet riff that denotes that this album will be a highly rewarding journey for the listener, full of imagination, aggression and lyricism.
5. Youth against Christ – Altar (1994)
Some of the most important death metal bands of all time have come from Holland, including Pestilence, Asphyx, Gorefest, and Altar. Altar never became popular and are often compared to Deicide due to their anti-christian lyrics and inhuman style of music. They still remain one of my all-time favourite bands, and albums like this one and Ego art are treasured. Youth against Christ starts off with a monologue by what appears to be a tele-evangelist preaching damnation to the masses. His hateful speech is suddenly interrupted by a brutal attack consisting of a super-tight heavy riff on top of crushing blastbeats, symbolically crashing christian discourse violently to the ground.
6. Tales from the twilight world – Blind Guardian (1990)
No album opening can better define the word “Epic” than Tales from the twilight world. A band known for its admiration of science fiction literature and epic music, Blind Guardian again give lessons of how to hook the listener and, at the same time, summarise the mood of the entire album in the first seconds of the album’s opening track (“Traveler in time”). There’s no real fan of metal music that does not know the words, “The morning sun of Dune”, or does not get goosebumps thinking about them. A truly astounding opening that perfectly describes the Bravado of heavy metal music. God I love Blind Guardian so fucking much.
7. Loathing – Broken hope (1997)
The distorted words of Marlon Brando (as heard in the movie Apocalypse now), “Horror, and mortal terror are your friends” echo with disgust as the single note of the first riff of “Siamese screams” and the late Joe Ptacek’s super-brutal vocals kick in, to mark one of the most brutal beginnings in the history of death metal. I listened to this album when it first came out in Metal Era, one of Athens’ most iconic heavy metal record stores (used to be owned and run by Jim, the bassist of Rotting Christ), and, being a fan of more traditional death metal at the time (Death, Dismember, Unleashed, etc.), shook me to my very core.
8. Symphonies of sickness – Carcass (1989)
I think that this introduction is indicative of Black Sabbath’s significant influence on brutal death metal. Carcass took the logic of heaviness and doom of Black Sabbath, and let it rot. The claustrophobic intro to Symphonies of sickness, a chaotic syncopated riff followed by distorted synthesiser sounds accompanied by the maggot-infested Black Sabbathy riff of “Reek of putrefaction” and Jeff’s disgusting growl, is definitive of brutal death metal. Although “Genital grinder”, the song that opens their debut album, is also magnificent, I decided that I prefer this opening because it is so much spookier and sick.
9. Alice in hell – Annihilator (1989)
Alice in hell begins with “Crystal Ann”, one of the most beautiful instrumental pieces I have ever heard, regardless of music genre. Jeff Waters is a widely celebrated guitar genius and the introduction of this album is a testament to that. I personally never skip this intro when I listen to this album. What’s even more impressive is the way in which the instrumental song leads into “Alison hell”, which takes the serene and calm mood of “Crystal Ann” and transforms it into caution and a sense of looming threat, building up to some of the most awesome riffs ever written. This is art.
10. Transcend the Rubicon – Benediction (1993)
On the cover of the vinyl version of the album there’s a sticker that says “If brutality was crime, Benediction would have been sentenced to death”. The quote alludes to the fact that Transcend the Rubicon is a masterpiece of brutal death metal. After the swampy, claustrophobic openings of the previous two albums, Subconscious terror and The grande leveler, Benediction choose to cut to the chase and make a strong statement from the get go. The opening of this album perfectly sets the mood for what the listener is about to experience: super heavy, hardcore-charged British death metal.
Filed under: Best of the year, death metal, metal, popular music, punk | Tags: 13, adolescents, autopsy, Bad Religion, best of 2013, Black Sabbath, broken hope, Carcass, Darkthrone, death awaits, immolation, kingdom of conspiracy, Motorhead, sepultura, Sorcery, suffocation, surgical steel, the headless ritual, Tormented
The year 2013 has been a great year music-wise. Lots of new albums came out from some of my favorite and not so favorite artists and I got the chance to listen to many of them. As usual, I focused my attention mostly on extreme metal this past year. I will start with the albums I enjoyed less, continue with albums that I enjoyed a lot and conclude with my favorite of the year.
On their new album titled End of disclosure Hypocrisy kept the style to which they returned with their previous album which is more akin to The Final Chapter (1997), Into the Abyss (2001) and The Arrival (2004). I liked some of the songs but I was overall not impressed. Helloween released another album which I did not particularly enjoyed (Straight out of hell). Interestingly, the songs I find myself liking off the previous few Helloween albums came from Markus – a musician who did not contribute at all in the old days – rather than Michael or Andy whose song-writing style used to appeal to me the most. On this new record, Markus has written a couple of cool songs and Michael also came back with a couple of good songs as well. I was not impressed by Ghost‘s second album (Infestissumam). For sure they refrained from shamelessly ripping off Mercyful Fate and other popular bands this time around (good for them). However, apparently the ripped-off elements gave me a reason to hate them and like them at the same time. Now without them they just sound dull to me. I also disliked Deicide‘s new album (In the minds of evil), just like all albums since the departure of the Hoffman brothers. The Ocean is a band that represents the influence of hipster culture in metal music. I got drawn to their new album because of the praise it received on the press. To my ears sometimes it sounds like Mastodon, but the way I really interpreted their music is no more than contemporary pop metal. By this I mean that many of the melodies and structures, although played with electric instruments and big, heavy orchestrations, are akin to pop music (and by pop music I mean both boy-bands and pop-rock music of the nineties). As a person who has grown up with Metal music and who has despised the different incarnations of pop music throughout my life I cannot relate to this band. Sepultura made a pretty brutal and intense album (The mediator between head and hands must be the heart). The new drummer gives a nice groove and when he is fast he respects the old-school Cavalera beat. Although I eventually got bored of the album after a few listens, it is apparent that Sepultura enjoy what they do and that they put all their passion in putting together a song.
Moving on to the albums that I actually enjoyed, I start with a Megatherion of Death metal. Suffocation‘s last album (Pinnacle of Bedlam), although I preferred it to its predecessor, did not destroy me. Nevertheless, there were a few songs which I consider to be some of the best Suffocation ever composed, such as the excellent “Sullen Days“, “As Grace Descends” and “Eminent Wrath”. Not that the rest of the songs are not really good. My problem lies with the sound which was a bit too modern for me and the drumming which – being the typical Culross drumming – was amazing albeit, in my opinion, not as fitting to Suffocation’s sound as Smith’s. Finally, Frank’s vocals sound a bit weird to me. In some cases I can tell that it is him singing but most of the time it could be anyone (maybe his limited lyrical contribution made the songs less interesting for him to sing). Broken Hope made a comeback with an extremely brutal and really good album (Omen of disease) mostly reminiscent of their pre-Loathing days. This means that it is quite simpler than Loathing (1997) and Grotesque blessings (1999), without this meaning that it lacks in awesome riffs and groove. However, as much as I like it I cannot help but think how much better it would have been if the album was comprised of only five of the existing songs (“Womb of horrors”, “Ghastly”, “The flesh mechanic”, “The docking dead“, “Choked out…”) and Brian Griffin was also part of the reunion and had written the rest of the songs… I was pleasantly surprised by Darkthrone‘s new album (The underground resistance) which sounds to me much more coherent and interesting than their last few albums, nailing the mix of traditional heavy metal with the black metal aesthetic. Sorcery‘s Arrival at six is another really cool album from 2013. The style is typical early Stockholm death metal, with buzzsaw riffs, a fair share of D-beat and slow atmospheric parts. At times it sounds a lot like early Dismember, especially the singer who sounds something between Kärki (Dismember), Bröms (Afflicted), Grewe (Morgoth) and even a bit like Jan-Chris from Gorefest.
One of the non-metal albums I got and liked a lot was the new album from the Adolescents (Presumed Insolent). This new album and the previous one (The fastest kid alive) sound like they were recorded at the same time, which is why, although I loved their previous album, this new collection of songs did not offer me something new. That being said I still think that all the songs are really cool (check out the awesome “Here comes the summer” and “Tic tac at the alligator tree“). The album also includes the song “Daisy’s revenge“, the continuing saga of “Stage diving Daisy”, a song which appeared on the sweet ADZ record Piper at the gates of Downey (check Tony’s Blog for more info on the story). The new Bad Religion album (True north) was also quite amazing. It is not too different from New Maps of Hell (2007), but with a more stripped down sound bringing into mind the mindblowing Suffer (1988), No control (1989) and Against the grain (1990). 1916 from 1990 was the last album by Motörhead which I found amazing. After that album I only liked a few songs off each album, which if put together would make a masterpiece**. Exceptions to the rule was Kiss of death (2006) which I thought was through and through excellent. Coming to their new album (Aftershock), I have to say that I enjoyed it much more than their last two albums. Fast songs like “Going to Mexico”, “Queen of the damned” and “End of time”, bluesy diamonds like “Dust and glass” and “Lost woman blues” and mid tempo songs like “Silence…” are great!
Other albums that I have either paid little attention to or I have not listened to their entirety and, as such, I cannot offer an informed opinion include the new Rotting Christ, Trouble, Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine and Exhumed albums. The few songs I heard from the new album from Trouble sound pretty much like their awesome eponymous album from 1990 (check this out). A couple of songs from the new Exhumed album also sound pretty cool (check this out). The new Jello Biafra, from the little that I heard, also sounds awesome. Which leaves us with the albums I enjoyed the most and could not stop listening:
1. Tormented – Death Awaits
Tormented is a good example of a band that does not need to be technical or to break new ground to be brilliant. For these guys, playing old-school death metal is in their blood. Their simple and old-school death is so captivating that after listening to this album non-stop for the last five months I still cannot get used to how awesome it is, making it without question my favorite album from 2013. For a more detailed account of Death Awaits read this. My three favorite songs off the album these days would be, “Into the crypts of death”, “Black sky” and “Insane with dread”.
2. Carcass – Surgical Steel
Surgical steel would be my second favorite album from 2013. An unexpectedly phenomenal come-back from the band which defined to a large extend what extreme music is. I will not get too much into how amazing it is, I have written a much more detailed review here. I will only make a short mention to some of the lyrics which are fucking amazing, and I could not know that when I did the other review (the album had not been officially released yet). After the immature “Thrasher’s abattoir”, in which Jeff pours out his hatred towards posers and hipsters, starts an anti-war trilogy, an attack toward the military institutions, religion and the fetishism of violence. The theme of “Non-compliance” brings back some of the silliness, with Jeff singing about how the death metal scene is just a bunch of copy-cats, about how every new scene is doomed to be born, grow and die (‘this is the way of all flesh will decay’) and about the stale state of extreme metal (‘the cycle of death exhausted’). My favorite songs would be “Surgical steel”, “The granulating dark satanic mills” and “Cadaver pouch conveyor system”.
3. Autopsy – The Headless Ritual
Macabre eternal (2011) did not cut it for me, but I think that Autopsy’s new album is brilliant. Reifert, Cutler, Coralles and Trevisano shine through as seasoned musicians who have perfected their craft and give their best in this album full of wonderful songs. It is really difficult to come up with favorite songs, so I’ll just go with one song from each band member: “She’s a funeral” composed by Reifert is a death metal monument, “Mangled far below” by Trevisano is heavy and punky with excellent lyrics, “Arch cadaver” by Coralles is definitive of Autopsy’s sickness and “Running from the goathead” showcases Cutler’s brilliant madness and ability to use well-tried musical recipes in a creative way that is breath-taking. Plus, hats off to the band and Peaceville for producing an aesthetically amazing record, making the process of listening with lyrics a pleasure.
4. Immolation – Kingdom of Conspiracy
Immolation is one of those strange cases of bands that develop their unique style of music and stick to it without deviating at all from the basic formula, yet manage to not repeat themselves or get redundant. After more than two decades of playing the same devastating, cerebral style of death metal they keep coming up with songs that challenge and impress. (To my ears, however, and although most bands look tiny before “Kingdom of Conspiracy”, I cannot compare it to their back catalogue up until “Harnessing Ruin”, when each album was an unprecedented masterpiece.) The main theme across the album could be described as Foucauldian, in the sense that all lyrics have to do with the control of information by powerful institutions (governments, religions, corporations), the production of what Foucault calls knowledge-power, and the indoctrination of the masses. I would have liked the album much more if the drums did not sound so fake and were not so loud and prominent in the mix. Some amazing moments are the part were Dolan growls ‘No one but ourselves to blame, no one but ourselves to shame’ on the eponymous song, the massive breaks on “Serving divinity”, the untamed brutality and the second-to-last riff on “Indoctrinate”, and the Morbid Angel-esque touch on “A spectacle of lies”. If I had to pick my three favorite songs these would be the monumental “Keep the silence”, “The great sleep”and “Serving divinity”.
5. Black Sabbath – 13
The impression that I got from various webzines and forums is that for many people Black Sabbath’s new album is a disgrace. For me, on the contrary, it is a pretty awesome album. For sure, to a large extent this album is a product of the higher and non-productive echelons of the music industry, a fact that I don’t like. For sure I would have preferred Tony Iommi not having been instructed by any producers what to compose. For sure I would have liked executives and managers having stayed away from Sabbath. And I would also have liked Ozzy to have actually been able to sing without the use of technology. However, if I leave all these things aside and if I accept this album as merely a studio project, I have to admit that I love it! For sure Iommi provided songs on Rick Rubin’s demand, but the stuff he came up with are awesome. I also have to admit that Ozzy’s melodies are awesome. Butler’s bass-lines are addictive as always, yet less frantic than in the past, and Iommi’s leads are, as usual, from another world. The drums are boring but, with the exception of the albums that Bill Ward was on, all Sabbath albums have boring drums in my opinion. Although all the songs are amazing I would say that my favorite ones are currently “Age of reason”, “Damaged soul” and “End of the beginning”.
** For example, “Asylum choir”, “Jack the ripper”, “Too good to be true”, “Lost in the ozone”, “Death or glory”, “Don’t let daddy kiss me”, “Sacrifice”, “Out of the sun”, “I don’t believe a word”, “Dead and gone”, “Take the blame”, “We are Motorhead”, “Stagefright”, “Wake the dead”, “Brave new world”, “Smiling like a killer”, are songs that I love from the 1990s and early 2000s Motorhead.
Filed under: death metal | Tags: AMERICAN DEATH METAL, autopsy, broken hope, cannibal corpse, Death, Deicide, immolation, Massacre, Morbid Angel, obituary, suffocation
Every death metal fan should acknowledge the major effect of american death metal on all other death metal scenes around the world. One might love swedish death metal and the melancholy, bitterness and raw energy that comes with it. The same person might indeed hate american death metal and regard it empty and technocratic. However, it cannot be denied that the roots of every death metal band can be found in the legacy of Sarcofago, Sepultura, Master, Possessed, Atheist, Repulsion, Death, Massacre, Necrophagia, Autopsy, Celtic frost and Bathory. All of them, with the exception of Celtic frost and Bathory, are american.
The enormous continent has given birth to countless death metal bands. The american north is completely different from the south and the west is different from the east. The variations in the styles of death metal are, thus, many. However, it would not be oversimplifying to argue that some common elements can be found in american bands. American bands have tended to be the most brutal and technical.
What strikes me most about these early death metal bands is the diversity of styles. No band sounds like the other one and no singer sounds the same. Back in the day, people wanted to sound furious and brutal to match the brutality of the music, so they opened their lungs and mouths and growled. What was coming out was one of a kind because every person has a different voice and shouts in different ways. There was no such thing as a death metal recipe, a formula that people followed in order to be “death metal”, which is the case with latter and contemporary death metal bands. Without further ado, here are some of my all time favorite death metal albums from the USA.
1. Massacre – From Beyond (1991)
I have not payed much attention to the massacre story, because it is complicated and I learned it a couple of years ago through the internet. When I listened to the album, the only thing I knew about it was that it was released in 1991. I did not care if they existed since 1921 or if they were the former band of Schuldiner or whatever. The album can easily be put in a spaceship and sent to space, as the true definition of death metal. The vocals are the most abominable vocals ever. The production is awesome. The compositions are simple, straightforward, heavy and emotionless. Most songs are uniquely majestic (e.g. Chambers of ages, Dawn of eternity). Indeed death metal has rarely been so majestic! Some of the topics are silly but very nicely written and the Lovecraft references are just awesome. Dawn of Eternity is the definitive hymn of death metal.
2. Death – Symbolic (1995)
Symbolic is the ultimate musical achievement. After the excellent “Individual…”, Chuck happened to create the perfect combination of technique and emotion. Of course the surrounding musicians helped create this masterpiece, especially Hoglan, who has written the most appropriate, inspired and yet straightforward tempos ever. The drum work indeed requires special reference. All the songs with their awesome choruses, breaks, bridges and so on, are monumental. The interplay of guitar melodies and solos is unique. There are no best tracks here, just ideas and feelings in harmonious co-existence. Everything is perfect.
3. Immolation – Close to a world below (2000)
Immolation, to a large extent, pushed the boundaries of music further with their discography. I have to admit that choosing this particular album is random. All their discography is exquisite. For many years I considered “Here in After” being their best album. For some time I considered “Failures for gods”, and for some time “Unholy cult”. I decided to put this one here for several reasons. First of all, it has an awfully rotten and swampy production that fits Immolation perfectly. Secondly, the compositions are beyond imagination! Parts like the “you failed Mary, you raped Mary, over and over again…” are unbelievable. There are some amazing vocal patterns which render songs unique and memorable and the lyrics are compelling. Musically is one of the most depressing and mournful statements in the world. Immolation, along with Morbid Angel, redefine what music is.
4. Broken Hope – Grotesque Blessing (2000)
Broken hope is a huge and underrated band. Like Immolation and some other bands, they pushed the limits of death metal and music in general further. When you listen to Broken hope for the first time, you think “wait a minute…what did just happen here!”. These guys, not only are technical without becoming boring (because their music is highly emotional), but also are proposing alternative structural patterns to riff-making and lyric writing. All this, inside a context of utter disgust, brutality and anomaly! And their lyrics are not brainless words that make up no meaning. They are awesome! Read the lyrics to “Reunited” from the magnificent “Loathing” album, or “wolf among sheep” on this one! This album is my personal favorite and among the best american death records. I think that they reached the peak of their compositional inspiration, and achieved a perfect executional ability. R.I.P. Joe Ptacek.
5. Cannibal Corpse – The Bleeding (1994)
What can one say about this album! The vocal interpretations should be carefully studied by anyone interested in singing death metal. Barnes moved away from the extreme guttural vocals he did on Tomb of the mutilated, toward more powerful and articulate vocals, coupled with his (now) trademark shrieks. The combination of hyper-guttural vocals and shrieks became the blueprint for the mid-nineties American brutal death metal scene. The guitar work is among the best ever, along with Suffocation. The guitar riffs, melodies and vocal patterns are extremely memorable. The bass is huge and along with the drums they create a wall of sound that crashes the listener! The fast songs are manic and the mid-paced songs are even better and heavier. The production is the best possible production for this music. Scott Burns is this band’s sixth member in this record! Without him, this album would not be so perfect.
6. Suffocation – Effigy of the forgotten (1991)
Suffocation is one of those bands who do their own thing from day one. And it sounds so natural, so non-pressured that makes you wonder what exactly these people were listening! Why are they so different from their peers? Why do they sound so professional even on their demos? With their first album they set a standard so high in Brutal death metal, that I don’t think anyone since 1991 managed to match. They introduced a novel type of riffing and, hence, guitar playing. They introduced the extremely heavy-swampy passages. They introduced the extreme guttural vocals. Finally they introduced extremely tight playing and, arguably, the blueprint for death metal drumming.
7. Autopsy -Mental Funeral (1991)
Autopsy set the atmosphere for swedish death metal with their demos and their first two albums. It doesn’t take a much experienced ear to realise the similarities between Autopsy and Dismember or Entombed. But Autopsy’s origins can be traced back to the swampy riffs and atmosphere of early Black Sabbath. Nevertheless, the nightmare visions that mental funeral evokes cannot be found anywhere in music. Interestingly enough, the sole reference I can think off, for riffs like Fleshcrawl, is the intro riff of Halloween by Helloween. This music is the spawn of utter disgust, sickness and death. Reiffert’s extremely flexible voice gives the impression of gagging and adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the album.
8. Obituary – Cause of Death (1990)
Obituary amazed everyone in 1989 with their brutal sound and with having a psychopath for singer. Tardy’s voice is, like with most early death metal singers, definitely one of a kind. Although their first album is intense, brutal and awesome, it is their second album that shows a mature band with a vision. James Murphy’s addition was an excellent decision, since the solos on this album are chilling to the bone and mix perfectly with the terrifying music and production. I consider this album a cornerstone of American death metal, equal to From Beyond to define what American death metal is. It has a lot of everything. Flesh-ripping guitar riffs (Find the Arise), swampy crawling passages (Dying, Infected), aggressive moshing parts (Cause of death circa 1:36), violent mid-tempo passages and breakdowns (Chopped in half). The vocals are completely inhumane. When I was young I would imagine Tardy being confronted by a lion and eventually scaring it off.
9. Morbid Angel -Covenant (1993)
There are no words to describe Morbid Angel. They are a phenomenon of exceptional significance in world music. Although you see where they come from, and the marks of bands like Possessed and Celtic frost are all over them, still they are one of a kind. It would not be an overstatement that Morbid Angel discovered a new sound with this album. The music on God of Emptiness is simply unearthly. The more frantic but surgically executed songs like Pain divine, Rapture, the heaviness of The promised land with its monolithic break, all are just instances of grandeur and inspiration and reflections of the will and zest to be pioneers.
p.s. I listened to a few songs off the new Morbid Angel album and I am blown away!
10. Deicide – Legion (1992)
Although their first album is another perfect example of unique death metal, this one is definitely my favorite. Deicide sounded like nobody else. Other bands might have been more brutal or faster, but deicide have always been the most intense and absolutely insane! Everything was insane about this band. The melodies, the breakdowns, the vocal partners, the solos, etc. I dare anyone to point out a chorus crazier than Carnage in the temple of the damned, from their self titled album. On this, their second album, Deicide are more mature but more intense (if that is possible) and faster. Riffs are more complicated and played at exhaustive speed. The slower songs are very catchy and have brilliant innovative tempos and vocal rhythms. In my opinion, every single song is amazing and although I’ve been listening to this album more than 15 years, it never ceases to amaze me with its ingenuity and sheer energy.
p.s. Of course, there are numerous other bands that deserved to be on this list such as Atheist, Monstrosity, Malevolent Creation, and even newer bands such as Dying Fetus, Deeds of Flesh, and so on, but this is a personal list where I tried to pick the albums that I have loved most over the years.
overground scene 