“TACTICAL NUCLEAR RIFFAGE”

CAVERNLIGHT CIRCLE ‘As We Cup Our Hands And Drink ‘Terminal’ From The Stream Of Our Ache’ SOUTHERN LORD GILEAD magine a cult European avernlight weave together Ichildren’s television show Celements of drone, doom from the late 1960’s, where DECAPITATED and post-metal to create everyone from the presenters ‘Anticult’ sprawling, gargantuan dirges. to the best boy were heavily NUCLEAR BLAST ‘As We Cup…’ is the debut dosed with PCP. Finnish collective Circle would album from this Wisconsin four-piece and follow write this show’s soundtrack, and it would sound et’s be clear – Decapitated are never up to 2015’s demo ‘Corporeal’. While the latter a lot like latest release, ‘Terminal’. Their genre- Lgoing back to being a “pure” death metal relied heavily on atmosphere, the album sees defying style, built up over twenty plus years and band (if they ever were). After all, the group’s the band adopt a more aggressive sound – the thirty plus albums, persists undeniably. Opener modus operandi has always been one of ‘Rakkautta Al Dente’ buzzes from desert guitars instrumentals still sit at the same crushing, constant evolution, steadily incorporating more ability to play to a wider audience while still glacial march, however, when the music switches to prog build ups, skittering jazz and sweeping, elements of groove, thrash, tech, and prog over maintaining their own identity. This is largely gears it does so with a feral ferocity. Combining dramatic vocals. The title track grooves hard, the post-metal tenacity of Isis with the gut riding the same heavily repeated riff before the years, with every new album signifying a down to the ever-present and instantly- wrenching heaviness of Thou and slowing it down blooming into lush texture. Throw in moments of conscious state-change from the one before it. recognisable tactical-nuclear riffage delivered by 500%, Cavernlight create a sound of simply Gregorian droning chanting and folksy acoustic But that doesn’t mean they’ve completely by mainman Vogg of course, running the epic proportions that could easily soundtrack a breaks, and you’ve still barely begun to scratch abandoned their roots. Opener ‘Impulse’, gamut here from machinelike death metal (the the surface. Manic, energetic, twisted euphoria. vacuum where both light and happiness go to die. for example, calls back to ‘The Negation’ in aforementioned ‘One Eyed Nation’) to neck- [7.5] [8] ANGELA DAVEY JAY HAMPSHIRE places, while ‘One Eyed Nation’ has more than wrecking thrash (‘Kill The Cult’), and ominous, a few hints of ‘Organic Hallucinosis’ to it, and atmospheric chuggery (see the second half of CELLAR DARLING CONTAMINATED finds the band (particularly drummer Mlody, ‘Anger Line’), sometimes all within the same ‘This Is The Sound’ ‘Final Man’ now on his second outing with the group), track (‘Never’)! NUCLEAR BLAST BLOOD HARVEST taking the opportunity to really cut loose. Of course if you didn’t like ‘Blood Mantra’ ellar Darling is a ontaminated’s debut On the flipside to this, although still then you probably won’t like ‘Antikult’ either, full-length isn’t just Cnew project featuring C loosely rooted in death metal, the gargantuan but, love ‘em or loathe ‘em, that won’t stop ex-members of Eluveitie, and filthy – it’s downright noxious. post-Pantera grooves of ‘Deathvaluation’ and Decapitated on their quest towards becoming to say this Swiss three-piece Inspired by the brutal sounds of wear their influences on the early ’90s Finnish and US the seething, Strapping-Young-Lad-meets- the quintessential modern metal band. their sleeve would be an understatement. The underground, the Melbourne outfit have crafted a Slipknot vibes of ‘Earth Scar’ exemplify their [8] ANDY WALMSLEY reaching, bittersweet melodies and histrionic slab of death metal so putrid you can practically vocal delivery on opener ‘Avalanche’ echo seminal feel it crawling on your skin and invading your Dutch outfit The Gathering in many, not-so-subtle pores. What ‘Final Man’ lacks in originality, it more THREE DIMENSIONAL DEFECT than makes up for in sheer bulldozing intensity, ways. Then there’s some Lacuna Coil worship GUITARIST VOGG ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE BAND’S SOUND displayed on rockier tracks like ‘Under The Oak with tracks like ‘Squalid Survival’ and ‘Co-opted Tree’ and ‘Black Moon’, these instantaneous ear- Into Worthless Sludge’ built around a solid t’s not pure death metal anymore. together. All this makes Decapitated unique. I grabbers wouldn’t sound remotely out of place on foundation of grinding riffs, horrifically guttural ‘Comalies’. It’s amazing how a debut album can vocals and hulking low-end groove. Needless “IRight now, Decapitated’s music is a love to listen to all kinds of metal and all kinds already sound so familiar, but ‘This Is The Sound’ to say, subtlety isn’t high on the agenda, but mixture of musical ideas that is really hard to of music in general. It will be so hard for me does sit rather nicely on the fence of its blatant there’s something undeniably refreshing about describe. We connected death, thrash, rock ‘n’ to make a pure death metal album now, and I inspirations. A straight-forward approach toward Contaminated’s lack of pretence and single-minded roll, even black metal, and atmospheric parts think it would be a little boring.” spacious, floaty folk rock. commitment to smashing their listeners’ heads in. [6] SERENA CHERRY [7] MIKE KEMP

DE MAGIA VETERUM DEAD HEAD ‘Naked Swords Into The Wombs Of ‘Swine Plague’ ATOMÇK The Enemy’ HAMMERHEART ‘Every Room In Britain’ TRANSCENDENTAL CREATIONS e’ve long understood that RIP ROARING SHITSTORM/MADE IN THE METH he fifth release from De Wband bios are supposed LAB/STOP TALKING/WOOAAARGH/SUPERFI TMagia Veterum, a project to generate hype and excitement, ver a decade into their existence, it feels masterminded by Dutch musician but to take a band that has Olike eccentric UK grinders Atomçk are just Mories (arguably better known a sporadic record since their coming into their prime. ‘Every Room In Britain’ for his experimental black metal original late ‘80s conception and, in comparison, further refines the formula of 2012’s ‘Never Work’ project Gnaw Their Tongues), ‘Naked Swords…’ is a claim Slayer as effectively dead for 25 years and opus and 2014’s ‘Whitewashed’ EP; namely, those whirlwind of furious and scathingly raw black metal Kreator useless since ‘Extreme Aggression’ reeks of inventive, discordant and bizarre riffs, chaotic coated with fuzz and fuelled by ridiculous blastbeats, hubris, especially when your own drums sound like a blastbeats and vocalist Linus’ intensively abrasive with some creepy, Transylvanian sounding synths dinnerware set and the man playing them has trouble screech, resembling a distressed parrot or enraged thrown in for good measure. The unrelenting keeping a steady four count. But those are actually Chihuahua. They suit the frenzied, delirious nature barbarity of this particular musical entity is the polar minor quibbles in the grand scheme of ‘Swine of these songs perfectly, sounding more savage than Mastodon having a seizure. Pitched somewhere opposite of the almost eerily subdued nature of Gnaw Plague’, as the sixth album by these Dutch grey ever here. This is the best guitar tone Atomçk have between Discordance Axis and Brutal Truth’s weirder Their Tongues and displays Mories’ full spectrum beards presents the unhinged ferocity of the original had on record too, emphasising the muscular punch excursions, Atomçk continue to be one of the of musical capabilities. However, if you’re already wave of loosey-goosey thrash metal anger. Reference of guitarist Luke Oram’s lower strings, especially on country’s most imaginative grind outfits, and this LP familiar with Pyriphlegethon (yet another of his black points include Dark Angel, Holy Terror (especially in songs like ‘Another Nails In The Coffins’ and ‘Bare is their most accomplished to date – with any luck, metal endeavours) then you’ll already have an idea vocalist Tom van Dijk’s manic delivery), Sadus and Minimum Customer Service’, a microsong built it’ll find itself in (ahem) ‘Every Room In Britain’… of exactly what this will sound like anyway. the days of Sepultura’s first emerged from Brazil. around a giant riff that sounds like ‘Remission’-era [8.5] KEZ WHELAN [7] ANGELA DAVEY [7.5] KEVIN STEWART-PANKO

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#284 Reviews.indd 3 10/07/2017 14:29