Rotting Cadaver-Deadication To Kill

Self-Release/Independent
2017

Released on April 23rd, "Dedication To Kill" appears to be the first album from Ohio's own Rotting Cadaver. If that's the case then mad props are in order for this (hardcore-infused) crossover/raw thrash metal band! With nine-tracks in all and a run-time of under twenty minutes, "Dedication To Kill" opens up strong with a hardcore thrasher called "Let it Die" and then moves on quickly to the group's signature song.  On the gut-puncher that is "Rotting Cadaver" this Ashtabula-based band pays homage to the crossover scene of yesterday (or more specifically the mid-eighties to early nineties one!) while simultaneously tossing some (bleak) black metal-like vocals into the mic. It's a sick mash-up that helps set the pace for the rest of this brutal and provocative release! Sandwiched in between the garage thrashers "Dead Stop" and "Precious Death" you have "Fucked" and "Christian Faith is Fake(CFIF)". The later clocks in at 53 seconds while "Fucked" is just 30 seconds long! These two tracks are quick and lethal and they give "Dedication To Kill" a bit more of a hardcore punk vibe. Elsewhere you have "Anger Within", "War" and "Kill Them All". All three tracks are cool, but it is the ever present groove of "Anger Within" that I really dig. On said track the guys in Rotting Cadaver put a tiny bit of Pantera into what is otherwise some killer (raw and riff-heavy) thrash. It's a nice change-up and it goes a long ways toward showcasing the group's versatile edge. By the time the Slayer-like "Kill Them All" closed things off I was definitely sold on this band's skill and potential. For more information on this young band be sure to head over to the group's Facebook page. Honestly it does not give us a lot to go by, but at least it offers an opportunity to follow this Ohio metal band.

Still Dead-Demo no.1

Self-Release/Independent
2017

Still Dead is a doom metal band from Israel that features former members of defunct melodic black/death metal group Sheamut within it's ranks. Those two fine individuals would be guitarist/vocalist Dima Katz and Shaked Oz (bass/drums). On the group's first studio release, "Demo no.1", they are joined by guitarist Cyrill Kravtsoff. Tracks include "Falling Asleep", "Endless", and "No Escape". That first number (my favorite one of the lot!) clocks in at eight minutes and six seconds while the other two songs have run-times of 7:16 and 6:20. If the long lengths of the songs don't give it away, "Demo no.1" is a wonderful tale of well-thought out and slowing developing doom. And it's vintage-infused doom at that! At only one dollar to download it is a absolute steal of a deal and I simply cannot wait to find out what comes next for this power trio!

Darkage-Tales From Obscurity

Self-release/Independent
2016

Darkage is a traditional heavy metal band from Rome, Italy. The band was founded in June of 2008 by guitarist Dario Laurenzi, bassist Domenico Cannatà, and former drummer Nino. Lead singer Domenico Sepe has been with the band pretty much from the start and since 2012 the group has been rounded out by drummer Gianluca Polito. In 2011 the band released it's first demo, "The Night Calls", and the five song EP, "Tales From Obscurity", was just released back in mid-March. Interestingly enough the EP opens with the track "The Night Calls" and one would have to assume that it is a updated version of the same song that appeared on Darkage's demo. From there you have "Raw", "D.O.G.", "Evil Creatures", and "The Bells" and it all runs slightly over 28 minutes in length. As far as Darkage's take on traditional metal goes classic metal is the name of the game with the bulk of this underrated EP sounding as if it could have come from the golden era of tape trading! Naturally that is meant as a HUGE compliment and so is the admission that I simply cannot put my finger on this band's influences. In other words, Darkage sounds like no one else on the recommended "Tales from Obscurity" and that is an absolutely thrilling concept!! Other than the actual music itself (which I guess I would describe as a cross between underground eighties metal, N.W.O.B.H.M., doom, occult rock, dark metal, and classic heavy metal) the one thing I really like about Darkage is their lead singer, Domenico Sepe. Just like some of the all-time greats, Domenico Sepe has a certain presence about him and he helps give Darkage a vintage metal vibe that is simply out of this world! While I would never put him in the same class as someone like Ronnie James Dio (R.I.P.) I would point out the effectiveness of Sepe's haunting and somewhat evil voice. With someone like Domenico Sepe on the mic you could easily transform a normal metal band into something awe-inspiring. Thankfully in the case of Darkage there is already a great foundation in place so there's never a point where Domenico Sepe has to carry the load. As this kind of vintage metal is all the rage I would not be surprised to see this Italian band scoped up in a year or less. And to that end I would LOVE to hear what Darkage could pull off on a full-length album. I've got a feeling it could be nothing short of magical!!

Demon Bitch-Hellfriends

Skol Records
2016

Demon Bitch is a up-and-coming traditional heavy metal band from Detroit, Michigan that was formed in 2011 by three life-long friends: guitarist Mars Weston (aka: Lord Mars-Isenblåst, White Magician), lead vocalist Logon Saton (aka: Logon-Joint Custody, White Magician), and drummer Samuel Ceckowski (aka: Reverend Ceckowski-White Magician, ex-Dungeon Beast, ex-Borrowed Time). The group made it's studio debut in late June of 2012 with the release of "Demon Bitch" and that limited-edition cassette demo proved to be hit with fans and critics alike. After rounding out it's ranks with bassist Brian Buckmaster (aka: B. Beastmaster-Isenblåst) and second guitarist Derek DiBella (aka: D.B. Cooper-Isenblåst, Joint Custody, White Magician, ex-Borrowed Time {live}) the group would go on to release the highly-regarded 2014 EP "Death Is Hanging..." and the rest is history! Now signed to Skol Records, Demon Bitch offers up their best material to date on their first full-length album and with "Hellfriends" further demonstrating this five-piece band's love of all things classic there is very little standing between this Detroit metal band and world-wide conquest! In Demon Bitch you get a band that is not only influenced by eighties metal and the N.W.O.B.H.M. scene, but seventies hard rock and progressive rock! Throw in some underground speed metal from the early days of U.S. metal and a little bit of vintage Mercyful Fate and you have one hell of a fucking party on your hands! On "Hellfriends" Demon Bitch has clearly captured the sounds and the overall appeal of yesteryear's metal scene and even though that is the crowd who will most likely benefit from such a soundtrack this is still a metal release for metal fans. Vintage metal aside, "Hellfriends" is very much a heavy rockin' affair and with it's speed-tinged solos thickening the plot this soon to be released album should be able to find a lovely home within the hearts of today's traditional heavy metal crowd. As this is only their first full-length album and it is so strong Demon Bitch could easily grow into something huge and influential before our very eyes! For the time being be sure to mark your calendars down as this album will drop in June. Until then you can check out (and if you so desire) download a copy of the title track for free by clicking here.

Devil's Dare-Demonstration 2016

Self-Release/Independent 
2016

"Demonstration 2016" is the first studio recording from Boston hard rock/heavy metal band Devil's Dare. It was released on March 29th and this instant-classic EP features four vintage-sounding songs with the best of the bunch being the last cut, "Into the Sky". Even though the notes say "Demonstration 2016" was laid to tape sometime between 2015 and 2016 the actual music on Devil's Dare's debut comes across as if it could have been recorded at the start of the eighties! As far as influences go you're looking at everything from the (early) N.W.O.B.H.M. scene to eighties underground metal as well as classic seventies hard rock bands like Rainbow and Deep Purple. Whether this is a full-tile band or a one and done project is anyone's guess, but simply going by the fact that this EP comes from Chris Corry (Magic Circle, Mentally Challenged, Mind Eraser, No Tolerance, Prisoner Abuse, Put to Death, Soul Swallower, Stoner Dagger, World War 4, ex-Death Evocation) I'd sadly have to lean towards the latter. Ultimately only time will tell, but if Chris Corry just so happens to read this review then I'd like to say "PLEASE make Devil's Dare the real deal!". This four-track EP is so good, but at the end of the day it leaves you wanting more! Simply put, "Demonstration 2016" is one of the BEST examples of vintage-inspired hard rock/heavy metal out there and I know I'm not the only one that would like to see a full range of products from multi-colored Devil's Dare LPs to tee-shirts! Devil's Dare is that good and so is this demo....

Psychedelic Witchcraft-"Set Me Free" (Single)

Twin Earth Records
2015

Just released last week (or Wednesday, October 7th to be precise!),  "Set Me Free" is a hot new single from Italy's one and only occult rock band, Psychedelic Witchcraft. The vision of lead singer/guitarist Virginia Monti (who I had the sincere pleasure of interviewing back in May of this year!), Psychedelic Witchcraft takes it's cue from the 70's rock scene where the likes of Coven, Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, and Cream sit hand in hand in spiritual harmony. For the absolutely fetching Virginia Monti (aka Virgin Witch) there's also a passion shared for Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, and Jess Franco and with that key piece of information in hand it's a bit easier to understand where the music's vibe comes from if you happen to be new to the band. Backed by the impressive number "Wicked Dream", "Set Me Free" serves as the follow-up to "Black Magic Man" and features a line-up of Virginia Monti (vox), Jacopo Fallai (guitar), Vanni (bass), and Daniele Parrella (drums). For this up-and-coming Italian rock act this two-track release shows a nice amount of growth and maturity and as somehow who has been a fan of Virginia Monti and Psychedelic Witchcraft since first hearing "Black Magic Man" it's wonderful to hear that kind of improvement in such a short amount of time. Naturally that goes a long way towards pointing out Virginia's dedication to her craft. With a full-length album planned for sometime down the road, "Set Me Free" shows you what can be accomplished when you put all of your heart and soul into a project and with that in mind I congratulate Psychedelic Witchcraft's amazing front-lady! As far as the who, want, when and where of this single? Well, we tackled the who (line-up) so let's address those other three. Recorded and engineered at Gold studio 63 Rome by Gabriele Romano, "Set Me Free" (the song) sounds a lot like a female-fronted Black Sabbath circa 1970! In no way is that a bad thing, but it still is what it is and there's no reason to not point it out. That being the case and all, "Set Me Free" still rules and this Italian band's vintage sound does wonders for one's psyche! And speaking of one's psyche (or calming the savage beast inside!), "Wicked Dream" moves right into your soul and then makes itself right at home! Side two of this single finds Psychedelic Witchcraft coming into their own in a BIG WAY and it is glorious! With the sinister "Wicked Dream" you get the sensation that it's all been leading up to this moment and that Virginia has been saving the best for last!!! Falling somewhere between doom metal and garage rock, "Wicked Dreams" leaves you with all kinds of wicked thoughts as it puts a spell on you that is damn near impossible to shake!!!! It's because of musical moments like "Wicked Dreams" that Psychedelic Witchcraft has quickly become one of my all-time favorite acts and I can't help but wish that this sinfully delightful band will one day tour my part of America! Until that fateful day happens I'm going to continue singing the praises of  Psychedelic Witchcraft
and I will keep on encouraging everyone that I know to check out this awesome act!

Australasia-Vertebra

Immortal Frost Productions
2013

Back in June of 2012 I found myself wrapped up in the sounds of Australasia's debut-recording, "Sin4tr4", which saw the fields of post-rock and post-metal expanded upon and shifted into a new beast. It was the album's change of pace atmosphere and it's willingness to embrace new elements that made "Sin4tr4" stand out. Chances are most people won't remember that review though or, if your new here, even know the name so I've posted the link below to that review. It's been a little over a year since that time and now Australasia's sophomore record, which was recorded at Last Floor Studio (San Michele Salentino) and mixed and mastered at 16th Cellar Studio (Rome) by Stefano "Saul" Morabitor, manages to effortlessly pick right up where that album left off while it also showcases the necessary growth and creative expansion needed to keep this Italian group ahead of the pack . While the new album does feature guests like Mina Carlucci and Giuseppe Argentiero of Vostok, it's multi-instrumentalist Gian Spalluto that remains the main driving force here and it's his dreams and inspirations that helped set the blue-print for album number two. The group's main influences are said to be Red Sparowes, At the Gates, Joy Division, This Will Destroy You, Angelo Badalamenti, Mogwai, Pelican, Hammock, Ennio Morricone, Rothko, Cult of Luna, Alcest and Lymbyc Systym, but all you really need to know about "Vertebra" is that it has it's own free spirit and that it lovingly encompasses the listener with radiant energy. Australasia's debut-album, "Sin4tr4", followed a similar theme, but here on "Vertebra" it's this almost dream-like atmosphere, and the way it which the group sinfully entices one with the use of synths, that stirs the emotions in a much more meaningfully way. As a group, Australasia has taken the next step in it's evolutionary development and with this album's intricate collage of post-rock, atmospheric rock, mellow metal, vintage electronics and intimate, classic guitar riffs this one is simply not to be missed!  
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