He may be pushing dangerously close to the 30th year of his earth-bound existence, but the inimitable Sean Hogan (ex-Haisha) is back once again for another swing at underground stardom. In the short time since Haisha’s dissolution, the Seanocidal One has formed a new project that essentially picks up where his previous band left off. Adopting the name Cthuwulf (pronounced KEY-tow-wolf), Hogan (with the assistance of drummer Gorgeous George) has chosen to spike the same «lo-fi thrash-core» vein that (almost) made Haisha famous. While the similarities between the two bands are quite apparent, there is abundant evidence that Cthuwulf is distinct from its antecedent. For instance, the presence of a human drummer is an obvious asset, as is the more focused nature of the songwriting. I have to admit that I slightly favor Hogan’s riffs for Haisha, but the grinding, high-frequency «brain drill» guitars on this demo are gradually making a believer out of me.

The influences that play a role in shaping Cthuwulf’s sound would most likely include such seminal speed/noise-core bands as Disclose and Fear of God, with a subtle dash of Gore Beyond Necropsy. However, please keep in mind that the preceding list is anything but complete. As anyone who knows Sean can attest, his familiarity with every conceivable form of extreme hardcore is downright encyclopedic. Thus, the sheer breadth of potential influences is staggering. However, those who have an interest in the bands I’ve mentioned will probably find something of interest here.

I apologize for the truncated form of this review, but at seven songs and not quite as many minutes, Cthuwulf’s blazingly fast attack comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Even after more than ten listens, I still can’t figure out where many of these tracks end and the next one begins. Add in the fact that this demo (which was recorded in May of this year) is only the first of four available, and you start to appreciate the abbreviated nature of this stuff. If anything I’ve said here sounds palatable, please let the band know about it. In my experience, Sean has always been willing to work something out with people who are interested in his projects, and a simple e-mail might very well put you on the path to a hidden dimension of underground extremes.

I remember taking it as a blatant exaggeration when Jeremy Turner (guitarist, vocalist and founding member of Origin) told me in an interview that the band plays 30% faster live, and that their new album will be faster, more aggressive and more diverse than their debut. After all, everyone playing extreme music these days makes similar promises, don’t they? If you’ve heard «Origin» (out on Relapse in 2000), you will perfectly understand why I was so skeptical about Jeremy’s words. If you haven’t heard the music of this young American band, then let me tell you this: describing your feelings after hearing an adequately accompanied sixteenth-note blastbeat (played at 200 bpm by a human drummer) is an apparently impossible task. Let’s consider a small test of logic now: would it be possible to adequately describe one’s feelings and emotions after hearing «Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas», if I told you that Jeremy was being totally accurate when he spoke of the band’s new album? All in all, mes amis, this review will be made of two parts — rational and emotional. If you’re totally into bare facts and bare facts only, I suggest that you stop reading at the conclusion of the first part.

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It’s barely been a year since Michigan’s Summer Dying originally formed, but in that short period of time, they have assembled an impressive track record that includes opening slots for such big-name touring acts as Witchery, Cannibal Corpse, The Haunted, and Dimmu Borgir. The preceding list of bands might lead one to make assumptions about this quintet’s approach to music, but I would advise against it. Summer Dying exudes a style that rests somewhere between the «second wave» of Swedish death metal, and the gothic-doom leanings of Anathema or Katatonia. Just to be fair, I’ll mention here that my affinity for bands of the former type doesn’t extend to those of the latter. However, Summer Dying seems to have a slight preference for the likes of In Flames and At The Gates, so to my ears, they are welcome addition to the scene.

Looking first at the production on this disc, I must admit to having some misgivings. While the mix is nicely balanced, there is a tendency for the lower frequencies to distort easily. I guess lowering the volume might help, but as any self-respecting metal fan knows, this is only to be done as a last resort! While this inadvertent glitch is a bit annoying at times, it really doesn’t detract from the overall listening experience. I’ve also been told (more than once) that I’m an anal-retentive prick about sound quality, so let’s just drop the issue and move on, shall we?

The next item for consideration is the song writing. The members of Summer Dying seem to possess this skill in abundance, which is a good thing considering that none of these songs is under 6 minutes in length. Each track on «Beyond The Darkness Within» shows a natural flow of well-constructed melodies, tight harmonic interplay, and definitive mood swings that honor the band’s predecessors while simultaneously taking off in a new direction. The second and third tracks (»Final Day» and «Tears Of The Fallen») are ideal examples, as both display compelling harmonies and beautiful interludes. It is here that I took particular notice of guitarists Tony Oliver and Tim Lydon, who complement each other in a manner that resembles the six-string banter between Adrian Smith and Dave Murray during Iron Maiden’s vintage years. Even so, Oliver and Lydon execute their solos with a sense of confidence and maturity that will serve them well in the upcoming years. While I’m giving props to the musicianship on this release, I also want to draw attention to bassist Bobby Bryant, whose melodic sensibility and technical flair combine to create a sound that seduces just as easily as it intimidates. When you start hearing great things about this guy in the near future, just remember that you heard about him here first!

I debated with myself regarding whether or not I should even bring this up, but I have one more complaint, which really pertains more to my subjective tastes than anything else. Vocalist Kerry Cripe turns in an excellent performance for this album, and his wide-ranging delivery (which includes both standard death vox and well-articulated «clean» singing) is well matched with the band’s intense musical output. However, I’m not very keen on some of the aforementioned «clean» sections. It’s not that they necessarily sound bad, but they bear too much similarity to Dark Tranquillity’s «Haven» album for my personal comfort (check out the review for further details).

Despite its very few minor drawbacks, fans of melodic death metal will find «Beyond The Darkness Within» to be an emotionally-moving foray into a realm where the genre’s more cliched trappings are uprooted and replaced with talent, devotion, and integrity. Check out http://www.summerdying.com for more information.

It brings me joy to finally present this interview, which was almost six months in the making. After several communication mishaps and innumerable delays, I now present a most informative conversation with Sceptic guitarist and founding member Jacek Hiro. My appreciation of this band’s technically-adept, yet intriguingly melodic take on death metal is well documented in these pages. Thus, I found it interesting that some of my critical remarks (whether positive or negative) were validated by Jacek himself in the ensuing discussion. While the members of Sceptic are undoubtedly in the midst of a difficult time in their careers, I found Jacek to be rather optimistic (albeit very honest) in his responses. Fans of Death, Cynic, and Nocturnus take heed: if you buy just one import CD for the entire year, let it be either «Blind Existence» or «Pathetic Being»!

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Когда меня предупредили, что последнее демо Silence Erebus заметно отличается от их прошлогоднего релиз, я был, мягко говоря, не в восторге. Я начал вспоминать все многообещающие группы, решившие пойти в «другом» направлении, и первыми двумя в голову пришли Gardenian и Night In Gales. Думаю, моё беспокойство было понятным. Однако, мой скептицизм моментально исчез, как только из моих колонок загремели серии сложных риффов и навороченных (почти «нескладных») ритмов, поверхность которых покрыта мрачным и звенящим продюсированием Стива Остина. Первое демо SE было однозначной экскурсией в царство мелодичного дэта, эти же новые песни идут в другом направлении — более мрачном, более хаотичном и ощутимо более техничным. Кое-что из мелодичного прошлого группы нашло своё место и здесь, но большую его часть заменили грубыми и агрессивными частями, находящимися почти (но не совсем) на грани мат-металлических наворотов таких команд, как Botch или The Dillinger Escape Plan. Те из вас, кто знаком с предыдущими продюсерскими работами Стива Остина, знают, что он придаёт довольно специфическую ауру всему, к чему он прикасается. Поначалу я не был уверен в том, как это повлияет на группу такого типа, но стилистически подкорректированная за год музыка SE прекрасно подходит для суровой и холодной атмосферы, создаваемой Остином. Кажется, эти парни поняли кое-что, остающееся неясным большинству их коллег; а именно, что неважно, насколько верно ты следуешь канонам прошедшего испытание временем жанра, рано или поздно окажется, что твои колёса крутятся в трясине. Надеюсь, какой-нибудь хороший лэйбл вмешается и превратит мечту о полноформатном альбоме Silence Erebus в реальность.

Было время, когда металлические команды питали резкую антипатию к их «классификации». Утверждать невозможность отнесения своей группы к какому-либо определённому стилю было, похоже, довольно модным делом. Гипотетическая практика «навешивания ярлычков» превратилась в объект презрения, и ряд групп очень красноречиво высказывал своё неодобрение по этому поводу. Действительно ли было так трудно классифицировать все эти команды? Конечно же, нет. На деле, определить стилевую принадлежность часто легче всего было в случае как раз самых «непокорных» групп. Я не буду даже гадать о причинах такой паранойи, но мне приятно видеть, что на сегодняшней сцене практически нет этой изысканной формы элитизма. Подходящим примером будет южноамериканская группа под именем Jailor. Термин «бразильский трэш-металл» щедро эксплуатируется их сайтом и промо-материалами, поэтому сразу же становится ясно, что эти парни не собираются впечатлять кого-либо своей претенциозностью или эклектизмом. «Religious Unpurge» является одним из наиболее прямолинейных и неумолимых релизов, услышанных мной за последнее время, причём обе характеристики работают в пользу группы. Стиль Jailor располагается примерно между ранней Sepultura и классическим евро-трэшем, причём чуть больший упор делается на первое. Несмотря на то, что некоторые места в музыке Jailor звучат очень знакомо, она уничтожающе заразительна. Ей слегка не хватает запоминающихся мелодий, но искусное исполнение и и звук выше среднего превращают этот релиз в украшение вашей коллекции.

Когда общее время звучания релиза находится в районе семи минут, наиболее циничные могут спросить: «а в чём смысл?». На это у меня есть свой контр-вопрос: а в чём проблема? Когда мои мозги подвергают полному уничтожению таких масштабов, я предпочитаю не обращать внимания на подобные детали. Benumb представлены тремя вещами головокружительного блюр-кора, перемещающего слушателя в особое место, где досуг проводят, швыряя грязные шприцы в человеческие мишени для игры в дротики. Никаких стилистических заскоков здесь не присутствует, только настоящий, чистый грайнд. Эти трэки с легкостью могли бы очутиться на любом из двух полноформатных релизов группы, а это значит, что дальнейшие описания бессмысленны. Все песни сыграны настолько быстро, что они приближаются к границе хаоса, но Benumb делают то, что они делают, а делают они это хорошо.

Pig Destroyer продолжают примерно в том же духе, представив семь трэков движимого амфетаминами адского грохота. Есть пара моментов, где музыка немного замедляется, особенно на первой вещи (»Hymns»), где гитарист Скотт Халл пробирается через несколько тактов низконастроенной тяжести (а-ля «Starbelly» с альбома «Prowler In The Yard»), прежде чем вдавить педаль в пол на «Task Master». Все остальные вещи Pig Destroyer сыграны на такой же скорости, хотя риффы сохраняют определённую чистоту, делающую их ещё более впечатляющими. Группа записала эти вещи в качестве «разогрева» в начале 2000 года, поэтому я немного озадачен тем, почему они ждали так долго, прежде чем выпустить их. Учитывая временные рамки, можно предположить, что музыка Pig Destroyer на этом сплите сочетает сырую брутальность «Explosions In Ward Six» с более утончённым подходом вышеупомянутого «Prowler In The Yard», и по большому счёту, такое предположение оказывается правильным. Несмотря на то, что я имею свойство хмуриться даже при упоминании того, что Pig Destroyer записали кавер на что-то, они неплохо переиграли вещь «Fuck You Up And Get High» группы The Dwarves. Конечно, замена кавера оригиналом была бы весьма кстати, но я отвлёкся…

В общем, этот диск относится к той категории релизов, которые заставляют слушателя включить автоповтор на их стереосистеме и продолжить упражнения в звуковом изнасиловании. Достаньте и будьте сокрушены.

When I received warning that the latest Silence Erebus demo was «different» from their 2001 release. I was less than enthused. I began thinking back on every promising band that has ever opted for a «different» sound after establishing themselves with a strong demo or debut release. The first two that came to mind were Gardenian and Night In Gales. Thus, I think my concern was warranted. My skepticism was all for nought, however, when a series of intricate riffs and complex (almost awkward) rhythms flew from my speakers with Steve Austin’s bleak and metallic production coating every surface. While SE’s first demo was a steady excursion into the realms of melodic death, these newer songs set out in a direction that is darker, more entropic, and considerably more technical. Some of the melodic stuff is still here, but much of it has been replaced by a raw and more aggressive element that almost (but not quite) borders on the math-metal complexities of such outfits as Botch or The Dillinger Escape Plan. Those of you who are familiar with Steve Austin’s previous production credits know that he lends a rather specific aura to everything he touches. I was at first unsure of how his methods would affect a band of this type, but SE’s stylistic adjustment over the intervening year is a perfect fit for Austin’s cold and harsh atmospheres. It seems that these guys have figured out a few things that still elude most of their peers; namely, they realize that no matter how faithfully you cling to a tried and true genre, you’ll eventually end up spinning your wheels in quicksand. Hopefully, a worthy label will step in and make the prospect of a full-length Silence Erebus album a reality.

There was once a time when metal bands had a bitter aversion to being «classified». Apparently, it was pretty hip to claim that one’s band defied categorization. The supposed practice of «labelling» became an object of contempt, and several acts were rather vocal in their disapproval. Were all of these bands really that difficult to pigeon-hole? Of course not. In fact, the most defiant ones were often the easiest to label. I won’t even speculate on the reasons for such the paranoia, but it’s good to see that today’s scene is virtually unhindered by this subtle form of elitism. My case in point is a South American band by the name of Jailor. The term «Brazilian Thrash Metal» is used liberally throughout their web site and promo materials, so it’s immediately clear that these guys aren’t out to impress anyone with their pretentiousness or eclecticism. «Religious Unpurge» is one of the more straightforward and unforgiving releases I’ve heard lately, with both characteristics working in the band’s favor. Jailor’s style resides somewhere between early Sepultura and classic Euro-thrash, with slightly more emphasis on the former. While their sound is overly familiar in spots, it is scathingly infectious as well. This stuff is a little short on notable melodies, but the tight musicianship and above-average production make this one a keeper.

Over the past year, I’ve embarked on the task of cataloguing my vinyl collection. My traditional method or organization has involved filing each title alphabetically. More recently, I’ve decided to categorize by genre. If you were to look under the heading «80’s Power/Thrash», for instance, you would find such albums as Anthrax’s «Fistful Of Metal», Flotsam and Jetsam’s «Doomsday For The Deceiver», and Fates Warning’s «The Spectre Within». These bands (among others) pioneered a sound that merged strident heaviness with memorable, yet powerful melodies. With that in mind, I was somewhat surprised upon spinning Byfist’s «Adrenalin» EP, because they embrace the aforementioned «power/thrash» style with an obsessive fury. Even the production carries a retrospective flair that will have you squeezing into your sleeveless, patch-ridden denim jacket in no time. Were it not for the near-disappearance of the genre around 1990 or so, my giddiness over this release might not be so profound. But simply put, very few modern bands are attempting anything remotely similar to Byfist’s tuneful, pummeling assault on the senses.

In looking over Byfist’s promo materials, I came across some interesting facts which might help to explain their «retro» leanings. Originally formed in 1987, the group released just one single and a full-length album before disbanding in 1991. I’m not sure when the four songs on this EP were recorded, but it certainly could have been during that time period. Ex-Metal Church vocalist David Wayne gets credit for handling the production, and another 80’s metal legend named Joe Floyd (ex-Warrior) stepped in as engineer. As you might expect, the sound here is purely analog, but that only adds to it’s old-school charm. Many younger fans (and probably a few older ones as well) will dismiss this «Adrenalin» as «hackneyed» or «dated» , but I beg to differ. Acts such as Byfist are filling a much-needed void in the current scene. Exceedingly few bands have the courage to stand by their roots, and for that reason alone, this band deserves your respect.

At present, I’m stuck with the task of describing Byfist’s music to people who were probably not around when the band’s stylistic mentors first invaded our turntables. If you’re not familiar with the bands I’ve already mentioned, you probably won’t be familiar with those that follow, either. However, I’m truly hoping that at least some of you will take the time to get acquainted with these obscure 80’s icons. With that in mind, I must admit that I’m hearing a lot of «vintage era» Metal Blade bands in Byfist’s sound, the first of which is Attacker (check out «Battle At Helm’s Deep» for a power metal album that is actually good… a true rarity, IMO). Secondly, it seems that Omen played a significant role in influencing several cuts (try to get a hold of «The Curse» for a similarly ear-opening experience). Oddly enough, I might even suggest early Overkill as a possible inspiration here and there (the albums «Feel The Fire» and «Taking Over» are a good point of reference — both were released by Megaforce). Admittedly, I will probably have a hard time convincing newer metal fans to give Byfist a chance. Just the same, I sincerely believe that an embracing audience is out there, somewhere. If any part of this review sounds palatable, please check these guys out at http://www.byfist.com.