I’m sure you’ve noticed our output is a little slower than before. For me personally the reason for that is work and craploads of other shit I need to take care of in physical life. But more importantly, there are currently some initiatives being unfolded that will drastically change the future of The Baboon. You’ll find out soon enough!
Anyfuck, Amassado! They’re a project of Italian and Brazilian musicians that has just released its debut effort, Coracao Enterrado. I have no idea what this means, but I’m positive it’s Portuguese. This puppy has been out for a while. In fact, it has been sitting in my list of stuff to review for a while as well, but for the above mentioned reasons I didn’t get a chance to look at it sooner. Will do a short but full-fledged review now though.
Hot shit alarm, people! I received a promo pack for a highly lovable group of Portuguese Metallers. They are called The Firstborn and play a style that is as familiar and comfortable as it is refreshing and exhilarating.
The Firstborn are from a place called Amora in Portugal and have been making music together since 1999. They are five guys in the most classic line-up possible and have so far churned out exactly five full-length studio albums. Nothing more, nothing less. Their latest effort, following up on 2008’s The Noble Search, is called Lions Among Men and they aired it just over a month ago.
Clock Paradox, a Finnish band, formed only three years ago, have wasted no time in developing their slightly off-kilter blend of Groove and Progressive Tech-Death Metal. Their third demo-EP The Five Precepts stirs in several influences, with a new vocalist at the helm bringing further change from their previous groove metal sound.
The band take a risky approach, kicking off the EP with the instrumental F21, featuring a mix of Opethian and Meshuggah-like riffing from Hiltunen and Karhu (The Man-Eating Tree). It’s a mid-tempo affair with some strong guitar work, and the rhythm section of Tyynismaa on bass and Kuorikoski on drums do their job, although their limelight comes later in the EP. Confusingly, any pretense at the band being an instrumental group is instantly dispelled in Footprints, when Koskela’s (Abysmalia) roar emerges under a Death Metal rumble reminiscent of Gorguts and Cynic. Within the first two minutes, the vocalist throws out a mixture of Pyrrhon-like screams and growls, both of which kick ass, along with some receded spoken-word which is less to my taste. They have, however, now dropped the cleans which Karhu provided, which only adds to the old-school feel.
Hail Metal people! I’m back again. Can I get an Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh?
I’ve got a quicky today, because, as always, I’m in over my head. It’s by suggestion of Rufio: Denial Machine.
This Chicago-based outfit arose in 2009 and completed its first record in 2010, followed in the same year by an EP. Encyclopaedia Metallum lists them as Groove Metal / Metalcore, but I’m more inclined to give them a little Progressive label as well. I dug up a couple of songs for you to enjoy.
There are many bands that can be lauded for their innovation and eccentricity, able to meld together seemingly opposing styles into a unique blend that feels more like an adventure than a collection of songs. Unfortunately, UK groove metallers Place Of The Hidden God have not quite reached this plateau, although certainly not for want of trying. The band describe the album as a journey fully open to interpretation both lyrically and musically, symbolizing struggle against control either as a personal or government-wide vendetta (appropriate enough in this current political climate). Taking two parts polyrhythmic rumbles of Meshuggah / The Ocean with one part Down / Lamb Of God, they tread the line between groovy Math Metal and Djent with their début album In Liberating the Conscience, We Free Ourselves from Restraint. Go read/watch!
Over the past time, I’ve spend my time listening to a gift from our Argentinian aunts; Delphoz are the latest South American gem presented by Las Tias Records. With their debut, laden with some high-energy Thrashy Groove Metal, the guys are ready to show the world what they’re worth.
Manifesto stands for energetic Groove Metal, it’s an angry declaration. The connection with Lamb of God and Five FInger Death Punch is quickly made, but if one digs a little deeper into the album, one will find that this connection holds little ground. Delphoz bring us music that is much more diverse, dynamic and driving.
Here’s another quick one for you guys (and those couple of girls over there, yeah, we know you’re there). I’m still up to my ass in work and was just skimming over a couple of sites before hittin’ the shower and bed when I saw on MetalSucks that there’s a live perfomance video of Deliver Us From Evil’s song Death Mortar. When I saw this news I thought “what better way for my peeps to start their Friday?”.
Niek and I are both fans of this band and you can find his review of their album Behold a Pale Horse here and his review of their EP Still I Rise here. Death Mortar is from the EP. Have a hell of a Friday!
Where my prejudice about Norwegian Metal makes me expect all Metal from Norway is Black Metal, I’ve got a similar – and equally fucked-up – rule of thumb about Sweden. It’s either Old-school Death Metal type of stuff or Melodeath that they produce there. Absolute rubbish of course and the examples are numerous. Still, it’s a bit of a default thing to expect I guess.
Today we add another entry to our list of examples that counter that coarse generalization: Humanity’s Last Breath. They’re a five-piece from the city of Helsingborg, where I know also Soilwork is from. A typical line-up of two guitars, a bass, some bongos and a voice, these guys produce something undeniably brutal and aggressive, often a shit storm of blasts and chugs, but also often melodic and harmonious. That is what I pulled from the band’s latest release, which was sent out into the world in early 2011 as their second EP since forming in 2009.
The big moment! The top four of albums I’ve reviewed this year. If you’ve missed what came before this, these four were preceded by eleven other albums in Part 1 and Part 2 of this list. Today’s four are the absolute cream of the crop.
As you’ll read on, there’s one thing you might notice: Finland’s the winner. Each and every single band in this top 4 hails out of the most Metal nation on the planet. Something I only just discovered myself. I think the Finnish are to Metal what American are to hamburgers. What Germans are to cars. And what Dutchmen are to drugs and prostitutes.
Anyfuck, I can make this a long and boring speech up front, like they do with most award shows, but I think everyone would just prefer to fuckin’ get going with this! After all, it’s Christmas Eve tonight and I’m sure you’ll want to get back to spinning Metal albums sitting under the Christmas tree.
Hey motherfuckers! I’m back from the living dead! Because that’s what I’ve been best described as over the past two weeks. Making fairly long working days of on average 16 hours and with peaks up to 20 hours turns you into a gibbering type of flesh monkey and with 80 meg Excel models crashing your computer all the time, your forehead soon turns into a bloody mess from all the headbutting the wall. I wasn’t looking too fresh.
But thankfully there was plenty of time to soak in fuckloads of Metal – at least when I wasn’t punching my laptop in the face. Just no time to write about all these fuckloads. Next to the deep-toned instrumental by Christian Olde Wolbers, one of the very few things I was able to churn out earlier, one of the most important songs to have pulled me through these weeks is Chimaira’s Year of the Snake. Every time I played the bastard its boundless energy and contained aggression breaking loose brought exactly that up in my inner being and it kept me rolling.
