I’m dealing with limited intel here, as Encyclopaedia Metallum seems to have been brought down by the FBI – wouldn’t worry too much yet, it’s April 1^st – and the band’s own Facebook page contains a bulleted time line that I’m basically too lazy for to read.

I’m not completely in the dark though. I know EmpactiC is Polish and consists of five dudes. And that the band was formed in 2005 and has recently released its debut full-length. This album is titled Gods of Thousand Souls and contains eleven songs of a crusty sort of Melodeath. Has a bit of an Old-school flavor to it too. The album was released through Terrasound Records from Austria on January 20^th and is distributed through the German Twilight mail-order company.

My first encounter with Sadistik Forest was through a sample of the above album, which raised my interest. However, I had to beg Niek for it in order to get Death, Doom, Radiation in my lap, but it has been worth it, because this album is a tiny little gem in the big sea of Death Metal releases.

This album delivers us a pounding old-school Death sound, which gets me bouncing up and down each and everytime I spin Death, Doom, Radiation. The style of Thrash-infused old school Death Metal isn’t new, but the songs are memorable and this is actually a really sophisticated record. With Sadistik Forest, it’s all in the little details, as the awesome logo shows too.

Sniff a smelly armpit and scratch your sack. Have a sip from the dead beer you’re still holding in your hand. It’s time to rise and fuckin’ shine people. Smash play on your stereo and bust that hangover with a shot of cheap scotch and burb. Louder please. If that’s what a typical morning looks like for you, I’ll bet you’ll like Burning Hatred too.

Why so stereotypical? Well, because quite frankly my fellow Dutchmen from Burning Hatred are what you’d call the stereotypical Death Metal outfit. Couple of unfit, longhaired guys that are just a bit too old for their trade. Got stuck in time twenty years ago, judging by their fashion statement, and it’s probably the last time they saw a barbershop from the inside too. Or a razorblade. Except the drummer maybe. Drummers are the only band members that ever grow up and have kids. Two daughters probably and they pull dad a little more down into reality. It’s brilliant such stereotypes actually exist.

Why? Because it allows all those other Metalheads who’ve left their head in 1992 to stay right where they are. It’s also fantastic that these chaps can be themselves without caring a hairy rat’s arse about what anyone else thinks. It’s why I love Metal! Anyfuck, Burning Hatred isn’t even that old a band; they started in 2002, did a couple of demos and shit and then had a massive exodus of members. Four out of five members took off, leaving only guitarist Martin to pull the cart. Didn’t take long before he found himself four new band members though, and they quickly set out to do an EP, titled Unleashed, which was released in early 2011. Let’s review!

Freshly formed Canadian no-nonsense Death Metal outfit Xyphos recently self-released a short, two-song single into Metaldom. It’s the second thing they release after formation date, somewhere in 2010. What Comes Before was a four-song EP, released in early 2011. A Casual Stroll through the Lunatic Asylum – which I think is a brilliant title and highly descriptive of the slightly sense-absorbing atmosphere that characterizes the two songs – followed in late January of this year.

The four men from Toronto take the bulk of their inspiration from classic DM bands, including Cannibal Corpse, Immolation, Death, Gorguts and Morbid Angel and the result is something that sounds like a fist in the teeth: brutal, shattering and with complete disregard for feelings and emotions. Fans of the old-school Death Metal sound will definitely find something they like here.

If you’ve been with us for a long time, you may remember that last May we had an out-of-the-ordinary post in which we presented just one thing: an album cover. It was the cover for an album then-to-be-titled The Ethereal Throne, in production by a Swedish band we’ve been following around for a while like a small dog sniffing a big dog’s arse. The band’s formed by two dudes, Patrik Carlsson and Andreas Åkerlind and though the album in question, their fourth since they started out in 2003, was supposed to be released still in 2011, they did launch it until January of this year.

I do not mind, for the simple reason that I know Patrik a little from over the internetz and I know these guys are a bunch of perfectionists. I’ve noticed it from their previous material as well. So a delay of a few months is probably fully attributable to this and must have had a beneficial effect on the record’s quality. I mean, it shows: this album is pure quality in a thick volumeous sauce of awesome with pinches of hot shit and drops of delicious old-school punch in the teeth. I mean: it’s good!

It’s been a while since I wrote a review, since my life has been filled with mock exams, auditioning for pop-rock bands (sorry guys, there’s more girls in that area), and the like. Encirclement has been lying around for a long time, so I decided to give it the final eyes closed spin, and jump onto it.

Although some people would’ve put old-school Death Metal as the genre for this album, I’m a bit hesitant. Yes, Encirclement clearly shows a Death-influence. But, where Death is clean, sophisticated and tight, these guys are harsh, raw and heavy. So, style-wise I’d place them somewhere between old-school death metal, for their death influences, and death ‘n roll for their rolling rhythms. Old-school Death ‘n Roll anyone?

Sidestepping their Brutal Death Metal roots, Dutch quintet Toxocara have embraced a slightly different angle on their third album AtmosFear. Understandable, given the significant line-up change they underwent, but at least there are some remnants of the older style, now mixed in with some industrial and Tech-Death touches. Their main aims seem to be intensity and speed, both of which they achieve with much aplomb, and display a maturity that can only be gained from each of the members having his own respective bands on the side.

Ignoring the frankly strange title-track intro of children singing, the first proper track Black Widow kicks off nicely with a blazing fury of Technical Death Metal, powered by human drum-machine William Vlierman, who dominates much of the album. An echo of The Monolith Deathcult is present (logically given they share Martijn Moes as guitarist), but they also incorporate elements of Obscura in the solos from Moes and Vince Zwarts, and some tasteful melodic lines.

After we reviewed Krokmitën’s 46-minute one-shot of Experimental Death Metal, Alpha-Beta, last week, it seemed like a good idea to shoot some questions over to the band and get some clarification on this very conceptual and freaky-as-fuck album from them. Turns out that when we hooked up with Simlev, guitarist, vocalist, main writer and main man, it wasn’t a good idea, but a great idea. To understand Alpha Beta you need to get back into the band’s history. And that’s precisely what we’ve extensively done. Though we haven’t forgotten the future either.

Honestly, this was one of the most pleasant and insightful interviews I’ve undertaken to date. Thanks to Simlev for spilling his guts and giving us an awesome interview!

In August, a Canadian band named Krokmitën released a 46-minute album they had worked on since 2005. Though a long time to cover just one record, it isn’t abnormal and wouldn’t have dropped my jaw. What did is the fact that this album is really just one ”song” and actually more than that. Because in addition to 46 minutes of Old-school-type Experimental Death Metal, the album features professionally made but freaky-as-fuck animations alongside.

Alpha-Beta is like an experience, I found, similar to a movie or play, even so when just listening to the music without the animations. In fact, that’s how I listened to the release the first four or five times and I can tell you that it’ll still achieve that effect that way.

We’ve got the full 46-minute bloodsucker streaming down below – in four pieces, because it’s too lengthy for YouTube – but you can also go to the band’s home page to download the full thing freely and legally.

Metal out of Sweden today, by a four-piece named Asylium. An Architecture of Human Desolation is their first full-length accomplishment and it was released into the world in June of this year. I’ve been on it for a couple of days now and I can tell you it’s loud. Grinding. Heavy. Hard. Raw. Crude. And not for fuckin’ pussies.

An Architecture of Human Desolation is a bit like Grindcore for people with extra big balls. It has the same integral crudeness and hardness, just played at extra brutal amp settings and with an overload of sharp hooks and leads. A concept that should be familiar. But does it really work?