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Friday, May 16, 2014

Neptune - Prelude To Nothing - Album Review

Year: 2013

Italy is not a country known to many in terms of metal music. Very few bands come out of Italy but each of them is so power packed that nothing can raise a finger at them and point out that they're doing this part wrong or anything regarding their music. Neptune is just a perfect example of that. Getting influenced from Swedish bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquility, the band changed their sound from death metal to melodic-death metal with time. And after a gap of 5 years they released their 2nd album 'Prelude To Nothing' in December 2013.



Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Frostwork / Cruelty's Heart - Beyond Bloody Banners Far And Haunted Winters Graven - Album Review

Year: 2014

Europe is the hub for black metal. Though black metal exists outside Europe, the European bands have the better quality and quantity. UK is one place which played a vital role in the shaping of this genre with bands like Venom giving a big boost to black metal. But today, there are very few black metal bands from the UK. Is the black metal scene there dwindling? Or is it just a myth? Judging by this release, it sure looks to be the latter. 


Saturday, May 10, 2014

Landskap - I (LP) - Album Review

Year: 2014

Very few bands are able to make music like  free flowing water, with little or no friction. From the streets of London, England comes the psychedelic rock / doom metal band Landskap, to do just that and achieves it beyond everyone's expectations. With shades of funeral doom all over its music, Landskap (Swedish for landscape) brings out a very simple and no frills debut EP record through Iron Bonehead Productions.


Friday, May 9, 2014

Septuagint - Negative Void Trinity EP - Album Review

Year: 2014

In the warmth of an early may morning I felt a cold I hadn’t felt in a long time. Sitting in my room I was taken by surprise. I had had the EP for over a month, and had been sleeping on the latest Septuagint release. I was afraid of what I was going to hear. Not that black metal scares me- it was that I wasn’t sure what I was going to hear would agree with my idea of this specific genre. Truth be told it took me back to a mix CD my elder brother had given me. It was a plethora of noise that was so alien to me I didn’t know if I hated it or loved it. 'Negative Void Trinity' did just that, it confused me. There were elements all too familiar yet it was unique to itself.


Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Orion - On The Banks Of Rubicon EP - Album Review

Year: 2013

The one aspect that everyone universally expects from music is memorability. Be it any genre, the listeners always want to hear something that will stay with them for a while after they've listened to the album. When dealing with a genre like death metal, catchy song writing is a particularly hard feat to achieve. So death metal bands instead, focus on technicality and brutality as opposed to catchiness. So when I stumbled upon a death metal band that was both progressive and immensely memorable, it came as a surprise indeed.


Friday, May 2, 2014

Trobar - Charivari - Review

Year: 2014

This album 'Charivari' by the band Trobar is indeed an adventurous experience. Some songs like ‘Troubadors’ have a dark and yet beautifully orchestrated presence which come together as if it were a collage depicting one thing from a lot of different pieces. With that said, I need to elaborate on the fact that the vocals bring out a demonic feel to the music while the music presented itself is both elegant and beautiful, so this could be mixed form on a whole.



Thursday, May 1, 2014

ZEX Premiere New Music Video For New Single 'Savage City'

Year: 2014

Ever wonder what happened to the good old days of music where bands just liked to kick back and have some fun without focusing too much on sounding technical, brutal or progressive? I'm talking about the type of music that just makes you rock out without a care in the world. 

ZEX, a four piece from Ottawa, Canada are all just about that - rocking out old school style.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Church Of Disgust - Unworldly Summoning - Album Review

Year: 2014

Which is the worst kind of death? Most people would say that the worst kind is the kind that takes it's time to slowly kill a person, while relishing every moment of it as the person suffers in agony. As ghastly and disturbing the thought is, this is the flavour that is captured in the music of Church of Disgust, a death metal band from San Marco, Texas. This is a band that unleashes a gargantuan wall of sound capable of crushing anything and everything in its path.


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Insane Prophecy - Apogee Of An Inquisition - Album Review

Year: 2012

Never judge a book by it's cover. This is something which can be applied to any field and any situation and even metal is not an exception. I say this because every time I listen to this band, I am reminded of how I first got introduced to them. It happened a few months back when I was attending Black Metal Krieg 3. Although I was familiar with most bands on the roster, Insane Prophecy had always been that one band which I had heard only in passing and never really paid serious attention to. So when a couple of short, nerdy looking kids got on stage, I was quite surprised and completely oblivious to the hell these guys were about to unleash. So that's why I say, never judge a band based on their looks. 


Saturday, April 19, 2014

Interview with Multinational Corporations

Year: 2014

Multinational Corporations is band that every underground zine has been going crazy about. Their debut EP 'Jamat-al-Maut' has been praised by critics all around the globe and with good reason. 

'Jamat-al-Maut' is a short yet powerful crust punk / grindcore record that makes a strong impression with its crusty punk music and hard hitting lyrics. The EP now gets a CD release through Salute Records by the end of April, followed by a cassette release by Extreme Terror Productions.

We got an opportunity to talk to the duo behind this strong release and here’s how it went...


Friday, April 18, 2014

Cognitive - Cognitive - Album Review

Year: 2014

When I ask you to describe a band that truly represents what death metal is, your mind will probably hark back to the old school legends like Death, Possessed and Cannibal Corpse, right? Now let me ask you another question. Name bands that represent all aspects of death metal including progressions, technicality, brutality and melody. Well, whatever few bands pop into your head, it's time that you added another band to that list. I'm talking about Cognitive, a new band hailing out of New Jersey.


Monday, April 14, 2014

Coshish - Firdous - Album Review

Year: 2013

It was truly a delight to review this album ‘Firdous’ by the band Coshish. Truly the word to signify this album is pure and utmost elegance. The drumming in particular was very well done and the other elements in the songs such as the melodic progressions and the high range singing which went well together brought out a beautiful sense of music you’d just get yourself immersed in.



Saturday, April 12, 2014

Grossty - Grossty - Album Review

Year: 2013

These days, metal bands try too hard to stand out in an already overcrowded genre. They try to be more brutal, more technical and more dark, that in the process their albums become a type of a serious affair. In such a time, perhaps the only way to stand out is to let go of the usual conventions and just have fun with the music. That is a concept well understood by Bangalore based grind band, Grossty, as illustrated in the band's self titled debut. By being random, the band has crafted for itself, a sound that can be instantly associated with them.


Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Interview with Grossty

Year: 2014

Urban Dictionary defines Grossty as something which “Describes something so revolting in nature that the words gross or nasty alone would not be enough”.

Grossty have grown up in the Grind hub of Asia-Bangalore. Their music is unpredictable and fun, and that’s what sets it apart from others. The band is scheduled to play at the Transcending Obscurity Fest along with bands like Albatross, Djinn & Miskatonic , Fragarak ,Gutslit, Insane Prophecy ,Cosmic Infusion, Orion and Stark Denial

We had a little chat with them before the gig:


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Shroud Of The Heretic - Revelations In Alchemy - Album Review

Year: 2014

The occult and metal have always shared a close relationship. Over the years, numerous band have incorporated themes of the occult and esotericism into their lyrical content and at times, even the music itself. Bands succeed more often in the former, than the latter, because attempts mixing occult themes with the song writing often end up sounding cheesy. Shroud of the Heretic is a band that succeeds where most other bands fail, as they conjure up one of the most twisted and evil sounding record to come out this year.


Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Hiss From The Moat - Misanthropy - Album Review

Year: 2014

Bands that usually do a mix of black and death metal often tend to stick to the old school roots of both the genres. It is quite rare to see a band mix both the styles in their modern version. It is not to say such bands do not exist. However, they are very few and far in between. The few bands that do exist are unjustly grouped under the tag of blackened deathcore and are often overlooked, as the mix of styles does not come off very effectively. That is not the case for Hiss from the Moat, which is the side project of Hour of Penance drummer James Payne.


Monday, March 31, 2014

Multinational Corporations - Jamat-al-Maut - Album Review

Year: 2014

No matter how many styles exist out there, that speak about rebelling against authority, none would ever come close to the glory of Punk. This is the music that stands for rebelling against any and all forms of oppression. Alas, this music of the rebels has fallen from its former glory and today there are only a handful of bands that still adhere to this style. Multinational Corporations is one such duo, hailing from Lahore, Pakistan.


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Bookakee - Whorrific - Album Review

Year: 2013

A band’s name and how they look, is as important as how their music sounds. All first impressions are made from the name and the appearance of the band. So when I googled Bookakee, I got pictures of men in black paint, covered in what could only be described as Hulk semen. Plus, the name of the band itself is a tongue in cheek reference to a pornographic act. Usually, when bands go for such daring names and looks, their music usually is a joke. That is not the case of Bookakee fortunately.


Saturday, March 22, 2014

Sabbath Assembly - Quaternity - Review

Year: 2014

This beautiful album entitiled ‘Quaternity’ by the band Sabbath Assembly, who refer to themselves as ‘Sacred Folk-Metal’ was a delight to review. This album portrays deep meaning in every song as the drummer Dave Xtian Nuss and vocalist Jamie Myers bring life to church hymns in their own interpretations.


Friday, March 21, 2014

Harlott - Origin - Album Review

Year: 2013

Something happened when I listened to this record. It was a cold evening in the north eastern Arizona in winter, and the only sounds were that of the traffic on the highway. Under the sound of the distant cars I sat outside somewhat loathing what I was about to hear. Although I had made up my mind to explore the current underground thrash movement, I was convinced that there wasn’t going to be anything to smile about. The judgment was made on prior experience with current thrash bands. One thing was for sure, and that was, I wasn’t ready for what I was about to hear.


Thursday, March 20, 2014

Sammath - Godless Arrogance - Album Review

Year: 2014

There are two types of people in this world. A normal music fan would look upto his music and expect to find something that soothes him and relaxes him. Then there is the other kind that look upto their music and expect something powerful and ferocious, something that takes him on a dark and wild ride. Black metal is a genre that often caters to the second category and this is a band that should satisfy anyone looking for a vicious force to impact him. Sammath has been an underground powerhouse since the dawn of the genre itself and though it hasnt gotten the same amount of recognition as it’s Norwegian and Swedish peers, this band has been putting out raw and insanity filled black metal over the past 20 years.


Monday, March 17, 2014

Brood Of Hatred - Skinless Agony - Album Review

Year: 2014

Though I know that metal exists all over the world, Africa is one continent that I am not so familiar with in terms of metal. Recently I encountered a band from Tunisia, before which I didn’t even know that they had metal there. I decided to give this band a listen and since then, this band has not left my playlist. The band that I am talking about is Brood of Hatred. This is a band that managed to shatter all my expectations and offer something (almost) new.


Monday, March 10, 2014

Diabolus Arcanium - Spellbound - Album Review

Year: 2014

Black metal is one sub-genre of metal which I believe is very versatile and can only turn out to be good if it's written and played with heart. If you're only playing black metal because it's cool and you're not passionate, you will never be a good black metal artist. It's not worth it if it's not from heart and you dont feel every moment of it. I'm not a fan of pure black metal but I love symphonic black metal, because I feel it to be more emotional and connecting than just black metal. It has that emotional connection that tells you it's written from heart. In the countries like India, black metal is a very rare genre. You'll find metal bands of all genres but not usually black metal.


Saturday, March 8, 2014

Kimi Kärki - The Bone Of My Bones - Album Review

Year: 2013

Kimi Kärki is not a person very well known in metal industry, maybe because his bands are underground and very few people know about them. Even those who know the bands he is in, don't really know how great he is. For those who don't know anything about Kimi Kärki, let me tell you about him. He started as a guitarist for progressive rock band Orne and later joined the doom metal band Lord Vicar.


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Battery - Armed With Rage - Album Review

Year: 2014

Whenever you meet a fan of thrash metal and ask that person what his / her favourite album is, there is a very high chance that the person will name an album from the 80’s. If there is one thing to be learnt from this, it is that the best way to do thrash metal is the old school way. This is a fact that many of the modern thrash bands seem to understand and very often, they’re seen trying to emulate that old school thrash sound. But then again, there are only a few modern thrash bands that seem to be capable of truly evoking the 80’s thrash spirit. Judging by their debut album, Battery from Denmark is a band that both understands the old school ideology and is also successful in imitating it.


Solstice - Death's Crown is Victory - Album Review

Year: 2013

Time after time, music becomes more demanding in daily life. With all the stress and life keeps you dragging into the depressive part of life too. All the responsibilities and the ever crumbling wall of positive energy just makes you want to break the face of every person you come across. Fear not! Metal is here! Metal is there to make it go away or maybe it's upto you to decided to let go of everything and listen something awesome as the genre of metal.


Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Mantar - Death By Burning - Album Review

Year: 2014

Music according to me has to evolve. For a musician to get the best out of his talents, he/she should feel free to step out of their comfort zones once in a while. In all the years that metal has existed, repetition has become something very common and to be honest, it is quite annoying to see bands creating the same type of music over and over again. This brings me to the two man band from Hamburg, Germany, which goes by the name of Mantar. This is a band that manages to showcase their potential through their debut album. But there is something about this album, that doesn’t quite feel right.


Monday, March 3, 2014

Whispered - Shogunate Macabre

Year: 2014

The band with it's unique touch of japanese elements orchestrated in every song was absolutely beautiful and well executed. Indeed the songs showed dexterity and much attention to detail with every section of the song being greater than the last. It was truly a treat to review this album 'Shogunate Macabre' by the band Whispered hailing from Finland. It is amazing what good music and the quality of metal bands that come from Finland. The composition of the each song is a work of art and to be precise each different from the other and having it's own unique form to show.


Sunday, March 2, 2014

Iron Dogs - Free and Wild - Album Review

Year: 2013

While the band brands itself as 'speed metal' they take a mild but different approach compared to the new bands coming out with catchy and explosive music out of Finland or the USA. This album 'Free And Wild' felt as if a caged animal had been let loose and it's rampage was felt evident afterwards.


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Fuoco Fatuo - The Viper Slither In The Ashes Of What Remains - Album Review

Year: 2014

Whoever claims that making slow music is easy, is clearly an ignorant fool. When music is robbed of it’s pace, there are a lot of elements that must be added to it, in order to compensate for that loss of pace. If done poorly, the resultant could be a monotonous drone capable of boring the heck out of anybody who listens to it. So evidently, a lot of skill is required to make slow music that is captivating and enjoyable, and not boringly monotonous. There are quite a few bands capable of this feat and the newest addition to the list is Fuoco Fatuo from Italy.


Monday, February 24, 2014

Woslom - Evolustruction - Album Review

Year: 2013

Brazil has remained one of the favourite place for all the thrash fans across the globe for the quality and the number of thrash bands that have emerged from this football crazy country. Woslom is another one of those bands which keeps the thrash flag high in the continent and has managed to create its own identity in the midst of the emergence of the dozens of thrash bands with each passing day. Over the years after listening to dozens of the thrash bands, I realize that thrash metal has more flavour and variety to it than most people recognise. Woslom gives you that different flavour of thrash not commonly heard these days, and its not a bad one by any means!


Thursday, February 20, 2014

Black Death From The British Isles - Featuring Abyssal and Lvcifyre

Year: 2014

Of all the subgenres in metal, two of the most extreme kinds have always been black metal and death metal. While death metal is known for its down tuned brutality and gore, black metal deals with treble high tremolo storms and hyper blast beat drumming. Ever since the inception of these two genres, bands have been trying to blend them together, to create a sound that is both brutal and sinister at the same time. I am not talking about blackened death metal. Rather, I am talking about proper black / death metal that have been blended successfully by bands like Archgoat, Preludium, Blasphemy, Necrophobic etc. I am going to introduce you to new bands that do a solid job in bringing out the best of both genres. Both bands are from the UK and both have released their sophomore full lengths recently. Though they both play similar styles of music, there are some contrasting differences that set them apart.


Monday, February 17, 2014

Gig Review - Inferno Metal Festival, Counter Culture, Bangalore

Year: 2014

Because the venue was more than 27km away from my house, I left home very early and reached the venue so early that they didn't allow me inside. I had to roam around for an hour before the gates were opened and then people got busy in beer drinking and socializing. The merch stalls were being set up and I got myself a Theorized album, which I had pre-ordered.


Saturday, February 15, 2014

The End - You Made The Rain Disappear (Demo) - Album Review

Year: 2013

While most people may disagree the inclusion of shoegaze / post black metal as a sub genre of metal, it is undeniable that it is one of the most beautiful forms of music in existence today. Here, in India though, not many bands opt to play this beautiful form of music, as bands prefer the extreme genres instead. One of the few bands that do play post black metal in India is The End, a one man project from Mumbai. Last year, this band released its first demo, which gives an insight into what the band has to offer in the near future.


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Entartung - Peccata Mortalia - Album Review

Year: 2014

Before I say anything else, I must confess something. I fell in love with this band, from the very first time I heard this album. This is a rare occasion in my case, as usually, it takes a while for me to get into a band, no matter how good they are. But there is something about Entartung, which got me addicted to their music from the very first listen. In the following paragraphs, stay with me as I try to explain why 'Peccata Mortalia' is an album that I will enjoy for years to come, without tiring of it.


Monday, February 10, 2014

Lachrymanopsia - Released EP - Album Review

Year: 2013

Death metal has always fascinated me and more so melodic death metal. Over the last few years the genre has seen an incredible number of quality bands from accross the globe. Now Lachrymanopsia is an alternative metal band with lots of melodic death influences. I had never heard of this band before and even pronouncing the name felt quite difficult for me. This a classic alternative metal and frankly I have not able to understand why they named this EP as 'Released' (Sounds too generic). The album is full of great death metal vocals which include both growling and screaming and also has lots of guitar solos.


Sunday, February 9, 2014

Human Infection - Curvatures In Time - Album Review

Year: 2014

To a person who is not into metal, death metal may appear to be one of the most obscure and underground genres of music. But to a person seasoned in the art of metal, it is general knowledge that death metal is of the most common genres in metal today with most of today’s bands opting to play it. The genre has grown so much in terms of the number of bands playing it, that there are a very few avenues left to explore within it. Most of the options and variations have been explored by bands in the past. So why exactly should one listen to another death metal band, if its all been done before? I cant speak for most bands. But in the case of Human Infection’s new album, I can point out a number of reasons why you must check them out.


Thursday, February 6, 2014

Inner Temple - Inner Temple EP - Album Review

Year: 2013

Grunge is something we don’t hear much of these days. Even harder to find is a new grunge band. Inner Temple hail out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is strange to see a grunge band coming out of Philly and naturally I expected something different out of one the toughest cities in America. Nonetheless it was a welcome listen.


Systemhouse 33 - Depths Of Despair - Album Review

Year: 2013

Though I enjoy almost every incarnation of metal in existence, bands that move away from the norm and experiment within their genres, hold a special place in my heart. The thrill of hitting the play button on an experimental album and not knowing what to expect, is something that is indescribable by mere words. Unfortunately, there are but a few handful of band here, in India, that are willing to think outside the box and experiment a little. But the few ones that do take the risk, end up doing a fine job at it. The very same can be said for Mumbai based band, Systemhouse33.



Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Interview with Chaos

Year: 2014

Thrashfest is right around the corner! Beers and riffs aplenty, Hotel United 21 in Thane on February 9 is the place to be for the no-holds-barred thrash till death mayhem that will leave you broken, beat and scarred. An amazing line-up featuring bands like Devoid, Albatross to Systemhouse 33 will satiate your appetite for destruction to your dark heart's content. Along with these stellar bands, Chaos- the thrash metal powerhouse from Trivandrum, Kerala- will be more than a welcome surprise for those haven't heard them live yet. Nikhil N.R, the guitarist of Chaos tells us about the band's humble beginnings to the recording process of their debut 'Violent Redemption'.


Monday, February 3, 2014

Interview with Halahkuh

Year: 2014

Halahkuh - as they suggest-has been borrowed from a descendant of Genghis Khan, Hulagu Khan. Their songs also invoke the same imagery of utter dominance and power.From the time they were formed, these guys have been hitting fans hard like a steamroller, gig after gig until finally they get a slot at Thrashfest, with the country's best in Thrash.

Metal Gallows interviews Halahkuh ahead of the Thrashfest.



Interview with Dr.Hex of Albatross

Year:2014

Dynamic,Powerful and Relentless -That's how one can describe Albatross's music. From 2008, these guys have been delivering a perfect amalgamation of thrash, heavy and doom metal which they have bracketed into their own genre-"horror metal". Come Thrashfest, these guys are all ready to deliver their unrelenting talent and energy upon the stage again
Metal Gallows talks to their founder and bassist Dr.Hex ahead of Thrashfest, about their plans and their future, as well as the gig.



Chaos - Violent Redemption - Album Review

Year: 2013

The state of Kerala in India has always been a hub for talented musicians. This southern state has given birth to so many talented bands, but only a few of those bands have gotten the recognition and praise that they deserve. Most of these bands are underrated and overlooked. One such talented and yet so underrated band is Chaos, from Trivandrum.


Sunday, February 2, 2014

Raining Fire and Brimstone in January: Descend, Avichi, The Kennedy Veil

Year: 2014

Well thanks for Satan Spawn for letting me write on here. This is indeed shaping up to be a good site. Here are a few releases that I reckon are good although not groundbreaking nor AOTY material by any means. Still all of them hold a charm of their own.


Saturday, February 1, 2014

Thyrien - Hymns of the Mortals - Songs From The North - Album Review

Year: 2014

I am honestly astounded by the sheer number of the good metal bands come out of Finland and among them I would strongly say that this band, Thyrien has elements which are similar to their lauded countrymen Ensiferum and Wintersun. Thyrien are not one of the more well-known names from the Finnish scene, but with their debut album, 'Hymns of the Mortals - Songs From the North' it is evident what they add to the powerful, empowering yet rustic feel of folk metal music the Finns seem to be giving birth to and by that I'm implying this band has amazing potential.


Friday, January 31, 2014

Halahkuh - Desecration EP - Album Review

Year: 2013

Let's take some old school thrash metal, chop it and mix it with some brutal, in your face type death metal and throw in some Melodies in the middle. The result is a death / thrash metal band from Pune named Halahkuh. Their debut EP 'Desecration' is as good as it gets, especially considering the fact that its a debut release. 


Monday, January 27, 2014

Perversity - Infamy Divine - Album Review

Year: 2014

Over the course of the existence of death metal, we have seen many things come, and go. But it hasn’t been until recently, that things have gone back to the basics. Time has been very good to the subgenre (death metal) as there has been growth and expansion beyond the visions that Jeff Becerra and Chuck Schuldiner had seen. We have found ourselves at point in its evolution where things have seemed to stagnate. With Perversity, they take the listener back to an age of death metal where brutality was measured in terms of heavy chuggy tremeolo riffs. It is a look back to a time when the incorporations of horror themes, were mixed with the music we so whole heartedly love.


Cris Kailer (Skies Are Illusionists) - Replicating The Sun EP - Album Review

Year: 2013

I’ve always been a staunch admirer of one man projects. That admiration comes from knowing how hard it would be to steer a musical project single handedly. As opposed to being in bands, people handling one man projects find themselves solely responsible for every tiny aspect of the music and they have the added pressure of being skilled at all instruments involved in the project. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that we don’t find many good quality one man projects these days. But the few ones that do exist continue to do a marvellous job in enthralling the listener all by themselves.


Thursday, January 23, 2014

Albatross / Vestal Claret - The Kissing Flies / Black Priest Split - Album Review

Year: 2012

Horror and heavy metal music are two things that share a very close relationship. Over the years, countless metal bands have dealt with themes of horror in their music, within various different sub genres. But barring a few artists like King Diamond, no band has exclusively dedicated to infusing their music with themes of horror. So, it is quite rare to find present day bands that do that and the following two bands belong to such a rare breed.


Monday, January 20, 2014

Trainwreck Architect - Traits Of The Sick - Album Review

Year: 2013

There was I, 7-8 years back when I first heard metal music. The first sub genre that I got into was thrash metal. Oh what a time it was, listening to The Big 4, Overkill, Kreator and what not - with head smashing riffs, those air guitars I played, that brutal voice I sang in (which I still do). Thrash metal became my favorite sub-genre of metal. Also what attracted me was that thrash metal wasn't sub-divided into more sub genres. From 30 years ago, when thrash had its initiation, till now, thrash still has kept its brutality that no other sub-genre has. Though, in all genres there is atleast one band that looks brutal and bad ass in details and introduction but equally disappointing when heard. Same goes for Trainwreck Architect.