Album Review: Midnight-Rebirth By Blasphemy

Athenar, the satanic one man band, has once again graced us with a new Midnight record! I am always down for a band like Midnight as the music is so dark and dingy yet so fun for what it is: Old School blackened punk rock n roll derived from bands like Venom, Bathory and Hellhammer. However, with this record we get the band evolving a bit more. Not to the point of being unrecognizable but building upon the hellish grounded sound we have come to love already.

Open with the barnstorming "Fucking Speed and Darkness", we see that the sound production has gotten bigger and badder. The Midnight I love is still there but it just sounds so much more perfect. One thing this album does expand on as well is the melody in the guitars. Sure we have pure ear slaughtering tunes like "Escape The Grave" and the wonderfully titled "Devil's Excrement" but we also have songs that hang on melody like the ending tune "You Can Drag Me Through the Fire" and even some pure oldschool punk in the form of "The Sounds Of Hell". These are minor changes from the established Midnight formula but enough to make this record feel different and fresh. Even a song like "Warning From The Reaper" that hangs heavily on a groove is just as good on the tenth play through. The only song that sort of drags is "Rising Scum" which goes for a more fist pounding and chant-like tempo that just kind of slows the album down but is still fun nonetheless.

Overall, this is a fun as "hell" metal record that is one every fan of dingy satanic heavy metal will enjoy. The sound is largely the same but even more refined and keeps the energy and interest up all the way through. This definitely shows that Midnight have been on a heavy roll the past few albums and hopefully they keep plowing through!

7/10

Album Review: Kvelertak- Splid

Kvelertak were a band that eluded me for quite some time. They were recommended to me many many times during the cycles of their last three albums but I always just forgot to give them a chance. Finally, when their new album "Splid" was announced, I figured now was the right time to give this Norwegian band a shot. What I found was some of the most unique modern Heavy Metal I have never heard from anyone else. Combining extreme metal, old school punk rock and even the melodic nature of classic rock, Kvelertak definitely sound all their own. However, with new vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen, I can safely say this may be their best album yet. 

Opening with the explosive straight forward "Rogaland", this is definitely how you start off an album. Even though the lyrics arent even in English with just about the whole album, they still know how to make it as catchy as possible. This song leads into the main single "Crack Of Doom" which features another catchy chorus and some awesome straight forward sludgy punk riffing. Up next is a song with more high energy "Necrosoft". There is even some Jerry Lee Lewis style piano in the background here in parts which is super cool. This song also shows some of the more prog-like elements of the band while keeping it catchy enough for a casual listener. Honestly just about every song on this album are a home run oozing with concrete songwriting, enough character to be diverse from each other and almost nonstop energy. From the straight hard rocking to full on thrash assault of "Fanden ta dette hull!" to the almost new wave sounding "Tevling", this albums got it all. Their new vocalist really has the charisma to match this bands energy and I'm excited to see future releases with him on the mic. Toward the end of the album, the band starts to go in the heavier prog territory especially with the epic "Delirium tremens" which is the longest song on the album. While it is an ambitious song, it unfortunately gets kind of lost throughout for me. It just drags on a bit too long for how this album is structured. However, the album ends on a very explosive note with the extreme black metal influences on full display in"Ved bredden av Nihil". 

Besides the album getting a little muddy with too much going on in the end, "Splid" is still an amazing output and still sits as my album of the year. The energy this album radiates is something I really haven't felt in a long time, especially from a more modern metal act. If you want an explosive and unique album this early in 2020, then check "Splid" out, you won't regret it.

8/10

Album Review- Skeletonwitch: Serpents Unleashed

 

Serpents Unleashed is the fifth album from Blackened Thrash metal band Skeletonwitch and was released in 2013. Like their past albums (which all kicked ass) they manage to crank out some great ripping songs but here they seem to make it still sound fresh which is what i really like from bands like this, Toxic Holocaust and plenty of others. Now lets unleash the serpents of this album (see what i did there?)

Track Rundown

1.Serpents Unleashed- This song starts out sounding like a Toxic Holocaust song who i also really dig. It then rips into some awesome thrashing riffs and Chance Garnette comes in with his awesome vocals which sound like Johan Hegg singing like Alexi Laiho. great opener really revs up the rest of the album .

2.Beneath Dead Leaves- this song has kind of the more melodic sound coming through with the power metal kind of riffs from Nate and Scott. This is the type of song that would sound amazing live with an audience almost sounds like it could be an Amon Amarth song and the drumming is pretty tight too. More epic sounding track which is pretty cool.

3.I Am of Death(Hell Has Arrived)- the second song goes right into this and this goes right back into those thrash riffs very in vein to bands like Testament and tons more of that double beat drumming which seems to never stop on this album. I really like the chorus on this song its got a good hook to it.

4.From A Cloudless Sky- another more epic sounding song which works well with SkeletonWitch's brutal sound. Its kind of repetitive but there are some different good headbanging rhythms here too and a guitar solo two in fact which sounds really fresh and pumps more life into this album.

5.Burned From Bone- awesome and very frantic song with an awesome scream from from Chance its pretty badass. this song features some really awesome fast chugging rhythms and guitar harmonizing. The solo isnt anything epic but its really cool with the riff in the backround and the bass from Evan in the backround is awesome. Favorite track on this album.

6.Unending, Everliving- Starts out a bit slower and has a cool kind of hard rock rhythm at the beginning and goes right into that fast blackened thrash playing which if i could describe my experience of this album so far its like being in a battlefield of a mosh pit which is what this album is made for. The musicianship is very superb here as well.

7.Blade On the Flesh, Blood One My Hands- some cool drum fills in the beginning with a fast doomy riff and then back into the fast playing but kind of lacking the power metal feel that the songs before had more of which is a bit of a nice change of pace. The bass with just the drums was cool to hear as well when the guitars slowly came back in which gave it that chanting hey hey kind of feel.

8.This Evil Embrace- Starts out with this interesting riff in the beginning and into this fast higher scaled riffing kind of a weaker song i felt it was kind of a filler track but its still listenable it has some good verses to sing to.

9.Unwept-  the bass again sounds really tight and thick in the beginning i like when songs begin with the bass more up front. another more epic black/ thrash kind of chorus which is where the meat of this song really is its so powerful yet emotional.

10.Born Of the Light That Does Not Shine- a cool intro where all the instruments come in a kind of seperate way and then a really cool harmonizing part in to beginning even the verse riffs harmonize which is pretty impressive.

11.More Cruel Than Weak- the beginning has a very Metallica Nothing Else Matters or Call Of Cthulhu feel to it but oddly heavier awesome opener definitely a good change of pace and how ever instrument fades in is so badass this song ends the album pretty strong for what these guys are going for.

Overall i give this album an 8 out of 10. these guys still suprisingly make their brand of thrash sound fresh while combining a kind of European power metal undertone into it. this album is not groundbreaking by any means but still an awesome listen and something to bang your head to until the next release comes along.