CD Review: EMBALMING THEATRE Re-Animated Tomb Contents (Live at Sedel) (Give Praise Records) by Victor Varas

EMBALMING THEATRE

Re-Animated Tomb Contents (Live at Sedel)

Give Praise Records

Released October 9, 2016

Since first time I heard grind-death metal bands, I’m convinced that musicians involved in the genre must have prodigal memory for those twenty – something tracks in the albums. Not to mention in live shows. This case is a 27 tracks example of aforementioned, and definitely worth to listen. Coming from Switzerland, this band was formed in 1995 and based most of the noise in Napalm Death’s style, plus thick roots in punk music, of course. We are talking about a band that knows the business, and on this live album sounds quite tied. Musically speaking, they have chaotic and nasty guitar riffs, and as the genre demands, almost all tracks are short but deadly. For those who wonder what inspires these artists to create a bizarre opus like this, well this is real, as the band states that all lyrics are based on true stories. Also, I liked this apocalyptic sound made in DIY attitude behind the table mix. It seems like it was a very rotten and stinky show in the underground scene. Do you complain? I don’t. On this live album you will find cover versions of songs from Napalm Death, Nasum and Mortician. Nice! -Victor Varas

Track list:

1. Instru-mental/Pornmatic Drive

2. Dead, Stolen, Hacked Up and Raped

3. Lucid Fairytale (Napalm Death cover)

4. Amputation of the Wrong Leg

5. I Married a Corpse

6. Shoes Made of Human Skin

7. Coin Locker Baby

8. Shotgun Vasectomy

9. Dennis Andrew Nilsen (Dahmer cover) 01:24

10. My Home Is Necropolis Pt. 2

11. DDD Dog Driver Death

12. Flesh Eating Bacteria

13. Vasectomy by Lobster

14. Baby in the Fridge

15. Headbowling

16. My Wife in Concrete Pt. 1

17. Red Carcass River

18. With a Hammer to the Slammer

19. Four Brains, One Hand and One Foot in My Luggage

20. Someone Else in My Coffin

21. We Ate Daddy

22. Bake the Baby

23. Dying Funeral Procession Carnage at the Cemetary

24. Suffocation in the Sandbox

25. Cut to Fit (Nasum cover)

26. Zombie Apocalypse (Mortician cover)

27. Satanist (Filthy Christians cover)

CD Review: VULTUR Vulture's Beak

VULTUR

Vulture's Beak

War Productions

http://warproductionspt.bandcamp.com

Here we go with another gem from Greek underground scene. This piece of morbidity is a demo, and spits fours tracks full of corrosive death metal ala early wave in ‘90s, in USA. You will hear nothing but a bunch of destructive guitar riffs, explosive drums, and low gutturals, which seems to be drowned in blood. Everything here sounds putrid and corrupted like an open tomb, and I have to say recording can’t be better for a demo: all sounds clear and direct to the skull. Let’s say that these guys took the essence of real death metal genre, and give us a particular perspective of rottenness and morbidity, rooted in old names like Autopsy, Obituary, Morgoth, Death, etc. If you ask me, after I heard this short demo I’m still hungry, and I can’t wait for the release of debut full length album. It’s highly recommended for those who worship stinky death metal and morbid vocals, really. -Victor Varas

Track list:

1. Entangled In The Webs Of Fear

2. Vulture's Beak

3. Murder Castle

4. Incubation Of Grimness

Interview with Jaqueline Blownaparte of KINGS COUNTY CASKET COMPANY by Dave Wolff

Interview with Jaqueline Blownaparte of KINGS COUNTY CASKET COMPANY

Kings County Casket Company is a new project founded with Anthony Begnal, whom you work with in Chesty Malone and the Slice ‘Em Ups. What are the differences between this project and CM&TSEU?

Me and my partner in crime Anthony Begnal have always been fans of country music and I always mentioned how I wanted to dabble into playing that kind of music for fun. So we whipped out his acoustic guitar and bam, Kings County Casket Company was born. It is very different from Chesty Malone and the Slice 'Em Ups. For one thing, it's acoustic. Just me and Anthony and when we start playing shows perhaps we'll get an occasional second guitarist to sit in.

Was it your idea to start Kings County Casket Company as a country/punk band? How long had you harbored the idea before you went ahead and founded it? What is the band name intended to mean?

We wanted to make sure the project made it clear that "yeah, that's still the Chesty Malone spirit!" so we wanted to make sure whatever name we chose still evoked our spooky side. Kings County Casket Company just kinda flowed naturally as we’re Brooklyn residents. For years I've wanted to display my abilities to be a more versatile singer than what people generally know me for in Chesty Malone and the Slice 'Em Ups, and Anthony prior to Chesty had a country inspired band so it just worked well and the songs came out naturally.

In what ways will KCCC evoke the spirit you and Anthony channel through the Slice ‘Em Ups? Is this country punk project the first of its kind to come from New York to your knowledge?

I'm not too hip on the scene so your guess is as good as mine haha. It’s us, for one thing and we are who we are whatever we're doing and people know what to expect of us and our twisted brand of music.

Are there country singers you and Anthony listen to often, who you would cite as influences? Do you gravitate more toward mainstream country or underground country (Hank Williams III etc)?

As Hank III states, "I'm here to put the "dick" in Dixie and the "cunt" back in country 'cause the kind of country I hear now days is a bunch of fuckin' shit to me... if you know what I'm thinkin' You'll know that pop country really sucks".

How soon do you expect to do live appearances? Have you considered making a full working band of KCCC?

We're still getting the word out that we have this new project. I think when we first announced online that we were starting a country band people thought we were joking around and then they were like “oh, wow you're really doing that!” That's why we decided to shoot a music video on January 2nd at Lucky 13 Saloon, so we can give people an idea of what we're really doing here. The band is just me and Anthony. It would be fun to have guest musicians here and there but if you come see us it's likely just going to be the duo.

Is the video for a single track or a complete show? Why was Lucky 13 chosen as your filming site? I noticed on Facebook you are looking for extras to appear in the video. Have people contacted you interested in filling any of those spots?

We will be filming a music video for our version of the Venom classic "In League With Satan." It will be a super fun cheesy nod to classic country videos complete with line dancing, beer flowing shenanigans... and maybe some devil costumes. We are filming at Lucky 13 Saloon in Brooklyn because aside from it being our favorite bar/place for Chesty Malone to play, I also tend bar there. So it seemed like an ideal situation. When it's done it will be uploaded to YouTube for everyone's viewing pleasure. Indeed, it's gonna be a good time!

Venom’s original version of In League With Satan is heavy on drums as well as guitar. How are you and Anthony translating the song into country?

You'll have to wait and hear it!

The band recently completed the recording process on a debut EP for which Anthony designed the cover art. How does his artwork fit the songs recorded for the EP? Did he also design the logo for the band?

The artwork came out awesome! Anthony took a bunch of great shots in Greenwood Cemetery. The EP's title is "Tombstones and Monuments". The songs cover all true country values: drinking, heartbreak and a little bit of Satan. Anthony does all the artwork for both projects.

Which two songs did you cover for inclusion on Tombstones and Monuments? What songs might you cover on future releases?

We did our own versions of Venom "In League with Satan" and Gordon Lightfoot "Sundown" and Chesty Malone and the Slice 'Em Ups "Ghouls and Gangs". I don't know if there will be covers on the next release. Our material for live performances now is a set of half covers and half originals.

Where is Greenwood Cemetery and why was this location chosen for the photo shoot?

It's a huge famous cemetery conveniently located a few blocks from Chesty HQ. We didn't originally plan on taking photos there, we just ended up there on our walk around shoot.

Describe the songs that were recorded for Tombstones and Monuments and who penned the lyrics to each. Did you go to a recording studio to cut the EP or record it independently?

We recorded it independently from the comfort of Chesty HQ. Two songs on the EP are covers. A few are songs Anthony wrote and performed in a previous band years ago. The others we wrote together.

What equipment do you and Anthony use to record with? How much creative freedom does recording at home give you?

Chesty HQ is equipped with the finest giant skulls, jugs, guitars around so it satisfied our every need.

Are you and Anthony collaborating on the lyrics to KCCC’s material? Your Facebook community page has a sneak peek of the band in which you preview one of your songs. What’s the title of that song and who wrote it?

He writes some ideas, I wrote some lyrics. We work well as a team. The song on our page is "No One's Cryin'" and it's a song his old band used to do that we revamped.

What has Chesty Malone and the Slice Em Ups been up to while KCCC has been in development?

Awaiting the vinyl release of "We're Still Dead"! You can currently download it on bandcamp.com.

How much work went into the recording of "We're Still Dead" and how soon do you expect it to be released? I understand there is a video or two in the making for songs off that album?

A lot of hard work that came out swell. There's a lyric video for "I Look Like Hell" currently on YouTube. There will be other videos eventually.

When the new releases by Chesty Malone and KCCC are out, will they be available on social media sites such as Bandcamp and Soundcloud as well as physical CD? How do you intend to promote it?

"We're Still Dead" as I previously mentioned is currently available for download on Bandcamp and the vinyl release will be out in a few months. "Tombstones and Monuments" will be on CD and probably online eventually.

Kings County Casket Company

-Dave Wolff

CD Review: AKRAL NECROSIS Underlight (Loud Rage Music) by Dave Wolff

AKRAL NECROSIS

Underlight

Loud Rage Music

Underlight is the second full length from this Romanian black metal band, the follow up to 2012’s Pandemic Dominion. The Loud Rage bio for the band says this album is an expansion of their adeptness at storytelling, being a thematic concept as opposed to the narrative theme of their previous full length.

From the lyrics accompanying each song stream at Bandcamp, the thematic concept is transcending human concepts of mortality and good versus evil, crossing the border between life and death to view the vastness of what lies beyond. As the speaker establishes his intellectual liberation, he announces the purpose of his travels: “Deny both god and satan/Those paths lead me astray/Make me Your chosen hound/The one who walks in grey.”

In his journey into the unknown he is crossing the threshold without fear or apprehension of what we’ve been told awaits us beyond the grave. This journey seems to last for many eternities, with many strange, otherworldly lands traditional religions didn’t tell us about. Many authors and lyric writers have relayed different accounts of the other side; the major difference of Underlight is the speaker relinquishes his will, preferring to be drawn toward those alien lands by who or whatever may dwell there. Alien lands you only see in your worst nightmares. What’s more, it’s not long before this nameless traveler becomes one with the endless expanse captured in the lyrics, abandoning his consciousness and becoming something else.

You’ll experience this transformation in all its horrific glory. It’s an excursion that requires your imagination. But unlike most black metal summoning images of places long dead and forgotten, Akral Necrosis shows them teeming with life that never faded with the ages. The opening guitars of Separator and the progressions to follow sound like Mayhem circa 1994-2000 (that period from De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas to Grand Declaration Of War). So the music providing backdrop for the lyrics is raw and targets your throat with a white hot razor. It sounds as fresh as black metal did in 1994 though bands like Mayhem have been emulated countless times until today.

I should add other aspects of the music (example: Saturnian Gallows) may remind you of Deicide from the same period in time. Granted black and death metal weren’t considered compatible in the early 90s, this band gives an impression of how a band may have sounded if they took the chance of melding those genres despite objections from both camps. Since then extreme metal has ventured into new territories as plentiful as there are bands today, but what grabbed me about Akral Necrosis is the spontaneity they compose with.

The band also exhibits some shades of Marduk in the bass guitars and some hints of what is termed melancholy in extreme metal. Listen to Purge with its account of becoming one of the undead and you’ll get the idea. I can only wonder what territory the band will explore lyrically when working on their third full length. How will they follow up on such an all-encompassing account on mortality and the afterlife? We’ll have to wait and see. -Dave Wolff

Track list:

1. Separator

2. King in Yellow

3. Saturnian Gallows

4. Exhortatio ad Bellum

5. Purge

6. Sin Gauntlet

7. Hounds of Plague

8. Blackthrone

9. Underlight

Band Review: GHOST B.C. by M Teresa Clayton

GHOST B.C.

Ghost B.C. has quietly tip-toed into the world of dark metal lovers everywhere. Now the question is being asked, where have they been all this time?

It isn’t that they have not been around for quite a while, it is just a fact that the United States is always lagging behind when new acts are formed and are playing to huge crowds all over Europe and beyond.

The lyrics are written by two of the ghouls in the band and vocalized with purpose and emotional precision by the frontman – Papa Emeritis. PE not only delivers the message with a masterful performance, but he also shows a us a bit of humor, which humanizes and brings his followers a little closer to him. There may be a purpose. It seems to me that he gently pulls his audience in just before delivering another lyrical spell.

As a synesthete, it is remarkable to listen to the instrumentals that fill each song with flawless excellence. The rhythm guitar, played by the ghoul that represents the Ethereal (also known as Omega) can be heard being played with as much passion as the lead guitarist, Fire (also known as Alpha). The talented lead guitarist mixes well with the rhythm section while still executing some of the most profound depth and clarity of our time.

The keyboardist, known as Wind, weaves his magic around all the other instrumentals and vocals, with an amazing intuitiveness and sensitivity to the whole of the performance at hand. It is fitting that they refer to him as Wind – he can be as subtle as a breeze and then turn everything on its head with a storm of musical depth.

Now, for my favorite sound. I am truly enamored with the shrewd divergence with his playing. I am always taken to a higher visual experience, synesthetically, by a bassist playing both rhythm, supporting the drum beat, and offering a range of melodic characteristics. The ghoul, known as Water, plays the bass as if it were a magical tool, using it to call the throngs of believers to stand at the ready, awaiting some otherworldly command. This talented ghoul combines his magic with that of the drummer, known as Earth, creating a rhythm section that I have not had the pleasure of hearing for quite some time. Such unison is truly amazing and difficult for most bands to perfect. Beating out his own subtle message to the ears of the listener, this drummer comprehends his unique offerings to the band as a whole, and ties it up nicely into one astute, divergent listening experience.

At the age of 60, and having listened to some of the best in the genre of dark metal bands, I must say that it is refreshing to hear, and see, the contrasts as they come together with apt precision and gives us something clever and competent to listen to, while leaving us with an acute awareness that something has touched us with a consequential aptitude, a craft played out with amazing efficiency and a haunting cleverness to both capture our attention and hold it, but to also command the listener to accept and offer their own personal allegiance to their brilliance as both a visual phenomenon and, more importantly, esteemed admiration for their music. All of this carries an enigmatic predication from throngs of followers on every continent, and I am one of those ardent, zealous devotees that will be talking about this resonant and profoundly talented band. -M Teresa Clayton

CD Review: SOULEMISSION Tales Of Inevitable Death (Black Lion Records) by Alan Lisanti

SOULEMISSION

Tales Of Inevitable Death

Black Lion Records

Released October 31st, 2016

http://www.facebook.com/Soulemission

http://soulemissonblacklion.bandcamp.com

Tales Of Inevitable Death is the debut album from the Netherlands based Soulemission. The opening guitar work pulls you in on the 1st track, "Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes", with a hauntingly despairing, yet ominously heavy and melodic sensibility before the song goes full throttle into blast beat and fast riffing reminiscent of the classics of the Black Metal genre. While they may classify themselves or find themselves classified in the Black/Death or Blackened Death Metal genres, I would say that perhaps "Deathened Black Metal" may be a more fitting description. That is to say, that the band's sound is rooted heavily and leans more toward the Black Metal side of the equation at its core, but the Death Metal undertones are apparent, and blend together interestingly in moments of the assorted songs. The stand out tracks for me were "Luciferian Blood Orders", and "Seas Of Emptiness". The songs can seem deceptively repetitive at times, but if you give them time to develop as they play, you may find yourself surprised and unexpectedly thrown for a few curve balls as far as where they wind up going, and where the band is willing to go creatively. The band is most effective when they venture farther from conventions and the cliches of the genres. They're not afraid to venture into unfamiliarity territory or explore their creativity, but the music retains a sincerity to the genre while also pushing some boundaries and taking some chances. For a debut album, the songs are adventurous and certainly show an appreciation and proper respect for the genre and their predecessors, but they also try to take things a step further. To walk that line between the tried and true methods and techniques of the craft, and yet at the same time push things past the confines of conventional expectation is a testament to the band's willingness to show its influences while also forging an identity of their own. Vocally, sonically, and production wise, the songs are more reminiscent of Black Metal stylings. The guitar work as well, in the tone, and approach is surely grounded in Black Metal. There are plenty of blast beats and fast riffing, but there is a lot more going on and a depth to these songs beyond these aesthetics that, if given the time when you are listening, begin to show themselves and add to the mixture of elements that together winds up being Soulemission. "Seas Of Emptiness" takes a different approach vocally than the other songs, and probably shows the Death Metal aspect of the band's sound most as far as vocals go because it is almost reminiscent of a young Chris Reifert if he were in a Black Metal band as opposed to being in Autopsy. Still there is a slight familiarity to that style and yet enough other elements to make the approach uniquely its own as well. Overall, if you don't mind songs that twist and turn and take their time to unfold, or if you are looking for something that manages to uphold traditions while also pushing things into new territory and exploring, then you may want to check out Tales Of Inevitable Death by Soulemission. If the band can keep their integrity intact which they have so far on this album, and keep pushing their own boundaries at the same time, it will be interesting to see where they can go with it and where they will go sonically as they go forward. -Alan Lisanti

Track list:

1. Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes

2. March Against The Storm

3. Luciferian Blood Orders

4. Seas Of Emptiness

5. Where Fallen Angels Dare

6. Endless Grief

7. Perished Entity (Instrumental)

8. Glorification Of Elimination

Video Review: BLOODCLOT Up In Arms (Metal Blade) by Dave Wolff

BLOODCLOT

Up In Arms

The title track to their 2017 album

Metal Blade

Bloodclot is touted as a “supergroup” as the lineup features members of Danzig and Queens Of The Stone Age (Todd Youth, Nick Oliveri and NYHC band Cro Mags (who played a benefit for Dr, Know at Tompkins Square Park not too long ago, with Breakdown, Token Entry, Antidote and Maximum Penalty; it was packed). Up In Arms is the first song from their forthcoming album (following 2008's Burn Babylon Burn by Joseph and members of Biohazard, Pro Pain and Merauder), and if it’s any indication of the current state of punk and hardcore, punk and hardcore are not dead. It's indicative of  bands and fans making every effort to keep it alive despite the efforts to grind it under heel. Up In Arms has a distortion laden intro that  reminded me of Hell Awaits-era Slayer. After this is a frenetic riff likenened to classic Discharge. This vibe continues without wavering in the slightest. Anyone who thinks punk is dead should listen long and hard to this song, especially the lyrics described by Joseph as “a call to arms for the people of America and across the globe who are sick of the lies, death and destruction of innocent people being caused by the military industrial complex who run governments and propagate unjust wars in order to fill the bank accounts of corrupt businessmen." Mainstream media is more encompassing than ever, which makes the song’s message more timely than ever. In many ways it’s like the 80s all over again, when punks, skins and squatters objected to government corruption. That feeling of going to your first Squat of Rot shows comes from listening to this song, with the feeling that you’re never too old to speak your mind about what's important. The band mist be in their forties or fifties by now and they’re still at it. And rest assured they drive their point home. -Dave Wolff

CD Review: OMEN The Curse (Reissue) (Metal Blade) by Dave Wolff

OMEN

The Curse (Reissue)

Metal Blade

Omen from sunny California was an unsung and underrated power/thrash metal band, their origins having lain somewhere between the imaginativeness of Manowar and the campiness of Thor (the Canadian band featuring the talent of John Mikl). Adding Iron Maiden to the formula was a fitting touch, especially the dark mystery of the Killers era.

Metal Blade says they are still active; it’s been a while since I heard about them and I wanted to seek them out to see what they’re doing today. Looking them up I saw they did several fest and show appearances, and they have more scheduled in 2017. Their latest full length Hammer Damage was released this past year. I heard one song (the title track) on Youtube with the help of their “topic” feature and in many ways it sounds like classic Omen as you hear on their first three recordings. Metal Blade will be re-releasing those albums in brand new packages shortly. Battle Cry (1984), Warning Of Danger (1985) and The Curse (1986) are their most important releases, having established the band as one of California’s premier power metal bands.

Omen was founded in 1983 by guitarist Kenny Powell, formerly of another PM band called Savage Grace; he and founding drummer Steve Wittig are still in the band today; and he has been the driving force of the band up until now. In those days power metal was relatively new and its sword and sorcery themes did much to push the envelope of creativity for heavy metal in general. The repercussions are still felt in classical metal and symphonic metal (for a detailed explanation you may want to check out Sam Dunn’s Metal Evolution series).

Powell’s smooth harmonic guitars with Wittig’s primal, in your face mid tempo beats, Jody Henry’s Steve Harris inspired bass and J.D. Kimball’s whiskey-laden, slightly bluesy vocals made for an instantly recognizable sound. The third full length The Curse reached levels of artistic maturity while staying in touch with the band’s origins.

While there was some partially commercial fare such as Kill On Sight, The Curse, Eye Of The Storm, Teeth Of The Hydra and especially S.R.B. are perfect examples of how far the band had come musically and lyrically and essential songs to become familiar with if you’re searching for the origins of contemporary symphonic metal. The Curse with their first two albums will be released in runs limited to 500 vinyl copies in the U.S. In Europe they will be released in a few different formats, with different copy runs and colored vinyl. See Metal Blade’s site for more information. -Dave Wolff

Track list:

1. The Curse

2. Kill on Sight

3. Holy Martyr

4. Eye of the Storm

5. S.R.B.

6. Teeth of the Hydra

7. At All Cost

8. Destiny

9. Bounty Hunter

CD Review: UNIFORM CHOICE Screaming For Change (Reissue) (Southern Lord Recordings) by Dave Wolff

UNIFORM CHOICE

Screaming For Change (Reissue)

Southern Lord Recordings

For as long as I’ve been in contact with Southern Lord Recordings I never expected them to re-release this gem from hardcore’s formative years. It came as an unexpected, welcome surprise to hear it’s to be released next month. I’ve been looking at their official site and they’re handling more hardcore bands next to doom and stoner metal bands, so there will likely be more announcements like this in 2017. It’s been a long time since I listened to Uniform Choice’s Screaming For Change in its entirety, and doing so brought me back to when I first heard it in 1988. The California band self-released it on Wishing Well in ‘86. This was the year I started attending hardcore shows and I was lucky enough to see them on stage as well. If you missed Screaming For Change the first time you can experience the passion that made U.C. a vital hardcore band next January. This was the band’s only hardcore album before they released Staring Into The Sun which sounded more like early alternative. Vocalist Pat Dubar (later vocalist for Mind Funk who included Louie Svitek of M.O.D./Ministry and Reed St. Mark of Celtic Frost) who approached Southern Lord to release Screaming For Change. After a string of unauthorized bootlegs he wanted to take it to a label that would do the album justice. Remastered by Brad Boatright who previously worked with High On Fire and Excel, this reissue far surpasses the original, augmenting their raw power and energy especially in the guitars. If you remember U.C. you probably remember a band called Minor Threat whose album Out Of Step was highly influential to them. Uniform Choice took Minor Threat’s punk elements, revamped them and pursued a similar straight-edge philosophy (no drugs or alcohol) in their lyrics. Only here there is no preaching or empty rhetoric about making the world a better place, but simply someone discussing his own experiences with life and how his choices have been beneficial to him personally. If you appreciate such subject matter, the lyrics in My Own Mind, Build To Break, Sometimes and In Time are as important as the music they’re set to. You can visit Southern Lord’s site for more information about the reissues and the packaging it’s intended to be released in. -Dave Wolff

Track list:

1. Use Your Head

2. My Own Mind

3. Straight And Alert

4. Build To Break

5. Scream To Say

6. Once I Cry

7. Sometimes

8. Screaming For Change

9. No Thanks

10. A Choice

11. Big Man, Small Mind

12. Don't Quit

13. In Time

14. Silenced

CD Review: MOSH-PIT JUSTICE Stop Believing Lies (Witches Brew) by Dave Wolff

MOSH-PIT JUSTICE

Stop Believing Lies

Witches Brew

Mosh Pit Justice’s label Witches Brew was founded by a fan who was dedicated to flying the flag of classic thrash. The German based independent label has been active since 2002 when its founders acquired a near overwhelming amount of demos from promising new bands. Operating on social media and an official website, it has become well known to previously unsigned bands including Mosh Pit Justice who independently released their debut EP The Serpent in 2012 and their subsequent full lengths Mosh-Pit Justice and Justice Is Served on smaller indie labels. The band is distributing copies of their current full length through Witches Brew, of the seven hundred copies printed for release in October 2016. The cover art (the Bandcamp link I have doesn’t indicate the artist) is reminiscent of cover art that adorned albums by D.R.I. and Cryptic Slaughter for its cartoonish quality and its sociopolitical theme. In musical terms the CD mixes Bay Area thrash and classic power metal, and these two major influences are arranged to help the genre retain its appeal thirty years down the road. This is apparent from the opening riffs of Burn To Live; this song starts with a crunching riff leading to a frenetic pace, underscored by Iron Maiden-like lead harmonies, classical tinged lead harmonies and melodic vocals. While the thrash elements dominate the band’s material, the subtlety of the lead harmonies endow it with texture that surpasses their restrained addition. Think of old Testament and Forbidden with old Armored Saint and Queensryche, and there’s your introductory idea. The band’s skillfulness at writing catchy riffs makes the material impelling and difficult to ignore. Left For Dead would be a favorite for the classical guitar it begins with. As 2016 draws to a close it’s good to hear an album that can qualify as one of the year’s best. -Dave Wolff

Track list:

1. Burn To Live

2. To Hear My Name

3. Rest In Flames

4. Till Death

5. Mosh-Pit Justice

6. Left For Dead

7. Stop Believing Lies

8. The Battle Within