Reviews

Chat Pile - God's Country

Imagine korn took another few smacks with the misery stick and tuned down another step or two, then, upon seeing this Jello Biafra decided to beat the members of Cane Hill with the corpse of Jim Morrison until he drew blood. Imagine this and you ll probably get close to what Chat Pile sound like. That and you ll have bits of dead poet to clean up. On "God's Country" the band sound like a mix up of the aforementioned Korn, The Doors, part Ministry, part serious mental health issues. All of this gels brilliantly into a twisted amalgamation of a metal band. The vocals are a deranged take on Jello Biafra like social commentary and Jim Morrisons depressive poetry whilst the rest of the band beat their instruments in a way that a chronic masturbator would be proud of.

"God's Country" is not an easy listen and one that will probably leave a lot of people out in the cold. The people that do get it though are in for an arduous but rewarding listen.

Megadeth - The sick, the dying and the dead

Never has an album title been so bang on. Upon listening to Dave and his hired guns wank themselves daft through this latest release I felt sick, like apart of me might be dying and that I'd be better off dead than listening to it again. To back petal slightly Mr Mustaine has said in interviews that this is the best record he's put out in years. I'm not entirely sure which album he was referring to because it certainly isn't this one. On "The sick...." each track is polished to a mirror shine, probably so the band can watch themselves performing the aforementioned self-indulgent wankery. The lyrics really are the bottom of the barrel of creativity so much so that I would normally reprint them here to demonstrate my point but I refuse to put in more effort than the band did.

Lord of the lost - Blood and Glitter

Reminiscent of what Sabbaton would sound like if they where to obsess over Bowie and Bolan rather than tanks and tragedy. LOTL are an interesting group that only their homeland of Germany could produce. Like Rammstein before them the group could clearly care less what people think of them. This comes across throughout "Blood and Glitter" with songs like "leave your hate in comments" making things abundantly clear for their detractors. This record weaves its way around glam rock, pop with some screamed vocals like the corpse of Bryan Ferry singing Rammstein tracks. Overall LOTL are like finally coming up for air after going ass to mouth during a stomach virus outbreak, revitalising and powerfully sinus clearing.

Katatonia : Sky Void of Stars

“Melancholy is hardly an emotional realm left unexplored in the realm of heavy music. Whether out of catharsis or morbid curiosity, doom and gloom is something that is frequently touched upon. Sweden’s Katatonia are one of the very best to do this, and their latest album Sky Void of Stars is stone cold proof of that. With a decades long career and a sound that bares elements of Prog, Goth, post rock and metal SVOS takes the very best of all elements and melds them with an energy not seen for years. One of their finest efforts, get on it. “

Reviewed by Alex Newman

Words by Alex Newman

Death metal is an exercise in extremity in all its forms. Hardly a shocking statement too make but a true one none the less. This particular flavour of extreme-ness has many shades from the no-nonsense, stomp and Slam of Deathcore. To the elite musicianship of the tech death scene. Each of these various subsets has their major players, genre definers that set the bar for others too follow. The very apex of the genre is exemplified a certain band from the US state of Maryland, enter Dying Fetus.

Dying Fetus have been an unstoppable force for over three decades and have since become one of the flag bearers for todays wave of Death Metal earning their place along side legends such as Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Bolt Thrower and Carcass. Now 8 full length albums deep the destructive 3 piece are returning for a tour of the UK and Europe this February. But who exactly are Dying Fetus? For those who aren’t (but bloody well SHOULD be) in the know, let’s take a look.

Forming in Maryland in 1991 the original lineup consisted of Nick Speleos on guitars and vocals, Jason Netherton (now of Misery Index) on Bass and vocals and of course mainstay John Gallagher covering Guitar, vocal and drumming duties. The band has gone through many changes over its years with Gallagher being it’s only permanent member. It’s current line up consisting of Gallagher, Bassist and Vocalist Sean Beasley and drummer Trey Williams has remained it’s most permanent fixture since 2007. In 1996 following two demos Purification Through Violence dropped, the bands first full length alike many revered death metal bands (a la Carcass) is a raw, gritty affair held in mixed regard with many even regarding it a mess outright. However despite relatively rough beginnings, in two years time an album would drop that would come too make the statement “Dying Fetus have arrived”.

Killing On Adrenaline was the point at which DF came into their own and listening too it in full or any of the savage cuts it features shows how the bands sound came into being and why that sound is so well revered. As said before Death Metal bands have a tendency too specialise, sometimes that speciality is hard hitting simplicity sometimes it is over the top technicality or shock value, and while that is by no means a bad thing it does tend too create sounds that end up being one dimensional and lacking in variation. Dying Fetus flies in the face of that very problem and engineers a sound that takes every element and makes them not only coexist but compliment each other perfectly.

Like a well trained boxer, chess player or…..I dunno… the bloody Doom Marine, Dying Fetus knows what is in their arsenal and how/when too use it. For every barrage of blistering blast beats and technically dizzying arpeggio sweeps there’ll be a sudden brake slam into a pummelling breakdown with riffs so simple yet so heavy that it could rival even the most crushing of beatdown elites and yet another switch up into a thrash section, even harder slam, whatever. Now while these types of song structures are hardly anything rare in Death Metal it really can’t be understated just how damn good Dying Fetus are at it, each individual section can be more than enough too carry a song on it’s own nay even a genre. The Maryland three piece are a living example of heavy music being played at it’s most highest level. No riff, influence, display of playing ability, section, anything is under or over-utilised and everything is precision engineered too the slightest margin, all while sounding so damn natural.

As time went on the band proceeded too mature and grow even further, 2000 saw the release of Destroy The Opposition. A big lyrical shift took place away from the shock and gore of the debut and sophomore albums and into a more socially conscious and world reflective style all while keeping their sound as pummelling as ever if not more, for anyone in the know John Gallagher and co are big fans of the Hardcore scene even touring with the likes of Terror, Malevolence and other HxC heavyweights so keeping the lyric change in mind it’s telling where DF gets further influences from in other realms of heavy music and even in attitude. The production saw a big step up too, bringing a clear sound that was well done but far from sterile showcasing the mastery of all members while still keeping the undeniable natural brutality.

For anyone looking for a place too start with Dying Fetus, your best bets are most likely their previous three efforts Descend Into Depravity, Reign Supreme and the aptly titled Wrong One Too Fuck With. The Maryland trio have been at the height of their power recently and these three fantastic albums will give you the full force of Dying Fetus’s sound. And as for the live show, Dying Fetus will be returning too our shores along side Hardcore crew Nasty, Deathcore upstarts Cabal and old school Death Metal ice giants Frozen Soul next month.

So, if you know what’s good for you, Grab yourself a ticket and get Subjected too a Beating (in a good way, of course.)

Deathcore beasts Cabal ended 2022 strong with the release of their new record, the awesome “Magno Interitus”. The group have are continuing this momentum by supporting the legendary Dying Fetus on their UK tour this February. Vocalist Andreas Bjulver was kind enough to sit down and have a chat about the album and their upcoming tour.

I was first aware of Cabal when you released "Drag me Down", how do you think the band grown since that album and your latest record?

I think we’ve just become more aware of what the core of our sound is, which has allowed us to experiment more, without losing sight of what we are.

You have worked with some awesome guest musicians over the years are there any that stand out as being great (or not) to work with?

Honestly we’ve only had great experiences working with anybody who has featured on any of our songs, and we are still completely blown away by the fact that these people, in bands we all love wanted to be a part of our little thing.

I've noticed online that many of your fans are getting Cabal tattoos. How does it feel to see such dedication from people?

It feels absolutely surreal, to think that anybody cares about our stupid little band enough to make a lifetime dedication like that, it’s mind-blowing.

The tour with Dying Fetus kicks off soon. Are you looking forward to it?

Oh yes, we are so excited for that. I think everybody who’s into extreme metal knows and respects Dying Fetus, so getting to tour with them, is a huge honor. It’s also going to be awesome touring with our boys in Nasty again, as well meeting the guys in Frozen Soul, who are absolutely slaying everything right now.

The line up for the tour is quite eclectic. Have you played with any of the bands on the bill before?

Yes, we played the Never Say Die Tour with Nasty in 2021 we are really excited to tour with them again!

Do you guys have any favorite tracks to play live?

Death March is usually a lot of fun, since it’s one of the only songs people can actually sing along to, but Exsanguination has to be my (Andreas) personal favorite, just because of the response the crowd usually have to the slammy end breakdown.

I asked some of your fans if they had anything to ask you guys and this is what they had to say:

Barney Young-Southward asks: How do you guys go about combining hardcore and deathmetal elements when writing deathcore?

By now it just feels kind of natural, there’s some really cool elements that you can pick and pluck from any of those genres, if we want a fast part in a song it makes a lot of sense to add a death metal part, but if we can’t the pit to loose their shit, we’ll add a really heavy hardcore groove and so on.

Thomas Berkwood asks: What was working with Triviums Matt Heafy like? What did you think of his Solo record (last years "Ibaraki")?

It was awesome, Matt is an absolute legend, very professional and very kind. It was also kind of a childhood dream come true to have him on a song. Ibaraki is great, honestly everything Matt touches seems to be gold haha.

Tyler Scott asks: Do you have a favorite record that never gets old no matter how many times you hear it?

Slipknots self titled from 99!!!!

Cabals latest album “Magno Interitus” is out now.

Sounding like Bolt Thrower got lost in the freezer aisle at Tesco. Frozen Soul are one of the best straight up “heavy metal” bands out in the wold right now. Their simplistic approach is welcome amongst the often overly technical metal we are served these days. Regardless the band join Nasty and Cabal in support of Dying Foetus in the UK this Month. Here’s what the group had to say about their debut and the coming tour.

How does a band from Texas end up writing about ice, snow, and all things cold and foreboding?

Life is cold man, everyone feels it. We touch on a lot of things from person experiences with abuse, pain and depression to revenge and overcoming all obstacles to be who you need to be.

Are there any plans in the works for the next record that you could tell me about?

We are finished with LP two and are currently in the works for music videos and whatnot. It will be coming out this year!

The tour with Dying Foetus kicks off soon, are you looking forward to it?

Absolutely, we love those guys and are excited to get overseas for the first time!

Have you played with any of the bands on the bill before?

We did a full us tour last year with Dying Foetus but stoked to meet all the other bands! Do you guys have any favourite tracks to play live? Is there any chance of hearing your awesome cover of Slayers “Mandatory Suicide” on the tour?

I (Chad) personally love beat to dust and arctic stranglehold the most live! We may play it one day!

It’s been two years since your debut. How has that time been for the band, it must have been an interesting year!

It seems that every aspect of “Frozen Soul”; the music, lyrics, and even your logo come across as harsh and brutal. Do you think that you could push that even further in the future?

I don’t know if we need to push the brutal and harsh aspects of the band further all that stuff is done over and over again but I know that we love having fun with gore and Metal so we will keep that going in our own way for sure!

It’s actually 2 years as of yesterday 1/8 ! Time has flown by we’ve done 3 full US tours with some of our favourite bands, gotten to play psycho Las Vegas, done our annual wrecking ball metal madness twice and sold out both times, shot music videos and live streams, and met a lot of our idols! On top of all of that we still managed to write and record an entire new album! It’s been a crazy two years of crypt and we are stoked for what’s to come!

Frozen Souls debut “Crypt of Ice” is out now.