asphyx

(8/10) Soulburn’s and Asphyx' history are closely connected. Not only that the band was founded by Eric Daniels (g) and Bob Bagchus (d) in parallel with their main band, Soulburn was also put on ice after Asphyx arose again in the beginning of the new century. So there is a unqiue link between both bands that almost feels confusing.

Anyhow, it was in 2014 when Soulburn returned again with a strong release called "The Suffocating Darkness”, an album that’s now followed by the new “Earthless Pagan Spirit”. This third album features eight new songs which provides the listener with almost an hour of blackened death metal that feels like hellish lava coming right from out of hell. Songs like “The Blood Ascendant” are slowly creeping riff monsters that, step by step, find there way into your ears and mind. And right before you get lost in hypnotic riffings a well placed break brings you back to reality, shaking you up with furious solos and raging vocals.

Something that’s remarkable on this output is the length of each of the tunes on “Earthless Pagan Spirit”. Except the final track, each of the songs crosses the five minutes borderline. This feels long and it is, but Soulburn creates such an excitement that these long tracks don’t become annoying after a while. There are enough twists and tweaks build into each of the numbers, like the female vocals that are part of “Withering Nights”, which adds an extra entertainment factor.

“Spirited Asunder” is the longest track on “Earthless Pagan Spirit” and it’s a sonic steamroller that runs over you. The pace is kept somewhere in between moderate and slow, the riffs are hypnotic and the rhythm is just forcing the listeners to bang their heads. This tune is a highlight on Soulburn’s new longplayer, a record that’s full of powerful songs, all close to spiritual abyss.

The album ends with a song that’s more like an outro. It’s the three minutes long “Diary of a Reaper”, a number build on gloomy spoken word, accompanied by a drum beat and some eerie samples.

All in all I can fully recommend this longplayer that belongs to the real good releases in 2016.

(8/10)

Tracklist:

1. Where Splendid Corpses are Towering Towards the Sun
2. The Blood Ascendant
3. Howling at the Heart of Death
4. As Cold as Heavens Slain
5. Withering Nights
6. The Torch
7. Spirited Asunder
8. Diary of a Reaper

Label: Century Media

Genre: Death Metal

Release Date EU: November 18th, 2016

(8/10) Since a few years, actually almost since one decade, Dutch death metal flagship Asphyx embarked on a new adventure spreading again their brutal sound that brought the band so much attention during the 90's. "On the Wings of Inferno" was the restart of a band that belongs to the most important ones in death metal.

Since 2008 Asphyx releases again records on a regular base with the newest masterpiece being in the starting blocks. "Incoming Death" is the title of this brutal and relentless record that shows again why this band belongs to the major league of death metal. Some of the eleven songs are homeruns while each of the tunes is at least a base hit.

The game starts with a fastball called "Candiru", a high speed number that is a true blast and a well chosen opener. A song that comes with a similar approach is the title track and also "Wildland Fire" is one of these breath-taking highlights.

What I really like with this album are the changeball - the mid-pace tracks. It's not about speed. It's about energy and intensity with twists and breaks. "Division Brandenburg" belongs to this category, but also bigger sections of "The Feeder" comes with grooving riffs that are immense.

One of the most inclusive tracks is named "The Grand Denial". Asphyx celebrates all shades of death metal in this masterpiece. Slow moments act in turns with faster section, all leading to an acoustic outro that is the only calm moment on the entire record. And not only on this song Martin van Drunen screams his mind to the heavens. His hoarse voice is one of Asphyx's trademarks, or to stick to the baseball comparison - this guys is the designated hitter that brings home each of the eleven tracks.

All the mentioned peaks in the doom deather "Death:The Only Immortal" which is a slo-mo track that runs over you as being the listener. These eight minutes are the most intense ones I have heard from the Dutch metal dinosaurs. What a closer.

"Incoming Death" is an album that even tops the pretty strong "Deathhammer"-release from 2012, an undertaking that wasn't easy. Goed gedaan jongens.

(8/10)

Tracklist:

1. Candiru
2. Division Brandenburg
3. Wardroid
4. The Feeder
5. It Came From The Skies
6. The Grand Denial
7. Incoming Death
8. Forerunners of the Apocalypse
9. Subterra Incognita
10. Wildland Fire
11. Death: The Only Immortal

Label: Century Media

Genre: Death Metal

Release Date EU: September 30st, 2016

(8/10) Sometimes things are happening that you don't expect. The new Soulburn longplayer "The suffocating darkness" is one of those surprises. Soulburn rose from the ashes of Dutch metal legend Asphyx which disbanded in 1995.

Eric Daniels (g) and Bob Bagchus (d) started Soulburn around that time and released the debut album "Feeding on angels" in 1998. The revitalisation of Ashpyx around 2000 seemed to mark the end of Soulburn. But never say never.

In 2013 the first signs of live rose again. Bagchus and Daniels started to write new songs and all of a sudden making a new album became realistic. The final result is now avaiable. The new disc is called "The suffocating darkness" and contains nine songs plus an intro and an outro. Soulburn continues where they stopped in the beginning of this decade. It is their way combining black metal with thrash- and death metal elements that makes the music slightly different from other black metal bands. Bands like Celtic Frost and Bathory have been a source of inspiration for the sound of Soulburn. The 'product' is a brute sound that still has a lot of diversity. Soulburn never runs into the trap of repeating themselfs too often. Eventhough they have their trademarks and patterns, they have enough variation in their songs to make them thrilling from beginning to end.

The idea with the intro and the outro works very well. It feels like front credits and end credits in a movie. Inbetween you will nine aggressive songs that spread a black-hearted vibe which could be easily the soundtrack for a horror film.

The journey through an exciting metal album starts with "Under the rise of a red moon". It's a midtmpo track with almost hypnotic vocal lines. Already the opener contains some spoken words samples that emphasis the creepy vibe of the song. "The mirror void" is kept a bit slower, eventhough it has intelligent breaks that creates a raging middle part. "Absinthesis" is a remarkable track too. Starting slower it builds up to a black metal speed train after a while. As in the opener spoken words and 'moaning voice samples' are coming back throughtout the entire album as a kind of red threat. "I do not bleed from your crown of thorns" is a good example for this. The lamentation in the midlle part fits perfect into the song structure and stresses the mean expression of the song.

"The suffocating darkness" marks the return of a band that hopefully planned to stay. Soulburn is one of the bands proving  that (some) reunions make sense. And they interpret black metal slightly differnt and give this genre another perspective. Welcome back guys.

(8/10)

Tracklist:

1. Apotheosis infernali (Inro)
2. Under the rise of a red moon
3. The mirror void
4. In suffocating darkness
5. Absinthesis
6. Hymn of the forsaken II
7. Black aura
8. I do not bleed from the crown of thorns
9. Wielding death
10. Claws of tribulation
11. Eden's last sigh (Outro)

Label: Century Media

Genre: Death Metal