oldschool

(9/10) It was in 2010 when a band, I haven’t heard of before, all of a sudden appeared on the scene with an album that was jaw-dropping good. Procession was the name of this quartet that came from Chile, sending a strong metal message to the world. “Destroyers of the Faith” was the longplayer with which the band debut, followed by the sophomore “To Reap Heavens Apart”, which was at least as good as the debut.

In the meantime Procession, or better said their main man Felipe Plaza, relocated to Sweden, a country with a big and vital metal scene – from mainstream to underground. In such an environment inspiration is everywhere and still Plaza decided to work on recording the new longplayer in Chile. Doing this allowed the band to fully focus on the new album as well as it underlines the South America roots of Procession rather tah being seen as a 'European metal band'.

“Doom Decimation” is an album that perfectly fits into the bands discography. In total nine new songs will be a delight for traditional metal fans as well as it should be checked by worshipers of doom metal.

After the short and intense “The Warning” it’s the metal smasher “When Doomsday Has Come” that marks a first highlight on this release. The tune is a moderate paced traditional metal track that’s done in a perfect fashion. Powerful and with full engagement the quartet celebrates metal in perfection.

After such a start Procession puts a foot on the break with “Lonely are the Ways of the Stranger”. Doom metal is what you get with this exciting song before “Amidst the Bowles of Earth” leaves you slack-jawed again. Pace is still rather low, but compared with the earlier song I hear more melodic metal and US metal that’s embedded in this long but not lengthy number.

After a calm intro, “Democide” reveals again the mighty riffs in slo-mo before Procession shifts gears. “All Descending Suns” is an uptempo number that acts as a refreshing counterpart to the before mentioned tracks. And just to keep the arc of suspense high two more songs with finest quality follows of which the epical “One by One They Die” ends the album in a perfect manner. Eight minutes of old-fashioned but not dusted metal stand for the last chapter on this album that guarantees a continuation of Procession’s great work up-to-date. Heavy metal fans will love this album that proves that you get great music if passion rules the game. You wonder why it's not these kind of acts that get the support slots for bands like e.g. Iron Maiden and Co.. They would have deserved it.

(9/10)

Tracklist:

1. The Warning
2. When Doomsday has Come
3. Lonely are the Ways of the Stranger
4. Amidst the Bowels of Earth
5. Democide
6. All Descending Suns
7. As They Reached the Womb
8. One by One They Died

Label: High Roller Records

Genre: Doom Metal

Release Date EU: October 31st, 2017

(8/10) German metal outfit Pänzer returns with a new album, the first one after having premiered in 2014 with “Send Them All to Hell”. Next to the album there is some more new to report. The line-up changed with Pänzer shifting from a trio to a quartet. German guitar hero Herman Frank left the band to focus on his solo project. Fortunately Destruction’s Schmier and Stefan Schwarzmann found equivalent new companions to fill the gap of a missing guitarist with Hammerfall’s Pontus Norgren as well as Poltergeist mastermind V.O. Pulver joining the powerhouse.

With such a line-up renewal of the line-up Pänzer’s sophomore album comes with additional firepower. As with the debut the band created another homage to 80’s metal with roots in the NWoBHM period. Therefor it’s not a too big of a surprise that Iron Maiden references are present more than once. Listening to the opener and also “Scorn and Hate” leaves no doubt of where the influence come from, esp. listening to the guitar lines. What spices-up things are the thrashy and raspy vocals of Schmier. His voice adds some uniqueness to each of the eleven songs, moving Pänzer tracks from 'good' to 'very good'.

What’s also beneficial is the combined songwriting competence that comes with the four-piece. Even though the album stands for oldschool metal, being an homage to the early days of metal, none of the tracks feels dusted and old-fashioned. Pänzer come up with excellent riffs just like that. Songs like the slow and mighty “Skullbreaker” or merciless speedster “Promised Land” hammer home the fact that this album is more than just a project, done by musicians who have too much spare time. This longplayer is a matter of heart and a true headbanger. The only issue that comes with “Fatal Command” is the fact that you better train your neck-muscles because otherwise you’ll end up with severe neck pain due to intensive headbanging.

(8/10)

Tracklist:

1. Satan’s Hollow
2. Fatal Command
3. We Can Not Be Silenced
4. I’ll Bring You the Night
5. Scorn and Hate
6. Afflicted
7. Skullbreaker
8. Bleeding Allies
9. The Decline (…And the Downfall)
10. Mistaken
11. Promised Land
12. Wheels of Steel

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Genre: Heavy Metal

Release Date EU: October 6^th, 2017

(8/10) The Lurking Fear doesn't even try to bring much new to the table - and this is the joy of "Out of the Voiceless Grave". This album features raw and oldschool Swedish death metal that is captured in twelve brutal chapters. 

The Lurking Fear is chief growler Tomas Lindberg together with Jonas Stahlhammer, Fredrik Wallenberg, Andreas Axelsson and Adrian Erlandsson, all known from bands like At The Gates, The Crown and more.. These five guys came together to manufacture an extreme metal album which is a real treat for fans of Gothenburg-style death metal. 

In case you expect some melodic parts that are accompanied by by some melancholy you should adjust your compass. This album is a sonic death metal twister which becomes very obvious from the beginning. The sinister intro "Out of the Voiceless Grave" is the calmest moment on the album, before hell breaks loose with "Vortex Spawn". High speed is a main characteristic of this tunes, as well as for the entire album. However, The Lurking Fear embeds intelligent breaks which makes each of the numbers to a blistering noise attack that creates a lot of excitement, and neck-pain. Another highlight on "Out of the Voiceless Grave" is named "The Infernal Dread", which is a breathtaking death metal assault. 

Tompa Lindberg seems to be a restless character in a constant death metal mode. In the meantime it's almost impossible to count all the bands and projects he was/is involved in. None of those contained bad stuff and also this record doesn't change the pattern. "Out of the Voiceless Grave" is raw and wrecking. Oldschool death Metal isn't dead thanks to Tompa Lindberg and colleagues.

(8/10)

Tracklist:

1. Out of the Voiceless Grave
2. Vortex Spawn
3. The Starving Gods of Old
4. The Infernal Dread
5. With Death Engraved in Their Bones
6. Upon Black Winds
7. Teeth of the Dark Plain
8. The Cold Jaws of Death
9. Tongued With Foul Flames
10. Winged Death
11. Tentacles of Blackend Horror
12. Beneath Menacing Sands

Label: Century Media

Genre: Death Metal

Release Date EU: August 11th, 2017

Gruesome's new EP "Dimensions of Horror" will be published on May 20st. Here comes already a first track called "Forces of Death". Cool oldschool metal that shows again the influences of Death.

(7/10) It's again great to see how safely FDA Rekotz come up with death metal bands that deliver great music.

This time it is Hamburg's Endseeker that publishes a new EP via the underground label. Lenny, Jury, Ben, Torsten and Andre are playing together as Endseeker since 2014; so they are fairly new. 

However, the guys show quite some potential. "Corrosion Revelation" is the first recording of the Hamburger Jungs. The EP was done already in July 2015 and it was Alex Dietz and Eike O. Freese that gave the songs the final touch when it comes to sound and production; something that can be heard in each of the five tracks on this EP . 

Endseeker's songs are inspired by Swedish death metal a la Dismember and Entombed. The five-piece play oldschool death metal and each of the tracks offers brutal riffs, deep growls and rigid drive.

If Endseeker will manage to continue with songs like the ones on this EP, than I guess we will hear more of them in coming months. Those guys are like rough metal diamond that have the potential to shine. Time will tell.

(7/10)

Tracklist:

1. Corrosion Revelation
2. Attention War
3. Consumed by Desire
4. Deployment of the Aroused
5. Supposed to Rot

Label: FDA Rekotz

Genre: Death Metal

Release Date EU: November 13th, 2015

(8/10) When a bunch of death metal maniacs comes together to start a new band, than this is something that needs attention.

Firespawn is such a new band, founded by nobody less than Alex Impaler from Necrophobic, Victor Brandt and LG Petrov from Entombed AD, Fredrik Fokare (Unleashed) and Matte Modin (Raise Fist).

It took the guys a while to find the right name for the band and after discussing quite some ideas Firespawn won.

These guys came together to have some fun, some beers and play some more oldschool death metal. But in contradiction to my assumption the album isn't that much inspired by Swedish death metal. It's more the first wave of American death metal that builds the base for Firespawn's songs.

The relaxed way of working resulted in eleven outstanding tracks that are all on "Shadow Realms"; the debut of the five-piece band. As the band stated on a Facebook posting "Shadow Realms" is build on three main pillars: "Dedication, Discipline and Death Metal". This actually sums up the album pretty good.

The album starts dramatic. "The Emperor"' is announced by a dark fanfare before hell breaks loose. This blazing fast metal track marks the start of this well done longplayer.

"Imperial Burning" is next. Speed is reduced; something that fits very well. The old Florida vibe is coming back in this slow groove monster.

"Contemplate Death" gives the listener a moment of silence. This acoustic inbetween number a well done break to breathe esp. since "All Hail" is another riff-based wrecking ball.

The most brutal tune is kept till the end. "Infernal Eternal" is short and to the point. It's probably the most uncompromising track on the band's debut and a well done closer.

Firespawn released an excellent debut. Those guys wrote "Shadow Realms" because they enjoyed what they did. "Dedication, Disciple and Death Metal" .... can't say it better.

(8/10)

Tracklist:

1. The Emporer
2. Imperial Burning
3. Lucifer has Spoken
4. Spirit of the Black Tide
5. Contemplate Death
6. All Hail
7. Ruination
8. Necromance
9. Shadow realms
10. Ginnunga
11. Infernal Eternal

Label: Century Media

Genre: Death Metal

Release Date EU: November 13th, 2015

German death metal command Endseeker published a new song from the upcoming mini-album "Corrosion Revelation". It's the title track that can be listened to on METAL.DE. Endseeker is a band you shouldn't miss if you like olsschool death metal a la Grave abd Entombed. Check it out.

(7/10) "Condemned in misery" is the second strike of Californian Skeletal Remains. Three years after having released their debut "Beyond the flesh" eight new oldschool death metal songs have found their way on a new longplayer.

Generally spoken there aren't that many things that changed over time. Skeletal Remains' sound still builds on midpace numbers with brutal riff attacks and Chris Montoy still vomits out the vocals as we know it from the debut.

But what we can conclude is, that the songwriting improved. The tracks sound more homogeneius and completely rounded compared to the debut. 

The second thing that stands out is the production. While the debut had a bit of a dull sound the new album is far more enegetic and comes with a good punch. 

Tunes like the grooving "Euphoric bloodfeast", the more technical "...Still suffering" and the fast "Obscured velitation" are right of the bat. They might not be the most inventive ones but they are authentic and full of passion. And that's what counts.

"Condemned in misery" is a great step forward for Skeletal Remains. If you're looking for oldschool death metal that isn't old-fashion - than this is your record.

(7/10)

Tracklist:

1. Beyong cremation
2. Obscured velitation
3. Euphoric bloodfeast
4. Virla hemorrhagic pyrexia
5. Atrocious calamity
6. Ethereal erosion
7. ...still suffering
8. Sleepless cadavers

Label: FDA Rekotz

Genre: Death Metal

Release date EU: August 7, 2015