Abnormality - The Collective Calm in Mortal Oblivion (2010)

EP , October 2010

Self Released

Abnormality is  a death metal ensemble hailing from Marlborough, Massachusetts (USA) who have been kicking some serious ass ever since their inception in 2005 but are surprisingly underrated, even after exuding some ferocious talent through their sonic onslaughts. The band comprises of Mallika Sundramurthy who is perhaps one of the best female vocalists in death metal along with Josh Staples (Bass) who has also served time in Sexcrement, Incinerate, Neuraxis etc. Jay Blaisdell (Drums) from Goratory, Teratism and Compost Pile, Ben Durgin and Jeremy on Guitars who have also served time in Revengeance and Iranach respectively. 

So far the band has just two releases under their kitty, both being self released demos, but some high class gut wrenching death metal. Whilst their debut demo in 2007 was packed with some great moments and excellent musicianship, their latest offering ''The Collective Calm in Mortal Oblivion'' has taken the ferocity and tightness to a newer level. 

This self released mini album was unleashed during October, 2010 with a suave blue-greyish CD cover layout, the art of which was made by the band's vocalist Mallika herself. There are 3 songs on this CD and it kickstarts with the title track which begins it surge with a nicely faded in riff, which eventually paves way for a groove laden instrumental, with a little bass solo and then the vocals kick in to give you a thud in your face. Even before you could help yourself to get some reprieve from that mighty punch, an absolutely catchy and well laden chorus smacks your cranial tissues once again. The vocals here are pretty interestingly laden with a screamed segment for the chorus, until an abrupt growled section comes ahead to finish it in an ominous manner. 

This track is pretty much mid paced and groove induced with ample double bass sections and catchy rhythms. But this is just a prelude to the mayhem which the upcoming two tracks would relinquish. 

Mallika's tortured scream emanates just after the faded out outro of the opening song and smashes your eardrums with a plodding fury. After that there is absolutely no escape from the impending carnage of this furiously beautiful song, aptly as ''Hatred Relentless''. You could actually notice the amount of relentless hatred being rushed out from the ravishing riff frenzies which the song gushes out on your ears. The entire track is a deftly etched work which spews out  sublte melodic leads and a solo, nicely intervowen with carefully crafted chaotic riffs. Yet another impressive element of this album. 

The grand finale to this already excellent album, ''Zealotry'' is perhaps the best composition as far as cratfy musicianship is concerned. Its power packed with the exact formula which Abnormality have banked upon, which is a zealous blend of sublte melodies with dense power chords and down picked rhythms. The interesting and spontaneous flow of riffs and the time signatures just don't let the attention to draw anywhere else. I must add that its pretty appreciative of the band to employ musical complexity without the usage of the cliched sweep arpeggios and fretboard wankery, which a lot of bands and people consider ''technical'' for just no worthwile reason. I wouldn't say that Abnormality play ''technical'' or ''brutal'' death metal, which are just some bastardized tags. 

This band doesn't really require any such unscrupulous tag. They play uncompromising death metal which banks highly on deriving high quality death metal which doesn't shy off from employing the usage of subtle melodies, of course intervowen with a flurry of riffs and tight percussive demeanor. 

If you appreciate your death metal to be the way it has been mentioned above, then you should certainly check out this MCD. I wonder how are they even unsigned till this date. Any labels/promoters reading this review, please help this talented band to get their morbid visions on the underground death metal platter. I am sure that they are going to crush more skulls by their upcoming cacophonies!

Check out Abnormality on their Myspace to order this album

http://www.myspace.com/abnormality06

Abnormality on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/user/abnormalityofficial/

Final Verdict - 3.5/5

Cemetery Urn - The Conquered are Burned

Full Length, Self Released

May 10th, 2010

Australia

Cemetery Urn, a quite recent addition to the cavernous dungeon of Aussie infernal glory are back with a tormenting compilation of bestial hymns for the appraisers of ancient Death Metal, (anti)christened as ''The Conquered are Burned''. Though this evil congregation was formed in 2007, their bandwagon isn't new to the Aussie extreme metal movement comprising with members from Corpse Molestation, Kutabre, Bestial Warlust, Abominator etc. These hordes have already created ghoulish impressions on the Australian as well as worldwide extreme metal front with their merciless hammering on the essence of weakened mortals and their appalling faiths. So by reading these above lines, people who are new to Cemetery Urn's brand of abominable deathvastions can get a bleak idea as to how they should build up their expectations from them.

Recorded at Three Phase Studio, Melbourne, between April - November 2009, the album comprises of 8 horrific symphonies reeking highly with the destructive sound reminiscent of a mixture of the old American and Swedish Death Metal of the early 90's. Death's Turbulent Fire starts off the proceedings of this brutal bludegoning and does it with elan. The opening riffs highly reminds you of Swedish undeground legends Necrony and the guitar tone is a tad similar to that exhibited on Pathological Performances. Now as your mouth starts watering already, you are exposed to the guttural rasps of Damon who enunciates the inception of raging war on the heavenly blaze and militaristic hammering on the drums enrapture you further.
Even before you could get some reprieve from the carnage forged on you by the first track, The Plague of Annihilation emerges out and destroys your cranial juices even more. With a frenzy of downtuned sludgy riffs, a catchy yet crushing chorus and mayhemic drums, you get the vibe of good old Incantation's first and sophomore albums specially towards the ending of the track where a subtle doomy passage rings a bell of some similar parts in Mortal Throne of Nazarene. More Incantation worship follows in the songs ahead - specially Wrath from The Grave, whose intro passages and riffs reminds of Decimate Christendom, a la Dying Divinity. The track begins with a catchy riff and then abruptly, you get a thud on your face by a frenzy of instrumental ecstasy which consists of quite a few tempo changes, from groovy double bass sections to grinding dissonance.
Possessed Terror and ...Of Spectral Dominance continue in a similar fashion and enamor one's auditory senses with more muddy riffs and hooking solos.

A Cemeterial Reaping kick-starts with a captivating melodic lead and converges onto a belligerent solo after which paves way for blastorocious maraudings, taking the track onto a newer level of lunacy. However, the track mostly comprises of fast paced sections, there are subtle mid paced grooves and hooking riffs which make it sound thoroughly enjoyable.After 33 minutes of indimidating sonic torturing on the conquered souls, its time to finally burn their naive embodiment and this gruelling work is perfectly ritualized by the concluding title track The Conquered are Burned. Its furious warlike hymn starts off with a mighty blaze in form of its compelling opening riff which clearly indicates the captured ones that their end is near.

The deterioration begins where Damon yells:
The Conquered are Burned -
smell the boiling blood
The Conquered are Burned -
see their feeble demise
These terminating enunciations continue until Andrew shoots out a final incantation out of his axe and the initial chaos returns back to finish off the proceedings.
Stench of the burning dead emanates from the speakers as Damon rejoices and yells out - They Fucking Burn!!  like an ancient demon lusting for blood.

Overall, Cemetery Urn have certainly made a notch with their second album which is a tad more focussed and well composed as compared to its pre-decessor. The production has also been improved on this one where it still maintains the sewer-flavour of the ultra low guitar despondencies but hasn't gone indistinguishable with the vocals and drums. This was a slight dilemma which had marred Urn of Blood where many parts became quite dissonant, making it little difficult to comprehend the instrumental intrications. Talking about the artwork, a simplistic yet impressive inlay and cover art by Daryl (Funebrarum, Disma etc) provides the perfect idea of the hauntings being unleashed by the album.
This album is going to make a mark on the Aussie underground and would place the band on the ranks of other recent bestial Death Metal hordes like Ignivomous and European acts like Cruciamentum and Dead Congregation. Even though the album is a fanatic worship of the gods of blasphemy - Incantation, it doesn't sound like a cheap and effortless rip-off which some bands come up with. Its indeed a dutiful ritualistic worship which is more often needed from upcoming bands to keep the reverence of the mighty archangels of death and destruction alive.

Buy it and support their diligent death-prayers now!

http://www.hellsheadbangers.com/cemeteryurn/

Official Webhell - http://cemeteryurn.com/
Myspace -  http://www.myspace.com/cemeteryurn

Final Rating - 7.8/10

Immolation - Majesty and Decay (2010)

Full Length, Nuclear Blast Records
2010



Immolation, the unholy messiahs of death metal have returned with their 8th studio full length album which is christened as ''Majesty and Decay''. A change in label from Listenable Records to Nuclear Blast Records has certainly reaped good benefits for the band as there have been some innovations in the way the band used to write their music. The first major thing would be a pre-production which has been attempted by Immolation for the first time and secondly, covering a brief yet intimate footage of the song writing and recording procedure for all the die-hard fans like me to have a proper insight into the bestial ideas behind those staggeringly dark sounds. The recording took place at the Milbrook Recording Studios handled  by long time producer Paul Orofino and later mixed and mastered by Zack Ohren of Castle Ultimate Studios. These two gentlemen have played a pivotal role in giving shape to this abominable beast which was being nurtered in the respective wombs of their studios.
A zealous graphical output by the talented Par Olofsson has given a perfect imagery which the band really required for the new album. The artwork was really a breather for me and certainly par above than whatever the band had after Failures of Gods. Though I wish that they come back with the old logo which might be the wickedest ever created!

Now, after all the teasers, its finally time to do the ultimate revelation. So hold your hearts and numb your brains to await for the rupture which this evil progeny is going to cast upon your mortal figurines! Its something which is exclusively offered by Immolation, a macabre dosage of everything baleful and impious.

Ever since they shook the death metal underground with their cult debut Dawn of Possession, they haven't left any stone unturned in adding numerous feathers to their caps after each passing album and this one is no exception. I'd say that their previous installment, ''Shadows in the Light'' had a little ''accessible'' sound as compared to their earlier masterpieces but was yet able to create ghoulish scenarios with some aggresive song writing although the production had played spoilsport. But they have dutifully overcome these minor flaws on the newer album. It was pretty surprising to see an intro and an interlude being included with the album, something which hasn't been done ever by Immolation, but I later understood the purpose behind after giving it enough listens and I am sharing the same impressions which I perceived throughout the epic voyage.

After popping in the CD into my player, a shortlived yet effective intro welcomed me to the carnage which was about to follow and I got its first impression as soon as ''The Purge'' started. A sinister riff kick-started the proceedings to be followed by Ross' bowel churning growls and an epochal breakdown made my room tremble violently.
The rest of the track continued in a royal fashion, intertwined perfectly with dilligent instrumental ecstacy. Moments after I realized the amount of destruction the opening track had caused, I was exposed to the fury of ''A Token of Malice'', the opening lead of which left me chewing my nails with an extravagant jolt. Despite of being a shorter track, it left a deep seismic effect which would have easily shook the richter scale with its sheer ferocity. My already squashed brain began to ponder in a deep thought about this nefarious onslaught and the necessary light was provided by the upcoming tremors from the title track itself. Its grand opening was pretty similar to the raging cacophonies which follow an omniscient battle, a battle to remove the most despicable entity - mankind.

Very soon, I began to visualize this as a a catastrophe. Vigna and Taylor all prepared to tremble the earth with their sharpened axes and swords, Shalaty ready to tear apart the ears of the enemy with his menacing beats and Dolan leading the pack with his fiendish guttural roars warning the masses to stay prepared for tremendous annihilation. A few seconds after I had attained 'nirvana', 'Divine Code'' blasted off my senses and carried forth the battle wagon in a pretty similar fashion to its predecessor and unleashed a venomous contempt which ultimately left the throat of mankind pierced with the daggers of tyranny.
''A Glorious Epoch'' seemed ike a brutal ballad describing the glorious conquests and the suppression of betrayal after which the war march took  a brief pause with the ''Interlude'' after immense ruination but still creeped my ears with the bells of impending doom. ''A Thunderous Consquence'' began  with panache, reminding me  of the ancient rhythmistic slaying of Incantation, Immolation's brothers in blasphemy and malice. I was astounded to learn that the warriors still managed an inhumane hold on their weapons, not letting them go off control even for a single moment and hence creating a blissful flurry of sonic onslaughts which cuts through the lands and took control with might.

This bizarre devastation lead to a horrendous end and creating ''A Rapture of Ghosts''. Starvation, decay and merciless beatings dance around the endless shadows and rotting grandeur of humanity. ''Power and Shame'' and ''The Comfort of Cowards'' were pretty much like the testimonies of the failure of the majesty of the highest decree and announced that his glorious days were now about to end as the blinded masses would now fight free of possession or else die an inevitable death. And then, this compelling saga finally came to a dramatic end which paved way for an excruciating silence. A silence which was more disturbing than the cacophonies which had earlier slammed the veins of my sanity.

But this doesn't mean that the war has ceased. This sempiternal rage is a neverending havoc which would return to life once again as our illustrious warriors would raise their arms to envelop the world under the shadows of darkness and despair.

Till then, stay enraptured by this aural blitzkrieg and await for more such onslaughts to follow.


Final Rating - 9.5/10

Morpheus Descends - Chronicles of the Shadowed Ones (

Full Length, 1994
Independent

Line up:

Vocals- Jeff Reimer
Bass- Andy Newton
Guitar- Bryan Johnston
Drums- Sam Inzerra
Guitar- Rob Yench


Track Listing:

1. The Cruciform Hills 06:17
2. Cairn of Dumitru 06:49
3. Autumn Bleed 04:56
4. Signs of Gehenna 05:02
5. Moupho Alde Ferenc Yaborov (In the Land of the Vampire Ferenczy) 09:00

Total Playing Time: 32:04


''Chronicles of The Shadowed Ones'' is the second release by NYDM stalwarts Morpheus Descends and In fact their best. The band flourished in the early 90's when the New York underground scene was gaining world wide recognition with bands like Incantation, Suffocation, Immolation and Mortician creating a benchmark for other bands all over the globe. But sadly, not many people credit Morpheus Descends' role in this process. They were highly significant in defining the whole NYDM sound and this album is a sheer exemplification of their musical prowess.

This album clocks at around 32 minutes and leaves a profound Impression of Impending doom and catastrophe on the listener. It contains a sinister atmosphere with heavy death/doom parts and brilliant riffing which reminds me of Incantation's Onward To Golgotha a lot. The guitars have played a pivotal role in defining the pessimistic and dark sound of this masterpiece. The dual guitar attack of Rob Yench and Bryan Johnston has been phenomenal throughout this testimony of diabolical art. There aren't any solos or guitar wankery here but a stellar, to the point performance. The pummeling riffs leave no stone unturned in tormenting the ears of the listener.

Jeff Riemer(R.I.P)'s vocal work is amongst the best in the whole death metal history which remind me of Craig Pillard'. His undecipherable gutturals were like Cobras spewing venom upon their preys. Tracks like ''The Cruciform Hills'' and ''Cairn of Dumitru'' have stellar vocal performances which perfectly compliment the sinister guitar work and percussion. He has created an evil web of Blasphemy through his Guttural narratives which haunt the listeners throughout the album. Like the lyrics of the title track says ''In the cruciform hills
Something evil lies, undead ''.

The next big highlight of this gem is the precise drumming. It contains an excellent double bass and pedal work with frenetic blasts at times. The snares create an explosive sound which is perfectly in sync with the riffage. Its an amazing fact to see such a good sounding drum mix on an Independent release that too 15 years ago! Sam Inzerra may not have achieved anything path breaking but he was Instrumental In making this album a gem through his percussive skills.

Overall, This album is a timeless classic which stays pristine even after 100 listens and it's fiendish, majestic feel never ceases to erode. I highly recommend Morpheus Descends to all the old school death metal aficionados and i guarantee that this album would become the soundtrack to your horrific nightmares.

Enjoy the brutality!


Final Verdict:
9/10