Embryonic Depravity - Constrained By The Miscarriage Of Conquest

Full length, Permeated Records

November 2009

Embryonic Depravity is one of latest ensembles in the UK brutal death metal scene. They recently released their debut full length entitled as ''Constrained by the Miscarriage of Conquest'' on Italian label Permeated Records which also has bands like Septycal Gorge, Vomit the Soul etc on it's artistic roster and both those bands have slayed with their latest ventures.

There has been a sudden upsurge in the underground brutal death metal scene in UK with bands like Amputated, Fleshrot, Kastrated, Crepitation, Ingested, Infected Disarray etc raising the sickness quotient. Previously known as Odium Incarnate, Embryonic Depravity has joined this brutal brigade with elan.

I wouldn't really tag Constrained.. as something exceptional but the efforts of these British sickfucks are pretty noteworthy. This album is a must listen for fans of US style gut wrenching brutality. Like a majority of other brutal death bands, Embryonic Depravity take their basics from American goremongers Disgorge and given it their own twisted and deviant shape.

Their style can be easily described as ruthless brutal death metal with nicely layed technical dissonance. One complaint which I have is the playing length which is just under 27 minutes. There are a totality of 10 tracks so it makes up for an average of almost 3 minutes per song with the longest song being the title track which lasts for about 5 minutes. Another good factor which can be noticed is judicious usage of slams or breakdowns being employed. They are mixed with the merciless blast sections in a handsome ratio and doesn't let a monotone to evolve.

These young musicians seem pretty spot on with their musical intricateness. Rob Newson the vocalist has delivered a ferocious guttural onslaught which is bound to create a buzz in the listeners ears. The dual guitar bombardment by Pete and Will is also well executed a la Severed Saviour, latest Deeds of Flesh and somewhat Defeated Sanity. The percussion has been fairly good with efficient double blass sections, grooves and hyperblasts. The mixing and mastering has been conducted at the 16th Cellar Studios in Italy who have previously worked on Hour of Penance, Blasphemer (Ita) and Vomit the Soul and have granted this album a great modern sound. All the instruments have been fairly audible and maleficently fluent.

So it has been a promising overall effort by these young turks and has left me enthusiastic about their future material. Currently they are looking forward to massacre UK with the upcoming ''Erasing The UK Tour'' where they would be sharing stage with Amputated and fellow label mates Septycal Gorge and Vomit the Soul. A good exposure would do the trick for these guys and the rest would be done by their musical artillery.

Recommended for fans of ultra sick, bowel regurgitating and technically savoured death metal.

7.8/10

Official Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/embryonicdepravity

Disma - The Vault Of Membros (2009)

Hello folks, how are all you guys doing? First of all, I beg extreme apologies for not keeping Infernal Dominion active since quite a long while now. Curse my stupid college and a pile of incomplete assignments for that.  But now I am finally back on track and all geared to write a review of an absolutely fantastic band which is one of my recent discoveries. The band is called Disma and they are from New Jersey, United States of America. What's the speciality of this band? Scroll down and read.


All the fellow death metal maniacs who have been urging to hear more and more relentless assaults of primitive death metal can be prepared to hear one of the best new congregations in the old school death metal scene. Funebrarum meets Incantation and the result is pure blasphemy!
Disma was founded by Funebrarum's frontman Daryl Kahan and former Incantation guitarist Bill Venner during January 2007 with the intention of creating heavy and morbid death metal. Shawn Eldridge (Funebrarum) joined on drums along with Randy Strokes (Methadrone) on bass. The line-up was complete after the legendary Craig Pillard joined the ranks on vocals.

They recently released a demo entitled as ''The Vault of Membros'' containing three tracks which sound as if they were recorded in Satan's own studio. Their name was derived by the Finnish band Xysma and a lot of their influences include great Finnish bands for example Rippikoulu, Adramelech and Convulse. Disma's brand of death metal is uncompromising and a great amalgam of Finnish and American old school death metal.

Its the perfect treat for the fans of Onward to Golgotha era Incantation. Pillard has relived those memories by an absolutely fiendish vocal performance very much reminiscent of his days with Incantation. A cacophonous twin guitar assualt by Daryl and Bill has been able to grant a raw and dissonant sound to the demo. It feels as if this is one of those obscure gems which spawned out in the early 90's tape trading era. Shawn has been brilliant on drums as excepted after his splendid performance on the latest Funebrarum album. He hasn't blasted as furisously as he did on The Sleep of Morbid Dreams but has delivered a great percussive attack which was appropriate for Disma's pumelling music. Randi's muddy, down tuned bass tone added more fervor to this juggernaut.

It's not very often that a band leaves a staunch impression on oneself just after one listen but Disma have been instrumental in doing that for me. It didn't take much time for me to immerse in the harsh death/doom hymns being blared out of my speakers and it left me hungry for more. Fortunately, they are soon coming with more hellish tunes and I can't wait to hear them. This is going to become a favourite among the appreciators of primitive and ballsy death metal in no time from now. Disma are yet another outfit among the flagbearers of the new wave of old school death metal which have resurrected the glory of those great old days.

If you found this review intriguing, then waste no time in checking out these great guys on Myspace. The demo is available for sale straight away from Daryl Kahan. Check out their Myspace link below for more details
Cheers!

http://www.myspace.com/dismadeathmetal

Reclusiam - Reclusiam (2004)

Demo, Self Released
2004

Track list:
1. Parasellar 12:16
2. Litanies of Rust and Decay 13:20
3. Enim Corpus Meum (Hill 60) 14:30
4. Scotoma 04:44
Total playing time 44:48


I once had a conversation with a friend about our respective interests in music and I declared that I preferred listening to dark, depressing music. Naturally, he could not comprehend why I would choose to listen to something miserable and despondent and not something upbeat and lively. I guess, the experiences in my past explain my affinity towards this type of music, but I always wonder why people are scared to explore the darker and the more gloomy side of life. Why are they scared to explore the darkness within them? I never understood this, but whenever I want to do just that, Reclusiam’s debut is the first album I reach out to.

To put it simply, this album captures the true essence of depression and loneliness in its music. Musically, it is flawless and radiates emotions of emptiness and solitude with every passing second. The music is minimalistic and melancholic. Each song is 10+ minutes long, as expected with funeral doom. It is your typical funeral doom on this first listen. The long drawn out chords, the slow plodding drums and deep harsh vocals; But what is truly amazing about this release is how Ryan Henry has taken all his influences and added his own touch to it. There is something about this release that makes it different from most other funeral doom albums that I have heard.

Every track is similar. It starts off with “Parasellar” which is quite possibly, one of the best tracks I have heard in this genre. The riffs are extremely slow and lifeless. Its as if he only plays a chord once every 10 seconds or so. The vocals and nice and low growls, but are used sparsely. The atmosphere is stunning. The organs and the violin intertwine to form melodies that are so full of despair and despondency that you immediately wonder what mental state the musician was in when he wrote it. The last 3 minutes of ‘parasellar’ with the violins and organs playing together is possibly the most haunting piece of music I have ever heard.

The other tracks are also on the same level, which is brilliant. ‘Litanies of rust and decay’ is next. The song just explodes with a slow, plodding riff and some spoken vocals/growls. The vocals are brilliant and add another dimension to the sound. It sounds as if he is dying slowly and is sinking into despair. The sitar used in this track is brilliant and adds to the atmosphere. ‘Enim Corpus Meum’ is the third track. The song starts off slowly and repetitively, and just as you begin to feel overcome with emotion, the drums and guitar bursts out. The song continues on a slow pace till the end where it picks up and unleashes a tirade full of misanthropy and hatred.

The best thing about this album is the atmosphere. It is claustrophobic and crushing. It sucks you in even before you realize it and does not let go till the end. The production is perfect, with no instrument upstaging the other. Most importantly, the guitar tone is perfect but the main focus is on the keys. The songs are long, but at no point do they become tiresome.

In conclusion, this album is perfect for people who like funeral doom. Its slow, dark and depressing. It will leave you thoroughly disillusioned with this world…this life…with humanity.

Human Mincer - Degradation Paradox (2008)

Line Up:
Guilemoth - Bass
Phlegeton - Vocals
David - Drums
Miguel - Guitar

Country: Spain
Record Label:Brutal Bands


Track list:
1. Flask Copper Deglutition
2. Sculpturing Himself Atrocity
3. Degradation Paradox
4. Dyskinetic Martyr Modification
5. Scaphocephaly: Status: Error
6. Macromutation Overflowed
7. Thoughts Inner Illogical Collapse
8. Turbulent Migratorious Conceptions

Total playing time 27:04

Spanish brutal death metallers Human Mincer have returned with their latest venture entitled as ‘Degradation Paradox’ after a long hiatus of 3 years. They shot to fame in the Spanish underground scene after the release of their first demo ‘’Grotesque Visceral Extraction’’ in 1999 and there hasn’t been any looking back since then.

Their earlier full lengths ‘’Embryonized’’ and ‘’Devoured Flesh’’ were instrumental in making them a household name in the underground scene. The band has been marred by frequent line up changes since their inception but it didn’t really hamper their immense focus towards composing some extremely sick and technical music to charm the loyal followers of the BDM scene.

Human Mincer’s career took a huge turning point when Carlos (Vocals) and Antonio (Bass) decided to leave the band during the summer of 2006. The guys who were recruited to fill in these vacant positions were none other than Phlegeton (Vocals) and Guillemoth (Bass) from the bizarre Spanish Brutal Death Metal band ‘’Wormed’’. This new incredible line up was then ready to massacre the weak in the most heinous way possible.

In January 2008, the newly formed line up entered the studio to work upon their third album to be released by Brutal Bands which is undeniably one of the most revered DM record labels in the world. They had earlier worked with Xtreem Music owned by the legendary Dave Rotten which had released their first two albums.

Their earlier sound was very much reminiscent of Disgorge (USA) and similar other American Brutal Death Metal bands but now it can be pretty easily compared with the sound of Wormed with more variations and intricate song patterns. The inclusion of the profane duo from Wormed was subservient in giving them their new implausible sound.

This 27 minute juggernaut unleashes a relentless assault on the eardrums of the listener containing every ingredient to be served in front of multitudes of fans hungry for a truly barbarous display of blasting Brutal Death Metal.
It should have been come out with a warning sign ‘’Beware of serious neck breaking headbanging’’ in my opinion. An absolute inhumane slab of gravity blasts, inhumane riffs and monstrous vocals makes you jump with ecstasy everytime you play this record.

As far as the individual performances are concerned, Miguel’s guitar skills have been absolutely astonishing and awe-inspiring throughout the record. His playing style is not anything much different from the other guitarists in the scene but the reason why he receives an enormous appraisal is the way he has executed them. There has been an intelligent usage of groovy, thick downtuned chugs (Not the slam death metal types though) intertwined with frequent tremolo picked, palm muted riffs and occasional pinch harmonics. Abrupt tempo changes and innovative rhythm sections also highlight the amount of dexterity been exuded by him. The sumptuous production by BB also compliments his hard work very dearly.

Talking about vocals, Phlegeton has been a total monster on the mic on DP. He has been instrumental in devastating the auditory senses of the listener through his loathsome brand of ultra low gutturals. He sounds like Leatherface’s chainsaw persistently buzzing with angst and craving to savor the taste of bright red human blood. His vocal style is basically categorized with very low frequency croaks and squeals and the amount of adroitness which he employs while unleashing them out of his throat is simply phenomenal! I became a huge fan of his vocals the day I heard Wormed but the performance in this CD made me worship him.

This multi-talented musician has been active in the Spanish underground scene since quite a long time, playing for various other bands like Unsane Crisis, Infernal (Col), Banished from Inferno etc. where he also plays drums apart from doing vocal duties. He is also a well know illustrator and graphic designer in the underground DM scene and has designed cover arts and logos for various bands like Avulsed, Mortician, Disgorge (Mex), Gloria Morti, Benighted, Kronos, Revenant, Funebre, Guttural Secrete, Wormed, Reinfection, Impure, Golgotha, Embryonic Devourment, Vidres a la Sang, Infested and Human Mincer’s Degradation Paradox too. So, total respect for him.

The drums on this album have been totally exceptional. I remember watching a live footage of David’s drumming skills on the song ‘’Dyskinetic Martyr Modification’’ and was awestruck watching him. He appeared totally inhumane there as he did on the CD.
This album would not have sounded so epic without the earnest efforts of this gentleman.
His incessant gravity blasts have left a profound impression on me and through that I can easily put him in the league of the most talented drummers out in the scene today.
What is even more brilliant about him is that he hasn’t allowed the drums to overpower the guitars by maintaining a prodigious variance on his playing speed.
He has also succeeded in playing the slower groovy parts with much ease and combining them with the ferocity of his blasting skills.

The production level is also very impressive and has been the most prominent factor in giving the dark and thick sound which this album boasts of.
It’s a record which you will love to blast on your speakers at full volume to give a heart attack to your grouchy neighbors. The word extravagant would be just an understatement to describe the grandeur of this magnum opus.

It possesses a unique charisma which makes it sound pristine even after giving over a zillion plays. There is no such moment where you would feel like interrupting the CD and switching over to another record. So, I advise all the guys who are desperate to experience an unpretentious and insane onslaught of original and bizarre Death Metal to get a copy of this record and blare it loud on your music player. You would be left more than satisfied.

Stay brutal.

Cheers!

Rating - 9.5/10

Check out Human Mincer on their official Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/humanmincer

Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice (2005)

Full-length, Total Holocaust Records
June 27th, 2005

Track List:

1. I 02:09
2. Piercing Where They Might 06:12
3. Spectre As Valkerie Is 06:43
4. Minions 09:32
5. Paramnesia 04:08
6. This Blood Falls As Mortal Part III 10:36
7. Granite 05:27
8. Vortex Chalice 06:34
9. Fastened To The Five Points 08:32

Total playing time 59:53

Eliminate society. Eliminate all your ideas, your dreams, your hope and replace them with what you fear the most. Replace light with darkness. Destroy humanity. Destroy all emotions. Destroy all beliefs. Replace rational thoughts and logic with insanity.

These are the range of emotions you experience on listening to ‘Lurker of Chalice’s’ self-titled debut. Lurker of Chalice is a side project of Wrest, the mastermind of ‘Leviathan’. And to be honest, the general soundscape of this release and the emotions explored bear a resemblance to leviathan’s ‘the tenth sub-level of suicide’. However, the sheer emotional outpouring in this album is overwhelming and proves to be more effective than leviathan’s works.

The main accomplishment of this album is that the moods depicted by wrest are genuine. From the first moment onwards, you enter a tortured mind. Wrest takes you through a journey filled with darkness and despair. You seem to drift aimlessly, lifelessly in a parallel grey world. A world in which all senses fade away, only leaving behind fear and cold depression. The atmosphere suffocates you after a point of time and you are left grasping for breath to convince yourself that you are still alive.

Now, onto the music. Most of the instrumentation is downbeat as compared to ‘leviathan’. The drums are nothing special. Nothing flashy. Their main purpose is to move the song along a definitive direction. The vocals are nothing more than spoken-words through some distortion effects and a lot of reverb. The vocals are amazing. If in the right state of mind, the listener will definitely lose himself in the folds of this music. The guitars are fantastic. They sound as if they are far away, and add some incredibly haunting ambience to the music. The riffs consist of blackened tremolo riffs and doomish passages as well. The guitar is mainly distorted although, there is some strumming and clean guitars thrown in as well. The bass seems to be heavily influenced by doom metal and play a big role in this album. They are slow and seem to ebb away at the listener while leading the music. The atmosphere is stunning and suffocating. And nothing I have heard can top the atmosphere that wrest produces in this album.

This is a fantastic release. It is something that has to be experienced. It is a journey through emptiness. A journey through desolation. A journey through the mind of a tortured individual who wishes nothing better than death.

This is one of the most original and captivating music I have heard for a long time. Listen to it and ‘enjoy’.

RATING – 10/10

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

Worship - Last CD Before Doomsday (1999)

Demo, Impaler of Trendies
1999

Track List :

1.

Whispering Gloom

11:53

2.

Solicide and the Dawning of the Moonkult

10:59

3.

Eclipse of Sorrow

08:18

4.

Worship

15:23

5. Keep On Selling Cocaine to Angels 08:32

Total Playing Time - 53:55 minutes

Imagine the most painful moment in your life. Imagine pain. Imagine anguish. Imagine despair. Imagine this painful existence slowly coming to an end. This is what it feels like on listening to this masterpiece, which quite brilliantly portrays the raw emotions to those who know what it is to be depressed.

‘The last CD/Tape/Vinyl before doomsday’ is probably the finest funeral doom release ever. I would go as far as to call it the soundtrack to suicide. This is one of the albums that you have to sit down and listen to, in order to understand the music. The music is slow, as expected with funeral doom, and extremely heavy.

What immediately captured my attention were the vocals. Its almost as if Max knew this was the end and put in all that he had in this album. His vocals are sick and twisted. He doesn’t just do deep guttural vocals, but effectively uses some shrieks and some whispers. Max knows exactly what he is doing and what is needed to create such dismal music.

The guitars are brilliant and possibly are The Doommonger’s best work yet. They are distorted and heavy as fuck. Not all of the guitar work is distorted though. There are some clean guitar passages that maximize the oppressive atmosphere of these songs. The solo at the end of ‘whispering gloom’ gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it and sends me to a totally different state of mind. The riffs are excellent. Extremely slow, but crushing and suffocating. It sweeps over the listener like a tidal wave.

The drums are typical of funeral doom. They are played very slowly and are non-existent in parts. It would not matter even if the drums weren’t present in this release. Nothing special, but done well.

Overall, I consider this to be the benchmark against which I judge other funeral doom releases. After a while of listening, you find yourself staring at an endless void. You find yourself surrendering yourself to this void. You witness nothingness. You feel empty, hollow and devoid of all happiness. You almost feel dead. All hope abandoned; your spirit broken. But in spite of all this, you find yourself coming back to this again and again.

This is Funeral Doom. This is what it was meant to be. Absolute perfection

R.I.P max

10/10