CD Review: “Scourge Of The Enthroned” by Krisiun

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Krisiun’s eleventh record, Scourge Of The Enthroned, is a colossal slab of merciless blast beats and armor crushing riffs. The title track opens this album with a hellish, yet grandiose riff before slamming straight to hell. Drummer Max Kolesne’s chaotic blast beats synchronize with Moyses Kolesne’s chainsaw guitars throughout the song. The song’s seamless rhythm changes make for an unpredictable and exciting listen.

“Demonic III” is possibly a tribute to this brotherly trio, whose music could conjure a thousand devils. The pulverizing stop start riff sets the mood of this track before the band plays even faster! Moyses even treats us to several guitar leads sandwiched between the monolithic drums and riffs. Meanwhile, bassist and vocalist Alex Camargo’s guttural vocals match the song’s intensity. The song’s crushing midsection solidifies this song as one of the best in the band’s 28 year existence.

Max’s drumming on “Slay The Prophet” advances like an army upon a defenseless city. Once again the track’s midsection provides the listener a slight break as the band settles into brief, albeit nice groove before switching back to heavy mode. Krisiun’s thrash influence shows on “A Thousand Graves” with its fast tempo before transitioning to a rolling blast beat pattern. The riffs on this track strike like several spikes at once. Album closer “Whirlwind Of Immortality” commences with a twisting riff that is joined by rapid drumming, before alternating between a broken galloping riff and a staccato riffing bolstered by blast beats. A fitting end for a record structured on uncertainty and technical chaos.

Scourge Of The Enthroned is Krisiun at its most technical, yet its most dynamic. The complex song structures are at times catchy but never ambitious. Technical death metal bands often fall victim to emphasizing musicianship over emotion, yet Krisiun avoids this common pitfall. You can chalk it up to experience, however Scourge’s brevity is also a main factor. It features just eight tracks and is barely 38 minutes in length. Therefore, Krisiun spend little time fooling about and get right to business. The album’s production superb which is expected from this trio. The drumming and guitars are up front and one can easily hear every time change, riff and lead.

Krisiun once again prove why it is extreme metal royalty on this record. Scourge Of The Enthroned shows a band operating at top performance with several tracks that will certainly become fan favorites. Fans should not worry about the album’s length compared to the band’s past three releases as the songs are around four to six minutes in length. This record certainly takes the throne.

Check out Krisiun’s official Facebook page for news and tour dates:

https://www.facebook.com/krisiun.official/

CD Review: “Downfall Of Mankind” by Nervosa

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Brazilian death-thrash trio Nervosa deliver a blistering dose of speed on its third album, Downfall Of Mankind. The album’s brief intro is dissonant and foreboding, merely hinting at what is in store. The next track, “Horrordrome,” is a full on thrash assault. This song is rife with sharp riffs and blast beats while guitarist Prika Amaral unleashes a chaotic solo. “Never Forget Never Repeat” is a scathing commentary on human history and how bigotry and hatred leads to war and genocide. The brutality of the music complements the lyrics with its maniacal speed and steel cutting guitar riffs. The relentless tempo feels like you are in the midst of a battle among dead bodies and rubble. On “Enslave” there is a tinge of Swedish death metal fused with a hardcore stomp. The song seamlessly speeds up and slows down, and is sure to induce a circle pit at a show. That hardcore influence reappears in all its brutal glory on “…And Justice For Whom?” New drummer Luana Dametto is merciless on the kit, hitting double beats, blast beats and everything in between. Frontwoman Fernanda Lira’s demonic shrieks heighten the energy on this track, making it one of the best on the album. “No Mercy” is one of the fastest songs on Downfall, giving the listener little room to relax save for a brief breakdown during the midsection. This track certainly lives up to its title.

Downfall Of Mankind shows Nervosa maturing as a cohesive unit. The songwriting is technical and precise, but also brutal and unpredictable. The songs twist and turn, but are never wayward. Nervosa are never overambitious, and keep each track under the five minute mark, thus the tracks never linger. The production is great, with no tinny drum sounds or overly thick guitar sound.

Nervosa hit a home run with this album. Downfall Of Mankind is the group’s best record to date and one of the best metal albums of 2018. The social commentary, hardcore drumming and blistering riffs fuse together for an aggressive, unrelenting yet thought provoking album. This record is a mandatory purchase for fans of both old school and contemporary metal.

Check out the band’s official website:

http://nervosaofficial.com/site/eng-band/

CD Review: Dying Fetus- “The Wrong One To F*ck With”

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Five years have passed since death/grindcore veterans Dying Fetus released Reign Supreme in 2012. Well, the lapse in time certainly has not dulled the group’s aggression or musical precision. Dying Fetus’s newest release, The Wrong One To F*ck With, is a solid fusion of technical death metal, grindcore and groove. Shredding guitars and chaotic drumming open the record before settling in to a signature hardcore groove on “Fixated On Devastation.” It is classic Dying Fetus as the band seamlessly changes rhythm while vocalist John Gallagher’s guttural vocals could wake the dead. “Panic Amongst The Heard” is a frantic track with its-stop start rhythms and explosive midsection of blast beats. Dying Fetus are masters of containing chaos and playing on the fringes without falling off. John’s guitar work takes center stage as he shoots riff after riff over Trey Williams’ tight percussion. “Die With Integrity” is a thrash inspired monster that does not relent. The sinister midsection is hypnotic as the guitar and drums circle the listener in before being destroyed by devastating blast beats. “Seething With Disdain” is a merciless heavy hitter with stellar lead work and ferocious drumming. The trio proving yet again how to properly combine virtuosity and brutality.

 

Wrong One is a record that requires repeated listening to hear everything going on in each track. There are so many riffs and drum beats that one will miss during the initial listen. One will be so preoccupied with the brutality of a track that they will miss an interesting guitar phrase. The production is fine with heavy emphasis on the rhythm and lead guitars. Still, one can hear the complex song structures just fine.

Dying Fetus bring the bloody goods on Wrong One To F*ck With. Fans of the band’s previous releases can expect the technical yet grooving death metal the group is known for. Whoever or whatever did “f” with the guys in Fetus certainly lit creative fire in their heads. This is a band that will stop at nothing in order to conquer the extreme metal world.

For news and tour dates, check out the band’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/DyingFetus/

CD Review: ‘Forged in Fury’ by Krisiun

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Four years have passed since Krisiun’s last album, The Great Execution. The gap has not slowed the death metal outfit at all. Krisiun is all business on album opener “Scars of the Hatred.” The unorthodox song structure, mechanical riffing and relentless drumming is signature Krisiun. The track maintains a mid-tempo beat, with chaotic blast beats in the mid-section. “The Ways of Barbarism” is as savage as the title describes it. The hypnotic bass and guitar lines fit over the manic drumming before converging in to a nice groove and then breaking out in to an auditory assault. At 6 1/2 minutes, “The Ways of Barbarism” is the longest track on Forged in Fury, and avoids monotony. Things speed up on the blistering “Dogma of Submission.” The song is merciless and is reminiscent of Krisiun’s excellent 2008 release, The Southern Storm. The track seamlessly transitions from blast beats to groove without hesitation. Vocalist Alex Camaro’s bass playing also takes center stage as he plucks like a man possessed. “Strength Forged Fury” follows in the same vein with a monolithic drum build up before an eruption of molten riffs. The fiery guitar leads only accentuate the violent nature of this track. Things slow down on “The Soulless Impaler” with its mystical, clean intro and tribal drumming. The track has a minor Nile influence, which is interesting, however the band does not imitate its South Carolina peers. The song is straight Krisiun with its restrained composition before going full throttle towards the middle of the track.

Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal) produced Forged in Fury and did a solid job capturing the group’s compressed chaos on tape. Max Kolesne’s drums are the highlight on Forged as every cymbal crash and blast beat is clear. The album is also commendable for the audible bass, which so often is drowned out by guitars on death metal albums. The production is thick, but never distorts or hinders the musicianship of the songs.

Forged in Fury was worth the wait. It would have been nice to hear this record 2 years ago, but late is better than never. Krisiun fans will like Forged, as will death metal fans in general. Some may criticize the record for its length, which clocks in at 51 minutes. However, the songs are varied and the record does not sound repetitious. Forged in Fury is unbreakable, unyielding, and unstoppable.

For news and tour dates, check out www.krisiun.com.br.