Kosti rozvěšené po stromech. Vždycky jsem si myslel, že je tenhle dům hluboko v lesích opuštěný. Jenže jsem se mýlil. Jeho historie je opředena děsivými legendami. Vejdu dovnitř. Ozve se rezavý zvuk a otevře se přede mnou místnost plná zaschlé krve, rozsekaných těl a klecí v nichž jsou stále zavřené další oběti. Dole ve sklepě je spousta mučících nástrojů a za domem kamenný oltář. Slyším ozvěny nemrtvých, bojím se vlastního stínu. Hudba se mi zadře hluboko do hlavy. Krve by se ve mě nedořezal.
S indonéskými EXHUMATION jste se mohli na našich stránkách již setkat. Jedná se dvojici šílených muzikantů, kteří se rozhodli, že nám opět svojí hudbou přiblíží absolutní tmu a beznaděj. Vítejte na starodávném death metalovém obřadu. Oběť je připravena. Jste jí vy samotní!
Z reproduktorů se na vás vyvalí syrový, klasický a tradiční death metalový smrad. Budete neustále přidávat hlasitost, budete si podupávat nohou do rytmu a ohlížet se za sebe, jestli za vámi nestojí nějaká šílená bestie, která vám jde po krku. V tvorbě EXHUMATION lze zaslechnout odkazy na kapely jako IMPIETY, OBLITERATION, POSSESSION, MORBID ANGEL, REPUGNANT, PUTRID, VADER. Přidávána je potom směs, umíchaná z těch nejjedovatějších surovin a ingrediencí. Pánové umí napsat ostré a divoké skladby, které v sobě obsahují velké množství nahrubo nasekané tmy a chladu. EXHUMATION vás pozvou na stará pohřebiště, na místa, kde se odehrávaly pradávné seance. Skvěle napsané skladby jsou podpořeny velmi dobrým prašivým zvukem i parádním obalem plným smrtelných symbolů. Je to nahrávka pro všechny, kteří uctívají krvavé kořeny stylu. Rád jsem se díval do tmy, s chutí jsem se toulal se sluchátky na uších mezi starými hroby. Tady, mezi mrtvými i démony, vynikne síla této desky nejvíce. Z hudby cítím velké nadšení pro záhrobní věci, potřebnou sílu i drive. Vlastně by se také dalo napsat, že se jednotlivé motivy staly i mojí součástí. Zaryly se mi hluboko do mozku a rád jsem se k nim vracel. Zapalte ohně a počkejte, až se setmí. Potom můžete přivést oběti. Album "Master’s Personae" zní jako nějaká zvrácená muzika tmou a stíny ožívají. Myslím si, že jsem zde správně. Obřad může začít! Kosti rozvěšené po stromech. Vždycky jsem si myslel, že je tenhle dům hluboko v lesích opuštěný. Jenže jsem se mýlil. Starý mokvající death metal, pokrytý snětí, hnilobou a plesnivými pavučinami! Temný krvavý rituál!
Asphyx says:
Bones hanging in the trees. I always thought this house was abandoned deep in the woods. But I was wrong. Its history is shrouded in terrifying legends. I'll go inside. There's a rusting sound and a room opens up before me, full of dried blood, dismembered bodies and cages still holding more victims. Down in the cellar there are many instruments of torture and a stone altar behind the house. I hear the echoes of the undead, I fear my own shadow. The music burrows deep into my head. The blood wouldn't finish inside me.
You may have already encountered Indonesia's EXHUMATION in our pages. They are a pair of crazy musicians who decided to bring us back to absolute darkness and hopelessness with their music. Welcome to an ancient death metal ceremony. The sacrifice is ready. It's you!
The raw, classic and traditional death metal smell comes out of the speakers. You'll be constantly turning up the volume, stomping your foot to the beat and looking behind you to see if there's some crazy beast after you. In EXHUMATION' s work you can hear references to bands like IMPIETY, OBLITERATION, POSSESSION, MORBID ANGEL, REPUGNANT, PUTRID, VADER. A mixture is then added, mixed from the most toxic ingredients and ingredients. The gentlemen know how to write sharp and fierce tracks that contain a great deal of rough chopped darkness and coldness. EXHUMATION will invite you to old burial grounds, places where ancient seances used to take place. Well written songs are backed by a very good dusty sound and a cool cover full of death symbols. This is a record for all those who worship the style's bloody roots. I liked to look into the darkness, I liked to wander with my headphones on among the old graves. Here, among the dead and the demons, the power of this record shines through the most. From the music I feel a great enthusiasm for things beyond the grave, a necessary strength and drive. In fact, one could also write that the individual motifs have become part of me. They have burned themselves deep into my brain and I like to come back to them. Light the fires and wait for it to get dark. Then you can bring in the victims. The album "Master's Personae" sounds like some twisted music through the darkness and the shadows come alive. I think I'm right here. The ceremony can begin! Bones strewn across the trees. I always thought this house was abandoned deep in the woods. But I was wrong. It's old, moldy death metal, covered in snow, rot and mouldy cobwebs! A dark, bloody ritual!
COMPRESS - The Final Level of Consciousness (2024)
CD 2024, Eternal Death
for english please scroll down
Už dávno jsi ztratil víru v lidský rod. Všude je jenom nenávist, bolest a utrpení. Připadáš si jako stín, jako neviditelný. Raději mizíš mezi stíny, do lesa, do starých katakomb. V chladu a tmě čekáš na jedinou spravedlivou věc na světě, na smrt. Jenže ta nepřichází. Modlíš se k vesmíru, vzýváš přírodní živly a posloucháš black metal. Dostalo se mi do rukou debutové EP maniaků COMPRESS z Massachusetts. Je po okraj narvané špínou, hnisem, misantropií a nihilismem.
Dlouhé, naléhavé a drásají skladby působí jako ozvěny z jiného světa. Občas bývám neklidný. Štve mě všechno kolem a utíkám pryč. Procházím se po lesních pěšinách, obdivuji mrtvé oči obětí, které hnijí na mýtinách. Stávám se pomalu součástí věčnosti, rozpadám se v prach. Nové EP je velmi dobře napsané, ihned se mi dostalo do krve.
Členové kapely patří mezi zkušené muzikanty. Třeba vokalista Connor Dooley působil již ve smečkách jako Morgirion, Lustrum, Misanthropos. Můžete si tak být absolutně jisti, že o kvalitu je zde postaráno. Zvuk, produkce, obal, vše sedí perfektně na svých místech a doplňuje nápady, kterých je na EP velké množství. Stačí se jen soustředit. Základem je klasický, tradiční black metal, který je dále rozvíjen, kořeněn. Přiznám se, že jsem si nahrávku dával do uší převážně ráno, když ještě mrzlo. Ulice byly prázdné a já našlapoval do rytmu. Moje kroky vedly vždy ven, do lesů, na jeden dávno opuštěný hřbitov. Hlavou mi létaly jen samé, do černé zbarvené myšlenky. Myslím, že každý, kdo má tenhle styl rád, měl by z "The Final Level of Consciousness" ochutnat. Někdy i cesta, plná bolesti a utrpení, může být nakonec cílem. Tohle je muzika pro fanoušky, kteří u ní rádi přemýšlejí, kteří se nechávají s chutí rozdrásat do krve. Vše působí velmi tajemně, uhrančivě, syrově. Jako bych se stal svým vlastním stínem. S úsměvem sleduji své konání, ale dávno jsem již v jiné dimenzi. Tak to vidíte, některá hudba ve mě dokáže probudit různé a do pestrých odstínů šedé utkané obrazce. Představte si obrovský trychtýř, který vám někdo zatluče do hlavy. Bude vám proudit do mozku obrovské množství temné energie odněkud z vesmíru. Tak přesně takhle na mě působí i nová deska těchto tmářů. Už dávno jsi ztratil víru v lidský rod. Všude je jenom nenávist, bolest a utrpení. Připadáš si jako stín, jako neviditelný. Raději mizíš mezi stíny, do lesa, do starých katakomb. V chladu a tmě čekáš na jedinou spravedlivou věc na světě, na smrt. Jenže ta nepřichází. Temný, naléhavý, nervy drásající black metal! Těžké ozvěny vlastní existence!
Asphyx says:
You lost faith in the human race a long time ago. There is only hatred, pain and suffering everywhere. You feel like a shadow, invisible. You'd rather disappear into the shadows, into the forest, into the old catacombs. In the cold and dark, you wait for the only just thing in the world, death. But it doesn't come. You pray to the universe, invoke the elements and listen to black metal. I got my hands on the debut EP from Massachusetts maniacs COMPRESS. It's filled to the brim with filth, pus, misanthropy and nihilism.
The long, urgent and gut-wrenching tracks feel like echoes from another world. Sometimes I get restless. I'm annoyed by everything around me and I run away. I walk the forest paths, admiring the dead eyes of the victims rotting in the clearings. I'm slowly becoming part of eternity, crumbling into dust. The new EP is very well written, it immediately got into my blood.
The band members are experienced musicians. For example, vocalist Connor Dooley has been in bands like Morgirion, Lustrum, Misanthropos. So you can be absolutely sure that the quality is taken care of here. The sound, the production, the cover art, everything fits perfectly in place and complements the ideas that abound on the EP. All you have to do is concentrate. The foundation is classic, traditional black metal, which is further developed, spiced up. I admit that I put the record in my ears mostly in the morning when it was still freezing. The streets were empty and I was pedaling to the beat. My steps always led outside, into the woods, to a long-abandoned cemetery. Only thoughts flew through my head, all black in colour. I think anyone who likes this style should sample "The Final Level of Consciousness". Sometimes even a journey full of pain and suffering can be a destination in the end. This is music for fans who like to think, who like to be ripped to shreds. Everything is very mysterious, mesmerizing, raw. It's like I've become my own shadow. I watch my actions with a smile, but I've been in another dimension for a long time. So you see, some music can awaken different patterns woven into colourful shades of grey. Imagine a huge funnel being slammed into your head. A huge amount of dark energy will flow into your brain from somewhere in the universe. That's exactly how the new record by these darkies strikes me. You lost faith in the human race a long time ago. There's nothing but hate, pain and suffering everywhere. You feel like a shadow, invisible. You'd rather disappear into the shadows, into the forest, into the old catacombs. In the cold and dark, you wait for the only just thing in the world, death. But it doesn't come. Dark, urgent, nerve-wracking black metal! Heavy echoes of your own existence!
Identifikace byla ztížena tím, že byla mrtvola spálena. Muselo to být děsivé utrpení. Visela zavěšená na hácích a připadalo mi, že se usmívá. Kolem byly rozestavěné klece, nějak podvědomě jsem tušil, že nebyla jediná. Moje domněnky byly potvrzeny, jakmile jsme sestoupili do sklepa. Na ocelovém stole bylo několik nástrojů určených k mučení. A také přehrávač, ve kterém hrála nová deska polských maniaků. DEADLY VISION. Kapely, která dokázala vytvořit ještě víc morbidnější atmosféru.
Jedná se o zkušené muzikanty. Kapela datuje svůj vznik až do roku 1989. Je sice fakt, že na dlouhou dobu přerušila svoji činnost (1995 - 2016). Ale to jenom proto, aby se v roce 2020 vrátila silnější než dřív. Důkazem budiž skvělé album "Slaughterous Foreplay" na které jsem jednak sepsal recenzi (odkaz je dole pod článkem), ale hlavně jej poslouchal stále dokola. Novinka je volným pokračováním děsivých nočních můr. Bestie se znovu probudila!
Jedná se o surový, špinavý materiál inspirovaný volně kapelami jako BLOOD RED THRONE, INGESTED, CANNIBAL CORPSE, ale i třeba MORBID ANGEL, CARCASS, VADER. Dostanete pořádnou porci zasmrádlého a mokvajícího masa. Poláci vám jej hodí přímo do ksichtu. Nahrubo nasekané riffy, morbidní vokál, valivé melodie, touha ničit hudbou. Tohle všechno zde naleznete a ještě něco navíc. Je to tlak a energie, které lze nalézt snad jen v dobrém smrtícím kovu a na opuštěných lidských jatkách. Novinka "Programmed Obedience" je opatřena skvělým masivním a dobře čitelným zvukem (ZED studio). Možná jste si již všimli, že jsme ovládáni na dálku. Prodali jsme svoje duše, díváme se do obrazovek a pochodujeme pomalu na smrt. Líbí se mi rukopis kapely, oproti minulé nahrávce je novinka ještě víc propracovaná, pestřejší a divočejší. Pokud rádi a často navštěvujete pitevny, patologické sály nebo místa, na kterých se stalo něco hrozného a násilného, tak neváhejte ani chvilku. Nové album se vám zadře pod kůži, stejně jako se to stalo mě. Má v sobě totiž vše potřebné, co po dobré hudbě požaduji. Tlak, sílu, temnotu, takový ten těžko vysvětlitelný feeling. Stačilo několik poslechů a byl jsem zavřen do klece. Čekám, až bude vše připraveno. Jeho plášť je špinavý od krve mých předchůdců. Háky se kývají do rytmu. Visím u stropu a moje vnitřnosti se válejí po zemi. Je to opravdu velmi dobrá deska. Způsobila u mě spoustu děsivých, hororových představ, dostala se i do mých snů. I když mučený, usmívám se, tady se totiž hraje pro mě i pro všechny, kteří mají rádi poctivou, extrémní muziku. Masivní, surový a temný death metalový masakr! Krvavá jatka vydala další svědectví!
Asphyx says:
Identification was made difficult by the fact that the corpse had been burned. It must have been a horrific ordeal. It was hanging from hooks, and it looked to me like it was smiling. There were cages scattered around, and somehow, subconsciously, I suspected she wasn't the only one. My suspicions were confirmed as soon as we descended into the cellar. On a steel table were several instruments designed for torture. And also a record player playing a new album by Polish maniacs. DEADLY VISION. A band that managed to create an even more morbid atmosphere.
These are experienced musicians. The band dates back to 1989. It's a fact that they stopped their activity for a long time (1995 - 2016). But that's only to come back stronger than before in 2020. The proof is the great album "Slaughterous Foreplay" which I wrote a review for (link is below the article), but most importantly I listened to it over and over again. The new album is a loose continuation of the terrifying nightmares. The beast has awakened again!
This is raw, dirty material inspired by bands like BLOOD RED THRONE, INGESTED, CANNIBAL CORPSE, but also MORBID ANGEL, CARCASS, VADER. You will get a good portion of stinky and soggy meat. The Poles will throw it right in your face. Coarsely chopped riffs, morbid vocals, rolling melodies, desire to destroy with music. You'll find all that here and more. It's a pressure and energy that can only be found in good death metal and abandoned human slaughterhouses. The new release "Programmed Obedience" features a great massive and clear sound (ZED studio). You may have already noticed that we are controlled remotely. We've sold our souls, we're looking at screens and marching slowly to our deaths. I like the handwriting of the band, compared to the last recording the new one is even more sophisticated, more colorful and wilder. If you like and often visit autopsy rooms, pathology halls or places where something terrible and violent has happened, don't hesitate a moment. The new album will get under your skin, just like it did to me. It has everything I demand from good music. Pressure, power, darkness, that hard-to-explain feeling. A few listens and I was locked in a cage. Waiting for everything to be ready. His cloak is soiled with the blood of my predecessors. The hooks sway to the rhythm. I'm hanging from the ceiling, my guts rolling on the floor. It's a very good board indeed. It's given me a lot of scary, horrific images, it's even gotten into my dreams. Although tortured, I smile, because here it is played for me and for all those who like honest, extreme music. Massive, raw and dark death metal carnage! Bloody carnage has given further testimony!
Určitě jste někdy přemýšleli o tom, proč zde na světě vlastně jsme. Jaký je účel našeho života a bytí? Jsou to peníze? Hudba? Rodina? Někdy máme strach ze svých vlastních myšlenek. Většinou, když se potřebuji zastavit, když si musím urovnat myšlenky v hlavě, tak si pouštím muziku. Tentokrát jsem se zavřel v pokoji a poslouchal jsem nové album brazilských black metalistů LITOSTH. Kapely, která si mě doslova podmanila, jejich hudba se stala mojí součástí.
Přitom, v black metalu si opravdu velmi vybírám. Mám raději takový ten surový, zemitější, klasický. Brazilci ale hrají spíše jeho melodičtější, vznešenější formu. Nevydržel jsem to dlouho. Rozrazil jsem dveře a musel jsem utéct ven. Do lesa, mezi stromy. Teprve tam jsem si nové album "Cesariana" užil nejvíce. V přírodě jsem pochopil, že jsem jen malé zrnko ve vesmíru.
Kapela je tvořena členy slavných black metalových kapel (Patria, Mysteriis, Swords at Hymns, Dark Celebration, I Gather your Grief). Můžete si tak být jisti, že dostanete poctivou hudbu, skvělý zvuk, parádní obal. O formální stránku bylo opravdu velmi dobře postaráno. Hlavní je ale jako vždy hudba, která je divoká, temná, chladná. Základem je melodický black metal z devadesátých let. Přidávány jsou potom doom a dark metalové prvky. Máte rádi smečky jako BAL-SAGOTH, ROTTING CHRIST, DIMMU BORGIR, DISSECTION, DARK TRANQUILLITY? Potom by se vám mohlo líbit i tohle album. Je v něm narvaná obrovská porce chladu, tmy, i určitého, těžko definovatelného neklidu. Zkrátka a dobře, jedná se o desku, kterou jsem raději poslouchal, než o ní psal. Myslím si totiž, že má slova nestačí. Nelze popsat a vyjádřit všechny odstíny, nuance, kterých je na nahrávce opravdu velké množství. Vím jen jediné. Rád jsem se vracel, s chutí jsem se toulal po lesích, díval se do krajiny, vylezl jsem na horu a chtěl skočit do hlubiny. Zažít ten krásný a vznešený pocit z létání. Nakonec jsem to samozřejmě neudělal, ale moji fantazii novinka "Cesariana" rozhodně probudila. Brazilci jsou vznešení, mocní, majestátní, syroví a živočišní zároveň. Jako bych během poslechu rozplétal starodávné rituály, jako bych přemýšlel o smyslu vlastní existence. Stejně je to zvláštní, šílené a někdy i děsivé, jaké nálady v nás dokáže muzika probudit. LITOSTH mě rozsekali na malé kousky. Postupně se dostali do mých myšlenek, do podvědomí. Nelze tedy jinak, než jejich nové album doporučit. Temné, mocné, melodické, black death metalové tajemství vlastní existence! Budete rozdrásáni do krve!
Asphyx says:
You must have wondered why we are here in this world. What is the purpose of our life and existence? Is it money? Music? Family? Sometimes we are afraid of our own thoughts. Most of the time, when I need to stop, when I need to sort out the thoughts in my head, I play music. This time I shut myself in my room and listened to the new album by Brazilian black metallers LITOSTH, a band that has literally captured me, their music has become a part of me.
I'm very selective in black metal. I prefer the more raw, earthy, classic kind. But the Brazilians play a more melodic, noble form. I didn't last long. I broke down the door and had to run out. Into the woods, among the trees. It was there that I enjoyed the new album "Cesariana" the most. In nature, I realized I was just a small speck in the universe.
The band consists of members of famous black metal bands (Patria, Mysteriis, Swords at Hymns, Dark Celebration, I Gather your Grief). So you can be sure that you will get honest music, great sound, awesome packaging. The formal side was really well taken care of. But the main thing is as always the music, which is wild, dark, cold. The base is melodic black metal from the 90s. Then doom and dark metal elements are added. Do you like bands like BAL-SAGOTH, ROTTING CHRIST, DIMMU BORGIR, DISSECTION, DARK TRANQUILLITY? Then you might also like this album. It's packed with a huge portion of coldness, darkness, and a certain, hard-to-define restlessness. In short, this is an album I'd rather listen to than write about. Because I don't think my words are enough. It is impossible to describe and express all the shades, nuances, which are really numerous on the recording. I know only one thing. I liked to go back, I liked to wander in the woods, look at the landscape, climb a mountain and want to jump into the deep. To experience the beautiful and sublime feeling of flying. I didn't end up doing it, of course, but my imagination was definitely awakened by the novelty of "Cesariana". Brazilians are noble, powerful, majestic, raw and animalistic at the same time. It was as if I was unraveling ancient rituals as I listened to them, as if I were contemplating the meaning of my own existence. Still, it's strange, crazy and sometimes scary what moods music can awaken in us. LITOSTH cut me into small pieces. Gradually they got into my thoughts, into my subconscious. I can't recommend their new album. Dark, powerful, melodic, black death metal mystery of its own existence! You will be torn to blood!
Dámy a pánové, velevážené publikum, milé zombie. Na vědomost se dává, že floridská death metalová legenda MASSACRE je tu s novou morbidní hudbou. Kapela je od svého návratu jako politá mrtvou vodou. Dočkali jsme se již jednoho nového dlouhohrajícího alba (od roku 2014), několika EP a live nahrávky. Tentokrát se jedná spíše o takovou ochutnávku v podobě tří skladeb, z nichž je jedna intrem a jedna coverem od Impetigo. Jedná se o záležitost pro opravdové fanoušky kapely.
A co vlastně dostanete? Inu, klasický death metalový nářez made in MASSACRE. A samozřejmě hororově děsivou atmosféru. Zkrátka a dobře, vše, co máme na téhle kapele rádi. S parádním obalem, pod kterým je podepsán Timbul Cahyono (Bvllmetalart) z Indonésie. Došlo také ke změně na postu bubeníka. Novým maniakem se šílenými rytmy je Jon Rudin.
Zajímavá je jedna věc. Byl opravdu hodně temný večer. Doma nikdo nebyl a tak jsem strávil několik hodin sledováním starých hororových filmů. Ještě se mi nechtělo spát a tak jsem otevřel okno a pustil si "Evil Dead Rise". Najednou jsem byl postavou, která utíká před šíleným vrahem, démonem, kterého jsme s mojí sestrou probudili. Zrozeni v šílených bolestech, toužíme po čerstvé krvi. Mám rád filmy i hudbu, které se mi dostanou do hlavy, do mých myšlenek i do podvědomí. Poslouchal jsem potom ty tři skladby stále dokola a vše ostatní šlo stranou. Jen si říkám, jestli by to už nechtělo poctivé dlouhohrající album. Já vím, dnešní doba plná sdílení a krádeží hudby tomu moc nepřeje, ale přesto, stále mám nejraději dlouhé klasické nahrávky. Nové EP je jako vždy skvělé, má poctivý masivní zvuk. Jen mi připadá jakoby neukončené. Zkrátka a dobře, chtěl bych víc skladeb, víc se ponořit do vnitřností. Mohl bych potom také napsat delší recenzi. Jasně, MASSACRE se drží svého stylu, nemění se a jedou si to svoje. Je jen na fanoušcích, jestli se jim to líbí, či nikoliv. Osobně jsem s tímto směrem spokojen. Patřím k lidem, kteří potřebují nějaký záchytný bod, hudbu, ke které se mohu vracet s jistotou. I tentokrát jsem dostal pořádnou porci syrového masa. A hlavně, mě opravdu baví nové EP poslouchat. Pokud jste na tom stejně, tak neváhejte ani chvilku. A pokud ne, tak klidně shořte v pekle. Víc myslím dodávat netřeba. Dámy a pánové, velevážené publikum, milé zombie. Na vědomost se dává, že floridská death metalová legenda MASSACRE je tu s novou morbidní hudbou. Kapela je od svého návratu jako politá mrtvou vodou. To vám klidně podepíšu vlastní krví. Jak říká Ash:"Tak hurá do pivnice a naporcujeme si tu čarodějnici sami". Morbidní, tradiční, klasické old school death metalové zlo se opět probudilo! Vaše hrdlo bude prokousnuto a vykrvácíte!
Asphyx says:
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished audience, dear zombies. Be advised that Florida death metal legend MASSACRE is here with new morbid music. Since their return, the band has been a dead water on the water table. We have already seen one new full-length album (since 2014), several EPs and a live recording. This time it's more of a taster in the form of three tracks, one of which is an intro and one an Impetigo cover. This is an affair for true fans of the band.
And what do you actually get? Well, a classic death metal blast made in MASSACRE. And, of course, a horrifyingly eerie atmosphere. In short, everything we love about this band. With a cool cover, signed by Timbul Cahyono (Bvllmetalart) from Indonesia. There has also been a change in the drummer position. The new maniac with crazy rhythms is Jon Rudin.
One interesting thing. It was a very dark evening. No one was home, so I spent a few hours watching old horror movies. I didn't want to go to sleep yet, so I opened the window and put on "Evil Dead Rise". Suddenly I was a character running from a crazy killer, a demon that my sister and I had awakened. Born in maddening pain, we crave fresh blood. I like movies and music that get into my head, my thoughts and my subconscious. I listened to those three songs over and over and everything else went away. I'm just wondering if it wouldn't make an honest long-playing album. I know, these days full of sharing and stealing music doesn't really lend itself to that, but still, I still prefer long classical recordings. The new EP is great as always, it has an honest massive sound. It just feels unfinished. In short, I'd like more tracks, more delving into the guts. I might as well write a longer review then. Sure, MASSACRE stick to their style, don't change and go about their business. It's up to the fans whether they like it or not. Personally, I'm happy with this direction. I'm one of those people who need a clue, music that I can come back to with confidence. Again, I got a good portion of raw meat. And most importantly, I'm really enjoying listening to the new EP. If you're the same way, don't hesitate a moment. And if not, burn in hell. I think that's all I need to say. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished audience, dear zombies. Be it known that Florida death metal legend MASSACRE is here with new morbid music. Since their return, the band has been a dead water on the water table. I'll sign that with my own blood. As Ash says: "Let's go to the pub and cut the witch ourselves". Morbid, traditional, classic old school death metal evil has awoken again! Your throat will be bitten out and you will bleed to death!
Prach jsme a v prach se jednou obrátíme. Zrozeni v bolestech celý život čekáme na svůj konec. Touláme se světem a marně hledáme svůj směr. Posloucháme hudbu, která je blízká našemu srdci. O španělských DEVOTION jsem již jednou psal. Jejich předchozí album "The Harrowing" bylo dlouho a častým hostem v mém přehrávači. Je totiž narvané po okraj takovou tou plesnivinou, kterou mám v death metalu tolik rád. Když mi přišla na recenzi jejich letošní deska, těšil jsem se moc.
A zklamán rozhodně nejsem. Naopak. Pánové pokračují ve své morbidní, hrobařské práci. A opět ji dělají s velkým nadšením, odhodláním a touhou zabíjet hudbou. Myslím si, že se jim to opět daří na výbornou. Budete pohřbeni zaživa, budete navěky hnít ve starém, chladném hrobě.
"Astral Catacombs" je albem, které je volně inspirováno kapelami typu BOLT THROWER, INCANTATION, ACHERON, PESTILENCE, ASPHYX, MORGOTH. Přidávána je potom velká porce vlastních nápadů. Osobně nejvíc na téhle smečce oceňuji, že umí perfektně vytvořit takovou tu mrtvolnou atmosféru, kterou máme všichni na tomto stylu tolik rádi. Pokaždé, když jsem se procházel mezi náhrobky, pokaždé, když hřbitov pokryla mlha, vynikla tahle nahrávka ještě naléhavěji. Starodávné postupy, obrácené modlitby, ne již dávno nejsem v tomto prohnilém světě. DEVOTION mi otevřeli rezavou bránu do říše za oponou. Nejdřív mě převezli na druhou stranu, přes řeku Styx. Zaplatil jsem tímto albem. Kolem cesty se povalují zohavená těla prokletých. Cítím při poslechu fyzickou přítomnost smrti. Zvuk, obal, jednotlivé nápady, vše je v podstatě dokonalé. Užívám si celkovou atmosféru, postupně přidávám hlasitost, abych nakonec vždy skončil ve stejné hrobce. Jsou v ní uloženy i mé ostatky. Kývám se do rytmu, jsem stále tím starým hrobníkem, který bude vždy podobné kapely podporovat. Až navěky, amen! Skladby jsou velmi tajemné, nebál bych se napsat až magické. Jsou jako noční můra, jako sen, ze kterého když se probudíte, tak nebudete vědět, co je představa a co krutá realita. Španělé jsou okultní, mysteriózní, krutí i syroví. Jejich hudba i letos v sobě obsahuje všechny potřebné ingredience k tomu, abych byl prokletý, abych se stal stínem na hřbitově. Prach jsme a v prach se jednou obrátíme. Zrozeni v bolestech celý život čekáme na svůj konec. Touláme se světem a marně hledáme svůj směr. Posloucháme hudbu, která je blízká našemu srdci. Starý, temný a prašivý death metal, který vás převede na druhou stranu, do země nekonečných stínů!
Asphyx says:
We are dust and we will turn to dust one day. Born in pain all our lives we wait for our end. We wander the world, searching in vain for our direction. We listen to music that is close to our hearts. I have already written about Spanish DEVOTION once. Their previous album "The Harrowing" was a long and frequent guest in my player. It's packed to the brim with the kind of mouldiness I love so much in death metal. When their album came up for review this year, I was very excited.
And I'm definitely not disappointed. On the contrary. The gentlemen continue their morbid, gravedigging work. And once again they do it with great enthusiasm, determination and desire to kill with music. I think they're doing it well again. You will be buried alive, you will rot in an old, cold grave forever.
"Astral Catacombs" is an album that is loosely inspired by bands like BOLT THROWER, INCANTATION, ACHERON, PESTILENCE, ASPHYX, MORGOTH, with a large portion of their own ideas thrown in. Personally, what I appreciate most about this pack is that they can perfectly create that deadpan atmosphere that we all love so much about this style. Every time I walked among the tombstones, every time the fog covered the cemetery, this record stood out even more urgently. Ancient practices, reversed prayers, not long ago I am no longer in this rotten world. DEVOTION opened a rusty gateway to the realm beyond the curtain. First they took me to the other side, across the River Styx. I paid with this album. The mutilated bodies of the damned lie around the road. I can feel the physical presence of death as I listen. The sound, the cover, the individual ideas, everything is basically perfect. I enjoy the overall atmosphere, gradually turning up the volume so that I always end up in the same tomb. My remains are in it. I sway to the rhythm, I am still the old gravedigger who will always support bands like this. Forever and ever, amen! The songs are very mysterious, I wouldn't be afraid to write magical. They're like a nightmare, like a dream, from which when you wake up you won't know what is a fantasy and what is a cruel reality. The Spanish are occult, mysterious, cruel and raw. Their music again this year contains all the ingredients necessary to be cursed, to become a shadow in the graveyard. Dust we are and dust we shall one day turn. Born in pain all our lives waiting for our end. We wander the world, searching in vain for our direction. We listen to music that is close to our hearts. Old, dark and dusty death metal that will take you to the other side, to the land of endless shadows!
Vzduch je těžký a nebe černé. Nevím, co se stalo, ale v ulicích je prázdno. Mám pocit, že jsem se probudil do světa, ve kterém je všechno mrtvé. Poslouchám nové album polských doom death metalistů WINGLESS a nasávám pach smrti. Začalo to před několika lety, bylo jen otázkou času, než jsme se zničili. Nemohla za to žádná choroba, žádný výbuch. Deprese se začaly plížit myšlenkami jako jedovatí hadi. Rád jsem se díval do tmy a měl strach. Spousta mých přátel začala mít divné myšlenky. Nic neříkali, jenom se dívali do obrazovek. Potom jim začaly pukat hlavy tlakem. Přežili jen ti, co poslouchali kapely, jako jsou tihle tmáři.
Líbí se mi způsob, jakým kapela přistupuje ke své morbidní práci. Jsou opravdoví, uvěřitelní a divocí. Jako staří démoni, kteří přišli ze záhrobí, aby se pomstili za všechno zlo, co jsme jim my lidé, způsobili. Skvěle napsané skladby, prašivý zvuk, spousta nápadů, vše sedí perfektně na svých místech. Jako starý metalový pes jsem velmi spokojený.
V kapele působí zkušení muzikanti, kteří přesně ví, co a jak chtějí hrát. Základem jsou silné melodie, motivy, které vás opravdu přenesou do světa po apokalypse. Budete rozsekáni do krve. Seděl jsem ve svém pokoji a neustále přidával hlasitost. Díval jsem se do tmy a nasával morbidní atmosféru. Pokud se vám líbí kapely jako PARADISE LOST, MORBID ANGEL, DEATH, IMMOLATION, INCANTATION, OCTOBER TIDE, SOULMASS, budete určitě spokojeni. Songy v sobě mají velkou sílu. Kapela musela nahrávat hluboko v podzemí, v nekonečných chodbách Hádovy říše. Pánové sice hrají postaru, klasicky a tradičně, ale zároveň je jejich hudba zajímavá a má v sobě spoustu momentů, které se mi doslova zadřely pod kůži. Poláci opět otevřeli Pandořinu skříňku, ve které jsou uloženy pradávné choroby. Lidé nepotřebují zásah vyšší moci, aby se zničili, vystačíme si opravdu sami. Než se tak ale stane, budu nahrávky jako "Ascension" rád a často poslouchat. Budu se k nim vracet, protože v sobě mají velkou sílu, protože mě dokáží přikovat na zeď. Kdo jste bez viny, hoďte kamenem. Poslední roky si říkám, že už bez podobných nahrávek nedokážu žít. Dodávají mi energii, pomáhají mi, abych v dnešním světě vůbec přežil. Neznám nic lepšího, než se zavřít do svého pokoje, postupně přidávat hlasitost a počkat, než začnou být ulice zase prázdné. Myslím si, že už nastal čas. Beru do rukou kladivo zavírám se v márnici. Nové album je mi velmi dobrou kulisou k drcení prašivých kostí. Opravdu se povedlo. To vám podepisuji vlastní krví. Buďte silní! Mokvající, temný doom death metal s morbidní atmosférou! Vzduch je těžký a nebe černé!
Asphyx says:
The air is heavy and the sky is black. I don't know what happened, but the streets are empty. I feel like I've woken up to a world where everything is dead. I'm listening to the new album by Polish doom death metallers WINGLESS and I'm breathing in the smell of death. It started a few years ago, it was only a matter of time before we destroyed ourselves. No disease, no explosion. Depression began to creep through our minds like poisonous snakes. I liked to stare into the darkness and be afraid. A lot of my friends started having weird thoughts. They weren't saying anything, just looking at the screens. Then their heads started to explode from the pressure. The only survivors were the ones who listened to bands like these darkies.
I like the way the band approaches their morbid work. They're real, believable and wild. Like old demons who have come from beyond the grave to take revenge for all the evil we humans have done to them. Great songwriting, dusty sound, lots of ideas, everything fits perfectly in place. As an old metal dog, I'm very satisfied.
The band has experienced musicians who know exactly what and how they want to play. The basis is strong melodies, themes that really transport you to the world after the apocalypse. You will be cut to the bone. I sat in my room and kept turning up the volume. I looked out into the darkness and soaked up the morbid atmosphere. If you like bands like PARADISE LOST, MORBID ANGEL, DEATH, IMMOLATION, INCANTATION, OCTOBER TIDE, SOULMASS, you will be satisfied. The songs have a lot of power in them. The band must have recorded deep underground, in the endless corridors of Hades. Although the gentlemen play old-fashioned, classical and traditional, their music is interesting and has many moments that literally got under my skin. The Poles have once again opened Pandora's box, where ancient diseases are stored. Humans don't need the intervention of a higher power to destroy themselves, we can really make do on our own. Until that happens, though, I'll be listening to records like "Ascension" happily and often. I'll keep coming back to them because they have a lot of power in them, because they can drive me up the wall. Those of you who are blameless, cast a stone. I've been telling myself for the last few years that I can't live without records like this anymore. They give me energy, they help me to survive in today's world. I know nothing better than to lock myself in my room, turn up the volume gradually and wait until the streets are empty again. I think the time has come. I take the hammer in my hand and lock myself in the morgue. The new album is a very good backdrop for me to crush my mangy bones. It's a real success. I'm signing this in my own blood. Be strong! Wetting, dark doom death metal with morbid atmosphere! The air is heavy and the sky is black!
Ave WREKTOMB! Greetings to the underground. I hope everything is fine with you. It should be because this year you have released a first full-length album in your band's career. I have to admit it has literally blown my mind. It is dark, energic and as if it cuts by the sharp edge of the knife. I can hear from the record you did a really good job and you added a big portion of the talent, too. How do you perceive the new album in comparison to the previous work? Where did you want to move and in what are these two records different?
Nick Krostoff: Hail! When I worked on „Hollowed Socket Nystagmus“ it was the just the start of Wrektomb and I was still experimenting with where I wanted Wrektomb to go creatively. I came into „Bovine Mockeries of Human Posturing“ with much clearer vision and the music and themes emerged organically. On “Bovine Mockeries“ instead of a satirical approach to the grotesqueness of humanity, the album dives deeper and is a more refined absurdist reflection on the things we value and dominate as a species. The songs anticipate the karmic revenge that will result from our constant abuse and exploitation of each other and the world around us.
„Bovine Mockeries of Human Posturing“ includes all attributes of good death and doom metal. For me personally, it represents the record, which I really like to listen to. How did you produce it? How look the writing process of new material in the case of WREKTOMB?
NK: The album was recorded during the dead of winter. It was important to me to preserve the atmosphere of the album above all else. While tracking instruments and vocals, to cement the vibe in the studio, I projected horror movies on sheets. It was important to me to capture the performances in single takes instead of obsessing about technicalites. Between tracks, I would lay outside in the cold wet dirt and imagine what all of us eventually do, rot.
I incorporated some the movies that were playing for inspiration into these music videos:
I found out that Endarker Studio signed under the mix and mastering of the new record. I have to confirm that the sound is literally killing. It still makes me add volume to the player. Your sound that is cruel, raw and at the same time dark and organic. How went the work with him and why did you choose his studio? How did the process look like?
NK: I’ve worked with Devo from Endarker Studio before. He is able to perserve a rawer sound in a mix and what a band realisticly would sound like live. Much of modern metal is edited and tweaked so much that it may as well be EDM. I feel rawer music has faded into obscurity as the masses of humanity has come to expect extremely edited and over-produced music. Art has been progressing to AI manipulation so hopefully people will reject AI art but I don’t see that happening. AI will probably get to a point where we can’t tell the difference and can no longer sense the „uncanny valley“ and that prospect comes as a punch in the gut to genuine artists.
Lyrics are also an interesting component and complement to your music. You deal with perversion, dark minds, gore themes and serial killers. Where do you get your inspiration? And what are they about on the new album?
NK: I feel every human has the capacity to perform atrocities. Every day those thoughts float through our minds and need to be filtered out to keep society floating along. I like to give audience to those thoughts and respect them for what they are as part of humanity. In order for any life to contiune something living must die. „Life eats life“ as the saying goes. For some aberrations of humanity that daily sacrifice is culminated in the death of another human. Putting yourself in the mind of those acts is inspiring when writing this kind of music. Each song on the album has somewhat unique theme, though.
„Gored Into Reality“ is about human deviants engaged in self-mutilation to feel something other than apathy and disdain.
„Unexpected Encounters With Nature’s Order“ imagines the Red Heifer, the Divine bovine, rising from her sacrificial alter to trample temples and pulverize the pride of arrogant unsuspecting victims for their misplaced worship.
„Quantumcreep“ is about a time-traveller exploiting the multiverse to spread his linage across time and space.
„Society Supported Psychopaths“ borrows themes from the movie „American Psycho“ which is great example of refined absurdity and the modern zeitgeist ruled by indoctrination with the vapid values of the psychopath’s all-consuming black hole of derangement.
„This Decay of Me“ culminates in a reflection on defeat and finding the meaning of life in the decomposition of the flesh as the height of human achievement is being transformed into feed for the corvids and carrion-eaters of the sky.
The music comes before the lyrics, but the lyrics always reflect the emotion I’m trying to express through the music. After I get the general concept of the lyrics down, that is when Vera comes in to refine some of the ideas and unify the themes.
An important part and a kind of extra bonus for fans today is the physical CD. You released the new album at CD through Personal Records, and it has a corpsy cover art. Who is the author? Do I explain well the picture when I would think it is a body in a considerable state of decay? How did you choose the motif and how does it relate to the music at the record?
NK: The artist was Misanthropic Art (https://misanthropic-art.de/). The art is three bovine skulls adjoined overseeing cowering humanity. He did an excellent job. Have you stood next to cattle? They are enormous and without human domestication and subjugation they could easily annihilate humanity in droves. It was actually a thought I had on the farm one day. I was standing among the herd and these immense, long-horned cattle were just so docile and ambivalent. I imagined what it would be like if they suddenly rejected their domestication and rewilded to their primal origins, no longer willing to surrender to human control and reminding humans of their status through brute force. That moment inspired the songs „Gored into Reality“ and „Unexpected Encounters With Nature‘s Order“ and of course the art for the album.
I have been wandering the underground for over thirty years and I still go to USA for music with certainty. I think we have a similar nature and taste when it comes to metal. I like your bands a lot and I monitor your scene carefully. Maybe I envy you a little, because we only have a few death metal bands that are worth it. How do you explain that death metal are doing so well in Baltimore? How do you perceive your scene, fans, labels?
NK: From the outside it might look that way, but I wouldn‘t say Death Metal is doing well in Baltimore. I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side. I often wish I was in Europe as there seems to be better support for music and art in general. In America if we can‘t eat, fuck, or sell something it has no value to our society. Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore is great and pulls attendance from all over the US and world. Often with the biggest draws being bands we don’t usually get in the US predominantly coming from Europe.
There have been some great death metal bands from Maryland. Dundalk, Maryland is the former hometown of Corpsegrinder.
As for the label, Personal Records is great. As for the fans, I thank them for their support!
You play doom death metal influenced by, among other things, the old school. Today, the band can't avoid comparisons, but I would like to know how the idea to start WREKTOMB was born, who was and is your metal idol? Where do you want to move your band? Are you attracted to large foreign festivals, for example, are you willing to go on tour with a more famous band?
NK: Wrektomb was formed one drunken evening around a fire with friends listening to a bunch of doom metal, specificaly a lot of Evoken. The following day I wrote the first Wrektomb song „Ingrained in a Mossy Bank“ inspired by the former evening‘s debauchery and an episode of „American Horror Story“. I am influenced by bands such as Ruins of Beaverst, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Incantation, Tiamat, and Type O Negative as some examples.
As for metal idols, probably Gregory Mackintosh from Paradise Lost.
Yes, I am attracted by festivals as long as there are bands I like on it. I’d have no issue going on tour with famous bands but unfortunately Dieter doesn’t like to fly so we have to find a way to sedate him. He doesn’t go down easy.
When I started my website six years ago, I had a vision that I would try to support bands that are not so much popular, or they are lost in underground. To let the world knows about them. I think I'm doing quite well, at least according to the responses. How do you approach the promotion of your music? Do you rely upon the label or do you send the CDs for various reviews by yourself? For example, I buy albums that I really enjoy. What about you? Are you also fans who often support your colleagues? Do you go to concerts?
NK: There is nothing organic in promotion and it is often a soul crushing experience equivalent to screaming into a garbage can with all the noise on the internet. It is difficult to hold anyone’s attention long, let alone to listen to a 10 minute doom song! I let the label handle the promotion and help where I can but the more time I spend on promotion the more my creativity gets drained. For me, Wrektomb is a creative outlet and not about business, and I prefer to keep it that way. It is really cool to have people like you who are passionate about metal and actually make an effort to support the scene! I still make a point to buy physical albums and merch from bands I enjoy. I’m a little more selective about the shows I go to as I have gotten older since time is my most valuable resource, but Dieter is a youngster and hits up more concerts than I do these days.
On the one hand, today the new band has a lot of opportunities to make themselves more known, but on the other hand, there are a huge number of groups and the fans are getting lost in this big metal sea. A lot of people just download mp3s from the internet and instead of to visit the concert they prefer to spit poisonous saliva on Facebook. How do modern technologies affect you as WREKTOMB? What do you think about downloading music, google metalists, streaming music, etc.?
NK: I can‘t add much to what has already been said a thousand times by a thousand other artists. When everything is free or stolen it loses all value. Performing in a niche genre it is best to set your own personal levels of success. Modern technology will keep progressing though that progress isn’t necessarly in a direction that is beneficial to the underground. As you‘ve observed it is a double edge sword. When everyone has a voice, no one has a voice. Everyone wants organic art and genuine interactions but social media is a contrived interaction controlled by algorithms and paid ads. Ultimately it is the underground though, and the underground stays that way because it doesn’t conform to the larger machines at play.
I like to ask the musicians what death metal means to them. How would they define it, whether it is more the philosophy and lifestyle thing for them or "just" relaxation? What does it mean for you? How do you perceive and experience it?
NK: Death metal has expanded to so many subgenres but aside from the techincal attriubltes it is a observation of the macabre. To me, death metal represents all the things society tries its best to hide. Death metal draws out the purtrid rot of society and formulates it into exetreme music and themes, that to me have always been a catharsis. Kind of like busting an abscess instead of letting it fester and cause more damage.
Finally, a classic but important question. What is WREKTOMB planning in the upcoming months? Where can we see you at the stage and when will you visit the Europe?
Nick: Several songs are in progress for whatever is next though there is nothing we are rushing towards. I write when inspriation strikes. I try to not overthink or force the process because that tends to crush the emotional connection to the music. We aren’t planning on performing live anytime soon, unfortunately. It’s hard to get away from the farm for long trips.
Thank you so much for the interview. I wish a lot of success to the new album and let the number of your fans expand as much as possible. I will look forward to seeing you somewhere live again. I wish you a lot of success both musically and personally. I'm going to push „Bovine Mockeries of Human Posturing“ into my head again!
NK: Thank you for the support and interest! It really means alot to have fans who appreciate the music.
