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Huoripukki and Goatsodomy live

Posted in Gig, Live with tags , , , , on 25th November 2018 by izaforestspirit

Warfare Noise, Huoripukki, Goatsodomy
Varjobaari, Tampere, Finland
24th November 2018

Just when I think that I will not be attending any more live shows this year, something new pops up unexpectedly. Varjobaari, a small pub in one of the largest districts of Tampere, was the venue for a night of extreme metal with three Finnish underground bands performing. This was my first time at the venue and I was unfamiliar with the bands but the names and the descriptions of the music sounded intriguing so I decided to check them out.

Warfare Noise were up first. They are a fairly new band with only a few self-released demos. The best way I can describe their sound would be a mixture of grindcore and black metal with an emphasis on the grindcore. I’m not the biggest fan of grindcore but I have to admit that the drum work was really good. 2.5/5

Huoripukki were the main band I wanted to see. I haven’t heard their music prior to the show but I liked their name, it means “whoremonger” in Finnish. Anyway theirs was the most energetic show of the night. They played good mix of blackened death metal and to a lesser extent thrash metal. There was no space to form a moshpit but more than enough for some headbanging. 4/5

Last up was a black metal outfit called Goatsodomy. They played raw black metal which is not the easiest stuff to play live. They started out a little later than scheduled and I only stuck around to hear a few songs so there is not a hell of a lot that I can say about their show. What I heard was raw, minimalistic black metal which seemed a bit one-dimensional at times. 2.5/5

Overall I am glad that I took the time to attend the gig. I liked the venue and Huoripukki were entertaining to watch. It’s good to see that Finnish underground extreme metal scene is alive and well.

Iza Raittila

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Obscene Entity – Self Titled EP

Posted in Review with tags , , , , on 3rd October 2012 by tobiasgray

Obscene Entity
Self-Titled
Released October 2012
Death Metal
Self-Released

Cambridge based three-piece Obscene Entity have released their début EP.  A generous five tracks of technical, up-tempo brutality that promise good things for their future.

Duel death metal vocals, a talented (human) drummer & a penchant for catchy, groove based riffs elevates them above similar bands breaking out on the underground.  The production is clean and professional, and the organic yet precise mix mirrors the band’s musical style – modern ethics mixed with the old school ethos.  How is this achieved?  Through tight, beatdowns (not breakdowns!!) reminiscent of the early 90’s Florida scene, blending seamlessly with modern ‘tech’ riffs involving dissonant tremming and rapid guitar trills.  The vocals are similar to the gravelly spoken tone of earlier Decapitated releases, with enough clarity to hear individual lyrics on occasion (a rarity in death metal!).

The songs each have their individual flavours and I expect will get heads banging live.  The band’s Facebook promote the track ‘Doomed’, a faster, tempo shifting song with a couple of substantial solos.  For me, however, the climax arrives with final track ‘Hell Goer‘ – an oppressively violent number with a tight chuggy main, ‘tasteful’ sample use and eastern Nile style melodic leads dropped intermittently.

To sum up, they aren’t sludgy Autopsy copycats, but they aren’t hyperspeed sweep-laden Necrophagist enthusiastics either – they are a n interesting bridge between both worlds and this EP is an excellent career beginning…Check them out live if you can!

5/5

Tobias Gray

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Walking Dead Suicide – The Rise Of Resistance

Posted in Review with tags , , , , on 14th June 2012 by tobiasgray

Walking Dead Suicide
The Rise Of Resistance
Due For Release: July 2012
Prog Death Metal
Self-Released

Walking Dead Suicide are a progressive death metal band from Helsinki.  Featuring members of Difuse Content Band and Fitcone, they aspire to create epic tracks described as ‘atmospheric, dark death metal without limits’ in their own words.  The measured pace and down tempo drums betray an affinity for sludgy old school DM, while the extended song lengths and meandering song structures give them their ‘prog’ credentials.

The first thing that struck me is just how similar their vocalist is to Erik Rutan of Hate Eternal.  If someone played me a track from The Rise Of Resistance I’d swear it was an early demo of his.  Musically the ambition is plain, but the epic, labyrinthine music Walking Dead Suicide so eagerly want  to create is beyond their range so early in their career.  Whether it’s through inexperience or a hurry to get an album done, the end result feels a little hollow.  Some experimental sections seem to be put in at random, purely for the sake of extending and (or) disrupting the song.  The solo’s also appear improvised somewhat and once again, through overreaching or bravado, they don’t compliment the music that backs them.

You can never fault musicians wanting to push their own abilities and attempting to create complex music, but I feel that a little more thought and time in the studio would have reflected Walking Dead Suicide‘s vision more accurately.  Unfortunately in its current state, The Rise Of Resistance is the sound of a bands reach exceeding their grasp.

2.5/5

Tobias Gray.

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Corretja – ‘American Ragnarok’

Posted in Review with tags , , , , , , on 30th April 2012 by tobiasgray

Band: Corretja
Album: American Ragnarok
Release date: October 2011
Genre: Metal
Label: Unsigned   –  http://corretja.net

 

 

Melodic death metal, with viking imagery and titles such as ‘A Battle For Lundene’; deathly vocals and blastbeats…this isn’t the new Amon Amarth album, but it’s a worthy addition to the (battle)field.  From Virginia USA, igniting the fires of European pagan metal – electronics included – on their home shores, Corretja have produced an album celebrating both American history and Norse mythology.  The tracks are concise (the longest clocking in at 3.55), and relentless in their energy.

From the American civil war to London’s bloodstained streets, ‘American Ragnarok’ is constantly throwing surprises and new ideas forward.  The opening tracks set the tone with pounding blasts, epic twin leads and atmospheric keyboards, then ‘Bull Run II’ introduces clean, electronically harmonised vocals intermittently – and the sample of a bull!

After 5 tracks of similarly powerful melodic DM (with thrash elements), ‘Throne of Bebbenberg’ appears with a minute long blast of old school, no frills death metal, minus keyboards.  It provides a quick detour from the established sound and nicely sets up the closing numbers ‘Enjoy the Violence’ and ‘Thrashowar’ – a drastically reimagined cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘Photographic’ and a fitting tribute to Manowar’s drummer Scott Columbus respectively.

Corretja have an admirable DIY ethic, and while the programmed drums and prominent keyboards lack the ‘polish’ of major label releases, this does not detract from the charm, energy and aggression of the album.  The songs are well written, the instruments played well and the delivery is consistent.  The band want to pay tribute to metal and they have totally succeeded.

With eight tracks in 20 minutes, there’s no danger of getting bored, the variety of riffs on display and the catchy melodies keep you enthralled until the end.

4.5/5

Tobias Gray.

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