Tag Archives: ring

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BALMOG / DEATHROW – Odium Mors / Neverending Rain split (2009, Bloody Productions)

The skull:
Gracing the Balmog side of this split, here we have yet another skull doing service for Satan, particularly his servants Balmog. The skull sits humbly, looking bored, probably thinking “geez, how did I become yet another skull encircled in occult symbols and some Latin title. Why can’t I get a gig like that Axe Minister skull, or at least a steady paying gig with Black Label Society?” Nah, there isn’t much of note here, especially that we haven’t seen before, but he sports a nice set of upper choppers, more than making up for the complete lack of lower ones.

The music:
Balmog’s “Odium Mors” track is quite good. These Spaniards have studied their mid-paced Gorgoroth, as this song has that Infernus-style guitar scraping, something both caustic and sweeping in its diabolical tone. Vocals are varied and on the lower side of the scale, avoiding the patented screech most black metal vocalists skate by on. (There are moments that reference Attila Csihar’s work on Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, although no one has ever successfully captured that particular vibe). The recording is clear, powerful and crisp, bringing plenty of darkness despite its pro-recorded slickness. It’s not an anemic Dimmu Borgir-slick or anything, but it is remarkable that an obscure black metal band are recording this kind of material with this sort of production aesthetic. Derivative of Gorgoroth and Mayhem, then, but pretty good regardless. Reviewing the Deathrow side of the split isn’t mandatory, sayeth the Council, since their artwork is sans skull. And I prefer to ignore them, since they ignored the fact that there were two bands of note bearing the Deathrow (or Death Row) name prior to their existence, and 1) if they knew that but chose to overlook it, they’re idiots, and 2) If they don’t know who the German Deathrow is, they’re idiots.
— Friar Wagner

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RUDE FOREFATHERS, Corner of the Pain  (2004, demo)

The skull:
The eyes..the swirl of smoke…the nipple ring that glows for no apparent reason…the muddy red. This whole thing is an eyesore. Why not hammer that final nail into the coffin with the Parental Advistory warning? Surely many Italian parents must be forewarned that these Forefathers are not only Rude, but potentially Vile, Obscene, and maybe even a little bit Naughty. A silly cover that looks thrown together last minute. Where have we heard that before?

The music:
Although they now sound like post-Power Metal Pantera meets Children of Bodom, which means it’s very well-played but difficult to enjoy for this friar, this earlier Rude Forefathers material is much less accomplished. The riffs are plodding and ham-fisted, the vocals like pre-Focus Cynic (not a great thing actually)…and I’m not really sure what to call this kind of metal. It’s like some ’80s-era Brazilian death/thrash band, in terms of wacky production and shoddy performances, with a bit of a hardcore slant, and some doom elements thrown in. Ultimately, the’yre a traditional metal band influenced by the heavier varieties like death and thrash, without any real direction or interesting ideas. But I don’t hate this. It has a charm, and even some good moments: the intro riff and brief wah-wah craziness in “Firm Blood”; a crazed guitar line that reminds of John Weston-era Dawnbringer. But that’s as good as it gets. “Slave” is like Schizophrenia-era Sepultura playing a NWOBHM cover song. And “Depression”…well, it’s a horrible, horrible thing, starting ballad-like, moving into doomier territory and maxing out with a faster section. When it gets fast, they try tackling tricky technicality far beyond their abilities. The playing is junky, the vocals a punky embarrasment…the entire song sucks. Clearly a rip-off of Metallica’s trio of Side 1, Song 4 ballads circa 1984, 1986 and 1988. Rude Forefathers have improved remarkably since this well-intentioned demo, they’re much better players and songwriters now, but whether it’s this inept era of the band or the more professional current stuff, I have better things to do, I don’t have time for any of it.
— Friar Wagner

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INTERMENT, Where Death Will Increase 1991-1994  (2010, Necroharmonic)

The skull:
Where will death increase? Where will it decrease? Where does it stay the same? These are burning questions in Interment’s world, a world where skulls scream the question into the void rather than discussing the matter in a more civil manner. This skull, however, screams not, nor does he even talk, as he is gagged with a ring and primed for use as a totally bad-ass door knocker.

The music:
I don’t know about death itself, but death metal certainly increased between 1991 and 1994, especially if you’re talking about the number of shitty bands around in 1994 compared to 1991. Doubtless many of us into the first and best wave of Swedish death metal discovered a few previously overlooked gems since revival in interest found tons of second- and third-tier bands from the first era having their demos and albums reissued in more recent years. My most satisfying discovery of  an old band like that was Toxaemia, but Interment don’t spark the interest the way that band does. If you’d never heard brutal Swedish death metal before, Interment would definitely impress, but listeners who missed them the first time will likely acknowledge their competence and quickly move onto something a little fresher. Their sound recalls Dismember most, which means it also sounds a lot like early Entombed, but it’s got the thickness and tempo variety of early Therion and a bit of an early Unleashed thing going on too. This release compiles their three demos dating between 1991 and 1994; note that the first demo not only bore the same name as this comp, but featured the very same door knocker. In 2010 they released their very first full-length album, Into the Crypts of Blasphemy (as opposed to the crypts of rays), and they sound exactly the same there as on these early recordings. They’re consistent, that’s for sure.
— Friar Wagner