| CD REVIEW Pulverized Records Special: Quest Of Aidance – Interment – Bastard Priest |
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Pulverized Records - special : Quest Of Aidance – Interment – Bastard Priest Faced with the fact that our Death Metal specialist had some personal stuff to get through, albums in that category were getting a delay in being reviewed, so our editor-in-chief (knowing that I am indeed partial to my occasional portion of the more brutal and extreme forms of musical expression) threw a coupe of promo downloads my way which he somehow had forgotten to distribute before. Of course, there's still a couple of other Death Metal releases I'll be getting into, but I felt it important to brig this trio in a special, because it would allow me to tell you something about the label as well (check the little story in the Quest Of Aidance review). Because, you see, Pulverized Records has already played a major role in the distribution of Swedish Death Metal since 1996, occasionally also bringing bands from the Far East under the attention of the Death Metal craving West! As you will see, I've not reviewed the albums by a alphabetical order, but rather by a chronological one. A fun thing: with the three bands at hand we get into three different styles of Death Metal! --------------------------------------------------- At first I was somewhat puzzled when I saw this album's cover artwork, because somehow it was familiar...and after looking up the info I found out why. Just like yourself right now, possibly, I failed to look more closely at the release date of this mini-albbum...which dates back to over two years. In fact, the original 12-inck vinyl goes back even further...but first some history-of-the-band, I suppose! Based in Skövde, Sweden, QOA is a unique Arnold Schwartzenegger themed (focused on the Predator movies) Grind/ Death Metal act founded in 2004 by members whom already had a long pedigree in the Death Metal scene. As drummer Christian Älvestam (of Incapacity, Solar Dawn, Scar Symmetry, Torchbeared, Unmoored and Zonaria, as well as other bands) and guitarist Christian Lundgren (of Carnalized) started getting the material for their upcoming debut demo Human Trophy into shape, Älvestam changed from drums to guitar and vocals, and with the addition of Anders Johansson (also of Carnalized) on bass and backing vocals, and Hendrik Schönström (of Unmoored, Solar Dawn, Incapacity, Traumatized, and Torchbearer- starting to see a pattern here?) on drums, the act got worked into a quartet. Human Trophy was eventually recorded at Flatpig Records with producer Robert Ahrling during Summer '04, and released later that year after mastering by Plec at Criteria. At this time in our story I feel it's important to tell you a little something about the Pulverized Records label which, originally founded in 1996, had proven itself to be a household name in Death Metal, signing many of Sweden's pioneering bands in the genre (such as Amon Amarth, Satariel, Thy Primmordial, Theory In Practice...and Unmoored – see the pattern again? – among many others). Circumstances had forced the fledging Singapore-based label to go bankrupt...but one of the co-founders, Roy Yeo wanted to give the label another try, so he resurrected it earlier in 2004. Among the first bands to be contacted/ released, were Opposition Party, Sathanas, Azure, Conspiracy...and Quest Of Aidance! In mid 2005 Yeo called Älvestam, wondering whather he didn't know of anything to release on his label. In stead of suggesting another band, he sent him a couple of sound samples from QOA's Human Trophy demo...and soon a deal was made for the release of the demo recordings in CD form, but with different artwork and under the title Fallen Man Collection. After the release of the mini-album in March 2006 QOA got into a reorganization mode with the addition of Jonas Kjellgren (of Scar Symmetry, World Below, Centimex, Carnal Forge...and I'm sure I'm forgetting some bands he was in) on lead vocals and extra guitar, turning the band into a 5-piece, with Lundgren turning over to the bass, and Johansson performing the second voice in stead of Älvestam. The renewed outfit recorded two new songs, made alternate re-mixes of two other songs (turned 'em into wacky, albeit Ambient instrumentals and re-titled 'em) and chucked in two tracks (“Yield” and “Distant World Arrival”) off the Fallen Man Collection EPfor the 2007 released limited edition (to 300 copies) 10-inch vinyl release of Dark Are the Skies At Hand, re-released a year later in CD format. In late 2007 Älvestam and Anders Eklund (of Angel Blake) also announced the foundation of Swedish/ Finish “supergroup” Solution.45, which also includes second guitarist Jani Stefanovic. Busy buddy that... So, you're asking, why the renewed attention for this already “old” product? Well, you see, the QOA members (new band, because besides Älvestam on guitar, bass and keyboards, the only remaining original members are Anders Johansson on the deep growled vocals and Christian Lundgren on the second guitar...newbies in the band being high growl vocalist Daniel Valström, and session drummer Jani Stefanovic) have found time to come together again to write new songs for the debut full-length-to-be. In fact, the guys were already halfway through pre-production in early August of late. However, where as previous material was themed around Schwarnzenegger's Predator movies, the band has now moved onto '80s sci-fi series V (in fact, you already got a foretaste of that with Dark Are The Skies At Hand tracks “Sirian Breed”, and “Red Dawn” (and I'm sure that, now that you tell you, recollection might kick in with those familiar with the series). When the album will be released is as yet uncertain, but in the meanwhile you can still enjoy this “old” EP. I assure you it's a delight for all Death Metal freaks into the more bombastic type of Death Metal, played by people with some experience, so you know that underneath the extreme violence also lays a clean taste for possibly complex but nicely discernable melodies. The “instrumentals” (there's sóme vocals, but no lyrics) are something else, with a soundtrack quality, and the mind (or at least mine) boggles at how these foreboding Ambient tracks could ever have been based in a song with screaming guitars! Definitely a must-have...and I for one thank colleague Ivan and our editor-in-chief for the chance of getting acquainted with this band. Pity some of the tracks on my download promo copy were jumbled about a bit, because now I'm not sure which is which, except by proxy. No matter what, this gets added to my 2007 year-lists (now if I could only get myself a copy of that vinyl version, I would be truly ecstatic). Before I forget: You can check two songs off Fallen Man Collection at myspace.com/questofaidance! And if you're asking me to put a label on QOA's type of Death Metal, I would say it's a Brutal DM with Technical touches and nice dual-grunt dynamics. 98/100 -------------------------------------------------- Interment on the other hand, is rather of the Chainsaw Death Metal type, more specifically the down-tuned one. Although the down-tune thing was not yet there when the band was originally founded in 1988 under the name Beyond and a quite different line-up (which only delivered a rehearsal tape demo entitled Birth Of the Dead in Summer 1990) from today's. 90/100 ---------------------------------------------------------- As mentioned in the label's info sheet opening, Bastard Priest is your perfect example of the true imprint of stomach-churning and downright offensive Death Metal. Musically, they're actually an extremely brutal hybrid of bizarre Hardcore, Punk and Death Metal. Only a two-piece band consisting of Inventor (guitar, bass & vocals) and Matt Mendoza (drums & vocals) the band has been invading the world with their music since 2001, but it took the duo until May 28, 2008 to see their 5-track demo tape Merciless Insane Death released through the Zombie Ritual imprint (a sub-label of Sweden's Blood Harvest Records). With a limited edition of only 300 copies, the demo is long since sold out, and the chances of it being re-issued are nothing-to-nill! However, all songs from the demo (including the cover of “En Hälsing frän Helvetet”, originally by Sweden's Crust Punk legends Bombanfall) can also be found (in newly recorded versions, I presume) on the band's 11-track, near 35-minute debut album, which was recorded/ engineered by Mendoza himself and then mastered by M. Hammer (artwork & album layout were provided by Inventor, making the band a very self-sufficient duo indeed). Evidently, BP's music is very unpolished, even somewhat simplistic in moments (although of course recording techniques allow for additions being made to the guitars), and the recordings give a good idea of what these guys must sound like when on stage, when Inventor can only play the guitar. According to the info sheet provided with our promo download of the album, fans of Master, Autopsy, Abcess and Nihilist should by all means check out the four songs posted at myspace.combastardpriestsweden. If you're into disturbingly obscene, hateful and hellish Death Metal without too many fringes, that is indeed sound advice! Personally, I can still enjoy this, because it's very much like other bands I came across in the early and late '90s...bands I don't even remember anymore...bands that explode with the basic needs of Man to occasionally give his/her all in a healthy way, even if that means uttering ugly obscenities! I mean, every once in a while, it's good to cry out against the things you hate...because when you bottle everything up, those things may very well fester inside, and explode in much more devastating ways! 85/100 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Tony. |
