CD

Steak Number Eight are a band who are comfortable with the style they produce which always makes for a solid and worthy listen and their new release is no exception

Mind you readers. This is not really a ‘new’ album. It’s a compilation of songs from Neurasthenia’s ‘Possessed’  (2007) and ‘Your Omen’ (2009) albums, that have been re-recorded, re-arranged, re-mixed an finally re-mastered.

Whatever they may have done with these songs, I don’t give a damn.  It still stays trash, and trash has never been, and will never be, a genre that I truly like.  There are parts in these songs I like, but most of it I’d like to treat to the fast forward button.

The style is distinctly sludge groove math metal with a ballsy guitar/drum/bass/vocalist line-up. Think of garage Black Tusk inspired screamy metal songs with a very upbeat head-nodding lilt in the standard verse / chorus / solo / verse format. What's more, Howl sport a punk-style attitude/aesthetic yet somehow combine it with a higher degree of metallic accessibility. The band has a strong sense of including hooks and great fuzz leads without sacrificing the grooviness, to quickly grab the listener's attention.

Hailing from France, Hacride is another entry into the alternative metal field. Hacride take sheer musical force and commanding vocals to new heights. Intricate guitar work collides with masterful tempo changes, the rhythmic patterns are furious yet inventive in their splendour. Luiss Roux’ vocals are an additional strongpoint as they fit in with their sound perfectly, but hopefully he will restrain his singing a little bit, less is more.

The group was founded in 1981 under the name “Paradox” by drummer Kelly David-Smith and guitarists Mark Vazquez and Kevin Horton, who were later joined by ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. Jason had come to Phoenix with his band Gangster from Michigan on their way to California, but Gangster broke up while in Phoenix.

Do you remember Planisphærium, released ten years ago? If so, you might know what to expect with this new full length by one of Spain’s most technical Grind / Death bands ever. But even if you think you know what to expect, you might be surprised by the enormous evolution these guys made in mean time, especially when it comes to the technically perfected side of the game.

Quintet Vikingore hail from Seville, Spain, and are now debuting with Wolves In The Battlefront (in 2010 there was a self-produced and self-called demo), which brings a fantastic mixture of somewhat early nineties-oriented Death Metal, Scandinavian-inspired Viking / Black Metal and a handful of modern experiments. The band varies a lot in between aggression and melody, in between energy and integrity, in between tradition and progression.

Necrowretch are a French combo with one goal only: METALLL! The band is proud to deny any trend or popularity conquest, so they are about to win my sympathy. One important thing left: doing good music (i.e. song writing + performance). Do they? Will they?

Essence’s history starts in 2005, when some very young friends from Denmark wanted to play Thrash in the Teutonic vein. They recorded an EP in 2007 (Art In Imperfection) and they officially debuted with the 2011-full length Lost In Violence in 2011. Indeed, when it comes to the choice of titles they still had / have to evolve, yet when it comes to the song writing and performance, well… Essence do sound as if they’re active for a decade!

Wow...Colossus, eh?