I have to admit that I have never been that crazy about Abysmal Dawn, but throughout the years the evolution wasn’t but in a positive direction. I made a review for all former albums (From Ashes, 2006 – actually it was the 2012’s re-release that I reviewed; posted within the second Relapse-special on July 23rd 2012 / Programmed To Consume, 2008; apparently this review isn’t available anymore / Leveling The Plane Of Existence, 2011 – see update February 18th 2011).
Well, why should I introduce this band? I have no idea why I should do so, for everybody knows them, these highly influential protagonists of the worldwide Death Metal scene. So I’ll skip the unnecessary crap, and go immediately to the essence, i.e. Inked In Blood.
An Unending Pathway is the third album by Atriarch (they released stuff before via same-minded labels Seventh Rule and Profound Lore), and it clocks forty minutes. This album, a seven-tracker, was produced by one of the greatest names within the scene, Billy Anderson. The quartet once again created a very distinctive, own-visionary form of Aural Art, which cannot be labelled as ‘Metal’, yet with pertinent, persistent metalized basics anyway.
All-female band Mortals (Caryn Havlik, Elizabeth Cline and Lesley Wolf) hail from Brooklyn (United States of the New World). Some of you might remember the highly acclaimed Death Ritual EP, self-released in 2012. Now they return with their first full length album for Relapse Records, Cursed To See The Future, which lasts for forty eight minutes. That’s nice, for it consists of six songs only.
I guess it is because of their reformation last year, but in any way Swedish band God Macabre decided to re-release their sole official recording, The Winterlong, which dates from 1993. Before reviewing this masterpiece, first a short history of the band.
When Black Anvil released their debut album Time Insults The Mind, I was enormously surprised; the positive way! The band was formed in New York City with members who were active in the NYHC-scene (the founding members were active in Kill Your Idols, for example), but Black Anvil’s 2008-debut had nothing to do with Hardcore whatsoever. And what’s more, their thrashing and Doom / Death-injected Black Metal truly was of a very high quality.
Finally New York-based Tombs (Mike Hill-g, v; Ben Brand-b; Andrew Hernandez-d; and Garett Bussanick-g) return with the successor of the splendid Path Of Totality, which was released in June 2011. In the Archive of this site you will find the review within one of the Relapse-specials I did; see update September 18th 2011.
After Unearthly Dance split up, some of the members decided to form a new band, Serpentine Path. Soon after they recorded and released a self-called EP and a self-called full length (yet both with different tracks, despite the very same title). Shortly after they recruited a second guitar player (Stephen of legendary Winter), and the band, now a five-piece, recorded the sophomore full length, Emanations, which has duration of forty five minutes.
UltraMantis is the alter ego of a famous professional wrestler who is mainly active in the Chikara competition. He won a couple of times, and when he does not need to fight, he works as commentator for other wrestling matches. His professional nickname is based on the fact that he wears a mantis-mask, as part of his wrestling image. Anyway, he joined forces with members of Punk-band Pissed Jeans in what eventually became UltraMantis Black.
In spite of my rather varied experience as a music listener, I keep coming along occasional surprises, usually of the pleasant nature!
