Psycroptic - Ob(Servant) Review from 2008

An old (but good!) review here from 2008, originally posted on the now defunct Blistering.com. Australian Death Metal brutes Psycroptic's album Ob(Servant). Enjoy.

Much like death metal gods Nile, a change of label onto German based merchandise machine Nuclear Blast signals a change of the winds that lift the sails of Psycroptic. A path has been cleared to a wider audience and the pressure of morphing into a more accessible sound could play a part in the evolution process.

Psycroptic fans across the world will be holding The Isle of Disenchantment (2001) and The Scepter of the Ancients (2003) as benchmarks for comparison, and must be hoping the Australian’s fourth full length album Ob(Servant) will uphold the quality of these two killer releases.

Like a greyhound out of the gates, the title track will mug you and be gone again in a flash, but on the whole the balance between break down and break neck is apt. The groove seems to be from Pantera/Southern style riffs in certain places instead of the laid down beats from before.

'Slaves of Nil' starts off pure Dying Fetus, again using the swagger of the heavier groove and occasional pinched guitar squeals to kick things into gear rather than the blinding speed and trickery of old. Not bad, I admit, but after the slowing down of bands like Decapitated and Morbid Angel, it all just seems a shame that another titan hasn't achieved full technical potential.

The glory of Psycroptic and their incandescent technicality is that it all operated on one level and is a whole output, unlike some bands who may have blistering speed and finger work but over-complicate things and miss the ‘impact’ button on their way. Ob(Servant) avoids this throughout. On the flip side some have condemned Psycroptic’s music as direction-less and hence ultimately not rewarding, and this does stand true to some extent on this latest release.

Replacing what would normally be a intuitive, eye-popping twist with a bit of basic hardcore and having bland vocals that sound like Peter Dolving instead of the pick and mix grows and gurgles may be steps towards musical maturity, but fails to excite and are largely disappointing. Ob(Servant) will not alienate too many fans and will definitely make some new ones. If the next release is a firecracker the name of Psycroptic can safely take its place in the hall of death metal fame.

The Black Dahlia Murder - Everblack

I remember well discovering The Black Dahlia Murder way back in 2003 when I was a lad, hearing 'Funeral Thirst' and having my face ripped off. Good times. Unhallowed may not be the strongest in the lineage of this band, but as a starting point it was a solid one and a very catchy, diverse and had that distinct sound that they are still blasting out today, and long may it continue. Fast forward a decade, with two core members being replaced (drummer Shannon Lucas & bass player Bart Williams), can Everblack live up to the expectations of the huge fanbase the band has accrued as well as the critics and reporters of the metal community? Read on...

Proceedings open with a take it or leave it intro, a little too long for a record aiming at impact rather than atmosphere. The first tune 'In Hell Is Where She Waits For Me' is dynamic, jumping out of the gates with pounding forward motion and catchy riffs. I was sold on the song 'Phantom Limb Masturbation' by the title alone. Turns out the song is a meaty churning organic vessel of heaviness, echoing the filthy 'Eaten' by Swedish all-star band Bloodbath both thematically and musically. 'Every Rope A Noose' is the heaviest, most malicious track on the album in terms of pure atmosphere rather than the crushing element of the rest of the record. It could easily be on a black metal release, and probably trump it – it's that good.

'Raped In Hatred By Vines Of Thorn' sounds like Be'lakor at the beginning, but soon feels like a vintage 'Dahlia Murder track. This is a similar vibe to the title track which is good indeed and in the vein of previous work, but lies a little flat compared to the explosions that some songs deliver. Another track which is a little bit of a dud is 'Goat of Departure'. Definitely a departure from the high standards of the rest of the album, c'mon guys – gang vocals on a melodic death metal track? Fail.

This is no game-changer so don't lose your shit, this is simply a solid album by a solid band, unperturbed by line-up change, the inevitable haters and other pitfalls. The mighty metal blade have got themselves a institution on their hands here. The Black Dahlia Murder are a mainstay of the metal scene - like it or not!

Off Balance - On Thin Ice Review

UK hardcore band Off Balance have a self-released EP out, and it has been my pleasure to give y'all the scoop. For an instant reference point how about a cross between Sick of it All and the vocals of Scott Vogel from Terror but a bit harsher. The opening track in fact instantly has that sound that could place it on Live By The Code. A little tinny yes, but perfectly acceptable for a band at their stage.

A very engaging little EP. 'Bricks' has huge amounts of anger, but portrayed through some interesting ideas. Probably the standout track, but shouting out 2013 at the beginning of 'Despite All Your Deepest Fears' doesn't have the same ring to it as the mention of 1994 in Machine Head's 'Old', but as soon as you hear "Kick It!" all is forgiven, and laying waste continues!

Got to love the lyrics, a bit more clever than the usual boneheaded honour, valour, family cliches that 'ardcore bands usually go with. "Tell me how you're big in the scene, nothing more than a pair of tight jeans". Another notable thing about this EP, the kick ass artwork. Cartoon renders of the band playing on stage just seems to click with the spirit of this recording, a serious message and some spiteful music, but with tongue firmly in cheek.

This may not break any new ground or revolutionise anything, but for an unsigned effort this reeks of quality. It has longevity in its simply memorable songs. Any fan of the genre would be a fool not to take a few minutes out of their lives to check this bad boy out. If you aren't sold with hardcore it still could be worth a listen. It could open the floodgates to a passionate and welcoming scene.

Listen and get in touch here: http://www.facebook.com/OBEHC

Darkest Hour Sign To Sumerian: Their Darkest Hour?

American hardcore/metal act Darkest Hour have been pumping out quality albums since the early noughties, with the 2003 pummeling beast Hidden Hands of A Sadist Nation bringing them to a larger audience. And as of June this year they have signed a deal with Sumerian Records. This

So what does this hold in store for the band? Sumerian Records have pushed bands like Born of Osiris (worth checking out) and Veil of Maya to the public attention. Will they start throwing djent jams all over the place and wimp out with triple-brutal-slam-metalcore-breakdowns?? Let's fucking hope not.

Consider Converge moving to Epitaph (admittedly a respectable and worthy label), not exactly surrounded by bands similar to their ferocious and emotionally punishing music, but they persevered and released an ass kicking album.

YES.

NO. FUCKING NO.

State of Decay Review - Community Shelter Manager?

State of Decay is fun. Let's just admit it. It has plenty of flaws yes, but fundamentally it gets things right. Finally! A Walking Dead style game that actually resembles the experience of a zombie infested world. Definitely not the first decent zombie game to come along, but it isn't about the flesh creeping horror of the early Resident Evil games, it isn't about the gore-obsessed Dead Rising games. As strange as it sounds it is the most realistic zombie survival game. It almost feels like it was developed by a hardcore think tank of the sort of dudes that write these semi-amusing, semi-serious Zombie Survival Guides.

Okay so what are the key points. Exploring - a large open world sandbox environment with many abandoned (or so you think!) buildings and settlements. Fighting - using your fists and feet, melee weapons or guns and explosives are all equally satisfying. Survival – increase your chances of making it by sticking together, finding resources, building bases and developing character skills.

My experience of playing this game was very enjoyable if not punishing. I began rather blasé, hacking away at zombies with a variety of melee weapons much to my approval. As the game pans out and your posse head to a larger settlement, my Rambo approach was not rewarded. The character realisation in this game must be good because when I first lost Maya, who was sadly torn apart, I genuinely cared.

For you Maya!

It also dawned on me how difficult the next few hours would be gathering supplies and exploring random abandoned buildings, cause they are EVERYWHERE! Sneaking is tough and its hard to keep your cover all the time. Any activity apart from breathing seems to attract these mindless undead.

One issue with the game is possibility of repetition. Another is the fact that all the male characters that you can switch between seem to sometimes have the voice of Marcus the guy you start off controlling. The graphics are a little crude as well, with some lag to be expected. This is nowhere near as ambitious graphics-wise and in terms of map size as say Skyrim.

An unfortunate time to be releasing this game as Fans of the zombie concept in general will enjoy this game as the way it plays is well paced and rewarding, so get stuck in and see if you can last in the remorseless world in State of Decay, or you might be waiting until the apocalypse for a better game in the genre. If the guys and girls down at Undead Labs jump on it right away and focus on the weak points but keep the essence of this game pure, then a potential sequel would be mind-blowing!

ASG - Blood Drive Review

Well, all the cool kids are talking about ASG eh? Especially now they have been picked up by the metal label of the 21^st century so far Relapse Records. The band's discography prior to Blood Drive has been stellar. The raw sounds from their first few releases were tuned up for 2007's Win Us Over, but they managed to keep all the songwriting inspiration flowing. The charm of this band is contagious indeed, so does the new album live up to all this media hype?

Baroness could take a leaf out of ASG's book, this is how you write a mature album, not the misfire that was Yellow & Green. Well maybe its the other way around here, when you hear 'Stargazin'' the first thing you think is how well it would slot in to the Blue Record. They have a haunting air of Alice In Chains at some points, but Blood Drive is much more metallic overall in terms of the riffage. Just listen to 'Hawkeye'. Kylesa anyone? This is one of the more punchy tracks on the album, but it still holds on to a fragile nostalgic sorrow.

So, to the highlights. Starting with my reaction of “Fucking Hell” when 'Castlestorm' comes blasting in - what a track! This excites my erogenous zones. Brooding, heavy but collected and rewarding, similar to 'Children's Music' - a great song with a soaring chorus. When 'Earthwalk' finally awakens it is like a moment of clarity. You hear the band saying, “Come with us and see what we can see”. Beautiful.

There is a bit of a tailing off at the end of the album, 'The Ladder' slows things down but doesn't reduce the listening quality. 'Good Enough To Eat', the final farewell is an even more sombre offering. Don't let this discourage you, this is still a top quality album. If the power of the riff compels you, grab this record, a couple of beers, take it outside and crank it. Just in time for summer, enjoy folks!

Metal Blade Streaming Entire New Black Dahlia Murder Album Everblack for 24 Hours Only

Until now the song 'Into The Everblack' was all we were allowed to hear and this snippet sounded very tempting. Not a full-blown guns blazing track, but still a stocky and powerful tune. I am not one to turn down a freebie so this will be  blowing my speakers for the next couple of hours. Full review will be posted right here in a matter of mere days people, get excited.

Listen here.