Mind Affliction - Pathetic Humanity (Metal Scrap Records, 2013)

 

Genre: Death/Black Metal
Year: 2013
Country: Poland
Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Human Centipede
3. Mental
4. Vishe I
5. Druga strona umysłu
6. Vishe II
7. Lithium

Review: 
Mind Affliction already released a 2011 demo titled 'Mental Disorder' after a little waiting they got signed by Metal Scrap Records to release their debut album 'Pathetic Humanity'.
What they present to us on this album is a mix of death and black metal, the first one being the most present.

Too bad it's never more then just mediocre. Not that it sounds bad, or that the songs are crap, it just that they got a long way to go before they get their own identity. It's all very standard, an intro like this has been done a thousand times and thats the feeling I got while listening to the other songs as well. It does gets points for being brutal and unforgiving. I just hope for that extra little more next time. I wonder if they make a better impression live. I hope their next album takes it up a notch.

The booklet is a real letdown, no lyrics just 2 band pictures. I know budgets are always strickt for new bands but still it doesn't offer the fans a whole lot.
The artwork itself is standard as well but I do like the pictures on the disc itself.

Rating:


Where to buy:

NOTTI DEL TERRORE – HAVOC (self released, 2013)

 

Genre: Industrial Metal
Year: 2013
Country: Belgium
Tracklist:

1. Recharge
2. Unstoppable Killing Machine
3. Hellbringer
4. Fixless
5. Summoning Tchernobog
6. My Name
7. Perversatile
8. Downside Of War

Review:

Notti Del Terrore is no newcomer here in the Belgium metal scene. They have already recorded a demo, an EP and a debut album that got them mostly positive reactions from press and fans
I'm reviewing their newly released second album here. Havoc is the title of their new child and it sounds pretty great. The album starts with Recharge and it's a great kick-off song that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go till the end.
Its sounds like it's the early millenium all over again. Think Fear Factory when they where best, late 90s, early 00s.
The band did away with the drum machine on this second record and found their own drum machine 'Fré', who does a great job drumming with machinelike perfection but still giving this a real organic drumming sound. The vocals are powerful and brutal when they need to be and clean when the song asks for it. The riffing is excellent and definitely well done.

  
A lot of industrial bands make the mistake of being drowned in too many samples and losing their metal edge, luckily the band has us covered with some but not too many so no need to write them off in advance for this.

The booklet is well done, it has a nice peace of art in the middle that is reused for the background of the front cover. I love artwork like this, not photoshopped to death but hand drawn. There is a downside as well though, for some reason we don't get the full lyrics inside but only snippets. To bad for people like me who like to listen with the booklet in hand.

A good tidbit of industrial metal that fans of the genre (especially for the older Fear Factory fans) should buy!

Rating:


Where to buy:
http://www.nottidelterrore.com