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:

Lethargia - Divine Madness (Metal Scrap Records, 2013)

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 2012
Country:Ukraïne
Tracklist:  

1.	Прелюдия (Intro)	02:30
2.	Траур похороненых сердец	07:38
3.	Скорбь Сатаны	05:10
4.	Я сожалею...	07:05
5.	Сломаный мир	06:21
6.	Божественное безумие	06:39
7.	Колдовство и одержимость	05:47
8.	Презрение (feat. Диана Ларионова)	06:49
9.	Мистика любви	04:45
10.	Суд грешников	06:45
11.	Кода (Outro)	02:49
12.	Злые нравы	05:19
13.	Нежность и любовь (feat. Евгений Кугаевский)	03:47
		01:11:24

Review:

I have to admit it, if I read about a release thats it's a mix between doom and gothic metal I don't really get all that excited, their seems to be a dozen new bands like this popping up all the time that just seem to mimic my dying bride but with more keyboards/synthesizers.

I wasn't really paying that much attention to this release at first but let me tell you, this second full length by this Ukrainian band won me over pretty quickly. The intro was a nice buildup leading into "Buried Mourning Hearts" which, while quite long didn't fail to grab my attention. Song 3 is where the action started with "Grief Of Satan" where death metal vocals are first introduced in the album. the song has something very mesmerizing about it and with its 5:10 running time it's one of the shorter ones on here. The album has all kinds of different vocals mixed in, sometimes using whispers to set a eerie mood, other-times using grunts or just even normal talking to create different kinds of specific musical moods.
The disc is packed full with 13 songs clocking in about 70 minutes. While some might find this a bit too long, I don't think thats a problem when the music is good. And luckily this is the case.

It's bit a shame the music is sang in russian with no translation provided in the booklets, I do feel that I miss something here. Maybe for the next release their can be a quick summary about the songs in the booklet.
Talking about the booklet, this is one of the best quality ones I've seen so far from this Ukrainian label, very impressive stuff.

I can recommand this release for fans of older gothic/doom releases, espacially to Russian metalheads who will get that little bit more out of it.

Rating:



Where to buy:
http://metalscrap.org.ua/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3472:lethargia-qdivine-madnessq-cd&catid=41:audiocd&Itemid=47

Symphony of Symbols - Stupefying Beliefs (2012, Metal Scrap Records)

Genre: Death Metal
Year: 2012
Country:Ukraïne
Tracklist:  

1.	Cold Season 1	01:10
2.	Time Has Come	10:41
3.	Cold Season 2	01:00
4.	The End of Material Life	08:11
5.	Cold Season 3	00:42
6.	Fire for the Body	08:23
7.	Cold Season 4	01:02
8.	The Fire of Revenge	06:51
9.	Cold Season 5	00:52
10.	Roaming	10:28
11.	Cold Season 6	00:43
12.	Things That Only the Magus Knows	11:10
13.	Cold Season 7	01:15
		01:02:28

Review:
The artwork promises a progressive metal band, but the music delivers death metal like Morbid Angel and Death would give you.
The riffs follow the DeathMetalGuidebook and resemble previously mentioned bands. The singer has a good grunt that does the job but lacks variation. The site mentions that this is death/black metal but I fail to see the black metal elements here. The
While we get 13 songs presented only about half of them are real songs, the others are more progressive interludes that seems a bit out of place for an otherwise standard death metal album. Out of place but still A+ for effort.
 

 
 The booklet seems a bit crowded, it could have used a page or two extra because the 13 songs all have lyrics that they put in. In true Hongerian style it's English that makes little to no sense. I would actually prefer them to write songs in their own language for once.

Rating:


Where to buy:
http://www.metalscrap.org.ua/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2772:symphohy-of-symbols-stupefying-beliefs-cd&catid=41:audiocd&Itemid=47

Atheist - Unquestionable Presence: Live At Wacken (Relapse Records, 2009)

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal with Jazz and Progressive Influences
Year: 2009
Country: USA
Tracklist:

Disc 1
1.	Unquestionable Presence	04:53
2.	On They Slay	04:01
3.	Unholy War	02:28
4.	Your Life's Retribution	03:17
5.	An Incarnation's Dream	03:54
6.	Mother Man	05:59
7.	And the Psychic Saw	05:29
8.	Piece of Time	05:58
		35:59
Disc 2
1.	Piece of Time	04:33
2.	I Deny	04:00
3.	Unholy War	02:18
4.	Room With a View	04:05
5.	Mother Man	04:33
6.	Unquestionable Presence	04:07
7.	And the Psychic Saw	04:49
8.	An Incarnation's Dream	04:52
9.	Mineral	04:33
10.	Water	04:28
11.	Air	05:34
		47:52

 Review:

In 2006 the legendary thrash / death group Atheist gave some exclusive reunion concerts. For those who could not attend those shows there is now a double CD with the recording of their passage in Wacken. To introduce the band here would be superfluous because their jazz metal paved the way for other well-known groups such as Cynic and Watchtower.  On The first disc you get the first time chance to hear Atheist live on record.

On the second disc you get a compilation of their best songs to date. The sound quality of the live recording plays rather rough and raw but you are therefore assured of a realistic sound that is exactly how it was played three years ago. One downside is that songs from the first two records are played and that "Elements" was completely ignored, although the latter album also has its fans. The only live album of this classic group is a must for old fans while the compilation part is a great introduction to a newer audience.

Rating:

/

Where to buy?:

http://www.relapse.com/unquestionable-presence-live-at-wacken-2cd.html

Asphyx - Death...the Brutal Way (Century Media Records, 2009)

Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Year: 2009
Country: Netherlands
Tracklist: 

1.	Scorbutics	04:26
2.	The Herald	03:33
3.	Bloodswamp	03:56
4.	Death the Brutal Way	03:52
5.	Asphyx II (They Died as They Marched)	06:40
6.	Eisenbahnmörser [The Railway Mortar]	05:42
7.	Black Hole Storm	05:35
8.	Riflegun Redeemer	05:40
9.	Cape Horn	06:53
10.	The Saw, the Torture, the Pain	03:10
		49:27

Review:
After a quarrel with the band Van Drunen decided to leave Pestilence and join another group, namely Asphyx. After several successful records and tours with Bolt Thrower and Entombed, they underwent several line-up changes. Because of these struggles the band decided to call it quits in 1995, 1996 and once more in 2000. Every time they started again they came back with a rock-solid record. After the founding of the already renowned supergroup "Hail of Bullets" in 2006, a new reunion of Asphyx became a reality. Van Drunen gets joined by veteran Wannes Gubbels and Bob Bagchus. On guitar we find Paul Baayens, who has already proven himself worthy in "Hail of Bullets" and "Thanatos". With such a line-up comes high expectations, and it should come as a relief that Asphyx fully fulfilled those. In "Death, The Brutal Way" the band wastes no time with intros or resting spots, it simply grabs you by the balls from the beginning and leaves you three quarters later with a dazed look and a smile on your face. They presents us with 10 Old School Death Metal songs that sound as violent and loud as ever. The CD opens with "Scorbutics", a fast headbanger that immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album. On "Asphyx II (They Died As They Marched)" we get to listen to a slow, doomy number that harks back to the older Asphyx sound. The throat grunts of Van Drunen sounds like he has come back from the grave to sing and the rest of the band also give it all they have. The production is clear and modern and is similar to the already mentioned "Hail Of Bullets". In summary we can say that Asphyx is back and that every diehard Death Metal fan should run to his local record store to buy this gem.
Rating:

Where to buy?: 
http://www.cmdistro.de/Item/Asphyx_-_Death-The_Brutal_Way/709