Yayla- Sathimasal(2012)

Yayla- Sathimasal

Bleak and dessicated, dripping with sorrow, Sathimasal will smother you. Even experienced spelunkers of cavernous, coffin-dwelling chasms will be overwhelmed with the thick layer of decaying flesh and minds dripping all over this noise. It's oppressive, at times too oppressive and prone to falling into ruts from which it takes forever for songs to escape. This one man project from Turkey has churned out a collection of tunes so massive and over-stuffed, they can barely be absorbed in a single listen. But there in lies the charm of Sathimasal: it's not perfect, but it's an intense, full body listen that demands attention.

Sathimasal takes influence from where ever it can find it: elements of Beherit, Emperor, Burzum, the various Mories projects, Lunar Aurora, Incantation. Look at that list... it's easy to see how Sathimasal could really be that damn oppressive and atmospheric. Only when one begins listening to the album, they come to a realization. It's all oppressive atmosphere. Sathimasal is one massively large piece of ambient skull hammering. There is very little in terms of dynamic progressions or even slightly adventurous musicianship: riffs, bass lines and drums are repeated at a machine-like pace for long, barren stretches of minimalism drenched in a swampy compound of brilliant, cavernous production and massive, overwhelming keyboards. All the individual tracks pretty much follow these same basic patterns: repetition, shift, repetition, shift, etc. For some seriously long tracks: the shortest track "Fordreame Wonderlore," an all instrumental track, comes in at a puny 7:38. This album was quite literally designed to inundate you.

Yet despite this, Sathimasal works most of the time. In the right frame of mind, in the right atmosphere, it can be utterly transfixing. Its almost has a Drone-like quality to it, which makes it feel like a unique experience. And it's the production that makes it all possible. The guitars and drums have a distant quality to them, while the bass rumbles the very Earth right underneath the surface. The keyboards overwhelm the other instruments in just the right fashion to creat a swirling, vortex like effect. The only thing I can compare it to is S.V.E.S.T.'s Urfaust, though the production here is much stronger. This is easily my favorite production job of 2012 so far.

Sathimasal is a charming album, one that appeals to my personal taste quite nicely. But it's not perfect, particularly in the song-writing department: the repetition starts to become a crutch at several points, and feels artificially extended from time to time for the sake of testing listener endurance. As charming as being blasted by the same riff can be for a time, there is a breaking point and Sathimasal continuously push it on every track. The final, vocal and keyboard section of "Emperor; Elegy To Wars Never Fought" is incredibly beautiful for the first few minutes, and by the end you are ready to strangle the female vocalist and break the keyboard player's hands. Sathimasal is in desperate need of some self-editing, and I can't help but wonder if we would have had a classic on our hands had Emir Togrul, the man behind Yayla, had shown some self restraint.

Which he did not... at fucking all. Sathimasal is a tyrant who wants complete control, and it's going to get it at any cost. I find this both appealing and yet slightly boring, and I admit that Sathimasal has been perhaps the hardest album for me to gauge so far this year. I've been listening to it with almost religious zeal, yet never really become as enamored with it like I want to. I can say this: Sathimasal is an album that I think just about everyone should try to experience, to see just how much abuse you can take. A powerful atmospheric experience perhaps, but not always a powerful listening experience.

Rating: 7.5/10

Impious Baptism - Path of the Inverted Trinity(2012)

Impious Baptism- Path of the Inverted Trinity

The rather truncated J, the man behind Impious Baptism, might be one for simple monikers, but his body of work speaks for itself. Think of a major Black Metal or Thrash band from Australia, and chances are Mr. J has played for them. Destroyer 666, Nocturnal Graves, Destruktor, Hobbs' Angel of Death, etc. It's an impressive resume, and makes his solo project Impious Baptism a very interesting one. A legit metal-head like J should be able to whip together some of the finest Bestial Blackened Thrash on Earth right?

Yep.

Path of the Inverted Trinity, the second EP from Impious Baptism this year, is dripping with the gore of Satanic sacrifice and charred with scorching hellfire. Mr. J is not only a master musician, who plays guitar, bass and drums with incredible skill and speed, but also a passionate songwriter. Sure, Path of the Inverted Trinity is nothing new... at all. It follows the well worn paths of it's precursors: Fallen Angel of Doom, INRI, Unchain the Wolves. But it does so with energy, talent and above all song-craft. Take "Iron Doctrine of the Antichrist," which sizzles with rage and pure speed, but also a strong sense of groove and tightness. It maintains a single tempo for much of the running time, yet never becomes boring or lifeless. The opening riff salvo of "Descent From Ashes" is damn impressive, and shows that Mr. J's(still having a hard time with the single letter name...) is with his axe. The EP is fast, no nonsense and fucking pissed, but it's also brilliantly crafted and musically competent. There is a level of intensity and unholy zeal that seems wholly missing from many within a genre that, by it's very nature, should be all intensity and unholy zeal.

Path of the Inverted Trinity isn't a masterpiece by any stretch, and the production quality in particular is suspect: it often cuts in and out, and the layer of static can be rather obnoxious as it crackles and clicks over the top of each of the three tracks. But in terms of sheer blasphemous fire and guitar-slaying madness, it delivers where so many pathetic worship albums fail miserably. This is worship, of Satan and genre, that sings praises and deserves some in return.

Rating: 8/10

The Curse Quarterly Report

So March is coming to an end, and it's time for a quarterly report of the best albums of 2012 so far. This list will only include Extreme Music releases, and I will be adding a nifty little 8tracks playlist at the end, so if you haven't actually listened to any of the albums I reviewed, you can sample for yourself.

Best Performing(first to last in descending order)

Charon- Sulfur Seraph(The Archon Principle)

Vattnet Viskar- Vattnet Viskar

Plague Widow- Plague Widow

Lord Mantis- Pervertor

Muknal- Muknal

Witch In Her Tomb- Witch In Her Tomb

Axis of Light- By the Hands of Consuming Fire

Spawn of Possession- Incurso

Locrian & Mamiffer- Bless Them That Curse You

Desecravity- Implicit Obedience



8Tracks Playlist

Cerebrate- Demo(2011)

Cerebrate- Demo

Featuring members of Cascadian Black Metal band Ash Borer, Cerebrate are a Death Metal band... and... um...

Fuck, honestly I can't be bothered.

One almost has to wonder that, considering the progressive and anti-scene nature of Ash Borer, if Cerebrate is... kind of a joke? A subtle "fuck you" to static Death Metal fans who will eat this shit up again and again and keep asking for more. Will the members of this "band" one day declare on their Facebook page that Cerebrate was just a clever ruse to show how lame and easily sated that lame Death Metal purists can be?

I can see it now, as clear as an azure sky on a summers day... *flashback noises

Member 1: "Dude, I need some new gear for the next Ash Borer album. My shit is getting ragged as fuck..."

Member 2: "Yeah, I need some cash too man... got a drug habit to maintain..."

Member 1: "Hmmm... we could try playing a few more shows, getting the kids out to see us?"

Member 2(I assume it took two guys max): "Maybe... kinda feeling too lazy for that..."

Member 1: "Well, how about we whip something up to sell to Death Metal fags? Shouldn't be too hard?"

Member 2: "Death Metal fags? None of those basement trolls have any cash."

Member 1: "Oh yeah? Then how come obscure ass Swedish Death Metal demo's sell for big bucks on eBay? None of them have any girlfriends. They have nothing else to spend their money on."

Member 2: "Good point... well, what should we give them? Some Incantation worship? Some Morbid Angel felatio?"

Member 1: "Nah dude, those would take too long, and I am all hung over and shit... how about some SwedDeath? Just give them some blatant and derivative Entombed worship for the nth time. We will record it at your house, it'll take like twenty minutes. Then we'll sell them for a few bucks to get new equipment for Ash Borer."

Member 2: "And of course, those sweet, sweet drugs..."

Member 1: "Of course. Grab that practice amp and that guitar. I wanna push this out before the Dr. Who Marathon starts."

Member 2: "Um, that guitar is fucked to shit man..."

Member 1: "Who cares. We are gonna record the shit on a tape player anyway."

Member 2: "But man, I mean we got to do more than that right? What about cover art? And song titles? Lyrics... those all take a long time with Ash Borer."

Member 1: "Jesus fucking Christ, how hard do you think it is to trick these crusty old purists? They want it. They expect it to be all shitty looking... I will just draw something up in Microsoft Paint. We will call the tracks "I" and "II", and I'll just read the phone book in a growly voice..."

Member 2: "Will that work? Really?"

Member 1: "Did you listen to the most recent Miasmal."

Member 2: "... I'll grab my coat."

Rating: 0/10

Second Opinions Are Like Cancerous Assholes...

So starting tomorrow, we will be doing something a little bit different around here: the Curse's new authors will be reviewing albums that I have already reviewed, and giving their opinion on them. Some of these opinions might be different(I imagine they will all be different), some might be the same(not likely), but they sure will be opinions...

Be on the look out. I have no doubt being called a stupid asshole by my own co-authors will be a lot of fun... and I might just jump in with my own second opinions as well.

Cheers,
Sharpy

Mgła - With Hearts Toward None (2012)

Mgła - With Hearts Toward None

Since 2005, Mgła's unique sound has developed a cult following within the black metal underground. With their monumentally excellent EP Mdłości and its quality follow up Further Down the Nest, they refined a song-writing style centered on melodic leads, backed by thick rhythm guitar, varied drumming and deep growls. After four years of silence, they've finally hit us with With Hearts Toward None, the follow up to their 2008 debut album Groza, delivering everything fans have come to expect from the band.

To get my main problem with the album out of the way quickly, With Hearts Toward None follows the style they perfected on Mdłości and Further Down the Nest pretty closely. Mgła's style is unique, but I'd really love to see them expand upon what they do with it. I find it impossible not to compare it to their debut album, Groza, which had more adventurous song writing and a clever use of bass that is unfortunately rare in black metal. While I'm not going to claim that Groza revolutionized black metal, With Hearts Toward None is less exciting in the composition of its songs. This could have something to do with the song lengths; it has 7 songs averaging around 6 minutes, while Groza has 4 songs averaging around 9 minutes each. As such, the album provides less space within each song for variation, so I'm inclined to be forgiving.

Though that's certainly an issue I have with the album, the nuts and bolts of the songs are brilliant. It says a lot about Mgła's song writing that, even if it feels a bit less complicated than Groza's, With Hearts Toward None is still one of the most enjoyable black metal albums I've experienced in recent years. As usual, Mgła's ability to shift from riff to riff is reminiscent of the early works of Darkthrone and Burzum, with each switch feeling like a smooth, natural progression. Their leads provide memorable melodies, with “III” and “V” being some of my favorite in Mgła's catalog. The lead guitars contrast with and compliment the darker rhythm guitar, which make a strong showing. The bass is there, but is less audible and used to lesser effect than in Groza. The rhythm guitars steps in to provide interesting moments instead; they make dramatic showings in “I” and “IV”, and the riffs they play in “II” and “VI” are album highlights. “III” is a good example of the albums subtle strengths; the military snare roll that shows up during the bridge and the solo at the end of the song are stand out. The vocals are as usual excellent, their depth and strength being reminiscent of Mikko Aspa of Deathspell Omega and Clandestine Blaze fame. Their depth gives the songs a sense of invocation that compliments the Orthodox style of black metal they play, and you can even make out the lyrics! The 10 minute long ending track, “VII”, is particularly worth mentioning. As I said, the length of the songs in Groza are to its benefit, and the 10 minutes allotted to “VII” give it the room to breath that gives it a great deal of gravitas. While it may not be my favorite track on the album, it is a worthy finisher.

With Hearts Toward None isn't a step in any new direction for Mgła, but it's listenable in the extreme. Despite the fact that they developed this style expertly on Mdłości, and that Groza's song writing and bass work make it more structurally unique, songs like “III” and “V” prove how utterly enjoyable With Hearts Toward None is. Both old fans of Mgła and those new to them will find much to enjoy here, and Mgła have proved once again that an individual take on the traditional black metal sound can be as interesting and fresh as any experimentation.

8.9/10

-Faulty

Metal Archives / Buy

Stone Angels- Within the Witch(2011)

Stone Angels- Within the Witch

I really love that cover art.

It was certainly the first thing that stood out to me about Stone Angel's debut LP, Within the Witch. It looks like the dessicated corpse of Yggdrasil exploding from the Earth into a mass field of crucified victims who cry out in pain. It's also perfectly appropriate for the album: blackened and monolithic. Within the Witch does not do anything new or different then any other Sludge/Doom album ever released, but it does pack massive riffs and plenty of atmosphere into tight, heavy tracks.

Musically, Within the Witch is fairly standard yet highly competent Doom/Sludge in the vein of Thou, Burning Witch and Noothgrush, so there are not a whole lot of surprises here. Larger than life riffs, tortured screams and earth-shattering bass drive each song along fairly predictable paths, all performed well and with good energy. It's all fairly standard business as usual type stuff: "Bleeding Black" could easily be an EyeHateGod song with it's groovy riffs and thundering low end, while "Withdrawing the Jinn" has that classic New Orleans-metal charm to it... like EyeHateGod as well really. "White Noise, White Light" takes more from the Burning Witch/Thorr's Hammer style of Sludge/Doom, complete with that occult blackened edge and cavernous vocals.

Where Within the Witch stands out are during those moments of subdued bleakness. During the last few minutes of "White Noise, White Light," the listener is treated to a lovely piece of ambient noise; jarring feedback filters in the distant while a woman whispers indecipherable words, perhaps of evil, perhaps of sorrow. These moments are sadly rare during Within the Witch, and I can't help but hunger for more of them. There is a serious spark of creativity and adventurousness here: "Coffin Cross," by far the strongest track on the album, seethes with Blackened rage, ascending the well trodden paths the rest of the album follows and entering new and exciting territory. It's just too bad that Stone Angels didn't appear interested in following these moments over the entire album, instead choosing to give us lots of EyeHateGod stuff.

Not that there is anything wrong with that: I fucking love EyeHateGod, and even the most worship heavy moments of Within the Witch feel superior to most EyeHateGod worship bands out there today. Stone Angels are an extremely young band, having only formed in 2010 and already with a full-length under their belt. The talent and songwriting skill is here, and it peeks through often enough to give Within the Witch plenty of value. Within the Witch does not live up to this obvious talent, but it gives us a glimpse into a potentially grim future.

Rating: 7.5/10

Cara Neir- Stagnant Perceptions(2011)

Cara Neir- Stagnant Perceptions

Dallas, Texas based Cara Neir have a pretty interesting song writing technique. Take everything you have ever listened to, and play that. It's big, exhaustive and ballsy, but also charming and extremely enjoyable. Stagnant Perceptions can be almost overwhelming in it's diversity, but for the most part maintains a unique identity throughout, even if it doesn't have complete consistency.

At it's most basic, Stagnant Perceptions is a mix of classic Norwegian Black Metal ala Darkthrone, and the more violent, dark and crusty Screamo of acts like Joshua Fit For Battle and Funeral Diner. For some, this will lead to all kinds of retarded whimpering about "trveness" and what not. Those people are fucking stupid: Black Metal has always been about doing what others think is wrong because fuck them for thinking that way, and Stagnant Perceptions is certainly a "fuck you" type record. Classic, by the book Norwegian rawness will suddenly transform into a flurry of melodic Emo riffs before ending in Doom-y repose, all in the same song...specifically "Imperialist Design"... which would be the opening track. "Return to Torquemada" is classic Dissection at the beginning, then shifts to Crossover Thrash without any real warning in awesome fashion. The final track, "Not Enough" sounds like an unholy combination of Daylight Dies and Converge... seriously, that was the only thing I could think of to describe the song. Stagnant Perceptions could be described as spastic, and in a way it is with how often genre's shift over the albums eleven tracks. But it also really isn't all that spastic, as each individual shift feels natural and well written, not merely chaotic for the sake of chaos.

It's damn impressive, but also likely too much for some. I can easily see some listeners losing patience with Stagnant Perceptions because of how all over the place it is. Sometimes even I was a little annoyed with just how much stuff was going on. It can certainly be difficult to keep up with all of it, but Stagnant Perceptions songwriting is mostly strong enough to over-come the wide open nature of Cara Neir's style. It's a style that while a bit cumbersome is also perfectly fearless and without cynicism. Cara Neir sound like a band that actually love music; not just the esoteric concept of musical creativity, but actual music that has been recorded by other artists. One can hear a real passion for the various crusty, dark and inherently nihilistic music that only a select few of us can ever really enjoy. Stagnant Perceptions is an album for those who love noisey shit that your parent's still fucking hate. So many fans of Metal and Punk run away from those concepts, become embroiled in endless battles for the legitimacy of Extreme Music as art and become cynical pseudo-fans who would rather bicker then listen. There is no generational musical disenfranchisement on Stagnant Perceptions, only pure emotion and chilling bleakness.

Rating: 8/10

Download Cara Neir- Stagnant Perceptions At "Name Your Price" Rates Here.

And seriously, no fucking 0$ bids. The album is self-released, so all the money goes to the band.

Vattnet Viskar- Vattnet Viskar(2012)

Vattnet Viskar- Vattnet Viskar

Massive and deep, filled with layer upon layer of compositional complexity and a true sense of what makes Black Metal, Vattnet Viskar's first EP possesses the kind of sound that can change the entire direction of a genre. Perhaps not Black Metal as a whole... it's just a three song EP from a relatively unknown band that hasn't even past the "free shit on Bandcamp" phase. No, Vattnet Viskar is probably not headed for the same level of glory as Hvis Lyset tar Oss or Storm of the Light's Bane. But this little EP packs enough punch to change the rapidly growing yet still awkward Atmospheric Black Metal movement growing in the United States: Cascadian Black Metal to some, Blackgaze to others(and to more than a few cloak-and-chalice Black Metal fans, hipster trash). The reason being fairly simple, and easily detectable upon a single listen: that unlike many of the artists within the genre who battle with the concept of "Black Metal" as an artform and a genre, Vattnet Viskar(whose name means "the water whispers" in Swedish) have actually mastered the Black Metal part of the equation. Unlike Liturgy, whose rampant and free form experimentation destroys any actual Black Metal elements beyond shrieked vocals and dissonance, or Altar of Plagues, who flat out just don't have any Black Metal in their sound, Vattnet Viskar's sound is firmly entrenched in Black Metal.

The hypnotic repetition of Burzum and the dissonant creepings of Deathspell Omega are at the very heart of Vattnet Viskar. These elements are the center, the arches of support for moments of brilliant, intense experimentation with Neurosis-esque Sludge and Shoegaze that litter this twenty seven minute EP. Rather then trying to forcefully mix these disparate parts into contorted, over-stuffed epics of formless dissonance and enormous "wall-of-sound' production, everything on Vattnet Viskar is finely crafted to create different atmospheres at the appropriate moments. The Black Metal moments sound like Black Metal, and that is something so few bands within this sub-genre seem to accomplish despite the association. The opening bells and whispering chants of "Weakness," followed by the first salvo of blistering and grim Orthodox Black Metal, flows naturally into the later sections of the song, where repetitious and hypnotic Sludge riffs meld seamlessly with distant, heart wrenching sound-waves. Listening to the last few minutes of "Intention/Oblivion" is like bathing in sonic waves of your own vulnerability: the composition is so massive, so sincere, it cuts right to the heart of you. There are no vocals for several minutes, but the intended mood is quite clear: it swallowed me up like a vortex.

There just are not that many albums out there that literally suck me in, but Vattnet Viskar has a Black Hole like effect on me. The riffs are such a perfectly blended mix of dissonance, harmony and melody, the drums are adventurous and skillful(the drumming during the first three minutes of "Barren Earth" is mindblowing), the low end plays it's proper role, occasionally bursting with sheer volume to strengthen an already powerful vortex of sound. The vocals, while primarily monotone, are incredibly powerful: they practically ignite the air around them with rage and horror. Vattnet Viskar may not be purely original in the modern Black Metal scene, but it is incredibly hefty(thanks mostly to the perfect production, clear but raw) and intense. Real emotion comes pouring from every note, and the sincerity of the music makes it feel almost transcendental.

Yes, transcendental. The famous phrase uttered by American Black Metal's Clown Prince(or Troll King) has finally been realized. That it comes from a small time band from New Hampshire may come as a surprised, but the dream of Hunter Hunt-Hendrix has come to fruition. Vattnet Viskar feels like a step forward for Black Metal as a genre while at the same time ascending beyond it's already broad constraints. So many acts have tried to reach this plane, are still trying to reach this level of perfect, harmonious intensity: a true synthesis of Black Metal and more progressive elements. Yet so far, in my personal experience, only this unknown four-piece have reached it.

And thus, the essence of Black Metal, and what it represents, is renewed once again.

Rating: 10/10

Macabra- Blood-Nurtured Nature(2012)

Macabra- Blood-Nurtured Nature

I only listened to Blood-Nurtured Nature once. And in one listen, I am convinced that Blood-Nurtured Nature is the worst album of 2012 so far.

An international collaboration between American "musician" Mark Riddick and French vocalist Adrien "Liquifier" Weber, Macabra is an attempted return to the classic late 80's, early 90's Death Metal sound: just beginning to tear itself from the rotted womb of Thrash Metal dessicated corpse. For many, this is Death Metal, the only Death Metal. All other Death Metal is false Death Metal, devoid of the genre's true evil. It is fake Death Metal for pampered teenagers and false posers.

I am not one of these "old school is the only school" people.

Blood-Nurtured Nature is a sloppy, poorly produced mass of cliched Death Metal tropes that tries to sound like every single Death Metal band from the late 80's all at once. Considering Mr. Riddick can barely even play any of the instruments featured on this album, it's a disaster from the first minute to the last. In many ways, it's rather impressive that Mr. Riddick can play guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. On the other hand, the fact that he is incapable of playing any of them well enough for a major Metal release is a slight problem. The drums and guitars are frequently out of synch, and the guitar playing itself is so consistently sloppy and uninteresting as to be obnoxious. The entire album is one massive, brutal miscalculation from the start, and it never has a chance to recover.

Seriously, it's all bad. The production is nothing short of atrocious: the guitars sound like they are made of cardboard, the bass has absolutely zero punch and the drums sound flat and lifeless. The production quality remains consistently, obnoxiously thin and flat throughout Blood-Nurtured Nature's painfully long thirty five minute running time, and never fails to destroy any real value the piss poor compositions might have stumbled upon by sheer providence. The opening of "Contribution To Your Dis-Elaboration (Sustenance Of The Void)" might have sounded very brutal in an Undergang type way, if it didn't sound like it was recorded in a bedroom on a twenty dollar microphone. It's just so... bad. Even the aesthetic is dated and inoffensive, clinging for dear life to typical horror movie cliches and imagery as though they were some new, controversial idea that hasn't been used by every other fucking artist on Earth since the 90's. Korn features darker and less embarrassing imagery than the typical, played out "I'm a crazy serial killer" idiocy spewed forth by Macabra. Typical predictable aesthetics to go with typical, inoffensive Old-School Mash that is ready made for consumption.

Perhaps the worst part about Blood Nurtured-Nature? It has no identity. It has no purpose. It has no energy. The whole album is so by the numbers, safe and without the thrill of songwriting, it becomes impossible for the album to justify it's own existence.

And album must have one of three things to be truly worthwhile: creativity, proficiency and energy. If an album has even one of those things, it was a musical journey worth undertaking. Albums like Blood-Nurtured Nature were never meant to be creative or proficient. I get that. They are supposed to be little time machines to take listeners back in time to the way a genre was played back when it was a new thing. But an album like Blood-Nurtured Nature must have energy... and yet it doesn't. It's worship without any zealotry, as though the duo of Macabra feel they have to worship Old School Death Metal, but don't really want to. The whole album sounds like a painful and boring time sink for the band itself.

Is there anything worse, for the band or those who listen them?

Rating: 2/10