Tag Archives: Deathcore

Music

Chabtan – The Kiss Of Coatlicue

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I honestly can’t put into words what it is, but there is something about French metal that I can distinguish nine out of ten times upon my first listen. One thing that does come to mind is that they absolutely love the almighty groove and modern elements, the same goes for Chabtan, who are going to release their new album, The Kiss Of Coatlicue, on May 25th!

More specifically, the quintet roams into the deathcore genre while adding some symphonic elements and, as mentioned before, a thick layer of groove. A mix that works quite well in my opinion, but on the other hand the songwriting is for the majority of the eleven songs very similar and there are admittedly very few surprises.

The production is very modern but it delivers in the right places, with every double bass kick as well as every blast beat sounding nice and crisp. However, the guitars, while generally-speaking well recorded as well, do lack a bit of punch and have a tendency of turning into mush during the quicker passages, but that’s forgivable because the main sound hammers well enough throughout the forty-seven minutes.

The entire record is a concept album about the Mayan gods, notably the death gods, and despite having a bit of a hard time understanding the lyrics, due to the notorious Frenchie accent on one hand and the screams, screeches and growls on the other hand, they seem to be fairly interesting. The different singing styles offer enough variation to avoid repetition and there are a couple of dual-layered passages that sent shivers down my spine…chapeau!

All in all, Chabtan deliver a solid debut record that will definitely win over genre-enthusiasts but, for me personally, there was that special little something that was missing to make the spark jump over. As always, I do advise you to make up your own mind and check out the song below, before heading to their Facebook page to keep up with them!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxa0I8NI3ro]

Music

Inhuman Rampage – Pathfinder

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In a previous review I said that our country doesn’t have a lot of good deathcore bands, but I’ve been proven wrong in the past and such is the case today! Because Inhuman Rampage are a talented quintet that managed to convince me with their debut EP Pathfinder.

As is custom in the genre, the music is generally-speaking very fast-paced and involves quite a few chugging breakdowns. However, in order to keep the six songs, plus one intro, from being monotonous, these passages are interlaced with some interestingly technical riffing and in some parts groove-laden drumming.

But for the most part it’s a lot of blast-beating and rapid double-bass work in the percussion department and crushing riffs in the string department. One thing I especially liked in the latter is the fact that the bass guitar is clearly audible throughout the twenty-five minutes, which is always a plus in my book.

The vocals are all in all quite solid: the growls are deep and brutal, and the screeches are bone-chillingly evil. I have to say that the high-pitched variation could have been more dominantly used, but that might just be a personal fancy since I found them to be the better of the two.

To sum things up, I could honestly say that Inhuman Rampage managed to record a more than satisfying EP and even though they did not blow me away with innovation, they do the genre a lot of justice. So be sure to listen to the song below and visit the band’s Facebook page for more information. Pathfinder will be out this Friday, March 21st, at the release show at Kulturfabrik in Esch/Alzette!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hySILMmQt-g]

Music

Kill The Innocent – Ayahuasca

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This is going to be my last review of the year 2013, and I’m happy to say right off the bat that I’m ending it on a very high note, because the first EP Ayahuasca by the relatively new Luxembourgish band Kill The Innocent is quite a tasty experience. So let’s dive right into it!

Generally speaking, the quintet plays deathcore but the music is slightly more multifarious than that and doesn’t stick to the genre all the time, which makes the six tracks by far more enjoyable than a lot of attempts by other bands.

In the instrumental department I’m not quite sure what convinces me more: the guitars or the drums. The latter are chock-full with blast beats and double bass work that ranges from balls to the walls speed to various patterns, all while being interlaced with several delicious fills. The guitars on the other hand have potential to leave you open-mouthed from the heaviness and technicality: finest shredding followed by speedy tapping with an extra serving of melodic solo is exactly what you’ll find during these twenty-seven minutes.

I’m quite sure that there is not a sentence, or a variation of it, that I have used as often this year as the following: the singer is killing it. But don’t blame me for that…since, in all seriousness, the vocals are marvelously well-done. Not only do the screams sound truly evil and the screeches come across as totally vicious, but the clear enunciation puts the cherry on the cake.

In closing, I want to say that KTI definitely took me off-guard because I have been mostly disappointed by local bands that tried to wander in this particular genre but due to its flawless execution and crisp production, Ayahuasca made me forget all about that. As a matter of fact, I’d even say that Kill The Innocent are my personal Luxembourgish newcomer of the year and that I’m quite positive that they will amount to great things in the future. Visit the band’s Facebook page and be sure to listen to the song below. If you like what you are hearing, head on over to Kulturfabrik in Esch this Saturday, where they will release their EP at the seventh edition of the Bang Your Head Festival!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opagIoNGxww]

Music

A Mute Appeal – Convictions Of Empires

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It’s time to check out what’s been happening in the Luxembourgish scene again and what better way to do this than by checking one of the releases that I didn’t get around to review last year. I’m of course talking about A Mute Appeal, who released their debut EP Convictions Of Empires on December 1st. The band is comprised of five relatively young guys that play deathcore since 2011.

During my first listening session I was struck by one thing that has already bothered me on one of my previous reviews: two of the eight songs are intros. It’s nothing too annoying but in my opinion it could just have been one song. Then there’s also another brief interlude towards the end, which puts the actual song count down to five. The songs do make up for it but, personally, I’m not really a fan of intermissions on an EP.

The guitars are just right for the genre and have some interesting riffs that made me skip back a couple of times to enjoy them once again. The sound could be slightly sharper but no minus points there from me…it doesn’t always have to be perfectly produced to sound good. I can’t say anything bad about the drums at all: I like their sound and the frequent usage of double bass…my needs are satisfied.

Something that I am a bit disappointed by are the vocals…let me explain: I saw the band for the first time at FFYS last year and I was amazed by the singer because he killed it, especially considering that they were one of the first bands of the day. When I listened to the record though, his growls seemed weaker than at the show and his screeches, which did retain the quality I remembered, were rather poorly mixed. It’s a bit of a shame to me since the vocals were the one thing that I especially liked about their sound.

All in all, I’d say that Convictions Of Empires is a decent first release and that it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of the genre. Nevertheless, I’m more interested in what the future holds for these guys since one thing they do not lack is talent and I’m convinced that with a little bit of polish they can easily surpass their first effort. Check out the band on Facebook and don’t hesitate to listen to the entire album on their Bandcamp page below.

Music

An Apple A Day – Fall Of Thera

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We all know the saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”; in the case of the Luxembourgish band An Apple A Day this could not be any more wrong, because after listening to their brand new EP Fall Of Thera I almost needed a doctor for my aching neck! Let me tell you why that is the case.

The quintet has moved away from their old deathcore style and now plays modern death metal with minor elements remaining from their roots. I’d say that it’s a mixture that is appealing to both traditional metalheads but also to the modern crowd, but you be the judge of that.

The first thing that will strike you when you start listening to the six songs is the massive sound: I’m not kidding when I say that the band doesn’t have to fear comparisons to bigger bands because what they managed to achieve on this record is just amazing. The drums have a rich, yet not over-triggered, sound and the guitars will tear your ears right off the sides of your head.

But the close to perfect sound isn’t all there is to it: the drumming, mainly the double bass, will keep you interested all throughout these twenty-four minutes with its pounding rhythms and its groove. The same goes for the guitars which feature riff after riff of goodness, and some rather interesting solos.

The forte of this whole thing, to me, are definitely the vocals though. The singer constantly switches between (really) deep growls and screeches with some occasional pig squeals and clean vocals here and there thrown in for good measure. I’d even go as far and say that this endeavor grants him access to the hall of fame of Luxembourgish metal vocalists, if there is such a thing. But apparently the band wasn’t satisfied enough by their own singer, so they decided to get Sacha from local matadors Scarred to help out on the last track.

All in all, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this release is probably the one Luxembourgish (metal) effort of 2012 that you absolutely have to check out. And the time and place to this is this Friday, December 21st, at Rockhal in Esch where the guys will have their release party with support from Falling Promises and Lost In Pain. For more info check out the band’s Facebook page and if you want to get in the mood for the concert, listen to the song below!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Z0KHEvu4M]