Abolishment of Flesh- In the Presence of Darkness

 

Abolishment of Flesh is a death metal band from Texas. The band's first full length under the name Abolishment was much more of a relentlessly brutal affair but they've slowly dialed it back and gotten more into incorporating melody into the fold. Their past dabblings in more brutal territory give this album an interesting flair in it's approach, culminating into a pretty satisfying melting pot of death metal diversity. Some melodic tendencies, an old school semi technical leaning, and tastes of that nasty Texan brutality make for an interesting blend when all wrapped into one package. 

The guitar playing on this album is magnificent. There's plenty of moments scattered throughout featuring breathtaking leads and every solo is masterfully crafted to fit the riffs and grooves that surround them. The songwriting here displays a great deal of talent when it comes to creating beautiful melodies that blend effortlessly with the rhythmic attacks that they bounce back and forth with. The opening track starts right in with this approach which leads into a nice little clean break before transitioning to a pummeling groove that hits the spot. Early on Abolishment is dishing out some stuff that reminds me of mid era Death and that is certainly not a bad thing. 

The track "Behind Deceitful Eyes" uses vocal layering to great effect. Vocally this album is actually fairly diverse. The main approach is a standard growl with some screams mixed in. The layering is used sporadically and there's also some shrieks here and there. The title track has some unexpected cleans thrown in and surprisingly they work quite well and actually pop up on what I would consider a standout track on the album. The aforementioned layering really creates a nice, menacing tone throughout the duration of the record and adds some bite to many moments without going overboard with it. 

When "Self Righteous Regurgitation" hits with it's slam inducing opening riff the album kicks into high gear. Everything becomes a bit more sharp and dangerous for a bit moving forward. Regardless of the level of hostility Abolishment is working at the solos never fail to be masterfully crafted. The title track kicks off with some awesome tapping that paints the picture of one tumbling into a bottomless pit where some beast awaits. An epic simplistic groove follows that allows the events to play out. 

Overall In the Presence of Darkness is a pretty damn solid display of death metal goodies. These guys dish out a nice little smorgasbord of death metal variety proficiently. They nail the Death worship early on and weave in their earlier brutal death metal influences in a cohesive way that really works. Their previous albums were solid in terms of songwriting but the production typically left something to be desired. With this latest effort the murkiness that brought them down in the past has been cleared up. There's enough diversity here that the album should appeal to most death metal fans regardless of their preference when it comes to the details. It also closes out with an absolutely sick cover of a Sepultura classic. JAM IT!!!

The Gardnerz- It All Fades

The Gardnerz are back for their follow-up to The System of Nature. An album I reviewed with much praise. This time around the release is in EP format. Fortunately for all of you fans it still clocks in at a healthy 35 minutes. It is clear when listening to It All Fades that The Gardnerz are no "one trick pony". These guys all have chops with both their instruments and writing abilities.

As mentioned in my previous review for the band's full-length, for a melodic death metal band these guys sure know how to churn out some kick-ass riffs. It All Fades is no different. If anything this aspect of the band has grown. Every single riff on this release sticks with you immediately after hearing it. I also see some influence of Death possibly leaking through in some of the playing here. One of the best moments on this thing would have to be when the opening track "Don't Look Back" slows down and goes into some clean vocals. This moment just builds and builds until eventually we break back into the fast paced riffing featured at the beginning of the track.

Each track on this release is really like a journey. The EP is almost impossible to not listen to as a whole. It all comes together very nicely and flows with a vast amount of perfection. Not one track here is skippable. It seems as though the clean moments heard on The System of Nature have been added a bit more often on this EP. That being said the heavy moments have gotten much more intense and I really believe the band has found the perfect balance of all of their elements on this release.

While I hate to dedicate an entire paragraph to a cover song I really think the cover on here deserves it. The Gardnerz rendition of the Darkthrone classic Transilvanian Hunger is simply astounding. The track features beautiful female vocals throughout, not a single harsh vocal is used. The instrumental has a very clean, full sound going for it. It is amazing how The Gardnerz completely changed the overall sound of the song, but even with that fact, this very clean, beautiful version of the song still manages to hold the same atmosphere of the Darkthrone track. It's an amazing feat and a very mind-blowing listen. When I first saw the tracklist I was worried about how this would come out. Upon listening that worry is completely gone and this has become my favorite track on the album, and possibly my favorite cover song of all time.

Overall It All Fades is an amazing effort from The Gardnerz. I thought The System of Nature would be an extremely hard release to follow-up, but they really outdid themselves with this one. Needless to say if you are a fan of the previous album pick this up. Also highly recommended to fans of death/doom metal. This release is truly the definition of what I want out of a release of this nature and it is very good to see The Gardnerz always taking steps in the right direction.

Interview With Brandon Mitchell (Swallowed By Apathy) 2

Just a few months ago Brandon Mitchell had moved away and left Swallowed By Apathy behind. The other member (Kevin) credited for writing on Dysgenesis picked up the pieces after Brandon left and was going to continue the project. Just days ago things took a sudden turn when Brandon decided to take the band name back and sever his involvement with Kevin. In this interview we get Brandon's side of the story and get some new info on what is to come in the near future from Swallowed By Apathy.

Foul Feast: There seems to be a disagreement in terms of how much input Kevin had in the writing process of Dysgenesis. Give us your side of the story.

Mitchell: It's simple. I wrote the record while living in Newark, 3 hours away from where Kevin lives. I sent him the tunes to work on his bass parts until I could get up there to track in his studio. Other than that he wrote the lyrics to "Journeyman of the Lucid" and "Cynical Transparency". As far as vocal melodies for those two go, I came up with them myself. While he did program the drums on "Dysgenesis", I was there to translate what drum parts I thought would fit because I play drums myself and wanted to make sure it wasn't impossible to achieve for live shows.

FF: What caused the sudden change of heart? Why not take the band name with you when you first split ways with Kevin?

Mitchell: Well, when I told Kevin I needed to home with my family he flipped out. I was under the impression we would put Swallowed By Apathy to rest for awhile. Out of respect for him I didn't want to just kick him out and take shit elsewhere, I figured it was only fair. Later on he decides to get this childish attitude and say "I'm doing it without you." His tone of voice was basically like "fuck you". I mean this was minutes before I went home. I don't know if being rude to me made him feel manly or what but I'm not one to be talked down to. His father basically made me leave immediately and although I payed for half of the discs I wasn't allowed to take my cut. I financed the mixing entirely out of my pocket as well as other things we needed for the band. I had a job while living up there and Kevin made to effort to follow up on his applications. Working long days were stressful but I still came home energized and ready to rehearse. Kevin always had an excuse as to why he didn't want to practice. It seemed as if rehearsing the same song over and over got old to him. I have a lot of live experience so I wanted to get everything as tight as possible. Kevin had never been in a band in his life before Swallowed By Apathy and live shows didn't seem to be a priority. To me giving the audience my best is everything. Swallowed By Apathy isn't meant to be a studio project. I formed it with the goal of playing live and that is what I intend to do. If you must know about my change of heart, it was losing my Grandmother to cancer on Thanksgiving. It's changed the way that I view everything now and the only reason I didn't take Swallowed By Apathy back sooner is out of respect for Rob and Conor (who isn't with the band anymore). I worked too hard to have someone take it away and get the glory for my blood, sweat, and tears.

FF: Will you be using any of the material that was written when Kevin was still a part of the band on the upcoming release?

Mitchell: After the record was finished I immediately began to write because I am always full of ideas but Kevin didn't want to work with me. What I had worked on before I left Cleveland was constructed purely by me. I got some good material out of that time frame but the stuff I have been working on since I came back home is more evolved.

FF: How do you feel about Kevin's new project Aethereal Inception? Do you wish him the best in his future endeavors?

Mitchell: I was unaware until you had mentioned it. He still has yet to restore my admin rights on the original Facebook page so fuck him. I don't wish him any luck but at the same time I don't wish him harm. I more or less just don't give a shit one way or another. I'm thinking about my band at the moment.

FF: Are you and Kevin still on good terms after all of this?

Mitchell: Nope.

FF: Has a new line-up been considered yet?

Mitchell: A new line-up is already in order. Josh Chilcote is our new guitarist and we back as far as Junior High School. He was actually the first drummer of Swallowed By Apathy and did session work on our 2010 demo. Him and Steven (our new drummer) also play in Vultaria which is a death/thrash band that I was with for almost 2 years. I released 2 EP's with them and I'm looking to have Vultaria play with Swallowed By Apathy any chance that I get because they are insane live. Josh is normally a front-man so for this it's kinda new to see him focusing purely on guitar. He also played bass for the band Only Flesh who are currently label-mates with Goatwhore on Rotten Records. The guy has a wicked stage presence, a professional attitude, and live experience out the ass. Not to mention he knows how to have a good time. Steven is without a doubt the most talented drummer I have ever worked with and I'm willing to bet ever will. He's a blast beat machine and soaks up new techniques like a sponge. He's a really diverse musician and I'm looking to bring his black metal influence into the band a bit. I guess the real "new" guy is Ryan Boggs. He is handling bass duties and is levels ahead of anything Kevin could do with the genre. I hate watching Ryan play because he actually shits on most guitarists I've played with and he uses his fingers. lol

FF: You've been in bands previously in that area, any chance we may see some of the people you have worked with before in Swallowed By Apathy?

Mitchell: haha! This question has already been answered but yes. You will be seeing them! As a matter of fact we are getting ready to do a photo shoot so you can actually see them.

FF: How is the new stuff going to differ from what we heard on Dysgenesis?

Mitchell: More clean vocals! I'm not going to sugar coat it. lol Most bands say, "Oh it's going to be the heaviest thing we've ever done." or something really cliche. It's going to be the most melodic thing we've done yet. It's going to be musically much heavier and very dark at times. But I have a lot of ability as a singer that needs to be displayed on this record. It's not going to be a massive departure from what we've already done. It's just going to be a logical step forward and I'm making it a bit more progressive. The catchy choruses will be there as always. The record is going to be called, "The Oracle of Disarray" and some song titles are, "Death Will Pave Our Way", "Trinity", "Unworldly Entity", "Mark My Words" and "The Imminent Question". I just gave away a good amount of info on that but I can tell you there will be no instrumentals, covers, or filler tracks. It's all going to be full songs and I'm shooting to have about 13 tracks recorded between now and late 2012. Expect an early 2013 release! We're hitting the studio in January to record a new single so keep your eye and ears out for that! Also we will be playing live a lot in 2011! We'll have some hometown shows as well as shows in surrounding states so who knows, maybe we'll be in your area.

FF: Do you plan on keeping Chris Clancy involved in the project at all in the future?

Mitchell: This time around we are recording in our hometown with a guy by the name of Joe Wahl at his home studio. He has the tools to mix and master our record just fine as well as a degree in music recording. We'll be in good hands! haha I love what Chris did with the first record but I wanna try something different this time around.

FF: Any final thoughts?

Mitchell: http://www.facebook.com/swallowedbyapathy is our new Facebook page!!! "Unlike" the old one and "like" the current link because that's where all the current and up to date info is. Oh and keep supporting FoulFeast because he's got tasty reviews and cool info on unsigned metal acts. Hopefully this covers everything!

Sanhedrin- Salvation Through Sin

Sanhedrin is a melodic blackened death metal band from the UK. The band formed in 2009 and has since released a demo and this full-length. They are armed with corpsepaint, keyboards, and some decent writing abilities. It is obvious when looking at the layout of the album and listening to the sound quality that this band takes their music very serious and aren't just some bedroom headbangers beating their instruments to death into a Guitar Hero microphone. For a debut full-length Sanhedrin definitely shows a great deal of potential.

The first thing that will come to the listeners attention is that Sanhedrin emphasizes keyboards in a big way. For many this may be a turn off (in most cases myself included) but somehow Sanhedrin manages to incorporate this element in a way that doesn't take away from the overall sound. This element actually beefs up the already epic atmosphere quite a bit and does so without becoming tedious. Salvation Through Sin is one of those albums that just simply works better when listened to from start to finish. This can be see as a pro or a con based on your personal point of view but in order to get the full experience it is a must.

The guitar playing on the album isn't anything particularly fancy, but it does fit what they do quite well and when intertwined with their ability to create a good song structure all in all, it comes out very effective. The vocals here are very interesting. Come to think of it, there isn't another vocalist that comes to mind to compare the style used here to. A mid ranged harsh vocal is used throughout most of the playtime and it can't really be described as a growl or a scream. Holloway has a fairly distinct voice and even though it is a harsh style it comes across as effortless in deliver which adds an interesting vibe to the performance.

Overall Salvation Through Sin isn't anything new or groundbreaking. The band still continuously holds your attention and shows enough skill in their style to make this release a success. It isn't often you find a band playing this style that doesn't go completely overboard with the symphonic elements, but luckily in this bands case they have no problem knowing when and where to draw the line. Many people will compare this release to bands like Dimmu Borgir but in more ways than one it seems that Sanhedrin has a better grasp on creating enjoyable music. Don't go into this expecting to have you mind blown and I think you'll be extremely happy with the result.

Among the Mortals- Of Ignorance and Dismissal

Among the Mortals is a melodic death metal band from Finland that formed way back in 1997. This is the bands first full-length release in their time together, that may seem like a huge gap and it is, but that is not to say that the band has been sitting around scratching their asses for all these years. They have released a demo and an EP since their forming and had also been on hold from 2002 to 2005. In the early stages the band featured more members. The band is now a two piece, Luosujärvi handles vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards on the album while Hanhisuanto handles drum duties. Upon first listen it is clear to see these guys harness a great amount of talent and after every listen this album just gets better and better.

Among the Mortals has an extremely epic sound that holds the listener's attention without fail the entire near hour that this album clocks in.The guitar playing here is intricate and doesn't loose any of it's intensity with the heavily melodic sound pouring out of the amplifier. The instrumental pieces are pure nirvana. The playing creates a cascading tour de force of emotion fall upon the listener. The second the sound of the amazing playing hit your ears it is pure bliss from then on. Every second of this album is enthralling, whether the pace be slow and devastating (intro to "A Dream Like None") or filled with speedy melodies ("Weep, You Lifeless"). Every note is delivered with machinelike precision yet it all seems so natural.

The vocals vary in style. There is an odd sounding, shrill scream and a standard shriek being used throughout the majority of Of Ignorance And Dismissal. The vocal approach used is very reminiscent of none other than prog masters Augury. The vocals fit perfectly and add to the already mystical sound featured. The drumming drives the album along at a consistent pace. There is enough variety here to keep the performance as fresh as possible and it is without a doubt very refreshing to hear a band submitting music that feature a human taking care of drum duties.

Overall Among the Mortals is one of the few melodic death metal bands around that can keep the listener on the edge of their seat. In terms of metal and just music in general it doesn't get much more epic than this. Highly recommended for fans of metal that can handle harsh vocals, this release is easy to digest for those just getting into the genre and entertaining enough to keep the seasoned listeners coming back for more. Get it.

Haiduk- Plagueswept

Haiduk is a one man band that hails from Canada. This is Luka's debut release but when listening it seems like he has been at it for a great amount of time. It isn't often you find a band that has already crafted it's own sound by their first release. It is obvious much time and effort was put into this demo because it simply looks, and plays like a full-length album. This album breathes new life into what was beginning to seem like a stagnant genre. Haiduk plays melodic death metal that employs atmosphere as the driving force behind the music.

The fretwork is without a doubt the highlight of this album. The playing is delivered with a vast amount of precision and creates a very tight, professional sound for the album. The majority of the riffs played in the entire playtime of the record are ridiculously catchy, and along with that every element of Plagueswept is composed in an excellent manner. The hypnotic melody of "Dark Forest Path" is a solid example of what can only be described as amazing songwriting. The tone has a nice bite to it and utilizes just the right amount of distortion for the style.

Luka manages to incorporate large amounts of melody without sacrificing the raw atmosphere that makes Plagueswept such a special album. The vocals mesh well with the epic instrumental work. The vocal approach is a standard death growl but they are delivered with a certain exhaustion that adds an interesting flavor to the already attention grabbing sound. If the vocal style was to be any different than it is here it would most likely change the album for the worse, the technique used on Plagueswept is just so fitting that imagining it any other way wouldn't be nearly as satisfying.

The album clocks in at just under thirty minutes but when listening it feels like it ends so quickly, but hey, time flies by when you are playing good music. From the first note played on Plagueswept all the way down to the final note atmosphere is served up in abundant amounts. With all that being said there is one thing here that does drag the album down a bit. It's been said many times about a countless number of bands but, Haiduk would be better off with a real drummer rather than a machine. The drum machine is used in a respectable manner on Plagueswept but with a flesh and blood human working the kit the album would gain some depth.

Overall with Plagueswept Haiduk has created an album that has an enormous amount of replay value. With the addition of a new drummer it wouldn't be a surprise to see Haiduk gain some serious popularity within the metal community, it is evident on Plagueswept that he definitely has the chops to take this project further. Being a skilled player is only half the battle, writing ability is the other half, fortunately Luka has tremendous skill in both fields. Highly recommended to all metal fans.

Check it out:
Haiduk's site