Friday, July 21, 2017

Sinister - Gods of the Abyss



Dutch death metal band Sinister have been knocking around since the 1990's. The band have split then got back together a number of times. After their 2003 split they recorded the four song demo "Gods of the Abyss"which lead to a record deal with Nuclear Blast. In 2017 Dutch label Vic Records have released the demo for public consumption.

The songs are undeniably crushing death metal but Sinister intertwine elements of more traditional metal. Whilst the vocals are like a caveman chewing sandpaper, there's a strong Iron Maiden influence in the guitar riffs on a couple of these tracks which would pique the interest of more than just the casual death metal fanatic. Listening to these tracks, it's easy to understand why Nuclear Blast signed these. The opening track "The Grey Massacre" effortlessly chops from mid-paced crunch to full speed ahead death dealing.
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All the tracks here are very good examples of early death metal however "Altruistic Suicide" and "Afterburner"are Sinister at their peak on this release.

3.5/5


Sinister on facebook

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Screamfeeder - Pop Guilt



Australian band Screamfeeder have been knocking and playing their brand of indie pop for about for quarter of a century. The combination of male and female vocalists has drawn comparisons to The Go-Betweens however for many Screamfeeder songs the female voice is upfront rather than relegated to the background.

The band mix up the style of their song without straying far from indie pop territory. There's a definite Pixies influence seeping through the tunes "Falling" and a touch of the poppier side of Husker Du in "Got a Feeling". "Going to California" is a quick punk style burst with a heavy dosage of pop.


Prepare yourself for cake and booze, because the distorted "Making it Up" is a good cause for fans of Australian indie pop as it looks to Australia's indie pop past as it contains a hint of Grant McClennan without feeling like a carbon copy of what has gone before.



While there is variation between the songs on "Pop Guilt" which takes away any boring sameness, there's a lingering feeling that editing this album and chopping a number of songs would have been much a better move than lengthening the album by providing bonus tracks.


Release Date: 23 June 2017




3/5


Screamfeeder on bandcamp.


Screamfeeder on Facebook






Beastwars - IV

After over a year off for various reasons, we have returned solely because we wanted to review the new Beastwars album. I really w...