Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Weregoat - "Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication" (Vault of Dried Bones/Iron Bonehead Productions/Parasitic Records, 2017)

Band: Weregoat
Title: Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication
Genre: Bestial Black/Death Metal
Year: 5th May 2017
Time: 38 min
Rating: 91/100













2017 is to be considered an year truly amazing for the bestial black/death metal genre. In fact, its fans have to choose among many cults as young promises like Barbaric Horde, veterans as Death Worship, bands which confirm again their inherent bestiality with a sophomore album like Goatblood or other ones that have released, finally, their debut album after many years into the ranks as Necroblood. And Weregoat falls under this last category since they are a trio born in 2009 emerging from the very vital extreme metal scene of Portland, Oregon, already strong of bands like Shroud of the Heretic, Triumvir Foul or Ritual Necromancy. Well, Weregoat, after many efforts, have released some months ago their devastating full-lenght album "Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication", edited on CD by the Canadian label Vault of Dried Bones (unfortunately closed just in these days) and on tape and vinyl by Iron Bonehead Prod in co-operation with the US Parasitic Records. But do you remember that I anticipated this review into my article about "Abhorrent Manifestation" of Ascended Dead, where the same Weregoat's singer/bassist plays now?

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Devil's Noise (1st number, June 2016)

Title: Devil's Noise
Genre: Fanzine
Year: June 2016
Pages: 80
Rating: 74/100


















Let's open the "books/fanzine" section with Devil's Noise, an excellent Italian fanzine whose first (and only, for the moment) number was released in June 2016. After one year, I am still waiting for its second number, very anticipated since the guys behind this zine (one of them is the singer/guitarist of the known Italian doomsters Black Oath, a band that I saw live one year ago at Sinister Noise Rock Club in Rome) announced it in February 2017 on the Devil's Noise FB page. But unfortunately, this page is no longer updated since that announce, so I hope that this silence represent the classic "calm before the storm".

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Uganga - "Opressor" (Sapólio Rádio, 2014; Defense Records/Deformeathing Production, 2017)

Band: Uganga
Title: Opressor
Genre: Thrashcore
Year:  10th November 2014, Sapólio Rádio; 3rd March 2017, Defense Records/Deformeathing Production)
Time: 40 min circa
Rating: 63/100












Sarcófago! An act able to draw the attentions of many many metalheads devoted to the rawest black metal played with the barbaric fury typical of a bunch of South American bands. But this review is neither about Sarcofago nor a band influenced heavily by them but is about Uganga. And who are these ones? And what is the role of Sarcófago in this review? A Brazilian band born in 1993, their singer Manu Joker played the drums just in Sarcófago at the end of the '80s. In addition, Uganga (Swahili for "sorcery") have released 4 studio full-lenght albums between 2003 and 2014 and, curiously, all them are characterized by a tracklist consisting ALWAYS and ONLY of 13 songs, included even their 2013 live album titled "Eurocaos - Ao Vivo", recorded in Bochum, Germany, as a coronation of their European second tour that reached also Italy. Said this, the last studio album called "Opressor", originally released in 2014 for the Brazilian label Sapólio Rádio, has been recently reissued in co-operation by Defense Records and Deformeating Production, both Polish labels.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

The story of Proto-Speed/Thrash metal - PART II

In my opinion, the first true proto-speed metal albums in the history were released in 1981. Yes, you have to count still them on the fingers of a single hand but the cult for the speed was already international at that time. In fact, it sounds strange but...Venezuela was one of the very first proto-speed metal strongholds!

Monday, September 18, 2017

INTERVIEW TO LUBRICANT!!! (SAMI VIITASAARI)

With the "Swallow This" compilation, released some months ago by Svart Records I discovered a band very worthy with its imaginative death'n'roll but, unfortunately, it had a too short life to express completely its potential. But fortunately, as many Finnish death metal bands of the "golden years" (Abhorrence, Purtenance...), also the death'n'rollers Lubricant are back and I hope that they will release finally an entire full-lenght album because they deserve it after all their efforts! So, I present to you a very nice interview to Lubricant through the words of their guitarist Sami Viitasaari!

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Whorehouse - "Corporation" (Defense Records, 2017)

Band: Whorehouse
Title: Corporation
Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 10th May 2017
Time: 34 min
Rating: 82/100













8 years. 8 years were enough for Whorehouse to create a follow-up on their first album "Execution of Humanity", that was even the very first production released by the Polish label Defense Records. But the fact is that Whorehouse have never been a prolific band. Born in 1995, they recorded only 3 demos between 1998 and 2003 before the aforementioned "Execution...", an album composed mostly of old songs but released in a perfect period for the old-school thrash metal revival, shooting also a videoclip for "Violent Storm", the opening track of their debut. And this very long wait has been truly useful to Whorehouse in order to crank up their thrash metal overdose with a better album entitled "Corporation".

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Rotengeist - "The Test That Divides Us All" (Defense Records, 2017)

Band: Rotengeist
Title: The Test That Divides Us All
Genre: Progressive Thrash metal with Death metal influences
Year: 24th April 2017
Time: 32 min circa
Rating: 89/100












I don't know how you think but a band like Rotengeist deserve a better international recognition. I am saying this because their third album, "The Test That Divides Us All", is very amazing since it shows many winning ideas and a lot of intensity. And it isn't a case considering that Rotengeist comes from Poland, a country able often to spew forth an high quality metal since the seminal debut album called "666" (1986) by the speed/thrash metal band Kat. But it seem to me that Rotengeist aren't so known internationally, also because, if I am not mistaken, I realized that their third album has been reviewed almost exclusively by Polish webzines while I think that Timpani allo Spiedo is the very first Italian webzine to review it. And I hope it will not be the only one!

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Infernal Angels/Catechon/Ad Noctem Funeriis - "Italian Black Metal Assault" (Adimere Records, 2017)

Bands: Infernal Angels/Catechon/Ad Noctem Funeriis
Title: Italian Black Metal Assault
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 6th June 2017
Time: 39 min
Rating: 70/100











Proudly titled "Italian Black Metal Assault", this split album, released on CD in 100 copies by the young Italian (obviously!) label Adimere Records, presents even 3 bands more or less well known coming from our Peninsula. Each of them is devoted to the purest black metal through different ways and results for a various tracklist with 3 tracks per band.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Nebrus - "Exta Malorvm" (Razed Soul Productions, 2016)

Band: Nebrus
Title: Exta Malorvm
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 4th November 2017
Time: 45 min circa
Rating: 88/100













The month of August, due to the Summer and other involvements, has been a period very relaxed and lack of activities for this 'zine, ergo I hope to update constantly it for the next months to come. But I think that an album such as "Exta Malorvm" of Nebrus, a Tuscanian duo guided since 2008 by the female vocalist Noctuaria and by the multi-instrumentalist Mortifero (also creator of the logo of this band), is completely perfect to celebrate the revival of the activities of this 'zine. Originally conceived like a black/doom metal band, Nebrus have contacted me 3 months ago circa to review, indeed, their second album "Exta Malorvm", released now one year ago through the US label Razed Soul Productions. And I'm telling you right that these two Italians demons have impressed me a lot with it!