Saturday, December 30, 2017

Sincarnate - "In Nomine Homini" (Hatework, 2017)

Band: Sincarnate
Title: In Nomine Homini
Genre: Melodic Death/Doom metal with Black Metal elements
Year: 1st April 2017
Time: 61 min
Rating: 83/100












Can you believe that I downloaded the promo kit of "In Nomine Homini" even 8 months ago after a suggestion of the Romanian label Loud Rage Music but that, despite this, I started to listen to it only few weeks ago? A lot of time to discover a fantastic second album by Sincarnate, a band formed in 2006 in Bucharest, Romania. These 5 guys have recently supported, along with Azarath and Melechesh, nothing else than Immolation for their "Atonement Tour Europe 2017" during their dates in the Eastern Europe from 18th to 29th September 2017 so to touch countries like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Rienaus - "Saatanalle" (Kvlt, 2017)

Band: Rienaus
Title: Saatanalle
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 26th May 2017
Time: 37 min
Rating: 81/100











In your opinion, what is the genre played by a band called Rienaus (Finnish for "blasphemy") and whose new album, presented with a cover artwork where you can see a cold and winterly landscape, is titled "Saatanalle" ("To Satan", simply)? Mmmh...but BLACK METAL, without any fuckin' doubts! In fact, Rienaus are a band so well respected in the underground Finnish black metal scene to be appeared into "The Devil's Cradle", the book, written by the journalist Tero Ikäheimonen and released recently by Svart Records, dedicated, indeed, to the black metal of the Finnish lands, that I'm reading in these days. So, Rienaus, born in 2008 initially as a one-man band of Mavrofos that is helped now by some session musicians for the studio releases but also for the live rituals (in which they are a quintet with the multi-instrumentalist Mavrofos as vocalist), have summoned, with the auspices of their compatriot label and store Kvlt, their second album: "Saatanalle".

Monday, December 18, 2017

Mouldered - "Chronology of a Rotten Mind" (Satanath Records/More Hate Prod/Butcher Entertainment, 2017)

Band: Mouldered
Title: Chronology of a Rotten Mind
Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Year: 13th July 2017
Time: 20 min
Rating: 68/100













Look at the cover artwork of this "Chronology of a Rotten Mind"! Isn't it truly fuckin' amazing? Done by the Venezuelan artist John Quevedo Janssens, it reminds me of the works of Edward Repka for Death, especially regarding the cover artwork of "Scream Bloody Gore". So, this is already an excellent premise for this debut album of Mouldered, a band from Colombia that, before it, released only a demo (containing three songs then re-recorded for this full-lenght) in 2016 after their foundation in 2013. But shame because, despite its cover artwork, the music isn't so amazing but, fortunately, these guys have some very promising ideas. Let's start to discover them!

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Granada - "Sincronizado" (Symbol of Domination, 2017)

Band: Granada
Title: Sincronizado
Genre: Thrashcore/Groove Metal
Year: 23rd June 2017
Time: 37 min
Rating: 79/100












"Life is a cycle where we are born and die synchronized with nature, but it is as if we were constantly struggling to break that bond, consumerism and greed blinds us and trasforms us into our worst enemies"

After Ordem Satânica, All My Sins and Gökböri, here you are another band that sung in their not English mother tongue: Granada. From Argentina, they are a prolific band able to release, from their foundation in 2008, even 4 full-lenght albums from 2012 to 2017, included the last one named "Sincronizado". I received it 3 months ago by Aleksey of the Russian label Satanath Records, the parent label of Symbol of Domination (from Belarus) that released this "Sincronizado".

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

INTERVIEW TO HOLOCAUSTO!!!


Hail metalheads,
today I am very honored to present to you this awesome interview to the war metal band par excellence Holocausto, a true kult from Brazil. This interview is here because I contacted them through the evergreen FaceBook, and their guitarist Valerio Exterminator, a very nice and likeable person, replied already to my request. But, behind all this, there is a funny story: in fact, before I received the long answers that you will read soon, Valerio confounded the interviews done by some 'zines, so he sent to me the one by a Clandestine 'zine while it looks that this one received the interview by me under the name Timpani allo Spiedo! Fortunately, after this funny mess, everything's worked out and here you are an interview focused mainly on the past of this influential band with some news about their recent and new efforts (for example, do you know that they are recording a new full-lenght album now?). So, don't still waste your time and read what Holocausto said on this interview, from their very early days from their recent gigs with Nunslaughter and Blasphemy!!!

666

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Gökböri - "Erlik" (Hammer Müzik, 2017)

Band: Gökböri
Title: Erlik
Genre: Thrash Metal with Proto-Black Metal influences
Year: 17th February 2017
Time: 33 min
Rating: 65/100












Wow, it's the very first time that I review a disc sang in Turkish language! In fact, everything in this trio called Gökböri is Turkish, from their moniker (precisely, Gökböri, in according to Wikipedia, "was a leading emir and general of Sultan Saladin) to the line-up (also if their drummer Jesse Haff comes from USA) and from the label (Hammer Muzik, also a record store; it's owner Enis sent to me also the album here reviewed) that released their 2nd album "Erlik" to the lyrical themes faced by the band that concerns their mythology (for instance, Erlik is the god of Death and underworld for the Turkic myths). But you have also to consider that Gökböri are located in New York, USA. And what's about their sound?

Friday, December 8, 2017

Impiety/Necrowretch/Gort/Nefastoreth (Rome, 1st December 2017)

Bands: Impiety/Necrowretch/Gort/Nefastoreth
Location: Traffic Live Club - Rome (RM), Italy
Date: 1st December 2017




















Finally, on 1st December 2017 there has been the first night of the long-held Goatvomit Festival, that's one of the very few occasions here in Rome to see in action real underground and extreme metal bands from abroad like the Singaporeans Impiety and the Finns Archgoat. Impiety, out there since the early '90s (without counting their first incarnation under the moniker Sexfago during the end of the '80s), were the main act of this first night happened at the Traffic Live Club, the main Roman place for this kind of events. Their Roman descent has been the very first gig related to their "Winter War Apocalypse Tour", an Italian-French tour (that will end just tomorrow) made along with the French maniacs Necrowretch. Instead, the bands that supported them are both Italians and they are called Nefastoreth and Gort.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Cenotaph - "Perverse Dehumanized Dysfunctions" (Hammer Müzik, 2017)

Band: Cenotaph
Title: Perverse Dehumanized Dysfunctions
Genre: Brutal Death Metal
Year: 16th June 2017 (CD);
          7th July 2017 (LP)
Time: 31 min circa
Rating: 80/100












After even 7 years from their 5th album, the "Turkish kings of brutal death metal" Cenotaph are finally back with their new full-lenght! Titled "Perverse Dehumanized Dysfunctions", I received it 5 months ago by Enis of Hammer Müzik, the label responsible of its release. So, let's start already with the review without other useless words!

All My Sins - "Lunar/Solar" (Black Death Productions, 2017)

Band: All My Sins
Title: Lunar/Solar
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 15th January 2017
Time: 21 min
Rating: 80/100













By listening again and again to the rawest black metal bands from Portugal, I was almost forgetting that black metal is also able to deliver pure poetry! The poetic force of this genre is strongly shown today by All My Sins, a Serbian duo born in 2000 that, after two demos between 2002 and 2004, literally disappeared from the scene until their comeback with "Lunar/Solar", an EP released at the end of this year by the Polish label Black Death Production. And already now I say to you that "Lunar/Solar" is became one of my favorite discs of 2017!

Gravewards - "Subconscious Lobotomy" (2017)

Band: Gravewards
Title: Subconscious Lobotomy
Genre: Mid-tempo Death Metal
Year: April 2017
Time: 22 min circa
Rating: 55/100













The greek maniacs Gravewards, as bands like Acedia Mundi and Draghkar, contacted me after my incredibly successful review about "Primordial Malignity" of Tomb Mold. They sent to me their debut demo "Subconscious Lobotomy" for a review, released in demotape after 2 years from their foundation. Now, I don't know if the connection is wanted or not but the title of this demo is the same of the first full-lenght album of the known Swedish death metal band Centinex. So, are we in presence of a death metal holocaust in Swedish-style? Not exactly...

Deadhead 'zine (6th number, 2015, Afterlife Productions; 2017, Schattenmann Publishings)

Title: Deadhead #6 (The Sixth Devilry)
Genre: Fanzine
Year: 2015 (Afterlife Productions);
2017 (Schattenmann Publishings)
Pages: 154 in A4
Rating: 85/100

















The second appointment with the fanzines here on Timpani allo Spiedo is now about Deadhead, a literally monumental 'zine ran by Wan Syamsul, a Malaysian guy owner of the small label Afterlife Productions. If I say correctly, the very first issue of Deadhead was released even in 1997, so we are talking about a long-term 'zine. What I hold in my hands is the 6th issue, released in 2015 but recently reissued by the German Schattenmann Publishing for the European market after the great success of the first pressing. Personally, I bought it 2 months ago from Dunkelheit Produktionen for the "modest price" of 14.90 Euros but, said frankly, all that was money well spent!

Ordem Satânica - "Monte da Lua" (Signal Rex, 2017)

Band: Ordem Satanica
Title: Monte da Lua
Genre: Raw Black Metal
Time: 48 min
Year: 4th July 2017
Rating: 56/100













This album was released in full Summer but it's blacker than the same black metal! Apart these bullshits, "Monte da Lua", released by Signal Rex, is the long-held debut album of Ordem Satânica , another totally mysterious Portuguese kult, that belong to the Aldebaran Circle along with Trono Alem Morte, Voëmmr and Occelenbriig (how many fuckin' black metal circle exists in Portugal?). Of Ordem Satânica, I've listened some time ago to their split with the infamous Ruach Raah but I have to say that I received a bad impression from the band today reviewed. And, unfortunately,  Ordem Satanica did it again with "Monte da Lua".

Friday, November 3, 2017

Samot - "Across the Abyss" (Unspeakable Axe Records, 2016; Ex Nihilo Music, 2017)

Band: Samot
Title: Across the Abyss
Genre: Death/Doom Metal with Black Metal melodies
Year: 20th May 2017 (Unspeakable Axe Rec)
9th April 2017 (Sentenced to Grave Prod)
13th July 2017 (Ex Nihilo Music)
Time: 14 min circa
Rating: 66/100










At the end of my review about the Occult Pantheon/Profound Grave split, I anticipated the second release by the Chilean/Canadian label Ex Nihilo Music and, finally, it is here. It is "Across the Abyss", the debut EP by Samot, originally edited on the evergreen tape format by the US Unspeakable Axe Rec but without a real cover artwork since it consisted simply of the band's logo. After that, this EP has been reissued two times during 2017: the first one on digital way thanks to the Chilean Sentenced to Grave Prod, that created an evocative bloodred cover artwork changing also the logo of Samot fulfilling it of various details like an inverted cross and a tomb; and then on the long-held CD format by, indeed, Ex Nihilo Music, resuming both the cover artwork by Sentenced to Grave (but purple-colored this time) and the original logo of Samot, and this review is based just on this last version. In brief, "Across the Abyss" is only their second release after a demo in 2015, and it has been reissued in different versions yet! But how are the rituals leaded by this Chilean duo (now a trio due to the new bassplayer Franco B.) in this EP?

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Black Cilice - "Banished from Time" (Iron Bonehead Productions, 2017)

Band: Black Cilice
Title: Banished from Time
Genre: Noisy Black Metal
Year: 10th March 2017
Time: 37 min
Rating: 74/100













Black Cilice did it again! It's incredible but this band release every album always after 2 years from the previous one, so this "Banished from Time", anticipated one year ago by the EP "Nocturnal Mysticism" reviewed on these pages, isn't an exception. But, at the same time, it is an exception. In fact, "Banished from Time" is the first album by this mysterious Portuguese kult including only 5 songs and not the 6 ones of the previous full-lenght efforts, as if they ended their trilogy based on 666. In addition, it has a cover artwork on grey scale while the other albums were presented through a cover artwork in an impenetrable black and white. But, for the rest, "Banished from Time", released again by Iron Bonehead Prod, is in pure Black Cilice-style, 666% guaranteed, so prepare to listen to something very painful!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Hereza - "I Become Death" (Godz ov War Productions, 2017)

Band: Hereza
Title: I Become Death
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Year: 13th February 2017
Time: 29 min circa
Rating: 80/100













If I remember correctly, I think Hereza is the very first band from Croatia reviewed by me. And I have to say that, as first time into the extreme Croatian metal scene, I have started truly well. In fact, Hereza have released a devastating second album entitled "I Become Death" under the auspices of the excellent Polish label Godz ov War Prod, that recently is appearing often on these pages, so expect a nice interview to its owner Greg Rosensthal for the next weeks to come!

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Mayhem/Dragged into Sunlight/Naudiz (Ciampino, 17th October 2017)

Bands: Mayhem/Dragged into Sunlight/Naudiz
Location: Orion Live Club - Ciampino (RM), Italy
Date: 17th October 2017




















Strangely, I never published a live report on my Timpani allo Spiedo 'zine during all these years. I did only some live reports for the other 'zine in which I am involved (heavymetalwebzine.it). But, finally, this is the first live report to be appeared here. It wasn't written by me but by a friend of mine, that, some days ago, watched the mighty Mayhem in the Orion Live Club (a location in Ciampino near Rome) in a very nostalgic and theatrical gig where the band played entirely their seminal "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" in order to recreate the sick and ultra-Satanic atmosphere typical of the '90s black metal.
So, enjoy this fantastic article written by L.L. full of photos shot by him and join the black metal kult until your fatal death!

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Morte Incandescente/Illum Adora - "Remnants of a Flaming Past" (War Arts Productions, 2017)

Bands: Morte Incandescente/Illum Adora
Title: Remnants of a Flaming Past
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 24th April 2017
Time: 40 min
Rating: 75/100












This split devoted to the purest black metal as Satan commands is truly fantastic! Into it, you will find in the first side a duo of totally crazy veterans from the killer Portuguese metal scene while, in the second side, a very young trio from Germany still without a full-lenght album, and each of them have 5 songs to express their own values. All this published under the auspices of the Portuguese War Arts Prod, a small label always ready to manifest its own absolute hate towards this world through a mission completely dedicated to the rawest black metal.

Friday, October 13, 2017

Persecutory - "Towards the Ultimate Extinction" (Godz ov War Productions, 2017)

Band: Persecutory
Title: Towards the Ultimate Extinction
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal with Death Metal elements
Year: 13th February 2017
Time: 42 min circa
Rating: 79/100












I don't review a Turkish band here since 7th November 2012, when I reviewed the excellent debut EP titled "Through the Eternal Damnation" by Engulfed. The funny thing is that I recently received some request reviews from Turkey, so expect some news about this country! Meanwhile, today it's the turn of Persecutory, an hateful quartet born in 2014 whose drummer A.D.B. was into the first line-up of the mentioned Engulfed. And now Persecutory, after a 2016 EP, released the devastating debut album "Towards the Ultimate Extinction" for the fantastic Polish label Godz ov War Prod. And do you know what I want to say now? The album's title reflects totally the sound of Persecutory, so prepare for it!

Monday, October 9, 2017

Cripta Oculta - "Cripta Oculta" (Signal Rex Productions, 2017)

Band: Cripta Oculta
Title: Cripta Oculta
Genre: Raw Black Metal
Year: 14th April 2017
Time: 42 min
Rating: 62/100













I think that this review will have few views also because, as for many Portugal black metal bands, Cripta Oculta are so mysterious that they have no FaceBook page, so I can't share this article with them. But, said sincerely, I don't give a fuck about the views since I love literally the current black metal produced by this magnificent country called Portugal. Ergo, today I will present to you Cripta Oculta ("Occult Crypt" in Portuguese), a duo active since 2004 that has realized 3 full-lenght albums from 2009 to 2010. Curiously, these two demons released nothing from 2012 to 2017 but, fortunately, they broke this silence through their recent 4th album, simply titled "Cripta Oculta" (or "Lost Memories"), released by the small Portuguese label Signal Rex.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

INTERVIEW TO ROTENGEIST!!! (PIOTR WINIARSKI)


One month ago, as you know, I blown away by the last album of Rotengeist, a Polish progressive thrash metal band with a lot of creativity and innovative ideas. Now, what you'll read here is the interview to them. Their singer/guitarist and main composer Piotr Winiarski has replied to the many questions of mine giving very interesting answers also in order to speak about the dangerous political situation that Poland is living today plus some serious reflections about religion and the way it is used during this particular era. Let's go with the questions!

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Pig's Blood - "Pig's Blood" (Godz ov War Productions, 2017)

Band: Pig's Blood
Title: Pig's Blood
Genre: Black/Death metal with Bestial metal influences
Year: 30th June 2017
Time: 36 min
Rating: 76/100












When Greg of the small Polish label Godz ov War Productions, 4 months ago circa, sent to me his last promo kits, I stumbled on a death metal band called Pig's Blood. As sometimes happens to me, this kind of sanguinary name was very enough to draw my attention, so I downloaded the promo kit of their debut album with the same name. Unfortunately, I started to listen to that only in these last days, and I have to say that it has been a pleasant surprise also because I discovered that their genre of reference isn't the pure death metal but something very close to a style that I adore. So, here you are the debut album of Pig's Blood, 4 scoundrels from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that released, before that, a demo in 2015.

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!

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Satanize - "Death Mass Execution" (Larval Productions, 2017)

Band: Satanize
Title: Death Mass Exeuction
Genre: Bestial Black/Death Metal
Year: 7th August 2017
Time: 10 min
Rating: 70/100













I have to say that, before listening their new and still very fresh EP "Death Mass Execution" (released by the US label Larval Productions), I didn't know Satanize. Despite this, this Portuguese duo born in 2001 is very prolific since they have realized even 4 full-lenght albums between 2009 and 2016 in the spirit of the most Satanic filth. And, surely, Satanize don't deny their fame with "Death Mass Execution" cranking up their fury so to compete greatly with similar new monsters such as Barbaric Horde, reviewed 10 days ago.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Barbaric Horde - "Tainted Impurity" (War Arts Productions, 2017)

Band: Barbaric Horde
Title: Tainted Impurity
Genre: Bestial Black/Death Metal
Year: 4th August 2017
Time: 17 min circa
Rating: 72/100













I don't know why Portugal is producing now a myriad of totally raw and sick black metal bands but I have to say that I like a lot this scene. A perfect example of the Portuguese black metal essence is given, for me, by Barbaric Horde, a duo of no names bestial war metal maniacs that took their moniker from the song with the same title of the mighty Bestial Warlust. So, Barbaric Horde released in 2016 via War Arts Productions their debut demo "Gasmark Perpetrators", which impressed me for its incredible and insane primitivism characterized by a martial and obsessive drumming very particular for the black/death metal genre. Now, Barbaric Horde, supported as always by the Portuguese War Arts, are back with their sophomore demotape "Tainted Impurity" changing a little bit the game to create a more devastating assault.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Acedia Mundi - "Speculum Humanae Salvationis" (Throats Productions, 2017)

Band: Acedia Mundi
Title: Speculum Humanae Salvationis
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 2nd May 2017
Time: 38 min
Rating: 57/100













As you know, the French black/death metal is well supported by this 'zine. In fact, I follow with great interest the French extreme metal scene starting from the infamous LLN (Vlad Tepes, Belketre etc...) to young monsters like Skelethal, Ritualization, Venefixion and others. So, this time it's the turn of a Parisian quartet called Acedia Mundi that have released its debut album "Speculum Humanae Salvationis" (also if this was recorded even in 2015) through the Mexican label Throats Productions, yet known on these brutal pages in occasion of my review about the excellent "Nightscapes" by the Italians Black Faith. But, unfortunately...er...my enthusiasm about the aforementioned young French bands isn't the same for the debut album of Acedia Mundi. Now let us see why...

Thursday, August 3, 2017

The story of Proto-Speed/Thrash metal - PART I (1980)

I don't know what you think but I am one of those ballbreaking metalheads that are used to consider the so-called speed metal and thrash metal as two different genres. Despite this, there are no real differences between them for many other persons with the result that they uses the term "speed metal" as synonim of the thrash metal. But the question was more confusing during the mighty '80s when, to mention a notable example, Metallica were described as a speed metal band if not even a power metal band, just because they titled "Power Metal" an obscure demo of their early days thanks to an idea of their bassist Ron McGovney. Therefore, speed metal is considered by many not a real metal genre but a definition born and dead in the '80s.

In general, speed metal is to be considered like a kind of sped up pure heavy metal that's more linear and less violent if compared to thrash metal, that, instead, is a lethal combination between the pure heavy metal and punk/HC, so the style created by bands like Slayer or Metallica is more nervous and ferocius than in the speed metal way. To name two examples so to understand better all these differences, speed metal is represented by "Heavy Metal Maniac" of the Canadians Exciter while thrash by "Kill 'Em All" of Metallica, both albums released in 1983 and both expressions of a very fast metal, just played in two different ways: in fact, the first one is more epic and metallic while the latter one is more scrapping and punkish. And still, Metallica and Slayer (so, the entire thrash metal movement) reached the worldwide reputation (and a bunch of money!) in very few years while Exciter and Impaler (ergo, the speed metal) became cult bands adored by the most metal fundamentalists.

The far origins of both speed and thrash metal were into the '80s, in particular due to the fast "Exciter" (1978) of Judas Priest. This is a song elegant but brutal (granted, for the standards of those times!) to be included also as one of the very first examples of the use of the double kick drum bass in rock music. But, for the truth, the '70s were a good time for single songs able to challenge the listeners in terms of speed and aggressiveness, even by the most unthinkable bands. For example and going beyond the usual suspects Deep Purple ("Speed King", "Fireball", "Hard Lovin' Man"...), comes to my mind numbers as "Frustration" of Jerusalem (their first and last 1972 album was produced by nothing else than Ian Gillan!), the schizophrenic and hyper-aggressive "Plastic Shotgun" of the Germans Night Sun (1972), the proto-motörheadian street metal of "Damned Flame" of the Belgians Blast (1973) or, finally, the very hard "Stone Cold Crazy" even by Queen (1974)!

But all these aforementioned examples were only isolated episodes made by bands that experimented new killing tempos without creating a movement focused on fast songs and neither proposing a systematical codification of the speed/thrash metal, destined to starting from 1983 also if preceded 3 years before thanks especially to "Ace of Spades" of Motörhead.

So, here you are a short story about the proto-speed/thrash metal from 1980 to 1983, and we will focused especially on the bands that believed so much in the speed that this one became (more or less) their belief.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Inferno - "Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution)" (World Terror Committee, 2017)

Band: Inferno
Title: Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution)
Genre: Black Metal
Year: 4th April 2017
Time: 45 min circa
Rating: 82/100












I think I read everything about the last album of Inferno also because it looks to me that there are no half-measures for it. In fact, some exalted it to the maximum while others blame Inferno to abandoning their original sound so to play the "fashioned" religious black metal à la Deathspell Omega, as if every band have to play in the same way throughout its musical career without experimenting new and maybe more stimulating solutions. But I say that Inferno, that recently was in South Italy for the Evil Fest, have the absolute right to experiment new solutions because they are a veteran Czech band formed even in 1996 that, guided since their early days by the singer Adramalech and passing through many line-up changes, shows now an interminable discography consisted, for example, of 16 splits, 5 live albums and 7 studio albums, included this "Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution)", released by World Terror Committee, a label which love to support the so-called religious black metal of bands like Ascension, Fides Inversa, Acherontas and others. So, let's start this trip through an album full of occult-esoteric mysteries, and all this by a band once known for its feral and pagan black metal completely sung in Czech language.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

INTERVIEW TO THE NUTRIES!!!

Hi men,
this is the first interview to a punk/HC band to be published into the ultra-metallic pages of Timpani allo Spiedo 'zine but, along with this record, it is also the second interview in a single month to be appeared here after years.
Few bullshits, Timpani allo Spiedo 'zine presents to you the Italians The Nutries through the words of their singer Alex to talk about especially their new album "Nuova Vita" ("New Life" in Italian) and other delirious stuff!

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Draghkar - "World Unraveled" (Self-released; Witchhammer Prod/Blood Harvest, 2017)

Band: Draghkar
Title: World Unraveled
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 3rd February 2017
Time: 9 min
Rating: 70/100













I have to say that, thanks to my article about "Primordial Malignity" of the Canadians Tomb Mold, I received many review submissions. In fact, bands like Gravewards (GRE), Acedia Mundi (FRA) or these Draghkar contacted me after that review. Today I'll talk you about these ones, that are a very enthusiast duo from California heavily influenced by the same Finnish death metal adored by Tomb Mold. Draghkar is a surprising band because their first demo "World Unraveled", initially self-released in digital way and recorded in January 2017 with the mixing and the mastering made by Derek Orthner of the Canadians Begrime Exemious, before was reprinted on demotape by the Thai label Witchhammer Productions and, then, has drawn attention to the fantastic Blood Harvest Records with the result that Draghkar are now into its roster just as Tomb Mold. In brief, BW and AK, helped during the recordings by the session bassplayer Todd Bilsborough of the one-man black metal band Idomeneo, looks to be very ambitious...and with a good reason because their "World Unraveled" is Amazing!

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Goatmoon - "Stella Polaris" (Werewolf Records, 2017)

Band: Goatmoon
Title: Stella Polaris
Genre: Folk/Black Metal
Year: 24th February 2017
Time: 35 min
Rating: 80/100













After Barathrum, 2017 marks the return with a new album of another great Finnish band: Goatmoon. Born in 2002, this band is, in practice, the solo-project of BlackGoat Gravedesecrator that was included by the Italians Davide Maspero and Max Ribaric into their "Wolves Among Sheep", the excellent and monumental essay about NSBM released in 2013. Well, Goatmoon have become now a more mature and, in a certain sense, refined entity if compared with their very raw early works, and this 5th album called "Stella Polaris" is examplary of what I say. It was released, as always since the debut album of Goatmoon "Death Before Dishonour", by Werewolf Records, which is, as you know, the label of Werwolf of Satanic Warmaster whose productions were now distributed even by the very known Hells Headbangers Records.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Blood Feast - "The Future State of Wicked" (Hells Headbangers, 2017)

Band: Blood Feast
Title: The Future State of Wicked
Genre: Thrash Metal
Year: 31th March 2017
Time: 43 min
Rating: 83/100













Now you could say that Hells Headbangers is specialized at releasing reunion's albums of bands that, in some cases, had no chances to realize their long-held debut album during their ole good days. And I have to say that these reunions supported by Hells Headbangers gave often to life true masterpieces like the debut "Sights of Suffering" (2014) of the Chileans Atomic Aggressor or the deadly "Emanations from the Crypt" (2016) of the US Embalmer but I cannot say the same thing about, for example, the comeback "Heaven Bled" (2016) of the Aussie thrash metal cult Hobbs' Angel of Death, that I found too black metal to be an album of theirs. And you think that "Descent Into Hell", the long-desired debut album of Death Yell, a band of pure cult like few others, will be released next month. But, instead, today we are talking about Blood Feast, a sanguinary quintet born in 1985 as Blood Lust that released two seminal albums between 1987 and 1989, especially the ultra-wild debut "Kill for Pleasure". Now, I think that you know all but Blood Feast were reunited in 2007 with two original members as the drummer Kevin Kuzma (but he is out from the band since 2014) and the guitarist Adam Tranquilli, the main songwriter of Blood Feast since their very early days. So, it is with an incredible old-school spirit that he composed "The Future State of Wicked", that looks completely to be a thrash album from the '80s also because its cover artwork see the return of that abominable and screaming blue creature that belongs to the aesthetics of the band since "Kill for Pleasure".

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Necroblood - "Collapse of the Human Race" (Amor Fati Productions/Iron Bonehead Productions, 2017)

Band: Necroblood
Title: Collapse of the Human Race
Genre: Bestial Black/Death Metal
Year: 31st March 2017
Time: 45 min
Rating: 80/100













After Ritualization, here you are another band coming from the dark and morbid side of Paris: Necroblood. They are one of those bands able to be into the ranks for over a long period before realizing their long-held debut album, and this because Necroblood were born even in 2006 as Evynkar but they have their current moniker only since 2010. From that moment, Necroblood released with a good periodicity a series of minor productions included the 2012 "The Rite of Evil" compilation and a split in 2015 titled "Jesus Fucking Wept vol. 1" along with war machines like the Danes Ogdru Jahad, the Canadians Necroholocaust, the US Weregoat and the Aussie Impure Worship, a firing squad perfect for every diehard fan of the bestial black/death metal like me. So, it is with great pleasure I review the long anticipated first album of Necroblood "Collapse of the Human Race", released on CD by the German Amor Fati Productions and on vinyl by Iron Bonehead. Let the collapse begin!

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

BARATHRUM - "FANATIKO" (Saturnal Records, 2017)

Band: Barathrum
Title: Fanatiko
Genre: Black/Doom Metal
Year: 28th April 2017
Time: 36 min circa
Rating: 79/100













It took even 12 long years to hear a new album of Barathrum, a band that, guided since its early days in 1990 (when they were called initially Darkfeast) by the multi-instrumentalist singer Demonos Sova, was known in the underground for its incredible prolificity. In fact, you have to think that Barathrum were able to realize 8 full-lenght albums between 1995 and 2005, and they were already noted as one of the main black metal bands from Finland but also as one of the most particular entities of the entire black metal scene because, for example, of their curious line-up composed of 6 elements (but they were even in 7 for their 2000 "Okkult"!), included two bassplayers as the Greek band Necromantia. Hence, it's strange that Barathrum released nothing new between 2010 and 2017 (in fact, the 2014 "Warmetal" EP was recorded in 1993!), so some thought that the band ceased to exist. Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth also because the new album "Fanatiko" was preceded two months before its release by the "Hellspawn" single, and so here we are to talk about the resurrected Barathrum, now supported by Saturnal Records, a Finnish label completely specialized in the Finnish black metal.

Saturday, July 8, 2017

INTERVIEW TO NADIMAĈ!!! (DANILO "DAĈA" TRBOJEVIĆ)

Hey dudes,
Timpani allo Spiedo presents you a very nice interview to the Serbian thrashcore bulldozer Nadimaĉ through the words of their singer Danilo "Dača" Trbojević. You have to expect an incredibly passionate interview full of serious thoughts, socio-political themes about Serbia and...no, stop with the introductions and read it from start to finish!

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Morbid Messiah - "In the Name of True Death Metal" (Self-released, 2016; Godz ov War Prod, 2017)

Band: Morbid Messiah
Title: In the Name of True Death Metal
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 6th October 2016 (Self-release); 16th April 2017 (Godz ov War Prod)
Time: 21 min
Rating: 75/100












"In the Name of True Death Metal": this is a fuckin' great title! Especially because this debut EP of Morbid Messiah, self-released in 2016 but reprinted on demotape by the Polish label Godz ov War Prod, is truly fuckin' amazing! But we are talking about a very young band because born in 2015 and that, at the time of the recordings of this EP and in according to Metal-Archives, was a trio composed by the singer José Rivas, the guitarist Roberto Trejo and the female drummer Anubis Sandoval, 3 hyper-angry Mexicans influenced mainly by bands like Sadistic Intent, Possessed and Maim and that are now a quartet thanks to the addition of the bassplayer Guillermo Lopez. But now we have to see what is the "True Death Metal" made by Morbid Messiah!

Monday, July 3, 2017

Rebel Souls - "The Forces of Darkness" (Art Gates Records, 2017)

Band: Rebel Souls
Title: The Forces of Darkness
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 24th February 2017
Time: 28 min circa
Rating: 74/100












The story of Rebel Souls is very tormented. In fact, they were born in 2000 by the will of two 17-years old diehard metalheads from Turingia (Germany) named Thomas Pliewna and Stefan Hielscher, and their intensions were to play an impetuous and brutal death metal in the wake of bands like Vader, Vomitory and Krisiun. But these intentions were realized only in some demos because Rebel Souls ceased to exist very soon in 2003, also because one of the two guys moved to Spain, so it became impossible to continue together their project. Surprisingly, Thomas and Stefan, after their experience into the death metal band Dead Entities' Realm with which they released an album in 2009, raised Rebel Souls in 2014 while, two years ago, they started to record the songs for their long-held debut album that was preceded in December 2016 by the "Descent" single, released by the Spanish label Art Gates Records. And incredibly, do you know who recorded the drum parts of "The Forces of Darkness"? But by James Stewart, the current English drummer of Vader!  So, Thomas and Stefan realized finally those intentions and dreams born in the now far 2000, and this is to show you that the perseverance must have its rewards.

Friday, June 30, 2017

Profound Grave/Occult Pantheon - "Immortal Chaos Ascends" (Ex Nihilo Music, 2017)

Bands: Profound Grave/Occult Pantheon
Title: Immortal Chaos Ascends
Genre: Black Metal/Occult Death Metal
Year: 24th March 2017
Time: 33 min
Rating: 61













After a looooong time, the Chilean extreme metal, adored by me, is back on these pages! All the credit of this goes to Ex Nihilo Music, a very young label proudly Chilean but located in Toronto, Canada that contacted me 3 months ago to review it first production, released, curiously, in the same birthday of mine! This first production is titled “Immortal Chaos Ascends” and is a split between two Chilean (obviously!) bands very different called Profound Grave and Occult Pantheon, and each of them run wild with 5 songs.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Lubricant - "Swallow This" (Svart Records, 2017)

Band: Lubricant
Title: Swallow This
Genre: Death'n'Roll
Year: 10th March 2017
Time: 41 min
Rating: 74/100













I wonder why many early Finnish death metal bands were never able to realize their long-held debut album releasing, at most, an EP of big success among the tape traders. An example of this is given by Abhorrence, a band now considered even fundamental by the death metal fans despite they lived only for one year in which they released a demo and an EP. But, in addition of them, there are also Lubricant, another relevant Finnish band that chose their current moniker in 1990 after 2 years as O.V.D. and that are reunited recently. Precisely, Lubricant reunited in 2015 with EVERY original member. And, as usually happens in cases such as this, a compilation with the better works of Lubricant was released during these times by the Finnish label Svart Records. More specifically, "Swallow This", that yet it is noted for one of the most absurd cover artworks in the death metal history, is composed of the "Swallow the Symmetric Swab" demo (1992) and the "Nookleptia" EP (1993), two very different productions that were remastered here in according to the original intentions of the band.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Evil Cosby - "Ridursi al Niente" (Slaughterhouse Records, 2017)

Band: Evil Cosby
Title: Ridursi al Niente
Genre: Sludge/HC Punk
Year: 13th April 2017
Time: 16 min
Rating: 73/100













When Evil Cosby contacted me one month ago to review their new EP "Ridursi al niente" ("reduce yourself to nothing"), their moniker sounded strange for me because I thought already it cited the known US comic actor Bill Cosby. This impression of mine was confirmed immediately by the funny intro of the EP in which there is even a sketch taken from an episode of the TV sitcom "The Cosby Show", known in Italy as "I Robinson" (Italian for "The Robinsons" because the original surname "Huxtable" was considered unpronounceable for the Italian market). But if this isn't enough, the mascotte of the band is an hallucinated Bill Cosby that wear a makeup worthy of a Black Witchery's member! All this is very funny and parodistic but Evil Cosby, a duo from Milan (Lombardy) that released only the demo "Belzecult" and a split with the Mexicans Bala Fria (both in 2016) before to publish "Ridursi al Niente", has nothing in common with the parody as regards the music and lyrics, as you will soon.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Ascended Dead - "Abhorrent Manifestation" (Dark Descent Records/Invictus Productions, 2017)

Band: Ascended Dead
Title: Abhorrent Manifestation
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 17th March 2017
Time: 37 min circa
Rating: 92/100













The debut album of Ascended Dead has finally arrived! "Abhorrent Manifestation" has come after 6 years into the ranks during which Ascended Dead released a demo in 2012 and the very acclaimed "Arcane Malevolence" EP in 2014. Especially this one, released by the Swedish label Blood Harvest, made Ascended Dead an underground cult pushed also by a certain Gene Palubicki of Angelcorpse fame because he foresaw that this band from San Diego, California, formed by 4 musicians very involved in other many projects, could've accomplished great things in the near future. After that EP, the discography of the band was filled by not one but even two compilations, and the last of them, the interminable "Ritus Mortuus", was released in 2016 by the same Ascended Dead. So, the hype for their long-awaited debut album was incredible into the most extreme sewers of the metal underground in a way very similar to "Hero" of Bölzer or "Primordial Malignity" of Tomb Mold. And the nice thing is that "Abhorrent Manifestation", released in North America by the strong label Dark Descent Records and in Europe by the Irish Invictus Productions, has completely respected the expectations of the fans through 10 strongly killer and memorable songs. But now, how justified is all this big enthusiasm about an album yet considered by many as a death metal classic?

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Ruin - "Drown in Blood" (Memento Mori, 2017)

Band: Ruin
Title: Drown in Blood
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Year: 24th April 2017
Time: 36 min
Rating: 72/100













There are very young bands like the Canadians Tomb Mold that are able to become a true cult into the underground after only two demos. And there are bands like the Californians Ruin that managed to release a demo in the early '90s (in 1991, precisely) only to end their experience after that until to literally resurrect from the ashes in these last years (in 2015, precisely). But the story of Ruin is truly particular: in fact, they are considered by their label Memento Mori as a very mysterious band because, in according to it, the members of Ruin were involved in a some kind of cult but there is no way to knowing something about this cult. But this isn't enough: it seem also that the band existed in a period so short (from 1990 to 1991) because some its members were incarcerated while other ones were even instituzionalized! The fact is that the 2015 marked the return of Ruin under the shape of a trio guided by the only survived member of the original band that is Mihail Jason Satan, a singer/guitarist masked and armed with a rifle or a pickaxe as a serial killer from a slasher movie, and this is surely a strange look for every classic death metal band. They shown a good prolificity since their return into the scene considering that they have released even 3 splits from 2016 to 2017. And now, after many many efforts, they realized finally the milestone of their debut album with "Drown in Blood", recorded, anyway, with a line-up of only two elements without (if I am not mistaken) a bassplayer. Other bio infos about Ruin are unknown also because they haven't a FB page but simply instead to having a BandCamp profile and nothing more. On the other hand, their music will talk to us for them.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Tomb Mold - "Primordial Malignity" (Blood Harvest, 2017)

Band: Tomb Mold
Title: Primordial Malignity
Genre: Death Metal
Year: 3rd February 2017
Time: 32 min
Rating: 88/100













Tomb Mold is an incredible band! As said by them, the initial goal of Tomb Mold was only to release some demotapes and nothing more. But, after the success found by their two 2016 demos (especially "The Bottomless Perdition"), their label Blood Harvest asked to them if they were ready for a debut album. So, these two Canadians guys from Toronto realized some months ago that debut album naming it "Primordial Malignity". The result of all these efforts is a crushing album able to show again the excellent qualities shown in the recent past by Tomb Mold for a very promising future.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

INTERVIEW TO BLACK FAITH!!! (SNARL)


Hey guys,
this is the second interview to Black Faith on these pages! But this time I wanted to do something different because I preferred to do a phone interview to them through the words of Snarl, their singer/guitarist that I heard finally after many reviews on these pages about the productions of his band. It came up a very funny and interesting interview, also because, after it, I talked so very much with Snarl about the recent conditions of the Italian (black) metal scene that the conversation lasted even the beauty of 79 minutes!
But this interview, conducted one week ago and exactly 4th June, gave to me also my very first opportunity to translate an entire interview from Italian to English, so I hope that I well translated it with my a bit Broken English.
A last consideration: some comments between round brackets during the answers of Snarl are mine but you can simply recognize them because they aren't in bold.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Midnight - "Shox of Violence" (Hells Headbangers Records, 2017)

Band: Midnight
Title: Shox of Violence
Genre: Black/Speed Metal
Year: 20th February 2017
Time: 71 min
Rating: 65/100













The sleaziest metal (one-man) band from Cleveland, Ohio, is back with its 4th compilation, the second one released by the infamous Hells Headbangers Records! The new compilation of Midnight, the creature founded by the multi-instrumentalist Athenar in 2003, is titled "Shox of Violence" and has the same name of the EP released in the end of 2016. It comprises even 25 tracks per 71 minutes where you will find not only the entire "Shox of Violence" EP but also a bunch of old stuff yet edited in the past years. More specifically, you will be crushed, for example, by the demo versions of old songs by Midnight then appeared in their debut album "Satanic Royalty" (2011), live tracks and an incredible quantity of covers also unthinkable that you will discover very soon. Thanks to them, it's possible to understand the various influences that have brought Athenar to create the unique sound of his creature. Curiously, I have to say that Hells Headbangers Records is recently releasing compilations of some its bands, as in the case of "Metal Massacre 31" of October 31 (reviewed on these pages some months ago) and the interminable "Cadaver Traditions" of Deceased.