REVIEWS' ATTACK #4: Misrule/Cult of Extinction (Sentient Ruin Laboratories)

Hey brutal metalheads,
this article is about two bands whose debut productions were both released by Sentient Ruin Laboratories, a US label always ready to annihilate the fans with terrific and terrifying slabs of terror metal sometimes characterized by a sick experimentalism. In fact, today I'll present you very different ways to conceive the bestial black/death metal by two demented one-man bands.
Enjoy these reviews and don't try to escape from this BESTIAL ONSLAUGHT!


Band: Misrule
Title: Forced to Suffer
Genre: Bestial and Noisy Black/Death Metal/Grindcore
Year: 2nd March 2018
Time: 8 min
Rating: 75/100












Ultimately, Portland (Oregon, USA) is showing a very vital extreme metal scene by spewing forth a lot of outstanding bands like Weregoat, Knelt Rote, Triumvir Foul, Shroud of the Heretic and so on. Among them, there is to mention now a one-man entity that is rising from the filthiest underground of this city: Misrule. Born just this year by the sickest nightmares of Sean Mahoney, Misrule released two months ago a promising demo called "Forced to Suffer".

Well, the title of the demo is already very useful to understand the sonic terror played by Misrule. In fact, expect to listen to 5 short and painful songs where the listeners are destined to be submerged by tons of ultra-violence due to a combination between bestial black/death metal and grindcore. But, if this lethal combination isn't enough, you have to know that it is even more extremized not only by dangerous noise tunes (like in the chaotic riffs and in the guitar feedback that is used to connect the tracks) and few crust punk moments (i.e. "Death Embrace Me") but also by ultra-doomish passages that lead the reckless listeners into vortexes of unspeakable horrors. At the end, Misrule seem to mix Blasphemy, Radioactive Vomit and Knelt Rote in a single solution where total madness, fury and pain reign supreme to delete the ears of the listeners...and their mental sanity, as well!

So, we're talking about a style with many different influences but, despite all them, it is very homogenous. Ok, the demo is too short but I think it's a good starter for the future productions to come. And meanwhile, the most extreme maniacs will have to enjoy this demo by torturing themselves with self-destructive anthems such as "Death Before Me" or the 40-seconds shrapnel "Bleed". Prepare to be destroyed and say goodbye to your ears!

BandCamp: https://misrulegrind.bandcamp.com/releases
Sentient Ruin Laboratories: http://sentientruin.com/

Band: Cult of Extinction
Title: Black Nuclear Magick Attack
Genre: Bestial Black/Death Metal
Year: 30th March 2018
Time: 13 min
Rating: 62/100













Sometimes, there are scientists that predict the extinction of the mankind in the near future. For example, I remember I read 2 years ago a prediction in which the humanity will finish their days in 2019 by an ice age because the Sun will burn out. Now, similar predictions are becoming really trendy in these last times but, surely, in the most putrid sewers of the underground metal, there are bands that could be happy by seeing the brutal end of the much-hated humanity, and Cult of Extinction are one of those bands. This is the new one-man project created in 2017 by Void, a German demon that, under this moniker, recently released, in an alliance between Sentient Ruin Laboratories and Atavism Records, this debut EP, that sounds like a wish for a desolating and lifeless Earth. So, here you are "Black Nuclear Magick Attack"!

"Black Nuclear Magick Attack" has two different faces. The first one is that it consist of 4 tracks in which there is a musical style that I adore: BESTIAL BLACK/DEATH METAL! In comparison with Misrule, Cult of Extinction plays in a more orthodox style very close to Revenge, Blasphemy, Necroholocaust and the likes with frightful and apocalyptic tunes (like in some atmospheric guitar solos) that remind me a lot of Necroblood. All this means that you will be basically blasted again and again by tons of blast-beats (but there are also some slow tempos from time to time), downtuned guitars, some chaotic guitar solos and inhuman screams with piglike vocals à la Necroholocaust. So, this is perfect for the bestial maniacs like me...isn't it?

Well, the second face show a sound that doesn't spew forth a lot of intensity as I expected before to listen to the EP. Maybe, this lack of intensity is determined by the drum-machine, that make a bit flat this sonic experience. The cases in which the drum-machine works well, in my opinion, are few (i.e. Infernal Blast) and, unfortunately, Cult of Extinction aren't an exception to this rule. In other words, I suggest to Void to use a human drummer for the future productions to come in order to make a more dynamic sound.

Ok, "Black Nuclear Magick Attack", whose better song is just the final one ("Gazing Upon the Eternal Throne of Death"), disappointed me a bit but this doesn't avoid to it to get a sufficient rating thanks to its apocalyptic vibes and to a brutality that has still to rise completely. Ultimately, the bestial black/death metal genre is becoming very competitive also because of some Indian terrorists (Tetragrammacide, Kapala, Apartiva Raktadhara) that are creating sick variations to this style, so I am not sure that it will be easy to Cult of Extinction to emerge from this state of things. What's sure is that, soon or later, the humanity will end its glory days!

BandCamp: https://cultofextinction.bandcamp.com/releases
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Cult-Of-Extinction-302981746845743/
Sentient Ruin Laboratories: http://sentientruin.com/
Atavism Records: https://www.facebook.com/AtavismRecords