Honorable Mentions from the Abyss #43: Esimere/Sarmat/Inhumanity Vortex/Kat

Hey futuristicmetalpunkers,

this is the very last episode of "Honorable Mentions from the Abyss" and one of the very last new articles on Timpani allo Spiedo zine. It is about 4 bands, one Italian and the other 3 from Poland, as usual in these last times. In fact, Timpani allo Spiedo, during these days, became in practice a webzine a lot focused on the Polish metal, and this is very curious.

Anyway, let's go to discover the bands... and see you soon with a surprise!

ESIMERE - "NON RESTA NIENTE"

Here you are Esimere (FB page), a band that I knew through Instagram, thanks to Stefano Marotta, their singer. Esimere is a very young Italian quartet formed from the ashes of Ulteriori, an hardcore punk band active between 2004 and 2015. Well, this new band self-released this year their first production, the debut album "Non resta niente" ("nothing remains"), that was previewed even 2 years ago. Composed of 8 short and intense songs, "Non resta niente" alternates fast assaults like "Tutto ciò che è stato" with other episodes more based on tough mid-tempos à la NYHC such as "Rinasci da zero". In other words, we are in presence of an hardcore punk with some metallic touches (present also in the guitar solos) and with intelligent lyrics about anti-conformism, struggle against the System, ecologism and there are also more existential themes about the rebirth. In brief, support these Esimere, a band that, as you can read through FaceBook, is fighting for "the TOTAL LIBERATION: Animal, Human and of the Earth".

SARMAT - "RS-28"

The moniker of this band promises fire and flames: Sarmat (FB page)is the name of the so-called "WEAPON OF ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION", that is the "Russian super-heavy intercontinental ballistic missile RS-28 Sarmat, also known as SATAN 2". So, Sarmat are true to their name because their self-released debut album, aptly titled "RS-28", is really destructive, spewing forth 8 tracks in which there is a very fast but also dynamic black/death metal full of apocalyptic tunes and strong also of paranoid and schizoid parts that, somehow, remind me even of Meshuggah (like in the final moments of "Evilution"). There is need to say that Sarmat, that is officially a trio, were helped during the recordings by a session drummer named Krzysztof Klingbein, already known on these pages for his militancy in Deathspawn. So, also for this, "RS-28" could only be a good album!

INHUMANITY VORTEX - "REVERSE ENGINEERING"

Born in 2008 with the moniker of Inhumanity (FB page) as a one-man band guided by Tom Dziekonski, Inhumanity Vortex became finally a real band, precisely a quintet, in occasion of their mini-album "Reverse Engineering", self-edited one month ago, that I received directly in CD by the same Tom. Released after many demos, "Reverse Engineering", promoted by the video of "Cybermod", is really interesting because it shows 6 tracks of a death metal that is able to combine the most extreme brutality with very progressive elements. In addition, there are futuristic vibes given by the synthetizers, that aren't a case if you consider the sci-fi themes faced by the band. If the premises are these, I think that Inhumanity Vortex will create very fantastic things in the future to come!

KAT - "THE LAST CONVOY"

Valeria Campagnale, some months ago, reviewed my book "Benvenuti all'Inferno!" ("welcome to hell!") on the pages of her metal webzine Insane Voices Labyrinth. Now she is the manager of the cult Polish band Kat (FB page), that I included in that book as one of the first wave black metal bands from the Eastern Europe. So, she asked me to talk about "The Last Convoy", the 9th album by Kat. But it's an album a little very particular because it celebrates the 40th anniversary of the band, so Piotr Luczyk (the only original member remained in Kat) and company thought well to re-record some of their old songs with the addition of 3 covers, in order to tribute some of their masters like Deep Purple ("Highway Star"), Scorpions ("Blackout") and AC/DC ("You Shook Me All Night Long"). And if all this wasn't enough, there is also an illustrious guest on vocals like Tim "Ripper" Owens, that is into "Flying Fire 2020". The result of all these efforts brought to a various album that, released by Pure Steel Records, ranges from speed metal explosions like "Satan's Nights" to heavy metal anthems like the titletrack (there is also a promotional video of it), and there is even a ballad such as "Dark Hole - The Habitat of Gods". In practice, an excellent album to celebrate a band that has a very good importance in the metal underground!