Death by 1000 spinning blades: Mark's opinionated hot takes on: Gates to Hell, Anna Bortionist, Cabal, Zero Signal, NeckBreakker, and 13 Inch jesus.
As reviewed by Mark Jenkins.
These are the dog bollocks, concise short reviews of shit you need to buy now. Got it, now read, buy and thank me later fuckface. We have a blindingly awesome selection of releases here. Let's go and get into these bangers. Heaps of amazing releases on this list!!!.
Gates to Hell-Death Comes to All. Fuck me , I have been bursting at the seams to hear this album. A huge fan of their previous work, but here they have up the brutal even more in this hell-for leather Modern Death metal banger. It may not even play for 25 mins, but it's all hectic, endless abrasive riffs, cool transitions and tempos, and bullshit free. This is like Gatecreeper on meth or Fuming Mouth on cheap wine. And I am here for that. Love this is pure brutality, made for the moshpit. These fuckers are the kings at their craft, be it this wicked and energetic album or every one of their videos. This crushes all the fake music around. Flawless. Buy now, every track is worth your time or you are a loser!.
Anna Bortionist-in this dress. I like to mix it up and here I jump from gravelly death metal to the beauty, splendour and dark majesty that is Anna Bortionist. I happened to once wander to Melbourne's last chance to see a friend's Industrial adjacent band and caught the end of this wonderful artist's set. Whether it was the brilliance of the costumes worn for the performance or the sheer grandeur and depth in this ambient, ritualistic drone/noise celebration; I was sold down the river. This latest release gives a two-track peak into the extraordinary works of this spellbinding artist. I have listened to both tracks hundreds of times and each time is a guaranteed journey of audio ecstasy.
Drowned Stars makes me recall the wonders of attending Dark Mofo and having creative grim artists of the drone landscape colour my psyche. This track drops little gems with each second, reminiscent of sound recordings and phenomenal use of true ambient cvltness. This is as much early Brian Eno as much as much more psychotic newer goth/industrial variations of the field. Attention to detail and really using the sound pallette to full use makes this a classic.
Flidais is the second track and one track of a more grim nature. The spoken addition or perhaps a sample rightly will creep you the hell out and that is a lush kind of demented track, one of the hardest things to compose is movie soundtracks and this echoes those sentiments. Even if the movie isn't made yet, I salute thee for positively freaking me out with these morbid soundscapes. This like the first track I could listen on loop for 4 hours. Does that make me a little messed up, probably but if you don't support this artist, you are missing out on so much as her catalogue is sublime. Buy now, listen and catch live:
https://annabortionist.bandcamp.com/album/in-this-dress
Cabal-Everything Rots. Keeping with the theme of mixing it up is the glorious, torturous madness that is Cabal. Their catalogue is solid as fuck, but this fourth album sets the lion among the pigeons. The variation and overwhelming production on this is brilliant and hectic. Much of this album is like an industrial deathcore fest or a death metal band playing a rave. Whilst modern influences and flavours are present, it puts the trendy shit in the bin and goes for pure aggression and insanity. But the difference besides utterly being committed to unrelenting brutal riffs/vocals and rhythmic mayhem is using electronic beats/keys etc solidly, unlike shite like Code Orange. The groove and energy are off the chart, this album is essential and hectic as fuck. Buy or die!!!
Zero Signal with Mimi Nyx-In the Shriek of What Followed. This is straight up one of the best releases of the year, I mean read the description:
If you put Rob Zombie, The Prodigy and Depeche Mode in a laboratory together, "In the Shriek of What Followed" would be the miscreant creation! If that does not sell you hard on the glorious magic of this release, there is no hope for you. Call it dark electro, insane EBM or mental industrial; regardless it is sick as hell. Zero Signal has previously played in hardcore and metal bands, but their mad love for all things Hard electro has led to this magnificent release. Much more than a project, this is a well-crafted and superbly programmed mix of frantic beats, mad synths, samples, riffs and awesome vocal work by Mimi. The nine tracks fly by, simply because the energy level is like drinking ten red bulls in a row whilst snorting Columbia's finest. Every track is well written and designed for seedy, Berlin-like clubs with all the world's freaks present with dim lights and pure chaos. If that doesn't paint the picture, think of a stag weekend on bad drugs, too much booze set to the soundtrack of The Prodigy's hardest tracks.
Rave In Blood(hell of a name eh) does everything I have ever wanted in a track, tangential heaviness across multiple soundscapes, nasty tempo changes and a complete soundclash.
Poizon is as much Massive Attack as sheer classic Drum and Bass, whilst having that almost noise artist-type insanity mixed in, as well as some slight Hip Hop and Jane's Addiction vibes at the same time. Glorious stuff.
Unfairground reminds me of DJ Shadow if he was into more subversive sounds, brilliant songcraft here, and mad riffs.
Exit-Stential is grim, very Bristol via London deep and moody with some almost LTJ Bukem/Kruder & Dorfmeister feel, no easy feat; but hey the colour and breadth of the release are sublime and deep. This continues as the album closes,
Epitaph/Desire(re)Bound keep things on that exquisite trajectory, minimalist downtempo beats and fantastic vocal work. A very accomplished debut album and the angles of where this project could go are endless. Well recommended for those who have great taste and an ear for engaging music.
NECKBREAKKER: Within The Viscera. Again Nuclear Blast dropping heat, now indeed this dropped in Dec 2024, but you still need this. Forget the fakes and watered-down stuff, this is real gritty, nasty death metal that combines Old school aesthetics with a slight hardcore influence in both vocals and riffs. But the thing about it is there is no time for rest or wanky shite, just flat-out evil and punishing tracks. The only additive that makes them pop even more is a real groove-based approach that fucking shines. All nine tracks are killer, as mentioned aggression is way past 11, but the band utilise elements of thrash, hardcore and death metal leaving you with a taste of pure filth. Best debut album in a long time. Brilliantly heavy as fuck.
13 Inch Jesus-The Apostate. Closing out this sizzling array of reviews is the dazzling, luminous grim drone masterpiece called The Apostate. Six tracks make up this demented sermon, described as
"A meditation on the journey out of indoctrination". Often I ponder how many shit bands get zero attention, when bands like Anna Abortionist, Caustic Grip and this act should be getting all the merits and focus. This act utilises basic synth combined with an resplendent array of effects and sharp track compostion. The weird and emotive dementia of this is alluring and haunting. This album begs for a live performance with some psychotic black and white movie playing in the background. Yes, this dark shit warms my soul. Every track is a fascinating journey of dark ambient drones working in a malevolent forest of chaos, yet the visionary focus and attention is lofty. See this act live and listen to all their remarkable releases. Fascinating and captivating.
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