Month: January 2020

2020 Albums

Album Review: Comaniac – “Holodox” 9/10 (Thrash Metal)

January 31, 2020 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

Welly well well, if it isn’t the second thrash album I’ve liked in the last year. This is an exceptional album where the guitars speak eloquent paragraphs while the vocals provide badass lines. There’s a lot of time for the guitars on this album and they’re more on the technical side of thrash which basically a requirement for me to enjoy it. I believe this is also bolstered by the fact that production was done by Tommy Vetterli who has also worked with Coroner – one of the few thrash bands I listen to. Due out on the 3rd of April and independently, to my surprise. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Isle Of The Cross – Excelsis 6 (Progressive Death)

January 31, 2020 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

Okay. This is some crazy shit, there’s so much going on and some people are going to love that and others might have a hard time. I find myself somewhere between the two depending on the track. There’s metal vocals and there’s operatic vocals, there’s probably a 7 string guitar and sometimes it straight up sounds like a video game OST. Overall it’s very reminiscent of Ne Obliviscaris’ debut album. Clocking in at just over an hour, there’s a lot to explore on Excelsis and it is available on the 21st of February. […]

Brilliant Emperor Records

Interview: Brendan Auld (Snorlax, Descent & A Whole Lot More)

January 31, 2020 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

This week I got the chance to talk to one of Brisbane’s busiest but chillest musicians, Brendan Auld who is in a lot of great projects. He had a noticeable impact on the global underground with his recent release II by Snorlax but he is also a part of the awesome death/hardcore band Descent who are opening for Cattle Decapitation and Revocation in Brisbane on the 13th of Feb, Tickets Here. The following interview was transcribed from a phone call I had with Brendan and has been edited for presentation. It’s quite an insightful look into the motivations of the man behind Snorlax, a project that due to it’s dark sound and visual aesthetic along with the name, raised some eyebrows and perhaps even caused confusion. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Viscera – Obsidian 8 (Deathcore)

January 31, 2020 zaxrecordreviews

I’m a huge sucker for cool genre crossovers, I’m also a huge sucker for Unique Leader Records, so basically this record was made for me. Viscera are a new outfit formed just last year consisting of members from Heart Of A Coward, Martyr Defiled, and Nervecell. So, while the band is new, these guys definitely know what they’re doing! Their debut album “Obsidian” comes out on March 6th. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Aodon – 11069 9.5 (Black Metal)

January 30, 2020 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

Aodon is an impressive project with all the composing, lead guitar, screams and drums being done by the same person, M-Kha. None of which feel weaker than other aspects in any way, there’s a very uniform competence on display here with 11069. Beyond the talents of M-Kha we also have some great contributions such as Alix R., a bassist who is also a french author, responsible for the lyrics and Laurent C. on rhythm guitar as well as additional vocals. Expect to see this one make the rounds once it’s released on the 27th of March on Willowtip Records. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Voidfire – Ogień Pustki 7.5 (Black Metal)

January 29, 2020 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

Voidfire are coming into the scene strong with a well presented debut album entitled Ogień Pustki, and it is a concept album “based on the theme of finding artistic inspiration in emotional suffering” according to the band. Immediately the most eye catching thing is the mysterious artwork, this time skipping Lewandowski and going straight to the source, a licensed piece from Zdzisław Beksiński made in 1976. It’s a bloody strong artwork to have and will surely find the band stuck in the minds of many this year. The sound on hand here is some tight melodic black metal for lonely hearts, with a kicking drum for marching into the gloom. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Midnight – Rebirth By Blasphemy 7.7 (Speed Metal)

January 25, 2020 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

Fucking speed and darkness! What else is there to say about Midnight? They set up a simple premise and stick to it with mastery. If you aren’t familiar with Midnight then I’d best describe them as Gwar sped up with black metal and sex thrown on it. I first became a fan after hearing Sweet Death & Ecstasy which I promptly paid out the ass to get on cassette shipped to Australia. How does this one compare? It’s not bad, that’s for sure but it feels more straight forward. At its worst it’s more of what fans love, so that’s pretty valuable and something veteran bands need to achieve in order to maintain longevity. […]