Kep Reviews

2021

Album Review: Stone Healer – “Conquistador” 10/10 (Metal Fusion)

April 21, 2021 Kep

Let’s talk about labeling and subgenres, shall we? I love the process of listening and assigning labels to bands, and lots of metalheads are like me in that regard. Pretty much every group we hear can be classified into a category (or two or three) through some careful listening and attention to detail. The sheer breadth of stylistic diversity in metal is probably my favorite aspect of it, and digging deep into the little elements of new outfits is one of my usual pastimes. That being said, it’s rare, but sometimes a band comes along and stumps my ability to classify them. Stone Healer is one of those bands. […]

2021

Album Review: Plasmodium – “Towers Of Silence” 4.5/10 (Black/Death)

April 17, 2021 Kep

You ever drop a ton of acid and then spend three-quarters of an hour in a carnival funhouse? I mean, I’ve never done that, but it sure sounds like it would be a bewildering, terrifying experience, and one that would stick with you. Approach Towers of Silence, the new offering from Australian black/death purveyors Plasmodium, the same way you would that hypothetical drug-induced, hallucinatory horror trip: with a healthy dose of caution, but with expectations of something unique. […]

2021

Album Review: Malformity – “Monumental Ruin” 9/10 (Death Metal)

April 8, 2021 Kep

Malformity has had about as uncommon a journey to their debut full-length Monumental Ruin as any band ever. 2021 marks a full THIRTY YEARS since bassist Eric Snodgrass and guitarist Dan Ratanasit first got together and formed the group in 1991, and 26 since they added a drummer and second guitarist and released their first demo, Black Holes to Heaven, in 1995. After those two demos, they split up entirely for nearly TWENTY MORE YEARS before re-forming with new members Craig Vogel and Glenn Sykes on drums and guitar in 2014. Now, after two well-received EPs (Lectures on the Apocalypse and The Rapturous Unraveling) in ’15 and ’18, Malformity is finally, finally ready to drop their first full album into the world. […]

2021

Album Review: Devastating Light – “I Have Already Failed You” 6.5/10 (Post Metal)

March 31, 2021 Noob Heavy admin

Depression is a difficult subject to approach no matter the medium. How do we address something that is so intensely personal in a meaningful way, a way that isn’t cliched or trite, and in a manner that both respects the human behind the depression and is honest about the effects it has on others? There’s no one right answer, and it’s likely that every person will feel a bit different about it. One thing is for sure, and that is that music is the most personal and intimate of art forms, and every person who gives voice to their struggles is to be commended for baring an extremely tender part of their soul to the listener. […]

2021

Album Review: Unflesh – “Inhumation” 7/10 (Death Metal)

March 24, 2021 Kep

A while back, in his review for the new Orecus album, John Angel asked “How do you like your death metal?” It’s a good question, and so, with a tip of the hat to John, today I’d like to ask you the same. What is your death metal flavor of choice? Do you like it technical, precise as hell and complex? Maybe you prefer it on the melodic side, with soaring guitar lines and a touch of power metal flair. Or do you want it blackened, icy with just the right amount of evil filth? […]

2021

Album Review: Violblast – “Lazarus Abandoned” 8/10 (Thrash Metal)

March 19, 2021 Kep

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t *dislike* thrash. I just don’t, like, like it. It’s never done much for me. Maybe that’s because I got into metal later than lots of metalheads; by the time I was diving in, instead of being introduced by bands like Metallica and Anthrax and Testament, I was checking out Meshuggah and Fear Factory and Arch Enemy. My gateways were bands with thrash influences, sure, but definitely not thrash bands.  […]

2021

Album Review: Feculent – “The Grotesque Arena” 8/10 (Death Metal)

March 10, 2021 Kep

Releasing on March 19, The Grotesque Arena is the debut album from Brisbane’s own Feculent, one of a number of fantastic bands to come recently out of Australia. This could almost be called a supergroup, if that term meant anything these days, as it features a whole slew of great musicians that you might know from other bands: Matthew Budge of Resin Tomb, Siberian Hell Sounds, and Consumed on vocals, Kaleb Doherty of thrashers Idle Ruin on guitar, Jim Dandy of Descent on bass, and master-of-all-trades Brendan Auld on drums. Auld is the mastermind behind grimy one-man project Snorlax, which put one of 2020’s most underrated death metal records, as well as a member of Resin Tomb, Siberian Hell Sounds, Consumed, and Necroseptic. He also does the production and mixing here for Feculent. Needless to say, this lineup is stacked, and boy does the music reflect that. […]

2021

Album Review: Bonecarver – “Evil” 7/10 (Death Metal)

March 3, 2021 Kep

Here’s a question for you, and I think I might have a decent idea of the answer: do you like your metal as heavy as literally all fucking hell? Sure, sometimes you need bands like Eneferens or svrm or Spirit Adrift, whose takes on metal could be reasonably described as beautiful, or even moving. But do you also crave some thick, chuggy brutality? Do you want vocals that roar and squeal, and breakdowns that could level entire city blocks? If you do, it’s time to get excited for the newest slamtastic release from Unique Leader, Bonecarver’s Evil. […]

2021

Album Review: Profond Barathre – “Tinnitus” 8.5/10 (Post Black)

February 23, 2021 Noob Heavy admin

Every now and then you come across a description or promo for an album that’s new to you and once you’ve read it, you just *have* to listen. Something about that description pulls you in before you’ve even heard a note, and despite not truly having any idea what you’re in for, you just know on some level that it’s going to be right up your alley. In my experience, at least, that internal sense is rarely wrong, and the first listen is usually an extremely gratifying one. […]