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2019 Albums

Album Review: Kublai Khan TX – Absolute 8 (Hardcore)

October 12, 2019 zaxrecordreviews

The latter half of the 2010s has brought a savage strain of hardcore to the masses. It’s metalcore tinged hardcore filled with savage breakdowns, fight riffs, and 2-steps galore. It’s been a very nice evolution to the genre, and popularity is at an all-time high with bands like Knocked Loose raking in huge first week sales and Billboard numbers. A front runner in the genre has been the mighty Kublai Khan, or Kublai Khan TX now (they haven’t spoken out about the inclusion of the TX to my knowledge, but I can assume it’s because of legal troubles with an old speed metal band by the same name). I was super pumped for this album. I’ve seen the band live, met their lead singer, own some of their merch, and jam their stuff on the regular. They did not disappoint my sky-high expectations! […]

2019 Albums

Album Review: Ocultum – Residue 8 (Stoner Doom)

September 13, 2019 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

I’ve covered a lot of stoner doom on here, but the genre manages to keep throwing new approaches at me, or new trends in artwork or production. There’s always a fresh take around the corner if you know where to look. Ocultum has a lofi approach to their music that I find really intriguing, with vocals more suited to raw black metal than doom metal. It’s oddly endearing and prevents it from going the same stale route as many other bands currently are, with the wide Mastodon/Gojira vocal styling. There’s something different here, it’s dark and anti marketing in its presence. […]

Interviews

Australian Heavypedia: Vahrzaw (Black Metal)

September 13, 2019 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

Vahrzaw are one of Australia’s longest running black metal acts having played under various names in the early 90s. While many bands have come and gone, Vahrzaw have marched on unable to be stopped by neither politics nor circumstance, leaving a long trail of releases featuring interesting artwork. Metalheads in need of an audio pummelling look no further. Their sound hasn’t been compromised in the face of an ever changing scene over the decades and after Husk, their ripper of a 2018 album, they are returning with a brand new album slated for 2020. I spoke to Vahrzaw guitarist Scott about it and the bands origin. […]

2019 Albums

Album Review: Soul Of Anubis – The Last Journey 6.8 (Thrash Metal)

September 12, 2019 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

I’m not a big fan of thrash but through recently listening to Coroner and now this, progressive thrash may be the most digestible format for me. It kills a lot of the boring and repetitive elements that are considered a structural. Hailing from Portugal, Soul Of Anubis are a super loud trio – there’s a thickness that shouldn’t be afforded to so few people. They also look super charming and approachable, just look at the picture below. […]

2019 Albums

Album Review: Horrific Demise – Excruciating Extermination 8.8 (Brutal Death)

September 11, 2019 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

I can’t imagine this album not being up to the standards of the modern metalhead. It’s a good length with a distinct sound drawing from both old school and modern influences. It doesn’t use trendy techniques or gimmicks, it just nails down some solid as fuck death metal. It has good presentation and perfect production. Horrific Demise could very quickly become a heavy hitter within the metal scene, especially with such early label support from Comatose Music. […]

2019 Albums

Album Review: Gurt – Bongs Of Praise 7 (Stoner Doom)

September 7, 2019 Melinda (Carcassbomb)

Gurt are back, a sludgy UK band I’ve posted on IG in the past for their wonderful album covers, something they’ve kept consistent. Presentation is an important thing to Gurt and we are all rewarded for this. They have a unique style that’s difficult to pin down with elements varying between doom metal, death rock and punk and just a lot. They are a lot. Bongs Of Praise in particular is a weed fuelled doom/sludge album that will be a sure hit for stoner doom fans. […]