Vaalt - Demo MMXIII

"Metal harder than Granite"

Vaalt is a band hailing from Calgary, Canada. They formed in 2012 and released this demo in 2013.

The production is very raw and adds a very distinct Incantation feel to it. The guitars have an ominous sound to them and is perfectly placed in the production, and does not drown out the other instrument. Which to my personal experience, happens to a lot of death metal bands. As for the music itself, it is like old Incantation's production mixed with Thorr's Hammer music layout and sound (minus the clean vocals). And because I fuckin' love those two bands that gives a big plus in my book. The bass plays simple riffs to the drumbeat and maintain a very deep sound. The drums, while hard hitting, they are kind of buried and very messy, the bassdrum is almost inaudible. Is it too bad, because the drummer actually plays some great beats, especially on track 2.

The vocal parts are done by a woman named Alayna Gretton, and by Odin's beard does she have one of the most awe-inspiring and deep vocals I have heard in my life. These vocals would bellow so deep in the mines of Moria that the Balrog would cower in fear. There are also some haunting screams on 'Predation Granite', which adds a variation to her vocals, and very much to the atmosphere of this demo. On 'Soliloquy of the Smoldering', her vocals match the droning beats in utterly fashion. Maybe I praise Alayna's vocals a bit too much, but I was just surprised to find vocals of this quality and voracity on a demo.

The production is maybe a little too raw, but the music is absolutely fantastic. I especially love the atmosphere this gem has produced, which many modern old school bands just don't do for me. This is a great demo, and I will surely follow these guys in the following years to see what else they can produce.

Rating

8.5

Fuck the Facts - Amer

"The Beauty Under the Grind"

Fuck the Facts is a band that has been around since 1999 with Topon Das being the only original member left, they have released eight albums and a ton of splits, EP's and compilations. And in my opinion the band really got into its groove when vocalist Mel Mongeon entered the band in 2002. It was when I listened to their 2006 album Stigmata High Five, that I was intrigued with the bands panicky and eccentric grindcore and melodic, groovy and noisy style of death metal. And it should be said right away that I really love this band, so it is very hard for me to maintain an objective view of this EP.

Fuck the Facts have changed their sound slowly over the years, from a very eerily and outright maniacal sounding grindcore group to the more melodic and groovy sounding metal, while still maintaining their grindcore roots. While this EP certainly has much more melody and less grindcore, their intentions are the same. Insane up-beat music on songs such as 'Vent Du Nord' and mindblowingly beautiful passages in songs such as 'Une Triste Vue' and 'Amère', Now I must admit that I don't know shit about the french language even though I had it in school through 7th to the 9th grade. But I don't really mind it since I don't read lyrics half the time I listen to metal anyways, there is one song with english lyrics though and that track is just as good as the others.

The whole EP is full of both intense grindy moments and fantasticly executed more melodic passages. Topon delivers some really insane riffing, the insane kinda riffing that is both wild and catchy at the same time. Drummer Vil applies fast and precise blast beats and other tricky-sounding beats. The bass I can rarily hear, though bassist Marc Bourgon delivers some great backing vocals. On top of the pile of excellent music and productions is Mel Mongeon's signature yelling vocals mixed with some deep-growls which was used on the
last album 'Die Miserable' and EP 'Misery', and they're certainly a welcoming addition on this EP as much as they were on the forementioned.

Fuck the Facts is a band that continues to get better and better, and this is no exception. This is definitely a great collection of tracks that I'm gonna listen to a long time from now.

Rating

8.8

Wormlust - The Feral Wisdom

'Black Metal Ambrosia'



This Icelandic band was founded by H.V Lyngdal in 2003 under the moniker of Wolfheart and joined by drummer Bjarni Einarsson on The Feral Wisdom. Lyngdal changed Wolfheart into Wormlust in 2006 with some demos the following years, one of them was the astonishing Seven Paths demo, he finally released The Feral Wisdom in mid 2013.

Wormlust are a very strange band to describe. Let us say, an ethereal hybrid of a psychedelic and atmospheric style of black metal. And it really intensifies the ambiance of the album. Above all, the word I would use to describe Wormlust best is mesmerizing. An almost murmuring, spacey and vociferous sound production enchants the listener to their magnificent and grand-epic style of the first track Sex Augu, Tólf Stjörnur. Although it starts with an ambient intro, the feral and noisy beast that is Wormlust is unleashed with an absolutely destroying sound that left me with my jaw dropping down to the floor. The vehement and dissonant sounds continued to echo in my room leaving my hopes for enlightenment all but abolished. Halfway through the track, the sound gets even more magnificent with the use of mid-tempo beats and synthesizer to its eminent sound. I was also really surprised how insame the bass sounds sometimes around the 6:30 minute mark. A scarce number of melodic leads are also incorporated into this track, the track ends with two minutes of ambient experimentation.

And now for an abrupt turn of events, Wormlust lies their grand-epic style aside once more as we are allowed to indulge in a very mirky and melodic touch at the start of Djöflasýra. The riffs in this song are very hypnotic, and the mid-tempo moments of this song works great to finish the listeners ascend into the ethereal skies. The vehement sounds are still delivered, but this song have somewhat a lesser aggressive approach than the first track, but that has given way for even more soaring ambiance around 3 minutes in. The song then builts itself up in a crawling pace, resuming at the seven minute mark what resembles the chaotic and psychotic form Sex Auga, Tólf Stjörnur had. In contrast, this song ends on a high note as the first ended in with ambient music.

While the first half of the album was a schizophrenic frenzy of unwordly music, the second half of The Feral Wisdom is quite different. It begins with the track, Á Altari Meistarans makes this album do a full collision into psychedelic territory. The track evolves with a long slowness, and feels a little droning. Although certainly different, the end of this song fits perfectly into the next, Iður Úti. There was a certain tension to this track, I felt like something was going to happen. And it did, almost three minutes in, the music becomes what you recognize from the two first songs, but before you know it... it ends. Developing the track once more with silent, eerie sounds. The last four minutes, which the band puts all their energi into, go back the maniacal black metal from before. Even though I think this song is weirdly built, it sounds very natural, it is also completely nuts at the same time.

The only downside that I had with this record was the transition between the two halves of the it. They are outright strange. But above all else, the album is really well put together and heavy, so heavy it is brain sickening in fact, but in a good way. For those of you, who are looking for black metal with complexity, depth and absolute insanity, then this is for you. This is a wandering to the outlying empty spaces of our galaxy, and then back. This album is a journey so dark it will drive you to madness and left craving for more.

Rating:
9.7