Two members of Portugal’s Gaerea, namely Guilherme Henriques – vocals/guitar and Pedro Soares – drums, decided to write an opus of heartfelt emotions and darkness and put it all in one long song called Disintegrate. The opus starts calmer, with post metal influenced guitar melody, a bit cold like in space with synth effects melody in the background preparing us of what’s to come. And that is, my ladies and gentlemen, perfect lesson in rolling death doom with growling death vocals, dark and melodic guitar wall of sound and doom procession drums played technically perfect to a note. The atmosphere is perfect and lyrics are about rising of an individual above things that bothered him/her until now, when he or she took all by heart but will rise now above all that darkness even it means to disintegrate and practically cease existence. This is a liberating music and opus. If you listen to it in darkness, close your eyes and let the music and words take you to soundscape vessel and fly you above all you will see how pathetic and needless are some of your worries and problems and how sometimes things need to be cut no matter it might cause pain or cease to exist in a way they existed before. Double bass drumming, some death and post metal influences add to the drama and melancholic guitar work on this opus. I can only congratulate you, because this one touched me deep, deep inside.
Death Feast from Portugal have been formed in 2017, but members of the band have been playing in various bands and projects, so they are in no way green or new in the scene. This is the band’s third full length opus containing ten songs, two being intro and outro. Music is raw and primitive black thrash metal with couple of blackened death metal influences thrown in here and there in the song structures. The production and all of the atmosphere of the opus are really raw and primitive at times, reminding of glorious times meaning first opuses by Bathory, old Sodom, early Kreator and all those proto black thrash bands from the eighties. Lyrically band also delves into those parts delivering hitters like ‘Banish from Monastery’, ‘Hell Funeral’, ‘Crossing the Fire’ but there are also hymns to metal like fantastic ‘Commandments of Metal’ so if you are into black thrash metal with some death here and there, also coming to mind Vulcano or Sarcofago, go get this one you will not regret it. Pure war!
All Out War have been in the scene for a long time now. Their roots go back to 1990. Well, this is their new opus, eight full length if I am not mistaken. Well, All Out War play what we used to call new school back in the nineties and it is basically metalized hardcore, not unlike old school godfathers of the genre, like Earth Crisis or Integrity, even Snapcase. Behind all of the guitar thrash influenced brutality, there are couple of real catchy and melodic hooks and even some street hardcore punk influenced fast song parts. Singer Mike Score screams, growls, shouts and the album as a whole I could describe as apocalyptic hardcore with no holds barred. Many blast beats, almost death metal like, noisy in between atmospheric parts, air raid wicked evil guitar parts and thundering bass. I never witnessed All Out War deliver their music live, I am sure their shows are blood, sweat and hardcore all over. My personal favorites on this one are: ‘Glorious Devastation’, ‘Revel In Misery’, ‘Celestial Rot’. Good one.