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Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Slave I - Scriptures


Slave I - Scriptures

Written by Ken Bowden on March 22, 2016 for Bloodrock Media

Initial thoughts may be why the hell does Slave I have three guitar players and what the fuck is Mandalorian Metal?! While the latter of the two contemplations may lead one to believe there will be some Star Wars related, geeky sound effects, possibly a sci-fi speech or two on Scriptures, they would be totally off base. What fans will actually encounter is nothing short of top notch, FORCE-ified metal and while their name is geeky (and we at BRM love geeky), every moment of Scriptures will make even the most jaded metal mercenary yearn for a Wall of Death.
The first track on the EP, ‘Left Hand of God’, will blast through listener’s speakers with the fury of a thousand fists, a phenomenal combination of vicious vocals and savage guitar riffs, the track sets the tone for the rest of the EP.  The middle tracks are equally tremendous, very early Black Dahlia Murder-esque, yet still unique. The last track on Scriptures, ‘End of Days’, concludes the EP perfectly, even with its title with its doom-worthy epicness.
Fans searching for something short, new, not so sweet, and epically kick ass will find themselves playing Scriptures on repeat. And will finally answer their own question of why the hell do they have three guitar players, with the obvious answer of “WHY THE FUCK SHOULDN’T THEY?!”. Bottom line, every track on Scriptures will feel like the business end of a blaster meeting listeners’ faces and with the approval of Boba Fett himself from the depths of the sarlacc pit, Scriptures is a must purchase…….like yesterday. 

Monday, March 14, 2016

Soliloquium - Absence


Soliloquium - Absence

Written by Kelsie Lunsford on March 14, 2016 for Bloodrock Media

The Swedish, melodic doom metal trio known as Soliloquium, released their album titled Absence on February 1, 2016 courtesy of Transcending Records.  Absence is a compilation of their previously released EPs, When Silence Grows Venomous, The Concept of Escape, and A Night of Burdens; featuring six original songs and two covers, ‘Forever Failure’ by Paradise Lost and ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries. The overall feel of Absence is reminiscent of hard rock of the 90’s with a doom metal twist brought by Stefan Nordstrom’s deep growl vocals. 
The first track, ‘Garden of Truculence’, opens very melodic, mellow even, listeners will be searching their pockets for their lighters, well that is until about two minutes into the song and it is time to head bang and mosh. The third track, ‘Crossroads’, kicks off with a long, powerful guttural scream by Nordstrom. ‘Crossroads’ is powerfully catchy; the clean vocals are beautifully executed, and a nice contrast to the typical screams and growls, fans will find themselves repeating this track over and over. The lengthiest track on Absence, ‘Nighttime Revelations’, is quite unique, beginning very whimsically; listeners will almost feel as though they are reliving the scene in Lord of the Rings when Pippin sings ‘A Walking Song’ to a noisily gluttonous Lord Denethor in Gondor, that is until the proverbial shit hits the fan…..in the most fantastic metal way.  The track very diverse, with strong guitar riffs and a beautiful guitar solo around the four minute mark. The song is exquisitely composed and executed, while it is very long, fans will find it worthy of every moment of ear time. The final track on Absence, ‘Zombie’, was originally written and recorded by alternative rockers, The Cranberries in 1994, while Soliloquium’s doom metal twist on the classic 90’s is well executed, the addition of clean vocals and integrating more of the higher range screams that listeners will hear in the chorus would have taken the track from good to most excellent.
Overall, Absence is phenomenal, extremely powerful, well written, and unique spin on what doom metal should sound like. Metalheads will appreciate Soliloquium’s take on melodic, doom with fantastical and whimsical twists, and the familiar sound of what metal used to be; a group of dudes, serving metal fans everything that they love: killer guitar riffs, beats to head bang to, and tracks that they will want to listen to over and over again. 

Friday, March 11, 2016

Whisker Biscuit - Whisker Biscuit

Whisker Biscuit - Whisker Biscuit

Written by Kelly Durrenberger on March 11, 2016 for Bloodrock Media

Canadian hardcore, punk grind band, Whisker Biscuit is scheduled to release their twelve track, self-titled, debut album, Whisker Biscuit, on April 15, 2016 courtesy of Transcending Records. Fans that are searching for a band to rock their dirty, grungy, nasty socks off need not look any further than Whisker Biscuit. The quartet’s debut self-titled album, Whisker Biscuit, is twelve tracks of a rock-a-holic’s party playlist featuring titles such as ‘Pizza Slut’ and ‘Drink Til Death’. The album was recorded live on the floor and in a single session in order to give the album the same energy the band offers during their shows. The band as a whole is one of those that will make fans want to immediately find a college party to crash and fuck shit up. Kyra’s raspy, punky vocals certainly bring that youthful inner angst front and center, right where it belongs.
The tracks on Whisker Biscuit come together in a disgustingly beautiful way; sort of like the brief marriage of Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts. It could almost be compared to unicorn poop; there’s something orgasmically grotesque about it but it’s so majestic and rare that you can’t help but marvel and adore it. 
From beginning to end, fans will be enamored by this powerful woman and the rest of the band, in the same way the band is captivated by the amber colored eyes of beer and greasy pizza. And, let’s be honest, if pizza were a person named Pat, ‘Pizza Slut’ would basically be a cheesy love song dedicated to Pat. 
When the album ends, fans will want to break stuff or least aggressively push play again to restart the party. All in all, Whisker Biscuit is a wonderful combination of party style grindcore and hardcore punk, that’s the perfect mix of cheesy and delicious.