Morbus Chron - Sleepers In The Rift (Pulverised, 2011)



Track Listing:

1. Through The Gaping Gate/Coughing In A Coffin (3.51)

2. Creepy Creeping Creep (3.54)

3. Hymns To A Stiff (3.16)

4. Red Hook Horror (3.32)

5. The Hallucinating Dead (3.33)

6. Ways Of Torture (3.05)

7. Dead Body Pile Necrophile (2.51)

8. Lidless Coffin (4.31)

9. Deformation Of The Dark Matter (6.12)

Synopsis: I have been eagerly anticipating the release of this CD and it certainly delivers. Morbus Chron are undoubtedly old school death metal, dirty and raw, and they are not afraid to introduce doomier moments or groove amongst their unhinged brutality. You can't help but feel that there is also an element of tongue in cheek humour at work here, a deranged one, and the vibrant cover art certainly stands out from their death metal brethren. At just over half an hour it's all too brief but one of my favourite albums of the year regardless.

www.myspace.com/morbuschronband

www.facebook.com/morbuschron

Spires - Spiral Of Ascension (Independent, 2010)

Track Listing:

1. Equilibrium (6.47)

2. The Infinite Descent (6.36)

3. Nightfall (2.17)

4. Broken Hourglass (13.34)

5. Symmetry (4.54)

6. Martyr (10.32)

7. Spiral Of Ascension (14.36)

8. A New Prayer (5.54)

Synopsis: There is no denying that Spires are heavily influenced by Opeth, albeit a less seventies prog influenced Opeth, but that doesn't detract from what they have come up with on "Spiral Of Ascension". Spires are bursting with ideas and have the execution to match, they are progressive but also aggressive utilising quieter acoustics in conjunction with deathlier moments. Given that they have released this themselves it is impressive what they have managed to achieve, you can see the attention to detail, and it's certainly deserving of attention.

www.myspace.com/spiresmetal

Oracle - As Darkness Reigns (Massacre Records, 1993)

Track Listing:

1. Prisoner (Of Your Own Soul) (8.11)

2. Nightmares (6.41)

3. No Faith for The Liar (9.01)

4. As Darkness Reigns (6.54)

5. Paradise (On The Edge Of The World) (4.35)

6. Knights Of The Round Table (7.10)

7. The Watcher (6.29)

8. Prodigy (8.28)

9. In The End (3.48)

Synopsis: This is the one and only album that Oracle released and, to be honest, I knew nothing about the band when I bought it. Fortunately it is quite a good release melding thrash and early ninties progressive metal, Massacre describe used the descriptors progressive power and melody which aren't too far off the mark. Based around a talented guitarist in Kent Smedley, who provides some solid riffs and impressive soloing, Oracle were also fortunate to have a strong vocalist in William Wren who possesses a decent range. Sure, it's not perfect, as you can see above the songs are generally quite lengthy, but this is still well worth investigating.

Immaculate - Atheist Crusade (Stormspell Records, 2010)

Track Listing:

1. Cross Of Nero (5.18)

2. Thrashark (4.47)

3. The Immaculate Dead (4.50)

4. Sanity's Eclipse / Steel Of The Missionary (8.39)

5. Atheist Crusade (8.42)

6. Thrash Metal Avenger (3.45)

7. The Apparition (5.48)

8. Gutterthrash (5.12)

Synopsis: There are obviously a lot of thrash bands out there these days, new and old, but Immaculate have certainly managed to develop their own identity. Their thrash is quite technical, at times it's almost frenzied, and the high pitched vocals might take some getting used to. It is clear that Immaculate have taken a different path to most and their decision to include a Fates Warning cover, "The Apparition", is also very telling. If you are familiar with Toxik then that's as good a comparison as any, "Atheist Crusade" is well worth a listen.