Iron
Bonehead’s knack to sniff out talent and the most underground metal available is
second to none and this February they’re set to bring us even more obscure
greatness in the form of three tape releases from three of the underground’s
most promising bands. All three will be released on cassette and are demo/debut
releases so each is totally fresh and new from the Iron Bonehead’s vaults.
Malsanctum - Morbid Fetishization
There’s
very little information currently available regarding Canada’s Malsanctum who
are releasing the aptly titled “Morbid Fetishization,” - aptly titled as
morbidity and death are most definitely high on their musical agenda. The demo
is a single track, twenty four minute excursion to the depths of hell with a
heavy dose of feedback and distortion as your only companion. A solitary feedback
squeal introduces you to Malsanctum’s deathly, doomy, black and morbid metal
which is both oppressive and suffocating.
The production on Morbid
Fetishization is very murky and lends itself well to the dark, dank world you’re
propelled into on listening. Malsanctum’s music combines funeral and blackened
doom and features quite distinct vocals that are an otherworldly, guttural and
smothered growl amidst the heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars which play a
pivotal role in maintaining the sinister atmosphere. I found the indiscernible
vocal to be quite a distinct and likeable part of the music that helps in piling
on the hate within their darkened, oppressive world. Very lo-fi yet heavily
atmospheric, doom laden and featuring feedback and distortion in almost equal
measure this is for those who like their music heavy, slow and laced with
vehemence - I thoroughly enjoyed it and Malsanctum are certainly a group to
watch out for.
8/10
Ithaqua - Initiation to Obscure Mysteries
Ithaqua
are a Greek two-piece who’ve drawn similarities with the likes of early Rotting
Christ and Varathron via their music which is mid-paced, doomy and occult metal
laced together with macabre synths and memorable riffs. The demo consists of five
tracks and clocks in at just over thirty minutes. The Winds of Ithaqua is the
opener and begins with howling winds and synth effects before a spoken vocal begins;
a sombre yet effective introduction to Ithaqua’s music. Summoning the
Incarnations of the Worm is the third track and has a few sections where the
bass features much heavier than the rest and to be honest it’s a little
distracting at times as it seems to appear from nowhere for a few notes before
disappearing. Also, I felt the drums featured quite low in the mix and during infrequent
periods of more prominence they seemed to adopt the same frenetic pace and were
fairly similar in pattern. I’m not knocking the drummer from Ithaqua
whatsoever, I just feel a better level of audibility in the production mix may
have afforded a different overall impression but let’s bear in mind this is a
demo and a damned good one at that!
The final track, Beyond the Cursed Lines,
is a bass solo accompanied by spoken word – with over a duration of over seven minutes,
in theory, this may seem like a little too lengthy but on listening this is far
from the case as it’s bewitching and captivating with the seven minutes passing
much quicker than you’d think. Their use of synths throughout is an excellent
addition to their sound and accompanies the music very well. At times I found
their sound to be slightly reminiscent of Cemetery Fog, being a massive fan of
Cemetery Fog this should be seen as a compliment of Ithaqua’s music. Demos are
there to whet the appetite and for me this is definitely the case as it’s a
very promising taster that’s left me wanting to see how this band develops and progresses.
7/10
Isabrut
– Isabrut
Isabrut
come from Squamish, a community located within Canada’s British Columbia and as
with the other bands featured in this review there’s very little information
available about them online, such is their newness to the fold. Their
self-titled demo includes four tracks spanning eighteen minutes and features
some very memorable, catchy riffage. Isabrut don’t arse about and launch straight
into Omen at a fast and heavy pace reminiscent of death metal before dropping
to a steadier pace just past the minute mark when the riffs dropped are
absolute quality and bear a passing resemblance to an early (still hungry)
Sepultura. This demo is an effective blend of death and thrash metal.
As my
press release stated this sort of music is “timeless and trend-free” and I tend
to agree with this. There’s a twist of South American barbarity within this
music that sets it head and shoulders above many current thrash/death bands –
like I said, if you like early Sepultura (who doesn’t?) you’ll absolutely love
this - the riffs are both catchy and heavy – your head may never nod again if
it doesn’t do so to this! On first listen this is the catchiest of the three
demos – though the others are growers and appeal in similar measure after a few
listens.
8.5/10
Three
very different demo recordings, three very different musical styles –
nonetheless these are three essential listens that will all be available by the
end of February. If you’re after something new and fresh I suggest you get all
three. Excellent music once again from Iron Bonehead Productions.
Reviews by Trevor Proctor. All three tapes are available now from Iron Bonehead Productions.
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