Hell’s Domain – Self Titled











RingMaster 24/09/2013


Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright




Aeris – Temple

Aeris pic

     Temple is an imaginist’s playground, an album which allows the listener’s instinctive mental adventure to cast its own potent narratives within unique expansive journeys. Sculpted and presented by French progressive metallers Aeris, the seven tracks/movements within three chapters is a magnetic and enthralling landscape, each piece of music a guide and suggestive lure through absorbing and melodically hued textures and sonic scenery.

The quartet from Nantes create a presence which has essences which remind of bands such as Pelican, Sunn 0))), and Red Wave whispering strongly at times in their sound but only as flavours to something distinct and vocal to Aeris. Consisting of guitarists Manuel Adnot (Sidony Box , Detruire Tous Les Humains, Thinking Noise, Swim, 1Band4A Crew) and Louis Godart, bassist Emerson Paris, and drummer Boris Louvet, the band creates and explores more in the less than a half hour in length release than a great many bands achieve in epically lengthy propositions. It is the precise and imaginative touch of each note which provides an incisive frame and canvas for the aural tale of sound and the listener’s own invention to unfold and colour the encounters.  Nothing is forced or laboured and at no point is a second or moment left without rich evocative colour and persuasion working their temptation, the result a masterfully crafted experience and a riveting fire of melodic expression.

Released via Ex-Tension Records, Temple opens with the first part of the opening venture Flame. Entitled Fire Theme, the track is an 968792_10151791686264840_1977370947_nimmediate forceful burn on the senses, a rhythmic inducement crisp and almost antagonistic within the sabre swipes of sonic passion and twisting melodic spires. It is almost Meshuggah like in its entrance soon expanding into a web of intense and acidic melodic guitar stalked by the excellent bass which develops a more carnivorous breath deeper into the piece, its menace a disturbing shadow and danger to the cauldron of heat and energy. The midway flight into calmer if no less intimidating skies offers some sense of safety, once more the guitars painting an enchanting yet caustic atmosphere which leaves thoughts entangled in a scorched world of hopeful yet seemingly destructive fantasy. Moving into its second movement Hidden Sun, the track immerses in a haze of sonic lava, melodic fumes shimmering off of the guitars with an acidic rub to their touch. More dangerous than its predecessor the travel through its corrosive terrain is daunting and toxic, the doom clad ambience and guitar descript within a sludgy rhythmic cage of lumbering intensity verging on suffocation, that is until Rising Light evolves from the perilous stance with feisty sinews and a raging melodic blaze which guides the listener to slightly safer if no less hungry climes.

The second section of the album Richard-Horizon-Robot starts with Richard and immediately the adventure is distinctly different and separate from the previous episode. Vibrantly lighter but equally as creative and exploratory, the track finds the guitars reaping jazz seeds for their slightly schizophrenic intent, riffs and bass casting a dark shadow around the incendiary and frenetic sonic maze of sound and ingenuity. All together they forge a union which plays visions like an eccentric dance through an intriguing neurotic tempest. The emerging Horizon tenderly kisses the ear, keys a seduction which calms the senses and lay imagination within a warm celestial embrace. Like a blossoming flower, the song slowly stretches its lures and elegance across its emotive beauty, gently holding the hand of thoughts as it moves into Robot. Initially like an epilogue to both previous parts, the piece is soon creating its own unique waltz, melodies and the increasing sinewy textures of the guitars carving out a starker imposing template for the band to stretch and investigate.

Final track and chapter is Captain Blood, another piece of creative excellence which stands with a character unique to what came before and able to forge a new in this case noir drenched adventure for the listener to immerse within. There is a sixties progressive bait to its opening stormy gambit, moving into another caress of calm and crystalline enchantment before exploding into a tempestuous but mesmeric fire of soaring invention and melodic chaos all honed into sonic majesty.

Temple is an outstanding album with only one issue preventing it being a classic and that is the production on the drums which to us sound flat and unflattering to the obvious talents of Louvet. Despite that with the at times extraordinary skill and invention of the guitarists and the dark transfixing presence of the bass, the album is a delicious exploit. Aeris create realms and premises it is a pleasure to explore and lose oneself within.




RingMaster 24/09/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright



Necromessiah – The Last Hope Of Humanity


Smothering the senses in the caustic excrement of hostility and a ravenous malevolence of blasphemy, The Last Hope Of Humanity the new album from Italian extreme metallers Necromessiah is a ferocious and fearsome confrontation which you only want to devour. It is a violation which emerges as a thoroughly compelling and exhilarating antagonist leaving exhaustion and satisfaction as its lingering toxicity. Raw and uncompromising, and at times a victim to similarity across its malicious venture, the album is a raging torrent of blackened thrash/heavy metal which ultimately only seduces the emotions and thoughts, if in a harsh, destructive, bordering bedlamic way.

Formed in 2002 the band has unleashed their self-acclaimed ‘Heavy-Powered Death & Roll’ in the venomous forms of releases such as first demo In nomine deus quad ecclesias igne absumor, their debut album Instar Gladii in corporem Christ… of 2004, its successor Antiklerical Terroristik Death Squad of 2007, and a split 7″ EP called The Oath Of Bacco Militia with Dewarsteiner. Tours and shows across the UK and Italy have also earned the band a strong reputation which the 2010 released EP Get Ready and the Unleash Disorder EP of last year has cemented further. Signing with Punishment 18 Records for the release of The Last Hope Of Humanity, the trio of vocalist/guitarist NecroManiac, bassist SGT Baal, and drummer Darken are poised to take a leap up the recognition ladder. It is not an album one suspects to break them into the biggest spotlight but one certainly to ignite a new legion of ravenous followers to their malignant creativity.

From the forty five second maelstrom of sonic bestiality and pit borne hellishness that is Opening the Gates the album explodes into NecromessiahCoverview with Returned from Hell, sulphur fumes spiralling off of its grooves within an aggressive cage of rhythmic spite. The vocals are equally as noxious in their guttural squalling and demonically coated appetite, and though they initially take time to acclimatise to are the bearers of the blackest serpentine shadows and depths alongside a thrash seeded fury which is more compelling than fearsome but thoroughly riveting.

Next up Bio Terror Beast snarls with bass rabidity from the very start before the guitars and drums stomp all over the senses with premeditated savagery and organic virulence, their bait breeding a tighter grip on attention and hunger than its predecessor sparked. The merciless clawing of riffs and the rhythmic barrage give no peace or mercy to the listener whilst the sonic invention of the guitar which explores the ear is a flailing lure which only accelerates the contagion of the song. There is a swagger and groove to the track which equally steers its temptation, a lure that is equally apparent in different infectious guises on other tracks such as the following Pedo Priest, the track a caustic thrash steeled predation which scars and bruises whilst simultaneously chewing rabidly upon the senses. As mentioned without close attention there is a general similar scourge across the songs, this track an open example but beneath there is an insidious invention working away to almost secretively enslave the imagination and appetite of its recipient.

The likes of the vigorously envenomed Dead or Alive and the sonically baneful pestilence that is Kill the Pope taunt and ravage the senses with brutality and injurious adventure to continue the strong presence of the album but they and all before are soon left in the shadow of the two biggest pinnacles of the album. Arm Your Machine Gun is a malignant contagious march on the senses with a hoard like attack of riffs and rhythmic punctuation to rival its animosity and enterprising barbarity. Vocals and guitars combine to form a sadistic frontal attack which leads to greater hunger and pleasure as they prepare the bloodied ground for the appearance of the brilliant Don’t Touch My Glass.  A more intensive barbarous growl and sanguinity coats the guitars from its first breath, whilst an already strongly hinted Motorhead essence has a louder wind to its sail across the hostile truculence to ignite real ardour.

Unleash Disorder stands toe to toe with the previous pair providing the album with a more potent and towering second half to its still impressive first, the song another unbridled tempestuous assault of air sucking, bone shuddering rhythmic craft and sonic pugnacity. The brief gladiatorial instrumental Blood Boiler makes a tasty lead into final song Goat’ N’ Roll where all the sonic whores and muscular rhythmic violations swarm and pour from Hell into a discordant yet greedily flavoursome quarrel of an encounter. It makes the an outstanding mountainous close to an equally heady ride of thrash driven, black coated, metal veined heavy rock ‘n’ roll.

With the wares to appeal to fans of Motorhead, Venom, Sodom, and Impaled Nazarene, but truthfully all extreme metal and thrash fans, the album is the next major step in what looks like a certain elevation in stature for Necromessiah. It bites, it destroys, but The Last Hope Of Humanity is an intrusion hard to resist.



RingMaster 24/09/2013


Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
