Isnt this supposed to be a good time of year for releases? Hmmm well, there are SOME things.
Welcome, oh ye Wizards of Gore.CANNIBAL CORPSE are back at it with A Skeletal Domain. And whats to be said about the 12threlease by a forerunner in the genre of death metal? Well, if youre not familiar with Cannibals work, then SHAME SHAME; so, like, go check it out. When a band has a catalog like this, and there are few stinkers, its hard to get excited about a new release. This is no exception. This is a Cannibal Corpse to a T: almost (not quite) paint-by-numbers Corpse. There are gut punches, nasty riffs, blasts, guttural vocals, gore, breakdowns: all of that is there for sure. Even though this isnt their shining moment, this is an above par release. ”Asphyxiate to Resuscitate” has a general “Butchered at Birth” feel, and “Kill or Become” has an almost sing-along part to it. All of that said, theyve definitely perfected their craft, and A Skeletal Domain showcases that precisely. Its just this birdbrain’s opinion that this comes across as a little formulaic. They have taken risks before, and it would certainly be preferred if there were more risks taken on this one. This is not a bad release, but not a stellar one either. Maybe this will grow on me; hey, stranger things have happened. 6 Fucking Pecks.
You got some metal in my punk! No, you got some punk in my metal! Crossover heroesIRON REAGANrelease The Tyranny of Will on Relapse. First of all, the cover rules, and this type of stuff gets me circle-pitting in my cage. You know, counterclockwise, the way REAL parrots do it. Anyway, this is a punk/thrash/metal amalgam thats super fun and super catchy, and has you headbanging and swilling on a shitty beer in no time. To list the members of this band (you have Google, right?) would almost be a travesty, as Iron Reagan can stand on their own legs. This is just great crossover punk metal fun. Lets say it all together: FOUR MORE YEARS. 7 Fucking Pecks.
UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN KULTEN hit us with Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath. (Can you tell I get paid by the word?) This is CLEARLY Lovecraft worship, which is why I decided to give this a feather shake. Im actually more thrilled with this than I thought I would be. I figured this would be black metal played by some artistes, but its not. Its actually brutal death metal. Knock me over with a feather (he he he). This is the kind of old-school death that your boy Waldo really enjoys. Harkening back to the days of early Incantation mixed with old Pestilence, and throw in a little Suffo for good measure. The production here doesnt thrill me, but its not bad, and fans of this sound will like this. So, like Chilean old-school death, Im in. 6 Fucking Pecks.
