Zombiefication - Procession Through Infestation

Written by Justin C.


At the end of the summer, the latest album from Mexico's Zombiefication, Procession Through Infestation, quietly snuck out into the world. The release date wobbled around a bit, and I didn't see much of a publicity push either, which is a shame, because the band consistently puts out some of the best death metal around. Zombiefication's primary members are Arturo Vargas on vocals and and Jacobo Córdova on bass and guitars (credited as Mr. Hitchcock and Mr. Jacko, respectively). Córdova was recently lauded in these very pages for his participation in Majestic Downfall, and his work there is indicative of the quality of music you can expect from Zombiefication.

At the time of this writing, there are only two tracks available for streaming on Bandcamp--"Procession" and "Infestation"--but they're fairly representative of the album as a whole. If you dig what's playing there, I can't imagine you not liking this album. In fact, I can't imagine anyone not liking this album, period. Zombiefication does a lot of things well, but there are a few things that stick out to me in particular. The vocals, for one, show a fantastic variety. There are plenty of the de rigueur low gutturals, but Vargas isn't afraid to let his voice lift up into a higher, positively unhinged sounding howl. Added to that, Cordova is a fantastic guitar player and riff writer. It's nearly impossible not to have your brain infected by the doomy main riff in "Crossing the Rite" or not pound on your car's steering wheel along with the thrashier riff in "Infestation." They're heavy as all get out, sure, but they're also melodic and memorable.

The cherry on top of all this is how they structure their songs. Sometimes you're just in a mood for an unbroken WALL OF BR00TAL, but Zombiefication knows how to break up their sound. Don't worry, there are no 7-minute ambient tracks here or pointless spoken word interruptions--the relief comes in change ups in tempo and texture inside the songs themselves, like the quieter arpeggiated riffs that show up at the midpoint of "Infestation." During a particularly long and painful commute, I listened to this album almost three times through without a break, and I never got tired of it.

If you're nervous about only hearing two songs, I can understand that, but this is the sleeper death metal hit of 2014, and more people should be listening to it.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Horse Latitudes - Awakening

Review by Aaron Sullivan.


Who needs guitars? Apparently Finlands Horse Latitudes don’t. With two bass guitars this band unleashes the DOOM. Slow, heavy, ritualistic, emotional DOOM.

At first the two bass thing sounds like a gimmick. But these guys make it work for them. Since speed and solos are not what they are looking to do. The almighty riff is what is important. Which is pulled off greatly with two bass guitars. But they don’t simply play the same thing all the time. There are subtle things that each player does to separate themselves that can be heard. Vocals are like tortured moans of man expressing pain. Now a days this is achieved with guttural or Black Metal style vocals. So the fact they achieve this with a clear, understandable vocals style is different and welcomed. Oh, and the drummer is the singer incase this band wasn’t already shaking things up enough for you. The songs give a feeling of ritualism. Slow and brooding, reminding one of Reverend Bizarre at times. The image of two bass players on either side of a drum kit. As if they are standing guard to the altar of some underground ritual presided over by a dark figure giving out his instructions. Or at least that is what I see when I hear this album.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Note: You can stream the entire Horse Latitudes discography at their own Bandcamp page, and download much of it for free.

Wölfhead - Wölfhead

Guest review by Utmu.

Cover art by Andrei Bouzikov

Wölfhead, hailing from Spain and formed in 2008, shares members with Graveyard, Between the Frost, and Silence Equals Death. They combine elements from genres far and wide, as Javi, the guitarist puts it “It lies somewhere rock n’roll, heavy-metal, stoner, doom, grunge, black-metal, whatever!”. Although not all the songs carry these styles together, they are all present on the record and the doom/stoner vibe is there throughout most of the opus. Additionally the band also carries Viking-based themes in a couple of their songs, which, in my experience is different for a doom/stoner outfit.

The first track, Journey by the Shaman’s Hand is pretty mellow, made mellower by the vocalist’s use of a style that doesn’t sound unlike something a grunge band would make use of. This tactic on the singer’s part creates a great atmosphere – the drums play their part well keeping a steady, almost tribal beat throughout, and the guitarists lay down some super heavy riffs. Also of note is the use of sound clips throughout the album, including at the beginning of the next song, Cul de Sac. This is actually one of my favorite songs off the album; it sounds a lot like something Motörhead would make, with the aforementioned sound clips and barking vocals in the chorus exclaiming “CUL DE SAC!” The transition from the first song to this track allows the vocalist to show his diversity, going from the grunge style from the first song to this gruff style interspersed with the barking chorus.

The rest of the songs are great as well, but since this band offers up such a plethora of sounds, the listener probably isn’t going to know exactly what’s coming up with the next song, which is one of the reasons why I’m not doing a whole track-by-track for the entire album, I don’t want to spoil the great surprises that await you. This one comes HIGHLY recommended.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]