Metal Bands-you-might-have-missed-camp 2017

By Calen Henry. Things you might have missed. I'll be honest, I only checked out Dumblegore because of the band name, among the best of 2017. It turns out, though, that they totally rule, though they don't sing about Harry Potter.

By Calen Henry.

Things you might have missed.


I'll be honest, I only checked out Dumblegore because of the band name, among the best of 2017. It turns out, though, that they totally rule, though they don't sing about Harry Potter.

Dumblegore play "Spooky Metal" the stuff drenched in B-movie horror tropes, but their spin on it is unique. They marry fuzzed out stoner doom, spooky organ, and a kind of "laid-back Mantar" vocal approach with punk rock attitude (and often song structure). It's a little bit black metal, a little bit stoner rock, a little bit punk and a whole lot of fun. The master is decent too, a respectable DR 8.

Come for the silly name stay 'cause they rock.

Vaivatar are Finnish. That seems to be the only information available about the band which is always a great sign!

They play a strange mix of symphonic but raw black metal. It's extremely busy, but extremely melodic with very inorganic sounding synths. It gives them a sound like Havukruunu meets Master Boot Record by way of Castlevania. The guitar distortion and the synths are eerily similar so it can be hard to tell which is which adding another outré layer to the music

It's epic, but mysterious, dense but soaring, and Pay What You want, also a nice master at DR 8.

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Cover art by Bring.

I LOVE Angel Sword but feel like I'm mostly alone in my love of their mix of Motorhead vocals and sloppy Iron Maiden instrumentals, but I don't care. They rule! Their 2016 release Rebels Beyond the Pale is still in heavy rotation for me, and though this is only an EP more Angel Sword is more Angel Sword.

I initially checked them out because of their so bad it's amazing album covers, and wrote them off as inept traditional metal due to some odd chord structures and vocals but I was missing out. Underneath the intentional roughness of their presentation are fantastic songs. They keep it classic; nothing is lighting speed, lots of the songs are in major keys, and many are even about heavy metal. But it's all so well done, just sloppy enough to seem totally genuine but get across the wicked riffs, choruses, and gang vocals.

Things I missed, but apparently no one else did.

Cover art by Paolo Girardi.

2013's Manifest Decimation didn't click with me so I glossed over Nightmare Logic until it was all over year end lists, metal and otherwise. Boy, was I missing out. Power Trip play reverb drenched throwback thrash with pop sensibilities. Every riff and every chorus is so catchy. It's one of 2017's most fun and most relevant releases. While a lot of metal concerns itself with how everything is terrible, Power Trip implore us to get out and do something about it. Thankfully since the album's release many have!

Unfortunately the album's production, reverb drenched though it is, isn't a total throwback. It's mastered incredibly loudly and clips almost as hard as it rips. Musically, though, it's a total win.

Track o' the Year


Not metal, but The Deep is the best single track of the year. Commissioned for the podcast This American Life, it's an homage to Detroit electronic artist Drexciya, extending their mythos wherein the children of pregnant African women thrown overboard from slave ships were born and adapted to life underwater.

It's a microcosm of what made Splendor & Misery so compelling; fascinating concept, exquisite execution, and great production. The production matches the watery theme with beats and accents that sound "bubbly"

In The Deep the water-dwellers go from peaceful existence to climate change worry to full-on war with the "two-legs" from the surface. The track is divided into movements as the situation escalates. It starts of slow and laid back but each revelation towards confrontation and eradication of the two-legs increases the pace of the music and lyrics and adds more layers to the beat.

Though I love Splendor & Misery, it was criticized by some for its lack of immediacy, essentially required a full listen through to properly experience it. The Deep is the answer to that. Five minutes for one of the best, and most immediate "concept albums" of 2017

Graves - Fides Ad Nauseam

By Craig Hayes. There’s a great review of Abandon All Life, the 2013 album from Californian powerviolence crew Nails, that’s always stuck in my mind. Chiefly because the author noted that in order to really capture Abandon All Life’s high-speed hostilities

By Craig Hayes.

Over at his blog Six Noises Craig is celebrating New Zealand Music Month, "New Zealand’s annual celebration of homegrown music". He writes "Generally, that involves a lot of mainstream media highlighting a lot of mainstream acts. So I’m here to try and redress the balance a bit. I’ll be posting a link to some rowdy New Zealand music for you to check out every day over the next month. Some bands will no doubt be familiar; others I hope will be fresh to your ears." Here's his take on Grave's new album, which he wrote before the celebration began.

Artwork by Keiran D Sipes

There’s a great review of Abandon All Life, the 2013 album from Californian powerviolence crew Nails, that’s always stuck in my mind. Chiefly because the author noted that in order to really capture Abandon All Life’s high-speed hostilities, their review should have: been one paragraph long, been written in ALL CAPS, and ended by telling you to go fuck yourself.

Obviously, if you've heard the kind of vicious and undeniably malicious noise that Nails make, then you’ll know that statement is essentially 100% accurate. However, that very same sentiment also happens to be an exceedingly good fit for Fides Ad Nauseam, the latest release from Auckland, New Zealand, band Graves.

Fides Ad Nauseam is an unquestionably ferocious and belligerent album too. And its contents are also delivered at hurricane speed by an extremely hostile sounding band. More to the point, Fides Ad Nauseam is loaded with fuck you firepower. With Graves’ incensed musical barrages bringing the kind of breakneck pandemonium that’s unleashed when hardcore’s hammer is used to bludgeon the darkest punk and metal into shape on vitriolic songs.

Graves’ metallic hardcore is raw and abrasive, and there’s a lot to enjoy if you’re a fan of Boston throat-tattooed crews, the savage racket of pulverisers like Mammoth grinder, or bands like Baptists, Hierophant, Dead in the Dirt, or Full of Hell. Similarly, Graves’ music is very much in the crossover vein. With everything played at a white-knuckled pace, and stacked with the kinds of nosebleed frequencies and enraged tones that’ll provide something for crust, D-beat, hardcore, and metal fans to enjoy.

Graves have released three ear-splitting recordings so far, with their 2012 self-titled debut, their 2014 split with Conniption, and the terse and turbo-speed Fides Ad Nauseam, which is Graves’ best release yet. Just as important as Graves’ sonic stamp on those releases is the imprint of the band’s attitude. Because there’s a strong DIY drive to Graves, along with a hefty chunk of confrontational clout too. So, you can expect zero concessions, or any hooks thrown in for your comfort.

Certainly, Fides Ad Nauseam starts off at 100mph, and never steps off the gas, no matter how bone-breaking the terrain. It’s all a crashing and gnashing deluge, with high-speed grinding guitars, and nine-tracks spat out in 12 brain-battering minutes.

Admittedly, given the primal punk and metal fusillades found on Fides Ad Nauseam, it might even seem somewhat counterproductive to think of breaking Graves’ methodology down to specifics. I mean, dissecting Fides Ad Nauseam clearly amplifies Graves’ best attributes. But then, the kind of assaultive noise that Graves dishes out is set on pummelling the listener into submission, not opening itself up for any in-depth analysis.

Graves deal in gut-felt hardcore and metal on Fides Ad Nauseam. The kind of brutal wall of noise that instinctively sends the blood pressure skyrocketing. So, sure, it’s right to praise the nuance. And yes, the skill it takes to play as hard, fast, and tight as Graves do should be acknowledged too. But, really, Graves aren't out to impress us at all. They’re here to impress upon us that there’s a very ugly world lurking right outside your door.

Graves go about dispensing that news in an exceedingly punishing manner on Fides Ad Nauseam. Leaving no room for sympathy, and little room to breathe with highly pressurized songs. With single word song titles such as “Hatred”, “Choke”, “Scorn” and “Vermin”, there’s little doubt about Graves’ thematic gamut either. It’s all punk rock’s wrath, delivered with a heavy dose of metal’s spitefulness. And it’s exactly the same mix of shock and awe on Graves’ other releases too.

There’s a musical consistency to all of those releases as well, with all being recorded, mixed and mastered by Tim Shann. And Shann has captured Graves’ visceral bite and bile extremely well on Fides Ad Nauseam. The album is hot-blooded and frenzied. With vocalist Richie snarling and spitting over guitarist Josh’s meteoric riffs––which switch from fierce hardcore to blackened punk to grindcore to crust, while the dirty distortion buzzes. Throw in drummer Martin’s relentless assault, and bassist Taz’s wallop, and Fides Ad Nauseam’s broadsides become incredibly cathartic, as well as very darkly anthemic. (Also, Fides Ad Nauseam features a couple of ripping covers in “Skitliv”––originally recorded by crust punk heroes Skitsystem––and "A Nation Sleeps", from hardcore legends Dropdead.)

Obviously, you can take your pick where to start with Graves’ three releases. They all feature the same innate and lightening-fast uppercut of metallic hardcore. They all contain abundant punk rock grime and fury. And with half an hour of music released in total so far, it’s not going to take you long to appraise Graves’ three blistering releases either.

Still, I’d recommend starting with Fides Ad Nauseam. It’s Graves’ most volatile release yet. It’s certainly an adrenaline-fuelled salvo from start to finish. And it just boils with seething intensity, and incandescent energy.

Indonesian 'ardcore.

Written by Craig Hayes.

Indonesia has a thriving set of metal, punk and crossover communities spread across the nation’s many islands. Pick any band from any heavy and thunderous genre, and you're guaranteed to find an Indonesian band to meet your needs, and even the country’s brand new president is an avowed metal fan.

However, as vibrant and varied as Indonesia’s heavy music scenes are, there are still religious, political and social tensions that can make life difficult for those who create and support metal and punk at home. Fans and musicians who are willing to speak out about contentious issues can run into serious trouble. For example, in 2011, in a well-documented case, 65 punk rockers were detained in re-education camps in Indonesia's Aceh province because their behaviour, attire, and attitudes didn’t meet the region's strict moral code.

Of course, Indonesia has a diverse and dynamic society, and it shouldn't be defined that act of oppression. However, there is a lot of metallic punk being produced throughout the country that’s fuelled by a palpable sense of anger and frustration with Indonesia’s social struggles and political issues. I’m far from an expert on the metallic punk being made in the country, but I have stumbled upon a lot of great bands from Indonesia on Bandcamp lately. So, here’s a few furious outfits from the nation’s crossover metal/punk scenes that are well worth checking out.


Theist reside in that pool of Indonesian musicians drawing from the legacy of punk legends like Discharge and Amebix. However, the Bandung-based band also throws plenty of sludge, thrash, and even a dash of atmospheric black metal into their self-titled debut EP as well. Theist sound massive and mean here. The band’s crust-metal onslaughts hurtle along with plenty of fast and ferocious flavour, but Theist isn't afraid to slow things down on occasion for some slower grinding and gnashing on their tracks too.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Artwork by JoHart

Four-piece Ancaman crash and smash through ten-tracks of grindcore on their debut full-length, Aggressor Insidor. Indebted to bands like Napalm Death, Nasum, and Rotten Sound, none of Aggressor Insidor’s tracks hang around for very long, but all of them bring plenty of spit, spite, and snot-nosed defiance. Crude, and with the middle-finger raised throughout, Aggressor Insidor is a great example of resistance and passion threaded through raw sound.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

A lot of Indonesian punk and metal rests in the realm of the raw – with recordings bashed out in a DIY saw-toothed fashion. Wicked Suffer's early works are certainly rough and ready, but the band’s latest EP, Nihilist, was mixed and mastered at Dead Air Studios in Amherst, Massachusetts, and features a thicker and heavier sound from the band. Nihilist is caustic and bloody, and Wicked Suffer’s blend of steel-edged hardcore and powerviolence is firmly focused on a destructive course. Tracks like “Despair”, “Gloom”, and “Bleak” are black holes of wretchedness and rage. And everything on Nihilist is delivered in rapid-fire bursts, making for 10 minutes of vitriol wrapped in electrifying abrasiveness.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Warthole deal in crossover thrashing punk, with a healthy shot of grindcore injected into the brew. Codes and Keys is the band’s debut EP, and it’s a corrosive blast from start to finish. All the tracks on the EP are brief squalls, some more composed than others, but all end up being a lot of fist-pumping fun. Fans of Toxic Holocaust and kin will likely enjoy Codes and Keys’ wonderfully unpolished punch.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

I’m predisposed to liking Avhath simply because they describe themselves as the, “filthiest motherfuckers from the Rue Morgues”. The band’s tracks on their split with hardcore act Haul certainly make for some very grubby and tasty blackened crust and d-beat. Clocking in at around two-minutes each, “Per Aspera Ad Astra” and “Raised by Wolves” are fiery eruptions heavy on distortion that follow Darkthrone’s forays into crustier locales. Avhath's previous Bandcamp releases, the “Une Génération Perdue”and “Catch 22!” singles, are comprised of much of the same mix of old school black metal meets unsanitary hardcore too.

Note: Haul's songs are included with the download. You can stream them here

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Cloudburst, Disfare, and Warmouth all released extremely promising two song demos on Bandcamp this year. Cloudburst bring tar-thick metallic crust and hardcore (think something akin to Tragedy or Wolfbrigade bathed in acid) on the two fantastic tracks found on their demo. Disfare and Warmouth take a more grindcore influenced route, with a swarm of dissonant noise swirling around their tracks. All bands are well worth keeping an eye on for any future recordings.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Hellbastard - Sons of Bitches

By Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published here by Exclaim.


UK scene veterans Hellbastard have been active since 1984 and are considered hugely formative to both the crust punk and thrash genres. After disbanding in 1992, they reformed in 2008, and have maintained a prolific output ever since. Their latest EP, Sons of Bitches, is a particularly nasty offering, displaying a profound disgust for the state of the world and actively looking forward to an embattled post-apocalyptic future. Featuring four new tracks, as well as a re-recording of 1988 track "We Had Evidence," the EP is a guttural, uncompromising record that revels in its filth.

Hellbastard 2009. Photos by Carmelo Española

"Throw the Petrol Bomb" has a distinctly ska influence, while the rest have a thicker, less nimble and dirtier approach. Three of the tracks ("System Whore," "Arcadia" and "Sons of Bitches") also appeared on their recent split with Dresden, so if you have already acquired that album, Sons of Bitches is a repetitive release. Aside from this potential catalogue overlap, Sons of Bitches is a strong and substantial EP that continues to demonstrate that Hellbastard reformed because they had more to say.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Mastic Scum - C T R L

Written by Kevin Page.

Artwork by IsisDesignStudio

If you are from Long Island, NY, you probably have a smile on your face right now.  Alas, we are not talking about people who live out east, but instead a band from Austria.  Mastic Scum have been around since 1992 and CTRL (their 5th full length album released in December 2013 via Massacre Records) is my initial introduction to them (better late than never, right?).

Musically this sits somewhere between Fear Factory's Soul of a New Machine and Demanufacture, with a dash of grindyness and some Ministry overtones. The album is chock full of machine gun riffs with a guitar tone that is far less sterile than you would expect from this type of music. Make no mistake, it still has that cold dystopian vibe, yet enough warmth underneath to help convey its heaviness. Vocally its the full on death metal tilt (none of that clean singing rubbish). I knew I had heard this voice (grunt, growl, choose your own adjective) before and upon further inspection, its none other than Maggo Wenzel of Tristwood fame (shame on you for not knowing who that is, which will be like 99.986% of you).

Standout tracks include "Rebornation" & "The Vortex Within" (which will make you want to scream "I GOT NO MORE GODDAMN REGRETS/RESPECT" during its final 30 seconds).

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Iron Reagan - Worse than Dead

By Dave Schalek. The members of the various bands from in and around Richmond, Virginia are increasingly prolific. For example, the increasingly popular acts Municipal Waste and Cannabis Corpse are obviously not enough in the way of projects for some of these guys

By Dave Schalek.

Cover art by Brent Eyestone

The members of the various bands from in and around Richmond, Virginia are increasingly prolific. For example, the increasingly popular acts Municipal Waste and Cannabis Corpse are obviously not enough in the way of projects for some of these guys as political crossover becomes the focus with yet another side project, Iron Reagan. Landphil Hall and Tony Foresta of Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, etc., are only the most visible members of Iron Reagan as others from their circle of friends from various area bands come together to crank out some politically tinged crossover straight out of the 1980s.

Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Although labeled as a side project, Iron Reagan, to be blunt, have something that both Municipal Waste and Cannabis Corpse lack; that is, a sense of seriousness. Musically, Iron Reagan come across as a rather thick version of early D.R.I. or even Attitude Adjustment with shouted vocals, a quick pace, frenetic riffing, and dynamic bass work. The chops are thick and the riffs are given a meaty weight courtesy of a modern production; but, Hall, Foresta, and their cohorts know their way around the old school crossover genre as Worse than Dead has a vibe that seems to be lifted straight off of Dealing with It!.

Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

The seriousness comes in the form of Iron Reagan’s satirical attack on the legacy of Ronald Reagan, the icon of America’s loudmouthed and irrational political right wing. Today, we have to deal with the absurdities that were born in the 1970s and 80s, absurdities such as trickle down economics, the culture war, and the ever increasing intrusion of christianity into the public sphere. These absurdities are only given credence by a right wing media machine that is increasingly screaming louder and louder into its own echo chamber. Iron Reagan attack this echo chamber and the lack of critical thinking displayed by its audience with a decidedly more serious eye that Cannabis Corpse or Municipal Waste ever could. Both Cannabis Corpse and Municipal Waste are fun bands to listen to, but, let’s face it, there’s nothing serious about cheeky pot references in death metal, or partying hard while listening to thrash metal.

Photo © John Mourlas. All rights reserved.

Truth be told, there’s nothing really overt about Iron Reagan’s political message except for the cover art, the song titles, and the iconography as most of the lyrics deal with thinking for yourself and applying a critical eye towards the media and political messages. But, I found Worse than Dead to be a bit of fresh air as this type of crossover, and well done crossover to boot, is rather rare nowadays.