The Vomiting Dinosaurs - Worship the Porcelain God

By Matt Hinch. Now just hold on. Yes, a name like The Vomiting Dinosaurs does sound laughable, and at first I was thinking “Really?” That coupled with the cover art (the toilet from the last metal show you went to in an apocalyptic garbage heap)

By Matt Hinch.

Artwork by Gruesome Graphics

Now just hold on. Yes, a name like The Vomiting Dinosaurs does sound laughable, and at first I was thinking “Really?” That coupled with the cover art (the toilet from the last metal show you went to in an apocalyptic garbage heap) and most people would be likely to dismiss it outright. But since it came from the Grimoire Records camp I gave it a shot. And wow! Worship the Porcelain God is actually pretty good!

The Virginian trio put together a very Reign in Blood-like 28 minutes of seriously amped thrash, death and grind. Depending on the track and the angle you look at it from, Worship the Porcelain God can feel like any one of those genres, or all of them at once.

The vocals fall into two camps, black metallic and deathly growl (sort of like a vomiting dinosaur). Both quite well done. Except maybe the 30 second track tacked on called “Cat Slug”. It's just the vocalist(?) sounding like a slug coughing up a hairball. Kinda gross, definitely unnecessary but at least it's at the end. But in case you hadn't guessed already this isn't exactly a serious band.

They are serious about kickin' ass though. Crunchy, grinding guitars rip and slash through high-velocity thrashiness and grind-fueled madness. There's even a bit of a crossover feel.

It's not all speed though. Groovier, chugging riffs have their place too. Perhaps it's just where my mind/ears/eyes have been this weekend but The Vomiting Dinosaurs sort of recall the speed of Rigor Mortis, or the menacing blackened thrash of Blood Tsunami. Thrash weekend.

If you can relax a little, shake off that seriousness and give The Vomiting Dinosaurs a chance. You'll be rewarded with a concise blast of grinding death/thrash full of energy and ripping rhythms and riffs. And songs like “ChristianMingle.kill”, “Crypt Kegger” and “Speed Metal Hunks”. Keeping the majority of the 12 tracks under the three minute mark squeezes out the need for solos though. There's the grind for ya.

Grab some buds, some brews, vomit like dinosaurs and Worship the Porcelain God!

Sacral Rage - Illusions in Infinite Void

By Andy Osborn. Those fucking Greeks just don't quit. A few months after my Hellenic Darkness post there's already been enough blackened material from their country to warrant a new one just for Q1 2015. But it’s time for a break

By Andy Osborn.

Artwork by Matthias Frisk

Those fucking Greeks just don't quit. A few months after my Hellenic Darkness post there's already been enough blackened material from their country to warrant a new one just for Q1 2015. But it’s time for a break from all that death and destruction to focus on one of the more energetic and downright fun new acts from the Balkan peninsula.

The Fenriz approved quartet Sacral Rage explode out of the gate with their debut full-length, Illusions in Infinite Void. The amount of tasty, fist-pumping riffs just in the first two minutes of “El Cima Del Mar” is greater than even the best classic albums of yesteryear. Nodding heavily towards American scenes both new and old, they have more than a few obvious influences ranging from Vektor to Jag Panzer. They channel their heroes into a relentless attack that’s equal parts thrashy, proggy, and classically ripping, all laid on a supremely thick speed metal foundation.

And this neverending musical hunger are just a small part of what make Sacral Rage great, because this isn't just a barrage of killer riffs thrown at the wall to see what sticks. Everything has its place and the band executes their ideas with deadly precision. To see a young band with such a knack for songwriting is refreshing and impossibly impressive. No track overstays its welcome and there's a constant flow between rewarding predictability and unexpected surprises. The thought they put into their instrumental breaks and intros - see "A Tyrannous Revolt" - shows they know how to hold a listener's attention; so much music in this style relies too much on the vocals and lyrics to distract from the lack of fundamentals.



With that said, holy shit the vocals. Lead singer Dimitris K is bound for greatness after his performance here. His flawless pipes range from gnarly thrash maniac to a high end that gives the mighty King Diamond a run for his money. And like the music, he knows the exact right time to use each one without ever going overboard. He’s the perfect leader for this insatiable group of musicians, and it’s just what the band needs to go from damn impressive to world-conquering.

Easily one of the better debut full-lengths that 2015 will see, Illusions in Infinite Void is a near perfect metal record. Sacral Rage wear their influences on their sleeves but include enough of their own personality and unique flourishes to make it forward-thinking and fresh. It’s neither overindulgent nor predictable, but hits the right middle ground between the two. This thoroughly modern and unique take on genre norms proves that not only is speed metal alive and well, there’s still plenty of room for a new generation to grab the torch and run with it.

Throes - Disassoctation

By Kevin Page. This Bristol/Birmingham, England band got it's start in 2011, but were forced to disband. They have now reformed as a two piece and featuring A.C. handling all instrumental and musical writing duties, bring us their debut album, Disassociation.

By Kevin Page.


This Bristol/Birmingham, England band got it's start in 2011, but were forced to disband. They have now reformed as a two piece and featuring A.C. handling all instrumental and musical writing duties, bring us their debut album, Disassociation.

"Stay calm, stay calm", a voice tells us, right before the pummeling of the first track kicks in.

If you are familiar with any of A.C.'s past work in Purify the Horror, Theoktony, Towers of Flesh, Necrotize, The Solemn Curse or Binah (yeah, the guy likes to play in a lot of bands), you'll immediately recognize his signature drum sound. But what separates this album from anything else he has done is the unique approach to death metal. Infused with slight touches of industrial and electronic music, this gives it just enough of a twist to stand out from the sea of endless releases you'll encounter. Yet by no means do these elements detract from it essentially being a death metal album through and through. The vocals are harsh, dripping with catharsis and burning with anger. DG (also of Fever Sea) wrote the lyrics that deal with the broad spectrum of human emotions: death, fear, anger, paranoia, absolution, and detachment. These feelings are also reinforced in the sound clips used throughout. They are all from real people, expressing real feelings. No horror movie quotes or war cannons here.

Overall, I like the sound of everything on this album. The timing of the hooks are perfect. The machine gun drums, the crash of the cymbals, to that slight industrial tone of the guitar. The electronics are just enough to give you a taste without getting in the way or negating any of its viciousness. I can't say there's any one specific thing that is overly original, but the way it's combined adds up to something much greater than its respective parts. This is one of those releases I can easily see slipping under a lot of people's radars, but let's hope that's not the case.

Favorite track: "Nacroanalysis".