Released October 31st 2018

Runtime: 35 Minutes, 31 Seconds

Record Label: Released Independently

1. The Bong Of Eternal Stench (6:06) Instrumental
2. Pot Fiend (9:37) Instrumental
3. Doperganger (7:49) Instrumental
4. Roached Earth (11:59) Instrumental

• Hexy Dude (Drums)
• Sheepy Dude (Bass)
• Cheesy Dude (Guitar)
• Alky Dude (Guitar)

Well i must admit this is not a a review i was actually expecting to write up, not that i wasn’t already a fan of the band which i am but because i never saw this album release coming. I only heard about Belzebong’s new album release coming literally a day or two prior to its initial Halloween release (also i cannot think of a better release date than Halloween after April 20th than to release an album titled Light The Dankness, its so cliched its glorious). Then again looking back on the band’s release history it had been over 3 years since their last full length record was dropped so i suppose a new album was due by this point, here Belzebong appeared poised to continue their form of Stoner instrumental metal which is something i only took to pretty recently actually since i only learnt of the band back in about early June. Their first 2 albums are great pieces of Stoner songwriting so i hoped going into this 4 track but still 35 minute album that the band would hopefully reciprocate this.

I want to say straight away that i’m not usually a fan of solely instrumental metal, i’ve found over the years that i like to have some form of vocal input going into the music. That’s completely different with Belzebong however especially considering their stoner metal too, the riffs on this album don’t just play for you but rather they feel like they groove along the songwriting. Because we’re not getting vocals here, the band haven’t needed to worry about inputting them into their songwriting and as a result they can focus far more sharply and intently on producing the best riffs and songwriting they can achieve. There’s this great and underlying quality of sound going through the album where one could almost imagine themselves practically surfing along the metaphorical waves of music the band are generating; the riffs feel so alive and almost play out like contained stories of their own with melodies, choruses and verses as if replacing what the vocals would have implemented. This is absolutely evident in Roached Earth, a track that closes out the album and one that i confidently dub as a bonafide masterpiece of stoner metal instrumentation. What this track does differently to the other three on the album is have this particular sense of weight and gravitas to it, an attitude that is far more mature and mightier than what Belzebong have usually produced in the past. You feel the riff here, you feel the songwriting as it effortlessly engages and entertains you for almost 12 minutes straight.

Like the riffs the general songwriting on the whole possesses a great sense of flow to it. Listening to this album feels like a cool ride to be had as if one could really have fun listening to this record. The overall sound to Light The Dankness is like the band have taken a step back, each lit up a bong and are basking in the psychedelic trips these drugs are giving them. This album sounds precisely like that drug trip where one could almost imagine their surroundings morph and evolve into scenarios that are as warped and colourised as the band’s hallucinations. In that respect, its a very laid back album experience where the band want you to enjoy yourself here but equally wouldn’t wish you to take them too seriously when they are after all writing and playing music about Satan, weed etc.

I have to say with the absence of vocals throughout Belzebong’s material, the drums do a great job at carrying this flow of riffs and songwriting across the record’s duration. The drums that Belzebong utilise frankly are the exact same kind tat you would normally expect to get in ever kind of stoner metal record ever however there is a small quality to be found with the drums here, they’re able to carry that great flow of music with ease and natural ability. The album may never reach speeds that are too fast but there are times where the music does reach the faster tempos and occasions where it slows down somewhat, the drums have been able to accompany for the changes in tempo and the band adapt them to the songwriting accordingly. As a small sidenote i like how the band are continuing to implement the audio samples just as they have done across the res of their previous material. It simply helps to lend some kind of structure to the album so that its not just pure instrumentation. These audio samples act almost as a makeshift narration for the album, as if Belzebong are telling some kind of marginally connected story arc with Light The Dankness. Ripped from old tv shows and movies the samples carry this authentic and vintage sound with them that bolsters the general Stoner vibe the band easily exude.

In conclusion, i want to reiterate that really am not usually a fan of material that is solely instrumental since i do like to have some vocals happening throughout the album. Belzebong have been excelling at being the elephant in the room in that respect by producing records that not only feel great but are written well and sound great too. With an album that may well be their best work yet, Belzebong have crafted a 35 minute album that is easily approachable and equally digestible even if you’re slightly apprehensive about diving into this album. I do recommend that you give it a go because you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by what Belzebong can bring to the table alongside their spiritual brothers Bongripper. I’m happy this album was suddenly sprung upon me as if wanting to be found, a nice album that puts a smile on your face. And that’s even before you picked the bong up.

8.5/10

 

Favourite tracks:

• The Bong Of Eternal Stench
• Roached Earth

Released February 28th 2018

Runtime: 30 Minutes, 46 Seconds

Record Label: Everlasting Spew Records

1. Mood For The Blade (3:45)
2. Enjoyment Of Annihilation (2:31)
3. Deathbeat Deity (3:10)
4. Sanguine Vigil (5:14)
5. Grand Till… You’re Dead! (1:24)
6. Domestic Mastication (3:04)
7. Gorefestation (2:26)
8. Premature Rot (2:29)
9. Unfinished Autopsy (3:38)
10. A Painful End For Curiosity (Necrobosis Cover) (3:05)

• Nico Niemkiko (Drums)
• Aleksi Vahamaki (Guitar/Backing Vocals)
• Vili Makinen (Bass/Lead Vocals)

So its been a while since I’ve had a band and an album so recommended to me following the posts of InfidelAmsterdam who has proven to be a great source of inspiration and bands that i otherwise haven’t heard of before. I can credit his work for helping me discover Sulphur Aeon, Bloodshot Dawn, Burial Invocation as well as a great many more newer bands and albums released this year as posted on his own Instagram. This is yet another example of him doing his great work with Finland’s Galvanizer releasing their debut album Sanguine Vigil much earlier this year; this record interested me upon first viewing owing to both its Finnish origin, nigh on unreadable band logo (which always seems to be a hint as to how extreme a band could be) and short runtime. I was very excited to check this out especially since at the time of listening to it, Sanguine Vigil would become one of the final albums released in 2018 that i would listen to.

The most immediate and noticeable quality that this album gives you right from the opening second is the sheer, unbelievable bass going into its duration. Present from the very beginning and rocking your ears right to the final seconds of Sanguine Vigil, Galvanizer absolutely pound your senses into the earth with a soundscape that does nothing but overwhelm and pulverize any trepidation you may have been harbouring towards this record. It helps to bolster the band’s sound to far greater proportions than it already has, it feels like it fills any remaining space between the riffs and your ears where one could almost describe it as cushioning the riffs; delivering a soft landing where the riffs can still exude their power but do not come off as too massive to be effectively taken in. There’s not a blank spot on this sound to be had, its completely filled in and not to lacklustre effect either.

With the sheer amount of bass to be found on this album the actual guitar riffs themselves feel like they’re being somewhat muffled throughout the album’s duration. However i would say that its a form of muffling that really works to the band’s advantages because unlike some bands who have opted for this cloudier and muddier type of riff delivery, Galvanizer have really excelled at mixing together their riffs and bass work to create this differently crushing sound. You accept that the riffs are the way they have been presented as they have but the guitar work isn’t so dominating as to take away what the rest of the band are offering, the incredible might of album’s bass is something to behold and gives you a different quality to admire as the band unload one immense riff after another. You don’t feel so overburdened by the album’s sound because in a way you actually breathe while it’s playing. As for the actual riffs themselves they still come across with good pronunciation as you are able to pick up their meaty and tone-driven strength, chord playing is well delivered and you can feel the way the band are moving their way along the necks of their guitars.

The vocals with this album took me by surprise as this is one of the few albums where a truly guttural and unintelligible vocal performance would have been more than welcomed as well as expected. With the utterly crushing bass that this record delivers i would have expected Galvanizer to give us such a crushing and devastatingly guttural vocal delivery, instead we get a more typical growling performance that while is still good and suits the music the band play would have loved to have received that kind of guttural and ultra low depths of a vocal demonstration. This is the kind of album where they could have chosen that kind of vocal delivery and it wouldn’t been seen as something extreme but merely something that went hand in hand with the music on display. For the vast majority of this album the drums don’t really venture too far into blast beat territory here. This is really a dual-edged sword because on the good side of things it helps the drums to be much more pronounced both in how their bass drums are performed and the general drum patterns are examined much more closely than simply being mere explosions of aggression, on the other hand i could equally say that the blast beats included are performed really well and the fact that they’re not always going at it creates a far greater impact when they are put on show for us. The blast beats are well controlled too and do not come across as wild and maniacal outbursts but instead as disciplined and conveyed escalations in intensity.

I love how the album ends though, the band could have simply let it end with fiery and bombastic resolve but instead we get something that looks deeper into the band’s capacity for melodic playing. Honestly at the time of originally listening to the album i had no idea this was a Necrobiosis cover, i’d never heard of the song nor the band at the time and so fully believed this was an original song by Galvanizer. Regardless of that, not only is it a nice change from the rampant fury that Galvanizer display up to this final track but it also helps paint a more well-rounded and three-dimensional picture for who Galvanizer are and what they could offer us in the future. I’d be lying if i said i didn’t especially enjoy this final segment of the album because i really did, i’m a sucker for melodic riffs at the best of times so to hear something like this after so much aggression really made me smile at the end of the record. What’s more the band worked to it so that this track actually felt like the end of the album, bringing your experience to a satisfactory close.

In conclusion, this is a rather crushing album and while a lot of modern extreme metal can be described as such Galvanizer approach with such a unique way than many of their other contemporary bands. By utilising a massive Bass-led production the band have been able to get the maximum punch out of the riffs as is sonically possible i feel. The band offer entertaining riffs, strong vocals but overall a satisfying and well rounded album experience that makes listening to it rather rewarding. I’d definitely like to keep track of Galvanizer to see what they do in the future because they’re promising us with good stuff here.

8/10

 

Favourite tracks:

• Deathbeat Deity
• Gorefestation
• A Painful End For Curiosity

Released September 28th 2018

Runtime: 40 Minutes, 2 Seconds

Record Label: Season Of Mist 

1. Prescience (1:18)
2. Soothsayer (4:53)
3. The Idolator (5:12)
4. Golgothan Tongues (6:15)
5. Divine Anhedonia (5:03)
6. Devotion (Blood For Link) (6:25)
7. Threnody (2:19) Instrumental
8. Obulus (8:37)

• Jamie Knox (Drums)
• Alex Kulick (Bass)
• Damian Herring (Guitar/Keyboards/Vocals)
• Matt Know (Guitar/Vocals)

This album release came as a surprise to me since I was not expecting Horrendous to be making a new album for some time yet, maybe not until some point next year perhaps. However my interest in the band has been piquing as of late; i first became away of Horrendous following listening to the song The Stranger off their second record, hearing great things and the song Ozymandias which made me all the more curious and interested to the point now where I decided that the next release would be given a full review to see just what exactly makes Horrendous tick. Over the course of listening to these various songs over the album, I came to a conclusion that Horrendous have never exactly crafted the same album twice without compromising their core sound (unless we count their debut record which i’ve heard is a much more straight up Death Metal release). Therefore Idol is an album i’ve been looking forward to for a while now and shall no doubt take the plunge once more into the deeper crevasses of Horrendous’ discography, regardless of my thoughts on this album.

Its curious how the band do not open the album in any way that could be labelled as bombastic. Prescience is this oddly relaxing and warm introduction to the album as if its greeting an old friend after some time following a transformation because that’s how Soothsayer comes across to us as. With the most realised and competent Death Metal assault the band have yet delivered, with all the technical and progressive elements they’ve been known to incorporate as well, Horrendous do exceedingly well to convey this archaic yet tightly refined riff performance and malleable songwriting that feels like it could genuinely go anywhere. As testament to the band’s unique tendencies for experimentation and intricacies, the opening to The Idolator again features this rather calming and inviting bass tone all the while jazz influenced drum patterns sink you deeper into the track. Its curious that the band really do not wish to establish a typical Death Metal album here but perhaps aspire to craft something more artful and ambitious. Its this track that we get more of an insight into the band’s frame of mind for songwriting as riffs feel like they can be easily interchanged with other riffs on the album. Riffs feel eclectic, fast paced but possessing this genuine flair of competent musicianship; the band’s talent is on clear show here as they rip through one song to the next shredding effortlessly played solos whilst they do so.

But i feel what makes the riffs and solos come off as so satisfying and impressive is how precise they feel. Listen closely to the guitar work on this album, Horrendous do not play with thunderous, primal vigour instead they’re playing with pinpoint accuracy, getting just the right note at the right time in sequence with the drum’s songwriting too. Its a demonstration of how mature this band has evolved as beyond their earliest Death Metal days, each proceeding album release like the recent Anareta are treated with with the greatest sincerity for the band’s respective craft. The band take music seriously, honing their art to a point where they feel they can adequately release it to the public. Its a rare sight to see a band take such intimate care with their music.  But Idol has this bizarre characteristic to be able to almost transport you to the atmosphere where this album may have been conceived. Its during the band’s weirder, more progressive moments that this comes about; its like you consciousness is momentarily ripped out of your body and taken into the album itself where you begin experiencing the oddities of Idol all the more. Its a bizarre feeling but its there and helps the band’s off-centre songwriting feel all the more rooted in reality.

The band deliver quite the surprise (or not so much of a surprise if you understand what the band are going for on this album) with gospel-esque vocals that help break up the track Devotion – Blood For Link before diving us right back into the fray with blistering solos. The guitar work throughout this album is outstanding as you feel the weight and strength of each solo that is played before you. This truly shows that while Horrendous recognise the need for conventional entertainment within Extreme Metal, it really helps to be remembered if your craft shows that time, effort and care has been poured into this album. My favourite tracks off this album are Soothsayer, Golgothan Tongues and Obulus. In conclusion, this may be Horrendous’ most realised album to date. Icon is the record that will be regarded i believe as the band’s finest work to date, a complete mature evolution from their earliest Death Metal days. The band have clearly thrown an awful lot of time, work and effort into this album because a record such as this doesn’t just come out of the writing or recording processes overnight. What really sells this album though is how natural the progressive elements feel to this record, Idol doesn’t feel like its been written to solely accommodate the band’s progressive nature, but rather the progressive aspects have been incorporated directly into the band’s songwriting from Day One because it is too seamless of a listening experience to be anything but that. Highly enjoyable but more importantly, its different.

8.5/10

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Favourite tracks:

• Soothsayer
• Golgothan Tongues
• Obulus

 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton