Feeding Frenzy: Heilung, Revocation, & more – 08||09||22

Bloodbath – Survival Of The Sickest (album)

“Old School Death Metal Will Never Die!” is the battle cry, as legends, Bloodbath, launch into their 6th studio album.

In all honesty, when Nick Holmes first joined Bloodbath, it turned me off. I love his work in Paradise Lost, but maybe personal attachment to this band’s previous incarnations was too much. Or, possibly, it just took him time to find his place here proper. Either way, listening back, Grand Morbid Funeral & The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn just don’t have the bite which rises on Survival Of The Sickest. It’s a hard thing to say about one of your favourite musicians, but, for me, this mostly came down to the vocals. On SOTS, though, they lurch sepulchral, rather than stumbling as a desiccated husk. This also seems to pull the riffs up. In my personal opinion, this is the best thing Bloodbath have done since The Fathomless Mastery. Chuck in some guest appearances from Barney Greenway, Luc Lemay, and Marc Grewe, and you have the jewels in a brand new crown, albeit still doing the old school thing.

Grade: A

Slow Dragon

Heilung – Drif (album)

Release Date: 19th August 2022||Genre: Historical world music||Label: Season Of Mist

Drif. The third studio album from Heilung. It still stands out, even amongst their own discography

It took me a few listens before I could write anything about this album. After listening to Futha so heavily since its release, Drif was not entirely what I had psyched myself up for. Nor should it be. The collective state that their aim this time was to reach into the historical cultures surrounding their native lands. To that end, deep strings are employed in a very East Asian style. Seemingly Arabic melodies break through the Northern fog. Tenet even has the aura of an old, Christian choir, and Urbani that of an African tribal war chant. As expansion, experimentation, and a bolstering of their respect for all histories, this is a great success. A slightly surprising turn of sounds at times, yes, but an engaging listen. This will make existing followers think.

Grade: A+ 

Slow Dragon

Inhuman Depravity – The Experinendead (album)

The Experimendead is album number 2 for Turkey’s Inhuman Depravity, and it’s a bit good…

While it still holds that glorious underground reek, this is a very accomplished piece. The vocals are brutal, but still maintain a level of clarity. The musical composition is equally meaty, with just enough complexity, and delivered with experienced flair. Each track has its own character, and identifiable features, but the bounce between the animalistic and the intellectual pervades throughout. Ackerfeldt era Bloodbath would be proud of what has been spawned here. This isn’t old-school death metal OR technical death metal. It’s both. Like the writing, the production balances the two perfectly, and it’s really nice to hear a raw bass sound pushed, without drowning out everything else. I could see a little polish taking this to the next level, but hope it wouldn’t lose its authentic vibe. To get alliterative, Inhuman Depravity have furroughed the fields of filth, and harvested a horror most honourable. One ticket to Istanbul, please!

Grade: A

Slow Dragon

Nomadic Narwhal – Fathoms Part I, Sunlight Zone (EP)

Fathoms – Part I – Sunlight Zone, takes us into the aquatic world of Nomadic Narwhal.

As the band name suggests, this instrumental EP is intended as an aural journey. The huge, crisp production provides a sea-worthy vessel for Nomadic Narwhal’s odyssey, carrying some truly epic riffs. It is crying out for some impassioned vocals, though. This could just be personal taste, but I find myself anticipating a voice in the school of Townsend & Duplantier. Maybe that would be detrimental to the effect for others. I don’t believe so. It is not the be all, end of, though, and it is easy to picture the oceanic world the band are focused on. If I had one complaint – and it’s kind of a positive one – it’s that an EP isn’t enough! I could easily indulge in this music for a good hour, but 15 minutes? I would love to dive deeper. Bring on Part II

Grade: B+

Slow Dragon

Revocation – Netherheaven (album)

Dave Davidson and co step up to face the legacy of their outstanding last album, The Outer Ones.

Four years on, we dive head first into the next volume of Revocation’s unearthly technical death metal. Again, this is killer stuff from the outset. Just the first track alone lets you know you are in for more of what came before. Usually, this would sound like a negative, but with so much headspace in the sound they have developed, it is an occult delight. I, for one, have spent the time between hoping for just such a result. The insane level of skill which goes into Revocation’s creations is mind-blowing enough, but it’s the tangible creativity which utterly grips the fevered mind. Structured in its entirety from flailing hooks, Netherheaven a gift to more than equal its predecessor. It is sick, otherworldly wish-fulfilment, and Revocation have, once more, stamped their mark as one of the best death metal bands going.

Grade: A+ (honours for maintaining their crown)

Slow Dragon

Slugcrust – Ecocide (album)

We’ve been hearing the name all year, and Slugcrust are finally ready to unleash their debut album.

Titled Ecocide, this release is just pure, blackened crust grind. The messaging is political, and, with the exception of the vocals, every channel on this blasterpiece is pushed into the red. The snarling rasp and gutterals render it unnecessary on their part. I feel there is certainly a sludge element, but it leans more towards the “core” end of the genre’s punk roots, and meets black metal halfway. In toto, it kind of alludes to a Scandinavian Napalm Death target for these South Carolinans. Yup, as brutal as it sounds, and even more so. Even when it gets real slow, the tracks are grind core short, the longest not even reaching 3 minutes. This is one of the most honest, dirtiest albums I’ve heard in a while, and it is going to grab a certain cross-section of extreme music devotees by their meaty parts. Raw as hell, yet highly listenable.

Grade: A

Slow Dragon