Review: Vomit the Hate-"Premortem Rot"

I was not made aware of, Vomit the hate until I was asked by the man himself, Mahdi Riahi to take a listen to his 2010 four song EP titled “Premortem Rot.” To be completely honest I had no idea what to expect and wasn’t sure at all whether or not I would like it. The name its self makes me think of grindcore which all instruments are recorded to a click track of 765 BPM and vocals are little more than guttural lows that cannot be understood at all. This vivid description that I have just painted is not at all what “Premortem Rot,” sounds like.

As far as technical death metal goes this is one of the best EP’s floating around in the underground scene that I’ve heard in a long time. While I love some melody, it has been a while since I’ve heard an unsigned band stick to the pure brutal beginnings of the genre. Listeners will hear elements of old Cannibal Corpse of and a few early Suffocation style breakdowns. If Necrophagist decide to break up (does anybody know what the hell they’re doing anyway?) Vomit the Hate will gladly take their place as the leading force of brutal technical metal.

My one complaint with the album is that the solos do not seem to fit the riffs. With low tone riffs played at blinding speed, I expected to hear fast aggressive sweeps throughout the entire record. However the solo’s consist of melodies which I would expect to hear on an In Flames album or even a Dahlia Album (Prior to Ryan Knight joinging). There are a few sweeps here and there however it mostly consists of slower melodic solos that fit more to a slower more melodic band. Keep in mind they are very well written solos; they just seem a little out of place.

Overall this is a great record that should be listened to by everyone. Fortunately you can download this EP for free on the, Vomit the Hate myspace (www.myspace.com/vomitthehate). There are a few more EP’s on the myspace which I’ve been meaning to download for quite a while. Make sure you head over and check it out, tell your friends about it who should tell their friends about it…and who knows with any luck, Vomit the Hate will get the attention of Brian Slagel and he will help Mahdi become known as a wonderful guitarist/songwriter.

Pariah

Very rarely do we come across a piece of music that does not include breakdowns, techno beats, and horrible screams. Fortuantely I have found an EP that will bring many metal heads back to the thrash days with a hint of Children of Bodom and At the Gates. Well, ladies and gentlemen; I present to you, Pariah.

Originally hailing from Kodiak, Alaska; the boys in Pariah have found themselves on the east coast due to military living. Right around the corner from Sacred Serenity, Pariah have kept up with a modern style of death metal while staying within the roots of thrash bands such as Metallica and testament. Although I can’t stop there and say they sound exactly like the early thrash bands that helped create a new genre of music.

Their self titled, eight song EP which is currently under review by Earache Records, gives a unique take on what you’ll find in mist heavy underground scenes. For many young listeners metal is little more than breakdowns and pig squeals. Pariah’s EP will introduce the younger fans of extreme music to Children of Bodom style speed mixed with power/thrash metal vocals.

Their self titled EP shows that the band can shred and they shred quickly. Take for example “When Worlds Collide,” staying at a steady speed comparable to testament (which is by no means easy) Pariah drill a melodic trem pick riff backed by lighting quick double bass and some fancy cymbal work to make listeners get up and mosh with their dog (Side: Into the Pit Reviews does not endorse moshing with household pets…Try moshing with a bear than get back to me).

Although a great album it may be hard for some to get into just because of it’s old school metal feel. There are no sweeps that I could hear, hardly anyone does semi- power metal vocals and there are no blast beats and/or breakdowns. It is something that has to be listened to a couple of times before it is truly appreciated for the semi-masterpiece that it is.

You can hear more of Pariah at their myspace, www.myspace.com/pariahmetalband

Track Listing
1)Taking over the Land
2)Hero’s Live to Die
3)Struggle for Redemption
4)The Fire Wave
5)When Worlds Collide
6)Forever to Reign
7)Ghost of the Militia
8)Victory Remains

Alustrium

Many bands put out EP’s like it’s just another thing to do on the way to creating a full length or inbetween tours. Alustrium knew they wouldn’t have another release until they had everything perfect. This being said, we can be glad they put 100 percent into this EP which will only excite us a little more for the debut full-length.

Beginning this fine example of underground metal mastery is the five minute twenty five second song, “Butterfly Wings”. Although it sounds like the HIM song (“Wings of a Butterfly”), do not the title deceive you. It is much heavier than the five-piece Finnish band’s 2005 single although not a melodic. I guess it really depends on what your into. If you’re looking for melody this may not be the song for you. However if you’re looking for hard hitting in your face chugging back by speedy double bass work, I can be certain you’ll like this.

Following “Butterfly Wings” will be a song titled Magnum which delievers a sound bigger than what magnums are used for (I had to go there sorry) an excellent bass/guitar trade off in the beginning leads to a heavy riff backed by great drums and searing vocals that rip thorough your head phones and melt destroy your brain. What I found to be the most impressive element of this song is how it seems to be a very bass driven song. With the bass intro and a bit of a bass solo about half way through the song lets us know that, Brett Leftwich is more than just providing low backing tones for the band.

Leading into the third track is a riff and double bass that will make you want to get up and mosh. I suggest you not do that however it may make you look mentally unstable. “The All Seeing Eye” may fair for those who enjoy black metal. It is a bit more of a trem picked riff with parts that have both high and low vocals at the same time for certain parts. My only complaint is that it becomes a little repetitive, but at eight minutes and fifty-six seconds long, it’s a little hard to come up with different riffs that fit within the song structure. My other complaint with this song is the whisper that comes in just under the four minute mark. They don’t really add anything to the song, but then again It may have something to do with the story within the lyrics; either way a decent song that only adds to the strength of the EP.

Finally is “Twilight’s Reprieve” which comes with the question; when’s the last time you heard a ten minute song that wasn’t by Between the Buried and Me? Why do I like this song the most? It’s a good thing you asked, “Twilight’s Repreive is definitely the most diverse in style with every element of the music. Even Jerry Martin’s vocals change in style throughout the song, while in the other songs he maintains a monotone growl which only changes once and a while. “Twilight’s Reprieve” seems to be a culmination of everything the band has tried to get across in the other three songs. Blast beats, breakdowns and melody. Even an 80’s hair metal solo comes through around the six minute mark. Where I would normally write unspeakable, horrible threats to a band that tried to do this, I can’t because it seems like the only kind of solo that fits the music and any other solo would seem out of place.

Are they this generation’s At the Gates? No, however with work and some future tours I can see Alustrium playing the three day European festivals that bands strive to become a part of. Be sure to pay attention to these guys at www.myspace.com/alustrium. For Fans of :Trivium and At the Gates.

Review: Cherished "Horizon Falls"

Without any prior knowledge of the band itself; if I heard the name cherished as a band name, I would only assume that they played some form of 1980’s power pop. I was horribly mistaken; hailing from Germany, the five piece death-core band has recently signed to BRKNN MIRRR Records and is slowly taking the world by storm. Their debut album, titled “Horizon Falls” is a great start for a young band trying to make a name for themselves in an industry where so many bands sound the same.

The opening track simply titled “Intro” is nothing more than a few eerie notes and bone rattling snare hits prepping you for the storm that s about to ensue. With a simple breakdown, Cherished created a perfect opening to draw listeners in just as The Black Dahlia Murder did with their debut album “Unhallowed”. Although the two bands sound nothing alike, the same idea is used for the intro and the bands first single “Life of Suffering.”

Although the single its self is impressive, to get catch the band at their best you’ll have to listen eight tracks in before you find “The Forgotten.” Easily the best song on the CD with different rhythms and quick picking keeps “The Forgotten” as a song much more memorable than any other song on the CD. It crosses back and forth between the line of breakdown and melody keeping listeners interested and not stuck on one rhythm.
At the end of it, “Horizon Falls” is a great first effort by the newly signed five piece. It can at time be a little repetitive at times and sounds like they are trying to break out of the current groove but just haven’t found their own voice yet. I have high hopes for Cherished and based off of “Horizon Falls” their next album should be incredible.
Rating-7

Divulgence by Sacred Serenity

In December of 2009, Sacred Serenity released their seven song debut to the underground metal scene in package titled, “Enemy in the Clouds.” Showing the perseverance of the band; vocalist Pat Scanlon and guitarist, Nate Parker found Kyle Peronteau to play drums and Dave Jamison to tear up the bass. May 22, 2010 the four musicians released, “Divulgence” creating a new standered for themselves
The opening song, “Homicidal Generation,” begins slowly with a few harmonic notes and distorted chords that make listeners unsure of what exactly is going to come. The tempo quickly turns up and the harmonics abruptly move into a melodic poppy-metal song that should remind metal-core fans of “Two Weeks” by All that Remains. Lyrically the song is by far the best on the album with the line “Kill or be killed that’s the choice I have to make in this world, I choose to kill.” this is by far one of the most badass lyrics I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Just as the rest of the album, “Homicidal Generation” has the perfect mixture of breakdowns and melody to create a well balanced sound that fans of all metal sub-genres will appreciate.
Nate Parker’s guitar work on this EP is truly the driving force behind the songs. Whether quick or slow he hits the head on each riff leaving no mistake on this audio piece of art. Particularly the song, “Prisoner of Regret” has what to me sounds like the most technical guitar work seeing as it sounds most like something that I could hear, Between the buried and Me writing. The whole album is filled with riffs that will impress music critics everywhere.
The line up choices Pat and Nate made definitely had a positive effect in the song writing process. Dave Jamison adds clear distorted bass lines and some pretty epic bass sweeps over the breakdown in the song “Prisoner of Regret.” Kyle Peronteau keeps steady rhythms while adding his own flare to each song.
Heading towards a more progressive style of music, the CD ends with the slower song, “Divulgence.” Not my favorite song on the EP but it can definitely be appreciated for its musicianship and soothing rhythms. Six tracks which are all worth listening to come clocking in at 31 minutes and 40 seconds that will give you a new appreciation of what an unsigned band can do when they put their hearts in the music. This is for fans of Dream Theatre and Between the Buried and me. “Divulgence” can be found be purchased online and listened to on the bands myspace: www.myspace.com/sacredserenity.

Impending Doom's new sound

I can probably say I was one of the last Impending Doom fans to hear the band’s new single, “The Great Fear,” the others being the three other people who were in the room with me listening to it. While my friends initially gave it bad reviews and complained about how they will never have an initial sound because the only consistent member of the band is, Brook Reeves who is the bands vocalist and only writes the lyrics, I found the music to be an improvement and still hold on to the sound they created with, “The Serpent Servant.”
While the band has sped up a little bit, once you get towards the end of the song you hear the same crushing breakdowns that gave them a name for themselves in the past year. The same minor notes are played over the breakdown just as they were in the bands previous album to give listeners an eerie vibe about the wrath of god.
When it comes down to it the new members seemed to feel that Impending Doom’s third effort should be a mix of their debut “Nailed. Dead. Risen,” and their sophomore effort, “The Serpent Servant.” My only complaint is Brook’s vocals in the beginning of the song but maybe it’s just because I’m not used to hearing death-core vocalists use a thrash vocalist’s vocal chords.
Impending Doom’s new album, “There Will be Violence,” hits stores July 20 and they are currently on tour throughout the United States.

Big Choclate Interview

Photo taken from myspace.com/big.chocolate


One of the biggest names in metal is a 19 year old originally from the small town of Minden, Nevada and he isn’t even in a band that’s signed to a major label. In his years lived he has produced dozens of songs dabbled in electro, done vocals for Russian slam metal band, Abominable Putridity and more recently recorded the vocals on Mediaskare record’s very own Burning the Masses. He has recently finished a stint in Europe on the “Legacy of Blood Tour” with Burning the Masses, Nervecell, Annotations of an Autopsy and death metal legends, Suffocation. I’m of course talking about Cameron “Big Chocolate” Argon who has made himself famous throughout the metal community. He discusses Burning the Masses, Disfiguring the Goddess, Betty White as well as some future projects he’s getting into.

-Into the Pit: To begin, how did you get contacted to do the vocals for the new Burning the Masses album?
Big C: Hahaha, just a myspace message to start off then a few phone calls. Then we met up and further discussed it.

-Into the Pit: When did you know that you didn’t want to become an official member of BTM?
Big C: I knew I was uncertain before I joined and I told them how I felt about it. After the Legacy of Blood tour was over, I took a few weeks to decide on how I felt about my true status in the band. I knew it wasn't for me and that I wanted to pursue other projects in my life right now. They understood and respected that. I kept it upfront and real with those guys since day one about everything.
-Into the Pit: Since you’re not on their latest tour, what are you doing to fill your time now?
Big C: Right now: I'm working on a few more remixes, working on tracks for Commissioner (My new project with Mitch Lucker of Suicide Silence), getting ready to record the DTG full length in July, and film for Suicide Silence during Warped tour, working on my new electro release, and DJ’ing as much as I can, along with recording vocals for Abominable Putridity (Russian Slam Metal)

-Into the Pit: Do you ever expect to tour with Disfiguring the Goddess or is that solely a studio band?
Big C: As of now, I can't say for sure. I know sometime DTG will be doing somewhat of a tour, I just can't see a time frame.
-Into the Pit: Which bands or even vocalist are you most influenced by?
Big C: For metal? Hate Eternal, Defeated Sanity, Meshuggah... Metal bands that have been pushing the limits since day one and continue to evolve. Some of my greatest influences have mainly just been family and friends. Support goes a long way for me.
-Into the Pit: What is the writing process like for Disfiguring the Goddess?
Big C: I'll write full songs with my guitar, vocal chords, and a drum machine just like the Promo EP. But rather than just stopping at that, I send the music files to Joe (guitars) and he goes through and re-writes the guitar to be more 'colorful' as we've been calling it. I basicly draw a line drawing of a picture and Joe comes in and paints it. Phil (drums) gets the mp3s and click tracks to practice to. Phil, we'll take into a studio to track his drums and then we'll record guitars and vocals at home. Mixing will be done at home as well.
-Into the Pit: What bands are you listening to now?
Big C: Caspa and Rusko, Portal, The Bloody Beetroots, Borgore, Cannibal Corpse, Vomit The Soul, and Inherit Disease.
-Into the Pit: Who would you say is the next big name in metal that has not been nationally discovered yet?
Big C: Probably Betty White judging from that SNL skit.
-Into the Pit:How did you get into the electro genre of music and how long have you been doing that for?
Big C: I've been into electronic music just as long as I've been into metal, but I've never focused on JUST electro until about 6 months ago. Once I figured out how to successfully use side chaining, it was OVER for me.
-Into the Pit: How do you think the internet has played a role with your success as a musician/producer? And to follow that up; do you get calls from all over the country or even the world to be a part of certain projects?
Big C: Internet has been #1 in my 'success' as a musician/producer. I started making music while living in Minden, NV which is a very small town. If I didn't have the internet to obtain an audience for metal, I would have had probably 4 fans based on Minden’s musical and 'hip' make up. The internet has also allowed me to avoid working with indie labels and indie management, because I could easily promote, market, and distribute on my own through networks like youtube, myspace, and itunes. I also would have never gotten the opportunity to work with Russian slam giants, Abominable Putridity. The Internet is an amazing tool for any sort of goal or hobby.