I have a Forum now.

Check it out and please join here: http://witchingmetal.forum-motion.net/forum.htm

Will also FINALLY get around to writing more reviews etc soon. Been very busy.

Cheers!

Sorry for the lack of updates!

Life's been a bit hectic lately what with the end/start of the year, trying to find a new job and a bunch of other shit.

I'll get my arse into gear soon and write a bunch of reviews.

Watch this space!

Vagabond.

Mangled Condition - DEMO 2009

Grinding their way out of Semarang in Indonesia comes MANGLED CONDITION, A brutal two piece Deathgrind band with enough originality, bludgeoning riffs, brutal blasts and sickness to leave their listeners brutalized and craving more!

This demo released in 2009 contains 2 songs showcasing the sickness and technicality of Mangled Condition. The first is a 41 second intro track called "Violent Killer" which starts off with a great sample to get you ready for the brutality that will ensue. The audio sample paints a picture of a "world where violence, fear and murder are a way of life". Just as the track is coming to an end, with only 5 seconds left, the band grind their way through the speakers with some ultra brutal riffs and blasting drums, and vocals so guttural they would make Will Rahmer himself jelous!

'Tortured and Sodomized" starts off with another choice audio sample before slamming into one of the finest cuts of extreme metal I have heard in a long time. The riffs are razor sharp and showcase the technical abilty of band members 'Ekky'( Guitars, Drum Programming), and Ardi (Bass, Vocals). The riffs twist and turn along with Ardi's insane brutal vocals before the song takes a break from the blasting and slows down into a crushing venemous riff at about the 2 minute mark.. This doesn't last long however, Soon after we are treated to a bridge with some very tasteful lead work that adds an element of evil and depth to the song, And then its back to the blasting for the last 20 seconds of the track!

I can't recommend this enough, The best part is you can listen to both tracks for free at http://www.myspace.com/mangledcondition , The band have also just released these songs on a Split CD with French grindcore band "Decomposed Asthetic", The split is called "Innards Exposition" and can be purchased from Human Discount Records http://www.myspace.com/humandiscountrecs.

I may have taken an age to discuss just 2 songs, But this band is not your average death grind band. Which has me excited, I can't wait to hear more music from Mangled Condition, And if this demo is anything to go by, We're all in for a real treat when they put out a full length release.

4/5

Forgery - Hellbringer

Australian Thrash Metal, what's not to love about it? Since the 80's we've been blessed with a ton of great bands (Slaughter Lord, Mortal Sin, Armoured Angel, Addictive, Destroyer 666, Grenade and Gospel of the Horns to name a few.)from this wonderful land down under. Forgery are one such Australian Thrash band, hailing from Canberra these 3 young men proudly wear their influences on their sleeve (there's obvious Sodom and Venom influences to be found all over the place here) and are here to do one thing, and that thing is; THRASH!

The EP kicks off with a haunting intro that leads into the ripping title track which thrashes without mercy and lets you know you're in for one hell of a neck-snapping listen. The best way to describe the sound on this EP is Venom jamming on Whiplash songs with Tom Angelripper on vocals (The bassist/vocalist, sounds a LOT like Onkel Tom).

The riffs in every song simply slay and are varied enough to keep you from getting bored. The guitar tone is violent and evil which fits in perfectly with pounding drums and thumping bass (that you can actually hear!). What you are in for here is a thrash assault that does not let up until these boys are done.

My personal favourite track on Hellbringer is "Spawns of the Void" which builds up with a Metallica-esque intro that leads into an evil sounding mid-paced thrasher. It is hard to choose a stand-out track on such a consistant EP, though.

Watch out for these guys, true THRASH METAL runs in their blood. Posers need not apply.

4/5

Support the band and buy this EP by messaging them over myspace at www.myspace.com/forgerythrash or emailing them at forgery101@hotmail.com.

Simplistic Genocide - Hazardous Thrash

Simplistic Genocide are a Thrash Metal band hailing from Connecticut USA. I don't know much else about them aside from the fact this is their first demo and it shows a lot of potential, under the low quality production and obvious DIY attitude.

The intro and opening track set the mood quite well and you know right from the get-go that you're in for some straight up, punky as fuck Thrash Metal. The production quality is pretty bad, but you can still hear enough of what's going on to know what these guys are all about, and it adds a touch of personality to the music. Not that this group need any more personality added, they have great charisma.

While the production may be low-fi, you can still here all the instruments (yes, even the bass!) and the songs still kick plenty of arse. The best way to describe their sound would be a mix of crossover punk attitude and thrash metal aggression. My favourite track off this demo would have to be the second track "Dying on the Front Line", it's simply a kick-arse fast thrash number that reminds me of crossover era Sodom.

All in all, Simplistic Genocide aren't trying to do anything new or original, rather just sticking to what they like and having a good time doing it. There is a lot of potential shown in this demo, and I would love to hear more from these young'uns in the future.

3.5/5

www.myspace.com/simplisticgenocide

Invection - Demented Perception

Like ball-kicking riffs that melt your face off? Like Bay-Area style Thrash Metal? Like German Trash? WELL THEN! Have I got a treat for you!
Invection are a group of young bucks hailing from California USA who clearly seem to love Bay-Area Thrash Metal like your dog loves taking a good shit on your freshly mowed lawn!

With this EP, these guys bring one hell of a Bay-Area and Kreator worshipping thrash assault! Chugging Destruction meets Exodus style riffs? Yep. Shouted thrashing vocals? Yep. Furious Thrash Metal drums? Yep. Driving bass that compliments the guitars and drums? Yep. Everything a good Thrash band needs can be found right here in these songs.
Invection bring the Thrash.

Every song on here is enjoyable, and it's not all balls-out high speed thrashing, they slow down at times which adds a good sense of variety that a lot of Thrash bands seem to forget about these days.

Listening to this EP makes me wonder why so many people get up in arms against the so-called "new wave thrash movement". I mean, sure there's a LOT of bands just riding the trend, but there are MANY diamonds among the rough, such as Hellcannon, Forgery, Lich King, Nocturnal, Hellish Crossfire, Brutallion and Invection among others who still carry the old spirit of THRASH in their veins. I think it's great that there's newer bands out there bringing back everything we love about Thrash!

Now lets get into details about the music to be found on this disc;
The vocals seem more in the punky-vein and seem to remind me of mid-era (the crossover albums) Sodom, that is a very lose comparison though, I'm really not sure who they remind me of.
The guitars are distorted and chugging, just like good thrash riffs should be. They remind me a lot of some strange mix of German Thrash and Bay Area Thrash. I have no idea who to compare them to! It sounds like Kreator playing Exodus songs.

All in all, this is a great EP that shows a LOT of potential. Invection is a band to watch out for, they WILL make a splash.

4.5/5 I REALLY like this, can't wait to hear more from the boys from Cali!

www.myspace.com/invectionmetal

Diabolic - Infinity Through Purification

Here's a Death Metal gem from a few years back, 2003 to be specific.
I discovered this band when they added me on Myspace a few months ago, and just recently decided to give one of their albums a spin. So after doing my research and finding out where to start, it seems the general consensus that this is their best. And I can see why, it rips!

What we have is a good slice of Floridian Death Metal, via heavy Morbid Angel and Immolation influences. Right from the opening track you can see what this band is all about, straight up, no bullshit Death Metal. Blast beats, check, gutteral vocals, check, thudding punishing bass, check, kick-arse headbangable DM riffage? CHECK! These guys have everything you need to make a good Death Metal band. Sure they may not be the most original in their field, but they know exactly what they are doing.

There's some nice variety in the tracks here, so you're not just hearing the standard CHUGGACHUGGACHUGGAROAR that so many DM bands use as a cop-out when they can't think of ideas. In saying that, there's not really one track that stands out above the rest, they all fit in together as an album and each track is very listenable.

All in all, this is a great album and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Florida Death Metal and needs something new (note: I saw new, not different, not that that's a bad thing, though).

4/5

www.myspace.com/diabolic666