Grotesqueuphoria "Conquered By Corruption"

http://www.myspace.com/grotesqueuphoria

These guys play a pretty right on old school death metal. The vocals are low shouted grunts and growls, but they are understandable in many parts. The lyrics tend towards the anti-xtian and of course there are themes of destruction and demise. These are well constructed songs, with a variety of tempo changes, nice interludes, great guitar solos, accoustic/ clean pieces, and fine build up of tension. The band also makes great use of sound bytes to introduce and flesh out songs. These guys go fast, but they aren't hyper-speed. The focus doesn't seem to be speed for the sake of speed. These guys are pretty hard, but they probably wouldn' be a band that you'd catagorize in the "brutal" pile. There are some nice mosh riffs and rhythmic parts. The axemanship is high quality, especially the solos. These guys aren't a direct rip by any measure, but they probably come from the Morbid Angel school of death metal. I'm very impressed by this band's ability to take some time, write interesting songs, use elements that are a little outside their stylistic "box," and create a vivid and more appreciable piece of work. These guys layer it on like the pros. You can tell that they care about their craft.

Terror of the Trees "Devil Worship"

http://www.myspace.com/terrorofthetrees

The name has me interested right from the start. I'm picturing the apple chucking flora from the Wizzard of OZ here. I'm probably way off. These guys play some old school black metal. Its so old school, it sounds like Bathory's little brother found this stuff lying in a pool of brackish water deep in the basement. The vocalist has a grating goblin style growl that sounds like the verbal equivalent of a gnarled toothy-fang sneer. The lyrics are anti-xtian and pro-war. The guitars have a good buzz to them at times, there is cool chunky riffing, but I am much more interested in the high end leads and solos that this band showcases. There is some talent there. Everything keeps a pretty fast pace. This is more rockin black metal than most of the stuff I hear. The sound is intense and violent, but not entirely intimidating. This is more "crouching - snarling" spite than overtly violent activity. Its also a little showy and stadium adaptable. I can picture behind the head axe anctics and things of that nature. I can't shake the feeling that I am lisening to something that I heard n the 80's. Of course, I'd have loved this in that decade. My only real bitch would be that the CD seemed really short. I could have used some more music.

Grotesqueuphoria "Conquered by Corruption"

Hm, finally some extreme stuff again after I had almost just doom bands the last time. Since 1995 these guys are making noise and were named "Sanguinary Carnage", later "Butchery" and now under this banner they play with bands such as Deicide, Immolation, Krisiun, Internal Bleeding and many others. Later they were named "Exuviate" and since 2001 "Grotesqueuphoria". This stuff is from the year 2003. The quartet from New York could have really spend a bit more money for the production because the music is inherently somehow good. Unfortunately makes the production the listening a bit hard partly even if I've heard much worse bands. Pleasant brutal Death Metal or Death/Grind which as said before can convince you from it's playing because he's brutal but also technical challenging. And always old school which I really like. Reminds you of the old heroes. For those who like bands such as Gorguts, Human Remains and Immolation I can recomend to check out Grotesqueuphoria. Sounds nicely old fashioned and like bands mentioned before just with more grind. Really tasty. Too bad that the production does not keep up with the rest.

Terror of the Trees "Devil Worship"

Terror of the Trees was found mid 90ties and here we have material which was unleashed upon mankind via Destro Records (material was recorded in 2002). Strong stuff, too hard for me. "True Satanic Metal" which I've heard a hundred times better before. Of course it is an absolute raw production and nothing for posers. Influences from bands such as Mercyful Fate, Bathory, Hobbs Angel of Death, Possessed and Venom are clearly to be noticed if the production allows it. I think I am a poser then, because the songs didn't convince me at all. True Black Metal fans will lick their fingers (don't know if you say so in english, too) for songs such as "Cleansing the air" or "War Weapon" . Nice attempts are to be found but then I prefer the orginal bands. For those who like old school Black Metal with raw sound it is recomended to check out "Terror of the trees". They are pretty much in the american Black Metal tradition.

Grotesqueuphoria "Conquered by Corruption"

A James Earl Jones clip from 1982's Conan the Barbarian kicks off the half hour of lowbrow but effective death metal that is Conquered by Corruption. This is straight death metal all the way, sort of like the evil basement version of Malevolent Creation, or maybe Immolation injected with a hint of New York brutality. It's not about lightning speed every step of the way and you're not going to be walloped with an endless array of crunchy slam riffs, but the boys in Grotesque do a great job of blending sinister mid tempo guitar work with faster, brutal riffs that perfectly match the slayed, growled vocals. Throughout the album's eight tracks you only get one break- the two minute instrumental placed squarely in the middle. Other than that, it's a simple staccato presentation of good solid metal.
"Persecution's Call" makes it obvious that you're going to be listening to this cd as if it were covered with a cardboard box, or maybe stashed behind a wall of foam. That's not a knock on the production values, because the production actually perfectly suits the album's overall vibe of grit, street riots and cold manipulative politics. Nothing about the plodding riffs or deliberate bursts of high pitched guitar work gives any sense of the fantastic, so there wont be too many black masses happening to Grotesqueuphoria's tracks. Instead the solid almost obscured drumming and hoarse vocals conjure images of life's real horrors, the disasters, diseases and discontent that plague the world with no sugar coating or punches pulled. If machine guns and grenades appeal to you more than corpsepaint and battle axes than you have a winner here. "Three Million Dead" is a good example of the lumbering, mid tempo malice of Conquered by Corruption. The opening riffs, though missing the sharp cutting edge of crisp production nevertheless get the job done as they assault the ears with the grace of a sledgehammer. There's some repetitive early days of Cannibal Corpse-style riffs here if you care to listen, and muddled speed picking that could almost fit into an old Morbid Angel tune. "Embracing Death" follows with a faster more dissonant that gives way to pissed off power chords and artificial harmonics, though somehow the overall sound of the tracks and the overall album is so remarkably consistent that you wont really be jarred by anything other than the instrumental piece at the halfway mark. "Psychotic Paraxism" exhibits some of Corruption's fastest riffs before delivering what can only be called an Immolation moment, and "Living Abortion" is where the brutal death metal truly bares its teeth in some of the most obviously grind influenced segments of the cd. It all comes together in an interesting mixture that's more consistent than one might think.
The album art featuring some kind of demonic alien nails into planet Earth might fool someone into thinking this disc is something its not, but the back is exactly what you'll find the in the music. The gruesome collage of photos representing GG Allin, Johnny Cash, and various snapshots of killers and terrorists and general bloody messes should give any potential listener a great idea of what to expect (if Oda Hussein's post mortem pics arent your thing you may want to take a pass on this one). All those hoping for something that sounds like the march of assault wielding soldiers in body armor put to music need look no further.

Ceremonium "No Longer Silent"

Where many of you will take notice in the Soulside...comparison, I can tell you that the description is based mainly upon the midly progressive vibe created by Ceremonium's affinity for note oriented riffs that effectively swarm about in melodic progressions. Layered guitar melodies, as on the opening moments of "Pillars of Wisdom" and later "Delusions of Grandeur", are simplistic in execution but effective at opening a third malevolent dimension to this material, further instilling the unwavering catchiness of Ceremonium's well written tunage. Another powerful weapon in the Ceremonium arsenal is the tasteful incorporation of agressive speed to mid paced/ doom heavy deathsludge. Just as you nestle into the plodding tempo and find yourself being tossed about by the power struggle between twisted Autopsy riffage ("Pillars of Wisdom") and clean guitar parts, the interspersed speed in "Blessing of the Flame" and "Forever Enthroned" violently snaps you out of the trance with a brutal jolt. Synths quietly enter the fray to thicken this already gray sounding production (courtesy of Jim Forbes) and their interaction is great for heaping on the atmosphere. A very tasteful element indeed. The Disembowelment style vocals of guitarist Brandon Diaz are about as gutteral and ugly as you're going to hear, and with the reverb surrounding such a booming style, the outcome breathes like a ghastly moan from the other side, further draping No Longer Silent with cryptic enchantment. Just as I was forgetting about the minor similarities Ceremonium siphons off of Dark Throne's past, it all comes back with their very accurate interpretation of "Cromlech." Musically and vocally, they do this classic justice, but drummer Chris Tredici's awkward hesitations and occassional stutter from time to time reveal he had some trouble handling the more technical playing style of the youthful Fenriz.

TERROR OF THE TREES
Devil Worship (Destro)
I really didn't know how to approach this solo project by an individual
calling himself His Eminence the Wicked, but seeing as Danny Lilker (Nuclear
Assault/Brutal Truth) was involved in the production and engineering, I
figured, "what the hell." The album, a dark and damp assemblage of black
metal vibes and raw production, works well amongst its tracks, occasionally
highlighted by some sinister guitar wails. But while HEtW. has managed to
get a good atmosphere going within the music of Terror of the Trees (he also
dabbles with a cool '80s metal vibe at times), he really never gets beyond a
certain point with the music. In short, a lot of the material sounds the
same and we never really see much variety here. HEtW is very creative to do
this all on his own (like Quorthon of Bathory fame) but in order for Terror
of the Trees to get noticed, I think a bit more creativity needs to be added
to the foliage.

BEYOND WEBZINE:

CEREMONIUM "No Longer Silent" CD 82/100
Death Metal
Fuck, what's happening? I haven't enjoyed Death Metal so much since... actually it was a pretty long time ago... and I very recently (re)discovered all these great bands around... yes, like Ceremonium! Well, I may be a little drunk (just a little, I swear!) but still, this is truly excellent! I think the last time I heard Ceremonium was ten years ago; I vaguely remember a 7-inch but I'm not sure anymore... Whatever... These guys have something very special in their sound that somehow makes it atmospheric and thus very catchy... I think it's the twisted doomy parts. Or maybe it's the way they structured their songs... I don't know exactly, but what I'm sure of is that this here is no basic and meaningless Death Metal. Moreover, I wonder why they're not signed on a bigger label yet. I mean: they could be! They have both a very particular playing and a totally underground attitude, but still, this is stuff people would like to see and buy in stores! As for that "Cromlech" cover, it's simply the best!...
Death Metal
USA

TERROR OF THE TREES "Good Things Come To Those Who Hate" MCD 75/100
Raw Black Metal
USAWelcome to the deepest underground! Here comes another devilish release that will please every true Black Metal fan... As you can easily guess, we're miles and miles away from the Cradle Of Filth shit and I'd say it's more like a Venom revival or something... No, it's even more that that; it's like worse than the worst! Frankly, don't expect synths, melodies or a 10000 bucks production. This is pure raw evil Black Metal! Some will think it's a commercial abomination and, objectively, they may be right, but still, this is the most authentic music I've ever heard, and I think it deserves at least to be mentioned. Now you still have the choice: either you can just pass or you can stop by and say "hello, gimme one of these CDs, I'm a really bad boy!"... Until now, I wasn't afraid of the trees but I think I'll watch my back next time I take a walk into the forest!

CEREMONIUM - No Longer Silent - CD - Destro Records

review by: Roberto Martinelli

The debut by both the band Ceremonium and its label, Destro Records, is a quality one. Ceremonium blends the death and black metal styles well, leaning more heavily to one side sometimes and then more to the other.

You’ll hear fast picked riffing with little harmonic melodies that lick out from underneath like the flames of a gas range turned up high under a pot. Then you’ll have the kind of double bass riff more common to the less brutal styles of death metal, and vocals to boot. Sometimes Ceremonium gets lost in its compositions, but that should be something that is improved on in releases to come.

The sound of No Longer Silent is clear and forceful, but doesn’t go for that choking, full throttle production. So it’s a rather laid back album for the style. It rages, but at the same time develops slowly. It’s a pretty good CD.

TERROR OF THE TREES - Devil Worship - MCD - Destro Records

review by: Roberto Martinelli

His Excellence the Wicked may be a total goofball. He may also, based on his bio, be an antisocial dick. But he can play some mean black metal guitar.And while it might seem like a really crappy album, digging a little deeper shows that Devil Worship is a pretty cool MCD. His Excellence got the help of Danny Lilker (who has been in more than a few very important bands for a LONG time) with the production. Surgical guitar is complemented by a well-chosen drum machine with a result that has a strong dose of that old Bathory feel, but clearer mixed in with more modern fast picking, rapidly scuttling riffs. Cult and metal. Check it out.

(6 song CD) DESTRO RECORDS
Here we have this great Brooklyn, Ny. based Death Metal act, back again with a new release! This new release sees the band changing their style a little bit. This album is a harmony between atmospheric Death Metal & Black Metal, but still retains the bands melodic roots in Doom Metal. These guys have expanded & improved on their already great sound! This new release is sure to draw more attention their way!!! - 2068 E. 61 ST