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Metal Review - Dead Samaritan: The Devil Tunes

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Dead Samaritan: The Devil Tunes

Finland’s The Beauty of Dying was originally founded by guitarist Marko Saarinen and drummer Janne Honkanen in 2001. This entity lived on until 2003, leaving two demos in its wake before changing the name to Dead Samaritan. In both incarnations, the group was geared towards more of a Gothenburg and Melodic Death Metal foundation, eventually dropping the former for the most part in recent years to take on a more Thrash Metal oriented approach, meanwhile retaining some traces of the latter. 2004 saw the Bone Hill Revelation demo, but not long after also brought on a hiatus for a few years, as well as the swapping out of certain members. Today, Dead Samaritan stands as a five-piece act, touting a proper 2010 demo titled Counting the Body Toll, which was followed with 2012’s debut full-length effort The Only Good Samaritan… through Casket Music. Fast forward about two years and we now bare witness to their second studio album, The Devil Tunes. But does this new recording show the band continuing to grow, or does it show them struggling harder than ever to maintain the listener’s interest?

Metal Review - October 31: Bury the Hatchet

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October 31: Bury the Hatchet

October 31 never exactly went anywhere, but definitely left us with a large gap between albums recently. The Arlington, Virginia based supergroup founded in 1995 by King Fowley (Deceased) and Brian “Hellstorm” Williams (former Overlord, Hellstorm’s Hell on Earth) had gone through some changes since it started, including the addition of bassist Jim Hunter (Twisted Tower Dire) in 1997, and drummer Sean Wilhide in 2012. After the 1996 Voyage to Infinity demo, the then three-piece found themselves on R.I.P. Records to unleash their debut full-length The Fire Awaits You. 1998 saw the Visions of the End EP, and the follow-up album Meet Thy Maker dropped a year later. It wasn’t until roughly six years later that their third album No Survivors dropped, which was only complimented by a compilation and two EPs, the last of which, Gone to the Devil, dropped in 2013 under Hell’s Headbangers. Now, for 2014, nine years after their last studio full-length, we finally get their fourth, which is titled Bury the Hatchet. But does it stand as an album worth the wait, or have the years found the band shaking off very little rust?

Metal Review - Party Cannon: Partied in Half

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Party Cannon: Partied in Half

When you hear a name like Party Cannon, the last thing you think of is a five-piece Brutal Death Metal outfit. And yet, this is what we have before us today. The band came together in 2010 to perform a style they have dubbed “Party Slam” with a lyrical focus on partying, women, social decay, and war. It’s an odd mixture meant to be “Heavy, fun and cool” in the long run. Since coming together there have been two singles, two demos, and the live album Drunk in Cambridge in 2013. 2014 sees most of that material brought forth in a six track EP titled Partied in Half through Gore House Productions. This also introduces drummer Martin Gazur and rhythm guitarist Mike McLaughlin (Agonised Deformity) into the fold, replacing Neal Mullen (former Annihilation) and Jack Welsh (former Lycanthropy) respectively. But does this new line-up and offering stand as the best Death Metal party favors yet, or is this essentially the giant orange peanut of the Halloween treat bags that every kid hates to get?
Metal Review - Arcturon: Expect Us

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Arcturon: Expect Us

Arcturon is a five-piece Melodic Death Metal band from Reigoldswil, Switzerland. While many sites state they formed in 2005, the band has gone on record stating it was 2004, citing their brand new EP Expect Us as a ten-year anniversary release. Their comments in the accompanying press-release also go on to say this and their return to the stage is that of a “war cry”, and one not to be taken lightly. Those aware of the group and their previous efforts following 2007’s Breaking Walls demo (which consists of their debut full-length album The Eight Thorns Conflict and the 2013 follow-up An Old Storm Brewing) may take this as a reassuring call to arms from this established act. But does Expect Us actually live up to that powerful statement, or is this new release their weakest yet?

Metal Review - The Body Politic: Egressor

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The Body Politic: Egressor

The Body Politic is a six-piece Progressive Metal powerhouse from Nanaimo, British Columbia that isn’t afraid to drag their skills through familiar realms of Groove Metal and Metalcore. Taking their name from a short story by the legendary Clive Barker and starting out as a Jazz ensemble, the focus quickly shifted to what we have today, leading to the unleashing of their debut full-length effort All Too Human in 2011. What followed was a number of Canadian tours opening for bands like Tesseract, Protest the Hero, and Scale the Summit, all the while honing their emotionally charged music to what would become the follow-up EP Egressor in 2014. But is this just over twenty minute effort worth experiencing, or is it more of a hot jumbled cliche?

Metal Review - Vomit Fist: Forgive But Avenge

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Vomit Fist: Forgive But Avenge

Vomit Fist formed back in 2013 by seventeen year old drummer Leo “Lurkrot” Didkovsky (former Diabolicus) when he approached his father, guitarist Nick “Vurdoth” Didkovsky, with the idea of starting a blackened Grindcore band. Yes, with the exception of vocalist Malcolm “Skrag” Hoyt (though he is a close family friend), this is a father/son outfit, much like how Hatriot is. Of course, this is the main thing about this band that has been earning them plenty of attention around the underground and internet since its formation, though they have been rather production this year. 2014 saw the release of their Live and Rehearsals Demo, and October of that very year will see the self-released debut EP Forgive But Avenge. The buzz surrounding this effort has been quite immense so far, but does this just under twenty minute offering really stand out for talent, or is it’s only claim to fame is that it’s nothing more than the Grindcore version of The Partidge Family?