One of the best extreme metal bands of recent years, Denver’s Blood Incantation have shown a knack for instrumental music that culminated in 2021’s entirely ambient EP Timewave Zero. But my favourite of the band’s instrumental tracks is their extremely cosmic Inner Paths (To Outer Space), taken from the stellar 2019 album Hidden History Of The Human Race. A rare example of an instrumental being an album highlight and choice for lead single, Inner Paths (To Outer Space) skews a bit mellow, as metal instrumentals often do, but builds up from the ambient opening and hypnotic prog guitar to a properly brutal death metal climax. It’s the most immediately enjoyable and memorable song on a challenging, intense record. A short guest vocal from Demilich’s inimitably guttural Antti Boman almost stops this being classed as an instrumental but he’s not singing any words, let’s face it! Not ones known to humans anyway.
Category Archives: Death Metal
Carcass – 1985 (Song Review)
I can’t talk about instrumentals without including an album intro. A lot of them, especially on modern metal albums, are unremarkable atmospheric cobblers but you’ll still find plenty of instrumental openers that kick albums off in thrilling, memorable and iconic ways. Here’s a brilliant modern example: Carcass and 1985, the introduction to their 2013 comeback album Surgical Steel. Despite a relatively short run before their break up in 1996, Carcass exerted a huge influence on grindcore music and also melodic death metal. Their comeback was eagerly awaited and 1985 was a brilliant way to herald their return. A lot like a modern version of Priest’s The Hellion, 1985 layers guitar parts and builds tension and anticipation for the album to follow in such an imposing and grand way that it’s immediately clear that this album is going to be an event. The main musical idea was actually reworked from one the band’s first demo/rehearsal tapes that was recorded back in, you guessed it… 1985! It’s a fun Easter Egg for fans and a neat touch that hints at the level of craft and consideration that went into making Surgical Steel one of the best albums of the last ten years.
Morbid Angel – Rebel Lands (Song Review)
“Rejoice as the blood flows”
I love how imperious and arrogant this song sounds. Like Morbid Angel circa 1991 are the death metal elite… and they know it. Check out Rebel Lands and you’ll know it too. The sandstorm riffs, demonic half-note stabs, squalling guitar solos and David Vincent’s domineering, emphatic vocals are all the stuff of extreme metal royalty. The band’s debut Altars Of Madness tore everyone a new arse in 1989 and, although Morbid Angel took a more refined, arty approach on their follow-up Blessed Are The Sick, chaotic death metal blasters like Rebel Lands prove the band were still capable of unleashing unholy war.
Cynic – The Eagle Nature (Song Review)
“Don’t be shallow”
Not that I need a reason, but with the 30th anniversary and an imminent remixed, remastered reissue, it seems like a good time to give Cynic’s incredible 1993 debut Focus a spin. Here’s The Eagle Nature, one of my favourite tracks from the album. Knotty thrash riffing and growling vocals keep this in familiar brutal territory but King Crimson-esque interlocking guitars, weirdo vocoder effects, moody synthscapes and a general sense of wellbeing make this a bit of a space oddity in the death metal realm. Back in 1993 (just six years on from barbaric early death metal classics like Scream Bloody Gore) Focus must have sounded like it was from another planet. And 30 years later, tracks like The Eagle Nature still sound like they’re at the cosmic cutting edge.
Tribulation – Winds (Song Review)
“Through the music’s violence I bare my soul”
Tribulation’s third album The Children Of The Night was a breath of fresh air when it was released in 2015, injecting some much-needed excitement into a fairly dull year for metal. Every song on the album is absolutely killer but Winds was an immediate favourite of mine. Like the rest of the album, it’s a veritable “Best of Sweden” with the anthemic horror of Ghost, Dissection’s cold kvltness, In Solitude’s gothic darkness and Watain’s blackened, gurgly vocal attack. But the main thing I want to single out is the song’s chorus riff. It’s one of those brilliant “why wasn’t this written before?” moments. It’s an absolute show-stopper and the main reason that Winds instantly blew me away.
Opeth – The Twilight Is My Robe (Song Review)
“You are the embodiment of pure freedom”
The lengthy, linear songs, relentless changes and a lack of repetition make Opeth’s debut album Orchid a tough nut to crack but it’s well worth the effort. Here’s one of the album’s best and most accessible tracks, The Twilight Is My Robe. It’s brilliant questing stuff that gallops across rolling Maidenesque hills, ventures through bleak forests of gothic doom and rests its weary head in a dingly dell of acoustic enchantment. It’s astonishing to think this band hadn’t been in a proper studio before they recorded this. It’s audacious, ambitious stuff from an adventurous band that was clearly going places.
HMO Digest – 2nd February 2023
With pesky January out of the way, it seems like a good time to have a wee catch-up on all things HMO.
Recent Posts
2023 got off to a galloping good start with Tyrant and their righteous NWOBHM single Hold Back The Lightning. On the softer rock side, I’ve been talking about Marillion and Journey. Marillion’s Holidays In Eden got me wondering about albums with shite title tracks… can you think of any? And the comment scuttlebutt seems to be that Wheel In The Sky is the best Journey song. It’s official!
On the more extreme end of things I’ve selected songs from Napalm Death and Testament and I’ve talked about a couple of my favourite tracks from 2022 as well: Artificial Brain’s Celestial Cyst and Avatarium’s Death, Where Is Your Sting.
HMO Salutes
Jeff Beck – the legendary and innovative guitarist, who has died aged 78.
Dan McCafferty – the leather-lunged Nazareth vocalist, who has died aged 76. And so soon after the death of Manny Charlton too!
Bob Nalbandian has died aged just 58. He was a crucial figure in the US metal scene but has a special place in my heart due to his old podcast ‘The Shockwaves Skullsessions’. As I was writing this, it was announced that a special tribute run of ‘The Shockwave Skullsessions’ is in the works along with uploads of the original episodes! Great news because I had them all on a hard drive but can’t seem to find them anymore. Follow their FB Page for info/updates. His podcast was a big inspiration to me in the early days of starting this blog so a big thank you to Bob for being such an absolute legend.
New Stuff
Following the usual Christmas spendathon, it’s quietened down a bit in January. The big purchase has been the excellent new Thin Lizzy Live And Dangerous box set. And I’ve also picked up the reissue of UFO’s overlooked No Heavy Petting album, a cool Deicide reissue and the purchase of Smear Campaign and Inside The Torn Apart completes my collection of Napalm Death studio releases! I bet you’re well jell.
What I Was Listening To While I Wrote This Post
Svart Records have done superb work with Slice Of Doom, the recent box set of Reverend Bizarre’s early demos and recordings. I was listening to the first disc and it’s brilliant: the Finnish doom upstarts at the top of their game. How can you not love a band that started their career with a cover of the Dr. Who theme tune and have a song called Fucking Wizard?
Coming Up
I’ve got posts about top tunes from the likes of Opeth, Iron Maiden and Whitesnake on the way. As far as new releases: I’m looking forward to IX, the new album from Paradise Lost side-project Host; Circle Of Snakes is one of the few Danzig albums I don’t have so I’m pleased to see that getting reissued; and I already have two versions of Darkthrone’s Goatlord but… OK, let’s make it three!
And that’s about enough for now. I think the plan will be to do this at the start of every month from now on so… see you in March!
Napalm Death – Smash A Single Digit (Song Review)
“Crunch a number, grinds your gears”
A song about the dehumanisation and exploitation of workers should probably sound a bit angry so the topic is in safe hands with Brummie grind gods Napalm Death. In recent years they’ve been making some of their best ever music and Smash A Single Digit from 2015’s Apex Predator – Easy Meat is a masterclass in furious extremity. It’s dissonant and explosive with a superbly thrashy climax and an intense, vital performance from vocalist Barney Greenway. Napalm Death have been making excoriating noise for decades now and show no signs of taking a break.
Artificial Brain – Celestial Cyst (Song Review)
“A map to a constellation out in space”
As Xmas and New Year approach I’ve managed to drag myself away from my usual festive fare (KISS, Magnum, Steeleye Span) and revisit some of my favourite albums of 2022. Artificial Brain’s self-titled album has been the most-played of the bunch in December and is definitely a front-runner for the year’s top spot. Here’s one of its best tracks, Celestial Cyst. It’s turbulent and rumbling death metal with relentless blastbeats and subterranean vocals but topped with spacey layers of guitars and keyboards that give it a tranquil, melancholic mood more associated with black metal. It’s a brutal and enthralling combo. Artificial Brain is the third album in the band’s stellar career (and the last in a dystopian sci-fi trilogy) and they are at their absolute peak. Metal fans in search of strange new worlds should get onboard.
Bolt Thrower – Forgotten Existence (1988 Peel Session) (Song Review)
“Past the point of no return”
Bolt Thrower scored a good deal of buzz and a record deal from their 1988 Peel Session. When you listen to the radio session’s opening track Forgotten Existence, you can hear why. This is thrashier than the lumbering tank-tread riffing the Brummies would become known for but it’s crusty and hefty stuff and, like a lot of the BBC recordings, sounds incredible. The riffs are very Slayer-inspired, which is a very good thing, and original vocalist Alan West has a punkier voice that reminds me of the early Kreator stuff that Ventor sang. This is also a very good thing. Throw in the band’s perennial “tragedy of war” theme and you’ve got one hugely promising banger. Forgotten Existence is a great start to one of extreme metal’s most memorable careers.
HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD 