No Nonsense Metal Reviews

PYAEMIA: CEREBRAL CEREAL    Picture the scene. It's 2001 and the Metal music world is in considerably bad shape. Nu-Metal and groove-Metal are striding across the lands while many other sub-genres are struggling to get back up on their feet, or appear to have lost interest in being heavy completely. In these desperate times, the world needed a hero. Suddenly and seemingly from out of nowhere, Pyaemia released their first and final full-length album, Cerebral Cereal, an album so outrageously heavy and cutting edge, that it left an enormous impression on the Death-Metal world and helped to steer the sub-genre towards entirely new horizons of heaviness.     Cerebral Cereal is not just a superb and totally timeless album, it is also one of the most important Brutal Death-Metal albums ever released. It could even be argued that Cerebral Cereal was one of the first truly brutal Death-Metal albums, based on today's standards. Technicalities and pernickety details aside, this al

WOMBBATH: DOWNFALL RISING     Downfall rising is the second full-length album from undisputed Swedish old-school Death-Metal Kings, Wombbath. A phenomenal effort, Downfall Rising was the first full-length offered by the band since their timeless and seminal musical gem 22 years previously, Internal Caustic Torments. Like many bands of their ilk, Wombbath experimentally dabbled with the Death 'n' Roll styles also explored by the likes of Entombed and Carcass during the mid to late 1990's. Much to many fans delight, Downfall Rising sees all traces of Death 'n' Roll vanquished, with only the purest and most wholesome Death-Metal in it's stead.    If ever you needed a reminder of what old-school Scandinavian Death-Metal should sound like, then " Under Apokalypsens Svarta Vingar " is the perfect educational material. All the essential characteristics are present; buzzsaw riffs oozing with grimy, Doomy vibes, thundering bass and punishing percussion,

GONADECTOMY: REIGN OF DISEASE    As far as Brutal Slamming Death-Metal releases go, Gonadectomy's debut EP, Reign Of Disease, is a genuinely impressive and authentic creation. The Swedish Slamming double act have certainly done a sterling job of ensuring that their debut 6 track EP is both crushing and memorable in equal measure. Although there are actually only 5 tracks of original music on the EP, all 5 of the tracks are undeniably interesting, heavy and saturated with intense grooves.     Musically, Reign Of Disease is a refreshing take on primitive Slam infused with punishing Slamming Deathcore heaviness, attentively and articulately molded into something with a hint of uniqueness and identity. Although Gonadectomy are clearly not going to reinvent the wheel, nor is Reign Of Disease the best thing since sliced bread, they have certainly done a grand job and made a courageous effort in giving a very generic, repetitive style of music an attractive new appeal.     Opening

SHURIKEN TORTURE: CADAVERIC DEFILEMENT OF DEPRAVITY    If generic, repetitive, unchallenging Slam is your thing, then this is the release for you. Cadaveric Defilement Of Depravity, the debut EP from Chilean Slam duo Shuriken Torture, is a 6 song stack of primitive, very basic yet well executed and strangely entertaining aggression. The whole EP follows the orthodox Slam path strictly, fitting in comfortably with; Inhuman Entity, Slamophiliac and Sex Murder Art in terms of sound and style. That said, Shuriken Torture's debut release is nothing if not an entertaining and worthy listen.    With drum machines in full swing and sludgy riffs aplenty, opening track " Penetrated And Dissected " is as generic and essentially uninventive as it gets, although it does deliver a handful of solid riffs and blastbeats, which could easily have been lifted straight from an early Kraanium track.    " Necrorgy " has a touch more creativity and a hint of originality about it,