Blog

Of all the discouraging and difficult elements contributing to people having appallingly bad taste not being into metal, the biggest sticking point has got to be the vocals. As inoffensive as we might find, for example, vintage Dave Vincent (Morbid Angel) or early Possessed, going all the way back to the genre roots, casual listeners find themselves appalled by what started out as gravely growls and has evolved into full retching and intestinal spew. While desensitization through repeated listens is the obvious solution, some bands solve the problem wholesale by eschewing vocals at all. I’ve been let down lately by some of my favorite genres, and while perusing the almost picked-clean promo pit, my eyes were caught by a bit of a rare tag around these parts: “Instrumental black metal.” Osmium Gate have arrived with a platter devoid of any vocals, a curious name, and some gorgeous artwork to emphasize the atmospheres within. Let’s strap in for a carnivorous adventure!

Cannibal Universe is a melodic release, heavy on atmosphere and beauty filtered through the requisite heavy sheen. Though ostensibly described as black metal, the overall production and tone sidesteps fuzzed-out tropes or crystalline polish with a sound more reminiscent of modern death metal but utilizing black metal composition techniques. This imparts a thicker flavor to the requite snare-and-bass trem heavy riffing (“Booming Dunes”, “Blood Rain”) while adding extra brass knuckles to some atypically chug-heavy movements (“Waters of Natron”). A heavy focus on sustained open chords for big mood and pathos is a major tool in Osmium Gate’s wheelhouse, with slower, emptier sections that feel tailor-made for amphitheater reverb rather than the blistering assault typically found in blackened wares.

Instrumental music needs to have a dollop of “busyness” to justify the lack of vocals, and at their best Osmium Gate have the chops to get the job done. “Sailing Stone” features a fantastic spot of noodlage where a lead runs interlocked with a separate rhythm for a full and complex emotive experience. Cannibal Universe spots a decent amount of such highlights, where fun leads and overlapping time signatures summon the spirit of Scale the Summit or Plini. Fret not, the occasional thunderous blast or vintage Intervals chug is never far away to remind you that there’s nothing “post” about this album. Title track “Cannibal Universe” throws everything into the kitchen sink, sculpting doom-tempo’d plods into an avalanche of chord progressions which immediately scale back into a dollop of Odious Mortem melody with infinitely better production. But the real climax comes in mid-album cut “Nacreous.” This is the jewel of the album, running a wistful, melancholic lead under blast beats, which are worked in more atmospheric conjuncture with the slow-moving melodies. Such a highlight is an easy contender for song of the year, channeling genuine catharsis and summoning up enough feelings to bring some mist to even Tyme‘s crusty, battle-hardened eyes.

It may be a strange critique given the genre, but the only real stumbling block facing Osmium Gate is that not all the songs warrant an instrumental presentation. There’s no cut across this album that is bad, and much that is quite enjoyable, perfect for stargazing or late-night drives under the moon. But the band’s insistence on using large open chord structures across the album leaves a great deal of unbusy, open space where I found myself instinctively expecting vocal lines to fill the void. These particular cuts (“Waters of Natron”) aren’t definitively poor in any real sense as much as feeling incomplete, with the chord structures telling a partial story and lacking a sense of fullness elsewhere in the album. Bands like Animals As Leaders and their ilk nail the instrumental presentation by ushering the listener from one passage to the next without leaving any space for extra flair, where literally and metaphorically the music does all the talking. Here, Osmium Gate make real effort and grasp the goal more than once, but not consistently across the album. Tellingly, the tracks that throw off such restrictions are the least traditionally black metal sounding, as it’s when the songs sound the most typical that they sound the most unfinished.

Still, I’ve enjoyed my time with Cannibal Universe as a nice detour from my usual brutal and blackened fare. There’s genuine chops and promise here, and you owe it to yourself to at least listen to “Nacreous”. Osmium Gate have offered up a delicious platter of melodic black metal with limitations entirely surmountable. I’m not necessarily encouraging them to go out and get a vocalist (though I have no doubt they’d be capable of making a good album with one), but to push their songwriting to match the highlights here across an entire platter. Nevertheless, this album has moments worthy of note and any lover of instrumental metal should find something worthy of interest to be devoured…

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: March 13th 2025

The post Osmium Gate – Cannibal Universe Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Album Review: Vomitory – In Death Throes

Reviewed by Sam Jones

Vomitory are a band many, myself included, are ecstatic are back on the touring circuit. A powerful name amidst Swedish death metal the band formed out of Värmland in 1989 and for nearly twenty-five years straight enjoyed an unbroken, revered succession of records that always delivered on the promise of energy and entertainment. By come 2013 the band suddenly decided to call it a day, short lived however, performing a one-off in 2017 to honour the passing of Europe’s Metal Blade Records’ manager Michael Trengert having first signed the band back in 1999 and a major name behind the organisation of Summer Breeze. But just a year later it was confirmed Vomitory would reunite in earnest for their thirtieth anniversary, releasing their first record in twelve years, All Heads Are Gonna Roll, in 2023, a storming return for the band. Another three years on and approaching their fortieth anniversary we see Vomitory unleash their tenth full length record, In Death Throes, maintaining their Metal Blade Records signing for an April 10th release date. These guys never disappoint and so I was more than ready to see what they in store for me.

Vomitory play death metal like you owe them money. Some could say you know exactly what you’re getting with Vomitory however many would agree in turn that that is a positive. Whatever side you take their performance, their frantic energy, cannot be denied as they storm out of the gates with a speed and drive that would make even the most diabolical newbie check themselves before their own foot forward. Considering how long these guys have been at it the pace they establish is incredible, as one slew of notes succeeds the next without any decline in intensity.

In Death Throes aids Vomitory in this instance with a guitar attack that’s been thrust right to our very noses. The whole band have their time to shine but it’s clear from simply listening that the band have placed strong emphasis on the riffs and guitar presence. Whether playing at speed or through blockier, segmented songwriting, Vomitory manage to pull you in with ease and there’s no hope of escape either. Listen keenly to the echoic element throughout the record too, for whilst the band play death metal solely intent on killing you it’s evident the record’s walls are a little further out than their sound reaches. As a result In Death Throes assumes a grand and encompassing shape without the record feeling like it’s bursting at the seams. It also infers their sound could have gone even louder, even bigger, but the band chose not to for the sake of not overwhelming their audience.

Buy on Vinyl

Buy on CD

Buy Digitally

Vomitory’s songwriting works well and has often done so throughout their career, but In Death Throes really highlights the allure their sound possesses. When one listens to them play you’re not just receiving this bludgeoning, hammering performance that sees your body thrust into the earth but a bouncing and rolling experience, where you can imagine floors and walls swaying to and fro. This is why Vomitory have so championed the moniker of death n’ roll for whilst their songwriting is rooted in death metal it doesn’t convey brutality as much as carnage. The former is more abrasive whereas the latter, that which Vomitory propagate herein, surmises the general atmosphere of wholesale killing on a great and bloody scale. In addition, Vomitory’s songwriting is comprised of sweeping slews of riffs where one section bleeds into the next creating this unbroken torrent of death.

While All Heads Are Gonna Roll was their comeback I feel like In Death Throes is Vomitory distilled to their purest and clearest. It’s so pure in fact one could look into this record cover and understand precisely what they’re about. There’s no higher message with this record, no greater meaning the band wanted to convey with this work; In Death Throes possesses ten songs designed and performed to kill their audience, that’s it. It’s a rare instance where a death metal band wrote death metal for fun and whilst their energy consistently takes you over the edge, you’ll always feel like all in the name of sheer enjoyment. There’s never any test to pass to “get” this record, it simply asks of you “Are you ready?”. It also never stops for a second so while one could say Vomitory are lacking in variety here, that’s not the point to either this record or the band as a whole. You know what you’re here for as do Vomitory, so they might as well give you what you’re after. It’s this approach to songwriting and keeping things straightforward that’s why Vomitory continue to be adored thirty-seven years following their inception.

In conclusion, In Death Throes is a record that understood the assignment to the letter. In just over thirty-seven minutes Vomitory unleash everything they have distilled into ten tracks with the sole intent of slaughter and battery on their minds. They really are the Swedish equivalent of If It’s not Broken, Don’t Fix It, for this record is nothing you won’t have heard before yet it’ll still smash your frail form into the middle of next week. It wakes up pissed off, roars down your throat and goes to bed pissed off and I can only surmise their next record will be just as furious to have been woken up. It’s the kind of record you’ll love to have on because you can totally switch off and let the adrenaline and power wash over you, and better yet it’s easy listening too. Count me in.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post Album Review: Vomitory – In Death Throes appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

Tykin .

The post Tykin to release debut album ‘Dripping Poison’ on May 1st first appeared on Sleaze Roxx.

Source

Madfish [Release date 10.04.26] WOW what a magnificent box set we have here. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, quite literally a 70s theatrical rock sensation. Fronted by singer/songwriter Alex Harvey, once touted as Glasgow’s answer to Tommy Steel, Alex released … Continue reading →

The post Album review: SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND – Good Evening Boys And Girls appeared first on Get Ready to ROCK!.