Greetings, Decibel readers!
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying all the memes coming out of the Olympics this year, especially from the shooting competitions. I feel like we need to pull off some metal meme-magic with those images to compare different styles to each other. The Turkish Olympian who just walked up and casually won the silver medal could basically represent any stripped-down, no-nonsense form of extreme music. Whereas some of the other competitors with their fancy gear could be compared to the more technical styles.
Your move, metal internet!
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Carnophage – Matter of a Darker Nature
Let’s get things off to a brutal start. First of all, the two guitar players have incredible picking skills, which are perfectly matched up with Onur’s blistering drum work. This is the Turkish outfit’s third album, a solid offering of technical brutal death metal. This effigy should not be forgotten.
Stream: Apple Music
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Demon Spell – Evil Nights
Waaaaaaahhhhh!!! Righteous Mercyful Fate-worship, delivered with the verve and panache you can expect from any act on Dying Victims.
Stream: Apple Music
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Doldrey – Only Death Is Eternal
Still can’t get over how cool it is a band named themselves after one of the most important battles in Berserk. Anyway, this Singapore-based act delivers crust-punk bitterness laced with the death metal of the most lethal; the HM-2-style sound practically oozes out of your speakers.
Stream: Apple Music
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Poison Ruïn – Confrere
Now listening to something like this takes me back to my days going to street punk shows at local venues and beaten-down teen centers. There’s a clear thread here that goes back to The Clash‘s first album and Give Em’ Enough Rope, but is delivered with an attitude that also accounts for GBH, The Exploited and a touch of bands like Blitz, The Business and Cockney Rejects. Damn, it’s not often I get to throw out names like that in a Decibel column. Feels good, tho.
Stream: Apple Music
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Svartelder – Trenches
Meanwhile, here’s some black metal. Norway’s Svartelder has a fascinating take on the style, incorporating dual-guitar harmonies, palm-muting, death-metal-esque drum lines, and other elements that take the listener to unusual places. However, the style is still ominous and unrelentingly dark. Into the trenches with you.
Stream: Apple Music