Yeah, I know, I know, another day another band doing the “downtuned metallic hardcore” thing. I’m as tired of it as you are at this stage, of hearing band after band trying to either be His Hero is Gone or Converge or..I dunno, some sort of cross between His Hero is Gone and Converge. It’s becoming harder and harder to find bands in the field with any identity of their own. But they’re out there. And England has one of the best – Manchester’s Pine Barrens.

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The war is on & those corrupt capitalistic warmongers better watch out because we have had enough. Lockstep from Oaktown is down for the get down, these metallic crust warriors’ 2010 Basement Tape release is so fucking epic. Every tune on this release is a death blow to the so-called heads of government. If riffs were weapons this band would have a full arsenal, I’m just saying, the guitar work on Basement Tape is rad to the core. Vocally, the singer brings the plight of the downtrodden home, & lays outs their torment with his lyrics and his earnest delivery. Check out songs like “Torches upon the Leech” & you will hear the thick wall of caustic feedback mixed with slow-moving distortion, which together build this epic groove that in my book is as catchy as the plague. Lockstep’s music pounds you with off the Richter scale drumming that provides a great foundation for their call to arms. Yeah, this band’s music is full of controlled anger directed at those who deserve it, but it’s their use of caustic melodic vibes that really draws you in. If you are a fan of unhinged D-beat, Crust, Murder Sludge & Doom you must check out Lockstep – you can purchase their tape HERE. Also stay tuned to CVLT Nation for tour details & other awesome news about this sick band. Something must be in the water in Oaktown because they have been turning out sick bands since I was in the street up there in 84. Whatever the case, get in step with Lockstep, nuff said!

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Fuck the world, all I is want is pain…what’s that on the floor? My brain. My ears are bleeding because of Malveillance. This French-Canadian band have created pure demon magic with their latest release, Consentir a L’absurde. When you hear this record, you say what the fuck is this rancid shit coming through my speakers…Hades sounds awesome! To me, Malveillance plays hate the whole universe kind of blackened punk metal that gets me going in the morning. Their songs are bare-bones, and just plain mean & sinister down to the core – there is nothing, I mean nothing, beautiful about this band. I’m sure this is why their songs sound so rad to me. Malveillance do really interesting things with the way that they write their music; their songs have a really cool structure to them that just whips you across the skull when you least expect it. Man, these dudes’ riffs are caustic & really groovy, and this band has a dirty off-the-wall thing happening in their songs, as original as sin. When their song “Le Choeur des Malades” starts blasting through your speakers, you will find yourself in a blackened state of mind for sure. Trust me, Malveillance is the perfect mixture of ultra dirty black metal with a good balance of extra sleazy punk, plus a good, medical dose of blood-soaked vocal grunts to add to the insanity. I will be honest with you, after listening to this album you might need a couple of showers. But maybe their drum beats of death & destruction will be the sound track to your beautiful, hot summer day.

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What the fuck do we have here? The Japanese demon hordes are crashing the party & I’m all for it! 600% BlackenedMurder, Japan’s ABIGAIL are super dynamic. They are the kind of audio fix I want inside my veins. This band creates black death rage battle music that just spits bile all over the place. This record is 5 songs of just over the freaking top radness; when I hear this kind of music, it makes me want to be immortal so I can listen to it forever. Every song is ultra fast, but they also have this off the meat rack voodoo murder groove that keeps you holding on to every riff. If I died tomorrow, blast this Reaper’s Night album, out now via Deathrash Armageddon, in my coffin & I will rise again for sure. I really do not know what to label this band, which makes me like them even more. I mean, you can hear thrash, black metal, rock, punk & crust, but ABIGAIL pushes their sound beyond any of these labels. The vocalist has this madman spazz delivery which is awesome, plus it sounds like he swallowed death itself. When you hear their song “Morbid Screams,” & the drums kick in, if your head doesn’t start moving, call your mortician because guess what, you are dead! ABIGAIL makes music to live for – if it’s the Reaper’s Night, well, my day was made!!! By the way, this album is a split with Italy’s Sign of Evil, watch out for that review at a later date.

ABIGAIL : Morbid Screams

ABIGAIL : Crush The Holy Priest

Wow MASAKARI has me in a rad mood today. Right now, I’m listening to a super brutal live recording from their latest performance in D.C., recorded by Charred Resistors. It’s ultra clear, and all CVLT Nation readers can download it. Make sure to check out this recording so that you know what will be in store for you this summer, as MASAKARI hits the road with Germany’s ALPINIST. Both bands will also wreck shit up & down the West Coast at this year’s Power of the Riff. The news gets even better – both bands have unified together to put out a split via Halo of Flies for the U.S & Alerta Antifascista for Europe that will be out in time for their tour. All I know is that I’m getting a copy because I dig both of these bands – keep it real, you know this record will be the shit! There are pretty gnarly posters for this tour, so check them all out so you can get the dates straight, plus the artwork is off the chain!

MASAKARI Live in D.C. download HERE!

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Today CVLT Nation releases Vol. III of our Blackened Everything mixtape series. This volume is a sonic killing machine on a blackened warpath of audio terror! From the time you press play, the onslaught on your eardrums is on! CVLT Nation Vol. III highlights many super gnarly unsigned bands that will totally smash your brain, plus gnarly signed bands that bring the hate as well. No more words, just fucking listen to this mixtape! Make sure to peep the track list after the jump & scroll over the image for the download option.

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I once read a review of Killing Joke where their music was described as “the sound of the earth vomiting”. Well Fatum is like the earth’s crust being spewed up. Hailing from Moscow, Russia, their ‘musick’ is bleak dirty bass-heavy stenchcore which brings to mind bands like Axegrinder, Deviated Instinct etc.

Fatum – Razor Of Reality

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What happens when two sick bands from the rotten apple decide to do split 7 inch? You get a piece of vinyl that is sicker than the black plague. The two bands are Batillus and Mutilation Rites, and they have recorded a split for their hometown label Shinebox Recordings. This rad record will be on sale for the tour that these bands will be embarking on soon. Batillus contributed a song called “Cast” to the split which has a dual vocal barrage of Fade Kainer & Kat Katz (Agoraphobic Nosebleed, ex-Salome) plus one of the raddest basslines that I have heard in a long time. This track is cold & menacing with this subversive melodic groove that eats away at your flesh then turns your blood into steel. This song offers a bleak look into another world, where basslines cause destruction. Mutilation Rites wreck shop with their song entitled “Goliath,” which is a huge-sounding blackened ritual that has many layers of sound that will torture your eardrums in magical way. This track pours out wicked amounts of sinister emotion into the universe & leaves the earth warm with its flame. What’s really cool is how epic the waves of rhythm that this band conjures up speak to the listener just as much as the vocals. To me, this band is on to something very special with this one song – they have said more than some bands can say with a whole album. Mutilation Rites have written a new language onto their ancient scrolls, & this song of darkness will shine bright on their future. You know what I would do if I were you – I would find this gnarly 7 inch & buy it – you can listen to it HERE!!! After the jump, check out tour details, artwork, plus some stellar live footage.

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Who really wants their black metal to sound clean & shiny? Not me, I want my black metal to be distorted to the max & lo-fi as Hell itself. That’s why one of my favorite bands is New York’s Raspberry Bulbs…their new demo, RB Tries Again, is rad in all of it’s blackened feedback glory. It’s six songs & 14 minutes of demented sonic mayhem that leaves a layer a dirt on you with every listen. To me, this band is like a drugged version of the Cramps channeled through the mind of black metal mad scientist. Raspberry Bulbs has this chaotic punk rock energy that runs through all of their songs. This band uses lo-fi production techniques to their advantage, actually they incorporate the audio madness into their music as another instrument. The vocals on the RB Tries Again demo sound extremely tortured, but in a very cyco sort of way, they sound melodic. Raspberry Bulbs’ music has a really epic movement to it; way down in the mix you can hear this dirge boogie vibe being conjured up. On songs like “All Over Again,” the band goes for an I do not give a fuck punk sound that seems damaged & sick in the head, and which drives me mental in a good way. To get a good look into the mind of this band, you must listen to “Tissue in the Bloodstream” – feedback has never sounded so fucking gnarly & sinister. Raspberry Bulbs have done it again, created black metal in their likeness, a place were distortion is the new beautiful. Good news: you can buy this epic demo HERE!

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The hell spawn have shapeshifted into the form of man & have taken the name Nachzehrer. This Boston band plays ultra raw blackened maggot thrash that causes brain rot and gives you bang over at the same time! Their four song demo, Black Thrash Ritual, is gnarly filthy metal that is injected with diseased punk energy. On the real, I would not call this band thrash; to me they actually have created their own bastard sound that is truly all theirs. Nachzehrer is a plague of dirty riffs & undead vocals that has a subversive melody if you listen closely. This band does not give a fuck – they are out to nuke shit & kill all prisoners. When you hear “Onward to Hellfrost” start to invade your ears with it’s death march drumming, then descend to into a pool of boiling hatred with a nuclear voodoo groove, you will understand why this band is so awesome. To me, the vocalist is super sick – it sounds like he is eating brains before he starts a new verse, and his delivery alone is an off the hook instrument. This is a band that fans of rotting raw undead blackened thrash will be keen to hear! In closing, I have got to say the only thing wrong with this record is that it is way too fucking short…I demand more!

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