Top 5 Cassette Reviews For October
(by R Ibanez, DRONEBOT, and ViVisectVI)
Coalminer – Perfect Wound
Deathbed Tapes
The most latest release from harsh noise/power electronics duo Coalminer here is their first for the elite, killer USA label Deathbed Tapes. Already notorious for a slew of releases on vinyl and tape formats around the globe, Coalminer presents new material that continues their destructive, corrosive power electronics attacks. While your brain gets marred by heavy walls and piercing harsh noise industrial textures, the distant, industrial-marred vocals narrate sinister tales of psychosis and irreversible brain-frying frequencies. This perfect collaboration just manifested on the perfect cassette format in black shell and black and clear case format. This is a must have for a brain barraging good time.
Skeletal Remains – Devouring Mortality
Devouring Flesh Records
Skeletal Remains’ visit to the Philippines allowed them to completely destroy in the live situation, co-headlining with the returning Full of Hell (actually playing first in the lineup due to needing to catch an early flight in the midst of their busy Asian tour). This 2018 album has the makings of a true oldschool death metal modern classick, adorned with Dan Seagrave artwork and a Dan Swano mix.
These elements further enhance and optimize the SR sound. It injects sick pathogens time-travel-exported in pure doses from the early 90s but while still sounding fresh and invigorated with pure unadulterated DEATH. Skeletal focuses on money riffs and songwriting steeped in the glory days of death metal.
Expect excellent and tight musicianship (witnessed live recently) and the oldschool attitude where blistering speed and ultra tech brutality are not the total priority but instead a murderous atmosphere, honest songcraft, and true heaviness over over-machinated brutality. This allows the riffs, brutal vocals, fluid semi-melodic solos, and precise rhythm section power-displays enough space to breathe and circulate the riffs and midtempo killing sprees, allowing for memorable killer tunes that gives you more time to saturate and drown in well-balanced brutality.
Aedes – Odious Imprecation
Svart Records
This was a great discovery and a hidden gem in Skeletal Remains’ merch table. Having not enough cash for many purchases, you have to make do with the limited budget. This gave your earthly scribe a chance to go for two tapes instead of shirts and vinyl.
Some of the best musical discoveries come from blind purchases with their killer cover art and portentous vibes reeking out of the unholy cassette. Aedes hail from the cold, grim regions of Helsinki, Finland, and sound more like a brutal death metal band that got teleported from the early to mid 90s, but are actually a new band.
Theirs is a sinister death metal sound that has enough doses of technicality combined with unapologetic, oldschool death metal brutality that uses the strains and DNA of the early 90s scene without sounding like a tired tribute or ripoff, but with a sound infused with a cavernous, creeping, unmerciful sound still their own. For a new band that just formed last year, they already possess a brutal identity and well composed chaotic death barrages that sound promising. This 4 track EP leaves listeners wanting more, so keep an eye out for them and a future full length to continue the death devastation already presented here.
Bakunawa – s/t
Anugal Audio Terror
Local upstart deathdoomsters Bakunawa arrive from the depths of hell (or Marikina and Quezon City to be precise) with some punishing slow death and funeral dirges in this killer debut release. Adding Filipino elements in their sound design such as the kubing, tribal percussion, nylon acoustic guitar interludes, and tagalog lyrics (all the tracks on side 2) adds a local, mystical flair to their dirgey death sounds. Balancing out their heavy riffing, ultra low vocals, and murky distorto bass are clean-axe sections and slow mindbending psychedoomdeath trips.
Despite playing doomed out death tunes for the sick, they don’t overdo the length of their songs, with 4 plus to 6 minute tracks that don’t go incessantly drawn out and not over-welcoming their stay. For deathdoom heads who want to toke and wallow in slow death trips, Bakunawa does a killer job. Watch out for their future releases.
https://anugalaudioterror.bandcamp.com/music
Vrykolakas – In the Shadow of Fire, Death & Chaos
3rd Slaughter Records
Vrykolakas is a notorious oldschool Singapore Death Metal band that spawned in 1991. Their classick EP “Buried In Filthy Vomits” from 2000 should be well known to those into killer Southeast Asian death with the perfect blend of slight technicality and heavy, brutal, ominous atmospheres. This worthy slab is a limited edition release from local cassette label, 3rd Slaughter Records, and is a must buy for those death devotees looking for that oldschool deathvomit Asian necrodeath sound as only Vrykolakas can deal out.
This tape release is a handy collection that combines “Into the Shadow of Death” EP from 2020, the “Fire, Death and Chaos” split with Beast Petrify & Absence of the Sacred from 2012, and a rare, unreleased compilation track. This is the perfect dose of Singaporean Death Metal for oldschool freaks who want to revel in filthy oldschool brutality that hearkens back to mid 90s to 2000 era death metal but has a morbid sound of its own. Check out the rest of their discography for more full doses of Southeast Asian filth and rottenness.
Towards Harmonious Civilization Zine 
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