Hic Iacet - Hedonist of the Death



It’s a rare occurrence for a bands first release (especially demo) to leave a strong impression and not be forgotten. Spanish inquisitors Hi Iacet have hammered all the right nails into the coffin leaving such notion. Mixing the repulsive combination of black and death metal, Hic Iacet (translating from Latin “here lies” which is commonly written on a grave or tomb’) Hedonist of Death demo is monstrous.

Caught in between a slimy web, Hedonist of Death takes the chaos of Teitanblood, the buzz of old school Darkthrone and the slithering tempo of Necros Christos. Vocals are deep and grueling very comparable to Craig Pillared efforts on Prelude to Apocalypse, and the guitars thick buzzing tone could just oozes through anything. This all  evokes a claustrophobic atmosphere, that encloses the listener into a tomb buried deep into the earth’s crust. Moments of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost rear their way into Breviary of Congenital Rot and The Four Deathaphorisms. While the dense Nihilistic Hellannihilation’s punishing rhythms takes you on a mid pace ride through the murky catacombs of hell, making sure you witness every atrocity. To then fianlly t be consumed by the slightly doomy outro Mortuary Psichophonies  with eerie riffs and suffocating rasps.  

As much Hedonist of Death has to offers it never tries to re-invent the wheel. Instead follows and strengthens the black/death blueprint already lain down. Created with such wicked conviction Hedonist of Death, it's only a matter of time before Hic Iacet conquer all.

8.5/10

Stench of Death #1 Naked Whipper - Painstreaks

Naked Whipper has become quite the cult band, due to their short life span and limited availability of thier releases. Since their 1995 debut Painstreaks, Naked Whipper has  remained remembered in  few cirlces.  Making their sado grind metal classic an almost lost gem.Combining the primitiveness of early Napalm Death, rawness of Repulsion and the malevolence of Blasphemy, Painstreaks is eleven songs of pure raw satanic aggression.

Pagan Pussy Gore Intruder begins Painstreaks assault with a take no prisoner policy. With the vicious sounding guitars, bestial barking of impious lyrics and machine gun blast beats. Setting the listener up for the cyclonic ferocity that is Painstreaks. Each song is short burning incendiary round never passing three minute mark, the shortest being Naked Whipper; which starts with a hard-hitting rhythm before ensuring decimation with relentless grinding. The riffs are what really stand out on Painstreaks, they are insanly catchy and at the same time they never lose there sheer aggressiveness, same goes for the choruses that will have screaming like a maniac to. It  should also noted  all that songs are also delivered in  live ritual form  adding another raw and filthy  layer. Notably vocals are a step grittier and demented then the studio recording, making it worth the listen.

Painstreaks is definitely a gem of the genre. It is rather unfortunate this release still has not had a proper reissue,  only coming in form of bootlegs nowadays. Regardless it's very worth getting your hands.

9.5/10

Murkrat – Drudging the Mire

Mandy VKS Cattleprod’s has returned with her doom project, Murkrat. Drudging The Mire follows from their 2008 self-titled album, however they have made minimal progress between albums.

Just as its predecessor, Drudging the Mire offers a unique conjuration of doom but it is lacking in the riff department. There is not any bad riffs so to speak, but mediocre riff being dragged along for the majority of songs becomes borderline boring. The Drumming also doesn’t aid the situation which is held down by Neil Dyer, which is unfortunate since his work in Innsmouth is attention-grabbing. The saving grace on Drudging the Mire is Mandy's vocals. Her haunting wails and disturbing shrieks holds everything together and take charge on songs. Her vocals also evoke a very creepy atmosphere which is assisted by the gloomy production which fits perfectly compared to the rawer sounding self-titled. Synthesizers, pianos and even organs drape a thick shroud of fog around songs amplifying that lingering mood. At times Murkrat struggles to move forward, I. Rodent and Faceless for example both  have no general direction and shamble around. Though their are moments of doom brilliance. Electric Womb's  lumbering  passages  and slithering  twists drags the listener on a slow haunting  journey through a maze of thorns.

Drudging the Mire is no easy listen as it takes time to grow into, and some may find this only to be a slightly rewarding experience. Though Mandy summons a distinguishing doom sound, it is held back by a lack of progression that make Druging the Mire merely decent listen rather then classic. 

6.5/10