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Assalt 43, Brains, Cholera, & Visceral Throne
June 26, 2010
CHRIS
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Assalt 43 - Hellcore
Assalt 43 is Barcelona’s answer to metalcore, washing clean the ugly stigma of mall-metal music with three tracks of fast-paced, aggressive tunes that can induce some serious slam dancing. With much of the music from this bastard son genre being typically boring and hideously contrived, Hellcore is a damn impressive contradiction.  

Sung in the band’s native tongue, even the most unversed Spanish-speaker can dig these songs; as is typical with fine music, any barrier can be overcome if the mood and feelings are all in perfect place. Some fine thrash elements combine with a modern feel and typical drop-tune sound for a pretty impressive EP. While both angry and aggressive, Assalt 43 handles its own with Pina, its menacing vocalist and a band that creates well-structured songs that should impressive even the most skeptical fan of metal music. “Muerto en Vida” is the standout for me, a fast-as-hell traveling circus that switches gears at just the right time, shaking up the bottle perfectly. Like a commuter train barreling through an intersection, Hellcore isn’t something to easily ignore.

For my money, Assalt 43 is one of the better bands I’ve heard from this sub-genre and checking them out would do a psyche good.    
Cholera - Enslaved Humanity EP
Release Date:  2009
Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  Road Into the Fire  2.  Prophecies of Annihilation
-    Total playing time: 21:24
Cholera hails from those cold northern wastelands of Canada where I’m hearing some really solid music from of late. This two-piece progressive death metal outfit issues its first demo of two sincerely amazing tracks that call on Dream Theater and Nevermore with its sound, complete with Jordan Rudess-like keyboard sound. For technical “prog-death” these two songs are a staunch representative of a somewhat burgeoning sub-genre.

It’s obvious some real effort and style was put into this demo, titled Enslaved Humanity. While not as polished as DT (which may or may not be a plus, depending on your taste) there is a real charm here. The vocals cascade between a discernable gruff delivery and some clean efforts that are truly interesting in that the vocalist can actually carry a tune effectively. The track “Prophecies of Annihilation” is really chaotic and slightly reminiscent of some early 90’s death metal with light doses of progressive passages overlapped. What I also like is that the keys don’t do all of the work for an underachieving guitar; they compliment the right areas very nicely. These guys certainly have a future in music if they keep up this type of output. The music is fast-paced, yet laden with intricacies and styled movements that really keep the flow interesting. I’m more than a little impressed. 

I give this a four-star salute because, quite frankly, in a current funk of so-so demos passing my desk this will certainly be something I’ll pop on for friends and show them that DT’s classic sound can be built upon to a harsher degree. Check these guys out when you can, as they’re working on the full-length now. You should certainly be hearing from these guys in the future.
Brains - Strange Meat
Release Date:  2010
Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  Wolfbeast  2.  3ft Wide 7ft tall  3.  That Awful Witch  4.  Black on Black  5.  Muddy Water  6.  Strange Meat     
-    Total playing time: 18:55
I must say Ireland’s self-described “blackened rock n’ roll” Brains has intrigued me here at this battered desktop. With a nearly twenty-minute demo titled Strange Meat I find the influences list interesting. I mean, Tom Petty next to Burzum? When do you ever see that in a normal list?

Right. You don’t.

Well, Cork’s answer to Petty’s improbable collaboration with Vikernes is a pretty fun set of songs that can be played at any gathering for a good jolt of energy and life. With a careful swipe of doom-meets-rock-meets-Chris Cornell vocals and you have Brains. Yes, the Cornell comparison might put some of you off, but admit it; his voice back in the day was unique if not terribly resonating. The solidity here is that the music is a perfect fit for the vocal style. With just a hint of a processed Ozzy vocal somewhere, the overall quality of the demo is great! In short, I dig this music! The standouts on here for me are the title track and “That Awful Witch” which feels like old ZZ Top within a typical blues scale.

With its brand of stripped-bare heavy rock and some very unique 70’s prog influences overlapping the tracks Strange Meat is hard n’ heavy, but fun and good-time rock.      
DOWNLOAD Strange Meat FREE from the band's bandcamp  page: http://brainscork.bandcamp.com/
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Release Date:  June 12, 2009
Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  El Legado del Dolor  2.  A Golpe de fe  3.  Muerto en Vida       -    Total playing time: 10:55
DOWNLOAD Hellcore FREE from the band's myspace page.
(click on link above)
Contact the band via info on the their myspace page (click on link above) to find out how to purchase a copy of their Enslaved Humanity EP.
Visceral Throne - Demo 2010
Release Date:  February 1, 2010
Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  Conceptual Metamorphosis  2.  Ignorant Persistence
-    Total playing time: 6:00
Visceral Throne represents the Midwest with its two-track demo of some seriously brutal death metal that has some wildly intense drumming and amazingly violent music overlapped. The chugging guitar sound is immediately appealing if you like your death metal volatile (and you know you do!) Suffocation fans might take serious note here!

And once again, the future of metal is being handled nicely by quite young men, giving this old fart the much-needed hope to forge ahead.

For a two-track offering that registers at the six-minute mark, Visceral Throne impresses the hell out of me, and while I’ve always been more of a Bloodbath-heavy-death fan, I’m finding myself being drawn more to the chaotic brutality of some of the more severe death metal bands in the scene. Both tracks on this demo are torch-carrying champions for that scene.

What also draws me to the band is the high lyrical content; the band doesn’t rely on overpowering music and low vocal delivery to mask otherwise insipid lyrics. You can tell these guys care about the songs they’re creating. Both tracks stand out on their own, providing one hell of a punch to the face and a kick to the cranium on the way to the floor for good measure.

You need to hear these guys soon, my friends. These guys are homegrown death metal bent on defacing the Midwest! I hope to hear more from these guys as they were just signed to Brutal Bands Records for a multi-album deal. Keep your ears open!  
DOWNLOAD Demo 2010 FREE from the band's myspace page.
(click on link above)
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