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Drakum’s Around the Oak is yet another demo capitalizing on this rash of medieval/folk/death metal bands. The question before me is if the band is worthy of such adulation as bands like Mithotyn, Northern Sword or Moonsorrow. The answer is…maybe.

The three songs here are not disgustingly opaque, though I’m still not sure about the Misfits-like “Hey! Hey! Hey!” that is literally all over the place these days. Aside from this little off-putting chanting, the demo is pretty solid, though I’m afraid if you’re familiar with some of the finer bands of the genre you won’t see much in the way of innovation. The female vocals are wonderful in that you can barely hear them; this is one of the pet peeves of many of my peers in an age where woman in leather pants and flowing blond hair have given way to Germanic dresses, goblets, and wailing vocals that get old after the 20-second mark. Sadly, we didn’t see enough leather pants and too many of these damn dresses, and before our female counterparts call out my perceived misogyny, my metaphoric banter is guided only by the pretense of leather-is-to-metal-as-air-is-to-life. My inane rants aside, Drakum provides a sound, albeit typical view of the folkish metal scene that can impress some of the newbies to no end, but might leave a few ardent veterans champing at the bit for something much more inviting. There are some decent moments, but the overall ‘folk-dance’ background that is all too obvious nowadays gets annoying after hearing it in a million albums and demos already. 

While the music is structured very well and balances an anorexic line between burdening ‘mead-metal’ and power metal, something just seems to miss a very miniscule mark. I’m not dismissing the band entirely, but in the vastness that is this burgeoning mythological metal trend it’s best to plan ahead and expect that some bands will fall the wayside because the waters are choppy and predictable at best.     
     
Dirge Eternal, Drakum, Rise in Hated & Wrath Attack
August 24, 2011
CHRIS
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Dirge Eternal - Within the Dark
Dirge Eternal’s 2009 demo Within the Dark is one of the rare demos that impress me with a strong keyboard presence that, simply put, is an undeniably necessary accompaniment. Hailing from Finland, where keyboards are practically issued by the record companies, Dirge Eternal slams and ascends nicely in the course of two songs and a decent intro. While nothing major breaks molding here, it’s a fine piece of music to have on and take in.

The vocals are not overpowering, which is always a plus for me, utilizing a clean tone for 99.9% of the demo, then slipping into a snarl for effect that is done just about right for the most part. Musically the band is about as basic as it can get, and that’s a positive all over. There are no frills, bells, whistles, what have you; the music is left as a strong element in and of itself and doesn’t disappoint if the traditional, yet dark sound is what you seek. While not total power metal, this music is certainly going to appeal to traditional fans as well as power metal connoisseurs as the two are often joined at the hip. The song structures here are the true winners, as they are simply interesting and memorable. What more can you ask for? The simple, direct approach is sadly lacking in today’s part-and-parcel world.

For a demo, these tracks are pretty nicely done and provide a fine template for the band’s first EP, Lucifer’s Lullabye. I think fans of bands that incorporate some doomy elements without benefit of slowing down with the slight overtures of power blasts here and there will dig this nicely.
Drakum - Around the Oak
Release Date:  February 19, 2011
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  Around The Oak  2.  Absinthe  3.  The Wanderer     
-     Total playing time: 11:13
Release Date:  August 1, 2009
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  The Burning  2.  Devil's Night  3.  Within the Dark 
-    Total playing time: 11:18
For a copy of Within the Dark, contact the band via their myspace page (click on link above).
What angers me quite a bit these last few months is this wave of “nu-thrash” that is, pardon the pun, speeding through the middle-ground with reckless and thoughtless abandon. The list of bands jumping on this bandwagon of thrash is sickening and, sadly, expected, so I’m actually pining for some black metal to balance my ailing brain. Norway’s Wrath Attack attempts to show that the Scandinavian country is known for more than just early 90’s black metal, and by all accounts does a decent job at that.

The drop-tuned, assaultive music is far from original by any stretch, but its dark and quick venture through the galloping mire of modern thrash makes for a vibrant and interesting engagement. The songs are less-than-serious odes to beer, being drunk, being really drunk…well, you get the picture. As serious as I take this movement of ours, sometimes a low-brow bit of fun breaks up the monotony of total introspection for me, and this little piece here doesn’t take itself so seriously that it’s not fun, yet doesn’t tread lightly over the paths carved out by the more serious fathers of said genre.

While not as chaotic as Destruction, intense as Sodom or all-out thrashing as Testament, Wrath Attack is a warm, fuzzy feeling of trepidation and entertaining forethought, wondering if you should go get plastered as the lyrics suggest or sit in a darkened room and stare at the lone candle you light for ambience. I’m thinking either one will do…good stuff!   
Rise in Hatred - Castle of Misanthropy
Black Brazilian metal delivers a semi-potent punch in the Castle of Misanthropy demo that doesn’t offend me on any level close to that of most other bands that send in these blatantly stolen ‘black metal’ demos.

What I find really viable about Rise in Hatred is the really nefarious tone to the music, although the vocals suffer from being a bit too high in the mix, but this easily overlooked. In the large picture bands these days are either too low and muddy in the mix or too high and tinny throughout, both options making for a less-than-enjoyable sitting. Rise in Hatred manages to convey a true atmosphere of dismalness and foreboding in six tracks with vocals that cross just over the line of a Chuck Schuldiner pitch into total black oblivion. It’s nothing really resonating or special, but everything fits nicely for the sake of what the music is dispelling.

There’s some fluent and volatile sounding riffs in here, especially in “Blinded by the Cross”, which is about as Swedish as it gets without poring over a meatball platter in an outdoor café. I also must wonder if these guys are fans of the aforementioned Schuldiner project of Death because some of these riffs, whole nowhere near a technical imitation, simply wreak of the Floridian masters. Either way, if that wasn’t the intended goal, then bravo for stepping outside the nearly-invisible line of flattering imitation and blatant forgery.     
Wrath Attack - Wasted
Release Date:  July 15, 2010
Label:  Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING:
1.  Drowning in Beer  2.  Diagnosed as Drunk  3.  Fist of Apocalypse  4.  Wasted  5.  Skullcrusher (Kvikksølvguttene cover)    -    Total playing time:  17:07
DOWNLOAD Wasted FREE from the band's website: Wrath Attack
Release Date:  November, 2010
Label:  Band Self Released
TRACK LISTING:
1.  Opening  2.  Path of the Dark Wisdom  3.  Blinded by the Cross  4.  Castle of Misanthropy  5.  Odissey of a Diseased Mind  6.  Sorcerer of the Black Mountain
-    Total playing time: 26:37
For a copy of Within the Dark, contact the band via their myspace page (click on link above).
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For a copy of Within the Dark, contact the band via their myspace page (click on link above).
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