Brazil never ceases to produce great Metal act once in a while. Now it’s the time for Rebaelliun to rise. This promotape contains only two songs, but clear enough to show the band’s blasphemous potential. Coming across sounding like a mixture of Morbid Angel and Slayer, Rebaelliun shreds. The impact produced is comparable to Angelcorpse, so you can imagine the power that Rebaelliun able to erupts. The solos are murderously crazy. Can’t wait for their debut soon. This promo was sent by Hammerheart Records, so it might indicate that they will be (or already) signed by them.

If there’s a person deserved to be called ‘musical-genius’ in the underground scene of today, then one Chris Buchman will surely be a hell of a serious contender. “Thieves of Kisses” proved to be an exciting hearing-session for me, and believe me it’s not easy too. He calls his music ‘cosmoheroic melancholia’, and it do sounds cosmic to me. I agree with the label that says this is something you’ve never heard before, and believe me it is. Ahh, maybe you’ve, but not in the whole as what Chris propose. Accompanied by two female vocals, Chris done it all from the male vocals to instruments handling. Yes, I do not fond of drum-machine, but the way his compositions move, I’ll not complain this time. It’s basically a synths-embodied fest with guitars in the Metal mould, and sometime I do not think that it’s really that Metal though, but since it’s so good I don’t mind to forget about leathers, chains and spikes for some moments. Maybe the female vocals should fare better, and if that is displayed in “Thieves of Kisses”, maybe I’ll put it as flawless. This is admirable; but have I told you that it’s not that easy to get into it? After 1-2 spin, with an arguably open-minded approach, then you have to take my words.

OBTRUNCATION “The Callous Concept” (Damnation)

The weather is usually hot in Malaysia, and what else would be more appropriate to accompany it than a blasting piece of music? I hope that Obtruncation can deliver it, as the label said that they play blasting, extreme death Metal to the hilt. Okay, in the truest sense of word, Obtruncation horrifies me with their insanely fast compositions, brutal no doubt; with excellent technical approach and the never-ceasing aggression all around. Clocking at an impressive 48 minutes, Obtruncation complete the butcher perfectly. Can they handle those brutalities well enough? Formed since 1989, I don’t think they’ll have any problem with that. How do I wish that the  production could be even  better. It’s good, but not solid enough for this kind bestiality. And also be careful on the riffs, some of them are not very hard to trace as to where they come from.

MANGLED “Ancient Times” (Fadeless)

Fadeless Records, one of the most un-trendy labels there is, and Mangled proved it all once more. Coining their music as brutal grave rock, I do find they’re quite original compared to others. Lots of the time they remind me of Convulse, and that’s very welcoming since I couldn’t recall any other bands ever coming close to them. But Mangled is more brutal, more heavy, and definitely much more blasphemic. The lyrics are surprisingly bleak and anger-filled. How mature their music is reflected by their years of dwelling in the scene. The production is fittingly nice, the guitars undoubtedly sound heavy; and the dynamic bass-lines are not drowned, the engineer managed to bring it upfront. Check out the excellent instrumental “Era : Odium”. It shows how complete a song could possibly be even without vocals.

ERASMUS “Forged for Proof Eterne”

SMELL LIKE TEAM SPIRIT III compilation (Displeased)

SLTS has reached its number 3, and of course it still offers what have been presented in its two previous volumes. Most of the tracks are unreleased, and as we know the Displeased roster is varied enough for a well-rounded, exciting listen. Here’s the chance to sample something new from Altar, Consolation, Nembrionic, Unlord, Manegarm, etc. Samples of sound to come by latest signing like Vesperian Sorrow and Kuntautcult. Songs from classic re-issues of Pestilence, Cryptopsy, Whiplash is worthy enough. With a very low price, this compilation deserves a high rating. But it’s short of 0.2 because of the stupid remix of Sadist “Fools and Dolts”. Even the song of Ontario Blue ( latest signing, strictly non-Metal act) sounds even better (it’s very good, actually).

ASSISTING SORROW demo CD ’98

It’s not easy to find a melodic, progressive death Metal band from the US, but that’s what I got from Assisting Sorrow. Not only that, they managed to surprise me even more. The guitars and drumworks are very impressive, coupled with the excellent vocals. You must heard it yourself to believe me. I mean, the guitar is manipulated in a very convincing way. Intricate, complex, complete structures with a highly skilled, technically-adventurous drummer to do the rest…..very, very lethal indeed. The band tried their hands on something different in song number three, “Unknown” where the guitarist is singing and the music is a lot more power Metal. Yes, it’s good too, but those two previous songs are easily unmatched.

LILITU “promo ‘98”

It’s atmospheric, gothic Metal this time, and they’re from the US. I’m not familiar with them before, just that they’ve released a demo earlier. To tell you the truth, this promotape do impressed me much. There are three types of vocalization presented; a growl, a black Metal-like snarl, and a clean one (which is very good in my opinion). The music flows nicely, the keyboards managed to add more texture rather than just a wasted asset. The materials sound very dreamy, and very depressive-driven. It’s just that two songs ( an intro is not a song) aren’t enough for me.