Dyscarnate – With All Their Might

DYSCARNATE are finally releasing their hotly anticipated third album, With All Their Might after a five year wait; but after the close-to-perfection-groove-fest which was 2012’s And So It Came To Pass, how does it compare? Well, DYSCARNATE fans will be pleased to know this new release shows no mercy; faster, tougher, more ambitious and almost impossibly groovier, With All Their Might is all that you wish the new DECAPITATED would be. With new bassist Al Llewellyn in tow, the trio, completed by guitarist/vocalist Tom Whitty and drummer Matt Usworth, create a sound far bigger and more dynamic than most bands double their size. After being blown away by their groovy ritual at Tech Fest this year, Metalmance couldn’t wait to get our grubby mitts on the new album. The new songs they played live were a taste of the darker, more metallic album With All Their Might promised to be.

Bludgeoning their way into our consciousness with the gloriously punchy opener Of Mice And Mountains, DYSCARNATE are back in business. They are the British death metal riff masters after all and the track sets the unforgiving pace for the remainder of the album. Immediately you are confronted with the freshly diverse screaming on this record, for here is a band who are getting musically heavier with each release rather than others who are becoming softer. Straight to your face and triumphant, the instrumentation is relentless in its brutality and groove. The two things which form the backbone of the band’s strongest release to date.

The metallic crunch of the opening riff to second track This is Fire! gives it a blackened tinge to proceedings. The first track needed an equally punishing follow-up track and This Is Fire! certainly delivers. The chorus will most certainly become a firm fan favourite to shout along to, but it is the riff which drives the song to become the musical equivalent of sharpening steel. The track also features the surprise of ‘clean vocals’; not in the singing sense, but more of a chant which propels the song into a new dimension before plummeting into an absolute beast of a closing riff.

Lead single Iron Strengthens Iron should be the soundtrack to a bloodthirsty epic, like Spartacus or Gladiator. Crushing and heavy, DYSCARNATE truly do use ‘all their might’ to conduct this wounding, modern death metal classic. A good transition from old album to new, it’s easy to understand why it was chosen to be the first single. It has the same tone as And So It Came To Pass but with the new ambition of With All Their Might. A terrifically bruising composition, Iron Strengthens Iron is the sound of a raging battle.

Things slow down a tad with the intriguing Traitors In The Palace. Another blackened ambience greets the listener with bell tolls and hellish riffs. The gutteral vocals drag the song into a deeper circle of hell. A menacing riff erupts before we witness the evil sound of the band. Brutal, dark and dynamic, DYSCARNATE sure as hell are raising the bar for British death metal.

A bassy, whirring monster comes in the form of To End All Flesh Before Me. Another suffocatingly punishing track, the song breaks into a bass-heavy lull before pummeling the listener with rapid-fire drumming and DECAPITATED-esque riffage. The machine-gun pace continues with Backbreaker. It should be noted DYSCARNATE wouldn’t be DYSCARNATE without the impeccable drumming of Matt Unsworth. In an age of programmed drums, it’s refreshing to hear the organic sound of a talented drummer.

Now it’s time for arguably the standout track of the album – or at least the one which Metalmance has had on repeat the most; All The Devils Are Here. With its thrashy beginning, it levels out into a groovy divine force. The vocals reflect this god-tier level, with screams straight out of a fallen angel’s mouth. It also feels like a call and response is happening before we are chucked head first into and rumbling riff. One of the most diverse songs on the album, this track selects limbs from all extreme genres to create its own hellish hybrid. When you think you’re safe, you’re then exposed to the most spellbinding and spine-tingling outro of 2017. It will make you bang your head into oblivion.

If you’ve survived the album so far and have enough energy left for the finale, stick it out, for Nothing Seems Right will bang the final nail in your coffin. One last atmospheric blackened intro graces our ears for the album’s swansong. With its apocalyptic ambience, it is a fitting end to what is a flawless work of art. If With All Their Might doesn’t cement DYSCARNATE as Britain’s heavyweight heroes then we might just have to crack our skulls in disgust. With their no-nonsense attitude, DYSCARNATE will have you gagging to join their ranks.

Cryptopsy + Jøtnarr + A Bribe For The Ferryman

(Apologies for poor picture quality, had to use phone camera instead) 

Colchester Arts Centre is a quirky little venue, and a regular spot for all genres of music and arts. Tonight, the former church is host to Montreal’s finest, CRYPTOPSY. As the death metal fans of Essex start spilling into the room, opener A BRIBE FOR THE FERRYMAN get underway with their set. 

Over the past year, the band from Colchester have gained momentum round the local scene. Metalmance last saw the band open for SEAWOLVES at Colchester’s Three Wise Monkeys, and since then the band has had a lineup shake up in the form of new drummer Joshua Moreton, the former drummer of REZINWOLF (RIP). ABFTF aren’t the most original band, their brand of recycled riffs making them sound more like a college band. That’s not to say everyone feels this way; the band had their own crew of hardcore fans and a small group moshing down the front, but the band and music just didn’t seem quite suitable for a death metal show. Luckily, Moreton has injected a new energy into the band, and bassist Chris May is well worth a watch purely for his stage presence alone. However you’re left wishing frontman Rob Norrington was less static on stage, but as a band they are still finding their feet and ABFTF really need to establish their own sound or risk failing to break out of the local scene. 

Gracing the stage next were local troupe JØTNARR. Always a safe choice for an extreme metal gig in Colchester, the trio brought the gritty noise and chaotic energy to the Arts Centre and got the crowd warmed up for the noisy ruckus to come. The simplicity of the band being a three-piece is a deceiving disguise for the huge wall of sound and screams they make. Their performances are always captivating, with all members unleashing a sound akin to the soundtrack of the expulsion of demons. If you’re from the area and haven’t yet witnessed the mighty JØTNARR, then what has possessed you? 

Iconic in itself, the painting Herodias with the Head of John the Baptist by the artist Elisabetta Sirani is no doubt more infamous now for being the artwork for CRYPTOPSY’s None So Vile, with John’s decapitated head decorating the scrims on the stage. It is this album which the masters of death metal are playing in its entirety tonight. With his exuberant long hair, frontman Matt McGachy whipped his locks round and windmilled enough for everyone down the front to caught tangled up in it or have it dip in their drinks at some point. Intense and loud as ever, it was evident the band were experts at their aural craft, oozing professionalism and menace with their fans lapping up each riff and scream. Unrelenting throughout the playthrough of None So Vile, when the opening riff for the classic track, Slit Your Guts resonated round the room, the band had the crowd eating out of their hands. Legends in their own right, it was a very special occasion that the band were gracing Colchester with their presence, it is hard to do the band justice with this little review. The only disappointment of the night was that the show didn’t have a larger turnout. This seems to be a repeating pattern at Colchester gigs recently  (possibly even the region as a whole). If CRYPTOPSY played here ten years ago, it more than likely would have been near to selling out. But tonight is the present, and everyone in attendance had a ghoulishly good time otherwise. 

Tech Fest 2017

THURSDAY

A small festival filled with technical metal bands, death metal and progressive metal? Yes please. Add to that the tight-knit tech community of people from all around the world, heavenly pizza, and tiny pancakes and you have a stellar weekend on your hands.

Thursday was the early bird day, with CHELSEA GRIN headlining. However, with Metalmance participating in camping shenanigans and being flooded out by rain of biblical proportions, there was only time to see THE ROYAL in the afternoon. Last time Metalmance saw these Dutch metalcore chaps, was in Boston Music Rooms supporting DREAMSHADE in March. Back then the band managed to stir up the crowd with their jumping-inducing tunes, and at Tech Fest it was no different, just on a bigger scale. Playing material from albums Dreamcatchers and their newest release, Seven, the band certainly won new fans over with their energetic set.

 

FRIDAY

Kicking off the weekend proper were London prog darlings FRAKTIONS. Metalmance recently had the pleasure of witnessing the band in Bristol supporting DEITIES, but their Tech Fest set was on another level. The group had brought their A-game, with vocalist Joel Pinder leading the performance with every vocal spot on. It was great to see a big turn out for the first band of the day and it’s clear to see how firmly wedged in the tech fam hearts FRAKTIONS are. If Tech Festers weren’t warmed up already, then they most certainly were after Kaan Tasan of NO CONSEQUENCE made a guest appearance. An impressive start to the festival by one of Britain’s promising progressive hopes.

Metalmance caught the second half of DREWSIF STALIN’S MUSICAL ENDEAVOURS and it was exactly as expected; fun, bordering on chaos with the man himself commanding the stage along with vocalist, Lee making a damn fine effort.

VALIS ABLAZE were up next on the Gigantic Stage. A solid set, the band were clearly well rehearsed, with material from latest EP Insularity shimmering amongst the setlist. Vocalist Phil Owen hits every note while guitarist Tom Moore steals the hearts with his evident joy of being there, demanding the most attention by performing on a front speaker. That is until the guest appearance of Drewsif Stalin (the producer of Insularity) stealing the focus away. Ending the set in high spirits and to a great response, it’s wonderful to see this talented band starting to receive the recognition they deserve.

From VALIS ABLAZE’s melodic progressive metal to something quite different, Metalmance entered the main arena to the irresistible riffy ruckus of British death metallers DYSCARNATE. Having never encountered the band before it’s safe to say the brutal trio ended up being one of Metalmance’s highlights of the festival. No nonsense, straight to your face, no gimmicks, the band deliver their material at 100mph. They treated their fans to a few new tracks from their forthcoming album. These songs have a blackened tinge to them, making the next release one of the most hotly anticipated of the year for us.

Deathcore masters MARTYR DEFILED deliver a polished set which loses none of its impressive intensity. This British lot have been touring for well over 5 years now, their ease at playing a ferocious show is evident. One of the veterans of the British scene and should remain so.

In a drunken haze, Metalmance caught bits of WITHIN DESTRUCTION and VIRVUM, both on the gigantic stage. Both very heavy. Heavy is the word which came to mind…

By the time the evening rolled round, everyone was buzzing for the headliners THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, but beforehand we all got warmed up with an absolute pummelling from the legendary ABORTED. Intense, disgustingly heavy and incredibly tight, the pioneers of Belgian deathgrind delighted the crowd with their impressive stage presence and set up. Skeletons graced the stage, backlit by eerie lighting. This, coupled with frontman Sven De Caluwe pacing up and down the platform and the technical instrumentation, all contributed to arguably one of the tightest sets of the whole weekend.

It was always going to be a challenging job to top ABORTED’s flawless set, but who better for the job than THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER? Their live reputation is well known, a stupidly tight and professional band, TBDM have always moved from strength to strength. Performing material spanning across their whole back catalogue, from Unhallowed to Abysmal, every song went down a treat with their fans. Of course, this year signals 10 years since the release of classic album Nocturnal, so several tracks were played tonight, including the fan favourite What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse, in preparation for their forthcoming tour playing the album in full. Feeding off the crowd’s enthusiasm, the band were clearly in high spirits and knocking out tune after tune. Frontman Trevor Strnad grabbed the inflatable banana which was being crowd surfed to the front. This bode the start of what would become a legendary year for inflatables at Tech Fest… Heads banging, pits, cheers and smiles all round were the result of TBDM’s set. You can’t help but to be left feeling impressed and upbeat once the band have rolled into town. A hard act to follow, the bar was set for the remainder of the weekend.