THE EVIL INQUISITION ISSUE 13

MYSTIC GRAVE - 'Doom, Death, Darkness'
[Unsigned]


Hailing from 'Rahhe' [Sounds like the noise a beast would make] in 'Finland' this death doom trio keeps things pretty much on the grim side of life and their music is mired in the perpetual darkness created by three men who live in an arctic climate and like to have things just that little bit darker. With a debut EP like this one you need to make an impact and whilst musically the impact the band make is moderate the name of the EP alone will get the band heard! What could be better than 'Doom, Death, Darkness'? Granted it isn;t very original but it stands out and will be noticed. That being said the moderate music I mentioned before is decent with some well oiled groove laden dirty riffs to cling on to as well as the growling ferocity of the vocalist. On the whole this EP doesn't grab you by the balls and make you listen but its a great first stab in the dark and the potential shown could lead on to much better things to come. [6.5]
http://www.myspace.com/mysticgrave

REINO ERMITANO - 'Rituales Interiores'
[I Hate]


It is not every day that one gets to listen to a Peruvian metal band, but a four piece female vocalled doom Peruvian band is a chance I am not going to pass up. 'Lima' based band 'Reino Eermitrano' are some what of a South American doom pioneer forging the ways of the down tuned legacy way down in the mountainous regions of ancient civilisations. sadly though a better pioneer may be needed as whilst as a band they do have a pretty solid sound they also lack much in the way of hooks and as a result their style sounds flat and lacking a certain few elements that makes doom so globally appealing. These are the bad points to the band which casts a black shadow over them but sadly they should be doing this themselves, casting an oppressive mood on all around them but they come up short of this and sound on the whole lethargic. If you want a nice groovy band to sit at home and chill too or get stoned with then this Spanish singing doom quartet will fit the bill perfectly but for something a bit more mentally stimulating you may want to search a little longer. [6]
http://www.myspace.com/reinoermitrano

ROOT - 'The Book'
[I Hate]


It's time now for a real blast from the past, think back to 1999 and Czech epic heavy and black metal band 'Root' released 'The Book'. Now bring yourself back to the present and through 'I Hate Records' the band have re-released said album complete with bonus tracks featuring the original demo tracks from a full decade ago. Mired in a perpetual darkness 'Root' play by nobody Else's rules and as a result stick to their game plan with effort. The end result is a well co-ordinated release brought up to date with modern technology to sound crisper and more fluent with the only down side that I can see is that it is not an album that especially sets the world alight. Indeed modest is the word that initially springs to mind once you have sat down and listened to the full repertoire of 'The Book' but despite that it does carry with it it's own Gothic charms and in places it does pull you right in to it's often rich sounding fabric of blackness. A decade on and 'The Book' can still hold it's own as can the band who look as if they are still fighting proud and going strong! [7]
http://www.myspace.com/rootcze

SINK - 'The Process'
[Kult Of Nihilow/Kaos Kontrol]


Hailing from the arctic back drop of 'Finland' comes a band who put aside the business of being mainstream and conventionally heavy and have opted for a path less travelled, one that requires a long drawn out drone like sound that creates a powerful mood of bitterness and a completely overwhelming ambiance of chilling despair. 'The Process' is just that! A strategy, a blueprint for unknown levels of bleakness and blackness! Sink will wrap your whole body and soul in a thick shroud of negative energy that simply drowns your emotions in a man made lake of vitriol! Be warned though that this is not for everybody, it will take a certain mindset to be able to concentrate fully on what 'Sink' are all about but for those of such a bleak mental atmosphere who can dig what is being put on offer I think there is a great deal here to be enjoyed. It isn't thrill a minute metal played at volatile paces but it is eerie and the mood and vibes it casts are secretive and subtle! This is not for happy people, this will bring the world into a new age of doom and despair, eclipsing the globe in a veil of misery! [7]
http://www.myspace.com/sinktheprocess

SNAKEBITE - 'Never Grow'
[Unsigned]


UK stoner thrash band 'Snakebite' have an instantly like able stance on metal, that being that it should be loud, alcohol fueled where ever possible and always packing enough double kick drumming and catchy repetitive riffs to make each song they play tremendous fun! 'Never Grow' is hook central, i say this as from start to finish it just oozes with a totally catchy vibe yet always remains funkily heavy. There is a lot of modern sounds to be heard here which keeps it all very fresh and biting whilst at the same time the old school influences are maintained! Thrown in some crazy groove metal solos here and there and what you have in 'Never Grow' is an all time feel good classic of larger than life flowing melodies, hard hitting and vicious head banging moments and an overall feeling of metal madness as 'Snakebite' jam along to their own magnificent groove. I could praise this British stoner band all day long but you'd get bored so instead of that go out and get this release because it will make your day, your night out and probably your hair of the dog moment the next day!! [9]
http://www.myspace.com/snakebiteuk

TOSCREW - 'Kolonc'
[Unsigned]


Before anybody asks I have no idea. I have no idea if the name 'Toscrew' is a Hungarian word or whether they just love to fuck. It could be a double meaning I suppose but I'm not going to ask them! Hungarian symphonic extreme metal isn't something that you will hear everyday bu the bands new album 'Kolonc' [Must be another one of those pesky Hungarian words] doesn't seem to be lacking in melodic undertone but does lack heavily in quality riff-age. in fact the raw sounding vocals and the heavy metal that is seemingly just slapped on top of the symphonies sounds broken and disjointed and as a result the whole thing just falls apart and sounds like various noises all pulling in completely different directions. If you just had the symphonies on their own you would have a semblance of entertaining music but combined with the metal parts 'Kolonc' is simply a shambles! [3]
http://www.myspace.com/toscrew

VOLUSPAA - 'Norwegian Metal'
[Unsigned]


OK now for ten bonus points and a chance to win the big cuddly satanic monkey of death, can you tell me where the band 'Voluspaa' originate from? I'll have to take your first answer! Sorry The peoples republic of China is close but inaccurate! Its a shame you could have won a boat, even though you don't live near water!! OK so it's safe to say that 'Voluspaa' have little imagination when it comes to release names but I'm hoping the music will come up with something far more inspirational! Sadly though this viking folk one man project, the brainstorm of 'Freddy Skogstad' weighs in on the right side of enjoyable without ever really doing anything to make you in any way interested. That may be on the harsh side as 'Voluspaa' do have some half decent black metal riff combinations going on as well as a some intricate folk like interludes that give the release a nice sense of balance and variety but on the whole 'Norwegian Metal' is a bit of a let down and doesn't really represent the true talent that often hails from alot of other Norwegian acts, black metal or otherwise! [5]
http://www.myspace.com/voluspaa

VULTURE - 'Vulture EP'
[Unsigned]


'Vulture' are a five piece stoner doom band from the land of the penguins, that being Pittsburgh! With a mixed vocal style that flickers between oddly haunting [If not entirely confident] and deeply rough and growling, the band then forge ahead with a cool sounding repetitive riff style that gives them much doom like credence. Indeed they do play their music with simplistic old school kind of vibe but generally this comes across as moderately entertaining with lashings of groove and a strong dosage of darkened portent! Indeed whilst nothing original is on display the 'Vulture EP' is well worth a listen too and at five songs in length doesn't out stay its welcome as more songs of the same thing over and over would become tiresome. 'Vulture' are the kind of band that is good to have a drink too and as more and more alcohol enters your system the better this will get, not to compare the band with the kind of skanky whore you meet after ten beers who looks like Claudia Schiffer until morning when you awaken to find a complete troll in bed next to you, but lets be honest this much is meant to be drunk too so why fight the urge? [7]
http://www.myspace.com/vulturedoom

WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH - 'In Shoals'
[Lifeforce]


Opening with a short drumming medley that is strongly reminiscent of 'Machine Head's' 'Davidian', Berlin based hardcore troop 'War From A Harlots Mouth' quickly remove all other traces of the aforementioned band by slamming straight into a spasmodic and sporadic riff style that seems to defy any sense of logical flow. Utilising an ear splitting guttural scream to act as the bands vocal style, 'War From A Harlots Mouth' set out to make their music as volatile and un-marketable as possible with a deafening blend of hardcore, modern day grind and a hell of a lot of violence. It certainly has flair and character, never repetitive and always fresh sounding! Whilst thing isn't particularly my sort of thing I can really see the appeal that the band will hold in their selective circles, I mean they have everything you would need from their off the wall inhumane brutality to their total lack of subtle traits as they bludgeon their audience to bloody pieces! 'In Shoals' is powerful and gripping but if you are after a catchy bunch of riffs and bass lines that wind their way along a hook laden groove drenched journey then you may need to take a step back because this band will rip your fucking heads off! [7.5]
http://www.myspace.com/warfromaharlotsmouth