Mortor - 'Shoot Em Up' (self released) 4/5

Now I don't know too much about Mortor. They come from Canada and this is I think their debut full length album, and thats about it, the press info that came with this one was a bit sparse and there aint a great deal of info around on the net either. But when I got my hands on this one and saw the album cover I was interested, after all anything with Nazi zombies on it has to be worth at least a look.

Now this is good, from the moment you click play your hit by a full on metal blitzkrieg that kicks off by sending a stuka like wave of pounding thrash and bludgeon beats  to blast a way into your head, and thus making opening in your minds defenses for the panzer divisions of Cannibal Corpse style speed and grind riffage and legions stormtrooping growled and snarled vocal delivery to punch on deep into your soul and capture your psyche. And this is one occupation I'm not going to object to.

This album is just relentless, cuts like For Glory, Under The Flag, Clusterfuck and Trigger Happy just roll you up with all the subtly of G.I.'s at an Iraqi wedding. This is metal at the bleeding edge, its raw, in your face, mosh pit friendly and very very enjoyable. However theres a softer side to Mortor, (although they do try to hide it). Take the cut Whiskey Surgery, heres a cut that has an almost rock and roll guitar solo in the middle and cuts like Point Blank and  Days Of Our Knives show a little light and shade, as tempo changes and some minor key riffage just work their way into to provide some colour to the relentless blast and batter. And check out the guitar work on Bonesaw... that is to die for.

Now theres a fair bit of this sort of stuff around there and whilst Mortor are no Cattle Decapitation, they are no slouches either and with a bit of luck and hard work they cold become a name to watch for in the future.

Pretty damn good

For fans of... Cattle Decapitation, Cannibal Corpse, Sepultura, Kreator, Carcass.....

Cattle Decapitation - 'Monolith of Imhumanity' (Metalblade) 4.5/5

This is the ninth full length release from politically charged Californian death grind metallers Cattle Decapitation and it's a bit of gem.

Musically this album is about as intense and full on as it can get. Cuts like Forced Gender Reassignment, Gristle Licker and the magnificent Lifestalker explode from the speakers with all the brutal force of a unit of the Animal Liberation Front attacking a fur farm. Drums pound out a relentless tattoo whilst guitars scream thrash and shred like a crazed butcher and the vocals of Travis Ryan growl and snarl in vicious righteous fury. If you think the likes of Cannibal Corpse took it to the max then check these guys out, there is none more brutal and none more driven.

Lyrically this album is very much in line with the bands previous releases; tracks about animal rights intermix with vicious attacks on the decadence of western society and the state of the human condition in a ball of very angry social awareness that sock it to 'The Man' in a way few other outfits can hope to match. And in a world where so many of their musical counterparts are STILL banging out endless tunes about corpse fucking and devil worship its a breath of fresh air. I tip my hat to them for that alone.

Highlights? well the aforementioned Lifestalker with it's epic sounding bridge section, the frenzied thrash and pound of A Living, Breathing Piece Of Defecating Meat and the closing cut Kingdom of Tyrants with its vast and deadly dark soundscapes are to my mind the real stand out cuts on offer, but the whole damn album is pretty impressive over all, and it's rapidly becoming a bit of a favourate of mine.

Highly Recommended

For Fans of..... Cannibal Corpse, Black Dahlia Murder, Jon For A Cowboy, Deicide....

The Feral Underclass - 'Social Disease' (death to music) 4/5

Taking their name from a speech my Torey grandee Ken Clarke in the wake of last years riots, The Feral Underclass are a Brighton based death, grind, extreme metal project formed by Meads of Asphodel guitarist James Fogarty and vocalist Elliot Wainberg (a drum and bass dj apparently) with guest lead guitar from The Clan Destined guitarist Lee Cassidy, and this is their debut ep.

Now this is a tasty little four tracker, its angry, tight, and dripping in a metallic sauce that references the likes of Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Entombed and Doom. We kick off with the title track, all sweetly controlled riffage, bludgeoning beats, slick lead guitar work and some wonderfully dark and aggressive vocals, we some wonderfully angry and socially charged lyrics, 'we are all guilty, we are the disease on society...' great stuff.

And so it continues, Bitter Milk kicks off sounding a bit like Panzerchrist jamming with the Amebix and coming over in a series of brutal hammer blows that take no prisoners, and again featuring some sublime lead work from Mr Cassidy. Sociopathy - in my mind this eps outstanding track, is a wonderful exercise in death grind with lyrics that drive home the very valid point that how can people care about a society that doesn't care about them. Chuck in a spot on cover of the old Carcass classic Death Certificate and you have a really impressive little debut release from a project that shows a helluva lot of promise.

And whats more you can download this little gem for free!!

In short a great debut from a project I for one want to hear more from.

For fans of... Bolt Thrower, Somnus, Carcass, Police Bastard....

download this ep for free from here -  http://www.deathtomusic.com/main.htm

Betty Swallaux - 'Grinding Betty' (self released) 4.5/5

Just a few short months after hitting the world with a very strong demo release, Llanelli grindcore experimentalists Betty Swallaux are back with their debt album.

If you have managed to track down Betty Swallaux's demo you'll know Gaz Wooloff and his crew have developed an almost unique sound, blending elements of industrial grindcore and extreme metal sensibilities with 'nintendo-core' style electronica, elements of progressive rock and great slices of traditional punk, add in the in your face use of drum machines and loops and the result is a sound that is as near unique as you'll hear anywhere.

This nifty eight tracker kicks off with Fantasy, a nifty little number that starts out sounding like something from a 1990's console game sound track before plunging head long into a wall of glorious Electro Hippies influenced noise. Other high points include Ramstein on acid industrial grind of Deep, the wonderful Give Me Some More, a track that bizarrely wouldn't sound to out of place on an album by the late great Robert Calvert and gloriously brutal Cruel Britannia (in my books the stand out track on the album) with its damning political lyrics and breakneck slam dance frenzy riffing.

There a couple of cover versions on show here as well... the old Divynils standard I Touch My Self is a pretty straight forward rendition in the Betty Swallaux style and makes for an enjoyable listen. Then theres a stripped down and rebuilt version of America (Just Say No), an early single by Bristol band Alien Stash Tin that blows the balls off the original.

Another plus here is the production, Its about as slick as its possible to get with a home recording rig and still maintain Betty Swallaux unique sound and jagged edge attack. Something the guys should be proud of.

Over all Betty Swallaux are one of the most unique, innovative and exciting projects around at the moment and should be bound for international cult status at the very least, and this album will only go to help that process along in fine style.

SUPERB!!!

For fans of... Ramstein, Amebix, 23 Skidoo, Electro Hippies, Elephant 12....

Noctem - 'Oblivion' (metalblade) 4.5/5

Black death thrashers Noctem hail from Valencia in Spain. Now in their 10th year they have in the past issued a couple of EPs, a self released live album and a previous studio opus on Austrian label Noisehead, before switching to Metalblade earlier this year and bringing us this rather tasty little nugget.

Now I gotta say that this album is one of the most interesting black / death / thrash / whatever (I'm not good at sub genres) albums I've had through in recent months. I had albums that are more extreme, I've had albums that have been heavier and more intense, but when it comes to the all around package this is the dogs bollocks.

There are 11 tracks on offer, each one as heavy as a chieftain tank, as metal as the Forth Bridge and as intense as playing chicken with a speeding freight train in a narrow tunnel. But what marks this album out above the crowd is the quality of the song writing and the way the tracks are structured.  Yes there is shed loads of pound, thrash and bludgeon of offer; but within the raw brutality there are shades of light and dark; tempo, riff and key changes that although often subtle, still serves to keep you interested and actively listening.

Style wise we are talking touches of early Slayer, hints of acts such as The English Dogs, Behemoth, Bathory and Rose Funeral; but there also bits, often short snatches that hat tip acts such as Megadeth, Armored Saint, even Iron Maiden style NWOBHM!!. Then we come to the playing, musically this album is flawless. The whole band is a tight as David Coverdales bell bottoms and certainly know how to lay down a wall of sonic battery. Special praise though must be given to the two guitarists, Exo and Helion, who show a great ablity to not only shred like a Frankenstein office paper disposal unit on the rampage, but also mange to lay down some superb melodic lead lines, sweet harmony sections and infectious lead licks, but also swap riffs like the good uns they are.

Special highlights of this impressive album include the strangely titled A Borning Winged Serpent with its wonderful guitar interplay and harmony lead sections, the brain meltingly brutal Seeking The Ruin Of Souls and the gloriously menacing Unredemption - track whose final riffing section is to die for. But in truth this album is one glorious highlight of the pure talent that is Noctem.

Bottom line is this is a great album and one I will not hesitate to recommend to metal fans everywhere.

For fans of... Glorior Belli, Behemoth, Novel of Sin, Slayer, Mercyful Fate.

Novel Of Sin - ' Sound Of Existence' (Kreative Klan) 4/5

I get a lot of acts through my inbox who try to claim to be 'extreme', sadly when it comes down to it very few make muster and most sound pretty ordinary. However there are exceptions, and Italian outfit Novel Of Sin are one of them.Hailing from Ravenna on the Adriatic Coast, they have been around for five years now and have just released this their debut album.

And what an album!! This has to be one of the heaviest, most intense and down right brutal releases that has ever assaulted my battered old lug-holes. As soon as the obligatory intro track fades away and the first song proper, Voices, Prayers and Remembrances, strikes up we are faced with a full on sonic rampage that lays total waste to all that is in its way. It's as heavy a classic Black Sabbath in lead boots, as angry as a nest of very pissed off wasps and as brutal as battlefield surgery in the 100 years war.

Tracks like Fragile, A Key To Nowhere and Extinguish storm from the speakers like a panzer division in full blitzkrieg mode, take hold of your head by the ears and bashes it repeatedly against the nearest wall until your a bloody mess. But there is more going on here than a mindless extreme deathcore onslaught. With in the hammerhead bash and bludgeon there is a lot of interesting stuff going on; sweet and almost melodic guitar lines swirl around the mix, the rage fueled grunt and scream vocals sometimes breakdown in moments of almost innocent cohesion for brief moments, all of which makes for a very rewarding listening experience.

Ok there is one track here, the dance remix Fragile 1.9 that lets the whole side down (for me at least) with its cruddy rave beats and happy-jungle-euro-trance-or-whatever-you-call-this-crap feel. But don't let that put you off, you can always do what I did and delete the offending so called 'music', forget it ever existed and just enjoy the extreme metallic brutality of the rest of the album.

In conclusion, this is one extreme album that really does live up to its claim and is a must hear for people who like their metal taken to the max.

For fans of... Glorior Belli, Kratornas, Stigma, Fallbrawl......