REVIEW: Vantafrost - "Dispossessed" [EP]

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 31/10/2017

Label: Independent

New Jersey’s Vantafrost is an old school black metal quartet, riding a fine line between first wave primalism and second wave speed crust.  Time will tell whether they reach the insane heights of Celtic Frost or Darkthrone, but on their debut they manage to meld their ancestor worship with some genuine originality, and blast out some killer metal along the way.

“Dispossessed” CD//DD track listing

1. Nazgul

2. Dark Hammer

3. Demon’s Breath

4. Lead Pumper

The Review:

               

In the States, black metal continues to entrance newcomers and seasoned metal heads alike, especially in various hybrid forms and blackened amalgamations.  A lot of this stuff is really interesting and challenging, and occasionally, it actually rips.  New Jersey’s Vantafrost is an old school black metal quartet, riding a fine line between first wave primalism and second wave speed crust.  On their debut EP, “Dispossessed”, they eschew too much experimentalism and instead offer a lo-fi homage that occasionally betrays compelling musical influences (beyond their beloved Tom Warrior).

               

Few topics are as ripe for black metal adaptation as J.R.R. Tolkien’s blighted denizens of Mordor.  Whether orcs, trolls, or the dark lord himself, the demonic entities of Lord of the Rings are practically embedded in the DNA of black metal.  Vantafrost’s “Nazgul”is a thoroughly menacing, literal retelling of the story of the ringwraiths, propelled by crusty drumming, Hellhammer-reminiscent riffs, and subtle guitar harmonies.  Sun King’s strange cadence, sometimes reminiscent of Attila Csihar, clutters and spreads over the verses – a weird enjambment of syllables that is memorable, if an acquired flavor it takes several listens to fully absorb.

               

“Dark Hammer” has some solid first wave riffing, occasionally stuttering over idiosyncratic rhythms, but coalesces around a switch to 6/8 time and a solid outro.  “Demon’s Breath” is practically a hardcore number, with a particularly smashing bass tone.  There is an insane, warped effect on the vocal that can be unpleasantly or pleasantly disorienting – you may find yourself wondering if you’re on the verge of an aneurysm.  Closer “Lead Pumper”, however, is a righteous finale, soaring on some brutally catchy progressions and snarling vocals.  Another pop culture homage (this time to the classic demonic first person shooter DOOM), “Lead Pumper”manages to slip some personal anguish into an ass kicking track, lending some emotional heft that should be explored more on their next release.

               

Vantafrost isn’t reinventing the wheel, but they manage to infuse some life into the skeleton conjured by Hellhammer and their lo fi cohort.  Like the Swiss pioneers, their EP is a warts and all affair.  Time will tell whether they reach the insane heights of Celtic Frostor Darkthrone, but on their debut they manage to meld their ancestor worship with some genuine originality, and blast out some killer metal along the way.

“Dispossessed” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Belus - "Apophenia"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 13/10/ 2017

Label: Vendetta Records

“Apophenia” is a breathtaking experience, a challenging listen, and an auspicious first entry from one of the few bands with the audacity to experiment and the chops to pull it off.

 “Apophenia” CD//CS//DD//LP track listing

1. Chasm

2. Monolith

3. Avarice

4. Illusions

5. Psychosis

6. Omens

7. Equilibrium

The Review

Belus has one of the most memorable rhythm sections in blackened metal.  From the opener, “Chasm”, drummer Jacques fluidly alternates between blast beats and groove-indebted, borderline funk fills.  The bass work is equally indebted to funky post-punk, like a black metal Mike Watt, while the guitar tone glides between classic tremolo picking and lush, post-hardcore departures.  If the bass on “Monolith” were a bit higher in the mix, the disco beat would immediately invoke Public Image, Ltd.  For all I’ve said about the disparate influences and comparable non-metal acts, Belus is one hell of an interesting metal band on its own terms.  Guitarist Matt Mewton’s vocal delivery, particularly on album highlight “Avarice”, has an almost dual-toned rasped scream.  A lot of digital ink has been spilled regarding Dagon’s otherworldly, “reptilian” vocal style, but I’ve found Mewton’s tone equally alien and more tuneful.  There are moments that almost sound like throat singing.  This weirdness, paired with the mounting doom (and haunting synth) of final tracks “Omens” and “Equilibrium, are particularly rewarding upon multiple listens.  I found myself hearing unlikely harmonies in Mewton’s guitars and vocals, while even the blast beats and pared down bass riffing played with subtle rhythmic variations.

And yet Belus has me rethinking any “big picture” judgment or some unifying gestalt.  When so many bands practically construct a libretto for interpreting their latest prog missive, the very title is a challenge – or a warning.  “Apophenia”, for those (like me) who tend to fire up a Google search any time you encounter a new mystery word, is, according to Belus, the “human tendency to seek patterns in random information and assign unnecessary meaningfulness or importance to them”.  This bleak concept has been equally applied to the studies of psychology and esoteric magic.  How appropriate, then, for a band that treads equally in the morose world of black metal and the occult-obsessed dimensions of psychedelia, with some unexpected, schizophrenic sojourns into funk, punk, post-punk and doom, to confound the effort to bridge these concepts.  Each temporal shift, each genre-fluid amalgamation, each tortured vocal practically begs for interpretation for some larger, unifying theme, while constantly threatening the listener with sheer nihilism.  It’s a breathtaking experience, a challenging listen, and an auspicious first entry from one of the few bands with the audacity to experiment and the chops to pull it off.

“Apophenia” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook