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HAEMORRHAGE (Spa)/ DAMNABLE (Pol) Split Ep'97.
Haemo were ever playing groovy Grind death on these 2 trax. Hey! It was very much into the very old CARCASS style for the few who don't know! But with a little more funny touch. Some tracks from here and there were recorded on one of their 2 first CDs (Before or later... don't ask me, I'm not in their Illia Fossa). "Decomposers" is a cool track.
It wasn't bad, but lacked in power for the sound and real aggression for the music... the best Haemo release I heard is their 2nd full length "Grume".
DAMNABLE offered two tracks of Brutal Death Grind that came from their Demo'96. It's raw and quite complex, but this kind of wanna be brutal stuffs rather bored me. No highlight! Nothing that stands out! No feeling... Just sterile riffs that were melted together in a complex way, their riffs mean nothing for me. Lots of bands do it with sincerity! Useless for me...
http://www.haemorrhage.ht.st

HAEMORRHAGE (Spa) Morgue sweet home CD’02 MORBID.
I have never been a big fan of HAEMORRHAGE, but their gory Grindcore was quite outstanding in parts, it was cool, and better than most of the demos and promos I received. After and intro à la DEAD INFECTION (2nd CD)/ CARCASS begins the gore, and well it seems they've lost most of their "funny" touch that made a part of their personality, this bizarre gory fun that was catchy on their "Grume" CD. Now they sound rather like a mix of old CARCASS, EXHUMED and DEAD INFECTION ("A chapter of accident"). Except for a few parts, it's very fast as the drummer doesn't stop grinding. They own a grinding sound in the vein of the last recordings of EXHUMED, IMPALED... It may sound more compressed than their older releases, but there are less emotions of the bizarre and shockings on the funeral threshold! "Grume" was really better than this one! This remains gory Grindcore that isn't badly made, it may be cool for fans of Grindcore (especially old CARCASS maniacs!) but I need more than bands like new HAEMMORRHAGE of THE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINERS to turn me on, open the abscess and choke on the necrosis of gore purulence!
http://come.to/haemorrhage

HAEMORRHAGE (Spa)/ IMPALED (Usa) Dementia rex Split CD'03 RAZORBACK Recs.
Ok. First side of this Gore grinding split you get 4 tracks of HAEMMORRHAGE + an intro. It has been years since the releases of this band didn't especially turn me on (even if I didn't hear it all) A lack of ideas and feeling was growing as their music turned faster... Here, their Gore grindcore isn't as blast beats ridden than their last CD sounds more like their old CD "Grume" for example. It's the same style and same kind of ideas: Grinding and punching Grindgore/ Crust death with old CARCASS influences. But nothing turned me on! Nothing special! The cover of GRAVE ("Deformed") shows how much Haemorrhage lacks of Brutality and real brutal punching extremity compared to old GRAVE! Ah! Their tracks are correctly articulated, ok riffs... but no surprises! Nor gory catchy choruses (they used before)! So I'll say it's only Ok! But there are a lot of Ok stuffs!!
IMPALED's side is also in the Gore, but they have more old school Death metal influences and a more "elaborated" guitar work (in parts). Their style can remind of EXHUMED, old CARCASS and they have old school Death metal touches à la DISMEMBER/ CARNAGE (and some AT THE GATES for some melodic Death thrash riffs which take more importance in their style!). Notice a REPULSION cover ("Helga lost her head" but it's not one of the best tracks of these cult Grinder!)
I prefer the IMPALED side of this purulent piece of stained glass since it sounds more Brutal, varied and it has some choruses... But I've heard more convincing stuffs in the style! Ross Sewage did really better on the killer "In the name of gore" split CD EXHUMED once released with HEMDALE! It might please a bunch of guys anyway; but it's not ultra killer and it has no pit excavating riffs nor gore disjoncting vocals! A cool side for IMPALED.
http://www.razorbackrecords.com

HATEFUL (Ita) Coils of a consumed paradise CD. 2010. HORRORS OF YUGGOTH Recs.
Undead hopes.
Floating... in the envelope of the dead.
My second imaginary skin,
revives energies and strengths so long buried.
And I revive,
at the source of what is nothing.
This is quite some time since Italian Hateful released their last recording, which was a 3 tracks CDr demo, and the style didn't change as it's a continuation and development of the genre they embraced: Quite complex and quite technical death metal with an appeal for what's brutal and blasting.
In this music, I hear a clear taste for what could be called "old school brutal death", understand something taking from the vibes (And ways of riffing) from more or less the first 3 SINISTER albums (It's not exactly the same style and atmosphere, but...), blasting assaults à la old MORBID ANGEL and something "modern" like later polyphonies à la Trey Azagtoth, complicated stuffs from mid old IMMOLATION, some mental chaos à la GORGUTS (Last albums), the "composed" aspect of SUFFOCATION on "Souls to deny"... Well, I know quoting a couple a famous bands doesn't help so much to have an idea, but the music is quite varied in the brutally obscure spectrum so a precise description would be quite unclear...
This album could be misunderstood as "grind" at the very first unfocused listenings, because of the quite in-your-face approach, short duration of the songs, and fact it often changes of riffs... But if you really listen you'll hear the guitars have much more to do with metal.
A particularity is the fact riffs do not repeat very often, it's articulated around a lot of different themes and changes... It won't make it easier for peoples to get into it, contrary to the usual chorus stuffs, and I know some peoples would reject it... But I think this is not so hard to get into since the whole keeps an in-your-face aspect.
The production wasn't triggered at all, and sound natural, which gives a quite "hot" atmosphere and natural rendering to the whole... It doesn't displease me.
"Coils of a consumed paradise" could be an interesting alternative for those who like brutal death/ death metal in a quite "complicated" manner, with some atmosphere, and don't feel concerned with the escalations of ultra brubrubrutal, mind-over-feeling technical stuffs or unreasonably computer manipulated performances this scene has fed us with. I don't say it's a perfect or killer album, but it might be worth the money, which becomes rare in this genre...
http://www.myspace.com/hatefuldeathmetal

HATEPLOW (USA) Everybody dies CD’98 PAVEMENT
Comme Rob Barett ayant quitté CANNIBAL CORPSE, il a pu consacrer plus de temps à ce qui n’était alors qu’un projet pour le fun et nous voilà avec l’album de HATEPLOW comptant également en ses rangs Phil Fasciana, guitariste de MALEVOLENT CREATION ainsi que Kyle Simons, ancien vocaliste de SICKNESS (USA). Après deux démos, le groupe préparant l’enregistrement de son album vit son batteur, Larry Hawke condamné à une peine de 9 mois de prison. Heureusement Larry eu le temps d’enregistrer ses parties de batterie avant d’être interné mais celui ci fut retrouvé mort par asphyxie dans sa maison alors que le groupe n’avait pas fini l’enregistrement. Larry n’a donc pas vu cet album sortir. Parlons maintenant de la musique qui est assez proche des derniers MALEVOLENT CREATION, les mosh parts sont dans la veine de CANNIBAL CORPSE « Gallery of suicide », gros son, un album OK.

HATEPLOW (Usa) The only law is survival CD’00.
HATEPLOW is the project of Rob Barett (Cannibal Corpse) and Phil Fasciana (Malevolent Creation). I received the promos of their first and previous CD in 98 when it was released, and well there was some speeches around it as the drummer died just after recording his parts of the CD, but this was only an Ok album. Here's now the second album of this project that luckily includes the excellent drum playing of Dave Culross (SUFFOCATION, MALEVOLENT CREATION) and this is the most interesting point of the whole CD!
I read in some reviews the style of the band was Grindcore, but I'd call this Death Grind with Grindcore parts as well. You have guitar tremolos, raw power chords and few heavier riffs that remind me a bit of some MALEVOLENT CREATION albums. After some tracks these riffs can turn boring and repetitive. There's nothing very special for most of these riffs, it's common but ok ones. What makes the whole intense id the Brutal and efficient drum playing of Dave Culross! (He's not as killer as on SUFFOCATION's "Despise the sun" MCD, but that shredds!). Very good toms' rumbles, tight Blasting energy, nice breaks and heavy doubles bass drums' artillery! The quite raw vocals are ok/ not bad for the style.
Well, there’s nothing special at the level of the riffs. It's just an Ok/ Average CD with an excellent drum playing.
http://hateplow.cjb.net/

HEAD KRUSHER (Indonesia) Opprobrium Tape Lp. 2021. DESTRUKTION Recs.
At first, when I opened the package and read the band's name "HEAD KRUSHER", it seemed to me they would be influenced by old GODFLESH... But I was wrong, and it would be surprising to find something "industrialized" (Even the old way) on DESTRUKTION Records.
What this metal band from Joggjakarta (Indonesia) plays is very old school evil thrash with influences of "morbid thrash" in the way of the mid 80's. It seems to me the listeners will have to wear spiked armors to suit the musical content.
While listening, I happened to think about early SEPULTURA ("Morbid visions/ Bestial Devastation" for morbid thrash riffs), old POSSESSED (First album), some old SLAYER ("Hell awaits"), touches of very early SODOM (Rather "In the sign of evil"), the demos of Swedish MERCILESS (Rather than the albums), and a bit of old NIFELHEIM.
I know my early evil metal references might sound a bit "gross" sometimes, but this is the bands I know better (This is what we had "easily" access to in the 80's and 90's)... If you want to be a bit more "precise" you could also add some 80's South American thrashing mania from the underground.
I think you got it, this is quite evil and underground sounding, and this is also quite seriously "retro"... Then around half of the album it seems some black metal influences take more importance (More NIFELHEIM, more old BATHORY...) and a bit of Scandinavian touches also appear... But my hears might be tricked by the quite raw guitar production...
I'm not always a fan of the drumming, or perhaps it's due to the production.
This is a cool release in the evil thrashing style; In my ogrish opinion the music lacks a bit of rough power & thundering catchy riffs, but the hellish atmosphere is here and the provided head-krushing is not bad!
Undergrounded & spiked fans of the raw thrashing style could enjoy the hardening of their rusty arteries. BANG YOUR BOWELS, BANG YOUR BOTTLES, SPLASH IN VOMIT.
https://headkrusher.bandcamp.com

HECATOMBIC (Fra) Insanity in the depths CD’02 Self released.
Where the fukk is this fucking beer?? A juicy demonic cunt has probably one more time absorbed this bottle of putrid liquid of hell! Fuck that! It will be another cunt smashing night for sure! Brutal cunt squashing party of the mangled and shredded corrosive steel vagina!
Speaking about HECATOMBIC, I can immediately tell you Satan is not with them! To be more precise, I listened to this album several times but I found few to turn on my morbid interest of bloody death, hell, war, plague, damnation, rebellion, alcohol, sex and metal!
Here you have 8 tracks of Death metal that tends to somekind of "Old school brutal death": something that would be influenced by DEICIDE, old IMMOLATION, early DEATH... But most of the riffs sound everheard and do nothing! It happens this kind of Death metal based on tremolos awake a darkened mood of death, but in this case not much happens. Unfortunately not much stands out from the tracks as it sounds almost uniform (The production that lacks of clarity is probably one of the reasons). Of corpse some riffs sound Ok and some could be used in cool compositions, but what HECATOMBIC plays is only a Death metal in a common and too 'convenient' death metal way! Few black metal touches are here.
Some guys will probably find it ok, but I think they need to work on their tracks' structures and to be more selective towards the riffs they compose! Damnit keep only the most usefull of the usefull riffs you find since some sound allright!
With more experience HECATOMBIC could sound like UNFRAGMENT's cool first CD!
The band plans to record their 2nd album soon, I can only advice them to wait, work and rehearsal more! Between the average and very average in my opinion!
http://www.hecatombic.fr.st

HECATOMBIC (Fra) Delights of the despicable CD'04. MELANCHOLIA Recs.
Here's the second release and 2nd full-length of HECATOMBIC who have improved since their first album.  First of all the production is really better: more powerful and understandable! Then, their Death metal tracks are better constructed as they have thrown away some useless riffs that were really flat. The musicians seem to have improved, the drummer does some cool (but everheard) things for example. So the rather old school Death metal of the band sound more impressive, it remains in the same vein than their first CD: rather obscure sounding Death metal with 90's Tampa influences. It has quite a lot of old DEICIDE influences at several levels (Both fast and mid placed parts), some CANNIBAL CORPSE. The most morbid sounding riffs remind me of good old MOROGTH and early DEATH, even if HECATOMBIC haven't got the same killer feeling of death. Notice few dark black metal influences from here and there.
A shame there aren't catchy riffs to make some of these tracks memorable. All in all, this is a cool album & the band has improved, it might seem interesting for those who like their death metal quite obscure and brutal, even if HECATOMBIC sounds repetitive after few songs.
I would have rather seen the 3-4 best tracks of this CD released as a demo, in this case the band could have been seen as promising... but we are talking about a second full-length album that flattens and sounds repetitive after few tracks. So it's an average CD with cool and nice ideas from here and there.
Not bad, but real Death metal needs years of hard labor, creeping search for killing melodies and brutal thoughts about the most intense structures to reach its inhuman quintessence! Only for underground supporters!
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hecatombic

HEIMAT (Ger) Gold fur eisen CD'02 INTERREGNUM.
Here's another band that's meant to be original and exceptional... Bullshits! Labels: stop masturbating into the promotional biographies, it would just be decent! What we have here is in parts old fashioned thrash metal tending to the German style with old SODOM and DARKNESS in particular and with obviously DESTRUCTION riffings. But they use a drum machine while a real drummer is essential for this style, and their german sung vocals aren't very convincing! The other influences of their music are more melodic: thrashy Black, melodic/ athmospheric Black and slow melodic breaks... Some thrashy riffs are Ok, but some slow moments are fucking boring... and some riffs are in my opinion to cliché to be released on a CD! The tracks are built in an unefficient way.
So they try to add a variety od influences in their music, but the fucking mark of cliché is always there! Cliché!
This isn't something I want to hear after I paid 14 Euros!

HELL ITSELF (Australia) Self skinned MCD. 2011. GRINDHEAD Recs.
Elder gods of gruik, I summon thee! Awake your ancient spongetex vomiturition of the absorbing gore.
Well, the music of this Australian band doesn't contain much gruik or gore.
What I hear while listening to this 3 tracks MCD is between Death metal and brutal death, without a lot of fast parts. It happens to remind me of SINISTER on the "Bastard saints" MCD (When they used to insert something more "core"), with double kick ridden heaviness à la later MORTA SKULD (Or seldomly old RESURRECTION), with regular brutality à la mid old CANNIBAL CORPSE (Less brutalligore) and something a bit more controlled in the playing or half disarticulated beats that could remind of older MESHUGGAH (Or not so recent Deathcore). You could also feel the remains of some technical metal atmosphere sometimes (Coprofago, or Pestilence on "Spheres") but without the technical skills.
The fast parts that can appear are few, it's mostly mid-paced, double-kick ridden, or calculated.
The music is quite modern, even if it's not uber up-to-date, I would say it belongs to the last ten years of extreme metal.
The most Death metal parts aren't bad according to my understanding of the womb, but I'm less fond of the more controlled/ "disarticulated" influences that do not really warm my statue of petrified sickness.
This isn't really my style, and I miss something, but some peoples might like to hear HELL ITSELF if they dig quite heavy/ mid-paced Death metal with something more core in the sculpture of the skeleton.
http://www.reverbnation.com/hellitself

HELLACAUST (Can) Dark age descending CD’02. Self released.
Finally I'm in front of this full-length that promised to be a pure evil piece of raw crushing underground! But well, this isn't really! It's fast, quite crushing and aggressive, but a super-dose of evil supremacy lacks to make of this CD a truly outstanding piece of evil iconoclastry!
The first deceptive point is the production: they have a too clear production (à la MARDUK "Heaven...") that makes them loose the raw aspect of their Demo! Ok, it sounds more professional; but it has lost the raw U.G. aspect that brought a real crushing evil side! Then the band seems to have 'lost' a part of its thrashy metal side to evolve in some more Swedish black metal fields (So: blasting with melody) meets Death grind. HELLACAUST sounds more 'common', more or less in the vein of what many Black metal bands recorded few years ago...
Hopefully some thrashing riffs are still there, but it's mixed with so much blast beats you couldn't distinguish a Thrash riff from a raw Black metal one. The drummer is a blasting maniac! It's total blastfukk that erases any kind of non metallic conception from your cheezy head! I appreciate the drumming style of this nervous bastard who has the kind of breaks and alternate drumming I enjoy. It's not always ultra-tight, but at least their tracks weren't enhanced in a supermodern studio!
On a musical point of view, this album could sound as a mix of mid old MARDUK ("Heaven shall burn"), old IMMORTAL, SATANIC SLAUGHTER, DISSECTION, with a bit of SACRAMENTUM and some thrash metal parts à la DESTRUCTION.
To conclude, I expected more from that album, but it's not bad and flying above the average pieces of boring black metal! Professional, quite honest and in my opinion not far from the level of the best releases in the style! If you did your own grave with an evil Black metal background that needs to be blasting, quite raw with a notable old school thrash metal side, then try to listen to HELLACAUST since they have good enough attributes to please you!
Finally, they deserve more support and recognition than the almost zero points of hate the underground currently bring them! SUPPORT THEM OR BE PERVERTLY CRUCIFIED!
http://www.angelfire.com/ns/heaveninashes

HELLCRASH (Ita) Demoniac assassination CD. 2023. DYING VICTIMS Recs.
To drink the blood from the goatskull itself.
Oh, this Italian band sounds very old school... To draw a spiked comparison, I will say HELLCRASH sounds like if early VENOM took a more "thrash metal" path (Or to explain that another way, perhaps if you take the fastest speed thrash songs of early Venom and accelerate that a bit, you'd have the same result... Amphetamine psychotic reptile!)
Since a goat never travels alone in hell, I will also say I heard some old BULLDOZER, some very (very) early MEGADETH in some guitars (First Lp), a bit of old MOTÖRHEAD... And for a quite apocalyptic reason I also felt like listening to very early VOÏVOD ("Rrröööaaarrr") in the most angry thrash parts of "war"... Feel the sweat of the headbang.
This music sounds quite energetic and kicking in the style. The production is quite fitting for the genre, it keeps a live feeling (Listen to the drums) but remains clear & thrashing enough.
In my humble ecclesiastic opinion, this is a pretty good album. I didn't find the definitive "goat hits" to start the war against disco lovers, but this is quite kicking evil speed metal with enough qualities to please fans of the style.
Drink, all, the, blood.
https://hellcrash.bandcamp.com

HENKER (Fra) Slave of my art CD. 2010. Self-released.
Even though I'm not a big fan of the most modern brutal death metal genre, some quite good albums occur to fall in the voracious holes of my hears...
In fact this record has quite a lot to do with modern brutal death, but it's not exactly the same, or should I say it doesn't try too hard to follow every boring sterile criterias of the brutal boredom? The songs often contain some quite catchy or interesting guitars and the riffs are quite varied (As opposed to ultra gore noise brutal death), there's a nice little red burning atmosphere, and the production isn't over abusing on the plastic bullshit...
All in all the music could sound like a mix of ORIGIN's last albums, with the fastest of NILE on "Black seeds of vengeance" or "Annihilation of the wicked" (As well as some epic touches), some great tappings à la old CANNIBAL CORPSE, and some later SPAWN OF POSSESSION or older PSYCROPTIC (Second album) for more "melodic" touches...
I read reviews of peoples regretting HENKER were always so fast and brutal that they (As listeners) lost their focus and interest or something... Of course it's brutal and quite relentless, but there also are quite a lot of heavier and less "extreme at all costs" patterns: It's not as if music was blasting all the way with the same kind of riff...
Another thought: Sometimes doesn't it sound like a more modern and extreme version of BROKEN HOPE on "Loathing"? With more ultra blasts, double-double bass drums and quite spectacular (But not abusively used) attributes...
Of course the music remains quite seriously modern, sometimes it's a bit too much of "spectacular" to be listened as a real human band effort, and you'll hear a bit of Messhugah and core influences from here and there, so the "regular" death/ brutal death heads might not get half of the juicy point... But I really prefer this album compared to HENKER's previous MCD, because it's much more in the brutal death genre, there's something like a "real brutal death" atmosphere from now and then, and there are much fewer "core" influences... I don't say it's perfect, and I don't mean I thrilled like your girlfriend's juicy pussy on the "Just-released-from-ten-years-sentence" prisoner's nail, but those who like the genre a lot could dig this record as an appealing juicy cunt ;-)
I couldn't really replace "Slave to my art" in the current brutalizing context because I don't check out so many modern extreme brutal death releases, but at least it sounds quite strong, intense and not boring for the genre... Fans of extreme and technical brutal death should try this record and make their own molested schizophrenic opinion, it's quite good to listen when your mind is faster than thoughts and brutallization has reached a certain level or "normality"...
http://www.myspace.com/henker1

HEXECUTION (UK) Beyond all evil MCD’98 COP. ( Re-review)
The band plays a quite cool melodic Death/ thrash with little PARADISE LOST touches (for leads). Even if they’re not original, and remains in the average field of Underground bands, I found it quite pleasnt to listen to.
It reminds me of the french band NOCTURNAL FEARS when they released the « F.I.G.H.T » Demo in 96 ( vocals + music). The vocals also sometimes sounds a bit like John Tardy ( OBITUARY). This isn’t a band of a very professional level of quality and it’s certainly going to stay underground, but it’s Ok to listen to.

HIDDEN (USA) Spectral Magnitude CD'02 RED STREAM.
Their space cover that looks a little bit in the vein of Rodney Matthews' artworks let me imagine their music would be some kind of 70's influenced, acid injected and dreamy black metal or another a bit originaland darkened style.
In fact, I'd rather say they play some common mid placed Death metal with fast black metal touches. There are a few Ok bass lines touches. I could quote JUDECCA, EVOKEN, NUNSLAUGHTER and maybe old INCANTATION to define a bit their style. There are doomy touches à la old CATHEDRAL and some parts could be heard as old CELTIC FROST influenced. I'd rather have seen their music on a demo tape! Even if I found a few Ok parts, it remains very average and classical in my ears! One more time, I feel like a band isn't ready to release a pro CD (on a big label all the more!)! More time is needed to record something good!
http://www.redstream.org

HIS HERO IS GONE (Usa) Fifteen counts of arson CD'97 PRANK Recs.
Some bands achieve to catch your attention even if they play a style you're not fond of! It was he case with HIS HERO IS GONE I noticed thanks to some of their depressive riffs.
The music of HIS HERO IS GONE is a pessimist hardcore metal with a bunch of depressed parts and some grinding, crust or sludge touches. The emotions the band develops are some of the followings: rage, sorrow, distress, heaviness, semi depression, aggression...
Some heavy hardcore parts almost ten to doom as it reminds me the few I know of CROWBAR. Darkened urban heaviness. Some nowadays bands like ANANDA (R.I.P) or NAPALM DEATH have probably been influenced by HIS HERO IS GONE coz I hear a bunch of similarities, at least they share the same influences. One may hear in this album the premices of what later became 'Emocore'; one could also think about THE HEAD OF DAVID and GODFLESH, engulfed into some nice darkened guitars. Two points I can notice are the length of the tracks (around 1 or 2 minutes for most) and the fact the style is quite different from a track to another. The songs in themselves include varied styles, with few surprising structures. Some riffs sound full of truth in my ears. Visions of a realistic pessimism. Cold and rebellious, next to urban chaos.
Of course the whole isn't perfect, and there are strange stuffs I would have changed myself, but on an objective point of view it's really not bad! Those who felt this description close to their tastes might enjoy HIS HERO IS GONE, those who dig ANANDA's music will probably find more pleasure during the listenings of this album.

HOLOCAUSTIA (Swe) The sacrament seed MCD'06. UNHOLY HORDE Recs.
I kind of appreciated and liked the previous release of HOLOCAUSTIA, a tape demo entitled "Tyranny through honour", that offered a quite energetic mixture between old school thrash and black metal. It was well built and could announce some good things for the future.
So, I was quite happy to receive their new MCD... But a surprise that wasn't so enthusiasting took over my metallic expectations: Most of the old school thrash metal guitars have vanished into oblivion, and the whole sounds much more like a common decent black metal band. The 4 songs sound rawer, with more blast beats, and some riffs that wouldn't displease the big black metal fans (Some kind of simple and leading epic high-pitched guitars an early 90's way, it could sound catchy in some peoples' hears)... But even if few thrashy touches are present, I don't find anymore the traces of blood-spilled efficiency and know-how I detected on the tape demo.
And the (session) drumming isn't always very tight in the blasts. It's an average release.
As always, many grave desecrators will have fun digging new holes and exchanging the cadavers from their tombs (Huh?) with this MCD as a musical background, but I need more than cemeterial sexchanging dementia to be impressed or ass-kicked.
http://holocaustia.cjb.net

HOLOCAUSTO CANIBAL (Por) Opusgenitalia CD'06. CUDGEL AGENCY Recs.
I remember listening to some HOLOCAUSTO CANIBAL songs that didn't please me much few years ago, so it was a real pleasure for me to receive this promo CD... I felt like I would have to face hundred of common USBDM washy washy riffs and un-tight blablablasting triggered plastic drums... So it took me some time to find the patience to really explore this CD, especially since I'm not currently fond of browsing the cadaveric feels of average USBDM bands... But even if the washy washy riffs and blablablasting triggered drums are there, and this is usual brutal stuff, I noticed some cooler songs!
From time to time, in the middle of these 18 tracks and almost 18 intros, you will find songs that kicks a bit more for a reason or another (Quite punchy riffs and blasts the way I like it (Track 4 for example), some cool little crazy leads à la old CARCASS, classy leads à la MORBID ANGEL "Domination"...) but there's not that much to finally catch your skull on the long term.
This record happens to sound like some DISGORGE (Usa), old NATRON, CENOTAPH (Cze), early SUFFOCATION, some CARCASS/ old SANITYS DAWN (For strange riffs), with touches of MORBID ANGEL for some leads and few riffs...
While most of the songs contain a lot of riffs, few are really short and almost sound like grindcore in a way, which isn't bad.
All in all, this remains average stuff (Especially for an album! Where are the overwhelming guts? Next time open the abscess!!!), since there's not much that stand out a way or another, and the whole doesn't sound so chirurgically tight (It's needed for this quite complex style), and some riffs from here and there are really shitty (Urgh!) and there are intros before almost every songs... Some fans of the style might kind of dig it, but others will fall into the spiked arms of boredom. This is average stuff, especially for an album!
Ps: Notice there are few electronic music remixes at the end, but it didn't sound much more than Ok...
http://www.holocaustocanibal.com

HOMO IRATUS (Gre) Knowledge... their enemy MCD'02 ARCTIC MUSIC.
The first track is in a thrashing death core style reminding me of FEAR FACTORY's "Soul of a new machine" meets "Demanufacture" at every levels. They've got on this track the same power heavy riffings giving birth to more depressive sounding guitars, the whole reminds also of NAPALM DEATH (From "Fear emptiness despair" to their actual releases with fewer grinding parts) and they own some mechanical heavy riffings as well. The 2 following tracks coming from their previous CD are still in the FEAR FACTORY/ NAPALM DEATH style with different vocals (it's less powerfull, maybe due to an computerized effect?) but I prefer the 1st one "Protection through surveillance" that'd be quite well placed on the last 1/3 of "Demanufacture" or on a "Words from the exit wound" single's B-side.
The last one is a SEPULTURA "Roots bloody roots" cover. Everybody including CANNIBAL CORPSE seems to have definitely included this track in their top 50 best tracks, it's still not my case as I was disappointed with this release and I'm still not a fan of it...
Conclusion: There's only a new track here, and it sounds better than the two other ones... the band doesn't seem bad, but I need more to get a real opinion about HOMO IRATUS.
http://www.homoiratus.com

HOROH (Fra) Aberration CD. 2023. CRYPT OF DR GORE Recs.
HOROH is a new band/ project/ teleportation council that aims to transport you in a time when gore movies and metal were different, perhaps when the red corporal juice and the bowel serpentine were expulsed more regularly.
The cover artwork of this release is very much Cannibal Corpse alike, so you wonder if you will hear the same bro bru-brutality once pushing the play button...
To my surprise, most of the tempos are in the mid-paced to slow beating...
The spirit is quite very close to Cannibal but rather in the "Gallery of suicide" meaning, with an important presence of heaviness and atmospheres. I can also draw comparisons with the first two albums of SKINLESS (For the heaviness) or MORBID ANGEL on "Gateways..." (For the heaviness and "epic" guitars).
Sometimes the riffing almost tends to doom/ sludge or something... Even if the style is different I feel something in common with AUTOPSY (For the "loose" aspect of something).
To describe the whole a bit more, I might add a bit of ooold MORTICIAN (But less mechanic/ inhuman) and also the old demo of ROTTING from Canada ("Drown in rotting flesh" from 1995) for a more OSDM side.
I kinda enjoy the atmosphere escaping the songs, it's dark and quite "bleeding", and some epic guitar parts are nice. This is Cannibal C. influenced but doesn't really take the elements you'd expect from a Cannibal influenced band.
I'm not really a fan of the drum parts in some fast moments (It sounds a bit "draft", perhaps partly due to the production?), but since most of the music is into the heavier...
It's a quite good underground release, with its qualities and imperfections, but I think there are well enough atmospheres and heaviness to please the decapitated fans of the style.
https://horohdm.bandcamp.com
http://www.cryptofdrgore.fr

HOUWITSER (Hol) Embrace damnation CD'00 DISPLEASED.
It's sad to see some musicians who were in a good band such as SINISTER had to form another band that's useless in my eyes! I got this Houwitser CD, I listened to it several times to be certain I didn't get hooked or detect a special mood, but nothing of it happened! I didn't feel anything during this CD that remained totally sterile! Ok, the band is more or less tight, there are a bunch of blasts during this album that may remind of SINISTER in parts, but they also have some strange and useless riffs that make the whole quite boring! The kind of riffs and breaks that can waste a song's efficiency and makes me think a bunch of these tracks were composed very fast! Just to write new tracks, Mac Donald's style! If you see what I mean ;-)
I thought this 'band' would always remained a secondary project with no much promotion and attention from the scene and the labels because of their proof of a lack of feeling and great ideas... I'm sad to see I was wrong and the band released more albums and got support from bigger labels!
If you listen to Brutal death, might it be done with feeling or not, might it be everheard or not, you might listen to Houwitser... But if you like Brutal death metal done with Sincerity and a great killer feeling of Death, you won't find much in their music to satisfy your needs!

HUMAN ERROR (HUN) / LYCANTHROPHY (CZE) Grindcore split vol.1 CD'02 ECLIPSE Recs.
This split CD is announced as a 100% Grindcore split but I wouldn't cross this point as it'd be in my mind a lying selling point.
Coming from Hungary, HUMAN ERROR includes only a few Grind touches in their music as their style is mostly focused on Punk/Hardcore with Crust parts. They make me think about some old DEAD KENNEDYS, AGATHOCLES, S.O.B and DISRUPT for the Crusty riffs.
Some riffs are quite cool but it's fucking not original (It'd be difficult to create original and new sounding Crust riffs nowadays, woudln't it?). Some songs' structures could be improved though.
The drumbass isn't very earable, and it's important for the Crust beats.
So, HUMAN ERROR play a style that can be cool to check out for gigs, but there are a lot of bands that play this style more professional (including some who do it in a better and more personnal way). Can cool for the big Crust/Punk Underground collectors, but nothing relevant...
disbeatrawpunk@freemail.hu

LYCANTHROPHY fits more the announced Grindcore style of this split.
Thier production is better than HUMAN ERROR (cool guitar sound).
Their music is very classical and correctly executed Grind/ Crust along the lines of old NAPALM DEATH (without the rage, energy and fucking hatred) and AGATHOCLES. They own some hyperfast Blast beats à la BRUTAL TRUTH (1st CD).
Their vocals are emerging from the Punk/ Hardcore Grind scene (If you see what I mean, quite nasal screams vocals à la BLOCKHEADS for exemple...). In some parts, they may let you think a bit about BLOCKHEADS, but the french Grinders are far more intense and extreme. There's in their riffs a Grind gory touch making me think about BLOOD and DEAD INFECTION's old  Eps.
Some riffs are cool but they lack the fucking emotional explosion and aggression Grindcore need! More personality needed... My brain remains unbranded as I wouldn't remind one of their tracks on a Grindcore compilation.
Ok stuff for big Grindcore maniacs only!
ondra.lycanthophy@seznam.cze

HUNGRY WÖLF (Russia) Forgotten frozen lands CD. 2021. GROTESQUE SOUNDS/ WINGS OF DESTRUCTION Recs.
Penetration is not mandatory!
Here you have a band from Magnitogorsk, Russia, that plays a mixture between black metal and punk. The two styles are very present, as you hear quite a lot of black metal guitars and dbeat punk rhythms... It's often melted together, so you don't remember if you're listening to a BM or punk riff (AhAh). These are the main styles, but I also hear a bit more traditional 90's BM, some blackened thrash, as well as things clearly more punk than crust/ hardcore.
On one middle-finger hand some blackened riffs are cool (Ex: The speed black opening... Why do not they use more of that?), on the other hand every guitars aren't so cool... I even found some punk riffs to be too common (Or sounding too "melodic", and seeming closer to BAD RELIGION or perhaps LES THUGS than hard hitting crust hardcore)... Maybe I'm a bit difficult to please in the fist-fucking dbeat style, but I enjoyed quite dynamic and hard-hitting bands like DISRUPT, which were clearly more powerful than "just punk", so hearing "only punk" often feels like something is missing... If you enjoy things to be "only punk", you might feel a bit more like a wolf than I did...
So as far as my listening experience occurred, I would say this album is something like an averagely finger-fucking recording... Perhaps the guys of HUNGRY WÖLF should try to finger fuck without the gloves (Or maybe pierce the gloves, or shred the condoms, to embrace the spreading of evil emanations AhAh... (No I'm not a part of the A.C.S.S.O.C.P (Anti Contraceptive Secret Society of Condom Piercers), I was just playing with words...).
https://hungrywolf666.bandcamp.com

HUTT (Bra) Monstruario CD. 2011. CRIMINAL ATTACK Recs.
Some grinders might remember HUTT, because I used to run a website and released a tape of this band 6 years ago... After all I imagine those who were in touch with my activities 6 years ago didn't all turn to glamcore or Zomb' hip hop...
So the Brazilian grinders of HUTT are back with a new drummer and a new CD. Their music is still composed of a lot of short and fast songs, with quite a lot of riff changes... You might imagine it's still the same, you even don't "might" since you already imagined, didn't you? But it's wrong to think so, because a part of their grinding ingredients has changed: While the first album was very much into grindcore guitars, with experimental noises, almost noisecore influences, the new one takes a more "Death metal" approach: First for the sound which is less raw and "punk" (It sounds heavier, hotter, in the middle between old Morissound recordings and some ooold BLOOD DUSTER stuffs), then I feel the riffs contain more metal alike tremolos, and then the drumming is a also a bit more metal (Fast DM parts à la NAPALM DEATH "Utopia banished", some blasts with kicks & snares at the same time (Which leads back my brain to brutal death)).
Overall this keeps a grindcore taste, it's more grindcore than Death metal anyway (It's even a little fastcore by moments), but now HUTT has more hot attributes to please metal fans...
Maybe they're now closer in sound and approach to what RAZORBACK recs released before they suddenly went all old school death (Yet more experimental and less comic book influenced)... But Fuck me, Fuck me, Fuck me! I was pointing Razorback because of the "fun" aspect of the music, while you could really have a closer idea if you imagine something like a mixture of old BLOOD DUSTER (93-96... Without the grooves), for the fast stuffs, the sound, an humorous touch, current SQUASH BOWELS (With a less abrasive sound), some SUPPOSITORY (But less lazy/ relaxed/ comfortable), some touches of INTENSE HAMMER RAGE (Demo) for the craziness... (For personal hearing reasons I would add the first MORTAL DECAY album, pointing some "cool" sounding riffs here and there... But I wouldn't bet a damaged hear on that, I might have fallen into subconscious unreality during some songs). Is that juicy and creamy enough? Yes, I think so.
While this new album is less surprising and refreshing than "Sessao Descarrego", it's also more pleasant or easier to hear (On a coolifying relaxed point of view), plus it contains some energy, good parts, and a quite good dose of energetic fun (Without falling in the trap of the cretinous or scato-scato)... So why don't you try to get a copy from a distro or taste the flesh through some Brazilian ball thrilling gloryholes? The juice will thank you from advance.
http://www.hutt.ca.tc
http://www.myspace.com/huttgrind

HUTT (Bra)/ NOISEAR (Usa)/ GATE (Jap) Split CD'06. BLASTASFUK Recs.
This is a cool split CD released on the new Australian label BLASTASFUK (New sexual tool of a blastomaniac from THE KILL).
Of corpse the 3 bands are very close to Grindcore and like to blast the drumkit hard.

The first is HUTT from Brazil, a grinding grind band who blasted a grind CD and a cool demo before hand. The style is very close to what blasted the hears of grinders on the "Sessao descarrego" CD... But I have the feeling it's not as soarprising (Fewer cuts and surprises in structures, less noisy experiments) and there are a bit more heavier parts... This is not bad, it still kicks, and it might turn on fans of "Opened" grind who also dig thrash HC, power-violence and other affiliates of the urban Satan, but I expected more.

NOISEAR blasts from Usa and offers 5 tracks of grindcore mixed with chaotic hardcore, plus some moments of fukked craziness, old style thrash (From the HC side) and few others things. This sounds quite fucked and blasting, some dissonances are nice and I like the quite technical playing of the drummer... But the music penetrates kinda too complex or dissonant noises to really entertain me (It's not really my cup of cyborg's oil, otherwise it's totally disfukked à la EVS). It would be both "too much" and "not enough" to turn me on... Anyway, fans of old CEPHALIC CARNAGE, (Some) PIG DESTROYER, SPAZZ, AD NAUSEAM (Usa) HATEWAVE (Demo) and stuffs that blast the hole of absurdity might dig it.

GATE blasts hard and choose the way of massive intensity! ARRRGH! Imagine a quite energetic mix between grindcore and blasting Death (The best of BIRDFLESH ("Night of the ultimate moche"), few MORTALIZED, French MORGUE (But better in my blasting opinion) with deliciously fukked up touches of disjoncted cerebral emptiness à la DISCORDANCE AXIS, and you have a blasting zigzag brain overview of the way it could annihilate your brain.
In fact, the first half is emotionally intense, while the other half is generally more common on a gut-feeling's point of view... Anyway this is promising "New school" Grindcore for fans of Intense (But also quite modern) Grind!

This split CD isn't bad at all, each band offers enough quality to potentially lead me to other brainblastings in the future... Even though it's not over the fucking top of everything, it seems to be one of the best underground grindcore releases I heard the last years... It's far from the convenience of the asleep "Grindcore" grandads the scene has problems to keep in its putrid mouth, and even can't stop regurgitate with nausea in our poor disappointed faces... It's fresh and aggressive Grind the way it was meant to scorch your banging skull! Ah! Welcome home sanitarium.
Label: http://www.geocities.com/blastasfuk
HUTT: http://www.myspace.com/huttgrind
NOISEAR: http://www.myspace.com/noisear
GATE: ccm67250@syd.odn.ne.jp

HUTT (Bra) Sessao descarrego CD'04 2+2=5 Records.
HUTT's previous demo was a nice discovering of raw underground Grind with blasting as fuck drums... This new album shows a real improvement at almost every corners! This time HUTT offers you an album of 28 blasting short tracks displaying various kinds of extreme music that rather tend to blast as it rather follows various kinds of Death grind and grindcore.
There's a bit of everything in there: new school Grind and noisecore à la DISCORDANCE AXIS/ HUMAN REMAINS/ PIG DESTROYER (Prowler), old school Grind à la NAPALM DEATH meets some NASULM, Death grind, plus touches of old school HxCx, early (Immolation influenced) riffing EXHUMED, few crust, and even noisy Grindcore like early DESECRATOR (Fra), early SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION or some ANAL CUNT. Few more soundalike bands: BIRDFLESH, OBLIGATORISK TORTYR and maybe MORTALIZED. I found some cool riffs à la MORTAL DECAY, you know this kind of midly strange riffs that sound cool and quite positive... The drummer has a good punching style in the old school way of grinding the drumkit!
Even if HUTT plays some kinds of music I don't enjoy (like noise or noisecore grind), their tracks are short and the "unwanted" elements remains acceptable.
All in all, there are both quite catchy/ cool tracks and not much impressive songs, but the whole remains listenable since it's well structured and the less efficient songs sound aggressive enough. "Sessao Descarrego" sounds new school, but I appreciate the fact it's rather done in a not so weird riffing way (that remains hardly listenable for some bands)... So it's old school in a way, uh?
It's a cool album with its highs and lows, I'd rather advice it to those who are into the new school kind of grindcore and who like many diverse influences in their thing! Or maybe to those who like it old school and would need to refresh their old skull of misery with blasting fresh multiblast!
Not really memorable, but all well structured, varied enough and blasting as fuck! Worth an hear motherfuckers!
http://www.2plus2equal5.com

HYPNOS (CZE) In blood we trust CD’00 MORBID
It’s mostly Death Metal with a cooler song in the middle, some of it is fast while some is more heavy. It reminds me :  SIX FEET UNDER( for a riff), old Thrash Metal, some MORBID ANGEL/ ANGEL CORPSE, CANNIBAL CORPSE ( Vocals + music), CROWN OF THORNS ( « The burning ») and others. Nothing I found really great. There are correctly played melodic progressive Heavy Metal guitar leads reminding me of DREAM THEATER and the golden age of IRON MAIDEN. It’s quite diversified. The is album sounds like if it was played by several bands, as if it was a sampler.  That’s an OK album but I don’t think we’ll remember this one in several years!

HYPOKRAS (FRA) Dead and hungy CD'01 WARPATH.
Here is the band of the guy who runs the XENOGLOSSIE fanzine.
The line up also includes a guy who played in EVITERNITY (FRA)'s Demo'95.
There are tremolo riffs à la CANNIBAL CORPSE in their music, but the whole stuff is more in a thrash metal vein with Death metal riffs here and there.
As riffing influences, I could quote KREATOR ("Coma of souls" and "Cause for conflict") and SLAYER ("Hell awaits and "Reign in blood"). I can notice some old school sounding Death metal riffs à la old CENTINEX and I may quote a bit of DECAMERON for a melodic Death/ Black metal touch. This sounds Dark, but nothing turned me one, even after a few listenings.  Some vocals touches sounds a bit à la GURKKHAS/ D.A.B, but these mid tuned Death metal vocals tends a bit to some screamy high pitched mouthes as it reminds me the vox on the 1st CROWN ON THORNS CD (Not THE CROWN). There's a little swedish Death metal touch in their guitar sound, that isn't unpleasant. It's rather a good production. I think the drums parts were done with a drum machine. Some riffs sounded Ok, but I found nothing exceptionnal here! It may be pleasant for some Death/ Thrash metal fans, but there's nothing killer nor catchy in this album I would define as an Ok one!

HYPONIC (Hong kong) The noise of time CD'05. OBSCURE SOMBRE Recs.
What the fuck happened in there??
On their previous album, HYPONIC were playing very much INCANTATION influence Death metal, and now they turned to slow Doom death!!
A good portion of this album is slow, sometimes so simple it almost reaches the point of nothing... nothingness.
A mourning mixture between sulfuric Death and Doom Death could have been nice, if it was well balanced enough... But that's not the case! Slow, slow and slow, and repetitive, with few 'accelerations' that could be vaguely taken as 'mid tempo' moments...
That's almost definitely not for me, but I'm not a fan of very slow doom death, and some who like the style might enjoy a sleeping session with HYPONIC. In my hears it sounds average and too simple to embalm my head in massive drowning of torment! I'm disappointed! Adios HYPONIC?
http://www.obskure-sombre.tk

HYPONIC (Hong Kong) Black sun CD'01.
Here's a band I'd advice to fans of INCANTATION, even though I'm not a fan of this band that has somekind of cult status in the Underground. HYPONIC have got a wide range of similarities in this darkened style.
This is old school Death metal obscurity that's more based on the sulfurous and ancient obscure mood than on pure brutality, it remains nevertheless heavy and low. The vocals are also low and suffocated such as on the earlier INCANTATION's recordings. HYPONIC tries to write epic riffs between the sulfurous old school evil emanations. Stagnant heavy riffings that may be catchy and death dreaming for the undead! I may speak a bit about old IMMOLATION's slowest and most suffocated riffs, and may evoke some old forgotten names of an ancient Death metal kult such as old DEMIGOD or old BELIAL. They way the keyboards are used on the second track are very simple, and totally old school. In my opinion, it has much to do with old School Doom death than ancient Death metal. Well, nothing that sounds bad. I'd advice it to big INCANTATION fans who need to drown in the ancient obscure abyss to feel alive, if they aren't already dead!
http://www.angelfire.com/band2/hyponic/

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