Coming two years after the band's debut full-length release, 2008's “Obscurus Nex Cultus”, album number two and first for Relapse Records “Morbid Destitution of Covenant” is an unabashed homage to Incantation in particular and old-school death-metal in general.
See, Georgia’s Father Befouled are one of those bands determined to inject that scary and malefic aura so prevalent in late eighties and early nineties’ death-metal releases back into the genre, and cheers to them for that.
Indeed, “Morbid Destitution of Covenant” feels like it was recorded on a four-track somewhere circa 1889 or at the deep bottom of hell due to its murky production job and no-frills attitude, eschewing all notions of experimentation and innovation.
Father Befouled cast out a merciless and savage death-metal that is heavily redolent of Incantation’s visceral brutality, with occasional forays into moribund, doom-slow rhythms. I should also mention that the album features some of the most guttural vocal eruptions ever committed to tape, which add a really creepy dimension to the whole thing.
Usually, I don’t believe in that false pretence that back in the old days, metal was really astounding, yet I must admit that “Morbid Destitution of Covenant”, admirably serves as a good reminder of how menacing and vile death-metal is supposed to sound. It’s not designed to break any boundaries or instigate any sort of revival. It’s just a good example of old-school death-metal. (7/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/fatherbefouled
Label info: www.relapse.com
For fans of: Incantation, Asphyx, Immolation

I see a troubled future for Jan Axel Blomberg aka Hellhammer, plagued with tendinitis and other types of injuries given the amount of maniacal bashing the Norwegian drummer is doing in the last few years. His latest musical adventure is something of a black-metal super group, conceived by bassist/guitarist Teloch of 1349, Gorgoroth and Ov Hell fame and rounded up by bassist/guitarist Blargh formerly of Gravferd, Dødheimsgard and vocalist Cpt. Estrella Grasa of Kort Prosess.
“Wolf Father” is actually Nidingr’s second full-length work following a debut recording "Sorrow Infinite and Darkness" from 2005 (apparently the project had been on ice until now), and I can assure you that it is up to the standards expected from such elite musicians.
Right from the beginning of opener “Fafnismol”, Nidingr exude a fearful, frantic, yet disciplined black-metal offensive that is slightly comparable to compatriots Zyklon-B and Thorns. See, they have the relentless speed and aggression of the first, and the cold, razor-sharp delivery of the second, and notwithstanding the fact that they cover familiar ground and their old-school bona fides, “Wolf Father” feels remarkably fresh and interesting.
Throughout 23 short minutes, Nidingr rarely detour from their relentless black-metal onslaught as virtually every single track sounds like a caterpillar wrecking thru walls of steel and cement. Song number two “Baldrs Draumar” is a remarkable exception, showing a great sense of dynamics with the Norse act bouncing between their common and feral aggression and a more slow-paced and epic momentum, which is superbly graced by the soaring voice of Garm from Ulver.
Fans of Zyklon-B, Thorns and Gehenna will certainly not find themselves disappointed with “Wolf Father”. (7.6/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/nidingr
Label info: www.vendlus.com | www.jester-records.com
For fans of: Zyklon-B, Thorns, Gehenna

It’s always smashing to encounter a new group mastering the craft of death-metal without neglecting the genre’s most archetypical and essential elements, which is something that Ohio’s Locusta did on their self-titled debut album. This is proper, concise and devastating death-metal that has nothing to do with this whole new generation of acts spawned by MySpace, whose first two rules on their book are first: include as many riffs you can into one song and second: throw in a couple of breakdowns just to gain a modern credibility and that bouncing vibe.
Locusta aren’t set out to break any barriers, yet that doesn’t make them any less interesting since the band have made an appealing and competent use of well-worn death-metal elements without sounding dated or jaded.
The album exhibits an imaginative and clever structuring that prevents Locusta from falling into monotony, there are slower, groovier moments interspersed between more frenetic and lacerating periods, with the guitars hooping continuously between a low-tuned palm-muted, high-pitched shrieks and a more epic fretwork that exudes a tolerable amount of melody. Perhaps the most accurate description of Locusta’s sound would be Amon Amarth crossed with Immolation, “2012” is clearly a song that nods at the Swedes with a guitar work that exhibits an epic quality and borders on classic heavy-metal.
The press release mentions a black-metal influence, which I really cannot detect. There’re although some prog elements evidenced throughout several moments of the album, especially when Locusta pick up their acoustic guitars, but they sound more like isolated tryouts than an integral part of their sound.
The vocals are of the cookie monster variety, really low, guttural and sadly interchangeable, clearly one of the downsides of “Locusta”, yet on the overall it’s securely a solid death-metal record capable of pleasing fans of The Chasm, Kataklysm and Severed Saviour among others. (7/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/locusta614
Label info: www.myspace.com/pragmaticreleases
For Fans of: Immolation, Amon Amarth, The Chasm, Kataklysm, Severed Saviour

A mere two years on from their inception, Mourning Lenore quickly became one of the most respected and talented groups within the Portuguese metal scene.
Fuelled by their aspirations and driven by a hard-work ethic, the four-piece recently issued their debut full-length record “Loosely Bounded Infinities”, which is garnering excellent responses.
Scratch the Surface had the chance to trade a few words with guitarist João Arruda thru e-mail to discuss the band’s origins and their future plans.


From the genesis of Mourning Lenore to the release of their debut album “Loosely Bounded Infinities” there was a short span of time that comprehended merely two years, I guess it was fairly easy for the band to find the right cohesion and step into the recordings of their debut album right?

“Curiously it was! (Laughs) Without great delineations of what our music would be and each one with a different musical background, even with this recipe our compositions started to flow in a very natural way.
As such, it was easy to gather some themes that we’ve found suitable to feature in our first record. It was a conscious decision, since we knew that with such little time of existence we could have an album a little immature or seen as rushed in so to speak. But we looked at the songs that we had in our hands and we thought that whatever Mourning Lenore comes out to be within the next ten years, this record would always be something that we could be proud of, so we decided to step forward and take our chances. We will always see the album as a representation of what the band is today and not what could have been… So far the balance is very positive!”

Comparisons to groups such as Anathema, Paradise Lost and November's Doom are common in the press. Are these the bands responsible for shaping the sound of Mourning Lenore?

“Sincerely, I wouldn’t say there was an intentional decision to follow the sound of this or that band. It’s obvious that, as fans of doom, many of the bands that we get compared to are bands that each one of us listens to, so in a way or another they will eventually influence our work in an unconscious way.
But the fact is that, we never talked about defining our style according to the sonority of any of such bands. As passionate people for what we do and about this project, one day we would like to hear that “Mourning Lenore sounds like Mourning Lenore” (laughs), and therefore, doesn’t make much sense to us to try to glue or search for major influences in X or Y band.
We can admire, like and listen, but we do not want to sound like them! There’s always a question of respect for the bands we admire… One more time, without wanting to sound cliché or politically correct, we’ve meet, started to play, to write and it came out this. We accept and find normal those comparisons, is something natural in the human being trying to find some familiarity, but from our part it was neither intentional nor premeditated.”

The album was produced by Fernando Matias, vocalist of F.E.V.E.R in cooperation with the band at Pentagon and Urban Insect studios. Are you satisfied with the end results?

“We already had worked with Fernando in our previous release, therefore we knew with what we could count. He already knows us and understands the sound we want, aside from being an excellent producer, engineer and friend. It was logical option to work with him and we are more than satisfied with the results. Looking in retrospect, there’s always a detail or another that we’d make in a different way, but from my perception, nothing that pinches the quality and potential of the album.”

Which songs are you most proud of?

“Complicated question… Although we like and believe in all the songs that we brought to daylight, I’d say the first two themes, “Rain's Seduction” and “Patterns of Emptiness” will always occupy a special place in the still short career of Mourning Lenore.
They had been our first and only “business card” during a long time and with them we gained some recognition and good reviews, not to mention that these two songs raised some positive expectations on the band and opened the doors that had allowed us to achieve what we have today, a record, opportunities to play live, etc.
I think it’d be legit to say that, in a certain way, it’s a pride to think and understand that with only these two songs we were able to give our first and most important steps to date.”

Despite the short span of time that separates “Loosely Bounded Infinities” from the split-EP with the Insaniae released in 2008, there’re noticeable differences between the two releases, especially in pace and vocal melodies. I’d say the new themes tread a more, wouldn’t call it up-tempo line, but definitely a darker and melancholic rock path that’s not too far removed from Katatonia are doing at the moment. Was there any special circumstance that led the new songs to develop in that way?

“Not exactly… If I to try to find a justification for such observation I’d say that after we assimilated the split release and get back to a writing phase, the songs have grown in that form. On one hand, we started to give more attention to the singing parts that give another dimension to the songs, and will be something we certainly explore again in the future. On the other one we tried to take the melodic and catchy features of the split-CD even further. Also we gave a special focus to atmospheres and textures that can enrich music, even if they take us through a path more distant from metal. However, in nearest future at least since we never known what will happen, we’ll continue to focus on heavy sounds!”

Your lyrics deal mostly with feelings of pain, misery and solitude, but could they also underlie a message of hope and redemption as well?

“The lyrics deal with abstractions around the themes you’ve mentioned. They are the result of episodes filled an emotional turmoil that simply leave you disoriented, without knowing what to do, where you are and what you are. There’re times when you question the reality and essence of your existence. The only weapons you can grab are your experience, your memories and your hope, yet even them can betray and confuse you, raising more doubts on which way to follow. The only thing to do is carry on until you can define some contours in your mind. It’s that we’re dealing with here. To live in this kind of limbo where there’s no certainty of anything.”

Now that the album was released, what kind of challenges stands before Mourning Lenore?

“At the moment our principle goal is trying to introduce the album to the biggest number of people we can. We want to play throughout Portugal, especially at north and south regions, given we never left our town, with the exception of one time when we played in Azores, which was an amazing experience. But, we want to do all this and still try to keep our philosophy of “few but good”.
Clearly we want to play aboard and we’re working for that to happen. Deep down and overall, we always want more and the best for the band and will always work in that direction. We are never satisfied. Bring on the challenges ‘because we’re ready. Doom on!"

More info at: www.myspace.com/mourninglenoredoom

British press tend to exaggerate when it comes to criticize their home-grown talent, branding average acts like One Minute Silence, Kill to This, Panic Cell, Raging Speedhorn and Evile as the next big thing or so.
In this particular case, Chickenhawk deserve every single superlative thrown in their direction and whether you believe them worthy of the hype really depends on how high you rank bands like The Fall of Troy, Poison the Well and Glassjaw among your personal preferences.
See, the Leeds-based quartet operate vigorously somewhere between the math-rock of the first two and the raging post-hardcore of the third, an explosive and rather enthralling mixture that oozes confidence and a jaw-dropping dexterity.
It’s fairly easy to bound with “Modern Bodies”, the songs are obnoxious yet delightful infectious, complex yet rarely cross the line into self indulgent musicianship as Chickenhawk reveal an extraordinary ability to juxtapose math-rock guitar swirls with some catchy and powerful riffs.
Opener “Scorpieau” will grip you immediately with its bludgeoning riffs and contagious chorus with vocalist Paul Michael Astick hopping between almost-spoken whines and gut-wrenching screams, sounding like a Jane’s Addiction tune twisted by someone like Every Time I Die.
Elsewhere, Chickenhawk continue to meld infectious and ferocious riffs with thunderous and angular percussive workouts that will likely knock you off your feet. Truly impressive! (7.5/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/chickenhawk
Label info: www.brewrecords.net
For fans of: The Fall of Troy, Poison the Well, Glassjaw

I’ll have to admit that I’m probably not the greatest fan of raw, grim and according to some people the true kult black-metal, a style that has bands like Darkthrone, Gorgoroth and Carpathian Forest as the greatest servants. Fortune for me, “Chaos through Phobia”, the debut EP from Portuguese black-metal quartet Daemogorgon doesn’t delve into the deepest and grimiest bowels of the style like I initially feared it would do.

“Chaos through Phobia” may not be the nastiest and most necro black-metal record out there, yet I believe it captured the essential principles of the style with their fierce, rabid and malevolent approach which nods to Behemoth’s vehemence on several occasions.

Just like the aforementioned act, Daemogorgon don’t engage in relentless blast beats and hyper-fast, buzzing guitars riffs from start to finish, the tempo is fairly chaotic and fast, however there’re a few downshifts into slower and more restrained moments where the riffs chug with a steady aggression. Sometimes they also seem to tread a path approaching death-metal standards, recalling Morbid Angel circa “Blessed Are the Sick” minus the guitar wizardry of Trey Azagthoth.

Despite a few interesting riffs and ideas, “Chaos through Phobia” as a whole is far from perfect and lacks sufficient individualistic traits to distinguish Daemogorgon from the pack and above all, some truly killer riffs capable of lacerating our worthless bodies. Nevertheless it’s a decent enough first effort that admirably doesn’t rely on formulas and clichés known in black-metal. (6/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/daemogorgonchaos

Label info: www.myspace.com/ragingplanetrecordsportugal

For fans of: Behemoth, 1349, Morbid Angel