[2024-07-22]

OUT NOW AND SHIPPING!!!

INTOLERANCE - Waking Nightmares of an Endless Void CD [MEMENTO-CXXXIX] The impressive 2nd full-length by this Spanish band. The Death Metal mongrels collectively known as Intolerance hail from Zaragoza, the same city that Ataraxy are natives of. Spawned back in 2015, this quartet´s intent is to pay homage to timeless Death Metal and the fetid stench that exuded from the malicious tones of the bands that populated the scene and helped define the genre back in the late 80´s and the early 90´s. Nothing fancy or wimpy here: only demise and putrefaction to be found when you creep in Intolerance´s mortuary. After a demo in 2016 and an EP in 2020, Intolerance made good on their massive potential in 2022 with the celebrated debut album "Dark Paths of Humanity". Aligned again with Memento Mori, the Spaniards continue to honor the old ways of Death Metal whilst adding their own gutted and grimy personality to it with the follow-up, "Waking Nightmares of an Endless Void". If their debut album was in the wheelhouse of 1991, then Intolerance´s second album is perhaps time-stamped 1992 or even 1993. Which is to stay, while their noble foundation is as firm as ever -classic Bolt Thrower, Grave, Asphyx, Morgoth, Entombed, Convulse, Obituary and Unleashed- there´s daresay a bit more groove or at least swagger to their streamlined surge here. Whereas those Dark Paths crushed bones underneath tank treads, these Waking Nightmares gallop and grind with a catchiness that cannot be denied. Granted, Intolerance were subtly nuanced and surprisingly dynamic already, but the ever-darker hues and almost-evil melodicism they touch upon here puts them closer to the likes of classic Unanimated, Dismember, Hypocrisy, Desultory and earliest Necrophobic. Still a Death Metal record for Death Metal maniacs, by Death Metal maniacs, but somewhere a crucifix is being turned upside down! Once again graced with haunting cover art, this time courtesy of Juan Alberto Hernandez, and yet another devastating production, Intolerance continue their masterful march with "Waking Nightmares of an Endless Void" and find themselves in the embrace of evil! MORBUS GRAVE - Feasting the Macabre CD [MEMENTO-CXL] The vitriolic 2nd full-length by this Italian band. Morbus Grave was spawned by A. Th and Erman in 2010 with the goal to exhume rotting, ancient Death Metal influenced by primordial bands such as Death, Possessed, Carnage, Sadistic Intent, Incubus, Malevolent Creation, Celtic Frost, Morbid Angel and Slayer. Due to lack of time, A. Th left the band and Erman was left to continue the path by himself. In early 2015, Erman found the right replacement in Maso on guitars/bass and Pide Guts on drums. This lineup recorded the band´s debut demo, "Throne of Disgust ", which was released in early 2016. Although the lineup was completed with Eros and Edy later in the year, the band seemed to vanish in thin air. After a couple of years of lethargy and many a lineup change, the grave was dug up once again and the band put out some more minor releases on a number of estimable undeground labels over the years, steadily getting their craft honed in preparation for their debut full-length, which was ultimately released in 2021. Now a five-headed abomination consisting of Erman (vocals), Edy (guitar), Magiko (guitar), Danny (drums) and Eros (bass), Morbus Grave bring forth their second deadly strike, titled "Feasting the Macabre", once again centered around ex-thrasher riffing and morbid concepts. With this second album, Morbus Grave honed in on the sinister dread and olden atmosphere of underground Death Metal and lent a sickening level of performance to it that´ll most certainly impress fans of deep-rooted underground classics. KRYPTICY - The Non-Return CD [MEMENTO-CXLI] The ravaging 2nd full-length by this Spanish band. Krypticy was founded by main composer Alex Guerrero (vocals/guitar) in Malaga, Spain, back in 2013. The band´s debut EP, "Necronomicon", captured their fondness for old school Death Metal, most specially of the Floridian kind (Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death, Cancer). By the time they released their debut full-length, "Hideous Being", a few years later, the band was already exhibiting a larger range of influences (Suffocation, Malevolent Creation, Deicide, Decapitated) and had begun to play live, sharing the stage with bands such as Lapidated, Avulsed, Wormed, Aposento and Necrophiliac, among others. With the band solidifying their lineup by the end of 2022 -Guerrero alongside Pancho Vazquez (drums), Thomas Schenk (bass/backing vocals) and Sergio Alvarez (guitar)- Krypticy now deliver their sophomore full-length, bearing the ominous title "The Non-Return". As forecasted by its stark cover artwork (courtesy of Cardaver Art) and cryptic nomenclature, "The Non-Return" sees Krypticy aiming to push the limits their already consolidated sound. Undoubtedly still tried and true Death Metal, there´s nevertheless a strive for something more spiritual here, as the quartet seek an evolution towards a more unique personality whilst retaining the classic edge that always defined Krypticy´s approach to the genre. Mind you, this isn´t doublespeak for going all-out "prog" or leaving behind Death Metal altogether (and still calling it such); rather, the band have begun to more fluently speak different dialects within the same language, producing a multilingual approach that can only but strengthen the sum effect. So, while the traditional tropes of late 80´s thrashing and early 90´s grinding are well and accounted for, there´s a markedly angular aspect to Krypticy´s songwriting on "The Non-Return", which works up a fever and fury when riffs and riffs and more riffs attack, one mercilessly after the other, the rhythm section surging and staying linear and ultimately producing a memorability that easily evades verse/chorus structures. So, for those who willingly have their minds warped by such unfussy sleepers as Suffocation´s "Pierced from Within", Malevolent Creation´s "Stillborn" and Decapitated´s "The Negation", prepare to arrive at your destination with "The Non-Return"!

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