Exclusive CD Reviews

Arbogast
Demo 2011
Self-Released
Street: 05.27.11
Arbogast = Lord + Yakuza + Today is the Day
Metal and heavy bands are bustling out of Chicago and its surrounding realms of urban and suburban land. Arbogast is just another example of Midwest blasting, and well worth looking for. The trio of musicians released this demo last year, and damned if I can’t think of artists off the top of my head that play in this exact vein. It’s not a hybrid or brash blend of different styles, but the three tracks on this demo have their own little nuance and stylistic realm. The power of the riff and the equal importance of what I call “power drumming”—meaning the drummer is hitting his kit like he’s going to make coins start popping out of the drum heads or simply he has the desire to break them—make this demo stand out. Add in a big bass sound and a good set of full on bass guitar soloing and you have a subtle idea of these tracks. The three tunes here egg listeners on for a full-length release from Arbogast the madness and intensity that could come of about 10 similar styled songs is something I’d like to hear. Call it thrash, doom, post-metal, hardcore, hell, call it gablitygarbgrindthrashdom, it’s not going to change the fact that it’s a great listen. –Bryer Wharton

Arbogast/A Fucking Elephant
Split 7”
Self-Released
Street: 10.05.10
Arbogast/A Fucking Elephant = Nirvana (early) + Yakuza + Unsane + Czar
Can you tell SLUG got a small care package from the Arbogast camp? Relevance of time and reviewing material from bands is always a proper consideration for SLUG and Napalm Flesh more folks want to know and hear about the “new” stuff over “old” stuff, but the timing is all relative—if you haven’t heard it, then it’s new. Picking up 7”s can be an art or a small invested risk. I remember as a teen going into the Heavy Metal Shop and picking out albums based on if I liked the cover art or not—I still do it when browsing record shops, and 90 percent of the time it hasn’t failed me. The visuals of this 7” are brilliant and simultaneously typical and atypical of many metal/grind/hardcore releases. The music is just as pleasing. Arbogast’s portions are ultimately much rawer and faster than what the band released on their 2011 demo. They’re definitely a bit crustier, but riddled with the attitude of kicking teeth and still falling back to the simple power of the riff, whether it be from a guitar or bass. A Fucking Elephant don’t sound like their name may suggest—to me it hints that the band would play some sort of gargantuan heavy-ish doom. The Fucking Elephant side is quick and damn dirty the very thing that vinyl is meant to purvey and why the collectors of that cool wax stuff are so passionate about it AFE have hints of precursors to the ugly early grunge before it got all whiny - think of early Nirvana. The short tracks cover a good amount of territory with some bustling jazz influenced bass and a superb lead guitar tone. For a piece of music that totals only 8 minutes in all, spinning and flipping and repeating causes highly desirable results. –Bryer Wharton

Azaghal
Nemesis
Moribund Records
Street: 01.31
Azaghal = Horna + Dissection
Channeling epic black metal's stomping mid-tempo beats with a classic Finnish sound, Azaghal embraces genre convention without trying to reinvent it. The band's focus is shifting away from their symphonic sound and delving deeper into hypnotic, atmospheric guitars. Nemesis makes up for this lack of high melodic drama with brutal, dissonant riffs on their faster songs, but “Vihasta ja Veritöistä” and the title track show off Azaghal's ear for catchy, depressive guitar melodies. Playing and production are tight on this recording, and while black metal tends to go for gritty tone, the band finds a happy medium between clarity and aggression without sounding overproduced. The resulting album might turn away those looking for a little more creative substance, but Nemesis entertains mostly because of the variety of its pacing and its consistent engagement with the listener. Each song shows character, and it's clear that a lot of time and effort went into this album. Savvy fans might find themselves unconsciously comparing Azaghal to Dissection, but if you're looking for quality black metal, there are far worse bands to emulate. –Henry Glasheen