Cannibal Corpse
Torture
Metal Blade
Street: 3.13.12
Cannibal Corpse = Cannibal Corpse (duh) + Death
Cannibal Corpse began making bloody musical waves when I was just entering cultural consciousness. Wielding unkempt hostility, a cro-magnon sense of dynamic and a lyrical quiver fully capable of reducing seasoned serial rapists to quivering puddles o' piss, 'Corpse has built upon inflated notoriety and a stellar live reputation to becoming the closest thing death metal has to a full time institution. Generally not known to stray too far from the beaten (back to life) path, this gaggle of Floridian knuckle-draggers has undergone a subtle evolution over the years, and while Torture (the band's twelfth studio offering!) isn't a steep sonic departure, it's stuffed with a handful of precious moments to set it apart from the days of post-coital knife wounds and hammer smashed faces. Standouts cuts include "As Deep as the Knife Will Go" and "Intestinal Crank," which fiercely alternate between turgid sludge grooves and blast beats, "The Strangulation Chair," which outs Alex Webster's sinister bass fingering as Torture's undisputed MVP, and razor-wrist opener "Demented Aggression," which showcases Cannibal's signature sound revamped for 2012. Sure, lifers will always cite the moldy oldies, and this ain't exactly a contender for "masterpiece" status, but it's a brilliantly refined amalgamation of what they've always been getting at. Just something to think about the next time you see Chris Barnes shaking his dreadlocks on a local car commercial. Seth Putnam, R.I.P. -Dylan Chadwick

Krang
Sounds of Death
Sacred Plague
Street: 12.10.11
Krang = Discharge + Decay After Death + Black September
There’s a few folks at SLUG Mag and Napalm Flesh, including this “writer” and curator of filth who love all that is vinyl. SLUG HQ was fortunate enough for Sacred Plague records to send us over an LP from Krang, a band that dubs themselves as “stench core,” which actually is a fitting term. Being a fan of black and white art—including charcoal drawn goodness—already started swinging some bias for myself, as the LP cover for Sounds of Death is fantastic. Then there is the band’s name, which instantly made me think of the Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles (the original ones) villain who shares the name—the one who had a snarly, ugly voice, and a talking brain roaming around in a robot body of some form had an instant cool factor for my youth. Krang and Sounds of Death is a thrashing gritty n’ grisly romp, it’s pacing is not quite the fast core that my initial impression thought was going to be. No, the stenchcore is much slower than general fastcore, but it’s still fast. The drumming is the main tempo gauge generally keeping things in punk type tempos as well as styles. Guitar tones are mostly crusty, especially side A. Then Side B just throws in one track—a head scratcher, but it’s damned brilliant, darkly vibrant and beyond a label of genre. “The Unbearable Weight of Knowing” is calm, sedate with spoken word portions easily forgivable in their cliché stylings. “Death of Sound” riddled with crust and blazing with some grimy hate is a showcase of crafty chunky guitar riffing. There’s nothing like this out there—it’s something worth belching high praise for. -Bryer Wharton



Les Discrets
Ariettes Oubliées
Prophecy Productions
Street: 02.21
Les Discrets = Alcest + Ameseours + Junius
Originally started to provide an aural element to frontman Fursy Teyssier’s visual art (Teyssier has also done art for Alcest and Agalloch, among others), Les Discrets aptly combines elements of post-rock, shoegaze, post-hardcore and, yes, black metal, to create rich soundscapes. It’s easy to compare Les Discrets to their fellow Frenchmen in Alcest—and not just because Teyssier serves as their touring guitarist. Both bands create long, moody songs largely built upon a metal foundation, but Les Discrets’ sound is more in line with post-rock bands such as Mogwai and Mono than their metal brethren. After the intro track “Linceul d’hiver,” Les Discrets opens with “La Traversee,” combining all of their influences into a coherent eight-minute track, but it’s “Le Moevement Perpetuel” where the band shines brightest. The combination of male and female vocals over a striking melody and occasional forays into black metal style tremolo riffing and blastbeats makes this the album’s most exhilarating track, even at its relatively slow pace. The vocals are a highlight throughout, rarely crossing the threshold of aggression, but always lyrical and affecting—even if I have no idea what they’re saying. Alcest may be getting all the hype right now, but open your ears to Les Discrets and you’ll discover that they are just as worthy of praise. –Ricky Vigil