Part VII

A special issue of Musick Magazine dedicated exclusively to the Polish scene only proves that there is a lot going on here. And although I try to keep up with the latest releases that are being spit out practically every day, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep my finger on the pulse. Therefore, forgive me for often omitting really good materials, or reaching them with a delay. Therefore, I have a request to you, to the bands themselves, to the labels, to the promoters – let me know about your moves, about new releases, and I promise that if I have enough time in the day, I will try to look into every submitted material. My e-mail contact is: levi@neolith.pl And now I invite you to the latest review of what has been thundering in the domestic underground recently.

Levi

DRUNK THRASHER - Posercorpses - Independent

The new EP of this one-man project brings us 4 short but condensed shots of old-school thrash in a Germanic style. You can hear a lot of inspiration from early Sodom, but in 'Dental Incident', for example, the guitars grind in a way that makes me think of Vader's brilliant "Necrolust". Instigator, who is behind this project, may not have discovered America, but he knows perfectly well how to roll out pure and uncompromising thrash, or rather, how it was played about four decades ago. As for me, I can listen to it non-stop. Oh, and as a chronicler, I will mention that the lyrics to the track 'An Orgy Of Flames And Pain' were written by Cazz Grant, who is well-known in some circles. Posercorpses is the perfect title for this release, and maniacs of this type of playing simply have to have it.

BEZKRES - Wściekłość Pierwotnej Natury - Independent

The debut demo of this duo from Zielona Góra is just two numbers with a total time of 8 minutes. On the one hand, it is too little to honestly assess the value of the band, but enough to say that they are doing quite well in the black metal style. The sound is surprisingly clear and quite good for this genre. They are rather heading in a more traditional direction of the domestic black scene, because I sense some inspiration here from old Furia, Arkona, or Morsun Diaboli. It is really good and I am waiting for something longer, so that gentlemen, Tytan and Aroslav can show a broader perspective of their work.

TRUPI SWĄD - Triumf Zła i Ciemności - Putrid Cult

This creation is probably already quite well known in our underground black/thrash/speed scene. Three original tracks, among them one instrumental 'Rytuał' acting as an intro, take us to the 80s, where in Poland, apart from bands from the Metal Mind stable, there were such hordes as Exorcist, Thrasher Death and several other unforgettable ones, which were strongly inspired by dark and brutal thrash. On top of that, a certain Nikki Speed, who stands behind this project, serves us his own version of Kat's classic in the form of 'Morderca', and you should already have a rough idea of ​​what Trupi Swąd represents. If I add to this that the sound of this material is dirty and sloppy as hell, but it's all according to the standards set by devil's metal, then we have clarity.

FANTOM - Regime Of Chaos - Independent

The debut EP of the quartet from Toruń invites us on a journey into the thrash metal style. 5 tracks of very interesting, lively, but above all, pure thrash playing. Testosterone is in the air, and the gentlemen from Fantom are pounding it in nicely. You can hear that they can play and, most importantly, they have a lot of interesting ideas, such as the use of the saxophone or various non-obvious inserts and licks in 'McFantom'. It's really great to listen to it, and I'll be honest, I wish many more well-known and recognized thrashers had such a form. So I advise you to pay attention to this name. Something will come out of it.

SZCZERZYCA - Grozłak - Independent

The duet Szczerzyca from Radomsko was formed in 2023 and consists of Furija and Shiru. The debut material entitled Grozłak contains 4 songs that are closest to black metal, but there are also elements of electronica, industrial, and a few other musical genres. For me, it is a bit inconsistent in terms of atmosphere, and above all, the compositions themselves. There is too much randomness here, and for black metal, there is too much melody and some kind of positive vibe. As usual, in my case, the drum machine is a bit jarring, but that's a small detail. In general, you can hear that they want to do it and they really care about combining, on the one hand, more raw and brutal black metal, with the definitely more gentle climates known from the current face of Samael and even Pain. And, like in the song 'W Głębi Serca', something in the style of atmospheric metal from the mid-90s. It sounds a bit grotesque and funny, but I know that in our country, there is a large group of listeners of this type of music, and maybe Szczerzyca will be something they'll dig.

ZDRADA ISKARIOTA - Upadły Tryumfator - Virulent Rec.

Now I invite you to Kraków, where a quintet called Zdrada Iskariota operates. Their debut EP brings us over 23 minutes of traditional black metal in the atmosphere of the 90s. However, I would like to distinguish two issues in their music - when they play with traditional metal instruments, you can smell the sulfur, see the devil, and hear thoroughly traditional black metal thrashing. It gets worse when the keyboards enter, because then we have a large accumulation of pathos and unleavened melodies, which slightly spoil the ominous mood built with painstaking effort. Fortunately, there are not so many of these keyboards on this material as to spoil the overall good impression left by the 5 tracks and the intro and outro that create this material.

MOONTHOTH - Czarnonoc - Independent

Moonthoth is a creation from Poznań that has been around for 25 years. From the very beginning, its spiritus movens has been Nocturnal, who handles all instruments, vocals and is responsible for the lyrics. The latest material, entitled Czarnonoc in its basic version, lasts just over 20 minutes of broadly understood black metal. I have marked in the basic version, because the material also contains two bonuses: a new version of the song 'Diaboł' from the project's first demo (titled Diabolos) and a really interesting cover version of Lux Occulta 'Nocturnal Dithyramb', from -in many circles considered "cult"- second album of this Dukla band. As I mentioned, Moonthoth moves in the areas of broadly understood black metal. Sometimes it is very brutal, and other times Nocturnal lets more atmosphere into their work, mainly due to the keyboards, but not only. You can hear that he's quite good at various types of guitar licks. In fact, the aforementioned Lux ​​Occulta on the one hand misleads the listener a bit as to Moonthoth's original music, but on the other hand, not entirely. I certainly do not consider the time spent with Czarnonoc as wasted.

MIRZAM ANTIDOTUM OV MARAZM - …There Is No Emptiness… - Via Nocturna

Very nice! Getting such a nice ear beating over here!! The guys from Białystok did a really solid job on their debut album and created a very brutal album, which on the one hand refers to the work of Marduk, Mayhem, the old Dark Funeral, and on the other has some homegrown chants (the song 'Czas', 'Mirzam' and others), or more death metal patents. Generally, lots of dead bodies and blood spurting everywhere, but in the few slowdowns, there are more atmospheric and melodic moments ('Magnetar'). It is clear that the guys from Mirzam Antidotum Ov Marazm, based on the classic black/death metal, have the idea to add a few of their patents to it and make what they play more original. I believe that this is just the beginning of the road. Although I wonder if they took into account the consternation of the audience chanting their name at concerts when choosing such a name? It won't be easy 😉

VOMITVSANCTVS - Secretion Of Contempt - Via Nocturna

Ełk has not been a very recognizable place on the Polish map of metal so far. I don't think that will change much thanks to the formation Vomitvsanctvs, which has just released its debut album. The music played by this trio is a mixture of several metal genres from death/thrash metal through metalcore to groove metal. You can hear a bit of brutal playing, a bit of swinging in the style of old Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy, as for me, it reminds me a bit of the native and unforgettable Rotting Head. Despite the fact that it is not my favorite type of music, as far as my taste is concerned, I listened to Secretion Of Contempt without really biting my lip and gnashing my teeth. Not a bad stuff.

DIVING STOVE - Atavism - Independent

It makes my heart happy that there are more and more bands on our scene whose work is characterized by total ease, feeling, and sincerity of playing. Because you can hear it. It is no different in the case of the debut album Diving Stove from our capital. The core of the music of the quartet from Warsaw is broadly understood thrash metal, but every now and then there are references to other related metal genres or even 4AD climates (like in the song 'Winter/Our Lake', at times strongly reminiscent of The Cure). There is a bit of playing in an American mode, i.e., Metallica (listen to 'The Room', for example), Overkill, Annihilator, Sacred Reich, a bit of island climates in the style of Xentrix, and a lot of classic heavy metal. On Atavism, there are many great riffs, very stylish solos, and above all, a sensational vocal, which dominates the whole and makes the whole thing a real pleasure to listen to. I'm glad we have another band that is absolutely on par with the best in the genre.

LEPROZORIUM - Skaza Ludzkości - Arcadian Industry

Another debut. This time from Wrocław. It sounds pretty good and it speaks out, but you can hear a bit that it lacks the final touch. There are blast beats, slowdowns, and it rocks and crushes quite well. Everything according to the proven and best death/thrash metal patterns from both Poland and abroad. A bit of Sepultura here, a bit of Betrayer ('Otchłań Mózgu'), Lastwar, Sparagmos - here I see some references to the old, domestic death/thrash scene. In a sense, I hear an expansion of the formula and supplementation with blast beats and even more of sonic beating. Although to tell you the truth, I'm more interested in the atmosphere and sentiments, because musically, and especially in terms of arrangements, it's definitely different.

MENTAL FUNERAL - Demo MMXXIV - Independent

Ugh! I'll be honest, for me, this band and this demo are 'THE' discovery of the last few months, and maybe even years, when it comes to our scene. The Poznań guys jumped out of nowhere and hit us with a hook right in the jaw that's beyond belief. This crushing piece of death/doom metal rolls through every second of these three songs is, on the one hand, made according to strictly defined patents and procedures related to it, but the gentlemen from Mental Funeral managed to achieve such an effect, both in sound and composition, that I really have no questions. I think it will be the greatest compliment for the guys and the greatest praise for what they managed to create, that this demo sounds like it was recorded at the turn of the 80s/90s of the last century and could be a model for subsequent bands, wanting to crush and quarter their potential recipient. I'm not exaggerating. Listening to these 3 tracks, I genuinely get goosebumps and feel almost like during the first listening to Disembowelment or Winter. And the name didn't come from nowhere. You can fucking smell Autopsy! A hundred-ton roller right here!!. I believe that this is just the beginning and they will soon stoke the fire!

GOTAR - Lepsza Byłaby Śmierć - Independent

The second full-length of Rybnik thrashers is over half an hour of thrash pounding with death metal growl at a really good level. Cool juicy sound, good riffs with the mark of Slayer, Sepultura, Testament, good craftsmanship, what more could you want? Nothing more but… for me, the vocals are a bit irritating - too monotonous and not really fitting for this music. Here, one would beg for a vocalist with a strong thrash vocal with hoarseness, more melodic and dynamic. I'm not saying that this one is bad, because both the arrangements and the technique itself are ok, but sometimes I just see it differently. Musically, I have no reservations; there is adrenaline, dynamics, aggression, the songs rock like hell, and on top of that, the guys from Gotar managed to capture a cool groove and feeling. Bravo.

Thanks for checking this one out. Find more bands and metal in the previous editions of South Of Heaven.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI