Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Caligula "Era Of Perdition" & "Disillusion"


Cleveland, OH based metal band Caligula is the definition of FRESH.

They list their genre as Metal/Death Metal, but what sticks out to me the most upon my first few listens are the ridiculous vocals of singer Anthony Shields. This guy sounds like he's taking lessons right out of the deathcore books. He has excellent control of his absolutely evil sounding voice, drawing comparisons to deathcore greats such as Alex Kohler (Ex Chelsea Grin) or Jonny Davy (Job For A Cowboy).

So what happens when a death metal band mixes it up with a deathcore style vocalist? Awesomeness. You get complex riffs (I'm not talking your typical chugging deathcore breakdown riffs here) matched up with straight blood curdling screams. This is a band that's not afraid of technical riffs or blast beats, but also one that doesn't rely on one or the other exclusively. It's a great blend of styles and places them in a unique position going forward.

Their first single "Era Of Perdition" comes out of the gate swinging. This song is FAST and HEAVY. It's a thoughtful piece as well, addressing humanity's unwillingness to learn from our mistakes, and the fact that humans have been subjecting each other to slavery in one form or another throughout history. Being that it's such a fast song, it winds up coming in at a relatively short run time, only just 3 minutes. The official video is a little misleading as well, because they left a whole extra minute of silence on the end of the track. I like this song a lot though, it's solid. This single is quite fresh, having been released on July 3rd, 2018.

Their BRAND NEW single "Disillusion" is literally the freshest thing out there, released less than an hour before I type this review. This single features the same tones as their first single, which leads me to believe that they were recorded at the same time, or at least in the same place. This song allows Shields to show off his pig squeals, which are impressive. Okay, pig squeals aren't for everybody. They're not long enough to take over the track. More fast riffing here, and a really cool tom riff at about a minute in. These guys don't let up the breakneck pace at all, and wind up with another 3 minute song here. Kevin Curtis (Drums) shows off on the double bass for this track as well.

Dan Fortuna (Rhythm Guitar) and Erik Hendershot (Bass) deliver pummeling riffs that change as quickly as they began. Josh Shaffer (Lead Guitar) gives off tasty leads without being overly flashy or long. In the future, I would like to hear Shaffer have a little more time for his solos, which may extend the track length just a little bit. This band also seems to have a penchant for very abrupt endings.

Caligula will punch you right in the face and then suddenly disappear. If these first two songs are an indication of their overall style, they are BRUTAL. Fans of old school Job For A Cowboy, Aversions Crown, and Thy Art Is Murder will enjoy this band very much. I look forward to hearing more from this band, and I encourage YOU to check them out for yourself. Stay metal, my friends.



"ERA OF PERDITION" & "DISILLUSION"
Type: Released singles
Release date: July 3rd & July 31st, 2018
Label: Self released


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THE VERDICT:
4 out of 5 Skulls

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Monday, July 30, 2018

Skeletal Prison "Obsidian Temple Demo"


Skeletal Prison is a metal band from Rockford, IL. Despite forming in 2017, the band has only just recently began posting updates. In fact, their earliest update on Facebook is only from July 14th, 2018. Let's consider this band FRESH.

That being said, these aren't just a couple of 15-year-olds just starting a garage band. They're made up of former members of longer-running projects Sleeze (Psychedelic Groove Metal) and Untold Legacy (Melodic Progressive Death Metal). I'm not going to theorize whether those bands are active or what the scoop is there, because I understand that sometimes bands change up. Either way, it seems that Skeletal Prison is standing on its own and the members seem to be enjoying working together. That fun attitude is present in their music, and that's important.

So why am I talking about a band that has literally one demo version of a song recorded? Because they submitted it to my email, that's why! Bands that are willing to put themselves out there deserve a chance too, not just the ones that are able to pay their way on to a big website or a magazine. That's why we're here, and I hope you give this a chance.

SO what's "Obsidian Temple Demo" like? Well first of all it says Demo on it, so let's get the recording quality out of the way first thing. It's not bad. The vocals are a little low, and the bass is a little high. There is a bit of mid-range muffle going on. They're not using sampled drums or expensive mixing software. Does quality matter? YES. However, with a good enough song, it tends to matter a little less. I would like to hear this recorded at a pro studio in the future.

The song starts off with a clean build, reminiscent of Slayer's "Seasons In The Abyss," with eerie chords to start. The bass and drums join slowly. Next, the song properly starts, with a completely new type of riff. This is more thrashy. The vocals come in, which are low and harsh but a good fit for the style of riffing. This song makes use of double bass drums, extended guitar solos, and a cool rhythm section while retaining an eerie dissonant feel. I didn't have access to any lyrics, so it's hard to guess what the song is really about. However, it feels like the subject has been transported to the Obsidian Temple, a place where time stops, and is shown a horrible future of destruction by an evil goddess.

The song is relatively long, coming in over 7 minutes. The changes are distinct and somewhat abrupt, however welcome. It reminds me of Slayer and Death a bit, but with a unique lower vocal style. Definite points for creativity and original style.

I look forward to hearing more from this promising new band, especially studio recordings! Thanks to Skeletal Prison for being good sports and submitting their first demo to 5 Skull Reviews.



"OBSIDIAN TEMPLE DEMO"
Type: Demo recording
Release date: July 29th, 2018
Label: Self-released


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THE VERDICT:
3 out of 5 Skulls

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Ultra-Violence "Operation Misdirection"

Ultra-Violence "Operation Misdirection" was released July 27, 2018 via Candlelight/Spinefarm Records. The band hails from Italy, and features a young cast of talented thrashers. This is their third record, and it shows clear progression as songwriters and as players.

I'm absolutely loving the modern thrash revolution. Bands like Power Trip and Havok are out there making thrash metal modern and relevant, and Ultra-Violence deserves a place right on that lineup. This record is really good. Thrash metal tends to get a bad rap for being somewhat repetitive, sacrificing creativity for raw speed. "Operation Misdirection" keeps the listener on his or her toes.

The first track, "Cadaver Decomposition Island" is the first single for the record. Coming in at just over 6 minutes, it keeps you guessing with fast changes and banging riffs. It's a wild ride and a must listen for open-minded metallers.

The album continues on, addressing some of the problems of the modern generation in between insane guitar and bass solos. "Nomophobia" is a name for the fear of being away from your cell phone, which is something that modern people absolutely suffer from. Go to a show, and watch people just behind the mosh pit scrolling on Facebook or Instagram instead of enjoying the experience that they paid to see!

There's also an excellent thrash cover of "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits on this album. I'm normally very hard on covers in general, but this reworked version is pretty fun to check out.

The elephant in the room here is that it's very tricky to be a modern thrash band without being compared to Havok. Is Ultra-Violence actually Havok, Jr.? NO. There are so many interesting elements to this record, from keyboards to acoustic guitars. I would almost be willing to call this a progressive thrash record because of all the changes, but I know that will definitely draw some haters.

Hate it or love it, thrash metal is modern and here to stay. I lean towards loving it. The modern production quality here is a great addition to the genre. Critics of thrash might say that the vocals are a little monotone, and that the whole gang chant thing is overdone. I think it's used tastefully.

If it was up to me, I would have changed the track order and put the last two songs (which is really an instrumental intro and a full song) first... but what do I know.



"OPERATION MISDIRECTION" 
Type: Full-length 
Release date: July 27th, 2018 
Label: Candlelight/Spinefarm Records 
Artwork: Ed Repka

Tracklist: 
01. Cadaver Decomposition Island (6:12) 
02. Welcome To The Freakshow (2:54) 
03. My Fragmented Self (6:15) 
04. The Acrobat (4:25) 
05. Nomophobia (5:51) 
06. Money For Nothing (Dire Straits cover) (4:29) 
07. The Stain On My Soul Remains (1:59) 
08. Shining Perpetuity (6:32)

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THE VERDICT:

4 out of 5 Skulls

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Sunday, July 29, 2018

Welcome!

Welcome to 5 Skull Reviews. 

My name is Matt and I've been doing music reviews on my personal Facebook page for a couple months now, and my friends seem to dig it. SO I've decided to start this blog to let the world know how I see music. Let's get started by laying down the rules.

I'm going to focus my energy on new music. I'm going to shoot for releases that are less than six months old. I may promote my own music at any time, I play drums in three bands currently. Otherwise any content that I review or share will be the copyright of their respective owners. I suggest that any readers or listeners out there support their musicians by purchasing music that they enjoy.

I will absolutely take suggestions or submissions. You can send submissions to HageEntertainment@gmail.com at any time. I will get to them on a first come, first served basis.

PLEASE if you submit something, include a link to either a YouTube video or a Bandcamp page. I do not use SoundCloud or Spotify and I don't want to buy a whole bunch of silly apps. If it doesn't have an easy way to see or hear it from my phone, I'm probably going to skip it and that sucks.

How the rating system works:

I will write an article about each piece of music. These articles may be short, in the form of a couple hundred words, or possibly very long depending on what the music compels me to write. I am a college graduate and I do have experience in writing music reviews and papers. I am not afraid to be verbose. I am also not afraid to tell it like it is. I am not a corporate slave, I am not doing this for money or recognition. I will not sit here and tell you that a steaming pile of hot garbage is the new greatest record. I also do tend to be a bit more forgiving to different styles of music.

After each article, I will boil it down for you TL;DR folks and give a skull rating. These are on a scale of 0 to 5 skulls, hence the name of the blog. There will be no half skulls awarded. Skulls can be added for originality, groove, creative lyrics, great recording quality, etc. Skulls can be taken away for poor instrumentation, poor composition, poor or boring lyrics, or any other reason I damn well please because this is my blog.

If you don't agree with my ratings, you can feel free to speak up in the comments but please be civil and respect the opinions of other commenters while explaining your position. I may publish amendments to my ratings if I so choose. Sometimes a composition grows on me.

The bottom line

Rock and metal needs reviews that aren't huge sites with corporate sponsors. I understand how those sites work, and it's pretty slimy. The biggest names in the genre pay to have their stupid opinion featured all over the internet while the unsung heroes of the genre continue on forgotten.

I don't care if a band is on a huge label, or if they're in the garage. Great music is simply great music. Let's enjoy!