TWIST ENDING - Musica di Morte demo 2014

TWIST ENDING - Musica di Morte demo 2014

TWIST ENDING unleashed their giallo worshipping demo on their official bandcamp page October 31, 2014! (Happy Halloween!) Later, in January of 2015 NoVisible Scars put out an official tape release. This unholy triad consists of the legendary Stevo (IMPETIGO, TOMBSTONES, etc), Gregg Swine (LINCOLN LOVE LOG), and Vanessa “Alucarda Bellows” Nocera (WOODEN STAKE, HOWLING, SCAREMAKER, etc). When the band started being promoted, and before the band had a song available to sample, I couldn’t wait to hear what it was going to sound like. First off, I loved the band name. If you don’t like the band name, that’s because you don’t get it. This band should be called TWIST ENDING because it’s all about giallo! With creative geniuses such as these three, it made sense that when I was to finally hear it, it would blow me away. What I didn’t know what how unique it would be.

Stevo do Caixão – vokills, caos audio

Bringing to the table her own style of writing and playing, Vanessa handles all guitars and bass, and she composed all of the music you hear to Gregg’s drum tracks. Gregg’s erratic drumming set a tone for Vanessa to display a wide range of rhythm that is catchy, heavy, raw, aggressive, and sometimes dismal. The opening track “Tormentula (La tarantola dal ventre nero)” begins with a sensual breathy sigh of a woman, and 70s giallo style music starts to chime in. If you didn’t know, this song is about the 1971 film "Black Belly of the Tarantula" and this is why we are greeted with these particular sounds. Soon, in comes feedback and a drum warm-up under a continuing talking sample, denoting that some killer riffs and insane vocals are about to intrude. Much like the villains in your typical giallo film. That is just what happens too. This song is a great opener for the demo as it is raw, aggressive, and hooks you in for the kill with evil sounding riffs. Stevo showcases a bizarre approach to his performance and it is spellbinding what this legend is committing to recording. By the 4 minute mark, the song really gets unhinged while Gregg's drums slow down, Vanessa bends her death metal notes, screams interrupt from more sampling, and again, Stevo’s performance is top-notch here.

Vanessa Nocera – guitars, bass, carneficina

While all the songs have an IMPETIGO and VENOM influence, you can really hear it on track 2 “Shadows in the Gallery (L’uccello dale piume di cristallo)” (obviously about Argento’s 1970 animal trilogy starter "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage"). It’s fast metal with a punk rock influence that gets you pumped to hear it every time it plays. Gregg’s drums are barbaric here and I love it! Vanessa goes for pure IMPETIGO worship in her guitar playing and as usual Stevo's vokills go for your throat. There's almost a thrash quality too to this song as it makes you want to get up and mosh around the room.

“Evil Iris, Summoner of Misery (buio omega)” is the most unique of the musical tracks. It is driven by tribal drums and giallo-esque bass for its intro, and it pulls you in. More samples at the beginning from the movie "Buio Omega" play as the guitars fade in with a trippy psychedelic phase shifting effect. It’s a hypnotic tune with more bowel stirring vokills from Stevo and as the song continues you get lost in its flow and drive. There’s a mix of experimental guitars, death metal, and thrash and it all blends perfectly together. The ending of the song is chaotic and insane, and rounds out the musical tracks of the demo.

Gregg il Macellaio – all drums, violenza

The last track “The Music of Death ~trailer (La corta note delle bambole di vetro)” is a mix of more movie samples from its namesake title "Short Night of the Glass Dolls", guitars in reverse, and an ending that you must stick around for. Two things – a sample from the infamous sleaze classic "Pink Flamingos" and a phone call from...Chuck Shuldiner? Yes, it is confirmed that's his voice you hear.

This band has a lot to offer in the way of its members but also its unique lyrical content which centers on giallo films. All which were penned by both Stevo and Vanessa with translation assistance from Michele Tocsan. I’m really hoping that this trio comes forward soon with a full-length album because if a 4-song demo is this insane and catchy, I would love to hear a longer offering. May I request a 10 track full-length album and it come with a black glove as its free gift? Ha! Seriously, if an album were to happen, I would be elated and I would have to brace myself for its insanity, but that's a good thing!

Released on official bandcamp page: October 31, 2014
https://twistending.bandcamp.com/releases
Released on NoVisible Scars: January 31st, 2015
http://novisiblescars.bigcartel.com/product/twist-ending-demo-2014

TWIST ENDING is:
Stevo do Caixão – vokills, caos audio
Gregg il Macellaio – all drums, violenza
Vanessa Nocera – guitars, bass, carneficina

Mixed and Mastered by Patrick Bruss
Cover art by Putrid

BACKYARD MORTUARY - Lure of the Occult

After 10 years of being together, Australia's Backyard Mortuary released their full-length album "Lure of the Occult" in 2012. This as definitely an album which got me back into wanting to write up album reviews again whether anyone reads these or not. For a while there wasn't much new music getting me excited as it did back in the day, so to have an album like "Lure of the Occult" come across my earholes and make me feel the way that it did I instantly was hooked to its down-tuned, raw sound.

You could say the band really doesn't bring anything new to the death metal table, but sometimes that's just what you need from an artist, especially if they've been around long enough to release an album as crushing as this one. The band definitely displays an Incantation influence as well as the typical Morbid Angel sound, but this band delivers a few black metal punches throughout as well reminiscent of Carpathian Forest. Whether they're influenced by these bands or not, it comes across in the sound...and that's not a bad thing.

Highlight tracks in my opinion start with the title track, "Lure of the Occult". Its slow, plodding death metal drag is the perfect example of what an old-school death metal album should encompass. "Beyond the Grave" is a catchy, fast song heavy on blasts and double bass. The vocals sound like they were recorded in a dank dungeon near the opening of Hell. My favorite song though would have to be "Macabre Butchery". It has all the elements that you could ask for - a fast opening, blast beats, catchy riffs, and more cavernous vocals. The whole album delivers though. If ever an album sounded rotted, this one falls under that description well.

It's sad to see this band has split. I would love to see what these guys and gal could have done with another full-length.

WOODEN STAKE - A Feast of Virgin Souls

I admit, I was nervous when I heard that Wooden Stake was going through some line-up changes after the release of their 2012 compilation CD “At the Stroke of Midnight” which featured the songs from their demo “Vampire Plague Exorcism”, 7” songs, and an exclusive track “Night of the Banshee” which opens the album. After a few years of waiting, the wait has paid off.

On March 13^th, 2015 Wooden Stake returned with their second full-length studio album “A Feast of Virgin Souls”. 10 catchy and heavy songs that tell a story throughout about two female vampires stealing virgin blood from the character Alzbeta in a village in which she has reign over. Once Alzbeta hears of this, she summons demons to possess her but loses in the battle with the two lead females who be-head her, hang her from an inverted cross and then set her aflame. I love that the story is a continuation of the last song on the debut album. That song which is “Bleeding Coffin” continues with “Rise from the Bleeding Coffin”. Vanessa’s lyrics are brilliant and genius to say the least. They tell a story in an engaging way and everything rhymes perfectly. The lyrics range from dark and brutal to serene and beautiful.

The last two songs aren’t part of the story, but are just as amazing. Doc Holocausto penned the lyrics for “1140 Rue Royale” which is a song about a true New Orleans monsterous woman Madame LaLaurie who was a serial killer and torturer of slaves. The closing song “Curse of the Cauldron Countess” is about a vengeful witch coming back in her cauldron to kill the people who killed her. Solid lyrics make a solid album. Now on to the solid music.

Willie Wardlaw has made a great addition to the band and serves up endless riffs reminiscent of King Diamond, Bathory, Candlemass, and of course a little Black Sabbath, but there’s definitely an originality to his writing style. His solos are memorable, how I like solos to be, and the melodic parts really put me in mind of some Swedish death metal. Maybe there’s some influence there? The songs are tight and the production value is top notch making it dynamic and powerful. Vanessa’s bass guitar has never sounded better, and dare I say her vocals have never sounded better. She has the ability to drop into a low growl from a high-pitched scream like very few can do. Her clean vocals are haunting, sultry, and moody and when she pulls off perfect vocal harmonies through the verse and switches to demonic screams for the chorus, you know you’ve entered the realm that could only be…WOODEN STAKE!

I don’t prefer old or new material from the band. I love it all. I would venture to say that this album was a little more crafted than the past catalog from the band but this is not a complaint or insult, it just simply means that with a new person there are changes that you can tell happened within the songwriting process. I do miss a little bit of the more down-tuned sound and raw feel that made the band what it was but I think this is a fresh start for the band and I can't wait to hear what they have in store next.

I spoke with Vanessa recently and asked if she could disclose any current news on the band and she said she would keep me in the loop but there is definitely something going on in the Karnstein Castle Studios. I hope the wait won’t be as long for the next Wooden Stake album.

You can stream the full album for free here at their official bandcamp page as well as download for $5, or purchase the physical copy of course...
https://woodenstake.bandcamp.com/

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