Poland

FURIA – Nocel

Man, at times like this, I wish I had a hint of Polish vocabulary. Anyhow, hello, blackened thrash! Right away we get evil chanting….

Politics not quite as usual: Jedrzej Wijas’ Polish death metal campaign ad strays from the norm

Exploiting the turbulence of the world in every way imaginable, the political campaigning cycle in the United States has become a nauseating, 24/7 machine that simply never stops. Any break from the monotony of prudish American political ads would be an event worth welcoming. Sure, we probably won’t find that any time soon stateside, but in Poland, someone is straying from the norm in the most entertaining way possible…for metalheads, anyway.

Votum – Metafiction

The amazing thing about this release is the drastic change from their debut; with some work put in by the listener they will be rewarded with such a intelligent laid back prog masterpiece. This new direction may put off some of the heavier progmetal fans out there but if you are willing to put in the time and this could sit nicely by years end for top ten material.

Black River – Black N’ Roll

What is it about black metal, and death metal, guys that makes them want to drop the corpse paint and put on a biker jacket? Black River aren’t the first side project formed by some guys who needed a break from their ‘day job’ band to just rock (see Chrome Division for example) but they certainly have created an album in Black N’ Roll that will get them noticed outside of the usual metal circles they travel in.

Postcards From Natalie Zed, Part 2

Hellbound readers, remember Natalie Zed? Natalie was our big grand prize winner back in January, taking home more than 50 CDs + and shortly after she received her huge box ‘o CDs, Ms. Zed asked us over at Hellbound HQ if we’d be interested in running reviews of her winnings if she did postcard sized reviews of the albums. How could we say no?

So, without further adieu, here is Natalie’s second installment in what Hellbound likes to refer to as “Postcards From Natalie Zed”…

Squash Bowels: Grindvirus

Ever wonder what it would be like to be sitting peacefully on an outhouse latrine only to have the structure upended by backwoods goons, leaving you writhing in excrement? Probably not, but a good musical equivalent to this “Deliverance” scenario would be listening to Grindvirus, the new offal-ing from long-running Polish grinders Squash Bowels.

Vader: Necropolis

Polska death metal masterminds Vader throw punches with absolutely no remorse on their latest release Necropolis; composing varied sounds and melodies to keep things fresh yet brutal.