Venomous Maximus - The Mission

I'm an idiot.

Before you start agreeing with me (as I'm sure you will) let me explain why.

Some time ago, this pummeling, rampage of an EP came into the office, politely asking for a listen and a review.  One quick tasting, and I knew it deserved a Ripple write up.  Then came my mistake.  Included in the EP was a CD copy of the vinyl that I needed to share with one of our dedicated scribes who I knew would dig this as much as I.  So I pulled the CD out and mailed it off. 

Unfortunately, that's where the story ends.  I assumed the writer would write it up.  He probably assumed I would.  Neither of us did. 

I'm an idiot.

But today, I'm gonna  make amends.  If you like it seriously hard and frighteningly heavy, you gotta check this Houston collective out.  Doom, mixed with a down and heavy stoner vibe, but amped up with the dynamics of straight, kick-ass thrash, The Mission is one freaking lethal assault of heaviness.  There's even an underpinning of punk spit and snot wrapped up in the thrashing. And it's all done seamlessly and as unrepentant as a charging panzer division. 

Title track, "The Mission" kicks it off like a howitzer cannon blast to the face.   Huge, despondent doom smashes me sideways before the throttling riff kicks in, full of that underlying punky attitude and thrash anger.  The drums and bass roll along like the treads of that panzer, vocals are barked out like killing orders, and the guitars rage across the land leaving the earth scorched and barren in their wake.  Heavy doom, but with a killer, rolling stoner groove and a mouth full of angry snot.   Toss in the fact that from the photo on the back cover it looks like any one of the four dudes in this band could kick my ass and steal my lunch money, I'm frightened.  Very frightened.

"The Rider" does noting to lessen my anxiety.  A roar of NWOBHM styled guitar (think Angelwitch or Venom) and a more sinister vocal and this is simply a terrifying cut.   Flipside, "The Gift" declares war on my auditory system with it's venomous (sorry) doom riff.  Thick and heavy, imposing.  The groove hides as the riff pummels, but sneaks back in after the introductory threats.   Sometimes, doom metal can be too slow to really get the fist pumping and the heart thundering.  Not here.  This is doom for the mosh pit, elbows and fists flying in fits of rage.  All the while, never losing it's poisonous tone.  "Wicked Ways" wraps up side two with another rolling blitz.  Again, touches of NWOBHM thrashing reign here like an overlord as the army of doom marches endlessly across the battlefield.

Yeah, I've been mixing my metaphors like crazy here, but that's OK, because Venomous Maximus mix their influences just as much.  And that's why it all works and rises to the top of the heavy world.  In the end, it's one killer blitz of pumped up, middle-finger raised, doom.  Ugly and barren and devoid of any light, but full of life.  It's seriously heavy and seriously good.

And did I mention that the guys could all kick my ass? 

--Racer

venomousmaximus.bandcamp.com/

Bones - S/T

Growing up around metal as a child with my parents listening to Judas Priest, Motorhead, Sepultura and Mötley Crüe, it was a no-brainer that I was going to be into metal and all the forms of it.  As I got older and somewhat wiser, in my opinion, I realized that more bands started to sound the same and nobody was really trademarking anything brand new. Thrash was a huge thing for me in my teens along with punk and the old-school death metal. As years passed I started to lose hope in the genres that I grew up on, drone, doom, sludge, stoner were weighing heavy on my heart so I had to let those genres in and quick. Up until recently, I let go of mostly everything thrash and punk, I wanted nothing to do with it and I was just completely bored with the majority of it. A couple weeks ago, Jon, bassist and vocalist for Bones, contacted me via Facebook and asked if I wanted to review the record they just released. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what I going to hear but I was up for the risk and challenge because I won’t ever turn down a free record.

Before I let this record spin for the first time, I literally shut everything off in my room except my laptop and speakers. I turned the light off and hit play on my winamp player then went lay on my soft, comfortable bed. Next thing I know, my eyes are open as wide as they can go and I’m shoving the blanket off of me in a very hectic state of confusion. I bring up the winamp player and realize that this is really Bones on my laptop. Suddenly an overwhelming rush of excitement filled my heart that I haven’t felt since I was nearly ten years old or so. Was I hearing what I thought? Were Bones really giving me everything I wanted in a death/thrash release? As the light shined down on me from the heavens, I realized that I have found the hope that I needed to love death/thrash again. Thrashing riffs and blistering drums that bulldozed the shit out of my whole body with speeds that I could only find from a jet in the sky. Prayers are answered! Well, mine are at least so don’t hate on me for being liked more than you by some higher power.

“Bones” provides nine tracks of full on battery for a solid thirty-five minutes with no pauses or let up so that you can catch your breath. From the second the first track, “March of the Dead”, begins, you realize that this ride will not be smooth nor clean. This energetic, overbearing grip that seems to choke you with insane structure and pure adrenaline, you would think running into on coming traffic would be similar to this record, right? Funny thing, you are actually a hundred percent correct in every way possible. Why didn’t someone tell me that Motorhead and Sepultura had a mastermind for a child? All the elements add up and they all make sense to me. Death/thrash is alive, breathing and very well in the eyes of this guy.

So, what happens when you lose all hope in a musical genre? A record gets thrown at your feet and you praise all things that are holy for receiving it and being able to blast it at high volumes until your neighbors call the police on you for a noise complaint. Life is great and I can start looking for some amazing death/thrash again. Bones – The one band that revived hope for me when I have nothing left in the tank.

--Nickoli



article originally appeared: http://bloodorlove.domesticgenocide.com/bones-bones/