Aussie Metal Part 4

by u/splodingshroom

G'day All,

Welcome back to the series of primers discussing Australian metal. Apologies for the big delay in between the prog post and this post, PhD work took over for a bit and I took a bit of time to get my ducks in a row. The focus on this post is mainly death metal and grindcore. If you haven't read the previous posts, check them out below.

1: An introduction to Australian metal, and the big bands that sound like other bands

2: Developing Australian metal: Origins, traditional bands and Aussie thrash

3: Austral Aliens: Australian Progressive Metal, Melodic Death Metal and Symphonic Meta

4: Aussie death/grind [THIS POST]

5: Aussie Black metal, war, 'blackslash' (black/death/thrash/etc. hybrids) and lofi BM

Please note, some bands who otherwise might fit here will not be in this post on death/grind because they've been talked about previously. Those bands are: Abralmelin, Mortification, Portal, diSEMBOWELMENT, Misery, Psycroptic, Contaminated, Golgothan Remains, Ignivomous, Alchemist, Armoured Angel, Depravity, Cemetery Urn, Cryptal Darkness, Kurushimi, Hadal Maw. Please don't send me a message saying that such-and-such big band is missing (especially if they're connected to black metal in any way at all, that will be the next post).

On with the show!

Aussie death metal

We've got a pretty thriving death metal scene and have had so for some time. Often, our really amazing death metal bands cross over into other areas (e.g. Alchemist with prog, diSEMBOWELMENT with doom) and 'pure' death metal bands that are also good can be somewhat rare. Nonetheless, we've got a few around to talk about today. As I've already covered most of the really big death metal related acts from Australia, most of these are more personal picks from me while still filling in the last few notable DM acts.

Vomitor

Genre: Death/Thrash/Black-ish

FFO: Sodom, Sacrafago, Destroyer 666

Start with: Bleeding the Priest (2002)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Vomitor/6951

I've always thought of Vomitor as a 'recent' band, yet they've been around since 1999 and are pretty heavily embedded within the Brisbane metal scene, sharing members with bands like Portal, Gospel of the Horns and Spear of Longinus. Vomitor are pretty well known and have enjoyed some moderate success internationally playing a pretty raw death/thrash mix that also throws a bit of first-wave black metal into the mix. This year's Pestilent Death (2018) seems to have been pretty well received as something that harkens back to acts like Sacrafago, so if you enjoy that sort of thing Vomitor will be right up your alley.

If I liked this Aussie band I might like:

Abominator: Similar, though they’ve been around longer. Leaning a bit more heavily on the black/death in the vein of bands like Angelcorpse than the death/thrash sound, they're connected to a number of big Australian bands. Some pretty solid black/death worth looking into, start with Nuctemeron Descent (2003) or Damnation's Prophecy (1991).

Impetuous Ritual

Genre: Death Metal

FFO: Portal, Abyssal

Start with: Unholy Congregation of Hypocritical Ambivalence (2014)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Impetuous_Ritual/3540295292

This band and Grave Upheaval are quite similar, and they're a good FFO for each other. Impetuous Ritual are closely connected to Portal through both membership and sound. They tend to lean a bit more on the death metal than the occult atmosphere when compared to Portal, though the atmosphere is still around. If you found Portal a bit too 'out there', I think Impetuous Ritual are a bit more 'normal' (though that's not to say they're very normal at all) with regards to riffs and song structures.

Grave Upheaval

Genre: Atmospheric Death Metal

FFO: Portal, Grave Misasma, Antediluvian, Cemetery Urn

Start with: II (Untitled, 2018)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Grave_Upheaval/3540307898

If Impetuous Ritual lean closer to death metal than atmosphere, Grave Upheaval lean the opposite way. Spooky, murky and deathy, they're really quite good if you're into Portal's brand of sonic hell. Weirdly, I find it pretty accessible, as it's not quite as 'intense' as Portal/Impetuous, but seems a bit more calm/sinister to me. Your Mileage may vary with that one.

If I liked these Aussie bands I might like:

Temple Nightside: Pretty similar to the above, a bit more on the blackened side of things. This year's Recondemnation (2018) was pretty good, and their previous album The Hectatomb (2016) has a bit of a fuller production if their production style isn't really your thing.

Nosce Teipsum

Genre: Melodic death/doom

FFO: Dusk, diSEMBOWELMENT, Insomnium

Start With: The Wait (2017)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Nosce_Teipsum/16244

Nosce Teipsum are sort of a Tassie 'supergroup' in that most of the members were already known/active in other decently successful bands. Fairly heavy for melodeath, definitely leaning closer to the 'death' side overall, I'd suggest thinking of them as 'death metal that is melodic' rather than 'melodic death metal' for these guys (though classic Gothenburg can still be heard in there). There's a wide range of influences in the band apart from the main elements of melodic death/doom. Some fantastic music has come out of this group over the past 15 years or so, with 2017's The Wait being their first full-length despite being active since around 2002. A few of their earlier demos/EPs/etc. can be found in various places if you're interested in hearing more, and there's apparently a new EP currently in the works

If I liked this Aussie band I might like

Van Demon: A cult-act from Tassie, regarded by some as Tassie's first DM band. While Van Demon are no longer active, many of the members are still around in various bands (including Nosce Teipsum) and their influence is still pretty pronounced. Their material is really hard to find unfortunately but Dawnless Studio's Tasmanian Metal Documentary has a few clips.

Sacriphyx

Genre: Death/Thrash/Black

FFO: Arghoslent, Ares Kingdom, Varathorn, Scythian

Start with: The Western Front (2013)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Sacriphyx/102084

If you're into the melodic thrash/death put out by bands like Arghoslent and Ares Kingdom, you'll really enjoy this. Sacriphyx are a truly underrated band imo, with well-written songs and a production style that strikes a balance between rawness and clarity quite well with some melancholy cleaner/slower parts to balance out the thrashier parts. Sadly, there's only a limited amount of material that they've put out, but hopefully more is on the way soon after a supposed release in 2017 never materialised.

If I liked this Aussie band I might like:

Innsmouth: A bit more on the black/death side in the vein of Samael, a now-defunct band that produced some killer riffs in their songs. There's a certain something about their sound that fits with Sacriphyx in my mind with regards to guitar tone and the chords they use, but I can't articulate it very well. Either way, both their demo The Departure of Shub-Niggurath (2009) and their full-length Consumed by Elder Sign (2014) are worth a look.

Sanzu Genre: Death/Deathcore

FFO: Gojria + coreish vocals

Start with: Heavy Over the Home (2015)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Sanzu/3540396015

This sound isn't really my cup of tea, but I've heard people around both on Shreddit and in Aus who rate them pretty well. They've certainly got a pronounced influence from VVhalechugs-era Gojira with a variety of vocal techniques ranging from more typical death metal vocals into weird Rammstein-esque vocals and then more typical core vocals. If you enjoy deathcore and/or Gojira then you'll probably find something to enjoy here.

Gape

Genre: Brutal Death/Slam

FFO: Devourment, Cannibal Corpse

Start: Gape (2012)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Gape/3540350132

Gape mystify me a bit. They're really popular in Hobart and certainly work hard for it - anecdotally I've been told there was a period of about a year where Gape played every single metal show in Tasmania. Certainly they put on a decent live show, playing fairly typical slam/brutal death with gore/porn lyrics that are pretty overt. Not really my cup of tea but I try to include genres they I don't personally like here to for those into them. They're pretty well received by those into slam/brutal death and are certainly a mainstay of Hobart death metal, so your mileage may vary.

Aussie Grindcore

Damaged/Terrorust

Genre: Death/Grind

FFO: Excellent grind, Napalm Death, early Carcass

Start with: Do Not Spit (1993)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Damaged/2998; https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Terrorust/71213

Damaged are an Aussie metal national treasure and it's perhaps difficult to overstate their influence on Australian extreme metal. Certainly, they were an integral part of the shift in a more brutal and aggressive direction in the 1990s, particularly in the Melbourne scene. Drummer Skitz is also hugely influential, having been in pretty much every noteworthy Aussie band (seriously, check out his MA page it's nuts). Their music isn't pure aggression though, with some truly excellent moments of death metal riffing in amongst the grind and a great sense of contrast in their songwriting. Skitz's drumming is another highlight, especially with his creative approach to blast beat rhythms that manifest in a type of blast beat that's nearly swung and has this great sense of rhythmic tension between the snare and the rest of the kit (see the song 'Dreggs' for a really clear example of this). Terrorust was the brief continuation of the Damaged legacy, putting out one album, Post Mortal Archives (2006). Honestly, if you only check out one band on this list, make it Damaged.

King Parrot

Genre: Thrash/Grind

FFO: Damaged, The Kill, Pig Destroyer

Start with: Bite Your Head Off (2012)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/King_Parrot/3540341718

Similar to Damaged but with thrash rather than death mixed into their grind. King Parrot are another very notable Aussie band and have been particularly popular of late (including an ARIA nomination this year). Some solid riffing backed up with a great sense of theatrics and good old Aussie humour (the video for 'Shit on the Liver' is a particularly good example of this). They're also renowned for a pretty intense and extreme live show, though they've reportedly calmed things down a bit more in recent days while playing live. The music hasn't relaxed much at all though, and they deliver some high octane grinding riffs mixed in with sections of classic thrash.

If I Liked this Aussie band I might like:

Dead Kennedy: Kind of the bogan cousin of Aussie grind. The most notable thing about this band is how hard they play on Aussie stereotypes. They certainly produce some good music and are perhaps worth a look if you want to see an Aussie band doing a grindcore equivalent of Crocodile Dundee meets The Castle (with regards to how 'strayan they are).

Blood Duster

Genre: Death/Grind (later Grind'n'roll)

FFO: King Parrot, Damaged, Macabre

Start with: Yeest (EP, 1996)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Blood_Duster/177

Similar to King Parrot but going every HARDER on the humour/offensiveness front with song titles like 'Porn Store Stiffy' and the straightforwardly titled Cunt (2000). They’re also known their 2012 album Kvlt, the master record of which was destroyed by scratching it up before selling/releasing it, supposedly as a statement against online piracy. Honestly, I've always found Blood Duster to be a bit overrated, and they kind of come across as dickheads in interviews (though I'm told they're actually pretty decent blokes). Their music isn't bad, and if you're really keen for what is pretty much our only remaining 'big' grindcore band they're worth checking out, but their post 90s material tries too hard to aim for controversy over quality imo.

If I liked this Aussie band I might like:

Fuck, I'm Dead

Noticing a pattern with Aussie grind and names that are designed to grab attention? Fuck I'm Dead have certainly gone to the Blood Duster school of naming songs, with a minor in gore/pornogrind, featuring titles like 'Inject me with AIDS' and 'Spray me with fecal matter'. Apart from the 'humour', some fairly standard grind here that is pretty solid and gets the job done. Bring on the Dead (2001) is as good a starting point as any.

Dispossessed

Genre: Grind/death/sludge/misc.

FFO: Weird grind - not quite as out there as Siberian Hell Sounds/Kurushimi though

Start with: Insurgency (2016)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Dispossessed/3540413971

A real musical mix, throwing in elements of grind, death, black, shoegaze, hardcore and sludge, Dispossessed are angry and uncompromising. One of the notable aspects of Dispossessed is the Aboriginal Australian heritage of their members, with their lyrics mixing English and Gumbaynggirr. Musically strong, the band aren't shy about the overt politics in their music (something of a rarity in metal the world over) and are passionate about the invasion and dispossession of the land of the Indigenous peoples following the British colonisation of Australia. The anger makes for an energy in the eclectic musical mix that's well worth a look.

Intense Hammer Rage

Genre: Goregrind

FFO: Enmity, Napalm Death

Start with: Avagoyamugs (2001)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Intense_Hammer_Rage/2717

Intense Hammer Rage are one of the most influential bands in the Tasmanian metal scene (almost regardless of genre), yet they are probably best known for their arrest and ensuing 'censorship' case in 2003. Australian customs officials seized copies of Avagoyamugs and charged the band with a variety of things relating to the extreme lyrics and cover artwork. While this ended up as much ado about nothing (though each of the band members was fined a decent chunk of money), it made some waves with regard to Aussie metal and what exactly was 'too far' for our government when it came to metal. Musically, IHR are, as their name suggests, intense. AB's drumming is a particular highlight, but generally there's some pretty tight riffing in there.

If I liked this Aussie band I might like

Cranial Devourment: A now-defunct instrumental death/grind also hailing from Tassie. Some decent material here, though their only recorded release is 2004's The Cadaveric Epidemic.

The Berzerker

Genre: Industrial Death/Grind (Cybergrind?)

FFO: Anaal Nathrakh, Whourkr, Brutal Truth

Start with: Dissimulate (2002)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/The_Berzerker/827

The Berzerker are an interesting act. Getting their start doing semi-electronic remixes of classic death metal, Earache offered them an album deal leading to the band producing their material. Fast, intense and electronic, there's some really solid grind going on here and this is another band that reportedly put on a particularly intense live show back in the day. Furthermore, they're one of the few metal bands I've heard that mix extreme metal and electronica without either of them coming across as gimmicky. As an aside, there were apparently rumours that the drummer for The Berzerker once broke the Guinness world record for fastest drummer, but these rumours are apparently baseless.

A Million Dead Birds Laughing

Genre: Tech Death/Grind

FFO: Psycroptic, Cephalic Carnage, Anaal Nathrakh

Start with: Xen (2012)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/A_Million_Dead_Birds_Laughing/3540324237

AMDBL's particular version of grind sometimes goes beyond a tech/grind mix into the realms of some experimental/avant-garde mixes. All of the parts are done really well in my opinion, with Xen representing a balance between the raw aggression of their debut and some more coherent songwriting and a concise 'whole' of an album. If you’re looking for something a bit different in your grind and can get through the intensity, then you'll find something to enjoy here.

If I liked this Aussie band I might like:

Siberian Hell Sounds: A bit more of a blackened take on the tech/grind style, Siberian Hell Sounds certainly push the boundaries with intensity in grind and experimental vibes. Start with their self-titled EP.

Consumed: Not quite as 'out there' as the previous two, but still some promising blackened grind. A fairly new band from Brisbane, Consumed only have one self-titled EP to their name, released in October this year. Worth a look imo, as they look like they'll develop into a really interesting band with a bit more time to mature.

The collection of bands related to Contaminated

Admittedly, this is more an anecdote/chunk of info than an actual band recommendation. The members of Melbourne death metal band Contaminated are also in a number of Melbourne grind bands. Incinerated, Headless Death and Internal Rot are my picks from this bunch, but there are far more (most of which pre-date Contaminated). This is interesting for a few reasons. Firstly, it suggests that there's a close and reciprocal relationship between the grind (and hardcore) scenes/bands in Melbourne and those in the death metal areas. Secondly, it's a testament to how many Aussie metal musicians are juggling 3-4 different bands in a range of styles, seeming to operate within a larger scene of 'extreme metal' rather than discrete scenes for black/death/thrash etc. This is more or less one of my hypotheses for my PhD, so stay tuned for more info if this interests you!

Bonus: Like, the only two sludge bands I know

I'll be the first to admit, sludge, doom and related genres aren't really my thing beyond our super-famous bands in this area (e.g. Mournful Congregation, diSEMBOWLEMENT, etc.). That said, there are two sludge bands that I've seen mentioned time and again in the course of my research that I thought I'd put here because there's not really anywhere else to put them. Not really sure of FFO's either for these two given they're not really my usual thing. If someone else knows a lot about Aussie doom/sludge (and there's definitely stuff out there) then I'd love for you to either write a primer on it or collaborate with me on a future one.

Lo!

Genre: Sludge

FFO: Neurosis

Start with: Vestigial (2017)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Lo%21/3540433734

A solid Sydney act, featuring the vocalist of Hadal Maw. Lo have a fairly 'hardcore' spin on the general sludge sound giving their music a bit more energy than typical sludge might have while also showing a marked 'post-metal' influence. It makes for a fairly interesting listening overall and is pretty accessible for those who might not normally enjoy sludge.

YLVA

Genre: Sludge/Post-metal

FFO: Neurosis, Isis, Cult of Luna

Start with: Meta (2017)

MA: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Ylva/3540431507

A bit more brooding and reflective that Lo!'s intensity, YLVA lean a bit more heavily on the post-metal elements in their sound. They're also a bit more dissonant with their riffing, but it generally works decently and is balanced with moments of relative consonance. YLVA also use space quite well as a compositional device and aren't afraid to let a riff or a song 'breathe' if needed which makes for some interesting songwriting. Aesthetically, they remind me of Deafheaven more than anything (that'd be the post metal element I think), but they don't really sound very similar musically. Definitely worth a look, they scratch that 'background/wash-of-sound' itch for me.

That's all for now. Hopefully the final post in the series - the one covering black metal - will be out before too long. Initially, I wanted to finish it off this year, but depending on how things go with my collaborator that may or may not happen. Hope you enjoy the latest dive into Aussie metal and that you find some new music to enjoy!