BLEEDER’S DIGEST: QUICKIE REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES FROM TRAPPED UNDER ICE AND SONS OF AZRAEL

In an effort to address the requests of you, our beloved MetalSucks Maniacs, and run more reviews, we are now introducing a new column, “Bleeder’s Digest.” This will be quick, simple assessments of new and upcoming releases. We hope you enjoy…

Trapped Under Ice, Secrets of the World

Baltimore’s Trapped Under Ice have picked up considerable steam in their relatively short existence, with a coveted spot on last year’s killer 10 For $10 Tour and a trio of 7″ releases that have rapidly and exponentially earned them a following in the American hardcore scene. Boasting production from Dean Baltulonis (Another Victim, Goes Cube, Most Precious Blood), their debut album Secrets of the World clocks in at just under twenty-three minutes, and brandishes its menacing twelve tracks as if they were switchblades. Current metallic hardcore champions Terror make for an obvious reference point, but the rapped delivery of “Believe” and “Eye Hand” call to mind thuggish NYHC groups like Crown Of Thornz, a cited influence. Though the lyrical content is nothing new, highlights like “From Birth” and “World I Hate” nonetheless smolder with acridity and regret, memorably dueling guitars chugging and squealing alongside the embittered laments and defiant declarations of vocalist Justice. “TUI” and other satisfyingly uptempo cuts offer ample fodder for the circle pit savages, but this album sports a budding musicianship that’s uncharacteristic in a genre so unabashedly prone to uniformity.

(3 1/2 out of 5 horns)

-GS

Sons of Azrael, Scouring the Boneyard

I’m not entirely sure how seriously I’m supposed to take Sons of Azrael. On the song “Mr. Moribund,” for example, vocalist Joe Siracuse howls “He might remove your organs, or just take off your head/ If you fall asleep, you may wake up dead.” Either Siracuse has a sense of humor about death metal, or he’s the worst lyricist of all time. If we give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s just joshin’ ya, well, then, Scouring the Boneyard – out January 19 on Trevor Phipps’ Ironclad Recordings – could have used more of his personality. There’s not a damn thing wrong with the music, which is perfectly serviceable blackened deathrash – it’s just that Boneyard is also completely unremarkable. There’s no reason for me to believe that I’ll remember who this band is in a month (unless one of them kicks my ass for writing this review). Once in a blue moon, they introduce a little atmosphere into the music, as on the (relatively) epic “Arson & Apathy” (easily the best song on the album). But most of this is pretty ho-hum stuff you’ve heard before – and if the music is only so-so, who cares about any Misfits-esque horror comedy that might be present in Siricuse’s lyrics? Maybe if the fist quarter of 2010 was gonna completely dry of good new music, I could see someone wanting to check this out. But, fuck, there’s a new Sigh record coming out the same day!!!

(2 1/2 out of 5 horns)

-AR