MORTAD - Pandemic Paranoia EP (Cd Review)

01.Pandemic Paranoia
02.Black Rose Deflowered
03.Stricken


Somi Arian (Vocals)
Jonathan Hughes (Guitar)
Joseph Perumal (Bass)
Szymek Lawik (Drums)


A progressive death metal band based in London but originally founded in Scotland in 2009 by Iranian vocalist, Somi Arian.

In June 2010 Somi relocated the project to London and joined forces with Jon 'Thrash' Hughes (Ex Catfight/Kain), a metal guitarist capable of writing incredible riffs. Joe Perumal soon stepped in to take responsibility for the brutally deep bass vibrations and finally, Szymek Lawik for the crushing drive and pounding drum duties.

Taking influences from Carcass and Lamb Of God, they quickly honed a sound built on an extreme metal foundation, while pushing the boundaries of the genre to create the most thought-provoking, brutal music to date.

Despite such little time passing Mortad have gone from strength to strength. In August the band entered the studio to record two tracks, which garnered a lot of attention and within two months they reached the position of number one metal band in the London charts on Reverbnation, only to reach the heights of number one in the UK in November, which they maintained for 7 consecutive weeks.

Due to the demand and positive reaction, from thousands of fans to their initial releases of two tracks, Mortad unveiled their first music video in December whilst the band recorded an additional two tracks. 2011 is poised to be filled with activity for Mortad ready to build upon the solid foundation laid down.

'Pandemic Paranoia' kicks off with a blistering wall of sound, basically heavy as fuck with screaming and quite evil sounding vocals.
The melodic breakdowns help give the song its overall substance and elevates the power of the piece.

This is a very drum driven track, 'Black Rose Deflowered' could easily be a DevilDriver outtake.
Again it is the agression that seems to drive the song through your brain like a nail gun on hyper settings!!

A nice, dare i say melodic?? intro greets this final song, 'Stricken', but dont let that fool you, its a third instalment of full on metal ear abuse!

A stunning EP and a very high quality of music, perhaps finally giving the UK a worthy contender to equal the might of Arch Enemy.


Rating 9/10

For Fans Of : Arch Enemy, Strapping Young Lad, Carcass, DevilDriver

STU

KUNT PUNCHER - TAKE DRUGS & EAT A KEBAB (Cd Review)

01.Goody Bag Body Bag
02.Whole Licks In Bed
03.Rob From Halfords
04.Paedo In Speedos
05.Boon Is Fucking Ace
06.New Friend Request

Doyle (Vocals)
Lee4 (Guitar)
The Brown Lazer (Samples/Noise/Drums)
Fuck Off Donny (Guitar)

In 2009, in a grotty cupboard in North London, 3 guys are stood around a microphone
shouting off about a bald guy who works at Halfords. From this 'Takes Drugs And Eat A
Kebab' was born, marking a new sound in Grindcore, by the name of, Kuntpuncher. Sick of
been in bands with drummers, ego's and mediocre everyday metal tunes, Doyle (MyWar, River
Freshney, Teratoid), Lee4 (River Freshney, Dripback) and The Brown Lazer (Yes My Ninjas?,
Drunken Bastard) decided to step up and do what they wanted to do.

From playing shows with grindcore and metal bands, to playing sets covering The Black
Eyed Peas, Kuntpuncher have always set out to leave an impression and leave people
wondering what they just witnessed.

After self releasing the first ep, 'Take Drugs….', J.Randall (Agoraphobic Nosebleed)
came across Kuntpuncher and eventually released it on his recently formed Grindcore
Karaoke label. Within 2 weeks of 'Take Drugs'''' going live on the site, Kuntpuncher had
over 5000 downloads.

Currently recruiting a second guitarist Donny (Nebukadnezza, Damnas), Kuntpuncher have
gone on to record new tracks for compilations, upcoming splits, and are currently writing
new material for their first full length album.

This six track EP starts off with a "Do not listen" sample that in reality i should have
heeded!!!!

Yet this opening track has some great synth and sample use, mixed in with full on
agressive noise it creates a very intresting piece.

I have to say that this is actually quite good, the way they mix the sounds is perhaps
more intresting than the actual quality of the music (And the less said about the lyrics
the better).

RATING 7/10

FOR FANS OF : Anaal Nathrakh, River Freshney, Anal Cunt

STU

MAY GIGS