From time to time, a band comes along that completely blows everything else out of the water, and the last few months have been packed with incredible surprises, like Septaria (review coming soon) and this astonishing band from Iceland, simply called Múr. Their self-titled debut album is a masterpiece that demands attention. 

 The record kicks off with the epic "Eldhaf," a nine-minute journey that showcases the band's ability to craft grandiose, melodic post-metal. But it doesn’t stop there—Mur effortlessly transitions into fierce, relentless death metal, at times evoking the intensity and complexity of Gojira. 

This momentum carries through into the next track, "Frelsari," which delivers crushing riffs and hard-hitting rhythms, further redefining what we can expect from modern metal. Elsewhere, "Messa" dives into electronic elements, creating a vicious blend of Strapping Young Lad’s chaotic energy and Gojira’s precision. 

Then, "Heimsslit" sees the band returning to their post-metal moments, weaving spacious and contemplative atmospheres that add depth and contrast to the album’s already dynamic sound. 

The closing track, and personal highlight, "Holskefla" delivers more punch than an enraged bull. It begins with a subtle, melodic guitar intro, luring the listener into a false sense of calm before erupting into massive, bone-crushing riffs, played with a precise, almost militaristic rhythm that commands attention. This track alone proves Múr’s unrelenting force and musical prowess. 

 Snatched up by Century Media, Múr is an album brimming with potential—a testament to a band that’s not just making waves but destined for even greater things. Their unique blend of intensity, complexity, and sheer power is bound to elevate them to the next level in the metal scene. (8/10)

Jason Hicks

Band info: https://www.facebook.com/mur.official.band

Label info: https://www.centurymedia.com

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Any metal fan worth their weight in salt should know the indelible mark Eyehategod has made on the scene since the 90s. They practically defined the sludge genre with seminal album like 1993's Take As Needed For Pain and 1996's Dopesick. Their drug fuelled and dirty-as-a-sewer mix of Sabbath-laced doom and hardcore intensity has influenced countless bands over the last 20-some years. But it's been a long, hard 14 years since EHG graced us with a new album. The wait is over.

The New Orleans quintet has returned with 11 tracks of filth and sweat for this self-titled release. One wouldn't really have expected any mellowing out as the band as aged though. Far from it. If anything life has only become harder in The Big Easy. Hurricane Katrina left New Orleans a ruin from which some will never recover. If that wasn't enough, drummer Joey LaCaze passing suddenly in 2013 no doubt left a permanent scar on the band's heart. Thankfully, LaCaze's drum tracks had already been recorded for the album. His contribution to EHG's rebirth is both tragic and special.

The situation has to have affected the band's performance in completing the album without him. Guitarists Jimmy Bower and Brian Patton, bassist Gary Mader and vocalist Mike IX Williams more than do justice to LaCaze's memory.

Eyehategod is just as grimy, infected and scabrous as anything they've done previous. The tone is devilishly meaty and patently recognizable. Riding waves of feedback through strained amps, gut-wrenching riffs pile up on the listener's back, weighing them down while at the same time driving them forward.

The blatant Sabbath influence colours the whole album but most notably on “Parish Motel Sickness” and “Worthless Rescue”. Their hardcore leanings run you down on “Agitation! Propaganda!” and “Framed to the Wall”. And all the while they display the sort of snarling and heavy-handed sludge mastery they've become renowned for.

Williams plies his visceral trade through the swampy murk with reckless abandon. All the pain and struggle oozes from his pores. His social consciousness and unique view on life fuels his impassioned performance with a lyrical approach framed by his streetwise and ingrained intelligence. He's always intense, slavering and thought provoking.

Unreasonably high expectations have been placed on Eyehategod. The band's adoration and legend has done nothing but grow in their recorded absence. Unlike many other renewed acts, EHG have lived up to those expectations. Sure, the production value may separate this album from its predecessors but all the dirt, all the heaving anguish, all that makes EHG who they are is still there. Eyehategod is a glorious return enhancing their legacy and an outstanding testament to the memory of Joey LaCaze.

RIP Joey and long live Eyehategod!

Matt Hinch 

Band info: www.facebook.com/OfficialEyeHateGod
Label info: www.centurymedia.com

Matt Hinch lives an unassuming life on the backroads outside Forest Mills, Ontario, Canada. He packs in as much metal as he possible can amid factory work, raising three daughters with his wife and working the land. In addition to Scratch the Surface Matt also writes for Hellbound, Metal Bandcamp, About Heavy Metal and his own blog, Kingdom of Noise. Keep up with him on Twitter @KingdomofNoise.

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I’m rarely compelled to live and breathe an album, to opt for total immersion. Sweven is that kind of album, demanding obeisance and awe. Morbus Chron have found a new voice that belies their age, that speaks in tongues of ancient, effortless, and flawless malevolence. On their sophomore LP, the band have blown past the crude and contagious death metal of their debut. They have, in fact, blown past all reckoning.

Steeped in primordial metal exaltation, Sweven is an album that will suffer from attempts at categorization. There are still shreds of death at hand, but much of the material is metal, pure, simple, and unadulterated. Amidst this sweet mother lode of sinister riffs, I hear the primal sensibilities of Judas Priest circa Sad Wings of Destiny. In cascading, somber tremolations, I hear the majestic mastery of Dissection. Bits of hoary Celtic Frost creep into the guitar tone. Somber melodies speak of Maiden made evil. Crescendos of thrashing thunder threaten to Ride the Lightning.

Sweven is rather fearlessly filled with clean guitars. Gorgeous classical inclinations undulate and sway in a fathomless abyss. Many passages recall the boundless, unfettered output of a young Opeth, before pretension and obfuscation set in.

The pacing on Sweven is marvelous and multifarious. Cadences both crushing and sedate are represented, driven throughout by magnificent drumming. Despite the album’s wide-ranging sonic sentiments, the vocals speak only in tones of harrowed emptiness. The lyrics tell tales of abstract astral journeys and dreams of otherworldly grandeur. It all makes perfect sense; you’ll see.

I don’t see any reason to attempt to escape from Sweven’s grasp. I suspect I’ll remain in its sway when the year ends. Revel in Morbus Chron’s masterful madness.

Atanamar Sunyata


Band info: www.facebook.com/morbuschron
Label info: www.centurymedia.com

Atanamar Sunyata is a software engineer by trade and a herder of cats by calling. He lives in Peekskill, NY, with his wife and three man cats. When the inspiration strikes, Atanamar spouts metal hyperbole for Scratch the Surface, Metal Bandcamp, and his own blog, sunyata – mindful of metal. You can also find him on Twitter @AtanamarSunyata and Facebook.

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Watain seems like one of those bands we assume are important because everyone else does too. As soon as release copies of 'The Wild Hunt' went out, journalists debated it on twitter, because that’s almost what we were supposed to do, right? Merits of the album in a changing black metal landscape or no, it was sold to us as the album for metal fans to talk about this summer.

In a sense, this worked. It received big write-ups on sites like Pitchfork, and debuted in the Billboard 200 chart in North America. Now, a proudly-satanic band dropping a top-200 album would have caused a stir in the mid-80s, but either due to the decline of sales or a cynicism about evil or the conversion of all Christian Mothers associations into debased cults of our southern lord, this just registers as another reason why we’re supposed to be paying attention to Watain. After all, it’s big, right?

But at the end of it, 'The Wild Hunt' is still an album, and Watain a band, whether they smear themselves with the blood of the unborn onstage or not. And frankly, I had to get past all the hype, and even the expectations of other music journos, before I could enjoy Hunt on its own terms. And yes, I did say ‘enjoy,’ because in many ways Hunt kicks ass in an old-school way, all sneering guitar solos, cheesy lyrics and hammerhead riffs, aiming for cheap seats that are probably only about 20 feet from the stage, anyway.

My first step toward appreciating these songs was to get out of my house. I listened to it a lot driving to and from work, gathering a few weird looks in the process, and I was struck by how much rawk was in this album. For a band that takes itself so seriously in print and presentation, Watain are masters of cheesy thrills. Chugging guitar lines can be fist-pumped to, solo sections sound like they should be accented by onstage fireworks displays, and once “The Child Must Die” really gets going it more than resembles the Power Rangers theme song. “Outlaw” even opens with straight caveman grunts. Instead of the insanity and claustrophobia of its peers, Watain offers a vision of black metal you could blast at a particularly kvlt barbecue.

In 10,000 years, when the whispers of our internet communications long outlive us and travel to the farthest edges of the galaxy, aliens will know at least one thing: people sure had a lot of opinions about “They Rode On.” It forms the thematic centerpiece of Hunt, describing an endless touring lifestyle and the desire for stylistic evolution on the part of Watain. It also comes wrapped up in an 80’s metal ballad that could have been written by Poison. You can probably guess which of these aspects has caused so much opining. For my part, I’m indifferent; the band clearly accomplishes what it means to, just in a style I have no affinity for. Clean vocals interlock with flanged guitars and simple, weeping melodic figures in a mode new for the band, if not for music in general.

But doesn’t that describe Hunt, and Watain in general? They’ve been ‘innovating’ within the band for over 10 years, even if that just means picking up the best of Bathory and Dissection and adding a coat of stage makeup to make it a ‘BIG IMPORTANT EVENT.’ They’re certainly good at it, and that may explain why a very retro album like Hunt has been pitched as something new and progressive. These are fun songs, certainly, but undermined by groundless expectations that Watain will be a band it cannot possibly, and definitely doesn’t want to, be. Come at it with an ear for enjoyment, however, and I think you’ll be surprised just how much you’ll like Hunt.

Rob Rubsam 

Band info: www.facebook.com/watainofficial
Label info: www.centurymedia.com

Rob Rubsam is a freelance writer and itinerant resident of Upstate New York. His writing about music has been published at CVLT Nation, Tom Tom Magazine, The Rumpus, Burning Ambulance, and others. When not contemplating giant squids or erecting a standing stone in his backyard, he tweets at @millenialistfun. Do not contact him with your black mass-related inquiries, please.

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A High on Fire live show is a thing to behold: Matt Pike standing bare-chested and beer-gutted and dripping sweat as he peels off some of the heaviest riffs known to man and screams like Lemmy with bronchitis, while bassist Jeff Matz and drummer Des Kensel back him up by doling out an array of rhythms intent on caving chests and perforating eardrums. Whether the band is playing in a beer-stained hot box or on a side-stage at a music festival, theirs is a live show that every fan of metal needs to experience—especially now that Pike has put the bottle down.

The first live album released by the Oakland raiders, ‘Spitting Five Live Vol. 1 & Vol. 2’, captures a sober Matt Pike in action. This 15 song double disc recorded at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom and Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg during the band’s recent US tour is as close to a High on Fire show as you can get without physically being there. Obviously this album cannot compete with the five senses blow out of being right there in front of a quivering PA, but it shouldn’t be devalued for being unable to provide a 3D experience—leave that to future tech wizards to create such a medium. In fact, it’s one of the better live albums competing for your cash and hard-drive space. There is no cheesy banter with the crowd; no overdubs; no canned applause. It is just the sound of High on Fire doing exactly what they do best and that is delivering one helluva brute force metal show that remains focused on the music and not about pandering to pageantry; but that’s not to say that the image of Pike gurning while soloing isn’t entertainment in itself.

The ‘Spitting Five Live Vol. 1 & Vol. 2’ set-list spans the band’s entire existence: reaching back in time to their 2000 debut ‘The Art of Self Defense’—recently reissued by Southern Lord—up to last year’s ‘De Vermis Mysteriis’. ‘Last’, ‘10,000 Years’ and ‘Blood of Zion’ highlight the lineage from Pike’s emergence out of Sleep’s bong smoke to his transition into the metal titan at the front of High of Fire. There has been a subtle progression from those early days and if you listen to both volumes in the one sitting, it is interesting to hear how High on Fire found their voice amongst the Motörhead, Venom and Slayer comparisons that ran rife up until the now classic, ‘Blessed Black Wings’ (represented best here by a colossal outing of ‘Devilution'). However, the most intriguing part of ‘Spitting Five Live Vol. 1 & Vol. 2’ happens to be the savagery of the songs taken from the slickly produced ‘Snakes for the Divine’. A major gripe from fans of the band was that Greg Fidelman’s production polished the grime off the metal. In this untreated live state the sharp musical teeth we expect from High on Fire have extra incisors during ‘Frost Hammer’ and ‘Snakes for the Divine’, and both songs sound much more threatening and unruly.

Over the years there has been plenty of negative chatter about the relevance of live albums. But what has been forgotten is that live albums are all about letting your imagination run free and visualising what it was like to be a part of the show. And whether it is visions of ‘Fury Whip’ and ‘Rumors of War’ causing a ruckus in the pit or the cloud of weed smoke arising during ‘Fertile Green’, you got to just put yourself in the moment, sit back and let your mind set the scene—otherwise you will get nothing from ‘Spitting Five Live Vol. 1 & Vol. 2’, or any live album for that matter.

Dean Brown

Band info: www.highonfire.net
Label info: www.centurymedia.com

Dean Brown is a metal scribe based in Ireland. He is currently a contributing editor to the North American cultural magazine Popmatters and he regularly throws words for a number of other reputable loud noise publications such as About.com/heavy metal, Soundshock.com, MetalIreland.com, MoltenMagazine.com, amongst others. He has a strong affinity for music that shakes souls and leaves debilitating tinnitus in its wake and such obsession has left him financially and medically crippled, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Follow Dean on twitter @reus85

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Intronaut might not play as ferociously as they did when they started out seven years ago, but they still sound incredibly strong and engaging. Fans who disapproved the shift in direction towards a more progressive and less aggressive sound evidenced on “Valley of Smoke”, most likely will not appreciate this new record either as it is considerably less punishing and much more ethereal. “Habitual Levitations” continues along the same path explored on previous effort, but with a bit more polish and saccharine. They don't seek to pummel listeners with crushing riffs or fierce vocals anymore; instead they now fully embrace their progressive and jazzy influences, delivering a rapturous record full of moments of striking beauty. Songs like “Killing Birds with Stones” and “Milk Leg” are incredibly captivating, enhanced by the charming vocal melodies of Sacha Dunable that along with smooth proggy nuances transport listeners to an ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere.
Unlike some of their peers who often get lost in overly technical details, Intronaut have always possessed a strong sense of restraint and a good understanding of songcraft, and in this particular field “Habitual Levitations” truly excels. These songs are all brilliantly constructed pieces of proggy-metal with jazzy nuances and all performances are in perfect sync.
“Habitual Levitations” shows a group in ascendancy mode, pushing boundaries and evolving their sound. Essentially a pleasant surprise that gets better with each listen. 

Band info: www.intronautofficial.com 
Label info: www.centurymedia.com

 
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When listening to “Putrid Death Sorcery”, two things are blatantly obvious: Necrowretch worships death metal and they’re proud of it.
The French duo comprised by Vlad on vocals and guitars, and Amphycion on bass like to play death metal in the good, old fashioned way, and they hold nothing back, unleashing a genuinely violent and mortiferous attack. The lethal riffs hearken back to the pre-nerd days of death metal and I’m talking about Death, Sarcófago and Merciless here. This record sounds like an unearthed relic from the 80’s, but I wouldn’t call it retro in the traditional sense as the production work on “Putrid Death Sorcery” isn’t really trying to emulate the murky values of yore. I mean, it’s vile and raw, but you can also hear each instrument with enough clarity, which is something it cannot be said about most bands of this ilk. The album opener “Ripping Souls Of Sinners” sets the tone for the album: fast and grotesque. Vlad delivers some grim and raspy screams over speedy and bestial riffs and Mörkk’s (session member who also serves time in black metallers Aldaaron) storming beats.
I must admit that “Putrid Death Sorcery” is not an easy listen, especially for those who aren’t familiar with the bands like Sarcófago and Merciless, but those who like their death metal, vile, fast, raw and evil, this is a veritable feast for their putrid ears.

Band info: www.necrowretch.net
Label info: www.centurymedia.com

 

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No matter what you think of the returning Spineshank’s new album there is no dismissing the anger and venom which soaks every note and word within its walls. Guitarist Mike Sarkisyan stated "Some of us were going through divorces, others lost people very close to them and that's what basically surrounded us during the creative process." This emotional turmoil and its heightened shadows inspired an openly evident atmosphere on Anger Denial Acceptance for a release bruising and raging storm.

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Montreal, Canada five-piece The Agonist are fast becoming one of the most exciting and interesting bands in modern metal music. Three years on from their surprising and critically acclaimed second album “Lullabies for the Dormant Mind”, this year the band returns with an incredible new record that tops everything they’ve done in the past and boasts an astonishing progression.

Scratch the Surface scribe Raymond Westland quizzed vocalist Alissa White-Gluz in order to find out more about their third fulllength record “Prisoners”. 

I was pleasantly surprised by “Prisoners”, the latest album by Montreal, Canada-based The Agonist. Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz was kind enough to provide us with some insights on the album, working together with Cryptopsy guitarist Chris Donaldson and getting involved with MTV… 

Thank for you doing this interview for Scratch The Surface. I must say I’m quite impressed with your new album. Are you happy the way it came out? 

“Yeah. It’s hard to be happy with something like this because you always want to go back and fix one thing or re-do one thing, but you just have to at one point be happy with how it turns out and go from that.” 

This time around you chose to go for a more straightforward metal approach. What triggered this? 

“Well, I completely disagree with that statement, and you’re the first person who’s said that, so I don’t know how to answer that question. I think it’s not a straightforward metal approach. I kind of wish it was, but I don’t think it is at all, I think it’s quite the opposite. It’s more technical and progressive than the last album.” 

Can you share some insights on the themes and subjects touched on “Prisoners”? 

“The lyrics for this album are, I guess, less perceptive. I kind of just wrote the lyrics and let them live as they were. I didn’t try to overdo any of them or rewrite them a million times, because at first I was doing that. Like with ‘The Escape.’ I wrote that song like three times before it turned into what it is now. So for the rest of the songs, I was like, ‘okay, it’s going to take me ten years to write this album if I do it that way,’ so I just kind of let the lyrics come out and left them as they were. Even to the point where songs like ‘Idea Moto’ are automatic writing.”

Read entire interview featured on Issue 3 here.

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Female fronted metal bands, I personally really loath the term. I find it a hollow shell, because it doesn’t give any information about the style of a certain band. Both Arch Enemy and Epica have female vocalists, but both outfits are on opposite side of the metal spectrum. Montreal, Canada-based The Agonist is another metal outfit featuring a female singer, but this time around it’s a lady whose good looks are only exceeded by her vocal capabilities.

“Prisoners” is the third album by these Canadians and it’s arguably their most focused and compact effort to date.

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