Metal Monday: Silver Talon, Snogard, Craven Idol, Midnight Dice

It's a Monday night and that means it's time for a fist full of underground metal, coming at you sideways, and without regard for safety or restraint. That's right, it's another Metal Monday! I'm at it again chief! 

So what is Metal Monday. Well, I listen to a ton of heavy metal but barely can find the time to scratch the surface of all of the great releases I encounter in the reviews I write each week. That's why every two weeks (give or take two weeks) I do a quick rundown of a couple of my recent favorites. 

This time around there is a bit of a trad-metal theme. Does this mean we are experiencing a trad-metal renaissance? No, not really. I can't speak for the metal community as a whole. I'm not its spokesperson. I only write about what I like, and I hope that has some value to you as well. If not, you can always hit the back button. 

If you like any of the releases that I've written about below, you can find them all on Bandcamp. Just click the player and it will give you purchasing options. 

Silver Talon - Decadence and Decay (M-Theory Audio)

Emerging from the phoenix fire of the deceased druid-witch Spellcaster, the Silver Talon is the flash, insurgent sibling of Idle Hands (now Unto Others). Their members may have split from the same mystic cascade but these two bands could not be more different. Idel Hands has an indisputable new romantic bent which causes them to raise the specter of The Church, as well as like-minded goths seeking out the burn of a heated guitar lead. Silver Talon on the other hand, would more easily be placed in the trad-metal camp- if it weren't for just how straight-up wild they sound on their debut LP, Decadence and Decay. Utilizing galloping, menacing grooves, forged and tempered in the furnace of Judas Priest's keep, they combine these tried and dependable guitar melodies with clean slicing guitar tones and taught, meticulously drawn patterns, to construct compositions that sound like they have the power to realign the stars, or cause the sky to collapse into the void beyond. In fact, Silver Talon is very concerned with the eternal struggles of humanity- its pain to know itself and taste freedom through inquiry. So much so, that they've declared in a recent interview that the Decadence and Decay's represents an act of "gnostic rebellion." If that's not epic enough for you, then you need to reevaluate your standards. 

Snogard - Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)

Usually, when something is described as medieval, it's an indication that a thing is harsh or lacking in refinement. When I say Snogard is medieval, I mean just the former. The Raleigh-based black metal band is crude and severe, but I'll be damned if they're not artful. Snogard's debut EP Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds is cold and crushingly bleak, like the air of a miasmic dungeon. The deadliness of its atmosphere heightened by the variety of lethal instrumentation you'll encounter as you attempt to traverse it. From riffs that descended on you like barrages of arrows, let loss into the air by the fistful, to grooves that sway and sever like ax affixed pendulums, to percussion that shifts and skitters like an army of spiders ascending the sleeve of pant of your leg- you're going to be very lucky to survive the first track on Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds, let alone all four. In addition, the vocal samples the band inserts into the album are impeccably placed and help give the entire proceedings the feeling of a cinematic anthology. Moral Presence, Corrupt Misdeeds feels like something that the human ear shouldn't be able to encounter and retain its sanity. Which is exactly the way an underground black metal album should be. 

Craven Idol - Forked Tongues (Dark Descent Records)

Ok, so this one is really cool.  Forked Tongues is the third album from London extreme metal cohort Craven Idol and... it is epic. Staggeringly epic. The band is absolutely abandoned that they do not observe the conventions of heavy metal subgenres. Taking it as a point of pride that where ever a stodgy death metal riff or predictable blastbeat pattern can be found, such cliches are thrown overboard like a bloated corpse into the sea. Instead, the band dedicate their considerable talents towards making vicious and dynamic metal that reminds them of the feel that they get from their own idols. On Forked Tongues, you're going to witness some dark reflections of legends like Sodom, Merciful Fate, Satan, and Mystifier, not some much in homage, but as a challenge to these demigods of old to step up and match the excess of the gauntlet that Craven Idol has thrown down before them. Speaking of provocations, the album itself, takes as its premise, the eternal battle between the volcano-dwelling serpent and king of the Titans, Typhon, and the denizens of Olympus. The latter of whom have grown fat and soft over the centuries of exerting their dominion over the Earth and humankind alike. Forked Tongues sees the vengeful, great snake breaking the seal of its prison, deep in the bowels of Mount Aetna, and taking revenge on those who would see him lie fallow until he spoiled like rancid meat in the caverns of the underworld. The gods are not safe from the serpent's venom, and as surely as they will fall, you will have your expectations consumed in the chaotic choils of this release. What more can I say? Only two words: fucking fantastic! 

Midnight Dice - Hypnotized (Self-Released)

I listen to music, all day, every day, and yet, somehow, it will take me a year or more to get around to something I'm interested in listening to. Sometimes I literally run out of hours in the day; other times I just flat out forget. It was a combination of the two when it comes to Hypnotized by Chicago's Midnight Dice and I'm ashamed to admit. Although, I am glad that I circled back. I was aware of Satan's Hollow and was glad that we had an old-school speed metal and hard rock band of their caliber on the scene. That group's demise happened while I was otherwise preoccupied, and I hadn't realized that a new breed of beast had sprung forth from their grave until they had already cut a split with another local favorite, Hitter. Hypnotized is my first real taste of what Midnight Dice can dish out, and I have to say, that waiting to check out this release did nothing to dull its impact. Midnight Dice play a ballsy brand of traditional metal that will certainly satisfy fans of Satan's Hollow, as well as anyone who has fond memories of headbanging along to Pat Benatar or Twisted Sister on the classic rock stations as a budding heavy metal maniac in their teens. As expected vocalist Mandy Martillo's presentation is forceful and intimidating, amply demonstrating her ability to tame a melody like a lion trainer tames a great feline terror. However, the thing that makes the band stand out the most is probably the guitar work. Ax-man Steve Beaudette is able to achieve a precarious balance of combining muscular hair metal grooves with the demonic slice of early Slayer riffs. And he managed to does so in a way that gives these tracks a sense that they are living fast and dying hard in a cold, cruel world. It's a total trip! Whether you're out drinking and cruising for trouble, or sitting at home, gritting your teeth and staring at a wall, Midnight Dice are your companions for this evening's dark night of the soul.