Grave Axis – Dismal Aeon
Knifed – S/T
I owe you an apology. I meant to write about Dismal Aeon, the debut cassette from Aotearoa New Zealand’s death metal snuggle-bunnies Grave Axis, at the tail end of last year. But you know how it goes, the festive rush arrives, and things get lost in the madness. In any case, my poor time management skills do not reflect the quality of Grave Axis’ first release, which sits high on the list of gravel-gargling Antipodean metal debuts.
Before I dig into the guts of the Grave Axis’ debut, I should point out that I’ve included a (very) brief blurb about NZ grindcore band Knifed’s first vinyl release below. Knifed’s self-titled 7″ was released on the same day as Grave Axis’ debut and by the same Aotearoa-based label, Wrought Material. Knifed and Grave Axis share a similarly stripped-back yet punishing approach, so I’m throwing them together, Bushwhackers stylez, and tag teaming this headlock/elbow/drop. (Don’t get excited, that’s the last of the wrestling references.)
Aotearoa’s geographic isolation has undoubtedly shaped the virulent strain of darkness that colours the nation’s more extreme creative output. Call it a harsh back-of-beyond accent – or whatever you like, really – but the Southern Hemisphere often births underground bands (metal, punk, or otherwise) whose primitivism is one of their primary strengths. Grave Axis definitely fall into that category. The Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) band’s gruff music is purpose-built to gnaw at your inner wounds. It doesn’t matter if you only have a small psychosomatic cyst or you’re covered head to toe in festering emotional abscesses. Grave Axis’ abrasive death metal will open those lesions up and purge the pus within.
Dismal Aeon features four adrenaline-charged tracks, and rampaging opener “Thin Smear” (which erupts from a slow burn into an inferno) and “Bloodshed Eternal” underscore Grave Axis’ skills at balancing rough-as-guts rawness with sledgehammering heaviness. Guttural barks and brute-force guitar duke it out with bludgeoning drums, but subtler riffs also emerge from the battlefield mist, meaning Grave Axis’ Neanderthal noise is shrewder than first impressions.
Throw in some cosmic horror (see “Solar Cremation”) and misanthropic vomit (see “Human Detritus”), and you’ve got yourself a promising debut. Dismal Aeon might only feature four songs, but every (havoc-wreaking) one of them ramps up the anticipation for Grave Axis’ next endeavours. Another prime example of an Aotearoa metal band using their most primitive strengths to maximum effect. (Wrought Material)
Note: well-known NZ illustrator Alexander L. Brown is responsible for Dismal Aeon’s cover art above and the artwork adorning Knifed’s self-titled 7″ below. You’ll have seen Brown’s artwork gracing album covers for Voidhanger, StarGazer, Mitochondrion, Circle of Ouroborus, and dozens of other bands. Musically, Brown’s played in Doom Cult(ists) Witchrist and the more recent – and downright formidable – Distant Fear. Brown’s also the founder of Aotearoa label Wrought Material, whose roster will interest those seeking underground treasures from far-flung shores.
Knifed – S/T
Aotearoa grindcore band Knifed was formed by a bunch of tearaways from hardcore, powerviolence, and grind/punk outfits like Sick Old Man, Bulk Bogan, and Arsehuffer. Knifed’s self-titled 7″ spits out ten railgun-strength tracks in as many minutes. Knifed note their vinyl debut is a “violent meditation” on the existential anxieties associated with Aotearoa’s remoteness, and violent is definitely the operative word right here. Expect mind-gouging grindcore with blastbeats, fearsome vocals, and mangling guitars exploding in a hailstorm of concussive noise. Fuckin’ A. (Hairy Palm, Wrought Material)
