Asphodelos – “The Five Rivers Of Erebos”, A Personal Musing on Music, A Review.

Some unknown for me as an Swede, underground bands of Death Metal like this five piece Death Metal band “Asphodelos” from Germany i am listening to now that was sent to me through an PR agency like Against PR for feedback and review, will always continue to surprises me now and then and sometimes it can even really blow me away like This band Asphodelos. The band manage to persuade me with their musically awesome skills and sound. This is the band for any person with guitarist obsession as the band has totally awesome heavy guitar shredding riffs that makes me want to go metalmoshing silly and wild in my own livingroom..mind you oddly enough, Alone!

I love guitars, in fact i am crazy in guitars, and i have been that since early childhood staring at the swedish guitarist with my nose stuck to the TV screen as early as the age of three years old i was staring at my back then the Swedish electric guitar hero legend Janne Schaffer during the 70’s on his what was considered back then, his guitar shredding and i was totally spellbound whilst my family thought it was funny i was so enmassed by him and thought i was a funny child..Yes i was an odd child! My music interest probably started in the womb already ..So with that saying about this band, You gonna love them, this is a band that has heavy guitar riffings and guitar virtuosity and, hey awesome solos can never go wrong either like Yngwie Malmsteen especially not with me! How about you? Play on!..eehh in this case with this band it is riffing shred on!…

Now to another point about musicality, techniques, skills and bands and What i do not like, yes we are gonna go there too, hang on, yes I have opinions about that too, otherwise i would not sit here and do reviews and send feedback to labels and PR agents and write reviews good as bad critique like this for them, so here we go, “What i do not like”; An drummer that insist on tapping on the drums like he is scarred for them to go broke and play to slow/without energy and passion and has a total obsession of the cymbals. Drums shall be killed and cymbals are used for effects, they are not there for you to play the whole song on or even the whole album on forgetting there is rest of the drum set that is there for a reason, smash the shit out of the drums and stop tapping on the drums you sound silly and not energized if you don’t, and by the way, hard fast and furious double bass drumming makes me go; “WOOW I am impressed of your energy, woow! you rule! This is great shit!” (Drummer of Nightwish, there is one that can smash the crap out of the drums or not to talk about the drummer in the legendary NWOBHM band Jaguar, he makes the whole drumkit move forward whilst his drumming so people on stage has to save it and lay infront of it to hold them back, yes thats my band i was once band manager for, you go and figure now why i say this i say). I also dislike monotonous band play, it makes me wanna fall asleep and go yawn! Wondering if you guys can just achieve to play only one tune and if it will be that through the whole album!?! And vocals.. what about vocals? Well weak vocals nah not for me, not my cup of tea. I like power and high pitches and the whole spectrum..If i say UDO you figure it out. If i say Tarja or Jansen then you understand where i am heading.. Zornheym or Arch Enemy, Rimfrost, Entombed, Degial then we talk about black and death and extreme metal vocal power..ok we came into the death metal now just where we shall be, but you understand now i guess what i mean with i am not much for liking weak vocals without colour, shuckles.

So here about this band: This guy can evil deep grooowlllllllllllllll…Demons goes and hides whilst he growls and i am moshing away to the music and to his hellish vocals..

More on the i like and don’t like list; Guitars shall be heavy and make you go wow of the guitar virtuosity and make you want to listen to every tune that comes out of it, the guitar play shall not make you fall asleep for gods sake! Make it interesting and sometimes strange, a squeel and people go woow, i am that person too that like surprises. How about bass then? Bass is preferably heard for heavy metal pumping and thumping effects, not for bloody hide it away behind an electric guitar! If the guitarist complains and argues he wants to be heard more than you and your bass and that your bass shall shut up then change band, you are with stage egos! Let the bass hum and thump to the drums heavy as hell..That’s metal.

Every Metalhead loves heavy pumping and thumping bass and double bass drum mixed with a heavy guitar and crazy powerful energy It will make me and every Metalhead crazy and spellbound and makes them want to go into a windmill crescendo carnage and mosh like they will die today and there’s never a tomorrow!

And these guys can deliver all these things. So now you go and support these guys because they are to good to only have +400 peeps on their FB page it makes me go hmm and wonder if people has no music ears? I hope you’re not one of them…My music ears has approved! Now it is your turn! Meanwhile i go and mosh away and headbang my head off to them! Enjoy this new evil beast from Germany! They are a band to be certainly heard more of in the future, am sure!

Best song on the album: “Nothingness” loved the vocals, refrain and the sudden frantical screams with the combo of musically kompositions that are well put together as well as the sudden unexpected tempo changes. Very well made and tought out song with deep dark emotions of passion, Beautifully created and Lovely! Keep up the good work guys!

Band and album Rating: 7/10

Wictoria Olofsson – War Metal Sweden