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| Minions Engage |
| Josh Wagers |
| The Great Nothing |
| A Gruesome Find is one of the best black metal groups I’ve heard that have come from the states. The guitars start out the intro for the tracks and are closely followed by the drum beat. Everything is laid down quite heavily, as a black metal band should do, but not so heavily as to be idiotic and make them seem desperate to come across as dark. The vocals are well utilized throughout the tracks, though they occasionally follow an odd pace that seems to force them to end early or late. This sounds a bit odd and could probably have been remedied if the vocals were sped up or slowed, depending on the necessity, at those moments. The drums and guitars are incredibly well used, working together to lay down the beat in a way that blends them together into a perfect sound. This album is really good, the only thing A Gruesome Find needs to work on is the timing for the vocals in my opinion. A great album. Key Tracks: The Nightmare Within |
| Minions Engage |
| Kim Kelly |
| Pivotal Rage |
| We've all heard the phrase "True Norwegian Black Metal" immortalized as it was by Darkthrone during their church-burning heyday; we've probably come across a proclamation or two of "True Swedish Black Metal" as well, or even some of the true American variety. Black metallers are notorious for their rabid fixation on being "true", just as death metallers are known for their geographic allegiances. Florida Death Metal, New York Death Metal, Brazilian Death Metal, it's all about the locale. So, what is one to make of a band that proudly labels themselves to be "True Ohioan Bleath Metal"?? If you pieced together the clues and deduced that they are a black/death metal band from the chilly Northwest, then congratulations - you've just come across A Gruesome Find. Their new album, Minions Engage, delivers an icy slab of Northern comfort with an old-school black metal feel that recalls the icy malevolence of Darkthrone, Immortal, and Burzum, with only small dose of death metal added in. I'd go ahead and label this as simply black metal were it not for the warmed-up production and the deathly growls that appear sporadically throughout the album. The majority of the vocals are appropriately strangled and grim, complimented by buzzsaw guitars, apocalyptic melodies, and murderous grooves. With "Pawn of the Deceiver" the death metal influence finally rears its head, starting off with a classic death metal riff and deep bellow that segues into a frostbitten guitar lead and bleak vocals offset by subterranean death grunts, groovy riffage, and a nice shot of melody on the rocks, this song is a perfectly blended example of what black/death metal should sound like. "Shroud of Darkness" and "Conquerors of the Darkland" achieve a similar balance, while "Curse of Shedim" and "The Nightmare Within" are blacker than the ashes of a burned-out church. The album as a whole hangs in a delicate balance between two separate styles, but black metal is definitely the prevailing force within the music. A Gruesome Find have done a commendable job of combining cold-blooded black metal and throat-shredding death metal into something great...a sound that stays rooted firmly in the early nineties, but, in terms of musicianship, looks ahead into the future. Minions Engage doesn't quite carry the frost-bitten sense of icy malignance that's prevalent in the black metal masterpieces of yesteryear, but then again, they are from Ohio. |
| Minions Engage |
| Gery Vermin |
| horrorwoodbabbleon.com |
| Wellsir, Ohio’s A Gruesome Find certainly would appear to have “it”.
Mind you, I have no fuggin’ idea what “it” entails, but “it’s” what keep the likes of Diabolical, Crionics, Carpathian Forest, Naglfar and a couple other bands you haven’t bothered looking into, over on my shelf there. I’m guessing it’s maybe the relentless (and, on occasion, ridiculous) pacing of MINIONS ENGAGE’s best bits... maybe even something as simple the fact that its guitarists know which side of their instruments face out. A little bit of Norwegian calamity here, a sizable slopping of Swedish melody there and a garnish of whatever the hell comes from Ohio nestled on the side makes for surprisingly listenable black metal. In spite of the traditional trappings that go hand in hoof with the genre - panic invoking monikers (Naberius, Lord Mininger and the oh-so eeeeee-ful Deathcrush), scarier-than-yours band duties (vocal tyranny, razor wire and the highly enviable position of “lower denomination”) and the like - AGF appear to be blessed (sorry guys, sorry) with the ability to deliver their goods darkly, yes, but with a touch of cacophonous class, sans all the insipid Christ-bashing and goat-suckling of so many of their weenified peers. In spite of the occasional clinker (“Blood Red Moon” and closer "Triumph") and the fact that my favorite moments of MINIONS aren’t exactly breath-snatching in their brilliance or ingenious illumination, it’s still difficult to make it through the hilariously tempo’d chorus of “Conquerors Of The Darkland” (”Membersofthedogclan / Membersofthedogclan / Wriiiiiiiiithe!!!”... or something like that...), “Wrath”, “Minions Engage” and the simplistic, but savage “Shroud Of Darkness” without swinging my dome to and fro like an epileptic gibbon. A pleasant enough change that you may very well be in need of hearing... |
| Minions Engage |
| Keith Bergman |
| Blabbermouth.net |
| If they'd never gotten past the demo stage, A GRUESOME FIND would have been remembered forevermore as the band who billed themselves as "True Ohioan Bleath Metal". You know — black meets death? Thankfully, as they unleash their international debut, someone has apparently taken them aside and gently suggested that Ohio doesn't inspire anyone as a hotbed of Satanic bacchanal, and "bleath" is one of the lamest words ever concocted to sell anything, much less extreme music. The concept is fine, but say it out loud. "Bleath". Yecch!
That aside, A GRUESOME FIND turn in an impressive performance here, albeit one so steeped in the traditions of their influences as to render them a well-executed homage to the past. Wisely, they keep things simple, echoing the most basic tenets of the European masters, relying on speed-picking melodic riffs and including a number of midtempo sections that belie their American death metal origins, as well as providing some dynamic and atmosphere without some misguided urge to mindlessly bludgeon the listener into submission.
There's a live, loose feel to "Minions Engage" that suits it well — note a little bit of "push and pull" in the tempo when the classical-inspired riff comes in just after 2:30 in "Curse of Shedim", and at the beginning of "Shroud of Darkness". In this day and age of overprocessed and quantized blast beats, a little bit of, for lack of a better word, "realness" serves the band well, giving off a vibe that hearkens back to the rough-hewn black metal classics of the 1980's.
"The Nightmare Within" may throw some people off, its rollicking midtempo melodies bringing to mind eastern European folk music (perhaps filtered through the minds of EINHERJER or FINNTROLL first), but it's builds up into a speedier ending that highlights a cool, busy, melodic riffing style that could really set A GRUESOME FIND apart, given more development.
Not all of "Minions Engage" is that, well, engaging — some of it is merely (corpse)paint-by-numbers black metal that, while satisfying to listen to, isn't memorable. But A GRUESOME FIND are clearly on to something here, and are well worth supporting. Their grasp of melody and songwriting, their unorthodox riffing, and their out-of-step sound — neither lo-fi trashcan nihilism or ornate maudlin Goth slop, but the sound of a real, true, live band tearing into some old-school-derived black metal – are impressive, to say the least. A definite band to watch.
- Keith Bergman |
| Minions Engage |
| Urotsukidoji |
| Urotsukidoji's Pad |
| That has to be one of the worst band names I've ever heard for a Black-Metal act. It might work for a Goregrind outfit, but it just doesn't have that fun, satanic cult-like feel that a good B-M band name ought to have. Lux Occulta, Immortal, Emperor, Anaal Nathrakh, Barathrum, now those are cool names. Oh well, it's just a name, it's the music that counts, but on a similar topic, that cover art blows man. I mean an angel and a devil in the middle of a sword fight? ...kind of lame. But again, I'm letting myself get side tracked from the main objective, so onto the music. The band hails from Ohio of all places, but don't go holding that against them. These guys keep it pretty old-school, and rather lo-fi (as mandated by the Black-Metal Recording Authority). The drums sound particularly muddy in the mix, but oddly enough, this gives them this fat, almost tribal sound, so it actually works in the band's favour! What I tend to like best about the band, is that they tend to mix things up a bit. There are lots of tempo changes, so we get passages of all-out speed, followed by mid-paced marches that could suck you into a mosh pit in an instant. They also don't feel restricted to the severe confines of the B-M genre. If they feel like venturing into the land of Death-Metal for a few riffs, they just do it. Plus, the songs are simple, and downright catchy! I don't like my B-M (or my Death-Metal for that matter) all showy and ultra technical, if I want that sort of pretentious crap, I'd listen to more Prog-Metal. So, band name, and bad cover art aside, these corpse-painted lads are on the right track. For more info on these satan-lovin' cats, check out agruesomefind.com.
RATING = 7 |
| Minions Engage |
| Jason Jordan |
| metalreview.com |
| WARNING: Do NOT write reviews about black metal if you still want to like the genre at the end of the day. While the preceding admonishment doesn’t necessarily apply to A Gruesome Find, it’s quickly becoming a rule of thumb for yours truly.
Here, though, we have Minions Engage – the quartet’s sophomore outing unleashed by none other than Crash Music Inc., which releases nothing but hot or cold records. To diminish ambiguity, I’m going to have to relegate this particular disc to the latter category. However, I must also point out that this isn’t mundane BM; it’s just somewhat unfocused, entirely unoriginal, and the best attributes lurk more often than occupy the forefront. Comparing A Gruesome Find to any pseudo-primitive, black metal band is in order – I feel – and many of the songs are slightly enjoyable, if not a tad on the boring side.
At close to an hour total, the ten numbers found here seemingly endorse the typical modus operandi that’s adhered to way too often to be anything but discomforting. The sweeping compositions are laced with BM shrieks, the song structures are at times a throwback to Darkthrone and complementary to Drottnar, while the components of Minions Engage are a bit jumpier on the whole. The uncontested pinnacle of this disc, though, is “The Nightmare Within.†The quirky rhythms, hypnotic guitar leads, and seamless meshing betwixt the instrumentation and vocals allow(s) “The Nightmare Within†to soar unlike its predecessors and followers. But, one must absolutely remember that the aforementioned is a diamond in the rough, so to speak, and the other tunes are not nearly as inspired and/or endearing. Still, “The Nightmare Within†makes me want to don a witch’s hat and cape, and then dance around my bedroom while my black cat looks on with big, confused eyes.
So, to backtrack, A Gruesome Find signed a three-album deal with Crash Music, which means we’ll be hearing from these Ohioans again. Minions Engage isn’t anything the metal world hasn’t been graced with before – it's been done much better I might add – but it does thrust potential into the faces that behold the record firsthand. Despite my praise for their conspicuous talent, after perusing the band’s promotional pictures, I managed to reach the conclusion I knew I would. Black metal: I hate you. |
| Minions Engage |
| Quintessence Metal Webzine |
| Quintessence Metal Webzine |
| It's not a rare thing but when we get American bands doing Black Metal, there seems to be a better variety of original bands compared to all the ones in the Scandinavian areas that mimic their heroes of yore. These parts are already on their 4th and 5th wave of bands to be honest and I haven't really heard anything remotely refreshing in a couple years. A GRUESOME FIND, out of Ohio, is somewhat in the Norwegian vein Darkthrone, Immortal and fusing their own unique style with tasty riffs and power chords without losing the Black Metal feel but keeping it more interesting and less monotonous. I kind of renamed this "a fresh new find"; I blame my age for not being more open to Black Metal in general but when you have listened to as many bands as I have over the years, you know what to look for and A GRUESOME FIND has all those elements I crave that make Black Metal more respectful. |
| Minions Engage |
| Anthony Pagano |
| In Depth Zine |
| The imperial march begins right away on the title track "Minions Engage" and before you know it the blood soaked growls of Naberins flow forth as we're off on another epic journey with A Gruesome Find! Sure it might take 2 minutes for the vocals to kick in but once they do it's off to the bombastic and beyond! The tight bass laid down by Isac Cain on bass on "Curse of Shedim" is truly something not exactly heard often in this style of music! "Nightmare Within" gets off to an uncharacteristically slower start and seems to be holding something back throughout the track until things brighten up a bit around the two and a half minute mark. "Tree of Despair" however, has nothing held back! Great riffage and progressions laid down by Lord Mininger. "Shroud of Darkness" almost has a jolly tone to it if you can believe that! Of course don't get too used to it as it breaks into some blasts before long. Back off the distortion a bit on "Conquerors of the Darkland" and you have a track that could easily fit into any powermetal album, maybe even as an obscure Iron Maiden track. "Blood Red Moon" carries along with it a real sense of darkness and despair as Deathcrushes bass rolls seem never ending. Is that the progression from Slayer's "Seasons In The Abyss"? At first listen it might sound like it but A Gruesome Find makes it their own on "Pawns of the Deceiver". With a title like "Wrath" you just know it's gonna be fast, to the point and ask NO FORGIVENESS! That's for sure. Hard to believe this album clocks in at over 55 minutes but once "Triumph" and a very familiar sounding riff roll around, you'll believe it. A Gruesome Find does an EXCELLENT job of keeping your attention with some outstanding guitar and structure work while also retaining their base of blasts and shreds. A great pick up for the all around death metal fan. |
| Of Blood and Nobility |
| Carlos Rodriguez |
| LEVIATAN-MAGAZINE |
| Rating: 9.0
Of Blood and Nobility is not my first encounter with this American black metal outfit, as a matter of fact I first got a chance to listen to them back in 2005 when Minions Engage was released; my impression of that album was quite mediocre, just as the music I heard back then, so was Of Blood a vindication for the band? HELL YEAH top 22 album of 2007 to be more precise!
A Gruesome Find delivers a fine tune melodic black metal that encloses huge traces of death metal and a vocal style that goes back and forth between the previously mention genres. The album has a unique sound, a dark and aggressive mind-set that survives between the raw black guitars and the melodic compositions that are constantly morphing and growing, making every second of the production and interesting one.
The structure of the songs in Of Blood display the ability of these guys to blend catchy rhythms, repetitive and aggressive riffs, and complex changes of tempo; a perfect example of this Into the Realm of Darkness a well timed, well executed song, that contains different speeds, and different riffs, providing expectation and a constant motivation to the listener.
The album contains some accelerating songs; others more mid pace performances and a couple of instrumental tracks that display a beautiful piano appearance (check Piercing Divinity's Armor and Ominous Illusions, both great inclusions). Every aspect and every element that these guys add to the album has a specific idea and goal; they are not just adding instruments and sounds to make this a progg record; they are adding them to enrich the songs and the experience; there are even some moments in which songs like Of Blood and Nobility may sound a bit Viking influenced, and that may not be too far from the truth, but they never really fall into an obvious trend and therefore maintain a well balanced sound.
One of the few bad things about Of Blood and Nobility is the drum sound, sometimes and just sometimes, it sounds way to dirty and raw, a little thin also, but it doesnt really affect the whole production which is not the best but it accomplishes the objective of showing whats best on A Gruesome Find.
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| Of Blood and Nobility |
| Marco |
| BURNING MISERY |
| Rating: 4.5/5 Hell Fuck Yeah!!!! Here we have the latest album from "A Gruesome Find" which has been released December 15e last year!! A Gruesome Find is an unsigned band based in the USA and I'm quite surprised about that because this is some serious and good shit. They have financed this album by them selves and is full with high quality and tight fucking black-death metal that is brought in a digipack format. A Gruesome Find has released a small list with satanic sounding black/death releases, those can be found at their band section by following the link bellow this review. The start of this album "Of Blood and Nobility" begins with an nice played old school and almost thrash metal kind of guitar riffs but is taking a complete turn to some hellish aggressive black-death moves. The tempos on this album are mainly fast and up-tempo alternated with here and there some slower moves. The production is fucking excellent on this disk and I have already a favorite track on this cd which is the second track named: "Into the Realm of Darkness" with cool played heavy death metal tunes mixed with fast and single snare blasting black metal riffs. Well, the whole disk is full with awesome material and found out that I have more favorite tracks on this album release. The high-pitched vocals are unbelievable aggressive and sounds fucking killer as it should be with this kind of hellish attacks. The four headed A Gruesome Find recorded twelve oblivion and technical black/death tracks in the studio with a complete playing time of 54 fucking minutes. That's almost a hour of high quality classic black death with a modern flavor. This sick disk is definitely a recommendation for the death metal and the black metal fans. So don't fucking wait and check these guys out it's really worth the money to grab this in digipack format full length. 3/21/08 |
| Of Blood and Nobility |
| K.Huckins |
| Deadtide.com |
| This is really solid blackened death from Ohio, though you would probably think Sweden upon listening to it. Imagine Naglfar with vocals that sound like they have disotortion on them, but don't. I don't quite know how to describe them but the fact they appear to be a natural sound is pretty impressive. More impressive still is the fact that while distorted in nature they are also quite clear. Combine this with some deeper growls that remind me of Grutle Kjellson of Enslaved and you have quite the vocalist. I have no idea how Naberius pulls this off but it is damned amazing. The music itself falls somewhere between the heaviness of Behemoth and the melody of Naglfar and Dissection. The tempo is mostly midpaced, although they speed things up every now and then, reminding me of early Enslaved. I don't know how these guys do it as they are all over the road but never stumble in the slightest. This isn't the most original album I've ever heard but their ability to blend these various influences into something fresh, combined with some truly impressive vocals makes this one a keeper.
Non-musical aside, the cover of this album is just amazing. It reminds me a lot of Joe Petagno, most famous for doing covers for Motorhead but has plenty of other bands to his credit. Good work boys.
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| Of Blood and Nobility |
| Dave Horn |
| SOD Magazine |
| Rating: 9 Skulls - After close to a decade of struggle, Toledo, Ohios's A Gruesome Find breaks the shackles of obscurity and blasts forth with the fully realized masterwork that is Of Blood and Nobility. Fans of Heavy Metal, with the emmphasis on HEAVY, will find much to worship here as will fans of catchy blackened Thrash Metal, fans of Black Metal, fans of War Metal, fans of pagan Metal, and fans of metal...period! Epic riffwork, pounding drum holocausts, and powerful vocal exhortations rule the day here as A Gruesome Find focuses on timing and structure rather than all-out speed to create a churning nightmare of intensity. Wicked-as-fuck 6-panel digi-pak featuring killer battle paintings make this package hard to resist, but it is the flawlessly executed musical assault that will ultimately bludgeon you into submission. |
| Of Blood and Nobility |
| Patricia |
| Pull the Chain Zine |
| A Gruesome Find!!! to be honest I wondered for a while what happened to the Ohio based four pieces, I remember their ultra enjoyable The Fire That Burns In Hell, missed some two years ago their Minions Engage released through Crash Music and here they are back with their third full-length. I absolutely didnt understand why this band stay unsignedhere we have another example of the strange music industry which let excellent acts into the cult status while less talented purveyors of the same musical style are shoot to fame. Of Blood And Nobility is in few words death black metal insanity at its best (and another example of the good health of the American underground black metal scene). The twelve songs recorded here got everything you listen out for when checking out new bands: brutality, violence, melody all topped with a killer musicianship. This band can compose and arrange and even if there arent too many new ideas on Of Blood And Nobility, A Gruesome Find songwriters can keep things interesting from the first to the last note. Dont follow the masses and discover a fantastic underground band. Visit their visit and buy their worksbelieve me, you shall not be disappointed. |
| Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse |
| Danowar |
| Into Obscurity |
| "True Ohioan Bleath Metal" adorns everything that pours out of the package that A Gruesome Find sent me. With a ridiculous self-proclaimed genre like this, it was hard to take them seriously. However, my laughter was quickly turned to surprise when I gave the disc, packaged in a DVD case, a listen. They're actually pretty fuckin good.
A Gruesome Find play a mix of primitive black metal and straightforward death metal. The vocals are definitely in the blackened realm, having that really thin, evil belch rather than a more guttural approach. The guitarwork is pretty straightforward and the drumming is blasting and double bass at hellish speeds. There are breaks in the songs where the music assumes an almost Swedish identity with slowed down tempoes and dual guitar melodies. "Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse" is the first, and stand out track of the entire five song CD. It shows everything A Gruesome Find has to offer. Occassionally, there are simple keyboard parts. They're nothing in comparison to the extravagant use in bands like Dimmu Borgir, but they add to the atmosphere. And for a demo disc, this thing is recorded pretty well.
This Ohio quartet have a good thing going. I just wish they'd shed some of the cheesy ideologies of black metal (i.e. creating a name for the style of music you play which is solely to be played by you, having too much love for the area of your band's origin... however, they should keep the corpse paint) and let their music be their sole selling point. It can speak for itself. |
| Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse |
| Marc Campbell |
| Sinister.au |
| A Gruesome Find, from Ohio USA has released what appears to be their second demo effort before their full-length later this year. Their music is described and proclaimed as "True Ohioan Bleath Metal"... I’m under the impression that ‘bleath’ is a combination of the words ‘black’ and ‘death’.
Grim and typically black metal in appearance, they present their mixture of black with death metal touched up with some unique keyboards. The music is what counts, and this release surprised me somewhat unexpectedly when I pressed play.
'Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse' being the first and stand out track, shows the best of what this band has to offer. It's made from fast, subtle, melodious riffing, double-kick drumming, nasty black vocals (not too high pitched though) and some fairly prominent keys moments. 'Upon the Throne of Chaos' kicks in with a very bombastic key sound, intertwining into a slightly foreign feel (Arabia perhaps?). Melodic, heavy, mid-paced riffing gallops in accompanied by grim vocals to, pretty much, tie up the song.
The in-your-face 'Slaughter of the Lamb' blasts in from the word go to whoa, double-kick, fast riffing and static vocals. A more obvious 'death' style influence is incorporated. A sense of the band Deicide comes to mind, musically and the way the vocals are presented - gradually they burn from normal screams to low growls.
The more brutally guitar orientated 'Embedded Path' drives along, rocking back and forth in pace but always maintaining your attention. 'Embodying the Spirit of Evil' moans in afterwards with a slow death feel and swaps between this and black aggression for the song's duration.
A Gruesome Find is certainly a little different sounding and knows which direction they want. This release, playing for 26:11 minutes, is interesting throughout its duration with its expressive creativity and its aggressive grimness. I for one will definitely check out their future releases.
7/10 |
| Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse |
| Carlaont Catalin |
| Spell of Night |
| This Ohioan band labels their music as black metal. I find this labeling in fact as a combination of black and death metal. You can find almost anything in their music fast parts, slow parts, atmospheric keyboards and a well played progressive dimension. The songs are well structured and the most important for their music is the rhythmical section where there are very good combinations. This is not the usual type of music you are used to. It worth’s a try.
80/100
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| Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse |
| Val |
| Metal Observer |
| At the time I write this review, A GRUESOME FIND have already released their, more then fine debut album "The Fire That Burns In Hell". This is just one of their earlier demos. Just as on their first album, the Ohioans offer us quality Bleath Metal, which is of course Black/Death. This "Ravens Of The Full Moon Eclipse" demo is a little more bombastic then it's successor, they incorporate more melody into their music and the result is good.
The title track is a very nice track, fast riffing and drumming, some nice subtle melodies and the good, aggressive "vocal tyranny" by "Mark of the Damned". "Upon The Throne Of Chaos" then surprises me with more melodies, almost sounding like Symphonic Black now! This is a great song! Very good use of instrumentals, quite some melody and still heavy. "Slaughter Of The Lamb" is a little more aggressive, great Black Metal screams here and the guitar riffs are just great.
The rest of the CD is much in the same vein, "Embedded Path" also has some Death vocals now. If you like their "The Fire That Burns In Hell" album you will like this too, I think this one is even better as a matter of fact. Maybe that their next official release will sound like this a bit more then their first one, would be great! |
| Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse |
| Scott Alisoglu |
| Live4Metal |
| I just love these happenstance band discoveries. I got a copy of A Gruesome Find’s Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse from Mortician’s tour guy/assistant (or whatever he is) and was quite impressed with the 5-song demo. It’s a strong offering of black metal. Now I’m no black metal expert, but I know what I like, and these songs crushed my fat head with malevolent hatred. The songs include the title track, “Upon the Throne of Chaos,” “Slaughter of the Lamb,” “Embedded Path,” and “Embodying the Spirit of Evil.” Collectively, you’ll be treated to full-throttle axe grinding, melodic guitar lines, brutal death growls, blood curdling shrieks, cool tempo changes, effective synth work, and all out satanic wrath. The band’s sound also benefits from a solid production. The album has a fuller sound and tighter delivery than many black metal releases that I’ve heard.
The band consists of Naberius (vocal tyranny), Lord Miniger (razorwire, synth), Isaac Cain (lower denomination), and DeathCrush (battery). Mark of the Damned sang vocals on the album but was replaced by Naberius some time after its completion. I was originally going to include the band in my Metal USA column, but was so intrigued with the band that I thought them deserving of a full-blown interview. The interview was conducted via e-mail. |
| Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse |
| Twan Sibon |
| Brutalism |
| True Ohioan Bleath Metal is what AGF calls their music. Covered with corpsepaint and evil looking images. On this disc there are 5 songs that expected some unholy black metal but this is wrong. Although the vocals are a bit screamy the music is melodic and diverse. No typical BM hammering but well played songs which like said before melody. Not just fast forward but atmospheric parts in between. Because of this it makes it worth listening with a lot of attention. So are you looking for an energetic band try AGF. On the site there are also downloads of songs and video. Try them out!
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| Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse |
| Bakal |
| Bakal Hellzine |
| US fucking Black Metal annihilation!!! The land of Demonik Sam is getting stronger and more evil when the Euro shits started to wimp out. Here’s a fine example of new band that US should be look forward to. With their massive packaging demo cd/dvd, this horde is more than serious to promote their band. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got a record deal or would have a tour contract. Although, their music isn’t my cup of tea, they are more than worthy to check out than to Moonfog or Moonfuck bands. This is Black Metal with layers of synth, which sounded boring in some parts. Their speed lies between slow, mid paced to ultimately fast and aggressive.. Their mid pacing emphasizes some thrashing riffs a very SLAYERized riffs and the fast paced attacks like a battle tank. Vocal wise, it has hint of MARDUK pacing. Not even in vocals but the riffs pacing/arrangement as well has a MARDUK influence. This contains 5 tracks with a multimedia track of their biography. Like, I said its not my cup of tea but its worthy to compared to others.
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| Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse |
| Dea |
| |
| A. G. F. is a local band that I have a feeling will be pretty big if they keep releasing stellar albums like this. They describe themselves as "bleath" metal, combining elements of both black and death metal (get it!?). They have keyboards, they have the black metal screeches and the death metal growls and the always treasured corpsepaint! Their music really sets the mood for pure dark and evil bliss. One minute you have awe inspiring intrumentals and the next you have fast blasts and scratchy screeches. Everything sounds really tight and well put together. The sound quality and packaging are both very well done with the CD coming in a nice DVD case. I highly recommend checking this band out if you are looking for something new and innovative. |
| Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse/The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Jeff Osiek |
| |
| I got the package on saturday, and since then I have listened to A Gruesome Find, non stop!
These are definately two of my most favorite cds...I'll write you a little review of what I thought of them....
First I listened to 'Ravens of the full moon eclipse' and I had already heard the title track and 'embodying the spirits' so I somewhat knew what to expect, but the other songs on the album were just phenomenal. Especially 'Upon the throne of Chaos' and 'Embedded path'. While listening to 'Upon the throne of chaos' I noticed that every single finger touch to the instruments' strings could be distinguished. In 'Embedded Path' the first 20 seconds started off like the song was going in an 'Alternative Metal' direction but then once the vocals came in the song just exploded and pissed all over the Alternative direction, I thought this was a cool effect, although I dont think it was your intentions. It was a cool riff though!!!
Second I listened to 'The Fire that burns in hell' and starting out the title track in my opinion defines A Gruesome Find. It was all so amazing every individuals talent was shown, everything fit together perfectly. My second favorite song, 'When Darkness Falls' was increadible but in my opinion dragged on a bit. 'Blasphemous Bloodstorm' was my next favorite. The lyrics were cool and really catchy. '...As the Wind Blows In Darkness' was a great way to end the album again showing each individuals talent with everything fitting perfectly.
Overall the guitar riffs were clean and precise and very defined. They were easy to follow and they didnt go overboard. The bass was also very easy to pick out of the song and follow along. The drumming was amazing, it was more than just a blast beat the entire time there was a good mixture of cymbal usage bass drum and snare drum. The vocals are one of my favorite parts of the band. They are pretty heavy and brutal but still understandable and evil. One of the best parts about the music is how every song is unique and can be distinguished from the other songs. I did not find any monotonous parts of either of the cds which to me makes a great band! another good thing was that each instrument could be heard and not droned out by another. such as the guitar over powering the bass and the vocals overpowering the guitar and the drums over powering everything. Definately a 10 for both albums! |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Danowar |
| Into Obscurity |
| Ohio Bleath (err.. Blackened Death) Metal is back with "The Fire That Burns In Hell". It's more of the same music from these guys - that being equal parts primitive black metal and death metal with a slight hint of melody. The keyboard intro to "Summoning The Nocturnal Spirit" is not what I was expecting, but it turns out to be one of the more interesting things on an album that is otherwise very straightforward and lacks some dynamics. Don't get me wrong... A Gruesome Find are great at what they do. The vocals are extremely grim. The simple song structures and musicianship works in the same way that Marduk accomplishes so much in such a stripped down manner. As a matter of fact, I'd say "The Fire That Burns In Hell" sounds like a less professional, and albeit less tight, version of those Swedish black metallers - maybe with a touch of Setherial thrown in for good measure (and to account for the small melodic element which creeps into AGF's music from time to time). As far as the production goes, I don't know what to make of it. It doesn't have a bad recorded quality, but it does seem like it was mixed poorly.
These guys definitely have some potential, although it seems like their music may actually have weakened a bit since the days of their demo. The talent is there to really make a solid blackened death metal record, but there are still a few stumbling blocks in their way. |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Behemoth |
| Metal Judgement |
| Rating: 3 Skulls
Hailing from the Ohio area, A Gruesome Find consists of Naberius (vocal tyranny), Lord Miniger (razor wire, synth), Isaac Cain (lower denomination), and Death Crush (battery) - apparently an angry, malevolent group of young men. The band was established in April of 1998 by Lord Mininger (ex-Carrion) with a vision of creating extremely heavy, melodic music with atmosphere-under heavy black/death metal scenarios. The band picked its name after a guy hung himself in his garage around Halloween and people thought it was a joke.
The band's purpose is to create heavy, evil death metal music through dark and guitar driven death metal diatribes - aggressive music with no boundaries. Music style comes from an old Darkthrone phrase "True Norwegian Black Metal." There's full-throttle axe grinding, melodic guitar lines, vocal growls and shrieks, and subtle keyboards. A Gruesome Find features heavy powerful guitar tracks with extreme riffs and harmonic distortions, delivered through competent production work. The new material is fast and dark featuring seven wicked parts including "When Darkness Falls" and "Devoid of Humanity." Lyrics reflect apocalyptic ideas and progressive ideals.
Check out their bloody video - "Slaughter of the Lamb" - part food coloring, part animal entrails all thrown together in a soupy mess on a cold day in the darkened woods. The Fire that Burns in Hell is an independent release on their own label Vile Art Records, a distribution network for unsigned regional metal bands of several genres including black, death, dark ambient, etc. Being an unsigned band gives them the freedom to experiment with new ideas.
The band's goal is to express their brutal music in the darkest of ways. For the band to achieve this vision they must develop more complex compositions in to avoid their repetitive structures. The band is currently touring locally on the Ohio scene utilizing their full corpse display. |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Tom Bransfield |
| Deadtide.com |
| One of the growing number of American black metal bands, A Gruesome Find have the ability to write both truly evil and truly cheesy music. Luckily, the former is more prevalent on their debut, The Fire that Burns in Hell.
The title track stands out as a good example of what the band should be going for; fast, melodic black metal, foregoing those annoying keyboards so many acts employ these days. The production is good; everything is clearly audible and at just the right level. Vocalist Naberius employs a pretty standard (though somewhat raspy) growl and throws in some lower grunts for good measure. The quartet is capable of some extremely heavy sections as well as the standard blasting black metal; check out the beginning of Blasphemous Bloodstorm to see what I mean. A Gruesome Find has a lot going for them, but they manage to lose momentum a couple times, for a very specific reason.
Heres the problem; sections like the intro to Summoning the Nocturnal Spirit and the one about four and a half minutes into When Darkness Falls have got to go. The keyboard work here is not atmospheric; it is not evil sounding; it doesnt even fit in well with the songs. Instead, it takes away from the aggression A Gruesome Find manage to exude and give the entire release a cheesy, Dimmu-ish feeling Ugh. Also, the keyboard sections have a tendency to drag out for too long, turning a solid four minute track into a seven minute test of listening endurance.
Lets recap: the songs on The Fire that Burns in Hell are produced well, include some decent melodies, are generally pretty aggressive, and can get very heavy at times these are all good things. The keyboards detract from it all this is a bad thing. Verdict: ditch the keys and well talk; as it stands, The Fire that Burns in Hell is a decent release which could have been good had Lord Mininger shown a little more restraint with his synths.
Standout Tracks:
The Fire that Burns in Hell, Blasphemous Bloodstorm, Devoid of Humanity |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Carlaont Catalin |
| Spell of Night |
| This is the first album of the demons from the states. Stylistically this is a mixture of early Absu and Emperor of course they have also some personal elements, the songs are all over four minutes and they have a progressive touch such as in “Summoning the nocturnal spirit” that starts with a piano melody that later evolves into a black metal song but the initial melody it is kept and appears later in the song ,and there are also again some progressive combination in the rhythm and not many black metal bands dare to play in such manner. The only pure black metal song is “Blasphemous Blood storms” a song of have summoned by these four demons. There are some passages in the song “Devoid of humanity” that are making me shiver at so much anger developed, such high seed that interrupted by slow breaks and that the holocaust is unleashed again! One of my favorites songs also is “...as the wind blows in darkness” another song influenced by black metal that has some high speed passages, a pity that the speed in not kept on the entire song. This is an album to check out!
90/100 |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Metal Side webzine |
| Metal Side |
| Band's members call their music “Bleath Metal”. It suggests parody or at least that they don't think too seriously about all definitions of styles and ideologies connected with music. However, A Gruesome Find's material is serious. Well composed and well executed cannot be treated as a joke. I have read a couple of reviews on “The Fire that Burns in Hell”. Some reviewers compare A Gruesome Find to European bands as Emperor and Mayhem. I am not sure if this is good comparison. For me, Ohio's band is closer to US tradition of black/death metal, first of all to late Absu, especially when it plays fast. I don't suggest that it is Absu's clone but if I had to choose better comparison, Absu would defeat Emperor (as in real musical life although commercially more successful is Empreror). A Gruesome Find's compositions are long and varied. When fast parts dominate, I like them. When band slows down, my opinion isn't so positive, especially when A Gruesome Find starts playing more European-oriented melodic riffs. Fortunately, these parts of the album do not last too long and only in one track they are the core of its structure. The entire material will please fans of black/death metal for whom aggression and atmosphere is more important than brutality and technical displays. |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Georges |
| Pull The Chain |
| I first took a look at the slogan used by the band to describe its first cd release: « True Ohioan Bleath Metal » and to be honest it shall not help me to describe A Gruesome Find ‘s musical work as my knowledge of the Ohio death black metal scene isn’t that enormous. With face paintings, satanic surroundings, unpleasant attitudes and titles such as « Blasphemous Bloodstorm », « When Darkness Falls » or « Summoning The Nocturnal Spirit » I was expecting more of the same devilish first hour american black metal in the vein of Bloodstorm or early Absu. What I got was almost melodic, quite atmospheric black death metal. A Gruesome Find delivers mature black death metal. The sometimes-screamy vocal parts are one of the few elements that can affiliate A Gruesome Find to the black metal scene. The songwriting is good and the arrangements sufficiently mature to catch the listener’s attention, but above all, the american four piece hits all the right notes by emulating and adapting patterns already heard in both first hour death metal and melodic black. I wouldn’t write A Gruesome Find are a groundbreaking act (as the whole concept isn’t that innovative or even original) but they are extremely competent at what they play. A band to check out. |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Val |
| Metal Observer |
| These Ohioans play a mix of Black and Death Metal aptly called "Bleath Metal". If you look at the booklet these guys are obviously proud of their homestate, they play "True Ohioan Bleath Metal" and if I remember correctly Ohio isn't renowned for it's Metal scene. But, no problem with that of course! This is their first full length release after releasing several other demos.
On to the music then, their is a good balance between the Blackish and the Death side of their music, both in vocals and instrument-wise. At times there are vocal passages which start as a classic Black Metal scream and end in a Death growl creating a really cool effect. The first song, the title track, is a high speed Black Metal attack which has some very good melodic guitar riffs, and aggressive vocals that are surprisingly easy to understand, which isn't always the fact with this style. "Summoning Of The Nocturnal Spirit" kicks of with a nice keyboard intro and then shows us the more Death Metal side of A GRUESOME FIND, again great riffing.
The next songs continues in the same style, mid to high tempo, alternating Black and Death Metal style with quality melodic riffing, fine drumming and aggressive vocals. The song that shows this the best in my opinion is "Bring Forth", this really shows their qualities at best! "...As The Wind Blows In Darkness" is a great track to end the album, running at almost 9 minutes this song has the best riffs and outstanding drumwork.
Production is good, except for the Bass, which is hardly noticeable. The only negative thing I could mention here is that they aren't very original, especially in their song titles which are a tad bit boring for a Black Metal band, the execution however is very good, and I can't resist mentioning the great riffs again! Quality stuff and a great first release. |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Crepusculo |
| Metal March |
| Are you into Black Metal? Sure you are! Fan of Death Metal as well? That's great!
Now imagine what would be like to mix both of them together creating some new music style called "Bleath Metal". Sounds nice, eh?
Well, that's what A Gruesome Find name their music, "True Ohian Bleath Metal". Now there's something you don't see every day...
After a description like that it doesn't take a genious to figure out the sound of a band like this, you can expect many Black and Death Metal parts which can go from pounding drums and hard riffs to a couple of nice keyboard parts as well. The vocals are very harsh, also suitable for either Black of Death Metal style.
One thing I really enjoy here is that an album like this can, not only please both fans of Black and Death Metal, but also make new fans of Death Metal through Black Metal and the other way around. Confusing? Well, it's pretty much like this: the album starts with a pure Black Metal song entitled "The Fire That Burns In Hell", and the second song, apart from starting with a keyboard intro (and what a great one it is!), turns into a Death Metal song. And that keeps happening pretty much during the rest of the album, the variety between Black and Death Metal songs, hence Bleath Metal.
Even though some songs don't seem to capture all of my attention sometimes, I like what the band has done here. I also have to take into consideration that this is their debut album, so a future release will surely show much more maturity and some new good ideas to add to what they've done here.
As for the best song, I'd advise "Summoning The Nocturnal Spirit" and "...As The Wind Blows". I can't get tired of hearing that keyboard intro on the first one, and the other has some killer guitar riffs.
A Gruesome Find are a great band for Black/Death Metal fans to check out, and I'm sure these guys will make plenty of new fans as well. "The Fire That Burns In Hell" is a very good debut album filled with aggressive and also a couple of more melodic parts, you'll definitely be hearing a lot about these guys in the future, I guarantee you that!
Tracklist:
1. The Fire That Burns In Hell
2. Summoning Of The Nocturnal Spirit
3. When Darkness Falls
4. Blasphemous Bloodstorm
5. Bring Forth
6- Devoid Of Humanity
7. ...As The Wind Blows In Darkness
8/10 |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Scott Alisoglu |
| Live4Metal |
| Having reviewed this Ohio band’s Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse demo as a part of an interview on Live4Metal several months ago, I was pleased to get a copy of A Gruesome Find’s first full-length album, The Fire that Burns in Hell. Billing themselves as “true Ohioan Bleath Metal,” the black metal band obviously don’t take themselves too seriously, which some reviewers seemed to lose sight of. They have an appreciation of the black metal form, right down to the corpse paint, but don’t pretend to be descendents of the Scandinavian black metal hordes, nor claim to be Satan’s chosen disciples. The hardcore of the black metal elite may find this to be heresy; I say,relax, it’s just metal. Besides, the songs on the demo are pretty darn good. With a title like The Fire that Burns in Hell, it’s clear that these guys aren’t Mayhem. The album (released on Vile Art Records) is a big step forward, both in musical maturity and production. In fact, the production alone is worthy of note simply because the quality is much better than on a typical indie release. The guitars are abrasive and the sound of the rhythm section comes across as tight with more bottom end than usual for a black metal band. The style is largely traditional black metal in that the approach has a semi-barbaric quality and the use of keyboards is sparing; in the latter case, used solely to create atmosphere and accent. At seven songs and 50 minutes, I did find a few of the tunes to drag just a bit, but the point is a minor one. There is a significant groove factor on many of the songs, resulting in a less chaotic approach than some in the BM circle. A Gruesome Find won’t be mentioned in the same breath as Dark Funeral or Marduk, but they are certainly on the right track. There is more vicious black metal out there, but The Fire that Burns in Hell is still a solid release. I enjoyed all seven tracks. |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Richard Conner |
| Explicitly Intense Magazine #14 |
| This is a demo worth obtaining. AGF blend all the classic elements of Black Metal with a fresh injection of young energy. The vocals are not over the top like most upstart metal bands, instead "Naberius" hits the mark with an onslaught of dark and haunting, yet somehow melodic [sounds]. There is originality all over this disc including a piano introduction reminiscent of Dissection. AGF have all the potential to surpass all expectation. |
| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Twan Sibon |
| Brutalism |
| Black metal from Ohio (USA). Second disc and the band has evolved in the last year. Still playing fast songs with melody and various tempo breaks. Importing enchating passages in the songs. Vocals are screamy but more aggressive. Also attention to guitarleads beside the sharp riffing. I think this album is a good step forward.
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| The Fire that Burns in Hell |
| Lord Wierd |
| Mother Goat Webzine |
| Black/Death Metal, or Bleath Metal as the band call it, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on the latter, is what the debut album of A Gruesome Find from the US offers... it sounds rather American, too, although in this case it is not a bad thing. A Gruesome Find's music is mainly upper mid-tempo/faster, although not hyperspeed, with some rather good riffs scattered throughout the album, and many decent sections.
The album kicks off with a strong song, The Fire That Burns In Hell. The song is one of the faster ones, and at the same time catchy and brutal. The only real weakness in the song, a weakness that lasts through the whole album, is the slight lack of power in the sound; the sound is clear, but I think it lacks the punch that would add something to the album. It's just not brutal enough.
Anyways, after the good first song, which definitely sets the album off in a promising fashion, the second song is a slight drop in quality... it's not a bad song by any means, but it's much more mediocre. Still, it includes a few interesting moments, that keep up the interest until the third song blasts from the speakers... it's called When Darkness Falls, and is definitely the greatest song on the whole album. Apart from the redundant and annoying synth-part, this song has everything it needs to become a 'hit'; the different sections, the riffs, the vocals, everything just falls into place (apart from the aforementioned synth-bit), to create a very powerful song, that shows the true potential in A Gruesome Find.
The following song, Blasphemous Bloodstorm, is also a good song, although not as good as When Darkness Falls. However, after Blasphemous Bloodstorm the quality of the album decreases clearly with two rather boring and very mediocre songs. Luckily, the album is closed by a decent song, ...As The Wind Blows In Darkness, which includes a few annoying sections, but also a few good sections.
Overall, the slower bits on the album are the weakest ones, followed by the fastest ones. The more mid-tempo stuff is where A Gruesome Find excel. So, in the future, I hope that A Gruesome Find concentrate on the mid-tempo stuff, and try to come up with a few truly killer riffs... there is a lot of potential in A Gruesome Find to become something great, and I truly hope that they live up to the expectations I have for them. This debut CD has it's flaws and weak moments, but as a whole it is still a positive release, that is worth checking out if you don't have a very strong resentment for a mixture of Black- and Death Metal.
7/10 |
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