Raven's Review: The Deranged - We're Deranged

"Deranged is coming after you!"

Today I'm going to be taking a long hard look at one of the fresh and thrashy bands coming straight out of the lovely lovely Psychobilly scene in Southern California.

Truth be told I've been a big fan of this project for a long, long time, even before they had released their full-length album, seeing as I've been in contact with the band's bassist Max before the lunatics hit the studio, so with that little warning out of the way let's get straight into the review.

The debut album from the Southern California Thrash-Psychobilly lunatics The Deranged was released on March 1st, 2023 and was largely self-published, with the first official physical release coming through Lycans Den. (link to be added)

The Deranged is a three piece band consisting of 

Jacob aka Jake The Ripper on Guitar and Lead Vocals

Max aka Max Gein on Upright Bass and Backup Vocals

Clarinda aka Coco C on Drums

(Edit 4/10/24: Max and Jake split vocal duties on the album, Max sings on songs like: 6ix Houses Down, Aliens, Pigz, IT.)

The album was recorded/engineered by Cesar Mijia and Eddie Rivas

The album was produced by Lysa Flores and Maximiliano Flores

The album features 14 songs, including 3 instrumentals and 5 cover songs (correct me if I'm wrong in the comments)

The tracklist is as follows:

1. NOS, 1 minute 50 seconds (instrumental)

2. Aliens, 2 minutes 37 seconds

3. Astro Hell, 3 minutes 5 seconds

4. We're Deranged, 2 minutes 25 seconds

5. Derangenomics, 1 minute 4 seconds

6. 6ix Houses Down, 2 minutes flat

7. Cum n Giddit, 33 seconds (instrumental)

8. Pigz, 2 minutes 32 seconds

9. Can't Hardly Stand It, 2 minutes 18 seconds (cover)

10. J.A.N.B, 3 minutes 4 seconds

11. It, 2 minutes 21 seconds (cover?)

12. King of da Hizzie, 1 minute 7 seconds (cover?)

13. She Said, 3 minutes 32 seconds (cover)

14. Proud Mary (Wreckin' By The River), 2 minutes 16 seconds. (cover?)

1. NOS, 8/10

NOS is a fine start to the album, introducing the listener to the gritty production and fast but tight playing of the band, showing beautiful licks from Jake as well as the tight rhythm section that is Max and Clarinda following beautifully behind on the bass and drums. The song works perfectly to set the pace and get you hyped up for the listening experience that is about to come. For some the gritty production can be a minus but for me, it ties everything together nicely. 8/10 for a beautiful start.

2. Aliens, 9/10

Getting to the real meat and bones of the album now with the first full song, Aliens starts off again with a beautiful slow descent into the madness that is The Deranged. The lyrics are fun and the chorus section is catchy and definitely a great thing to shout a few beers deep on a good night. I often found myself humming the intro lick to the song to myself whenever I was doing something during the day, great writing on Jake's part. 9/10

3. Astro Hell, 9/10

A frantic song about being trapped in hell? Who doesn't love that, this song I feel encompasses everything that makes The Deranged great as a band, you hear Jake quite literally howling and shouting, slinging riffs and chords in your face like machine gun fire, Not to mention the beautiful bass intro by Max and the consistent rhythm and pace he keeps up for the whole song, seeing how sweaty he gets in videos of them playing this song just puts it into perspective how this band puts everything into their playing as they step out onto the stage, and that is something all musicians can admire.

Clarinda does a fantastic job behind the kit as always, keeping a tight ship behind the band, big kudos to them for all their work on this album as well o7. 

9/10, a good song to introduce the band to someone.

4. We're Deranged, 9/10

The title track and first official single the band ever released onto streaming platforms. We're Deranged tells you everything you need to know, it is quite literally the introductory song to The Deranged, I don't think I need to say any more, listen for yourself and wreck along. 9/10

5. Derangenomics, 8/10

Probably the most batshit insane song on the album, it is short, it is tight, it is just a full-blown assault on the ears in the best possible way with dakka dakka drums and beautifully piercing guitar work, it's just a nice filler song to get the listener jamming along. And remember, Deranged is coming after you! 8/10

6. 6ix Houses Down, 10/10 (Personal Favourite)

Now this song is what I think of whenever I think of a beautiful Psychobilly song at its core, punky guitars, tight bass, driving drums and stories about serial killers. Nothing more a psycho could want from a song. The song boasts one of the best intro's on the whole album with the guitar riff reminiscent of a clock ticking down to your death at the hands of the Axeman, in every possible way I consider this song to be the best song The Deranged have put together so far, and if any future material is anything like this, I will be shouting off the rooftops for this band. 10/10

7. Cum n Giddit 6.5/10

A short and sweet interlude to introduce us to the B-sides of the album, I don't have much to say about this as a song besides that.

8. Pigz, 8.5/10

Pigz, a song full of Barnyard Ballers type vibes and distorted guitars for days, it's a wonderful way to start off the B-side songs with songs about murdering and burning "Pigz" and smoking weed of course, it's a killer song and a good song to jump in the pit to for sure. 8.5/10

9. Can't Hardly Stand It, 9/10

The first cover on the album starts off killer, with the deep bass slaps from Max underneath Jake wailing into the microphone before they kick off into pure murder makes this song the stand out track from the B side songs for me personally. I often found myself coming back to this song after listening to the full album purely just for the raw vocals that Jake delivers here. The trio really made this song their own in my personal opinion. 9/10

10. J.A.N.B, 8/10

I don't have much I want to say about this song besides the fact that it feels like Jake is a little drunk at some parts of the song on vocals, that's about anything original I have to say hahaha. Great song and probably the best mix on the bass this album has out of all 14 songs, big props to Max and Lysa. 8/10

11. It, 8/10

Beautiful guitar tone for the intro, reminds me a lot of Koffin Kats with a tinge of black metal esq production. I love Jake's lyrical delivery as an evil narrator with that snotty snarl, and the overall atmosphere the whole song creates makes me want hit the gym. 8/10

12. King of da Hizzie, 6.5/10

A quick instrumental to lead us into She Said, just another showcase of beautiful musicianship from the trio, nothing more needed to be said. 6.5/10

13. She Said, 9/10

If you ever want to feel like you're going absolutely fucking mental while hanging out with The Deranged, look no further than this track, I can't listen to it without cracking up and smiling purely because you can just hear how much fun the trio was having in the studio as they recorded this beautiful cover, hands down the funnest song to listen to on the entire album. 9/10

14. Proud Mary (Wreckin' By The River) 7/10

A beautiful conversion of a rockin' song, though it's not my favourite it is a great song to wrap up such a consistent album on, the guitar is mixed to be literally in your face and I can hear Clarinda smash the shit out of her cymbals, it's a noisy, thrashy, very metallic tasting song and I like it.

All in all the album clocks in at 30 minutes and 49 seconds long, I give it a strong 8.5 to 9 out of 10, my most listened to album of 2023 and probably all-time soon for a reason. 

A beautiful song filled with just enough content to enjoy it from one song to another, a big shout out to The Deranged on my part as a fan. And an even bigger shout out to my man Max, I owe you at least a few beers if and when I come over stateside - J

Links

The Deranged on Facebook

The Deranged on Instagram

Important links of The Deranged

Raven's Reviews: Rawoil - Last Day

 "Moments before, the end of it all, Last Day is coming, to settle the score"

Tracklist

1. Moments Before... , 0 minutes 26 seconds
2. Overdose, 4 minutes 27 seconds
3. Change, 3 minutes 48 seconds
4. Diagnosis, 0 minutes 27 seconds
5. Incurable, 3 minutes, 10 seconds
6. Sky Burns Red, 4 minutes 16 seconds
7. Trancendence, 1 minute 20 seconds
8. Wonderland, 2 minutes 30 seconds
9. Last Day, 6 minutes 21 seconds
Total: 26 minutes 45 seconds

Rawoil consists of 4 members;
Jere L. - Guitar, Vocals
Sakari H. - Guitar
Miika R. - Drums
Miikka K. - Bass

The thrash bastards from Pentinmaa, Finland have dropped a new, hard hitting album for the pleasure of all of us who love their metal fast, aggressive and chaotic. 'Last Day' is the second full length album from Rawoil, so let's get into it!

'Last Day' was released on November 3rd, 2023

1. Moments Before... , 7.5/10

Moments Before is a fairly standard acoustic intro song featuring a distorted spoken word intro, by composition it is very beautiful and gives a nice slow atmospheric style start to the album, letting us know that our final moments are upon us. 

Verdict: 7.5/10, a great start

2. Overdose, 8.5/10

Opening the album off heavy with the first full track is Overdose, a noisy, chug filled assault on the ears with a bass tone to die for and enough groove to smash through a brick wall, this whole song is just unfiltered, unapologetic riff heaven from start to finish with Jere and Sakari blasting out their heaviest riffs and tastiest licks over the frantic rhythm section of M and M.

The mixing on this song is damn beautiful, hearing it for the first time in Jere's Chevy Shed was an experience that had my eyes wide with surprise, every instrument stands out beautifully in the mix, and the ovrall atmosphere and energy of the playing translates beautifully through.

Not to mention the screams coming straight out of a mental institution.

Jere sounds like a mix of Judas Priest and Stalaggh just belting his voice out into the microphone, giving the song, and in truth their whole discography a very consistent sound.

Verdict: 8.5/10, Groovy, Heavy and Manic, everything Thrash needs

3. Change, 8/10

Though not as heavy as Overdose in my opinion, Change as a song is nonetheless drenched in groove and disgustingly great guitar tone, as well as filled with frantic riffs and a rhythm section that makes an anti-aircraft battery seem like a handgun.

The main riff of the song reminds me a lot of good old Thrash from the 80's with a mix of some 2000's influence and the background lead guitars bring a very Atmo-Black vibe to the playing that I very much like.

Verdict: 8/10, a good modern Thrash song, fitting well into any Thrash playlist.

4-5. Diagnosis / Incurable. 10/10 (Personal Favourite)

Incurable and the interlude leading up to it (Diagnosis) are what I would consider by far the best playing on the album, everything is tight, nasty and best of all, manufactured to make you bash your head along like a nutjob.

Out of all the songs on the album, Incurable has been on loop the most, it has loads of energy and a beautiful rhythm section to make you march along to the whole song. The track reminds me a lot of songs like 'Expendable Youth' by Slayer and 'Down for Life' by Testament, and I feel like anyone in need of good, heavy music for maxing out a personal record at a gym should have Incurable on the list.

And if the listener is has keen ears, towards the end of the song there is the sounds of a heartbeat monitor slowly coming to a flatline to pronounce you, just like the song, as done for.

Verdict: 10/10, the song I'd recommend anyone getting into Rawoil to listen to.

6. Sky Burns Red, 9/10

A song fitting the current situation of the world, Sky Burns Red is as some could guess by the title alone, a song about war, with the situation right now in Ukraine and what's happening in the Gaza strip, this song was released at an eerily apt time. According to Jere, the song was written shortly before the war in Ukraine kicked off.

Nonetheless the song is filled to the brim with great riffs and melodic parts reminiscent of Death, if I could say so, fitting right up the alley of the Godfather of Death Metal, Mr. Chuck Schuldiner (Rest in Peace).

Composition wise, Sky Burns Red sounds and feels like being forced to watch as cities get flattened and ruined by nonstop bombardment and shelling. Riff after riff the song just gets more and more dreadful and hard hitting, not slowing down for long periods of time or wasting any precious seconds to let you get your attention away.

Verdict: 9/10, for anyone who likes bands such as Havok or Warbringer, this song is right up your alley.

7. Trancendence, 7/10

Going off the acoustic riff that can be heard in the opening song 'Moments Before...'

Trancendence expands on the atmosphere of what the intro beautifully showed us and leads us down the rabbit hole, into the next song on the list.

8. Wonderland, 9/10

It's not often when I hear a band sound so similar to Testament that it makes me wonder if the rifflord that is Eric Peterson himself is behind the train that is the chugging guitars. Wonderland is full of riffs that belong straight into a 'The Gathering' demo collection, which I personally love.

Though Wonderland is a very short song, it does a great job of getting the listener hooked right from the get-go, starting with a beautiful groove before descending into madness that will leave anyone who loves the manic sound of Rawoil smiling like Chesire the Cat. (puns intended)

Jere, vocally on this song sounds the closest to what I think someone who escaped from Arkham Asylum would sound like if instead of crime, they picked up the guitar and microphone, demented screaming and shifty eyes all around.

Verdict: 9/10, If you don't like this song, Off with your Head!

9. Last Day, 9/10

Drawing straight out of the books of bands such as Sentenced, Amorphis and Trio Niskalaukaus, the final song and title track for the album is as tough as nails and hard as bedrock. Having the pleasure of hearing this before release and talking to Jere, he described this song as the band's "Epic" like that of Väinämöinen, and I would 100% agree.

Last Day is almost 7 minutes of the best riffage and groove that Rawoil can pour into a single song, featuring a solo from both guitarists and by far the most complex drummage from Miika that left me in awe upon first listen, from start to finish the song gets better and better, and with each listen you can unpack more and more layers off the song. This song if any, I would love to see performed live.

And a nice little detail for those who listened to the album front to back more than once, Last Day ends perfectly so that it goes into 'Moments Before...' creating a loop of the album, telling the story over and over.

Verdict: 9/10, fitting of the description of the band's "epic"

Overall the album is a great full-length sledgehammer of a Thrash release, I was very excited to get to make a proper review of it, and now that everyone in the public eye can experience the manic, tight playing of Rawoil, I'm glad to shine some eyes on them some more!

Verdict: 9/10, one of the better modern Thrash albums to date in my books without question.

Links
Rawoil on Metal Archives
Rawoil on Instagram
Rawoil on Facebook

Raven's Review: Arseeni - Saastaa

Finally a release I've waited a long time to finally get my hands on!
Arseeni is a 3 piece Hardcore Punk / Noisey Metal band from Heinola consisting of members: Reea - Lead Vocals , Jimi - Guitar , Patrik - Drums
And their new EP 'Saastaa' is a three song musical assault on the senses in the best way possible

The Tracklist:

1. Polvet Ikkunaan, 2 minutes 26 seconds

2. Huuda Mulle, 4 minutes 4 seconds

3. Laaksos Lomal, 2 minutes 27 seconds
In total: 8 minutes 55 seconds

Let's get right into the meat and bones of this great release.

1. Polvet Ikkunaan 8/10

Though I am more a fan of the raw sound of the demo that Arseeni has posted on their YouTube channel, I feel like this more polished and well rounded full song still has a lot of punch and energy to it that it hasn't lost from said demo. The intro riff is mean, getting you right in the face with a proper suckerpunch as you start off, the simple three chord intro begins the downwards descent into insanity and screaming to ensue.

Jimi has very clean playing throughout the whole song in what I would describe as a perfectly sloppy accurate, very punk playing and the background solo proves that he is also very proficient in picking up the "slack" of his playing for a more well rounded approach.

Reea, performing vocal duties does an amazing job here, though it's a lot less achey on the throat that the original demo is, her screams and gritty shouting are precise, she doesn't stumble over words, nor does she mince them, letting loose over the already noisy instrumental with a nice kick of energy. And I must say that the lyrics are amazing, the chorus is among the best I've heard from younger bands period and they have an angry poetry to them that is well expressed.

Patrik, the man behind the drum kit does an immense job of filling out the guitar shredding and the screaming of his fellow bandmates, with an amazing mixing job on the drums, the cymbals, snare and bass drum shine through beautifully to show the beatdown happening behind the band, big props for the great double bass playing. 

Verdict: 8/10, amazing start to the EP

2. Huuda Mulle 10/10 (Personal Favourite)

This song has it all, groovy rhythms, beautiful melodic singing, great bass playing and a chorus filled pure hatred and melancholy, accurately portraying the anger some people can feel towards others. Definitely my favourite from this release.

The guitar playing on this track is superb, the lead guitar channel provides a beautiful cutthroat like sound that carries the listener down the path to scream their lungs out alongside Reea. The rhythm guitar is what I can only accurately describe as being smashed in with a clawhammer, tight boxy chugs accompanied with the bass gives it a lovely wide boom that really gets a guitarist like me to throw a nasty stankface on and chug along on air guitar. Well done Jimi.

Reea on this track is definitely the rawest I've heard her go across all the demoes and songs I've heard thus far, just hearing her belt out the chorus section on this song makes me want to join along, just grab a microphone and scream out all the aggression that lives pent up within. But she also shows an incredible singing voice fitting of more lovey dovey rock or blues songs, I have to appreciate the versatility and the amazing performance.

And once again the human drum machine Patrik does a lethal job on the kick drums, blasting pure machine guns and delivering an ungodly amount of groove throughout the whole song, I would listen to this song for just the drums alone.

Verdict: 10/10, if anything, listen to this song to get a feel for Arseeni at their grooviest. 

3. Laaksos Lomal 8/10

A song about being locked into the psych ward and forced to take drugs? Now that is something I can definitely get behind.

Regardless this song is brutal, the lyrics paint a beautifully fucked up picture of mental illness and some of the stories regarding people suffering from mental illness, or at least the fear that some mentally ill people have.

Reea does a great job on this song of going absolutely mental on the song, her delivery on the track almost rivals 'Huuda Mulle' in terms of aggression, the lyrics are great and like with the last two songs, the band have a knack for making really good screamable hooks to their songs, this song makes me want to jump in the pit and just go crazy.

Jimi, like the last two songs proves he can do an amazing job at keeping the groove up, the guitars set a beautiful atmosphere to the whole song and the chugs are just as they should to my ears. (I'm assuming) his bass playing on the track is also superb, he can definitely handle his instruments well. Instrumentally this band has everything to win me over from the get go, not to mention the beautiful producing on the EP that lets each member shine through in their own way.

This song serves as a great track to end the EP on, infectiously groovy and undoubtedly heavy, this EP is one for the books for fans of heavier punk sounds akin to Harkko or Rytmihäiriö

Final Verdict: I'll give this EP a strong 9.25/10, it is exactly what I wanted to hear from the band's first EP and it even exceeded my expectations, I can't wait to see where they take their soundscape from here and how the band will evolve from this release onwards. I wish the trio all the best for the years to come and a big kudos for such a great release.

P.S Arseeni is still in search of a bassist, if you think you have what it takes, look at their requirements and try your luck! - Judas

LINKS

Arseeni on YouTube

Arseeni on Instagram

Raven's Review: Moreless - Little Grey Men

 "The Game You're Playing is a Dead Man's Roulette"

Brand spanking new Finnish Psychobilly from a little ways north, Moreless is a five piece band consisting of:
Riku  - Upright Bass 
Aleksi  - Guitar
Veera - Lead Vocals
Tommi - Lead Vocals
Juuso - Drums 

Moreless plays what the band themselves would call "Morebilly" which is basically just a combination of Billy genres, blues and the sort, though a fairly newer band in the scene, they have a very consistent sound and most importantly, they look like they have fun whenever they play

I first came into contact with the band on complete accident, I was at a gig up north, getting my first real proper big Psychobilly experience when I bumped into Riku, their bass player, I saw him with his Moreless patch just walking through the crowd and thought that the logo looked peculiar enough for me to look them up after the gig.

And funnily enough after the gig I ended up seeing a few clips shot by Riku (if my memory serves right) and ended up hitting him up. After a little conversing we hit it off (at least in my mind, correct me if I'm wrong R. o7). He told me he played bass for the band Moreless and after that I'd kept my eyes peeled for new content, and after a little wait, it finally arrived.

Moreless's debut EP 'Little Grey Men' came out on July 7th of this year (2023) a few days after my birthday, like a lovely belated birthday gift that was definitely not just a gift for me.

The EP was recorded in Ylämylly at a studio called the Purple Room which also occasionally acts as the band's training flat if I understood right. The mixing and mastering was done by Sampo Kinnunen.

What I do know though that this EP is 4 original songs that serve as a great introduction to the sound of Morebilly hahaha.

Here's the Tracklist:

1. Dead Man's Roulette, 3 minutes 8 seconds

2. Ghosts, 2 minutes 32 seconds

3. Monsters of the Night, 2 minutes 27 seconds

4. Little Grey Men, 3 minutes 8 seconds

Coming out to a nice breezy 11 minutes and 17 seconds of playtime from start to finish.

So let's get right into the meat and bones.

1. Dead Man's Roulette, 9/10 (Personal Favourite)

Starting us off, what better way to introduce a rocking band than a song about gambling, and gambling with your life no less, the intro starts off with a beautiful raunchy riff from Aleksi that ends up repeating through a lot of the song in one way or another, making for a really consistent foundation for an already great sounding song.

The next thing to come straight to your ears is the beautifully mixed, walking bass line delivered by the smiley man Riku, tightly played and very fitting accompaniment to what Aleksi plays through the song so big props for the instrumentalists for the composition! 

Another big plus for the song in my opinion is the chorus, it's catchy and definitely something that makes for a great little shout for those sweet crowd participation moments, Tommi's vocal delivery on the song reminds me a lot of another great Finnish psychobilly band 'The Bullet Biters'

Overall, it's a song that's amazingly composed, amazingly performed and well mixed, serving as a great start to the EP so far. 9/10

2. Ghosts, 7/10

A slower song about paranormal activities and midnight shenanigans, showing off the more melodic side of the band and introducing the second vocalist Veera. The vocals have a tinge of that Imelda May vibe to them, though Veera's delivery is a lot more soft-spoken, well fitting the song and how it's performed. 

The guitars and the bass of the song reminds me a lot of more melodic Nekromantix material, it has a lot of that Sandorff-Nekroman type chemistry to it to my ears, again it's a well mixed and performed song, I just think it's not the strongest one on this EP but a great song for sure. 7/10

3. Monsters of the Night, 7.5/10

We all have our own tales of monsters in the night right? Moreless sure does, a beautifully melodic track with just the right amount of raunchiness to it to keep the ear listening and the foot tapping. The first song to feature both Tommi and Veera on vocals on the same track, showing off the nice blend between soft melodies and gritty rock 

Though you hear a bit of the good old 'Finglish' accent in a few parts, the lyrics are good, the chorus is a good sing along type reminiscent of Tiger Army and the sort and as always the instrumentalia is top notch. Overall it's a tight track with just the right amount of humanity in it for me to like it. 7.5/10

4. Little Grey Men, 8/10

And finally the title track of the whole EP, starting off with a groovy intro with that lovely scifi flavour to it, the song has a lot of the same vibes and quirks to it that The Nevrotix' catalogue has with the grit of songs like 'Out of This World' from De La Rocka. I've always loved songs that feel like I'm reading a comic book about aliens and the distant future and this song definitely makes me feel just that.

Featuring wacky sound effects, the groove to make you bop from side to side for hours if you had the song on loop and a well mixed, if not a little funny sounding vocal ensemble, the vibes are just right for this one, making a great addition to all your Sci-fi music needs. A strong 8/10

All in all I definitely recommend checking out the full EP and keeping an eye out for these Morebilly maniacs, this is a solid first punch into the sonicsphere of Psychobilly and adjacent genres, I'm giving the whole EP an 8/10. It is a solid, tight and well mixed EP and I'm excited to get a physical copy of it if that's possible in the future. 

The band is also set to record and release a full-length album sometime next year, rumours say early next year, and there are plans for a full row of physical copies and probably other great merch items to roll out with it so keep your eyes peeled on Moreless! - Judas

LINKS

Moreless on Instagram

Moreless on Facebook

Moreless on YouTube

Unholy Beginnings

Good Evening Sicko's and Psycho's,
I am J.S and I will be the main voice behind Crow's Tombstone

My plan for this blogspot is simple. I want to voice my opinions on the music I come across, people I meet and/or work with during my tenure in different scenes all across the board, I also plan to post reviews of new songs I come across and possibly conduct some interviews with the people behind what we hear and see live. But before we get into the blood and meat of things, I want to more formally introduce the voice behind this project.

So as I stated at the very start of this post, the moniker I go here by is J.S, I am a guitarist and vocalist in a solo project of my own and have had a few different musical ventures in the past 5 years ranging from Psychedelic Rock to Black Metal. I also plan to get a proper touring band together at some point, as well as work with other musicians in the scenes I inhabit. 

[If you think we could make something together, feel free to send me a message on my Instagrams (@crows_tombstone, @w4sting.4way) or send me a mail at crowstombstone@gmail.com]

My taste in music is very wide and I enjoy pretty much every genre under the sun from Jazz to Grindcore, Pop to Country and beyond, however this little tomb of mine shall focus mainly on Rock, Metal and it's various subgenres, with the occasional Country post strewn about in the midst if I feel it is something people would be interested in among all the other genres and their respective listeners.

But without further ado, The Crow's Tombstone has been visited, stop by again to hear the latest screams and dreams. I will try my best to post once a week, or once every two weeks with something new.

With the grave's cold regards. - J.S