Review by JD on April 10, 2011.

Getting to hear a band I had not ever heard of is truly a rush of endorphins to my soul. I live, breath and eat metal... and to get to hear a new act is almost better than sex. Rhode Island product Violent History is one of those bands that I have heard nothing about going into it... and that I have barely investigated.

This RI band is a trio that hands you some very primitive Thrash with hints of Death Metal and a slice or two of Hardcore. They are fast, raw and unrefined in all aspects of their music... and that alone might say great. I’m going to let you think that way for a second - then expose this band for what it really is.

This two song EP is really raw and faster than a Humming Bird on amphetamines and expresso... that alone says nothing. With recording productions akin to listening to some fat guy in the bathroom stall next to you fighting with twenty day old constipation, and all of the originality of that turd
he passed - the smell reminds me of this album as well (Yuck). Violent History takes a stab at being a good band, and never leaves home to do it. Bad songwriting, crude recording, uninspired riffs and no imagination whatsoever gives this trio no chance at all to be even a mediocre band.

I love rawness and unrestrained music, but I do look for talent and other things as well. Violent History is one band that needs to be ignored, and payed off to never play ever again. Lacking in every category that makes a metal band good - a new career might be in order for these three guys. The Cheesecake Factory might be looking for a few good dishwashers for their places. Think about it... it just might be the best thing you can do for metal.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 4
Atmosphere: 2
Production: 1
Originality: 3
Overall:3

Rating: 2.6 out of 10

Review by Carl on August 25, 2020.

Straight from the cesspit of bubbling ooze that was created by the sound of the first Carcass albums comes US death/grind combo Cartilage. With Dialect of the Dead they dropped a full length of gory metal emanating all the vile vapors you'd want from a band like this.

As you'd already suspected perhaps, Cartilage isn't the most original band on the block but they deliver the goods with copious amounts of conviction. Musically we have to look in the direction of Exhumed's "Slaughtercult" and bands like early Frightmare, Deathtopia and General Surgery have also crossed my mind. Hardly surprising of course: those mentioned have all come forth from the root that is called Carcass, as is Cartilage. However, it was the songwriting that has gripped me, sucking me into the bog of their craft and leaving me to sink further and further down. Helped by a clear and loud production, Cartilage tear through a collection of aggressive death metal fused with a generous helping of sick grindcore, with hooks aplenty that ensure that this nasty little platter burrows itself deep into your brain. The music is excellently executed, with sick riffing and a pounding approach to percussion. In Mark Wallace the band has a beast of a vocalist in their ranks, going from bellowing grunts to ear-shredding shrieks on the turn of a dime. Cartilage go for the direct approach and do not lose themselves in unnecessary technicality, this to great effect, they go right for the jugular. My favorite song is the title track with its dissonant riffing and pulverizing middle part, you try to sit still listening to that.

This is a great album that every fan of the so called "gore metal" genre should at least listen to once. Granted, it's not the most original one, but it's got the power and the songs to convince most goremongers out there. What also should be mentioned is that the artwork and layout of the CD look absolutely gorgeous, making Dialect of the Dead a package you should not miss out on.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by JD on April 10, 2011.

Getting to hear a band I had not ever heard of is truly a rush of endorphins to my soul. I live, breath and eat metal... and to get to hear a new act is almost better than sex. Rhode Island product Violent History is one of those bands that I have heard nothing about going into it... and that I have barely investigated.

This RI band is a trio that hands you some very primitive Thrash with hints of Death Metal and a slice or two of Hardcore. They are fast, raw and unrefined in all aspects of their music... and that alone might say great. I’m going to let you think that way for a second - then expose this band for what it really is.

This two song EP is really raw and faster than a Humming Bird on amphetamines and expresso... that alone says nothing. With recording productions akin to listening to some fat guy in the bathroom stall next to you fighting with twenty day old constipation, and all of the originality of that turd
he passed - the smell reminds me of this album as well (Yuck). Violent History takes a stab at being a good band, and never leaves home to do it. Bad songwriting, crude recording, uninspired riffs and no imagination whatsoever gives this trio no chance at all to be even a mediocre band.

I love rawness and unrestrained music, but I do look for talent and other things as well. Violent History is one band that needs to be ignored, and payed off to never play ever again. Lacking in every category that makes a metal band good - a new career might be in order for these three guys. The Cheesecake Factory might be looking for a few good dishwashers for their places. Think about it... it just might be the best thing you can do for metal.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 4
Atmosphere: 2
Production: 1
Originality: 3
Overall:3

Rating: 2.6 out of 10

Review by JD on April 10, 2011.

Getting to hear a band I had not ever heard of is truly a rush of endorphins to my soul. I live, breath and eat metal... and to get to hear a new act is almost better than sex. Rhode Island product Violent History is one of those bands that I have heard nothing about going into it... and that I have barely investigated.

This RI band is a trio that hands you some very primitive Thrash with hints of Death Metal and a slice or two of Hardcore. They are fast, raw and unrefined in all aspects of their music... and that alone might say great. I’m going to let you think that way for a second - then expose this band for what it really is.

This two song EP is really raw and faster than a Humming Bird on amphetamines and expresso... that alone says nothing. With recording productions akin to listening to some fat guy in the bathroom stall next to you fighting with twenty day old constipation, and all of the originality of that turd
he passed - the smell reminds me of this album as well (Yuck). Violent History takes a stab at being a good band, and never leaves home to do it. Bad songwriting, crude recording, uninspired riffs and no imagination whatsoever gives this trio no chance at all to be even a mediocre band.

I love rawness and unrestrained music, but I do look for talent and other things as well. Violent History is one band that needs to be ignored, and payed off to never play ever again. Lacking in every category that makes a metal band good - a new career might be in order for these three guys. The Cheesecake Factory might be looking for a few good dishwashers for their places. Think about it... it just might be the best thing you can do for metal.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 4
Atmosphere: 2
Production: 1
Originality: 3
Overall:3

Rating: 2.6 out of 10

Review by Arek on July 30, 2017.

When looking through tons of submitted promos, an amazingly interesting musical bite fell into my paws. oltreLuna is the second album, and the third official release of this Italian trio signed by Avantgarde Music. This interplanetary digipak hides more than 55 minutes of hard to define music. I am a representative of the part of that particular group of homo sapiens, which spends most of their lives surrounded by music. I absorb quite a lot of different genres of it, but my metal-laced taste does not always acknowledge the avant-garde bands. Is Progenie Terrestre Pura avant-garde? In a sense, YES but is it still metal? Three times YES! If we agree that Nocturnus in their space death metal were reaching Mars, then PTP’s atmospheric / electronic black metal soars far beyond the boundaries of the solar system.

Music offered by those Italians is characterized by high levels of emotion and energy. In the elaborate compositions you can hear the echoes of their debut U.M.A., but in all this melodic / electronic / industrial insulation there is more brutality and black metal hooks. Instruments were extracted from electronic boxes. Even programmed drums sound more natural here. We have the impression that the classic BM band is decorated with sci-fi samples. In the beginning of 'Pianeta.Zero', after a short introduction we get a black metal kick in the butt, which, as if in the rain of asteroids, weakens and grows. Those hoarse guitar sounds have such power! The second song slams you in the face from the very beginning. Whoever survives it will have the chance to regenerate in the latter part of this number. There are cosmic tastes there that intertwine with the ethnic ones. The title track is a continuation of the ethnic / shamanic sounds of the new civilization, but with good pounding after less than 3 minutes of play. 'Deus.Est.Machina' opens with electro-sci-fi sounds just to remind you after a long stretch about the power of angry black. Also in the finishing 'Proxima: B' after a quiet start the Italians vent off the accumulated energy. Although "B" is supposed to be a planet of the earthly type, there is no peace and quiet to be found there. More than 15 minutes of contact with the vision of being on it shows its beauty, but also the hostility of new beings. That's oltreLuna for me. 

What do I like and appreciate on this album? For the atmosphere - a little nervous and restless. Sometimes beautiful but brutal, as befits a chunk of black metal. For energy – it does not lull us with its atmosphere. No boredom in there! For a very characteristic for black metal harshness. Is it a record for everyone? Certainly not. I was torn to pieces by this play on melody of emotions and energy, so I encourage everyone to check out if the musical post-black-fantasy dose served by this Italian trio will work just as well for you. Listen to this album loud! I'm going to enjoy this album some more, so see you somewhere in the interstellar space.

Rating: 8.9 out of 10