XENOMORPHIC CONTAMINATION:

• Chasm Of No Return (2014, EP) Yay, another band that starts with X! Xenomorphic Contamination sound a bit like Decrepit Birth mixed with Arkaik, Hour Of Penance and "F" album era Morbid Angel. Strong riffs help the band rise above similar entities. Also pretty insane drumming provided by Davide Billia, this guy has the most even sounding double bass I have ever seen, talk about cybernetic legs. Vocals are midranged growls. Very enjoyable EP, nothing earth shattering but high quality all the way.
• Colonized From The Inside (2016) Sadly, I found this album a little lacking compared to their first EP. First, production wise, I appreciate the super low detuned sound, but like the new Septycal Gorge, I'm finding the sound kind of muffled. Since two songs on this album are from their EP, its pretty easy to A/B the songs, and I definitely feel the EP versions work better due to their mix. It's just easier to appreciate the riffs without quite as much distorted noise. Songwise, there's plenty of brutality, but the songs don't have a lot of variety, and so everything kind of blends together, without enough super memorable hooks to grab the listener. Overall, there's nothing wrong with the album, the performance is good, the songs are decent and the mix is ok, but it doesn't rise up to the spectacular level that I had hoped for. Check it out, but I'm hoping their next album may have worked out some of the kinks.
  

XERATH:

• I (2009)
  
• II (2011) Finally, band that starts with the letter X for my reviews page :) Xerath could best be described as symphonic blackened death metal. It has some similarities to bands such as Behemoth, but with many extra elements. The music is more complex with a lot of Meshuggah-like poly rhythms. Lots of keyboards, samples and symphonic elements in all the songs give it that "Army of banshees screaming from atop the mountain" feel. Speaking of screaming, the vocals are for the most part screamed in a black metal sorta way. Overall, even with so many elements going on, the band manages to make them all blend seamlessly. The music is complex without going over the top, the sound is super powerful and the symphonic elements are used perfectly to add atmosphere (they also give the music a bit of that soundtrack feel, like this album is the music for some huge epic medieval battle film). Pretty impressed with these guys, worth checking out.
• III (2014) Pretty similar to "II", but a few of the band's elements are more prominent this time, while others take a more backseat roll. Specifically, the symphonic parts are a bit bigger, while the metal elements are a bit more subdued, especially earlier in the album. Like the first track 'I Hold Dominion' seems almost more like stadium rock, imagine Whitesnake with black metal vocals, maybe even a little Devin Townsend feel. Track 2 '2053' goes a little more to their metal style, with chunky guitars and double bass. But the first really strong metal song is track 4, 'Autonomous', which is fast metal with all the heaviness of the strongest material on their previous album. Some great grooves, I love 'Ironclad', it has a really unique main riff. If you like the band's mix of styles, I think you'll dig this one too, but maybe a bit more thrashiness all the way through next time please.
  

• Madre Mia Gracia Por Los Dias (2010)
• Hasta La Muerte (2012)
• Tierra Y Libertad (2015) A death metal / sludge metal band from Pomona California. If I had to come up with a comparison, I'd say imagine a cross between the heavier parts of Gojira and Obituary. So a combo of midpaced pummeling and slow sludgy riffs. Soundwise, they have a big wall of sound (thanks to multiple guitar overdubs and a highly distorted bass), but unlike say Obituary, the sound is very dirty, it has an unpolished feel. This slight under-production could come off as unprofessional, but they ride the line perfectly and instead it comes across as making their sound more raw and nasty. Vocals are midranged shouts, both in English and Spanish. Overall, I'd imagine that molten lava pouring from a volcano sounds a little like this. This album is heavy as fuck, they have some nice memorable riffs (I especially like 'Guerilla'), and the performance is vicious. Well worth checking out.