As much as I bitch about summer and hot weather, I have my yearly tradition to hail in the dread season. I get myself a cold drink, usually a nice wheat beer, and blast Brave New World and the air-conditioner. I’m not a complete sociopath; I’ll have the shades up so my apartment is light and sunny. It’s like the most comfortable igloo with the best ambiance.

But I decided to switch it up a bit this year. Summer is also the time for kitschy, joke meta,l and while Lordi’s last release, Babez for Breakfast, was unbearably mediocre, I have my arsenal of equally campy bands to make up for it. Some might protest to my inclusion of Witchery under this banner, but, come on now. The album is called Dead, Hot, and Ready, for God’s sake.

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Describing Swedish melodeath supergroup Witchery back in May, Vince wrote that “their sound is decidedly thrashy; think faster Slayer-style with hints of death metal influence.” Maybe that explains why, as much as I admire these dudes’ day jobs, I’ve never gotten that into Witchery. I don’t think they’re bad; they just don’t do much for me. It’s telling that my favorite Witchery song is “Ashes,” a trick which is in no way indicative of their sound.

The band also plays up the melodeath aspects of the music on “From Dead to Worse,” the new song they’re streaming on MySpace, which must be why I like it. It’s not nearly as epic as “Ashes,” and I may very well forget how the chorus goes ten minutes after I finish writing this. But it’s definitely a good song.

Check it out for yourself. Witchery’s latest, Witchkrieg, is set for a June 29th North American release via Century.

-AR

• Razormaze: It’s pretty hard to be a new thrash band in 2010 without being lumped in with all the re-thrash bands of the past 3 years. Those that have been successful at avoiding the generic genre tag either a) have a sense of humor about their music (i.e. Municipal Waste, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder) or b) incorporate other influences into their style (i.e. Revocation, Lazarus A.D.) or both. Boston thrash outfit Razormaze definitely fall into category (b) by blending thrash with a slew of other influences, and at least musically they seem to fall into category (a) as well [though I haven't spent any time with their lyrics]. The bottom of line is that Razormaze are really good and worth your listening time; download their 3 song EP Miseries for free at their Bandcamp page. [Thanks: Jordan Munson]
• Witchery: Not a new band by any means, Witchery have amongst their ranks an all-star cast of metal musicians: Jensen (guitars) of The Haunted, Rickard Rimfält (guitars) of Séance, Sharlee D’Angelo (bass) from Arch Enemy and Spiritual Beggars, and Martin Axenrot (drums) of Opeth and Bloodbath. Though their lineup is filled with a bunch of Swede melodeth and death metal vets, their sound is decidedly thrashy; think faster Slayer-style with hints of death metal influence, as opposed to the slightly more lighthearted brand offered by Razormaze. The upcoming album Witchkrieg, set for a June 29th North American release, features the debut of new vocalist Legion (ex-Marduk, ex-Devian), another fellow Swede.

-VN