Supposedly, the guitarist for extreme metallists Malzan -- Tobias Buck -- was recently looking to pursue his interest in "hardcore and Swedish death metal." Hence, the formation of his side project,
Neaera. But the end result isn't that far removed from his full-time gig, as evidenced by
Neaera's third release, 2007's
Armamaentarium -- so the whole "needing another outlet for other styles" explanation doesn't really hold up. Either way, fans of extreme metal loaded with vocals that alternate between guttural growls and high pitched squeals, metronome-perfect drumming, and precise riffing will certainly approve of Buck's "hobby" band -- especially after hearing such delightful little ditties as album opener "Spearheading the Spawn" and the title track. ~ Greg Prato