This week’s rundown should get out in time for Easter, so happy Easter! Not the strongest week for me, this, if I’m honest, but there are indeed a few very notable exceptions. See for yourself.
A Deer A Horse – Grind
Genre: Alternative metal/grunge
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A pretty bleak and rough sounding thing, this, which is, no doubt at all, the idea. Dissonant melodies with repetitive riffs and vocals shifting between a hardcore and doomy style. Really not my kind of thing, but definitely something for those into experimental punk and hardcore.
Angel Nation – Antares
Genre: Symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2/5
Expect little more than fairly generic symphonic metal here. Furthermore, the vocal’s don’t really seen to harmonize all that well with the melodies. A quick skip for me.
Bjørn Riis – Everything To Everyone
Genre: Atmospheric prog metal/-rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A very mellow experience, which I’m hard pressed to call metal. But there’s an undeniable beauty in the tranquil melodies. Definitely check out if you’re looking for something serene with a mild, guitar driven core.
Black Swan – Generation Mind
Genre: Hard rock
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2/5
As generic hard rock albums go, this isn’t too shabby. The lyrics are, as expected, pretty cringeworthy in their simplicity, but there’s just enough of a hint of grit on this to elevate it slightly.
Deathrite – Delirium
Genre: Blackened death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
This is death metal of the slower, eerie kind. Sometimes it feels almost ritual in purpose. But it’s too stagnant for me, like it’s stuck in the same gear throughout.
Decasia – An Endless Feast For Hyenas
Genre: Psychedelic/progressive rock
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
There are a few highlights on this with some fresh guitar shredding, but they do get bogged down a little too often with mumbling vocals and melodies that don’t really go anywhere and/or are drowned by the bass guitar.
Destruction – Diabolical
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This gets the final bump up to a recommendation simply based on the fact that I hear far too little thrash these days that I actually thoroughly enjoy. And that’s a shame, cause I can really dig good thrash. To me, it represents the very core of what I’m looking for in metal. And these guys know how to bring it. The playing is tight, there is good tempo variation between songs, and the tone is sinister enough that the whole thing doesn’t feel too flippant. I’m a particular fan of “State of Apathy” and “Repent Your Sins”.
End Boss – They Seek My Head
Genre: Sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
It might just be me, but I feel like they don’t hit their stride until about halfway through this one. Everything seems to work better from there on out – the melodies are more defined, the vocals harmonize better and the riffs get groovier. Still not the most distinctive record out this week, but far from bad.
Face The Legacy – Ashes on the Grounds
Genre: Heavy metal/metalcore
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2/5
If simple rhythms, gang vocals, accessible melodies and a few tasty riffs is enough to float your boat, then you’ll probably enjoy this. For the rest of us it’s a pretty easy skip.
First Signal – Closer To The Edge
Genre: Hard rock/AOR
Subjective rating: 0.5/5
Objective rating: 1/5
I actually wasn’t aware that hard rock got this sappy. Michael Bolton called – he’s feeling a little queasy.
Fortune – Level Ground
Genre: Hard rock
Subjective rating: 1/5
Objective rating: 1.5/5
What the hell is up with the letter F this week? Does it stand for “fuck it, let’s just do things like we’ve always done”? That’s what this one feels like, in case that wasn’t clear.
Fright – Fright (ep)
Genre: Hardcore/early black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
A great album cover on this one, and the music ain’t half bad either. Very to the point mix of hardcore and 1st wave of black metal, at least to my ears. The songs are short, and it’s an EP, so it’s over in a heartbeat, a bit too short to form a solid opinion.
Heidra – To Hell Or Kingdom Come
Genre: Folk/power metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Here we’ve got some folk metal of the melodeath variant, but with added bombast courtesy of a strong injection of power metal. Which works better than I thought it would, but towards the end of the album I start to seriously tire of the rousing choruses where you can just picture the vocalist theatrically raising his gaze and a trembling fist towards the heavens. Which is a shame, cause there are a few really strong songs on here.
Heterogeneous Andead – Chaotic Fragments
Genre: Death/symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is at its core a very cool concept for a death metal variation. The aggressive riffs come alive in a whole new way with a fairy dust sprinkling of peppy synth, and the guitar and drum work is adventurous and impressively performed. Unfortunately, I simply cannot overlook the fact that the guy doing the harsh vocals sound like he started his first vocal lessons an hour ago, and the female operatic vocals are comically out of place. Make an instrumental version and I’ll give it an easy 4/5.
Hällas – Isle Of Wisdom
Genre: Progressive/hard rock/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Some very mild mannered prog rock with classic metal tendencies. It somehow manages to marry the typical gallop of “adventure bound” heavy metal and flowing, free-spirited melodies, which makes this very rewarding music to sit and pay attention to. Certainly a palate cleanser compared to what I normally listen to, but I don’t mind that at all. “The Inner Chamber” and “Gallivants (Of Space)” are two of my favorites.
Incite – Wake Up Dead
Genre: Thrash/groove metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Goddamn! This is a pretty ferocious album from start to finish. They handle the groove/thrash balance brilliantly, and even manage to sneak in a bit of atmosphere. On certain songs their influences are pretty obvious; Devil Driver, Sepultura, Pantera and Lamb of God, to name some of the more obvious ones. But there’s never any doubt that it’s the same band playing, so it all ends up adding to the overall flavor. This is a riff fest all the way through, which, when it has this level of groove, I just don’t tire of. Check out “Stagnant” and “Mental Destruction” as samples, or just let the whole thing rip. I’d be shocked if you regret it.
King Satan – Occult Spiritual Anarchy
Genre: Industrial/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
I feel like if Behemoth suddenly decided to go all out “clown metal”, this would be the result. It’s unholy, but in a pretty silly way, and very catchy. My main reservation would be the band’s over-reliance on fairly heavy-handed synth work to drive the melodies. For those more into industrial, this might be more palatable, but for me it’s too dominant.
Egor Lappo – Naturealism
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
As far as progressive metal albums go, this is a pretty relaxing one. The melodies are Devin Townsend-style happy-ish and the vocal style very pleasant. The tone and content does get a little to poppy for me at times, but the compositions are still mostly very strong, so if you fancy a trip to the lighter side I’d say go for it with this one.
Lux Incerta – Dark Odyssey
Genre: Melodic death metal/doom
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Ooooh, this hits a real sweet spot for me. At its core it’s melodeath not too far removed from Amorphis, but with the somberness turned up to 11, so ends up stretching into Paradise Lost-territory. Actually, if you loved the latter band’s latest album, Obsidian, I think you’ll be equally stoked about this one. The songs are long, but the melodies are powerful, and the reward for your patience is some riffs and solos that’ll make your spine tingle. Jump into “Farewell” and “Far Beyond the Black Skies” and tell me I’m wrong.
My Hollow – Fighting The Monsters (EP)
Genre: Melodic death metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
I enjoy parts of this a great deal – it’s got some cool rhythms and groovy riffs. But I’m on the fence about the hardcore-style vocals, and the melodies aren’t exactly what I’d call fresh. If you like melodeath then it might be completely subjective whether you dig this one or not.
No Tin Godz – No Tin Godz
Genre: Heavy/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Oddly, I’m having a bit of a hard time putting into words what I feel about this one. It’s a pretty simple sounding thing, mixing heavy-, alternative-, and nu metal with a hard rock approach. Yet, the end result is somehow a bit more than the sum of its parts. Not revolutionary in any way, but definitely a step above what I expected.
Papa Roach – Ego Trip
Genre: Hard rock
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
I never listened much to Papa Roach, but did they always sound like a slightly heavier version of Fall Out Boy?
Joe Satriani – The Elephants of Mars
Genre: Shred/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 4/5
If you feel like going on a spacey journey accompanied by some rock solid shredding, then strap in. For me it’s a little too laid back and quirky to be truly engaging, but I certainly can’t ignore the craftmanship involved here.
Tome of the Unreplenished – Earthbound
Genre: Atmospheric black/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Sometimes music just takes you to a place you didn’t know you wanted to go. This one does that to me, simply by the tone of the melodies, and the band allowing those melodies to shine through for extended periods of time, even as the lyrics, guitars and drums change in intensity over them. Listen to “Tryst at the Gales of Cyprus” and “Astraios Ayr”, and see if they don’t take you to those places as well.
Theigns & Thralls – Theigns & Thralls
Genre: Folk rock/metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A big chunk of this is not too far removed from your typical Irish drinking-punk-rock, but quite a bit cleaner and with a medieval spin on it. There are also a few heavier and faster bits, but they’re used rather sparingly, and are pretty hit and miss as far as fitting in with the mood of the song, or even the album.
Treat – The Endgame
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2/5
Simple melodies, simple rhythms, simple lyrics. Some great guitar solos, but that doesn’t redeem this in my eyes. There are one or two songs with a faint whiff of attitude, but the rest is very polished, production-line serenading.
Vermörd – Nostalgic Predictions
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
This feels like a black metal band that decided to shift in a decidedly death metal direction, rather than the other way around. The drums are very busy on here, and the guitars rarely settle into a groove or lasting melody, which kind of kills the song identity and sense of progression for me. There’s lots of highly competent playing and it’s suitably angry. I just feel like looking for a defining characteristic is like trying to keep track of a single ant on the surface of a hive.
As always, if you think I’m completely off on an observation, unfairly dissed your favorite band or need to give an album another shot, do feel free to express yourself in the comments below.
The Metal Dispatch 