A truly strong week for death metal, with black metal coming in second. While none of the highlights are truly pure incarnations of their respective subgenres, that’s also a big part of their strength. Expect groove, melody and crushing aggression. Let’s dive in.
Baest – Justitia (EP)
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Did these guys just perfect their sound with this EP? This is one of those where you can tell it’s gonna be a blast from the first 10 seconds of the first song. Sure, okay, I still think they could work on getting their slow, grindy parts more interesting, but the rest is so stupidly riffalicious and riotously melodic in the best death metal-menacing way possible that minor flaws are all but overshadowed. Fire up “Justitia” and “Gargoyles”.
Bekmork – The Path Nocturnal
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Come on guys… There’s low-fi production and then there’s this, which is bordering on parodic.
Belushi Speed Ball – What, Us Worry?
Genre: Hardcore/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
An energetic album that’s first and foremost about having fun. There’s comedic little interludes at the end of all the songs, so if you don’t mind some goofing around it does add to the overall concept. Makes you feel like you’re part of the creative process.
Besvärjelsen – Atlas
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Now for some melancholy doom. This is perfect if you want to relax with something somber. There are no jarring elements to take you out of the experience, and the technical execution is quite good. There is, however, not a lot to differentiate them from a bunch of others in the same genre.
Black Lung – Dark Waves
Genre: Psychedelic doom metal/rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Some more moody doom here, this one a good notch more acidy. It’s the of the somewhat sluggish type, with dirty sounding guitars and slightly unhinged vocals. It’s a strong, characterful expression, but a little too lacking in variation for my taste.
Black Void – Antithesis
Genre: Punk/hardcore/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This is the kind of low-fi I can get behind. The sound here is sharp, stripped down, to the point where everything sounds raw and the focus in entirely on the actual performances. As for the music, this isn’t too far off Kvelertak gone black metal, but they’ve thankfully steered away from the worst tropes and concentrated on implementing the elements that complements the aggression of the punky hard rock base and adds on another dimension of richness and scope. There are plenty of strong songs on here, but why not start with “It’s Not Surgery, It’s a Knife Fight” and “Dadaist Disgust”.
Brutality – Sempiternity (EP)
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Only two new songs on here among re-recordings and live recordings, so I’m gonna call it an EP. But what’s actually new is also promising. Angry, yet controlled enough to get into some great grooves.
Cadaveria – Emptiness
Genre: Melodic death/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Here we’ve got some slightly blackened melodeath that skips into an industrial sort of personality every now and then. The production leaves a bit to be desired, and the performances are overall less than stellar, but there’s potential.
Church Of Disgust – Weakest Is The Flesh
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Some (probably) intentionally low-fi death metal next. This is grindy, fairly cumbersome stuff with a consistently cave-y tone throughout. Well performed, but not exactly a standout.
Clayshaper – Vampiric
Genre: Gothic/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
An album doing its best to create a spooky-melodic tone that goes well with a bit of death metal influence. The melodies are definitely the strongest part here – there are some strong moments on here and tis talent is what ties it all together. But much of the heaviness is lost in the production, which makes the harsh vocals a bit of a mismatch for me.
Crematory – Inglorious Darkness
Genre: Melodic gothic/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 2
Objective rating: 2.5
This is a band leaning heavily on the catchiest aspects of neue Deutche Härte, so much so that the gothic theme becomes little more than a thin veneer.
Cult Of The Night – Dance of the Witches
Genre: Thrash/speed metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is one where you can really hear the artists being into their own stuff. They clearly have a good grip on what they like and want to make, and seem to enjoy creating little spaces in the songs where they hang on to the moment. It’s rowdy, speedy stuff that checks all the hallmarks of the subgenre, without really challenging any of them either.
Decapitated – Cancer Culture
Genre: Groove/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
FUCK. YEAH. This one pretty much has it all. Ferocious speed, headbanging-inducing groove, virtuosic melody. And an unchecked aggression – particularly from behind the drum kit and mic – just keeps powering it all forward with staggering momentum. The whole thing feels like a continuous effort of unparalleled endurance and in-the moment creativity, occupying every inch of room that the subgenre has to offer and beyond, without really breaking down its restraints. It’s a full score for me, what little critique I have is really just nitpicking. Dig into “Iconoclast” and “Cancer Culture” and enjoy.
Def Leppard – Diamond Star Halos
Genre: Hard rock/glam
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
It’s always a bit difficult to review stuff from bands with a status like Def Leppard. Cause they obviously made their fame on the kind of music you’re supposed to critique. Still, I’ll ignore all that and treat it like everything else. So what can I say, it’s fun! The production is awesome, they’ve got some solid melodies and hooks on here. Everything just sounds… good. But then they stray into ballad territory and it all crumbles a little, sounding like five dozen others of their ilk. Other than that, thumbs up.
Deos – Furor Belli
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
I really like the idea of ancient Rome-inspired death metal, and this serves as a decent example of what that should sound like. There is an epic quality to it courtesy of the tremolo riffing, and it has the right kind of atmosphere. Unfortunately, it’s let down by less-than-great production and performances, and the actual musical compositions are just a bit rudimentary.
Electric Mountain – Valley Giant
Genre: Stoner metal/rock
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Bring on the fuzz! There’s miles of it one here, backed up by some dry rock ‘n roll groove. The bass work on here is prominent and works really well. It moves and varies. and lives up to the expectations you get from the very first few seconds.
Evil – Book Of Evil
Genre: Heavy/groove metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is classic , high-flying heavy metal on the verge of edging into power metal, bolstered by heavy riffs and the occasional harsh vocal line. It might sound like a blatant attempt at drawing in fans from the more extreme corners of the genre, but it works really well regardless. It’s catchy as hell and the clean vocals have a nice rasp to them to mark this as something willfully unpolished. There are sections of fairly classic melodies and choruses, and the rhythms are fairly straightforward, but there are also plenty of examples of instrumental skill. A palate cleanser that also works as a banger. Try “Divine Conspiracy” and “Storm Warning”.
Fireproven – Epilogue
Genre: Symphonic/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
This is the kind of mix of genres you hardly get from anywhere else than Finland. Big, soaring synth-driven melodies married with some prog flair and a bit of aggressive melodeath. While this isn’t amazingly executed, you get a bit of everything on here, and if you’re willing to pick and choose you can sort out some solid standalone songs from here.
Healing Magic – Volume I: Fire
Genre: Sludge/stoner metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Some perfectly good stoner-y hard rock with a crunchy tone that also insists upon being fairly abrasive. There are moments of genuine melodic exploration that takes this thing to real characterful places, only to then contrast it with disharmony and rattle-y vocals. Doesn’t work to well for me.
Hollow Front – The Price Of Dreaming
Genre: Technical metalcore
Subjective rating: 2.5.5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Hey, if you’re all about the traits of modern, trendy metal you get the lot on here. While I personally can’t stand the sugar-sweet melodic parts and obligatory heaviness-alibi djent riffs, there can be no doubts about these guys’ instrumental chops. The playing is very tight and the vocals display a good range of styles. The tone is also consistent throughout, so overall the craftmanship is definitely not lacking.
IATT – Magnum Opus
Genre: Progressive/experimental/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
This very much sounds like something Ihsahn would be involved in, and if you know and appreciate what that entails then you should enjoy this album. Clearly grounded in black metal, this harbors a truly adventurous spirit, and the songs seem to take shape as they go along. This involves going on a few tangents, and only loosely sticking to traditional composing structure, but it’s not like they’re stalling the progress just to show off their skills. What happens along the way all feels very much integral to the overall experience. Sure, you need a little bit of patience and open-mindedness to keep up, but if you’re so inclined you will be awarded. Check out “Elixir of Immortality” and “Ouroboros”.
Lord Belial – Rapture
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This is one of those records that can leave you feeling sympathetically exhausted from the sheer effort of the instrumental performances. What we have here is mildly caricatured black metal (as evidenced by the slightly cheesy album cover) taking form as a grand, melodic and aggressive undertaking. It’s excellently produced to bring out the crispness of the instruments and vocals together with the more symphonic elements that build the darkly majestic atmosphere. While it’s not exactly a fresh breath of air in the subgenre, it’s still a very strong and varied offering. Give “On a Throne of Souls” and “Lux Luciferi” a try.
Mournful Congregation – The Exuviae Of Gods – Part I
Genre: Funeral doom
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Now for some very, very protracted doom with a bit of death aggression thrown in. While there are some beautiful melodies on here, the heavy parts contrast the somber ones really well, and it all sounds great production wise, it also just sounds needlessly slowed down. I find that the ponderous pace doesn’t really create an atmosphere of its own as much as prolonging the listening experience for the sake of it. Others might disagree.
Orochen – Anthroposcenic
Genre: Atmospheric doom metal/indie rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A well-blended mix of melancholy doom and melodic indie. There are many beautifully frail and earnest moments on here, contrasted by heavier riffs and the odd burst of aggression. The craftmanship is on point, and I don’t see fans of this kind of thing not liking it, but for me it’s simply too dour.
Peth – Merchant of Death
Genre: Stoner/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Some fuzzed-up classic metal with an old school doom vibe reminiscent of Black Sabbath or Ozzy solo. It sounds good, and has all the right ingredients, but ends up being a bit overly simple in its approach.
Sacrifizer – Le Diamant De Lucifer
Genre: Black/speed metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
How about some black metal in a hurry? This is pretty much the recipe for blackened speed metal, and if that’s your thing then you’re getting exactly what you ask for on here, no more, no less.
Sarayasign – Throne of Gold
Genre: Power/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
This is power metal with elements of folk, and enough classic prog to set it slightly aside from the straight shooters of the genre. It ends up in a kind of limbo in between , where a chunk of that power energy and enthusiasm is lost, and the prog elements are limited to elevating the rhythms and melodies above the cliched.
Scary Kids Scaring Kids – Out Of Light
Genre: Pop punk/melodic metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
I have very little to say about this, really. It meets a bare minimum of requirements to qualify as being related to metal, but it’s much too pop oriented for me to properly judge its merits. I can barely stand it, though.
Michael Schenker Group – Universal
Genre: Heavy metal/hard rock
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Let’s face it, this was always gonna lean heavily on nostalgia. But to be fair, the nostalgic parts of this is actually really quite good. If you’re in the right mood and crave old school guitar licks and solos, this is the right stuff.
Sensory Amusia – Breed Death
Genre: Deathcore/technical death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This is deathcore with some fire under it, meaning it moves fast. Real fast. The riffs vary between thundering brutality and complex technicality, only occasionally sounding a bit over-processed and artificial. They’ve not extinguished all sense of melody from said riffs though, which I certainly appreciate, and it allows them to drive home a tone and atmosphere without having to rely too much on non-instrumental sources. The variety on here is decent too, allowing in some groove and melodeath without compromising any of the heaviness. Try “Vermin” and “Bind, Torture, Kill”.
Shed The Skin – Thaumogenesis
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Goddamn, this has been a good week for death metal. This is some of the blackened variant, but really only in theme. Sound wise it’s more in the old school melodeath region, but with the melody pushed back slightly to allow the sullen, bludgeoning riffs ad thundering bass to take the lead and be the main contributors to the ominous atmosphere. Which is nicely complemented by a slightly muted production, I might add, and it works really quite well. Check out “She of Ungarit” and “Quenched from Kapala”.
Trollfest – Flamingo Overlord
Genre: Folk/comedy/party metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
While I’m notoriously uninterested in comedy- or party metal, as long as something has musical merit I can still get into it. This record is seriously unhinged, but still thematically on point all the way through. There’s classic Scandinavian folk metal on here, and then all kinds of different silliness mixed in, creating a drunken metalhead poolside party kind of vibe. Which makes me want to go on a metal cruise. So I guess good job?
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 section below.
The Metal Dispatch 