A good week for progressive metal both light and dark, aggressive and fluffy, to take your mind off the pre-holiday rush.
Aurora Borealis – Prophecy is the Mold in which History is Poured
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Some snarly blackened death metal to start off the week. This is a very run-of-the-mill molding of old school death and speedy black metal, with a fairly simplistic production that leaves it all pretty flat.
Avoid – Cult Mentality
Genre: Metalcore/pop punk
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5
You know this is gonna be all about the catchiness. Simple, shout-along lyrics, poppy rhythms and soft choruses, with some electronically backed aggression to pump it all up. For when you want something slightly heavier than hard rock and more progressive than straight up pop punk.
Black Anvil – Regenesis
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This is one of those black metal outfits that come clad in a few different layers. At the core is fairly contemporary-sounding black metal leaning towards the raw, primitive style championed by the likes of Darkthrone. Then they add onto that with a bit of thrashy flair, some extreme prog metal chugging and gothic melodies. It’s a band that clearly doesn’t care abut conforming to any particular style but their own, but also doesn’t feel the need to get overly experimental. Dive into “The Bet” and “8-Bit Terror”.
ChuggaBoom – Death Pledge
Genre: Deathcore/metalcore
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A bizarre mix of brutal deathcore chugs and the softest metalcore clean choruses you can imagine, all the while staying perfectly in sync with contemporary young trends in terms of attitude, visual presentation and lyrics.
Contracult – The New Torment
Genre: Industrial/nu metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This sounds like a lost Korn .mp3 from the early 2000s traveled ahead in time and crashed into pretty much anything alternative on the way, taking random pieces of it on board. You get a lot of hefty industrial and nu-metal riffing and loads of digital glitches and noise. All set to a distinctly goth-y tone.
Disillusion – Ayam
Genre: Progressive/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
A heavy progressive release that is slightly more comfortable with epic, expansive storytelling than heavy riffing, but not in any cheesy way. The melodies are grand, but well thought out and aligned with the twisted ways of prog metal, so will take you up and down in intensity on a whim, and certainly on a few detours. It’s like a daydream that occasionally transitions into the battle of gods, without breaking the immersion. The second half feels a little tame compared to the first, but still offers up some solid harmonies. Check out “Am Abgrund” and “Abide the Storm”.
Dragonhammer – Second Life
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Some majestic, fantasy-themed power metal to get you in the medieval mood. It does a good job of producing that epic storytelling tone that Blind Guardian does so well, and you can’t help but feel that this should be the soundtrack to a grand fantasy novel.
Empire Drowns – Nothing (EP)
Genre: Gothic/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A good mix of Type O Negative and, to a certain degree, some of the doomier side of Opeth. It’s delightfully bleak, and compensates for the slowness with some nice death doom growls. It feels like parts of what could be a concept album, but doesn’t really go anywhere with it within the timeframe of this EP.
Fliege – One Day They’ll Wonder What Happened Here
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Like we saw with Voidoath’s new album a few weeks ago, this is a horror-themed project centered around The Thing. This one is over on the atmospheric black metal side, although also very much infused with progressive elements. It’s not particularly creepy outside the lyrics, and the tone sounds like something Enslaved would pursue. And while it’s adventurous in that regard, I would’ve liked for everything to be a little more in sync with the concept.
Helvellyn – The Lore Of The Cloaked Assembly
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Sharp, classic Norwegian-style black metal that’s shed itself of pretty much any trace of bass. It makes it feel stripped, like a corpse drained of moisture, but also helps get that essential cold tone. The performances are above par, and you’ve got some fitting folk elements.
Ingested – Ashes Lie Still
Genre: Technical deathcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Is this the ultimate expression of deathcore? It takes much of the aggression, some of the melody and a bit of the symphonic grandeur of such heavyweights as Lorna Shore and Shadow of Intent, adds some speedy ferocity from technical death metal, and then just delivers riff after mind blowing riff. The progression is dynamically superb, with the buildups just adding tier after tier of increasing greatness. They’ve also found room for a few slower, more atmosphere-focused tracks, which is a very welcome layer of variation. I might have liked to see them finish off the album even stronger, but you still get tons of quality even outside the major highlights, two of which being “Shadows in Time” and “From Hollow Words”.
Iron Kingdom – The Blood Of Creation
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Lively heavy metal with particularly high-pitched vocals, and a riding-out-on-a-quest tone. Their speedy sections are quite fun, but the rhythm stumbles a bit as they try to slow things down.
Mist Of Misery – Severance
Genre: Symphonic black/folk metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Longing and melancholic, these are low-tempo, sweeping songs of darkness, boosted along by symphonic qualities and folk tones. The atmosphere and rhythms stay pretty much the same throughout, so don’t expect much variation, but if you enjoy the mood you’ll probably not mind it lasting as long as it does.
Mord’A’Stigmata – Like Ants And Snakes
Genre: Avant-garde/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A dark daydream of a bleak, gothic experience. Contemplative and in absolutely no hurry, it feels like entering the mind of a nihilistic philosopher. A bit of a trip, without really going anywhere in particular.
The Offering – Seeing The Elephant
Genre: Metalcore/nu metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
If you don’t know anything about this band going in save their metalcore foundation, I can almost guarantee that you’ll be surprised. At it’s harshest you get some modern djent, on the verge of deathcore, and at the lighter end you get the alternative-sounding, slightly freaky-tinged vibes of the likes of Korn. There’s also some great mix of nu metal groove and classic metalcore melodic riffing, and you can tell that some real thought went into the winding arrangements. The addition of restrained psychedelic vibes is some welcome spice. Jump into “WASP” and “With Consent”.
Osyron – Momentous
Genre: Progressive/folk metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
An exploratory album setting out on journeys both grand and narrow. The entire experience is very much melody driven, with soaring vocals and mildly progressive, powerful instrumental work. The rhythms feel rooted in folk, and boosted with a bit of symphony. It’s a pleasure to listen to, although they get a bit too comfortable sticking to the mellow low-ends for large parts of the album.
R.A.M.B.O. – Defy Extinction
Genre: Hardcore/punk rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Surprisingly melodic, protest-oriented hardcore with punk rock accessibility. Instead of all-out aggression it takes the attitude and gives it a bit more nuance, and harmonies that you’re likelier to remember.
Sarcator – Alkahest
Genre: Thrash/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Scorched-edge thrash metal that, despite its black cloak, first and foremost wants to rock your socks off. With galloping rhythms and plenty of playful guitar work, the black metal influence feels mostly like a delicately burned crust added to provide a balancing bitterness. There’s also surprising depth, dipping slightly into melodeath territory for a bit of folk-y tone and past-the-horizon harmonies that alternating your headbanging with a bit of stimulating mind wandering. Try out “Perdition’s Hand” and “Alkahest”.
Stranger Vision – Wasteland
Genre: Power/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
If the idea of slightly coarse Michael Bolton-metal appeals to you, then you might be on the right track with this one. If not, then, well… It some impressive guest performances, and quite decent instrumental work, but leaves some craftmanship to be desired.
Tiwanaku – Earth Base One
Genre: Progressive/technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
While it’s tough to tell what’s a deliberate progressive choice from what’s just the result of jankiness in the production and performances, you can certainly appreciate the attempt at making something wild and brutally wonderful here. There’s some spacey mystery to the tone, and some real aggression in between the twists and turns.
Devin Townsend – Lightwork
Genre: Progressive/cinematic metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Once you get past the paradox that is the predictability of Devin releasing something that defies your expectations, you can settle your brain and start to simply enjoy it for what it is. The confined turmoil centered in an expanse of harmony seen on the album cover is a good representation of the listening experience. The heavenly tone, the cushioning, dreamy melodies, the immense vocal capacity – these are the recognizable elements, without which it simply wouldn’t be a Devin Townsend album. And then there’s the adventurous tangents that completely reshape the songs, transcending genres and giving you that cinematic rush in the sheer awesomeness of their release. Cure your stress with “Heartbreaker” and “Celestial Signals”.
Vacuous Depths – Corporal Humiliation
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Sand grinding the gears of a chainsaw. A rock crusher consuming a porcelain store. These are just some of the things that this dissonant piece of death metal bring to mind. if that sounds appealing to you then this might be a real itch scratcher.
Voidbringer – Wasteland (EP)
Genre: Melodic/progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A fresh-faced melodeath band with the virtuosic qualities of the likes of Mors Principium Est, added a healthy dose of progressive flair, a touch of tech death structure and some symphonic makeup, and you’ve got a real adrenaline shot. It’s on the adventurous rather than the sinister side, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t got any aggression to vent. Hopefully this is just a taste of what’s to come, cause it sure is tasty. Check out “Years of Waste” and “Return to Dust”.
Xentrix – Seven Words
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This one manages the feat of combining the heavy grooves of Testament with the knife-jab thematic directness of Megadeth, and the result is, as you might expect, highly enjoyable. The guys behind it might be old schoolers, but this sounds fresh and modern without attempting the typical speed demon approach of younger contemporary thrash bands. What you get is a mid-to high tempo, groove-laden riff fest with solo highlights and gritted teeth vocals, backed with a fitting confidence in the approach. Get hyped with “Reckless With a Smile” and “Kill and Protect”.
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 