A week of bands trying to overwhelm you, be it with progressive shape-shifting, dizzying technicality, a chameleonic style display or an overload of speed and aggression. Take your pick.
Avatar – Dance Devil Dance
Genre: Alternative/groove metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Even more so than last time, Avatar steps away from the conceptual approach for a more straightforward stab at their particular brand of alternative/groove/melodeath mashup. That doesn’t mean it’s gonna be predictable, which has always been one of the band’s strengths. Yet again they’ve slightly reinvented themselves while remaining instantly recognizable. This is a more aggressive and heavy Avatar than we’ve seen in a while, but just as you feel like they might have settled into a particular direction, the album shift gears and jump from dark industrial metal to rock n’ roll, to dance beats to dirty hard rock. It’s just the right level of unhinged, and while there aren’t really any massive, towering standouts on here, the level of fun and quality songwriting secures some serious replay value.
Highlights: “Valley of Disease” and “Do You Feel in Control?”
Dead Soul Alliance – Spiralling To Lunacy
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Classic violent-nightmare-toned death metal that likes it best at a high pace. It manages a fairly good balance between meaty fullness and sharp attack, with a ever-so-slightly muddled production. There are attempts at sinister melody, but most of the time it doesn’t harmonize all to well with the rest.
Dusk – Spectrums
Genre: Progressive metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A melodic-progressive stab at modern metalcore leaning into melodeath. It incorporates a bit of industrial, bit of electronica and nu-metal as well, which makes for a varied listen, although not the most stylistically confident. Also, the vocal harmonization isn’t exactly on point, although the instrumentals are solid enough.
Exhibition – The Last Laugh
Genre: Hardcore/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This is in-your-face metallic hardcore that rides a suitably slack line between thrash metal ferocity and punk rock directness. Most of it feels very in-the-moment, like it was produced in a frenzy of intense inspiration. You get lyric-spitting attitude as much as catchy riff sections, and at no point does anything feel over-embellished. While not going to the wildest extremes of any of the subgenres, it’s a highly spirited and competent street-crowd pleaser.
Highlights: “Losing Control” and “Bottom Feeder”
Graphic Nature – A Mind Waiting To Die
Genre: Nu metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A highly rhythmic, djent-powered and wrongness-toned nu metal project that takes some of the punch from deathcore and slam, and the raw-throated attitude of hardcore to propel a fairly classic Korn-style approach, only with less vocal range.
Gravehuffer – Depart From So Much Evil
Genre: Death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
An ultra-raw stab at death doom that doesn’t really try to hard to be both things at once, instead dividing sinister atmosphere and chugging attack from each other. There are several stoner elements to the tone, and overall it sounds like something early White Zombie might have come up with if they suddenly decided to go very dark.
Half Me – Soma
Genre: Industrial metalcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A mega-chug mix of industrial artificiality, metalcore melody and post-hardcore sappiness. It’s big and vibrant, with catchy, simple rhythms and enough aggression to tempt fans of heavier material.
Hail The Void – Memento Mori
Genre: Doom/stoner metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Ringing out in the darkness of a small, blackened hall, this is Sabbath-toned, stoner-groovy doom with a slight gothic flair. The production is on point, with crunchy guitars, a full bass tone and clean, well-defined vocals. They do hit some slopes in the progression that doesn’t get filled with enough atmosphere to keep the experience completely afloat, but the reward for hanging in there is some excellent peaks of heavy riff goodness.
Hellripper – Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags
Genre: Black/speed metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Full tilt ahead! The one-man-band that is Hellripper has unleashed another utterly restless, thrash-infused melodic black metal onslaught. In here are traces of early Metallica and Motörhead, with the lead guitar playfulness of speedy, classic heavy metal. Where many subgenre peers run headlong into a mire of well-worn tremolo work and single-minded rhythms, the playing on here stays hungry and evasive, never sticking with the same approach for long. While the vocal style and some of the slightly slower melodic work is certainly on the dark side, this never feels like a morose kind of affair, with the impressively in-control instrumental performances oozing with adrenaline and daring you to keep up. The inclusion of bagpipes is also a solid plus.
Highlights: “Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags” and “Goat Vomit Nightmare”.
Hexer – Abyssal
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A dark, moody and hostile doom album of excellently soul-crushing atmosphere, that is let down by a fairly one-dimensional vocal performance and overly muted instruments.
Horrible Earth – Weakened By Civilization
Genre: Grindcore/hardcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A full-throttle grinder that wooshes past your ears in less than 16 minutes, and so you think less of individual songs than the experience as a whole. There’s a very distinct hardcore element to the album, strutting right under the ferocious surface. While there approach is mostly very recognizable, there are some interesting detours and playful instrumental passages that rewards an attentive listen.
Last Legion – Metall, Blod, & Aska
Genre: Thrash/black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A mid-tempo blackened thrasher themed around human destruction and warfare. You get a bit of Scandinavian folk melody on top, which adds a nice layer of melancholy. Otherwise it’s pretty straight up semi-groove aggressive riffing.
Man Must Die – The Pain Behind It All
Genre: Technical groove/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This one’s on a very ear-catching path of technical groove metal, also incorporating some thrash directness, melodic death metal rawness and hardcore attitude. The playing is speedy and at times quite intricate, but never feels overwhelming, instead pulling you along at breakneck speed down a narrow rabbit hole of rhythmic fury. There’s plenty of catchy rhythms and just enough flexibility in the tone to make it interesting. Definitely recommended for fans of Kataklysm and Lamb of God.
Highlights: “Bring Me the Head of the King” and “Enabler”.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Land Of Sleeper
Genre: Psychedelic/doom/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This is one of those “How much fuzz is enough fuzz? – Yes” kind of scenarios. There’s a prevailing traditional metal eagerness to get off and running, but every now and then a heavy, doom-toned lead weight grabs a hold and pulls everything down into a pit of sinister slowness. The third factor is a psychedelic sense of experimentation, which makes sure that the songs never really end up heading in quite the direction you had expected. It sounds like the real deal – classic but not old. And each of the three aspects pulling at the overall sound feel fulfilled and purposeful.
Pelegrin – Ways Of Avicenna
Genre: Doom metal/atmospheric rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A mix of wistful, heavy-backed melody and a mildly psychedelic, prog-rock-y approach to vocals and overall intensity. It’s mostly a rather calm and complacent thing, but does break into some classy instrumental surges every now and then.
Scars of Oblivion – Misanthropy
Genre: Melodic/progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A bit of a mismatch between the melodic approach of such bands as Black Dahlia Murder with some modern technicality and a progressive restlessness. It lands neither here nor there, but has some competent technicality to offer a casual listener.
See You Next Tuesday – Distractions
Genre: Deathcore/mathcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A death/grind/mathcore nightmare that’s either all harsh intensity or all disturbing atmosphere. The feeling is a bit like a darkened-asylum-horror-house visit, on some experience enhancing drug. There is some genuinely solid songwriting and instrumentation behind it though, and the hoarse vocal style adds a suitably sharpened focus.
Siege Of Power – This Is Tomorrow
Genre: Thrash/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Some brutalized and ragged thrash metal from this death-derived supergroup. Everything is as raw and direct as you might probably hope for, with an evil tone backing the war-machine riffs. While it scores well on entertainment value, there is little to no innovation on display, which lends an air of staleness.
Skinflint – Hate Spell
Genre: Heavy/thrash/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A kind of slightly choked up heavy metal approach with polite traces of thrash and black metal. A very rusty vocal style is matched up with fairly choppy-rhythmed, yet groove-rich playing. The tone is on the doomy side, but doesn’t feel sullen. Not particularly confident style-wise, perhaps, but could grow into something quite interesting.
Street Tombs – Reclusive Decay
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Classic, evil-for-the-fun-of-it death metal with simple rhythms, catchy, precise riffs and a slightly blackened tone. While it’s not the freshest stuff you’ll hear this week, it’s one you can have fun with, just basking in the more superficially attractive aspects of the subgenre.
Thod – Asklepios
Genre: Experimental hardcore/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
A selectively low-fi, doom-heavy black metal experience that goes for an interesting concept, but is too limited in its performances to get all the way.
Tithe – Inverse Rapture
Genre: Grindcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
What could have been a somber, blackened death metal record amped up to something far more relentless and chaotic, There’s layers to this one, with sludgy vocals, an “unholy-ceremony”-type tone and the impatience of grindcore tugging at the momentum. There’s plenty to find if you decide to listen actively.
Tramalizer – Fumes Of Funeral Pyres
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is sinister, axe-wielding death metal with a thrash-y leaning towards meaty riffs and speedy rhythms. And so even as the tone dips into death and damnation, you get playful guitar solos, energizing drum antics and an old school melodeath vocal style. In other words, things never get too serious, and you get to appreciate creative, groove-tinged, raw-edged detours that brings to mind the likes of At the Gates.
Highlights: “The Rostov Ripper” and “Curse of the Lake Drag”.
Ulthar – Anthronomicon
Genre: Progressive death/black metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
This is one of those off-sounding death metal releases that makes you feel like maybe you should be panicking, but somehow it’s in a good way. Pulsing like a malicious force, constantly morphing into new, shocking forms appearing like parodies of nature, this is progressive extreme metal done right – with a thematic purpose. It may never really come to any sort of steady rest, but all the different rhythms it skips through are remarkably solid. Everything comes through clear and raw in the production, allowing you to savor every second of the instrumental madness. The album makes up one half of a twin release by the band, the other being the long-form, more doomy “Helionomicon”.
Highlights: “Astranumeral Octave Chants” and “Cultus Quadrivium”.
Ulthar – Helionomicon
Genre: Progressive black/death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This album delves into a dizzying exploration of progressive, cosmic black metal, adding lots of death metal brutality and a good dose of doomy atmosphere. It consists of two, roughly 20-minute songs, but it doesn’t really feel like it. The scope of the songs aren’t trying to be epic, instead pouring on the intensity like there’s no tomorrow. And somehow that doesn’t end up feeling exhausting, which is a testament to the craftmanship. You could argue that some opportunities for big, identity-forging contrasts are lost in the frenzy, but you can’t fault the consistent quality of what pours through your speakers, or the creative eagerness behind it. The album makes up one half of a twin release by the band, the other being the more traditionally structured, progressive death-centric “Anthronomicon”.
War Orphan – Unite
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Insistent, punk-rock-y hardcore with lots of gang vocals. The production is low on meatiness, which softens the impact some, and overall the sound is a bit tame to really grab your attention.
Winds Of Tragedy – Hating Life
Genre: Melodic black/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
An aggressive, bitter-toned black metal album that feels like it’s sinking further and further into a mire of doomy hopelessness the further it goes. Admirably, the tempo remains fairly high for the duration of the record, but the forcefulness of the instrumentation, with brutality meeting cold melody, does fade a little after the first few songs, and the rest sounds largely like more of the same.
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 