A week exploring dark and hostile realms, opening the floodgates for a surge of destructive, yet cathartic emotion to wash over the world.
Air Raid – Fatal Encounter
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Melodic, rather tame classic metal that seems mostly out to check boxes, but delivers fairly well on the points you expect.
Ascension – Under The Veil Of Madness
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Dragonforce-esque, bubbly and technical power metal dipping into 8-bit video game tonal territory, but also delves into musical theater and some classical influences. It’s a guitar solo galore, and if you’re into the vibrant, game boy-sound, then you’re getting spoiled on here.
Asylence – Endanger Us All
Genre: Experimental metalcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
A darkened, atmosphere-leaning metalcore output flirting with melodeath heaviness and some deathcore technicality. It’s clearly an attempt at something that stands out tonally, and it does in a kind of blackened alternative kind of way, but the rhythms are so unengaging that the song progressions feels completely dead in their tracks.
Big|Brave – Nature Morte
Genre: Experimental doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Swimming through a pitch black forest pool, going through a spectrum of emotions and never reaching dry land. This is all atmosphere, and it is both frail and oppressive. After a while it starts to feel like just more of the same, but if you don’t mind the feeling, then it’s worth the stay.
Bodyfarm – Ultimate Abomination
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Snarling, well-defined, riff-alicious death metal with some superficial thrash- and black metal influxes. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it clean, but there’s certainly not too much murk or atmosphere going on. They do make up for it with aggression, but this is probably not for those who wants their death metal dirty and old-school.
Coffinborn – Cadaveric Retribution
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Morbid, crusty, mid-tempo and riff-oriented death metal with a husky tone. All this thing wants to do is resurrect corpses and then grind them to dust. It can get a bit un-engaging in its simplistic purpose, but if this is the kind of thing you’re craving, it’ll probably feel satisfying all the way through.
Dark Embrace – Dark Heavy Metal
Genre: Symphonic/gothic/death metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
An odd mix of symphonic and traditional metal with black metal snarls and a whiff of melodeath heaviness. It never lands firmly in one camp, although the campy lyrics certainly pushes it towards a power-metal-appreciating end of the spectrum.
Death Pill – Death Pill
Genre: Hardcore/punk
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A lively, punk-rock-y, female fronted hardcore output. This is all riiffs and fun riot-energy.
Enemy Of Reality – Where Truth May Lie
Genre: Symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Soaring, effortlessly operatic female vocals overlaying textbook, weak rhythms that strip the album of most, if not all grandeur or power it might aspire to.
FesterDecay – Reality Rotten To The Core
Genre: Goregrind
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A hateful, gut-churning mass of gnawing teeth and rolling boulders. It delivers a decent amount of variation for what it is, some really standout riff sections and enough gory atmosphere to make your skin crawl.
Hammerhedd – Nonetheless
Genre: Progressive sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Rusty sludge metal leaning heavily into prog, taking some of the odd rhythms of the likes of Meshuggah and toning it down a little. The progression feels fairly staccato, oiled by some industrial -like melody and ritualistic groove in the style of early Sepultura, although it’s not quite as musically rewarding as it sounds.
Heidevolk – Wederkeer
Genre: Folk metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Dutch Norse-folk with a warm, embracing tone, lots of traditional, instrumental sections and recognizable, live-audience-friendly riffs. It’s not exactly what you’d call impressive, but if you want to get into the mood and don’t care that it sounds a bit generic, then you’ll appreciate it for its quality.
Hypno5e – Sheol
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
At times whimsical and innocent, then tragic and contemplative, then exploding with anguish and rage. This is a close-your-eyes-while-you-listen kind of album that takes you through a spectrum of moods, although within the same tonal territory, making it sound like a story told from a specific, personal point of view. The calm parts are soothing, and the harsher parts, although accented with djenty riffs and some dissonant squeals, feel forceful but not abrasive. There might be a bit too much low-key, acoustic stuff for the more impatient listener, but it all sounds very deliberate.
Highlights: “Lava from the Sky” and “Bone Dust”.
Icestorm – The Northern Crusades
Genre: Folk/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Brutal, rousing folk metal that’s very much in the vein of Amon Amarth. There’s a bit too many instrumental, atmosphere building sections up front, but if you persevere you’re treated to a feast of catchy, rolling riffs that’ll boost your energy for the coming moshpit battle.
Idolatrous – Sorrow On Midgard
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A slightly muddled production and hesitance to lean properly into the folk-tinged melodies, instead embracing the more low-down, brutal elements of modern death metal, steals some of the enjoyment out of this otherwise competently performed melodeath north mythology deep dive.
Insomnium – Anno 1696
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
As any who are familiar with Insomnium might expect, this is melodeath with an emphasis on the melody. Although, for the most part, the band has resisted the temptation of going on overly long instrumental tangents on this one, instead giving the impression of a purposeful and energized approach. As usual, there is a lot of folk in here, but also some classical elements, and while much of it feels recognizable in a comforting kind of way, there are some sections where the rhythm and/or lead work pulls past the bounds of conformity, which is almost always a refreshing change in this subgenre.
Highlights: “White Christ” and “Starless Paths”.
Mammoth Caravan – Ice Cold Oblivion
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
An album vibrating with the amount of crusty fuzz it outputs. While it throws some sludgy aggression at you at regular intervals, the playing is largely unengaging, and ends up feeling a bit too much of a long jam session.
Megaton Sword – Might & Power
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
A traditional, rugged heavy metal album that’s not content with sticking to any restrictive formulas. Although there’s not too much flirting with other subgenres, this feels like the band having landed in classic territory as a result of their natural style, and not the other way around, and so they bend the music in whichever direction suits them. The songwriting is very strong, resulting in a set of individually distinct tracks. There’s an argument that some energy is lost following the first two songs, and that the album could have ended on a more forceful note, but an attentive listen will still reward you with creative nuggets from start to finish.
Highlights: “Iron Plains” and “Might”.
Merlock – Onward Strides Colossus
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Atmospheric doom with a slightly psychedelic, grunge-like approach. The energy level varies greatly, from near-sludgy, noisy highs to tranquil ambience. The immersion is good, even though it’s the kind of record where there’s no clear way forward.
Morphetik – Proclamation Of War
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Galloping-to-war thrash that dips in to the chaotic every now and then. It’s loud, fast and aggressive, just as it should be, but you quickly get the impression that you’re hearing the same basic idea on repeat.
Mortalus – We Are Human
Genre: Heavy/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2/5
A fairly heavy-handed and clumsily performed, thrash-riffed heavy metal record.
No Spill Blood – Eye Of Night
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A darkly atmospheric sludge metal record where the guitar is replaced with spooky-toned synth. It feels very much like the intended effect on the sound is achieved, and it very effectively transports you to a gloomy, unfriendly place. It sounds heavy, but not particularly harsh, so definitely for those who value atmosphere over groove.
Oerheks – Landschapsanachronismen
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
A sound that seems born from the rustling of the forest leaves during a black, stormy night. The sweeping, mournful melodies feel like echoes from past ages, that speak of nothing but the futility of existence. The production here is as low-fi as you get, sounding like something carried on the wind from some distance away. But the actual performances and atmospheric elements are both effective and highly impactful.
Omega Infinity – The Anticurrent
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
A wave of howling cosmic black metal that is the most effective anti-space-travel message you’ll hear this month. It paints a horrifying sonic picture of forces so utterly devastating and hostile to life that it snuffs out the brightest hope like a matchstick in a hurricane. The vocal approach varies between snarling screams, brutal roars and haunting moans, and the rhythm is either a churning maelstrom or a coiled spring waiting to be released. Not a pleasant listen, but that’s most certainly not the point.
Sarcoptes – Prayers To Oblivion
Genre: Black/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Ready for some modernized, thrash-powered black metal serving up a feast of Slayer-inspired riffs like morsels to a starving crowd? The tone is confidently aggressive and darkly melodic, sounding a bit like something off Children of Bodom’s Something Wild. The playing is technical, flirting ever so slightly with tech death, but every time you think it might erupt into something flamboyant it returns to an old school riff section or some hefty blast beats. Not hugely innovative, but highly enjoyable.
Highlights: “Dead Silence” and “Massacre at My Lai”.
Satanika – Horde Of Disgust
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
This is not your typical blackened death metal, but rather a riff-driven, filthy banger with a fairly muddled production. It sounds spirited, albeit a bit undisciplined, with some of the performances some times tripping over each other, and the rhythms are less than razor sharp. But it’s excellent headbanging fuel.
Steel Panther – On The Prowl
Genre: Glam metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Reviewing a Steel Panther album for its purely musical merits seems a bit besides the point, and so the individual enjoyment of it becomes critical. If you can’t get enough of the juvenile jokes and take the odd engaging riff section as a bonus, then this’ll work just fine. But be warned that this is a ballad-heavy beast.
They Grieve – To Which I Bore Witness
Genre: Atmospheric doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A slow and bitterly lamenting sound that projects anguish and vulnerability in equal measure. There is rage and forcefulness in the heavier parts, but they dissipate into a ponderous flow of dark emotion that is at once heavy and vaporous.
To The Grave – Director’s Cuts
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This is brutal, percussive, take-no-prisoners deathcore. Little to no melody emerges from this infernal cacophony, only massive, threatening ambience, creating a suitably dark and hellish soundscape. The rhythm precision is fantastic, and the relatively varied, animalistic vocal performance is a crisp counterweight to the gut-punch, earthquake-summoning instruments.
Venomous Concept – The Good Ship Lollipop
Genre: Hardcore/punk/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
The amalgamation of different styles on this record works on many different levels. Punk attitude meets grindcore directness, and is furthermore tempered by groove-oriented traditional heavy metal rhythm sensibilities. The result feels fresh and crisp, yet retains the grittiness and old school class of a hypothetical Motörhead-hardcore fusion, It’s not the heaviest or most technically extravagant thing you’ll ever hear, but it’s obvious from the very first notes that this is not the point. Turn up the volume and rock the fuck out.
Highlights: “Timeline” and “Voices”.
Wanderer – Indulgence of the Unreal (EP)
Genre: Hardcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A sometimes ominous growl-in-the-dark, sometimes brutally direct hammer blow of an EP. You get a riff- and atmosphere-oriented mix of hardcore and grind-y death metal that lands exceptionally hard, although it doesn’t try to knock you off your feet with any out-of-control rhythms or over-exaggerated joint instrumental assaults. It’s heavy, slightly sludgy bad-assery from start to finish.
Highlights: “Pure Human Despair” and “Hatred”.
Wretched Fate – Carnal Heresy
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
You know when death metal hits that perfect furious-evil tone that sounds like the very earth creaking and splitting apart like massive, dry wood being subjected to extreme punishment? If you haven’t experienced it before, then this album will do it for you. This is pure morbidity expressed through demonic rage and tempered by a wickedly seductive sense of primal rhythm and grandiose, black atmosphere. It feels raw and jagged, and yet the low-end brutality comes through as rolling thunder, and none of the crisp details are lost in the mix.
Highlights: “Umbilical Suffocation” and “Upon the Weak”.
7 H.Target – Yantra Creating
Genre: Experimental/technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
An insane-yet-impressive display of violent technicality serving the purpose of telling a feverishly psychedelic story of divine powers at work. It’s got all the hallmarks of modern, crushing death metal, subjected to chaotic and dissonant rhythmic sensibilities and an influx of South-East Asian melodic elements.
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 