A wide-spectrum week of both light and dark, looking both to the past and the future – surprising and delighting with a potent mix of the unorthodox and familiar.
71TonMan – Of End Time
Genre: Death/sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Crushingly heavy and dark, this sounds like the slow approach of doom and eternal damnation. It radiates a murky aura of gloom and suffering, an once you’re in its midst there’s no trace light to be seen. Very coherent, though also fairly predictable.
Acres – Burning Throne
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
This one has the riffs that you want and the tone is a nice warm and full variant, although the rhythms and overall energy ends up feeling a bit lackluster.
Beneath My Feet – In Parts, Together
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Smooth and melodic metalcore that still has all the aggression you want, as well as a tight, industrial-esque rhythm approach. The clean sections tend to get a little soft and poppy, but not deterrently so.
Carma – Ossadas
Genre: Black metal/funeral doom
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
This one is gloom incarnate, like the soundtrack to a foggy, rainy day where no good things are in sight. Apropos rain, there’s a lot of it on the soundtrack, and it fits the mood. There’s not a whole lot more to say about it though,
Carrion – Morbid Nailgun Necropsy
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Uncomplicated slaughterhouse death metal that delivers on the heavy thrash-like riffage and that crisp Cannibal Corpse tone, but largely fails to stand out in any meaningful way, other than some polite nods towards old school melodeath.
Colpocleisis – Elegant Degradation
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Here we go with some nasty, squealy and slamming brutal death metal with burp-level vocals. The rhythms are remarkably tight and controlled, even with progressive tempo variations, and so o a whole this quite easy to follow. A bit formulaic, for sure, but a prime slice of genre-serving heaviness.
Cromlech – Ascent Of Kings
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Darkly toned and epic-oriented heavy metal whose ambitions are let down by a weak production, slightly messy instrumentals and vocal performances that simply aren’t up to snuff.
Disminded – The Vision
Genre: Death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Some epic solos and banging riffs aside, this is perfectly straightforward death metal with a thrash alibi and a slightly blackened edge. Some slightly stumbling rhythms mess with its impact.
Enslaved – Heimdal
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Still evolving 32 years on, Enslaved makes yet another effort in expanding the bounds of what we know as progressive black metal. To try and pin down other subgenre influences is truly folly, for there are no formulas at play here, only the music that the band truly wants to make. You could say that there is a notable presence of atmospheric doom on Heimdal, and at the same time you get some of the most energetic sections the band has delivered in a decade. Like on their last record, Utgard, the traditional black metal rhythm structures have to partly give way to experimental and classic prog rock approaches, but not in a way that alienates the listener. There is both familiar and brand new ground on here, masterfully broken down into a compact set of songs that, if anything, under-stay their welcome.
Highlights: “Forest Dweller” and “Caravans to the Outer Worlds”.
Entheos – Time Will Take Us All
Genre: Progressive death metal/deathcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is one of those heavy prog records where it feels like the musicians are going at their own individual pace, only loosely by the same general rhythm. The structure changes a lot throughout, and although we visit quite familiar death metal and deathcore territory, the presentation is always a little different to what you expect.
Full Of Hell & Primitive Man – Suffocating Hallucination
Genre: Noise/doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is the noise of gargantuan underground caverns collapsing, and the insistent static left behind by the broken sound equipment used to record it. It utterly crushes any hopes you might have had for a comfortable listening experience and grinds them into dust using massive, churning riffs and prolonged, infernal vocals.
.gif from god – Digital Red (EP)
Genre: Experimental grindcore/metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A session of repetitive stab trauma at random intervals and delivered with red-mist anger. The rhythm section gets special credit for holding the chaotic madness together in a fashion. This one is for you who wants to just be shaken and spat at to snap out of whatever rut you’re stuck in.
Haken – Fauna
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Haken are back and making a statement. This is still very much recognizable as their brand of vivid, classic-style progressive metal, but on Fauna they’ve taken a slightly more experimental and concept-led approach. It feels in many ways like a clear step towards the unrestrained nature of 70s prog rock, although they still retain the heavy impact and grandeur of metal. While it does feel some times that the shifting rhythms and instrumental flourishes are dictated more by genre conventions than what actually serves the musical flow, the execution is flawless, and each element chosen with such care that it charges the album to the brim with character and standout moments.
Highlights: “Nightingale” and “Elephants Never Forget”.
Kardinal Sin – S.A.L.I.G.I.A.
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
This is power metal flirting with both symphonic elements and the more sober elements of traditional heavy metal. It’s far from the freshest thing you’ll hear this week, particularly considering the lyrics, but the slightly darker tone elevates it beyond the plain standard of the subgenre.
Kold – Intet Mere Er
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A young and promising, atmosphere-leaning black metal project with a very to-the-point and focused sound that still reaches some depth on the sound spectrum. They also invite in haunting, contemplative melodies that blend well with the rhythms and dragged-out vocal screams.
Lunar – The Illusionist
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A collaborative progressive project that ticks a lot of the right boxes if you’re looking for adventurous instrumental work and that whimsical-yet-competent tone that is typical for this more classic form of the subgenre. It elevates itself above pure shred in a few key areas though, leaning eagerly into whatever special ingredient is applied to each song, be it heavy riffs and growling or pianos and strings.
Majesties – Vast Reaches Unclaimed
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
On the surface, this is so much like an unreleased late 90s In Flames or Dark Tranquillity album that it’s verging on blatant. But as you listen more, and closer, you get elements of not just other bands of the era, but other subgenres. You get some of the ferocity of old school death metal, the malevolence of early melodic black metal, as well as a hint of progressive restlessness, all the while holding firmly on to a core of Scandinavian folk. This is a full-on embrace of, not so much the classic melodeath style as all the influences that formed the basis of the style’s creation in the first place. Varied, heavy, raw and inspired, it’s one of the absolute best revivals of the Gothenburg sound that I’ve ever heard.
Highlights: “Our Gracious Captors” and “Seekers of the Ineffable”.
Necropanther – Betrayal
Genre: Thrash/melodic black/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
A feral and vicious, yet impressively controlled and devilishly catchy foray into brutal thrash metal. The tone is dark, there’s a hardcore-like directness to it, a deathcore-like low-end punch, and it carries the expansiveness of melodic black- and death metal. It’s pure energy, and while its not the type of thing you sit down and let carry you away, it goes beyond the straight adrenaline shot with some melody and dynamic flow that’s rousing and engaging, preventing it from growing stale at any point during its runtime.
Highlights: “If You Can Count” and “Furies”.
Nemesis Sopor – Firmament
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A solemn, yet dynamic atmospheric black metal experience that sounds like it has a story to tell. There are chapters to the progression, switching between dark moods of different intensity. It’s mostly quite aggressive or stark, never really reaching the more melancholy or mystic extremes of some of its peers.
Ocean Of Grief – Pale Existence
Genre: Doom/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is a rather ponderous take on a doom/melodeath meld that leans heavily into dark melody and alternates between heavy doom atmosphere and chugging, brutal riffs. It’s highly competent, but the rhythm stays almost exactly the same throughout, which does not help the individual song identity.
Plague Bearer – Summoning Apocalyptic Devastation
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A release of blackened death metal that’s so blatantly unholy that’s it’s a bit comical, although you get the distinct impression that this is not the intention. The tone is pretty uniformly dark and evil, with a raw, low-fi approach and a few nods to classic melodeath.
Sortilège – Apocalypso
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Heavy metal stepping up to symphonic grandeur and sporting an industrial edge to its heaviest riffs. This is no reinvention of anything at all, but an entertaining piece of genre candy none the less.
Stoned Jesus – Father Light
Genre: Stoner/doom metal/rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
An album that seems very confidently crafted from a unified idea of its structure and content. This is a band that is very comfortable with its own style, and not trying to be something different, although still having the capacity for some experimentation. It’s laid back, quite heavy, and yet very approachable.
Temptress – See
Genre: Heavy/doom/psychedelic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Heavy psychedelia that keeps the listener’s interest with engaging riff work, dynamic rhythms and a very coherent tone. It’s not what you’d call adventurous, but plenty lively for its niche, and it sounds like it’s exactly the kind of sound that the band themselves want to make.
Terveet Kädet – Kaikki kaikkia vastaan
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
How about some howling wild, Finnish metallic hardcore? It’s not the kind of thing you hear every day, although it sticks to a lot of the genre conventions you might expect. Aside from the undeniable hardcore attitude there’s some thrash technicality thrown on top, as well as a rowdy punk spirit that separates it from your typical big-city-back-alley kind of project.
Viscera – Carcinogenesis
Genre: Technical deathcore/metalcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Following up their impressive 2020 debut, Obsidian, the conglomeration of metalcore/deathcore veterans that is Viscera has released what is undeniably another feat of ear-catching, melodic and incredibly well-coordinated technicality. While lacking some of the goosebumps-inducing moments of brutal majesty of its predecessor, it feels like a fully realised continuation of the concept, and immerses the listener in vibrant, tight and powerful aggression.
Highlights: “Rats With Wings” and “Layers of Skin”.
Witch Ripper – The Flight After The Fall
Genre: Progressive sludge/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
As suggested by the album title, this feels a bit like taking flight while still attached to a world of deep, heavy roots and churning surface activity. There’s a prevailing non-naïve positivity, creative rhythm work reminiscent of Mastodon, and a sense of freedom that brings to mind certain aspects of Queen. It sounds eager and exploratory, without taking off completely and heading beyond the reach of anyone who’s not a thoroughly initiated prog enthusiast.
Witchthroat Serpent – Trove Of Oddities At The Devil’s Driveway
Genre: Doom/stoner metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is doomy, psychedelia-tinged stoner metal of the spooky variant. You get a massive front of fuzzy heaviness followed by atmosphere-inducing synth work and haunting, slightly detached vocals. Solid, although not exactly brimming with originality.
Zulu – A New Tomorrow
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
A very fresh take on a solid hardcore foundation, mixing in modern death metal and grindcore brutality and a host of sharply contrasting musical influences like reggae, hip-hop, jazz and what one would widely describe as world music. The amount of raw content and impressions they are able to shower you with in the span of 28 minutes and 45 seconds is staggering, although you don’t really end up feeling overwhelmed either. While some of the style shifts can feel a bit jarring, conceptually this feel rock solid.
Highlights: “Where I’m From” and “Who Jah Bless, No One Curse”.
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 