Landing hard with some heavily anticipated releases, this week also offers some impressive breakouts from the underground.
The Acacia Strain – Failure Will Follow
Genre: Sludge/doom metal/deathcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A very measured and atmospheric take on doom dragging out the intensity of deathcore. It works on many levels, but the total isn’t as rewarding as it probably should be.
The Acacia Strain – Step Into The Light
Genre: Deathcore/mathcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
A tortured trampling of deathcore with some math complexity thrown in there, and often at the speed and intensity level of grind. It’s not totally off its hinges though, offering blood-igniting buildups, interesting and varied rhythm work and enough of a hint of sinister melody to build a very effective mood. And breakdowns, naturally.
Highlights: “FRESH BONES” and “UNTENDED GRAVES”
The Amity Affliction – Not Without My Ghosts
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Highly percussive, big-production, electronica-backed melodic metalcore with a solid mix of full-out aggression and pop-oriented choruses.
Ascended Dead – Evenfall Of The Apocalypse
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Distinctly low-fi blackened death metal that seeks to overwhelm you at every turn. And yet there’s a terrifying majesty to the chaos.
Battle Born – Blood, Fire, Magic And Steel
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Tastefully cheesy power metal with a lot of retro electronica to it, unapologetically epic fantasy themes and overall just a very entertaining disposition.
Burial Clouds – Last Days of a Dying World
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Atmospheric, lamenting doom interspersed with dissonant, bleak aggression, making for an impression of something writhing in agony.
Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite
Genre: Technical death metal/deathcore
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Even more so than on the last album, Cattle Decapitation’s technical death metal strikes with the apocalyptic force and grandeur of deathcore. Layers of spite and outrage are packed in waves of concussive brutality, but it’s also very tightly controlled and ushered on by winds of ominous melody. The method to the madness is not subtle on this, but as a consequence you are treated to an obvious and awe-inspiring display of instrumental mastery, while very much staying on message.
Highlights: “We Eat Our Young” and “A Photic Doom”.
Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean – Obsession Destruction
Genre: Sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
A hateful, blackened doom record scraping at the deepest recesses of your brain with raspy sludge ire that’s captured perfectly in the crisp vocal style and malicious riff tone. There is little but abyssal darkness on here, but you get the occasional surge of pounding, rhythmic heaviness.
Dead Shape Figure – The Sworn Book
Genre: Symphonic death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
An interesting combination of brutal, symphonic majesty and thrashy groove metal riffs that unfortunately clash a bit on a rhythmic level.
DevilDriver – Dealing With Demons Vol. II
Genre: Groove metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
The second part of the concept album duo from DevilDriver offers more technical groove riffing and is on form in most ways, but lacks a significant drive to elevate it into something special.
Esoctrilihum – Astraal Constellations of the Majickal Zodiac
Genre: Technical black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Aside from some fairly rough vocal work and a slightly messy production, this has the technical chops and sense of atmospheric bombast to grow into something noteworthy.
Exitium – Imperitous March for Abysmal Glory
Genre: Black/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Tightly produced black metal offering up controlled thrash riffing amidst ominous, tremolo-boosted atmosphere.
Godsnake – Eye For An Eye
Genre: Thrash metal/hard rock
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Bog-standard riffing with tired lyrics and bland choruses distract from some nice crunchy riffing.
Gonemage – Astral Corridors
Genre: Electronic black/noise metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Noisy, at times brutal black metal that’s partly given the classic arcade chiptune-sound treatment. It has a lot of strong sections, that you will get to if you can bear with a bit of weirdness.
Hex A.D. – Delightful Sharp Edges
Genre: Progressive/doom metal/rock
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
An odd coupling of harmonic, light ambience and a bit of old school doom woven together with a free-spirited prog metal attitude.
Impetuous Ritual – Iniquitous Barbarik Synthesis
Genre: Death/noise metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A hellish, cavernous cacophony of noise that is as impenetrable as it is malignant.
Left To Suffer – Feral
Genre: Metalcore/deathcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A furious explosion of modern metalcore with plenty of deathcore crossover in brutal breakdowns and animalistic vocals.
Logical Terror – Sides Of The Unknown
Genre: Industrial/electronic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Melodic and with artificial-sounding rhythms, and very vanilla harmonies.
Never Ending Game – Outcry
Genre: Metallic hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Riffs! This thing is a chugging monster of stomp-rhythm riffs, pinch harmonics and Metallica-style solos. With coarse, commanding vocals leading the way and an infectious no-way-but-forward energy from start to finish, it’s pretty much impossible not to get bitten by the bug.
Highlights: “Hate Today… Die Tomorrow” and “Never Die”.
Oreida – The Eternal
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Instrumental, atmospheric black metal of the ever so slightly low-fi variant, offering entry into a harsh and melancholic, but stirring soundscape.
Pronostic – Chaotic Upheaval
Genre: Technical/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Despite some occasionally stumbling rhythms and section transitions, this is a goodie bag of playful instrumental work, vivid melody and eager aggression.
ScreaMachine – Church Of The Scream
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Some chest-beating, live-oriented heavy metal that’s an uncomplicated good time.
Sunbeam Overdrive – Diama
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Fairly heavy progressive metal with some strong alternative leanings, even nu-metal at times.
Thanatomass – Hades
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Echoing, tomb-dwelling black metal that’s refreshingly non-folky in tone, going for the old school chaotic instrumentation but a warmer atmosphere.
They Watch Us From the Moon! – Cosmic Chronicles, Act I: The Ascension
Genre: Melodic doom/stoner metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A space exploring doom metal record led by clean, sublime vocals. Even as the heavy riffs allude to the darkness of the journey, there is an uplifting sense of adventure to the melodies, and some rich, stoner groove to comfort you along the way. The production is excellent, and there’s a laid-back immersion to the progression that’s vey inviting.
Highlights: “On the Fields Of The Moon” and “Creeper A.D.”
Veil Of Maya – [m]other
Genre: Technical deathcore/metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Extreme technical aggression meets synth-spacey backing melodies, snarly screaming and a few pop-oriented choruses.
Veriluola – Cascades Of Crimson Cruor
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Technically solid, with eager, creative riffing and strong atmospheric work, this blackened death album is let down by a power-sapping production.
Worth – Worth
Genre: Melodic death/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2/5
Unengaging melodies and a failure to commit to either aggression or catchiness leaves this one hanging in the void.
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 