A week of surprises, this one offers up a blend of the traditional and the experimental, with little adherence to boring conventions.
Anubis Gate – Interference
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Mild mannered and melodic progressive metal with electronic elements.
Atlases – Between The Day & I
Genre: Progressive metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Somewhat dark and stylistically clean metalcore with artistic ambitions.
Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is But A Dream
Genre: Heavy/experimental metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
The question to be asked is what isn’t A7X trying to do on this latest, experimental record. Sure, it’s still recognizably them, but nodding into progressive and industrial styles and getting completely carried away into conceptual avant-gardism towards the end. Props for trying, but it’s neither bold nor stylistically coherent enough.
Bongzilla – Dab City
Genre: Stoner/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
If there was such a thing as funeral stoner (and heck, why not?) this would be well on the way to qualifying as such. Dazed, fuzzy and heavy, with occasional sludge-style gurgle-vocals.
Buggin – Concrete Cowboys
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is the most fun 19 minutes you’ll have all week. What you get is youthful hardcore brimming with punk- and garage rock energy. It’s absolutely riff-centric and doesn’t shy from a bit of dynamic rhythm work and groove on top. Your mind immediately goes to a tight-packed, sweaty basement venue where the band members spend more time stomping around with the audience than up on stage.
Highlights: “All Eyes On You” and “Hard 2 kill”.
Cosmic Burial – Far Away From Home
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Skygazing, chilling instrumental black metal that’s too caught up with weaving a vivid, melodic tapestry out of infinity to care about being particularly dark.
Dieth – To Hell And Back
Genre: Death/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Solid death metal-light, focusing on melody, groove and a more inviting, polished overall soundscape.
Gloryhammer – Return To The Kingdom Of Fife
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Utterly unashamed, all-out epic power metal, filling you with warm fuzzy feelings, perhaps a biproduct of the overall sound being overly cushioned.
Halflighted – Obloquy
Genre: Death/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Ragged, disharmonious and slightly disturbing death sludge that could do with a stronger drive.
Hemplifier – The Stoner Side of the Doom
Genre: Stoner/doom metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Dragging, dark-toned stoner that sounds like a threatening murmur from within a dark alley.
Koningsor – Death Process (EP)
Genre: Mathcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A melodic mathcore EP that takes you weird places if you let it. Plenty og aggression, but also a decent amount of atmosphere.
The Kryptik – A Journey To The Darkest Kingdom
Genre: Symphonic/atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Atmospheric black metal that’s a bit overloaded with gothic-tinged symphonic elements, robbing the songs of identity.
Necrofier – Burning Shadows In The Southern Night
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This one treads the line between traditional and distinctive, and manages the balancing act quite well. You get most of the hallmarks of the old school style – slightly rusty production, lots of tremolo and a coherently grim tone, but there’s a fullness to it, and a clear desire to add character to every step of the process. As a result, it will satisfy the urge for no-frills darkness, with a flavor that makes you remember it.
Highlights: “Burnt by the Sacred Flame” and “Total Southern Darkness”.
OK Goodnight – The Fox and the Bird
Genre: Progressive/experimental metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
A concept album through and through, this is mild, though highly experimental, prog metal teeming with indie energy. Though there’s a good bit of shredding in here, don’t expect any sort of no-holds-barred instrumental pummeling. This one takes its time in telling a tale of many nuances, and it’s reflected in every part of the music. The good news is that it feels organic and purposeful, as opposed to a jam session interspersed with artsy interludes.
Highlights: “The Bear” and “The Falcon”.
Pupil Slicer – Blossom
Genre: Progressive metalcore/math metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
At least instrumentally, this has a drop of that unpredictable, gleeful madness that makes bands like Avatar so unique, and I’m digging it. If you come here expecting pure mathcore, you might be slightly disappointed, although you shouldn’t be, cause you’re getting that and more. It’s got a good balance between melody and spit-in-your-face hardcore harshness, insane drum work, surprising tonal variation and overall feels like a mature musical statement.
Highlights: “Momentary Actuality” and “No Temple”
Red Cain – Nae’bliss
Genre: Progressive/electronic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Melodic and modern progressive metal leaning into heavy metal loftiness.
Thantifaxath – Hive Mind Narcosis
Genre: Avant-garde black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
This is black metal that goes well out of its way to transport you to a sonic nightmare realm. A symphony of black lunacy, it serves up bone-chilling dissonance, hateful instrumental intensity and an atmosphere that brings to mind rampaging, malicious spirits. Definitely something you need to be in the right head space for.
World I Hate – Years Of Lead
Genre: Hardcore/grindcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A heavy, heavy, heavy hardcore album spitting bile and fire. It goes over the grindcore-top every now and then, further adding to the intensity.
Wytch Hazel – IV: Sacrament
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
This one oozes style. A band that has found its niche, supporting the members’ abilities to the fullest and syncing perfectly with their creativity. It’s medieval themed heavy metal with a taste of old school prog rock, without any of the gaudiness you might expect to come with it. The tone is melancholy-tinged, almost doomy, but also elegantly groovy, like Ghost at their absolute best. There may not be any big surprises, other than the fact that the quality is as damn consistent as it is, and the lingering feeling is one of nostalgic comfort mixed with admiration for the thematic dedication.
Highlights: “The Fire’s Control” and “Digging Deeper”.
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 