Some household names of weird and extreme metal delivering strongly this week, giving you a good mix of different flavors.
Cleanbreak – We Are The Fire
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
A project that pays tribute to classic American heavy metal, with soaring, Dio-esque melodies and vocals. All the predictability of recycling.
Coping Method – Where Spirit Meets Bone
Genre: Metalcore/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Call it industrial, call it electronic – this is metalcore plugged into a techno-beat dystopian visualizer. It’s not a bad blend, and yet it doesn’t really surprise in any way. Erratic rhythms, youthful energy and soft melodies.
The Crown – Crown Of Thorns
Genre: Melodic death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
On their 12th album, Swedish The Crown seems to want to be doing something a bit special, as they’ve taken the title from their original band name, “Crown of Thorns”. Not being terribly familiar with their discography, I’m not going to presume that this is some sort of retrospective style experience, but it does sound like they’ve taken more than a few cues from classic thrash and heavy metal. But this is mostly spikes-out, snarling old school extreme metal with a melodeath twin personality. Perhaps a bit too concerned with style over substance, it’s still a ripper of an album.
Highlight: “Howling at the Warfield”
Crucifiction – Will To Power
Genre: Deathcore/brutal death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
It’s almost a bit touching seeing the deathcore kids wanting to carry on the torch of depravity from the more morbid corner of death metal. While this is a bit clinical, it’s still got a touch of that gleeful mania that makes gore-obsessed extreme metal so much fun.
Doedsmaghird – Omniverse Consciousness
Genre: Experimental black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
“Unhinged” is probably the first word that comes to mind listening to this parallel project to black metal greats Dødheimsgard. It very much feels like an experimental theater piece put on by a host of deranged, malevolent ghosts. The ambient elements and the raw black metal core do their best to choke each other out in a continuous, black-cloth-shrouded wrestling match.
Highlight: “Adrift Into Collapse”
Dragony – Hic Svnt Dracones
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Looking at the song titles on this album (The World Serpent, The Einherjar, Twilight of the Gods, etc.), you’d think you were in for an Amon Amarth compilation, or at least some classic, Tyr-like, folk metal. But no, this is very straight-to-the-point, symphonic-powered, bright and colorful power metal with little-to-no folk influx whatsoever. Go figure. More importantly, it’s brimming with positive energy and full-on commitment to the bit, with spirited drum- and guitar work, so you can’t help but have fun with it.
Highlight: “Dreamchasers”
Fupa Goddess – Fuckyourface
Genre: Grindcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Party-grindcore that sounds like it’s blown a massive hole in your speaker, to the point where the vocals are like howling draft from a crack in the wall.
Hell Is Other People – Moirae
Genre: Black metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
An energy-sapping downer of an emotion-heavy black metal project built on atmospherically oriented hardcore. Because of the long song format, stretches will sound a bit repetitive, but they’ve got a real talent for subtle-yet-expansive melody.
Kozoria – The Source
Genre: Groove metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
A band that can’t quite decide if they want to be Gojira or Five Finger Death Punch. There’s plenty of progressive ambition on here, but it’s mostly a superficial layer around fairly accessible melodies and simple grooves.
Master Boot Record – Hardwarez
Genre: Electronic (8-bit) metal/synthwave
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
The balance has been struck once again. Metal chugs and heavy atmosphere letting loose within a framework of staccato rhythms and electronically precise melodic notes. There’s adventure-bound classic metal, soaring symphonic metal, and dark industrial metal in here, all sounding like parts to the greatest story-driven video game ever made. The melodies are so blissfully fulfilling, it’s like untying knots in your mind, and the overall variation of tonal flavor is fantastic.
Highlights: “RAM” and “HDD”
Nasty Savage – Jeopardy Room
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
If you think that thrash could benefit from some of that old school of Florida death metal guitar tone, then you’re in tune with this band. As thrash goes, this is quite heavy, but it never tips over into anything harsh or brutal. Plenty of tasty riffs and a few thematic antics makes this a highly enjoyable listen.
Highlight: “Brain Washer”.
Oranssi Pazuzu – Muuntautuja
Genre: Psychedelic/avant-garde black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Like half-wandering, half-falling down a cave shaft while enveloped by a writhing, black cloud of living smoke, this album will take you to a place of unpleasant revelations. Pulsing, oppressive ambience swirls around echoing, serene melody and noisy elements of industrial black metal. It’s not as crazy as it sounds, progressing at a gradual pace, but it’s also anything but conventional.
Highlight: “Muuntautuja”
Sandveiss – Standing in the Fire
Genre: Heavy metal/stoner rock
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Now for some warm-toned, heavy stoner rock out of Quebec. This is a band that has blunted all of its extremes in the best possible way, sounding measured and well-considered, in order to deliver a satisfyingly coherent whole. That doesn’t mean you’re not getting plenty of satisfying riffs, super smooth vocals and a few rhythm- and atmosphere elements that bring to mind Mastodon. Topping it off with an affinity for memorable melodies, and you’ve got a solid all-rounder with some real personality.
Highlights: “Bleed Me Dry” and “I’ll Be Rising”
Seven Hours After Violet – Seven Hours After Violet
Genre: Metalcore/groove metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A mix of chugging groove riffs, a bit of nu metal rhythms and that classic blend of direct harshness and emotional, clean melody you typically get with modern metalcore. There’s a slight touch of that System of a Down erratic energy to it, but only a touch.
Highlight: “Alive”
Vomit Forth – Terrified Of God
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Think you can handle some no-mercy, sludgy death metal? Vomit Forth puts the pedal to the metal and handcuffs you to an outside door handle. As you’re half desperately running, half-dangling along for the ride, they shout raspy abuse at you through the window and alternates pumping the gas and breaks just to maximize the injury inflicted.
Highlight: “Blood Soaked Death Dream”
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, why not pop a comment down below?
The Metal Dispatch 