This week is a clash between the patiently familiar and the restless noisemakers, with both big names and promising newcomers contributing.
Aries Descendant – From The Ashes Of Deceit
Genre: Symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Some very M. Shadows-like vocals on this one, that goes well to raise the roof on the more epic parts, of which there are many. The rhythms and melodies are, however, very cookie cutter.
Ashen Tomb – Ecstatic Death Reign
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
I especially like that song, “Ancient Tombs Sealed with Dead Tongues to Preserve the Hidden One Slumbering in the Bowels of the Earth”… oh, wait, and “Mummified in Cavernous Darkness”, that’s also part of the song title, just FYI. Apart from this kind of entertaining nonsense, and a cool album cover, this is classic Scandinavian death metal added a bit of modern brutal-vibes. It’s a bit lacking in personality.
Carnosus – Wormtales
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Not your typical surgical murder-robot attack of ferociously fast technicality, this is still very precise and rhythm minded death metal, but with a musty, soil-dwelling sort of oppressive atmosphere, and a somewhat Black Dahlia Murder-esque melodeath vibe. And it does all of that very well. It’s not exactly brilliantly varied, but for those wanting their tech death to remain dark and morbid, while still feeling impatient, you certainly get that here.
Highlight: “Yearnings of a Rotten Spine”
DGM – Endless
Genre: melodic progressive metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
This is classic prog metal with that familiar space-out synth tone, that has this non-traditional folk connection that comes through in its melody-focused instrumental sections. Like its consciousness flows across a serene landscape, taking it all in. It’s not at all original, but well crafted.
Damnations Domain – A World Turned Black
Genre: Death metal/grindcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Brutal death metal married to the sawblade chugs of grindcore. It’s not the chaotic kind that goes flat out from the get go, but rather a measured, raw pummeling that takes its time tormenting you.
Deivos – Apophenia
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A dark and aggressive variant of tech death, putting on the pressure from the start and washing over you like a wave full of metal shards. It’s definitely-groove-oriented, but with a fairly monotone approach to melody that leaves the overall impression a but flat. Lots of cool instrumental stuff going on though.
Dregg – The Art Of Everything
Genre: Nu/experimental metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
I’m still trying to get used to the idea of nu metal actually making a comeback, cause it’s such a dated style for me, and I don’t really mean that in a bad way. But these guys are making a case for the validity of “modern” nu metal (or nu nu metal, I guess). Although this is also fairly experimental, I suppose that’s how it should be when trying to break nu ground (sorry). A lot of it is still familiar, with a lot of the more choppy, irregular riff style being reminiscent of progressive metalcore, and some of the vocals too. There’s a bit of Sepultura-like groove metal, some hardcore, and it all adds up to a very flexible, in-your-face attack, like facing an MMA fighter whose fighting style you’re not really prepared for.
Highlight: “Butterscotch Biscuits”
Ensiferum – Winter Storm
Genre: Folk metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
It’s time to gear up for a quest of noble vengeance in the arctic wilderness. If you’re familiar with Ensiferum, then all you really need to know is that they’re on form. For the rest of you, this is folk metal injected with equal amounts Finnish melodeath and bombastic heavy metal. As is not uncommon, they go through several different vocal styles, of which the harsher ones ironically come off as the least over-the-top and theatrical. While there are some real standouts on here, they are outnumbered, but overall it’s a real good time.
Highlight: “Long Cold Winter of Sorrow and Strife”
Escuela Grind – Dreams On Algorithms
Genre: Death metal/grindcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This album sounds like the next solid plateau for the band to land on after their half-step up with the “DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL” EP. A feeling of confidence has never been a lacking factor with their music, but this is clearly a sphere where the band is able to comfortably flex their stylistic muscles, sounding both mature and distinct. It’s meaty and brutal, perhaps more groove-oriented than chaotic-brutal, but with all of that small-stage, blood-boiling grindcore energy that you’d expect. Don’t take it the wrong way if I suggest that there’s a bit of nu metal in here as well.
Highlights: “Animus Multiform” and “Moral Injury”
Feral – To Usurp The Thrones
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This one sounds like it started out like death ‘n’ roll and then, like a tumbling ball of snow, grew significantly girthier. It’s got crusty groove for days, and packs onto it with furious vocals, highly active drums and a nice and heavy low end.
Fórn – Repercussions of the Self
Genre: Sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This band impressed me greatly when I came across their debut, “The Departure of Consciousness”. Like I wrote about that album, it was the sheer presence of the music that had me frozen in my seat, almost afraid to move. “Repercussions of the Self” is a different experience – less ominous, more exploratory. It doesn’t tower over you as much as slowly swirl around you, as an all-encompassing spectacle of abstract impressions. It’s still crushingly heavy, just not in the way that lays all that weight directly on top of you.
Highlight: “Regrets Abyss”
Frozen Crown – War Hearts
Genre: Power/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Frozen Crown returns with their blend of soaring power metal and riff-happy heavy/speed metal. This time the vocals are more forward in the mix, the choruses are pronounced and there’s and overall bigger emphasis on catchiness.
Funeral – Gospel Of Bones
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Heavy, somber doom metal from a veteran band. Instrumentally, and atmosphere-wise, they strike a rewarding balance between abyssal heaviness and sorrow-tinged folk melody, but have made some choices regarding the rather prominent vocal style that will not be for everyone.
Grand Magus – Sunraven
Genre: Heavy/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Immaculately produced, this is some of the smoothest fuzz I’ve heard in a good while. Every part of the band’s performances sounds good – from the finely aged vocals to the warm bass and guitars. it all embraces the Scandinavian Viking-folk theme like a perfectly fitting cloak. It’s not the most dynamic thing, but is still a joy to listen to.
Highlight: “Skybound”
The Hypothesis – Evolve
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Some Finnish extreme-styled prog metal giving off a fairly prominent melodeath shadow. Offering plenty of instrumental acrobatics, a great harsh/melodic balance and lots of solos, the main thing missing is more deliberate song structures, which might allow the band to project a stronger identity.
Immortal Bird – Sin Querencia
Genre: Black/sludge metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This is an album that I enjoy letting hurt me. This is weaponized pain and misery, attacking you in irregular waves to make sure you’re never really get used to the torment. It’s progressively structured, but it doesn’t feel like the point of the album is to be instrumentally advanced. Rending vocals and agile drums feel like spring-action levers that hurl you into a world of grating riffs and abyssal, doom-heavy bass, but with a hardcore-style tempo and ferocity, It’s also highly dynamic, keeping you on your toes as each song sounds employs a different, sinister strategy.
Highlights: “Bioluminescent Toxins” and “Ocean Endless”.
Maatkare – Rise To Power
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
An all-female, mildly blackened, Ancient Egypt-themed, modern death metal outfit. It manages a good balance between brutality and dark melody, although some work remains to give it standout character.
Misanthropic Aggression – Insect Politics
Genre: Death metal/crust punk
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
This is raw, eardrum-scratching, up-brutal-ed crust punk that tries both simple and short, and more long-form and complex approaches. The Former works best, and the mix of the two doesn’t do wonders for the album flow, but it’s still worth giving a shot.
Mother Of Graves – The Periapt Of Absence
Genre: Melodic death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Doom-tempo melodic death metal that treads the path of majestic-yet-nihilistic melancholy. For fans of epic, patiently building melodies leading into harsh-tinged grandeur, this is exactly as ordered, and delivers quality in every aspect. It feels very familiar in that regard, but some times it’s great to be served precisely the kind of flavor you were hoping for, with no messing up the formula.
Highlight: “Upon Burdened Hands”
Mystyc Blade – The Master Is Inside
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Adventurous, slightly stripped-down heavy metal with some prog ambitions. There’s a bit to go before a good flow is achieved.
Oryx – Primordial Sky
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
A core of slow-roaring brutality surrounded by cushioning layers of atmosphere, that’s all enveloping and very organic in its progression. It’s ponderous for sure, but if you allow yourself to get lost, it won’t let you down for the duration.
Swallow The Sun – Shining
Genre: Doom/gothic/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
With this one, Swallow the Sun has risen out of the shadows into a realm of clouds and twilight. But even as the surrounding atmosphere is softer, brighter and more pleasant, the band doesn’t really lift their gaze, insisting that the realm of sadness and longing hasn’t really been left behind. As a result the music takes on that gothic flair of almost reveling in the melancholy – wrapping itself up in it like it was a long stream of dark cloth, the other end of which is still tethered to the shadowlands. The melodies and transitions from blissful serenity to thundering doom are still just as good as on their previous album, “Moonflowers”, it’s just not as well tonally grounded this time.
Highlight: “What I Have Become”.
Veiled – SE//CT
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is the type of deathcore that doesn’t really move anywhere, instead being content to land titanic, measured blows upon the same limited area, digging an increasingly large crater. The band does deal with atmosphere quite well though, bringing the technical brutality to a dark and foreboding, almost doom-like place.
Veonity – The Final Element
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
If you can get behind the vocal style, there’s lots to like with this Swedish power metal project. It’s tight, fast and spits out well-structured solos left and right. Melody-wise it’s not exactly revolutionary, but it works.
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 