Metalcore makes a big push this week, delivering some solid stuff, but having to share the spotlight with its more brutal and progressive cousins.
Accvsed – Dealers Of Doom
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
This is the debut album of German metalcore outfit ACCVSED, but it sounds like the product of a decade’s worth of experience. Their sound pulls from several corners of the modern metalcore spectrum, and I’m tempted to call them Germany’s answer to Bleed From Within, as they share some distinct similarities in both the harsher and more melodic aspects of their style. But there are key differences as well – they pull more from both djent and industrial when they go heavy, and more from pop, electronica and post-hardcore in the softer sections. Still, for a band that adheres to the breakdown-prone, rhythmically bound trend of today, they are able to shake things up and surprise you every now and then with some seriously solid songwriting.
Highlights: “Dealers of Doom” and “Never Enough”
Barbarous – Initium Mors
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Old school-ish, sledgehammer death metal from California. You get that awesome crunch to the riffs and disciplined, terror-tactics assault of the drums, hungry-beast-vocals and with a moderate portion of groove to go along with it. If you’re in it for the riffs and raw brutality, then look no further. It hits hard and doesn’t feel like the band has to try very hard to come up with decently varying forms of sonic punishment. It’s not a revelation in any way, and could do with some truly massive bangers, but it never goes stale, and remains very true to its style throughout, keeping it tight and sweet at just under 30 minutes runtime.
Highlight: “Conscious Decomposition”
Creatvre – Toujours humain
Genre: Progressive/avant-garde extreme metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
I first discovered this one-man project on the 2021 release “Eloge de l’ombre”, as I found myself drawn to the unique take on progressive, blackened extreme metal: Wild, noisy, unpredictable and evil. Progressive not for the sake of style but because that’s how the vision takes shape. And yet, I found it slightly limited by its production, and felt it had even more to go on in terms of scope. On this latest release I, as the listener, get exactly what I asked for, and for once it truly elevates the whole experience to the next level. Talk about outdoing yourself. “Toujours Humain” is alive, and running a whole bunch of different operations simultaneously, continuously evolving as its incomprehensible mind processes new information and reacts to it in ways both benign and hostile. It doesn’t come across as chaotic, but it’s also not a harmonious experience. It transcends a slew of different moods, styles and atmospheric realms, but retains a sinister edge. It’s a trip, and one I heartily recommend you take if you’re the least bit adventurous.
Highlights: “810-M4SS” and “Hope Inc.”
Crungus – Hollow
Genre: Blackened/brutal death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A mostly brutal (but not excessively so) death metal project with varying levels of blackened leanings. There are moments that bring on the cold bitterness in spades, but the main intention seems to be pounding punishment. Recommended for those who don’t much like the sillier side of modern, gurgly death metal.
Hammer – Trapped
Genre: Death/groove metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
A modern death-like project out of Scotland that’s very clearly trying to tweak the formula into something ever so slightly out of the ordinary. It’s got a few mildly progressive rhythm transitions, a moderate bit of dissonance, and partially-committed groove leanings. Sometimes it works quite well, sometimes it doesn’t leave all that much of an impression.
Harvested – Dysthymia
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
If modern, sharp, precise death metal, lacking the traditional “texture” and going for all-out aggression and surgical technicality over atmosphere and any pretense of “old school”, then this might very well hit home for you. It’s a confident, no-nonsense sound with a good amount of groove and restrained showmanship. I’m tempted to call AI on that album cover though.
Knosis – Genknosis
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Rhythmic, modern metalcore that, which seems to be the current trend, embraces elements of alternative metal, as well as experimenting with complicated, progressive rhythms. It doesn’t quite convince me that there’s a strong, overarching plan, but it has a few strong songs, and should not disappoint fans.
Terrordome – Plagued With Violence
Genre: Thrash metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Now for a dose of untamed Polish crossover thrash. You’ve got the speed of… well, speed (metal)… and the ill-mannered-ness of hardcore both sort of pulling in the same direction, and it makes for quite a ride. Luckily, it’s also got some muscle to go with the teeth, so you’re getting meaty riffs and malicious groove, very much in the vein of Kreator. Speaking of which, the (mock) satanic themes also fit in nicely with the style. It’s a pleaser of a stomp-y, snarling, adrenaline-fueled riff machine, and I can vividly imagine the mayhem it will cause live.
Highlight: “Satanic Decree”
To The Grave – Still
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is not your typical, grand, symphonic or electronic-melodic deathcore. This is straight-faced, harsh, percussive punishment, but, essentially, not utterly without tact or groove. The growls are pit-guttural, the riffs are harsh, the tone is stark, but luckily they are in fact interested in seeing you headbang outside of the breakdowns, so it’s not completely dehumanizing. Conceptually there’s not a ton to dig into, but they manage to keep it tight and focused, leaving you properly shaken and riled up with just a (roughly) 21 minute runtime.
Highlight: “Death Walking Terror”
Victim of Fire – The Old Lie
Genre: Crust/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Victim of Fire blend crust punk and old school Swedish-style chugging melodeath to great effect. This isn’t a folk-inspired, massively layered or ostentatiously produced sort of thing. In fact, the hiss-snarling vocals are fairly buried in the mix, and the drum work feels more punk than death metal to me. As a result it’s light on its feet, but the riffs are plenty crunchy and meaty, leaving you with nostalgic impressions of such classic sounds as that of early Arch Enemy. Despite its no-nonsense, hurried and seemingly unsentimental approach, the melodies are somber, so it doesn’t come across as uncaring or flippant in any way. It’s honest, uncomplicated, and honed-in to its chosen style.
Highlights: “The Old Lie” and “Front Towards Enemy”
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 