Dark and spiritual underground dwellers are being offset by vibrant, fun-loving mass pleasers this week, and it will no doubt divide the fanbase.
Ashes Of Ares – New Messiahs
Genre: Heavy/power metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
For fans of Iced Earth (which is basically the origin of this band) this will probably be a fairly enjoyable, low-demand listen of groove-like riffs and the distinct, belting vibrato vocals of Matt Barlow. But on a more general basis this is seriously trite, with a poor, blunt production, unengaging rhythm work, mediocre melodies and formulaic songwriting.
Babymetal – Metal Forth
Genre: Pop/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
I won’t spend a ton of time on this album, because I honestly think that reviews of bands like Babymetal need to be written and read by people that genuinely like them, and who don’t care to classify them. For me, when something crosses this far into the land of pop sensibilities, it loses too much of the foundation on which I base my opinion (Sleep Token being a prime example of this). Fans of this will, for instance, probably don’t care that it’s stylistically all over the place due to the fact that it’s completely dominated by guest performances, whose influences overshadow any distinct core sound. There’s alternative, metalcore, deathcore, pop, symphonic, power, rap, electronica… and the list goes on. Bottom line though, is that it’s a lot of fun. It’s flavorful and catchy, with several strong tracks, and none of it is poorly written. But spending any significant time considering the question of WHY it was made, and I just lose interest.
Blackbraid – Blackbraid III
Genre: Atmospheric folk/black metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
The degree to which this is still black metal is a consideration best left behind when diving in to this album, because it will only distract you. Think of it more like blackened folk, and you’ll probably enjoy it more. Like the album art suggests, this is a sound born of the night, but not of complete darkness. There is life, pale light, and a horizon full of promises, despite the woes of the day just left behind. The album feels loaded with emotion, not in any sort of tender or overly earnest way, but the highly expressive screams and melodies on here are loaded with passion. It’s an epic affair with long main track alternating with mostly acoustic interludes. These might be a tad long for some, but once you’re in the flow most of them are engaging enough to keep your mind from disconnecting. It’s beautifully produced, and delivers both vicious aggression and a grand sense of scope, closer to melodic death metal than black metal in that regard. Nothing feels overstated, and offers fantastic immersion for anyone able to take it for what it is.
Highlights: “The Dying Breath of a Sacred Stag” and “God of Black Blood”
Cytolysis – Surge Of Cruelty
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
This is one of those “didn’t stop to consider whether they should” scenarios. The band obviously thought it might be interesting to dive into groove-progressive rhythms for their otherwise fairly grounded brutal death metal sound, and my verdict is that it only partially works. The rhythm work feels a bit tacked on, like they’re refusing to keep things predictable just for the sake of it, and the result is that the flow suffers woefully. Otherwise, it’s pretty solid.
Dropout Kings – Yokai
Genre: Rap/nu metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
A pop-hop/nu metal hybrid that hands out both barbed wire and sugar. It’s certainly not something you to for authenticity of rap or metal attitude. It’s youthful, emotional, poppy and able to swing a few punches when it gets pissed off. Way too many “whooo-ooooh” gang vocals for my taste though.
Liv Sin – Close Your Eyes
Genre: Heavy/power metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Liv Sin is one of those bands who have fun with throwing in growls and death metal riffs to an otherwise over-the top, power-leaning heavy metal sound. It adds a contrasting layer of aggression, but feels a bit superficial considering the unremarkable heavy-handed rhythms and clichéd lyrics.
Lord Of The Lost – Opvs Noir Vol. 1
Genre: Gothic/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
More grand goth metal incoming from Hamburg. This album feels like a slight nod back to their pre-Eurovision days of half-accessible angst, but that boldness of success has definitely come to stay. Boasting big guest appearances from Within Temptation, Deathstars, Feuerschwanz and more, it’s meant to be big, whatever the mood. To their credit, these added flavors don’t shift the stylistic course of the album significantly. It remains bombastically somber, with the ever-present hint of seduction. Vocals and production are outstanding, as usual.
Malthusian – The Summoning Bell
Genre: Blackened death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Forget about comfort, forget about restraint, and say goodbye to convention. Malthusian play fiendishly free-structured, yet technically sharp blackened death metal that sounds like the hungry, anguished gurgle-sighs of hell itself. Whenever it pleases the dark forces, they slow it down into death doom, showing off their horrifyingly convincing atmospheric sensibilities, as well as retaining an iron grip on their rhythmic precision. Then, when the volcano erupts, it’s back to chugging death metal full of guitar squeals, and it’s all buried under a moderate layer of dead earth, This is not one you come to headbang your way through, it’s to enter a state of chaotic, unholy euphoria.
Highlight: “The Summoning Bell”
Pustulant Flesh – Gurgling Pustulence
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
The Danes have a good grip on crunchy death metal, and here’s some of the gleefully gory variant. It seems almost a bit hurried at less than 20 minutes, like they were eager to just get it out there, and I would have welcomed a few more tracks. It’s nasty stuff, full of throaty gurgling and slimy sound effects, but in essence it’s a bunch of murderous riffs delivered with bass drum hammer blows. Nice!
Sinsaenum – In Devastation
Genre: Melodic/blackened death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is definitely not an album where you can go in expecting a genre-bound experience. The supergroup is at its core a blackened death metal band, and tonally this doesn’t stray too far away from these roots. But its riff- and rhythm energy seems to come from groove metal, and the solo affinity from thrash. It’s also fairly melodic, sometimes in a grounded way, and sometimes in a more sprinkle-on-top symphonic way, which can feel like a bit of a disconnect. Being a tribute to the late Joey Jordison, there are also clear nods to Slipknot, particularly on “Last Goodbye”. Despite being a bit uneven, there are so many tasty treats to sink your teeth into. It’s hyperactive riffs and all out instrumental aggression all the way, showcasing an infectious appetite for sonic devastation.
Highlights: “The Old Lie” and “Front Towards Enemy”
Theurgion – All Under Heaven
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
This is a bleak, almost gothic doom album with half a foot into death metal, which brings a nice crunch to the guitars and some snarling vocals. But mainly it’s a darkly grand, atmospheric experience that doesn’t float away into the ether, but stays grounded in sad, folk-gothic melodies. The clean vocals are done in this off-key howling sort of fashion that really isn’t for me, but fit in with the overall mood. At its best it feels epic in a mourning-the-past sort of way, and pulls you into a world of moonlight piercing dramatic, black cloud formations over the gargoyle-adorned graveyard.
Highlight: “Thrice-named”
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 