Reviews of metal albums released October 18 – October 24
This week we look at an album I shamefully forgot about, and a lot of playful and moody heaviness going up against each other.
An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City
Genre: Progressive/atmospheric death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Review: This one belongs to last week, but somehow I managed the feat of zooming right past it (I know, I just have that certain talent). And considering the band, I couldn’t just leave it. 2022’s “Woe” was on the top of a lot of people’s AOTY list, and while I wasn’t quite as obsessive about it, it certainly opened my eyes wide open to the band. With this one, it’s tempting to resist getting dragged along with the wave of praise it’s already received, but there’s really no point. It’s really, really good, and deserves all the praise it gets. On the dot an hour of runtime feels just right for this kind of sound, which is the kind where the interlude is 3 minutes 46 seconds. It’s got amazing melodic depth, feels completely organic, and builds beautifully, both rapidly and slowly, to intensely satisfying climaxes of intensity. It’s impressively heavy as well as hypnotically atmospheric, with the kind of pull that has you “waking up”, as if from a trance at the end of it.
Highlights: “Like A Geyser Ever Erupting” and “Blackmurmur”
The Acacia Strain – You Are Safe From God Here
Genre: Deathcore/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: You may be safe from god here, but certainly not the chug, chug, CHUGS. This thing wants to pulverize the powder that was your bones before you hit play. It’s stark and dark, hostile and impatient, at least up until the end and the near-14 minute closing track. A bit weird, and not entirely earned, but the overall runtime feels on point. I could have wished for a bit more meat on the bones of some of the mid-album tracks, but the force is there all the way through, and you can feel the churning, destructively calculating mind behind it at any time.
Highlights: “A CALL BEYOND” and “MOURNING STAR”
Bonginator – Retrodeath
Genre: Death/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: This is death metal that you can imagine being played at the arcade – the one that’s real lax about the “smoking” restrictions. It’s a real ode to the 80s, with plenty of audial references to movies in particular, but the actual metal part feels much more modern, at least if you don’t consider the murky, bass-heavy production. There’s hardcore all over this thing, a fair bit of catchy industrial rigidity and also some modern slam and brutality, but the heart of the matter is still those killer riffs. It’s too bad they’re a bit muffled under all the layers, but the force of them still comes through. It’s a retro blast that does away with most of the OSDM tropes, and injects life and character in their place.
Highlights: “All Cops Are Biomechs” and “Pizza Time”
Conjurer – Unself
Genre: Progressive sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: Conjurer follow up their 2022 masterpiece of unease “Páthos” with a further study of what can be found in the dark recesses of the human psyche. This one is sharper, more technically progressive in its rhythm approach, but also prone to long, slightly disconnected doomy sections that either feel like explorations of alternative spaces or simply time-outs in the otherwise violent, fairly dissonant expressions. As before, there is frail melody to juxtapose the crashing harshness, and they craft the transitions between the two in a way that make them seem like two sides of the same coin rather than two clashing personalities, although the contrast is just as strong as you’d hope for.
Highlights: “There Is No Warmth” and “Hang Them In Your Head”
Elettra Storm – Evertale
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: Italian power metal band Elettra Storm are already back with their sophomore release after last year’s really fun “Powerlords”. The highlights are still the strong vocals and adventurous, optimistic melodies. The playing is still moderately technical, approaching prog on certain songs, with mixed success, and they’ve got a decent amount of classic heavy metal groove. Still fun, ever so slightly more mature and varied, but perhaps not quite hitting the same glorious peaks as its predecessor.
Hostilia – Face the Fire
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Compared to the Testament album a couple of weeks ago, this is very far from “mature” thrash metal. But is that really what you want out of your thrash? Those treasuring the youthful exuberance of the early pioneers of the genre will have plenty to appreciate on Swedish band Hostilia’s debut. This is all about badass riffs, solos, and barking vocals. The production’s a bit shabby and it doesn’t exactly hit like a wrecking ball, but it’s fast, mean and focused, with plenty of groove, a good bit of aggression, and just the kind of mischievous feel you’d hope for.
Highlight: “P.T.D.”
Nine Treasures – Seeking The Absolute
Genre: Folk metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: Are The Hu not quite metal enough for you, but you enjoy the traditional Mongolian style? I’d give Nine Treasures a go if I were you. This is lively stuff, with acoustic instruments and folk melodies led by Mongolian vocals forming the core, then dressed with riffs and a bit of modern groove. It doesn’t “conform”, per se, to any sort of easily identifiable metal formula, nor does it feel particularly “wild” or “tribal”. There’s a good bit of rock ‘n’ roll, but also heaviness, and an organic progression highlighting the group’s songwriting talents. It’s the best of both worlds, really, with each track standing on its own and telling a different story.
Highlights: “Seeking the Absolute” and “Real Dream”
Phaeton – Neurogenesis
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: I discovered this little instrumental prog band back in 2023 with “Between Two Worlds”, and I’ll be the first to admit that it’s far from the boldest or most ambitious stuff out there. I just like it, and sometimes that’s enough. There’s a gentle simplicity to the melodies, and a curious, cosmos-gazing quality to the tone and feel of the whole thing. It’s not overly technical, so doesn’t feel like an extended jam session, but does leave you wanting a bit more substance.
Psychonaut – World Maker
Genre: Progressive/psychedelic metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: Psychonaut’s third full-length flows steadily and constantly like an ocean current in the dead of night, carrying you along on a never-ceasing journey of sensory impressions you take in with your eyes closed and leaned back, floating under the stars. It is deeply immersive and gorgeously smooth, even when it builds to intense peaks. Therein also lies my biggest complaint, which is that it’s understated to the point where you’re left with blanks in your memory of the experience, simply because it doesn’t give you enough to pay attention to. It’s moderately complex and dreamily psychedelic, sacrificing some heaviness for the sake of said flow. It’s a pleasant and rewarding experience, if not the most memorable.
Highlight: “And You Came With Searing Light” and “Endless Currents”
Scorching Tomb – Ossuary
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: Get ready to form the most savage stank face you’ve pulled in weeks. This thing was designed to detach your skull from the spinal cord by way of excessively forceful headbanging. What you’re in for is crisp, bloodthirsty death metal in the vein of Cannibal Corpse, but with a massive focus on meaty grooves. None of it is particularly original, but instead of digging themselves a deep, impenetrable and indistinguishable OSDM grave in a cemetery of hundreds just like them, they prioritize vocal and tonal definition, and modern production values that offer building-leveling power and translate the energy behind the performances brilliantly. As a bonus, if you wondered what the album title “Ossuary” actually means, the band has helpfully left the explanation in the title track.
Highlights: “Diminished to Ashes” and “Sanctum of Bones (Ossuary)”
Soulfly – Chama
Genre: Groove/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Soulfly’s latest can be fairly easily summed up as a kind of bubble or cloud made up of their signature tribal-vibe atmosphere, with a wildly thrashing multi-blade contraption at its core in the form of stark, rhythmically rigid riffs. There’s not all that much more to it honestly, and in the cases where the riffs either A: fall into some tasteful grooves, or B: go nuts and assault your with wild waves of rapid, ear-punishing chugs, it feels really worthwhile. But the rest of the time, there’s a bit too much purposelessness and empty calories for the whole experience to feel truly special.
Highlight: “Nihilist”
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 