Reviews of metal albums released January 17 – January 23
A week dominated by thrash and metalcore, where we say goodbye to one of the titans of the metal world and are reassured by the talent of the still up-and-coming.
Asaru – V.O.I.D.
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: Here we have some German black metal that, for once, isn’t atmospheric. In fact, most of this is right-to-the-point, aggressive and fiercely riffing unholiness knocking on the door of thrash, and even stealing a few glances at groove and melodeath. But these are mostly surface-level, instrumental influences. Mood-wise, it’s mean and bleak, also prone to slowing down into sections of melodic moroseness. Aside from some questionably produced clean vocals and a few awkward transitions and riff lines, the main thing holding this album back is not the technicality, energy output or stylistic choices, but the simple lack of ear-catchiness. It sounds really good for 10-15 minutes, and then the freshness wanes off a bit.
Barbarian – Reek Of God
Genre: Speed/black metal/punk
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Barbarian are a proudly blasphemous blackened speed outfit from Italy playing a distinctly rough-edged and punk-ed up variation of the subgenre. This isn’t the classic thin-sounding gallop-guitar race to the finish with some bright screeches along the way. It’s coarse, disorganized, and asking for a fight. Dry growls accompany brawling drum work and guitars that feel like a dog alternating between flying at the throat of everyone it sees and furiously tugging chunks off a single unfortunate. A lot of it is endearing, while some of it feels, at least to me, a bit sloppy. Look past the childish spoken-word album intro warning believers (who for some reason put on an album called “Reek of God”) of the offensive contents, and have some fun with this one.
Highlight: “Eighth Sacrament”
Cadavrul – Necrotic Savagery
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: Chunky death metal out of Romania that’s the sonic equivalent of a highly genre-conscious zombie splatter film. Lively drum work propels chompy, grinding riffs into a proper meatgrinder of a pit-inducing frenzy, mostly favoring guitar solos over breakdowns. It’s a good deal of morbid fun, but lacks the urgency of a band like Werewolves, getting a bit too laid back at times and revealing a slightly lower affinity for slow-going death doom style chugging.
Crystal Lake – The Weight Of Sound
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: The seventh full-length from Japanese metalcore outfit Crystal Lake, with their previous one being 2020’s “The Voyages”. And with the aptly titled “The Weight of Sound” they’re returning with a bang. This is a technical onslaught of modern aggression closing in on deathcore heaviness and loading on the intensity, at least in the first quarter of the album. But just at the point where it starts getting a tad tiresome, they change things up and add in more clean sections and rhythm variations, without messing up the momentum. They manage to calm things down without completely exposing any sort of mushy, overly vulnerable underbelly to their sound, laying on emotion without diluting the urgency that they set out with. There are instances of over-simplified choruses and technical tropes, but nothing offensive, and overall they manage a superb balance between groove, peppy beats, vibrant melodies and riff-driven punishment.
Highlights: “Crossing Nails” and “The Weight of Sound”
Deathraiser – Forged In Hatred
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Back with their sophomore album after a mere 15 years, Brazilian band Deathraiser clearly aim to build on their foundation of furious, balls-to-the-wall thrash metal, leaving you with backswept hair (and/or beard) in the aftermath of this gale of aggression. That being said, this feels a tad more reigned in than 2011’s “Violent Aggression”, opting for a pinch more mid-tempo grooves and prioritizing ordered instrumental interplay and low-end heft over all out relentlessness. That said, it’s still plenty intense and focused, and aided by a far superior production it delivers its ravenous riffs, screaming solos and charging beats in satisfyingly impactful fashion. Not a revelation, but a stripped down hellion of a genre-true banger.
Highlight: “Everything Dies”
Furi Helium – No Altar Stands Eternal
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: Spanish thrash tends to be a great heap of fun for fans of both the modern and old school iterations of the subgenre. Enthusiasm is almost always the key, and while this album doesn’t quite offer the same no-holds-barred riot that bands like Crisix put out, it’s still very much a feisty little miscreant exuding up-yours energy, just more prone to controlled, catchy groove and more strongly attempting memorable choruses and melody lines. It works to a degree, but also leaves pockets of somewhat repetitive and interchangeable riff lines. But they break it up with great bass acrobatics and cheeky gallops, and match the instrumental attitude with Alexi Laiho-like snarling vocals.
Highlight: “Fall in Disgrace”
Karloff – Revered By Death
Genre: Black/sludge metal/punk
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Blackened punk is one of those subgenres that I feel get away with being quite understated, both in terms of production, instrumental complexity and even the level of perceived involvement in the performances, with little heed paid to overall refinement. Mood and attitude is more important. Karloff have both those things nailed down, and add on to it with sludgy coarseness and low-end heft. They don’t stick to one type of approach, but transition between rowdy riff romps and black-hooded, slow-burn bitterness, with a genuinely creepy and engrossing instrumental interlude with “On Weathered Altar” being one of the highlights of the experience. Not all of it leaves as much of a mark, but for those enjoying black ‘n’ roll-esque irreverence with strong personality and an actual bit of depth, this should hit the mark pretty well dead on.
Highlights: “Pessimistic Soaring” and “Regicide”
Megadeth – Megadeth
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: This is it, then. The last hurrah of the Dave Mustaine-fronted thrash legends. And in the best possible way, this self-titled, 17th album feels like a joining of present and path. With both their last two releases, I’ve been of the opinion that they’ve managed to encapsulate the very essence of metal music, and present it in a way that would both be the perfect introduction to those that have yet to “get” the more traditional, non-extreme subgenres, and providing inspiration to those that wish to see the classic bay-area style live on without simply reproducing the sound of the 80s. That continues on “Megadeth”, blending mature technical showmanship and glint-in-the-eye aggression with songwriting that considers theme and stylistic legacy as much as entertainment factor. There are very clear nods in select vocal attitudes, solos and melody lines to past glories, and for me at least this invokes a strong sense of nostalgia without reducing the whole thing into a retrospective, even with the “Ride The Lightning” cover at the end. Overall there are a few too many mid-tempo tracks for my liking, and the energy seems to dissipate a bit towards the end, so if you hoped they might end on a massive bang, you might be slightly disappointed. But you also get a great mix of hard-hitting and massively catchy riffage, brilliant solos and a good deal of light-hearted punk vibes balancing out more solemn atmosphere. It’s a great band calling it quits while they’re still an absolute highlight of their genre, and this feels like a fitting, if not resounding final statement.
Highlights: “Made To Kill” and “Tipping Point”
Meteora – Darkest Light
Genre: Symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Hungarian symphonic metal band Meteora combine mighty storm fronts of symphonic bombast with Finnish-style melodic aggression, adding thrashy riffs and harsh vocals to the usual semi-operatic ones. While there are elements of folk, they are not particularly pronounced compared to the moderate neoclassical influences and modern heavy metal and hard rock riffs and rhythms. It’s a heavyweight of an album at over 63 minutes runtime, and could have used a bit of trimming, but compared to many of its peers it’s refreshingly varied and unpredictable, offering a decent range of moods and good range of intensity, although with a few slightly iffy performances and vocal/instrumental harmonies.
Highlight: “Rebirth”
Sad Whisperings – The Hermit
Genre: Melodic death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: A meeting of groove-forward, semi-melodic death thrash and moody doom to mostly quite enjoyable effect. They employ a full low end, giving it mass and gravitas, and allowing the riffs to hit hard without taking any sort of overly aggressive or brutal approach. But the almost gothic-melodic, solemn slow sections sap energy as much as the up-tempo parts break with the sense of occasion, almost as if they’re not confident in any single approach being enough to win an audience over.
Textures – Genotype
Genre: Progressive metal/metalcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: This album effectively introduced me to Dutch band Textures, of which I’ve been completely oblivious up to this point. They describe themselves as a melodic, metalcore-based take on djent-styled extreme prog, and while I can agree that this is accurate as a rough framework for what they do, it’s also not enough to give a helpful impression of what’s in store for you on “Genotype”. Yes, they work themselves up to some semi-dissonant chugs, and the general vocal and riff style definitely fit loosely into a modern metalcore setup. But the technical fluidity and maturity in terms of songwriting and layering of elements is such that you quickly forget about genre conventions. Powerful vocals lead on across a deeply dynamic soundscape that takes you all the way from electronic rock to technical death metal in terms of intensity. It’s mainly melodic and effortlessly catchy, with gorgeous details to be found both in foreground and background. Perhaps not quite as daring as their talents could allow them to be, it’s still a forceful return after a 10-year release gap, offering something both accessible enough for the uninitiated and sufficiently complex for more seasoned prog aficionados.
Highlights: “Closer To The Unknown” and “At The Edge Of Winter”
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 