Reviews of metal albums released February 21 – February 27
Finishing off February with a truckload of weirdness, both the kind that will cheer you up and the one that’s a bit looking to mess with your sanity.
Blackwater Drowning – Obscure Sorrows
Genre: Melodic/symphonic death metal/metalcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Review: Here’s a modern melodeath band that employs pretty much every trick in the book. Metalcore rhythms, symphonic grandeur, progressive drum tricks, dissonant aggression, power metal melody… the list goes on. It’s not exactly messy, but feels very half cooked an indecisive, with so-so clean vocals and a distinct lack of groove to compensate.
Cemetery Reign – Confined To Time
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Black metal gets more than its fair share of punk crossover, but it also quite suits the mustier branch of death metal quite well, as evidenced by New Mexico band Cemetery Reign’s debut full-length. If someone decided to build a mausoleum in a dark, filthy back alley, and its occupants subsequently got possessed by flesh eating spirits, then this is probably the sound that would emanate. There’s a dark, doomsday-hailing tone to it, but the upbeat tempos and chasing riffs provide enough of a pull for it not to sag into death doom. There are a handful of highlights that make me wish there were more of them, but nothing’s really boring or weak either.
Highlight: “Spiral Eyes”
Cryptic Shift – Overspace & Supertime
Genre: Progressive death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Review: Get ready to leave the mundanity of earth so far behind that you’ll struggle to recollect what it’s like living here. Cryptic Shift speed boldly into the pure chaos of the still-forming cosmos and do their best to interpret through means of technical death- and thrash metal music what it feels like to be subjected to the forces and impressions they’re experiencing there. This is truly progressive music, as they enthusiastically tear apart formulas and employ the tools of the core subgenres to define feelings and sensations, as well as the journey itself into this realm of rule-unbound wonder. Far from whacky for whacky’s sake, and refraining from the extremes of dissonant hostility, you get massive, controlled shifts in intensity, completely eschewing traditional structures but allowing for a progression that’s not totally overwhelming, and continues to pull new tricks out of its space suit pockets until the very end. Takes a while to get into, but so very well worth sticking with.
Highlights: “Overspace & Supertime” and “Stratocumulus Evergaol”
Ennui – Qroba
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: Despite the name, funeral doom shouldn’t all have to be hopelessly bleak and slower than wind erosion of a rock. Georgian band Ennui allow for a generous portion of majesty on their fifth full-length, and it’s quite captivating. It builds, not just in intensity, but in melodic gravity, and feels like witnessing a slowly morphing series of dramatic weather phenomena. It has that Finnish natural connection and two-sided melancholy that can feel both crushing and comforting. Take care you don’t sink too deep into this one, or you might never resurface.
Highlight: “Becoming Void” and “Decima”
Mek Na Ver – Noctivaga
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: Italian, frigid black metal that sounds raw in the sense that it’s stripped back in terms of elements, and not intentionally ruined in the production. It employs a mix of straightforward, snarling aggression with ice water drips of symphonic melody, without adding a shred of bombast. It has a gentle side, but this feels more like representing the frail vestiges of life that are about to succumb in the merciless embrace of winter.
Necrofier – Transcend Into Oblivion
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: I first caught wind of Texan band Necrofier with the release of their 2023 album “Burning Shadows in the Southern Night”. I particularly enjoyed the unapologetic worship of darkness and evil, and thought they succeeded in following in the footsteps of the Norwegian greats while adding plenty of their own character to it. On “Thranscend Into Oblivion” they’ve gone conceptual on our asses, with three three-part suites and some long interludes to boot. It’s big, but unfortunately doesn’t sound very big, and it’s long, without fully justifying it. It’s an interesting journey overall with lots of elements and a consistent tone and feel, but just too few highlights to keep it fully interesting.
Highlight: “Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way I”
Necrosexual – Road To Rubble
Genre: Black/heavy metal/punk
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Sleazily alluring, chain-whipping and as scruffy as a cat that’s been through a sandstorm. Take one look at the album cover and you know more or less exactly what you’re getting. This is blackened punk injected with a decent dose of heavy- and thrash metal riffs, strutting with attitude and demanding your attention. This album is all fun, with clownery meeting highly competent musicianship. The main thing I’m missing is more speed, particularly in the second half, as the thing feels like it comes in for landing at least a couple of tracks before it’s actually finished.
Highlight: “The Brimstone Brothel”
Ruoska – Kade
Genre: Industrial metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: For those unfamiliar (like I was), Ruoska is a Finnish industrial metal band that was mostly active in the early 2000s, and are now releasing their sixth full-length after a whopping 18-year break. This is cybergoth meets Rammstein in a big way, with massive beats and marching riffs meeting techno melody and a goofy sci-fi theme. It’s definitely one to headbang to, and not something you hear very often, offering plenty of fun but not taking the concept nearly as far as I feel like there’s potential for.
Highlight: “Kettingit”
Slagmaur – Hulders Ritual
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: This sounds like the classic Norwegian black metal formula collapsed in on itself, and this is what can be heard if you put your ears to the ruins. I don’t know if it takes being Norwegian to realize it, but this stuff is about as serious as making letter pasta soup with only triplets of “6”s glued together. The guitars and drums are comically crushed in the production, and the concept is at least 90% vibes. For what it is, then, it’s pretty damn cool. Primitive riffs and rhythms accompany repetitive, almost droning tremolo melodies and perfectly coarse vocals. For me it’s too much of the same on repeat, but if you find that you’re into the idea, then you’ll likely love it.
Highlight: “Hexen Herjer”
Unverkalt – Héréditaire
Genre: Atmospheric sludge/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: Joining beauty and ugliness, particularly in the blast-beating world of black metal, takes a particular kind of affinity, and this is something Greek band Unverkalt evidently possess. This album feels in many ways like an intricately written lament, that allows in more emotions than just sorrow. There’s consolation, anger, persuasion and begging. Sometimes it feels like being commanded, and sometimes it feels like they’re reaching out for support. The use of traditional instruments and a wide variety of vocal and rhythm techniques makes for a bleakly rich listening experience that goes nowhere good, but also refrains from diving headlong into misery.
Highlights: Penumbrian Lament” and “Die Auslöschung”
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?
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