Reviews of metal albums released March 07 – March 13
Does Friday the 13th spell disaster for the weekly releases? Come on in and find out for yourself.
Blood RED Delusion – Bloodlust Awakening
Genre: Melodic death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5
Review: Those who are into Finnish melodic extreme metal will know what I mean when I say that this album feels like Mors Principium Est mixed with “Blooddrunk” era Children of Bodom, and added a pinch of Cavalera Conspiracy aggressive thrash riffing. At its best it delivers all you could hope for from that combo, but it’s also marred by a fair share of missteps, among them some pretty weak melodic choruses.
Bound In Fear – A Mind Too Sick To Heal
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: Stupidly heavy deathcore that’s completely knotted up in breakdowns, like it’s suffering from cramp-inducing seizures. There’s a bit more to it than that though, as you get slight detours into passages of unease, both on interludes and bits of calm on otherwise starkly violent tracks. You get big contrasts, not much in the way of melody, and enough punishment to leave you well and tenderized.
Fabienne Erni – Starveil
Genre: Progressive symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Fabienne takes the trappings of folk metal with her from Eluveitie and uses it to dress up her own take on mildly progressive symphonic metal. This is far more melodic than that other project, cleaner and more pop-oriented, but certainly not soulless. Where others might be happy to coast along on generic beats and de-prioritize instrumental performances in favor of massive, self-aggrandizing vocal choruses, this feels like silky, gently epic storytelling for those who don’t favor the bite of extreme metal’s aggression. It’s a bit much of the same towards the end of the album, but works very well for its intended purpose.
Highlight: “Stone by Stone”
Fallath – Nälkäiset aaveet
Genre: Black metal/punk
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: Like an overstimulated dog, Fallath bites down on black metal like it was an old ball and shakes it to shreds. You’re presented with both maniacal drum assaults and more primitive, marching rhythms, added some garage rock melody and groove. They don’t quite manage to land enough memorable moments for most of the tracks to really stay with you, but overall there’s enough there for an enjoyable listen and making a mark in the punky black metal niche.
Gluttony – Eulogy To Blasphemy
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Perhaps fitting considering the name, this sounds less like Entombed and more like the monstrous offspring that ate Entombed. Utterly ravenous for sinew-ripping, cartilage-crunching riffs, this flesh chomper sets off on a mid-paced rampage and just doesn’t stop, leaving a trail of steaming human paste in its wake. There’s no finesse, no real innovation, but also no slacking. No riff is overused, no one rhythm approach goes on for too long. It delivers massive grooves and plenty of tongue-in-cheek, grisly horror. It knows exactly what the fans are hungry for and delivers in bloody excess.
Highlight: “Hung From Entrails”
Lamb Of God – Into Oblivion
Genre: Groove metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: So, after 27 years LOG has finally ditched Papyrus and got themselves a shiny new logo. Thoughts on graphic design aside, does it also come with a brand new sound? Not quite, this is still unmistakably Lamb of God, but for those that feel like they’ve been a bit on autopilot for the last few releases, this does offer a slightly different approach. It’s leaner, more dynamic and willing to reach out beyond the signature groove-riff core that has defined and anchored them for most of their career. Does it work out for the best? Yes and no, depending quite a bit on individual taste. Because there’s more variation, it’s easier to pick out single tracks based on characteristics, and for me there’s a clear divide between the stuff that sounds energetic, well-flowing and/or conceptually inspired, and the stuff that either feels hollow or like them imitating bands that they themselves have inspired. In the end, this is an interesting spark in their discography, nothing crazy but kind of revitalized, with some massive highlights outweighing the stuff that I personally think the album would have been better without.
Highlights: “Parasocial Christ” and “Sepsis”
Mammon’s Throne – My Body To The Worms
Genre: Doom/sludge/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: If you’re into the kind of non-abyssal, horror-infused and melodically touched death doom that the likes of Hooded Menace have been putting out recently, then this is indeed for you. Pulling from old school doom, sludge and black metal as much as death, it sounds stylistically confident without landing in a precise subgenre. It goes big on vibes, taking its time crafting curses and raising the dead from their graves one by one, but also doesn’t shy from mobilizing the whole undead horde and going on the attack every now and then.
Highlight: “Senseless Death”
Monstrosity – Screams From Beneath The Surface
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: There’s life yet in this old beast. Eight years after their last release, old school Florida death metallers Monstrosity are back to cause more mayhem. On it they mix in a bit of melodeath battle readiness with thrashy, technically tight riff- and rhythm work, dry vocals and a sprinkling of guitar solos, then soak everything in that unmistakable, classically morbid tone. Sometimes it really surges ahead, sometimes it drags, and not always on purpose. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, once you “get” their sound, you’re not really in for any surprises. It doesn’t flow beautifully, but has loads of that caveman bloodlust, and the technical chops to expertly dissect you once you’ve been clubbed in the head.
Highlight: “The Colossal Rage”
No/Más – No Peace
Genre: Grind/hardcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: If you like your grindcore massively stompy, stark and prone to outbursts of axe grinding, lethal death metal riffage, then this stuff might as well have been tailor made for you. A strong adherence to hardcore rhythms has the band jump-jogging their way through this whole thing, only occasionally skipping into flailing fits of Napalm Death-like violence. It feels raw, thoroughly hostile and with exhausting live performances in mind. Those that prefer speed and all out ferocity coupled with massive grooves in their deathgrind might feel that this one comes up a bit short. but it will still thoroughly scratch that itch.
Highlight: “Choke Point”
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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