Reviews of metal albums released April 18 – April 24
A week of double farewells, a return to form and assurances that the spirit of dark innovation and heaviness will live on.
Armed For Apocalypse – The Earth Is Breathing Beneath Me
Genre: Sludge metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: Apparently you’ve been bad, ’cause it’s time for a sonic beating. Armed For Apocalypse are a sludge band in deep worship of the sledgehammer riff, and guess what? You’re the recipient. On their third full-length they shed a good deal of the groove that made 2022’s “Ritual Violence” such a banger-friendly beast, and they have replaced it with a doom-oriented, morose kind of mood that gives the crushing heaviness an almost cruel quality.
There are still a good few instances of hardcore and grindcore ferocity to spice things up, but overall it’s a more serious-feeling album that seems to delight a bit too much in oppressiveness. It didn’t need to slow things down to be heavy, and some energy is lost in the process. Still, it’s far from stale, and just as relentless as you’d expect sludge of this caliber to be.
Highlights: “FISTS LIKE FEATHERS” and “LOST WITHOUT A LIGHT”
At The Gates – The Ghost Of A Future Dead
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Review: Sigh… Writing this review feels a bit like writing a eulogy, but I’ll try to not make it read like that. At the Gates are back for a final time with their fourth album post 1995’s legendary “Slaughter of the Soul”, after reforming in 2010, and it’s their eighth full-length overall. On it you get a lot of the fairly solemn melody of 2021’s “The Nightmare Of Being”, but with the aggression turned way up and the thrashy groove and clarity of 2014’s “At War With Reality” returned. At the same time the variety and depth of the songwriting is the best it’s been in this modern era of the band, and there’s a fierceness and deft technicality in the performances that makes it feel almost youthful. There’s hardly a single track on here that in itself couldn’t make the argument for this band’s legendary status.
Objectively, this is a seriously strong Swedish old school melodeath album that’s not really trying to do anything but put the band’s subgenre-shaping stylistic essence on full display. Subjectively though, this is a gift that shakes the core. It’s the kind of album where you don’t want to let the last track play till the end, because then it would feel like a conclusion. The final conclusion. Alright, screw the “no eulogy” thing. RIP Thomas Lindberg.
Highlights: “The Fever Mask” and “Tomb of Heaven”
Atreyu – The End Is Not The End
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: Full disclosure, I was pretty into Atreyu’s brand of melodic metalcore back in the day, at least post their emo-laden beginning. But after 2007’s “Lead Sails Paper Anchor” my taste migrated towards heavier things, and I stopped paying attention. Brief re-visits through albums released in the wake of vocalist Alex Varkatzas’ departure did very little to rekindle my interest. But that changes with “The End is Not the End”. I won’t say that it’s a return to the early days, ’cause it’s not, but it feels like the creative energy is back.
The songs are unapologetically melodic, but there’s heaviness as well, and not the staccato, djent-obsessed stuff that’s been the fashion for the last few years. The band stick to their guns and prioritize groove and memorable songwriting. And it really works. There are a few songs that feel a bit too slick and by-the-numbers, but they are outnumbered by the really fun and energetic ones.
Highlights: “Death Rattle” and “Ego Death”
Aversio Humanitatis – To Become the Endless Static
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5
Review: I’m not saying that this is what I wanted the new Gaerea album to sound like, but I am saying that (at least to me) it would have been a far more interesting way for them to evolve their sound. This is Spanish band Aversio Humanitatis’ third full-length in 15 years, so we can assume that they put some real thought into their compositions. This becomes evident anyway, as you get sucked into their dense, all-encompassing soundscape like a leaf into a cyclone. Inside rages a mighty gale made up of thundering riffs, an earthquake-level bass rumble and a colossus’ howl of a vocal performance, sweeping along with it great masses of semi-dissonant melody.
The tone is predictably dark and speaks of debilitating madness and suffering. This point is made early on, and I find myself wanting a bit more nuance and contrast towards the end of the album. But the fact that they’ve managed to compress such a monumental expression into a sub-35 minute runtime is pretty phenomenal, and keeps you from getting completely worn out. Seriously impressive stuff.
Highlights: “Long Stretch the Shadows” and “Blackened Mold Marrow”
Blood Countess – Imperatrix Sanguinis
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: This is a black metal band that’s out for blood. You get non-stop hostility and harshness apart from a 2-minute spooky interlude, with little interest shown towards melody or atmosphere. There are some cool thrash-like riffs in here as well, but they’re unfortunately mostly swallowed up in the mix. A little short on character, but full of sadistic energy.
Cnoc An Tursa – A Cry for the Slain
Genre: Melodic black/folk metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: This Scottish band grabs a hold of you with bony talons and dives straight into a world of epic, Celtic legend. This isn’t your typical Finnish-style, tankard-clanking, synth-infused solo fest of a folk sound though. There’s a somber mood to the music, as it conveys lamentations from, and longing evocations of, a long lost time. All of this is carried on the back of hot-tempered yet melodic black metal with some classic heavy metal thrown in there to dampen the bitterness.
The immersion is great and the music itself quite engaging. It’s not the most distinct thing you’ll ever hear in terms of traditional influences, and its atmospheric tendencies do kind of dampen its aggressive energy overall. But the passion feels genuine, and they more than justify their stance on keeping their blackened folk metal serious rather than flippant.
Highlight: “Cailleach and The Guardians of The Seven Stones”
Scimitar – Scimitarium II
Genre: Heavy/black/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: Scimitar’s full-length debut “Scimitarium I” was a bit of an underground darling last year, but I unfortunately missed out on it completely. No worries, as the Danes are already back with the follow-up. For those still unfamiliar, this is blackened heavy metal that sounds like it’s being played in a cult’s secret hideout in some forgotten underground bunker.
There is very little about this that’s conventional, and yet I wouldn’t go so far as to call it progressive. The woe-stricken vocal style and tone provide a strong gothic flair, and there are absolutely gloomy atmospheric tendencies present, but for the most part the guitars and drums run wild on intense, speedy charges. They balance dissonance with ripping riffs and wicked lead guitar work, and occasionally focus their aggression into peaks of black metal harshness. It takes a bit of getting used to, and won’t necessarily be for fans of more classic, blackened thrash or speed riffing. But if you’re into bands doing their own thing, then you shouldn’t hesitate to jump on board.
Highlights: “A Reverence Warning” and “Mobula Mobular”
Sepultura – The Cloud Of Unknowing (EP)
Genre: Groove/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Review: I don’t tend to review EPs for Metal Dispatch, but when a band like Sepultura decide to call it a career, you grab onto whatever they give you. “The Cloud of Unknowing” is a fairly brief experience that, a bit like 2020’s “Quadra” showcases the band from four different sides. You get all-out thrashing, calmer, ballad-like melody, progressive tribal aggression and slow-building groove with a hard hitting finish. It’s all well made, but there’s not all that much more to say about it, honestly. Nothing mind-blowing, but I’m very glad they go out with a short bang rather than try to drag out a full-length just for the sake of it.
Highlight: “All Souls Rising”
Six Feet Under – Next To Die
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: Here we are again with another Six Feet Under album, and as usual reviewing it is a big question of what to prioritize. Clear improvements have been made since last time in terms of production, and if you’re on the lookout for uncomplicated old school death groove, there’s plenty to be found. The album cover is also pretty cool. Chris Barnes’ vocals are just as (severely) stunted, but he’s staying more in his range. But the good things are outweighed by some laughably bad stuff (chief among which are the whisper-vocals on “Ill Wishes”), and overall it’s almost entirely devoid of enthusiasm and originality. Still, there are some actual traces of irony, and general lack of seriousness, which is how it should (and needs) to be at this stage with these old timers.
Volcandra – Beyond The Will Of Mortals
Genre: Melodic black/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5
Review: Volcandra quickly became one of my favorite melodic black metal bands with the 2022 EP “Border World” and 2024’s full-length “The Way of Ancients”. Their video game references are what pulled me in, and their playful attitude to songwriting is what made me stay. On “Beyond The Will Of Mortals” the band leave the references be and seek to carve out a dark fantasy realm of their own.
Their mix of epic melody with black metal sharpness and death metal force is just as strong as before, and they add to it with high energy thrash and a touch of heavy metal adventurousness. The mood swings between borderline bleakness and jolliness, which might be a bit too much for some, and I wish they would be a bit more consistent with their stylistic traits. But once you finish you’re left with the feeling of having been part of a grand tale.
Highlights: “Marauders of the Cosmic Vortex” and “Venom Marsh Enchantress”
Xorsist – Aberrations
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5
Review: Did someone order classic Swedish death metal? As far as I’m concerned this stuff should always be on the menu for when you inevitably get that specific craving. Xorsist deliver the goods with a dark, doom-like tone that sends your mind straight to the graveyard. There are absolutely crunchy grooves and evil guitar solos to be found on here, but it’s more about straight savagery and gloom than crowd pleasing, this one.
At times that makes it fall in between two chairs, as they seem to build up to these massive moments of headbanging heaven, only to subvert expectations. And it does start to drag a bit towards the end. But that original, vicious spirit is there, which elevates it above the run-of-the-mill.
Highlight: “Faceless”
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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