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Weekly rundown March 03 – 2023
A wide-spectrum week of both light and dark, looking both to the past and the future – surprising and delighting with a potent mix of the unorthodox and familiar.
71TonMan – Of End Time
Genre: Death/sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Crushingly heavy and dark, this sounds like the slow approach of doom and eternal damnation. It radiates a murky aura of gloom and suffering, an once you’re in its midst there’s no trace light to be seen. Very coherent, though also fairly predictable.
Acres – Burning Throne
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5This one has the riffs that you want and the tone is a nice warm and full variant, although the rhythms and overall energy ends up feeling a bit lackluster.
Beneath My Feet – In Parts, Together
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Smooth and melodic metalcore that still has all the aggression you want, as well as a tight, industrial-esque rhythm approach. The clean sections tend to get a little soft and poppy, but not deterrently so.
Carma – Ossadas
Genre: Black metal/funeral doom
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This one is gloom incarnate, like the soundtrack to a foggy, rainy day where no good things are in sight. Apropos rain, there’s a lot of it on the soundtrack, and it fits the mood. There’s not a whole lot more to say about it though,
Carrion – Morbid Nailgun Necropsy
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Uncomplicated slaughterhouse death metal that delivers on the heavy thrash-like riffage and that crisp Cannibal Corpse tone, but largely fails to stand out in any meaningful way, other than some polite nods towards old school melodeath.
Colpocleisis – Elegant Degradation
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Here we go with some nasty, squealy and slamming brutal death metal with burp-level vocals. The rhythms are remarkably tight and controlled, even with progressive tempo variations, and so o a whole this quite easy to follow. A bit formulaic, for sure, but a prime slice of genre-serving heaviness.
Cromlech – Ascent Of Kings
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Darkly toned and epic-oriented heavy metal whose ambitions are let down by a weak production, slightly messy instrumentals and vocal performances that simply aren’t up to snuff.
Disminded – The Vision
Genre: Death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Some epic solos and banging riffs aside, this is perfectly straightforward death metal with a thrash alibi and a slightly blackened edge. Some slightly stumbling rhythms mess with its impact.
Enslaved – Heimdal
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Still evolving 32 years on, Enslaved makes yet another effort in expanding the bounds of what we know as progressive black metal. To try and pin down other subgenre influences is truly folly, for there are no formulas at play here, only the music that the band truly wants to make. You could say that there is a notable presence of atmospheric doom on Heimdal, and at the same time you get some of the most energetic sections the band has delivered in a decade. Like on their last record, Utgard, the traditional black metal rhythm structures have to partly give way to experimental and classic prog rock approaches, but not in a way that alienates the listener. There is both familiar and brand new ground on here, masterfully broken down into a compact set of songs that, if anything, under-stay their welcome.
Highlights: “Forest Dweller” and “Caravans to the Outer Worlds”.
Entheos – Time Will Take Us All
Genre: Progressive death metal/deathcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is one of those heavy prog records where it feels like the musicians are going at their own individual pace, only loosely by the same general rhythm. The structure changes a lot throughout, and although we visit quite familiar death metal and deathcore territory, the presentation is always a little different to what you expect.
Full Of Hell & Primitive Man – Suffocating Hallucination
Genre: Noise/doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is the noise of gargantuan underground caverns collapsing, and the insistent static left behind by the broken sound equipment used to record it. It utterly crushes any hopes you might have had for a comfortable listening experience and grinds them into dust using massive, churning riffs and prolonged, infernal vocals.
.gif from god – Digital Red (EP)
Genre: Experimental grindcore/metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A session of repetitive stab trauma at random intervals and delivered with red-mist anger. The rhythm section gets special credit for holding the chaotic madness together in a fashion. This one is for you who wants to just be shaken and spat at to snap out of whatever rut you’re stuck in.
Haken – Fauna
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Haken are back and making a statement. This is still very much recognizable as their brand of vivid, classic-style progressive metal, but on Fauna they’ve taken a slightly more experimental and concept-led approach. It feels in many ways like a clear step towards the unrestrained nature of 70s prog rock, although they still retain the heavy impact and grandeur of metal. While it does feel some times that the shifting rhythms and instrumental flourishes are dictated more by genre conventions than what actually serves the musical flow, the execution is flawless, and each element chosen with such care that it charges the album to the brim with character and standout moments.
Highlights: “Nightingale” and “Elephants Never Forget”.
Kardinal Sin – S.A.L.I.G.I.A.
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is power metal flirting with both symphonic elements and the more sober elements of traditional heavy metal. It’s far from the freshest thing you’ll hear this week, particularly considering the lyrics, but the slightly darker tone elevates it beyond the plain standard of the subgenre.
Kold – Intet Mere Er
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A young and promising, atmosphere-leaning black metal project with a very to-the-point and focused sound that still reaches some depth on the sound spectrum. They also invite in haunting, contemplative melodies that blend well with the rhythms and dragged-out vocal screams.
Lunar – The Illusionist
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A collaborative progressive project that ticks a lot of the right boxes if you’re looking for adventurous instrumental work and that whimsical-yet-competent tone that is typical for this more classic form of the subgenre. It elevates itself above pure shred in a few key areas though, leaning eagerly into whatever special ingredient is applied to each song, be it heavy riffs and growling or pianos and strings.
Majesties – Vast Reaches Unclaimed
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5On the surface, this is so much like an unreleased late 90s In Flames or Dark Tranquillity album that it’s verging on blatant. But as you listen more, and closer, you get elements of not just other bands of the era, but other subgenres. You get some of the ferocity of old school death metal, the malevolence of early melodic black metal, as well as a hint of progressive restlessness, all the while holding firmly on to a core of Scandinavian folk. This is a full-on embrace of, not so much the classic melodeath style as all the influences that formed the basis of the style’s creation in the first place. Varied, heavy, raw and inspired, it’s one of the absolute best revivals of the Gothenburg sound that I’ve ever heard.
Highlights: “Our Gracious Captors” and “Seekers of the Ineffable”.
Necropanther – Betrayal
Genre: Thrash/melodic black/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5A feral and vicious, yet impressively controlled and devilishly catchy foray into brutal thrash metal. The tone is dark, there’s a hardcore-like directness to it, a deathcore-like low-end punch, and it carries the expansiveness of melodic black- and death metal. It’s pure energy, and while its not the type of thing you sit down and let carry you away, it goes beyond the straight adrenaline shot with some melody and dynamic flow that’s rousing and engaging, preventing it from growing stale at any point during its runtime.
Highlights: “If You Can Count” and “Furies”.
Nemesis Sopor – Firmament
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A solemn, yet dynamic atmospheric black metal experience that sounds like it has a story to tell. There are chapters to the progression, switching between dark moods of different intensity. It’s mostly quite aggressive or stark, never really reaching the more melancholy or mystic extremes of some of its peers.
Ocean Of Grief – Pale Existence
Genre: Doom/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is a rather ponderous take on a doom/melodeath meld that leans heavily into dark melody and alternates between heavy doom atmosphere and chugging, brutal riffs. It’s highly competent, but the rhythm stays almost exactly the same throughout, which does not help the individual song identity.
Plague Bearer – Summoning Apocalyptic Devastation
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A release of blackened death metal that’s so blatantly unholy that’s it’s a bit comical, although you get the distinct impression that this is not the intention. The tone is pretty uniformly dark and evil, with a raw, low-fi approach and a few nods to classic melodeath.
Sortilège – Apocalypso
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Heavy metal stepping up to symphonic grandeur and sporting an industrial edge to its heaviest riffs. This is no reinvention of anything at all, but an entertaining piece of genre candy none the less.
Stoned Jesus – Father Light
Genre: Stoner/doom metal/rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An album that seems very confidently crafted from a unified idea of its structure and content. This is a band that is very comfortable with its own style, and not trying to be something different, although still having the capacity for some experimentation. It’s laid back, quite heavy, and yet very approachable.
Temptress – See
Genre: Heavy/doom/psychedelic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Heavy psychedelia that keeps the listener’s interest with engaging riff work, dynamic rhythms and a very coherent tone. It’s not what you’d call adventurous, but plenty lively for its niche, and it sounds like it’s exactly the kind of sound that the band themselves want to make.
Terveet Kädet – Kaikki kaikkia vastaan
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5How about some howling wild, Finnish metallic hardcore? It’s not the kind of thing you hear every day, although it sticks to a lot of the genre conventions you might expect. Aside from the undeniable hardcore attitude there’s some thrash technicality thrown on top, as well as a rowdy punk spirit that separates it from your typical big-city-back-alley kind of project.
Viscera – Carcinogenesis
Genre: Technical deathcore/metalcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Following up their impressive 2020 debut, Obsidian, the conglomeration of metalcore/deathcore veterans that is Viscera has released what is undeniably another feat of ear-catching, melodic and incredibly well-coordinated technicality. While lacking some of the goosebumps-inducing moments of brutal majesty of its predecessor, it feels like a fully realised continuation of the concept, and immerses the listener in vibrant, tight and powerful aggression.
Highlights: “Rats With Wings” and “Layers of Skin”.
Witch Ripper – The Flight After The Fall
Genre: Progressive sludge/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5As suggested by the album title, this feels a bit like taking flight while still attached to a world of deep, heavy roots and churning surface activity. There’s a prevailing non-naïve positivity, creative rhythm work reminiscent of Mastodon, and a sense of freedom that brings to mind certain aspects of Queen. It sounds eager and exploratory, without taking off completely and heading beyond the reach of anyone who’s not a thoroughly initiated prog enthusiast.
Witchthroat Serpent – Trove Of Oddities At The Devil’s Driveway
Genre: Doom/stoner metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is doomy, psychedelia-tinged stoner metal of the spooky variant. You get a massive front of fuzzy heaviness followed by atmosphere-inducing synth work and haunting, slightly detached vocals. Solid, although not exactly brimming with originality.
Zulu – A New Tomorrow
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5A very fresh take on a solid hardcore foundation, mixing in modern death metal and grindcore brutality and a host of sharply contrasting musical influences like reggae, hip-hop, jazz and what one would widely describe as world music. The amount of raw content and impressions they are able to shower you with in the span of 28 minutes and 45 seconds is staggering, although you don’t really end up feeling overwhelmed either. While some of the style shifts can feel a bit jarring, conceptually this feel rock solid.
Highlights: “Where I’m From” and “Who Jah Bless, No One Curse”.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
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Weekly rundown February 24 – 2023
A week exploring dark and hostile realms, opening the floodgates for a surge of destructive, yet cathartic emotion to wash over the world.
Air Raid – Fatal Encounter
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Melodic, rather tame classic metal that seems mostly out to check boxes, but delivers fairly well on the points you expect.
Ascension – Under The Veil Of Madness
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Dragonforce-esque, bubbly and technical power metal dipping into 8-bit video game tonal territory, but also delves into musical theater and some classical influences. It’s a guitar solo galore, and if you’re into the vibrant, game boy-sound, then you’re getting spoiled on here.
Asylence – Endanger Us All
Genre: Experimental metalcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A darkened, atmosphere-leaning metalcore output flirting with melodeath heaviness and some deathcore technicality. It’s clearly an attempt at something that stands out tonally, and it does in a kind of blackened alternative kind of way, but the rhythms are so unengaging that the song progressions feels completely dead in their tracks.
Big|Brave – Nature Morte
Genre: Experimental doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Swimming through a pitch black forest pool, going through a spectrum of emotions and never reaching dry land. This is all atmosphere, and it is both frail and oppressive. After a while it starts to feel like just more of the same, but if you don’t mind the feeling, then it’s worth the stay.
Bodyfarm – Ultimate Abomination
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Snarling, well-defined, riff-alicious death metal with some superficial thrash- and black metal influxes. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it clean, but there’s certainly not too much murk or atmosphere going on. They do make up for it with aggression, but this is probably not for those who wants their death metal dirty and old-school.
Coffinborn – Cadaveric Retribution
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Morbid, crusty, mid-tempo and riff-oriented death metal with a husky tone. All this thing wants to do is resurrect corpses and then grind them to dust. It can get a bit un-engaging in its simplistic purpose, but if this is the kind of thing you’re craving, it’ll probably feel satisfying all the way through.
Dark Embrace – Dark Heavy Metal
Genre: Symphonic/gothic/death metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5An odd mix of symphonic and traditional metal with black metal snarls and a whiff of melodeath heaviness. It never lands firmly in one camp, although the campy lyrics certainly pushes it towards a power-metal-appreciating end of the spectrum.
Death Pill – Death Pill
Genre: Hardcore/punk
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A lively, punk-rock-y, female fronted hardcore output. This is all riiffs and fun riot-energy.
Enemy Of Reality – Where Truth May Lie
Genre: Symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Soaring, effortlessly operatic female vocals overlaying textbook, weak rhythms that strip the album of most, if not all grandeur or power it might aspire to.
FesterDecay – Reality Rotten To The Core
Genre: Goregrind
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A hateful, gut-churning mass of gnawing teeth and rolling boulders. It delivers a decent amount of variation for what it is, some really standout riff sections and enough gory atmosphere to make your skin crawl.
Hammerhedd – Nonetheless
Genre: Progressive sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Rusty sludge metal leaning heavily into prog, taking some of the odd rhythms of the likes of Meshuggah and toning it down a little. The progression feels fairly staccato, oiled by some industrial -like melody and ritualistic groove in the style of early Sepultura, although it’s not quite as musically rewarding as it sounds.
Heidevolk – Wederkeer
Genre: Folk metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Dutch Norse-folk with a warm, embracing tone, lots of traditional, instrumental sections and recognizable, live-audience-friendly riffs. It’s not exactly what you’d call impressive, but if you want to get into the mood and don’t care that it sounds a bit generic, then you’ll appreciate it for its quality.
Hypno5e – Sheol
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5At times whimsical and innocent, then tragic and contemplative, then exploding with anguish and rage. This is a close-your-eyes-while-you-listen kind of album that takes you through a spectrum of moods, although within the same tonal territory, making it sound like a story told from a specific, personal point of view. The calm parts are soothing, and the harsher parts, although accented with djenty riffs and some dissonant squeals, feel forceful but not abrasive. There might be a bit too much low-key, acoustic stuff for the more impatient listener, but it all sounds very deliberate.
Highlights: “Lava from the Sky” and “Bone Dust”.
Icestorm – The Northern Crusades
Genre: Folk/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Brutal, rousing folk metal that’s very much in the vein of Amon Amarth. There’s a bit too many instrumental, atmosphere building sections up front, but if you persevere you’re treated to a feast of catchy, rolling riffs that’ll boost your energy for the coming moshpit battle.
Idolatrous – Sorrow On Midgard
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A slightly muddled production and hesitance to lean properly into the folk-tinged melodies, instead embracing the more low-down, brutal elements of modern death metal, steals some of the enjoyment out of this otherwise competently performed melodeath north mythology deep dive.
Insomnium – Anno 1696
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5As any who are familiar with Insomnium might expect, this is melodeath with an emphasis on the melody. Although, for the most part, the band has resisted the temptation of going on overly long instrumental tangents on this one, instead giving the impression of a purposeful and energized approach. As usual, there is a lot of folk in here, but also some classical elements, and while much of it feels recognizable in a comforting kind of way, there are some sections where the rhythm and/or lead work pulls past the bounds of conformity, which is almost always a refreshing change in this subgenre.
Highlights: “White Christ” and “Starless Paths”.
Mammoth Caravan – Ice Cold Oblivion
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5An album vibrating with the amount of crusty fuzz it outputs. While it throws some sludgy aggression at you at regular intervals, the playing is largely unengaging, and ends up feeling a bit too much of a long jam session.
Megaton Sword – Might & Power
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5A traditional, rugged heavy metal album that’s not content with sticking to any restrictive formulas. Although there’s not too much flirting with other subgenres, this feels like the band having landed in classic territory as a result of their natural style, and not the other way around, and so they bend the music in whichever direction suits them. The songwriting is very strong, resulting in a set of individually distinct tracks. There’s an argument that some energy is lost following the first two songs, and that the album could have ended on a more forceful note, but an attentive listen will still reward you with creative nuggets from start to finish.
Highlights: “Iron Plains” and “Might”.
Merlock – Onward Strides Colossus
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Atmospheric doom with a slightly psychedelic, grunge-like approach. The energy level varies greatly, from near-sludgy, noisy highs to tranquil ambience. The immersion is good, even though it’s the kind of record where there’s no clear way forward.
Morphetik – Proclamation Of War
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Galloping-to-war thrash that dips in to the chaotic every now and then. It’s loud, fast and aggressive, just as it should be, but you quickly get the impression that you’re hearing the same basic idea on repeat.
Mortalus – We Are Human
Genre: Heavy/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2/5A fairly heavy-handed and clumsily performed, thrash-riffed heavy metal record.
No Spill Blood – Eye Of Night
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A darkly atmospheric sludge metal record where the guitar is replaced with spooky-toned synth. It feels very much like the intended effect on the sound is achieved, and it very effectively transports you to a gloomy, unfriendly place. It sounds heavy, but not particularly harsh, so definitely for those who value atmosphere over groove.
Oerheks – Landschapsanachronismen
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5A sound that seems born from the rustling of the forest leaves during a black, stormy night. The sweeping, mournful melodies feel like echoes from past ages, that speak of nothing but the futility of existence. The production here is as low-fi as you get, sounding like something carried on the wind from some distance away. But the actual performances and atmospheric elements are both effective and highly impactful.
Omega Infinity – The Anticurrent
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5A wave of howling cosmic black metal that is the most effective anti-space-travel message you’ll hear this month. It paints a horrifying sonic picture of forces so utterly devastating and hostile to life that it snuffs out the brightest hope like a matchstick in a hurricane. The vocal approach varies between snarling screams, brutal roars and haunting moans, and the rhythm is either a churning maelstrom or a coiled spring waiting to be released. Not a pleasant listen, but that’s most certainly not the point.
Sarcoptes – Prayers To Oblivion
Genre: Black/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Ready for some modernized, thrash-powered black metal serving up a feast of Slayer-inspired riffs like morsels to a starving crowd? The tone is confidently aggressive and darkly melodic, sounding a bit like something off Children of Bodom’s Something Wild. The playing is technical, flirting ever so slightly with tech death, but every time you think it might erupt into something flamboyant it returns to an old school riff section or some hefty blast beats. Not hugely innovative, but highly enjoyable.
Highlights: “Dead Silence” and “Massacre at My Lai”.
Satanika – Horde Of Disgust
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is not your typical blackened death metal, but rather a riff-driven, filthy banger with a fairly muddled production. It sounds spirited, albeit a bit undisciplined, with some of the performances some times tripping over each other, and the rhythms are less than razor sharp. But it’s excellent headbanging fuel.
Steel Panther – On The Prowl
Genre: Glam metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Reviewing a Steel Panther album for its purely musical merits seems a bit besides the point, and so the individual enjoyment of it becomes critical. If you can’t get enough of the juvenile jokes and take the odd engaging riff section as a bonus, then this’ll work just fine. But be warned that this is a ballad-heavy beast.
They Grieve – To Which I Bore Witness
Genre: Atmospheric doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A slow and bitterly lamenting sound that projects anguish and vulnerability in equal measure. There is rage and forcefulness in the heavier parts, but they dissipate into a ponderous flow of dark emotion that is at once heavy and vaporous.
To The Grave – Director’s Cuts
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 4/5This is brutal, percussive, take-no-prisoners deathcore. Little to no melody emerges from this infernal cacophony, only massive, threatening ambience, creating a suitably dark and hellish soundscape. The rhythm precision is fantastic, and the relatively varied, animalistic vocal performance is a crisp counterweight to the gut-punch, earthquake-summoning instruments.
Venomous Concept – The Good Ship Lollipop
Genre: Hardcore/punk/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5The amalgamation of different styles on this record works on many different levels. Punk attitude meets grindcore directness, and is furthermore tempered by groove-oriented traditional heavy metal rhythm sensibilities. The result feels fresh and crisp, yet retains the grittiness and old school class of a hypothetical Motörhead-hardcore fusion, It’s not the heaviest or most technically extravagant thing you’ll ever hear, but it’s obvious from the very first notes that this is not the point. Turn up the volume and rock the fuck out.
Highlights: “Timeline” and “Voices”.
Wanderer – Indulgence of the Unreal (EP)
Genre: Hardcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A sometimes ominous growl-in-the-dark, sometimes brutally direct hammer blow of an EP. You get a riff- and atmosphere-oriented mix of hardcore and grind-y death metal that lands exceptionally hard, although it doesn’t try to knock you off your feet with any out-of-control rhythms or over-exaggerated joint instrumental assaults. It’s heavy, slightly sludgy bad-assery from start to finish.
Highlights: “Pure Human Despair” and “Hatred”.
Wretched Fate – Carnal Heresy
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5You know when death metal hits that perfect furious-evil tone that sounds like the very earth creaking and splitting apart like massive, dry wood being subjected to extreme punishment? If you haven’t experienced it before, then this album will do it for you. This is pure morbidity expressed through demonic rage and tempered by a wickedly seductive sense of primal rhythm and grandiose, black atmosphere. It feels raw and jagged, and yet the low-end brutality comes through as rolling thunder, and none of the crisp details are lost in the mix.
Highlights: “Umbilical Suffocation” and “Upon the Weak”.
7 H.Target – Yantra Creating
Genre: Experimental/technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An insane-yet-impressive display of violent technicality serving the purpose of telling a feverishly psychedelic story of divine powers at work. It’s got all the hallmarks of modern, crushing death metal, subjected to chaotic and dissonant rhythmic sensibilities and an influx of South-East Asian melodic elements.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
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Weekly rundown February 17 – 2023
A week of bands trying to overwhelm you, be it with progressive shape-shifting, dizzying technicality, a chameleonic style display or an overload of speed and aggression. Take your pick.
Avatar – Dance Devil Dance
Genre: Alternative/groove metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Even more so than last time, Avatar steps away from the conceptual approach for a more straightforward stab at their particular brand of alternative/groove/melodeath mashup. That doesn’t mean it’s gonna be predictable, which has always been one of the band’s strengths. Yet again they’ve slightly reinvented themselves while remaining instantly recognizable. This is a more aggressive and heavy Avatar than we’ve seen in a while, but just as you feel like they might have settled into a particular direction, the album shift gears and jump from dark industrial metal to rock n’ roll, to dance beats to dirty hard rock. It’s just the right level of unhinged, and while there aren’t really any massive, towering standouts on here, the level of fun and quality songwriting secures some serious replay value.
Highlights: “Valley of Disease” and “Do You Feel in Control?”
Dead Soul Alliance – Spiralling To Lunacy
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Classic violent-nightmare-toned death metal that likes it best at a high pace. It manages a fairly good balance between meaty fullness and sharp attack, with a ever-so-slightly muddled production. There are attempts at sinister melody, but most of the time it doesn’t harmonize all to well with the rest.
Dusk – Spectrums
Genre: Progressive metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A melodic-progressive stab at modern metalcore leaning into melodeath. It incorporates a bit of industrial, bit of electronica and nu-metal as well, which makes for a varied listen, although not the most stylistically confident. Also, the vocal harmonization isn’t exactly on point, although the instrumentals are solid enough.
Exhibition – The Last Laugh
Genre: Hardcore/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5This is in-your-face metallic hardcore that rides a suitably slack line between thrash metal ferocity and punk rock directness. Most of it feels very in-the-moment, like it was produced in a frenzy of intense inspiration. You get lyric-spitting attitude as much as catchy riff sections, and at no point does anything feel over-embellished. While not going to the wildest extremes of any of the subgenres, it’s a highly spirited and competent street-crowd pleaser.
Highlights: “Losing Control” and “Bottom Feeder”
Graphic Nature – A Mind Waiting To Die
Genre: Nu metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A highly rhythmic, djent-powered and wrongness-toned nu metal project that takes some of the punch from deathcore and slam, and the raw-throated attitude of hardcore to propel a fairly classic Korn-style approach, only with less vocal range.
Gravehuffer – Depart From So Much Evil
Genre: Death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5An ultra-raw stab at death doom that doesn’t really try to hard to be both things at once, instead dividing sinister atmosphere and chugging attack from each other. There are several stoner elements to the tone, and overall it sounds like something early White Zombie might have come up with if they suddenly decided to go very dark.
Half Me – Soma
Genre: Industrial metalcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A mega-chug mix of industrial artificiality, metalcore melody and post-hardcore sappiness. It’s big and vibrant, with catchy, simple rhythms and enough aggression to tempt fans of heavier material.
Hail The Void – Memento Mori
Genre: Doom/stoner metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Ringing out in the darkness of a small, blackened hall, this is Sabbath-toned, stoner-groovy doom with a slight gothic flair. The production is on point, with crunchy guitars, a full bass tone and clean, well-defined vocals. They do hit some slopes in the progression that doesn’t get filled with enough atmosphere to keep the experience completely afloat, but the reward for hanging in there is some excellent peaks of heavy riff goodness.
Hellripper – Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags
Genre: Black/speed metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Full tilt ahead! The one-man-band that is Hellripper has unleashed another utterly restless, thrash-infused melodic black metal onslaught. In here are traces of early Metallica and Motörhead, with the lead guitar playfulness of speedy, classic heavy metal. Where many subgenre peers run headlong into a mire of well-worn tremolo work and single-minded rhythms, the playing on here stays hungry and evasive, never sticking with the same approach for long. While the vocal style and some of the slightly slower melodic work is certainly on the dark side, this never feels like a morose kind of affair, with the impressively in-control instrumental performances oozing with adrenaline and daring you to keep up. The inclusion of bagpipes is also a solid plus.
Highlights: “Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags” and “Goat Vomit Nightmare”.
Hexer – Abyssal
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A dark, moody and hostile doom album of excellently soul-crushing atmosphere, that is let down by a fairly one-dimensional vocal performance and overly muted instruments.
Horrible Earth – Weakened By Civilization
Genre: Grindcore/hardcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A full-throttle grinder that wooshes past your ears in less than 16 minutes, and so you think less of individual songs than the experience as a whole. There’s a very distinct hardcore element to the album, strutting right under the ferocious surface. While there approach is mostly very recognizable, there are some interesting detours and playful instrumental passages that rewards an attentive listen.
Last Legion – Metall, Blod, & Aska
Genre: Thrash/black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A mid-tempo blackened thrasher themed around human destruction and warfare. You get a bit of Scandinavian folk melody on top, which adds a nice layer of melancholy. Otherwise it’s pretty straight up semi-groove aggressive riffing.
Man Must Die – The Pain Behind It All
Genre: Technical groove/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This one’s on a very ear-catching path of technical groove metal, also incorporating some thrash directness, melodic death metal rawness and hardcore attitude. The playing is speedy and at times quite intricate, but never feels overwhelming, instead pulling you along at breakneck speed down a narrow rabbit hole of rhythmic fury. There’s plenty of catchy rhythms and just enough flexibility in the tone to make it interesting. Definitely recommended for fans of Kataklysm and Lamb of God.
Highlights: “Bring Me the Head of the King” and “Enabler”.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Land Of Sleeper
Genre: Psychedelic/doom/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5This is one of those “How much fuzz is enough fuzz? – Yes” kind of scenarios. There’s a prevailing traditional metal eagerness to get off and running, but every now and then a heavy, doom-toned lead weight grabs a hold and pulls everything down into a pit of sinister slowness. The third factor is a psychedelic sense of experimentation, which makes sure that the songs never really end up heading in quite the direction you had expected. It sounds like the real deal – classic but not old. And each of the three aspects pulling at the overall sound feel fulfilled and purposeful.
Pelegrin – Ways Of Avicenna
Genre: Doom metal/atmospheric rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A mix of wistful, heavy-backed melody and a mildly psychedelic, prog-rock-y approach to vocals and overall intensity. It’s mostly a rather calm and complacent thing, but does break into some classy instrumental surges every now and then.
Scars of Oblivion – Misanthropy
Genre: Melodic/progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A bit of a mismatch between the melodic approach of such bands as Black Dahlia Murder with some modern technicality and a progressive restlessness. It lands neither here nor there, but has some competent technicality to offer a casual listener.
See You Next Tuesday – Distractions
Genre: Deathcore/mathcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A death/grind/mathcore nightmare that’s either all harsh intensity or all disturbing atmosphere. The feeling is a bit like a darkened-asylum-horror-house visit, on some experience enhancing drug. There is some genuinely solid songwriting and instrumentation behind it though, and the hoarse vocal style adds a suitably sharpened focus.
Siege Of Power – This Is Tomorrow
Genre: Thrash/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Some brutalized and ragged thrash metal from this death-derived supergroup. Everything is as raw and direct as you might probably hope for, with an evil tone backing the war-machine riffs. While it scores well on entertainment value, there is little to no innovation on display, which lends an air of staleness.
Skinflint – Hate Spell
Genre: Heavy/thrash/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A kind of slightly choked up heavy metal approach with polite traces of thrash and black metal. A very rusty vocal style is matched up with fairly choppy-rhythmed, yet groove-rich playing. The tone is on the doomy side, but doesn’t feel sullen. Not particularly confident style-wise, perhaps, but could grow into something quite interesting.
Street Tombs – Reclusive Decay
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Classic, evil-for-the-fun-of-it death metal with simple rhythms, catchy, precise riffs and a slightly blackened tone. While it’s not the freshest stuff you’ll hear this week, it’s one you can have fun with, just basking in the more superficially attractive aspects of the subgenre.
Thod – Asklepios
Genre: Experimental hardcore/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A selectively low-fi, doom-heavy black metal experience that goes for an interesting concept, but is too limited in its performances to get all the way.
Tithe – Inverse Rapture
Genre: Grindcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5What could have been a somber, blackened death metal record amped up to something far more relentless and chaotic, There’s layers to this one, with sludgy vocals, an “unholy-ceremony”-type tone and the impatience of grindcore tugging at the momentum. There’s plenty to find if you decide to listen actively.
Tramalizer – Fumes Of Funeral Pyres
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is sinister, axe-wielding death metal with a thrash-y leaning towards meaty riffs and speedy rhythms. And so even as the tone dips into death and damnation, you get playful guitar solos, energizing drum antics and an old school melodeath vocal style. In other words, things never get too serious, and you get to appreciate creative, groove-tinged, raw-edged detours that brings to mind the likes of At the Gates.
Highlights: “The Rostov Ripper” and “Curse of the Lake Drag”.
Ulthar – Anthronomicon
Genre: Progressive death/black metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5This is one of those off-sounding death metal releases that makes you feel like maybe you should be panicking, but somehow it’s in a good way. Pulsing like a malicious force, constantly morphing into new, shocking forms appearing like parodies of nature, this is progressive extreme metal done right – with a thematic purpose. It may never really come to any sort of steady rest, but all the different rhythms it skips through are remarkably solid. Everything comes through clear and raw in the production, allowing you to savor every second of the instrumental madness. The album makes up one half of a twin release by the band, the other being the long-form, more doomy “Helionomicon”.
Highlights: “Astranumeral Octave Chants” and “Cultus Quadrivium”.
Ulthar – Helionomicon
Genre: Progressive black/death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5This album delves into a dizzying exploration of progressive, cosmic black metal, adding lots of death metal brutality and a good dose of doomy atmosphere. It consists of two, roughly 20-minute songs, but it doesn’t really feel like it. The scope of the songs aren’t trying to be epic, instead pouring on the intensity like there’s no tomorrow. And somehow that doesn’t end up feeling exhausting, which is a testament to the craftmanship. You could argue that some opportunities for big, identity-forging contrasts are lost in the frenzy, but you can’t fault the consistent quality of what pours through your speakers, or the creative eagerness behind it. The album makes up one half of a twin release by the band, the other being the more traditionally structured, progressive death-centric “Anthronomicon”.
War Orphan – Unite
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Insistent, punk-rock-y hardcore with lots of gang vocals. The production is low on meatiness, which softens the impact some, and overall the sound is a bit tame to really grab your attention.
Winds Of Tragedy – Hating Life
Genre: Melodic black/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5An aggressive, bitter-toned black metal album that feels like it’s sinking further and further into a mire of doomy hopelessness the further it goes. Admirably, the tempo remains fairly high for the duration of the record, but the forcefulness of the instrumentation, with brutality meeting cold melody, does fade a little after the first few songs, and the rest sounds largely like more of the same.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
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Weekly rundown February 10 – 2023
This week seems to be about all forms of death metal save the actual core version of the subgenre. Doom, melodic, technical and progressive are all at the forefront though.
Ad Omega – Aphelic Ascent
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An unholy cacophony of bitter riff tone, imposing rhythms and dissonant lead work. At its best it feels very on point for a conceptual approach, and deserves its serious demeanor, although part of that is inviting in a lot of non-melodic, noisy turbulence that can feel stagnant to someone not leaning deeply into the material.
Aphyxion – Ad Astra
Genre: Metalcore/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5Aggressive, yet heavily sing-along chorus-oriented modern metalcore with dissonant djent-riffs and synth-infused, radio-friendly melodies.
Big Laugh – Consume Me
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A garbage-bin-to-car-window, energetic hardcore onslaught loaded with punk attitude. There’s enough garage rock groove in there to invite some rhythmic head shaking and fist throwing as well. If you’ve got a shred of punk spirit then this will get you in a good mood.
Cadaver Shrine – Benighted Desecration
Genre: Death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Real rough-around-the-edges death doom that sounds ultra sinister. It leans more or less into an abyssal doom space, but has several dominant up-tempo death metal chug sections that are probably the highlights of the album. All in all this is the kind of thing that makes you feel like nothing will ever be right in the world ever again.
Delain – Dark Waters
Genre: Symphonic/pop metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Delain are back and offering… pretty much exactly what you’d expect, with solid pop melodies and power metal rhythms delivered with plenty of symphonic umph. This is the perfect lift-you-up if you’ve dug yourself a little too deep into a depressive funeral doom slump and just need to soak in the light of a sonic sun for a while. But I wouldn’t go as far as calling it anything special.
Distant – Heritage
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A planet-scale invasion of machines expressing their fury through a monumental sonic assault. This is deathcore stomping hard on the brutality pedal and delivering it with artificial precision. It sounds massive, but there’s a feeling that its layers are there for the sake of the force of the impact alone. For someone not completely sold on the deathcore formula, this will likely seem rather by-the-numbers.
Flub – Dream Worlds (EP)
Genre: Technical/progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Who said that technical death metal has to sound like a multi-limbed automaton gone apeshit? Flub brings the neoclassical touch to the table, and it just makes everything better. It’s adventurous and melodic, while allowing in all of the aggression and furious insectoid technicality that you’ll be craving. It’s a short one this, but offers instrumental versions of all the tracks as a bonus, which turns out to actually have some value in that you can completely devote your concentration to the brilliant playing.
Highlight: “Paracosm”.
Fredlös – Fredlös
Genre: Folk/black/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A blackened folk journey along the darker parts of the Scandinavian medieval landscape. This has a mystic quality to it, and offers up pagan melody, a doom-heavy bottom tone and some black metal melancholic aggression. There is some disharmony to the vocal-instrumental meld that seems a little off, but it’s probably intentional.
Frozen Dawn – The Decline of the Enlightened Gods
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5There’s a very up-front appeal to dark metal played with a classic heavy metal approach. The vocals and instrumental tone are all dialed in to “unholy”, and then the tempo and lead guitar work comes in and mostly ignores it. Depressive turns to peppy and icicle-to-the-eye guitar solos turn adventurous and just a tad sleazy. This one still manages to hold on to an air of black majesty, and there’s a pleasing fullness to the sound that safely lands it in the melodic black metal camp. While not particularly rich in standout moments, this is a highly enjoyable record that reaches both inwards and outwards from the purely black metal sphere.
Highlight: “Wanderer of Times”.
In Flames – Foregone
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Is this the day that we finally declare In Flames to be back on form? The day that most old school fans had given up hope on? Well, as always, it depends. If you just want more of Clayman-and-earlier-era In Flames, then the answer is about as much no as yes, but if all you care about is the band turning back to actual melodic death metal, then we might very well be on to something. And that’s probably where I’ll leave the expectations part of this review behind. Foregone sees the band not only darkening the tone and upping the aggression, but genuinely leaning into old school Gothenburg influences and that sprinkling of Scandinavian folk melody that helped define them. But there’s never any doubt that the guys have moved on. There’s a mildness and catchy groove that at this point seems ingrained in their musical approach, and the result is that this is still, to a certain point, death metal for the masses. Bottom line though, the material on here feels purposeful, rock solid, and made with both old and new fans in mind. Personally, as a long time fan, I’m delighted to say that the wait has been worth it.
Highlights: “State of Slow Decay” and “Foregone, Pt. 1”.
Negative Blast – Echo Planet
Genre: Hardcore/garage rock
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Major Kvelertak vibes with this one. Although you don’t get as much of a conceptual feel, there’s a strong identity that’s mostly tied to the somewhat bluesy, kind of black n’ roll tone. It certainly helps elevate what is otherwise mostly spirited garage rock to a sort of hardcore equivalent of Witchery area, and ain’t nothing wrong with that.
Oak – Disintegrate
Genre: Doom/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Yes, this is a single 45-minute sullen-toned doom track, so you can see the Bell Witch comparison coming a mile away. This is much more in the realm of death doom, however, and so you never really find the funeral doom label fitting too well. That means, to put it plainly, “more” content, higher tempo and a whole other level of blatant aggression. The melodies tremble with sorrow and misery, but it’s not a slowly grinding millstone of world-ending proportions, as it relies more on the flow of intensity in the instrumental and vocal performances than simply atmosphere. The production hasn’t left as much a feeling of grandeur as might have been fitting for a song of such epic proportions, but on the flipside you get a more directly engaging listening experience.
Terrestrial Hospice – Caviary To The General
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Some bile-spitting black metal for you. With the incessant drum attack and straightforward format of the songs, you get a feeling that they’re in a hurry to get to the finish line. They do pull out a few tricks along the way though, with some haunting backing-tremolo that sounds like a ceremonious pledge towards the stars of the night sky. Mostly though, they seem content to roam inferno.
Thin – Dusk
Genre: Mathgrind
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5Sheeez, this is some fiendish stuff to try to get into. It’s like an on/off torture method with semi-regular intervals. Everything is either sharp, shrieking, dissonant or harsh, and completely out of control. An then the roughly 14-minute runtime comes to an end and you wonder what the hell you just heard. A trip, for sure.
Veilcaste – Precipice
Genre: Sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A slow-running, viscous thing that’s also full of gravel. It’s sludge brought down to a doom tempo, which puts the heavy groove into the spotlight, along with the dissonant elements that are trying to compete with the cosmic atmosphere.
View From The Soyuz – Immaculate (EP)
Genre: Hardcore/metalcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Metallic hardcore with some strong early As I Lay Dying and Machine Head vibes. It’s aggressive and direct, yet visits a series of moods and influences during the span of its limited runtime. Apart from metalcore and groove, there’s some thrash and a good bit of old school melodeath. There are seriously catchy breakdowns and engaging melodic details. But the best part is that they never see the need to go soft. A clenched-fist approach seem to fit the band beautifully, and they pour that energy out into their clearly emphatic performances.
Highlights: “Caligula” and “Sky Burial”.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
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Weekly rundown February 03 – 2023
We kickstart February with a compact delivery of seriously high quality content. Doom dominates at the top, showing off the full extent of its versatility, each record pulling you into a separate, vast universe to explore it at a haste-free pace.
All Out War – Celestial Rot
Genre: Hardcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5This is the kind of aggression where you start to wonder where they find the time to breathe. Once this starts, it goes full tilt until the point where someone probably cut the recording studio power and hauled the guys back to their padded cells. It’s got the classic spiked-bat hardcore mentality pulsing manically throughout, and so no matter if they dip into death metal, black metal or old school metalcore, there’s that let-the-world-burn energy overloading everything with chaotic exuberance. It’s unrefined, and probably not for those who prefer groove to raw energy, but it’s wake you up, that’s for sure.
Carathis – The Moonstone Temple (EP)
Genre: Black/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Black metal bands messing with the formula tend to be a lot of fun, or at least quite charming. This one falls somewhere in between, with what feels like a carefully cultivated “fun fair of the damned” flair to the tone, which invites you in to a world of endless trails of candle wax and spider webs. While it’s certainly not a dead serious kind of album, there are some genuinely solid melodies casting a tragic majesty upon the proceedings. The production is suitably low-fi, and the instrumental work focused rather than flamboyant.
Highlight: “The Prayer”.
Clouds Taste Satanic – Tales of Demonic Possession
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5A 4-song double disc album clocking in at 1 hour and 19 minutes playtime. Yes, it’s doom, and yes, it’s instrumental. If none of those things are deal breakers, then I see no reason why you won’t thoroughly enjoy this. It’s certainly long-form, but it’s not trying to be slow for slow’s sake. It’s not trying to depress you with an overwhelmingly gloomy tone or hypnotize you with a droning, repetitive rhythm. This is like a laid back journey atop the back of some massive beast plodding along at its own pace, taking you through shifting landscapes and events both monumental and insignificant, solely as an observer, with the perfect doomy guitar tone as your trusty companion.
Highlight: “Spirits of the Green Desert”
Elderseer – Drown In The Shallowness
Genre: Doom/melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This feels a bit like an old Dark Tranquillity album slowed way down. There’s the heavy riffs, the melancholic, sweeping melodies and the rasping growls. Add to that a slightly husky production finish and you’re most of the way there. The tone is great, although the style of playing on here doesn’t quite suit the tempo.
Endorphins Lost – Night People
Genre: Hardcore/grindcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A bloodshot, hoarse-throated gale of thrashing guitars and wild drumming. It certainly delivers on energy, and if you just want some music to stomp on you, you’ve got your thing right here.
Fvnerals – Let The Earth Be Silent
Genre: Ambient/cinematic doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Welcome to the horror of pitch black, unfathomable eternity closing in on you. There’s no escape from this cavernous soundscape that is created around you. At some points of the experience that feels fine, and at others it feels suffocating. It’s both subtle and grand, with a ritualistic, threatening tone that stretches out into uncaring endlessness, and then collapses on top of you with the crash of heavy riffs. If you’re fine with this being the prevailing idea for the whole album, you’ll probably love the immersion on here.
Highlights: “Ashen Era” and “Barren”
Memoriam – Rise To Power
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Saw-toothed death metal that isn’t afraid to ride the thrash train for a bonus speed boost. It’s what you’ve come to expect from Memoriam, with war-themed lyrics, characteristic hoarse vocals and a slightly sanded-down finish. At some points it feels like they slightly overestimate the groove that they’re able to conjure up on here, adding the odd guitar squeal to otherwise fairly flat riff sections. But for a grinder of a old school death metal record with medium low focus on melody it certainly feels like it’s earning it’s place on the contemporary scene.
Mithridatum – Harrowing
Genre: Progressive black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5If dissonance is your thing then you’re getting seriously indulged with this one. It’s certainly not at the level where it’s just chaotic noise, but it constantly chooses to stay outside of reach of harmony, like it’s mocking your desire for a moment of clean melody. The rhythms swell and fade as they see fit, giving the flow of the album a life of its own. And it does move, never leaving you feeling stuck, although there doesn’t seem to be any obvious destination in mind.
Osiah – Chronos
Genre: Deathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5It gets clear pretty quickly that the band is just out to rip and tear on this one. They throw themselves headlong into breakneck rhythm sections, punctuated by thundering bass and topped by eerie guitar work. There’s not a ton you won’t have heard before, but there’s still lots of goodies for fans of heavy technicality.
Rexoria – Imperial Dawn
Genre: Power/folk metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Sparkly, shouting-from-the-top-of-the-crystal-tower power metal with some folky tendencies. The lyrics and melodies are predictably cheesy, and the rhythms about as straightforward as you get, but the band’s performances are top notch.
Sanguisugabogg – Homicidal Ecstasy
Genre: Death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Having evolved slightly from their last album, the band now appears to have some purpose beyond grabbing a hold of your brain through your ears and shaking it violently. Don’t worry though, this is still fucking heavy, and still in it for the shits and giggles, but there’s a whole level of attention devoted to rhythm, and very suitably expanded range of gurgly vocals. All in all, the same half-ironic, mallet-swinging savagery as before, but now coming at you from slightly unexpected angles.
WuW – L’Orchaostre
Genre: Avant-garde doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is doom that takes on a slow, unpredictable stagger, only occasionally broken up by rushes of impatient movement. It feels mostly rather unassuming, but builds up to these moments of forceful expression, and the way it moves along between its different states is a bit like a free-form dance. Given the bleak tone, this is not a soundscape to get comfortable in, but rather an invitation to a different perspective on life.
Highlights: “Orchaostre 1” and “Orchaostre 5”.
Xandria – The Wonders Still Awaiting
Genre: Symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This sounds confident, vibrant and exceptionally clean, without coming off as overpolished. The sound reaches far, carried on impressive vocal talent and solidly crafted melodies sprinkled with folk tunes. The album is quite front heavy as far as quality goes, which makes it harder to defend the massive runtime, but the epic scope is prevalent within each song from start to finish.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
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Weekly rundown January 27 – 2023
A landslide of a week where death and black metal goes toe to toe with prog, fielding some worthy contenders that easily stand out of the masses.
Anachronism – Meanders
Genre: Progressive/technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Dissonance all the way on this one. It brings to mind some sort of artificial life blindly and randomly striking out. Even though there has been set aside a little room for contemplative atmosphere, there is little to no melody to go with it, and so this insistent feeling of wrongness prevails. The precision is fantastic, although the approach will probably get repetitive fairly quickly for those less interested in this level of technicality.
…And Oceans – As In Gardens, So In Tombs
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5A mighty symphonic black metal record that moves simultaneously with the speed of a glacier and an avalanche, with the rhythm section racing away while the overarching melodies glide patiently forward. This is not your average tongue-in-cheek, dark fantasy-themed theatrical approach, rather taking the mood of the atmospheric niche of the subgenre and upping the grandeur to mountainous levels. It lends the experience an air of legitimacy that allows you to fully lean into and embrace the cold, sweeping, folk-tinged themes. An excellently balanced influx of aggression keeps the energy levels up as well.
Highlights: “The Collector and His Construct” and “Cloud Heads”.
Anzillu – Ex Nihilo
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A dark-ish thrash record with traces of Kreator, as well as some death metal tone and a hardcore bark to the vocals. Speaking of which, the vocals don’t always harmonize all that well with the instrumentation, and overall this feels a bit unimaginative.
Ashen Horde – Antimony
Genre: Progressive black/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is black metal that exists in a kind of limbo in between progressive death and dissonant gothic rock. The instrumentation is absolutely competent, but the sonic image feels ever so slightly confused, never landing fully in one camp or another. That in itself is of course fine, but some times it can feel like a slightly directionless exploration of what works collectively for the musicians.
Bizarrekult – Den Tapte Krigen
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A pale, unfriendly deep dive into a wandering, yet limited tonal territory, where abrasive black metal competes with subtle, bleak atmosphere. There is sorrow and aggression, but also sections where you are allowed to just enjoy some uncomplicated, cold riffing. The intensity level varies greatly, although there’s a lack of standout moments to fully realize the band as something unique and distinct.
Cancervo – II
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Slow, doomy tones to create a soft, unholy atmosphere that feels mostly warm and inviting, as long as you are fine enjoying them in the dark.
Cerbere – Cendre
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A dark and hostile experience that feels like crawling through a claustrophobic cave system on your hands and knees while the shadows snarl softly at you. The riffs allow for a touch of stoner groove when they decide to hit, so it’s not all abrasive blackness, but considering the tempo it’s certainly not for the impatient.
Conjureth – The Parasitic Chambers
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5An intense death metal landslide that doesn’t shy away from the chaotic, overwhelming approach. But if you can survive past the pummeling, you’re rewarded with some monster thrash-inspired riffs and quite a bit of doom melody. The intensity lever really lets up until the very last song, which is more of a slow creeper, so for the most part this is a wild onslaught with a bit of a blackened, old-school tone.
Dust Prophet – One Last Look Upon The Sky
Genre: Stoner metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A dry, exploratory kind of stoner record with quite a bit of atmosphere and a slightly stunted, low-fi sound. As expected, there is tons of fuzz and a good bit of mid-tempo groove. Even though a lot of the familiar elements are there, it doesn’t feel run of the mill, opting for slightly odd melodies and experimenting with different rhythms.
Flidais – Pathogen
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A slice of a slightly different kind of progressive metal, in that it’s not trying to overwhelm you with its technical accomplishments. It sounds traditional, but a bit darker and more industrial than your run of the mill classic prog.
Grief Symposium – …In The Absence Of Light
Genre: Death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A gritty, mid-tempo album where the groove-influenced death metal takes the driver’s seat over the slow, earthy doom. It’s like it’s a bit too impatient to slow all the way down, instead opting for chugging, medium heavy riffs with a touch of sinister disharmony. There’s not all that much melody or atmosphere, apart from the last , 18 min + song , which is mostly ambiance.
Iron Void – IV
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is doom with a traditional metal backbone. It strikes a good balance between graveyard tone and old school feelgood, and while the rhythms can be a little unengaging at times, this is definitely enjoyable, with laid back, crunchy guitar work and tasteful vocal work.
Liv Sin – KaliYuga
Genre: Heavy/melodic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Highly headbang-able, melody-focused stuff with some alt metal anger and catchy, hard rock groove. There’s enough kick and attitude to attract those outside the melodic metal sphere, but don’t expect too much in terms of imaginative songwriting or innovative playing.
Malice Divine – Everlasting Ascendancy
Genre: Thrash/death/black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Here’s some tasty aggro-thrash with a black metal-ish tone and just the right amount of death metal heft to keep it light on it’s feet, yet delivering savage blows. The tempo is high and the enthusiasm behind it measurable. At one point it does get a little predictable, but if you like pairing of playfulness, aggression and a touch of theater, all the while staying true to the core subgenres, then you’ll enjoy this.
Malleus – The Fires Of Heaven
Genre: Black/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is the sound of focus. There is nothing superfluous or extravagant about this sound at all. Neither is it clean or understated. Just chopping block ruthless efficiency and an expertly honed fusion of black metal chill and thrash metal zeal. The tone is dry and slightly flat, which allows the sharp guitar wails and snarling vocals pierce through the mix with ease. Not the most adventurous stuff you’ll ever hear, but it’s quality, and feels pretty timeless.
Highlights: “Beyond the Pale” and “Prophetess”.
Mask of Prospero – Hiraeth
Genre: Progressive metalcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5A barebones kind of progressive metalcore setup, where each separate contribution manages a very expansive sound. The drums and bass thunder and the guitars reach all the way to the floor. The vocals are extremely well defined and does a pleasing mix of clean and harsh that isn’t excessively far apart. The intensity varies greatly, and the calm that settles after a section of screams and instrumental outbursts feels serene. There isn’t all too much to the progressive element other than some unorthodox rhythms, but the pacing and timing of the performances are all quite pleasing in their flawlessness.
Methane – Kill It With Fire
Genre: Groove/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Like a controlled stampede, this thing keeps kicking at you in a predictably aggressive manner from start to finish, fueled by rowdy groove and some thrash attitude. The sound is a bit simple, and there are no real surprises, but it’s a good energy boost.
Nephilim’s Noose – Blood Chants Of Impiety
Genre: Death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is earth encrusted, boulder heavy and all-lights-out death doom that’s part chaotic and part oppressive atmosphere, with limited sections of thundering, coordinated riffs. There’s a lot of dissonance that comes along with the wilder parts, and you feel like they’re an attempt at creating a distinct soundspace, but it will take some active willingness from the listener to be transported there.
Obelyskkh – Ultimate Grace Of God
Genre: Experimental doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is one of those that you could easily imagine being the soundtrack to madness. Not wild, spinning, uncontrollable lunacy, but a slow descent into a dark delirium. The dark, fuzzy riffs make out the bottom of the sound, creating this threatening base that casts the elements on top in an unsettling light. There’s no clear direction, and so it’s easy to feel lost, or even stuck depending on your inclination.
Ominous Scriptures – Rituals Of Mass Self-Ignition
Genre: Brutal death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Noise. Incessant, unfriendly and devoid of melody. The chugging riffs, clicking drums and rolling bass pushes you forward rather than drags you along. There’s a demonic tinge to the tone, but for the most part it gets a bit lost in the mix.
Oozing Wound – We Cater To Cowards
Genre: Experimental hardcore/thrash metal
Subjective rating:3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A grab-you-by-the-cuff, gleefully unhinged noise project that will appeal to your devil-may-care, destructive side. There are grounding rhythms throughout, which will trick you with a sense of stability while your perception of the world is being fucked with by the lyrical content and the harsh wrongness of the tone.
Raum Kingdom – Monarch
Genre: Progressive sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5If you feel like the depressive tone of grunge, the jaggedness of sludge and unorthodoxy of prog would make a killer combo, then this is for you. This is cerebral, gloomy and at times quite hostile. It feels refined and purposeful, with a unifying tone that makes it both stylistically confident and a bit monotone.
Ronnie Romero – Raised On Heavy Radio
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Sleaze-tinged, chrome-flaunting heavy metal that sounds like a mix (or ripoff) of all the greatest hits of the 80s.
Schavot – Kronieken Uit De Nevel
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5The sonic equivalent of an ice pick in the night, this is arctic black metal with a dark medieval flair. It’s a thin, direct sound with little to no embellishment, and a spot-on guitar tone that takes you to lands of gothic castles on jagged, snow covered mountains, where the light of burning torches are smothered by deathly mist. The intent of the musicians is crystal clear throughout, with a tight rhythm and razor sharp tremolo leading the way and covering the path in frost as you go. While the general feel is quite similar from song to song, you never get bogged down in unnecessary atmosphere, and so the overall impression is one of efficiency.
Highlights: “Zwart Water” and “De Laatste Dans Gedanst”.
Seer Of The Void – Mantra Monolith
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Dark, cult-y doom with plenty of crisp stoner groove. This leads you into a black, candle lit cellar and makes you enjoy your stay with alluring guitar work and a pleasing, warm bass tone. The rhythm can get a bit staccato at times, and there’s not amazing progression, but as a non-binding dip into the doom ool this does the job quite well.
Sorrowful Land – Faded Anchors Of The Past
Genre: Doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Sullen, momentous doom that’s on the way to funeral tempo, but doesn’t quite go there. This feels like haunting sorrow all the way, wallowing in a thick mist of abyssal melancholy, even in the parts where the riffs swell. While the slowness is competently managed by nuanced rhythm work, the melodic parts can feel kind of nondescript, and doesn’t add too much other than a feeling of misery.
Superterrestrial – The Fathomless Decay
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Cosmic black metal that, in line with its theme, is on the hostile, unfeeling side. There are moments of melancholy and even fiery anger, but they have a tendency to get sucked into the void of bleakness.
The World Is Quiet Here – Zon
Genre: Progressive/technical death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5A wide-reaching progressive album that at first listen checks off a lot of the classic prog boxes, then introduces you to its dark twin personality without ever really slipping completely out of the first. In here is quite a bit of tech death, that will play the part of Hyde on and off for longer and shorter sections. It never really overwhelms with its technicality, instead adding an aggressive and forceful peak to the underlying beat and melody work. The vocals range demonstrated on here is expansive to say the least, with a large palate of harsh and clean to suit the prevailing mood.
Highlights: “Heliacal Vessels Part 1: The Mothers of No Kin” and “Moonlighter”.
Zombie Riot – World Epitaph
Genre: Death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5No-nonsense death metal with the urgency and naked riff love of thrash. It’s not the most refined stuff you’ll ever hear, nor is it actively trying to sound any rougher than it really is. It’s a raw, guitar-led, evil-toned scorcher, that only just misses out on the big, catchy hooks that could have made it a true headbanging gem.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
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Weekly rundown January 20 – 2023
A hard-hitting week that leans heavily into the gothic and gloomy. But it’s not all sullen darkness, as a few splashes of striking color and groove make up the perfect counterbalance.
Atrocity – Okkult III
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5We start the week with some rusty-toned death metal from Germany. If you like the idea of a modernized, death-ified version of the classic Kreator sound, then you’re onto the right track here. This is half-serious devil worshipping, mildly groove infused stuff. It’s on the stale side, not going anywhere in particular, and lack the really standout riffs that might have compensated for it, but it feels solid and dependable.
Big City – Sunwind Sails
Genre: Hard rock/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Big and vibrant hard rock with a larger-than-life, classic metal approach to instrumentality. It feels colorful and uplifting, but very much like something straight out of a recipe book with very few alterations.
Celestial Scourge – Dimensions Unfurled
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A no-nonsense, utterly relentless gale of brutal death metal hurtling at your face like a meticulously concerted hailstorm of metal shrapnel. The technicality is absolute king, and there is little room for groove or melody. If you’re fine with a staccato pummeling, then good on you, if not, then this might feel a little soulless.
Dark Princess – Phoenix
Genre: Gothic/symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Depending on your point of view and taste, you might find this comforting in its embrace of uncomplicated melodies, solid production and rich vocal performance. Or you might find it bland and forgettable. There is nothing abrasive about this one, save for a few instances of harsh vocals, just a slightly melancholic and solemn approach to an expansive, soaring tone.
Deiquisitor – Apotheosis
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A wave of muddled and hostile death metal that feels drawn in both a blackened and industrial direction. There is no letup here, no room for light or melodic sensibilities. At the same time, it’s not overly chaotic, and the evil tone sucks you into a dark state of mind that’ll have you shunning all that’s soft and colorful.
Dryad – The Abyssal Plain
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5How about an oily, oozing concoction of frosty black misery, gothic symphony, soul-crushing death metal and a bit of grimy sludge? It’s a lot more enjoyable than you might think. You get an overload of haunted castle atmosphere from some effective synth- and piano work, and the rest of the instruments are like flashing blades in the night. It feels a bit alien and clammy at times, but they tie it all together with some excellent rhythm work, that brings on both a black n’ roll groove and moments of ritualistic fervor.
Highlights: “Black Smoke” and “Loki’s Castle”.
Dying Light – Shallow Grave
Genre: Alternative/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2/5A hard rock-y downer-toned piece of melo-groovy heavy metal. Lyric- and instrumental wise it’s got a ways to go before it could be considered up to snuff, but the concept isn’t necessarily a bad idea.
Gypsy Chief Goliath/End Of Age – Turned To Stone Chapter 7 (Split)
Genre: Heavy/stoner metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A stoner-groovy split with the first half leaning into doom and the other a rowdy sleaze-rock. While not utterly remarkable, it’s a good time with two bands that easily stand on their own.
Half Life – Like A Jungle
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A rather clumsily-rhythmed classic metal record with 80s style and strong AC/DC vibes from the lyrical style. It feels a bit stuck in place, although it has moments of enjoyable old-school adventure-lust.
Imperium Dekadenz – Into Sorrow Evermore
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5With an album title like “Into Sorrow Evermore”, you should have a pretty good idea of the tonal territory you’re headed for. While the vocal style is of the snarly variety and you get your customary black metal serving of crispy riffing and blast beats, this never feels hostile. Like death itself, it’s rather indifferent to tragedies and triumphs alike, and while you get a sense of the natural world taking its coarse in both grand and mundane fashion, there is no drama, no haste or bold reactions, just a cold reminder of what was and could have been. A stylistically rock solid release.
Highlights: “Forests in Gale” and “November Monument”.
Katatonia – Sky Void Of Stars
Genre: Progressive/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Welcome to a slow tour across a vast tapestry of a million shades of comforting doom and gloom. Katatonia’s newest is a masterfully mixed deep dive into confident rhythmic play, gothic melody and a variety of highs and lows flavored with solemn grandeur, thundering heaviness, dreamy contemplation and tender caresses. While bursting at the seams with atmosphere, the production allows for well defined instrumental performances, which are allowed to drive the progression. If you fall in love with the heaviness early on you might find your interest waning a bit in the more melody focused middle part, but it picks back up. A mighty demonstration of the band’s capabilities in more than just a few respects.
Highlights: “Austerity” and “Author”.
Natt – Natt
Genre: Doom/progressive metal/rock
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is one of those records that just lives its own life. What you get is three songs with a combined runtime of almost 45 minutes, one of which being largely ambient and all of them instrumental. Still interested? The immersion on here is fantastic – even though there is a fair amount of droning repetition, this has a comforting, hypnotic quality. And even as the tone fluctuates organically between different moods that are both dark and light in nature, the instrumentation takes on a curious, exploring quality that pulls you along, preventing you from getting lost in a directionless mire. Apply some patience, and you shall be rewarded.
Highlight: “Appell”.
Re-Buried – Repulsive Nature
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Now for some of that sandpaper-grade death metal that sounds like it’s trailing death and damnation like a cloud of dust. It’s ominous, medium aggressive, with a fine-tuned tone. There aren’t too many standout moments, but if it scratches that particular itch for you then you’ll probably be wanting more at the end. There’s not exactly a shortage of this kind of crypt-morbid death metal these days, although these guys haven’t gone overboard with the low-fi, instead opting for a meaty, full sound that still has plenty of crispy edge to it.
Slegest – Avstand
Genre: Black/doom metal/hard rock
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5What happens when you take some Vreid-style black metal and set full sail for the sea of old school hard rock? Yep, you get something like this. This has some of that Kvelertak spunk, without going all the way rowdy. It’s plenty groovy and engaging, though it doesn’t fully knock my socks off. A little content to stay with the main riffs perhaps, but I see this being plenty energetic live.
Tidal Wave – The Lord Knows
Genre: Stoner/psychedelic rock/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A hard hitting stoner record with some classic metal leanings and a bit of chill psychedelic flavor. The progression might feel a bit syrupy at times, but the groove is just right, and the half-desert-rock-half-doomy vocal style is a nice touch. There is a decent amount of tempo variation, even within individual songs, and with a restless drum approach contrasting the subtle cool of the guitars, the music feels like it’s constantly tugging at its genre restraints.
Highlights: “End of the Line” and “By Order of the King”.
Tribunal – The Weight Of Remembrance
Genre: Doom/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Here we have some melodic doom enveloped in the sullen, lowered-gaze veil of blackened gothic. There’s a heavy atmosphere pooling around the cold, mournful instrumental work, like an inky mist. The vocals alternate between solemn clean and vehement harsh, each taking the tone in a slightly different direction. The gothic elements are toned down, only occasionally taking a turn for the grand, providing some standout moments among otherwise fairly subdued proceedings. The perfect album if you feel like getting lost in the dark for a bit.
Turbid North – The Decline
Genre: Sludge/doom/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5An album that feels like it’s alternating between commanding winds sweeping over barren hills, and trying to violently dismantle a stone monument with a demon-possessed sledgehammer. This is sludgy death doom where the atmosphere and aggression doesn’t try to coexist the whole time, instead giving each other space to realize their full potential. The result is a kind of two-sided experience with a strong feeling of experimentation, but with a joining tone that quells any feeling of randomness. It’s dark and really heavy, with the substance to get your mind working and the groove to get you to ball your fists.
Highlights: “Slaves” and “The Road”.
Twilight Force – At The Heart Of Wintervale
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Full-on adventure metal that’s leaving a trail of discharged crystals and spent potions in its wake. Vibrant, extremely tight, and at times endearingly weird, this reaches all the way to the core of that playful spark of childish imagination that’s the very basis of the fantasy genre, maybe even storytelling itself. This could easily just have been another cheesy, self-indulgent artificial-sounding shred fest, but every ounce of this seems carefully selected and tailored for the purpose of epic-tale-immersion, and added that all-important glint-in-the-eye that tells you not to take it too seriously.
Highlights: “At the Heart of Wintervale” and “Sunlight Knight”.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
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Weekly rundown January 13 – 2023
As the metal engine coughs into life after its eggnog-induced slumber, all sorts of weird and wonderful things tumble out of its delivery system.
Ahab – The Coral Tombs
Genre: Doom/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5On this you’re in for some progressive slow doom with elements of death metal. It feels heavy and purposeful, like it wants to tell you a tale of the ages. Especially the melodies sell a sense of gloomy adventure. Although, for an album thematically set to the dark and strange world of the ocean abyss, I would have expected a bit more atmosphere. The tone is suitably solemn, for sure, but it doesn’t quite manifest a feeling of the pressure of the deep, or the sounds of creatures vast and tiny moving around out of sight in the blackness, that could have made this a truly immersive experience.
Beyond The Black – Beyond The Black
Genre: Symphonic metal/hard rock
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A clean, smooth and rather straightforward symphonic metal experience with some nice melodic moments. The rhythm is quite predictable, ad although the lyrics aren’t offensively clichéd, they’re not exactly a breath of fresh air.
Crom – The Era Of Darkness
Genre: Heavy/power metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A traditional heavy metal album that’s half playful, cheeky power metal with fantasy tendencies and half folk-leaning, slightly solemn epic ballads. There’s enough character in here that they successfully output a sound of their own, and even though the tonal approach to each song is a bit all over the place, there’s plenty of entertainment value for the adventure hungry.
Defy The Curse – Horrors Of Human Sacrifice
Genre: Death/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A naughty, crusty death metal record that seems serious on the surface, but is far too fond of bouncy rhythms to be taken with a straight face. This is fairly simple fun, with some fairly mild death metal brutality mixed with sludgy groove. There aren’t too many standout moments, and the sound could have been dirtier, but never gets boring.
Eisregen – Grenzgänger
Genre: Death/black/folk metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A rather haphazard mix of blackened death, playful folk metal and Rammstein-esque industrial. In a few ways it approaches the devil-may-care character of Finntroll, with snarly vocals, mock-spooky atmosphere and strong rock n’ roll vibes. While a bit silly, the entertainment value is not to be underestimated.
Gyaos:Diabolical – In Accordance With The Prophecy
Genre: Thrash/industrial/black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A riotous, blunt instrument assault of blackened thrash with an industrial delivery. There’s clearly a message in the madness, and in that regard it feels a bit like a hardcore record. Variety is not this one’s strongest suit, and after a little while it gets hard to tell the songs apart.
HolyName – HolyName
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Solemn, modern metalcore ready to well over you in waves of djent-fueled aggression and near-meditative stretches of introspective, calming melody. Whether the two mix well is debatable, but the tone is very consistent. If you enjoy the sound and the message, then you’ll probably appreciate all of it. If not, you might very well find it kind of forgettable.
Obituary – Dying Of Everything
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Some times you just want a band to know instinctively what you want them to sound like (no, not always). No need for any big surprises. Obituary is one of those bands, and their intuition doesn’t fail them this time around either. While this is the classic, axe-swinging meat grinder all the way, they found some room for groove, which’ll have you pendulum-banging your head through one song after another. The tempo is mid to low, but it never feels like there’s glue in the gears, even when they slow things down to near-funeral doom in select sections. It’s smooth, perhaps a bit too much so, but the fact that these guys can still whip up such a shining example of how to make a distinct-sounding old school death metal album, without putting the recording mic inside a cardboard box, is just such a positive reinforcement of the rock-solid state of the genre today.
Highlights: “My Will to Live” and “War”.
Polar – Everywhere, Everything
Genre: Hardcore/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This album feels a bit like tearing open an old wound. There’s rawness and hurt, and a fair bit of anger. They play around with the rhythms a fair bit on this one, although the soundscape remains fairly familiar to those well traveled in this particular musical territory.
Screamer – Kingmaker
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5A peppy, modern-retro heavy metal offering from Sweden. It’s got some of the epic, bold elements of the likes of Manowar, but also some of the sass and simplicity of the Hellacopters. The overall sound feels fine-tuned and honed, so there should be little question of the commitment to the niche. It’s definitely a feelgood album brimming with new-school nostalgia, throwing itself into catchy, rousing melodies and playful guitar work, albeit with a tasteful amount of restraint.
ten56. – Downer Part 2
Genre: Deathcore/nu metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5An interesting melding of deathcore brutality, hip-hop rhythms and a small dose of R&B melodic sensibilities. Mostly it’s fairly artificial-sounding, pounding heaviness, like glitching, computer-controlled heavy machinery lashing at you. Some personality gets lost in the processing of it all, but it’s great if you just want something to shake your eardrums and sound modern while doing it.
Turmion Katilot – Omen X
Genre: Industrial/disco metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Here’s your slice of rave-ready, snarling, Finnish blackened-ish disco-industrial metal, cause why the hell not? Sure, it doesn’t make a ton of sense (or does it?), but that’s hardly the point. If you’re like me, who wants your silly metal to still be heavy and aggressive enough that you can un-ironically headbang to it till you’re drunk enough to go improvise dance moves in the moshpit, then this should get you going.
Highlights: “Pyhä Kolminaisuus” and “Isä Meidän”.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
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Weekly rundown January 06 – 2023
Black and dark metal sweep in from the tail end of last year, crossing the threshold of 2023 like an icy gust from a door left open. But there is also more vibrant life peeking out from below the layer of frost.
Abysm – Sol Invictus (EP)
Genre: Thrash/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Starting the year with some thrashiness in the vein of Testament mixed with old school melodeath. It’s got a suitable darkness and morbidity to it, although the tone feels cold, almost touching on black metal. The performances leave a little to be desired, but the enthusiasm is certainly there.
Ancient Ruins – Hexahedron
Genre: Heavy/doom metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A heavy metal solo project that scores highest with the originality factor. It mixes adventurous riff harmonies with a doomy atmosphere and snarly, harsh vocals. Unfortunately, the arrangements end up feeling fairly clumsy, and so you stumble your way through the album rather than flow.
Bereave – Bereave (EP)
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A three song EP with some very proficiently performed melodeath in the vein of Mors Principium Est. If you dig Finnish melodeath, you’re gonna dig this. Heavy riff gallops, plenty of playful melody and groove. What you don’t get a ton of, unfortunately, is character, and so this gets a bit lost in the release maelstrom.
Celestial Shadows – The Tragedy of Calufrax
Genre: Experimental black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Synth-infused, atmospheric, spooky-toned black metal with muted vocals. You get several intrumental tracks and some fairly aggressive ones that sounds like they’ve been sand-blown to the bone production wise. Characterful, although not particularly powerful.
Concrete Age – Bardo Thodol
Genre: Groove/folk metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Who would think that Buddhist-themed metal would sound like this? You’d probably expect something serene, in the vein of chilled-out Devin Townsend, with an Eastern flavor. Well, the flavor is certainly there, in the form of Russian/Eastern folk elements, but this is far from tranquil. The aggressive stuff is up there with the heaviest groove bands, and the rest brings some properly entertaining folk/power metal energy without ever getting cheesy. Perhaps not as bold as there is potential for, but I bet it’s a ton of fun live.
Highlights: “Purity” and “Bezdna ot Ludost”.
Decortication – Necrolatry: A Morbid Worship
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Filthy, gritty death metal with a barebones, chaos-inclined kind of expression. You get moments of groove and fist-balling evil, but mostly it’s fairly run-of-the-mill.
Hand of Doom – Stray from the Path
Genre: Melodic death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5An atmosphere-leaning, yet high-tempo melodeath album with a lean sound and affinity for primitive thrash riffing. What I can’t tell is if the drums are meant to be that off-beat, but I don’t think it works in either case.
Horre – Kuumet
Genre: Atmospheric doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Some wispy, echoing-through-the-fog funeral doom with low, spectre-growl vocals and a synth-generated atmosphere. The experience is consistently melancholic without feeling too static or repetitive, and there are faint glimmers of light in the gloom every now and then.
The Howling Void – Into Darkness Ever More Profound
Genre: Atmospheric doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Here we got some funeral doom with a certain cinematic feel to it – each lengthy song describing a slight new turn in the story, or a new setting for it to play out in. The tone is not altogether tragic, and while certainly bleak at times, it seems to speak of better times both past and ahead. It’s thoroughly unhurried, with no particular changes in rhythm, and so makes for a distinctly slow-motion experience.
Iravu – A Fate Worse than Home
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A cosmically inclined, slightly free-form black metal album with a big void in the middle of the sound, muting the vocal- and instrumental performances. The atmospheric guitar-driven melodies are bold and exploratory, and serve as the highlights of the record.
Sinusitis – Evolution Seven Gates of Hell
Genre: Death/groove metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A spirited death metal sound with a diabolical tinge and just enough groove to keep it lively. The production doesn’t do the drums any favors, but the enthusiasm still shines through, and the progression feels suitably urgent.
Throat Locust – Dragged Through Glass EP
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5A fierce death metal EP that sounds like the rusty blades of giants scraping against each other. It’s an unrelenting assault of crushing pressure from start to finish, while still taking its time to deliver some tasty morsels of crispy groove and neck-slicing guitar solos at opportune moments. There should be enough both old-school primitive and modern finesse in here to satisfy both these camps as well. Not a bad kickstart to the year.
Highlight: “Axe Grinder”.
Turpitude – Une interprétation de la dissolution glaciale en quatre mouvements
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5For an atmospheric and slightly experimental black metal record, this one certainly gets straight on with the task at hand. There are lulls in the intensity, but at no time does the progression come to a halt. The sound is fairly condensed and packed with lamenting melody, and while the variation might lie mostly in the nuances, it feels like you’re taking the full journey throughout these 4 songs.
Varmia – Prolog (EP)
Genre: Black/folk metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Three songs of forceful, blackened folk/death metal to properly hype you for things to come. The drums thunder, guitars claw and rend, and vocals brimming with conviction demonstrate a palate of approaches that all expertly match the ritualistic tone. Makes you want to strap some bones and skulls to your battle jacket.
Highlight: “Oddal”.
Vosbúð – Heklugjá
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An aggressive and mildly chaotic take on folk leaning black metal. The drum work gets quite interesting throughout, and they explore some strong melody lines. In the end though, the impression is that of a fairly traditional low-fi black metal record.
Zeup – Mammals
Genre: Stoner metal/rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Groove all day long. This is politely heavy and smooth stoner with very sparse use of vocals. It’s not in a hurry to get anywhere of importance, but if you just wanna chill with the crunch for a wile, it’s a good place to hang out.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
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Weekly rundown December 30 – 2022
For the last drop of 2022, black metal sneaks in like a malevolent shade to bring some gloom to the new year celebrations. Perhaps appealing to the typical mood of the day after.
Abysmal Lord – Bestiary of Immortal Hunger
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is some properly ramshackle demonic stuff. The instrumental performances present themselves more as scare tactics than anything else, as do the vocals; gurgles, roars and snarls that all sound like they’re spat out of the pits of hell. It’s a little too messy to offer any proper immersion, but fun for the right audience.
Chabtan – Compelle Intrare
Genre: Melodic death/groove metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Here comes some fast-paced, modern melodeath out of France to show you a few tricks. It’s clear from the start that this is a band not content with sticking to the formula, while also not interested in going too far down the progressive path. Instead there are elements of thrash and groove to spice things up. There are, however, a few parts where the rhythm stumbles and the vocals don’t quite deliver, which slows everything down a bit.
Hades Descent – The Solitary Path to Armageddon
Genre: Experimental/progressive death/black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A playful mix of death, black, heavy and progressive metal with subtle style hints to the likes of Dark Tranquillity. The performances are good, not great, but there’s an enthusiasm behind it all that promises well, and the orchestral sections add a welcome grandeur.
Nocturnal Departure – Clandestine Theurgy
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Sinister and lightly unsettling black metal from Canada, or some godforsaken, depths below it, judging by the sound. It’s murky and jagged, as if hacked directly from the frozen earth. The vocals shift between screeching snarls and haunted banshee howls, and the tremolo brings on a familiar, frigid tone. While not the most precise of well-defined you’ll ever hear, the rhythm work is prevalent in a bone rattle-y kind of way that fits very well in with the overall mood. An unholy treat for a long, dark evening.
Trollcave – Rotted Remnants Dripping from the Void
Genre: Death/funeral doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Some distinctly low-fi death doom to close the year off. This one has a real kicking-you-while-you’re-down feel to it, heaping it on with a depressive tone and sinew-y riffs. It’s not all slow though, and not too monotone – offering up spooky atmospheric sections and galloping riff assaults. One to leave you feeling a bit uneasy.
Satanic Warmaster – Aamongandr
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Some fairly traditional, semi-melodic black metal telling tales of death and damnation. If you’re in the mood for that sort of thing, then you’re getting an enthusiastic serving here. The atmosphere is fairly lofty, and the tempo high up until the last song.
Urns – Empyre
Genre: Doom/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A sort of feel-good doom record with some positive gallops interrupting the slower, dragging sections. There’s plenty on interesting heavy metal instrumental antics, as well as some surprisingly aggressive turns, to keep you entertained, and an even pretend-pessimistic tone to tie it all together.
Voyage in Solitude – The Isle of Death and Rebirth
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5The band name says it all for this one – it’s an expansive journey detailing sadness and a stern, austere majesty of the passing surroundings. The atmosphere reaches up and out of the darkness, and even as there’s only ever more of the same, the intent is certainly there. The gothic melodies play a beautiful melancholy on top that is backed perfectly by icy tremolo and rocked by moments of turbulent blast beats. The theme feels medieval, but not in a tacky way, and orchestral elements lifts it out of the realm of traditional black metal conventions.
Highlights: “Miasma” and “And Meditate Through the Clouds”.
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, do feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.
The Metal Dispatch 