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  • Weekly rundown February 04 – 2022

    Weekly rundown February 04 – 2022

    February starting off with what looks like a mixed goodie bag and a few titles I’m really looking forward to sinking my ear teeth into. Let’s see if they deliver.

    Abhoria – Abhoria

    Genre: Black/melodic death metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating:     4/5

    Great way to start the week! This is just my kind of black metal, taken a couple of steps in a melodeath direction. Bit of anger, bit of brutality, bit of epicness, all layered with a frosty coat of black metal misanthropy. Not all of the tracks are as good, but “False Idols” and “Sunless” stand out for me.

    Abysmal Dawn – Nightmare Frontier EP

    Genre: Death metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    This is barely even an EP, but I’ll let it slide. The one new track is not exactly my favorite style of death metal, but it’s obviously quality stuff. I’m more a fan of the re-recording, and the cover of “Behind Space” makes me really miss old In Flames.

    Bevar Sea – The Timeless Zone

    Genre: Heavy/stoner metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 2.5/5

    It’s mid-tempo trotting heavy metal with a spacy stoner vibe and some vocals that sound overly strained, to the point where it’s a little distracting.

    Beyond The Styx – Sentence

    Genre: Hardcore/thrash metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    This is certainly no reinvention of the wheel, but some nicely aggressive hardcore driven by thrash – sometimes death – riffs and rhythms. Should be good workout music.

    Cold Night For Alligators – The Hindsight Notes

    Genre: Alternative metal/indie rock
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    This is a weird cross for me. Several of the songs start off as fairly mellow indie rock, even leaning into electronica and pop, then transition into heavier sections of hard rock and metal. Unfortunately, the latter parts are the ones I like the least, with the vocal style touching on emo, and the riffs feel a little uninspired.

    The Final Sleep – Vessels of Grief

    Genre: Progressive/melodic death metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    This is an interesting one. I’ve heard plenty of good progressive death metal before, but this is sort of the other way around, as in prog first and death second. So… brutalized prog metal? Deadened? Deathified? Murdered? Anyway, there’s also some black and groove in here, which makes for a varied listening experience, and they manage to avoid a lot of the big prog tropes. The album as a whole doesn’t come off sounding the most cohesive, or stylistically confident, but I still enjoy each “bite” of the experience.

    Golgothan – Leech

    Genre: Death metal/deathcore
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Some real mucusy vocals on top of modern death metal flirting with prog and black n’ roll. Some of it is pretty run-of-the-mill, but there are enough highlights here to elevate the overall experience. For me it gets better from “Parent Organism” (which might be my favorite track) and on. A solid effort that should please fans of both death metal and deathcore, but also run the risk of falling in between two chairs.

    Grimentity – DSM​-​5. The New Chapter 

    Genre: Death metal/grindcore
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Although this isn’t my cup of tea, I want to commend the effort. It’s punishing stuff, but very tight and technically competent, with enough rhythm variations to make it interesting, at least in the context of this particular subgenre.

    (hed) PE – Califas Worldwide 

    Genre: Rap metal/industrial/reggea
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    What to say about this one? There’s a lot of different things happening across the album’s 20 tracks and certainly not all of it can be considered metal. There’s hiphop, reggea, r&b, punk and hardcore, with some alternative- and industrial metal bringing the heavy on select tracks. If you feel like a mixed bag, then dig in.

    Korn – Requiem

    Genre: Alternative/nu metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    There’s something comforting about leaning into the audial flow of a sound as familiar as that of Korn. There’s very little to disrupt that flow on this album, which is great if you’re just looking for a fix. It’s not that it feels stale or worn, just safe. I’ve honestly never thought that Korn had the most distinguishable songs, so I would appreciate their albums more or less as one continuous groove. Which I feel you absolutely get here. It is perhaps overly mellow, and I’m probably being too generous with my rating, but there are very few things on here that make me not want to listen to it.

    Krvvla – X

    Genre: Black metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    Some bleak ass black metal with death leanings. There’s not a great deal of tonal variety to be found here. Good thing about that is if you really like one song, then you should like all of them.

    Mass Worship – Portal Tombs

    Genre: Death/progressive metal
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating: 4/5

    Some very aggressive death metal that sounds like it’s on the precipice of several different subgenres. There’s doom, prog, black, hardcore, even math. In a way it reminds me of early Meshuggah, without fully committing to the strictness of that style. I enjoy the more atmospheric parts, but they’re in a little too short supply for me to fully embrace this endeavor.

    Mystic Circle – Mystic Circle

    Genre: Melodic black metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    I don’t exactly know how serious these guys want us to take their music, but for me it feels like a power metal band that suddenly decided to go all out black metal, and has the same sort of formulaic approach to the subgenre. The result feels more than a bit tacky.

    Obsidian Sea – Pathos

    Genre: Doom metal/hard rock
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    To call this doom is actually a bit of a stretch, cause this feels mostly upbeat. It has some of that doom tone, but peps it up with oldschool hard rock and a touch of psychedelia spaciness. There are actually a few Queens of the Stone Age moments in here, but overall it’s a bit too sedate for me.

    Persefone – Metanoia

    Genre: Progressive/melodic death metal
    Subjective rating: 4.5/5
    Objective rating: 4/5

    This is really my kind of prog metal. If you have the patience for a few lengthy buildups and the (more than) occasional instrumental tangent, you’ll be rewarded with a vibrant, melodic experience bolstered by some tech death aggression and technical prowess. What they don’t do is get completely stuck in instrumental masturbation. There are smaller and bigger journeys in here, with clear goals and a unifying tone. “Katabasis” and “Architecture of the I” are just two of several highlights.

    Rolo Tomassi – Where Myth Becomes Memory

    Genre: Progressive metal/mathcore/electronic rock
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 4.5/5

    I won’t try too hard to describe all the different musical influences in here, because I’ll probably leave a discouraging impression of something terribly disjointed. Which this somehow really isn’t. Sure, there are some extreme mood swings, but trust me, it’s all part of the plan. There’s a longing beauty lingering throughout, even through the heaviest parts, so when it slows way down, it just feels like an organic change of pace. If the melodies had dared to soar a bit more at certain points it would make for an even grander experience, which is one of the very few things I have to criticize.

    Saxon – Carpe Diem 

    Genre: Heavy metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    I feel like there’s not much more to say than – you know what you’re getting. Some epic-sounding, oldschool NWOBHM. I would rate it above average, but the vocal style of Saxon has never really worked for me, and still doesn’t.

    Seremonia – Neonlusifer 

    Genre: Psychedelic stoner/doom metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    Some psychedelic stoner that sounds – perhaps with the exclusion of the vocals – like it’s being played in the basement below you. If you’re a fan of – or at least don’t mind – low-fi production, then you might have some fun with this.

    Thorn – Yawning Depths

    Genre: Death/doom metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Plus for an album cover perfectly matching the title, in context of the sound within. Which is a bit too monotonous for me, but if you like your death metal pummeling to be a crushing grind rather than a revving jackhammer, this might be for you.

    Trauma Field – From Wounded Soil 

    Genre: Folk/melodic death metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 2.5/5

    Not the strongest stylistically, and steps off the gas for extended periods of time, but I sense potential here.

    Venom Prison – Erebos

    Genre: Death/groove metal
    Subjective rating: 4.5/5
    Objective rating: 4/5

    You gotta love when a band successfully expands their sound without losing the core that they’ve built themselves up on. There’s still plenty of that fury that caught my attention on their last record, but now with added groove, playfulness and panache. I don’t think they’ve quite found that unique signature just yet, but this album stands as a very entertaining step on their journey there. Lots of great songs here, but for a good demonstration of the variation in here try “Judges of the Underworld” and “Comfort of Complicity”.

    Vorga – Striving Toward Oblivion

    Genre: Melodic black metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 4/5

    If you like modern, well produced black metal, and don’t mind it taking on a sense of epic scale without becoming symphonic, then I’d say this is for you. Very few black metal tropes at all on this one, sometimes it’s more akin to bleak melodic death. But it’s stylistically confident, and doesn’t get bogged down with unnecessary concept gimmicks. “Disgust” might be my favorite track.

    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 below.

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  • Opinion: I can’t wait till we’re all post post

    I don’t know who’s more to blame for the whole “post” label – artists, music journalists or record labels – but it’s gotta stop. Here’s why.

    The point of this following article/rant is not to criticize the music or the bands themselves. Just the concept of the term post-metal, and the thought process (or lack thereof) behind adopting it.

    Okay, a band is post-metal. What does that actually mean? That they’re done playing metal and have completely moved on to other things? No. Apparently it means that there’s still traces of the (sub)genre that they’re supposedly “post” all over their music. So does it mean that they’ve progressed past the limitations of the genre? Sort of. Can’t we just call it progressive (insert subgenre) metal, then? Oh, heavens no.

    To me, here’s how that logic would play out:

    “So, what kind of subgenre would you say that you guys play?”
    “You know, we’re really into black metal, so we decided to not really play that”
    “Okay… and the reasoning behind that being…?”
    “I guess as a band we kind of just decided that we were over the whole black metal thing from the very get-go.”
    “Uh-huh. And why is that, do you think?”
    “We didn’t wanna get tied down by genre restrictions, you know? We’re so much more than just this one subgenre.”
    “So if you don’t play black metal, then what do you play?”
    “Yes.”
    “I see. To summarize then, how would you describe your sound?”
    “Like we broke up with black metal but keep hooking up.”
    “Okaaay. But when you don’t play black metal, what do you play?”
    “I dunno. Bluegrass?”
    “Alright then, why not just say that you play blackened bluegrass then? That has a nice ring t–“
    “STOP TRYING TO PUT A LABEL ON US MAAAAAAN!”

    And there’s the big irony in it for me. Is post-metal in essence not just a label assigned to bands who try to avoid being labeled? Or that music journalists are too lazy to try and pin down a more helpful subgenre description of?

    A core problem with the term is – where does genre blending end and genre fluidity begin? Death metal with a black metal feel is blackened death metal. Hip-hop vocals and beats on top of distorted guitars is rap metal. Spoken-word shoegaze-y indie prog rock with some blast beats, tremolo riffs and hoarse screams sprinkled sparsely and unevenly across it is post-black metal. And definitely not experimental, or avantgarde, or progressive black metal.

    So maybe we’re on to something here. Does “post-metal” only apply to bands who mostly operate outside the metal sphere, utilizing only a limited selection of genre traits in order to vaguely tie in to the metal genre? If that’s the case, why would metal be the defining factor of their genre description? Okay, so maybe it only applies to bands who used to be full-on metal, or at least come from that world as far as their musical sensibilities are concerned. I don’t actually think that’s accurate, but let’s just go with it.

    If the point is that the band has moved beyond metal into a whole different genre, and they now stand with one foot in each camp, why should the fact that they’ve “left” metal be the key takeaway? Isn’t that like being in a poly relationship and insisting that you refer to one of your partners as your ex?

    I suppose, from a band’s point of view, an explanation for still leaning on the metal genre when describing your sound could be that you’re trying to invite metal fans with you on your foray into outlandish musical territory, thereby broadening their horizons in the process.

    This may, in fact, be as close as I get to accepting the premise of the term. BUT, I still can’t get over the fact that calling it “post” inarguably sounds like a claim to have grown out of the (sub)genre that the band once, wholeheartedly, let define it. And that the resulting sound they’ve adopted is somehow more evolved, more refined, more in vogue, than anything that’s still firmly rooted in metal will ever be from here on out.

    Which brings me to my final objection to the term “post metal” that’s worth bringing up here. And that is the inherent implications in trying to define”what comes after” metal. As if the whole point is imagining a dystopian future where metal has ceased to exist, and this is all that we’re left with.

    So, in my book, you’re either entertaining the idea of an expiry date to the genre, or you’re reducing metal to a “phase” that the band had to go through in order to achieve true hipst–, I mean, artistic enlightenment.

    Instead, why not just give equal weight to each facet of the band’s sound. Embrace each side of the coin. Drop the “post” in favor of a simple “/” or two – list the band’s influences and picture them holding hands as you confidently display the schizophrenic nature of the music and dare fans of each realm to give it a try.

    There it is. Am I talking complete nonsense? I would love to be challenged on this, cause I’m sure there’s some purportedly essential idea behind it that I just don’t get. In which case, feel free to educate me.


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  • Weekly rundown January 28 – 2022

    Weekly rundown January 28 – 2022

    Can January end it with a bang(er)? (Sorry)

    Aegrus – The Carnal Temples (EP)

    Genre: Black metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating:     4/5

    This is just a solid effort. Black’n roll riffs on top of a sinister, folk-y vibe, interspersed with classic Black Metal blast beats and shrill screams. There’s an epic quality to it as well, with melancholic melodies lending each track the gravitas to stand on their own. Plus for a cover that sort of reminds me of a certain scene in Midsommar. If you enjoy the likes of Wormwitch, this is really for you.

    Amoth – The Hour Of The Wolf

    Genre: Heavy/progressive metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    I normally don’t really go for this sort of vocal style, but there’s enough variation in it that I can focus on the good parts where it really suits the music. This is some fast paced heavy metal with enough playful chops and tempo variation that it crosses into progressive territory. With chuggy riffing and tasty licks aplenty, and a cool classic horror-themed cover, this just about secures a recommendation.

    AngelBlast – Throne Of Ashes (EP)

    Genre: Death/black metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Suitably angry and sinister, it’s a successful subgenre blend. If there was more songs like these two on the record, it would be an easy recommend. But there’s just not enough material for me to work with. Check it out as a teaser for (hopefully) more to come.

    Atrox Trauma – On The Line Of Nothing And Something

    Genre: Thrash/death metal
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    This is for you (like me) who actually liked Testament’s period of flirting with death metal. Vader-esque vocals on top of thrashy riffs that lean in a very Slayer direction every now and then. Just wish there was a bit more variation and thought put into the lyrics and song structures.

    Benthik Zone – εἴδωλον

    Genre: Atmospheric/avantgarde black metal
    Subjective rating: 2/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    Doesn’t work for me, but they put some thought into this. Vocals are miles back in the mix and the rest of the instruments kind of melt together and take the back seat to the highly processed, prolonged melodies up front.

    Burned In Effigy – Rex Mortem

    Genre: Neoclassical/melodic death metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 4/5

    Black Dahlia Murder vibes, anyone? Well, not quite, but there’s enough of the musical elements that I enjoy about BDM in here with expanded focus on melody and mixed with the virtuosic fun that made Children of Bodom one of my favorite bands. My only real complaint is a certain lack of brutality – something to contrast the melodies, maybe a touch of that Fleshgod Apocalypse madness. Still, a really enjoyable listen.

    Buzzard Canyon – Drunken Tales Of An Underachiever

    Genre: Stoner/heavy garage rock
    Subjective rating: 1.5/5
    Objective rating: 2/5

    The production completely ruins it for me, but there’s more problems on top. Disharmonic vocals, willfully amateurish performance for a pretty clunky overall result.

    Celeste – Assassine(s)

    Genre: Stoner/doom/shoegaze
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Blackened Gojira? Kinda, not really. This has, at its best, some great atmosphere to it, and very competent technical performances. But a fairly monotonous vocal style, and not a lot of structural variation beyond going hard-haunting-hard-haunting, brings this just shy of a recommendation.

    Cloakroom – Dissolution Wave

    Genre: Stoner/doom/shoegaze
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating: 4/5

    This is a mellow one, although propelled by crunch-fuzzy slow riffing. I’ll save this to listen to while I work, but it probably won’t linger in my library. A bit too chilled out for my taste, but undeniably well crafted.

    Crystal Ball – Crysteria

    Genre: Hard rock/power metal
    Subjective rating: 1/5
    Objective rating: 1.5/5

    Eurovision dropout-level of creativity here.

    Dark Meditation – Polluted Temples

    Genre: Heavy metal
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    This would be an easy recommendation if not for the vocals. I can see them trying to push the otherwise playful and fairly clean sound in a more proto-black metal direction, but don’t really nail it and end up in a disharmonic, rusty, low-energy borderland. Aside from that, this is some excellent dark heavy metal. Doesn’t rewrite the book or anything, but has plenty of variation and memorable melodies.

    Dawn of Solace – Flames of Perdition

    Genre: Gothic metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    This is good enough that I’ll probably give it a couple more listens later, but then probably forget it. The songs feel stretched and complacent, a little too comfortable dwelling on the same slow riff and melancholic melody for long stretches of time.

    Dead Nexus – Becoming the Ancients

    Genre: Death/thrash metal
    Subjective rating: 2/5
    Objective rating: 2.5/5

    Just really messy, like it wasn’t planned properly before everyone started ripping into their instrument. Production also lets it down, with everything sounding slightly subdued.

    Deathcult – Of Soil Unearthed

    Genre: Death metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    This is some bleak, old-school death metal that really nails the “welcome to hell” feeling that they set up with that album cover. Crunchy riffs that alternates between high speed shredding and slow doom. It’s not exactly fresh, but really confident in its style.

    Death Shroud – Death, Slavery And The Pursuit Ov Sadness

    Genre: Black metal
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    These guys make an honest effort to marry their fairly run-of-the-mill black metal with some heavy metal speed and black’n roll groove, and largely succeeds. There’s just not a clear sense of a signature to the sound, but it holds potential for further development.

    Depleted Uranium – Origins

    Genre: Powerviolence
    Subjective rating: 1.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    This is way outside my comfort zone, so if you’re the type of person who wants your music to repeatedly punch you in the face, this could be a 5/5 for you for all I know.

    Detset – Vermeil 

    Genre: Hardcore/alternative metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    A rather strange, or interesting (depending on your point of view) blend of hardcore attitude and the more thoughtful parts of metalcore. Somehow it end up sounding a bit too straightforward for me, but if you just like some modern sounding metal bordering on hard rock with a touch of hardcore aggression, this is certainly not bad.

    Dying Light – Far From Life

    Genre: Heavy metal
    Subjective rating: 1.5/5
    Objective rating: 2.5/5

    A band that sounds like it tries to borrow a bunch of signature sounds at the same time. There’s Alice in Chains, Metallica and several other tentpole influences in here, but the core of the music is nonetheless terribly uninspired and just fairly bland.

    Earthless – Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons

    Genre: Stoner/psychedelic
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    There are some sweet, sweet payoff riffs and licks to reward you getting through some long ass buildup, but to me it’s just a bit too little, too late, and gets a little monotonous and jammy. But hey, if that’s your jam…

    Ectoplasma – Inferna Kabbalah

    Genre: Death metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    This is just too fun not to recommend, although you gotta be on board with the fairly amateuristic style, especially when it comes to the vocals. The riffs hop and gallop, the rhythm is tight, and the whole band just seems to revel in the mock-brutality of it all.

    Freaks And Clowns – We Set The World On Fire

    Genre: Power metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    Ever wondered what it’d sound like if Dr. Rockzo the rock n’ roll clown started a power metal band? This wouldn’t be far from it. A bit of Accept and Primal Fear with a touch of glam.

    Gloves Off – Life…And Everything After

    Genre: Hardcore
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Some solidly aggressive hardcore leaning ever so slightly in to blackened death metal. There’s not that much more to say about it, really.

    Harpyie – Blutbann

    Genre: Folk/symphonic metal
    Subjective rating: 1/5
    Objective rating: 2.5/5

    Way too poppy for me, like a seriously softened Ensiferum flirting with the likes of Leaves’ Eyes.

    Kraemer – All The Way

    Genre: Hard rock
    Subjective rating: 1/5
    Objective rating: 1.5/5

    The kind of stuff that in my mind only exists to define the rock bottom of creativity.

    Krosis – E.V.I.L. 

    Genre: Progressive deathcore
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Here’s some progressive deathcore that actually manages to convey a decent amount of forward momentum. That is, until they get stuck on not one, but two interludes. On an eight track album. It’s well crafted stuff, just not enough highlights to warrant a full recommendation.

    Lana Lane – Neptune Blue

    Genre: Prog rock/heavy metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 2.5/5

    To me this is only progressive in the loosest sense of the word. It’s a pretty straightforward, happy-go-lucky sounding rock album with some heavy metal umph and proggy quirks every now and then. Not bad at all if you’re looking for a mild palate cleanser.

    The Last Ten Seconds Of Life – The Last Ten Seconds Of Life

    Genre: Deathcore/hardcore
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Suitably angry and stompy, and they try a few proggy tempo- and mood shifts here and there. It just lacks a a certain forward momentum and distinguishably fresh parts, which is honestly a problem I have with most of deathcore.

    Lawnmower Deth – Blunt Cutters

    Genre: Thrash metal/punk rock
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Hey, if I was a bit more into punk I’d probably be able to appreciate the humor in this more. It’s hilarious on paper, just nothing that interests me enough musically.

    Mur – Cut the Rivers Vein

    Genre: Doom/atmospheric black/folk metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 4/5

    If you like your black metal/funeral doom not too gloomy (which I suppose is a bit of a contradiction) this might be something for you. It’s still driven by slow, haunting melodies, but also dares to sound hopeful in the parts that lean the most into folk territory.

    Nasson – Scars

    Genre: Progressive/power metal
    Subjective rating: 2/5
    Objective rating:     2.5/5

    Unless my memory betrays me, I’ve never liked an album that has a plain photo of the band’s front figure on the cover, unless the person is clearly playing some sort of role and/or wears lots of facepaint, that is. There are probably a few exceptions, but if you think that your plain, unaltered face is somehow a good representation of the music that you play, and the lyrics aren’t strictly about you and your life, I’d say you have a bit of an inflated ego issue. Oh, and this album is pretty generic and cheesy.

    Night Hag – Phantasmal Scourge 

    Genre: Death/doom metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    I feel, as a fan of death doom, with slight emphasis on the doom, you’re getting more or less exactly what you want here. It’s abysmal, slow and kind of filthy. Just don’t expect anything too unique.

    Oculi Melancholiarum – Noche azul (EP)

    Genre: Atmospheric black metal/ambient
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    The majority of this EP isn’t really black metal, just melancholic, ambient melodies. It’s beautifully sad, I just wish it blended better with the heavier parts.

    Possessor – The Speed of Death (EP)

    Genre: Sludge/thrash metal
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating:     3.5/5

    This is cool, dirty thrash, that is just a tad too one-dimensional for a full recommendation. Also, as EPs go, this feels extremely short.

    Praying Mantis – Katharsis

    Genre: Heavy metal/AOR
    Subjective rating: 1.5/5
    Objective rating:     2/5

    Nothing new here… But if you want a throwback to oldschool, radio friendly heavy metal, then by all means.

    Rabid Dogs – Black Cowslip

    Genre: Sludge/stoner/grindcore
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating:     4/5

    Some dirty, grindcore fueled sludge here, with a good bit of groove thrown in to balance it out. You get some great tempo variations, a delicious crunch to the riffs, and a mix of headbanging beats and all out aggression. Slows down a bit too much in parts, but not enough to kill the momentum. Big plus for harmonica.

    Ravenous Death – Visions From The Netherworld

    Genre: Death metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    Just a tad too chaotic for my taste, but if you like your death metal brutal, carvernous and evil, you shouldn’t go wrong with this one.

    Sarcasm – Stellar Stream Obscured

    Genre: Death/black metal
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    With a fuller sound, I would almost certainly have enjoyed this even more. Some fast paced death metal to liven up the crypt. Surprisingly melodic, even playful in parts.

    Sartori – Dragon’s Fire 

    Genre: Heavy/power metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating:     3/5

    Fist pumping heavy metal with medieval power metal flair. Not the best production, but it kind of suits it.

    Spectral Dance – Crusaders of the Void 

    Genre: Black metal
    Subjective rating: 2/5
    Objective rating:     3/5

    Cold, mostly mid tempo black metal with anguished vocals. Definitely something for genre fans, just not to my taste.

    Steve Vai – Inviolate

    Genre: Shred/prog
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating:     4/5

    As with pretty much any shred album, you’re kind of on a train to nowhere here. But at least there’s a genuine effort to make each song distinguishable, cause this is one playful record. If you’re the type of person who would happily sit through a 45 min solo session as long as there’s a bit of variation in there, this is all yours.

    Stone House On Fire – Time Is A Razor 

    Genre: Prog/hard rock
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating:     3.5/5

    Retro hard rock that takes a few twists and turns. Leans into stoner territory every now and then. Feels contemplative somehow. It comes off as a bit directionless for me, but I think that’s a very subjective experience.

    Tension – Decay

    Genre: Heavy metal
    Subjective rating: 2/5
    Objective rating:     2.5/5

    Peppy heavy metal brought down by slightly tone deaf vocals.

    Thumos – The Republic

    Genre: Instrumental, atmospheric doom/black metal
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating:     4/5

    At times a meditative experience, a little too dwelling for me, but stylistically confident. They touch in on doom, black metal, folk and atmospheric rock, with moments of epic swells. Some of the instruments get a little crushed, even compressed, in the mix, which I suppose is to go with the whole post metal theme, and is perhaps the one detail that makes me skip over a recommendation.

    Tine – Mergae Maris Profundi

    Genre: Melodic death/black metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating:     3/5

    This is one of those cases where I think they nail the sound that your mind conjures up when first seeing the album cover. It’s epic, melodic, dark death metal made to be played in the halls of Neptune. The melodies aren’t the strongest, which is a shame, but they get a long way on atmosphere. I thought it cool enough for a shoutout, anyway.

    Tormentor Tyrant – Tormentor Tyrant EP

    Genre: Death metal/grindcore
    Subjective rating: 4.5/5
    Objective rating:     4/5

    Some pretty damn aggressive death metal with enough groove to get my motor running. Brings to mind Misery Index, but dedicated to a more oldschool death metal sound and with more primitive production. It’s mostly unrelenting, but also very tight and cohesive, so doesn’t feel unnecessarily chaotic. These tracks are all bangers, but the title track gets a special mention from me. Also really dig the album cover. More please!

    Toxpack – Zwanzig.Tausend.Volt 

    Genre: Heavy metal/hard rock
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating:     2.5/5

    Some fist pumping, punky hard rock that’s not averse to gearing into heavy metal every now and then. This is the kind of stuff that gets me in the drinking mood at festivals, rather than silly power- and party metal.

    Vicious Knights – Alteration Through Possession

    Genre: Thrash/death metal
    Subjective rating: 2/5
    Objective rating:     3/5

    A throwback to 80s and early 90s death and thrash, also as far as the production is concerned. Which is, honestly, not something that I see the point in. By all means, I don’t necessarily want my death metal to sound squeaky clean, but at least make it sound like it’s being played in the same room. When it seems more important to sound retro than to find a sound of your own, you lose me. But there’s some good stuff in here if you’re into this kind of thing.

    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 below.

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  • Weekly rundown January 21 – 2022

    Weekly rundown January 21 – 2022

    Not a promising week for me, honestly, looking at the big releases. But maybe we can claw some gems out from the shadows. Let’s get to it.

    Comeback Kid – Heavy Steps

    Genre: Hardcore
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 4/5

    Shit, was Comeback Kid always this heavy? Here they’ve managed to create a real genre pleaser while still sounding fresh. If you’re looking for a great blend of headbang-ability, hardcore frenzy and punk rock accessibility, then look no further. “Crossed”, featuring Joe Duplantier of Gojira, and “Shadow of Doubt” are highlights for me.

    Hazemaze – Blinded by the Wicked

    Genre: Doom metal
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 4/5

    This takes the “evil” sound of those original Sabbath riffs and just adds a touch more heaviness, aggression and groove. Sounds great, right? It is! This is doom leaning in to old school hard rock and heavy metal. The vocals fit the overall tone really well, and could be more pronounced. There’s some early Ghost in here too, for a bit of that slightly tongue-in-cheek occult vibe.

    Kandia – Quaternary

    Genre: Alternative metal
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 2.5/5

    I just didn’t find anything to latch on to. Check it out if you’re a big fan of the subgenre, and melodic metal in general.

    Lalu – Paint The Sky

    Genre: Progressive metal
    Subjective rating: 3.5/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    This one only narrowly misses out on a recommendation. Excellent craftsmanship, it’s just a little too frivolous and ticks a bit too many progressive metal trope boxes.

    Nepthisis – Spiral Hollow

    Genre: Alternative/goth
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    It’s not that it’s not well though out, it’s just too subdued and a bit predictable for my taste.

    Noisecult  – Seraphic Wizard

    Genre: Stoner
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    Vocal quality is just a bit too iffy for me, but this has potential. Slightly more solid craftsmanship would do do it.

    Pensee Nocturnes – Douce Fange

    Genre: Avantgarde Black Metal
    Subjective rating: 2/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    The Frenchest black metal that ever Frenched. Too silly and experimental for me. Try if you like niche stuff.

    SETYØURSAILS – Nightfall

    Genre: Metalcore (reportedly)
    Subjective rating: 0/5
    Objective rating: ?/5

    I give an automatic garbage rating to albums from bands using the letter “Ø” in place of “O” for simply stylistic reasons. It’s an ignorant hipster fad move from people who don’t realize that “Ø” is an actual Scandinavian letter, and correctly pronouncing it when misused like this makes your band/record/song title sound fucking ridiculous.

    Sleepwulf – sunbeams curl

    Genre: Psychedelic/Doom
    Subjective rating: 4/5
    Objective rating: 3.5/5

    This one is done right for me, for being a not-so-sullen doomy record. Gets straight to it, has a clean production with medium fuzz. Not very heavy, but still a great balance between doom riffing and well-crafted folk-y melodies. The album cover itself is a huge plus. I love designs using exclusively shades of the same color.

    Spitfire – Denial To Fail

    Genre: Heavy metal
    Subjective rating: 1.5/5
    Objective rating: 2/5

    I think I recognize some of these riffs from the early pages of my first metal guitar lesson book…

    Sunczar – Bearer of Light

    Genre: Stoner/groove metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 2.5/5

    This has some solid Black Label Society grooves. Just a bit short on variety, originality and production value.

    Tokyo Blade – Fury

    Genre: Heavy metal
    Subjective rating: 1/5
    Objective rating: 2/5

    These lyrics are about as fresh as a 2000s Steven Segal movie.

    Torchbearer – Solace

    Genre: Hardcore
    Subjective rating: 2.5/5
    Objective rating: 2.5/5

    Awesome vocals, let down by slightly subdued guitars and pretty weak drums. Needs more drive and overall energy.

    Truculency – The Dome Collector

    Genre: Death metal
    Subjective rating: 1/5
    Objective rating: 2/5

    To me this is just a mess of pig squeals and haphazard riffing with no real heaviness behind it.

    Verikalpa – Tunturihauta

    Genre: Blackened folk/party metal
    Subjective rating: 3/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    It might be slightly blackened, but it’s still as fun as you should expect a folk metal album with a beer stein on the cover to be. If I was more into party metal I’m sure I would really dig this.

    Vrsty – Welcome Home

    Genre: Hardcore/pop
    Subjective rating: 0.5/5
    Objective rating: 3/5

    This vocal style is unbearable to me, and the overall style way too pop oriented anyway. But I can see this converting a few mainstream music fans over to the dark side, so that’s cool I guess.

    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 below.

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