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Weekly rundown September 02 – 2022
A week that has death metal and metalcore fighting it out in the shadows while prime releases from a flurry of other parts of the metal spectrum steal the spotlight.
156/Silence – Narrative
Genre: Progressive metalcore/mathcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5If you’re looking for a slightly off-kilter, insistent and harsh metalcore experience then this is definitely for you. These guys have found their sonic language and become quite proficient at utilizing it. It’s a stark experience, going between all out aggression and bleakness with little in between.
Aeternam – Heir Of The Rising Sun
Genre: Symphonic death/folk metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A vivid and fairly epic journey into an ancient realm. Different vocal styles, playful guitar and soaring orchestral elements are all on the menu. Even though the overall flow could be a little better, the aggression mixes well with the more folk-y elements. But 3 intro/interlude songs on a 9 song album? Come on guys…
Blind Guardian – The God Machine
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Why can’t all power metal be like this? All you need is…massive talent. Hansi’s vocals deliver, as always, the barely contained force of a star, constantly on the verge of going supernova and melting your face off. The instrumentation and composition is exceptionally tight and vibrant. While undeniably epic, it’s a refreshingly straightforward release from a band where you’d expect prolonged orchestral sections and numerous story tangents. Certain parts on here are straight up thrash metal. They don’t exactly break new ground, but what’s on offer is as solid as you could possibly hope for. Check out “Architects of Doom” and “Blood of the Elves”.
The Callous Daoboys – Celebrity Therapist
Genre: Mathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 4/5A carefully composed tug-of-war between poetic social commentary and frantic madness put into system. The musical performances are stellar and quite creative even for this subgenre, with the bass and guitar seemingly speaking their own schizophrenic and highly expressive language and the drums punctuating their arguments. It’s a bit of an earful, but highly recommended if you’re into that sort of thing.
Defacing God – The Resurrection Of Lilith
Genre: Melodic black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An unholy symphony of darkly melodic guitar extravagance, snarly vocals, blastbeat-happy drums and the orchestra of the damned. It’s very well produced, and while they stick to well travelled territory, there’s no reason why this shouldn’t please any fan of the more symphonic side of extreme metal.
Ensanguinate – Eldritch Anatomy
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5This one seems like a product of strictly adhering to the recipe for a solid, old-school death metal album. All the correct ingredients are there – riffs that make you do that “hell yeah” face as you appreciatively nod your head, that classic evil guitar tone, snarly vocals and more than a few drops of unholy water in the thematic well. You could call it predictable, but that still doesn’t mean you won’t appreciate what’s coming. Get on it with “Hunted” and “Vile Grace”.
Fear Disease – Floodgates
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is pure adrenaline in the form of highly headbang-able, wicked riffs, powerful harmonies in the vein of Amon Amarth and infectious energy that lasts throughout the whole thing. It is pretty straightforward, and lacks the character to be considered particularly memorable, but it’s a excellent workout album.
Heads For The Dead – The Great Conjuration
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5If you’re into horror-themed death metal that’s not a complete gorefest, this ought to be for you. It’s sinister and quite brutal, but not completely devoid of theatrics or melody. There are both sections that feel a little too familiar and parts that showcase these guys’ talents for creating and coherently sticking to a cool concept.
The Hu – Rumble Of Thunder
Genre: Folk rock/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5You simply can’t deny the distinctiveness of The HU’s music. Already on their second full-length they sound like they’re operating with the confidence of legends like AC/DC. Although it’s doomed not to be as inventive as the first time around, it’s not without attempts at variation, as they explore heavy metal, country, punk rock and straight up traditional folk. As a metal fan I’m left desiring a lot more umph, but I won’t underestimate its potential as part of a live performance.
Imperium – Ex Mortis Gloria
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Imagine a V8-powered meat grinder that also shoots fireworks at regular intervals, and you’ve got something resembling this. It’s utterly ferocious most of the time, even when it lets up on the riffing to allow for a bit of shred, and much of what might be unique to their approach unfortunately gets lost in the grind.
Mad Max – Wings of Time
Genre: Hard rock/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Your typical high flying, glam-themed, fairly formulaic hard rock with a bit of pleasing heavy metal shred.
Mantic Ritual – Mantic Ritual EP
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Some enthusiastic, occult-leaning thrash with that classic brand of jank that harkens back to the birth of the subgenre. With musical chops of full display, this is a choice cut for fans of this particular brand of speedy, up-yours-metal.
Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5I was curious if the guys would be able to match the in-your face energy and brilliantly controlled technicality of “Dystopia” on its successor, and the short answer is absolutely yes. It’s not as much of a pleasant surprise this time around , but should be appreciated all the same from veterans like these. Everything’s remarkably tight, and there are treats in the form of delicious licks and drum fills sprinkled all throughout. Some of the lyrical material might feel a little stale at times, and not every single song feels essential, but if you’re looking for what most people are in a new Megadeth album, then you’ve got loads of it on here. Jump into “We’ll Be Back” and “Night Stalkers”.
Miss May I – Curse Of Existence
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A big, well-produced metalcore album where the subgenre’s melodeath roots are on full display. While the band’s sound is absolutely contemporary, there’s a strong presence of that original melodic metalcore from the early 2000s, which will be quite nostalgic for some. That being said, it’s not quite clear which direction the band wants to go in, and lyrics wise they seem content to stick to well tried and tested territory.
Novelists – Déjà Vu
Genre: Metalcore/electronic metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5Slick production, lots of electronic elements, pop oriented and with 5 out of 12 songs being instrumental interludes. If that doesn’t dissuade you, then you might actually highly enjoy this. It’s melodic and high energy, made by very competent players.
Oceans Ate Alaska – Disparity
Genre: Progressive metalcore/deathcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An onslaught of odd rhythms, snarling vocals and djent-y riffs, with the occasional melodic chorus. It’s actually fairly predictable in all its genre-typical unpredictability. Although a bit uneven in the tonal experience throughout the album, there are plenty of strong moments and performances, with the drum work and harsh vocals being highlights.
Trial – Feed The Fire
Genre: Heavy/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5This is definitely the level to aspire to for melodic heavy metal bands who actually want to take their music a bit seriously, and don’t mind dipping into prog waters in order to fully show off the full breadth of their talents. For Trial, all theirs are on point here – instrumental, vocal and songwriting. The whole experience feels like being at the telling of a mythical saga – one of wonder and mystery but still grounded in reality and with a melancholy tone throughout. While quite energetic much of the time, it’s definitely one you can let your mind drift away with. Start with “In the Highest” and “Sulphery”.
Under The Oak – Rattus Norvegicus
Genre: Thrash/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A melodic but otherwise gritty thrash offering leaning towards the style of early British heavy metal like Judas Priest and Saxon. There’s nothing to be said against the effort put in, but a few shortcomings in performance cohesion stop them from soaring higher.
Xenobiotic – Hate Monolith (EP)
Genre: Technical deathcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Five tracks of absolutely unrelenting aggression delivered like high explosive shells out of a rotary cannon, plus five live tracks. While it’s brutally heavy, it hardly ever turns chaotic thanks to extreme rhythmic control and precision. They also manage to sneak in enough melody and atmosphere to please those outside of the strictly tech death sphere. I count ”Sever the Ties” and ”Pathos” among the highlights.
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 August 26 – 2022
A week where chaos is let loose and allowed to reign – spawning a whole host of punishing, experimental, cross-genre, out-of-control releases. It’s pretty great.
Align The Tide – Hollow
Genre: Deathcore/metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5An attempt to merge the bludgeoning brutality of deathcore with the more exploratory and groove oriented side of metalcore. It partially succeeds, but reveals some shortcomings in composition and performances when you start to listen actively, and doesn’t stand out as the most fresh.
Anthea – Tales Untold
Genre: Gothic/symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5High-ceiling, melodic and fairly anthemic goth metal with power metal-level polish.
Apeiron Bound – Multiplicity
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Ambitious in its fusion of complex instrumental performances, big melodies and classic high-pitched vocals, this is a work that will find it hard to reach beyond its very contained prog sphere.
Becoming The Archetype – Children Of The Great Extinction
Genre: Progressive metal/deathcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Weaving groove-laden and beat-driven brutality with a genuinely adventurous approach to song progression, this stands out as a fresh and high-energy highlight of dark prog. There’s a fair bit of metalcore melody, but, luckily, next to nothing of the soft earnestness that might have come with it. It’s sort of breakdown-prone, but not in a mindless way – boosting the heavy riffs with enough tone to provide a distinct flavor. Give it a shot with “The Remnant” and “The Curse”.
Blood Of Indigo – Dawn Of The Shaded World
Genre: Gothic/symphonic black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Perhaps misguidedly opening with a 14 minute orchestral instrumental track, this is actually grandiose, gothic black metal in the vein of Dimmu Borgir. The production leaves some depth to be desired, but this should still entertain fans of melodic dark metal.
Brymir – Voices In The Sky
Genre: Symphonic/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Who needs power metal when death metal can be this melodic and rousing? Although containing plenty of kick-ass riffage, this definitely appeals to those looking for symphonic grandeur and majestic folk tunes in their metal, more so than straight up melodeath fans. Sure, there is a bit of a thematic clash between the playful instrumentation and some of the more serious-leaning melodies and vocal performances, but overall it’s a highly engaging and entertaining experience that’ll have you playing air guitar with your drinking horn. Get in on it with “Herald of Aegir” and “Borderland”.
Child Of Caesar – Spirit & Liberation
Genre: Gothic metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A throwback to gritty, alternative 90’s goth metal with a bit of hard rock and hardcore punch. It’s stylistically confident and delivers as promised, offering up dark melody, a whiff of catchiness and just the right amount of gloom.
Cyborg Octopus – Between The Light and Air
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Blending Avatar-like antics, tech death complexity and much more, plus the typical proggy disregard for your expectations, this is quite the colorful album. While the energy stays sky-high throughout, and the performances remain recognizable, most everything else changes from song to song, ushering you along on a zig-zagging joyride. Once committed to a style though, they stay on point, making this feel much less experimental than simply adventurous.
Death Scythe – Killing For Pleasure Forever
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5This Mexican piece of melodeath has some eager and playful instrumentation and a tone reminiscent of some of the Finnish greats of the subgenre, but sluggish and some times hobbling progressions hold it back.
Drag Me Out – Demons Away
Genre: Technical metalcore
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5Some electronica-tinged, catchy and at times quite intense metalcore that contains far too much sap for my taste, but should please any fan of this modern take on the subgenre.
Dreadnought – The Endless
Genre: Progressive doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is all about tone – if it flicks a switch for you then you’ll probably be left mesmerized. If it doesn’t then you’ll likely get stuck on one or several of the quirks that present themselves throughout. Don’t get me wrong, the experimentation and boldness on here is laudable, but the avant-garde disharmony of the vocals and prevailing lack of direction can make this a lagging experience. On the other hand, there are several sections on here that are simply stunning in their respective beauty, power and/or scope.
Dynazty – Final Advent
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5With song titles like “Natural Born Killer” and “All the Devils are Here”, you might expect something rather dark and vicious. Quite the opposite, this is straight out of Eurovision – arena ready, melodic power metal. Certainly not bad for what it is.
Eaten By Sharks – Eradication
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Shark metal. How did we ever manage without it? Jokes partly aside, this is some fairly frivolous semi-technical death metal in the vein of such bands as Werewolves. It’s certainly entertaining, although perhaps lacking some of the absolute bangers that would have it chomping down on its peers.
Edenbridge – Shangri-La
Genre: Symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Got time for a 2 hour album? Take it easy, it’s actually only half that long, but includes instrumental versions of all the tracks. This is warm symphonic metal that can be best described as a pleasant experience. What it isn’t, is particularly characterful.
Epoch Of Chirality – Nucleosynthesis
Genre: Progressive/electronic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Metal…in…spaaaace! This is some pretty zany, instrumental stuff that also isn’t completely devoid of grit. Some of the heavier sections deliver plenty of power, and if you don’t mind drifting along on a rocket ride of highly competent musical performances, then suit up.
Grave Digger – Symbol Of Eternity
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Thematically confident and solidly performed, this is nonetheless rather formulaic, epic heavy metal. A touch of grit goes well with the concept of medieval warfare, and if you’re already a fan I suspect you know exactly what you’re in for.
Hierophant – Death Siege
Genre: Black/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Let a thundering surge of pitch-black and malicious death metal crash over you. The hoarse vocals provide a deathly contrast to the ominous and some times rather chaotic brutality of the instrumentation, and fuses the black/death approach in a confident manner. There is little other than shadowy evil to be found on here, but also enough instrumental variation to make it an engaging listen from start to finish. Jump into “Crypt of Existence” and “Death Siege”.
Intent – Exile
Genre: Thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Ready for a frantic thrashing? This is straightforward and highly groovy thrash metal with some of the most enthusiastic drumming you’ll ever hear. Most of the time they’re in such a hell of a hurry that’s it’s almost overwhelming – pelting you with an infernal hailstorm of riffs, licks and beats. The vocals are suitably raspy and laden with attitude, which adds to the ferocity. Sure, it’s no reinvention of the genre, and you might find the occasional creaky joint in the song compositions, but who cares when you’re in for such a rush (plus an awesome album cover)? Set it off with “Victims of Conquest” and “Time”.
Lacrimas Profundere – How To Shroud Yourself With Night
Genre: Gothic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5As big and bold as can reasonably fit under a lace-framed funeral shroud, this is fairly aggressive goth metal verging on cinematic in scope. Mixing in a fair bit of melodeath and heavy doom, they punch beyond the subgenre’s usual crowd, but a lot of the rather straightforward vocal sections might land as a little unengaging to some.
Machine Head – Øf KingdØm And CrØwn
Genre: Groove metal
Subjective rating: 0/5
Objective rating: 4/5First of all, I automatically give a subjective ”0” rating to albums using the letter “Ø” in place of “O” for no apparent reason other than style. It’s an ignorant fad move from people who don’t realize or care that “Ø” is an actual Scandinavian letter, and correctly pronouncing it when misused like this makes your band/album/song title sound fucking ridiculous.
Phew. With that out of the way – on to the music. Machine head are back with some properly scorched, thrashy groove metal. At its best it’s genuinely raw, unpolished and bursting with attitude, stirring something deep inside you with undeniably catchy riffs and well composed, haunting melodic sections. At its worst it’s a bit complacent in its conceptually driven progression and marred by overly anthemic sections, but it luckily doesn’t overpower the overall experience. Get a taste with ”CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE” and ”BLØØDSHØT” (man, it damn near physically hurts to write the song titles like that, and I will more than likely not buy this album for that reason alone.)
Manifest – The Sinking
Genre: Experimental groove metal/punk
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5Beyond the (probably intentionally) awful production, this is a chaotic and vibratingly angry record where you get the distinct impression that the band is doing exactly what they feel like.
Might – Abyss
Genre: Doom metal/shoegaze
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5While not entirely metal, this mood-drenched and utterly doom-laden record certainly has its heavy tracks, and offers some interesting contrasts – from spoken-word near standstills to groovy hard rock riffage. While a bit more consistency might make for a more coherent experience, there’s plenty to love if you’re in the mood for gloom and sadness.
Red Rot – Mal de Vivre
Genre: Experimental death/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An album that sounds like a violent step-by-step process of exorcising personal demons. You never quite know where each of the short-lived songs on here will take you, be it into lamentation or blistering fury. It’s music that weighs heavily on your mind to the point of exhaustion, but if you summon the mental fortitude to persevere, there’s definitely a catharsis to be had. Start with “Dysmorphia” and “Conversation with the Demon”.
Santa Cruz – The Return Of The Kings
Genre: Glam/thrash/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A fairly contradicting mix of glam and thrash, with the tempo and general charisma of classic heavy metal, which is kind of neither here nor there.
Sigh – Shiki
Genre: Avant-garde/melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Rarely does an album that tries to do as many different things as this one does succeed at anything but completely overwhelm the listener. What keeps “Shiki” coherent is the band’s confidence in their signature black metal sound and style, which grounds everything else. Even as each song can feel like a living, breathing thing – losing and gaining energy and having its mood fluctuate naturally – it’s always the same beast at its core. It ranges from pure black metal dipping into melodic death metal to complete zen, and the transitions between feel very organic. There’s so much wild melody, emotion and obvious appetite for exploration on here that experiencing it is nothing short of inspiring. Give “Mayonaka No Kaii” and “Shoujahitsumetsu” a try.
Stitched Up – Jupiter Jazz and the Suicide Cult
Genre: Sludge/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is a kind of down-in-the dirt, caveman, street-hardened yet still pretty slick kind of hybrid that could probably benefit from leaning harder in one particular direction. There’s a bit of groove, medium amounts of attitude, and a very straightforward approach to rhythm.
Syryn – Heads or Tails
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Here we have some fresh NWOBHM-leaning, female-fronted heavy metal. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a classic sounds, cause they do try to make it their own thing, but lack of maturity becomes evident in slightly disharmonious performances and unimpressive compositions.
Thoughtcrimes – Altered Pasts
Genre: Experimental metalcore/mathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 4/5An album where the chaos is very much expected and welcomed. The twists and turns on here feel like a glitching automaton, which proves the artists’ mastery of this kind of erratic performance. There’s room for mood though, and it’s all pretty glum. Don’t think for a moment though that they don’t know how to bring the intensity. Personally I think they go too far in their extremes – too dull and morose in the slow parts and too all-out frantic in the aggressive parts – making for an uneven experience. But fans of the genre will probably love it all the more for this exact reason.
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 August 19 – 2022
As the impact of the melodeath meteor strike last week ploughs on into this one, it unearths a whole slew of gems from all across the metal spectrum.
Conan – Evidence Of Immortality
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Get ready to be CRUSHED. This feels like weight of a building on top of you, and yet the apocalyptic bass somehow doesn’t drown everything else out. There’s a nice groove to the slow, giant’s step riffs, and they manage to conjure up just enough atmosphere that the slow pacing doesn’t feel too stale or repetitive. It’s dark, wicked and damn heavy, and you should definitely give it a try with “Levitation Hoax” and “Ritual of Anonymity”.
Concrete Ties – Unrecognizable (EP)
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Straightforward, pissed and metalized hardcore with fairly average performances and a compressed production.
Dawnwalker – House Of Sand
Genre: Progressive/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5This album is impressively expressive in the amount of nuances it presents alone. It feels like a sorrowful affair, and yet there’s beauty and tenderness in equal amount to the hurt, anger and darkness. It sounds like a contemplative folk rock band that’s just started down the metal path, and yet perform with the confidence and proficiency of veterans. It’s one you put on to let your mind wander. Get a taste with “R.I.P” and “House of Sand II”.
Dragon Throne – Dawnbringer
Genre: Power/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Mismatched vocal and musical harmony unfortunately hurts this otherwise quite competent work of speedy and gritty power metal.
Empress – Fateweaver
Genre: Symphonic/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A pretty decent semi-aggressive symph-metal offering with lots of instrumental flourishes and some off rhythms here and there. Doesn’t stand out in a big way though.
Eruption – Tellurian Rupture
Genre: Thrash/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Clean and high pitched vocal’d thrash which lacks much of the harshness and ferocity that you come to expect from the subgenre, and while it’s got some decent groove it doesn’t quite make up the difference.
Five Finger Death Punch – Afterlife
Genre: Groove/heavy metal/hard rock
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5First off, if you’re a fan of FFDP, then you gotta be a fan of the whole package to enjoy this album – groove, brutality, poppy melody and (not so occasional) sappyness. There’s not a great deal of punch on this one, but when it hits it’s as catchy as always. Subjectively, this sounds like an industrial album in the sense that it’s just a conveyor belt delivery of more of the same, with diminishing returns.
Hammer King – Kingdemonium
Genre: Power metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5It’s always nice to hear a power metal band that’s truly melodically competent. There are some excellent harmonies on here. Unfortunately, they lack the punch to back it up on this one.
Hive – Spiritual Poverty
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A hard hitting brick to the window, this one balances aggression and characterful noise with a certain degree of unsettling melody. The variation is not great, but there are some real stompers on here.
Holding Absence/Alpha Wolf – The Lost & The Longing (Split EP)
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5Modern sounding and dualistic in the Jekyll/Hyde split in intensity – one being harch and mechanical and the other quite radio friendly pop/rock-core.
I Prevail – True Power
Genre: Metalcore/alternative hard rock
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Relying on heavy beats for sublime catchiness and sounding massive, this should definitely appeal to those lingering on the edge of metal at large. This definitely has more than just a foot planted in emo/pop, so personally I can barely stand it.
Kalah – Descent Into Human Weakness
Genre: Industrial/melodic progressive metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Perhaps having bitten off a little more than it can chew, this one tries to be several things at the same time. Synth-driven electronic, semi-industrial yet melodic progressive, and a little modern melodeath brutality. It sounds good in portions, but gets jarring over time.
Mass Extinction – Never-Ending Holocaust
Genre: Death metal/grindcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A cause-driven, ferocious death metal output bringing the fury of grindcore. It’s technically well executed, but one song is hardly discernible from the next.
Morbid Evils – Supernaturals
Genre: Doom/death/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A mostly great sounding death doom album that starts off amazing – blending rage, sludgy grittiness and vast, hopeless darkness. The novelty wears off after a time tough, as you realize they’ve failed to make it sound quite as massive as it should, and the songs simply get less interesting in the second half.
Orthodox – Learning To Dissolve
Genre: Groove/new wave of American metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5How about a mix of early Slipknot and Machine head, distilled through an industrial-leaning hardcore filter? Sound good? It sure is. This has much of that angry-deranged attitude you’d expect, delivered through vocals quaking with malicious indignance, riffs bending back and forth between groove and dissonance, and pickaxe-chop beats. It’s very much a stompy, breakdown-prone experience, and suitably so, which effectively brings it out of early 2000s retro into contemporary deathcore and prog-tinged, extreme metal. And yet they retain that sinister, disturbed tone and clenched-fist energy that just makes you want to fucking break something. Get fired up with “Feel it Linger” and “Cave In”.
Psychlona – Palo Verde
Genre: Stoner/psychedelic metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Come soar on the stone(d) plane! This melodic, psych-groovy record sounds like it’s going places. It sounds optimistic, actually, but not in a silly or overly light-hearted kind of way. This was made by someone serious about their craft, and it pays off in the way that it succeeds in sounding focused and expansive at the same time.
Russian Circles – Gnosis
Genre: Atmospheric/progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5A sometimes contemplative, sometimes stone-crusher heavy kind of instrumental record. Each song has a strong identity and seeks to fulfill a different purpose to the previous one, which makes for a varied and engaging listening experience. While it’s certainly dark, I wouldn’t go as far as calling it stark or bleak. There’s a certain warmth and even innocence lurking in the recesses, although the overall sound is definitely quite sober and mature. It’s the kind of black metal experience you can emerge from not seeped in melancholy or ready to light a torch. Get into it with “Conduit” and “Vlastimil”.
Soilwork – Övergivenheten
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Soilwork have been providers of steady excellence for a good while now, and this latest release isn’t gonna see them lapse. Övergivenheten continues the careful exploration and expansion of their musical range, while not messing with the classic formula. This is more melancholic than they’ve been for some time, and while still feeling grand, it’s not the soaring sense of triumph and marvel that we got last time around. There’s even a little touch of black metal here and there. However, this is very much as melodic as ever, and by no means a gloomy listening experience. The anger and harshness takes more of a supporting role on here, but still rears its roaring head whenever you feel like they might be going too soft. Take it on with “Nous Sommes la Guerre” and “Dreams of Nowhere”.
RIP David Andersson
The Sombre – Monuments Of Grief
Genre: Funeral doom/death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A slow funeral march from start to finish, this is for when you just want to wallow in misery.
Spirit Adrift – 20 Centuries Gone (EP)
Genre: Heavy/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A bite-size portion of new Spirit Adrift, with a side platter of covers. It’s good stuff.
Spite – Dedication To Flesh
Genre: Deathcore/hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3/5If you’re looking for something fucking ballistic to get you through a heavy workout, then look no further. This is pure headbang-ability that rampaged its way out of anger management. Not particularly complex or innovative, it takes the blunt force of deathcore to further weaponize the antagonistic energy of that original Hatebreed-style metalcore. Only with slightly longer songs. Check out “Made to Please” and “The Most Ugly”.
Still / Form – From The Rot Is A Gift
Genre: Sludge metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Unnervingly dissonant, purposefully janky and unpolished, this feels like a shouted, poetic statement from a dark and dirty back alley.
Splintered Throne – The Greater Good of Man
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Nothing new to hear here, just classic hard rock-y metal with pretty cheesy lyrics.
Tomb Of Finland – Across The Barren Fields
Genre: Melodic death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This thing is a riot. A morbid one, sure, but damn entertaining all the same. At the core is some classic Finnish folk-tinged melodeath, which automatically flavors everything with a certain majesty. The vocal style, guitar tone and tempo all insist that this is dark, crypt-dwelling stuff though, and somehow that split personality doesn’t feel off at all. While it might not hit it off with purists, there’s plenty to savor for the rest of us. Soaring, sinister melodies, catchy riffs and a crisp level of brutality. Jump into “Shadows of the North” and “Cursed Be the One”.
Tyrants of Chaos – Relentless Thirst for Power
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2/5Weak production, uninspired composition and sub-par performances – bar a few moments there is little on here worth your time.
White Rune – Dawn Of The White Rune
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5The low-fi production might rob this album of some weight and punch, but allows the organ-like keyboards and frenetic riffs to stand out and form the basis of some standout character for this band. It offers up some crisp details, great vocal performance and varied melody.
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 August 12 – 2022
A week headlined by massive melodeath releases, courteously allowing just enough space in the limelight for a younger cousin and a few other, more distant relatives.
A-Z – A-Z
Genre: Progressive/power metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A fairly low-key prog record that leans heavily in a melodic and anthemic direction, which works well for their talents. The vocals are the key focus in the mix, and the lyrics the main drive of the songs. Unfortunately, these are fairly rudimentary.
Arch Enemy – Deceivers
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Deceivers sees Arch Enemy up the viciousness slightly from their former album while still retaining a measure of its anthemic tendencies. There’s still a very strong focus on melodies and they stick to a mid-tempo pace throughout. You’re treated to a good amount of groovy riffs that get to serve as highlights rather than conform to the main melody line. While there are few surprises on here and the rhythm can get a little predictable, there’s enough character and detail to make up an abundance of memorable songs. Two of which are “Sunset Over the Empire” and “Deceiver, Deceiver”.
Aronius – Irkalla
Genre: Technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Complexity is the word here. This is tech death taking a step in a Meshuggah direction without fully committing. There’s enough breakdown’y vibes and haunted melody to restrain it, but that also means it lands in a kind on no man’s land in between.
Blasted Heath – Vela
Genre: Black/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This one does a lot of things right – disguising a slightly stoner-spacey vibe within a characterful low-fi black metal veneer and spicing it up with a bit of thrash riffage. Unfortunately it feels a little unfocused, leaving it short on standout moments.
Bleed Like Mylee – Nuk Soo Kow (EP)
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Metalcore with good energy and blissfully free of sugar-sweet serenading or whining. The performances are raw and don’t all mix too well, betraying inexperience, but this is a good foundation to build on.
Boris – Heavy Rocks (2022)
Genre: Experimental stoner/industrial rock/metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5I’m not gonna pretend to even remotely understand what Boris is all about. Here we have them following up their mostly ambient, experimental W from earlier this year with some far-out stoner rock. At least there are some elements of it among the madness. Harsh industrial dissonance and electronic tangents vie for your attention, making it impossible to predict what’s gonna come next.
The Halo Effect – Days Of The Lost
Genre: Melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Regardless of your expectations considering the people behind this album, there’s a pleasing circularity to be appreciated here. This unmistakably sounds like a band rooted in the classic Gothenburg sound (heck, these guys were instrumental in creating that sound) but trying to approach the style of more modern bands that themselves were heavily influenced by Swedish melodeath. What you get is a kind of hybrid that should appeal to pretty much everyone except those hoping for a full-on return to the origin. You get nuggets of Dark Tranquillity and In Flames all the way throughout, but there’s no mistaking their efforts trying to forge something new. They mostly succeed, but don’t quite achieve a level of distinctiveness to allow them to stand out beyond the reach of their pedigree. By all means though, there’s plenty to love on here for melodeath fans, among which are “Days of the Lost” and “Feel What I Believe”.
Hell Fire – Reckoning
Genre: Heavy/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A band fully embracing their classic influences, radiating enthusiasm and striking a fresh mix between thrash and NWOBHM. The thrash parts are mostly stronger though, and aside from a few strong melodies, their cleaner side leaves a little musical cohesion to be desired.
Moths – Space Force (EP)
Genre: Avant-garde stoner/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is one of those where you just gotta allow yourself to be spirited along. We’re going all kinds of places. This is not jarring, and it’s not serene. It’s spacey and a little weird, but creates these vivid soundscapes that really trigger the imagination.
Nordic Union – Animalistic
Genre: Power/melodic metal
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Big, melodic, with a slight folk vibe. Hugely clichéd, but that’s probably not a big problem for the setting for which it’s intended.
Norma Jean – Deathrattle Sing For Me
Genre: Metal/mathcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5If you’re into the less emotional, heavier and more proggy side of metalcore, then there’s plenty for you here. At its heaviest it leans into deathcore, and it manages an off-kilter approach to structure that kills predictability without being off-putting. Some of the chorus sections can get a little formulaic, but the band usually switches things up pretty quick. There’s both ample punch, melody and complexity to satisfy people looking for modern, fresh metal with depth and grit. I highly recommend you try “WWAVVE” and “Sleep Explosion”.
Of Virture – Sinner
Genre: Hardocre/metalcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Some rousing metalcore with a bit of extra attitude here and there, but it quickly devolves into very typical, clean cut and over soft.
Sarattma – Escape Velocity
Genre: Experimental doom metal/jazz
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Quite deliberately spacey and nearly free-form, this is a trippy adventure you’re being invited onto. Relaxing is not the word for this, as the sound flutters and mutates as it sees fit. It’s cool and restless, if a little directionless.
Seventh Storm – Maledictus
Genre: Power/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5When describing metal as big, it’s easy to imagine something massively inflated and ultimately quite hollow. This album attains a soaring, epic quality without falling into that category. It has a grittiness to it, making it a tad darker than most power metal, and demonstrates actual thought having been put into the songs, awarding them different purposes. As such there is good variation on here and allocated spaces for the different musicians to shine, without this slowing things down.
Sunstorm – Brothers In Arms
Genre: Hard rock/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 1/5
Objective rating: 2/5I’ve next to nothing to say about this. It’s characterless, ballad-y, slow, and utterly uninventive.
Unprocessed – Gold
Genre: Pop/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An uplifting thing, clearly comfortable in the realm of pop but also dipping its toes into more complex and instrumentally playful waters. If you can deal with the softer parts, then you have a vibrant experience ahead of you.
Wolfbrigade – Anti-Tank Dogs (EP)
Genre: Hardcore/grindcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A short but tasty EP delivering raspy, grainy hardcore with a grindy edge and a good dose of muted groove. Not super standout, but also very little to complain about in regards to quality or entertainment value.
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 August 05 – 2022
A short but spritely week all in all, compensating for the low amount of releases with some serious bursts of energy.
Abaddon Incarnate – The Wretched Sermon
Genre: Death metal/grindcore
Subjective rating: 3,5/5
Objective rating: 3,5/5This is no-nonsense, rage-induced death metal of the fast and concise variant. The drums are hyperactive and there’s plenty of meat to the riffs. The tone is consistently sinister, just don’t expect anything out of the ordinary.
Amon Amarth – The Great Heathen Army
Genre: Melodic death/folk metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3/5You’re never really in doubt of what to expect from an Amon Amarth album, although there are subtle differences in the flavor each time around. On this they’ve gone in a more NWOBHM-direction, focusing on memorable melodic riffs and choruses without getting overly anthemic like on some of their previous records. It succeeds to a certain degree, seeing them explore new, more nuanced approaches to structure and variation. A fair deal of aggression and intensity has been lost in the process though, so don’t expect an all out adrenaline rush. A couple of highlights would be “The Serpent’s trail” and “The Great Heathen Army”.
Bong-Ra – Meditations
Genre: Ambient doom
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is all threatening, contemplative, bass dominated ambience with a zest of disharmonic guitars and sax. It moves at the pace of a glacier, so prepare to lower your heartbeat.
Carrion Vael – Abhorrent Obsessions
Genre: Technical/melodic death metal/deathcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This one’s like a shot of pure adrenaline. The speed and intensity on here is such that you’d think the band members’ lives depended on it. But even as the guitars and drums rage, everything’s neatly under control. It’s structured and precise, standing with one foot in the melodeath camp and one within deathcore, sounding like a blend of Black Dahlia Murder and Shadow of Intent. They don’t quite deliver the same level of variation and innovation, but fans of those bands should dig this. Try “Disturbia” and “King of the Rhine”.
Dub War – Westgate Under Fire
Genre: Rap metal/hardcore/reggae
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Ready for a mix of rap, grunge, hard rock, punk and reggae? There aren’t any huge, standout tracks on here, but it’s entertaining all the way through, and their style suits this level of genre fluidity.
Early Moods – Early Moods
Genre: Hard rock/doom
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A grooved up version of your classic cemetery doom, this is packed with old school hard rock riffs without losing any of the gloomy attitude. The melodies are not the most memorable, which is one of the few things holding it back.
Ether Coven – The Relationship Between The Hammer And The Nail
Genre: Sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5This one initially struck me as a death doom album, and it’s certainly brutal enough. But the brutality has a different, starker quality to it – rooted in hardcore and sludge. To contrast it the band offers up lamenting atmospheric sections that bleed sadness and wrap the entire soundscape in a dark veil. They’re really well composed and feel like deserved stretches of calm amid the harshness. The sound overall is rich and deep, lending a suitable gravity to the experience. Give it a go with “god Hates Flags” and “The Warmth of Your Bathwater”.
Fearsore – Bloedwyrx (EP)
Genre: Experimental electronic/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A writhing digital worm inhabiting a doomsday device with speakers. It’s weird and unsettling.
Grave Bathers – Rock ‘N’ Roll Fetish
Genre: Hard rock/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An intentionally janky and jammy classic metal album with a hard rock streak and some tongue-in-cheek doom gloom. The production is thin and a bit tinny, relying on the vigor of the vocal- and instrumental performances to bring the punch. Which they sort of do, but it never reaches a level beyond retro charm for me.
H.E.A.T. – Force Majeure
Genre: Power/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 1/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Bottom-level Eurovision lyrics, overproduced and completely reliant on the vocal performances to get it absolutely anywhere.
Liminal Shroud – All Virtues Ablaze
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This band is really on to something with this one. The atmospheric sections are epically somber – wanting to travel to places far away to witness dark wonders. So when the blast beats and tremolo hits it almost feels like an interruption. Some more work on their composing skills and I reckon they’ll serve up something great in a few years.
Psycroptic – Divine Council
Genre: Technical death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5In a subgenre that is even more notorious than prog for putting its bloated-to-the-breaking-point instrumental talent on full display, it’s not too easy to stand out. Psycroptic does just that, and makes it sound easy. The thrash-infused, groovy riffs that are allowed to dominate and push the progression of the songs are so energetic they practically radiate enthusiasm. More importantly, they instantly provide standout character and an anchor to hold on to as the rest of the performances rage like a hurricane around them. The sound is crisp rather than full, and the entire album sounds focused, which is rare for this kind of stuff. Jump on with “A Fool’s Errand” and “Enslavement”.
Savage Master – Those Who Hunt At Night
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5When trying to stand out in the extremely well tried and tested genre of classic heavy metal you better be damn confident in your style. That seems to be no problem for this gang – incorporating a very particular amount of janky into their production and theatrics. It serves as an effective contrast to their highly competent instrumental performances and matches the pretend-solemn unholy theme they have going on. They play around with the song pacing to allow the music to breathe, which creates an organic dynamic but also slows things down a bit. Still, a strong contender for the doomy heavy metal crowd.
Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement – Constructing The Cataclysm
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A modern death metal offering bordering on tech death territory, where the hyperactive drum work outshines – and outpaces – everything else. They’ve got some maturing to do before landing on something truly memorable.
Soulfly – Totem
Genre: Groove/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5With all the projects Max Cavalera has going on these days it can get a little difficult remembering what exactly each one is supposed to sound like. But who cares as long as it sounds as good as this. It’s the thrashiest I’ve heard the band in a while, and it suits them beautifully, as the material radiates a to-the-point aggressive energy that keeps the groove motor revving all the way throughout. Sprinkling on some spicy guest performances and layering it all with those trademark tribal beats, squeals and effects, this is one flavorful beast. Dig into “Filth Upon Filth” and “Spirit Animal”.
Toxik – Dis Morta
Genre: Melodic thrash metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Thrash metal is usually quite virtuosic, but this takes it a step further, venturing into proggy territory with prolonged guitar solo work and odd combinations of spacy effects, shrieking vocals and disharmonic melodies, yet quite traditional rhythms.
Turian – No Longer Human
Genre: Experimental groove metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is a cool combination of groove metal proficiency, hardcore sense of urgency and a penchant for the jarring. The vocals on here are harsh to the point of being grating, and constantly wants to punch with the beat. Every now and then the musical progression skips onto a completely different path to explore hitherto unfamiliar territory. This brings with it a host of different moods ranging from jubilant to depressive. It’s an album you gotta be prepared for in order to fully enjoy, but with the right attitude, you will. Get a taste with “Snakehead” and “Narcissus”.
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 July 29 – 2022
Hardcore, experimental, black and death metal. Yep, not a week for the faint of heart. Remember to warm up your neck.
Banks Arcade – Future Lovers
Genre: Electronic/nu metal/hard rock
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5While this isn’t the most original stuff you’ll ever hear, I feel like they made a genuine attempt. There’s enough attitude and imagination gone into the electronic meat of the sound that it rises above the typical accessible pop-flirting metal.
Bastions – Majestic Desolation
Genre: Hardcore/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5If you’re into experiencing emotional pain vicariously, then this might very well be for you. This is sullen, yet still pretty angry hardcore that radiates inner suffering. The dark streak to their sound goes as far as dipping into black metal at times, but it never takes a full hold. There’s not a ton of variation, so expect more or less the same gist across the whole album.
Belphegor – The Devils
Genre: Symphonic death/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Prepare your offering, but don’t expect to receive much individual ceremony – there are thousands gathering before this dark altar. This is not the soundtrack to some basement project summoning – it’s massive. Belphegor truly masters the art of expanding their blackened death with symphonic bombast without it sounding overproduced or overly melodic. Overall you get what you wish for here, but it’s a little lacking in knockout tracks. A little too comfortable sticking to the tried and tested perhaps. Still, the quality of this band is particularly evident on tracks like “Ritus Incendium Diabolus” and “The Devils”.
Black Magnet – Body Prophecy
Genre: Industrial/electronic metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Yes, industrial metal is one of those subgenres where being bleak and energetic at the same time is not a paradox. This is very evident on here. The rhythms feel like they’ve been determined by an A.I. – they’re catchy but robotic. There’s a fair but of noise and weirdness going on in a early 2000s angsty kind of way, which is nice and nostalgic but not very original. It’s consistent, but lacks a bit of punch.
Blacktoothed – Juli
Genre: Hard rock/alt metal/electronica
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5People keep making this stuff and people keep listening to it, so in a way I can’t fault them. But understand it, I do not.
Box – Cherry Blossoms at Night
Genre: Experimental/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Hooookay… there’s no point in having any assumptions going into this one – you’re not gonna be able to predict what’s on the menu anyway. There’s a certain darkness to it all, and a couple of the tracks are actually way into black metal and even grindcore territory, but that’s definitely not the norm. It’s electronic and a bit retro groovy, it’s tribal and a bit gothic. The vocals are mostly high pitched and clean, but adapts very well to whatever is happening at any given time. Definitely try if you’re looking for something a bit weird that’s not overly harsh or dissonant.
Cara Neir – Phantasmal
Genre: Experimental grindcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Okay, now if you ARE looking for something weird that’s overly harsh and dissonant, then we got that right here. This album pulls off the feat of being bat shit crazy and predictable at the same time, as, after a while, the relentless grindcore aggression overpowers all the avant-garde electronic noises and atmospheric effects.
Chat Pile – God’s Country
Genre: Experimental nu/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5If you ever wondered what a massively expanded version of a Slipknot album intro track might sound like, this probably isn’t too far off. Borderline insane, agonized, spoken-word vocals, with crushing, sludgy riffs and death metal menace. Since it’s not all out extreme but varies in intensity across the album, each track is allowed an identity of its own, while still matching up masterfully with the overall theme. If you want your metal a little demented and death-doom-y but with the contemporary, social commentary-mindset of hardcore (a very specific ask, I know) then this hits the sweet spot. Check out “Why” and “Tropical Beaches, Inc.”.
Crystal Gates – Torment & Wonder: The Ways Of The Lonely Ones
Genre: Symphonic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Fairly typical symphonic metal with a gothic feel and some rich, Finnish-style instrumentation.
Daidalos – The Expedition
Genre: Symphonic black/death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Epic, high energy, yet still dark and somewhat austere symphonic black metal that’s plagued by a muddled production and trying to mix a few too many melodic elements at the same time.
Eosphorus – From Fire Into Birth (EP)
Genre: Melodic black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5No one quite knows how to make melodic extreme metal like the Swedes. The mixture of longing, bitter melody with Scandinavian folk elements, the brutality of death metal and rawness of thrash has proven a formula for quality material time and time again. This is no exception, and I look forward to these guys maturing their sound a bit. It’s a four song EP, so just blast the whole thing.
Funeral Chic – Roman Candle
Genre: Sludge metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Boisterous, bluesy, gritty yet carefree. A winning combination for a hard rock-level-heavy, dark and dirty entertainer of an album. There’s the essence of grindcore lurking constantly in the background, but this all about that rowdy groove. The identity of the songs are closely tied to the main riffs, but the it’s the overall tone that ties it all together. If you’re craving some of that Mötorhead rock ‘n roll attitude then you get that here in spades, just with a sludgy twist to it. Get pumped with “Satisfaction” and “Built to Love”.
Gallower – Eastern Witchcraft (EP)
Genre: Thrash/black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Lo-fi and shaggily executed, they still display some excellent speed skill and a talent for memorable melodies.
Haunted Horses – The Worst Has Finally Happened
Genre: Industrial/noise metal/punk
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Unsettling is a good way to describe this. Accusatory vocals, pulses of bass, distortion and interference, agitating drums. It’s dark and artificial, but definitely under control of a human need to stoke discontent.
Ithaca – They Fear Us
Genre: Progressive hardcore/metalcore
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Goddamn this thing is a blast! Matching raw hardcore vocal aggression with stabbing riffs and punishing beats, they certainly deliver on the energy. But they still manage an impressive degree of variation, both in rhythm and intensity. There’s big talent here in finding melodies that work with the nature of the song, describing a different, more mellow side to the violent picture. They do slow things down towards the end, making for a rather sedate close to the album, but overall it’s a fireworks display. Jump into “The Future Says Thank You” and “Cremation Party”.
Krisiun – Mortem Solis
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Now for some neck-exercise death metal. In the same vein as bands like Vader, this is all about delivering avalanches of meaty riff after meaty riff. You won’t find huge variation on here, but the songs still have more than enough character to stand apart, allowing you to confidently pick your favorites. Mixing the evil tone and brutal gut punch power of death metal with the speed and ferocity of thrash, you have a runaway metal train. Get on it to the tune of “Serpent Messiah” and “Tomb of the Nameless”.
My Sleeping Karma – Atma
Genre: Psychedelic/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5An instrumental album dreaming away into space. It’s fairly mellow, but also gets adventurous and medium heavy at times.
Oceans – Hell Is Where The Heart Is – Part II: Longing (EP)
Genre: Metalcore/nu metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5More expansive, massively melodic metal from these guys – nothing hugely surprising, but with the prog dialed down a bit. Going for more of a straightforward, slightly anthemic approach to their signature mix of aggression and melancholy.
Prosper Or Perish – Shroud Of Serpents
Genre: Technical/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Blisteringly fast and willing to serve up groove-laden riffs, these guys show off great technical prowess without fully crossing over into tech death territory. Yet it’s also not fully melodic enough to make a mark as melodeath, leaving the songs a bit hollow as they struggle to show off a strong identity.
Reeking Aura – Blood And Bonemeal
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Death metal with a slight progressive streak, though always returning to classic, slaughterlust, gurgling death metal. There are definitely interesting sections, but overall it’s still a little too repetitive and predictable to score the big points.
Stick To Your Guns – Spectre
Genre: Melodic hardcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Now for some hardcore that exists somewhere in between all out fury and the more accessible, melodic end of the spectrum, like Rise Against. There are anthemic leanings on here, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it doesn’t get too much in the way of the aggression, of which there is plenty.
Torture Killer – Dead Inside (EP)
Genre: Death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Catchy death metal with the dry, speedy delivery of thrash. The production feels pretty compressed, making for a fairly small and straightforward sound, but what’s there is certainly entertaining.
Triumvir Foul – Onslaught To Seraphim
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Now for some dark, chaotic death metal that sounds like it belongs in some underground sewer-chamber. This is hateful, filthy stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day in years. Don’t expect much reprieve.
Urban Primate – Desolation
Genre: Hard rock
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Lively, thrashy guitars and a good bit of groove on display here, with vocals that don’t go too far in any particular direction. It’s catchy and well produced, not too original but also not overly clichéd or soft.
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 July 22 – 2022
It’s been a week of ups and downs. Of fulfilled promises and letdowns. The results are a few surprise highlights, a few “almosts” and a couple of real opinion dividers.
Artnat – The Mirror Effect
Genre: Experimental/progressive metal/rock
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5An altogether dizzyingly random, yet gentle affair. Spacey sounds dominate the experience, the rhythm shifts whenever it damn well pleases, and they’re at no point in any hurry to get anywhere in particular.
Balls Gone Wild – Stay Wild
Genre: Hard rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is raucous, straightforward hard rock to roar down the highway to. While not close to challenging any of the typical traits of the genre, it rides well with the groove and avoids some of the biggest clichés.
Castrator – Defiled In Oblivion
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Think “dark death metal” and you’ll probably imagine something quite close to this. In other words, it’s not the most characteristic stuff you’ll hear this week, but they have the sound down and stick to it consistently. Not brilliant craftmanship, but I’m sure they’ll get there.
Eciton – The Autocatalytic Process
Genre: Technical/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5As far as technicality goes, this is certainly a milder version of what typically springs to mind when you consider the term tech death. That is not to say that these guys aren’t extremely proficient, but it’s not the hyper fast mad-beehive-shred-fest that you might expect. Instead it borrows from groove and metalcore and focuses on precise, machine gun riffs and restrained melody. It’s aggressive, impatient and eager to deliver crushing riffs backed by an absolute drum assault. There’s not a super clear signature to their sound, but they’ve definitely got the groundwork down. Hop on with “Desperate Humans” and “Incarceration of Madness”.
Ernia – How To Deal With Life And Fail
Genre: Progressive grindcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A rumbling cascade of chugging riffs and hysterical vocals. This is one of those grindcore records where you can’t possibly predict where the songs will go next. If you’re into that sort of thing I think you’ll dig this.
Fame On Fire – Welcome To The Chaos
Genre: Hard rock/emo metal/pop
Subjective rating: 1/5
Objective rating: 2/5Noooope. Edge-less, sticky, whiny, over-polished stuff. I’m out.
Fight The Fade – Apophysitis
Genre: Alternative metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5While massively over-produced and simplified, they do succeed in creating a solid mood, and display true artistic talent. I’m just way outside the target audience.
GLDN – First Blood (EP)
Genre: Industrial/alternative metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Understated and underproduced, each song picks a lane and stick with it. There are traces of Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and more, and switches from unnerving to alluring to aggression.
Hatriot – The Vale Of Shadows
Genre: Thrash/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Maybe not as strong in individual song character as Kreator, this definitely has much of the same level of aggression, vocal style and death metal-esque brutality. There are sections in here that are pure old school melodeath, and you don’t hear me complaining. Where these guys really find their groove is in the all out speed assaults that dominate the record – it gets slightly more clunky when they slow things down, but this variation is definitely still a welcome addition of contrast to the structure. If you need more fury, choppy riffs and evil guitar solos in your life, you can do a hell of a lot worse than this. Check out “Verminous and Vile” and “Horns & Halos”.
Imperial Triumphant – Spirit Of Ecstasy
Genre: Avant-garde black metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 4/5I’ll gladly admit, I’ve not listened much to Imperial Triumphant before, so I’m throwing myself in at the deep end here. And for someone unaccustomed to their style and not being a huge fan of experimental music, this is fiendishly tough to get into. More demonic free-form jazz than actual black metal, it slithers and skips about as if intentionally trying to overwhelm you. In that regard, I’m tempted to call it a masterclass composition-wise. The soundscape is massive and terrifying, assaulting your senses with violently random impressions as you flail around in the dark. Subjectively, the biggest value I can attribute it is that I actively dislike listening to it. Objectively, it’s quite impressive.
Mosara – Only The Dead Know Our Secrets
Genre: Doom/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A slow and slightly agonizing affair – this is dark all the way through – like passing along a stone corridor of tragedy. If you don’t mind your doom dragged out, then there’s some good atmosphere on here.
Nebula – Transmissions From Mothership Earth
Genre: Psychedelic/stoner metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Fuzz and psychedelia for miles! It’s not every day you hear someone as committed to a style as this band. Everything is right, so to speak – from the vocal delay to the cushioning bass. And it makes for an immersive experience. They do lose a little punch in their dedication to authenticity, and you do have to be down with prolonged dwelling on slightly repetitive riff sections.
Nicolas Cage Fighter – The Bones That Grew From Pain
Genre: Hardcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5The real question here is: Do you find yourself staring at the album cover trying to determine whether the face-shape there is modeled on Nicolas Cage? This profound insight aside, if you’re looking for something hostile, you found it. This one’s strutting with fighting spirit and doesn’t let down, but there’s also a clear desire to entertain. You can pretty much headbang your way through the entire runtime, and yet they never allow the rhythm to grow stale. There’s a bit of nihilistic melody as well, which adds character. The production leaves a little depth and clarity to be desired, but there’s enough punch to deliver that energy. Try “Coughing Nails” and “Shrine of Wire”.
Northless – A Path Beyond Grief
Genre: Progressive sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5An agonized and nihilistic listening experience brought to you by deep, pounding riffs and anguished vocals, contrasted by moments of acoustic tenderness.
Oceans Of Slumber – Starlight and Ash
Genre: Progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5There’s been a substantial shift towards the non-metallic since these guys’ last record. And while that in itself might disappoint a portion of the fanbase (me included), there’s certainly no lack of musical prowess on display. The way melodies are massaged, stirred and electrified on here is exquisite, and the vocal talent that backs it up truly staggering. If you’re looking for a bit of reprieve, some rejuvenating balm for your mind an eardrums alike – this is it, and it does carry enough weight to give you a rush every now and then.
Palisades – Reaching Hypercritical
Genre: Alternative metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5While the vocal quality gives me strong Chester Bennington feels, and the overall tone of the album follows in the same vein, this certainly a different beast to Linking Park. Softer, more sensitive and aiming for a much bigger and more accessibly sound, it shows off strong melodic songwriting but lacks real edge.
Source Of Rage – Witness The Mess
Genre: Groove metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Fast, melodic groove metal displaying some excellent guitar playing dexterity, but unfortunately also a rather mediocre level of songwriting. The production is also rather lackluster.
Teethgrinder – Dystopia
Genre: Hardcore/death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is vicious! It sounds like hardcore that’s employed a death metal boost to push it clear off the pissed-off-scale. Sure, you have to get/skip past a 4+ minute(!) intro track, but from then on a near-grindcore pummeling awaits. There are a few more atmospheric and spoken-word parts, and they do slow things down a bit, but they also contribute to the feeling of doom and collapse.
Trog – Of Vomit Reborn (EP)
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Here we have some mock-spooky, classic crypt-death with hoarse growls and a top-notch evil quality to the riffs. It’s silly and primitive, but that’s what you want from something like this.
Villain of the Story – Divided
Genre: Metalcore
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5It’s a bit fascinating to see something this pop-core and accessible get away with the level of aggression on display here. Some parts are sniffing on deathcore levels of intensity, and then you round a corner and it’s all rose petals and broken high school dreams.
Void Rot – Telluric Dismemberment (EP)
Genre: Death/doom metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is two new songs and some live stuff, so not a full meal by a long shot, but what’s there is good. Slow and atmospheric, but not dragged out, and everything feels geared towards achieving a very particular sound. Sounds pretty infernal.
Voluntary Mortification – Suffer To Rise
Genre: Death metal/deathcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is an absolute knife twister. The hammer blow drum beats and guitar chugs rush at you in mechanical waves and the vocals gurgle bile straight in your face. There isn’t all too much substance to speak of – more of an all out shock assault to your senses. But it’s certainly thorough.
Wake – Thought Form Descent
Genre: Atmospheric death/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Brace for the incoming tidal wave. This is massive, towering death metal that has embraced atmosphere like a colossus allowing an ecosystem of plants and animals to grow and live on it. There’s a definite blackened streak to the brutality, and while they get bleak and lamenting in places, it still feels natural, like they’re describing life at an abstract level and don’t shy away from the dark parts. The production is fantastic and really allows for the full spectrum of noise to triumph. They’re a little short on the truly unique, but overall it makes for a highly engaging listen. Go for it with “Swallow the light” and “Mourning Dirge (Repose of the Dead)”.
Witchery – Nightside
Genre: Black/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Bring on the bewitching black n’ roll! Witchery is back with some delicious, crispy wickedness to get your head moving. It’s exactly what you’d hope for, with a few twists here and there. Sometimes it’s blisteringly fast, sometimes it’s slow and sinister. But it never gets bogged down or skimps on the riffs or licks. I find that it’s a small step back on production from earlier releases, creating a more muted and contained instrumental sound, but it’s not a big issue. You feel like they’re calling you home to the very core of dark metal with this one. Smash on “Popecrusher” and “Crucifix and Candle”.
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 July 15 – 2022
Hail to the filth! This is a death and sludge week, bringing you dirty, crushing mounds of pure heaviness. There are exceptions though – dark ponds of cleansing cold – if you can make it all the way through.
Antigama – Whiteout
Genre: Death metal/grindcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is death-tinged grindcore that seems content to exist within fairly strict bounds of stark, rhythmic industrial metal. It gives it a kind of clinical and dystopian feel, with a few standout bangers.
Anova Skyway – Reset
Genre: Progressive hard rock
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A clean and slick sounding melodic “hard” prog rock. They seem more interested in exploring the softer, longing part of their sound, but the production and quality of the performances makes it feel a bit insincere.
Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture
Genre: Avant-garde black/gothic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5With a spoken-word, agonized quality to most of the vocals, and them being a bit detached to the instrumentals, this feels in many ways like a confession and a life falling asunder at the same time. It’s very avant-garde, so don’t expect a typical black metal experience.
Battering Ram – Second To None
Genre: Heavy metal/hard rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A band with an ear for catchiness. The vibe is very rock ‘n roll, with heavy metal heft. The rhythms are very rudimentary and zaps the overall experience of energy, but I imagine it will sound a lot better live.
Behold! The Monolith – The Fathomless Deep
Genre: Sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A dark and mountainous record that, despite having threatening, beast-like vocals and a kind of lovecraftian horror-theme going on, manages to give off a mellow vibe. The riffs feel like smooth boulders rather than jagged rock, and the pace is mostly sedate. Still, mixing a doomy tone and a bit of stoner groove, it all seems to suit the intended purpose, and it doesn’t get bogged down in to o much atmosphere. Give it a go with “The Wailing Blade” and “Crown/The Immeasurable Void”.
Black Capricorn – Cult Of Blood
Genre: Psychedelic/doom metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Major fuzz-muzzle on this one – like hearing it trough a pillow. Thematically it feels ritualistic, with a primitive approach to rhythm and instrumental extravagance, making you want to stand up and sway side to side to it.
Celestial Wizard – Winds Of The Cosmos
Genre: Power/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5On paper this might sound like an odd combo, but think of it as an extreme power metal record first and foremost and that will allow you to savor all the juicy fun stored in those folk-y melodeath chugs. Honestly, it’s not too far off the likes of Ensiferum, just with the fantasy factor dialed up. The performances on here feel playful and adventurous, even though the material they’ve come up with is not particularly original. And while they’re definitely striving for the epic feel, they’ve largely managed to shed most of the cheesiness that comes with it. Try “Eternal Scourge” and “Revenant”.
Deathbringer – It
Genre: Progressive/technical death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A rather hostile sounding prog death project that’s got that typical tech-y, calculated approach to the rhythm and guitar work. Some of the songs are true experiences, going on twisted little journeys of their own, but mostly the whole thing feels a bit disjointed as they try to figure out exactly what they want to sound like. And then the gaps are filled in with largely unnecessary interludes. There’s undeniable talent here, though.
The Ever Living – Artificial Devices
Genre: Alternative/electronic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5An album flooded with moody electronic ambience. It’s consistently melodic and low tempo all the way through, with some harsh vocals and black metal-ish guitars forming the heavy backbone. It’s well executed but a bit monotonous.
Graveshadow – The Uncertain Hour
Genre: Power/symphonic/folk metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5An epic and soaring thing balanced out with some grit in the form of extreme folk and heavy metal. The vibrato vocals and eager guitars dominate the experience, over quite simple base riffs and synth laden melodies. It largely works vey well, but could harmonize better, and is a bit lacking in standout moments.
Hissing – Hypervirulence Architecture
Genre: Experimental death/black metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 4/5I might be a bit influenced by the album name, but this sounds like a sped-up, horrific virus infection translated into audio waves. It’s an unsettling listening experience from start to finish – pummeling drums competing with deranged guitar work that sounds like a mix of a furious insect swarm and rock slide. It’s a maelstrom of chaos that effectively pulls you along and into it, trapping you inside a relentless nightmare world. If you’re looking for something outside the norm of blackened death metal then you’ve found it here.
Ian Blurton’s Future Now – Second Skin
Genre: Hard/stoner rock/psychedelic metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5This is a cool one. It’s a slightly trippy, slightly punky, classic hard rock experience leaning into stoner groove and just a laid back, creative approach to melodic exploration. It’s not hampered by any overly retro production gimmicks (there’s ample fuzz, relax), and just sounds fresh and inviting. The energy that shines through from the performances is infectious and will most likely put you in a good mood. What? It can’t all be doom and gloom, right? Treat yourself with “Like a Ghost” and “When the Storm Comes Home”.
Inhuman Condition – Fearsick
Genre: Death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5The classic death metal revival lives on in style. You could accuse these guys of being formulaic, but why would that be a problem if they’re following the formula for success? They have certainly struck again with this record, delivering restrained rage, extreme precision and a tone that is so fine tuned to fit their style, it’s almost too perfect. The rowdy thrash influence makes sure the tempo stays high and we’re treated some great, dexterous riffs and solos. It might not be inventive, but it’s extremely to the point and stylistically confident. Check out “Recycled Hate” and “Fencewalker”.
Lucid Grave – Cosmic Mountain
Genre: Doom/psychedelic metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A dissonant, lamenting affair that also feel like ritual chanting. There’s a disconnect between the vocals and the rest of the sound that I don’t think works too well, and even though they explore some different melodic territories, it takes a little too long to get there.
Mantar – Pain Is Forever And This Is The End
Genre: Sludge/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Ready for some nihilistic groove? This honestly feels like something Lemmy could have though up if he started out a little later and got influenced by the misanthropy of black metal. It’s got the noisy rock ‘n roll attitude, a bit of punk spite and a shade of gothic gloom. The songs on here have real character and stand on their own as individual highlights depending on your taste. They’ve got the production spot on, sounding dirty in a really clean and well defined way, if that makes sense. It’ll bring out your inner hooligan, this one. Try “Grim Reaping” and “New Age Pagan”.
Manticore – Endless Scourge Of Torment
Genre: Death/black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Some gravel-y and bleak blackened death metal that’s a little short on production and musical performance, but does fairly well on unholy atmosphere.
Maul – Seraphic Punishment
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5This is death metal that wants to get up and move. There’s a lively groove metal element to it, backing up the classic death metal body. Unlike many of their peers, these guys manage to go further than just deliver quality retro death – they infuse it with a style of their own. While it’s mostly quite lively all the way through, there’s an otherworldly, ritualistic flavor to it. There’s certainly uses of tribal instruments, but they don’t drag us into the claustrophobic chaos of the jungle, instead aiming for something more open and grand. It fits very well with the spirited musical performances, and makes for something macabre-epic, yet still down to earth. Definitely check out “Repulsive Intruder” and “Infatuation”.
Metalucifer – Heavy Metal Ninja
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is one of those that has the words “heavy metal” in the title of every song – on which there are only four, but in both English and Japanese versions. It’s very classic, simply produced stuff, but clearly made with enthusiasm.
Molder – Engrossed In Decay
Genre: Death/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Bring on the grime! This is one of those filthy, ragged death metal albums that just want to entertain from start to finish. Drop the serious face and just commit to the headbanging. Your neck will be sore for days. It’s got an unsettling vibe over it, but in a 90s B-horror movie kind of way. The production is crisp though, which give the guitars a real rawness but also highlights the relative simplicity of it all. Although, that doesn’t really hurt the experience in any way. Jump into “Disinhumed Carcass Revived” and “Ghastly Mutation”.
Palace – One 4 The Road
Genre: Hard rock/AOR
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5Tropes and ballads for miles and miles. I’d rather walk. Not bad for what it is though. It’s bright and spritely.
Rain City Drive – Rain City Drive
Genre: Alternative hard rock
Subjective rating: 1/5
Objective rating: 2/5Silky smooth, teen-oriented, clichéd, pampered-emo kind of stuff. It sounds big and will probably reach a big audience, so they don’t need any endorsements from me.
Jason Richardson & Luke Holland – II
Genre: Shred/progressive metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is pure instrumental flexing. I’d say it’s predominantly a shred record, but they do rest the guitar acrobatics on a chaotic bed of extremely tangent-prone modern prog metal. Meaning it’s very much on a road to nowhere, but that probably matters little to fans of this kind of thing.
Scarcity – Aveilut
Genre: Atmospheric black metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is black metal very much matching its detailed black and white photo album art. Complex, yet stark and deliberately one-dimensional. It has an organic feel to it, but not in any sort of vivid or chaotic sort of way – more in the way that its intricate shape serves a simple, definite purpose.
Sick N’ Beautiful – Starstruck
Genre: Industrial/alternative hard rock/metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5If you like a bit of theater in your metal, but without the epic flavor it usually comes with – something like In this Moment but much more hard rock – then you’re up the right street. I’d wish for a bit more energy and attitude, but the industrial, alt/goth mix works fairly well.
Sinner – Brotherhood
Genre: Heavy metal/hard rock
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5This is classic swaggering heavy metal in the vein of Accept, just with more sleaze. Song titles like “We Came to Rock” and “Refuse to Surrender” pretty much say it all.
Witnesses – The Holy Water (EP)
Genre: Atmospheric doom metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5It’s been a while since I’ve heard doom ride the line between beauty and austerity with such a gripping result. It’s soothing, spooky and at times quite powerful. The production is fairly clean, which fits the exquisite vocals and allows the subtle textures of the instrumental performances to scratch itches inside your mind that you didn’t know you had. There’s only three tracks on here, so just start at the beginning.
Xenoglyph – Spiritfraud
Genre: Progressive black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5This one comes sweeping in like a gale, but carrying with it the substance of a flood. There’s a feeling of cold indifference throughout, like these are natural forces at work – which can be both graceful and awe-inspiring. That being said, it doesn’t feel down to earth, traditional or folk-influenced- neither is it overly technical or artificial. It sort of exists on its own, mystical plane. There’s melancholy in the melody, a fallen majesty in the instrumental tone, and the mostly mid-tempo rhythm matches well with the atmosphere. Check out “Spiritfraud” and “Iconocide”.
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 July 08 – 2022
This week feels important somehow. The extreme side of metal stirs as from each of its twisted corners emerge a beast championing the hallmarks of its realm. Let’s see who ends up the victor.
Altaria – Wisdom
Genre: Heavy/power metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A very mellow power metal album with a classic heavy metal sound. The rhythms are simplistic and restrained, the melodies are classic sing-along and the vocals likewise. Definitely some of the tamest tuff I’ve heard in a little while.
Ardours – Anatomy Of A Moment
Genre: Gothic rock/metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This one is all about the beautiful, mildly sad harmonies. The vocals are great and the mood throughout the album a mix between early 2000s goth and more modern electronic rock.
Begrime Exemious – Rotting In The Aftermath
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Some necrotic crypt-death coming your way. It’s mostly made up of very familiar elements put in a fairly predictable order, added a bit of groove and kicked the vocals far back in the mix. It’s dry and slightly blackened, just like my toaster makes ’em. It’s not bad at all, but don’t expect any surprises.
Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters – Mythos, Confession, Tragedies And Love
Genre: Hard rock
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5They’re trying out a bunch of styles on this one. Building on the hard rock core there’s a bit of doom, country, folk, punk and alternative. Not all at once, luckily, but they dabble in all. It makes for a slightly confusing and inconsistent listen. Pair that with a lack of energy, and you’ve got a sound that’s really going nowhere.
Blackwater Drowning – Sonder//Satori
Genre: Melodic death metal/metalcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Daniel Cordova wrote for Metal Injection that this sounds like a combo of Black Dahlia Murder and The Agonist, and it’s too spot on for me not to steal it. The riffs have that chug-melody to it and there’s a mix of heavy, chaotic parts and classic metalcore downtempo chorus sections. Everything sound a little bit thin, but also pretty well defined. What’s lacking a bit is a sense of adventurousness. It never really takes off to the sky or around a corner. But there’s clearly a lot of talent to build on.
Blind Channel – Lifestyles Of The Sick & Dangerous
Genre: Hardcore/melodic metal/pop
Subjective rating: 1/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5This is pure sheep in wolf’s clothing. Packed to the breaking point with pop harmonies and riddled with copy-paste vocal lines. I’m calling for euthanizing.
Cleanbreak – Coming Home
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A project that sounds like it grew out of hard rock into high-flying heavy metal. This is melodic and soaring without being bombastic. They make the instrumental output work well for their purpose, so it sounds good, just lacks a little in ambition.
Crossing Rubicon – Perfect Storm
Genre: Melodic hard rock
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5An emotional, ballad-d hard rock album that channels a few too many of the excesses of 80s pop metal for my liking.
Dead Tired – Satan Will Follow You Home
Genre: Hardcore/black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Here we have a successful marriage between hardcore harshness and bitter black metal. The two circle and cross each other, some times simply bleeding off a veneer of influence, sometimes coming together to form some dirty black ‘n roll that brings to mind the less artsy side of Satyricon. Some times it slows all the way into doom territory, some times they even manage to work in a bit of atmosphere. Some times they turn the attitude all the way up and turn into a kind of blackened hardcore reminiscent of Kvelertak. Had they also worked in a stronger, dark melodic theme this could have been something truly special, though it’s still absolutely worth your time as it is. Check out “Predatory Loans” and “Tyrants Palace”.
End It – Unpleasant Living
Genre: Hardcore/punk
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A super quick, riffy, gang-vocals-touting and hard punching EP that’s over before you know i–
Greylotus – Dawnfall
Genre: Technical/progressive death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5The sonic equivalent of an excessively spiky, swirling and tangled mess of a thorn bush that also has beautiful flowers on it. This is an energetic tech death album where symphonic-quality melody is allowed to permeate all the way through, every now and then blooming into exquisite guitar solos. This is also an album that loves to run off on progressive tangents. This helps to further prove the substantial talent of the musicians behind it, but does also create holes in the progression. You might find that there’s not much of a clear path through the album, encouraging you to live in the moment, as it were, and just take one musical turn at a time.
HolyRoller – Swimming Witches
Genre: Stoner/psychedelic/hard rock
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Mid-tempo grooves, slightly spacey melodies and a nice, full mix. This is cruise-along hard rock with a chilled out, but still knowing attitude. It’s all pretty familiar if you know the type, but they do know how to write strong, characterful songs.
Kanine – Karnage
Genre: Deathcore/brutal death metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A slamming, gurgling chug fest from start to finish, this is one for you who just want to bang your head loose off your spinal column. It does utilize all the most tried and tested tricks in the book of stupidly heavy, and so doesn’t exactly sound fresh. And the problem with all brutal all the time is that there’s no contrast. But it sounds good, and if you just want damn heavy, you got it.
Left To Suffer – And Dying Forever (EP)
Genre: Deathcore/nu metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5A mostly monomelodic, staccato-rhythmic kind of thing reminiscent of the angrier parts of hardcore. But they also switch it up with more hip-hop-influenced beats and effects, and also slightly softer metalcore harmonies. It seems almost designed to make a small indoor venue crowd erupt into frenzied stomping at precise intervals.
The Machinist – All Is Not Well
Genre: Metalcore/groove/melodic death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5This sounds more like seasoned veterans playing around with their carefully honed core sound than a young band looking to establish theirs. Which is impressive considering this only their second full-length. And it means you get all of that youthful aggression but also the mature wisdom not to stray too far in their experimentation. Their style is metalcore flexing into hardcore and deathcore, mixed with modern, groove-laden melodeath. It is more comfortable with dissonance than melody, which robs them of a little character, but they partly make up for it with strong lyrical content. Give “Monsters” and “Lysergic Lullaby” a try.
Opponent – Sentinel
Genre: Melodic groove/industrial metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Here we have some heavily riff-driven groove leaning into melodeath, but with a good bit of its melodic potential leeched by an influence of nihilistic industrial metal. Which makes it fast, aggressive, technical and fairly catchy, but also kind of soulless. Also, the production has left it sounding rather sharp and a bit tinny, further robbing in of warmth and richness.
Organectomy – Nail Below Nail
Genre: Brutal death metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This one, like most of its ilk, is all about that sledgehammer rhythm, supported by a liberal use of kick drum and pummeling riffs. The vocals are surprisingly near-understandable, and the dissonance of the squealy melodies just the right pitch to take on that disturbing-evil vibe, so the whole thing doesn’t come off as overly gimmicky. There is, however, a kind of robotic feel to the structure, and I find myself sitting rather passive through the whole thing.
Pestilent Hex – The Ashen Abhorrence
Genre: Symphonic black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5This is pitch black metal symph-ed up in that tasteful, dark magic kind of way that only really the Finnish know how to do. And it’s not like they’ve gone nuts with the production or too technical with the instruments – most of this is that primal, mid-tempo march zazzed up with some blast beats and tremolo. The melodic backdrop is lofty in the way that a towering forest canopy envelops you in a world of dark, natural wonder. They sneak in a bit of that pagan folk vibe as well, without it clashing with the pained venom of the snarly black metal core. Give it a go with “Chapter II: Nature of the Spirit” and “Chapter VI: Banishment”.
Seep – Hymns To The Gore
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Some putrid, abattoir-dwelling death metal for you. The sound is primitive both in musical execution and production, which works for the vintage gore-horror theme. There is hardly any variation to speak of across the whole album, but if you just want a hit of morbidity, it’s here for you.
Set The Sun – In Absentia
Genre: Melodic metal/alternative rock
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5This is electronica-infused, slightly atmospheric, accessible alt rock bolstered by some djent-y riffs. It’s better than what I make it sound like, but it also exist beyond my horizon of musical interest.
Sweet Freedom – According to Jörgen Schelander
Genre: Progressive/psychedelic hard rock
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Melodic, old-school style hard rock that, at least stylistically, has one foot on progressive turf. The melodies are strong and lively, and the whole album radiates a mature kind of optimism.
Telekinetic Yeti – Primordial
Genre: Doom/psychedelic metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Here’s one that sucks you in like a vortex with no end. Once you’re caught there’s little point resisting so you might as well lean back and enjoy the ride. There are a few twists and turns along the way as the tempo momentarily shifts, but at some point you return to that steady, slow swirl. Metaphors aside, they strike a good balance between threatening fuzz dissonance and howling, squealy guitar melody to create a semi-surreal, dark kind of sound that sees you almost surprised every time there’s any significant change to the progression. Which doesn’t mean they don’t change it up every now and then, but the strong tonal consistence ensures that the immersion is top notch. If you like otherworldly doom with some crunch and groove, this is all for you. Try “Primordial” and “Beast”.
Vomit Forth – Seething Malevolence
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Now for something that sounds like it’s straight out of the nine circles of hell. Or rather, it feels like we as the listeners are transported there to be treated to the full filthy, deranged, torturous experience. You can even imagine the jagged riffs as the chomping and gnashing of some unspeakable horror’s teeth. They also employ sound effects, instrumental or otherwise, to fill the soundscape with snarls, groans, chittering, lamentation and other unpleasantries you might expect to find echoing around the caverns of the underworld. And somehow they don’t even come close to overdoing it. It’s disturbing and brutal, but still very much purposeful and even rather catchy at times. Take a dive into the inferno with “Eucharist Intact” and “Seething Malevolence”.
Wormrot – Hiss
Genre: Grindcore
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 5/5You know you’re in for it when even the “interludes” are fucking furious. This is by far the best utilization of the typical traits of grindcore that I’ve heard all year, even as the album transcends the subgenre at any point it so pleases. I’m not going to bother listing all the other influences on display, but know that there’s more than enough to richly flavor the duration of the experience without breaking with the sonic theme. This is not your typical concept album where you embark on one continuous journey. Rather it’s like running down a corridor lined with open doors, catching glimpses of the very extremes that humanity has to offer as you pass them by. The variation on display here seems a near impossibility with the overpowering core of the sound being unbridled ire from start to finish, but somehow they pull it off. Two tracks won’t nearly give you the flavor of the whole record, but start with “Behind Closed Doors” and “Voiceless Choir”.
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 July 01 – 2022
A rather meager week in terms of volume, but one that makes up for it with the weight of its heavy hitters. Better brace yourself – they’re pretty hostile.
The Bearer – Chained To A Tree
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5This one’s brimming with go-nuts-energy. I can vividly imagine the broken teeth on the floor of the moshpits. This is a kind of blackened hardcore, with some cold tremolo and a taste of the occult in the theme. Mostly, though, it’s chaotic, dissonant and uncompromising.
Between The Killings – Reflection Of Murder (EP)
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5We’ve got some brutal death metal here leaning heavily on the morbid. The vocals are, as you expect, incomprehensible and the drums ping-y. The whole thing feels to be without much purpose, just a collection of heavy riffs wrapped in a disturbing tone.
Blood Command – Praise Armageddonism
Genre: Punk/hardcore/pop
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A record bursting with enthusiasm and immature spite. There is, however, more than enough maturity demonstrated in their composing skills and grasp of their stylistic direction. It’s catchy, raucous and just a bit experimental. Jump in if you like punky hard rock and the lighter side of hardcore.
Conjurer – Páthos
Genre: Experimental sludge/black metal/deathcore
Subjective rating: 4.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5This is one of those where, while listening to it, you can’t help but feel that there’s something terribly wrong with the world. It channels a darkness that feels familiar – not something imagined or superficial. And the anger it radiates seems to be rooted in anguish. Needless to day, this is not going to put you in a good mood, but it will almost certainly move you. The transitions from brutality to tranquility are chillingly well executed, and despite keeping a fairly slow pace you rarely feel like they’re stalling. Give “It Dwells” and “Basilisk” a try.
Downfall – Behind The Curtain
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5This is some quick, down ‘n dirty hardcore built on raw riffs and rusty vocals. The production lets them down a bit, but the attitude shines through.
Existence Dysphoria – Minus Negative
Genre: Progressive sludge/doom
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5Heavy and unyielding as a bulldozer and abyssal in tone, this one will crush you into submission. It plays around with just enough groove to make it a rewarding listen, but be prepared for a ponderous pace and fairly repetitive rhythms.
Goatriders – Traveler
Genre: Progressive/experimental hard/stoner rock
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5This one’s far out. The players seem to be doing pretty much what they want throughout the album with little to no coordination or guidance. It’s disharmonic and spacey. Some might find it meditative, but for me it’s too directionless.
Haunt – Windows Of Your Heart
Genre: Heavy metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Retro through the roof. These guys nail the tone on capturing that old school heavy metal spirit. It’s tight, fast and just a bit gloomy. There’s plenty to love, but – and this might just be me – is it too much, or wrong, to ask that the vocals harmonize with the melodies? And while there’s no question of technical skill, I find myself missing the enthusiasm on this one.
Randy Holden – Population III
Genre: Avant-garde/psychedelic/heavy metal
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5If you’re type of person that find yourself spellbound by an exploratory guitar backed up by a bit of atmosphere, then this is for you. This one goes places – trippy places to be sure – but it’s pleasant and fairly immersive all the way through. The tone is nice and nostalgic and the whole thing feels liberatingly carefree.
Horizon Ignited – Towards The Dying Lands
Genre: Melodic death metal/metalcore
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3/5Let’s just get one thing out of the way to start. This is NOT for fans of that original Gothenburg melodeath sound. This is far more modern and accessible. I kind of want to describe it as contemporary In Flames meets Believe era Disturbed, which has its pros and cons. Lots of good melody, great solos and catchy riffs. My biggest reservations are a lack of energy in the rhythm section and not too strong performances in the clean side of the vocals.
Hulder – The Eternal Fanfare (EP)
Genre: Black metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Finally, some black metal that attacks the low-fi approach in an interesting way – dishing it out where it has the right effect and largely making sure not to overuse it. There’s such an intimate control over that “genuine” sound demonstrated here – knowing just which elements to tweak – a riff here, a tremolo shred there, a tasteful reverb to the vocals, a certain tone to the melodies. The result is something that sounds like a love letter to the musical highlights of the genre while sacrificing none of the depth of a proper production. Have at it with “Sylvan Awakening” and “A Perilous Journey”.
Kings Never Die – The Good Times And The Bad (EP)
Genre: Hardcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Some rousing, rowdy hardcore here. Lots of gang vocals, energetic rhythms and frantic riffing. It sounds just right and don’t descend into punk rock clichés. It’s fairly simple and straightforward and designed to get you out of your seat.
Massacre – Mythos (EP)
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 4/5Straight up, horror infused death metal on the menu. It sounds brilliantly spooky, but that still comes second in line to the absolute riff fest that’s allowed to dominate. It’s heavy, it’s crunchy and it’s angry. There’s not a lot more to ask for. Jump into “Behind the Serpent’s Curse” and “The Dunwich Horror”, and by that point you’re already halfway through, so just keep going.
Mexicoma – Kalpa
Genre: Hard rock/stoner
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5A punchy stoner record with a hard rock kind of mentality to rhythm and lyrical content, but with a rough, groove-sludgy edge. Unfortunately they run out of steam about mid-album before picking it back up towards the end.
Municipal Waste – Electrified Brain
Genre: Thrash metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4/5For all of you who are keen on thrash keeping that youthful protest attitude alive and well in the music, rejoice! This one goes from brawl to brawl like it’ can’t get enough, and doesn’t pull punches – shredding like their lives depended on it. Which is great, but they also don’t switch up their fight moves much, relying on repetition and momentum to win the day (shall we call it button mashing?). If victory by any means is fine by you, and you reward tenaciousness over innovation, then you’ve got your fighter right here.
Orthodox – Proceed
Genre: Avant-garde sludge/doom metal
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5If you listen really carefully you can hear the odd vocal line down below that avalanche of fuzz. This one feels almost mechanical in its approach, like a rhythmically churning machine. Or some organic hybrid. It’s not easy listening, that’s for sure.
Greg Puciato – Mirrorcell
Genre: Alternative/experimental metal/grunge
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 4.5/5Alright, here we’ve got an artist channeling a wealth of influences into one churning maelstrom mixing them all up inside his own bay of sensibility. Greg’s got one of the strongest signatures in heavy music today, both when it comes to vocal character and composing, and it’s all on show here. It’s trying a whole bunch of different directions out for size, but pulls them all together with a distinct ribbon of flavor. Alright, enough with the metaphors – it’s sometimes heavy, sometimes melodic in a soulful, slightly pained way, and always expressive. In the end this is going to be a very subjective experience, but whether it moves you or not there’s still plenty to objectively marvel at here.
Saint Asonia – Introvert (EP)
Genre: Hard Rock
Subjective rating: 2.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5Like you might expect from the caliber of these musicians here, this sounds great. Vocal prowess, instrumental tone, richness of detail – it’s all there. As far as the actual compositions go, that’s a whole different story. And your opinion on this EP is going to depend entirely on whether you care about this or not.
Derek Sherinian – Vortex
Genre: Progressive metal/shred
Subjective rating: 3/5
Objective rating: 3.5/5Let the keyboard shredding commence. If you like to listen to what is essentially an instrument master’s (and friends’) jam session dressed up and given vague purpose, then this is for you. It’s wild, a bit bluesy, and mostly really fun.
Shinedown – Planet Zero
Genre: (Hard) rock
Subjective rating: 1.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A slightly rough-edged rock album built around a pop-sensible core and then bloated to the breaking point with largely pointless interludes and single-focus soft anthems. But then this obviously wasn’t made for me.
Swim or Drown – Torment (EP)
Genre: Hardcore/sludge metal
Subjective rating: 3.5/5
Objective rating: 3/5A dirty and straightforward medium portion of hardcore that delivers on aggression and that raw, primitive riffing that gets you moving in front of the stage.
Thirteen Goats – Servants of the Outer Dark
Genre: Blackened death/thrash metal
Subjective rating: 4/5
Objective rating: 3/5These guys hit a sweet spot with this one as far as I’m concerned. It sounds like they’re having fun playing with the subgenre, eager to get the sound right and less concerned with establishing a good flow or song structure. And I as the listener am having fun right along with them. It’s noisy, dastardly-evil and full of infectious energy. Sure, some of the song section transitions are about as graceful as Satan’s pet on rollerblades, but they usually lead to some great headbanging. Try “Return to Ruin” and “Vacuum-Induced Head Explosion”.
Tragos – Radix Mendosus
Genre: Death metal
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 2.5/5A work of death metal that has a touch of epic tragedy to it. Unfortunately, it’s severely let down by poor production and some really odd choices in regards to melody, meaning it exists on a half-plane between melodic and dissonant.
Tuscoma – Gu-cci
Genre: Black/experimental metal/hardcore
Subjective rating: 2/5
Objective rating: 3/5I feel like this is the musical equivalent to spending a prolonged amount of time next to a loud fire alarm. It’s unsettling all they way through and, while having no real rhythmic or melodic handles to settle on, keeps demanding your attention. If that’s the experience you’re looking for, then this is absolutely quality stuff. It’s conceptually strong and tonally consistent.
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.
