February's Top 10 Albums

Started this last month and now we continue on to February's top 10 albums. Staying abreast on the month's highlights might help casual readers see what they missed, and give this the option to check these artists out. I am not doing little blurbs on them, just linking the reviews. I think it will help me organize my lists for the end of the year, by listing the genre of music the album falls under. This does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most, I have albums in my in-box that are not coming out til June, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month there is a wide variety from indie pop to punk to black metal, so perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for February 2024.

10-Vemod-"The Deepening" 

Black  Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/black-metal-history-month-vemod.html

9-Oldspeak- "s/t" 

Sludge

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/oldspeak-st.html

7-the Dead South - "Chains & Stakes" 

Blue-grass 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-dead-south-chains-stakes.html

6-Amigo the Devil - "Yours Until the War is Over" 

Folk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/amigo-devil-yours-until-war-is-over.html

5-Benighted - "Ekbom" 

Grind-core 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/benighted-ekbom.html

4-Modern Witchcraft-"s/t"

Doom-gaze 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/modern-witchcraft-st.html

3-Chelsea Wolfe-" She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She"

Electronic 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/chelsea-wolfe-she-reaches-out-to-she.html

2-meth. - "SHAME" 

Blackened Hardcore 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/black-metal-history-month-meth-shame.html

1-Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - "Of the Last Human Being" 

Progressive Rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-last-human.html

Ministry : "Hopiumforthemasses"

 Ministry is calling it a day just as industrial music is making a comeback. Given the grasping for relevancy in the lyrics, I suppose Al might as well. Musically the opening track sounds decent, though it's a regurgitation of ideas. It works better on the lead single "Goddamn White Trash", which is aggressive enough, and a well-written song. "Just Stop Oil" has some decent guitar playing that helps switch things up sonically, by steering them in a more My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult direction, that is offset by the more metallic Ministry riffage you expect. 

Thematically they touch on a more "Scarecrow" like mood going into "Ayran Embarrassment". Jello Biafra comes in and does what he does. The end result is something less aggressive than Lard. It also sounds like Burton C Bell is chiming in though his vocals sit further in the back of the mix. It's not Jello's most inspired performance. Not sure if we need a reworking of "TV" but that is what we are getting, not sure that is works as well this time around. The guitar to "New Religion" works really well, and the vocals flow effectively over it making it one of the album's best songs for sure.   

"It's Not Pretty" is one of the album's most interesting moments, as it incorporates the strum of acoustic guitar while working off a more ominous tone thanks to the apocalyptic lyrics. I prefer when this is his focus, since politics are as real as professional wrestling, and raging for the machine is not a good look. I noticed on the previous album some of the sounds that would normally be relegated to a Revolting Cocks album are leaking over into Ministry, so he might be done with Ministry but maybe he has another Rev Co album in him. This more Rev Co feeling bleeds over into the "Cult of Suffering". 

The last song finds a more new wave sound that looks back in the direction of their first album which I can appreciate.  Expect to hear it spinning on "goth" nights near you. This album might take some time to grow on me I will give it an 8.5 for now and see how it grows on me, there is a great deal of recycling going on here and it is one of Al's less inspired moments, as raging for popular narratives, seems like he was just going with the flow since that is what he thinks the kids want. I would not say this album is a good entry point for kids first hearing Ministry.   

pst95

the Smile : "Wall of Eyes"

 Johnny and Thom are back for their sophomore release with their side project that at first seemed like a one-off release. These songs were written while on tour. It opens with the title track which is a strummed guitar being buried by the ambiance and Yorke's trademark coo. What seemed to work so well on the first album is not being repeated here and instead, we are getting a glut of atmosphere that mired down many of the latter-day Radiohead songs. Things wander more in the second song. I can only think Thom York must be getting high as hell to repeatedly go to this sort of thing as his songwriting default. 

They pull out of this on "Read the Room", which seems a decent compromise, as it has enough groove to stick to your ears, while a fair share of surreal trappings for it to float in on. The vocals feel more purposeful with this backbone from him to sing over. The bass line provides even more meat here. They wander into more proggy goodness with "Under Your Pillow".  It does sound more like the lost Radiohead outtakes. Some of the blame here lies in Yorke's distinct voice. To his credit, it is impressive his falsetto is still this fluid. There is more struggle on this album with the song vs sound situation. They are great musicians so they can capture this sound without a great deal of studio wizardry and just jamming along with their instruments. However, this feels more like jamming than songwriting. The last two minutes of "Under Your Pillow" drowning in ambient noise. 

"Friend of a Friend" adheres more closely to the conventions of songwriting, as it sounds like it could be jazz-rock from the late 70s. They reuse the use of delay on his voice which Yorke has experimented with before, as his lyrics are a stream of consciousness. "I Quit" tries to remember where it was going as it wanders through the clouds. "Bending Hectic' has more substance to it, though it is just a jammed-out version of familiar ground. The final two minutes find them actually rocking out, which was an unexpected turn of events. The opening piano chords to the last song are enough to let me know the previous song, got all the rock out of their system. Yorke's ethereal falsetto slides in to do what he is expected to do at this point. 

This album might be a meandering exercise in indulgence for Yorke and Greenwood, but it is still better than what most indie rock bands are doing. However, I will round it down to an 8.5, as it feels like a great deal of themes are being recycled here.If you are a Radiohead fan you will find this hits the spot without delivering. 

pst94

Sons of Alpha Centauri : "Pull"

 

As much as I love Jonah Mantranga, I lost track of his work after Far. I need to catch up and I will start with this album. He formed this band with the drummer from Will Haven. They are very Deftones-like with lighter vocals moaning over the lower grooves lurking around them. I had to go back and give this album another listen to fully soak it in as my first pass-through was clouded by my expectations of what I wanted from Jonah based on Far. On this second listen I found he does really deliver on the first song. However, "Ease" feels like he is uncertain if he should commit to what he normally does when playing music with a lower-tuned harder-driving guitar. 

"Pull" feels like it's more of a middle ground between the two options he was sorting through while plotting out the vocals for the second song. He gets even more comfortable on "The Ways We Were". It is interesting hearing this dynamic, as he is one of the best rock singers to come from this era, so to hear him on a footing that is not as sure of itself, creates a more vulnerable performance. I appreciate the more balladic drone of "Tetanus Blades", but there are plenty of shoe gaze bands that execute it better. "Doomed" finds him closer to the mic, and able to weave a more effective melody with his voice. finds 

"Weakening Pulse" finds the heft of the guitar complimenting his vocals. One of the album's first distinctive rock riffs if on "Final Voyage' which gives him more to work with. The album closes with "Unspeakable Melody' which finds another big guitar riff chugging along, though, Jonah is not locked in with it in the same manner as the previous song.  I will give this album a 9, making it better than most hard rock albums with such a compelling emotional side, but still falls short of what he did with Far. Exile on Mainstream drops this album for them March 28th . s 

pst93

Compress : "The Final Level of Consciousness"

 

This band is pretty impressive they come on strong feeling like "Show No Mercy " era Slayer, but ride a more atmospheric black metal throb. There is an eerie coldness, and while other sub-genres like crust and hardcore have an influence I feel like the darkness prevails making these guys more of a black metal band. The title track that follows the otherwise air-tight opener is not as solid in its focus or arrangement and basks in the buzz almost like every other black metal band. The exception is that you can hear the bass line rumbling under it all. 

"Formosus' throbs with darker energy than the more pounding song before it, which proves that metallic aggression alone is only one tool on the road to fully immersing into the sonic darkness. When it does break down into more of dark hard core pounding it is more effective due to the shift in dynamics they employ. I can not single one member of this band out for excelling at their instrument as the emphasis here is functioning as a singular unit of sound. When the more typical elements of black metal come into play like the tremolo-picked guitar it works better as it has been contrasted with something else.

The last song carries more of an atmospheric shimmer until the tempo shifts to a more frantic pace underneath it. The vocals are more obligatory here and are an incoherent scream for the bulk of the album, which is the album's weak spot and the only point of contention for this band. For this reason I am rounding it down to a 9, which still puts them head and shoulders above your average black metal bands these days.This drops March 15th on Eternal Death.  

pst92

Allie X : "Girl With No Face"

 

She has always created a more thoughtful take on pop music, however, once she thinks too deeply into things the more she drifts in a dark wave direction. The 80s hint of it can certainly be heard on the opening track., The 38-year-old singer continues to stay on brand even when it glides into more of a slick pop groove for the title track. Lyrically, the gender-bending "Off With the Tits' seems fitting for 2024. It has a pretty infectious beat and is what the kids call a banger these days. 

"John and Johnathan" is the first stark dip into futuristic disco. I like the more robotic morose nature of the vocals on this one. The more organic sounding elements like the guitar create a more new wave feel. "Galina" finds her flexing her pipes and belting it out with enough conviction to compensate for the more pop leanings. The quirky nature of "Hardware Software" does not hit the same way as the other songs. "Black Eye' which was one of the album's lead singles, also has more of a disco groove to it.  "You Slept on Me" is driven by quirky synths and not as tightly focused a song. While "Saddest Smile' is not a ballad, as it has more of a hushed intensity, it is very graceful. 

The synth bass line to "Staying Power". It has a great deal of drive and feels almost like Boy Harsher. Lyrically it is one of the more interesting and honest songs. "Truly Dreams" feels like early 80s pop music that was still heavily disco-influenced.  I will give this one a 9.5, and see how it grows on me, but it feels pretty infectious and another act that proves you do not have to have a whole team of songwriters and producers to make pop music. 

pst91

Amigo the Devil : "Yours Until the War is Over"

 Danny has been playing big rock festivals for a few summers now, and we are beginning to hear how that is influencing him. There is more of an edge here. There are depressing songs that ponder suicide, and by and large, this album is a continuation of the Murder Ballad theme that has driven the bulk of his music. He colors these with different influences, like the touch of Tom Waits that can be felt in"It's All Gone'". He gets rowdy with the spit and vinegar to "I'm Going to Heaven". It stays true to who he is and what he does. 

There is a more thoughtful country tone to "The Mechanic" which was one of the lead singles to the album that I had not heard before going into this album. Distorted Western flavored guitar colors "Once Upon a Time at Texaco".  He uses more vocal colors to make the stories he tells on this album stand out more. Lyrically it's a more "Natural Born Killers' take on murder ballads. "Cannibal Within" is one of the album's more interesting lyrical musings. He continues to explore mental health themes on this album. The song about miscarriages was the ballad I did not expect. Seems like as good of a time as any to add this album must be listened to at least once with headphones to get the full scope of the production value. Where Danny's voice sits on the condenser mic, is a key element they made the most of. The ballads I can not hear him pulling off at Rockville, but they are certainly honest enough to be effective, not just arena rockers. 

The ode to relapses "One Day at a Time" is an odd ditty. I prefer the 50's rock stylings of "Stray Dog". It has an Elvis-like swagger. The last song is more spoken word. It lingers over wanting to be a song and just his pondering thoughts. I will give this one a 9.5, and see how it grows on me. It might not hit the same marks as his previous album, but is a solid enough direction for him, and proves he is a highly effective story teller, so not perfect, but better than almost everything coming out these days and brutal honesty contrasts the murder-tinged story telling. 

pst90

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum : "Of the Last Human Being"

 

When it comes to bands I love, I am ready to write the most bloated praise-filled tribute possible. This however comes only after a perilous first listen. You see by placing them on the pedestal of what other bands should aspire to. they must meet these exalted expectations. If they are one of the best bands I have ever seen live then expectations are even higher. If they are coming back 17 years later, after you lived thinking their last album was the final chapter, then you can only hope for the best album ever, and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum has reopened to attempt to make their best album yet. 2007's "In Glorious Times" is a perfect album, so they are not trying to take it head on but in a more mature step forward with the emphasis on more of the chamber music side, while employing all the creepy dissonance they are known for. 

This is not to say the album is not empowered by strong grooves as they pull out the jams for both "El Evil" and "S.P.OR.".  Which are the two strongest songs of the album's first act. After the vaudevillian parade of "We Must Know More," they break into the more metallic chaotic tension of "The Gift", which recalls the mood of "In Glorius Times". To show the breadth of their sonic range there are also songs like "Hush, Hush" that sound more like Bjork than the kind of syncopated wizardry they are known for until the song climaxes.  Things take on a more King Crimson level of prog on "Save It" which is the first song I would not call dark. In fact, it might be the first upbeat song I have heard from this band. 

The angular groove of "Burn into Light" is highly effective, as the vocals fall in line with where they are going. The more Mr. Bungle-like thrashing is an undertone of the song, but not its main theme. The bass player takes the mic on "Old Gray Heron" and finds a Pink Floyd-like guitar solo wailing in the distance to give more of a rock effect than you normally hear from these guys. I have never heard him sing aggressively, but he does eventually here. When thinking of this album as a whole, I must think about the moments that required multiple listens to set in or things like the closing song which is an instrumental that stays true to the angular moments of ambiance. 'Silver Fish" is the song I had to return to the most to fully embrace it. It ventures off into the more Bjork-like tenderness. It does not conform to where you think most ballads of this sort might go. I will go ahead and give this one a 10 as those moments take time to process.  

pst89

Bruce Dickinson : "the Mandrake Project"

 Despite being a huge Iron Maiden fan, I have never paid much attention to Dickinson's solo work. Sure I have heard and once owned "Tattooed Millionaire" and am marginally familiar with "Chemical Wedding". When he sings, he is unmistakable. It sounds like Iron Maiden not doing Iron Maiden things. I knew he was not shy about bringing the heavy on later solo albums, but I was surprised by how heavy the first song of the new album is. As the album progresses he ventures into wider sonic pastures with songs like "Ressurection Men" which has an old western feel to the guitar. Then things take more of a Deep Purple-like rock turn on the second song, where the keyboards play a larger role, which is something you do not hear from Iron Maiden. 

"Rain on the Graves" is another harder rock. The keyboards play a prominent role behind the palm-muted chug of guitar that drives the song, while ample room is left for Bruce to sing. "Fingers in the Wounds" finds the verses making space for Bruce to open up and expand the vocal colors he is capable of in a way that I wish Iron Maiden would make more use of. However, I think Maiden only has one more solid album left in them and think they will bow out before they tarnish their legacy. I think the production on Dickinson's vocals is great and hope Steve Harris pays attention to what is being done here. "Eternity Has Failed' finds his band upping the Irons, especially in the solo section. It can not be said that Bruce does not know what his fans want. 

Bruce is continuing to do what he does, which is fine since he is clearly one of the last great metal singers still standing, in large part due to the fact he took care of himself over the years. Typically there is less of a prog feel and a more straightforward hard rocking, the one signature of Maiden's sound being the twin guitar harmonies are not here. "Face in the Mirror" is more of a ballad with a piano following him. This album also serves as a study in how Bruce has compensated for his voice aging, and how he paces himself and takes notes to other places.  Roy Z known for his work with Priest was Bruce's collaborator and the drummer from Puddle of Mudd plays on this album oddly enough. 

They keep the ballads going with "Shadow of the Gods".  It works and Bruce sounds good, which is pretty much all I am wanting from this album. Some of these songs are going to grow on me, and this is just my first impression of things as I go through the album. There is a very Judas Priest-like riff when "Shadow of the Gods" climaxes. At almost 10 minutes "Sonata" is the album's most prog moment, though it is darker than the other songs as well. He does hit some impressive notes midway into the song, and at 65 this is even more impressive. I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me. It did inspire me to want to go back and dig into his other solo work . 

pst88

Black Metal History Month-The Decade's Top 10 Black Metal Albums

Black Metal is not thought of as the "problematic" genre of metal. At one time it was the cool new thing hipsters were pretending to be into with no clue what the genre was about aside from Urban Legend, corpse paint, and blast beats. Over the past decade, I have covered at least 300 Black Metal albums. By decade we are taking into consideration that we are only two months into 2024, so we are counting from  2013 to 2023. Many of these albums were overlooked or underappreciated by the mainstream metal press when they were released. I implore you to give them a listen if you have not heard them and a second listen if you have as you will hear how well they have held up over the years. They are ranked per how much I have listened to them, a thanks goes to Last FM for keeping track of this for me, it makes life easier. 

10-Noctambulist -"Eiegieen" 2021

This band from the Netherlands caught me by surprise. They expand their horizons past just the scathing buzz of black metal you are first hit with here. They share some common ground with Deafheaven sonically but are considerably darker.  They are very concise songwriters without leaving too much room to simmer in their atmosphere. Their atmosphere contributes to the sparkling melodies that are layered in here. This creates a range of emotion beyond the screams of the vocals which are much nastier than Deafheaven's more monotone snarl. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2021/02/black-metal-history-month-noctambulist.html

9-Inquisition-"Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar beyond the Celestial Zenith " 2016

The band's strongest work to date, finds them growing out of their earlier sound into a more melodic darkness. This is not to say the album is not rooted in who they are, as the way Dagon lets the chords ring out with such eerie dissonance you know who this is before being plugged into the throttling descent. Drummer Incubus marks himself as one of the best in the genre on this album as he brings some sinister grooves and really lays into his high hat. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/08/inquisition-bloodshed-across-empyrean.html

8-Nachtmystium- "The World We Left Behind" 2014

The fate of the band was in limbo when this album was made, as Judd was going through some personal issues that led him to seek out recovery. So this album carried the emotional turmoil of that time in his life and marks a new chapter for both Judd and the band. They took elements of classic metal and blended it with the more psychedelic black metal sound they made their calling card, to weave impressive songs from that stand as a powerful testament to what a great band they were. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/08/nachtmystium-world-we-left-behind.html

7-Chrome Waves - "Where We Live " 2020

This album proves black metal does not have to be hung up on blast beats . Black metal can also have some melodic vocals thrown in here and there. It might get called black gaze this time around, but the intent is still pretty mean and hard-driving despite the sonic texturing that leans in that direction. It has a depressive sound, so pretty much everything I might want from Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/09/chrome-waves-where-we-live.html

6-Satyricon- "Deep Calleth Upon Deep"  2017

These guys got mean again. This album grew on me as it throbs with darkness. It has a disdain more than anger to it. There is a groove and hints of melody. The drums are less produced than I expected. When I get into the winding riffs This album does have a rawer element than their previous work, with the guitar getting adventurous in its use of melody.  Great drumming provides the landslide for the corak of the vocals to ride triumphant upon. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/08/satyricon-deep-calleth-upon-deep.html

>

5-Tombs - "the Grand Annihilation" 2017

Any questions regarding Tombs legitimacy as black metal is cleared the fuck up right from the first few notes. The guitar tone peels your face off and leaves a bloody stain on the wall behind you. If you thought the more post-punk elements were diluting the more metallic properties then make most mistakes this part of the album is up to you as metal as it gets. Then if your tastes fall more on the dark side as mine do then you have to hang on and you get that too.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/06/tombs-grand-annihilation.html

4-Kall- "s/t" 

Living former members of Lifelover returned to come at their legacy from a more post- black metal atmospheric direction while retaining every ounce of bleakness. Perhaps not as depressive as Lifelover, but that means the bar was very high. You get the message here without the dramatics of their former glory. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/12/kall-st.html

>

3-Mayhem- "Esoteric Warfare" 2014

A band that needs no introduction as they are the un-godly fathers of the second wave of black metal. This lineup was helmed by   Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, and Attila board as well as the addition of newcomer Teloch from Nidingr on guitars. He has been playing with the band since 2011, but this is his first studio appearance. The latter helped keep the band's sound intact, as he had been playing their earlier material so knew how to blend it into the new stuff. They do not try to bank on former glory but take things in a new direction. It's important that Mayhem released this album rather than revisiting classic ground they have already tread,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/05/mayhemesoteric-warfare.html

2- Atriarch- "An Unending Pathway" 

The band's first album for Relapse Records did not find their sound dramatically altered. The biggest shift between this album and "Ritual of Passing",  is they are delving much further into the whole death-rock vibe. It's not your typical death rock where it's punk rock with a little Halloween to it, but an actual worship of death. This is black metal that just flew out of the Bat Cave. sounds like the guys in Atriarch are also not opposed to the post-Rozz Williams years of Christian death, as there is a similar serpentine slither writhing. This is a good case for darkness being just as heavy as metal. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/10/atriarch-unending-pathway.html

1-Watain- "The Wild Hunt" 

"the Lawless Darkness" is a perfect album, thus making them dig deep to write a follow-up to it. Rather than replicating what they did on that album Erik took chances and went in a darker more melodic direction that includes a dusky power ballad of sorts and a gothic haze over the less pounding moments. It is an album I returned to for the most repeat listens and endured the decade with

\ https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2013/08/watain-wild-hunt.html

pst87

Black Metal History Month- Chapel Perilous : "the Tower of Silence"

 

Things start off pretty interesting for this black metal band from Australia. Granted Australia is nothing like Scandinavia, so thankfully they are not trying to recreate an Arctic chill there. They are doing their own thing at least at first. They begin to conform more and more to the sonic uniform of more traditional black metal, with touches of melody and dissonance as more window-dressing than the focal points we heard in the first song that inspired me to dig into this album. 

"Bareshnum" is darker and throbs in a manner that almost reminds me of Nachymystium, though the intention of this band's music does not seem to be brooding in the harrowing existence of their drugged depravity. When the Deep Purple-like organ chimes in, how groundbreaking it is might depend on how much Sigh you have heard. The vocals are purposeful so they get credit for that, since in more extreme forms of metal, vocals can be an obligatory afterthought. They do begin to succumb to more blast beats and croaking about ancient ones. This leads to these guys not being as concerned with the vocals are they were earlier in the album and they form more of a hateful roar, that could have been experimented more, as they have experimented with other instruments. 

By the time we get to "Skeletal Remains" it feels like we are back to the blasting basics the first song seemed to promise an escape from. The album closes with "Holy Fire" which finds the drummer really going off in a display of double bass. But what are they doing that other black metal bands are not doing. Well, they are layering the vocals though hardly groundbreaking. I do like how they dig into the last two minutes of the song, though the rule around here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make. They can capture a mood effectively so they get credit for that. Overall however I will round this one down to an 8. While I will pay attention to their name and see where these guys go from here, this album as it stands sets the bar high on the first song and then does not live up to that for me, They are effective at holding the standard of black metal which is all some people want and those people will be pleased by this album. 

pst86

Benighted : "Ekbom"

 I like the darker atmosphere that haunts this French band's brand of grindcore. By grind-core, there is a surprising blend of technical death metal in their songwriting DNA. This keeps things spastic and unpredictable. Songs like "Morgue" prove they can make you bob your head to their blend of madness. Some songs were just pure death metal with the grindcore taking a back seat in the meat wagon for the roaring vocals and double bass to be more dominant with a more Morbid Angel-like intention to the beating they are dishing out. There is no question the drummer is an insane machine of a man, but when it comes to making this kind of music he would have to be. 

One of the more brutal albums I have heard from Season of Mist in recent months. They bring hook to their grindcore side to offset some of the craziness on "Nothing Left to Fear". It is damn catchy for music this fucking heavy. That is what songwriting is about. Perhaps it seems like I harp on songwriting at the expense of heaviness, but this album is once again proving you can have both. This album is very well produced putting them more closely shoulder to shoulder with a band like Cattle Decapitation, than the more punk-leaning side of the genre. The vocals are very deliberate and not just obligatory screaming. 

I can hear a slight tinge of Carcass to "Metastasis". The unison chant in the chorus works well, but it is not as hooky as what they have already done here. They are also really capable of ripping mean guitar solos even without the help of their homeboy from Archspire,  if you like that kind of thing. "Reason For Treason" is gritty enough and still cares about being a song worth listening to. They even cram a ton of riffs into just over three minutes. They find themselves making hard-core punches on "Fame of the Grotesque" as they mock influencers. At first 'Scapegoat" feels like it is going to be more straightforward, but they provides a smart enough twist to things.

"Flesh Against Flesh' is another example of hardcore's influence on the band. Though they throw more dazzling meth'ed-out guitar shredding at you than the hardcore bands would. "Mother Earth, Mother Whore", brings the album to a close on a darker note, though they do throw restraint out the window halfway in and blast off into a tooth-gnashing thrashing. I will give this album a 9.5, it's setting the bar for what extreme metal should be when it comes to songwriting this year. Season of Mist is dropping it in April. 

pst85

Black Metal History Month- Praise the Plague : " Suffocating In The Current Of Time"

 The Germans know how to do shoe-gazing black metal right. They make it sound evil enough. Other German black metal can come across as stiff. There are exceptions. These guys bring it pretty convincingly. Though the shoe-gazing side of the band is short-lived as the bulk of this album is in your face and mean-spirited.  "the Tide" finds them dropping down to a more deliberate pound with lower death metal vocals. This is just a passage as they are quick to throw themselves into the blur of tremolo-picked blasting. 

The more feral moments that discard restrain are not as interesting as there are plenty of bands doing this sort of thing. Take it from someone who has been reviewing black metal all month, and for over a decade, just more concentrated this month. "Astray From Light' carries an eerie dissonance to the main guitar melody that could be called the song's theme. This does translate into a doomy creepiness at times. The vocals push it further in this direction as they are a low growl. The speed is not far, behind, and the blur it creates is one of the songs' more homogenous moments. "A Serpent's Tongue" is pretty much what you expect from Black Metal that is not just a rabid blast fest. This is more of a purposeful gallop. The vocals fall where they should and are not just obligatory screams. Not that they do not have the uniform blast beats, as they come. 

"Devourer" is the definition of middle-of-the-road blackened death metal, with enough dissonance to it for me to not just become indifferent towards it. They bring back the more atmospheric sounds from the first song, though it's less black gazing in its intentions, and more centered on the scathing lashing of your ears. I can take the darkness they are peddling seriously enough, I will give this album an 8.5. 

pst84

Oldspeak : 's/t"

Sludge fans should find themselves pretty content when this album roars to life. It takes you back to the early 2000s when bands like Isis were the newest most exciting force in metal. The hype around sludge has ebbed to the point bands are not self-identifying as it much these days. No matter what this band from Ohio tells you, they are not post-doom or doom gaze they are sludge. They should be proud as they are doing a fine job of it and bring a convincing level of atmosphere to these songs, that keeps them from sounding like the raw pound of cavemen. 

There is almost a Neurosis like level of sonic experimentation with "Drawing a  Circle " being more of an ambient interlude. On "Black Static and the Great Redeemer" the vocals carry a fine level of anguish to their howls as the band continues a dreary pound. 'Precession" is more of a straightforward pounding that just finds the mushrooms kicking in sooner than expected. The weird continues to sprawl out its web of dreamy dusk. 'Ladder of Self Destruction" is a thoughtful climb, with depressive motivation. Mdway in things catch with their trademark pummeling which proves effective. 

If my LSD trips were a song they would be the last track of this album. It's a swirl of chaotic ambiance. There are the howls of vocals, and think they did use instruments to create this, but I am not counting it as a song for the purpose of this review, due to its lack of any musical coherence. It's not a negative thing, it's just how it is. I think this is a wonderful album, it takes me back to the days when sludge bands were more depressed and doing more drugs, to make something beautiful from the ugliness of it all I will give this album a 9.5 

pst83

HAMFERÐ : "Men Guðs Hond Er Sterk"

 

The third album from the Faroe Islanders continues the tradition of dark and brutal, though melodic singing also cuts through the bleakness. Perhaps my memory fails me on these guys but I do not remember the sung vocals being belted out so powerfully last time. This leads them more in the doom direction for sure. They captured a tremendous guitar sound for this album. Even on my computer speakers, it's crushing. However, the second song sounds a lot like the first with only a few nuances like the solo section to set itself apart. It is not a deal breaker for the time being, but if they go to the well with this formula too many times it will dry up fast.,

"Marrusorg' does break things up, in almost an Opeth-like manner. You can not fault them for switching it up, and there is a darker undercurrent even to the more power ballad-like portion of the song. Midway into the song the melodies begin to speak to me more. This ballad feel continues on into the next song though this brings a more Kamelot vibe, just without the symphonies. They are assembling some powerful sound but by the time we get five songs in, nothing is really grabbing me and hooking me in. I appreciate what they are doing as musicians more than I am what they are doing as songwriters. It builds up into more of a black metal part, but I would prefer more dissonance. 

They ebb back into a moodier place which works better on "Fendreygar".  The transitions on this one are a little predictable. But well done for what is going down here. After this things thankfully begin to go in a heavier doomier direction. The low guttural growls return and make a case for the fact that just because you can sing like you are in Candlemass, does not always mean you should. The last track is more of an instrumental outro than a song. Not what I was expecting but still a dark solid listen I will give this an 8.5. Metal Blade drops it in March.

pst82

Black Metal History Month - Vemod : "the Deepening"

 

This Norweigan band is not hung up on being trve Norweigan black metal. They blend more folky sounds into the ambiance of their atmospheric tension. There is a dynamic ebb and flow to their sound that allows for atmosphere in a manner that does not pigeonhole them into being just Atmospheric black metal. Sure the first actual song is thirteen minutes long, but they keep things interesting enough that it does not fade into a drone.''True North Beckons"  has a cold march to it, that builds into a buzz. I like the organic way it feels like they begin to jam out with an almost "Stranglehold" feel.  The drumming is really tasteful here. 

Then some moments take the jamming and run wild with it. Though not in a priggish manner. It would make for a fun live show, as you rarely hear this kind of exploration from a black metal band. Most of the time black metal needs to hold onto the tension and keep it in your face rather than relax from it and wander like this. 

They close the album with the massive title track that pushes past the sixteen-minute mark. The song starts off with actual singing before the growls come in. This is a different way to approach the formula. The song simmers with distant tremolo-picked guitars. It is more metal in its intentions, with jam finding another way around the black metal core it dances around. The drums help dictate the progress of this song, which finds a balance between the more droning elements of black metal and the jammy tendencies of this band that help to give this a more organic rock feel. I will give this album a 9.5, as it feels like it is a black metal album for stoners which can be appreciated. Released on Prophecy Productions. 

 

 pst81

Black Metal History Month - Acathexis : "Immerse"

 

This black metal collective features members of Mare Cognitum, Los Males De Mundo, and Sliver Knife. Meaning there are vibes from each of their lands of origin, America, Belgium, and Argentina. The guitars buzz furiously, but with a very cleanly produced tone that has more in common with Deafheaven than Darkthrone. The screams of the vocals are pretty scathing. Somewhat articulate, but more of a layer of agony than a clear-cut narrative. For eleven and a half minutes it buzzes on in a cascading drone. The vocals sometimes shift down into lower death metal tones. 

I begin to get worried as the second song sounds like a continuation of the first. Not that it is even continuing to take the first song somewhere else it pretty much stays on the same blasting buzz. It does change into more of an atmospheric breakdown in the song's final minutes, but this far from compensates for almost twelve minutes that sounds like the album's first eleven and a half minutes being recycled. If you are going to work off a monochrome sonic formula then there is no need to drag it past the six-minute mark.

Things change enough for "the Other". The vocals at times sound like someone is torturing a bird. But in the most metal way possible. The last song is almost at sixteen minutes, aside from taking the vocals into a more guttural death metal direction, I am not sure much is changing except for the tempo, which is slowed dramatically compared to the first three songs. At the two-minute mark, I had already begun to wonder how this was going to go on for another thirteen minutes. It does add blast beats, and get more intentional, but when I left this album on and let it play, what I heard was a wall of sound that ran together. I will give this album a 7. They are skilled at this sound, and the vocals are convincing and more varied than expected. This drops March 20th on Amor Fati

pst80

Black Metal History Month - Ihsahn : "s/t"

The Emperor frontman returns for his 8th solo album, taking his black metal past and running it through a wild, wandering filter of progressive rock. This is not to say there is not black metal in and of itself. The second song is a more venomous excursion in that. There are symphonic elements but also hefty syncopated punches, as his knack of labyrinth arrangements continues to create winding passages that twist and turn in odd time signatures. He is not just hitting you with blast beats, and he still uses plenty of clean vocals to contrast his impressive snarl that has not lost any of its power. This is a two-disc set that also offers a symphonic version of the album that I need to review here. There are enough symphonic elements in this version to get the point across. 

"Twice Born" is an example of how he blends the symphonic elements, without compromising the aggression. Things ebb down to a more melodic tone for "A Taste of the Ambrosia".  Midway into the song, things get more dramatic.  "Blood Trails to Love" finds him employing the kind of harsher cry that reminds me of King Diamond. One of his earlier influences. This bleeds over into the riff that opens "Hubris and the Blue Devils" which also sounds like something from a King Diamond album. Which coming from me is more of a compliment. The meat of the song is a mathy angular tenque sion. 

The is a more opaque prog sheen over the more melodic 'The Distance Between Us". It works as a song but is not as gripping as the previous songs. The last actual song and not the symphonic outro is a display of cinematic grandiosity.  I think he has proven he would be capable of scoring movies. I will give this album a 9.5, as he lived up to his ambitions. I do not think it is his best solo album, but when measured against metal music as a whole certainly more thought-provoking than most. 

 

pst79

Black Metal History Month - LVME : "Of Sinful Nature"

This project treads the well-worn path of black metal. The nuances are subtle but present.  In some ways, this is another example of how being too devout to tradition can cause uniformity, Some songs carry more ebb and flow, 'Without Light Nor Guide" being one of the more dynamically flowing pieces. The first song also felt more unique, though by the second song, the buzz of guitar created a droning blur that carried you into the album that was becoming sonic wallpaper as I typed. The vocals are a choked mid-range snarl, that does not articulate for the lyrics to be anything more than an obligatory human impulse imprinted on their sound. 

The song titles are poetic, so it is a shame the message is lost in the blur of sound. However, these guys are not the worst offenders when it comes to the song vs sound war that rages in music today. The second song is the shortest at under six minutes, and most rage past the nine-minute mark. Not sure that playing longer makes anything more effective here, but it is a common black metal trope that this project has succumbed to. Is there a creepy chill to the music? Yes? if that is all you need from black metal then this album has you covered. The drummer is talented and capable of more than blast beats, though when it comes to metal he should be. 

The eerie melodic qualities that haunt "Into Ashen Stone" give the song more of its own personality which is what this album needs more of. The drummer once again deserves recognition, for serving the songs and keeping things well-paced. Sure it escalates into blast beats at times, but not until it has already been contrasted by the song's dreary throb. The last song only retains some of their more interesting atmospheric qualities and tends to follow the more typical depressive path of black metal. However, this still aches with sonic dissonance that is pleasing to the ears. I will give this one an 8.5, they have a lot of potential and a great deal of it was realized here, I just wish the vocals had more purpose, but aside from that they create great downtrodden black metal. 

pst78

Black Tusk : "the Way Forward"

 On their new album, Black Tusk bridges the gap between hard-core and sludge. The 2016 album "Pillars of Ash" was the only album I have paid attention to by them and this was due to the fact I knew Cory from Kylesa was playing on it and I am a huge Kylesa fan. I liked that album though it felt more like fuzzed-out aggressive punk than metal. The vocal approach still owes more to punk. However, there are more metallic smarts to the songwriting that rather than unloading a flurry of drunken punches, places them more effectively and the guitar is more melodic here as well. There is more of a burly drive forward on "Brushfire" that punk in more of a GG Allin manner. I like the vocal trade-off that allows for more colors, though both are pretty in your face.

There is more of a galloping metal groove to "Harness". The vocals bring more of a chaotic punk scream this time. One thing I like about this album is that it seems they picked up a touch of the darker underpinnings of crust from their time spent with Cory. "Lessons Through Deception" feels like the jammed-out extension of the previous song. There is a more reckless rock feel than what I would call sludge. They have more in common with AC/DC on "Breath of Life or "Lift Yourself'"  than Neurosis. Motorhead is another sonic point of reference and the blown-out bass tone winks in Lemmy's direction.  When they let their punk side out on the loose, the songwriting tends to default to the conventions of that genre., It does not resonate with me much on "Against the Undertow".

"Ocean of Obsidian" is more of an atmospheric interlude than a song, which is a shame as it would have been more interesting to have heard those sounds woven into the fabric of what they do. "Flee From Dawn" is a slapper for those who miss the band Mastodon was before they went prog. The last song gets the job done in a manner that straddles the punk and metal fence. I will give this album a 9, which places it above "Pillars of Ash" as it takes that sound and fine-tunes it in favor of songwriting. This does not sacrifice much in the way of aggression for the sake of long-time fans.This album drops April 26th on Season of Mist .  

 

pst77

Black Metal History Month - Ponte Del Diavolo : "Blades From the Tomb"

 

This Italian band is doing something different. Well to an extent. Hexvessel did make a black metal album with sung vocals last year, this band is taking that and giving it a more dissonant spin. Though there is plenty of melody to be found. They are taking post-punk and colliding it with black metal. Once again, it's not the first time thanks to Tombs, but this is done with this band's thumbprints. Proving you do not have to totally remake the wheel, to create relevant new music. Their singer will use harsher accents to the vocal but generally sings with moody melodic flare. 

Things take a turn towards doom on "Red as the sex of She who lives in death". This is a logical sonic step. Over the course of this epic, they manage to find their way back into the more blasty side of black metal. However, this is only one color they use to shade the song. They stay on this darker almost more progressive path until accelerating back into the blast of "La Razza". " They take post-punk tense and make it groove before throwing against the more aggressive black metal undercurrent. They dig into this with varying levels of heaviness. This is more of a mood rather than some of the more overt artists we have covered during Black Metal History Month this year. 

It does take me a few minutes to realize that "Zero" is not the previous song, meaning that even when doing things as interesting as this band does you can still fall into the lull of a uniformity in your sound. We can blame the blast beats. Male vocals add a new color to "The Weeping Song" which closes the album more intentionally. I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me. If you like goth, post-punk, black metal or doom, this is worth your time. 

pst76

Black Metal History Month- Hail Conjurer : "Satanic Phenomenology"

 

We continue our tour of Scandinavia with a trip to Finland. Finnish Black metal tends to fall along the more raw and under-produced side of things so I normally do not dive into as much. This album falls closer to the side of early Mayhem in the noise it kicks up. The vocals often erupt from more of a croak. It has a very dark mood so that is playing to the first song's favor.  There are creepy interludes of sound sprinkled about and they are not shy about leaning into doomy tendencies. I am not sure that is as ritualistic as they think it is, but  I am fine with the vibe. 

This is almost an EP if you take away all the interludes that are almost as long as the actual song. There is almost more of a Venom stomp to the blown-out beast that is "Katharsis". It is not as refined of a song as the previous song but works for the type of midnight grave robbing they are painting with the sounds being cranked out here. I am impressed that this is not a blast fest, even though it sounds like this is being played by cavemen, it still works with its primitive charm. 

I often do not think of Celtic Frost as one of the originators of black metal despite their name being brought up all the time, but I can hear their influence on "Fiery Serpent". The last song is twice the length of the others at almost ten minutes, It is less doomy, and more like you might expect from Finnish Black Metal. Overall I enjoyed the mood this album created, it's raw and cvlt sounding but still is made of well-crafted songs, showing why not do both. I will give this a 9. 

pst75

Nadine Shah : "Filthy Underneath"

 

This marks the 4th album we have reviewed by Nadine Shah. Her first is our favorite so far. She has progressed past the point of being post-punk. There is a stark mood that still lingers around the smoother grooves she continues to polish.  On the lead single "Topless Mother" her voice feels like it is taking the role a horn section would normally occupy in the arrangement. It is not the hook fest you might imagine a single to be. "Food For Fuel' feels more interesting with its snake-charming bass line. Though the first three songs are all very effective at what they do, they just do three very different things. 

Shah does have a great voice, but her main strength as a singer is knowing where to put her voice that best serves the song which is a skill she continues to sharpen on songs like "You Drive, I Shoot". The beat is minimalist, but she makes the most of it. However, this skill alone is not enough when the instrumentation is not aiding her with an attempt to groove, which can be heard in "Keeping Score" . Sure it is better than most of what you hear on the radio these days, Taylor Swift excluded, but we have heard better from her, and that is the bar we are measuring this album by. 

"Sad LadsAnonymous" is spoken word over a bass groove, that feels like a Tricky b-side. Lyrically there is more attention to detail in the bitting commentaries she has built this album around. This is much less of a rock record than what we have heard from her in the past, as is more beat-reliant in a manner that puts this closer to pop music, just without the commercialized aspirations. She allows the moods to drone and speculate. "French Exit" has a slightly darker touch to it, that reminds me as a whole this album has not been all that darker. The mood is more of a skeptical hope. It works off a tension that never climaxes. Still her voice sounds great and overall everything typically works certainly better than most of the pop music on the radio, I will give it a 9, which puts it alongside her other albums. 

pst74

Black Metal History - Dead Earth : "Et Disperdam Illud"

It is not surprising that another Scandinavian releasing a new album has deep ties to black metal, and metal in general given the fact that Mathias used to play for Hypocrisy. He is also from the band Algaion. Given his veteran status., he knows a thing or two and had the good sense to bring in some friends to help him with this album rather than trying to do it all himself, when playing drums is not his forte. This also prevents him from having to resort to drum programming. Kim Arnell from Morifade handles the drum duties. There is not a great deal of new ground being broken, however, what he is treading upon here is really well done.

By the third song "Doom Cerulean" there is more of a mid-tempo feel and flourishes of melodic ambiance.  Interestingly, cerulean is in the song's title, as the word which looks and sounds cool, just means the color blue that is found in the sky. Not very dark in concept.  In some regards, the same could be said about what is going down here, but the purposeful manner of the execution almost makes me forget this ominous sound is just referring to the sky, even the lyrics being screamed refer to stars shining. Perhaps it is an ominous metaphor about aliens. "Swords Drawn" is more along the lines of the kind of typical black metal you expect to hear in 2024. Once again really well, and enough thought was put into it that convinced me they care about the song. 

Perhaps this is a joke and this is really blue metal, since  "Lazurite Throne" is also a song on this album, and Lazurite is blue. The growl to this blue metal classic is lower and more death metal, finding the song itself leaning in more of a death metal direction."Speaking Silence' is a more deliberate gallop that not only flows better but sets the stage for sung vocals that break the mood up and add more colors aside from blue and black. "Pyres" just blasts along with epic bombast. It hits all the places most people want, but is also not all that original. To this project's credit, the songs are not long winding droning sprawls of sound, but very purposeful songs. I think they have covered almost every style of black metal scream. They write some riffs with an eerie ring to them, which goes a long way in my book. I will give this album a 9, it sums up a great deal of Swedish Black Metal. 

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pst73

Black Metal History Month : Jordsjuk : "Råtner På Rot"

 

This band has quite a Black Metal history, featuring members of Urgehal, Djvel, and Koldbrann. They are pretty straightforward and feel more like they are from Sweden than Norway, but what they do work, as they are more riff-oriented than holding a static tension with the buzz of tremolo picking. This is just a four-song EP , but it gives you enough info to show you what these guys are about. The first song reminds me of Watain when they are in their more feral jackhammer-at-you mode. It works well enough for what it is, but not something I would want an entire album of. But that is ok because they do have the sense to switch things up and hit you with various tempos. In the fact the first song is one of the few moments where they revert to blast beats. 

Their reluctance to blast the night away plays in their favor. This is not to say that all of the songs are more pulsing, in fact, they do return to blast beats on the last, song which puts them at fifty percent. This is a better percentage than most black metal bands. It is not that I do not like blast beats, I think there is a time and a place for them. These guys seem pretty confident that they are using them in the most prudent manner. In some ways, they remind me of Marduk, in how they are almost like a black metal version of Motorhead, stripped down, with no synths or atmospherics, the vocals are a coarse mid-range rasp that delivers the lyrics with the needed aggression, but nothing above or beyond that. 

The last song is my favorite "Viva La Apocalypse". It pulls everything together and lets me know what these guys are about. There is nothing spooky or Satanic about them, but the fact that they are celebrating the apocalypse is enough for me. It goes to show there are other ways to be convincingly at one with darkness without being suicidal or satanic. Not that I disapprove of either of those sentiments, I would rather hear the angle this band takes than have some one just pretending to be depressed or down with the Devil. I will give this one a 9, they care about writing songs, and it pays off for them. 

pst72

The Dead South : "Chains & Stakes"

 One of the best modern bluegrass quartets is back with a collection of songs that finds them moving back in a darker direction. They move back in the direction of Murder Ballads. The first song gradually gains momentum as their fleet fingers dance up the necks of their respective instruments. "Yours to Keep" has some swagger in its strut, while "20 Mile Jump" is slightly more upbeat. "A Little Devil" is one of the album's lead singles for good reason. It demonstrates what is most effective for the band and finds them firing it off perfectly. Punchy accent that brings an almost rock feel to instrumentation that is clearly not. The vocal harmonies are smooth with a touch of melancholy. 

They play a more conventional bluegrass version on the song "Son of Ambrose". While they are certainly skilled at it and even then bring their fingerprint to it, it leans closer to being too straightforward for my taste. But appreciate their ability to play by these rules, as you could play it for your hillbilly grandparents and they would be prone to dance a jig. There are a few instrumental interludes that I am not counting for the purpose of this review some of them carry sonic shade I wish would have been worked into actual songs. "Completely Sweetly" is another really strong contender for being the album's best song. The vocals sit just right in the darker groove of the song. 

The ballad " A Place I Hardly Know" works really well with the regaling drunken turns of fortune.  "Cured Contessa' is about how momma loves her bacon. "Tiny Wooden Box" is another one of the singles that preceded the album, and was also wisely chosen. "Father John" closes the album with a moody introspective that still works pretty well even if it is not the album's strongest song. Will give this album a 9.5, as it finds these guys remaining consistent in what they do which is already pretty great. 

pst71

Infected Rain :'TIME"

If there was ever a band that supported my claim that djent is really just technical nu-metal, this band would lend credence to my theory. They are dark and emotive while banging out dense grooves with industrial-strength guitar tones. They do care about songs and bring a side of atmosphere and thoughtful vocals to things. The vocal hooks sometimes stick better than other times, though typically speaking Lena Scissorhands shows more spunk than most of the other female metal singers trying similar approaches. This album does feel heavier than their last, as the guitars have a bigger more aggressive edge to them. 

"Never to Return" shows their gentler side to some extent, though this is the kind of soft-to-loud formula nu-metal kept popular in the 90s. They may be taking it to a more extreme realm here. "Lighthouse" places the spotlight on Scissorhand's voice more solidly, which seems to have expanded its mastery over her cleaner singing on this album. This plays in the favor of their songwriting here. Atmosphere is used in a manner not unlike what Deftones do. With a song like "The Answer is You"  there is the chance to hear how easily nu-metal can also be connected to metalcore. The vocals focus more on being punchy than hooky here. This is done but with more ambiance on '"Vivarium".  

A more uniform bouncing pound settles into things for a couple of songs, with the mood broken up by the melodic middle section to "Enimity". I like her vocal phrasing on that one.  Though lyrically it's a little self-pitying. Yet that was a theme of nu-metal. Ironically around "Unpredictable" things become predictable, though in the case of "Unpredictable," it is more tightly written than the songs that begin to blend with its pulse. "Game of Blame" is more like a pop ballad. Despite the guitar lurking closer toward the back of the mix at times, and the more growled progression there is something about it that reminds me of Madonna. "Paura" feels like it picks up where the previous song left off when it kicks in. There is more dynamic nuance that gives the vocals more room. I will give this album a 9, as they have really dialed their sound in and she continues to grow in interesting ways as a singer. 

pst70