It will be hard for this Italian death metal band to follow Vacuous who was breaking fresh ground on their new album, while this band's debut feels more like Pestilence covering "Scream Bloody Gore". They have captured all the staples of the genre and put some thought into the songwriting as riffs slow down and crunch on the second song, and so far they have not blasted out right in your face. But their influences are easily traced as they have honed the sounds they love. They are also dark enough to hold my interest and the guitar playing is highly melodic with their solos leaning into melody rather than shredding
" Sorrrowful Dismal Bliss" leans more into the Obituary lumber mixed with "Leporsy" era Death, so death metal hipsters will love it since that is the sacred era of the genre they are drawing from. "Nefarious Scorned Deities I am Devoted To" finds them picking up the pace and following the thrashing path of early death metal. "Perrenial Dirge" follows a similar path though the vocals are not as catchy in their howling. You can hear some Slayer influence also creeping here. "Longing For Total Eclipse" took a second listen before I paid attention to it. It's marginally more deliberate than the previous song. The guitar melodies keep them from getting to the Obituary.
"Compromised Brain' races along the standard death metal hyper aggression with more John Tardy-like vocal exclamations. The riffs to "Awakening From Secular Slumber" are more memorable. The last song opens up with a more Bolt Thrower gallop, before slowing down into something closer to death doom. I will give this album an 8, as it's not the most original thing I have heard this week, and plays it safe sticking to the classics but some people are into that sort of thing and they do it well.It drops on Transcending Obscurity.
It's time for January's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights might help casual readers see what they missed and check these artists out. I am not writing little blurbs on them; I am just linking the reviews. Inclusion here 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 April 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 rock to death metal so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums of January
The sophomore album from the UK death metal band, finds VACUOUS carving out their own sonic niche that sets them apart from the pack, while not leaning too heavily on their influences. For death metal bands this can be challenging as there are staples to the genre's sound like the guttural vocals and thundering double bass that are expected, it's up to the band as to how they want to use those building blocks, and many get stuck on the sound rather than writing the songs. These guys fucked with the sound, by making interesting production choices, then builds an almost Incantation-like ambiance, but it's spacious where most death metal hit's you with a denser crunch. In doing this they freed themselves up to decorate this sound with eerie melodies.
The second song finds them locking into more of a thrashing attack. Perhaps not as hooky as bands like 200 Stab Wounds or Gatecreeper, these guys layer guitars in a swirling web of eerie melodies that is as heavy sonically as it is metal, achieving the sweet spot I seek out from all music no matter the genre. Things get even darker on "Hunger", making their head first lunge into the powerful chug it switches to even more effective. Another thing going for them is the fact the vocals have more purpose and are not just limited to the low growl, but intone other shades of anguish. "Flesh Parade" is the first song that finds them conforming closer to the classic death metal sound, this is effective since up until this point they have hit you with other sounds.
Another strength of their songwriting is they do not always feel the need to hit you with a bestial blast which makes the times they employ it in the otherwise dismal mood of "Public Humiliation" more effective. It also is the first song I recall having a guitar solo. "Contraband" wisely allows the bass to hold things down, which is a rarity as bass often finds itself being buried on death metal albums. "Immersion" has some hardcore influence to it, though is darker than most hardcore. "No Longer Human" finds a balance of deliberate darkness and animalistic menace. Overall this album deserves a 10, it's the standard by which other death metal albums are going to be measured, as they are true to the genre but with a fresh take on it. Relapse Records is releasing this beast February 28th
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This album was spawned from Sharon walking into band practice and asking to just jam. This magic of spontaneity in this experience showed her that relinquishing creative control and being more collaborative was so freeing for her that invited her band to become a part of the more organic writing process for this album. Despite opening with a more electronic pulse you can hear how things are jammed out as the song evolves with the drummer employing a greater sense of dynamic playing when given free rein to do so..
Lyrically the first two songs seem to dwell on aspects of mortality. Her singing carries a more hopeful soul to it for "Afterlife". This finds her shedding some of the more brooding introspection. "Idiot Box" moves with a more post-punk groove. Aside from a few multitracked harmonies, the vocal production is more stripped down on this album."Trouble" cruises with a slightly more introspective ambiance draping her vocals. So fat this one reminds me the most of her previous work. "Indio" picks up the pace with more of a brisk post-punk shuffle. Her vocal lines are interesting on this one. "I Can't Imagine" finds a Blondie-flavored take on Disco bringing more groove to things.
"Something Ain't Righ" makes it clear that the style of post-punk their inspiration is drawn from is the early New York-bred version that emerged in the mid-seventies. You can hear traces of the Talking Heads in "Something Ain't Right" as she asks if you believe in compassion for enemies. "Southern Life" employs similar grooves to those that powered Bowie's "Young Americans" album. Her vocals on the verses are more of a droning chant.
Her hushed vocals step closer to the mic for "Fading Beauty" The accompaniment on this one is more minimalist. It does put the breaks on the momentum the album established, but understand why she chooses to indulge this side of her emotional currency. "I Want You Here" took a couple listens in order to describe what is happening. It is often best to not overthink things, so by definition, the song is a ballad, though dynamic one that allows her to really flex her pipes and makes for a stunning listen. I'll round this one up to a 10, she makes all the right choices here. Drops Febuary 7th on Jagjaguwar
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This album is the precursor to the band's "Delaware" album. This is the first official release of this album. Not only is it more of a murkier dive into trippy shoe gaze sounds that prove this band was more than holding their own against their peers at the time, but proves that these guys were way ahead of their time. Granted the band's sound has evolved since this point and their last album was held a more tightly coiled sound with an indie rock flavor. If this album was played without knowledge of what those were you might swear it was recorded last week, and just some kids who captured this sound.
There are some moments like "Kissing the Sea" that bring Stone Roses to mind. If Stone Roses were doing drugs with Psychic TV, thanks to the surreal placement of the vocals deeper in the mix. At times they were still ironing out the balance of experimentation and songwriting as the arrangement of "Snowbird" takes a weird turn. Still, the way the vocals are used is interesting and you can hear the Cure's influence on their role in how the bass and drums interplay. There is more of the dream pop jangle to "Another Summer" which comes together with the drums providing more of a backbone for the vocals to glide over. While the vocals are less of a centerpiece than they were for the Cocteau Twins, you can hear how the band took that inspiration and went in their own direction with it
"Day Mom" is a little moodier, the darker a shoe gaze band can get the better it is for me. This is more of an opaque haze, than a melancholy that spreads with their sound. They still leave room for the atmospheric vocal melodies to work. Things get even denser with the ambiance as the vocals fall back further into the wall of sound on "Song For JJ". You can hear more about how their bass player was influenced by post-punk back then. The drummer lays a more solid foundation for "Back In Our Old Bed" but the guitars go wild with a woozy chaos of sounds. "Soapland" is more ethereal even as the drums summon underlying storm clouds beneath its fey wonderment. The vocals are faint to the point of being an obscure layer of sound in the mix. Given the changes in recording technology, their last album sounds better, but the adventurous nature of youth gives these songs some charm to show how they have evolved, I'll give this one a 9 if you are a shoegaze fan, you will want this album in your collection.
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This is a homage to George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead", as it serves as an alternate score. They have already done a similar thing with the 1920 German silent film classic" The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ". They playing a droning post-rock drench style of doom. I appreciate the mood here, which is not surprising given my love of horror, so much so that most of the artists I listen to would not be out of place on a horror soundtrack in the first place. The second track 'Refuge Resist" is more atmospheric, but feels more like a song, as the moan of female vocals haunts from deep within the mix.
"Flames Afar" is a cool-sounding piece, but it sounds more like Pink Floyd than what I would want on the score of "Night of the Living Dead" as I can not imagine anywhere that it would fit in the movie. "It Was a Good Plan" lumbers with a doomy weight as the guitar crunches down with more intention, though the mood of the song is not that dark so it feels more like fuzzed-out psych rock as it drones on. "Emergency Broadcast" is more like an interlude. "The Basement Is the Safest Place" is also more post-rock, it's not the first time this reminded me of Godspeed You Black Emperor ! 's score for "21 Days Later" . This song rocks out a little more and has a distant female vocal in the background. This is one of the album's strongest moments.
"Another One For the Fire" feels more like something Explosionsinthesky might do. It has a very ambiance and does not stress the tension found in the film, as there are no real ambient moments in the movie. I'll give this one an 8.5, I like the sounds they create and see how they are applied as score, which does give them less pressure to write songs in the typical rock format and lean into the atmosphere. I think for the project at hand it's not dark enough but as a band, they are doing good things.
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Northern Europe is invested in 80s hait metal as that is the scene most of these newer bands are coming from. This band is from Sweden. The album rolls out with a song that could have come from the Sunset Strip. The guitars lean more toward metal. There are big anthemic hooky choruses. More metal in the guitar attack than Warrant, these guys have the benefit of not clamoring for the radio playtime that the original bands from this era fought for. Bands like Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, and Ratt established themselves early on as the standard for that sort of thing, as the next wave of bands like Poison and Cinderella followed then all the bands that came after pursued one of those paths to success, they are not hampered by that kind of competition and can pull from a broader range of less radio-ready guitar sounds that we take for granted these days, since after hair metal grunge made everything more angsty. Hence, the general public became more accepting of an overdriven guitar.
With a song like "Who Said Rock N Roll is Dead" there are moments where they sound more like a Bon Jovi cover band, though they balance things out with a few more metal accents here and there. "Little Miss Dangerous" reminds me of "Trash" era Alice Cooper, particularly around the choruses. There is a little more homogenized Def Leppard feel to "Call of the Wild" that is not really aggressive enough to sell the lyrics they should have gone for a more WASP-like sound. Their guitar solos are pretty decent and capture the feel of the times. They are more convincing on "Recipe for Revolution" though if you listen too closely you might pick up on undercurrents of "Youth Gone Wild"
"Run Run Wild" sounds like Desmond Child had a hand in it, so it's impressive that there are many students of the era, though at this point in the album I begin to listen for any trace of who these guys might be outside of puppets to their influences. Not a big fan of all the layers of backing vocals they stack on the chorus, Def Leppard was normally guilty of this back in the day. This will never make it to American radio, and it's very curious what the state of Euro radio might be to play this, though their audience is clearly defined. The metal tendencies of the guitar ebb down the further into the album we go, "Hunt For Danger" reminds me of White Lion. Perhaps not as power ballad-oriented as those guys. The last two songs find the guitar taking on more of a Dokken-like strut. I 'll give this one an 8, as it devolves into more of a tribute to an era, though taken more seriously than Steel Panther.
What better way to Celebrate Mike Patton's 57th birthday than to take a listen to his best vocal performances. In picking the best I eliminated any of his noise or orchestral work, he is at his best when he is employing his sense of dynamics and wide theatrical range concisely that tells a story after all that is what singers do. I feel his best work is when he displays outright aggression to varying degrees, while still maintaining hooks and melodies so that is what the focus is here, pretty much narrowing it down to Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, Mr. Bungle, and Faith No More.
Not only is he one of my favorite singers, but these ten songs also display why he is one of the best "rock" singers though he wears rock music like a loose garment, as he employs elements of soul, country, and metal into what he does. I think these songs are also some of the strongest lyrically though his performance on them could sell you if he was just pulling his lyrics from the ingredients of a soup can. I am thankful to have seen him live in most of these projects and glad he made it another trip around the sun with us this year. So here are the top 10 Mike Patton songs.
Here's the first album of 2025. Looks like we are starting the year off with Sludge. There is some rock n roll syncopation in play at times, a crust punk ambiance that haunts the songs. "The Vulture Circles' is pretty much a punk song, though it's sonically interesting in a manner not unlike say Amebix. The vocals are a gruff bark at least for the first two songs.
They do not let up on the punk vibes with "Horizon Divides". They do keep things sharp in terms of songwriting and never just try to blitz you with speed, which is where the deliberate nature of sludge and the sonic heaviness comes in. Sung vocals also become entwined in the song. There is a more haunting passage that is the first that really touches on darker elements. 'Devil in Your Head" is pretty stompy but is not as focused as the other songs though it still works well.
The album closes with the title track which holds a similar stomp to what they have hit us with earlier in the album. The vocals have a catchy chant to them, as they dig in harder with the riffs. By the end of the song are slowing things down to an anguished doomier march. I like this album it's fun. I'll give it 9, as it's what I look for in punk. Not quite on (16) 's level when it comes to this sort of thing but a solid showing in their own right ..
The last album from this German band was more hard-core than their atmospheric beginnings, s one leans a little more into a more anguished shade of metal. There have been blurbs exclaiming how melancholy, bleak, and depressive this album is, that is all an exaggeration. The bar for depression is pretty high here, so this might end up being too happy for me, though the first song feels pretty middle-of-the-road in this regard. The vocals begin leaning more in a coarse hard-core shout for the second song, which has a more sonic brightness. The guitars do build things in a more black metal direction as the song climaxes.
They straddle the fence again between metallic hard-core in the aggression they attack "Without You I'm Just a Sad Song" with, though the keyboards, provide a layer of melody and atmosphere anchors things in a more metal direction, though I am not sure I would call it black metal as there is too much for a hopeful shimmer, yet it still works as a song. "No Graves But Sea" finds the more hard-core energy pushing the song forward with great enthusiasm, as once again empowered hopefulness runs through the sound, this is balanced out with an Opeth-like sense of nuance to the playing without crossing over into prog. But we have full-on gang vocals chiming in for anyone who doubts this is not hard-core when the drummer tries to play like he is in a black metal band.
"With Autumn I'll Surrender" crosses over in the more progressive direction. The vocals are shouted on the verse, as things become increasingly melodic. It is the album's most accessible moment so far, but it is really well written so that balances things out. Folk melodies ring out in the background. "I Was Just Another Promise You Couldn't Keep" makes me think of the more emotional hardcore of the early 2000s mixed with European metal. This goes into a triumphant halftime groove, that is not dark in any way. Though it is catchy. There is also some dynamic ebb and flow, however nothing really groundbreaking.
"Too Late For Goodbyes" has melodic female vocals in a bridge that break things up, but the song flows along a very similar formula to what we have already heard from these guys. They pull off a pretty good cover of Radiohead's "Street Spirit(Fade Out)". I'll give this album a 9, as it reaches an excellent compromise of the many sides of the band's sounds they have explored over the years, but serving the songs here first and foremost. It is not a black metal album, if you think it is, then please come back next month, when the entire month is dedicated to black metal, so you can learn what it is.
This band from France's first album released in 2012 was so impressive that thirteen years later I find myself once again listening to them four albums later in hopes they will recapture that magic when all evidence in three albums released since then points in the direction it will not, they have ranged from better than average to being an impressive black metal act, but their mission statement has been to bring a Lovecraft inspired theme to black metal. They did this on the first album by using a more surreal, shoegazing atmosphere that captured the mood but has only followed it up with music that follows the status quo even when it comes to forward-thinking black metal bands.
The first track to this album has me fearing more of the same, but the second song shows a glimmer of hope peering up from the depths of the bleak evil they should be pursuing more actively. One change with the band that influenced this is the addition of drummer Julien Deana. The rest of the band is the same line-up that recorded their 2019 album. "In the Mouth of Madness" might as well be Watain, who sounds more Lovecraftian in their more esoteric moments than the way the guitar attacks here. The sung vocals mixed in the background are a nice melodic touch but the sonic barrage feels like it holds less of their thumbprint and conforms more to the standard of black metal. There needs to be more atmosphere. After all Black metal should never conform to any standard even its own.
"Under the Sign of Koth" is a rapid-fire rager, that thrashes out with much aggression. Not that we have ever heard a black metal band do that before. Feels like a mix of Dissection and Enslaved. I'm not a fan of 15-minute songs, so it's going to take Cthulhu themselves coming out to play a bag of pipe solos to convince me on this one. There is a great deal of jamming. It feels like the song ends at the five-minute mark and what picks up from there should be a new song. It feels like the spoken segment in "Stonehenge" which might be the album's most Lovecraftian moment. They do go into a more sweeping post-roc jam, but I am not sure if it needed to be drawn out like that.
They go back to the blast beats for the last song, which has the familiar buzz of 240 bpm tremolo picking. I will give this an 8.5, which means this is more well-written than the past three albums but still does not touch the first album, however, it's pretty authentic Black Metal that sounds like they are from Sweden even if they are from France.
Normally when I read the term blackened death metaL my interest is seldom peaked as it rarely blends the two well. This band from Finland has perfected it on their third album. They are ripping fast at times but have the sense to slow down and groove. The more sonic dissonance associated with black metal can be heard in their chords, but they are also dark as fuck so that is a vibe I am about. They march into "House of the Black Moon" They ebb back and forth coming out of a faster angry part with more melodic death metal chugs. Their riffs have a catchy melodic knack to them amid the stormy heaviness. The vocals anchor things in death metal with their low gurgled growl. Sometimes it reaches up into a more anguished accent of a scream but the main vocal is growled.
It's interesting how they blend an almost Swedish flare for melodic death metal into their sound but it is balanced out by the more brutal pound of the hammering drums. This can be heard in "The Locust Scar". Midway in there is a ripper of a riff that kicks the point home. It also contrasts the moments of blasting to come. I know I lament blast beats, but they are a tool and it is all in the context of how they are used if I am going to be sold on them. These guys showed me in the first two songs they had a wider range so the brief excursions into them do not phase me. There is a more creeping shadow that looms over "Beneath the Dismal Tides". I am not sure what any of these songs are about as the gurgle of the vocals does not articulate the lyrics, but they seem to reflect the titles in the tone of the guitars. There is a more in-your-face assault here that is not a deal breaker but I think they could have used more nuance.
I can hear hints of Slayer influence in how some of the chord progressions ring out on songs like "Empress of the Dead". When the song kicks in they hammer you with a wall of guitars hacking at your ears. It's a very dense sound. There is impressive guitar playing on "The Currents of Chaos" but it tends to circle the same sonic themes we have already heard on this album. There is a more majestic march to the last song. It finds the guitarist playing to their strengths as a band without falling into a formula. I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me, a great stab at death metal. It's dark and has stellar guitar work
This might be the 6th album from the band formed by Leif Elding from Candlemas, but it's the first time I have gotten around to checking them out. Their singer gives them a more blues-based rock feel. It makes them less metal, but also creates a more Deep Purple feel, setting them apart from all the bands who sound like Sabbath. The production is very organic without being tribute band-level retro. Memorable vocal melodies and thoughts are put into the songwriting.
Things break down into more of a ballad feel for "My Hair is On Fire" There is a darker doomier riff that creeps in, which keeps the dynamics interesting. Some great guitar playing on this album for sure. "Lovers Give a Kingdom to Each Other" is another ballad, that is well written with a great deal of layered acoustic guitar gliding around each other. The vocals are more about mood than hooks, but it works for this song, not unlike "The Battle of Evermore " in some ways. Things kick in a little harder for "Being With the Dead" There is a bit of a Dio vibe going on with this one but it works well. The keyboards step it up on this song as well, and the jam-out section is a great deal of fun.
Things don't really take a turn into what we think of doom here until they crunch into the darkest moment yet on "Until Forever and Again". It reminds me of the Tony Martin Black Sabbath years. There is still a lingering Dio influence.. There is a very nuanced breakdown at the end that works well dynamically. Also, I keep hearing a gospel undercurrent to her melodies, not that they are Christian-based, just an influence I am hearing. "Notes from the Underground" is a shred fest, but they do not make shred fests like they used to so I will take it. I was not expecting the title track to be a ballad, but it's well done so hard to argue against. I will give this album a 9.5, they don't make this kind of music like they used and these guys remember that fact well.
The band's 5th album finds the band not backing down. They gained a great deal of momentum, as more emphasis is being placed in the media on women in metal. They are also Ukrainian, so are watching their country being propped up by the US to have a proxy war against Russia, which sparks some of the ire found in the first song. The second song is more deliberate and gives Tatiana more room to sing, though perhaps too much as the hooks of the first song stuck firmer in my ears. The angular metal core riffing driving "Rogue" took a second listen before I paid attention to it. Impressive technical ability trumps songwriting here as nothing sticks to you. "Tumbleweed" finds them slowing down and putting more thought into things, her ung vocals work better as the shock of her ability at harsh vocals wears off quickly. It would be more interesting if she was doing something different from what her male counterparts do.
At this point in the album they have not changed my mind in the debate between these guys or Spiritbox As I feel the latter does this better, though "Green Serpent" finds JINJER put up more of a fight when it comes to this contest, Spiritbox has a new album dropping soon, so this debate will be settled soon enough. The vocal melodies here are just less consistent than what Courtney does. "Kafka" illustrates this while Tatiana sings with alluring emotion dropping into a smoother alto ranger, she is maneuvering around the winding guitar lines rather than establishing a memorable lyrical narrative, as I had to give the song a second listen to recall any of it. Perhaps if you are a fan of the band this is something you prefer.
Progressive metal-core might be the most fitting label for this band. I do like how the guitar lines slither on "Dark Bite" and think her vocals work well here. Hardcore fans of this band might call me a "hater" of the band, which is not true, overall I am pretty indifferent to them as a band, I think a song like "Dark Bite" is what proves to me there is some merit to what they do. "Fast Draw" is less compelling and feels like whatever other metalcore band is doing., They bounce back with a more melodic moment for "Somebody's Daughter" I like the drumming on this one. Lyrically is a feminist lament, which some little girls getting into metal will be into.
The interplay between the bass and drums has a machine-like precision on this album, which makes "A Tongue So Sly" churn with the fury that possesses this song. Though take the technical aspects out, and there is not a great deal of sonic storytelling, however, they did accomplish this on the previous song, so my theory of inconsistency stands true. The title track that closes the album finds them gaining both momentum and aggression but fails to connect with me, and just feels like a bunch of riffs are being thrown at me, and Tatiana is dodging them as she tries to sing in the spaces they create. I can hear her trying to inject more soulfulness in her style throughout the album so she is giving it her best shot. Like their playing his is a well-constructed metal album that sounds great in terms of how it was produced but seems like the chaos in their playing covers the fact they are inconsistent songwriters. I will give this album an 8, so it's better than what most are doing, but short of what we call great here. Out February 7th on Napalm Records.
This project from Finland marks another entry to the hallowed halls of ethereal hot girl music. It's almost like ASMR set to brooding post-rock. The test for this album once you put its breathy sex appeal aside is the question we here at this blog find ourselves pondering frequently is this a sound or a song? If you make the argument all sounds are songs, then place rocks in your pockets and take a cold plunge. Songs tell a story, meaning there is a dynamic arch that needs to occur. This is her fourth album so she knows how to head in this direction for "Mooring' which proves you do not have to have a groove as long as you cause the throbbing of said sounds. It is not the album to put on when you are drinking coffee and getting ready to start your day but more of it's getting dark smoking some pot music. The precision begins to build and create a distant heaviness that is emotive, but I would not call it metal. In terms of heaviness, she falls between Emma Ruth Rundle without Thou and Zola Jesus.
"Nail" does find a swathe of guitar setting the stage as the drums remain more distant. Things build into more of a crunch here, but it pulses in a manner that allows the vocals to rightfully take center stage. Screams echo out from behind here but are far from the focal part. "Sungzar" has a more minimalist pitter-patter of percussion as the ost-rock guitar unfolds. They are assembled in a manner that makes the most of what these elements are doing as the vocal color the background with cooing texture. There is a more metallic guitar that rises up from this. What plays to her favor is she is in a similar zip code as other female artists doing this sort of thing without mimicking any of them. "Milk" focuses more on the shifting atmosphere as it drifts along.
"Velveteen" has a languid slither as it unfurls. Her voice curls around the song and massages it well. "The Choke" does crash into a more rock dynamic, in this way it feels more like Emma Ruth Rundle, though I like hearing her dip into her alto register more here. I don't think it's fair to refer to this as doom-gaze, as post-rock feels like it's a more honest assessment of what is being done here, things are more hopeful than not on this album where a doom-gaze band would have a heavy melancholy creating its heaviness. The last song is more minimalist in it's swirling drone. Her vocal layering helps create a hypnotic effect. I'll give this a 9.5, and see how it grows on me. If you like ethereal hot girl music this is for you.
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People talk all kinds of shit about Phil and fuck'em. His reunion with Pantera, being such a huge success is really the only middle finger he needed to give his detractors, yet he continues to make new music with this band because he loves making music which at the end of the day is the only thing that matters. The previous output from this project was more in-your-face with a hardcore feel and a grindcore edge. This sounds more like Goatwhore. In both the aggression of his vocal delivery and the gritty blackened thrash approach applied to the song. Goatwhore is a more finely tuned machine when it comes to this.
Three songs into this album and the formula is still pretty effective, but hopefully, there will be a greater range of dynamics as the album progresses. They do with the 2-minute creepy interlude ornaments. But will this carry over into actual songs? Well "Coin" does have a more throbbing groove. But could this still sound like something Goatwhore would do? I guess this is a sticking point for me since Phil is from New Orleans and he knows the dudes in Goatwhore for sure. Maybe it is a subconscious influence on him, but the vocal approach is a lot like Ben's. Perhaps this is how people who were Exhorder fans before Pantera came along felt. "Evil" feels like an extension of the previous song as the album goes in a more black metal direction.
There is more gallop to 'Hell" which is what they need to help set it apart. "Invoke" is another blackened thrasher. The riff gives a razor-sharp, buzz and the band is good at making this sort of thing but both 1349 and Goatwhore already have this covered. Though with all the Acid Bath reunion shows going on I doubt Goatwhore is going to make a new album any time soon. I do like the lyrics to "Invoke" which sells me on it. The title track is effective but does not break any new ground and this is starting to feel like a secret Goatwhore tribute album to me. The song ends on a cool riff, but cool riffs do not make or break a song on their own. The last song is more black metal, some more memorable riffs or guitar melodies would have been nice if we were talking about expectations when it comes to black metal. I'll give this album an 8.5, as it's hard for me to get Goatwhore out of my head when I hear it and Sammy is nowhere to be found. They are good at what they are doing here, and if you are just getting into black metal it's fair enough entry point, they made the album they set out to make.
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What went from Evan Patterson's solo project to explore sounds outside of what he did in Young Widows, has now become a full-fledged band. The overall sound of this album is more experimental, and Patterson's vocal delivery is more soulful and assured than what he did in Young Widow. The opening track is minimalist in how it lingers on the verses. There are some interesting drum sounds and the overall mix leans into the ambiance, by giving all the instrumentation a great deal of open space, even when things begin to come together dynamically. If Josh Homme wrote songs for Queens of the Stoneage with no radio aspirations the result might be similar.
Things simmer with the dusky blues, not unlike the back alleys Nick Cave once took you down on "Doctor Green". The slinky drone of the song accompanies Pattereson's hushed baritone here. "Fear is Here" broods over a darker mood that still does not find the band conforming to the standard rock format, though not sure it should be called post-rock either, as it's more like the soundtrack to the smokey after-hours bar rather than cinematic splendor. " A Blackout" feels more like an attempt to rock out, though it is more restrained, where rock music beats the chords with reckless abandon. The chorus kicks in more than the previous songs. Sections, where fuzzed-out overdrive is used, are mixed in a raw Sonic Youth-like fashion. They commit more to rocking out on this song than they have yet to do on this album.
There is a doomier blues swagger to "Bloody Me". It's not the album's strongest song, but it works for what it is. Then they go back into more Nick Cave mood, it's one of the shades this color alternates coloring itself with. This time around it's darker than how it's previously been used, almost like Leonard Cohen's 90s output. He covers the Beatles "HELP!", but slows things down into a smoky creep. It brings a more depressive slant to the old pop hit. This pace does drag the song out, but it's entertaining. The "Bloody Me" solo version sounds more like a Swans demo. I will give this album a 9, for it's vision and artistic direction, not an album that rocks out but an album that lurks within.
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This Polish project is churning out some interesting sounds. This album opens with a darker industrial menace before things shift into a more neon-washed synth wave sound. The piano melodies keep things from being heavy. The sparse vocals are mixed back into the churning wall of synths. The second song "Farewell at Dawn" is the middle-of-the-road synth that relies more upon ambiance. While there are still dynamics in play they do not hook you in and it feels more like background music. After a second listen I discern vocals that are buried in the mix
"Menarche" has more groove and songwriting invested in it to make it a more effective sonic investment. "Poor Homme" simmers in its 80s-soaked luster. Right now the sound is winning in the sound vs songs debate, but it's being done in a way that works for my ears. It is not until "Immaculata" that this finds songs beginning to sound the same even with the vocals becoming more pronounced. "Symphony of the Night" does not find the synths doing anything that is much more symphonic than what they have already been doing.
"Affection Paradigm" has a beat that pushes it over the edge into greatness to make it one of the album's more memorable songs. The last song however just sounds like a recap of what the rest of the album has already delivered. This feels a little more gothy than Perturbator, but it does not hit as hard, as the synth lines are less riff and more about the atmosphere, however, if you are into synth-wave it's worth your time. I'll give it an 8.5, it drops on I, Voidhanger Records February 28th.
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The new wave of nu-metal is coming packaged as metalcore, Some of it is injected with more pop than others, and you can include bands like Spiritbox, I do not care how brutally the scream for girls, remember "Roots" is a nu-metal album, so it gets reasonably heavy at the time. This band's new album's title track carries some pop hooks. It's well written. "Should Have Known Better" rides the fine line between In This Moment and Katy Perry. It's well done even if it is not the most original thing I have heard all month. I like dark pop music, so it works fine for me even with the big production and the multilayered screaming,
"Sayonara" finds them aligning with anime culture, on a very surface level. It's not quite as catchy as the previous songs. 'What We Used to Be" is moodier and a very Paramore-like power ballad, with the big arena rocking chorus. "Fuck This Party" features the singer from Clawfinger, doing the nu-metal rap-bark. It's one of the catchier pop songs. I prefer watching the video so just listening to these guys when the opportunity, as their singer makes things visually interesting, which is another similarity to Katy Perry. "Dirt on My Name" features the singer from a Siamese band. It features a similar pop-rock formula.
'Don't Call Me an Angel" fits in the same mold that has become popular for this kind of thing since bands like New Year's Day refined what In This Moment does into a more refined pop formula. This works until "Innocent' and then it begins to sound like they are just punching the clock to milk the formula. Before you to tell me that s just isn't my thing, you are only half right, as I do like In This Moment, New Year's Day, and Holy Wars. So I Need to hear more individualized personality that sets you apart as a band. I also really like Issues, and the guitar on "Unburn" hits kinda like what they used to do. However, the vocal approach on the chorus goes back to when Evanescence helped birth this nu-metal sub-genre.
"I'd Rather Be Dead" is a pop song that Davey Suicide just happens to make an appearance. There is a guitar solo that is pretty decent on this song as well. "Let Me Go" might be the album's most pop-drenched moment. I like that her vocal is more nuanced on this one. I'll give this an 8.5, it's a fun album though follows the formula too closely for my personal tastes, but kids into this sort of thing will dig it. It drops on February 28th.
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This marks the 5th album we have reviewed from this band. Each one seems to get better. They are also all stylistically different. Ranging from noise rock to sludge to death metal. This time things are more punk. Not just more punk, it is punk, well at least the first two songs are. This makes sense given the band said the recording process for this album was quick and dirty. They wanted a raw sound and just showed up to the studio and played whatever instruments they found. The third song finds the sounds beginning to be more tweaked and produced to bring out different nuances from them, but it is a raw live-sounding album.
"Dogma Down" finds them grinding into a more grunge side of punk that reminds me of something from "Bleach".The grunge vibes picked up from the previous song carry over into "Morbid Vocation". This gives the brought-throated vocals more room to work within. There is a more dynamic ebb and flow to the more grunge-tinged songs. "Halsgericht" is the lead single, and leans more in a gritty punk direction. The guitar parts have more sonic depth than your average punk band. "Pit of Guilt" finds them still kicking around in the gutters of punk. The vocals still have a purpose to them and are not just hyperactive shouting.
"Two Choices of Eternity" reminds me of Nirvana's "Negative Creep" but with a gang vocal chorus. "Face of Torture" finds them slowing things down in the verse and then getting pumped back up for the chorus. It's not far removed from the songwriting formula that has been established for this album. "Axe Death Scenario" is grittier and digs into a rowdier style of punk. They lock in a very White Zombie gallop for the last song "Cosmic Abortion". But despite narrowing this riff I like the song, it might be one of the album's best. I'll give this album an 8.5, as many of the songs carry a "Negative Creep" feel, some more than others, but this creates a uniform feel to the album's second half, even so this album is a great deal of fun, and has more thought invested into that most punk. This album drops on February 14th on Metal Blade.
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Lifelover's remains turned to Hypothermia and Kall. This comes from the guitarist who formed Hypothermia. This was where the songs that were too experimental for that project as they continued to evolve as musicians. This is the first full length of the project following three EPS. The mood is similar to what they have done before even if they are not using black metal to get there. After an ambient intro piece, it gets into "Stonerpop" which is the first proper song working off a woozy ambiance. The vocals are spoken and grow increasingly agitated as the song progresses. This song is followed by another atmospheric interlude.
"Spar" is the next actual song. Though it lingers in an experimental morass of sound. It's a kind of fog-enveloped post-rock when it manages to come together. They kept the depressive part of depressive black metal and dug into so darkly that it almost accomplishes the same thing, "Tjara" is the first song that crosses over into metal, and it's more of a post-doom. Though tormented cries are uttered from it to stay on brand for these guys. Harrowing intensity is certainly a phrase you could describe this with. "Tid' is more of a swath of post-rock sound with samples over it. Due to the experimental nature of Lifelover for a long time, I assumed they were from France when they were from Sweden.
"Andetag" is more tortured mumbling crying out from the dense ambiance. This continues to be the formula though a more metallic backbone begins to form in the song that follows it. Though it shimmers in more of a post-rock fashion. "Slutna ogon" has more of an industrial clang to it, though it's much heavier on the atmosphere rather than finding these guys trying to be Ministry. 'Se Mig" shimmers with an even more opaque ambiance. "Var vantan..." has more melody to the guitars. Most of the songs have a more minimalist approach than what you expect from a project that evolved out of a black metal band. The strum does become fuller once they slowly build the dynamics. The vocals go into more of the pained weeping Lifelover made famous.
If you were to ask me if this is more of a post-rock album or a black metal album, I would have to say it has more in common with early Mogwai, than early Darkthrone, and the last song only further proves this point. I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me. They are great at what they do, but what they do also comes with the expectations they respectfully toy with this regard. I was going to wait to publish this in Black Metal History Month since it does not drop until March 8th , but since this is not black metal, I'll go ahead and put it out there.
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I really loved the last healthyliving album, so when I saw this project was their singer Amaya Lopez-Carromero, I jumped at the opportunity to give it a listen. In some ways, it's darker. It falls outside the realm of what we define as rock music, so if it's goth it's the same way Dead Can Dance is goth, but two songs in it's lush and grandiose at times but not dark. There is an almost prog-rock climax to "A Temple by the River builds up". Her voice is even more impressive in these songs than it was in healthyliving. Scott Mclean from healthyliving plays guitar on this album. But it's not loaded down with guitars. Amaya handles all the piano, which is the backbone of the songs as more abstract sounds come in contact with it,
In fact "Exuviae" wanders in this neo-classical ambiance, and holds less hook to its melody, but she is not writing anything in the realm of pop hear. Her multitracked harmonies work well on "Burial of the patriarchs". The piano lines are not riffy like say Tori Amos or Elton John who adhere to more traditional song structures. Though this music owes more to classical than jazz, I can hear a slight hint of Kate Bush influence in how the songs hang in this hovering haze of magic. Her voice flows along this to add to the ethereal swathe of sound she is creating, at times darker modes shift into play as a dynamic, but not the overall mood of the album. The almost ten-minute "Despenaperros" serves as the centerpiece of the album.
In comparison to some of the previous songs the four-minute 'Fiat Lux" is almost a pop song. It is certainly one of the album's most well-written pieces as it uses contrasts of sonic intensity well. The final song is possessed by a more dissonant ambiance. I will give this album a 9, while I might listen to a new healthyliving album more I can appreciate the artistry and talent invested in creating this piece of sonic whimsy.
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Here we are with Udo making an interesting decision to re-visit the classic Accept album, but covering it front to back with guest appearances from a heavy metal Hall of Fame. The anthemic title track finds Sabaton vocalist Joakim Broden trading verses with him. Never really listened to Sabaton, so only weighing this against the original. Udo sounds like he can still pull off his Bon Scott-like squeal at 72. Taking some of the homo-eroticism out of "London Leather Boys" Biff Byford of Saxon fame joins to make it more about heavy metal fashion than leather culture. Byford's voice does not sound as good as it is on the last Saxon album perhaps it's just out of his range these days at 74. It's a sobering reminder that all the elder statesmen of metal are now elderly.
Mille Petrozza of Kreator is featured on "Fight it Back. He sounds like shit, and it's not Udo's best moment either which begins to make me wonder if he should not have just left well enough alone. Nils Molin of Amaranthe fares much better by bringing his Dio-like belting to "Head Over Heels". His voice does not have the grit of Udo's which makes the song feel darker when he utters the second verse. Michael Kiske of Helloween fame still sounds great at 56. as he helps tackle "Losing More Than You've Ever Had" this is one of the album's strong points, though Udo does not really contribute much. Swedish singer Ylva Eriksson lends her voice to "Love Child" This feels more like a duet wondering the contrast of their voices but works pretty well. Her voice does give things a more commercial Pat Benatar feel.
Danko Jones comes aboard for "Turn Me On". His voice has enough balls to keep things heavier. This was never the best song on the album even in its original form, so it works well enough here. Dee Snider's voice blends with Udo's well on "Losers and Winners" making it one of the album's strongest moments. Ripper Owens does not go as over the top as I expected from him on "Guardian of the Night". He can serve the song after all. The last song is a duet of " Winter Dreams' with Doro Pesch who worked well enough with the song, at 60 her voice is not belted with the same power as her early work, but I will have to check out her more recent work before making a final judgment on how her voice is holding up these days. I'll give this album an 8.5, rather hear him get back with Accept, so while this re-imagining is not something on my wish list, it's well done and there are strong moments, but prefer the original versions.
11 albums into their career, this Scottish band has a clear focus of their sonic journey. Vocals appear right from the first song though they are more of a smooth texture that sits into the swirl of sound. Things get more into their older bran of majestic melancholy on the second song. It's less pop-oriented than the opening track. If you came here wanting post-rock this is the song for you. "What Kind of a Mix is This" feels like it just spills out from the end of the lingering ebb of the previous song. It takes a minute for a guitar melody to establish the song's footing. These guys are one of the few largely instrumental bands that I like with "Rock Action" and 'Come On Die Young' as my favorites from them. I originally checked them out after reading an interview with Robert Smith where he named them as his favorite band.
The lead single "Fanzine Made of Flesh" is more upbeat, and on more of an indie rock vibe than I expected from them. But it's effective songwriting and works for me. There are some hilarious song titles like "Pale Vegan Hip Pain". The one carries a more depressing lethargy that fits the song title. It drones a bit as the chords slowly modulate. This floats into "If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others" which feels like the climax of "Pale Vegan Hip Pain", but this is not uncommon when it comes to instrumental albums. Though oddly this has more vocals than any other Mogwai album I can recall hearing. "18 Volcanoes" almost feels more like an Elliot Smith song when it comes to how the vocals are handled. As the song builds they do drift to the back of the mix.
"Hammer Room" is more upbeat, with synths working overtime to create something torn between retro and futuristic. "Lion Rumpus" has more rock n roll to it's drumming. The synths continue to color the songwriting. It feels like this is what marks the biggest change in their songwriting sounds like synth melodies drive the songs where it was once more guitar dominant. They split the difference on this song. The last song drifts off into space, which is a fitting conclusion, they do use some interesting sounds in the excursion. I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me I think there is some growth in terms of songwriting and how vocals are used here.
Off the bat what I like about this band is they pack a great deal of riffage into the minute and forty seconds, of the opening track. They have in-your-face pummelling sections that are rapid-fire but give you something to sink your teeth into and headbang a bit. Their eponymous song however is just over a minute and finds its groove about thirty seconds into that time frame. So groove is their mission statement and not really in the breakdown sense either. There is some common ground with Nails, though these guys are more punk and less metallic. The vocals do take on more of a growl at times on "Cold Steel".
They dish out a more burly Entombed-like beating on "Enemy". This less rabid approach works well also. When they slow things down they can stretch the songs out to two minutes They do accelerate up to a healthy gallop for this one It even has a guitar solo that would not be out of place on a death metal album."Dead' is more of a beating, though it finds its groove. It might have the most grindcore tendencies so far. They come closer to what you might expect from hard-core on 'Unite" which comes complete with gang vocals. They cover a song by guitarist/ vocalist Ross Hansen's dad who was in State of Confusion. It's pretty much 80s hardcore.
There is more commitment to death metal on "Hellbound". The title track is a banjo piece, that is more of an outro than a free-standing song on its own and much like covering his dad's band it's a tribute to the musical heritage that inspires these guys to not just make music that is heavy as fuck, but to keep you engaged in the songs where most bands are just going to pound you in the head with a dense sound rather than write catchy songs. I'll round this up to a 9.5, as it's only a couple of weeks into the year but hard to imagine a band putting out a heavier album, but when this drops on March 7th Closed Casket Activities, Sanguisuggabogg, is going to be heading into the studio to record their next album, which might see release before the world ends so too soon to say, though I expect those guys to land more on the death metal side of the fence this time around.
It's been 10 years since we reviewed their last album "To Your Death". They were heading in a more 80s metal direction then, and away from the retro-proto vibes, that found them lumped in with the other female-fronted stoner rock bands at the time. The opening track finds the guitar attacking with a more Judas Priest-minded aggression. In fact, the guitars do a better job of capturing this than Priest did on their last album. The mix is very raw, with the clunk of the bass sometimes rising over the drums. The second song is not as compelling as the opener. Christine Davis' voice sounds fine, just not as empassioned as we have heard from her. I can also hear a fair amount of Thin Lizzy in the guitar harmonies on this album.
"Demon's Night" lyrically does not flow as well for me. It's kind of dialed in and working off a sound they might be assured of but not as urgent as the first track which set the bar for this album. "Love of the World" finds them still good at what they do, what they do just seems to be lacking the intangible fire that marked their earlier work. This one has a more jammy feel, so some of you might be into that. "Mythmaker" has a more metallic attack with intricate guitar interplay. "Death Blade" holds fast to the 80s metal playbook, and rides the line between Dokken and the Scorpions. Which works for me.
There is more groove in the riffing of "Lake of Memory". This gives more room for the vocals to flow, making this one of the album's strongest songs. I'm not hard to please I just need things to have catchy dynamics and vocals that mean something, not much to ask. This song is moodier though, I would not go as far as saying it's darker. The last song leads off with vocals, bringing hope that the vocals will continue to have a greater purpose. There is an early 80s rock feel to the anthemic nature of this one. It kind of feels like what might have happened if the Cowboy Junkies had been a hair metal band. Overall I enjoyed this one though it's not their best work I would say it's on par with 'To Your Death" so I will give it an 8.5, as well. This album drops on March 7th on Cruz Del Sur Music.
This band features the former drummer of Arsis, which sparked my interest. Normally blackened death metal is not my thing as it tends to not bring the atmosphere I enjoy from black metal but this is not the case. It has plenty of it in a dissonant mix that makes the discordance soothing to my ears. It's not just bludgeoning hammering, but intricate songwriting with a technical aspect that is also held in check, The mix reminds me more of an album that might have come out 20 years ago. Which is fine as lots of quality metal came out then. There is a riff that reminds me of post-Vincent Morbid Angel, that crops up, this also works for me. Aside from the ambiance of this album
I do not hear a great deal of black metal in the overall sound it just feels like a darker death metal album. A surprising melody in the guitar leads into " Skies Turn to Graves". It does accelerate into a more aggressive brand of death metal. There is a sung vocal that breaks things up a bit. This album is keeping me surprised. The eponymous song is more technical in its jarring syncopation. Its dynamics dips down into a more melodic section. They come back from this with a more grooving riff. The vocals are normally in a lower death metal growl. The crunch back into more of a Tampa death metal mode for "Walking Dead". There is an almost metal core-like groove that this song locks into that is head-bang-worthy for sure.
"A Frail Demise" has a more sludge creep to it,. The song finds the vocals going into a more coarse throat roar than a growl. It reminds me of early Mastodon. Instead of prog their expansive sonic journey, hold more grit and anger. The drumming blasts a little, which could be heard as a black metal influence, but one blast beat does mean it's a black metal band. There is also a Rob Halford-like shriek that sits back in the mix, but this is far from a power metal album. The riffs that collide here are all fairly hooky. They gradually increase their aggression on this one. The last song sits on the more melodic side of sludge. The guitars take a more post-rock approach to the melodies. Sung vocals also come into this song they are more forward in the mix and less leather-clad. I'll give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, it's more of a death metal album though will appeal to fans of bands like Inter Arma, in fact, I think they do what Inter Arma does better than Inter Arma does it.The album drops March 28th, make sure to check it out.
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