HASSWUT : "Sauerstoff"

 

Sure, this Spanish band sings in German, but since this is industrial, it works. Sure, it's framed by heavy-duty guitars, but most of the hooks come from the more electronic side of the genre, with the synth lines coloring it. A great deal of industrial bands these days do not use guitar, so I will eagerly indulge in their brand of industrial that goes back to the genre's glory days in the 90s. The second song has the frantic techno edges that bring the old Mortal Kombat soundtrack to mind. Sure, the low gravelly German vocals are easy to tag as being a tribute to Rammstein, but my ears key in on the synths that make me think of Lords of Acid.

These guys are way danceier than the bulk of industrial coming out of Germany. In fact, the hi-hats key in on an almost disco feel.Four songs in, I am listening more to how they are going to switch things up, as their blend of techno and industrial is familiar enough to at least keep my attention. "Les Morts" is marginally darker; there is a little more of the celebratory feel to it that lingers in the chorus. I do like the shift into robotic vocals, even if it was just for a second; it was another color that added to the overall dynamics.

 "EMB"  finds them digging in with the guitars and offering your ears the kind of spanking expected from the more metallic end of the genre's sonic spectrum, think more KMFDM in this regard. Though fans of that band should rejoice, as KMFDM has not gotten aggressive with guitars in a decade. The last song has touches of female vocals to create a sexier effect, and it is more dynamically varied, making it one of the album's strongest tracks. I will give this album an 8.5, as they have fused the electronic elements with the more traditional industrial ones in a manner that makes this a highly entertaining listen that carries a great deal of groove. 

 

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MSPAINT : "No Seperation"

The first song on this band's new album seems more focused than what I previously heard from them, even if the rapped vocals are still slightly awkward over the noise that unfolds as the song swells to a crescendo. The vocals still steer them in a more nu-metal direction. The pace picks up on the second song, which works better with what the vocals are doing. The last time I reviewed these guys, I said they were doing their down thing, and this is still true, but polished as the production is on this album, this shifts into a more experimental version of nu-metal. I think the production on this album is the missing piece that was not present on the last one.

 Does this make it something that I am into, not really, but with better production, I can get a clearer picture of who they are and what they are trying to accomplish. The sense of groove in the songwriting is also being perfected on this album. Some of the sounds still contrast greatly, but they fit together much better here. The lyrics are too far on one side of the political spectrum, which makes them too naive to take seriously. "No Separation" is the first song where they throw too much at the wall and it fails to stick as the direction was not clear, and it came across like Temu Linkin Park. 

The vocal approach could also stand to be more varied, as the last song "Angel' works musically, but the vocal approach is rather one-dimensional and bores me a bit. I will give this album an 8.5, as it's an improvement over the previous album and I think this captures a more fully formed vision of what they what to do, it's just not enough of my thing to pull me into it, but this will open up a broader audience for them. It drops on Convulse Records May 23rd. 

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Behölder : "In the Temple of the Tyrant"

You rarely see power metal or more traditional metal bands getting much love from your regular internet news sources. It would almost make you think the genre does not exist. I am guilty of this as anyone, but for me it's more of the fact that most modern power metal bands are dark enough for me and tend to frolic a bit in their triumphant galloping. It might seem odd since Iron Maiden is one of my favorite bands, but that is how it is. Anyways, this American band is getting a bit of a buzz, so I thought I would check them out as what I have heard going ito this is that there is a doomy mood to what they do, which is true of the opening track that is closer to what Solitude Aternus does than say Hammerfall. But they do turn more into a power metal direction on the second song, which does not vibe with me as much. 

They are also a Dungeons & Dragons-themed band, which should be something else going in their favor. But the campaigns I run are a bit darker than what is going on here.  "Into the Underdark" is more aggressive, and given the subject matter, a trip into the lands of the Drow should feel more ominous. To their credit, they do mention the Drow, now waiting to hear if Mindflayers are also mentioned. No, Mindflayers, we can't have everything.  Tomi of Amorphis snarls to  "Eyes of the Deep". There does not seem to be any triumphant galloping, so we are off to a good start.  The operatic bellowing of their singer is not the hookiest, and power-metal vocal lines tend to be stiff, almost an excess of vocal control. 

"For Those Who Fell" is a more melodic power ballad, with the emphasis on power. It is pretty effective. "Draconian" might have the soaring chorus, but the beefier verses balance things out, reminding me of old Iced Earth. "Summoned ...Bound" finds them drifting back toward the doomier side of what they do. This gives their singer more room to open up and really sing. "I Magnus" is a little gloomier than your average power metal; it is more deliberate than just carefree galloping.  Pretty impressive, I will give this album a 9, one of the highest scores and an album like this has gotten in a minute. Fans of traditional metal take heed. 

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For Your Health : "This Bitter Garden"

 

This band plays an angular, dissonant style of noisy screamo. The guitar tones are organic without the processed distortion of the dense metal sound, and the screamed vocals add to the chaos of the songs. The vocals are sometimes more layered than others, with a more sung punk in the background. The first two songs run together, meaning that even in the swirling class of guitars that is their sound, there is a certain uniformity to their sound. "With Empty Promises and Loaded Guns" they are still attacking from a similar sonic place, though backing off of it to allow the song more room to breathe and atmosphere to develop to create the dynamics to explode out of.  You can hear them coming from the more emo side of the screamo equation here. 

This is the band's second album, so they know what they are doing here. Then they pick up the pace for "Gaia Wept," which does not favor their songwriting. Sure, there is a cool riff that comes in here, but the rule here is "cool riffs does not a good song make".  'Clementine' crosses over into the more pop punk side of emo, but it's tense, melodic, and brooding, which works for me. They throw themselves in a grindcore-like frenzy with "The Radiant Apostasy." They rein themselves in for the song's more melodic ending. "Heaven Here" is not the first use of a piano on this album, but the instrument is most dominant in this moment. It feels more like an interlude than a song, but at over three minutes, it is longer than many of the album's songs. 

"Longinus' finds them back in the jarring mode of screamo that feels like their true persona. I do like that they are willing to take you on a sonic adventure and color things with different sounds. More often than not, their experimentation works. They do find a few melodies for 'The Rotting Pair," though the mood is emotionally confrontational more often than not. "In the Valley of Weeping" opens with a wrathful racing pulse then ebbs into more melodic speculation. I think these more melodic part are the area they should grow into, though not sacrificing a great deal of their spastic edge. 

"Lamb Without Fold' leans more in the direction of more rabid screaming. "Your New Curse" also follows a similar direction. "Hostel Elysia" finds them at the crossroads where emo met with what would be now known as post-rock, so a more ambient form of introspective indie rock. Shimmering guitar containing the screaming is their best choice for dynamic contrasts. I'll give this album an 8.5 .  I am sure it will get some hype and coverage by members of the press prone to celebrate a band that uses pronouns, but when it comes to music with identity politics aside, they are good at what they are doing here, it's a fun album that proves screamo still has life left in it. This drops on 3DOT Recordings June 6th.

 

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Bleed : "s/t"

This Texas band takes you back to the 90s in a weird, unexpected manner.  By unexpected, this does not mean I have not already seen the writing on the wall when it comes to nu-metal making a comeback. These guys just go about it differently. The flourishes of DJs spun, scratched ambiance at the edges of their throb point this band's sound in the direction of nu-metal. There is some darker tension to the grooves that the vocals coo over. The drummer is really slapping his kit as needed, and the electronic elements ebb and flow into their sound pretty seamlessly. 

They cost into more of an intense shoe-gazing for "Through the Cylinder". There is the bouncing stomp of the nu-metal that makes a slight return on the heavier riffs of "Killing Time," though the verses are more dedicated to melody. The screamed vocals are in the background, and just jump out like a man in a mask trying to scare you at a haunted attraction. This album is more atmospheric and moody than it is dark. By the time we get to "Marathon," the more Deftones-like formula leaves less mystery. "Cynical" finds the drummer locking into a more nu-metal vibe, with the vocals as the only element to break from that, though the guitars are not super low tuned and more of an ambient element than crunching. Though they do come together in the second half of the song to dig in before the bass line takes over. 

Things get heavier for the explosive moments of "Enjoy Your Stay". The drummer is pushing the song to where it feels like a car careening out of control. "Slip" finds the vocals getting into more of a pocket with the groove, though they are generally another layer of ambiance. There is an interesting breakdown, but the song is one of the album's more straightforward moments. Based on what I have heard of the new Turnstile, I can hear these guys being the less poppy alternative. Then the switch things up the most yet with "Shallow," which is a wise move as things were becoming a bit uniform. "Take it Out" is the most riff-oriented song of the album. I think the way this album is produced plays to the song's favor.  While they are doing a certain sound, they care about writing songs, and are different enough to stand out, this all boils down to a really fun listen that embraces nostalgia without being weighed down by it, I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me. 

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Dead Rabbits : "Redefined"

This is a side project of Escape the Fate vocalist Craig Mabbitt. It leans into the twisted side of metal-core influenced pop that bands like Pierce the Veil and Bad Omens dominate. You can throw Falling in Reverse in the pile of artists who share a similar style as the big-sounding glitch-driven pop rock, that is more aggressive in attitude than what the guitars are doing. "T/R/A/P/P/E/D" is the lead single with enough pop hook to make me want to check out the entire album. Craig's vocals lean in the direction of what sounds like he is trying to sound like a teenage boy. Granted, youth is the current this sort of thing connects with and certainly the target market. I hope they cover a wider range of sonic textures as the album progresses. The arena rocking the album starts off with is fun enough, but bound to run out of gas. 

By "Oxygen," up until the screaming comes in, they were beginning to sound like Linkin Park. Nu-metal is what this sort of thing is rooted in; some vocals are almost rapped, which is where they share more common ground with Falling in Reverse. Even the growled vocals do not make this heavy. Though for my ears, that is the point of what is going on here. "Crowned Clown" thumps with a grooving guitar that is dialed back to leave room for a more brooding vocal, which has a great deal of melodic appeal. The vocals were obviously the focus of their session and given the most love in the studio. There is a guitar solo that works better than expected in the last minute of the song. 

"Hellscape" seems more invested in being a metal song until the vocals come in on the verse. Despite the teenage vocals, the song is a little Stitched Up Heart's singerAlecia Demner and Wednesday 13 appear on the track.  They continue further down into nu-metal for "Mistake". It ebbs out of a soft to loud dynamic with the more melodic pop verse, building into an anthemic chorus. The emphasis on vocal hooks makes a strong case in their favor towards this approach. " Misleading" follows this formula as well. It works better than their attempt at a more thrashing attack that leaves them sounding more like My Chemical Romance on "Understand". 

"Redefined" works well enough."Meat HOOK" has more of nu-metal's hip-hop undercurrent. It has a catchy groove, so that works in its favor. "ConsPIRACY" closes the album. There is nothing new introduced; it basically sums up what this album is about. I will give this album a 9, as they excel at what they do and make it catchy enough for someone like me who is not really into this sort of thing derive some entertainment from it. 

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Viagra Boys : ""viagr aboys"

The Swedish punk band wastes no time making this work them up into more of a frenzy once they get to "the Bog Body."There are some melodic elements in the chaos that touch on a similar avant-garde pop style as Xiu Xiu.  They keep their hooky sarcasm cracking off lyrical observations in sharp humor that fuels the disco beat of "UNO II".  The topics that are subject to their lyrical scorn veer from the news to health care on "Pyramid of Health," which carries a bit of a country twang.  It recalls some of the alt-rock classics of the '90s. 

"Dirty Boyz" has a more Rolling Stones-like swagger. Midway into the song, it takes on a more manic electro groove that buzzes with orgiastic delight. "Medicine For Horses" finds them letting up on the rock intensity for more of an indie rock ballad. This is a noted shift in Sebastian Murphy's vocal style that finds him continuing to mature as a singer. While it works off a simple, sedate beat, it proves to be effective. "Water Boy' has a 90s Brit-pop like it could be a Blur song. 'Store Policy' brings more of a confrontational energy. The production begins to experiment and bring more sounds into the mix as the album progresses, taking them out of the realm of punk.  Once flutes arrive at the party, it's not punk is a good rule to follow. 

"You N33d Me" is lyrically crazy, though not the most dynamic moment of the album, as it settles into its noisy groove. "Best in Show Part IV" When a saxophone enters the chat, you know your song is turning into a jam. "River King" closes the album in a rather unexpected manner, as I would not have predicted a ballad. More brass colors the background, to give this a more hopeful feel than if they had taken a darker Tom Waits approach to things. Overall, this album continues to show growth and is a great deal of fun. I will give this album a 9.5. I have a feeling it will continue to grow on me with each listen.

 

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Haxprocess : "Beyond What Eyes Can See"

 This Jacksonville band is trying to prove there is more to Florida death metal than Tampa. They, however, lean pretty heavily into the influence of Tampa Death Metal, making this a moot point. The riffs wind around and tighten into well-coiled grooves. Where they seem to differ from the Tampa bands lies in their tendency to jam the songs out. The first track is eleven minutes long. They hit you with a more aggressive blast going into "The Confines of Flesh". They do find their groove on this one though it is not as catchy as the first song. Still, they manage to jam less when angry, and this one is only nine and a half minutes.

The vocals are the obligatory low growl. It is puncy in delivery, so it works well enough. They throw in a ton of guitar solos, so if that is your thing, this will be up your alley as at times it becomes a shred-o-thon. While there is some finesse to what they do, there is not a great deal of dynamics or variance, until it is time for a guitar solo, then they sometimes change up some of the sounds to set the stage for it. Thus, by the time we get to "Thy Inner Demon Seed " the moments they do switch, it is just enough to keep it from being too one-dimensional. If you are into guitar histronics, then it might be even more impressive as they are skilled at their instruments. A higher, more black metal vocal does chime in on this song to break things up a little before the band pays the most tribute to Morbid Angel yet at the song's close. 

They close the album with a 13-minute epic. The vocals switch into a higher sneer. They did need to switch things up vocally, so this plays to their favor. When they pour on the speed, things do not go better for them. The darker, more melodic section in the middle of the song is the most interesting, though even this deviation follows a bit of a formula. This album is full of great guitar playing, and the drummer gets the job done but sticks to the guidelines for the genre. As songwriters, things wander a bit, and their influences are generally worn on their sleeves at all times, so I will give this album an 8. It was really well done and masterfully presented from a performance and production standpoint. This drops July 25th on Transcending Obscurity Records. 

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Ghost : "Skeleta"

Lets look at how all of the previous Ghost albums I've reviewed have scored...

"Phantomime" 5, "Impera ' Scored a 4, Prequelle 5.5 Popestar 4, "Meliora" 7.5" Infestissumam" 3 

We will say they have averaged out to a 4.5. Needless to say, my expectations are low. I think the fact they make a turn further into pop with each album even has the music press that was cuckolding for the industry and not saying anything if they can't say something nice. But I will tell you how it is, so let us dig into this. 

 The opening track sounds like Journey. "Lachryma" is a much more effective song, and perhaps the best song since "Rats", which is the last song I liked by these guys. The guitars are often very Dokken with a couple of riffs that sound like post-"Reload" Metallica. "Satanized' was the lead single, which is a little too happy given the lyrics. However, it sounds heavy as hell if you compare it to the dreadful ballad "Guiding Lights," which makes even Styx sound heavy. 

'De Profundus Borealis" sounds like the Dream Theater power ballads that I am also not a fan of. Much like Dream Theater, his singing makes it hard to get through the songs. "Cenotaph" feels like the wrong turn many prog bands made in the '80s. Not the worst song on this album, but not the best either."Missilia Amori" almost sounds like a joke. It also sounds like it's right from the 80s. "Marks of the Evil One' sounds like the filler Europe loaded their "Final Countdown" album with to support the one song. Some of the guitar solos on this album are decent, but not good enough to take this album seriously.

"Umbra" is driven by a riff that sounds like Ratt. The cock rock is really dialed up for this album.  Even with the cow-bell this song is better than the power- ballads on here, but sucks when you compare it to even the worst song on the last Ozzy album. 'Excelceis " closes the album with one of the worst cock rock ballads you can imagine. I will give this album a 5, so it's not worth owning, and was hard for me to make it through, but maginally better than their average album.

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Billy Idol : "Dream Into It"

 

Cyberpunk might have been the last Billy Idol album I paid great attention to. I heard his guest spot at various points, so I was under the impression his voice had held up over the years, better than what the first few songs here are pointing towards. Though when it comes to his verse on "77," he sounds fine, so I am not sure what was going on with the mix, or on the ballad that opens the first song, where he is singing in a higher, more fragile register than what he is known for. I could care less about Avril Lavgine who duets with him on this one and don't like how far back he is mixed behind her.

Billy sounds better on "Too Much Fun" but the song is a little upbeat for my taste. I am not sure about him doing pop punk, it's a weird reversal for him, as he was a former punk rocker who made pop in the 80s. But pop punk feels like pop artists who are trying to be punk to me. Things begin to sound more like what I want from him on "John Wayne", though when he sings in this register he voice sound older than it did on the previous song, so not sure what is up with this , if he sings lower then he is on more stable footing. Allison Mosshat from the Kills joins him here. 

The more introspective "People I Love" feels like some of the shakier ground Iggy Pop was on in the 90s stylistically, but his voice sounds pretty good for his age on the chorus. "Gimme the Weight" has more of an 80s feel, and his voice sounds great, so this feels like what he needs to be doing these days, as it's true to what people want from him without being encumbered by it. As it stand right now this album is at times vocally inconsistent, but there are strong songs like this one that help balance things out. 

"I'm Your Hero" is a little more soulful than what you might expect from him. Then we get the more Leonard Cohen like whisper on the verses, which is not where he sounds his strongest. Thiey bring back the 80s sounds for "Still Dancing' which is where his voice needs to be when he is singing in a more reserved voice rather than belting it out, in other words it finds the smae effective dynamic formula as the song "Rebel Yell". I will give this one an 8.5, due to the un-balanced vocal performances, I think he needed some one at his shoulder to tell what works best as he proves he is still very capable of delivering the goods in this regard. 

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Machine Head - "UNATØNED"

 

11 albums in, we are 10 albums past the point of letting freedom ring with a shotgun blast. We do know we are into some big, dumb metal for the masses. To their credit, I think Gojira's more mainstream shift was due to the band being influenced by these guys, and if there is any justice in the world, these guys would be just a big as Gojira or Lamb of God. The opening track is pretty much dense nu-metal, which has some shredding mixed in to their post-thrash persona. There is a more solid head bobbing groove to " Unbound". I am halfway into this song when I realize that this was the first single from this album I checked out, but it works better than the context of this album. I guess I am braced for it. 

"Outsider' is more melodic. If you asked AI to write a metal song that was radio-appropriate, I would think this is close to what might come out. It's heavy enough to make you feel like you are listening to metal. But colored with slick production. I am also into Spirit Box, who might have made an overproduced album, but still worked. And for some of these songs it works, 'Not Long For This World" being one of those moments. When they try to go harder than who they are in the present day reality, it might be at times awkward, like their more Slipknot homage that is "These Scars Won't Define Us".  It could be argued these guys were doing nu-metal before Slipknot, but they were not doing it like this. 

I got excited for the darker sounds going into 'Duskmaker', but it's just an interlude. "Bonescraper," which follows it is more of a nu-metal anthem. It is also pretty radio-friendly. "Addicted to Pain" is another that follows Slipknot's formula perhaps too closely for my tastes. "Bleeding Me Dry" is a respectable willingness to experiment, though I am not sure if the execution is perfect, however, it may just be the production choices. They try to remember back when they were thrashers on "Shards of Shattered Dreams," but they are too close to Slipknot's zip code with the big radio chorus to get there. I am not sure why they needed to end the album with a power ballad, but that is where we are. I will give this album an 8.5, about on par with the last one. They are good at what they are doing and if you like big dumb mainstream metal, then this is for you. Not my thing, but I can listen to it subjectively enough and enjoy some of the songs along the way. 

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SKUNK ANANSIE : "the Painful Truth"

 One of my favorite bands from the 90s, who in America were always a best-kept British secret. In my mind, they will always have to measure up against their 1999 album 'Post Orgasmic Chill". Skin's vocals are still on point. I think 'This is Not Your Life" proves this point better than the opening track. Then by the time we get to 'Shame," things have mellowed into a shimmering pop pulse, with electronic elements becoming hard to decipher from where guitars are plugged into amps, and the end result is a song so good it does not matter much to me how they got here. However, if you need this band to still be the precursor to nu-metal, things have changed.  

"Lost and Found' could have been plucked from a musical. Her voice waltzes over a piano line that moves more with a simple pop beat beneath it. They gain more momentum when the guitars tease a chorus. I listened to "Cheers" three times before the more simplistic rock approach clicked with me so that I paid more attention to it. The pace gets more energetic, but nothing is really hard rocking here. 'Shoulda Been You' has a dub-tinged feel to its reggae-inspired time signature on the verses before it brings a more proto-punk feel to the chorus. There is a pop feel to the dramatic 'Animal," which could just as easily be a Lady Gaga song, but it feels pretty effective here. 

There is a 90s feel to the guitar riff that gets "Fell in Love". Skin's vocals floating around it, as the chorus finds things getting weird in an almost David Bowie-like manner. The electro pop of "My Greatest Moment" creates an interesting atmosphere that is not going to be found on the radio in America since it's not garbage.  "Meltdown" is an odd choice to close the album with, as it's more of a ballad. I'll give this album a 9.5, as Skin has gathered the guys and made an impressive pop album which is not what I would expect from this band, but is still reasonably true to who they are. 

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Song of the Week-WARGASM's "Vigilantes'

 

If Mindless Self-Indulgence were to rapeDie Antwoord during an alien abduction somewhere on the Zeef-side, then the results might be this band. They are the kind of crazy I love. Actual instruments are being banged on; they have done the rock festival circuit a few times over, so they are not names you won't recognize. I know the trend is for bands to sometimes just release a string of singles but I hope this is foreshadowing of an impending full-length. But if so, it would not drop til June at the earliest, unless they have the worst press team ever. They call themselves angry music for sad people, and I don't get where the sad is in this equation, but it is so good I am not questioning it. 

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Miss Lava : "Under a Black Sun"

You never know where your next favorite new band might be hiding, so I try to check out at least one track from every band in my inbox, so give fate a chance. The "Under a Black Sun" track hooked me in the first few minutes, so I decided to check this one out. Melodic vocals that carry a trippy drone as they ride the bass line are a staple of their sound. The chorus kicks into a fuzzed-out stoner rock rumble with some Sabbath infused weight behind it. This makes me think of bands in the 90s that came out after grunge who struck big, who might have been on the more metallic side of things, so they merged doom with the loud-to-soft formula that Nirvana made popular. The Portuguese band finds itself in good company in this approach. 

The throb of "Neon Gods" is catchy and sets the stage for the groove that possesses the verse for the vocals to drip Alice In Chains-like harmonies over. The vocals belt out more aggressively for the chorus to make the most of the dynamics. "Eye Evil Eye of a Witch" finds the vocals beginning to create a uniform feel to this album, and putting the band in a position where they need to switch things up a bit in this regard to keep my attention. Granted, you could argue there are bands such as HEALTH or REZN, who have one made of vocalist that defines their sound as well, but I think the vocals for those bands are more of an atmospheric layer that provides perhaps more of a hook. In other words, it's not what you do but how you do it. 

The minute and fifteen seconds of "Chaos Strain" is a more punk moment, but when a band veers greatly from their sound into something like this that feels out of character, it always makes me wonder what the point was. It seems that the drummer wanted the momentum to carry over into "Woe Warrior". This song, however, has more going on than flows from the whole of what they do. "The Bends" is not a Radiohead cover, but a song that is more like a grunge version of Queens of the Stone Age. You think that would be Kyuss, but this comes across differently. The darker, palm-muted tension of 'Fear in Overdrive" makes it one of the album's best songs.

The Alice In Chains comparisons grow stronger on "I Drown". The album is also produced in a way that captures more of a '90s sound. "Blue Sky in Mars" moves a little differently, and the guitar melody is not your typical Alice in Chains minor key ambiance. It feels more like "Load" era Metallica to me. 'Elara" is more of a song than an interlude, even though it features female vocals and is only a minute and a half. Then we know the title track that closes this album is a banger, as it's the reason I decided to check out this album in the first place. I will give this album a 9, it's a solid grunge grunge-tinged album that would be great for long sessions of bong worship. 

 

 

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PUP : "Who Will Look After the Dogs"

 

The band's 5th album finds them instantly kicking into the noisy brand of pop punk that owes more to Weezer and the Get-Up Kids than Blink-182. Their dense, rough-hewn guitar tone would have still been radio-ready in the '90s. The lyrics are just as clever as ever. They began experimenting with the layers of sound and were not attached to one mix for the entire album, as they let the bass slide up closer to front and center on "Concrete". Guitars jangle and shimmer in equal measure throughout a song. 

"Get Dumber" has a more clanging rock feel. It is pursued with a punk fervor. "Hunger For Death" might be the album's best lyrical narrative. There is an undercurrent of the 1950s doo-wop running through it. "Needed to Hear It" shows how they put the songs first and allow space for the vocal melody, and can do so without compromising the more abrasive aspects of their sound. "Paranoid" is a Black Sabbath song, but a more furious punk song. "Falling Outta Love" finds the vocals sitting back into the guitar as more of an effect; it is another song that finds the underlying influence of early 1950s pop as an influence. 

"Cruel" finds more rock n roll flowing through their veins, as the bass line anchors the song during the verses. The album is pretty fun and high energy, which is what you want from this sort of thing. Some songs like "Best Revenge' work of their sheer lyrical charm. "Shut Up" really winks in the direction of the Get-up Kids. I'll give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me, but it's a lot of light-hearted fun for the broken-hearted. Out on Rise Records. 

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Youth Code - "Yours, With Malice"

 The opening track of Youth Code's new EP was already one of our songs of the week last month, so you know it's a banger. It brings newly refined sounds that are topped off with a vengeful hook.  So the question I pose for the remaining four songs is, can they measure up to this bar that has been raised for them? Sara Taylor's angry snarl is chanted like an apocalyptic cheerleader, in a similar style and cadence as the previous song. This, along with the fact that the bouncing synth sounds are not far removed from what they already hit you with, creates an almost "Pretty Hate Machine" feel.

On previous releases they felt more like a militant version of Skinny Puppy, so this might be more neon lit, and not as dark, as say 'A Place to Stand' They employ more dynamics on "In Search of Tomorrow" despite Sara scowling with a similar disdain as she employed in the previous song, though they end the ditty with some interesting sonic choices. There is more of a groove to "Make Sense." It also finds them moving in a more spacious and shadowy cyber world of sonics. This added ebb and flow of sound plays to their favor. It also provides more contrast to Taylor's powerful declarations. 

"I'm Sorry" might be the most aggressive song so far, as it seems to match the opening track in sheer intensity. It kicks at you with a more frantic rate of BPMs. The layering of synth sounds is more complex, almost bordering on chaos.  I really enjoyed this, as with most of my reviews here, you are getting my first impressions. The song "Wishing Well," which bears similarities to the first song, will just take additional listens for me to process, so I will go ahead and round this up to a 10.  This is coming out May 16th on Sumerian Records. 

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Hate : "Bellum Regiis"

 

Yeah, I know I just covered Behemoth, but I wanted more death metal in my life, so here we are with this Polish band. The vocals are phrased and delivered that has marginally more menace than Nergal's similarly purposeful delivery. They have a big production value sound. There is a faint hint of black metal hanging under the riffs. There is a precise and premeditated hammering to the second song where "The Vanguard' sweeps into and finds a more technical approach in the arrangement rather than throwing a bunch of notes at you, they switch up how you are going to be hit with them. They obviously know what they are doing. 

It's on 'Ghost of Lost Delight' that everything begins to sound the same to me, so I have to take a break from the album. Maybe I am just tired and need to come back to it later. I come back to it, and I'm torn if these guys are jumping on the Behemoth bandwagon, or if this is just how metal from Poland sounds? To their credit in either scenario, "Perun Rising' works and is the best song so far, so a break from these guys is what I needed. The state of mind we are in when we consume music obviously affects our perception of it. 

Looking back, I should have put a few more metal albums in between listening to this and the new Behemoth, but here we are. For both bands, pouring on the speed is not the best course of action. The last three songs all began to bleed together for me, so I had to give a re-listen with a fresh set of ears to break things apart. "Alpha Inferni" starts off more deliberately before racing away with the double bass. The main riff is pretty cool and anchors the song a bit. Some punchy accents ebb back and forth on "Prophet of Arkhem" that break the overall mood a little, and after a few listens, it grows on me. The syncopated sections on this one are pretty effective.

 The rapid fire blast of "Ageless Harp of Deviltry" loses the album, coming out of this blistering attack, it finds the band having to find its footing to transition out of this in a manner that flows. Overall, it sounds great, and they maintain this huge majestic sound for the duration. I will give this one an 8, as they know what they are doing and can bring you into their work, even if some of the landscape might seem familiar. Out on Metal Blade May 2nd. 

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Propagandhi : "At Peace"

 

There are weird contradictions in life. One of them being for someone who does not like political punk, I do like this band. Perhaps it's because they are from Canada it hits differently. They have a brooding metallic edge to their sound that is perhaps brought out even more in the production of "At Peace," which is the band's 8th album. The title track finds the urgency of the vocal opens the door for taunt, thrashing riffing, not is not a far cry from Bad Religion. I think the fact that they are so technically sound as musicians rather than guys banging four chords helps factor into why I like them so much. 

"Cat Guy" is the lead single from this album and was last week's song of the week. It's a great song, and Chris's voice sounds great. There is more of their metal beginning present in the riffing, though through the matured filter of age. "No Longer Young" is driven by a riff that feels almost like Dokken, though their palm-muted guitar attack is air-tight, and no whammy bar solos are flying out of the smoke machines. The mix is a little dry on the computer speakers, so throwing on some headphones to see how it sounds. Yeah, headphones bring out the guitars. "Rented P.A." has a cool groove that reminds me a little of Maiden's "The Prisoner". 

When they started as a band, they wanted to be a progressive thrash, well, you hear the Rush influence bleeding into "Stargazing". I am not sure I would call it punk, but it's good music. The vocals are still really upfront and center of the mix, even with the headphones on. They lean more into their rock n roll side with "God of Avarice". There is the first hint of a guitar solo on the break here. It's more of a melodic nuance, but it stands out, though it does not stand out on the monitor. "Prismatic Spray" has more of a Judas Priest feel, though the drumming is more progressive. "Benito's Earlier Work" is a little more brooding and certainly more thought-provoking. 'Vampires are Real' gets back more to thrashing. 

"Fire Season" is darker and more deliberate, which sets up the song to take off into an even more impressive gallop. There is an actual guitar solo going into "Day By Day," which is more of a proggy rock than a prog rock song since there are no synths or odd time signatures. But this is way more complex than punk, yet it flows well.'Something Needs to Die, But Maybe it's not You" closes out the album in epic fashion. This might be the best metal album released by a band that's not metal this year. I will give it a 10 hands down. Of course, it's being released on Epitaph.   

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Knives : "GLITTER"

 

The cool thing about the nu-metal revival is you never know what the next batch is going to sound like. This band from Bristol takes punchy rapped vocals and slams them against a noisy racket of guitar clanging in a misshapen groove. They certainly got the more explosive elements down. The raps are not the Adidas-clad b-boy posturing, but are raw and honest. "I Hope You Get It" has a little hard-core influence, but bands like Korn and Deftones originally came from the hardcore scene in their early days, touring with bands like Sick of it All, Glass-Jaw, Thrice, and Will Haven. 

There are catchy chanted choruses that are more of a cheerleader feel than being a gang vocal for songs like "Eat Thy Neighbor," where you can also hear the influence of bands like Idles. "PHD" has a good deal of chaos being stirred up around it. They hammer you pretty hard in places before throwing a bouncing breakdown at you. Several members of the band are lending their voices to this album, with the rapped vocals as the main narrative. It does add some interesting sonic colors to the bigger picture of what they do. If things were just left to the main vocalist to carry the songs, it would feel one-dimensional.. 

 "Public Juice" finds the angular groove becomes more frantic as more noise is thrown in the mix at varying points. The album is organic in feel, yet they have captured some very unique sounds with a very dense mix of sounds dumped into these songs. "Post Macho" has more hook and groove to it, which plays to their favor, even amid some of the more abrasive aspects. "ULTRAVIOLET'" finds a more kinetic guitar riff jerking you around. You Think You Know" is more urgent in its uptempo drive. Sure, things get noisy, but these guys are doing something more involved than noise rock. The last track is more of a melodic jam-outro than a song, since it does not have a story to tell lyrically or compositionally. I will give this album a 9, despite being unsure how much I will actually listen to it, I think they are fairly original despite bringing a familiarity in the sonic colors, the work with it is more about how they arrange the pieces

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Caronte : "Spiritvs"

This band from Italy plays a brooding style of punk that owes a great deal to the Misfits but indulges in more rock n' roll roughhousing and is less inclined toward hooky choruses. It wasn't until I was done with the album that I realized we had reviewed their "Codex Babylon" album previously, so this band is not new here. This album is better than that one.   A slight vibe brings Murder City Devils to mind, though with more guitar solos dripping from the cracks in the songs. There is more of a doomy rumble to the stomp of " Aiwass Calling." I can hear some Fields of the Nephilim in the husky grit of the vocals. He belts it out pretty well. 

They give a straight-up rocker for "Sagitarius Supernova".  It hits with a very forward charge. The most punk moment so far, they were riding the line between punk and metal on the first two songs. "Antikristos" finds his baritone mellowing into a more Leonard Cohen-like croon, though they use a similar sonic bluster as they did in the previous song. The raw style of the songwriting might be an acquired taste, somewhat similar to the early Grave Pleasures albums.  "Beyond Death' finds them in a more darkly throbbing rock n roll direction, with the vocals sung with less husk to them. 

There's the 'Twin Peaks " reference in the title "Fire Walk With Me" that makes me think things are going to have a darker noir feel, but instead they work over a doomy wall of guitar clanging like a bell at you. The seething pulse is in the sonic zip code of Urfaust, which I can appreciate, and the vocals are buried in a cavernous reverb. I read a review where they were asking why these guys were not as big as Ghost, and the answer to such a naive question lies in the production and lack of poppy vocal hooks. They are also jamming this one out into more of a drone.  The last song is more rock n roll but does not do a great deal for me. I already have the Devil's Blood if I want that sort of thing, I will give this one an 8.5, I like the souindd of what they are doing, and that they are dark, but they could use some more polished songwriting as vibes only take things so far, but the vibes they have are fun. 

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Behemoth : " The Shit Ov God"

 

I like Behemoth, but they are inconsistent. Their last album was great, but the two before that got a great deal of critical praise but were not worth the hype. I think they peaked with "Evangelion". Though they are getting back to an older, more epic death metal sound with this album, so perhaps this course corrects with a payoff. I think they are better as a death metal band, and the larger-than-life sound does not work for black metal, as they are often not atmospheric enough. I appreciate the more melodic notions that haunt "Sowing Salt." 

The title track is massive and dark, with a great deal of purpose to its waltzing stomp. Nergal's vocals are typically very deliberate, rather than an afterthought, which is one thing I have always liked about them. I think the vocals work really well here, and their songwriting feels catchier on this album so far. "Lvciferaeon" works pretty well too, it's not as catchy as the previous song, but is not just guitars hammering you. There is more of a black metal feel to "Drown the Svn in Wine." That said, it's more aggressive but not as catchy as the previous songs. There is more of a throb to "Nomen Barbarvm." This leans the song more in the direction of black metal. 

"O Venvs Come" is darker with its creepy mid-paced march. In terms of dynamic songwriting, it builds on the ever-aching pulse, with the drums controlling things rather than a clear-cut verse-chorus framework, but still manages to work. The last song finds the momentum shifting into a double bass charge as things accelerate into a more aggressive speed than the previous song, though it's not as interesting. This is not to say it does not work; I prefer the mood of the previous song, but their fan base should dig this one as well. I will give this one a 9.5, as it works for what they do, it's as big and epic as their earlier work, and delivers what you want from these guys.

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Incite : "Savage New Times"

 Max Cavelera's step-son Richie grew up around this, so it makes sense his band sounds like a harder-core take on what Sepultura did. This finds them in a darker, more Sick Of It All style of the genre, which is very well written. A more Power Trip-like is thrashing to "Feel This". "Just a Rat' feels like something Pantera would do on the verses. The choruses get heavier and work for what they are doing. The more Pantera-like feeling is also present in the vocal delivery for " Chucked Off". This begins to find them leaning in the direction of not feeling as fresh in the overall originality, but it's done in a manner that still works off the sheer energy they are delivering. 

Whoever he has writing with him is a riff monster, as it's true to 90s cross-over thrash, but also is produced in a manner that makes it relevant today. "Dolores " stands out from the other songs as working with a darker, uglier, throbbing pulse. They need to move more in this direction and less of the '90s Pantera styled hardcore than colors "No Mercy No Forgiveness" because it was my least favorite side of Pantera when they did it, so I am not into bands drawing from that influence. They prove they can groove and be heavy enough with a bit of a Slipknot vibe for "Used and Abused." Lyrically, it is not the strongest song, but the overall feel works. 

The drumming feels a little more like Sepultura on " Never Die Once," which has a staccato stomp recalling bands like Machine Head. The Chant on the chorus works, it is nothing next level, but it fits the songs. The drumming going into the last song is almost "Painkiller".  But it's nothing epic, just uptempo. I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me, I am already into bands like Power Trip so not sure if there is enough difference between these guys and their influences to really set this apart from what I already listen to, but young thrash fans should check this one out. 

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Leafblower: "Burn Cruise"

It seems fitting, given the band's name, that I should publish this on 4/20. This kind of sludged-out doom has been prevalent since the mid-2000s with bands like Mastodon rising to mainstream success, this raises the question, what are these guys are bringing to the table that the other bands are not? The first song does not offer a straight answer, though the guitar melodies are more notable. It's not until the frantic psych-rock of "Namaste Home" that they set themselves apart from the pack. They go into a more shuffling rock boogie for "Burn Cruise" that flirts a little more with stoner rock.  

The strained yet plaintive vocals are a nice change of pace from the same old bellow most of these bands are doing, yet these guys are less committed to metal than their peers. This leans in their favor rather than against them. They get kind of jammy for "Reverse Upward Spiral' which might be fun live, but on album is less song-focused, and a little more indulgent, though it works for what it is."Unsatisfied' is the first metal song on the album, the vocals are more barked, which have only been in the background up til this point. "Ghosts' finds them wandering around another rock jam. This time, the vocals are more involved, and it feels like they have dived into some albums from the 70s for inspiration. 

Things get a little murky when we get to 'Night Sweat." It feels like they had this riff and were trying to figure out where they take it, so they try evey option throughout this song. The last track is more of an outro than an actual song.I will give this an 8.5, I like the organic jammy direction they are going in, which seems like it would be fun live. It drops June 13th on Max Trax Records.

   

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The 420 Playlist - the 2025 Edition

Before you start this day off with same boring old tunes all the bong worshippers today will be, ya know the ones, Bob Marley, Cypress Hill, Pepper and the mix of jams bands the more Kombucha minded masses will be playing today here is a mix stoner vibing metal and shoe-gazing rock to provide you a better soundtrack,  here you go smoke'em if you got em.

Year of the Cobra- "Full Sails "

 Dax Riggs - "sunshine felt the darkness smile"

 

Superheaven- "Numb to What is Real"

 

 

shedfrombody-"Sungazer"

 

 Softcult -"Shortest Fuse"

 Ride - "Last Night I Went Somewhere to Dream"

 

 Vulture Feather- "The Illusion of Time"

 O Zorn ! - "Cloud None"

FATIMA- "Blue Aliens Wear Wigs"

 

 

16- "Give Thanks and Praises"

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Melvins 1983: "Thunderball"

 

King Buzzo reunited with original drummer Mike Dillard to get even more experimental. There are some collaborators on this one rather than the normal Melvins line-up, which is why the 1983 is being attached to the name here. There is a clanging post-punk vibe to the first song that still holds an aggression in how the song does not let up, and the guitar keeps chugging away. I love bands getting weird, but this does not mean I let them slide on songwriting, so when we go into the ambient noises of "Vomit of Clarit,y" I am pleased to see it is only a two-minute interlude and not them trying to make art and call it music. 

"Short Hair With a Wig' feels more like a Melvins song. There is some pretty decent guitar on this one. Buzzo is an underrated guitarist in my book. That said, the Melvins are a band I like and respect, but never listen to as much as I could. Perhaps it's the more sprawling noise moments that make me pick some else, I like the creepy feeling to the verses on this one.  Granted, this is an 11-minute song, so they are taking their time to set up the dynamics. It leans into the more grungy side of sludge. This makes sense as the 90s were when the band hit their creative stride. They do jam it out a bit; this could have been a 7-minute song, easy, and gotten the point across. 

"Victory of the Pyramids" gets right to the rocking out, with a very upbeat attack that feels more like something Foo Fighters would do. This one is nine and a half minutes before the song shifts into something more like punk, which is equally one of the band's influences, as you can hear how elements of say the Dead Kennedys creep into this and the lumbering sludge it climaxes into makes the song feel like a Frankenstein assembly of parts. Though some of these parts are more hooky and memorable than others. "Venus Blood" closes the album.  It has a creepy groove that still holds some tension and is pretty consistent with what this band does, no matter who is involved. I'll give this album an 8.5, it works for what they do and this version of the band is pretty close to what they normally do. Out on Ipecac Records. 

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Song of the Week Propaghandi's "Cat Guy"

Since I started this column, it has leaned into perhaps some of the more hooky genres like darkwave, pop, and industrial, so now it feels good to bring punk into the equation, even though there are not a ton of punk bands that get me excited for their upcoming release. To do that, you have to be a band on the level of Propaghandi, who has me stoked for their May 2nd Album "At Peace". There is more of a refined metallic thrashing at the edges of not only this song, but their career as a whole, giving them the edge over your average punk bands. This song has vocals have purpose and the lyrics are clever, so what is not to like about it? If you are a fan of the band or thinking man's melodic punk like Bad Religion, then this song is going to be worth your time. 

 

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Not unlike Nails, the band Shelby Lermo hails from this band plays a grinding style of death metal that is high on the intensity, though more guttural and blasting than the hardcore attack of Nails. This band also features members of Undeath and Genocidal Pact. At opening bands' most melodic moments, it carries a Slayer-like throb. "The Owl in Daylight" has a more thrashing groove that hooks you in before they go hurtling into a dizzying display of hyper-aggression. There is some thought put into the songwriting, though their intention is to steamroll you with the sheer weight of their sound that hits like a sonic predator. 

I can always appreciate a good Conan reference, so the title "Prayer to Crom" stands out, though it is largely just a blathering blast of dense riffs of the most brutal order. Midway into things slows to a more deliberate punch, but it does not really grab me. The occasional sample between songs provides a modest amount of atmosphere. The difference between what is being done here and what made the golden age of American death metal so endearing is that bands like Morbid Angel and Deicide had hooky songs. Even early Cannibal is not as brutal as it seems when compared to today's more grindcore flavor assaults on your ears. 

The battery this album descends into at best comes closer to when Deicide stormed your eardrums back in the 90s, though without any regard for anything but sheer speed and intensity, which shifts into more of a gallop in a few places for "Cleansing". At the beginning of "Slaughter Garden," it seems like there might be more hope for even a more nuanced death metal riff that holds some thrash in its veins, but alas, they give in to a storm of sound that overcomes them and the listener.  When there is a more deliberate touch toward the end of this song, it's too little, too late. There is a little Morbid Angel in the DNA of the last song as it finds more a mechanical grind. The vocal stay at the same low gurgled growl as they have for the entire album. I will give this one a 7, as they are heavy as hell, but not much in the wya of consistent songwriting.It drops May 16th on Profound Lore.  

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Happy Bicycle Day- The Top 10 Metal Songs to Trip To.

These days, I no longer take LSD, but I used to do it all the time and unlike kids these day never listened to electronic music or hippy shit, when I did, as light and love is not really my thing. Here are the songs that were my soundtrack for those days. If you are celebrating Albert Hoffman's bicycle ride today, then here are some songs that set the mood for my many meetings with demons, Aliens, and keepers of cosmic planes. Give these tunes a shot to tape into a heftier vibrational frequency that is more aggressive than passive. Perhaps a little darker, but you gotta get in touch with your shadow side somehow, so here are the top 10 metal songs to trip to.  

10- Marilyn Manson- "Cake and Sodomy"

There was an entire summer where I listened to this song at the onset of every trip, and dropped acid on an almost daily basis that summer.

 

9- Metallica- "Orion" 

This was always a good one to transition from a lucid state into the onset of altered consciousness.

   

8-Sugartooth- "Black Queen" 

Despite the double bass sections, this was a staple of my tripping sessions. 

7- Morbid Angel- "Where the Slive Live" 

One of the few death metal songs that sounds great tripping. If you want to scare hippies, crank this one while you are peaking.

 

6-Tiamat- "Whatever That Hurts"  

An underrated band, I tripped to the "Wildhoney" album many a night. Almost like a metal version of Psychic TV.

 

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5-Voivod- "Astronomy Domine" 

You can't have a list about tripping without one Pink Floyd cover on it, and it might as well be the best. 

4-Type O Negative- "Green Man" 

Pink Floyd covers aside, this song comes the closest to the kind of hippy vibes I am not normally about, but the dusky shadows underlying this forest stroll are what work.

3-Neurosis - "Souls at Zero" 

I had some major altered experiences that the song "Locust Star' played heavily into; this song set an overall better mood.

   

2-Monster Magnet -"Ego the Living Planet" 

Most of my friends know the story about my most intense trip that involved this song and my Ouija Board. I talk to planets, baby

1-Black Sabbath- "Megalomania" 

Ozzy has stated that Black Sabbath were not a rock band that dabbled in drugs, but a drug band that dabbled in rock, and none of the other bands on this list would exist without them, so they take the top song.

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