Greek bangers Phasma offer a very in-your-face brand of aggression as they meld black metal with death metal. They find some grooves along the way, so it is not just relentless pummelling. The vocals range from low gurgles to hiher pitched screams of agony. The songs are held together by Dead Congregation drummer Bill Nanos. The second song has a little more dissonance and melody in equal measure. It is very effective when they let the chords ring out, creating an eerie mood. Though most of the song goes harder with an almost grindcore-like chaos in its unbridled intensity.
They slow things down on the third song and allow room for atmosphere before blasting back at you even faster, though the guitar is played with thrashing technical skill rather than jsut being a blur. It makes me think of Decapitated in this regard. The fourth song is more of a feral blur than the previous song. I can hear where this album would also appeal to fans of deathcore, who are not invested in having to have breakdowns.,
The fifth song blasts by in the bakcground without really demanding my attention, though the last song is much more memorable as it carries more purpose and the riffs have some hook to them. In terms of dynamics, the album is heavy to heavy, but when they do stop and give things room to breathe, it plays in their favor. I will give this album an 8.5, it is intense and well done but needs to let its foot up off the gas a little more. However, if you just want an album that is in your face, then this is the one for you.
The synths of Detroit's ADULT have now been moving dance floors for 25 years. More aggressive than darkwave, the vocals of Nicola Kuperus are certainly influenced by it. There is more anger in the stomping of the title track. If this music were being made with guitars, it would be post-punk. Though they lean heavier into the electronics for " R U 4 SALE", where they take complete control of the dance floor with buzzing synths grooving chaotically, but even the lyrics admit that "the chaos is what they want".
The lyrics on this album present hard truths that are in your face on "No One is Coming". I appreciate the dystopian nature of this. They are also fully prepared to use their synths in just as abrasive a manner as any punk band uses its guitars. "No Song" is more experimental as it bathes in the electro shower of sound rather than riding the beat. The vocal apporach is more abstract here. "Freaks" feels more like a Revolting Cocks song. But this still works. The vocals are less focused on "None of It's Fun," which feels like she just went into the vocal booth and did whatever struck her.
"Human(e ) Volume" is another more experimental track that finds the chant of the vocals to be the centerpiece rather than the groove. "So Unpleasant" also takes a detour in a bunch of zany sounds, creating the backdrop for her declarations. "Destroyers" has a more industrial feel in how the song moves. Her vocal delivery is also more aggressive to complement this. I will round this up to a 9, as the more experimental moments are efective it just depends on if that is what you are signing up for. It took me by surprise so this is going to be on the more experimental side of synth punk.
Gorrch plays a dissonantly atmospheric style of black metal that holds chaos near to its heart as it lashes out from Northern Italy. Lots of magic is going on in Italy, where the Vatican is, which is a darker place than you might expect. The primary object of the first two songs is to hit you with dizzying intensity, use a buzzing tremolo that will cut through ice, and attack your ears with it. It feels like a mix of Blut AusNord and maybe Wormlust or Deathspell Omega, depending on which riffs you catch blazing by you.
"Larvae' is when they begin to temper this and actually prove they can write songs with dynamic and thought behind it rather than just shake you with the vibration they are churning out of their instruments. All of the songs are over the five-minute mark, so they are losing track of time when they lock into these passages and just ride them out. "Crypt" is another wall of almost white noise coming at you. Sometimes the ringing guitar reminds me of old Liturgy.
The vocals are rasped from a pianed and angry mid-range. "Angor" tremolos. The chanting buried at the edge of the mix is the coolest part of this song creating a darker color. The overall tone of the album is not all that dark when they get caught up in the buzz of momentum. The last song pretty much picks up with a similar guitar attack, and by this point, it's all a blur as the songs begin to sound alike without the little nuances. I like how the accents shift away from the tension on this one. This song has more dynamics than the bulk of the album, even though at times they are more subtle than others. I will give this album an 8.5, as it's unique in its corner of the black metal spectrum.
Canadian pop songwriter Lights released an extended version of her "A6" album with 8 new songs, which is a whole ass album, so those are the songs I am going to cover for this review. It opens with the vibrant bounce of "Education". Her lilting vocals soar over the choruses, where she sings the verses more in her alto register. It works well for what it is, putting her on the tier of songwriters like Halsey and Billie Eilish who are not on Taylor Swift's level. Lead single "Come Get Your Girl" does show she is capable of punching above her weight class as it's a banger that rivals even that top tier I jsut spoke of.
There is a weird element in play that feels like a weird element of the industry's Lolita fixation, where we have a 38 year old woman sounding like a teenager. She has some effects on her voice, but the singsong qualities possess a sexualized innocence, for better or worse, but the song works. "The City is Falling" has some Cure influence in the single-note guitar melodies as it cruises along an 80s synth-wave groove. There is a more introspective emotion on" This Time TMRW". Similar sounds are employed as in the previous song.
"Learning to Let Go" carries some of the album's msot perfected grooves with an airtight vocal line gliding between the cracks. "Final Round" relaxes into a smoother 80s chill vibe that sounds like Miami after midnight. "Angelina" is a dramatic breakup ballad. I'll round this up to a 10 as there is only one song that needs to grow, and some songs that go above and beyond enough to tip the balance into top-tier pop excellence. She takes what artists like Halsey do and does it better.
The circle jerk known as the Grammys is everywhere on the internet, and once again, gullible people pretend they matter. Sure, the Cure won, but that is grasping for relevance. But before we get into it, I am going to come up with that annoying thing called the facts to clear up some things. The recording industry did not really split from Hollywood and has been incestuous ever since the record label Warner Brothers is the music side of the film Studio Warner Bros, they even use the same logo; if it is not obvious enough for you, or you just enjoy willful ignorance.
Why is this an important piece well in the 1950s when stars were being given out on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, record executives said, "We've got artists we would like to get this kind of reconition since that is a for of promotion so we need some awards to give out, since the general public are idiots and they think it matters if some one has trinkets or not. Thus, in 1957, the Recording Academy founded the Grammy awards menaing gramophone. By the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, while they claim to be a non-profit, they are propped up by record labels, which are an extension of the Hollywood machine. In other words, it's all part of their game.
Keeping this in mind, artists know to run in these circles; they are expected to play nice and tow the narratives the industry is promoting. This is where the whole industry plant thing comes into play; rather than go into that here, you can read this article on it.
So, of course, they are going to use them to promoe plants like Yungblud, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and Post Malone. They will use people like Sharon Osborne, who are deep in the industry, in Sharon's case, has it in her blood as she followed her father's footsteps, and has never really given a shit about her husband's legacy, which is clear from parading him around like a baboon on reality tv. But what about the Cure? Well, Robert Smith is not a fool; he knows that for every "One Hundred Years" he writes, he needs a "Friday I'm In Love" as somebody has to pay for another vat of wine for the castle.
Even when they have legit bands play, and all the press says they crushed it, well the band was really playing nice for the sheep watching it on the Tele. Spiritbox's preformance did not suck, but Courtney was clearly being a good girl for the night and not going too hard, since it should have sounded like this...
Not the same vocal tones heard on the Grammy performance. If they were actually playing at all. They could have recorded in a soundstage, then had that track played on lots of levels to that one. They are a great band that is trying to pay their rent to be able to play the game. What you really watched was the machine roll out its agenda for the year to come, and reward those who have been playing nicely and following the rules. But most of you cucks are into that sort of thing, but don't fool yourselves by thinking you are punk or metal by doing, all in all, you're just another brick in the wall.
Texas black metal outfit Necrofier plays a ravenous-sounding yet straightforward style of black metal. The scream vocals are filled with wrath, and they are not just riding blast beats, which makes the album worth my time. The second part of "Fires of the Apocalypse" is more blasting but balanced with a creepy melody, here and there. Many of the songs are a trilogy of three parts; it's extravagant, but better than 20-minute songs. Most feel like they are their own entity anyway. The third part of "Fires of the Apocalypse" does not really wane from the rabid bite displayed on the first two songs. Some more deliberate riffs darken the skies.
They get the first part of "Servants of Darkness, Guide My Way" off to a good start; it is ominous in tone enough for me, though it descends into a blast beat that is a more predictable turn for this sort of thing. The second part is not as nuanced and finds the anger consumed to the point of making it something that is catchy enough to draw you back into it, even when they break things down into the acoustic guitar outro. The more sonic throb of the third part works the best in terms of mood building. There is more dynamic contrast when the drums begin to build the storm under it.
The first part of "Lift My Blade" is pretty typical black metal being expelled with little in the way of experimentation. There is more of that which increases the creepiness of the second part without sacrificing too much of the intensity. The last track, "Toward the Necrofier" is cool, and I wish they incorporated more of these sounds earlier in the album. I will give this one an 8.5, because it captures a convincing mood, even if it is not hte most original thing I have heard, they succeeded in what they were doing. Out on Metal Blade Records February 27th
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