Death is June - OFFICIUM TRISTE : "Hortus Venenum"

This is the 7th album by this Dutch death-doom band, and the most striking thing about the sound of the opening track is how the backdrop of synth and guitar melodies being growled over sounds like something from a horror movie soundtrack. This is later balance out by a more hopeful soaring riff things climax into. All this tells me they are more than just dialing in a Paradise Lost tribute here. More of a doomed out melancholic lethargy possesses the second song which sonically is more somber. They shift the dynamics and build up into a more death metal pace that offers a little more light at the end of their tunnel, and thematically keep things in a similar spectrum minute the more horror movie-like creepiness this time. 

While things might not sound like a horror there is a cinematic feel to the big melodic sounds of "Anna's Woe". It is done in a manner that reminds me a bit of some of the more orchestral moments from post-rock bands like Sigur Rios. The vocals are beginning to become a little one-dimensional, and one of the few things anchoring the song to the metal roots. The low growl is not especially expressive and stays in the one lower register. 

"Walk in Shadows" is more atmospheric right from the start as you are hit with lush synths. This overall sound leans more in the direction of doom. There is a spoken word section, that changes the narrative voice in a more indulgently dramatic fashion that brings My Dying Bride to mind. The feel is not heavy, but this sounds great and is well arranged, so hard to fault them for not being the heaviest thing going as this feels like it is coming from a genuine place. It drifts down the same sad river, with the guitar melodies the shifting force over that directs things. This song is less hopeful which I appreciate as the bleaker tone adds a darker mood. 

There is a more mournful mood to the dirge-leaning "Forcefield". The vocals do shift by dropping into even lower growls. Things take the most drastic turn when they speed into more of a triumphant gallop. This also marks the second time a guitar solo has blazed out of the song with a more traditional metal approach. It would not sound out of place on an Iron Maiden album. It's on the more melodic breakdown when the drummer's nuanced approach is most noticed. They begin to float in a more optimistic chord progression that is juxtaposed by lapses into a more funeral doom-type thing. The last song just kind of coasts, there are some cool guitar lines in it but at ten minutes it needs more dynamics even with the level of melodrama the atmospheric elements bring.  Taking that into consideration and how dedicated they are to it for all ten minutes I will give this album an 8.5. If you like doom more than death metal this album should work for you.6th on Transcending Obscurity Records. /div>

pst305

Death is June- Legion of the Damned : "the Poison Chalice"

 This band from the Netherlands has a massive sound they hit you with at a full gallop. The vocals are at a dry mid range rasp. At times they remind me of Abbath, but with less of a croak.  Their 8th album under this moniker, they have dialed in the sound they want and are focused on execution. They have a great deal of command, and retain the hook of thrash in their riffing. They pour on the speed to a greater extent with "Skulls Adorn the Traitors Gate" which is the kind of  fantasy novel epic you might expect given the fact the album cover looks like the Dungeon Master's Guide. Four songs in and there is not much in the way of surprised, very in your face , hyper aggression. 

"Behold the Beyond" has the kind of hooky song writing I want from a band like this. This makes the need for surprises I was looking for earlier obsolete as it proves they can get the job done with little smoke and mirrors. They begin to give into the need for speed by the time we reach "Retaliation". This is also when I get to wonder if they have not been taking notes from Immortal. 'Savage Intent' does this perhaps more effectively than the previous song. They begin to border on their songs beginning to sound the things so they need more powerful galloping moments. 

They thrash into things pretty well with "Chimes of Flagellation". This is a more effective use of speed. Yeah, I know I used effective already, but I am trying to look at what is effective or ineffective rather than seeing a performance as good or bad. The more melodic nuances here also work well. They are great at riding the chug to create thrash grooves as heard on "Beheading the Godhead' where the vocals fall in a more rhythmic manner.  It goes to show you can write hooky songs no matter the genre.  The title track does not support this theory as it rushes by in a frantic charge that works off what we have heard before from the. I will round this one down to an 8.5, it was a fun listen and they are good at what they do, what they do just comes across like Immortal leaning into their death metal side, but if you like big epic European death metal this album is for you.It was released on Napalm Records.

GGGOLDDD : " This Shame Should Be Mine"

 

The spelling of this band's name is not all that has changed. A great deal of this might hinge on how this album is mixed much differently than the others. Electronic elements play a greater role, the first track is more of an intro that foreshadows the shift of direction. This is a concept album of sorts as the lyrical theme of sexual assault singer Milena Eva experienced at the age of 19 is the pervading theme. It reflects upon the long-term effects, judging from the track "Spring" it seems to explore how this unfold in a linear fashion. "Strawberry Supper" is dark but not in the manner we think of when it comes to defining something as goth. It is more of a stark empty reflection of melancholy. As far as the story goes this clues you in on their existing relationship and her thoughts on the aftermath. Sonically it does build heavier though the guitar is not used in the more blunt chord assault that have struck you with in the past. 

"Like Magic"  explores the dissociation  and disconnect from the physical body one can experience . Art here is being used as the catharsis, perhaps this process of getting it out  is what leads to the coat of armor we see her wearing on the album cover. There is more tension to the buzz of guitar here, though it sticks back behind the vocals rather than the vocals sitting in the wall of guitars as we have more commonly heard from this band. Milena is reaching into her more fragile upper register on this album though her voice is more confident as an alto. It works to convey the kind of vulnerability reflected in the lyrics. They do launch into some closer to black metal in the stormy speed the song simmer in. The is a electronic pulse bubbling under the vocals of "Spring".  The phrasing of the vocals is not as melodic and hooky as what we heard in the past from her. The storm cloud converge around the builds of this song. The strength her is oddly lying in the more subtle layers . This is due to in someway the best production this band has had , that also deconstructs the more defining elements of what they do.

"Invisible" shows more of the progression and how trauma is integrated into moving forward into the new normal of daily life. While I appreciate this reflection on a deeper level, when it comes to music at the end of the day the question that has to be asked is how good are the songs and are we rocking out ?  The guitar is more intricate rather than the barrage of post hard core chords they have charge at your ears with in the past. It is almost like a tug of war from being Milena's solo album and working in the context of the band as she is given the bulk of the focus. Perhaps this being a more band focused effort could have avoided moments like when the ambiance consumes the song. They charge back in a more effective fashion with "Notes on How to Trust" that give the vocals room to breathe without allowing them to meander too far from course. The title track fully dives into a more electronic direction that had more in common with Bjork than rock music. I think a band like the Gathering fused these two sounds better as there is not a great deal to keep you hooked in. 

While I am fine with change, perhaps this is indeed a solo album. You could say if they were going to do this they should have changed the name of the band, but they already did that so no complaints there. Instead we are getting depressive Imogen Heap. I do think this is handled better on the last song which blends the more electronic elements with vocals that click into place with the song and more intense dynamics. It finds the guitar going and locking in with things to create a more organic medium. I will give this album a 9 which is better than most bands can achieve however I feel this album falls a little short of when they worked as a machine , granted this had a greater emotional range, but is a case where the singer takes up more space,. Healing from trauma is about learning how to let people in again and becoming part of a greater hole rather than self isolating with pain which is what this album does perhaps consciously. 

Freja : "Tides"

 

This duo from the Netherlands is very interesting in their approach to atmospheric black metal. It has little in common with Deafheaven. Myrkur might be a better comparison at time with the female vocals are layered around the otherwise epic pounding that is burlier than anything the black gaze bands would do though they do weave in some cool melodic ambiance in the midst of their charge ahead. The second song kind of runs out of the first. To the point that I did not realize it was a different song. Though there is more of a straight up almost rock drum beat running through the song. It is also more melodic than the storm unleashed on the first song. 

"Dusk" is somewhere between post-rock and shoe gaze when the low growled vocals come in. When the sung female vocals come in the song takes off. The use of the vocals to bring the transition works well. It takes about halfway into the song before it shifts to more of a black metal sound. "Cataclysm". Is more straightforward it feels like it falls somewhere between death metal and black metal. The atmosphere here is just more of a texture and the aggression of metal is given most of the focus. There is a darker more melodic riff that comes in midway into the song. "Of Those Stricken by Fate". Is a spectral take on neo- folk. It feels more like an interlude given the breadth of metal already covered. 

The last song has that triumphant galloping into victory feeling that any black metal band from Europe who gets branded with a folk or pagan label seems to find themselves in at some point with Moonsorrow being the most noted culprit in this regard. There is a great deal of blasting here, which finds them sounding more like everyone else in this regard. They do redeem this with a more black gaze style riff that is more interesting as it rides the groove. I will give this album a 9, it goes the extra mile in enough ways to make this an album I can leave on and let play.Drops Apirl 22nd on Babylon Doom Cult.   

   

Death is June -Pestilence : "Exitivm"

Patrick Mameli is Pestilence at the this point as he is the only original member. This was also the case for "Hadeon" and that was a great album. I do not need to weight this album against 1989's "Consuming Impulse" I am perfectly fine with this album standing along side the more recent "Hadeon". There is less of a sci-fi vibe going on here and they are going more directly for the throat as the maze of twisting riffs comes for you in a full frontal attack. There isa angular dissonance to many of the guitar solos that I appreciate.  New bassist Joost Vander Graaf formerly of Dew Scented, debuts here. His playing is buried under the fast attack of the riffing. They take less twists and turns on the second song and focus on taunt riffing and more groove which plays to their favor. The vocals are more forward in the mix, almost like an Obituary album.

Another new edition to the band is guitarist Rutger Van Noordenburg. The rifs on this album are faster and more aggressive than those on "Hadeon". They are also not as catchy. The guitar solos are  more adventurous. There is a segment of the metal community who will be sold on that fact. I am not numbered among them. I am more interested in songs. Songs times this feels more like an athletic event. "Mortifervm" is the next piece that feels like a song to me. The key is  the syncopation they use to punch into certain parts. They continue in a direction that is more effective song writing with "Dominativ Submissa". The new drummer hammer most of this album with relentless double bass. He rips around his kit in a very Neil Peart manner. 

The album does find it's groove three songs in. There playing can never be called in question as execution is machine like in precision. This brings the question how much feeling do you need in your death metal? This is not to say they are intense and commanding as that is a vibe here. "Inficiat" has strong riffing and composition all the way around. The title track might have to grow on me, but it feels like the emphasis is on the gas pumped into the driving verse riff and is not as impressive as the previous song. The last song finds them not letting up on the  raging momentum. While this need for speed will appeal to some, I think, the more groove and song focus "Hadeon" made for better listening.  I will round this one down to an 8.5 , for this reason. It is still an impressive piece of work.  

An Autumn For Crippled Children : "As The Morning Dawns We Close Our Eyes"

 

These guys bust them out pretty quick , been a year since their last one. Their 9th album over all. Their last album saw them returning to more of a black metal sound. This one flirts with that as it is pretty aggressive, but also not as dark and angry aside from the vocals which are the most metal thing about the first song. The guitar sound blends with the synths in a way that is hard to tell them apart. A current of double bass begins to flow as the song progresses. What I like most about this is that is does not really sound like any other black metal bands aside from sharing a shoe gaze influence. The synths over power the guitars on the second song, but the movement of the song creates a very flowing groove. The bass can be heard more than your average black metal band so this furthers the cause. 

"In Winter " feels like it is a jammed out extension of the previous song. If I did not look up at my screen I would have assumed this was just the same song. So there is a uniformity beginning to reveal itself here. This is broken up when the guitar comes up in the mix on "Splendor Unnoticed" . The title track finds a darker tension drape it self over the song, though the shimmer that has become their trademark lightens things back up to their status quo before too long. I am used to their gradual change in sound , but I do seem to recall their first few albums being darker. There is a melancholy tone to the guitar melody of  "Hearts Closed" . The guitar are more metallic than some of the post rock places they have travelled. Funny enough things brighten up a little more the song "Melancholia" before the guitar gains more attack.  

The piano leading into "Last Night I Believed In You" is enough of a shift in the sonic color to provide the needed dynamic. The shimmer in many of the same colors on this album so this causes some uniformity to run through the songs.. This is some ways is also the albums strength as the are so confident in the sound they have perfected that they know how to make it work every step of the way. All songs are equal as they are totally dialed in so it doesn't feel like there is any filler. If you think Deafheaven is shit , when it comes to blending other sonic qualities these guys not only beat them to the punch with this but do it in a more honest manner with less pretense of hipster posturing. I will give this a 9.   

Asphyx : "Necroceros"

 This is the band from the Netherlands  tenth album. They are not drastically changing anything. They are straight up by the books death metal. Old school death. Old school to the point their sound brings back the cross roads where death metal sprung from thrash. Yes there are a ton of bands playing old school death metal but these guys are the real deal as they have been doing it since 91. Martin Van Drunen is the only original member. They come on heavy then smooth out into a more mid tempo hooky songwriting style by the time we get to "Mount Skull" . Catchy song writing always wins out over sheer heaviness no matter what kid of metal we are talking. 

"Knights Templar Stand" is another example of how just because the rule here is cool riffs alone do not a good song make , that you can do both. They put their cool riffs into a context of a functioning song. "The Years of Famine" is broken up by a melodic middle section where they guitar solo of sorts sits. It gives the dynamic shift needed even if this is not a catchy as the two previous songs. "Botox Implosion" breaks up the lyrical theme of the album. . It falls on the harder and heavier side of the equation for them . I think the more deliberate pace of " Blazing Oceans" is more powerful and proves faster does not equate heavier. It taps into what I used to love about the earlier days of death metal in the 80s & 90's . 

The riff to " the Nameless Elite" is bad ass and there is no two ways about it. Please refer to my previous statement in regards to cool riffs/ I think this coolness is somewhat flushed away when they pour on the speed and sound like everyone else.  " Yeild or Die" is driven by a big riff, that sounds great , but the over all feel is pretty typical almost Amon Amarth style death metal. The title track that closes the album is more effective at you a head banging hook to lock you in. Overall original members or not this is a case of a band that made it work with the guys they had at them time. So far this is the death metal album to beat in 2021.

November is Doom - Celestial Season : "the Secret Teaching"

 

I am more than OK with melodic gothic funeral doom. I am also fine with this band from the Netherlands  being very influenced by My Dying Bride. The first song works off a low growl, where the "Ouroborus" introduces low gothy vocals .Even on the first song they still change it up and never let the vocals hang on the same vocal approach , it is just not as melodic as the vocal eventually become. It is very dynamic . They use a great deal of exotic chord progressions . They have a great sound and everything is well layered, the songs sorrow out of a theme and ebb and flow from there. This album also provides a strong case for keyboards in metal . " For Twisted Loveless" is a little more Paradise Lost and feels like it is an extension of the previous song. 

"Long Forlorn Tears" works off the darker more romantic side of doom . It is a little more up tempo than the hesitantly plodding pace of funeral doom. It picks up into a proto thrash speed by the end. "Amor Fati" backs way off. There is a spoken word sample before it begins to kick back in. The song is mainly an instrumental. "Salt of the Earth" starts off with more of a death doom flavor to it. Unlike death doom it is  more melancholy than aggressive. They are really skilled at layered the guitar parts. There is a more prog feel to "They Saw It Come From the Sky" . "Lunar Child" benefits from interesting sounds conjured and the way the vocals are layered. 

"Veil of Silence" is much like their other songs until, they go off and rip the ass out of a guitar solo like this is Pink Floyd. One of the more impressive solos I have heard this year. I think this is the third Type O Negative cover I have heard this year. I am glad this band is finally getting it's due. One of the women handles Pete Steele's more sun vocal parts. Over all an excellent album glad I found it will certainly find it's place in the top ten doom albums. 

Gothtober - Clan of Xymox : "Spider on the Wall"

 I am not sure how I missed this one when it came out back in July, but here we are. The vocals are dreamier than normally. The band blends modern sounds with their more classic sound. The synths are very 90s techno. By the second song what I like about thius album is already appaerent . It is darker than their 2017 album "All I Ever Know" . If you told me the song " Into the Unknown ' was a deep cut from an 80s album, I would believe. This certainly should please the elder goth fan base. I mean do the new crop of goth kids who are not in bands like Bootblacks know who Clan of Xymox is. 59 year old Ronny Moorings is the sole orginal song writer and he is leaning more into the dancey new wave side that would give birth to dark wave. For his age his voice has held up well. I do not think even at their peak these guys were the caliber of musicians the Cure are. Smith was a more powerful and emotive singer than Moorings. But these guys always worked well with what skills they did have. 

The self depricating " I Don't Like Myself" works of a hypnotic drone that drifts away with you by creating a narcotic sonic quality. It is simple in design but one of the album's most effective songs. The title track is darker and wallows in it's misery more, but is also less focused of a song. This sound vs song comes into play even with these veterans. I prefer the darker groove of "When We Were Yong" which is text book goth without imitating anyone. The beat is pretty simple , but everything sits just where it should while sounding just as it should. "Black Mirror" is more relaxed , but true to it's title a litle more futuristic, though not as bleak. The vocals are lowered and more urgent.

"My New Lows" find them digging in the darkness to almost reach a Sisters of Mercy level. Some of this is in part to the lower vocals. Ronny is a good enough singer to be forced to stay down there and offer more than just one vocal color. There is more of a new wave dancey thing going on for the otherwise droning closing song. I will give this album a 9. I really enjoyed it, is it perfect ? No. It is a suitable addition to their discography. If you are a fan you were already on this train back in July and still riding. 

Carach Angren : "Frankensteina Strataemontanus"

I normally have to brace myself for the theatrical narrative of this band, but this album is about "Frankenstein" or at least monsters as the lyrics from the first song throws black cats and other ghoulds into the mix. The drums are a little thin and the vocals are way up front. Might just need head phones for this album. They stay at a pretty speedy pace, but while in the same sonic zip code as Cradle of Filth, I prefer what these guys do. The bounce to the title track gives a nice groove that I can get on board with. Not as heavy, but it is cool,There is also carnival like bounce to "the Necromancer'. They are like a more playful less proggy version of Sigh with how the strings sit on "Sewn for Solitude" . The sung vocals are even better than when they first appear. Not giving a hook , but introspective musing. Normally the vocals are an articulate snarl.

They get more death metal on "Operation Compass" . It gets more melodic as it progresses. "Monster" is more deliberatly paces almost likea death metal version of Tom Waits. "Der Vampir von Number" we have skipped over to Nazi scientists, so maybe it is the concept of re-animating that this album is about unless we are tying that into Frankenstein mythology , which the movie  "Frankenstein's Army' did. This song is more jarring in the fun house turns it takes. They return to the heaviness on "Skull With a Forked Tongue" . It is not in your face a hundred percent, but has a more aggressive death metal drive aside from how a few blast beats are used. We are not even going to talk about what happened with these guys being black metal as they crossed that bridge moons ago. The drumming is pretty impressive how he comes around the kit. Their synth player is also earning his pay, every one else does their job and serves the song , but do not take the spotlight.

"Like a Conscious Parasite Roam" could very well be a Dimmu Borgir song, as it indulges in symphonic bloat. It loses the flair that gives this band it's personality. While well done it could be one of a hundred symphonic metal bands. They regain their sense of self on "Fredrick's Explosion" that loses some of the song writing magic they had and feels like Stephen King dialing in an edngin just to finish. Overall this is one of their better albums so I will give it a 9. If you are a fan you will like it.

An Autumn For Crippled Children : " the light of September"

I had to go back an listen to the first song twice to make sure I heard what I heard. I had. It was a band who was once at the forefront of the depressive black metal scene, making bouncy happy music. They have been straying from black metal for some time. However they did it in a way that stayed true to their more down trodden sense of self. This is their 7th album, so change is bound to happen, lets just hope the first song is an isolated incident. They return to that somewhat on the second song , which is much closer than the title track to the band's identity up to this point. There is a little more of a shoe gazing thing to "Hiding in the Dark" , but it is briskly paced. There seems to be more reliance on electronics on this albums than in the past. I like that "lovelorn" has a more somber David Lynch like atmosphere going into it. Its not until two minutes into this drone that the guitar kicks in and goes in the direction we want it to. I would complain that this song is an instrumental if the vocals were not upon to their same bag of tricks on this album. Its a scream that sounds the same every time and has become this projects weak link though sometimes the only element making this metal.

Beginning to pick up on a little more of a formula. Despite the fact "Fragility' is more piano driven at two minutes in the guitars come in a sweep every thing away. I will say it does capture their mood better than the first song that was way off base. The guitar tone is interesting to "the Silence Inside" which builds into something that sounds like it might be from their more classic work, as the dynamic intensities clash well against one another. "A new day has come" remembers what made the old days work, though not recycling ideas."Still Dreaming" just kinda breezes by without leaving me much i can latch on to. It sounds good I just don't feel like it tells much of a story..

"The Golden Years" races along the same smooth pace the previous song hit cruise control with. It is just not as emotive or dynamically driven as what I normally get from these guys. What works on this album is how they are balancing out new sounds while not trying to isolate their audience. I'll give this album an 8 as it does return to the sound I would from them without ripping themselves off like AC\DC. Sure in the process of experimentation not every shot they take hits the mark , but over all it's nothing for them to be ashamed of as they pretty much redeem themselves by the end of the album.

Urfaust : "The Constellatory Practice" "

Is it me or do you never find out something is part of a trilogy until after the fact? This album is the final part of a trilogy this band's two previous album were also a part of . Maybe they don't come out and say something is a trilogy because then it really sets the stakes high for the 3rd album to be the climax. What we get on the first song is 13 minutes of hypnotic drone. It's at a more doom pace. The vocals are sung rather operatically but without the same baritone stiffness of previous albums. "Behind the Veil of the Trance Sleep" continues with this ritualistic hypnosis. It creates a sonic shimmer that reminds me a little of Swans. More punishing in it's pounding than the opener, I would not call this black metal, but Urfaust has been defying the bounds of black metal since their last album.

The ambiance continues to grow thicker. More abstract in the synth swell of  " A Course in Cosmic Mediation". This feels like a more atmospheric movement extending out of the previous song rather than a song unto itself. "False Sensorial Impressions" took a second listen in order for me to fully digest it. It is darker and there is some harsh screaming, so closer to black metal than the first three songs. Though even with Urfaust's earlier work I thought they tested the bounds of black metal and did it their own way. This album might be a step beyond that as droning seems to be the prime motivator. The atmosphere is more unsettling on this song, but dynamically it is flat by virtue of working of the surreal drone. They evolve into something that is more of a song on "Trail of the Conscience of the Dead". Over driven bass keeps this song moving. Thanks to the drums this comes closer to being doom. I like when the cello comes in to add another melodic layer. At 12 minutes it's a little long and could have benefited trimming the fat on the front end of the song.

With a name like "Eradication Through Hypnotic Suggestion" the eradication part of that equation would make this the album's heaviest song. But no it's an even more atmospheric drone to the song of being more of an outro than a song. I'll give this an 8, because musically there are pleasing sounds and when they do decide to make a song it works, I would prefer to have the drone dialed back and hear more song shine through this murky darkness of hypnosis. This is what they wanted and it's what you get . They are still one of the more original acts to come from black metal though this might be ritualistic it's not black metal.

Morvigor : "Tyrant"

This band from the Netherlands plays a fairly straight forward death metal influenced version of black metal. They have enough sonic depth and emotionally charged melody to qualify as black metal. Many of the riffs are pretty hooky. It is clear these guys care about the songs. This might seem a little false to some who just want to be blast beaten to death. The vocals have some rhyme and reason to them working around the guitar much lie sung vocals would. They head into an even more melodic direction going into "the Martyrs Ascension". The bass has more drive , but it is in the same realm of melody as Dissection. It takes almost four minutes before they get into the galloping meat of the song. The guitar carries the melody most of the type here as the vocals maintain the typical role of growled vocals in melody though offering as much dynamic variance as they can without singing actual notes.

The centerpiece of this album is the 15 minute "Blood of the Pelican". This raises the question as any song of this length... can it keep my interest for 15 mins. Anything is possible , but not everything is likely. Two minutes in and I can hear where fat could have been trimmed off the intro. It's a cool melancholy melody that could have done without dragging on. The bass player of this band is really good and throws in lots of melodic fills. The opening riff doesn't build until two and a half minutes in. On the previous song they ran into a similar struggle with the winding opening . They don't have to get to the point, but it's a case where it would have been cool for six measures rather than sixteen. At the four and a half minute mar the double bass kicks in and the meat of the song is underway.

The title track is more along the lines of Goatwhore, who are the main band that seems to influence these guys in terms of how they vocals are traded for from a death growl to a higher scowl. Not as heavily influenced by death metal as perhaps newer Goatwhore, there is more of an epic thrash feel closer to the snow capped mountains of Immortal. The clean vocals surface show up at the end of this song and give it more of a viking metal feel. Overall this album is really well done I'll give this album, which would almost be more like an ep if it was not for the 15 minute song an 8.5. It's well played and dynamic, doubtful I will get a great deal of extended listening out of this since it possess many of the same qualities derived from other bands I already have in my iPod, but if you are looking for some accessible black metal that blends other sub-genres seamlessly this is a good album to pick.

Carach Angren :"Dance And Laugh Amongst the Rotten"

I know being creepy is their thing. This album takes them more into the melodramatic style of metal that King Diamond has mastered and at this point they are less black metal than even Cradle of Filth. The songs have less bells and whistles. They are sharp and more focused. Though at times the narrative can make them lyrically unweildly. It's less of a concept album than the last one.There are just scary themes based of folk lore like Bloody Mary.Some of the symphonic elements are still in place, but over all I think this album has a more stripped down feel and seems like something I could more easily hear them playing live.  Some of the theatrics don't feel as natural as what King Diamond , does and even with the ole King, he has sometimes lost me on an album like" the Puppet aster" where the creepy narrative voice didn't sit we with me, On some songs it's more balanced out , actually their batting average in this regard is pretty good

Their drummer goes above and beyond to get job done. The songs might not have as many twist and turn this time, but they do get heavier in the way the songs modulate at times almost more like breakdowns. News flash on "Pitch Black Box" they prove you can still write metal songs that are only three minutes long and still have time to dress it up with theatrics. The bouncy groove the song would almost appeal to nu-metal hold outs though it doesn't bounce with any hip-hop aspirations,after all these guys are from the Netherlands. You might continue to sing the drummer's praises if you are a fan of double bass when you hear what he does "the Possession Process". On the past where he snarls "raped by evil" the jerky riff fits better than when they try to employ this sort of thing earlier in the album.

"Three times Thunder Strikes" has a more Dimmu feel. The riffing even uses the kind of tight chug they employ. It's almost to straightforward for these guys. Then the album closes with the orchestral version of "Charles Francis Coghlan" which for the purpose of this review and really most people who are not at a school like Berklee redundant. Overall I was a little more impressed with the previous album, I'll give this more streamlined version of the band an 8.5 as it is still quality and focused. If you want very middle of the road "black metal" that's easy to swallow then this might be a good entry way, but this album is more symphonic metal than black metal anyway.

Laster : "Ons vrije fatum"

The thing I like about black metal from the Netherlands is that it refuses to follow the rules. This is the band's second album. It starts off pretty strong with the second song turning into more of a blast fest yet they make it feel more depressive, the vocals have more emotion to them rather than the first song where they sound like a choking crow that has been poisoned. Other layers are added as the album progresses. Clean vocal float to the surface in tasteful doses. But more often than not the vocals are in flayed crow mode. By the fourth song the vocals are more hatefully shouted and and make more sense, if you speak their native tongue. They are capable of creating many moods, all of them variations on bleak shades of gray.Sometimes these are explored all in the same song when they take you on the longer 11 plus minute journeys.By five minutes in they have already hit you with a half dozen slinky riffs with samples babbling beneath them.

In the final few minutes it does settle down into more of a typical blasting. After an interlude they go into another trademark blend of melody and melancholy with some clean vocal trade off. Sometimes they might remind you of a mix between Alcest and Agalloch. The more whispered rasps and the clean vocals which are not as fey as Alcest and more in a harmonized Enslaved like chant. The crows are pretty agonized on the last song, though clean vocal trade off feels like a formula that is being sustained from the previous song. Suppose if we thought back to pre-"Vertebrae Enslaved" and added a more despair drench bath of agony to their viking odes you might get a clearer picture as to the water these guys are sailing in.

Lets be honest if we are comparing these guys to Alcest, Agalloch and Enslaved that is pretty lofty company for these guys to be numbered among. Production wise it is slightly rougher around the edges than what those bands do. I'll round this one up to a 9, some of the songs are a little long so who know how much I will actually listen to it. We are looking into the future here since this album doesn't come out until next year, but 2017 could be a good year for black metal.


5.2

Black Metal History Month- Cirith Gorgor :"Visions of Exalted Lucifer"

Named after the "Haunted Pass" these guys are reppin' the north side of Mordor. Out of the Netherlands, these guys came from the late 90s black metal scene, so it should not be a surprise that their 6th full length is very polished . On the opener they blast ahead with a very spacious sound that throws a lot at you at once. There is an ambiance to the chaos that hits like a storm. When it comes to a band like this I want to hear what sets them apart from the hundreds of others bands doing this sort of thing. It's not until "Of Black Dimensions" that this emerges. They slow down and the chants recite more of an incantation rather than scream. Sure they don't hold onto this kind of restraint for long when they return to full throttle mode on "...And Demonic Wisdom". Though this song is not as cluttered and the vocal take on a croaked tone.

By the time we get to "Wille Zur Macht" it is not a question of if these guys are any good or cvlt enough, it's what else can you give me ? The blasting blitz of this song tells me while they have shown me earlier in the album they are capable of summoning other tones and moods, they would rather just play it safe and blast beat off. They are good at this style of black metal. But is this style of black metal any good? They respond with "Rite of Purification" which takes a more melodic turn, which is just what this album needed. I am not saying every black metal band needs to be Watain, I do think it's more of a challenge to be insanely heavy and still hold melody and dynamics high on your to do list when it comes to song writing these days. For black metal to thrive as a genre this is what needs to happen or it will be blast beaten to death and people will look back on it like hair metal is seen now. Does this band sometimes tread closely to the Watain/ Dissection sound when they do get more melodic...yes. This could go all the way back to Bathory, but it's  not reaching very far to think a band notices someone like Watain is selling tons more albums and tweak things a little. Though it's a small touch the sample that ends "Rite..." is enough attention to detail to push there sound a few degrees apart from the herd.

They go for a big fast ending when they close the album with " Into the Nameless Void". Some times the vocals find a cadence over the riffs that gives more of a hook. As a rule however the song tends to fall in line with the other obligatory expectations of the genre. For a genre based in non-conformity this band and many others play it too safe. Things do slow down at the three minute mark and go deeper into a more melodic darkness.  This works for me, but when you think of all the time invested into doing what has been done, when they could have tried making something more musical, it leaves me a little flat. Granted it touches back into Watain land, but at least that is different than re-hashing a church that has already been burned down. I'll round this down to a 7.5, I think I've already touched on what makes this album work and what is not as effective, but if you are hungry for new black metal this is well done for what it is.
5.6

An Autumn For Crippled Children : "try not to destroy everything you love"

This mystery band from the Netherlands, released its 4th full length and it continues down the road away from Depressive Suicidal Black Metal. Though its album does not strike me a as being as post-rock as the last and a few shades darker. The Cure influence  seems to be more prominent than the Russian Circles. On the track "The Woods are on Fire" the utilize sounds that affirm their love for My Bloody Valentine, but I would not say this throws them in the same bandwagon as the other black gaze bands and shoe gaze is just one element present on this album.

They have much keener eyes for the details in the composition and take the songs in more unexpected direction rather than their old song writing formulas which was to drone one melody to its grave. Their are heavier moments on this album than we have heard from them in recent memory, "never complete" is sonically heavy and has a thick coat of sorrow to drown you in. The vocals are the most metal element of the music, but unlike the previous album their are heavy moments they just aren't metal ones.

The title track starts off with blatant electronic elements, not trying to hide the fact they are using drum machines and a very chilled out sound.The sample underneath sounds like something from a Smiths album, while most of the other elements are like 80's Cure. The screams are layered under a coat of distortion and find them selves buried under the synths. It ebbs and flows from these more post-rock guitar sections before blaring back at you in the end.

The breezy glide into the night sky on " hearts of light" is the first song that bears any similarity to their early work, though it is clear the production is coated in the shoe gaze like distortion rather than their older more metallic sound. The vocals sound like they are being screamed with more anguish than ever before as they lay under more denser layers. "Sepia Mountains For Her Lament" sounds just like the title, the drums take on a more metal feel as double bass accents the swells.

The dizzy intro to "Closer" starts off with a much different  feel than what the bands has done before, an upbeat tempo that never settles into the melancholy. In the songs final minute black metal returns in a fast and soaring manner than doesn't rely on blast beats. They dial this back for  moment in "avoiding winter" that starts off with a twinkle and begins to build in intensity through out even allowing for a electronic style break that is just one of the albums many moments that don't sound like anything they have done before.

The post -rock lead into "starlit spirits" finds the band once again in familiar territory, but after they have spoiled us so much with some of the innovation on this album it feels like a step back.I'll give this album a 9 as its an improvement from the last though the drone of the shoe gaze fuzz at times weighs it down , this is still and impressive piece of work.