Catching Up With 2014-Dead Congregation : "Promulgation of the Fall"

I've heard every one and their head banger mother raving about this album all year, and I have tried to give it a listen and was not blown away, so now I am going to give it one last chance to see if this is really the best death metal band going today or if they are victims of their own hype. The album opens with a gritty enough tune. The low gnarly crunch of the guitar is thick as concrete. The solos are melodic and add a little depth, the low gurgle vocals are what they are and typical for this sort of thing. The drum sound is one factor not blowing my mind as they need to be more in my face. This is all pretty passable , but not yet the best.

 There is a little more melody lurking in thick seething grind they churning up. Some of the riffs are clever and catchy while being rough hewn. I can understand what people like about them, but there isn't anything original going on. It's pretty obvious I have broad enough taste in metal. In some genres there are more acts that appeal to me than others as I look for very specific things in music, darkness and dynamics being one. Death metal can come across rather flat when it comes to dynamics and I have been listening to death metal since "Leprosy" came out. So I have heard most of this done before. This is a conglomeration of death metal riffs I have heard from the 80's given a fresh coat of grim and spit back out at me.

The songs after the title track began to bleed together on me, I had to go back and see where one song began and the other ended. The reason for this being , all of their songs sound the same. They are variations on a theme . A very crushing theme. But they same monochrome shade of bloody carnage. Some of the reason for this is songs like "Serpent Skin" that blast by in a tumbling blur of blast beats, run flatly into the next chug with nothing, but a shift of riffs to define it. They work better at the slower more powerful chug. But can't use the restraint to milk those moment and go into blasts that sound like all their other blasts. They implement several Morbid Angel like punches along the way to accent things, but this is far from really making their songs say something with more than one feeling.

Sometimes this formula works well like the beginning of "Immaculate Poison" , but they default into taking the easy way out by just mindlessly blasting.It does nothing to further the song or have a point.At times it only sets up a slower chug of a more interesting riff that is laying the ground work for the solo to come. When a song like "Nigredo" tumbles out of the speeding pound these Greeks dish out, it almost becomes white noise. There is nothing to even distinguish it as a song.

On "Schisma" they really take a page from Morbid Angel's book. Though the insane blasting reminds me more of Suffocation or Cannibal Corpse. The solo sections are way more melodic than something Cannibal Corpse would do. They end up taking the speed demon addiction way to far and lose all musical feel. This blasting tantrum continues into "From a Wretched Womb" that closes out the album. It's just way too straight ahead for me, it gets into the really flat sounding snare hit that I dislike in death metal until it slows down, into a more doom like tempo that is not maintained for longer before it collides with the speed, but at least this comes about in a slightly more interesting
manner,

They fail at the golden rule around here, "cool riffs alone do not make a good song" the album sounds good, it might even grow a little on me, but the new Incantation scratches this itch and it can't come close to the new Mortuary Drape, I think just clicking through the blog you can find at least three other death metal albums that will score higher than the 6.5, I'm giving this one, just off the basis of it's dark dense sound and sheer aggression.

Mortuary Drape: "Spiritual Independence"

Although they have been around for thirty years, my history with the band dates back five years ago when I read an interview with Erik of Watain, who cited them as an influence. One of the oldest black metal bands is breaking ten years of silence. I have been hunting this album for some time, before I could not take it any more and broke down to contact the band. I am glad that I did because i need this one in my life. The creepy gothic intro lands into "Lithany", that is compared to the black metal of today, would feel more like classic metal. The backing vocals have the most in common with modern black metal, but I remember a time when bands like Morbid Angel and Deicide seemed like black at the time. One thing is glaringly evident is these guys come from a time when the emphasis is on songs. Every instrument counts here, there is not a note wasted, even the vocals have purpose rather than just being relegated to being an after thought, which is very common with harsher growls.

Drummer Wildness Perversion, the bassist really shines on "Once I Read" . The song picks up into more of a thrash. feel. On "Natural Death" they show their influence on black metal, with the dark cadence they let the chords ring out with. Their songs effortless flow like the river Styx in darker waters. The ritualistic elements bands like Watain took inspiration from are evident. It would be pretty impressive to see Wildness pull off these growls while playing drums live, as his drumming is pretty intricate at times. Most of the solos default to what you expect more from a death metal album or someone like Dissection who it's clear these guys had an influence on. I have a pretty high threshold for evil so if a song gives me the evil chills that means they are serious about what's going on.

They chug through "Mortal Remains" with authority. This song also has the one guitar solo on it that really stands out to me. Like most of the songs it weaves it way through an array of dynamics and retains the bands trademark to sacrifice  babies not melody at their altar of metal. There is an odd groove to "Immutable Witness" which appears to be one of the rare moments on this album that has to grow on where most songs grab me right from the first few chords. I like how the vocals are layered on the chorus and the bass line. They keep digging deeper for more macabre sounds and continue to find them on "Ignis Fatuus". It does eventually wind it's way into a straight up  galloping rocker, though the bass player plays around the riff  keeping a unique twist on it.

They do hit you straight on with the thrashy "1600 Gnostic Year". Even then it shifts the riffs around in the writhing manner of New Order Testament. The vocals also fall back onto accenting the punches in a more traditional manner, The band don't take the easy way out and bring back the doomish  delight. The solo break hits the song in a similar fashion as Altars of Madness" Morbid Angel. They take a very deliberate approach to the title track. They layer the vocals with some cool effects. The band never has to sort to hiding behind the blistering speeds of blast beats. The chorus to this song doesn't punch out of the song like some, but it creates it's own atmosphere and winds to fiendishly alluring corners of hell. The song ends with vocals that are very King Diamond, which I can see Don't Break the Oath" era Mercyful Fate being a big influence on these guys, in terms of feel, the vocals never stray from their lower yet articulate growls.

I have no problem giving this album a ten, some of the more straight up thrash moments which might not have immediately resonated with me were counterbalanced with the  beautifully creepy sounds this album abounds with. If you like old school death or black metal with serious occult trappings then this is an album not to miss.

Unsacred:"False Light"

This Virginia band explodes with an impressive burst of feral black metal. The vocals are a hateful of a rasp as anything you could ask for from the states. They are really forward in the mix rather than the more typical buried placement. The have a very constrained chaos to their attack makes their triumphant gallops stand out. It common place to be impressive by the sheer violence of this sort of music, so it's up to the band from this point on to prove they can not only maintain , but continue to write actual engaging songs.

There is almost a punk rock beat to "Idle" that is not as impressive as the beast they opened with. They lean heavily on blast beats and tremolo picking. Sticking to cookie cutter black metal approach that they defied on the first song. "Plague" finds the band allowing themselves to build even if it is just for the intro, then launch into the full throttle assault that is more metal than the previous song. They do pull out some impressive bounding, bookended by more straight forward sonic blasting. The half time section helps break things up even if ever so slightly, which is what they need more of,as this sort of up to 11 all the time numbs your ears to the heaviness.

They don't seem to plan to let up. Going from one version of in your face at warp speed to a more punk version of the same thing. The backing vocal overdubs, help keep this song sounding like the one s before it. They pay a little more attention to detail with this one, before throwing that out the window and going back fro second on your jugular. The rock n roll feel to "Void 11" is what this album needs to keep it from just racing by you in a foaming at the mouth craze. They can only restrain themselves for so long before launching into the punk rock like thrashing. I think Mutilation Rites does this sort of thing better, Unsacred just has more of a punk take on that style of american black metal.

The drums at the beginning of "Sun" are there to remind you this drummer is badass if you haven't noticed by this point. "Sun" does find a crushing sludge like groove. More of this would have been well place earlier in the album. This is angry and makes you believe, rather than throwing all emotion out the window with everything else the tornado of speed sweeps up around it. They close out the album with "Cage" that is another blur of rapid fire blasting in case you haven't gotten enough of that sort of thing by now. A minute in they give you a brief breathing to play something with melody and then go rabid again. They manage to find a better sense of sonics when they slow it down a hair, but getting them to do that is well maybe two songs out of this album. Though they are a tad one dimensional they work well in the dimension they dwell in. They album captures what they set out to do and has a raw and jagged sound without sound like they were recorded in their Grandmother's basement, with blow speakers. So despite the monochrome sonic setting, this album is accomplishes blending the punk anger with black metal's venom so I'll round it up to an 8.

5

Saor: "Aura"

From the hills of Scotland comes some impressive atmospheric black metal. Saor's second album opens with"Children of the mist". The song kicks off the album with  haunting flute providing the back drop to a very jaggedly staccato take on folk metal. There is some frolic in what they do, off set by the low roar of the vocals. That are overdubbed in a manner that makes it sound like a drunken gang of vikings. Clean vocals chime in around the roaring. The album sweeps you away with in on the first song, only the Killswitch Engage bro metal like punches that crop up leave you to scratch your head as every thing else makes perfect sense for this kind of thing. The blast beats that fight against the big synth bath toward the end of the song, before the war drums come in sounds like it is in the distance and the whole thing has a very soundtrack like quality until they blaze back in.

The title track starts with soothing ambiance before the call to battle goes back out. The guitars seem to be in constant melody mode, in some ways this reminds me of Summoning.  The flute sound is very similar to the one employed in the first song. The title track is a little more straight forward in it's charge forward, throwing in the typical blast beat pattern mid way into the fight. There are glimpses of cool riffs, that jump at at you but the song is one massive wave of action packed melodrama, until at the 8:40 mark it breaks all the way down into faint guitar. "The Awakening" begins with the emphasis on the folk atmosphere. There is a cool tribal pound at six and a half minutes into this one.

The pacing that sets "Farewell" in motion helps distinguish it from the other songs, that all eventually dive head first into a blast beat section.Once again the flute returns to a similar place until the black metal section unfold and gives this song another stamp to set it apart from the others.They pound into some of the heavier sections with a majestic authority. The wider scope of dynamic placement in this songs arrangement, helps to allow each section to unfold to the best of it's ability rather than throwing everything at you at once. The war drums rise again on the closing song "Pillars of the Earth". The guitar sound changes to a clean strum that brings a much needed change of sonics. It crashes down into a weird lof-fi section of black metal that sounds like it was recorded in some one's basement rather than the studio the rest of the album was recorded in. It is a denser and heavier sound, but not as refined ,so much of what they do get lost in the murk. Closing in on the ten minute mark they do transition into a more graceful melodic section while the rough-hewn drumming thunders under . These guys achieve the sound they set out to accomplish at sometimes it goes slightly weird of center and the flute can be over done, but it is one of the better efforts to combine black metal with folk, so fans of Summoning take note. I'll give it an 8.

Xerxes: "Collision Blonde"

"I was wrong " opens the album more like an intro than an actual song as it drones over the same chug  and chant. "Criminal Animal" displays there interesting mix of post- hard core and screamo, that is even dosed in darker indie rock. The vocal go from spoken narrative to screamed hardcore.This flows right into "A Toast" almost to the extent this could be a continuation of the previous song until the bass comes in to carry things. Though they keep a very similar mid tempo.

There is a Fugazi/ slight post-rock vibe to "Knife" . The screamo vocals bring it to a more early 2000's place. You start to get a sense of what some of the bands favorite plot devices are when it comes to song writing at this point. This doesn't take away any of the album's charm as they have really captured some great sounds. They dip into some almost cold wave like electronic sounds on "Take a Directed" which is an impressive way for the band to dip into a darker side and expand their emotional range out of the cathartic explosion of post- hardcore.

They even flirt with a more organic rock n roll sound on "Chestnut Street" that reminds me a little of the Refused. The title track takes this rock vibe on a darker turn like something the Police might veer off into if they were bitten by a rabid wolf. The title track has an almost Fugazi like syncopation to it , but a more Sunny Day like dark introspection to the bass line that carries it on this moody journey, that despite being the sum of it's parts is not emo. Though "Exit 123" that follows takes a much more traditional screamo path. The drummer must really worship Fugazi, which is fine as it is certainly a noble aspiration. Not sure how I feel about the spoken word narrative to "(but here we are)". The music underneath it is cool if it would progress into something more dynamic, it seems like a good idea that didn't get fully realized, those the lyrics to this ditty are impressive, so it's a mixed bag.

The album closes with the heavier and smartly written "Nosedive" that blends most of the elements that have worked for them up to this point and throws them into one punk tinged song. I'll give this a 9 as all the songs pretty much work for me but the spoken word thing, which I deleted from my itunes so I don't have to worry about it or it's clever lyrics that deserved something better to sit upon. If you kike screamo at all this is a album to check out.

9.3

Lost Tribe : "Solace"

For Bellicose Minds to have only preceded Lost Tribe by two years they certainly have had a big influence on them.The vocals are almost identical. The biggest difference is where Lost Tribe goes with the elecrtic guitar sounds and some of their use of synths. With that being said on songs like "Rise or Fall" they are rocking the fuck out a bit more.They might call them selves anarcho-punk  , but things like the heavy punk colors them closer to death rock, despite the fact these guys are more punk than death rock.The single not guitar melodies characteristic of older punk influenced goth are present and the use of synths has really progressed for this band.

They are moving in the direction of having a distinct identity, but the vocal approach hinders this in some ways.Not that punk rock is really known for it's vocal dynamics.The outro / intro pieces are interesting and are ideas that would have been better served if placed with in the context of one of these songs. "Midnight Rain" is a direction I can see the band benefiting the most from moving in. The vocals even on even more of a growl to them and the metal infused guitar really drives the song and separates them from their peers. This is where the Killing Joke influence can be heard.

The the bulk of this momentum on "Conqueror". The riff is not as well defined as the previous song, the bass picks up most of the slack while the vocals wander around.There are effective breakdowns that lead back into the verse. "Dungeon of Stones" hints at an underlying creepiness but the song moves in such a punk fashion some of this crashes right past you. This album has it's moments. I 'll give it a 6 as it's hard for me to shake the Bellicose Minds like vocals. I want more of "Midnight Rain".

Cult of Youth : "Final Days"

It's no secret this Brooklyn based band is a favorite of mine and they set the bar incredibly high for them selves with "Love Will. Prevail". Their new  album "Final Days"opens with a droning mix of minimal drum and what might be brass blaring like a wounded cat in the distant. The first actual song is "Dragon Rogue" which shows the band using much more restrain.The guitar sound is improved, the percussion is broader making use of much more than just a kit. In the songs final minute they begin to accelerate in an almost Swans like manner.  The punk returns on "Empty Faction" which is an impressive display of post- punk that isn't afraid to stray from Joy Division's template. They are also straying from the Death in June influence and continuing to build a sense of their own vision.

" God's Garden" still carries hints of the older Death in June sound, but is much more it's own beast. The melodies are strong husky punk, with a growly edge to the vocals. The guitar melody in the back ground is more of a traditional goth direction than this band has tread in the past, but tempered with an almost rock n roll strum to the guitar. The rock n roll elements continue as the guitar to "Down the Moon" has an almost Led Zeppelin swing to it.They groove along on this almost 60's like psychedelic that is very lush and carries you away into it, so that you do not notice how it is building in layers around you.

They take things down to a much dark depth on the more subdued "Of Amber". The lyrics seem to hold almost occult metaphors. The song floats along this dark water and drones on until  a slight break down at the four minute mark. They bound back with the up tempo "No Regression" that also touches on a very rock n roll feeling. The vocals show how far they have come on this song as well.The nine minute s"Sanctuary" is the albums most ambitious track.The vocals take on more of a girtty growl  as they punch out from the rapid strum of guitar propelling this song into an almost gypsy like ramble.While they never hit actual metal, this song comes closest to hinting at it.

The album closes with "Roses" a simmering strum elevates the song up into an almost post- rock shimmer. The vocals dip into his lower Death in June like register. It lazes back on this dark stroll for the first three minutes before gently modulating  up into more of a build . I'll give this one a 9.5 as it is not as bold of a leap as they made on "Love Will Prevail and some of the songs stick close to the root idea, but this album is still a worthy addition to the legacy they have built for themselves .

Rome : " A Passage to Rhodesia"

This is Rome's 10th album. It'd fitting that Jerome Reuter found a home for himself on Projekt the long time gothic/industrial label.After a barrage of sound effects we get to the real songs. "Ballad of Red Flame Lily" kicks things of in a very groove centered manner that recalls Leonard Cohen. The folk strum with the darker Death in June qualities this project is known for doesn't hit til the chorus. A more traditional approach to this same flavor of dark folk is fully realized on "One Fire" which is even more Death in June like. Not to say Reuter doesn't have an identity for himself as this double album is a pretty ambitious feat, with a heavy political message to it.

He finds a more ballad like quality to "A Farewell to Europe". The songs are very to the point an lush in their execution. He returns to the more introspective commentary of the landscape he is reflecting on "The Fever Tree" that returns to a more Leonard Cohen texture. The album carries impressive momentum until "Hate us and See if We Mind". The melodies don't seem as strong on this one to me , though the song is far from filler, he has just set the bar pretty high for himself so far so there is going to be heavy scrutiny.

"the River Eternal" feels more like an interlude than a song to me. The synths create effective ambiance, but the spoken word doesn't do much for me. He starts to redeem himself on "A Country Denied". He still doesn't recapture the momentum of the album. He shifts into a slightly more upbeat feeling on "Lullabye For Georgie" which seems like the second movement of the previous song and has a slight Sinead O'Conner tinge to it. The lyrical theme continues to modulate it self through the album, taking an even darker, but yet slightly Dead Can Dance like turn on "In a Wilderness of Spite".

"Bread and Wine" sees the return of the synths. They wash over the intro of the song and almost continue to submerse the song in ambiance though the vocals float above the surface and hold their own with a rambling Americana like melody. Some elements of post- rock could be traced to te soaring mood he invokes here. The Past is Another Country is more of an outro than a stand alone song.

While I think it will grow on me it feels like after a really strong start the album begins to lose steam mid way through, the opener below is one of the best songs to come out this year so it's a shame the rest of the album did not live up to it's potential. Still an 8 is better than most and certainly demands to be heard at least once.
8.8

Horror Vacui: "Return of the Empire"

Here's the new one from some favorites of the death rock revival. it's a step forward from their first album.The guitar sounds is an improvement as is the over all sound quality. The one reason this band from Italy band never stuck with me was the vocals . I have been listening to more punk in recent years so perhaps it won't be as much of a turn off, but by the opening song/ title track I can tell he has improved to the point of being acceptable. Little more death rock in approach, it all is coated in early 80's with a solid dash of rock to it. "5000" finds the guitars hitting the perfect balance between the Cure and a harder rock sound... I suppose like the Cult.

 The harder drive to this album and the depth of song writing that still has teeth to it, is a welcome relief as this whole post punk resurgence has been heavy handed on the whole Joy Division thing, and though I love Ian and the boys, it's nice to get good and gothy up in here with some vampiric horror punk that's overly Misfits either. The singers voice still holds some of it's bite when he barks out some of the choruses. The bass is right where it should be on an album of this ilk. It's not unlike "Time" that they step back into the sound I normally associate with them. The maturity to use restraint in order to form lush melodies is where the band has grown "Til the Last Drop" is evidence of that. The Cure like single note guitar lines and the heavily effect tone of the guitar help set this in motion. Sometimes this is made creepier than other moments, a nice fiendish tone is set for "Light of Darkness" and then they race off with it at a punk pace.This almost comes across sounding like the Dead Kennedys.

By 'Screen of Infamy" the band has begun to descend back into the more punk sound of their earlier work.They regain a little of the more subtle touch on "Opus Tenebris"."Desperate Adelia" carries a similar pace, though the guitar hook haunts you a little longer.the punk momentum does barrel the album ahead of it's self missing opportunities to show the finely tuned ears for song writing they previously showed us. Most of these are compressed into the standard just over three minute range. They touch on the more Bauhaus flavor of jerky punk on "Underworld" that also had the darker Idiot era Iggy feel to it.

"The Fall of the Empire" is the first taste of the ian curtis influence. This also feels more like a clash of death-rock with hardcore, but the more monotone tension to the vocals gives it the more Curtis like feel, though spat with hardcore aggression.

I'll round this  album up to an 8 which is the highest recognition this band has gotten from me, they are now poised to hold their own with the likes of Bellicose Minds and have really come into their own as a band, but still carry some rough punk sloppiness that allows the momentum of what they do to send them running faster down hill than their legs can keep up with.
1

Occultation : "Silence in the Ancestral House"

Occult rock got to be a thing some where on the heals of Devil's Blood and Ghost. Most were retro doom with female belters fronting the band. While none have really been able to hold a candle to the Devil's Blood, Selim is dead and I am over it enough to accept contenders. My first outing with this band the production was so re-verbed out it was hard for the album to hold any balls.

This go around the production is improved and they are going a slightly darker route. There are winding prog riffs that spill out from the gloom.There guitarist hails from Negative Plane, so he is no slouch and not unlike the last album the band's strong point. The vocalist sits more properly in the mix, her melodies are more obtuse than not, leaving the guitar to pick up the slack. At times she has abandoned the Grace Slick thing for a more Siouxsie approach, but never locks in and drifts around the winding riffs.They find a more traditional doom vibe on "All Hallow's Fire" that works and allows the more Blue Oyster Cult guitar explorations to wander, while  having something to ground them.
.
"The Place Behind the Sky" takes on a hypnotic tone with almost neo classical King Crimson like intervals. This lulls you into a trance and fades into the back ground.The vocals almost lock in on "The Dream Tide", but everything is swirling around it in such a fashion it is hard to imagine where they should fall so perhaps its working. They do have all the elements fall into place on "Forever Hereafter" even the vocals works here. The drumming is pretty creative, knowing when the groovy almost disco beat works best and is rarely taking a more metal approach.

The title track closes out the album and opens with a much more Siouxsie like feel. I had heard death rock thrown around in regards to this album and it's not really founded in any ting but slight turns to a more shadow like side of the band. At the three minute mark the band touches on a section that really moves the song then drops it down to just the bass line and spookiness.

I will give this one an 8.5, it sounds better and the songs do have proggy almost middle eastern elements that pull you into the trip, but the effects of this drug disorient me in a way where I can not feel where the song is going or if it's like a spinning room and the motion leads to the same place over and over.

The Drums:"Encyclopedia"

Down to a duo, the production is darker and song writing more chaotic, abandoning the beach strolling pop of previous albums. "I Can't Pretend" finds the duo closer to their former glory. The lyrics are still smart, but now the music matches the once subtle sneer the lyrics held. According to the commentary that I heard on the Spotify version of the album, this is the band coming out of the closet, song's like "I Hope Time Doesn't Change Him" sticks this fact in your face. The singer said he wanted the album to sound like a garbage can, while the other half of the duo wanted it to sound like the Sound of Music. What they got is a more garage rock sound that has a glistening coat splattered over it like a money shot.

The band calls "Kiss Me Again" the comic relief of the album, but it hearkens back to their more 50's sounds if draped in camp drag. It's a silly warped version of a pop song. "Let Me" rings up a breezy clamor. They have a really cool guitar sound here that is offset by the darker electronic pulse. The way these elements work together through out the album sounds almost like the Shins at times. The lyrics are cloaked in cynicism , not to the extent of Morrissey, but that sort of thing is present. It carries venom in lines like "they might hate you /but i love you/ and they can go kill themselves". Even when he sings this the phrasing brings the Shins back to mind.

The soaring pop of " Break My Heart" is delicate as it floats like a bubble. The guitar is equally fragile to compliment the overly sensitive vocals. This isn't the album's strongest song, but even then it's not half bad. The wondering of where he begins and this other person ends returns as the theme, though according to the band the album's theme is about being honest and who your really are. They call "Face of God" their atheist anthem, as it asks why are we waiting around for what is coming after death, when we waste today in the process. This song is especially compelling. The sense of movement in this song is pretty powerful.

They rather creepily stated they like to romanticize the idea of the Boy Scouts and this song is about dying alone."U.S. National Park" might be one step closer to the Drums turning into the Shins. They return to their more 50's ish sound on "Deep In My Heart".Even the band claims that the obtuse "Bell Laboratories" will always be a mystery. It is a shade darker than the others songs on the album. It's largely comprised on vocals and electronic bleep and blips. There is a little of Brian Eno influence on this. I can appreciated where they are going with it, but not sure if it is a song that will get tons of repeat listens.

"There is Nothing Left" is a quirky tender pop number that is not unlike their past work, so they have not forsaken their old sound for the garbage can. The album ends with a song intended for the singer's solo album, but the other half of the equation was so moved by it he insisted it be on this album. It's a reflective ballad that still has the electronic flashes around the outskirts. Well written and well sung, it more Kraut Rock than you might expect in a ballad from these guys.

I'll round this one up to a 9, they have put out some really classic stuff in the past and while I realize they are growing as humans and not where they were when they recorded the older albums, so of the Pet Shop Boys moments as well as the Shins moments take some time for me to adjust to as they had such an original sound it's hard for me to hear it with these added elements. If I had never heard them before I would be more impressed, but it is just a matter of me adjusting to the changes.

Nesseria: "Fractures"

"Fractures is the Barcelona based band' second album. They are releasing a twelve inch vinyl on Throatruiner / Trendkill Records, the latter is releasing the CD with Swarm of Nails handling the tape release. So there is no lack of interest in getting this album out there. They start of with some really uniquely dark metal that has melody and mood, but no lack of balls to it that catches your ear from the get go, however when they step on the gas to launch into something more akin to chaotic hardcore the lose the cool feeling the band opened with. It's not that they are not capable and convincing enough to pull it off, it just sound like another band wanting to be a black metal version of Converge.Sure combining the two is bound to come up with some dark and heavy moments, but they are much better at weaving in this melodic dark fog over their songs to reduce themselves to taking the easy way out.

The hardcore element returns on "Cent Mille"it's not as spastic here and carries more of that late 90's thrash cross over element bands returned to.This still is not the most creative direction the band takes their sound. They do manage to tackle a blacker sound with the same kind of intensity they approach hard core with on "L'Incinde" that the following song kind of rides in on it's blur, but with less of an identity of it's own.They are still masters of chug and when brutally cramming some of these riffs down your throat like broken bottle they are deadly serious with their intent.

"Civitas" has a more explosive hardcore element. The drumming really drive the point home that is is whats driving this album despite the great guitar sound these guys have. The little death metal accents would sound right at home on a Dying Fetus album. They sound more natural in more of a black metal mode when they are playing fast than trying to do so in hardcore mode , which seems to serve the band better applied to accents of songs rather than dominating the song.

They play their cards right on the dark closing track "Omayra" and it makes me think that I would have like to have heard more of this on the rest of the album. I will give this album an 8.5 and let it simmer to see if it grows on me. The spazzy hard core parts I think dumb the album down at times and these guys have too much going for them creatively to take the route.

At the Gates: "At War With Reality"

At the Gates are back doing what they do best. It opens with the twin guitar attack chugging out what at one time might have passed for death metal, but by today's standards just aggressive thrash. There are elements of hardcore around it's sharp edges, they can still grind out some riffs that are impossible to not head band to, and the longer this album plays the more you hear how they have influenced so many bands.

It's the hunt for the angriest riffs that draws me into some of these songs. Sure there is some excellent guitar work, which is the albums strong point, but that could be said about their earlier work as well.By the third song, the battering is starting to carry to similar a feel. The riffs stay pretty epic , but the pacing is like an action movie with no plot or dialogue. Some of the more melodic guitar harmonies on this album seems like they are indulgent in a way that "Slaughter of the Soul" still held sharper teeth while doing.

The intro to "Heroes and Tombs" breaks things up , but it also reminds me of In Flames until the powerful chug comes in.It's at "Conspiracy of the Blind' where it starts to bleed together for me."Order From Chaos" is a slightly darker bent from the more straight forward thrashers. Things stick to a similar course with "The Book of Sand", but it's almost midway into before I realize it's a new song. "The Head of Hydra" takes a more melodic tone and stands out more so for doing it.

It's  "Eater of Gods" that causes the album to roar back to life in the most powerful manner. The In Flames like spoken part in the middle doesn't even bother me or come across as mall metal. "Upon Pillars of Dust" tries to keep up a similar attitude, but lands on that straight forward snare tap that is kinda punkish.It has more of a metal core like feel to it, and by that I don't mean the kids with the hair cuts , but the trend they pretty much started and bands like Darkest Hour followed.They end things with the very melodic "

Needless to say this album doesn't have the impact that "Slaughter  of the Soul" has It certainly has it's moments, but nothing really blows me away here. There is enough of their tradmark sound here to please fans , but as far as come backs go this is kind of tepid considering how long of a wait it has been, if I was a die hard fan of these guys I would take this a little bit of a disappointment and I know these guys are capable of more so I will give this a 7.5.

Blut Aus Nord: "Memoria Vetusta III"

This French black metal project has always been experimental, often digging into a deeper darkness in freeing themselves of the confines of the traditional black metal sound. Yet this album takes a dramatic step backwards into the conventional black metal formula and is being hailed by some as a masterpiece. I'm.fine with them wanting to go back int  a more black metal sound, they had almost become like the Cure a couple of albums ago, but the songs here lack the elements that sets this band apart.

It's not until the woeful final moments of the first song that this resembles the band I love who operates best doing what others don't do.The songs bleed together, but that could be argued about the more classic days of Ulver and Darkthrone, however it's not until "Forhist" that a song really catches my ear as all the sweeping blast beats sweep everything else right past me. Sure it is soothing for the background while I'm working , but is that the role metal should play?

"Henosis" blasts out with a little more bite in it's attack, but does this sound like Blut Aus Nord or a thousand other faceless bands who have adopted this style? I'm far from being at black metal overload, I just want more than defaulting to this type of thing. I find it astounding that these are settling for this kind of middle ground creatively. The clean vocals sound just as incidental as the screamed ones. The formula seems to be each song is comprised of two parts one of those is slightly catchier than the other. So the question is how easily contented are you with the status quo?

"Metaphor of the Moon" is like the moon in the fact it shines from afar, but doesn't always demand my attention.Yet another song that sits in the drone of the back ground with a few punches that might be worth taking note of .The end fades out almost as the album began. I have to give this album a six despite my disappoint meant in the backward step in direction, as it's convincing in the execution, if they felt they had to prove they could do this as well as any one else, then point taken,

3.7

Godflesh: World Lit Only By Fire

After 13 years here is the full length we have been waiting for. I had mixed feeling about the ep, this is the follow up to. Can Justin and Co make entire albums worth of engaging material with the Godflesh sound after all these years? The album stomps off in the direction you would expect from the band. In the very straight forward industrial pound. Justin's vocals the choked bark. The guitars tightly pound like a machine. The first and second second don't really have much that separates them. I had to look at my iTunes to see if it had moved on to another song. The powerful hammering in effective , but the album gets off to a rather flat dynamic."Shut Me Down" crashes in to save the day. The beat is still industrial it just carries a different pound and a groove that doesn't totally come across like mall metal. Sound effects in the background help to capture the dismal landscape they are painting.

There is a more melodic underbelly to "Life Giver Life Taker". The chords ring out into a cold machine like world.The bass sound has the same titanic thumps that has driven so much of their material and Justin's clean vocals are set back into the distance. The more straight forward , yet angular blend of sounds captured on "Obeyed" is effective but not as compelling as the previous song. The band continues to play it rather safe of "Curse Us All". Not to say there are not some crushingly heavy riffs on the song, but that is what is expected of  the band. They hit a more Ministry like tone on "Carrion" is heavy as hell, but also manages to crunch into some darker new ground , even if only by a few degrees. The garbled effects on the vocals are particularly effective.

One of the best songs on the album is the ripping "Imperator" that finds the bands classic sweet spot in blending the metal crunch of industrial with a more Killing Joke like sense of melody.  The guitars layer stark dissonant chord over the war dance of the primal pummel. The band lumbers over it's own momentum. The thick thump causes songs like "Towers of Emptiness" to not capture the same range of dynamics others songs on this album have. The more atmospheric drone at the end of the song helps save it from stagnation. They close out the album with the strong "Forgive Our Fathers" that has a sludged out tempo that borders on doom. The clean vocals moan out from the crumbling building the guitars sound like they are razing in the background. I'll give this one a 9 in hopes some of the songs that didn't grab me at first it continue to grow on me, the album scores so high because  when the songs excel they that really hit it perfectly and make  this worthwhile.  

Electric Wizard: "Time to Die"

Once a upon a time this might have been considered black metal even though we now know it to be doom. The opening horror movie like sample sets a darker tone for the U.K. band.They have lost none of their powerful rumble and as doom grows desolate with each release trying to suffocate the band before them Electric Wizard has shown up to hold their ground. The ten minute opening track track sets the bar high for the rest of the album.The chant of "We Wanna get high / before we die" comes before the title that follows,so death is one of the album primary topics. The title track is less sprawling. The band has a tighter grip on their doom like attack. The vocals are more of an after thought here, and the song feels more like a jam despite being more singular in purpose than the opener. In some ways this reminds me more of classic St. Vitus, particularly in the arrangement.

They come back stronger on the 11 minute opus "I Am Nothing". Slower paced in it's rumble,with a vocal chant holding it's center. The song eventually launches into a sonic cosmos, where bands like Hawkwind tend to soar in their psychedelia. The fiendish samples return on "Destroy Those Who Love God". Here they take on a creepier sludge sound scape. The use of the organs set back in the mix are extremely effective in conjuring visions of the Manson Family paying Sharon Tate a late night visit. This is more of an interlude, but is still very entertaining in the picture it paints. They return to the death theme, this time with a more cerebral slant on "Funeral in Your Mind". The guitars take on a more seventies rock "We Love the Dead" carries a drugged out sluggish shamble to it's morbid declaration. The verses on this song are spacious. There is a less oppressive weight pounding down on you here. In this manner they look back to more traditional doom that came out of the 80's.
The rock groove keep coming with "SadioWitch". This sinister whine of the vocals continues to keep it's grim narrative in a similar fashion as it seem to stick with when not launching into a maddening chant. The lyrics are clearer here and seem to be comparing love to drugs. The love of drugs is certainly a prime element to the conception of this album.

"Lucifer's Slaves"   takes on a slightly more sinister ambiance, though it rumbles forward at a pace not unlike what the band has already established. It only slows further drag the dirge into the dirt of it's fresh grave. This had has employed more effective melodies in the past than they seem to be doing here , so I'm not sure if they feel they must offer up melody on the altar of sacrifice in order to be heavy. The bass is really the only instrument that wanders off to break away from the drone and do something interesting with it's fills. "Saturn Dethroned" is more of just and outro that might as well be a part of "Lucifer's Slaves" as it doesn't really do anything but let the keyboard have their moment in the spotlight, that could have taken place within the confines of any of these songs to have made them more dynamic.I'll give this album an 8. The weight of it catches you by surprise at first and lures you into it's orgy of black magic, but the longer you stick around for this party the more you begin to sober up and question the song writing. If you love these guys , then you will continue to do so, as like Motorhead, they are continuing to give you more of what you want from them.

Population : " Beyond the Pale"

This Chicago band is pretty convincing and right on time for Halloween. Rather than riding the night train to the easiest route to goth, the bands vocalist helps them sound like if the Cramps had taken a div into death-rock. The raw production makes this sound like it could have be recorded on a budget during the 80's. The archaic drum machine sounds they have dug up, help keep up the suspension of disbelief. They some times indulge themselves on interludes of samples and varied noises to create atmosphere.

The vocal delivery get weirder on "On Rubicon".The phrasing is over accented and dramatic.They fuse many of the styles which fell under the goth umbrella, be it post-punk, dark wave or deathrock. Their singer latches onto some pretty catchy melodies. On some song the results are more mixed than others, they take a more new wave melody and throw it against a oddly angular tapestry to see it it will stick on "Pray For Rain". The backing guitar track that buzzes like a tripping bee behind the main melody seems like the song is going in two directions at once. "Sleepwalker" proves to be a much smoother ride. The overwrought squeak to the vocals becomes endearing here. The vocals often find themselves sounding more like Valor than Rozz Williams when it comes to the manner of emoting.The gloom often feels like window dressing for these swirling new wave songs, sometimes finding themselves as dancey as "I'd Stop the World to Melt With You"

The guitar sounds best when locked into a hypnotic drone like the one it finds on "Spears of Silence". There song writing shows a knack of hooks in the vocal patterns to "True North",which also to some extinct makes these guys one of the first revivalist bands that winks in the direction of Fields of the Nephilim" mainly in the phrasing of the vocals and how their singer dips into a growl of his lower register . They creep their way out onto the German Dance floors on the shadowy "Volkslied". The quirk of the vocals tests it's limits. Trying to find the lines where emotive begins and absurd ends. The guitar tone also shines on "Wine On The Lilies", almost carrying the wavering effects upon it more like what a shoe-gaze band might employ, but on this swirling sway of a song it work, as it is not quite as dark as the bulk of the album. In most cases this would bring complaints, but these guys have established themselves as being morose enough for me so it's ok for them to come for a breather and stretch out into other emotional territory. This album is the kind of fun I want especially at this time of year. Some of the over the top vocal performances slightly  distract from the songs direction as the singer wanders around the song, not unlike some of Christian Death's less focused moments, but overall this album is enjoyable and the wacky vocals flux ate in such a manner it's hard to fault them so I 'll give this one a 9.

Esben & the Witch: " A New Nature"

Formed in 2008 this is the band's third full length. While it might not be as ethereal or experimental as their previous album, the songwriting has been fine tuned.  the more doom folk elements are set against post-rock in the same zip code as Russian Circles. The focal point of there sound is
Bassist Rachael Davis' vocals are a smooth cynical croon.

 This band gets compared to Chelsea Wolfe, because she does have a somewhat ghostly quality to her voice on their earlier efforts, this album finds her voice stripped and pushed naked out in center stage. They would be shades of gray if you are comparing the brand of darkness this British band invokes versus that of  Chelsea Wolfe. While she doesn't have the pipes of Wolfe, Davis is no slouch, her honest and passionate delivery picks up the slack when her melodies laze about some of the throbbing riffs.

After the ten minute epic opening, when they drop down into the hushed "Dig Your Fingers In" the results seem at first a little underwhelming as it takes the bulk of the song for it to build. Though once you go back an give the album further listens this is not as jarring. The song is carried by her voice and rather minimal instrumentation just providing enough of a pulse to keep the song alive until the final minute and a half when it kicks in.

The burly bass of "No Dog" really serves as a sonic bulldozer to push the song along. Dynamics are one of the bands strong points, they drop the barreling bass down into a faint creepy plea. By the end of the song this band is beginning to remind me of Forget Cassettes, though more droning . The fourteen minute "the Jungle" begins with her fragile vocal . The lyrics seem to be somewhat inspired by the movie Antichrist as the line "Chaos Reigns" appears and it seems to be centered around the dark side of nature. The first half of the song stays on a hypnotic course, before the trumpet comes in.

The doomy vibe rears it's head on "Those Dreadful Hammers". The trumpet wails out in the distance from behind the feedback like a post-apocalyptic take on Miles Davis.The album creeps back down from this on "Wooden Star". The brooding on this album is on a much different frequency than would be found on a metal album or in a manner that might be though of as goth. The jazz swagger of "Blood Teachings" find the band continuing their surreal sprawl into the drugged glow of the early morning hours. It lingers rather than plods, which keeps this band from being actual doom, along with the hesitance to really stomp into the distortion, however it makes when they do that much more effective.

The two minute "Bathed in Light" sounds more like an outro than a fully formed song, as it hangs on a similar melody. So for the point of scoring this album I am not counting that one. The album is lush and ambitious it deserves to be rounded up to a 9.5. Worth your time if you like dynamic and moody indie rock with a morose slant.



A New Nature by Esben and the Witch

The New Flesh : "The Absurd"

I you can't wait for the new Bellicose Minds , well there's good news the new album by New Flesh is here to tide you over and they can't wait for it either so they are taking another step towards sounds like Bellicose Minds themselves. On the punk side of the post-punk equation, they get the dark element right. The throw in some thoughtful vocal hook, but the monotone shout of their lead singer's baritone further cements them into sounding like Bellicose Clones on this one.

This style of post-punk comes really close to sounding like horror -punk, the Misfits elements are strong. These guys aren't bad song writers, it just I have a creeping feeling I've heard this before. I don't remember their previous album leaning so far in this direction.Not until the third song"Bound By Flesh" that I feel they are searching for their own sound. Even here we have the archetypal death rock bass tone leading the way.The guitar follows behind and I think if the vocals had more though and nuance behind them then they could really have sunk their fangs into something here.

The more thundering punk of "No Way Out" carries a mid night train of weight behind it's drive and compensates with sheer energy alone. The similarly paced"Blood and Sweat " doesn't come across as being as inspired.They bounce back with "This Crushing Fate". The guitars wander off into some interesting places. The vocals continue to hold the songs back. The does variations of the same thing though out the album. The one trick pony he rides takes to "This Crushing Fate" better than some of the other songs on this album.  does. The title track captures the album's best mood and goes into the darkest place yet for the band. From the effects on the bass to the distant scarping of the guitars you wonder why they were not doing this all along. The singer's vocals benefit from the distant catacomb like production they sit back into.

The bands best effort almost proves to be too little too late.It's even more of disappointment after they say good bye by letting you know they could have made other choices the whole time. I'll give this album a 7, if you like the more punk side of post-punk some of the problems I had with this album my not phase you.

Okkultokrati : "Night Jerks"

Part of Norway's Black Hole Crew a scene of metal tinged Hardcore, Okkultokrati is often labelled black metal just because they are from Norway and their earlier work might have played into this more , but the opener to their new album "Night Jerks" comes closer to being post-punk. The vocals are a cold croaked croon choking on it's on disdain.Some what lo-fi in the way they bathe these songs in re-verb, this albums also finds the band delving into some pretty bleak noise. Songs like "Zero Kulto" indulge in this excessively and become little more than interludes.

The title track reminds you their hardcore label has more to do with Black Flag and not so much to do with Converge.The post-punk elements are more along the lines of the Damned here. The vocals don't commit to fully being a growl nor are they really sung, almost like  early Cro-mags at times."Moon Daggers" comes the closest to having a black n Roll feel if you are think say "Cult is Alive". The snarl in the vocals carries a little of  Venom's poison to them here.

"Rose Crux' is a more balatant step towards post-punk. Straddling the fence between Killing Joke and a grim Swans drone.The vocals chant rose crux and the drums have a militant industrial snap to the snare."the Ladder" takes a cold hollow clang to it that is not far removed from industrial either. The more Henry Rollins like barked narrative sits on a odd blues lumber. The album ends with a 16 minute blanket of noise called "Cosmic Wynter". It's more like a long drawn out outro than a song. Really I would prefer to have had two more real songs from these guys rather than to have them, use noise as filler. I never count these types of things as songs when I rank albums because I normally delete them and this is proving to be no different. I will give this album a 9 as I really like the actual songs that are on here, I think they are wonderfully mean and dark combining many elements I seek out in my music. Hopefully these guys will get over there noise fixation and write a proper album based off the elements working so well here.