Marilyn Manson : "One Assignation Under God Chapter 1"

 Manson is back. Vocally sobriety seems to be doing him favors. His upper range is not as strained. His 12th album is once again produced by Tyler Bates. It sounds like Code Orange's Rebe Meyers is playing for him and lending backup vocals, which makes sense as she has been a part of his most recent touring band. The first two songs are dark, and melodic with enough rock guitars to make sense. The first aggressive song is "Nod if You Understand". His lyrics "I won't repent, this is what I was sent here for" set the tone for the album, since this is his comeback, after an unsuccessful cancellation. Really if you want Manson to be anything but a sleazebag, you were never into his music in the first place or just don't pay attention.

"As Sick as the Secrets Within" was one of the lead singles from this album. It does pretty much what you would want Manson to do in 2024, though it's somewhat moodier and like an alternative power ballad from the 90s. It brings "Mechanical Animals" to mind. "Sacrilegious:" has the same kind of "Dope Show' strut, he is known for. Not the strongest on the album, but it works well enough. There is a more organic rock feel on this album and less electronic pulsing. His lower vocals take on a more "Beautiful People' cadence, so there is an element where Manson feels like need to bring in familiar elements to remind you why you liked him. Things are streamlined, and less experimental, which is still effective for what he is going for here. 

"Death is Not a Costume" is darker with more grit to the creeping bass line. The most "goth" song so far. The chorus works really well on this one. "Meet Me in Purgatory" is driven by a punk-tinged bass line. Bate's has really figured out how to dial Manson's voice into the mix. The sounds are very clean, and he could have used less noise gating and allowed some of the tones to have more feedback and grit, particularly on a song like this. 'Raise the Red Flag" is another of the singles that preceded the album. It does have that grit I was just referring to on the bass, but the album as a whole needs to be dialed in like this song. Manson's vocals could still be the focal point, and he is not screaming a helluva like on this album, he does dig in more on the chorus here. 

The last song is a ballad, which works well enough, he sounds good on it, perhaps not what I would have chosen for him to do, but there is a creepy little melody in the background. He does go into his head register for a note, which I like. Lyrically it's interesting and honest so it prolly just needs to grow on me, so I will round this album up to a 10, and give it some time to settle in, but aside from a few glances back at his legacy, his voice sounds great and it's dark enough to work for me. 

November is Doom : Fatima : "Eerie"

This French band immediately impressed me with the first song. The urgent vocals and ominous ambiance, all worked perfectly. The guitar carries the needed metallic punch to drive the point home as the bass anchors this down, with a unique songwriting approach. It's pretty haunting and sets high expectations for the rest of the album. Some 90s elements are lurking under the surface here, and perhaps this is the icing on the cake for me. They bring plenty of power to the overdriven wall of fuzz that leads into the second song.

At this point in the album, I begin to hear how they are following the path created by countrymen Hangman's Chair. This is finds since those guys are one of my favorite bands. There is a little more of a Soundgarden feel going into the trippier "Miracle of the Sun" which finds a warmer sense of melody creeping into things. There is a lighter vocal employed on this as well. The bass keeps "Portuguese Man O War" moving as the vocals are locked in a more hypnotic chant. The lumber of the riffs retains the established heaviness. "Cyclops Cave" has a sludged-out grunge drive as the pace picks up into a palm-muted chug. More in common with the Melvins than Nirvana. 

Speaking of influences I appreciate the Cure-like feel of "Hypericum". The bass brings the slinky groove, while they bring more melancholic tones to the chorus. This album likes taking you through exotic Middle Eastern chord progressions, while "Three Eyed Enoch" flirts with this, it commits to the gloomy more doom-ridden stomp. It shifts into a more grunge jangle at times, but the thread of doom remains tied to the song as a whole. The album ends with a moodier post-grunge power ballad. I'll round this up to a 10 this falls along similar lines as Hangman's Chair or O Zorn ! as it's dark heavy and downtrodden and might not be an actual doom album, but moody enough to appeal to both fans of doom and grunge.

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November is Doom - Iota : "Pentasomnia"

 

This band features the drummer from the Otolith and Subrosa. They play a moody version of a blues-tinged stoner rock, that sets itself in a dusky liminal sonic space. The vocals are soulful and the music is dynamic with great guitar playing. The groove picks up for the second song that moves with a more grunge feel it is not unlike the mid-90s in this regard as metal bands began to feel the changing tides in the industry and sounds shifted. This was a unique period in time as things got more brooding. 

"The Returner" has a loose, jammy feel that wanders off. It feels more like stoner rock to me, that 70s wannabe riffing compressed into radio rock formulas, as it sounds like something you would play if you get high. Extended solos and hypnotic vocal melodies might not be the hookiest songwriting, but it captures a cool mood. This is the album's longest song at almost nine and a half minutes. 'The Time Keeper" is another wandering jam. This song also highlights the fact, that headphones work better for this album than computer speakers, as the guitar got lost.

They close the album with a darker tone that works well. The stormy tension of "the Great Disolver' how never reaches a resolution they just establish the pulse, but since this is a three-minute song it feels like rather than being given the time to jam on it, they just bring it to a premature end. I'll give this album a 9, it is fun, paints the picture your THC addled mind wants from this sort of thing, and even though many of these ideas just serve as a thesis for their jam it works when given the room to grow. 

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Soccer Mommy : 'Evergreen"

 While the gripping tenderness that opens Sophia's fourth album, there is a more compelling flow to the songwriting of "M" that hooks you in. The drums help keep it moving, more than leaving her wandering in the atmosphere of her guitar, though a surreal 70s vibe finds flute solos surfacing to provide a more expansive sound. Her singing style's hushed virginal vocal tones incorporate equal emotions and detachment. There is a more rock sound to "Driver" that sounds like a long-lost track from the 90s. She reaches into her head register for a few notes here and there, but largely it's her phrasing that is the most impressive part of her singing. 

"Some Sunny Day" is back to a more melancholy haze of atmosphere. It sounds like she enjoys smoking pot more than she is depressed, but maybe that is how she manages her depression? "Changes' leans into an even greater ambiance that would be more fully appreciated if you were in a similar state of consciousness. "Abigail" is not a King Diamond cover, but instead an indie pop song that breezes, with a slight touch of the Cure's more radio-friendly moments as an influence on the synth lines in the background. . Though boygenius is certainly a fair point of sonic reference to the album's overall sound. 

The lazy flow of "Thinking of You" is supplemented by a thoughtful bass line and nuanced guitar playing. It builds into more of an indie rock feel. "Dreaming of Falling" is more of a ballad, though it moves with the percussion to keep it driving in a pop direction. Technical she is far from a metal player or rock shredder, but is very tasteful and comes up with some interesting passages. "Salt in Wound' has interesting guitar parts, but the vocals are not as hooky as the previous songs, as things amble along. "Anchor" is a little more experimental which I appreciate as it gives the album a wider sonic scope. The last song kind of breezes by, as it's fragile in its strummed ambiance. This album excels at what it does and drapes your ears in emotional depth I will give it a 9.5, as see how it grows on me , fans of indie pop should me mesmerized. 

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As I Lay Dying : "Through Storms Ahead"

I never give these guys much of a listen. I think I was turned off by the fact they were being marketed as a Christian band, which they have come out to say they never were. They have less metal core than expected. Reminds me of Shadows Fall if the clean vocals are more pop punk. If that is supposed to be the core part, people will fall for anything. Very thrash-oriented riffing with death metal vocals on the verses. It works off a formula and is overproduced, but aside from that don't hate it. However, I do not hear the big deal either.  " Burden' feels like a generic version of this kind of Myspace metal.

The dudes from Slaughter to Prevail and Chelsea Grin lend their growls to "We Are the Dead". Heavier than the previous songs.  The vocals are well-produced by the guitars are a little thin and tinny for my tastes. 'Whitewashed Tomb" has more melodic sensibility to the guitars leading into the song. The riff itself feels a little busy to me and would feel heavier at half-time. The vocal hook is almost too polished. The title track works much better for what it is. "The Void Within " is back to the more predictable take on this era of Myspace metal. It is also when all the songs start running together for me. 

'Strength to Survive" is one of the album's more solid songs. It's melodic in a more classic metal manner. "The Gears That Never Stop" is just more predictable than the others. 'the Cave We Fear to Enter" is all over the place arrangement-wise. The sung vocals are not as hooky as they are supposed to be. "Taken From Nothing" is more guitar-centered. The vocal melodies are also too pop-punk for me . I will give this album an 8, it works well enough for what they are doing, and fans should dig it.

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November is Doom- Worshipper : "One Way Trip"

 

This band blends varied sounds of metal's past. The vocals remind me of the Scorpions. The guitars sit back in a chug that allows the vocals to take center stage in a way that harkens back to when these sorts of bands dominated the airwaves. These guys have the songwriting chops to emulate that which is better than most. There is more of a rock n roll feel to the second song. He sounds less like Klaus here. 'Windowpane' feels like it would be an Aerosmith song from the late 80s, as it's too slick to be tossed in with hair metal. It's the kind of arena-ready hard rock that was once more prominent. I'm glad these guys are students of it. Not sure why they are being marketed as a stoner rock band though.  They are closer to hair metal than Kyuss. 

"Only Alive' is closer to metal, though it's more like Dokken's brand of metal, without any of the falsetto yodeling. These guys are not shy about guitar solos but write pretty tasteful ones. Lyrically "Acid Burns" feels like they are aware of drugs, but do not sound like they are making music for doing them. 'James Motel" is the first song that comes close to being stoner rock. I like the first song that was more Scorpions better. It feels like when the bands from the 80s found themselves in the mid-90s and realized they had to go grunge to survive. Case in point "The Spell" sounds like it could have been a b-side from W.A.S.P's "Headless Children" album. 

I am more enthused for the touch of the Scorpions returning for "Onward". It has one of the album's best guitar solos if that is your kind of thing. I had wanted to hear this guy's upper register and he belts up into it making his voice just find of crack, so we never get a falsetto from him. The last track is more of an outro. Overall I enjoyed this album it took me back to a place in the 80s I once loved. I will give it a 9, and see if it grows on me. 

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November is Doom -Slomosa : "Tundra Rock"

There is an interesting increase in stoner rock coming from northern Europe. A case in point is this band from Norway. They are on the doomier side of the genre. The second song finds mellow vocals coasting over fuzzed-out guitars, which creates a nice juxtaposition. It also gives the band a more original sound rather than just being another Black Sabbath tribute band. They are smart to use more grooves on 'Cabin Fever' which helps break things up. 

They also lean into their more indie rock tendencies at times. There sound is not aggressive, making them almost not metal, but the guitars have enough heft, and the casual chug leads them in that direction."Red Thundra" feels like Hum jamming with Kyuss which is a pretty good combination in my book. It has the heavy thundering drive, but tempered with atmosphere. The uptempo droning jangle of 'Battling Guns" works well enough, it moves things more in the indie rock direction, and I prefer the songs before it. However, I do not hold it against them for trying different things and not pandering to the Camaro crowd. "Monomann" had to get a second listen before I fully digested it, It's more of a Queens of the Stonage-like boogie

"MJ" goes into a hypnotic riff that reminds me a little too much of 'Demon Cleaner".  They fix this during the chorus. But it's not just the riffs it's the cadence of how the vocals sit on the guitar. 'Dune" kinda takes the Kyuss vibe and jams it out a little more. I will give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me, I like that it does not always try to conform to the expectations of the genre, the only thing going against it is the heavy Kysus influence. 

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