Death By Love : " 444"

 

Here is the debut from this Polish electro goth project. It has a sharp-edged tension in the combative synths that open the album. These are contrasted by the sultry swagger of Inga. Peter, the other half of this duo, had a stint in the Electric Hellfire Club, so the industrial influence makes sense. Though they are also capable of dropping things down into a more 90s alt-pop groove on "Cosmic Power".  An almsot trip -hop f;avor lingers in the beat. The more Middle Eastern vocal passages begin to surface on "In Unity." Its more of an up-tempo dance floor churner. Layers of synths swirl around your ears on this one. 

There are some moments that sound like newer, more EDM minded KMFDM, with "I Don't" being one of these though it is perhap more n the industrial side. "Strong Inside" brings Lords of Acid to mind with its more sexualized pulse. "God" feels more like something Danny Elfman might do. "Lost and Found' would have been suited for mid 90s alternative radio. "Temros" is a more dramatic ballad, granted it's the symphonic mix. 

"Forest" has more of a dance groove to it that holds my attention better. Then they get more exotic for the Middle Eastern vibe that will bring Dead Can Dance to mind for most people. The album closes with a reprise or re-envisioning of the first song thugh it really sounds nothing like it as there is poken and wailing vocals in the background to create more of a mood, until more gothy music creeps in at the halfway point to create more of a Siouxsie feel. Overall, I enjoy the darker 90s vibes it gives a change from the normal retro 80s batcave goth. I will give this a 9. 

Monstrosity : "Screams From Beneath the Surface"

The 7th album from this long running Floridia death metal band finds a blend of brutality and technical prowess being balanced. They are not just looking for the best riffs to solo over, but care about the songs. The riffs areever shifting, but not so much that the hooks get lost in the shuffle. The vocal apporach is very simple, but articulated. They are not so technical that things get lost in the ever-changing time signature, but are beaten by an extensive riff arsenal. They know when to lock into a chug. The bass player is the secret weapon here as the bass lines are everflowing, but not rechnical for the sake of being so. 

"Fortunes Engraved in Blood" often reminds me of what a more refined Cannibal Corpse might sound like, in other words, Paths of Possession. Not as many melodic guitar harmonies and more empahssis place on the syncopation of the drummer. The influence of thrash on what they do is obvious; the riffing is very tightly chugged, and they are not hitting you with a blunt barrage of blast beats to get the point across. "Vapors" is almost anthemic in places. Their songs tend to fall along the three-minute mark, though they make the most of each minute. It makes sense why these guys are on Metal Blade. Half the album was recorded at Morrisound Studios; thus, the classic Tampa Death Metal feel is captured. 

There is a powerful march to "The Thorns." Lee Harrison's drumming is top-tier, though it has to be to play this caliber of death metal. "Blood Work" is the first high-speed, hyper-aggressive blast, though even then it is giving itself room to breathe in more melodic passages, and never is there just a mindless blur of sound passing you by in the name of brutality. Things get more deliberate for "the Dark Aura".  Harrison's double bass is played very tastefully to shift the dynamics and the guitar solos are approached similarly. The last song has some cool riffs, but conforms more closely to what you expect from Tampa death metal, which is still really well done. I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me.Dropss March 13th.  

pt81

Final Gasp : "New Day Symptoms"

 

I liked their last album a great deal, but was unsure why it was being called death rock when it was old school metallic hardcore that owed more to Die Kruzen. Sure, there is more of a hint of old AFI on this album. It's the more aggressive elements that have been refined with some more outright metal playing captured here. I had to go back and listen to "The Apparition" as it got swept away in the album's momentum. The verse riff is more melodic and finds the vocal croon working well. The riff in the chorus reminds me of Judas Priest,but still works.  "Gifted Shame" packs a heavier punch, and highlights the fact that the overall feel of the guitars this time around is more metal. 

Even though things have changed a bit on this album, they are still more of a hardcore band than Turnstile. "No Hand to Lead" is more melodic, but that does not make it "goth", it's just a moody stab at 90s radio rock from a hard-core band, which works for me. It is one of the album's best songs so far. "Prediction" has a similar feel to the previous song, but there is like an undercurrent of Dokken in the guitar playing. The emotive singing comes closer to what Unto Others tries to do; these guys are just less cheesy and more convincing. The songs are written in a very concise fashion, only occasionaly breaking the four-minute mark. 

"Burials of Birth" feels like the most AFI moment yet, a former hard-core band branching out into poppy post-punk. There are some intersting sounds on "Fractures", which is little more than an intro for that title track, which sound more like Killing Joke until the more scowling vocals take over. Jake Murphy's voice sounds best on the power-ballad of sorts that closes the album and finds him with the space to open up and really sing, which is impressive. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, the band has refined their  s ound and feels more confident in who they are.Being released on Relapse Records.  

pst80

The Bandit Queen of Sorrows : "the Magnolia Sessions"

 

After being neck deep in black metal for the bulk of the month, I needed a break, and this seems to be fitting for that. Anti- Corp Music's Magnolia Sessions series has always given me a chance to catch up with the more underground country scene, which often intersects with folk, and Leslie Fox-Humphreys certainly indulges in a thoughtful version of that mix. Vocally, her lilting voice lends itself more to folk music, as there is not a great deal of twang to it. She mixes the harmonica with the acoustic guitar in a Bob Dylan-like blend, but has a better voice, making this more melodic and thoughtful. 

I ask the same things from every genre of music: give me something dark and dynamic, with melody to it. By the second song, it is clear this is going to lean into more of the ballad side of things. Her vocal melody is placed more forward in the mic, and not as relaxed as in the previous song. She shows she is capable of reaching into her head register here, even if it is for a moment, the more vocal colors the better in my book. 

It is time to clear something up about the term dark folk. The song "Come Wander With Me" is darker than the first two songs, but I am not sure it meets the same definition we have here. I like the song; it's thoughtful and tells a story, but when we talk about dark folk here, we are normally referring to stuff like Death in June, Chelsea Wolfe, or even Amigo the Devil. Bridge City Sinners have even outgrown that definition. "The Lockman' has a similar mood but does not feel as dark lyrically. I like what she does with her voice on "Fear the Bhata."

The cello on the last song helps darken things up more to my liking. The fact that it is her take on a traditional Irish folk song makes sense, as those tend to have a more mournful quality to them. The music forms more of a drone beneath her. This is a solid introduction to what she does and has her on my radar as an artist to listen to in the future. I will give this album a 9. 

pst79

Black Metal History Month - EGREGORE : " It Echoes In The Wild"

This Canadian band gets it. They are bringing a blizzard of sound that is equally dark and heavy in its intensity when it hits your ears. The other straight Egregore find on this album is that the vocals should not be an afterthought, no matter how they are delivered. They draw from more than just black metal, with thrash hooks in the guitar riffs and the aggression of death metal in the way it hits. It almsot sounds like an album from the early 90s in this regard, and the production helps solidify this aspect. It's not underproduced like an old Mayhem album, but it sounds more organic than most of the stuff coming out these days. It is atmospheric without any post-anything. 

"Stair into the Votex" is not just a clever title; it is a ferocious attack that finds them connecting with Possessed-era metal. While it tries to bite your face off, what works is that it is different than the previous song. This makes the reckless element easier to digest, as they already gave you a dynamic contrast. "Craven Acts of Desperate Men" finds "Show No Mercy" era Slayer colliding with early Deicide. They are students of this era of metal and use this inspiration to form something that is convincing. There are some Mercyful Fate winks with the falsetto vocals not nailing the pitch that King Diamond does, but they are not trying to be the greatest singer here. 

They keep up the thrashing speed for "From the Yawning Cravasse." Wise enough to slow things down to create a hook where they chrosu would go if that was how they were approaching songwriting. Darker more melodic elements catch up with the razor riffs. At under two minutes, a mighty chug largely empowers "Cosairs of the Daath Gulf." The momentum begins to carry them away when it gets to "Nightmare Cartographer." This touches on death metal stylings and is propelled into "Six Door Guard the Original Knowledge," which has some pretty cool "Kill'em All" like riffs. 

By the time I get to "Servants of the Second Death," I am listening to things they have not already presented on this album. They close the album with the almost ten-minute title track. It winds around and finds guitar solos in more abundance. There are enough solid moments to keep it interesting. I will give it a 9 as I am normally a hard sell on this kind of retro affair since I was around to catch their influences on the first time around the block, but appreciate what is being done here and will see how it grows on me.Out on 20 Buck Spin March 20th.

pst78

Black Metal History Month- Bosse-De-Nage : "Hidden Fires Burn Hottest"

 

The band has a history of being Black Metal, though in recent years, a more hardcore energy infused their sound. It's a little more blackened at first, though working of a taunt syncopation. By the second song, they are experimenting with a more melodic tone and spoken work vocals that would not sound out of place coming from a Chat Pile album. Music is not made in a vacuum, so they could just be reading the room here or grow in a different direction. They hammer back into a heavier sound mid-way into the song, so it is not a total departure. The jerking you areound wit hthe time changes is more pronounced on this album. 

They go in a more sonic Swans inspired direction with the ringing clang of guitars guiding you into "In the Name of the Moth".  I am not going to complain about the post-punk direction this one goes into. "No Shrug" feels like it is finding the band once again crossing over into noise rock, though I do like the chord progression of the verse. It is not the most focused song we have heard from them this time around. The vocals have more of this coarse noise rock rasp that is yelled more than screamed even going into "Trinagular Dream," which is under two minutes more of an ambient noise interlude where the song is swallowed by interstellar chaos. 

There is a more defined riff to "Underwater". The vocals are still on the spoken sidde of unhinged. Not as dark and heavy as Chat Pile, but possessed by a more organic feel thanks to the production of the guitars. It's not wrong, just different. I think some of the indie rockers that are more punk-leaning will dig this album for sure. "Frensy" combines an undercurrent of blast beats, which eventually finds itself against a dirgey riff to create the album's most blast metal moment. Things go in a more post-rock direction for "Immortality Project" with spoken word over the thick ambiance. The last song also flirts with some of the black metal aggression, though it is angular, it is not that dark. It howls amid the stormy chaos which some black metal fans might appreciate. The main dynamic shift occurs later in the song when more melody is explored by the guitars. I will give this album an 8.5, not what I expected but good for what it is. If I were personally going to listen to noise rock, I would go with something darker, like this Jesus Lizard.It's the defining bandwagon of hipster metal, so it's obviously coming out on the Flenser March 6th

pst77

Black Metal History Month- Domhain : " In Perfect Stillness"

The shoe-gazing form of black metal might not be seen as problematic as the larger entity of the genre; perhaps it is due to the lyrics being more about getting into your feelings. Alcest certainly felt more like fairy music. This band from Belfast splits the difference between what Alcest does and Deafheaven. It is also very well proudced whic refines some of the sharper edges down to smoothly curved turns into the often dynamic passages that do not feel that dark, but perhaps some lingering melancholy.

"Footsteps" finds things heading in a more progressive direction; this reminds me more of Enslaved's later work, though not as dark or Nordic. They are great musicians, but I am not hearing any menace in what they do to make them feel heavy. Some tremolo-picked guitars come in to help hike up the intensity, but there is a difference between more intense and heavy. In truth, the title track is the first song that is actually black metal. The vocals get meaner, and some of the slick melodic sheen gets peeled back. Midway into the song, things progress to a moodier with almost too much of a silver lining, but it still works. 

The album closes with "My Tomb Beneath the Tide." The fall back into a more lingering prog tinged reflection, with very well done sung vocals establishing a mood in a more Katatonia-like manner. This is contrasted by a lower death metal snarl. An articulated snarl that allows the lyrics to come through. I will give this album a 9 as ot dark enough to be black metal, but great progressive post-metal, which is a rising niche market.

pst76