TODOMAL : "Graveyards of Joy"

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Just catching up with this Spanish band that released this album last month on Season of Mist. Their 2023 album, "A Greater Good," leaned more toward the 90s goth-rock side of the equation.It earned an 8.5, so it was well done, but it was not an album I returned to.  "Lucid Nightmares" feels almost more like Opeth, with the more deliberate chug of the guitar anchoring it and keeping it from drifting too far in a Pink Floyd direction. "Point of Coalescence" comes clsoer to doom, but not enough for this one song to make me declare this a doom album, but I do like the direction this album seems to be heading.

They veer into a gloomy, melodramatic ballad with "Misericordiah," which is the first filler moment so far. They carry more movement into "Unholy' that carries tension that works well. "Deliverence" applies a difference between goth-tinged neo-folk and modern rock. There is a similar balance being struck, but the vocals have a great feel to them that sells me on this song. 

"For Mercy" finds them ebbing back down more into thestrum though the psychedelic trappings they wandered into t he album early on return but in a manner that still serves the song. They bring a more powerful sonic sound by going bigger on the last song, which makes sense. The vocals hold a similar emotional urgency that has stirred them for the bulk of the album. It is a similar baritone to what Mat McNerney of GravePleasures employs, just directed differently. This album is a vast improvement and puts the band in the upper tier of this year's progressive rock since it offers more melancholy than most. 

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Noothgrush : " Man isHis Own Tormentor"

From the early sludge scene ofthe 90s, the band helped to bridge metal into the underground hardcore scene. Members of this band went on to play in bands such as Graves at Sea, Dystopia, Phobia, and Ghoul.  This album comes from their more obscure7" releases, which, unless you found them on a merch table at a punk show, were out of reach even if you tried to order them from an ad in Maximum Rock n Roll. There wasno interst so a being being undergorund was almsotlikethe hunt for an occult tome rather than being able to go on a site like DEAD AIR AT THE PULPIT and request it in the chat.  This makes this album more important for all practical purposes; many of these songs are just seeing the light of day, so I will review it as such.

Right from the start, you can here how this sort of thing took inspiration from Eyehategod is the scathing vocal approach. There isa Mr Rogers sample going into "Dianoga".The guitar lumbers with a doomy bleakness, and the lyrics are inarticulated screams of anguish. It is oppressively heavy and has stood thetest of time. "DPS " has more movement and groove, making it the best of the bunch so far. "Useless' has more punch and purpose, with the vocals being more distinct. 

In the live portion of this album, they play the "Imperial March," which they weave into their own song. Live version ofthe previously mentioned songs I am not going to review again, as I am more concerned with the songwriting of them to begin with. "Sith" stays with the Star Wars theme. It is a noisy, harrowing sludge song that flirts with the darkness of doom. "Erode the Person" starts of with the reluctant thump of a bass. And heads them in a doomy direction. I like the depressive touches the guitars add. Dynamics the songdrones a bit. 

"Junland Waste" works well as it marries the downtrodden density with more motion. Amid the rumble, the guitar has a lingering life to it. Their cover of Celtic Frost's "Procreation of the Wicked" feels like they learned the main riff, then defaulted to more death metal vocals. "Friends of Mine" has the best production value and lingers with a deliberate stomp that lurches out from the shadows. I have always said that sludge is what happens when punks try to play doom, and I think this proves my point. I will give this album a 9.

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The Warning : " Everything's Falling"

 This trio of Mexican sisters was said to be an influence on the band Freeze the Fall when I interviewed them, so I decided to give them a chance. They have a lot going for them in that they write hooky rock songs. It's big production, riding the line between hard rock and pop. Things get more blurred in that regard on the second song, "Perfect Daughter". The vocals are really well produced.  The title track is a little more of a power ballad as it explodes on the chorus. They lean in a nu-metal direction in terms of the way dynamics are used but have more of an organic rock feel, with none of the hip-hop trappings. The chorus on this one is perhaps too eager to rub shoulders with other radio rock hits.

Lyrically, I think Freeze the Fall is better in their more abstract approach, while this has more of the Avril Lavigne biitching about my boyfriend vibe. This is highlighted on "Why Do You Like It When I Cry' that finds stupid lyrics working against the solid groove. Yeah, I know this is more of a commercial-based band than what I normally review, but I review bands as big as the Rolling Stones and Taylor Swift, so I am not opposed to that sort of thing. The lead singer is 26, so you would think she should have outgrown that sort of thing. 

"Bit My Tongue crossed over into nu-metal from a production standpoint at least. The vocals have more pop intentions to them. "Kill or Be Killed" is more straightforward rock. The drummer leans into grooves that play to their favor. Lyrically, this is not one of the best moments. They use their native tongue on 'Ego," which is another song elevated by the grooving drumming. I appreciate the popsmarts injected into this one. It is also the first to have a few measures of screamed vocals. The almsot get dancey from the grooves of "Nloodsport".  They bring the energy down to a tense strum with "Break," which is a needed dynamic shift, and gives her vocals more room to breathe. I  can even forgive the overly anthemic production on the chorus. 

Pop dynamics wrestle with nu-metal guitar tendencies, putting them closer to Muse in some ways.'Waste Your Time on Me" finds an electronic drum beat shifting into a more organic approach. But the mood of the song is too close to poppunk for me. As the lead single "Kerosene" was their calling card for this album. I think they have better songs on the front end of the album. I  will give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me. If you are a fan and want them to go in a poppier direction, then this labum is what you hoped for. 

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Aborym : "Metachaos"

 

I have gained a reputation for reviewing certain kinds of metal, one of them being black metal. While I am a fan of the genre and never stopped reviewing and listening to it when it was labelled problematic by the American music press, I am pretty picky about the black metal albums I have my time to since the majority of it tends to fall along the same lines. The minority of bands who are willinging to experiment and not just default to blast beats are the ones I am looking for, or have gained my trust, so I am willing to check them out, this band from Italy is one of those bands that have gained my trust. 

They are often branded as being an industrial black metal band, which is unfounded, though they are willinging to experiment with electronic sounds. This is shown on the opening track. The title track balances deliberate aggression with the more feral need to lash out with speed. Their songwriting style is fairly compact, which plays to their advantage. It is also fairly dark, which you'd expect, but you might be surprised by how many bands lack in this department. They pour on more speed for "Enshrined in Putrefaction". 

"The Afterlife" has a more purposeful chug to it, as the vocals scowl with a similar venom. They cram a great deal into the first minute of the song. I was hoping "Creatures of the Night " would be a Kiss cover but it's not. Instead, it is driven by a flurry of blast beats and double bass. Also lyrically, they are not afraid to delve into things with a sexual nature, as that is something you do not hear in metal much anymore  no matter the genre. They gallop into more typical black metal, as this album does not draw as heavily from the electronic atmosphere,it is made more obvious on "Crescendo of Demise".

Samples and creepier sounds help "Altar of the Lacerated " find the needed mood. Though the rapid-fire drums anchor it perhaps too firmly in blackened expectations. They latch onto your throat and do not let go. The last song, "Vaci Natturne," makes up for the lack of experimentation on this album by being just a track of electronic noise. So it's an odd outrorathere thana song. I will give this album an 8.5, not their best but still pretty solid and better than most, it's dark enough for sure. Out September 25th on Avant Garde Music. 

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Mastodon :"Marrow Deep"

 

The stakes have never been higher for this band. It's the first album without Brent Hinds. He was a key songwriter and helped balance their prog tendencies, so what is going to happen to the band without him? The opening track has a solid enough groove and does not sound too removed from what they have been doing in the last decade. The album is littered with guests to help fill the Brent-sized hole. Ben Koller from Converge provides additional percussion that is largely unnoticed.  Troy's howl looms large as the spotlight falls more centered on him. The keyboards are also more prominent to balance things out. "Poisonous Weapons" also works for who they are in 2026. But this is a more proggy album than a metal album; Brent was not that invested in metal. 

In the context of the album, "Your Ghost Again" works better than it did when I first heard it. For the sake of transparency, while I have been public about this matter, Brent was a good friend of mine who lived with me for a couple of months while he was in transition between living spaces, so hearing this album without him makes me sad. It feels too upbeat; it should be their darkest and most depressing album, but all this prog prancing around is too lighthearted and feels like a weird way to process the death of a former bandmate. Making me think they were even more disconnected from him than the documentary suggested, and had emotionally moved on. The only glimpse of grief I hear is in the lyrics to "Snakes For Dinner," but I am only four songs into the album.  Josh Homme's vocals only surface at the end. 

"Out Like a Lamb" finds them somewhat recycling old songs. The bridge breaking up the verses switches it up a bit. It's not hooky enough to be the chorus, and Brann is giving himself too many fills to sing over live. The guitar solo has a jammier feel than what Brent would have done. "In the Ruins" finds Troy delivering a nuanced and heartfelt vocal performance that addresses the prehistoric elephant in the room. They wander out in a prog jam for "They Are Coming For You". It sounds like Troy is doing what Brent might have done vocally on this one. The new guy's style is more like your average prog shredder and has less of a unique thumbprint than Brent's.

There is more of an older hammering thunder to "Golden Spires "; it ebbs down into more of a groove. Brann and Troy have been forced to fine-tune their vocal interplay here. The best guitar solo so far is on this one. 'Moth and Bone" opens with proggy atmospheric noodling. The guitar phrasing feels more reflective, and Troy's vocals work with this vibe. With Randy Blythe and Nate Newton both on "A Vampire's Demeanor," you can only expect it to be heavy. Troy's vocal as a counterpoint to the more aggressive vocal on the verse.

Geezer Butler's bassline leads into "The Vanishing," which also features Joe from Gojira. It is the most organic song so far. They use a "Planet Caravan" like effect on the vocals. The synths are very Pink Floyd. Here is the second guitar solo that fits what they do. Joe brings in a more roared vocal at the end. The last song works for what they do and features Neil Fallon, who does a spoken-word vocal in the middle of the song. There is a lot of jamming on the second half of this song.  I will round this up to a 10 as this album was made under very difficult circumstances and this sounds like the onlyoption theyknew to move forward, which I can't fault them for. Here is where I have to seperate my personal feeling in wanting a darker album and accept it was where they were when they made this.

    

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Exumer : "Death Mask Messiah"

These German thrashers hit it hard from the Exodus school of gritty thrashing. They are not slaves to speed, as there are even more deliberate moments on the opening track, though thetest will behow therestof the album holds up. It is their first album in seven years, so they clearly had a great deal of pent-up energy that needed to be vented.  "Blinding Skies' is punchy but not as hooky as the first song. The sheer velocity of what they do might be enough to overwhelm the ears of some. The locomotive-plam muted chugging and snarling vocals find a uniformity taking over. 

The riffs get catchier on "Eradication," and the vocals seem to have more purpose. If you are looking for great guitar tones, they have plenty of those on this one. The drumsand guitars lock in with heavier intent for the aggressive pound of "Ravishing Waste,"  though once it gets into the verse it becomes a speed fest that feels rushed til the more Slayer -like chorus. "Allocated Savagery" is more typical thrash as it relies heavily on the frantic drumming. The vocals are spit out in a fashion that brings Exodus to mind once again. "Serpent" is powered by a more mosh-inducing riff. 

They are always sharply playing their rapid-fire homage to thrash, but some moments are more compelling than others. The lyrics do not help in this regard as they are playing off expected tropes. Some mean riffs shine through in places. "Scorcher" has so many of these riffs that it works in their favor. When they pour on the speed, it works against them, though this could be said for most bands as it tends tomake phrashing feel rushed. They close things with a more Pantera-like groove on "Unchained Angel". The only problem is they are not Pantera. They are great at what they do, so if you want some late-stage 80s-feeling thrash, they have you covered. I will give it an 8.5,Being released on Metal Blade Records.  

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Devil Master : "Bloody Dreams"

This Philly-based band continues to dress up their punk sound with metal. By adding atmosphere as intros, they hide the fact that they are Gism decked out as black metal for Halloween. Some of the palm-muted thrashing moments on songs like "Trembling Like Dusk" help to disguise this fact. They do what they do well; it's not claiming who they are that is where I had a sticking point with them on previous albums . Granted I havethepromo pitch to read sitting in my email when I through the old in-box to find albums, but that presentation is improtant. The entire presentation is important. 

They go total punk on "Sex With Succubus"/ sure, there are some Iron Maiden-like guitar harmonies, but the overall energy is frantic and punk. They would not be the first punk bandd to rip off Iron Maiden. The fast and loose style of playing is high energy but gets a liuttle tiresome by "Death Anthem," which does have a cool metal guitar riff in it. But cool riffs alone is not a good song. It's not a bad song either, but was heading in that direction until they took control and gave it more purpose. 

"Bloody Dreams" starts with a plodding bassline and goblin vocals. It tries to be more metal, but the drummer has other ideas, and the vocals are too chaotic. It feels tedious midway in. The sung vocals are trying to be Mercyful Fate or King Diamond. It ends with a woman dramatically reading a poem. The last song, "Farewell Waltz," opens with a flutewhistling against the strum of guitar. The dramatic fashion it builds with is certainly metal, but I do not think that this is a metal album. It takes two minutes before they get to the meat of the song, explaining the bloated ten-minute run time. I will give this one an 8.5, which is what the last album they are arker andd more ambitious than your average punk band.It drops September 7th on Relapse Records

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