BESOTTEN : "Eye of the Monolithicrypt"

 

Portland keeps churning out the metal. Here is the debut album from the hipster capital. I like that it is dark, dense, and somewhat cavernous. The mix carries a more in-your-face, raw compression than the reverb of a cave, like the bands that were once called Occult Death Metal. The spewed growls carry some feindish personality to them. The main concerns once we get to the ten-minute song. The guys have a sound that works, but the problem is I could not tell where the first song ended and the second song began due to the uniform nature of what they are doing here 

We are three minutes into the econd song before it lets everything drop out to try to establish its own identity. The vocals become more bile-coated. The riff lingers behind the sparse drumming. It begins to make you feel like you are sinking into a throbbing pit of despair. The creepier melodic turn this song takes is something they need to lean into more. "Cruentation" is driven by a more crushing riff that is very deliberate until they speed things up into more of a blast beat. They want to go into the faster, more feral death metal style as they race into "Storming the Cosmic Citadel". It almsot gets too blasty for the song's own good. They did a great job of capturing the uncanny sonic scope of the genre.

The last song already has the stage set for it. I like when the desolate mood takes over and is coasted out on the flow of double bass. Chaotic guitar solos and more grooving riffs break things up a bit, but for an 11-minute song it does not feel like the course has been charted out. I can appreciate the more funeral doom vibes that begin to emerge at the midway point. The mood feels more like black metal in its unsettling ambiance than death metal in hte second half of this dirge. Heading towards the eight-minute mark, the momentum builds before things ebb back down into the more mournful procession that glides out into a melodic outro fade-out. I will give this album an 8; it puts them solidly on your radar as it's their first trip into the studio, so where they go from here should be interesting. It is being released November 6th on Transcending Obscurity. 

pst415

Junius : "Sotera"

 

The last album I reviewed by these guys was in 2017. I liked it; there's an if Interpol played a post-metal vibe. This time around, the metal is dialed, and the post-punk elements are more dramatic, giving it a goth tinge. The melodies are catchier than I remember from them before, and the baritone croon makes me think a bit of Grave Plasures. This is a heavier album than what I heard from them before, but it is done in a very balanced fashion. It's heavy in a doomy My Dying Bride manner. In fact, if they are replacing Aaron, they should think about using this guy. There are some harsher vocals, but they're more accents than the primary narrative voice. 

The doom is dialed up a bit on "Summon Her". It drops down to a bass line carrying the verses. The vocals are lighter and higher at times, giving a more Coil tone, with the baritone belting it out when the dynamic shifts. The album begins to shift in a more metallic direction with palm-muted chugs, though there is also a Killing Joke-like element in motion here. In some ways, they show you what a band like Dead Register could have evolved into with bigger production. I guess this might be considered doom-gaze in some circles. This can be heard amid the brooding atmosphere of 'Dark Water". The more Interpol-like vocal approach of their earlier work enters the chat here. But there is greater emotional nuance. It explodes in metal midway through this one. They find the sonically heavy sweet spot with the layers of guitar. 

The drums get things moving in a more Katatonia-like direction on "Serpent". The bass is pretty prominent in the mix, which helps the overall sound. This one builds up into a stormier brand of aggression. There is a more Bauhaus-like guitar tone on "Lucifera," though the vocals sound more like Michael Gira from Swans at the beginning of the first verse before finding a lighter emotional current to flow with. I like how this album explores darkness and carries the balls when needed to take the dynamic extremes. The last song takes things back to the gothy My Dying Bride-like doom, but with more groove to it. The synth layers bring the dynamics up to more grandiose levels This salbum is pretty immaculate in the mood it creates with these morose melodies , which are up my alley, so I will give this album a 10 as it pretty close to flawless. Out on Prosthetic Records. .

pst414

-PRESIDENT : "Blood of Your Empire"

I like the brand of pop music these guys craft. This is their full-length, so fans, or "citizens, " as the band refers to them in their universe, might be curious to see how they pull off a full 10 songs. They open this album with the lead single "Angel Wings," which plays it pretty safe.  And "Doom Loop" incorporates more electronic elements and builds things into a more nu-metal-tinged, loud dynamic. I wouldn't call this aggressive, as I am not feeling that kind of energy from them. There is a more metallic crunch leading into "dark heaven" but this is quickly offset by trap elements. The hook is pretty strong in this one.It does carry that anthemic Myspace feel.

They try to get a little rowdier on"Pink Noise," but their electronic pop side feels more authentic rather than than they are trying to live up to their marketing scheme. At times it makes me think of 30 Seconds to Mars, "Mercy" was apparently another single from this album, but I never heard any of these songs before listening to the album as a whole; it kind of feels like a Deftones power ballad. There is a raspier tone in his singing voice in places on this album. You can tell he takes influence from a few different singers from the 90s. This song is pretty well written, and they sell me on it. I think if this album were darker, it would not lean so heavilly in the pop direction.

"Sleepwalker" is more of a mainstream, middle-of-the-road, radio-ready pop-rock song that kinda bores me. The drumming helps to shift the groove and modulate it in places and salavages the song from being too bland..Production-wise, there is more of a djent sound than where they go sonically. "Dionysus" could be Post Malone when it comes to the first verse; the chorus is more Breaking Benjamin. But at least it's hooky. They go pop ballad on "This Will Divide Us". The vocals are layered more like Sleep Token. Of course the band calls these comparisons lazy, but it's not as lazy as sounding like another band.

"Hate Figure" features Ando San helping them out. This makes things sound much more nu-metal with the hip-hop elements dialed up. "White Devil" closes the album. It is another pop song, with intersting keyboards. This album sounds great, even though it might be more accessible than the previous EP, I think they pull off the full length well by showing a balanced picture of who they are, and the songs grew on me even though I went skeptical. I will give it a 9.5. 

\\\

\\\ pst413

HKSPK : "“Heimkehr”

 This is the second album from the German blackened metallers. The scowl of the vocals is what you would expect from most blast metal bands, with the drumming more deliberate. This is obviously a must for me, as regular readers should know how I feel about blast beats. The first song is under two minutes and does not establish the album's mission statement in the same manner as the more powerful "White Secretions' does, though this song has a denser, more death metal-like aggression to it. The chug is pretty powerful, and the growls are more guttural. The riffs are hookier and win me over. 

"Sonnenjaeger" is more of a death metal song, with little in the way of black metal ambiance to offset the in-your-face aggression. Very song-focused riffing compensates for it not really reinventing the wheel when it comes to this brand of post-90s death metal. "Kill the Weak" has a more punk feel to how the guitars almost jangle with a more rock feel than a chugged attack. In this way, it owes more to black metal, as black metal has more solid ties to punk. The very compact style of songwriting also nods in this direction. 

Based on the song title, I assumed "Rot in Despair" was just going to be death metal. While this is true, it is also darker and more melodic than the earlier demonstrations of death metal they released on you. It has more sonic depth and a somewhat depressive quality to it. This song does venture over the three minute makr but it is time used wisely to create more dynamics. "Rain in the Face" carries a more blackened scowl, but they used plenty of restraint until it's time for them to step on the gas. But they find a balance of ferocity with steady grooves. 

The title track opens with clean guitar tones and synth melodies flowing to bring an almost neo-folk ambiance before the blast into the buzzing din of more European-feeling Black Metal. It locks into a more triumphant gallop before hammering back again. They ebb down into a more melodic guitar sound. This song does manage to break the five-minute mark, but it is time well spent. I will give this album a 9.5; they are certainly one of the best black metal-ish bands to come out of Germany in some time. If you are looking for black metal that puts songwriting at the forefront, check these guys out. 

6.8

pst412

Green Carnation : "A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex"

 

Norway's prog rockers Green Carnation are bringing their most recent trilogy to a close with this album. Hearing the first two parts of this is not a requirement, as it opens much like any band that plays this style of darker  Scandinavian hard rock. They have been at this for so long that the definition of what metal is has changed, even though this band was formed by Emperor bassist Tchort. This shares more common ground with the prog era of Opeth than it does black metal. The guitar playing is very nuanced, with some great tones captured on this album. 

There is some great reverb-ringing guitar on the title track that finds the vocals floating with a more graceful croon. In some ways it's not unlike Ulver in this regard. They jam this song out with a wandering atmosphere. The more metallic riff this one builds into is impressive. Lyrically, they have some pretty accurate social commentary with "Broken Souls". It finds a balance of graceful playing and metallic dynamics that packs a punch in place. The guitar playing is outstanding on this album. These guys are unsung guitar heroes with a great range of styles. The story becomes clear on this song with a spoken-word section. 

The last song is "Bad Poem," which is a sixteen-minute orchestral suite. I think this would have worked better as an overture as the first track. It loses its impact as the last track and feels like, while it works for what it is dynamically, it has less impact. Musically, it feels like something from Bizet's "Pearl Fishers"; it works for what it is, but its placement on the album is the main problem. For this reason, I will give this albuma 9; the rock songs are great with outstanding guitar playing. 

2

pst411

Movements : "Happiner Now "

The fourth album from this band strikes me as the next evolutionary step from the days of Myspace 'emo". The pop-punk elements are more layered with atmosphere and jangling guitars that create a bigger, arena-sized sound. They are less reflective and more upbeat on the second song. Melodies are at the forefront of what they are doing here. Not the most original sound, but it is more organic than some of the overly produced albums of this type, giving it more authenticity. I am having to listen to this through the lens of someone who is into this kind of thing, as it's too happy for me in the more spirited mometned. I prefer the slight touch of introspective brooding on "Everything is Fine". The vocals are belted with greater power on the chorus here, but I would not call it aggressive or heavy.

That title track emotes with admirable restraint; the bass tone shifts to give it more backbone here, as the vocal cadance dances over it. The pop elements are hard to deny, and certainly take the edge off it, but there is place for this sort of thing. The first screamed vocals that appear are mixed into the background. They pick up the pace for "Flowerbed"; it is clear the bass player is the only one with a taste for heavier music. He is itching for a breakdown. The element of this that calls back strongest to the early 2000s is how emo has been cleaned up for accessibility here. The sub-genre has now been around for 20 years, showing it has staying power. 

"Back in my Ways" is the first song where the formula they have been using starts to feel dull, despite trying to dig into the chorus with more grit. "Ill at Ease" has more drive to it. But it also sounds more like everyone else. "Live By the Sword" carries an interesting tension. The brighter mood of "Everyone I've Ever Been" does not work as well for me. The palm-muted guitar leading the way into "Fragile Hands' sets a better tone for my ears. There is a similar stormy tension to the last song. This is really done; I'll give this album a 9, though there are only so many hours in a day and so much music to listen to. I am unsure if it is an album I will return to much, but if you want new emo-revival music, these guys are doing it well.  Out on Fearless Records

10.6

pst410

St Digue : "Secret Language"

 This album reminds us that, for better or worse, "darkwave" is changing. It's evident this Danish artist takes more inspiration from Drab Majesty and The Black Queen than from VNV Nation or Sisters of Mercy. Though there is a fair amount of industrial leaning, which helps justify this to some extent. The drum programming is the main hindrance I hear on the first couple of songs. You can also draw conclusions that he is influenced by the "Pretty Hate Machine" era of Nine Inch Nails. "Down Below" hints that he might be able to sing better than the first two songs suggested. 

The beats improve for " I Told You So," though the vocals take a step backwards from the previous song. Theuptempo shifft helps increase the overall dynamics of the album. Even though "Relapse" builds into something with high energy over all it'schaoticand not focused, and he sounds like ChuckMosely from Faith No More here. Pitchy, but making that work for what he is doing the best he can. 'Amen" is darker and more melodic, which is worth mentioning; as for a "darkwave" project, this album has not felt all that dark to me. This might be due to the fact that the newer "darkwave" that has come from indie electronica is more hazy and less dark. Angry does not always equate to dark, but he gets props for being willing to be angrier, which is what a great deal of the new industrial-tinged music does not get. 

The strongest song on the album might be 'If You Don't Get it Now, You Never Will" has all the elements I have been on the fence about, like the vocals and drum programming, hit their mark and show what this project needs to be tapped into to excel. They work off an angular groove for "Meltdown" that proves effective when they break down for the verse. Then bring a sax in for the 80s synthwave nostalgia. The title track that closes the album is not the most focused song. I will give this album an 8.5. With the right producer, this could be something, but more supervision is needed in this form; however, if you like the indie-"darkwave" sound mixed with 90s industrial rock liek God Lives UNderwater. this is for you.Drops October 8 

pt409