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

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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

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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

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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 

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Brutalismus 3000 : "Harmony "

 I don't cover a great deal of electronic music; it seldom bangs like the sophomore album from this German duo who met on Tinder. In some ways, it is not far removed from the kind of hyperpop Slayyyter pumped out earlier this year, but Victoria'svocals are more rapped on songs like 'Garland", and their music is even more aggressive.  There is more of a darkness lurking in between the high hats. Even when they are bouncing with a more celebratory "A Milli," there is anger in the raw mix; her lyrics are ego-driven at times with a hip-hop bravado. 

The experimental nature of hyper -pop is in full effect with warped synths that sound like a b-bit video game bring" Mother Bug"  to life. It carries more of a techno pulse, though techno is a part of their musical DNA; Boyz Noize joins them for " I Bring My Gun to the Function". I am not sure I believe she is actually packing, but the theme brings ome fun to the occasion, much likea gun. "Kairo" is the most accessible song, though it works well in the contet of the other songs, and it carries a mainstream techno beat not out of place on the dance floor of your average club. 

Anya Taylor-Joy reads a poem about a hangover on "Morning is For the Happy," which is almost more like an interlude. There is a more Charli XCX feel to " You Were Never Here But I Miss Ya". It gains more techno mometum, though it switches up to a more trap beat."Friends at the Pigshed" features  Underworld, who does not normally collaborate with pop artists. Gore Louvre" pounds pretty hard. It finds a fist-pumping groove. Leonard Cohen" works off more of a trap thump; she also switches up her vocals phrashing on this one. There is also a darker, grittier mood to this

They end the album with "Testo" parts one and two, the first working with a more festive thump and interesting vocal production. Lingering vocal samples from the first part carry over into the second part along with a similar vocal refrain. To sell me on this sort of thing, you have to be really good at it, so I will give this album a 10 and see how it grows on me. 

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POLYMOON : " Mariposa Magic!"

 

This band from Finland was not what I expected going into this. The album opens with more of a rock dynamic; sure, there are dreamy elements, but it is more along the lines of bands like Rezn and Superheaven, at times even some of Mastodon's more recent melodic moments, especially now that they have a keyboardist who is adding more proggy elements, which this band shares, and since I have been listening to the new Mastodon a great deal I had to check to see if it was still playing in iTunes. The drumming is pretty dynamic but not as bombastic as Brann. I don't think these guys have a metal past as much as a post-hardcore thing going on I can hear them being into bands like Failure.

There is uniformity to what they do despite a song like "Velvet Rain' standing out due to the more languid pace it opens with. This is more space-rock than shoe-gaze. "Lost in Sound, Found in Color" finds a Pink Floyd-like tag being set but is the first moment I would call psychedelic, and even then it's only the intro as there is more of a stoner rock verse. The vocals are a smooth croon that begin to coast with more melodic grace on this one. At times it makes me think of Bryan Ferry. Some prog tendencies begin to further surface. 

A thicker, more fuzzed-out 70s Orange Amp tone rumbles up going into "Welcome to Another Dimension" , but they float back out into the cosmos once it reaches the verse. The song does take an oddly interesting turn. They keep you guessing, though the last song kinda wanders around in zero gravity with little direction. There are also other moments where the ambiance takes over, but overall this is a good mood to dive into with your ears first; I will give this album a 9. It drops on Metal Blade.

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Rapidly Aging : " You're Not Yourself Lately'

 

The brainchild of this post-rock project is Shalor Howell of the Atlanta sludge metal band Canopy that has been featured here. While it is an instrumental, the album samples from the 1974 film  "The Man Who Sleeps " provide the narrative. Some great moody guitar tones are captured here, allowing the guitar to make the emotional connection that fills the void where vocals would be. "Fleeting Moment" has some pedal steel layered around it that adds another dimension of texture, keeping the sonic journey flowing. I'll admit, as a singer, instrumental music is not normally my thing, though there have been exceptions to this. So it speaks volumes about this music's depth if I like it. I think this is due to the melancholy it casts over things. 

The one band whose instrumental pieces I am a big fan of is, of course, Swans, and there is some common ground here as it at times brings "Soundtracks For the Blind" to mind, though this is more inviting rather than using the combative element that Gira unsettles you with like a David Lynch movie, this is more David Croenberg. though very pastoral in the open landscapes summoned to the mind's eye with "the Negative Thought Loops" before the distorted chords crunch down like a threatening storm.At the end of the day, the haunting guitar melodies are what hook you in. There is a similar sense of longing as what Mogwai once invoked on the song "Awoken From a Bad Dream to an Even Worse Reality," the sludgey chord lays into this to create a more cascading dynamic. So if you are a fan of his other band, you are not going to be forgotten about on this album. 

I like how the sample bridges over into "How Quickly the Ground Falls Out Beneath You". This song gets heavier sonically than it does metal, though some crunch comes in to create tension. "Unsaved" has more of an RWAKE rock n roll feel while still coloring the edges with ambiance. The album closes with "To Keep From". Violin chimes in at the beginning, then the song sprawls out in many ways; it feels likea summary of the moods captured so far on this album. I will give this album a 9.5, as it captures a unqiue place in the landscape of this genre, while not turning his back on his previous work. 

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