The Crosses : "Outlier"

 

Dan from Die Kruezen is back with this band, which started as a way to resurrect the songs of his classic band, before they began looking forward and making their own music. His voice has changed with age. The timbre is different from what it was with Die Kreuzen, but the spirit is there. It is more of an obvious scowl than what he was doing back in the day. Granted, he never sang the same on the Die Kruezen albums as he was allowing his voice to evolve with each album.

The first song, "Nails" might blend more with current metal, but I like it when things begin to get a little weird on "Hate Market'. "Nychthemeron" finds them thrashing into the chaos a little. Much like Die Kruzen, this music is hard to classify. I guess if Black Flag got called hardcore for albums like "Slide It In" then this would still qualify. This song is faster and more aggressive. They have always been kindred spirits with Voivod, and this is more pronounced on "Natronium." There is an angular swagger that works well, and I begin to understand the trick to this album is not to expect it to be Die Kreuzen.

With that said, they do cover Die Kreuzen's "Man in the Trees" from "The October File" album. The production quality is improved over the original version I have. He proves he can still hit the notes, though the raspier-screamed parts are different in places. The album closes with I'll Never Forget You." which is more punk. I am impressed he is not picking up where he left off on "Cement" but this feels more connected to his earlier work.  I will give this a 9 and see how it grows on me. It is a highly suggested listen for all Die Kreuzen fans as this is as close as we are going to get to new music from them. 

LOVE GHOST : "Anarchy and Ashes"

 

This project was produced by Tim Skold. The first song makes you think it is going to be an album of Marilyn Manson-style goth-flavored rock with industrial-style production. But they end up throwing a bunch of styles at you in an effort to find what elements of Myspace the kids are still into today. The second song is more pop-punk with metal guitars bookending the more Fall Out Boy aspects.

 The cover of "Rock Me, Amadeus" could go harder vocally. I think the quirky vocal of the original is a key aspect, and the vocals here are kind of bland in that they are less expressive. It does not come acorss as darker, and as someone who knows dark music, you can take that to the bank.The electronic elements of 'Silk Noose" are pretty effective, and the pop slant to the vocals works for me, as it touches on the Myspace elements I still like. 

"Violene Wears Makeup" combines all the elements of the varied genres they dabble in into one song. This means emo vocals against industrial drums. The results should sound like peak AFI, but the vocals keep it from being that dark. Overall, this album might not be as dark as what I normally go for, but I appreciate the fun sound they have and the fact that they care about songwriting, so I will give this one an 8.5, it comes out on Metropolis Records. 

pst101

Lamb Of God : "Into Oblivion"

 Lamb of God is one of the biggest bands in metal today. Yet they have never scored higher than an 8.5 here. What does that even mean, you ask? They get the job done without being original enough to make me give their albums more than a few spins while I am reviewing them. If I am in the mood for this type of thing, I either listen to Pantera or Slayer. I did like their "Sacrament" album, which I listened to quite a bit, but after that, everything started sounding the same. Production-wise, they follow the trends. Previous albums have taken notes from Slipknot; this one finds their producer taking cues from how Gojira and Behemoth dial in their sound. 

Randy Blythe has a bigger personality off stage than on. He is rail thin so it's hard to take a scrawy dude barking at you like bad ass. "Parasoial Crisis" is better than the title that opens the album, as it sounds overproduced and generic. "Sepsis" is even better, in fact, the most memorable of the first three songs. The first has a more spoken thing going on that complements the groove. "The Killing Floor" is more of a thrashing groove, which is what works best for them. There are some pretty mean riffs on it. 

"El Vacio" is more melodic and shows that despite his miserable performance at the Ozzy farewell show, Randy's singing voice has improved, though it does prove my point regarding how they have taken notes from Slipknot. "St Catherine's Wheel" is pretty much on point for them as it is well done for what it is, but what it is does not resonate with me as it sounds like everything else.  I prefer the groove of "Blunt Force Blues" which goes to show I might as well jsut listen to Pantera. 

"Bully" is a generic modern metal battery to your ear drums where "A Thousand Years" has more of a hook to it, making it more memorable. "Devise/ Destroy" might as well be a Slipknot cover. Much like their other albums, this one gets an 8.5, it sounds great and is well done, made for the dull masses who do not care if music is original or not. I blame alcohol intake for this numbing of musical sensibilities. 

pst100

Throat : "Beyond the Devil's Shroud"

 

One of my pet peeves is having multiple bands with the same name. Yet here we are. This Throat is from Poland, not Finland. They play a dark and grimy version of black metal rather than a burlier take on post-punk. They are equally dark. This album opens with a murky, clanging take on the genre, a cauldron of chaos bubbling with spewed vocals gasping and choking. The guitar is deliberate, and the production is rather raw, leaving the instrumentation to fend for itself in this mix. The drums suffer the most under these conditions. But they use blast beats sparingly and focus on fiendish moods that create the charm.

"Cain's Mark" is rowdier and more upbeat, whih will appeal to fans ot the early second wave of black metal that are looking for something with the punkish attitude of the cvlt charm. It slows down into a more deliberate stomp that is more song-oriented. The track after this is more of an interlude, and jsut creates a droning ritualistic atmosphere. "Corrupted Flesh" finds the vocals dropping down into a more death metal growl with a more sinister intent. They linger on a more brooding doom feel here. 

The last song ' the Pact " is a more feral explosion of wrathful aggression that bands away with a reckless punk abandon, not unlike Darrkthrone. I like the vibes that paint the mood they are creating here, even if there is not much that we have not heard before going on. If you want something that is raw with a murky darkness but not just blasting and tremolo-picked guitars, then this album might be for you I will give it an 8, out on Primitive Reaction. 

pst98

Temple of the Void : " the Crawl"

 

Temple of the Void's album "Summong the Slayer" made the 4 spot of our Top 10 Death Metal albums of 2022. Four years later, we are seeing if the band can still bring it like that against the death metal competition of 2026, which is still awaiting releases from Frozen Soul and 200 Stab Wounds. The kick things off with guitar solos blazing. It moves fast when called for to get your attention, but they are not about to sacrifice the song for the sake of speed. They no longer feel the need to prove who they are. The vocals are growled in a purposeful manner that is articulated enough to get the point across. 

The title track features melodic guitar colors mixed into the grind of a more traditional death metal sound, moving with purpose rather than a feral blast. 'A Dead Issue " shows the most impressive display of songwriting so far. It features hooky riffs and a groove that keeps your head moving while offering space in the arrangement to let the ambiance settle in with a darker creep. This is the best song on the album as "Thy Mountain Eternal" has some melodic nuance but does not hook you in tightly.

They return to the hookier songwriting on "Soulburn.",  The verse riff is really solid on the last song "The Twin Stranger," as it has an Entombed-like punch to it. There are some strong riffs on this album, but I feel like " A Dead Issue" set the bar really high, and while they have matured by streamlining somethings, this album does not grab me like the previous one, though it is still a great album so I will give it a 9, setting them firmly in the top tier death metal releases this year so far. But perhaps not bringing it like Monstrosity. Out on Relapse Records.

pst97

A$AP ROCKY : "Don't Be Dumb"

 When it comes to this guy, musically is a little more experimental than most mainstream rappers. The second song has a little more interesting thump than the opening song. The overall sonic backdrop on the opening track is more sonically diverse. 'STOLE YA FLOW'  finds the stage set by furutistic synths. It finds an effective groove that compensates for the lack of lyrical depth. He does remind you that Rhianna i his baby momma, which is worth something. 

His vocal accents on "Stay Here 4 Life." feel more like warmed-up Snoop Dogg from the 90s with a Weeknd wanna-be bringing the vocal hook. Lyrially it is more of a vapid pop love song. When it comes to "PLAYA" the problem with this more streamlined r&b approach is it lacks any of the staples that make him unique as a rapper and sound like everyone else on the radio, right down to the beat.  "Stop Snitching " breaks the more bland hip-hop trend that the previous song "No Tresspassing" had not been convincing enough to break from. 

Then the album gets the creative breakthrough it needs with two solid songs "STFU" and "Punk Rocky" , the latter has a more rock feel, but "STFU' is aggressive neough to open new doors sonically and break from the middle-of-the-road feel the album was getting stuck in. "Air Force" experiments, but is not all that focused or hooky. The Gorillaz appear on "Whiskey". There is a dreamier haze over the backing track. I am just going to write off "Robbery" as a skit/ interlude. 

The title is more of a neo-soul track. It works well enough and is the product of heavy THC use. The last song is darker but more fitting subject matter. I will give this album an 8.5. There are a few strong songs, but he is caught in a tug of war of what the record label wants him to do, what it takes to be on the limited diversity of "urban radio", and what he wants to do creatively, so it is the sound of compromise, which is why I rounded it down to an 8.5 as hip-hop should not compromise or it becomes pop music. 

pst96

Twin Serpent : "True Norwegian Blackgrass"

 

It was hard to know what to expect from Norway's Twin Serpent; the first song felt more like punk rock. This explosion of rowdiness came after they dubbed themselves blackened bluegrass. Then on the second song, it feels more like punk-inlfuenced indie rock. The kind of hobocrust-punk take on bluegrass does not come into the picture until "Stellar Suicide". The dual vocals have a more punk feel, even when given more space for melody, with the female half more willing to relax. 

"Freak Flag" feels more like a rambling marriage of folk with punk attitude. "Ain't Home No More" is more nuanced and leans into the blue grass sidde of folk more. Having a pretty solid history of this sort of thing with Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, and the Dead South, the novelty of it alone is not enough to capture my ear. I appreciate their willingness to blend the varied elements from diametrically opposed genres. "Tussen Takk" casta smokey haze with its more blues-based musing. 

They give "Radiophobia" more of a rock kick. While this is different from what we expect coming out of Norway, if these guys were from Texas, this sort of thing would be less surprising. "Fortventninger" is more of what you would expect from this sort of thing, going into the more barroom style of folk. "Holy Ghost" is more melodic and finds the elements they have in play working at the highest level of effectiveness to make this the album's best song.

"Kiou Kivi" is more chanted over a free-form jam. The last is a loose blues-based excursion into country-inflected musings. I appreciate where they are going and the willingness to try new things, as well as the punk energy they bring to them. This album could use a little more focus, they know the sounds they want to use, but all the pieces sometimes get lost in the shuffle, it works mroe often than not as it gets playt off as just being punks fucking around, so I will give this album an 8.5. If you wanna hear moddy punks with banjos, they have ya. Out May 8th on Svart Records. 

pst96