Moodring : "death fetish"

Moodring is a one-man project that bridges the gap between metalcore and nu-metal. Granted, it is not a big gap given the poppy nature of most modern metalcore. He is a little more intentional in his pop hooks, and there are plenty of electronic flourishes to give things some depth. More emotionally nuanced than, say, Falling in Verse, but not as darkly atmospheric as the more recent Bad Omens, I could see these songs working well with the Welcome to Rockville crowd. 

"Masochistic Machine" is energetic, but the songwriting is less focused. "Gunplay" works a little in this regard, though it brings Korn to mind/ "Anywhere But Here" has a more Deftones feel. If you were to take a section from almsot every big nu-metal song and put them in the blender, the results would be like "STFA" which, thanks to a strong chorus, might be the album's best song. 

"Oxidized' finds them back with a taunt vocal melody for the verses, and a pretty solid groove. If this came out in the late 90s, it would have been next-level shit, and to think it used to take four meth heads at a time to come up with this sort of thing. Taking a nod from pop, the songs are all around the three-minute mark. "Bleed Enough?" is more typical of the metal of the genre despite the Deftones-like chorus. A similar thing can be said for "Sickfuck". 

"Die Slow"  finds the vocals doing most of the heavy lifting to elevate otherwise generic riffs, with a more thoughtful melodic space created in places; it all comes together to make the song work. The last song is poppier, but it is well-written. I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me, one of the better new school nu-metal albums I have heard this year. 

104

Jarboe : "Sightings"

Jarboe's solo work continues to reach out further into avant-garde sound, more abstract and ambient than her work in Swans. Percussionist Thor Harris from Swans joins her. Textures of strings aid in creating the waves of sound unfolding here. Both Jarbo and Gira have ventured out into sonic regions beyond the outskirts of conventional songwriting, which almost share more in common with free jazz. Here, there is even a more classical feel if we are talking about composers like Johan Adams or Philip Glass. "Francesa Sun" is haunted by a longing. Sparse droning arrangement floating as lightly as her voice carries its almost chanted melody. 

The eerie layering of sounds is not as depressive in its introspection as Swans, but there is a similar sound bath feel as "Soundtracks for the Blind" just achieved through different methods. "The Choir and the Nightfox" is a little darker. It is more of a trance-inducing pulse of sound wrapped into a simple droning melody. "Breathe" is highly meditative, but musically not much, as it consists of bells ringing over ambient synth sounds. This sprawls out for nine mintues. 

"Vireo Seranade" touches on the bird theme that provided the inspiration for this album. It feels like it might be an intro for a Swans song rather than the meat of it. The Sangha mix of the first song comes next, it feels a little more intense in its droning layers, almsot a post-rock vibe. I have enjoyed this album. I got a new puppy and it helps him relax when I put it on. It often reminds me more of what Swans did sonically than some of the Swans post-reunion work. But it is not song-oriented, so I will round it down to a 9, which is still better than what most albums get.

pst103

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. 

pst102

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