The Twilight Sad : "It's the Long Goodbye"

If there is any justice in the world, the 6th album from this Scottish band will find them getting the recognition they deserve. They have toured with the Cure multiple times, but also had some hardships in their daily lives, which led to their bass player and drummer being replaced with Arab Strap's drummer and Mogwai's bass player. Vocalist James Graham's distinct voice is centerstage, with guitarist Andy MacFarlane providing the needed backdrop. Graham's voice is as emotive and fluid as ever as he swings up into his falsetto on "Designed to Lose."  

This record has a more rock n roll mix, with a rawer guitar tone and not as much space for the vocals to fill. It is much clsoer to their live sound. The vocal lines are as catchy as any of their work, which makes for an engaging listen. Their dynamics are always emotionally powerful; this album is no exception. No wonder Robert Smith loves they are always consistent. Robert Smith adds guitars to "Waiting for the Phone Call". There is more of an electronic pulse to this. It rocks out pretty hard for post-punk coming out of the chorus.  I had to listen to "Ceiling Underground' three times to wrap my head around it for some reason. The vocals kind of fade, and it works off a similar formula as what they normally do, so not sure why there was a disconnect before it clicked, but it did. Think I just needed something more solid in mind before I commited an opinion to review. It's actually darker after closer listening. 

Robert Smith plays synths on "Dead Flowers" which finds them heading into the Cure-like sounds. Since Smith plays on it, they can have all the similarities to the Cure they want, but James ' voice sets them apart as their own identity. He's singing something about 'water off a duck's back, ' and it works as he always puts his voice in the best places. There is a more 80s feel to the guitar tone of "Inhosptiable/ Hospital." It's a pretty catchy song depsite it's bleak nature. In fact, it's one of the album's best songs. Oddly upbeat considering the subject matter.

There are some cool guitar tones on "Chestwound to the Chest". The verses are more strummed, with James singing out with his urgent plea that marks their earlier work. It has a little more rock drive to it. Robert Smith plays a 6-string bass on " Back to Fourteen."  Here, some of the lyrics become more entwined in mystery rather than the more introspective outbursts. James has said many of the lyrics deal with mental health struggles, so I can only guess this song is included in that. The last song finds the vocals opening the song at the back of the mix, and things slowly come more into focus. It's more experimental, but still possesses the urgency they are so adept at conveying.  I will give this album a 10. In some ways, it is more experimental and raw, but it holds up well against their legacy. Drops  March 26th. 

pst83

Black Metal History Month- Harms : "Rebirth of the Cold"

 

This band from Finland plays a hyper-aggressive blend of metal and hardcore that is in-your-face when it wants to be, without forsaking melody. When they kick back into things after wandering into more atmospheric places, they kick back in with full-on anthemic gang vocals. Then you begin to hear the touches of black metal perhaps in their DNA, jsut from the geography. Gratned there is also a great deal of goth metal in Finland, but darker music seems to be the vibe. It is more aggressive in a hard-core sense than a death metal one, so perhaps atmospheric blackened hard-core might be your best category for these guys, which at this point, we are making this shit up as we go. 

However, the first two songs kind of run together, so while they are dynamic, there is acertain uniformity to their songwriting which thankfully gets broken up with."Flowerless Grave", I suppose it could also fall within the bound of metal cocre, at least where it crosses over with what is going on here, as it hold more in common with traditional metal than Myspace derived hard-core. The romanticized darkness and grandeur they capture in the larger-than-life moments also feel more black metal, just not having much in common with Darkthrone, nor is that the genre's only defining sound. It is certainly closer to black metal in many ways than the new Bosse-de-Nage. 

Rather than build off breakdowns, they take gloomy riffs and kick them into more dynamic places for "A Lifetime Spent on Dying," which puts melancholy sonics to good use. "Rupture" splits the difference between hard-core and black metal for one of the most rabid moments yet. This comes with shimmering blast-beaten tremolo-picked guitar to appeal to the more hardened black metal fans who will find this album to be more produced than they like. The last two minutes of the song offer the first breakdown that is bathed in ambient sound.

There is more space created by the ringing atmosphere of the guitar leading into " Esscence of Sorrow". Perhaps the goal was to be dark, atmospheric, and hardcore, and it crossed over into depressive black metal?  There is a great dynamic call and response to "Apollonia" . They go back into a more black metal mood on the last song. I will give this album a 9 as it mixes hardcore with black metal atmosphere in a very organic fashion. 

Death By Love : " 444"

 

Here is the debut from this Polish electro goth project. It has a sharp-edged tension in the combative synths that open the album. These are contrasted by the sultry swagger of Inga. Peter, the other half of this duo, had a stint in the Electric Hellfire Club, so the industrial influence makes sense. Though they are also capable of dropping things down into a more 90s alt-pop groove on "Cosmic Power".  An almsot trip -hop f;avor lingers in the beat. The more Middle Eastern vocal passages begin to surface on "In Unity." Its more of an up-tempo dance floor churner. Layers of synths swirl around your ears on this one. 

There are some moments that sound like newer, more EDM minded KMFDM, with "I Don't" being one of these though it is perhap more n the industrial side. "Strong Inside" brings Lords of Acid to mind with its more sexualized pulse. "God" feels more like something Danny Elfman might do. "Lost and Found' would have been suited for mid 90s alternative radio. "Temros" is a more dramatic ballad, granted it's the symphonic mix. 

"Forest" has more of a dance groove to it that holds my attention better. Then they get more exotic for the Middle Eastern vibe that will bring Dead Can Dance to mind for most people. The album closes with a reprise or re-envisioning of the first song thugh it really sounds nothing like it as there is poken and wailing vocals in the background to create more of a mood, until more gothy music creeps in at the halfway point to create more of a Siouxsie feel. Overall, I enjoy the darker 90s vibes it gives a change from the normal retro 80s batcave goth. I will give this a 9. 

pst82

Monstrosity : "Screams From Beneath the Surface"

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Final Gasp : "New Day Symptoms"

 

I liked their last album a great deal, but was unsure why it was being called death rock when it was old school metallic hardcore that owed more to Die Kruzen. Sure, there is more of a hint of old AFI on this album. It's the more aggressive elements that have been refined with some more outright metal playing captured here. I had to go back and listen to "The Apparition" as it got swept away in the album's momentum. The verse riff is more melodic and finds the vocal croon working well. The riff in the chorus reminds me of Judas Priest,but still works.  "Gifted Shame" packs a heavier punch, and highlights the fact that the overall feel of the guitars this time around is more metal. 

Even though things have changed a bit on this album, they are still more of a hardcore band than Turnstile. "No Hand to Lead" is more melodic, but that does not make it "goth", it's just a moody stab at 90s radio rock from a hard-core band, which works for me. It is one of the album's best songs so far. "Prediction" has a similar feel to the previous song, but there is like an undercurrent of Dokken in the guitar playing. The emotive singing comes closer to what Unto Others tries to do; these guys are just less cheesy and more convincing. The songs are written in a very concise fashion, only occasionaly breaking the four-minute mark. 

"Burials of Birth" feels like the most AFI moment yet, a former hard-core band branching out into poppy post-punk. There are some intersting sounds on "Fractures", which is little more than an intro for that title track, which sound more like Killing Joke until the more scowling vocals take over. Jake Murphy's voice sounds best on the power-ballad of sorts that closes the album and finds him with the space to open up and really sing, which is impressive. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, the band has refined their  s ound and feels more confident in who they are.Being released on Relapse Records.  

pst80

The Bandit Queen of Sorrows : "the Magnolia Sessions"

 

After being neck deep in black metal for the bulk of the month, I needed a break, and this seems to be fitting for that. Anti- Corp Music's Magnolia Sessions series has always given me a chance to catch up with the more underground country scene, which often intersects with folk, and Leslie Fox-Humphreys certainly indulges in a thoughtful version of that mix. Vocally, her lilting voice lends itself more to folk music, as there is not a great deal of twang to it. She mixes the harmonica with the acoustic guitar in a Bob Dylan-like blend, but has a better voice, making this more melodic and thoughtful. 

I ask the same things from every genre of music: give me something dark and dynamic, with melody to it. By the second song, it is clear this is going to lean into more of the ballad side of things. Her vocal melody is placed more forward in the mic, and not as relaxed as in the previous song. She shows she is capable of reaching into her head register here, even if it is for a moment, the more vocal colors the better in my book. 

It is time to clear something up about the term dark folk. The song "Come Wander With Me" is darker than the first two songs, but I am not sure it meets the same definition we have here. I like the song; it's thoughtful and tells a story, but when we talk about dark folk here, we are normally referring to stuff like Death in June, Chelsea Wolfe, or even Amigo the Devil. Bridge City Sinners have even outgrown that definition. "The Lockman' has a similar mood but does not feel as dark lyrically. I like what she does with her voice on "Fear the Bhata."

The cello on the last song helps darken things up more to my liking. The fact that it is her take on a traditional Irish folk song makes sense, as those tend to have a more mournful quality to them. The music forms more of a drone beneath her. This is a solid introduction to what she does and has her on my radar as an artist to listen to in the future. I will give this album a 9. 

pst79

Black Metal History Month - EGREGORE : " It Echoes In The Wild"

This Canadian band gets it. They are bringing a blizzard of sound that is equally dark and heavy in its intensity when it hits your ears. The other straight Egregore find on this album is that the vocals should not be an afterthought, no matter how they are delivered. They draw from more than just black metal, with thrash hooks in the guitar riffs and the aggression of death metal in the way it hits. It almsot sounds like an album from the early 90s in this regard, and the production helps solidify this aspect. It's not underproduced like an old Mayhem album, but it sounds more organic than most of the stuff coming out these days. It is atmospheric without any post-anything. 

"Stair into the Votex" is not just a clever title; it is a ferocious attack that finds them connecting with Possessed-era metal. While it tries to bite your face off, what works is that it is different than the previous song. This makes the reckless element easier to digest, as they already gave you a dynamic contrast. "Craven Acts of Desperate Men" finds "Show No Mercy" era Slayer colliding with early Deicide. They are students of this era of metal and use this inspiration to form something that is convincing. There are some Mercyful Fate winks with the falsetto vocals not nailing the pitch that King Diamond does, but they are not trying to be the greatest singer here. 

They keep up the thrashing speed for "From the Yawning Cravasse." Wise enough to slow things down to create a hook where they chrosu would go if that was how they were approaching songwriting. Darker more melodic elements catch up with the razor riffs. At under two minutes, a mighty chug largely empowers "Cosairs of the Daath Gulf." The momentum begins to carry them away when it gets to "Nightmare Cartographer." This touches on death metal stylings and is propelled into "Six Door Guard the Original Knowledge," which has some pretty cool "Kill'em All" like riffs. 

By the time I get to "Servants of the Second Death," I am listening to things they have not already presented on this album. They close the album with the almost ten-minute title track. It winds around and finds guitar solos in more abundance. There are enough solid moments to keep it interesting. I will give it a 9 as I am normally a hard sell on this kind of retro affair since I was around to catch their influences on the first time around the block, but appreciate what is being done here and will see how it grows on me.Out on 20 Buck Spin March 20th.

pst78