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

Kallohonka : "Lazer Blood"

This band claims to be slug metal. Slug metal is nothing like sludge metal. In fact, it is more of a punk metal hybrid. The vocals are yelled more like punk. There is a hint of rust to what they are doing here, and only judging by the first track makes it hard to predict where it is going from here. I do appreciate the psychedelic trappings on the edges of the song. Granted, Gwar started off as more of a punk band, but these kids are more spazzed-out punk with very little metal. More of a metal influence on drug punk. They have heard a few Iron Miaden album atry to write galloping guitar harmonies that get overtaken by the sonic oddness. 

"DMT" is darker and does lend some weight to my claims that they are a drug band. The freaked-out scowl of the vocals is endearing, but it begins to cast a uniform shadow over the overall feel of these songs by the third track. Metal works better on drugs than punk rock, despite punks drug ridden history. But compare the Sex Pistols to Black Sabbath, and it's no contest. The garage rock element to their playing limits what they have the prowess to accomplish. The guitar shows the most capacity for melody; the drumming is a little sloppy. 

Most of ht song circles the drain at the three-minute mark, which works. "Heaven's Gate" finds a more deliberate stomp, but it is hard to ignore that some earlier sections of the song are a total mess. This is also the first song that finds the sluig crossing into sludge. The vocals improve on 'Pyschic Surgery." Though the riffs are angular and wonky. "Leeches" is another mess that finds its reach exceeding its grasp. They are going for more of a 70s boogie on the last song. They are one of the oddest stoner punk bands I have heard in some time, which is endearing unto itself. I will give this album a 7, if you smoke lots of weeds and lsiten to punk you will get the joke.

pst95

Lost Hollywood : "s/t"

 

Theres guys play a pop infused brand of Myspace metal that takes you back to 2004. Vocally, there is some depth despite the emo grooves not being the most original thing you have ever heard, but they pull it off in an anthemic enough manner to at least make the opening song work. Who knows, they could have blown their wad on the first song. This is the kind of music Pierce the Veil and Bad Omens emerged from, perhaps to a lesser extent, Sleep Token. There is a formula already in place by the time we get to "Pretty Skin". In some ways, it';s like if a dude fronted Spiritbox, as when they try to go more metalcore, they dig into a djent like stomp. Courtney has more balls to her harsher vocals than this guy. 

The groove to 'Pieces" works. If almsot feels like I am listening to one of the Punk Goes Pop albums. "Like A River' features a collaboration with Of Virtue, who I have not heard either to who know which part is which . it is more of a pop song, and that feels like the direction their heart is really in. Metal is like funk; you can't fake it. There needs to be an inner darkness and aggression that is released, and I am not feeling it here. This song is well done, Myspace era Emo. Pop artist Phillip Strand joins them to really flex their pop vaginas on "Love us Dying". It is color by numbers, and if you told me AI wrote this, I would believe you. 

By the time we get to "Ghost in the Water," it begins to feel like I have heard it all before. The tempo picking up only makes it seem more like pop punk. The harsher vocals are never going to convince we they are hard; they sound like they are coming from someone who struggles to bucnh 135lbs. "Can You Feel Pain" has a little more potential, and works more often than not. I like how it is produced; it's a good pop song. Some of these sounds feel like they are from a K-pop soundtrack, then when they try too hard to get heavy, it falls flat on "the Art of Being Torn in Half"

I like "Chasing Dreams," which sounds like it is about how Justin Bieber likes rough sex. I think this is how he processes trauma from Diddy baby oiling him up. 'the Fire" is the kind of slow jam I wanted from them all along. and why I kept listening. Fans of Sleep Token can also masturbate to this one. I will give this album a 7.5, based on the fact it is really well produced and there is some decent pop songs in the mix here, they jsut need to come out ot hte closet and try not to jsut metal as the beard for their pop desirres as I do not believe it. 

pst94

Cobrah : "Torn"

 Some artists blend their image with their music in a way that maximizes entertainment value. Cobrah is one of those. The Swedish understands what she has to work with and makes the most of her physical gifts from her vocal cords to her curvy figure and fairytale blond locks. Before a feminist jumps in the comments and says

"If this were a male singer, you would not be talking about his looks; you are objectifying her and sexualizing her."

She is objectifying herself and using it to her benefit, which is reflected in the sensual throb of the beats pulsing under her breathy voice. If you combined the otherworldly alien nature of Poppy and mixed it with the hyper sex of Slayyyter, the results would be similar. Musically close to Poppy, with the electronic throb keeping the songs together. This is also an apt description of the title track that opens this album. On the second song, which is about Instagram is seductively lures you to check out her Instagram. There is a bit of a Charli XCX attitude involved in what goes down here as well. 

From a porduction stand point, this album sounds great through headphones. "Platinum" finds dance grooves flexing their basslines, as she chants over it in her sultry style."Hush" was the first video I saw from her, where she is basically some kind of aline stripper, and it drew me in, so it's pretty effective. 'Charming " is a down-tempo ballad, which could use more of a beat to create the dynamic contrast neededto keep my attention. "Dpg' might be the album's best track as the beat goes so hard it is almost industrial.

The songs are all around the three-minute mark or less, so she knows how long she has your attention for. "Hit Girl" finds the beats percolating around the purr of her vocals. "Excusez Moi"  works really well, for it does as the beat keeps things moving in the right direction for the mood. Variations of horny and speculating her self-worth seem to be the dominant moods explored on this album. "Snow White" is more ambient, but the beat keeps things in motion, allowing hte ambiance more balance. The last song, " Really Hard," is not about an erection but how she wants to be hit by your car. Even with her vocal limitations, she makes this work, so I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me., 

pst93

Poison the Well : "Peace in Place"

 

When these guys came out, I appreciated what they did, but I just listened to other bands. I was very aware of what they were doing as they blended clean singing with hard-core, though certainly not the first to do this. They, however, influenced much of the Myspace metal to come, and their influence can still be felt on metalcore. The legit organic nature of their hardcore roots colors the opening track. "Primal Bloom" continues further down the more hardcore side of what they did. When it drops into the sung voals it does not occur at the most predictable time, not making it an anthem. 

There is a more nuanced lead into "Thoroughbreds". The sung vocals are less pronounced as they continue down a more punk path. The thump of the bass line and the vocal melody put "Everything Hurts" at the head of the pack when it comes to the best songs so far. "Weeping Tones" finds the sung vocals produced in a way that bridges them to modern metalcore; I don't remember being present in their earlier work. There are some cool chugged riffs in "A Wake of Vultures" which feel a little more like Bihohazrd than I recall from them.

"Bad Bodies" continues to flirt with its more hardcore side. At times, the more melodic moments feel like Code Orange. They share a love for syncopated breakdown riffs, going where there is no breakdown. "Drifting Without End" has a more Deftones-like feel. I think this is pushed even further in that direction with the shift in production, which is less organic than their old material. "Melted" works off a more familiar hardcore stomp."Plague With the Most" works off a more metallic chug. The production on this album certainly introduces them to the kids of today who might not know their music history in an effective manner. I will give this one a 9. 

pst92

Unverkalt :"Héréditaire"

 

Only missed this one by a week it's been on my radar, but jsut now catching up with Germany's Unverkalt. Setting the stage with a deceptive sense of melody before blasting into you. The melodic vocals are perhaps more intersting, but they work a delicate balance of playing to both sides of the band's dynamic range. Depressive more than it's blackened, the sonic weight of their songwriting impresses right from the first song, but can this band uphold the expectations set here?  

"Oath of Prometheus" finds the drums blasting in as the undercurrent trying to take control. The harsher vocals are more focused on chaos, as the sung vocals wander. I am obviously the audience these guys are looking for, but it also means I am more well versed in this sort of thing, so I can hear the influences a mile away on the second, but it still works well enough for me. The more they blast, the less impressed I am by the storm of sound, and I want to hear more melody. "Anae Lithi" finds the melodies winning out and giving this more depth than the more feral strains of black metal.

The sense of melody leans it away from black metal altogether on "A Lullabye for the Descent", but it's dark and moody enough to still win me over despite all the layers of vocals wrestling against one another. It makes me think of 90s bands like Crisis. There is a more black metal tension to "Prenumbrian Lament". One vocal color Dimitra often uses is a whisper little girl like voice. It's creepy enough to work. Often these are given a roaring death metal male counterpoint thanks to their guitarist Eli. 

With "Introjects," things begin to move in a more accessible metal direction, which carries over into "I, the Deciet," which features Sakis Tolis from Rotting Christ. "Death is Forever" finds some intersting sound layered in a more intense black metal manner, but without some of hte structure of the previous songs.  The last song works off more of an emotional atmosphere, which is more dramatic than depressive. Overall, this album is an impressive marriage of sound into well balaned songs I will give this a 9.5.Out on Season of Mist. 

pst91