Arise From Worms : "A Bleeding Tree Hanging Self Destruction"

 I guess the fact Dream Theater's keyboardist is on tis album should have been the clue this would be more progressive than I expected since I'm here for the Steve Tucker factor. Sonny from Incantation is the brainchild of this project; he got the idea on the tour I caught with them opening up for Morbid Angel. The drummer from Cryptopsy is driving this manic machine. He gets pretty blasty in the face of the angular riffs coming at you on "Power Obsessed". Tucker does a great job of approaching this differently than he did with Morbid Angel, as he navigates tricky tempo changes.This does cross over into technical death metal. 

There is more of a haos to "Raize Demon Breath".I suppose the shreddy aspect of it is impressive to those of you into that sort of thing. Tucker's layered and articulated approach to the vocals is the most interesting aspect. "Psionice Being" bleeds out of the previous song; it is a mix of darker Morbid Angel riffing around prog keyboard harmony runs.  "Nine Walls" perhaps packs even more twists and turns into things/. As an instrumental without the harsher growls to rein it in, things go deep into prog. Rapid-fire riffing and sweeping guitar solos become this album's dominant force, the further into the songs you go. There is a talent on display here, but nothing hooks me in.

The vocals return for "The Axes of Voivode" it does not have as much purposeful groove as what Tucker had to work with earlier in the album. The second part of this second is not much different than the first perhaps with more furious blasting from the drums. I like Tucker's vocal approach on this album and there is no denying the chops at play here though I feel at times this can come to their detriment and counterbalances the heaviness. I will give this album an 8.5, it's Tucker's vocals that will bring me back for repeat listens 

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The Rolling Stones : "Foreign Tongues"

 I've been a fan of these guys for as long as I have listened to music. In my early teen years along with David Bowie they were one of the only non-metal bands I listened to though in hindsight you could include Kiss and Alice Cooper to that list, bands the Stones influenced. They drew the distinction between the Beatles' pop music and their rock music by calling them a rock band with balls. For that reason, I  am always hoping these guys will go out on a high note. This is album 25, what more could they want? I think it's either Mick's or Keith's death that will be the end of this band. Their last album was great, so it's not a matter of quality. This was, in fact, recorded during those sessions. The boys are both 82, well past the age anyone should be making rock n roll

. "In the Stars" is plugged into their classic attitude. The opening track had a more blues-based feeling than the previous album. The fact that an 82-year-old man gets up into his falsetto is crazy. Steve Jordan plays drums for every song but track 8, which has a Charlie Watts take on it. "Mr Charm" stays true to what they do. "Divine Intervention" is not my favorite song so far, but it is a representation of what the band is about and conveys that. They dig into their countryside for 'Ringing Hollow".  It sounds like they haven't aged a day when they go to this place. 

The song I was looking forward to is "Never Want to Lose You' which finds Smith contributing backing vocals and synths. A big compliment to Smith as both Paul McCartney and Bruno Mars are on this labum but not sining with Paul playing bass, and Mars playing cowbell, which shows how seriously they take him. It does not bear any semblance of the Cure but finds Smith blending with what they do. He sits behind Mick in the mix until they do a call and response. 

They dig back into rock with more earnestness on "Hit Me in the Head."  The Amy Winehouse cover is weird but works for what they do. Richard's voice has not aged as well as Jagger's, but he makes it through "Some of Us". "Covered in You" finds them getting back into their strut. This might be the album's best song. "Side Effects" was well produced, and if you pay close attention, you hear how they give Mick's voice some love in post-production. It is the first song that feels like filler. I was expecting "Back in Your Life" to be a ballad, and it is. Despite Mick sounding great, the verses don't really grab me, though the chorus gets the job done. It is loaded down with guitar solos so if that is why you showed up then it is worth it.

The album closes with a Chuck Berry cover. Which makes sense given Richards' friendship with him, but leans all the way into their blues roots. While it's more rooted in their classic sound and the production is marginally more organic, it's on par with "Hackney Diamonds," meaning not their classic work but better than msot of the post-"Steel Wheels" material, so I will give it a 9.5. 

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Kill By Mouth : "Necessary Evil"

 

This British thrash band dropped this EP back in March, and I am just now catching up with them. They set themselves apart from thrash revival bands by blending some of the darker corners of the genre that it evolved into by the time the 90s rolled around. Pre-nu-metal leaning Prong can be heard in the thunderous syncopation they lock into. There is also ample hardcore influence they ride the line between in a very organic manner. The vocals howl in a baritone bark. They have a dark and commanding groove that moves them on the opening track. They do not forget to keep things at a head-banging tempo while not dumbing it down.

There is a very deliberate chug to "228". I appreciate the restraint they use as they never pour on the speed and forsake the purpose of the song, making this catchier. While I can hear the influence of both S.O.D and Sepultura here, there is never a sense of nostalgia like they are paying homage to an era. Instead of trying to capture a retro sound, their energy has been invested in focusing on songwriting. The guitar solo on this song is very melodic and provides depth rather than just spastic chaos. "Johnny Volcano" finds them getting even more melodic, as an eerie atmosphere precedes the more bludgeoning crunch that recalls post-"Seasons" Slayer. The vocals remind me a little more of Integrity here. In the closing moments of the song, the vocals are sung rather than bellowed.

They close this album out with the emphasis on groove. It reminds me of the mid-90s when the rising tide of bands like Korn caused the old guard to pivot in order to remain relevant. Clearly, it's an era of metal that was enduring. The riff shifts at the end to pound the point home memorably. These guys excelled at being true to the genre, while doing their own thing and crafting some catchy tunes that hold up against the thrash bands of both today and the golden years of the genre. I will give this a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, so highly recommended to fans of the genre looking for something new rather than jsut reheating leftovers like a band like Municipal Waste tends to do. Should appeal to fans of Sacred Reich and Power Trip in equal measure.

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Static Dress : "Injury Episode"

This British band has a bigger buzz across the pond than in the States, as this dropped a week or so ago with little fanfare here. They are very familiar with what they do. It gets labelled as post-hardcore, but is closer to nu-metal as the Deftones worship is tempered by the overwrought melodies, not unlike the Used. They are energetic and explosive, but not that original, as this would have been a banger over 20 years ago. Though I guess there is a new generation of kids discovering this sort of thing. There are some interesting choices in the vocal production. The riffs are hard-hitting, and they have more get-up-and-go than Deftones do now. Though they are not solely chasing an era long gone, as they prove they can also bust out the kind of emo-blaads Chino peddles more often than not these days with their song "Adapter".

The more screamed metal core is busted out for "Nostalgia Kills," which also features the singer from Underoath, so I guess they are making him feel at home here. It works for this song, but an entire album of this sort of thing would be tiresome. By the time we get to "Hospice," things begin to sound the same, and you get the feeling you are busting out HTML for your Myspace profile. There is more of the punk side of the Used once raced off into on "lip critic' which might be the most tired style they parade out so far.

"Male Bomb" might be more impressive if I were not already a fan of Glassjaw, making these guys seem likea Temu version of the band. The guitar melody to "Dull Blade Disguise" works better, but their influences threaten to overtake them even at their most creative. There is some impressive bass playing on this song. At almost four and a half minutes, this is the album's longest song, and I am not sure if the extra time is warranted."Classic Death Pose' is more of a temper tantrum made song. There is a cool riff buried amid the chaos here. They do make the most of the s ong's two minutes.

"Adult Diamond' is a more well-written emo-ballad which seems to be their strength rather than trying to fool anyone into thinking they are hardcore adjacent."Human Props" find them splitting the difference between Glassjaw and Deftones. The breakdown is kinda cool, but a song should not live or die by its breakdowns."Treading" is one of the album's best songs as it's catchy than the bulk of them. I will give this album an 8.5, as they are talented at what they are doing; I have just already heard this back in the late 90s. Released on Sumerian Records.

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Spread the Disease : " The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering"

 Self-identifying as blackened hardcore, this Canadian band puts a particular set of expectations on itself. The vocals' scowl is black metal, as is the guitar playing that opens the album. Are there some deliberate chugs? Yes, but Watain does that as well. The production is where the lines are a bit blurred, as it is very in-your-face, with little atmosphere. For Black Metal, I like what they are doing on the opening track. Let's hear if the rest of the album can hold up. The second song, "God and Politics," finds that they are not screaming about the devil, so perhaps that is where the hardcore is coming in. It is very blasty and in your face. It does not feel as effective as the first song. There is a more deliberate riff that surfaces, but the vocals become obligatory screaming with little purpose.

The more they race through things with the fast and furious speed adopted by most black metal bands, the more they are going to lose my interest, which is why I am looking for black metal bands that are true to bringing sonic darkness but taking a different approach. They go darker and more dissonant with a deliberate riff leading the way into "Indoctrinated," which finds them exploding out of this in some more raging but also more typical. 

"Summer Wanes' is the first song with a hardcore feel going into but they blast this away. A lower growled vocal comes in on this one to balance the scowling vocal out some. The blast part gets old fast to me. There is a bit of a breakdown section, and while I am glad this is not just black metal with breakdowns, I could stand to hear more hardcore here. There is a catchier riff that comes in the final act of this one. They have a great deal of ground to make up in the last song. The abrasive beating they throw themselves into. They are decent musicians, and perhaps this might be a good starting point for metalcore kids getting into black metal. I will give it a 7.5 

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Man/ Woman/ Chainsaw : "Cannonball"

 This quirky band from the UK is hard to pin down, though they have a sense of 90s alt-pop about them. Too progressive to be BritPop or Dream Pop, there are those elements in play as a violin dances around what they do whih might be simplified without the layers they have so cleverly added. The whimsy of what they do takes you by surprise, but after the first song, I began to wonder what kind of songwriters they are. This is not easily answered in "Canyons" as it is not as hooky as the first song, but is more dynamic.. So I give them a pass for the willingness to be marginally more explosive. 

The vocals are handled by three people, Billy Ward, who sings "Goddamn Lizard Man" with a smoky baritone in the vein of Leonard Cohen. Vera and Emmie handle the vocals most of the time. The guitar adds more rock to this one, but I am not feeling that it is their stock and trade. "Lighter" is a more delicate ballad. It is more atmospheric than what pop normally does with a jazz underpinning. The movement that drives "Nosedive" carries the tension of 90s indie rock, and proves they can write songs. Ironically, "Get Up and Dance" is not a dance song at all, but I like it as it's darker and moodier.

"Snake Bite" is more of an abstract ballad that feels like upbeat trip-hop that turns into more of a show tune."Flick of the Wrist" is back to a more Nice Cave-like place as the male vocals are the dominant force. It is not as dark as Nick Cave. They continue down this path but with a more rock emphasis on 'the Thing" . "Still Angry" feels like it would have been a pop song from the 90s. The last song kind of meanders, but I appreciate where they are going with it. A great deal of this album makes me think of HAIM jamming with the Dave Matthews band whichc should let you know there is no lack of tlanet here, I will give it a 9.

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Bloodbather : " ANAYNGSTTA'

 

This album came out in April, and I am just now catching up with it. This hybrid of SLAM and metal core carries a great deal of deliberate groove. The vocals are sometimes a gurgled death growl, at others a higher pitched scream, and then sometimes a more spoken rap. This finds them flirting with the line between hardcore and nu-metal. Despite its clever title, "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off" is all abrasive metallic force without anything to really hook me in. 

Then things take a wild turn as "Closed Curtains Close Caskets' is a rap song. They are more deliberately catching a groove for "Dog 2 God". This is a pounding with a purpose that I can get behind.  There is some creepy dissonance to the guitars, so the yare working on more levels than we have heard from them up to this point. The vocals are screamed, but you can still discern what is going on. They have an eponymous song on this album that is more syncopated and has a call and response between the lower gurgle and the scream, with a more drugged-out nu-metal vocals muttering in the din. There is a even actual singing which works well in this context. 

One thing I like about this album is that it is dark. The last two tracks are pretty short, so they are almost like two thoughts' worth of an outro. It is a shame because 'Consequence" has a cool that would have been fun to hear them develop it further..The tits track that closes the album is under a minute. I will give this album a 9, as they are tapping into something cool here. I just wish they would grow the songs out, as the promise is there. As is, if you are a kid looking to do your karate dancing to heavy shit, this band has you covered.

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