Hoaxed : "Death Knocks"

 

This album makes no attempt at draping things in goth window dressing, and we get to see who Hoaxed are: a grunge band. The riffs are more arena-rocking, even when they add tension to a song like "Kill Switch", which at times finds them beginning to drift toward the more straight-up rock n' roll side of grunge. Sonically, they hold a great deal of common ground with the Pretty Reckless, though with more of a penchant for minor ket melodies. At times it casts a somewhat witchy shadow n things when it comes to "Promised to Me ", but this album is nowhere near as dark as the previous one. 

I like how they vocal are produced as they have the right amount of effects on them and are not too forward in the mix. There is more melancholy; this is best heard on "The Fallen." They go into a more streamlined commercial approach with "Dead Ringer."  If this were the 90s, you might argue that the upbeat "Wretched" was also more radio-friendly. Though it does build into a heavier stomp. There are screamed vocals throughout the album that find themselves echoing out from the edge of the mix, which I am just mentioning here as an attempt to be more metal.

 They occupy a similar sonic space as Freeze the Fall when we get deeper into the album, and melodies become a little more ethereal against the hard rock punches. The vocals to the last are a little hookier and work for me. I will go ahead and give this album a 9.5, as they feel more in touch with who they are as a band, which sells me more on the songs. The hookier moments on this album are pretty awesome; it might take some time to grow on me, but fans of anthemic brooding rock from the 90s will dig this. 

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Rob Zombie : "The Great Satan"

 It has taken me a decade to resign myself to the fact their is little difference between where Rob left off with White Zombie and his solo work, which is almost as good. It seems he is eager to recapture his more classic sound, as this album opens with a heavier edge. "Tarantula' blends the two with a more aggressive guitar sound, grooves keeping this industrial thump moving even in the face of Rob's more rock n roll vocal stylings. He has never been a great singer, relying on effects and a keen sense of where to put the clever lyrics he spits out. 

"Rock n Roller' almost feels more like My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. His declaration of being both an alligator and a space invader makes it sound like he is from Florida. "Heathen Days ' is heavier and more driving, making him sound just as vital in 2026. 'Black Rat Coffin" sounds like it came out after "Astro-creep", which is what you want from him. The groove to "Sir Lord Acid Wolfman" is cool, but no clue what the lyrics are about. "Punks and Demons" hits like 90s Ministry, "The Devilman" is very deliberate as an arena-shaking anthem. 

"Revolution Motherfuckers" rides a rumbling bass line with a rowdy march. "Unclean Animals" demonstrates what I said earlier about the effects on his voice being almost an instrument unto themselves, which really helps set the mood here and makes any vocal limitations forgivable. "Grave Discontent" closes the album, which is more of an instrumental outro. Overall, this album is fucking fantastic, and shows that just because you came out in the 90s it does not mean you have to forsake your sound when you can just perfect itI give it a 10.. 

  

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Black Metal History Month- Into the Dark Castle -Dimmu Borgir's "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia"

So here we are, closer to the final form of the classic line, the only difference being Nick Barker from Cradle of Filth on drums. Rather than Hellhammer, who I view as a drummer who stands next to Lombardo, Sandoval, and Hoglan as one of the all-time greats. Vortex is not taking over bass duties, and Galder is in the band. But even this lineup sets things on fire with "Blessing Upon the Throne of Tyranny". Shagrath has all the vocal effects dials in perfect, and every riff delivers a concise crunch to make things larger than life.

"Kings of the Carnival Creation" has some theatrical sounds to it that remind me of King Diamond. When it does race off into full blast mode, they have already set the stage for it work dynamically. Then there are songs like "Hybrid Stigmata" which are not only one of the album's best songs butin the top 10 of their most classic songs. It uses all the elements you want from this band in the most grandiose yet catchy fashion ever. While still an effective song, "Architechture of Genocide Nature" is not as catchy.  There are a lot of creepy carnival sounds on this album, a mood that it feels like ICS Vortex brough over from Arcturus. 

The syncopated groove of "Puritania" also makes it one of the band's best songs ever. This balances out songs like "IndoctriNation" where they blast at you more rabidly. Though things unfold in a more melodic manner as the song progresses.  "The Maelstrom Mephisto" starts off in your face and, like the previous song, benefits from dynamics that open up when they slow down. "Absolute Sole Right" is the first song that puts speed first and foremost, and stays relentless with it rather than expanding the dynamic. "Sympozium" expands the dynamics and hit a much better balance. "Perfection or Vanity" has the larger-than-life orchestral outro andd I am not counting the cover of Twisted Sister's "Burn in Hell" even though it is solid because it was a bonue track on later versions. I will give this version a 10. 

 

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Nothing : "a short history of decay"

 

Nothing's 5th album is a more organic excursion, with strummed acoustic guitar and vocals stepping out from behind the indifferent haze of effects. This is not so say Domenic has shed the idea of being a shoe-gaze, in fact he more closely aligns himself with that sound on the second song and lead single 'Cannibal World' that finds a break beat drum samplele moving things in a manner much different from what you expectg from shoe -gaze while still bathing you inthe woozy swirl of My Bloody Valentine influenced guitars. Even then, you learn to get too comfortable with what you assume this band to be. 

Guitarist Doyle Martin is the only member to carry over from the "Great Dismal" sessions. The title track finds the more programmed drum beat leading the way into the song again, until they kick through the haze. It's only three songs in, but I am not hearing the more fuzzed-out guitar punch that once gave a nod in the direction of grunge. The vocals sit further back on the title track, which shifts through a slow-burning dynamic that adds intensity with each progressive step in the arrangement. The vocals are more thoughtful than your average shoe-gaze band, even when sitting back in the guitars. 

Things drop back down to a more delicate strum for "The Rain don't care."  There is a great, lonely reverb haunting the guitar tone of this song, which makes it sound more like something Chris Isaak might do, until the breathy plea of the vocals comes in to create more of a Smashing Pumpkins feel. It's dreamy, but the vocal arrangement is not as hooky, leaving the guitar to do most of the heavy lifting. Overall, the vocals have expanded the range of color they use on this album. 

The acoustic guitar opening "Purple Strings" feels more like early Radiohead. It's fragile like their 90s era ballads. When the drums come in it even feels like it is building like "Creep". But unlike Radiohead, here they are not kicking in with grungy guitar and busting out power chords; they are just floating further down the dreamy trail. There is also more of a 90s feel to "Toothless coal," which does bring the power chords with it. It might be the album's best song as the melody works really well and is subtle. Sure, the band has it harder before, but this is a great compromise. 

There is a more David Lynch feel to "Baller of the Traitor". It's like the nuance in the guitar riff that keeps the song floating in its introspection. The breathy vocals are another layer of sound. I appreciate how they weave around the guitar. The interplay of drums and guitar is more defined on "Nerve scale." This leads to the vocals fading more from the spotlight to a ghostly croon. The album closes with the hesitant strum of 'Essential Tremors.' it touches on the crossroads where early emo intersected with the atmosphere of shoe-gaze, before building into a more Hum-like rock climax.They had moved away from your typical shoe-gaze sound on the last couple of albums so taking a step back into this introspective atmosphere is an odd choice, but it works from a songwriting perspective, so I will give this one a 9.5, and see how it grows on me.Coming out on Run For Cover Records 

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KMFDM : "ENEMY"

Their mission statement is 40 years of conceptual continuity, but the concept expands in recent years, aside from the more rock n roll vibes the title track opens the album with, there does seem to be a similar vibe that checks off all the boxes you expect from the long-running electro-industrial band. They have a new guitarist that knows what the job descripstion call for, and Sascha continues to steer the ship in the right direction. There is a more ominous stomp that fulfills the dystopian obligations when it comes to "L'ETAT". It casts a darker mood over things, while the Lucia crooned "VAMPYR," finds them conscious of their goth-leaning fan base. Her delivery is aggressive as needed when it comes to an anthemic chorus. 

Annabella Konietzko takes the mic for "YOU" which is a great deal poppier than what we expect from this band, but it works pretty well for what it is. In fact, even with the small sonic shifts into perhaps more accessible terrority the songs flow pretty well. Better than I expected. Perhaps their strongest work in a decade. Lyrically, it does not feel as overtly political as some of their more recent efforts. Though the first hints creep in on "OUTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION," which might be about aliens stepping in to sort through things on Earth. There is a more Gary Numan-like synth pulse to "A OKAY" when coupled with the vocal melody here, it almost soundsl ike k-pop. 

They bring the dub back with "Stray Bullet 2.0."  Not the first time they have flirted with this sound.  Given the title "Catch & Kill" was not what I expected, which would have been more along of a "Light' style thrashing, there is very little on this album, but the melodic direction they go here works well enough. The highest doses of heavier guitar might be found on the instrumental."GUN QUARTER SUE".  I listened to the last song through headphones, and the production sounded not only much better, but actually stellar, so high volumes with headphones is the recommendation for this album. it sounded much better . I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me, but it stacks up pretty well against their other stuff and is less poppy than the last album.Out on Metropolis  

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Converge : "Love is Not Enough"

I would hope that at this point, these guys do not need an introduction. Converge wastes little time ripping into their vision of hardcore hyper-aggression, with less chaos on the title track that opens the album. With a gang vocal feel to the chorus, it's catchier than some of their earlier work. "Bad Faith" has a more Entombed-like stomp to it. They do throw themselves into a more reckless gnashing of teeth on "Distract and Divide". There is a similar energy to "Too Feel Something" in its frantic attack, but it is more nuanced.

"Beyond Repair" is one of the darker, more melodic interlude-like pieces they have sometimes built into full-on songs on previous albums. "Amon Amok" is not the songtitle you expect from these guys. It has a more deliberate menace to its sludge-tinged riff. They are known for creating some massive guitar sounds, and this can be heard on "Force Meets Presence." They allow the feral nature of hardcore to release with their metal influences here.

"Gilded Cage" finds Jacob using a less harsh vocal approach and a bass line providing a tense backbone for the song. In my first pass through the album, it might be my favorite side so far. There is a great deal more soice depth to the writing of the guitar parts this time around. The more punk-paced "Make Me Forget You" feels likea pretty accurate representation of what they sound like live. The breakdown in the middle is very effective. "We Were Never the Same" is more brooding and dynamic. I've seen some people say this album is just as chaotic as their other work, and I am here to tell you it's not, and that is a sign of growth. It feels more like "You Fail Me" if you had to compare this to other albums. I will go ahead and around it up to a 10 for the mature songsongwriting and stellar production.Out on Epitaph Records.  

PST58

Black Metal History Month - Malefic : "Impermanence"

Atlanta's Malefic identifies as blackened thrash, which is fair enough, as the vocals carry most of the hateful weight on the black metal end of the spectrum, creating more of a Kreator feel. They are very much about the speed metal life when it comes to the pacing of the tight riffing. In some ways, this sort of thing makes me think of Children of Bodom. What they do works well enough on the opening track, making the question this album will be weighed against...so what else can you do? 

These guys are a weird band where the drummer handles the vocals. It is only impressive as he is playing so fast, while he offers his dry raps scowling.  This also makes the vocals more than just texture, though he is also capable of dropping into a lower death growl. The melodic centerpieces are the solo sections. The lyrics are not articulated in a manner that really highlights the fact that they are not screaming about worshipping the devil, but I can hear how these guys are making black metal for people who normally don't listen to black metal. In fact, it's just not that dark at all. "Idiocracy" is more nuanced than most of the first half of the album.

Though by the time I got to "Deserter' the songs started all sounding the same, so I had to dig back into them and give a closer listen. "Deserter" is more on the thrash side of things. Though the meat of the song lacks the hooks that make thrash work. "Disembodiment" sounds like a death metal mix of Kreator and Megadeth. They continue to pour on the speed for "Obsidian Earth' in a manner that begins to feel more redundant despite the change in syncopation. They continue down this path for the remainder of the album, with most of the melody contingent on the guitar solos. Even the last song, which is called "It Haunts" seems like it should be darker than it is. It is, however, clear that these guys can play their instruments and have the chops and chemistry, though, as long as they have spent perfecting them, perhaps a vocalist more focused on hooky intermingling with the riffs might be the missing piece. As it is, this album still works even if it is not dark enough for my tastes,  I will give it an 8. Out on Terminus City.

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