Codex Lovelace : " Galvanized Heart"

 

Here is a weird darkwave project, which, like most darkwave projects, does not think it is darkwave. The guitars do not make it any less darkwave, as plenty of darkwave bands once had guitars it is something I hope makes a comeback. Though it is unlikely this band is the one that is going to spearhead that comeback.  What they do will appeal to a very particular segment of darkwave fans. Most of them will be at Dragon Con or some other fantasy convention that hopefully these guys will find themselves performing at.  They bring a heftier beat on the second song, though the vocals are the aspect I am not a hundred percent sold on, and that will be their goal over the course of this album. They seem to be pitchy in places, and I think a different mix would benefit them. 

"Clorkwork" does not invoke the sound of what I think steampunk would sound like, which in my mind is closer to Rasputina or Heartworms. I appreciate they are bringing a heavier element to the tapestry of sounds they are trying to weave together here. The vocals are more effective when coming from more of a purr.  The higher they are belted, the more margin for error. I think more effects would also play into their favor. "Ada" does have some sounds that are more steampunk to my ears, and a better groove, with an experimental collision of sounds working for them here. Uses more ofa sci-fi theme, that follwos the more techno pulse. It gets weird, but weird works for these gals. They even add an almost industrial thump. 

On "High Rise," when they sing in their alto range is working really well. "The Corps"  has more groove, and the moaned vocals hold more weight in this context. Though the pitchiness is questionable in this place, which is odd as it worked on the previous song. "Alice" finds things getting darker. This is the path they need to be following, though I am partial to darker music. Both girls sing, but one is a better singer than the other; you can hear this in the dissonance when their voices join. I do like they mention the Jabberwocky in the Alice in Wonderland song. 'Vampyre" is a little upbeat to be about Dracula, and this is not the girl who should be singing it. Not all voices are created equal. 

The xylophone sound that is the centerpiece of 'Dollhouse" works well at the steampunk sound they were going for. and they vocals sound fine, so they are just inconsistent. This song is somewhat of a ballad. When it builds, it's one of the album's better beats. The last song also captures the steampunk feel they are going for. The more industiral vibes it goes into work as well as the odd, angular, quirky pulse it carries.  I will give this album an 8.5; there is some fine-tuning that it needed in post-production, but it carries its own charm in the present format. Something like this should be a little strange so you can't fault a girl for that. 

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GRADIENCE : "Anomaly"

It did not take me long to hear what my purpose for reviewing this album was. This Danish band leans on the metal core sidde of nu-metal, despite the presentation and marketing; they are poppier than you might suspect, which seems to be the theme for the album. This album is well produced. I was promised trap mixed into the metal, and that does not show up until " Master to Slave". When it arrives, it is the best song so far. I am not sure what they are doing when it comes to the more metallic side; I think they are all over the place. He is a better rapper than Screamer.

There is some more rap going on with "Stains' but in the hard streets of Denamrk if does not come across as correct as it does if this were from the States. If it did, it would be more along the lines of Atilla. There is a riff that sounds more like Slipknot that is cool for what it is. Then by the time I get to 'Deathwish," this album starts fading into the background, and I have to go back and give it another try. There is an extreme turn from a Post-Malone-like ballad to blast beats on "Undone".  But this is offset by the chorus that follows it, and the two do not go together that great. Some decent ideas might fit better in a different context. 

"A Witness" finds a better balance; it mixes the hip-hop tendencies in a way that is not too Linkin Park. "White Noise" follows a similar path, though it's more like early 90s rap rock until the harsher rasp comes in. "Grimey Potential" carries a more melodic ringing tone. The vocals are lighter and poppier. 

. There are reasons the music press is going to try to prop these guys up. But this is far from original; it works at times, and the results are entertaining when it does; they exceed their grasp when it comes to playing heavy music. They are more suited to the kind of rap rock, and even the melodic pop vocals are kind weak, but they make it worth it well enough, so I will give this one an 8. That is my purpose for writing this review as there are going to be many other reviews that call this black metal and tell other lies to sustain a narrative they are hoping for rather than hearing this album for what it is. 

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Colorblind : "Who Sold You This Truth - Was It Yours To Hold"

If you wanted to know what Justin Bieber might sound like if he made Myspace Metal, this is the answer. With that out of the way, we can focus on how hooky these songs are, even if it means compromising what you might expect as heaviness. But not every band needs to be heavy, so if they want to lean into the pop side of things, that is fine if it is who they are. They are not a metal band, so with that expectation taken care we can enjoy this album as "Car Crash "is pretty catchy. These guys would have worked well on one of those "Pop Goes Punk" cover albums.  They get moodier andd more melodic on "Needle Eye," which has a pretty anthemic chorus. They follow the path left by bands like Issues. Though they have less attitude. 

"Chemical Warfare" is another moody anthem, with less of a hip hop undertone and more of the metal pop punk feel. It begins to sound like they need to break from their formula a bit by the time we get to this one. When he screams, I am not much of a believer, as he looks like he weighs 130 lbs, but when it comes to his almsot androgynous emo whine, I am a believer. Almost everything I said about the previous song could be applied to "Let Down".  There is, however, a lower-tuned angular djent riff at one point.  Things begin to stall by the time we get to "Misery Loves Company".

They switch it up not in the direction I suspected, as it's a synth wave-like pop-power ballad,  on "Incomplete," but it works for me. Vocally, this one is sugary but more impressive than his screaming.  Then they are back to the more middle-of-the-road formula. "The Countdown" finds strummed guitar taking over as they go about as hard as Taylor Swift, unless we are talking about "Look What You Made Me Do," then she's going harder. It's pushing the boundaries of how much sappiness I can take. "God Complex" approaches this from a different angle. It's more rock for sure. 

It's by "Lost in Translation" that things begin to sound the same, though a solid listen finds this song is not like "Heavy Heart' that follows, though it is more inspired sounding than "Heavy Heart. Then with "Paradox" there is more of an electronic groove taking over.  , Though this and the last song find themselves drowning in their own sugar when they would have worked better with a marginally darker atmosphere. Whelp, this album eventually kind of became background music for me, but I appreciate their willingness to fully commit to emo pop hooks. I will give it an 8. 

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Street Tombs : "Existence Is Corruption"

 In today's musical climate, it is not hard to damage the second album from these Santa Fe death metallers, breaking them into the larger metal scene. They have some thrash riff smarts and a raw punk attitude coupled with their more feral embrace of death metal. Going into "Deceptor," they are almost crossing over into thrash, with the vocals being the main thing anchoring them to death metal. It does speed up as the song progresses into something that recalls the early days of the genre. There is a much more dynamic take on songwriting than I expected, with some of the more nuanced passages while still being true to the raw punk spirit. 

"Septic Values" is pretty solid, not speed-obsessed but keeps the energy up as needed for this era of the genre. The vocals have purpose. Some cool more traditonal metal riffs are going into "Upset the Grave" before it gets some double bass under it and goes cruising off. "Systematic Suffering" runs closer to the more expected side of death metal and has less of their own peronsaluty embedded in it., still a decent song, just not as vital as the first few. By the time we get to "Mental Mulilation," things are beginning to run together and sound the same as the dynamics begin to find similar footing. This song is a little more deliberate, but when it speeds up, it all runs together..

The death thrashing races on with "Braindead". The vocal accents shift a little, but it racing long a similar highway as the other songs. A dive bomb Slayer solo or two join in. The last song sounds almost just like the previous song as things find a more monochrome sonic formula to fall into I will give this almost an 8.5 as the first half is strong enough to balance things out when it finds the songs sounding too similar. Being released on Carbonized Records

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In This Moment : "Witch"

This band has changed a great deal over the years, and now music has caught up with them, with plenty of women screaming in metalcore. It would make sense for them to pivot and lean into their more industrial side rather than try to beat a band like Spiritbox at their own game. They kind of split the difference on this front regarding the opening track of their new album. It works in keeping a balanced presentation of what they do. Where they are keeping up with the tide of the industry is by having a bunch of guest spots on this album; the first is on "I Wnat to Believe" when Dayseeker joins them. It finds them meandering on some atmospheric yet anthemic modern rock with pop subtleties. It sounds good and is well put together, though certainly for the younger end of their fan base. Maria is the culprit on this one when it comes to wanting to believe in keeping things on the more nu-metal sidde of the genre. 

"Crawl" is what you expect from this band; there's some grooving and her dynamic vocal performance. There is a more focused hook on the chorus. This song grabbed me more on my second listen. "Into the Dark" is an intersting has a bit of an 80s vibe. Her voice is really well produced on this album. It is a little weird that they already have a song called "Into the Darkness' but this song is so good it's forgivable. They pull off a cool dark cover of "Wrapped Around Your Finger." I can hear this playing in a movie trailer already. They bring Kim Dracula, who tries to be Johnathan Davis for Halloween on "Heretic." This is the album's first misstep, but it was going pretty stellar up to this point. 

"Father" is more of a grooving nu-metal ballad that works well. Obviously about her father who died. Feels pretty honest and heartfelt. There is more of a synth wave vibe that bubbles up for " With Out Me There is No You," which feels more like a Spiritbox ong which is not a problem since it just means the songwriting is forced to dial itself up. Not sure why anyone is treating Kat Von D like she is an actual singer bu they chose to bring her along for their cover of "Another Brick in the Wall"; it's a dancey electronic version. Three covers seems a bit excessive, but here we are with her bringing the heavy breathing to 'Something I Can Never Have". It works, and overall this album is pretty impressive I will give it a 9.5, one of their best more recent efforts. 

  

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Diavol Strain : "Eterno Retorno"

 This darkwave project from Chile is bringing the more aggressive goth side of the equation to their new album. Not the best drum machine sound, but the opening track is better than expected. I know metal is big in Chile, so it makes sense that goth would have a marginal foothold in the area, though the energy the country gives off seems to make it more suited for the primal forms of metal than the elegance of goth. But the brand of dark wave they are playing is at times frantic and oppressive sonically, little romancing of the darkness, though for what it is, it's suitably dark. Their native tongue does not flow as well. They are somewhere between a punk delivery and the kinda moan a project like Boy Harsher employs. But the melodrama is not as articulated here.

The reverb-heavy mix carries a woozy density rather than just going for a Bat Cave sound.It does provide them with a bit of charm. By the third song thing begin to drone a bit, but I appreciate they are switching the vocal tones and employing a more dynamic delivery. If you want to hit peak goth in August, play this album as you watch "Taste of Blood Dracula " with the sound off.."La Ultima" has a more atmospheric drone. The bass stands out on "Nix Dada".  This gives it an almost Killing Joke feel. When the guitar comes in, the layers work together nicely, making it the best song so far."Tension" works off a more traditional darkwave vibe. The most dance floor dominant song thus far.

"Solve et Coagula" is a cooler song title than it is a song that actually gives off occult vibes. It works for what it is, but is closer to filler than being a banger."Terminal Silence" has more of an industrial beat, which works here. They close things on a darker note for the last song that follows a more Siouxsie-like take on traditional goth. These gals give it a solid shot and are true to the genre while staying relevant so I'll give this one an 8.5 

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Quicksand : "Bring on the Psychics"

  

If you go back and listen to these guys, you can hear how much they influenced Turnstile. If there was any justice in the world, they would get the kind of TikTok revival bands like Deftones and Type O Negative received. They recapture the kind of explosive magic they ignited with their first two album here. "Agency"  breaks from the formula and finds the chorus going in a more melodic and introspective direction. The tempo ramps up for "Crystalize" with the vocals balancing the guitar's energy.

They pack more of a grooving punch that was their trademark on "Supercollider". The smooth vocal melodies are plaintive but commanding. There is a riff in this one that makes me think of Bad Brains.  "In Full Color" has more swagger and is produced in a manner that gives it more of an older Turnstille sonic feeling. Unlike Turnstille they are not big pop sellouts. Granted, I like pop music, so that is not even a deal breaker for me.. If the mention of Turnstile finds you pondering influences, you can hear a bit of Fugazi in "Days You Run To"reminding you that music is not created in a vacuum.  

"Cool Guy" has more of a the big explosive riff energy. "Moving Forward" reminds you they came from the Bad Relgion side of the punk equation. The last song finds some ofthe energy waning but they kept things strong for the bulk of the album so it blaances out and it is probaly a case of me needing to hear it a few times for it to grow on me. eNERGY WISE i think this is the best album since "Manic Compression", as the other post-90s albums have experimented with the sound that works , and even hear this is produced in a more modern manner so is not as raw , but works better than expected so I will round this one up toi a 10. Staying True to the game it was released on Equal Vision Records.

8.9

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