Rebecca Black : "Age of the Exhibitonist"

Not sure why this album has not broken through to the types of audiences that top-tier pop artists like Charli XCX have. I guess it has to do with industry push. Perhaps the production dollars are not as heavilly invested in this as they are in the new Charli XCX, but Ms. Black is bringing some sultry melodies and hyper-sexed lyrics to go with her new and improved vision of hyper pop. The first three songs are pretty flawless; sure, they are more fun than they are breaking any new musical ground, but she has convincing EDM sounds dialed in behind her.

"Miss Delicious" pumps a little harder with its more festival-ready beat being banged. "Pistol" has a lighter, higher vocal apporach, though the beats are also more subtle. "Michael" has a more house-meets-disco feel. I get that she needs dynamics to break things up, but this song, while well-done for what it is, does not measure up against what she has already been doing. This leaves the song feeling more like filler. "Vision Again" is more effective at shifting the dynamic from the high-energy bangers. The vocals are more intersting than the previous song, but it does feel like 90s pop. I like when they switch it up in the breakdown. 

"Waschesalon" has a futuristic bass line that sets it in motion, while the vocal purr holds a steamy tension. It does build into the angry cheerleader chant that can be a staple of this genre. "Metamorphia" has almsot a more Britney Spears-like vibe, but it still works. "Speaker Phone" works pretty well for what it is not the album's strongest chorus. She is obviously going in a more Slayyyter-like direction for this album, and it works for her, so I will give this one a 9.5. 

 

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Azure Emote : "Cryptic Aura"

 Not my first rodeo with this death metal project, as I reviewed their 2020 album. They are on the more progressive side, highly technical and experimental, and not afraid to throw in sonic shades outside the bounds of death metal. I made it a point to listen to this album because Andy Larocque plays on it. He lends his fret skills alongside James Murphy; obviously, Andy's solo stands out more. A sax also appears on this song, helping it to stand out from your typical death metal. The second song finds a darker mood merging often sandwhiched between rapid-fire blast beats. 

Two songs in it's perhaps too soon to say, but it feels like the experimentation is more focused on this album, and they are not throwing as many styles at you but working things into a more cohesive sound. "Bleed With the Moon" is technical but still carries a darker groove that is more memorable than the chugging of "Aeons Adrift," which gets the job done but leaves less of an impression. Perhaps this is because the vocals on this one are also more memorable. "Defiance Infernus" makes me think of Dimmu Borgir, though less symphonic even with the solitary violin; "Disease of the Soul" varies from a Morbid Angel-like groove to a more chaotic, jazzy abstraction; the drummer is excellent but sometimes seems to be ringleading the chaos. 

"Return to the Unknown" is more on the progressive side of things, with the vocals of Anna Murphy helping to provide greater depth to the song's mood. "Writhing Lunacy" is more like the background noise at a haunted house, with a woman screaming and darker ambiance cast over it. Its more like an outro than a song, so I won't count it when scoring this album. This album improves over what this project has done before and feels more focused; I will give it a 9.5 , making it a top-tier death metal album to pay attention to. Out on Testimony Records.

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Tårfödd : "En Känsla Av Hopplöshet"

At this point, I've heard so much noise rock and metal core I will go back to black metal. I found some depressive black metal because, when it comes to this genre, it's what I want most. It tends to be the darkest and most melodic. This album starts with the lingering strum of acoustic guitars. It eventually does lead to a flurry of blast beats, but they have already given it more to contrast with. Like Shining, this band is Swedish, which to some extent plays into the dense guitar sound. The vocals are in a Gullom-like rasp.It is emotive enough to fit the bill, so that makes up for some of the more textbook blast beat dynamics. There are lots of layers to the guitars, 

The second song sounds like they are just modulating the riff from the first song. The blast beat that possesses it is a little more rabid. More double bass and a soaring gallop propel " A Dark Cloudy Dream"; it is more memorable than the previous song. It has a brighter, almost Deafheaven-like sound. I am impressed you can hear the bass player on this album. The blast beats work a little better than they might on your typical black metal album here, though a little goes a long way. They do kick into a more Marduk-like riff on the song after this, but it gets caught up in blast beats.

"Hajartesong" is more of a straight-up classic metal sound, with the scathing vocals the main element that keeps it rooted in black metal. Its deliberate riffs carry more of a stomp.It builds up effectively. "Never Goes Away" finds tremolo-picked guitars carrying the melody while the drums crash around it. Closing the album like it opened it with an almost ten-minute song that allows the acoustic guitars to sprawl out for the first half of the song. It transitions into clean singing that flows through the rest of the song even as it builds back up. I will give this album a 9, it's more postblack metal at times than depressive black metal, but they have solidified themselves here as a black metal band to watch. Coming out on Purity Through Fire

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Dummy : "do you love the color of the sky?"

 

Not sure how much indie rock I have covered this year; it feels like not enough, as every album turns out to be noise rock or metalcore these days, so here we go. It starts with a driving pop ditty with electronic drums dancing around it, then mellows out for the second song, which has the more indifferent male vocal tones you associate with indie rock. In some ways, it makes me think of a less depressed, more electronic version of Jesus and Mary Chain. The poppier opening trakc wa more unique.

 There are more 90s dream-pop things going on with "Full Spectrum Dominance" that did not match up with that song title. It's a good song, though. When it comes to the quirky Squeaky Wheel," the emphasis seems to be on the beat rather than vocals, going for more of a sound than songwriting. "Touch the Perfect Speed" finds the male vocals returning. It's more upbeat and closer to what you expect from this sort of thing. "Song of Mana" is moodier and more intersting than the previous song. It wanders out into re-mix like jam. "Omen Globe" is another dancey tune. It's more upbeat, like the Sugarcubes. 

"N of 1" has more of that 90s breakbeat. Her vocals balance it out. She is, in fact, not ready for another one of those block rocking beats. She is singing about the anti-Christ, which is intersting. "Heavens What You Make of It" sounds like it came from the more stoned side of 90s alternative radio. I like what they are doing here; I'm unsure how much I will listen to this one, as I am loaded down with dream pop, but I appreciate the thoughts. Enough, in fact, to give it a 9, putting it in the upper tiers of this year's indie rock so far. 

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Sicksense : "Funerals"

 This had been on my to-do list for a second, but it is going to be the last nu-metal-to-metalcore album I review for a while unless something really wows.  Canada jsut loves this shit; it has all the elements from this era of the 90s that you could want: rap and female pseudo-goth drama. The first song works for the novelty of what they are doing, but I'd like to see different sonic colors. 

"Newsflash' starts off more like 311. It is almost too upbeat when left to its own devices before the crunch kicks in with its detuned weight. It is not as effective as what they do on the first song, but doesn't suck either."Sellers Remorse" feels like it's a continuation of the previous song, as they really have two major dynamics to employ, then things begin to sound the same. The riffing is generic and carries the typical nu-metal bounce even if it is a well-produced take on the genre.

The last song is a power ballad of sorts that no one really needed. It drags on for little reason and feels like an interlude in a Disney musical even when the drums kick in.I will give this an 8, as they are good at what they do, the chick has a decent voice, and it kinda hot. The rapping works most of the time, theey could stand to be a little darker, but oh well, I am sure some kid will like this.  

 

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Violent Omen : "Locomotive of Chaos"

 This is the 4th full-length by the Ukrainian thrash band that is as technical as they are aggressive, creating something that sounds likea cross between Kreator and Possessed at times. Some ripping guitar abounds, but this attacks your ear with more of a crazed frenzy than the kind of hooky riffs that landed thrash on Headbangers Ball. They do move closer to that direction at times on "The 24 Faces of Lunacy' which at times sounds more like if the Mothers of Invention were a thrash band

"Killdozer Rampage" finds them racing off at a rapid rate but still remembering they are writing songs and not just shredding. "Path of Illumination" finds the crazed snarl of vocals screaming out over some of the most nuanced and melodic playing yet on this album, not unlike 'Master of Puppets' era Metallica to some extent.  "Shared Sky" had more groove but also the kind of mathy twists and turns Coroner uses. 

There is a more Carcass vibe to "Unit 731' that finds some of the guitar showboating taken to extremes in a few sections. Granted, an audience of young would-be shredders might appreciate this. I certainly put much more stock in this as a kid. If you did not get enough prog-infected thrash they are dialing up both the prog andd the thrash for the last song "Telling Lies"; I will give this speed fest a 9, as it balances its fury andd chops well. If you like technical thrash, then these guys have you covered. 

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Beaten to Death : "Vntrve"

 

At first you might think this band from  Norway has clearly outgrown grindcore. They are too groovy on the opening track, though they get back to the insane screaming andd blasting on the second song. I enjpyed their previous album 'Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis," so I was excited to check this one out. It feels a little more organic than the last album, like they just stuck a mic in the jam space and started recording, which, for what they do, is not a band sound. The bass gets a nu-metal thumping at times. When they lock into some of the more blast parts, it feels more death metal than not. The vocals are tormented but less angry this time around. 

"The Tolerator" has a thrashier riff that meets the more chaotic choices of the drummer.  You can hear some of the hardcore influence buried in here. Most of the songs now have them venturing out past the two-minute mark. There is even a touch of rock n roll at times. 'Scroll On Homeboy" starts with a mean riff that deserves the title; they return to it, and it seems like it's obviously a jab at Pantera, given they use their song titles and lyrics in the song.  Granted, these guys would exist without Pantera, so the joke is on them. "Sunburnt Satanist" has a laugh at black metal, which, given where they are from, makes sense.

"Fuck the Moon" is chaotic, with another touch of black metal about it, which is something I did not hear much on the previous album. "Du er ug Mod" is darker and more punk, but works for what it is. It is only moderately spastic. It feels like a more deliberate song structure.  "My Dying Little Pony" races around a syncopated shuffle. "Momento Sugo" is too brief to establish it as more than an idea. "Satan Spawn the K-pop Demon" jabs at Deicide. The title track closes the album with a more straightforward pounding. The riffs are pretty mean. I will give this one a 9.5 and see if it grows on me, if you are looking for fun chaos here you go.

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