Chalk Hands : " the Line That Shapes the Coast of Us"

 

This British screamo band brings a great deal of sonic space and dynamics to their explosive gnashing of teeth. It takes you back to 1999, when this sort of thing was evolving into the force that would take over Myspace. These guys are able to not just scream but also emote. This is a reminder of how these bands carried shoegaze into the scene we have today. Bands like Mineral can be heard in what they are doing here. The second song hits with a more angular chaos, until midway in then the guitar opens up the room to bring the gutwrenching to come with. I have always had a soft spot for when screaming is a counterbalance to clean indie rock guitar. 

The shimmering movement of "Day Glow" makes it one of the album's best songs. The vocals just scream alongside it, but provide the needed accents."Bite Marks" feels like the climax of the previous song; it flows well and is dynamic, but doesn't grab me the same. The strum brought to "Breaking Waves" makes me think of Hotwatermusic before it gets more explosive. "A Comfort You Borrow" completes their thought in under two minutes, which is impressive how much they cram in. 

There are interesting production choices in the mix of this album that stay true to the era it pays homage to. There are a few melancholic sonic moments in the album, but I would not say it really wanders into anything dark. "A Sure Fire Way to Disappear" offers more introspection and features some Cure-like guitar passages. They sometimes remind me of Thursday in how they bring down the heavier passages while still tempering them with melody on songs like "Rewired Eyes". Though their vocalist does not have the same range and there are no attempts at actually singing, which might have played to their benefit.

If this came out in the late 90s, early 2000s, I would not stop listening to it. Now it does spark some nostalgia, but it does not move me as much."Your Skin is Gold" is one of the album's best songs, as it hooks you in a little more, though not straying greatly from the sonic palette this have been pulling from thus far. The last song is more of an outro, and I would have liked to have heard some of those elements worked into the other songs to bring more sonic colors. Overall, this hit all the heartstrings it needed to and kept the flame alive. I will give it a 9.5.

to do list

erdve, reek mind

sins of shadows , dog sees god ,

Chalk Hands, 

deciets 

 , gave love, feyleux, mourning candle, diespnea, 

junr- bloodbather

angela white

the damned

Eartheater pigsblood

Blood Mother : "s/t"

Rick Giordano of Lion's Daughter has, in his words, "Killed the Daughter so the Mother might live". Many of the elements are carried over, though this feels less sludge and more black metal as the opening track builds into more of a blasting buzz that simmers to the surface. The second song, " BoneCanter," is back to the more apocalyptic sludge regions they are familiar with. The bass line adds heft with its overdriven tone.

"Trail of the Screaming Dead' splits the difference between the sound of the first two songs and combines them into something with more motion. This album, so far, is massive-sounding and carries a cinematic darkness with it. The vocals carry a sludgey bellow. It is, however, the moments of atmosphere that counterbalance the momentum to a song like "the Wound of Heaven' that make it intersting. The sung vocals to "Lost in Thunder however, are the true counterpoint that was needed to make what he is doing here stand out. 

The last song "Pulled Apart" works off all the elements that have been in play on this album to create some that is dark, dynamic and moves with a hypnotic throb, yet when you think about the timing of an album like this, it's not great considering Neurosis put out a new album this year and I expect anyone who listens to this sort of thing would be preoccupied with that album. I like the dark atmosphere it invokes to the weighty pound, I will give it a 9. 

239

Death is June -Deicide's "Scars of the Crucifix'

 

The last album with the original line-up finds them locked in and getting serious. This is the band's first release with Earache, so maybe they felt like they had something to prove. It is certainly the best vocal performance from Glen since "Once Upon the Cross." If you have been reading these Deicide reviews this month and wonder why I am putting his vocals under a microscope when vocals are almsot just an obligatory texture in the genre, then that is exactly why. The fact that he was sounding demonic on the early album gave them something that made them stand out, and death metal vocals should always sound inhuman. 

"Mad at God" finds them back on the blast, you way in the formula of songwriting. Once the verse kicks in, they have their groove established, then hammer you in the chorus. While the guitar tones did not change a great deal from the previous album, the bigger vocal sound is a game-changer. Lyrically, this album might be more limited as there was already a song " Mad at God " and now on the same album, a "Fuck Your God." "When Heaven Burns" is more of a blasting burst of a song. There is also a slight recycling of the first album here. "Enchanted Nightmare" is the first song that feels like filler.

"From Darkness Come" is a more rapid-fire aggression.  A faster version of this is "Go Now, Your Lord is Dead," and they continue to close out the album in a high-paced fashion. The vocal production on this album really helps elevate the songs so I am going to give this one a 9.

pst238

Death is June- Ninth Realm : "Damnation's Veil"

The hardcore energy at the core of this band's sound took me by surprise. The album cover makes you think this is going to be more along the lines of Dissection's earlier work.  It finds its center in the aggressive vocal approach that punches at you rather than being a more atmospheric low-end growl. This also gives the band a great sense of purpose and keeps them from being a chaotic blur of blast beats and guitar solos. It is most effective on the opening track, as the second song feels like it is an extension of that energy. Then it begins to gain a more Entombed-like rumble. This makes sense considering the rough-around-the-edges approach to death metal that the band would take. 

Lyrically, this album is supposed to explore some type of fantasy world they came up with, but given the in-your-face approach to songwriting these guys take, I am not feeling anything otherworldly about this, as there is little atmosphere to be found. The guitar solos are the most melodic thing going. I could see them going in a more Bolt Thrower direction, which might be what they are going for on "Rituals of Thar' amarth," but it barely comes through the collision of drums and guitar throttling one another.  'Wyrd of Strideborne" works more on over-thrashing speed than hooky riffs, even though a few are thrown in. 

When they are more deliberate, it works best for them as this allows the band to fully collect their thought as heard on "Beyond the Void," though things accelerate when the vocals come in. "Vengeance Unto Rot" is effective at what it does; however the album begins to only work off one dynamic."All Hail Treachery' doesn't really do a great deal to break that up. This begins to border on metalcore. Perhaps marketing is where the line is drawn. The last song could almost be one of Converge's more metallic offerings. I will give this album an 8.5, as I like its energy andd intent, it's just not as dynamic as what I would listen to on a more regular basis, but it might fit your needs.It drops August 28th on Transcending Obscurity.

Death is June -Deicide's " In Torment in Hell"

This one was recorded in four days, and the band was knocking it out to fulfill obligations to Roadrunner Records, who they felt were more invested in bands like Slipknot. The production is just as rough s you might expect from a four-day recording session, though in that way it does bring back some of the charm of the first album. The opening track is not poorly written the drum sound is just a little weak, and the guitar has too much mid-range in it; it was like they were going against the grain of where music was heading with more of a down-tuned feel.

"Christ Don't Care" picks up where the first song left off almsot to a fault. The vocal approach of Benthon on the first few songs is rather uniform; it's just the lower growl with fewer overdubs than we have heard from them. This song does find its groove midway. "Vengeance Will Be Mine," like most of these songs, is a total speed fest. The vocals are better on this one. There is still an unshakeable Slayer influence on some of these riffs. The drum sound effects "Imminent Doom" more than the previous songs, perhaps it's how the cymbals land. But there are some cool riffs here and there, and the song doesn't totally suck, but in the album's first act, it's the most like filler so far. 

"Child of God" opens the song at peak blasting, returning to the formula they used on the previous album, before they begin recycling riffs from the first album. It would work well if there were not the feeling that you had heard them do this before. The thrashing motion of "Let it Be Done' actually works pretty well for them. There is a mroe deliberate pace to 'Worry in the House of Thieves"; this breaks them from the formula that has been in place for a couple of albums now. The last song also breaks the formula, though it chugs along a more Slayer-like path. I will give this a 9, it's better than you expect from what was supposed to be a throw away album. 

psy237

Death is June - THÆTAS : 'The Irredeemable Age"

This band from New York plays a dark, dense, and sonically intense version of technical death metal that is not huge on the shredding solos but approaches things in a more jarring, angular fashion. "Summers of Hate' finds the vocals going lower into a more gurgled tone and the rest of the band speeding up. This is not as unique a sound as the opening track, which carried more purpose in the slower chugs. By the time I get to "For the Hope Devoid' things have started to blur together, and the songs begin to all sound the same, chaos with nothing to hook you in and keep your attention. There is a more melodic passage in this song, but this is something that needs to be expanded.

The title track does slow down and gain more focus with eeries sounds conjured up from the bubbling sonic darkness, proving they are capable of this, and can do so without sacrificing the blast beasts; there jsut needs to be more dynamic balance. Things return to the blur of blast-driven riffs on "Stretched Virtex' which carries over into "Daytime Lantern," not allowing it to gain its footing until midway in. To their credit, these are not long spraling songs, but kept around the four-minute mark. They bring their vision to life in one of the album's most effective manners on 'Pillars of Faith." The last song also works fairly well, though focus is not an area they are most consistent in when it comes to songwriting, as they see chaos writhing in the riffs as being a crucial aspect of their song, which sometimes works better than others. I like that it is dark and well produced, will give this an 8. 

pst236