Kamelot : "Dark Asylum"

The 14th album by the band finds them leaning further into conceptual grandiosity. With a bigger symphonic sound. Their last album The Awakening," was disappointing, as it was filled with melodramatic power ballads and only earned 7.5, which, considering what they have proven themselves capable of  is more of a letdown than that score might suggest. However, they are still at the top of the game for a genre that can get mired down in flowery layers of synths and orchestras.  The opening song "Ashen World  " is heavier. It features death metal vocalist Ignacia Fernandez, who created a bit of a buzz for winning Miss Chile. She is lower in the mix, so hard to get a grasp of her vocal power. The title track is too anthemic for its own good and the chord progressions feel too happy for my taste.  It compromises their brand and identity by sounding like everyone else.

In many ways, you can hear on "Sanctuary" how they are making many of the same mistakes Dream Theater did over the years by sounding more like something Andrew Lloyd Webber might have written, instead of making metal. Though this works better than the previous song. They redeem themselves a bit with "One Last Masquerade" . Tobias Sammet from Avantasia lends his voice; he sounds better than he has sounded on his band's albums, and these guys find more grit in the verse riffs. The chorus flirts with the kind of power metal cheese I am not a fan of, but overall the song balances out.  "Ivey, My Dear" finds them reverting to ballads; this one has almost more of a folk metal feel, emphasis on folk.It's ok for what it is but I can see this opening the door to the mistakes made on the last album. 

Then things begin to get hit or miss. Where "Godlike Alchemy " works with more grit, they seem to dial into their formula for the more predictable "The Sleeping Mind". Then we are back to metal with the chug of "Kaleidoscope", that recalls the "Ghost Opera" and "Black Halo" era of the band. I'm ok with some of the more melodic ballad songs if they are done right; "Enigma" serves as a good example of what works for them. While "Cassandra's Disease" is not a ballad, it lacks the aggression needed to give metal its balls. "The Puppet King" gains their footing until hitting some of the genre tropes in the chorus. I will give this album a 9, it's unlikely that I am not going to listen to one of their earlier albums over this when I am in the mood, but for their fans who do not need them to be at their heaviest and listen to symphonic power metal regularly, this will exceed expectations and is a much better direction for them than their last album. It drops on Napalm Records on August 28th

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Harlott : "Exsequiis"

 This Australian follows the thrashing path laid down by Exodus back in the 80s but plays it while using a big modern guitar tone that delivers a great deal of crushing density. The vocals are more "Fabulous Disaster" than "Bonded By Blood". They weave a great deal of crunchy mosh riffage into the four minutes of the first actual song. Truth be told, Exodus doesn't even sound like this now, though these guys do speed things up into a blast beat at times as they are focused on the hyper-aggressive side of the genre, but still deliberate. With "Messiah Simplex," they push this in a more Slayer-like direction. Though the mean hooky riffs come through again for them. 

"Trial By Liar" leans into the punk influence of the genre, at tit lurs the line between what is hardcore and what is thrash. I like the way the vocals are produced on this song. Power Trip better not wait around too long to release their comeback album, or these guys might claim the vacant spot. Things get darker for "the God That Knows No Name". The chugged riff that is the backbone of this song is more deliberate. The vocals come closer to actual singing on the bridge. This is the album's best song so far. They pour on the speed for "Kleptogenesis," which is less enthralling. It reminds me of Slayer's more punk newer phases.

There is more groove to " A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits". The guitar solos here are pretty tasteful and add melody to the song. "The Joyful Strain" marries Exodus-like grooving verses to an Accept-tinged chorus, though Accept was obviously an influence on Exodus to begin with. "Ending" finds more purpose in their chugs as the riff carries more of a hook, before they pour on the thrashing speed. In some ways it also makes me think of old Atrophy. There are a few passages that carry more of a groove heading into the verse, but a less defined chorus. The producer was aware of their vocal limitations, as the more sung vocal sections are layered or effected.

"Vice Borne" finds things running together at a high speed and working off a similar formula as the previous song. But it is still pretty effective. The title track closes the album and pulls off what they have shown works for them but given a more epic scope with a bigger refrain taking the song out.  I will give this one a 9, as the second half of the album tends to take on a more uniform feel as they give in to the need for speed, but it still works and they care about songwriting, which is better than just caring about trying to recapture the 80s feel for nostalgia, making forward-thinking thrash a commodity.Drops September 11th on Metal Blade.  

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NØ MAN : " Between the Sword and the Neck"

D.C has been an iconic birthplace of American hardcore, so it's easy to hear where this band is taking its cues from.  Led by the pain screams of Maha Shami, anger is the primary focus of this brand of crusty hardcore. To some extent, they have their own sound, though it's easy here where this intersects with their varied influences. On a song like "Moan" where they bring things to a more deliberate churn that creates its own creepy atmosphere, they are at the height of their songwriting powers, and this is a direction they need to move things in since anyone can just do angry.  Regular readers should know I do not care about what you are angry about as long as you are convincing and not preaching at me. 

"Pregnant Heart' finds them circling themselve with a more indie rock melody drifting in the background of the screaming. 'They Have Names" is another angry explosion that does not take a breath until two minutes in. There is a more interesting beat to "Murmur," though at this point the vocals are feeling like a one. The guitar line carries darker dissonance that works well. A more metallic riff empowers "Runs Faster and compensates for the limited range of Shami's scowl. 

"In Tongues" finds their drummer once again saving the day by switching it up. The screaming begins to lose its caustic effect at this point, but the band carries on. The spoken word piece after this is non-essential listening when it comes to this album. Their drummer is pretty outstanding at setting the tone and allowing the guitar to just color in the blanks. They remind me of the Body in that they are a bandd with a great deal of potential, but the vocals are not only obligatory in the songwriting, but the most abrasive part of their sound, making them an acquired taste. I thiink Dylan Walker from Full of Hell would murder these songs. But this is what we have; I will give it an 8 if anger is what you look for in hardcore, and you feel the need to liten to it after watching the news, then this album is for you. It drops October 30th on Iodine Records. 

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HOLISSSTIK : "Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude"

 

This project emerged from Norway's Manes, which was pretty experimental to begin with, so this is not a huge leap. Stepping away from metal, but not forgetting to pack the guitars, there are some organic rock elements still in place. Female vocals that remind me of the Gathering sail along the opening track. Anna Murphy of Cellar Darling sings on this album, but there is a wide range of collaborators who contribute to a very expansive Massive Attack-like feel. It is not metal but aggressive for electronic music, though not industrial either, as it is too layered with atmosphere and not the kind of staccato stomp that genre works off.

"Projections" is even more dream-laden. It feels like if you took a nap while tripping and could not tell if you were asleep or still dreaming. This sounds cool, but it is more about the surreal sound than a song that hooks you in and gets stuck in your head. "Obsession Six" simmers in its ambiance a bit; it reminds me a little of Psychic TV. , Though the guitars have more of a metallic sheen. Then the patter of some manner of percussion resembles a blast beat bubbling under it. Hey, it's Norway. Hard to avoid all black metal influence, the more experimental years of Ulver could be a fair point of comparison. 

The cool robot vocals make up for the fact it's an atmospheric song; they are just kind of jamming out. I was also obsessed with the song "Mr Roboto." There is more form and function to "Would You Take This Heart" before they drift off into the abstract again for "Behind Me". There is a heavier element that is raging from within the song but does not have the sonic heft to get hte point fully across. They close the album with "This Endless Solitude". The song opens in a more introspective floating that finds layers of vocals creeping in along with a hypnotic electronic pulse. This vibe summarizes the album well as it displays a very fluid mix of electronic elements and organic rock instruments. I will give this a 9 as it excels at capturing the mood here. It drops on Season of Mist on August 14th. 

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Temple Guard : "Citadel in Flames"

 

This band gets the point behind metal-core, as it is equal parts metal and hardcore. There is some Slayer influence in the mix. The vocals are a harsher death rasp. Right from the jump, they let you know they are vegans. Does not feel as preachy as Earth Crisis about it. I used to be vegan, but not because I love animals; it was because I hate plants. "Blood Makes the Rain Fall" is heavy as fuck. "The Weight of Undying Shame" was thrashed by me, so I had to go back and give it another listen. The thrashing riffs work for me. The vocals find another voice chiming in, to which the shade of agony they are being expelled from their throats. The guitars take a more melodic turn under the sample of someone ranting about Palestine. This band differs from no other in that I do not care about their politics.

I do, however, appreciate the sentiment exposed in " A Vanguard Reforged". They do commit to speed more on this one. They crunch into "Inquisition's Wrath" before speeding up when they reach what serves as the verse. There is a more hardcore vocal that comes in when they hhit a grooving riff. But this song is more of a pummelling collision. There are bits of ambiance to break things up here and there, and I like how samples are used on this album. Marginally more purpose behind the riffs of "Masked Resistance" is enough to work for me. Another touchstone of hardcore is that they do not take the songs over four minutes but cram as many riffs into a more compacted time frame. t

"Iron Sultanate' is pretty much the title track as they snarl about the citadel being in flames on it. The last song does not bring anything new to the table but weaves the somewhat Slayer-inspired riffs around with convincing aggression. Political metalcore did not sound like it would have been my thing, but these guys delivered a fun album; I will give it a 9.5.

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Horror Vacui : "Shadows Sanctuary"

 

This marks the third time I have reviewed these guys. I appreciate their dark take on punk that flirts with deathrock. They move further in that direction on this album. The vocals are more muted and more of an angular groove forming rather than just bashing out the chords, with some reverb lacing the chords. The less refined punk elements is the factor that has kep the band hovering around an 8 every time I rate one of their albums. The first song brings more promise. The more post-punk turn on "Writing on the Wall". I had to dig back into this dive back in at 'Midnight". The vocals have improved on this album but are not the band's strength; the bass playing is. 

Their drummer is also on point as the tribal beat that opens "Skyless Eyes" compensates for when the vocals kind of wander off into an Iggy Pop-like ranting, though I do like the more aggressive punk touches that come in. Their take on post-punk becomes more upbeat on  "A Sunny Day". The vocals remain almost as brooding despite this. They are more powerful and less pitchy than they used to be, which aids in my enjoyment of the album.  'Even tide " has a more melancholic atmosphere to the guitars that is not unlike the Cure, though the vocals are not as introspective or emotive. 

The pace picks back up for "Another Sleepless Night"; the drums and bass are locked in to bring a thundering feel behind the post-punk tension that gives a little more of a Killing Joke feel. The tones shift to a darker mood for the title track. He proves himself capable of being a more dynamic singer not only on this song, but on this album as a whole, which is the piece that needed tweaking earlier in their careers. I will give this a 9; it gets them to where they need to be and is their most enjoyable release so far.Released on Artoffact Records.

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A Colf Paradise : "s/t"

The opening track of this project's self-titled debut was deceptive, as it led me to believe this album would be paying tribute to an era of industrial music I was waiting to hear make a comeback, as it blends hooky 90s elements to recall bands like God Lives Underwater and Stabbing Westward, who were always more rock-coded. This is much slicker, production-wise, and finds an electronic bounce that moves the song. There are crunching dub-step elements, and truth be told if you ask AI to make industrial, that is what happens, so it raises a suspicious eyebrow, but letting it slide til prvoen different. 'Are You Holding Me Back" feels more like a BTS ni- netal power ballad. The vocals do manage to soar a bit.

"The Prettiest Girl in the World" is pretty stupid lyrically and feels like another K-pop anthem. Even nailing the falsetto notes and ripping guitar solos do not make up for this.  Their brand of power-metal is too happy for me, as the more electronic-tinged guise slips away. "Once Upon a Dream' relies too much on pop and country sounds, as the album begins to lose focus. The electronic elements creep back on "Is it Really Over".This feels more true to who they are, as it does not feel like they are trying too hard. The chorus is too anthemic as it loses the needed edge. 

"Kill U Sofly" proves that just because you bring in harsher vocals does not make it metal. Especially if things are too bright and not aggressive enough. They want to bring metalcore into the equation on "Impatient," but it does not take.  More in-your-face pop aspiration combats the palm-muted chugs on "Talking to the Moon" / The chord progression continues to be too bright. The bass line drives"Waking Up," which could be the entrance music for a briging good guy on Monday Night Raw. The last song, "Your Lullaby," literally put me to sleep, so I guess it was a success. I will give this a 7; I think they could have more conceptual continuity, but it sounds good, just too happy and not aggressive neough to be metal.  

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