November is Doom- Fvneral Fvkk : "Indecent Idol"

This German band is impressive, as they play a traditonal form of doom that comes from the darker side of what Candlemass does, but with more grace. I review hundreds of metal albums, and it is rare that I get to the second song and start downloading the album, as that is how sure I am of the fact that this is something I am going to really listen to. This is since I already own a great deal of music, and metal tends to be a bit redundant depending on the genre, and most of the time I alreaddy have a band that I am locked into, so it's common for me to write, "that while I like this, chances are when I am in the mood to listen to this and am going to just put on... insert the name of the band depending on the genre here. 

What these guys do is original, but that is not to say there are not already bands that I like who have done this sort of thing. It just happens that those bands are not doing it at present, Solitude Aeturnus, or they have moved away from this and now play another style of music, Pallbearer. These guys hit just in time to fill that void for me. Speaking of voids, this band features members of the band Voidhaven.

 The superb vocals are a key selling point, along with the dark mood. 

Conceptually, they are cool as they focus on the many crimes of the Catholic Church, primarily the sexual abuse of children that has gone unanswered. The sample at the beginning of "Hidden Threnody" is from a documentary andd sets the tone for the ominous riffage to come. The croon for this is a little more introspective. "The Beasts of Speyer" opens with clean guitar and a more solemn, hymn-like tone. He was the lyrics finds the notes being the empahsis over the articulation , so it's not like the stories are in your face. I would be interested in sitting down and reading them with more focus. 

"Bishop of the Iron Guard " might have the coolest riff, as it's picked out in a more syncopated manner.  The guitar simmers more when it is setting things up for the vocals to come in. This is also the first that builds into a more thundering double bass section and allows the dynamics to take dynamic shifts with the most interesting arrangement yet. "Leichsynode" carries a heavier, doomier chug, though the vocal lines wander more and are not as catchy; it might just need repeat listens for it to click

"Even in Death" is a little more on the melodic side, though leaning further into the melancholy. This is another one that might reuire a couple of listens to fully absorb, as it works off a similar mournful throb as other points we have heard on the album; still, this is doom, so that can be expected and I think they do a great job of capturing an honest emotion here, rather than just checking off booxes to bring the expected sounds of the genre. I will give this one a 10. One of the best doom albums of the year for sure. 

5.9

pst551

November is Doom- Exhuming the Tunes with Trouble's "Run to the Light"

 I like doings these listens back into the past, as it gives me a chance to spend time with albums that I had not previously spent enough time with. On this album, the band had their sound solidly dialed in; the evolution with each album si apparent. There is more confidence in the playing at times, perhaps too much as they wind out into longer guitar solos. You can hear more Judas Priest influence on this album. The opening track is strong, packing the kinda of punch you want a metal album to open with. The second song is where the more solo-focused playing goes down, making it more of a jam and less focused, despite keeping the energy up.  

"On Borrowed Time " is the first song that finds them back in the darker, doomier place. This carries over into the title track, which evolves into a more melodic passage that shows another lower vocal color from Wagner, whose singing is exceptional and heartfelt on this one. Peace of Mind" has a more deliberate four-on-the-floor feel. The more purposeful metal chug kicks in. It sits them pretty solidly in the climate of metal for 1987. They keep things in a more Priest-full chug ahead for "Born in a Prison, but with less of the proto-thrash. A minute in, they bring the doom in. This proves more ffective.

"Tuesday's Child" is a more purposeful grooving rocker with great vocals that carry a desperate plea rather than the typical rallying cry most bands were using at the time to rock arenas. This vulnerability is what sets this band apart. "The Beginning" sounds more like the Doors, which is not an influence that you might expect from these guys. It does land back in the more familar metal chug. If you were to ask me when the drugs kicked in for these guys, there is something about this album that would make me say this one. I will round it up to a 10; it's a rocking album that still finds them allowing for some trippy experimentation that will be carried forward.They never painted themselves in a croner and allowed room to grow.  

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Forbidden : "s/t"

 

Only two original members are bass player Matt Camacho and guitarist Craig Locicero. Machine Head drummer Chris Kontos plays on this album. Vocalist Norman Skinner does a decent job of finding a tone that complements what Russ Anderson once did. Anderson is 64 and retired from music. "Burning the Lungs of the Earth" does the best job of capturing what the band was about, while the opening track tries too hard, and "Divided By Zero" which finds the fast technical playing feeling a tad sterile. I really loved "Twisted into Form", 

When they get into a more deliberate groove for "DCLXVI," they are at their most effective. Camacho steps up to lay down a bass line that helps set them apart like he used to. On "Psyclops,"  one of the more lyrically intersting songs. I like how the vocals are produced on this one. It might be the best song on the album so far. Skinner continues to show more melodic sides of his voice on "Jisei". I like how he is able to apply different vocal colors. It's a surreal ballad that would be more intersting with drums, but works for what it is. 

"Mutually Assured Dysfunction" is a high-speed thrash. That benefits from a mean riff. Skinner's vocals are aggressive enough without just screaming. Skinner even proves himself capable of letting out some falsetto metal yodels. Brann from Mastodon joins them on "Sycophantasy"; it's a call-and-response approach. "The Burden" finds another more purposeful groove chugged into place. "ol Grave' works for what it is but finds them leaning in a more power-metal direction. "Flower of Life' chugs ahead but with shifting focus. I will give this a 9.5, not their classic stuff but a solid representation of what that might sound like today. 

pst549

Comeback Kid : "Chosen Hell"

 

Holy shit, I just checked this album out because I heard Courtney from Spiritbox is on it, but it opens with a blur of rapid-fire aggression that got my attention, and I normally don't like hardcore when it's blazing fast. But these guys got it right. The drummer fucking works overtime. They find more of the modern metal groove on the second song. This is the band's 8th album over the course of their 25-year career, so they don't rush things. 

"Shedding Season" is where Courtney leans into her screamed vocals and gutturals, sometimes coming in lower than this band's vocalist. A few more electronic elements creep into the periphery. It locks into a more staccato groove than a breakdown. "Lost and Found" is when the high-energy, uptempo thing starts to wane. You can only go top that well so many times before dynamics flatline.  "Underneath the Pressure" works better with catchier vocals; things go in a more metal core direction for the title track. Brendan Garrone of Incendiary joins them on "Yesterday's Gone," which at least finds them slowing into more ofa groove for the verses. 

"Tunnel Vision" finds them finding a decent pace once the verse kicks in. This album becomes more about them finding their groove as the choruses start to take on a more MySpace pop-punk crossover feel. "Becoming" gets more metal, despite not being a Pantera cover. I like the dense groove it carries. "Heartland Elegy" is basically pumped pop-punk. It's catchy but not my thing. "Too Late" throws all the middle-of-the-road tropes in and stirs them with a decent riff, but it becomes background music, and the next thing I know the stream has me back at the first song again. I will give this album a 9 it impressed me even if it's momentum caused the songs to sound the same at time. 

pst548

November is Doom- Down : "Volume V"

 

The Phil Anselmo-fronted stoner metal band is backc again. With what is actually their fourth full-length, though they consider two eps they released to be an entire album. They could have called this "Volume 4" for obvious reasons so here we are with the guys from COC, Crowbar, and Eyehategod along for the ride. It opens with the kind of fuzzed-out thunder and big riffs you expect from these guys.  Phil has a little more grit to his voice this time around, but shows he can still sing if he needs to. 

Of course, the song I was most curious about was "Merciful Fate" which features an appearance by both King Diamond and his wife, Livia. A bass line leads into this, and it carries more of a 70s touch than you might expect, though with a touch of atmospheric darkness. King lays a ghostly falsetto to haunt the corners as he cries out. Aside from this, they did not change much to accommodate this concept. It wanders off into a more smoke-laden jam. There is a more Clutch vibe to it. Phil is smart to stay in his lane and not try to match the King, since he is far from the days when he couldd get up there.

"Turn out the Light" has a bit more boogie in its beat. The vocals are well produced, with layers that stand out in the more sung sections where he breaks from the belt a bit.  The lyrics are a little obtuse at times. "The Message" has the most Sabbath-inspired riff thus far. The chug in the verse is pretty cool. "Causeway Grief" is a little darker. There is a more melodic approach to this one. It is the doomiest song so far. 'The Blood Oath" is another song that finds shadows replacing the boogie, and feels more likea Crowbar riff driving it. 

Even a rocker like "They Walk the Night" goes off into a more surreal bluesy passage before they jam out into the guitar solos. Their Ozzy tribute "Ozz" is in the vein of "Planet Caravan".  There seem to be infinite layers of vocals here, but Phil knows he has to sing his ass off. "Twice Told Tales" is the least focused song on the album, but it's better than what most bands can do on their best day. I will round this one up to a 10 as the strongest songs balance it out. It drops November 20th on Nuclear Blast. 

6

pst547

November is Doom- Silvertomb : "The Interpretation Of Nightmares"

 Kenny and Johnny from Type O Negative are back with this project, which moves in a more surreal doom direction than their last project, Sun Don't Shine, which has a grungier Sabbath feel. This is clsoer to what they used to do, with a hint of psychedelic haze, as the melodies unfold on "Grave in the Sky". The way the melody coasts has more in common with solo Ozzy than Sabbath. They are obviously aware of the resurgence in popularity Type O is having that surpasses where they were when Peter was alive, but unlike Acid Bath, it's a more complex problem than just getting back together, though this band seems like a clearer launching point for those thoughts.

 Not that I need them to try a reunion without Peter. In fact, that is a horrible idea. Just carrying the green flame is enough. "You Know" does that and reminds you how much of a vocal contribution Kenny made to the band backc in the day. It kinda of drifts and drones but works to set up "Prayer for the Paranoid," which also recaptures the more surreal side of their former glory and crafts it into something new. "Distorted" takes this sound in a doomier, more depressive direction. A little more of a Sabbath influence creeps in as Hickey's vocals whine in an Ozzy direction. 

There is a more gripping 90s metal groove to "No Way to Live' as he belts it out with a more powerful, higher, piercing tone. When it slows down, things take on a more Soundgarden quality. I will give this album a 10 it captures the spirit of where they came from in a manner that honors the legacy rather than digging it up to rehash it, and comes at what Type O did from another angle that feels natural for these guys. 

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November is Doom-Trouble : "the Skull"

 

Things evolved on the second album thanks to a more produced sound and darker sounds coming from the vocals and riffs. This album helped them step into their own identity, rather than the first album that was tied clsoer to the status quo for non-Slayer-clad metal. This was very much going away from the mainstream at the time, as Mötley Crüe was the peak commercial ideal, and this was everything they were not, nor was it as big and bombastic as what Maiden was doing. "Fear No Evil" is closer to the Judas Priest brand of metal than not.

" The Wush" is more melodic. It allows you to hear a different side of Wagner's voice. If you are into guitar solos, there is a pretty classy one for metal here: "The Truth Is What It Is" carries a gallop, driving it. They pack a bunch of riffs and tempo changes into it. "Wickedness of Man " has a solid bass line and drumming keeping things moving, almost like a less punk version of "Wrathchild." The sorrowful mood of doom creeps in as the song progresses to put them solidly in their sweet spot as a band at this point in time. . 

"Gideon" is the first song that feels like filler, as it cocme across like it's too middle-of-the-road for me. The title track is pretty strong. It is darker and more melodic. They shed most of the metal tropes to show you more of who they are. It does build up into something more metallic but it is the way it's done that works. I will round this one up to a 10, the production helped to fully realize their sound. 

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