Converge : " the Hum of Hurt"

 

These guys have been working overtime as it's their second album of the year. From what I heard about this album going in, the buzz seemed to be it was going to be their noise rock albun, but I am not hearing that on the opening track, which might find the feral speed dialed down a bit but is pretty metallic otherwise, just more deliberate and not as chaotic.  Jacob's vocals are not as snarled on "Doom in Bloom". They pretty much pick up where they left off on the "Love is Not Enough" album with "It Only Gets Worse." Production-wise, it sounds like it was recorded in the same sessions. 

"Detonator" carries a steadier groove as the riffs flow with a more organic intention. Jacob is exclaiming the vocals in a pained spoken tone that he tenses up into his trademark bark here. There is a post-hardcore feel to some of the space and atmosphere here, rather than the type of barrage they normally hit you with."I Won't You Go" has a more Black Flag era hardcore sound to it, but there are more rabid, rapid-fire injections of blasts forced into the transitions. There is more tension built into these songs thanks to the bass being more of the backbone, but on a song like "It's Not Up to Us," this is continued to be tempered by wrathful sonic indulgence. I can appreciate the increased levels of dynamics here, and Jacob is using more vocal colors. 

At six minutes, "Dream Debris' is the longest song, but it's also the darkest and most brooding, with the rumbling bass line coming further to the forefront yet. When the vocals come in, they are low and spoken at almsot a whisper. It builds up into a sludgey roar. The two-and-a-half-minute instrumental."It Used to Matter showcases creepy guitar tones, but it seems like an intro to the more caustic title track. The opening riff is the most metal part of this album so far, and adheres closer to what you expect from the band. The last song is the album's second longest. It has a crushing, heavy riff that powers it and gives you the kind of punch you want these guys to pack as it ebbs back into weirdness. I will give this album a 10 as it might even be better than the year's previous release from them. 

Welcome to Death is June 2026

 

Here we are bringing things to a boil as the heat of another June shifts the focus to death metal. The genre has made great gains in popularity, with a band like Amon Amarth playing arenas, and enough wars popping off around the globe to set the stage for it.' continues to leap in popularity with each passing year, with all the wars simmering around the world setting the stage for it. I 

As a fan of the genre since the 80s, the things I ask of my death metal is not unlike what I want from most music... first and foremost, darkness and moodiness to it. This means death metal that is just straightforward and heavy on the part of the snare is more than likely going to bore me. Looking for bands doing their own thing, who are not solely tributes to Morbid Angel, Incantation, or Entombed. The 90s were an important time for death metal, so leaning into that sound is ok, as long as you are doing your own thing with it. 

Going to cover death metal adjacent genres like death-core, grind-core, metalcore, and even thrash, if they are more metal than whatever core they wish to imply. One thing I am big on after hearing too many death metal musicians complain about the death toll of COVID or lamenting the death toll in Palestine, is, are these guys legit? Are they having doubts about worshipping death? Death is a sure outcome; there is no running from it. Everyone is going to die; this should be embraced and celebrated. If the band is not ready to embrace that kind of darkness, I do not want to hear them. With that said, let us enter the month of death metal for Death is June. 

Tori Amos : "In The Times of Dragons"

 

This is a concept album in which Tori uses allegory to convey a political message. Nothing new for her, but it's done in an even more deliberate fashion. "Shush" feels likea Nine Inch Nails ballad, another not surprising element when you consider the crossover in their respective fan bases. For 62, her voice has held up really well, though her feminist coded lyrics can't be taken all that seriously, given her Botox addiction, so we are just going to focus on the music. 18 albums in, we are not getting a ton of surprises as the opener carries the 90s brooding we might want from her. 

The title track gives her voice center stage. I always preferred how she works in the context of a band, though I prefer just a bass player and drummer to accompany her, rather than a guitar player crowding her, but it works on this song. "Provincetown" finds the drums giving her more momentum, and this sense of movement makes the song more effective, though Tori is no slouch on the melodies. She has a sweet spot where her voice sits in her alto range. So dynamically speaking, the vocals are not what they once were. But between her being a total pro and the production, she makes the msot of what she still has. 

In many ways, this album reminds me of "Under the Pink," though the instrumentation is more layered. Despite her vocals all sitting in the same place, she manages to make what she is doing keep working, as heard on "St. Teresa".  Though this also sounds like it could have come from Kate Bush's "Sensual World " album. She starts to reach up higher on "Gasoline Girls' which has too much skip in its steps and is the first song that sounds like filler as it does carry the "Cornflake Girl' type skip. "Ode to Minnesota' is more introspective, despite being more obviously about external stimuli. It feels like her brand of melancholy, so it works for me. "Fanny Faudrey" carries more of a ragtime swing to it.  This works better than "Gasoline Girls." 

"Veins" is darker, so I enjoy that; it drones with its own hypnotic flow. There is an interesting shift in the chorus. "Strawberry Moon" is one of her wandering ballads that still manages to hold itself together. The somber mood of "Song of Sorrow" works really well with where her voice is at and creates a subtle dynamic shift in the composition. "Flood" meanders a bit too much in its own ambiance. Then, at the other end of the spectrum, she is much more focused on "Pyrite." The drums work really well on this. "Tempest" finds her trademark flowing piano lines doing what you want her to do.  However, I think that "Angelshark" is a more interesting song. It's moodier and works of a droning beat that finds layers of piano added to. 

"Blue Lotus " is a little more laid back, though this is generally a pretty chill album even by Tori's standards. There is a cool piano, but her vocals lurk around the same style that has dominated the album.t "Stronger Together" finds her not budging much from the breathy alot that has been the centerpiece of her vocals on this album. It song does finds it's groove, which works well. The last song is almost just a wash of ambient sound that she is singing over. I will give this album a 9.5. This is a double album and she manages to be very consistent when it comes to songwriting, leaving little filler, so the sound of Tori aging gracefully and not  fading away.

 16.6

Iceage : "For the Love Of Grace & the Hereafter"

 

The Danish punks are back to rock n roll after 5 years. Elias's voice is not as sullen, and the more Rolling Stones direction they were heading in is more subtle on some songs than others with a rowdy jangle possessing songs like "Match Head Girl" that feels like it escaped from 90s college radio with a weird twinge of Bright Eyes to the vocal phrasing. There is almost a country twang to "the Weak' that brings the Violent Femmes to mind. It's has a carefree recklessness to it that is punk in it's own way, even if it's not the best display of their songwriting. They find a better balance on "No Fear" though the bass line keeps it from strolling away with the strum of the guitar leaving the attitude of the vocals as the most punk element. 

"Salve For Every Sore" deviates from the formula they have been using up to this point, but it also less focused. "Mother of Pearl" is carried by an angular jangling, that works similar to 'Lust For Life" era Iggy Pop. "Tender Blades" is one of the best songs so far as it carries the kind of strut and hooks that I want from them. "1835" benefits from a bass line grounding it ,as Elias' vocal style this time around is not as slurred but it also skips around the instrumentation with a similar cadence. His vocals seem more improvisational and not as deliberate. His approach works much better on " Star" . Lyrically, some morose sentiments are being expressed, but in a more hopeful manner than the post-punkish band I first got into. 

"Lifetime" is another very strong song on this album, so the changes that brought them to where they are now have not tarnished who they are as a band or what they are capable of, as they shine on this one. "Holy Water" is more recognizable when weighed against their earlier work and touches more on the post-punk side I missed. "True Blue" is a more interesting side step from the expectations, as it is somewhat of a ballad. It helps recapture who they are as a band. I will give this album a 9.5; there are some pretty great songs on this album amid this more upbeat 90s indie rock vibe, when I prefer them a little more downtrodden, but their talent still shines through.  

Heavy Maytal-Dio's "Master of the Moon"

 

This is the 10th and final Dio solo album, and also features the return of  Craig Goldy, who is clearly Ronnie's Zakk. Jeff Pilson also returned for these sessions, which capture a very classic sound that ironically opens with "One More For the Road". The title track is a little darker and more deliberate in its doomy syncopation. "End of the World" riff-wise almost feels more like an AC/DC song, with his vocals keeping it from falling into that place."Shivers" is driven by a more metallic riff, though in 2004, it was marginally considered metal based on where music was heading by this point.

They bring more menace with "The Man Who Would Be King, " which carries a more ominous power. "Eyes" is darker and has a cool robotic effect haunting it. Its climax is very effective. I like the vocal production on "Living the Lie," it helps showcase a powerful vocal preformance that sells the song. I like the creeping palm muted riff leading into the guitar solo. 

"I am" carries the slow gallop true to the era he is embracing again, almost coming full circle in some ways. We are back to gypsy queens on "Death By Love." So you know he is back in his rocking sweet spot with wishing wells and sacred hearts thrown in for good measure.  'In Dreams' has big shoes to fill as the last song on the last Dio album, though it's not likely he knew it was his last, though he does own a few crystal balls. It is pretty deliberate and carries what you probably want from him. I'll round this up to a 10 as he feels like he grew comfortable in his own skin again right in time for the curtain call. 

Genghis Tron : "Signal Fire"

 

Every five years is the average release rate for this band, as this marks the fourth album of their 20-year career. Their first album, "Dead Mouth Mountain," blended early metalcore sounds with electronics, and they have been slowly evolving past the more abrasive elements of this formula. Their new album puts the band closer to what someone like HEALTH does, though less industrial in their intentions. The balance of atmospheric and edge is more enthralling here, as it is full of hooks. Where the last album stepped away from harsher vocals, they are back in the mix here, but used as more of a dynamic vocal color. 

There is a more 90s alternative feel to the title track that embraces more of a grungy Smashing Pumpkins-like groove. Nick from Sumac joins them on drums as Kenny from the Armed steps in to handle bass duties. On a song like "Future Worship," these more organic instruments are not felt as strongly in the mix, as they are emulating what synths and plug-ins for a synth-wave project might do. That is, until the guitar kicks in midway through the song. "Like Fotocrom" offers a lush melodic atmosphere that drifts you out into the dusk. There is a tension that builds but never gains release. It almost feels like the intro to "Tomorrow Mirage". 

At this point in the album, "Tomorrow Mirage provides the needed shift in vocal colors. The harsher vocals trade off with the sung vocals, but not in the predictable Myspace metal manner. The album's most impressive drumming flows under this to maintain the momentum. You could call the wandering exploration of sounds they embark on prog rock if you wanted. "Nothing Blooms in the Hollow" launches into an almost Dillinger Escape Plan-like chaos before finding its groove. The intricate cascading riff further solidifies their place in the sound of prog in 2026.

"Without Form" is just a synth interlude that leads into "Born Prey". where they balance the snarl of hardcore with dreaming throbbing. This spastic tantrum is slightly a regression from where the album had been leading us. "A Love So Pure" is the album's most effective balance of their screamo past with progressive present. "New Gods" closes the album with a more electronic ambiance, guiding the hypnotic pulse of what they have been doing on this album. It's the most Nine Inch Nails-leaning moment so far. This works for me. Overall, I will give this album a 9.5. Sure, the parts comprising what they do are not as unique as how they are assembled. Fans for metal core than goes prog more often than not will appreciate this alongside their fan base, who are expecting change. 

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Heavy Maytal - W.M.D : "Against All Warnings"

 

This Canadian thrash band offers a neck jerking take on technical thrash. They are not obsessed with capturing a retro sound , but incorporate many elements from that time, most notably the vocal, which are a higher pitched squawk on the first track. They locked into some of these riffs in a more breakdown like fashion, which bands like Sacred Reich did back in the day as well. The fleet fingered focus on riffing is what keeps them from being cross over despite the speed poured into the verses, they have twin guitar harmonies to break this but. its till feels kinda rushed.

"Kleptomania" finds more of a Vio-lence feel taking over the sound. There are enough accents and break downs to make it interesting. It's back to pouring on the speed for "Post-Human Predator".  The relentless thrashing maintains it's momentum with " the Black Expanse". There are some audiences who just want fast rowdy playing and these guys deliver that so if that is your thing it is going to appeal more to you than listeners who want more hook and groove in their thrash, which makes the songs more enduring when you think about bands like well... the Big Four, who earned that title for good reason. 

"March of Death' shows they can write those kinds of riffs but it's more of a two minute interlude than a working song, but "the Thin Red Line" takes from it and builds it's own identity  full of guitar solos. "Already Dead' is another racing blur of hyper-aggressive riffing. The vocals are more of a an accent not just on this song, but as a whole on this album, There are more melodic guitar parts but they guitar has to do all the heavy lifting to keep you hooked despite the drums and bass still contributing . The clean guitar in the middle helps to create the kind of dynamics this album needs more of . "Painful Vengeance" starts off with a more deliberate riff, so they are capable of creating them not so much knowing how to write with restraint. I will give this album an 8, because it works on many levels thanks to the dazzling chops these guys have na there is an audience for this kind of thing. 

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