Goth 101 ( in 666 words)

Listen to them — children of the night. What music they make

 Dracula might have been referring to the howl of wolves, but those words also describe goth. Nocturnal music for nocturnal people. In the Metal 101 article, I explained how metal needs to be dark and evil. Goth fits the darkness side of that equation and the other half is elegance. This can come in many flavors. The music was named after 12th century European architecture which has a dark elegance to it. There is a often a morose longing but most importantly it is the music of the night. The Velvet Underground and the Doors both touched on elements that would influence goth, but the one artist all musicians who have been labeled as goth will agree as being a mutual influence is David Bowie. This makes sense because goth is a black umbrella which covers many different kinds of music, making the darker ethereal qualities of the music the common thread. Over the span of his career Bowie touches on all of these. Always ahead of his time, the darkness to Bowie’s music is an undercurrent reflecting his struggles with drug abuse. His 1977 album “Low” offered a stark look at his cocaine fueled nights in Berlin. The perfect stage for goth.

 

 What we think of as goth today came from the British Punk scene of the mid-seventies. Out of West Sussex came the Cure. The band’s first single “Killing an Arab” was based on absurdist philosopher Albert Camus’ book “the Stranger”, which was deeper abstraction than other punk bands at the time. Robert Smith’s vocals and reverb heavy guitar conveyed more melancholy. By 1982 the band was fully immersed in darkness with their album “Pornography” making Smith the poster child for goth.

 

 From South London came the Cure’s kindred cousins Siouxsie and the Banshees. Lead by front woman Siouxsie Sioux, they came from a similar punk upbringing as the Cure. Siouxsie has a more ethereal quirk to her voice. Her presence alone gave their music a more sensual undercurrent that the tension found in the Cure or Joy Division. Sometimes playful as a kitten and sometimes more brooding Siouxsie and her Banshees were emotive and wistful in the midnight hour.

 

 Taking a note of the vampiric sneer Bauhaus brought the darker wave of English punk, Los Angeles band Christian Death dragged goth through the gutter and shot it up with heroin. There 1982 album “Only Theatre of Pain” is a sleazy Daliesque soundtrack to a neon Sodom and Gomorrah that wavering plea of singer Rozz Williams offered as an ode to Lucifer. These guys started the sub-genre death rock giving goth an edgy offspring and the rare chance for evil to enter the room. While Marilyn Manson might have added more of an Alice Cooper like sense of theatrics, Christian Death possessed a real sense of danger that did not need the smoke and mirrors.

 

 Neoclassical folksters Dead Can Dance came from Melbourne. The duo of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard carried complementary ends of the musical spectrum. With Perry’s rustic baritone crooning out Irish murder ballads, to Gerrard's more middle eastern wail. There music carries an exotic ritualistic sense of timelessness. They whisked you up in a cloud of opium to far away lands never dreamed of by the more punk driven goth.

 

 The roots of industrial might go back to Killing Joke who got their start as a punk band, though it’s New York's Swans, who were darker and louder than Killing Joke. They flirted with noise and through feedback created sonic waves that were crushing. Frontman Michael Gira chose the name of the band because swans are beautiful and elegant creatures with nasty temperaments serving as a perfect metaphor for their sound. Bands like Ministry would attempt to replicate the heaviness Gira and friends create with more metallic results but never as heavy. Gira never embraced vampiric pagentry, proving that goth can be many things both sacred and profane.


 

Metal 101 (in 666 words)

This is all a wolf needs to know about metal in 666 words. First thing to know is Black Sabbath is where it started and what defines metal. Formed in 1968 as a blues band, guitarist Toni Iommi combined the tritone with enough distortion and evil took sonic form. Most “Doom” metal bands are direct rip offs of Sabbath, but all other sub-genres to some aspect of what the band did. Thus the two defining qualities of metal are evil & darkness. Just darkness and you have goth.Sure volume and aggression are also needed qualities but rock and punk can take those on.





Metal continued on in Britain with Judas Priest who formed in 1969, but did not acquire vocalist Rob Halford whose voice defined their sound until 1972. Priest picked up where Deep Purple left off, but with more aggressive sound. Then in 1975 Iron Maiden formed. While Judas Priest had a more radio friendly arena rock sound, Iron Maiden whose songs were driven by the bass playing of Steve Harris took progressive rock and made it metal. Vocalist Paul DiAnno sang on their first two albums which are good, but it was the powerhouse pipes of Bruce Dickinson who joined 1981 that made them larger than life. Their songs became epic tales rivaling Wagner. Most power metal bands were influenced by Maiden as well as some California kids who formed Metallica.


 

 Metal is a drug and like drugs you build a tolerance and need more extreme doses. Up until this point evil might have felt real but it was in 1981 that Dannish singer King Diamond an avowed Satanist made evil a reality with his band Mercyful Fate. Kiss and Alice Cooper had already donned ghoulish makeup , King Diamond took these theatrics in a more sinister direction with his piercing falsetto that he could drop into a guttural growl. Bands like Venom and Celtic Frost also came crawling out of England at this time, but Mercyful Fate was clearly the blueprint the black metal bands from Scandinavia would later follow in their spiked leather corpse painted church burning rampage.


 

 1981 was a key year for metal as two other seminal bands would form. One being Metallica, who ran the gallop of Iron Maiden through a dirty leather filter of Motorhead to create thrash. Metallica also drew influence from Killing Joke, whose song “the Wait” they would cover. Killing Joke also spawned what would be known as industrial. Metallica refined the thrash sound until it had more hooks. Creating massive power ballads with balls. Eventually they took this sound into the mainstream, though it still continued to influence bands like Pantera and White Zombie.


 


Another key band from 1981 also hailing from California was Slayer. Slayer was more influenced by hard core punk. They played faster and meaner than Metallica. Pretending to be satanic to give their music a darker aura, their lyrics dealt with serial killers and Nazis. Later as metal became more extreme it was hard to tell Slayer apart from the hardcore bands they were influencing.


 

 In 1983 things heated up in Tampa Florida as death metal was born. Death released “Scream Bloody Gore” in 1987, two years later Morbid Angel releases “ Altars of Madness” Not just aggressive , but was chaotic evil. Darker than “Scream Bloody Gore” the lyrics reflected the dark soul of their guitarist Trey Azagthoth, who held a genuine interest in the occult and steered the band’s later albums into being more of a exploration of the Necronomicon. The darkness in their sound would go on to influence scores of death and black metal bands.The metal that followed tuned lower and blasted faster to create something that was a more extreme version of what Morbid Angel did, though Morbid Angels songs held up over time which is more than can said of those bands. But metal doesn’t have to be so dark and evil you might say. This is true but if it isn’t it will also suck.

 

Uada : " Cult of a Dying Sun"

This blackened act from Portland lines up to take another stab at what Dissection did.
They kick some blast beats around this, to give it a hyper thrash sensibility. The vocals split the difference between black metal and death metal. The lower vocal is more clearly death metal, with the higher rasp carrying more of a black metal feel.Sometimes these are switched out in more predictable times than others.  It's well produced and these guys can obviously play their instruments, so what I am listening to is the quality of their songs. Can they do anything at less than a 140 bpms that doesn't sound like they are recycling countless bands that came before them.Guitar melodies and double bass sometime compensate for the album's over all more singular focus.

They a good a mimicking Swedish melo-death. Throw some blast beats on top of this and they you certainly don't sound like an American band. To the point of almost sounding like a hookier more Swedish version of Mutilation Rites. It's almost cultural appropriation , but if it's white people stealing from other white people then no one males a big deal of it. It all trickled down from NWOBHM could be one argument. Three minutes into the title track and I am wondering where they can go from here. The answer seems to be deeper into death metal. We begin to hear Entombed seeping from the corners. The guitar solos keep the melody in mind and are another working part of the song. Lyrically it's a mute point as the vocals are obligatory. The lower growls are well done. The half time breakdowns are effective, though the most betraying of their American roots.

They could stand to shave the first minute of acoustic intro off of "Wanderer" . Truth be told I am not sure there is enough here to justify it being an instrumental and this might have worked better into one of the other songs to provide more dynamics. They do hold onto the strum of guitar for a triumphant gallop into "Blood Sad Ash". Here their sense of melody begins to have a greater pay off.  Aside from the more Mayhem like croak of the vocals that open the song "Spheres" sounds like more of the same. They are locking into their formula at this point. The drumming is great , but to play this kind of music it has to be. To be a rehashing of guitar harmonies we have already been blasted past earlier in the album or at least something close enough ten minutes of the closing song get tedious and tuned out. These guys are good at what they do it just feels like another Americanized remake, much like "Let Me In". If you never heard the original then you might be more impressed. In terms of execution alone I'll give this a 7.5, which is rounded down due to lack of originality. But fans of melo-death like that sort of thing.

Lesser Glow : " Ruined"

The clean vocals don't really fall any trends, the closest thing would be Mastodon as they are sung by have some grit to them like the kind of soulful bellow Troy Sanders typically utters.The growls have conviction to them as well. Riff wise this feels more like sludge than doom. There is more of an angular slant to "Vacant Throne" the vocals are more yelled out on the verse. When the clean vocals come in they have a more tender touch to the croon. "Tel Meggido" starts off with sung vocals in a way that would make me think of Sevendust if it was not for the angular dissonance in the riff that follows. The atmosphere over this almost reminds me of Ulcerate. Though I can also hear traces of Neurosis. So this is more like pre-"Blood Mountain" Mastodon.

Angular is their thing and they do it with a dark slink. The harsh vocals return to narrate "Empty Eyes" which seems to be about turning friends to foes. When they lock into a chug it gives them the same kind of sludge power that Tombs sometimes taps into. "Under the Polar Shade" doesn't find it self until the clean vocals come in, before that it kinda drags out a bunch of riffs and thrown them around without having any clear cut connection.

I'll give this album an 8. I like how it's angular and melodic. I think the last song gets off to a rough start but gets better. I don't see myself personally getting a ton of play out of this album though it does continue to grow on my the more I listen to it this morning.I did reference Mastodon over the course of the review and while they might be an influence, these guys are not just a tribute band , though they exist in a similar sonic space as the Atlanta band's earlier work. So if you miss older Mastodon, these guys don't have the raw punk traces that were in Mastodon's early albums , but take into in a similar maze.

Witchsorrow : "Hexenhammer"

In the first few notes I can tell this British Doom trio is benefiting from better production value, as the guitar has a denser punch. Sonically this time around they have more in common with Electric Wizard's earlier stuff.The vocals have more grit are not worshiping Ozzy from the 70's. More aggressive than mournful, yet this still qualifies as doom, though any more angry and it would be sludge. "the Devil's Throne" is too upbeat to be doom and takes you back to more of a Diamond Head form of proto-thrash. They begin to remind me of post-"Nothing Face " Voivod.  There is a more foreboding pound going into the lumbering mass that is "Demons of the Mind" . When it gets into the thick of the song it's marginally more melodic than what they have done up to this point.

The chug to "Eternal" is much more convincing. Perhaps the highest point of the album so far, even if the vocals seem a little dialed in. "the Parish" is not bad , however it doesn't go above and beyond to set itself apart either. There is a little more breathing room in certain parts of the song. They close the album with "Like Sisyphus". This song does carry a rather heavy stomp to it, but it seems to lack the melodic touches that have found the band growing into a somewhat new direction. The more blast beaten section at the end of this song seems like not in line with what this band does best which is not black metal. So the acceleration of this song seems unneeded.

I'll round this down to an 8. It' an improvement in the overall sound of the band. The singer has more command over his voice and the songs are more focused. I think the more mid-tempo moments are the most powerful and this album comes across as being their heaviest and most melodic yet. I think the song writing is what needs more fine tuning as it starts strong and then heading into the last two songs loses the refined power that made the front end of the album work so well. If you want Electric Wizard to have more of a High on Fire thrashing anger to them then this is for you.

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Chvrches : "Love Is Dead"

So this band was my methadone to ween me off a violent addiction to Taylor Swift's "1989" album. For the most part it worked only to get me hooked on their sugary electro pop. Things are only getting worse in the best possible way from there. Lauren Mayberry has lost the goth trappings of her look, and this album might not be the same shade of gray we have heard from them previous. The chorus to "Get Our" busts out and grabs your ear. The synths have a shinier sheen of plastic to them. The vocals are well layered and produced. Less dripping with effects than Taylor Swift's last album. As far as her melodies go the verses are not as strong as the choruses , but this is only two songs in. There is more disco to "Deliverance" which might be a song that just needs to grow on me. "My Enemy" finds her trading off vocals with Martin who's vocal have gotten better with each album.

"Forever" is a better example of what they do best. Mayberry's vocals fall right where they need to. "Never Say Die" follows a somewhat similar path. Lyrically it's a little more interesting. "Miracle" fills the spot they need on the map for modern pop radio. It's well crafted and stays true to what they do without coming across like a sell out. It has more balls than most of the pop these days and doesn't skimp on the sugar. "Graves' kinds strikes me a more middle of the road tune that falls into what is expected. I prefer the moodier verses to "Heaven / Hell" . The bass line thumps , but there is room for contemplation. I'm not sure about Martin's vocals on " God's Plan". It seems like some diety should have planned better for the melodies. Musically it improves as it progresses the vocals just make it uncertain.

There is more of an 80s feel to the more kraut rock synths on "Really Gone" though the meat of the song feels rather timid. "Wonderland" closes the album with a more minimal beat. The chorus is bigger in an almost more formulaic manner. I round this one up as I suspect it has to grow on me so going to give it a 9 for now, which puts this a notch under their other albums.

Graveyard : "Peace"

My first thought when cranking the new album from this Swedish band is I don't remember the vocals being this AC/DC in the past.It's their 5th album so they have a go idea of who they are and what they want to do. The more chilled out stoned vocals are still around. They just come from the corners of the first song to accent things. "Cold Love" is a more deliberate blues soaked number that reminds me more of a less jammy version of Govt Mule. The breezy ballad "See the Day" strikes me as more of an interlude than a full on song. There is more of a harder edge to the smooth 70s rock of  "Please Don't " that finds them taking the mood of the album down a dirty road blending Thin Lizzy with Corrosion of Conformity. They stay on this for several songs. Some of the over driven guitar solos have a warm retro tube feel to them and the grooves seem genuine, but begin to run together. The jammed bridge on "Walk On" works well and would transition to the stage effectively though the dynamics begin to grow a little flat.

"Del Manic" is like if Queens of the Stoneage decided to cover the Doors during one of the session with Mark Lanegan singing for them. Then there is Jimi Hendrix vibe mixing with Cream on " Bird of Paradise". This is not even hard rock, but it captures the feel of the time period they have been paying tribute to and do it in a manner that proves they mean what they are playing. This conviction in their belief of their sound is hard to argue against. They close the album with more retro blues boogie. These guys do a damn good job capturing the spirit they are after , even if this is far from the most original thing we have heard.

I am split on this, but I feel the score I have to give it is more of a reflection as to what I need in my life. I have already heard much of what goes down here. So for that reason I will give this album a 7.5. It's very well done and they succeeded in what they set out to do. I just don't need what they set out to do as I have already been here and done that. Perhaps you are 16 years old and have not then you might finds this more impressive than I do.

Zeal & Ardor : "Stranger Fruit"

This project's last album was met with a great deal of hype ridden fanfare. It was good , but did not blow me away like it did other members of the press.  The concept of this project is Manuel pondering what satanic gospel might sound like. Much like the previous album I find myself asking what is so different from what Algiers has already done? Manuel's more sung vocals have improved. There is also a thicker atmosphere at the edges of the album. When things get more intense on "Servants" its feels more like industrial than metal. There is a more black metal feel to "Don't You Dare". The black metal elements are juggled with the negro spiritual theme of the album which adheres to this projects mission statement. Then things stay more aggressive going into "Fire of Motion". While it's not black metal, it is a fun driven thrashing that might have more in common with Slipknot.

We are skipping over the atmospheric interludes like "the Hermit" and just focused on the actual songs. A palm muted guitar continues bringing an almost nu-metal groove to "Row Row". Perhaps blackened gospel nu-metal might be the sub-genre to rise up around their sound. As with this song and the one before it the nu metal elements tip the scales heavier than the black metal ones. By the time I get to "Ship On Fire" the novelty is beginning to wear off, though the songs on the front ned are certainly stronger than the previous album. The more rock elements of "Waste"that run under the attempts at black metal are more interesting. The black metal sections seem like they are being forced and don't always flow naturally.

"You Ain't Coming Back" could almost be Cold War Kids if you were doing a blind listen. This more rock n roll side seems more natural. When framed against their so called black metal moments, it makes me doubt if that darkness is in him to expel.   If you ever wondered what Sevendust would sound like if they gave black metal at stab the song "We Can't Be Found" answers that. The choked vocals don't convey anything I believe. The title track finds vocals falling over a more minimal and atmospheric back drop with a little bit of an industrial pound. The more melodic vocal melody reminds me of Satchel from the 90s. "Built on Ashes" in it's less soulful moments doesn't strike me as anything heavier than the last Deftones album. I'll give this album an 8.5. It's a great improvement over "the Devil is Fine" which I gave a 7. It's not as amazing as what other journalists are going to try to tell, but it's a more refined and better produced effort that lives up to the glimpses of potential shown on the previous album. Blackened Nu Metal is now a thing!

Khemmis : "Desolation"

This guys take another step away from the Pallbearer style of doom that originally marked their first album. The first thing I notice that is different with this album is the vocals are lower and sung with a little more power. He can still get up there, up it's done more sparingly. The riffs are back to being more Pallbearer as they have an angular quality that is like puzzle pieces finding their place in one another. This song also gets heavier than certainly the previous album. The guitar heroics are in place, though coming from a more metallic place. Harsh vocals come in at the end of the first song. They are off to a more classic metal gallop on the second song with guitar harmonies following behind. It's more power metal like but it works. "Flesh to Nothing" is even more power-metal however this time it doesn't strike me as being heavier and three songs in it's evident this album is not going to be doom.

They get back to a chug with more weight on "the Seer". This riff has more sinew to it's groove. The vocals continue to soar here. It reminds me a little more of Solitude Aeturnus. The harsh fight for dominance on "Maw of  Time". The song is other wise still on the power metal, but with a darker kick. "From Ruin" is moodier and more melodic which is a needed shift in dynamics. It turns back around into the more traditional brand of metal they have already been forging with some authority for the bulk of the album. The guitar solos are pretty much what is to be expected for this kind of metal and some of the punches to this song are more Iron Maiden than what I remember being these guys stock and trade. So they have grown away from doom for sure, though their sound still bears some shades of it.

I'll round this one down to an 8.5. It is heavier . It does move them further from influences they have worn on their sleeves in the past, but the songs don't grab me as much as they used to. While the previous album did find them moving into this more power metal place, their feet are planted much more firmly on it for better or for worse depending on where you sit with power metal. Not to say this is as entrenched in that as say Hammerfall, I would prefer these guys to be more doom, but a band is going to grow in which ever direction they are going to grow in . The album is getting  this score from me at present as I don't foresee myself getting as much mileage out of it as I did the previous albums.  20 Buck Spin releases this album in America June 22nd and the rest of the world will get it from Nuclear Blast.

Fotocrime : "Principle of Pain"

 The first thing I notice by the debut full length is that production wise it sits on the slicker side of the 80's than the Bat Cave, so think more Billy Idol than Christian Death. There is more of a new wave feeling to the more Depeche Mode like groove of " Love In a Dark Time". There are also hints of New Model Army in the vocals, though this reminds me more of the dark wave / future pop project Covenant when they take on a little less organic feel on the song "Don't Pity the Young" that follows. Thanks to the more plaintive vocal they stay in that place New Model Army was in when they first crossed over into the dark side on " the Rose and the Thorn", with more of the typical post-punk tension running with the guitar melody. They are doing a good job of replicating the sound they are going for. If you told me this album came out in 1985, I might be inclined to believe you if I didn't know who these are.

If you ever wondered what a more new wave version of Nick Cave might sound like that question is answered on "Autonoir". Here mood and groove are perfectly married and this becomes what I want them to give me more of . Just because this is what I want doesn't mean it's always going to be easy for them to hit that same spot. They give a shot on the song directly after this time including female vocals and it leans more in a dark wave direction that is not as convincing. There is a more rock slant put to the post-punk tension of " Enduring Chill". This goes back to the more New Model Army direction. The bass that drives "Infinite Hunger For Love" gives me an "Ah Ha Moment" where I realized the difference between what is different when a post-punk band does this and when a goth or death rock band does this and the answer is goth or death rock bands do it with more slink that makes it in turn darker. This song is good, but like many of these songs it could stand to be a shade darker.

There is more of a rock feel to "Confusing World". To their credit the bass has a more aggressive stomp to it that works well. The end the album with a more subdued tone on "the Soft Skin" . Overall this album has some strong moments, but is rather middle of the road when it comes to how deeply it delves into the darkness. I'll round it down to an 8.5 for that reason, but it is still an engaging listen and most people are a little more willing to compromise on the darkness than I am so those can round it up a little.

GosT : "Possessor"

For some reason I have been on a more electronic kick. This came about due to a Blood Music Records kick I was also on. The retro synth trend that makes everything sound like it could be on the soundtrack to "Stranger Things" is pretty widespread as we even heard it seeping into the new Ihsahn album. This is this projects obvious stock and trade.  Here is an electronic album that is as dark as industrial and as heavy as industrial, but has more of a retro synth wave sound battling inside of them like angels and demons. "Prowler" has enough groove to support itself as an instrumental and the samples certainly help give the song a voice. He smoky vocals of "Sigil" work , but make the song a little more melodramatic and gothy in a 90s darkwave way.

There is a heavier blast on "Beliar" then it takes an angular glitch turn like something Igorr might do doom paced legion screamed vocals and odd retro synth melody. the pace picks up  for Shilohs Lament Malum has somewhat goth tinged vocals , some of the synth melodies are too happy . The album's theme is translated by the samples which are all exorcism. The lyrics to "Malum" don't really convey the same thing and appear to be about wasting time on someone.


"Commandment" gets more aggressive , but the synths keep it from being industrial along with the fact the programmed drums don't have as much of a kick to them. The over driven vocals would not be out pf place on an industrial album. It is at time like electro grind core in some of the explosive outbursts in-between church bells ringing and Art Bell samples. I'll round this down to an 8. Some of this gets redundant and then the vocals sometimes remind me too  much of cheesy darkwave rather than cool dark wave because of the melodramatic breathiness of the vocals.  Despite this the album is certainly worth a listen even though I am not going to gild the coffin for you . The other word of warning would be it's not as Satanic as some might lead you to believe, once again I review black metal half the time so the bar is high for the level of goat kissing and Christ fucking we want around here.

Horror Vacui : " New Wave of Fear"

This was released April 15 with little buzz. I guess the death rock revival is not getting much hipster press these days and going back underground where it belongs. Fine with me as the music is better for it if judging by the opening track of this band from Italy's new album. The guitar tone lightens into a shade of gray on the title track. The vocals are really showing the most improvement moving down into almost a Sister's of Mercy like croon. The guitar mix is a little murky like the effects could stand to be slightly compressed. "Forward" finds the guitar riffs beginning to get a little uniform, thankfully they switch it up when the vocals come in . "We Are The Ones" finds the guitar tone continuing to makes things bleed together. I think they needed to spend a little more time with giving things space in the mix when it comes to post- production. Things are beginning to get a little monochrome in their dynamic flatness.

There is a little bit of a darker groove to "On the Other Side". Tempo wise it pretty much falls in line with the rest of the album up to this point. :Behind" gets a little more aggressive , but aside from that doesn't really stand out from the other song and races long the same panic pace of the others. Its the increased growled grit of the vocals that makes this stand out more than the guitar. The bass coming up in the mix helps "Don't Dance With Me". If these songs gave themselves more room to expand and contract the melodic touches that are buried under the wall of redundant guitar might work better. The vocals remind me a little more of Iggy Pop on this song.

The effects on the vocals at the beginning of "Upside Down" work really well and display what this album could have been if more attention to detail had been given in the production end. They do have more atmosphere on this song, though drone a little more. I'll round this down to an 8, because it's a mixed bag. I think the songs work more often than not, but the sound is not really dialed in and it could use more clarity in the mix . Live I can see how if this is as good as it gets mix wise then it would be a loud punk blur.


 

Cruachan: "Nine Years of Blood"

I think my thoughts on the folk metal have made a few things clear to most readers. Most of them can be summed up by saying I want to like it , but most of the time it's not dark enough for me. Last week we were going to the Renaissance Festival and folk metal was obviously needed for the trip down. So I downloaded this album and the new one by Heidevolk. The Heidevolk album was too happy. This one made the cut. The folk elements are blended into this Irish band's sound in a very fluid manner. Like most folk metal album their are a few little instrumental interludes that you have to sort through. These guys use harsher vocals and sung vocals. There guitar tone has balls to it and there is aggression that is not just LARPing. They do fall into a little more of a jig on "Blood & Victory" than I might prefer , though make up for it on the melodic break to some extent.

Lyrically these guys are pulling from the history books, makes the songs rather bardic. Lots of Irish pride going on here. When the fiddles are busting out more of a minor key melody, it works better for me though sometimes this is undone when they go into something that sounds more like a drinking song. "the Battle Of the Yellow Ford" has more scathing vocals on the verses , but doesn't strike me as inspired as the first few songs. While it has a commanding thrash gallop the folk melodies laid over  "Cath Na Brioscai" fall a little flat on me. "The Harp, the Lion, the Dragon and the Sword" has enough of thrashing energy to keeps it's momentum despite the happier touches of folk. Some songs grab me harder than others as it heads into the album's third act. The bands harder moments leaning closer to thrash than black metal. It is some of the more melodic touches that have the most impact.

"Back Home in Derry" closes the album. An odd choice considering how compact the song. It does show the two sides of the band and show the extremes of these two dynamics working together. It actually pretty catchy. This album runs into some of the genre's pitfalls , but is generally aggressive enough to thrash past them. I'll give this album an 8.

the Sword : "Used Future"

Never really been all that into these guys. Reasonably familiar with their work, prefer their older more metallic moments. They have grown into more of a 70s styled prog band that is still more song oriented like the more radio friendly albums from that era, so not King Crimson. "Deadly Nightshade" is the kind of retro rock I expect from them. After a few listens the song din't blow me , but is easy to listen. I like the groove to "Twilight Sunrise", but the vocals are not as catchy as those on the previous song. The guitar is busier. "The Wild Sky" has more punch when it comes down from space at hits you with the chug. It a cool drugged out jam with interesting sound, and for an instrumental manages to keep my attention. There is more of a 70s feel to "Sea of Green" that almost feels more like ZZ Top. So far this is the strongest song on the album as all the varied elements work in conjunction to create a groove. The plaintive vocals sit in the right space. The songs winds it way around to a more 60s haze. The guitar solo is well placed and performed. I can see these guys doing well with jam band kids.

"Nocturne" is less of an instrumental that stands on it's own and more of an interlude. It is very Pink Floyd with hints of kraut rock. There is a very stoned glaze to " Don't Get too Comfortable". It works as a song, but doesn't stand out against the others. The title track sounds like it could be a Lynyrd Skynyrd b-side. For what it is it's entertaining. "Come and Gone" reminds me of early 60's psyche rock like Coven or Atomic Rooster, more floating and surreal than mystic. They get back to a more ballsy rock approach on "Book of Thoth". It establishes a pretty decent groove. Not as fantasy oriented as Uriah Heap, it does come from a similar era of sound.

"Brown Mountain" is a return to more of a southern rock sound. Progressive rock atmospherics sit behind it to create an odd landscape. I would be leery of anyone claiming this is the album of the year,but it's better than their acoustic stuff and they are good at what they do .I'll give this one an 8.5, while i enjoyed the listens I gave this one , when I want to hear this sort of thing chances are I'll go to the source. If you are a fan then it will live up to your expectations.

the Evil : " Evil"

This band from Brazil is darker and heavier than most of the female fronted stoner/doom bands that pass through my in-box. Granted she has a masculine voice in some sense, if we are talking about a man with a feminine voice...think Rob Halford styled power metal here. So while this does give them a late 80s doom sound the fact the guitar is so dense brings if up into this decade. The bass tone is pretty 80s though. "Screams" finds their groove getting murkier and the sludge heavy guitar tone not pulling the weight by itself. Doesn't suck but doesn't grab my attention like the first song. "Sacrifice to the Evil" has more of a cheesy Halloween sound to it with some "Omen" style chanting. I guess it makes about as much sense as some of Acid Witch's stuff, but Acid Witch gels better thematically.

They trudge on with "Satan 2 " I guess this a sequel. Not sure where they lyric "from Russia with love/ comes in " ?   With doom or really any genre the challenge is to be your self, but bring something new to the table .With black metal the problem is blast beats begin to sound the same. With doom it's recycling the Sabbath chug. Think of it like warming up a piece of day old pizza in the microwave. The first time you nuke it, the pizza will still be worth eating. The second time , it's going to be either soggy or like rubber. This is what happens on "Sliver Razor". I can only taste the rubbery aftermath and not what worked on the first song.

They give "Ancients" a little more breathing room, it follows a similar formula as the song "Black Sabbath" by the band of the same name, you may or may not have heard of them. This brings us to doom rule number 1 " a little Black Sabbath worship goes a long way". Now these kids are not breaking this rule as bad as many bands. The fact the vocals are not going all Ozzy certainly helps. I would just like to hear them pull from more colors of influence. I am beginning to hear people already calling albums the album of the year and it's not June yet. This is not bad but I am giving it a 7.5 so it's safe to say it's not going to make my 10 doom albums of the year list. If you like things that are as dark as Acid Witch , but more doom than death metal then it might be worth your time.

Iceage :"Beyondless"

I was worried the boys from Denmark would stray to far from punk after their last album and the funky Rolling Stones like side project of their singer . The first song holds roots in the early days of punk, but is just good fucking music. While the drums continue to have a reckless edge the horns smooth out the sonic landscape for hipster pop singer Sky Ferreria to lend her voice to "Pain Killer".  They languish in the country jangle of " Under the Sun". Unlike most country there is a rather an elegant dynamic build in the song. Swagger is the best word to describe the attitude that flows through the track marked veins of this album. There is a lot going on with "the Day the Music Dies", but the stomp of this attitude can be felt during this journey. Its more 60s garage rock, but the lines of where that intersected with the rise of punk back in the day was just as murky then as it on this song.

The swagger moves into more of a strut on "Plead the Fifth". Elias mutters and mumbles , but his lyrics still cut through with tales of desperation in the shadows of sleaze. These shadows darken "Catch It". It's the first song that feels like it could be called post-punk. The rest of the album thus far hasn't not joyous, but this is where the mood takes a more down trodden shift. I can hear the influence of the Velvet Underground on this one. Which sums up the progression, they have never been a Joy Division rip off, but if their early work was influenced by Joy Division or Wire then they have dug deeper into the roots of the music to end up at the Velvet Underground. At time the chaos of the horns also reminds me a little of the Violent Femmes.

They return to the dirt country back roads on "Thieves Like Us". When I say it's dancey I mean the kind of dancing that drunken white people might do at a honky tonk near a truck stop. The album rapid cycles back into a low swing on " Take it all ". While I prefer the more depressive moments to the honky tonk hoedowns, even those are done so well it's hard to complain about them. "Showtime" starts off dark and steamy then builds into a boozy dance. The title track that closes the album also has a darker cloud over it, so I am glad the gray clouds close in over the second half of the album, though none of it is sunshine and puppies. I'll give this adventure a 10 as it preserves the growing legacy of this band.

Urfaust : "The Constellatory Practice" "

Is it me or do you never find out something is part of a trilogy until after the fact? This album is the final part of a trilogy this band's two previous album were also a part of . Maybe they don't come out and say something is a trilogy because then it really sets the stakes high for the 3rd album to be the climax. What we get on the first song is 13 minutes of hypnotic drone. It's at a more doom pace. The vocals are sung rather operatically but without the same baritone stiffness of previous albums. "Behind the Veil of the Trance Sleep" continues with this ritualistic hypnosis. It creates a sonic shimmer that reminds me a little of Swans. More punishing in it's pounding than the opener, I would not call this black metal, but Urfaust has been defying the bounds of black metal since their last album.

The ambiance continues to grow thicker. More abstract in the synth swell of  " A Course in Cosmic Mediation". This feels like a more atmospheric movement extending out of the previous song rather than a song unto itself. "False Sensorial Impressions" took a second listen in order for me to fully digest it. It is darker and there is some harsh screaming, so closer to black metal than the first three songs. Though even with Urfaust's earlier work I thought they tested the bounds of black metal and did it their own way. This album might be a step beyond that as droning seems to be the prime motivator. The atmosphere is more unsettling on this song, but dynamically it is flat by virtue of working of the surreal drone. They evolve into something that is more of a song on "Trail of the Conscience of the Dead". Over driven bass keeps this song moving. Thanks to the drums this comes closer to being doom. I like when the cello comes in to add another melodic layer. At 12 minutes it's a little long and could have benefited trimming the fat on the front end of the song.

With a name like "Eradication Through Hypnotic Suggestion" the eradication part of that equation would make this the album's heaviest song. But no it's an even more atmospheric drone to the song of being more of an outro than a song. I'll give this an 8, because musically there are pleasing sounds and when they do decide to make a song it works, I would prefer to have the drone dialed back and hear more song shine through this murky darkness of hypnosis. This is what they wanted and it's what you get . They are still one of the more original acts to come from black metal though this might be ritualistic it's not black metal.

The Top 50 Metal Guitarists - 10 to 1

Here we are at the end of our Top 50 Metal Guitarists list, The death of a guitarist I played with turned my thoughts to what makes a good guitarist great. Metal finds the stakes for guitarists high. Shredding can come before playing a fucking song. While all of these guitarists can play a solo, I was also looking for tone, impact on the genre as a whole and how their personalities came through in their playing. So this list of the top 50 Metal Guitarists. If you don't find your favorite guitar player here then know they were just wankers.

 10-Adrian Smith

His Band is primarily propelled by the galloping bass, but they are also known for their twin guitar harmonies. His partner in crime Dave Murray could be on this list too, but Adrian Smith's playing always struck me as being a little more nuanced.


 9-Dimebag Darrell 

His vulgar display of riffing hits you like a cowboy from hell. His solos embrace chaos and melody. He has influenced modern metal tremendously,  his original styling and chops that managed to place him above his hero Ace, when it comes to metal Dimebag is just more fucking hostile.


8-Jerry Cantrell

Some of the more melodic and mournful grunge thanks to the drugged trappings of his band that killed their lead singer. Equally blues base as he is a technical shredder his metal chops can slip out of any run
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7-KK Downing

Until their peers Iron Maiden, Downing's band was not driven by the bass. They were less technical and sometimes more aggressive. It was their album "PainKiller" that really put un-believers to rest.




6-Piggy/ Denis D’Amour

 His sound evolved from dissonant thrash into a space age prog metal sound that defined his band's weird and wonderful brand of metal. While they took influence from bands like Killing Joke and Discharge, Piggy blended that with a angular metallic aggression to create one of the most unique sounds ever.


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5- Alex Lifeson

Lifeson beat out Piggy, due to the fact if his band did not exist then metal and progressive rock might not find themselves so often hand in hand. You might question how metal is Rush, so I suggest getting back to me after hearing "2112" and "Caress of Steel" this is not to say they were metal for the duration of their career as they became radio rock , but those two albums alone solidify his place here.

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 4-Selim Lemouchi 

 He died on my birthday four years ago. Seeing this guy live made me a believer as he was one of the best guitarists I have ever seen live. His band the Devil's Blood, played a jammy style of retro doom boogie. He has two other guitarists in his band that he had to play around and still found the space to do some amazing things.


 

 3-Randy Rhodes

 Some times his tone is too bright for me and I'll blame that on his days with Quiet Riot. He inspired a decade of shred, more tasteful than all the Yngwies , he blended the neo-classical touches in a hard rock context.



2-Andy Larocque

Andy beat out Randy because Rhodes' weakness is his strength, he plays darker. Andy also has a more aggressive playing style making him a much more metal player than Rhodes. Andy's style of playing fit perfectly with the horror motif of King Diamond's writing making them the perfect match.

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 1-Toni Iommi 

There was a second I had him at number two, but them I thought about the "Mob Rules" and "Heaven and Hell" albums where he plays with the same firey precision that Andy does and summons a similar darkness years before , not to mention his use of the devil's note created heavy metal so there is that.


 

Master Boot Record : "Direct Memory Access"

So here is something different this album consists of weird 80s sounding synths set against power/ prog metal this is an unconventional take on conventional metal. This album came out back in April, with little buzz, which is sad because it is very interesting. When it gets glitched out and weird then it's even better converging into something heavier. These moments also make it dark enough to connect with me. When they are flying along at a more Dragon Force pace, it's too upbeat and happy for my personal metal needs. This is the projects first time with vocals and I like the more goth like quality to them when they surface on "Sound Card 8 Bit" even though the music is still a little peppy for me in it's rolling noodle. Thankfully on "FDD Controller" they get darker and weirder, breaking up some of the neo classical melodies for a little longer. While the vocals do go for the gold and are belted out with the passion of power metal they do not get as cheesy.

They slow down on "LPT 1 ECP Mode". The neo-classical synths lines keep coming, at this point reminding me of that "Hooked On Classics" album from the late 70s. The vocals are more subdued and provide a needed shift in color away from the final countdown.  "4 Cascade" is more synth wave with a 90's electro metal feel when the vocals come in an make me think of Rammstein. The darker slower vibe continues on "Hard Disk". Two and a half minutes it gets much heavier. The synths really can only pound so hard, but they do their best . "Host Adapter" continues in more of the neo-classical metal for a lunar landing mode that to some extent defines their sound. It begins to feel less organic and metallic on this song and more like aggressive kraut rock with a Tron groove.

Overall despite the some times redundant neo-classical phrased lead melodies this project is doing something different, previous albums that have been instrumental would not have been my thing, but here the vocals are well done and hep break things up so I'll give this album an 8.5, unsure how many repeat plays I would get out of this more than likely only the songs with vocals would make it to the iPod.

Lychgate : " The Contagion in Nine Steps"

If  you showed up for black metal I can understand why this might be jarring. It's also really dark and interesting so if you don't recognize that and want just blast beats so eat more glue and chase it with a bullet. This is not to say I approve of every movement in this shifting landscape of angular chaos. I do approve of the sense of adventure and rebellion against the black metal status quo even at risk of not being black metal anymore. I think the atmosphere and melancholy of the first song make the angular math of the guitars more balanced and they get into some proggy abstraction on "Unity of Opposites" to the point that it might be too much like free-jazz for even Deathspell Omega fans, but they are doing their own thing so good for them, sometimes it works better than others. I am impressed by the variety of vocal colors on this album rather than just monochrome screaming.

Greg Chandler of Esoteric , who also made my Top 50 Metal Guitarists list, once again proves why he should be on such lists. This album finds more of a doom flavor seeping to the forefront where the first two albums were more black metal. "Atavistic Hypnosis" sounds more like Esoteric. Considering how long it's been since they have put out an album I'll take what I can get . The sung vocals are very powerful on this song , and one of the more effective uses of employing them. The guitars get almost Cynic like in the labyrinth they create. Things stay at a dissonant doom pace for "Hither Comes the Swarm". The double bass does come in to create a more hammering death metal tone. This is a concept album of sorts based on Stanislaw Lem's  book "the Invincible", but the lyrics are not dominating the songs in a way that continues to call your attention to this fact.

Low sung vocals narrate the beginning of "the Contagion" amid piano and spiraling runs of guitar. The higher clean vocals don't sit on this as smoothly and the growls work better. There is another heavier section that sounds more like death metal to me, and I can almost hear more traces of death metal on this album than black. Sometimes when you do wander you do get lost. "Remembrance" is like a transcendent doom ballad. Not as abstract or mathematical as the bulk of the album, and it's also not as heavy, almost like something Pallbearer might do. It's cool for what it is. Due to the sense of adventure that possesses this album I'll round it up to a 9 as when I am in more of a prog mood I could appreciate this more than halfway into my second cup of coffee.

Curse Upon a Prayer : "the Three Woes"

People will never be satisfied, so there is no point in pleasing them and that should not be metal's goal to be safe. When the debate rises about satanic metal someone always says "You guys don't have the balls to pick on Islam". Then when it happens, people shit their pants and say it's racist. Nothing should be sacred. Why is it o.k to attack one religion and not another? This band from Finland has the balls to not give a fuck and this album lashes out at Islam. Now there is a political slant since aside from the hippies in Sweden, the rest of Scandinavia tries to be fairly isolationist.  Americans are quick to call this racist, because in their intolerance of intolerance  it never dawns on them at other countries have other ways of doing things. In fact who every said America's way was that great to begin in the first place as it doesn't seem to working that great for them at present. But enough of the politics, at the end of the day it boils down to what are these guys doing different that I have not heard other black metal bands do a hundred times?

The first song tell me not a lot aside from being really aggressive and hateful in their sound which certainly helps to get their message across. Thundering double bass, blast beats and tremolo picked guitar all do their part to make this black metal as fuck.Their are hints of melody in the guitar. They passion with which they throw themselves into their music compensates for anytime they might not be the most original band on the planet. "Thou Shalt Be Cursed" opens with a little more atmosphere but races off. The vocals are at a mid range snarl. There is a lower more death metal vocals that joins in. The melodic touches that come in by the two minute mark help give the dynamics needed to keep things from becoming one blur.

The croak almost moves into more of a sung tone for a few words on "Woe ! Woe ! Woe!" . There is more of an icy ambient coating the rapid thrashing. This makes this song darker. I appreciate the mood and melodic touches. The vocals modulating through a range or croaks and snarls. I think lyrically since I have more of a resentment against Christianity the lyric would resonate with more if they were railing against Christ even though he is such an easy target.Not wildly original these guys have put every ounce of their hateful hearts into this and it paid off I'll give it a 9 and look forward to hearing the full length. Congrats to Saturnal Records for having the balls to put this out.
2.7

The Top 50 Metal Guitarists - 20 to 11

The death of a guitarist I played with turned my thoughts to what makes a good guitarist great. Metal finds the stakes for guitarists high. Shredding can come before playing a fucking song. While all of these guitarists can play a solo, I was also looking for tone, impact on the genre as a whole and how their personalities came through in their playing. So this list of the top 50 Metal Guitarists. If you don't find your favorite guitar player here then know they were just wankers.



20- Kerry King

Sure his solos are formulaic,and has a punk sloppiness to it at times but his playing has a fire to it that helps define the sound of his band. Marrying metal and punk at the cross roads that became thrash. He uses an evil chaos in his playing that made his band darker than the other thrash bands at the time.




19-Ihsahn

His playing goes beyond black metal. Romantic touches of neo-classical gives a more gothic touch to the architecture of his songs.He has branched out to 8 strings for his solo work. More of a shredder than you might expect he will go down as underrated except on this list where he is earning his rightful place.



18-Adam Jones

He doesn't solo in the traditional sense. He does add sonic dynamics where solos would go and is almost jazz like in the way he gives the drums and bass room to breathe. He knows how to keep the tension and get a big arena rock sound when needed. He influenced an entire generation of progressive metal players who live for the groove no matter how complex or simple.


 17-Kirk Hammett

He has some memorable solos. His band is known for their big riffs, but he works around the chugs and gallops owing more of a rock sensibility to his playing that heavy metal thunder. I don't think his band could work without him even though he stepped in to replace Dave Mustaine many moons ago.



 16-Kim Thayll

How could he beat out Hammet you ask? His playing is more creative and darker. He uses up more sonic space to create a sense of unease on his band's earlier work, but is able to solo with the best of them when it is called for. He weaves in noise and chaos while still managing to create grunge anthems that dominated the air waves.




15-Zakk Wylde

He had some big shoes to fill. Rather than living in the shadow of the great players who stood beside he boss before he, Wylde carved out his own sound and brought something new to the table. He could pulls off the Randy Rhodes stuff with his own flair which was impressive live.





14 Arve Isdal

Until you see this guy rock it live you have no idea. He is the prime reason his band almost blew Dimmu Borgir off the stage. They might play viking prog, but his playing keeps the band rooted in the rock side of classic metal.




13- Don Anderson

He can pulls a sweep arpeggio out of thin air, despite the fact he is mainly adding melody to the more post-rock side of his former band Agalloch. I haven't sought out his current project as Agalloch is a moment in time I do not want to put down.



12- Ace Frehely

You wanted the best you got the best. He plays guitar for the hottest band in the land.  Technically he is outclassed by many players ranked lower than him, but chances are they would not have picked up a guitar in the first place if it was not for him.His solo work is also pretty decent for all you rock soldiers who want the Ace back like he told you so.




11- Trey Azagthoth

He took what Kerry King did and sacrificed it to the Ancient Ones. It returned back to this plan as death metal and crushed many souls. The unique twisted on his personification of chaos, sets him aside as his own island in a genre guilty of rehashing the same old grind. He is the Eddie Van Halen of death metal.

 

Mos Generator : "Shadowlands"

Not unlike the last Atomic Bitchwax album, there is a sense that another stoner rock band is growing up to want to be the Foo-fighters. The difference between this album an Atomic Bitchwax is admitted in the lyrics to the title track that opens the album where they sing "my heart is not too strong" so obviously these guys are not doing cocaine like Atomic Bitchwax. This makes their sound not as upbeat. But the 70s Thin Lizzy vibe is present amid the Grohlism. There is a more metallic tension to  "the Destroyer". The chorus doesn't have the arena rock hook power. But the rest of the song is there, was just anticipating something more FM. There is more of a proto -metal swagger to "Drowning In Your Loving Cup". I don't even drink and it makes me want to shotgun a beer in a Camaro. The guitar solo is fucking awesome. I don't even listen for guitar solos but this makes me want to shotgun one in a Camaro.

"Stolen Ages" must refer to the fact they just stole the riff from the previous song. The rest of the band did not get this memo and got really stoned instead and are just going to jam if you are cool with that. They almost go off into some Allman Brothers, but decide to rock out on that riff again. "Gamma Hydra" is too angular and happy for me. It almost sounds like King's X, though without all the Beatles harmonies. While is very driving, it doesn't feel like there is really much to "the Blasting Concept" though it is better than the song before it. The bass player really gets it before they go off into more of a jam. "Woman Song" is a little more upbeat in mood not pace . It's more of a boogie that leaves me waiting to see how big the chorus and it doesn't hit. There is a little shade of Sabbath, but it is not as heavy. There is a more melodic break where the melody changes that I like.

They really jam out the second half of "Wild & Gentle Dogs" . The guitar playing on this one has echoes of Pink Floyd at times.

CHRCH : "Light Will Consume Us All"

Twenty minute opening songs tend to piss me off. This one could have had the first 5 minutes shaved off as it takes that long for them to break out of the drone and get down to business. This waste of time is a shame because the Sacramento trio has their sound dialed in for their 2nd full length. The female vocals have a crusty touch to them. Riff wise They play off the same theme. The vocals become a nastier scowl the more this song builds. At the 13 minute mark it ebbs back down for her to lightly sing over. This part drags on for longer than need be as well and could have shaved another 3 minutes off this song. That would have made this a more compelling 12 minute song. The guitar solos are well done, but also get a little on the jammy side.

They throw some pretty weighty sludge on you with "Portals". In fact it reminds me a little of King Woman. The difference being the vocals here sound really good over the guitar. This band creates cool sounds where King Woman writes cool songs. The hypnotic elements are easy to get lost in. To the point you can't tell where you are at in the song. They cross the line from sludge to doom on the last song "Aether". If you don't know how that is done, the answer is ...adding a more mournful or morose interval. Adding a darker or more sinister tone can work to like Black Sabbath did when they added the tri-tone. Though Black Sabbath was never just a doom band. It's done hear and it almost become more of a funeral doom due to how lethargic and dramatic things get. The vocals become a more faint layer. The guitar is beautiful on this song, though I wish the vocals contributed more to the meat of the song. Midway into the song the screamed vocals work pretty well. They come even more to the forefront for a black metal tinged part when things speed way up.

The last song pretty much tipped the balance for this album, so I am giving it an 8. These kids have a ton of potential and they are almost to that King Woman or Pall Bearer level, the songs just need a little more fine tuning and less drone off a riff type of thing, that I am not singling these guys out for as it often comes with the genre, I think they can exceed expectations so I am not going to just lump them in with the hundreds of other sludge bands in my in-box.

Looking Back in Anger at Tool's "Aenima"

Continuing to listen back to Tool's catalog and see how it holds up in this case 25 years later.The band's second full length finds them being elevated into legendary status. In the days before the internet the mystery of what they were doing gave them more mystique. They open the song with an arena rock sized groove and explosive chorus. Maynard's vocals are much more nuanced and the production gives a bigger sound all the way around that bands trying not to be nu-metal would begin to copy. The groove to " Eulogy" is more subtle and less of a dramatic departure from where they were on "Undertow". The chords are bigger and more powerful when they do build dynamically. The most dramatic shift in their sound was the more introspective space given to "H" that gives Maynard's vocals more room to breath, thus proving that he can really sing his ass off in a very honest emotional way.

The most impressive introduction of Justin Chancellors playing is on "Forty Six & 2". The bass slithers in a very hypnotic fashion. Working off a expand and retract loud to soft dynamic that now is more common place, here this held a great deal of weight and power and is Danny Carey's first real shining moment on this album where he really establishes himself as a monster, The album's heaviest and most aggressive moment comes on the industrial strength pound of "Hooker With a Penis" where Maynard rages against the machine on selling out. The album balance out the dynamic contrast with "Jimmy" which broods on a more esoteric groove, with the vocal providing both aggression and atmosphere. "Push It" is not only Maynard's best vocal performance , but the lyrical depth is moving. The dynamics are very graceful, proving their shade of heavy can be beautiful. The title track is powerful, but doesn't seem as heavy as it did when this album came out. Lyrically it remains relevant.

" Third Eye" sampled Bill Hicks and brought this genius who masqueraded as a comedian to another generation who might have missed out on his truth if not for this introduction. This song is sonically intense and writhes around in a hypnotically exotic manner. Another song that seemed really heavy in it's day , but paired against the likes of Meshuggah or Deathspell Omega not so much. The vocals in the more atmospheric break are great. I like the mood swings this song displays. This is one of the rare albums that has to go all the way up to an 11 when I score it. Perhaps twenty other albums I can think of might come to mind deserving of such a score, maybe more as Chelsea Wolfe might not be the first who comes to mind though I know that she earned one at one point. Still this is to say it falls under an elite class of albums that go beyond what we thought perfect could be. But how will the albums after this one hold up ?

At the Gates : " To Drink From the Night Itself"

The Swedish Death Metal icons return with their sixth album which finds Lurking Fear guitarist Jonas Sthalhammar joining an otherwise close to original line up. They were so head of their time that rehashing where they have already ventured is going to sound like modern death metal. They always carried a thrashing slant to their brand of melodic death metal. "A Stare Bound in Stone" is not a dramatic shift from the title track that opens the album. The vocals stick to a pattern that is already predictable by the third song. I know what they are capable of so I want to hear the glimmers of adventure they might seek out to keep things fresh. It's going to be a well recorded album and the execution will be excellent when it comes to their technical proficiency. "Palace of Lepers" has a smoother groove before racing off at an almost hard core pace. It's hard not to nod your head to it. 

There is an interesting melodic break in the otherwise aggressive "Daggers of Black Haze". The more straight forward bulldozing death metal of "the Chasm" is less interesting in it's one dimensional attack. Even on their more middle of the road moments the guitar is extremely well played . It's when they charge full speed ahead and forsake any gallop or groove that I feel they are passing up their potential. They come closer to reaching a balance on " In Nameless Sleep", but it's not as good as the first three songs. "the Colors of the Beast" benefits from a more deliberate pace.The vocals sound like there is more attention to details from a production stand point. They meet some where between the more melodic song writing sensibilities they have and keeping up the trashing speed of death metal on "A Labyrinth of Tombs".

They went into "Seas of Starvation" with a darker more melodic touch which is forsaken for the more typical thrashing they engage in. This begins to feel a little redundant by the time we get to "In Death They Shall Burn". It sounds like the are playing what one might learn as a riff  "in the style of " At the Gates. "the Mirror Black " might be the album's darkest and most melodic song.  Not their best album, but I will give it an 8.5 as it's well done and these guys still manage to be relevant. Century Media drops this on May 16.