The Last Temptation of Taylor Swift

I think anyone who has read this blog for any length of time, might be aware of the fact I'm a pretty big Taylor Swift fan, she has pretty much set the bar for what pop music should be around here. For someone who is so in control of their career, it is odd watching this odd public perception regarding who she is and what she represents. As someone who up to this point has possessed a keen sense of charisma regarding her steering of public perception, it feels like she is coming to a bend in the road. She has been too keen and perhaps cooly calculating in her brand, and it begins to make you wonder about certain theories that gained a groundswell of support online. Before we dive into that let's talk about the more irritating elements that are out of her control. 

These irritants come from people who are not Swifties. In fact, they can not decide if they love her or hate her. At one moment they are claiming she is an environmental terrorist, and decrying the fact that she is a billionaire, reminding you that Billionaires are not just Elon Musks of the world but that Swift is included in that number. Then those very same people want to use her as the symbol of feminism and make her the champion invading football games, which they feel is sticking it to toxic masculinity. Some might be ready to scoff at these words and try to lump me in with those same dreaded men when I do not watch Football or any other sport regardless of Tay Tay's involvement in the games. In fact, I say don't discourage little girls from watching football because of Taylor Swift, discourage them from watching it because it's a mindless waste of time. Another confusing element people get confused since I am an avid gym goer, they assume that means I also like sports because pro athletes go to the gym too. The real reason I work out is to become a post-apocalyptic overlord, not to play good sports ball.

Granted we should not care about the opinions of someone whose beliefs carry such little integrity that they sway in such a way that they are willing to use people as the example of champions for the narrative of the day. If you don't like Taylor Swift cause she is a billionaire, oh well, she is not losing sleep over that will charge more for her next tour that you can't afford either. She is an environmental terrorist you say? Last time I checked we got oil tankers burning in oceans, this world is going down the shitter, it's too late, so prepare to die. Death is a natural part of the life cycle embrace it, it's your ego telling you otherwise. 

that leaves us with this ....

Gaylor Swift As with any conspiracy the best way to question its validity is to ask how much money is at stake

https://qz.com/how-much-money-taylor-swift-has-made-the-kansas-city-ch-1851209178

a lot and that is not even getting to the money Swift could stand to lose if she was an out lesbian who was not welcomed to tour in certain countries or her albums were banned in them. She likes money, so much so she has re-recorded her entire catalog to stay in control of the publishing rights as she knows that is where the real money lies. Good for her. Not surprising if she uses a "beard" to do so and keep the illusion going. Though imagine if she gave this kind of drag king performance at the Super Bowl 

 

 

 I am fine with it either way, some of my favorite artists are sexually complicated people ...Morrissey, David Bowie, Ghaal, Rob Halford, Miley Cyrus, Ani Difranco, and Elton John. I think it adds dimension to who they are as artists, by tapping into wider ranges of energy. It's also unlikely Swift falls on the same end of the spectrum as the Indigo Girls. However, the elaborate subterfuge is an old Hollywood trick going back to the 1920s. But it does make you wonder if her press agent is not responsible for her AI porn. If she is wheeling and dealing with the reptiles. Who knows, I don't care, I am not using her as anything but a pop singer who makes great music, she is more of a distraction from the end of the world, than a herald of it. But if you are using her to push your agendas and narrative, she is a complex person you do not get to pick and choose, what fits the point you are trying to make, if you want her as your feminist poster girl, she is also the Queen of Capitalism who is willing to create an Oz to rule her kingdom, perhaps the girl behind the curtain just wants to watch the world burn with her cats as she pays for her elite bunker below. 

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Alkaline Trio : "Blood, Hair and Eyeballs"

 

I first started caring about this band when I found out two of the members are fellow card-carrying members of the Church of Satan. They are making very catchy pop-punk with dark underpinnings. I have enjoyed everything I have heard from these guys in the past. but everything seems dialed in tighter for this album. Their melodic sensibility sometimes reminds me of Bad Religion if they were into the Addams Family instead of politics. The anthemic chords of "Versions of You" remind me of the Scorpions in places. With songs about being stalked by bulletproof robots, how can you go wrong? 

There is a little more skip in their step on "Scars" but it's not happy enough pop-punk to become a deal breaker for me. They also experiment with some cool guitar tones. This is a really well-produced album, though not so much that it has all of the punk lost in the slick mix. The biggest influence from Matt Skiba's time in Blink 182 can be felt on "Shake With Me". The breakdown in the song's third act compensates for this. The title track is a break-up song of sorts, that is more of a personalized take on the album's larger theme of apocalypse culture. 

The more matter-of-fact tone of "Broken Down in a Time Machine" finds them walking more of a pop-punk middle ground. It is not the album's catchiest chorus, but it works better than most punk we are likely hearing this year, as these guys came from another time when songwriting was king. The vocals are not obligatory yelling, but purposeful crooning. The album closes with "Teenage Heart" which coasts off of a more lingering tension. Lyrically the song takes the turn you might have hoped was coming, These guys play off the clever biting wit of the lyrics, which helps to set them apart. I will give this album a 9.5, it might not be the most rebellious or rowdy punk album you will hear this year, but it is going to be hard to beat the kind of presentation they have dialed in here. 

/

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Static X : "Project Regeneration vol 2"

 

This is the second release from the band after Wayne Static's death. The first I have decided to check out as it features everyone but Wayne, and this seems to be the current state of things with the band. From the first three songs, I can say it captures the mood of the band close enough. What is not in play is the spastic vocal phrasing Static was known for. Edsel captures his spirit in other ways, but the jerky staccato phrasing that marked their classic sound is not present as this is a more straightforward industrial metal. In places his delivery has more in common with Rob Zombie than Wayne, I love the "Wisconsin Death Trip" album and think it only makes sense that it is the standard this album is held against if they are truly trying to be the same band. 

The atmosphere has smoothed things over here in a manner that is different than their original legacy. Is it better than the bulk of what Dope does? Yes. "No Hope" is the first song that songs more like Static X. Though the vocals at times follow more the status quo for industrial, which Wayne brought more of a jagged edge to. Six songs in and I am starting to hear this as a decent album for what it is. since it's well done, however, I am not sold on this being called Static X. Since vocals aside you could have another singer come in and this could sound like a White Zombie album, Marilyn Manson album, or a Stabbing Westward album. A great deal of this lies in the guitar not dominating the mix. 

"Tone" finds Edsel making more of an attempt to follow Static's style, but with only half the balls. The guitars are once again the issue as they need to be more in your face. "Run For Your Life' finds the guitars coming closer to how they should sound, but in the juggling act, the vocals are less focused on their mission statement, despite being produced in a manner more like their older sound. The sad fact about a song like "Dark Place' is the sad boi act is closer to Korn's latter-day emo leanings than anything that might make you grab your shovel. "Disco Otsego" has some familiar sounds and phrases, I can't believe they are letting them do this to them. The Korn comparison might be useful for "From Heaven" but feels like it was left off the "Queen of the Damned " soundtrack. The cover of "Terrible Lie" works pretty well, and makes for a hateful enough machine. The last bonus track also chugs by with a familiar enough feeling to sound fine. I will give this one an 8, if this was not supposed to be Static X and was some new nu-metal revival band I would not hold it to such a high standard. 

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Slower : "S/t"

 This supergroup features Fu Manchu, Kylesa, Monolord, Kyuss, Year of the Cobra, and Lowrider members. They are not just a Slayer tribute band reimagining the songs at more Black Sabbath-like speeds, With a song like "War Ensemble" this really reconstructs things in such a way that it feels like they have written a new song, as there are only sections that remind you of the original version. Female vocalized that harmonized feel more like a chant on the now lumber version of 'The Antichrist". It does gain a new groove that feels darker than the original which is fitting given the subject matter. When the guitar solos are slowed down that also brings a creepier element into play sonically. 

Obviously, this tempo change almost doubles the length of most of these songs. By "Blood Red' the approach to the vocals feels like it needs to be switched up a bit, and on the chorus, it is to a marginal extent, not that they need to try to Tom Araya it but. enough variation to wink in the direction of the songs which all have their own vocal flow. They do pick up the pace enough to sound like a doomed-out version of the original. They do sing lower to try to respect the darker mood of "Dead Skin Mask". Which in some ways finds them able to come closer to the original than perhaps on the more aggressive songs they have tackled up to this point. 

"South of Heaven" much like "Dead Skin Mask" has already met them halfway. The vocals are once again, working like a one-trick pony, doom metal is a genre with a wide range of vocal stylings, but the singers are capable of doing more and adding more vocal colors, but this is what we get. It works but feels like the same color was used to death here. The elements that have been working continue to work, perhaps with even more ease considering the song. This was a fun album and I will give it a 9, because despite the monochrome vocal dynamics it is well executed. Slayer is one of my favorite bands, so for me to like this says how well done it is. 

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Darkest Hour : "Perpetual | Terminal'

 

The opening track summarizes what has made Darkest Hour one of the most enduring modern metal bands, as it takes their hard-core roots and bridges them with harmonized guitar lines that rival any of the more melodic death metal coming out of Northern Europe. It is unrelenting yet melodic and hooky enough at the chorus. The second song is a more pummeling face-first assault. There are some of the thrashing hooks that they opened the album with, but they attack with sharper teeth. The chorus once again is sung and contrasts the hard-core stomp that accents the song. Thanks to guitarist Nico Santora, they are capable of shredding on a level that sets them apart from the more collar punk beginnings. They however are clearly working off a formula as the song works similar paths, just at different velocities. 

By the time we arrive at "The Nihilist Undone," I am ready for more of a dynamic shift, but instead what we get is another demonstration of hyper-aggressive guitar heroics that races by with an At the Gates-like tempo. The melodic singing on "One with the Void' is very effective as it employs the wider range of sonic colors they were beginning to need to break them away from the songwriting template that was marking the first act of the album. "Amor Fati" is an instrumental interlude that just feels like the outro to the previous song. They are back at a more breakneck pace on "Love is Fear". This could very well be Lamb of God if you took all the Pantera influence out of Lamb of God.  This feeling can carry over into the song that follows this as well, though it has a more effective groove. 

They do return to sung vocals and put melody forefront on "Mausoleum".This also digs into darker emotions. It is not a power ballad but works off a similar dynamic."My Only Regret" is more hardcore in its drive.  The last song as a two and a two-and-a-half-minute instrumental intro before the blast into the thrash fury you are expecting to come from this.  I will give this a 9 and see how it sits with me, as this is not normally my thing, but I respect these guys and they are great at what they do, the more melodic moments are more interesting than the more At the Gates-like moments. 

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Middle Kids : "Faith Crisis'

 

This Australian band is moving in a poppier direction, which is still effective as they are writing pop songs with a great deal of heart and thought invested in them. Unlike most actual pop artists, they do not have a team of producers and songwriters but hash things out as a band, with the guitar still at the forefront of what they are doing, though the sugar-coated vocals of Hannah Joy are pushed further into the spotlight. It is generally upbeat, though with introspective lyrics that are sometimes self-deprecating. The album is well produced and while sonically falling somewhere between HAIM and Boygenius, they are not quite as radio-ready as Haim even on more anthemic songs like "The Blessings", but this plays to their favor since most radio sucks. 

"Bootleg Firecracker" is not far removed from Taylor Swift's more organic moments, though Joy's vocal style is a little more indie folk here. She is not going for anthemic choruses either. There is a little more of a rock feel to "Highlands" The vocals are still really catchy, but the emphasis shifts a little toward the guitar riffs.  'Bend" finds Hannah strumming her way through what at first feels like a ballad until it gains more dynamic traction. The bass line to "Go to Sleep on Me" takes more prominence. When the guitar comes in it feels more like the Cure's poppier moments. There is an indie rock shuffle to "Terrible News ". They continue to prove themselves lyrically superior to the bulk of pop music with songs like "Philosophy". 

"Your Side Forever" is a little more of an honest and vulnerable take on pop.  The last song is more of a ballad, that sets the stage for a duet with Gang of Youth's David Le'aupepe, which works well enough for what it is for this album. Overall I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it sits with me, it is going to be hard to beat in terms of pop, and perhaps it's perfection will become clearer with more listens as it settles in with me, but a great replacement for the lack of new Haim.    

Faith Crisis Pt 1 by Middle Kids

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Inquisition : " Veneration of Medieval Mysticism and Cosmological Violence"

 The notorious Columbian black metal duo is back. They hammer it out in a manner that is more in line with their 2010 album "Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm". They love long titles to both albums and songs. Many of the songs are possessed by an eerie throb while Dagon gives his best croak. It sits more forward in the mix on this album and has a drier sound to it. At times a few phrases declared in a more spoken tone. The guitars are placed oddly in the mix, single not leads mixed to the front while the main riffs churn behind the crash of the drums. It is one of those odd mixes that creates an interesting effect that gives the overall sound of the album a unique charm. 

"Force of Death is the Force of Life" is the first song where these guys move at a more blasting speed. Granted that is four songs into the album, so that works as they have already established they are writing songs here and not just out for a blast fest. The blast beats are used in a more balanced dynamic manner on "Memories Within an Empty Castle in Ruins". Incubus' drumming is particularly on point for this album as the barrage of double bass he pours on for "Primordial Philosophy and Pure Spirit" works really well. They lay out a pretty literal understanding of their beliefs in "Infinity is the Aeon of Satan". This also might underline the most articulate presentation of their vocals to give the message a more pronounced platform. 

"Light of My Dark Essence" finds an interesting shift in some of the guitar sounds. The more aggressive under current rages in the background of more melodic layers. These guys are not one of the heaviest black metal bands, but they are one of the more thoughtful ones. He actually makes an attempt to sort of sing for a phrase or two on "Secrets from the Wizard Forest of Forbidden Knowledge". There are moments where things pick up in intensity, but I am not sure it is something I really need from them as I am pretty entertained by their weirder leanings. This is thankfully the direction they take the title track.  Over all this album is enjoyable I will give it a 9 and see how it grows on me, if you are a fan then this is not a stretch , though more melodic. 

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PESTILENGTH : "Solar Clorex"

 

This Spanish duo carves out its third full-length of grime-filled death metal. The vocals are at a low nasty gurgle. They belch forth unintelligible growls that sound like demons drowning in your toilet. The strength of the band lies in their dense riffing. Everything else has an odd atmosphere, but still a raw and unhinged sound. "Occlusive" is like slow grindcore. It sounds like death metal that sank into hot lava and was being burned alive. They take more chances and delve into pure weirdness with "Enthronos Wormwomb" which even wanders off into this jazzy section, though the main heavy riff has an odd angular thing going on, so at this point in the album you begin to hear who these guys are when you peel away the distortion. \This makes it their best song so far.  

At two minutes "Baleful Profusion' feels like it is a bridge to another song rather than a free-standing song in its own right. They come out of this and go into a more aggressive stomping style of death metal, that is similarly driven by double bass to the more commonplace death metal classics, though the song is coated in bizarre. There is a riff that sounds like the verse riff to Mr Bungle's "My Ass is on Fire" in their song 'Oxide Veils" before they blast off into a more full-throttle style of death metal. There are some fun twists and turns on this album, I will give these guys credit for that. 

There is a darker more surreal darkness opening the gateways of "Choirs of None". They close things with a more straightforward and sewer-haunting version of Death Metal. Midway into the song it begins to get possessed by the kind of chaos that has been creeping around the bulk of this album.,  I will give this album an 8 , I appreciate taking death metal in this direction. 

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Hot Garbage : "Precious Dream"

 When the first song hit, I was not sure what I was being hit with. There is a sonic heaviness to it, but it's not metal. I had to get into the first song before I could discern it's some sort of oddly mutated garage rock that is being attacked by the effects pedals of a shoegaze band. The more surf rock influences do not emerge until the second song. Female vocals that are not unlike the self-deprecating moan of Kim Gordan, are on this mic this time around. Once they begin to drive down the dark road that is "Lowering" the album takes a turn in a tense more post-punk direction, that has a more jammy feel. While this is cool and sounds great live I am sure, that when it diverts several songs in a manner that feels like it's turning the album into one long jam, I begin to question things like songwriting. 

It took a few listens to really dissect what was going on here and separate the songs from the sound. The riff shifts into more of a surf punk thing that sounds like Link Wray jamming with the Stooges. The nature of what they do here is more simplistic, but to their credit it works for me here more than when I have heard other bands do something similar. There is more going on with "Tunnel Traps" sonically but the riff is similar though the vocals dripping with effects and being drugged out. This is not the album's first psychedelic moment, but the drugs are kicking in harder here for sure. "Sarabandit" is more of a 60s-like take on garage psych. 

There is a trance-like element to the more woozy sounds swirling in "Blue Cat". In some ways it drones in others it reminds me of Stone Roses. 'Traveller/ Caravan' finds the trippiness going in the more predictable manner that is more commonplace with this sort of thing. "Erase My Mind" does this with a smooth-sailing motion as the song drifts into the night. It is darker which works better for my ears. I will give this wild wonderland a 9, it took turns I did not expect. 

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KMFDM : "LET GO"

 KMFDM is doing it again. This treat for the freaks is less of a truth or dare, and more of a neon-dripping funk explosion that does coke in the same dirty bathrooms as My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. There is more guitar in "Push!" but it is executed less aggressively than what might be thought of as their classic sound. This gradual change over the past few albums has come to a more noticeable head here,  I really like the more robotic tone to "Next Move". It is a more dystopian song, a vibe I can live with if they are moving away from industrial. While in some ways different the first three songs at least meet expectations of a KMFDM album even if it is less aggressive. 

"Airhead" is surprisingly melodic, and almost pop-rock. They seem to be reflecting on the 80s here. "Turn the Light On" is more like something the Revolting Cocks might have done in one of their more lucid moments. It is not one of this project's most powerful grooves if we are weighing against their legacy of work. "Touch" falls somewhere between dark wave and future pop.  The underlying pop sensibilities of this album should be noted here. While I am fine with it I am not sure where this is going to fall with their rivet-head industrial fans. However, there are a few moments that are almost passable as industrial. 

While there is less grit and heft to the tones used to capture these songs, most of the songwriting is pretty on point. 'Totem E Eggs' perhaps being too weird for its own good. "WW2023" steps back into a darker path, even with the dub elements. The last track is under a minute and really just more of an outro of odd grooving. This album is going to take a bit to grow on me, but I am optimistic that it will so I will go ahead and give it a 9.5, despite the fact it is not as dark or aggressive as I might want it to be. Being dropped on Metropolis Records.  

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Rejoice : "All of Heaven's Luck"

 Rejoice is a  band from Ohio who are kicking some venomous brand of metallic hardcore. Their singer's malicious snarl gives it a darker edge along with the Slayer vibes coming from their riffs. They are not afraid of guitar solos but do not overindulge in them. They are possessed by more of a stomp on "Bloodsucker" The songs stay under three minutes, so they are just hear to kick you in the guts and then chug the hell out of here. 

There is more of a rock n roll undercurrent to "Dancing on the Cross". Normally I do not like just using Satanic imagery without legitimate darkness behind it, but it does create a fun vibe to the song. This song is catchy as hell for as heavy as it is. This is a lesson for heavy bands, that you do not have to compromise heaviness to write a good song. They counter this by throwing themselves into a reckless blasting on "Burnt By Dusk". In some ways, this reminds me of a less sludge-driven Fistula.  

"Menace" carries a chug that brings "Bonded By Blood" era Exodus to mind. There are some darker heavier sonic, along with the kind of swampy punk shuffle Goatwhore has been known to bring to the party. Ringworm is also a fair point of reference but these guys feel a little more fun. They pour on the speed as the last song builds, which they have used a fair amount of restraint throughout this album with, and even then let things go into more of an ass-kicking breakdown. I know some comparisons can be drawn to Goatwhore , but I am not sure about these guys being blackened hard-core, I think they are moshing the fine line between hard-core and metal. I will give this album a 9.5, it is fun as shit, I will see how it grows on me. 

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New Years Day : "Half Black Heart"

 

One of the few more commercially minded bands I am a fan of. They continue to hit the right spot of enough heft to feel metal while blending pop vocals with these weighty grooves. Since they hit the scene the competition is more apparent with bands like Spirit Box and Jinjer gaining more recognition. The groove to the title track proves they can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those bands.Ash Costello's voice has more piercing power. She can carry enough guts with her voice, to not be forced to resort to screaming. This helps the song avoid what has become a formula that is beginning to wear thin. 

Speaking of formula "Hurt's Like Hell" is not the band's most inspired song, despite being on of the album's lead singles. It just sounds like a generic wrestling entrance song. The big anthemic chorus to "Secrets' works better as the verses break down and allow her to show different shades of her voice rather than just having to belt it out at 11 the entire song. "Fearless" is a little more radio-minded, but the big rock hook pays off and the song clicks together. The same could be said and perhaps to a greater extent with "Bulletproof" as the hooks in this song are as finely crafted as any pop hit.

"Burn it All Down" feels more like a pop song that got turned into a hard rock song. I appreciate the nuance, and dynamic ebb and flow, but do not feel it's as airtight as the previous song. "Enemy" is pretty middle-of-the-road when it comes to intentionally epic modern rock songs. Even if it means not going as hard for the sake of songwriting I think "I Still Believe' is a better song, allowing a greater range of dynamics. It should be said that this album is immaculate when it comes to production, the attention given to the vocals is top-notch. I was looking forward to "Unbreak My Heart" as I assumed it was a cover of the Toni Braxton song, but that is not the case. It is however a decent song in its own right. "So Sick" has a darker groove, which is what I want from this band, and thinking back over this album it could be a little darker. The last song also works well in blending the pop end of their spectrum with the more edgy guitar sound. I will give this album a 9, as it might not be their best, but it is a well-produced and executed exercise in refining what they do best. 

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Modern Life is War : "Tribulation Worksongs"

 

This is an album of 3 7inch releases that have been compiled, but I am counting this as an actual album since the way they are presented here flows sensibly. Things kick off with a more punk rock feel. The guitar that keeps "Feels Like End Times" in motion has a great deal of the rock side of the punk rock equation. The vocals that are shouted with a great deal of anger are the most hardcore thing about this song. It is however a great song so it does not matter if they are hardcore or not. It sounds like this is how these guys are if they just picked up their instruments and took the stage. 

They work off of a very high in-your-face energy. From what I can make out of the lyrics I can appreciate the sentiment. The bass drives the second song, though the guitars join in with frantic rock n roll fervor. Things get a little more serious with  "Survival". They are still more on the side of punk, but attacking it with renewed intensity. "Lonesome Valley Ammunitions" finds the intensity dialed up and I think the sonic heaviness of it along with the hyper-aggressive delivery of the vocals crosses the line over into hardcore. It works off a building tension. Two minutes in and the drummer is really earning his cut of the door. 

"Indianapolis Talking Blues" is a spoken word piece where they are taking on more of a Western flair. This ambling Americana is appreciated, as the lyrics keep things abstract to give a wider panoramic view of the dumpster fire world. Then comes their cover of the Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog" Rather than try to follow the vocal cues of Iggy which would require actual singing, he screams his way through it. "End Times Dub" is a remix that works pretty well. I will give this one a 9.5, these guys are solid and what I look for from punk iff if they did just scream their way through the Stooges cover, I can live with it, at least they know who the Stooges are making them real punk. 

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Cold in Berlin : "the Body is the Wound"

Long-time readers of this blog will know my affinity for this band. They have always encompassed what I love in music, darkness and sonic heaviness. They flirt with metal without abandoning their post-punk core. Just because I love them does not mean that I am going to go easy on them, in fact, it means I have higher expectations for them. These expectations are either met on their new ep or exceeded. They have managed to reach a stellar balance on the opening track to their new ep. There are both dark wave synths, combined with the heftier drive that marked their 2019 album "Rituals of Surrender"  There is a pulsing groove that flows even amid its sluggish rumble. Maya's voice takes command of the song. 

The second song is more organic and doom-oriented. The vocals are not as hook-oriented as the previous song, but still effective in how she cries out into the night. In these four songs, each seems to hone in on a different aspect of the band. "When Did You See Her Last". There is more of a post-punk feel to this one, though by the second verse they are bringing more meat to the guitars, creating a much heavier shift that ebbs back for the vocals. Maya's voice seems to continue to mature into deeper levels of power and emotion with each album. The London-based band reaffirms their ability to both mesmerize and pulverize in equal doses. 

"Found Out" continues to take you further into the darkness, but with a more overdriven rock feel that gives room to breed the shadowy atmosphere. There are lyrically many references to things occurring after the Witching Hour, this is fitting given the nature of what they are painting with these songs. These are tales of urban misgivings. What goes on in ark alleys behind dive bars. The band's sense of songwriting has become more refined on this EP. The only problem is that it leaves me wanting more songs.I will give what we have been given here at 10 as they are clearly the masters of their gloomy sonic domain here, and I can only hope they get more of the recognition they deserve. If you are a fan of doom, goth, or post-punk this album is a must. 

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Marbled Eye : "Read the Air"

 

Here is a San Francisco post-punk band that carries plenty of tense jangles. They have a great guitar sound, that is warm and organic without paying an overt amount of homage to the classic sound of the genre. The main sticking point for me with these guys that they need to overcome with me lies in the vocals. The vocals are spoken and monotone. They begin to work around this on "Tonight", and while it is passable on the first two songs, not something I would want to return to. They make more of an attempt to sing on "Starting Over' but it never manages to string together enough actual notes to be considered a croon. It is not Ian Curtis worship either. Even more deadpan than Curtis. 

This one-trick pony tone of the vocals puts even more pressure on the guitars, which they deliver more often than not, but some moments are not as inspired. There is marginally more punk sentiment to "See It Too" that attempts to obscure the fact this guy might not be able to sing and is just an obligatory voice. It also begins to sound like just your run-of-the-mill garage rock by this song. On "All of the Pieces" the staccato guitars do more to balance things out and provide space for the vocals to do less. From there all the sounds begin to sound alike and it begins to become a wall of jangle that faces into the background. The same thing can happen with other genres of music like death metal where the vocals are just there to have a human layer, but aside from the lyrics being articulated because they are basically spoken, everything sounds too uniform. 

The last song is a little more downtrodden, but generally, the guitars are bright, so there is nothing all that dark about what they are doing here. If you think of a band like the Smiths, who used brighter guitar tones, they also had one of the best singers to balance this out.  These guys play their instruments well, but really it's the vocals that bored the hell out of me, perhaps that was the intent or perhaps that is the intent though the guy just can't sing, they might do better with an actual singer, even punk yelling might work better who knows as it is I will give this album a 6.5. 

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Labasheeda : "Blueprints"

Here is the Abyss there is a never-ending influx of albums submitted for me to review, but there are only so many hours in the day for me to listen to music, so a band has to have either garnered enough buzz for me to see if the hype is warranted or they have to stand out enough for me to take interest. This band from the Netherlands stood out. This album came out in November, so I am just now catching up. They play a quirky style of garage rock with a great deal of charm in it's jangle. They are not however the raw basic three-chord style that you commonly associate with garage rock, there is a sonic heft to the jangle of guitars that sets them on the more indie rock side of post-punk. More post, less punk. On a song like "Closure," this leads to a moodiness that runs as a simmering undercurrent beneath the song. 

They come closer to the punk side of the equation with the palm-muted tension of 'Sparkle".  They meander slightly on the thoughtful "Homeless", but it proves to still be an effective song in terms of its overall ebb and flow.  Lead singer Saskia's voice stands out as she is just herself when she steps up to the mic. This is refreshing as so many singers these days are merely emulating someone else. There is a melancholy apathy to her voice that reminds me 90s alternative rock at times, but there is not a particular singer you can say she draws inspiration from. I like where she goes with her voice on the breather "Vanity". 

"Minus Minus" highlights another one of this band's strengths, which is never writing two songs that are alike. Saskia's voice grounds them to sound like who they are , but at times there is a more jarring angular twitch to the groove, at others, things flow more languidly with more varied instrumentation being employed. They might be as dark as what I normally listen to, but things shift in that direction for "Procedure" which might be my favorite song on the album. A similar urgency also haunts "Tigre Royal" though midway into the song things the drums gain momentum. The album closes with the more folky musings of "What Remains is Love". 

This album caught me by surprise and I found myself drawn into more than I expected, when the violin or viola is brought out things get really interesting, but even in their most raw form , this band delivers off-kilter often angular songs with a great deal of thought and heart invested in them. I will give this album a 9, and recommend it to readers who like indie rock with experimental quirk or post-punk that is organic and colors the songs with more than just shades of gray. This is worth a listen for sure.  

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Midas Fall : " Cold Waves Divide Us"

 A big fan of their 2015 album "The Menagerie Inside"  despite building a bigger buzz with their 2018 album it somehow flew under the radar for me, after hearing the chilling brilliance of their new album "Cold Waves Divide Us" I might need to go back and give it a listen. Elizabeth Heaton's vocals are powerfully emotive. The underlying brooding of "I Am Wrong" is counterbalanced by the sparkling atmosphere. The guitar tones are out of this world, as this album is perfectly produced. The Scottish band falls somewhere between post-rock and progressive rock. Unlike what most commonly gets depicted as a progressive rock there is not an abundance of odd time signatures or guitar solos.  

They can summon heavy punches thanks to the stellar drumming, but this is not a metal band of any kind. If "Salt" was played on piano it would feel more like Tori Amos, particularly in how she lets her vocal lines wander. Sometimes things wander beyond the scope of the song as "In this Avalanche" becomes obscured by its cloudy vision. The drums are certainly needed to keep focus as proven in "Point of Diminishing Return". They lay the ambiance on thick but things keep moving. They do this without the vocals being a focus. 

"Monsters" is pretty much a ballad. Not even a power ballad though it does build up into something more sonic. They continue to float further into an icy wonderland on "Atrophy" which showcases her upper register though as a song it drifts a bit. Her voice is powerful, but I think they are not using all of their tools here. It is not until the title track that the stormy rock dynamics kick back in. Even then they do so in a more flowing manner and never drop the hammer to the fullest extent. This gives things a more jammy feel. "Little Wooden Boxes" is marginally more grounded. The last song finds the band doubling down on the atmosphere, while the subtle pulse of the song fights for your attention. It took another listen for this song to sink in with me, and I think the album as a whole is going to follow similar suit though it is apparent their singer is a force to be reckoned with. I  will give this album a 9, just off my first impression. 

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Upon Stone : "Dead Mother Moon"

 

There have been many words written about this band from California that have a fair amount of buzz around them. I am going to add to those words in hopes of providing some clarity about what is happening here. Words like Scandinavian, melo-death, and metalcore have all been thrown around regarding these guys. First off there is nothing black metal about this band. They are basically a metalcore band that is trying to play a more melodic style of death metal. Not the first time this has occurred. The most Dissection thing about this album is the cover art. 

They hammer at you with relentless speed and do manage a few guitar melodies to compensate for the furious scowl of the vocals that tend to cause every song to sound the same. Midway into "My, Destiny a Weapon" everything starts bleeding together in a wall of white noise riffage. They go for a more ambitious guitar melody on "Dusk Sang Fairest". What they failed to learn is that in classic death metal, the vocals have more purpose than just being an obligatory layer. When they had more metalcore elements in play things sounded more original than the death metal soup it devolves into. They drop down into an acoustic guitar in one part but it does not really flow with where the song was going. They try to blast there way out of it, but I am not convinced. 

The best riff so far is going into "Paradise Failed" The song itself thrashes with enough conviction for me. They throw themselves into another thrashing blur of speed on "To Seek and Follow the Call of Lions", with an album title that dumb I am glad I can not understand the lyrics. The album from their begins to devolve into just grateful snarling, and guitar solos. There are a few cool riffs that pop up but the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make.  There is a slight rock influence to that last song. The best thing that comes from this is the vocals have more purpose. I stopped paying attention and the stream of this album started over from the beginning and I did not even notice., which sums up this album pretty well. I will give this album a 7.5,  there are a few moments, and it's well executed just not that original. It was just released by Century Media. 

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Yama Uba : "Silhouettes"

 

The members of Oakland-based post-punk Otzi formed a new project that leans more toward dark wave Timing is everything, as it seems so far this year all I have had to review has been death metal, so since this is one of the first albums of this sort I am reviewing this year it feels fresher than it might if I was reviewing this album in October. The second song follows more of the color-by-numbers approach to the modern take on dark wave. They shine on moments like "Shatter" where groove and punchy vocal hooks create something memorable. \

When they add a punk edge to the familiar dark wave sounds, things click into place with greater ease. Lyrically things need to be as mature as the mood their instruments create. In pondering where in the genre lyrics are handled in the most pristine manner, the first two names that came to mind were Chelsea Wolfe and Grave Pleasures. Not everyone has a way with words nor does every band invest the same ear for detail, but that is what creates the greatest acts, which I do not think at this point such an honor would be rightly bestowed upon this band, who are  Are they better than the bulk of their peers? Yes, but that is a low bar. To their credit this is not total Siouxsie worship, in fact, they remind me more of Switchblade Symphony. 

There are some moments of morose musing that wallow too deeply into a drone. The guitar seeks to follow more of an early Cure path in this regard, so it is less riff-oriented. The saxophone on "Isolation" leans into more of an 80s sound, but at least breaks away from just being confined to the approved goth sounds. Somewhere around "Laura" the album started to fade into the background for me and I had to go back and give the second half another listen. "Laura" has more drive, but sonically stays in a small black box. This carries over until; the album ends with the last being the track that stands out the most, that to more purposeful vocals. I will give this album an 8, as they do care about song writing, even when mired down into the genre's more predictable tropes. 

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Livgone : "Almost There"

 

This gloomy band from France plays a doomy style of rock that is shrouded in atmosphere. Elise's vocals are typically sung from a purposeful alto. Things do not get to the full extent of weirdness they are capable of until the second actual song, which progresses from an ebbing chant into a spaced-out ambiance. I appreciate their willingness to experiment, but think they could have gotten the point across and cut some of it back in post-production. Not sure it warrants making it a ten-and-a-half-minute song. 

"Watching Them Feel" makes better use of their tendency toward atmospherics, as the drums are still allowed to give it some drive. There is almost a shoe gaze-like feeling to this. The guitars shimmer as they are tremolo-picked with post-rock grandiosity. This is well contrasted by the lighter whimsy of the vocal melody before being thrust back into an even more powerful storm. They know how to use dynamics to the fullest effect.  This allows them to create something unique and they are not prone to wear their influences on their sleeves. Though with that said "Dance  So I Can" feels a little more like Raspuntina. They do build it up into something heavier and more doomy. 

The album then goes in a more chilling and dissonant direction with the vocals spoken over an almost black metal tremble of guitar. It is an effective sound, but I prefer the more song-oriented direction they were in just before this. Then the last track is just four and a half minutes of ambient noise. I will give this album a 9, I really like the actual songs, some of the more droning stretches of ambiance I can do without.  This is coming out March 22nd on Svart Records, a good start for the label. 

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Spectral Voice : "Sparagmos"

 Spectral Voice's sophomore album is possessed by a dark anguished atmosphere that draws you in.  At one point in time bands like Necros Christos were referred to as occult death metal, which was a briefly used sub-genre of bands that generally sounded like Incantation. This band would fall along similar lines as they wallow in the darkness and pace things with a more doom mood to it. This works better for me than when they work up into a more blast-beaten frenzy which almost feels more black metal than doom. It might seem like we are throwing a lot of genres around here, but each one holds an emotional significance with its style. The more blood-red aggression is washed over with a coat of darkness, though some riffs still ring through the fog. 

I always think it's weird when the drummer is the vocalist, but it works well enough here, as he musters an impressive roar. The dynamic ebb and flow of their songwriting has continued to mature, even more the kind of extreme crushing chords they are bringing. They typically do not linger in the ambiance for too long, and have a knack for finding the best riffs to build things back up into a head-banging triumph, this is heard particularly on "Red Feasts Condensed into One". "Sinew Censer' is more of a contrast as it drones off angular guitar riffs that create eerie dissonance. It is more about the sound than the song here. When it does build into the more death metal climax it's not the album's catchiest riff. 

The last song is visceral enough, but after it kicks in there is a listless chaos that hovers without form as it drags you through the sonic hellscape. This is another example of where they feel more like black metal than death metal to me. That is until the growl erupts from the tremolo-picked cacophony. Four and a half minutes in and things have not progressed into a more musical middle ground. Sure the vocals are plenty of nasty, but what is there to bring me back in for another listen once I have replayed it a second time just to figure out what I heard the first time. I will give this album an 8.5, as it sometimes gets lost in the atmosphere, but overall that can also be its strength when it hits the right creepy spots. 

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Job For a Cowboy : "Moon Healer"

 Truth be told I never gave these guys much of a chance, though was never really impressed by what I heard from them in passing. This marks the first time they have been reviewed here. There are more melodic elements slithering under the burly exterior of their brand of death metal. Like most bands of this sort when they indulge the need for speed things feel rushed and lose the groove. To their credit for all the technical wonderment and guitar solos burst from the seams of these songs, they stick to cramming them into around four to five minutes rather than long sprawling progressive indulgences. The second song does not do this in a manner that kept my attention like the opening track.

This album is well produced, I appreciate the effect on the vocals. Everything is multitracked to create a massive sound that hits you. They are certainly students of Death's more progressive later years. They indulge younger fans in something closer to metal-core with "The Sun Gave Me Ashes So I Sought Out the Moon". This at least has more groove when they are not racing along rubbery riffs. "Into the Crystalline Crypts" is not as compelling. It weaves and winds with great execution, but does not connect with me in the same way a band like Cattle Decapitation does. Perhaps everything is dialed in so perfectly that it feels sterile.  "A Sorrow Filled Moon" does not bob and weave in the same way taking a more deliberate approach that gives things more room to breathe. 

They pound into "the Agony Seeping Storm" with plenty of authority, which is true to what they do as a band. Does it cover ground that really sets them apart from other bands? Not really.  Perhaps the reason this sort of thing does not click with me is that it doesn't feel heavy to my ears because it is too busy. Morbid Angel is more crushing even on their lackluster material. Carcass is a better balance of the two. This is however well executed and created in a pristine manner I will give this an 8.This drops on Metal Blade Febuary 23rd.  

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Guitless : "Thorns"

 A new band formed by A Storm of Light and Intronaut members is bound to meet expectations for sludge fans. The lumbering stomp that opens this EP only confirms this, The vocals are a throaty bellow. The drumming is very deliberate. guitarist Josh Graham handled the visuals for Neurosis, so there is no surprise their influence weighs heavy on this. They have certainly keyed in a specific sound for what they do, which is somewhere between "Souls at Zero' and "Through Silver and Blood". There is a dark menacing stomp to "All We Destroy" which features some stellar drumming, that keeps this song in motion.  While dialing in a certain sound, they are still writing songs, not just riding the sonic choices they have picked here. The second song has more ebb and flow even if they use atmospheric noise to create this space. 

There is a more brooding feel to "Dead Eye' which gets more room to breathe, allowing the vocals to be more purposeful than just an obligatory roar. More credit goes to their drummer for making smart choices, and not overplaying, but also not just holding the beat. The rumble of the bass is impressive. This album is really well produced, and you get the feeling they captured things they intended here. With sludge, you want this big apocalyptic sound and they certainly knocked that off the charts. 

There is a lingering creepiness that leads into the last song. The drumming wastes no time to get it moving and never allows this album to get dragged into a drone. bark out his last wishes. His vocals have more form and function here as they  One of the main problems is this is just an ep rather than a full album which they might have had more room to experiment and bring new colors of sound to the table, instead of being so devoted to the sludge color by numbers unravelled here. The final minutes find an interesting dissolution into a dark ambiance. I will give this album an 8.5, as it sounds great and they do well with what they have created here. but it resembles Neurosis so much, which can not be by mistake since one of the guys was in Neurosis. But perhaps you are not as familiar with Neurosis and in that case it will be a surprise for your. 

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Emil Bulls : "Love Will Fix It"

 

This marks the German band's 13th release. It falls on the more aggressive side of hard rock, with a bit of a nu-metal bounce in its step. By the second song, the formula is clear, jagged riffs on the verse that is smoothed out by big anthemic choruses and everything is multitracked to get the biggest sound possible. "Happy Birthday You Are Dead to Me" taxes this formula and is grooved out in a darker enough manner that it appeals more to me. Things are more radio-friendly with a slight pop edge on "Levitate". It somehow still works well enough. 

"Whirlwind of Doom' hits pretty hard, but the vocal melody that brings the sugar to things feels a lot like other melodies in how it flows into the song. It is still an effective song despite this. In some of their more introspective moments, they remind me of Duran Duran which contrasts the harder end of their spectrum that falls closer to Slipknot. The title track is like a post-punk pop anthem, that falls neatly in the middle of the road. More often than not metal is an influence that keeps things driving rather than something guys are dishing out. 

"Sick" is another one of the more pop-leaning songs that rock in the same sonic spectrum as 30 Seconds to Mars, though with the heft of their nu-metal underpinnings. "She Ain't Coming Home No More' shows what this new wave of nu-metal is capable of. It finds the perfect balance of the two dynamics and makes the most of the melody. "Dreams and Debris" coasts on their melodic side which is back in the more Duran Duran realm of what they do. 

"Oceans of Grief' is marginally more progressive-minded, with palm-muted guitars bringing a familiar tension to things. The last song "Together" might push things into a more hopeful mood than what I find pleasing to my ears. Lyrically it is also to happy and causes me to reflect on why I do not like bands like Journey who were doing this sort of thing in a different era, though the vocals here are less annoying. Overall while this album might work off a formula it is better than most of the commercial hard rock coming out these days I will give it a 9. 

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BRODEQUIN : "Harbinger of Woe"

After 20 years Brodequin is breaking their silence to release their fourth album. I would not say they are one of Death Metal's biggest names by any stretch of the imagination, but they have enough of an underground following to warrant Season of Mist releasing this album. The drums are rapid-fire, under the more deliberate riffing as the vocals stay at an unintelligible gurgle.  This gurgle gives the songs a more uniform feel that relies on the guitar riffs to control the songs. By the time we are at "Fall of the Leaf" things have already gone awry into a brutal blur. There is a groove equal to what Cannibal Corpse musters on their more mid-paced filler. By the third song, the momentum has run away with them. The chanting of monks randomly thrown in is not going to break any new ground when it comes to atmosphere. 

There is little listening to reason when it comes to songwriting as they seem intent on making each song more brutal than the previous. The drummer is the number one offender in this regard as he is consumed by his need for speed, even when the guitar employs a riff that is a little more nuanced. "Of Pillars and Trees" is despite the maniacal pounding of their drummer the most melodic song so far. The vocals take on the cadence of a tortured pig without committing to a full-on squeal. Past the halfway mark, the album feels a little rushed. There are few moments of nuanced playing when it should be almost the whole album, rather than just trying to beat your ears with the riffs. It might be the heaviest album I have heard so far this year, but it's only January. 

"Vredens Dag" does have a few riffs that are allowed to breathe and create more of a song, but they are driven by a relentless speed, that offers little in the way of dynamics. "Suffocation in Ash" is less interesting than the last song. I will give this album a 7.5, there are strong moments, but they work off a sound more than they work on creating songs, and they have been around long enough to know better. The best thing about the album is the production which makes this sound like death metal for today rather than a band who last banged heads 20 years ago. 

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Abhoria : "Depths"

 

Moodwise the sophomore release from this Los Angeles-based band picks up where they left off last time. They now have Ben Pitts from In the Company of Serpents taking over vocals. This band features former members of Ashen Horde, so you know you are getting top-tier American Black Metal. He croaks with articulate depression on "the Inexorable Earth". The song sounds like it is a length extension of the previous song. To their credit, the riffs wind around creating more of a throb than the type of blast fest black metal can default to in less capable hands. 

There is a more nuanced creepiness to "The Well", which is a song that will surely garner more focus in other reviews, so I am just going to cover it in broad strokes. Pitt's delivery is fitting for it as the lyrics stand out more. These guys are known for having a dystopian theme, which makes it even more relevant in today's world. "Within Our Dominin" gets off to a more deliberate start, but once they gather speed the riffs coagulate into more of a black metal sound than a black metal song. The riffs they collect here are all cool enough they just tell less of a story in this arrangement.

"They Hunt at Night" blasts by in a furious blur. The vocals shift from a lower growl to a higher more anguished black metal one,  but aside from the solo section it goes by too fast to really catch on. It sounds great in terms of execution and production, but there are moments when speed plays against them. 'Devour" feels creepier at the onset, they allow the chords to breathe in a way that invokes the most darkness. The vocals feel a little obligatory and less like there is a story to be told. When things accelerate past the point of creepy it tends to feel like everything else. "the Foundling' works better on some of the more death metal-like stomping moments. There are times when it reminds me of Inquisition, which is cool except for the fact Inquisition has an album coming out so I will likely get more mileage from that one.

"Ghost in Smoke" feels like it has more purpose. Perhaps some of this lies in the manner the vocals are snarled which allows you to decipher the lyrics. The tremolo-picked guitar is no less rapid-fire but touches on marginally more melody. "Winter's Embrace" carries a more triumphant with which to end the album. I will give this album an 8. It occupies a space for me that is already will with bands like Inquisition for when I want this sort of thing, but they are good at what they do, however, it occupies a very particular sonic space and rarely ventures from it. They do get credit for making black metal that sounds great and does not try to be too cvlt for it's own good or just blast beaten cloud of white noise. 

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New Model Army : "Unbroken"

 

At 67 Justin Sullivan is keeping New Model Army going. With their 16th album "Unbroken" they are going with great vigor. Powerful anthemic choruses that ring out. It does not take you back to their punk days, though they come close on "Reload". The guitars have more jangle to them here. There is plenty in the world for Sullivan to angrily ponder and these songs express that in full. The key to their success is not the sound they have cultivated, which is distinct to them as much as their songwriting chops. "I Did Nothing Wrong" is an example of this. It starts with a folk strum and builds into a harder pounding. 

 There is a similar formula employed in "Cold Wind". They come even closer to punk on " Coming or Going"  than they did on "Reload". I am not at all invested in these guys being a punk band again. But a fair sector of their fan base thinks of them this way. I am happy with them being dark and brooding. I just want them to make dark music, which is what is happening here though it can be upbeat in a more rock n roll manner. There is a more rambling Western feel to " If I Am Still Me." The bass is slightly muddy here, but it still works. 

The more post-punk feel of "Legend" works well in how it interplays the vocals against the riff. This is not the first time they have strayed from the verse/chorus blueprint, but the most noticeable on this album as it works off tension more than release. "Do You Really Want to Go There" is a burly rocker that packs a powerful punch. Things ebb down to more of a folk mood with "Idumea". The album ends in a fashion that is not unexpected as "Deserters". This album is not a nostalgic look back at who they were as a band, nor is it the kind of victory lap bands put out in order to justify a reunion tour. THese guys have stayed the course and this is the sound of a band that keeps looking forward. I will give this album a 9.5, fans should rejoice as it touches on every side of the band. 

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Master : "Saints Dispelled"

 

Paul Speckmann is back with his 14th album as Master. At 60 years old he shows little sign of slowing down. Is it more deliberate than their 1990 album? Yes, but the songwriting is more polished. There is much less evidence of the Venom influence that marks the first album. Staying on brand the rapid-fire attack is very straightforward with no surprises waiting around the corner from the establishing riff that often drives the song. Their attack has always felt similar to a band like Rigor Mortis, where they clearly emerged from the thrash scene but were steering themselves into less charted waters alongside bands like Possessed who led the early days of death metal. 

There are some rock n roll vibes to how "Saints Dispelled" unloads the guitar solos, and the double bass comes and goes, but by and large, it storms along a similar path as the first two songs. The most death metal riffs so far can be found on "Minds Under Pressure".  Speckmann's vocals carry enough rasp to convince younger listeners without a frame of reference for where music was at when this band came on the scene. The chanted chorus is hooky and makes it one of the album's most effective songs. "Find Your Life" works for what it is, but is much less impressive than the previous song. 

The drums lead into "Maimed and Diseased" in a more Motorhead manner. The vocals are much Venom-like on this one calling back to their first album. Though to their credit it does evolve into something that has a more modern hammering to it. The first glimpse of melodic embellishment and a wide dynamic range of songs appears in"The Wiseman" though the bulk of this is relegated to the song's intro.  There is a fun syncopated groove that crops up in a few places. The album closes with the forward charge of "The Wizard of Evil". It feels like fast Celtic Frost to my ears. There is a clever ending, but nothing groundbreaking. There are also two bonus tracks that do not expand much from what they have already established here. I will give this album an 8.5, fans of this era of death metal or this band will appreciate this album and find it a worthy addition to their collection,  not sure this is going to opening any new doors or broaden their fan base, but proves they are still relevant in 2024. 

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Sundrifter : "An Earlier Time"

The stoner rock genre has gone through some changes since its inception in the 90s. It has evolved from being more than Black Sabbath tribute bands who also happen to listen to Thin Lizzy. These guys have gone on to fall under the desert rock tag, but their new album feels like it's from Seattle. They owe more to Soundgarden than Kyuss. There is a sinewy shadow side that Craig Peura's croon raises into more of a passionate wail over. With Chris Cornell in his grave, there is still certainly a void left for this sort of thing. The comparisons to Sound Garden could be more pronounced despite the move into a more surreal sonic space on the second song. It starts off as a heavier song, with a pounding riff before rocketing into an unknown cosmos. 

"Nuclear Sacrifice" might be a heavier more driving song, but it is also much less interesting in terms of its more droning arrangement. "Prehistoric Liftoff" splits the difference and falls between the weighted chugs and the more atmospheric side of the band, but it's not all that catchy either. On "Begin Again" this shift into a more Queens of the Stone Age direction, a pounding under current to wandering vocals that dance around the space swirl of the melodies. They do at least prove they are influenced by artists who are not Sound Garden. 

"Almost Home" is not a ballad but has the relaxed amble that was popular on the airwaves when alternative rock dominated the 90s music scene. This song feels like it is who the band is as it does not lean too heavily on either bandwagon, which they were tailing earlier in the album.  The last track is more of an ambient outro than a song that has the kind of working pieces the guys  I will give this an 8.5, it's pretty solid, but for my tastes does not allow me to hear who these guys are, though the two bands they picked to emulate are two of the best, so they shot for the stars, I think they needed more moments like "Almost Home" which is the strongest song, though the first few are pretty powerful. If you like grunge and smoke a ton of weed then this album sound provide a fitting soundtrack for you particularly if you are too young to realize where you have heard these sounds before. 

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