the Decemberists : "As it Ever Was, So it Will Be Again"

 

This band has matured in a streamlined manner over the years, but maintained the  James Mercer from the Shins joins prog-like sense of adventure and storytelling that set them apart from other indie rock bands. hem for the opening track. The melody works well enough, and it's organically layered with warm sounds. They take you for a tango on the infectious "Oh No !". The Afro-Cuban jazz stylings establish a groove that is more effective than what you might expect from such a pairing.  "the Reapers' is when the prog really buckles in to take you on a ride. Until this point, while eclectic, they were just dipping their toes into styles, taking you back to the 70s with this one. Flutes wander around. Except for the last song they keep the songs to a reasonable length and feel free to leave things out. 

There is a country feel to "Long White Veil". It sits well with the wheelhouse of what you might expect from them along with the story it tells. "William Fitzwilliam"  falls along the lines where folk meets country music with a sense of Appalachia. It is almost more of a ballad. "Don't Go to the Woods" is a somber folk ballad, that reflects back to some of the darker moods they have contemplated earlier in their careers. They continue to strum away on "Black Maria" and get more contemplative of the folk tales they are spinning. It is hard to argue against what works, but I wonder if they fired their drummer. " All I Want Is You" is their take on a sappy love song, which is what it is, all love songs are sappy.

"Born in the Morning" is the most Beatles-influenced moment I recall ever hearing from the band. It works for what it is, but it is beginning to sound like, while they are getting the job done it might not be their most inspired album if we are measuring it against "Picaresque". Then they hit you with a 70s-influenced pop song that sounds like something you would listen to riding your bike through Central Park with "America Made Me":  "Tell Me What's On Your Mind" sounds influenced by solo George Harrison, "My Sweet Love" to be honest,  but still carries the band's identity which is a display of how they make some of these stylistic choices wisely. "Never Satisfied" finds them back flirting with country music again. It works for what it is. Not the most inspired moment of the album. 

They end the album with the 20-minute "Joan in the Garden". A twenty-minute song is a lot to consume so I am going to break this down in chunks. The first two minutes is a folk ballad. A well-produced one since like the bulk of this album all the sounds are dialed in to perfection. Then for two minutes after this they build the ambiance around this folk melody until it reaches a Pink Floyd-like synth state it begins to melt into the following two minutes. This Pink Floyd tribute swells to an impressive sonic state. At the ten-minute mark, they have allowed things to break down into faint ambient noise so everything after should be another track. Then they go into a noise section that sounds like it should be on a Swans album and drone it out for six minutes. This builds into a harder rock jam that could be on a Thin Lizzy album. I would like to hear an entire album of this kind of thing from them. I will give this album a 9.5, as the strong moments balance it, though it falls slightly short of their best work. Which still makes it better than most bands. 

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June's Top 10 Albums

It's time for June's top 10 albums. Staying abreast on the month's highlights might help casual readers see what they missed, and give this the option to check these artists out. I am not doing little blurbs on them, just linking the reviews. This will help me organize my lists for the end of the year, by listing the genre of music the album falls under. This does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most, I have albums in my in-box that are not coming out til August, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month there is a wide variety from post-punk to pop to hard-core, so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for June 2024.

10- INERTH - "Hybris" 

Sludge 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-inerth-hybris.html

9-Julie Christmas -""Ridiculous and Full of Blood" 

Post-rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/julie-christmas-ridiculous-and-full-of.html

8-White Stones-"Memoria Via" 

Progressive metal  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-white-stones-memoria-via.html

7-SARS - "Nothing Hurts Quite Like Life" 

Metallic Hardcore 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/sars-nothings-hurts-quite-like-life.html

6-Umbra Vitae - "Light of Death" 

Metal Core

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-umbra-vitae-light-of-death.html

5-$uicideboy$ : "New World Depression" 

Trap

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/uicideboy-new-world-depression.html

4-Swan Wash - "Shadow, Shadow" 

Death Rock

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/swan-wash-shadow-shadow.html

3-Crippling Alcoholism - "Love From a Padded Room" 

Post Punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/crippling-alcoholism-with-love-from.html

2-Charli XCX - "Brat" 

pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/charli-xcx-brat.html

1-200 Stab Wounds- "Manual Manic Procedures" 

Death Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-200-stab-wounds-manual.html

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Hail Spirit Noir : "Fossil Gardens"

 You can always count on these guys to not conform to your expectations of black metal, as they have even drifted off into progressive before. They start the album off with clean vocals, before blasting you with the more typical trappings of black metal. The second song finds the synths coming forward in the mix. The sung vocals also lead the way here creating a more Arcturus feel at times. There might be more double bass in this one than blast beats. By the time we get to "Curse you , Entropia" the sprawling prog jam is beginning to sprawl out and is less definable as a song, and becomes more of a jam. 

"The Blue Dot" finds the sung vocals creating more of a mainstream metal formula.  It swells to a more grandiose dynamic proportion. The spaceship really takes off on "the Road to Awe"  It seems like it just going to fly off into the great blue prog yonder, but it recoils back into a heavier dynamic, not going to say it's black metal, though they have solidified their status with that genre enough already. They are just not paying by the rules, more should they. How's that for gatekeeping? Just because you make music in one genre does not mean you can not be expansive. The problem with metal these days is you have straight-up pop bands trying to market themselves as metal. These guys have not forgotten where they came from. 

"Ludwig in Orbit' is just an odd interlude. It feels more like the intro to the title track that closes the album. Things erupt with a ringing sonic style of blast beats, that are brighter than stormy. It gives way to the buzzing tremolo guitar that is used in a more ambient fashion. The song eventually just fade out into buzzing and bleeps. I will give this album a 9, it's heavy enough and black metal enough to balance out the more ambitious foibles. 

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To the Grave :"Everyone's a Murderer"

 

I have gradually built a tolerance for this brand of metalcore. Sure they are vegan, from Australia and their lead screamer wears a pig mask, but does any of that matter when you are listening to music? Not just what is coming through the speakers. They are closer to nu-metal than Integrity or Terror. So I guess your definition of hard-core might sway what side of the genre fence these guys are on. They have a great deal of twisting and turning of down-tuned riffs, electronic bells, and whistles haunting the edges of the song, in more of a Slipknot manner. The second song certainly finds them handing out the kind of big-stage rock festival vibes that find trailer park kids trying to pull off a wall of death. Thought more legit than say Attila 

They are really into saying fuck you. They are really good at writing staccato riffs that also convey that. I can see kids more into Slaughter to Prevail or Upon a Burning Body being into these guys that fans of  Bane or Agnostic Front. So these guys are metalcore, not metallic hardcore. I have already reviewed some great metallic hard-core albums so if that is what you are looking for check out the new SARS album. Otherwise, let's continue here with these guys. "Burn Your Local Butcher" is what you should expect to be expressed from a vegan band I suppose. It's not the most original thing I have heard, and the wheel is not being re-invented when it comes to this sort of thing, but I do appreciate the dark vibes it gives off at times. 

The vocals are delivered in a way that you can not always understand the lyrics so the sentiments behind "Vegan Day of Violence" are obscured, though the concept of it not being ok to be cruel to animals,  but it being OK to be violent to humans who are also by definition animals is lost, thankfully so since the concept is so absurd, which coming from me who is a nihilist that hopes for the destruction of all things, I just do not like double standards. Whether be for violence or against it, I am fine with either option just be true to whichever side you choose. At almost six minutes"Gas Chamber" is a little long for what feels like it's an instrumental interlude. 

"Made in Aus" hits you in the face right from the start with hammering. They let up with the more breakdown feeling of the palm-muted riffs. It's hard not to bob your head to it. They hit you with a few grooves after this one, but things are beginning to sound the same so I find myself listening, for sounds that help break things up. There is a female vocalist who adds melody to this song's climax. But this also brings them closer to nu-metal. "Terrormilitary" carries an almost industrial stomp to it. Which does switch things up sonically, but once again adds a slight Slipknot tone to things. I am glad to hear them explore a wider range of sounds.  The less growled more aggressive yelled vocals some more like Corey Taylor, but is this something they really want to escape? I will give this album an 8.5, putting them at the top of the heap for this sort of thing. It just depends on if this is your thing.   Drops August 30th on Unique Leader Records. 

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Death is June - Deceased : "Children of the Morgue"

Hailed as one of the longest-running death metal bands still kicking it, this band feels more like thrash on the opening track of their 11th album. With kinda of a Venom vibe lurking under the current. Harmonizing riffs add a melodic edge though the riffs are pretty catchy. They even allow themselves to go into a gallop that recalls early Iron Maiden.  "Turn to Wither" is an interlude that adds mood and atmosphere s, serving as an intro to "Terrornaut" where the guitars ring out in a more punk manner. The vocals are less of a growl and more of a declaration. The atmosphere that was hinted at in the interlude preceding this song returns for a spoken word section that is not unlike what Spinal Tap does in "Stonehenge".  It works better than what their peers are typically doing as it adds more dynamics. Musically it creates more of a Mercyful Fate feel, though the vocals are pretty one-dimensional.

'"The Reaper is Nesting" leans into the more punk tempo of thrash. Taunt riffing keeps things interesting. Two minutes they shift the dynamics to create a darker more deliberate feel.  The sections allotted for guitar solos are given enough space to be jammed out. This gives the more punchy guitar hook more impact later in the song. "the Gravedigger"  has a purposeful headbanging riff that drives the song in a classic metal fashion. "Eerie Wavelengths' pours on the speed in a manner that makes me think of "Bonded By Blood'. "Fed to Mother Earth" is marginally catchier, as the vocals have more purpose, but still pretty meat and potatoes in the grand scheme of things. It also feels a little drawn out considering it's not one of the album's most dynamic songs. 

"Brooding Lament" is more violent thrashing, though some of the chord voicings are allowed to ring out in a more melodic punk manner. Things do get up to a "Show No Mercy" speed. The last song thrashes in a more Watain-like manner, which likely means they are pulling from similar influences. I will give this album a 9, as it cares about the songwriting and is a pretty fun listen, that will appeal to fans of thrash and death metal in equal measure as long as they have a taste for the classics. It drops August 3oth on Hells Headbangers. 

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Death is June - LACERATION : " I ERODE"

 The first song by this Bay Area Death Metal band makes it clear this album hinges on how much restraint the drummer can muster. He will blast under perfectly good grooves, giving the song the rushed feeling I dislike. They are middle of the road falling into the late 80s Morbid Angel feel mixed with a bit of Incantation. Technically Aerin Johnson is a capable drummer, but to play death metal you have to be so, not winning any prizes there, but his playing is pretty solid on "Vile Incarnate" and he allows the riffs to groove making it the most impressive song of the album's front end. This makes the question for the rest of the album what are these guys going to do that will establish a personality for themselves and make them a worthwhile musical entity unto themselves and not just a tribute to Tampa death metal. 

You can spout all the bullshit you want about music not being a competition or judging songs say it's just a matter of taste, but there are so many hours in a day, what makes this album worth listening to when that time could be invested in listening to a band like Gatecreeper or 200 Stab Wounds , who are both bands that have established themselves as being death metal bands at the top of their game. The instrumental interlude "Dreams of the Formless" reminds me of Megadeth's "In My Darkest Hour".  'Carcerality" gets to the meat of the matter placing them in a more brutal Cannibal Corpse-like sonic space. The rules that apply to Cannibal Corpse, whose entire discography I reviewed this month, are that you can be brutal, but you still need things like groove and dynamics to make your music worth listening to. When it comes to this song it begs the question, what is this giving me that I am not already getting from the Cannibal Corpse albums I already own?

"Strangulation By Hatred" is another straightforward beat down to your ears. The vocals remind me of Obituary in that they are still articulate enough to understand the lyrics which I appreciate. This song works well enough the wheel is not being reinvented by any means, but for generic death metal, it's entertaining. At two minutes in length "Impaling Sorrow" is a blast fest that gets to the point, but is one-dimensional hyper-aggression. With a cool riff midway, though the rule here is ...cool riffs alone does not a good song make. The title track finds them pouring on the speed for yet another blast, with only the thrashing riff smarts making this worthwhile. A minute and a half into the song they hit you with a pretty cool riff, that is done in a way that is not an exception to the previously stated riff rule, but an example of how you can use cool riffs to enhance songwriting rather than a replacement for,  I will give this album an 8.5, it benefits from when they lean into the thrash minded egregore of their hometown to deviate from standard death metal tropes. This drops July 26th on 20 Buck Spin. 

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The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2024...so far

As the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up, as 2024 is at its midpoint. These lists serve as a decent snapshot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they are really going to need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. There are varied shades of metal represented. Perhaps death metal is leading the charge, but there is also doom and deathcore in the mix.  T. For my ears darkness trumps speed when it comes to heavy, so these bands reflect that sentiment. Death metal just seems to be bringing it harder than other genres so far. Given the impending wars that lurk at every corner of the globe, this is a fitting soundtrack to the demise of the US.  I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out and with all that said here are the top 10 Metal albums of 2024 so far. 

10- Gatecreeper- 'Dark Superstition" 

 Right out the gate, they are creeping with harder-hitting riffs, that carry a more hardcore influence punch to them. This is the band's third album and it sounds like not only are they coming into their own, but stepping into the spotlight to earn a larger metal audience. There is more of an Entombed grit to this album, but with it also comes more of a "Wolverine Blues" groove. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/gatecreeper-dark-superstition.html

9-Knocked Loose- "You Won't Go Before You Are Supposed" 

"Suffocate"  was enough to make me look forward to checking this album out. This album is heavier than expected. They are hard-hitting without falling into too many of the metal tropes. This is the album, that is poised to break these guys big. They have established what they are doing here and now need to expand upon that concept, and are willing to indulge their more power- violence-leaning influences. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/knocked-loose-you-wont-go-before-youre.html

 

8-Sect -"Plagues Upon Plagues" 

This band is comprised of who's who of post-millennial  Hard-core. At the mic former Cursed vocalist Chris Colohan, who is giving an impassioned performance, with a husky croon that winks in the direction of Neurosis. His approach gives the dark tension of the music, more depth and makes more of an impact when it does get time to scream and kick the riffs in.  Those riffs are driven by former Earth Crisis guitarist Scott Crouse. Andy Hurley from Fall Out Boy / Racetraitor beating the drums. Hurley shows restraint and keeps things at a more sludged-out pace rather than pouring on the punk mania.  The heft of the guitars is bolstered by Jimmy Change from Undying and bassist Steve Hart. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/sect-plagues-upon-plagues.html

7-My Dying Bride  - "A Mortal Binding" 

The band's 14th full length, stays true to who they are, without being predictable. You never know what side of these guys you are going to get, anything from morose doom to the dark vein of death metal they helped create to melodic goth rock with major depression. The wailing tones of the violin weeps over the low-end crunch. Guitar solos are well paced and deliberate with every not counting to draw out the melodies. While Aarons's growl on the first song is not as guttural, his sung vocals are more refined. In both cases, the vocals are really well produced and mixed. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/my-dying-bride-mortal-binding.html

6-Benighted - 'EKBOM" 

 I like the darker atmosphere that haunts this French band's brand of grindcore. By grind-core, there is a surprising blend of technical death metal in their songwriting DNA. This keeps things spastic and unpredictable.They can make you bob your head to their blend of madness. Some songs were just pure death metal with the grindcore taking a back seat in the meat wagon for the roaring vocals and double bass to be more dominant with a more Morbid Angel-like intention to the beating they are dishing out. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/benighted-ekbom.html

5-Terminal Nation- "Echoes of the Devil's Den" 

This dark hard-core band opens up their new album with a bleak doomy sound of dystopia burning. The vocals snarl and bark with animalistic anger. When they gain momentum it's difficult to hear where the metal ends and the hard-core begins. The chug driving this album is powerful. This is a dark and gritty take on metallic hard-core that crosses it with death metal in a manner that is more deserving of being called metal core or deathcore than the kids who have taken on those labels. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/terminal-nation-echoes-of-devils-den.html

 

4-Chapel of Disease -"Echoes of Light" 

After hearing a ton of interesting things about this album I finally remembered to hunt it down and give it a listen.  The German band is a fairly interesting progressive death metal band, that wacky time changes aside and a penchant for rock n roll riffs are not too far out in left field. They are at times like a less gothy Tribulation. The guitarists are calling the shots here 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/chapel-of-disease-echoes-of-light.html

 

3-Candy- "It's Inside You" 

Their 2022 album "Heaven is Here"  took the number two spot on our Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums list of the year, and tenth on the best overall Metal list of the year. With guests like  Aaron Melnick of Integrity lending guitar solos to a song, team-ups like this only make sense here as their hard-core grind carries the same raw sludge-like tone Integrity uses, making their influence on this band more apparent. That is not to say this is almost trying to capture the hardcore sounds of the 90s, the band continues to be very forward-thinking, but those influences abound from different angles.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/candy-its-inside-you.html

2-Glassing - "From the other side of the Mirror" 

Their last album "Twin Dream" made it known that these guys are one of the best heavy bands going. There is more darkness and melody in the opening track than most bands have in their entire albums. Though none of this is contrived or thought out from a marketing perspective by a record label this is just where they are, perhaps even angrier than the previous album though there is a wide range of emotional colors being used here.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/glassing-from-other-side-of-mirror.html

1-200 Stab Wounds - " "Manual Manic Procedures" 

I liked this band's debut "Slave to the Scalpel" It even made the number 9 slot on last year's Top 10 Death Metal Albums. Less than a year later these guys have worked hard to perfect their craft, as this is more nuanced and dynamic songwriting. The lyrics have more depth this time around rather than just horror tropes. Might turn out to be the death metal album of the year right now it is certainly the album to beat. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-200-stab-wounds-manual.html

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Little Hag : "Now That’s What I Call Little Hag"

 

This quirky indie pop is opening her album with a song about her vibrator. This is not as organic as the previous songs I have heard from her. This is more like 80s  new-wave.  "Oops" does this in more of a Devo-like manner, as the guitar is more angular. The guitar playing makes me think of St Vincent. There is more of a 70s groove to "The Suburbs" though it does not go full disco despite the best intentions of whoever programmed the drums. In the first two songs, the lyrics were her secret weapon, and this is not the case in "The Suburbs". It is an effective song, just not as clever as the first two. 

"1000 Birds" is her commentary on Capitalism, which is funny considering she is not just giving this album away. "All 3" goes back in the direction of pop, though the sounds backing her voice carry a more lo-fi roughness to them. "You Blew it" works off another groove that is not as pleading for you to shake your booty as the pop you hear on the radio and is driven more by sarcasm. "Would it Kill You" might be heartfelt, but not hooky, instead it drags you through the demise of her relationship. She does eventually pull out a guitar to strum as she reflects back on why being 21 sucked. 

"King Cake" is a dramatic ballad with an odd 1950s-flavored ambiance surrounding her uncontrolled vibrato. There are some interesting guitar tones on this one, highlighting the fact this is a really well-produced album, though it did not roll off the music industry assembly line. "Hell Yes" flirts with country music in its casual strum. The somewhat bleak lyrical outlet is also a welcome shift from the confines of music.  There is an atmospheric interlude in the middle of the song, to give a more experimental perspective. "Hangin' on a Thing" is another ballad. This one is a little more reflective. Pining over past relationships is a theme though done in a much different way than how Taylor Swift approaches the subject. This does build into more of an indie rock shuffle. There is more of an indie power ballad feel to "Suck Out the Pain " which closes the album in a more effective manner than where things were heading with the folk-tinged ballad before it. I will give this album a 9, it's fun and she is occupying a needed void in this kind of pop music. 

pst312

The Top 10 Rock Albums of 2024 ... so far

As the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up, finding  2024 already at its midpoint. These lists serve as a decent snapshot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they are really going to need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. Rock is being defined here as basically anything that is not metal, pop, or goth. This is going to include everything from punk to prog, so it might be a little darker or heavier than what you listen to, so we are going by my definition since yours can't be trusted. 

"But wait that is M....,"

Shut up... in 2023 if you are not bringing it at least as hard as Pantera, it's not metal. We are in a darker and heavier world so the soundtrack even when it is only rock n roll, should still fit the times.  I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out and with all that said here are the top 10 Rock albums of 2024 so far. 

10-Ride - "Interplay"

I really liked the first album of their comeback"Weather Diaries", and this album is both more surreal and more optimistic. I am sure with the last album I mentioned these guys occupying a similar sonic zip code as Stone Roses. Though it sounds like they are smoking more pot than Stone Roses on this album as it carries an alluring swirl. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/ride-interplay.html

 

9--Modern  Life is War - "Tribulation Worksongs" 

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. these guys are solid and what I look for from punk even 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. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/modern-life-is-war-tribulation-worksongs.html

 

8-Pallbearer- 'Mind Burns Alive" 

The fifth album by a band that was at one time one of my favorite doom bands. Each album has served as a gradual progression away from doom into what has culminated into what we hear on this album. Campbell is using a great deal of restraint and taking a more vulnerable approach to his singing. If you are waiting around for them to bring the metal back you might want to take a seat .  It took a couple of listens to this album before it finally clicked with me, as the first listen found me having to adjust to the change. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/pallbearer-mind-burns-alive.html

 

7-Alkaline Trio - "Blood , Hair and Eyeballs"

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. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/alkaline-trio-blood-hair-and-eyeballs.html

 

6-Modern Witchcraft -"s/t" 

These guys play an ethereal style of atmospheric doom that owes more to The Cure than Black Sabbath. At times this puts them closer to Deftones, as the melody is given more emphasis. The emotions of these songs wash over you. Sounds swirl around you. It is heavier in feel than it is heavy metal. The groove is an undercurrent. Though considering the Lander sisters of Kittie fame appear on this album, there is some nu-metal in this band's DNA. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/modern-witchcraft-st.html

5-REZN- "Burden"

The new album from Chicago's Sonic Sorcerors finds them expanding their minds and sound by buckling in with a dark grooving drive that might not be metal, but it is aggressive enough to get the point across. They continue to explore new realms of ambiance as the plea of the vocals echoes out into the expansive place they have created here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/rezn-burden.html

4 -Whores- "War"

After an 8 year wait, the Atlanta band is back with their biggest most polished album yet. This more refined, could even be thought of as more accessible.  The Spinal Tap-like cycling out of drummers finds them with drummer number five Douglas Barrett behind the kit. A great deal of the punk sound has been shed, for hooky syncopation that feels more anthemic.  Their best album yet. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/whores-war.html

3-O Zorn!- "Vermillion Haze" 

This band sounds like they could have crawled from the period of the 90s  when Kyuss and Monster Magnet emerged, both of whom are not far removed from the sonic zip code from which these guys rock. There is an expansive drone to the riffs that carry a hypnotic pulse as the baritone croon muses amid the grunge-tinged passages.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/o-zorn-vermillion-haze.html

 2-Gouge Away - "Deep Sage" 

 Been six years since the Flordia punk band released their last album. They return with the kind of angular dissonant hardcore-tinged rock you expect from them with Christina Michelle crying out with the same level of abrasive edge she had last time around. The album gains more nuance with each song, and it is more of a sonic tapestry than the raw outpouring of emotion they initially hit you with.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/gouge-away-deep-sage.html

 

1-Sleepytime Gorilla Museum " Of the Last Human Being"  

This band returned after I spent the last 17 years thinking their last album was the final chapter, so I went into this hoping for the best album ever.  Sleepytime Gorilla Museum has reopened to attempt to make their best album yet. 2007's "In Glorious Times" is a perfect album, so they are not trying to take it head on but in a more mature step forward, emphasizing more of the chamber music side, while employing all the creepy dissonance they are known for. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-last-human.html

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The Top 10 Goth/ Post-Punk Albums of 2024...so far

 

The great TikTok goth craze of 2022 is a distant memory to the lemming-minded masses and it is just another depressing day for actual goths to celebrate darkness. Since goth is about music with a side order of fashion, it's time to look at the mid-year report card for goth, post-punk, and industrial music this year.  I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they are really going to need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. Given my tastes things lean in the more death-rock direction. I like my goth to be aggressive, to the point, even one metal band made the list. Though most sub-genres are represented here, though not much of interest in terms of dark wave which really impressed me this year. There are very few projects here that rely too much on electronics as I am a firm believer in actual instruments making music.  I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out and with all that said here are the top 10 goth/ post-punk albums of 2023 so far. 

   10-Blushing-"Sugarcoat" 

 Dream pop is the first handy label to throw on this Texas-based band,  but they do seem more serious about rocking out than most dream pop bands. They at times remind me of a shoegazing version of Veruca Salt, with how the vocals harmonize and entwined. Things swirl around you so it can be hard to tell who is doing what

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/blushing-sugarcoat.html

 

9-Louvado Abismo- "s/t" 

This band from Portugal gets it. Too many new post-punk bands don't pack enough of a punch sending me back to my old Killing Joke and Christian Death albums. This album stomps with dark aggression to make something that is sonically intense, The plead of the vocals feels real rather than someone trying to recreate what has already been done, but true to the legacy of the genre. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/louvado-abismo-st.html

8 -Bleakheart - "Silver Pulse" 

This band wanders off into a melancholic brand of dreamy shoe-gaze that moves at the speed of doom. Their heavy throb often keeps them from being mere dream pop. They have crafted a pretty sweet blend of sonic intensity and atmosphere. The vocals draw you in and earn repeat listens. The guitar often shifts its tone to  a more pastoral feel, to keep an organic feel, almost neo-folk mood. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/bleakheart-silver-pulse.html

7-Cold in Berlin - "The Body is the Wound" 

This band encompasses what I love in music, darkness and sonic heaviness. They flirt with metal without abandoning their post-punk core. Expectations are either met on their new ep or exceeded. They have managed to reach a stellar balance with dark wave synths, combined with the heftier drive 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/cold-in-berlin-body-is-wound.html

 

6-Crippling Alcoholism -"With Love From a Padded Room" 

This album came out under the radar earlier this year, so glad some digging around on the inner web allowed me to discover it.. They encompass a darkly honest misery I have not heard done this well since Planesmistakenforstars was a band. Raspy baritone vocals frequently entertain a marginally more upbeat melody.  While their Bandcamp keywords label this as goth, they are more like if Tom Waits fronted Interpol, so closer to post-punk. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/crippling-alcoholism-with-love-from.html

5-the Jesus and Mary Chain -"Glasgow Eyes" 

The Reid Brothers are back for the 8th album of their 40-year career. For me, the album they are always measured against is "Darklands" as it was my introduction to the band and the most sullen of their work. This album does touch on their more depressive side at times but finds them employing a wide range of moods. It opens with a rather upbeat pulse. It is more experimental in a different way. It sounds like they are toying around with synths and effects. Jim's voice sounds ageless, with his hushed dusky muttering. Lyrically things are brilliant. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/jesus-and-mary-chain-glasgow-eyes.html

4-Chelsea Wolfe- " She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She"

Wolfe's 8th album, yes we are counting "Mistake in Parting" finds her diving into more of a trip-hop feel. That is a trip-hop that is thicker on the trip than the hop. Tv on the Radio guitarist Dave Sitek is the wild card in the creation of this album. This album flows with her body of work. Nothing feels out of her wheelhouse. It is going to take a few listens for the more experimental moments to really click with me, but the moods she invokes are once again welcome.

 

3-Swan Wash -"Shadow, Shadow" 

They used to be members of a Siouxsie and the Banshees tribute, so this explains a great deal when it comes to the guitar tone.  Their sounds carry more hints of punk, though an angular creepiness haunts it. There is an element to it that reminds me of Placebo, which is an influence that is a little left of center when it comes to what most death-rock revivalists are about.  Most of the songs are around the three-minute mark so they do not give themselves too much time to indulge in a brooding atmosphere. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/swan-wash-shadow-shadow.html

 

2-METZ-"Up on Gravity Hill" 

The band once again shifts the sonics of their attack on this album, though even amid its weirdness, is more accessible to a wider audience. Woozy guitar counterpoints punk-inflected vocals that are smoothed out by overdubbed harmonies on the chorus. The normally rough edges of noise-rock smoothed out by the more refined nuances of their songwriting to create a more 90s style atl-rock not unlike the bar-room brooding of the Afghan Whigs. The vocals serve a greater purpose than they did even on the last album.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/metz-up-on-gravity-hill.html

 

1-Astari Nite -"Resolution of Happiness" 

These guys were bound to evolve. I am glad they are. They have expanded their sonic palette, now drawing from dark emotive genres aside from death rock. At times taking on an almost Gary Numan-like take on New Wave. The post-punk jangle of the angular grooves proves to be a more compelling listen. t Lyrically great imagery is thrown at you in a collage of sentiments. There is little of the Christian Death worship that marked their earlier work.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/astari-nite-resolution-of-happiness.html

pst310

The Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2024...so far

Last year too many journalists tried to erroneously hail hot garbage as the best black metal album of the year,, forcing me to set straight, because such a claim is disrespectful to the genre, so I decided to uphold this mid-year tradition. Just sounding good from a production standpoint is not going to make the cur, since studio magic alone is not what black metal is about. Though I am not looking for something to sound like trash in the name of being cvlt either. I am also not paying homage to bands that are just press darlings for whatever social reason of the day might be. After all, Blackbraid continues to show what he got right about Native representation is being an alcoholic,. I want bands who are effective at creating darkness, so with that said here are the top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2024 ...so far.

10-Litosth-"Cesariana" 

This Black Metal project from Brazil is doing big things on its third album. They are not just hitting you with blast beats, but hitting you with a massive cinematic scope of sound, that is being used to write songs. It carries a similar orchestrated grandiosity as Dimmu Borgir. This might not be seen as cvlt enough for some, but fvck them as these songs go somewhere and have their own sense of identity.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/black-metal-history-month-litosth.html

9-Deadyellow- What Was Left of Them" 

This Philly-based black-gaze outfit seems to have taken notes from Deafheaven when it comes to which influences to sway their sound toward, to nest achieve the best sonic misery set to simmering glory while packing a punch. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/deadyellow-what-was-left-of-them.html

 

8-Compress - "The Final Level of Consciousness" 

This band is pretty impressive they come on strong feeling like "Show No Mercy " era Slayer, but ride a more atmospheric black metal throb. There is an eerie coldness, and while other sub-genres like crust and hardcore have an influence I feel like the darkness prevails making these guys more of a black metal band. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/compress-final-level-of-consciousness.html

7- Ihsahn- "s/t' 

The Emperor frontman returns for his 8th solo album, taking his black metal past and running it through a wild, wandering filter of progressive rock. This is not to say there is not black metal in and of itself.  There are symphonic elements but also hefty syncopated punches, as his knack of labyrinth arrangements continues to create winding passages that twist and turn in odd time signatures. He is not just hitting you with blast beats, and he still uses plenty of clean vocals to contrast his impressive snarl that has not lost any of its power. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/black-metal-history-month-ihsahn-st.html

6-Selbst-" Despondency Chord Progressions" 

This album also has an edge over the average black metal band, as the production is on point. It is almost mixed like a Deathspell Omega album. There is enough tangled chaos to sit back in the shadows of the reverb, but the bulk of the instrumentation is front and center so the sound is not obscured. Some great guitar playing is found amongst this album's tangled shadows. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/selbst-despondency-chord-progressions.html

 

5-Borknagar -"Fall" 

The 12th album from these Norse giants hath arrived and it is hard to not think of them as the ICS Vortex band, but Arcturus might fit that description better as other singers have claimed the mic. There is the kind of bombast coloring this album that has its roots steeped in their black metal history by leading off with screamed vocals and a super aggressive slice with razor-sharp riffing to balance out the band's more progressive side. The more operatic croon of Vortex's trademark soaring bellows is also present, to bring the majestic wonderment fans know they are capable of

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/black-metal-history-month-borknagar-fall.html

 

4-Dartkthrone - "It Beckons Us All" 

Thought of as one of the forefathers of second-wave black metal, it's been a minute since they conformed to any genre, and have been digging up the graves of 80s Celtic Frost for the past few albums which have done so with varying levels of nostalgia, Nordic atmosphere, and grimness. The first track makes it evident they have taken their time to dial these sounds in while still being true to who they are as a band. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/darkthrone-it-beckons-us-all.html

 

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3-Vemod -"the Deepening" 

This Norweigan band is not hung up on being trve Norweigan black metal. They blend more folky sounds into the ambiance of their atmospheric tension. There is a dynamic ebb and flow to their sound that allows for atmosphere in a manner that does not pigeonhole them into being just Atmospheric black metal. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/black-metal-history-month-vemod.html

2-Infant Island- "Obsidian Wreath" 

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There is more to this album than writing it off as black-gaze. It also falls on the most extreme end of screamo. Though will more than likely most appeal to fans of black metal and power violence. it builds off the shimmer of wild screaming. I wonder if he is even trying to utter lyrics at this point. Chaotic and still at times deliberate with the kind of dynamic shifts that can make something this unsettled have melodic value, which they manage to do. Even hardcore gang vocals chime in at times. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/infant-island-obsidian-wreath.html

1-meth- "Shame"

This band from Chicago taps into the same torment that bands like Portrayal of Guilt dig into. The riffs pound with a sludge-like deliberation, while their singer screams with the unrelenting anguish of someone being disemboweled alive. It is very dark, so much so that it becomes black metal. The chaos being invoked on this album, it feels like blackened sludgecore would be the best description if we needed to tie it down to a genre.

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/black-metal-history-month-meth-shame.html

pst309

The Other Sun : "Daimon, Devil, Dawn"

 

This is the debut from this Swedish band that plays a mesmerizing blend of psyche rock run through the jangling wanderlust of the Wild West. The vocals are sedate and hover in the middle of the mix, at more than a murmured whisper but not quite a croon on the opening track. This Scandinavian take on the sounds of California in the 60s certainly sets itself apart. These guys all have backgrounds playing in metal bands, but that aggression is just a shadow of an undercurrent lurking in the subconsciousness of these songs, making them not much more metal than the Doors. There are a lot of guitar solos and that adds some fire to the proceedings, as well as the grittier rasp applied to the vocals when things climax, though it is not a metal growl. 

The more surf-rock side of the band does not break the surface until the second song. This song is inspired by a poem penned by Octavio Paz. Another example of their fascination with Western culture. Aside from spoken recitation of the excerpts of the poem the song is largely instrumental, though it is still an effective song. 'Black as Gold" features a wonderful reverbed-out guitar tone. The smoky baritone vocals sit back in the mix enveloped in the guitars. They serve more as texture than a focal point, This is clearly a guitar-centered album. When passages are phrased with the exotic chord voicing found here, that makes guitar-centered fine by me. 

"Lion Spell" is an ominous piece of neo-folk that marches across the same bleak forests as Death in June, with the wailing of the guitar solo that erupts as the only thing anchoring into a rock context. There is more of a Nick Cave-like swagger to "Horizon Between the Eyes". It rolls along with a rambling strum. The bass line carries a creeping feeling with it. Even with its cowboy sentiments, no one is going to mistake this for country music. 'Conjuring Other" finds the vocals reaching into a higher register as things grow in intensity, as the drums stir up thunder from under the guitars. Some more aggressive accents flirt in creating a more metallic attack. The guitar shifts enough for a harder rock mood to put its foot on the monitors in a manner that might invoke listeners to salute with devil horns. They hold you with that tension rather than indulging the release a metal band would give in to.  

The mood of "Pan" brings Orville Peck to mind, minus the homoerotic imagery the singer uses to further titillate his fan base. They are also less mainstream with their intentions and carry things to a darker place. Think Johnny Cash if he had been obsessed with HP Lovecraft. The last song which also features Erik from Beseech leading his voice carries a more staccato rock groove. However, the vocals do not come in until midway into the song as they leave room for some stellar guitar solos to be jammed up. The vocals are once again more spoken, as the guitars do most of the talking. I will give this one a 9, this is a great guitar album that could have shared the spotlight more with the vocals, but for what they are doing it is a great deal of gloomy fun. This is being released on July 23rd on Invictus Productions. 

 

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