RxGhost : "Scaffolding"

 The first thing that strikes me about this band is the emotive whine of the vocals. As a fan of bands like the Cure and the Smiths a good pout goes a long way with me. Though what is going down on this album woes perhaps more to Dinosaur Jr. The fact is highlighted by the explosive almost grunge-like jangle to the second song. It also carries a syncopated bounce. "Candles" might be the lead single, but it feels deceptive despite being perhaps the most accessible moment, the carefree mood it converts does not seem to be a fair representative of what this band is about. 

The step on the distortion for the more punk-driven bounce of "In the Ocean". When they start to get more introspective, the album loses its momentum. What they are doing on "Eating the Sun Directly" works due to the dynamics that creep in.  "Discomfort" is more listless and distracted in its emoting. The rein things in with "It's A Mitten". I like the dark almost Nirvana-like place they go to on "Sharks". Given how much metal we cover here, the bar when it comes to screaming is pretty high, but he does add more grit and anguish to his voice in a few places on "Nail House" which is effective. 

I do like the fact they are willing to try different moods and sounds within the context of what they do. Some work better than others. The lazy folk sound does not work as well as what I want from these guys as it's the pain that is the most honest. The indie rock amble of "Someone You Never Knew " works pretty well, and is melancholy enough for me while still being melodic. "My Kingdom For a Cloud" continues to find them staying true to who they are sonically. The album closes with "Walk Away" which feels a bit like Soul Asylum. Overall I like what these guys are doing and how they pour their hearts into these songs in a very real way. 

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Head Cut : "Coraz​ó​n Negro"

 

The first thing that sets this band apart from other post-punk revivalists it the bass tone sounds more like Justin Chancellor from Tool. It has a tense thick groove but without most of the prog tendencies. The vocals are those of an angry female, but she does not really sound like Siouxsie, though has a more punk approach. The guitars do some interesting things and the drummer rocks out a little harder than your average post-punk drummer who normally sticks to an almost disco beat. They bounce around showing some nuance on the marginally more melodic "I Still Like You".  More intricate than Joy Division and more kinetic than the Cure, this band finds a balance of sounds that works. 

When they launch themselves into a more reckless high energy style of punk it does not prove to be as compelling. "Red Cloud" has more of a Cramps-like shuffle as the guitar takes on a more surf rock tone. They are from Ventura, California, but half the songs are sung in Spanish, which works on some things better than others.  "Living Lament' I had to go back to and give another listen as it did not grab me the first time. It's pretty much a punk song with some angular post-punk nuance. It did sound better than the second time around. 

I think a great deal of this album would grow on me more over time. But given the nature of what I do and how I have already listened to 400 new albums this year, if something makes it in my regular rotation outside of reviews it really has to offer something I am not getting from other bands.  "I Was High" is the album's best song, due to the fact it is also the darkest. I will give this album an 8.5 if you want a Spanish Punk take on post-punk then this album is for you, they are a band to watch for sure. 

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Golden Apes : "Our Ashes at the End of the Day"

 

I liked this German band's 2014 album, though they are an artist that tends to slip between the cracks when it comes to what goth album I think of listening to on any given day, so let's see how this one holds up. The first song is very consistent with who they are and sounds great so I am not not asking much more than that from these guys. Peer's resonant baritone croon is the obvious focal point of their songs. The chord progressions to the title track, are very familiar as it follows what bands like New Model Army already embark upon. 

"Shine" is dark enough for me, It works off a fairly straightforward post-punk formula, though without any of the Joy Division punk leanings. It feels like they hit the best balance on "Ash Trees" as it carries the bounce of a new wave, tempered with more brooding introspection and some great guitar tones. The guitar has more of a rock sound leading into "Reflections". It sounds like New Model Army if they were trying to be dark, instead of it just coming out that way. The pulse running under this song is a cool nuance. Instead of going down the typical post-punk path  "All of Her" ambles around like the Cult in their more middle-of-the-road moments. 

Germans and their guilty consciences course correcting with "Bigotry". It is brooding and melodic enough despite the confusing lyrics. There are hints of the Cure in the guitar melodies layered around it. They jam it out when the bass breaks down to a thump. One thing can be said for Peer, often singers dropping down in their lower range are not as strong and pitchy, yet he can belt it out well, not in a Danzig manner, but with great unwavering pitch. The last song is less focused as it packs a more Juda Priest-like riff. I will give this album a 9, the vocals are strong and songwriting generally solid, breathing new life into undead tropes. 

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The Story So Far : "I Want to Disappear"

 

This album is clearly more on the side of pop-punk than what I normally listen to, so I am breaking it up and just listening to one song at a time with breaks between listening to other albums I am reviewing before returning to this one. One reason for doing this is that the band is clearly good at what they do. By trying to power through this, what they do would wear on me, so returning to each song fresh is the best way to handle this one. The vocals are a little too sugary sweet, and too happy in the anthemic manner they cheer the listener on. The choruses are shooting for catchy and anthemic as most of this type of pop punk does. Though it is almost to a fault as it is hard not to hear Blink 182 at times.

"Letterman" works best when it holds back on the verses. It is still too happy for me, but that is more of a fault in the genre itself. The way the vocals are produced points the finger the hardest in the Blink 182 direction, It does not do a song like "Big Blind' justice as a different approach might tone down some poppy elements calling the shot, when if the guitars were brought up in the mix and the high end frequencies compressed to begin out the gain to roughen things up it might sound more like the Get Up, marking the fine line between clever and stupid. "Nothing to Say" is almost a punk song, but the vocals pretty much ruin it. If the vocals had more bite or balls to them it might work better for me. 

When darker moods are toyed with on "Keep You Around" things work better for them. The vocals are not grittier, but the sunshine in them is toned down enough to make it tolerable even when they continue to follow their formula on the chorus. They sound a little more like Fall Out Boy on "You're Still in My Way", though when you weigh it against them it's not as poppy.  The vocal arrangement might be the strong point here. At least when they commit to the emo strum of "White Shores" it sounds less like Blink 182, even on the chorus, which is frequently the main offender. The title track continues down this more strummed emo ballad road. However, I don't think this is done as well as it is in the previous song. I will give this an 8 because for a pop-punk album it is at least well done for what it is, I am rounding it down to an 8, because of the lack of originality due to holding their influences too close to their hearts,. but if you like pop-punk you like this as you do not know what actual punk sounds like so your expectations are low. 

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Johnny Blue Skies : "Passage Du Desir"

 Sturgill Simpson by any other name.  His alter ego is making music with a marginally more gospel feel, but not that far from what he normally does to justify this new moniker, but these are the thoughts I have midway into the first song, maybe the album is going to take a dramatic turn. The first hint of this more 70s-flavored r&b turn can be heard in"If the Sun Never Rises Again". He is singing slightly higher than his normal mellow baritone, and the guitar playing feels like something Prince might have done if he was jamming on the blues. 

"Scotter Blues" is exactly what it claims to be, as he wanders off into an upbeat blues jam, He is more thoughtful on "Jupiters Faerie"  which is an emotive ballad, that eventually builds up into a bong-laden take on 70s pop. I think there are some interesting choices made when it comes to putting effects on his voice here. "Who I am" finds him back in the saddle of country music. He gets into a more Fleetwood Mac mode for "Right Kind of Dream". The guitar is palm-muted in its grooving shuffle, which drifts into the atmosphere.  I like the effects on his voice here. 

"Mint Tea" might as well be a Lynyrd Skynrd song. It embraces his countryside more than most of this album, though once again worth stating nothing is really that far outside of his wheelhouse. It is more guitar-focused more often than not, and full of great guitar playing. "One For the Road" closes the album. It is strummed and more accessible than some of the songs, though I would not say it's poppy though I hear it finding its way to country radio. His honest vocal melodies dominate this one. The song does get jammed out into a country take on Pink Floyd which is pretty cool.   I will give this one a 9.5, and see how it grows on, me the songs are really strong so there is no reason for it not to grow into a 10. 

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Softcult : "Heaven"

 This is the kind of dream pop you might expect. But the vocals are well layered, and they care about songs more than just conjuring up these surreal sounds. The guitars ring out into the lonely sunsets of Canadian winters. "One of the Pack" brings the 90s alt-rock jangle into play, to ground the softly croon vocal sweetness. When they are in this sonic space they remind me of Veruca Salt. This is one of their strengths as it helps set them apart from all the other bands trying to give shoe-gaze a resurgence for the TikTok generation. With weeds in candy-flavored vapes these days it only makes sense that shoe-gaze should get another go. 

Obviously, if you are a regular reader here you know it's a genre we have been championing even before we were aware bands like Nothing were kicking it up from its grave"Spiralling Out" has even more of a solid strum of guitar cementing this into some more accessible. I can see fans of Boygenius transitioning to this band if exposed to them. This is dream pop with an emphasis on pop, though pop is a good word in this context. "9 Circles" drifts and almost gets washed away by the very ambiance it drips with. They do manage to tighten into a more focused sway as the song builds. 

"Shortest Fuse" has more of an experimental indie pop feel. The vocal melodies are very straightforward forward and the arrangements give them plenty of room to breathe., The title track that closes the album carries a dense album that aside from a cool guitar melody breezes the song off like a cloud of effects and fuzzed-out space sounds. I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me, the grunge spirit of things is this albums strength and cements their unique place in the genre. 

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all under heaven : "What Lies Ahead of Me"

 These New Jersey shoe gazes draw from every niche of the genre to bring more post-rock elements as well as step on the distortion to follow the trail blazed by the likes of Hum and  Failure. There is also a late 90s emo feel in the way the vocals fall over the shimmering ocean of chords. The vocals have a purpose rather than just being a fait whisper rising from the reverb. The strum of "Rolling' might work better if you are stoned. As it is this feels like it's pretty middle of the road sonically, but works as a song well enough. "Always" is largely driven by the strength in its wall of guitars that crashes at you. Despite nailing all the sounds, they also care about writing songs. The investment in the vocals is where this can be heard. 

"Demon Time" cruises on the taunt jangle in more of an indie-rock fashion which serves the song well. It flows with the detached malaise you expect from this sort of thing while carrying an entertaining sense of movement that grooves. This might be one of the album's best songs. They keep the momentum with the bass leading the charge in a more post-punk fashion for "Believing".This is layered with some incredible guitar tones and heartfelt vocals. 

Then the ambiance begins to make them wander even amid their poppier leaning on the last two songs. "September" gets more lost than "Right Here' which like its title suggests knows where it stands and can work dynamics around it, while the previous song has interesting sounds that lack direction. Aside from this, these guys kick up a batch of otherwise flawless tunes, digging from the best parts of the genre. I will give this album a 9.It was released on Sunday Drive Records.  

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Hell Is Other People : "Moirae"

 

The Depressive Suicidal subgenre of black metal does not seem to be as much of a thing in 2024, but this Canadian band approaches black metal in a manner that brings a more emotive sense of atmosphere to their churning darkness. When comparing them to the bands that once pushed this sub-genre of black metal forward these guys have more in common with Totalselfhatred than the more over-wrought dramatic stylings of Lifelover or Shining. The dense anguish painting the first song does set my expectations high for the rest of the album that follows. I am most impressed by their ability to convey heaviness through deliberate emotions rather than blast beats, so if they devolve into the typical model of black metal I will be disappointed. 

The second song does find more of the traditional elements of black metal coming into motion, though they are balanced out by the sense of melody that the overall throb forms so when drums with a more blasting feeling bubble up beneath things, they are just the thunder under this storm cloud of depression sailing toward you. The dramatic shift to "Degrade" lonely chords ringing out to set the stage offers the kind of dynamic I appreciate in heavy music. The post-rock flavored minimalism makes the groove of the drums crashing in more effective.  The vocals also drop into more forceful roars in places here. Overall the snarl of the vocals gets the point across and feels more like an expression of the kind of aggression that spills out when depression is forced inward. When blast beats are used here, they are effective as the song has already provided the gradual build for the feral acceleration to make sense. 

There is more of a dissonant buzz to "Loss" This is slightly tempered with double bass at times to make it more purposeful, but as with any band that lets themselves abandon restraint in this manner, it is hard to rein things in when it comes to capturing more than a sound and writing a song. However, the more sonic section toward the end that creates a ringing swathe of guitars is pretty cool.  The last song sprawls out into 13 minutes. This is the first moment that feels more Agalloch-inspired. It wanders through a wide range of black metal tropes while being true to who they are as a band. I will give this album a 9.5, it's worth multiple listens and they captured a stunning mood here that is convincing in the darkness it paints a picture of. This album drop October 11th on Transcending Obscurity. 

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SeeYouSpaceCowboy : "Coup De Gr​á​ce"

 

This wild ride opens with a loungy ditty featuring iRis,EXE, which does throw itself into a more dissonant heaviness. "Subtle Whispers to Take Your Breath Away" finds them in a more kinetic grooving take on hardcore that is not unlike Callous Doaboys sonically, though leaning in a more Myspace-influenced era of sound. There is an equal balance of sass and substance. The breakdowns are not delivered predictably, though the hooks are poppy enough to conform to expectations in this regard. They cram a great deal into these three-minute ditties. They do get a little happy for my tastes on the anthemic "And the Two Slipped into the Shadows", though the pop-punk moments are more tolerable than what other artists that dabble in the genre do. At times it sounds like grindcore with Panic at the Disco production. I can understand both what people might like about these guys, as well as what metal heads might not like about them. 

"Red Wine and Discontent" keeps a hushed romantic tension that they fire back against with their bouncy take on punk. The sung vocals offer catchy melodies. They jerk you are with the fun-house flavored riffing. "Lubricant Like Kerosene" thumps with a disco-like groove, while they carry a more metalcore aggression at the same time. They prove that their spastic theatrics of sound, do not keep them from writing a compact catchy song on "Silhouettes in Motion". This is not to say they are immune from allowing chaos to disrupt all the moving pieces in motion, as this is what happens with "To the Dance Floor For Shelter". 

They are back to a dance-inducing groove with "Rhythm and Rapture".  Dancey emo groove are once again their strength on "Sister With a Gun" triffs and they once again balance sugary melodies with stomping riffs and angry screams. "Chewing the Scenery" feels like the pop-punk formula that they often default to has worn thin, but they incorporate enough quirky elements to make it work again on the last album, I will give this one a 9.5, as it's ambitious but pulls of the chaos and hooks in equal measure. 

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SPRINTS : "Letter to Self"

 This band from Dublin pays a tense energetic version of raw-powered post-punk that is inspired by SAVAGES, yet does its own thing. However, their formula from the first song is repeated almost verbatim in the second song. So what else can they do is going to be the question I ask of this band throughout my review. They do switch up the tension in the first verse of "Cathedral" but they can not keep themselves from exploding in a very similar manner to what we heard from them in the first two songs. 'Shaking their Hands" finds them straying from the formula they employed in the first three songs. This pays off for the band, as it makes the sonic shift they take more effective and it feels like one of their best songs thus far. 

We got a palm-muted punk verse for "Adore Adore Adore" which is the most punk moment they have had so far. It works well, as it adds to the established energy and angst. 'Shadow of a Doubt' does not engage me as much as the previous song, though it does not default back to the formula it is looking in that direction. There is more of a Smiths feel to the guitar of "Can't Get Enough of It". Karla Chubb is not Morrissey when it comes to pipes, and is more of a punk vocalist than not. She does work well with what she has. 

"Literary Mind' is a fun punk song, that jangles like indie rock with its 90s level brooding. I think leaning into their punk side is a smart move as I think that is who this band is at their core. This is a much more well-produced album than what punk normally goes for which is where the indie rock aspirations come into play. At times the organic warmth of the guitars reminds me of "Dirty" era Sonic Youth, the overdriven bass tones add to this comparison. "Up and Comer" ponders their existence as a punk, before exploding out at you. It is another return to punk, making it one of the more compelling songs that also employs the more post-punk tension. There is dissonance driving the title track that closes the album.  Overall, punk needs more bands that take chances like these kids, I will give this one a 9, as they break from their own formulas and the confines of the genre. 

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Maruja : "Connla's Well"

This British band ventures out to Godspeedyoublackemperor! lands of weird wandering. They are also capable of locking into a groove and telling a story.  "The Invisible Man" moves with a jazz-influenced cadence as a saxophone tempers the ambiance and sets the mood. The vocals range from a spoken word that is almost rapped to moaning croons. There is no denying this is both interesting an pretty original when it comes to the sounds they allow to collide here. There is a tension here that is not quite dark enough for me to consider it post-punk, but these guys are not shoe-gaze, either so post-jazz might be a thing? 

They pick up the pace on "Zeitgeist" which heads in an almost more of a Rage Against the Machine direction, but with none of the proto-nu metal guitars, In their place is a great deal of aggressive jazz chaos. The almost rapped vocals continue their flow on "One Hand Behind the Devil", there is a taunt syncopation , that gives this more of a punch. I can hear where they might admire Idles, but there is a great deal of other sounds being added to the mix giving them their own sound. The melody the sax lays down in the middle of this song is nice. 

The last song is more of an all-out jazz jam. It is glazed over with post-rock ambiance, to create a spacious, but surreal swathe of sound. Was not expecting them to end with an instrumental, but it works. These guys are onto something, would like to hear where they go from here on a full length, everything is very cohesive, and while they cover a great deal of musical ground it is never jarring and always smooth sailing even on the higher energy in your face moments. 

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Nicole Marxen : "Thorns"

Ms. Marxen occupies a very particular dark corner of music. It's goth adjacent. Perhaps even crossing the line, but she takes her place alongside the other host of sullen sirens who emerged around 2010.  Zola Jesus emerged from the "witch House" scene to give a gloomier take on pop music and was oddly followed by artists closer to folk,  like Chelsea Wolfe,  Marissa Nadler, and Emma Ruth Rundle, all of whom also had ties to metal. Nicole follows this path, leaning more in the direction of  Zola Jesus' post-apocalyptic brand of pop, as the orchestrated sonic crashes paint a background that feels more like a science from an  A-24 film, with beauty and chaos embraced in music. 

Marxen emerged from the weird shoe-gazing psychedelic glam of Midnight Opera. Her solo works still retain the dreamy qualities but it is met by a more ominous shadow. I have always said that the darker the music is the heavier it becomes, This can be felt in the chilling groove to "Blood of Mine".  The title track is possessed by a more ghostly atmosphere, though it haunts houses almost too similar to the ones Chelsea Wolf occupies. She distances herself from this with "Ride" which moves with a more rock energy, even if the traditional organic instrumentation is not in play. She does return to her ghostly upper register as the song progresses.

"Hang the Moon" hovers with an ambiance that would not have been out of place at the Bang Bang Bar in Twin Peaks.  The song does build in sonic intensity, though it's not going to get hooked into your head but might resurface amid your night terrors. There is a more minimalist arrangement for "Lullaby"  which is a fragile ballad of sorts. More Krautrock than folk. "Fever Dream"  works off a different drone, one that finds the sounds more layered in its slow burn. In fact, it is almost more of an interlude as the vocals that do eventually come in are just wailing in the background. "The Executioner" benefits from more deliberate drumming to balance out the atmosphere it builds up into, though the last song takes the rock elements a step further in 80s dark wave meets industrial-strength doom. I will give this album a 9, I enjoyed it as it creates the moods I seek out. 

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Yama Uba :" Silhouettes"

 

This album came out back in January and has been on my radar, but just got caught up with albums coming my way to check it out. They have captured the sound of the 80s and leaned into their Siouxsie influence, which is a mistake most female-fronted goth bands make. After Savages did that sort of thing so well, there is not a great need to expand upon it, though these gals are a little darker and more synth-based. The second song offers more groove than the first, which goes a long way with me. They creep along with Halloween moods that begin to distance themselves from Siouxsie on "Shatter' which finds more of a hook forming on the chorus and interesting sounds being introduced that are outside of the typical goth revivalist motif. 

They move in a more 45 Grave direction on "Facade". Then things go in a weird direction for "I'm in Love With a German Film Star" as it becomes a Depeche Mode-like new wave ballad. It makes more sense the second time I listen to it than the first it breezed its way into the background. The synths continue to be a dominant presence in the overall sound of  "Isolation" which is darker and works off a haunting single-note guitar melody that hovers as a layer of ambiance. There a hints of Joy Division in the mood without becoming a tribute act. 

Guitar comes to the forefront on "Laura" which takes things in a more post-punk direction. The mix of this album is often the dividing line between this band falling towards darkwave or post-punk, not that who they are changing much otherwise. Here it just allows them to indulge in a darker Cure-like groove. Things turn in a darker direction to find them making the first music that I would call goth, though it was hinted at in some of the songs earlier. "Claustrophobia" is the more original of the two more shadow-infused songs. I will give this album an 8.5, I am not sure how much more time I will spend with this album apart from the time I have already invested in it , but have enjoyed the time I did spend with it and think that kids coming into this sort of thing will enjoy it, as it has already done the homework for them. 

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Canopy : "Empty Light"

 One of Atlanta's best-kept secrets has just unleashed a new EP that will elevate its status in the metal community. These guys are going above and beyond, as what kept me listening was not the screamed vocals or punchy sludge accents, but the way the chords rang out to create a sense of melancholy. Just being heavy for the sake of being heavy is an easy task, but pouring your pain and depression. These guys are solidly on the side of sludge, there is a penchant for post-rock guitar wandering to balance out their monolithic crunch with the breathing room needed to create a dynamic juxtaposition 

 I have always said that sludge is what happens when punk rock tries to play doom. I can once again stand by that statement as I am sensing from the aggressive manner that some of the riffs on "Shadow Work" attack with that at least half the band got into metal by way of hardcore, as it hits more like that than Black Sabbath. There are moody hints on "Shadow Work' that finds the band allowing darkness to add to the overall sonic scope of their heavy, which I am a big fan of, as they hit the mark in creating something as heavy sonically as it is heavy metal. second song. Still, the depressive undercurrent is not as noted as the first track, which finds perhaps in the EP's subtle bipolar mood swing, another emotional conflict unfolding for "Wound Patrol".

The raw throat howling of their vocalist is the only point of contention with this album. At times they are phrased in a manner that makes them feel like an afterthought, perhaps if they were screamed with more variance, it would not feel like the same flavor of anguish being exclaimed.  The emotional journey the band takes you on balances this out and puts less weight on the vocals, Fistula occupies a trailer park not far from these guys' sonic zip code, there is just less crust to what is going down here. However, Fistula employs similar screams that have more purpose and add to the arrangments where the screams Granted the more extreme hardcore side of sludge, place less emphasis on vocal articulation, and the hooks are not going to be found amid screams of anguish. 

These guys have been around for over a decade, making these a culmination of the perseverance that has brought them to this moment in time. This sense of finding who they are throughout their journey has strengthened their songwriting, unlike other bands in the genre they get to the point without having to drone things out into a sprawl of sound. One of my complaints when it comes to bands coming out today, is they place too much focus on a sound and not enough focus on writing a song, these guys have crafted a well-kept balance here, and their more atmospheric side aids in this. The vocals do give a somewhat uniform feel to the songs, as it was the angular riffing to "Clawing" that kept it from blurring together with the previous song. I will give this album a 9, making it one of the best sludge albums I have spent time with this year. If you are a fan of sonically enthralling sludge that is gut-wrenching yet eerie with it's unique beauty then this album is worth your time.  

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blanket : "Ceremonia"

This album has been on my list since its March release, but I am just now getting caught up enough to give it a proper listen, The band follows in the post-hardcore shoegazing steps of bands like Hum and Failure. The guitars crash and shimmer with enough conviction, but it's not as original as these guys might think it is. It does sound good and displays ample dynamics. Things move in a brighter almost happy direction on the title track. There is a slicked-over angst, that carries about as much actual anger as any Foo-Fighters song. Their vocals are not as hook-focused as Ole Dave Grohl's. The guitar carries enough of the woozy shoe gaze effects to make fans of 90s rock satisfied if that is where their tastes lean. I think when they head in this direction it works better for the band since heavy is not their forte. 

There is more hard rock radio riffage going down for "Kaleidoscope". The reprise of "Sea of Bliss' is a piano ballad that is more of an interlude, than a song they are committed to.  "Loom' brings back some of the more surreal waves of shoe gaze sounds they have hinted at earlier in the album. It also benefits from a grooving bass, and guitar textures that give the vocals space to get weird. This might make it my favorite song thus far on the album. They tried a similar sonic space with "the Lucky Ones" though the vocal lines are more deliberate. You draw marginal comparisons to Smashing Pumpkins here. The other version of "Sea of Bliss" is like Deftones toying around with indie rock. 'Euphoria" finds them using ample atmosphere and rock guitar to muse about their panic attack. It feels more like a lost Weezer song. 

The last song, finds the strummed guitar jangling against the effects as the whispered vocals drift in. I wait a minute for something to happen, and the jangle drones one. Then they waste another minute on this introspective mood that has long since bored me. Now three minutes and it's evident that if they are going to exceed the length of a Ramones song, just building up to go anywhere, then they are not really going anywhere in the first place. I will give this album an 8, it's solid, and if you like more atmosphere than hard rocking this might be for you. Was released on Church Road Records.  

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FULCI : "Duck Face Killings"

 

This is the 5th album by the Italian death metal band. Once again their obsession with horror movies dominates the lyrics. Musically the opening track feels like they are paying tribute to Cannibal Corpse. I hear more of who they are when it gets to the thrashing attack of "Morbid Lust". The vocals have more form and function on this one. At times his low growl reminds me of Dr Claw from Inspector Gadjet. "Morbid Lust' is even more deliberate than the hammering that preceded it on "Fucked With a Broken Bottle' which makes no attempt to hide the Cannibal Corpse influence. The main difference is some of the more melodic guitar lines layered about. These guys are very heavy but also care about songwriting which goes a long way with me. 

"Maniac Unleashed" chugs along more straightforwardly with less to set it apart. I am not sure why they had someone rap on the song "Knife' but that is what happens. The riff to 'Slasherality" steamrolls you with a more deliberate churning though it builds momentum until they are at your typical death metal hyper-aggressive tempo. The groove they lock into is very Slayer-inspired. These guys are pretty capable riff writers as they just toss around killer riffs like they have a surplus of them hanging around the practice space on "Human Scalp Collection". Though perhaps they blew their load on that one as the title track might have some melodic chord progressions, but is not as inspired.  

They take you back to the intersection of when death metal branched off from thrash on "Rotten Apple". The riff grooves a little more and is very head bangable. It does find its way into a breakdown-like riff that tips the balance on this one sending it into the pretty damn killer side of the fence. "Sadistic Murder" is a dense riff machine that chugs with magnetic motion. The aggression powering this song is a homage to the maniacs of the movies this album is a hymnal to. "Stabbed , Gutted and Loved" is another song that could almost be a tribute to Cannibal Corpse, it's the thrash influence that provides these guys with a sense of identity. The more melodic the better sense anyone can do brutal for the sake of being brutal. The last song is more of an outro since ambiance largely rules the day, I like the sax that appears here and think if they had worked this into the more straightforward death metal it would have been more of a game changer. I will give this one a 9, even though it follows the shadow of their influences down a dark alley, they emerge with their own blood-soaked take on things.This drops August 9th on 20 Buck Spin.  

Duck Face Killings by Fulci

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Manic Abraxas : "Skinformation"

 

This trio from Maine bangs out a dense fuzzed-out take on thrash. From a marketing perspective, they might try to play too cool for school and suggest that they are actually more of a punk band, but when punk fused with metal back in the 80s that is how thrash was created. I would say their take on the genre is even less punk than early Voivod, another band that shares these guys' love for science-fiction themes. The burly nature of the guitar tone that marks their fourth album lends sludge sonics to their sound, but sludge is another fusion of punk with doom metal. Sure there is a Motorhead feel to some of the riffs driving the second song, but Motorhead was the prototype for thrash, just ask Metallica. 

The drummer is this band's MVP. Though a band is more often than not only as good as their drummer in the first place. The snarl of the vocals almost has a Venom-like menace to it. "Nanodust' is the three-and-a-half minute banger that continues to hammer at you with the dark menace that pervades this album. To the band's credit, this does feel like a long-lost album from Combat Records circa 1983. The electronic elements begin to creep in giving "Winter's Mute" more of an industrial feel. The croon of the vocals is a little pitchy, but overall it works. The production shifts to adapt to the sound they are going for moving things up into 1989. The title track lurches into a more deliberate sludge-trodden riff. This leads to this also being the album's most sprawling song at almost seven minutes. The vocals are almost more spoken than sung or snarled. up it  When things speed up it feels like it is more done at random. It droning on the chugged grind of the riff 

"Cyber Satyr" has more of a rock n roll feel. The way the vocals fall reminds me a bit of Metallica. The song is pretty effective with all of these elements in play. "Dark Builder" pretty much rides the static tension of a fuzzed-out bass line. There is more of a creeping groove to the riff that brings the last song to life. While this riff is effective, the vocals pretty much drag the song into stagnation, until they belt it out with a more soaring vocal before the song winds down. I will give this album a 9, as it fuses the 80s with modern sludge metal in a fun manner. This album drops in August. 

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ADON : "s/t"

 

There is no denying that this duo is bolstered by Decapitated drummer James Stewart. This aids in the stomp of the band's larger-than-life stomping grooves. The vocals are marginally more diabolical than your standard death metal, Deicide comes to mind in this regard, though they work off too grooving aggression to be black metal. Is there a black metal influence on the mood they are trying to create? Sure but it would be misleading your expectations of this album to paint it as being black metal. The guitar solos pretty much solidify their place as a death metal band. Sure the occasional blast beat crops up but that can be said of most death metal bands. 

Is there more of a storming the gates feel to the second song? Yes. But are the songs driven by a grandiose sense of aggression more than an introspective worship of darkness? Yes, this is what makes them a death metal band and not a black metal band. They do give thins room to breathe and set the stage for an even more epic chug to come. Melody wins out over dissonance, chaos or sorrow. The title track has an almost symphonic cadence to its sweeping grandiose orchestrations, at over 16 minutes perhaps excessively so. In the first five minutes, they have already unpacked a great deal of riff. None are really sticking with me, but they sound good for what they are. Seven minutes in it feels like things break down in such a manner it should be where the next song starts. There are a few blackened bits amid the sprawling entanglement of prog that unfurls. But nothing really sticks to me in a way that makes me want to invest another 16 minutes in the song again. 

"Azimuth" finds the riffs locking into a cool chug that they should have cut to the chase for on the previous song. This gives way to more blasting that is marginally more black metal than other moments that have come close to this sonic shade earlier in the album.  "Axiom" feels like an extension of the previous song if it sped up and decorated with more prog ambitions. Production-wise there is a very massive polished sound to this album so they are doing what they intended here. They close the album with an 11-minute epic, which seems excessive considering how the other long-winded song did not feel like the best investment of time.  This song however feels like it is jammed out more organically and makes sense rather than extra sections piled on to the point of excess.  I will give this album an 8, as there are strong moments, I am personally not a fan of some of it's excesses and feel other strengths could have been more focused on, but there is a demographic for what is happening here and the band made the album they sought to make so it works in that frame of reference. 

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Abrams : "Blue City"

 

I really dug the Denver-based band's 2022 album. I looked forward to this one's release, but it slipped under the radar.  This time around there is a heavier more grunge-tinged aggression that sometimes reminds me of Filter and makes me think of Soundgarden. The big guitar sound swirls around the songs. They are big and anthemic in their attack with nuanced verses that groove while leaving enough room for the vocals to howl and croon around.  It's when they reach the balance of melody, groove, and dynamics that the band really shines which is heard on "Etherol" which sounds like a long-lost classic from the 90s. It is the kind of song that proves what they are capable and the rest of this album is going to be weighed against. 

They get this place on the more shadowy and introspect 'Lungfish" whose melancholy rings true. The vocals begin to step into their place center stage, allowing the guitars to play a less riffy role until we get to the chorus of "Wasting Time". They still manage to conjure a hypnotic throb. The dynamic are familiar as it falls somewhere between Failure and Tool.  But the less proggy pretentious days of Tool and the more brooding side heard on "Undertow". Unlike Tool the vocals are tightly harmonized. There is more of a stoned fuzzed-out vibe to the rock n roll grooves of "Death Om". It's not a straight-up boogie-down shuffle, but looks longingly in that direction. The syncopated creep of "Turn it Off " is back to a more grunged out sound, but focuses more on the guitar than the vocals. 

The vocals should always be the focal point, and when they create space on a song like "Narc" it really plays to their strength as a band. This is also a more atmospheric and progressive place so my personal tastes might reflect the preference. Their pendulum swings back in a more rock direction for "Crack Aunt" the vocals just coast over the winding riffs. Then it swings back in a direction that best serves who they are as a band on the title track. It has all the dynamics and melody you might want from these guys, I will give this one a 9.5, and see how it grows on me, This album is an improvement over their last album as their songwriting hones in on the sounds that are most effective for them as a band. 

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Beaten to Death : "Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis"

 This band from Norway is not playing black metal. They are heavy but thanks to their feedback squealing vision of grind-core. The vocals are chaotically screamed or growled. The second song just creeps out of the first. The opening song is just a minute long, and it crams a great deal of thrashing into that minute. They carry out thrashing with a great deal of spastic energy. The production on the drums comes across pretty rough at time, leaving it to sound as if drums are just being kicked down the stairs. The bass also sounds like it's strings are about to fall off. It's not all chaos as "My Hair Will Be Long Until Death" does have a melodic section in the middle. 

The vocals tend to trade off being higher strangled screams and a lower death metal growl. "Minus Och Minus.." starts off with almost a Police before hurtling into blast beats, despite the low production quality they do have some great ideas when it comes to songwriting that gives the songs what they need to push past this. "Mosh for Mika" has a creepy melody that runs in the background, that sets them apart from other grind core bands as they bring the needed melodies that most of them forsake, while this does lean them in a more of a thrash direction that is fine,

"Dying the Dream" hit you with blasting speed which is when the production flaws come to the forefront, when they are more deliberate it allows for the songs to surpass this, so they could not get the sound dialed does not matter as they have the songs. At times they even work in actual singing which is a rarity in grind core. Though "Dying the Dream " is the rare song that is three minutes. "Life But How to Leave it" is a more straight forward riff battery. The manic drumming does not play to it's favor this time, but the guitar try to hold it together. "We're Not Going to Make it " runs into similar problems with more uptempo chugs. But even these moments are still song focused and listenable. There is even a rock riff at the end of the song. 

The last song is more jangling blasting madness that is not as song focused as some of the album's high points. I will give this album a 9, it is a great deal of fun, the production makes it less dense than what I normally want from the genre, but it's a fun album that takes more chances than not and the all pay off , I look forward to hearing what they do with a bigger budget and taking the time to dial this in. 

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TRENCH : "Between Inverted Worlds"

 

This Canadian metal core is on the more experimental side of the genre. I would almost call them death-core as the vocals are more death metal than hard-core. They do have the hard-core grooves almost pushed to a more nu-metal like pace This is very well produced and the almost Blade Runner-like mood lacing this album certainly helps them to stand apart from your run-of-the-mill metalcore bands. Then by "Path of Pain" they have decided they want to jerk you around with odd time signatures more than they want to groove you. 'One Cut For Every Loss" is more deliberate and gives some sonic breadth to add a layer of melody and make the album as a while more listenable, without being overly accessible. They pick up the pace 

They are not short on the atmosphere as heard in "Dust to Borie". Though they set this against more of a modern metal roar. If you do not like electronic elements in your music and do not like music that is at times dissonant then these guys might not be for you. The sung vocals on this song, provide a nice dynamic shift without leaning too far into the pop side of things. 'Chrome Sacrament' does for the throat with almost too singular of focus. The song does progress into a more interesting experimental place."My Cold Blood" succeeds at being heavy, but its assault does not do much to add a great deal of variety to its sound.

"Final Odyssey " works off songs they have already introduced and just takes it in a more urgent and aggressive tone. "Blossom III" finds things drifting into a more expansive range of sound. Dissonance is one of the primary ingredients I will give this album a 9, it could use little fine tunings. but accomplished what they set out to do , while also having a more original sound. 

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Cigarettes After Sex : "X's"

 

The hushed androgynous intensity of Greg Gonzalez remains the same in many ways. I  reviewed their 2017 album, which I found interesting, but perhaps not enough to review their second album. I am glad I checked back in on these guys, as they have matured in a way that allows me to wrap my head around this. With the first album, I think I was halfway into their first album before I realized the singer was male. Now his tone is fuller in a way that shares more common ground with Elliot Smith. Perhaps over the years playing shows he now puts more of his guts into his singing as his voice songs project more and there is less of the feeling he is up close to the mic. 

The tempos are rather uniform in the slow-burn minimalism that is the formula of their songwriting. His lyrics are heartfelt and honest, which lends some weight to the otherwise fragile nature of what is being done here. In fact, the lyrics punch more than the notes being played or beats under them, no thanks to the gentle coo of his voice. Four songs in and the slow dance begins to make your ears grow a little tired of the lullaby, and I begin to need more dynamics.  It's interesting because I just reviewed the new Raveonettes album and there is a similar feel, but the Raveonettes feel like a more organic band. There is a more 70s vibe to "Holding You Holding Me". The song flows better and it feels like there is more substance holding things together here. 

"Dark Vacay" drifts with more of a slow-core creep, though still in the 70s mood that keeps it from falling into the zipcode of bands like Low. The drugs that are being name-dropped make sense, and lyrically it is more depressing than the sounds coming out of the speakers. The percussion while still more low-key than what an actual rock band would do, still creates more of a sense of motion to "Baby Blue Movie". The melody is poppier than the previous songs. "Hot" finds him back up close on the mic. The way the song unwinds like a lazy river has a great deal in common with dream pop and post-rock. Post-pop might be the best way to describe it. When guitars break the surface the tones are great, I just wish they were more present in the mix.  

The roundabout mention of meth on "Dreams From Bunker Hill"  feels odd as this seems like it would be the last sound that would be created smoking meth. Goes to show it takes all kinds, he looks way older than 41, so I am sure the drugs are not just props to give the lyrics more edge. Speaking of drugs "Ambien Slide" closes the album. This song has more impact thanks to the stellar lyrics, he does not do anything different with his voice it's all in where he puts it. He does sound better, and there is growth all around on this album. There is a grounded melancholy not unlike that of country music, actual country music not the pop version, so I guess if you are too used to city life and do not have the kind of cowboy fantasies Orville Peck invokes then this folk music for closeted gay addicts, perhaps in recovery due to the lovely of self-reflection here. I will give this album a 9, which makes it better than the first one. This dropped on Partisan Records . 

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The Raveonettes : "The Raveonettes Sing…"

 The 9th album from the Danish reverb rockers is comprised of covers. They are covering some of their most obvious influences but doing it in a way that still retains the Twin Peaks-like ambiance that has colored their body of work. The first song sounds like it's from the '50s and I am not familiar with the Paris Sisters outside of the fact they worked with Phil Spector and this song does stay true to that sound. Things get more interesting when they tackle the Cramps classic "Goo Goo Muck", tone down the punk sensibility the band was known for, and take things in a trippier direction that finds a balance of being true to the original while making sense on an album that leans heavily towards the '50s and '60s in terms of feel. 

8 albums into their career they have solidified their following by this juncture of their career, but you can hear how this album might appeal to fans of Lana Del Ray. Duane Eddy's "The Girl on Death Row" is more sentimental and holds the feel of teenage romanticism. three songs in and it's worth saying there are some incredible guitar tones captured on this album. "All I Have to Do is Dream" is one of the Everly Brother's calling cards so to take on such a classic is a big step that they only meet head-on in the sense they have the vocal melodies down, and it's clear what song this is, but there is a dreamier haze cast over it.  The Shirelles is another band that makes a great deal of sense for them to cover, though they continue to take it down a surreal pill-induced drifting. It does not have the pop drive of the original and feels like it's being played by drug addicts who could nod off at any moment. 

Speaking of drug addicts "Venus in Furs" is another iconic staple, and if you are going to cover the Velvet Underground it might make sense to attempt it but the expectations are going to be higher. They capture the hypnotic feel but set it against a 90s alt-like programmed drum beat. Buddy Holly's "Wishing" gives the band more room to play since it's not as well-known of a song unless you are a Buddy Holly fan. I think they work well with what they were given here. They also have some breathing room with Gram Parson's "The Return of the Grievous Angel". Another song where I am not that familiar with the original, so there is no expectation set so it works well enough for me. You do get to hear some of the guitar lines jammed out a bit which works for them. 

'Shakin All Over" has more of a garage rock feel, though sound they are dialed into retro-perfect in a manner not unlike what the last Twin Temple album sounds like. It's another song where the great guitar tone and playing wins you over. "The Leader of the Pack" is another classic that defines an era of music. They are going up against Twisted Sister's version of the song, which Deen Snider really nailed back on 'Come Out and Play" but if you do not have this point of reference to weigh it against, this one stands alone.  I will give this album a 9.5, most of these songs they made their own. If you are fan it just makes sense. This was just released on Cleopatra Records

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The Hope Conspiracy : "Tools of Oppression​/​Rule by Deception"

It's been 18 years since these guys put out a full-length. The end of the world certainly warrants a new album based on their message. The album opens with the angry stomp you expect, followed by "The Prophets and Doom" with a more rock n roll feel. There is a punk explosiveness to it, which highlights the raw organic nature of the production quality of this album.   I can hear a great deal of Integrity influence in what these guys do. They are both less metallic and less experimental than Intergrity. The scope of the apocalyptic gloom is not as dark, but more of a grounded blue-collar anger, so much like Modern Life is War in this regard.

"Live in Fear" is a straightforward punk affair that just goes for the throat.  Things are more effective at bringing the bleakness on the more deliberate stomp of "Shock By Shock" which is one of the album's strongest songs. "Of a Dying Nation" has riffs that groove and make it a more infectious listen as well. I do not care what genre of music you are or how angry you are while you are playing it want I want are memorable songs which is what "Of a Dying Nation" has them offering my ear. The drummer is earning his paycheck on this one for sure. They use dynamics but are not cashing in on the breakdown formula. 

They step on the chaos in a more Motorhead-like manner for "Confusion Chaos Misery".  "Broken Vessels" also works off a similar high-octane and hyper-aggressive punk pace. I like the lyrics to "The West is Dead" it sums up the theme of the album well, and these guys are old enough to be able to read the writing on the wall without any of the foolish ideals of youth. They are back to more of a punk for the last song, which works well enough for what these guys do.  I will give the album a 9, as it is the kind of anger I have been expecting for hardcore bands to have already come correct with this year. Dropped on Deathwish Inc. 

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GAEREA : "Coma"

 This Black Metal band from Portugal is following up on their 2022 album "Mirage" which fostered ambitions to break away from the confines of black metal. This album follows a similar path though with bigger production and more melodic climaxes. Two songs into the album and they have already covered more ground sonically. Being more deliberate in the riffing certainly helps as well. The guitars allow for more space which breeds darker intentions, allowing for more nuance in the songwriting process. This lends itself to creating an almost more Behemoth-like mood to songs like "Suspended". However, they are more open to offsetting the atmosphere with a more vengeful blasting than what Behemoth ventures into. 

The atmosphere on this album is handled differently than on their last album as it never feels like they are coming from a similar zip-code as Deafheaven. It occurs in the more soaring melodies the guitar riffs bang out with broader intentions. On the title track, I detect an almost metalcore-like stomping raging beneath the pulse of the drums. This and other moments make this album more accessible to a broader metal audience than just the black metal crowd. "Wilted Flower" blasts with more of a straightforward black metal fury that still has enough songwriting smarts dialed into it with the needed nuance to balance things out. They are not trying to be Sleep Token with the sparse sung vocals that crop up, and perhaps the less-than-poppy use of them is what makes this album hit a hundred times harder than anything Sleep Token as aspired to do. 

"Reborn' locks into the triumphant gallop mode of Black Metal.  Blast beats carry it off into the wild abandon expected of black metal. 'Shapeshifter' starts off as darker and moodier before the blast beats return to rush it into a blurred battery of the sense, where the cool melody is not only an undercurrent. Still, this is more than what your average black metal band does these days.  "Unknown" once again finds the band leaning into blast beats, though as the song progresses they are broken up by accents, and the drummer does enough to keep the album from just becoming a blur despite not shying from blast beats. Some punches bring that more hard-core feel back to mind. They maintain this momentum going into the last song, which finds the final three songs, carrying a more uniform energy despite their ebb and flow. I will give this album a 9, as it improves on the path they blazed on their last album. This album is being released on Season of Mist on October 25th, if the world lasts that long. 

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Firtan : "Ethos"

 

I liked the German band's 2022 album "Marter", this one finds them expanding beyond the conventions of 90s black metal that colored the last album, building darker more melodic tapestries of sound that also embrace the rage of a storm. The two qualities work together well on the opening track. If you regularly read this blog then you are aware of my love for Black Metal, but my unwillingness to accept just your typical blast beats and tremolo picking as those have been done to death, and there are other ways to capture the same feel which is what is happening here, though the drummer lays on the double bass to achieve this. Is it at times death metal adjacent? In some ways yeah, but the sonic depth of the guitars captures more than just the blood-red hyper-aggression of death metal. This also means the riffing is catchier than your average black metal band which just rides the tension.

"Contra Vermes" does find some of the more commonplace weapons of black metal coming into play.     Blast beats and a dissonant throb are two of those sounds. The vocals are more vengefully screamed.  While they execute this well the grinding riffs are not the most original moment, so your ears are grateful for the atmospheric reprieves the song offers. "Arikanum" gives you more breathing room by granting time to bask in the ambiance as they create a darker tone. The violin really contributes a great deal of melody to this album. It provides the needed counterpoint to the moment they succumb to the feral nature of black metal. "Wermut hoch am Firmament" works off of this with the buzz of tremolo-picked guitars at its core. There are enough accents to give the vocals a purpose. "Moloch' thrashes at you with renewed anger. The vocals might be possessed by an even more scathing rasp than the previous song. 

"Ruakh' is more deliberate in its attack, though not mellower as pummelling double bass races it forward. The last track is more of a melodic outro, which are elements I would have preferred to have heard worked into some of the actual songs, leaving the last real song as a suitable closing for this album as it locks in with a deliberate chug to end things more heavily.  I will give this album a 9, it's heavy and does conform to some of the black metal tropes but they still care about songwriting rather than just hitting you with rage set to blast beasts in a blurred wall of sound. 

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Sexblood : "Intimidating Visions"

 

All too often this more recent wave of goth revival bands, forget to bring the rock side of the equation unless they were all in metal bands previously. This is not the case with this French band, which brings with them more of a Bauhaus vibe to this band. Things are dramatic, but they do not forget to rock out along the way. A tug of war begins to set in by the third as I wonder about being a slave to the sound of an era versus growing with where music is today. Vocally they are going in a more Sisters of Mercy direction on "Meat Wagon" With this they play in a manner that serves this sound, but I am beginning to wonder who they are outside of these influences. I can appreciate the vocals are layered going into "Out of the Dark" but the blind allegiance this holds to their influences is stifling to the full spectrum of their creativity. 

So at this point, they are a tribute band to Bauhaus and Sisters of  Mercy. I own all the albums by both of these bands, so what I am getting from these guys that makes investing my time in them worthwhile? This becomes the question that haunts me as I listen to "The Cremo".  If you are at least reasonably familiar with the two artists that are being drawn from, you can directly hear what songs are being narrowed. Perhaps not intentionally. I mean I know some people who have a limited spectrum where there are like five artists they listen to and rotate their listening in a very limited spectrum. If they would make music there would not be more colors to draw from, the most original moment so far is on "The Dust" as it does not sound like a direct descendent of any one artist. I need more of this sort of thing from these guys. 

"Doctor Death' finds them back in the safety of their musical comfort zone. The title track finds them slowing down to bask in a darker place. From there they tend to dance around their comfort zone. This does lend enough room to hear their more creative side prevail until "Walpurgis Night' ebbs down to a more brooding place until they switch gears and the smoke machine obscures the dance floor. I also like the last song as it relishes in grandiose ritualistic darkness that makes for the album's heaviest moment, though it is a captivating sound, not the catchiest song. This French band is good at what they do, I enjoy the sound they are paying homage to, so I will give this an 8.5, if you want old-school goth that does not mess with the traditional formula they have you covered. 

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This band which features ex-members of Defeater, plays a melodically atmospheric version of modern hard-core. The vocals are yelled in screamed in the more typical manner of the genre, while the guitars offer a wider range of sonic attacks. Touche Amor is a fair point of reference for where they are heading on this album.  It's not until "Misanthropic Holiday or a Vacation' that the narrative regarding the machine they are raging against becomes more defined. Social media and big pharma come across as objects their ire is aimed at. Sung vocals are mixed in the background, but enough to give another color and set up the brief breakdown. They do not follow any fixed formulas when it comes to songwriting.

There is more chaos in the building emotional storm that they build on "Popular Memes". Not the album's catchiest song, but it's effective for what they set out to do here. There is more of a spoken-word feel to "Un-housing Project". The music casts a gloomier shadow behind as the vocals feel almost more rapped to give a 90s feel when bands like Downset were once prominent. The political nature of the band's message focuses more on societal issues like homelessness and immigration. The post-rock groove of  "Settlements" keeps; lyrics set against bleakness rather than hope which I appreciate. Even though the vocals are a one-trick pony, the band manages to still make their songs dynamic.  

"Meds" finds their anger building along with the song's pace and gets more aggressive. Hard-core kids who want something that adheres more closely to the conventions of the genre will prefer this side of the band. The band continues to weave melodic backdrops for the vocals to yell over as the album progresses, leaving the guitars to carry most of the song's weight, but they are thoughtful enough players to pull this off. Normally the vocals would have begun to wear on me after eight songs of similar ranting, but the music distracts me from this. Having been a fan of this brand of emotional hardcore in the late 90s, I can attest that they have successfully captured the feel of the era. The political nature of the lyrics does wear on me as they proclaim things as truths that are matters of perspective. The only real perspective on the matter that I respect would be politics is only the puppet show to distract people from what is really going on, or I can get behind Zappa saying politics are the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex. 

The ranting gets a more dynamic backing track for "Late Stage Harm Reduction" which finds the chorus more explosive. It is interesting as they do shun all tendencies to introduce metallic elements into their sonic scope. The song maintains a steadier intensity and comes across as perhaps more punk. I will give this album a 9, the lyrics did get a little tiresome, but I do not care about them as much as I appreciate how that passion is translated musically. Sure they are raging for a machine, which defeats the essence of punk but such is the world we live in sometimes you have to dial out the static to enjoy the world around you. 

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Male Tears : "Paradisco"

 

Despite its title, the new album by this Millenial duo is not disco. Instead, we are getting a deep dive into 90s pop from this duo who feels like the Tiktok version of Spinal Tap for turquoise-haired goth kids of today, It is a case of where they get the sounds right but are merely serving as a tribute band, and the execution is not as pristine as you might expect, considering their last album was decent. The vocals on the first song are pitchy, perhaps this is due to stepping out of the comfort zone they have existed up until this point, It is requiring them to try to sing in higher keys. "Corlyx helps them out on "Leave" allowing the verse vocal to stay in the mono baritone 90s new wave bridged over from post-punk. Caitlin Stokes finds her vocals sitting further back in the mix.  They could have made better use of her talents. 

Xorlyx also contributes backing vocals to "Sex on Drugs" which finds the lead vocal track on the verse struggling to stay in key as they reach outside of their comfort again. It reminds me of the Pet Shop Boys song "It's a Sin", though he is no Neil Tennant. This album highlights the problem of focusing on getting a sound rather than writing songs. When you focus on a sound you are betting solely on the fact that you will nail that sound, but it has to be a bullseye. However, if the production fails you, a well-written song can be played acoustic or electric, so it still holds up. They have grossly overestimated their vocal abilities on this album. Astari Nite is an example of a band that is capable of shifting sounds, but they are also good songwriters and that means they write to sound that best suits their abilities.  The attempts at a more New Romantic sound on this album are just not who they are. 

The album continues to be hit or miss, for every note they hit, there is one that slips between the cracks, This is not on stage but in the studio, meaning this is a collection of the best takes they had in them. This is as good as it gets for them. The problem lies in the fact they produced this album themselves, if they had a proper producer, he might not have let this performance slip, as they clearly can not hear if they were in key or not. They rip "Love My Way" on "He Want's Everything". this album becomes bad 80s karaoke at this point. "Regret for Nothing" at least finds them able to nail Talk Talk's sound. "This Party Ends in Tears" finds the synths sounding like early Madonna. The vocals don't lose it until heading toward the chorus. But it's an almost more forgivable performance than what has been heard earlier in the album. I will give this album a 7, there are decent moments, and if you have really romanced this sound and want anything that comes close then it might work better for your ears, I am disappointed and wish they stuck to what was working. 

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