Ulver : 'the Red Light"

 Rygg is back on the tip of the smooth groove, making music that comes close to the 80s homage synth-wave bands are making these guys. But with a dusky winter haze cast as he coasts down the beachside highway of life, these songs are cruising. Lyrically things are getting darker and more dystopian. He has been watching the news. "Locusts" drifts like a Tears For Fears b-side. Enough hook to keep you invested.  After an instrumental interlude, he fires back with "Hollywood Babylon' which has more of a disco feel. Lyrically it mockingly announces "Not Fuck With America".  It packs the most groove into a song thus far. 

"Forgive Us" falls back into a more Tears For Fears-influenced soulful pop ballad. This is followed by another one of the atmospheric pieces. These sound nice enough, but I am not going to count them for the purpose of this review.  "A City in the Skies" bounces with an 80s-like cadence, not as pronounced as perhaps some of the previous songs. Lyrically it upholds the bleak stage that was already set by the other songs. The elephant in the room might be the total lack of any heavier elements, and how this project might as well change its name, I get that but he has already covered such a wide range that if you are hanging on as a fan, then you have accepted this fact. 

There are two takes on "Ghost Entry" the first being the kind of chilled synth wave with the neon colored 80s groove. The second take finds robotic effects on the vocals and it is less of a song more of an outro, but there is enough going on to count it as a song for the purpose of this review. I will give this one a 9.5, as the parts that did not grab me on the first couple of listens will grow on me and they are great at what they do.

November is Doom -Toadliquor : "Back In Hole"

 This band that first brought their sonic anguish to ears in the 90s is back. They are doing what they do with raw emotion, and sonic fury that will make you a believer. I always say sludge is what happens when punks try to play doom, and this band proves that statement true again. The vocals howl against this with convincing misery, making no attempt at any kind of melody, just expelling their mental illness on your ears. While this is effective for the first song, how will this fare for the entire album? If the answer to this question hangs on the second song, then things are uncertain as it moves with a similar stomp. There is a little more rock nuance to the guitars but the vocals howl similarly. Then things break down midway into the sound and electronic accents bubble to life, making the atmosphere more interesting. This shows they are aware that plowing the same field will not suffice. 

They are already making more effort than Thou did on their most recent album. By the time we get to "Entry Level Position" I have accepted this is as good as it is going to get when it comes to the vocals. Which were powerfully emotive when you first hear them, but then when they fail to shift from that are something you tune into the background. They move in a doomier direction, which in the big picture is a sideways move from where they were.  "In Gold" is the first song where they switch it up, though the vocals stay the same. The riff is very Sabbath but it works.  "Basement" is a slow-motion chaos that never connects as a song. But that might have been what they were going for.

"Open Trough Funeral"  is carried by a more definite riff than some of the songs. The chug keeps it anchored as the vocals howl in the same manner they have been. The last song is sonically one of the best, but it really does not kick in until way half through the swathe of ambiance that consumed half the song. I'll give this album an 8.5, if you are a fan of this band then you might round it up a half a point as you know what to expect from the vocals and already have a tolerance for them.Only makes sense that this would be released on Southern Lord. /p>

pst557

November is Doom -Fire Ritual : "Apocalypse"

 

I normally avoid Black Sabbath worship, but it is a contrast to the Euro-doom I have been reviewing for the past couple of days, though the opening track of this album is really the only saving grace for them the piercing vocals. If not for them they would sound just like Sabbath, In some ways perhaps he is trying to emulate young Ozzy, but that is not how it is executed. It takes the influence and is run through the filter of who he is. The guitarist also does not solo like Iommi, so that is another thin saving grace. The second song finds them showing more of their true selves. The shuffling riff is more Sabbath, but the guitar embellishments and vocals are not. 

The vocals are really well produced, and their singer makes the most of the pipes he has. This aids in his delivery on "Sword of Vengence" which has a more "Children of the Grave" feel, the vocals are the chorus are hooky and stand out, almost more like solo Ozzy than something he would have done during the Sabbath years. "the Ring" finds them delving into Tolkien, the vocals sticking to the more robotic delivery. The guitar solo is more shreddy than Iommi worship would be, We are back to a more "Children of the Grave" style gallop for "Bought and Sold"  Lyrically it is the best song, as it is about the Pandemic, and strays from the accepted narrative to say somethings that need to be said. 

They continue down a more political path with "Number 46" which is about Joe Biden I would assume since he is the 46th president. But to their credit are getting to hear more of who they are as this song has more of a stoner rock feel to it.  "I Am Death' has a more "Into the Void " chug to it, but the accents break it up a little. Then there is a "Lord of This World" feel to "Queen of Darkness". Perhaps a teenager who does not know shit about shit is going to be fooled by, but I have listened to a shit ton of Black Sabbath over the years so not a person who is not going to hear this. 

Where I have to draw the line with these guys is when they steal from "After Forever" and try to play it off as an original when it comes to the melody of 'Evil Woman" showing even less creativity since that is the title of another Black Sabbath song. Then they cover "National Acrobat" which makes me feel they are a Sabbath cover band at some point. Granted they are going to do a spot-on job of it as it is what they do, this guy does not have the soulful quality to his voice that Ozzy does so he is singing the notes not fully feeling them I gotta round this down to an 8, due to the lack of originality, though when they show who they really are I enjoyed those moments, hopefully they will grow into their own band. 

psy556

November is Doom- Borer : "Bag Seeker"

 This New Zealand band is a grimy sludge monster that begs for drugs in the sewers. It is the most logical conclusion you can draw from the choked rasp of the vocals. The title track that opens their debut album carries a decent groove to it, that feels swampy for New Zealand. Drugs are the major theme of this album. With samples of Ozzy's interview from The Decline of the Western Civilization part two being sampled for the burly stomp of the opening track. "Ket Witch" is an ode to ketamine, with the atmosphere creating a dissociative mood that emulates the drug's effectiveness. 

Not what you might expect after the first song, as it carries a more post-rock texture. This kind of spaced-out playing allows you to hear the nuance their guitars are capable of summoning when called to do so. This also provides the needed calm before the storm to lull you into a false sense of security that makes the bang of heaviness carry more weight when it crashes down on your ears. They lash back out in a more pummelling fashion with a renewed nastiness to the mean-spirited "Wretched". They slow to more of a doomish lumber, but there are varied tempos and dynamics involved as well.  I was surprised by how melodic and tasteful the guitar solo was, but you can chalk that up to Iommi's influence. 

The spewed vocals are something I have gotten used to by this point in the album. In many ways, these guys occupy a similar sonic space as Fistula. The last song is the 21-minute "Lord of the Hanged". At the five-minute mark, they wander off into a jam, I appreciate this, but why not split this song up into four songs since it's the length of four songs. The vocals can not be understood, so it's not like it is going to disrupt the lyrical narrative. There are several points when they allow the feedback to ring out that should have marked the end of the song. The guitar solos are great and embody what I like about great playing, but do they need to sprawl on for the length of what could have been another song. They could stand to stream line some things and the vocals are an acquired taste at times, but I will give this album a 9.

pst555

November is Doom - Counting Hours : "the Wishing Tomb"

 This Finnish band is made up of former members of Shape of Despair, primarily their guitarist. Not as bound to their sorrows as Shape of Despair, but they do keep things interesting, Dark, and moody but they know when to give it a more 90s Euro death metal flare. Less progressive than Opeth, but similar vibe in the vocal trade-off. If we are thinking "Ghost Reveries" era. There is a hopeful feeling to the vocal that wrestles against some of the more melancholic hints in the guitars. "Away I Flow" has a sweeping moment to the riff. The vocals snarl to life, and double bass falls in behind it, establishing the tone. The sung vocals however dominate the verses. The trade-off is not the predictable good cop / bad cop vocal formula. 

The drummer certainly wants to push this in a more metallic direction, before  "All that Blooms " takes a turn to a more doom-ridden direction. Growled vocals tend to form the narrative here. This album sounds great, these guys are all pros so that should not be surprising. While there is a more romantic sense of mourning to the song, it does not have the drive of the previous song letting it drift. "Starlit/ Lifeless" has more of the drive the first two songs set our expectations for. This one works better with the vocal melodies. The guitars are well-layered with more nuance chords ringing out. By the time I get to the title track, I can hear what the trend seems to be with this doom-oriented music coming out of Europe as this album is not unlike Swallow the Sun or the Aiwaz, album I just reviewed. Here there is more willingness to kick into double bass, and let the snarled vocals at so heading to the heavier end of the sub-genre spectrum. The vocals continue to switch over into sung passages.

I prefer singing to growling, but do not think it has to be the kinder gentler way. "No Closure' tried the other approach of having screamed vocals over more relaxed guitar melodies to remind you they are playing metal. :A Mercy Fall" is a more uptempo take on a similar concept with the sung vocals gliding over the double bass that sits back further in the mix. This feels very late 90s. "Well of Failures" ends the album with a marginally doomier tone. I think some of these brighter more produced guitar tones throw some of the mood off for me. I will give this a 9, as it falls in line for melodic doom-leaning metal. If you miss Early Opeth this might scratch that itch.Not as heavy as Shape of Despair but I do not see thir fans shunning this either.  

pst554

November is Doom - The Gates of Slumber : "S/T"

 

I am not sure why I have never spent much time with this band, given the fact I love doom so much. They have kept this doom machine in motion since 97, so these guys know what they are doing. If you took the despair of Wino-era St Vitus and gave it Crowbar's guitar heft the results might be similar to what is being thrown down on this album. The vocals have purpose and care about writing songs, which 2024 puts them ahead of the pack. The vocals are given ample love  They plod into more despair for "We Are Perdition" which works better as a song for me than "Full Moon Fever", not that "Full Moon Fever" is a bad song, it just falls more alone predictable doom cliches and does not play to the band's strength's as much as the previous song which wallows in the misery in the best way possible. 

"At Dawn' finds the pace pick up into a grooving chug that works well. It proves you can capture the feel of doom, without always being at a snail's pace. The dark mood is not detoured by the more classic metal feel of the guitar riffing, even when it wanders off into a guitar solo. Lyrically it works well, the vocals are emoted in a manner that creates the needed hooks. The plodding creep of the guitar that leads into "the Fog" falls under what you expect from doom. There are hints of Sabbath in the drumming, but nothing really overt in the vocals or guitar, aside from it being doom. Once the song finds its groove it works well enough but we have heard stronger moments already on this album. Maybe it works better live? There is a pretty decent guitar solo on this one if you are into that sort of thing. 

They close out the album with "The Plague". The vocals have a more soulful Wino-like plea to them. It moves at a funeral march. Things are as downtrodden as you might hope for when it comes to this. Three minutes into this one it builds up, as the drums stir things up.  This drummer is the VIP of this album as he is working overtime to hold this together and keep the dynamics coming.   Overall the strong songs balance the less inspired moments, which never suck they just fall in line too closely into the color-by-numbers doom, by two of the six songs do this, so I will still give this one an 8.5, as the excellent moments are strong enough to compensate for this. 

pst553

November is Doom : Witnesses : "Joy"

This project has been one of my favorite doom bands since they released "Doom II". Looks like there have been a few albums I have missed throughout their career that I need to catch up on.  I prefer it when Kody Ternes is singing. But things change, he is not on this album Simon Bibby from Seventh Angel is handling the vocals this time around, and I appreciate that while he is more of a metal singer than Ternes, he does make melodic choices that think outside of the power metal box, some doom singers lean toward. Not as dark as some of their previous work the album deals more with self -actualization. There is a highly emotive nature they invoke with the atmosphere. It is one of Greg Schwan's strengths as a songwriter. Things are very dynamic, with the vocals soaring above it all. 

The second song finds it starting off in a balladic manner. When it kicks in the groove makes me think of Katatonia. The drums are more aggressive than they were in the first song.  Some stunning songwriting choices are made, that allow the vuly's voice to shine. "Beyond the Sound of My Voice" is even heavier thanks to the thunderous drummer. The production choices create a rawer version of their sound, whereas the previous album was more spacious to create a darker ambiance. Here everything is very up in your face and warmly intimate. The guitar interlude works for what it is, feels more like the intro to "The Endings". Speaking of that song it touches on a more mournful sound. Biddy has a unique voice in how he uses his lower register. The way he croons from it in this song is very effective. He even goes into an almost Sisters of Mercy-like baritone by the end of the song. 

The last song "Safety in me" has a more progressive feel. When it finds its groove it is more mid-tempo. Most of this album is not as despondent as what at least I think of when it comes to doom, so they are true to the genre without having their hands tied by it. The female vocals added at the end are an interesting touch to give a different sonic color. Overall this album works really well I will round it up to a 10, as I think despite not being as dark or a tone as "Doom II " which is the album I am always going to weigh their putout against, this is the album they intended to make, so they excelled and if I was to hear it without any other context I would be blown away. if you are a doom fan who enjoys melody then this album is a must.  

pst552

November is Doom - Aiwaz : "Darrkh… It Is!"

Here is the full-length debut from this German duo that features the vocalist from Wheel, handling vocals. Harsher vocals surface midway into this song, the bulk of the vocals up to this point have been sung with a velvety croon. With a ten and a half minute opening track, they are not shy about being indulgent. This sort of thing languishes rather than hits you with hooks, so the song floats along elegant dark waters. Then on the second song things take a turn toward a more folk-inflected ballad with "The Ghost That Once Was I". It does kick in almost like one of Metallica' power ballads though the vocals do not gather that kind of hard rock grit, they continue to flow fluidly over everything. Make no mistake they are painting the doom mood with the pace being kept, and despite this not being as dark as the first song it's not upbeat either. 

"In this Silence": finds the bleak vocal melody feeling more fragile, it's darker than the previous song which I appreciate, but almost drifts by in its own cloud. There is the chug of heavier guitar that crops up in a few passages here and there. Midway in I realize this is a nine-minute song, making me wonder where they are going from here. The answer is to lay into the chords a little harder and build things up..Not a huge dynamic shift, but the growled vocals make it heavier. "Cemetary of Hearts' is more soaring and the guitar plays a little more traditional role though the atmospheric nature of what they do does not feel like metal. 

With a title like "Garden of Despair," I am expecting this song to be heavier. It started with a more hushed vocal like we were going into a Queensryche ballad. This guy has a great voice for sure. There is also some impressive guitar work that unfolds, but not a heavy song. It is not unlike the Swallow the Sun album I just reviewed in this regard. The album closes with 'When Judas Spins the Wheel". It does find more of a chugged riff to drive it. This creates a more epic doom feel not unlike Solitude Aeturnus. The vocal melody is one of the album's strongest. I will give this one a 9.5 as it is very well done, and they put melody first with great singing to drive the point home. 

5.7

November is Doom - Swallow the Sun :"Shining"

 

This month, we are also covering bands that used to be doom bands and have now evolved past the genre's bounds. These guys are following in the footsteps of Katatonia in this regard, so much so that the first song reminds me of Katatonia. Being from Finland there is ample gloom cast over the grandiose production. I really liked "Moonflowers" It earned a 9.5, so the bar is held high for them, let's see if they can measure up again this time.  The second song contrasts a deliberate crunch and harsh vocals with atmospheric touches as they allow breathing room in the spacious arrangements.  There is some great guitar work on this song, and they find an effective dynamic balance of heavy tones. 

This album requires multiple listens to fully sink in. "Melancholy" benefits from an urgent vocal melody in the verse. The chorus is more complex than arena metal tends to be. Their progressive leanings are still a thing that helps set them apart from their peers or just another band paying homage to the Peaceville era. "Under the Moon and Sun" is a moodier power ballad. It is well-written but does not pack the same punch. Things get heavier on "Kold" as they stomp into song, before the call and response with the sun vocals.

"November Dust" is almost a Type O Negative tribute, I guess it's not a coincidence that the title is a play on "October Rust". They do a better job than the dude from Spirit Adrift's Neon  Nightmare project, which might as well be a covers album, they at least maintain their identity.  "Velvet Chains" is more of a fragile ballad that almost gets consumed by its ambiance. A  new pop folk vibe, haunts it slightly.  'Tonight Pain Believes" is catchier but it just kind of falls out of the other song, I thought the previous song just took a hookier turn.

"Charcol Sky" is the first song in a minute that has embraced the more metallic side, even growled vocals return.  The title track that closes the album soars off into the sunset with its melodic lushness but also has an undercurrent of double bass to keep it moving. I will give this album a 9, it works well enough, and these guys are seasoned pros so it is going to sound great no matter what,  for my tastes, I prefer the darker tone of their previous work is better when it comes to songwriting, but there are no slouches on this one either. This is the album they wanted to make and most fans will be happy with it. 

pst550

November is Doom - Thou : "Umbilical"

Thou is one of those bands that gets so much hype and does not deliver much outside of what is expected that I lost interest in. But seeing how the year is winding down and lists are going to begin surfacing, these guys will be on some of them for no reason other than this is a band the hipsters approve of meaning there does not have to be much substance, though I do prefer these guys over the Body. They are one of the few metallic bands on Sacred Bones which should tell you something. The first song finds the vocals just occupying the needed space, as the guitars lumber over riffs. It does not take long for this song to bore me. They have great fuzzed-out guitar tones, but tone alone is something that can be easily dialed in by a producer.

 Once again on 'Emotional Terrorist" the vocals do not do anything with purpose til the chorus. The accents are more hardcore which I appreciate. "Lonely Vigil" slows down to a scathing stomp. Despite moving at a deliberate crunch there is a great deal of chaos about this song. This chaos is pushed even further for "House of Ideas', there are moments where a chug allows the song to breathe, but it is largely chaos. Two and a half minutes into it and there is no direction, then two minutes later a melodic guitar line helps the song, though the rule here is "cool riffs alone does not a good song make". I feel a great deal of what goes down on this album was done better on Full of Hell's album. " I Feel Nothing When Cry" bangs around and creates a sound to scream over but is not much of a song. This has roughly more in common with hardcore than it does sludge.

"Unbidden Guest" rages with the same feral chaos in its veins. The vocals have a little more purpose though. "I Return as Chained and Bound to You" has the more deliberate stomp you expect from these guys. "The Promis" is one of the first tracks that feels like a song. The album sounds like they just stuck a mic in the practice space. We are heading into doomier territory on "Panic Striken I Flee" with some rock swagger in the verse riff. I will give this album a 7, as there are a few songs that work and some of the punchy hardcore energy works but do not  show up hoping for a sludge fest as things are more chaotic than

pst549

November is Doom- Barren : "The Hanged Man"

 What drew me to this album by the New Jersey band was it chronicles one of the member's six-year battle with heroin addiction. This is not only relatable., but lets me know it comes from an actual place of darkness so there is not going to be any bullshitting here. Most Musicians could benefit from an addiction or two, though most have likely found them surfaced in varied forms. This feels more like a sludge band to me than death doom, which is how they identify. There are varied vocal styles on this album which works well. Most of the vocals are howled from a pretty tormented place. "Death Interrupted"  finds a more doomy riff as its spine. The sonic stomping that it swells into has more hints of crust than death metal which is fine with me. 

The crusty vibes are evident in the rather raw production. The sound reminds me of Acid Witch in some ways, but there is a different kind of creepy to what is going down here. They are also lest metal and more punk in the DNA of their sound, lending weight to what I said about sludge earlier as sludge is what happens when punks try to play doom. There are odd passages of clean guitar ebb and flow between the more punishing riffs.  The groove to this song works well in its own hypnotic manner. "Ruminations"  lets the bass lead into the song. It takes two minutes for the song to find its groove, Overall it is a more abstract approach to songwriting. After five and a half m minutes it does find its chug.

Things begin to sprawl out more darkly for the almost 12-minute "L'appel du Vide", which goes through a shifting journey of metal styles that includes blast beats. More Focused than the previous song, but not the album's most focused moment., Lower growls do erupt on this song. "Among the Pines" closes the album, the raw sonic heaviness of the crust-tinged elements to their sound took me by surprise overall on this album and this is the main backbone of this song., They succeeded in being as heavy sonically as they are heavy metal, though not simply summed up as a doom band, though drummer sets a doomier stage on this song. This album is excellent and shows that the band can think out of the box will give it a 9. 

pst548

October's Top 10 Albums

It's time for October's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights might help casual readers see what they missed and check these artists out. I am not writing little blurbs on them and just linking the reviews. I am using this to organize my lists for the end of the year, by listing the genre of music the album falls under. Inclusion here 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 next year 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 Folk to Black Metal so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for  October of 2024.

10-Vision Video - "Modern Horror"

Post-punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-vision-video-modern-horror.html

9-Seven Hours After Violet - "S/t" 

nu-metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/seven-hours-after-violet-st.html

8- 49  Winchester - "Leavin This Holler" 

Country 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/49-winchester-leavin-this-holler.html

7-Kite - "VII" 

New Wave 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-kite-vii.html

6-Drug Church - "PRUDE" 

Punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/drug-church-prude.html

5- High Vis -"Guided Tour" 

Punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/high-vis-guided-tour.html

4-Nachtmystium- Blight Privilege "  

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/nachtmystium-blight-privilege.html

3-Chat Pile - "Cool World" 

Sludge

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/chat-pile-cool-world.html

2-DEATH KILLER - "Total Destruction of the Entire Universe" 

Industrial 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-death-killer.html

1-Chelsea Wolfe- "Unbound" 

Folk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/chelsea-wolfe-unbound.html

pst547

November is Doom - the Electric Mud : "Ashes and Bone"

 

This Florida band has a fair amount of grunge to their sound. They think of themselves as stoner rock, but they owe more to the late 90s than the 70s. They are decent songwriters and musicians, and the vocals are not an afterthought which are all things I respect, They are cool enough for me to keep listening after the first song so that says something. You hear them fighting the urge to shred as the song builds. There is more of a soulful boogie when the pace picks up for the second song. They also edge closer to radio-friendly hard rock here. 

They do have a knack for grooving which redeems them. It's like Southern Rock meets Shinedown on "The Crown That Eats the Head".  "Gone are the Days" is darker and more metallic, though they are smoking enough weed to give it a mellowness to the groove than the aggressive metal attack. It is one of the album's strongest songs.  "Wrath of the Mighty" has some licks that feel like they were lifted from Zep's "Since I've Been Loving You". If you are going to rip off a band Zeppelin is a good one to pick. It is soulful and you can not fault them for that. "The Old Ways' gallops forward, with old-school metal in its veins.. Not the most inspiring moment, but not boring either as the guitar stayed busy. 

"Manmade Weather" is largely forgettable it does not have the drive of "Pillars" which at least musters a head bang of sorts, though this is more amped-up rock than metal. It is more about guitar heroics, as tasteful as it may be.  It is impressive they can muster a jam into a song, that clock in at just over three minutes. It would be fun live. The last song is nine minutes, so you know there is going to be some jamming if not noodling. It is more deliberate than expected and leans in the direction of being a power ballad without getting sappy. I will give this one an 8, it's a solid effort from a band with a great deal of potential and killer guitar playing. 

 

pst546

November is Doom 2024

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I have been doing this doom-dedicated month for a few years,  it makes sense, as we head into the gloom of the year. First and foremost when it comes to bands I am looking to cover this month, I am not seeking out bands who worship Black Sabbath, in fact, I stray away from those as a general rule because I own the Black Sabbath albums already and can just listen to them. My favorite sub-genre is Funeral Doom, so we will have our fair share of that, but also sludge, stoner rock, darker psych, death doom, and more. More being the variation of traditional forms of doom, there seems to be a larger outpouring of it from Greece these days.

However, despite the twists and turns the genre might make there be a doom-adjacent artist or two, we are going to be very clear about what is doom and what is not. It is not just about playing slow. Sludge most commonly makes this mistake as it is often slow hardcore through a metal filter. Sludge is about aggression, which is more tormented than hateful, Doom is about sorrow, loss a foreboding fear of what is to come, not unlike horror movies in this regard. While darkness is the driving force behind black metal, it should also be a pervading theme of doom. There are a few bands, one of whom I review this month who confuse power metal for doom, and that does not work for me. 

The month will end with me revealing the best lists for doom, sludge, and stoner metal. One reason I keep doing this every November is it gives me the time to catch up on bands that might have flown under my radar the rest of the year, or catchy bands who have released their album late in the year. I think releasing an album after October is pointless, there used to be a trend of holding out until November so it could be sold for Xmas, but how often are physical pressing of music given as gifts these days? Not much and not enough to have release schedules delayed. Anyways here comes a parade of sonic despair for the month.   

pst543

Neon Nightmare : "Faded Dream"

Spirit Adrift's Nate Garett does his best Peter Steel impersonation for this obvious tribute to the band, which might not perfectly nail down what the Brooklyn base metal legends did, but it's close enough to tell what he is going for. The sound, can all be dialed in. I am sure he was able to download the amp setting, and effects patches, not just on guitars, but the vocal effects especially on "It's All Over" which might as well have been a cover of "Red Water". 

Vocally his strength is being able to mimic Peter Steele's phrasing, allowing his voice to fall on the intervals Steele would have chosen. But where he falls short is his inability to belt out of his chest voice to emote like Steele. He also does not drop that far down into the lower more vampiric range Steele was known for.  There is a little more originality on "LATW2TG". He does make more of an attempt to capture Steele's higher belt on this one it feels like he tried to cram every idea from "World Coming Down" into this song. At almost eight minutes, he does capture the spirit of Type O, in how they wrote long almost progressive epics that sprawled out. 

The lead single "They Look Like Shadows" at least makes more of an attempt to do its own thing and dials the Type O tribute back to a more respectable level. Then they dial it back up for "She's Drowning"  as he emulates their use of harmonies on this one. This might as well have been a cover of "Blood & Fire" "Promethean Gift" is the last song which is over nine minutes long.  There is less of a direct narrowing from a particular song, rather he plays of the tropes Steele dealt in. There is less of a goth mood to these songs than what the band actually did. Granted when trying to imitate someone they just go for the easiest elements  Garett can capture. But a band like Type O is hard as they covered a wide range from more punk songs, to growing Sisters of Mercy moments that were still plugged into 60s psychedelic. This tribute is just stocking to the broad strokes. I will give this an  8.5,  due to the lack of originality, I already own the Type O albums , why listen to some one imitate them ? Out on 20 Buck Spin.

pst542

New Skeletal Faces : "Until the Night"

I was not expecting this to be a thrashing hard-core album. Sure some of the death rock guitars tones are in place, but the vocals are screaming at you with more aggression to rally the rest of the band to fall in line behind them. This has more in common with old AFI than it does Night Sins.  By the time we get to "Ossuary Lust" things have really escalated into full-on thrashing out at you. I think this is great because not many darker bands like this rock the fuck out like these guys are doing.  It's like if the Exploited covered 45 Grave.

 From a production all the sounds you want from Death Rock are there they are just amped up. This is done in a very raw manner that does not get sloppy when the double bass really kicks in. This is not the kind of album I would expect from Peaceville. "Wombs" is more deliberate and rocks the fuck out. The way the chords ring is pretty effective. There is some tension to "Zeitgeist Suicide', but it works off a good dynamic expand and retract. "Pagan War" is more aggressive and the first song that strikes me as having a more black metal influence to it. The vocals do not feel as purposeful as some of the previous songs. 

"Enchantment of My Inner Coldness" is the first song that really truly embraces the goth side. The first riff is somewhat Cure-influenced.  "Raise the Dead" is driven by riffs that sound like they came from a Venom album, though the vocals shout the lyrics with a similar violence. I will give this album a 9.5, not only is it more in-your-face and hard-core than I was expecting, but the songwriting works with the blend of sounds they fused in a more organic manner, that plays to the originality infused into these old sounds. 

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pst541

Planes Mistaken For Stars : "Do You Still Love Me ?"

 

The late Gared O'Donnell recorded this album while undergoing Chemo, before succumbing to his chance at 44. The first song encapsulates why these guys never broke through to the mainstream, they pound into the song at a more sludge-like pace, and unless you share in the inner darkness with which these songs were conceived you might not know what to make of the brooding. To my ears it's beautiful,. "Fix Me" comes closer to punk, with its palm-muted tension, Gared's signature howl, is possessed by even more despair. When these guys came out back in the 90s. "Further" finds them galloping into things with a more aggressive approach. 

"Arrow"  has a more kinetic punk energy. Gared's gravelly voice is possessed by more depth and raw introspection than what is commonly heard in the genre. "Modern Logic' touches on a more melodic side that was not often heard from the band, here it makes me think of Screaming Trees. The guitars are brighter than what you expect from this band but work. You get to hear a wider range of sounds on this album than they normally ventured into in their earlier work, "Punch the Gauge "being an example of this.

The first stab at the title track is a very metallic riff that has an almost grunge-tinged rumble. "Run Rabbit Run" is more punk and driving, with a reckless sonic jangle.  "Peace" is another song where the overall feel is brighter than what you think of when it comes to these guys. I think when it comes to expanding their sound "Put Your Heart to the Fire", feels like it comes closer to his vision.  "The Calming" is more emotive in the atmosphere it hovers in. "In Hell" is on track for the more punk roots of who the band is. The closing take on the title track is much different than the first version. I am not sure if this brighter guitar tone is his doing, or if this was the direction he wanted, I appreciate it's shimmer for what it is. I will go ahead and round this up to a 10, as it is clear he was ending things in a manner that still pushed their sound forward. Gared you are missed.  

pst540