Cradle of Filth : " the Screaming of the Valkyries"

 These guys are one of the biggest black metal bands, and Dimmu Borgir can headline larger venues depending on where in Europe they are. This band has not fared well here as past reviews have ranged from an 8 at the highest, which is not something I would listen to, but well made and what their fans want so an effective product but not stellar, to a 4.5, which is not worth listening to really anything under a 6 is a failure..  Two other albums fell in the 7's, so once again skilled musicians doing what they do for a living well, but not that inspired, This one is off to a pretty good start and I think most of its success depends on what Dani is doing. I know he has had problems with his throat, to the point of even having to go on a special diet to save his voice. So less shrieking and more purpose. The strings fall in the background as the guitarists step up more. 

This is the band's 14th album so there is no doubt they know what they are doing. What that is seems to be leaning in the direction of their more thrashy influence, forcing Filth to take a more punchy role with his vocal accents, making the choruses stand out more. Filth is the sole original member so this is basically just his solo show at this point. Perhaps that is why the songwriter feels more focused because he is narrowing things down to what his vision as a songwriter is. Things do not take on the more romantic goth drama until "Non Ominis Monar"  This is not the band's most inspired take on this sort of Hammer Horror anthem, but it works for what it is.  They can never deny that King Diamond was a huge influence on them. 

At first, I thought "White Hellebore" was just a transition the previous song, had made, which shows how the uniformity of their sound affects the dynamic range of their songwriting. To this band's credit, they do offer more songwriting and melody than most Black Metal bands who are just preoccupied with blast beats and tremolo picking though these guys might benefit from a bit of balance a more hints of those elements. "You Are My Nautilus" finds the twin guitar attack leading a more harmony-based charge when it kicks in amid the more grim storytelling. They are incorporating dynamic themes that go back to their ill-fated cover of  "Hallowed By Thy Name" here. The lack of spoken word narratives helps things. 

The gothy elements play to their favor on "Malignant Perfection" as I can imagine goblins waltzing around to it. Rather than write a concept album all sorts of things that go bump in the night is heralded here. "Ex Sanguine Draculae" is about vampires so it is surprising that it's not more goth and basically a blackened thrash song. The keyboards sit further back in the mix on this album. But they do have much crunchier riffs, so perhaps this was to shift the mood and make way for them, "When Misery Was a Stranger" closes the album in a manner that feels like it is marginally truer to who they are as a band, though the fact that none of the original guitarists are involved does stand to reason why they have shifted in less of a black metal direction with Dani the last man standing. They are playing fast, but it's thrashing fast and not the buzz or even gallop of black metal. I will give this album a 9, as, despite the fact I will not likely listen to it again, they have managed to write songs that are more enjoyable for me than what I have heard from them in the past, though it is not as dark as their previous work, and more in line with mainstream metal. Napalm Records is releasing this March 21st.  

Staticlone : "Better Living Through Static Vision"

The instrumental title track that opens this album up with a monolithic sludge drone is deceptive as this album is a ripping crust punk barrage. The vocals are a gruff Lemmy-like rasp, that finds the rest of the band racing behind the vocal, but with a sense of songwriting smarts, as there are guitar melody lines that provide a hook, over the rumble of the bass. In many ways, this is like the crust version of Motorhead, due to not only Geroge's vocal style but the rumble of the fuzzed-out bass-blowing speaker as it provides the backbone. 

This album works off a racing momentum that some songs provide more dynamics than others. Where "This Light Burns Like Poison" is hooky and more memorable, they keep things in your face for the racing rampage of  "Sullen Me".  "Moths" finds him coming closer to singing. The pound is more deliberate here. "Alone in Philadelphia " has a current of rock n roll running through the dense churn of guitars, and the vocals come closest to actual singing here. Lemmy would be proud of the bass tone propelling the speed fest that is "Patching Holes in a Dead Star". The energy is more punk here. 

"Thin Places" might be the most metal moment of the album as it gallops in a more Judas Priest-like manner. They charge with renewed malice into "Lens Flare". "Red Eye' has a darker metal vibe that opens it up but they are back on their feet and at the races again with the kind of punk pacing that dominates this album, while still creating a more layered sonic approach. I'll give this album a 9.5, it's what I want from punk, and wish there was more music like this coming out these days though I will take what I can get. Drops March 7th on Relapse. 

pst103

Song of the Week- Astari Nite's "Unisex Games

Here's a new column we are starting here, to bring you the best new song of the week, having not covered singles in the past, bands are releasing music differently these days so it seems a shame not to share this with you. It seems fitting to inaugurate this with one of my favorite bands we have been championing here for a few years Miami's Astari Nite. The single for this song will drop on the 14th, it finds the band continuing to expand their sonic horizons while retaining key elements of the sound that make them who they are. It's a dancey tune that the band made as a form of therapy to bring some levity to the looming apocalypse that continues to unravel this year. Although this song is musically upbeat the lyrics are sardonic enough to offset, making it a "feel good" song that is not too happy for my more melancholic tastes. The video accompanying this song is important as it puts the song's carefree sentiment in motion. They are on tour in support of Rosegarden Funeral Party, so keep an eye peeled for them to roll through your town as they are a live act that should not be missed. 

 

 pst101

AAWKS : "On Through The Sky Maze"

 

This Canadian band rumbled with a fuzzed-out doomy fury. Snarled vocals serve as a menacing ambiance while the bleak plead of the main vocals falls closer to what is expected of this bong-stained strain of heavy metal. It is darker than I expected which appeals to me. Too many stoner-friendly jams turn into long-winding boogies. The vocals have a droning whine that is not hooky but provides a narrative that fits the picture being painted here. The second song finds them switching it up with more ebb and flow thanks to the creepy bass line or palm-muted tension. I like their use of samples which works really well here. 

While the vocal approach does not vary greatly from song to song, I like how effects are used on his voice for "Lost Dwellers" though they are getting more into that boogie territory I was referring to earlier. Things shift more toward doom at the end, but the bulk of the song is more bad hippie-dancing metal. Things get doomier for "Caerdroia". The vocals serve more purpose though the song itself does not feel as focused as the bulk of the album has been up until this point  "The Figure' flows better, and some Sabbath worship begins to creep in here, 

Before it drifts off into space, things are rumbling in a more freewheeling direction for "Wandering Supergiants". The vocals make more of an attempt at singing and it makes me prefer the previous approach.  Something similar happens on "Drifting Upward" which makes more of an attempt to add melody. The layers of sounds help compensate for the weaknesses of the vocals. "Cursed Soul" goes back into more of the realms of the boogie. They do make more of an effort to write songs rather than just getting high and jamming. I had to give the last song three listens before I was able to pay attention, it starts off with a guitar solo, and the vocals are some of the album's most effective so that gives it an edge even when the riff kind of wanders around. I will give this album an 8.5, while it is not something I am going to listen to a great deal, they made the album they set out to and it's a good soundtrack for the smoke sessions they had planned for it. 

pst99

Killswitch Engage : "This Consequence"

Metal core has changed since the days of Myspace. Can this band stay relevant, while working off a formula that went stale years ago? Playing faster and keeping things at a more frantic thrashing while going with the big melodic hook for the chorus where the vocal production sounds the same each time is the answer. At times some of the hardcore influence comes through at others it feels more like Slipknot, this only works for the first two songs, before it begins to all sound the same. Jesse Leach has a better hard voice than Howard Jones, whereas Howard possesses a more charismatic singing voice than Jesse. This affects the band's current sound and works off a formula established back during the decade of Howard Jones. 

At times it feels like Leach is singing under Jones's shadow, which is the opposite of when Jones replaces Leachadhad those expectations to live up to. If you wanted a band that embodied what kept metal alive during the Mysapce year these guys would be the poster children. It sounds like their successes are so invested in a formula that deviating from that would be too much of a risk for them, so they now clock in and just make the sounds they know will sell. The first song that I like is "Where it Dies" which takes on more of a groove. "Collusion" that follows it might not live up to "Where it Dies' but it's also a better song that does not feel like they are just punching a clock in the studio. 

 " Broken Glass" starts off with more promise. It is more deliberate, and marginally darker, though I think the entire album should be darker, the vocals at least take a different approach Midway into things, and it becomes a too-familiar undercurrent. "Requium' works better, as it carries more of a hook. The trash riff driving it is not the most original thing I have heard but the vocals balance things out with a catchier chorus. I will give this album an 8. I imagine they are somewhat limited by the exceptions of their fan base in terms of the formula that works, but this is too middle of the road. They are pros at what they are doing so the same ole same ole at least sounds pristine for radio-friendly metal. This dropped on Metal Blade. 

pst98

Kavernist : "Demo"

 

We adopt all sorts of genres we identify with. This German band adopts many, but I hear a crusty death metal band. They are more metal than punk. The rock n roll that thrives in the riffage of  "Scum" is not as aggressive as the opening track that feels much more death metal. I can hear punk influence, but punk influence vs being an actual punk band are two different things. This might be a demo, but whatever they are doing here they should not change, I mean maybe fuck with the mic placement on the drum, and mix them a little, but I would not want to hear these guys get overproduced on a label like Relapse, as it would some of the charm heard here.

"trembling" is even rawer, it is not until. things drop back to a more deliberate stomp that the song really takes form, so when they speed up into more of a frantic thrashing they lose the feeling that was working for them. This is where I stop and think 'Well this is only a demo so they do have room to grow" , but this sounds better than many bands' debut albums. The last song 'Ready to Serve" falls back into death metal, but they are coming at it from a different angle as this sounds more like Obituary to me. The vocals help this, which means they are spewed with a more desperate cry. I can do without the way things speed up, here. But the vocals sound great for what this is since, if I am comparing you to John Tardy you are doing something right, as he has a more unique vocal style than most. 

If you told me these guys were from Tampa, I would not be surprised, but this is not what I expect to hear from a German band. This makes them an exception as perhaps they have romanced American death metal so much that it has taken all the regional influence out of what they do. I will give this a 9, as it holds a great deal of potential and I would like to hear where they go from here. I hope with growth they do not stray too far from where they are at present. The brought the rock n roll fun to death metal. 

pst97

Pariah : "Violence is a Curse"

 

Another band from the UK where sludge collides with hard-core. Damn, fish and chips got these mother fuckers pissed. The chugged hook the main riff comes down on is pretty badass, and they keep things both dark and dissent with feedback squealing at from the furious corners of the song. It is not surprising that this was released on Cursed Monk Records. The ballistic attack of the second song finds more of hard-core's punk roots bubbling up from the flurry. At a minute and a half, it gets to the point. In many ways, this reminds me of Nails. Right down to the overall dark and dense sound of the production. 

"Within My Skin" reminds me a little of the first song. It does carry a more malicious stomp. There is a very Entombed-like sound to these kinds of bands. They have certainly captured Entombed's guitar sound. They take a more rapid-fire plan of action in beating you with it on "Endless Circles". It is the kind of straightforward almost punk rumbling I am not a huge fan of, but I do like it when they go into a deliberate chug. I do understand the appeal of these guys as they are heavy as hell and have more hardcore feel to them.   

I had to listen to the last song a second time before I paid attention to it, as the album begins to take on a uniform rumble as the vocals do not shift a great deal. Once I hear the pervading shadow of Entombed lurking over the sound of this album I can not unhear, but you might not be that observant, and this will sound like the most original thing ever to your ears. Regardless, these guys are capable at the execution of this and it feels like despite wearing their influences on their sleeves that this is coming from an honest place so I will give this album an 8.  

pst96

Cloakroom : "Last Leg of the Human Table"

Having always enjoyed the albums I've heard from these guys, I am giving this one a shot as well, the vocals feel like there is more purpose here. The dreamy waves of sound continue to wash over you with weighty fuzz, as we have heard from previous releases by these shoegazers. "Ester Wind" finds the drums kicking things up. The third track is more of an interlude. "Unbelonging" finds the opaque guitars creating more of an indie rock feel, as the vocals begin to fall into the background. The vocals do not take a larger role until "The Lights Are On" which follows. 

"Bad Larry' makes me think of Stone Roses if they flirted with Americana rather than digging into Brit Pop. This might be one of the album's strongest songs. The honest vocals ride the gaps of reverb-heavy guitar with hooky grace. There is a cool layering of guitar sounds here. "Story of the Egg" finds the woozy wonderment of tones that bring the My Bloody Valentine vibes to the forefront working well. The vocals drift further back in the mix, though they are still attempting to write memorable songs here. This sonic swathe of noisy edge guitar is more of a sound than a song, but they still put a great deal of thought into how it all plays out. 

"Cloverhopper" rambles with energetic drive, though is not the most memorable song on the album, however, they nail the sound they are going for. The dense atmosphere they slow dive into on the last song does perhaps focus more on the sound than the song, but they try hard enough on this album to make it a worthwhile listen for fans of shoe-gaze. I'll give this one a 9, which is not the 9.5, of previous albums, but certainly puts them at the top of the heap when it comes to shoegaze bands in 2025. It just dropped on Close Casket Activities. 

pst95

Spiritworld : "Helldorado"

 

Despite being called "Deathwestern" the band's 2022 only used country & western music as a window dressing to perhaps bookend the album with. This time around it's blended to create a more Clutch-like swagger. This leaves the more metallic meat of the songs to groove with a darker energy. You are halfway into the opening track before it kicks you with the same spiteful hard-core punch the [previous album carried. By the second song they are galloping back in a more Slayer-inspired direction, but with big 90s hardcore gang vocal choruses. I was halfway into "Western Stars and the Apocalypse" before I realized it was no longer the previous song. They are wielding similar dynamics on this one, with barked vocals and grooving thrash riffs. 

"Birdsong of Death" breaks things up by going into a more country sound. The vocals feel like  90s Mighty Mighty Bosstones, on this as is not just yelling, but not singing either. "Prayer Lips' finds things even more introspective and melodic. This also creates a 90s feel for my ears, as the 90s were a more experimental time for music, so something like a sax solo in this song would have made perfect sense. I welcome experimentation, but think the powerful riffs driving a song like "Waiting on the Reaper" play more to the band's strengths As catchy riffs are their stock and trade. There is a more dynamic ebb and flow that brings Biohazard to mind.  A more Metallica-like riff opens 'Oblivion" The chanted hook for the chorus works well.  

"Cleansing" is more of an interlude. "Stigmata Scar" chugs to life with more authority. The vocals continue to root things in hardcore against the thrashy riffing. He declares here the only thing he has left is fucking hate, which seems to take a pretty decent pulse of things. "Annihilism" shows more commitment to Country Music at least from their perspective. This might be their 3rd album but the country thing still feels like a work in progress, they have just made more progress on it this time around. I'll give this one a 9.5, which is what their last album got, they are great riff writers, and know that cool riffs alone do not make a song. They are not making the same album twice, and take it in a more hybrid crossover direction. More grooving than DRI and more hard-core than "Join the Army" era Suicidal Tendencies, yet fans of both bands should appreciate this. This drops March 21st on Century Media. 

pst94

Febuary's Top 10 Albums

 It's time for February'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; I am just linking the reviews. 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 April 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 goth to death metal so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums of February

10-Bong-RA -"Black Noise" 

Industrial 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/bong-ra-black-noise.html

9-KARG-"Maroduer" 

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-karg-maroduer.html

8-Grima-"Nightside" 

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-grima.html

7-Void of Hope- "Proof of Existence" 

Depressive Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-void-of-hope.html

6-Decripsy-"Deific Mourning" 

Death Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/decrepisy-deific-mourning.html

5-Corlyx _"Purple Pain" 

Goth 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/corlyx-purple-pain.html

4-Morast- "Fentanyl" 

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-morast.html

3-RWAKE- "The Return of  Magik" 

Sludge

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/rwake-return-of-magik.html

2-Year of the Cobra-"s/t" 

Grunge 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/year-of-cobra-st.html

 1-Hangman's Chair - "Saddiction"

 

Doom-Gaze / Depressive Hard Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/hangmans-chair-saddiction.html

pst93

The Top 10 King Diamond Albums

I've now been listening to King Diamond for 39 years, and with time my perspective on albums has changed over the years, so now reviewing the entirety of his solo career thus far it only makes sense to rank King Diamond's work in this format. Largely ranked in terms of how the albums scored in the said reviews, which are linked with each entry, in the case of a tiebreaker I defaulted to which album I had listened to the most over the years.  I guess I have not made a King Diamond list before since he is one of my favorite artists, and ranking the albums is like ranking your favorite childhood memories. However, with age, I can be more subjective and see past the nostalgic attachments to weigh what really matters when it comes to music which is the songs that stand the test of time. So here are the Top 10 King Diamond Albums. 

10-"The Puppet Master"

It might not be placed next to his most classic material but is once again better than the bulk of metal that came out in 2003.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in_26.html

9-"Abigail II- The Revenge" 

This one was much better than I remembered and returning to this album years later left me more impressed by it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in_2.html

8-"The Spider's Lullabye"

This album captured this spot as it made a better first impression, and I listened to it more when it was first released. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in.html

 7-"Give Me Your Soul Please" 

A severely underrated album that did not get enough attention upon its release. Even supposed fans did not give this one a chance.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in_21.html

6-"Conspiracy"

It might be a hot take for this album to not rank higher, but it is the most entrenched in conforming to 80s metal protocols.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in_54.html

5-"House of God"

The most Mercyful Fate-sounding album of his solo career. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in_22.html

4-"Voodoo"

He recaptured his classic magic on this album. It packs a renewed punch other albums lacked.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in_20.html

 

3-"Fatal Portrait" 

The classic songs of his solo debut give it the edge over the other seven albums here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in.html

2-'Them" 

Anyone who knows who King Diamond I at least knows "Welcome Home" so no one can argue against this album's songwriting and dark metallic heft.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in_13.html

>

1- "Abigail"

Not just the best King Diamond album, but one of the best metal albums ever. Even in the top 3 metal albums of all time.   

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/black-metal-history-month-diamond-in_11.html

pst92

Bleeth : "Marionette"

The opening track from this Miami trio finds noise rock meeting darker sludge grit. The vocals are a sluggish moan, leaving the entire sound to feel like it was lost in the 90s. Cvlt Nation compared them to Kylesa and I did not hear that until the second song when the vocals of guitarist Lauren Palma took over the mic. The dynamic it is contrasted by on the chorus is not as heavy as Kylesa and feels more like grunge to me, think L7 or Veruca Salt here. I do prefer this over the opening track. 'Medusa" stumbled forward with a woozy blur before the male vocals barked back on "Devils Advocate". This more aggressive stance finds the band falling on the heavier end of noise rock.

There is a heavier stomp on "Break Free' that carries more of a Helmet-like syncopation to power it. The pounding lumber of "Placebo" has a darker Jesus Lizard creep that wins me over and I like how the howl of the vocals works with the swaggering groove making it one of the album's strongest songs. "Snake Eyes" is possessed by a punk recklessness, that might put its message before its sense of dynamics. "Pro-Choice" is better than the previous song as there is more thought placed on how the vocals fall over the music, though it is not the album's best song. 

I like what they are doing on "Reflections" though I am not sure what they are doing is enough to warrant a song, it felt like I was just listening to them jam while waiting for the actual song to kick in but, the direction they were heading felt solid. They are back on the more grunge vibes for the last song. I like where they end up going with it as the heavier groove works well. I will give this album a 9, it's solid, if you want something in the sludge meets grunge vein not unlike what bands like Torche used to do, or the Melvins might be another fair point of comparison at times. This album drops on Seeing Red Records on April 1st. 

pst91

Decrepisy : "Deific Mourning

  Crawling up from the cavernous depths where death metal plunges into a more depressive depth to meet in the melancholic tombs of doom, this Portland-based band oozes up with their follow-up to their 2021 debut. Featuring members of Negative Prayer, Vastum, and Coffin Rot, they manage to manifest an inner darkness into sonic form physically, by using their instruments as the conduit by which they are expressed. This enables the atmosphere to manifest from the music as a natural progression of where the sound should go rather than neatly checking off the boxes of required genre tropes. The solos add to the mood, rather than being an outburst of shredding for the sake of chaos. The title track serves as an example of this in motion. 

The deliberate guitar chug for "Dysautonomic Terror" provides a powerful backbone for the song to be built off. This could be thought of as death doom, though that is a label people associate with the Peaceville bands, and these guys' inspiration comes from a much different corner of 90s metal. "Spiritual Decay" spills from a more dissonant form of ambiance. The lumbering stomp accelerates into a more pit-churning take on the genre. It is how far these guys are willing to descend into darkness that sets them apart from most of their peers. There are some great experimental guitar tones also captured on this album to add to its eerie quality. There is a more chillingly oppressive quality to the deliberate pound of "Severed Ephemerality"  that accelerates as the song progresses. 

There is a more downtrodden march deeper into the lower levels of death doom with the tribal pulse of "Corpseless" that finds the growl of the vocals taking on a call-and-response-like chant. Midway into the song, this gives way to a more mosh-invoking pace. The last song "Afterhours" sounds like a more doom-laden take on early Swans with its droning pulse decorated by creepy guitar. I'll give this one a 10, it captures great depressive death metal sounds in a manner that is more atmospheric than what we typically think of with even the Incantation strain of classic death metal, but the emotion of this feels more dangerous and real. 

pst90

Black Metal History Month- Diamond in the Rough, King Diamond's "The Puppet Master"

Since we have already reviewed "Give Me Your Soul Please" this is the last installment of this series as we have now covered every King Diamond solo album. This is his 11th album. Lyrically it falls into creepy territory not unlike "The Graveyard", but much like "The Graveyard" I never gave this album much of a chance, but the title track certainly stands the test of time as a solid song. The same lineup as the previous album, and it feels like they have found their stride to recreate his classic sound. In some ways, this is his X-Mas album, as it is set in Budapest during X-Mas time. The riffing is more aggressive on this album and they have reignited the thrash fire a little. 

If you are coming into this with no clue what is happening here, it's about a man and his wife who get turned into undead puppets. Kings' baritone mid-range sounds more powerful on this album. Things go more theatrically with "Emerencia", as the vocals focus more on storytelling.  The riffing is punchy but not the album's best. The guitar solos on this song point out how well-constructed they are on this album. Not a fan of shredding for the sake of it, but they follow the melodic themes of the song. "Blue Eyes" has a deliberate riff that showcases the more direct approach to songwriting this album has. 2003 was a weird year for metal, the dig releases ranged from Dimmu to Type O to Dream Theater and Opeth, so more progressive metal was on the rise, yet these guys took a more classic approach.  

There is a cool galloping riff driving "The Ritual" but the vocals sit oddly on this to tell this story. "No More Me" feels like circus music from Budapest, though the vocals are more of a spoken narrative. Making this feel more like a theatrical interlude than an actual song. "Blood to Walk" works better than "Darkness" which does not feel like it flows as well and is somewhat recycled in terms of tropes he commonly has used over the years, though a few strong riffs keep it pumping. Might be my favorite guitar solo on the album. It also bears to mention that this is the first album his wife Livia Zita began singing backup vocals on. "So Sad" is a power ballad of sorts, not the album's strongest song, and oddly the guitar solos actually rescue it dynamically. Despite using parts of "the Little Drummer Boy" and his previous declaration that there were no presents for it,  he insisted on writing it, and it's a decent song if you seperate it from these facts. The last song does hammer forward with locomotive strength. I will round this up to a 9.5, which does not place it next to his most classic material but is once again better than the bulk of metal that came out in 2003. 

pst89

Black Metal History Month - ...And Oceans : "The Regeneration Itinerary"

 

The Grandiose progressive black metallers are back, this time the Finnish band continues to blend its electronic side with the black metal core of the band in a more balanced manner. The snarl of the vocals sometimes gets a robotic sheen of effects layered over them, and the synths are often at the forefront of the song, but the mood remains dark in its dystopian vision. They bring a tremolo buzz of guitars to songs like "Fornyelse i Tre Akter", this menace is tempered with superior production to give this music the cinematic magnitude of sound it deserves. Not unlike Dimmu Borgir in many ways, they are not as symphonic. My only mild complaint is the drums could have been given more thunder in the mix, but there is a great deal competing for room in the mix. 

There is a somewhat more straightforward metallic charge to "Chromium Lungs, Bronze Optics". The symphonic synth background creates the needed mood for the vocals to roar against. Symphonic leaning metal is not something I am into, Dimmu is a noted exception to this rule and these guys can be added to the list. They do not allow it to turn things into an anime soundtrack, keeping a dark and heavy pulse. "the Form and the Formless" has a little more pomp and circumstance, but also a dash of death metal aggression, though the melody holds a powerful sway in the music. Things are marginally brighter here, and while it works there is such a delicate balance that must be kept here to avoid going in a Nightwish direction. 

Lyrically the vocals are at such a roar, that they just feel like another layer to the sound rather than crafting the narrative to the story being told here. "Prophetical Mercury Implement" kind of breezes past me. The drive of "The Fire In Which We Burn" anchors it more than the previous song to create a more head-banging vibe. Though things ebb back to a more conventional metal sonic ground for "Waves of Sulphur". I like the darker turn they take on "I am Coin, I am Two".  They do offer an effective heavier dynamic to offset this. They revert back to the more ambiguous metal barrage for "Towards the Absence of Light" which feels more middle of the road, whereas their more blackened sound on "The Terminal Filter" proves to be more effective. This also proves they do not need to tame down their more orchestrated section to provide and aggressive enough sound to satisfy black metal fans. There are also two bonus tracks but for the purpose of this review I will kept things to normal album tracks, In doing so I will give this album a 9, as they prove themselves to be gifted at doing what they do. Fans of this band should rejoice despite this not being a return to pure black metal it's a step in that direction that is close enough. 

pst88

Year of the Cobra : "S/T"

 

The first obvious thing about this duo's 3 albums is that Amy's voice has come a long way. Her performance on the opening track has more nuance. They lumber into a darker depth of doom than I recall from their first two albums. It seems that her time in the Doom Slayer tribute Slower, allowed her to hone her pipes further.  She creates a witchier vibe at times here. There is more of a rock groove to "War Drop". The harmonized vocals are such a part of this song I am having a hard time imagining how this is going to sound live. But I am not going to worry about it too much and enjoy this one. The third song finds them locked into the rock vibes, with a more uptempo energy to it. Though she takes on a brighter almost poppier tone to her voice that almost makes me think of the Runaways. 

The drummer is working overtime on this album to keep things flowing. "Alone" finds the bass line wandering into a more progressive place with its creeping melody. Her vocals fall back into a more introspective soulful mood. This serves as a great example of how she has grown as a singer. The songwriting also holds a wider breadth of dynamics. This might take them further from the doom label but is effective nonetheless. "7 Years" sounds like a lost 90s grunge classic. There is more brooding depth to the aptly titled "The Darkness".  Her vocals provide a counterpoint to the gloom. Amy's bass playing is less about heavy fuzzed-out tones and takes on a more melodic approach that opens up their songwriting on this album. 

"Sleep" is the song that most closely resembles their previous work with a turn back toward the doomier sound they once relied upon. I would say it's a little catchier vocally than their previous Doom releases.  The last song finds them backing off from the heavy again to go into a dreamier melody. This song is more like a ballad than anything I can recall them doing before. It might not be the album's best song but I understand why they are doing it. I will round this one up to a 10 as the songwriting has transcended genres to find them making grooving tunes that could have come from the 90s.   

pst86

Black Metal History Month - Delirant : "Thoughteater"

 

This band from Spain plays a dark and dissonant style of creepy black metal. The second song finds them turning to a more frantic vision of chaos. There are blast beats executed in an almost jazzy cadence, like a train being operated by a clown going off the rails. They bring things back into a more conventional halftime groove and a song takes shape. Other melodies unfold amid this. It's a gamble this project seems to be willing to take, but are the creative dice going to roll their way for the course of an entire album when they walk the fine line between noise and experimentation within the six minutes of this song. 

The songs pour from one another with the third song feeling like a slower movement of the previous venture. This more deliberate shift works better from the perspective of songwriting. The vocals croak and gurgle with little form or function. Their desperate gasps are just a layer of madness to bumble under the guitars. The fourth song at best descends into the conventions of black metal, sometimes even thrashing a little. The spewed vocals seem more useless the closer to playing actual metal they get. There is a two-minute interlude before they throw themselves headfirst into the swirl of blast-beat oblivion. This shifts into a more straightforward punk beat, while the guitar remains wacky. Three and a half minutes in the bottom falls out and they leave you in a formless void. The drums lock back in and then it begins to become an actual song, though the vocals contribute very little to this cause. The drummer is actually the MVP  of this band, as they work hard to keep things moving in a direction that is not just mindless excess. 

The last song is the first moment that carries a more depressive feel, aside from the fact the vocals this entire time are trauma vomiting into the mic at every moment.  I like the creepy moments that form, the black metal parts that are actually black metal and not just swathes of noise cascading against your ears are fairly colored by numbers. I will give this album a 7 as they do make some impressive creepy passages when they allow things to flow into more of a throb and I appreciate their willingness to experiment it is a shame songs pay the price when they do not conform to any semblance of what sounds like a song. It is little surprise that Sentient Ruin released this. 

pst85

WHITECHAPEL: "Hymns In Dissonance"

 Despite being one of the more popular death-core acts to emerge from Myspace era, ""the Valley" earned an 8 here. This means it was well done for what it was, and more than likely something their fan base would embrace, but far from an album of the year quality even when it came to the extreme metal genre, which death-core would fall into here. There is more sonic darkness on the opening track of this album which is the band's 9th release, but it sticks close to their wheelhouse. I doubt their fan base really wants them to change. They are almost like the metal core version of Cannibal Corpse in terms of their heaviness but do not touch the death metal legends in terms of songwriting as the terms are just thrown at you, and do not hook you in. I guess they are putting all their money on the the chants of the gurgled vocals and their ability to bring the breakdowns which only goes so far. This works for the first two songs, but if this is the path the continue on by the time we get to "Diabolic Slumber" I am going to get bored fast. 

I can make out the lyrics enough to understand it's a bunch of pseudo-Satanic gibberish with no real allegiance to the darkness, these guys more than likely hid like little bitches during Covid as all the actual death was too much for them rather than celebrating the culling of mankind. They do make more attempts at songwriting than some of the earlier songs I heard over the years from them.  Their drummer is a monster behind the kit, but to play any form of death metal you have to be. In many ways, this is death metal for kids who were not yet born when "The Bleeding" was released. In listening to more death metal these days I have warmed up to this kind of music though a band like Sanguissuggabogg is better at this sort of thing than these guys are despite the more melodic touches to the guitar here. 

According to the band this album follows the story of a cult leader gathering followers. This has some grim relevance given the state of things today where people follow political parties on both sides of the aisle with blind devotion as they invest themselves in something fake,. "Visceral Retch" just feels like a recycling of sounds. This is supposed to be their heaviest album yet, but even if they achieve this goal is it worth sacrificing songwriting? "Hate Cult Ritual" should have kept the chant going that opened the song, but instead they just pour on a barrage of double bass and guitar solos. When they do return to it instead of making it a hook it feels rushed. "The Abysmal Gospel" wastes a great song title on something that sounds like a death metal band covering Slayer.  "Bedlam" works better with its more deliberate stomp, when it speeds up it feels like more dynamics are in play. 

They make much better choices going into "Mammoth God" proving that these guys can write a great song when they stop fucking around with breakdown riffs. Can they keep this up on the last song? They embrace their need for speed and while this might make some think it's their heaviest song yet, it is not as effective as pleasing my ears as the previous song. Granted I might not be their target audience, but I do listen to over 400 new metal releases a year, and prolly more if you factor in bands that I don't consider metal but other people due, I reviewed 666 albums last year for the blog, but ya know a chunk of them were "goth" so that was maybe 150 then other assorted punk bands and such. Anyways enough facts and figures, you are reading this damn review so you trust my judgment in dark hard stuff to know if I say it's an 8.5, I am viewing this as better than "the Valley" I think they tried harder here, but the trapping of the genre got in the way at times in their pursuit to write their heaviest album, but their fans should love, I think the score I gave this reflects on how it measures up against other metal bands going today. This album drops on Metal Blade March 7th 

pst84

Bong-Ra : "Black Noise"

This is a somewhat industrial-based project from Jason Khonen, who has been in projects such as the Lovecraft Sextet among other more experimental ventures. The second song has a syncopated chug that reminds me a little of Angkor Wat, but comparisons to Ministry and Godflesh could also be made. I like the effects and the vocals, and where a band like Ministry sometimes carried a dancey groove, the emphasis here is not placed on that. The guitar layering is very effective and compensates for the vocals, which still get the expected job done. 

Aside from the lack of heavy machinery, this album is in the same dense dark realm of heaviness as early Author & Punisher. The crunch of sound comes down with more grim force on "Nothing Virus". The vocals go from more of a growl to low-spoken passages. A complaint I have about most industrial music these days is it is not grounded in guitar. This project certainly remedies that, though this song throbs with a more droning pulse. The electronic elements become more prominent with the use of samples setting the tone for the more chaotic flow of sound that forms "Useless Eaters". They double down on the heavy for the more "Filth Pig" minded "Black Rainbow".  Finding us at the intersection of sound vs song, there are some compelling sounds brought to the table, the test is whether are they taking the listener somewhere they are dyanmic.

After an ambient interlude "Ruins" gains more movement in its purposeful drive. There are cool layers of sound, but aside from breaking down at the song midway point into a spoken section, there is nothing really that hooks you in groove-wise, and with this sort of thing that is what the song is contingent on as there is not a great deal of melodies otherwise. "Parasites" has a more relentless pound that is impressive in the weight in hold, despite the song devolving into chaos. The last song is more about sounds than songs, though they are cool sounds. I will give this album a 9, as any industrial album that puts the guitars centerstage is going to hit a sweet spot for me.

 

pst83

Black Metal History Month- Diamond in the Rough, King Diamond's "Abigail II- The Revenge"

When this album was released I did not like it as I wanted to stand up against "Abigail", so giving it a listen now to see if my expectations and the subsequent letdown were justified. The opening track kicks it a little harder than I remember. This is the first album to find Mike Wead join the fold, this album also features Matt Thompson, so it's pretty much the current band but Hal Patino rejoined them for this album on bass. It does match up close to an album like "Give Me Your Soul Please"  sonically. The production feels like it has not changed much in this era. Crazy this was 25 years ago. The chorus of "Mansion in Sorrow" is too rock n roll and the drumming contributes to this. Not as bad as I remembered, but not his best song either. I can hear that I wanted this album to be darker than it was when I first heard it. 

"Miriam" is an improvement over "Mansion in Sorrow" The riff grooves more and his voice sounds great. But I get what spurned my initial judgment of this album. I would have dialed it in with more reverb like the original album. "Little One" is more of a ballad. I can appreciate this is more melodic than the original album, the syncopation with closer to where mainstream than what is on brand for these guys aside from King's vocals. The guitar solos are totally dialed in on this album, but there is some weird Led Zeppelin-like groove on this album that is the first time I have perceived their influence on him I just do not think it should be as apparent, as what their strength has been up to this point is doing their own thing. Granted this is 10 albums into his solo career and not many metal bands who are not Iron Maiden can boast of having 9 great albums. The riff that switches the groove midway into this song is pretty killer. 

"Slippery Stairs" works better for me, as it feels more like what I expect from a King Diamond album. "the Crypt" sounds musically like more what you expect from a solo Ozzy album. Granted King's voice keeps things more in their wheelhouse. I think the vocals are pretty well produced on this album. Surprisingly this album is not as theatrical as what you might expect from a sequel. "Broken Glass" is a much better song than I remember. I bought this the day it came out, but was so disappointed I think I have listened to this album maybe twice before. Not sure what is going on with "More Than Pain" I'll just write it off as an interlude gone wrong. Things get darker for "The Wheelchair" Aside from the hint of Judas Preist in the riff it's what I want from him.

This trend continues on "Spirits" which rips pretty well. I wonder if I made it through this album, despite being more into hardcore in 2002 I think I was stilling to more Opeth and Meshuggah during this period."Mommy" closes the album and is more theatrical. It is also more deliberate in its tempo which is more of a post-"the Eye" thing for him. It works well enough for what he was going for at this phase of his career. I'll give this album a 9.5, which is not as stellar as "Abigail" but I was a harsher critic in my youth I now have the perspective to understand why this album is what it is. which is still better than what most metal bands can do in terms of songwriting, it's not the heaviest thing ever, but it tells a story in a catchy enough manner with out being too grandiose.  

pst82

Black Metal History Month - Karg : "Maroduer"

This is the band's 9th album so I am surprised they have not graced this site before, but there are so many bands out there it's hard to cover them all, even with the almost 700 reviews published here every year. Black metal seems to be at the core of their DNA, as it's the attitude propelling the aggressive tendencies, and even in how the atmosphere is approached. The vocals are not screamed but shouted in a forceful yet pained manner. More melodic and angular than what I expect from any metal coming out of Germany. The second song finds has a more in-your-face black metal approach even if this does not include black metal, but the pained yell of the vocals. 

The guitars shift in a more shoegazing groove, but the vocal screams in similar patterns. I am fine with harsher vocals here, there is a wider range of places you can take said harsher vocals in this regard. I like what the guitar is doing but the drone on the one theme for the bulk of the song. I like the groove they get into with the chug of "Verbrannte Brucken". It adds layers of sounds rather than dramatically diverting the course. "Annapurna" is blasted ahead on double bass and keyboards bolstering the mood. This accelerates into blast beasts but they are softened by all the other ambiance clouding around it. 

Things go in a more ethereal direction for "Reminiszenzen" which locks into an almost 90s nu-metal groove when it builds up, not what I was expecting, which is what I want out of music. "Kimm" is pretty much a modern take on the black gaze with the blackened aspects more in the foreground. This does not break as much new ground as the previous song but works well for what it is. This last song starts off with more of a bass-driven groove as it's stripped down to its more rock backbone.  It shows just how capable they are as songwriters and I really like how this builds up. The feels feel more like something on a hardcore album as they are shouted like a blunt force. These guys break new ground with black metal as the launching off point. I will give this a 9.5, to see how it grows on me, but I like where they go with this album, it drops on April 18th on AOP Records. 

pst81

Black Metal History Month -Diamond in the Rough, King Diamond's "House of God"

His 9th album is an oddball lineup. It features Glen Drover who went on to play guitar for both Megadeth and Testament. Then Paul Harbour who played in Chastain with the drummer, joined the band. The trend here is that the band was more King Diamond and Andy with other guys stepping in as side men. The chemistry clicks more on the previous album though this album is dark and heavy and King's vocal style is the centerpiece of what sets these guys apart. In truth the vocals to "The Trees Have Eyes" feel like it's from a Mercyful Fate album which is a compliment. 

Storywise it's about the legend of an old church in France the Rennes-le-Chateau. It's hard to complain about what goes on here as the riffing is aggressive and songwriting darkly dynamic in its sense of theatrics. "Follow the Wolf" even has a Mercyful Fate-like edge. It bears discussion the contingent of metal heads who like Mercyful Fate but not King Diamond, which is due to the fact things took a more progressive turn where Merycful Fate was more like the precursor to both thrash and black metal, being moreover in the sonic aggression with less gothic trappings. The title track of this album makes more of a distinction as there are more keyboards than we ever heard in Fate. It does not feel as focused as the first two songs.  

The riff to "Black Devil" reminds me of Judas Priest, which has always been an underlying influence. They give it more of a groove which makes this song work. "The Pact" also carries more of the thrash feel to its riff, which if pushed further forward in the mix would make this heavier, but all the vocal layers are more dominant since well this is King's record. The gallop of "Just a Shadow' also has more of a Mercyful Fate feel, which is becoming a theme of this record, so if you are typically more of a Fate fan then you should not sleep on this album if you have yet to give it a solid listen. "Help!" has the kind of crunch you would expect a metal act from 2000 to have that preceded the nu-metal movement, which these guys maneuvered around and stayed true to who King Diamond is. No one can ever accuse him of capitulating to the trends.

Where "Passage to Hell" is a theatrical interlude the riff to "Catacomb" reminds me of "Black Album" era Metallica.  Granted his vocals help distance the song from it. However, I do not think it could be argued that this is the album's most memorable song. "The Place is Terrible" is the last actual song, as the last track is an instrumental outro. This is a strong song with a great groove for the vocal to fall over. I'll round this one up to a 10 due to the heavy Mercyful Fates vibes this album carries. 

pst80

Black Metal History Month - Sliver Knife : "s/t"

 I liked this French band's first album, but can't find the view of it to job my memory, so perhaps it did not leave the lasting impression I thought. They are riding the line here between depressive black metal and atmospheric black metal that leans in the direction of black gaze on the first track with the wailing and guitars growing more distant in the tremolo buzz on the second song. By the time we get to the third song, it is obvious this album is not going to be as dynamic as I had hoped as it sounds almost just like the previous song.  The cavernous product is a cool vibe but does not compress things into a more coherent song structure. Instead, it just echoes out into oblivion. Thus serving a sound rather than a song, with the spoken vocal passsage the main thing that distinguishes this from the previous songs. 

"Transfiguration" is riffier, so this allows the more sonic swell of dynamics to work better against it. In many ways, it is more traditional in its approach to black metal recalling bands like Darkthrone. The howl of the vocals is convincingly anguished. Then on "Reticent Paroxysm" they revert back to to variation of what they were doing on the first three songs that is less compelling without the nuance to set this song apart from the blur of tremolo picking that is burying the drums but it does not sound like they are merely blasting. 

The album closes with the almost fifteen-minute sprawl of "Triumph In Tragedy". The this point the vocals are pretty much just howling being consumed by reverb in the distance. There are marginal shifts in intensity, I am unsure what they had planned for all 15 minutes but it appears just to rest on this stagnant drone and scream over it. The change of plans occurs six minutes in when things break down into the strum of a clean guitar sound. This is something that could have been broken up to help the other songs. That reprieve lasts for less than two minutes and they have stirred things back up into the furious tempest of guitars. What they are doing is cool sound-wise, but there is a uniform atmosphere enveloping the album, though I think it's what they set out to do and well done for this kind of black metal so I will give this one an 8.

pst79

Black Metal History Month -Diamond in the Rough, King Diamond's "Voodoo"

 It's amazing how much better this album sounds than the previous one and I am surprised that all of that lies in the addition of drummer John Luke Herbert, who only plays on this album and "House of God".  They get off to a more energetic start, which finds King's vocal approach more aggressive to match the energy of the music. There are none of the nods to rock n roll that could be heard on the previous release. This rips in a manner that recalls "Abigail" As far as his 90s output goes this is the album I revisit the most. Whatever helped the making of this record fall in place like it did the songwriting finds a balance of being theatric but very fluid. "Life After Death" is a great example of this. 

There are songs like the title track that stand up against his most classic material and would be a welcome addition to his live set when he chooses to break it up some from what he's been touring with since right before COVID. His choir of ghostly falsettos is very well-layered. Thematically the is more like "The Eye" as it goes back in time to a creepy era of history, this one just as ripe with magic. The ritualistic drummer is impressive for some guys from Europe to capture. Dime Bag drops a solo on this one, but it's not the best solo on the album."A Secret' is more straightforward with less of the voodoo trapping, but it goes pretty hard in the thrashing break it hits.  "Salem" works as a punchy mid-paced chug. The palm-muted breakdown works really well. The effects on his voice are also a nice touch. It's safe to say this is one of his heavier albums. 

"One Down Two to Go" starts off as a dreamy ballad and builds momentum into crunchy thrashing. "Sending of Dead"  finds the keyboards playing a larger role. It simmers on the mood, with the drums sitting back a bit, so perhaps this dude is what is building the intensity, though the drums vary in where they sit in the mix. "Sarah's Night" is more invested in theatrics. It finds the harpsichord sounds becoming more dominant as the story unfolds. They come back stronger with "The Exorcist" which is supported by a hooky guitar melody. They groove this riff more. King sounds great on this one. The guitar solos are also pretty ripping here as well. They have the riffs down on this album making these songs far more memorable than the past couple of albums. 'the Cross of Baron Samedi" is more deliberate in its pace, but its crunch works. Really this is the last song as it's just outro atmosphere after this even with the hidden track. I'll round this up to a 10, it is a solid return to form.

pst78

RWAKE : "The Return of Magik"

Perhaps the collapse of society is going to find sludge returning as the dominant force in metal. This Arkansas-based band is back after 13 years. A more melodic expanse of sound brings elements of Southern rock to the forefront of the opening track as guitar solos cascade around it. Brittany Fugate's scathing vocals provide a counterpoint to the lower ominous vocal tones of Chris Terry. The title track carries a more menacing thunder to its metallic riffing. The vocals snarl back and forth with effective venom. I can already tell this is going to be the sludge album to beat this year, though they may go off on a tangent in the next three songs that follow since one of them sprawls out into almost 14 minutes. 

I am breaking this album up and listening to each song then taking a break, and listening to it with fresh ears, rather than trying to digest it in its entirety in one sitting. Normally I just write it all out in my first listen but there is a great deal going on here. "With Stardust Flowers" kicks off with a more rock n roll-like riff that carries hook and punches in equal measure, the sneer of the vocals bringing in the aggression. I really like how the vocals are produced on this song, the overall mix of this album is stellar so far as well. There is country nuance to the guitar playing. 

"Distant Constellations and the Psychedelic Incarceration" is a fourteen-minute song. There is a slow build in the sway of its darker hypnotic feel that shares some common ground with Swans. The vocals are more spoken than sung. It takes six minutes before it takes on its shape as a song, and then another minute before distorted guitars swell into it. They get into a prog metal territory that is not unlike what Mastodon did in the mid-2000s.  Despite being almost 11 minutes long" In After Reverse" has a more straightforward crusty sludge attack. The album closes with a melodic guitar outro, I'll give this album a 9.5, it rips pretty hard and sludge bands will have to step up their game to beat out this one.This album drops March 14th on Relapse Records.  

pst77