Celestial Sanctuary : "Visions of Stagnant Blood"

 It's always weird to me when a band sounds like they are drawing inspiration from post-Vincent Morbid Angel. It's done, but it uses a mechanical churning sound to angular riffs that feel more chugged from a technical place than still retaining the hook of thrash. There are also more riffs crammed into a tighter space with less of a verse-chorus arrangement. Of course, in their promo material, they cite every band but Morbid Angel as an influence, well, not everyone, just Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, and Dying Fetus, none of which I am hearing. 

Though I guess it depends on which era of those bands, not from their classic 90s days, the Carcass thing I can only hear if we are referring to when they double up the vocals. I think they find themselves a band al little more on the second song than the opening track. Given their name, you would think they would use more cosmic sounds or give more of a focus to atmosphere, but here they are grinding away pretty heavy. By the time we get to "Choking on Rotten Seed' which is a great song title, perhaps the influence of Cannibal Corpse only lies in the song titles, but we can tell here that their drummer is great, but you have to be to play death metal, we also get some dynamic shifts where they slow down to put a more deliberate spin on a song that started off pretty fast and feral. 

The last song, "Gavage of the Vile" is ten minutes, which brings the album up to a just a 22-minute run time, making this an EP, since the 28-minute mark of "Regin in Blood" is my barometer for what an album is here. They set a little more of a mood here, but chug into things with a pretty heavy intent, thought giving a creepier slant mood-wise to the otherwise more riff-minded aggression that has colored this album, Guitars begin to introduce single note melodies to what feels like the entire album's sonic climax, before doubling back down on the Morbid Angel grooves.  I think these guys are effective at what they are doing, even if it recalls a phase of Morbid Angel, that I was not as into as what came before "Formulas Fatal to the Flesh" , so I will give it an 8.5, as I am unsure how many extended listens I would give this one, but if you are into grinding death metal no shy on the riff fest technique these guys have you covered.  Out on Metal Blade Records

Dawn of Solace : "Affliction Vortex"

Finland is the country for dramatically melancholic music. It has quite a history with it as bands like HIM, The 69 Eyes, Nightwish Wish and The Man-Eating Tree all come to mind. Though those bands all have a different take on it. The same can be said for this band, which is more on the doom side of the tracks, but coming from a more Peacville place with the mournful vocals that make me think of Katatonia and My Dying Bride. The pace picks up a little for the second song, but the vocals are rightly even the center stage of this mix, as it keeps the tension underlying musically. Growled vocals, which I was not expecting, come in, which I was not expecting, though I should have been since they are now a staple of metal. 

Then on "Into the Light" things begin to take a turn away from doom into a more Opeth-inspired melodic progressive death metal direction, though the sung vocals are the dominant force in "Rival", finding the band going in a more accessible direction. Things climax with some impressive guitar prowess, as it continues to go further in a melodic death metal direction, as the growled vocals become the primary voice when the song really begins to build. Most of this begins to lies in the hands of the drummer, who allows moods to be established and never rushes things, but is also not about doing a bleak doom march either. 

"Dream" might be the album's best song as it just flows so well. Things are getting gloomier for "Pereniel," which finds the vocals shifting into the snarl for a more explosive chorus. This is the most effective use of this dynamic yet. They end on a doomier note going into the last song. At almost six and a half minutes long, it is the album's longest song, so they get credit as songwriters for not letting things sprawl out. Double bass comes in and things flow in a more uptempo direction, but it feels like it's more of a throb rather than jerking you out of the mood with it. I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me, one of the better efforts at pushing this sort of melodic metal from the 90s forward. 

The Man-Eating Tree : "Night Verses"

 

The video for the song "Seer'  was the first song I heard from this album. It seemed like a more streamlined version of what I recalled them doing, so I went back to listen to their first album to see if I was totally off base in this regard.  I have always enjoyed the songs I caught from this Finnish band in passing, but never dove into their albums, so never got the full picture of what they do. I assumed they were a darker version of what Katatonia used to do, as they were often labelled as goth-metal, giving them big hopes. Those assumptions were not far off from those. I am not hearing the goth thing, granted they are darker than say Opeth, but how high of a bar is that really? 

The guitar melody to "All Our Shadows" is closer to mainstream metal, with the vocals sometimes sounding like Woods of Ypres. This song wanders off into the atmosphere as they jam around the guitar solo, which is pretty tasty if you are into guitar solos.  "To the Sinking" sounds like it could be a Staind ballad. It has a more powerful climax than a band like Staind would do, so that is better for them. Though some of the brighter notes in this vocal melody lend themselves to that comparison. "Ruins of Insanity" finds the more grunge undertones of the vocals continuing, but it has a more flowing riff. This might be the album's best song. 

"Abandoned" carries a more aggressive pound and the snarling vocals. A minute in, things shift into a more reflective melodic verse. The album closes with "Reflections' which is like 00's alternative ballad, but with more strings. It does slowly build over the nine and a half minutes.  I was expecting this album to be a little darker than it is, I think they're playing and songwriting work, but it's produced too much like a mainstream rock record. If you wanted Katatonia, to sound more Killswitch Engage, then this album is for you. I will give it an 8.5, as it needed to be darker and less overproduced for my personal tastes, but these guys are great at what they are doing. 

Bon Iver : "SABLE fABLE"

 

This double album is really his EP "SABLE' last year that was only three songs, which focused more of his folk side, and then the nine new songs, which are the kind of lush experimental pop songs that made his 4th album such a stellar creative success. These songs are going to be the focus of this review. "Short Story" is a brief intro song that still works as it completes its dynamic thoughts, bringing the album shimmering to life, with his falsetto vocals, which were not featured on the EP the spotlight. A more focused pop beat moves "Everything is Peaceful Love," which feels like his time spent collaborating with Taylor Swift has influenced him. 

There is a more 90s pop feel to "Walk Home" . There are hints of country guitar tones haunting the periphery of the song, showing his skills as a songwriter able to blend sounds in a manner than proves pop doesn't have to be a bad word. However he is an elite songwriter. Jennifer Lynn Wasner lends her vocal to the gospel inflected "Day One".  "From" feels like Bruce Hornsby style of 80s pop, with Vernon's falsetto vocals rooting in this project's sound Danielle Haim lent a hand at the songwriting of "I'll Be There" and add her voice to "If Only I Could Wait" which infds his voice blending better with her's than his duets with Taylor Swift. 

"There's a Rythm" is like 80's pop but with more of the subtle country guitar coming up further in the mix to add a more melancholy layer of sound. The last song is more of an outro, but for the songs presented here, they are done so in a flawlwss manner so I am givng this album a 10.

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Song of the Week - Turnstile's "Never Enough"

 

The title track from the band's forthcoming album, which is due for a June 6th release, finds Turnstile taking this week's honors. The song seems to indicate another step away from their hard-core roots into a more atmospheric rock direction, as the song works off a droning groove and the melodic vocals form a sing-song chant to help hook you in. It invokes the crossroads some post-hardcore bands found themselves at with shoegaze in the 90s. However, they are certainly more uptempo than, say HUM. Whatever they are doing certainly works, despite finding them moving in a more accessible direction, which should find them poised to attract a larger audience; it's hard to complain when the song is so well written.

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Low Before the Breeze : "A Hole Beneath The Home We Shared"

 I like where this band from Atlanta is going with the experimental blend of grindcore-like explosions, which find the chaos tempered with atmosphere. That does not mean it's an easy listen, as it took me going back and giving it a second or third pass through before some of the songs clicked with me. The opening track is more possessed by spastic madness, as feed back squeals out over a collage of sampled sonics. It's very dissonant and moody, though more introspective in an odd way than dark. At times, the Locust might be a fair point of reference. "Night Wept" creates a more compelling mood that registers with me, more than the unhinged punk nature of the first song.  The drumming navigates the swirl of noise well, to hold things together. 

"Keep His Name Sacred and Pure" simmers in the glitch garden of sound. It reminds me a little of early Neurosis in this regard. However, it's more of an interlude than a song. 'Days Feel Rehearsed" builds in a slow swell. There is an apocalyptic agony to how it explodes to life. It feels like a mix of sludge and screamo. Granted, sludge seems to proliferate in Atlanta, so that is no surprise. It is more disconnected in its reluctance to recoil into something taunt and more metallic. "The Same Joke Twice" felt like it was an extension of the previous song, so it required another listen to discern the transition. "Cadaver Synod" opens with the wretched scream of the vocals. The spoken vocal creating a chant begins to remind me of King Missile, as the other vocal goes off the rails 

There is a similar transition into "Proverbs 7:22"; it bleeds over from the previous song, and I have to go back to catch up with where we are with things. Though as a stand-alone song, it is sculpted with more precision, and almost hooky. "Collected Messages of Abuse" creates a very effective mood as the samples are layered atop one another. "Faithful Dream" finds a punk energy being amped up, but with more experimental noise rock ambiance. The groove of the song takes a drunken lurch as it finds its footing. The drummer tries to hold the last song together, but there is too much going on for him to contain. It sounds like everyone is going in a different direction. The dynamic shift three minutes in, and it gives the song room to breathe, which is what they sometimes need more of, but I understand why they use tension they way they do, it is unsettling.I like the images painted here by these songs, I will see how it grows on me but is worth repeat listens, fans of more experimental grindcore will finds plenty to embrace here. I will give this album a 9. Out on May 30th .  

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Wednesday 13 : "Mid Death Crisis'

 The two previous albums reviewed by these guys found their sound harkening back to 80s metal in a manner that won us over. The opening track of their new album moves like a Rob Zombie song, while the vocals are more like Alice Cooper. The determined chug to "When the Devil Commands" has more of a "Dr Feelgood" groove. Things are big and anthemic. This does recall this kind of thing when it found rock morphing in the 90s as it tried to find its identity. They make a good argument for becoming Alice Cooper's backing band here.

The vocals are less sneered and more sung on "Rotting Away". This brings WASP to mind, not the first comparison we have drawn between the two bands. "No Apologies" features Taime Downe from Faster Pussycat, who sings the second verse, and he pretty much sounds like he did back in the day. I would say for cock rock Faster Pussycat was one of the most under rated bands, and they clearly influenced these guys. They break out the hairspray for "Decapitation." Lyrically, it feels like it could have come from Alice Cooper's "Constrictor' album, which might not have aged well, but was one of my favorite albums as a kid. 

"In Misery" feels like it could have come off of Cooper's "Trash" album, though it rocks a little harder than he did back then. They race off in a more punk direction for "Blood Storm", but it's their more WASP-like moments where they shine, since WASP doesn't sound like that anymore.  "My Funeral" sounds like post- "Countdown" Megadeth. Dave Mustaine was influenced by Alice Cooper as well, so that tracks. The last song is not as inspired as some, but if you are looking for straightforward 90s-flavored metal, they have you covered.  I will give it a 9, as it's a solid sound that hits the right places down memory lane while still injecting some personality into them. No one does this very well these days , so these guys get credit for bringing the rock to the intersection of metal. 

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