Living Gate : "Suffer as One"

 

Here is another supergroup making old-school death metal, which I suppose is a bit of a trend now. This one features members of YOB, Amen Ra, and Wiegedood. Some elements are not unlike 'Formulas Fatal to the Flesh " era Morbid Angel, as the riffs twist and turn with a great deal of technical prowess. So they are not taking the easy way out by just dialing in a certain retro sound. The guitars have that Trey chaos to them for sure. There is a blast undercurrent to "Internal Decomposition". It is almost jazzy in how the drums go off on their own path. 

The riffs offer a dissonant and angular counterpoint to this.  The drums do a better job of holding together "Destroy and Consume" in a more grooving manner. The groove makes it one of the album's best songs The dray breathy rasp of the vocals is articulate enough to offer more of a narrative than just growling with no purpose. "Unified Soul" charges at you full blast until they provide some contrast with a more deliberate almost rock n roll riff, it's almost Deicide-like in its tight steamrolling drive. "Suffer as One" locks in more on the riff. This makes for a hookier affair. It stabs rather than stomps. They break into a creepier melodic guitar section showing they care about dynamics. 

The sinister slither of "Ones and Zeroes" almost reminds me of old Meshuggah in the manner the riffs shift in a winding fashion. The chugs that get locked into during the more obtuse math of the arrangements prove powerful and the overall result is an undulating throb. "Hunting Maggots" is more feral in its frantic chugging, though even then they play around with it to make it catchier than most death metal bands who do this sort of thing. "Atoms and Particles" takes a few moments here and there to allow a breather offering a passage that gives more ambiance, and feels less like the same is painted with the same color. The tense moments in the middle of the song use this in a very effective manner. 

Even the smarts they have invested into the equation that is their songwriting formula begins to settle in with "Overcome, Overthrow" leading to it sounding similar to other songs on the album. It is not until things take on more hard-core bluster on the last song that they capture my attention again. These guys are highly skilled musicians , who have made a captivating listen from a genre they do no dive into in their other bands but proved successful here, I will give this album a 9. It ddrops October 25th on Relapse Records.  

pst463

Death is June : Living Gate :"Deathlust"

When I introduced Death is June I mentioned how I am going to try and feature bands that go beyond the status quo tried and true death metal formula, but I had already reviewed one album that fell into the more traditional confines of death metal. This is that album. With members from Amenra, Oathbreaker and Yob, I trusted these guys to at least not bore. Death metal can just color with blood red so how they use their sonic crayons is important here. They have the sound and know how to play it, so the most important thing I am now listening for it what is different about what they are bringing to the table? Without question great amost progressive guitar playing, that makes me ask but can you write a song. Yes . They answer with the second song, allowing the guitar to bring more melody. I would not call them technical death metal as they are not just about the math of their riffs. The are very precise in their playing.

The growls accent what should be the chorus on "Roped". While it is not shaking things up it does present you with something that sticks to your ears more than if they were just giving you a full speed ahead beating. They do administer such a beating in this very song, but there is enough fine tuning to make it work for now. I think if they did not deviate from this formula I would become bored. The title track is more straight forward. The roared vocal fall into the same old same old from what we have heard a hundred times before. Are they good at what they are doing ? Yes. The guitar solo shines and spotlights their skills as musicians , but the quagmire they are creating finds them stuck in tradition even if that is what they are paying homage to. They continue down this hyper aggressive show of excessive force on "Heaven Ablaze" and I begin to get bored.


I am not a fan of having eponymous songs, but that is what happens here. They are more angular and less full frontal assulat on this one. Not sure the results are much better as it comes across rather opaque. The riff kind of collide with out much form or function in terms of song writing. A little more straightforward than the kind of death metal I might expect from Relapse. I guess it doesn't hurt to come with references from your previous projects. Given their previous projects they got my hopes up for something different. I will round this down to a 7 as it is well played , but if your bar is higher in terms of what you want in regards to actual originality in originals you will under stand my complaints. If you just want death metal and have little discernment they hit all the right notes and will become your favorite band.

Live Review Amenra, Voivod, YOB @ Masquerade

I rarely get out for shows these days. Back when I started this blog I went to one a month Since then my depression has gotten worse and I would rather stay at home than be around people. This could also be called getting older, but it feels like more of my mental illness, as when I hear about the show I think "Oh, I would like to see that" But the closer it gets the more I talk myself out of it. The last show I went to was Rob Zombie in August. I had the intentions of going to a couple more with my girlfriend , but life happened and those shows did not. So it was a big deal for me to get out of the house to see Voivod, who is one of my favorite bands. I have  seen them twice before, so that could have been more fuel for me not to go , but I made it out even it it was a last minute thing on my part.

Amenra  started off their set with atmosphere, but when they kicked in they hit so hard you felt it with your body as much as your ears. Ok maybe they were not as loud as Swans , but it was powerful and they really poured themselves into the performance, you could feel the energy on many levels . As much as I love Voivod if I am being honest with you and myself they were the best band, in terms of having a striking visual performance and being sonically over powering. Granted what Voivod does is very different and they were the odd band out on the bill. The boys from Belgium had a screen behind them and projected black and white nature scenes that really added to the atmosphere.

The first time I saw Voivod in the late 80s they had more of a visual spectacle as well. With a smoky stage and eerie lighting and Snake in a gas mask. This time around the main weapon in their arsenal was a wealth of songs. 36 years worth. I also saw them touring for "Target Earth" so was aware how the new stuff blended with their more classic songs, but this time around it was more seamless. The two things they really had going for them aside from 36 years of experience under the two founding members belts, was the set list and the drumming. Away is one of the most under rated metal drummers. His double bass is on point and he does everything so effortlessly.  As far as the set list goes it was like they  were taking requests for me as they played every song I would have yelled out... "Into My Hyper Cube" , "Ravenous Medicine", "Psychic Vacuum" and the biggest surprise was "the Prow" from the "Angel Rat" album.

Yob was headlining. I am sure this is due to being the band with currently the most records sales, as Voivod, was the most established. If Voivod was going to headline then Yob could be wedged between the two, but Amenra is a hard band to follow. Granted the have more in common with Yob stylistically as both bands have the huge monolithic riffs to trample your ears with. A friend of mine said that he feels Yob is like Cathedral on a fraction of the drugs and with a siren singing. I can hear that, but after Voivod they seem more simplistic. The work at more of a pulsing throb than a proggy space journey. Overall it was an interesting look at metal past and present.

Vhol : "Deeper Than Sky"

Their  new album Finds Aesop Dekker of Agalloch going for a more straight forward approach which is what the music calls for.  The vocals took me by surprised until I read it was Mike Scheidt of Yob singing then their soaring nature made more sense . Then in a sudden turn comes the more punk influenced "3 AM" that follows. These guys started off as a Pentagram tribute band, and things have sped up considerably since then. This album does feel more focused than the first right off the bat aside from the jarring stylistic changes between the first two song. The weird effects on Mike's voice work well on the title track which is in your face thrash. The creepy middle section is an excellent addition to the song and rekindles the old school metal feel. You can hear Ian Gillan influence in Scheidt's vocals. At twelve minutes the song covers a lot of ground getting into more serious thrash towards the end. At one point I had to check and make sure we were still on the same song.

Hammers of Misfortune's bassist cuts through the mix this go around and makes her presence known on the instrumental interlude following the title track. "Red Chaos' erupts with more furious thrashing. It is more like the earlier era of thrash than the Bay Era bands, I hear more Sodom and Venom than anything. This races into "Lightless Sun" that finds them tripping over their feet as they try to run down hill. Dekker plays black metal we know he can play fast, but how is the song benefiting from racing into hyper-drive?  They keep their feet on the gas for "the Tomb"  and as a result it feels very similar to the two songs that precede it. Mike keeps his voice at more of a Venom like snarl.

 To call this retro-thrash doesn't seem right as , the only punk cross over moment comes at the second song. These guys have tons of talent and Mike's voice really gives them an edge over the barking dogs that are typical of the genre. They have a few twists and turns amid the full speed ahead attack that seems to be the order of the day on this one.  The riffs at time could have more hook to them, but I can hear where this is coming from, fans of  the Venom era of thrash will be happy to head bang to this, some of the up tempo stuff runs together a little for me so I'll give this one a 7. Profound Lore is releasing the album October 23rd.

4.3

Interview: Mike of Yob

I managed to catch up with Yob's front-man Mike Scheidt and talking about the band's new album "Clearing Path to Ascend" and here is what he had to say.

Wil - So the songs on your new album are pretty long epic pieces what was the writing process like for that ?

Mike- I had been writing it for almost two years. I wanted it to make sense, with the whole tension release vibe and the atmosphere in all the songs that are played with a lot of raw emotion. So I wanted to keep that raw emotion while the music made intellectual sense, so there was a lot of juggling, which was difficult.

Wil - So for this album to be a challenge on the writing in what challenges did this present from a production stand point when you recorded it.

Mike- We spent a lot of time in rehearsal. So from a playing stand point the music was well rehearsed going into the studio. The biggest challenge was laying down the vocals as  I tend to write vocal parts that are just outside of my ability so I have step up and push. We had demoed a lot of the stuff in rehearsal, but that's not the same as hearing it come off the board. So we would go back in a listen for flow and for tone and for any mistakes that we needed to go back in and fix. When songs are 18 to 19 minutes long , you tend to lose perspective. So going back and listening to songs of that length for those things was strenuous, but that's the corner we backed ourselves into.

Wil - This album is heavy not just in a metal sense , but more in a sonic sense. What inspired that direction?

 Mike - The emotion and the vibration were more important than distortion and volume. Distortion and volume doesn't mean that that is it going to be heavy.

 Wil- Yeah, Swans are not a metal band , but heavier than most metal bands.

Mike- in the same way John Van Zandt, creates some of the heaviest moments I have heard in a song from an emotional perspective. Both he and the Swans are artists I hold in the highest regard. 

Wil - What are some of the album's lyrical themes? 

 Mike - I try to not get too specific. Some folks might be interested in that, but I don't want to add to or take away to some one's experience and finding their own meaning. I was going through some deep personal difficulties and it was very healing. I have always had an interest in the eastern side of mysticism, the transcendental side that pushes through the emotions captured be it depression , anger, love and joy. It's being in that moment, to truly be in all those states.

 Wil - the trancey nature of drone can create a meditative environment.

 Mike- Sure, it can also serve as a scalpel that can open you up, digs in and allows you to be in the moment.

 Wil- What are your plans as far as touring to support this album?

 Mike- Leaving in to do a chunk of dates in Europe. We are taking Pallbearer with us. Taking a chunk of the winter off and then doing a full u.s tour in March, though a few select album release shows and start working on the new Vhol album in November. 

Wil-  What did you learn from touring with Tool?

 Mike - They provided us witha unique platform, it is much bigger than anything we had done or ever will do again. They exist in a world of their own, but they work as artists first. We had 30 minutes to play ever night, there were not decibel limits, we even got to use our own soundboard. They allowed us to be ourselves, so there was this weird doom metal band playing in an arena environment. It has made every thing we have done since easier, we now know how to function in a larger environment which has come in handy playing festivals like Hell Fest. It was cool too from a fan perspective seeing them every night and most nights they would watch us from the side of the stage too.

 Wil - This is your first album on Neurot records, what is it like working with a label  run by artists?

 Mike- On a personal level it's an honor as we are hug Neurosis fans. It's humbling and inspiring to collaborate with artist you hold in such high regard. They know what it's like to have been on a big label, they have experienced it all inside and out. We have been lucky to have made good choices along the way. But it's cool knowing every one at the label is an artist themselves.

 Wil - Almost 20 years later have your influences shifted ?

 Mike- Well ,when Yob first started being doom we began incorporating other elements almost right away. From Hard core , punk to King Crimson and Floyd. We have just become over the years more embolden to incorporate it. Metal being very human has many sides, experimental sides, epic sides. I know a lot of metal artists that are hug into classic rock, so that has grown into it. If it flows with us nothing is off the table. All these sub-genre tags are just a sign post as to here is what you are going to get.Stoner tag came out and we got that one , what is that supposed to mean? The best bands always defy the labels.

Wil - How has the evolution of your clean vocals come about ? 

 Mike-  the biggest difference is I broke down and got a vocal coach. I found Wolf Carr in Portland. He worked on the Zen of Screaming. But he is from Berklee School of music so he is classically trained but understands death growl and screams and metal metal singers put themselves through. His mother is a professor at Berklee as well, so he comes from that world. On tour some night might not be so great, come off stage and you are hoarse. So to learn on a technical level has made me such a better singer. I have always been a student of great singers, every one from Cat Stevens to Joni Mitchell to Bruce Dickinson to Dio. It gives me more tool and more colors. So in the studio I am able to pull it off for multiple takes and pick and choose, I think I have only begun to scratch the surface as to my potential vocally.

Yob: "Clearing the Path to Ascend"

With the sample of "time to wake up" the quiet before the storm begins to stir as we enter the 16 minute "In Our Blood". This feel more like apocalyptic sludge to me than doom. Why isn't this doom? Well we shall explore this as we tunnel deeper into this album. Most artists hate getting pigeon holed by genre labels any way so I doubt Yob cares if this is doom or not. The ghostly clean vocals that start this off are more effective than if they had started off with the roar from the get go. This Oregon band has been around since 1996 and 'Clearing the Path To Ascend " is their 7th album and first for Neurot. So from the way this flows alone it's evident these guys have now nailed down what they want to do. By the end of the opener it's clear to me they have achieved the sweet spot of being as heavy sonically as they are metal.

There is a denser tribal pound boiling on "Nothing to Win". This will feel more familiar to traditional metal heads, while the song maintains it's sonic integrity. When you are writing 16 minute epics, you have more than enough to stretch out your legs a bit in terms of dynamics.The hooks feel a little sharper on this album. At the six and a half minute moment the song roars out of the riffs it has been droning on to create a sludge tinged storm.

Even in the darker moments of "Unmask the Spectre" this album feels more sludge to me than doom.They use the drone well balancing enough eerie melody in the guitar lines to keep you under hypnosis. The chug they bring down like a hammer is dirty with plenty of heft.The vocals are largely harshly screamed , though well placed and accented. Around the seven and a half minute mark, the vocals become more sung though still coated with rasp.It's when the female vocals come in over the lumbering riff in the song's third act that the song really shines. If you are going to bring an album to a close it should be big or go home, so they saved the longest yarn for the last.

"Marrow" clocks in at over 18 minutes, it drifts in on a cloud of post- rock wandering before distortion is stepped on to make this thing soar more. The clean almost feminine tone to the vocals work well, I thought it might be the chick from Devils Blood at first , until I saw no other credits for vocals aside from Mike.The song rise in a constant build before they let the bottom fall out of it at the 11 minute mark. They let it sail out into a dreamy sea. It's this song that answers the questions we raised earlier as to why this isn't doom. The answer is while this album has a range of emotion to it, none of it has a mourning or depressive quality to it. There is still always a sliver of hope even in the roar of the tempest.

These songs are long and this album is not just music to put on for a trip to the liquor store, unless your closest liquor store is on top of a mountain.It is a big bite to digest. I am going to give it a 9 as it continues to grow on me. It really has not fault, but I am not sure due to the sprawling nature if it is something that I will get a ton of mileage out of unless I have the time to devote to taking in the whole album as it deserves to be heard.