Fister : "Decade of Depression"

This album of covers opens with a  Fabio Frizzi piece . Horror fans will recognize that name as the guy who scored most of Fulci's movies. They do a great job of recapturing the feel of his work. The bells this song ends with leads right into the bells of Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls". It's an ambitious song for a sludge band to tackle , but they tackle it pretty hard. Though they could have learned this one back in high school and play it at every sound check. The guitar tone is way heavier than anything Metallica ever had night mares about. James probably heard this and started drinking again. When they lock into the chug leading into the verse its so nasty it's god damn sick. The vocals carry more of a rasp than attempt to sing. It's blown out and dense taking all the thrash out of it , but staying true to the song at the same time. Just when  I think I can not say enough about this one they blow my mind with;a cover of  "Mandatory Suicide" . These are two metal classics that they stomp over in such a way it is hard for me to not say they are better than the originals. I think the fact that I am old enough to remember when the original versions came out and the impact they had one me are the only factors that force me to bite my tongue.

They do a pretty spot on version of Darkthrone's "Too Old Too Cold" . They vocals are really spot on. This is one of my favorite Darkthrone songs. I prefer this era to when all the vampires got hungry. Eva Rose from Chrch lends her voice to their cover of Danzig's "How the Gods Kill".  She was mid way into the first verse until I figured out "Ok , this is a chick doing this ". Danizg immediately feels emasculated upon reading this. To his credit that was a great album and they stuck pretty close to what was already perfect. Their only touch comes when the songs builds up at the midway point. She goes into a tormented vocal and is joined by their vocalist who adds and even meaner growl to the proceedings. I like what she does to the refrain and sings it in more of her alto range. I am less emotionally invested in Hellhammer or Pungent Stench. "Reaper" sounds fine to me , but what do I know I prefer Celtic Frost to Hellhammer. I know I am not getting into hell for that and losing all my cvlt points.

"Only Hunger Remains" sounds more like them than Pungent Stench. Once again a band that I am not as emotionally connected to so open to them having their way with the song. Sonically it is a little more on the death doom side and less sludge driven.  The album closes with a recorded version of their song "the Failure". It has a more doomy pulse with  tormented vocals.  I have read some reviewers say they feel scores of albums are arbitrary. I disagree as how I do them hear if divide the number of songs that are effective and resonate strongly with a listener drawn to the particular genre . A 10 would mean this is then a flawless voctory for the band , which is what this album gets.Spoiler Alert Expect to see it cropping up again on my Top 10 Sludge albums of 2019 list , 
 

Caronte : "Codex Babalon"

The croon of their singer is mix of Gibby Haynes and Danzig. I guess Gibby is a little more of the drug crazed desperation. They are very deliberate rock n roll doom. They lumber around with a drone, that is not without a ballsy drive.The fuzzed out guitars create some very dense layers that might remind some of Electric Wizard. They continue to rock out with "Elixir Rubeus" , but I am not as engaged for this song. They seem to be more into jamming around with heavy sounds more than really hooking you into their songs, if you are hooked in then it's due to the hypnotic throb rather than anything they have done to invite you into their world. This is not to say there is not some emotional investment into their music, and I am sure when they are playing it they are really into it, something intangible is just not connecting. The singer's melodies might be better served doing their own thing like they do on "Rites of High Theurgy" rather than just being bellowed out over the rumble of riffs with nothing to stick to.

They let there songs hover around the nine minute mark. The more rock n roll like melodies the singer chooses have potential as the band as a whole does, there is a 90's post- grunge thing buried under all this wannabe occult murk. Perhaps that just comes from living in Italy, everything has to have a touch of horror movie like occult. I'll give this album a 7.5, I do like this kind of retro doom, though the last song is a little too uptempo to be doom and overall I don't get the darker more mournful vibe that I feel doom should have from them. They do create a psychedelic churning that is heavy in it's own way. These guys have created a familiar yet original sound they just need to fine tune to nuances of song writing amid the density. It was a fun listen for me I just don't feel compelled to give it many more spins.

Van Records releases this July 22nd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrAkSetkxZw&feature=youtu.be

Christian Mistress : "To Your Death" review & "Open Road" video

The air of hip, slick, and coolness about that album has been replaced by more of a  Pat Bentar thing going on with the opener with traces of Judas Priest's more radio rock moments coating the edges. Singer Christine Davis does have a better knack for the placement of her melodies than many of the so-called occult rock bands that cropped up in their wake. "Stronger Than Blood" is a little heavier thought that invokes the days when rock and metal were not as far removed from one another as they are today, so bands like Thin Lizzy and early Iron Maiden come to mind in the guitar harmonies.

Despite the Trooper-like gallop that "No Place" takes on it doesn't grab me like the first two songs do. There is a Van Halen-like opening to "Walkin Around" The song goes into a more upbeat gallop than the previous songs. This album does pay more homage to classic metal than "Possession" and could be said to have a retro feel. The twin guitar attack is very melodic, but also feels like it is pushed way forward in the mix like they are standing on the monitors looming over you. Though it should be heavier to due the manner the pace is picked up for some reason "Open Road" isn't heavier. It might be a feel thing. With metal, you can't fake the funk, either the aggression is in you are it's not, so it could be said that they are playing metal notes, but just don't have aggression in them. To play metal and mean it there needs to be some form of darkness, that you are not just giving lip service too. I think that is why their last album was so effective is that it wasn't trying to be metal it just was what they are.\


They chill out on "Ultimate Freedom" and this feels more like who they really are. When this song does build the more metal elements are the more effective they have been on this album and their drummer Rueben Storey really proves himself. "Lone Wild" takes on a doomier tone that works well to darken things up. This take on metal is much more authentic to who they are as a band. They go more into almost Motley Crue style of rock sans cowbell on "III". I like the riff , but "Too Fast For Love" was also one of my first albums. Not sure if it really holds up as an instrumental since Davis' voice is their signature, but it's worth the listen.  Overall, you can't argue with their influences and even when it seems like might not be feeling it as much their musicianship pulls them through the tough spot, they hit more than they miss and bring some impressive moments to the table along with some songs that knock it out of the park in places, so I'll give it an 8.5.

The album will be released on Relapse Records on Sept 18th.

Ecstatic Vision : "Sonic Praise"

For some reason I had it in my head these guys were an industrial band. Not a stoner jam band. Not really sure where the first song ended and the second song began it ran together in one jam. These guys are good at what they do , the mix seems like it could more balls to it. The vocals are throaty but sung, very similar to Lemmy's backing vocals in Hawkwind, with more effects on them.They hang on a bass line in "Astral Plane" which at twelve and a half minutes is the longest song. They throw in some sax to further the Hawkwind comparisons. At times the drone comes across like the live version of "Dazed and Confused" when the bongo linger in the back ground its more "Sympathy for the Devil".

The have more drive on the chanted "Don't Kill the Vibe" , but still I can't help but think a more organic sound in the production department would put this more in your face. More atmospheric than Monster Magnet's trippier moments, but not as effective as the Devils Blood. The title track and the last song also run together though the last song runs into more kraut rock thing and while it drones it hits a different groove.The guitar goes into a Indian scale while the bass latches onto a more Tool like riff, the combination is pretty effective. They close it with a very pyschonaut lyric about freeing their minds.


 If I still did drugs I would be all over this , but seeing as how I haven't touched them in 13 years I can appreciate this but don't feel the urge that this album is pulling me back to it .I am well adapted to psychedelic music and prefer that elements in music as long as it is dark and I think the thinner digital sounding production takes away from capturing a darker vibe, which Hawkwind had, to the point of where they eventually crossed over and influenced many latter day goth bands. I'll still go ahead and round this one up to an 8.




3.9

The Refused : "Freedom" review & "Dawkins Christ " Video

They have been some what reunited since 2012, but they are still active in side projects, which had altered the over all sound.Dennis Lyxzen's voice is more refined as he has learned how to actually sing and polished his pipes since "The Shape of Punk to Come". So this is not going to sound like the same band in some ways. They are still liberally experimenting. By the second song things begin to get weird. The bass sound on this album is incredible, is the first thing I walked away with. At times the bring their electronic interests into the mix with them. They flirt with metal on "Dawkins Christ", some of the riffage would not feel out of place on a Tool album. A chorus of children chanting "exterminate the brutes/ exterminate all the brutes" is chanted before the funky "Francafrique" kicks in.

There is a slight post-punk element to the electro mixed into "Thought is Blood". It's upbeat up a little darker than I remember them getting back in the day. The electronic elements work for me, but I can see fans more attached to their earlier work having a problem with them. There is a weird cock rock element to "War on the Palaces". Sometimes the vocals saunter like the Rolling Stones. then there is a weird new wave break that sounds like they are about to break into Corey Hart's "Sunglasses At Night". Some of the trickery stands out more than the others and at sometimes it even seems more like window dressing on the Rollins like rant of "Destroy the Man". "366" stays on a similar more straight up angular math tinged post- hardcore. The chorus of "thats some one's sister/ that's some one's son" sticks with you. Another Tool like riff sneaks up towards the end of the song. There is another funky riff this one sounds like it could have appeared on a Mars Volta album. The vocals are strong on this one and show a wide range. The album closes with "Useless Europeans". That highlights Lyxzen's voice and lets him croon in a lower range in a brooding apocalyptic ballad. It builds and ebbs back and forth much like a Faith No More song would, back when they had some balls to them so it's fitting that they are touring with them.Better than I thought it would be I'll call it a 9.

A Pregnant Light : "Neon White"

Damian Master is back with some more purple metal. This was labelled as a demo, but the demo released for Record Store Day was called St. Emaciation. The first song has more of a hard core feel, with some punchy moodiness thrown in towards the end.Being a demo the recording is pretty raw and more than a little rough around the edges, the guitars sound like they would benefit from more effects rather than such a dry sound. "Horse Head" is in the same hardcore influenced zip code, some black metal like guitar appears midway through it, I suppose if you are just desperate to call something black metal. There are some nice guitar melodies mixed in on this one.

The guitar tone changes for " Guess" , but the song carries a similar post- hardcore stomp to it. There is a good deal of hook to it and I like the very emo guitar break down. Of the three originals on this album, this one is the best. Even the hard core parts have melody and catchy vocal arrangements that are shouted out. The weird eighties sung part which is bathed in odd effect elevates the song into a more awesome sonic realm.

He closes it out with a cover of Nick Cave's "Abattoir Blues" . The vocals are buried beneath the guitar , which for Nick Cave that is a crucial element since his post- Birthday-Party work is so vocal driven. So it is a little underwhelming. Like most of his work there are more hits than misses, though it doesn't consistently hit the mark. So I will give this a 7.5. Maybe this is a demo and the finished product will really wow me, but production wowing me to make this a ten is a little far fetched.

In Case You Missed : Burak Ozmucur 's "In Silence"

More often than not we do not see eye to eye with Metal Sucks here. But here is an exception to  our normal disdain for mall metal. There is a commercial element to this dark progressive hard rock project, but it has enough heart to somehow win me over. The harmony vocals are very Alice In Chains if they went Djent in some respects as this isn't trying to be Meshuggah, but the multi-layers of ambiance and shimmering staccato passage would appeal to fans of Periphery.  The prominent bass groove furthers the modern metal take on this post-nu metal grunge like affair.  He opens this three song ep with the ominous build of "the Departure"  and while the harmonies smack you upside the head reeking of Alice in Chains, they sound much more to me like post-Layne "Black Gives Way to Blue" era.

The songs sound very pristine every thing is perfectly placed,  I was thinking who ever mixed this is a genius , then checked the credits and saw Ozmucur himself is responsible. I think he might be an even more talented producer than he is a song writer. They way this project has taken form as more of a solo outing / studio project the two work hand in hand to the point of where it's hard to hear  where the production end and the song writing begins. His influences are easy to hear and these riffs are often pretty stock radio friendly metal/ hard rock, but the placement and layering of them is where the originality comes in. In other words He is painting these songs with primary colors, but it's where he puts them that makes the masterpiece.

I think "Far' is actually the strongest song on here. It is heavy emotionally and the bass line weaving around the guitar give the song an eerie ring. The big build has been done before, here it connects in a way that it normally doesn't speak to me, I think all the hidden layers within it's whirl wind contribute to this fact. The lyrics are so ambiguous it's a testament to his delivery  for them to come across as impassioned as they do. On "the Clouds" this is done with more of a Katatonia feel. The  tight harmonies give it a little more balls than Jonas normally injects into his passive aggressive introspection.Is this metal if we are comparing it to what we call metal here like....Darkthrone or Emperor, no, but if you like rock bands like A Perfect Circle and Katatonia that flirt with a more metal tone to their guitars and are heavy on the melancholy then this is worth a listen. I am curious to hear a full-length from this guy as he has raised the bar pretty high for him self.

Horseback: Halfblood

Chapell Hill based Horseback is not a one trick pony. Primarilly the one man show of Jenks Miller, there is an expansive arsenal of sounds being used to construct this unique piece of art. Four of the seven songs are by and large instrumental droning landscapes dwelling in the same neightborhood as This Will Destroy, though incorporating a harsher grim texture of a crime scene created by NON with the finger prints of Black metal's tendrils of influence all over this body of ambient drone.


When actual songs are formed, the clean blues jangle of the guitar creates an organic element set against a collision of Current 93 melting into the wall of an acid trip with memeber of Earth. The duplicitous nature of harsh noise and Americana that makes this the most captivating listen. A song like "Inheirtance" that is more drone that not is unlikely to graduate onto my i-Pod but a song like "Arjuna" really speaks to me. The three other songs with their primary use of harsh vocals works to blend counter balance, some of the most creatively brillant guitar sounds I 've heard in some time. It refrains from taking the easy way of the lowest common denominator reliance on distortion metal can often hide behind. In fact the vocals are often the only actual "metal" elment on this album.

For practical on the go listening there are a few conscise songs would fit into the shuffle mode of most opened minded rockers who lean towards the experimental.
This is the projects 3rd release and the trio of songs on "Half-blood show a move away from some of the more noisy Sonic Youth moments. The 2011 release "Gorgon Tongue" is a collection of sonic noisescapes, but 2010's "The Invisible Mountain" is more song focused and darker not unlike Leviathan's more recent work. The growth evident on "Half Blood" is it exudes a sense of innovation in sound and identity, the heavier "Invisible Moutain" doesn't have. While the 2010 release is an entertaining listen, new ground is not broken in the same way

If I was only going to focus on what I consider to be songs and not soundscapes , then this album would be a 3 song e.p is a 10. To listen to as one complete work you findyourself lost in the drone, which is the goal of that sort of thing, so you might consider that to be a success.But to score this album as whole I would have to give it a six, as the strides it hits are dead on but they could stand to take a page from the play book of Swans and have a more balanced pay off for the listener when it comes to the more obtuse sections.

Nachtmystium: Silencing Machine

For all the interviews I have read where Blake Judd sounds like he wants to make the Ministry album that should have been, the Skinny Puppy records were left out of the studio .Though it's not uncommon for songwriter to go into the studio with one idea of what his vision is and the songs take on a life of their own and decide to go somewhere else.

To Judd's credit even though it would have been warranted he never said the standard heavy metal line, this is going too be our heaviest album yet

The open in the ruins of Jerusalem , hits with a blasty mcnasty. Like old cvlt dark throne the intensity of the attack creates its own drone of white noise,as the whirl wind of shrapnel sucks you in. While I can appreciate the lack of subtlety here for what it is the real meat of the metal rises on and I control you, after the few listens is my favorite songs as the eerie melody haunts the background and guitar comes in shredding as called for what more do you need from metal? Sure it's slower paced than the first two but foreboding quality makes it heavier than the albums opening.

The lepers of destitution is a beautiful song, in the same way I prefer storm clouds to feeling the sun on my skin and see where Judd was referencing depressive suicidal black metal, as it has the very somber elegance that makes it sound like fast funeral doom .

Rare in this sort of black metal that you are aware the bass is there playing actual notes . Not to mention his tone is sick, the bass sounding more like a cyborg bullfrog in heat calling out to mate with Dagon. Drummer Charlie Fell is a smart addition as his more bombastic playing style is a prefect fit more the relentless raw vibe of the album.

While the vocals don't have as much variety as previous albums, the one sound they captured is dead , though most of their black magic is in the overdriven production. The lyrical content is a big change as their is less lamenting over addiction and ,ore raging against a dystopian machine. Fitting as the vocal delivery is more angry than a drug torment.

The rock roll element stomps out as needed, the more straight forward traces of left over addicts riffs are actually the albums weaker moments.I has also heard Judd throw around that the album would have elements of depressive suicidal black metal and the only song with which he made good on those claims is the closer " these rooms in which we weep". I'll give this album a ten as I suspect give me the grave will grow on me , it's not boring as to make me want to avoid it just more straight forward on initial listens than I might have wanted but the take the poison prt gets stuck in my head so I will go ahead and round it up from a 9.5 to a 10 as this and Pinkish Black will more than likely be slugging it out for album of the year.