Death is June- Haunter : " Discarnate Ails"

 

The third album by this band from Texas came out in early May but I held off on reviewing it until this month. consists of three sprawling songs. The shortest of them is just under seven minutes and is bookended by songs over the ten-minute mark. If this was a doom band that would seem pretty typical these days, but for death metal they play at speed that normally get them there much faster. These guys often invoke a very surreal sprawl of sound. The vocals are at a low growl while the dissonant guitars clang and churn around it. This is an album where the cover is an apt description of what the music sounds like within. 

The second song "Spiritual Illness" is more focused. At just under seven minutes, it is not like they stopped indulging in their full sonic sprawl. It is less of a labyrinth and more of an in-your-face attack, while still basking in the atmosphere of the shadows it reverberates within. There is still a great deal of chaos in the tempest of sound. The drums could be more present in the mix on this one. The vocals also sound like random growling rather than having any roots in the actual song. They break out with some taunt galloping here and there. Though the rule here is cool riffs alone does not a good song make. The guitarists are highly skilled and turning these riffs around to jump from the turbulence the song builds. 

Sometimes the growls rise up in a layer scream. The shifting time signature on the last song, keeps the hypnotic swirl flowing. The tense chugs offer a marginal dynamic shift from their normal trippy attack. I like how this album is produced things sound like they are coming at you from other dimensions. Three minutes into the song we get a wandering guitar solo that explores a more jazz like realm of shred. Not what you think when progressive death metal is mentioned though, I think the label applies to what is going on here. When they hammer into the blast beats the results are not a great deal different than any other form of death metal. I will give this album an 8. I appreciate the dark and murky mood summoned by the atmosphere I just wish a measure of it was restrained enough to focus more on song writing. It was released on Profound Lore

Bleed : "Somebody's Closer

 This is not the first time it felt like we were cycling into a retro 90s come back, This Texas band helped solidify this hunch. They have a very hard alt rock sound, to be more precision, the kind Helmet fined tuned in order to get radio play. There is enough crunch and edge to it to appeal to someone like me, who normally listens to things on the harder side. This is tempered with melody and hook, without the blatant nod in the pop direction that modern bands do. These guys are not the first band I heard to pull from this sort of thing. I am crossing paths with it more frequently these days. 

The second song has a fair amount of groove, while colliding the chords in a way that allows the vocals to gain a more shouted heft to them that is way more Helmet. But if these guys were merely a Helmet tribute band I would find myself instead clicking back into my computer to find what file those albums are in rather than giving this repeat listens to fully digest. With the 90s there also came nu-metal and some of the groove have that kind of bounce to it though more fluid and devoid of any and all traces of hip hop. "enervation" has more of a Deftones feel to it , with a more soaring sonic atmosphere, and room for the vocals to hover over the the guitars. 

The title track closes out the album.  They staples the built the other songs around, like melodically dead pan vocals and staccato guitar riffs are all in place. However none of it captures the magic like the first three songs. Not that this is a bad song. It has more energy than every other song except the opener and a cool melodic break. Aside from that I just do not connect with it like the other songs. While I am interested in what they might have done on a full length album, more songs means more chances for this formula to grow stale, so that remains to be seen. I will round this down to a 9 and see how it sits with me, but 9 is better than mpost which is impressive consuidering how this band wears its influences on their sleeves while managing to make this work.    

2,9   

Greenbeard : "Variant"

 This Texas band reminds me a great deal of the winning combination of sounds that Atomic Bitchwax used on their less coked out punk racing moments. You know the times when they had had catchy songs and grooves? I loved that album.  These guys are not limited to just that kind of straight forward rocking, they are able to pack the bong and dish out some very 70s cruising grooves as well. At the end of the day could you draw comparisons to Queens of the Stoneage? Yes, but Monster Magnet was doing this before those guys and this band is carrying the tradition well. "Get in the Car .No Tome to explain" does go into a more jammy solo section I like but, jamming aside the songwriting on the first to songs is a notch above. 

They take the jamming to the next level on " Diamond in the Devil's Grinder". It has a more Pink Floyd feels as things like sax drip out from the more New York grooves. After the first three songs it was not what I was expecting. This is overall less metal and more rock n roll. At times the flavor of that is darker and steamy like how they creep into "Santitario del Sol". It has a big progressive swing  to it's progressive vibes. Dynamically it gets pretty big. This is sonically powerful and gets in your head with a trippy majesty. There is more of a stoned out fuzzy boogie to " Exodus" which carries a heavier stomp. I really like when they lay back a let the palm muted groove create a darker space. You can hear some Doors influence when things break down into a simmer. 

The last song "Bare Bones" ends things really strong. There is a retro groove to it without being derivative of any classic rock band that comes to mind.  What hooks me in with these guys is the range of what they can do and their hooky dynamic song writing. The songs are not just containers for their jams but set the stage for them to flow smoothly, so I have no problem rounding this one up to a 10. If you are looking for some new stoner rock this is an album that must be heard. 

Rosegarden Funeral Party : "At the Stake"

What I can tell I am going to need from this project one minute into it , is to hear where the Siouxsie tribute ends and where they begin. Vocally she does make different choice in where her intervals go in terms of melody. Tonal is where the Siouxsie Tribute begins. Her backing band is not doing her any real favors , though the guitar offers the most chance of redemption as it can hit a bouncy punk jangle after droning on the same single note melody most of the song. Perhaps it is where they sit in the mix but the drums and bass do not slither or drive the way they should. The arrangement of the first song played into this to some extent as they are more present going into "Tortured Decline". Lyrically it lost love lamentations. The guitar continue to push for a more rock direction and vocally she is willing to accomodate.

There is a smoother dynamic dialing back of intensity for what is the best song so far with "Salvation and Saving Face". This shows the Siouxsie influnce can work and nbe molded into their won thing. Does it still have that vibe? Yes, and the melodies are strong enough that it doesn't matter. There are other bands who can take a band's sound and make it work by writing damn good songs to distract you from this fact. Chevelle and their early Tool fixation being one case in point. They are more explosive on "Justifacation" and while it might work well live it is still not as good as the previous song. She does go into more of a head register, which is what I need to hear more of from her. She does have some power to her voice , but not get a great deal of vocal colors . Though she has  nice alto rnage she dip down into .

The singer of Sub Sahara joins her on "Ghost of You" . It goes past Siouxsie and feels more like Savages. The bass is not as beefy as Savages , nor are they as aggressive as Savages. The song is very well written. I will give this album a 9. See you thought since I was going to be a little bristly about the Siouxsie thing that I would just pick this apart in the worst way, and I am a tough audience when it comes to this sort of thing , because I have been listening to Siouxsie for 25 years , but they are good at what they do and excellent song writers worthy of carrying the goth torch now that we have not heard anything from Savages.

Spit Mask :" Swallow"

Never was into power electronics, but this looked alluring so checking out it and hoping for something that's a cross between Lords of Acid and Youth Code. I'm closer when it comes to the more industrial part of that equation. The synths that hammer around the old school club beat might remind you of "Pretty Hate Machine". It's Rachel's delivery that gives this a more abrasive edge . If there was a dude crooning over this it would sound more like Depeche Mode's new wave days. I like the first song, but the question becomes are they going to be able to give me more than just that? Will the song's have a wider range of dynamics?

They back off the more hammering beat into cold wave at the beginning of "Choke Chain". Male vocals give this more of a My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult feel. I like the fact that this is a little darker. BDSM themed lyrics on an industrial album is about as shocking as seeing a copy of 50 Shades of Gray on the news stand at the Grocery store. The stalking synth line of  "Easily Intimidated" doesn't really break any new ground, but it does keep things nice and dark. The vocals begin to get a little old by the time we get to "Hard Commands".

The album maintains it's sense of movement and if you are dj who spins industrial there is no reason any of these songs couldn't fit neatly into your set. Fortunately there are some different effect on the vocals to "Permission". The album closes with a spoken word  outro of sorts that is layered over a fairly simplistic beat. If you missed out on the whole Cleopatra Records thing in the 90s then this will be really new for you, but even if you are like me and have already been there and done that then you might find that is sets a nice mood for longs night prowling your basement in the gimp costume. I'll give it a 8.5

Scorpion Child : "Acid Roulette"

This band got some buzz on some of the sites that pirates sail past, so I wondered who the fuck are these guys. The answer is this Texas band plays big stoner rock in the vein of Wolfmother. Their singer's cocaine fueled tenor almost borders on cock rock. It reminds me of when grunge hit big and all these cock rock band's were trying to find something more like Mother Love Bone to transition into. Badlands was one band that made some great albums during this time, though I can't say I have really hunted them down to hear how they have stood up over time. I will say the rock harder than Ghost, which isn't saying much and have more honesty in their sound than the Darkness, which is another back handed compliment. "My Lady In Black" doesn't impress me as much as it's very middle of the road retro hard rock. Strangely I can hear how this band is equal parts In Solitude and Faster Pussycat. Even with the weird synth parts the title track is no where as psychedelic as this band thinks they are. They make old Monster Magnet seem like Spiritualized in comparison. Both the melody to the verses and the little jam in the middle of the title track impress me a little that what's been offered so far on this album.


 They remind me of a more rock n roll version of Fastaway meets Mind Funk on "Winter Side of Deranged", overall it's energetic but not their most inspired songwriting.They hit more of a Rainbow groove on "Twilight Coven" the chorus doesn't hit like it needs to, but the songs better than most. The singer is so far at his most impressive here to have the kinda power to belt it out in a manner that would bring Dio to mind. They go the ballad route on "Survives". This song makes me think of the mock rock star they had on the show Californication. "Blinds Man's Shine" is weird mix of White Stripes and Motley Crue. There is a similar sleazy strut to "Moon Tension", the vocals sound like there is a little more thought put into their placement. The tone has already been set for bar friendly rock n roll, I am sure the more you drink the better this band sounds. "Tower Grove" gets back in the more proto-metal direction, Diamond Head could certainly be a reference point for these guys. As cheese filled as it is " I might be Your Man" is one of the more well written songs in the second half of this album and make me think of what Savatage might sound like if they went cock rock. They stay in this same pattern for the rest of the album. I am not sure what the hype is about, if you missed cock rock the first time around you might round it up to an 8 from the 7.5 I am going to give it. What I liked is the energy they had when they are really locked into their moments which are larger than life, rather than when they come across like a parody of their influences.

Troller : "Graphic"

This is the Austin based projects second album. The go for a cold cave like club sound that recalls the 80s. With their singer's moaning croons lurking under the drone of the synths, the lo-fi pop of the minimally programmed drums sounds more like the crack of a whip. Unlike most dark wave band's their goal is not to get you out on the dance floor but to wallow in your own narcotic induced misery. On first listen the effect is similar to that of hearing a really heavy metal band for the first time. You are bowled over by the sonic weight that hits you, so it's not until the second song that you can ask"So can these guys really write songs?". The slow groove and thick atmosphere of "Not Here" provides enough of a smoke screen that the answer to this question is easily found. The singer's melodies seem to have more purpose and their is a bass line punching every thing forward even in the murky swirl.

My wife was not really impressed when I was listening to the album this morning and said it sounded like they are just jamming and making music for people who are high. She went on to state that it reminds her of when you fall asleep watching a movie and the credits wake you up. Unlike the more traditional dark wave this album is very raw. The atmosphere creates a thick drone in some places. The ballad "Storm Maker" is more of a misty drift that could play in the back ground of David Lynch movie. Perhaps not as haunting as Julie Cruise, but in the same school free drug zone. The album is riddled with synth interludes. One of the darker and more compelling moments that emerges from the haze is "Nothing".  There is a more defined beat behind "Sundowner" that helps rein in some of their more kraut rock tendencies. The album comes to close with a swathe of ethereal noise that tries to congeal into a song.

There is some interesting sonic exploration going on here and the album is certainly dark enough to suit my needs, I agree with my wife's criticism in the sense the album could use a firmer hand when in comes to writing song. Many of these drift around like ghosts outside of a dance club rather than being corporeal enough to move people to motion, not that dark wave has to make you dance in order to be effective. I think this needs to be more grounded in song even in the haze of it's gloomy heavens. I'll give it a 6.

Explosions In the Sky : "the Wilderness"

This Texas post-rock band is back in better form on their 7th album. At least on the first track they start off with  more of a rock feel to it than their 2011 album which didn't do much for me. Even on the first song there are more electronic sounds in play and this is even further delved into as the album progresses, but the band is still playing to their strengths. The have already made four soundtracks in addition to their studio albums so it's no surprise that there is a cinematic ring to these songs. Unlike many of their peers, these guys don't feel the need to make sprawling epics and rein in all the atmosphere to serve the songs.

With their earlier albums I was certain that their drummer was into metal and he just smoked too much pot to have any desire to play faster yet was not depressed enough to join a doom band. On this album things have gotten weird on his end. He sounds almost like a drum machine meets Fugazi on songs like "Tangle Formations". Guitar wise, these guys have always had perfect tones. The riffs they jam on are a little more involved at this point in the game. They do let some distortion ring out to create a more cosmic tone than a heavy one on "Logic of a Dream". The creates a sound wave for the drums to build around. It does have the surreal dream like quality to it. There is also a droning noise quality to it, but in light of having reviewed albums by the Body and Merzbow, the musical pay off here makes it worthwhile. "Logic of a Dream" is impressive, but not as solid of a song as the three previous.

Even though it's beautiful weirdness, the intro to " Disintegration Anxiety" has a symphonic feel before it goes into a space age groove that is like the Police's more progressive moments . They band takes a step backwards into what I didn't like about "Take Care, Take Care, Take Care" with minimalist playing and more atmosphere than solid songwriting, this song might even have more of a pulse than that album. They continue to float out into space on " Infinite Orbit" which as the title suggests means they are not clueless to this fact and intentionally stray from the loud to soft dynamic swell they are known for.The drift into the cosmos continues on "Colors in Space". I had to listen to this song three times before I could pay close enough attention to form a conclusive opinion about it. The guitar playing is great , this is not up for debate, how well written of a song is up for debate. It's more of a ghost of song. Never becoming tangible enough to leave its impression on this plane.

The album ends with "Landing Cliffs". It's another shimmering wonderland. Until the drums come in at the four minute mark the song almost becomes a lullaby. It has me thinking "the next time I heave trouble falling asleep I'll just listen to this." When I used to play albums at bed time, I am sure this would have been in heavy rotation. This album is an improvement over the previous one, but I am not sure if finds them returning to their most classic state. Nevertheless I'll give it an 8.5 as the moments they so strike are just incredibly ambitious as they are beautiful.

Magnet School : "the Art of Telling the Truth"

I would have been willing to bet these guys were from Cali instead of Texas, but the indie scene in the Lone Star State is gathering steam since they have once of the largest music events in the world now. The album opens with a song that has a similar kick that Minus the Bear once had before they became more invested in writing pop songs. These guys are dynamic, smoothing out into something with more of a Police influence that isn't too far removed from Mute Math's zip code , but with more attitude lyrically. They launch into a more driven rock with "British Monuments" that is more straight forward until they drift off into a more shoe gaze like middle section. They grow heavier on the instrumental "Swandive" that builds mood, but these guys work better with vocals as part of the mix. "Irresistible Lie" they float off into dream pop, with pop emphasized on the vocal melodies. They hit the best balance of drive and atmosphere without trying to hard to hook you in with the vocals on " Fur & Velvet". This takes you back to the 90's when post-hardcore was hitting it's stride with bands like Sugar. The bass line to this one is really strong. "Walk Down" however just comes off as more of an extension of the previous song.


 "So Long to the Heavens" has a strong chorus that adds glue to where the airy ramble of the verses let you drift. They become more laid back for "Red Giant" that finds the song riding the fence between spacey and pop, which gives this more of a Brit pop feel. One thing that is for sure about this album are the guitar tones are all really dialed and is where this band is most on top of their game. "Fare Thee Well" has some of the album's better drumming on it, but once again this is another instrumental where the band are better than decent song writers and they aren't really playing the kind of post rock. These guys have a ton of potential and if you miss the glory days of late 90s post-hardcore then this is a great take on it. I'll give it a 8.5.

the Howling Void : "the Triumph of Ruin"

The album cover doesn't lie. What is inside sounds just like that images appears on the 5th full length from this one man project out of Texas. The album opens with a weird mix of tremolo picked guitar running over a track that is otherwise doom paced to create a unique dynamic tension. The vocals are sung , but low in the mix and used more as a passing texture. At the onset there is more of a black metal feel to "Looming Darkness" though the melancholic doom undertones are still present  and eventually rise up and over take the black metal feel.  This album is well produced with a really big sound. The vocals stay in a similar place as they did on the opening though slightly more commitment. The guitars swell into a powerful chug comings out of the tremolo trill. The instrumental "the Nine Worlds Wept" finds the symphonic elements coming to the forefront and creating a balance of atmosphere against the big cinematic metal backdrop. The clean vocals come further to the forefront to create a Opeth or Agalloch like vibe on "Fenrir" . This album is much more mature that what I remember of the previous albums. Doom begins to take over as the tremolo guitar begins to appear less frequently.

"Where Once a River Flowed" doesn't find any more new concepts being introduced. Things are dropped down to a more atmospheric place as the tension builds. The string arrangements on this song really compliment it. Things build back up in the manner you expected they would. I did not expect for it to drop down into just ambient synths so there are some twists and turns that don't always lead to the most obvious places. Things close out with the moody atmosphere of "Silence After the Storm". It never builds into anything heavy, which is fair enough since that would follow too much of a formula. This is a beautiful album, it walks the line between black metal and doom, with the doom side winning out so if you are a fan of either genre then this is worth a listen. A word of warning to those who prefer the harsher side of either genre , this album really cares about it's lushness which might not have the edge you are looking for but I'll give it an 8.5 and see how it grows on me.

Wailin Storms :"Shiver"

This is a re-release as the new album from this Texas born band is entitled "One Foot in the Flesh Grave" is coming out in time for Halloween this fall. My first thought was ok this is going to be like King Dude and there are similar elements in certain places, but generally has more of a Danzig like drive to it. There is punk influence , but they have a wider range of dynamics than punk bands generally do. There is more of a temper tantrum to the opening of "Which Way to the Grave" that had a good deal of sonic power to its pound. "Shiver, Shiver, Shiver" feels like it fell out of the previous song and throbs of the raging build for so long that it drones in right past me and I lost track what song I was on. The singer retains a similar Samhain era Danzig roar. He lets his voice crack into a scream more than he croons.

"Viking Funereal" has more of a western ambiance in its saunter. The vocals sit back in the mix and are more sung than the more shouted delivery that dominated the first half o the album. This is a smart move on their part as it helps  this song to stand out. There is still a dense wall of sound echoing off each instrument when they converge upon one another. The guitar stands out more when you can hear the notes rather than just feel them as a vibration. I like the break down before the four minute make. There is a more of a sing song cadence to "Superstitious" that recalls more Misfits era Danzig as it is armed with that hooky sense for punchy melody. The music behind it has more of a boozy blues power to it.


After a while I realized this album has been on for an hour or so and though I could not tell the difference between many of the songs , what they were doing works so I think with a full length I am going to be interested in hearing how they can keep things varied enough to support more songs and what melodic elements will be injected into this .But for what we have now I'll give this one a 8.5. Fans of Danzig flavored punk should check this out.

Institute : "Catharsis"

An super group of the Austin punk scene, the band has members doing double duty in other bands such as Wiccans, Blotter, Back to Back and continues place the emphasis on punk in the post-punk equation.The bass point is there. The guitar has the jerky clang of a band like Gang of Four. Like most punk the tempo and simplistic nature of the chord progression can cause everything to sound the same so Institute sets themselves aside on "I am Living Death". The vocals are only somewhat sung in a mumbled narrative so the guitar takes on the bulk of the melodic duties.They quickly revert back a more straight up punk urgency on "Helplessness" though the vocals become more deadpan.

It's clear the bass player really has some chops, his playing reminds me of  Stuart Morrow from New Model Army as his playing is more adventurous and melodic than you would expect from a punk band. Granted New Model Army grew with Morrow and the punk label didn't fit as snugly on later albums, while it sticks solidly to this band.The awkward twang of  the instrumental "Untitled" is more of an interlude than an actual song. The guitars take a darker tone on "Leathernecks". The band has stated before that they want to steer clear of the gothy side of early punk, and I think they adhere to that mission statement on this album. The bass line  and droning tom work on "No Billowing Wind" does bring this into question, but it lacks the  romantic elegance which makes something goth.

From a production stand point the mix is muddy where it needs to be , but the tones of all the instruments is very pure. I think the placement of the vocals in the mix and the use of effects on them is one thing that keeps this from just being a punk album. That is not to say the album doesn't have its raw garage punk moments as that can be found on "Cheaptime Morals" where a burly bass tone almost over powers the song. While it might not release the bats, the shadows over this song make it one of the album's highlights.

The bring the album to a close with "Christian Right" that calls them out on their Joy Division influence. The song has more of a drone than the others. The vocals are more punk than Ian Curtis. The vocals take on a chant that creates a hypnotic feel not found elsewhere on the album. This album is fun and sounds great. A far as punk goes they are growing in the right direction. While the hectic pace punk keeps can create a limit to dynamics these guys get the most they can out of that frame work for where they are at. I'll give this an 8.5.

The album comes out June 9th on Sacred Bones.




6.9

Hod : "Book of the Worm"

Members of this blackened Texas metal band have played for GG Allin, so they have plenty of cred. They churn out a blackened brand of metal not unlike newer Inquisition, but with less of the epic Immortal moments. The singer's raps also is not as frog like in it's croak. They are rooted in old school metal as the hook to the chorus of the album's opener proves. They have also listened to a reasonable amount of Morbid Angel. Song's like "Den of Wolves" sound more like death metal to me.. and iI just got finished reviewing the new Cannibal Corpse so I know what I am hearing here.

The vocals take on an interesting gurgle, but they are coherent enough to under stand the lyrics of songs' like "I am Destroyer" , which spits out the post chorus like something Glen Benton would do.There is also a touch of "Fall From Grace" to that one. The drummer is one of the stars of the show here as his double bass rules songs like"Through the Gates".  At this point in the album, while they do vie for the black metal label more incessantly, I can hear both Lemmy and Cronos in the vocals.

In times where black metal bands are releasing four song albums with ten minute songs, these guys are more to the point and by result more in your face. They are trying to rock you not lull you into some sort of ritualistic trance.There is a nasty gallop to "Death Whores" , which is as close to a love song as these guys are going to come.

They are generally pretty straight forward, the mood seems to be singular in purpose of aggression, which lends itself to feeling more like a death metal album, they get plenty blast on songs like "Where Are the Demons". The do lack the dissonance that normally creates what I think of as the black metal sounds when it comes to guitar voicings, opting for more of a thrash approach in this area.The album rides out on the powerful gallop of "Beneath the Mountains of the Scorpion".

I'll give this one an 8, it's stuck with me, if you like really old school blackened death metal with a dirty coat of crust on it then check this one out.