VEILBURNER : "All That Glimmer is Gloam"

 Not what you would expect from American Black Metal unless you were factoring a band like Worm into the equation, as they are darker and more experimental, owing more to Mayhem, with their angular creep. They do throw blast beats into the first song, but it is already after it has been contrasted with more deliberate drumming. There is a cool unhinged element to what they do. "Oblivion is Yours to Labyrinth" finds the ghastly grumbling of the vocals sounding like their vocalist is losing his mind in the vocal booth. They pick up speed but without going into blast beats here. They flirt with prog a bit here. This can be heard in the chaos that unfolds here. This album is much more experimental than I remember them being. 

Is this album black metal? Well, it is dark so that steers them in that direction. The key here is that the songs are so interesting it does not really matter what direction they lean in genre-wise." Vitriolic  Hiss" has the dissonant riff grooving with syncopated accents. Two mintues in and they have already covered a great deal of ground. Guitar solos are more accents than showcased shredding. The vocals continue to shift through growls and moans. The vocals are really well produced, with effects making the most of the crazed sounds coming from him. It makes the album like a ride through a hsunted house.

You are four songs in before they hit you with blast beats. The vocals are so feral at this point it makes sense. But it's the weakest of the first four songs. In the last minute, things come together thanks to some cool riffs. Then they come at you from the other end of the spectrum with some dark melodic vibes that are more sung over, but the vocals sit back in reverb. Odd electronics also color things to make "Dis Obedient Woe" perhaps the album's best song.They take a more thrashing turn for "Goslave and Blood Mortar". It is ne of the more straight-up metal moments. "A Seance to Specter" works off a more atmospheric weirdness, creating it's throb. This transitions into a more furious burst of black metal and then ebbs back and forth between the two dynamics. 

They are less kind to your ears on"Golgothic Holocaust". They double down on the blast mcnasty here, midway in the drop, down to more of a half time groove that feels darker and heavier. The demonic declarations continue, forming an effective narrative for this album. The title track closes things out. It is more riff-oriented and deliberate, with vocals not sung but holding more purpose in the darker shadow the song casts. I will give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me; it is one of the more original metal albums I've heard in a minute. This drops October 16th on Transcending Obscurity Records. 

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Carbon Tomb : "Passage to a Neutron Star"

This Danish death metal trio is releasing a pummeling grind that carries hints of Morbid Angel in places but delivers it more brutally. They do not let angular riffing and dissonance stop them from finding a groove on the opening track. "A Hidden Creature" feels like it carries elements of crust punk into the dense blast ridden fray the song evolves into. The drums are hyper fast. When they slow down and let the organic ambiance of the chords ring out, it plays to their favor. The way the riffs modulate is very subtle but effective. There is a burly sonic quality that would almost feel like sludge if it were not for the frantic drumming when they storm into "From the Giants Snout"

. The vocals are typically in a lower, guttural, almost gurgle, that paints them into the singular, focused aggression death metal is known for. Later in the album, as it becomes apparent that there are effects on them, they feel like they are at peak form. Production-wise, this album si very organic and raw. The vocals sit under the guitar, but the mix lends itself to making room for the bass. The riffs take on the more machine-like grinding sound that Morbid Angel made famous on " Dog Hunter". The gutiar is more deliberate here than most of the songs so far. Though when they go into blasting, it feels like an easy default. A clean strum of guitar leads into " Of God's Neglect"., this contrast helps them to find a darker place to go into. When they lean into this sonic heaviness, I think it's clear that it's heavier than metal blasting. This song is followed by an almost grindcore-like spasm of riffs that is not crafted as well as "Of God's Neglect". 

They see-saw back into creepier, more deliberate moods as the album prgresses that are much more intersting. Even when the drummer lays the double bass on thick, they stay the course for the duration of the passage, as they are going to, of course, speed up at some point. They wrestle against their need for speed on "Reversed Head Renewal". They reach a better balance on the title track that closes the album and keep the blast to dynamic bursts in a more call and response manner.,  I will give this album a 9, as it works well sonically and is more interesting than most.  

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Dead and Dripping : "Nefarious Scintillations"

 

Well, the croaking of a frog was not what I expected the vocal to sound like on this one. I do like the fact that you can hear the bass even if it is a little clunky. This is very raw and chaotic. It almsot sounds more like a demo. I think a bigger, more dialed-in guitar sound could benefit these guys, as it has that Snaguisugabogg snare sound, so the slam of cosmic gore grin is what they are going for here. There are just some technical problems with the execution. A better drum sound might help as well as it is hard to tell where their technical ability ends and their ambition begins. The guitar solos seem to indicate they might have some chops hidden amid the murk. But it does sound different and not like all the other death metal bands, so that is going in their favor. 

The second song finds the guitar attack becoming more taunt and feeling like they are hitting their stride. The gurgle of the vocals is not contributing much aside from being a low frequency. The EQ of this album is odd feels like more bass in the mix and less mids might help. Even though this is all the work of one man, Evan Daniele. Perhaps his ego should have been checked at the door as he is a better guitarist than he is a vocalist or drummer, and bringing in session guys would have benefited him. There is a more angular creep to the riff that floats to life in "Pestilent Hints". I think the more people he could have worked with, the better, as it really starts to fall apart midway through the third song. I find myself struggling to get through the album and am more bothered by the fact that I still have five more songs to endure. 

God, the creak of vocal fry is taken to extremes on this album. I can no longer tell if he is serious or not, and unsure why he feels the need to drag any of these songs over the four-minute mark. He should have brought a bass player in as well, if nothing else, to tell him that tone is hideous. I'm not sure why he thinks there is anywhere near the nine-minute mark that he needs to take these songs. Most of them would have benefited from the abortion that is the one-minute grind core song. Five songs in, he does allow for a song under two minutes that feels more like an interlude, but is darker and more sonically interesting than most. In fact, it might be the best song yet. 

"Spontaneous Recollections" feels like he is just kicking his drum set down the stairs. Though he does give the song more room to breathe and the playing is a little more deliberate. Midway through things there is a change in the song but it only brings more chaos. 'Seeping Through..." feels like a Deicide demo. The last song is more aggressive, but does not make the instruments sound any better. I will, however, give this album a 7 since he is doing something different rather than just sounding like everyone else.Transcending Obscurity released the album for the street cred on Reddit I suppose.  

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Glorious Depravity : "Death Never Sleeps"

This band features members of Woe, Pyrrhon, and Gravesend. It takes you back to the days when death metal had just emerged from thrash, so the knack for songwriting with hooks over sheer brutality was still intact. Doug Moore's guttural growls are articulated enough that they emerge from being just a gurgle into something articulate enough to give you a hint of what the songs might be about. The riffing on "Stripmined Flesh Extractor" is coherent enough to give it an almost Megadeth-like groove. They tap into the darker tension that fuels Slayer's vibe for " Freshkills Poltergeist". They are not doing anything new here; they are just doing it right. 

The feeling I am getting from this album as these guys, and I know the bands they are from, are jsut metal nerds who in real life are not aggressive people. Lyrically, I am getting this, and it is also what sells Cannibal Corpse a little differently, though Corpse Grinder is a big WoW-playing teddy bear of a guy; he at least appreciates violence in a fantasy setting. This might make him a more aggressive person; maybe they are also just larger dudes with more testosterone, whereas these guys are eating tofu in Brooklyn. The chugs begin to run together midway through the album. There are a few gallops that make my ears perk up here and there. 

'The Devouring Dust' has enough hook to get me back invested, even if it leans in a blast direction at times. "Carnage at the Margins" finds the vocals digging into a lower gurgle at times on the verses, and a more Slayer-tinged aggression in other places. The title track that closes the album is more deliberate than the previous song, which tried too hard. I will give this album a 9; it's very solid and captures the feel they were going for and cares about songwriting, though it's a very competitive year for this genre, so it will likely get overlooked in some circles. It drops on Transcending Obscurity. 

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DWELLING BELOW : "Wearisome Guardians"

Members of Hierarchies formed this band to dig into the doomier aspects of death metal. Not sure why there seems to be another surge of death doom bands, but that is where we are at. These guys are going to need to find a good reason to convince me why they needed a 13-minute opening track. It does not go in the direction you expect, but rather these guys take what is a pretty catchy riff and jam on it, riding the riff for all its worth for the duration of the song, with the drums clocking the intensity levels. They apply this to the second song as wellbut it feels like the bass line is more of the core of this jam, and the guitar is creating layers of chaotic atmosphere around. I think this still works and makes for an interesting enough listen.

After the interlude, things change to a more standard metal formula, and that is where this album begins to lose some of its charm, as plunging into blackened tremolo-picked guitar parts and focusing on the sharp edge of the heavy sword is something I get tired of after hearing it all the time. Not sure if this was done to prove to themselves that they could do it, or to prove to the other bands they play with, or an appeal to the lowest common denominator of an audience? The changes on this song are more subtle, and the layers are pretty dense thanks to how this was recorded. They do still have a core riff running through the jam, but the sound is collected to make it sound like every other band I hear doing this sort of thing. If you are a heavy band, the more experimentation the better. 

"The Altar' is more deliberate, but another thing about this band is the fact that the low, gurgled growl of the vocals is merely an obligatory layer, with no real purpose. You can not convince me there are even lyrics written for this. This takes away from any attempt at songwriting and feels like a gallery of riffage. This leaves dark and heavy as the sole selling points, rather than anything that makes me want to listen to this album again. On the last song, things race back into the more feral side of death metal, and death metal is what his album is at its core. A cool guitar melody does emerge from the fray, but not sure if it can support an entire ten and a half minute song. I give this album an 8 as I appreciate its more organic jammed aspect, but personally prefer death metal that has more purpose when it comes to the vocals. This is being released on Halloween by Transcending Obscurity. 

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Death is June - Retching : "Charming the Decomposed"

 A the world grows grimmer with each day, death metal must also grow more brutal to keep up. I have reviewed a few albums that pushed this past the boundaries of songwriting, so I am glad to have found a band like Retching, which finds a middle path on their upcoming album "Charming the Decomposed". They have riffs that hook you in, and the low guttural vocals have a purpose rather than just being a gurgling layer of disgust. There is an 80s exploitation theme running through the samples that helps give this album its narrative. When they pour on the speed, it exposes them to the same vulnerabilities that most death metal bands can have in this regard. It feels rushed, and the vocals have a harder time finding where they fit in the grand scheme of things. 

A powerful riff fires up "Shower Curtain Silhouette," which they generally keep to a respectable midpaced pound they might have learned from 200 Stab Wounds. The opening track is the only song that ventures over the five-minute mark, so they are not into drawing things out needlessly and pack the punch they want for handling things in this fashion. "Foaming' crunches along in a respectable enough fashion, but does not hook me in. I do like the atmosphere created at the end of the song to tie the album together. "Vulgar Celluloid Trophy" is much more memorable riff-wise; it has an almost Obituary feel. 

The riff to "Septic Entombment" finds them more focused, though it gets interesting when they dive deeper into the darkness for "Fetid Abattoir," which keeps this horror current running through this album, considering the fact that this is the band's first album, shows a creative vision I admire. The last song also grinds into this more deliberate murk, which works better than a blur of speed, though they tease blast beats here and there, making for a more dynamic impact overall. I will give this album a 9; the mood they create is impressive and adds the needed horror movie darkness to things. Out August 22nd on Transcending Obscurity  

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Death is June - ESCHATON :"Techtalitarian"

Ok, this is my one technical death metal album for the month. It starts with shredding and does not let up on it, until they let the verse breathe at first, but then are unable to control themselves any longer. It is kind of like when the guitarist won't stop soloing at band practice, as you are trying to iron out parts. The song finds them playing even faster, and things sound thin and rushed rather than heavy, as dizzying speed alone is just fast, not heavy. You would think that people into progressive music would have learned the value of less is more from jazz, but no, here we are. 

'Blood of the People' get a little darker in some places, but the clean sound of everything holds no more weight, and being more deliberate and more low-end on the mix is needed as well. "Hellfire's Woe" still indulges in the flashy shredding but in a more melodic and song-oriented fashion that is more effective. "The Bellicose Duality" is a little more like death metal as it's rapid-fire attack is marginally less jazzy. But they do not merge the two genres with the grace Cynic once did. 

It is also at this point that all the songs begin to sound the same, sometimes with solos extended for no good reason. They continue to fly off in the hyper-fast fret-burning direction with little regard for heaviness; it could be Dragonforce if it were not for the growling. Truth be told, when you have guys who have played in Necrophagist and Arsis, we should be expecting more, no matter how technical they are, as I began to get bored by the end and had to just press through this one.  I will give this album a 6.5. If you are just into shredding, it might be your thing. 

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Haxprocess : "Beyond What Eyes Can See"

 This Jacksonville band is trying to prove there is more to Florida death metal than Tampa. They, however, lean pretty heavily into the influence of Tampa Death Metal, making this a moot point. The riffs wind around and tighten into well-coiled grooves. Where they seem to differ from the Tampa bands lies in their tendency to jam the songs out. The first track is eleven minutes long. They hit you with a more aggressive blast going into "The Confines of Flesh". They do find their groove on this one though it is not as catchy as the first song. Still, they manage to jam less when angry, and this one is only nine and a half minutes.

The vocals are the obligatory low growl. It is puncy in delivery, so it works well enough. They throw in a ton of guitar solos, so if that is your thing, this will be up your alley as at times it becomes a shred-o-thon. While there is some finesse to what they do, there is not a great deal of dynamics or variance, until it is time for a guitar solo, then they sometimes change up some of the sounds to set the stage for it. Thus, by the time we get to "Thy Inner Demon Seed " the moments they do switch, it is just enough to keep it from being too one-dimensional. If you are into guitar histronics, then it might be even more impressive as they are skilled at their instruments. A higher, more black metal vocal does chime in on this song to break things up a little before the band pays the most tribute to Morbid Angel yet at the song's close. 

They close the album with a 13-minute epic. The vocals switch into a higher sneer. They did need to switch things up vocally, so this plays to their favor. When they pour on the speed, things do not go better for them. The darker, more melodic section in the middle of the song is the most interesting, though even this deviation follows a bit of a formula. This album is full of great guitar playing, and the drummer gets the job done but sticks to the guidelines for the genre. As songwriters, things wander a bit, and their influences are generally worn on their sleeves at all times, so I will give this album an 8. It was really well done and masterfully presented from a performance and production standpoint. This drops July 25th on Transcending Obscurity Records. 

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FLOATING : "Hesitating Lights"

Here is the kind of interesting blend of sounds that I am always looking for. Given the fact that bands like In Solitude come from Sweden, a death metal band that blends post-punk into their sound, it is not a huge surprise; I am more surprised by how well this is done. Less than 30 seconds in, they go from a Siouxsie and the Banshees-like riff to throwing in a blast beat, the growled vocals are layered over the guitars, splitting the difference between the two sounds. At times, this is a little chaotic, but it flows well more often than not. This is not to say they are not adverse to bringing in some brooding, angular sounds on "Grave Dog". It's cool how the sounds simmer, and they do not feel the need to rush things into your standard dense gain chugging. 

"Cough Choir" at times finds things converging back into a cool groove, though it is perhaps the most metallic song so far. The lyrics, more easily deciphered, find references to a place where witches were burned and corpses are piled, so not your normal gore fest. There is a more haunted feel to things. "Exit Bag Song' feels like a jam that kind of falls out of the previous song. In fact, I thought it was like a weird ending to "Cough Choir".  The title track lingers more like something the Cure might do in recent years. 'Dark Enough" grooves even harder. It's more metallic without depending on hyper aggression. 

"Wrong Body' finds them picking up the pace a bit and reminding me a little of old Tribulation. These guys have a beefier growl and are less progressive in the places they wander off to, though not far removed from Tribulation. Guess this comparison sticks around for the last song, which is a little more experimental, certainly more so than old Tribulation. I will give this one a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, they certainly have some cool sounds woven together, and are taking death metal in a different direction, it might not be as heavy as some but it's darker in places, and not the same old same old which goes a long way with me. This comes out July 11th on Transcending Obscurity. 

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Byonoisegenerator : "Subnormal Dives"

This band plays jazz grind, which leans more into grind-core than what John Zorn would do, though the jazz sections do have the chaos of John Zorn to them. The bass line alone that works its way through the din to find melody tells you they are skilled with their instruments. They know the rules and are artfully choosing to break them. This can create dissonance at times. The vocals are at a low growl, that utters its bile bleaching where it fits in the riff hoarding they are unpacking here. Going into "NULL. state..." it feels like the chaos causes some of these songs to collide with one another when the short under two-minute grindcore nature dominates the songwriting. The bright side is it forces them to make the most of their time. 

"Nosuccesstoday! " finds them having to try harder to keep my attention as even with this musical spasm your ears grow accustomed to it when forced to expect the unexpected as you know there are two modes they are going to shift from. "UVB76" does feel more Mr. Bungle-like despite Mr Bungle being influenced by John Zorn. "Lovechargeddivebombs" feels like they are floating in a submarine, which seems to be some of the thematic imagery they are drawn to. The jazz section here is allowed more room to breathe. I think this side of their bipolar dynamics needs to be explored more. 

They do find their groove amid drumming that sounds like trash cans being kicked down the stairs."4-HO-DMT" is the worst offender when it comes to the drummer agitating the situation.  The vocals follow a more death metal pattern despite this, as a guitar solo drips out from behind them. I imagine seeing this live would be very compelling. "deBroglieneverexsisted". "5mginspiredvibes" hints that drugs are certainly one of their influences, the more psychedelic tinges of the atmosphere previously in the album suggested this as well,  Here the shift is more abrasive, though the confrontational nature of grindcore is meant to challenge what your ears can endure. I will give this album a 9, it's not the first time I have heard this pairing, but they leave their own mark on it, and is so experimental even if they were not as skilled it would have worked in theory, they just make it go down easier. 

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Shrieking Demons : "The Festering Dwellers"

It will be hard for this Italian death metal band to follow Vacuous who was breaking fresh ground on their new album, while this band's debut feels more like Pestilence covering "Scream Bloody Gore". They have captured all the staples of the genre and put some thought into the songwriting as riffs slow down and crunch on the second song, and so far they have not blasted out right in your face. But their influences are easily traced as they have honed the sounds they love. They are also dark enough to hold my interest and the guitar playing is highly melodic with their solos leaning into melody  rather than shredding 

 " Sorrrowful Dismal Bliss" leans more into the Obituary lumber mixed with "Leporsy" era Death, so death metal hipsters will love it since that is the sacred era of the genre they are drawing from.  "Nefarious Scorned Deities I am Devoted To" finds them picking up the pace and following the thrashing path of early death metal.  "Perrenial Dirge" follows a similar path though the vocals are not as catchy in their howling. You can hear some Slayer influence also creeping here. "Longing For Total Eclipse" took a second listen before I paid attention to it. It's marginally more deliberate than the previous song. The guitar melodies keep them from getting to the Obituary. 

"Compromised Brain' races along the standard death metal hyper aggression with more John Tardy-like vocal exclamations. The riffs to "Awakening From Secular Slumber" are more memorable. The last song opens up with a more Bolt Thrower gallop, before slowing down into something closer to death doom. I will give this album an 8, as it's not the most original thing I have heard this week, and plays it safe sticking to the classics but some people are into that sort of thing and they do it well.It drops on Transcending Obscurity. 

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Pillar of Light : "Caldera'

This Detroit-based sludge band lulls into things on their debut full length with a hypnotic manner of riff crafting that flows well. The vocals are delivered in the kind of hoarse bellow you expect from this sort of thing. "Leaving" does offer an even greater range of dynamics, but it feels like the vocals should have changed with the music to bring this out as with the same howling from the first song, it creates a more uniform sound.  

"Spared" is even more melodic than the previous song, but the howl of the vocals begins to feel tedious at this point as it is more of the same. If the shouted vocals differed a bit, but they are rather monotone. If you only listen to metal for the guitars and do not give a shit about vocals, then this might not phase you.. They do build things into a heavier climax, which sounds good if you can block the vocals out.  "Eden" opens with a more industrial-sounding ambiance, with reverb-heavy post-rock guitar melodies. As an instrumental, this proves to be time better spent without the vocals making it sound like all their other songs.

The first shift in the vocals is very marginal but I still heard it as the vocals are shouted more on "Infernal Gaze". The song is more sonic, so the vocals fade into the background, as a static narrative. Though it moves at a slower sludge lumber. "Unseeing" comes too close to having the same feel to me for it to be interesting and it begins to fade into the background. I do like it when things drop down to just the bass line as it is darker, but the vocals now have reached my threshold to endure. The strummed guitar that closes things out on "Certain End' creates a more effective mood and the post-rock shimmer is also something that plays to their strength, but the vocals just need to shit in pitch rather than just being shouted at the same tone, never extending out into enough of a scream to feel different.  The vocals eventually became a deal breaker for me I will give this album a 7 though as it does touch on some nice sonic spaces that get smeared with the monotonous roar.It drops on Transcending Obscurity. 

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Ritual Fog : " But Merely Flesh"

 This band from Tennessee attacks with a very deliberate groove that is not unlike Obituary at times. When they pour on the speed for the second song, the more rabid moments remind me a little of Rigor Mortis. The vocals are varied, sometimes more snarled, and others growled more with varied tones. The lyrics are articulated enough to know what the songs are about. These guys have not only captured the sound of the era they are paying homage to but also care about writing songs. The drummer is capable of keeping a steady flow of double bass going.  On "Nocturnal Suffering" they charge in but rein things back for the verse, which is more death metal in the vocal spew.

The riffs blend all the eras of the genre they are taking from with a lower grit to the guitars that bring a heavier more modern feel. There is a bigger more crushing Morbid Angel-like sound to " Demented Procession" but a raw feral nature like early Death or "Bonded By Blood" Exodus when it comes to the vocals. The vocals are more forward in the mix like Combat Records era thrash. They show more of what they are capable of when using enough restraint to keep things at a purposeful pounding. I think the darker guitar melodies are some of the album's strongest moments as they wink in the direction of doom without it being an attempt to hop on the death-doom bandwagon. "Fog Sermon"  is not the album's most focused song, but works for what it does well enough. 

The band's thrash influence has been touted a great deal and the first riff I hear that really alludes to that is on "Carnal Pain". I  like when the song breaks down to the bass and drums hammering it out in a crusty fashion. They grind into a filthier raw-edged take on death metal for "Sentient Chamber" that finds its groove 30  seconds in. Midway into the song, they veer off into a creepy atmosphere that works well. The title track that closes the album leans into the flood of steady double bass to give the song a monolithic drive. I will give this album a 9, as they set themselves apart from the current death metal pack, without simply becoming another tribute to the glory days of the Tampa scene. This drops November 29th on Transcending Obscurity Records. 

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Paganizer : "Flesh Requiem'

Not sure why I have never given this Swedish death metal band much of a chance. Oh wait, maybe I do. Swedish death metal tends to go one of two ways. Either it's guitar harmonies that want to be Dark Trquility or blown-out chugging in the style of Entombed. Yes, there are exceptions, but I do not have time to sort through them all. These guys are more like Entombed, but without the crusty edges, and more of a 90s Tampa feel, but darker due to the Northern European energy. They straddle the fence between feeling like a cross between the two options mentioned earlier on the title track. 

Three songs in a nothing is really blowing me away here. It's a professional presentation, everything is tight and they seem to care about the songs so you are not getting belted with blast beats. It just feels like middle-of-the-road death metal and I am awaiting a more defined personality to emerge. You can pull off a sound and play everything right, but if you do not inject who you are into the songs, nothing will make you stand out from the pack. This is their 13th album, and considering they have been making music for the past twenty-five years it makes me wonder who keeps buying what I imagine to be the same album repeatedly. This does not suck, but nothing sets it apart either. If AI made a death metal album I would imagine it would sound like this as it checks off all the obligatory boxes.

"Viking Supremacy" just kind of blasts by with lyrics that also seem very bland, the songs are beginning to take on a very uniform feel, as they pour on the relentless speed. There is almost more of a power metal gallop to 'Wolrd Sycthe" that brings Amon Amarth to mind, who is another Swedish band that does little for me. Though this might be one of the album's best songs, as there is a little more nuance. " Necromonolithic" rage in the same cold blood red color of aggression. The vocals remain in the same monochromatic growl, at this point, I am enduring the album and just trying to get through it for the purpose of this review as it's clear these guys are pretty much a one-trick pony, even with the touches of melody in the more purposeful guitar parts here. Even with the occasional catchy riff, the rule here is "Cool riffs alone do not a good song make". 

"the Pyroclastic Excursions" works well enough and it was wise for me to take a break from this album at 8 songs in so I can return to it with fresh ears as it all began to sound the same to me. It's a common problem with death metal, as they paint their songs with single-minded aggression, though bands like 200 Stab Wounds, Frozen Soul, and Gatecreeper have all proven exceptions and releases killer shit that is the bar death metal should live up to. "Just Another Doomsday" is a cool title, but the content is pretty average. The manner they speed up on "Suffer Again" feels uninspired, the drummer feels like they want to rush the song. The thrashing of 'Skeletons" was needed to bring more dynamics and purpose. Sure it's a little more along the Entombed lines I will give this album a 7.5, there are moments where you can tell these guys are good at what they do, but the tomb from which they are doing it could use some refreshing up as it brings nothing new to the table.If you are a fan you will be pleased they stuck to the formula, and you can expect what you want, the rest of us might need something more inspired, but have fun with this.  The album drops on November 1st on Transcending Obscurity Records. 

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Hell Is Other People : "Moirae"

 

The Depressive Suicidal subgenre of black metal does not seem to be as much of a thing in 2024, but this Canadian band approaches black metal in a manner that brings a more emotive sense of atmosphere to their churning darkness. When comparing them to the bands that once pushed this sub-genre of black metal forward these guys have more in common with Totalselfhatred than the more over-wrought dramatic stylings of Lifelover or Shining. The dense anguish painting the first song does set my expectations high for the rest of the album that follows. I am most impressed by their ability to convey heaviness through deliberate emotions rather than blast beats, so if they devolve into the typical model of black metal I will be disappointed. 

The second song does find more of the traditional elements of black metal coming into motion, though they are balanced out by the sense of melody that the overall throb forms so when drums with a more blasting feeling bubble up beneath things, they are just the thunder under this storm cloud of depression sailing toward you. The dramatic shift to "Degrade" lonely chords ringing out to set the stage offers the kind of dynamic I appreciate in heavy music. The post-rock flavored minimalism makes the groove of the drums crashing in more effective.  The vocals also drop into more forceful roars in places here. Overall the snarl of the vocals gets the point across and feels more like an expression of the kind of aggression that spills out when depression is forced inward. When blast beats are used here, they are effective as the song has already provided the gradual build for the feral acceleration to make sense. 

There is more of a dissonant buzz to "Loss" This is slightly tempered with double bass at times to make it more purposeful, but as with any band that lets themselves abandon restraint in this manner, it is hard to rein things in when it comes to capturing more than a sound and writing a song. However, the more sonic section toward the end that creates a ringing swathe of guitars is pretty cool.  The last song sprawls out into 13 minutes. This is the first moment that feels more Agalloch-inspired. It wanders through a wide range of black metal tropes while being true to who they are as a band. I will give this album a 9.5, it's worth multiple listens and they captured a stunning mood here that is convincing in the darkness it paints a picture of. This album drop October 11th on Transcending Obscurity. 

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Death is June - OFFICIUM TRISTE : "Hortus Venenum"

This is the 7th album by this Dutch death-doom band, and the most striking thing about the sound of the opening track is how the backdrop of synth and guitar melodies being growled over sounds like something from a horror movie soundtrack. This is later balance out by a more hopeful soaring riff things climax into. All this tells me they are more than just dialing in a Paradise Lost tribute here. More of a doomed out melancholic lethargy possesses the second song which sonically is more somber. They shift the dynamics and build up into a more death metal pace that offers a little more light at the end of their tunnel, and thematically keep things in a similar spectrum minute the more horror movie-like creepiness this time. 

While things might not sound like a horror there is a cinematic feel to the big melodic sounds of "Anna's Woe". It is done in a manner that reminds me a bit of some of the more orchestral moments from post-rock bands like Sigur Rios. The vocals are beginning to become a little one-dimensional, and one of the few things anchoring the song to the metal roots. The low growl is not especially expressive and stays in the one lower register. 

"Walk in Shadows" is more atmospheric right from the start as you are hit with lush synths. This overall sound leans more in the direction of doom. There is a spoken word section, that changes the narrative voice in a more indulgently dramatic fashion that brings My Dying Bride to mind. The feel is not heavy, but this sounds great and is well arranged, so hard to fault them for not being the heaviest thing going as this feels like it is coming from a genuine place. It drifts down the same sad river, with the guitar melodies the shifting force over that directs things. This song is less hopeful which I appreciate as the bleaker tone adds a darker mood. 

There is a more mournful mood to the dirge-leaning "Forcefield". The vocals do shift by dropping into even lower growls. Things take the most drastic turn when they speed into more of a triumphant gallop. This also marks the second time a guitar solo has blazed out of the song with a more traditional metal approach. It would not sound out of place on an Iron Maiden album. It's on the more melodic breakdown when the drummer's nuanced approach is most noticed. They begin to float in a more optimistic chord progression that is juxtaposed by lapses into a more funeral doom-type thing. The last song just kind of coasts, there are some cool guitar lines in it but at ten minutes it needs more dynamics even with the level of melodrama the atmospheric elements bring.  Taking that into consideration and how dedicated they are to it for all ten minutes I will give this album an 8.5. If you like doom more than death metal this album should work for you.6th on Transcending Obscurity Records. /div>

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Crawl : " Altar of Disgust"

 Sweden is fixated on worshipping Entombed. Crawl are high priests at this altar. They infuse it with a modern sense of brutality that makes it perhaps even more raw and pounding than Entombed. Sometimes they are too relentlessly hammering for their own good with the second song, as a good example of these excesses. They somewhat redeem themselves with the head-banging "Knieves' which manages to find a marginal balance of extremes. There is certainly a more deliberate riff that challenges the rule which states "cool riffs alone does not a good song make". Feedback squeals, and makes it clear that while their previous albums had more of a crust punk influence, this time around they are more driven by grindcore. 

The more deliberate stomp to " Ethereal Depths" is more effective and makes it the album's best song so far. The vocals are just as guttural as what we have already heard on this album, but they have more purpose here. They experiment and find themselves in a more Neurosis-like place on "Where No Light Escapes" These are the kinds of sounds I think might have worked well incorporated into their other songs. Instead, they hammer at you with more of a grindcore intensity. "Visions of Burning Apparitions" has dense guitars but their crunch is still something that makes it evident they were writing a song. This is not as true for "Until They Crawl". A large part of this is because the vocals are buried. 

There are some moments where they embrace a little more of a black metal feel and this hits like Nails jamming with Goatwhore.  I had to listen to the last time a second time before I realized it was not just an angry passage to the previous song. Thus hinting many of these songs sound the same when just driven by their brutal nature. I will give this album an 8, as there are strong songs, and this is one of the heavier albums you are going to hear so far this year. Was released on Transcending Obscurity Records. 

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CUTTERRED FLESH : "Love At First Bite"

On the more extreme end of death metal, this band from the Czech Republic are thankfully just not settling for being brutal. The opening track carries a little more hook in the guitars in its first half with the second half of the song finding them more content with pouring on the speed. Where most death metal has a fixation on horror these guys seem to be into the bleak realities of space. Their grim vision of science fiction is translated sonically to get the story across. With "Repeated Intersexual Misunderstanding" the atmosphere helps give the song the room it needs to breathe while allowing an angular dissonance to pervade the efforts at groove. It is technical without being just about the math of it. 

This is their sixth album so they clearly know what they are doing. They attack your ears with renewed feral zeal for "Code of Zuurith" though this is where the album begins to get mired down in a blur of riffing that does not clear up until "Descent into Torment of Abyssal Whispers". The guitars give the vocals room to create a more purposeful narrative. Up until this point like most music of this kind, the vocals are more of an afterthought.  The riffing is also more memorable on this song making it one of the album's best moments. The production of the guitar tones becomes more noticeably conforming to the current trend of modern metal to have a very processed machine-like feel.  "Sarkam's Wrath Unleashed' also displays this more nuanced take on their songwriting. 

When they pour on the speed at the beginning for "Amanda" the results are not as impressive. The base does come forward more when things slow into what might be the chorus. "the Last Supper" is more deliberate. It starts off with a powerful syncopated chug. They contract this into a taunt palm-muted riff before stepping on the gas. They maintain this frantic hyper-speed for "Spawn of Vathus". There are some crunchier parts within this, but mostly dependent on speed. They have their moments on this album a sense of their identity in a genre that could have easily turned them into a faceless blasting machine. I will round this down to an 8, as the overall sound is uniform, but they are skilled at grinding it into your ears. This is being released May 24th on Transending Obscurity. 

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