Song of the Week- Astari Nite's "Unisex Games

Here's a new column we are starting here, to bring you the best new song of the week, having not covered singles in the past, bands are releasing music differently these days so it seems a shame not to share this with you. It seems fitting to inaugurate this with one of my favorite bands we have been championing here for a few years Miami's Astari Nite. The single for this song will drop on the 14th, it finds the band continuing to expand their sonic horizons while retaining key elements of the sound that make them who they are. It's a dancey tune that the band made as a form of therapy to bring some levity to the looming apocalypse that continues to unravel this year. Although this song is musically upbeat the lyrics are sardonic enough to offset, making it a "feel good" song that is not too happy for my more melancholic tastes. The video accompanying this song is important as it puts the song's carefree sentiment in motion. They are on tour in support of Rosegarden Funeral Party, so keep an eye peeled for them to roll through your town as they are a live act that should not be missed. 

 

 pst101

AAWKS : "On Through The Sky Maze"

 

This Canadian band rumbled with a fuzzed-out doomy fury. Snarled vocals serve as a menacing ambiance while the bleak plead of the main vocals falls closer to what is expected of this bong-stained strain of heavy metal. It is darker than I expected which appeals to me. Too many stoner-friendly jams turn into long-winding boogies. The vocals have a droning whine that is not hooky but provides a narrative that fits the picture being painted here. The second song finds them switching it up with more ebb and flow thanks to the creepy bass line or palm-muted tension. I like their use of samples which works really well here. 

While the vocal approach does not vary greatly from song to song, I like how effects are used on his voice for "Lost Dwellers" though they are getting more into that boogie territory I was referring to earlier. Things shift more toward doom at the end, but the bulk of the song is more bad hippie-dancing metal. Things get doomier for "Caerdroia". The vocals serve more purpose though the song itself does not feel as focused as the bulk of the album has been up until this point  "The Figure' flows better, and some Sabbath worship begins to creep in here, 

Before it drifts off into space, things are rumbling in a more freewheeling direction for "Wandering Supergiants". The vocals make more of an attempt at singing and it makes me prefer the previous approach.  Something similar happens on "Drifting Upward" which makes more of an attempt to add melody. The layers of sounds help compensate for the weaknesses of the vocals. "Cursed Soul" goes back into more of the realms of the boogie. They do make more of an effort to write songs rather than just getting high and jamming. I had to give the last song three listens before I was able to pay attention, it starts off with a guitar solo, and the vocals are some of the album's most effective so that gives it an edge even when the riff kind of wanders around. I will give this album an 8.5, while it is not something I am going to listen to a great deal, they made the album they set out to and it's a good soundtrack for the smoke sessions they had planned for it. 

pst99

Killswitch Engage : "This Consequence"

Metal core has changed since the days of Myspace. Can this band stay relevant, while working off a formula that went stale years ago? Playing faster and keeping things at a more frantic thrashing while going with the big melodic hook for the chorus where the vocal production sounds the same each time is the answer. At times some of the hardcore influence comes through at others it feels more like Slipknot, this only works for the first two songs, before it begins to all sound the same. Jesse Leach has a better hard voice than Howard Jones, whereas Howard possesses a more charismatic singing voice than Jesse. This affects the band's current sound and works off a formula established back during the decade of Howard Jones. 

At times it feels like Leach is singing under Jones's shadow, which is the opposite of when Jones replaces Leachadhad those expectations to live up to. If you wanted a band that embodied what kept metal alive during the Mysapce year these guys would be the poster children. It sounds like their successes are so invested in a formula that deviating from that would be too much of a risk for them, so they now clock in and just make the sounds they know will sell. The first song that I like is "Where it Dies" which takes on more of a groove. "Collusion" that follows it might not live up to "Where it Dies' but it's also a better song that does not feel like they are just punching a clock in the studio. 

 " Broken Glass" starts off with more promise. It is more deliberate, and marginally darker, though I think the entire album should be darker, the vocals at least take a different approach Midway into things, and it becomes a too-familiar undercurrent. "Requium' works better, as it carries more of a hook. The trash riff driving it is not the most original thing I have heard but the vocals balance things out with a catchier chorus. I will give this album an 8. I imagine they are somewhat limited by the exceptions of their fan base in terms of the formula that works, but this is too middle of the road. They are pros at what they are doing so the same ole same ole at least sounds pristine for radio-friendly metal. This dropped on Metal Blade. 

pst98

Kavernist : "Demo"

 

We adopt all sorts of genres we identify with. This German band adopts many, but I hear a crusty death metal band. They are more metal than punk. The rock n roll that thrives in the riffage of  "Scum" is not as aggressive as the opening track that feels much more death metal. I can hear punk influence, but punk influence vs being an actual punk band are two different things. This might be a demo, but whatever they are doing here they should not change, I mean maybe fuck with the mic placement on the drum, and mix them a little, but I would not want to hear these guys get overproduced on a label like Relapse, as it would some of the charm heard here.

"trembling" is even rawer, it is not until. things drop back to a more deliberate stomp that the song really takes form, so when they speed up into more of a frantic thrashing they lose the feeling that was working for them. This is where I stop and think 'Well this is only a demo so they do have room to grow" , but this sounds better than many bands' debut albums. The last song 'Ready to Serve" falls back into death metal, but they are coming at it from a different angle as this sounds more like Obituary to me. The vocals help this, which means they are spewed with a more desperate cry. I can do without the way things speed up, here. But the vocals sound great for what this is since, if I am comparing you to John Tardy you are doing something right, as he has a more unique vocal style than most. 

If you told me these guys were from Tampa, I would not be surprised, but this is not what I expect to hear from a German band. This makes them an exception as perhaps they have romanced American death metal so much that it has taken all the regional influence out of what they do. I will give this a 9, as it holds a great deal of potential and I would like to hear where they go from here. I hope with growth they do not stray too far from where they are at present. The brought the rock n roll fun to death metal. 

pst97

Pariah : "Violence is a Curse"

 

Another band from the UK where sludge collides with hard-core. Damn, fish and chips got these mother fuckers pissed. The chugged hook the main riff comes down on is pretty badass, and they keep things both dark and dissent with feedback squealing at from the furious corners of the song. It is not surprising that this was released on Cursed Monk Records. The ballistic attack of the second song finds more of hard-core's punk roots bubbling up from the flurry. At a minute and a half, it gets to the point. In many ways, this reminds me of Nails. Right down to the overall dark and dense sound of the production. 

"Within My Skin" reminds me a little of the first song. It does carry a more malicious stomp. There is a very Entombed-like sound to these kinds of bands. They have certainly captured Entombed's guitar sound. They take a more rapid-fire plan of action in beating you with it on "Endless Circles". It is the kind of straightforward almost punk rumbling I am not a huge fan of, but I do like it when they go into a deliberate chug. I do understand the appeal of these guys as they are heavy as hell and have more hardcore feel to them.   

I had to listen to the last song a second time before I paid attention to it, as the album begins to take on a uniform rumble as the vocals do not shift a great deal. Once I hear the pervading shadow of Entombed lurking over the sound of this album I can not unhear, but you might not be that observant, and this will sound like the most original thing ever to your ears. Regardless, these guys are capable at the execution of this and it feels like despite wearing their influences on their sleeves that this is coming from an honest place so I will give this album an 8.  

pst96

Cloakroom : "Last Leg of the Human Table"

Having always enjoyed the albums I've heard from these guys, I am giving this one a shot as well, the vocals feel like there is more purpose here. The dreamy waves of sound continue to wash over you with weighty fuzz, as we have heard from previous releases by these shoegazers. "Ester Wind" finds the drums kicking things up. The third track is more of an interlude. "Unbelonging" finds the opaque guitars creating more of an indie rock feel, as the vocals begin to fall into the background. The vocals do not take a larger role until "The Lights Are On" which follows. 

"Bad Larry' makes me think of Stone Roses if they flirted with Americana rather than digging into Brit Pop. This might be one of the album's strongest songs. The honest vocals ride the gaps of reverb-heavy guitar with hooky grace. There is a cool layering of guitar sounds here. "Story of the Egg" finds the woozy wonderment of tones that bring the My Bloody Valentine vibes to the forefront working well. The vocals drift further back in the mix, though they are still attempting to write memorable songs here. This sonic swathe of noisy edge guitar is more of a sound than a song, but they still put a great deal of thought into how it all plays out. 

"Cloverhopper" rambles with energetic drive, though is not the most memorable song on the album, however, they nail the sound they are going for. The dense atmosphere they slow dive into on the last song does perhaps focus more on the sound than the song, but they try hard enough on this album to make it a worthwhile listen for fans of shoe-gaze. I'll give this one a 9, which is not the 9.5, of previous albums, but certainly puts them at the top of the heap when it comes to shoegaze bands in 2025. It just dropped on Close Casket Activities. 

pst95

Spiritworld : "Helldorado"

 

Despite being called "Deathwestern" the band's 2022 only used country & western music as a window dressing to perhaps bookend the album with. This time around it's blended to create a more Clutch-like swagger. This leaves the more metallic meat of the songs to groove with a darker energy. You are halfway into the opening track before it kicks you with the same spiteful hard-core punch the [previous album carried. By the second song they are galloping back in a more Slayer-inspired direction, but with big 90s hardcore gang vocal choruses. I was halfway into "Western Stars and the Apocalypse" before I realized it was no longer the previous song. They are wielding similar dynamics on this one, with barked vocals and grooving thrash riffs. 

"Birdsong of Death" breaks things up by going into a more country sound. The vocals feel like  90s Mighty Mighty Bosstones, on this as is not just yelling, but not singing either. "Prayer Lips' finds things even more introspective and melodic. This also creates a 90s feel for my ears, as the 90s were a more experimental time for music, so something like a sax solo in this song would have made perfect sense. I welcome experimentation, but think the powerful riffs driving a song like "Waiting on the Reaper" play more to the band's strengths As catchy riffs are their stock and trade. There is a more dynamic ebb and flow that brings Biohazard to mind.  A more Metallica-like riff opens 'Oblivion" The chanted hook for the chorus works well.  

"Cleansing" is more of an interlude. "Stigmata Scar" chugs to life with more authority. The vocals continue to root things in hardcore against the thrashy riffing. He declares here the only thing he has left is fucking hate, which seems to take a pretty decent pulse of things. "Annihilism" shows more commitment to Country Music at least from their perspective. This might be their 3rd album but the country thing still feels like a work in progress, they have just made more progress on it this time around. I'll give this one a 9.5, which is what their last album got, they are great riff writers, and know that cool riffs alone do not make a song. They are not making the same album twice, and take it in a more hybrid crossover direction. More grooving than DRI and more hard-core than "Join the Army" era Suicidal Tendencies, yet fans of both bands should appreciate this. This drops March 21st on Century Media. 

pst94