Dark Nights- Death Metal Soundtrack

Here is a sound track to a comic book. I am reading the series now and it is the normal D/C style of writing that feels like a kid just threw a bunch of action figures on a a bed to make them fight. There is also not a single death metal band on this album, despite it's name. The first song is Mastodon who tackles a song about the demon Neron. It is more like older metal Mastodon and not like the more recent prog Mastodon. Troy sings this one so it's his standard baritone bellow. Chelsea Wolfe croons a ghostly ode to Wonder Woman, that has more electronic elements than I expected. The fact it stands up against her other work means this is not a throw away song , but something she put love into.

Tyler Bates is all over this album, he played with Marilyn Manson if you need a point of reference/ He teams Chino up with Health for a song about Darkseid,  and it is very loosely based. HEALTH handled most of the heavy lifting and Chino is just back up vocals for the most part.  Their vocals work well together.  The first missed shot is when Tyler couples Maria Brink with Anyd from Black Veil Brides, perhaps a better singer might made this work better, Maria does fine, but he continues to suck.  I first thought Grey Daze was a much improved Rise Against then I realized they were not ripping off Bad Religion. There is a slight hair metal tinge to Grey Daze sound that I like though the lyrics are stupid.  

Rise Against does what they normally do when their track follows and that is rip off Bad Religion.

Manchester Orchestra brings a little more balls than normal and does pretty well with the dramatic  alt rock of "Never Ending".  Denzel Curry tries to be Death Grips and the results are almost unlistenable .  Carach Angren plays it a little too safe when it comes to 'Skull with a Forked Tongue" while they do better than most of their peers would have it is not their best song and lacks what makes them unique, the production is also odd.  Starcrawler sounds less like Joan Jett here and more like Hole, though there was some of that on their album. Gunahips team up wit Dave Lombardo needs to be more of a permanent thing. It is one of this album's strongest songs. Greg from Dillenger Escape Plan is clearly just filling in for the cancelled Marilyn Manson on "Now You've Really Done it" as it's Manson's band backing him.  

Idela and Show Me the Body both sound like drunken New York cab drivers trying to cover Joy Division, despite the fact these are original songs that were written obviously while they are wasted, I much prefer the poppier sounds that Soccer Mommy conjures up  as their brand of dream pop is fairly polished. I am not really sure what the point of this album is thought their are the happy accidents here that make for great songs , I will give this an 8. 

Twin Shadow : "s/t"

I am ok with artists changing as long as it's for the better and enhances who they are, rather than loses their identity amid the stylistic shift . David Bowie is an example of an artist who did this effortlessly. I have been told it is not fair to hold everyone to the same standard as Bowie.  Bowie was a mortal man who made music, I think this is fair to all other mortals making music since one can do it then so should you. If we are under the premise that all people are created equal, this might not be the case if Bowie is superior some how which would mean other mortal could then be superior as well. This album takes several listens for the changes to sink it. The mood is a more upbeat. I prefer the groove of the second song even if it sounds a little bit too much like Lenny Kravitz. Which is weird considering he is dating Zoe. 

I would say I want the more new wave flavor found on "Eclipse" but I was fine with where he went from there on "Caer". It was darker and perhaps more drug induced. Things are just too happy for my personal tastes on " Johnny and Jonnie" . This mood is balanced on the lyrically less happy "Get Closer" which makes the Jackson 5 flavored chorus more digestible.  It is a very mixed bag as "Is There Any Love?" is back to being too celebratory. The new wave traces are drastically cut back, which might make this a more organic instrument focused album which I appreciate, but not the mood I seek out from music. I  can hear touches of 70s prog on this song which I support. 

It is not til "Gated Windows " that get what I want and a more Gary Numan like sound creeps in. 'Modern Man' is such a well written song the more r&b tone of the song works for me. There is a little bit of Prince in the songs DNA. He typically has worn his influences on his sleeve in best way possible the shift of influence is what sometimes alienates me. This is why the beach sound of "Lonestar" does not sit as well with me. I live on the beach now and I can say the music I hear every where is the only down side, apart from the moments I am in direct sunlight.  This more Bruno Mars like direction sometimes works , as the song "Brown Sugar" proves. It also proves that I am open to this directional change as long as elements of his older sound are still intact. 

He engages in this same brand of pop on the last song but does it better than it is heard previously in the album and more rock to it in order to win me over.  This is a great album for the summer , as the world returns to normal and they people who enjoy things like the beach during the day and drinking at the pool will want this album if they need pop music with more brains to it than what is typically on the radio . He will always beat out the likes of Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars when it comes to not loading you down with too many empty calories. I will give this album a 9, so it might not live up to what he did on "Eclipse' but i t is better than what the mainstream is being offered. 
 

Darkthrone : "Eternal Hails..."

I recently read a reviewed where bands like Possessed were called proto death metal, which this album could also be filed under as it owes more to hat than black metal at this point, thought the New Wave of British Heavy Metal can still be found in the dna . But I also hear the early roots of black metal such a Celtic Frost and Venom as we get deeper into the first song. My only qualm going into this is the production. I know they are into doing every thing themselves. Even then they have sounded better . There is more of a woozy doom rumble to "Hate Cloak" I do like the fact it is darker. Midway into it they lock in on a cool thrashy riff. I am not sure guitar solos are really there thing though. I am also unsure if it needs to be a nine minute song as it feels like they have said everything let to say at the five minute mark. 

There is more drive to "Wake the Awakened".  Fenriz stated he was unlearning playing the drums by only doing it when he was recording. I believe that as the drumming is cruder and more punk this time around. There is more of a black metal feel in some places, he does not use many blast beats , if at all. I like  this ride work on this song. Some of the guitar tones are really rough, but I think that is what they were going for. I am sure Darkthrone could have sold out and brought in any metal producer they wanted and have a full band, who in the Norweigan Black Metal scene would turn down the offer to play with them? Ok Varg aside. 

Sure there isqa cool riff midway into " Voyage to a Northpole Adrift". but it feels more like they are just jamming at the practice space and recorded it. I might have rehearsal tapes that have a better sound quality. The guitar solo in this one is however much improved thought that is not going to make the song, the fact the riff sounds like Mercyful Fate has more appeal to me, There is way more of a Celtic Frost thing going on with the last song. The thing is I have all the Celtic Frost albums so I would rather hear more of a Darkthrone album.  The riff at 1:45 is way too happy. They do make up for this with the creepy riff they jam out on at the end of the song that is almost more death rock like.  However due to the we are just going to jam around quality of this album I am rounding it down to an 8.5 , not sure if I have rated a Darkthrone album this low before, but even then it means 85 percent of the album is solid, maybe only one song I am not as into, but granted when therei sonly 5 songs they have to sount more.   

 

Death is June -Pestilence : "Exitivm"

Patrick Mameli is Pestilence at the this point as he is the only original member. This was also the case for "Hadeon" and that was a great album. I do not need to weight this album against 1989's "Consuming Impulse" I am perfectly fine with this album standing along side the more recent "Hadeon". There is less of a sci-fi vibe going on here and they are going more directly for the throat as the maze of twisting riffs comes for you in a full frontal attack. There isa angular dissonance to many of the guitar solos that I appreciate.  New bassist Joost Vander Graaf formerly of Dew Scented, debuts here. His playing is buried under the fast attack of the riffing. They take less twists and turns on the second song and focus on taunt riffing and more groove which plays to their favor. The vocals are more forward in the mix, almost like an Obituary album.

Another new edition to the band is guitarist Rutger Van Noordenburg. The rifs on this album are faster and more aggressive than those on "Hadeon". They are also not as catchy. The guitar solos are  more adventurous. There is a segment of the metal community who will be sold on that fact. I am not numbered among them. I am more interested in songs. Songs times this feels more like an athletic event. "Mortifervm" is the next piece that feels like a song to me. The key is  the syncopation they use to punch into certain parts. They continue in a direction that is more effective song writing with "Dominativ Submissa". The new drummer hammer most of this album with relentless double bass. He rips around his kit in a very Neil Peart manner. 

The album does find it's groove three songs in. There playing can never be called in question as execution is machine like in precision. This brings the question how much feeling do you need in your death metal? This is not to say they are intense and commanding as that is a vibe here. "Inficiat" has strong riffing and composition all the way around. The title track might have to grow on me, but it feels like the emphasis is on the gas pumped into the driving verse riff and is not as impressive as the previous song. The last song finds them not letting up on the  raging momentum. While this need for speed will appeal to some, I think, the more groove and song focus "Hadeon" made for better listening.  I will round this one down to an 8.5 , for this reason. It is still an impressive piece of work.  

Death is June - Crypt Crawler - " Future Usurper"

 

Right from the bass intro they have my ear because they are not opening this going for the throat. It is not to say they are not capable of doing that they just bring more to the table. I suppose this would fall under progressive death metal, though they are not too mathy or wanky.   Midway into the opener the show they can pick up speed with a very thrashy riff. In the first song alone they prove themselves capable ot hitting all the marks you might want from a death metal band. The vocals remind me a little of Death in their harsh scowl. The songs are memorable and catchy. The guitar work is great. I am almost sold on the first song, though the question is can they prove to deliver like this all the time or is this a bar they are setting too high for themselves that the rest of the album will not live up to?   

They are a tightly coiled aggression machine with all the hooks that old school thrash used to dish out, but run from a filter of classic death metal . They keep this big epic maximum head banging momentum going into "Force fed to the Dead". Death metal about zombies works for me.  'Delirium" introduces more melodic elements from the guitar. There is a doomier tone, though this is not navigated as smoothly, in some of the more angular turns, though on second listen it was not as noticeable, though the death metal parts, sound more like everyone else/. I like the darker tone going into "Inherent Complexion". They end up taking off with rapid violence from there and steam roll you.  'Choir of Reprieve" is the first where it feels like they just kind of fall into the speed trap of most death metal bands and have a more monochrome  This is given more of a contrast by the wider range of dynamic sonic colors in 'the Avaricious Ones".  It still succeeds at being heavy though the riff has more of a moshy swing to it.

The riff to "Horrors of Humanity" is catchy enough , but it at first felt like a continuation of the previous song. The lyrics are easy to discern with the articulated rasp of his growl. The guitar solo is very Kirk Hammett. The deliberate riffing of " The Illusion We're Under" shifts into more progressive passages are more fluid than some of the album's others turns towards this. "Once Shadow Now Flesh" is not the album's most adventurous song, but it is catchy and works well.  I will give this album a 9.5, making it one of the best death metal releases so far this year. If you like melodic death metal with progressive touches, then this is a must. This Austrian band has a future for sure.

 

Death is June - The Top 20 Slayer Songs pt 2 -10 to 1

This is the second installment of the Top 20 Slayer songs. I said pretty much every thing that need to be said to lead into this right here... I have noticed the top 10 have shifted some as I listened to them while I was putting this together , moments of "oh Wait this song really is better than I thought", I have been listening to a ton of Slayer the past couple weeks so I have heard these songs several times on top pf the 35 years I have been listening to Slayer. so here ya go 

 10-"Spill the blood " 

 From- South of Heaven 

 This might be one of their mellowest songs, but it is on here for a reason, this is not only one of Tom's best showings in the studio, but some of Dave's best drumming as well.

   

 9- "Gemini " 

From- Undisputed Attitude 

  Another serial killer love song, this might be their most under rated as it is buried among the punk

 covers .

   

  8-"Temptation" 

From- "Seasons in the Abyss" 

 

  One thing that has always given Slayer the advantage over many of their heavier minded peers , is the lyrics are better and vocals have more purpose, the way the vocals have a call and response feel to them make this songs and empower the crushing riffs 

 

 7- "Behind the crooked cross" 

From - South of Heaven" 

  Not only were they one of the heaviest bands going when this came out but they proved you can still have catchy songs at the same time.

 

 6- "Disciple " 

From - God Hates Us All" 

As you can see there is not a ton of stuff from the post "Seasons " years , but this is one of the best the chorus obviously rules .

 

 5-"Angel of death"  

  Frim - Reign in Blood

 The scream, the double bass and the riff , yes all are killer, but while it might be their most well known song that doesn't mean it is the best

   

 4- "Mandatory suicide"  

  From - "South of Heaven" 

 Of course the top 4 have to also be the four darkest songs . This also happens to have groove.

   

 3- " Dead skin mask" 

From - Seasons in the Abyss  

  The best of the serial killer love songs. If it was the top 20 darkest Slayer songs this would be number one

 

 2 - "South of heaven"  

From -South of Heaven

  Truth be told the reason this one got beat out was because, the number one song is the first song that got me hooked on Slayer

   

 1- "Die by the sword"

From - "Show No Mercy"

 I was 12 and would listen to a metal show that came on the radio and record onto blank tapes making mix tapes. This song was on one of those and I would rewind it and listen to it over and over again. I think it serves as the perfect calling card for this band and aged the best of all the songs from that album

.

Death is June : Witch Vomit- "Abhorrent Rapture"

 From the first song I am going to say this might be the most brutal death metal band I am covering this month. Though the do smooth things out into a more digestible chug in places. The production is rough and dense on purpose. Speed is generally this band's thing. The vocals are a growled gurgle from the sewer. It makes me think of a less groove oriented Disma. They hit you hard and fast where Disma focused more on songs. Much like most extreme metal bands , the heaviness that hit you with on the first song is so impressive that you are stunned. It is not until the second song that you regain your sense enough to ask a more important question, but can they write a fucking song ?  

 They prove more effective at what they do when the slow down for the grinding groan of "Funeral Purgation" this is where you begin to hear the Incantation influence. I am fine for the blasting fast parts when they so down to groove a riff after.  "Necrometamorphosis" is a blur of blinding fast riffs and becomes back ground noise. When you bring a blur of sound like that it just becomes white noise. Two minutes in they put more emphasis on the riff and a little more gallop, but revert back to speed, so it washes out.  this goes back to the initial question I asked , but can you write a fucking song. On the second song they prove they can, but this goes to show you that relying on heavy alone only goes so far. 

They pull it together on "Abhorrent Rapture' to close out the album,. Here are many of the elements I want from death metal. It is dark and misery balances out the aggression. They do kick in the jams and come at you full force and I do not have a problem with death metal doing that but I will say it a hundred times I need dynamics. If you do not have that you have the white noise all the blasting fades into.  I will round this down to an 8. It was better than I thought it would be when they hit me with that inital blast of  nasty. This is solid brutality with lots of potential if they learn restraint , I think the fact this is an ep plays to their favor. Being released on 20 Buck Spin. u