DEATHGRAVE : "Hell is Evil"

 I gave 2023's "It's Only Midnight" an 8, but I have been listening to more grindcore since then, so I might have more of an appreciation when they veer off the death metal grooves into chaos. The title track that opens the album certainly falls into place better than what they did last time around, with a more polished sound in the studio. It is also three minutes, so they give themselves more time here to develop the song rather than just dealing in angry bursts. "Hard to Swallow" finds even a very dark, deliberate, doomy riff arising to lumber over things. Some of the members of Graves at Sea are in this band, so that should not be surprising. Some of the vocals sound like they could be from a Carnivore album they way they are shouted. 

"I am Here" takes death metal fury and runs it through a grindcore filter but with thrash attitude. Three songs in and it is very clear song writing has been made more of a priority. The vocals are more varied; there are the shrill blackened shriek and low death gurgle, but other variations on that snarled spectrum. "Born From Death " is the first song where brutality is allowed to reign over all else. With a dissonant punk riff clanging in the background at times ot break it up. "Smaller and Smaller" is darker and more harrowing as it takes things in a more sludge-ridden direction. The first five songs are already more dynamic than the last album, and this is with them even descending into blast beats on "Smaller and Smaller," which at almost four minutes is one of the album's longest songs. 

"It's Only Midnight" finds the vocals serving more purpose in the chorus to make it work and a large dose of thrash riding the song. "Yaws 3D" finds them playing a punk-tinged death metal which, in some ways, is the definition of grindcore. "You Pain is Ready" is a more extreme beating to your ears. They rip into "I Won't See You in Heaven" before the bass takes over. The dense bass tone brings things down into the doomy crush of the lingering tempo. It's darker and heavier like this than when they are spazzing out. Many moments on this album remind me of Goatwhore; when they speed up on this song, it is one of them. The last song finds them launching into rough-edged death metal but with the vocals varying in levels of coarseness, so kinda like Entombed. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, but here is what happens when grindcore grows up. Out on Tank Crimes August 21st.  

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Sallow Moth : "Hydrophilous Brood"

 

For some reason, it was in my head that this duo was doomed, but after pressing play, I realized how mistaken I was. The reason for this being doomed might be easier to pull off with only two people; what does work here is an experimental form of high-velocity death metal that requires many overdubs. Most of the song hangs around the four- to five-minute mark, but they are cramming a great deal of chaos into that time frame. The second song really sounds no different than the first aside from a few weird jazzy breaks that sound like if Cynic smoked DMT. 

The grinding riffage they favor descended from the Morbid Angel school with slight hints of Carcass, though shifting in the riff more than either. More blast than both as well. This need for rabid speed can take away from the song, as things just become a blur. To the point that it begins to bore me in place. I like how brutal they are and the fact it's not just one long blast beat, but the songwriting is lacking; they confused arrangements with writing songs worth listening to again with memorable vocal hooks that bands like Morbid Angel and  Carcass both apply. So it is not like I am asking them to become pop music. Memorable songs should be the goal regardless of genre. 

I only knew the song had changed to "Biohybrid Virulence" due to the fact I looked up at my computer, but the guitar player gets the point I was trying to make about catchy songs, as they at least make that much of an effort.I just left this album on as I typed up my review of the new Evil Dead movie, and it faded into the background, becoming a blur of winding riffs. "Polymorphic Gnaw' is more memorable as it swirls with cosmic atmosphere and the bass wanders off into a jazzy jam while a Frank Zappa inspired riffs fughts for its life against the blast beats. This might make it the best song on the album. 

Death metal drums are supposed to be balls to the wall, but this guy needs to anchor things more than he does on the bulk of the album, being too quick to default to a blast beat when the guitars are doing something more interesting. The title track is not too memorable. The last song trips over its blast-beaten chaos at times. The deliberate punchy riff in it is not played enough. The jazz section is a nice touch but almost too little too late. I will give this album an 8, as it's not my thing, but I at least appreciate the intensity and chops they have; fans of extreme tech death might find it to their liking. Coming out on Willotip Records. 

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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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Attic Frost : "...And Some Will Meet Their Shadow"

 

Not our first dance with this German project, as we reviewed their 2023 album "A heart is the deepest dungeon", I was less impressed by that one, as it scored a 7 due to being plagued with production issues and the songs just bored me. They have more energy and emotion invested this time around that add urgency to "Partytime", which is not the 45 Grave song. The synths do still tend to creep up and obscure things in the mix. 'The Void Inside Her Head" uses atmospheric guitar, but the synths are the backbone of this album. They mope on this one, and the beat drags with a more depressive flavor. The pace picks up when the more sardonic post-punk vocals come in. One of the improvements with this album is that three songs in, it is evident they are trying to cover a broader range. There is a murky mi here, but it gives some charater.

"Further Down" sounds liek they might have even brought in a drummer, or the programming has improved. The bass line gives things some balls. The bass line also leads "Trust" in a more melancholy direction like "Faith" era Cure. The vocals fall into the mix in a manner that echoes from the back of the stage rather than fronting the band; the tempo shift in this one feel arbitary. Though I understand why they are building things sonically here, "An Outry" moves at more of a punk pace. They needed this most organic touch they did not have before, so this works even if it is not the most original thing.

"Promise Me" guides you back to the intersection when post-punk gave way to its darker emotions to create goth. This will once again bring the Cure to mind. There are some good creepy chords in this one. I liek the darker almsot deathg rock slant to "When the Night Calls".  "A Familar Sound" is aptly titled as it is a return to the more morose early Cure sound. The mix here is too murky for their own good. The drumming takes an odd turn midway in as well. "Fading Echo" closes the album with a little more of a new wave-ish touch. The more depressive ure influence returning. This album is a hug improvement over the lat album I checked out so I will give it a 9. 

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Sunswarm :Those Who Do Not Build Must Burn"

 

To say this is an experimental industrial project would be a gross overstatement, as industrial music should be rooted in confrontational exploration. It's the very roots of the genre; bands like Nine Inch Nails have just packaged this in a more user-friendly sheen over the years. This project marries the genre to post-rock in the spacious sonic sprawl unfurled here with more than enough atmosphere. The opening track "Erasure" carries enough of the apocalyptic crunch to be convincing even if this is employed in a more unorthodox manner. The vocals are screamed with a more metallci angst than most. Slathered in effects to balance the aggression with the futuristic nature of the desolate landscape captured here. They are capable of delivering a harsher pound than even Godflesh.

The eponymous second song carries more of the Nine Inch Nails type of machine march into a bleak sunset. The caustic howl of the vocals takes it in a darker direction than what Trent Reznor does even at his most angst-ridden. "Inside the Torn Apart" ebbs from a more subtle ambiance to in-your-face hammering. It takes just over a minute of ambaince to set "With Your Beautiful Mind..." in some semblance of motion, but evne then it lingers over samples before kicking you head in with blunt force trauma that recalls the heyday of Ministry. This song is more abrasive than the first three. 

While aggressive, the first song I can think of dancing to would be "Sour" if that is the reason you ingest industrial music. There is a groove to the stomp of the song that would lend itself to that. "Rneded" closes the album. It is a return to the more post-rock side of the band. The gradual build-up from the electronic buzz. The beat sounds like a bomb going off. The eerie ringing of guitar chords offers a respite to breathe rather than being met head-on. It almsot feels like it should have been the opener. It works very hypnotically. I will give this album a 10, they excelled at reminding us what industrial music should be about. 

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Thin Eater : "Incisor"

 

Perhaps it's the mood being set by the first trickle of Halloween things into stores that has me on a goth kick, but that is where we are at bringing me to this Swedish project The first track is a more abstract intro to set the mood, but I like that it blends a few different dark sounds; the first actual song, "Infernal Motions," is more of the typical sound you would expect from a dark wave band. The beat is up-tempo, and synths drive it while low baritone vocals croak likea vampire with a sense of drama. "Half of a Double Giving Birth" is an odd song title. The beat has some movement to it that is effective, even if the drum programming sounds a little dated; perhaps that is the point. The vocals are well produced.

I like the lbend of futuristic industiral sounds used over the post-punk songwriting template thansk to the emotive vocals; at times this sounds like Gary Numan."Blood On My Face" returns to the more conventional take on the genre, but there is a slight Pet Shop Boys vibe haunting it.  Some of the brighter synth notes make it not as effective as the previous songs. I can imagine "Draconian Pulse" getting a dance floor churning with its pulse-racing tempo. 

The beat to "Nex Animae" feels like it could have been created by AI as it's cinematic yet color-by-numbers."Meglomania" finds the beat starting to lack dynamic contrast, leaving the vocals to carry the weight. "Into the Whispering Sun" is a little darker, but it's hard for me to shake the AI thing once I hear it. The last song is more of an ambient outro. I will give this album a 9. I like the elements it combines.  

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Sex Virgin Killer : "Angel"

Japanese goth is not something you see every day, but here we are. Not the best production, the beat is pretty faint with the voals sitting against an opaque wall of reverbed out guitar, but the energy is there. In some cases, this might be thought of as the sound of cultural appropriation. The singer is kind of hot, so at least they have that going for them. I am also sure that the novelty of being an Asian goth band will gain them point into come circles, this blog not being one of them. They pick up the pace for the second song. For all practical purposes, this is just a Japanese Siouxsie tribute with a few more synths in the mix.

A good rule of thumb for this album is that if you can make it half way throuhg one of their songs, then you have heard the whole thing, as the arrangements are very basica and hold few surprises. They shift the mode a bit for "The Lights Will Fall" it always lulls me to sleep with its drone. They pick up the pace a little more on "Saturate My Soul". I found this band on YouTube thanks to a goth influencer, By Candlelight but the fact that this was in his top 10 makes me question his taste, as it's become a struggle to get through this album. "Parasite on You" has potential but is poorly produced, and the drum programming is rough.

"The Arrow" tries to play off the more punk side of the genre, but sounds too happy. The vocals are a little pitchy here. "A Stranger" does not find things improving. The song after this is more atmospheric and droning, with synths playing a more dominant role. The last song does not find them turning any new corners of sound that might change my opinion of what is going on here. The pitchy vocals go on my nerves os I will give this one a 6

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