Stuck in the Filter: July 2024’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

After the tight lineup we cobbled together for June, July provided a similarly lean yield for our team to offer the masses. It appears that my minions responsible for scraping the channels clean have become far too efficient! That said, what we did find might be our most valuable haul yet this year.

And so, we persist. Always dedicated to bringing you the not-quite-best-but-also-still-good two months ago or so had to offer, we scour for little nuggets worth inspecting. What more could an Angry Metal Fan ask for?

Kenstrosity’s Cataclysmic Critters

A Wake in Providence // I Write to You, My Darling Decay [July 26th, 2024 – Unique Leader Records]

Staten Island symphonic deathcore collective A Wake in Providence dropped a considerable payload back in 2022 entitled Eternity. Opulent and catastrophically heavy, Eternity bathed me in rich orchestration and legitimate riffs instead of stereotypical breakdowns and unending single-chord chugfests. Needless to say, I was enamored. Follow-up I Write to You, Darling Decay represents a deathcore equivalent to Fleshgod Apocalypse’s Opera, focusing more on lyrical storytelling and implementing vocal diversification as a vehicle for character development. Perhaps not quite as sophisticated— since those meatheaded, muscular chugs of the deathcore world still crop up here and there—I Write to You still offers major hooks and delectable detailing to keep my interest piqued through a full hour of new material (“Mournful Benediction,” “Agonofinis,” title track, “The Unbound,” and “Pareidolia”). Aside from those superficial qualities, I Write to You’s real selling point is album cohesion and overall fit and finish. Like a babbling brook across the smoothest bed of sand and soil, this record flows with a fluidity rarified in the genre (check out the awesome three-song transition between “Agonofris” and “In Whispers”). Combine that with a textured and multifaceted musical progression through a grief-stricken storyline, and you have a winning formula for an engaging record that earns its epic sound.

Cell // Shattering the Rapture of the Primordial Abyss [July 12th, 2024 – Self Release]

I first encountered Canadian black metallers Cell on a little Bandcamp stroll years ago, followed shortly by a breezy and brutal beach set just before 2020’s 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise. Nobody I knew had heard of them then, but I knew they had chops. With third album Shattering the Rapture of the Primordial Abyss, they’ve proven me right and then some. Combining icy Immortalisms with the chunky buzz of old school death, major bangers “Waking of the Blazing Night,” “The Plight of Council Skaljdrum,” “Drink the Sun,” “Unification of the Last Alliance,” and “Return of Tranquility through the Desolation of Truth” represent the sharpest, hookiest, and heaviest material Cell’s put down to date. Fury and fire characterize every riff, lead, and blast on Shattering the Rapture, but it’s the uncanny sense of groove that suddenly springs from Cell’s cells that takes this record within a stone’s throw of greatness. Tightening up the overlong fragments that bloat otherwise solid tracks like “Serenity in Darkness… Evermore” and closer “Carnage from the Sky” would go along way to throwing that stone past that threshold. Until then, rest assured that Rapture of the Primordial Abyss is a ripper, worthy of your time and your spine.

Dehumanaut // Of Nightmares and Vice [July 17th, 2024 – Self Release]

Just like Cell, Dehumanaut entered my rotation thanks to a serendipitous stroll through the Bandcamp ticker. Boasting a unique blend of death metal, thrash, and bluesy bar-crawl hard rock, these Brits offer something novel to the extreme metal catalog. With sophomore effort, Of Nightmares and Vice, Dehumanaut double down on the death and blues, evoking Entombed‘s Wolverine Blues in spirit as much as in execution. With swinging tracks like “Shred this Reality,” “A Perilous Path,” “Battle Weary,” “Epiphanies,” and “Black City” deftly stepping between deathly riffs and danceable grooves, thrashier cuts such as “Reject the Knife,” “Nexus of Decline” and “A Truth Most Foul,” and “It Has a Name” feel even speedier and more rabid than usual. Aside from affording Of Nightmares and Vice oodles of dynamics in songwriting, this multifaceted and structured approach to genre-bending showcases Dehumanaut’s versatility as musicians. Everything they attempt here feels effortless and reflexive, making every transition between measure and phrase not just purposeful but also buttery-smooth (“Battle Weary”). If it weren’t for a bit of bloat across the board, oddly muffled mixing, and somewhat flat death metal growls, Of Nightmares and Vice would be in play among my top records of July. Even still, it comes close!

Saunders’ Salacious Slams

Cephalotripsy // Epigenetic Neurogenesis [July 13th, 2024 – Self-Release ]

Looking for something so stupidly heavy and obnoxiously brutal that listening could kill brain cells and incite a rampage? California’s underground warriors Cephalotripsy have you covered on long-awaited sophomore album, and follow-up to 2007’s cult and apparently well received debut, Uterovaginal Insertion of Extirpated Anomalies. Unfamiliar with their previous output, I stumbled across this latest endeavor through a trusted recommendation, fulfilling my fix for devastatingly brutal slam death. Epigenetic Neurogenesis takes no prisoners and delivers blow after blow of steamrolling, pugnacious brutal death. Brimming with inhuman, sewer dwelling vocal eruptions of Angel Ochoa (Abominable Putridity), hammering percussion, and an onslaught of ridiculously thick, heavy riffs, exhibiting the sharp, technical skills of veteran brutal death axe wielder and long-term member Andrés Guzman. The newer members form a pummeling rhythm section driving the guttural swarm. Weighing in at a tight and efficient 32 minutes, the beatdown is relentless, though concise enough to avoid an early burn out. The songwriting doesn’t reinvent the brutal slam death wheel. However, the tight execution, dynamic tempo shifts, and memorable riffcraft elevates the material. Viscous, cranium crushing riffs and utterly devastating slams frequently deployed adds further grunt, immense weight and memorability on a set of killer tunes, including extra chunky gems “Alpha Terrestrial Polymorph,” ” Lo Tech Non Entity,” and “Excision of Self.” Nasty, crushing stuff.

Dear Hollow’s Disturbing Dump

Silvaplana // Sils Maria | Limbs of Dionysus [July 17th, 2024 – Self-Release]

Although shrouded in mystery, Silvaplana is a solo project of Alex DeMaria of Yellow Eyes and Anicon. Blackened punishment paired with atmosphere have long been the aim, but Silvaplana’s duel release finds duality: both take influence from parent releases separately. Sils Maria takes on a hyper-atmospheric, classically influenced, and dark ambient approach across six tracks and forty-one minutes, blackened blastbeats and distant shrieks hidden behind thick swaths of ambiance, organ, and piano, a relatively gentle affair that recalls the wild yet placid sounds of Yellow Eyes’ latest. Meanwhile, the two-track and also forty-one minutes of Limbs of Dionysus feeds a ritualistic fire with a scathingly raw black attack, reverb-laden growls, moans, and shrieks colliding with relentless tremolo that continuously scale minor and diminished frostbitten mountaintops with reckless abandon. Both seem entirely disparate in context to one another, but smartly they are held together by the thin thread of melodic motifs. The organ that populates Sils Maria’s tracks “II,” “IV” and “VI” are recalled in the closing remarks of “I” in Limbs of Dionysus; the ominous organ trills of the former’s “III” are warped into a blackened beast in the latter’s “II.” As Limbs of Dionysus concludes, the feedback-laden plucking feeds right into the morphing plucking populating the beginning of Sils Maria – an ouroboros of the blackened arts. Silvaplana exists on both self-indulgent and decadent ends of the blackened spectrum with Sils Maria and Limbs of Dionysus, both baffling and tantalizing in their rawness and ambiance, and otherworldly in their collaboration.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Inconspicuous Import

Quasidiploid // Deconstruction [July 1st, 2024 – Amputated Vein Records]

Do you see that cover art? Yes, it’s some sort of countess of the undead summoning the skull-kind with a horn. Would you believe then that one of the features throughout Deconstruction is its inclusion of a female trumpet player to break up the tension of a relentless, brutal technical death metal? Oh yeah, she’s also the vocalist and possesses a vicious guttural bark, shrill and penetrating squeals and hisses (the vocal intro on “Disasters and Infection Routes” is a straight Dir en grey moment), and a higher register manic collapse that features at key moments. That’s all to say that the cover lands a bit on the nose, but, in turn, the carnival crazed whiplash of Quasidiploid swings between brutal Cryptopsy riff smashing, Pat Martino jazz guitar pleasantries, Necrophagist sweep punishing, and Chuck Mangione brass crooning (“Overture”)—unhinged, unbothered, and anything but accessible. I would call it too unpolished, as Deconstruction strikes with a bit of a demo quality. But sometimes we have to ask ourselves whether what we hear is a questionably processed demo or an intentionally shredded Japanese master? In any case virtuosity reigns as provably human skin slammer Vomiken pushes a bass-loaded kick and a high-crunch kit to abusive and enthralling accelerations only to crash in on the spurt of a forlorn trumpet or flourish of a prancing guitar line (“Brutal Strafing,” “Massacre Fantasy”). Guitar lines weave about traditionally nimble sweeps to tricky meter riff crushes on a dime (“Melodies of Distorted Time and Space,” “Disasters…”). Tonal identities flip between Nile-istic, snaking melodies, flippant yet tasteful guitar heroics, and propulsive rhythm blasts whose only break is the close of a song. The definition of something olde, new, borrowed, and blue, Quasidiploid has come from far left field to provide a classics-inspired but funky fresh version of an extreme genre that thrives exactly on this kind of weird—a curiosity now, but with all the makings of something truly explosive to come.

Mark Z.’s Musings

200 Stab Wounds // Manual Manic Procedures [June 28th, 2024 – Metal Blade Records]

Following a rapid rise to fame during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio death metal troupe 200 Stab Wounds thrust their Slave to the Scalpel debut onto the masses in 2021. While I was about as mixed on that one as Felagund was, their second album Manual Manic Procedures has proven these wounds cut far deeper than originally thought. The massive beefy chugs that the band have become known for are still here in full force, but now they’re paired with sharper hooks and a heightened sense of maturity. On Procedures, you’ll hear acoustic plucking, immense Bolt Thower riffing, grooves that will blow your guts out, and even some melodic death metal influence—and that’s just on the first song. The band also know when to give you a breather, be it a well-placed atmospheric instrumental (“Led to the Chamber / Liquefied”) or an extended ride on a great groovy riff (“Defiled Gestation”). With a monstrous guitar tone, plenty of killer moments, and a track flow that’s smoother than liquefied human remains sliding off a kitchen counter, these Cleveland boys have given us a record that truly feels like modern death metal coming into its own.

#200StabWounds #2024 #AWakeInProvidence #AbominablePutridity #AmericanMetal #AmputatedVeinRecords #Anicon #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #BluesRock #BoltThrower #BrutalDeathMetal #CanadianMetal #Cell #Cephalotripsy #ChuckMangione #Cryptopsy #DeathMetal #Deathcore #Deconstruction #Dehumanaut #DirEnGrey #Entombed #EpigeneticNeurogenesis #FleshgodApocalypse #HardRock #IWriteToYouMyDarlingDecay #Immortal #JapaneseMetal #Jul24 #LimbsOfDionysus #ManualManicProcedures #MelodicDeathMetal #MetalBladeRecords #Necrophagist #Nile #OfNightmaresAndVice #PatMartino #Quasiploid #RawBlackMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #ShatteringTheRaptureOfThePrimordialAbyss #SilsMaria #Silvaplana #Slam #StuckInTheFilter #SymphonicDeathMetal #SymphonicDeathcore #SymphonicMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #ThrashMetal #UKMetal #UniqueLeaderRecords #YellowEyes

Record(s) o’ the Month – July 2024

By Angry Metal Guy

The middle of summer is rarely the best time for the metal release schedule. While there have been some notable July releases over the years, it seems like labels tend to fit their highest-profile releases into the Autumn. Still, for July of 2024, there was a slate of solid recommendations from the staff and readers, making this one of those months when it’s both good and hard to be the king. It’s been tough to choose, honestly. So rather than wasting your time crafting a long, comical intro, I’m just going to cut right to the chase.

Wormed released its fourth full-length entitled Omegon [Bandcamp], the first in eight long years, on July 5th from Season of Mist. In response, our Maddog wrote an epic that lifted my experience of Omegon even further. Omegon and its review share a feature in that they are both exceptional art. What differentiates them, however, is that Wormed’s long break finds the Spaniards having honed their unique brand of technical, chaotic, and deeply brutal death metal into something particularly caustic and effective. Both chaotic and gripping, Omegon assaults the senses and excites the imagination. And aside from any individual component in the music, Omegon succeeds, as Maddog explained, “because it flows so well, allowing its headbangability persist even through its stupefying time signature changes. Wormed’s irresistible blend of Stone Age brutality and Space Age technicality launches them into the ranks of Gorod, Archspire, and Revocation, despite sounding worlds apart from those bands. Throughout its 41 minutes, the spectacle of Omegon holds you rapt.”

Runner(s) Up:

Octoploid // Beyond the Aeons [July 5, 2024 | Reigning Phoenix Music]1 — Every time I write an Amorphis review, I comment on how nobody sounds like Amorphis except Amorphis (er, and Barren Earth). Well, I guess we need to add another band to that list: Octoploid. The reason why is obvious, written by bassist Olli-Pekka Laine, Beyond the Aeons has the characteristic sound he’s dragged with him wherever he goes. His particular tendencies—that psychedelic vibe from Elegy-era Amorphis mixed with an energetic melodic death metal that rests comfortably in 6/8 swings—make Beyond the Aeons both immediately recognizable and an addictive listen. With instantly memorable melodies, a host of guest appearances, and a 38-minute run-time perfectly suited for the music, Octoploid’s debut is an instant success and most definitely in my running for end-of-year considerations. Kenstrosity, who weirdly underrated something and doesn’t appear to know who Olli-Pekka Laine is, was still “unreasonably excited by Octoploid’s debut” because “it represents a side of the melodic and progressive death metal scenes that I don’t hear often, and I want so much more.” Should I tell him about classic Amorphis or nah?

Assemble the Chariots // Unyielding Night [July 22, 2024 | Seek & Strike Records | Bandcamp] — Back when deathcore was just tough guys who challenged me to fights in the comment section because I don’t like run-in-place breakdowns, it was easy to know what the genre was and it was fairly easy to ignore. Assemble the Chariots is apparently a deathcore band, but I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t read it. To these Olde Metal Guy ears, they sound mostly like a mashup of Fleshgod Apocalypse, [(Luca) Turilli(’s) / Lione] Rhapsody [of Fire], and ’90s symphonic black metal. And yeah, I guess there are enough chug riffs, the drums sound heavily replaced, and the production is a brickwalled nightmare. Still, none of that stuff is enough to stop me from fully embracing the bombastic majesty that is Unyielding Night, which marks Assemble the Chariots’ debut platter. The unreasonably productive Dear Hollow is on the same page as me.2 He summarized it well when he wrote: “Subtlety is not a priority in Unyielding Night, and Assemble the Chariots offers an album whose intensity and pomp align impressively with the grandiosity of the tragedy of Aquilegia. As such, it’s long, over-the-top, constantly intense, and likely too much for some listeners. However, Unyielding Night is a powerful, energetic bombast that tastefully includes deathcore’s signature brutality without diving headlong into stagnation. Assemble the Chariots is something special.”

Seth // La France des Maudits [July 14, 2024 | Season of Mist | Bandcamp] — Seth’s La France des Maudits should help cement the band as a defining force in black metal, delivering an album that surpasses even their 2021 comeback La Morsure du Christ. With a blend of fierce trem-picked riffs, dynamic vocals, and rich atmospheres Seth captures both the rage and sorrow of revolution. The album’s intricate layers of melody and powerful emotional range elevate it beyond a standard black metal album, weaving themes of defiance with melancholic introspection. Seth masterfully balances aggression with poignant beauty, creating an experience that feels cinematic in its scope and affecting in its intensity. Every element, from the dramatic chorals to the blistering guitars, contributes to a soundscape that is both expansive and clear. From this fawning enthusiasm, you can tell that Thus Spoke was the unbridled lover of black metal behind this review. And it was obvious by the end of it, that she would go to the barricades for Seth when she declared: “Experience for yourself the phoenix-like rise in all its vitriolic, pathos-soaked glory, and join the revolution. ‘Tous, Marchons sur le monde!’” I can only imagine that got her landed on some watchlist. But she wasn’t wrong that La France des Maudits is worthy of our attention!

#2024 #AssembleTheChariots #BeyondTheAeons #Blog #Jul24 #LaFranceDesMaudits #Octoploid #Omegon #RecordSOTheMonth #SeasonOfMistRecords #Seth #UnyieldingNight #Wormed

Eldermoon – Egregora Review

By Angry Metal Guy

Written by: Nameless_N00b_86

One of the best ways for an unknown band to pique a potential listener’s interest is to promise an immersive story. Eldermoon, a fiery new band from Curitiba, Brazil, attempts this tactic with its debut album Egregora. The narrative is told by an omniscient entity called the Moon who watches the various stages of human existence—encapsulated in each of the 10 tracks—without interference or judgment.1 The band was even committed enough to write detailed track-by-track summaries of each chapter as part of the promo materials. However, any album that tells a story must also offer quality music if it wants repeat listens. Does Egregora deliver, or did the allure of a concept album mislead me?

Despite having no veteran experience, the members of Eldermoon bring plenty of energy and creativity to their brand of melodeath. Much like Soilwork in recent years, this style relies heavily on choruses, leaving room for fast, catchy riffwork. All of the songs feature guitar solos by Allan Estalk and Alan Sanglard, which are easily the album’s highlights. The blistering guitar solo in the title track particularly showcases their proficiency. This isn’t to say that they are the only skillful instrumentalists—Fabio Conelli’s bass and Lucas Lorenzetti’s drums deftly keep pace with the ever-changing musical tempos. All of them, working in tandem, help drive the music forward.

The vocals present the most glaring inconsistency on Egregora. Alex Biembengut has roughly an octave in the baritone range where he sounds comfortable. Though this is less than ideal,2 the main problem is that he spends a lot of time outside the scope of his singing ability. His voice becomes strained and off-key when he tries to stretch his range upwards, like in the chorus of “Wake of a New Cycle.” When he sings too low, it becomes raspy and even croaks in the intro of “Egregora.” Nowhere are these limitations more evident than on “Priestess of the Moon.” As a ballad, there isn’t much to pull the focus off the vocals. Furthermore, as a duet with pitch-perfect guest vocalist Raíssa Ramos, the song highlights Biembengut’s shortcomings. On the other hand, Biembengut’s rasps and growls are serviceable. In future endeavors, Eldermoon would be better off letting the guitars carry most of the melody and using Biembengut’s growls and screams as a rhythm instrument and accentuation. While laudable in theory, the band’s choice to prioritize vocal variety diminishes Egregora’s quality.

The vocal woes are especially regrettable because the songwriting on Egregora hits more often than it misses. The chorus of opener “The Elder” is tight and catchy, with a smooth key change in its final appearance. “Timor Incogniti” establishes an epic, dramatic atmosphere through the use of choirs without overdoing it. There are a few big whiffs—”Tomorrow in Oblivion” and “Wake of a New Cycle” are both marred by choruses that sound like week-old Five Finger Death Punch—but overall, Eldermoon knows how to write engaging songs with a distinct character. I hope that in the future they home in on the elements that work best and explore them more thoroughly.

Egregora aims high but falls short of bringing its expansive story to life. There is some compelling material that may appeal to those who can forgive the vocal imperfections, with “Timor Incogniti,” “Gears in Motion,” and “Give Me More!” representing the most consistent stretch. I suspect, though, that the singing will irreparably injure many listeners’ impressions of the record. Still, Eldermoon’s earnestness and talent are hard to ignore. If they can shore up or sidestep their weak points, they have the potential to make their sophomore venture worthy of note.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Sliptrick Records
Websites: eldermoonband.com | facebook.com/EldermoonBand
Releases Worldwide: July 30th, 2024

#25 #2024 #BrazilianMetal #DeathMetal #Egregora #Eldermoon #FiveFingerDeathPunch #Jul24 #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SliptrickRecords #Soilwork

POHL – Mysteries Review

By Steel Druhm

Written By: Nameless_N00b_87

There was a time when spending my nights playing in tiny, shoulder-to-shoulder music venues with the rank of perspiration, booze, and fog felt like home. These days, however, they are places I frequent rather than dwell, an aftermath of the stark reality that is the present-day music industry. Because­­­­— if nothing else— being in a band is hard work. This is a truth UK noise rock duo POHL understand. Despite suffering from various starts and stops over their twelve-year existence, guitarist/vocalist Will Pearce (ex-Hey Colossus) and rhythmist Dr. Linda Westman1 (ex-Old Hope) overcame adversity to release three EPs of gratifying experimental noise rock that pulled from a platter of influences like psychedelic, punk, stoner, and heavy metal. Four years have passed since their last offering and the Sheffield rockers have now returned with their debut LP Mysteries. Grab a tallboy and follow me as we rush to the front of the stage to discover what aural mysteries await once the lights drop.

Mysteries confirm that POHL have spent their four-year hiatus largely honing their sound. The unhinged, technical, sonic assault that was 2020’s Freakspeed has been reformed into a methodical layered cake of rumbling, dense, cosmic noise rock tailor-made to make yourself deaf. Their modern low-fi approach is simple and concise, with the thunderous sounds of Westman’s low-tuned drums powering a heavy groove of exceedingly distorted melody and sustain— a tip of the cap to the likes of Torche— with little variation in tempo, dynamics, and structure. Fortunately, Pearce’s vocals provide some much-needed experimental acidity to POHL’s fatty instrumental underbelly. They fluctuate between chants, harmonies, juvenile taunts, and callous yelling that reside somewhere between chaotic and schizophrenic. The weight and gravity of Pearce’s delivery demands your attention across the album’s nine tracks, as do the hefty lyrical themes of grief, faith, mental health, and substance use.

The good news first— Mysteries is full of quality moments that will cater to a broad range of tastes. POHL are at their best when they rely on their immersive blend of heavy groove and distorted melodies to create powerful yet simple slabs of pop-centric noise rock. First-half tracks like “THE WHALE,” “REVELATION,” “NARRATOR” and “GOD” are loaded with catchy hooks that are bolstered by Westman’s rhythms, Pearce’s harmonies and his relentless wails. Westman’s performance is particularly notable, demonstrating her ability to shift between heavy and powerful strokes to intricate and precise patterns, rightly complimenting the distorted sustain of Pearce’s open guitar chords and the thick fuzz of his riffs. Elsewhere, the percolating riff in “PERGAMON,” the acoustic interlude “UNTITLED II,” and Pearce’s hammer-ons and pull-offs in “GOD” prove that POHL are still capable of orienting towards the progressive than the noisy and unrelenting. These highlights are, in part, what made Freakspeed a success and the combination of head-bobbing groove with uncompromising atmosphere and emotive energy can create a satisfying listening experience.

But I came away from Mysteries disappointed. POHL’s systematic and repetitive compositions become well-worn by the album’s midpoint with prolonged opener “NARRATOR” immediately overstaying its welcome, or one-dimensional “CELLAR HEAD” lacking much variation in tempo or dynamics. Challenges in composition also rear their head throughout Mysteries short thirty-minute runtime, as the duo attempt to incorporate improvisational flair that abruptly redirects the current within some of the strongest contributions (“GOD,” “REVELATION,” and “THE WHALE”). Then there is the filler. Although “UNTITLTED 2” does an admirable job of providing a stimulating— and somewhat necessary— reprieve from POHL’s wall of sound, “THE DOOR” and “THE END” provide little value to the collective whole, causing the otherwise enjoyable “PERGAMON” to become guilty by association and skipped altogether.

POHL’s debut showcases their capability to craft heavy, atmospheric noise rock that blends catchy hooks with Pearce’s powerful vocals. It highlights some of the compelling elements of the duo’s sonic past while also indicating they are willing to take a few risks. Yet, despite their affinity for raw energy and power, repetition and monotony become challenging in the latter half and filler tracks offer little substance. With risk always looms the possibility of disappointment, and while shortcomings may detract from the album’s overall impact, Mysteries hints at POHL’s potential.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Wrong Speed Records
Websites: pohl.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/pohlrules
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#25 #2024 #BritishMetal #HeavyMetal #HeyColossus #Jul24 #Mysteries #Noise #NoiseRock #OldHope #POHL #PsychedelicRock #PsycheledicMetal #Punk #Review #Reviews #StonerMetal #StonerRock #Torche #UKMetal #WrongSpeedRecords

Fourth Dominion – Diana’s Day Review

By Iceberg

August promo-picking gets weird around the Sump, weird enough even for this reviewer’s detritus-sifting sensibilities. But the sophomore album from Rochester, NY’s Fourth Dominion stood out to me for two reasons. First: a quietly stunning, lovely piece of album art. Secondly: the multiple genre drops of gothic metal, post-punk, and a peculiar term new to me: “deathwave.” Lead vocalist and primary songwriter Meadow Wyand seems to have coined the term to describe the burgeoning gothic/alt-metal scene, a style encapsulated by the much-loved moniker Chameleons, Unto Others. That comparison, along with a bevy of other name drops that we’ll get into below, was enough to get me on board the dark, melancholy pagan train of Diana’s Day.

The image conjured up by the term deathwave—a blend of dark metal and new-wave—is fitting for parts of Diana’s Day, but that doesn’t reveal the whole picture. There’s a lot of infectious punk and post-punk energy here, blending the fuck-you attitude of Hole with the ‘80s strut of Siouxsie and the Banshees. While Wyand channels the dry, droning vocal styles of The Cure and early ‘00s AFI, the rest of the band plows ahead with NWoBHM laced riffs (“From Below,” “Hill of Swords”) and more mid-tempo Untoothers swagger (“Lilim,” “Goetia”). The production here deserves mention, punching well above its weight. There’s a pleasant, crackling quality to the bass guitar throughout, lending drive and texture to the instrumental breaks (“Bloodstains,” “Lilim”). The roomy master with a DR 9 lets all the layers of guitars—which are bountiful—sit in their own corner of the sound world, rewarding repeat listens. What starts off sounding like a standard punky garage band record reveals layer after layer, something unexpected given the musical style presented.

Fourth Dominion write tight, punchy goth rock songs that aim to smack you in the mouth and get out before you can react. Tracks are lean and cut to radio-friendly proportion, generally consisting of an intro, verse-chorus pattern, bridge and outro. Trimmed-down structures like this tend to be over-reliant on their choruses for memorability, and the band manage to deliver some strong ones (“Burn the Prisons,” “Hill of Swords,” “Casca Dreaming”). The guitar leads, when they crop up, are of note and well executed, hearkening back to the NWoBHM influences (“Lilim,” “Her Wings”). A compelling trio of songs closes the album, leaning heavily on picked acoustic guitars, forming a kind of reflective, ballad-esque triptych. Combined with the raucous, off-beat energy in the center of “Her Wings,” this trio shows a completely different side of Fourth Dominion, which unfortunately makes for something of a lopsided listening experience.

There are still formidable obstacles standing in the way of Fourth Dominion delivering a great entry in the goth-rock pantheon. Truth be told, I believe Meadow Wyand’s vocal delivery is going to be a make-or-break point for many listeners, and it depends on your tolerance for the punk, post-punk style of singing. Her earnest, lyric-driven style is on brand with the band’s new-wave/gothic roots, but the combination of a siloed, upfront mix and a focus on a pitched, mid-range performance weakens many of the tracks. When she reaches into her higher register (the final chorus of “Bloodstains”) or lower (“Lilim,” “Death in Fall”) she delivers her most convincing performances. The aforementioned slim song structures devolve into repetitive forms as the album continues, and the variety found in “From Below” or the very groovy “Tormenta Purgatoria” would pay dividends spread throughout the record.

Diana’s Day takes some getting used to, but once acclimated, and upon closer inspection, there’s a breath of fresh air contained in here. It’s clear Wyand poured her heart and soul into the lyrical content of this album, and the impact of the closing tracks speaks volumes about the shared human experience of trauma and release. I think with a renewed focus on their strengths (guitar leads, variety of structure) and a better mix/variety for Wyand’s vocals the band would find a place for themselves amongst the “darkwave” elite. Until that time, I cautiously recommend Fourth Dominion for fans of new gothic metal and punk nostalgia. Something to break up the blasts and brees.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Fiadh Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: August 1st, 2024

#25 #2024 #AFI #AmericanMetal #DianaSDay #DoomMetal #FiadhProductions #FourthDominion #GothMetal #Hole #Jul24 #NWOBHM #postPunk #PunkRock #Review #Reviews #SiouxsieAndTheBanshees #TheCure #UntoOthers

Wraithfyre – Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms Review

By Dear Hollow

Not that I’m the biggest symphonic black aficionado out there, but the UK-based Wraithfyre appealed to me because its name and inconsistent uses of i’s and y’s reflected my band in high school.1 Regardless, like some of atmoblack’s more ancient conjurations, I’ve always felt like symphonic black a la Limbonic Art, Vordven, and Cult of Fire embody more extreme versions of their trve and pvrist second-wave counterparts, a direct antithesis to the more mainstream antics of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth. Wraithfyre professes likewise an icy blast of black metal.

A project from Tom O’Dell, mastermind behind the Tolkien-inspired black metal of Dwarrowdelf and instrumental deathgrind Gimli, Son of Glóin, as well as the power metalling Battle Born, Wraithfyre offers a different, decidedly second-wave attack. While too often symphonic black metal sees its cold and icy buried beneath the bombast of keys and choirs, debut Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms is no stranger to the riff. Instead utilizing macabre atmosphere as a flourish to its viciousness, O’Dell puts thorny riffs and scathing melodic lines upon the pedestal with its keys as the supporting cast. While it periodically struggles with memorability, Wraithfyre offers an obscenely entertaining debut.

You would be forgiven to believe that intro “A Lunar Descent” sets the tone for sprawling symphonic decadence. Wraithfyre kicks the gate open with icy blast with “Fallen Before Their Blazing Altar,” whose intensity is well-matched with its memorable central melody that straddles memorability and iciness in equal measure, keys supplementing the riffs. This trend continues into the juxtaposition of bouncy tremolo and aggressive plodding of “Queen of the Blighted Throne” and “Eternal Pyres from Beyond the Void,” the instrumental-focused exploration of “Infernal Heresy,” and the blastbeat-dominated intensity and chuggy riffs of “Echoes of a Forgotten Dream.” Moods of desperation, horror, and aggression are offered with seamless fluidity atop scathing tremolo, while edged riffs anchor the sound beyond mindless second-wave blasting. Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms is raw and intense, recalling a tasteful fusion of black metal’s lo-fi history and the more modern thrash-infused incarnations of The Infernal Sea or Toxic Holocaust.

While there is plenty killer aboard the summit Of Fell Peaks, Wraithfyre concocts unfortunate filler. While the instrumental explorations of “Infernal Heresy” and “Eternal Pyres from Beyond the Void” are mile markers along the spooky journey, tracks “Ablaze in Abyssal Frosts” blurs into the scenery while closer “Dark Souls Devoured” features a slightly wonky melody that questions its integrity, even if its plodding riffs feel emotive and powerful. That said, with very few blights, Of Fell Peaks feels safely constructed – while it never explicitly fails, its safety ensures its ambition is also kept in check. While featuring that signature vampiric sound, O’Dell has infused in it a thrashy riffage approach that won’t change your mind about either style. It also doesn’t mean to, with this debut being a fun romp but little else.

Everything about Wraithfyre feels fun. It wraps you in its logic and sweeps you to a place more reminiscent of Scooby-Doo than the depravity of men’s hearts, kicking you repeatedly in the nuts until you like it. It features a tasteful blend of keys and riffs, with the former the supporting cast rather than the decadent self-indulgence found too often in the style. Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms is also another installment of bulletproof songwriting offered by Tom O’Dell, although nearly everything about Wraithfyre feels like a side project in its frolicking intensity. However, featuring flashy musicianship, tasteful atmosphere, and powerful songwriting, it enhances second-wave iciness in bombastic fashion. I dare you to listen to Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms and not have a good time.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Naturemacht Productions
Website: wraithfyre.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#2024 #35 #BattleBorn #BlackMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #BritishMetal #CradleOfFilth #CultOfFire #DimmuBorgir #Dwarrowdelf #GimliSonOfGlóin #Jul24 #LimbonicArt #OfFellPeaksAndHauntedChasms #Review #Reviews #SymphonicBlackMetal #TheInfernalSea #ToxicHolocaust #Vordven #Wraithfyre

Defacement – Duality Review

By Dear Hollow

Defacement has always been an apt but incomplete moniker for the act that professes it – best described by the International act’s1 2021 sophomore self-titled effort’s artwork. While the gore and violence of a face erased is enough for the blasting excess and macabre decadence of death metal, Defacement has always been content to meditate, to stare into the face – or lack thereof – in an undeniably unflinching but unquestionably thoughtful approach. Following two releases of dissonant and blackened death metal, Duality is a capitalization of what makes the act great, if not held back by old habits.

Featuring three members of Deathcrush, Defacement’s bread and butter relies on blazing riffs that straddle the line between dissonance and murk, outlined by insane drumming,2 and monstrous growls, as well as an unexpected love for industrial atmospheres. Duality features four tracks proper, punctuated by interludes, with the act’s most ambitious material yet. Comfortably fitting within the ranks of dissodeath and “esoteric death metal,” Duality offers the best of what you love about Defacement and quite a deal more.

Everything serves the riffs and the atmosphere aboard Duality, and both sides of the aptly titled album are showcased. The four main tracks, “Burden,” “Barrier,” “Scabulous,” and “Duality” alll encompass unique attacks of varying capacity, tied together by a tapestry of murk and dissonance. For instance, “Barrier” offers the most aggressive attack in its blazing riffs and war march drumming, while “Burden” showers listeners with a tastefully yearning melody between fluid movements between blackened tremolo and churning riffs. “Scabulous” is a foreshadowing in its more contemplative and arrhythmic lurching motion, preparation for the sixteen-minute closer. “Duality,” true to its name, delves into layers of flaying dissonance, rip-roaring solos, and head-crushing riffs, interspersed with moments of bittersweet melody. Because the album serves to be diverse in its approaches, its impenetrable murky mix courtesy of Gabriele Gramaglia (Cosmic Putrefaction, Vertebra Atlantis) and Simon Da Silva (Aversio Humanitatis) is a wonder to behold, as its esoteric layers create a swamp of sound aptly opaque for this style, but allowing free movement and appropriate shine to all its players.

The real downside to Duality is nearly exactly what downed its predecessor: interludes. While Defacement insists on creating a dark and murky environ with its death metal centerpieces, any momentum gained is quickly extinguished by unnecessary two-and-a-half-minute slurps of industrial noise and trip-hop beats. While they largely succeed in capitalizing upon the kind of place that Defacement hopes to evoke, they feel largely unnecessary and borderline derailing. This is why “Duality” is so effective as a closer, as its length provides adequate breadth and organicity for the act to seamlessly move between viciousness tinged with disharmony, slower menace, and climactic yearning melody – without interruptions or interludes. These aside, as competently as Defacement performs Duality, they nevertheless remain in limbo in capturing a unique palette – and instead evoke ghostly meanderings somewhere between Antediluvian, Plasmodium, and Ulcerate.

For all my complaints, Defacement nonetheless have created a work admirable for its sheer ambition in effectively sweeping listeners away to a place cold and otherworldly. With just enough melody to balance out the dissonance and murk, enough aggression to soar above pretense, and a stunning balance of the esoteric and punishing to get your head bobbing while admiring the bleakness, Defacement accomplishes what it sets out to do – creating their best offering thus far. However, with jarring industrial/trip-hop interludes killing momentum and a huge question mark regarding the act’s trademark beyond an amalgamation of dissodeath and blackened death’s respective echelons, Duality narrowly misses dealing a stunning blow. However, Defacement invites listeners to behold its gaping maw in blood-soaked reverie, and Duality offers its best incarnation yet.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: STREAM
Label: Avantgarde Music
Websites: defacementofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/officialdefacement
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#2024 #35 #Anguana #Antediluvian #AvantgardeMusic #AversioHumanitatis #BlackenedDeathMetal #ContinuumOfXul #CosmicPutrefaction #DeathMetal #Deathcrush #Defacement #DissonantDeathMetal #Duality #DutchMetal #EarthAndPillars #InternationalMetal #Jul24 #Plasmodium #Review #Reviews #Ulcerate #VertebraAtlantis

Disloyal – Divine Miasmata Review

By Iceberg

Polish death metal quintet Disloyal have been active since the late ‘90s yet have managed to escape the searing Angry Metal Eye up until now. This may have something to do with their genre of choice; black and post-metal are the Polish flavors of choice ‘round these parts. Or it could have to do with the looming shadows of their illustrious countrymen: Vader, Decapitated, Hate, and the increasingly out-of-place elephant in the room, Behemoth. Whatever the reason, I aim to rectify our oversight and give Disloyal their well-deserved moment in the charnel house spotlight. The band promise to deal in authentic Polish Death Metal, but peppered words like “catchy,” “atmospheric,” and “groovy” into their promo language, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect at the onset of Divine Miasmata. Pulling back the curtain on the eponymous album opener, would I find a hulking specter of the past starved for sustenance, or another carrion eater picking at the bones of giants long departed?

It’s clear from the outset that Disloyal know what kind of death metal to throw at you, the unsuspecting listener. After a surprisingly effective cinematic introduction—it’s rare that these tracks don’t feel shoehorned—you should expect to find explosions of teeth-baring tremolo and running-off-the-rails blasting, sewn together in a rough, patchwork fashion so the listener is kept on the edge of their seat. The album weaves a blasphemous, anti-religious theme, and the inclusion of spoken word and choral chants (“Divine Miasmata,” “Betrayed Faith”) and a musty, cavernous production greatly help set Divine Miasmata’s scene. Konstantin Kolesnikov utilizes a deep, rumbling roar that’s a bit one-note, but comfortably idiosyncratic, and the leads—they’re generally too short to be called solos—by main songwriter Artyom Serdyuk are impressive, pushing the bounds of tonality with leaping, highly chromatic figurations. All the performances here are professionally executed, and combined with the midnight-in-the-graveyard production Divine Miasmata leaves a strong impression, indicative of a band confident in their vision and voice.

Disloyal retain all the character of the brutal Pol-death pantheon while decorating the edges with sounds both modern and foreign. While you’ll find the traditional machine gun blasts and chuggy lines in cuts like “The Black Pope” and “Stella Peccatorum,” Disloyal stand ready with new weapons hidden up their sleeve. There’s dissodeath style harmonies and atonal, jagged figures in the guitars (“Silent Revolution”), hairpin tempo/meter shifts with little care for transitions (“Betrayed Faith”), mathcore odd time figures (“Ravens of Starvation”), and a couple outro riffs ripped from the pages of American groove metal (“The Black Pope,” “1347-1352”). All of these musical diversions should sound a jumbled mess, but the band wisely limits the number of riffs per song, extracting every once of venom and steel from each passage before moving to the next. The final product is a proudly Polish death metal record with prog and groove flourishes, paying homage to their predecessors while blazing new paths forward.

The band make a strong statement for their style, but there are still areas that could use tightening. Some of the best moments on the album end up feeling like afterthoughts when they should be highlights. The riffs ending “The Black Pope,” and “1347-1352” are neck-snappers, but they stand out awkwardly when used as a fadeout. There are two passages where the tempo and chromaticism relent and the music breathes—in the choral section of “Betrayed Faith” and the excellent denouement of closer “The Ascension of Abaddon”—but amongst the 50-minute runtime I’m disappointed there weren’t more asides like this to break up the chaos. And speaking of runtime, while I mentioned the band judiciously handles the number of riffs in their songs, some of these patterns run just past their natural finish line (see the ends of “Stella Peccatorum” and “Betrayed Faith”).

I’m happy to report that Disloyal have quietly released a quality death metal record that punches well above its weight. It takes some time to get used to the cramped production and the unrelenting nature of the lengthy, seamless compositions, but once you accept the invitation, Divine Miasmata has a world of thinking man’s brutality in store for you. Anyone yearning for the good ol’ days of Decapitated and Behemoth should give their lesser-known countrymen a spin, and fans of the proggier, blackened side of metal should pop in here as well. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the next record from these gents, and will gladly press play on Divine Miasmata the next time I need a blasphemous tongue-lashing.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s
Label: Black Lion Records | Bandcamp
Websites: facebook.com | Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: July 26, 2024

#2024 #35 #Behemoth #BlackLionRecords #BlackenedDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Decapitated #Disloyal #DivineMiasmata #Hate #Jul24 #PolishMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Vader

Assemble the Chariots – Unyielding Night Review

By Dear Hollow

Although Unyielding Night is the first full-length of Finland’s Assemble the Chariots, they have long felt more veteran than their peers. Releasing a string of EPs that transition from djenty deathcore to an early progenitor of blackened deathcore, Unyielding Night is as epic a debut as they come. Simultaneously conjuring a future of an interdimensional war among the stars with the age-old philosophy of heroism and plight, it is an album devoted to all things bombastic and cinematic. Soaring symphonic soundscapes, blazing riffs, and relentless percussion combine with an original story, it tells the tragedy of the cursed planet Aquilegia against a mysterious solar system-consuming hive-mind entity called the Evermurk – excelling in lore and mythology. Unyielding Night is a blackened deathcore album and a damn good one at that: one whose attack is effective and future is tantalizing.

Unyielding Night is the first installment of the act’s planned Ephemeral Trilogy, and Assemble the Chariots’ waste no time abusing breakneck tempos and soaring atmospheres. While the trend too often, in line with Lorna Shore’s influence, has been to copy-and-paste symphonic Dimmu Borgir-esque keys atop milquetoast deathcore,1 Assemble the Chariots walks the way of Ovid’s Withering and Mental Cruelty in its relentlessness. A penchant for riffs, a blazing intensity reminiscent of Fleshgod Apocalypse, a futuristic vision akin to Mechina, and songwriting that somehow manages to balance all of it are all features of this behemoth. Featuring a boundary-pushing fusion of the traditional and the futuristic, the epic and the dismal – Assemble the Chariots offers a journey that balances the visceral and the punishing.

While Assemble the Chariots does profess deathcore, don’t expect the antics of the low-and-slow brutalizers of decades past. Unyielding Night is absolutely relentless and caustic, tempo abusing and unabated in its bombast; even its more placid spoken word-focused interludes crescendos into insanity are noteworthy. A lethal combination, symphonic overlays contrast mightily with riffs galore, as opener “Departure,” “As Was Seen By Augurers,” and “Empress” move fluidly between cutthroat riffs and shifting moods of hope and devastation, while the darker “Reavers March” and “Equinox” match the more morose and dread-inducing subjects. Power metal’s more decadent theatricality makes appearances in the warbling tenor of “Emancipation” and the Kamelot-esque choirs of “Galactic Order” and “Keeper of the Stars” offer a more ghostly appeal. The most blackened moments occur in the tremolo and shrieking of “Empress” and “Galactic Order,” which add a neatly blasphemous and evocative dimension to the album. While inevitably Unyielding Night will conjure similarities to darker deathcore acts like Lorna Shore or Shadow of Intent, Assemble the Chariots simmers and shimmers with energy and fury.

Notably, for as high-brow and potentially alienating as this science fiction/fantasy story and its grand length are, Assemble the Chariots does an excellent job of balancing atmosphere with accessibility. The neck-snapping grooves of “Admorean Monolith” and “Keeper of the Stars” offer necessary tactical grounding on such a relentless attack in their relatively straightforward riff-centric rhythm-based address, while the chill-inducing shreds of “Evermurk” and “Empress” are easily climaxes of intensity, ensuring that Unyielding Night’s baseline of blazing has breath to grow and crescendo. Smartly composed, the album is structured with the natural dynamics of a plot, reflecting the intriguing lore that undergirds each movement and the moods reflecting the tragedy or hope contained therein. Furthermore, while lyrics growled or shrieked by vocalist Onni Holmström tell the story explicitly, they are partnered with the instrumentals, just as accountable for storytelling.

Subtlety is not a priority in Unyielding Night, and Assemble the Chariots offers an album whose intensity and pomp align impressively with the grandiosity of the tragedy of Aquilegia. As such, it’s long, it’s over-the-top, and it’s constantly intense, and likely too much for some listeners. Those nostalgic for the knuckle-dragging Hot Topic “djunzzz” eras of Chelsea Grin or Suicide Silence will also be disappointed. However, Unyielding Night is a powerful, energetic bombast that tastefully includes deathcore’s signature brutality without diving headlong into stagnation – nearly the exact opposite. The tragedy of the planet Aqualegia is told in a rich tapestry of color and emotion, and I eagerly await the next installments. Assemble the Chariots is something special.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: STREAM
Label: Seek & Strike Records
Websites: assemblethechariots.bandcamp.com | assemblethechariots.com | facebook.com/assemblethechariots
Releases Worldwide: July 22nd, 2024

#2024 #40 #AssembleTheChariots #BlackenedDeathMetal #BlackenedDeathcore #ChelseaGrin #Deathcore #DimmuBorgir #FinnishMetal #FleshgodApocalypse #Jul24 #Kamelot #LornaShore #Mechina #MentalCruelty #OvSulfur #OvidSWithering #Review #Reviews #SeekAndStrikeRecords #ShadowOfIntent #SuicideSilence #SymphonicDeathMetal #UnyieldingNight #WormShepherd

Inner Strength – Daydreaming in Moonlight Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

The face of progressive metal has warped and splintered and mutated since its origins in divergence from heavy metal. From the theatrical and rifftastical charm of Savatage to the pomp and groove of Psychotic Waltz to the emotional and shifting tug of Fates Warning, progressive music holds roots in complex narrative structures that range in tone from whimsical fantasy to deeply and painfully human. In the American arena, technicality flourished through Watchtower—and eventually Dream Theater—virtuosic elements, and intrinsic thrash pedigrees to give rise to a 90s and 00s movement that birthed bands like Zero Hour, Control Denied, and Nevermore, each ranging between these extremities of noodle-noting and tear-jerking. But before them all, Inner Strength stood at the cusp of these advents with their lone 1993 full-length Shallow Reflections making an underground splash,1 which contained all the aforementioned elements laced together with an of-the-time funk metal groove. And now, another thirty years later, that smorgasbord of influences has crested into this newest Daydreaming in Moonlight.

From Scott Oliva’s (The Nightmare Stage, ex-Wind Wraith) vocal rasp and strained harmonies to guitarist Joe Marselle’s slightly down-tuned and dry twang, every bit of Daydreaming sounds unearthed from a 1995 time capsule. With a focus on open-stringed chiming, melodic chord-driven passages (“Daydreaming in Moonlight,” “Dearly Departed”) find a hypnotic legato that recalls aggressive later-era Rush or King’s X works. Whereas bluesy, pull-off riff tension that explodes into snappy and slinky solo work pushes the Rainbow-on-thrash energy that you can hear in the still developing muscular sound of The Damnation Game-era Symphony X. And when it’s not Marselle’s winding fretwork leading the charge, drummer Joe Kirsch in his Zonderful (ex-Fates Warning, Warlord)2 and classy, hi-hat accented approach provides all the rhythmic shuffle necessary to power the progtrain. Forward motion defines Inner Strength’s approach.

But where Daydreaming really finds its secret, aged sauce is in the application of varied sonic hooks in each song. Early album cut “Face Another Hero,” and the later “Truth and Lies,” Inner Strength finds a switch-up to its groove in Voivodian chord stabs that set up a need to resolve with later soaring, melodic capriciousness. And late album romp “War Song” in contrast to its muscle-forward name marches in a constant stumble guided by a sliding nasal bass line that finds a steady thump only during the closing solo and reprise. In Daydreaming’s most modern move, Inner Strength ties up the curtains with the mammoth “The Strength Within – Part II” which pulses a few tones lower—never djent, rather Train of Thought-era Dream Theater—to tie off a journey started so long ago, an aggressive and hammer-headed in contrast to its origins.

To the ears of a prog-head reared in a post-Meshuggah world, though, Daydreaming’s exact studio playbook may not land as quickly as bass-loaded contemporary production does. Choosing to highlight instead the play and intricacy of a ghost note bolstered rhythm section, and a rise and fall guitar aesthetic, its intricacy resides mostly in higher frequencies. Mid-album anchor (and song o’ the year contender) “Dearly Departed” showcases Inner Strength’s mission best with its smoky, extended guitar intro that crashes against Olivia’s time-worn snarl and full riff contraction, only to find a histrionic charm again as choruses expand with chiming guitar resolutions and reaching vocal harmonies. Steeped in technicality without ever being overbearingly so (have fun counting “Compelled” or following the snare and cymbal dance in the closer), this choice to remain in Daydreaming’s chosen sound pocket keeps the listening experience focused while exposing its many layers.

Being the product of thirty years of planning, living, loving, listening, and losing, Daydreaming in Moonlight could be a product of these name-drops here or none of them at all—a missing link in the prog annals that never was. Inner Strength in 2024 is just as much a reimagining of their own sound as they are a refinement and iteration of learned and borrowed tricks.3 With careful devotion to mastering their works for studio bolstering—multi-tracked guitar and vocal pieces that sum to an astounding whole—Daydreaming in Moonlight soars as the opus the band always knew they could create. Any lover of idiosyncratic and fully realized progressive missions, should take notice, as Inner Strength does not have wash away again in the footnotes of emergent sounds.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Divebomb Records | Tribunal Records4
Website: facebook.com/innerstrengthny
Releases Worldwide: July 19th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AmericanMetal #ControlDenied #DaydreamingInMoonlight #DivebombRecords #DreamTheater #FatesWarning #InnerStrength #Jul24 #KingsX #LongIsland #Nevermore #ProgPower #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveThrashMetal #PsychoticWaltz #Review #Reviews #Rush #Savatage #SunriseDreamer #SymphonyX #TribunalRecords #Voivod #Warlord #Watchtower #ZeroHour

King Zog – Second Dawn Review

By GardensTale

King Something bands operating in the fuzz-heavy side of metal have historically done quite well at AMG. King Buffalo is at the top of the psych-stoner food chain. King Woman got a good score and made some waves a few years back. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard remains ever popular, and even less prominent bands like King Bastard managed to garner positive response. So I was quite hopeful picking up the sophomore record from Aussie quartet King Zog. Named for an Albanian king from last century, likely for no other reason than ‘it sounds cool,’ King Zog promises heavy Sabbathian grooves and thundering riffs. Does the King deliver what is owed?

That it does, and not an ounce more. Second Dawn is hazy desert doom stripped down to the skeleton. It heaves itself from plodding verse riff to pounding chorus riff at a blistering 75-85 bpm, chucks in a solo or two, maybe a bridge if it’s feeling fancy. The vocals are every inch the classic ‘if Ozzy can do it, so can we’ nasal drawl that doesn’t quite hold key, an afterthought in the face of the Big Damn Riff upon which bands like King Zog always come to rely. It is a paradox of high and low risk at the same time. It’s a tried and true format that countless bands have produced perfectly fine records with, but that makes it very difficult to stand out. Any attempt to color outside the lines can as easily spell disaster as it does salvation, but playing it safe is the best way to be forgotten as soon as the listener hits ‘skip.’

King Zog tries to walk the line and not tip the scales. Its main deviation from the norm is the guitar tone, a smart area to focus on. Stoner doom bands have a tendency to drown everything in fuzz and reverb, dissolving entire albums into blurry mush. Here, the tone is compact, muscular, and colossal, like a striding beast with eyes full of rage. It grants clarity and contrast, increasing the heft and impact of every Big Damn Riff that thunders along. “Hollow Man Blues” trudges and grinds through several variations of its main riff, interspersed with some very sweet solos, and the energy increases enough with the back-to-back combo of “Madagascar Tree” and “Brute Beast” for the crunching hooks to do some serious damage.

But the riffs-per-minute ratio is really not up to snuff for an album so reliant on them. “Rat King” has about 2.5 acceptable specimens, repeated and smeared out over 7 minutes and 13 seconds. “Creep On” may be shorter, but the quality of its melody is decreased to match, often getting stuck on empty-eyed single-chord repetition. The title track has some sweet solos and a groovy bopping riff, but it’s beaten to death for half the track before anything more interesting happens. Whenever the guitars aren’t enough to hold attention, the vocals try to support, but the wavering double-tracked drawl is not strong enough to fill the void.

I don’t want to be too harsh on King Zog, though. The flaws of Second Dawn are evident, but they are diffuse enough for the album to stave off boredom or irritation. There are enough fun riffs to wile away a spin or two, and the above-average production lets them shine in all their heaving beauty. Second Dawn isn’t gonna win any prizes, but if you like stoner doom that’s not afraid to get in your face, you can do a whole lot worse.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Rue Morgue Records
Websites: marchofkingzog.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/marchkingzog
Releases Worldwide: July 31st, 2024

#25 #2024 #AustralianMetal #BlackSabbath #DoomMetal #Jul24 #KingBastard #KingBuffalo #KingGizzardTheLizardWizard #KingWoman #KingZog #Review #Reviews #RueMorgueRecords #SecondDawn #StonerMetal

Powerwolf – Wake Up the Wicked Review

By Holdeneye

I’ve always adored the Powerwolf aesthetic. The use of the band’s hyper-aggressive werewolf mascot on most of their album covers and the over-the-top liturgical sacrilege of the band’s appearance and sound never fail to make me crack a smile. Maybe it’s the juxtaposition of my childhood faith tradition with my rebellious latter-day metal sainthood, but grandiose organ music about blasphemous themes is a chocolate-and-peanut-butter-level combo for me. I first cut my Powerwolf canines on 2011 release Blood of the Saints, a record I still consider to be legitimately great, and I’ve generally found something to enjoy on each subsequent release. 2015’s Blessed and Possessed was another highlight, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention 2018’s Song o’ the Year, “Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” I fully intended to cover the band’s most recent release, Call of the Wild, but life got in the way. So when I saw Wake Up the Wicked sitting out in the yard all by itself, I knew I couldn’t sleep on it.

I’ve always seen Sabaton and Powerwolf as somewhat kindred spirits; both projects have a consistent lyrical schtick, a gruff-voiced frontman, and specialize in Judas Priest-esque heavy metal embellished by power metal. Much like Sabaton at this point in their career, it would be insane to expect a band like Powerwolf to significantly alter their sound, so it comes as no surprise that Wake Up the Wicked sounds just like most of their other albums. Single “1589” sounds like it actually could have come off any Sabaton record as it gives us a key-drenched heavy metal history lesson about the grisly execution of alleged werewolf Peter Stumpp.

Powerwolf has two modes, one where they’re at their most brilliant, bombastic best, and one where their output is adequate but unexceptional. I found Blood of the Saints to be almost 100% in that former category of greatness with its huge choruses and infectious energy, and there are a couple of songs here that nearly reach those heights. The aforementioned “1589” and its bookend neighbors, “Heretic Hunters” and “Viva Vulgata,” create a pretty strong run of pompous pugnacity as vocalist Attila Dorn soars through choruses destined to invade and spread within your short-term memory. “Heretic Hunters,” especially, is the kind of tune that keeps me chained to the Powerwolf tree year after year.

Unfortunately, most of Wake Up the Wicked falls into Powerwolf’s more middle-of-the-road category. “Joan of Arc” once again sounds like Sabaton, but this time it feels like a second-rate version. “Thunderpriest” wastes its incredible name on an unremarkable fast-paced charge, and almost all of the other tracks that I haven’t mentioned land in proficient-but-not-memorable territory. As usual, the production suits the band’s huge sound, and just about everything here fits nicely within the band’s aesthetic. I just wish that a bit more of the album’s eleven tracks and 37 minutes demanded repeat listens. I generally measure my enjoyment of a Powerwolf album on the number of moments that bring out my invisible oranges or that cause me to involuntarily play the air-pipe organ, and, alas, those moments are far to infrequent on this record.

Wake Up the Wicked may be bombastic and competently executed, but there just aren’t enough highlights to warrant a whole-hearted recommendation. If you like Powerwolf, you’ll likely find this album to be perfectly fine, but outside of a couple playlistable tracks, you’ll find little to keep you around past your cursory listens.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: powerwolf.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/powerwolfmetal | powerwolf.net
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#25 #2024 #GermanMetal #HeavyMetal #JudasPriest #Jul24 #NapalmRecords #PowerMetal #Powerwolf #Review #Reviews #Sabaton #WakeUpTheWicked

Void Witch – Horripilating Presence Review

By Cherd

One of the joys of being a music scene deep diver is liking what you hear of a brand-spanking-new band’s demos and EPs, watching them sign to a label, and anticipating their debut full-length. The Austin, Texas death-doom outfit Void Witch caught my attention with their first demo in 2021. The songs were remarkably fleshed out for being a band’s first-ever output, and I enjoyed the funny little black-and-white illustration of a hooded figure with five legs all pointing to the side. We’ll call him Five Feets Francis. A couple years later I noticed that Everlasting Spew re-released that demo with an additional song and a new illustration in the same style. I call that guy Pope Alligator Hands the Third. This was a great sign, since Everlasting Spew already had death doom heavy hitters Convocation and Fossilization on their formidable roster, and they were hearing the same promise I was in Void Witch. Three years after that first demo sees the arrival of the band’s debut LP, Horripilating Presence.1 Has our faith in their abilities been well placed?

Opening track “Grave Mistake” seems to say “no,” but that’s just the title. Musically, it’s a bold statement of intent that grabs you with the first few dolorous notes and sudden dramatic lead guitars. It’s hard not to be all in on the style Void Witch crafted: death doom with all the heavy crunch and trudging pace of the genre’s usual tropes, but with generous doses of traditional heavy metal flair. This comes out in harmonized guitar leads and dexterous solos like those found on “Grave Mistake” and its bookend “Horripilating Presence,” but it’s also in the fun word pictures songs like “Supernova of Brain and Bone” and “Thousand Eyed Stalactite” paint. If you’re looking for touchstones there’s a bit of Worm and a bit of Hooded Menace in their sound, but Void Witch have their own flavor, partly due to the relatively clean production job for a style that is often intentionally murky.

The demo impressed me with its confidence, but the material on Horripilating Presence is Mohamed Ali levels of confident. The editing of ideas in each song and across the album’s taut 39 minutes is masterful, especially for a debut. No song hews too closely to any of the others, but all are of a piece, locking comfortably into place like an intricate puzzle box, and Void Witch have such wonders to show you. The oscillation between morose foot-dragging, punchy gallops, and triumphant guitars make “Grave Mistake” one of the best songs I’ve heard in 2024. This record is all about the progressions, like the one on “Supernova of Bone and Brain” where a chugging stomp leads into an intricate solo before both fall off a cliff as the regal central riff from earlier in the song brings the things home. It’s hard to overstate the maturity of this record, which feels like the third or fourth release by an ascendant band.

One of the surest ways to impress me is to seamlessly integrate multiple influences and aural textures into compositions that flow like water across the path of least resistance, and that’s exactly what Void Witch does. A song like the closing title track is a masterclass in balancing slowly evolving atmosphere with hard-charging grooves and the kind of heaviness only death metal can bring. Elsewhere, “Malevolent Demiurge” and “Supernova…” peddle in the kind of stately riff craft made famous by Paradise Lost. No section outstays it’s welcome, no riff repeats one too many times, there’s the right ratio of weedly solos to thick slabs of murk. If I had one nitpick it would be that “Second Demon” is a step down from the other songs in memorability, but even that one grew on me over subsequent listens.

As much as it’s a reviewer’s job to dispassionately assess the successes and missteps artists make in their work, no one wants to see a band take their early promise, buff it till it gleams, and top it with a pretty bow more than we do, because we’re first and foremost fans of musicians. I’m very pleased to tell you Void Witch knocked it out of the park on their first at bat.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Websites: voidwitchtx.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/voidwitchtx
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AmericanMetal #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #EverlastingSpewRecords #HoodedMenace #HorripilatingPresence #Jul24 #ParadiseLost #Review #Reviews #VoidWitch #Worm

Imperia – Dark Paradise Review

By GardensTale

You all know this is corsetcore. You saw the computer-generated snake and apple, read the album title. The only thing that could make it more obvious would be the heavily airbrushed and photoshopped vocalist in Victorian dress. Alas, you’ll have to make do with a woman who’s been turned into a tree instead. Imperia is not a household name like Nightwish, but don’t count them out just yet. Helena Iren Michaelsen helped found both Epica and Trail of Tears, and has been hammering at the road with this particular outfit for 2 decades, with Dark Paradise the 7th attempt to claim the spotlight. Dear Doom in his probationary period did not approve of their prior output,1 so does the new one fair better?

Well… Somewhat. In my experience with corsetcore, the genre itself is not usually the problem. A nu-metal band would have to actively skirt the archetypes of the genre to be any good. Corsetcore, on the other hand, could easily take a similar position as power metal, a lighthearted, grand, and fun experience with a lot of room for variety and identity. Its purveyors just seem to stumble on a wide variety of obvious obstacles, over and over and over again. Grating electronics awkwardly crammed into the composition? “Better Place” starts the album with them and “Reflection” kills its verses with them. Mawkish balladry? The album finishes with not one but two, of which “Lost Souls” is the grandstanding variety and “The Demons’ Fireplace” the small and melancholic. The lead vocals suddenly adopting the voice of Snow White’s evil stepmother in her old crone disguise while still singing opera? I must admit, that one was new, but “Void of Emptiness” takes a hard right into unintentional comedy with it.

But amongst everything embarrassing, there’s a lot of decent material. When Michaelsen eschews the opera, her voice is strong, warm and clear, and the songwriting has plenty of solid hooks, both vocal and instrumental. “Better Place” has a rousing chorus that makes it easier to forget the misplaced synth beep-boops, and “Soldiers of Hell” uses MENA scales and actual growls to paint an effective picture of an army marching through the desert. “Reach My Tears” is probably the strongest track here though, with an infectious tin whistle melody that recalls the better works of Eluveitie. Whereas Doom complained about Imperia’s lack of restraint with its orchestrations, Dark Paradise is a more balanced affair, where the guitars get to do more than dull background chuggery and the canned symphonics don’t blow everything else out of the water.

And yet, the overall impression I walk away with is ‘messy.’ Variety is the spice of life, but Imperia doesn’t seem to know when to use which spice. When Michaelsen does employ her operatic vocals, it feels arbitrary more often than not. From awkward mismatches between phrasing and meter to perfunctory instrumentation that distracts and detracts from the flow, Imperia leaves few opportunities to throw a wrench in its own works. Even the better tracks aren’t free from this over-embellishment; enjoying “Reach My Tears” to its fullest requires ignoring a hard tonal clash in the pre-chorus when the vocals go from melodious build-up to a poorly contrasted yell before slipping back into harmonization.

It’s frustrating because all the elements are here for Imperia to make a really solid symphonic power metal album. Michaelsen has an excellent voice, the stronger compositions have some solid, banging choruses, and there’s plenty of variation and imaginative songwriting. Even the production is a step up from the average of its contemporaries, who frequently crush the orchestra to glue. When this band’s on fire, it has the potential to join the top of the genre. But with 100 toys at their disposal, Imperia feels the need to use at least 99 of them, whether well-advised or not. Dark Paradise is a lurching journey with many bumps along the road, and by the end, my stomach feels more shaken than my heart does stirred. But if you have a soft spot for this stuff, do give it a whirl, because you’re sure to pick up a few tracks for your NightWithinEpiDelAranthe playlist.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Massacre Records
Websites: imperiaband.com | facebook.com/imperiaband
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#20 #2024 #DarkParadise #Eluveitie #Epica #Imperia #InternationalMetal #Jul24 #MassacreRecords #Nightwish #PowerMetal #Review #Reviews #SymphonicMetal #TrailOfTears

Black Lava – The Savage Winds of Wisdom Review

By Iceberg

Some musicians pour all their energies into one project, shaping and molding until they’ve chiseled their own David out of sonic marble. Others, like the members of Melbourne’s Black Lava, mix aural color across different mediums, leaving different permutations of themselves in the wake. Consisting of members of Vipassi, Ne Obliviscaris, and Metalstorm, these Aussies emerged from the wilderness two years ago with Soul Furnace, a sludgy platter of death metal completely different from its associated acts. Not content to rest on their laurels, the trio has churned out their sophomore album, The Savage Winds of Wisdom, two years later. The band aims to expand their horizons on this LP, incorporating elements of tech-death and black metal into their proven death-n-roll palette. As the first raindrops of “Colour of Death” begin to fall, whether or not Black Lava can concoct a new amalgamation remains to be seen.

It’s telling that Black Lava’s members come from disparate side projects because the musical DNA of the band’s sound is hard to pin down. There are HM-2 Swedeath moments throughout, and the highly varied drumming style reminds me of fellow countrymen Werewolves, but the band seem to keep their influences close to the chest. What we can discern is the differences between this and the previous album. TSWoW hits harder and meaner than Soul Furnace and has largely left the sludge and punk influences behind (excepting opener “Colour of Death”). There’s a real sense of cinematic horror here, with Rob Watkins employing a cavernous, narrative vocal style not unlike The Vision Bleak (“Dark Legacy,” “Unsheathing Nightmares”). There are meaty riffs to be found here and there (the openings of “Wrapped in Filth” and Ironclad Sarcophagus”) but guitarist Ben Boyle feels slightly underused, acting in a supporting, atmospheric role to the chameleon-like performance of drummer Dan Presland. Black Lava is a group of accomplished professionals, but a well-rounded album must be greater than the sum of its parts.

The tracks in TSWoW can be split into two, broad categories; those that play it safe, and those that push the edges of the band’s creativity. Unsurprisingly, the songs with more trimmed runtimes belong to the former category. The band toys around with signature unison rhythms designed to worm into the listener’s brain (“Dark Legacy,” “Wrapped in Filth”) amid flashes of death-n-roll (“Ironclad Sarcophagus”) and atmospheric synths (“Pagan Dust”) to augment the death metal base. I highlight the opening salvo, comprised of the first three tracks, as unusually tepid when compared to the music to come. Everything in this category is well executed from a musical standpoint, but the constant mid-paced tempo and drum-forward, mostly guitar solo-less construction feels weaker amongst the other, more adventurous tracks.

Starting somewhere in mid-album track “Unsheathing Nightmares” Black Lava settle in and let their imagination fly. The focus on a narrative storyline involving witches and swords(?) Injects much needed thrash energy and kicks the album into a higher gear. Subsequent riffs feel stronger, locking into place (“Summoning Shadows”). Presland finds new ways to use the drum kit (“Sanguis Lupus”) and those previously mentioned synths in “Pagan Dust” are a breath of fresh air that need more time in the sun. But the band save their real ambition for the eponymous closer, which contains some of the most unexpected, intriguing death metal I’ve heard this year. The first half of the track features the band as Frankenstein, with hyperactive drums clashing against chunky chords and ghostly arpeggiations in a way that shouldn’t work, but alchemically, it does.1 Ne Obliviscaris’ Benjamin Baret really gets his teeth into a guest solo spot on the song’s outro, but it’s marred by a coda that grinds on far too long. It’s a shame because the four minutes of “The Savage Winds of Wisdom” preceding that envision a fertile breeding ground for the future of Black Lava.

It’s plain that The Savage Winds of Wisdom represents a big step in the right direction for Black Lava. They’ve shed their jammier sludge beginnings for a more straightforward death template, and have begun to branch out into some less populated musical areas (“Sanguis Lupus,” “The Savage Winds of Wisdom”). Black Lava has already proven they’re a competent group of musicians; their next act involves them cementing their own personal sound and fury. I’m excited to see where they go next and recommend this record to fans of atmosphere-drenched death metal that’s not afraid to push the envelope.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: July 12th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AustralianMetal #BlackLava #BlackenedDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Jul24 #Metalstorm #NeObliviscaris #OccultRock #Review #Reviews #SeasonOfMist #SludgeMetal #TheSavageWindsOfWisdom #TheVisionBleak #ThrashMetal #Vipassi #Werewolves

Morbus Grave – Feasting the Macabre Review

By Steel Druhm

2022 saw the debut by Italian death metal low-lifers Morbus Grave splatter on the walls of the metalverse like so much gore slop. Lurking into Absurdity was like a moist and sticky love letter to Autopsy, Impetigo, and Pungent Stench, with no fucks given for refinement or subtlety. It was caustic, greasy and sleazy and therefore it was good (shit)fun for all. The band crammed in ominous doom segments with a vague second-wave black metal vibe and it all came together in delightfully nauseating ways. I still go back to it when I need a booster shot of distasteful abominations so it must have struck a raw nerve. Fast-forward a scant year and change and we get the diseased follow-up Feasting the Macabre and surprise, surprise, it sounds like a pus-filled blister torn open to reveal the grotesqueries within. It’s gross-out death metal for those who wish Autopsy sounded less healthy and hygienic, and it all but guarantees you’ll need a hydrochloric acid sponge bath when it’s all over. Are you on board yet, you sick little freak?

The Morbus Grave blueprint is more or less the same here, with punky, rowdy death mixed with doom and blackened edges, but the overall product feels a touch more “polished” and “smooth” this time. That said, this is still a big ole bucket of pig entrails and goat semen that was left in the sun all day. The stench of extremity fills the ear nostrils immediately on proper opener “Where Evil Dwells.” It sounds creepy, low-fi, sludgy and all-around shitty as it lurches from mid-tempo gallops to unsteady, wobbly blasting. The Autopsy-isms are mixed with The Return era Bathory and touches of punky d-beatery for maximum destruction and it works. Frontman Erman sounds like he’s having a massive brain seizure and by the end he sounds like he’s in vocal rigor mortis. “Funeral Embodiment” is thrashy and savage with sweet vocal bits that reek of early Mayhem. The minimalist yet unusual riffs are fun, as are Erman’s increasingly deranged vocals.

Back-to-back ass kickers “Congregation of the Exult” and “Feasting the Macabre” are high points loaded with slimy riffs and unsettling vocal excess. There’s a blunt force to the former that’s nicely offset by eerie, creepy moments that sound like horror soundtrack bits, and the latter is d-beaty caveman thuggism and it’s so goddamn thick and slimy, it’s like slipping on someone’s intestines and falling into a mass grave. “Dissolving Obscurity” also deserves mention for its Winter-meets Mayhem-meets-Autopsy cluster fuck of gruesomeness. This one is a queasy little puppy that will make folks question your metal health. At an anorexic 28 minutes (including an intro, outro, and one interlude), there’s not much meat on the rotting bone. The sheer brevity makes Feasting the Macabre feel like a too-quick dip in an abattoir’s waste collection pool, and it comes across as somewhat incomplete. It has high points, but a few numbers don’t quite rise to that next level of essential death metal listening, which is annoying on such a short offering. Then again, Morbus Grave aren’t the band to drop a Record o’ the Year anyway. They just club you with a shit-splattered bat and leave you to die in pain, and I respect that.

As with last time, the star of the show is Erman and his twisted, hideous throat tortures. This guy takes the Chris Reifert model and goes 10 layers deeper into revolting unhingement. He rampages across every song like a loony toony cookie monster and his overdoing it is a big part of the fun. Edy and Blacksodomagickkk (don’t ask) do a lot with a little, utilizing minimalist riffs that walk the line between death and black metal and generally sound really olde. They d-beat, they thrash, they chug, and at key moments they doom, but they do it all in a threadbare way that sounds evil and enigmatic. Meanwhile, Danny Guerra pounds away at the kit with great vengeance and furious anger. He’s not the most polished pummeller in the biz, but you get pulverized nonetheless.

Morbus Grave are good at their very specific brand of damp, bloody death metal and they’re in the running to carry the banner brandished by Autopsy should those legendary sleazebags move on to shittier pastures. You can snag Feasting the Macabre without fear of being let down because this stuff is more fun than a gallon of spoiled shrimp milk. It’s a fast, fun shotgun blast to the face and we all need that sometimes. Don’t play this at work though, ever.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Memento Mori
Websites: morbusgrave1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/morbusgrave |
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Autopsy #DeathMetal #FeastingTheMacabre #Impetigo #ItalianMetal #Jul24 #LurkingIntoAbsurdity #Mayhem #MementoMoriRecords #MorbusGrave #Review #Reviews

Ironflame – Kingdom Torn Asunder Review

By Holdeneye

It’s a little known fact that traditional metal is scientifically proven to possess therapeutic qualities. While anecdotal, you should consider my own experience to be even more authoritative than any evidence that science can produce. Whenever I’m feeling down about my work, my home responsibilities, or just life in general, putting on some tunes about warriors valiantly battling in the name of duty and honor usually kickstarts my heart and returns the gleam to the eye of my tiger. Ironflame, the traditional metal platform of Nechochwen’s Andrew d’Cagna, was formed in 2016, and since that time, the project has released four stellar platters of classic heavy metal. The name Ironflame has twice graced my year-end list, so upon the announcement of fifth album Kingdom Torn Asunder, I almost gave in to the urge to reserve the record a spot on my 2024 contenders list. I ultimately decided that I should probably listen to the music first.

Ironflame’s approach to trad-metal has always been formulaic, but I certainly don’t mean that in a derogatory way. I love formulas. I love knowing that if I plug an input into a formula that I can count on the result being pure and true. So it goes with Kingdom Torn Asunder, but I had very little doubt that the album would be well executed and enjoyable. First single “Soul Survivors” demonstrates that the band’s sound hasn’t changed one iota; it still sounds like latter-day Iron Maiden, if Bruce and co. specialized in concise, energetic metal anthems instead of bloated monstrosities. The track’s driving rhythms and layered vocals have had a way of burrowing into my mind, where they’ve squatted rent-free for weeks.

Of Kingdom Torn Asunder’s eight standard-version tracks, all eight hit the target. Barn-burners like opener “Blood and Honor,” “Standing Tall,” and “Majesty of Steel Druhm” hit hot and heavy, while the band’s penchant for killer mid-paced numbers is reprised with the likes of “Mistress of Desire,” “Shadow of the Reaper,” and the amazing “Sword of a Thousand Truths.” The way the band approaches the latter, a song inspired by perhaps my favorite South Park episode of all time, in such a deadly serious way, is the embodiment of what traditional heavy metal is all about for me. Pure gold.

I don’t have anything to complain about here. The performances, production, and aesthetic are all killer, and the songwriting matches that quality. As usual, d’Cagna handles everything except the solos, and, as usual, he demonstrates that he’s a one-man medieval fantasy army. His drumming thunders like the hooves of an oncoming Steppe horde, his rhythm guitar bites harder than a dwarven battle axe, and his vocals resound with an incredibly high charisma score. There’s not a single song here that fails to speak to my warrior soul, and that includes my promo’s two CD version-only bonus tracks. The standard version’s eight tracks go for about 40 minutes, and it is simply *chef’s kiss*.

Ironflame’s last album, Where Madness Dwells, was a top-10 inclusion for me, and if you put a sword to my neck and forced me to choose, I’d say that Kingdom Torn Asunder is even stronger. D’Cagna has molded Ironflame into one of the coolest representatives of the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal, and these tunes of honor and glory will be lifting my sword, and my spirits, for the rest of the year.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: High Roller Records
Websites: ironflame.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ironflameusa
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AmericanMetal #HeavyMetal #HighRollerRecords #IronMaiden #Ironflame #Jul24 #KingdomTornAsunder #Nechochwen #Review #Reviews

Death Racer – From Gravel to Grave Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier

I’m not sure what is happening in 2024, but the motor racing industry keeps making its way into metal albums. The first of the year was the surprisingly good self-titled release from I Am the Intimidator. Austria’s Death Racer continues this trend with their debut album, From Gravel to Grave. While I Am the Intimidator focused on the final moments of racing legend Dale Earnhardt, From Gravel to Grave explores racing globally. That said, the overall theme is the same: the lives taken in this high-octane sport. But, Death Racer does it a little differently, incorporating some late ’80s black, speed, and thrash into the mix. The result is a filthy, gear-grinding effort that feels like an insane mix of old-school NWOBHM, Exciter, Bulldozer, modern-day Darkthrone, and a touch of Bathory. It’s an ugly mix that seems to have faded away since the ’90s but these road warriors care little about that. So, let’s pump that motherfucker gasoline (again).

According to the promotional materials, Death Racer came about due to Razor’s song “Deathrace,” off their impressive debut record, Executioner’s Song. Though there are few comparisons between From Gravel to Grave and Razor’s early days, the inspiration is still there. With gnarly rasps and screams buried behind the guitars and drums, Death Racer focuses on bass-heavy riffs that speed, thrash, and drag bloody knuckles across the asphalt. Lyrically, the album ventures from the absurd (“Traumatized in Traffic Jam Ejection”) to the whiplashing (“Racers of Death”); from the lost lives in infamous races (“Imola ’94 (From Gravel to Grave)”) to notorious race tracks (“Nordschleife”). The vibes range from fun and upbeat NWOBHM tracks to relentless black/thrash charges and sinister, building doom. It’s a wild ride that surprised me regardless of how many times I’ve heard this style before.

“Motormentor” begins the album with a bass lead that pushes through a vile, unpolished black/speed charge. The rasping, screaming vocals hide behind the guitars as they spit and vomit all over the track. After the guitars and drums rip and tear with a relentless attitude, the song deviates as the bass resurfaces to drag this thing to its finish. While a solid opener, it has nothing on the pace and attitude of “Inverted Crossroads.” Though hilariously titled, this track slays. After opening with a simple sound byte, the drums take off with a bone-shattering display of power. The song alternates between this colossal performance and a smooth groove before giving way to the bass guitar. Then, the bass begins a new climb that erupts into the mightiest display of aggression on the album.

“Racers of Death,” “Traumatized in Traffic Jam Ejection,” and the closer, “S.M. Death Worship,” are other enjoyable ones. “Racers of Death” charges off the line with a slick, old-school speed lick that fuses with some NWOBHM character. It has some clever stop-start moments where the bass and drums rebuild the song before the guitars come crashing down, emphasized by the vocalist’s hacking phlegm. “S.M. Death Worship” is another bruiser that uses the bass and drums to create new builds even when the tires are no longer on their rims. It powers through speedy licks, and old-school transitions, and even shows off some big Bathory-esque clean vocals during its six-minute runtime. Even with those cool oddities, “Traumatized in Traffic Jam Ejection” is the most unique track on the album. Though it only sports spoken-word passages, its dragging-knuckle attitude is a pleasing break from the black/speed/thrash onslaught. It also uses these basic elements to introduce new variations of the riffage, ascending with each iteration.

As it seems to be happening to me lately, From Gravel to Grave is another record that is better on its back half than the front. Though there are plenty of stellar tracks, others don’t quite grab me with the same urgency. For example, the two opening tracks, “Motormentor” and “Nordschleife.” They aren’t bad but they can’t hold a Formula One cup over the others. And while “Imola ’94 (From Gravel to Grave)” is interesting, I prefer it skips the effect-laden guitars in its introduction and gets on with it. For a debut album crafted in a style as old as Steel, From Gravel to Grave is memorable enough to keep me coming back. It’s a filthy record with ridiculous lyrics and concepts, but I can get behind it for what it is. So, if you like your metal dripping with burned oil, you should check this out.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Dying Victims Productions | Bandcamp
Websites: facebook.com/deathracerspeedmetal
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AustrianMetal #Bathory #BlackMetal #Bulldozer #Darkthrone #DeathRacer #DyingVictimsProductions #Exciter #FromGravelToGrave #IAmTheIntimidator #Jul24 #Razor #Review #Reviews #SpeedMetal #ThrashMetal

ColdCell – Age of Unreason Review

By Thus Spoke

Sometimes an album’s artwork is just perfect. The art for ColdCell’s Age of Unreason is one such example. A man—his state of undress suggesting hermitude, a rejection of civilisation, or perhaps just haste—running across a landscape littered with skulls whose faces are frozen in grotesque masks, a burning sun dominating the scene, and everything save that rag drained of all colour. Escape, and freedom from modern society come instantly to mind; or perhaps it is our protagonist who is the barbarian—uncivilised, and literally stepping on others in pursuit of his own goal. Whichever interpretation one chooses, they fit equally well, as ColdCell “venture deeper into social abysses and explore the (un)reason of being.” It is not misanthropy, but a lament over humankind’s discordant, destructive ways, and apathy towards the suffering of others that characterises this album. And it pairs quite magnificently with ColdCell’s own brand of eerie black metal.

ColdCell don’t fix what isn’t broken, their black metal remains imbued with layers of drawling melancholic melodies that pleasingly blunt the serrated edge of harsh vocals and vitriolic tremolo. Having the drummer of Schammasch in their midst, it’s perhaps no coincidence that they have historically sounded a little like a less long-winded iteration of that band, while in terms of delivery coming close to Dymna Lotva. Make no mistake, however, they are a unique force all of their own. Misanthropic nihilism has always been the characteristic core of their music, and this comes through both in these undulating waves of sinister, desperate refrains, but equally through vocals that are not only barbed and bleeding with pathos, but also thoughtful and articulate. And ColdCell seem to be following their own conceptual and musical train of thought to its next logical step. Whereas prior album The Greater Evil felt like a cry of anguish and rage, Age of Unreason trades in something closer to apathy, dialling down on the humming atmospheres in exchange for a more balanced blend of ambient and progressive that trades some beauty for brute force, but keeps a strong emotional heart.

Because of this new approach, Age of Unreason strikes with a little more immediacy than its predecessor, whilst retaining a signature urgent atmosphere. The band have a knack for laying down drama in deceptively few strokes, keeping it at a constant state of urgency, without breaching the boundary of overwrought, and thus creating endless, shivery tension. Every track builds seamlessly, and there’s something undeniable about the endlessly circling, driving rhythm, the interplay between a dragging chord or a hanging note and the flutters of rollovers (“Left,” “Meaningless,” “Discord”), the muted flurry of riffs (“Hope and Failure”) and the pulse of ambience. Rushes of buzzing tremolo veiled in warm, electric smoke draw out the refrain into an adrenaline-fuelled charge (“Hope and Failure,” “Sink our Souls”), bridge the gap between a line-ending howl of a lyric (“Left,” “Discord”), or stalk upwards before exploding (“Meaningless”). Amplifying the pathos is the clearest vocal delivery of ColdCell’s career, making for some deliciously morbid moments (One thing in life is certain: that we are all going to die, eventually – “Hope and Failure” ), as well as pure thrilling ones where the album name (“Left” ) or song title (“Discord”) are belted out. All happening as percussion slips away; or a crawl turns to a stampede or the instrumentation erupts into a frenzy of panicked, fluttering black metal.

The record’s particular flavour of despondency emanates even through the very tone of the guitars, and the yearning key of minor themes that span each song, carrying a common thread. Just as in previous albums, this dour sentiment lends furious and atmospheric passages alike a solemnity, tinged with a discomfiting twist when a line slips into dissonance just for a moment (“Meaningless,” “Sink our Souls”). Despite this, Age of Unreason feels a little shallower, musically anyway than that which came before. It cleaves faster to the mind, but its wounds it leaves are less deep, certainly, at least, than The Greater Evil. While symptomatic of the record’s bleak concept, and coming with the benefit of more immediately striking compositions and stickier refrains, it feels, however slightly, like a kind of step down. This is no fault in production—the master is perfectly clear—but rather a case of the wails being less agonised, the climaxes less soul-rending, the songs reaching just a little less far.

Let not the above cloud your judgement; Age of Unreason is a very good record. In a world where black metal is so easily a regurgitation of a tired formula, or pleasant vibey-ness on the atmospheric end, ColdCell prove, again, that they stand out. Intriguing, compelling, and layered, it belongs in the upper echelons of modern extreme music, and deserves—and will easily get—many reslistens.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: AOP Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#2024 #35 #AgeOfUncreason #AOPRecords #AtmosphericBlackMetal #BlackMetal #ColdCell #DymnaLotva #Jul24 #MelodicBlackMetal #Review #Reviews #Schammasch #SwissMetal

Verni – Dreadful Company Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Few bands in the thrash business have remained as enjoyable through their dips and resurgences as New Jersey’s very own gutter brigade Overkill. And since The Lubricunts dissolved to form that unsung thrash titan, bottom-rumbler D.D. Verni has been pluckin’ low and clangy under scooped riffs and snarled anthems for the better part of forty-four years, equally as integral to the Overkill grime as Bobby Blitz’s trash-tongued antics. So it’s understandable then that Verni’s output, being born of a mind—D.D. Verni performs everything here—that has reveled in riffs with a sticky crunch, has aimed to take a step back to roots, back to rock ‘n’ roll. After all, nothing says “hello from the gutter” like a cranked amp shootin’ a power chord across the airwaves.

That louder-than-loud and windows-down philosophy builds the core, the cover, and crannies of what Verni offers with Dreadful Company. The second in line of Verni’s solo works, this newest sound collection lands on the heels on 2018’s Barricade, which saw thick-rhythm guitar music in the vein Queens of the Stone Age or the scuzzy drawl of Black Label Society. But it seems that between then and Dreadful Company, Verni himself decided that he needed to turn the dial back further to the sound of The Ramones-era punk, letting just a few chords and song-title choruses do the heavy lifting (almost every song up to “Thanks for the Memories”). Heck, with the spell-out sneer of “L-U-N-K-H-E-A-D, Lunkhead! Lunkhead!” (“Lunkhead”), Verni threatens to be damn near fun and wholesome—a far cry from the dirt and spit image of his younger days—at least until he let’s the Jersey out and turns call to “stupid fuck” instead of “lunkhead.”

Of course, it’s natural for artists to evolve and work in different lanes, so all of these changes aren’t wholly bothersome, not so much as Verni’s inability to cobble together a diverse assortment of tunes, anyway. If it weren’t for those clearly audible title shouts, it’d be difficult to place where you are in the first twenty minutes through which Verni with bouncing yet predictable fervor. And yes, that is twenty minutes to prowl through five songs, which in this punk-worship lane is far too long. The tempo runs just a bit under what a snappy brawl might entail. The choruses follow cut-and-paste melodies between each other, reducing the impact of catchy phrases like “The whore, the whore, the whore with see-through shooooes” and “Thanks for the memories, thanks for the memoriiiies” (“The Whore with the See-Thru Shoes,” “Thanks for the Memories”). And Verni also borrows passages from classic works (“Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” in “Thanks…,” “Pachelbel’s Canon” in “Call of the Highway”), even tossing in a pointless cover of Bachman–Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business,” to no impact other than added time.

At least Verni knows how to keep performances tight and professional, though that’s the least you’d expect of someone who has been at it this long. Yet in this niche of old-timey worship in which Dreadful Company lives, the lack of warmth and depth in the tones and production rings frustrating. In particular, a majority of songs present up-front with loud guitars, which isn’t a problem on its own. But with the lack in character in its tone, this wall of sound blends into the same mass every time its present, despite the trademark bass underpinning. On “Wild Horses” Verni takes a breather on this style to work in a classic blues rock lick that opens space tasteful rhythmic exploration and vocal harmonization—Verni’s voice could use a bit more edge all-around, but it’s pleasant enough, especially when layered.

No one expected Verni to reinvent the wheel, but when the promise is rock, I at least want to roll. With a name as known as Overkill, it’s easy to form expectations, though. However, even when removed of that pedigree, Verni’s mission doesn’t change: to deliver unbranded rock ‘n’ roll with a blush of toughness and grit enough to pare down the most glaring of snags. Faceless, formulaic, and frustrating, Dreadful Company plates a forty-five-minute experience that sums to far less than what peak radio rock would offer. And in a world where rock as a simple format must go against annals that run deep and wide with acclaim, Dreadful Company isn’t enough to achieve any kind of repeated airplay.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: M-Theory Audio | Bandcamp
Websites: facebook.com/ddverni | ddverni.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

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