I'm not too surprised that I've never heard of Mirrorcell until sometime this week. They released their debut album Long Nights in Lovescape (sounds like if someone spent all night using an AI dating app) two months ago. It's an album that can go back and forth from ethereal to intense, but it ends up inconsistent with only a few exciting tracks.

The album's sound is basically alt-metalcore with some shoegaze. I find the more shoegaze side of them a little too much, often interfering with the times when the band is meant to go heavy. As a result, the offering is plagued with generic tracks. And in the few that are actually fun to listen to, it's because of the experimentation they add to the sound. It's really only then that I realize the band's true potential...

I'm not gonna go through most of the first half of the album in detail because of how sh*tty it is (the Cane Hill feature making me remember why I'm done with that band), the worst offending track being "Otherside". It sounds worse in the composition than everything else and shows how f***ing generic ALT-metalcore at times, which is part of why The Gateway is no longer for me. Let's just skip through some tracks to the ones I like, starting with a reminder of this album's 3-star rating, "Hurt Me". An incredible highlight with well-executed electronics and breakdowns. It has really gotten me hooked with fun catchy melody. I consider it the album's true standout!

After a couple more bad generic tracks, we have "Ichi", which deserves attention for its VCTMS guest feature and its intense heaviness. I heard that it's a common song to start listening to Mirrorcell, but that would've raised some people's expectations too high. Either way, another fantastic track! I also love "U(phoria)" (Wait, did I just admit my love for the band Phoria? I'm not into art rock!). "Prey" is a solid beautiful ending track.

All in all, I would consider Long Nights in Lovescape a decent album, just not really a great one. The alternation between generic and anthemic tracks is just underwhelming for me. Still they're a new band with some potential, so I'll give them the benefit of a doubt. They just need to improve on their sound and seal it as something unique. I have nothing totally against shoegazey alt-metalcore, yet the generic sh*t is what made the sound stop being one of my favorite metal styles in the first place. There's still some good in the fusion, they just need to really let it out. Otherwise, we would have another decent yet generic release like this. We'll see what the future holds....

Favorites (only tracks I really like): "Hurt Me", "Ichi", "U(phoria)", "Prey"

Anytime I see at least two bands that I enjoy in the "for fans of" part of an album review, I feel the need to check out and review the album myself. Such is the case for Saxy's reviews for this album and that Archspire one. And they also happened to be those two tech-death albums in a week! What are the odds?! Seems like tech-death with some slight touches of math/deathcore is the hot metal topic of this month. Though for this Growth album, I say it's more like progressive tech-death...

This Melbourne-based band released their second album Under the Under over 5 years after their debut. Apparently, the two albums form part of an ongoing trilogy like what Green Carnation and Lord of the Lost are doing right now. Most of the 6 tracks here are 9-minute epics of heaviness and experimentation.

"Remember Me as Fire" kicks things off with no time to waste, filled with guitar fury and bass picking. Within the aggression is some melody to make an incredible contrast. The title track begins with ominous guitar/bass strumming. And that's just the start of a 9-minute ride of multi-time riffing. Well it doesn't cover all 9 minutes, as the second half has clean melody and clean singing by vocalist Luke Frizon, at a baritone range that I can probably do myself.

You can hear more of those clean vocals in "Slings That Shatter", sounding more emotional than the previous track. It helps with the desperation for recovery that the lyrical concept is centered upon. The melody is greatly balanced with the chaos in the music, thereby making this one of the most well-rounded tracks of the album. Although nothing new is brought into "Pain is Never Far Away", it displaying their raging moods quite well. They continue kicking things up in the drumming and riffing, showing their progressive almost djenty side. Not a total loss there!

We get some buildup in "Forward, Further, Spirit Killer" which wanders through technicality. As great and heavy as it is, I was hoping for a little more adventure. Luckily, I'm about to get my wish... Closing track "Death Cannot Hold Me" is both f***ing heavy and progressive. This is what I really want to hear from this band for diversity's sake. Nothing's hold me back from enjoying this epic!

Under the Under has great consistency and a heavy/melodic blend that should catch the attention of open-minded listeners. I wish the structures were more balanced and diverse in some songs though. Still, Growth have made a progressive tech-death blast. Something Rivers of Nihil could've done instead of going the mainstream route....

Favorites: "Remember Me as Fire", "Slings That Shatter", "Death Cannot Hold Me"

Archspire are known for their ultra-fast tech-death sound. And I mean ULTRA-FAST, like going as fast as Sonic. In fact, they're probably one of the most well-known tech-death bands to be heard beyond the underground today. Actor Jason Momoa, who you may know as Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison from A Minecraft Movie, once had two members of the band appear in an episode of the show See. Archspire have so much speed in them that not even death can catch up. They're TOO FAST TO DIE!

This gem of speed and glory wouldn't have been possible without a crowdfunding Kickstarter campaign to help them out without a record label. With $125,000 raised, vocalist Oliver Rae Aleron, guitarists Dean Lamb and Tobi Morelli, bassist Jared Smith, and new drummer Spencer Moore continuing taking the metal realms by storm.

"Liminal Cypher" has a soft melodic intro before unleashing the usual speed in the riffing and vocals. Complex guitarwork and brutal blasts add to the technicality. One impressive track is "Red Goliath" which continues the technical violence. The guitars and bass are in quite a rapid pace, and I'm surprised they're not broken in half by now. Great searing melodies too! You do have to wonder if "Carrion Ladder" is actually fast or just sped up. The music and vocals are insane, even when there's ethereal majesty.

"Anomalous Descent" doesn't lighten up the fury maintained throughout the song. The vocals continue to attack as much as the instrumentation. Every album needs a small break from the action, which is where "The Vessel" comes in with its calm intro. And when the brutality comes back on, it has some interesting melodeath-like guitar.

Up next, "Limb of Leviticus" cranks up the heaviness and speed that would stun even the most legendary guitar gods. It's a sonic firestorm of riffs and harmonics, apart from a soft bridge allowing you to take a breather. Following a smooth outro from that track, the next one "Deadbolt the Backward" has some more of those high-speed chugs and harmonics. The title finale is a perfect send-off with the last bit of destruction from the riffing and vocals that would turn a mosh-pit into a black hole when performed live.

Did I mention that they have a new drummer in Spencer Moore? Luckily, he's able to pull off that Sonic-speed drumming the way Spencer Prewett could. Archspire have made a fast complex masterpiece that is Too Fast to Die. They gotta go fast!

Favorites: "Red Goliath", "Carrion Ladder", "Limb of Leviticus", "Too Fast to Die"

I suppose that comparisons with Darkspace are par for the course with Aara. Two atmospheric black metal bands, both from Switzerland and both rather good at what they do. Although the ambient streak that runs through Darkspace material is perhaps not as prevalent in the sound of their fellow Swiss counterparts. There is possibly a straighter line to be drawn to Mare Cognitum in all honesty. At least to my ear also. Whatever comparison you want to draw, Aara makes atmospheric, melodic and very enduring black metal on Eiger. The enduring nature of the sound feels like a sound representation of the tragic story of one climb undertaken by a handful of individuals that resulted in significant loss of life on the mountain. The Eiger is a mountain that has claimed multiple lives over the years. Those brave enough to try and take on not only its perilous climbing height but also avalanches, treacherous weather and of course freezing temperatures have certainly helped it live up to its nickname of “Murder Wall”.

The freezing cold represented on the album resonates with a crystal-clear hue out of the melodic and poignant notes of the riffs. The blizzard like conditions is summarised wonderfully in the blitz of drums and guitar and the harsh environment could not be better represented overall by those scathing vocals. One of the main successes of Eiger is that despite all this multitude of metaphors, a listener can easily still hear the storytelling as it narrates. The swarming guitars of ‘Felsensang’ suggests the fingering stealth of icy flakes of snow, jabbing at the faces of the mountaineers as they make their way along this imperilled journey. Unafraid to bring a folk-tinged element to the strings at times, Aara are at home in all tempos it seems here. They can have quite forthright drums with the most subtle of guitar strings atop of them and still make it all sound cohesive.

Given the dark outcome of the story here, there are a lot of hopeful and positive sounding moments in play across the record. As such, the songs feel very human. To me they capture a lot of the determination of those who did try and reach the top (five turned back and the remaining four were killed in trying to complete the ascent) as well as leaving the listener in no doubt of the dangers in front of them at any given moment. The songwriting here is so well balanced that it is difficult not marvel at it. It seeks to remind us I think, that regardless of the respect the album affords to the mountain itself, ultimately this is a story of human endeavour.

This has been my first Aara record, and what a place to start. From reading other reviews, this is a break from what is usually a more gothic-themed storytelling, which would also be right up my alley and so I do plan to build on this positive experience by exploring more of the discography. Meanwhile, Eiger is a mature piece of black metal delivered with a level of melody that often eclipses its atmospheric promise. Yet this is by no means a bad thing.

This is the best Hanging Garden have sounded in a very long time. After 2017's I Am Become, they seemed to step away from their sombre, gothic texture in favour of a more atmospheric/post-metal one. And while I think that change was a nice turn of events, the songwriting became less refined and their more recent albums have become lackluster as a result. This time, Hanging Garden are heavier and have returned to that older songwriting style and it turns out really well. The opener, "To Outlive the Nine Ravens" with its blast beat introduction gives the listener somewhat of an idea what they are in for, in the same way that Aeonian Sorrow introduced themselves on their last album From the Shadows. As the album progresses, you really get a sense that Hanging Garden have learned how to incorporate dual vocals as they compliment each other beautifully. The backgrounds with the guitar make a third melody that weaves in-and-out of the two vocalists for even more dramatic effect. The bass lines are strong and tasteful and even the implement of synthesized instruments is very well done; unlike many modern metalcore bands, the synth an embellishment tool to give the album a slightly different timbre, such as keyboard countermelody on "Arise, Black Sun". 

Best Songs: To Outlive the Nine Ravens, Eternal Tress of Turquoise, To the Gates of Hel, Arise, Black Sun

For Fans Of: Draconian, My Dying Bride, Ethereal Darkness