I have never made any secret of the fact that Warning's masterpiece, "Watching From A Distance" is my all-time favourite album, so I can probably be forgiven for going into "Rituals of Shame" with inflated expectations, although I must add that those expectations were tempered by equal parts trepidation that the band may drop the ball and turn in an album that sees them just going through the motions like so many acts returning after a long period away and so sullying their legacy. So now I have the beautiful oxblood red vinyl platter on my turntable the obvious first question must be, "do I think it is as good as WFAD?" Well, the answer to that is not so simple because it is impossible to compare an album that has been so meaningful to me for two decades with one that has been out mere days. So am I at all disappointed with this third Warning full-length then? Absolutely not and while it hasn't initially hit me on as deeply an emotional and personal level as its predecessor this is still an amazing piece of doom metal melancholy. Patrick Walker just 'gets' doom metal in a way that few others are able to. It isn't just about leaden pacing and towering riffs, Walker doesn't merely write songs that are sad and sorrowful, but also dig deeply into his emotional vulnerability, laying bare his soul in a way which will either resonate with the listener or it won't. If it does then a connection with the material is possible that transcends mere grooves on a plastic disc and if it doesn't it may be dismissed as overly sentimental.

The most striking thing about "Rituals of Shame" is that it doesn't at all feel like an album released two decades after its illustrious predecessor by a band that had been on hiatus for most of the intervening years whilst Patrick Walker concentrated on his 40 Watt Sun project. There is such a remarkable consistency of material between the two albums that you would be forgiven for thinking that it had been recorded in 2010 and only just seen the light of day. In fact the debut "Strength To Dream" is further removed artistically from "Watching From A Distance" than "Rituals of Shame" is, despite there only being a third as much time between the two. The really great thing, though, is that the latest isn't merely a lazy rehash of the former. Despite the similarities, "Rituals of Shame" isn't merely WFAD part two, it has its own character and feeling. Inevitably such a monumental album will cast a long shadow over its younger sibling, but I am convinced that in time it will emerge from that shadow and stand tall in its own right.

WFAD had an indefinably wistful quality despite the huge, doom-laden chords and foundational stolidity of the rhythm section, whereas RoS feels a little less ethereally affecting. This is partly down to the heavier-handed production and increased compression, but it is also due to the inclusion of second guitarist Wayne Taylor who has played live shows with the band since 2016, appearing on the 2021 Roadburn Live album, whose second guitar adds depth and rounds out the sound, making it feel more down-to-earth. Of course, the absolute core of Warning is Patrick Walker's vocal performances and this is where "Rituals of Shame" may even outdo its predecessor because, as I alluded to when reviewing the "WFAD Live at Roadburn" album, Patrick's voice seems to have got even better with time. His vocals sound more varied and expressive now in middle-age than they did as a young twenty-something and his ability to wring genuine emotion from the receptive listener with a mere twist of his voice is undiminished.

I have to say that I am more than happy with this new offering and it has rarely been off my turntable since it arrived. Whilst it is consistent with its predecessor it is undeniably an evolution rather than a rehash and in time I think it may take on a life of its own maybe being a new generation of doomheads' introduction to the band and becoming as significant to them as WFAD has been to me. So whilst "Rituals of Shame" has not deposed "Watching From A Distance" at the pinnacle of my top albums of all-time list, it has certainly pushed a large number of worthy contenders down another slot and has livened up a year that wasn't appearing too great on the doom metal front prior to its release.

Vreid are a long running Nordic Black & Roll band and The Skies Turn Black is the bands tenth(!) studio album. Now, going into this album, my experience with Black & Roll has been decidedly minimal. I think I reviewed an early Kvelertak album many years ago and left my exploration of the genre at that, thinking that it was cool in concept, but maybe not so much in execution (the language barrier may have also played a crucial role). Well I would never have guessed this group, unbeknownst to me and, surprisingly, most of Metal Academy's regulars, made something of this quality two decades into their career.

What I enjoy most about The Skies Turn Black is the heavy Ghost influence. Now I know in many metal circles, admitting you like Ghost is worthy of excommunication, but I stopped giving a shit what the metalcore kids think is cool a long time ago and I think Ghost is awesome, and it seems like Vreid think Ghost are awesome too! The guitar riffs sound taken straight out from a record like Meliora. The heavier touches are added tastefully as to not entirely squash the catchy riffs. And the vocals have a touch of intensity to them that could never be replicated by Tobias Forge in the AOR sphere. The Skies Turn Black adds enough texture from the complimentary instruments (strings, synthesizers, etc.) to give it something closer to gothic rock. And the guest vocals from Djerv on "Loving the Dead" are such a beacon of light around the heavier "A Second Death" and "Build & Destroy" (although I personally think the the promotional single version of "Loving the Dead" is much better).

As Ghost moves further away from the heaviest sounds on Opus Eponymous and Meliora, and more towards the headliner stage, it left a void in my heart for heavy textures, with that arena rock appeal. Vreid hit the mark well on The Skies Turn Black.

Best Songs: The Skies Turn Black, Loving the Dead, Chaos, The Earth Rumbles

For Fans Of: early Ghost, Enslaved, Mork

The Immortal Bird that recorded this 2015 album is very different from the three-piece that exists to this day with only vocalist Rae Amitay remaining. Drummer Gary Naples and guitarist Evan Anderson Berry left not long after "Empress/Abscess" hit the shelves, being replaced by Matt Korajczyk and Nate Madden respectively. Bassist John Picillo left in 2019 and hasn't been replaced with Madden doubling up on both four- and six-string guitars. It is good then that Rae Amity has remained as the only constant factor in the band because there is a rounded depth to her ravaged, bellowing shrieks that would be quite difficult for any other singer to replicate. She has a line in controlled fury that is distinctive and powerful and which would put the ineffectual bellowings of many metal tough guys to shame.

Immortal Bird play an amalgam of black and death metal that sounds immediate and confrontational with a suggestion of crusty sludginess that gives the material a further coating of grimy filthiness along with a twist of dissonance for added discomfort. With the five tracks on "Empress/Abscess" only nudging a hair's breadth over thirty minutes there is never any danger of attention wander, although the more timid listener may want to flee and lock themselves in the bathroom. Comfort is not something that Immortal Bird are interested in dishing up, they have a jagged and angular approach to songwriting that will keep you on you toes and which, with other bands, I often struggle. However just when it feels like the band are pushing you to the edge they have an uncanny ability to suddenly drop into a killer riff and sweep you away on a tide of moshpit fury. I get the feeling that the convulsive nature of the songwriting isn't to appear intellectually sophisticated or technically smug, which I feel is the case with some of the acts who write this way, but it is done with the aim of unsettling and disorienting the listener so that when they drop one of those killer riffs it hits all the harder.

So, overall, with a sometimes challenging but always interesting songwriting style, some genuinely exhliharating riffs and one of, if not the, finest female vocalists in all of metal there is plenty here on this short album to keep drawing me back to it time and again. Immortal Bird are one of those bands that I genuinely cannot fathom why they aren't bigger than they are.

Well, time for In Flames album revisit #2! Come Clarity has been known as the band's transitional album between their earlier melodeath roots and their later alt-metal era. There are also some claims that this is the closest the band has gone to metalcore territory ala Trivium. Although I haven't listened to In Flames for several years, aside from their new album Foregone, I remember thinking Come Clarity was a solid album. Now let's see my opinion still stands....

Indeed, Come Clarity is a transitional album for In Flames. However, it still has a lot of the melodeath side of their sound, albeit in a more modern approach with metalcore elements. The alt-metal of their subsequent albums is more prominently used in a few tracks, both the mainstream and experimental ones.

Unleashing this modernized melodeath sound right out of the gate, "Take This Life" is the perfect kick-A way to start. Next up, "Leeches" has odd keyboard effects present, but I like the contrast between the heavy verses and melodic chorus. "Reflect the Storm" has that blend of melancholy and mainstream, particularly in the chorus that shows vocalist Anders Friden expanding his vocal abilities. Adding more to the experimentation is "Dead End" which features Lisa Miskovsky. When I first heard the start of that first verse, I almost thought it was a Paramore song. She sounds quite confident here, and the end result is a lovely duet. Although In Flames has done a few tracks with guest female singing before, that one might turn off some longtime fans. "Scream" brings back their earlier roots without much experimentation, though it's not that impressive.

The title track calms things down as an alt-metal power ballad. The fact that it's chosen as the album's title track foreshadows their later path. I actually loved that one during my time in The Gateway, but now I realize it's not as great as I thought it was. Another indicator of me not being suited for that clan. The braver and heavier "Vacuum" picks up the pace greatly. I can almost say the same about "Pacing Death's Trail". Next track "Crawl Through Knives" was originally meant to be this album's title track. I kinda wish it was though because it's the perfect diverse display of the band's transitional sound. I would recommend that track for anyone trying modern melodeath for the first time.

"Versus Terminus" is another example of trying too hard to sound like the band's earlier selves. "Our Infinite Struggle" makes up for that as a memorable highlight, heavy all the way while only cooling down for the great midsection. Sadly, we have "Vanishing Light" which is the worst track in their melodeath side, not doing anything interesting. "Your Bedtime Story Is Scaring Everyone" is one of the band's most experimental songs yet, sounding so haunting yet leaving me confused and wondering why it even exists.

All in all, Come Clarity is simultaneously In Flames' last melodeath album until Foregone and the first to show the mainstream diversity of their subsequent releases that would turn away longtime fans and bring in new ones. Having heard both of that band's eras before, I'm already used to what's been going on in this album and wouldn't totally put it down even at its weakest moments. I can understand the evolution. So although it can never beat the glory of their old-school melodeath offerings, Come Clarity is still pretty good for at least half of the album, and it's hard to deny its status as a major turning point for the band. It's clear as day....

Favorites: "Take This Life", "Reflect the Storm", "Dead End", "Vacuum", "Crawl Through Knives", "Our Infinite Struggle"

Most of our regulars would probably be aware that I've never been a fan of In Flames' most celebrated 1996-2000 period with albums like "The Jester Race", "Whoracle", "Colony" & "Clayman" doing very little for me. The Swedes' 2006 eighth full-length is a bit different to those records though & offers me just enough appeal to see it reaching a more acceptable rating. This isn't your standard melodic death metal release though. In fact, it's a little hard to argue that it's a death metal release at all, although they never fully pull away from their roots either.

With "Come Clarity" we see In Flames embracing the melodic metalcore sound that was making waves in the underground metal scene at the time & combining it with their signature melodeath riffage & alternative metal song-structures to create a more accessible record that aims to win a new fanbase over with more of a stadium sound. When they manage to nail that combination, it works really, really well, as evidenced by the classic alternative metal anthem that is the title track or the very solid melodic death metal burner "Vacuum". The vocal performance of Anders Fridén is worth mentioning as it never feels like a death growl, instead sitting closer to a psychotic metalcore scream during the more extreme sections while making a decent fist of the clean chorus melodies too. It's worth noting that there are just as many failures as there are wins here though but, thankfully, those wins are comprehensive enough to overcome the losses & leave me with a more positive feeling than I can recall having with In Flames' more unanimously praised albums. As with a lot of releases like this one though, a song's potential to capture the listener all comes down to the quality of the chorus melody & your experience will ultimately depend on whether you can connect with those enough to get onboard with "Come Clarity" or not. I've been surprised to find that I can these days so perhaps there's hope for me yet.

For fans of Soilwork, Darkest Hour & Trivium.