My enjoyment of Hexvessel’s last offering, Polar Veil was based on the clever combinations that weaved through each song. This tapestry of mysterious atmospheres, doomy aesthetics and blackened leanings has not only been retained on Nocturne, but the intensity of these elements has been increased. Hexvessel pick up on album number six right from where they left off last time. It is a stronger sounding record from the off, exhibiting a boldness about the brevity of the songwriting as we immediately roll into two eight-minute plus length tracks following a succinct intro track. It is also obvious from the beginning of the record that the blackened edges are more present than I recall them being on Polar Veil. This creeping iciness tempers the more brazen elements of the record. Where we get a little too folk-laden (‘A Dark & Graceful Wilderness’) or dreamy even (‘Phoebus’), the are some black metal droplets that drop into the stillness of the water and immediately disperse with a subtle yet audible disruption.

The band achieve atmospheric black metal heights during ‘A Dark & Graceful Wilderness’, those chiming keys overlayed atop the grim riffs hit with maximum effect. Their ability to combine seemingly opposing elements is borne out by the plethora of instruments utilised that are arranged to work so well together. The piano that opens Nocturne has no place once the raging tide of ‘Sapphire Zephyrs’ kicks in. Yet the slow of pace the track takes for the chorus sees the scathing riffage no less offensive in delivery, just well-tempered by the delicate vocals and background piano keys. Acoustically serene strings give us a further chapter to this song. Creating such a triumphant track so early in the record whets the appetite for what comes next on the record.

Bristling with spiritual transcendence and possessing a soothing and calming capacity to act as a balm to the more aggressive sections, Nocturne is a real exploratory record that all feels well anchored to the central theme that runs through the record of a connection to nature and our surroundings in general. Lavished with choral elements like on ‘Inward Landscapes’ there is a sense of a near-constant evolving to the record as these new parameters are set, and ethereal elements are introduced. The songwriting seems to suggest that although it is a nebulous concept, the world around us, our immediate earthly surroundings, offer opportunity to connect to a more mystical and basic form of existence.

Hexvessel sound committed to this record and the themes it explores. There is obvious passion behind the music which is well played throughout. Without being able to describe the guitars as luscious exactly, there is a moreish quality to them still. I never want the beauty of ‘Spirit Masked Wolf’ to end as it rises to seemingly unfathomable heights of serenity. The doomier elements of the album are delivered thoughtfully, applying a cloak of subtle atmosphere and more sluggish pacing when deployed. I am struggling to find fault overall with Nocturne and my reticence to give it a full five star rating is more due to the feeling to need to spend more time with it, as opposed to any individual fault I can place my finger on.

Being the contrarian that I am, I must admit that Ascendancy was never my favourite Trivium record of the 2000s. Personally, it was The Crusade and Shogun that always topped my list. Those records always had slightly more edge than their most successful and breakout album from 2005. That is not meant to serve as an insult to Ascendancy because while the album does sound patchy at points and also takes forever to end, this is the kind of melodic metalcore that does more than your standard hardcore album of the era.

When I think of this time frame of melodic metalcore, names like Killswitch Engage, Bullet for my Valentine and Parkway Drive inevitably come up. Trivium fall into the category with bands like Shadows Fall; following the trends of mainstream success, but with a nostalgic flare. My major criticism of this new wave of hardcore music is that songs are not constructed well, as they alternate back and forth between a quasi heavy metal section and a slow, brooding chugging breakdown. It transforms the album from Iron Maiden worship into an almost fully realized modernization. Trivium will exploit that detail here on Ascendancy almost to the point of being insufferable. Songs like "Pull Harder on the String of Your Martyr" and "Ascendancy" have some excellent grooves for about two-thirds of their length. Then during the bridge, the tempo and style drastically change so that the guitar players can wail for a while, before concluding with a return to the original form. Ironically, these deviations don't bother me as much as they would if they were on a modern metalcore record. "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" starts off nostalgia farming with two riffs back-to-back that are just "One" and "Fear of the Dark" before becoming something else entirely about halfway through. The initial whiplash is perplexing, but Trivium allows that groove to simmer and burn instead of hanging it out to dry when the guitar solos conclude.

I must say that this riffing is fantastic. During a time when melodic metalcore was at a peak in the collective mainstream, there were few acts that could devise riffs like Trivium. Not only could they crank up the intensity on a whim, but they also knew that slowing down giving a reprieve would allow those solos to bit even more impactful. In a genre where tempo has gotten progressively slower over time, Ascendancy is a nostalgic trip back to the genre's thrash roots. Bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains could write better hooks, but Trivium are no slouch in this department either. I mean, one listen to "Dying in Your Arms" affirms that. And the album doesn't overindulge in its production. All of the records key aspects are pristine and precise; you won't find any symphonic or synthetic elements to bog down the mixing and overwhelm the listener during its thrashier segments.

This is just a really good album. Ascendancy represents a side of melocore during the mid 2000s that wanted to crossover, instead of being relegated to the kiddie pool. Many metalcore bands of the time were completely fine with playing Warped Tour, while Trivium were playing on MTV2 with Chimaira, Arch Enemy, In Flames and Lamb of God. Trivium got their recognition and ballooned into more progressive sounds later on Shogun and beyond. As its name suggests, Trivium really ascended to the top of the metal world around this time, and for good reason.

Best Songs: A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, Drowned and Torn Asunder, The Deceived, Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr

The timing for me to review another Slipknot album couldn't have been better. A few days before this review, backstage at the final concert for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, Slipknot turntablist Sid Wilson became engaged with Ozzy's daughter Kelly. Congrats to them! Although this engagement might confuse some people, since they've already been dating since 2022 and have a son together.

I think just found my new favorite nu metal album. There are so amazing songs that sound as fresh as they did 24 years prior. These 9 members perform in great synergy, especially in the rhythm section, not just from Wilson but also two percussionists, as well as drummer Joey Jordison and bassist Paul Gray. RIP the latter two...

Intro "(515)" is confusing, just shouting the word "death" over and over. Then "People = Sh*t" blasts off in brutal heaviness. "Disasterpiece" is also good, sounding more thrashy. Though not as extreme as "My Plague" which would end up in the soundtrack of the Resident Evil film. Then everything continues to get heavier in "Everything Ends", which again speeds up at thrash-esque levels.

"The Heretic Anthem" is also good, sounding quite deathly for a nu metal song. However, the lyrics take a dip in quality. The refrain where Corey Taylor yells "If you're 555, then I'm 666" is just silly and doesn't make much of a lyrical impact. "Gently" is another track that's good but isn't really a highlight. It was re-recorded from their 1996 demo album Mate Feed Kill Repeat. "Left Behind" is one of my favorites here. It's a prime example of nu metal with a more rock-ish tone while unleashing their usual rage in everything. "The Shape" is in good shape. So is "I Am Hated" which I would never hate.

"Skin Ticket" is another track that I can probably do without. However, "New Abortion" is another solid standout. "Metabolic" isn't bad but doesn't offer anything special. Unlike one of the longest and most experimental tracks in alt-/nu metal, the 15-minute closing title epic. It is the band's longest track to not have a title track, and an incredible journey for those who are patient and never restless. The Japanese edition bonus track is a live rendition of the 1999 debut's "Liberate" which is OK but doesn't add much.

All in all, Iowa is an excellent nu metal offering that shows Slipknot at their best. If you're one of those people who hate nu metal to the bone, a lot of what this album has to offer would convince you that there's still goodness in the genre. Just pure in-your-face extreme nu metal!

Favorites: "People = Sh*t", "My Plague", "Everything Ends", "Left Behind", "I Am Hated", "New Abortion", "Iowa"

The most popular era of KMFDM began with their album Nihil and would carry on to their next album Xtort. At this point, they were really rising as the industrial rock pioneers they've been known to be. They also introduced some aspects to industrial music that were barely used in industrial back then such as fast punk-ish tempos. They would pave the way for other popular German industrial rock/metal bands such as Rammstein.

The songs in Xtort are as great as the ones in Nihil. It's a nice variety with some songs I find superb and others I find OK. And that's interesting because I usually prefer my industrial metal to have more of the metal...

"Power" begins with what sounds like a phone call before the instrumentation slowly builds up. It's an excellent start to this album and would make a great show starter. I enjoy the chorus that sounds like if they collaborated with the Muses from Disney's Hercules. "Apathy" has too much mud in the sound, though it gets clearer when they slow down. "Rules" has enjoyable vocals. Male/female vocal combos are not common in industrial metal, and that's something I enjoy in one of The Sphere's later bands, Mechina.

"Craze" has good vocals, but the instrumentation falls into the same muddy trap. "Dogma" starts off with strange alien synths before Nicole Blackman provides spoken vocals. In all honesty, that song might remind some more of Devo. "Inane" is INSANE!!! Sascha Konietzko performs his usual vocal distortion alongside rising chords, singing about the band themselves and their greatness. The country-ish guitars are also quite fun. Fantastic highlight! Next up, "Blame" has a nice midtempo intro of hardcore guitar melodies. The instrumentation stands out as well, even going far as to using brass horns!

"Son of a Gun" has more of that male vocal distortion. It's also used in the chorus while harmonized by the female singing. They really explore a lot in the synth department. "Ikons" continues the vocal distortion with some machine FX. "Wrath" is a strong way out. Everything's in great balance including the vocals and production. I enjoy the lyrics and synth breaks. Then it all ends with the last bit of strange synth noises. Finally, "Fairy" is an unusual hidden track with just piano and an eerie voice reading a fairytale.

For any KMFDM listeners out there, you don't wanna miss out on this great example of this sound. You can listen to the album while taking a night drive in your car. Beats and heaviness can sound quite good together....

Favorites: "Power", "Rules", "Inane", "Blame", "Wrath"

Kadath is a prime example of how perception can change over time. Having never heard of Ultar before this, my only expectation was that they were a blackgaze group from the Krasnoyarsk region. Initial thoughts were mixed, but I cannot say that I didn't enjoy parts of how Kadath sounded. The biggest issues I had with the album had to do with production sounding very treble heavy and not emphasizing its low end enough to make these songs really pop off.

Repeated listens is when the issues hit. Blackgaze is, by definition, not a very innovative genre. And with very few exceptions (i.e. Svalbard, White Ward, etc.), growth in the genre has become remarkably stale since Deafheaven's Sunbather. If I were to listen to Kadath when it came out nearly ten years ago, I probably would have enjoyed it more; I like Sunbather and Kadath just seems to be more of that. But now, having been oversaturated with blackgaze and a fair bit of it stemming from the Russian Federation, Kadath doesn't do anything for me personally. More so, the albums faults are further emphasized. Lacking a prominent bass to propel these tracks forward is a grave misfire in the worst of times, and here is no exception. Including two such interlude tracks ("Shore of the Sleeping Seas" and "The Ancient Ones") are comfortable breaks, but I'm not sure that "Xasthur" and "Azathoth" really needed them. The closing track "Kadath" does sound really nice and has this excellent sounding crescendo leading towards a conclusion, but not only does this crescendo feel excessive, but it also leaves the listener on a cliffhanger; it's literally the Dragonball meme where Goku charges his finishing move for an entire half-an-hour episode, only to miss in the last thirty seconds.

Best Songs: Xasthur, Azathoth