The New Music Thread : The Horde Edition
Sarmat - "Upgrade" E.P. [New York avant-garde/technical death metal]
Begging For Incest - "Going Postal" [German slam death metal - first album in nine years]
Pyrexia - "Unholy" [New York brutal death metal - a re-recording of their 2018 fifth full-length]
Before the Dawn - "Cold Flare Eternal" [Finnish melodic death metal]
Tuomas Saukkonen, Finland's most prolific musician in the field of Nordic metal, follows the motto “If you want to create, you have to destroy”. Over the past 20 years, he has created and disbanded numerous projects that have shaped the Finnish metal scene. In 2023, he brought the band Before The Dawn back after an eleven-year break with the album Stormbringers, which was celebrated as a musical comeback. Now the follow-up is already in the starting blocks, a work characterized by strong band chemistry and musical brilliance.
In the new album, Saukkonen reunites the band in its best line-up and creates a hard-hitting work that shines with aggressive yet melodic sounds. The album captures the energy and atmosphere of the band's performances and combines it with the deep, mystical beauty of Finnish nature. Saukkonen, who is also known as a solo artist with projects such as Wolfheart and Dawn Of Solace, has released several albums since 2022 and continues to perform with passion and creative energy.
Despite his intense workload, Saukkonen emphasizes that he also has more time for his hobbies such as fishing. The new album not only shows his continued passion for music, but also a tremendous energy that is reflected in both the lyrics and the music. Saukkonen remains a passionate musician who continues to focus on creating new music even after more than 20 years in the scene.
In Mourning - "The Immortal" [Swedish melodic death metal]
At some point, a band simply has to try something else in some form or another lest their sound begin to become stale and uninteresting. It can be in even the smallest ways that such a change can make for a wild difference. For some, it’s the inclusion of another band member or trying a slightly different approach. For others, something more radical and transformative must take place for the band in question to really feel as though they’re breaking new ground. After forming twenty-five years ago, it was only expected that In Mourning would eventually try something else. We’ve seen them dabble in previous efforts with their more progressive leanings, but it’s here in their seventh album that they fully take the plunge.
When dealing with a band like In Mourning, it’s important to remember where we’ve come from. For years now, this has been a band that has been massive for all intents and purposes in their own corner of death metal with their own doom and gothic leanings that have always allowed a ton of interesting flavor and vigor to pour out of virtually every performance the band has thrown down thus far. It’s only natural that after becoming certified masters of that craft that they would seek alternate avenues to explore and see what else they can do. With the nine tracks of “The Immortal”, it’s clear that In Mourning is already more than competent at their new approach with the nuance, diversity, and organic nature of the record as a whole speaking to the ingenious talent at play here. The sheer scope of this record is something to be admired. “The Immortal” is just as beautiful in its grace as it is unyielding in its intensity with In Mourning pulling from its decades of experience to ensure that these ten tracks were far from one-dimensional and can really become something to become lost within. Undeniably dynamic and able to throw down tremendous progressive passages while never sacrificing its brutality in the process, this is the kind of album that can inject all sorts of new life into a band that’s been at it for a long time.
In Mourning has never been one to doubt, and it’s with “The Immortal” that one cannot help but be overwhelmed by the excellence that’s commanded with masterful precision. If they were seeking to prove something with the crafting of “The Immortal” then I cannot but feel as though In Mourning as more than succeeded as this record makes a difficult transition seems fluid and compelling. Overflowing with light and majesty, it’s the whole of “The Immortal” that enables In Mourning to have a future not many of us could have seen coming.
“The Immortal” releases on August 24th!