February 2023 Feature Release - The Sphere Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month's feature release for The Sphere, nominated by me (Shadowdoom9 (Andi)), is last year's 7th album by Norwegian gothic-esque industrial metallers Gothminister, Pandemonium. After that Deathstars feature release from last August, it's time for another dive into a Scandinavian gothic-tinged industrial metal offering. There's more of this dark melody to explore in another exciting release that should gain more attention.

https://metal.academy/releases/40422

I've done my review, here's its summary:

From the capital city of Norway, Oslo, here's gothic industrial metal masters Gothminister! This project founded by Bjørn Alexander Brem became a full band when a fanbase started growing, a fanbase strengthened by their live shows and music. The band made a steady career with 6 albums spanning from 2003 to 2017. Then all was silent for 5 years, with no material released during then. It was a long wait...until last year, on October 21, the new album Pandemonium arrived, and the anticipation was totally worth it! With an intro and 10 songs at a span of 40 minutes, their lyrics of darkness and death can make your ears bleed in a pleasant and painless way. There's epic industrial metal greatness in pretty much all the songs, with occasional emphasis on poppy synths, electronic melodies, and metal heaviness. Pandemonium can surely unite the gothic-ish industrial metal fanbase with their catchy sound. Music listeners outside of metal may point out the band's aesthetic of evil darkness, but what they don't find when they don't try is the hopeful light in their compositions. It's so incredible this compelling music they make. Worth the 5-year wait, the Norwegian dark industrial metal masters strike again!

5/5

Recommended tracks: "Pandemonium", "Star", "Bloodride", "Norge", "This is Your Darkness", "Mastodon"

For fans of: Deathstars, Rammstein, Samael

Norwegian industrial metallers Gothminister's seventh studio album is a fairly solid piece of industrial metal. The groove work is fairly solid from top to bottom and the vocal melodies compliment admirably. One of the reasons why I have never been able to appreciate Rammstein fully is because of the language barrier (my German is getting better though). Rammstein have solid melodies and tight knit grooves as well, but something about taking the intricacies of that language and creating a butchered English version does not help matters. Gothminister help by recording all the lyrics in English already....not that you need them because this is still standard in its gothic themes.

Speaking of gothic themes, does anyone else notice how much parts of this record sound like heavier Ghost? Forget about the industrial tinges and all of the synth leads, "Norge", "Mastodon" and "Star" sound identical. Which brings up my biggest issue with Pandemonium as a whole; the record is far too basic. It might borrow from Ghost, or EBM, or even other industrial metal giants like Rammstein, but not a lot about it feels innovative or unique to Gothminister. While I did enjoy it, too often I found the music falling behind and closer to background noise than anything I want to become invested in. 

6/10