Saxy S's Reviews
Oh Boy
When Bring Me the Horizon released amo early in 2019, I was wondering what direction the band would take their sound next. The band has made subsequent changes over their fifteen years worth of music from deathcore to alternative/pop-rock. With POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR, the crew have adapted a newer, heavier sound that reminds me a lot of early 2000s nu-metal. If you just threw up in your mouth a little bit, I don’t blame you.
Oli’s screams are back and they do help pronounce and enunciate the breakdown passages that are implemented well into the compositions. As a whole, I would consider the composition of this record to be much more focused than amo was, but the group seem to have lost many of their hooks. Sure, you have songs like “Obey”, “Teardrops” and “Parasite Eve”, but I do not remember very much about them beyond that. I do remember the BABYMETAL feature on “Kingslayer” and it made for a pleasant surprise and an album standout. I can hear plenty of Linkin Park worship going on here.
Unfortunately, the sound of this record is lacking. The percussion is janky, the guitars are drenched in modifiers to make them far more processed than they really need to be, and the flipping between sung and screaming vocals is not pulled off with the most graceful detail. Those howls are very strong and peak in the mix. As for the electronics/synths, they are pretty adequate, but do fall victim to the crunchy rhythm guitars that drown them out unless it is one of those high pitched wails.
This record reminded me sonically of the debut album The Sickness by Disturbed; an album that has some hooks that do not stick, very timely nu-metal riffage that has not aged well, and production that would rather just have everything cranked up to eleven to see what might resonate through. If they had added a couple of jockey disc scratches then I wouldn’t be able to tell if this album came out in 2020 or 2001. As a metal album, this has the potential to suffice those depraved fans waiting for the return to records like Sempiternal. But this album feels uninterested in being much more than that.
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: EP
Year: 2020
I have a history with this band and talking about it puts me in a very odd position. See I’ve known about this band, for better or worse, since their debut album Count Your Blessings in 2006. They were a deathcore band trying to cash in on the phase of the time. As time passed, Bring Me The Horizon changed their sound by ditching the death metal on Suicide Season in 2008 as well as on the follow-up in 2010.
Now all of those records are awful. They were awful back then and they are still awful to this day. I’ve never been a fan of metal/deathcore because of its insistence on not writing melodies, but rather writing breakdowns. That all changed in 2012 with Sempiternal, the first album of theirs that I actually liked. Make no mistake, that album was still a breakdown fest, but at least the group wrote some decent hooks to make the tracks distinguishable from one another. And by the time That’s The Spirit came out, Bring Me The Horizon had all but abandoned their heavy metal tendencies for more mainstream accessible hard rock or alternative metal.
So as a Bring Me The Horizon pleb, I was surprised to hear that a lot of Bring Me The Horizon fans were upset with frontman Oli Sykes for suggesting that this new album, amo, would be even more mainstream accessible than That’s The Spirit. Guys, the band have done this for every album since their inception. This shouldn’t surprise you!
As for the record itself, props to the band for at least trying to do something different. Unlike many of their contemporaries who have pulled the same gimmick, Bring Me The Horizon at least go all out with incorporation of synth melodies, EDM tracks, and even a trap song. It’s just unfortunate that this group can’t really keep it all together. In short, this album is a mess.
To expand, we have to look in further detail about the styles this group is trying to incorporate. You’ve got your heavier tracks like “MANTRA”, “wonderful life”, “sugar honey ice & tea” and “heavy metal”; a reminder of what this band once was. And I dig the tones on “wonderful life” and the inclusion of The Roots beatboxer Rahzel of all people on “heavy metal”, but songs like “MANTRA” and “sugar honey ice & tea” have these buzzing guitars sounds that remind me of all the things I didn’t like about Three Days Grace’s last album. And isn’t the point of a beatboxer that they don’t need percussion? So why is there any percussion at all during the break on “heavy metal”?
Then you have the some pop-rock influence in “mother tongue” and “medicine”, the latter being as generic of a pop-rock song as you can get, seriously, give this song to Imagine Dragons and see if you can tell the difference. Or take the more EDM influence on “nihilist blues” featuring Grimes as well as “in the dark”, which brings me to one of the bigger problems with the production as a whole, and that is the use of acoustic versus electronic percussion. During the build on “nihilist blues”, you can hear some acoustic drums helping the track to build up to something huge, and then nothing happens. Synthesizers and electronic drums take over during the chorus and it feels like a wasted opportunity.
Then you have the closing track “i don’t know what to say”, which may be influenced by a concert by the band with the Parallax Orchestra in 2016. The use of strings and horns is very nice and the guitar solo following the bridge is a nice touch, mostly because it’s the only one on the entire album, but hey, baby steps.
The other big problem with Bring Me The Horizon behind the soundboard is their dynamics. Let me clear this up; even on Bring Me The Horizon’s best albums, they paid very little, if any at all, attention to dynamics and that shows here as well. “MANTRA” is the most glaring example. But you could say the same for “medicine” and “mother tongue” as well.
But then their is “why you gotta kick me when i’m down?” where the band tries their hand at their best trap impersonation, while mimicking the vocal styles of Twenty One Pilots. It’s actually not that bad of a song except for the percussion.
And that leaves me here wondering what Bring Me The Horizon are actually trying to be. At least on an album like Count Your Blessings, you knew that each track was going to match well with the previous.
But then their are the lyrics and themes. And this album seems to be broken up into three parts. The first part from “i apoligise if you feel something” until “wonderful life” are nihilist pieces that range from cult leaders taking advantage of young minds on “MANTRA”, to a re-telling of Everything’s Fine by Jean Grae on “wonderful life”. The second part marks the relationship struggle between Oli Sykes and Hannah Snowdon. “medicine” is about her receiving the same poor treatment than Oli got from her. “why you gotta kick me when i’m down?” is about the negative news that Oli got after the relationship had ended. And the final part is the revelation; a looking ahead rather than regretting the past. “native tongue” is the love song dedicated to Oli’s new partner, and “heavy metal” is Oli accepting the fact that some of their older fans are not going to like this new material.
I do have one major concern with the structuring of this album however. And that is the inclusion of the interlude “fresh bruises” before “native tongue”. “fresh bruises” on its own doesn’t say much, but when you read into the language and the repetition of “Don't you try to fuck with me”, it makes Oli sound incredibly demanding of his new partner. Then to immediately follow that up with the love song felt really weird.
So in terms of the content, I can see some potential. The face value of the story leads me to believe that there is a level of subtext that has to do with depression and anxiety. But as a whole, the music is all over the place. If you’re a fan of this band, I can only see most of you enjoying a handful of tracks and that depends on whether you’re a “hipster” fan who only enjoys the heavy stuff or if you are more willing to give their pop adventure a chance.
Genres: Non-Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2019
Back in the day, I used to be a huge fan of any and all Mike Patton projects. I used to think that everything that this man touched turned to pure gold. And his greatest work came with Faith No More and this album. I can honestly say that much of my praise may have been through rose tinted glasses because, with the exception of the self titled Mr. Bungle record, not much of it stands out to me. And when it did, I found to be be excruciatingly cringe. I'm surprised how little of The Real Thing actually stands up today.
This album however, was not the victim of that. In fact, I would argue that Angel Dust was a better gateway towards nu-metal than even the S/T debut from Rage Against the Machine. Is it cheesy? Of course it is. But it feels more refined and as if their is some actual weight to go along with the grandioseness of this album's second half.
The first half of this album is pure fun with some of the best sounding funk metal ever. "Land of Sunshine" is the best thing that Mike Patton has ever recorded; the bass sounds phenomenal in the mix, while the main guitar and synth lines have some great simmer backing up one heck of a vocal performance from Patton. Surely you cannot top it right? Well Faith No More sure are going to try with "Caffeine" and the major single "Midlife Crisis". But then the album starts venturing into that extra gouda with "RV". The cabaret--esque piano is playful, yet also eerie. The same can be said for "Everything's Ruined".
The swiss gets turned up to eleven with the shout chorus of "Be Aggressive" and the Phantom of the Opera-esque organ that sound incredible. "Crack Hitler" brings back some faster funk grooves that are welcome on a song that's literally about a drug dealer who compares himself to Hitler! "Jizzlobber" returns to some of the heavy, spookier grooves from earlier, before ending on a choral with booming pipe organ. And the album ends with "Midnight Cowboy (Theme From)" and I cannot think of a better instrumental that has ever ended an album than this. I just love the main melody on what sounds like a harmonica(?) as the album ends with a soft waltz. When it's over, you almost have to ask yourself "how the hell did I get here?"
But the astonishing part about it all is that the answer you get will be "guess I have to go back and find out!" This is one of those albums that is so easy to go back and listen to just for the experience alone. Are their some lesser cuts? yes. I'm not the biggest fan of the shouting vocals that occur on "Smaller and Smaller". And while I do think that "Crack Hitler" has one of the best funk grooves on the entire album, the stop and start nature of the transitions became very distracting. But they are minor speedbumps on the Monterey Jack highway headed straight for the local grocery (okay, record) store. Faith No More may have fallen out of my good graces in recent years, but they still have this historic landmark.
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1992
Every so often, you come across an album that is so emotionally exhausting that you almost wish you never had to listen to it again, even if the album’s quality is above average. Last year, I witnessed this first hand with Lingua Ignota’s CALIGULA, an album that made me physically ill while listening to it, and a record that required multiple breaks for me to finally get through the whole thing. For most albums, this would be a detriment, but instead, Lingua Ignota’s bleak discussions on sexual abuse and “gross” production were the only way one could possibly deliver such a concept in the most direct way possible.
With The Reticent, they use progressive metal tendencies not that dissimilar to Opeth to show the emotional and cognitive decline of an individual (Henry) suffering from Alzhimer’s. And trust me, this album is dark with a capital bleak. But there are some major structural problems with it. Most notably about whose perspective this album is taken from. These songs constantly revert back and forth referring to Henry in either the first or third person, making the drama far less engaging on a full album.
The album also contains many spoken word interludes not from the perspective of Henry. The most notable of which occurs on “Stage 6: The Oubliette”, where Henry’s daughter begins the track contemplating what course of action should be taken next, and by the end, the desperation in the vocals as they cry “let me out!” are clearly not from the daughter. Speaking of spoken word interludes, this album has a problem with its breakdowns. As these tunes build up momentum towards a gigantic explosion of sound, vocal breaks are included that are not that dissimilar to the worst of metalcore breakdowns of the late 2000s.
As the album progresses, songs start to become longer, more deliberate, and lose their tuneful nature that was found on “The Palliative Breath” and “His Name Is Henry”. And perhaps that is a part of the appeal of this record; the worst parts of cognitive decline is the point where nothing is recognizable by its victim and to an onlooker, it can feel like an eternity for them to finally reach peace. This is further explored on “The Oubliette” which has an almost doom metal approach to the songwriting. The final track has the feeling of a funeral, followed by a PSA about Alzhimer’s, which should have been left out.
I can respect the effort from The Reticent to create something that is as bleak and cold as the subject matter. But key structural issues in the songwriting keep it from ascending to the higher echelons of progressive metal. And as I mentioned off the top, since this album falls into the category of “emotionally draining” as it is, the fact that I will not return to this album all that much is a major concern.
Genres: Progressive Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
As most of you who have followed me for a while know, I am a huge mark for nostalgic metal bands calling back to the most grassroots elements of this genre’s history. But this also comes with the understanding that these artists have to make their sound unique enough to make it stand out from those other bands they take so much inspiration from. With Spirit Adrift, they added enough personal touches to their 2019 album, Divided by Darkness, to make it worthwhile and among the best records of that year.
Of course, now that this band is through the door, what can they do to stick around? Well, on Enlightened in Eternity, the band have made their way into the 1980s and have begun incorporating even more power/speed metal tendencies than ever before. Overall this album does feel a little more uptempo than their last record with such grooves as “Ride into the Light”, “Stronger Than Your Pain” and especially on “Harmony of the Spheres”. The lead guitar work is more frantic and the solos are more technical.
All of this is fine on its own, but without the songwriting prowess that was on display previously, these new ideas do not resonate as well. When the album does get a little slower and comes back to the band's very comfortable doom metal sound (see “Cosmic Conquest” or “Battle High”), these tunes are less enjoyable than “Angel & Abyss” or “Tortured by Time” on the last album. The melodies are less developed and tuneful, as well as the main grooves being less engaging.
That being said, this is still a very solid nostalgic heavy metal project. For a band that was doing a lot of Black Sabbath worship on their last album, it is really cool to hear them try their hand at Iron Maiden and even some early Anthrax style thrash metal. That being said, if this group does not return back to their songwriting presence of Divided by Darkness, then I wouldn’t be surprised if many fans of this group just go back and listen to the original articles instead.
Genres: Heavy Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
Svalbard are a hardcore band from the U.K. who have been making some very unique sounding punk music throughout the 2010s. The bands defining feature is their incorporation of black metal and shoegaze (blackgaze) elements into their music and has produced some very solid records over that time.
So I got to check out the newest record from the group and wow what an album! I never would have thought that this would be the album that I needed, but here we are. Svalbard are taking the best elements of mathcore, seemingly borrowing from their fellow countrymen, Rolo Tomassi, and the sweet sounds of the new wave of blackgaze from a band such as Astronoid and they are able to create a gorgeous atmosphere. The sound of this album is fantastic; the dual vocal work from Serena Cherry and Liam Phelan is used to help articulate some haunting environments. Meanwhile, the instrumentals are stunning. Guitars are mixed very well from the top down and the tremolo picking melodies are very smooth and precise. The bass and percussion play off each other with high efficiency.
The songwriting is very fluent and immensely captivating. I already mentioned the excellent guitar leads, but the way this album modulates from black metal, to shoegaze, to hardcore punk is exceptional, and when these are elements are all brought together, they create something just as promising. Transitions are top notch on longer tunes like “The Currency of Beauty” and “Listen to Someone”. The only real downside is the content, which is very adolescent. But I can let it slide because a lot of metal songwriting is either remarkably blunt, or in the case of Astronoid, so shrouded in secrecy due to fragmented stanzas. I imagine someone going into this as a metal record might be turned off, but Harakari for the Sky does much of the same thing.
It will be interesting to see how and if the album holds up as strongly in a few months from now. I have listened to a lot of sad hardcore music over the last serveral weeks (Movements and Touché Amoré most recently) so we will have to see what happens. As for right now, this blend of Hardcore/Black Metal/Emo is really intoxicating and I would not be surprised if it made it on my year end list for 2020. And very high no less.
Genres: Black Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
A couple of months ago, I forced myself to listen to Entombed's album Wolverine Blues, an album that defines, for better or worse, the very niche subgenre of death 'n' roll. Needless to say I wasn't much of a fan. So this left me wondering where this crossover was with the Black Metal subgenre? Then I came to the realization that black 'n' roll has existed since the very beginning of black metal. The earliest "black metal" albums by Venom were heavily influenced by Hardcore Punk and had more accessible song structures and melodic songwriting. Black metal did not start with Darkthrone after all.
Now I already knew about Kvelertak as I have recently listened to and enjoyed their 2020 record, Splid. And while not much has changed in the decade since the self titled debut, the band are still pretty good songwriters and know how to put a hook together. Splitting the difference between hardcore punk and the most mainstream accessible metal that you can get. I mean the groove of "Nekrostop" sounds like it could have been taken directly from Metallica's Death Magnetic. The guitar melodies are very nice as if they are borrowed from the more post-hardcore side. The percussion and bass work is not too bad; the low end is booming throughout and while their is not that much independence from the rhythm guitar, it stands out.
One thing that I did make a note of right away before even beginning to listen to this record, was how similar this records album cover looked to that of the band Baroness. I did not think anything of it at first...until I started listening to the record and heard the production. Their is so much blown out distortion in the guitars and the bass drum on this record. It can become pretty infuriating once you hear it. I made the Baroness comparison because many of those records have the same problem. Yet for Baroness, those records are supposed to sound clean. This is a punk record first and foremost, and while I can let the messy production slide because of the almost sloppy nature of this sound, I can only let it go to a certain extent. This production does get muddy, which is never good on any record.
As a result, what could have been a great record is only a pretty good one. Kvelertak's self titled debut was a real eye opener at the time and revitalized a love for this genre's true roots. It has some great changes of pace throughout the record and doesn't let up for the entire album. It's a must listen for those looking to hear the 2010s expansion of this niche subgenre, even if I don't think it's the cream of the crop in the subgenre, let alone in Kvelertak's discography.
Genres: Black Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2010
A couple of weeks ago when I reviewed Napalm Death’s newest album, I briefly talked about my limited experience with grindcore as a subgenre and how I have very little interest in exploring the genre further, even after Napalm Death’s new album was much better than I anticipated. Now we have the newest record from Anaal Nathrakh and it’s all coming back to me again.
The production of this album sounds like shit. The vocals are over-compressed and are peaking in the mix, the bass presence is non-existent and the percussion sounds like it’s only about a few clicks away from falling entirely out of sync with the rest of the band! The guitars are heavily over-mixed as well and are jammed right to the front of the mix, where even the vocals are drowned out.
This album is not subtle. Because of the mixing in the guitars, the compositions have very little in the way of diversity. And I mean that from the perspective individual songs because the album does take risks at points. My favourite tunes on the album are the ones that carry some melodic weight, like on “The Age of Starlight Ends”. But the unique songs are very simplistic; with no dynamic swell or melodic growth, even these songs get repetitive very quickly. And you can only imagine what happens on the more grindcore leaning songs.
What it all boils down to is another grindcore album. I do like the attempts from Anaal Nathrakh to incorporate black metal elements into the mix, which does cause it to stand out among the rest. But at the same time, horrendous production is what has always driven me away from grindcore in the first place, not the compositions. And going back and listening to other records from this band, it is clear they have no intentions on changing anytime soon.
Genres: Black Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
As with most kinds of drone music, they leave me with very little to talk about. They claim to be long, elaborated stories, but all I hear is monotonous garbage. With Earth 2, fhis group seems like they took that to heart and tried to create something that was, if not thought out, had meaning to it. This three track affair that clocks in well over an hour, is more of a single, extended jam session. And I can't help but feel that this feeling is to the album's benefit. As one of the few people on this planet who can tolerate and respect a free jazz jam session on occasion, I totally appreciate where this album comes from: the feedback from the guitar that persists throughout the record as Carlson modulates between light guitar riffing and develops them for an extended period of time, before transitioning into the next idea.
Now this being a Drone album means that these ideas do not feel like they are fully developed or elaborated by the time a section ends and the next one begins. In fact, some ideas are elongated beyond the point of repetitiveness, especially on "Like Gold and Faceted". And again, I understand this apart of the appeal of Drone music, and I can appreciate it, but it would never appeal to me outside of some very specific circumstances.
Of all of the Drone Metal albums I have listened to that have been heralded as legendary feats within this subgenre, this is the one that I feel the most comfortable with. Probably not my favourite, but certainly among the higher echelon. As artists like Boris (and more recently Neptunian Maximalism) have taken the Drone Metal tag and transformed it into new and exciting ways, my necessity for "traditional" Drone music has faded. And this record represents the pinnacle of what Drone music is all about.
Genres: Drone Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1993
Insomnium threw me for a wild ride in 2016 with their fantastic single track album, Winter's Gate, one of my favourite albums of the year and dare I say it, among the best metal albums of the entire decade. Needless to say, I have had a lot of time for Insomnium over the last four years.
Which leads us to 2006 and the bands other critically acclaimed record, Above the Weeping World. And I feel like this album should have been so much more than it is. Not to say that this album is bad by any stretch. But I believe that my heightened expectations for this record given the high praise it and Winter's Gate have both received highly tainted my experience. When you break it all down, Above the Weeping World feels like the band in a very comfortable place, towing the line between death metal and progressive metal.
Now when we talk about Progressive Death Metal, a few names come to mind almost instantly. Let's quell that suspicion right away: this is nothing like an Opeth record. They both have their moments, specifically in the expanded songwriting, dynamic flare and great guitar work, but these rhythms are far less expansive than an Opeth record. This album feels colder and more brooding. You could almost say that this album has more in common with Death Doom Metal. Perhaps all of these labels on this record force me into the unfortunate realization that Insomnium were never a really good band at sticking to one location, drilling into it, and acquiring an audience. With this, while the constant changing of death metal styles is truly special, it does not grab me in the same way as other Insomnium records have.
As a result, the compositions can feel all over the place at times. "Mortal Shore" and "Change of Heart" seem the most simplistic of the bunch, and "The Killjoy" is the one most likely to appeal to the true death metal crowd, but "Drawn to Black" and "At the Gates of Sleep" are elongated songs with some interesting ideas, but nothing fully explored. I was hoping for a traditional death metal groove somewhere on this album to connect it all back together: a chugging riff, blast beats, but they never reared their head. Instead, I felt myself really enjoying this album, but feeling like their was a lot more left to be delivered.
As it stands, I still do like this album. The production is quite fine and the instrumentals are very pretty, most notably on the songs "Devoid of Caring" and "The Killjoy". The song compositions are constructed well, including the ten minute closer "In the Groves of Death". But as a fan who came on to this band late, knowing what they were able to do in the following decade leaves this album in an awkward position. Furthermore, having gone back and listened to their previous record Since the Day it All Came Down, it became quite obvious that this band liked their sound during the 2000s and were contempt on progressing forward with it with some stylistic improvements. I don't know, I did not find this album as legendary as so many people have claimed it to be.
Genres: Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2006
It is ambitious, to say the least, when any artist decides to record a single, elongated song and release it as an album. Now these sorts of albums can end up in one of two places: the first is being so pretentious that it stuck up its own ass, and cannot bother to write anything decent to connect themes together, or perhaps they don't have any themes at all. The other is that the album is heralded as one of the genre's crowning achievements. Take a look at Edge of Sanity's Crimson, Sleep's Dopesmoker or Insomnium's Winter's Gate.
In each of those cases however, it was much later into the band's career. People do not remember that Crimson was Edge of Sanity's fifth studio album. Enter Green Carnation, who decided to give it a go on their second album! And what an album it is! This band placed themselves among elite company with this record, and will go down as one of the 2000s best heavy metal albums.
And to start, we have to talk about compositions. As I have discussed across many reviews, a long song can only work if it feels connected together by some kind of melodic hook or idea, and that transitions need to be fluent and not feel like a rapid change of pace. Green Carnation pull this off remarkably well with the exception of a couple of places. The riff that occurs around minute seventeen is a little choppy with it's change it tempo and pulse. Fortunately the transition back to the first riff is executed with more efficiency. There are other transitions that do not resonate as well with me, specifically at minute twenty-eight and thirty-one. As a side note, I feel like that whole section at minute twenty-eight is probably the weakest on the record, mostly in part because the strings and synths are mixed very poorly without a rhythm guitar. But outside of those brief moments, I think Light of Day, Day of Darkness has some spectacular transitions and melodic ideas that modulate between a number of different locations. Its brightest moment is in minute thirty-eight, where the acoustic guitar and saxophone play off each other from the previous section, before coming together for the electric guitar to take over, allowing the saxophone to rest.
Speaking of which, let's talk about them. While the term Progressive Metal may be the best way to describe an album like this, I do not think that is completely true. This album was released in the same year as Opeth's Blackwater Park and while their are certainly elements of that album on display here, most of this record feels quite comfortable in a doom/gothic metal groove. The tempos are slow, the grooves are deliberate, and the booming, low end of Kijetil Nordhus' vocals reminds me a lot of Peter Steele of Type O Negative. But when the album gets progressive, it has some truly stunning moments. The first is in minute thirty-two, when the vocals of Synne Soprana come in and play off the saxophone. The harmonies outlined in that section are downright gorgeous. I am also a big fan of the Middle Eastern touches that show up in minute fifty-two. I'm not sure this section would have worked nearly as well if it wasn't for minute thirty-two.
As for the production of this record, I do have some quibbles. The first and most blaring and occurrent is the electric guitars that sound a little too tinny for my taste. I wish the mixing of the guitars were a bit more resonant and authentic, rather than being held back to allow for other elements to be heard. At least it allows for some pretty cool bass grooves. The percussion is not all that impressive, but it never had to be. The vocals are very well done, especially Synne Soprana's vocals in minute thirty-two. The saxophone does sound a bit muffled in my opinion. Other than that, the only other real issue I had was in minute fifteen, when a high pitched chime persisted for about a minute or so and it was really off-putting.
But these are minors nitpicks on a truly marvelous record. Green Carnation took a major risk going for broke this early in their careers, and even though the production is questionable at times, there is no denying that these guys were master craftsmen when it came to songwriting. The record is very subtle but gets it's point across with precision. It's always darkest before the dawn and Light of Day, Day of Darkness represents that dawn to me.
Genres: Progressive Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2001
Nu-Metal gets a bad reputation from metalheads and music critics alike. And rightfully so; it's the kind of music that would have been an easy sell for the prototypical angsty teenager who hated their parents during the 1990s and especially into the 2000s. System of a Down was one of the few nu-metal bands (along with Deftones) that were cool to like. Partially because their music was unlike that of so many replaceable bands of the time.
And when the band released there 2001 album, Toxicity, it was received with almost universal praise, some going on to say that it would survive the annals of history to become a heavy metal classic. Let's just say that, if we're talking about it in 2020, then I guess the critics were right.
Let's get to it. From a sonic perspective, Toxicity is a fruitful album with some very cool ideas not explored on the bands self titled debut. For starters, the vocals of Serj Tankian are more balanced overall. There is a lot more sung melodies here, which do compensate for some less than stellar instrumentals. The few moments of unfiltered aggression that we get are controlled and fit in wonderfully into the songs themselves. The band is also incorporating more oriental sounds in their music, which is partly based on the groups Armenian heritage.
The production is solid, if a little wonky. Rick Rubin has a tendency to blow out mixes with overproduced guitars, and tunes like "Prison Song", "Bounce" and "X" are not safe from this. They make for a very jarring listen, while songs such as "Chop Suey!" "Forest" and "Aerials" are more controlled. The percussion is not overpowering and this allows for the softer sections of these songs to give the listener a sense of reprieve before the heavier grooves kick in again. And the bass is super impressive as well.
As for the vocals, Serj Tankian is a vocal powerhouse and his virtuosity is on full display here. Daron does have the occasional lead part and shows up for some background vocals on the singles "Chop Suey!" and "Aerials", but his presence is not as prominent on later records from the group; records which I enjoy a little bit more than this.
I think what makes Toxicity stand out is how different it sounds in comparison to many other nu-metal records of a similar time. It is still clearly nu-metal with its fast vocal delivery, chugging riffage and very simple song structures, but it feels so far removed from the "scene" of the time with its vocal timbre and lyrical themes. In summary, I do really enjoy this record and I'm glad that it is remembered so fondly by metal fans. I will not call it their best, but this group made a landmark statement that is still relevant today as it was nearly twenty years ago.
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2001
So the Deftones are back with a new record in 2020 and while I was excited about what we were going to get, I was also a bit nervous. For one, the band has fallen into the “same but different” category of music for the better part of the 2010s, with not that much distinguishing Koi no yokan from Diamond Eyes. The last decade also was not helped by an album in Gore that was atrociously produced.
So with Ohms, it is nice to see that Deftones have quickly gotten whatever that was out of their system as this record returns back to the cleaner production quality of White Pony et al. But it also might be the Deftones most straightforward and uninteresting project they have ever released.
Nothing really stands out on Ohms in comparison to records like Saturday Night Wrist. The shoegaze elements are aplenty here and mixed well amidst Chino’s vocals and very safe, but effective rhythm section in the bass and percussion. Perhaps this albums standout moments are when it starts to incorporate hardcore/djent breakdowns on “Urantia” and “Radiant City”, which I don’t think are the best look for Deftones. They feel out of place on an album that generally feels lush and subdued. Whereas these breakdown riffs are aggressive and “pummelling” for lack of a better word.
As it is though, it’s serviceable, but hardly standouts. It will satisfy longtime Deftones fans looking for that little bit of nostalgia circa White Pony twenty years ago. But will anything here grab my attention as “Digital Bath” and “Knife Prty” did on White Pony? I will be surprised if it does.
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
I don't have much to say about Hopesfall and their second official record, No Wings to Speak Of, a short four song EP from 2001. What I will say is that if you go into this album expecting the same metalcore experience you got from Converge and their album, Jane Doe, from the same year, boy are you in for a surprise. These songs feature a much cleaner production quality and some very pretty songwriting, both during the albums soft and loud passages. The loud portions are anchored by some very sweet octave melodies in the guitar. The vocals are solid from Jay Forest during his screams, but his clean singing does lag a little bit. Not that it's bad, I rather enjoyed "Open Hands To The Wind" and "The End Of An Era", but they do sound pitchy at times. A bit of a shame since they typically appear overtop of tighter instrumentals.
The only real thing that I can critique this album for is how similar it sounds to so many other post-hardcore/metalcore albums that would precede in the years following. Given that Hopesfall is mostly remembered as a mediocre band at best by most critics, I doubt this EP could possibly be "legendary". But for a brief moment, Hopesfall had the sound that defined an entire decade of post-hardcore/metalcore music. And it just so happens to be the kind of metalcore that I immediately fall for. It's short and sweet, does not overstay its welcome, the worst elements are not held on to for an extended period of time, and in some cases are even lifted up by other strong elements, and is just a lot of fun.
Genres: Metalcore
Format: EP
Year: 2001
My good graces for The Ocean Collective have been running thin in the last couple of years, specifically with the release of their Phanerozic series, starting with Palaeozoic in 2018. The Ocean seemed very okay with the idea that they were going to create an album that was as drawn out and expansive as the real Palaeozoic era in the Earth's history!
Now, perhaps thankfully, The Ocean decided to cram the remaining two eras together on Phanerozic II in hopes of something a little more memorable. And, to my surprise, I think that The Ocean delivered. It's significantly better than act one, but I still do not think it lives up to the best moments from The Ocean's history.
This hybrid collage of Cult of Luna meets Leprous can only work if the music is itself enjoyable and for the most part it is. But the "Mesozoic" time here is more of the same drawn out, poorly constructed song structures that we saw on act one. I think "Triassic" is the better of the first two tracks, but even then, the production feels wonky, the vocals are very monochromatic and the main melodic idea is scarcely developed. The next track "Triassic | Cretaceous" is over thirteen minutes and is better produced, but the drawn out form feels about as long as it took for Pangea to split into two separate continents!
Then we reach the "Cenozoic" era and notice a change in song structure and form. They become more direct, the instrumentals are more developed and the main melodic ideas are elaborated upon. I heard someone say that "Eocene" is inexcusable, but I rather enjoyed it. The change of vocal timbre and the roughness in their delivery is matched well by the warmer, clean guitars, and simple bass and percussion.
As the album gets closer to the modern day, the songs extend again, but they seem more refined than previously mentioned. They almost take shape of older songs from The Ocean circa records like Precambrian or Pelagial. Which begs the question: why would The Ocean go on a journey through history, creating some of their least memorable tunes ever, only to return back to where they started before? It's a question we will never find out the answer to, but if this little escapade has taught the band anything, it's that a good humming tune will become timeless.
Genres: Progressive Metal Sludge Metal Post-Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
I was very spoiled growing up when I discovered industrial music. Nine Inch Nails were my introduction and nothing has sounded the same ever since. If you are not already aware, I love Nine Inch Nails and I believe that Trent Reznor is one of the greatest minds in music. This may seem very unusual coming from me, but Nine Inch Nails is one of only a select few artists, across any genre, that is able to make the industrial elements work and actively contribute to the music itself, rather than being obtrusive, or just being incredibly cheesy.
That being said, I have always been much more of a fan of Trent Reznor's electronic music rather than his more rock/metal side; the one that is generally more favoured by critics. Do not take that the wrong way, I still enjoy it, and the Broken EP is still really damn good, but does not live up to the highs presented on the debut record.
I think what makes this album so good is the songwriting. The abrasive industrial elements that persist throughout "Happiness In Slavery" and "Physical (You're So)" are balanced well by Reznor's chopped and screwed vocals, and a lot of the manipulating of timbre in the guitar. The album also has an excellent bass element that is one of Reznor's most important selling points on any record. And the compositions are pretty good, if a little redundant at times. "Wish" and "Last" start the album with very similar formula's before the album transforms into a nihilistic trip of slow burners, highlighted by the stellar closing song "Suck".
Production wise, as with any industrial album, most of the abrasiveness comes in the percussion. And here, there are some shining moments on "Wish" and "Physical (You're So)", but there is also "Happiness In Slavery" which can be grating on the ears over a short period of time, before you remember it's over five minutes! Reznor does a lot of vocal modulation on this record as mentioned previously. His vocals are so angry and harsh that you might have a hard time adjusting if you were coming to this from any other Nine Inch Nails record, minus Pretty Hate Machine.
Outside of a couple of pretty solid hooks, there really isn't all that much else to say about the Broken EP by Nine Inch Nails. I still enjoy the heck out of this little aside from Reznor, and while he would continue to experiment with heavier tones on The Downward Spiral two years later, it was clear that this was not were the band wanted to stay. At the very least, this EP gave an outlet for the band to explore more gothic themes, and it would work remarkably well later in the career of Trent Reznor.
Genres: Industrial Metal
Format: EP
Year: 1992
I do not have a problem with Arjen Lucassen breaking away from the “Forever” plotline. His 2013 album, The Theory of Everything, was everything that it needed to be; having the distinctive timbre of an Ayreon album, a fully loaded list of guest features, and a remarkable story connecting it all together. And, most importantly, it was the essential jumping on point for people like myself who wanted to discover the world of Ayreon, without having to go through a university course in understanding the lore (I’m looking at you Coheed and Cambria)!
So I was mostly excited to hear the band break off once again to tell a story all its own and it is certainly a good album, but I have a difficult time calling anything better than that. This does not even live up to the expectations of the bands worst albums.
Story is of course important in a rock opera and I feel like Arjen dropped the ball here. Transitus is, if we are being completely honest, a modified version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; two star crossed lovers whose relationship is destined to fail and will bring down everyone else with it. The album’s setting is in the years of 1883 and 1884, and (minor spoiler) Arjen’s selection of Oceans of Slumber’s Cammie Gilbert as Abby is intentional, and the song “Dumb Piece of Rock” pretty much assures it. It is not a bad thing by any stretch, but perhaps these ideas could have been developed further, rather than “hey this is here!”. There are also major issues with Amanda Sommerville’s character, Lavinia, in the second half that I will not go into further.
Outside of that, the cast of characters is impressive: I already mentioned Cammie Gilbert and Amanda Sommerville, but you also have Tommy Karevik of Kamelot, Simone Simons of Epica, Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, and guitar solo features from Joe Satriani and Marty Friedman. And the production of this record is stellar, as you would expect. The vocal harmonies of the Angel of Death’s furries are excellent and mixed wonderfully, the wide array of instrumentation from flutes, violins, horns and even a hurdy gurdy are all given ample amounts of space to breathe during their features.
However, Transitus is nowhere near as concise as previous albums like The Theory of Everything. Almost two thirds of the record is short interlude songs that don’t fully develop or deliver much of a decisive punch as “Listen to My Story” or “Message from Beyond” do. Some themes do return throughout the record, such as the reprise of “This Human Equation” on the song “Your Story is Over!”, or how “Daniel’s Vision” borrows explicitly from “Seven Days, Seven Nights”. But they serve as simple callbacks, rather than as development of those themes.
I think the part that pissed me off the most is that this record is accompanied by a short comic book. I should not need prerequisite material in order to enjoy your album! Thankfully, Tom Baker begins every song with a preamble in order to understand what is going on, but Ayreon never needed that! The Human Equation, The Theory of Everything, The Source did not need narration. This feels like a step down for Arjen. I will recommend it based on quality and firepower alone, but do not be surprised if this album gets designated to musical purgatory (pun intended).
Genres: Progressive Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
In hindsight, if the big four had been expanded, you could make a legitimate claim that Overkill would be the group most deserving of a potential fifth spot. Their legacy is well established over forty years and have been releasing some high quality, old school thrashers on a relatively consistent basis over that time. And let's not forget this bands 1989 album The Years of Decay, which is a true classic in the genre in all senses of that word.
I say all of this in preface because I don't really care for the bands debut album, Feel the Fire. And when I some time to think about why that is, the answer is quite simple. The quality of what's inside is very rugged. In all honesty, it's many of the same issues that I had with Metallica's debut album Kill 'Em All from 1983. But even by that comparison, Metallica's album did feel well performed. With this album...I don't know; there are plenty of instances on songs like "Raise The Dead", "Rotten To The Core", "Second Son" and "Kill At Command" in which the band sounds like they are just about to fall apart with the tempo changes. And I don't mean that in a positive, progressive usage. These tempo changes sound like mistakes that were stapled together in post-production instead of getting the group to play it again and pray the drummer is using a click track. "Overkill" manages the transitions with a bit more fluidity, but those moments are sparse on this record.
The album also suffers from some really cheap sounding production. I know this is early 80s thrash: "iT's nOt sUppOsEd tO bE pOlIsHeD!" I hear you say. But the guitars are consistently peaking in the mix on side B, the bass presence is painfully absent outside a handful of small bursts, and the bass drum is mixed way too close to the front, which does drown out even the guitar riffage when heading into a double kick passage. When the riffs are audible, they sound fine, and I did not mind the band doing their own version of "Hit The Lights" on "Blood And Iron". The vocals are quite spectacular from a pure performance standpoint. The quasi sung/scream vocals of Blitz are very cool, even if his nasally vocal timbre can be an acquired taste. And he balances it out with some vicious howls like the outro of "Raise The Dead". As for the hooks themselves, there are some solid standouts, most notably "Hammerhead" and "There's No Tomorrow".
Here's the thing about Feel the Fire: many of my criticism's about this album are based off the fact that I have heard better, including from Overkill, thrash metal records in the years after 1985. And as I have said before, judging a bands debut LP to later albums is unfair. So if you are in the mood for some good old fashion thrashing, then Feel the Fire will probably be just the burn you're looking for. However, even by those standards, this does not even stand up favorably to the debut records from Metallica or Slayer from a couple years earlier. For as messy as those albums are, at least Show No Mercy and Kill 'Em All were produced better, and the hooks were more pronounced.
Genres: Thrash Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1985
It’s time to have the discussion on grindcore. For the longest time, grindcore was a genre that I was vehemently opposed to, as my limited exposure to the genre was more than enough to turn me away. Pig Destroyer, Cattle Decapitation, Dying Fetus, and a sprinkling of early Napalm Death was all I needed to hear; drawing on the worst elements of technical death metal, noise rock and metalcore that was not only unpleasant to listen to, but left with very little that was memorable beyond being loud and obnoxious.
But I told myself at the start of 2020 to listen to more types of metal, and to give older genres another chance. So here is Napalm Death’s newest album and...well this certainly is not the Napalm Death that I remember. They seem to be using a little more connectivity in their songwriting (they are thinking outside the mosh pit) and are incorporating hints of melodic phrasing in the music, which compliments the environment well.
That being said, they are still sprinkles on a grindcore doughnut. And this amalgamation of trans-fats are still ruthless in aggression. Songs like “Fuck The Factoid” and the title track are straight up mosh fests with blistering tempos, riffage and blast beats. Thankfully, the instruments actually sound pretty decent on this one. The production on this album is splendid and requires the music itself to create the uncomfortable atmosphere presented, instead of using blown out, messy presentation.
The vocals are good. Barney’s timbre is in the death metal vein (low guttural growls) and plays to the instrumentals very well. However, there are a handful of clean singing parts that just resort to monochromatic chanting on “Contagion” and “Invigorating Clutch”. I guess they are okay for what they are trying to do, but they feel really cheap and most people who listen to this will hate them anyway!
Overall, I didn’t hate this. Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism is handily the best grindcore album I’ve heard in quite some time (for whatever that’s worth). But it still doesn’t sell me on the genre as a whole. I mean, for a genre called “grindcore”, melodic development was never going to be a selling point. This is music for the mosh pits and for what it’s worth, this is good moshing music. I cannot deny fans that joy.
Genres: Death Metal Grindcore
Format: Album
Year: 2020
Well considering that my first Converge review didn't go so well, might as well give them another try right?
And here's the thing: when I started listening to Converge around the turn of the 2010s, I was still a relative noob in the Metalcore genre, and Mathcore specifically. I was listening to Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Protest the Hero (even though they are more Progressive Metal) and the like. I was still learning about the genre and how the best artists within this subgenre were able to craft these tunes with fluidity and beauty. Now Converge failed to deliver, at least in my opinion, through their first few albums, culminating with Jane Doe, an album revered by almost all who hear it.
So if I may be the lone voice yelling contrary into the void, so be it. Converge's All We Love We Leave Behind is significantly better listening experience than You Fail Me and Jane Doe, and is, in my opinion, Converge's best record.
For starters, the song structures found within this record are delivered with elegance. This album has a lot of tracks that are short (less than two minutes) and provide the listener with a hectic experience, but not one that feels overwhelming or overly brash. And not only that, but songs have legitimate forms and dynamic peaks and valleys. Now these occur primarily on the longer songs, such as the two most popular songs on the record "Sadness Comes Home" and the title track, but they also make their presence felt on "Coral Blue" and "Glacial Pace".
The riffing on this record sounds more pronounced and full than on any previous Converge album. Some of my personal favoutie cuts are the main verse (fast) riff on "Sadness Comes Home", and the punishing outro of "Glacial Pace". "Coral Blue" and "Veins and Veils" also have some tight grooves as well. And these ideas are developed as well, a technique seldom used in math rock/mathcore today. Sure "Sadness Comes Home" has a very quick turnaround from its intro riff into the verses, however that main riff returns as an outro. And even if it is one of the albums easiest songs to digest, it does set the table for what else is to come.
The production on this record deserves special credit. I have always been a stickler for this kind of stuff, but just because an album is supposed to be loud, aggressive, and atonal, it does not give the producers an excuse to make the songs sound like liquid ass. Bands such as Daughters have proven this in recent years and Converge helped set that band up for their success. The guitars are powerful, but not overpowering to make the bass sound like an afterthought. There are a few moments scattered throughout the album in which a rhythm guitar is surprisingly absent, leaving just a lead guitar and bass to push forward. And when those rhythm guitars do return, they hit with a greater impact knowing that their is that fundament bass line to flush out the mix. The percussion work on this album is very great. Since the album does alternate between hectic, hardcore tunes, and slower, melodic post-metal/sludge(?) ideas, Ben Koller fluidity between the contrasting styles is effective and shows enough restraint, not just in the performance, but also in the mix, not being pushed into the front ahead of the lead guitars, or Jacob Bannon. To be completely honest, the vocal performance is probably has the albums weakest moments. The quality and precision in Jacob's voice is dramatically improved from previous records, but it can feel pushed back in the overall mix a fair number of times.
When the band followed this record in 2017 with The Dusk In Us, a few people were surprised by the slower, more atmospheric change in sound and direction. But if you look at this album and my favourite song "Coral Blue", you would have already seen that change coming. Overall, All We Love We Leave Behind is a banger of a metalcore record from top to bottom. It redefines the frantic sound that Converge were known for at the time, while also laying the groundwork for where this group could go next. I never understood the mass critical acclaim for Converge...until I listened to this. Great stuff, but you probably knew that already.
Genres: Metalcore
Format: Album
Year: 2012
This is my second time diving into the world of Falkenbach and the subgenre of Viking Metal in more general terms. My first exposure was with this bands 2005 album Heralding and I really enjoyed what I heard; blending their unique folk traits alongside more traditional black metal tendencies.
So going back and looking at the bands previous album was exciting. I was anticipating seeing how the band got to their sound on that 2005 record. And what I ended up finding was... well it certainly isn't a bad record by any stretch; quite the contrary, actually. But this album feels far more simplistic than what would come later.
And perhaps that was apart of the bands appeal and purpose for the album. After all, this is Viking Metal. The Vikings are most notable as Norse legends and their journeys across the Atlantic Ocean with names like Erik the Red. And if you took away all of the metal indicators on this album, it pretty much sounds like re-imaginings of the sea songs that those Norse legends may have sung while traversing the heavy waters of the Atlantic. "Aduatuza", "Donar's Oak", and especially "Homeward Shore" fit in quite well with what Falkenbach is trying to envision.
That being said, there are problems. For one, the black metal elements are seemingly lacking in comparison to subsequent albums. Now this is a unjust problem to have; comparing records to albums that came later, but it does make the songs a lot less interesting. It seems like after the song "...As Long as Winds Will Blow", OK Nefna Tysvar Ty goes into a very comfortable sound, and does not venture away from it the rest of the albums duration. It can make an album that is relatively short, feel like its running long; not a good problem to have.
I also have concerns with the production. For one, the guitars are very simplistic, which is not a problem on its own. I actually quite enjoy the simple power chords anchoring simple one note vocal melodies. But the instrumental breaks are very hit or miss. Songs like "Donar's Oak" have flute's to carry a melody, but "Aduatuza" does not and it feels more like an extended jam rather than anything musically connected. And by the way, I will never understand why rock/metal bands use acoustic guitars as melodic instruments in front of electric power chords. The main melody in the acoustic is almost always drowned out and I question why it was even included on "Homeward Shore" at all, even if I do like the tempo changes and transitions on that tune in particular.
As it stands, OK Nefna Tysvar Ty is a strong effort by Falkenbach to recreate the traditional Viking sound, but with modern metal tendencies. And I think they do a pretty good job of creating that atmosphere for the listener. But at the same time, there has been a lot of Folk Metal, including from Falkenbach, that is more experimental and hits with more intensity than this.
Genres: Folk Metal Viking Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2003
This long running Swedish Prog Metal band has had some pretty incredible highs and some very forgettable lows. Pain of Salvation began in the 1980s and their initial output wasn’t much to write home about. Then the turn of the millennium hit and the band found new life with albums such as The Perfect Element I and Remedy Lane. Unfortunately, this band has returned back into safe territory since Road Salt One. And the band has begun incorporating djent tendencies that are all groove and no substance.
Their most recent album In the Passing Light of Day was a consistent album, but beyond a couple of decent singles, I found very little memorable about the album, even despite being overly generous three years ago. And now we have PANTHER, a more consistent album than In the Passing Light of Day, but less interesting.
For starters, since the band is loosely affiliated with Alternative Metal, I have a feeling that Pain of Salvation have become very tentative with their progressive tendencies in recent years. Beyond some odd time signatures and extended song structures, PANTHER does not stick out all that much. Sure, songs such as “UNFUTURE”, “WAIT”, “KEEN TO A FAULT” and “ICON” sound really nice, but what makes them stand out in comparison to the rest of Pain of Salvation’s discography?
The tracks that do stand out though are “RESTLESS BOY” and “PANTHER”. Unfortunately that is not a good thing. These are the worst tunes on the album as the former is the most blatant in its djent influence, and the later has rap verses that are poorly delivered and almost cringe-worthy in execution. They also have electronic elements as well and they sound forced in to create a more unique Pain of Salvation experience. I think that the album has some decent electronic elements, but they are few and far between.
Overall, I’m surprised by this new Pain of Salvation album. I wanted to like it more than I do, but Pain of Salvation is much less experimental than this album would suggest. And being accessible is not the problem; this could have worked.But I lose it with the faux rapping, djent breakdowns, and scattered production that has been consistent in Pain of Salvation albums for the last ten years.
Genres: Progressive Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
Drugs
I don't remember the initial reaction or acclaim for this record when it was originally released back in the year 2000. But oh boy, did I get familiar with it incredibly fast when I did discover it! Back when I was a blue blood in high school in the mid 2000s, I heard this album played religiously among my metal friends and all of our jam sessions were built around the Dopethrone framework. And, for a time, we had a ton of fun just getting really stoned, jamming out to Electric Wizard adjacent music, then smoking some more while the soothing sounds of Kyuss and Sleep engulfed us.
That was nearly fifteen years ago, and my opinions on musical quality have changed drastically, especially since I went to post-secondary school to learn from industry professionals. One of the things that I learned (perhaps counter-intuitively) was a memorable tune/hook or a musical idea/motif that would develop over a song/album's duration. Or, to put it in a different way, something that will grab your attention. As I learned that, my dependence on drugs as a gateway into different types of music became less dependent. And my love for Dopethrone deteriorated with it.
Don't get me wrong, I still do enjoy this album in certain situations. "Funeralopolis", "Barbarian" and "We Hate You" are shorter songs that don't overstay their welcome. And from a sonic perspective, this is the closest anyone has come in creating a hybrid of the slow, dirge-like tempos of Doom Metal and the intense crunchiness and aggression of Sludge Metal; a sound that has not been truly replicated since. However, the longer tracks ("Weird Tales / [et al.]", "I, the Witchfinder" and "Dopethrone") all have this incessant desire to just carry on without development. They stay very monotonous vocally and tonally, and they slow down even further, making them even more or a dirge than before.
For the purposes of this review, I re-listened to this album twice; once completely sober, the other after a few hits of the devils lettuce. And I found that my reaction in both scenarios were very similar. They were groovy as hell yes, but so much of this music was in one ear and out the other. I could feel myself falling in and out of consciousness as each new idea became indistinguishable from one another. While I was sober however, and actively hoping for something to latch onto, I found very little.
In the other scenario, it was a nice way to pass an hour plus without having to think about very much. And it was a brisk seventy-one minutes as well. So if I can recommend this, I would say listen to this album the way it was meant to be heard; in a haze of smoke. When sober, I put Dopethrone in the same category as I would include a lot of Deep House music; it works really well as part of a gaming/workout playlist, but that hardly constitutes a great album in my opinion.
Genres: Doom Metal Stoner Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2000
Power Metal has always been a very divisive subgenre with the metal community. This division has been a persistent issue since the genre's formation and boom during the late 1980s and into the 1990s. And Helloween are this genre tags most well known and respected band. Their debut E.P. as well as the three subsequent full length albums that followed, are considered high art by those who enjoy it.
Now, forgive me for being naive, but I've never cared for Helloween. I have always believed that when matched side by side with the artists that they were trying to invoke, Helloween always felt a step down. Their biggest love is clearly Iron Maiden, and that is a high bar to live up to for sure, so I don't blame them too much for that.
What I will say is that in comparison to the power metal bands that followed into the 1990s, Helloween did not age very well at all. And Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II is no exception. The production and compositions on this album falls very flat very quickly. For starters, the guitars are not mixed all that well. Sure they sound fine, but many of the rhythmic passages feel undercooked and lacking a significant low end to really drive them forward. The melodic passages are much more enjoyable because the bass does sound pretty good throughout the entire project thanks to Markus using the fretless variety. Percussion is pretty standard by definition in Power Metal. And Michael Kiske does a very solid Bruce Dickinson impersonation here, but loses his individual identity pretty quickly.
As for the compositions, I found far too many times that the tempo changes and development of ideas felt forced. The tempo changes just show up out of nowhere with nothing to prepare them and the development tries overlaying some melodic counterpoint in the lead guitar or vocals, but doesn't introduce these ideas initially to make the combining of the two hit harder. And of course, the hooks. For as nice of a sound that Helloween may have, I cannot recall at least half of this album. I mean, the album starts off very well with "Eagle Fly Free" and I have a blast with "March of Time", but tunes such as "Rise and Fall", "Mr. Stein" and "We Got the Right" are just in one ear and out the other.
For comparison sake, I decided to listen to Queensrÿche's album of the same year, Operation: Mindcrime. And what I ended up finding was an album that was able to grip me and carry me along for the ride with greater consistency. As for Helloween, I won't deny that they do have a mostly enjoyable sound and I am not going to shun anyone for enjoying them. But Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II offers a lot less today than it did back in 1988 and Blind Guardian easily surpassed them entering the 1990s.
Genres: Power Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1988
What do you get when you cross New Wave of British Heavy Metal, early Motörhead adjacent speed metal, and the original hardcore punk scene of the 1980s? Well you probably end up with a band like Venom and their legendary debut record Welcome to Hell.
Now for an initial playthrough, that might seem like a lot to digest. But Venom are not only able to pull off the best elements of each playbook with fluidity, but they also managed to create an album that has stood the test of time remarkably well! To be completely honest, I had never listened to this album in its entirety prior to writing this review, but I immediately recognized some of these tunes as soon as they began playing, without being aware that they were Venom songs. That is a true testament to this bands legacy.
Of the three branching genres that I could recognize while listening to this record, NWOBHM is the tag that I would attest to this album the least. In contrast to other artists who were releasing similar sounding music around the same time, Venom were far more crunchy than their contemporaries. The riffage on "Welcome To Hell", "Poison", "One Thousand Days of Sodom" and "In League with Satan" is unlike anything you would expect to hear on those early Iron Maiden and Diamond Head records. The vocal timbre is less power metal and more thrash, the riffs are faster and more distorted, the hooks are less anthemic, but somehow resonate just as effectively. Perhaps the tag of Speed Metal would make more sense.
But I hear a lot more distortion and alienation from Venom than a group like Deep Purple or Motörhead. No, the genre that I tagged Venom as was Original Hardcore Punk. While bands like the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag and Bad Brains were gaining attention in the United States, Venom were taking that sound and implementing it over these NWOBHM/Speed Metal compositions and it sounded phenomenal. The albums starts with "Sons of Satan" and while the hooks might not be there, the fast tempos are. The distorted riffs are very powerful, and anchored by some very solid bass, while the vocals is howl-singing, like you would hear in Black Flag or Bad Brains.
But what separates Welcome to Hell from other Hardcore Punk albums of the eighties is its forward thinking. While you might not hear it initially, Venom were stoking the flame for a new generation of metal. One that took it to the extreme, literally. "Witching Hour" and "Red Light Fever" are the basic foundations of black metal with its tremolo riffs, relentless percussion groove and howled vocals. Throw on top of that all of the Satanic imagery and scattered atonal soundscapes found throughout the project and you'll find a lot of appreciate here.
Upon listening to Welcome to Hell, I quickly realized how much gross influence this album has had within heavy metal, as well as how wide of a range its intended audience is meant to be. Is it Speed Metal? Is it Hardcore Punk? Is it Black Metal (no it isn't, but the recurrent themes do bring an interesting point)? No matter what angle you view this album from, Venom's debut record is one for the ages.
Genres: Heavy Metal Speed Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1981
I have a long history with this band. Tool were the band that initially forced me to crossover into the world of heavy metal back in the year 2001. I guess you could say they were my "Gateway" band (forced pun intended). And for a while, I believed the hype when it came to the bands 1996 album, Ænima, regarded by many as the bands best studio album, even ahead of Lateralus. Now I gave that album the illustrious perfect score when I reviewed just a few months ago. And while my opinion on that album may be tainted by rose coloured glasses, I still consider that record to be one of the all time greats, and a top ten greatest album of all time.
Ænima meanwhile, has not aged nearly as well. For starters, Ænima continues following the trend of the bands debut LP, Undertow by having a decent blend of progressive rock song structures/forms, while still maintaining some solid hooks from Maynard James Keenan on vocals, anchored by strong fundamentals by Justin Chancellor on bass and Adam Jones on guitar. "Stinkfist" starts the album with a thud and that carries on well into "Eulogy", but it does not stay in that vein for very long. "H." and "Hooker With A Penis" feel more like free-form tunes that yes do have good grooves, mostly on the former, but no hook to speak of. "Forty Six & 2" has more form, but lacks a melodic hook beyond the introductory bass groove. "Jimmy" and the title track are very good, the latter being one of Tool's top ten songs, while I personally have a strange fascination for "Pushit".
The sound of this album is unique for Tool. It was clear from the beginning that these guys were fans of some of the heavier grunge rock bands of the early nineties (Soundgarden and Alice in Chains specifically) and were working on creating a hybrid of Alice in Chains' heaviness, and Soundgarden's more progressive songwriting/structure. But this time around, Tool made the pivot to make a sound all their own. And I wished I liked it more. Many of the individual tracks seemingly run together after a while without any discernible key change or drastic tempo alteration. On their own, they are quite fine, but as a collective unit... I dunno, just really falls flat.
But outside of the music itself, what really holds this album back from the higher echelon that is the rest of Tool's discography? One word: framing. This album is FAR too long and trying way too hard to be tongue in cheek. Tool have never taken themselves very seriously; for god's sake, Undertow has a song called "Prison Sex"! The title of "Stinkfist" is another that tries to be provocative, while hiding a message/observation at large of people taking extreme measures to obtain pleasure, or "Hooker With a Penis", which responds to fans who claim they "sold out" as well as with "Pushit".
But what really grinds my gears is the interludes. My god. "Useful Idiot", "Intermission", "Cesaro Summability" and "(-) Ions" are literal noise interludes that contribute nothing to the experience. While "Message To Harry Manback" and "Die Eier Von Satan" might invoke a chuckle or even a full on laugh upon first listen, but what was the point of including a cookie recipe in German, over some percusssive, industrial groove? It loses it humour very quickly and these tracks have become near immediate skips with every subsequent listen of Ænima.
I understand the gatekeeping that Tool fans have, but much of that is at the hands of the band themselves. Tool are clearly not interested in dumbing down their music to a wider audience. They demand your attention in order to appreciate the songwriting and the word painting in the music. But Ænima is the album that achieves this the least effectively. You might like the singles: "Stinkfist", "Forty Six & 2", "Ænema", but be prepared to be left confused if you try and listen to this album in its entirety. It actively feels like the band is trying the alienate themselves from the mainstream, and perhaps, even their audience. And in one humble reviewers case, it almost worked...
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1996
Folk Metal is not a descriptor that I take with much consideration. Folk tendencies can be carried across any genre of music to accentuate melodic and scriptural themes. And Power Metal seems to be the place where it is surprisingly absent. Stylistically, it makes a lot of sense, since both are storytelling genres, as they talk about “folklore” and mythology.
Ensiferum have been around since the mid 1990s and Thalassic is their eighth, and most recent, studio album. And their blend of Power and Folk Metal work together incredibly well. I wish I could kick myself for not discovering them sooner.
For starters, they have a very unique sound. One that combines said Power and Folk Metal, as well as some very welcome Melodic Death Metal trends that I am a sucker for. The comparison that I made was to the French band Aephanemer.
Musically speaking, these are very well constructed Power Metal songs with some great production. The bass is fluent and carries these songs on their epic adventures, the melodic hooks in the vocals, guitars, and other folk instrumentation is solid, and the band is able to show off a diverse palette of sounds, without highlighting any true weaknesses. The mixing of the album is very good as well. There is a lot of double bass drum on this album, so balancing that with the melodic instruments is key and I think they did a very good job. The only thing that threw me off were some of the gang vocals feeling overly accentuated, such as on “One with the Sea”.
The end of this album tossed me another curveball as well and it left a bitter taste in my mouth when it was over. “Midsummer Magic” is a goofy jig that feels out of place with what transpired previously. And on the closing track “Cold Northland”, the bridge goes into a true melo-death riff, complete with percussion blast beats. I still like the song, but it felt out of place when it has been noticeably absent for the first eight tracks.
Still I really enjoyed this. This album's first seven tracks more than make up for its questionable direction in the final two and is just a lot of fun. It features some of the bands best individual songs and that’s high praise.
Genres: Folk Metal Power Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
This is the first full length release by California based metalcore band Gulch and has been receiving a lot of positive praise from critics. To me I found this very surprising considering the albums runtime is only about fifteen minutes. What could possibly be going on here to stand out this much in 2020?
Well, I'm not too sure. I think that for as aggressive and relentless as this album is, the short runtime is to its benefit. The grooves are pretty solid throughout and the howling vocal delivery is pretty damn awesome!
I say all of this because the album does not have the same sort of crispness that we expect to hear from others in the genre, specifically The Dillinger Escape Plan. This record seems to share a lot more in common with Jane Doe era Converge. For one, the production is really sloppy; the guitars have this continuous buzzing throughout the record, separate to the percussion. The bass is practically non-existent on this album, and while the percussion is impressive and mixed the best of all of the instruments, it never gets its own opportunity to shine behind the aforementioned rattling in the guitars.
The other comparison point to Converge is the song structures. I have gone on record many a times disparaging mathcore and its incessant flailing around tempo/time signature changes as hook-worthy, instead of crafting actual grooves or melodies that are recognizable beyond the avant-garde tempo stylings.
Mathcore is not my thing, nor do I think it will ever be my "thing". And this album is not going to change my mind, even if it does take some decent steps into changing my mind. A curious listen for sure, but not memorable beyond it's minor Grindcore leanings.
Genres: Metalcore
Format: Album
Year: 2020
For the first time in seven years, Misery Signals are back with a full length studio album. And this time they have recruited their original lead vocalist, Jesse Zaraska, after a very successful ten year run with Karl Schubach.
And while my history with Melodic Metalcore is expansive, it isn't a genre I typically return to all that much. Part of that is how samey much of it sounds. And this album is no exception. I tried to craft this review without mentioning that these guys sound way too much like August Burns Red. But I just couldn't do it. The comparisons are almost too obvious to miss. They've even gone so far as to start modulating with the song structures. "River King" and "Some Dreams" are Constellations era A.B.R. to a tea.
The mixing is pretty good. The stylistic changes from faster, hardcore passages to slower, breakdowns is decent. The softer passages that break up the heaviness of this album sound okay. "Redemption Key" feels a little too soft in the mix overall, causing the metal breakdown during that tracks final third to be a bit too harsh.
But I grew up with a lot of this stuff, so my criticisms are muted because I appreciate a good Melodic Metalcore album, in a genre littered with Car Bomb's and Fit For An Autopsy. Tunes like "Sunlifter" and especially "The Fall" are tuneful and fun. But even by those standards, this album still feels very safe. Fans of Misery Signals, as well as Melodic Metalcore, will probably enjoy this, but everyone else may treat this as just like any other Melodic Metalcore album.
Genres: Metalcore
Format: Album
Year: 2020
For Pantera, Cowboys From Hell may as well be there freshman album because it saw the band ditch their 1980s power metal influence in favour of something that resembled thrash metal, but not fast or sonically aggressive. That right everyone, it's the birth of "Groove Metal"!
Now while Groove Metal has had its time in the spotlight during the 1990s and early 2000s as the prominent, mainstream subgenre of choice, Cowboys From Hell is still very transitional. This album still has grooves that are highly reminiscent of the early power metal era Pantera. These are mostly found on the albums promotional singles: "Cowboys From Hell", "Domination" and to a lesser extent, "Cemetery Gates". By comparison the extreme chugging of "Psycho Holiday", "Heresy" and "Medicine Man" are very forward thinking for their time.
I'm not going to lie, for an album as iconic as this, I would have expected to be better produced than this. The volume mixing is incredibly offsetting. Like how "Cemetery Gates" is mixed much quieter overall, leading into its fade out ending, but is then immediately followed by "Domination", which is much louder all around. The two songs in consecutive order sound like they were composed for two separate albums. And not's even including the unsettling nature of some of these instrumentals. Dimebag Darrell's guitar is very sloppily mixed from one song to the next. At one moment, the guitar is drowning Anselmo's vocals and at the next, Anselmo is all you can hear! And I can't not talk about the awful reverb effect in the percussion that absolutely ruins the iconic headbanging drop/riff on the outro of "Domination".
I'm sure that there are countless remastered versions of this album that is now in its thirtieth year in circulation that can fix many of these problems that i have with it. Because the "grooves" themselves are sticky as hell! The explosiveness of "Primal Concrete Sledge", the iconic riff that wraps up "Domination". I still really enjoy the title track and all of the pinch harmonics and other guitar effects that Dimebag incorporates throughout the record. One thing that I really enjoy from a songwriting point of view is the absence of a rhythm guitar during the solos. I do not know how prominent of a songwriting tactic this was before Pantera, but my goodness! The space in which Dimebag has to breathe in tremendous, and is anchored by some very good bass work. Unfortunately, it does not last; "Message in Blood" and "The Sleep" are serviceable tunes that do nothing to further develop the sound from the first half of the record.
Phil Anselmo's vocal presence on this album is very rough. It's more of a quasi sung, but it contains a lot of natural rasp and is harbored by some Chuck Schuldiner esque shrieking. As Pantera would double down on their Groove Metal sound on later records, Phil's vocals would become more stable and would rest in a very comfortable scream. I like how he uses his full vocal range throughout the album, even incorporating some "clean" singing on "Cemetery Gates", which would help influence some of Pantera's superior "ballads" on later albums.
I'm not gonna lie to you guys, I still enjoy this album quite a bit. And while the overall production is all over the place and does hold the record back, that's not the reason why I am not as high on this album as so many others. My opinion on Pantera as a whole has been skewed over the last fifteen plus years since the passing of Dimebag Darrell. Pantera have been gifted the status of "heavy metal gods" by countless fans of this band as well as by mainstream metal press. That also somehow included a "free of criticism" pass. I have gotten into more than one triggering argument with fans of this band for daring to critique the band and this specific album. To be honest, I'm kind of burnt out on Pantera. Not just by their music, but also their fans who relentlessly shove it into my face how great of a band they were and that Dimebag was a legendary guitar player, etc.
Throw on top of that the questionable antics that Phil Anselmo has continued to get himself into over the last few years, and those same fans will not call him out for it is kind of disgusting. Pantera's legacy is secure within the annals of heavy metal history and they served their purpose. Their brand of fist clenching, aggressive thrash metal is just what teenage adolescents needed (such as I was when I discovered it) and also helped pave the way for a completely new genre of heavy metal. But for me, that rodeo has passed.
Genres: Groove Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1990
For Hail Spirit Noir, a heavy metal band from a region in Central Macedonia, Greece, they have shown a lot of potential throughout their previous output in the last decade. Starting off as a black metal outfit with psychedelic elements, the band flipped their script with 2016’s Mayhem In Blue as they added progressive/avant-garde elements into their work. Well, maybe that isn’t fair; these elements were always present, but now the band was pushing them to the front of their work.
Eden In Reverse takes this transition another step further as many of the black metal elements have been discarded for more “traditional” progressive metal tropes. The band's biggest selling point is their use of analog synthesizers as melodic framing devices. Some might find this sound alienating, but the implementation is executed strongly. They do provide some very sticky hooks, while the guitars provide some warm chord progressions. I will admit though that they can become overwhelming at points, especially on the closer “Automata 1980”. The bass and percussion work is balanced out pretty well overall in the mix. I will say that the weakest element is the vocalist. There are some decent moments, but most of the time they feel very monotonous.
The band's sound is a little bit hard to pin down. I already mentioned off the top that this band started off with black metal tendencies, and most of those are absent here. But the synths from those early days are still present, providing a spacey environment that is not grounded. The two early comparisons that I made were to mid 2000s Opeth, as well as the same stylistic transformation that Borknagar made in the last decade. Both of these are good sources to aspire to, and the synths once again do provide some originality, but I think that the band could have gone the extra mile to make themselves stand out even further.
As it is, I did like Eden In Reverse. The transition from extreme black metal to psychedelic, progressive metal was pulled off well with some positive rewards. But the feigning identity may be to this band's detriment in the future.
Genres: Progressive Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
Before Deafheaven's 2013 sophomore album Sunbather was released, the genre that we now know as "blackgaze" was still very much in its early development; the word "blackgaze" being simply a compound of black metal and shoegaze. Anchored by an artist such as Neige and his bands Alcest and Amesoeurs, the tag of blackgaze could best be described as "shoegaze with black metal elements". And I can completely understand why, if you were a fan of heavy aggressive nature that the title "black metal" suggests, blackgaze wouldn't have been your cup of tea.
Deafheaven decided to flip that script with their "black metal first, shoegaze second" approach to the genre. And it helped them out...for better or worse. The band's 2013 sophomore album Sunbather is one of the most discussed records of the entire 2010s decade, period. It will also most likely go down as that decade's most important metal album based on cultural impact alone. Before you've even started listening to "Dream House", some metal purists would be shocked and disgruntled by a bright pink album cover that could not be missed. What about Boris' Pink?
But enough about the albums history, how does it stand up as a piece of artwork? Well it certainly is eclectic. I know why this album is deemed controversial and why the typical consensus is either complete infatuation or outright disgust. I see myself on the former side of the aisle, but I do see flaws within and it is important to highlight them.
For one, unlike most black metal (including early blackgaze), the major key harmonies are jarring. For a genre that is viewed as having a generally cold atmosphere, why did Deafheaven create something so warm and longing?
For a blackgaze record, it does not really meet too many of the qualifications that title would suggest. Shoegaze is typically very slow, dreary and, as its name suggests, invokes bending your neck forward and looking down at the floor. This record is far more uplifting than that. Lots of fast tempos, blast beats and ferocious howls from George Clarke. It is more reminiscent of something you might hear in post-metal or atmospheric black metal. The jarring dichotomy of the two emotions together create a one of a kind heavy metal experience. "Dream House" is still my favourite Deafheaven song, but the beautiful song structures and formatting of "Sunbather" and "Vertigo" make them instantly recognizable. Unfortunately for me, the album does lose steam near its conclusion; the major harmonies of the first two/three songs vanish with "The Pecan Tree".
One thing that I greatly appreciate from the world of atmospheric black metal is the song structures. This is still a black metal record first and foremost, but you have to give your listeners a moment of reprieve; to collect their thoughts before the next wall of sound assault comes the listeners way. Deafheaven get that, and while their are some really long songs throughout the project, none of them feel "long". Quite the contrary, in some cases, especially on "Dream House", "Sunbather" and "The Pecan Tree", the songs almost end prematurely. "Vertigo" by contrast starts with clean guitars and soft percussion and evolves into distorted tremolo picking, blast beats and Clarke's shrieking. The album also includes some separate interludes as well, including the very pretty "Irresistible", the unsettling intro before transforming into acoustic guitar strumming on "Please Remember", as well as a spoken word interlude on "Windows" just before the finale. That last interlude does not really add much to the overall experience in comparison to the other breaks.
On a record such as this, production is key. You do not want the mix to become overwhelming when everyone is playing this fast and all at the same time. Thankfully that does not seem to be very much of an issue during the instrumental passages. Some of the electronic elements, most notably the first section of the interlude "Please Remember" sound really cheesy. Also, Clarke's vocals always feel as if they are being drowned out in the mix. Perhaps par for the course in this branch of black metal, but something that may have been overlooked.
So who is this album for? It's major harmonic song structures make me believe it is meant to be more mainstream "accessible" black metal. The vocals suggest otherwise. As a black metal album, it is solid as well, but as mentioned at the start, some metal purists just don't like change and they will dismiss this record simply based on principle. Deafheaven found themselves between a rock and a hard place with Sunbather, an album meant to please everybody, but perhaps found themselves more isolated than before...at least initially. Rest assured, with bands like Alcest still around, as well as new faces such as White Ward, Sylvaine, and Harikari For The Sky(?), Deafheaven expatiated the process for a new wave of heavy metal. I think we should bask in its rays.
Genres: Black Metal Post-Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2013
After listening to Sólstafir's 2009 album Köld for a previous featured release in The Infinite clan, I had some questions. Questions about the longevity of this style of post-metal. One that borrowed a lot from progressive metal tropes of songwriting and how long this band could get away with it. To put it lightly, Köld is exactly what I would expect an ex-atmo black metal band to make, if they were to take the plunge into post/progressive metal.
Now the 2011 album, Svartir Sandar sees the band now established within the genre, their black metal roots are behind them, and have the freewill to play whatever it is they want to. And this record is certainly a step up from that last album. I like how the album builds a nice pace and tells a story through its instrumentals; the heavier sections are contrasted beautifully by softer, lush clean sections. The songwriting has improved greatly as well, weaving in and out of ideas and phrases to create a nice little narrative.
However, the production has taken a bit of a hit, especially in the albums louder sections. Such as the opening track "Ljós í Stormi" as well as "Þín Orð". The percussion is really loose and there are some portions on this record in which everything is being drowned out by the crash cymbals and the clicking heavy snare drum. And don't think that I didn't notice on the opener the missed cues by the drummer.
And this persists on the second disc of this album as well. I do feel like the overall sound quality made an improvement here in where the bad moments only appear in short spurts, rather than persisting throughout. Like on the outro of " Melrakkablús" and the section just before the transition on the title track. I really like what the band did here; the transition on "Svartir Sandar" sounds brilliant and the ominous choral arrangement near the outro sound gorgeous. Which leaves us with the trio of "Draumfari", "Stinningskaldi", and " Stormfari". These three tracks together create an interesting environment, but the middle portion loses momentum very quickly. I think the band knew they could combine all of these songs together, so they would split it up and it probably worked out for the best so I can skip the middle portion.
I will say that starting and ending the record with two songs both eclipsing ten minutes is a bit of a gamble, but it surely paid off. " Ljós í Stormi" and "Djákninn" are crafted very well and tell excellent stories. Despite my own personal quibbles with the production, overall, I think that Svartir Sandar is the superior record to Köld. It's a shorter record, but no more endearing than the previous album, the songs are better constructed and the final steps in the complete transition away from black metal have been fully realized.
Genres: Post-Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2011
I may not be the best person to talk about this kind of music, but fuck it here I go! I have never been all that well versed in the world of technical death metal, but in 2020 I have forced myself to try and see if there is anything within the genre worth my attention. It started off with a really good new record from Ulcerate, followed by a dive into some new technical thrash/death with Cryptic Shift, and now we have Imperial Triumphant’s fourth album Alphaville; and the strangest of them all.
I don’t even know where to begin with this thing. The atonality found within is terrifying, even more so when it immediately follows an extended softer reprieve passage. I feel like this album is borrowing much more from a band such as maudlin of the Well or Kayo Dot. Hell, this record has more than it’s share it common with the last Oranssi Pazuzu album. The first half of this project is brimming with time signature changes and unconventional instrumental techniques. The second half does become a little more musical, highlighted by the horn solo that leads off “Transmission to Mercury” and late complimented by blast beats and tremolo picking guitars.
The production helps save this record’s first half by being prim and proper. The guitars are relatively quiet in the mix, but highlight some strong foundations in the bass, but more importantly, the howling vocal mix of Ilya Goddessraper, the eerie vocal choirs that persist throughout the project and the occasional horn breaks. On an album as alien sounding as this, one small falter in the mix could spell disaster, and I think the group and their producer did an excellent job of not allowing the cacophony of sounds to become overwhelming, since the music will do that itself. When it gets to “Atomic Age” and “The Greater Good”, the mix can get a little rougher because the song structures are generally more favourable.
I had no idea what to expect out of a record like this and I am proud to say that the crushing atmosphere is delivered with grace. I can’t say I will return to this all that much, but the invitation is always there.
Genres: Avant-Garde Metal Death Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
Let There Be Nothing is the fifth studio album from Arizona based power metal outfit, Judicator. And the question that should be at the top of everyone’s mind is: who the hell is Judicator? I had never heard of this group until recently so I decided to give their newest album a listen and...well I see why I only just discovered them.
The power metal elements that are on display here are very pedestrian. The over the top vocal arrangements, plenty of guitar solos and riffage is all stuff that has been played to death in recent years, including by Blind Guardian, the band that Judicator is explicitly trying to imitate. I will give the band some credit as the production of the album is pretty good, especially in the low end.
But that leads me into something that I don’t usually discuss when reviewing albums (although it is very much implied): the performances. Dear god, this percussion sounds awful! It is so muffled in the mix that much of the groove falls flat The bass player tries their best to fill out the space leftover with competence, but then you also have to consider that many of these beats are delayed, making everything else fall out of sync. Also John Yelland is no Hansi Kirsch, no matter how desperately he tries.
Compositions are pretty standard power metal. I like the tremolo picking guitar leads that are reminiscent of black metal on “Autumn of Souls” and the opener “Let There Be Light” is a decent starting point. But the rest of the album falls through some baffling cracks. Like how so many of the songs (especially “Strange to the World”) have transitions between different ideas that aren’t so much weaved together as much as they are slapped together with arts & crafts glue that you would have used in elementary school. And when the tracks feel even longer than their runtime entails, that’s a big problem.
So uhh… not really a good jumping on point I would say. Judicator is not reinventing any wheels in power metal at the moment. And if that works for them, then so be it. Just don’t be surprised if we get really tired of it very quickly.
Genres: Power Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
Well, here we are, the album that started it all. The album that began a new revolution in music. A revolution, which without, this website would never exist... at least if you believe the mainstream. Paranoid is actually Black Sabbath's second record, also released in the same year as the self titled debut.
Fifty years ladies and gentlemen. It has been half a century since Ozzy Osbourne formed Black Sabbath and changed the landscape of rock music forever. And I have very little to add to the discussion about this record that has not been said countless times across countless websites like Metal Academy, RateYourMusic, and other critic sources. So allow me to add some very short, but much needed dissent in relation to this album: it is not as good as the self titled debut.
Oh it starts excellent: the opening track "War Pigs/Luke's Wall" has a great opening riff and the siren before the opening is the perfect, ominous opening that an album of this magnitude needs. The album has songs that are sacred among the metal community: "Paranoid", "Iron Man", and "Electric Funeral", although "Hand of Doom" is my personal favourite and the one song that gets slept on by far too many.
The production on this record is quite solid even for its time. Lots of bass presence and the distortion of the guitars gives it the crunch without compromising the lower end. The vocals are iconic at this point and Ozzy's vocal timbre is still heard attempting to be replicated to this day.
But here is where my major gripe takes place. Paranoid is too commercialized. Now I will admit that accessibility is not always a bad thing, but it is quite clear to anyone who listens to the first record that this group doesn't want to be on the cover of Rolling Stone or some other music publication magazine; Long songs to go along with its doom like content. Paranoid meanwhile chooses shorter songs, more groovy tunes and clearly plays into a Led Zeppelin/Deep Purple vibe. For lack of a better term, this album falls by the wayside in comparison to the following bands that it influenced. S/T meanwhile was one of a kind.
I feel like Paranoid is remembered more fondly because of its singles rather than its influence. And I don't think that any of the singles on this record are bad; quite the contrary actually. But like with all styles of music, a root is not necessarily the prettiest thing to look at. It's not until you've watered it and let it grow that you witness your plants true beauty.
Genres: Heavy Metal Stoner Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1970
I've never liked Primus. I was probably a little too generous to this group when I reviewed their debut 1990 album, Frizzle Fry four months ago. I liked how the group was not going to take itself incredibly seriously and how the music found within was obtuse. But at the same time, it left me with very little to latch onto. Without any hooks or recurrent motifs, none of those songs held any weight for me.
So with their 1991 follow up, the band seemingly took many of their most experimental elements from the last album and turned them up to eleven (pun intended). The production certainly took a drastic step in the right direction from the last album, which did make this not a completely terrible experience listening to!
As I said, the sound of this album has certainly cleaned up since the last record. The guitars are very subdued and you would be hard pressed to find any legitimate power chord passages, or at the very least, find any that lasted more than eight bars. This allows for the bass to take center stage, and there is a lot of good stuff here. The riffs on the albums trilogy of good songs, "American Life", "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver" and "Eleven" are delivered with crispness and precision. As for Les Claypool's vocals? They are far more deliberately alienating than on Frizzle Fry, which will turn some people off. But the alienation is apart of Primus' appeal, so I can't criticize it too heavily.
What I can criticize is the songwriting. I don't care how experimental you think you are, if you cannot come up with the hooks that stand out, these songs won't last very long. I already mentioned my personal favourite part of the record, and I can't deny that "Tommy The Cat" succeeds as well (mostly because it's just "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver" 2), but beyond those songs, I can't remember a single thing here. The guitars contribute very little to the tunes; mostly just wanking around and couldn't be bothered to learn the proper keys before recording! As for the melodic motifs, they sound so basic have very little development throughout each songs runtime. It makes them very tiring, very fast. What's even worse is that the album ends with two songs, "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers" and "Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)", that exceed five minutes, the latter almost reaching eight! These songs don't deserve their runtime's and just feel like extended jam sessions.
Overall this record frustrates me more than any other Primus album. I do like the evolution in the production and how it allows for the dissonance in the instrumentals to sound bearable. But the developments in the songwriting were atrocious and actively made me want to quit listening to the record after "Is It Luck?". Experimental and Math Rock do have their place in history and there are some groups that can pull off those sounds incredibly well, but Primus have never done it well and I can't for the life of me understand why. Maybe with time I realized that this cheese was moldy.
Genres: Alternative Metal
Format: Album
Year: 1991
With me, it can be extremely difficult to hit that fine line between technical wankery found in death metal, and the elongated song structures that do not coalesce very well in progressive metal. Of course there are always outliers: Opeth obviously, but more recently the band An Abstract Illusion and their 2016 debut record Illuminate the Path.
Now it’s up to Rannoch, the U.K. based ensemble to try and pick up the weight. And man do they deliver. Reflections Upon Darkness is a great find in the underground of progressive death metal and does a very good job splitting the difference between those two spectrums outlined earlier, while still doing enough to keep them original.
First of all, the production on this record is really top notch. The bass lines are very well enhanced in the overall mix, even when the guitars are down-tuned near their absolute lowest. The percussion work is excellent; it does have its fill moments, but the overall notion as a timekeeper does not allow it to become overwhelming. The vocals start off very heavy, but the album feels like it becomes more melodic later on, showing that the group can invent melodic hooks and phrases with harsh vocals is essential.
Composition wise, the album again starts off really heavy and should please any progressive death metal fan. The band's overall timbre does remind me a lot of An Abstract Illusion. But songs like “The Hanged Man” and “The Dream” have extended djent breakdowns, and while the former is very well implemented, the latter is a little bit too pronounced and doesn’t evolve very much over the tracks duration. Then the album slows down into something more death/doom like and it shows much of this band's versatility.
I really enjoyed this new record from Rannoch. The band shows an incredible knack for creating hard hitting death metal tracks that are also melodically memorable. While I personally do not care for the djent influence, it doesn’t hinder the album too much. And further beyond that, the band show off a wide range of versatility in the different genres of metal explored on this album. Toss on to that some excellent production and this is one of 2020s underappreciated gems.
Genres: Death Metal Progressive Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
Hi and welcome to this new and exciting of edition of "the weird shit that Saxystephens listens to"! I'm your host, and this band is Neptunian Maimalism, a Belgian based avant-garde jazz ensemble who decided to take the plunge into heavier tones on Éons, their newest record.
Beyond that description, I don't really know how else to explain this album beyond "the kitchen sink". This album has it all from a sonic point of view. It's very avant-garde/progressive with its timbre of sounds, it's melodic, it has drone aspects, it contains the traditional polyphonic spiritual sounds, it's minimalist. And, dare I say it, it's one of the most compelling albums I've heard in a long time.
Now does that make it a classic? Well the production is phenomenal. Most of the melodic passages are taken by the saxophones and are complimented by what I will dubiously call "spiritual percussion". When the guitars and keys appear to play backgrounds, they are always undertones, but they do build over time, giving many of the extended songs on this albums second half some swell and growth. Of course, the guitar also gets some lead sections, such as the very nice "Ptah Sokar Osiris".
"Drone" might not be the best descriptor for an album such as this. This album has far too many grooves and melodies to fall into that category, although I do see why some would call it that. The compositions are very long and are deliberately slow, in an effort to ease the listener into their huge crescendos over time; you almost do not even realize how far you've come over the duration of one track. On tracks such as the opener, "Daiitoku-Myōō no ōdaiko", it is much more obvious what is happening. And while it does feel like "drone", it might not sound like it. The most drone song on the album is "Eôs", and even that song is far more developed than almost anything I've heard in the genre in a long time. The guitar, saxophone and vocal melodies are soaring and tell a beautiful story.
Like with many drone albums however, there is a caveat. And that is that this album is way too damn long! Seriously, this "concept album" of mostly instrumentals is over two hours and split into three parts. And I needed those breaks in order to get through this thing. I don't know how anyone could sit and actively be listening to this entire record in one session. And no, using mind altering substances doesn't count!
As a piece of music, Neptunian Maximalism is truly a marvel. It's a marvel in how this group was able to take all of these musical ideas and mash them up into this cacophony. It's hectic yet peaceful, drone yet melodic, powerful and soft. How does it work as a metal album? It lacks much of what makes an album metal. But then again, what makes a drone album "metal"? I had this discussion a few months ago in one of the MA forums and brought up the idea that too many people in metal communities scour when something is called "metal" and does not live up to their expectations of that word and its connotations. When you open your mind to the possibilities that "metal" can be more than just Black Sabbath, Metallica and Cannibal Corpse, you'll be amazed by what you may find. And unfortunately, this trend seems to be continuing with the metal communities reception to this record.
Now to answer my own question, is this record a classic? No. But goddamn does it open the door for infinite possibilities. This album is worth hearing just for the uniqueness, even if I should warn that this album will be an alienating listen for some.
Genres: Drone Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020
Winter has been a prominent theme found within the confines of the black metal subgenre since its inception. And everyone seems to have a different interpretation on what the titular season would sound like. Paysage D'Hiver have made it into a twenty plus year career.
I had heard a lot of things about this record through those who managed to pick up limited edition copies prior to its release (finally) on streaming services. And many had said that this was the return to form for Paysage D'Hiver; the one that would put Wintherr back on the map the same way the self titled record did in 1999.
This album felt like a throwback to the mid 1990s and the classic records by the band Burzum such as Filosofem, in which it combines the drone and ambient sounds with pummeling, lo-fi black metal to create something that is very repetitive, but somehow inescapably intoxicating.
And with albums such as this, I believe that the lo-fi production actually helps the artist get their desired atmosphere across. The way in which the vocals are so distorted behind a wall of guitars that are laden with static snow and reverb is very symbolic. The nature and field recordings that break up the metal portions are subtle and provide the listener with just enough recovery time before the next ten minute wave of black metal hits your ears.
I will say a couple things though. In the time between the self-titled record, Winterkaelte and this, the "winter" brand of black metal has changed drastically, and quite a few groups have come along and proven that this cold, dark atmosphere can be achieved through high quality production. As a result, this record does have a sense of nostalgia involved, but hardly lives up to the gold standards of ambient ABM. Also this album is too damn long! Seriously, I was struggling to find time just to listen to this thing in a single session with its two hour runtime. I was waiting for a rainy day to pop this thing out and almost three weeks later we still haven't seen any rain! I finally decided to just go for it, and I kid you not, we had a downpour by the time I got to "Flug".
I can make a lot of comparisons with this record. For one, it's atmosphere is very similar to Olhava's record Ladoga from earlier this year, although I do think this record is a more balanced experience then that one. The comparisons to Burzum are inescapable so if you like that branch of black metal, you are going to go gaga for this. For me, this record may never live up to the legendary status of Agalloch's Ashes Against The Grain or Fen's Winter, but the nostalgia factor is enough to grab my attention and keep it for as long as the titular season feels.
Genres: Black Metal
Format: Album
Year: 2020