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If you look in my Spotify playlists, you’ll find one titled “Workouts”. Fittingly I use this for my kettlebell and free weight exercise sessions, and I would say approx. 80% of the content is deathcore or metalcore. This is something of a revelation for someone who up until around three years ago had heard virtually zero of such music, in fact I had intentionally looked to avoid it for most of the two sub-genre’s existence. Whilst this by no means makes me an expert on such styles of metal, I figure that I am at a reasonable enough level of maturity with this music to pass the occasional comment on The Revolution clan feature release.

As Blood Runs Back have a sound that I instantly find jarring as they deploy that djenty style of riffing that reverberates throughout the track and then there’s the big bloopy and mathy leads that run riot over proceedings. ‘Hesper Prynne’ has the makings of great Meshuggah worship but blows it by just piling more things on top of one another. This track is then followed by instrumental track ‘Pouring Reign’ which just feels like pointless musings really. By this point I am missing some of the big, rhythmic riffs that I use to fuel my workouts. What constitutes as breakdowns here (and I genuinely like a good breakdown) feels just more like a fake slowing of the pace where something else happens. There are moments like on ‘The Brighter Side of Suffering’ when the album sounds a little more on point than on other occasions, but this is still a bit too tame for me.

For me, As Blood Runs Black lack cohesion, bobbing around a little too much on the waves of their own farts in the bath water. I am aware as I type this that I am commenting on a scene that I do not entirely understand and so I am trying not to sound disingenuous to what I am listening to. To put it in grown up terms, the record is too melodic and lacks consistent punch. Tracks such as ‘Beneath the Surface’ start off with such promise but soon end up sounding more or less like every other track on the record and after a while (a short while), this just grates on me.

Well, Sadistic Intent like their splits and EPs, don’t they? I count no fewer than four EPs and three splits in their discography that goes all the way back to 1988 (if you include the demos). Spurious in their output, these Californians play a death thrash style of death metal that recalls Possessed (whom both Cortez brothers played with 2007-2010, alongside guitarist Ernesto) at times but equally they are just at home playing Morbid Angel-esque out and out death metal. With such a healthy background of putrid death thrash in their veins, Sadistic Intent are clearly well-versed in their satanic and occult tendencies.

Their EP from 1994, Resurrection finds them in fine form. The opening riff on ‘Dark Predictions’ has an almost Swedish death metal crunch to it. That marauding lead only adds to the tension the track invokes. Taking a big old run up to get to the vocals, this track is the standout on the release for me. Full of dark energy and blistering intensity and really brings out the Morbid Angel comparison with all the swirling lead chaos.

This sophomore EP was their first major release in four years, but Sadistic Intent do not sound like a band who had been stood around leaning on their instruments since 1990. Although the production leaves a lot to be desired, the instrumentation possesses a primitive yet still cultivated edge to it. It is not that anyone is trying to be showy, but the band can play well and with a lot of heart. They sounded like a determined death metal band on this record, and I personally hear that fortitude in droves on the release and top marks to them for the effort alone. It might only be twenty-four minutes long but Resurrection is entertaining from start to finish and a really exciting feature releases for this month.

I am coming straight off the back of reviewing the new Sodom record and having referenced Destruction in that write up I thought it prudent to look at the other major Teutonic thrash release this year from Schmier and company. Could we have two decent releases in one year from two of the longest serving thrashers around nowadays? If there is one immediate similarity to highlight it is the album artwork on both records is great, and I would go as far as to say that Destruction pip Sodom to the post in that department overall. I feel it only fair to also say that the effort is also just as high from Destruction on Birth of Malice as it is from Tom and company on The Arsonist. Whilst the intensity levels might not quite be comparable, the work ethic is most certainly still there.

After only a couple of tracks though, it is clear to me that I prefer Destruction less overall. That’s not just a comment on this record; it is also a general statement about the bands over the many years I have under my belt from listening to thrash metal. It is not necessarily that Destruction are doing anything wrong. The current line-up is strong enough to carry off some blistering leads, furious drumming and cutting riffs. If anything, I have always had a problem with Schmier’s vocal style, and he retains those high-end shrieks here. Simply put I prefer my thrash metal vocals to be gruffer. Musically speaking though there are things to get on with here. The riffing on ‘No Kings - No Masters’ carries an otherwise clunky sounding track well, especially when the furious leads attack the track also.

Randy Black certainly puts a shift in on the drum kit without dominating the record and a healthy production job keeps the instruments all sounding coherent. The bass even makes a rare appearance in the middle section of ‘God of Gore’ but the track itself is one of the more muddled sounding ones on the album. What Birth of Malice needs is more direct an approach to proceedings, despite there being lots of leads flying around the place, we need more of the chopping thrash riffing intensity that underpins tracks like ‘AN.G.S.T.’ or ‘No Kings – No Masters’ instead of pseudo heavy metal numbers like ‘Dealer of Death’ or ‘Evil Never Sleeps’. The sad fact is that the second half of the record is utterly skippable with the cover of Accept’s ‘Fast as a Shark’ being the only pick from the final five tracks on offer. Here lies the final comparison with The Arsonist. Just like its Teutonic cousin, Birth of Malice is too long and could do a lot better coming in at the thirty-five-minute mark, culling most of the second half of the record in the process.

These Teutonic thrashers just don’t want to quit, do they? As we push into the middle of the 2020’s Sodom, Tankard, Kreator and Destruction continue to work on new material long into their careers, all of which now span beyond forty years. Whilst I am sure we could very easily dig out many turkeys from the backlog of records over the past four decades, it is hard not to admire the tenacity and resilience of any band that still sounds as committed to their artform as Sodom still do. Look, it would be remiss of me to suggest that The Arsonist is another Agent Orange. It is not of the same calibre and peak albums in a bands career are usually moments in time, specific to circumstance, influences and a good old lavishing of fate too.

The Arsonist is however probably the best Sodom record I have heard since Decision Day in 2016. It possesses a vigour that most other releases in the thrash world have lacked, based on my limited and often quickly tired listening experiences in 2025 anyways. There is a sense of great fortitude to this record, sounding like a record made by a band from their sheer dogged determination to just keep pushing on regardless of what the clock or calendar may say. Whilst it may lack any truly remarkable moments, The Arsonist burns with an intensity that belies the age of the participants. Scathing thrash attacks like ‘Trigger Discipline’ are what Sodom have based their career on, and it is good to see that fire in their bellies still. Tom sounds as pissed off as ever and the rest of the band miss no beat whatsoever.

At nearly fifty-minutes, it is a bit on the long side. When I am sat listening to some of the less well-arranged tracks like ‘Gun Without Groom’ this lengthiness seems to grate a little more during those minutes that so easily could have been left in the studio for a future compilation of B-sides and rarities. As I said earlier on in the review, my interest in thrash metal has been limited to but a few records this year and so The Arsonist is hardly jostling for position in a packed field of quality participants. However, it stands out for just being true to the style we know and love from Sodom and it further cements an already solid legacy. Whilst it may not be flawless, the same roots are showing in 2025 that were visible in 1982.

I never really know how to approach an album like Sodom's latest. A band that are into their fifth decade and with a lengthy string of releases put out an album of familiar-sounding material that, nevertheless, I still find hugely entertaining. This leaves me wondering exactly what I can say about it that may be of any interest or value to anyone other than "here is another Sodom album where they do their thing". Whether you love it or hate it depends entirely on your already probably long-established opinion on the band because this is so typical of them that it won't budge your prevailing opinion one way or the other. In fact, Sodom are so established a name that most people had probably made up their mind about The Arsonist long before actually hearing it. I don't think the Germans always get the praise I feel is their due and when they do it almost feels grudgingly given compared to the plaudits for their countrymen like Kreator or Destruction. In that respect I kind of look on them as the german version of Anthrax. Personally I look on Sodom as a bit of a poseur-filter, by which I mean that I see them as a band beloved only by dyed-in-the-wool thrashers and not really being one for the casual genre tourist.

Anyway, on to the Arsonist. I have to say I have had a pretty good time with this over the last two or three days. Their aggression seems undiminished by time with Angelripper often sounding like he is about to burst a blood vessel such is the viciousness of his vocal delivery, they still dish out some titanic thrash riffs and unleash several pretty tasty solos. There are two or three real belters on here with "Trigger Discipline", "Sane Insanity" and "Twilight Void" being the tracks that particularly tickle my fancy. I don't feel the need to say that this is a great album considering the band has been in existence for so long, because that would be condescending, but I have to say that is a good album by a band who have been around the block many times and who know exactly what they are about and who their target audience is.

If there is one caveat to all this positivity then it is the album's production. The Arsonist is undoubtedly the latest casualty in the Loudness Wars, with massive compression that sees everything cranked up well beyond 11. The drums also feel pushed too far forward in the mix and even run the risk of occasionally drowning out the riffs. That aside though, this is a decent album that shows that Sodom can still deliver the thrash metal fix that some of us stubborn thrash-heads crave and for that I am extremely thankful.

If there was a specific pigeonhole that I had to put Die Close in, there’s no doubt it would be labelled something like, ‘Not My Usual Bag, But I Actually Like It’. Taken at face value with its red and grey artwork, you could be forgiven that you are about to enjoy a death or death/doom record or perhaps a blackened death metal record. Die Close is some of and none of those things, all at the same time. If you are looking at the artwork thinking you will get your fix of chugga, chugga, chugga then you are not going to be disappointed. When it riffs, this record riffs hard. However, there is a lot more to the album than that. For a concept album about a vampire, it is in fact a very contagious record all round.

Displaying a groove element to their big doomy riffs, Blood Vulture heads up a charge of doom metal riffs combined with gothic rock and grunge, with the very occasional spray of death metal for good measure. A solo project in the main, Jordan Olds recruits Kristin Hayter (Lingua Ignota, Sightless Pit and Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter), Jade Puget (AFI, Blaqk Audio and XTRMST) as well as Shadows Fall and Overcast vocalist Brian Fair to assist him on some tracks, whilst Gina Gleeson of Baroness also appears on a couple of tracks. So not only do we have a plethora of styles/genres being moulded together, but we also have a cacophony of artists from different backgrounds collaborating to deliver the album. As such, any listener who just tries to focus on one element of the record will be disappointed. One of the main successes of the album is how well it all combines into a coherent and powerful single entity. The production job certainly helps this, but the song writing in the main is solid, achieving infectious levels of catchiness almost at times.

As I listen to this I am constantly reminded of Alice in Chains (albeit the more modern version of the group) but the album is a real treat of influences and styles, with Pallbearer being in the sound also to my ears. My favourite track on the album is ‘Entwined’ which features Kristin Hayter. Full of dark opera and drama yet still catchy as well, this track combines allure with reward perfectly. The rolling riff on ‘Burn for It’ featuring Brian Fair stays with you long after the record has finished. In a little over a fortnight, many tracks are traced into my brain so deep that I can recite them end-to-end. Where it does come unstuck to rob it of full marks, the album is only guilty of missed edit opportunities. I don’t need the interlude halfway through the record, although I get its relevance in the story being played, it does rob us of some momentum I feel. ‘Silence of God’ is the only real proper track that I find falls over itself a bit, Whilst I did have some reservations over ‘A Dream About Starving to Death’ with its repetitive structure, I soon calmed my fears by relating the concept of a nightmare being something that happens relentlessly and so perhaps that repetition is actually a genius way of representing the horror of the vampire’s dream.

Good hooks out manoeuvre the need for complexity and excessive grandiosity here. Die Close will chart highly somewhere on one of my year end lists I am sure, just which one it fits under is going to be the only quandary.

I'm honestly a little surprised I haven't heard a lot of this band. Lord of the Lost has worked up a catalog of their gothic/industrial metal sound, and somehow that didn't peak my interest. However, things have turned out promising when I checked out their previous two albums Blood & Glitter and Weapons of Mass Seduction. And now I might get even closer with the new adventurous Opvs Noir Vol. 1!

Frontman Chris "The Lord" Harms, guitarists Pi "π" Stoffers and Benjamin "Benji" Mundigler, bassist Klaas "Class Grenayde" Helmecke, keyboardist Gerrit "Gared Dirge" Heinemann, and drummer Niklas Kahl are back at it again. Opvs Noir Vol. 1 is the band 10th album, as well as the start of an exciting new trilogy.

Starting off hard is "Bazaar Bizarre", a majestic opener with Chris' haunting verses. The softness of those verses are in contrast with the chorus of aggression and beauty. Then it switches to "My Sanctuary", which is half the first song's length and has a dancey beat and simplistic riffing. After that is the lovely "Light Can Only Shine in the Darkness". Lord of the Lost and Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation are practically a match made in metal heaven! Her vocals shining in the band's symphonic/industrial metal sound adds a new dimension of dark yet bright serenity. "I Will Die in It" is another well-done piece of gothic/industrial metal. It's quite catchy while staying massive, as the keyboard orchestration adds in all that grandeur.

Breaking boundaries further is "Moonstruck". Chris sings and screams alongside the Stimmgewalt choir, sounding similar to Moonspell's more symphonic works. Next up, "Damage" is all about industrial metal aggression. The guest vocals by Deathstars' Whiplasher Bernadotte makes things sound more extreme. And even without that, it still sounds a lot like Deathstars. "Ghosts" is an amazing piece of beauty and intensity! I love the cello by Tina Guo here. "Lords of Fyre" is up next. Wow, 5th collaboration track and the 4th in a row! This one has good medieval industrial/rock metal, but it sounds cheesy, and bringing in Feuerschwanz is unnecessary. The only slight misstep here.

We then get into the melancholic "The Things We Do For Love". The first verse might make you think it's a calm ballad, but once in a while, it becomes destructive especially at the bridge. "The Sadness in Everything" features Anna Maria Rose, vocalist of symphonic metal newcomers Tales of Time, with her soft singing contradicting the heavy intensity. Finally, "Dreams are Never Alone" is a haunting closing track with the last of their melodic majesty.

Lord of the Lost continue their journey with a new phase starting with Opvs Noir Vol. 1. It's a promising start to this trilogy, and I especially enjoy most of the collaborations. Let's hope for more of that greatness in Vol. 2 coming out at year's end and Vol. 3 appearing next year. Bring it the f*** on!

Favorites: "Bazaar Bizarre", "Light Can Only Shine in the Darkness", "I Will Die in It", "Moonstruck", "Ghosts", "Dreams are Never Alone"

Weapons of Mass Seduction is a massive two-disc cover album by Lord of the Lost, following the previous year's Blood & Glitter. Similarly to that album, different highlights are scattered throughout this one for a dark yet fun experience...

There are 22 cover tracks, 11 per disc, with the second one being part of a deluxe edition. Apparently, there's also super-deluxe edition with a 3rd disc with 10 cover songs, but the original artists for those songs in that disc are long before my time, so let's ignore that for now. For the two main discs, they spread through many different eras and genres, centered around the band's favorite tracks. And many of these songs are great choices!

"Shock to the System", originally by Billy Idol, is a solid start but not totally necessary. Then heading into some of the new songs, Sia's "Unstoppable" is given a total rock makeover. That makes me feel more unstoppable than the original! Next track "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat has been covered by many rock/metal bands, most notably Paradise Lost. This is closer to the original style, which I usually don't like when the original song isn't metal. However, the melancholy sounds absolutely right in the music. The Judas Priest hit "Turbo Lover" has also been covered, again showing the diversity of this release. It can match the energy of those British metal legends, even though vocalist Chris Harms can never reach the highs of Rob Halford. Ultravox's "Hymn" works well as a Lord of the Lost cover with its catchy chorus. The screaming bridge is a nice surprise. I might just like this more than Edguy's cover of that song! The cover of Michael Jackson's "Give in to Me" once again enhances the original by the King of Pop. They even have the guitar solo originally performed by Slash, unlike in Three Days Grace's cover.

The Bishop Briggs cover "River" is quite impressive, when everything including the catchy chorus is metalized. "Somewhere Only We Know" greatly improves the Keane original by making it more than just a piano ballad. I often get confused when I find out a band has covered "(I Just) Died In Your Arms". My Trivium-filled mind makes me think it's that song "Dying in Your Arms". But of course not, it's that Cutting Crew single. Still it's a perfect 80s throwback, with Chris Harms in a duet with Anica Russo, the band's Eurovision competitor. It's like Romeo and Juliet in more ways that one! "High" is a cover of a song by Zella Day, which I've never even heard before. It's a cool cover, and I don't wanna alter my opinion by checking out the original. Now, "House on a Hill"... Is that a Kamelot cover? I would love to hear that! Oh wait, it's a song by The Pretty Reckless. It's an OK track, though a little soft and having too much of the piano.

Disc 2 begins with the last track of Blood & Glitter, a cover of Roxette's "The Look", featuring Jasmin Wagner, also known as German popstar Blümchen. A perfect cover, and arguably this album's true standout! RIP Marie Fredriksson... "Ordinary Town" is another track in which I don't know the original song, performed by Celebrate the Nun. Not so good, but it's fine. "Cha Cha Cha" is a cover of a song by Kaarija that was originally for the Finnish Eurovision. I quite love that one! Lady Gaga's "Judas" is given a cover, and this may confuse some earlier fans who are familiar with the band's double album Judas. "Children of the Damned" is a special Iron Maiden cover, again turning a NWOBHM song into a more gothic track. "Wig in a Box" was originally from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The piano and vocals aren't that great, but it gets better when it's heavy.

And then we get another Lady Gaga cover, "Bad Romance", which I love more than that other one. "The Most Radical Thing to Do" by The Ark has good lyrics, although I never even heard of the original band before. "This Is the Life" takes an Amy Macdonald song and turns it into another catchy track. Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin" may be an overused pop song, but Lord of the Lost made it more epic, even more than Gamma Ray's cover! And finally we end with a beautiful cover of Duran Duran's "Ordinary World". Although they've really done that song justice, even with Chris Harms' bass-baritone vocal range (similar to my own), I still prefer Mechina's cover, which sadly isn't on Spotify.

All in all, Weapons of Mass Seduction is a versatile display of Lord of the Lost's influences, staying true to the sound of both worlds. This should be listened to by anyone who either likes or dislikes the originals. It shall really please any music fan....

Favorites: "Unstoppable", "Smalltown Boy", "Hymn", "River", "(I Just) Died In Your Arms", "The Look", "Cha Cha Cha", "Children of the Damned", "Bad Romance", "It's a Sin", "Ordinary World"

The one thing that will always be Green Carnation's calling card is their songwriting. The Nordic giants of Gothic Progressive Metal blew me away with Light of Day, Day of Darkness over twenty years ago and I was pleasantly surprised when they returned in 2020 with Leaves of Yesteryear. Progressive songwriting has always struggled when it came to towing the line of being overtly technical for its own sake, and writing tighter, more concise tunes to be more easily digestible. Green Carnation are the band that prove to me that you don't have to pick one or the other.

When I saw that The Shore of Melancholia was a multi-part release from the band, I became very excited. I was even more excited when I saw the track listing to part 1 or A Dark Poem and saw shorter runtimes. And that excitement came to a climax when the final notes of "Too Close to the Flame" reverberated out as that final reminder that my expectations had been met and then some! I love how this album starts with "As Silence Took You" and "In Your Paradise"; clearly harkening back to a gothic doom style of My Dying Bride, with the vocals from Kjetil Nordhus feeling like an absolute gut punch. I really enjoyed the pacing for the first half of the record, feeling progressive at times, but not overwhelming to the listener with endless solo breaks and uncommon time signature technicality.

"The Slave That You Are" will take some getting used to. Starting off with blast beat percussion, open guitar chords and Enslaved's Grutle Kjellso providing guest vocals, the stylistic flip is jarring to put it lightly. However, the first three tracks on the record are not just status quo gothic doom metal; there is something brewing underneath the surface and when it explodes on "The Slave That You Are" it feels so good! The title track, "The Shores of Melancholia" comes up next and even though the intensity has been pulled back, it still does not sound like the first handful of songs. The final track, "Too Close to the Flame" is the closest thing to a modern progressive power metal song. The instrumental sounds phenomenal even if the mixing does feel a little too overwhelming in the final minutes. Even then, the buildup to that finale is sweet and leaves the record feeling like a near perfect story with a buildup, climax and resolution. 

The way in which Green Carnation continues to impress this many years after their magnum opus is remarkable and the way they continue to develop their sound throughout the years remains one of progressive music's most surprising mysteries, in a genre where the main faces would rather repeat the same mistakes of their contemporaries.

Best Songs: As Silence Took You, Me, My Enemy, The Slave That You Are, The Shore of Melancholia

I've mentioned on a handful of occasions that I struggled with Sumerian Records back in the day. Djentcore was in its early stages of development and this record label was destined to pump out as many metalcore and djent bands as they possibly could through the early 2010s. Born of Osiris were just another one of the fairly unoriginal bands of the time, but as the years pass they modulate closer to the Veil of Maya sound. I've personally never cared for them, but as an inoffensive modern metalcore/deathcore/djent band, I cannot admit to ever switching the channel when they come on. A large reason for that was the songwriting, which was short and direct to the listener.

Short projects like The New Reign and The Simulation play into the groups strengths as being fat-free, straight-to-the-point metalcore/deathcore. Albums like Angel or Alien and more recently, Through Shadows on the other hand, are too long and drawn out for the band. Promotional singles like "Elevate" and "In Desolation" have decent ideas, but both feel cut short; "Elevate" and the opener "Seppuku" in particular feel like their final chorus is missing.

If this was a normal, formative Born of Osiris album, I probably would not mind as much. But in 2025, Through Shadows is a hair under fifty minutes in length. Combining that with shorter than average songs makes for a major issue in the structure of this release. When the band experiments with longer song structures like "A Mind Short Circuiting" and "Transcendence" it feels like two separate song ideas stitched together. The record is just not that well meshed and a large portion of that might come from the bands continued pivot towards electronica.

At the least the sound is nice. Since Born of Osiris are from that formative djent era, Through Shadows is super groovy. The percussion is precise and compliments the vocals very well as well as the occasional guitar lead. I did not find the guitar/bass work to be very impressive; this definitely still has that Sumerian blockiness to it. And vocals are mostly okay; Ronnie continues to move away from harsh screaming as frequently and they can be hit-or-miss, but I do appreciate how not every track on this record has a sung chorus.

Overall I found Through Shadows to be a fairly inoffensive album, just like the rest of Born of Osiris' discography. They are certainly talented when it comes to writing killer grooves and the occasional catchy hook, but given the albums length and continued push towards the progressive leaves this band in an odd predicament. Singles bands can be fine in small doses, but as far as I can tell, Born of Osiris are still chasing the shadows of Veil of Maya.

Best Songs: Inverno, Activated, Blackwater

Poland continues their knack of producing quality black metal albums then. I mean Mgla, Furia, Blaze of Perdition and Kriegsmaschine all have managed to make a niche for themselves, and now Kraków residents Medico Peste (which means Doctor Plague/Doctor Pestilence) offer up more than just blastbeats and tremolos on their third record. Landing somewhere between the production values of their fellow countrymen, Mgla and the skittish musings of Deathspell Omega, there is most certainly lots to explore on Aesthetic of Hunger. Full of twists and turns to keep the listener on their toes, it possesses a level of musicianship that few other acts can boast. The combination of the dissonance in the riffs performed within progressive structures give some of the tracks a real sense of expansion. Meanwhile the vocals carry a cruelty that seems to infect the very lyrics as they are spat into the air around them.

One must take note also of drummer Adrian Stempak’s performance. It is his assured and skilful playing that holds the fabric of the album sound together. Just as at home with blastbeats as he is with slower-paced or progressive patterns, he really manages to stand out for all the right reasons here. His good work starts immediately on the album opener, ‘St. Anthony’s Fire’ a track that shows the real gamut of his abilities. As well as having a strong line up to begin with, Medico Peste invited a range of guests onto the recording of the album. Instrumental number ‘Antrakt’ has a different drummer (Janusz Gałyga – who also covers electronics over the record), and a Bartłomiej Bardon adds some guitar work on ‘Ecclessiogenic Psychosis’. Most obvious in terms of their contribution though is female vocalist Hekte Zaren who contributes some dark alchemy to three tracks on the record.

Mostly, I find admiration for the bravery in the song writing on Aesthetic of Hunger. Tracks such as ‘The Black Lotus’ use melody in an almost non-linear way, maintaining an ominous presence as it guides the track along. These thrusts of melodic dissonance carve ever-growing arteries and veins into the harsher elements of the record. They feed the Medico Peste monster with a seemingly unending supply of pestilential blood for its rotten appetite. Balancing, the urgency of the tremolo alongside these more expansive elements is a task that is handled well. ‘Ecclessiogenic Psychosis’ clearly shows how well they manage this, being able to have the progressive structures teetering on the brink of destruction from the swarming guitars. Descending into an almost jazzy section around halfway through the track, the progressive elements really take over with the bass getting a lot of space in the mix. Hekte’s dark operatic vocals add yet further opulence to this lusciously nefarious little number. This is probably my album highlight in all honesty as the track ends up very much in a different place to where it starts.

The palate cleansing instrumental is unfortunately where things come a little unstuck for me. Although it is well placed in terms of still carrying some of the experimental structure from the previous track, ‘Antrakt’ is a slowing down of pace that I doubt the need for in all honesty. As interesting as it is, it just feels like it is obstructive when considering the album track listing. The more experimental elements do bring Furia to mind and ‘Folie de Dieu’ has a great riff structure to it that continues this theme. With some of the most scathing use of tremolos on the album to this point, this is a real welcome return to form after the instrumental let down. Yet, the album does still feel like it has lost some of the earlier form in terms of structure, over the second half at least. There is not any filler present on the album, but ‘Viaticum’ seems to meander a tad, dragging its heels a bit with a slower pace that if nothing else, does further emphasises the menace the album carries. As the very Mgla-esque closer ‘Act of Faith’ plays out the album, it is hard to ignore the earlier quality that covered the first four tracks in such glory. Whilst the album does go off the boil from the midway point onwards, Medico Peste are clearly still swinging punches the whole way through even if not all of them land correctly.

With my recent return to The Guardians, I've become more determined to discover more heavy/power metal that's either brand-new or I haven't heard before but wish I had 10 years ago when those two genres were my main focus. This month's Guardians feature release is worth continuing my journey. It's time to check out this band Blazon Rite and listen to them sing their Wild Rites and Ancient Songs!

It's quite a promising album with tough instrumentation and melodic writing. I also love the song titles, even though they all look like those AI-generated song titles with at least 5 words each. Considering the amount of bands who get put down for any alleged usage of AI, I just hope this band doesn't get wrongfully accused.

We already get to a great start that isn't so weird and cheesy with the opening track "Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom", which made me remember a band I haven't heard of in a few years, Slough Feg. Then "Salvage What You Can of the Night" cranks up the tempo. The chorus is worth singing along to in determination. Next song "The Fall of a Once Great House" slows things down for a bard-sung waltz before speeding up again in the second half.

"Mark of the Stormborn Riders" is more midpaced while driving the riff melodies forward. The title track has an acoustic intro then carries on in a marching pace and ends up in wild speed for a power-ish heavy metal song.

We have blazing speed in "Troubadours of the Final Quarrel". In the modern age of metal, not many people expect epic melodies within the way of classic heavy/power metal, but bands like Blazon Rite still have their exciting glory. And finally, there's the epic wonder of "The Coming Tide of Yule". It's probably the most Christmas-like melodic metal song since some songs by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Majestica's Christmas Carol. That should be worth listening to in the holiday season!

I enjoy what Blazon Rite has had to offer Wild Rites and Ancient Songs. It's great hearing this band bring more life to a style of metal that has withered decades after its highest peak. This offering shall appeal to listeners wanting more epicness and melody in metal without any cheese or orchestra. It's a Blazon Rite of passage!

Favorites: "Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom", "Mark of the Stormborn Riders", "Troubadours of the Final Quarrel", "The Coming Tide of Yule"

I have been trying to do this write up for a while, frustrated by the fact that whilst I freely admit that this is a good album, after it has finished, I get little in the way of memorability. Mossblood seethes with all the urgent intensity you would expect from a black metal record. Yet at the same time it possesses intricacy in how tracks are put together. Whilst the tremolo is very “trilly” in the main and plays a big part in their sound, Lichen are not afraid to use chords either. Add to this a morose sounding melody and an ability to change pace and tempos, and you can hear how things quickly become interesting.

The audible bass sound most certainly helps Mossblood carry a complete and full sound. It is not a heavy or particularly “twangy” bass presence by any means, however it does retain its shadowy subtlety as it drives tracks like ‘Chthonian Mysteries’. Equally, a solid, if not perhaps a little muffled sounding performance on the drums is also a consistent part of the instrumentation on the album. The production job is lo-fi enough in terms of values yet there is also some polish to the sound that helps with the clarity in the mix. This balance should keep the kvlt hordes happy as well as bringing a sense of the dynamic to the sound of the record.

Album highlight, ‘From Life to Loam’ bristles with a sharp melodicism that could give Spectral Wound a run for their money. There’s a section about halfway through where the bass picks up some real resonance and the tremolo slugs it out with some open chords. It is moments like these that help Lichen standout from most of the releases I have heard in black metal so far this year. When you consider that there are no synths/keys on the record, the amount of tension that Lichen can build is impressive. The tremolo has a foreboding about it and the hopelessness in some of the melodies helps in building this thick atmosphere. Silly “fungal” black metal tag aside, Mossblood offers as strong a representation of the second wave you are likely to hear in 2025.

Probably the angriest album ever recorded. Definitely Slayer’s most vulgar, as well as their poorest lyrically, with way too many songs dedicated to “Fxck you, I’m gonna fxck you up, you better get the fxck out of my way.” It’s probably my least favorite Slayer record aside from their covers album for that reason. Although, another important reason would be how rhythmic it is; the band’s clearest foray into Groove Metal, and their most uninspired riffs go hand in hand with their most generically juvenile lyricism. I don’t hear the Nu Metal seasoning that many others seem to claim, but it’s definitely got a stain of “Modern Metal” on it. Many of the songs here don’t have any super iconic riffs, which is an absolute sin for any Thrash band. Even Diabolus, which I find much more underrated, did much better at crafting dark moods at the least, even if some of the riffs were similarly lacking a bit. Tom’s got a bit more production layered on his vocals here too, which in my opinion he doesn’t need and they just make him sound worse.

Why the high rating then? Cause at the end of the day, it’s still fxcking Slayer, the best fxcking Thrash band on the fxcking planet. “Disciple” is probably the angriest, most misanthropic anthem ever recorded, Araya going above and beyond delivering an intense vocal performance that is simply awe-inspiring in its aggression. “Deviance” is one of the bands most ominous and unique sounding songs ever, with a slight Gothic edge and unnerving double-tracked vocals delivering deeply disturbing lyrics. “Here Comes the Pain” is a slow build packed with power, whereas “Payback” has all the intensity and hate of aforementioned “Disciple,” all directed at a single person.

It's definitely got the most filler of any Slayer album, but even then the songs are still great. “Cast Down” fails to deliver any truly memorable riffs, but it’s incredibly unique in having one of the most somber and “real” themes in Slayer’s discography about the struggles and despair of drug addiction. “Bloodline” similarly lacks much musical punch, but is one of their catchier numbers, as “radio friendly” as this band got with a simple music structure, a focus on the chorus, and lyrics about vampires (which just barely precede the boom of vampirism in pop culture.)

So sure, it’s one of Slayer’s worst albums, but it’s also still Slayer fxcking shxt up like they always have, it pumps me up and melts my skin off, it’s got more intensity in it than most bands have in their entire career, and there is no better album to reach for if you just need pure, unfiltered rage.

Oh yeah, and it was released in 9/11, so that’s just one extra “fxck you” that comes with the package.

My Dying Bride have had many twists and turns in their discography, but despite that, have always remained connected to the Gothic Doom sound, and have also been quite consistent in their career. They’ve got multiple albums that are viable picks for the band’s best, and while I personally wouldn’t pick The Dreadful Hours as my favorite MDB record, I would say it’s the best representation of the band and their career out of all their releases.

After having experienced old school Doom Death, true Death Doom, Gothic Doom, and even some experimentation with Alternative Metal influences in the 90’s, the turn of the century sees the band settle very solidly on their apex Gothic Death Doom style. Every song here is long, dreadful, and contains many varying passages and intricate song structures. While the style is consistent, the variety within said style is quite nice, with funereal plodding dirges, energetic belays of tormented grief, and softer atmospheric moments of quietude. The album is riff-oriented, but has a great amount of soundscapes layered beneath the classic metal ensemble, from strings and synths to choral arrangements.

The songwriting is the most impressive aspect here to me. The songs progress seamlessly between different sections, and seem to know exactly when to throw in a burst of energy, or a quite reprieve of peace. I think the band have written better riffs and melodies, but the song structures here are probably the best of their career. It says something when you can manage most songs exceeding 8 minutes and none of them have any boring parts.

The only weakness here is that the songs have a distinct lack of hooks, particularly in the realm of lead guitar or vocal melodies. With one or the other, the songs would have been elevated and much more memorable on their own, but Aaron sticks to an (appropriate, but admittedly samey) monotonous croon and the guitars stay mostly at the bottom two strings rather than layering some identifiable melodies over the riffs.

Quite a fantastic record that serves as an iconic template for Doom in the new millennium and a perfect profile of My Dying Bride’s long career.

Poets and Madmen is Savatage’s swansong and in my opinion, their most underrated work. Jon Oliva returns for sole vocal duties on this album, and I personally am thrilled. As great as Zak is, Jon is simply my preference due to his much rawer, aggressive yet passionate delivery. The album is still a concept album in line with their recent works, but a bit looser and less… pompous, let’s say. It sounds like a good old fashioned Heavy Metal record.

The compositions here are undoubtedly among the best of the band’s career. There are riffs for days – both on guitar and keys, and no shortage of memorable vocal lines either. The songs are quite progressive in nature, shifting tempos often and packing each track with a great selection of riffs and rhythms.

More striking than that though is the emotion. There’s anger, pain, melancholia, and a bit less hope than most Savatage records. This one stays pretty strictly in pessimistic, almost apocalyptic territory, lamenting the state of the world both globally and personally. It culminates in closing track Back to a Reason, which is in my opinion the finest song the band ever wrote, evoking intense emotional passion and desperation across 6 minutes of melodramatic progressive epic.

It’s not as flashy as the Zach era and it’s much more somber than their earlier works, but it’s a magnificently written album that closes out their discography perfectly. Also, classic Heavy Metal this good in the year 2001 was extremely hard to come by; Savatage sticking to their roots and dropping this was a great move and gave future bands a worthy template for the new millennium of Heavy Metal.

Considered Sodom’s modern masterpiece and arguably one of the pinnacles of modern Thrash (as long as modern still means anything after the 90’s). M-16 is one of Sodom’s most unique albums in that it’s a concept album about the Vietnamese War. It doesn’t exactly follow a distinct storyline, but each song touches on different aspects of the war.

Another way this album is unique is in how it has a surprising amount of restraint. Sodom have always been one of the heaviest Thrash bands, commonly flirting with extreme influences like Black and Death Metal, and even when not, delivering some of the most aggressive, bone-shredding Thrash out there. M-16 is surprisingly tame for the band’s standards. While the vocals remain just as aggressive, the guitars and drums are heavily tempered in their aggression, in fact often settling for a style akin to more traditional Heavy Metal when they aren’t delivering classic Thrash. This seems to have made the album more accessible to a wider audience, as the most popular songs here are the least thrashy (Napalm in the Morning and M-16).

However, what does that mean for a hardcore fan? While I do find this album fantastic, I certainly don’t rank it among the band’s best. Slowing down and playing more accessibly is the last thing I want from Sodom. Songs like the masterpiece “Canon Fodder” prove the band is as capable as ever at writing and delivering their signature style of no-holds-barred extreme Thrash, but I’d much rather have a whole album of that then the flirtations with slower, softer styles found here.

And they end the album in the absolute worst way possible, with a terrible, goofy, Crossover Thrash cover of a terrible, goofy song.

The concept elevates the album a little bit and the playing and songwriting is as good as ever. But the style shift is not what I expect or prefer from these guys. It’s an amazing album in the grand scheme of things, but among the discography of one of the titans of Thrash, I find it just average.

Moonsorrow was a band I had extremely high hopes for after hearing their “Tämä Ikuinen Talvi” demo. The word “demo” does a terrible disservice to this release because not only is it long enough to be a full length album, it’s also so well written, played, and composed that it could be a band at the top of their career. The production isn’t bad either!

By their sophomore album, Moonsorrow had improved in many areas. The production, of course, was at a polished, professional level, and the mix sounds perfect here. The dense yet restrained orchestration is fantastic, the layering of numerous folk elements adds intrigue and aesthetic. The playing is of course more precise. The progression of songs also feels very strong, often featuring well-earned rests and crescendos.

The issue is, in my opinion, they regressed in terms of capturing mood. Or perhaps, it’s better to say, they moved away from the kind of mood I personally prefer. While their demo had a darker, more somber feel (as a band called Moonsorrow should) they had since gone towards the direction of more epic, uplifting, and unfortunately jovial sounding tracks. At the worst of times, the instruments and melodies can sound silly even.

I mean, the 3rd track “Kylän Päässä” prominently features boing boing noises, sounding like a goofy cartoon medieval villain’s theme song.

“Hiidenpelto” is where they get back into the territory I like. That is, dark! Sorrowful! Yet still retaining that incredibly epic, folky feel of grand medieval adventure. This is what I had hoped they would evolve into. The song has a fantastic mix of slower, doomy sections and aggressive energy, and features an instrumental outro with a build up and crescendo that is just sublime. Probably the best song the band has ever wrote.

And then the next song opens up with more boing boing noises. Despite how well written and layered this music is, there’s the simple fact that I just cannot take some of this stuff seriously. Aside from the egregious “instrument” choices, there are melodies here and there that just sound too… playful. Not what I want from a band called “Moonsorrow.”

That’s not to say the album isn’t great, because it is. There are only so many points you can lose when music is this perfectly executed. The sheer force of these tracks is awe-inspiring, the way they totally encompass you in their atmosphere and take you to another time and place. Undeniably amazing album. I just wish they kept their darker sound… in which case, this could have been a masterpiece.

One of my first albums. I grew up with this thing, it was part of my formative years in middle into high school. Most of the songs evoke memories of bus rides, of seeing the same friend group every day, of walking around town with nothing to do. Actually, Toxicity was one of the albums my friends and I could agree upon; I was pretty strictly into 80’s and 90’s Metal at the time, whereas they were much more Deathcore modern scene kids, but Toxicity, we could agree, was awesome.

That’s not to say I am blinded by nostalgia; in fact, I will go on record to say this album is vastly overrated. One of the main reasons being its inconsistency. It’s got some amazing highlights that even people without a clue or care about this band can enjoy (Chop Suey!, Aerials). The title track has some of the most iconic drumming in the history of music. But it’s got just as many tracks that fall into… “filler” seems a bit too harsh, because every track is very unique and memorable, but just… not as good territory? They aren’t nearly bad songs, but I don’t have much desire to revisit “Prison Song” or “Jet Pilot” again.

The songwriting on this album is really interesting. Could never say for a second that a single moment of this album is boring. And each song is absolutely bursting with character. The amount of personality oozing from each band member is cartoonlike in its audacity. Yet at the same time, some of the compositional choices are just odd. I mean, purposefully so, but that doesn’t make them good. Some of the jerky or disjointed start-stop tactics or odd mood shifts sound “quirky for the sake of being quirky” and at worst pull me from the enjoyment of a song. The aforementioned “Prison Song” as well as “Needles” are guilty of this, with their calmer, catchier sections really not meshing well with the heavier ones. “ATWA” on the other hand, averts this magnificently, but there’s a reason; the song stays consistent in mood, detailing the thoughts of a paranoid maniac tormented by their own thoughts, and so the somber, softer sections exploding into heavy dissonance make sense thematically and compliment each other perfectly.

SoaD was super influential as a band, and this was far and away their most influential and iconic album. History has also been very kind to it, whereas there was a time when “trve” or “kvlt” metalheads disavowed it, it’s almost universally beloved now. Too much so, in my opinion. An album as quirky and inconsistent as this seems out of place holding accolades such as… I dunno, anywhere near the top 10 Metal albums of all time? It’s a great album, but this is one I’d rather reach for the highlights and not play the whole thing front to back for another 10 years.

I started listening to this album right when the Oblivion remaster dropped, and let me tell you, there could not be a better match. On this album, Summoning combine the cheesy, medieval Dungeon Synth reminiscent of games like Runescape with their signature Atmoblack guitar compositions. Vocals shift between classic Black shrieks and epic sounding samples.

Listening to this wonderfully evocative album as I return to the familiar world of Cyrodill was a seamless union. The martial drums beating as I slaughtered adversaries in the arena, the lush and affectionately dated synths adding to the intrigue of discovering ruins, the overall majesty of fantasy of both pieces of media melding into a perfect combination.

The layering of this album is the real treat. Most of the instruments – both synthed and real – are playing simple and repetitive chords or melodies. Nothing too impressive on their own. But weaved in between the synthed horns, guitars, and drums, are a plethora of other synthed instruments, resembling anything from old medieval instruments to more modern electronic sounds. There’s a lot going on and it justifies the simplicity.

What I will say though, is that it makes a better soundtrack than it does a focused listen. One big weakness is that while the album succeeds immensely at evoking a medieval, fantastic atmosphere, it doesn’t evoke any emotion at all. It’s not sad, it’s not happy, it’s not angry or evil. And thus it works well as background music, but loses a bit as a unique piece of work due to its lack of mood. Throwing in an angry or melancholic track here and there would make it flow more like a movie rather than a static backdrop to a castle. It’s also exceedingly repetitive and low-tempo most of the time, which can get a bit tiring. The previous album did a better job of incorporating a bit more… Metal.

Still though, wow. It succeeds at doing exactly what it wants to do. All fantasy all the time. Definitely worth a listen for anyone remotely interested in the aesthetic, and my personal recommendation as a makeshift soundtrack to any fantasy game.

Tool is a band I’m not particularly fond of. There is the fact that everyone seems to love them – including non-Metalheads and people not normally interested in progressive brain music or however you want to say. It’s odd to me, how many times I’ve met someone who doesn’t like heavier music, “but I like Tool.” Especially considering they aren’t exactly… accessible. They top charts across multiple websites, Metal-centric and not. They get radio play, yet at the same time have a fanbase of some of the most esoteric music aficionados on the planet. They are a weird enigma, and I suppose that suits them…

My gripes with their status aside, none of that affects my own personal thoughts on the music. And for this album, Lateralus, the music is… Good. It’s quite good. Many of the tracks are actually really great. “Schism” is the hit, and for good reason; it combines every strength the band has into one elaborate track. Quiter, contemplative sections lead by odd-time rhythms explode into heavier crescendos; passionate, allegorical lyricism delivered in a fit of desperation sets a scene and mood that strikes too close to reality; and it’s all tied together by one of the most iconic music videos of all time (which normally don’t interest me, but this one… is an exception). “Ticks and Leeches is a personal favorite of mine, showcasing the band’s more aggressive and angry side, and having some of their best riffs (Tool isn’t really a riff-oriented band, so hearing them do it well here is a treat).

At the end of the day though, the album still suffers from the biggest problem all their albums have; it’s bloated, overlong, and has vast boring sections. Lateralus is, without a doubt in my mind, their best album - the highs are mountainous, and the filler space is a bit better at crafting some contemplative atmosphere than most of their output. But still, the album as a whole to me is… just quite good. Not great. Would never be anywhere near the top of my all-time list, my 2001 list, my Prog Metal list… and again, this is coming from a metalhead, who loves Prog Metal. I will give accolades to this album where they are deserved, but I will never understand the world’s obsession and adoration for this band.

After having found their style on Theli, Therion have not only maintained their key Symphonic Metal style, but continued moving towards making their composition grander and more operatic. Almost every song here is led by choral vocals from multiple vocalists, layered in a way to deliver power and grandeur. Symphonic elements actually aren’t as prevalent as one might expect, providing more of a backdrop of smooth layers while the choral vocals take front and center stage.

While the compositions have become more dense and epic, in my opinion, the core Metal instrumentation (Guitar, drums, and bass) have suffered a bit. There are some nice guitar leads that sound Gothic influenced, and decent riffs here and there, but overall the album relies a bit much on the choral vocals. Another problem there being… it just sounds a bit too happy? Or uplifting, I guess. Yeah, there are darker parts to the music and lyrical themes, but choral vocals are layered in a way where they sound more religious than dark or ominous. Just doesn’t work for me too well.

The concept of the album revolves around the nine realms of Norse mythology, and each song has a significant identity due to this, as both lyrically and musically the compositions work well to embody the different chapters and landscapes. Anyone interested in said mythology or concept albums in general should appreciate the work there.

At this point in their career, Therion have an undeniable level of quality that goes into every song. For me personally, I’m simply not in favor of the direction they’re going, completely abandoning their dark extreme Metal roots in favor of more lighthearted, uplifting, vocal-driven compositions.

The debut album from Sweden’s Lost Horizon sounds more like an experienced band at the peak of their career. How they managed to compose and record something with such astute quality right off the bat is a mystery to me.

Many people have lauded the album for being one of the MOST Power Metal albums ever recorded. Indeed, Lost Horizon go above and beyond in every aspect of their delivery. The guitars are wild, speedy and neoclassical, melding aggressive riffing with fantastically melodic leads and solos. The drumming is ever changing and technical, taking a lot of progressive influence and incorporating it into classic, thunderous Power Metal blasts and gallops. The bass is surprisingly excellent and audible, grooving up and down the fretboard like a third lead guitar to add another layer of melody and progression. And then of course there are the vocals; an over the top, melodramatic call to arms filled with just as much power and force as they are with melody. The only thing missing are dedicated keys… but the four piece are so strong that they make you forget that more often than not.

The meat of the album is the perfect mix of what makes Power Metal good, and many of the songs have no flaws to speak of. Exceptionally well-written, expertly performed, memorable, strong, catchy, pummeling, triumphant… the list of what this band does right goes on and on.

I have to come to one of my pet peeves though. Useless interludes. The album has three of them. And at ten tracks and 44 minutes, 3 of those tracks and 4 minutes of the runtime being interludes hurts. While one is a decent New Age piece, the other two are really bad Ambient Drone tracks. Just, why? Why do bands do this? Lost points there.

It lives up to the legends, otherwise. A phenomenal piece of work., and amazing debut album.

“Sonic Excess in Its Purest Form” is probably the most accurate album-title-description of the music therein that I’ve ever come across. Crowbar has done exceptionally well continuing to play old school Sludge and keep it top quality without changing their sound much with the times, and this album is just more of that. Plenty of Doom influence, some occasional seasonings of Groove and Metalcore, but otherwise pure, old school Sludge.

This is an ugly and dense slab of audio, focusing on themes of drug abuse and addiction, depression, self-hatred, all the classic Sludge Metal fair. There are bursts of manic energy which add great dynamics to the album, but much of this Sludge is slow and doomy. It sounds like getting buried under fresh concrete. Most of the music is simple enough, relying on the sheer heaviness to deliver, but the guitar has some really great riffs and leads that make the songs quite memorable for the genre.

My favorite part of this are Kirk’s desperate, dirty vocals. They’re absolutely perfect for this style, and I’d rank him among my favorite harsh vocalists. There’s so much emotion in his wretched snarl, and he holds notes despite growling like a cornered animal. The lyrics combine with the vocal performance to flawlessly deliver the pleading cries of someone who’s been down too long and is partly to blame for their own misery.

It's not perfect, though. The songs that lean more into Groove or Metalcore territory, that is being more rhythmic instead of moody or melodic, are weaker. When the band focuses more on just being heavy and chuggy, it gets a bit… boring. Unfortunately, that’s slightly under half the tracks. I would say the highs here are the band at their best, at least up to this point, but as a full album, it’s not the masterpiece it’s made out to be. Earlier releases such as Time Heals Nothing and the Self-Titled album are more consistent quality-wise. Still, one of the best examples of Sludge Metal you’re going to find.

Spirit Caravan dropped two albums before disappearing into the smoke, and both are considered quite respectable pieces of Stoner Metal (some call them Doom Metal, but there is no Doom Metal here). As with their debut, Elusive Truth doesn’t set out to reinvent or even add anything new to the genre, instead carrying on the tried-and-true formula spawned by Sabbath back in ’71.

The problem is, that sound was boring in ’71, and it’s still boring 30 years later in 2001. As far as Metal goes, Stoner Metal is one of the laziest and most passive genres, and “Elusive Truth” is a perfectly average example of the genre. Unremarkable vocals, riffs that evoke nothing, and drumming that is simple and monotonous. Who knows if the bass is even there.

Positives? Well, it’s still a decent album. If you just wanna throw on some groovy Metal, it gets the job done. There’s no emotion to it whatsoever, so you don’t have to worry about it affecting your mood. Could work well with an open window drive on a muggy summer night. It’s never offensively boring or anything, I have more of a problem with people claiming this to be some holy grail than I do with the actual album (which is average).

Again I should reiterate the album is fine enough. If you LOVE Stoner Metal, this should be more than good enough for you. For me though, Spirit Caravan are simply a band I would have lost absolutely nothing had I never heard them.

Pig Destroyer proceeded to copulate with their instruments like objects of hate and affection. The sounds were ugly and unique and fascinating. Blood flowed freely as flesh scraped against splintered wood and metal wire. It was an awful sight. It was the sight of a crimson sunset staining the erect towers of concrete tombs. It was the sound of waves scraping away sand from the body of a beach. It was the taste of metal, red metal, innocent red metal, at least it was until about 5 seconds ago before it came flowing out. It was so horrible that it turned inward on itself until its innards were borne, a beautiful garden of twisted flesh and bone. The sounds were satisfying and fulfilling and gratifying. What a beautiful city. Where is this beach where girls in bikinis write their names in the sand. Their lives extinguished before the waves can even wash away the letters. But then, they never have to see the day they stop being beautiful. Or were they never.

A surprisingly Gothic affair from the kings of Neue Deutsche Harte. While retaining the rhythmic four on floor patterns and simple anthemic structures, Rammstein integrate Gothic and epic atmospheres into their songs. The extra layers add more power, but also a smoothness that the expert production does a great job of layering. The atmospheric depth definitely help alleviate the weakness of how repetitive the songs and structures are in this style of music. Till’s vocals fit quite well with the Gothic sound as well, the natural gruffness sounding right at home.

There is a weakness the new style brings though. The glaring issue are that Rammstein are not an emotional or moody band. Gothic Metal excels at evoking emotion, but when the band isn’t doing that, the genre sounds rather hollow. The result here is Gothic-esque atmospherics being added, without any of the mood or emotion. So, it’s a nice smooth layer of music, but nothing else.

As with their previous albums, Rammstein kind of rely on the listeners enjoying rhythm and danceable tunes. They do a great job of creating simple yet dense songs with tons of finely tuned details under the beats. Yet, the instruments in the forefront, that being the guitars and drums, don’t do much. The riffs and leads are quite boring, and the drumming is basic and repetitive. The vocals are neat, but limited, having decent power, but not crafting any memorable melodies.

Good quality album for fans of this sound. But it has more flaws than an album of such reputation should.

It must be clarified outright that I’m typically not a fan of Avant-Garde Metal or Experimental music in general. Avant-Garde Metal usually falls into one of two horrible tropes: the first being that Avant-Garde Metal musicians seem to think that Avant-Garde means it’s not allowed to sound auditorily pleasant, as in the music must be dissonant, chaotic, or abrasive in order to qualify as Avant-Garde. The second is Circus Metal.

Leaving Your Body Map is an offender of the first trope. And to a degree, it is both forgivable and understandable; the album is a very dark and surreal experience. It prominently features Doom influence in the sound, and while lyrically very cryptic, there are hints of themes that range from ethereal and innocent to depressing and traumatic. To that extent, dissonance and chaos are not only appropriate but welcome, and help to evoke certain aesthetics and themes that the lyrics prefer to keep concealed behind a layer of mystery and allegory.

The issue is that there’s just not that much to hold on to, or even enjoy at times. Sure, lumbering, dissonant guitar chords with some off-tempo jazz and a flute thrown in for god knows what reason can appropriately convey a certain sense of anxiety or breakdown, and it can even be interesting, novel, and atmospheric, but is it enjoyable? Well, for me, the answer is not always, not if there’s too much of it. I need melody, harmony, and order to balance the dissonance and chaos in order for it to work successfully.

Maudlin of the well, to their credit, do include a fair amount of more melodic material (mostly prevalent in their acoustic interludes), and a great variety of eclecticism in general. The issue there is that, well, the melodies just aren’t that strong. Everything from the vocal lines to the instrument leads fail to carry memorable melodies.

Let’s talk about a positive though, an area in which this album absolutely excels: evoking the dreamlike aesthetic of the surreal. It’s not just the weird cryptic lyricism, sound effects and liminal album art that convey this. Everything about the song structures, from the production and density to the composition style. Often, songs will throw in instrumental pieces or vocal lines that are not clearly audible, being kind of muffled behind the primary wall of sound, that evoke how difficult it can be to properly “perceive” things in the haze of a dream. Another aspect is how the songs will simply do things that don’t make sense; not just the dissonance, but the way individual instruments will play their own piece seemingly ignorant of the others, out of key, out of time, yet bound together just enough to remain musically cohesive. Much as our brain struggles to make sense of the nonsensical nature of dreams, yet tolerating it for our own sanity.

It should also be noted that every range of dream is covered here: the ethereal, the calm, the nonsensical, the nightmares, the longing, the traumatic. The range from full-on pummeling Death Doom to peaceful Chamber Folk is quite a feat.

I really appreciate this album, and am incredibly fascinated by it. I think it’s a bit of a marvel of musical composition and ideas. But, it’s not always pleasant to listen to. And not in the good way, like a really depressing Doom album that I only want to hear to achieve such a melancholic mood. I mean it just straight up doesn’t sound good at times. There is such a thing as too weird, and too many Avant-Garde artists are guilty of catering to that need to be weird over the need to write a good song. Maudlin of the well are nowhere near as guilty as most Avant-Garde artists in that respect, but still enough so that the listening experience of their music is damaged when some slightly more conventional directions could have resulted in a masterpiece.

A Sun That Never Sets is a relatively subdued album by Neurosis standards. Not only is it quite slow and doomy, but it also has many sections of very restrained instrumentation where the guitars become quiet. Post-Rock and Neofolk are woven between the grander Atmosludge sections, fostering a more minimal sound. Of course the miserable industrial atmosphere remains, but it is one of the “calmer” Neurosis albums, if you can say that.

Most Neurosis albums have a bit of a theme running through them, and this one has constant ties to nature and the sun (this being the second Neurosis album named after center of the solar system). Although they are rather cryptic, there’s a constant feeling of epic grandeur set to the beautiful planet burning to the ground. Mythological apocalypse style.

On this album yet again, Neurosis fall into the same problem I’ve had with all their albums (Except Souls at Zero which was a masterpiece). They craft some really incredible moments, such as the bagpipe-backed crescendos in “From The Hill,” but the issue is they take forever getting there. The band will mull around with some boring, lethargic riff that doesn’t do anything for minutes before they get to anything good. And some of the songs don’t even have a nice payoff. The album ends up feeling very bloated.

At this point in their career, the band are pros at layering dense atmosphere of industrial sludgy madness, and in that area they never fail. The song are rich and mixed well, with many atmospheric effects only revealing themselves after many listens. This adds a great relisten-ability factor, and helps detract from the, at times, boring simplicity of the main instrumentation.

Still though, most of these songs could have been cut in half, or simply need way better riffs or melodies to succeed. A solid release, but its own meandering holds it back.

Yeah, they open up the album with blast beat skronking. I already know how this is gonna go…

Or so I thought. Now don’t get me wrong, this still isn’t my preferred flavor of Dissodeath, but there’s a big difference between this and the previous Obscura, that difference being that this sounds like actual music.

While there’s no shortage of annoying skreeonk angular guitar riffs, there are also some “normal” sounding Tech Death riffs thrown in that are quite good. The songs have slightly more natural progression, sounding like composed works rather than 10 second segments of random chaos cut and spliced together. The drumming is more controlled, doing more to serve the music rather than be as wild and chaotic as possible. And lastly, the vocals are a bit deeper, stronger, and better enunciated, a massive boon after the high-pitched bellowing of Obscura pushed my tolerance to its limit.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find Gorguts take a few steps back and head towards a more normal direction on this album. While this still isn’t that good to me, the massive improvement from Obscura could definitely lead to something great down the road if they continue honing this style rather than chasing the next weirdest thing.

Unforgivable vocals ruin this. Look, I love extreme vocals. I love death growls, I like Black Metal shrieks, I love Thrash yells, all that good jaunt. And even classically “bad” vocals don’t bother me much. I’ve got a pretty high tolerance for that stuff as someone who listens to more than a handful of Metal bands where one of the musicians basically bit the bullet and did the vocals despite not being able to sing at all. I mean hell, I even enjoy J-Pop/Denpa/Idol music where the singers can’t actually sing at all and rely on autotune and their cute aesthetic to get by. Really, it usually doesn’t bother me.

The abrasiveness of these vocals goes beyond offensively bad, into essentially unlistenable, to the point the music around it suffers immensely. There’s some sort of distortion/static effect on most of them which makes them even worse. The crazy thing? The vocalist employs more than one technique, and they suck at ALL of them. The shrill screams are terrible, the punky yelling is terrible, the sassy vocals are terrible, the “singing” if you can call it that is poor, the only thing passable the vocalist does is the monotonous droning style used on “Phoenix in Flight.” Which still isn’t good, but it’s inoffensive.

I originally wanted to read the lyrics along while listening to see what it was about. Gave up halfway into the first song as the vocalist does not even make the most basic attempt to enunciate a single word. Right from the first line, you are immediately lost, as the noises the vocalist screams don’t sound like even one word in the verse. I will never know whether they are good or not because the vocalist put zero effort into delivering them.

Oh, the music? Maybe I’d have more to say about it if I wasn’t distracted by how awful the vocals are the whole time. It’s competently played and written, even above average for the genres employed most of the time. There are some genuinely great moments scattered about, usually when the band leans more into crafting riffs and chord progressions as opposed to being as mathy and chaotic as possible. “Heaven in Her Arms” has some awesome riffs and chords that walk the fine line between melodic and dissonant, aforementioned “Phoenix in Flight” has nice doomy atmosphere, and the Post-Metal style buildup of the closer is pretty great. The drumming is consistently excellent, and probably the one aspect of it I have nothing but praise for. Not only technically impressive and complex, but also packed with variety, and simpler sections that serve the music rather than being too preoccupied with chaos and showing off.

I’m not going to lie though – even with the perfect vocalist, this album would only be “good” to me. Most of it is too chaotic and angular for my taste. A shame though, I think I would have enjoyed the lyrics and concept. At the end of the day it’s just not for me.

A miserable, wretched experience – and that’s exactly what they were going for here. A fully realized Drone Metal album, Khanate use the genre to create some truly hideous soundscapes, wrought with dissonance, noise, fuzz and lethargy. The plodding drums create just enough of a foundation to contain the chaos, with guitars and whatever else being used liberally and dissonantly to create harsh noise. The vocals are another aspect adding to the hostility, being a horrid, raspy yell that delivers ridiculously creepy and abstract lyricism and about saws, skin and bones.

For the right person, I think this could be exactly what they’re looking for. I can understand the appeal, as someone who greatly enjoys the deepest despair brought by the sound of genres like Doom Metal. I will say the album is unique for its time as well; despite Drone Metal being around for some time by the turn of the century, very few bands were actually exploring or developing its sound, especially not as entire identities, which Khanate opt to do.

Unfortunately though, the sound here is entirely unenjoyable for me. It’s too dissonant and noisy, and the worst part is that there’s absolutely no counterplay or depth at all. Every minute is the same as the last, with one song being entirely indiscernible from another. The vocals, while having a certain “scary” intrigue at first, quickly become tiring. The lyrics are similarly boring due to being too abstract and repetitive, almost painting a horrifying picture but instead falling short and looking more like ai generated ramblings. I am thankful it has drums (Drone Metal without drums… really isn’t Metal to me!) but those drums do absolutely nothing. Which would be fine if the atmosphere was better, but it’s way too noise and texture oriented rather than mood oriented, which I strongly dislike.

Not for me.

The Ghostlights saga consisting of this album and the previous one The Mystery of Time mark the best balance between complexity and simplicity that I enjoyed when I was listening to Avantasia 10 years before this review. And I still love it! This also makes up for when founder Tobias Sammet transfered pretty much all the power metal from his then-main band Edguy to Avantasia, turning Edguy into more of a hard rock/metal band. Ghostlights can very much brush aside the mistakes from Edguy's last few albums, and it still holds the reign as the best album by Avantasia and any project by Tobias Sammet! There is more lively punch, and the guest vocalists (a typical aspect for the project) add to the theatrical vibe. Sure there might be some simplicity, but it's all balanced out by the large emotion.

Some of the f***ing best writing by Tobi occurs in this offering. There's a lot more of the symphonic power metal you would expect from Avantasia with only slight touches of old-school hard rock/glam metal, making tunes of metallic variation. Besides Tobi and co., a few songs have guitarwork by Bruce Kulick and Oliver Hartmann, totally crushing it with their riffs and leads. And there's some great guitar by Sascha Paeth too. Everything sounds so catchy and powerful, giving the songs more life. If you're listening at home via speakers, it would be like watching a movie, or at least hearing a movie.

Opening track "Mystery of a Blood Red Rose" is filled with soulful majesty in the strings and a catchy chorus. This more hard rock-ish sound is almost like Meat Loaf (RIP). In fact, they were planning on having Meat Loaf guest appear in that song, but that never came through. So it became just a solo song for Tobi. "Let the Storm Descend Upon You" follows, and it's a massive 12-minute epic! There's killer riffing and synths alongside vocals that includes the album's first guest vocalists; Jorn Lande (ex-Masterplan), Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids), and Robert Mason (Warrant). Things starts off brooding before building up gradually to the great climax, all while staying upbeat. So glorious! As part of the band's more ambitious motives, they include a couple slow songs such as "The Haunting", perhaps the best song in that category, sounding theatrical and including guest vocals by Dee Snider (Twisted Sister). Then "Seduction of Decay" is more progressive, even more so with the vocal work by Geoff Tate (ex-Queensryche).

The speed then comes back up with another grand highlight, the title track. It has some of the best melody, and the singing by Michael Kiske (Helloween) rules as he alternates with Lande. Another one of my favorites with nothing weak about it! Next up, "Draconian Love" has some haunting hypnotic verses sung by Herbie Langhans. Those vocals by Herbie remind me of Type O Negative, although he has a greater, more varied vocal range, proven when he later joined Firewind. The chorus explodes into great dynamics. "Master of the Pendulum" is another kick-A track featuring the talented Marco Hietala, formerly of Nightwish. On top of that, both the song and its title have total Nightwish vibes, with the title similar to one of Nightwish's epics, "The Poet and the Pendulum". The next song, "Isle of Evermore" is a strong ballad, better than many of their previous ballads. Within Temptation vocalist Sharon den Adel can sing greatly, but I often wonder why she only sings in the ballads, like in The Metal Opera albums. I just hope in a later album, she can sing in a heavier upbeat track. Such as "Babylon Vampyres", a rifftastic highlight with some more vocals by Mason.

"Lucifer" starts off sounding like a piano ballad with Lande's vocals then rises into great blazing speed in the guitar. Then "Unchain the Light" has an out-of-this-world chorus sung by Atkins and Kiske. "A Restless Heart and Obsidian Skies" closes the main album, sounding quite melodic with vocals by Bob Catley (Magnum) and a great chorus. As f***ing strong as the start of the album! "Wake Up to the Moon" is a bonus track that's more melodic and rock-ish with splendid vocals by many of the vocalists.

Ghostlights is a brilliant masterpiece album with all the emotion it has to offer. If you're up for a metal opera album with various guest vocalists, this is it. This is THE SH*T. I'm still shocked to have forgotten this gem for so long. A gem of ghostly melodic wonders!

Favorites: "Let the Storm Descend Upon You", "The Haunting", "Ghostlights", "Master of the Pendulum", "Babylon Vampyres", "A Restless Heart and Obsidian Skies", "Wake Up to the Moon"

Not gonna lie, this review is one of the hardest ones I've ever done. I had to try to find the complete compilation so I could listen to all it in one go a few times, and Spotify does not have all the songs in the compilation. And whenever I do these compilation reviews, I had to really think about the songs from each of 5 albums rather than just one. This probably would've been easier if I was still into Edenbridge and other symphonic/power metal bands like I was nearly a decade before this review. But it's all worth it!

The Chronicles of Eden is one of the most essential compilation albums for a band. The first disc has mostly bonus tracks for their first 5 albums, and the second disc has two full songs per album; one greatest hit and one 8+ minute epic, mostly longer than each track from the first disc either way.

Starting off the first disc with bonus tracks from The Grand Design (the album with the most bonus tracks by far), "Thin Red Line" has some of the progressive melody of Seventh Wonder. "The Silent Wake" is more mid-tempo, but it's like a blend of Firewind and Visions of Atlantis. "Images in the Sand" is a soft piano/strings instrumental. Then comes their awesome cover of Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only", the theme song for that James Bond film, keeping the relaxed ballad vibe without ever sounding lame. Their name is Bridge... EDENbridge. Interestingly, "Evermore" appears in this disc even though it's already in the original album. It's still a beautiful shining single! "Empire of the Sun" is another instrumental track, this one more guitar-focused and a little long for an instrumental, at over 5 minutes in length.

Before we get to the bonus tracks from Shine, there's a radio edit for its 9-minute opening title epic, reduced to around half its length. It's quite risky reducing a masterpiece epic that's perfect in its original form into a short single, but uitimately it's still the catchy hymn it is. "On Sacred Ground" is softer with more usage of symphonics and flutes that can practically rival Epica's ballads. It's also a nice break from power metal bands like Powerwolf whose ballads and heavier songs rely on organ. Then we have another bonus track that was once a rarity, another uplifting guitar-focused instrumental, "Anthem". Now we heading to the Aphelion bonus tracks, starting with "On the Verge of Infinity" which again has similar vibes to fellow Austrian symphonic power metallers Visions of Atlantis. Same thing with "The Whispering Gallery". Concluding with the Arcana bonus tracks, "The Whisper of the Ages" has gotten me hooked with the exotic sitar and a great chorus. "Velvet Eyes of Dawn" is one more rarity worth discovering.

Now it's time for the second disc, and if you're bummed out that their debut Sunrise in Eden doesn't have any bonus tracks, the two tracks that start the album and this disc shall make up for that, starting with its title epic. The oriental melodies are so majestic in this mid-tempo track, along with the harmonic soloing and one of the most glorious choruses by the band EVER. The original album didn't start with that epic, instead starting with the track before it, "Cheyenne Spirit". It's filled with neoclassical power metal greatness. It stands out with the vocals and the soloing from both the guitars and bass. As much as the track sounds so uplifting and wonderous, the lyrical theme is more serious, concerning the historical tragedies of early American civilization. As awesome as those two previous tracks are, they're nothing compared to the title track of Arcana, which I sh*t you not, is one of the most melodic epics I've heard in my over a decade of listening to metal. Wonderful guitar flow and more of the vocal power of Sabine Edelsbacher. Her singing can range from operatic to full-on siren. And we can't forget the guitarwork by Lanvall and Andreas Eibler often going from melodic to complex. Nothing else I can about that glorious epic can do it justice. The shorter but more progressive "The Palace" has many different stunning ideas. Catchy vocals and guitar/keys interplay never lose steam. Absolutely promising! Aphelion started with "The Undiscovered Land" which is a popular live staple worth mentioning. But it can't beat the album's closing track, "Red Ball in Blue Sky", despite its odd title. Sabine duets with Royal Hunt vocalist D.C. Cooper, making another beautiful epic.

Eastern melodies once again cover "Wild Chase" from the Shine album, and it has great power for a midpaced song. It's nice that they consider the haunting interlude "The Canterville Prophecy" as part of an epic, though it would make sense if they connect together. Still, "The Canterville Ghost" has interesting variation and climatic soloing. Then we get to the longest epic of this compilation, the title track of The Grand Design, soaring through the majestic cosmos for over 10 minutes, and summarizing all the original album has. But it's not the total end of the compilation, until after that album's opening track "Terra Nova", one more beautiful song of hopes and dreams.

If you prefer just a regular album, Shine and The Grand Design are both excellent albums. If the bonus tracks in The Grand Design don't convince you to give that album a try, I don't know what would. And even Aphelion is good despite being the least strong one of Edenbridge's early offerings. Either way, these chronicles are totally essential!

Favorites (one per album per disc, except for Shine/The Grand Design bonus tracks): "The Silent Wake", "For Your Eyes Only", "Evermore", "Shine (radio edit)", "On Sacred Ground", "On the Verge of Infinity", "The Whisper of the Ages", "Sunrise in Eden", "Arcana", "Red Ball in Blue Sky", "Wild Chase", "The Grand Design"

Within a Sunrise in Eden, a Cheyenne Spirit Forever Shines On in Holy Fire. She flies with Wings of the Wind in the Rainy Midnight at Noon, pleading "Take Me Back to My Last Step Beyond!" Ascending in Starlight Reverie from The Palace in a Moment of Time, she will Fly on a Rainbow Dream and Color the Sky with Velvet Eyes of Dawn. The Whisper of the Ages flows into the Light of Suspiria through the Winter Winds of Arcana. The Undiscovered Land can be found Skyward before The Final Curtain of Perennial Dreams. She will Fly at Higher Game As Far as Eyes Can See beyond the Whispering Gallery on the Verge of Infinity. A Deadend Fire can be found Farpoint Anywhere Where Silence Has Lease under the Red Ball in Blue Sky. Maybe she will Shine and Move Along Home as a Centennial Legend. However, after a Wild Chase, the Road Goes On with What she'll Leave Behind Elsewhere. Under the October Sky is the Canterville Prophecy and Ghost on Sacred Anthemic Ground. Terra Nova conjures a Flame of Passion Evermore in the Most Beautiful Place. However, she is Seen Fading Afar from the Top of the World before being Taken Away in the Grand Design. The tale of the Empire of the Sun is for Your Eyes Only as Thin Red Lines make Images in the Sand at the Silent Wake.

Whew! What a story I made, based on all the song titles in the first 5 Edenbridge albums including this one. A solid tale of fantasy to balance out with the boring reality of what really happened. The truth is, Edenbridge formed in 1998 in Austria, named after a Formula 3000 racing team. They made the goal to board the female-fronted metal train alongside their more popular peers in Nightwish, early Dark Moor, and Within Temptation. They made their solid start with their first two albums Sunrise in Eden and Arcana, took a small dip in quality in Aphelion, then went back up high in Shine. In 2006, the band kept up their higher game in The Grand Design. It's a grand near-perfect masterpiece. Recording took place in several different studios across Europe; in their homeland of Austria, the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. A few different studio visits in different countries come with a few guest musicians joining in, including Dennis Ward and Robby Valentine providing background choir vocals. The other guests would each have their own chance to shine in a different singular track. And the beautiful cover art was made by Thomas Ewerhard.

"Terra Nova" is a beautiful opening highlight of hopes and dreams. Karl Groom (founding guitarist of Threshold and known for contributing to bands like DragonForce) adds in his own guitar solo. "Flame of Passion" has more of a gothic-ish symphonic metal sound to remind some of Tristania at that time. Soft acoustic verses with the serene singing of Sabine Edelsbacher come in, as she sings "It never rains, but it pours". The chorus is catchy and pretty in its midtempo pace. I enjoy the melodic soloing. And the song ends with a literal bang of a firework. "Evermore" is another beautiful shining highlight, released as a single. Next track, "The Most Beautiful Place", touches your heart with a beautiful ballad consisting of just piano and Sabine's singing, "You are always inside, wherever I roam". Soft strings enter the second verse before a final chorus and ending literally on a high note from Sabine.

The guitars fade back in for "See You Fading Afar". The drums join in for fast pounding, only slowing down to let Sabine step in with her smooth vocals in the verses. Her harmonies rise over the background male vocals by Dennis Ward, similarly to D.C. Cooper's contribution to the Aphelion album, but never really upfront. The keys sound gothic in the bridge, fitting well with the guitar heaviness. Sabine's singing reaches a high climax in the chorus before everything stops except for the guitars that fade out. The guitars and vocals sound so bright and uplifting in "On Top of the World", which I prefer a lot more than that similarly titled Imagine Dragons (s)hit. The memorable chorus is so out of this world. "You'll be on top of the world!" Her vocals get isolated for a moment before some soloing. I never realized a "gothic" sound can sound so happy! The final chorus unleashes some male/female vocal harmonies, then after singing the song title one last time, the song ends right there. The next track "Taken Away" is another piano ballad, but dark gloom replaces the previous song's bright mood. Again, there's not much besides that piano and Sabine's singing. However, the chorus is quite strong, and we have Robby Valentine's background vocals. Then the soft piano floats by once more. Then we get to the title track, soaring through the majestic cosmos for over 10 minutes, and summarizing all this album has. Also, expect some acoustic strumming by Martin Mayr and violin by Astrid Stockhammer, Lanvall's young sister.

The Grand Design is the album with the most bonus tracks by far for the band, and you don't wanna miss out on the edition that has them all, starting with "Empire of the Sun". It's a guitar-focused instrumental track, a little long for an instrumental, at over 5 minutes in length. Then comes their awesome cover of Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only", the theme song for that James Bond film, keeping the relaxed ballad vibe without ever sounding lame. Their name is Bridge... EDENbridge. "Thin Red Line" has some of the progressive melody of Seventh Wonder. "The Silent Wake" is more mid-tempo, but it's like a blend of Firewind and Visions of Atlantis. "Images in the Sand" is a soft piano and strings outro to end the journey.

All in all, The Grand Design is a celestial melodic work of art. Sometimes it's great to take a break from reality and have a wonderful adventure through fantasy. With many memorable ideas, this album is an amazing well-done gem by these Austrian metal legends!

Favorites: "Terra Nova", "Evermore", "On Top of the World", "The Grand Design", "Empire of the Sun", "For Your Eyes Only", "The Silent Wake"

For a record being published through Nuclear Blast, March of the Unheard is a remarkably clean sounding death metal album. The guitars and bass have just enough grit to give these tracks some much needed excitement because the songwriting surely does not. The Halo Effect is a Swedish supergroup of In Flames alumni and you would think that with this kind of starpower, that The Halo Effect would be a little bit more interesting?

There are pockets of quality within March of the Unheard but they are drowned out by a very uninspired palette. I get a lot of modern Arch Enemy influence out of this album and even some newer Dark Tranquility. But the record feels like it lacks direction. Considering how much In Flames background there is, I don't hear much The Jester Race, or Whoracle, or even Clayman. If anything, this record sounds closer to the In Flames of the 2010s; alternative metalcore. The album feels monotonous and would have benefited from having a key change or a guitar solo once in a while...which is why it's so baffling that the record DOES have these modulators. March of the Unheard feels to me like an album that thinks it can draw you in on name alone (it did for me) and nothing else. 

Best Songs: Cruel Perception, Forever Astray, Between Directions

So after three albums where doing the same thing over and over again began to pan out less and less, Bay Area thrashers Vio+Lence seemed to have decided that change was for the better.  Except, they obviously didn't know how to change.  It's a real shame, considering that they had so much potential.  This third and final studio album takes a more radio-friendly approach to the compositions, which probably means they were looking for money.  But in this effort to produce something the alt-rock fans would like, they made a fatal mistake: see, when Metallica sold out, they didn't pretend The Black Album was a thrash album.  These guys still tried to pass of thrash as a heavily-radio genre without really thinking about what that meant.  They simply just nerfed the heaviness and assumed the genre would fill in the blank.  They barely bothered to compose, just to thrash.  Not really creativity there.  As well, what's the singer doing trying to actually sing without more practice first?  I mean, these guys have never been the best, but in their efforts to become even more relevant, they ended up at their personal worst.  The production is shotty, the vocals are bad, the heaviness is a knockoff of the knockoff second album, and it all gets in the way of the identity of the band.  Even if they had the right to try something new, this is not how one should go about trying new things.

53

So the first one was a good one that had some great, if not almost perfect, things about it, but some major creative bumps.  The most notable of these bumps was how most of these songs were pretty much doing the same thing, which meant creativity was at a low point.  very little differentiation betweem tempo, vibe and emotion.  Well, it still managed to be a highly spirited, thrashy and purely metallic experience.  This album feels like a nerfed version of everything that made the debut so good.  Everything's palatable.  There's still a good chunk of the spirit there.  Obviously, that hasn't left.  But the riffs are only pretty good as opposed to the wonderfully wild astuff we got before.  At first, the album's charm is cool, but it goes on that way for five of the eight tracks, tempo, vibe and everything, and the only thing that changes about track 6 is the tempo, and then we go RIGHT BACK TO THE SAME STUFF on track 7, and by that point it just gets old.  It will appeal to thrash fans for its spirit, but otherwise, it's an insult to the majesty of what makes thrash so grandios, being nothing more than a Malt-O-Meal variant of a better cereal.

67

After hearing the band's two early demos, I still didn't have much of an inkling as to their true abilities because the recording quality, demo or not, was terrible for the first demo and slightly better for the second.  With this one, they got a real producer to handle the sound quality, which maximizes everything they're capable of.  Thing is, while these guys are still stylistically generic, not really standing out with a style of their own, theycan sure jam like fuck and play at Star Trek levels of warp speed.  Much of the frontal work is done by later Machine Head guitarist Robb Flynn, who totally understand what thrash power and riffage needs to sound like.  For the most part, the rest of the instrumentalists aren't really struggling to keep up with him at all.  They match his power pretty easily, which is incredible considering that the single hiring of one different person would almost send this album toppling.  Of course, that's as far as the instrumentation goes.  Although this is a perfectly produced album with song great songwriting, I'm really not digging Sean Killian's vocals.  Not only is he joining the chained-to-a-wall kink train of thinking shouting the same way through a whole album is somehow the coolest thing you can do, but it sounds like he's in the wrong genre.  He sounds like he belongs in a power metal band or a Queensryche knockoff, like he's adjusting his voice for thrash to hide this and failing.  As well, with half these songs sharing very similar tempos and practically all of them bearing the same vibe, they don't really push any boundaries beyond raw instrumentality.  As well, some of the songs drag on much longer than they likely need to, largely because the album's mostly an exercize in showing off both instrumental and production techniques rather than an example of depth.  So I think it's right that I give this a good rating for some incredible strengths, but from a broader perspective, it's not the most enlightening... just addictingly thrashy.

83

Songs of Hiraeth is a compilation of (majority) unreleased tracks spanning two years from 2009 – 2011. Inspired by Lunn’s first time in Northern Europe, as well as his more frequent trips to the remote north of the USA, there is a real sense of freedom in the seven songs here. The record feels like a collection of songs, and for once this is not a problem. The capture of these moments in time, the artist’s memories, carries a clearly personal nature, one which permits the listener some insight into the artists world. You can picture vast landscapes when listening to this record or envisage perhaps the frustration at having to leave such views to return to the humdrum of the daily grind.

The songs here are of the quality we have all come to expect from Austin Lunn. The more atmospheric pieces possess that familiar ethereal appeal to them. Embedding aggression around these tracks with a level of mastery that somehow still retains the atmospheric tropes that are usually so well established, whilst still suggesting varying degrees of emotion being expressed, takes talent, simple as that. The build of ‘The White Mountain View’ shows this perfectly over a near eleven-minute track. Yet the track that follows immediately after it, ‘Haunted America II’ has a much more direct approach with its scathing riffage and myriads of percussions attacking the listener from the off. Indeed, it is testimony to the talent on display here that a compilation record of tracks over fifteen years old could easily make a dent in any end of year list.

There are a couple of occasions where the production sounds a little muddled to my ears (‘A Letter’ in particular) and whilst it does not necessarily ruin the listening experience, it does diminish the momentum somewhat. I sense that some elements are just placed off in the mix and the black metal squall comes with an underlying reverb that is just, well, unhelpful. I must note however what an outstanding drummer Lunn is. On previous releases, I had somehow missed this, but on this one his skin bashing really shines through. As I say, for a compilation release, it is hard not to be impressed with Songs of Hiraeth. It is another great addition to the Panopticon discography and one that carries a real sense of connection with it. If you were disappointed (as I was) to think that the folk laden Laurentian Blue was going to be Lunn’s only release of 2025, then Songs of Hiraeth will be a more than welcome addition.

As I mentioned previously, I have only had a brief, but exceedingly positive, association with Aeternus. Their 1995 "Dark Sorcery" EP is one of my favourite black metal EPs and their 1997 debut album "Beyond the Wandering Moon" isn't bad either, so I went into this in a positive frame of mind. Luckily, this uncharacteristically positive attitude wasn't misplaced and this is a nice slab of medium-paced, melodic, norwegian black metal that was very easy to get into with Immortal being an obvious touchstone for me.

A striking atmosphere is set with the introduction to the epic opener, "There's No Wine Like the Bloods Crimson" which starts off with a warrior's raging and a brief snatch of liturgical singing before giving way to a martial drum beat which sets the conflict-riven battlefield scene where most of the album's events take place. The theme here is the horrors and glories of war, particularly toe-to-toe, whites-of-their-eyes, blood and guts medieval warfare. The riffs are fairly melodic and memorable enough to catch yourself humming along occasionally. The odd riff also has a folk metal component to it, with second track "As I March" containing a prime example. The sound is pretty thick, not the lo-fi, washed out and icy thin sound often associated with nineties black metal, but with a noticeable death metal influence which is well-suited to the blood-riven theme of the album. I always love a good drum track and Vrolok's percussive contribution is well-handled here. The track "Blodsverging", where he really gets to let rip, is a great example. I am not clued in enough to know how technically good Vrolok is, but the drums sound absolutely brilliant and I love what he was doing with the aggressive, but well-controlled, battering that he is visiting upon his kit. There is some fairly sparse utilisation of keyboards, but they are subtly handled and never smother the riffs, merely adding a thin atmospheric layer to proceedings.

I am not going to claim that "...And So the Night Became" is a top-drawer norwegian black metal classic or anything, but it is very good and I found it exceedingly easy to get into with a musical consistency and atmospheric integrity that showcases the songwriting skills of all involved. Aeternus may not get a huge amount of credit or acknowlegement in the black metal world, but here they reveal themselves to be a very accomplished black metal act that almost certainly deserve more plaudits than they receive. There is some really good stuff on here and this is definitely an album I will return to in the future.

In my most recent attempt to rekindle a bond with extreme metal, I have been met with enough suggestions than I know what to do with! Unfortunately, what I appreciate in the music is very different than what most of my colleagues enjoy. One name that has always returned to me has been Blackbraid, a solo melodic/atmospheric black metal project from the state of NY. While I have only truly listened to Blackbraid in passing, songs such as "The Spirit Returns" and "Sadness and the Passage of Time and Memory" have stuck with me, so I figure that now is as good a time as any to dig in with a new album just released this month!

It does need to be said right out of the gate that Blackbraid III is a great album. I believe that the drummer, Neil Schneider, is the albums producer and mixer and the sound of the album is nothing short of spellbinding. For an artist that is as fiercely independent as Blackbraid claims to be, Blackbraid III has better mixing than many of the modern day "mainstream" black metal artists. I'm sure that there are record labels who specialize in black metal that would be salivating to have Blackbraid join their catalogue one day. The album has tremendous blending between the guitar, bass, percussion and vocals. The guitar in particular has a crucial role on this endeavour; carrying some of the albums most infectious moments. The riffing is varied and unique, and play great chemistry with the vocals.

The record has plenty of Native American and traditional Americana flavour added to keep things interesting. I would not be surprised if Sgah’gahsowáh came out and listed Austin Lunn as a source of influence for their music, because the mimicking of Panopticon's sound is undeniable. Whether that be in songs like "God of Black Blood", the opening of the record "Wardrums at Dawn on the Day of my Death" or any of the acoustic interludes interspersed with nature sounds of campfire cackling, rivers flowing or wolves howling, however cliche that might sound.

That influence from Panopticon is also felt in the lyrics. The lyrics are painted with a level of continuity between the tracks as themes of "fading light" the "forlorn of the dark" and "sacred offerings" are referenced frequently throughout Blackbraid III. "The Dying Breath of a Sacred Stag" is one of the more heart-twisting tunes on the album as the title stag, the "great keeper of twilight", grows old and passes away from the mortal world into the moss covered ground and nightfall engulfs the sky. The Lord Belial cover of "Fleshbound" that ends the album tells of the protagonist tearing their flesh from the body so that the pained soul can be free. It is an album of dark meaning, but delivered in such a way to make it sound just as wonderful to the listener as it would to a devote believer. (I personally do not know which Indigenous nation Sgah’gahsowáh is associated with, so that last statement is purely speculation).

The biggest issue with Blackbraid III is probably its interludes. The record has three (four if you count "Dusk (Eulogy)") interludes, but Blackbraid could have easily gotten away with just two. The interlude "The Earth Is Weeping" does not really do that much for me at this point in the track list. "Traversing the Forest of Eternal Dusk" is great with the inclusion of a electric guitar solo, while "Like Wind Through the Reeds Making Waves Like Water" serves as a nice change of pace in between the albums two longest tracks.  As well, even though I already mentioned how good the main melodic songwriting is, this album does have a tendency to shift styles a little too frequently. One of my least favourite examples is the quasi thrash riff that consumes most of the middle section of "And He Became the Burning Stars..." but the doom riff that ends "Tears of the Dawn" is wonderful.

Blackbraid III is a nice little project that shows signs of progress. I think as a collective, this album has the worse production than Blackbraid II, but the benefit of better songwriting. This record is more precise with shorter songs and a slightly more brisk runtime, as well as more impactful themes.

Best Songs: Wardrums at Dawn on the Day of my Death, The Dying Breath of a Sacred Stag, Traversing the Forest of Eternal Dusk, Tears of the Dawn

I posted Private Music in a thread on another forum I frequent and got asked by one of the regulars there to help them understand the appeal of Deftones. After a lot of words, I came to the overall conclusion that I respect Deftones because they never attempt to “be” anything. Their range of musical styles and influences could take up a whole paragraph of this review quite easily. However, the comparison I eventually made was that in my experience of metalcore/deathcore, there are some acts who like to step around inside Bilie Elish style electro-pop ecosystems for a few minutes before landing a twenty-second breakdown of crushing riffs to keep some semblance of metal relevant in their sound. For some of these acts, they could quite easily for go the metal parts and just stick with the non-metal if they do it well enough. However, although Deftones work with a blueprint, it is one that exists in such a size already that on their best records, the sky is literally the limit and metal may not always obviously be on the cards.

That having been said. I cannot recall the last time I actively waited for a Deftones album, let alone really enjoyed one in its entirety. Following the huge impact that Diamond Eyes had on me when I returned from a hiatus from metal in 2010 was realistically never going to be repeated, I know. When Koi No Yokan dropped some two years later, I lapped it up most definitely but my levels of fascination with its predecessor were never repeated. Working back from Diamond Eyes into their discography rewarded me with White Pony of course, which will go down as one of my all-time favourite alt metal releases, albeit I do not have an extensive listening history within that sub-set of metal music. When it came then to their more modern records, Gore and Ohms just failed to hold my interest and I drifted from the Deftones world of gazey, alt-metal, trip-hop, dream-pop music altogether.

With more of a focus on new music this year, I soon got wind of the singles ahead of the release of Private Music itself. Whilst neither ‘My Mind is a Mountain’ or ‘Milk of the Madonna’ bristled with any true sense of a reinvigorated intensity returning to the Deftones sound, I have hung fire passing any judgement until the album itself was available. Whilst they were both perfectly inoffensive tracks in isolation, I was more interested in how they fitted into the usual multi-textured layers of a whole album by Chino and co. It does not take long for me to find things that I like very much about Private Music. Whilst in isolation ‘My Mind is a Mountain’ is an appetiser, as an album opener it sets out the stall of the record well. Bold in the riff department, whilst also letting the percussion do its thing it marries perfectly with ‘Locked In’ which then follows a similar blueprint, leading into the chugging ‘Ecdysis’. Exploring the bass to get the pace going before establishing a very familiar sound to the Diamond Eyes era that I am such a fan of adds much needed familiarity for me to this track.

The stories within stories layering of the Deftones writing is alive and kicking still on Private Music. Watch the video to ‘My Mind is a Mountain’ and see Chino dancing to a very different theme to what is playing. This is a good thing for me, seeing the heavier end of their sound being embraced a little more whilst still having an agenda the listener must work on uncovering. Whilst far from perfect, the flow of tracks this time around feels more cohesive than it has in a while. Running the usual musical gauntlet over forty-two minutes there are still some golden runs of tracks, especially towards the end of the record. ‘Cut Hands’ through to album closer ‘Departing the Body’ springs to mind. Two up-tempo pieces followed by a more poised track to finish shows the maturity that the band clearly have at this stage.

Caution remains on calling this a return to form perhaps. If I was ranking the record against the last few over the past fifteen years, then Private Music sits in third behind Koi No Yokan and Diamond Eyes respectively. A large part of me doubts the band can achieve the heights they once enjoyed, but Private Music is evidence enough that the potential remains.

Well, after a marathon of reviewing Guardians classics, it's time to balance out my palate with something a lot darker and heavier. I encountered this Killwhitneydead album in a video the other day and decided to give it a shot. And compared to the other release I've reviewed, the debut Inhaling the Breath of a Bullet... WHAT THE F*** HAPPENED?!?

Killwhitneydead really went downhill in their second release Never Good Enough for You. The album cover of blood and nudity is bad enough, but for the music itself... There are still many samples used just like Inhaling the Breath of a Bullet. What made that EP acceptable was that release's length, which made the amount of samples still the same yet acceptable. When this music/sample alternation goes on for a half-hour, it gets boring and makes you wonder why the band has never been sued for the samples. The growls and riffing don't sound all that great, particularly when there could've been blasts where there are barely any. A few breakdowns are quite good though...

"You Will Get Exactly What You Deserve (and Not One Bullet Less)" gives me something special, a brutal breakdown similar to early Job for a Cowboy. "She Didn't Look Like She Had a Disease" is only one more track I like, and what a surprise! Several other tracks have melodeath leads, but here they go full-on power metal/grind/deathcore, with some clean falsetto singing! Who knew that was even a thing?! As for the rest, it sounds too flat. This sh*t is never good enough for me or anyone....

Favorites (only tracks I even slightly like): "You Will Get Exactly What You Deserve (and Not One Bullet Less)", "She Didn't Look Like She Had a Disease"

Not really a deathcore guy, not really a nu metal guy, so this "nu metalcore" that Wikipedia apparently has an article for doesn't really appeal to me beyond the fact that it's metal.  I checked out Slaughter to Prevail for a coworker and I politely told him that it was better than most of the deathcore I've heard, which isn't really untrue.  But it's only OK.  I didn't really expect much of a change when I heard about the new album.  But to be fair, each song had little tricks here and there that I appreciated.  Good portions of each song were built on these little tricks basically being major focal points.  Unfortunately, none of these aspects were really strong enough to differentiate this album from the vast majority of deathcore in the longrun.  Basically, this album manages to be catchy and edgy enough to get by on its own, with little amounts of creativity making it better than all the other generic nu metal and deathcore albums, but not a groundbreaker by any definition.

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I have a project list in my office for sub-genres I need to conduct a deep dive on. Pagan black metal is one item listed there as I have very little, formal knowledge of the sub-genre. When I come to a release that is tagged as “pagan” on the Metal Academy site I instantly think of folk metal, then I quickly remember that is a different thing. At least I think it is? Anyway, I won’t let the study of the tag take over the whole review, but if pagan black metal has more of what Aldaaron offer on Par-delà les cimes then I will be taking that deep dive sooner rather than later. The title of the album translates as “how pagan black metal differs to folk metal”. No, wait that’s wrong. “Beyond the Peaks” is the correct translation and the album is dedicated to their fallen comrade Thöl who covered bass duties in the band 2010-2012. Sadly, he passed away in 2022.

The album caught me off guard in two aspects if I am honest. Firstly, its potent aggression is vivid and striking from the off. The harrowing scream that starts album opener ‘Antediluvian Prophecies’ is an early taste of the venom of Aldaaron have coursing through their veins. The second item that was unexpected is how atmospheric and expansive the sound is here. Beyond those earthy tones there are soaring tremolos and majestic melodies that loop up into the air around them. Although the release has a thirty-six-minute duration, there are only four tracks here and with a couple of them stretching over the ten-minute mark it is important that the main duo of Ioldar and Voldr create some enchantment to these tracks. Thankfully they achieve this in bundles.

The choral passages are unobtrusive and befitting to the aesthetic of the album. Spaced well apart from the blackened material that drive the tracks in the main, these more ethereal sections are a clever contrast option. The charging tremolo of tracks such as ‘Chants d’hiver et de solitude’ are a joy to behold. Add into this mix, the thoughtful production job that allows each instrument some space to be heard. The vocals are superb throughout, with their ghastly edge creating atmospheres all of their own. The way you can pick out the bass on the final track, ‘Under the Icy Sky, Memories Fade Away’ is pleasing on the ear and the soaring lead work only adds to the allure of the track. A superb discovery, if not a little too short overall.

There are some decent sounding hooks/melodies inside Affliction Vortex, but they are very tricky to find since they are interspersed in between some painfully generic gothic doom metal. Dawn of Solace seem to be stuck in a creative divot where every track on this record uses the same tonal center and similar tempo. I would imagine that listening to this from top-to-bottom would be an absolute chore. When taking the album apart, the promotional singles of "Fortress" and "Invitation" were solid, but when thrown into the gauntlet, they lose much of their splendor. Even in comparison to recent death doom/gothic doom albums I've reviewed in recent memory, they all seemed to have some kind of unique flare to them; whether that be the bands overall sound, or they liked to play around with styles between the individual tracks. Dawn of Solace have none of this and it hurts Affliction Vortex in a big way.

Best Songs: Fortress, Into the Light, Invitation

To me, I liken a good doom record to the looming threat of a thunderstorm. The smell of that electricity in the air that crackles along your nasal passages, causing your ears to strain in the distance for that first rumble of thunder or have you reach for the light switch to plunge the room into darkness so your eyes can catch that first flash of lightning. This record gives me that vibe. It is not that I am expecting a full-blown thunderstorm experience from the record, far from it. Grief’s Internal Flower holds me in that pensive, excited and anticipatory state nicely. Whilst it would be a push to call it the calm before the storm, it is still an enjoyable experience for the looming presence it creates. Abated by the almost hushed, monotone of Cottrell’s vocals layered like pasta sheets in a fuzzy lasagne the album lulls me a little, giving a false sense of security. Then, on the strike of a drum or the dancing melody of a lead, the sky lights up in the distance. A big, bold wall of sheet lightning makes its appearance known and I switch my focus to the rumble of some thunder from the bass or rhythm section overall.

Tracks like ‘Tanngrisnir’ open big and loud yet possess some regimented nature in the tightness of the bands sound still. It is not necessarily a catchy record in the strictest sense of the term, yet the head is banging, and the foot is stomping along to the funereal death march of the drums and the monolithic chug of the guitars. It is an infectious sound to my ears at least, the competency of the artists in a style of music that feels inherently laid-back carries a devoted level of intensity still. The Electric Wizard influence is strong, unavoidable in fact. But it is such a genuine representation of that sound that I cannot help but lap it up.

Having recently discovered Cottrell’s solo work (which debuted the same year as this record), I am a fan of her non-metal stuff. However, the ballad, ‘Sparrow’ does very little for me here. It is well positioned in the album, giving a change of pace in the middle of the record but I am so caught up in all this thick doomy goodness that I find it an unnecessary distraction almost. Of course, by this point we are shaping up for the run into the album’s conclusion. Two lengthy tracks await us, with both clocking in at over fourteen-minutes. ‘Hesperus’ may have a glacial pace to it, but it is so harrowing in its delivery that it just would not work in a shortened format. As a track, it does shift restlessly at times and the way it just cuts off in full flow at the end is baffling to me. ‘Kingfisher’ is borderline a stretch too far for me at this point. There’s just too much to process at the back end of the album with these two tracks laid side-by-side in the running order. Whilst there are obvious differences between the two tracks from a structural perspective, it is still two massive tracks backloaded onto the album together.

In isolation, even on separate albums if not at least at opposite ends of this one, the tracks are not poor. However, they do not complement each other well. Acoustic album closer, ‘Aition’ serves some soothing purpose almost by proxy, but I sense that closing the album with ‘Hesperus’ is a missed trick unfortunately.  So a mixed bag in all for me on this one, still undeniably well performed and well written, even though the arrangement does leave a lot to be desired overall. 

Oh GOD do i love this album. I have started listening to metal relatively recently. Around 6-7 months ago and after starting with numetal at the beggining i wanted to expand my music taste. Among first albums that i listened to was this one. Before those 4-5 months ago (since the numetal phase lasted for around a month and a half i would say), i was really harsh on albums. I didnt make playlists but i rather liked songs and then listened to that playlist, so i was REAAAALLY picky about putting stuff in my playlist. Unless the song was, for my taste around 8.5/10 i wasnt putting it in my playlist. Probably my favorite albums until then were "Around the fur" by Deftones and "Hybrid theory" by Linkin Park and a few of Metallica's records, and even those albums had some skips (now relistening to them most of them dont even have them lol), so i didnt find a no skip album, UNTIL this album came in. Since the band wasnt super mainstream, my dumbass thought this would be underproduced bs that i would forget in the following few weeks or so. But then i started listening to it, and oh boy was i wrong. 8 song with catchy and technical riffing! My favorites are "Divine Step (Conspectu Mortis)", "Son Of Lillith", "Metamorphosis", "Pale Sister". Honestly, there is not a single bad song. Really like their album cover too! Never learnt what it meant or anything but a guy extendng his hand towards the viewer of the cover with the wavy effect and everything really is cool if i'm being honest. Still i wouldnt definitely say this is a PERFECT album. From time to time it does tend to get boring, and Ron's vocals, even though quite unique do get a bit annoying. Apart from that i have 0 other critiques. Also it would be good to say that this is my first album review ever, so i may have not noticed some things that are worthy of mention, bad or good. That's all.

I may have been overly harsh toward Deftones in 2020 with Ohms. I could tell that it was a serviceable project with enough solid moments, but I just could not see it as a standout amongst a discography that includes White Pony and Diamond Eyes. But upon further inspection, songs like “Genesis” and “Pompeji” were stronger than I remember them and Ohms also had a strong production to wipe the slate from Gore.

This new album, Private Music, features the return of Nick Raskulinecz as primary producer. This excited me, since Koi no yokan was also produced by Nick which, while considered a fan favourite, I hold Diamond Eyes in higher regard. And Nick’s presence can be felt almost instantly on Private Music with “My Mind Is a Mountain” having that distinct, early 2010s Deftones sound that was more melodic and atmospheric. Later tunes like “I Think About You All the Time” and “Souvenir” feel deliberate but not boring, leaving the listener in an almost trance-like state; something Deftones are very proficient at.

Deftones are a band that do not have to reinvent the wheel that often given their blend of shoegaze and metal music, even this far into their careers. And sure, Private Music might not be much of a progressive marvel for the group but like with an album such as The Sin and the Sentence by Trivium, you can hear Deftones maneuvering their way through their catalogue in a nostalgic kind of way. I already mentioned how Nick Raskulinecz’s production gives the album a feeling of nostalgia for those early 2010s albums, but as the album gets slower and more longing, pieces of White Pony start to show their face. And of course, you have tunes like “cXz”, “Cut Hands” and “Metal Dream” which feel closer to the original Deftones sounds of Adrenaline and Around the Fur.

Compositionally I really enjoy this record. It is more atmospheric than I would have liked, so I found that some of the truly mesmerizing hooks in the guitar or Chino Moreno’s vocals were a little lacking, but Deftones use space incredibly well. There are sometimes where the guitar work sounds a little bit oppressive through endless wall-of-sound soundscapes, but whenever you have a break as in the outro of “Souvenir”, or the intro riff to “I Think About You All the Time”, it sticks the landing. Also, Chino’s vocals are as pronounced as ever and sound even less like ASMR.

Private Music is just a solid album. For a couple of thirty-five-year-old veterans, Deftones know how to keep a fanbase entertained. Even in their legacy years, Deftones can pull from their past without having it sound derivative. They also have sections that pay homage to the groups influenced by them (i.e. Thornhill on “Milk of the Madonna”). Highly recommended even as a legacy project.

Best Songs: My Mind is a Mountain, Infinite Source, Souvenir, I Think About You All the Time, Departing the Body