Saxy S's Forum Replies
Vipassi - Lightless
One more new album to report today and we return back to Australia for the debut from Progressive/Technical Death Metal band Vipassi. Benjamin Baret plays guitar on this record and may be best known for his contributions to Ne Obliviscaris.
https://vipassi.bandcamp.com/album/lightless
Madder Mortem - Old Eyes, New Heart
The eighth (8th) studio album from Norwegian Progressive/Gothic metal band Madder Mortem released today!
Caligula's Horse - Charcoal Grace
The sixth (6th) studio album from Australian progressive metal band Caligula's Horse releases today!
https://insideoutmusic.bandcamp.com/album/charcoal-grace-24-bit-hd
Okay, so I'm not gonna gain any new friends here because I didn't like the new Panopticon. I thought it was a slog, and a less interesting, less concise version of ...And Again Into the Light and is more concerned with dragging along with atmosphere than actually saying something. My list of North albums is something like this:
1. Svalbard - The Weight of the Mask (Post-Hardcore/Blackgaze)
2. Fen - Monuments to Absence (Atmo-Black metal)
3. Bludgeon Oath - A Burning Wrath (Atmo-Black metal)
4. Malleus - The Fires of Heaven (Blackened Thrash metal)
5. Wyrgher - Panspermic Warlords (Progressive Black metal)
6. Krisgrav - Fires in the Fall (Melodic Black metal)
7. Malokarpatan - Vertumnus Caesar (Old school Black metal?)
8. Graveworm - Killing Innocence (Gothic Black metal)
This is a debut record of a very traditional progressive metal slab and takes a lot of its influence from giants like Dream Theater and more recently Haken. And Nospūn are really good at paying homage to their idols within progressive metal. The album is incredibly well performed, the song compositions/structures are given a lot of detail as to not make any of the tracks here (including the fifteen minute "Within the Realm of Possibility") feel extended for their own sake, and the production is top notch. I can hear each instrument with the utmost clarity, including the bass, and some of the tracks even have a decent melodic hook to anchor them down, including "The Death of Simpson" and "Back, Yet Forward".
But the record is marred by two major faults. The first is quite obvious: Nospūn do not really have much of an identity of their own at the moment. I am willing to be a little bit more forgiving in this regard since this is the bands debut album, and it's disingenuous of me to expect the band to rock the progressive metal world, in the same way that Black Sabbath did back in the 1970s. However, the other big issue has to do with this god awful synthesizer that persists throughout the entire record. When it isn't there, or not at the forefront of the track, Opus can sound really good, but "Dance With Me!" and "4D Printing" sound brutal as the keyboards rival even the most nasally pop-punk vocalists with their irritation.
It's a solid debut, but I hope that Nospūn will take notes for a follow-up and carve their own identity within the world of progressive metal. Otherwise, they are likely to flounder just like so many others before them.
3.5/5
The Revolution was the clan that received the most increased attention from me in 2023 thanks in large part to its mainstream tilt. Unfortunately, many of this years most mainstream records were not great. Whether they were new bands trying to experiment (Dragoncorpse, Humanity's Last Breath) or old guard releasing the S.o.S. (Suicide Silence, Thy Art is Murder). I'd probably go with a list like this:
1. Dying Wish - Symptoms of Survival
2. Veil of Maya - [M[other
3. Drain - Living Proof
4. Callous Daoboys - God Smiles Upon the Callous Daoboys
5. August Burns Red - Death Below
6. The Hirsch Effekt - Urian
7. Unearth - The Wretched; The Ruinous
8. Will Haven - VII
2023 had some good progressive metal with a lot of staying power too. That always seems to be my biggest issue with the genre as a whole, but I feel like this year bucked that trend, if only slightly. Here's a top ten:
1. Ne Obliviscaris - Exul
2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse et al.
3. TesseracT - War of Being
4. Haken - Fauna
5. Horrendus - Ontological Mysterium
6. OK Goodnight - The Fox and the Bird
7. Night Verses - Every Sound Has a Colour in the Valley of Night Part 1
8. Periphery - V: Djent is Not a Genre
9. Lunar Chamber- Shambihalic Vibrations
10. Aviations - Luminaria
I pretty much had the same favourites as Xephyr for 2023. I listened to more alternative metal because that's what gets popular, but even this years biggest breakthrough act, Sleep Token, did not wow me the same as they did for so many others. Perhaps I expected more from them following the rollout of the singles.
Anyways, here's the full list:
1. Klone - Meanwhile
2. Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars
3. Sleep Token - Take me Back to Eden
4. Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear
5. Narrow Head - Moments of Clarity
6. Silent Planet - Superbloom
7. Sevendust - Truth Killer
8. Code Orange - The Above
9. Avatar - Dance Devil Dance
10. BABYMETAL - The Other One
11. Soen - Memorial
12. Vulture Industries - Ghosts From the Past
13. Beartooth - The Surface
14. Polaris - Fatalism
15. In This Moment - Godmode
16. Asking Alexandria - Where Do We Go From Here?
17. Godsmack - Lighting Up Bar-B-Q's The Sky
xNOMADx sounds like a band that should be edgelord trash, but it turned out to be surprisingly good. I enjoyed the mixing on this record and the compositions are exquisite. Too many melo-hardcore bands think that the "melodic" part of their tag means they are required to have sung vocal shout choruses, but xNOMADx prove that is not the case. Reminded me a little bit of the more artsy screamo of So Hideous and SeeYouSpaceCowboy. It can be derivative at times, but the melodic leads more than make up for the underwhelming breakdown sections.
4/5
First off, congratulations Daniel on finally being able to share your baby with us after all this time. It was a delight to hear some of the demo recordings from your band and provided some really great insight towards the type of music you not only enjoy, but make.
Unfortunately for us, that style of music has never really been a go to for me so I did find At Damnation's Core to have its fair share of structural issues. But, as I outlined in my review, those structures are part of the appeal of brutal death metal (especially during the early 1990s) that I just had to come to terms with. When I did, I realized that this record actually had some solid moments with its songwriting and motivic development.
Overall, this was a nice change of pace from the melodic side of metal music that I frequent and a fine example of some early brutal death metal. It might sound a tad bit derivative of other bands at the time, but At Damnation's Core also had its own personality, which is rare from what I've found.
3/5
January 2024
1. Caligula’s Horse – The World Breathes with Me (2023)
2. Liquid Tension Experiment – Acid Rain (1999)
3. Devin Townsend Project – Higher (2016)
4. Slice the Cake – Homecoming (2020)
5. Sunless Dawn – Grand Inquisitor (2018)
6. Moon Tooth – Nymphaeaceae (2022)
7. Kayo Dot – The Manifold Curiosity (2003)
8. Opeth – Blackwater Park (2021)
9. Somnium de Lycoris – Obstacles in Our Path (2023)
10. Threshold – Elusive (2010)
11. The Contortionist – Return to Earth (2017)
12. Gojira – The Art of Dying (2008)
13. Borknagar – Summits (2023)
14. Ihsahn – Twice Born (2023)
15. In Vain – Season of Unrest (2023)
16. Leprous – Mediocrity Wins (2012)
17. Nöspun – The House at the Beginning (2023)
18. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – Burn Into Light (2023)
19. VOLA – We Are Thin Air (2018)
January 2024
1. Beartooth – I Was Alive (2023)
2. Bullet for My Valentine – Riot (2013)
3. Death Angel – Stagnant (1990)
4. Ed Sheeran, Bring Me the Horizon – Bad Habits (2022)
5. Filter – Where Do We Go From Here (2002)
6. Five Finger Death Punch – My Heart Lied (2013)
7. Jolly – The Pattern (2011)
8. Klone – Blessed are the Blind (2004)
9. Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff (2001)
10. Living Colour – Bi (1993)
11. Megan Thee Stallion, Spiritbox – Cobra (Rock Remix) (2023)
12. Mudvayne – Nothing to Gein (2000)
13. No One Is Innocent – Silencio (2015)
14. Northlane – Bloodline (2019)
15. Otep – Smash the Control Machine (2009)
16. Polkadot Cadaver – Shapeshifting Reptilian Overlords (2023)
17. Roadrunner United – The End (2005)
18. Spotlights – Algorithmic (2023)
19. Static-X – Anything But This (2004)
20. Suicidal Tendencies – Send Me Your Money (1990)
21. While She Sleeps – Self Hell (2023)
Unfortunately I did not listen to nearly enough Fallen playlist material in 2023. It feels like a lot of it didn't garner enough attention across the general metal sphere so most of the Fallen albums I heard in 2023 were paired with another clan. But if I had to provide a top five at least for favourite clan albums of 2023 it would likely be:
1. Mizmor - Prosaic (Doom/Sludge)
2. Fires in the Distance - Air Not Meant For Us (Death Doom)
3. Baroness - Stone (Progressive Stoner)
4. Church of Misery - Born Under a Mad Sign (Stoner)
5. Graveworm - Killing Innocence (Black/Gothic)
Death Angel - "Stagnant" (from "Act III", 1990)
Are you sure about this one? Even by a very loose standard of what Act III represents for Death Angel, I still don't hear much in the way of Gateway material on this album, or this song in particular. Maybe it's some of that funky verse riff?
December 2023
1. Madder Mortem – Towers (2023)
2. Anacrusis – Sound the Alarm (1993)
3. Nospün - …And Then There Were None (2023)
4. Opeth – Hex Omega (2008)
5. Charlie Griffiths – Dead in the Water (2022)
6. Periphery – Dying Star (2023)
7. Wilderun – And So Open the Earth (Ash Memory Part I) (2015)
8. Star One – Human See, Human Do (2010)
9. Intronaut – Above (2010)
10. Tool – The Pot (2006)
11. Plini – Still Life (Feat. Tosin Abasi) (2023)
12. TesseracT – Of Reality – Eclipse (2013)
13. The Anchoret – Stay (2023)
14. Aviations – Legend (2023)
15. Earthside – The Lesser Evil (2023)
16. Caligula’s Horse – Slow Violence (2020)
17. Wheel – Wheel (2019)
18. Pomegranate Tiger – The Cryptographer (2023)
19. Myrath – Child of Prophecy (2023)
20. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – Salamander In Two Worlds (2023)
21. TEMIC – Skeletons (2023)
December 2023
1. Alien Weaponry – Whisper (2018)
2. Beartooth – The Better Me (20230)
3. Bury Your Dead – Broken Body (2009)
4. Chevelle – Saturdays (2007)
5. Code Orange – Take Shape (2023)
6. Coldrain – 24-7 (2009)
7. Elysion – Dreamer (2009)
8. Escape the Fate – LOW (2023)
9. Fair To Midland – Kyla Cries Cologne (2004)
10. Five Finger Death Punch – Burn MF (2013)
11. From Ashes to New – My Fight (2013)
12. Godsmack – I Stand Alone (2003)
13. Karnivool – C.O.T.E. (2005)
14. Katatonia – Sold Heart (2010)
15. Lacuna Coil – Survive (2009)
16. Living Colour – Type (1990)
17. Machinae Supremacy – Phantom Battle (2014)
18. Nothingface – Murder is Masturbation (2003)
19. Red – Surrogate (2023)
20. Riot Stares – Burst (2023)
21. Slipknot – Custer (2014)
22. Spiritbox – Ultraviolet (2023)
Well this was interesting. I actually discovered Malokarpatan during 2020 and found it relatively enjoyable as the weird old school heavy metal/black metal hybrid it was originally marketed as. But I wasn't in the brightest of spirits when I listened to Krupinské ohne so it was never a record that I would return to. Most likely the language barrier had something to do with that.
So getting back into Malokarpatan was a bit of a stretch, but I did enjoy Vertumnus Caesar because, unlike Daniel, I actually see this record as being closer to traditional heavy metal (or at the very least, early proto-black metal bands like Bathory) and the truly black metal elements serve more as window dressing.
The riffage on display here does take a few liberties when it comes to drive as much of the record is rather slow and mellow instead of pummeling with blast beats and tremolo picking. Some of the riffs feel similar to the early thrash metal bands who began experimenting with death metal like Possessed and Slayer, while the vocals are the closest and main reason why those who listen to this band claim them to be a hybrid with black metal. This delivery is drenched in a reverb effect and are performed with a contempt flare, almost like Burzum.
This isn't the first album in this style that I've listened to this year. A previous Guardians featured album (Darkmoon Blade - Darkmoon Rising) raised my eyebrow in much the same way, as did Darkthrone's 2022 album, Astral Fortress. That isn't to say that I didn't like Vertumnus Caesar. Since I have been exposed to more artists like Malokarpatan, I can start to tell who does this OSBM sound well and Malokarpatan are near the top of that list. It isn't really a genre that I plan on exploring too much, but for a brief period of time, I did enjoy this.
3.5/5
I reviewed this album already so to summarize:
The newest Code Orange album The Above is a frustrating listen as it ping-pong's back-and-forth between heavier metalcore romps in the vein of Tallah, and alternative, industrial metal like Static-X. I always find that when you have an album such as this, it can be a difficult sell, since it is clear that Code Orange are trying to make a sound that is "more accessible", which I do not have a problem with on its own, but pairing it with heavier, bone shaking metalcore breakdowns has the added effect of scaring normies away in addition to putting the heads of their fans on a swivel.
The being said, the albums attempts at becoming more mainstream are pretty good as the vocal timbre is very sultry for this type of music, and the glitchy percussion rarely feels like it's taking over the production. Otherwise, my biggest issue is that The Above feels very immature as it appears to be calling upon the dreaded nu metal palette. This is obviously a subjective take, but nu metal rarely works for me in the modern age because of its immaturity. And hearing what was once a promising metalcore band starting to use it liberally is a wee bit disappointing.
3/5
November 2023
1. Between the Buried and Me – Ants of the Sky (Live) (2008)
2. Opeth – Forest of October (1995)
3. Disillusion – Back to Times of Splendor (2004)
4. Edge of Sanity – Crimson Pt. 3 (1996)
5. Haken – Elephants Never Forget (2023)
6. Caligula’s Horse – Autumn (2020)
7. Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit of Calamity (2023)
8. White Walls – Eye for an I (2020)
9. Intervals – Mnemonic (2023)
10. Vildhjarta - + ylva + (2023)
11. Mastodon – Gobblers of Dregs (2021)
12. The Totemist – Less We Know (2023)
13. Moon Tooth – Grimothy (2023)
14. Voices From the Fuselage – Ortus (2015)
15. Slice The Cake – The Holy Mountain (2023 Remaster)
16. OK Goodnight – The Journey (2023)
17. Caligula’s Horse – Marigold (2023)
18. Monosphere – Method Acting (2023)
19. Ne Obliviscaris – Painters of the Tempest – Part II (Triptych Lux) (2014)
20. Rivers of Nihil – Hellbirds (2023)
November 2023
1. Pyrogenesis – Survival of the Fittest (2020)
2. 36 Crazyfists – Better to Burn (2017)
3. Life Of Agony – Last Cigarette (2005)
4. Otep – Perfectly Flawed (2007)
5. Sleep Token – The Summoning (2023)
6. Korn – Clown (1993)
7. Soen – Violence (2023)
8. Alien Weaponry – Kai Tangata (2018)
9. Alter Bridge – Fortress (2013)
10. Any Given Day – Wind of Change (2022)
11. Celldweller – Switchback (2003)
12. In This Moment – In The Air Tonight (2017)
13. Spiritibox – Cellar Door (2023)
14. Evanescence – Far From Heaven (2021)
15. nothing.nohwhere. – CHROMAKILL3R (2023)
16. Rage Against The Machine – Bullet In The Head (1992)
17. Stuck Mojo – (Here Comes) the Monster (1996)
18. Halestorm – Bombshell (2022)
19. FEVER 333 – BURN IT (2019)
Deep Purple In Rock as a whole is proto-metal. It has elements that would become synonymous with heavy metal, but I feel like the jam nature of it is much closer to standard blues rock than anything metal. "Hard Lovin' Man" has a galloping triplet groove, which is close to metal ("The Trooper", "Raining Blood", etc.), but Heart's "Barracuda" uses it too; it isn't exclusive.
Black Sabbath are heavy metal. They are the first heavy metal band, and the more through composed structure of tracks such as "Paranoid" and "War Pigs" makes it sound a lot closer to heavy metal than Deep Purple In Rock, even though sonically, it's probably less "heavy" than Deep Purple.
Taken at surface level, The Dance of the Four Elemental Spirits feels like the prototypical blackened thrash metal album. The thrashy instrumentals are prominent and almost annoyingly simple, while the shrill vocal timbre and the overall very loose, reverb-y production is a callback to the kind of satanic worship trope that is abundant throughout the early black metal of the 1990s. The record does have some nice riffage and motifs ("Nocturnal Trudge" and "Violent, Bloody & Cold" in particular), but the records simplicity is also to its determent as well since songs on their own have no distinguishing moments other than the instrumental closer. Everything sounds pretty basic and frankly, uninspired from "Goddess Death" and beyond. It is not a bad record by any stretch; the locale and the sheer number of high quality thrash bands coming out of Chile prevent that from happening, but even by those standards, this record is kind of average.
3/5
Not a fan of this to be quite frank. There are some decent moments throughout Fatalism, but they come few and far between. The bands more alternative metal and quasi post-metal tunes are a nice touch around the very standard, unoriginal metalcore breakdowns. Songs like "Harbinger" and "Aftertouch" feel like an advancement of a predictable sound and I wish the rest of the record did the same. The untimely passing of Polaris' guitarist, Ryan Siew does not actually make a large impact in this albums release as it was basically complete and ready to ship out the door before the sad news. I'm sure for the band themselves, Fatalism is a heartfelt goodbye to a great friend, but all I hear is a mostly unoriginal metalcore album.
2.5/5
October 2023
1. Fiends – Rented Mental (2023)
2. Annisokay – Calamity (2023)
3. Beartooth – Doubt Me (2023)
4. Breaking Benjamin – Hollow (2015)
5. Five Finger Death Punch – The Agony of Regret (2013)
6. In This Moment – Black Wedding (2017)
7. Mushroomhead – Qwerty (2014)
8. Soilwork – Övergivenheten (2022)
9. Spiritbox – Circle With Me (2021)
10. Static-X – New Pain (2003)
11. New Years Day – Epidemic (2015)
12. Black Veil Brides – Devil’s Choir (2013)
13. Therapy ? – Trigger Inside (1994)
14. Twelve Foot Ninja – Endless (2008)
15. Sôber – Superbia (2011)
16. The World Alive – Trapped (2016)
17. From Ashes to New – Forgotten (2018)
18. OSI – The Escape Artist (2009)
19. Hebosagil – Ääniä yössä (2022)
20. Mudvayne – Happy? (2005)
21. Fudge Tunnel – Backed Down (1994)
22. Thousand Foot Krutch – Untraveled Road (2014)
23. Overhead – Lost Inside Pt. 2 (2012)
24. Sugar Ray – Speed Home California (1997)
October 2023
1. Ayreon – Collision (2013)
2. Meshuggah – Sane (1998)
3. Sikth – Days Are Dreamed (2015)
4. The Ocean – Isla Del Sol (2004)
5. Voivod – Golem (1991)
6. Cyborg Octopus – Hindsight (2022)
7. Symphony X – The Turning (2002)
8. TesseracT – Legion (2023)
9. Unprocessed – Thrash (2023)
10. Traverser – Eyes To Silent Walls (2010)
11. Obsidian Tide – Clandestine Calamities (2023)
12. Night Verses – 8 Gates of Pleasure (2023)
13. Slice the Cake – Unending Waltz (Remaster) (2023)
14. Gorod – Transcnedence (2011)
15. Aviations – Coma (2023)
16. Dvne – Satuya (2021)
17. Avenged Sevenfold – Fermi Paradox (2016)
18. Subsignal – The Art of Giving In (2023)
19. DGM – Unravel the Sorrow (2023)
While Narrow Head don't really reinvent in any meaningful way on Moments of Clarity, I cannot deny that I still quite enjoy the newest output. Something about it major harmonies and more jolly melodic songwriting is a welcome change of pace when I've been trapped in an extreme metal deep dive, or the forgettable quagmire of modern metalcore. Even in comparison to Deftones, the bands most obvious influence, they do not continue in a loathsome, haze infused way, unlike a band such as Loathe or early Teenage Wrist.
I did enjoy this; it was a rather pleasant change of pace, which makes it stand out amongst its more metal contemporaries. Having allowed this record to sit with me for a little while however, I do feel like my initial reaction was swayed by novelty. The record does meander a bit too much and it can turn into a slog if you listen to the whole thing. But with this being post-metal/shoegaze, I don't think it's the biggest deal breaker.
3.5/5
I understand the trepidation upon hearing another album from the 20 Buck Spin record label. But I still cannot deny that the record is performed with quality. I just wish that it could have been more interesting as a whole:
20 Buck Spin has become a record label that I tend to explore with mild trepidation. While I cannot deny that they consistently distribute solid modern metal bands with an old school approach, much of it has started to become stale. Many of the labels death metal records have very similar tropes to them that cannot be overlooked and it does make much of their recent output a lot less interesting than if I was listening to it for the first time. Case in point, VoidCeremony. While much further towards the technical side of death metal than a band like Tomb Mold, something about the production of the record cannot help but make some very clear parallels.
Perhaps it comes through in the compositions, which are typically well done, but also rely heavily on played out death metal tropes; such as guitar pinch harmonics, whiplash tempo/style changes and Cookie Monster vocals. These are not necessarily bad on their own, but when put together, they give Threads of Unknowing a sense of comfort and familiarity that I don't think VoidCeremony would want. The album does have a heavy emphasis on bass leads instead of simply doubling the guitar riffs, which I certainly approve of. If there is anything that will make this album stand out in comparison to its label companions, it will be this. Having a technical death metal band such as VoidCeremony incorporate Ne Obliviscaris type polyphony into their music is a welcome treat. The closing track is also quite interesting as well. Even though it does suffer a bit from tempo/style whiplash, VoidCeremony have done a good job of creating a progressive metal epic that stays the course feels like a completed idea instead of a fragmented piecemeal.
Of course these bass lines would not as focal to the album as it is if the production was lousy. And while the guitars do have some great chunk to them, they never feel overpowering. In fact, I would say that the main guitar riffing is almost secondary to the bass lines. The band does find room to fit in a couple of blistering guitar solos throughout the album as well and they do a great job of peaking a listeners interest by having that drastic change in timbre without losing any of the song/album momentum. The vocals are... well they are very gargled and take a lot of pointers from Tomb Mold and Tzompantli in that regard. These vocals just do not interest me and are the aspect that I think most casual listeners will pick up directly as a "20 Buck Spin trope".
Threads of Unknowing is not a bad record, but I think it could have been more than what its trying to be. In the vein of progressive death metal, VoidCeremony have chops and decent influences to draw from, but in terms of its execution, it lacks character. This is by no fault of their own in my opinion, but perhaps VoidCeremony would benefit from digging into their progressive influence more; I could see this band taking a solid page out of In Mourning's playbook and do something really special. For now, keep this band on your radar if you like any style of progressive death metal.
3.5/5
September REVIEW DRAFT (The Infinite)
I've found a new batch of records to try out and anyone who wants to help me clear out this batch is more than welcome. I'll select first, followed by Rexorcist, Xephyr and then possible Andi.
1.El Altar del Holocausto - - I T - (2019)
2.Fractal Universe - Rhizomes of Insanity (2019)
4. Oxiplegatz - Sidereal Journey (1998)
5. Sun Caged - The Lotus Effect (2011)
This might be the best review draft yet considering I haven't heard a single one of these names before! My selection will be... Sidereal Journey by Oxiplegatz.
Rex, you're up!
September 2023
1. Jane’s Addiction – Mountain Song
2. Northlane -Freefall
3. Asking Alexandria – Bad Blood
4. Sevendust – Won’t Stop the Bleeding
5. System of a Down – P.L.U.C.K.
6. Beartooth- Might Lose Myself
7. End of Green – Dark Side of the Sun
8. Celldweller – Own Little World
9. Smallman – A Drop
10. Grim Salvo – Feasting.On.The.Guts.Of.Angels
11. Disturbed – The Best Ones Lie
12. Alice in Chains – Stone
13. Five Finger Death Punch – Coming Down
14. Fleshwater – The Razor’s Apple
15. Infected Rain – Everlasting Lethargy
16. In This Moment – The Great Divide
17. The Clay People – Awake
18. Lacuna Coil – Aeon XX
19. New Years Day – Relentless
20. Clawfinger – Out to Get Me
21. Alexisonfire – Reverse the Curse
22. BABYMETAL – Monochrome
23. Life Of Agony – My Mind Is Dangerous
September 2023
1. Whitechapel – Single File to Dehumanization (2010)
2. Botch – Frequency Ass Bandit (1999)
3. The Dillinger Escape Plan – Symptom of Terminal Illness (2016)
4. Any Given Day – Endurance (2016)
5. Typecaste – Traverse (2020)
6. As I Lay Dying – Blinded (2019)
7. Fit For A King – Hollow King (Sound of the End) (2013)
8. Electric Callboy – Best Day (2015)
9. The World Is Quiet Here – Ossuary (2023)
10. blessthefall – The Reign (2011)
11. Emmure – A Gift A Curse (2014)
12. iwresledabearonce – Green Eyes (2015)
13. Northlane – Corruption (2011)
14. MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE – Headshot! (2008)
15. The World Alive – Your Mirage (2014)
16. Animations – My Private Ghetto (2013)
17. The Eyes Of A Traitor – The Birth (2010)
18. Unbroken – Zero Hour (1993)
19. A Black Rose Burial – A Baleful Aura in the Graveyard of Broken Gears (2020)
20. ERRA – Vanish Canvas (2021)
21. The Agonist – Blood as My Guide (2019)
September 2023
1. Vildhjarta – + den spanska känslan + (2023)
2. Nuclear Power Trio – Anti-Saxxers (Mandatory Saxination) (2023)
3. The Advent Equation – A Sudden Perception (2023)
4. Ashbreather – Hivemind III (2022)
5. Psychonaut – Violate Consensus Reality (2022)
6. Ostraca – Heaven is Still (2023)
7. Dodheimsgard – Det tome kalde morke (2023)
8. Evergrey – Closure (2006)
9. Pestilence – Soul Search (1993)
10. Sikth – Cracks of Light (2017)
11. The Ocean – Permian: The Great Dying (2018)
12. Pain of Salvation – A Trace of Blood (2002)
13. TesseracT – The Grey (2023)
14. You Win Again Gravity – Paper Bodies (2023)
15. Aviations – Pure (2023)
16. The Anchoret – A Dead Man (2023)
17. Lucid Awakening – Aphelion (2021)
18. An Abstract Illusion – Slaves (2022)
19. Mastodon – Gigantium (2021)
20. Intronaut – Fast Worms (2015)
21. Haken ft. Courtney Swain – Canary Yellow (2023)
22. maudlin of the Well – Interlude 3 (2001)
23. Erra – Pale Iris (2023)
24. Cyborg Octopus – Old Stories (2022)
25. Vola – Paper Wolf (2023)
I have a confession to make: I don't really like the sound of straightforward black metal. I find it to be too much about texture or filthy production instead of creating something memorable. It takes the one thing that hardcore punk had going for it and left it as a hollow shell of noise. When I returned to the earliest black metal of Darkthrone and Mayhem only a few years ago, I felt underwhelmed. That feeling is likely cause of my limited knowledge of the genre and finding a comfort in the post-metal and atmospheric sides of black metal that sprouted during the mid 2000s.
Unlike Mayhem, Darkthrone took a different approach into the 2010s, and have gotten better as a result. The black metal that was once the central piece that made them iconic in extreme metal, has now become window dressing surrounding a doom-y brand of old school heavy metal. And props to Nocturno and company for still being able to create a chilling atmosphere, even under very different parameters.
This record is a lot more riff heavy than you'd expect thanks in large part to tracks like "Eon 2" and "Impeccable Caverns of Satan" and they help to keep this album on a forward motion in addition to a sense of conclusiveness...well, to a point. I must criticize the albums first two tracks, including "Impeccable Caverns of Satan" for having fade out endings this early into the album; they sound unusual and left me with a crippling feeling that Darkthrone would simply replace one dose of indecisiveness with another. Thankfully the album does get better, including the ten minute centerpiece "The Sea Beneath the Sea of the Sea".
The album is much cleaner and better produced than Old Star, and so I was happy right out of the starting grid and so I felt that any kind of wacky genre bending that Darkthrone performed on Astral Fortress may have been forgiven. And for the most part, you'd be right. I still don't find this as enjoyable as The Underground Resistance, but that record had even less to do with black metal than this one! I still enjoy this album and would likely listen to this again.
3.5/5
This is certainly one of the strangest combinations of heavy metal meets jazz fusion that I've heard in a while. The heavy use of brass as a primary instrument brought me initially to a heavier version of Thank You Scientist, but as the album progressed, the timbre stuck less as an influence and more the compositions that felt closer to Imperial Triumphant and Focus-era Cynic. The record contains lots of dissonance and quick modulation keeping the listener on their toes as the record refuses to become boring.
That said, I wish I could like this as much as an Imperial Triumphant record. I think it's the mixing, but this style of really muddy and unfocused production does not fascinate me. Some of these tracks sound like they were initial demo recordings and is being recorded by one of those portable Zoom microphones; the quality is still superior to that of using your shitty phone microphone, but it loses the intricate details. And, since the record seems to do away with anything resembling a hook or motif, it's hard for me to hear this album as anything but noise. Perhaps a mix closer to that of Imperial Triumphant will help, but for now, this isn't doing it for me. Props to the band for trying something different, but it needs work.
5/10
I finally got around to listening to this album and it was interesting to hear where Northlane came from before they went full into alternative metal. The metalcore roots are still on display with Alien but they do not take as much from everywhere, which was commonplace in earlier Northlane records and other metalcore albums in general. Alien is far heavier than its later project, but the vocal stylings are more diverse and interesting thanks in part to a greater emphasis on harsh vocals and djent-y breakdowns. The album sure is mixed well and has more than enough solid moments to keep it above average, but knowing what we do now, its clear to see how transitory Alien was. As a result, some of the experimentation (especially on tracks like "Rift") don't hit at all and pull the album down as a result. Still, its a fine release and a clever one by a band who knew what they want to do and have carried on with refinement, much to the dismay of older Northlane/metalcore fans.
7/10
Terra Tenebrosa - V.I.T.R.I.O.L. - Purging the Tunnels (2014)
Do not be fooled by the strange looking character on the cover wearing what looks like a military garb; this is not an industrial metal album. V.I.T.R.I.O.L. - Purging the Tunnels is an atmospheric sludge metal album with it fair share of obtuse songwriting decisions that lead it towards the avant-garde. The warbling vocal filter is fascinating, but not overwhelming when you consider the instrumental atmosphere on display. The nearly five minute ambient interlude during "Draining the Well" is kind of disturbing as shrieks of agony are felt wavering in the distance. And the monophonic strings that become progressively louder and more irritating and the final act of the first song reaches a conclusion. However, I did find those strings to not be the best choice, since they sound comically synthetic and mostly distracting as the song drones to a conclusion.
You'd think that after eighteen minutes that Terra Tenebrosa would be out of things to do on this record, but just for fun, there is another track here; "Apokatastasis". And I really enjoyed it. It's definitely a more straightforward piece of sludgy post-metal, but I really dug how the songs slow burn becomes so much more, even if the fundamental leans heavily into the minimalist technique with its hypnotic main guitar riff.
Avant-garde is really a tag that I think a lot of people explore with extreme trepidation. Perhaps that's why this Terra Tenebrosa EP was such a delight. While it can be unsettling at times, it never feels like the obtuseness of the compositions are taking over and rather play compliments to the atmosphere. And the secondary track is a nice piece of drone/minimalism that still feels like a fully developed piece of music. Quite the surprise from me, but if you like Rosetta or even the recent output of the Ruins of Beverast, give this EP a chance.
4/5
I'm taking Terra Tenebrosa's album. Rex is next!
WE ARE BACK!
You didn't think that I forgot about the review draft did you? Well it's back and ready to rumble. Since Andi is away for a couple months because of school & work, it looks like it'll just be me and Xephyr participating for the time being, but we are always open to adding new users to the fray if you so choose. Anyways, here are the albums that the shredder selected for the month:
1. 6:33 - The Stench From the Swelling (2013)
2. Fall of Efrafa - Owsla (2006)
3. Terra Tenebrosa - V.I.T.R.I.O.L. - Purging the Tunnels (2014)
4. Radiation 4 - Wonderland (2003)
Xephyr, if you would like to make the first choice, then I'll follow
August 2023
1. All That Remains – Not Alone
2. Amaranthe – Countdown
3. Suicide Silence – Witness the Addiction
4. Electric Callboy – Everytime We Touch
5. Emmure – Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth
6. Iris Official – I’m the Animal
7. Killswitch Engage – The Signal Fire
8. Trivium – Brave This Storm
9. All Shall Perish – Awaken the Dreamers
10. Whitechapel – When a Demon Defiles a Witch
11. As I Lay Dying – Parallels
12. Fit For A King – Anthem of the Defeated
13. Adept – Shark! Shark! Shark!
14. To The Grave – Red Dot Sight
15. Fit For An Autopsy – Iron Moon
16. Imminence – Jaded
17. Unearth – Mother Betrayal
18. Like Moth To Flame – Real Talk
19. Hatebreed – Weight of the False Self
20. Within Destruction – Plage of Immortality (feat. Dean Lamb)
21. After The Burial – To Carry You Away
22. Sea Of Treachery – Unleash The Serpents
August 2023
1. Arcturus – La masquerade infernale
2. Dødheimsgard – It Does Not Follow
3. Evergrey – Recreation Day
4. Sólstafir – Svatir Sandar
5. The Ocean – Subboreal
6. Rosetta – In & Yo / Dualities of the Way
7. While Heaven Wept – Icarus and I / Ardor
8. Symphony X – Pharoh
9. Between The Buried And Me – Voice Of Trespass
10. Dawn of Destiny – My Life Lies in Ruins
11. Holy Fawn – Drag Me into the Woods
12. Scar Symmetry – Reichsfall
13. Soen – Lucidity
14. Disperse – Message from Atlantis
15. Ebony Ark – True Friendship Never Die
16. Amogh Symphony – Decoded Karnosiris
August 2023
1. Asking Alexandria – Psycho
2. Breaking Benjamin – Never Again
3. Five Finger Death Punch – Mama Said Knock You Out
4. I Prevail – Paranoid
5. In This Moment – Rise With Me
6. Lacuna Coil – Never Dawn
7. Parkway Drive – Wishing Wells
8. POYNTE – In My Head
9. Rage Against The Machine – Down Rodeo
10. Dope – Dirty World
11. Sleep Token – Chokehold
12. Yakui The Maid – Nereid
13. Mudvayne – World so Cold
14. God Lives Underwater - No More Love
15. BABYMETAL – Onedari Daisakusen
16. TOOL – The Pot
17. Giraffe Tongue Orchestra – Back to the Light
18. Naïve – Mother Russia
19. Destiny Potato – Take a Picture
20. For The Fallen Dreams – No Heaven
21. Chevelle – Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)
I seem to be one of the only ones who were familiar with the name Xibalba before checking out this debut full length record from Tzompantli. I heard 2020's Años en infierno by sheer accident and enjoyed the record enough, since for a death doom record, the album decided to focus most of its time on the "death" portion of that hybrid; a sound that I was not as familiar with as the "doom" focused hybrids.
And that also seems to be the case with Tlazcaltiliztli. "Tlatzintilli" begins with a heavy percussive element while the guitar plays a slowed down rhythmic motif. It's certainly an unfamiliar sound in the doom or death metal spheres and left me interested to hear where the band could go from there. Unfortunately, the record kind of finds its groove around "Eltequi" and does not attempt these sorts of hybrid sounds again; instead keeping the death and doom parts isolated. That's because the second half of the album spends a lot more time focused on the Indigenous timbres, which all told, isn't very much. But as I have said with many extreme albums in the past that add objectively softer passages (such as a string/orchestra section), their contributions always feel subdued to the loud guitars, percussion and vocals.
On this record though, these limited elements are fascinating and rarely interfere with the straight up metal passages so as to not overburden the listener. It also keeps them fresh when they return. As for the straight up metal passages, even though I mentioned how stale it can get later on with the death and doom sections kept apart, I cannot deny that some of these riffs are filthy; mostly on the tracks "Tlatzintilli", the title track, "Ohtlatocopailcahualuztli" and the closer "Yaotiacahuanetzli". If you're looking for a death-doom album with heavy emphasis on the "death" as opposed to the much more popular "doom" stylings of My Dying Bride or Swallow the Sun, this record can scratch some real itches.
3.5/5
When I think back on my brief time with deathcore during the late 2000s/early 2010s and the parade of endless, disposable acts that arrived during the Warped Tour era, Whitechapel were the only band that I actually appreciated and still occasionally enjoy to this day. This is inevitably, the bands use of breakdowns and having them be an integral part of the piece instead of as an isolated fragment (usually).
And so we have this months feature release, A New Era of Corruption, a slept on album by the band; sandwiched in between two of the bands better and more popular records, This is Exile and the self-titled record from 2012. And while the record does not really live up to the same highs as those other records do, I cannot deny that A New Era of Corruption is still a decent piece of formulative deathcore. It also happens to feature one of my personal favourite Whitechapel songs with "Breeding Violence" so that helps it right out of the gate. Tunes are kept together with a decent flow and everything sounds like it belongs together. So many groups think that breakdowns are more impactful the slower and more downtuned they get, but Whitechapel's approach is to take the original idea and permutate it into something that does not require blast beats. And many of the breakdowns still incorporate Phil Bozeman's vocals, giving them even more unity.
It isn't all perfect though; some tracks still rely on sudden tempo/style changes for their breakdowns and they feel disjointed. And just like when the album came out in 2010, I've never really liked the timbre of the guitars on this record. They sound very muddy, which does not flow well with almost black metal textures that sometimes appear like on "Unnerving". And speaking of which, the synths/strings on that track sound horrendous.
I don't mind this album, but it certainly sounds like a throwaway album upon further listens and the benefit of hindsight.
3/5
So... a full length album review for this might take some time.
This is one of the most amazing debut records I've ever heard! When I featured Ne Obliviscaris' debut many months ago, I said much the same thing, but without much of a real comparison point to latch onto. I said "imagine 2000's era Opeth but heavier". Well Tómarúm is like Ne Obliviscaris on crack. They both share an unfathomable level of maturity for a debut and it never feels like the intensity of the instrumentals is taking away from the storytelling or the melodic songwriting. The production can feel a little bit bloated at times, but for this style of black metal that teeters on the fringes of extreme, I'm almost inclined to think it was a musical decision to make it, ironically, feel more raw and brutal.
When I think of the kind of extreme metal that really gets my attention in the modern age, it's records like Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons that come to mind. Not only are they very well composed and performed, but they also have the audience in mind when it comes to instant memorability and catchiness. The progressive nature of the record means that this record has plenty of room for technical wankery which, once again, does not feel like it is intrusive on the albums main ideas and themes. It's still early, but I think that Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons is the first documented 5/5 from me since joining Metal Academy. It's a light 5 for now, but we'll see where we are in a few weeks.
5/5
I'm glad I was able to recommend this album for the feature release, even though I already know that this is a seriously contentious album through its first couple of months in existence. There are a lot of people saying that this album is too basic for heavy metal standards, while simultaneously berating Take Me Back To Eden for it's frankly generic pop soundscape. There is very little that I can disagree with either of those statements, but I also think that the magic of this record occurs when those two elements are mixed together.
By enlarge, Take Me Back To Eden is a progressive metal album first with its elongated song structures, so I can imagine why someone who approaches this from the position of recent Bring Me The Horizon output, they will feel left out. The record certainly contains a lot more character than your generic Imagine Dragons clone, which is why I continue to hold it in much higher regard than many online critics. I can see faults in the armor and I think part of that is just because this hybrid of sounds is so new that they still need to be worked out from the core. But I highly recommend Take Me Back To Eden as an experimental rock/pop hybrid project just to see where everyone lies in this paradise.
3.5/5
This is the 2nd blackened thrash album featured this year that was released last year (Autonoesis being the other) and to be honest, I was impressed by this. It took quite a few listens before I could finally “get” it, but once I did, I found myself returning to this record a lot more than anyone might have expected.
I think what makes this record stand out is its motivic development. Well, perhaps that’s an overstatement, but these tracks are connected beautifully with strong ideas that are repeated enough to remind the listener how they got to this destination. Now that could be the guitar riffing, a specific percussion motif, or vocal inflection; I never felt like I was getting lost in the music that I was hearing. It also helped how the thrash/black metal passages are not interwoven together, rather they are kept separated, allowing for Nocturnal Graves to follow that songwriting high I spoke of earlier without having to do very much to the compositions at all!
Sparse guitar solos and a dramatic slow down of pace on “No Mercy for Weakness” hit me like a brick when they appeared and created a real sense of tension and release. My two biggest issues however are that while the compositions are robust on their own, they start to lose grandeur when every track uses the same formula. In addition, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the death metal instrumental interludes that connect vocal motifs to one another. I would have expected more traditional thrash riffage in those sections and especially something with a little bit more melody, instead of the low string tremolo that we got. But overall, this was not bad. A nice brisk runtime with some solid ideas makes for a more than refreshing take on blackened thrash.
3.5/5
Post-Metal and Black Metal can work together, but a lot of the times, the drastic differences in tempo, aggression and flow screw up whatever connection might have existed. And through the first half of Black Medium Current, I felt much the same way. The opener “Et smelter”, felt like a mishmash of ideas arbitrarily taped together and told to “give it your all kid!” And for a track that exceeds ten minutes, I was less than impressed for what would come next.
But much of the rest of the album feels a little bit better. Once I discovered that Dødheimsgard was associated with Ved Buens Ende… it began to click for me. The atonality of the album is not at the forefront and gives the post-metal sections an extra wrinkle. Compositions can be hit-or-miss, and the black metal passages are, like with Ved Buens Ende… the most lacking part of the project. Kind of odd considering Dødheimsgard’s first albums are closer to traditional black metal, but whatever.
The electronic elements are just another element to separate this from the plethora of same-y sounding progressive/post metal bands. The band has toyed with industrial elements in the past so this is nothing out of the ordinary. Overall, I really enjoy this record; it teeters on greatness, but that might be my leniency towards experimental music that’s willing to take more risks. This certainly does that, but I’m not if it resonates as much as I want it to.
4/5
Darkmoon Blade are creating a nostalgic style of heavy metal that leans close to the first wave of black metal circa the early 1980s. I always enjoy a band like this and Negative Plane who aren’t afraid to go back and not simply copy the giants of the early 1990s and black metal’s golden years.
There are riffs here closer to Motorhead, Judas Priest and Diamond Head, but for vocals, only Lemmy of Motorhead might have a close comparison. Velda’s timbre is almost comedically rough, like they perpetually have a huge clump of phlegm in the back of their throat. I found it to be distracting, especially since the instrumentals are so clean and proper; something you don’t typically expect out of a quasi-black metal album such as this.
Darkmoon Blade does get some points for their compositions, but I do share some trepidation when I see “Unborn Again” and “My Darling In The Fire” as being longer tracks with songwriting techniques taken from progressive music. Overall, it’s a decent album with enough techniques keeping it fresh, but those vocals don’t do it for me, and either the band needs to tighten up their progressive songwriting, or altogether simplify, to be more of my cup of tea.
3/5
Irreversible - Irreversible (2015)
This was not a record that should have caught my attention as much as it did, but to keep it brief, I did not like this album. Part of my disappointment for this record comes from the sheer lack of any innovation in the post-metal genre. This record has nothing unique to say and would rather just copy the notes of Rosetta on The Galilean Satellites or earlier The Ocean album's like Precambrian. I feel like I have been incredibly lucky when it comes to post-metal in recent years; whether through my normal progressive metal circles or right here at Metal Academy at finding premium content. There is a reason why Irreversible never floated to the top, and likely why I won't hear from them again.
2.5/5
I came into this record with no knowledge of Klone as a band either. I had just finished listening to the new Katatonia record Sky Void of Stars from earlier in the year and found it rather disappointing overall. Meanwhile, conversely, does not really seem like a record that is doing a whole lot different than a recent Katatonia album, but has its fair share of subtle deviances that snowball on one another to stand out amongst the influences. I, like Sonny, do feel like the album does get a little bit too comfortable at the halfway point, and Klone do not really seem super invested on developing their story beyond what has already been established on the first two songs. But the progressive tendencies are well executed, once again, the Katatonia influence is here in droves, but it doesn't sound like "another Katatonia album" and it features some excellent production, especially in the guitar leads.
4/5
Hmm...
The first black metal album that I got to listen to in 2023 is this one from a one man Chinese project called Hoplites [Ὁπλίτης]. Although to call this a black metal record might be a little deceiving. This record certainly has plenty of titanic open chordal progressions in the main guitar, but on more than a few occasions, the record transforms into these chugging riffs that would not sound out of place on a record by Vektor or Revocation. And while it certainly is not my cup of tea, I must commend Ὁπλίτης for keeping my attention locked into the album for the full runtime as I never felt like I knew where these tracks were going. The lack of a distinct tonal center allows the performer to not fall into any trends through the compositions.
That being said, it will make it difficult for someone to appreciate these songs as they feel very wishy-washy with the emotion that they try to evoke. At one second you can be carried away by the sweet black metal guitars, blast beat percussion and vocal howls, then without warning, you're pulled down into the depths with chugging guitar riffs and devilish gutturals. And then Ὁπλίτης will even throw in a metalcore style breakdown just for fun, as if metalcore kids will ever find enjoyment out of a record such as this! But I will admit, hearing Ὁπλίτης transition out of track 7 into track 8 while using the same fundamental groove from the breakdown to create something completely original was impressive. Overall, this is a record that has chops, but chops don't do it for me anymore. An extreme metal band has to use those chops in new and exciting ways to impress me not just as musicians, but as songwriters as well. And even though Ὁπλίτης are new and exciting, they still haven't figured out the songwriting part yet.
5/10