Saxy S's Forum Replies
February 2022
1. Animals As Leaders – Thoroughly at Home (2009) Requested by Andi
2. Mastodon – Crack the Skye (2009) (album feature)
3. The Human Abstract – Faust (2011) (27)
4. Meshuggah – The Abysmal Eye (2022) (53)
5. Devin Townsend – Borderlands (2019) Requested by Andi
6. Tetrafusion – Sisyphus (2017) (15)
7. Voyager – Dreamer (2022) (15)
8. Tool – Fear Inoculum (2019) (47)
9. ISIS – Hand of the Host (2009) (17)
10. Gojira – Oroborus (2008) Requested by Andi
11. Caligula’s Horse – Slow Violence (2020) (24)
12. Allegaeon – Of Beasts and Worms (2022) (12)
13. Leprous – The Valley (2013) Requested by Andi
14. Wilderun – Distraction II (2022) (14)
15. Haunted Shores – Hellfire (2022) (24)
16. Opeth – Serenity Painted Death (1999) (23)
February 2022 obviously
February 2022
1. Breaking Benjamin – Torn in Two (2018) Requested by Andi
2. Karnivool – Mauseum (2005) (album feature)
3. Loathe – Dimorphous Display (2022)
4. Kittie – Brackish (2000)
5. Mushroomhead – Come One (2010)
6. Bullet For My Valentine – Piece of Me (2018) Requested by Andi
7. Powerman 5000 – Neckbone (1997)
8. Tool – Die Eier Von Satan (1996)
9. Linkin Park – Krwlng (2002) Requested by Andi
10. Skinlab – Venomous (2019)
11. King 810 – Killem All (2014)
12. Bad Wolves – Springfield Summer (2021) Requested by Daniel
13. Tourniquet – If I Was There (1997)
14. Muse – Won’t Stand Down (2022)
15. Dark new Day – Fist from the Sky (2012)
16. Machinae Supremacy – A View from the End of the World (2010) Requested by Andi
17. Motograter – Dorian (2017)
18. Girugamesh – Drain (2013)
19. Spiritbox – Eternal Blue (2021)
20. Slipknot – Unsainted (2019)
21. Head Control System – Masterpiece (of Art) (2006)
22. Dir En Grey - 輪郭 (Rinkaku) (2014) Requested by Andi
23. Korn – Cold (2019)
24. Deftones – Ohms (2020)
25. Motionless in White – Another Life (2019) Requested by Andi
26. Ra – Do You Call My Name (2002)
27. Soilwork – Stabbing the Drama (2005)
28. Sevendust – All I Really Know (2021) Requested by Vinny
29. While She Sleeps – Division Street (2021) Requested by Andi
30. 3rd Strike – No Light (2002)
The last of the clan's AOTY charts I have a vested interest in and it might be the strongest of the bunch.
Ethereal Shroud almost stole this one at the end of the year, but I have to give it to old reliable Austin Lunn and Panopticon's ...And Again Into the Light. If I had more time with Ethereal Shroud I might have given it top honors, but do not let that deter you; it is a great album. Panopticon's album is of the quality one has come to expect from Lunn with progressive songwriting and I greatly appreciate it.
wow I missed a lot of Guardians music in 2021 didn't I? Powerwolf? Really?
Anyways, "Robot King" from Helloween is still a banger and Epica's Omega was a triumphant return following a long layover while other symphonic metal giants (Nightwish and Within Temptation) laid an egg.
Thy Catafalque exemplify what it means to be progressive in 2021 and the easy winners in this category for me. Papangu was pretty solid as well for much of the same reasons. I had the same problem with Ad Nauseam that Xephyr did. Meanwhile, BTBAM was more of a nostalgia trip to the glory days rather than a transcendent experience; still a good album, but far from their best.
Glow On is the full length album of Turnstile's in which all of the tracks on Turnstile Love Connection can be found. I also agree with Xephyr that the full album should be here if the EP is. If we are making our choices based on these choices, Turnstile wins in spades, even though I would call it hardcore punk over metal.
As for the Poppy discussion, I actually enjoy the records like Poppy Computer when she was in her full electropop phase and lost favour with her as heavy metal elements were added on subsequent albums in 2018 and 2020. This year's Flux was significantly more developed and unique than the NXT soundtrack...and that record was more rock than metal. I suggest that you take the new Poppy records and treat them as rock albums instead of metal albums Xephyr. I reckon you might find something different. Then again, Poppy could divert your expectations and make a full blown country album next, so what do I know?
I didn't listen to this album last year, but did come across "Parasite" on a whim, and being very surprised by the drastic change in direction after being swallowed whole by the "Imagine Dragon" on their last album. This was heavier, less electronics, fast and lots of harsh vocals. When I listened to the album and saw "Parasite" as the opener, followed by snippets of BFMV's greatest hits, I saw the band hinting at changing their sound; either to the applause or disdain of their fans. I appreciated it because they could always hold a melody together and "Parasite" is a good opener.
The rest of the album? Well it has moments; the more thrash adjacent stuff like "Paralysed" near the top of that department. "Can't Escape The Waves" is a mid album "ballad" that harkens back to "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)" with a surprising style change during the intro. It does feel like a little bit too much going on, but the faint sustain triads in the lead guitar bring it all together. And "Shatter" for having a solid melodic chorus to go along with a Bring Me The Horizon meets Pantera instrumental that was very well done.
This albums has a lot of harsh vocals on it...perhaps a little too much. There were quite a few points on this record, most notably in "Knives" and "Bastards" where the constant swapping between Matt's cleans singing and harsh screaming is kind of bad; like the band wanted to sound heavy so they threw in as many screamed vocals as possible, when in reality, BFMV were never this egregious with it. The heaviest moments on The Poison like "Hand of Blood" had harsh vocals, but they felt deserved and not shoehorned in. Beyond that "Bastards" sounds like a rejected Three Days Grace song, "My Reverie" is incredibly basic fundamentally, the thematic arc of this record is anti-authority, but could have used a couple more rough drafts as they feel interchangeable with anti-authority records by Muse. And production wise, it sounds a lot more open with its space than either Spiritbox or Trivium's last albums, but if you can hear the bass during some of the isolated moments, you're ears are far more equipped than mine. Why it does not feel as dense during the softer portions is beyond me.
In the end, this is a great improvement from 2018's Gravity. But Bullet For My Valentine's recent venture's after changing label's from Sony to UMG has had them kill their personality with Gravity, and now this feels like the apology tour. Unfortunately this apology feels half assed as it tries to lure you in with its chugging guitars and harsh vocals, while anyone who knows what BFMV once sounded knows that this is only for the clout.
6/10
I feel like heavy metal is in good hands as we stand in the first half of the 2020s. I can honestly say that my horizons have greatly expanded since joining the Metal Academy back in late 2019 and a large portion of that has to do with everyone's unique approach to heavy metal music. I have found a lot of great music in both the Fallen and Horde clans thanks to contributions by Sonny, Vinny and Daniel and for that I am grateful and I cannot wait to hear what new trends you guys have for us in the future.
However, I would be remised if I did not bring up the very real problem that a lot of musical styles have in regards to nostalgia. Mainstream rock radio stations have a huge issue of not promoting smaller names creating underground traction and would rather play the same AC/DC/Led Zeppelin/Nirvana songs instead of the new Wolf Alice/Cloud Nothings/Frank Carter. It creates a very stale climate where acts like Greta Van Fleet can ascend to the top of the charts without actually doing anything unique. The same problem exists in metal. I have made it clear that modern thrash is not very engaging anymore, and progressive metal is far more interested in copying Dream Theater/Opeth into oblivion than actually being progressive.
None of this is affected by anyone here at Metal Academy. But what we enjoy in heavy metal music is not going to be the same thing as what gets commercially successful. For as great as Ulcerate's Stare into Death and Be Still was, it isn't a jumping on point and too many would be sacred off by the timbre. I still think it is too early in the decade to declare a decisive sound that will embody the decade, but it needs to be successful beyond JUST the heavy metal community. I look forward to the day when the next band to come along like Bullet for my Valentine was for metalcore in the 2000s, and Alcest was for black metal in the 2010s, regardless of what you think of them as musicians.
It will, in a way, come down to what becomes popular in heavy metal and how popular it will get. There are groups willing to try and one only needs to look at the massive acclaim Spiritbox has received in the last three years as evidence of that. But I know that some will say that accessibility is the antithesis to metal culture; it's meant to be from the other side of the tracks and "not for everyone". Perhaps ironically, these same people also whine about why their beloved genre of music does not get the same amount of sales/streams as the popular trend chasing TikTok song.
I guess I'll end with this: don't ostracize new metal fans because they like the popular metal trend. In my experience, hipster culture is the one factor above all else that has distanced me from popular trends. Acceptance is what leads newbies to expand their listening experience beyond their comfort zone. You never know; the next giant in heavy metal might not even listen to metal at this moment. Just give them time to get there.
This album forced me to do some soul searching (I seem to have done a lot of that lately). Not because this record is bad; in fact, I would say that this album is great and at the very least, bordering on transcendent status. No this record has me questioning what I appreciate in a heavy album release. I have made no friends with my disdain for sloppily mixed, performed and designed thrash metal albums in recent years, but I also understand that is part of its appeal with its blatant 1980s worship. I have also made the claim that Ride the Lightning is my favourite Metallica album; the grittier version of Master of Puppets.
I bring all of this up because Supernaturals - Record One is a gritty album. The guitars all collapse in on one another many times throughout this release, no instance more noticeable than the almost ten minute "Painful Burns Smoke as the..." with its elongated instrumental outro. But I cannot help but get sucked into its universe by the way in which this duo reaches that point. The slow building on "Maestoso" encapsulates the feeling of being brought back down to earth after a trip infused with hallucinogens. And as the ending slowly builds up a chugging guitar and percussion groove, the song ends and enters immediately into "The Overload", a return back to the bliss of post-metal texture, and sludgy grooves.
I also think that is worth mentioning how progressive this record is. Post-Metal of the sludgy variety does tend to get locked up in its own texture and atmosphere after a while. But Ufomammut and Lento move the sound in a number of different directions and locations throughout the record six tracks. "Painful Burns Smoke as the..." uses microtonality for its main melodic hook. The thickness of the bass that swamps the guitar on "Infect Two", the minimal vocals allowing the leitmotifs to take center stage, the bridge of "Maestoso" as direction instead of interlude. The arc of this record is splendid and not experimented with enough in the mainstream post-metal universe.
I think what it all boils down to is that heavy metal is a complicated genre. It is supposed to be grimy and uncomfortable, but many modern acts are unwilling to make the adjustments necessary to make it worthwhile. Supernaturals - Record One is an example of a record that gets that. It sticks in your head after its conclusion for its melody, texture, groove, concept. And the way this duo can pull it off without compromising the metal "edge" is commendable.
9/10
P.S. This record has an alarming amount of resonance without hallucinogens so I decided to bump my original score up one point. I can see this ending up in the same category as Light of Day, Day of Darkness in the future.
Rhapsody (of Fire) is a band that has suffered a lot in recent years due to oversaturation. And unfortunately it has affected some of the older music as well. Having never been a very big fan of theirs before in comparison to other prominent power/symphonic metal acts, at least I can say that I mostly enjoyed Dawn of Victory. It's pretty basic, but "Holy Thunderforce", "Triumph for My Magic Steel" and "Dragor, Shadowlord of the Black Mountain" are fun, high energy power metal songs. "The Village of Dwarves" has a pretty awful synth lead, the guitar and keys solos are unmemorable as they mostly resort to noodling instead of building on the original melodic motifs. The symphonic elements are bombastic and enjoyable, but sometimes they can get in the way of the purely metal foundation such as "The Last Winged Unicorn" and it just becomes overwhelming. Still, a decent power metal album that goes over the top with the symphonic stylings, making it memorable, but even the hooks that we do get are nowhere near as poignant as similar timeframe Blind Guardian or Kamelot.
7/10
Consistency is key and I cannot think of a band that best portrays that more than Borknagar. Even as the band moved away from the black metal roots to incorporate more progressive tones, the quality remained intact. As for the debut, it isn't a full blown black metal assault from start to finish because it doesn't have to be. The crescendos are expertly included to make the heaviest portions stand out from the rest. And the acoustic interludes sound gorgeous as interludes in addition to pulling out some of the bands folk influences. The compression of the guitar is a baffling choice for something this dense and ethereal. But there is a lot to like here and shows a lot of influence with other folkened black metal bands like Moonsorrow and Agalloch.
7/10
Sadus need to slow down if they don't wanna get pulled over by the cops!
In all seriousness though, Sadus' debut record Illusions is one that tries to do too much in the name of progressive thrash metal, but misses the mark by having some of the worst framing I've heard in a late 80s thrash metal album. Songs will sporadically change tempos, forms and styles on a whim with nothing to suggest there was even a hint of a through line considered in the writing process. Every song begins with a moderate groove and may turn into something great, but without warning the tunes deviate into this blistering fast thrash groove that is persistent throughout the track. The intro's are rarely referenced again, either lyrically or thematically and it makes them feel like Sadus just wasting our time.
The production is clean and you can hear every single note played by the guitar, percussion and even bass. And while I am a little more lenient towards unbridled noise collages by the lead guitar solos in this thrash metal style, the vocals sound fucking atrocious! It's everything that I hate about Tom Araya's slurred vocals on the first three Slayer album's, but on a line of blow. There is zero diction to the delivery. I could perform the vocals on this record with the same level of proficiency on the day I had my wisdom teeth pulled out and my mouth was filled with cotton swabs.
I think that in 2022, with bands like Vektor now apart of the lexicon of tech-thrash, I have become increasingly intrigued by the tag of that subgenre as being more progressive. However, like with death metal, that might not always be the case. This is bog standard thrash metal that is propped up only by some cleaner production than its contemporaries. Those opening grooves at the beginning of each track make me hopeful that Sadus might do something unique, but every time it just goes back to the same idea as before. For me, Illusions is the equivalent of a restaurant with good food but horrible service; you may ask yourself why you don't go back to that place on the corner as often because the food is really good, but then you meet the people who work there. And in this case, I continue to fall for it nine more times. When will you learn your lesson?
5/10
The new album, Epigone, from New Englanders Wilderun is finally here!
I'm glad you describe this album as "the elite of the genre" Daniel, because I don't know if I could come up with a better descriptor myself.
I knew within the first two tracks of my first playthrough in 2009 that Crack the Skye was something special; even further beyond what the band had already achieved throughout the decade. But it was track four: "The Czar" that confirmed it. Something about the way that track in particular begins softly and comforting, grows into a sludge metal bridge and then comes back down to a reprise of the opening theme with elements of the sludgy bridge was spectacular.
Mastodon went to work on this album and it shows with how precise it all is. Each track on the album is very unique from one another, but not in a way that makes each song sound like it was written for a different artist. It makes the connectivity of the whole thing very fluent; you can tell you're listening to a Mastodon record while also knowing exactly where you are. The leit motifs that Mastodon uses throughout are impressionable, but surprisingly get stuck in your head quickly. In contrast to other Mastodon album's, Crack the Skye is not as direct with its hook driven formula, but is just as effective. Songs like the single "Oblivion", as well as the excellent title track and "Divinations". Hell, even the extended "The Czar" and "The Last Baron" hold together remarkably well.
The album sounds brilliant. The mixing of the vocals have a psychedelic flare, so it is easy to get lost in them, especially during the long songs. But the melodies are so simple, direct and recurrent that I almost feel like getting lost in a trance. Bass work is phenomenal; the low end of "The Last Baron" and "Ghost of Karelia" give the mix a punch that so many modern metal bands lack. The guitar leads are, like the vocals, impressionist in nature, but just as effective, while the rhythm is chunky, groovy and is not relegated to backup bass duty. I think that Brann's drums are some of the best in Mastodon's discography. They are technical, but they never feel like they are oppressing the rest of the mix.
The impressionist value of the melodies is symbolic since most of the lyrics of this album are shrouded in secrecy (minus "The Czar"), and Mastodon is able to carry the emotional weight of transcendence through the darkest of times and make them stronger. What I love about the album is how it manages to be progressive without the use of technical wankery and shredding; instead using minimalist textures and writing to tell a story, while still incorporating techniques that Mastodon have been known for over the last ten years.
In comparison to other prog albums around the same time, many of which I do like (Colors, Ghost Reveries, Axioma Ethica Odini etc.), it is Crack the Skye that stands out above the rest. Mastodon provided us with an opus that cannot be understated how fresh it feels, even today. While Dream Theater were spending their 2000s releasing the same album ad nauseum every two years, Mastodon were reaching for the stars. One of the my favourite progressive metal albums and the album that solidified Mastodon as household names in metal during the 2010s, and rightfully so.
9/10
I chose this album for the month after hearing that Karnivool were releasing a new album early in 2022, and felt I needed a refresher beforehand. It's been a while since I gave this album a spin and I'm glad I came back to it. I think the first thing to notice it that it is a product of its time. While it does have influence from a band like TOOL such as "L1FEL1KE" and "Roquefort", and songs like "Scarabs" are heavily indebted to nu metal such as Slipknot, I think it does just enough to make its mark as a cut above those bands. The title track, "Fear of the Sky" "Sewn and Silent" are littered with influence, but also contain many progressive tropes, such as uncommon time signatures and simple, repetitive musical motifs that lead you into a trance. I think "Mauseum" has a Chevelle influence and you may even pick up on some System of a Down on "Synops". A lot of times (most notably with Linkin Park's The Hunting Party) it felt like a mish mash of ideas stuck together for nostalgia purposes. With this, Karnivool use those bands as blueprints and then create their own sound beyond it. It's quite impressive all things considered.
But, this album is hilariously front loaded. After the big opener "C.O.T.E." and the title track, it feels like this is gonna be a solid run, but you can almost feel the band not caring as much beyond "Scarabs" as the songs become more texture than melody. And I like "Sewn and Silent" and "Mauseum", but I would never recommend them first. They poorly represent the bands identity and maybe I'd let it slide since they are deep cuts. But then you have "Synops" with its out of nowhere distorted, blown out guitar that becomes more horrendous with each repeat of the main theme. The album ends with atmospheric texture on "Change (Part 1)" that does not resolve to a completion, but rather makes you wonder where is track 13?
The album gets credit for engineering and feels very spacious. The bass lines are prominent and efficient (as expected from TOOL imitators), the vocals are unique and melodic, while the guitar work is not overbearing (minus "Synops") and never comes across as sounding like a constant wall of noise. In the end, the progressive elements on display do make it a worthy addition in alternative metal, and this record helped lay down the foundation that fellow countrymen Caligula's Horse would develop further through the 2010s.
7/10
In a strange way Ben, I can see why you would have requested this as a featured release. I don't know if you've actually heard the album yet and this is just an excuse to listen to a new OSDM album (as many of my featured releases turn out to be). But given that most of the death metal you identify as "classic" is either of the progressive or melodic variety, this was not that bad. I like how the album does not resort to the bog standard "fast riffage then, suddenly, breakdown" that is commonplace in modern metal, but Malignant Altar are just comfortable playing a slower and brooding form of pummeling death metal; much more inline with death doom. It certainly makes it stand out!
That being said, one of my biggest issues with DM songwriting is the lack of melodic focus. This album does not contain very many hooks and as a result, some tunes just sort meander. And that's not even getting into the fact that some tunes become indistinguishable from one another. At least the album is short. Not the tracks; which average at about six minutes each. But they don't feel bogged down by having too much stuff that goes nowhere. It's good, but I wouldn't go much farther than that.
7/10
Thanks for the help Andi. For the record, I was going to post this later today, but Spotify does a really shitty job of informing me when the playlists have been made public. I'll just have to make personal reminders for myself in the future!
You know I couldn't let the season pass by without some holiday cheer cheese!
Don't know where to put this, but saw in the r/progmetal subreddit a couple of days ago. Features members of Haken, Dream Theater, Protest the Hero, Cradle of Filth and Inhuman Condition
Sleigher - Seasons Greeting in the Abyss and yes, it cheesy as fuck
Yep, this is a thrash metal album alright...
Look, my opinions on thrash are very well known at this point and if they aren't, look to my Reign in Blood review from a few weeks ago. I tired to like this album, I swear. But I am so sick and tired of the lack of effort that is being brought forth in thrash metal now three decades removed from its golden era. Every song sounds exactly the same; a quasi reminder of the grooves from records like Kill "Em All and Show No Mercy, but blown out into this mess of a mix where drums, guitar (rhythm and solos) and vocals are fighting each other for screen time. Any attempt at a lead is obliterated by its consistent tremolo picking rhythm guitar and Bråthen"s blackened death screeches. And worst of all, they go on forever without any growth to the intensity. Sure, songs like "83 Days of Radiation" and "Horrifier" start off slow, but that last for less than a minute, and once that skank beat comes in the drums, and the tremolo guitars begin, you're stuck there for the full five and change.
The only redeemable moments are the second track "Riders of Violence" for not overstaying its welcome, and the actual attempt at a hook on "83 Days of Radiation", but falls off a cliff for me when the drummer forgets how a metronome works and it becomes just another thrasher. I'll throw this one into the same pile and a band like Warbringer. This is in one ear and out the other I'm afraid.
5/10
P.S. At least Condor know how to track a bass properly.
The slower tempos that are tradition in doom metal are surprisingly absent on Rapture's debut album. They feel more like rock grooves then metal ones. It makes guitar leads like the one on "This Is Where I Am" sound not too far off from classic Iron Maiden riffs! That being said, the instrumentation and the composition's do have more in common with the MDM subgenre as they incorporate plenty of polyphony between the death metal howls of the vocalist, and the pretty guitar leads. I would say texturally this record goes down super smooth; it has its formula and Futile are going to show everything that they have!
I think that the fundamentals are solid, but do have a bit of an independence issue. The percussion is fairly solid in the mixing, but occasionally loses some of its momentum when it goes into autopilot on "While The World Sleeps". As for the bass, it is there, but again, independence from the rhythm guitars would have been more tasteful. A lot of doom metal records have a habit of falling into routine and never deviating away from that routine for long periods of time (see my Monolithe II review). Rapture do have some variety in their music, making it memorable during the last two tracks "Someone I (Don't) Know)" and "(About) Leaving). And more than likely helped popularize this style of gothic doom before Swallow the Sun.
7/10
My first impressions of Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike was pretty underwhelming. Toby Driver has made a reputation of not conforming to "traditional" progressive normality with projects like maudlin of the well and Kayo Dot. And I was less than impressed with Blasphemy so I had limited expectations. My first impressions were of a better production, but far less progressive than previous records from the band.
That is until I got to the second go around. And I found the songwriting to be significantly more diverse between individual tracks. Maybe not as diverse as Hubardo, but the avant-garde tag in this case is not in reference to its quirkiness, as has become commonplace in the genre lately. There is atonality, but it all makes sense together as part of a greater work. While "Void in Virgo (The Nature of Sacrifice)" is predominantly post-metal, the growth and obtuseness of the following track, "Spectrum of One Colour" with its heavier vocals, advanced harmony and busier fundamental is where this album shines brightest. On most albums, these would feel like major whiplash as it jumps sporadically between styles, but here they all seem to connect together. The primary formula is maintained through the genre swapping and is commendable.
The production is vastly improved as they remembered to turn on the bass amp during the recordings! The varying vocal stylings of Toby Driver are balanced well. The guitar melodies are fruitful and memorable, even as the solos descend into a darker place with atonality aplenty. The post-metal rhythm guitars and synths are textured well, and the percussion manages to be deceptively technical. My biggest issue, like with all Kayo Dot albums, is the length. Lots of good ideas can only prop up an album so much when they are primarily contained to the middle of the record. Although with this, unlike other Kayo Dot albums, it doesn't overstay its runtime with obnoxiously long tracks consistently. Only one track surpasses ten minutes and it's the closer "Epipsychidion". I liked this album quite a bit, but it took a few tries before it finally clicked with me. It may only be a seed, but it will sprawl to life with enough care.
8/10
I was intrigued by this month's featured album as it featured atmospheric black metal with a distinct folk flare. Given me and my history with black metal, this should come as no surprise. And Wodensthrone did make some compelling black metal during their time. It feels very spacious with the sprawling tremolo chords in the guitars and solid low end with a more than acceptable bass presence, and percussion that is pummeling when it has to be, but shows quite a bit of restraint and holding off on the double kick pedal and blast beats. The vocals have a unique timbre to them; a little too much treble for my taste and could definitely use some more girth as displayed during the multi-layered vocals mid-way through "Black Moss".
But where I lose this album is in its keys and synths. Many of the choirs and string accompaniment are provided by the synthesizer's and it isn't so much that they fall flat, but rather they just sound so blocky and janky as if they were thrown in as an afterthought, but needed to be heavily pronounced in the mixing to make the overall record feel more folk/pagan. Because of that prominence, it is challenging for me to like this record more than I do.
As a black metal record, the atmospherics are super robust and has a lot of similarities to blackgaze. Because the percussion is not blistering and the tonality is quite pleasant, it would be hard for a "true kvlt" black metal fan to accept this. This is closer to Moonsorrow than Saor. If that sparks your interest, then Loss is a good album. Just don't expect to be blown away like those other names.
7/10
I went back and listened Bloodmoon: I again before work this morning and I would argue that, at the very least, the elements that feel the most inline with the Fallen are sludgy. It has that atmospheric element that makes it similar to Rosetta or Solstafir, so I'm gonna air this one out and say that "Tounges Play Dead" has a post-metal flare to it, making it acceptable for the playlist for January.
Alright Xephyr, I'm surprised I liked this as much as I did. It's symphonic metal so there is a certain level of cheese expected and I'm all here for it, but how is going to work as a Christmas album?
In life, there are a few things that are for certain: death, taxes, and Christmas music. I swear to god, it seems like the benchmark as to when it is considered acceptable to start playing Christmas music gets earlier every single year. And every year my tolerance for Christmas music wears more thin. By the time we make it to the actual day, I'm so sick and tired of Christmas that I just want it to be over. Just for once, I would like to hear someone bring some substance to a genre of music that is incredibly shallow during the best of times.
Enter Majestica, a Swedish symphonic metal band doing the Avantasia gimmick of conceptual metal album with a distinctive holiday flare. And I know what you're thinking: isn't this just the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's gimmick? Well...no. Don't get me wrong: this is pure cheese, but like in a really good way. This isn't just a collection of classic Christmas carols with a hard rock/heavy metal edge. Majestica are ready to go jingle bells to the wall by giving these Christmas carols a facelift. You'll hear interpolations of "O Come All Ye Faithful", "Joy To The World", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" among others. Some of them are transposed into the minor key, most of them are given lyrical overhauls. At the very least, the tunes are given some personality beyond just artist flare.
I would say that this hodgepodge of Christmas theme's can feel overzealous at times, but then you have to take into consideration the concept of this album. In short, it is a retelling of the classic Charles Dickens tale, so I see no real reason as to why these themes cannot be interpolated. In fact, the later half of this album from "Ghost of Christmas to Come" and "A Christmas Has Come", plus the interlude "The Joy of Christmas" have their own melodic ideas; this is thematically smart since the Ghost of Christmas Future would know the songs that we, in the present, do not.
As for the way this album sounds, I can't really think of all that much to say. It's remarkably cheesy as mentioned before as the symphonic elements are blatant and at the forefront of the mix. The bass lines are fruitful, the guitar work is melodic, and the vocals are a little hit and miss, but more hits than misses. The mixing on this record is splendid! I really enjoy how important the instrumentals are to the telling of the tale as much as the lyrics are; it's a very nice touch that you seldom hear in modern pop music, and especially in metal.
Why I hesitate on calling this great is because of my review of DragonForce's Inhuman Rampage a few months ago. I described that record as the quintessential power metal album. With no funny business or progressive fat, it could be a fun experience for those who like straight up, unfiltered metal. Majestica are much the same for symphonic metal, but have the engineering to back it up. A Christmas record might not be the first thing I go to, but for a brief period of time, it does remind me of the most wonderful time of the year.
8/10
I had some fun with this review. The album...not so much. It's the best thing Bad Wolves have made, but that isn't really saying much.
I never would have guessed four years ago that I would be talking about a Bad Wolves album. My introduction to this band was their god awful cover of the Cranberries "Zombie" in 2018, and I felt I had every right to steer clear of these Five Finger Death Punch wannabe edgelords. Well the time has come, and it seems like it may have been at a decent time as Tommy Vext is out as primary vocalist. Their replacement is frontman of deathcore act The Acacia Strain, Daniel Laskiewicz.
And while Daniel is significantly more impactful on the microphone, it does not change the fact that this is still a Bad Wolves album. This group has a horrendous sounding mix; the compression in the breakdowns to songs like "Classical" and "On The Case" sound like liquid ass. I had a similar problem this year with Spiritbox, but that group managed to salvage the radio friendly compression by having very sticky refrains. Bad Wolves has good refrains, probably the best in the entire discography, but they are nowhere near as plentiful as Spiritbox. "Wildfire", "Gone" and "House of Cards" are good, but "Springfield Summer" and "Classical" are quite forgettable. And that's before you even get into the cringe on "Comatose"; that song is just....🤢; I didn't know I could hate anything more than "Zombie", but here we are!
The compositions are fine, I guess. They are pretty predictable since this is radio rock/metal, and the promo singles "Lifeline" and "If Tomorrow Never Comes" are adequate. The biggest problem with Dear Monsters is that is the entire formula for all twelve tracks. Some songs are heavier, some songs are softer acoustic ballads like the closer "In The Middle". But these differences are all surface level. I don't like using the term "butt rock", but if any band fit into that mold, it would be Bad Wolves. It's super generic, the mixing is hot garbage, and the growing maturity in the lyrics may be commendable, and the new vocalist is an upgrade, it does not hide fact that most people who are going to enjoy Dear Monsters are never going to hear it. Instead, it'll be "get out those Monster EnergyTM and lets punch some drywall, YEAHHHHHHHH!!!" as Kyle blasts "On The Case". It'll have it's audience, but the only "Monster" I'll be is to this bands fanbase.
5/10
December 2021
Evergrey – Forever Outsider (2021)
Sleep Paralysis – Altesia (2021)
Persefone – Underworld: The Fallen & The Butterfly – Act I: Clash of the Titans (2006)
Vildhjarta – sunset sunrise sunset sunrise (2021)
Crusade – Insatiable (2021)
Leprous – Contaminate Me (2013)
Dream Theater – Awaken the Master (2021)
The Ocean – Calymmian (2008)
Cynic – In a Multiverse Where Atoms Sing (2021)
Animals As Leaders – The Problem of Other Minds (2021)
maudlin of the Well – Birth Pains Of Astral Projection (2001)
Kayo Dot – Void in Virgo (The Nature of Sacrifice) (2021)
Igorrr – Opus Brain (2017)
Baroness – Rays On Pinion (2007)
Gojira – New Found (2021)
Pain of Salvation – To the End (1997)
Thank You Scientist – Creature Comfort (2021)
Ghost Brigade – Departures (2014)
Others by No One – Foxjune (2021)
December 2021
So Cold – Breaking Benjamin (2004)
Circle With Me- Spiritbox (2021)
Junkhead – Alice In Chains (1992)
Stinkfist – TOOL (1996)
Sleep Now In the Fire – Rage Against The Machine (1999)
Die tomorrow – Coldrain (2010)
Passenger – Deftones (2000)
Be Aggressive – Faith No More (1992)
Jesus Christ Pose – Soundgarden (2016)
Iron Head – Helmet (1992)
Dozing Green – Dir En Grey (2008)
The Summoning – Hum (2020)
One Hand Killing – Twelve Foot Ninja (2016)
They’re Coming to Take Me Away – Butcher Babies (2015)
Never Never – Korn (2013)
Deliberation – Katatonia (2006)
What I Always Wanted – Kittie (2001)
They Don’t Care About Us – Saliva (2016)
Constipation Of Death – Utsu-P (2016)
Drag You Down – Finger Eleven (2000)
Delirium – Lacuna Coil (2016)
Satellite – P.O.D. (2001)
The Bearer of Bad News – Reliqa (2021)
Metalingus – Alter Bridge (2004)
Who Will Pray? – We Came As Romans (2015)
Guess I should briefly mention my own featured album for this month before it ends.
While Spiritbox do have a very strong ear for melodic hooks that are super catchy, they only truly materialize in Courtney LaPlante's vocals. The instrumentals fall into a very comfortable alternative metalcore sound with a distinct Architects vibe with its leanings towards djent. I have never been a fan of this sound personally and the last Architects album (and its subsequent review) should be evidence of that. Otherwise, the compression in the mix is detrimental to the overall sound, but unfortunately necessary in order to find that crossover appeal.
I described this album during my review as a musical grab bag of popular metalcore trends and I stand by that claim. I would love to hear this group break away from the Architects influence and make a record that, while still indebted, is a sound all their own. I believe that little blue light on the horizon is still attainable.
6/10
I'm gonna be honest here: putting the Gateway playlist together is a lot more challenging than the Infinite. With the larger pool of songs to pull from, I found myself pulling more random tracks than I feel comfortable with. And even then, in making the final cuts for the list, I had to cut at least three tunes because of duplicates that are less than six months old. So I am in favour of keeping submissions around for all members. Any extra help I can get will help!
I'll try to include fewer duplicates in subsequent lists, but this months is mostly personal favourites to get them out of the way early.
You know, on first glance, I would have mostly echoed Daniel's critique about the record having some piss poor electronic percussion, and lengthy tracks that take time to become fully engaged. But as I progressed further, I thought that maybe this isn't quite the negative that I initially thought. For one, the buzzy guitars are not that far removed from Filosofem's best moments, and the album's slower tempos that is entirely absent of throttling percussion, huge guitar chords and kvlt vocal howls seem to be a logical fit. Throughout the space left behind it sounds like the ambience of a Burzum or to a lesser extent, Akhlys. The production of the guitar meant to sound like a synthesizer is all Sun of the Blind needs to go full throttle into processed percussion.
The bookend's of this album take their time to get moving and as a result, run longer than they should. While the punch of the percussion is muted, it is picked up by the bass. Although I will say this album does have a mixing problem in which the record starts quite flimsy with "Cursed Universe" and "Lord of Mind", but by the time you reach "Ornaments" and "Vanitas" the grit becomes more pronounced and more enjoyable. Some sticky riffs in the middle are what push this record over the edge from good to great. Maybe a little same-y at times, but a unique experience on its own.
8/10
After listening to the opening track "Sanctuary: Light & Grief" only once, I knew exactly what kind of progressive metal album Core was going to be. And it's the kind of progressive music that I despise: the one that believes frantically throwing as many riffs as they can on the record at once with no semblance of connectivity makes it "progressive". With so many ideas, why not write multiple isolated tracks instead of attempting an overzealous concept album with three tracks that each last for over twenty minutes? And without connectors, motifs that might sound decent on their own are quickly forgotten about never to be heard from again.
In addition, I think the production on this record is straight up lousy. There is so much treble/compression in the mix that any semblance of a bass line feels neutered by the rhythm guitars. It is really an accomplishment when Marc's vocals have more girth to them than the actual bass.
Core is the musical equivalent of a child wanting to play the new shiny toy, but as soon as they next new shiny toy comes out, they want to play with that and dismisses the previous toy. I liken this record to Disillusion's album from around the same time, Back To Times Of Splendor. However, the benefit of hindsight has helped me to see where this band improved over the decade, which culminated in the splendid Aathma from 2017. That said, hindsight does not improve this album at all; not even the remastered version is safe. If I was rating that version, I'd probably give it a 5/10, but as for the OG, I feel no need to return to this ever again.
4/10
I'm not quite sure what your previous comment is supposed to imply Daniel. Are you saying that In The Court Of The Dragon is not really a metalcore album, and therefore not a generic metalcore album? Or that it is a metalcore album with progressive elements... and therefore not a generic metalcore album? I agree with you that from a traditional metalcore point of view, hell even a melodic metalcore state, this album is the least metalcore that Trivium have ever been. And I agree with some of your assessments; mostly that the most extreme moments on this album are child's play compared to Suffocation, Nile or Cryptopsy. I'm also in agreement about your influences/inspirations of Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Queensryche and At The Gates.
That said, your comment about this being metal's Nickelback seems disingenuous. Is it easy, accessible metalcore? Yes, especially the obvious single "Feast Of Fire". But I hear more than enough divergences in the sound between songs, let alone albums, to make tracks stand out. I think that, at the very least, Trivium fans will enjoy In The Court Of The Dragon for its heavy thrash/power influences, while the death adjacent is more than enough to make them stand out amongst bands like Killswitch Engage or more recent bands like Northlane and Architects, and closer to that of Protest The Hero.
By Jeebus they finally did it; Trivium figured out how to properly produce bass lines!
This is the most fun I've had with a Trivium album since In Waves, despite the fact that within the last ten years, this is the album that sounds the least like In Waves! This "progressive metalcore" or whatever the hell you want to call it, infused with thrash, death and power metal is very well performed, produced and executed. It can be a little overwhelming at times as I explained in my review, and I suspect that many people, including fans of this group, will not appreciate the sporadic nature of In The Court Of The Dragon.
7/10
P.S. I literally LOL'd at the people on RateYourMusic calling Trivium derivative and generic metalcore because they have obviously never listened to any of Trivium's other album's.
hmmm....
I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's good, but it sounds formulaic. Most of this album is one bad haircut away from becoming a glam metal album. Otherwise it sound a lot like Motley Crue, mixed with Michael Kiske-esque vocals. It sounds decent for what it is, but feels naked in comparison to Helloween and the early power metal of Europe from the same time. I feel like I would much rather just listen to that.
6/10
It has been a while since I found myself looking forward to a new featured release in the Fallen clan, but Sonny has been on a roll with recommending high quality doom metal with Solstice, M.S.W. and the wonderful KING WITCH album Body of Light from last year that was recently featured on RYM's front page.
So when I saw Sonny's stamp of approval on this one, I was excited to hear it. And at first I was surprised to see "Dark Jazz" listed as a subgenre for this album on RYM. My limited knowledge of this genre leads me to believe that it is the deeply atmospheric type of jazz that you hear prominently on TV and in movies. So hearing it implemented over these doom stylings was a breath of fresh air. Interludes on "Leah" and "The Seer" are very ethereal with Rhodes keys and extended chordal harmonies, which are also provided by the vocals of Sara Bianchin. And I'll be damned if they aren't pulled off remarkably well! This album feels very restrained; only barely passing by as a "metal" album as the records heaviest moments never hit with the same intensity or firepower as a band such as Swallow the Sun, or the best of doom metal The Ruins of Beverast. So while the heavier portions might not be as wild, it makes the calming jazz interludes less gimmicky.
As a result, the songwriting is very good. While some of the earliest tracks (i.e. "Snakeskin Drape" & "Leah") have some questionable transitions, they never feel like they have come out of left field, and they are always duplicated, making them feel less like interludes, but rather a part of the whole. "She Knows" has a wonderful buildup leading into "Tulsi", which starts off with tremolo picking/blast beats, but eventually tampers down to a saxophone solo that makes full use of the extended harmony above a relatively simple bass line. The album's second half is considerably improved from the first, including the outro "Da tariki tariqat", which may be one of the best Tool impressions I've heard in a long time.
That said, the production is not the most flattering. The bass lines feel like they are being pushed out rather quickly and have no time to resonate. Take for example, the outro of "Tulsi" with its saxophone solo: the instrumental sounds fine and the accents are powerful, but they die far too quickly while the guitar is still allowed to reverberate. It gives the illusion of depth, but when the bass lines are so simplistic in a doom metal idiom, they can get annoying fast. I think this album's best moments are the closest to traditional doom metal with limited progressive jazz like "White Stains".
Overall, I think the experiments on Feast for Water are exciting and fresh, but not executed with the same amount of precision as a Cult of Luna, or to keep with the jazz influence, Neptunian Maximalism. This group has potential to be breathtaking and I am at the very least, looking forward to a potential new album next year.
7/10
Glad you enjoyed my inaugural list Andi! I'm super excited to fill out the rest of the list alongside yours and Xephyr's recommendations. It has been enjoyable listening to these tracks and finding new music to enhance my own expanse, especially in the Infinite clan. Maybe next month we can find some avant-garde music that is more up your alley...
As someone who does listen to a lot of music outside of heavy metal, I can tell you that this mindset is not mutually exclusive to this genre. The is very much alive and well in how some rock fans treat hip hop even today, and most people who hear the worst of mainstream country music (myself included) have no idea about the leaps and bounds of wonderful music being crafted in the underground.
People who listen to radio friendly pop music are unlikely to explore anything outside of their very small boundaries as what characterizes "good" music to them. And so, when that average pop listener hears...say an Iron Maiden album, they become lost and have no idea what this foreign sound is meant to make them feel. Then when someone says "this is heavy metal music", they will shut out that sound from their mind and anything that even closely resembles it is immediately bad.
I will say that I have always viewed heavy metal as a bit of a red herring. A lot of it, especially on the extreme side of the spectrum, is not meant to be accessible. Back in the day, it would have been album sales that clued you in. Today it's streaming. Because of this, many of those outside of the circle simply refuse to understand what makes heavy metal so exciting and how we all got here. Now if I may flip the script, I know a lot of fans outside of the metal forums who listen to nothing but heavy metal and anything else is pussy music. Furthermore, any metal music that tries to be a little bit more accessible is poser material and "not true [kvlt] metal" or some stupid shit like that.
I listen to many different types of music and I can find an appreciation in all of it, even if it is in (sub)genres that I do not typically explore. I know that saying that probably makes me sound like a pretentious asshole, but if the music that I'm listening to has good fundamentals, (i.e. good storytelling, melodic drive, engineering, progressive songwriting), I'm gonna like it no matter who is making it! What attracts me to the heavy metal that I enjoy the most is that it is able to pull off the fundamentals, while doing it in a way that is not meant to be accessible. Those are the types of accomplishments that I respect and keep me coming back to Metal Academy for my heavy fix instead of RYM.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, even though heavy metal has a lot of problems, most people are scared of things that they don't understand. And what I really appreciate about this forum is how everyone actually likes it and we can have honest discussions about what is good and what isn't. The next time someone tells you all heavy metal sounds the same, respond with "all hip hop sounds the same" and watch them spin around in circles as they run off all of the different subgenres in hip hop in order to prove you wrong.
Kreator have recently become my go to thrash metal band when I want an old school thrash sound. And I have a suspicion it is because of their geography. You see, whereas most of the iconic thrash metal bands of the 1980s reside somewhere in the United States, Kreator are a German band. And when I think of Germany during the 1980s, it should come as no surprise that I think of Power metal first and foremost. And the earliest Kreator albums, including Extreme Aggression, have the benefit of being very melodic thrash albums in comparison to the mosh heavy, hook lacking thrash of the US. It's why I continue to champion Anthrax as being the cream of the crop of the big four American thrash metal bands, but I digress.
The album feels like an exploration of how far the power metal elements can be pushed to their limits before it becomes indistinguishable; perhaps more in line with Speed Metal. But the hooks are quite impressive from a purely emotive sense. Mike Petrozza's vocals are some of the freshest sounding in the genre at the time as they split the difference between Tom Arraya/Zach de la Rocha shouting, but maintaining a fluent hook. I liken them more so to Chuck Billy of Testament. The riffs are strong, but never resort to blistering power chords for any extended period of time. The bass lines are prominent in the mix which is always welcome, and the percussion, while technically unimpressive compared to others in this mold, still provides a strong foundation for all of the parts mentioned previously.
The albums biggest fault is more so an issue with almost all of the iconic 1980s thrash albums and that is the baffling mishandling of the production. The engineering is inconsistent as some tracks sound remarkably flat. The biggest culprit of this is "No Reason to Exist", which on its own is a solid track, but when it is sandwiched in between "Extreme Aggression" and "Love Us or Hate Us", the drop off in sound quality is drastic and hurts the drive of the album as a whole.
Otherwise, I would be lying if I didn't have a bit of a bias towards Kreator. They had a sound that was unique for the time, and was only possible because they surrounded themselves with Helloween and Blind Guardian. And their 2010s output is some of the best thrash adjacent music I've heard in years. Solid stuff.
7/10
Very important progressive black metal for me during the 2010s that I would consider not just a great album, but one of the best debuts of any kind. When a lot of people were very disgruntled at Opeth's recent attempts to drop more metal from their playbook, Ne Obliviscaris were more than willing to pick up the slack and do the exact opposite and make Opeth, but heavier. Beautiful production, excellent melodic storytelling, and compositions that are the furthest thing from overzealous.
9/10
My review turned out to be less about the music of The Hunting Party and more so its significance when it comes to "nostalgia farming". So let me say this in the post-notes: The Hunting Party is a more than solid alternative metal album with some catchy melodies and sticky grooves, Chester Bennington has some great crunch in his vocals, and the rap vocals do not feel forced, cringy or dated. That being said, I wish that I liked this album more given how influential Linkin Park were in my adolescence.
7/10
Atmospheric black metal with an Americana focus and a surprisingly left-wing political agenda that is among some of the best black metal I've heard in years. I think that many extreme metal purists will not find much use for a band like Panopticon since they constantly swap back and forth between the pummeling black metal passages, and the bluegrass inspiration that makes it's way on the foik/protest songs, and the title track. But if you are looking for some beautiful, progressive black metal, there are very few artists that can do it better than Austin Lunn and Panopticon!
9/10
I wish I like blackened death metal more. For a genre that so blatantly implies the crushing sounds of death metal with the atmospherics of black metal, far too often in my experience has this simply resulted in groups resorting to technical death tropes in order to imply a high level of brutality. And Spanish blackened death metallers Altarage are no exception.
With this album being a newer release I felt obliged to at least give it my due diligence. And what I ended up discovering was that this is more of a sludge metal album with obvious death metal overtones. Nothing about Succumb makes me think of black metal; the guitars are far too coarse and crushing, meanwhile the melodic patterns are frankly non-existent. The percussion is heavily influenced by tech death, but the album has some really slow passages that harken back to a certain type of doom, sludge, or in the case of the closing track "Devorador De Mundos", drone metal. And as a result of this, I feel like the purely death metal tracks that primarily open the album: "Negative Arrival", Magno Evento", "Watcher Witness", etc. are crushing and brutal from a purely technical perspective. However, with the vocals so held back in the mix, and anything that can closely resemble a tune is devoured by the blast beats and furious rhythm guitar.
Furthermore, Succumb has a pacing problem. The albums most crushing moments are put on display right out of the gate and leaves you with very little room to recoup. Then at track four, the nearly eight minute "Foregone" hits, and while the song is an adequate hybrid of death and sludge metal, it becomes noticeable that Altarage are going to follow this abysmal path towards more downtempo tracks with less blast beats, and slightly more prominent vocals. It is too bad that the vocals couldn't follow suit. I was quite relieved when "Inwards" came on and had a heavier death metal influence near the albums end, which, at the very least, gave me a little bit of hope for the conclusion. And being further disappointed by a twenty plus minute noise piece that carries on for far too long to leave any impact. This album doesn't feel like a journey from destination A to B, but rather the cliff notes version of an album.
If there was an artist that could blend the intensity of death metal with the atmospherics of black metal, I would fall for this genre. But far too often this genre is occupied by bands like Altarage. I guess the biggest problem with that is too many would just become melodic death metal wouldn't they? An Abstract Illusion tried this with Illuminate The Path in 2016 and I really enjoyed that album. As it stands, Altarage's Succumb is an okay project that is meant for the tech death freaks out there, but provides more than enough elements of sludge and doom to make it stand out amongst a crowd. But I have to agree with Sonny that cacophonous noise just for the sake of it is a major turn off for me. I guess this just isn't really my thing.
6/10
I don't want to come on here and hate on funeral doom. It makes a lot of sense given the crushing atmosphere that is implied by the subject matter that it sounds like a dirge and gives you the crushing feeling of being lowered six feet underground. But holy shit is it boring! And this is not just a criticism of Monolithe, but many of this genre's most influential figures, like Bell Witch and Esoteric.
This album took me three attempts to finally get through it in a single sitting. And trust me when I say this: it was almost a fourth attempt because I was so drowsy and uninvolved in the music that was on display, but I forced myself to continue listening through to its deathly conclusion. I am not opposed to single track albums; Light of Day, Day of Darkness is one of my favourite records of all time. But Green Carnation had something that Monolithe desperately lack, and that is a sense of growth, or in the case of funeral doom, decay. It took this album nearly half and hour before it decided to modulate out of its main theme. Leading up to this, Monolithe waste time by having moments that seem like a divergence from the original theme, but only serve as temporary bridges from theme A to... theme A again. There is so much obvious room for refinement and cutting of the fat that this could have worked, but instead, Monolithe are convinced that long, unchanging atmosphere can win me over, when it actually makes me want to go to bed!
I feel horrible for the drummer in this band who does the bare minimum when it comes to tempo support, and is only able to add some occasional double bass and drum fills whenever its time to feed the cat... and the cat died five years ago. The guitar work is okay I guess; most of the record has a rhythm guitar who just chugs away with the lowest power chords, while the lead guitar sounds more like a continuous solo instead of a melodic lead to compliment the synth and vocals. And while I did enjoy the synths on this album, the vocals are so far back in the overall mix that you would be hard pressed to hear them if you weren't using headphones. And the low end of this album is severely lacking; the rhythm guitar is so prominent in the mix with its power chords that the bass has nowhere to breathe. It makes an album that is supposed to be dense and concaving feel remarkably timid.
For the death doom sound specifically, I am reminded of records like The Call of the Wretched Sea by Ahab and Songs From the North by Swallow the Sun. These albums are long, brooding and atmospheric as well, but these records both had the songwriting presence to lead you down the dark and terrifying path and bring you somewhere that is colder and more isolated than where you started. The Monolithe albums hear the starting gun go off, trip before the first hurdle, and then don't even attempt to get back up and try to finish the race. I'm generally not one to criticize an album that typically receives glowing praise, regardless of genre, but I just cannot tolerate this. If you ever wanted to know why my ventures into funeral doom metal are tepid, I present exhibit A.
3/10
Good choice of album this month Xephyr. It was really cool to listen to an album that I had once previously reviewed, but has been since lost to time. If I can recall, I remember liking Kodama, but not loving it. Going back on it, I do think that of the true blackgaze album's in Alcest discography, this is the one that I return to the least.
Here's a little snippet of what I recall from listening to this album five years ago:
The difficult challenge that many metal fans face is finding a respectable bridge to help cross the chasm into darker subgenres, and in this case, black metal. Alcest are the forefathers of the blackgaze subgenre that has become quite popular through the 2010s. Their first two albums: Souvenirs d'un autre monde and Écailles de lune are considered classics in this subgenre, and after a brief hiatus with Shelter which incorporated more post-rock than black metal, Alcest return with Kodama, a pleasant album for sure, but lacking in the many of the categories that most extreme metal fans would most likely scour at.
The guitars are produced beautifully; the balancing act of the rhythm guitar and the tremolo picking leads are superb and the fundamental bass and percussion are wonderfully balanced. Many of the main melodies however in the vocals and lead guitar feel lackluster in their performance as they feel left behind the heavy handed rhythm section.
I will say that one of Kodama's biggest faults is how slow it is. Given the fact that this is blackgaze, I cannot say that I find this surprising at all, but the overall simplicity of the tempo charting throughout this album does make it challenging to make any distinguished notes about the tracks on this album. It does have key variations so it is not as monotonous as you might think. "Eclosion" has a pretty melodic leads during the post-rock bridges, and "Oiseaux de proie" delivers an excellent display of pacing as Neige begins with melodic vocals, then opting for harsh screams, then ending with a atmo-black infused outro that serves as the best song on the album. And while "Untouched" attempts to copy this formula, it feels incredibly neutered by the lack of a release point.
If I can give Alcest anything, it that this is some of the prettiest sounding black metal you may ever hear. The wall of sound is not overbearing, and the songwriting leaves a lot of space making for some very comfortable soundscapes. This is the kind of black metal I would listen to on a beach, not locked up in my apartment surrounded by 10+ centimeters of snow. And for that, I give Alcest credit for standing out. While Deafheaven have proven that blackgaze can be just as much intense as the black metal tag would suggest. I do like this record, but would argue that it is one of the bands lesser works. Kodama should be seen as complimentary material to the first two albums.
7/10
Meantime by Helmet is an album of two tales. On one hand you have the more ruckus songwriting of "Iron Head" and "Turned Out", and on the other you have the more accessible version of alternative metal that gave us songs like "Role Model" and of course the big promo single "Unsung". In both cases, these songs are mixed very well with a clear emphasis on the grunge aspect. Guitar parts are muddy, even though the bass lines are well developed. And the percussion has a distinct punk sound to it that had me reckoning back to Minutemen's Double Nickels On The Dime. Page Hamilton's vocals range anywhere from Zach de la Rocha screams to a cooled out Ozzy Osbourne impersonation on "Unsung".
The sounds are impressive and still sound fresh almost thirty years later. I think that this album's biggest flaw is how often it flip flops between the two styles mentioned previously, and while that doesn't bother me as much as it does some other reviewers, I can admit that it does get irritating at times when it is clear that Helmet want to go for a full hardcore punk/metal sound, but feel restrained by record label requirements and promotional singles. This album has more reference points to a band such as Big Black than anything that RATM, Alice in Chains or Tool were doing around the same time. And while I do like this sound, I feel like Meantime could have shot higher.
7/10
Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate
I've been coming across a few melo-tech death hybrids in recent weeks and I found this one to be one of the more fascinating. I kind of wish it was more unique sounding, but the production is exceptional for as gritty as this can get. Xephyr, Daniel might want to give this a try.
https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/deconsecrate
A timely piece for sure. I find less in common between Skycamefalling with Converge and Dillinger, but rather something that is closer related to post-hardcore like Botch or Hopesfall. This record feels a lot simpler than those albums; the breakdowns are monstrous, the vocals are ruthless and quite impressive, and the main melodic counterpoint in the guitar is short, but effective. However, for a "hardcore" album, it feels very predictable after a while, and for an album with twelve tracks and running over an hour, you start picking up very quickly on the repetitive motifs. Near the end, the title track and the closer "An Ocean Apart" really started to drag on and become monotonous. The outro deserves special recognition for being only four-and-a-half minutes, but returns with about a minute-and-a-half to spare, just to continue playing the same riff that faded out the first part! Not a great way to close out an album that's for sure.
Regardless, this brand of metalcore is close to my alley as opposed to the technical parts of mathcore. But for me, something about this record feels less developed than the bands mentioned earlier. While not metal by any stretch, I hear a lot of similarities between this record and a local hardcore output, Alexisonfire, especially that 2002 self titled debut. I don't know; the quality is there I'll give it that, but I am not feeling this the same way that I did We Are The Romans or No Wings To Speak Of.
7/10