Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

If there's one album that sealed the deal for a band's stylistic direction, it would be 1997's stunning brutal metalcore in Living Sacrifice's career, Reborn! The cathartic power of this genre was shining for the band ever since guitarist Bruce Fitzhugh started doing growling vocals.

Apparently, the band wanted to make an album with a unique sound unlike any other bands. The band released 3 albums before this with original vocalist Darren Johnson, the Big 4-inspired thrash self-titled debut and two Malevolent Creation-esque death metal albums Nonexistent and Inhabit. Reborn can indeed be considered Living Sacrifice's rebirth, taking on strong metalcore with a bit of their earlier thrash rhythm. Yeah, there is a bit of the Sepultura-like dark insanity within the uniqueness...

"Reborn Empowered" starts simple in the drumming, then sudden switches into blazing fast progressive-ish metalcore. Those growls and lyrics are just top notch, "Reborn empowered, all strongholds broken, old ways have died, given new life, boldness engulfs my every word, strength empowered by God, Jesus, the strength in Christ's name". Beginning the next track "Truth Solution" is another groove-ish verse and empowering lyrics, "Breath of God released faith, creates all life". Another track "Threatened" has acoustic strumming in different parts of the song while maintaining the heaviness throughout. "Awakening" is memorable in the groove and lyrical images, "Our spirits no longer reek of sleep, through prayer we've entered in the throne room".

"180" once again shows the band's 180-turn away from their earlier death metal while keeping a bit of the much earlier thrash rhythm. While the album has the groove-ish metalcore sound done in perfection, "No Longer" is the closest we have to a half-baked idea. "Something More" kind of give me a thrash-ish metalcore vibe of Annihilator meets Hatebreed. Introducing the next track "Sellout" is an acoustic intro that can make you think of Opeth.

"Spirit Fall" adds a little more progressiveness into their metalcore, though obviously it's a closer level to early August Burns Red than, say, ERRA. The classical-sounding (in terms of guitar) "Presence of God" is a simple interlude of improvisation to perform in worship. The most well-known track by Living Sacrifice that they still play in encores is "Reject", with lyrics about deception against the Lord, "Half truths, deceit, forced in, not God, reject all lies, reject all of the lies." Closing the album is "Liar", a song for Christ's battle against Satan, "Worthless, want to be God, loser imitation, fallen from grace, deceitful lying beast your bound, lord of maggots, we rebuke you."

It's sad that even one furious blast of metal can be considered Satanic. Some people need to be enlightened and realize that there is holy glory in metal, despite the brutality. Living Sacrifice should really has much fame as P.O.D., and this album Reborn is the reason!

Favorites: "Reborn Empowered", "Awakening", "180", "Something More", "Spirit Fall", "Reject"

In the 90s, Burst was in the metallic hardcore realm. The primal riff delivery laid the groundwork for the band's later sound. In a way, you can consider the band's 5 albums like the first 5 of Neurosis in terms of their stylistic evolution, starting hardcore before a more Infinite sound, except Burst's sound has a dissonant metalcore backbone throughout. This perfect offering stands out with a hardcore stampede of drumming, riffs, and shouts, all in a unique drive to level up my rediscovery journey!

Two Faced and their next album Conquest Writhe were made before bands Cult of Luna and Andromeda released their debuts, so they still didn't have yet the elements of those bands. With that said, Burst made grand progress in their debut with their songwriting and performing in unison. The quality is tight while in top-notch production, with solid crispy support of the bass and that metalcore backbone. Patrik Hultin might very well be a new favorite drummer of mine with his eclectic skills. His drumming is wilder than the guitars, in calculating alignment with the riff groove.

Once again, talking about many of these awesome songs here won't do them justice, so I'll just note the highlights such as the title track, which has a simpler direction than what they would have later, while more adventurous than many of the more traditional hardcore bands out there. There's some melody in the music while having the usual vocal aggression that would be lessened as the band progresses. "Callous" has a catchy formula that would be foreshadowed in the other album I've reviewed, Lazarus Bird.

"Crossbreed" has almost the same pace as the band Crossbreed (minus the industrial elements) but then evolves into the usual metallic hardcore that's almost as chaotic as Cave In and The Dillinger Escape Plan. I can also hear a slight taste of early August Burns Red in "Lifeline".

"Repentance" has a bit of the dark-ish melodic metalcore instrumentation that Prayer for Cleansing would have two years later. After 10 short songs, the final track "Cadence of the Faithless" is a 5-minute metallic hardcore monster epic. But if you stick around after 3 minutes of silence, you get a raw punky hardcore demo recording that seems like a waste after a real stable closer. It detracts from the album's momentum, but I can ignore it and just stay with the perfect 5-star rest of the album.

Two-Faced is the hardcore one out for this band's material, and they would start heading towards a different direction from Conquest Writhe onwards. This debut is a h*lla great beast, probably more metallic than Strife's debut. The enclosed tightness is dusted off by Burst in their most hardcore bloom!

Favorites: "Two-Faced", "Callous", "Crossbreed", "Lifeline", "Repentance", "Cadence of the Faithless"

Upon realizing that I've haven't listened to and reviewed this release from State Craft, I decided to do so, and... TO F***ING H*LL WITH THIS!!! This is just too weak for my metalcore standards, with only one decently good song here, "After This Morning", probably of how short it is. This sh*t ain't worth my journey. State Craft is so not for me....

Favorites (only one I remotely like because of length): "After This Morning"

Here we are again with State Craft, with me reviewing the first EP from perhaps the first Japanese metallic hardcore band. There's never any greatness in the vocals, choruses, and lyrics. To me, it just feels like an Unbroken ripoff that sucks a**, but at least they don't have yet the cheesy symphonics Temperance would have two decades later. Though the song "Break the Cycle" sounds good in the intro, which I like. F*** it, I have better metallic hardcore to listen to. Also that Windows XP wallpaper-like cover art is laughable....

Favorites (only one I even remotely like): "Break the Cycle"

Oh wow! This is a huge positive twist in my rediscovery journey. After a couple sh*tty demo EPs from other metalcore bands, here we have a perfect compilation of demos from this band Morning Again, worth money from the buyer. There are 7 songs in 30 minutes, and I almost think of Hand of Hope as a full mini-album. So great with lots of heavy tracks! So where I do begin?...

Morning Again are legends in the metal/hardcore scene. At that time, their frontman was Damien Moyal, a straight-edge vocalist who was also in Shai Hulud at that time. It's thanks to those two bands that the Floridian music scene has expanded to more than just death metal and *shudder* Backstreet Boys and Disney, paving the way for other metalcore bands like Trivium. Morning Again broke up after one official album, but they've since reunited multiple times and released a couple more EPs. However, Moyal moved on to melodic hardcore band As Friends Rust, and he remained vocalist for that band except for those 6 years when the other members performed as Salem.

Now back to this Morning Again release... The first song "Turning Over" rockets towards you with a metalcore blast. I think talking about many of these awesome songs here won't do them justice, so I'll just note the highlights such as the aforementioned opener. And oh yeah, we have the grand 6-minute epic "Minus One" that marks the perfect blend of beautiful and heavy. The last of the 7 tracks, "God Framed Me" continues the hardcore intensity of blending violence with melody.

I think I just found a new favorite vocalist in Damien Moyal, almost rivaling Converge's Jacob Bannon. Props to Morning Again for this incredible work! If you enjoy Shai Hulud and other metallic hardcore, surely you wouldn't wanna miss this. It's an album of hardcore insanity!

Favorites: "Turning Over", "Minus One", "God Framed Me"

As I continue my rediscovery journey, I've realized that I like the full albums more than most of the demo EPs. The Absolve EP sounds nice, but the production is jacked up in a bad way, which along with the overuse of samples in the beginning, doesn't make me up for it so much. "Bleeding" is the brutal highlight here, having a brutal Suffocation-like slam death metal breakdown. A f***ing crusher in a mostly f***ing bland trash-fest....

Favorites (only one I like): "Bleeding"

The first 3 albums of Dead to Fall were known as a personal struggle for the band, especially vocalist Jon Hunt. They weren't really up for the serious image of the deathly metalcore sound they had. Of course I know what fans of their original sound would say to me, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! You're gonna start with their wackiest album?" And the answer is yes I am, and it works! Are You Serious has humor in the album, songs, and cover art where they're the most comfortable while as enjoyable as the grand classics.

Well it's not entirely a drastic change in the metal sound, but there's more flavor, and I mean bong-party flavor, almost as much as Attila at that time. What also reminds me of that band is how they add in riffing reminiscent of A Life Once Lost and Carnage.

An experimental intro "IQ Test" starts the album. Then "Stupid?" unleashes mighty in-your-face deathly metalcore to make fun of the genre in the lyrics, with Hunt bellowing about how "F***ING STUPID!!!" this song is, mentioning the "OH SH*T!!" At the Gates-like thrashy death metal riff while it's playing, and finally ending it all "WITH A F***ING BREAKDOWN!!!" There's more eclectic programming to come later in this album. "The Future" takes us through atonal space and A Life Once Lost-like riff-wrath. "Sleeping Bag" injects some thrashy guitar into their metalcore in a highlight that shows how much they've evolved.

"Major Rager" is another highlight of strong adrenaline and has practically invented party-core before Attila later that year. This is deathly metalcore with a humorous twist as Jon Hunt bellows about "doing another shot" and "staying up all f***ing night". Another highlight, "Loch Ness" shows some more shredding and vocal growling, this time in a mellower pace, almost like stoner doom, along with delicate programming. "Brainmelter" is faster but still mid-paced, a bit like death 'n' roll in the riffing.

This humorous direction once again has a bit of the band's roots in "Cropgrower". Then "Robo-Destro" has destructive power almost as chaotic as The Dillinger Escape Plan. "Doombox" is another Hatebreed/Bring Me the Horizon-sounding metalcore monster. "Astral Projection/Dream J(ourney)" has trippy weirdness to end the journey nicely.

In a strange yet awesome way, Dead to Fall turned into a more natural and organic band of Darkest Hour-infused metalcore, with the guitarist of that band, Mike Schleibaum manning the production, all while painting the metalcore walls with humor. In the end, you can still hear something more deadly than a mosh-pit ninja, alongside the humor that the earlier, more serious fans, might not approve of. Dead to Fall had the confidence to make that move, and I'm super glad to find the tone balanced out. Seriously!

Favorites: "Stupid?", "Sleeping Bad", "Major Rager", "Loch Ness", "Doombox"

So what have I checked out so far in my Zao journey? First was their second album The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation which was their last original lineup, then was their third album Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest where they started a new era. Both of those albums are some of the best metalcore albums I've listened. Would their next album continue their perfect streak?...

Way right! Liberate Te Ex Inferis is one of the heaviest albums from the late 90s. It was time for the band take their sound from Blood and Fire to a new level of metalcore. There are 10 songs here, with every two songs placed in one of Hell's circles: Limbo, The Lustful, The Gluttonous, The Hoarders and The Spendthrifts, The Wrathful.

The album's opening "Intro" starts slow before rising in the climax. In the end, an Event Horizon sample lets the listener know that "Hell is just a word, the reality is much, much worse." The first real song "Savannah" continues the band's recurring theme of Christianity's hypocrisy. A porn star suffers a deadly wound and the people who believe in God just let her die, "They can't believe the machine was alive but we saw it bleed, The machine falls apart and when it's cut it bleeds, The machine bleeds, She was alive." The more positively-written "Autopsy" is where Dan Weyandt asks for help from the Lord, "I can't see it but I feel the light, Someone tell us we are loved, Someone take the pain away, Someone fill up the void, Someone fix my broken heart, Are you that someone?" However, some of the other verses are lost and forgotten, even by Dan himself.

"If These Scars Could Speak" tells another story, this one of a woman whom his date raped her. While you can consider this release a concept album because of the Circles of Hell, I'm not sure about that because the songs tell different stories instead of one. "The Ghost Psalm" is another great track. My only complaint that doesn't detract the song and album's perfection is about the unnecessary Event Horizon sample in the beginning, "Do you want to make a deal? Cut a deal with the devil?" Another notable track is "Desire The End" with lyrics about Christianity's end of all things and a new beginning, "I desire the end, The touch of Armageddon, This world encased in flames, I desire the end, I desire the new beginning." Segueing out of another strange movie sample, "Dark Cold Sound" has some more introspective poetry in the lyrics. The listener can understand what Weyandt wants and interpret.

"Skin Like Winter" is a better phenomenal highlight, and what helps is, no strange movie samples around! Now this next track, "Kathleen Barbra", who is that? I have no clue, but we do have another great song, and the last one before the outro... "Man in Cage Jack Wilson", I'm sure there are over a dozen notable people with that name. It starts with another Event Horizon sample that includes the album's eponymous phrase. It's the same sample as the one heard in the beginning of "Prom Song" from Every Time I Die's debut EP released a few months after this album. But instead of chaotic metalcore, we have a dark yet beautiful 7-minute sludgy metalcore Crusade.

An album mandatory for Zao fans, Liberate Te Ex Inferis has a lot smile-inducing surprises. The band has continued their quest since Blood and Fire go beyond the limits for a refined metalcore sound. You don't wanna miss out on this punishing yet rewarding metalcore glory!

Favorites: "Savannah", "If These Scars Could Speak", "Desire the End", "Skin Like Winter", "Man in Cage Jack Wilson"

The perfection of Zao's second and last album with the original lineup carries on to a new one. 1998 marked a new era for the band who have been grateful to God for where their ongoing lives took them. The remaining founding member Jesse Smith continued with new members Daniel Weyandt, Russ Cogdell, and Brett Detar, the latter from rock band The Juliana Theory for a dark turning point in hardcore/metal. Where would bands like Underoath and Haste the Day be without this offering?

Let me just say, Dan Weyandt's screaming is perfect! Besides that, the two guitarists have heavy guitar riffs that would surely blow your minds. While they maintain the Christian lyrical themes, they focused less on the spiritual side and the topics are more about Weyandt's fallen loved ones.

You can immediately hear what's different as "Lies of Serpents, A River of Tears" opens the album. They switched from the hardcore tone of Earth Crisis to a more metallic Converge-like direction, especially in the guitar duo's atonal riffing. "To Think of You is to Treasure An Absent Memory" has vicious drumming. That song was written in memory of a friend of the band who committed suicide. Those lyrics pay great tribute to the fallen, "When you shut your eyes and fell asleep, Dark clouds descended on the souls of the ones who held you close to their hearts." Continuing that tragic theme is "A Fall Farewell", for Weyandt's late relative, in which the message is basically his faith shining to keep him alive after all the losses he and the band suffered. Its heavy impact has caused many Christians and non-Christians to relate.

Once again, guidance from the Lord is prayed for in "March" without having to use the name in vain, "A single quiet voice and the breath of His words consumed the night and brought strength I have never felt on my own, He held me up until I could walk again and promised to stay by my side forever". Next up, "Ember" has heavy riffing that reminds me of early Trivium. "Ravage Ritual" shows a bit of forlorn pain in the vocals as the lyrics fight against the judgmental. Once again, where would bands be like Eighteen Visions, Bleeding Through, and Bring Me the Horizon without a song like "Fifteen Rhema"!?

Only one song threatens the perfection of this release and that's "For A Fair Desire". There just isn't as much lyrical passion as the rest of the album, but I think the song might work well as just a separate single or something. "The Latter Rain" is a greater improvement from that slight misstep, a 6-and-a-half-minute epic! Though it's not the end yet... "Violet" is a beautiful 7-minute piano outro to wrap up the album pleasantly.

All in all, Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest marks a different transition from The Splinter Shards The Birth Of Separation, including shorter songs, though both albums are the best. You like As I Lay Dying and all those bands I've mentioned earlier? Pick this up! Whether you're Christian or not, this is for the heavier metalcore fans. Zao is still alive!

Favorites: "Lies of Serpents, A River of Tears", "To Think of You is to Treasure An Absent Memory", "Ember", "Fifteen Rhema", "The Latter Rain"

I've listened to many bands during my nearly 5 years of listening to metalcore, and I'm currently exploring more of the classic groups such as Cave In, Coalesce, Converge and Botch, and obscure bands like This Day Forward. But there's one band that is, alongside Converge, one of the earliest metalcore bands to still be active today... Zao! Named after the Greek word for "Alive", this band made a solid mark in the metalcore and Christian metal scenes.

The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation is the second album by the band and shows the band traveling through hardcore roads to add more than just simplicity. There's complex music, with phenomenal drummer Jesse Smith taking the band to battle, and defiant screams by ex-vocalist Shawn Jonas that perfectly match the instrumentation.

The first of those many songs is "Times of Separation", and considering how similar the intro is to that of Every Time I Die's Radical, you might think the latter made a tribute. Anyway, Shawn's long screaming is often what levels up the quality. In "Surrounds Me", he continues to be surrounded by the killer music. "Exchange" is one of 4 songs re-recorded from their earlier material. Not highly different, but it highlights Zao's creativity.

The Christian lyrical message in particle has a bit of a worship vibe, "I will lift You up, I will praise Your awesome name, For what it's worth and nothing less." However, they've done it better than Underoath at that time. "Repressed" is one of my favorites here, sounding quite heavy at times. And another standout is "In Loving Kindness", starting with a short bass intro before some of the best rapid drumming to be found in 90s metalcore. There are great lyrics in "Endure" telling about the surviving truth of Christianity, "It has been proven, It shall remain, This faith has stood the test, It persists through conflict, Through the revolts against its ways, Nothing has held true like this."

"The Children Cry for Help" starts off with a good speedy intro for 20 seconds, and continues into the fast metalcore style you would expect from Zao. However, it just slows down to midtempo for most of the 5-minute length. I still like it though. One other re-recorded song (besides 3 others) is "Resistance" which once again has some of the best vocals here. "Song 1" is OK, but the silence and hidden experimental outro is slightly pointless, though it's still fine and much better than Blur's "Song 2".

I've made the right call of following that YouTube commenter's recommendation, and I'm glad to receive this rewarding masterpiece. My next stop is their 3rd album Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest, but for now, any metalcore fans around can hold on to this album and play it to their heart's content. Never separate!

Favorites: "Times of Separation, "Exchange", "Repressed", "In Loving Kindness", "Resistance"

There's barely any band that could change their sound in each album as immensely as OLD. Starting off as humorous metallic grindcore in their debut, they took on more of a psychedelic industrial metal style in Lo Flux Tube. Album #3, The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak is filled with experimental madness! Basically a weird yet awesome mix of metal and electronics from the brilliant James Plotkin and the shrieking Alan Dubin. Some who find this unlistenable don't know what they're missing in this wild adventure...

This is another original album ahead of time. They experiment with different styles, more than just metal, letting go of restrictive conventions and patterns so what they create can run free. I don't need the thrashy industrial metal of Ministry when I have this cool weirdness that actually suits me!

"A Beginning" is an astonishing way to begin this offering. Then leveling up high is the apparently two-part "Two of Me". More of the experimentation commences in the freaky highlight "Freak Now". That song was used in the soundtrack for the film Brainscan. Another song featured in that movie is "Peri Cynthion", one h*ll of a 10-minute experimental industrial metal epic. Listen for yourself if you like this sound!

"Happy Tantrum" sounds like an outtake from Lo Flux Tube, but a great improvement from there. It's another one of my favorite tracks in this album, with absolutely no filler. The experimentation actually sounds catchier than that of the mathy metalcore of Coalesce. "Creyap'nilla" can sound a little creepy at times.

"Glitch" is really great but can be a bit glitchy in some parts. "Ebb" allows the experimental instrumentation to flow nice and smoothly, while staying surreal. "Backwards Through the Greddo Compressor" is the 11-minute finale that almost sounds like the album is shortened and compressed. It's so different yet listenable! However, it probably won't help those people who put down the album change their minds.

Yeah, those unbelievers are better off elsewhere. The only people I would recommend this to are those up for a challenge through experimental noise-powered industrial metal, like I am now. Enjoy the weirdness!

Favorites: "Freak Now", "Peri Cynthion", "Happy Tantrum", "Backwards Through the Greddo Compressor"

From the capital city of Norway, Oslo, here's gothic industrial metal masters Gothminister! This project founded by Bjørn Alexander Brem became a full band when a fanbase started growing, a fanbase strengthened by their live shows and music. The band has recently made their comeback in rising pandemonium.

The band made a steady career with 6 albums spanning from 2003 to 2017. Then all was silent for 5 years, with no material released during then. It was a long wait...until over 3 months before this review, on October 21, the new album Pandemonium arrived, and the anticipation was totally worth it! With an intro and 10 songs at a span of 40 minutes, their lyrics of darkness and death can make your ears bleed in a pleasant and painless way.

Beginning this masterpiece is the sweet 35-second intro "Abgrund (Abyss)" that welcomes you to the dark industrial hellfire. The well-arranged and thriving title track is filled with epic industrial metal greatness! I'm glad that got me into the band alongside one of the songs from the previous album The Other Side. "Demons" has poppy synths, along with a catchy chorus that you can't resist. "Star" will get you hooked. The melody is an addictive throwback to the band's 2000s era that was more focused on electronics while still having a lot of metal.

Things start to build up slowly in "Sinister". Seducing you smoothly is "Kingdoms Rise". Then we have the sensational "Bloodride" that can make as thirsty for blood as a vampire. The heavier "Norge" is a doomy march of gloom that, in some ways, has possible potential to be the Norwegian anthem. Note that the title is Norwegian for their homeland of Norway, hence the potential.

Rapidly firing away, "Run Faster" has purely fast metal. "This is Your Darkness" empowers you as greatly as a certain game show. Then ending in a bang is the progressive "Mastodon", though not as progressive as the band Mastodon.

In conclusion, Pandemonium can surely unite the gothic-ish industrial metal fanbase with their catchy sound. Music listeners outside of metal may point out the band's aesthetic of evil darkness, but what they don't find when they don't try is the hopeful light in their compositions. It's just so incredible this compelling music they make. Worth the 5-year wait, the Norwegian dark industrial metal masters strike again!

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

Once I joined The Sphere clan and was given the privilege of assembling the monthly Sphere playlists, it was like a whole new world of industrial metal opened up for me! I started discovering many more bands of the genre than before, Gothminister being one of them. One of the songs from this album was what got me into that band, but I'll talk more about that song as the review goes on...

So how do I like industrial metal? Dark, but not overly accessible. The Other Side is a perfect example of that. Frontman Bjørn Alexander Brem has also been known to be a lawyer, and he can lead the pack to perform horror-themed live shows that would make Marilyn Manson or Alice Cooper watch in awe.

First up, "Ich Will Alles" (I Want It All) starts with a sad slow symphonic melody, then pounds into upbeat heavy industrial metal. Other than the title lyric, the song is sung in English. This pleases me because I can't really get used to the Neue Deutsche Härte of Rammstein that heavily depend on German lyrics. There are dark storytelling lyrics throughout, "Leaving God behind, because I have darkness on my mind." Perfect for an energetic goth-rock dance-club! Next up, "The Sun" continues the dark industrial metal sound with harmonic energy. Sure the lyrics can be deemed as satanic as Ghost, but the fierce yet catchy chorus and melodies turn the song into an earworm to make you forget its dark side. "Der Fliegende Mann" (The Flying Man) is symphonic industrial metal with a German chorus. "Aegir" is a different slow rock ballad.

"Red Christ" starts with bombastic symphonics and Front 242-esque synths, before rocking out into heavier territory with an anthemic chorus, "I’ve turned so blind but I feel future is coming." Rather prophetic if you think about the world today! That's also the song that got me into this band. It's so epic, just listen to believe! "We Are the Ones Who Rule the World" drives through with the guitar crunch and beat of Nine Inch Nails, and more lyrics about the world's political climate. The final minute includes a slow bridge and a poppy female vocalist singing the title. Another track, "All This Time" has dark philosophical lyrics.

"Day of Reckoning" is another symphonic industrial metal song. Then "Taking Over" has electro-industrial synths and harmonic female vocals taking over to nicely add to the ongoing sound. "Somewhere in Time" sounds so spooky, and I'm talking about the riffing and whispered baritone vocals. It's actually a melodic symphonic closer to this part of a dark industrial metal journey.

All in all, this album is an impressive favorite of mine in my Sphere collection, and I would suggest buying the CD if you can afford the full beautiful package. Pretty much every fan of the industrial metal of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson should get it. There's a lot to find at the Other Side!

Favorites: "Ich Will Alles", "The Sun", "Red Christ", "We Are the Ones Who Rule the World", "Somewhere in Time"

If you're about to listen to this album and read my review, let me say, congratulations on having the bravery of continuing your epic deathcore exploration after the incredible starter pack that is Lorna Shore's EP And I Return to Nothingness. If you decide to listen to their new album Pain Remains, while sleeping and absorbing it subconsciously, here's a quick warning. You're gonna witness, in your dream, change that has never happened in reality, so intense, that when you wake up, your pain remains. In the dream, you're the sleeping dreamer. The scenario I've made throughout this review will be your dream!

Lorna Shore had their own painful situation over two years ago that they have overcome. It started just a month before the release of their previous full album Immortal, when vocalist CJ McCreery was fired due to a scandal of abuse allegations (not clickbait), then most of their touring was cancelled due to the rising virus. However, the following year, the band wrote and release the EP And I Return to Nothingness with a new frontman Will Ramos, and for the first time in their over decade-long tenure, they've hit the stratosphere of global success! Fast forward to late 2022, their epic new album Pain Remains showed the band pushing their deathcore boundaries further. Keeping up the addition of symphonic black metal darkness and technical sludge-ish breakdown aggression into their epic deathcore sound, the anticipation is all worth it.

"Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer" begins with an ominous intro, where symphonic orchestra rises as if you were expecting Two Steps From Hell. Then at the top, the band strikes in a devastating touchdown, as the guitarists conjuring a searing riff storm raining down on you. A brutal breakdown chops you down to size, then sharp riffing once again decimates you while fitting well with the brilliant cinematics. The Sleeping Dreamer finds himself in a world that has been, and can be, designed using his own imagination. However, he falls into a world of nightmares that always changes to become worse than before and cannot be changed by the Dreamer himself until he can succumb to the possession, which he refuses to do. Driving further is "Into the Earth", with its frantic verses and dramatic chorus. The Dreamer has to shine like the sun, with the rays touching the dream Earth. However, he grows cold and crashes into the dream Earth, with vivid nightmarish hallucinations surrounding him and projecting into his mind, leaving him immobilized. "Sun//Eater" is the first single released for the album, and has psyched fans up with its furious fret force and mythological lyric themes. A young choir of angels appear, chanting "Kyrie eleison" ("Lord Have Mercy"), giving the Dreamer wings and the unlimited power to fight back the hallucinations. He flies back into space and, like Icarus, heads towards the sun, this time conquering and consuming it, regaining his shining power, now shining a colorless black-and-white light, a hint at his possession of evil slowly beginning.

One epic shining highlight is "Cursed to Die", in which the speed and precision from the band's rhythm section work like a charm. The breakdown fits well right in the middle of this epic glory without being abrupt. Despite all that power, the Dreamer starts to feel weaker and more fearful, believing that he might lose his legacy and be cursed to die. However, the evil within possesses him to continue what he was doing before, building up its legacy to the point where it still hasn't reached enough, decaying his soul greatly. The breakdowns in "Soulless Existence" have the same greatness as the previous track, invited in by the Lord of the Rings-like epicness and emotion. At this point, the Dreamer has lost 90% of his soul. The evil has greater control in him than before and begins melting the tundra and ice of the blackened dream Earth, flooding the whole world. The Dreamer's weak soul could only question the existence of himself and the world. Without showing off, in "Apotheosis", the technical speed in the drumming is so insanely impressive, keeping up the band's heavy fury. The evil within the Dreamer is now powerful enough to leave his body to continue its destruction of the dream Earth. The evil spirit boils the water and burns a hole into the dream Earth. The weak Dreamer falls into the hole and finds himself in the Labyrinth of Hell, which he must go through into the center to find the altar of power to regain his power, though at the risk of having his soul decay again. "Wrath" has more of this visceral fire from the rhythm section and is a f***ing heavy highlight overall, like probably the heaviest of the year! After praying at the altar, the Dreamer regains his infinite power and the missing part of his soul, and zooms back up to the surface to unleash his wrath on the evil spirit who's already burning the Dream Earth with his fire powers. As the battle goes on, the flames expand and cover more of the land, and the Dreamer is unaware of his soul decaying until he is struck down by the evil spirit.

At last, we've come to the coldest blizzard of this dark snowy journey, the 3-part title trilogy suite of grieving sorrow. The first part "Dancing Like Flames" is so d*mn beautiful. It's been referred to as a "deathcore ballad", and I kinda agree in the emotional sense. The Dreamer finds himself lying down in the flaming ground, in never-ending pain from the flames and the earlier strike-down from the evil spirit. All he could see is a ghostly image of a passed lover from the past. With little strength he has, he dances with the ghost in the flames before finally collapsing once more. He sees one last hallucination, the Grim Reaper telling him that it's his time to die. The suite continues seamlessly into the second part "After All I've Done, I'll Disappear", expanding the emotionality and adding in a little more intensity. The hammering instrumentation and vocals allow the band to shine in the symphonic black-deathcore realm. With only minutes left before the Dreamer's time to die, he realizes that after all he has done in his desperate attempt to protect the dream Earth, he will have to disappear, leaving behind what he failed to save, now having no meaning. His soul leaves his body and transcends out of the world that has reached its heating point and begins to disintegrate. He transcends through the astral plane. The climatic final part "In a Sea of Fire" is a highlight you can never skip. It shows the band at their most epic, then wraps it all up with a soft outro of ethereal atmosphere. Suddenly, the evil spirit grabs the transcending soul of the Dreamer, possesses him once more, and burns him away into nothingness. The evil spirit then burns away the remains of the Earth out of existence. With its own infinite power, he then proceeds to burn away the rest of the galaxy and the rest of the universe. In the end though, it all turns out to be a dream for the main character who then wakes up.

Pain Remains can be described as a lot of adjectives, more than just the decently overused "epic". With an intense production of complex instrumentation, dynamic vocals, and brilliant lyrics, all to marvel at, you're in for a fun remarkable deathcore treat. The early 2020s can be pretty much a new rising era for deathcore, all thanks to Lorna Shore taking out their pain on an immaculate masterpiece of a lifetime!

Favorites: "Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer", "Cursed to Die", "Soulless Existence", "Wrath", the complete "Pain Remains" trilogy ("Dancing Like Flames", "After All I've Done, I'll Disappear", "In a Sea of Fire")

You know me as a metalhead transcending through different metal genres, currently focused on metalcore, industrial metal, alternative metal, and progressive metal. Having been born in around the same year this band was formed, I was never around in the 80s, when the older guys grew up with genres such as classic heavy metal and the more melodic progressive metal. After trying to get into those earlier genres for some time, I realized that my heart is set for something more extreme, technical, and djenty...

So here I am, listening to this amazing band Mnemic, having sonic influences from Fear Factory and Soilwork, straight outta Denmark! After two albums, vocalist Michael Bøgballe was out, and Guillaume Bideau was in. There ended up being a bit more of a progressive/melodeath vibe added to their industrial/groove metal sound, which turned off some fans, but it never ceases to please me. Mnemesis is the band's final album before hiatus, and it continues the band's indirect aim to resonate with me, though with a more melodic twist in their metal, sounding like they've added some late 80s throwbacks into their futuristic sound. It's almost enough to make this a full-on gem!

Beginning this final leg of their journey is "Transcend", adding some solid Soilwork magic. "Valves" is one of the best tracks from this band, continuing the Strapping Young Lad-like blend of arena rock and extreme death riff-wrath/growls. And that massive fusion starts from the tasteful synth intro. "Junkies on the Storm" has some more of the heavy headbanging pace along with a chorus to be implanted into your head. Solid single "I've Been You" starts catchy in the intro that blasts off into the usual riff machinery and growls, leading to a melodic chorus you just gotta love. Another track "Pattern Platform" kicks their modern metal sound up a notch once again. You just gotta follow the patterns that fire this sh*t up.

Another favorite, the title track has some of that Scar Symmetry-like futuristic melodeath going on. But what really brings the band back to a time 25 years before this album is "There's No Tomorrow", the 6-minute epic that almost sounds like a power ballad ala Bon Jovi/Dokken. There's even a beautiful guitar soloing crescendo. Of course, the brutal growls are still in great passion. Following this "Haven at the End of the World", showing how impressive drummer Brian Larsen can be despite this album being his only one with the band. "Ocean of Void" might sound closer to nu metal, but there are some melodeath growls, plus some more of the classic sounding harmonies.

Now before we get to the grand finale, the bonus tracks are worth mentioning, starting with "A Matter of Choice", with fantastic extreme dissonance that includes another blazing solo. "Empty Planet" adds a bit of Voivod-like progressiveness and Silent Planet-like hardcore and atmosphere. "Synaesthesia" has a bit of a synth atmosphere. OK, now we can talk about the final "Blue Desert in a Black Hole", the closest to atmospheric progressive metal from this band, and a very interesting way to go out in a bang.

Mnemesis is what I can consider a happy ending to the band's career, but the aftermath ain't. One of the guitarists Victor-Ray Salomonsen Ronander left after a final show in November 2013, then the band went on hiatus and the other members pursued other paths. And recently, Bideau passed away suddenly, one of a few shocking tragic metal musician deaths in May 2022, one other being Trever Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder. Nonetheless, Mnemic's tenure was quite a home run, releasing amazing records after records, and they're simply good at blending different styles so skillfully. You won't regret getting into the zone of this band of modern legend!

Favorites: "Valves", "I've Been You", "Mnemesis", "There's No Tomorrow", "Haven at the End of the World", "A Matter of Choice", "Blue Desert in a Black Hole"

The consistent path of Mnemic continues! Vocalist Michael Bøgballe was with the band for their developing debut Mechanical Spin Phenomena and their superb sophomore The Audio Injected Soul. Then for their third album Passenger came the late Guillaume Bideau. He had done an outstanding job with his growls and cleans in that album, and did he keep it up in this album? Yes sir!

His amazing vocals are part of this satisfying plethora of djenty industrial/groove metal. In the music, there are solid heavy guitars and electronic soundscapes, all a great reason to consider this album underrated.

The opening title track brings back some of the band's earlier riff technicality especially in the fast thrashy verses, but they haven't forgotten about their more recent catchy choruses worth singing along to. "Diesel Uterus" is well-suited for my modern taste. "Mnightmare" is another heavy banger. "The Erasing" has some of the band's strongest groove with an interesting catchy riff after the chorus.

"Climbing Towards Stars" somehow reminds me of if they took Excessive Force's "Ride the Bomb" or Daft Punk's "Harder Better Faster Stronger" and transform either song into their own track of their usual style. Though it's not as forgettable as "March of the Tripods" that drags on into the end, but the high industrial metal quality is still up. "Fate" is another highlight that helps the band achieve what they need here. "Hero(in)" has some of the best elements of their sound, including a regular lead groove staying together with an irregular beat, arranging things in a more atmospheric fashion.

"Elongated Sporadic Bursts" seems to drag on longer than it should, but it still works a bit well. "Within" is another well-accomplished feat, where the nice melody is in engaging contrast with the heavy groove. "Orbiting" adds a bit of Voivod-like progressiveness and Zao-like mid-tempo hardcore into the usual industrial/groove metal mix. However, if you're getting any one of the bonus track editions, I should warn you, "Dreamjunkie" is mostly some mainstream-sounding junk that shall stay as a bonus track.

Once again, Mnemic proved themselves to be a monstrous cauldron of influences from Fear Factory and Meshuggah. I think one real regret this band has is not having as much recognition as they should have, which I guess is one reason for their split, though not before one more album. Take on the system!

Favorites: "Sons of the System", "Mnightmare", "The Erasing", "Fate", "Hero(in)", "Within"

Mnemic (the Greek word for "memory" and an acronym for 'Mainly Neurotic Energy Modifying Instant Creation') has packed pummeling punches during their 15-year existence. They've built up quite an audience with their demos and first two albums, including The Audio Injected Soul with its blend of speed, texture, and aggression.

Passenger takes a twist in the step with ex-Scarve vocalist Guillaume Bideau (RIP), along with Christian Olde Wolbers of Fear Factory in production work. The album takes on human entropy in emotional, psychological, and spiritual directions, something already discovered in Stanley Kubrick's Space Odyssey. Lots of prophetic inspirations in the themes! Drummer Brian Rasmussen blasts forward in time with his volcanic drum kit, with more variation than The Who.

"Humanaut" is the two-minute intro that blasts off into the industrial metal chaos of Circle of Dust and Strapping Young Lad right away. "In the Nothingness Black" has beautiful vocal harmonies and keyboards to keep you hooked. "Meaningless" attacks with great guitar dueling that marks a new addition to the evolution of the band and modern metal. "Psykorgasm" has powerful riffing with a beautiful melody to go along with it. The shape of time is changed with barely any effort. You can also hear a vicious guest appearance from Carcass frontman Jeff Walker.

The intro of the vicious "Pigf***" is insane, and so is the switch to more of the Meshuggah-like industrial death/thrash influences. "In Control" demonstrates the greatness of Bideau, especially in the powerful melodic chorus. Things get a bit unremarkable in "Electric ID Hypocrisy", but it still works. "Stuck Here" is so progressive, I wouldn't be surprised if that's part of the motive for the direction Dir En Grey would later take.

"What's Left" once again lacks some interest, but the band manages to maintain their loudness. "Shape of the Formless" once again pushes the Fear Factory/Strapping Young Lad influences they're known for. Making up a lot for the slight bit of mediocrity in two of the earlier songs, the closing epic "The Eye on Your Back" is bound to keep you awake with its cycling through some of the best vocals, keyboards, and riffs in this offering. The power that makes up most of Passenger is revisited, while not as Meshuggah-infused as their earlier albums. There's also a killer bonus track "Zero Synchronized".

"Passenger" has that intellectual emotion going on throughout that has kept Mnemic on the metal map. They've had their place in the industrial/groove metal realm that they didn't perfectly seal in the beginning but had since built it up to how it is that would still be praised 15 years forward!

Favorites: "In the Nothingness Black", "Meaningless", "In Control", "Stuck Here", "Shape of the Formless", "The Eye on Your Back"

Denmark is probably the quietest country in Scandinavia when it comes to metal. Not that it ever was quiet, but the amount of metal bands there isn't as huge as Norway, Sweden, and Finland. There are a couple prominent death metal bands hailing from there, Hatesphere and Illdisposed, along with the scene branching out into the death-doom of Saturnus, the progressive power metal of Wuthering Heights, and finally, the modern industrial/groove metal of Mnemic. Their smashing debut Mechanical Spin Phenomena is a great start of a journey for the band and their listeners, but if you're looking for something to perfectly seal that deal, prepare for the Audio Injected Soul!

Mnemic's futuristic metal sound once again has thrashy chaos and atmospheric power added to the mix. There's slightly more originality compared to the debut that had heavy amounts of Meshuggah influence, now forming together the band's original style. You can recognize the fun storming riffs and wonderful harmonic melodies. The vocals by Michael Bøgballe keep things all in place, though he would leave the band the following year.

We start off the album with "The Audio Injection", a short intro recorded using the band's special AM3D technology. "Dreamstate Emergency" follows as a straight-up banger. Heaviness is totally on their agenda here, though there's a soothing chorus before more of the riff attack. The ultimate anthem for the band in a nutshell! "Door 2.12" keeps up the wild pace. Its chorus is one of the best here and is definitely worth your money if you're buying it. "Illuminate" has some things drowned out, but it's not bad at all and has kept the album's perfection up.

Released as a single, "Deathbox" has tons of madness to be injected in your mind and soul, especially in the AM3D technology. "Sane vs. Normal" has some more wild heavy wackiness, though with a serial killer lyrical theme ("I made the mistakes I couldn’t afford to make, Hell, they even knocked on my door because they found a dead girl in the lake"). More personality is included in "Jack Vegas", including the dialogue performed by Bøgballe in multiple vocal styles.

Shooting the target further is "Mindsaver". Then there's more atmosphere in "Overdose in the Hall of Fame". It's unfortunate that "The Silver Drop" doesn't stand out the way it should, but the perfect of the album is kept intact. In saying that, you might think my reaction to the band covering the Duran Duran hit "Wild Boys" wouldn't be pretty. And the truth is, nothing is spoiled! It's another pleasant example of a band metalizing a pop hit to be way better than the original. However, it's not as spectacular as the highlights of the album, while still a wild fun ride.

The Audio Injected Soul is an album to recommend for the wildest metalheads out there. It's so interesting how catchy and melodic this album is while having the usual heavy chaos. This is modern thrashy industrial/groove metal that fans of Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, and Machine Head should get into. A standout in the trek of Denmark's finest band of modern futuristic metal!

Favorites: "Dreamstate Emergency", "Door 2.12", "Deathbox", "Jack Vegas", "Overdose in the Hall of Fame"

I love this blend of progressive metal and thrashy technical speed metal. I can get the fun wackiness of prog and speed metal's eponymous aspect without having too much of either side. This album was made by an innovative group of talented musicians, wearing their sound with pride but not too much pride, and it's really impressive. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a serious start to the technical side of metal that we know today!

The bassist and guitarist work well like a duo, a possible inspiration for that kind of aspect in later bands. The thrash-like guitar riffing and bass tones fit like a glove, despite the difference in octave, and even more so in the interplay between searing leads and bass harmonies. I'm not super into Halford-like falsetto vocals so much right now, but the ones here have spot-on beauty. Barely any other vocal style can fit into this kind of album. And MAN, these are some mighty drum skills. I wish my family didn't give away an electronic drum kit I once had, so I can continue learning that instrument. You never have to rewind because all those instruments can be engraved in your mind.

The tracklisting is different in some editions, but for this one I'm reviewing, "Violent Change" starts off with a thrashy riff of violent energy. It's different from what you would expect in the mid-80s, with the drums and vocals sounding punky before rising close to classic heavy metal. It's insane how groundbreaking this album was when it was released in 1985, and you can understand the NWOBHM elements they've had there. And there's a lot of vocal power in that chorus! "Asylum" has one of the best solos here, near the two-minute mark, and would make you wanna repeat that part. It's those instrumental sections where the guitar and bass jam all over the place, and the drums tag along for the ride. That can also occur in the beginning of one of two 6-minute epics, "Tyrants of Distress", another one of the best here with great verses and chorus.

"Social Fears" has thunders in with an ominous bass line and a riff that's catchy as h*ll. More of the amazing bass comes in a short solo after the chorus. The title track picks up the speed, and it has the best of all the instruments and vocals. Seriously, these guys have done a splendid job keeping up the expectations required for an album's title track. Prepare to get blown away by the bass solo near the 3-minute point! The following track "Argonne Forest" slows down the pace a bit, and tells a story about the Forest of Argonne's role in the first World War. A catchy bridge shows the guitar heading high into frantic soloing, bringing back some of the speed.

Next up, "Cimmerian Shadows" has a slower pace and lower vocals than the rest. While the aforementioned title track is the highest point, this one is the lowest and almost comes out as bland. Still it doesn't affect the album's perfect glory. "Meltdown" makes up for that by a ton as perhaps the second-best of the album, with fast tempo, an unforgettable chorus, and incredible soloing. It's probably one of the first ever songs by the band, recorded a couple years prior for a compilation.

It's many progressive/technical metalheads' dream to have this band as teachers for music lessons. Energetic Disassembly is an album that's so ahead of our time and showed the band assembling the genres we know as progressive metal and technical speed metal. Consider your mind blown!

Favorites: "Violent Change", "Tyrants of Distress", "Energetic Disassembly", "Meltdown"

A lot happened in the months between the recording and release of this album. While waiting for its release date to be decided, Lorna Shore began touring with other bands in support of the album with ex-Signs of the Swarm vocalist CJ McCreery. He recorded vocals for the album, and the band released 5 singles in advance. Then when a scandal of abuse allegations involving McCreery occurred, caused by the Weinstein effect, he was fired. The band wasn't sure about releasing the album at first, but I'm glad they done so. All drama aside, Immortal is the start of Lorna Shore's perfect streak, and one of the greatest deathcore releases on Earth! The best of their previous releases have been given deeper personality and a more atmospheric background, so sinister and ethereal. With that along with the brutal breakdowns and symphonic black metal influences, this would give the band a spot in the deathcore hall of fame (there is one now!).

Deathcore has crucial aspects for records of that genre. You need technical atmosphere and heavy aggression in careful balance so the heavier listeners can praise it. Lorna Shore have proceeded in the perfecting that mix for Immortal, and it's no secret. They were slowly building up symphonic black/melodeath elements into their deathcore throughout their powerful tenure, and this release has marked the perfect prominent point for those elements, leaving their earlier releases to lower their heads in regret.

Unleashing that aspect right off the bat, the epic powerful title opener is a surefire deathcore highlight! McCreery lets out every vocal style he could possibly do throughout a thick sea of brutal glory. "Death Portrait" is a brutal work of splendor to fit well with a dangerous battle against demons on top of a snow mountain under a solar eclipse. An excellent mental masterpiece! "This Is Hell" is a heavy onslaught bursting through the gates of Hell, unleashing more demons, running as fast as the immaculate insanity of drummer Austin Archey. His amazing skill has grown since Flesh Coffin, shining in many songs like that one, alongside breakdowns bursting through in full force. McCreery's brutal vocals can get you hooked from start to finish.

Next track "Hollow Sentence" is a brilliant vocal battle between the growling of the one-man army that is McCreery vs. a multi-person choir, almost like a vocal exchange. There are huge dramatic theatrics while staying menacing. The riffing is also impressive, alternating between the slow breakdown and sledgehammering sections. "Warpath of Disease" continues that vocal technique, alongside brilliant fretwork and riff immolation from the two guitarists. The vocals once again have catchy hellfire. "Misery System" has the most impressive technicality in the album.

In "Obsession", the guitars sound so ethereal that the brutality is mostly in the drumming. At this point, you might find a bit of repetition in the album, especially in the vocals, with all this savagery leaving you numb, but honestly, that's just what the genre wants to convince you to think. I can still find a heavy amount of creativity here and face the enemy head-on despite what can be considered too similar. McCreery keeps up his regurgitating-like vocals in "King ov Deception" (again with the black metal "v" spelling), and I mean that in a great way. "Darkest Spawn" is another epic highlight with vocals pulverizing like a motherf***er. That song along with the earlier "This is Hell" were the first two singles for the album and with McCreery as vocalist, so those tracks make a great heavy starter duo. "Relentless Torment" shows the band going out in skillful fury. You get to hear the last of McCreery's catchy yet brutal vocals in this offering. Honestly, I'm the kind of person who doesn't directly associate art with artist, so I prefer to enjoy his vocals without thinking too much about the atrocious things he had done.

Lorna Shore has made an impressive leap into a different era, beginning with Immortal, a bleak brutal journey. This is Lorna Shore's way of starting the new decade in a bang, an immolating offering relentless heaviness and gloom. Despite being a decade later than Oceano and Whitechapel, this band shall be immortal in the deathcore realm!

Favorites: "Immortal", "Death Portrait", "Hollow Sentence", "Misery System", "Darkest Spawn"

Lorna Shore has shown a lot of potential that I can finally witness thanks to my brother recommending this band to me. Straight outta New Jersey, this band unleashed some of the most immensely talented deathcore around beginning with 2015's Psalms, and while that album is superb, a couple tracks were dragged down by the cliche overthinking of breakdowns. Would they make their next album solid and in a greater level?...

H*ll yeah, they did! Flesh Coffin continues the technical atmosphere and furious groove of Psalms with slight cleanup and enhancement. Of course, they were the same band that they were in their debut, while slowly building up their greatness.

"Offering of Fire" already proves the band's strength that has never withered, including vocalist Tom Barber, straight from the first verse. After all that crushing aggression in the first track, shining more with shredding soloing is "Denounce the Light". Next up, "The Astral Wake of Time" shows non-stop decimating speed in the drumming skill. Absolute blistering technicality in that one!

The rhythm section of bass and drums continues to dominate in the complex "Desolate Veil". Up next is "Fvneral Moon" (looks like they're using the black metal "v" spelling), which is such a great highlight. There are two breakdowns that would burst out of nowhere and crush your bones, then you're pulled back into speedy soloing and fantastic riffing. A much better balance than that small fraction of their debut! "Void" shows the guitar duo hammering their skills hard. Adam De Micco and Connor Deffley reign as one of the best duos in deathcore, though Deffley's time with the band would end after this album. Some of the catchiest lyrics and verses appear in "Infernum".

"The//Watcher" (what's with those slashes?!?) expands on the band's symphonic black metal influences that they would have more of in subsequent albums while keeping the "-core" part of their sound in mind. A fantastic highlight with wonderful background melody! "Black Hollow" displays more of Barber's incredible vocal range, enduring more professional energy than many of the more famous heavy bands. The brutal title closing anthem can cut you to the bone, all the way to the last of Barber's growls.

There's no doubt than Flesh Coffin has shown the band reigning as one of the best blackened-ish deathcore bands in the late 2010s, probably more than Carnifex, with technicality and melody added to the darkness. There's almost nothing disappointing about Lorna Shore, and even then they can improve. Here's to more of their excellence!

Favorites: "Offering of Fire", "The Astral Wake of Time", "Fvneral Moon", "The//Watcher", "Flesh Coffin"

Life falls apart, death is your only way, your fate lies in higher power, and no matter how much divine salvation you pray for, you can't escape the brutal intense apocalypse... This is Hell! Psalms is a crushing deathcore offering of infinite power unleashed by Lorna Shore to the world. Only those brave enough to dive into the deepest darkest depths of heaviness can access all that deathcore has to offer.

Anyone who has followed the band since their EP trio of Triumph, Bone Kingdom, and Maleficium knows the heaviness to come. Psalms is perhaps the heaviest start of the band's true adventure, adding brutal breakdowns with technical twists. Drummer Austin Archey has pretty much the ultimate death metal/core weapon.

Archey is already dominating with his arsenal in "Grimoire", boldly kicking through drum patterns and cymbals. An excellent opener! And you can hear the shouts and growls from vocalist Tim Barber from the start. "Harvest Realms" is another excellent dynamic track containing shredding soloing balanced with aggressive breakdowns. "Throne of Worms" has some slight filler, but it's still quite good.

The vicious "White Noise" is an anthem of deathcore devastation, with drums kicking and smashing skulls like cannonballs launched into the face. Guiding Archey along in the assault is founding bassist Gary Herrera, providing heavy patterns in synchronization. More of the wonderful drum kicking is included in "From the Pale Mist". Punishing death metal riffing are in a brilliant mix with brutal breakdowns. "Infernal Haunting" continues that excellent combo, though the breakdown lacks its need buildup. "Death Gowns" has some relevant moments, while sounding noticeably similar to Thy Art is Murder at that time.

"Wretching in Torment" unleashes its might in its 30-second intro than drops into a breakdown like a car screeching into a brutal crash. Although it's a great track, it might work better live. "Traces of Supremacy" makes amends for those slight mistakes in sinister fury. "Eternally Oblivion" is the 5-minute epic where the guitarists roam and Barber lets out his echoing yelling and growling that can almost rival The Black Dahlia Murder's Trevor Strnad (RIP).

Lorna Shore has made some of the heaviest deathcore magic-craft that is learnable for the new generation of music. With dark atmosphere, technical melodeath-like riffing, and sludge-ish breakdowns, the heavier fans can gather around for a moshing party filled with this punishing aggression. You can't be spared from the deathcore inferno!

Favorites: "Grimoire", "Harvest Realms", "White Noise", "From the Pale Mist", "Eternally Oblivion"

Maleficium is the 3rd Lorna Shore EP and last one before the band was signed to Density Records and began making full albums. It is one of the most brutal releases they've ever done, only for fans of the band and the genre brave enough to go down the back roads. Here they're already hinting at the Lorna Shore we all have known.

Deathcore was pretty much dying in the 2010s, and any band of the genre back then had to resort to something unique that had barely been done before. Diverse vocalist? Check. Speedy drummer? Check. What's left? Oh yeah... Every member has to have that level of professionality to give this sound a punch. And throw in some new and different aspects like ambient background keyboards. Just make sure deathcore/metal fans have what they want to stick around for these pummeling 20 minutes.

Opening track "Godmaker" has it all in 4 and a half minutes of perfection. Ominous ambience creeps in throughout the first minute, then they launch into relentless riffing, blast-beats, and bass bounces. And there's more of that to come! We hear a bit of the floating keys in "Cre(h)ate". The song is quite decent. Not the best, but I've heard worse.

The best of the extreme vocals of Tom Barber comes in the title track. The soloing helps make it another standout. "Born in Blood" has heavy breakdown and deathly growls without ever calming down. "Accumulatory Genophage" ends the offering with some of the strongest drumming and darkest soloing around. The lyrics and vocals can remind some of Whitechapel and Thy Art is Murder because of how brutal they are, "So say goodbye to your father, your mother, your sisters and your brothers".

Even a short EP like Maleficium can be destructive, though I prefer the blend of epic and extreme that would come up in their later albums, more glorious than the last. Still if you're up for Lorna Shore at their most brutal, this EP is the right call....

Favorites: "Godmaker", "Maleficium", "Accumulatory Genophage"

After a decent yet rough start with the more metalcore-fueled Triumph, Bone Kingdom severs the band's ties with that genre for just pure technical deathcore. It's better and more worth repeated listening, but I think some songs could've had a bit of excessiveness trimmed to reach the higher levels of subsequent Lorna Shore releases.

I say the songs are all pretty good, though not worth detailed mentioning. However, I have a couple songs I wanna talk about that I can give as many spins to as their later material, starting with "Life of Fear". The song was the band's first exposure to internet fame when it was featured in one of those YouTube cat videos (popular before the reign of pop music videos). Truly a killer favorite deathcore track of mine! The title track is quite awesome too.

Alongside the change of sound, the production is better improved and has more impact. The structure is less formulaic and would shape up the uniqueness the band would later obtain in the later part of their discography. It's still a little far away from that though....

Favorites: "Life of Fear", "Bone Kingdom"

Epic deathcore heroes Lorna Shore began as more of a death/metalcore band in a similar vein to The Acacia Strain and Emmure, maybe even the heavier songs of Parkway Drive and Bring Me the Horizon at that time, in their debut EP Triumph. Those other bands have done it much better than this sh*t though. Keeping things decent is the vocal work by Tom Barber who was the original vocalist before he switched to Chelsea Grin in 2018. The album cover is beautiful too. I can jam out to the vicious "Second Skin". But everything else doesn't sound all that great. I'm a f***ing lot more used to their later sound that would start to shape up in the next EP Bone Kingdom onward....

Favorites (only song I really like): "Second Skin"

While Empire of Dark Salvation is Gothminister's breakthrough and my favorite album from their electro era, Happiness in Darkness is better known to the rest of the world. The music from that album is definitely worth playing clubs from dusk to dawn. Anima Inferna is a great transition from that era into a new one, one with a more expanding sound and a lot of new surprises...

Utopia showed Gothminister gaining higher ground than before! New stuff has been added to their dark gothic industrial metal such as more accessible pop elements, in a way that increases their audience instead of decreasing.

The intro "The New Beginning" is indeed a sign of the beginning of a new era, though it could do without the baby crying. "Someone Is After Me" is an action-packed hit for the dance floor. Powerful strength comes from the beat and melody. You'll never be bored when you listen to this amazing action. The title track is a great catchy example of the gothic-infused industrial metal I prefer. "March" is a short march to the next track.

The freaky "Horrorshow" really dominates. Exploring the next track "Nightmare", there are nice gothic melodies, but the spoken bridge midway through kind of ruins the vibe. The song "Afterlife" may seem cliche in the title, though it's a more serious track. "Helldemon" is more cliche in the interlude itself, but it's fine.

At some points in "All Alone", the storytelling can remind some of King Diamond's concept albums, yet the sound has more simple catchy melodies and sounds far closer to Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar than King Diamond's Abigail. "Purgatory" is one more orchestral interlude. "Eternal" isn't the best song here, but still listenable. Towards the end is the excellent "Raise the Dead". And finally, "Boogeyman" finishes the album as a complex entertaining 6-minute epic.

Utopia is clearly something I would recommend to fans of gothic-infused industrial metal. It can certainly please you to the bitter end. It's been an interesting journey through Gothminister's discography so far, and it continues!

Favorites: "Someone Is After Me", "Utopia", "Horrorshow", "All Alone", "Raise the Dead", "Boogeyman"

The dark journey of Gothminister continues on, and I'm already midway through what they've had so far. I think you can consider Anima Inferna the transition album between the two surrounding 3 albums eras; the electro side and the epic side.

Whichever era the band is in, they've been engraved to the stone of Norwegian dark industrial metal. Bjørn Alexander Brem enjoys doing what he loves. However, he thought about becoming a lawyer again after feeling like he achieved enough from his electro-era trilogy. Luckily, he didn't stop! He still felt up for some more music to create. He knows how to make a living while doing he and his fanbase love.

The album opener "Stonehenge" begins with heavy guitar crunch and interesting synth harmonies. Then the guitars calm down to let Brem's baritone vocals shine. Sounds quite evil for a then-recently-married and domestically happy man, proving his ability to maintain the earlier darkness. Optimistic lyrics ain't gonna make the gloomy vocals fade away in this battle of life and death. The album's single "Liar" has an electro-synth intro that expands through the guitars and vocals. Brem has excellent vocal range and harmonic effect. The track drives through in the beat and melody. Next track "Juggernaut" starts with guitar that again fades slightly for Brem's vocals. After being primarily guitar-focused, the buildup makes a calm descent into the atmosphere of synths and strings.

"616" switches again to an interesting synth intro before the guitar and drum strength comes again. Brem's vocals become grittier and deeper, similar to the earlier albums, that wasn't heard in this album until that point. The electro-synths fully dominate in "Solitude", while Brem's moody voice and driving percussion make their entrance, balanced out by the guitar. That's probably one of the darkest tracks with the most electronic synths. "The Beauty of Fanatism" sounds much different with higher melody. Brem's vocals remind you that there's more to expect than that song innocent melody. The beat eventually picks up, and there's more aggressive mood in the lyrics. There's pretty much epic evolution in that creative composition! The title track opens with a faint male operatic chant, then a drum beat marches in alongside symphonic strings. Brem's vocals have dynamic fury as usual. The music fits well and gives you the right amount of attention.

The interlude "Fade" transitions out of that track in orchestral fashion. Then it leads into the next track "Beast" which almost has the evilness of blackened death metal, but is really just a melodic song with more singing in the band's usual style. Wrapping things off is the outro "Hell Opens the Gates", subtly transitioning from the previous track with simple synth and barely any percussion. After some vocal sample effects, an evil voice ends it all. There's also a bonus remix of "Liar" which, while sounding way different from the original track, works quite well.

Anima Inferna is quite excellent, with every full song working smoothly, though it would've been perfect without the somewhat pointless interludes. It's quite short at just 40 minutes, so there should've been more. Nonetheless, the vocal range is brilliantly mixed with the electro-industrial metal sound. It's just so good with astonishing melodies! If you enjoy Gothminister's earlier electro trilogy, you'll be up to hearing the sound leveled up. And if you're new to this band, let me tell you, the legendary greatness is real!

Favorites: "Stonehenge", "Liar", "616", "The Beauty of Fanatism", "Anima Inferna"

"Happiness in Darkness" is the perfect ending to the perfect offering that is Gothminister's second album Empire of Dark Salvation. Would they expand on that sound in their third album named after that track? Let's find out, shall we?...

Bjørn Alexander Brem was once a lawyer, similar to Stephan Pastis before his main job as the creator of comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Brem's main job is being the leader of band spawning out of a side project, Gothminister. The debut Gothic Electronic Anthems was a hit with the critics, but it wasn't until Empire of Dark Salvation when they became one of, if not THE, biggest gothic industrial metal touring acts. This band has really proven to us that there's... Happiness in Darkness!

The band relentlessly hits the club with opening single "Dusk Till Dawn", picking up where they left off with industrial rock/metal guitars with monumental orchestra. What's really good for this song is the chorus with top-notch vocals from Brem. "Darkside" ascends with gloomy choir atmosphere before powerful drumming, alongside more of the hard-hitting guitars and orchestra. "Your Saviour" is the first of 3 songs in the album to feature the serene vocals of former the Crest/Theatre of Tragedy vocalist Neil Sigland. I could also hear a bit of the synths that are somehow reused by Dead by April.

The next track "Freak" is interesting and rather, well, freaky. Following this is "Sideshow" with an opening audio sample of a circus ringmaster, "We didn’t lie to you folks, we told you we had living, breathing monstrosities." The strings from that sample segue into brand-new mighty strings, pushing forward with the heavy drumming. The softer melodic "The Allmighty" is a nice surprise intermission, with only Sigland singing, sounding like a medieval princess.

"Beauty After Midnight" has a darker heavier sound, similar to Motionless in White's more industrial works but without any of the metalcore screaming. The ballad-like track "Emperor" is still a rocker at times while progressing through the band's softer side, along with the last of Sigland's vocals. "Mammoth" is one mammoth of a song in the more dynamic parts. "Thriller" is superb cover of that Michael Jackson hit, though it's clear that Brem is straining beyond his limits. There's an extended version that's twice as long and includes part of the original narration by Vincent Price.

Gothminister continue their right path, as Happiness in Darkness pleases both old and new fans. It's so catchy with barely anything flat. That's great value needed for an album of gothic-esque industrial metal!

Favorites: "Dusk Till Dawn", "Darkside", "Sideshow", "Beauty After Midnight", "Thriller"

The more commercial music listeners might think of Gothminister as nothing but a horrifying freakshow, but the more open-minded metalheads like myself recognize their brave talent. Bjørn Alexander Brem was once a lawyer, and his wife Sandra Jensen is an artist photographer. As for the other 4 members, they were already producing music and performing in other bands. Bound to be a winning offering, Empire of Dark Salvation can be seen as the Trivium Ascendancy sophomore breakthrough of gothic industrial metal! It's a grand step up from their 2003 debut that is still pretty great.

Manning the co-mixing is Stefan Glaumann, known for his production work with Rammstein, Within Temptation, and Paradise Lost. Empire Of Dark Salvation has a dark powerful sound, helped by the occasional spooky vocals of the angelic Miss "Dementia" Jensen, along with keyboard atmosphere by Halfface. With guitarists Android and Maschine, and drummer Chris Dead, the loud unforgettable instrumentation impresses us, accompanying the vocals of the main star Mr. "Gothminister" Brem!

"Dark Salvation" opens the album big, really big! It serves as kind of a prologue to the album's story that actually starts with the interlude "Welcome". The best track for me is "Monsters", worth adding gothic-ish industrial metal to a club. "The Calling" has some cyber-industrial elements that I wouldn't be surprised if Northlane used for Obsidian.

"Daughter of S" is a strange interlude of a satanic trial for child murder or something. I really like "Forgotten", what else can I say? "Nachtzehrer" is another weird yet satisfying gothic-infused industrial metal treat. Not the best one here, with all the eeriness going on, but it still works like a charm. "Leviathan" once again has some electronics that reminds me of what trance-metalcore band Crossfaith uses.

"Swallowed by the Earth" is more atmospheric. I wouldn't say it's as atmospheric as bands like The Ocean, but I'm referring specifically to Halfface's keyboard atmosphere, along with wild soloing from those synths. "We Die In Dreams" is another standout hit. However, right after such a hit, again there's a brief interlude, "Gates of Salvation", that leads straight to the next song. "Happiness In Darkness" is the perfect ending track to make you happy in the midst of lyrics telling a tale of the end of the world as everything dies and decays out of existence. There are also a couple bonus electronic remixes, for "Monsters" and "Swallowed by the Earth".

Gothminister is the dark devil that the more angelic music listeners out there really need to balance out their lives. Throughout these exactly 40 minutes, you can travel all around this gothic world of darkness. And there are more reviews to come for the rest of their stellar discography!

Favorites: "Dark Salvation", "Monsters", "Forgotten", "Swallowed by the Earth", "We Die In Dreams", "Happiness In Darkness"

I think electronics in some metal genres stand out. While there a few bands out there that sound too poppy or dark, it all works well in a good balance. Gothminister can be considered the metallic equivalent to dark pop bands like Unheilig and Wolfsheim.

There's a lot more to expect in Gothminister's material. The album title Gothic Electronic Anthems says it all; electro-goth industrial metal with a few beautiful atmospheric ballads. It's so unique for me to listen to! This band can master the coherent concepts of these songs at such ease. They wouldn't fully perfect their sound until Empire of Dark Salvation, but it's quite promising in this debut.

"Gothic Anthem" is a prime example of this kick-A gothic-influenced industrial metal sound. And you never really have to be Satanic or Goth or swear to make or even listen to music like this. The music is what's supposed to matter. The anthemic single "Angel" is totally worth hitting the charts and being used for clubs. "The Holy One" is also quite decent. "Pray" has more of the atmospheric electronics. There's quite some nostalgia for 80s electronic dancers, while adding in the sinister 90s sound of Marilyn Manson. Take that one to a club!

"The Possession" is an ominous interlude. Then comes the second single "Devil". It's slightly darker than the other single "Angel", adding to the "Devil vs. Angel" motive. The slow side begins with the soft "Shadow of Evil Sins". However, the better "Hatred" smashes through as industrial dance-metal that should really make a hit.

The slow decent "March of the Dead" really leads the listeners through up to the ending buildup. "Wish" has soft female vocals by Nell Sigland, former lead vocalist of bands the Crest and Theatre of Tragedy. "Post Ludium" is one more beautiful electronic ballad of bittersweet dreams. It really has the romantic goth vibe of HIM. So cool! The edition of the album that appears in the rest of Europe has a bonus club remix of "Angel".

If you're looking for a band like Umbra et Imago but more industrial and less sexually dominating, Gothminister is that star in the dark skies of goth. Their debut Gothic Electronic Anthems is a solid versatile start to this band's journey, and listeners of many genres might dig most of it. But I'm prepared for the better in their next offering....

Favorites: "Gothic Anthem", "Angel", "Pray", "Devil", "Hatred", "Post Ludium"

Skillet is part of the league of alt-rock/metal bands my brother likes and I used to before starting my TRUE metal interest. Little did I know until now, frontman John Cooper and guitarist Seth Morrison started their own spin-off project Fight the Fury!

As those Christian rockers continue to rise in mainstream fame, the fans wanted to hear more of the sonic heavy compositions from their golden mid-/late 2000s. There's no chance of returning to that kind of power those earlier followers really want, but this project formed by Mr. Cooper and Morrison provided a more metallic alternative. Their debut EP, and so far only release, Still Breathing has some mixed results; a bit of a letdown while still enjoyable in a couple songs.

The opener "My Demons" is very energetic. This is probably the heaviest to come from any of John Cooper's bands since Skillet's Collide. However, the lyrics have too much embarrassing drama, "I go to sleep with my demons, creep in my head every night. They come to shred all my dreams, why why why is this my life? I can't, I can't close my eyes". Fortunately, the heaviness makes up for that. "Dominate Me" is just intolerable with the lyrics too overwhelming, "This is how you dominate every part of me, yeah, it's okay, dominate me! Teach me not to misbehave, I can be a slave".

The fantastic "Still Burning" restores grace for the EP, once again reminding me of Collide and the heavier direction Skillet should've taken after that album. The lyrics in the song are a great improvement compared to the earlier weakness. "I Cannot" satisfies me once again. However, the "I cannot live, I cannot breathe" chorus is an unoriginal flashback to Skillet's Comatose musically and its title track lyrically. There's too much similarity between the final "Lose Hold Of It All" and Skillet's Awake single "Monster".

Honestly, Still Breathing sounds too awkward in the lyrics and occasional throwbacks to the earlier Skillet songs. Other than that, it's a short fun listen for Skillet fans wanting more of what John Cooper has to offer. And if you're new to his works, only a couple songs are worth your entrance. Still I gotta show this my Skillet-fan brother....

Favorites (only ones I like here): "My Demons", "Still Burning"

After finding out that today (as of this review) is the 25th anniversary of two obscure yet relevant Revolution releases with one of them being that Damaged album I've reviewed, here's the other release, Crisis' The Hollowing! Their fanbase is divided by female vocalist Karyn Crisis. She can go all over over the place with her vocal range, from operatic highs to tough rasps to brutal death growls. Add in some pig-squealing and this album would be in deathcore territory, though fortunately that's not the case.

Her voice is a d*mn essential element for Crisis that helped them stand out, but what about the other aspects? The lyrics are written in multiple perspectives guided by her vocals. As for the music, f***ing h*ll, this is more than just metalcore! It's mixed with the sludge metal that you might find in bands like Eyehategod, along with pieces of thrash/death/doom/hard rock here and there. All of this has shown the band at its best; not too accessible, yet not too repetitive or bizarre. And it's a great step up in my ongoing metalcore search, despite not having this band in plan before finding this release in the Anniversaries page.

First track "Mechanical Man" opens the heaviness for business, a fast kick-A standout! "In the Shadow of the Sun" almost has the melodic death-doom vibe of Insomnium, while mainly standing by the sludge metalcore sound. Same thing for "Fires of Sorrow", though more sinister. "The Vision and the Verity" has good lyrics, "I cut out my heart, just the other day, held it in my hand, said it doesn't work that well anyway". See, nothing gory or satanic, despite what outsiders might believe. There's also cool guitar here.

One of the best songs here, "Kingdom's End" is amazing, especially the one-minute outro. Cool guitar distortion interplaying with the vocals repeating a f***ing brilliant lyric, "when this chemical lung gives out, I'll be living at my body's mercy". After that is the soothing intermission, "After the Flood", with construction-like background sounds. "Sleeping the Wicked" has helped put the band neck in neck with Candiria as the most experimental standard metalcore band of the late 90s. But if you think the band sounds awesome there, check out the next track...

"Surviving the Siren" is the greatest of the bunch, with every one of Karyn's vocal styles here; operatic singing, monstrous growling, and banshee-like shrieking. The lyrics seem to twist around The Odyssey, specifically the part with the sirens, in which lust can lead to doom. The drumming gets crazier and descends into chaos as the song progresses, and the only light in the darkness is the beautiful chorus sung by Karyn. You really gotta stick around for that song and have it stick to you! "Take the Low Road" is the last total highlight, having solid death/thrash elements, especially in the drumming. Another underrated track! "Discipline of Degradation" continues the slow metalcore sound similar to the more groove-ish side of Earth Crisis. "Come to Light" is the instrumental finale, then it's followed by a pointless hidden track of studio outtakes.

All in all, I say the only reason this band had a bad rep is because of those 80s metal/grind purists out there. Don't believe them! The Hollowing is filled with great music and evocative atmosphere. Karyn Crisis can almost surpass Julie Christmas as the best female vocalist in the heavier side of metal!

Favorites: "Mechanical Man", "In the Shadow of the Sun", "Kingdom's End", "Sleeping the Wicked", "Surviving the Siren", "Take the Low Road"

As an ex-fan of Between the Buried and Me and fan of Prayer for Cleansing, I knew I had to give this band/EP a good listen and review, since two members of both bands were in this one; guitarist Paul Waggoner and vocalist Tommy Rogers. From Here On had more noise in their deathly metalcore than the technicality of those other two bands. The harsh vocals from Rogers roar over the heavy riffing/shredding of Waggoner. There are occasional acoustic/narration passages between parts of the onslaught.

However, there are only two great highlights here, one of which is "Shards of Glass", a total spine-chiller. The other highlight, "Further Away" has the best breakdown I've heard in any of the Rogers/Waggoner bands. Other than those two, it's all mostly just uninspired deathly metal/hardcore, and I'm relieved that the EP only has a 25-minute length....

Favorites (only two for this album): "Shards of Glass", "Further Away"

Ah, here we go! A 1990s metalcore/deathcore release that has greater playing value than that other Abnegation release, along with the Napalm Death/Coalesce split and Downcast album. This oughta add a small bit of goodness to my search...

The 90s was a different time for our world. For one thing, thrash/death metal was withering after their golden age of the 1980s, and in its place was the newly developing metalcore scene on the rise. The two bands here, Abnegation and Chapter, both of whom would have a more deathly sound later, were highly influential back then but faded down into obscurity. This split EP was a very important display of adding metal into hardcore. They didn't need to be known by the whole world, just the right audience!

Abnegation began their transition from hardcore to metal around that time, and what helped out is one of their songs here, "Blanket of Black". This highlight shows more of a speedy deathly metalcore sound. This was considered the most metallic/Slayer-sounding any hardcore band has gone before. It was thanks to this band and that song that every metalcore band would start emphasizing the metal part of their template. "Behind the White Walls", on the other hand, continues the chaos, yet the shorter length kind of decimates its memorability. Still a great song to like!

Chapter is not really interesting enough for me to describe the songs in detail. All I'll say is, they play wild dissonant metalcore that would also take over the late 90s, yet more in the Rorschach style than Slayer. I mean, they sound more metal than Rorschach, but not as powerful when crashing in different angles. I prefer my noise-metalcore from the more popular Converge who would release the amazing Petitioning the Empty Sky. While Chapter is likeable, Abnegation has much better Slayer-inspired metalcore.

All in all, this split EP is an interesting example of metalcore beginning to rise, straight from two nearly-elusive bands. Abnegation's side is a more amazing offering from that band than the ultra-deathly 1998 album. If you're going through metalcore's early age, start with Rorschach then work your way to this split, then you know what matters....

Favorites (only from Abnegation's side): "Blanket of Black", "Behind the White Walls" (despite its short length)

I'm sorry, but NO. My search for the earliest bands in non-melodic metalcore subgenres ended up getting imploded by 90s f***ing proto-emo-core. I'm glad this is much lesser-known than the real fantastic metalcore inventors like Rorschach, Integrity, and Starkweather! The only reason I gave this at least 1.5 stars at all is for the song "System" that has helped in the band's attempt to create metalcore that is better off made by those bands. No words can explain how weird the outcome of trying to expand my ongoing search for metalcore can be, when it comes to these sh*tty oddballs....

Favorites (only one I even slightly like): "System"

Abnegation was one of the very first bands to connect the bridge between metalcore and death metal in the 90s, plus adding in a bit of Slayer riffing. It wasn't until their 1996 split EP with Chapter when they've gone from obscure to influential. They were following the common straight-edge lifestyle with their views of veganism and pro-life. But with this different sound, they've become very divisive within the scene...

Verses of the Bleeding is more weird than good in some ways. It's different from what the more hardcore fans might expect. The earlier fans might be in dismay by the fact that 3 of the founding members already left, and the switch from hardcore to evil death metal. On top of that, they were still in Goodlife, a Belgian record label for hardcore bands and hardcore fans, and those fans were vegans and activists. The band went from holy to unholy, not giving a f*** about their longtime audience. And I bet the sh*tty gruesome cover art was a dead giveaway for all this. Personally, I have more of this deathcore/metal album to judge than ideology changes, so let's dig right in!

It starts promising with my favorite song here, "When the Smoke Clears", the shortest while having guitar aggression. The title track has that lo-fi death metal sound going on to remind you of Morbid Angel and Deicide. However, the lo-fi is too low, that first minute of film-samples has tired me out, and the riffing is decent but not interesting enough for me. "Hopes of Harmony", has some slight redemption in fine significance with their earlier hardcore, but the only thing truly heavy is the so-so death growling.

"Bury the Needle" is another short favorite here, having the guitar and vocals reminiscent of early Cannibal Corpse. I think I like the shorter songs best. "Stones That Strike the Cedar" was recorded from an earlier demo, though subject to destructive criticism. Same with "Drowning in Halo's Water", also fast but doesn't mean it's ever powerful.

"A Kiss Before Dying" is one of the most brutal songs I've heard, and it's hard to believe that my metal interest slowly evolved from the epic melodic progressive metal of Symphony X to the brutal deathcore/metal of this album. "Cry of the Ezurate" is a vicious ending track that I enjoy, and it's not as short as the other two highlights. There's also, apparently, a bonus cover of Venom's "Welcome to Hell", but I couldn't find that one. Fine with me, because I've had enough here.

It's no surprise how overwhelming the album's resulting controversy was for the band. They broke up at the end of the year, and not much is known about the members since. I prefer to get my early deathcore from a more hardcore band like Day of Suffering, and I should dive into Abnegation's earlier hardcore stuff too. Yeah, I probably should....

Favorites (only ones I really like): "When the Smoke Clears", "Bury the Needle", "Cry of the Ezurate"

Until now, I honestly wasn't really up to giving this split EP a listen and review because of how rotten I treated the Coalesce EPs, and the band in the other side of split is English grindcore pioneers Napalm Death. Y'know, the band with the one-second "You Suffer". This split was made around the time of Napalm Death's experimental death metal phase, and Coalesce was making their transition from their poor demos to their more superior albums. While those different directions sound promising...

...What was the point of this split!? I get they were trying to promote both bands, but if each band released their side separately, there would be just a couple two-sided singles. While the music is OK, the length isn't. I could listen to a progressive metal epic as long as that entire split! Really not necessarily worth purchasing.

The Napalm Death tracks are actually quite interesting, specifically "Food Chains", continuing the groove-laden death metal of Diatribes, almost leaning into early nu metal, as you can hear in the Korn-like chords and Sepultura-like drumming. The vocals by Barney (NOT the dinosaur) make it obvious that this is the band's usual death metal. A demo version of "Upwards and Uninterested" (from Utopia Banished) is an aggressive beast. While that song is from their earlier grindcore era, it sounds closer to the band's return to that style in Words From The Exit Wound, especially when the riffing and drumming sound smooth while staying as chaotic as mathcore. The best of that side!

And now for the Coalesce tracks, with their technical hardcore/mathcore sound starting to be more comfortable while still not reaching its brilliance, starting with "A Safe Place". Shifty rhythms dominate over strange riffs, all in front of guttural vocal barks. The drumming is interesting, yet it's not highly listenable. "Harvest Of Maturity" has more relaxed maturity with midpaced riff variation to be explored along with more of the technical drumming. That's what I prefer!

All in all, the EP is quite decent in quality but at the same time unnecessary. I don't know who to recommend this entire EP to, fans of death metal, mathcore, or both genres, and even then there's not a lot of point. If this were to cost anything, it would probably just be dollar or less, any more than that and it's a rip-off. Easy split, but skippable....

Favorites (one from each side): "Upwards and Uninterested", "Harvest Of Maturity"

After staying in the modern metalcore scene firmly in the first 10 years, Parkway Drive stunned them all with their 2015 album Ire, evolving into a more expansive part of their journey. Then their following album Reverence took out most of their metalcore roots for emotional experimentation. So what's next in this Byron Bay band's 7th offering Darker Still? Another small step forward into their melodic path, but a good leap in quality compared to the previous album...

This album is as dark as the title would suggest! Apparently, the theme is confront a destructive event and standing up against it with your beliefs as you make your journey through this dark world. In other words, instead of living in nightmarish misery, let this metal tale motivate you to rise in resistance against what life has to threaten you.

Twinkling into the opener "Ground Zero", vocalist Winston McCall starts off sounding fragile, before rising in defiance and shouting "Drop the beat!", as if he commanded the band to begin their anthemic attack. The riffing and chorus would have you pumping your fist in joy. Add in a moshing breakdown and a big choir-like bridge, and it's pretty much Parkway Drive's ultimate anthem! Next track diving in "Like Napalm", destined to make a furious mosh pit when the band can perform it live, complete with a chorus to shout along to amongst the dangerous chaos. The album's first single "Glitch" adds a bit of speed while in a mid-paced march through insomniac depression, alongside guitar and gang-style vocals to remind me of While She Sleeps.

"The Greatest Fear" shows a different, more epic direction for the band, beginning with a church organ and an angelic choir. Then melodic riffing marches in to make you think of Iron Maiden then it's twisted into the groove of Rob Zombie in the verses. In the bridge, we hear a Gregorian-like choir singing the "hymns of nevermore" and then they're replaced with a moshing breakdown. Probably one of the best of the album for me and my brother whose listening to the song reminded me that I needed to get into the action. However, the title-track centerpiece, surpassing the previous album's "Chronos" as the longest and probably most epic song by the band, is a prime example of reinvention for the band. It's basically filled with pieces of acoustic balladry and whistling, with Winston singing some Nick Cave-like cleans. It's obviously not as heavy as the more metal tracks, but there's deeper texture glory than before! However, "Imperial Heretic" doesn't sound really inspired. Neither does the minimalistic "If a God Can Bleed".

Fortunately, "Soul Bleach" puts us back on track with rapid pacing in the riffs. Then cleaning this up in a brief one-minute interlude is "Stranger" with a post-apocalyptic vibe in only two repeated lines, "We are all but strangers, in a stranger world" and "Pixelate, isolate, filter out the human... We become the future". It leads to "Land of the Lost", with one of the most infectious refrains, telling you to "Keep digging the hole down deeper". The headbanging closer "From the Heart of the Darkness" gets you ready in the intro for a final battle started by a mighty guitar riff and Winston grunting "I took a walk last night through the valley of death". The heaviness pounds in rebellious resistance!

Parkway Drive has given you a journey through Hell that you can pleasantly battle through and come out with as many scars as the band had making this powerful offering. The songs with the most strength come from the first half, though a couple ones in the second half are great too. All part of this test of promised survival....

Favorites: "Ground Zero", "Glitch", "The Greatest Fear", "Darker Still", "From the Heart of the Darkness"

Let's make it clear that as much as potential as these high screaming vocals and guitars have, they don't have enough meat in the bone. It's very much just another early underwhelming attempt at deathcore/metalcore. I'm glad this got added to site so I could give it a try and find out it's just sh*t not worth trying for. The best track here is "Falling Into Ashes", but that's pretty much it....

Favorites (only one in this album): "Falling Into Ashes"

Remember when I mentioned that one of the songs in my August Sphere playlist ended up in the soundtrack for Bad Boys? Well that movie came on TV earlier today (as of this review) and that was the incentive needed for me to give this album a listen and a review. How did it go? Well, where do I begin...

Album #8 from KMFDM, Nihil is where the band started adding a bit of that metal groove into their industrial sound. They've also become more of a collective than a band, with En Esch and Sascha Konietzko gathering many guests throughout the years. Even their image has become powerful, thanks to the visual marketing that includes comic-style cover artwork from Brute. Except this album's cover art was made by guest drummer Bill Rieflin's wife Francesca Sundsten (both passed from cancer at age 59, RIP).

Busting through is the nearly flawless opener, "Ultra". After that is the anthem "Juke Joint Jezebel", the most popular song from KMFDM, selling over a million single copies, and the aforementioned song that appeared in the Bad Boys. A remix version is also in the Mortal Kombat movie. You can really dance along to some parts, much more than Nine Inch Nails, especially the disco-sounding choir led by guest vocalist Jennifer Ginsberg. "Flesh" is slower in the verses, but speeds up in the chorus and definitely towards the end. "Beast" has choruses you can sing along to.

The political-sounding highlight "Terror" thunders through with industrial metal guitar. "Search & Destroy" is one of the more destructive songs here, while having some of the catchiness infecting the album. "Disobedience" is perhaps what really stands out the most in the album. It's not a ballad, but it sounds the closest to one. In saying that, it's one of the greatest highlights here.

"Revolution" cranks up the heavy power once again, but not before things get heavier... "Brute", named after the cover artist of almost every other KMFDM album, is more brutal while staying melodic. "Trust" has another female sung chorus by Dorona Alberti, "Do what you can, what you want, what you must, feel the hunger inside, don't lose your trust", which has a funny similarity to Steely Dan, and is ironic during the battle for idealism that ends up getting lost. The hidden title outro is rather pointless, but I guess it helps makes sure the album doesn't end too abruptly.

Nihil can be considered the core of KMFDM's industrial intelligence that has helped the band fly in the mainstream realm, far beyond their peers. Alongside founders Esch and Konietzko shining throughout, vocalist Raymond Watts and guitarist Gunter Schulz make colorful contributions above the artful production. Compared to industrial metal's usual abrasiveness, KMFDM have a more polished sound, proving that they can be more than just noise. Still they know how to control their striking impact....

Favorites: "Ultra", "Juke Joint Jezebel", "Terror", "Disobedience", "Brute"