Shadowdoom9 (Andi)'s Reviews

At some point, I need a reintroduction into listening to Cynic, and this seems promising! I've severed the connection as part of my death metal departure, though now it's softer while still interesting. After Sean Reinert and Malone sadly left this world, Paul Masvidal kept going with a new drummer and bassist. The show still goes on!

Ascension Codes continues the band's modern journey, but with different ideas. The prominent emphasis on jazz-rock remains the same since Kindly Bent to Free Us. However, instead of that album's light-hearted moods, Ascension Codes brings us back to the metal guitar work of Traced in Air, maybe even Focus in Paul Masvidal's riffs and solos. His vocals still never cease to amaze me, ranging from whispered to clean to vocoded. There are a couple harsh vocal sections by Max Phelps.

In a similar format to Pestilence's Testimony of the Ancients, half the tracks are interludes while the other half are full songs, but let's only focus on the latter. "The Winged Ones" has nice riff repetition. You further travel through the cosmos with "Elements and Their Inhabitants". Highlight "Mythical Serpents" greatly shows each member's skill.

I also really like "6th Dimensional Archetype", not much else to say there. One track, "DNA Activation Template" has almost nothing but spacey ambient for stellar ethereal ambience. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the keyboardist here is Dave Mackay, who along with drummer Matt Lynch, have been granted their respective positions left behind by the two fallen Seans. Mackay really shines in that track in both the synths and the bass. Then it ends with a cool reprise of "The Winged Ones". Next up, "Architects of Consciousness" is another great highlight that reminds of the more progressive parts of Persefone's "Consciousness" instrumentals, only softer and more spacey.

The one track I don't really like is "Aurora" that sounds like a Kindly Bent To Free Us outtake. It's decent, sure, but not as great as the rest. "In a Multiverse Where Atoms Sing" is a much more interesting banger. That song is legit progressive metal and Matt Lynch's drumming is absolutely tremendous! Sean Reinert would be proud. "Diamond Light Body" is the best track to end the album, impressing us with progressive rhythm and synthesized vocals as always. Then it's all over after the outro.

Now this is great! Cynic is still going on after the disappointment that was Kindly Bent to Free Us and the loss of the two Seans, beyond our expectations and staying as relevant as ever. Unlike other bands that go softer album after album, this band goes back to pleasing the heavier fans. Ascension Codes is a space-trip not to be missed!

Favorites: "Mythical Serpents", "6th Dimensional Archetype", "Architects of Consciousness", "In a Multiverse Where Atoms Sing", "Diamond Light Body"

Disguise is perhaps known as Motionless in White's full entryway intro industrial-tinged alternative/nu metal. However, I still believe the band's usual industrial metalcore mayhem is still around in the majority of the album's songs. That's kind of the issue with some RYM users. They don't know that what the band usually has is disguised within this alt-nu metal flesh.

This modern heavy metalcore band continues their path to achieve their goal of the most unique style they can do. They've done a lot of touring, and in between shows, they use the time to write material for their next album. Disguise opens up something different while staying within fan's expectations...

The album's title opener begins with a jack-in-the-box melody, then pop goes Chris Motionless yelling "GET UP! GET UP!" The guitar and drums kick in with the band's signature sound. The catchy chorus with Chris' cleans is easy to listen to. The harder breakdowns builds up with an excellent breakdown. Chris has a lot of vocal emotion. "Headache" starts with clean riffing and Chris' singing. It's a little too repetitive when the pre-chorus has Chris growling "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Linkin Park did that much better in the bridge of a certain hit of theirs. "</c0de>" has nice electronics. There's more influence from Linkin Park's heavier tunes. Softer, while still heavy.

"Thoughts & Prayers" has higher tempo, tighter riffing, and harsher screaming, right from the headbanging intro. The irreligious references are crystal clear here, heavily detailing crucifixion in the dark. The instrumentation is quite great, as the guitar and drums form something incredible and fast after the breakdown. "Legacy" is a slow ballad with very little screaming. It's quite listenable, though it would be better if they snuck in a guitar solo in the bridge. "Undead Ahead 2: The Tale of the Midnight Ride" is my favorite song here. As if this song being a sequel to an earlier one wasn't the tip-off, it stands out with a lot of the band's earlier metalcore heaviness and a catchy chorus. The instrumentation is so strong, as is Chris' deep screaming. Just be careful when driving while listening to this song, especially in the heavy breakdown. "Holding on to Smoke" is another slow song, about Chris daily life struggles that he's managed to overcome.

"Another Life" continues the album's easy slow side, hitting me with wonderful beauty and great lyrics that could shed me to tears. Fascinating! "Broadcasting from Beyond the Grave: Death Inc" begins with a radio sample, "Good evening. You're listening to Broadcasting from Beyond the Grave. Tonight's chilling episode: Death Incorporated." Kicking in is some electronic Marilyn Manson influences, but the structure is a bit sloppy and repetitive. "Brand New Numb" starts with an outtake of trying to sneak in an acoustic riff ("I'm trying to f***ing record this." "Sorry."), then the actual electric riff in the most poppy radio-friendly song here that's actually very well-written. "Catharsis" is slow and catchy, sounding closer Bring Me the Horizon at that time.

Motionless in White made another great addition to their discography! Well...not as great as the surrounding albums, but the different styles mixed around work well for listeners with great taste. Disguise is once again so different while staying familiar....

Favorites: "Disguise",  "Thoughts & Prayers", "Undead Ahead 2: The Tale of the Midnight Ride", "Another Life", "Brand New Numb"

Any of the more serious, heavier metalheads may consider Sepultura's Machine Messiah as THE metal album of 2017. That's an interesting opinion, but I'm not quite aware of Sepultura. There are other metal albums that I think have potential as the best of 2017, one of them being this album from a band I know more of, Motionless in White.

From the album cover alone, Graveyard Shift looks promising to be an amazing hard-hitting album (at least that's what I think), and I was right! There's more of this sonic captivating sound of the band to please my ears. Another thing to note is, one of the songs here features Korn's Jonathan Davis. Adding him in was a genius move, and his guest appearance never disappoints, despite me never having the interest in exploring his main band.

"Rats" already has the album's right tone, insane modern metal to make your ears bleed in pleasure. One of the best album-starters, and one of the most well-mastered in metal! "Queen for Queen" has intense rhythm, like a heavier darker Linkin Park. "Necessary Evil" is that song featuring Jonathan Davis, and Korn fans will get a great kick out of that masterpiece of a song. "Soft" is anything but soft. It's a more hardcore song, especially in the vocals that reach death growling, sounding closer to Slipknot. This song is worth headbanging to at loud volume.

"Untouchable" is another perfect industrial metal song. The incredible rhythm hits you hard, while being a more melodic song. "Not My Type: Dead as F*** 2" has my type of alternative/industrial/metalcore, heading towards Rob Zombie-like territory, p*ssing off neighbors if you turn it up high. "The Ladder" is not really a song I can get used to. It's thrashier with more of the growling vocals of metalcore, but it sounds out of place in this album. This might work better in their debut album Creatures, maybe? "Voices" is an incredible track, sounding a bit like earlier Linkin Park, specifically their hit "Somewhere I Belong", without ripping off. Motionless in White is quite an exceptional band with their technique of similar but not too similar.

"LOUD (F*** It)" is another fun track, though sounding too much like Limp Bizkit. "570" once again has the heavier vocals and faster riffing, though relaxes slightly in some parts. All in all, another song I enjoy! "Hourglass" continues the industrial nu metal experience from earlier in the album. "Eternally Yours" is the perfect compelling finale with alt-metalcore fire before calming down for a final outro to pleasantly end this album.

Graveyard Shift is another sonic achievement from this band. The dynamic really work with the volume. Maybe improve a couple of the songs to make it perfect, but the rest of this offering is amazing as it is!

Favorites: "Rats", "Necessary Evil", "Untouchable", "Voices", "570", "Eternally Yours"

The dark journey of Motionless in White continues on, and once I complete this review, I'll already be midway through what they've had so far. I think you can consider Reincarnate the transition album between the two surrounding eras; the gothic-infused metalcore side and the alternative/industrial metal side.

The band really toured a lot in a way to end that first era that concluded with their second album Infamous. After some time off following that tour, the Motionless crew started working on an album that would continue the industrial metalcore sound and expand it further. This is...Reincarnate! With 13 tracks (not including an acoustic bonus track) and 4 guest vocalists, they focused slightly less on the earlier metalcore brutality, in favor of their new industrial direction. Get ready for some loud modern metal!

"Death March" sounds off some futuristic battle horns, then the drums, guitars, and synths start marching. After chanting the song title, Chris Motionless performs some vocals that sound close to rapping, that and the dark lyrics and melodic chorus bring the band's sound closer to Limp Bizkit. The title track and first single has some deep synths and metalcore riffing that begin when Chris shouts "GET UP!". What really makes this song accessible within the extremeness is the melodic Breaking Benjamin-like chorus, all piecing together a simply great structure. "Puppets 3 (The Grand Finale)" concludes the "Puppets" trilogy spanning those first 3 albums. The accessibility is decimated with more extreme bass, drums, synths, and vocals. Cradle of Filth’s Dani Filth comes in with his haunting signature growls and howls. The chorus has melodic synths and more of Chris' clean vocals. Without too much force, "Unstoppable" brings back some of the Marilyn Manson/Nine Inch Nails-like industrial rock/metal, though Chris' vocals sounds more punk alongside the growls. "Everybody Sells Cocaine" starts with a heavy yet electronic intro before verses that reference drugs. The chorus has the upbeat energy that Architects would later have in their recent alt-industrial metal era.

"Contemptress" has higher-level riffing and guest vocals from In This Moment's Maria Brink. I would consider that song one of the more mainstream ones here. "Break the Cycle" fits well in the middle of the album, with metalcore riffs interplaying with nightclub-like synths. Of course, you wouldn't expect Chris' furious growls in a nightclub. The synths and vocals remind me a lot of trance-metalcore bands like The Browning and Crossfaith. "Generation Lost" gets you all set for more electronic and drums, before some rock-on riffing. He continues the semi-rapping before his usual screaming fury in an epic chorus. "Dark Passenger" reminds me of a certain hit from Linkin Park's 2000 debut when a piano riff plays behind some synths in the intro. Though the vocals are more fierce than what Chester Bennington (RIP) could do. At this point, the formula is starting to get repetitive, but it's good when the band does it well. "Wasp" is the band's longest track at 7 minutes, though it has more hip-hop groove, replacing all the earlier brutal fury with beats and synths. Some of the smooth vocals are performed by Dessa Poljak of Silencio. An interest NIN-esque industrial highlight!

It's then followed by the album's shortest track, the sharp-worded "Dead as F***", having some eerie samples in the beginning, as the energy comes along with the synth-vocal-beat variety and lyrical storytelling. A classic for an industrial metal nightclub! "Final Dictvm", while not exactly one of their best songs, fits well for the electronics that form The Sphere, and the music has nothing worth b***hing about, especially with Swedish musician Tim Skold (Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM, Marilyn Manson) performing effective vocals. The final track of the standard edition, "Carry the Torch" opens with an acoustic intro as feedback ascends, all leading up to a short epic guitar solo and marching drumming. The earlier metalcore brutality returns, but not without a melodic chorus. The digital edition has a bonus acoustic version of the previous album's "Sinematic", an extra calm-down after all of the album's extreme heaviness. The vocals sounds more serene, despite not being as high-ranging as the original.

Sure, many songs follow the same old hardcore formula, but it's kept interesting with different electronics and tempos that make Reincarnate the forever fresh album it is. Motionless in White is certainly not one of those bands who repeat everything in every d*mn song. It's barely accessible, highly powerful industrial metalcore at its finest!

Favorites: "Reincarnate", "Puppets 3 (The Grand Finale)", "Contemptress", "Generation Lost", "Wasp", "Dead as F***", "Carry the Torch"

Since their 2010 debut Creatures, Motionless in White has been known as one of the most impressive bands. Their name has been carved in stone thanks to the intense power and imagery of their songs and live performances. They even gained more fans in their audience after a Warped Tour performance. With their rising success, the band has made their sophomore comeback with their 2012 album Infamous!

Back then, Motionless in White still had their famous gothic metalcore sound. What's different is, they started reshaping their sound by adding different influences that would foreshadow their alternative/industrial metal future.

"Black Damask (The Fog)" starts with soft somber piano, then when you least expect it, it switches to an intense head-ripping assault of vocals, guitars, and drums. The chorus is where the expected clean vocals come in greater range than in their debut. The perfect stage-setter! Then the lead single "Devil’s Night" marks the first hint at the different aspects to come, including industrial synths and deeper growling vocals. Chris Motionless' killer vocal abilities also include the usual clean vocals in the chorus alongside guitar melodies. The lyrics motivate you to stand up against those in life ordering you around and not get taken down by them, all in emotional intensity. "A-M-E-R-I-C-A" expands the band's sound yet again. This is more like the gothic industrial metal of Gothminister, especially the deeper cleans in the verses. Michael Vampire of Vampires Everywhere! sings together with Chris in a sing-along gang chorus, one of the best of the genre! That song can definitely reach the hard rock/metal charts. America, F*** YEAH!!!! Next up, "Burning at Both Ends" is filled with dynamic metal, while also greatly melodic.

"The Divine Intervention" sounds close to what Marilyn Manson has done in Antichrist Superstar. A much different style from their earlier metalcore, complete with Chris' vocal range expanding. "Puppets 2 (The Rain)" starts off sounding a bit like brutal death metal. The chorus is sung by Soilwork's Björn Strid alongside the bellowing of Chris. It's clear how much intense passion can be found in these lyrics of storytelling vision. "Sinematic" is the darkest song here, but of course, dark doesn't always mean heavy. Emotional melody from the keyboards, guitars, and vocals, certainly make the atmosphere more cinematic. Chris continues to expanding his clean vocal range, a nice break from the earlier growling. "If It’s Dead, We'll Kill It" is one of the most intense tracks on the album. After a brief look into melodic black metal with the dark synths and vocal shrieks, the guitars and growls of metalcore return, and then another clean chorus. Bleeding Through vocalist Brandan Schieppati steps in with some intense vocals.

"Synthetic Love" has beautiful Orgy-esque industrial nu metal. The synths and large chorus make that song another standout gem. "Hatef***" is another track that sounds much closer to Fear Factory than Hatebreed. "Underdog" stands out as one of the best songs here, almost surpassing that "Puppets" track. There's guitar aggression, synth atmosphere, and vocal aggression throughout. This is a beautiful driving anthem, it's so great! The title track closes the standard edition in a mind-blowing bang. However, I would recommend getting the deluxe edition that includes "Sick From the Melt", a heavy goth industrial metal track that features Eighteen Visions drummer/Combichrist percussionist Trevor Friedrich on vocals. "Fatal" is also pretty good. Then finally, there are 4 remix tracks of the songs "A-M-E-R-I-C-A", "Underdog", and "Sinematic".

Infamous marks the beginning of Motionless in White's brand-new direction. The band has impressed their audience in greater levels. With more mature writing and diverse sound, they broke down more walls than they had before. Their bloodthirsty music and lyrics were written in great effort. Chris Motionless and the gang may not win back longtime fans from this album onwards, but it was worth making a masterpiece to bring in new fans. Still there is the need for longtime fans to keep listening so many times in order to get used to that different sound. This gem shall definitely be heard by fans of modern metal!

Favorites: "Black Damask (The Fog)", "A-M-E-R-I-C-A", "Puppets 2 (The Rain)", "If It’s Dead, We'll Kill It", "Synthetic Love", "Underdog", "Sick From the Melt" (bonus track)

Motionless in White released their debut album after 6 years and 2 EPs since their formation. Hailing from Pennsylvania, this band really pushed the boundaries of metalcore into a higher enjoyable level. Their original sound became more theatrical, and listeners are ready to bring on the horror-themed metalcore of Creatures that bands like Ice Nine Kills can't do without!

You can also consider this metalcore album "gothic screamo" if you will, as the screamed vocals are more harmonized to fit well with killer riffing and memorable choruses. Creatures is probably the most serious the band had ever been in their career, determined to break down the limiting walls.

"Immaculate Misconception" kicks things off with a dark heavy raging breakdown. It's pretty much a darker American take on Asking Alexandria, and I mean that as a compliment. Next up, "We Only Come Out at Night" continues the dark sinister sound, and the different synths sound really cool. They can do those synths far better than Marilyn Manson. "London in Terror" has mind-blowing vocal combos, beginning light than growing heavier. I'm telling you, those synths are on a more powerful level than Marilyn Manson! "Abigail" starts heavy before the vocal combos come in. They're quite strong, though they overpower the song's maturity. They have really leveled up their attitude there! The title track is another step, despite the lack of originality, other than fan contributions to the lyrics.

"Cobwebs" has a more hardcore sound. Same with ".Com Pt. II" (short for "Schitzophrenicannibalisticsexfest.com" and a sequel to that song from an earlier EP), which isn't dark but instead still easy to listen to. The horror attitude of the album is still on display though. "Count Choculitis" marches along with exciting riffing. That track can change like a chameleon, starting heavy and sinister before ending soft and mellow, like when a horror film ends peacefully. The soft mellowness isn't actually reached until the delicate ballad "City Lights", the true odd one out in the album.

The horror-themed "Snow" trilogy starts with the vicious "Puppets (The First Snow)". The second "Snow", "Undead Ahead" grabs your neck and turns into a bobblehead, nodding wildly to the song. That will surely please the crowd. "Scissorhands (The Last Snow)" ends the trilogy and the album with a recap of the horror themes. You'll definitely wanna get the deluxe edition that has the bonus track "Dragula", an awesome cover of the Rob Zombie classic, and what got me into Motionless in White.

Creatures show this horror-themed metalcore band thinking outside the box. Not many bands can deliver the best they can offer this early in their careers. Motionless in White have shown us what has made them stand out from much of the metalcore crowd!

Favorites: "Immaculate Misconception", "We Only Come Out at Night", "Abigail", "Count Choculitis", "Undead Ahead", "Scissorhands (The Last Snow)", "Dragula" (bonus track)

The earlier Motionless in White can almost be considered My Chemical Romance gone Atreyu. Their all-black fashion is mixed with their screamed songs about heartbreak. They never really deserve to be sh*t on honestly. Motionless in White has really stood out in a scene where bands care more about cash and popularity than keeping their fanbase. Though despite their hard work and touring, their EP The Whorror was a low sinker despite a couple excellent tracks. Still they were hellbent to carry on...

Their second EP When Love Met Destruction was first independently released as an album that was only sold in touring festivals. After gaining some fans who want to see the album released to the world, it finally happened! ...Sort of. 6 of the tracks were re-recorded for the more well-known horror-themed metal/hardcore EP.

The original album version is more solid though, so let's start with the mighty title opener. The chorus was reused for the title track of their real debut album Creatures as their only own lyrics used in that song, as the rest are fan contributions. "To Keep From Getting Burned" has a dissonant synth breakdown, leading to the chorus that has lots of power and lyrics of love and loss, "It's hard to keep from getting burned when love is like fire", though not as strong as the background shouting of former guitarist/vocalist TJ Bell. Chris Motionless' vocals sound a bit nasal, but they still soar. "Ghost in the Mirror" has an earlier and more frequently used chorus. It's a good way to ease up on the tiring growls. The final breakdown has well-done gang vocals and the synths performed by Josh Balz. Those synths keep the song in shape and are never repetitive.

"Destroying Everything" is another great song leading up to an epic outro showing the best of Chris' earlier vocal ability. "'Whatever You Do... Don't Push the Red Button" has great melody in the chorus. Re-recorded from the Whorror EP, "She Never Made It to the Emergency Room" is more serious, and the best song here. A moving story gets you hooked along with the chorus and strong instrumentation. "Billy in 4-C Never Saw It Coming" is more ridiculous in the title, but it flows well, with an intense breakdown.

Later re-recorded for Creatures, "We Only Come Out at Night" continues the dark sinister sound, and the different synths sound really cool. They can do those synths better than Marilyn Manson. Also appearing in Creatures is the delicate ballad "City Lights", though under the name "Bananamontana", the true odd one out in the album. "The Seventh Circle" is just shameful filler. The second re-recording from their first EP, "Apocolips" is another more serious song with a tragic story in the lyrics. The dark lyrical subject is well-written with straight driving instrumentation.

If I were to give the EP version a percentage rating, it would be 56%. The album version I would give 70% for the inclusion of two re-recordings and one demo. Motionless in White gained some potential here, with a few redeeming aspects. Still those two earlier releases are my least favorites of one of the best bands of the scene....

Favorites: "To Keep From Getting Burned", "Destroying Everything", "She Never Made It to the Emergency Room", "We Only Come Out at Night", "Apocolips"

I've had fun listening to reviewing the Motionless in White albums. The band really had one of the strongest discographies from the 2010s up. I was more focused on reviewing those albums up to the new one that is this month's Gateway feature release, and did not think about reviewing their EPs. But now it's time to check out their earliest releases. Sadly, they don't have as much potential as the full albums...

This Pennsylvanian metalcore band started with a sound that a lot more emo/post-hardcore, while foreshadowing the horror-themed gothic metalcore they would be known for. The Whorror is an EP with that kind of sound, clearly not as well-developed as their debut.

The title intro is a short instrumental that sounds like a gloomy horror movie soundtrack, fitting for the band's future. And "Just When You Thought We Couldn't Get Any More Emo, We Go and Pull a Stunt Like This"! Yep, that's the long-a** name of that song, fitting well for what the band was doing there. This is self-empowering metalcore with the punky rage of high screams and spoken passages. The tone is set for a harsh humorous rampage. Basically a punky emo-metalcore song that is worth playing at a fun party.

Changing gears in the next song, "She Never Made It to the Emergency Room" is more serious, and the best song here. A moving story gets you hooked along with the chorus and strong instrumentation. The smaller sidetracked "We Put the Fun in Funeral" continues the serious approach, though I'm concerned about compositional style and lyrics. The semi-interlude "Black" is just punky filler with mostly spoken word rising into screaming angst while the instrumentation is blasting through. Pretty much all of their songs are better that poor sh*tter.

"Apocolips" is another more serious song with a tragic story in the lyrics. The dark lyrical subject is well-written with straight driving instrumentation. Closing the EP is "Schitzophrenicannibalisticsexfest.com" that displays the band's later horror-themed gothic metalcore with barely subtle lyrical content. Put together well while not having the same effect as those two highlights that would later be re-recorded in their new EP When Love Met Destruction.

I say this EP is a decent start to the band's career with strong potential in a few songs. The other songs in the EP though are immature and take away a lot of its greatness. A strong band can start a bit weak in the beginning, but it is what it is....

Favorites: "Just When You Thought We Couldn't Get Any More Emo, We Go and Pull a Stunt Like This", "She Never Made It to the Emergency Room", "Apocolips"

In December 2017, the same month as the farewell concerts from The Dillinger Escape Plan and HIM, Textures also made their exit. The band had already made enough music for two albums; Phenotype and Genotype. While Phenotype was released in early 2016, the split-up sadly meant the cancellation of Genotype's release...

That huge disappointment aside, Phenotype was worth the 5-year wait fans had since the glorious Dualism. This ambitious progressive metal/djent band was determined to start this new era big. They're an unstoppable force of music complexity, crafting their material and shaping up an entire concept. And it sounds so complete that you might almost forget that this was meant to be a double album in the first place!

Once again, they open the gates on a hostile note in "Oceans Collide", having the rhythmic aggression of Meshuggah. Marvelous "New Horizons" continues the aggression while the clean atmosphere rises from the clean singing of Daniel De Jongh and the keys, already showing that the talented power of Dualism has never died out. We also have the powerful "Shaping a Single Grain of Sand". The song has lots of devilish rhythms, as well as different twists and turns to get you hooked. Things are definitely shaping up well, and you're up for more of this strength.

"Illuminate the Trail" toys with the industrial groove of Mnemic and a bit of the technical deathcore of Born of Osiris and Chelsea Grin, all through 7 wonderous minutes. "Meander" is a hypnotic tribal interlude. It segues to the heavy highlight "Erosion".

"The Fourth Prime" has more headbanging groove to surpass the heaviness of the previous track while blending it with melodic sections. "Zman" is a nice calm break before this album's grand conclusion... "Timeless" breaks out of that piano melancholy, raging in with the band's usual mix of heaviness and melody. This extraordinary finale allows to witness the band's talent one last time.

All in all, Phenotype isn't as perfectly revolutionary as the previous two albums, but it's a solid gem to show the band what they are. And... oh yeah, the band has just reformed after their 6-year split. I really hope they release their unreleased Genotype or, better yet, re-record it and make it better than it would've been. Please, Textures, we need you!

Favorites: "New Horizons", "Illuminate the Trail", "Erosion", "Timeless"

From their 2003 debut Polars onwards, Textures has pleased fans of mathy progressive metal/djent with their sound. Once considered a copy of the technical Meshuggah, they branched out into different territory such as the sludgy atmosphere of Neurosis. They've gone through a few vocalists over the years, and every one of them can easily switch between furious growls and melodic singing.

By album #4 Dualism, the band had two new members stepping in, vocalist Daniel De Jongh and keyboardist Uri Dijk. Anytime there are changes in a band's lineup, there's bound to be even a slight change in soundscape. Here we have more groove-ish rhythms and atmosphere that distance further away from the band's earlier technicality. I enjoy both technicality and atmosphere, but I understand if the earlier fans wanted to hear more of a heavy direction than a light one. The greater usage of melodic sections give Dualism more accessibility, and it follows up from Silhouettes as Textures' height of perfection!

Opening track "Arms of the Sea" is a heavy start to the album, though it feels a couple minutes too long for me. "Black Horses Stampede" has the sludgy riffing of 2000s Mastodon before the more progressive atmosphere rolls in. "Reaching Home" is one of the most awesome captivating songs without a chorus! This was a shining moment getting me interested in this band a few years back.

"Sanguine Draws the Oath" has more technical rhythms to throw back to Silhouettes. "Consonant Hemispheres" has some of the best vocals I've heard from Daniel de Jongh. His singing sounds so dreamy at the right moments, but he can rock out to the heavier sections before his vicious growling grabs you by the b*lls. "Burning the Midnight Oil" surprises me as a post-ish instrumental. It's quite nice and not too long, unlike the debut's closing instrumental. "Singularity" has the best of the more technical side of the band with some light moments. The metaphorical imagery of water can really be associated with the artwork and lyrics.

"Minor Earth, Major Skies" often comes out as a more progressive August Burns Red with some Red Harvest-infused atmosphere. "Stoic Resignation" is more brutal, almost like if Cave In continued the metalcore of their debut Until Your Heart Stops while still having their current atmospheric sound. The interlude "Foreclosure" is quite trippy with melodic vocals in the last minute. "Sketches from a Motionless Statue" switches between all the different styles they've gone through in this album.

All in all, Dualism shows the band is never letting go of their mathy roots while at the same time having catchier hooks. It's a complex adventure that even the more "alt" listeners can get into. Lots of fascinating potential!

Favorites: "Black Horses Stampede", "Reaching Home", "Consonant Hemispheres", "Singularity", "Minor Earth, Major Skies", "Sketches from a Motionless Statue"

Textures has some of the most mathy progressive metal/djent around. One can consider the band the Dutch Meshuggah. Their influences from that band were the most obvious in their debut Polars, though they've had their own new ideas going on, more apparent in Drawing Circles. In fact, Textures is definitely different from Meshuggah, cleaner with a bit of jazz here.

Silhouettes is an awesome album, a kick-A offering that can push Drawing Circles off its throne, with the heavy and melodic songs in perfect balance. The vocals are the best I've heard from any of the band's vocalists, nailing the Devin Townsend-like clean/scream contrast. And there's a lot more that makes this a solid mathematical masterpiece!

Kicking things off is "Old Days Born Anew" with the most of their earlier Meshuggah influences here. It starts similar to how that band's album that year ObZen started, with fast riffing and drumming. However, the clean singing breaks up the intensity with its sheer beauty. Not the best start, but it still works. "The Sun's Architect" has better madness with awesome drumming and riffing. With growling and singing fitting so well in the right places, nothing can get more beautiful than that. Except "Awake" which is my favorite song here, both hard-hitting and melodic. The clean vocals can very well be some of the best I've heard in my life. There are also seems to be some influence from the heavier side of Devin Townsend. I love this!

Next up, "Laments of an Icarus" has a snare march to begin the track and bleed into the rest of the song. The mathematical riffing and growls help the song's quality. There's another good track in "One Eye for a Thousand". As for "State of Disobedience", it's so glorious that you just gotta hear it to believe it.

Then we have "Storm Warning" is a true mathy djent storm. It's so intense with different time signatures, and Eric Kalsbeek can really keep up with them with his growls. His clean vocal beauty still shines as always, "We are the strangers of today". After that, "Messengers" is soft and atmospheric with no growls except for the middle section. "To Erase a Lifetime" closes this masterpiece album in all its beauty and glory.

It's a shame Eric Kalsbeek left two years after this album, though the vocalists in surrounding albums are incredible too. Silhouettes has some of the best music and vocals from the band, proving Textures' place as one of the greatest early djent bands besides Meshuggah!

Favorites: "The Sun's Architect", "Awake", "State of Disobedience", "Storm Warning", "To Erase a Lifetime"

Textures gained some fame early on with their debut Polars allowing them to win the "Most Promising Act" Essent Award. Though shortly after, ex-vocalist Pieter Verpaalen left. Their next vocalist Eric Kalsbeek stepped in for their second album, Drawing Circles!

What do progressive metal fans have in mind with what they refer to as progressive? It can be the wackiness of Dream Theater or the experimentation of Isis. Textures is never afraid to take things through unconventional ideas highly different from the mainstream. They don't repeat the same thing nor do they follow the mundane verse-chorus structure. There are so many twists that it's hard to count them all, and with Drawing Circles, you know that things only end when they want it to end.

We start off with a short driving buildup in "Drive" that introduces the vocal talent of Eric Kalsbeek. "Regenesis" blasts through with a bit of the progressive metalcore later shaped up by Northlane and the background ambience of Cult of Luna. "Denying Gravity" has killer shapeshifting between Fear Factory and Meshuggah.

"Illumination" takes a break from the Becoming the Archetype-esque extreme progressiveness to cool down in illuminating ether. Then thrashing around is "Stream of Consciousness". Then we have more ambient textures (ha ha) in "Upwards". And "Circular" has more of the Dream Theater circles.

"Millstone" is a little more, but the band's innovative skills never cease. "Touching the Absolute" has pretty much touched so many different places. Whether they're going as dramatic as Trail of Tears at that time, or as hardcore as Architects and Gaza (the band), they don't stray from what they are, and that's what makes Textures unique. "Surreal State of Enlightenment" is a beautiful outro to end this offering, far better than the long ambient track closing their debut.

When it comes to progressiveness, forget the rules! You just gotta appreciate what you can do and not stick to what's so popular nowadays. Wild experimentation is an essential thing for Textures, and Drawing Circles, like many of their albums, shall not be taken for granted!

Favorites: "Regenesis", "Denying Gravity", "Stream of Consciousness", "Upwards", "Touching the Absolute"

By the mid-2000s, djent was still starting off low-key. We have the originator, Meshuggah, and Sikth made their entrance with their djenty progressive metal sound. Named after an instrumental from Cynic's debut Focus, Textures was determined to give their music the many aspects and layers including djenty guitars. And it all starts with their debut Polars, their only album with talented ex-vocalist Pieter Verpaalen. RIP...

There's no underestimating the complexity of this music. As often done by Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan, heavy aggression and soft relaxation are covered in different grounds of sonic emotion.

The hardcore "Swandive" opens the album in extreme madness. The one track from the album released as a single, "Ostensibly Impregnable" is the perfect track I would give to anyone wanting to step in this textured world for the first time while starting small. It has everything including minimalistic riffing, clean vocal harmonies, and the deathly djent of Meshuggah. "Young Man" blasts through At the Gates-esque melodic riffing while having some of Devin Townsend's progressiveness.

The metallic instrumentation continues blasting through in "Transgression". Then "The Barrier" has more of that, harsher while in contrast with the mesmerizing melody. The extreme talent never lets down!

The interlude "Effluent" is rather so-so, but it serves as a nice intermission before the big centerpiece... The title track is the band's longest song, a true 18-minute epic with lots of innovative experimentation reaching its height, not to mention Pieter's vocal talent. "Heave" is just 15 minutes of droning ambience. This album would've been greater if they didn't include that here, or at the very least, shorten it to be as short as "Effluent".

Textures is a band for anyone wanting to explore the extreme edge of progressive metal/djent, and their debut Polars has all you can ask for from the band. It would've been as glorious as their subsequent albums if not for that final overlong ambient track....

Favorites: "Ostensibly Impregnable", "Young Man", "The Barrier", "Polars"

Guitar wizard from Australia Plini is back at it again with another beautiful prog-rock/metal journey for you to have a break from the grim reality of the virus. Impulse Voices has light spirit drifting in and out of heavy grounds and emotion. Any instrumental composition can be used for either imagination or meditation, but Plini can have music teleport between the two. Though it's not exactly background music, yet can stun your progressive metal heart!

He has proven himself a master before; take Handmade Cities and Sunhead for example, prolific experiences to revisit every now and then. Impulse Voices continues those experiences while enchanted with new texture ideas. You can immerse yourself in an unpredictable blend of ambient and heavy, all in playfully creative fashion.

Opening the album is "I’ll Tell You Someday" where masterful guitar melody has pleasant repetition. It's the album's first single, and the pace can shroud listeners in a warm embrace. "Papelillo" takes on lighter breeze while in a hefty balance. "Perfume" has strong dark electronics that would fit well on Stranger Things. While the rest of the album stays organic, that track's the most modern/electronic of the bunch.

"Last Call" definitely proves Plini's love for the guitar music of Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson in this jazzy track. Now don't try to calm yourself down too much as change is inevitable. There's nice cloudy synth for Dave Mackay who has recently joined Cynic. Another heavy highlight is the groove-filled title track. The highly significant "Pan" is the absolute pinnacle of the album. This is one of the most incredible songs I've heard, with a bad-a** mix of guitar heaviness and saxophone jazz. The last two minutes give me crying chills and the urge to become a symphony conductor. F***ing amazing, beyond good! The last minute has superb Dream Theater-like soloing.

Then there's the ballad-like track "Ona / 1154" that is practically another Joe Satriani tribute with Peanuts-like piano while standing by Plini's usual sound. There's never any rush, just a smooth journey. Finale "The Glass Bead Game" is a more impressive journey, his longest track at exactly 9 minutes! A gentle mix of guitar, harp, and piano guide you to your home run, much better than the previous album's ending.

Plini continues his emotional music progression with Impulse Voices. He sure knows how to think of inspiration when it strikes and allows him to create. The album has flavorful textures of life and this progressive voyager continues his wild unconventional path. Doesn't get any more beautiful than this. Over and out!

Favorites: "I’ll Tell You Someday", "Impulse Voices", "Pan", "The Glass Bead Game"

I've been enjoying progressive metal for nearly 8 years now, and nowadays I'm changing my focus from the melodic past to a heavier future. Despite my attempt to revisit said melodic past, it ultimately hasn't worked as greatly as I wanted it to be and I ended up moving away from a big chunk of melodic bands. That includes instrumental bands Animals as Leaders and Liquid Tension Experiment. However, one artist I don't plan on letting go any time soon is Australian guitarist Plini!

Reviving progressive rock/metal in a djent-ish yet melodic wave, Plini has unleashed a calming storm from his own bedroom. I wish I could do that! Handmade Cities marks his full-length debut after several EPs, displaying his astonishing writing ability.

"Electric Sunrise" opens the album with incredible strength, starting with a catchy rhythm before the guitars rise. The title track is a solid mix of funk, djent, and progressive rock with immaculate drum breakdowns. It's well-known for the guitar rhythm during its solo being plagiarized for that of the guitar solo in American pop singer Doja Cat's 2020 metal remix of "Say So". Despite the slight controversy, the original solo at the 3 and a half minute mark is so melodic.

Shortly after, "Inhale" starts slow and mystical before it gets heavier. Next track "Every Piece Matters" has me slightly worried that the sort of generic soloing and plodding rhythm would detract the album's perfection, but the funky fills make up for it, and so does the anthemic chanting towards the end, the closest this album has to vocals!

Relatively, "Pastures" is a necessary pause in the intensity of the earlier music. Then we have the splendid expansion of sound near the end "Here We Are Again", which works awesomely despite its short length. The closer "Cascade" can be considered the climax of the album. However, it's as scatterbrained as the cover art, so it's not really a satisfying way to end, though keeping the album's perfect score intact once again.

Does curiosity pay off when you hear Plini expanding his progressive comfort zone? Yes, while it's necessary to not sound too forced or stagnant in some places. But in the end, we have absolute true melodic instrumental prog-rock/metal! I would give this album just 96% with some slight fat needing trimming, but he's still at his very strongest!

Favorites: "Electric Sunrise", "Handmade Cities", "Pastures", "Here We Are Again"

Collaborative albums can cause quite some mixed reactions, but sometimes it makes a lot of sense and you see it as a dream come true that should've been done sooner but astonishing either way. After a few post-sludge bands like Neurosis and Cult of Luna have done their collaborative albums, it's Converge's turn on the 30th anniversary of their formation and the 20th anniversary of the game-changing Jane Doe. This is... Bloodmoon!

For this band's 10th studio album, they've joined forces with goth singer Chelsea Wolfe, along with her bandmate Ben Chisholm and former Converge member Stephen Brodsky (Cave In) for a 7-person team-up. The results? Something different than before...

The album's opening title track welcomes us to a haunting new world with clean vocals by Jacob Bannon, with Chelsea Wolfe joining in for her verses. A devastating riff knocks us straight into this realm, and would work well for live performances. "Viscera of Men" starts with a brief blast into Converge's chaotic past before slowing down again with more of Chelsea's vocals and the post-sludge drama. Her influence shines strongly in "Coil", a grand acoustic/orchestral rock single of heartbreak.

The spooky fun "Flower Moon" continues the grand experimentation of the album with all the creators in union, with Brodsky having some fun in his vocal performance and guitarist Kurt Ballou throwing around his guitar talents. The pummeling "Tongues Play Dead" allows Bannon to really shine in his vocals. The anguish-fueled "Lord of Liars" has some strain, but Ballou takes the strain out on his guitar with cool results. You can feel in "Failure Forever" the smoothness in Brodsky's vocals. A more bluesy-like tempo is used for "Scorpion's Sting", with stings a bit, but doesn't hurt.

The doomy "Daimon" once again executes the string/key ambience very well. "Crimson Stone" pulls off a lot without extra effort. Wolfe and Bannon sing together in an ethereal duet before a climatic grand finale (for the song anyway). The stunning goth-pop "Blood Dawn" marks an easy pleasant end to the journey, would make you wanna get your hands on Bloodmoon: II.

Yep, the title says Bloodmoon: I, so you know that a sequel might come in a year or a few. Anyway, this album's Converge expanding their comfort zone with the guidance of Wolfe and Brodsky through this gothic-ish avant-garde post-sludge darkness. A new era for this band is awaiting!

Favorites: "Blood Moon", "Coil", "Flower Moon", "Tongues Play Dead", "Daimon", "Crimson Stone"

There seemed to be a few cryptic hints about a new era for Bullet for My Valentine. Frontman Matt Tuck said that their upcoming album would an aggressive passionate beginning of "Bullet 2.0", and the album was later announced to be self-titled. And holy sh*t, this is accurate!

The new self-titled BFMV album marks a near-return to their earlier heaviness. BFMV has been part of my metalcore arsenal for 4 years, and their latest album at that time, Venom is a real headbanger with slight redemption of quality. Then in 2018, Gravity is a half-sh*tty nu metal backstabber. I thought if they released another album like that, I would start avoiding that band for good. Fast forward to the present with their self-titled album grabbing my attention by the b*lls. This is genuine heavy metalcore!

"Parasite" proves that right away after a minute of half of distorted brief radio samples of the band's greatest hits from practically every album. The song itself blasts through pure metal to have you fist-pumping and headbanging in no time. The riff in "Knives" will make you headbang so hard that your neck would be severed like a knife stab. I'm glad to still be living to write this review. Matt Tuck delivers lyrics of hatred and pain in vocals that could easily smash through concrete walls at command. That's quite what Robb Flynn of Machine Head had in The Blackening, but Matt does it slightly better.

After that one-two blast, "My Reverie" has slower groove, with the blend of clean vocals and growls being effective especially in the great dynamic chorus. The guitar solo can be thought of as a tribute to Dimebag, among other influences. "No Happy Ever After" cracks the sky of modern death metal influences while their land is still blessed with metalcore. During COVID lockdowns, production for the album was delayed several times before the band members agreed to record their parts separately from each other. The isolation really adds aggression to all the members' abilities, especially the soaring thrash leads from Padge. It would be interesting when the band actually play this song live and start a heavy moshpit. "Can’t Escape the Waves" brings back some of their earlier metalcore for longtime fans, while the ammo still sounds modern. Oh look, another song that gives the band something in common with Machine Head, a song titled "B****rds". However, unlike Machine Head's f***ing sh*tter, this is a real call-to-arms fight song of rebellion, perfectly nailing the semi-apocalyptic mood of their homeland of Wales. They really fire off one h*ll of a headbanger!

Changing the pace again, "Rainbow Veins" continues the monstrous groove, but with more clean singing than the unclean growls of the other songs. This rhythmic tune emphasizes on waves of sorrow in the aftermath of a revolution, containing a melancholic chorus followed by a destructive bridge. You feelin' it now? So after that slight ballad, there's more Hell to unleash with "Shatter", with rising feedback before the dark verses and fierce moshing chorus. "Paralysed" attacks with full-on Metallica/Slayer-esque thrash. "Death by a Thousand Cuts" ends the album on a heavy cliffhanger that would make you either demand the next album or just repeat this one again.

Like their older ancestors that are Sabbath, Priest, and Maiden, Bullet for My Valentine is not afraid to unearth unique sounds from the genre founded in the UK that is heavy metal. This band sure knows how to bring on their heavy artillery. Trivium has also done that with their new album the prior month, and if Bring Me the Horizon fully return to metalcore with their next Post Human release, that would make my day. Despite the quality not being same as earlier, BFMV deserves greatness for their killer comeback....

Favorites: "Parasite", "Knives", "No Happy Ever After", "B****rds", "Rainbow Veins" 

As I continue my ultimate Pit test, I thought I would review the remaining Demolition Hammer album to fill in the gap. I'm amazed about what an underrated album Time Bomb is! I mean, this is the album where they abandoned most of the deathly thrash from their first two albums for the groove metal that was taking over the reign, but it made me have a great feeling about the genre! I might just be looking forward to the groove metal part of the test...

Apparently, Time Bomb was to be a different project, but it was still released as Demolition Hammer. New fans might be up for it, while longtime fans may not. Drummer Vinny Daze (dead from globefish poisoning, RIP) and fast soloing wizard James Reilly are out. Drummer Alex Marquez comes in, and so does the Hammer's new groove.

The album begins with a 15-second intro audio sample from Prince Of The City where a couple guys plan to lock someone up, yelling "F*** him! F*** them! F*** you!... F*** YOU!!!" Then "Under the Table" sets up what to expect in the album; heavy yet simple riffing in the face. There are also some samples from the films Serpico and Scarface. Next song "Power Struggle" stands out as a 5-minute sludge-ish groove metal epic (all other songs are just 3 to 4 minutes long).

"Mindrot" is also slow in a way similar to a blend of Pantera and Obituary. The guitar soloing absence may lets many metalheads, but it gets things more to the point. That also can also be said for "Bread and Water". Then "Missing: 5/7/89" is effective despite the lack of thrash fury. However, the earlier sound returns for the outro of "Waste".

Rocking out hard in the guitars is "Unidentified", though the basic repetition in the structure doesn't do the song any favors. "Blowtorch" stands out in some deathly riffing to remind some of Malevolent Creation. I like their cover of Devo's "Mongoloid" (despite the title being a derogatory word for someone with Down syndrome), fitting well for this different sound. The title track is almost different from the rest of the album, as f***ing heavy and fast as the other Demolition Hammer albums in its second half.

Yeah, I know, Time Bomb is all different and repetitive, but guess what? It's almost as enjoyable as their Teutonic Big 4-inspired speedy thrash albums. Time Bomb would be better appreciated by fans of Pantera and Machine Head. The slower heaviness might turn off longtime fans. Let's hope for more of this band since their recent reformation!

Favorites: "Under the Table", "Power Struggle", "Mindrot", "Blowtorch", "Time Bomb"

Brutal deathrash. At least that's what bassist/vocalist Steve Reynolds describes his band. After reviewing the classic thrash era of the melodic Annihilator, it's off to the side of spectrum with the vicious Demolition Hammer. The brutality from Tortured Existence continues in their second album Epidemic of Violence. Relentless thrash to the max!

The boundaries of the extreme side of thrash are torn down, without having to go too full-on deathly. The instrumentation has more furious intensity than before. That doesn't mean this album is fastest though, there are a few crushing mid-tempo sections. The band knows how to alternate between fast and mid-tempo at such ease, and that contrast adds to the high levels of aggression that occur here.

"Skull Fracturing Nightmare" explodes into the thrash action right away before a menacing section one minute and 40 seconds in. Another one minute and 40 seconds later, a wicked thrashy instrumental bridge starts that includes some shredding soloing. One more solo that occurs ANOTHER one minute and 40 seconds later is so memorable. The instrumental passages put less focus on the rhythmic onslaught, in order for the listener to breathe. One and a half minutes into "Human Dissection" is insane fast thrash, suddenly shifting from the slower verse, adding some more unpredictable heaviness. The violent lyrics from the debut continue in "Pyroclastic Annihilation": "Catastrophic purge, tephra plague, flaming fragments inundate, combustive turbid brume, smothering, fumaroles permeate". The last 30 seconds rage in a ballistic burst.

"Envenomed" has more prominent vocal layers from Reynolds, especially one minute and 20 seconds in, with his vocals coming close to growling. That's probably one of the most vicious thrash songs I've heard, filled with hatred and rage! Not even Megadeth, Exodus, and Evildead can beat that amount of aggression. One minute and 20 seconds into "Carnivorous Obsession", the band once again bursts out of a slower intro into rapid extreme thrash in no time flat. "Orgy of Destruction" is a heavy one-minute interlude, similar to the end of Coroner's R.I.P, though ending with battle sound effects.

The vocal anger from Reynolds is quite important from the start of the title track. His vocals add to the extreme fury with sudden changes in the tempo. Though there is a catchy chorus. The band continues to pull off great surprises one minute and 20 seconds into "Omnivore", with subtle guitar reflection. The lyrical theme of predatory hunting can be seen as graphic in a juvenile way, but it adds gravity for the savage thrash to pulverize the targeted ground. Halfway through "Aborticide" has more reflective soloing.

This album, Epidemic of Violence is a true brutal way to close the classic thrash metal scene. I can already hear the greatness of thrash from some of the wildest the genre has to offer. It can be a struggle at first, but once you're fully ready, you're in for some merciless blood-spilling. Essential for fans of thrash metal and any other metal genre!

Favorites: "Skull Fracturing Nightmare", "Human Dissection", "Envenomed", "Epidemic of Violence", "Omnivore"

So what do you get when you blend southern metal and hardcore punk together into a heroic unique style of metalcore? Every Time I Die!! They've observed that timing is everything for the best results. Their radical album Radical was completed in early 2020... Then the virus of damnation attacked. COVID changed everything and prevented concerts from opening. The band waited until they could start touring to release the album, and after playing a couple shows recently, they decided that it was time...

In the human race's battle against the pandemic, Every Time I Die have observed the progress. And finally, the 5-year wait for a new album is over. The 16 songs waiting to be have been unleashed to pummel the world like a raging monster and wipe out the virus for good! OK, maybe not that last part.

A blast right back into their discography, "Dark Distance" will stun you into stone. The band has delivered a furious frenzy in higher heights of heaviness. I've heard that the band took quite a tribute to their previous albums in this one, with that track putting a Daughters-like spin into the sound of their previous couple albums and first couple albums. "Sly" continues the action from both the previous track and the previous album, with theatrical vocal experimentation inspired by Queen. An angry lookback musically at the previous decade, and lyrically at the world, "Planet Sh*t" throw their instrumentation around in outrage like Molotov cocktails. "Post-Boredom" is the catchiest song of the album and probably their most sing-along song similar to Taking Back Sunday, while maintaining their identity. "Colossal Wreck" has colossal intensity. "Desperate Pleasures" takes an approach closer to early mewithoutyou in the political songwriting to add to the hardcore sound as they point their middle finger to the disbelievers and destroyers, to show that the Hell we're in is real.

Up next, "All This and War" is my personal favorite of the album, a throwback to the early 2000s sound of Norma Jean, and I think that band's vocalist Josh Scogin guest appears in that song. Despite this album leaning more towards chaotic metalcore, that song is a midway monstrosity of nu-mathcore. "Thing With Feathers" shows that the band is more than what the title says, spreading their eagle wings into the unknown with guest vocals by Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra (the band, not the orchestra), creating a daring venture into indie rock, before things get wilder later in the album. "Hostile Architecture" continues the hostile approach from the band's 2009-era approach in wonderful achievement. "AWOL" is basically if Glassjaw performed Converge's masterpiece album You Fail Me, an astounding mix to adore! "The Whip" continues their speed from a decade prior in wild metalcore inspired by early Zao.

Coming in at second place for the best song of the album is "White Void" that could give you the urge to rename this band The Damned Deftones of Shai Visions (try to guess which 4 bands I'm referring to) with each random component miraculously appearing. "Distress Rehearsal" adds some Metallica-like thrash together with the usual mathy metalcore breakdowns. "Sexsexsex" starts off like post-grunge before heading back to what they had in From Parts Unknown with Coalesce-ish mathcore. "People Verses" once again continues where Low Teens has left off, and while still being a rocking hardcore song, this could fit well as the soundtrack for a battle scene in Game of Thrones. "We Go Together" ends the album similarly to Between the Buried and Me's Automata pair of albums, a theatrical metal ending encouraging us to go together.

Many films in a franchise are released 5 years apart because of the long production process, but while Radical didn't take an ultra-long time to make, it's all about the timing, and with the anticipation paying off, there really should be a Best Metalcore Comeback Album award. The outraged monster shall continue its savage ravage and beyond!

Favorites: "Dark Distance", "Sly", "Post-Boredom", "All This and War", "Thing with Feathers", "AWOL", "White Void", "We Go Together"

I'm glad I got this album the other day, not just because of scarily awesome this is, but also because I can do this review of its most appropriate day... HALLOWEEN. So get ready for lots of tricks to go with this treat!

Sequels, whether to albums or films, are something to love or hate. As the tagline from Scream 2 would say about some of them, "Sequels suck." However, this one doesn't! The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood is the sequel to the band's most successful album, in response to fans' demands for more. I personally think they should've tackled a different horror topic like TV shows or video games, but it's still a superb sequel. So let me show you the ways through this horror-metalcore journey...

"Opening Night" is an introductory disclaimer by famous horror film actor Bill Moseley, explaining that the 13 tracks were what remains of what seems to be a more horrifying concept album from long ago that would've been about brutal killings, similar to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The title track, "Welcome to Horrorwood" begins similarly to Every Trick in the Book, with Spencer Charnas' vocals, piano, and strings (“ink fills the page, a classic killer completes the cast”). Then the quietness is broken by a guttural scream and furious drum pounding. The song isn't based on any horror films, but establishes what to expect in the album; film violence that sometimes bleeds into reality, all part of the album's main concept. So continuing the story from my Silver Scream review, you leave the theater and find yourself in a mysterious town known as Horrorwood, where violence from movies is real and you have to stay alive and not get killed. You successfully avoid the brutal madness and escape the town. "A Rash Decision" is based on the Cabin Fever franchise, and mixes the fast tempo, screams, and riffs of metalcore with the melodic experiments of electronica, horns and choir. Lots of contrasting layers! You find a cabin in the woods and camp out there, but then you find out that the previous owners were decomposed alive by a flesh-eating virus, so you take the time to consider fleeing. The experimentation continues in "Assault & Batteries", based on the Chucky series (Child's Play), where after a couple news broadcast samples, child singing adds to the incoming terror. While mostly referring to the first Chucky film, his bride is sometimes mentioned ("stitched back together it seems, by the evil bride of his dreams"), further expanding the concept to the rest of the franchise. You find a doll in an old abandoned shelf, but it comes to life and tries to murder you, but you outrun it and hide in a room with the door locked.

You already know what "The Shower Scene" is about! I was a little surprised that the band didn't reference Psycho, one of the most iconic 20th century horror films of all time in the first Silver Scream album, so I'm glad they haven't forgotten about it in this one. The frantic chaos of the first 3 songs is replaced with melody while keeping the usual horror-themed metalcore, evident in the catchy chorus and vocals. They've really done that film justice here, with the sound effects from the eponymous shower scene kept in, including the violin sting, knife sounds, and terrified screams. In that room, you find a bathroom and decide to shower in there to refresh yourself after feeling a bit filthy from your journey so far. However, a shadowy figure appears and tries to kill you, but you knock it out with the shower head and take its knife, then quickly dry yourself off, put your clothes back on and escape the cabin via a window. "Funeral Derangements" is a heavy fast one based on Pet Sematary, in fact basing the music and lyrics on the score and sounds of the movie, the latter coming from a truck horn and a laughing child. While running through the woods, you find a pet cemetery where animals rise from their graves as the undead. "Rainy Day" is based on the Resident Evil movie, which itself is based on the video game series and that makes me wonder if they should've saved it for a horror video game tribute album. The highly different gamer-industrial tones produce a vibe of video games and early 2000s action film soundtracks. After escaping the cemetery, you find a manhole and crawl down, but end up in a sewer filled with human zombies infected by the T-virus that can possess humans and animals. You fight off the zombies and climb up another manhole into the streets of a different town on a rainy day. "Hip to Be Scared" is based on American Psycho, and the first single of the album. They've really executed their sound like an execution! Great parts of the song include the sample of the original Huey Lewis song, and background vocals by Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach. You run into a banker who happens to be a serial killer preying on random innocent people. You incapacitate him and run off.

"Take Your Pick", based on My Bloody Valentine, features Cannibal Corpse vocalist Corpsegrinder in probably the most brutal heaviest song of the album, an outright mix of death metal and metalcore (equals deathcore). This collaboration would really hack your face with a pickaxe. You end up in a Valentine's Day festival which seems nice at first until a powerful serial killer in mining gear attacks. You hide under a booth and wait helplessly for the massacre to be over. The hellishly killer "The Box", based on the Hellraiser films, adds in melodic harmonies, especially in the emotional chorus, helped out by Brandon Saller (Atreyu), and guttural growls backed up by Ryan Kirby (Fit For A King), both guest vocalists adding to the metalcore greatness. Once you safely emerge from the booth and find yourself in the abandoned aftermath of the slaughter, you see a mystical puzzle box and accidentally use it to summon the deadly Cenobites. Fortunately, before they could have the chance to attack, you reverse the motions needed to open the box and send them back to whence they came. You throw the box away and wander off. "F.L.Y." focuses on melodies with Charnas singing alongside Senses Fail's Buddy Nielsen, while still having the kick-A guitars. Contrary to speculations, this wasn't based on The Silence of the Lambs which uses the motto "First Love Yourself", instead it's based on The Fly, which I guess makes more sense. After leaving the massacred Valentine's Day Festival, you find a laboratory but a fly monster crashes outta there and you outrun it. German growling starts the German-phrase-littered "Wurst Vacation" based on the porno-torture film Hostel. Those German phrases, along with strings and an electronic chorus, give the song a Rammstein vibe. You find a hotel, but out of nowhere, you are knocked out and sent to a torture chamber.

Vaudeville throwback "Ex Mortis", based on Evil Dead, continues the theatrical vibe from the previous album's epic finale. Horns and piano add to the song's groovy action. It also fits well with the madness of Army of Darkness. Once you wake up, you find yourself surrounded by demons and spirits, waiting to possess you. After fading out from the previous song, bees start buzzing while "Farewell II Flesh" begins, the longest INK song at 5 minutes since the debut's "Family Unites", based on Candyman, with soothing yet eerie piano as the story of the Candyman is introduced. After layers of dramatic atmosphere, more layers come in thanks to the other instruments that create metalcore riffing from the guitars. The leader of the spirits is the legendary Candyman who plans to kill you if you say his name repeatedly. You refuse to say his name and instead attack him and the spirits. You find a fireplace in the torture chamber and shove the Candyman, destroying him. The spirits freeze and graphically decompose. During the string bridge, you leave the chamber and find yourself in a different forest, with the chamber being just another cabin. Then when the last chorus comes in, an unseen entity attacks you from behind and possesses you. As it turns out, the entity is a spirit similar to the ones led by Candyman, but it's a different one summoned by the surviving villains of the scenarios from my reviews for the previous two albums; Dracula, Carrie, Killer Santa, and Pennywise. During the final growling outro, you come to and are possessed to become part of this league of evil horror. To be continued... (maybe?) Cue more bee noises to end the album and experience.

Nope, this sequel does not suck at all. The sequel movies I would compare this album to would be Terminator 2 and Aliens; as great as the first whether it's the subtlety or the action that you like. Hope you have a killer experience with The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood. I've done so, with an insane scenario to come along with it!

Favorites: "Welcome to Horrorwood", "A Rash Decision", "The Shower Scene", "Hip to Be Scared", "The Box", "F.L.Y.", "Farewell II Flesh"

I'm quite selective with thrash metal. I like the genre when it's heavy and technical at best. I don't feel up to exploring more of the Big 4 beyond a few songs at the moment. Yet I'm still up for bands that aren't as big as the big ones but take influence and are closer to my generation. This is where bands like Demolition Hammer come in. So despite the horrific cover artwork that might've inspired the aftermath of the "This is fine" dog, what you're gonna witness is some of the most intense thrash around!

That's the kind of intensity Exodus and Slayer don't have, but the intensity those bands have to get more credit. For Demolition Hammer, they've added a lot of catchiness and violence that should reach the top of thrash mountain to avalanche away any naysayers. 30 years before this review, Tortured Existence was quite a metal underground hit album, at a time when most other thrash bands started disbanding or (d)evolving into the dreaded groove/nu metal. Needless to say, Demolition Hammer would fall into both traps a few years later. But before that impending fate, they've released some of the most savage thrash with a few influences from the rising death metal scene.

This headbanging thrash marathon opens with the insane ".44 Caliber Brain Surgery". The more insane "Neanderthal" has killer music that would make you wanna f***ing destroy everything in sight. That song and "Gelid Remains" stomp around with riffing that could cause massive earthquakes if blasted through a thousand loudspeakers. The dueling solos shine as well there.

"Crippling Velocity" is one of the more violent songs here in an effortless blend of fast thrash riff-fury and heavy passages of crushing chaos. So speedy as f***! The entirely memorable "Infectious Hospital Waste" is probably one of the catchiest songs in thrash with a chilling breakdown. Though not as catchy as the more melodic "Hydrophobia".

"Paracidal Epitaph" has thick monstrous bass in presence, performed by frontman Steve Reynolds besides his usual decimating vocals. "Mercenary Aggression" springs through comprehensive aggression harder than a fist in the b*lls, though not in the same heavy weight as those previous couple tracks. For anyone wanting an extra 6 minutes of thrash fury, check out the monstrous bonus track "Cataclysm" that continues of the brilliance of the frontman's vocals and bass.

Tortured Existence has some of the most violent thrash I can stand, enough to be able to come back again for more enjoyment. The more popular thrash albums don't quite top this one, and Demolition Hammer would continue the skull-blowing thrash for one more album. But for now, enjoy the fury!

Favorites: "Neanderthal", "Crippling Velocity", "Infectious Hospital Waste", "Hydrophobia", "Cataclysm" (bonus track)

With their 2005 sophomore breakthrough Ascendancy and since 2008's Shogun, Trivium has marked their spot as one of the greatest discography-expanding bands of modern times, despite the flaws of albums #1 and #3. The slightly underrated 2011 masterpiece In Waves began their venture to show great concepts and executions that would carry on in subsequent albums, except in 2015's Silence in the Snow when vocalist Matt Heafy temporarily lost his growling ability. So where does it all lead?

Into the Court of the Dragon! In 2020 after the previous album What the Dead Men Say, when Trivium was in lockdown during the virus and couldn't do any live performances, they decided to not waste any time. They spent the rest of that year writing an album that would later be recorded as almost a sequel to the epic thrash-metalcore of Shogun with greater hints of its surrounding albums' sounds. While staying stellar as ever, their performance is probably the most powerful since Ascendancy. The guitars have more fire and crunch than the spiciest crunchiest KFC meal. The drumming is more brutal as well, and the vocals add a greater blend of mature cleans and convincing screams.

In the Court of the Dragon begins our descent with the anticipation-building intro "X", but unlike the previous album's heavy intro, this one is an ominous orchestral intro composed by Ihsahn. Then the furious title track erupts with Matt Heafy's f***ing beastly growling vocals. The blast-beat onslaught carries on into the cleanly-sung chorus, occurring before a brutal breakdown. The shredding soloing makes you visualize a bad-a** battle with the dragon in the pit, with your weapon being that guitar soloing. A tune of heavy brilliance! "Like a Sword Over Damocles" showcase the band's Nevermore influences in a prog-thrasher where Matt adds aggression to his singing then rises to the usual growling. The d*mn epic clean chorus should definitely get fists pumping in future live festivals. The title fits well with the perilously powerful pandemic and how our leaders are trying to prevent it from spreading further. Some more epic guitar fire in the dueling solo trade! After those first two real songs starting the album heavy, the radio anthem "Feast of Fire" has a different riff that spawned from an unknown demo. There's killer strength and maturity that levels this song up more than the similar mid-tempo songs from The Crusade. The balance between heaviness and melody continues to suit the album and makes sure it's not just a sequel to the one from last year.

Ascendancy-style heavy throwback "A Crisis of Revelation" still manages to fit well with the other high-quality tracks. The different brooding "The Shadow of the Abattoir" is the first of not one, not two, but THREE 7+ minute epics!!! This one might just have Heafy's best vocals EVER!! The verses go slow like a power ballad from Blind Guardian or Slough Feg with deep baritone vocals before rising to higher power in the chorus in a depressive journey ("Don't go searching for the battle, you won't find any beasts to slay, you'll rip yourself to pieces, you'll drive yourself insane, in the shadow of the abattoir...") The heavier bridge is more complex with key-switching breakdowns and extensive soloing that ends by perfectly replicating the chorus vocal harmony, before the final chorus itself where the background vocal harmony of bassist Paolo Gregoletto puts more emphasis in the harmony than before. EPIC!! "No Way Back Just Through" continues the heavy rage, while having a great chorus ready for future gigs.

While it's tough to pick highlights for perfect albums like this one because of how strong the songs are that make the album as cohesive as true heavy metal classics from the 80s, "Fall Into Your Hands" comes close, a headbanging epic that is the longest song by the band to not be an album's title track or a cover song. It has vocally the best chorus of the album with all 3 vocalists (one lead + two background) uniting. You get to hear killer thrashy riffing along with lots of soloing and instrumentation good for air-guitar. Besides the album's intro, Ihsahn has performed strings that are buried in the background, but this song is where those strings really shine, especially in their own glorious outro. Next up, "From Dawn to Decadence" really combines blasting thrash in the verses with hard rock in the chorus worth humming to. The triumphant closer "The Phalanx" starts with grand intro riffing before a mid-tempo verse that starts building up speed when Heafy starts his usual screaming. Strings return to prominence again in the pre-chorus before the chorus of heroic glory. This epic pretty much summarizes everything they've had in the album, with sublime soloing by Corey Beaulieu. Drummer Alex Bent really keeps his pace with the riffs and elevating them. The song's lyrical theme of fighting demons fit the song's music video like a glove, and that video is a collaboration with Bethesda Game Studios based on the Elder Scrolls Online. And to cap it all off beautifully is an ultra-epic two-minute outro as Matt's vocals lead the band and the one-man orchestra to victory, until next time...

So going out on a whim here, In the Court of the Dragon marks the band's best and strongest album since In Waves. I would recommend this to anyone who has followed the band far through their over two-decade career. The band's later greatness continues in power and glory. An amazing masterpiece that's probably, for me, the best of the year!

Favorites: "In the Court of the Dragon", "Like a Sword of Damocles", "The Shadow of the Abattoir", "Fall Into Your Hands", "The Phalanx"

Rivers of Nihil is back! And I guess I am too, temporarily, after my departure from death metal that occurred earlier this year. Based on what I've heard about this album, far more progressive while staying tech-death, this might just be the listening return to this band I've truly wanted! Well, maybe not completely, but this is still very cool. Fans of their heavier tech-death sound might be p*ssed off, but I guess you can't please everyone...

This band has the rights to be different from all the other prog/tech-death bands like Alarum, Anata, Arsis, Atheist, and other bands that start with A. Here they go the Cynic Focus route and far more progressive metal tools in the box while staying tech-death. Would they keep the tech-death elements or start discarding them? Who knows...

First song "The Tower" you might expect to be an extreme opener, but NO. Instead there's a weird soft tone I f***ing hate. It starts the album with a numb boring waltz that is unlike the progressive metal that's more extreme than Dream Theater. Only the heavier growling part adds promise. What a relief when "Dreaming Black Clockwork" starts! This is the extreme tech-death riff-wrath to enjoy! However, after only over a minute of that, the soft instrumentation returns to unfairly steal the spotlight. But hold on to your seats, because there's still more extreme to the prog to continue, while switching back and forth. A killer highlight! "Wait" is a twist in the prog-death script, close to that radio pop sh*t I'm trying to get over. Here we have melodic singing, straight rhythm, classic soloing, and a sobering vibe. The stylistic journey has been taken slightly too far, while making sure nothing is sacrificed. "Focus" shows a bit of influence from Cynic and that band's similarly titled debut, albeit with slight industrial.

"Clean" can be described as anything but the title, with the vibe and riffing pounding like a jackhammer, especially that monolithic djent-death section around the two-minute mark. The next song, "The Void From Which No Sound Escapes" adds some sweet melody and jazz that only naysayers would hate and not understand. Fortunately, the djent-death drives again for a minute surrounding the two-minute point, yet still doesn't add hope to those haters. Now do you want "More?" More?! MORE?!? There's heavy riffing in the beginning that persists in later sections for a greater prog-djent-tech-deathcore mix than that of Within the Ruins. How better can that genre mix be?

"Tower 2" is a reprise of that boring intro, with slightly more Pink Floyd influence in the acoustic strumming, still not getting any better... "Episode" starts soft, then catchy, then chaotic. Not much else to say there... As if colliding a bunch of genres into one could be done more, "Maybe One Day" is unlike anything Rivers of Nihil has done before, an uplifting ballad that would be more appropriate in a recent Opeth album, but those previous few somewhat poor tracks... "Terrestria IV: Work", holy f***, now this is a closing epic!! It's the longest track by the band at 11 and a half minutes (as much as the title track of Trivium's Shogun) and not only concludes this offering but also keeps up the "Terrestria" song suite from all their albums. Probably more epic than Cult of Luna's "Cygnus"! This is too astonishing for words. Hope you have a rewarded listen!

The Work is indeed a pretty great work of art. Not quite the best of the year, but needs respect and focus for a deserving experience. Excellent writing and nearly perfect arrangement should convince people to go with this album. They were more deathly earlier on, but now look how mature and progressive they've become. Just try it!

Favorites: "Dreaming Black Clockwork", "Focus", "Clean", "More?", "Terrestria IV: Work"

So... French hardcore metal, eh? Um, NO. This CD, Les 150 Passions Meurtrieres doesn't really do metalcore a lot of favors. Sure there is intense brutality, but it seems like their "inspirations" are mainly rip-offs. There may be some lyrical copying from Whitehouse and De Sade, especially in the title track, all mangled in the French tongue. I'm not really pleased by this. I still appreciate a bit of the heaviness though, along with its mix with melody in that title track. However... well, better luck (and review) some other time....

Favorites: just the title track

Progressive metal is one of the most characteristically difficult genres of all time, when it comes to playing, composing, and sometimes listening. If you're an expert at composing excellent progressive music, you'll create wonderful results, otherwise everything would be incorrect. If you're new creating progressive metal, surely a 10-minute epic would be difficult to start with, but it's still easy to keep interesting. It would definitely be more difficult to attempt a 20-minute track with half of it is long instrumental sections and the other half is filled with ambitious vocals, all with no coherent pace. You can even challenge yourself further with 30 minutes. Now 60 minutes, an exact hour, THAT's the ultimate challenge! You have to be the master of getting used to prog to enjoy this hour-long epic, Green Carnation's Light of Day, Day of Darkness!

Green Carnation's music for this album can be described as progressive metal with slight doom. Dark sorrow in the atmosphere fits well with the high-quality composition. Probably a third (20 minutes) of the track is instrumental while not straying away from the concept, with a continuous pattern throughout the progressive complexity. Unlike Dream Theater or Rush, the album is more doom-inspired than upbeat, including the mid-range vocals and the riffs that contain slow dark heaviness to fit nicely with the sorrowful leads. The album also includes saxophone, sitar, strings, synthesizers, and other instruments starting with "S", greatly enhancing the guitar and atmosphere.

It all begins with an intro that might've made any metalhead who bought this album on the month of its release think this is a brand new Dream Theater album. Of course, the heavy doom-paced riffing might make you think otherwise. The instrumental sections are enjoyable despite being colorless. Then death growls start roaming in as of around the 8-minute mark before the pace continues being changed. Another 8 minutes later, at near the 16-minute mark, the pace picks up and flows easily. Another 16 minutes later, sometime after the 32-minute mark comes an out-of-place stretcher; 5 minutes of female operatic chanting. That almost made drop the score a half-star. You could've added some Kreator-like thrash soloing, but nope!! Fortunately, the perfection is redeemed with more heaviness, at slightly over the 40-minute mark is followed by a two-minute acoustic/piano solo, before the excellent guitar solo I've waited for. Finally, the last 5 minutes are mostly soft instrumental and be considered the track's "end credits".

What an achievement in the progressive metal realm! You can probably guess Light of Day, Day of Darkness, as the longest track from a prominent rock or metal band, but it's surpassed by Fantomas' Delirium Cordia, Transatlantic's The Whirlwind, and Bell Witch's Mirror Reaper. Everything flows without being too loose or out of place (for the most part). This is a must-have for all progressive fans, and while I didn't start my prog journey here, for anyone wanting to start on this genre for the first time....welcome!

Favorites: The entire track (though I've struggled with the female operatic chanting)

Hopesfall is an alt-hardcore band that had a more metalcore sound 20 years before this review. They were signed to Trustkill Records, an infamous record label that took their own name seriously. This EP, No Wings to Speak of acts as a bridge in the 3-year gap between their debut The Frailty of Words and The Satellite Years. The band's Christian-themed debut is an under-recorded under-promoted album that failed to spread through a greater audience. The EP No Wings to Speak of is a greater display of their earlier work with underground spirit dug into the surface. And when I finally got the chance to listen, it was indeed a jaw-dropping experience!

Hopesfall was part of the rising hybrid band scene that included hardcore bands like this one and the more famous rap/metal hybrids like Hybrid Theory-era Linkin Park. For Hopesfall, they were one of the earliest metalcore hybrid bands, mixing the genre with emo and post-hardcore, and slight hints at the indie rock that would dominate their sound in the mid-2000s and beyond, all in dense sound layers. Despite this hybrid, their main focus isn't on metalcore's moshing chaos, but rather on smooth beauty in their sound. These 4 songs are harmoniously written compositions while still using heavy grooves and breakdowns in the song structures. Heavy but mellow compared to what their previous record label Takehold Records had then. The band stays strong with emotional chords and beautiful riffs overlapped with harsh vocals in spiritual purity.

The opener "Open Hands to the Wind" is not bad at all, but it's my least favorite song and not the best song to start with. It's a less unique melodic metallic hardcore song that  seems to rip-off from Poison the Well and Evergreen Terrace, yet a minute into the song onwards, the subtle sublime changes commence so it stays good. That's where I know that the hope for perfection has never fallen! "April Left With Silence" starts with somber groove and discordant melody with pounding bass to spread out throughout at least the first half. Then you get stunned by the heaviness of dissonant chords over melodic riffs like a spring flower blooming on top of a cold winter mountain. "The End of an Era" is the best one here, with nearly 7 minutes of beauty and fury combined. A haunting opening riff turns into a towering breakdown overlapped with bright guitar which, in turn, adds dense chords and fast drums, followed by highly emotional passages, stunning tempos, dark beautiful screams, and finally a soft gentle instrumental passage at the center. So d*mn beautiful... "The Far Pavilions" runs through the snare drum more frantically before ending the album with bright power.

Yeah, I already noticed this band being Christian, and I've heard about their debut album The Frailty of Words being a Christian album. Whether they intended to keep that going, and whether your religion, Hopesfall made one of the most spiritual metallic hardcore releases to this day with No Wings to Speak of! Their music combines elemental metaphors of wind and water, and that's already seen in the bleakly beautiful cover art of black & blue & green clouds. The band has indeed taken on less Christian influences than their debut album, with its simplistic beauty that can almost be suitable for a Buddhist monastery. If you can just take that soft gentle instrumental passage from "The End of an Era" and have it seamlessly repeat without any of the heavier parts, that would be excellent meditation music. No Wings to Speak of is also more suitable for a night drive with yourself or friends than just a live show. With music filled with brilliance, beauty and a breakdown or a few, metalcore youngsters like myself would love it!

Favorites: "April Left With Silence", "The End of an Era"

In Flames was once a band that I listened to before leaving the death metal realm, a Swedish metal band that started with glorious melodeath but (d)evolved into the alt-/nu metal that metalheads hate. And while this live album isn't as terrible as some of their later albums, the fault is in the quality...

Seeing this live album in the anniversaries thread yesterday as of this review, I thought it would be worth giving this band another go to see if anything's good in this album. As it turns out, some things are very good, others are horrible, like the production sounding more stereo-like. The vocals sound horrible compared to their studio works, f***ing up the songs that stand out, while some others still sound good. Do I dare talk about them all? I guess so...

Kicking off the show and the album is "Bullet Ride", with a nice riff before Anders' singing takes over, though only the bass and drums stand out more than the rest, thereby butchering the song. Anders sounded much better and less sucky in studio than this live sh*t. "Embody the Invisible" stays close to the original from the Colony album, but nothing special is added except for the bad quality of the production and vocals. "Jotun" kicks real a** in the instrumentation, but the vocals hit a new low there. "Food for the Gods" has much better vocals to bring the quality to higher average. "Moonshield" is one of the best songs from the melodeath era of the band, but for the performance here... WHAT THE F***?!? Why in the h*ll did they skip the acoustic intro?! That's the best part of the song!! The f***ed up production does not help at all. This is sad, man...

"Clayman" is just sh*tty here, too whiny-sounding. "Swim" is another one from the at-the-time latest album Clayman, still cr*ppy enough to skip. The next track begins with Anders shouting to the audience, "We're gonna take all of you behind space!" Cheesy, right?? Anders once again ruins it all with his Rabbid-like voice. That's why I prefer only the original version with Dark Tranquillity's Mikael Stanne. "Only for the Weak" is the best song of Clayman and almost this live album, though it's degraded by the cheesy "Jump!" chant and the absence of background vocals. The way he pronounces the next track title "Gyroscope" is amusing, but the rest of this song still sounds sh*t here.

"Scorn" sounds much worse than the original. The only upside is the "Raining Blood" break in the middle. "Ordinary Story" does a good job doing the original justice, but I'll still complain about the production and vocals. "Pinball Map" is absolutely worth skipping and the live version should be called "Pimple Map". The title track for Colony isn't as bad as the other songs from the album performed here. "Episode 666" is very good, almost not lame at all, with kick-A singalong moments, though not too spectacular.

All in all, this is a good live album in some parts. Their previous albums, especially their first 3, are much better than this live sh*t. D*mn bummer, man, especially since this was meant to be a nice throwback for me. The production and setlist should've been made better. Now if you'll excuse me, my time away from death metal continues....

Favorites (one song per album, I liked the original versions better): "Food for the Gods", "Moonshield", "Behind Space", "Only for the Weak", "Colony"

I've been in the hardcore/metalcore zone for longer than 3 years now, and I barely despise anything from that genre. I enjoy many Revolution classics, even ones before this album like Calculating Infinity by The Dillinger Escape Plan and We are the Romans by Botch. Maybe someday I can get into other metalcore bands like Poison the Well and Hopesfall, but this band, Skycamefalling is what I'll start with, all thanks to another one of Daniel's Revolution recommendations!

This is one of those albums that essential for the hardcore/metalcore scene in the new millennium. The sole Skycamefalling album 10.21 and Converge's Jane Doe are two of the first metalcore albums with more poetic lyrics than just uniting a brotherhood of rebellion.

The instrumental "Intro" starts the album. Then "With Paper Wings" kickstarts the action. This is probably the band's greatest hit, filled with driving guitar intensity, one of my favorite metalcore songs to remember! I might just feel up to screaming along to the chorus. After grabbing your throat throughout the song, there's a beautiful piano outro that would inspire hundreds of other bands to add something like that to their songs. You know who "Laura Palmer" is, a murdered girl whose investigation serves as the plot to the series Twin Peaks. This is more aggressive than when Swallow the Sun made a song about Laura Palmer. "The Nothing" is a great way to describe where a relationship leads to: "So where were you when one heart became two?! When three words became more than you could chew?!?" I highly recommended listening to that song!

"-" is just a short instrumental. "Porcelain Heart Promises" covers pretty much everything you need to hear from this band. Another recommendation! "Healing Yesteryear" shows what TDEP and Botch should've done the previous year. "Shallow Like the Sand" is definitely what you should come for poetic lyrics: "Trees fall like iron on their way down, we bury our hands in their hearts and waste away again, because I have tried to turn words to stone, tried to fight the day with my eyes closed." Way more thought out than other hardcore bands! "The Truth Machine" continues the classic metallic hardcore, at a time when progressive innovators like Devin Townsend were on the rise.

The instrumental title epic contains 9 minutes of acoustic guitar, clean piano sounding a bit Eastern, and light percussion, leading to an ending crescendo. A soft break while you breathe in the flames of creativity! "November’s Neverending" gives you the idea of an eternal dark winter with no point in moving on. The album closes with "An Ocean Apart", staying strong even after 5 minutes of silence. A fitting end to a hardcore metal album of a beauty and intensity!

I still can't believe this talented group of musicians split up after only one album, but hopefully there would be more after a few recent reunion shows in the 2010s. As much as I enjoy other metalcore bands, I already miss these guys and hope they'll come back again. A metalcore classic of sheer poetry!

Favorites: "With Paper Wings", "The Nothing", "Porcelain Heart Promises", "Shallow Like the Sand", "10.21", "An Ocean Apart"

Like a book-writer having finished making his anticipated masterpiece and what started as a small decay turned into a big one when the pandemic hit, prog-death/metalcore masters Born of Osiris suffered a similar fate. The band made a 26-minute "studio album" (nearly as long as Cryptic Shift's "Moonbelt Immolator"), The Simulation, released in early 2019. After spending the first half of the year touring, they started writing the album that was supposed to follow, but for the production, like I said, a small decay turned into a big one. Their pre-recordings fell apart when the world was altered. After spending 2020 writing more material, they were able to hit the studio again to record what turned out to be a 55-minute actual studio album, Angel or Alien!

The band has made quite a 12-year prog-death/metalcore journey of studio albums since A Higher Place (Happy 12th anniversary as of this review!!). Throughout their tenure, their passion and dedication have never died out, with their sound evolving in a time when very low tunings where a thing in the djent lands. Bands are like some foods; you wanna keep enjoying it but eventually you might end up spitting them out before you can swallow. To make sure Born of Osiris is a relevant band and never an acquired taste, they still have the will to continue to push away from the complacent dark abyss. The band that has consisted of Ronnie Canizaro (unclean vocals), Joe Buras (keyboards and clean vocals), Lee McKinney (guitars), Nick Rossi (bass while switching to guitars), and Cameron Losch (drums) make the right turn of igniting the inner fire of their roots that they embrace along with new authentic surprises through this 14-song offering.

Beginning this collection is the catchy danger worth facing that is "Poster Child". At the end of that killer opener, some of their newer elements come in such as the synth-infused saxophone to smooth out the electronic synths. Then the explosion into "White Nile" is detonated with their expected matured refinement taken to the next level. What you may hear in the title track is a long-time-no-listen infectious hook, in which you can't deny its resemblance to their past material while moving the evolution forward. "Waves" conveniently waves for its needed attention. The more brutal "Oathbreaker" continues the expected mix of melodic synths and djenty explosion to please your ears.

The present once again allows the past to stomp through in "Threat of Your Presence", another notable highlight. The emotional "Love Story" is filled with confessional sincerity, far better than that Taylor Swift song. "Crossface" howls like a wolf, reaching a Crossfaith-level of metalcore mixed with EDM synths. "Echobreather" is so beautiful yet pummeling, as the heaviness and growls is balanced with Buras' synth melody and cleans. "Lost Souls" is another astounding composition.

The brutal slaughter continues "In for the Kill" as McKinney's fine guitar work dominates over the cinematic flourishes. A gut-punch of madness is unleashed onto you in "You are the Narrative" (can this "Narrative" really be beaten up??). The self-inflicted deliverance of "Truth and Denial" has Canizaro keeping his vocal edge and pushing it up with his earlier New Reign-era shrieking. The grand finale "Shadowmourne" is almost an anthem for my earlier Horde/Infinite/Revolution clan lineup. This instrumentation in this song alone is almost superior to those other songs and almost every other band with a similar style, and the saxophone makes its triumphant return throughout this piece.

While the semi-massive delay was the virus' fault, Born of Osiris continue igniting the inner fire of their roots as their sound continues evolving beyond bounds. While other bands try and fail, this band creates a strong storm of grace that never falls, and every track in Angel or Alien proves that point. This may not be the direct follow-up to The Simulation, but it's the start of a new era that will continue with another upcoming album Born of Osiris is currently writing. Whatever comes next, I'll be ready. Bring it!

Favorites: "Poster Child", "Angel or Alien", "Threat of Your Presence", "Love Story", "Lost Souls", "In for the Kill", "Shadowmourne"

I was thinking about trying to find one more thrash band that would be perfect enough to prove that I can fit well in The Pit, but ultimately, I decided that this can already be proven by a classic I'm already familiar with. One with... 246 RIFFS!!!! All of them rule as they strike through your mind and soul, taking control from beginning to end. Everyone has a different feeling when it comes to a certain album, and I find this album to be full of high-quality thrash genius!

The perfect lineup can show you more than just those killer riffs. The production is clean with audible instrumentation. Drummer Gene Hoglan adds some slower technicality alongside his usual fast thrash. Vocalist Ron Rinehart is a perfect fit here with strong vocals as the riffs from the guitarists slay away.

The title track starts with the first of those hundreds of riffs, slow before becoming lethally fast. The lyrics written by Hoglan are awesome, dealing with insanity and death in greater depths than the still perfect Darkness Descends. D*mn, even the music is incredible, including how well the bridges and choruses are structured. All that confirms that you're listening to one of the most complex and extreme thrash albums around. "Pain's Invention, Madness" has more of those many riffs, as Ron's flawless vocals continue following them. "Act Of Contrition" similar keeps up the variety of riffs to maintain your headbanging as always. The amazing soloing reaches the top compared to some other thrash albums. All this will make you stay in attention through the progressive length that most songs have.

Next one is one of my favorites, "The New Priesthood", in which lyrics detail modern technology surpassing religion. The intro riff is perhaps its most killer here. The most melodic and sinister at the same time track here is "Psychosexuality". Then comes one of my favorite songs in tech-thrash, and maybe all of thrash, "An Ancient Inherited Shame". The band's longest song at 9 minutes, all the riffs in the track kick a**. The progressive structure makes incredible tempo changes from slow to fast and in between. Dark Angel at their mightiest!

"Trauma and Catharsis" is f***ing superb, though the doom intro for nearly first two minutes is slightly unnecessary. However, the memorable fast riffing is still worth it, and the perfection is not affected. Rolling in a more sludge-ish pace, "Sensory Deprivation" is another magnificent track. While staying in the usual grand strength, the closing "A Subtle Induction" is the fastest song here and puts everything to a speedy end.

The Pit has spoken! This is what I truly desire from the clan, a technical heavy sound with awesome music and lyrics. People might think of Darkness Descends as the band's greatest album, and while they're right, Time Does Not Heal is very close to that reign as one of the greatest albums of thrash and tech-thrash. Truly standing the test of time!

Favorites: "Time Does Not Heal", "Act Of Contrition", "The New Priesthood", "An Ancient Inherited Shame", "Sensory Deprivation"

There are a couple reasons why I wanted to give this Anthrax album a listen and review. First off, I felt a little bad for missing out on that Anthrax concert in my home country that was originally for sometime last year before this review but got postponed anyway because of the virus. Second is the reason why I chose this album State of Euphoria, because it was near the bottom of the 10+ chart list in this site. It's time to see what went wrong for this album...

This album is pretty much the black sheep of Anthrax's classic era. You can SEE why by the trippy cover and HEAR why by the simplified slightly slower sound that thrash fans don't consider a real winner. Despite a small split in the fanbase, the album continued the band's gold-winning streak. It would take some adjustment to get used to this.

Straight into the opening track "Be All, End All", we hear cello. F***ING CELLO!! The heavier fans might think, "That's thrash!? Cello is classical! Blah blah blah..." A strange yet nice addition to a song I find brilliant! If they kept using that cello, they would be an early ancestor of Apocalyptica. "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" is another a**-kicker. Joey Belladonna performs his strongest vocals there despite pressure from his bandmates. "Make Me Laugh" makes me laugh to hear anti-religious attempts to rule television.

What's considered the last winner of the album is their cover of Trust's "Antisocial" that everyone else has heard, but there are several more... The otherwise unimpressive "Who Cares Wins" can rule with Joey's singing from the heart. Another fantastic song "Now It's Dark" is shamefully shunned by other listeners, but it's one of the best for me.

However, I have an issue with the lyrical quality in "Schism", like where is the chorus?! Is that it when Joey scats "sc-sc-sc-schism"? That's quite fake and anti-climatic when expecting something different after the verses. This common issue would be fixed in their next album. Inspired by Stephen King, "Misery Loves Company" can please fans of dark-ish hardcore thrash. The interlude "13" is a small fault. However, "Finale" is a fan favorite that they should play live more often.

In my opinion, while State of Euphoria has a bit of dry gloom in their songs, it's still interesting and the necessary balance of thrash between the apparent light of Among the Living and the apparent darkness of Persistence of Time. F***ing h*ll, I enjoy this more than most other fans would, but it still doesn't get me in the mood for Anthrax....

Favorites: "Be All, End All", "Out of Sight, Out of Mind", "Who Cares Wins", "Now It's Dark", "Finale"

Once a Japanese Visual Kei/glam rock band, Dir En Grey toned down their earlier imagery and focused on becoming something greater and more modern. Their superb songwriting will surely persuade listeners to enter the Japanese alt-garde metal realm!

Their 7th album Uroboros further establishes the unique genre the band has reinvented, all in emerging triumph. It is an exploration through new territory while staying familiar to earlier fans. They continue to expand on the earlier pop elements but twist it with the metal sound that would dominate this album in sonic talent. And seeing how I can better tolerate both Japanese metal bands and bands in other languages besides English, I should have no problem here...

The album begins with the intro "Sa Bir" with deep drum looping, subterranean synths, cimbalom, bass, and background vocals by lead vocalist Kyo. It is a little risky to open the main action with a 10-minute epic, but "Vinushka" wastes no time getting into the zone with an acoustic intro with soft clean vocals, before crashing into metal riffing and vocal reverb. Dynamic time changes are a stunning addition to this dark gothic-ish tune. Throughout these 10 minutes, the song just walks carefully over a deep pit but keeps staying together thanks to the vocal styles that vary more than Mike Patton. In the middle, you get a killer thrash/death metal section before returning to dark prog-pop from early on, and everything works for a seamless enjoyable experience! "Red Soil" has a bit of Soilwork-like riffing and growls while still having melodic dark pop verses. "Dōkoku to Sarinu" (Gone With Lamentation) can help you identify the vocals from whispering to shrieking in the blink of an eye. They've maintained their harder edge for a few years before this album, living up to their experimental metal motive that was never present in the 90s. "Toguro" (Coil) shows the bass carried out of the bottom of the mix.

"Glass Skin" has a dark ballad vibe closer to some of Dream Theater's ballads. Another standout is warped funk-rocker "Stuck Man" with killer bass. Another great song in that style is "Reiketsu Nariseba" (If I Was Cold Blooded) that blends the jazz and vocals of Mr. Bungle with Schizophrenia-era Sepultura. The elegant layers of "Ware, Yami Tote" (For I Am Darkness) includes Kyo's emotional singing, the breakbeats, and guitars that hook together acoustic and electric.

Before we get to the next track, there are two bonus tracks in the remastered version, the devilish "Hydra -666-" and "Bugaboo Respira", which is an odd prelude to what you were waiting for. But was it worth the wait? "Bugaboo" is as odd as the bonus prelude, but I still like it, and the album's 5-star score remains intact. "Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro" (Paean, the Time When Silence Sleeps) can range from emotional to a rapid headbanger. "Dozing Green" is a further demonstration of the band's sonic talent.  "Inconvenient Ideal" is a ballad that seems like an inconvenient way to end the album, but I digress.

I don't know what else to say about Uroboros, other than... Get it right f***ing now! If you enjoy this alt-garde metal kind of style, this would get you hooked, otherwise you would be better off elsewhere. Dir En Grey have made one of the proudest achievements in the history of metal!

Favorites: "Vinushka", "Dōkoku to Sarinu", "Stuck Man", "Reiketsu Nariseba", "Ware, Yami Tote", "Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro", "Dozing Green"

This is the only death metal album rating and review I'm gonna keep. I promised myself I would stop listening to death metal and avoid it at all costs, but I felt like giving myself an exception. I mean, it is quite understandable, right? Y'know, when a band you've heard for a few years has ended, followed a year later by the tragic passing of their guitarist/vocalist during a new project. You probably know how I felt...

Legendary melodeath band Children of Bodom split up when half of the band left, taking the rights to the name with them, so guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho formed a new band Bodom After Midnight. Sadly he passed away at the end of 2020, leaving behind a few songs for an upcoming album. The rest of the band released those 3 songs as an EP, and ended the project, knowing that this was Laiho's project and continuing under its name would put them in the same legal trouble he almost had over the name rights of Children of Bodom. As a tribute to their fallen leader, Paint the Sky With Blood does great justice to his absolutely astonishing career that's now gone too soon.

Beginning this 15-minute offering of melodeath entertainment, the title track has epic melody. Fast riffs and powerful rhythms battle against neo-classical solos and fun keyboards. Alexi Laiho has vocal charisma, especially in the catchy chorus supported by gang vocal fury. This is very well the best song he has ever written in his career, absolutely hungry for the epic fury he hadn't had for 20 years. The song does indeed sound fitting for that early era of Children of Bodom.

The second track is probably the least strong and most brutally lyrical of the EP, "Payback's a B***h". It starts with heavy breathing, then energetic rhythms, furious riffs, and relentless reckless vocals kick in. There's less catchiness but more brutal atmosphere that sounds fitting for the later part of Children of Bodom's middle era 10 years ago.

The EP ends with an excellent Dissection cover, "Where Dead Angels Lie", the longest song in the whole Bodom band universe, just a few seconds longer than "The Nail" from the 1997 Children of Bodom debut Something Wild. The sinister atmosphere and melody remain while adapting into the EP's impressive technical melodeath. The song has a slower pace than the other two, but it will keep you interesting throughout these 6 and a half minutes. The original Dissection song has been appreciated by melodic black-death fans. Two melodeath-ish bands, both split up, each with their guitarist/vocalist passing away shortly after.

At the end of it all, Bodom After Midnight have made their only studio appearance with Paint the Sky With Blood, an excellent swansong EP for the melodeath mastermind Alexi Laiho. I highly recommend this timeless piece of melodeath for fans of the genre who want to preserve it for many generations. RIP Alexi and Bodom....

Favorites: "Paint the Sky With Blood", "Where Dead Angels Lie"

Today is the day, a very special day... It's my time to try a bit of experimental noise-metal with Today is the Day! I tried reviewing one of their other albums that was an Infinite feature release, but I bailed out because it was too much for me. So let's find out how I'm gonna handle this one...

The 1997 Today is the Day release, Temple of the Morning Star has been known as a noise metal classic, and for its 20th anniversary in 2017, a deluxe reissue was released to include a bonus CD filled with demos and a live concert from the original release year that was released in 2007 but remastered for the album's reissue. It might seem amazing, but if I can stand the noise-ridden music in the original album, maybe then I'll proceed to those rarities. (spoiler alert: I didn't)

The opening acoustic intro starts the album in nihilistic nature ("I am slowly dying, I can’t be what you want me to be, I am dead") to summarize the views of lyricist/founder Steve Austin (not to be confused with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin). A pleasant acoustic start before the cathartic start of the sound that inspires metal acts like Converge and Thou. After that acoustic intro is a sample of Waylon Jennings' "Good-Hearted Woman", then the screaming chaos of "The Man Who Loves to Hurt Himself" starts to frighten those who aren't prepared. "Blindspot" sounds more repetitive in the riffing, but the sirens almost make the chorus sound like Pac-Man. The dark sludge to appear in later albums is hinted in "High as the Sky". My favorite track in the album is "Miracle". It's short but it sums up everything the band has from anger to doom.

The lyrics in the album are far too direct, especially in "Kill Yourself", when he gives clear instructions to take a blade and cut through the wrists, neck, thighs, heart, etc. ("Why hold back!? Kill Yourself!!! Take a blade!! Do it fast!! Do it clean!!!") No thanks! I got a lot to live for and I don't wanna waste my life by bleeding to death. A more experimental sound can be heard in "Mankind". The minimalistic noise rock of their earlier albums returns in "Pinnacle". More of the astounding noise layers come in "Crutch", keeping up the break from the emotional melody before the next track. "Root of All Evil" is a more melodic song in contrast to most of the songs so far, but before the heavier listeners could call it "filler", the powerful crescendo is still in possession. "Satan is Alive" has far more Satanic experimentation than reversed messages. Maybe playing it backwards would summon Satan itself, but do I dare to? NAH...

"Rabid Lassie" continues the melodic groove while still having rabid experimentation. "Friend for Life" is a pointless half-minute acoustic interlude that I want banned for life. Austin does a bit of clean singing in "My Life With You" (while still screaming), a tale of disappointment and demise of his ex-relationship. "I See You" can kinda be a sequel to that previous track, where he ends up seeing his ex in his dreams. We come near the end with the 8-minute doom epic "Hermaphrodite". The ending electric outro ends the album similarly to how it began, but of course more electric and tuned up a semitone. Technically the original album ends after a hidden cover of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath".

Here's a bit of listening advice; play the album as loud as you can, but only in a soundproof room where no one can accuse you of "disturbing the peace". The only distortion you wanna hear is that of the guitars and not the production quality. The band has aced their sound but I still don't feel ready for more of that noise. Maybe some other day....

Favorites: "Temple of the Morning Star" (both versions), "The Man Who Loves to Hurt Himself", "Miracle", "Root of All Evil", "My Life with You", "Hermaphrodite", "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (hidden Black Sabbath cover)

Jesu is a band formed by Justin Broadrick that was active during his decade-long breakup of his main band Godflesh. The name is spelled like "Jesus" but without the second S, and pronounced "yay-zoo", like when you say "Hey kids, we're going to the zoo!" and your kids are like "YAY, ZOO!!!" I decided to give this EP I requested to add to the site a listen to see if I'm up to completing my post-sludge elemental star. Probably not at the moment, but never say never...

Fans of Justin's work pretty much fell in love with Jesu's 2004 self-titled debut and were glad to hear him still in action. In an attempt to match its greatness, he continued the project with the EP Silver. This really does seem closer to post-sludge than the drone of their debut, but it still has the band has to offer.

Off in a good start is the title track that marks the beginning of what the sound has; electronic ambient sludge instead of drone. A good but not too shocking opener. "Star" is an upbeat alt-like shocker. Jesu fans might have trouble digesting it, but it's all good once you get used to it. The second half is where things slow down to the drone style of their debut album and EP. "Wolves" is good, though sounds closer to the drone of their debut. The last track, "Dead Eyes" discards most of the guitar heaviness for synths, thereby being the EP's black synth sheep. I really like this song because of the well-placed synth-ambience, so it's my black synth sheep of favorite songs...

There are two bonus tracks in the Japanese release, which are original mixes of "Silver" and "Wolves", but seeing how the EP versions are the slightly lower quality half, I'll skip those two bonuses. Despite that, I really enjoy Silver, and how can a band not have even the slightest complaint, right? JK Broadrick has still got it!

Favorites: "Star", "Dead Eyes"

Shadow Work is known as the swansong album for Warrel Dane, who suffered a fatal heart attack while recording. He was one of the best singers in metal, and now we get to experience his last ever material. Despite being incomplete, this album is incredible! All fans of Nevermore and the recent Sanctuary should enjoy this twisted darkness.

This album was released 10 years after Praises to the War Machine, when he still had the light of Nevermore while using less of that band's virtuosic technicality. Shadow Work is so heavy and impressive, and he recorded the album in Brazil with a local band. I'm guessing those two guitarists Johnny Moraes and Thiago Oliveira were trained by Jeff Loomis before recording with Warrel Dane. The riffing balance between heavy and melodic sure has been inspired by Nevermore.

High-quality ethnic sounds perfectly fill the overture "Ethereal Blessing". Then the intense "Madame Satan" starts the extreme action in a bang. "Disconnection System" is closer sounding to the second Nevermore album The Politics of Ecstasy, even recycling some lyrics from that album. The best song to sample before the rest!

"As Fast as the Others" is ironically not as the title says, but it does have an arena rock vibe. The title track distinguishes the album from its atmosphere with its killer heaviness that make the song a highlight. The intro to their cover of The Cure's "The Hanging Garden" is probably the darkest and most extreme section of any song Warrel Dane had worked on. The guitar stays both vicious and atmospheric with a few unexpected twists, as Dane's melodic vocal emotion shines over prog-death instrumentation.

The ballad "Rain" is more accessible while still gloomy. "Mother is the Word for God" is the epic closer with all his vocals heard for the final time, from snarling to whispering. All that's missing is his falsetto from the earlier Sanctuary, but he has worn it out. This really echoes the title epic of Nevermore's This Godless Endeavor without copying.

In the beginning of this review, I mentioned that this album is incomplete, right? Yeah it was supposed to be almost twice as long, near the 80-minute CD time limit, but after Dane's passing, they used the songs he completed and thus came Shadow Work. Those recordings were made possible thanks to Dane's band and the last of his emotional vocal drama. It might seem a little rough on the edges, but this is the best album for his singing at the very end of his over 3-decade career. Thank you, Warrel Dane..... RIP

Favorites: "Madame Satan", "Disconnection System", "Shadow Work", "Mother is the Word for God"

I've never really been a Kylesa fan, but I recently stumbled upon a couple of their songs, each from one of their albums, when searching for Spotify recommendations for my private-at-the-moment playlists. While the first song, "Tired Climb" from Spiral Shadow, was a restrained pop-ish metal disappointment, the second song which appears in this album, Ultraviolet (I'll tell you which one when we come to it) is heavier and more superior. This made me surprised that this album is considered non-metal, when I hear stoner metal all over in that song, but having learned my lesson after my Alcest review/judgement submission, I decided I won't submit this album into the Hall until I make a full review. So let's dive into this offering from a sludgy stoner metal band from Georgia!

I am quite curious to see if there's metal here or not, but while the metal strength is prominent enough to be in a clan, it seems more diminished than most other metal albums I've listened to. That might sound awful, but the approach works better than you might expect because it has way more psychedelic abstract than mainstream sugar. Instead of 21 Century Blink 182-inspired music, they've gone backwards in time with their influences ranging from 90s alt-rock to 80s post-punk to 70s Pink Floyd. Baroness and Kylesa stay king and queen of present-day stoner/sludge, but the latter's sound is more evident, proving that this album is, once and for all, considered metal.

"Exhale" sounds great with cool downtuned fuzz, but the lyrics can come out hilarious. The band's combination of heavy sludge metal with psychedelic trance is so obvious in "Unspoken", their most accomplished mission in reminding me of how metal they are. In fact, that's the song from this album I found when I was adding recommended songs to one of my playlists to my Spotify account, and the main reason for this review. "Grounded" is another great song.

"We're Taking This" is short but has f***ing intense vocals with insane lyrics. The guitars sound fresh, especially at the two-minute mark that reminds me of Mastodon, though not as amazing as "Unspoken". Except in this one, you hear massive atmosphere with amazing riffs suitable for metalheads. Seriously, those sinister vocals are awesome! You'll find a lot of sludge stacking up more than Red Fang or Stake, and did I mention the heavy uncompromising riff in the psych section. It's so short, unlike Mastodon's longer songs, but I love it! I also say h*ll yeah to the awesome "Long Gone". The short "What Does It Take?" is faster, but in a Placebo-gone-metal kinda way. Philip Cope goes solo when doing the vocals for that song. "Steady Breakdown" starts with what the title says, but over the stoner rhythm is a memorable melody. However, the melancholic passages make the band have a Beach House-like sound. Laura Pleasants returns with her vocals and riffs there.

"Low Tide" is a somber flashback to Joy Division. "Vulture’s Landing" continues the speed with Laura's vocals soaring through the air, along with a short solo trip. A killer heavy tune! "Quicksand" is a quick song with not a lot to note here. "Drifting" starts off sounding more suitable for stoner smokers before increasing heaviness.

Ultraviolet is a pleasant break from the extreme metal realm of growls and blast-beats, but there are a few outstanding riffs and heavy solos, though with barely any doom in the guitars. However, what's really missing that would make the album more appealing would be any tribal drumming jams that would make the dreamy soundscape and the heavy vocals more solid. Ultraviolet might not make Kylesa reach my interest, I love the mystique of this album! Kylesa have really evolved their sound along with fellow prog-sludgers Mastodon and Baroness. Ultraviolet is an album I would recommend to people with broader stoner tastes who might find this kind of metal fascinating....

Favorites: "Unspoken", "We're Taking This", "Long Gone", "Steady Breakdown", "Vulture's Landing"

Wow... Vektor has changed a lot since we last heard of them! First off, they set the tuning to the standard E, as opposed to the slightly higher F tuning in all their previous releases, and that's a bummer because I was kinda hoping for them to pick up some C-tuned 7-string guitars for a heavier yet ethereal sound. Second, the vocals! David DiSanto has been known for his high shrieking, yet the vocals here are mainly more melodic and clean, with a small bit of the shrieks only in the background. I think he lost most of his screaming ability after using it all up on his ex-wife (sorry, I know, poor taste).

With the E tuning and mostly cleaner vocals, "Activate" sounds closer to the 80s albums of Voivod and Coroner (both bands I enjoy) than the unique style Vektor has been known for. That song is, in my opinion, the band's fourth-worst song (second-worst being "Collapse" and first-worst being "Mountains Above the Sun"), though it's not bad enough to be a sh*tter and it still remains solid. What is the third-worst Vektor song, you may ask? Well that would be the other song of the EP...

I spend some time wondering if this other song, "Dead By Dawn" would have this new sound as well or their unique style from before, and if they both have this new sound, is it just one-off for that EP, or will it affect their upcoming album and become permanent?? Only time will tell for the latter, but now I know the answer to the former. IT'S THE NEW SOUND!! The first half is a clean Pink Floyd-like prog ballad while the second half continues Vektor's signature thrash, like a "Collapse/Ultimate Artificer 2.0" or some sh*t. My third least-favorite Vektor song behind "Collapse" and "Mountains Above the Sun" while still staying solid.

With that, I decided to check out the other band of the split EP, Cryptosis, and let me just say... They're like a Vektor-ized Revocation! Born out of the ashes of Distillator, the death-ish tech-thrash complexity they started developing along with Vektor-inspired sci-fi themes. Their two songs in the EP, "Decypher" and "Prospect of Immortality" are great singles.

Who knows what Vektor would sound like in their next album? Is this their new normal of just a one-off thing? That's probably one of two things I wanna know from Vektor, the other being whether or not they'll re-record the Demolition epic "Moonbase". For now, I shall enjoy this band and new fellows Cryptosis....

Favorites: "Decypher", "Prospect of Immortality" (yeah, I like the Cryptosis songs better the Vektor ones)

So... 5 tracks in under 40 minutes. I guess this can kinda be considered an EP, being only half as long as A Dawn to Fear. It looks as if The Raging River was created as the then-unknown third nearly 40-minute disc for A Dawn to Fear, but and it certainly sounds that way too. This EP can be considered both a perfect post-sludge continuation to A Dawn of Fear and a look-back at their magnum opus Somewhere Along the Highway. Even the order of songs is kinda similar while staying new!

"Three Bridges" starts experimental, but then it builds up to epic post-sludge Cult of Luna fans want. The twists and turns that combine heaviness and emotion just continues rolling. "What I Leave Behind" fills your heart with pain and despair in sludgy destruction.

"Inside of a Dream" is a short pretty ballad with nice ambience. Mark Lanegan, known as a former member of Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age does great soft clean vocals. "I Remember" is another epic-sounding song with better riffs and amazing vocals. The finale epic "Wave After Wave" does exactly what the title says; hit you with wave after wave of massive flowing transcendence. An epic climax of weaving instrumentation fills up the last few minutes, keeping up the band's lucky album-ending streak.

All in all, Cult of Luna have released another perfect energetic release. You can play A Dawn to Fear and The Raging River back-to-back, or listen to the EP on its own, whichever seems better for each fan. Feel the rage!

Favorites: "Three Bridges", "I Remember", "Wave After Wave"