Nethermancy: Magick Halls of Ascension (2017)

Black metal has become such a varied beast over the years.  Other genres have seeped their influence into bands.  Regional styles have popped up.  There is just very little that sounds like the more known sounds of the early 1990's in Norway, which in itself was really the second wave of black metal.  There are certain styles of black metal that appeal to me, and certain styles that do not.  I generally prefer bands whose sound is based in thrash metal riffs with hateful-sounding vocals.  And luckily, Nethermancy is exactly that type of black metal band.

Nethermancy's sound is based in the old school.  It is the kind of black metal sound you would expect to hear from Norway in the early 1990's, with a little bit of early 90's Swedish black metal thrown in for good measure.  The riffs are tremolo-picked, repetitive riffs, played over blast-beat driven drums, with the occasional keyboard flourish.  The vocals are delivered in a throaty rasp.  If I had to pick one band to refer to for a point of reference, it would be the most aggressive stuff from Ancient.  The lyrics deal mostly with occult mysticism, similar to the works of Absu or the black metal output of Satan's Host.

This album manages to hit all of the right notes for me for a black metal album.  It is fast, aggressive, and intense.  The lyrics are dark, the vocals are definitely hateful.  The fact that this band came from Portugal and not Scandinavia is shocking.  It is less surprising to know that the band has been together since the mid 90's.  Their style definitely suggests they probably date back to that time period.  This is a very good, old school style black metal album.  I highly recommend it to anyone looking for black metal the way it used to be.

Scarlet Records Round-Up Post

I am going to try to catch up on the label submissions.  Not that some of these albums do not deserve their own posts (all of them do), but I am way behind and would like to start reviewing some of the albums I have sought out myself.  Here are the last of the Scarlet Records releases:

MY REGIME: DERANGED PATTERNS (2017)

My Regime is a Swedish thrash metal band, featuring legendary Spiritual Beggars singer/songwriter Spice and several other members from other Swedish metal bands.  Swedish thrash typically has a distinctly different sound, with an often cavernous guitar tone.  For some reason I have never gotten quite as into Swedish thrash as the German style.  My Regime's sound is rooted in late 1980's prime-era Slayer, with punk-like intensity, snarled vocals, and fast, crushing riffs.  My Regime has only been around for a couple of years now, but I definitely like their sound.  I am looking forward to more.  "The Sound of Dying Dreams" is the best song on the album.

SINHERESY: DOMINO (2017)

Italian band Sinheresy apparently started their career as a Nightwish cover band, and it shows.  Keyboard melodies and operatic female vocals are in heavy supply throughout this album.  As far as a Nightwish era that the band most resembles, I would probably suggest their earlier period, before they became famous.  There is an intensity and distortion in the guitar riffs that is more similar to that period.  The songs are catchy as hell, with some impressive vocal interplay between singers Stefano Sain and Cecilia Petrini.  I do not really listen to much Nightwish these days, so this album is a bit lost on me, but I can appreciate the songs on it.

ULVEDHARR: TOTAL WAR (2017)

You do not see too many Viking-themed bands come from Italy, but apparently that is what Ulvedharr is going for here.  This is a Viking-themed band in the vein of Unleashed or Amon Amarth, meaning that even if the theme is Vikings, the music is far more aggressive.  Ulvedharr play fast and intense thrash/death metal with pounding drums, sharp riffs, and growled, death metal-style roaring vocals.  This album could honestly sneak into my Top Albums of 2017.  

God Root: Salt and Rot (2017)

Reading through the description of the album, I came across the section "For fans of", which listed bands like Swans and Neurosis, and I realized that I am probably not the target audience.  I have never gotten into groups like Neurosis, and I have tried.  I have an open mind, but things were not looking good for God Root.

This is just a four-song EP, but it clocks in at just over 30 minutes.  I tried to keep an open mind, but after the first track was nearly six minutes of occasional drumming and meandering chords, things were not really looking too promising.  The second song started off well, but then eventually tailed off into the same guitar dissonant chord progressions, with shouted vocals.  The sound is definitely sludgy and eerie, but it is simply not doing enough to keep my interest.  The drumming is probably the highlight of the album, with some interesting complex rhythms.  The atmosphere definitely has a creepy vibe due to the dissonance and shouting, but there are no real riffs through most of the album and the songs mostly wander from movement to movement without a lot of structure.  That is likely the idea, and while it may appeal to a number of people, it is simply not for me.  The third track is mostly distortion and feedback picking up where the end of the second track left off, along with some drumming.  The final track is a slow burning ramp up into loud feedback and shouts.  It is probably the most interesting track here, but it too is mostly devoid of riffs until closer to the end.

Ultimately, post-metal simply does not do enough for me.  I suppose if you like Neurosis, you will likely enjoy this EP.  I personally never understood the love for Neurosis, so I do not personally care for this one.  

Kalopsia: Angelplague (2017)

Holy shit.  I have often talked about certain death metal bands having a quality, a certain intensity, that is hard to define but nonetheless makes the band an absolutely spell-binding listen.  I have attributed this quality to bands like Thornafire, Cenotaph (Mexican band), Apophis, and a few others over the years.  They are bands that I absolutely believe should be much better-known and are therefore criminally underrated.  Well, I am here to argue that Kalopsia should be added to that list.  This is one of the best death metal albums I have heard this year, if not the best.

This is an album of uncompromising old-school-style occult death metal in the vein of Immolation, Angelcorpse, Sinister, Morbid Angel, and others of that ilk.  The riffs are thrashy and aggressive, having much more in common with the earliest death metal bands, when the style was just starting to come into its own than many of the current bands going.  Perhaps it is this riffing style that is really the quality I am looking for.  The drumming and bass are thunderous and captivating.  It is clear that both musicians know their old school death metal.  The vocals are also steeped in early death metal style, delivered in a deep, blood-soaked roar.

All of the tracks on this album are incredible, but I want to specifically bring attention to "Scorched Earth and Blackened Skies".  When the band starts into the more melodic bridge sections, they come damn close to crafting the absolutely perfect death metal song.

The only complaint I have about this album is that it is too short.  Kalopsia are definitely front-runners in the death metal album of the year for 2017.  

Sacrificial Slaughter: Generation of Terror (2017)

California's thrash/death metal band Sacrificial Slaughter has been around for nearly two decades now, but have gone through a ton of lineup changes over the years and have been fairly inconsistent in releasing new material.  They have released just three full-length albums, and this EP is their first release in four years, which is a shame, because this is a hell of a good release.

There are just six songs on this EP and it clocks in at under 20 minutes long, but during that short period of time, the band exhibits break-neck intensity, crushing riffs, and psychotic vocals.  Sacrificial Slaughter fly through this release like a band possessed.  The band only changes gears on the Carnivore cover at the end of the album.  But even that song fits in just fine with the rest of the proceedings.

I am going to have to start looking into Sacrificial Slaughter's back catalog.  This short EP was terrific.

Epi-Demic: Malformed Conscience (2017)

Ah, here we go.  It is good to get away from the power metal stuff for a little while.  Epi-Demic is a Canadian thrash metal/crossover band releasing their second full-length album.  Canada has a reputation for some amazing metal bands, particularly thrash metal.  Slaughter, Sacrifice, Razor, and Voivod have all emerged from the Great White North, so I was pretty excited about this one.

Epi-Demic's sound is definitely more on the crossover side of things with a lot of punk energy and shouted vocals, very much like early Corrosion of Conformity, among others.  Guitarist Adam H.'s riffs are aggressive backed by pounding drums and throbbing bass.  The songs are all fairly short, with only a couple reaching three-and-a-half minutes and the entire album flies by in the blink of an eye.  The production is raw, emphasizing the ugliness of the sound.  This is absolutely not a melodic metal album.

Malformed Conscience is a non-compromising, angry slab of metal that is unrelenting in its assault on the listener.  There are no melodic interludes, no breaks in the action to catch breath.  It is pure, unadulterated violence from beginning to end.  Even the short instrumental is a fast-paced riff-fest.  I was definitely impressed with the release.

Excalion: Dream Alive (2017)

I have been inundated with power metal submissions lately.  Mostly that is due to Scarlet Records being fairly well-known for its power metal releases and they are one of the labels that sends me the most stuff.  This has been a little difficult for me, because power metal is not one of the subgenres that I am well-versed in.  But I am not going to argue.

Like Cryonic Temple and Cellador, Excalion has released their first album this year in several years.  Excalion's hiatus dates back to 2010.  Excalion is a Finnish power metal band.  The most well-known Finnish power metal bands are Nightwish, Battlelore, Battle Beast, Wintersun, and Children of Bodom.  So those were the reference points for me going in.  Which proved to be absolutely worthless, because Excalion does not sound like any of them.  Instead their sound is much more of an epic, bombastic power metal sound more similar to groups like Sonata Arctica.  That works for me.  I have made my affinity for early Sonata Arctica very clear on this page.

The songs are typically driven by keyboard melodies, with rhythmic riffs played underneath the melodies.  The music tends to not be terribly aggressive.  It is much more melodic.  The highlight throughout is the impressive vocal abilities of singer Marcus Lång.

The first three tracks are mid-paced, and while they are certainly impressive, they are ultimately a little forgettable.  However, the fourth and fifth songs kick things up a notch and instantly grab the listener's attention.  Excalion seems to be one of those bands, like the aforementioned Sonata Arctica, that does their best work when playing at faster speeds.  As the album continues, some of this energy is lost and the music suffers somewhat as a result.  The band does kick things back into gear for the last few tracks.

This is an extremely impressive album when Excalion is speeding through songs.  The slower songs are undoubtedly played well, but just do not have quite the same effect as the faster-paced songs.  It may lack some of the aggression and intensity of other power metal albums, but it is very impressive musically.

Decayed: The Burning of Heaven (2016)

Yep, very subtle.  We can definitely tell the opinions on Christianity held by the band due to the album title and the cover art here.  I kid, mostly because I find it very funny.  The Portuguese black metal pioneers Decayed has been around since the early 1990's, which is a very long time.  This is the first I have personally heard from them though, mostly due to Portugal not really being known for its metal.  Only vocalist/guitarist J.A. has been with the band since the beginning with the other members joining on within the last few years.

With a black metal band that has been around for as long as Decayed has, it is no surprise to hear that their style is rooted in the far more aggressive, hateful styles of the second wave bands from Norway and Sweden.  The thrash and punk influences are obvious from the riffing style, which is mostly simple and repetitive.  The album as a whole is dirty and raw black metal.  I certainly have no complaints about that, as I have frequently discussed my preference for this particular style of black metal.  The vocals are a fairly typical rasp, but not so much that the lyrics are not easily heard or understood.  The production is nice and crisp, which is something of a rarity in black metal, but which helps to really hear the instrumentation.

This is definitely not a retread of Transilvanian Hunger, despite the comments earlier about simple riffing style.  It is much more similar to later Darkthrone.  Some of the songs are quite lengthy with more progressive structures.  The band does not simply rely on one riff over and over again for each song.  In fact, the album does seem to be more of a concept album, with a couple of short interludes among the tracks.

This is a raw, dirty, thrashing black metal album.  It is exactly the type of black metal I love.  I love this album.

Deathless Legacy: Dance with Devils (2017)

Deathless Legacy started out their existence as a tribute band for Italian horror metal legends Death SS.  The band has since started recording their own material, but definitely still have the same horror vibe, so much in fact that Rob Zombie himself chose them to support his band.  This has given Deathless Legacy a lot more exposure and a potential breakout.  Dance with Devils is Deathless Legacy's third album, and their second in as many years.

A lot of bands over the years have attempted to marry horror imagery and metal music.  Chief among them is the aforementioned Rob Zombie, but there have also been Theatres Des Vampires, Cradle of Filth, and Lordi, among many others.  Some are more successful than others.  The real key is to present an interesting live show, but make sure that the music is high quality as well.  The hope is to appeal to more than just the Hot Topic crowd (is Hot Topic still a thing?  I have no idea).  It is obvious the horror elements are there on this release.  Song titles like "Headless Horseman", "Witches' Brew", and "Devilborn" give that away quite quickly.  From an audio standpoint, there are the cackling Wicked Witch-style vocals of singer Steva La Cinghiala, the frequent eerie keyboard melodies, and the skits performed between songs by members of the band credited solely as "performers".  I have read that the band puts on some impressive live performances, and I could believe that based on what I am hearing on this album.

Musically, Deathless Legacy are kind of all over the place.  Some songs come close to power metal, whereas others are more on the doom metal spectrum.  Others are barely metal at all.  So it is a little bit uneven and inconsistent from a musical standpoint.  The real star of the album is clearly the vocalist.  There are not many long breaks in songs where there are no vocals and most of the music is not terribly technical.  The music mostly seems to simply be there to support Steva.  Which is not to say that the music is bad at all, frankly I would like to hear it a little bit more.

For the most part, this album is quite catchy and the musicianship is certainly competent.  Steva has a very intriguing voice.  The only real issue is the lack of a real standout track.  It is a fun album and I am sure they are very interesting in concert, but I cannot really say the album has a lot of replay value.  Ultimately, I am not likely the target audience for this release.  I don't even know if Hot Topic still exists.

Von Doom: From Fear (2017)

Portland, Oregon-based melodic death metal band Von Doom has been around for a few years now, releasing an EP and a demo in their first go-around.  They then went on a brief hiatus before re-forming in 2015.  This single is their first new material since their reformation.  I was not familiar with the band prior to hearing this new song, so I cannot speak to whether it is at all similar to their previous stuff, but I can say that this is a fairly impressive song.  It is a fast, teeth-gnashingly aggressive song with bone-crushing riffs, psychotic vocals, and throbbing bass.  If this is what the band is going to sound like, I want to hear a full-length.

Cryonic Temple: Into the Glorious Battle (2017)

Everything about this, musically, lyrically, and thematically, reminds me of Sabaton.  That is not necessarily a bad thing, exactly the opposite in fact.  I really enjoy Sabaton, ever since seeing them opening up for Trivium last Fall.  They put on one of the more impressive live performances I have seen.  I am not saying Cryonic Temple copied Sabaton; I do not know enough about either band's history to know how they got to this point.  I do know that Cryonic Temple actually has been around for a few years longer than Sabaton.  But having an album title like Into the Glorious Battle, songs like "Mighty Eagle", and being a power metal band, the comparisons are obviously there.  Now, I will try to complete the rest of the review without mentioning Sabaton again.  Hopefully.

The album starts off with a light keyboard melody, complete with air-raid sirens, that sounds very much like the introductions that Sabaton (dammit) uses.  It then builds into the first real song of the album, "Man of a Thousand Faces".  Most of the songs are fast-paced, energetic songs driven by epic-sounding keyboard and guitar riffs, and featuring some very impressive clean singing and infectious choruses.  Helloween is the most logical reference point for the band's influence.  Many of the songs are about warfare, just like Sabaton (shit).

There is the occasional slower song on this album, such as "Heroes of the Day" and "This War is Useless", which helps to keep things interesting, making the album much more dynamic.  The slower songs are where vocalist Mattias Lillja really shines.  "This War is Useless" really takes a conflicting view from many of the other songs which are principally about the glories of warfare.  The real highlight on the album is the stupidly catchy "Can't Stop the Heat", which latches on and refuses to let go.

Cryonic Temple have created an insanely catchy, and mostly upbeat melodic power metal album here, mostly about the glory of warfare.  Just like Sabaton (fuck it, I'm out).        

Atlas Pain: What the Oak Left (2017)

Folk metal is an odd genre.  I doubt I am saying anything new.  Obviously there are a lot of different types of folk metal, depending on the region the band is pulling influence from, and the metal can be different depending on if the band is using melodeath, black, or power metal.  There are also varying degrees of what percentage the split is between the folk elements and the metal elements.  The best folk metal bands strike a healthy balance between the styles, usually without the folk elements completely overwhelming the metal riffs, while being more than just window dressing.  It is certainly not an easy balance to strike.

Here we have the debut full-length from Italian folk metal band Atlas Pain.  The band was formed in 2013 by Samuele Faulisi, who sings and plays the guitar and keyboard for the band.  Atlas Pain has previously released a demo and an EP.  As a fledgling folk metal band, it would be too much to expect Atlas Pain to be able to strike the right balance between folk and metal, and they do seem to struggle with it at times.  Honestly the keyboards sound somewhat out of place at times and really detract from the guitar work.  It is also difficult to tell what kind of regional folk elements the band is going for.  At times, it is pretty clearly Celtic folk, but other times the band sounds like they are striving to be more of a straight melodeath band.  It is this distinct lack of a cohesive identity that makes this album limited in its effect and longevity.

The other issue is that some of the songs veer very far into cheesy territory, making songs almost unlistenable.  The major culprits here are "Till the Dawn Comes" and "The Sword" which utilize a lot of bouncy, lilting keyboard melodies and sing-song choruses that come off far too upbeat.  It does not bother me when bands sound like they are having fun, I do enjoy Finntroll and Korpiklaani on occasion, but apart from the harsh vocals, these songs almost sound like they would be at home on a Disney soundtrack.  That is probably an overstatement, but they are ridiculously upbeat.

The album is not really bad.  The musicians are all competent, and the harsh vocals are reasonably impressive, though it would be nice to change things up a bit more.  I enjoy most of the lead guitar melodies and wish those would have taken center stage over the keyboard melodies.  Some of the songs are quite good.  It is actually kind of a fun listen, the biggest problem is that it is mostly forgettable.  The band seems to be striving to create the next Wintersun album.  Unfortunately, they just do not have that ability, yet.  Time will tell, the talent is certainly there.  The results just are not.

Arthemis: Blood-Fury-Damnation (2017)

I have never been quite sure what to think of certain modern power metal.  Just something about it does not really sit right with me.  I love the grandiose, epic power metal: stuff like Blind Guardian, earlier Sonata Arctica, Tad Morose, and groups like that.  But a lot of the more modern stuff sounds like a cross between American power metal and nu-metal.  I think it is the chunky rhythm and bass riffs that sound like they could have appeared on Soulfy's debut album.  Unfortunately, this album by Arthemis falls very much into that modern sound and this release kind of suffers because of it.  I say kind, because there are definitely good moments as well.

Italian power metal band Arthemis has been around for a long time, but this is the first release I have yet heard from them.  As implied, this definitely has a modern feel to it, particularly with regard to the frequent keyboard effects.  There is a lot of melody through the lead guitar and frequent soloing, but the music is principally driven by galloping rhythm guitar and bass riffs.  Singer Fabio D. (no, I'm not making that up) has a good voice, though it pales next to other power metal vocalists.  It is more of mid-range style with the ability to soar higher or sneer when necessary.

There are some damn catchy songs here, including the speedy "Blistering Eyes" and insanely infectious "Into the Arena".  The band has the ability to craft memorable hooks and choruses.  There is of course a much softer and slower ballad here, which is pretty common for modern power metal.  It does serve to make following track "Warcry" sound that much faster.  The tribal-esque drumming in "Firetribe" is another highlight.

Certainly there is nothing really wrong with this album.  It is fine and all of the musicians are clearly talented, it just happens to be a style that does not really appeal all that much to me.  To me, it is an interesting enough album when I am listening to it, but it is not likely one that I will specifically turn on all that often.

Wanderer: Way of the Blade (2017)

Let's do something really quick here.  Way of the Blade is a 7" limited to 200 copies from fairly new Portuguese metallers Wanderer.  The sound is the exact type of dirty heavy/speed metal that I have been obsessed with over the last few months.  There is absolutely nothing polished here, it is just fun old-fashioned tried and true metal.

There are just two songs on this release.  Side One features the title cut, a ripping seven minute full throttle speed metal attack.  Wanderer fits in well with the retro traditional metal bands like Cauldron, Enforcer, and Wolf.  The vocals are gruff and the hooks are infectious.  "Freedom's Call" is the sole track on Side Two and it is incrementally slower than the title cut, but still features the break-neck intensity.  The only thing I would have liked to have seen from this band would be shorter songs.  These songs are a little on the long side for the ideas presented and can be a little repetitive.

Wanderer has been for a few years now, but this two-song EP and a five-track demo tape are all that they have released to date.  If this is a sign of what they are capable of, count me in for a full-length.

Cellador: Off the Grid (2017)

Cellador is the most famous metal band to come from my home state of Nebraska.  That really is not saying all that much since Cellador is not real well-known, despite appearing on a big metal label, and they have relocated to Denver, Colorado.  But that pretty much tells all that is necessary to know about the metal scene in Nebraska.  Not that there are not good bands, but rising to fame is very difficult.

It has been more than ten years since Cellador released their debut album Enter Deception, which was reasonably well-received and was certainly hyped.  In the years since, previous vocalist Michael Gremio has left the band, leaving vocal duties to guitarist and only remaining founding member Chris Petersen and the band has moved on from Metal Blade Records to Scarlet Records.  Everyone else in the band is also fairly new.  The band has only released an EP since 2006, so this is essentially a new beginning for Cellador.

Cellador's particular brand of power metal is obviously influenced by Helloween and Gamma Ray, giving it more of a European aesthetic, blending epic melodies and speed metal riffing.  It is also damn catchy.  Petersen has improved as a singer and his soaring vocals blend well with the fast riffs of the dual guitar attack.  I might actually prefer Petersen's vocals to Gremio's from the previous album.  Some of the tracks are considerably more aggressive this time around.  "Shadowfold" kicks things off with one hell of a riff and the first two tracks each trample anything the band did on their first release.  The title track is the best song on the album with an insanely infectious chorus and some of the best solos the band has ever done, including keyboard solos.

On the band's previous album, they were frequently derided for being a Dragonforce clone, and some similarities are certainly still present, but Cellador's songwriting has eclipsed Dragonforce on this release.  The songs are much more accessible, flow better, and do not overstay their welcome.  The only misstep is the odd Cyndi Lauper cover.  "Good Enough" is a decent enough track, but it does not really match the tone of the rest of the album.  I applaud the band for taking risks and I have frequently mentioned that I love metal covers of 1980's pop hits, but it just seems out of place on this release.

This is really a terrific release by Cellador and it is a massive step forward from their good, but uneven debut album.  I am anxious to see this band continue, even though I will never forgive them for abandoning Nebraska.  I am mostly kidding.  Mostly.

Demimonde: Cygnus Oddyssey (2016)

This album definitely can not be pigeon-holed into one genre.  It is a massive, sprawling beast of an album with a lot of stuff going on musically.  The band was somewhat well-renowned around the turn of the 21st century in their native Czech Republic and released a fairly popular album in 2000.  However, the Prague-based band went on hiatus for nearly a decade-and-a-half before re-emerging with rumblings that this release was imminent, releasing single songs in 2014 and 2015.

The album kicks off in supremely weird fashion, sounding like a band that has spent many hours dissecting Nocturnus's The Key and kicking the keyboard parts up a notch, while dropping copious hits of acid.  Now, that is a fantastic fucking album, so I am definitely on board with the weirdness here.  However, at times it goes a little far.  The first real song on this thing, "The Generation Ship" is REALLY out there.  And then "Event Horizon" kicks in and things get even weirder.  And that is pretty much the story of this album.

As I said, it is real damn hard to try to explain this album in words.  There are so many odd keyboard lines, samples and avant-garde weirdness that it cannot be described adequately, but that is a lot of the fun of this release.  You really have to sit down and listen to it, because a casual listen will not uncover a lot of the oddities going on.  It is hard to even argue that there is a basis in any one particular metal genre.  At first listen, I leaned toward some sort of progressive death metal, but most tracks do not bear any similarity to death metal.  So I will call it avant-garde and call it a day.

The vocals are also something else.  Band vocalist De.polar typically uses death metal-style growls, but there are a number of guests who contribute crooning or operatic vocals throughout.  There are some gems on the release.  "Te Kore" is a very interesting track, despite the keyboards that threaten to overtake the song.   And "Singularity (Absolute Word explanation)" has a damn catchy opening riff, leading into the most straightforward metal track on the album.

The only downside is that there are a lot of moments where the band gets bogged down in crafting an atmosphere and experimenting.  When they are playing actual music, the album is very interesting, but it loses focus on occasion or goes too far with the odd moments.

This is definitely not a casual listening album.  It demands attention and can be very rewarding when attention is paid to it.  But that is the key.  If not listened to carefully, it becomes simply noise.  So, keep an open mind.

Ovenizer: SWM (2015)

I want to first off apologize to the members of Ovenizer, a band which may or may not exist any longer.  I have been absolutely terrible about reviewing stuff lately.  I have had this album for likely a year or so at this point.  I am going to try to get back into things a little bit at a time, work my way back up to posting regularly.

SWM likely stands for "Satan's Washing Machine", based on one of the song titles, which brings up the question, what does Satan put in his washing machine?  Does he have a lot of reds?  Does he have to separate them from his whites?  What about delicates?  For that matter, what is an "Ovenizer"?  What is the deal with this band and household appliances?  Did one of their parents die in a tragic refrigerator accident?

I have reviewed an EP by Ovenizer before, so I thought I kind of knew what to expect, generally something much spacier and ethereal than my usual listening preferences.  I mentioned in that previous review that post-metal is not usually my thing.  I have largely avoided groups like Isis, Neurosis, Tombs, and other such groups because I prefer my metal ultra-aggressive and immediate.  I tend to prefer thrash and death metal genres and the truly hateful black metal.  But every once in awhile, something softer is a nice change of pace.  And that Ovenizer EP appealed to me in the way that Amorphis's later material does.  However, this album is a little bit of a departure from that EP.

This time around, the songs are much more structured, with a lot of the trance-inducing guitar riffs removed.  There are moments that are almost grunge-like, sounding like something Soundgarden might have released in their Sub-Pop days, though with gruffer vocals, or the murkier moments from Alice in Chains.  And there is a lot more doom metal influence as well.  The songs are typically slower, riff-driven compositions with naturally-flowing structures.  One of the typical characteristics of post-metal is its tendency to linger and meander, and Ovenizer did a little of that on the previous EP, but it is not present here.

The fact that Ovenizer is Finnish becomes fairly clear as the album continues.  A lot of Finnish bands tend to be difficult to pigeonhole into one subgenre.  And that is certainly true with a number of songs here.  "Paddling in the Sky" features death metal growls over almost tribal rhythms and crooning vocals, whereas "S.I.B." is a standard-issue melodeath track, and "Watch" is prog-rock that would make Tool proud.

The constantly shifting influences make this an often surprising, interesting listen.  I was definitely taken aback by the significant departure from the EP, but apparently, that is just what this band does best.