I was kind of disappointed by this one. All of the elements are there for a great death metal release. Gatecreeper's style of death metal seems very rooted in Dismember style Swedeath. If I had to pick a favorite Swedish death metal band, Dismember would be near the top. And I loved the previous full-length releases from the band. So, I really don't know what it is that did not quite resonate with me. It is an EP technically, even though there are eight tracks, only one of them lasts longer than a minute and a half. Maybe that's the issue, it is much more of a hardcore/death metal release than a real death metal album, though there are some real riffs. I am not sure what to make of the track "Superspreader" given that this release came out in the midst of COVID either. I just wanted more from this band that has impressed me so much in the past.
This really is not a NEW full-length. It's a re-recording of the first Mr. Bungle demo from 1986 with a couple extras thrown in for good measure and a couple tracks moved around. Most of the original lineup returns with Mike Patton (Faith No More), Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn, but they are joined by Scott Ian (Anthrax) and human metronome Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, virtually every other band). Because this is a re-recording of a time before the band started fusing a lot of other elements and going completely bizarre in sound, the release comes across as a much more straight-forward thrash metal assault, albeit with a few surprises and the same sense of humor. So those looking for the avant-garde sound of their three 90's releases best look elsewhere. Patton remains one of the most compelling vocalists in metal and turns in a terrific performance on this release but does not exhibit his incredible range. I think this is a worthwhile listen, and as a general thrash metal fan, I really enjoy it, but I could see die-hard Mr. Bungle fans not caring for it much.
Nite got a little of buzz going for them in the metal scene for a bit with their 2022 release. This one seemed to go a little more unnoticed though. Much of the buzz centered around a description of them as black metal with hair band solos. That is not entirely accurate really. The band is made up of members of Dawnbringer, Satan's Wrath and High Spirits and is more of a traditional metal band with black metal influences, most obvious in the vocals. This is a fun release that unfortunately doesn't really stick with the listener long after listening. The solos sound great and the songs are impressive, but it just does not really sink in. It's a good debut and the talent is obviously there for future releases, but it is a work in progress. I will say the 2022 release is much better.
French death metal band Skelethal does a terrific job of blending old-school Swedish death metal influences with newer influences to craft an outstanding modern death metal classic. The Dan Seagrave-looking album cover helps too. This is one of my absolute favorite death metal releases of the year. Between the Swedeath-inspired buzzsaw guitar riffing, croaking vocals and artillery blast drumming, all of the elements are there for this band to ascend to legendary status among the death metal genre. This is just the band's second full-length release and they have already made a major impression. I did pick up their 2024 release and just got it in yesterday. I am looking forward to more of the same. I admit I did get this band mixed up with similarly-named, also terrific death metal band Skeletal Remains, but I have gotten past that.
I get Temple of Void and Venomous Maximus mixed up. I am going somewhere with this. I get them mixed up because they both play variations of doom metal and I discovered them around the same time. I think I bought my first albums by both bands in the same order in fact. Venomous Maximus has since broken up, but Temple of Void is still going strong. The issue is that whenever I buy a new Temple of Void album, I think I am getting Venomous Maximus and their takes on doom metal are very different. VM plays more of a traditional heavy metal style and it is catchy as hell, whereas Temple of Void is a death/doom style. Don't get me wrong, they are damn good at it and their music sounds decayed and evil while crawling along like an eldritch abomination, it's just never what I am expecting to get. That's my problem, not theirs. This is one of my favorite releases from the band, second probably to Lords of Death.
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