METAL CHURCH: FROM THE VAULT
My first memory of Metal Church is seeing their albums really close to Metallica's in stores. I always noted they were also on Elektra Records, so their albums looked very similar. Yet, I never checked them out, something I wish I would have taken a chance on early on. Metal Church's sound is much closer to US power metal than thrash metal though, so any similarity to Metallica is superficial. This release is a compilation of rarities, live songs, covers and other randomness. It is by no means an essential listen, but there are some pretty strong tracks on it. Most of the covers and live stuff is skippable, but the first half of unreleased stuff is well worth it for fans of the band. Metal Church is a massively underrated band, and their abilities are on full display with this release. It's not a necessary release, but that doesn't mean it is not worth at least checking out.
VEXING HEX: HAUNT
It is inevitable that when a band strikes it big that there will be copycats. A lot of bands have looked at the success that Ghost has had and attempted to replicate some part of that. There's a lot of really shitty bands that have tried the mask and anonymous members approach (looking at you Sleep Token), but I have not heard too many bands try to replicate the sound. Vexing Hex is one. While their sound is not exactly metal, they sound like they have tried to capture the same 70's hard rock-isms that Ghost used particularly in their earlier albums. It is much closer to Blue Oyster Cult than Black Sabbath, not that that is a bad thing. There are some damn catchy songs here, particularly closing track "Rise From Your Grave".
COUNTLESS SKIES: GLOW
I am a little bit out of the loop on the trends in metal of late. I know generally the bands that Liquid Metal is in love with and some of the mainstream crap, but finding the underground stuff has been more difficult over the last few years. I do still come across stuff. This is kind of a weird way to get to the fact that it seems to me like melodic death metal of the type that was popular in the mid 2000's (Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, Soilwork and the like) seems to be not as common. And I am speaking more of what those bands sounded like in the mid 2000's, not the Gothenburg sound popularized by Slaughter of the Soul. This is probably somewhat natural, there are always trends. So I was kind of surprised when I heard Countless Skies. This is the second release from the band, and their last one to date. This one went a little too far in the direction of the aforementioned sound, and I don't like it as much as their previous album New Dawn, but it is still a decent enough release, particularly for anyone who loved that particular mid 2000's melodeath sound, which I really did.
BATUSHKA: CARJU NIEBIESNYJ
Batushka made some pretty big waves with their 2015 debut, which was a rather stunning album where everything went right and sounded like a black metal mass. And the band had an impressive visual aesthetic, looking like an Orthodox mass gone very very wrong. But that's where the good times ended as the band splintered with two members forming bands with the same name and claiming they had rights to the name. I can't remember which iteration created this release, but unfortunately this release comes across as more of a pale imitation of the original band, despite featuring some of the elements that made that band stand out. It just does not feel as authentic. The music is decent enough, but it is not as memorable. It's a shame what has happened with this group, their first release was one of the best black metal albums of the last 20 years.
VADER: SOLITUDE IN MADNESS
I feel like I have been too negative in this post, so it's time to end things out on a steamroller. The long-running Polish death/thrash mavens in Vader released their 15th album in 2020. This thing clocks in at less than half an hour in length and is just a bludgeoning, pummeling experience of the best sort. With no song exceeding the four-minute mark, there is very little time to waste here, making this one of Vader's tightest and punchiest albums, just a short, sharp shock to the system. The band is at the top of their game despite their long career.
