Metal? Briefs: More Random Stuff

I figured I would tackle a bunch of the albums that have been submitted to me over the last few months.  This next collection were albums that do not quite qualify as metal.  This is a metal site, so from this date forward, it will be very rare for me to review a non-metal release.  I just wanted to get some stuff out of my email for now.  Some of these were decent, some were unlistenable, but I tried.  Again, from this point forward, I may not review a submission that is not metal.  I will still likely listen to it, but I will probably only review it if it is truly exceptional.

BLACK DEPTHS, GREY WAVES: NEVER FOREVER SIMPLY DONE (2013)

I tried to parse that album title, and I just can't.  I don't know what it means.  The music is some sort of industrial/drone/noise, something or other.  Two tracks, each one over 20 minutes, and just noise.  Nope.  Not for me at all.

Black Depths, Grey Waves.

COLD-FEET CONTROL: TALES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED PT. II (2013)

Okay, what in the hell is this?  It appears to be metalcore/screamo mixed with techno or something like that.  Seriously, I cannot even get through this thing.

Cold Feet Control.

DEAD DARK SLIDE: FEEL THE HEAT (2013)

I have gotten three or four emails pushing me to review this thing so I finally relented.  It was not worth it.  Dead Dark Slide is a gothic rock band with a lot of Marilyn Manson-isms in their sound.  The promo materials were incredibly deceptive, referring to this group as "industrial goth rockers" and mentioning "shredding guitars" and "death metal with a twist."  There is not a lot musically going on.  There are no riffs to speak of, just some atmospheric keyboard parts, drumming, and the occasional strumming on the guitar.  This is basically a heavier version of The Cure or Bauhaus.  Absolutely nothing metal about it, with the exception of the track "F-ck Haet", which does actually feature riffs and some more guttural vocals, but that's it.  And since I am not a goth, this really does not do much for me at all.  Pass.  Some of you may like it, I am not among you.

Dead Dark Slide.

END ALL ELEGANCE: PROMO (2012)

Huh.  This is decidedly not metal.  It is definitely more of a rock feel, the occasional heavy riff complemented by some softer sounds.  Definitely melodic and emotional.  The songs are reasonably interesting but not really all that different from a million bands we have polluting the airwaves.  Think most modern rock radio.  It's not bad, but definitely not something I am all that interested in.

End All Elegance Soundcloud.

LAZY BONEZ: VOL. 1 (2013)

Lazy Bonez is billed as a "heavy metal-oriented" (bad sign there) band featuring some members of Tarot, a Finnish metal band.  There are some decent-sounding songs on here, definitely some catchy stuff.  "First to Go-Last to Know" is an interesting track featuring vocals from Marco Hietala (Nightwish) and Udo Dirkschneider (if you don't know who he is, you shouldn't be reading this site).  But beyond that and the ridiculous "Poker Face" cover, there is not really a lot to say about the album.  It is not original in the least.  The talent is there and it is kind of a fun listen, but I would not say it is essential.

WHIPPING POST: THE CAT O' NINE TAILS (2013)

This one is kind of interesting because it really sounds like something that would have been released in the 1970's.  The guitar tone, use of keyboards, and the vocals all sound very much like classic rock from the '70's.  Think Kansas, Edgar Winter Group, Foghat, and others.  There's something to be said for something like this, but really, why not just listen to the bands from that time period?

VladPromotion Quick Reviews Pt. 2

Last year I was sent a bunch of promos from one individual that I just did not get around to.  Seriously, there were a lot.  So I am now tackling them.  No time to do individual reviews, just a quick and dirty look will have to do.

ERADICATOR: MADNESS IS MY NAME (2012)

Eradicator is a fairly young, German thrash metal band that plays a style that bears more of a sonic similarity to the earlier, more melodic style of Destruction when speed metal was still a major part of their sound.  In other words, this is not the type of proto-black/death metal that Sodom and Kreator, um, created when they first started recording.  It is more of Motorhead on steroids, mixed with Testament and Megadeth.  The riffs drive the music, which is what good thrash metal does, and make no mistake, this is definitely good thrash metal.  It is decidedly old-school in sound, but manages to sound fresh at the same time.

H.O.S.:  THE BEGINNING (2011)

Alright another acronym!  Is it Hogs of Steel?  Hell on Skis?  Horatio Octavio Sanchez?  Nope, apparently it is Harvester of Sorrow, a Metallica reference for those of you who don't know.  The title of the album is helpful because this is the Italian band's debut album.  And despite the Metallica reference in the name of the band, they do not really show a ton of Metallica influence in the music, apart from being a thrash metal band.  The vocals resemble Mille Petrozza of Kreator, particularly after taking over full-time vocal duties, and the riffs sound closer to other Bay Area bands such as Heathen and Forbidden.  Italy is not really known for thrash metal, other than Bulldozer and Necrodeath, so it is not much of a surprise that a band from that country would take influences from both the Bay Area and Germany.  The combination works well for H.o.S.

IRON KINGDOM: CURSE OF THE VOODOO QUEEN

Taking a break from the thrash metal of the last couple of reviews is Iron Kingdom's debut album.  Iron Kingdom is much more of a traditional metal band with roots in the music of the NWOBHM and the American power metal scene.  I kind of like the music to this one.  It's strong traditional-sounding metal, but I absolutely cannot get past the vocalist.  His voice is high-pitched and ridiculously annoying.  As the album goes on, it gets a little better, but that might just be getting used to it.  It's unfortunate that something like that would detract from an album that otherwise is interesting from a musical standpoint, but that's the way it goes.  They do pull an Iron Maiden with a historical epic at the end of the album, this one about Montezuma.  So points for that I guess.

KAOSMOS: KAOSMOS (2012)

Huh.  Apparently Italy is developing a thrash metal scene.  This is the second band just in this group of bands from this promoter.  This is just a five song EP, but a couple of the tracks are more than seven minutes in length so it is a worthwhile length.  This one is much more similar to the Bay Area thrash metal scene with an emphasis on melody over brutality.  It also utilizes a bit more experimentation and progressive structures, with some similarities to Anacrusis, Heathen, and others from when thrash was expanding their sound.  The buildup to the second track "Walking in the Rain" is incredible and once the vocals kick in, it is even more impressive.  The vocals soar over the riffs like air-raid sirens and are incredibly powerful for this genre.  In the third track they are even joined by some death growls, creating an unusual dichotomy.  Kaosmos is definitely impressive.

KUAZAR: WRATH OF GOD (2009)

And now we check in with Paraguay.  And not shockingly, Kuazar exists on the more brutal end of the spectrum.  Not surprising when South America's most well-known thrash metal bands are Sepultura and Sarcofago.  Kuazar takes their sound from the early blackened/speed/thrash of Sodom and Kreator with a little of their South American brethren thrown in for good measure.  Speed and intensity are the name of the game with Kuazar.  It is not particularly brutal for this type of thrash, relying instead on the precision of the riffs and the manic vocal style.  Very impressive as well.

Talbot: Scaled (2013)

Increasingly, I find myself in the mood for some good sludgy doom metal.  I am not sure what that says about my current mindset.  Maybe it's okay though because my usual choices are death and thrash metal.  Lately I have been listening to a lot of Cianide, Morgion, Lord Dying, and High on Fire.  So this one hit me at just the right time.

If you haven't guessed already, Talbot play some sludgy, murky doom metal.  What is most impressive though is the varying influences that can picked out of it.  At times they have the poppy sensibility of Type O Negative at their Beatles-obsessed best.  At others, the music is almost terrifying, true doom.  At still others, the band is heavily groove-laden and gallops along at a frenetic pace.  In short, there is a lot going on on this release.

Talbot is a very promising doom metal duo from Estonia, which is honestly not one of the first places I think of when I think of doom metal.  Such is the proliferation of metal in general I suppose.  And that is one of the most fascinating aspects of being a metal fan, finding metal from different countries.

The majority of the album is made up of some hard-hitting doom riffs.  There is the occasional bit of experimental and almost psychedelic moment here and there, but for the most part it keeps thundering away.  The vocals are impressive, typically clean and shouted, but once in awhile they are performed with a decently frightening death growl.  The real star of this album though is the bass.  It is high enough in the mix to be constantly heard and sounds amazing.  More bands should make this effective use of the often-overlooked instrument.

The only real complaint is that the second half tends to drag a bit.  The psychedelic and slower parts are almost all relegated to that half and it does tend to lose focus at times.  The title track in particular drags and the vocals take on a Perry Farrell-esque quality.

Nevertheless, this was a fairly impressive release from an up and coming band.  It definitely fit my recent mood.

Decibel Hammer: Culture of Extermination (2013)

I can not confirm whether Decibel Hammer's name came from combining two of the current still active metal magazine names.  They were not completely obvious about it after all.  It could have been Revolver Terrorizer I suppose.  But no, it's Decibel Hammer.

Anyway, Decibel Hammer is a Finnish death/thrash metal band who released their first EP last year.  It is a short slice of extreme metal that flies by in the blink of an eye.  It is filled to the brim with blasting drums, rampaging riffs, and some half-crazed vocals.  None of the six tracks here reaches the four minute mark.  Each song is a relentless, full-throttle mass of riffs and screaming.  And after a little more than fifteen minutes, it's all over.

Musically, Decibel Hammer sounds most like a combination of the early German thrash metal bands Sodom and Kreator with some Demolition Hammer thrown in.  It is a very extreme form of thrash metal.  The riffs are fast and incredibly heavy, even machine gun-like at times.  The vocals sound like Attila Csihar singing thrash metal.  They just have a kind of demented quality that Attila used to terrific effect.

This is a fairly impressive little EP.  I like my thrash nasty and loud and this definitely qualifies.

Decibel Hammer Bandcamp.

FMA Review: Nocturnal Fear/Seges Findere: Allied for the Upcoming Genocide (2013)

Originally reviewed here.

I love splits some times. What could be better than picking up an album that has new music from two different bands? Especially when the bands have wildly different backgrounds.

I will admit that Nocturnal Fear was the big draw for me here. I own several of the band's albums because I thoroughly enjoy their take on Sodom-esque Teutonic thrash metal. Nocturnal Fear do a lot of things that Sodom did, from their blazing fast riffing speed, to the throaty growls of singer Infernal Desekrator, to the fact that the band uses similar war-ravaged scenes on their album covers. Nocturnal Fear even has a similar character show up on all of their albums.

Nocturnal Fear gets four of the six tracks on this album, but their songs are typically short, fast jolts to the jugular. They come in, thrash around for a few minutes and the song is over. And they definitely make the most of their time here. Each of the songs is a perfect example of what makes Nocturnal Fear one of the most impressive thrash metal bands to come from the U.S. in years.

I was not previously familiar with Seges Findere and had to look them up. Apparently they are from Brazil and feature a very different sound, but a similar warlike theme to Nocturnal Fear. Apparently the band's name means "The Final Harvest" in Latin. So yeah, there's that.

Seges Findere's half of the split starts out with the unmistakable sound of a fighter plane flying overhead. This is fairly lo-fi, yet hateful blackened death metal. The drum sound is a little too high in the mix and tends to drown out the riffing, which is a shame because that is probably the most interesting thing here. Seges Findere is okay, but they don't really reinvent the wheel here.

I doubt it is a surprise that Nocturnal Fear wins this split.

Metal Briefs: Inverse Records Stuff

I am going to be throwing a bunch of stuff together a lot in order to catch up.  Usually these will be albums that do not really meet my standards and I do not feel like doing a full review.

CARDIANT: VERGE (2013)

Cardiant is a Finnish power metal band.  Finland has produced some great metal bands across a wide variety of subgenres, but I have yet to hear a great Finnish power metal band.  That is still the case.  This is okay but it really lacks any real power.  It reminds me more of later-era Sonata Arctica and Edguy, periods in their respective histories of which I am not really a fan.  It's mostly melodic hard rock/metal with some catchy sections, but overall somewhat weak.  "Heaven's Calling" is a representative track with its faster-paced riffing style and a general sense of urgency in the beginning, but the chorus kind of screws it up and makes it sound like an 80's hair band.  There are some decent tracks on here but as a whole, the album kind of falls flat.

NOSDRAMA:  GRAVITY (2013)

Gothic metal is a subgenre that has not done much for me in the last several years, besides the occasional Moonspell album and the more extreme bands like Cradle of Filth and Rotting Christ's gothic-oriented stuff.  Mostly because I am not a Hot Topic-frequenting teenager.  Musically this is a little more exciting than the Tiamat stuff that bored the hell out of me.  But the vocals really kill it for me.  They are often out of tune with the music and just do not mix well.  The music was simply not interesting enough to keep me from falling asleep, which is a big problem with a lot of gothic rock/metal.  This just does not do much for me.

NOX ULTIMA:  FROM DELIRIUM TO CATHARSIS (2013)

Nox Ultima is a Finnish black metal band whose mission statement explains that they are out to create and manifest black metal.  I am not sure how you manifest something, or really what the verb "to manifest" means, but I suppose I won't hold that against them.  Anyway, Nox Ultima plays old school-style black metal, bearing similarities to the Norwegian and Swedish scenes, although with impressive enough production values that everything can be heard well.  This is hateful black metal with a lot of aggression and speed.  That is just the way I like my black metal personally.  So this one was pretty good to me.  I will say, there is not a lot of delirium here either, but that should not be surprising for black metal.

The Simpsons Apologizes to Judas Priest

I thought it was hilarious to refer to Judas Priest as death metal, misguided as it was.  Yes it was wrong, but seriously it does not really matter that much.  Metal is not mainstream, so it's rare that it is even referenced at all.  And it may be annoying when they get it wrong, but at least they apologized.  Still waiting on that apology from Bones.

Metal Briefs: Odds and Ends

I am working on emptying out my email of stuff that has been sent.  I assure everyone that I did take the time to listen to each submission in their entirety.  I am not writing full reviews for most of this stuff because I want to make sure that I get stuff out, but I think I was able to be succinct and effective in these short reviews.

FEAR CONTROL:  CONVICTION (2013)

I had no idea that metalcore bands were still forming.  Fear Control lists their influences as Trivium, Lamb of God, and Bullet for My Valentine.  Yep, that pretty much sums this up.  They are decent at what they do, but I am just beyond being interested in this type of metal.  I would have loved this about ten years ago.  Some of the riffs are fairly impressive, in particular the opening riff to "Chains".

Fear Control Bandcamp.

GRAEME SWALLOW:  PORTRAIT OF A ZEBRA (2013)

I find multi-instrumentalists fascinating.  People who can write and arrange complex music and then play most, if not all, of the music in the recording is incredibly interesting.  I guess some people are just more musically-gifted than I am (I can play the saxophone and piano, but have done neither in a very long time).  Graeme Swallow is one such multi-instrumentalist.  He wrote and arranged all of the songs on this album, only handing over vocal duties and the occasional solo to other individuals.  The sound is often power/progressive metal (think Symphony X and Kamelot) with some elements of orchestration and a strong feeling of theatricality.  But it is a hugely varied album as a whole as many other songs lack metal or rock influences entirely and are much more classically-based.  The music is actually very infectious and I found myself enjoying this album with repeated listens.  There is a lot going on and the musicianship is really incredible.  The guest vocalists are all extraordinarily talented.  There is definitely some Christian themes present but they are not overwhelming so it is not a problem, and the musicianship really is incredible.

Graeme Swallow Soundcloud.

HAMMERFORCE: ACCESS DENIED (2013)

Holy shit, calm down on the synthesizers a little bit guys.  Hammerforce are about what you would expect they would be when I tell you they play power metal and are from Europe.  Yep, "flower metal" here.  That being said, I do like the sound when it is played well.  Yes there are a ton of synthesizers in this album, but they complement the music a lot better than I thought they would when I first heard them introduced.  Musically, Hammerforce bear a strong similarity to Sonata Arctica circa Silence and I really liked that sound so I found myself enjoying this one quite a bit.  It's fast and fun and melodic all at the same time without becoming completely cheesy.  That's probably about the best I can say for a "flower metal" band with tons of synthesizers.

Hammerforce Bandcamp.

KINETIK:  HEAVIER ELEMENTS (2013)

Whenever a band has success there are inevitably going to be some imitators popping up, bands that play a similar sound.  This is nothing new and it really is not that bad of a thing.  Meshuggah is a very popular band in the extreme metal scene so of course there will be bands that play a similar style of music.  Atonal riffs that provide the rhythm of the song, complex drum patterns, and vocals that are a mix between a shout and a growl.  That is what Kinetik sounds like on this release.  They produce a powerful wall of sound with some interesting rhythmic riffing.  It is an interesting listen while it is playing, but it is quickly forgotten when it is not.  Not a bad album, just not terribly memorable.

Kinetik Bandcamp.

THORNWILL:  REQUIEM FOR A FOOL (2013)

Thornwill is a Hungarian traditional metal band.  I think the only Hungarian bands I have previously heard were black metal bands, so this is a little different.  This is actually a fairly impressive album for a country that is seemingly isolated from the rest of the metal scene.  It reminds me a little bit of Primal Fear.  It is faster-paced with some dynamic lead vocals and some impressive riffwork.  The songs are infectious and fun.  This is a little bit of a longer album, but it never feels like it is dragging.  A fairly impressive slice of traditional metal.

Thornwill Soundcloud.

TOTHEM:  RUN TO YOU (2013)

Apparently I was just sent the single for "Run to You" which is off of this Italian band's 2013 album Beyond the Sea.  So that is all I am going to review then.  Tothem is a gothic metal band from Italy with a female singer, so immediately I was expecting something similar to Lacuna Coil.  That is not quite what this is.  The most notable difference is the emphasis on the metal.  Unlike their countrymen who have become much more of a pop/metal Evanescence clone, Tothem utilizes real metal riffs.  The vocals of singer Roslen Bondi are impressive, though she does have a tendency to be a little too operatic.  I hope this band stays true to this sound on the rest of their material.

Tothem Soundcloud.

FMA Reviews: Lord Dying: Summon the Faithless (2013)

Originally reviewed here.

Over the last few years, the face of sludge metal has shifted. The genre was mostly created in the swamps of Louisiana with groups like Crowbar, Acid Bath, and Eyehategod. An unholy union of hardcore and doom metal, the music was extreme in its way. However it has become bastardized and changed over the years as groups like Mastodon and Baroness have taken it out of the boggy depths and made it almost radio-friendly. Oh the horrors.

Enter Lord Dying.

Lord Dying hails from the Pacific Northwest, but their sound is rooted in the low rumbling riffs of the New Orleans sludge scene with some High on Fire thrown in for good measure. Despite a relatively short history, Lord Dying comes across as veterans that have been throwing out stampeding riffs for years. Yet, this is a debut album by four members who do not appear to have created anything else with any other bands. Let me tell you, that is positively shocking. Because this album really sounds incredible.

From the opening riff building into a steamroller to the closing strains, this is one of the best sludge metal albums I have heard in a very long time. I have been a fan of the genre since I discovered it in the early 1990's, but it had been on the decline for several years. Lord Dying bring it back in a big way.

Reader Submissions: Xpulsion: Hunted (2013)

Nic from Xpulsion contacted the first time a year or so ago to take a look at his band's stuff.  He contacted me again last May, unfortunately that was right before I went on a long hiatus.  So I want to start things off by apologizing about not getting to this sooner.

Anyway, here is Xpulsion with a two-track demo called Hunted.  Xpulsion has become significantly more brutal this time around, as clearly evidenced by the gore-soaked cover art.  Previously they sounded more like a combination of Exodus and Overkill, but this time around, there is much more sinister side, with influences from the more brutal-sounding thrash of the German trio of Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction.  The riffs are heavier and with a sharper edge, and the vocals are delivered in a blackened thrash metal snarl than the shouted vocals from earlier.

The second track, "Intent to Kill" is my favorite of the two.  The break towards the end where the vocals shift to a shouted style and then the thrash break definitely stand out.

I love this new development.  I have always been a fan of thrash metal, but the more brutal, evil styles are definitely my favorite.  Xpulsion has improved for the better.  I am looking forward to more.

Xpulsion Bandcamp.

Metallattorney's Top Twenty of 2013

I am sorry I am late, I was working on this for quite awhile.  I have not been as active in the last year with the blog or listening to music in general.  A lot has happened in the last year, including buying a home and the long process of moving.  I have also been working a lot.  Nevertheless, I did hear a number of impressive albums.  Many of these have yet to appear as reviews here, but they will soon.

So without further ado, Metallattorney's Top 20 of 2013:

20.  WATAIN:  WILD HUNT

Okay, this one is pretty weird.  Every time I pick up a Watain album, I have a certain sound in mind that I am expecting to hear.  I expect them to sound like Dissection at the height of their sound.  This completely blew me away.  Obviously the biggest takeaway is the slow song with clean vocals.  That came as quite a shock, let me tell you.  But when you get past the shock, this is a very compelling album.

19.  REVOCATION:  REVOCATION

Revocation is the best of the retro thrash metal bands.  Although they do not entirely fit in with that group because of their late 80's death metal influences and an ability to take influences from a variety of other musical styles.  Banjos anyone?

18.  COFFINS: THE FLESHLAND

Probably my favorite album by the Japanese doom/death band so far, which is really saying something as I have enjoyed everything I have heard from them.  This album finds the band incorporating a lot more faster-paced, crunchier sections while retaining the same Hellhammer-at-half-speed sound the band typically had.  Yet it has not lost any of the grime and decay from previous releases.

17.  TOXIC HOLOCAUST:  CHEMISTRY OF CONSCIOUSNESS

There is something to be said for simplicity.  Toxic Holocaust has been doing their thing for years now and their thing is a mix of Motorhead, Venom, Bathory, and Hellhammer.  Every album is about a half hour of rampaging speed and proto-thrash riffs.  It goes by quickly but it is a hell of a lot of fun.

16.  SUFFOCATION:  PINNACLE OF BEDLAM

Yet another terrific album from the undisputed masters of brutal death metal.  Suffocation proves they still have it on this release.  The pioneering band is still going strong as always.

15.  MORTILLERY: ORIGIN OF EXTINCTION

Canada has some damn good thrash metal.  Mortillery is the latest thrash metal band to arrive out of the Great White North.  This is an underrated thrash metal album that went largely unnoticed.  That's unfortunate.  Cara McCutchen is a vocalist on par with Sabine Classen.

14.  BLACK SABBATH: 13

Is it possible to both anticipate and dread something?  Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne reunited to write new music for the first time in several years and this time we got a full album out of them.  This reunion resulted in a surprisingly strong album that did not disappoint.  It is, quite simply, a Black Sabbath album played with a modern flair.

13.  DENOUNCEMENT PYRE:  ALMIGHTY ARCANUM

Blackened death metal the way it should be.  Denouncement Pyre is one of the darkest, most brutal bands still going out of the Australian "war metal" scene.  They were always a little too blackened to really fit in with Destroyer 666, Atomizer, and the like, but that just made them that much more interesting.  This is their best album yet.

12.  DEFEATED SANITY:  PASSAGES INTO DEFORMITY

Not an easy album to digest, but Defeated Sanity continues to impress.  Their brutal technicality is on display in spades here.  I considered their last album to be one of my favorite slam death albums of all time.  If anything this one tops even that.

11.  SATAN'S HOST:  VIRGIN SAILS

I liked their black metal sound, but their blackened power metal is absolutely incredible.  Since reuniting with Harry Conklin from Jag Panzer, their original singer, Satan's Host has been on a completely different level.  This album, while not as powerful as its predecessor, continues in that vein.

10.  HYPOCRISY:  END OF DISCLOSURE

Hypocrisy does not really fit in with either of the two big Swedish death metal scenes.  They are too melodic for the Stockholm sound and too heavy for the Gothenburg sound.  But what they do is continue to put out fiercely powerful albums every single time.  And they continued to do so with this release.

9.  LORD DYING:  SUMMON THE FAITHLESS

I love good sludge metal and Lord Dying definitely qualifies.  Sludge has become known more for groups like Baroness in the last few years.  It is great to have a band step in and play it the way it should be played.  Much more like Crowbar.  This was one hell of an impressive debut and I found myself listening to it over and over again.

8.  VASTUM:  PATRICIDAL LUST

This is one I have not heard a lot yet.  I just recently decided to check it out due to its placement in Full Metal Attorney's Top Albums list, but I like it a lot.  It is decidedly old school death metal, sounding like the genre did back when it was truly evil-sounding.  Vastum does a terrific job of bringing back that vibe, sounding like a mix of old Immolation, Incantation, Sinister, and others that made death metal terrifying.

7.  WORMED: EXODROMOS

It was a good year for good slam/brutal death.  Especially the more bizarre groups like Wormed and Defeated Sanity.  This album has been a very long time coming.  Wormed's last album came out in 2003 and we have only had a split and an EP since then.  But the band definitely made this one worth the wait.  The technical slam death metal band from Spain has put out an amazing album.

6.  AMORPHIS: CIRCLE

I am a big fan of the sort of melodic metal that Amorphis has been putting out over the last several albums, since Tomi Joutsen joined the band, but even I admit that it was in danger of becoming a little too predictable.  Then we got this one which reinforced how truly great Amorphis can be.  This album marked a return at least somewhat of their harder-edged sound.  There are still elements of the previous sound, but this is Amorphis's heaviest album in years.

5.  HUNTRESS:  STARBOUND BEAST

I know I say this every year, but each year some album by a traditional metal band comes around and completely blows me away.  Enforcer, Christian Mistress, Grand Magus, and others have all done this in the past.  This last year, it was Huntress.  From the Judas Priest-inspired music style, to the sultry, yet commanding vocals of Jill Janus, Huntress's album is an incredible listen.  Or maybe I am just taken with the singer.  I don't really know.

4.  VOIVOD:  TARGET EARTH

Voivod has released their first album without any input from the late Denis "Piggy" D'Amour.  After his death in 2005, the band used recorded material he created to continue to put out music.  This album saw the band recruit Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain to take over the guitar and the album was their best in years.  Voivod still has it and remains one of the most unique metal bands ever.

3.  FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE: LABYRINTH

Holy shit this band just keeps getting better and better.  The Italian band proves that a band can have symphonic elements and still be brutal and powerful.  The symphonic elements never threaten to take attention away from the death metal foundation.  If anything, it works incredibly well in conjunction to create an incredible, theatrical metal album.

2.  SKELETONWITCH:  SERPENTS UNLEASHED

Skeletonwitch never fails.  In fact, if anything they continue to get better.  Every time I hear a new album by the band, I am blown away.  Yes, this is their best album to date, the same thing I said about each of their last few albums.  So here we are again.

1.  POWER TRIP:  MANIFEST DECIMATION

Holy shit.  That's all I have to say.  It was not until this year that I really started to enjoy crossover in a big way.  And the major reason for this was this album.  Power Trip absolutely crushes on this album.  It is fast, heavy, loud, and I keep coming back for more.  It is Metallattorney's 2013 Album of the Year.

Iliac Thorns: It (2013)

Melodeath still exists as a genre.  It's true.  Most of the Gothenburg-style bands have gone by the wayside or altered their sound to an almost unrecognizable bastardization of what the genre used to be (I'm looking at you In Flames), but there are still some bands out there that take what was once good about the genre and release some good stuff.  Most of those bands seem to be coming out of Finland these days.

Iliac Thorns joins the ranks of fellow melodeath countrymen as Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum, Mors Principium Est, and others.  But there is a bit of a difference in that Iliac Thorns is far more on the death side of things that the melodic part.  This is absolutely death metal, that just so happens to have a fair amount of melodicism in it.  The vocals certainly give it away, but there is also the fact that the riffing is far more severe and brutal.  The other Finnish melodeath bands mentioned seem to try particularly hard to create a sullen atmosphere, Iliac Thorns on the other hand, just want to crush some skulls.

As mentioned, the vocals of singer Ilkka Lonnqvist certainly stand out for this genre of metal.  They are delivered in a very deep and throaty roar with the occasional raspy scream thrown in for good measure.  These are much more typical of the more gore-soaked extreme death metal bands like Suffocation, Broken Hope, and others than the good cop/bad cop vocal style that Gothenburg was known for.  This is much of the reason that Iliac Thorns is far closer to death metal than melodeath.

Musically, Iliac Thorns represents the heavier side of melodeath as well.  The music is fast with razor-sharp riffs with just the right amount of melody to make the individual tracks stand out but to still be heavy and intense.  There is the occasional tremolo riff suggesting some black metal influence as well but Iliac Thorns does not overdo it.  The production could stand a beefier lower end, but seems to fit the music quite well.

This is an impressive debut from a band that should make waves in a vastly underrated scene.

Impiety: The Impious Crusade (2013)

Impiety has been a personal favorite of mine since I first heard their 2007 album.  The Singaporean group perfectly captures the various extreme styles of death, thrash, and black metal and welds them together into a caustic, aggressive mix.  It's abrasive as hell, but that's part of the beauty of it.  So of course, I am on board when the band releases something new, even if, in this case, it's an EP.

Things kick off immediately with a bang with some evil riffing courtesy of the introductory track.  From there, Impiety rolls forward in their standard take-no-prisoners style.  Impiety do not simply play their instruments.  They use them as weapons to attack the listener.  Everything flies by at the speed of light, but that is not to say that they are not accomplished musicians.  They most certainly are, they just believe in making things as brutal and vicious as possible.  Mission accomplished.  The EP ends with a cover of a Sorcery song, not a band I am familiar with.

Of course the star of Impiety continues to be vocalist/bassist Shyaithan.  This is his band and he controls every aspect of it.  His sinister bark propels the band forward and keeps the band from becoming another Sarcofago/Vulcano clone.

I always enjoy a new Impiety release, and this one is certainly no different.

Hypocrisy: End of Disclosure (2013)

This just sounds like an appropriate name for an album for an attorney who listens to heavy metal.  To be honest the name of the album completely eluded me for a long time.  The only thing I really cared about was that Hypocrisy had a new album out.  I can honestly say that since 2004's The Arrival, Hypocrisy has been lurking on a short list of my favorite bands.  With this album, they are pretty high on the list.  Hypocrisy have been an amazingly consistent band over the years, with only one real miss as far as albums go.  But this album finds the band at a creative peak that they have sustained for the past few releases.

Figuring out where Hypocrisy fits in in the lauded and impressive Swedish death metal scene has always been a tad difficult.  They never really fit in with the Stockholm groups like Entombed, Dismember, and Grave.  They were far too melodic for that.  They were also too extreme for the Gothenburg groups like Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, and At the Gates.  It is fitting that the band was not from either of those cities, they have always been their own entity, not really sounding much like any of their other famous countrymen.

Here that is evident.  Hypocrisy hits with their typically heavy and atmospheric death metal with plenty of melody to go around.  The album begins with one of the band's usual sci-fi-sounding opening tracks that lays the foundation for the sound to follow.  The second track is one of Hypocrisy's most punishing in years and features one hell of a breakdown.  The album does not feature a single weak track and is a terrific album to get the blood pumping.

Of course the highlight of the album is Peter Tagtren's growling vocals.  Tagtren has been one of the best death metal singers since the advent of the genre.  He proves why he is one of the most influential vocalists in death metal with this album.

Hypocrisy has once again put out an extremely powerful release.  This will likely be a Top 10 album for 2013.

Happy New Year

One of my resolutions this year will be to get back to blogging here with more regularity.  It has been a little tough finding time lately.  I have been quite busy with work, the new home, and the holidays.  I also have not been as active in finding new music lately.  I will have a top albums of 2013 going up as soon as I have it written.  I have to work on it though because I have not even begun to compile it.

To the Anonymous idiot who commented the other day on a four-plus-year-old post complaining of my views on Soulfly, one of the advantages of writing my own blog means that my opinion is the only one that matters here.  If you don't like it, go somewhere else.  Soulfly sucked for a long time, they are only slightly better now.  Or had you forgotten the "Jumpdafuckup" era?  Sepultura sucks now too, so I have no idea what you were trying to prove by telling me that.

Ghost B.C.: Infestissuman (2013)

I had this album going on a continuous loop on Halloween.  It was not the greatest day in the world.  I worked and then went back to the old house to finish cleaning it up so we could turn the keys over to the landlord.  After that was finally finished we went to the new house and watched Event Horizon.

But at least it felt a little like Halloween to have this album playing while I was working or driving in the car.  This album has a pretty good Halloween vibe to it, it is kind of spooky in a somewhat campy way.  Ghost followed up on their highly-acclaimed debut full-length with an album that builds on their sound that captivated so many on their previous release.  It is a strange and varied album that was not immediately rewarding, but it grew on me so much with repeated listens that it could make my Top Ten for the year.

When Ghost (as they were known then) released their debut many were comparing them to a mix between Blue Oyster Cult and Mercyful Fate.  I have no idea where the Mercyful Fate comparisons came from, honestly, other than the dark and ominous sound.  Blue Oyster Cult is a much better comparison due to their often eclectic sound.  On any given album you had no idea what the next song would sound like.  That is much the case here where the band can go from straight-forward 70's rock to the bizarrely campy "Guleh/Zombie Queen" which would not sound out of place played after "The Monster Mash".

I said earlier that this album was somewhat disappointing the first time I heard it.  Maybe it's because I was looking for more of the same as their first album.  But it was a grower and it formed the perfect soundtrack to Halloween this year for me.  It is clear we are never going to know what to expect from Ghost.  And that's kind of a good thing.

Happy Halloween

I know I have not been around much.  I bought a house and am putting the finishing touches on moving out of the old house.  Things have been busy.  My hope is that I will be able to return to posting by early next week.

A Little Update

Right now I am working on buying a house which has greatly decreased the amount of time I have had to devote to listening to music.  Unfortunately packing has also taken a lot of time away as well.  I have been able to do a little bit occasionally.  I know I have a lot of stuff to catch up on.  It's become a bit daunting.  But I will catch up at some point.  Thanks for your patience.

FMA Reviews: Azure Emote: The Gravity of Impermanence

Originally reviewed here.

What a weird album. I am not even really sure how to classify this band. I suppose the best way would be to compare them to a group like Hollenthon, Septicflesh, Sigh, or the oddball projects of Dan Swanö. In other words, they seem to have influences from a wide variety of metal styles, such as black, death, and industrial. Never has the term avant-garde been more fitting than when listening to this album from Azure Emote.

This is Azure Emote's second album and it has gained them a fair amount of interest. I have been in a little bit of a metal black hole in the last few months due to an extremely busy work schedule and even I have heard some hype about this release. Azure Emote is the new band of former Monstrosity frontman Mike Hrubovcak. But it definitely does not follow in the footsteps of Monstrosity. Monstrosity was a fairly paint-by-numbers death metal band. As previously stated, this is anything but formulaic. The songs do not follow any traditional song structure and the music is widely varied, crushing and intense one minute, slow and dissonant the next, and allows with a number of sonic surprises.

Azure Emote is at their best when they are pushing the boundaries of extreme metal. Utilizing synthesizers, strings, saxophones, and all kinds of other weird and eclectic instrumentation (harmonica, really?), Azure Emote never settle on anything that can be considered traditional metal structure and instrumentation. These moments are frequent and lend a schizophrenic feel to the overall listening experience. There are still obvious metal riffs, but those seem somewhat lackluster when not accompanied by some off-the-wall instrument or sample.

The only real complaint I have about this album is that the band sometimes does too much. There is a lack of cohesion to a lot of the moments and the whole thing feels like a collection of disparate parts rather than one impressive whole. It can be a little off-putting at times.

Azure Emote is certainly unpredictable and have a lot of talent, but at times they just appear to be weird for weirdness's sake. That can be problematic and often prevents any real connection with the listener.