Category Archives: Album Reviews

Oberon – Dream Awakening

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Some bands are just masters of shrouding themselves in mystique. The creation of one Bard Oberon, Norway’s Oberon began as early as 1994 as one of Prophecy Record’s first outputs, with their own brand of esoteric and dark, multiple influenced music. 1998 saw the band’s second full length Mysteries before Bard began his own musical journey, transcending different sonic landscapes under a different moniker; Future Whirl. Now Oberon returns with their latest effort, Dream Awakening (Prophecy).

Like much of the work Oberon is associated with over the years, Dream Awakening has its roots in atmospheric folk with enough tints of the experimental to catch the attention of the prog foray. Dream Awakening ventures very little distance from its predecessors, mostly built upon folk’s clean acoustic guitars and soaring vocals and a near haunting tone. The palette is broadened here however with some electric, energetic moments, ‘Escape’, for example, comes across like a cross between Opeth and The Pineapple Thief yet never feels out of place.

Oberon’s strength has always been his conjuring of atmosphere and here is no different; invoking contrasting moods and tones throughout offering both the brooding and gloomy as well as a sense of uplifting.

A cryptic presence in the more thought provoking musical realms, Oberon’s latest effort has enough character and qualities which will appeal to both the prog audience and the extreme metal crowd who worship the likes of Alcest and Les Discrets. An earthy album caped in whimsy and mystery.

8.0/10

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CHRIS TIPPELL


Ides Of Gemini – Old World New Wave

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Old World, New Wave (Neurot) might only be the second album by Los Angeles trio Ides of Gemini but it doesn’t half feel like a seminal moment for the underground band. Perhaps under some unfair scrutiny in the lead up to their debut album, 2012’s Constantinople, much of the naysaying and internet sneering was silenced largely because Ides of Gemini have what is unquestionably “A TALENT”.

The “talent” in question is the voice of lead singer Sera Timms. It is quite brilliant and you can understand all too easily why you would want to base your oeuvre around what Timms can do with her vocal chords. Herein lies part of the problem for Ides of Gemini in general and for Old World, New Wave in particular. Knowing how to manage talent properly is a skill – it takes time, application and insight. Not everyone excels at it and on the evidence of Old World, New Wave, Ides of Gemini, whilst not necessarily in danger of failing, have made some fairly rudimentary mistakes.

Opening track ‘Black Door’ suggests that they understand the talent management dilemma and are determined that they are not going to be a project based around one person’s vocal talents; no siree, they want you to regard Old World, New Wave as a “band effort”. The intent cannot be faulted but the execution can be- you don’t make a band sound like a band by simply turning up the drum track, I’m afraid. It’s a mistake that echoes across the entire record – in fact, at times you can’t move for being aurally assaulted by a tom-tom.

The second challenge is that of song writing. Whilst all of the songs here move along at an agreeable mid tempo clip with plenty of drums (see above), guitars and wistful vocalizing, many of the ideas feel unfinished. You can admire the band’s love of the arcane, the idiosyncratic and the other worldly, but what you can’t do is hum any of their tunes. There’s enough melody across the record to keep you listening but you keep listening in hope rather than expectation of reaching a high watermark. Regrettably, none comes and you’re left with the uncomfortable sense of all the songs seemingly blending into one rather like an occult blancmange – nice enough, but not exactly a proper trifle.

At the end of the day, Old World New Wave is alright, but that’s it – just alright. With a talent as good as Timms, though, you’re only left with a needling sense of disappointment that a talent like hers should be allowed to soar, not snore.

 

6.0/10

Ides of Gemini on Facebook

 

MAT DAVIES

 


Amplifier – Mystoria

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When they come round to writing the definitive history of progressive rock music in the UK I hope they can find a nice spot, lovingly curated, for Mancunians Amplifier. Not that we should be consigning them to the annals of history anytime soon – anything but – but Amplifier seem to be one of those acts that are held dear to the heart of the already converted, but have yet to make the crossover to broader appeal. It’s hard to understand why as they have already delivered, from the sprawling masterpiece The Octopus (Independent) to the more introspective yet equally worthy Echo Street (KScope), some sublime, intelligent and inventive music.

Mystoria (Superball) doesn’t eschew all of the idea-conjuring that they are renowned for but it has a determined sense of purpose and an effervescent undercurrent that will certainly cement their reputation and should, if there is anything like justice in this tribal, social media dominated world of ours, see them reach audiences and corners of the globe yet to be converted to Mr Balamir and co.

Kicking off with the none-more-prog-rock instrumental of ‘Magic Carpet’, a blend of Focus meets Muse, it’s a gauntlet throwing statement of intent. Amplifier have rediscovered ROCK, kids, and we should all be grateful. ‘Black Rainbow’ continues in similar vein, all hard driven rhythms and evocative lyrics and you can feel yourself air drumming from about 28 seconds in (perhaps that was just me, then). ‘Named After Rocky’ sounds a bit what might happen if early Genesis had met Led Zep for a proper drink. This, for the avoidance of any doubt, is a very good thing.

‘Open Up’ is a seriously moody buzzy riffathon, akin to what would happen if Josh Homme had gotten his stoner rock hands on Matt Bellamy’s muse and, if you will, Matt Bellamy’s Muse. Highlight of the album is the brilliant ‘OMG’. It has a signature riff that Rush would kill for and a deep groove which echoes Led Zeppelin just at the point where they became their most stately and imperious. There’s a swirling pot of ideas being thrown around here, too. This is what Amplifier excel at, the musical plate spinning, often at precarious rates but with not one piece of porcelain being dropped.

Less obviously ambitious than The Octopus, Mystoria appears to be Amplifier’s attempt to distil their essence into manageable slices of aural pie. As Oliver Twist, would surely have said, please Mr Balamir , sir, can I have some more? Satisfying then, culinary friends.

 

7.5/10

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MAT DAVIES


Sleeping Giant – Finished People

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Christian Metal is a marginalised genre at the best of times. Is it all a marketing ploy? Hardcore is a good medium for faith-based metal. It’s easy to convey the passion you have, and they have that in spades, but recent claims from As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis that “maybe one in ten Christian bands” are genuine have not done the scene any favours.  Sleeping Giant seem to mean it though. Finished People (Century Media) is the fourth album from the trio (Tom Green – Vocals, Geoff Brouillette – Guitar, Matt Weir – Drums).

Opener ‘Clutches’ builds from a slow start to a high octane crusher; Green doesn’t take long to start singing about spreading Christian love, but his vocal range is impressive nonetheless and he maintains a positive vibe throughout. Repeated breakdowns are to be expected and are delivered on a regular basis and as is often the case, their constant appearances can become fatiguing. But there are also melodic passages on the likes of ‘Overthrow’ or ‘Finished People’ reminiscent of Jamey Jasta’s solo album as well as thrashy elements on ‘Death Knell’ and ‘Brother’s Keeper.’

Overall there’s a good balance between the usual hardcore genre expectations and melody, but there’s plenty of bite in their sound. ‘Son of God, Son of Man’ is a highlight, as are ‘Christus Victor’ and ‘Victory.’ However there are plenty of overly generic, anonymous moments where it’s mostly shouting and breakdowns. The only outright bad song is ‘Violence’; an overblown and pretentious spoken word passage.

Whether they “mean it” or not, Sleeping Giant have made a respectable album full of energy and zeal with a positive message. They’ve also made an album lacking any new ideas and occasionally straying into pretentiousness or generic breakdowns. There a lot worse albums out there, but it’s a decent effort.

 

6.5/10

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DAN SWINHOE


In Flames – Siren Charms

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Whatever your personal journey with In Flames, they rank as one of metals most influential bands of the last twenty years. Along with peers At The Gates and Dark Tranquillity they spearheaded the Scandinavian Melodic Death Metal attack of the Nineties and by 1999, you couldn’t move without being stabbed in the ears by jester clones. Ten years later, despite some inconsistent outputs of their own, they had proven to be a lead influence in the most popular development in the heavy metal sound of the new millennium – metalcore.

The seminal, early, albums of In Flames were all about jagged riffing and scything twin-guitars jostling with folk influences. Clayman and Reroute To Remain were about taking that step into the mainstream, adding chug and progressing their sound. Come Clarity was the ace that defined what they had become. Eleventh album Siren Charms (Sony) is all about the songs.

While In Flames started out as a guitar band, the role of vocals has become more prevalent in their sound throughout their twenty-one year evolution; from throaty roars, to a husky half-sing, to Siren Charms being Anders Friden’s album. Come clarity and come confidence of voice, reminiscent of Brandon Flowers at times, predominantly clean he leads this album in the way a frontman and vocalist should, bridging and building interesting and, at times, vulnerable verses into anthemic choruses. The dual/duel guitars are still there, just used more cerebrally, sparingly, but available to provide the bands’ trademark.

At first listen ‘In Plain View’ is an underwhelming opener, electronica seguing into a rolling riff, stripping down then pushing off, but repeated plays bring out its qualities, before ‘Everything’s Gone’ barrels in, the most aggressive track on the album, a combination of punches provided by chromatic chords leading to a Slipknot meets Marilyn Manson chugged verse and strong chorus, before the real tone of the album is opened up with a hat-trick of great dark pop metal songs (‘Paralysed’, ‘Through Oblivion’, ‘With Eyes Wide Open’), between them referencing Clayman, Killswitch Engage, Katatonia, The Killers and 30 Seconds To Mars (A Beautiful Lie / This Is War era) in a joyous gamut of aggressive modern rock music. ‘When The World Explodes’ spits out metalcore 101 before a left at the traffic lights swerve turns it into a gothic metal classic with vocals of opera singer Emilia Feldt.

Continuing strongly, the band hit a salvo of ‘Rusted Nail’ with its bouncing guitars, electronica, and build via traditional In Flames guitar harmony to an anthemic chorus and ‘Dead Eyes’, which starts slower before hitting a hands in the air refrain. ‘Monsters In The Ballroom’ unfurls into a beautiful, sprawled chorus of its own via some tighter, thrashier guitaring, while, last up, ‘Filtered Truth’ flips from a casual AC/DC riff to a metalcore rhythmic verse, into a strong chorus with the twin leads dancing in and out behind, before spiralling away to close the album.

With Reroute To Remain In Flames showed they would not spend their career rehashing their earlier albums. They left that to countless others. Instead they’ve refined and developed their approach to songwriting, working on creating a set of excellent dark pop metal songs to the point where they can add Siren Charms, and its collection of anthems, to The Jester Race, Clayman, Reroute To Remain and Come Clarity – each distinctive from the other yet all obviously “In Flames” – in the list of classics under their belt.

 

8.5/10

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STEVE TOVEY


Black Tongue – Born Hanged/The Falsifier (Redux)

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Slithering from the cesspits of Hull, U.K. the members of Black Tongue plied their trade in grindcore acts before attempting to meld the dense atmospherics of Meshuggah and a touch of post metal atmospherics to their brutal death-core template.

It’s a formula which makes for some moments of impressive technicality but finds itself held back by a lack of invention. The songs are overly reliant on the inevitable beat down sections which in spite of their immense heaviness feel lumpen and lack inspiration.
A combination of both of Black Tongue’s first two releases (although with little to determine one song from the next you could be forgiven for being ignorant of that fact). The vocals are another bone of contention, switching between hardcore barks and deep pig growls they can be irritating as hell. Coupled with predictable songwriting this is a big obstacle to overcome just to enjoy the handful of Chaosphere riffs which have been liberally sprinkled throughout his release.

 

It is an incredibly heavy release in terms of tonality and certainly drummer Aaron is certainly no slouch, pounding his kit like his life depended on it. Yet the beat down sections are dragged out to the point of exhaustion when the old philosophy of “less is more” would have greatly enhanced their impact. The rigid adherence to lurching mid tempos over which promising melodies are quickly stifled only makes for a more frustrating experience.
Guest vocalist Martyr Defiled’s Matt Jones fails to add anything new with his contribution to the droning ‘Coma’ other than more macho chest beating with nothing to truly disturb, engage or provoke the listener. All of this is a great shame when you consider the menacing atmospherics that permeates ‘Voices’ a track that hints at what could be achieved if the band can escape the narrow confines of their suffocating sub-genre.

 

Brutal and claustrophobic will be adjectives thrown at this release, yet it is the restrictive nature of their muse which holds Black Tongue back from becoming just another black sheep in the death-core herd.

 

3/10

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ROSS BAKER


King 810 – Memoirs Of A Murderer

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Maybe it is due to having seen “the next big thing” come and go several times over with very few of the chosen ones having the ability, longevity or musicality to either make it or deserve it, but us metallers past our mid-teens (Ok, some way past!) are extremely suspicious about any band with even a whiff of hype about them. Roadrunner’s latest push King 810 have a whole perfume empire of propaganda behind their debut full-length Memoirs Of A Murderer. It is evident that King 810 are well on their way to becoming an established and successful name in the world of mainstream metal, but whether they deserve to succeed where others are by-passed is a whole other issue.

From the outset it is clear that the quartet, who have put Flint, Michigan well and truly on the metal map, have progressed immeasurably since 2012’s leaden and monotone EP Midwest Monsters (Independent). They have not only found their niche, a distinctive one flecked with violence and diversity, but vocalist David Gunn has found his voice with his already infamous tales of life in the poverty-striken, violence and bloodshed blocks of his home town. He says he is holding up a mirror to reflect his environment, an unwelcoming town of violence and murder, and in ‘Write About Us’, an interesting percussive poetry piece, explains the people he grew up with asked him to tell their story on the album.

Whether the urban myths of King 810 are truth, fabrication or exaggeration (probably a mixture of all three), and the Roadrunner push is “justified” or not, the band will, as most bands do, stand or fall on its songs. Image, controversy or mystique will only get you so far, and for so long, but mix those three elements, calculated or otherwise, with good songs and the doors to success open wide.

For the uninitiated, King 810 create dark, bruising nu-metal, sitting somewhere between Korn and Slipknot with a touch of American Headcharge and Hollywood Undead, creating big songs, backed up by fat guitars and slum-levelling hate-anthem choruses. Gunn’s vocals sit part way between narration and gravelled shouts, while the guitars, heavy, remain simple but weighty, like human carcasses hanging on meathooks, fattened by the excellent sonic work of producer Josh Schroeder.

It only takes a few listens for the tales of knives, guns, urban survival and murder to earworm their way in, and you can already see in the minds’ eye whole festival fields slamming and hollering to ‘Killem All’, moshing to ‘Best Night Of My Life’; a belting tune with an uptempo Hardcore vibe that strains against the leash, or pit-stomping and posturing to ‘Fat Around The Heart’, while ‘Desperate Lovers’ is pure catchy, down-tuned modern neck metal.

This isn’t a perfect album. It’s not as innovative as Korn (Immortal/Epic), it doesn’t have the songs or blow-you-the-fuck-away wildness of Slipknot (Roadrunner), has a few too many tracks (two spoken word pieces, the non-song ‘Carve My Name’ and the stock ‘War Outside’) and the running order isn’t right, as ‘Devil Don’t Cry’ is the highlight and natural showstopper yet appears two-thirds of the way through. Nor is this Neanderthal groove-metalling, more a metal Wu Tang Clan (with tip of the hat to @M1kecollins for the description) and these tracks slit the throat and pour concrete down the neck of ‘Big Truck’. This is a modern release based around a winning formula while embracing diversity. ‘Eyes’ is a delicate electronic-led track that wouldn’t be out of place on Marilyn Manson’s underrated Holy Wood (Nothing/Interscope), while ‘Devil Don’t Cry’ and ‘State of Nature’ are bare, exposed tunes stark with piano and strings leading their Dark Country take, as if Nick Cave was crooning a Johnny Cash tune. Elsewhere, the mix of thick, simple riffs and bellowed choruses works exceptionally well. These are street-anthems, made to be yelled back, whose simplicity and hooks work into the brain. Memoirs Of A Murderer is an album of quality controversial, mainstream metal.

8/10

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STEVE TOVEY


Winterfylleth – The Divination of Antiquity

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While British Black Metal has never been regarded as the crème de la crème of the genre (despite inventing the bloody thing), the tide has turned in recent years with the likes of Anaal Nathrakh, The Axis of Perdition and Fen doing Albion proud. One band it has been impossible to ignore from these fair shores has been Manchester quartet Winterfylleth, whose odes to Blighty’s ancient past have struck a chord with those searching for a bit more meaning in their homegrown talent. After three albums of high quality “English Heritage Black Metal”, Winterfylleth are sitting pretty and new album The Divination of Antiquity (Candlelight) looks set to continue their ever-so glorious reign.

With a concept referencing the lessons we learn from history, The Divination of Antiquity shows a band looking back at past glories for inspiration, but also addressing old mistakes. While the influences remain obvious for those with a keen ear; early Borknagar, Ulver and Drudkh being key reference points, Winterfylleth’s sound is entirely their own, with the soaring riffs and epic melodies of Chris Naughton and Mark Wood flowing thick and fast, while the ceaseless battery of Simon Lucas behind the kit ensures proceedings are urgent and alive. While previous full-length The Threnody of Triumph (Candlelight) had a tendency to fall back on repetition and too-familiar song structures, the nine tracks on offer here each present something different and wholly engaging.

The title track kicks things off with a flurry of violent riffs and aggressive motifs with Naughton’s trademark howling vocals sounding utterly assured while ‘Whisper of the Elements’ wraps a variety of mournful melodies around a steamroller of a riff, employing the mix of aggression and calm that comes so naturally to the band. ‘Warrior Herd’ harks back to the blurry black metal of debut album The Ghost of Heritage (Profound Lore) while ‘A Careworn Heart’ sees the first appearance of the solemn acoustics and choral vocals that fans have come to love and expect before the mid-paced riffs that follow allow the band to branch out slightly and experiment with unfamiliar themes. We only get one instrumental this time with the gorgeous acoustic strains of ‘The World Ahead’ showing how folk should be done while the measured yet crushing guitars of closing track ‘Forsaken in Stone’ carry us off over the peaks to reveal the glory below.

With each band member contributing more and improving in skill with each release, Winterfylleth are a joy to behold. In a scene renowned for gimmicks and plagiarism, their brand of sweeping, epic black metal just keeps revealing more with each release, and while the concepts explored in their lyrics won’t have you running out to join UKIP, they may just make you think a bit about your heritage and your connection to the landscape. And while they may sing about the past, with songs as strong as these, the future of British Black Metal is safe in the hands of Winterfylleth.

8.5/10

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JAMES CONWAY


Trepaneringsritualen / Sutekh Hexen – One Hundred Year Storm

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I love repeating myself as much as the next narcissist, but even I’m starting to get tired of talking about the inherent contradictions in “metallic” Dark Ambient. The Universe doesn’t want me to stop, however, and have sent Trepaneringsritualen & Sutekh Hexen (T&SH – I’m not typing that again) to record a live album. The live album – sloppy, raw and drenched in shouts and cheers – seems the very essence of Metal’s Rock n’ Roll heritage, and the exact antithesis of such a delicate, deliberate style of music as Dark Ambient, but One Hundred Year Storm (Pesanta Urfolk) is a two-track, hour long live recording of Pagan/Ritual Ambient that’s easier to imagine coming from a studio.

The good news is that it works surprisingly well, T&SH building up an effect atmosphere through the use of static, guitar drones and distorted vocals. One reason for the success is that this is much more dynamic than a lot Dark Ambient – though atmosphere is still paramount, each track has a sense of moving forward towards a particular goal.  Things “happen”, to put it crudely, and the music avoids the aimlessness that their peers sometimes fall into. The sound is generally effective, though sometimes a little distant or fuzzy, and the different layers of sound are clearly audible.

As I’ve already mentioned, however, One Hundred Year Storm is a live album – and that means crowd noise. There is something genuinely disorientating about the cheers and clapping that sometimes breaks out during quieter moments. This is music that builds atmosphere and tension – having a bunch of “Wooh! Yeah!”’s intrude upon that is like watching someone doodle a smiley face on a piece of modern art, and can drag you rather awkwardly from the effect T&SH create.

One Hundred Year Storm is a genuinely effective, captivating piece of dynamic Ambient Noise, and possibly a good starting place for Metallers who want to explore this style but fear that it may bore them.

 

8.0/10

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RICHIE H-R


Black Crown Initiate – Wreckage of the Stars

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One of extreme metal’s most promising and hyped prospects, Reading Pennsylvania’s Black Crown Initiate, have finally unleashed their debut LP, The Wreckage of Stars (eOne). The hype here is real and well deserved following last year’s crushing self-released Song of the Crippled Bull EP, joining eOne’s mutant shark-tank of a metal roster and a guest spot on The Metal Alliance Tour.

So how does The Wreckage of Stars stack up to the debut EP?

It takes the chops and promise on display on the EP and gives it the CinemaScope treatment. Much like The Faceless’ Planetary Duality in 2008 the tracks build on their predecessors. The compositions are given a deeper low-end sound and are allowed to breathe and shift through various dynamics. Songs can go from sounding like its raining hammers on concrete to Devin Townsend or Opeth-like progressive melodies. My own slight knock with this approach is that on a song like the otherwise superb ‘Withering Waves’ they resort to the clean-sung chorus a few too many times. It sounds less dynamic and more formulaic.

Part of the fun for a death metal enthusiast like myself is with numbers like ‘To the Eye That Leads You’ and ‘The Malignant’ where it’s all about the groove and suffocating double bass drumming.

In conclusion, Black Crown Initiate serve as a reminder to death metal’s constant evolution and unwillingness to die. Everyday online I read the crying and moaning that death metal hasn’t been the same since the “good ole days” in Tampa Florida. And while Tampa in 1991 was an almost unreal musical environment, there’s still plenty of good today. We are fortunate enough to have young bands like Fallujah, Rivers of Nihil, Abiotic, Job For a Cowboy and now Black Crown Initiate who grew up listening to the Florida master class and are putting their own spin on the most extreme of genres. The future looks bright.

 

BCI band

9/10

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HANSEL LOPEZ