ALBUM REVIEW: Manic Abraxas – Skinformation


Exploding out of some cyberpunk world, Bangor, Maine Hard Rock three-piece Manic Abraxas have got their engines firing at full throttle, and on fourth album, Skinformation (Self-released), a petrol-fueled cloud of dirty Rock n’ Roll and skuzzy, mind-warped Metal sees the trio blasting a hole through the fabric of this universe into dimensions unknown.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Botanist – Paleobotany


Green Metal like Black Metal … hammered dulcimers instead of guitars … gruff, growling vocals as well as clean singing, plus choral voices and symphonic passages. Yes, Botanist are “plant based”. Yes, Paleobotany (Prophecy Productions) is heavy and proggy. And yes, it’s very different, in a good way. Continue reading


New Music Friday Rock and Metal New Album Releases 7-21-23


Check out our preview of the new metal and rock releases coming out this week for New Music Friday 7-21-23!

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ALBUM REVIEW: Liturgy – 93696


 

When it comes to describing 93696 (Thrill Jockey), the latest album by Liturgy, one could just as well start by describing what this album is not. It is not a record to easily put on in the background and definitely not a go-to if you want to reduce your anxiety. Pretty much the opposite is true. This is a record screaming in your ears for attention, that induces anxiety all along the way. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Bekor Qilish – Throes Of Death From The Dreamed Nihilism


 

As though transmitted from a parallel dimension, Throes Of Death From The Dreamed Nihilism (I, Voidhanger Records) – the debut record by Bekor Qilish is a strange and magnificent avant-garde metal beast. The brainchild of Italian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Andrea Bruzzone, Bekor Qilish is a solo project, aided by a smattering of key collaborators — who add colour to Bruzzone’s already mesmeric creation. Whether the term “extreme” or “avant-garde” fits better, Throes Of Death From The Dreamed Nihilism is a whirlwind of creativity and impressive technicality. 

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CONCERT REVIEW: Today Is The Day – The Obsessed – Somnuri – Prostitution: Live at Market Hotel


There are few lineups that conjure up the magic of underground metal like the twin pairing of Today Is The Day and The Obsessed. Both groups have had an outsized influence on the underground and it’s hard not to be enamored with what they have done for this scene. With their charismatic frontmen, Steve Austin and Wino respectively, this lineup came together as a sort of minor miracle, celebrating the magic of the new Today is the Day record at a release show that reminded those of us in attendance exactly why these guys are viewed as the true masters of noise metal. Riffs and heavy vibes abounded on the Brooklyn faithful, and after a heady warmup set from Prostitution and then punishing riffage from Somnuri, we were ready for the main events! Continue reading


Vreid- Lifehunger


Anyone who thinks that Black Metal is a conservative and formulaic sound need only look at (amongst the plethora of progressive and avant-garde entities) Norwegian’s Vreid and how have incorporated outside and wider aspects into their black metal fabric. Whilst that more typical black metal sound is firmly at the band’s core, their willingness to bring in the sounds of Hard Rock and sixties and seventies influence has afforded them the “Black n’ Roll” moniker and thus helps them stand out in some capacity to many of their peers. Following on in this trend, eighth album, and first on Season Of Mist, Lifehunger is not only one of their strongest to date, but possibly the easiest of their catalogue to break into.Continue reading


Stellar Master Elite – III: Eternalism – The Psychospherical Chapter


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Okay, what’s the deal with bands who name themselves after song titles? Being honest about your influences is one thing, of course, but naming yourself after an album- or song-title – especially when it’s from an acknowledged classic of your genre – seems like one step up from being a tribute band and only playing covers.

Stellar Master Elite, you won’t be surprised to learn, are rather fond of Thorns, and the music on III: Eternalism – The Psychospherical Chapter (Essential Purification) takes its main cues from their eponymous classic debut. Shimmering, riff-heavy Black(ish) Metal drenched in spacey synths and effect-laden vocals, it also borrows openly from 666 International (Moonfog) and Grand Declaration Of War (Season of Mist/Necropolis), firmly embracing that late-90’s vision of the future that’s starting to sound like an artefact of a specific place and time.  Not that this is pure nostalgia – they’ve also picked up a beefy modern sound that lends a weight and power that few of its predecessors had.

There’s a lot to like about Eternalism – some genuinely effective riffs, a good sense of atmosphere and a strong vocal performance in particular can validate time invested in it – but just as many things against it. It’s very late 90s approach to experimentalism sounds almost twee compared to (slightly) more recent BM deviants like Blut Aus Nord or DSO. The slow pace and reliance on spooky noises can sap some of the energy from the music and create moments of boredom. Most of all, though, they suffer in comparison to the band they’ve taken their name from – while their sound is superficially very similar to that of Thorns, they lack the feeling of sheer, unbridled creativity and otherness that made that album such a punch in the face at the time.

Competent, often engaging but, ultimately, too content to simply re-tread someone else’s former glories, Eternalism is an album that just doesn’t have enough of its own character to justify its existence in a world where “weird” and “experimental” are often more common than generic.

 

6.5/10

 

RICHIE HR


Ihsahn – Das Seelenbrechen


Ihsahn - Das SeelenbrechenAs a man of many talents, Vegard “Ihsahn” Tveitan has long drawn inspiration from many genres of music which has ensured the works of both seminal Black Metallers Emperor, Folk project Hardingrock, the classically inclined Peccatum and his sprawling progressive solo work have all remained at the forefront of innovation.Continue reading