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
As 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.
Released by Seasons Of Mist, The Tower is Vulture Industries’ third album. It’s also the third round of press that will compare them to Arcturus, which is both fair and unfair concurrently. See, vocalist Bjornar Nilsen sounds like Trickster G/Garm/Kristopher Rygg. A lot. So much so, I actually Googled just to check it wasn’t another alter-ego. It isn’t. We can move on now. Elephant discussed.
Avant-garde/experimental metal outfit Fjoergyn is arguably one of Germany’s best kept metal secrets Frontman Stephan L clears the shroud of mystery to Ghost Cult in an attempt at making the band seem not quite such an enigma and to reveal the details of latest album Monument Ende.
San Francisco has always been the home of free-spirired musicians. The Summer Of Love started here amd the city played a crucial role in the development of thrash metal. The local scene is still thriving there with bands like Neurosis, Giant Squid, Black Cobra and Deafheaven being the pulse of everything experimental and cutting edge. Another great outfit is Grayceon who just released a brand new EP, entitled Pearl And The End Of Days. Raymond Westland had a very friendly chat with vocalist/cellist Jackie Perez Gratz. She talked candidly about the new EP, how becoming a mother has changed her outlook on life, and her music career and many other things.