When a new review arrives in my inbox, I often listen to the music first before reading any release info from the band. I like to let the music do the talking before I check out any info from the PR agent. It wasn’t until I read the release info did I come to notice that The Amentia’s latest release Plague of Locus (Debemur Morti) contains a bunch of cover songs. Clearly, The Amentia were able to take a few tracks from bands that inspired them and to transform them into songs of their own.
There are a few artists in history whose identity is shrouded in secrecy – The Residents, Buckethead, the majority of Goat and Darkplace. In an age where social media is so prevalent and where privacy is seemingly such a dirty word, it’s refreshing that Darkplace has chosen to keep himself/herself(?) anonymous so as to let the music do the talking. Based in Sweden About the End of the World (Icons Creating Evil Art) marks the mysterious entity’s debut full-length.
Avenged Sevenfold are potentially one of the most divisive metal acts out of the US since Metallica. All you need to do is look at their previous two albums, 2013’s Hail To The King & 2016’s The Stage to see the extreme polar oppositions these albums created. The former for how the band wore their Metallica influence on their sleeve, creating their own version of The Black Album, and then the following 2016 release throwing all of their previous influences and sounds up in the air, bringing in outside sources from the likes of Pink Floyd, and creating a wholly new progressive rock/metal experience.
With the first release in eight years, Norway’s Dødheimsgard return armed with a reputation for the abstract and the almost absurd. Formerly a more pure Black Metal act, 1999’s seminal 666 International saw the band broaden their sonic palette to incorporate a widening range of styles within their sound, often incorporated in sudden ways as opposed to fluidly throughout, with 2015’s return, A Umbra Omega, receiving plaudits and adding to their cult following.
At this point some thirty years into their illustrious career, Enslaved have truly transcended into their own musical entity. Creating a genre in their own image with a highly unique sound that still stays true to their extreme metal roots, but also blends the darkness with the light of progressive rock, and providing two distinct and opposing vocal styles in a way that no other band does.
If you have ever wanted a hardcore punk band with wackiness that only Mike Patton can provide, then you owe yourself to check out Dead Cross and their new album, II (Ipecac Recordings). The result of this mix is absolute audible chaos that the world needs in this crazy day and age we all live in. Don’t worry metal friends, Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Testament) is in this stellar lineup as well so you no need to pull the “this isn’t metal” card for this album!
Check out our 5 Minute Review of the new album from Slipknot – “The End, So Far” – releasing on Roadrunner Records on September 30th, 2022.Continue reading
Nuclear Blast Records have been on somewhat of a roll recently, releasing big new albums from the likes of Machine Head, Soulfly, and Behemoth in recent weeks. But one of their lesser-known bands Irist certainly deserve some attention, and their new EP Gloria (Nuclear Blast) is the first new music they’ve released since their debut album Order Of The Mind arrived in 2020.
Escape Velocity (Nefarious Industries) is the debut album from Philidelphia, Pennsylvania-based instrumental duo Sarattma, and follows their debut Inner Spaces EP released in 2017. Featuring Mellowdeath and ex-Brian Jonestown Massacre drummer Sara Neidorf and Cleric guitarist Matt Hollenberg, their music is highly experimental with a distinct edge of tripped-out psychedelia, and is uniquely impressive! Continue reading
Atmospheric black metal project Tome of the Unreplenished have upped the ante on Earthbound (Avantgarde), the band’s forthcoming album. After laying the groundwork on a few initial releases, multi-instrumentalist Hermes brought in a full-band for 2017’s Theurgy – Act I. A departure from the more musically straightforward debut, 2015’s Innerstanding (both I, Voidhanger), the first “full-band” release, probably alienated some listeners. If you aren’t open to noise and industrial experimentation (think more Throbbing Gristle than Nine Inch Nails) you may want to leave that one alone. The latest release is far more in keeping musically with the debut record and it’s a satisfying forty-six minutes of riffing and atmospherics.