So, Cycle of Suffering (Nuclear Blast) is Sylosis‘ post-hiatus album? Considering how tight the musicianship is and the sense of urgency you could’ve told me that this was released six months after Dormant Heart, and I would’ve bought the lie hook, line, and sinker. For a band that just reformed last year and have worked their way through various personnel changes, this is some remarkable shit. Continue reading
When it comes to Metalcore there may be nothing new left under the sun. Some detractors would argue that there never was anything to the subgenre. And to those insufferable malcontents may I suggest a long holiday and taking a listen to Killswitch Engage’s Alive or Just Breathing (Roadrunner) or Coalesce’s Functioning on Impatience (Second Nature). There may be a dearth of new or novel sounds on Boundaries’ My Body In Bloom EP (Unbeaten Records), but boy does this Connecticut unit know how to make the most out of fundamentals. Continue reading
When your primary musical focus consists of playing in At The Gates, Skitsystem, or Martyrdöd, any and all accompanying projects are going to be subjected to some level of scrutiny. “Yeah, but it’s not Slaughter Of The Soul, is it?” you may hark, but Sweden’s Agrimonia have never been ones to rely on paying lip service to their associated Death Metal and Crust Punk outfits. Five years removed from their last record Rites Of Separation, Agrimonia have presented us with their most ambitious, thematic and musically realised record, Awaken (both Southern Lord). Continue reading