Heading up to Club Academy, for the first time in a number of years and I had forgotten how cramped the stage was. The seating around the venue though is a welcome change from most of the other academy venues, it is the most intimate of them, although down in the bowels of the building the phone signal was non-existent.
Cave of Swimmers’ first album isn’t much longer than the two EPs they’ve previously released, just barely hitting thirty-two minutes long. However, Aurora (BroomTune Records) serves as a dramatic leap forward for the Miami duo. The songs are rooted in the same hyperactive Heavy Psych last seen with 2015’s Reflection but there is more time devoted to exploring their more in-your-face influences. The resulting hodgepodge of Stoner Rock, Prog, and Classic Metal ends up being somewhere between Hammers Of Misfortune and Galactic Cowboys with a bit of King Gizzard for flavor.
Ghost Cult is proud to bring you a stream of the a new song from Marco Minnemann, ‘Miami’. The track comes off of the just released solo album Celebration (Lazy Bones Recordings). Hear the song below:
Celebration is the follow up to 2014’s EEPS album (also from Lazybones), the first 1000 fans to buy a copy get an autographed CD, and other signed items are available as well.
Get Celebration now:
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Lazy Bones Recordings on Facebook
In recent years the tides of change have shored upon Miami death metaller’s Abiotic, from signing to stalwarts Metal Blade to the additions of vocalist Travis Bartosek and Brent Phillips on drums, the latter especially supposedly invigorating the band with a renewed sense of exploration. In comparison to their debut, Casuistry (Metal Blade) certainly seems a step up the ladder, if not a mammoth leap.
On the surface there is very little that differentiates Casuistry from the hordes of like minded technical death metal bands that seeming to be jumping out of the wood work; from the rather sanitized but precise production values, the tones and the sheer technicality. Even Bartosek’s contributions, despite being an improvement on vocals, still fit the mould of their peers too well to stand out.
Where this does hold its head up is in its songwriting, which despite not being spectacular does successfully blend the use of towering grooves with the complexity the genre brings to mind; doing so without either element being overbearing. The songs are actually memorable and not purely exercises in virtuosity and style over substance. On the more unpredictable elements, Phillips deserves a mention for display which enables the band to move through more jarring and sudden pace changes with ease; offering Abiotic a much improved performance.
There is still work to be done if Abiotic want to reach the top of the pile in the technical death arena, but Casuistry shows clear signs of moving forward and development. Not a game changer by any means, but a solid effort in an ever more crowded landscape.
7.0/10
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CHRIS TIPPELL