ALBUM REVIEW: Converge - "The Dusk In Us"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 03/10/2017

Label: Epitaph Records |

Deathwish Inc.

Today, with random acts of violence, anger and pessimism dotting our timelines, maybe Converge just now seems like a soundtrack to our contemporary apocalypse

“The Dusk In Us” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. A Single Tear

2. Eye of the Quarrel

3. Under Duress

4. Arkhipov Calm

5. I Can Tell You About Pain

6. The Dusk in Us

7. Wildlife

8. Murk & Marrow

9. Trigger

10. Broken by Light

11. Cannibals

12. Thousands of Miles Between Us

13. Reptilian

The Review:

Rarely does a timeworn saying like 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' seem more apropos as it does with a band such as Converge. It has been five years since we last heard from the storied Boston quartet, together now for just south of 30 years. Their old releases feel like they only get better with time, but there is nothing quite like a new Converge album, and experiencing how its sound evolves from its past outings.

Converge has long been hailed as a heavy music innovator, with an impressive track record. Among its accomplishments are "Halo in a Haystack," their iconic 1994 debut, and "Jane Doe," the band's 2001 breakthrough release. Converge's last record, "All We Love We Leave Behind" in 2012, received madly positive reviews. Never do words like "brutal" and "beautiful" get brought up so often in conversations about a group that encompasses metal, hardcore and punk as abrasively as Converge. Yet, those words are earned through intricate songwriting, disarmingly gorgeous arrangement and consistently pioneering approaches in an ecosystem that sometimes struggles to produce truly singular music in such a content-rich age. Epitaph's announcement of a new Converge album and the subsequent preview of the divine song "I Can Tell You About Pain" were greeted by much excitement. The clear question is what might the layoff have done for the quartet, which had previously only done two- and three-year breaks between recordings. A lot can be said for a stretch that long. "The Dusk In Us" creates that conversation even before the first listen.

Converge's greatest gift, and why it has been so universally hailed, is their ability to pour so much emotion into its vociferous musicianship. With "A Single Tear," the initial song, it feels like Massachusetts' favorite sons were never really gone, as they pick up seemingly where they left off, while managing to tread new ground. Led by Kurt Ballou's ruthless guitar, Converge's kickoff is far more sonically complex as it unfolds. It is fast and heavy, while tense and melancholy. The track, you soon learn, is about that shared experience of finding our own self-worth, and the orchestration at once creates a mood of confusion while opening up to hope. It's Converge at a brilliant clip, and seems like a promising beginning.

Vocalist Jacob Bannon has always done a masterful job of sharing such a well of anguish as well as an almost uncomfortable vulnerability. Remember his blighted words on a song like "Jane Doe" ("I want out/Out of every awkward day/Out of every tongue tied loss/I want out/Out of the burdening night sweats/Out of the rising seas of blood")? Bannon's return continues his fearlessly frank tradition in the opening, and in "Eye of the Quarrel," a dredging of old hurt and self-doubt ("I still have to wonder who let dysfunction in/The little lies, distorted truths/Smeared the perspective and made me love you/Queen of the garbage, prince of the weeds/My legacy won't inherit disease"). This cut in particular also proves to be a defining moment for bassist Nate Newton and Ben Koller behind the drums. They are a dominant force as a rhythm section within this song, and, later, in "Arkhipov Calm" and "Murk & Marrow."

What is fascinating as a feature in "The Dusk In Us" is how Converge's songwriting and Bannon's performance are further inspired by a world in constant conflict. Longtime fans know Converge has taken cues from a rotting world before, such as in "Sparrow's Fall" from "All the Love We Leave Behind." Today, with random acts of violence, anger and pessimism dotting our timelines, maybe Converge just now seems like a soundtrack to our contemporary apocalypse. In "Under Duress," Bannon sings, "I will never kneel and kiss your ring/The sickness spreads under duress/Compassion bends under duress/Wouldn't need a gun if you didn't have one/Don't need you to serve or protect." The title track exudes an atmosphere of resistance and defiance, cautioning, "there are monsters among us." In "Cannibals," Bannon's lyrics feel most hopeless, reminding us that, if opportunism and parasitism are left unchecked, "we will not survive." Yet Converge cleverly avoid naming names or getting too topical. Instead, the band speaks to a more universal, perhaps even timeless, story: that of good and evil, oppression and freedom, self-destruction and redemption. Those are themes that are long a staple in metal and heavy music, and Converge draw them out for some of their most compelling work yet.

In the book "Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth," old friends Sasha Lilley, David McNally, Eddie Yuen and James Davis investigate the popular culture and political trends that forecast a world to be reborn from the ashes of the old. The 2012 read is relevant today, and might shape some of your understanding of tales that are brought up in "The Dusk In Us." Smashing to reveal beauty comes up in fits and spurts here. By the time the album ends with "Reptilian," a standout cut for certain, Converge begin a journey that may be further explored during our growing days of rage. "We must lose sight of the shore to know what courage means," Bannon howls. "We must lose sight of who we are to know what we can be."

Whether the world must fail to succeed remains to be seen. What is not in doubt is how missed a legendary band has been, and just how important their return truly is.

"The Dusk In Us" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Cloakroom - "Time Well"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 18/08/2017

Label:  Relapse Records

The songwriting and arrangements are as distinctive and original as they come, especially for the subgenres Cloakroom claims. You will get treated to plenty that fits a stoner/sludge aesthetic that you are used to hearing. Yet, by the time you reach "The Sun Won't Let Us Go" midway through, chances are you will embrace where the band is heading with all this. But it is nevertheless magnificent.

"Time Well" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Gone But Not Entirely

2. Big World

3. Concrete Gallery

4. Seedless Star

5. Sickle Moon Blues

6. Hymnal

7. The Sun Won't Let Us Go

8. Time Well

9. 52Hz Whale

10. The Passenger

The Review:

Some of the best music defies description and can be defiant in a manner that can be both sublime and utterly enraging. You think you can put a band in a convenient mental category, as we are wont to do, until its members aptly demonstrate you just cannot do so. This fluidity is loved by many music fans. It can also make others completely panic.

Enter Cloakroom. This outfit presents fleeting instances of doom and stoner rock. However, it offers the strongest pop sensibility of any group on which you would otherwise bestow those categories. On its sophomore release, "Time Well," the Northwest Indiana-based band creates an impressive though hard to describe recording.

"Further Out," Cloakroom's debut, received accolades for its quality as a heavier side of indie rock package. It was moody and sorrowful at moments, reflective and tense elsewhere. Truly a promising first outing by most standards, and loved by many critics and fans. You almost have to think so many eyes generates more than a little pressure on this young band to follow through on an equally rich offering.

Fortunately, "Time Well" is an admirable progression from what we heard in "Further Out." "Gone But Not Entirely," the new disc's first track, treats you to a sound you will grow to love across all ten cuts – that kickoff indie swag that summons the Replacements among others making way for thick guitars and a plodding bass. It is real ride at first, because you might expect this is all going one way – and who can blame you, considering metal label Relapse put this out – until your ears get a delightful sonic curveball. But it is nevertheless magnificent.

Other tracks abide by this indie/heavy model, which is nevertheless a great experience. Catch "Concrete Gallery" and "Sickle Moon Blues" among the best of such songs. The songwriting and arrangements are distinctive and original as they come, especially for the subgenres Cloakroom claims. You will get treated to plenty that fits a stoner/sludge aesthetic that you are used to hearing. Yet, by the time you reach "The Sun Won't Let Us Go" midway through, chances are you will embrace where the band is heading with all this. Those mental categories we all seek will disappear for a bit in favor of such a superlative story arc.

Cloakroom succeeds as a one-of-a-kind sort of group. You have to admire its members' courage at stepping out of bounds, and for breaking the sophomore slump with a release you will not soon forget.

"Time Well" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Spotlights - "Seismic"

By: Victor Van Ommen

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 06/10/2017

Label: Ipecac Recordings

Be it the album’s title, the heft of the cascading guitar riffs, or the thick atmosphere the band creates, this is a serious release that’s here to make a statement.  “Seismic” is an album that’s easy to get lost in, which judging by the depth of sound, is exactly what Spotlights set out to do.

“Seismic” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Seismic

2. Learn to Breathe

3. The Size of the Planet

4. Ghost of a Glowing Forest

5. Under the Earth

6. A Southern Death

7. The Opening

8. What is This? Where Are We?

9. Hollow Bones

10. Hang Us All

11. The Hope of a Storm

The Review:

New York- based, husband and wife duo Spotlights wants nothing less than to be taken seriously on their Ipecac Recordings debut album, “Seismic.” Be it the album’s title, the heft of the cascading guitar riffs, or the thick atmosphere the band creates, this is a serious release that’s here to make a statement. Everything is mapped out; there are no false steps, no room for improvisation, just a hefty slab of post-metal-whatever rock music. And you know what, it’s damn good!

Musically, Spotlights has a few obvious influences – I’m looking at you Deftones and ISIS – but that shouldn’t be a surprise considering the label the band is on. Luckily, Spotlights uses these two bands as just that, influences, and prevents the band coming across as a watered down band confined to a particular time and genre.

It’s the layers that make Spotlights what they are. They hit loud and hard at face value and that’s great. The guitar riffs are crunchy and slow and the drums are in your face. Everything is turned up real loud, which is exactly how the album should be listened to. Once the volume is turned up and the listener sits back, that’s when Spotlights really starts to unfold.

Spotlights is able to put all the tools at their disposal to good use. Be it in the way the synthesizers accentuate the tenderness in the fat riffing or how the sound of strummed guitar strings deep in the mix help round things out, “Seismic” becomes a release that’s as tall as it is wide. The hour plus run time might be a touch on the long side of things, but when there’s so much mood and atmosphere, an album’s run time becomes insignificant pretty quickly.

Understanding “Seismic” means understanding the layers. The songs are there and the sound is big. Spotlights make their presence known with these elements. Then the accents are found; the synthesizers are well placed and the vocals provide just that bit of necessary breathing room. “Seismic” is an album that’s easy to get lost in, which judging by the depth of sound, is exactly what Spotlights set out to do.

“Seismic” is available here

Band info: Facebook || Bandcamp

REVIEW: Oak - “Your Mess As Much As Mine” (EP)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 28/01/2017

Label: Truthseeker Music

The band deliver a breathless mix of Converge at their most knotty, mixed with a distinctly European brand of screamo/chaotic hardcore that hits hard. These tracks are really brought to life by some frantic, complex drum work that channels the spirit of Ben Koller.  “Your Mess As Much As Mine” is a brief but brilliant release from Oak that shows the band are more than capable of holding their own against the heavyweights of the genre.

“Your Mess As Much As Mine” DD//LP track listing:

1). Broken Bodied

2). Garden

3). For Better or Worse

4). Elsewhere

5). Family and Friends

The Review:

Oak’s new EP “Your Mess As Much As Mine” may only be seventeen minutes long but it makes a strong impact over its short duration.

The Gothenburg trio come out of traps hard with the fierce opening trio of “Broken Bodied”, “Garden” and “For Better or Worse”. The band deliver a breathless mix of Converge at their most knotty, mixed with a distinctly European brand of screamo/chaotic hardcore that hits hard. These tracks are really brought to life by some frantic, complex drum work that channels the spirit of Ben Koller.

“Elsewhere” sees the band ease up on the gas while maintaining high levels of spite. It’s a slower track that sees Oak introduce elements of noise rock and culminates in a crushing doom riff that is eventually overpowered by a rising tide of raw noise. “Family and Friends” provides a fitting end to the EP, five minutes of intensity that brings together the different elements explored over the previous tracks for a raucous finale.

“Your Mess As Much As Mine” is a brief but brilliant release from Oak that shows the band are more than capable of holding their own against the heavyweights of the genre.

“Your Mess As Much As Mine” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Watertank - Destination Unknown (Album Review)

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: June 29^th 2015

Label: Candlelight Records

Destination Unknown - Track Listing:

1. Automatic Reset

2. Fever

3. Contrails

4. DCVR

5. Last/Lost Hope

6. Surrender

7. Doomed Drifters

8. Scheme

9. Destination Unknown

Review:

I made a joke with my review of Watertank’s last album released back in 2013. Stating that I hope we don't have to wait for another 10 years for Watertank to release their next album. As it took the band 10 years to release their acclaimed debut album. Well it's good to see that it's only taken Watertank 2 years to release their follow up album - Destination Unknown. A great sounding Stoner/Post-Hardcore/Noise Rock hybrid that takes influence from Torche, Floor and Helmet while showing they have a ton of riffs of their own to impress you with.

Opening track - Automatic Reset - is a pop-influenced Post-Hardcore/Stoner Rock blast of loud riffs and upbeat vocals to match. Though look behind poppier moments and you can detect some bleak lyrical content. Watertank's writing ability has improved dramatically since their last album as Automatic Reset has a beginning, middle and end. It's an intriguing song that instantly draws you into Watertank's world. Fans of Torche's Harmonicraft will find much to admire here. Though that doesn't mean the band plays it safe as they take risks through out the album and that makes the album such a thrilling experience.

Second track - Fever - sees Watertank embrace there Post-Hardcore roots with traces of noise adding extra grit and determination. It's a fast paced affair as Watertank even venture into Psychedelic sounds that you wouldn't expect. The lyrics and vocals have a natural flow to them as Watertank start to stamp their authority onto proceedings. Third track - Contrails - is one of the albums standout tracks as Watertank unleash some of the albums heaviest riffs with a delicious poppy stoner rock vibe. Shades of Torche and Floor may appear once again but it's still an excellent song to show you what Watertank can do. Merging heavy soundscapes with a more delicate post-rock style of sounds especially towards the end of the song where the song blissfully ends into the distance.

Fourth Track - DCVR - is another trippy Stoner/Post-Hardcore blast of infectious riffs and vocals to match. It's a very bass heavy affair with the bass guitar being the main instrument/weapon of choice to blast your hearing with. The second half of the album sees Watertank experiment with their sound by adding different noises and effects to give their sound a more rounded feel. Tracks such as Last/Lost Hope, Surrender and Doomed Drifters - should get the most jaded music fan humming along or even headbanging along to the action packed riffs as they come flying at you. Watertank have such a cool likeability factor that it's very hard not to be swept away by the albums almost positive outlook.

The album has a high amount of FUZZ on the 2nd half of the album. So if you dig things all loud and FUZZY then this album will be the one for you. Destination Unknown is a much better album than their debut album as it's a more thrilling and well rounded experience. Watertank have the potential to make a greater impression within the Stoner Rock/Metal community than their last album offered. Unknown Destination is a fantastic album that you should all check out. Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Magnus at Creative Eclipse PR for the promo. Unknown Destination will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl through Solar Flare Records on June 29th 2015.

Words by Steve Howe

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LANDS - Misanthropy - Album Review

Album Type:Album

Date Released: 23^rd May 2014

Label: Self Released

MISANTHROPY - track listing:

1.Without Hope or Encouragement 05:37

2.Eight Years Ago 04:35

3.Set Sail and Never Look Back 06:15

4.Envy 06:55

5.Hell is Other People 05:46

6.The Road Home 05:12

7.You've Lost Yourself 05:11

8.Mistrust and Disdain 06:51

Band Members

ALEX HOOTON (vocals)

PHIL BASHFORD (Guitar)

STEVE GUSH (Guitar)

STEW GUSH (Bass)

ADAM EVANS (Drums)

Review:

UK Post-Metal collective – LANDS – finally come of age with their brutal and intense debut album – Misanthropy. It's a pummelling 46 minute riffs that will leave you in an emotional state. As Lands combine Post-Hardcore, Sludge, Post-Rock, Ambient and Post-Metal volatile moments of brutality with sheer poetic moments of beauty that will shake you to the core.

This is a band who go straight for the kill as opening track – Without Hope or Encouragement – portrays a band disenchanted with modern day life and it shows with their heavy as hell onslaught of violently paced riffs that proves Lands have a lot to say.

You may hear musical influences diverse as Rosetta, Devil Sold His Soul, The Ocean and even MONO but Misanthropy stands on it's own merits showcasing a band with their own style which proves them as one of the finest Post-Metal bands in the UK along with recent Sludgelord faves - TELEPATHY.

Tracks such as Set Sail and Never Look Back, Envy and Hell Is Other People show a band that cares what the listener thinks as Lands ask some thought provoking questions. They may not give you the answer you're looking for but you can't deny how seriously powerful this album is.

The album has the right amount of loud as hell post-metal riffs and post-rock ambient beats for you to catch your breath but you know like any good Post-Metal band that sonic warfare is just around the corner. Lead Vocalist – Alex – ventures between clean melodic vocals and more angry as hell guttural screams when the time calls for it. He is one highly passionate vocalist who knows how to command an audience.

Misanthropy is a thunderous debut album from these highly respected post-metallers. It's expertly played and produced by all involved. It's loud as hell and it will give your speakers an intense audio workout. You have been warned.

An excellent debut album that you should all check out now. You won't be sorry. Misanthropy is available on BandCamp Buy Now Download.

Check The Band From Links Below

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Written by Steve Howe

N.Tesla - Lux Manifesto - Album Review

Album Type: Album

Date Released: Feb 20^th 2014

Label: Lost Memories Records

Lux Manifesto track listing:

1.Ør-vænn 02:15

2.North. Spring. Aurora 06:19

3.Lux Manifesto 06:49

4.Determination Of Giants 04:57

5.Characters Drawn In Taupe 04:27

6.Megalodon 02:17

7.Here Speak Only The Birds 05:57

Bio:

N.Tesla is a post-metal band from Oryol, RU with a specific atmosphere of universal callousness.

In 2008, the first (but not the final) line-up of this space circus had emerged in the town of Rostok, Germany. The project remained idle for a couple of years. Finally, in 2011 the fans of condensedmilk-like oozing music met each other in the town of Oryol, Russia to share it from heart to heart and fill the collective consciousness.

The Band Members

Dima - vox

Leo - guitar, management

Dima - guitar

Yura - drums

Nicky - samples

Review:

N.Tesla is an electrifying Post-Metal band. OK, sorry for the bad joke there. But joking aside N.Tesla is a Russian Post-Metal band who have just released their stunning debut album – Lux Manifesto, which blends elements of ambient vibes, post-hardcore and crushing sludge metal riffs for one pulsating ride.

This is not your most straight-forward Post-Metal album as N.Tesla don't play by the rules. They add a strangely hypnotic feel to their music. It's very different to the likes of Isis, The Ocean and Neurosis and that is a very good thing indeed. As the band develop their own sound over the album's 34 minute running time.

Tracks such as North, Spring, Aurora and Lux Manifesto – show you the full passion and creativity of this epic band as the have delivered some truly emotional and haunting post-metal riffs. Vocalist – Dima – shows his full vocal range from the very first second at this dude can sing. His shrieks are very powerful indeed which gives N.Tesla music a dangerous vibe.

N.Tesla add a wide range of electronic based samples which really adds to the atmosphere especially on Lux Manifesto with the band adding strange guitar noises and riffs in return. Yeah I think this is a great album indeed as it has the courage to be different compared to other Post-Metal albums.

Determination Of Giants is another standout track from the album as it has some lush progressive jazz like vibes lurking amongst the Post-Metal carnage. Something that wouldn’t be a miss from an Opeth album not a Post-Metal album. But it shows you what a talented bunch of musicians this band actually is.

All in all Lux Manifesto is an excellently produced album from start to finish. It shows another quality band coming from the Russian Sludge/Post-Metal scene. N.Tesla may put a few people off with their style of music but if you want something different and original within the Post-Metal scene than Lux Manifesto speaks loud volumes.

You can buy Lux Manifesto on BandCamp Buy Now Download.

Brilliant and Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Lost Memories Records and N.Tesla for sending me a promo to review.

Check The Band From Links Below

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Written by Steve Howe

Maidens - Eve of Absolution - Album Review

Maidens is a Post Hardcore/Sludge/Doom Metal from Milwaukee, WI, USA

The members are:

Brian R: Guitar
Nick W: Bass
Brian B: Drums (Chris B currently filling in!)
Shane L: Guitar

Earlier this year, Maidens laid down 30 minutes of hammering doom metal with Eve of Absolution. Throughout the album it begs the listener to slowly bang their head with each crushing riff. While layered and dynamic the record captures the band in a very natural way, maintaining the essence of their sound without obvious studio trickery.

The record eases you into the first track Beginnings: Rebirth, which quickly turns into a dark and battering song. Our Splendor, Our Antiquity follows with the most rhythmically dynamic song on the album, with cutting and jagged riffs. Things take a major-scale turn with Lands of the Blind, contrasting the down-tuned guitars with a happier melodic tone, a la Pelican.

With Discord: Storm on the Horizon the album takes another turn, with a droning, fuzzed out bass, atmospheric guitars and sparse drumming. The devastating bass and fun with delay pedals continues this instrumental stretch in the album's namesake, Eve of Absolution. The mix and recording quality of this album shines here as the instrumental tracks hit just as hard as the ones with vocals - a trick difficult to pull off without sounding over-compressed.

The vocals return on Upheaval: She Has Abandoned Us, a slow waltz of baritone sludge, typical of their Midwest indie-metal roots. The album concludes with The Calm, The Silence, another pounding and epic song filled with lament and dread. This is a sledgehammer of an record, and if you get the chance to see these guys live, you should. If not, this album truly captures the experience.

Written by Ben Bowman

A great album from an excellent band. You can download Eve of Absolution from BandCamp Buy Now Deal.

Check The Band From Links Below

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Last.fm
maidens.bigcartel.com
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Whelm - A Gaze Blank and Pitiless as The Sun - Review

Whelm is a Post-Hardcore/Doom/Sludge Metal band from Copenhagen, Denmark

The members are:

Atli Brix Kamban
Alex Falkesgaard
Casper Axilgård
Mikkel Putzek

Whelm is a strange beast indeed. A band blending Post-Hardcore, Sludge and Doom Metal with brutal as fuck Death Metal vocals. Their debut album - A Gaze Blank and Pitiless as The Sun - is a stunning hybrid of heavy atmospheric riffs with a dark and violent edge holding it all together.

The 55 minutes will terrify the hell out of you as Whelm don't hold back by laying down heavy as fuck brutal riffs. The vocals are demonic through out. It's an album of many moods as Whelm don't stick to one path as they blend everything at their disposal into something far more sinister.

Though they have added plenty of highly atmospheric moods for you to worship at. The album has the tone of a far more sinister Post-Metal band. I would say Whelm could be classed as Post-Black Metal as they excel in the darker realms of Sludge Metal.

The album contains 8 tracks with 4 of them running between 8 to 12 mins each. And it's on the epic tracks where Whelm truly come alive. They blend haunting atmospherics with ambient style riffs with brutal vocals providing with enough power to scare you in this dark winter season.

Check out brilliant tracks - From The Trenches Of Perception, Perpetual Blindness, Ghost In The Underground and Event Horizon.

A Gaze Blank and Pitiless as The Sun is gut-wrenching stuff from start to finish. Whelm have a magical dark presence that is very hard to describe but when you have a brilliant album such as this then you can find out all the answers for yourself. You may not like what you hear but it's damn near impossible to resist.

A truly magnificent experience that I urge you all to check out. This album is simply unmissable.

You can download this for free from BandCamp Buy Now Download. CD Release will be in 2014 through Aesthetic Death Records.

Check The Band From Links Below

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