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This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
“We
Made What God Could Not” CS//DD track listing:
1). 活け造り
2). Old Shadows
3). In Shade, I Expire
4). Oceans of Rot
The
Review:
Doom metal in general is a tricky
subgenre to play in. It takes real talent and taste to keep it interesting,
especially when tracks reach the ten minute mark. Yarrow, with their second full length, have
proven themselves one of the better bands at it. The Bay Area band has an
excellent sense of how to make their songs flow, even when they feature the
same riff idea stretched out. They know how to layer parts on top and beneath
each other so that instead of stagnation we feel more like riders on a river at
the mercy of the water’s course.
We can call this death-doom though it
is a bit sludgier than most (death-sludge?). The tone overall is just utterly
bleak. In fact this is one of the most miserable sounding albums I’ve heard in
2020 so far. Everything sounds HUGE and the guitars just bleed filth. The
addition of keys and swirling noise in certain sections is especially
spectacular in adding to the atmosphere. There’s even an acoustic guitar that
breaks through over distorted doom, reminding me of Corrupted’slater material. Beyond that, all three members
take turns on vocal duties giving us multiple voices full of agony. Whereas
other bands hop along genre lines to keep interest, Yarrowmore or less stays within the same musical plane while doing
all they can to move the parts around.
Yes, Yarrowalso dives into more uptempo death metal sections as is
typical for death-doom but they do it much more tastefully than most. The songs
still make sense as they transition instead of sounding like they just
copy/pasted an OSDM riff into a slow song. Besides being suffocating, these
riffs are just killer and far from generic.
This is without a doubt a must listen
to fans of the slow and heavy, especially if they like a bit of misery. Yarrowcomes across as a mix of
traditional death-doom like Disembowelmentwith sludgier bands like Body Voidand Monarch. Tonally, I
don’t think this album could have sounded anymore perfect for what it wants to
achieve. It’s seriously perfect, mix and everything. It is a huge improvement
over their debut, which already made me a fan when I discovered them last year.
This might end up being one of my favorite heavy albums of the year, so far a
little known gem that deserves every bit of attention that it receives.
BostonMassachusetts based sludge troupe, Lesser Glow
return with their second release, “Nullity”. An equally destructive and emotionally
vulnerable epic of an album, Lesser Glow take the sludge genre to another
level with this one.
With an experimental sound that takes great
strides beyond the sludge metal genre, “Nullity” features a perfectly
crafted dichotomy that exists both in the realms of serene beauty and hellish
chaos simultaneously. Like an oasis
caught between the warring landscapes of heaven and hell, this is a space all its
own.
Bludgeoning riffs slog along in the doom
tradition, much as you may expect. Attentive listeners, however, will note the
intricacies involved. Without venturing
far from the route sound, Lesser Glow combine the punishing cacophony of
sludge with moments of blissful, almost religious atmosphere. This provides the
group with an air of severity. There is an almost primal need to perk up and
listen to what's going on here.
The immaculate hymnal passages are
interspersed with powerful grooves and spacious atmospheres, creating a space that
is both chaotic and serene, all at once.
The song writing here is emotionally rich, with the group being able to
layer different feelings deep into their sound. The listener is welcomed to
these feeling, they are not thrust upon them.
Rather the feeling is more of an invitation to be taken on the album's
musical journey.
Lesser Glow have crafted a sound that is very much their own
on “Nullity”,
cementing themselves as major contenders when it comes to the progressive
sludge scene. Uniquely tuned into the
same ether that they project, this is a group that has huge potential to bring
the genre into the deep space it has been reaching for since its inception.
01.
"Darker Thoughts"
02. "Fall From Grace"
03. "Ghosts"
04. "The Devil Embraced"
05. "Forsaken"
06. "Serenity"
07. "Ending Days"
08. "Hope Dies Young"
09. "Ravenghast"
The Review:
Death/Doom
is a genre that at times, can feel contrived; leaning too heavily towards
either side of its genre spectrum, sacrificing nuance that gives it an
identity. Amidst the mediocrity however, one band has constantly set the
standard for craftsmanship, and that band, is Paradise Lost. Often emulated,
but never duplicated, Paradise Lost has cemented themselves as one
of the most iconic bands of the extreme metal subgenre. Blending depressive and
melancholic themes, with crashing furry, every album is a roller coaster of
emotion, evoking chills without compromising the epicness of even their most
brutal peers.
Recognized
as one of the mythical Peaceville Three, Paradise Lost formed in 1988 before signing
with Peaceville
Records, alongside juggernauts My Dying Bride and Anathema. Credited with
inspiring bands from Amorphis, to HIM, and Cradle of Filth, their influence
reaches far past the confines of a singular music subgenre, and instead has
left its impact on anyone who has been fortunate enough to experience it.
Gothic and disparaging in their sensibilities, Paradise Lost are as influential
now as ever, and “Obsidian” expands their scope to a much wider audience.
Yes,
it’s still heavy, and yes, it still features the primal growl of front man Nick Holmes, but where in the past there might’ve been
moments of crunchy riffs, they have chosen to fill the space with sweeping
guitar solos, more clean singing, and heavy, pulse racing hooks, accented with
a ringing and mournful key track. As veterans of their craft, Paradise Lost are no longer discovering
themselves, but are instead working to expertly execute their art with focused
precision. It makes sense, as the band has had one of the most stable line-ups
in amidst long standing bands, featuring vocalist Nick Holmes, guitarists Greg
Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, and bassist Steve Edmondson, the band has only ever changed
drummers on a few occasions.
Stand out tracks “Darker Thoughts” and “Ending Days” showcase
the band’s Goth Metal tendencies. Opening with industrial style instrumentals
or acoustics respectively, the macabre spirit of their content is put on
display, painting a depressive vision with sound. There is such a diverse
approach to composition throughout the album, one could easily spend an entire
blog post waxing poetic over the sheer artistry, but that would be a disservice
to the sonic experience. This is an album that will easily find a place amongst
most year end list, and deservedly so.
Whether you are familiar with Paradise Lost or
not (how could you not be?), “Obsidian” is a metal release
worthy of the accolades it is sure to receive. It can be enjoyed by fans of
various genres of metal, and still be appreciated for its technical execution,
and heaviness. More importantly, this album is more Paradise Lost, and who wouldn’t want that!?
Expect people to talk about “Obsidian” for months to come,
as their influence spreads further, with a dark and beautiful opus.
1. The Dark Side Of Black
2. A Thousand Years
3. Dark Energy 256
4. The World Is Turning The Wrong
Way
5. Human
6. Together We Can Move The Sun
7. Solar Wind
8. Virus
9. Life Goes On
10. Fight Back
11. Silicon Messiah
12. The Day I Fell To Earth
13. Eagle Spirit
14. Calling You Home
15. Stare At The Sun
16. Man On The Edge
17. Futureal
18. The Clansman
The Review:
Blaze's live offering captures
him and his band, comprising members of Brit metal aces Absolva, at the end of a 59 date
(!) tour at the Melodka venue in Brno, Czech Republic at the tail end of
September 2019. Having seen Blaze around
a month earlier at The Underworld in London,
I knew what to expect from a live document of the show.
To
fully explore the Blaze live
experience, Nathan Harrison, a Blaze
Bayley fanatic, of British doomers The Human Condition and Maiden tribute
band Maiden's Shadow has been asked to weigh in on this weighty release.
The
release takes in a monster eighteen tracks and spans a good portion of Blaze's career.
RM: The overall sound is as
live as it gets (to borrow a phrase!). It's raw and most definitely not
overdubbed or tweaked in the studio. Similar to the “Live in France” release a while
back, this represents exactly what the band and Blaze sound like at a live gig- tight, fast and furious.
NH: As with any Blaze Bayley release (and as should be
expected) the man himself is the main focus here. Anybody who dismissed Blaze’s singing ability during the Maiden
days should give his recent solo releases a go as his voice and range have
improved beyond measure – the man is ostensibly a walking diaphragm, such is
his building-toppling vocal power. The band behind him certainly sounds tight
as always but they don’t quite pack the same punch they do when playing right
in front of you. A slightly beefier sound would have benefitted this release –
Chris Appleton’s guitar sound is quite trebly but the other instruments aren’t
given quite enough bass to compensate. That said, there are moments where the
overall sound simply soars – the more epic tracks were the focus of this tour
and it shows. “The World is Turning the
Wrong Way”, “Together We Can Move
theSun” and “Eagle Spirit”, the stunning closer to
the latest studio release, are particular highlights.
RM: In terms of song
selection, Blaze has a lot to choose
from: Wolfsbane,
two albums with Iron
Maiden and all of his solo full band records - now close to double
figures. Perhaps unsurprisingly, “Live in Czech” focuses on a
selection of tracks from the “Infinite Entanglement” trilogy- with
a bent towards the more epic feeling songs from those three albums. There is a
fair smattering of Maiden classics here as well- “Virus “(appropriate for these times,
sadly) rears its head as do more obvious choices such as “Futureal” and “Man on the
Edge”. There is also the title track and “Stare at the Sun” from the “Silicon Messiah” album. The set
hangs together well and Blaze sings
all songs with total conviction. I personally would like to have heard a track
or two from the superb “The Man Who Would Not Die” record,
but I am splitting hairs. The fact that there is only one guitarist is of
course noticeable on the Maiden material, but so what? Chris Appleton
is a phenomenal player and his virtuosity and energy shine through on every
track.
NH: As the “Infinite
Entanglement” trilogy was the focus of this tour, this leaves little
room for anything unusual or surprising in the rest of the setlist – not that
there’s anything wrong with the other songs showcased here! The vastly
underrated Blaze era of Iron Maiden
is represented brilliantly by the tracks chosen here and Blaze picks some of his most popular earlier solo songs to round
out the set. The problem is that Blaze’s
solo catalogue is so solid that there’s always going to be something missing!
Songs from the aforementioned “The Man Who Would Not Die” and its
incredible follow up, “Promise and Terror” have been
largely absent from Blaze Bayley
shows in the last few years so a return for some of these would have been
welcome. The songs that are here, though, are some the best – “Stare at the Sun” particularly will
always be an incredible song, especially when played live with such gusto by
all concerned.
RM: As anyone who has been
to a Blaze live show knows, Blaze talks to his audience. A lot. He
delivers his song intros in a slow and stilted style- making sure that members
of the audience who do not speak English as a first language (i.e. probably
almost everyone) understands what he is saying. In a live setting it's an
endearing trait. On a live album, it can be a little distracting as it makes
for some lengthy intros and breaks between songs. This is, however, offset by
the fact that this is a live record- representative of the show, not a live
“greatest hits” contract filler. To be fair, the introduction to “Silicon
Messiah” is genuinely interesting as it tells the tale of how the band
in its current form came to be.
NH: For a lot of his time as
a solo artist, Blaze’s general
approach to audience interaction has remained unchanged. While it can
occasionally be a bit repetitive, his sheer love and gratitude for his fans is
undeniably real and he makes it clear just how much he relies on them when he
now self-releases everything he puts out. Blaze
is also a man who has been through some very tough times - personally and
professionally – but has come out of the other side. This determination is
reflected in the encouragement and advice he often gives to his audience and
the sentiment he puts into many of his lyrics. During these rather trying,
scary and altogether depressing and difficult times for many, we could probably
all benefit from being a bit more Blaze Bayley
about it all!
RM: I think this edges out “Live
in France”-
the more epic material goes over really well live and as this was recorded long
after the “Infinite Entanglement” trilogy had been completed the set feels
really cohesive. The sound is also a notch above “Live in France”-
a little clearer, a little more punchy to my ears.
NH: Given its very specific
focus, this is a strange album to compare to previous Blaze live releases with a broader approach. Sound wise, it
certainly edges out “Live in France” but doesn’t quite
have the power of earlier releases “As Live As It Gets” and “The
Night That Would Not Die”. Blaze’s
performance, however, has only got better since these releases and, three
studio and two live releases in, the chemistry between him and Absolva
as his backing band is tangible.
In
conclusion, this is a real live album for fans who witnessed the tour, fans who
have the albums but couldn't make the shows or anyone interested in hearing
what a real professional metal band sounds like. Blaze Bayley is an international treasure of the metal scene and
one who deserves your support. He's out there; year after year, album after
album, tour after tour- relentlessly taking real heavy metal to the masses.
He's a totally independent artist these days, as he states at the start of “The Clansman”, and his passion and
commitment to the faith is unwavering. When the current dystopian world health
crisis is concluded, it's guaranteed that Blaze
will be coming to a venue near you and bringing his best. This live record is
definitive proof that you should go and see him and his band play- after all,
as recent events have proven, you never know when that option might be taken
away.
1. Shock And Awe
2. Into Oblivion
3. Despair
4. Incineration Of The Gods
5. Sanctification Denied
6. And Satan Wept
7. Emptiness
8. Final Declaration
09. Dancing In The Slaughterhouse
10. Stigma Of Divinity
11. Bones
The Review:
Polish
death/thrash kings return with this brutal and vicious 30 minute slab of metal.
With James Stewart firmly installed behind the kit, what do the band bring to
the table this time? A feast of death metal, that's what! Half an hour of
to-the-point extremity, hitting hard on every track.
It's
eleven tracks long and with “Shock and
Awe”, it starts with blast beats, frantic riffing and shredding leads. It
continues in exactly that vein. It's adrenaline inducing stuff and is even more
insistent than the excellent “The Empire” album from 2016. Track
after track, the record simply steamrollers the listener. It's catchy in places
as well- like all the best death metal. “Into
Oblivion” echoes Morbid Angel at their peak and that is a very
high compliment. It's expertly played, mixed and produced.
Its
head nodding and neck snapping at the same time. It's rare that a death metal
album inspires this kind of desire to break the speed limit/destroy something
with joyful abandon, but Vader have managed that here. “Despair” is a nasty little track at not
much over a minute in length, before Stewart fires up the tank and rolls over
skulls on “Incineration Of The Gods”.
Piotr Wiwczarek is as commanding as ever with Marek Pajak and Tomasz playing a
blinder throughout. I can't actually think of a more reliable and consistent
death metal band than Vader- possibly Cannibal Corpse? Certiainly not Deicide,
or Morbid
Angel or Entombed etc etc. I think of Vader
as the Motorhead
or Overkill
of death metal- consistently good, record after record.
As
the album progresses, it doesn't really change or dip at all. “And Satan Wept” is just as menacing as
anything in the first half of the album and so it goes from there. Each track
is concise and brutal, mixing death and thrash elements to perfection. It
doesn't rely on blast beats or pure speed so is not boring. It has songs, riffs
and excellent time changes- witness “Emptiness”
for proof.
The
last few tracks are just as cruching; “Final
Declaration” is a percussive tour de force, “Dancing In The Slaughterhouse” is weighty, “Stigma of Divinity” is blasting perfection and “Bones” finishes with a relatively
lengthy four minutes of serpentine riffage and heaviness. As Vader
albums go, this one is excellent. As death metal albums go, therefore, this is
exceptional. I can't find anything to fault here- this is death metal as it
should be. Not bland, boring or aimless. It cuts like a razor.
At the border
of several worlds, today’s SLUDGELORDdebutant’s Unburnt,playunconventional music, that has the perfect of balance of emotion and
brutality. Coming across like a cross-pollination or hybrid of sounds that
borrow richly from heavyweights like Neurosis, Unfold or The Ocean, their compositions feel
completely organic,the lyrics are poetic metaphors inspired by an
intimate experience and taken through the filter of esotericism.
You can now stream
Unburnt’snew album “Procession”
below.Order being taken HERE
As soon as the record begins the listener
is immediately assaulted with thick guitars and hammer blasts. Shortly after we
get deep bellows of a mad monster. It feels like being picked up by an enormous
creature and tossed around all while being yelled at. Maybe this is what it
feels like to be dragged into Hell.
Black Curse is yet another member of the ridiculously
brilliant death metal scene in Denver
(Blood
Incantation, Spectral Voice). Of the three bands Black Curse
is easily the most violent. While tempo shifts are aplenty and there are
dynamic shifts, they never really relent on just kicking your ass the entire
time. The difference is that sometimes it feels like a barade of fists and
other times more like being picked up and slammed.
It might be true that I just finished
watching Attack on Titan and that is undoubtedly influencing my thoughts on
this but the idea of death metal sounding like the sonic equal to being tossed
around like a tiny doll by giants should be intriguing enough. Beyond the
violence though, Black Curse knows how to write a riff that demands physical
action of anyone at a live show there to move and even those notorious arm
crossers will be undoubtedly making the stank face (you know the one). In
short, its death metal you can mosh to as the grooves push the adrenaline up in
a way that most bands can only dream of.
Tonally, it is solid at how it accomplishes
a thick atmosphere like a bursting fire and the smoke it emits. When the
guitars and bass sync up it’s an unstoppable force, especially as the drums
pound with an incredibly loud snare. They’ll come in waves, sometimes dropping
down to just a bass or guitar line just to be ravaging again in a few seconds
later. There are parts that could be called guitar solos but they end up
sounding more like bursts of noise, a fact that I appreciate. As good as the
riffs are though, it is the diversity in the vocal department that keeps songs
from becoming stale as they range from high rasps to deep gutturals and are a high point in the band’s
sound all around.
The only real flaw here is that the record
is so violent that its near 40 minutes time feels a bit exhausting to endure by
the end of it. It is sort of a natural thing for this kind of music, for me
anyways. It’s why few of my favorite grindcore albums are longer than half an
hour. That isn’t to say that Black Curse is grind at all, only that they
share a similar sense of sheer aggression.
Still, I really enjoy Black Curse as they currently
exist. The band being so punishing sets them apart from their more atmospheric,
methodic, and moody peers in Colorado
and they simply do it better than most aggressive death metal bands in general.
The genre in 2020 is mostly made up of expressive bands, in the mind and/or the
fretboards, and those who look back to the 90s (take your pick of Demilich,
Incantation,
or Entombed
worship). In the middle of this stands “Endless Wound” as an album that just
wants to punch you in the mouth.
Victoria BC export Resent
set out to form the nastiest, most disdain drenched sludge they could muster
when they formed in 2017; with the release of “Crosshairs”, their debut
LP, it is safe to say they have done just that.
Laden with disturbing voice over tracks, shrieking harmonics, and the grimiest
riffs this side of Meth Drinker, “Crosshairs” is a
disparaging and crushing 45 minutes of down and dirty sludge. Channeling their
influences from 90s sludge “classics” Grief, Noothgrush, and Corrupted, the genre is flayed
open and excoriated, like a festering wound, sinking into the darkest depths of
putridity. Each of the 6 tracks are over 5 mins long, droning the listener into
a stupor of aggravated despair.
If “Crosshairs”
is any indication of what Resent has to offer, expect to see them
leaving their mark on extreme metal. If you are out for something slow, heavy,
and unrelenting, this is sure to satisfy; its primal approach to song writing,
with its raw production plows over the soundwaves, and straight into your
skull.
Today’s SLUDGELORDdebutants Holdenare uncompromising in
their vision, be-holden to absolutely no-one, and with their debut album “Ursa
Minor”, they take the atmospheric
touch of ISIS,
pollinate it with the prog freneticism of “Blood Mountain”-era Mastodon, and finally mix
it in melting pot with the bludgeoning heaviness of Conanand High
on Fire. The result of which is an enthralling diamond of a listen and
you can get your first taste with the premiere of album in full below
Album Type: Full Length Date Released: 22/05/2020 Label: Loyal Blood Records
“Lizard Lounge” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1). Cemetary Slopestyle 2). Karma As A Tour Manager 3). Hairy Palm 4). Crop Circle Jerk 5). Smokes, Let G 6). Molten Pig 7). Nerve Salad 8). Be Kind, Have Fun And Try Not To Die 9). Hydroponic Youth 10). You Do The Meth
The Review:
Some albums just do better played at
maximum volume, and boy howdy is this one of those albums.Norwegian duo Barren Womb unleash a noisy
assault upon the world with “Lizard Lounge”, an album that mixes
noise rock with hardcore attitude and some good old fashioned rock and roll
good times.
Barren Womb make the most of their two man format with a
tight sound that fills in the space nicely.Bass junkies such as myself will be pleasantly surprised that the album
feels very complete, with an extremely rich and full texture that leaves very
little to be desired. Driving beats and well used guitar stylings are put
together perfectly to craft a rock solid sound.
On an album ripe with dessert rockers and
fuzzed out proto grunge romps, the funky ass guitar riffs rein supreme.Lending a wonderful lightness to the album,
these are riffs that are undeniably fun, and will keep you dancing for the
entirety of Lizard Lounge's thirty seven minute time span.
“Be
Kind, Have Fun, and Try Not to Die” is a shining example of a track that
maintains the band's harder edge nose rock sound while being undeniably hook
filled, with a gooey sing-along center.This song is a hit, through and through.
Barren Womb proves the theory that modern metal bands can be
fun and catchy without needing to throw away the filthy grit to get there. “Lizard's
Lounge” is an amazing take on the noise rock genre that is worthy of a
spot in even the pickiest of fan's collections.
