✦✦✦✧ The band’s crazy time signature changes are a little more restrained (relatively speaking; the opening track is largely in 9/4), and their latent power metal side is more nuanced than ever. I’m also detecting stronger undertones of Porcupine Tree and Rush, alongside their signature prog stylings. If you’re already a Fates fan, you’re gonna dig this. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ This is some delightfully noisome aggression. Self-assured and epic in its scope, the album is like a moodier and darker Entombed. There’s a blackened/gothic rock vibe that brings a smile, if not a full-on fist pump. “Ode To The Flame” goes on a little longer than I’d like, though. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Straight-up convergecore. Raw energy, about as subtle as a money shot. If that’s what you’re in the mood for, it’ll do nicely. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Djenty emotechnocore. I don’t get what the fuss is all about. Evanescence is more interesting than this, honestly. (The title track is undeniably catchy, but I’m not entirely sure that’s in a good way.) See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ The mad men of Milan are back with this predictably unpredictable metal smorgasbord. There are too many flavors to list here (DEP, SOAD, IWABO, Racer X, Maximum The Hormone, etc and so forth), but rather than coming across as self-indulgent, these pulls are all employed for the benefit of your ears. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ Little known fact: back when I was getting my industrial passion project Hagman off the ground, one of my biggest inspirations was the little-known-of producer Klayton, courtesy of his Circle Of Dust moniker. In fact, to this day, every time someone mentioned Cradle Of Filth, I feel an inner twinge, wishing instead that they were talking about Circle Of Dust. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Nasty, sludgy, stoney doom! There’s a soggy industrial nihilism to this band’s sound, reminiscent of Unsane or Eyehategod. Good lawd is this music heavy. There’s a good 20 minute stretch that feels like one massive breakdown though which may test your stamina. See the rest here
✦✦✧✧ This album has a few standout moments of melodeath excellence, and the musicianship is expectedly topnotch. But there’s a pervasive and formulaic familiarity to a lot (possibly most) of the material here. See the rest here
✦✦✦✧ Imagine if Cynic had decided, ten years ago, to double down on their tech death leanings. Then imagine if they’d released an EP and gone into hiding for a while, quietly working on their craft in secret, before securing a gross vocalist and dropping a masterpiece on an unsuspecting metal landscape. See the rest here
✦✧✧✧ This latest from Ulver wears its improvisational heart on its sleeve, culled as it is from live jams. It’s good background music, very much in the mold of John Carpenter crossed with V.A.S.T. and Sunn O)))… but it doesn’t scratch a particularly metal itch. It’s more like a rainier Godspeed. See the rest here
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