Betraying The Martyrs — Phantom
★☆☆☆ This is a weird djent-metalcore hybrid that never meshes well together, and never manages to be all that memorable. The pulse is there, but it’s faint. See the rest here
First Listens With One-Star Ratings
Nachtmystium — The World We Left Behind
★☆☆☆ This comes across more as a collection of concepts or outtakes from the Assassins or Addicts albums, than a wholehearted effort in its own right. Tired, uninspired, and chronically overlong. And don’t get me started on the muddier-than-usual production, even for Nachtmystium. See the rest here
Nightfell — The Living Ever Mourn
★☆☆☆ Amateurish doom sludge at best, and not very interesting to boot. I can tell that it’s lovingly made, for all its lo-fi pretentions, but beyond that it’s certainly not my cup of tea. See the rest here
Wolves in the Throne Room — Celestite
★☆☆☆ This album is very good for what it is… which is to say, not in the least bit metal. I think I heard a guitar somewhere around minute 22 of this Vangelis-of-the-damned soundscape. Otherwise, you’re left with the feeling like this is an interlude that somehow got loose and pushed out all the dirgy doom that was the mainstay of the band’s previous album. See the rest here
’68 — In Humor and Sadness
★☆☆☆ This sounds like the product of the more discordant parts of Refused, QOTSA, Glassjaw, and Fantômas… after being chewed up by a food processor. What’s so interesting about this album is how unconcerned it is with song structure or pacing. That’s also what makes it so trying. See the rest here
Septicflesh — Titan
★☆☆☆ “Grandiose” doesn’t quite cover what Septicflesh achieve on this symphonic metal album. Unfortunately, their pomp comes at the expensive of any kind of song cohesion or logic. Worse, the sudden changes within the song come frequently and unpredictably enough to make it difficult to allow yourself to get into any riff or mood with any real investment. See the rest here
Enthroned — Sovereigns
★☆☆☆ There are a couple of interesting ideas on here, but the relentless and tiresome wall-of-lo-fi production aesthetics that are so typical of black metal wind up getting in the way. See the rest here
Mastodon — Once More ‘Round The Sun
★☆☆☆ This album puts forth the difficult-to-dispute premise that Mastodon is slowly, steadily, smoking enough dope to transform themselves into Baroness. There’s some interesting musical direction on here, and the band’s performances are generally as good as they’ve ever been. But even on tracks like “High Road” and “Chimes At Midnight,” where you can still detect a glimmer of the swagger and bravado that really was the whole point of the band to begin with, everything feels like it was processed through a cheap King’s X or QOTSA filter. See the rest here
Vanna — Void
★☆☆☆ While this is pretty well-executed emocore, it’s still an aspirational Norma Jean replica at best, and something approaching Emmure at its worst. See the rest here
Body Count — Manslaughter
★☆☆☆ Ugh. Every time this album gives you something likable, it turns around and forces two lamenesses down your thought. For example, “Pray For Death” is a pretty sweet chunky thrasher, but then you get to “99 Problems BC” (and how did Jay-Z allow this to happen)? Much as I want to go along with the Body Count party, this is more delusion than delight. See the rest here
