mjolnir
Staff
Your observations of my nonsense fail to excuse your bad sense
Posts: 319
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Post by mjolnir on Apr 1, 2022 10:08:09 GMT -5
40 Watt Sun-Perfect Light Probably the weakest thing Patrick Walker has made, but still really good if you're into singer/songwriter acoustic stuff
Satan-World Infernal So this is the best reunion album of theirs since Atom by Atom, certainly a step up from Cruel Magic.
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Post by reigninbloodygore on Apr 2, 2022 0:35:37 GMT -5
Satan- Earth Eternal I’m kind of a huge fan of this band, so this was a big deal release for me. I’m only halfway through my first listen but so far I think it’s very strong. Vocals sound just as strong as before, which was something I was worried about based on one of his previous efforts in which he sounded a little tired to my ears.
Meshuggah- Immutable Confession: I never liked this band. I’m listening to this new album partly because I simply respect the musicianship, but I think there just isn’t much here for me, just as with all their other releases. I hate when bands just chug on the same pitch in rhythmic grooves. It’s boring. The most fun thing here is paying attention to the drummer. He’s fantastic. Technically, the whole band are excellent, but it’s not my thing. One cool thing I’d share though: this band is successful in producing art that can result in multiple outcomes of perception to an audience, most notably with their take on setting up grooves that change frequently. The starting groove on the first album is a great example. It’s a groove that can be perceived as a swung beat, or a more downbeat-forward groove, and you may even find yourself questioning your original belief in how to interpret that groove as time goes. It’s like an audio illusion or something. That’s super clever and unique. And as a conductor of orchestras, I find myself using material like this to practicing conducting my steady beat to see if this band’s asymmetrical grooves can throw me off. Good training album for me.
Chaos Invocation- Devil, Stone & Man This year has been quite a black metal exploration period for me, and I’m loving it. This album didn’t quite grab me so much on the first listen, but admittedly I like many elements about it, such as the great production that isn’t too over the top but provides clarity (benefits this band’s take on black metal well), great melodies thrown in here and there, and guitar solos! I think black metal needs more solos sometimes, so this helps. I’ll be diving into it again soon for checking if it grows on me more.
And of course, I’m still listening to the new Wedrujacy Wiatr album I’ve been working on a review for...it’s so damn hard to write about this album. And yet I feel I must complete it because it’s a really great record. Gotta push through and finish that this weekend.
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Post by reigninbloodygore on Apr 10, 2022 22:24:26 GMT -5
Véhémence- Ordalies Wow...this is quite the find for me! An epic, medieval Black Metal album by a French band (I have been listening to a lot of French Black Metal lately, it was inevitable I'd stumble upon these guys, I suppose) which currently have their previous album on our site reviewed by sargon. With this being my first taste of the band, I wouldn't mind hearing his opinion of this one, if he's heard it yet. I'm really enjoying the melodies, mix of acoustic passages and unique instrumentations, variation in the vocal approach, and the incredible drum performance here. Epic song structures as well. I really also appreciate that this is a variation on Black Metal that gets away from the just blatantly evil approach, but still manages to sound evil, as opposed to a lot of atmospheric black metal that is getting very positive and not so dangerous these days. haha
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Post by reigninbloodygore on Apr 15, 2022 0:19:05 GMT -5
Ilhalung- Falskhetens Dualitet Here’s a really cool melodic black metal album released in February that doesn’t do any of the things I tend to hate about melodic black metal! Namely, I hate when melodic black metal has no bite above all things. This is a very diverse listen which contains plenty of energy and is mixed very well without sounding too clean but far from raw at the same time. The drumming is really great, and I love the vocalist here. Managed to accidentally join the premiere of the first stream on YouTube through Black Metal Promotion, something I’ve never managed to catch on YouTube before. Needless to say, I proceeded to subscribe to their channel after this. Go check out this album! A great listen.
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Post by paparay on Apr 23, 2022 12:06:51 GMT -5
Undeath - It's Time...to Rise from the Grave Stray Gods - Storm the Walls Evil Invaders - Shattering Reflection Knight & Gallow - For Honor and Bloodshed Medieval Steel - Gods of Steel
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Post by reigninbloodygore on Apr 23, 2022 19:05:14 GMT -5
Undeath - It's Time...to Rise from the GraveStray Gods - Storm the WallsEvil Invaders - Shattering ReflectionKnight & Gallow - For Honor and BloodshedMedieval Steel - Gods of SteelNice playlist. I am also listening to the new Undeath record a lot right now. The commentary out there was right. It reeks of Cannibal Corpse influence this time around. And I like it. A couple of tracks hold a strong Suffocation influence, and a pinch of Carcass exists on there as well. But I do feel the constant Cannibal Corpse feeling might actually be a turnoff for some people who were looking forward to Undeath’s new album. Not for me though.
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Post by paparay on Apr 23, 2022 23:16:59 GMT -5
Undeath - It's Time...to Rise from the GraveStray Gods - Storm the WallsEvil Invaders - Shattering ReflectionKnight & Gallow - For Honor and BloodshedMedieval Steel - Gods of SteelNice playlist. I am also listening to the new Undeath record a lot right now. The commentary out there was right. It reeks of Cannibal Corpse influence this time around. And I like it. A couple of tracks hold a strong Suffocation influence, and a pinch of Carcass exists on there as well. But I do feel the constant Cannibal Corpse feeling might actually be a turnoff for some people who were looking forward to Undeath’s new album. Not for me though. I like it a lot, but then again I love Cannibal Corpse. To me a lot of the time it sounds like something that could've been released between Tomb of the Mutilated and The Bleeding when Cannibal started transitioning to "catchier" songwriting and more intelligible vocals from Barnes. And the nod to "Five Nails Through the Neck" in "Head Splattered in Seven Ways" is awesome.
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Post by reigninbloodygore on Apr 28, 2022 2:03:21 GMT -5
My listening time has decreased a lot due to the increased number of time-sensitive components lately. But I've managed to check out a few new releases:
Fer De Lance- The Hyperborean I'm on the last track of this one at this moment on my first play through. It's epic heavy/doom metal, and I haven't made up my mind how much I like it but it's definitely not a typical record of the type. At times I even felt they were doing a little black metal stuff in it, which was bizarre and only in the instrumentation work on a track or two. Cruz del Sur records, so you know it can't be total shit. I bet my second play through will yield better results, but definitely I liked it a lot more by the time I reached the second half.
Te Ruki- Marako Te Ruki French Polynesian Black Metal band. Okay, it's already sounding cool, right? The intro track has this really cool tribal feel, and it really sets you up for expecting it to be this truly unique black metal listening experience. Well? In small pockets it is, but at the same time it's kinda just another Black Metal record that doesn't do much to stand out and occasionally sounds a bit flirty with melodic death metal and even channels Amon Amarth a tiny bit. Not too interesting in the end, which was a shame because the two instrumental tracks really had me excited, which is rare to say about any album.
Skulmagot- Skulled to Death (2018) Okay, not a new release this one. A Finnish death metal band definitely channeling The Bleeding-era Cannibal Corpse. Accidental discovery while checking out the new Undeath album. I should probably write a review on this one. It's a cool death metal album, and I love finding good stuff from Finland.
Vanum- Legend The title track is super. I can't decide if this is really good or just average, but it's mostly a Black Metal album somewhat in the vein of Ash Borer, which isn't too surprising given a member is from Ash Borer as well. Actually, this band interests me a lot for some reason, but I'm still uncertain on my feelings for this record. It's like they mixed it wrong. For the style of Black Metal they're going for, it just doesn't feel clean enough? I like Black Metal to be dirty and stuff, but this variety doesn't really seem like it should be so flat, especially with the epic flare that it has at times, so it's a confusing record for me.
The Troops of Doom- Antichrist Reborn I cannot understand why this did not really impress me on the first play through, especially because on the second play through, this record is badass! They've never disappointed yet, and this is just awesome. Easily one of the best thrash records of the year so far. Maybe the best one!
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Post by reigninbloodygore on May 9, 2022 23:55:56 GMT -5
Lately I don't have a lot of listening time and I catch wind of something new I didn't know and listen to that and abandon my review queue items, so I'm all over the place, but some quick thoughts on more stuff:
Slimelord- Insurmountable Peril (single) If this band keeps it up and launches a full-length this year, I wouldn't be surprised to place them in my top albums list because only see this band getting better. That new Undeath album was brilliant, some of the best death metal I've heard this year, but Slimelord does death metal in a more interesting way. Yes, it's more cavernous and mixes that aggressive stuff more with moments of doomy stuff, which isn't all that new anymore, but Slimelord's delivery is just so good, and they have great songwriting. Hoping this single leads to more content soon!
Mirror- The Day Bastard Leaders Die Had no idea this came out and then I saw the review on our site and got into it immediately. I don't have super strong feelings yet, although I thought the last track was quite awesome. There were some genuine Iron Maiden-like vibes throughout the record. A bit on the lighter side of Heavy Metal sound. Been following this band on and off for a while.
Devil Master- Ecstasies of Never Ending Night I generally just love Relapse Records even though not everything on their label is gold. For some reason I always tried to keep up with their stuff, and they've got some good ones out lately. Is Devil Master good? I don't know. It's complicated. it's Black Metal fused with punk music. It's kinda not my thing. But it's also done quite well, albeit there really isn't much interesting happening in most of the songs. I guess in that way it's very punk. Definitely an album worth checking out if black metal fused with punk sounds interesting, but I wouldn't suggest having high expectations for it.
Ty Morn- Last Villain Testament Another one I didn't know released until I saw the review up on our site! Gotta say, the previous album by Ty Morn was one of my favorite things I had discovered a year too late. The melodies, the guitar work, it was all so damn good! This one however, this one is either a grower of an album or it's just not as satisfying as the previous effort. I'm not quite sure yet, but I found the songwriting a bit weird on this release. It won't stop me from revisiting, but it wasn't the vibes I expected or hoped for.
Up next: Got a ton of black metal albums to go through, mostly thanks to Black Metal Promotion on Youtube. That channel has helped me immensely to find some great sounding underground Black Metal, which is important for me because I find much of it is very forgettable to the point that I don't seek it out. But now I find stuff more easily through that channel. So up next are the new albums by Meyhnach (super hyped on this one already!), Tableau Mort, and Vital Spirit (another one I'm really excited about).
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Post by reigninbloodygore on May 15, 2022 8:34:42 GMT -5
I did not like the new Meyhnach much...super bummed. Tableau Mort was better, but not as good as my preview had led me to believe. Vital Spirit though...now THAT is a great Black Metal album! I'm still running low on listening time, but I got into a new record or two these last two days:
Aara- Triade II: Hemera I am trying to remember where I got the heads up to check out this new Black Metal release, but yes, this one is solid! The vocals are high and wispy, the guitars played with fierceness and yet a sense of passion. There are some really catchy melodies on this thing, especially track three, "Sonne der Nacht." Definitely worth checking out!
Demonical- Mass Destroyer I used to be really into this band, basically because they are a good death metal band doing the HM2 pedal sound and I used to chase bands with that sound. Now I've exhausted my interest in that guitar tone and this no longer has the same charm that it once did for me. This band still pumps out good stuff, but once you've gone the distance seeking out bands who wanted to copy early Entombed, well, it just doesn't really hit the spot anymore.
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mjolnir
Staff
Your observations of my nonsense fail to excuse your bad sense
Posts: 319
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Post by mjolnir on May 19, 2022 8:27:00 GMT -5
Tableu Mort-Visio in Somniis A refinement of their last album, so basically Deathspell Omega with more synths and choirs. Pretty cool.
Destruction-The Least Successful Human Cannonball This has an abysmal reputation, but I'll admit, I think it's a bit unwarranted? It's definitely drastically dumbed down compared to their classics, but they still have some pretty solid riffs on here, and the aggro 90s sound actually comes across as a little aggressive, at least when compared to the competition. I don't know if I'd call it good, but as far as classic thrash bands plunging into the anus of groove goes, I've heard plenty worse.
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Post by reigninbloodygore on May 19, 2022 22:58:45 GMT -5
Destruction- The Least Successful Human CannonballThis has an abysmal reputation, but I'll admit, I think it's a bit unwarranted? It's definitely drastically dumbed down compared to their classics, but they still have some pretty solid riffs on here, and the aggro 90s sound actually comes across as a little aggressive, at least when compared to the competition. I don't know if I'd call it good, but as far as classic thrash bands plunging into the anus of groove goes, I've heard plenty worse. I can agree with that commentary of the Destruction album a bit. I haven't really liked any of their latest stuff enough to go back and listen more than two or three times. They're likely to always be one of the bands with which I only revisit the old classic albums. There are certainly good riffs, and these guys have got the chops to still do it all. However, one thing about their recent output is I hate the production. And just too many forgettable riffs and songs.
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mjolnir
Staff
Your observations of my nonsense fail to excuse your bad sense
Posts: 319
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Post by mjolnir on May 21, 2022 18:55:47 GMT -5
Septicflesh-Modern Primitive Man, Septicflesh haven't sounded this good since Communion. Hell, this is probably overall more consistent, if not boasting the same kind of highs, and it's certainly the first album in a while where the songs actually feel like songs.
Suicide-Suicide Odd little album that I can only call synth punk, and apparently it was highly influential to several punk scenes. Not normally something I listen to, but there's some quality material on here despite the simplicity. Most bands can only dream of making something as genuinely frightening as "Frankie Teardrop", I'll say that.
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Post by metalcrypt on May 22, 2022 11:24:41 GMT -5
Septicflesh- Modern PrimitiveMan, Septicflesh haven't sounded this good since Communion. Hell, this is probably overall more consistent, if not boasting the same kind of highs, and it's certainly the first album in a while where the songs actually feel like songs. I've given this one quite a few spins (not sure yet how we spin mp3s, but let's go with that) these past few weeks, really good stuff. It's on the to-do list for reviews.
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Post by reigninbloodygore on May 22, 2022 23:09:03 GMT -5
Assumption- Hadean Tides Death/Doom. It's got something good, but it bores me. Next.
Ash of Ashes- Traces Pagan Black Metal band with lots of clean vocals as well. Musicianship is very strong on this one. Total value? I'm still evaluating, as I have only heard it one time through. But a very good first listen.
Bog Body- Bog Body Hahaha, I really want to review this one for shits and giggles. This is the most lo-fi Death Metal album I've heard in a long while. It's humorously lo-fi to a point of being actually disturbing. It sounds like music made by actual psychos in some bizarre and twisted way. Creepy, and I don't like to sling that word around too much. Strange album that I don't think I like, but I definitely think it will generate a lot of buzz.
Satan- Court in the Act (1983) Did I mention I love this band? Yes? Haha, man, this debut album is just nearly perfection in my eyes. Singer Brian Ross actually doesn't sound too different now on this year's release, despite how many decades its been. This band has aged like fine wine. What a tremendous album!
Satan- Suspended Sentence (1987) While still a good album, this one got a little more harsh criticism compared to the debut. I personally enjoyed Michael Jackson's (UK) vocals here a lot, as he has a unique raspiness and intensity, and genuinely sounds different. But the songs do actually sound a bit different in their construction when compared to other albums of Satan, and in a more simplistic way at times. It almost feels more attitude-charged, and definitely gets into a more thrash energy at times. Also a great album. Best when you listen to it with the bonus tracks that include the demo stuff with Jackson's work.
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