Well, I have good news and bad news.
The good news is that my exams are done! Which means I'll have more time to do this retrospective.
The bad news is that it's almost March and I'm not done.
In Solitude – Sister
Genre:
Heavy Metal
With
all of the various differentiations and subgenres that make an
outsider's head spin, metal has, for lack of a better word, exploded.
There are now so many different ways of categorizing this genre of
music that it's become an in-joke amongst its fans to append as many
adjectives as possible to the word 'metal'. But even as we snarl over
whether or not Agalloch are black, folk, or blackened folk metal, the
style that started it all has petered on mostly unnoticed. In many
ways, the heavy thud
of
the NWOBHM isn't as much of a distant dream as many would believe.
The
most recent case in point is In Solitude's newest effort Sister,
which, wearing its King Diamond influence like a badge of honor,
throws itself onto the shoulders of bands like Pentagram and Judas
Priest zealously. In Solitude are a Swedish band, but they could
easily be mistaken for a British or American act from the heyday of
heavy metal – back when guitar solos strutted proudly and were a
guitarist's personal masterpiece.
Sister,
as a backwards-glancing record, finds itself confronted with the same
problems as bands like Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats – namely,
where to strike the brilliant balance between imitation and
creativity that gives the record the ability to truly be memorable.
But while Uncle Acid and co were
putting out 70s-based material, In Solitude are firmly entrenched a
decade later – where fuzz was a necessity, not a novelty.
Commendably, though, as much as In Solitude's sound echoes bands like
Pentagram, they manage to firmly assert that Sister
is
their record. This comes namely in the form of a malevolent streak
that fills the music of several tracks, with 'The Buried Sun''s
eerie break, which features minimal guitarwork the most striking
example.
The
sense of evil extends to the vocals, which are mid-range, and feature
some truly grim and negative lyrics. Many folks would read this
writeup and conclude 'so it's King Diamond worship', but
that's not entirely true. For one thing, In Solitude lacks both King
Diamond's operatic falsetto and his theatrical panache, opting for a
more subdued take on heavy metal.
In
a lot of ways, Sister
is
a heavy metal album written by extreme metal fans. For as thick,
juicy, and bouncy as the riffs of 'Pallid Hands' are, there's no
bright colors on the palette of Sister.
The record's ability to be both modern and vintage makes it
well-worth a listen. It's one of the most anachronistic records of
2013, and a blast from start to finish.
Notable Tracks: 'Pallid Hands', 'Sister', 'Lavender'.
Throne
of Katarsis – The Three Transcendental Keys
Genre:
Black Metal
Going
one step beyond the now-infamous moniker of 'True Norwegian Black
Metal' by
calling themselves
'Unholy Norwegian Black Metal', Throne of Katarsis have been one of
Norway's finest black
metal imports
in the twenty-first century. While they formed as a relatively
forgettable black metal act in 2006, beginning in 2010, with the
unholy behemoth that was Ved
Greven,
the band have taken on the aspects of blasphemous ritual. From the
deepest, darkest depths of the cosmos, The
Three Transcendental Keys is
the feverish, yet chilling gateway to the darkest depths of the
occult.
There's
nothing Lovecraftian-ly weird about this voyage; in fact, Throne of
Katarsis' twisting of black metal tropes to fit their own blasphemous
vision lends the record a venomous familiarity. The blast beats in
the background, which, thanks to the evil production, are only
perceptible as an eerie tap-tap-tap
and
a sickening bass drum, act only as the backdrop as Throne of Katarsis
cacklingly paints their guitar riffs with monstrous abandon and vile
echo. Meanwhile, the howls of vocalist Infarmoth, who shrieks and
roars like a fallen angel, rise and fall in the candlelit gloom. To
imagine the sound of Keys,
imagine a host of demons cavorting in fiendish worship. There is not
a glimmer of light to be found in this record, as the band combines
Burzum's grimness with the dark majesty of acts like Leviathan.
Keys
most
memorable, though, is that it's the band's first effort (and a fine
one at that) at combining black metal and drone. The idea is not new
- Fell Voices spring to mind as one of the more famous examples –
but Throne of Katarsis manage to make drone happen not by vacuous,
empty spaces, but by saturating your ears and your soul with
repetitive music laced with enough variations that you don't get
bored.
The
record is composed of three massive songs, the shortest clocking in
at ten minutes and the longest at nearly twenty-one, allowing
you to totally submerse yourselves in Throne of Katarsis' choking
black mist. What makes
Keys
is, in its purest form, black metal and drone, drawing on both the
former's aesthetic and musical tropes and the latter's astral
expansiveness. Even so, however, Throne of Katarsis aren't all about
playing slow, daunting metal in this record – after a lengthy
(3-minute) introduction, 'the Second Transcendental Key: Beyond the
Specters' boldly interjects an orthodox black metal passage that
drags you along roughly before gagging you in preparation of soaring
blasphemy again.
But
even as Keys is
rooted in well-established genres, there's something monumentally new
about
it that I've never heard before. In this way, it transcends genres,
and while that's definitely not for everyone, 'unique' is something I
think all will agree on. As for me, I'd add words like
'unforgettable' and 'absolutely unmissable'.
Protest
the Hero – Volition
Genre:
Progressive Metal/Metalcore
I
was a bit harsh on this record when I reviewed it back in October,
citing its lack of technicality as a reason it would never measure up
to Scurrilous,
Fortress,
or other Protest outings. Volition
took
a while to grow on me, that's for sure, but now that its roots are
deep in my heart I can no longer find anything bad to say about it.
Volition
has
it all – grooves, riffs, and sarcastic-yet-eloquent lyrics
featuring everything from mocking rockstars to thinly veiled Star
Wars references. In short, it's the quintessential Protest the Hero
record, and yet there's a little bit more to the record than can
easily be explained. As the band's first without drummer Moe Carlson,
and its second with frontman Rody “Chody” Walker writing lyrics
(instead of the band's bassist Arib Mirabdolbaghi), Volition
maintains
both a more personal, acerbic tone (from Walker) and different drum
patterns as Lamb of God's Chris Adler takes to the skins. Obviously,
then, the percussion's technicality is turned down, but Adler adds to
the Protest repertoire a powerful, methodical drum-punch that
previous records with Carlson swapped in the place of polyrhythms
within polyrhythms.
When
compared to bands like Between the Buried and Me or Periphery, the
first thing that jumps out about Protest's later records is how
serious they aren't. There are no highbrow comments on science and
the universe, and the band uses its technical riffs to set up a
groovy background, instead of lifelessly twanging away for the sake
of satisfying AxeFX fanboys. That's not to say Volition
doesn't
have its epic moments – Walker roars 'the earth will shake!' on
'Without Prejudice', but for the most part the record stays
lighthearted and goofy, even when it comes down to the music. While
you've got plenty of rapid riffs, sweeps, and even a bass solo now
and then, there's the overpowering sense that this isn't music to
dissect and marvel over.
One
criticism I will
maintain
about Volition is
that the guest vocals usually detract more than they add – the
ending of 'Underbite' sounds horrible. The odd female vocals
now-and-then are all right, but when anyone other than Walker sings
it tends to jolt me away from the 'zone' of the music as I wonder who
in the hell is singing. I understand that it was an ingenious way to
raise money for the record, but can't help but feel like in a good
amount of cases it wasn't the smartest musically. In any case,
Volition is
a pretty great record. Fans of Protest the Hero should not miss this
one, as the band adds another great album to their discography.
Notable Tracks: 'Clarity', 'Yellow Teeth', 'Underbite'.
A
Day to Remember – Common Courtesy
Genre:
Pop-Punk/Metalcore
A
Day to Remember's newest record came out this October after a
gruelling legal battle with Victory Records over the right to
self-release, and the hype was nearly unimaginable given most fans'
perception of the band 'sticking it to the man' and 'owning their
music'. That being said, the DIY aesthetic ends there – Common
Courtesy sees
the band completely giving up on the metalcore edge they've had since
the mid-2000s in lieu of pizza and skateboarding.
Of
course, this was a change everyone should have seen it coming, but as
is the case with the new Watain record, Common
Courtesy is
the first example of A Day to Remember really settling into their new
sound. That, and the band is clearly damn proud of where they've
gotten, dedicating three songs on the record to how happy they are
that they're famous. As stereotypical and generic as it is, most of
the music on Common
Courtesy is
buoyed up by the fact that the band remain competent musicians,
playing an ebullient blend of heavier-than-usual pop punk that
doesn't stop for very much – replete with the sing-along choruses
and dramatic vocal hooks that made A Day to Remember so much fun to
grow up with.
That
being said, the evidence is slowly mounting that the band reached
their zenith in 2009 – there will never be another Homesick,
and while that's disheartening, in the wake of their undeniably
mediocre 2010 album What
Separates Me From You,
the band's newest effort comes off as a far more honed and effective
hybrid record. Common
Courtesy,
nevertheless, is still quite a childish record – expect a melodic
'biiiiiiiiiiitch' at the end of 'Right Back At it Again', and plenty
of angsty choruses as Jeremy McKinnon whines into the microphone.
Speaking of which, praise is definitely due to McKinnon for fixing
his clean vocals from last record. But for as much as clean vocals
and pop punk riffs dominate, there are quite a few heavier and more
traditional A Day to Remember songs to round the record out,
ultimately giving this record a forceful push in the right direction.
Songs like 'Dead and Buried' and 'Violence', which mix groovy
breakdowns with catchy verses, echo the band's strongest moments,
while their more pop-punk side is both prevalent and tasteful.
For fans of the genre, this is definitely worth a listen. A Day to
Remember have recovered from their stumble in 2010 and are 'right
back at it again' with a pretty damn good set of twelve or so songs.
Notable Tracks: 'Dead & Buried', 'Life Lessons Learned the Hard
Way', 'Violence (Enough is Enough)'.
Trivium
– Vengeance Falls
Genre:
Metalcore
'Thrash
without the 'h'' is how lots of folks would have described Florida
metalcore act Trivium's 2011 release In
Waves.
The band, which according to near unanimous opinion, reached its
zenith in 2005 with the now-classic Ascendancy
–
a gateway album for thousands of new fans, myself included. Two
records later, one stale and uninspired and the other unforgettable
and meticulously wrought, In
Waves left
a lot of people confused. The great ideas of Shogun
lay
trampled and forgotten as the band boldly progressed towards total
accessibility, with only the occasional unclean verse now and then as
the reminder of what the band was.
Earlier this year the band entered the studio under the wing of
Disturbed frontman David Draiman, and if it's fishy to you that a
nu-metal musician is producing a Trivium album, your sentiment was
shared by approximately everyone, who called – fairly accurately –
that the new record was going to be an unfortunate continuation of
the blandness of 2011.
To
be fair, Vengeance
Falls does
switch up the formula slightly – but in precisely the wrong
direction. Within the first minute of the album, we're treated not
only to nu-metal style vocals, but to a freaking breakdown
not unlike what you'd find in a Rise Records release. Riffs are now a
distant memory – open-string chugs now reign mostly undisturbed,
and clumsy transitions between verse and prechorus in 'Brave this
Storm' heighten the downward spiral that's come to a head with this
album. Frontman Matt Heafy reserves his bestial screams to an
occasional pre-solo ramp up now and then, while said solos are merely
swept arpeggios that can't even echo In
Waves'
admittedly
gimmicky harmonized guitars.
That
Draiman produced this record is painfully apparent the longer it goes
on – from Heafy's cleans in the same style as his to the riffwork
that screams Ten
Thousand Fists with
a melodeath triplet thrown in now and then for good measure. The
title track is one of the record's best, as it strays the most from
Trivium's newest and most uninspired sound, flirting a little with
Ascendancy-style
songwriting. Past the first two songs, which somehow manage to
display Vengeance
Falls'
best and worst material, the record stays pretty forgettable, as if
it's unsure whether to go all-out metalcore or radio metal with
catchy hooks, or stick to their earlier, more challenging formula.
All of that being said, I like this record quite a bit. It's
objectively pretty bad, but Trivium will always occupy a soft spot
in my heart. While their track record clearly indicates they're not
going back to thrash-y metalcore, there's quite a bit of fun to be
had in this record if you turn your expectations down.
Oranssi Pazuzu - Valonielu
Genre: Psychedelic Black Metal
Imagine hurtling through space. No, not the gentle galactic
meandering of Hawkwind, but picture your body careening
head-over-heels as inky blackness surrounds you and the stars twinkle
malevolently. That's a bit what Finland's Oranssi Pazuzu sound like.
With hints of stinging psychedelia and unnerving avant-garde
elements, built atop the already murky foundations of black metal,
and with an angry Finn growling and hissing at you, the band are
unique in that nothing really sounds like them – hell, even the
moniker of 'psychedelic black metal' is a stretch. Oranssi Pazuzu are
singularly deficient on blast beats and tremolos, opting for the
bizarre over the macabre. Their latest record, Valonielu, thus
has all the foundations of an exhilarating but terrifying trip,
and while it's a departure from the more conspicuous celestial themes
of previous Pazuzu outings, the Finnish quintet nevertheless plows on
resolutely through unexplored territory in the domain of black metal.
Opening with the at-once infectious yet somewhat off-kilter 'Vino
Verso', that eventually spirals out to feature strident electronics
ringing against the gloom, Valonielu is a truly bizarre beast
of an album, twisting the gridwork of various genres into its own
resolute beast. 'Tyhjä Tempelli''s bass line is almost inviting and
groovy, but vocalist Jun-His' disturbing, processed shriek cuts over
the warmth at random, sometimes with eldritch guitar portions, other
times with a theremin. The song mounts in intensity within its last
minute before abruptly and cruelly stopping short.
There's no shortage of bizarre ideas on Valonielu, and they
have the air of being executed perfectly, like gears in the mind of
the band turning to create a new arcane engine of ruin. This is
comforting, because absolutely nothing else about this album has any
air of making sense. Song lengths range from just over four to over
fifteen – the longest Oranssi Pazuzu song yet, 'Ympyrä On Viiva
Tomussa', closes the record in with a bizarrely theatrical flourish,
rising to an impossible climax through almost eleven minutes of
instrumentals before Jun-His' charred roar pierces the cosmic
silence.
Musically, most of the songs on Valonielu are aloof and
bleak, as one would expect from black metal, but the mood of Oranssi
Pazuzu's tunes are the only thing remotely close to the genre.
Drummer Korjak keeps Valonielu at a mid-tempo jog, slowing
down when it's really necessary to add extra weird ('Uraanisula')
before jumping back in with a rhythmic, snare-heavy hook. Surreal
psychedelia buzzes and drones in the space above the more
traditionally metal elements. Valonielu is an acquired taste,
but for the adventurous it will delight, terrify, disequilibrate, and
leave you thirsting for more.
Notable Tracks: 'Vino Verso', 'Uraanisula', 'Olen Aukaissut Uuden
Silmän'
Red Fang – Whales and Leeches
Genre: Stoner Rock
Red Fang's sense of humor, affinity for beer, and thick 'n groovy
stoner riffs have been a part of modern metal for a little over five
years now, but in that time they've risen from just another band out
of Oregon to one of the most recognizable faces in the metal world.
Their latest effort, Whales and Leeches, taking its title from
a song on their 2011 record Murder the Mountains, has the band
at its heaviest and most aggressive, with bass absolutely saturating
the mix and lending every guitar twang and snare pummel that much
more oomph.
The band have always had an ear for interjecting hints of doom into
their sound, but Whales and Leeches is unique in that it marks
the first Red Fang record with no extraneous, unnecessary flourishes.
Every riff is finely honed and finds its way deep into your mind,
forcing you to nod along incessantly. The vocals range in style from
downright aggressive on 'DOEN' to crooning and eerie on 'Failure'.
In a lot of ways, the transformation Red Fang have undergone with
Whales and Leeches is akin to ASG's with Blood Drive,
earlier this year – with both bands moving away from careening
stoner ballads towards a far more dejected, and overall heavier
sound. But while ASG sought to get a little bit sadder, Red Fang have
gotten that much angrier, infusing every possible beat of this record
with plenty of mass. Whales and Leeches is wall-to-wall
heaviness in a convenient package. It's a record that's got it all –
heaviness, catchiness, and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that all
in all makes for a rewarding listen.
Notable Tracks: 'Every Little Twist', '1516', 'Blood Like Cream'.
Russian Circles – Memorial
Genre: Post-Rock
Within its first few minutes, Russian Circles' newest effort
Memorial overtakes the band's previous material as the band
plumbs new, dark lows complemented by blast beats, powerful
open-string chords, and flighty, eerie melodies. As 'Memoriam''s
dreamy skies give way to the thunderous storm of 'Deficit' – which
may be the Chicago act's heaviest song to date – the three man
conjures up massive, obscuring soundscapes that seem to fill the room
you find yourself in.
The first thing anyone notices about Russian Circles is how
impossible most of their music seems to be for a bass, guitar, and
drum trio. Notes and sounds hang suspended in midair as if by magic,
ushered along by the cataclysmic crash of Dave Turncrantz's precise
drumwork. Indeed, the band could be considered the missing link
between the ethereal drone of Godspeed and Cult of Luna's more
violent, heavy assault. With Memorial, this fusion is both
heightened and refined – while previous Russian Circles albums were
more about scintillating textures and powerful emotion, Memorial
introduces a sense of wonder and head-in-the-clouds atmosphere,
along with, as usual, too many interesting musical ideas to note. The
band have been blessed with a seemingly-perpetual fount of
creativity, with each release being definitively Russian Circles
while bringing something new, alien, and ultimately awe-inspiring to
the table.
Memorial that are completely new –
'Cheyenne' is a mostly ambient portion that features minimalist drums
and a hypnotic, beautiful, reverb-heavy guitar. Memorial's
title track features Chelsea Wolfe and it takes a heart of stone to
not marvel at its near-suffocating intensity and emotion. Meanwhile,
the aforementioned 'Deficit' and 'Burial' are heavy and oppressive,
with the latter mounting in intensity as the layered guitar whines in
the background, climaxing into a tremolo'd riff that annihilates
everything before it.
One of the biggest challenges of post-rock, especially instrumental
post-rock, is to maintain originality. Explosions in the Sky, after
their first few albums, became undeniably stale, and one could argue
bands like God is an Astronaut are on their way there. To confront
this problem, Russian Circles threw caution to the winds on this
album and, despite building on their previous formula, there are a
lot of parts to
To conclude, Memorial as a record covers a lot of ground –
emotionally, instrumentally, and texturally, it's absolutely loaded
for all of its 37 minutes of awesome. Not only is it a great addition
to Russian Circles' discography, it's easily one of the best
post-rock albums of the year.
Castevet – Obsian
Genre: Black Metal/Progressive Metal
The more I listen to bands like Woe, Krallice and Yellow
Eyes, the more I believe there's a definitive 'tristate black metal'
sound endemic to the region – an explosive, blindingly bright form
of music that's at odds with the more downcast, reserved black metal
of the early 90s. Now, take the concussive force of Woe, channel it
into a narrow tube, and you'll wind up with Castevet. The band's
newest album Obsian, which was released this past October on
Profound Lore, is at once highly claustrophobic and staggering in
scope, as though an entire world has sprung up in the forty or so
minutes in which Castevet explode into and out of being.
'Cavernous' begins with a thunderous drum feel, that segues into
some very Nachtmystium-like guitar riffing while the drums continue
to blot out almost everything in their path, laying the groundwork
for a diabolically heavy wasteland of a track. It's Castevet's
ability to move back and forth so easily between diabolical extreme
metal and hints of surreal progressive rock that makes their material
so unique and gives the New York scene such fame (
and infamy). Perhaps even more commendably, even though axeman
Andrew Hock has been voted one of the best metal guitarists under 30,
Obsian never ventures too far into the dreaded realm of
wankery, with Hock bending and weaving his skill into the various
nooks and crannies of Castevet's music – 'the Curve''s intense
break features serene guitar licks flickering transiently in the
bass-y gloom. Meanwhile, 'As Fathomed by Beggars and Victims' begins
with a haunting acoustic guitar that slowly fades out, leaving only
the desolation of the drums.
At thirty five minutes, Obsian is as dense as it is varied –
and the dreary production, which forces most of the music closer
together, contributes to the chaos. It's not an easy listen, but
definitely worth a peek or two if you're feeling curious, because on
further inspection there's a wealth of depth and attention to detail
that makes the album as epic as it is. Comparisons last year to
Vattnet Viskar's Sky Swallower are inevitable, but for me,
Obsian is the true victor.
Notable Tracks: 'Cavernous', 'The Curve', 'Obsian'.
The Body –
Christs, Redeemers
Genre:
Sludge
Monolithic.
Uncompromising. Ugly.
Rhode Island's the Body play a brand of sludge that's best described
without particularly positive adjectives, and their newest effort,
Christs, Redeemers,
is no exception. As 'I, the Mourner of Days'' eerie, ghostlike
singing fades into the hurricane-like swirls of ambient wind, there's
the notion that something cataclysmically terrible is about to fall
right on your head, but just as the haunting reverb becomes almost
unbearable, it disperses.
Christs,
Redeemers is a volatile
beast of a record – unnerving, disturbing, but nevertheless fixated
on stoic resolution. The music plods forward at a glacial pace,
stretching itself into an impossibly large scope – it's easy to see
why post-metal evolved from sludge by listening to the oppressive
magnitude of 'To Attempt Openness'. But there's no ethereal solitude
in the nooks and crannies of the song – the Body may not pummel you
at close quarters, but it remains a dystopian and desolate eight
minutes through abrasive, swirling murk.
If
Amenra and Swans are what you trouble yourself with, this is an album
that you're sure to enjoy. There's no purchase to be found in neither
the spine-chilling ambiance – which seems to favor choral vocals -
nor the destructive swathe carved out by the guitar and bass. The
Body may never play faster than a snail's pace, but with
Christs, Redeemers there's a pervasive sort of gnawing fear that builds across the record's fifty minutes of utter destruction.
What
little hints of melody and light that pierce the gloom – the
violins of 'An Altar or a Grave', for example – only serve to
magnify the sense of despair that the Rhode Island duo seem to be
dead set on spreading. Christs,
Redeemers is a
horrifying musical abomination in the best way possible. Fans of
sludge will rejoice, while the rest of the world will weep and moan.
Notable
Tracks: 'An Altar or a Grave', 'Denial of the Species', 'Shrouded'.
