Year in Review - the Releases of October 2013

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'.