Album Reviews

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    Gloria Morti – Lateral Constraints (2013)

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    In the ‘meh’ category, today we have Gloria Morti and their fourth full-length release “Lateral Constraints”. Labeled as Melodic Death Metal, this band plays something more in the veins of Zyklon, The Wretched End, and similar bands. Their sound while refined and very technically proficient gets very boring very fast, thus making this release as great filler content for an evening washing your car.

    Opening with the crushing “Lex Parsimoniae”, the band very quickly sounds exactly like Zyklon and immediately gets very repetitive. We understand that the musical style is a bit repetitive, but this band takes it further with almost each track sounding like the previous one. There are indeed some standout songs with great atmospheric elements such as “Our God Is War” but as soon as this one is over, the band returns to deliver some more copycat riffs.

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    The Prophecy – Salvation (2013)

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    Four years have passed since the band delivered their opus “Into the Light”, and now we finally have them back with an even more melancholic and depressive release with “Salvation”. As the band has matured, their sound has greatly progressed and in this release the band focuses more on very emotive vocal melodies and killer atmospheric components that make this album a very bleak and emotional ride.

    Matt Lawson’s vocals are one of our favorite elements of this release since they are right at the line between Epic Doom bands like Candlemass and While Heaven Wept and a very natural sound that is full of emotions and feelings, fitting the overall atmosphere of the music very well. Of course there are some growls here and there, but they are saved usually for the climax parts of the songs. The band’s move into more Progressive territories is another thing to note in the five songs presented in the album, making them sound a bit like Opeth during their transitional periods.

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    Denouncement Pyre – Almighty Arcanum (2013)

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    Delivering 42 minutes of barbaric old-school Black/Death Metal, today we have Australia’s Denouncement Pyre and their latest release “Almighty Arcanum”. With a refined devastating sound, this Aussie band pummels through nine hate filled tracks that will rattle your speakers from beginning to end.

    After the warm-up instrumental intro “Breath of Tehom”, the band blasts away with the soul crushing “An Extension of the Void”. The band’s musical abilities have greatly improved over the years and on tracks like “The Deceiver”, they sound like a less Black’n’Roll version of Satyricon. The tempo of this release is quite ‘relaxed’ in some tracks, allowing Denouncement Pyre to have a very unique and dark vibe; “He Who Conquers All” is a great example of a less intense track that creates a very cavernous and well-crafted atmosphere.

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    Unspoken – Requiem Aeternam Deo (2013)

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    With a very dark and foul sound (we mean it in a good way), today we have Norway’s Unspoken and their upcoming full-length “Requiem Aeternam Deo”, soon to be released in 2013. Mixing elements of Death, old-school Black, and some Thrash Metal, this band delivers 10 tracks of neck-snapping Metal that any fan of old-school music that demands modern production values would love.

    Opening with the bone-chilling “Baptized At The Altar of Rats”, the band’s fuzzy guitars are immediately present bringing havoc and destruction. The demonic vocals are very typical of old-school bands, and Unspoken really makes the shine with well-crafted music and an excellent production. Keeping the momentum going, the chugging riffs of “Redemption Scars” make this song quite catchy and perfect for some headbanging.

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    When Icarus Falls – Aegean (2012)

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    In a truly epic and devastating manner, today we have Swiss Post-Hardcore moshers When Icarus Falls and their sophomore full-length release “Aegean”. In this seven-track release the band delivers punishing anthems that remind us of a mixture of The Ocean with Neurosis and Amenra with a few hints of the Post-Metal elements of Cult of Luna. With the recording in charge of Julien Felhman, the band taps into their inner demons and unleashes one hell of a release.

    The riffing onslaught beings with the soul crushing “A Step Further”, a track that delivers crystal clear guitars and super harsh vocals. With a similar production sound to Neurosis and The Ocean, the band’s powerful guitar/vocal attacks are perfectly delivered. As the tracks bleeds into the album title track, subtle drums are very well used to bridge the two songs. “Aegean” delivers 9-minutes of intensity that constantly keeps growing over time. The vocals again take center stage as they are very powerful and greatly contrast the Post-Metal / Sludgy music laid out.

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    Dacast – Dédale (2012)

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    Delivering a punishing aural assault of 35 minutes, today we have Dacast and their sophomore release “Dédale”. This French experimental band combines almost everything you can imagine in a ‘heavy as fuck’ package that is truly genius and totally deranged at the same time. With parts of Deathcore to brilliant Math Metal and Progressive sections, this monolithic release has something for everybody.

    With a very bizarre retro cover that pretty much describes how the music sounds, this release is totally unique and quite disturbing. The band’s in your face style is quite brutal, but what makes us even more uneasy is how amazing the band is a going from a proggy section to a balls-to-the-wall Deathcore passage and back into some Jazzy stuff. This release is split into two sides, each one as crazy and chaotic as the other, but with an underlying technical brilliance that is unrivaled.

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    Aenaon / Stielas Storhett – Split (2012)

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    Being huge fans of Aenaon, we got very excited when we received this two-song split release between the Greeks and the Russian one-man band Stielas Storhett. Clocking in around 12 minutes, this split really showcases both bands ability to take Black Metal to completely new heights and make it seem easy.

    Opening the release we have Aenaon’s “Er”, a 6-minute track that continues their Progressive Black Metal brilliance after last year’s epic “Cendres Et Sang”. The band’s unique style is immediately present with funky melodic sections and killer vocals. The progressive elements of this track are excellent, but the sax on it really reminded us of Ihsahn and his own brand of music but with a jazzier edge, just like on the band’s previous release.

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    Wither – Necropolis (2012)

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    Delivering a highly melancholic debut full-length release, today we have “Necropolis” from the Australia two-man band Wither. Featuring a very diverse and depressing sound, this band will surely put you on suicide watch after listening to 50 minutes of brilliant Funeral Doom with some Black Metal and Gothic Rock elements. With elements from bands like Katatonia and the Russian Gothic/Doom band Autumn, this Aussie band has a very well defined sound that is extremely emotional.

    Opening with the heavy riffing of “Sonar Sphere”, the band’s sound immediately starts aggressive but as the melancholic melody sets in, this moves to the background. The raspy vocals are quite desolate and greatly add to the very moody atmosphere of the track. As the song progresses, the mood changes to a slower and even more desolate atmosphere, very similar to what Autumn used to do in their releases. Being the first track, we are completely hooked on how this release creates very bleak landscapes with their music.

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    Star Insight – My Time is Out (2012)

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    As an interesting hybrid of Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Before The Dawn, and Amorphis, today we have Finland’s Star Insight and their two-song single “My Time is Out”. With a heavy emphasis on atmospheric elements, Star Insight gives us a very promising look into their upcoming debut full-length release.

    Opening with “My Time is Out”, the band has a very similar sound to Before the Dawn on their “Soundscape of Silence” era thanks to the type of growls and the riffing used. Throwing some atmospheric elements into the mix, and now we have them sounding a bit like Eternal Tears of Sorrow. Don’t get us wrong, Star Insight has their own sound, but their influences are heavily marked in this song. As a song, “My Time is Out” is actually quite entertaining and diverse, showing their bombastic music and knack for multiple singing styles.

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    Fragments of Unbecoming - The Art of Coming Apart (2012)

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    Like a bag bricks to the face, Fragments of Unbecoming delivers their fourth full-length release “The Art of Coming Apart”. Hailing from Germany, this band packs a mean punch with their high-octane riffing onslaught and killer vocals. Many bands try to pull-off Melodic Death Metal, but only a handful, like F.U.O, bring the pain in every single one of their tracks combining a furious pace and crafty melodic passages.

    The clean opening of “The Art Of Coming Apart” nicely tricks your brain into thinking this will be a mellow track, just before blowing you away with hellish vocals and pummeling drums. The intensity of the band is the first thing that will impress you from them. Also, the ability to carve melodic sections into such brutal tracks is another excellent property of F.U.O, and can be heard in this opening track.

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