Album Reviews

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    Alestorm - Curse of the Crystal Coconut (2020)

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    Unleashing an all-out pirate party, today we have Alestorm and their sixth full-length release “Curse of the Crystal Coconut”. Keeping their lively style nearly untouched since their inception, the band continues to deliver their signature playfulness and epic melodies that have captivated the masses for years. Clocking in at 45 minutes, this release gives you more Alestorm in a more bombastic and engaging way than ever before.

    Opening with the hilarious “Treasure Chest Party Quest”, Christopher Bowes leads his crew with his signature playful lyrics and his legendary keytar skills. This very lighthearted opener features the band’s staples and a nod to more folky/instrumental elements making the song quite enjoyable. The band’s typical intensity will get you bopping as soon as “Fannybaws” and “Chomp Chomp” deliver their catchy chorus sections and the later unleashes dramatic guitar leads.

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    Sinister - Deformation of the Holy Realm (2020)

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    Storied Dutch Death Metal outfit returns with a vengeance on “Deformation of the Holy Realm”. Unleashing nearly 45 minutes of crushing music, the band’s new line-up elevates their level of aggression to new heights. While many older bands keep to their guns and style, Sinister has been incorporating more modern Death Metal elements into their sound, allowing them to keep their signature style and stay relevant to new trends.

    Creating a very regal and epic mood, the atmospheric opener “The Funeral March” perfectly leads the listener into the brutality of “Deformation Of The Holy Realm”. The track wastes no time in delivering blistering drumming, pummeling vocals and superbly crunchy riffs. New guitarist Michal Grall perfectly captures the band’s essence and gives it an extra level of brutality as we can hear on songs like “Apostles of the Weak” and the heabanging galore “Unbounded Sacrilege”.

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    A Light in the Dark - Insomnia (2020)

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    Unleashing one of the most melancholic releases of 2020, today we have Russia’s one-man project A Light in the Dark and his latest full-length release “Insomnia”. Featuring over 45 minutes of completely enchanting music, this release is perfectly crafted for fans of Alcest, Lantlôs, Heretoir and Amesoeurs. Oozing melody and dreaminess since the first minute, this is one hell of an ethereal release.

    The album opens with the very lively and dynamic “Aimless”, a song that has a certain Harakiri For the Sky edge as it delivers very poignant guitars and harsh vocals. Shifting the pace more into the Post-Metal/Blackgaze lands, “Let it Guide You” delivers sweeping atmospheric passages and interesting electronic elements thrown into the mix. Both “Vortex” and “四” take thing into more depressive rock territories with a similar approach to Violet Cold and their use of samples for extra ambiance.

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    Blight - Temple of Wounds (2020)

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    Canada’s Metal scene has been on fire in the recent years, with plenty of bands unleashing masterful creations. Today we have Blight, a band that is just releasing their ‘debut’ release after more than a decade of combined existence, but “Temple of Wounds” clearly shows why it was worth the wait. Featuring a monstrous and sinister sound, the band unleashes nearly one hour of crushing Black/Death Metal filled with ravaging riffs and hellish vocals.

    Setting a relentless mood with the pummeling guitars of “Dar-Akh-Qayin”, the band creates a very ritualistic and mysterious aura. Similar to Behemoth, but with its own brand of evilness. The band’s melodic edge creates very sinister atmospheres, and intoxicating passages as we are presented in the opener, “Elsewhere & Elsewhen” and the magical “Before the Monolith”. Perfectly blending in and out of chaotic brutality and incisive melody, the band has a very refined and effective style.

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    Fellahin Fall - Tar-A-Kan (2020)

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    Hailing from the USA, today we have a band that we never thought we would find ourselves listening to as much as we do. Fellhain Fall has a certain commercial alt-rock edge that is sneakily built on superbly catchy Gothic, Industrial, Darkwave elements, making the sound behind “Tar-A-Kan” quite intoxicating and engaging. While the band’s music lies more in Metal foundations, the band’s unique accessibility makes this release very easy to digest and highly enjoyable.

    Opening with the lush atmospherics of “A Fading Whisper”, we get a playful dynamic between heavy distorted guitars and the charismatic lead vocals. It is a staple of Gothic Metal to have a signature singer and this band clearly has one. The music nicely experiments with Industrial/Darkwave elements in tracks like “Rover” and “My Hollow” deliver, while the Doomy elements surface on songs like “Caught Between”, keeping their sound quite dynamic and versatile.

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    Centinex - Death In Pieces (2020)

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    Keeping the Swedish Death Metal flag flying high, today we have another gargantuan release from legendary Centinex titled “Death In Pieces”. While the band went through a full line-up change before this album, Martin Schulman has pulled together a great cast and delivers the goods in the ten songs unleashed in this release. If you like older Grave, Entombed, and the usual Swedish suspects, this album will certainly bring back some good memories.

    As the horns blow on the opening track “Only Death Remains”, we are instantly transported to the 90’s with the band’s timeless sound. In your face drumming and crafty riffs are just what the doctor ordered as tracks like “Derelict Souls” and “God Ends Here” continue to flow as an initial blast of energy. The band does not fuck around, and their craftiness is clearly demonstrated with the superbly catchy and traditional chugging riffs of “Tomb of the Dead”, one of our favorite tracks.

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    Omination - The Pale Horseman (2020)

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    Always keeping us on our toes, Canadian label Hypnotic Dirge Records always delivers something truly unique and engaging. Today we have Omination’s one-track EP “The Pale Horseman”. Clocking in at around 26 minutes, this one-song gargantuan contribution delivers tons of influences perfectly blended together to create one hell of a memorable and captivating experience.

    As the brainchild of Fedor Kovalevsky, this outfit delivers a very emotional piece that slowly progresses from church-like spoken sections to Neurosis-like harsh screams and then some. While the central features are slow Doomy riffs and lush atmospherics, the way that other influences are weaved between is quite unique and engaging. Dramatic synths and crafty vocal arrangements perfectly complement weeping guitars lead way to weird experimentation around the half-way mark and close off with some old, old Septic Flesh/On Thorns I Lay Doom dreaminess.

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    Asofy - Amusia (2020)

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    As one of the most fitting soundtracks for weird times, today we have Asofy’s latest release “Amusia”, which takes the listener into a highly experimental and chaotic journey. For nearly an hour, the listener gets transported into this one-man outfit’s world, filled with abstract textures and a highly melancholic atmosphere. If you like weird, this is one of the weirdest (and yet good) of 2020.

    Opening with the moody “Agnosia”, we get some Jazzy glimpses with crafty percussions, subtle guitars and trippy vocals. The song feels very free flowing as it progresses between different moods. Continuing with the captivating “Palinodia”, we get a darker and more moody side of the band with minimalist arrangements and very eerie atmospherics. For those looking into heavier and creepier sounds, the album title track has a good kick as it eases into the harrowing madness of “Residuo”.

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    Behemoth - A Forest (2020)

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    Not even the COVID-19 pandemic can stop Behemoth from spewing their powerful gospel, and “A Forest” is the evidence of it. Featuring two new songs and two versions of a cover of The Cure’s “A Forest” with Niklas Kvarforth on vocals, this EP continues the path of devastation the band has set upon their 2018 “I Loved You at Your Darkest” release. If you are looking for a way to stay entertained and headbanging through this pandemic, this short but sweet release will carry you over.

    For those The Cure fans, Behemoth’s rendition of “A Forest” is a perfectly fitting one. Adding their own sinister touch and the incisive vocals of Niklas Kvarforth. The combined result is one hell of crushing track with ravaging guitars and punishing vocal onslaughts that perfectly bring the band’s touch to an already classic song. Both the studio and live versions are quite engaging, leaving us wishing we could witness the track being played live one day.

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    October Falls - A Fall of an Epoch (2020)

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    Unleashing one of the most cathartic albums of 2020, today we have October Falls and their latest opus “A Fall of an Epoch”. Seven years since their last release, the band returns with their blend of Atmospheric/Folky Black Metal that perfectly combines elements from bands like Ensiferum with the more vicious onslaughts of outfits like Behexen and Horna. With a hefty dosage of brutality and crafty introspective passages, this release will command your full attention for nearly 55 minutes.

    The album kicks off with the bleak acoustic guitars of the title track, this solemn peace suddenly transforms in all-out- brutality with crushing riffs, blistering drums, and punishing screams. Within the all-out pummeling onslaught, there is a very nice melodic delineation that has that Folk/Pagan Metal vibe as it contrasts with melodic passages. On a slower tone, “The Endtimes Rising” delivers a nice blend of incisive guitar riffs and harsh screams, perfectly framed on a more melodic drum track.

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