Album Reviews

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    Botanist - Paleobotany (2024)

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    We always had a love and hate relationship with Botanist and their music since their earlier more ‘experimental’ release. While totally flamed them on their first albums, we have grown to actually like them as their later stuff has been more structured and genre-bending. In “Paleobotany”, the band unleashes ten tracks and nearly forty five minutes of quite interesting and complex music, ranging from Post-Metal/Rock elements to Progressive Metal/Rock passages, to darker and more experimental efforts.

    The release opens with the dreamy “Aristolochia”, a piece that has a certain Katatonia-esque sound, with proggy and Post Rock-ish elements, something we didn’t quite expect from the band, but we totally dig it. The dramatic clean vocal arrangements make tracks like “When Forest Turned to Coal” and its Black Metal riffs, “Magnolia” and its moody madness, have a very lively and engaging nature, as well as an interesting interplay with the growls and the melodic nature of the dulcimer.

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    SYK - eartHFlesh (2024)

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    Holding us over until the new Ulcerate drops next month, today we have Italian outfit SYK and their pummeling release “eartHFlesh”. With eight tracks and over 45 minutes of highly intricate and punishing Death Metal with Groove and even some Djent elements, this release is as crushing as it is complexly layered to infuse maximum pain. If you like music that is brutal, relentless, filled with excellent ideas, and masterfully executed, this is an album you can’t miss.

    Opening with the ravaging “I Am The Beast”, the band sets a very disturbing and cinematic vibe with creepy atmospherics until the massive drumming and layered guitars make their appearance. The band’s ability to unleash sinister riffs is outstanding, as they pair perfectly with blistering drums and insane tempo changes. On tracks like “Where I Am Going There is No Light”, “I'll Haunt You In Your Dreams”, and “eartHFlesh”, the band rips through crafty tempo changes, hellish growls, and tons of Meshuggah-esque passages, showcasing masterful musicianship and execution.

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    Six Feet Under - Killing for Revenge (2024)

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    It’s been a while since we have liked anything that Six Feet Under has released and with “Killing for Revenge”, it looks like this will not change yet. Chris Barnes and company unleash thirteen songs of highly uninspired ‘Groovy’ Death Metal that while not as bad as some of their previous releases, it is still a stinker. If you are looking for the good old times of Chris Barnes in CC, or even some of the band’s earlier releases, this is definitely not for you.

    Opening with “Know-Nothing Ingrate”, we see the main change is that the vocals sound a bit different, albeit better, than on the previous release. They are deep and snarly and constant, which is an improvement and there seem to be no attempts at doing squeals as “Accomplice to Evil Deeds”, “Ascension”, and “When the Moon Goes Down in Blood” roll in. It is also notable that some tracks are over four minutes and have a few interesting riffs and hooks here and there.

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    Brume - Marten (2024)

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    Featuring a very sultry and jazzy sound, today we have Bay Area outfit Brume and their latest full-length release “Marten”. Featuring eight tracks and nearly 50 minutes of music, this release has a very hypnotic and enigmatic pace, nicely mixing Doom/Occult Rock with more experimental influences. If you are looking for something unique with a chill vibe, but with some heaviness to it, this is a very interesting release to check out.

    The release opens with the magical “Jimmy”, a six-minute piece filled with moody tempo changes and hypnotic doomy riffs. Susie McMullan’s vocals are quite sultry and perfectly fit the loungey nature of the music, with tracks like “New Sadder You” and its magical cellos, “Faux Savior” and its melancholy, or the dreaminess of “Otto's Song”, showcasing the bands versatility and uniqueness of their style.

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    Heimland - Tronearvingens doed (2024)

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    Hailing from Norway, today we have Heimland and their 7” release “Tronearvingens doed”. As a teaser after their 2023 release “Forfedrenes taarer”, this 2 song release continues to show the bands fierce Norwegian Black Metal style. With a very uncompromising and raw sound, this outfit demonstrates they are the real deal and should be kept on any BM connoisseur radar.

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    Trail of Tears - Winds of Disdain (2024)

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    As one of our favorite bands, it was quite a shock when Ronny Thorsen ended the band back in 2013. However, we, as many others, were quite excited that they decided to come back in 2020 and with none other than Aylin on vocals. Fast-forward four more years and we finally have a new release, an EP this time, from this band and it is all that we expected and a bit more. If you've ever been a fan of 2000’s Gothic Metal, you will certainly be familiar with the band, and if not, this is a great release to get you started.

    Opening with the explosive EP title track, we get the band’s powerful distorted guitars paired with crafty drumming, subtle and yet dominant atmospherics and the singular vocals of Aylin. Bringing back members like Runar Hansen (guitars) and Jonathan A. Perez (drums), the band sounds like in their best days, with superbly catchy and engaging tracks like “Take These Tears”, which send chills down our spine, bringing back memories of the earlier days of the band.

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    Vástígr - The Path of Perdition (2024)

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    Hailing from Austria, today we have mysterious one-man band Vástígr with a very tense and crushing brand of Atmospheric Black Metal. While most bands in the genre sound alike these days, “The Path of Perdition” has a certain unsettling uniqueness thanks to its darker and more sinister take. Featuring four tracks and nearly 45 minutes of crushing music, this release is definitely worth the attention of any fan of the genre, and Black Metal in general.

    Opening with the ravaging “Plunge”, Thomas Anzinger quickly creates a very thick and punishing atmosphere with intricate guitar work and deep growls. Far from linear, the track suddenly changes tempo to more melodic and equally sinister passages. Continuing the onslaught “Chasm” starts off showcasing crafty tempo changes ranging from Doom-ish interludes to more straight up Black Metal power. The band’s unique ideas nicely create a very demoralizing and yet highly effective style of its own.

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    Darkthrone - It Beckons Us All (2024)

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    Returning with another masterclass in crafting sinister and crafty Metal music, today we have the legendary Darkthrone and their latest sickening opus “It Beckons Us All”. Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have made pushing the boundaries of Metal a regular exercise and with this release they unleash seven tracks and nearly 44 minutes of piercing and challenging music. If you've been a fan of the band’s last few releases, this one will come as a natural progression of their sound.

    Opening with “Howling Primitive Colonies”, we get an instant taste of the band’s sinister riffs and unsettling atmospherics. The music is raw and direct, but it still delivers those spooky vibes the band is known for. It is quite impressive that the band can still pull new rabbits out of their hat and make the Black Metal roots present on tracks like “Eon 3”, “Black Dawn Affiliation”, and “And in That Moment I Knew the Answer”, bringing back some of those Isengard days thanks to the eerie vocals and riffs.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Amiensus - Reclamation: Part 1 (2024)

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    Unleashing a very interesting and crafty Progressive Black Metal release, today we have Amiensus and their moody “Reclamation: Part 1” release. Featuring eight tracks and nearly 55 minutes of highly intricate music, this album has vibes from bands like Enslaved, Agalloch, all the way to Cynic. With each track introducing an interesting mix of ideas, this release is definitely one of the most unique and enjoyable albums of 2024.

    Opening with the moody atmospherics of “Blink of the Moment'', the band sets a very Agalloch-esque vibe thanks to its engaging guitar-driven core and excellent vocal (clean and harsh) onslaughts. This dreamy atmosphere bleeds into the catchiness of “Reverie”, a more dynamic piece that features an interesting mix of Progressive elements and engaging melodic passages. The band’s ideas nicely blend different genres and elements together as the mellow “Senses Amplified” showcases.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Dödsrit - Nocturnal Will (2024)

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    Creating something new and different sounding in Metal these days is quite a hard task, however, Sweden’s Dödsrit has managed to do that and pushes it to the limit with “Nocturnal Will”. Over the years the band has been refining their mixture of Melodic Black Metal, Punk, Crust, and even some traditional Heavy Metal. In this release, the six tracks and nearly 45 minutes of music showcase a high-octane sound that is quite epic, melodic, and yet heavy and powerful.

    Opening with the ravaging “Irjala”, the band starts off with some very Heavy Metal sounding riffs that made us think we had put on an old Dio/Iron Maiden release. The track quickly picks up with intense drumming and a hearty sense of melody, thanks to some excellent melodic passages and exciting guitar leads. The band’s sound is nicely layered to incorporate elements that need more than a few listens to discover, as “Nocturnal Fire” and “Utmed Gyllbergens Stig” demonstrate.

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