Frozen Ocean - The Prowess Of Dormition (2016)

As I received this promo back in 2015, it had gotten dumped because there was no way at that point that I could review any more 2015 releases. These things happen, but due to his work being on a Groupees bundle, Russian multi-instrumentalist and project mastermind Vaarwel asked me to try to dig it out from the dump and review it. (He also requested Wormed, so that is featured this week as well.) So I have done that, and might I say, it's a good thing that I did. The artist's first release with Apocalyptic Witchcraft, this physical only release seems to combine his love of traditional melodic black metal with that of his more electronic and keyboard influenced work. But let's be honest, there's a bit more to it than that.

Let's take a trip through each of these four pieces, starting with the opener, “No Blizzard.” We're greeted by familiar tremolos, which certainly verge on the icy and feel worthy of the name Frozen Ocean. Vaarwel's gruff vocal approach comes in, sounding closer to death metal than black metal, but it fits the tone of the music perfectly and brings about a sense of sorrow that is even greater accentuated by the keyboard generated icicles. I like that it enters a jaunty little electronic section, which I found awesome. The next track, “Once Aglow” jumps right into sorrow, where I often find my muse in Torii. I'm reminded of Agalloch or Woods Of Ypres in the piece, which really seems to pile on the despair and makes me smile with glee. The vocal approach is still quite gruff, but it fits so well with the music here that I'm quite satisfied. There's a certain sadness here that the listener can feel and will appreciate. That being said, there's a great deal of black metal spirit here as well. It's not funerary black metal in the howls and nonsense, but it feels a bit more matured and natural. I can sense the depression, it doesn't feel like a joke.

Then we have “Det Siste Snofallet” which is an instrumental, but such a powerful piece that vocals were forming in my head just listening to it. As I've been doing this sort of thing for a long time, that just happens sometimes. I guess it's easy to say that the piece spoke to me. It definitely pays a sort of tribute to the Norwegian scene, with a nearly mantric tremolo that I can't get out of my head and have a million things to bellow forth as I listen. I've listened to this piece at least three times so far and it's definitely my favorite on a short disc with so many strong numbers. I only find myself a bit confused as to why there weren't any vocals, especially when they'd have had such a presence here. After that impressive piece, we have the finale in the album's title track. Carrying on much of the same feel as the rest of the disc, it's great to hear some vocal element fronting the tremolos again. Vaarwel knows his way around a melody, as is not only demonstrated by the composition (these are excellent) but also the vocal flow. Once again, this feels more like a funereal sort of death metal with black metal influence, but I'll most certainly allow that, just as much as I'll allow the laser lights that pop in so unexpectedly. If anyone can make a form of extreme metal that you can actually dance to a little bit, it's this guy.

The record could be a bit longer I feel, but I'm most certainly not upset with it. It feels like a good appetizer for what will be an even larger offering next time around. If you're a fan of depressingly melodic stuff that you can sometimes dance to, please give this one a listen. Frozen Ocean is a real trailblazer in the scene, trying out new things that most people would never think to do for some ridiculous reasons mostly harboring in the realm of elitism. It is 2016 and evolution needs to occur in heavy metal music, which is what acts like Frozen Ocean are certainly attempting with efforts like this one. Though it is just an EP, it is definitely worth a listen and I mean that. As I said, it inspired me and I didn't even see that coming!

(4 Tracks, 24:00)

9/10

Entropia - Ufonaut (2016)

Of the several acts with the name Entropia out there, (I found about seven on Metal Archives) this Polish five-piece creates a style of music that is considered “black/sludge/post” even though I'd certainly throw in experimental and electronic. With the exception of guitarist Kuba Colta, these guys have been together since the very beginnings back in 2007. Most interestingly about the band is their use of both a keyboardist (Damian Dudek) as well as a sampler (Michal Dziedzic) that makes for a pretty interesting mix of progressive sludge riffs and slightly spacial electronic elements. Sometimes the bass (Marek Cenkar) and strong drumming (Patryk Budzowski) can completely drown out the electronic elements, but that's to be expected with a sound as thick as the one I'm witnessing here. Entropia utilize vocals (Cenkar and Dziedzic) but they're often not necessary as this is the kind of record that is so textually superior that it doesn't even need working verses or a chorus. Ufonaut is an experiment in the very sense of the word, it is an atmosphere and it draws you in fairly quickly from it's out of the box and rather bizarre approach to something that I can't even call black metal. Other than Budzowski's occasional use of blast beats, there's very little here that I can even consider to be black metal – at all. I mean, if you're hearing black metal in some areas, that's fine; but I feel that with this release the act have become something far more than just black metal. There are very few acts that I just want to sit down and enjoy on a musical level like these gentlemen have delivered, and even if some of the leads and electronic bits have a rough time peering out from the thick sludge of it all, I still want to open my ears up to what I can discern as a rather potent and memorable sound. Why no one else really gave a damn about this one, I'll never know. I guess there were other things going on in January, like best of lists and whatnot.

That being said, anyone who purchases this record is in for a trip. It might sound cruel that I could literally care less about the vocal or lyrical element of this album, but I just consider Cenkar's screams to be part of the music and they don't have any bearing on the rest of the performance. Even when these guys utilize djent riffs I don't feel that I mind, because they're actually using the riffs in a style that focuses on more than just those damn riffs. Again, I feel that these guys have a few mixing issues but it could very well be my laptop speakers and you might be able to discern other things on your first listen. Ufonaut is definitely the kind of listen that I'd want to experience more than once, and at forty-three minutes you're not really devoting an awful lot of your time to it. Just don't go expecting anything familiar in terms of classic black metal and you'll be alright. I did hear some tremolos here and there and felt some nihilism in the vocals, but I wouldn't compare this to anyone else out there in the black metal scene. With some exceptions, I still stand behind my earlier observations and feel that it is very hard to consider an act like Entropia to be black metal unless they're trying very hard for that style. It's a shame that this one had to wait for so long, but I mean to cover as many of the older releases that stood out as I can. It's quite obvious that Entropia did and I'm really not in a hurry for them to release another one. They don't really have anything else that they need to prove after this sophomore and I think you'll agree that the material here on Ufonaut is good enough. Entropia are a good band and this a good album. That's a pretty simplistic description, but the album itself is most certainly not. Please give it a listen and experience it for yourself. I really hope that this one isn't too hard to find, considering that there are so many bands with similar monikers. Perhaps these Polish mad scientists will one day become the definitive version of that moniker, as this record definitely feels promising enough for them to do so.

(7 Tracks, 43:00)

8/10

Rob Zombie - The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser (2016)

Obviously thrown together at the last fucking minute, this absolute waste of fucking time actually only clocked in at about thirty-one minutes and left me unmoved. Although there are few good ideas utilized here and there and it is a surprisingly heavier disc, the album seems like it could have benefited from longer tracks and possibly a little more initiative. Our intro is pretty forgettable, with only a reverberating thump to benefit “Electric Warlock Acid Witch!” which then goes right into “Satanic Cyanide/The Killer Rocks On” a track that features more electronics, but the same approach to Hellbilly albeit in a different style. Rob Zombie used to experiment more vocally, but he's trying to go back to Hellbilly yet again here and it isn't working for him. We've already heard it, Rob. We've heard it done twice now and there's no need to go back into it. “The Life and Times of A Teenage Rock God” sounds like Zombie might think he's a Rock God for the teens of the current age, which is bullshit as I don't even want to know what the teens are digging, but it's definitely not him. The chorus is strong, there's a nice solo (and an unnecessary clip from a stage show) but once again, it's just so damn formulaic and I've already heard it. When Rob finally tried to do something new with “Everybody's Fucking In A U.F.O.” it backfires on him drastically. The track sounds like a mixture of “Jesus Built My Hot Rod” and “Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver” smushed together in a vein that makes it's sound like an old drunk fool yammering about in complete fucking gibberish. Quite possibly, this is the worst song he's ever attached to his name. What in the hell was he thinking? “A Hearse That Overturns...” comes across as a relatively decent instrumental, where soundclips move into acoustic soundscapes and make a difference. You see, Rob's band is doing a great job on this record. The problem is, Rob Zombie himself isn't.

“...Gore Whore” adds seventies style keyboards to what sounds like sort of party rock. It's decent enough, kind of catchy. But nothing out of the ordinary. “Meditation For The Melancholy” is a little bit better, as it's a more hard-driving number, but it ends abruptly. One of the disc's only good tracks “...Get High” starts off oddly just like “More Human Than Human” and seems to deliver in it's Nu-Metal thumps, as well as an unexpected solo. Rob Zombie's actually on his game here, but the chorus I feel might have hit better if I was still in high school and not about to turn thirty-one myself. The chorus is literally nothing but “Get, get, get, get, high!” over and over, which sounds like it was just kind of slapped together. “Super Doom Hex Gloom Pt. 1” is another instrumental, but it works pretty well if you like keyboard soundscapes as much as I do. “In The Bone Pile” is a decent Hellbilly style song, but once again it shows that Rob is definitely overdoing it with that approach. There are already a bunch of songs that sound similar and this is truly formulaic as hell. “Get Your Boots On/ That's The End of Rock and Roll” comes in with a party rock feel, along with a weird chorus that doesn't really do any of his previous choruses justice. What in the hell was he thinking here? Even a decent solo section can't save this retread. The album ends with the unexpectedly interesting “Wurdalak” though, which actually distorts Rob's voice a little bit and has some threatening thumps. What I found was very odd and a perhaps foreshadowing a little about the man's music career, is the extremely forlorn piano piece that appears at the end of the record. It is definitely a sad piece, backed with wind and thunder which sort of seems like Rob Zombie's death knell in regards to his musical endeavors. He is starting to get a little older (that's obvious just from looking at the cover) so maybe he's lamenting his own demise, especially with so many celebrities dying as of late. There is the actual possibility that Rob might have felt that he was next or something, and wanted to hurry up and get this record out as quickly as possible. Maybe he thought that last track was supposed to be a remembrance piece to him, and was expecting to have died before the record released. In that case, it would have been fitting there.

If nothing else, this absurdly long album title and it's absurdly long track titles are very much reminiscent of classic Rob Zombie. If nothing else, this retread seems like a celebration of all that he's done over the past couple of decades and I can understand that. That being said, maybe it's time that he stick to movies and veer away from music for a while. His latest musical performance DVD was nearly unwatchable, as he nearly butchered classics in an effort to go through them as quickly as possible. I really hope this means that “31” won't be rushed through as well, because as of right now, that's the only thing from him that I'm looking forward to right now. I really wouldn't care if he ever released another disc, if this is all we're going to get. If you need to hear Rob Zombie, then La Sexorcisto, Astro-Creep 2000 and Past/Present/Future are really all you need. Everything else just seems to be retread at this point, which makes this record an unnecessary addition to your Rob Zombie collection. As a commenter on social media put it, “Rob Zombie needs to spend less time making ridiculously long song and album titles, and more time writing actual music.” That I believe, says it best.

(12 Tracks, 31:00)

5/10

AlgomA/Chronobot - Split (2016)

When you mix sludge and electronics together, you get Canada's AlgomA which sounds just as you might expect – thick drudging riffs, furious grooves and a mix of both deep growls (Pthisis) and harsh screams (Electric Fence.) It has some potential and I can't say that I've ever heard electronics infused into such thickly composed sludge before. Honestly, it's pretty cool. As for fellow Canucks Chronobot, they actually have more of a psychedelic feeling to them, taking us on a trip laced with death, doom and good old Alan Moore approved LSD. Some the effects need to come up in the mix a little and I'm having a tough time hearing them over the bluesy sludge, but I'm certainly not going to turn down this interesting of a performance. If Acid Witch was really on acid, you'd get something that sounds like this, proving that keyboards really make a difference in groovy blues/doom. All in all, this is a damn good split from two really stellar and certainly out of the box metal acts. To say that their approach isn't all that common is an understatement. I hope both continue and further evolve their approaches in the future.

(5 Tracks, 24:00)

8/10

Ofghost - Of Sound Mind (2016)

Finland's Ofghost continue to make their atmospheric style of black and death metal on this third full-length album. Fans of the band shouldn't expect much to veer from that formula, even though the recording is a little lo-fi and sometimes it's a bit hard to discern the background synths over the programmed drums. It considers itself “riff-driven” and I can certainly hear that here in the mix. There seems to be quite a bit of riff progression, and things almost get to a level that can come off as quite technical in retrospect. Even though the record does feature synth atmospheres, Ofghost certainly stick to more extreme metal territories, particularly that of black metal, which I've noticed a bit more than anything else (apart from doom passages.) The record is performed completely in the band's native Finnish, but that shouldn't deter you from listening to it. These Finns do embrace electronics from time to time, so if you absolutely cannot have even a hint of an electronic beat in your black metal, then Ofghost may not be for you. Oddly enough, the band also employs the use of unexpected clean vocal chants, which sometimes are not even accompanied by any sort of musical backing at all. It's bizarre, but different and most notably Finnish. With a very successful DIY effort put forth here, I think that adventurous fans of extreme metal will quite enjoy this disc. You've just got to be ready for it, because like most Finnish experimentalism, it creeps up on you and can see one song changing quickly to another. I'm quite pleased that they reached out to me with this release and the end result is a very solid and satisfying effort. Three discs under their belt, and plenty of promise here. I'd certainly like to hear what the future will entail for these gentlemen.

(7 Tracks, 26:00)

7/10

Ihsahn - Arktis. (2016)

Well, old Ihsahn is back with a brand new disc full of old man metal for old man ears. Fortunately, I'm getting a bit older myself and feel that I can appreciate these old man tunes just as much as the artist who wrote them. All kidding aside, I think that Ihsahn fans are going to be very pleased with what I felt as of the first listen, was an absolutely memorable record. Some have said that it is a very proggy album and I can attest to that, but what we've really got here is a much fiercer sounding recording, which is quite a bit different from the nearly commercial effort that we received with the artist's previous record, Das Seelenbrechen. It is also worth noticing that Arktis, like many of Ihsahn's first few solo outings, starts with an “A.” We have Adversary, angL, After and now Arktis continuing that fashion, and almost feeling like it belongs with those albums, because indeed it does. Arktis does have the black metal of Adversary, the experimentalism of angL and the watercolour soundscapes present in After. Yet it has so much more than just that, as I will full detail for you. I love going through massive releases in a song by song fashion, allowing me to re-explore the record and produce my finds for you in a very authentic way that feels a bit more intimate than the short paragraph summary of a record.

(We will be removing the period at the end of Arktis here, because it makes my word processing program go berserk as it wants to capitalize after every period in place. Maybe he shouldn't use punctuation at the end of an album title next time, even though I have a funny feeling that he did it just to screw with journalists and reviewers.)

The first song here is “Disassembled” which has an obvious progressive rock nature to it, coupled with Ihsahn's surprisingly harsh vocal nodes, which you certainly don't expect to come biting your ears off in the very beginning. Additionally we have the clean tones of Leprous frontman Einar Solberg, who definitely takes the song in a more accessible direction. Ultimately it makes for a truly pulse-pounding chorus, which I think is the strong point here. Next we have Matt Heafy guesting on “Mass Darkness” which first starts out with a very classic sounding metal lead, until it rolls into some interesting progressive and harsh vocal territory. The song kicks up and carries with it a thrashing nature, which pounds into one of Heafy's patented solos. This is very different territory for Ihsahn, but it definitely works. “My Heart Is Of The North” comes off as extreme-tinged progressive metal, with more of that familiar harsh vocal tone, until... wait! We have a rather unexpected atmosphere section where Ihsahn rolls out some clean lines and then toys with some Opeth as thundering riffs and frantic keyboards remind us of completely of the seventies. “South Winds” takes a bit turn from the previous material, as electronics compose a great deal of the piece, with After influenced clean prog leads backing an After styled clean vocal chorus. As I said, the electronics stay in place throughout the whole song, but the clean leads proliferate through the piece, ultimately becoming a bit of a thicker, yet slightly Rush inspired sort of extreme metal mixture. It's definitely something different, and certainly not everyone will get it. But these kinds of experiments are just another reason why I have a lot of respect for this project. Next we have another experiment in “In The Vaults” which starts a bit peculiarly, but the piece eventually finds it's strength in a mixture of clean lines, clean leads and vocal harmonizing that sometimes duets with the familiar harsh notions already pervasive throughout most of this record. On second listen I don't find this one as memorable, but it's certainly not entirely forgettable either.

Moving onto the second half of the recording, we have “Until I Too Dissolve” which starts out as an electronic piece and moves into AOR territory. Yes, you heard me. Ihsahn put on a fake wig for this one and pretended to be a member of Ratt or Whitesnake for a while. There are still some scowls on the piece (surprisingly) even though it mostly uses clean vocals (and trust me folks, he's really going full eighties with these, almost rolling right into falsettos) which comes off a bit interesting to me, even though some will obviously wonder what the hell is going on here. I have a feeling that something like this could work well on the stage, but I'm not sure if Ihsahn still tours with this project. I don't believe that he does. “Pressure” comes next, as the longest track on the album (minus the bonus, which we'll mention a bit later) and a progressive freakout if there ever was one. There is an obvious orchestral influence here, which serves to bring an already extreme prog track into an even more pompous level of grandiosity, but it seems to work wonders for what might come off as one of the disc's most weighty moments especially for those who miss the kind of black metal that this guy used to make. “Frail” comes directly afterwords as the disc's shortest track. It mixes electronics in with harsh vocals and some very light acoustic nodes. It has a bouncy nature that allows for keyboard explosions and occasional grooves, picking up on one of the disc's few solos. Thankfully, it is a very tasteful solo and shows that what we heard from Heafy was great, but Ihsahn still can write and play just as well as he's always been able to. The catchy vocal chorus here also works well as an earworm, just as we'd expect with Ihsahn discs as of late. Next we have a much more romantic side of Ihsahn, called “Crooked Red Line” which features the saxy tones of Jorgen Munkeby who plays the sax for Leprous. Ihsahn doesn't really use the harsh vocals much in the beginning of this noir-esque piece, but later rolls right into them as Munkeby plays the saxophone like his life depends on it. With such crisp acoustic riffs and comfy drumming over on the kit, the song takes a very calm approach, sans it's hefty climax. “Celestial Violence” is the disc's closing moment and delivers a surprisingly heavy moment to end this excursion. The song begins on a lighter note, but becomes increasingly heavy to allow for well-placed scowls in addition to Solberg's clean guest vocals. He provided cleans at the beginning of the record, and provides them at the end as well. Quite fitting, I feel. There's a section to which Solberg truly gives it his all, just like on the last Leprous record, The Congregation (did you hear it? We loved it here at the Tower) as the track soon becomes a harsh/light duet between the two, in a refrain that truly shows the best of both vocalists.

There's no better way to end it than this, which is why we didn't really need the album's bonus track (which is only available on the limited edition) “Til For Ulven.” Now, I know what you're thinking – that title is in Norwegian, so surely this is a return to his black metal work for the fans, right? Wrong. “Til For Ulven” is a painfully boring attempt at a soundscape and spoken word that I think you'll only really be able to understand if you can understand the Norwegian language. Perhaps the scribes at Metal Archives took the time to translate it, but to me it just sounds like an old man reading some old book, accompanied by piano. He might as well be reading the phone book over there, as I'm quite bored to tears and you will be as well. Even when the metal and harsh vocals come in, it's already too late because we've had to sit through that old man reading for seven minutes. Plus, it's just a repeating riff that feels kind of tacked on. We didn't really need any of whatever this is supposed to be and on the second listen, I'm still not quite enthralled by it. If he's going to make a soundscape, he needs to make a soundscape - not this. I'm actually pretty shocked that such a track would be offered as a special limited edition bonus and wouldn't recommend getting the special edition for it, especially if it costs more than the regular edition of the album. This little experiment is not worth more of your hard-earned money than the original record, which is ultimately a good experience in all of it's experimental and out of the box nature.

On this second listen, I'm re-evaluating the above opinion a bit and I'll say that I don't consider Arktis an absolutely phenomenal record as I had on the first listen. That being said, it's still a very pleasing experience and well worth the listen. It's much heavier in some instances, albeit weirder in others and you just have to be ready for anything. Ihsahn pulls a lot of punches and you never really know what you're going to get from song to song or even what some songs will evolve into. It's definitely an experiment in music theory in general, which may prove far too much for some listeners. I have a good feeling that some of you will have no idea as to what in the hell is actually going on here, and that's fine. If you're one of those that can't stand paint being thrown on a canvas, although at times very beautiful and quite intriguing, you may want to pass. For those who are up for this adventure however, it's definitely going to be everything that you expected and then some.

(11 Tracks, 58:00 – 10 Tracks, 49:00 on original)

8/10

Abisso - WRNSS (2016)

Abisso is an atmospheric black metal project that I can only describe as a mantra of bitter darkness. Hailing from Sardinia, the two man group is composed of G (Alzheimer – Really, there's a band by that name?) on guitars and M (ex-Cold Empire, ex-Crowned In Thorns) on vocals. One of these gentlemen also programs the drums and effects as well, because I'm certainly hearing them and I'm quite sure they didn't employ ghosts. In any case, what the band has considered to be black metal often sounds to me more like a sort of soundscapey death metal.

Obviously there are more tremolo riffs than thick death metal grooves (you'll be really lucky to hear any of those here) but G's vocals are a bit thicker than I'd expect and give off a much grittier death metal tone. The listener will be getting a very slow, yet calculated meditation here which does in fact contain some rather grandiose sections, in addition to places where the drums are piled on a bit thicker and the performance feels a bit livelier. It almost feels as if a bit of trudging doom found it's way into this mix, melding in perfectly with the tremolo melodies in order to give the experience a decidedly grim and menacing feel.

Once again, the record does feature bits of speed, but Abisso seem to be more interested in crafting rather forlorn melodies, instead of blasting your damn head off with a machine-gun drum approach. WRNSS is definitely a record with a sense of purpose, so it you like it slow and yet still vicious, chances are that you're going to want to put this five section piece into your collection. I must admit, this is a rather promising debut for a band that hadn't even released a demo under this moniker and I'd like to hear what they'll be doing with this style in the future. It's a little bit of black, doom, electronic and even some death I think – and that's what will draw people in. Give it a listen.

(5 Tracks, 36:00)

8/10

The Burning Dogma - No Shores Of Hope (2016)

Italy's The Burning Dogma have been around for much longer than you may have expected, even though they've just now put out their first formal debut. The band began in 2006, released a live CD in 2010, followed by an EP in 2012 and then this recording of which I'm listening to right now. As with all albums I review, this isn't the first time I've listened to it, and I can still hear now how the whole “doom/death” moniker might need to be changed a great deal from what Metal Archives has for them. That's because ladies and germs, The Burning Dogma are so much more than a mere “doom/death” act. As a matter of fact, these Italians seem to write whatever kind of metal they want to play and care not for genre-constrictions of concerns. Melodic death metal? Check. Technical death metal? Check. Electronic atmosphere? You got it. Groove death? Yep. While the band never really jump into black metal, they still do quite a bit of genre hopping and really don't mind capping the heavy stuff at times for electronic melodies and whirls. Maybe the new branding for these guys could go something like “melodic death metal/electronic” and yeah, that also involves a female vocal approach at times. She's not credited, but she does a great job from what I've heard and will hopefully stay in the band. In any case, the frontman elicits either a throaty growl or a harsh scowl (which is expectable, but I seldom hear anyone trying a different vocal approach for this genre of music) that I feel definitely goes with the death metal aspect of the band, and certainly compliments the female vocals when they're utilized. He also uses a clean vocal sometimes, as we might expect and I've no complaints with either the harsh or clean approaches here. They're both solid and work with the material. But when you listen to No Shores Of Hope, you can't just expect a song to come off ungodly heavy at the start and to be honest, there are only seven real tracks of real metal on this thirteen track release. The rest of these pieces equal out to seven minutes of electronic interludes which some might find a little unnecessary until you find out what kind of band these guys are. Sometimes they'll throw in electronics for a second just because they can, but it certainly does work to an experimental edge. That really depends on the listener though. If you're willing to sit aside your heaviness for a few seconds while these guys play around with spatial atmospheres, then I think you're going to like what they've crafted here.

This being said, let's talk about what I haven't mentioned yet, the riffs and the playing. There are two guitarists in the band and both seem to give it their all. I'm noticing a great deal of memorable riffs and some rather light but noticeable solos. These compositions feel like the product of a great deal of time and effort, so I'm glad that they're finally getting their chance to shine on this release. When combined with the synths and electronic pieces, they seem to stand out rather well too, but these guys seem like they want to pile on the electronics and that might be too much for the death metal listener. These kinds of bands become more cult-natured than anything else and often lead listeners into confusion. We often wonder as to whether or not these guys want to be a death metal style act, or an electronic one and perhaps that will be revealed in time. They certainly have the elements of both and know when to make things menacing, as well as when to make them sound like they came out of a science fiction movie marathon. It will be a very challenging disc for the listener as it's not easily accessible, but perhaps that's a good thing. One of the lyrical topics that the band are accredited with is left wing politics (oddly enough) which I'm not completely hip to, but even being a bit of a red-pill, I'll recommend this disc. That's because I'm not here to judge bands on their political standings, I'm here to judge them on their musical performances. Saying little more, I think that metal listeners have something to look forward to from Italy's The Burning Dogma and I really hope that this won't be the last one they release. It's a strong debut, a little different (and that's okay) but strong nonetheless. There's quite a bit of promise here and I'd most certainly recommend it.

(13 Tracks, 49:00)

8/10

Ragestorm - The Thin Line Between Hope and Ruin (2016)

Italy's Ragestorm originally started out as a joke back in 2004, but the band have been going on for more than a decade now. In all that time, they've never released a major debut and we finally have that here in the raw, but meaningful The Thin Line Between Hope and Ruin. The lyrics are based on various conspiracies, some of which I believe are possible, while others are truly science fiction. (I believe that Reptilians are a joke that Icke personally uses to discredit and not draw too much attention to some of the other more considerable things he mentions, yes – regardless of the books he's written. You'll do a lot when you're trying to government agencies off your back.) In any case, we get a mixture of melodic death and groove metal, which still sounds at a bit of an infantile stage, yet still manages to make a dent. “Acid Tears” sounds like one of the better mid-era Hypcorsy tracks, while closer “Reaching The Impossible” reminds me a little more of Insomnium. You'll also hear Dark Tranquillity, In Flames and At The Gates references here, there's no getting around that.

My only problem with the record is that there simply isn't enough here to really differentiate them from other melodic death metal acts of both the past and present. I'm hearing some nice leads here and there, some sweet guitar solos every once in a while and whatnot – but aside from a little electronic piece in “Hari Sheldon's Speech Feat. The Boylerz” there's not much here that really distinguishes these guys from other acts. They're just kind of run of the mill melodic death metal, and they'll need to really step it up a notch before I can really take notice of them. Granted, the record is a solid listen that has it's share of memorable bells and whistles, but I don't think it's anything to write home about yet.

That being said, these guys should definitely keep going and hopefully the next record will offer a little bit more or even a great deal more than this one. You know, it could be the fact that the vocals are so damn loud and the guitars are pushed so close to the back that the whole listen just rubbed me the wrong way. Perhaps the frontman just needs to turn himself down a notch or two and see how it sounds. Go back and listen to some of those early melodic death records – I never remembered the vocals being that high in the mix. As a matter of fact, I'd rather it if I could barely hear the vocals among the instruments because that's how it used to be. The vocals were there, but they were just a different instrument. Think of In Flames Whoracle for example. That's a favorite of mine and I'm sure it's one of yours too. Never were Anders' vocals that loud in the mix. Let's even go to Japanese melodeath like Veiled In Scarlet. You can't really hear the vocals that much, but they're there. What you do notice is the melodies, the leads. I know it's too late to repress the record, but these vocals have just got to come down. I want to hear more of the guitars, more of the drums, more of the performance – not blaring vocals in my ear. If they'd fix this, maybe I could even come to give this record a better score. When one element is louder than the others, it kills the performance as a whole and I learned that while mixing our third album. Less is more.

All this being said and noted, The Thin Line Between Hope and Ruin is still just a first step for these guys, and it shows that they definitely want to be a serious melodic death metal act. They just need a little bit more work and we'll see where they go from there. It's a bit tough to recommend the disc, but I wouldn't shy you away from it if you were interested.

(11 Tracks, 52:00)

7/10

SOV - Aklamerad Kalamitet (2016)

SOV are a raw black metal act that differ a bit from other acts of their type, which is why I'm reviewing them. These guys like to utilize slight industrial elements, out of place guitar solos and completely out of character folk pieces that show the listener immediately that SOV aren't just another black metal band. While the tremolos are still there, and for the most part the blasts, there's enough in lieu of experimentation to make this kind of thing stand out a bit more than similar styles that you've already heard. The final two tracks on the album actually break the black metal formula completely for more of a dark/death metal feel, which once again utilizes more electronics. Especially on the disc's finale, where female vocals appear just as much as Ministry, Skinny Puppy and Rammstein level industrial electronic beats. SOV are a little hard to hear right now and I'm not really sure if they're going to get the recognition that they deserve from this effort. But if they keep up this level of originality and out of the box thinking when it comes to metal, there's no telling where they could go from here. I do recommend this one and I think you'll find something in it. Please give it a listen.

(6 Tracks, 24:00)

7/10

Entheos - The Infinite Nothing (2016)

Entheos is a technical death metal act made up of former members of The Faceless and Animals As Leaders. You can sort of imagine what this leads to, as the record not only contains the sort of progressive/technical influx that we'd expect from such an act, but it also seems to embrace electronic atmospheres, some of which are used in the background of certain tracks, while others become standalone pieces entirely. Those expecting a severe technical performance are certainly getting one here, complete with all the trimmings from thrash, death and even core semblances; even though I still feel the whole thing sounds like an indiscernible jumble of various ideas and extremities that sometimes work and other times simply do not. Guitar solos just seem to creep up sporadically, just as much as the electronic bits I've mentioned and there doesn't really seem to be a flow to this substance.
The Infinite Nothing can sound very ADD at times and seems like it's missing a real sense of riff-matter. I'm certainly not going to turn it away because of that, as the guys do come off rather fast and furious and what they deliver certainly comes off pretty interesting, much more than similar acts, especially in the deathcore realm of things.

If there's anything that I can really say came out to me here, it was indeed the electronic pieces and the tiny prog parts that gave the music a chance to breathe. You and I both know that there are several acts playing this kind of tech-death who've completely forgotten to give their songs air, and their records have caused me to suffocate quite a bit in the process. Yet here, I'm not getting that. While The Infinite Nothing is still a bit thick, slightly raw and mightily heavy; it does carry with it a sense of purpose and I feel that's what makes all of it's chaotic sporadity stick out. Even though you have to really dive in a bit before you start hearing some real riff-melodies (An Ever-Expanding Human) it's still worth checking out for those looking to stay in the more commercial realms of this genre. I hope that with the next album they'll branch out a little more. This is fine for now, but I want to hear something grander, possibly not so sporadic and not quite so one-dimensional in the vein of tech-death in the future. I feel that many of the same riffs and riff-structures are being used, with the band defaulting to breakdowns or little prog-parts when they're tired the speedy stuff that makes up most of this listen. Ultimately, the record is relatively solid and still worth checking out, but I'm afraid that I'm just going to have to hear a little bit more from them before I can really say I'm a believer.

(8 Tracks, 40:00)

7/10

Gigantic Brain - Self-Titled (2016)

Gigantic Brain are back after a long time of silence, and despite being a very experimental act, one might think they're having a little bit of an identity crisis? I know that's odd coming from a man like me, who revels in all things obscure and unique, but I'm not really sure what's going on here. The previous recordings from Gigantic Brain were all very much rooted in a much heavier vein of death metal, but this Self-Titled seems like a reinvention for the band. There are still loads of electronic elements, vocal filters and harsh vocal elements. I see what they're trying to do here, but it seems lessened a little bit. Most interestingly is the inclusion of clean vocals, which I haven't heard on any of their records prior and seems a little bit off-kilter for the band. This is almost as big a change as when Ulver quite playing black metal to pursue electronica. Gigantic Brain were very death metal and were rooted mainly in experimental brutal death, but this... well, this almost sounds commercial. There are even a couple of tracks on the disc that go a little over the three minute mark, which is pretty uncommon for these guys. Even the death metal portion on “Leaking Out Of Your Mouth” sounds more like modern groove-influenced death metal, rather than you know, the kind of stuff they had been playing. Most of the cuts mainly offer a short atmosphere here and there and just add a little more wind to the album, but when we get to “Our Dam” I'm very closely reminded of industrial alternative rock/Nu-Metal acts like American Head Charge or The Deftones. One might really wonder as to what in the hell these guys are doing, but there's no doubt that the music encapsulated here could appear to a big-wig in the recording industry, as soon as he decides that the band be ever further watered down to the point where they literally are just an Industrial/Nu-Metal act and 9/10 songs sound just like the aforementioned. Though I will commend the band on continuing to experiment, this record shows that they are going in a more accessible direction with their music. One thing can be ascertained from the listen though and that's the band want to be more of an electronic rock act than a metal one, period. Even closer “I Fly The Unicorn” uses programmed drums, short acoustics and piano pieces instead of any real guitar influence. It still sounds like Gigantic Brain in some sense and it still has merit, but I think people are going to be more interested in their early work after the band become commercially famous from whatever proceeds this. IwrestledABearOnce showed us that a band can still be as experimental as hell and get signed to a big label, so I think these guys could very much end up the same way. This Self-titled is definitely out there, but it's still pretty simplistic and a little more straight-forward than some of their past work has been. It's not anything I would have personally expected from the band and shows that they're really not sure what in the hell they want to do yet. I really hope they find out, or go back to doing what they do best. Maybe they'll release some more material to give us a better understanding as to what they want to do, because I'm going to admit that I'm kind of lost.

(11 Tracks, 25:00)

7/10

BabyMetal - Metal Resistance (2016 Bonsai Bonus)

Well, it's April Fools and I guess you think I'm joking regarding this BabyMetal review, right? Well, I'm definitely not joking (and we'll have the regularly scheduled Church Of Misery up for the next Bonsai Bonus) as the record came out today and I've just finished listening to it. You might remember my review of the debut, in addition to a little bit of history about the band and how they're technically the product of a Japanese talent agency. I feel no need to get into that right now, but what I will say is that most of the songs on the BabyMetal debut album went all of the way back to 2006 if not further, and were virtually “old” material. Well, Metal Resistance changes all that with something we've all wanted from this fucking band – structure. As much as I love the experimental Japanese scene, that record was literally all over the place and it felt as if they had just thrown a bunch of shit together and called it a day. Apparently the several musicians responsible for this project decided that they wanted to make a more cohesive record, that closer resembles that of the current Japanese and western metal scene and offers a slightly different approach with each track. We get that here, but we also get evolving songs that slowly allow for other pieces to come into play, rather than making us play WarioWare with their music, which simply didn't work all that well. In other words, I can solidify that BabyMetal have made a more mature album that pushes their silliness aside and further showcases not only the impeccable musicianship of the band, but the ever-increasing awesomeness of the band's J-Pop idol, Su-Metal. Let's just face facts, Suzuka is absolutely incredible. She's definitely up there with some of the very best female vocalists I've heard in the country, and she really belts it out on this record. But let's go track-by-track here, so that I can explain to you just what has done here. As a word of full disclosure, you are reading this article as a fan of Japanese female fronted music, whether that be J-Rock, J-Pop or J-Metal. Covering Japanese acts is nothing new for us here at the Tower and I'm glad that I am once again able to do so. If you do not like female fronted Japanese music, you will not like this record in any way, shape or form. You absolutely must be a fan of this genre of music to even be able to grasp what I'm going to be talking about for the majority of this review.

The first song, “Road Of Resistance” was originally offered as a bonus track on their last one, but I never heard it – and if I did, I don't remember it sounding like this. What the band have done here is to channel Dragonforce and with what I'd consider a one-hundred percent musical emulation. The beginning of the album starts out with the sort of grandiose feeling that one might get from a Japanese power metal act, like Dragon Guardian for example. Interestingly enough, despite the Dragonforce emulation (or is that really Herman-Li, I can't tell?) this track actually features a great duet between the harsh and clean vocals that also opens up for an incredibly Japanese power metal influenced chorus (think Iron Attack) as well as what really might be a solo section from Herman-Li. At this point, I literally can't tell, and the vocalizing from Suzuka completely accents the piece beyond expectation. People might laugh at you, but the song definitely kills. “Karate” came next, which is definitely a djent piece, but there's something interesting about it, which doesn't really begin until Suzuka starts singing. I never thought the J-Pop influenced chorus melody and vocal style would work so well with the grooves, but they do. We are soon reminded that there are two other girls in the band at this point and they prove that they simply shouldn't exist in this project to begin with. I would have rather heard more lines from Suzuka than to be exposed to their silliness. An atmosphere actually comes into play towards the end of the song, and it continues after one hard-hitting chorus and solo combo. There's apparently a video for this and I'd really like to see it myself. Especially how they tackle the part with the piano, the vocalization and the mist. That's fucking beautiful.

Moving on, we get into “Awadama Fever” which doesn't work for me at all. I see what they're trying to do here with the industrial drum n bass, but it's a little bit too Studio Ghibli for me. The track evolves into some heavier sections with electronic whizzes, but I just don't think it works for me. I appreciate the experiment, it's very cohesive and doesn't feel like a mess, but it's just not palatable for me. I guess it is pretty catchy though. “Yava” however, felt a little more interesting. Now this kind of electronic experiment felt a little more authentic to J-Rock and if you've heard as much of it as I have, then you're going to notice that immediately. It's a very dancey track, with an obvious surf-rock flair that is soon decorated with some heavier sections. The chorus is strong, the harsh vocals provide little backing shouts. I guess it's alright, but the harsh vocal element almost feels unnecessary. It's extremely catchy and only gets catchier with time. “Amore” comes next, feeling like a ballad at first, but it's not time for that yet. Instead, we get a very traditional (Iron Attack) female approach to power metal that has some classical influence. So basically, Iron Attack, right? Yeah but hell, most people have never heard this stuff and if it gets them into Japanese power metal, then great. The solo is performed rather well, just as we'd expect. I mean, it's a Japanese power metal cut. We know what we're getting and I'm fine with that. I love it. Now here's where things get interesting, as “Meta Taro” is a triumphant folk-influenced war march. Yes, you heard me right. What it makes me think of, is the possible scenario that could occur should all of our Japanese produced wifu robots decide to rebel against their human masters. What you're hearing might sound like a happy little march to war, but when I think of wifu bots readying tanks and blasting this out of loud speakers at human troops, I shiver a little bit with fear. Ladies and gentlemen, “Meta Taro” could literally be the war march that signals our demise. I can literally hear the sounds of marching boots in the background as “Meta Taro! Meta Taro!” resounds like an alarm in my head.

One of our special American tracks here is a weird electronic rock thing called “From Dusk Till Dawn.” It sounds like a Celldweller piece with hushed vocals, and feels a bit thrown together. The Japanese get something far different and I'd really like to hear it. It's called “Syncopation” and you can bet that I'll be hunting it down. “GJ” however, sounds like a mix of djent, rap and silliness that I absolutely hated with a passion. The track didn't work well for me at all and even the chorus couldn't save it. The next track feels a little unfair. It begins with some sort of evil robotic voice and goes into brutal death metal territory. Suzuka has a strong chorus here, but the approach just doesn't go with the song at all, especially being as damn heavy as it is. This is the kind of thing we'd hear from an act like Cryptopsy and it doesn't fit with this vocal style. I think a lot of heads will be very upset with this one and it might make them hate the band even more than they do. I just don't think it worked and other Japanese bands like Undead Corporation and Merging Moon do a much better job with this stuff. I'm all for experiments, but you might really fucking hate this one. It all depends on your tastes. After such a heavy piece, we're given what sounds like the ending music to a great visual novel. “No Rain, No Rainbow” is a J-Rock ballad. There is absolutely nothing metal about it and that is fine. This song is purely why I absolutely love J-Pop and J-Rock, because nothing to date has been more passionate in my ears. Whether it is a male vocal, or female vocal, the Japanese express love in a way that musically astound me every time. I should mention that this is a solo track from Suzuka and I'd personally love to see an entire record with just her on it. I'd certainly pick that one up. With every great Japanese rock ballad since the days of X-Japan, there is a simply incredibly solo piece there to accent it as well. This damn piece nearly brings me to tears and it's one reason I believe there is hope for this band yet. Absolutely fucking beautiful. I'd love to hear this in an anime, game, visual novel or something. It should decorate a wonderful piece of artwork, a powerful romance, something that touches me as much as I have been touched by other Japanese works.

The band is not finished yet though, as one of the most musically complex songs that I've ever heard from the band comes up next with the astonishing “Tales Of The Destinies.” Now, I know you're going to hate it when the other two girls come into vocalize silly lines before Suzuka comes in, because it kills the musical compositions for me. I feel as if they're defecating over extravagantly good pieces and such vocal sections simply seem out of place. The piece is hugely progressive, think Dream Theater for sure – and it exercises that a great deal through the song in ways that I can't even describe. There's even a really awesome keyboard solo piece, that goes into an even more awesome guitar solo. It's wonderfully constructed and you're not even going to believe that it's BabyMetal. They do try to put a little bit of Japanese power metal influence into it, which is something that I'd consider purely Japanese. Amaerican or European acts wouldn't do that, yet they do pump some pop style elements into their own music. Dream Theater have done this several times and I've little complained. The finale of Metal Resistance comes in the form of another exclusive bonus track called “The One.” It's interesting to note that the Japanese version of this track is “unfinished.” Yet here we have a finished version in English, which is actually much better than I've heard from Japanese to English vocal translations and seems vocally competent. She almost sounds like a western singer. The piece is a ballad, but it's a very well performed one and could also be used in a game/anime exc. Perhaps that would be the Japanese version, though. The song is the longest on the record (and there's a video for it, which I'll have to check out) and it allows the band to experiment a little beyond the ballad nature of the original piece. Not so much though, as it's very chorus heavy. The guitar leads for the chorus definitely decorate the piece rather well and escape into the misty end, where it goes into a rather tasteful vocalization. This is a piece that people will be playing for years, as well as the whole album itself.

Observation concluded, it's safe to say that with an album this strong and musically competent, BabyMetal aren't going anywhere. I actually expected this to be awful, so you can only imagine how shocked I am. Hell, I'll almost believe in God, Christ, Heaven and Hell at this point; because I can't believe that such a record exists. I feel as though I'm in The Twilight Zone and I'm being presented with a record that should not be. This is the literal thing that should not be, folks. I feel that God is going to reveal himself and say to me, “April Fools! This isn't the real BabyMetal record” as he hands me something that I expected, which would have been more random silliness and slapped together metal. Though facts are facts and what I've heard definitely does the Japanese metal scene justice. It's not Sigh, it's not Kadenzza, Flagitious Idiosyncrasy In The Dilapidation, Dir En Grey or Boris, but it definitely pulls it's own weight amongst some of those Japanese greats. BabyMetal have certainly cemented themselves and I'd certainly consider this record as memorable as that of Unlucky Morpheus's Rebirth Revisited and Yousei Teikoku's Shadow Corps(e). Its further proof that they have a place here in metal, regardless of what some listeners might think. They've done justice to the genre and have redeemed themselves in my eyes, which is all that I feel is important. I still feel that Suzuka is the main vocalist of the act however, and as “No Rain, No Rainbow” shows, it should be that way permanently. In any case, I definitely recommend you pick up Metal Resistance, though only if you are a fan of Japanese female fronted music. If you don't like the base element, you won't enjoy it being thrown into metal, electronic and various rock realms. Without question, Metal Resistance is one of the most unexpected albums I've heard this year, as well as one of the biggest surprises that I've had from an album for as long as I've been doing this kind of work.

Edit: Dragonforce's Herman-Li is featured on the opener, "Road Of Resistance."

(12 Tracks, 54:00)

8/10

Temple Of Gnosis - De Secretis Nosturae Alchymica (2016)

Some might look at the symbols on the record and automatically assume that this is another one of those occult black metal albums. I thought the same myself, especially after having been thrown hundreds of them last year, few of which did anything for me. I am an occultist myself, but I feel that perhaps the whole “occult black metal” thing is a bit too cliché. Which is why I've rather enjoyed this third full length from the Serbian act, as well as it's more atmospheric doom/death approach to the same subject. De Secretis Nosturae Alchymica is the kind of occult atmosphere that has balls. It really feels like Hellraiser, with the vocalist reminding me an awful lot of Doug Bradley's iconic Pinhead. It even feels like the Coil crafted soundtrack was a part of this listen (but Coil were and still are very deep occultists) which sounds perfectly fine for the atmosphere we're trying to convey. The record is half horror film and half doom/death, which I'm simply delighted by. The vocals on this record are simply unreal and positively jaw-dropping. These filters are positively amazing, and without question something I'd expect to hear while trapped in the abyss. Of course, I've always been the kind of guy to marvel at things like that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the “how evil can we sound” sort of ideal, which is something I've always loved about this kind of music. So seriously, how damn evil can we make it sound? Well, for me this record is pretty damn close. Though others might think it a little too theatrical and cheesy. Yet I think that ruins all the fun. Temple Of Gnosis personally might look at this review and see that I've called their very deep and mysterious record “fun” but I'm simply enjoying the hell out of this thing.

From a technical standpoint though, we're essentially getting symphonic and heavily atmospheric doom/death which utilizes an amazing vocal filtering software that I would abuse the hell out of had I knew what it was. I can't seriously blame this guy for utilizing it as much as he does and would have to thank the creators of such a program, as we're getting closer and closer to making man sound like the literal embodiment of a demon or perhaps even the devil himself. Temple Of Gnosis is the one record that I think a youth pastor would literally flip out over had a kid brought it in, with the whole congregation following up to the reverend himself. De Secretis Nosturae Alchymica is the living embodiment of what most Christians would believe “devil music” to sound like, and it would very much portray the kind of stereotype of a record that was made in the pits of hell. They might freak out over Marilyn Manson, but he's tame compared to something like this. Quite simply, this album feels to me like Clive Barker's world come to life. I even think that he might enjoy hearing something like this personally, even in his older age; just to know that it exists and that he may have inspired it years ago. Temple Of Gnosis have made the kind of record that seems more birthed in Midian than Cradle of Filth's disc of the same name, as it embodies the demonic underworld mindscape in which few dare to tread.

That being said, it's obvious from the lyrics that several occult topics are being discussed here in a non-joking manner. Though the grim (and I do mean grim) atmospheres are still here, if we took off all the filtering, killed the keyboards and muted the guitars, we might actually get some rather interesting occult philosophy in which to ponder. There's obviously a lot of symbolism here, as is in the best of music I find – and your job would simply be to listen and decipher it's meaning. Is it literal symbolism, or does it mean something else? You're just going to have to pick up De Secretis Nosturae Alchymica for for yourself in order to answer that question. Seriously folks, this is one of the best atmospheric death metal records that I've ever heard in my entire life, and would recommend it to anyone looking for the most “evil sounding shit” possible. This is the kind of music that will freak out most conservative parents and grandparents, it's the complete opposite of what anyone would want their kids to listen to. It's quite fearsome and might even frighten people, which is definitely a plus. I'm not even going to lie here folks, you might just give Granny a heart attack with this thing. In my personal opinion, I feel that De Secretis Nosturae Alchymica is a perfect record. I just can't say enough about how deliciously evil this one sounds. There are very few albums out there that are even remotely like it. Unfortunately, they aren't going to be able to follow this style up if they choose to continue it with another album. I wouldn't want to hear another De Secretis Nosturae Alchymica from these guys and would be very upset if that's what they were to give me in the next few years. In other words, this is literally as good as it gets and I hope they'll be able to floor me with something equally as interesting in the future. No pressure though, right? At any rate, please go pick up a copy of De Secretis Nosturae Alchymica if you're looking for something that sounds truly evil and don't mind something that might come off a little bit cheesy as well. That being said, I love this album and would consider it one of 2016's best by far. Please give it a listen.

(7 Tracks, 46:00)

10/10

The Black Queen - Fever Daydream (2016)

Fans of The Dillinger Escape Plan might be a little surprised by this electronic side project from frontman Greg Puciato. While I've always known him to have a rather pleasant clean vocal approach during some of the band's more lighter numbers, this sees Puciato traveling back the eighties – yes, if you remember GTA: Vice City, you might start to understand exactly what I'm talking about. The music here is a definite throwback to the days of wave music, and is a perfect addition to New Wave revivalism. I always felt that New Wave was very much the music of the future, much more than the electro-pop of which we're bombarded and though it shares a distant cousin, it is definitely nothing you could ever compared to the junk that's coming out of the Hollywood music industry. The record itself is actually quite intimate, and the lyrics quite passionate. I'm reminded heavily of Depeche Mode during their prime, as well as The Pet Shop Boys and possibly even The Cure in some instances. True, there aren't any guitars to be found here, but Fever Daydream is a different kind of album. It's a sort of romantic, industrial experience that many of you probably thought would never come out of Dillinger. You're also be surprised at some of the high notes that Puciato hits, showing that he could very well have been in a pop band if he'd wanted to. The man's purely a great singer and this different medium shows a very different side from him then we're used to. I believe that the screaming and rough stuff that makes up Dillinger will be back to throw us over a cliff later in the year, but for fans of classic electronic music, New Wave and most certainly even darkwave, you'll find something inside of this rather intriguing and truly intimate experience. It's not for everyone, but not everything is. I rather enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it. It's not everyday that such an approach like this is done justice. Surely, I'd consider it a perfect album that only gets better with each listen. Once again, the heavy stuff will be back later – but for now, you can sink your teeth into this unexpected and appreciated piece of music. Greg has already started this project on such a high note that I have no earthly idea as to how he'll top it with the next disc, which hopefully we won't have to wait long for.

(10 Tracks, 42:00)

10/10

BAK XII - Aut Caesar Aut Nihil (2016)

I've actually been looking forward to reviewing this one for a while now. But not because it gives me another chance to listen to the record, but because it's a rather strong electronic/industrial disc and it needs to be talked about. You can already point out the influences in this Swiss act, like KMFDM, Kraftwerk and numerous others. You can already tell that the disc is already setup in verse/chorus format, but it's catchy and done right – which is what I really care about on this kind of disc. Let's talk about it in electronic terms first. BAK XIII utilizes everything from dance club beats to chiptunes, and it all works as they’re able to structure it properly. Have you ever tried to make electronic music before? It's not exactly easy to perfect regardless of how simple some artists can make it sound. Listening to “Death Is The New Hype” as an example shows exactly how much goes into this kind of a record, guitar riffs included. While BAK XIII definitely feature guitar sections in their pieces, the music they play here is far from metal or even electronic rock. As I said, I hear an awful lot of influence here from KMFDM and definitely Kaptain K himself. But even in all that, I can hear some lighter nodes from acts like The Pet Shop Boys, who the band seem to have taken a lot of inspiration from as I’m noting with this listen. Recently, The British legends have experimented with their own dance-club friendly musings which you'll hear on their latest album Elysium, and a similar approach can be heard here. Yet as I said, chiptunes are also mixed in with that, making for an approach that I'd expect from a band that has been around for over a decade.

Though this is my first time being exposed to BAK XIII, they're certainly not a new act by any means. To electronic fans, these guys are considered veterans. Yet it's very easy to see why, as this album seems to contain just the sort of formula that makes for a commercially acceptable, yet extremely powerful electronic performance. The vocals can be harsh at times, even utilizing a bit of spoken word, but they can also bring a sort of calm clarity that makes for memorable choruses. Aut Casear Aut Nihil is the kind of record that won't just have you humming choruses, as it'll also have you in deep thought as you’re walking down the sidewalk on your way to the daily commute. Many important topics are discussed here, like religion (The Awakening) fear mongering, (Fear Is Big Business) musical integrity (Fucking Bloody Song Of Shit) escapism (Living In Video Games) and more. BAK XIII really made the sort of record that not only comes off easily accessible, but also seems to more or less be a dissertation of what is going on in today's society. If there's one song that really gelled with me, it's “We Know Nothing” which I feel is a lesson in humbleness that a great deal of people on the internet need to have shoved down their throats. There's also an unexpected oddity called “Wake Up” which explores several world music implementations. Such a piece like this might come off a bit oblong at first, but what's wrong with a song that carries a little bit of a different vibe every once in a while?

In any case, I'd highly recommend this bright and highly intelligent new release from BAK XIII who've proven that they're still just as strong as they were when they began. Aut Caesar Aut Nihil is the definition of capable electronic music in this modern age, and shows that the approach can still evolve and devour newer ideas like video game chiptunes and even (extremely light) dubstep in order to make for a disc that sounds like it belongs in 2016. Make sure you pick it up, because you'll enjoy it. I did.

(14 Tracks, 60:00)

9/10

Mesmur - Mesmur (2015)

Mesmur is a sort of symphonic doom/death project, which utilizes some elements of electronic music within it's forlorn compositions. This act is formed from members of Dalla Nebbia, but it's definitely a different can of beans as far as I'm concerned. The most interesting thing for me here was how much electronic influence was sampled right at the very beginning of the disc, but after that it really starts to plod. Plodding is quite normal for doom/death in the My Dying Bride, November's Doom and Saturnus style (among others) but at least these guys round it out with strong, memorable lead melodies. These leads help to accentuate the piece, making it far easier to feel as an atmosphere and not just a bunch of slow doom riffs. There are ten and twenty bands that utilize that style, and even we're guilty of it at times – but that's why I feel it is essential to achieve more than everyone else. Aside from the metallic side of things, the vocal end is still very powerful and heavily memorable. If you remember what I said about Dalla Nebbia, the same can be said for Mesmur, where there is a definite focus on the deep growls, yet there's a bit more passion behind them. It very much sounds like classic doom/death, but with an added aspect in once again, the electronics. Yes, I know that electronics in such music are sometimes seen as a detriment, but here is where they deliver. Mesmur are definitely symphonic and these songs rely as heavily on synthscapes as they do on dreary, melodic riff melodies. As you can start to imagine, these synths eventually move into a sort of wave, which takes over the sound completely and makes it something new. The final cut on the disc, “Osmosis” seems to deliver this the best, as it sounds like “doom in space” and really resonates with me. While the band are still playing a very staple style as far as doom and death have been concerned, with this added synth element, it almost feels as if the band are hurtling through the stars, with the bass thumps on the record being likened to the pounding of asteroids on nearby planets. It's all very fascinating and like very few other acts out there is the genre, Mesmur is giving doom a facelift.

When Pallbearer came out of Arkansas with a sound in doom that no one's ever heard before, doom purists were quick to tear it apart. They called it everything from “hipster doom” to “poser doom” to whatever else they could utilize in an attempt to demonize something different. But the problem was, Pallbearer was actually a terrific doom act. It wouldn't have mattered how much the small community of doom elitists condemned the record, it was receiving a lot of praise and publicity. Mesmur are in that same boat, but the metalllions at large haven't really heard them yet. So I don't know how that small circle-jerk of doom elitists will actually respond to these guys. At any rate, this self-titled release is a good place to start for these guys and I'm sure that things will only receive more definition and clarity in the future, as they discover what kind of band they really want to be. I still feel that it needs a bit of work, but I feel that it will definitely be a built-upon approach. Even so, I'd still recommend it, but more to fans of the doom/death style than anyone else. Even the doom/deathers might not get it so much, so it is a tough little classification. But there's still no doubt in my mind that Mesmur are delivering just the kind of doom/death that we need right now.

(5 Tracks, 58:00)

7/10