Malacoda - Ritualis Aeterna (2016)

Who are Malacoda? Well, the Canadian quintet have been together since 2015 and they've released one self-titled album along with an EP just last year. This of course, is a review for that EP. You can grab it on Bandcamp right now and it's definitely worth it if you like Gothic, doom and power metal. The band is composed of current and former members of Annihilator, Phear, Echoterra, Pyramaze, Structure Of Inhumanity and Universal Mind Project, but it doesn't have a very strong budget yet and needs some level of promotion in order to possibly get further in the game. That being said, this blog probably won't be much help. (Chuckles) In any case, we first have to wager as to whether or not Malacoda are actually worth being a big name act in their own right and in my book, I was quite surprised by what I thought was going to be some kind of generic metal album. I'm already aware that if you'll look at the Metal Archives review for the record, you'll find that the score is relatively low at 60%. But judging by the inexperienced nature of the writer, I wouldn't trust it. Seriously, looking at that load of proverbial chicken scratch tells me that he doesn't have the faintest idea as to what in the hell he's talking about.

So let's get down to brass tacks – Malacoda are an act worth watching. Not only do I hear resemblances to Candlemass, Ihsahn and even Nevermore within the powerful clean vocal structures of frontman/guitarist Lucas Di Mascio, but I'm also noticing superb keyboard atmospheres from Jonah Weingarten which really add to the whole gothic nature of the piece. Adding to that, we have some pretty killer solo work as Mascio and secondary axeman Brad Casarin prove that they can recreate the same incredible effects with their guitars that Weingarten is creating with his keys.

Malacoda aren't just a band that excell mainly in their dark and gloomy keyboard atmospheres, as they also hit strong choruses (there are no ten minute epics here, so it's mainly verse/chorus) in nearly every track that will actually get stuck in your head if you give them enough time. It feels a bit rock sometimes (I Got A Letter) but that's a large part of classic/heavy/power metal anyway, so you can't blame them for wanting to make catchy songs out of this. I do think they should branch out a little more, maybe offer some longer pieces in which the guitars and keys can have a free-for-all, but I'm definitely not unhappy with this. Di Mascio still needs a little work in his clean lines, but don't we all. I definitely can't pull off those highs in “Pandemonium” without sounding like I've grown breasts. I'd definitely have to compare them to Ihsahn's clean lines as well, which is what I was most reminded of when they came into place. This EP feels like an experiment, with every song offering something new from the band. It seems that they want to show what they're capable of and sort of find a middle ground for all of it. I'm guessing the first record was a bit of a mess because there were a million ideas utilized on it, only few of which will be further carried on. When we continue listening, we find that “The Wild Hunt” actually comes across as one of the band's strongest by far, pulling off a familiar sound and style that fans of darker power metal acts will catch right away. The only real piece I could do without is “Linger Here” which is mostly a little piano ballad that never catches on due to it's unexpectedly short length. I guess I was expecting a “November Rain” moment with this, where the guitars are finally turned on and we manage to get a brilliant solo out of it. Even BabyMetal did that with “No Rain, No Rainbow” which still surprises me to this day. I have never really cared for piano based ballads in this fashion and this one didn't win me over either. Fortunately, the record ends with a heavy-hitter called “There Will Always Be One” which is appreciated, as the prior cut nearly put me to sleep. Not only does the piece contain it's share of awfully creepy keyboards, but it features as strong of a chorus number as that of opener “Penny Dreadful” and “The Wild Hunt.” We also get several infusions of guitar, like we wanted from the very beginning.

I think Malacoda know what to do, they're just not exactly doing it. What I'd like to hear from a future release is much longer songs with more guitar influence, less of the teary piano ballads and without question, an album worthy of the title of gothic power metal. There's so much promise in Ritualis Aeterna that labels should be taking note, and I'm sure they are. I really just hope that the band are able to evolve naturally and don't end up getting thrown into the core and djent trends, of which I'm proud to say that I'm not hearing one bit of throughout the entirety of this release. Thank the metal gods for small favors. As I said, you can pick this one up on Bandcamp and you should, especially if you're interested in a couple of catchy dark tunes that have me hopeful for the future of this genre. You see, gothic power metal is not all that prolific within the heavy metal spectrum, nor should it be. I like to see that bands like Malacoda are trying new things within what has seemed to hit a sort of a slump as far as the power metal genre is concerned. Many of the bands are putting out good albums, but no one is really putting out anything all that unique. At least these Canadians are trying, and that's saying something.

(6 Tracks, 24:00)

8/10

Mindahead - Reflections (2016)

Formed from former members of Evergaze Eternity, Hellrage, Athena, Exsecror and more, Italy's Mindahead prove that they are a bit more than anyone ever expected. Mixing together seventies prog landscapes with pounding metal and the Lacuna Coil style gothic metal approach is something quite new, especially with the fact that these guys are also willing to experiment and incorporate bombastic solos in areas where acts like Lacuna Coil, Theatre of Tragedy and Theatres Des Vampires wouldn't have even given them a second thought. Now it does have some modern core elements within Francesco Novelli's harsh vocal approach which could be a turn-off to some, but shouldn't really be as the band can actually save face due to their incredible approach to musicality. If you were looking for an artier approach to the gothic metal/hard gothic rock style that we've hard so much of in these days, you might just find it here. Now they're no Ram-Zet, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. To be fair, Novelli also attempts some unusual vocal styles aside from his Trivium influenced crap, which also adds to the building blocks here. A female vocalist is also featured quite a bit through the album in the form of Kyo Calati, but she doesn't necessarily have the microphone ninety-percent of the time, which is refreshing. In other words, Mindahead aren't trying to sell this band on female vocals and attractive eye-candy like so many of their peers, but overall skill – which they have tenfold.

Some of these songs are quite long folks, even ranging into the seven, eight and ten minute marks. You're not getting a bunch of “quick to the chorus” numbers here, and instead are being challenged to listen to full-fledged music tracks with a great deal of depth and texture. This is definitely due to the Matteo Ferrigno's (any relation to Lou?) carefully calculated drumming as well as the dual-guitar tag team of Nicola D'Alessio and Guido Scibetta, which combined work to create a chemistry that listeners will notice right from the start. If the overall riff and lead structures (even though I'll admit that the band throw into down-tune probably more than they should) don't work for you, then the instrumental sections and solo moments will definitely sell you on this band. You're not getting Lacuna Coil, you're not getting Dream Theater and you're not getting Trivium either. It's something sort of halfway between all of those mainstay acts and it has the possibility of becoming even better in the future.

There's an hour of music to challenge your mind here, and it most certainly will. As I have stated, there's definitely room for improvement, but with such a tremendous leap at the debut level as I'm offered here, I can't honestly see much. I can almost say without being challenged that nearly eighty percent of bands in this industry do not offer this much at a debut level. Reflections is a record that certainly requires several listens to understand, just like I remember when I was a teenager enthralled by Ram-Zet's Escape. I didn't know a record like that could possibly exist and that's just one reason I'm really excited about this band as well. Even though the band are considered progressive, they definitely incorporate slight elements that I would almost consider avant-garde, and the electronic sections utilized within some of the pieces help just as much as those of a purely atmospheric nature. I haven't heard this kind of music done this well in quite a long time, so I certainly recommend checking out Mindahead. This is the kind of music that works it's way out of the box and goes every which way but loose in order to create something that is truly worthy of the term “art.”

(11 Tracks, 61:00)

8/10

Mechanik War III - Xtermination (2016)

Originally from Europe, these now California based industrial black metallers have released their debut album which is going to be a must for fans of Deathstars, Ministry, The Kovenant, Front Line Assembly, mid-era Septic Flesh and more. About the first thing you'll notice on the disc is how much it crunches, which Astaroth handles quite nicely. These are the kind of Ministry level groove/crunches that back with furious bouts of drums courtesy of Crucifactor, who brings off that hard-edge that listeners want from this kind of music. It's so competently played as far as the structure of these pieces is concerned, that it gives me the feel of classic industrial rock/metal in the vein of Psalm 69 with a touch of unexpected Goth that reminds me much of Deathstars.

Though Astaroth doesn't use as many tremolos on this record as you might expect, every song on the disc has it's own unique feel – especially the album's finale, “In Memoriam” which is definitely an unexpected and rather somber moment that doesn't sound like anything else in the band. Listeners might be a bit shocked by the ending as the rest of this disc is quite heavy, but even this piece contains hints of the Gothic organs that adorn sections of this record when the tremolos aren't being utilized. Astaroth also lays down a few unexpected melodic leads in areas, but nothing that really takes away from the performance as a whole.

When we look at a track like opener, “Flesh Reich” we can see how lyrically there's not much to it, and it almost feels like a long introduction to the album – but if we keep listening, we'll find that the ghostly keys and ferocious drum abrasions do help to add weight to this performance as a whole. Sometimes frontman Massaker will use a robotic voice filter which adds to the whole post-apocalyptic “Cyber Chemical Warfare” of the thing. It's odd when you can use a song title to describe the band as a whole, but this is definitely what we have here. Even if you don't like the Goth approaches in the vocal front, you might find something within the chunky industrial of the act as a whole. Mechanik War III do not beat around the bush about their Goth elements, but if you've always thought that bands like Deathstars weren't heavy enough, I think you'll find something in Xtermination.

I'll be honest. Even though I did an interview with Deathstars during the run of their last album The Perfect Cult, I still consider that record to be the single worst recording they've ever made. I was kind of expecting something a bit more like this. That's not to say there are too many similarities between the two acts, because as I've noted, Mechanik War III are a much heavier act. While Goth remains a huge part of the disc, Xtermination is still a thunderously brutal take on the genre and it shows some real muscle where I believe it is needed. Though the band use electronic elements, I couldn't call them a sort of “untz untz” act either. Even considering the dance-club friendly bits on “Apocalypse X69” there are so many crushing elements to this disc that fans of the genre are going to be quite enthralled.

Unfortunately there are no full-on guitar solos, but Astaroth does balance well with Crucifactor in the melody department, which offers a good sense of purpose along with the absolutely relentless drumming on this one. It's great to see proper symmetry within these two unlikely elements, especially considering the fact that the drums do not drown out the guitars here. That seems to happen one too many times on these kinds of records, so hearing a band that have made it work with just three guys is something of an accomplishment on their part.

Additionally, Mechanik War III creates a sense of equality within their Goth and industrial elements that doesn't see the album drained completely by either one. The black metal tremolos aren't overused either, and the record doesn't go into full blast beats often, which is great in my opinion. Several other bands would have done that, but the listener can tell just from listening to the album that these gentlemen have done their industrial homework. Perhaps it's a bit more industrial Goth metal than industrial black metal, and that's fine. We don't have an awful lot of bands that perform that approach, let alone bands that do it as well as these guys.

Xtermination isn't a perfect album by any means, but it is far better than I would have ever expected and could seriously put these guys on the map. We could have a real contender in the scene here, so definitely keep your eyes on this act. Without a doubt, Xtermination is one of the best Gothic industrial records I've heard all year. Yet it is also one of the only Gothic industrial albums I've heard all year, which is certainly not a bad thing.

(11 Tracks, 47:00)

8/10

Rekoma - Circle Of Hate (2016)

This is the debut EP from Finnish hard rockers Rekoma and they remind me a little of acts like Ireland's Sinocence, which works for me. There also might be a tinge of Gothic rock/metal like Tiamat in there. The Sinocence influence came in for me during “Trial” with Tiamat style Goth riffs being a bit more apparent on the album's closer “Down The Drain.” Jani Redkin doesn't have the most crystalline clean vocal approach, but he does hit some hefty albeit modernized growls within the piece. Most of it really seems to revolve around the guitar work of Samuli Maunula (lead) and Arttu Korpela (rhythm) as well as the drumming of Juha Iloha which all rounds out to a very rock feel, which some occasionally heavy vocals and downtuned bass riffs courtesy of Antti Maunula. Even on chunkier cuts like the title piece, there's nothing hugely metallic about this disc and it often feels more like a hard rock disc than a metal one. It's still very good from that sort of compositional standpoint, showcasing a quintet attempting for a heavy, yet still soft enough for radio-play sound that may have taken as much of an influence from American hard rock as it did from Goth rock. There's certainly nothing wrong done here, and I think it could appeal to fans of this kind of music outside of Finland, for sure – they'll just have to be aware of a slightly different vocal approach here than you might expect from American hard rock and there's the accents, as always. Though slightly raw and tough to discern in some instances, I'd certainly like to hear Rekoma continue as there's assuredly something here in the musicianship alone.

(4 Tracks, 19:00)

7/10

Celestial Ruin - Pandora (2016)

You might wonder why I'm covering a Vancouver based rock and Gothic metal band that has been tagged for fans of Nightwish, Evanessence, Delain, Kamelot, Within Temptation and others. There's a simple reason for that, which is mainly that I found the record very catchy and rather enjoyable. Aside from Larissa Dawn's potent vocal prowess on the microphone, we have the pounding drums of Adam Todd as well as some notable leads and solos from Eriz Crux. Ruben Wijga performs the keys here, which add much of the bombastic atmosphere you'll hear on the disc, far different than what you might expect on a regular female fronted rock record. These guys are actually taking the term “metal band” seriously, which definitely warrants the Kamelot comparison, regardless of how much the Delain tag fits as well. It's actually not too out of character to consider Celestial Ruin a more thrash-influenced and bombastic version of Evanessence, but not Nightwish. There's nothing operatic here, but there are about ten tons of sing-along choruses to be found on a disc that's surely just the start of something larger and more commercial. I would just hope that as Celestial Ruin matures as a band, they won't decide to sand down the metallic elements here in favor of giving people easier to digest fast food music with only the pop choruses intact. It's kind of funny that the single for the EP is “Sense Of Exile” even though “Nevermore” is about ten times more commercially viable and would make the band stick out far more among casual rock listeners. Then again, in listening to the two cuts side by side, I've noticed that the chorus numbers sound nearly identical to each other in tone. But whatever sells, right? In any case, this act is an absolute goldmine and I'm quite sure that it doesn't even need a small site like mine to promote it. After all, there was something of an interview with the frontwoman over at the AXS TV website, and that's Mark Cuban's channel. He has way more fans than I do here, or than I could ever dream of here. He's actually making money, and enough of it to sell me into slavery if he wished. In any case, I actually found this record extremely catchy and I'll bet my bottom dollar that this isn't the last we'll be seeing from this act. An EP today, a Grammy tomorrow... but to do that, they'd have to kill the metal, wouldn't they? Yep. It'll be interesting to see how much they're willing to sacrifice in the future.

(4 Tracks, 24:00)

8/10

The Eyes Of Desolation - Awake In Dead (2016)

Costa Rica's The Eyes Of Desolation seek to be in the same vein as many of your favorite doom/death acts (Swallow The Sun, Daylight Dies) but they still have a bit of work ahead of them. This EP comes three years after the release of their debut, Songs For Desolated Hearts and shows the band more or less continuing with the same lineup they had on the previous recording. Dreary riffs, twinkly keyboards and sullen melodies make up this act, which actually does contain a rather potent backing growl as well as a pleasing vocal performance from frontman Carlomagno Varela who seems to have Peter Steele firmly in his heart. He still needs a little bit of work, but with time and practice he could definitely become something. The mix of scowls and gravel in the harsh vocal segments of “Crimson Sky” certainly give the song some staying power, in addition to Carlos Carazo's memorable keys. They have the right idea but there's some polishing needed here and I really want to be be to appreciate this act more in the future.

I'd actually still recommend the EP as you'll definitely find a few memorable cuts on the one I mentioned as well as “I Found My Place” which proves that The Eyes Of Desolation are a noteworthy act. “Fighting For Your Cause” was a bit too Goth-Pop, but I'm sure that there are people who'll dig it. Whatever the case, I'd hope that these guys continue and I'd certainly love to hear more from them in the future. While still a bit rough, this EP proves that these gentlemen have the right idea and I'll be keeping my eye on them.

For right now, it's a decent album. But that's okay, because it feels like a fresh start from an act with it's fingers firmly planted in right direction. I'm not sure what the LP sounded like, but this EP certainly has promise and potential. Goth metal fans are encouraged to give it a listen.

(4 Tracks, 23:00)

7/10

Sarcoptes - Songs and Dances of Death (2016)

Having named themselves after mites, these Californian black metallers certainly have some fight in them. It's a bit unfair to call this style just plain old black metal however, and we see once again where the Metal Archives genre-tagging process could use a little work. The band have been around since 2013, to which they released a demo simply entitled Thanatos. Three years later, we have their first full-length embodiment in Songs Of Dances and Death which I can describe on many facets. As a matter of fact, what appears to have a quite simplistic cover is actually a very textured and intriguing product the whole way through.

“The Veil Of Dissolution” sounds like a mixture of twisted black metal, thrash and Gothic choirs that remind me as much of Emperor and Mayhem as early Graveworm. Following that, we have the continuing efforts of Sean Zimmerman's guitar licks, bass lines and keyboard orchestrations as drummer Garret Garvey (Jack Ketch, ex-Gary Busey Amber Alert – WTF?) also performs all of the vocals for this album. His performance on the kit is just as memorable as his performance on the mic, which features memorable scowls (that you can actually understand) that I'd consider right up there with some of my personal favorite black metal vocalists. “The Fall Of Constantinople” has some rather eerie keyboard leads in sections aside from it's thrashing assault, which make for a track that not only charges with a fervor, but delights in Gothic atmospheres that seem fitting for the subject matter. We hear the same things creep up during “When The Stars Hide Their Fires” as it continues to pound with an insatiable fury. The final two cuts on the record are “Barbarossa” and “Within The Labyrinth Mind” which both feature more of the same, though at this point, we're certainly not tired of it. Perhaps the airy keyboards are graining on you a bit by now (they do become redundant after a while) but when other samples are used, these pieces can become quite invigorating. As far as the tremolos and drum blasts are concerned, these seldom change pace, but the band obviously are interested in producing a symphonic style of black metal that has an obvious Gothic tinge to it. There's an unexpected section in spots of the album's closer “Within The Labyrinth Mind” that actually features real choir samples and truly shows how memorable these guys would be if they could find a literal choir to take the place of the keyboard sample they've used to death on this one.

In the end, I'm quite satisfied with the performance uttered forth here, but I still feel that it needs some work and I would love to see how this act evolves in the future. As much as I love what they've attempted here, I would love to see it pushed forward to levels of grandiosity unlike never before seen, bigger, bolder and even louder. I know there are those of you who think this might sound better without all the keyboard synths, but let's give these guys a chance as I think that something very promising is about to bud forth from this project and I'd like to see it reach fruition. These gentlemen are certainly skilled and I seem to enjoy the performance a bit more with every listen, so I'd definitely consider giving this one an ear.

(6 Tracks, 42:00)

8/10

DAM - Premonitions (2016)

Brazil's DAM have released a new EP, a few years after the release of their latest album, The Awakening (2014). Now the last EP they released was also in 2014, right before the release of said album, so it is possible that they're prepared to do the same with their next disc as well. There's a slight differentiation from the band's previous material here, but it only lasts for about four minutes or so and doesn't really hold a bearing on the rest of the record. If you like Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates, In Flames and a whole lot of keyboards, then you're still going to find something to like here and that has not changed. As a matter of fact, let me just address the elephant in the room right now. That track in particular is called “Untouchable (My Past Mistakes)” and it has a bit of a Goth/death feel, maybe like they tapped into Graveworm or were a bit influenced by The Deathstars. There's no industrialization to be found here, but the track does feature an unexpected female vocalist. It almost feels like they're trying to be early Tristania/Sirenia and I suppose that's fine, but a lot of DAM fans are going to wonder exactly what the hell is going on and I couldn't blame them, as this piece is by and large different from anything else on the album. It's so different, that they should have just released it under a different band name altogether. Folks, when I say that this doesn't even sound like DAM, I mean it.

As for the rest of the tracks? Business as usual, just like I said. Every single other piece is fast paced, full of atmosphere as well as ravenous drum tapping which is ultimately beefed by the guitar and keyboard compositions. What seems to have made DAM so great is their attention to detail in these areas, and I really think that's what the listener is going to hear as well. The clean vocals are strong as well, and they help – but as far as the harsh approach goes, it's not anything that I couldn't do personally and wouldn't consider it that amazing. Let's be honest though, I'm not promoting DAM's new EP among others because of the vocal element, I'm promoting it because they've got skill and talent, which they keep showing on each and every record. Premonitions is the kind of record that only shows the very best of what they're capable of and doesn't really need to be followed up with a full-length right away. Though that will probably be the case with this disc, it doesn't have to be and gives the listener more than enough quality material to chew on, even if we took “Untouchable” off the disc and threw it into the woods somewhere. Chopping away the cut, you'll still get thirty-four minutes of memorable music that sounds exactly we've expected from DAM and that's nothing to whine about. There are even some unexpected jazz and prog theatrics injected into closer “Frustration (Imprisoned Dreams)” which when combined with everything else turn it into a rather memorable moment, and a brilliant place to end the listen. I feel that the listener will feel satisfied after the record has ended, and as I said, we don't really need more right now after this. These gentlemen have literally put everything they've got into these tracks and you can hear that quite clearly. DAM are only getting better, which leads to experimentation that sometimes will work for them, and sometimes will not. As far as “Untouchable” is considered, I feel that it really is a strong song and I'd love to hear more like it in a possible different act, but it just doesn't sound like the neoclassical melodic death metal that we know and love from these Brazilian masters of the art. They've still yet to release their magnum opus, but whatever comes after Premonitions may very well be just that.

(6 Tracks, 39:00)

8/10

Palace Of Worms - The Ladder (2016)

The Ladder represents this Californian black metal act's first full-length effort in six years. After years of splits with Mastery (good in small doses), Botanist (good, depending on the kind of album he releases) and Thoabath (I've never heard these guys) the one man project finally decided to release something a little bit different than his work in Botanist. Yes, Balan here is also the mastermind behind Botanist and he's giving us something much different than we'd receive in said act (of course.) We start out with “The Twilight Divide” which definitely gives off that black metal atmosphere and attitude, though it also injects some actual atmosphere into the mix, as in a lengthy middle-piece in which to contemplate. Then we have “From The Ash” which seems to be a little more simpler and does it's job. After that, things begin to change and genre hopping soon begins. Death/Doom is heavily explored with “Nightworld” even though it defaults back to black metal (as well as some unexpected female chanting and vocals) yet once again goes back into the cold and forlorn tones of doom once again. An electronic piece comes in shortly thereafter, seeming a bit out of place and perhaps like something that might play during a science-fiction based FPS, but that rolls back into what I would consider an even more sullen form of metal in “Strange Constellations.” Like most compositions here, that doesn't quite stay the same and soon involves progressive sections as well as another moment of silence and some more good old doom. Then we get to “Wreath” where things start to take a major turn, which isn't black metal at all. As a matter of fact, it reminds me a little bit more of the Gothic rock of mid-era Antahema or even Sisters Of Mercy. Didn't see that one coming did you? But I certainly can't say that I'm upset with it, because finally this guy gives me something that I can really sink my teeth into. We get one more black metal cut in the form of “Ephemeral Blues” which isn't really blues at all. Despite it's length, it's pretty straight-forward, a bit bland and I could have done without it. Just sounds like a track I've heard before done by a different artist.

In any case, the performance here delivered shows a much different and far bleaker side from Balan. Apparently he's going through some rather difficult things in his life right now, or has been exposed to the very worst of Tumblr (either will drive one to insanity) but the end result has been one of presence, it feels very much alive and evokes the sort of personal sense that one can only get when they're making a record that isn't only coming from their ideology and worldview, but from their own sense to explore the medium of music in a much different way than others might expect. Those who know this gentleman by his real name know that he's an experimental black metal artist (well, some of them – I doubt his grandmother knows) and probably never would have suspected such doomful dirges to ready their approach into familiar frostbitten corridors of which most listeners are quite familiar. It's still black metal, I suppose – there's definitely the black metal/doom/experimental tags being thrown around here and that simply goes without saying. Though compared to his work in Botanist, I'd consider Palace Of Worms by and large more interesting. I hope it won't be another six years before we get another helping. Balan needs to let his plants soak in the sun lamps for a while, and tend to his, uh... worm-ridden palace. At least I tried, folks.

(7 Tracks, 46:00)

8/10

Asphodelus - Dying Beauty & The Silent Sky

Finland's Asphodelus (Formerly Cemetery Fog) sound like ancient Greek metal, and to me that's a good thing. I'm reminded of acts like Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh and even the early outputs from the UK's Paradise Lost – and it all comes off just as memorable as the classic efforts they're trying to emulate. The riffs featured on the two metal tracks offered on the disc (Illusion Of Life, Nemo Ante Mortem Beatus) sound very warm, just like those early nineties discs, yet with the same tinge of melancholy present on albums like A Dead Poem, Sleep Of The Angels, Gothic, Esoptron or Ophidian Wheel. Hence, you can already gather that a great deal of Gothic atmosphere will be visited here and the female backing chants (uncredited) definitely add to that dark and gloomy atmosphere. The record is also decidedly rough, making it sound like it was made about twenty years ago. The disc consists of a short intro, to which some electronic soundscapes are used until it barrels out into that warm metal I was talking about. J. Filppu vomits out a grueling bark, which sometimes finds itself reaching into a bit of a scowl, making for a vocal performance that certainly feels like it came right out of the golden era of this music. V. Kettunen's drums aren't so loud in the mix, but they're definitely not digitized either. For purists, this record really sounds like three guys that recorded right in the same room with each other and you'll never know what that's like unless you've done it yourself. Filppu also wrote the riffs along with J. Vayrynen (even though we could just as say that these riffs were written years ago by the band's obvious influences) which further asserts the playing skills of these two men and their attempt to dig a rather old style and sound out of the cavern from which it has been for years hiding. Though it can hardly be considered a metallic piece, the album's title cut is a light atmospheric piece that cuts in right between the crunching heaviness, making for a bit of a sullen meditation. It comes with a female vocal chant as well (also uncredited) which also incorporates hypnotic choral effects in the background. Not what we might have expected in the middle of the sandwich, but still worth your ears, I assure you. As I've said, there are very few bands still making music in this style today, if really any. Many of the progenitors have moved onto other things, with a crisper sound that doesn't quite have the same raw and unhinged feeling as this effort does. Once again, the Finns are showing us that there's almost nothing they can't do in the metal, atmospheric, electronic and gothic doom/death genres, making me think there must really be something in the water over there. Seriously, some of the best music I've heard in several years is coming out of Finland, so I'm going to continue ti watch that country like a hawk. I highly recommend you do the same, and pick up this EP as well. They just don't make music like this anymore, which is a damn shame. (The Grim Lord)

4.5/5

Megascavenger - As Dystopia Beckons (2016)

Sweden's Megascavenger have returned with an oddity of a collaboration album, and I don't say that lightly. Nearly every song on the disc has a guest vocalist, even though Rogga Johansson is perfectly capable of doing this on his own as The Plateaus Of Leng displayed. Since there are so many collaborations here, it might be best to do a brief overview of the rather short (it's only half an hour), but intriguing experience. The first track, “Rotting Domain” features Fleshcrawl's Sven Gross in addition to what reminds me of a Fear Factory level of industrial death mayhem, just without the influence of clean vocals. Gross has a rather common vocal approach for death metal, which sounds like a veritable meat grinder of grain and gravel. Dave Ingram (Hail Of Bullets, Echelon) stops by for “The Machine That Turns Humans Into Slop” as we're introduced to the sounds of clanging anvils (more bands should really use the sound the sound of clanging anvils) as well as some samples. It's still death metal though, so don't let the electronic samples frighten you. Next we have Jocke Svensson (Entrails) taking the mic for “Dead City” which is actually a few seconds longer than most of the bite sized clusters of death that you'll find here. It doesn't really go too far out of it's territory and sounds just like a classic death metal disc. Aside from some slight electronic sections, it's another day at the office. Now the record might sound a little too basic aside from the industrial elements, at least for the first half – but I really like what was done with “As The Last Day Has Passed” which features Loch Vostok's Teddy Moller on vocals. But it's not the industrial element, or even Moller's vocal work (it is pretty great) that affects me, it's that damn sorrowful melody that plays throughout the whole thing. This is the kind of riff that we might expect from a band like Anathema or Katatonia, so it's interesting to hear it used here. It makes for a track that just isn't interested in sounding like many of the death metal sloggers on here, allowing for some needed variety.

The next cut “The Hell That Is This World” features Kam Lee (Mantas, The Grotesquery) on vocals, but oddly has more of an electronic influence than some of the other pieces have had. The electronic influence is very thick here, and a reverberating node seems to make up a large part of the performance as a whole. Electronic drumming opens up our next track, “Dead, Rotting and Exposed” by which Brynjar Helgetun (Crypticus) is featured. The industrial elements are pushed even further on this track, which is starting to make for a record that seems to be more industrial death than death metal, and that is fine with me. It's different, for starters. Sinister's Andrie Kloosterwaard is featured on the shortest track here, “Steel Through Flesh Extravaganza” which jumps from death metal into electronic drum and bass (DNB) territory rather quickly quickly. The final cut, “The Harrowing Of Hell” also features Kam Lee on vocals as a much different style of song approaches. This isn't death metal, it's a sort of industrial Goth metal that you wouldn't expect from Rogga or Lee. Some death metal fans will shit themselves over this in disgust, but chances are that if you've made it this far, you're going to accept this as well. Perhaps Lee's clean vocal approach isn't perfect, but it does manage to do what it set out to, regardless of what others will think. There's a long outro here in the form of the title track, but it's not really what you'd classify as a song. It's technically a revolting electronic atmosphere, replete with a demonic vocal that sounds like what a trash compactor might if it had been given sentience, fused with a horde of other appliances and decided to take out it's revenge against the humans.

Simply put, As Dystopia Beckons might not be Megascavenger's strongest record, but it shows more signs of experimentation, which even break the death metal barrier completely in some instances. It's definitely what I'd consider to be a decent performance, especially if you're looking for something that sounds both familiar and a little different than the majority of records you'll hear from the many guest vocalists and even Rogga himself. I'd recommend listening to a few tracks before you decide to pick it up, as the material here might not be as suitable for everyone and my colleague noted that he thought the album's production was quite raw and not to his liking. I didn't notice this issue personally, but you might, so I've included it in this review.

(9 Tracks, 31:00)

7/10

FT-17 – Marcellin S'en Va-t'en Guerre (2016)

France's FT-17 really have a lot of promise. I guess we could call them war metal, but they don't really seem to stick to one basic thing. They're actually considered “melodic black metal” by the scribes over at Metal Archives, which I suppose sticks well enough, as we're definitely hearing colorful piano pieces as well heavily melodic riffs. The whole performance does feel very classical in a sense, which fits the source material of a school teacher who was drafted to serve as part of the military during the first World War. The record (English translated: Marcellin Goes To War) reads like his diary and is probably quite passionate, but I can't get over that part of the language barrier. As you might expect, the lyrics are all in the band's native so you would need some education in that department to understand them properly. Though I'd simply have it no other way. I feel that bands should be able to perform in their native and respect their mother tongue. Let us not lose that along the way. I feel that it is worth mentioning that FT-17 is made up of current members of depressive black metal outfit Ad Extirpenda, yet I much prefer this approach to that of the other band. What I really like about this record is that the disc sounds just as grim as you might expect it as Misein's vocals are just as raspy and full of venom as we'd imagine. Yet the duet of piano (yes, not a keyboard – they have a real piano player here by the name of Khorto) and guitar (performed by Hrothulf) truly work to provide a rather Gothic, or at least gloomy overtone that only comes up in the oddly rocking solo sections. Despite the record being rather depressing, these incredibly powerful solo sections feature nothing but some of the best noodling I've heard, even though their very presence is somewhat astounding for such a disc. But I'm certainly not going to knock a good solo – I never have.

The record is spaced with a few spoken word moments in which the diary is read. These add to the story, but won't do much for you if the language is in the way. Once again, that isn't a reason for you to not pick up this album and I'm quite surprised to see that no one else is promoting what I found to be quite an appealing piece of work. The disc is a bit raw, but it's the kind of raw we want. The piano pieces are well mixed, and don't feel forced by any means. I do think that listeners might be taken aback a bit by the use of female vocals in the album's closer, but it is 2016 and people need to start opening their minds a little more to unexpected approaches in their music. She certainly does a good job mixing with the band's style, but let us hope that FT-17 doesn't become more of a female-fronted symphonic metal act than the wonderful mix of dreary melodic black metal and classical piano that we have here. In any case, if you are looking for something different and perhaps with a bit more class and intelligence than you'll find in the devil worshiping antics of other black metal bands, I believe that you'll find something here in FT-17.

(11 Tracks, 43:00)

8/10

Shroud Of Despondency - The Beast's Desire To Sacrifice (2015)

Though this record came out a little while ago, I'm kind of shocked as to it's existence. As you might remember, the band declared themselves dead after the release of their previous effort and apparent final release, Family Tomb. As you also may recall, I thought Family Tomb was a great send-off for the band and a surefire sign that they've left their mark. Nevertheless, the mere fact that The Beast's Desire To Sacrifice exists, says to me that these gentlemen clearly aren't ready to call it quits yet, nor should they. There's far too much damn talent here, just as this record displays rather well. Make no mistake about it, you're getting a black metal performance with elements of I guess one could say technicality and perhaps even a little bit of melodic death metal. It's just a hodgepodge of extreme, but feels a little closer to the source material. It also has a higher production quality than Family Tomb, which makes we wonder if the band literally recorded that record in such a lo-fi quality just for the heck of it. Even so, you're not getting another Family Tomb with this one. You're getting what I would consider the second step in that evolution. The Beast's Desire... is still Gothic, and it's keyboard usage is still as dreary and forlorn as we might expect. The drums still blast, the tremolos are still as frosty as ever and the vocals are still just as scathing as we'd expect them to be. There are even solo sections to be had, which as you know always work for me when done right. Now these are the kind of rock style solos that you might not expect to hear so much in black metal, but the fact of the matter is that the performance here never claimed to be purely anything and winds up instead being much better than a plethora of bands that would rather stick to one style. Shroud Of Despondency have never been a band to stick with one approach and it's kept their music from becoming stagnant. There are some death growls in use here every once in a while too, which gives us a little more than what could've been a very one-sided vocal approach. Even some clean and spoken word pieces appear on the album, as well as a short instrumental break called “The Hidden” which I'd consider a bit creepy. Keeping that in mind, there's also “To Get All I Need” which sounds like a completely different band altogether. As euphoric synths and piano excursions work to decorate various soundclips, we're definitely getting a taste of something that we surely wouldn't have heard on Family Tomb.

This kind of will to push further beyond the boundaries of what most people consider to be heavy metal, and what most people consider to appear on a heavy metal album is why I have an awful lot of respect for these guys. I have literally met people who feel that certain things should not appear on a heavy metal album, because they listen to heavy metal when they're expecting to hear something heavy. Their argument is that when they want to hear something that isn't heavy, they'll simply listen to another type of music. While that is all well and good, and perfectly acceptable; I still think that a musician should be free to write the kind of music that he wants to write, regardless of whether or not certain people will listen to it or consider it heavy metal. There's obviously enough black and death metal influence here to give the listener a pounding atmosphere, but it leaves room for tea; and In my opinion, there's always room for tea. A few alternate drum mixes comprise the bonus tracks for the album, but for the most part you are getting a memorable performance from Rory Heikkila and Ron Blemberg, just as we received on the previous outing and the one before that. As interesting as the Gust project is, I'm glad to see that these guys haven't closed the book on Shroud Of Despondency yet. I'd still consider this act far superior and can't wait to see what future efforts will bring.

(9 Tracks, 58:00 (Omitting Alternate Mixes)

9/10

The Slayerking - Sanatana Dharma (2016)

You might expect some kind of black metal to appear here on this Grecian outfit's debut album, but such is not the case and I'm quite glad for it. Considered “Doom/Gothic Metal” by MA, there's a bit more going on here than you'd expect and my ears were quite happy to hear it. When I say doom/Gothic, you should immediately gravitate towards acts like early Paradise Lost as well as fellow Greeks SepticFlesh and Rotting Christ. That's the kind of doom/Gothic you're getting. The Slayerking delivers the kinds of thunderous riffs that we'd expect for virtually any type of doom metal, so that part of the formula is covered. They also add in some really interesting solo sections that add real heft to the material and make it stand out. Frontman and bassist Efthimis K. sometimes uses a rather grainy clean vocal (that works, by the way) as well as a sadistic scowl approach that works just as well as you might imagine for the material. It's horrific, which really adds even further detail to songs with titles like “Black Mother of The Lord of Light” and “Magnificent Desolation.” Even “Sargon Of Akkad” (not about the YouTube guy) manages to really pound with a venom that reminds me heavily of what Paradise Lost used to do and what they're doing again. Now Efthimis K. doesn't have the same kind of calm clean vocal approach that Nick Holmes does, but he makes up for that with what can often sound like a fist raised to your gullet... and I say, yes. That is exactly what I want to hear in this kind of metal.

Sometimes Kostas K.'s guitar compositions will get a little trippy and psychedelic, which is hardly what we'd ever expect from a band of this nature, as it might let up the breaks a little on the goth and gloom we'd expect. But that being said, The Slayerking are definitely not a trippy sort of prog band. They're still doom, it's still very dark and I'd consider it as mere influence from the progenitors of this kind of music, who were also big into progressive rock. I feel that the trippiness of prog rock had much to do with the dark overtones of doom, which Sanatana Dharma does a great job in showcasing. Now there are a few missteps, like the confusing and a bit repetitive “My Lai” but you've got a great closer in “Southern Gate Of The Sun” which utilizes repetition in a way that you'll actually appreciate. It actually comes off pretty catchy and you'll probably end up singing along by the end of it. At the end of the day, it's pretty obvious that these guys are just getting started here, but considering that there are members of Nightfall here, you should probably take note. The scores over on MA for those later Nightfall discs aren't so good, but I fucking loved them and this new sound is just as memorable to me. It's a pretty solid disc, so give it a listen.

(8 Tracks, 39:00)

8/10