Convulse - Cycle Of Revenge (2016)

Their second album after reforming in 2012, Cycle Of Revenge marks the Finnish death metal metal trio's fourth album overall. Based on what I've heard, these guys have been experimenting with a heck of a lot of prog and unfamiliar elements for the genre, which make for a type of death metal that isn't really all that “brutal” or “heavy” but it's still a lot of fun to listen to. It almost feels like one of those groovy prog-rock albums with all the vocals replaced by the death grunts, but it's an approach that is unique and interesting enough that I'll take it. I know, I know – some people just can't fucking handle this sort of thing and I can understand that. But trust me when I say as sure as rain that there are umpteen million death metal records that sound like regular old death metal records, and probably less albums than I can count on all of my fingers and toes that sound like this.

Let's just take “Fractured Pieces” as an example of what I'm talking about, with it's tribal intro, whispered vocals and forays into grooves that some might mistake as a mix between Moonspell's “From Lowering Skies” and the Mortal Kombat theme music. Now I know that sounds bizarre, because it is, but it oddly works. Just as well as the unexpected blues number that follows it, “Nature Of Humankind.” Granted, it doesn't stay a blue number, but it certainly starts out in a way that would make the common death metal listener wonder as to what they were listening to. Yet I almost feel that that is the point entirely. “Ever Flowing Stream” came right after that with an almost clean (yet gritty) approach that doesn't even feel like death metal anymore and with that, all became clear. Convulse may have made true to the bone death metal back in the early nineties, but they don't really want to do that now. Though why should they? Obviously the band is incredibly talented, so if they want to throw classical melodies together with thick gravel and grooves on “War” they should be more than able to without discretion.

The Finns love to experiment and I see Convulse as another example of that experimenting done right. The disc is still a little bit rough in some areas, but I'd still recommend it on account of pure uniqueness. I don't think you're going to hear anything from the death metal scene this year, so why not give such an interesting album a try? If you want to listen to the same old shit, that's perfectly fine. But when I'm looking for a touch of something new, I'll check out the kinds of music that bands like Sadist and Convulse make, because that is what I consider to be a true sign of evolution in the genre. I really feel that progressive music fans who don't really get into death or extreme forms of metal will like this as well. It's one of the very few times I feel that I can say something like that, because Convulse has done something here that very few bands have ever done and may ever do. Let that sink in for a moment.

(8 Tracks, 34:00)

8.5/10

Omnihility - Dominion Of Misery (2016)

Coming out of Oregon, this technical death metal act are back with their third release on Unique Leader and it's for the most part, pretty solid. Dan delivers the riffs, which are heavily inspired by acts like Decapitated and Origin, but I'd say that these guys are doing a better job than both bands are right now. I actually saw the two aforementioned live in '14 and was quite bored by both. I feel that Omnihility have a bit more life in them, with a more rambunctious album and fiercer sound. Steve Crum really does a great job on the kit as he provides most of that liveliness I'm describing here, as Adam Toepfer handles the fiendish growls, which are just as thick and menacing as one should expect for a band of this nature. Rounding it all out is the Japanese born Isamu Sato, who pounds the bass (and used to perform both bass and vocals in death/doom act Shadow Of The Torturer – bet you didn't know that) and probably can tell me what I'm supposed to do in many of the independent Japanese games I'm stuck in right now. (Another hobby of mine.) I sadly never got around to learning Kanji.

In any case, these four manage to make a rather solid slog of death metal that hits all the right notes and makes for a mound of pure extremity. But here's what they don't do very well, and I think it's a definite constructive criticism. Most of the songs on Dominion Of Misery and the band's previous album Deathscapes Of The Unconscious (despite the cool throwback to Doom II cover artwork) are very derivative of each other. Now if you'll look at the score for the band's previous record on Metal Archives, you'll see that it has a 45%. I didn't read the review, but I sense that the reviewer felt the same as I do here. The record offers a lot of beef and it's also as I said, very reminiscent of acts like Origin and Decapitated. But the problem for me is that there's just not enough here to differentiate one track from the next. It's done well from a technical death standpoint, but I don't think it's the kind of album that has room to breathe. Songs definitely need time to breathe, maybe some atmosphere or some tempo changes could help, perhaps even some unexpected ideas flowing into the mix. Perhaps if Sato-san brought some of that death/doom style into the mix, it could make for a really different kind of technical doom/death which would certainly help the band to stand out a little bit. Nevertheless, I don't think that the record deserves something of a 45% or even a 60% because it's really not that bad. There are several acts out there that aren't really doing a good job of this at all, as well as the fact that I would rather just plain listen to Omnihility over some of the other acts I've been confronted with on a daily basis, like those screaming metalcore guys I had to review earlier this week. I'd take this record ten times over that.

Even though there are much better technical death acts than these guys right now, you really can't do wrong with this if you want to get a cruel and calculated punch in the face. There are visual novels and games with much lower scores than others, but that doesn't mean that I won't read or play them over others. If I like the subject matter, the score isn't really all that important and I feel the same way with this record. A 70% is still worth checking out, regardless... because hey – you might really dig it. Different strokes for different folks.

(10 Tracks, 41:00)

7/10

Seven Sisters Of Sleep - Ezekiel's Hags (2016)

Made up of members of Tafkata, these California sludgers actually managed to capture my attention with what is their third full-length album on Relapse Records. I guess it's about time I hear them now, even though their previous two records received some rather high scores over at Metal Archives from one person. But I'm one person as well (at least I think I am) so here's my input on the newest offering. Quite simply, it's just damned good sludge. It doesn't stick to the basics, but it has enough of the basics to keep it from wandering too far off. Ezekiel's Hags is the kind of record that contains extensively heavy bouts of doom along with moments of blistering death metal, some grind and maybe even some tinges of atmosphere. Honestly, I think one of the greatest things about this band would be that of their frontman, Tim McClary. The guy has one hell of a set of pipes, sounding like everything from The Creature From The Black Lagoon, to a frantic punk or even a garbage mouthed monstrosity. If there's anything that you really need to take from this album though, it's that these guys like to play their music as with as much fuzz and amp squeal as humanly possible. Just like the old days.

You'll even hear them making nods to EyeHateGod in the form of the blues notes captured here in closer “Bastard Son.” When I went to see EyeHateGod for the first time, all that I thought of them was that they were a really heavy blues band and I'm not sure if anyone else really caught that. Sure, they're heavy as can be and sound like an eighteen-wheeler headed down the road at ninety miles per hour, but there's no doubting those good old fashioned blues riffs. Even so, you couldn't compare Seven Sisters Of Sleep to EyeHateGod in any other similarities though, because there are mountains of doom here that stand tall before anything else on the recording, especially blues. Ezekiel's Hags is actually the kind of sludge record that I would recommend to doom fans too, because there's just that unmistakable fucking thump. That's what I've heard makes up “the doom!” so rest assured, you'll find it here. It's sludge, but it's definitely good solid sludge that I think stands out. Did I mention all “the doom?”

(11 Tracks, 49:00)

8/10

Mastery - Valis (2015)

Coming out of California, this experimental black metal act fronted by one dude with a rather esoteric moniker, (yet a real name of Steve Peacock) has released it's debut recording which at first received an 80% and then an 85% on Metal Archives. But then some idiot decided to troll and give it a 35% which took the cumulative score of 80% down to 65% and therefore presents an inaccurate score for the disc. As right now, it is recognized by a 2:1 majority that the record is pretty solid, and from what I've heard, it is. Now I'm not quite sure as to whether or not the drumming here is programmed, because it's hard to tell in some sections with the sheer quality of a performance that we can capture with technology. Some sections definitely sound inorganic, while others sound pretty close to the real thing. But for the most part, Valis of which I'm not sure has to do with the Valis series or not (a truly great series of games until they shit all over it with an H-Game) is a rather oblong performance that might to some sound like a huge mass of noise. “Valis Vessel” for instance comes in with some very fast blasts, malformed tremolo riffs, unexpected acoustic stylings and seething scowls, which might fill a little too much of the musical matter here. I'm trying to learn the same lesson myself, by learning how to “shut the fuck up” and allow the music to breathe a little during certain sections. “Lore Seeker” comes off very much the same, with the old Deathspell Omega flair that's been a bit overused I feel, and that's the same way that closer “Star Seeker” sounds. As a matter of fact, “Valis Vessel” is the only track that actually allows for a well needed break, with the rest of them coming off like bouts of sheer hysteria with lots of little tinkerings, but no real substance. It just kind of feels like a whirlwind of sound that has no rhyme or reason, yet is raw and heavy as hell. I really like the short atmosphere in “Ash Vessel” though and wish he'd work on that style a little more as he's really accomplished all he's going to with this erratic explosion of energy. It's not something for the faint of heart, but it's not complete garbage worthy of a 30% out of 100% ranking either. It needs some work, but at least he's trying. The guy also plays bass and performs the vocals in another band called Pale Chalice which you might like a bit better. They released their debut Negate the Infinite and Miraculous last year, so give that one a try if this one isn't quite up to stature for you.

Addendum: Read that review on Metal Archives and that guy was definitely not trolling. Some people don't get heavy experimentalism and do not consider it to be music period. He's certainly entitled to his opinion nevertheless and I do agree with what he said in some areas. Mastery is good in small doses, but can be too overbearing when taken in all at once. 

(5 Tracks, 40:00)

7/10

Ellipse - A Nos Traitres (2016)

France's Ellipse are a metalcore act with hints of djent that I wouldn't be reviewing if I hadn't been commissioned to. They definitely aren't my sort of thing and all that damn hollering and yelling on the record just hurts my ears, to be honest. But I will say that there are some intriguing nodes in terms of structure, and the record definitely contains as much of a familiar post metal sound as it does one of screamy metalcore. The record actually contains several instrumental interludes to which an air of slightly depressing atmosphere is entered. A couple notable leads are uttered, with some forays into melodic death metal which definitely spices things up a little – but for more than a few people, the unchanging screams of the frontman will literally kill this listening experience for them. He grunts a little and there's a section with humongous breakdowns along with a very amateur attempt at a growl, but you can tell that these guys are still just getting started and have a lot of work ahead of them. It's obvious that they're plugging into the common modernisms of the age, but you can hear signs of purpose here and I think that could translate to something not so processed on the next record. Ellipse are showing me glimpses that they can indeed do more with this style than ten thousand other similar acts, but they'll need to step it up a little more before they can get the attention of this old head. I will say that they're definitely geared to the current generation of metal listeners and they'll find something in this record that I won't. I feel that all the senseless screaming works to give me a headache and my sinuses are already wreaking havoc on me tonight. Thank goodness for the solo sections, as they give me a break from all that erratic screaming. Can't say I'd recommend it, but Ellipse does musically a better job than a lot of signed acts I've heard performing this same style of music.

(11 Tracks, 36:00)

6/10

Old Forest - Dagian (2016)

The UK's Old Forest are back at it again, with another disc of symphonic and rather folky black metal. This would be their third full-length, showing that the steadfast ambitions of James “Mr. Fog” Fogarty (In The Woods..., Jaldaboath, Ewigkeit and several other awesome bands) still hold up just as well as always. Fogarty handles those crystalline synth nodes, as well as some static and other instances that stretch the work of Old Forest far beyond that of other bands. He also handles the vocals, which don't stray too far from the menacing scowl of which we'd expect, even though the cleans when used are quite pleasant. Beleth plays some rather melodic notes, which seem to bring Dagian an almost mesmerizing feel, compared to the darker atmospheres invoked by some of the band's previous records. With the enchanting folk melodies of “Non” and the whirlwinds of symphonic beauty that have been captured in “Tweoneleoht” there's no doubt in my mind that Dagian might be one of the most pleasant black metal records that you'll hear this year. While tremolos and icy cold riff structures still exist here, there's just so much more to be found within this record and I'd recommend it purely to someone who feels that they're tired of the same old thing when it comes to the black metal sound. While still raw, it feels organic even with the symphonic effects. This is the kind of record that really allows one to sit back and explore the atmosphere, see the worlds by which Fogarty has here imagined and put into song. The four tracks that makeup Dagian are very long, but you want them to be. I want them to be. What's the use in making such a mesmerizing atmospheric release if the songs are forgettable due to not being fully fleshed out? These tracks need time to breathe, and they are definitely given it. Now I know that atmospheric pieces like you'll find placed on the disc's final track “Neaht” might be a little too much for some, but if that's the case, then you're merely looking in the wrong category. I'd be a fool to say that this wasn't an experimental effort and a fool to stand against it. Dagian fully embraces black metal, viking/folk metal and atmospheric music all in the same less than an hour listen – and it does it seamlessly. I regret that I don't have enough time to explore this masterpiece as I would have liked, but you are free to do that when you pick up a copy, turn off the lights and drift off into another world entirely. There are other worlds beyond these, and I daresay that Dagian might just be the gateway to one of them.

(4 Tracks, 48:00)

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