Khroma - Stasis (2016)

When I first heard this one from Finnish industrial metallers Khroma, I really wasn't all that interested in it. “Brace Yourself” was just a bunch of djent and harsh vocals with some shoegazy melodies thrown in. The same could have also been said for “A Simple Lie” with some exceptions. But as I listened, I noticed these guys slowly working themselves out of the “djent band” corner by changing their approach a bit more with each song. When I got to “Wrong” I wasn't even hearing quite as many djent grooves and when I was, they didn't sound quite so damn formulaic. There were even sections here where the atmosphere becomes a major listening point and even clean vocals came into play (which work to remind me a little of Sybreed's latter work. Unfortunately, this is the only time that we really hear clean vocals on the album.) Now I do realize that some people might have a problem with the rapping apparent on “The Push” but honestly, I'd prefer anything but standard djent. The band definitely have a modern sound, but they've also got a bite. “Hydra” changed things up a little as well, almost trading djent riffs completely for electronic atmospheres. If we can get more of that, and less of these djent riffs on the next record, I feel that I could really embrace these guys. I don't actually have that big of a problem with djent, it's just that many bands who consider themselves to be electronic, futurist or robotic seem to think that they have to use djent riffs in order to sound that way, and that is simply NOT TRUE. It has never been true, and never will be true. “Acid On Skin” also changes things on that level, showing great evolution from the band in this realm. Again, even if you don't like the overall vocal delivery and find a little bit too rambunctious for your tastes, you definitely have to admire the fact that these guys are at least trying to be an electronic act and not just another djent act. There are obvious core influences and it feels like less of a metal performance overall, but I can't say that I hate what's going on here and would actually recommend it – but only to the right listener. I see no need to take you through the entire disc as it all carries a similar feel, though I will reiterate that I do think that what I've heard here is in fact promising. Perhaps the vocals feel a little bit like a cross between Nu-Metal and post metal, but I think it's just good enough to get it's point across. I really hope that in the future these guys will do just a little more on the guitar than just the djent stuff though, because they have the potential to do so much more and stand out there as an electronic band who don't feel the need to have to force these nuanced djent riffs in order to sound electronic. We don't need more Meshuggah's, we need more innovators in this style of music. I really hope that Khroma can work their way out of this box, because they're nearly three-fourths of the way out as it is.

(9 Tracks, 37:00)

7/10

H.P. Lovecraft - Hallowe'en In A Suburb and Other Tales (2016)

Though horror writer and veritable legend Howard Phillips Lovecraft has been dead for almost a century now, (you can do the math on that one) several audio recordings of his poems will be released over the next few months. What began with The Hound and The Music of Erich Zahn continues with this secondary release, and continues the Andrew Leman (Co-founder of the H.P. Lovecraft historical society) voiced interpretations of classics like the title, as well as “The Cats”, “Garden”, “Astrophobos” “Despair” and “The Messenger” (which is a personal favorite.) Leman's voice dictates these tales almost fragrantly, but with a fragrance that certainly smells like that of wilted flowers and slimy fish gods. The piece is only about eight minutes in length, which makes me hopeful that an eventual CD compilation of all of these tales will be available for purchase someday in the near future. It is certainly fitting to see that these atmospheres are backed by that of Theologian, who seems to be able to capture the atmosphere of Lovecraft's looming dread quite well. My only real qualm with these are the format, as not everyone likes thick LP's and some of us prefer more concise and easier formats, like a CD and digital release. Once again, I'd love to see all of these tales collected on one medium, where I would then warrant a purchase. It's not that the material isn't brilliant, because it is – I'm just not a fan of the retro vinyl hipster trend.

(2 Tracks, 7:00)

8/10

Gluttony/Sordid Flesh - Split (2016)

What we've got here is a forty-four minute Swedish split that composes of two death metal EP's and although it's about full-length, I've stuck it in the shortlist for some reason and will now begin reviewing it. Gluttony make classic groove-influenced death metal like that of Entombed, Grave, Revolting and several others in that vein. You know it, you love it. The first two tracks, “Glory of The Rope” and “Dead, Rotten and Forgotten” fucking kill, with a frontman who really delivers in this approach. The guy's a fucking beast from the netherrealms, which makes me a bit upset to see that later on the record either he was replaced or the material is a bit earlier in the band's career (It's actually the band's 2012 demo). My guess is that the vocalist on these first two cuts is indeed their current vocalist, and the stuff on the latter part of the disc was performed by the other guy. (Which is true.) There's nothing really wrong with the band's old vocalist, he's just kind of stale to me, especially compared to the guy they brought in. He does have a deeper approach to vocals though, which later rolls into current Entombed territory on Rolling Stones cover “Paint It Black.” The “not growl” style isn't for everyone, but if it works for Petrov, I guess other frontmen want to try to save their throats as well. That being said, it's still a pretty decent performance. I definitely hope we'll hear more from the new vocalist though, that guy sounded pretty fucking awesome. (The singer of "Paint It Black is also Anders, the band's guitarist. It's one of the few songs he sang on.)

Sordid Flesh perform a similar approach to death metal, proving every bit as memorable as Gluttony. They seem to create more horrific atmospheres with the riffs though, which makes things a bit more tasteful than the latter end of the Gluttony side. The vocalist isn't quite as strong as the first frontman you hear on the split, but he's definitely better than the guy on the latter half of the Gluttony side. There's definitely bit more fright in the vocals here, as well as the music, which is what you want in old slabs of death metal. These guys have nothing to prove other than the fact that they want to make classic death metal, and I'm all for that. The disc ends with a smashing cover of Priest's “Ram It Down” which is delivered effortlessly and my favorite track on their side. I love my classic metal, and especially I love when it's been deathened or blackened up a little. You really can't go wrong with this split, so definitely give it a listen as a reminder of why there's nothing like classic death metal with no-frills. It's a must for any death metal fan's collection, and I do think that there will be some out there who really dig those latter Gluttony tracks more than I did, which will make their personal score a bit higher than mine.

Edit: I don't like to kill the prose in these reviews, so I'll add here that the gentleman I was having such disdain towards is actually that of Johan Jansson (Interment, Moondark, Regurgitate, Uncanny, ex-Centinex, ex-Demonical, ex-Entombed A.D.) who as you've seen has been in several highly recognized acts in the genre. It just didn't work out so well here for me, as sometimes happens. I much prefer Magnus Odling (Setherial, Sorgehegard) as I've said in the review. Johan “Curse The Gods” Jansson fans will definitely want to pick up this split, regardless of my thoughts here and I hope that they will.

(11 Tracks, 44:00)

8/10

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

Pearly Gates - Unchained (2016)

Though we haven't heard a new Tool record since 2006's 10,000 Days, it seems that the band have been alive and well in Finland. Really. The frontman sounds like just like Maynard did back when he was playing on Lateralus and Aenema, with “Sink Hole” sounding like a Tool track that they left in the vault somewhere. These guys have played over a hundred gigs since they've been together and being a Tool fan, I can definitely say that I enjoy the approach here. I'd actually love to break into the local radio station, put “Sink Hole” on the radio and see how many people start drooling because they think Tool just released a new single. I can just hear it now. “But that's not Tool!” “I don't care, it's fucking Tool enough for me!” As we keep going, we're going to hear something completely different though, and that's the calming acoustic ballad “Unchained” which is performed here live. It's not really my thing, but I will admit that it's pretty mellow and I'd probably enjoy it more if I was a bit stoned. “Free Fall” sounds more like classic progressive rock in a way, with a decidedly dreamlike feeling that certainly doesn't sound anything like Tool. Though it starts out pretty weak, as with any good prog track, it has a tremendous instrumental buildup that proves to be worth it's weight in gold. There's also another track on here by the name of “Glass Eyes” which sounds like an alternative rock track by another name, so ignore the cool tagline. Unfortunately, these guys seem to only be really good at emulating other bands and there's little here that seems to be of their own style. I could jam “Sink Hole” hundreds of times, but the rest of this stuff just doesn't cut it as much. I think listeners are going to be a bit confused, as am I. But one really awesome song and pretty good one at the end isn't necessarily a bad thing, is it?

(4 Tracks, 20:00)

7/10

Ignea - Alga (2016)

Clocking in at just under seven minutes, this single track from Ukrainian symphonic metal act Ignea on a very strong note with powerful orchestrations, hard-driving riffs and one hell of a frontwoman. She's quite comparable to Lacuna Coil's Christina Scabbia and doesn't go heavy with the vocal operatics, instead preferring a straight-forward approach, which adds some hefty growls in the background. Lyrically, this seems like a read between the lines of Russia's involvement in the Ukraine, which the Ukrainian people are not all too happy about. This is also why I was getting the business when I accidentally referred to some Ukrainian acts as Russian. I make sure these days to get that right, as I don't think I ever want to get an email like that again. Especially when I actually enjoyed the album. As for the piece, it contains a potent chorus, catchy grooves and even a little bit of a guitar solo so they're obviously going for a harder approach than similar acts out there. I was actually very impressed by this piece and would certainly love to hear more. As an old fan of Lacuna Coil, “Alga” really hit the nail on the head for me. Definitely give it a listen if you're into that kind of music and I look forward to the new album.

(1 Track, 6:17)

7/10

Nuclear Hatred - Nuclear Hatred (2016)

Originally called Zamboni, the band decided to change their name at the last damn minute, which makes me glad that I decided to wait to review them. A band that I can immediately recall after hearing “Killer Croc! Hit him with a rock!” (Batman fan here) these New York/New Jersey punk/thrashers actually caught my attention with this debut album, which had been riddled with delays and personal dilemmas. The band itself is rife with drama, so it's good to see that they managed to get something out, even if it was two years later than originally planned. You see, the recording began in 2014, but it hasn't released until now which is quite odd because this is only about twenty minutes of material. It's the same length as one of their EP's to be honest, but is still interesting. Crawling out of the ashes of thrash act Obliterator, Robert Orr seems to carry that same thrash mentality here, except watered down a little more for a more in-your-face punk approach. Chris Butera handles the vocals here in just that sort of fashion, with a real middle finger in the air sort of vibe that lends it's way to powerful punk anthems. I don't usually like punky stuff, but this is one time that I'm actually a bit interested. The one thing that you'll notice about these guys is that they sound a bit classic and don't opt for the pop-punk emo crap stuff we've got these days. We do get some pretty heated guitar solos, and even though the drums are programmed, it's really tough to tell. They've got a good software program to make for such an authentic sounding kit and that's surprising as you can normally tell when the drums are programmed. When you pop in this disc, it'll hit you hard. It's not overly brutal, but it's definitely full of aggression and perhaps some comedy as well. Themes for wrestlers, zombies, supervillains and other such meanderings appear on this record, which shows that these guys have obvious dedication to their craft and will only get more refined with time. If they're able to release another recording at some point. It might be 2034 before we hear another one of these, so I wish these guys luck with the new moniker and what does feel like a proper release. Though they think of themselves as the most awful band of all time, I'm sure none of these guys have heard Cat O' Nine Tails Records biggest secret, Flowers Of Disgust – the literal worst band of all time. Though admittedly, I like them as well. Just can't get over song titles like “Man In Hot Dog Quandary.” That being said, give the record a listen and please try to support this act, which barely even got it off the presses.

(9 Tracks, 21:00)

7/10