Anagnorisis - Peripeteia (2016)

Kentucky black/death metallers Anagnorisis have just recently released their third outing, which sees them still quite strong after the release of their last record, Beyond All Light. That disc actually scored a 91% (of two reviews) which would see it as a tough hill to climb. Like similar black metal records of the modern era, there are definitely post metal moments here, but also elements of more depressing doom acts like Swallow The Sun for example. It's decidedly a pained listen, which would probably come off a little bit better without the voice clips in opener “Disgust and Remorse.” I get what they were trying to do, but sometimes it's better to let the music speak for itself, without the clips. Or at least put them at the beginning/end of a song. I'd hope that a live performance of that piece wouldn't include the clips as I'd be pretty pissed at that point. Thankfully, the second part of the song merely observes atmosphere in the middle as it focuses more on the raw and unhinged black metal that this band seem to be quite proficient at. The sound is overly grim, a bit hopeless and feels just as I might expect a record of this nature to come off. It's quite sorrowful, like mixing a nineties black metal release with funeral doom and throwing in some acoustic bits, atmospheres and various soundclips to tell an equally depressing story. But seeing as these guys live in Kentucky, I'm sure there's not much to be excited about. It's the same here, really.

When we get into “5306 Morningside” I start to get a little bit more upset however, because these guys thought it would be a great idea to allow the vocalist to perform vocals while the soundclips were playing in the middle of the song. At that moment, I have to cringe just a little. Is the frontman not able to convey his feelings within the music well enough that you must pattern over that with sound clips? Are you a metal act or an industrial one? This is getting a little bit incessant. Soundclips can be very useful in softer portions of songs. Most bands use them to open and close pieces. Sometimes they are utilized during a soundscape to built the mood. But never are they useful right in the middle of a song, unless the form of music is electronic and these soundclips act as an instrument. Thankfully, the clips start to fade just as the song really gets in gear and only the first couple of vocal lines on the track are muddied by these effects.

“Night Skies Over Nothingness” actually allows us to hear the band clip-free and with a real sense of bite. There are some thick grooves in areas that work well with the harsh vocal performance and ghostly keyboard antics. A definite winner for me. The title cut features more clips in the beginning, but this isn't a problem as it really continues to show the band's strength, as well as their excellent keyboard playing. The death metal influence in the band also manages to shine through here, making for a surprisingly punchier sound than the first couple of tracks have offered, showing that these guys have the ability to get angry in addition to heavy moping. There's nothing wrong with a morose sound and style, I know that quite well – but it's good to see a bit of unbridled rage and seventies keyboard prog theatrics as well. It's also great to hear some real guitar shredding on “Metamorphosis” which seems to show that these gentlemen are actually a hell of a lot better than you might expect them to be. There's a section of the cut where drum blasts intertwine with a real bout of shredding and that has to be my favorite moment on the whole album. I don't think I've ever heard a solo that intricate playing at the same time as a kit that was completely on fire, at least from the sound of things. Usually, you're going to have a hard time being able to discern any bit of guitar while the drums are pounding as loudly and with such ferocity in the mix as they were here. But I have a feeling that these guys know what they're doing as far set-ups go, which is why I was able to hear that solo section pretty well in the mix.

Peripeteia is a realtively strong black metal album in my opinion, and it's probably a bit of a change from the prior. I don't know, I haven't heard it. But I feel that maybe some of the soundclips and things might have been a bit much for them this time around and might detract listeners a little bit. I'm not sure if they were trying to tell a story or not, but it's definitely a less is more situation as far as that is concerned. They do play live, so I would assume that's the best way to hear this one.

(8 Tracks, 53:00)

8/10

Chagall - Locust Spitter (2016)

Canada's Chagall are what I would consider to be a mixture of modern groove and death metal, along with some slightly progressive quirks here and there. Metal Archives just refers to them as “groove metal” and that I believe fits as well. Locust Spitter is their first recording since the self-titled EP (2014) and it comes off as most debuts do – the right idea, with a little bit of rough edges that need to be smoothened out. The very first thing that the listener will notice about Chagall is that they are kind of one-sided, especially as far as the vocal skills of Chris Fothergill are concerned. The guy is about as one dimensional as Devildriver's Dez Fafara, which amounts Chagall to a slightly more intricate Lamb Of God albeit with a rather unremarkable frontman. As for the rest of the band, I've noticed that maybe the sound is bit too clean as well, which doesn't really give me any bite. I'm not really hearing what sounds like an act that is playing at one-hundred percent in the studio and I'd expect these guys to deliver a little bit more on the stage perhaps. Also, the drums are too light in the mix as well as the guitars, which all sound very safe.

The Lamb Of God influence is pretty easy to see, but I'm just not feeling the same bite. The very first time I listened to this record while sitting in the hospital, I noticed that there wasn't much about it that came out to me as far as what I expect from a strong groove record. I think one of the biggest problems is that many of Randy Blythe's vocal aesthetics are being completely emulated, which doesn't give me the sound of any new band with their own style – it just sounds like an act trying to play around it's record collection, which is relatively acceptable for most debuts. When you step away from the record, it sounds heavily encapsulated in a kind of box. That isn't to say that nice leads do not appear on the disc, as well as some slightly more progressive elements (which you certainly wouldn't get from Lamb Of God) but aside from certain sections, the drums just don't really kick all that much and the guitars seem kind of constricted as well as the vocals. It feels like a box of fire. When you pick it up, it'll burn your hand. But when you leave it there lying on the ground, no one will even notice it. I can't say that these four guys don't have talent, because you can see the progressive elements melding quite well with the death/groove. It just sounds like something that will piece together better overtime. The record certainly has it's kicking moments, but Burn The Priest's debut and the first few Lamb Of God records had a lot more venom.

What needs to happen here is less restraint and I don't know how that's going to happen. I don't want to hear concrete, guys. I want to hear hard-hitting metal that doesn't all bleed into one performance. I don't feel that groove fans will be ultimately upset with this one, but definitely give it a listen on the Bandcamp before you decide to purchase it. It's a “Name Your Own Price” release, so if you liked what you heard, throw them a few bucks. I'm sure it would help. In any case, this one doesn't really catch me in the way that other groove discs have, but I'm definitely willing to hear more from them in the future. Let's see how this evolves.

(9 Tracks, 41:00)

7/10

Buzzard Canyon - Hellfire & Whiskey (2016)

Rolling in like a mix of doom, blues and rock n' roll, we have the warm and fuzzy sound of Connecticut's Buzzard Canyon. The quintet seems to offer a slew of catchy choruses, but there's also a great deal of thickness insofar as the compositions are concerned. “Louder Than God” actually allows for quite a bit of atmosphere, showing that the band can achieve a bit more than the bits of blues rock that you're getting for the majority of the album. Vocals on the record are actually doled out between a strong female frontwoman and a admittedly tough to hear male backing vocalist. Sometimes he takes over the vocal duties himself, especially during one section of the disc where he attempts a little bit of Danzig. If you'll listen closely, you'll hear some harsh vocal elements in the back as well. This kind of adds a bit more bite to the disc, but again – it's tough to hear. The frontwoman sometimes utilizes the same harsh vocal elements, which you can of course hear a bit better in the mix. Often these two duet, but you'd never know it because the male vocalist's mic is so low in the mix for a reason that escapes me. Also, the band is a little lower in the mix than it should be. I'm hearing my bluesy doomy thumps, but the vocals are just too clearly heard over them, which kind of kills the atmosphere that they were going for. It sounds like they were recorded in another room apart from the music (which is sometimes the case) but Buzzard Canyon like any good doomy bluesy rocky act, is more of a live band. You want the kind of feeling where maybe the lyrics aren't so audible because the thick thunder of bass and drums work to drown them out sometimes. When you see these guys live, you're going to experience just that. They currently only have one live show planned right now for December 3rd in their hometown, but maybe next year they'll really be able to take this show on the road. 

Again, this is a relatively stout and overly groovy little album, but it's definitely going to stand out much better on the stage along with some Sabbath and Manilla Road covers, perhaps. Buzzard Canyon aren't bad at all and this is a pretty good debut from my observation. It obviously has some rough edges, but that will be ironed out when these guys come back to the studio for the next one. Hellfire & Whiskey definitely contains some pretty impressive moments as far as some of the leads and solos are concerned, but there's not enough of them to really stand out right now. Again, this is literally the Connecticut act's first major musical output and I'm sure that they'll only get better with time. I do like that some of the harsh vocal moments are quite out there in the open, really pumping in some unexpected moments of groove and animosity where I honestly would not have expected it. Definitely give them a listen, but it's definitely going to work better onstage.

(8 Tracks, 35:00)

6/10

Aenaon - Hypnosophy (2016)

This record doesn't come out until Thanksgiving (November 25th) and that feels fitting as it is certainly something to be thankful for. Really thankful for. As in, we're about to replace the lighthouse wallpaper and by the time you read this, we'll already have a new background. So is this a ten, then? Is that what you're saying? You're damn right it is. But first let me explain a little bit about why that is. As far as Aenaon is concerned, The Grim Lord is no stranger to them as I believe we gave their last record Extance another unbelievably high score. So has lightning struck twice? Well, you already know it has and I'm just as amazed as you are. This Grecian combination of Arcturus and Sigh is just un-fucking-real, folks. There's nothing at all quite like it, and it only becomes grander as you continue through the record.

The soundscapes that these gentlemen create are nothing short of fantastic, which give us a record that not only traverses black metal, but several types of music in general. We will definitely hear massive amounts of horns, saxophones and powerful keyboard sections which remind me of all things, the mighty Sigh. The clean vocals and synth pieces also help to remind me of Arcturus, covering both their earlier days and their more bombastic periods. We could also mention Emperor/Ihsahn, Enslaved, Ved Buens Ende, Dodheimsgard and several others throughout the history of the genre – it's all here, folks. Hypnosophy isn't just a great album, it reminds me why it is that I love music in the first place.

That being said, let's talk about what the album does aside from pomp – it actually offers black metal. Huge, hefty mounds of it. Blasts still roar from the kit, harsh vocals still emanate from the mouth of the frontman and even if cleans are being used, we still manage to get that loathsome scowl that brings us face-forward into extreme music to begin with. Now there are some female vocals on this record in certain areas, but I don't feel that these gentlemen are shouldering their way into becoming a female fronted act with these pieces. They are just there simply because the guys felt that a female vocalist belonged on areas of the album. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with that. We should embrace these sorts of decisions and allow artists to make the kind of music that they wish to make. Even though these fine gentlemen are signed to a label like Code 666, I really can't imagine those guys pushing the band in one diection or the other. Obviously these men are tremendously talented in their own right and there's no real reason to tell them what to do, or how to make an album. They've already got that pretty much downpact.

Again, Hypnosophy is still black metal (I have to stress that) and it is still rife with familiar tremolos, but there is just so much more here to explore. The solos alone are outrageous and that includes far more than what is done on the guitar. I can sense that some people might feel there is too much going on in this record for them and that's understandable. Some people just aren't open-minded enough for such brilliance, where music become more than music – it becomes art. I'm even reminded of extremely experimental acts like Estradasphere on this one, which just makes it all the more exciting. In all of the boring black metal acts I hear these days that are just playing the same thing over and over, it's good to hear such a refreshing hurricane of sound and style like this.

The record itself is only about ten minutes less than their last (which still rounds out to an hour) but so much is done within that time period that the hour often passes by without you realizing it. It's just such a good record with a memorable atmosphere that you'll get wrapped up in it. It'll take you away to a realm by which you'll enjoy any task that you're doing while listening to it. I'd recommend soaking it in alone, but if you'd like to play it while doing housework or while playing a game, possibly even while reading or writing – that would work as well. These guys just set up such a wonderful sort of aura with their music that really seems to put an already fantastic metal scene further on the map.

I recently discovered a copy of Metal Hammer Greece's A Tribute To Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time buried out in the backyard and realized that there were just so many mind-boggling covers of what was already a classic album to begin with on it. Every single band listed was a Grecian act, which blew me away even further. What in the hell is going on in the Greek metal and rock scene? There are some real heavyweights over there and I'm not even going to mince words. We already know that acts like SepticFlesh and Rotting Christ are fantastic, but just from what I heard on that little sampler it soon became apparent to me that we've heard nothing yet.

So another new year, another good Aenaeon record. You know, I'd personally have to chalk Hypnosophy up as being one of the best moments of my year, even though it's been a decidedly shitty one all-around. It feels like this record is treasure chest full of gold and jewels, but is placed high on the top of a steaming mountain of manure. We all know that 2016 wasn't exactly a great time to be on Earth, but this record certainly seems to soften the blow. After you're done with Thanksgiving dinner, go down to the nearest record shop and pick up this one. Or go online and order it from your favorite retailer.

The disc is only seven euros and while The Grim Lord isn't really happy about having to buy a twenty-four euro special vinyl version for a bonus disc with six more tracks (Holy shit, there's six more songs here! What else did they do? That's like a full album) on accompanying CD (yeah, you read that right) there is actually more than enough material here to satiate you without having to pick up that version. (Kind of upset that the CD version doesn't have the bonus tracks either – why not? They might be great!)

Regardless of another awful maketing scheme, this is still a wonderful record and I'm serious – it's good enough that you actually don't need all that bonus stuff to check it out. Even so, the special edition vinyl version limited to ninety-six copies actually is pretty cheap (it's $26 USD – the price that the metal shop around here used to charge for one disc before it was shutdown) compared to what other bands charge for similar, and arguably the music here is far better than bands with special edition boxes that you've already purchased this year, so go for it if you have the money.  Make this purchase your last big one of the year.

Aenaon's Hypnosophy is definitely worth it for fans of experimental and avant-garde black metal everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. The Grim Tower highly recommends Aenaon's Hypnosophy and it's my favorite album of the year. I'd recommend it to anyone.

(7 Tracks, 55:00)

10/10

Steel Hook Prostheses - Calm Morbidity (2016)

Texas's Steel Hook Prostheses have returned, but this new album is a bit different. Whereas the band's previous record The Empirics Guild (2013) created the kind of horrifying atmosphere that you might find in a horror film, or perhaps playing in the background of a Halloween spookhouse, Calm Morbidity is different. I won't say that there isn't still some semblance of horror here, but just not all the time. I believe the title really does work to describe the album here, in which pieces that are very ethereal coincide with pieces that are extremely frightening. This combination works rather well, as the creepier pieces (forgive the pun here) seem to creep up on the listener without warning. But then you could be listening to a track like “Sulphur Drip” which begin with a rather horrific vibe, as it flows into something a bit more electronic and spark-laden. Sometimes it even sounds like an electronic ritual, or a ritual composed by robots. If androids come onto the scene next year, as both Daily Mail and Inverse are reporting; and if their AI becomes advanced enough to form religion (God forbid, I don't really want to hear about Robo-Jesus) then this piece could literally be the sound of their worship. I just don't want to be sacrificed to the robot gods.

Then we have a cut like “Paresthesia” where ominous soundscapes are the literal name of the game. Harsh vocals might appear in it's follow-up, “The Medicus” but this piece alone makes me think of the spine-tingling atmosphere that one might face while walking through the abandoned hospital in Silent Hill. “Deep In The Marrow” seems to continue that robot religion, but it also feels possibly a bit more human this time around. For a band that seemed so sterile in terms of presentation, (there was nothing ritualistic or even somewhat spiritual about the band's last release) it feels like they may have gotten their hands on some acid and tripped out while making this album. That is not unheard of, by the way – I could only imagine these kinds of hallucinogenic substances taking the mind to extremely removed realms of consciousness, by which ideas that they would have never considered would come into place. Several of the greatest musicians, writers and even tech-giants of silicon valley have experienced slight bits of acid exposure in their lives (the techies actually call it micro-dosing) which I think might be responsible for some of technology's greatest achievements. These atmospheres certainly seem to feel as though they were inspired in the same manner. However you want to call it though, Steel Hook Prostheses have created a record that certainly feels like a logical step after their previous release and a more mature recording overall. As much as I enjoyed the horror atmosphere of the previous, Calm Morbidity gives me something a little more. Change is good.

(10 Tracks, 57:00)

8/10

Army Of The Universe - 1999 & The Aftershow (2016)

Italian born (now based in LA) Army Of The Universe are back with their first record in three years, even though just by judging from the band's last album title The Hipster Sacrifice (2013), I'm going to have to go back and check that one out. Getting back to the recording, I find that it seems to be a mix of electronic dance music and rock, much in the vein of earlier Prodigy. Yet then again, there are some more gothic moments as well, like we'll hear on “Late Detroit Nights.” Yet then again, we'll hear some rather annoying dubstep influence in the background on “Down Till Dusk.” Thankfully, that's the only song on the record that really contains that kind of influence, or as least so much of it. I can do with a little dub, but too much is too much. There are thirteen tracks on this disc though, so one dubstep track isn't exactly going to kill it for me and the band offer enough of a varied mix of styles to keep me interested.

“1999” might come in like a roaring inferno, but most of these pieces seem to take a little bit more of a groovy and more dance-laden KMFDM nature, which definitely keeps the listener's attention as there's nearly something for everyone. When you pick up this disc, you're not getting the same song every time and it'll often sound like several different types of electronic acts. On “Another Escape” we get electronic Europop with nary a guitar riff in sight, which might turn off some fans, but that's okay. It's pretty catchy and shows that they can do more than electronic rock. “Digital Slag” comes in right with guitars however, certainly reminding me not only of KMFDM, but E1M1 from Doom. It doesn't stay that way however, as beats come in and the piece takes a more commercial vibe. That's fine though, as this is the kind of commercial electronic pop-rock I can stand. Also, those small clean sections (they have a watery feel to them) played by the keyboards almost have that spacey Super Metroid vibe which reminds me in part of the game's intro theme right after you start a new game (this is essentially the music that plays during the briefing section of the game and describes the events of the past two titles) which is something that might even surprise the band when they realize how close those keyboards sound to the piece. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not. We also have “The Aftershow” which has radio single written all over it. That chorus reverberates more than is entirely necessary, but I'd be a fool to tell you that I didn't enjoy it. Perhaps some of the verse material there is kind of filler, but they have to throw something in there to balance out the chorus.

“Snake Was Right” seems to be an anti-censorship cut, and in the age of PC culture, we could very well use it. Unfortunately, it's not really so much of a song as it is a long interlude with KMFDM inspired spoken word pieces. “Nobody 2.0” gives off that kind of electro-goth feel, which once again comes off a bit unexpected, as with anything else on the album. I can't say that I'm crazy about the disc's last track, “The Albert Hotel” but I can't say that I loved everything on the disc either. I will say that I found the majority of it easily digestible and for the most part, it's a solid act who've been at this for a long time. I can't really talk about their prior releases, so I don't know if this is departure from that kind of material or not, but I can say that I'm quite pleased with such a uniquely diverse electronic act. Metropolis has a great one on their hands, that's for sure. Check these guys out if you haven't.

(13 Tracks, 48:00)

8/10

Finsterforst - #Yolo (2016)

Finsterforst went from making one of the most interesting albums I've ever heard to, well... this. I'm scratching my head just as much as you are, I'm sure. But this is definitely the same band. I don't think we're in a time warp. In any case, there's definitely more of a folk vibe towards this one, possibly more like that of Tyr or Ensiferum, actually. The record sounds quite mighty at times, yet it can also have a bit of an Alestorm style kind of pirate vibe. What's more, is that there are two very interesting covers here, which you may not expect. There's also a cover here that I thought Tyr and Cruachan did much better, but I'm very particular on covers of classic folk songs, especially “The Wild Irish Rover” (here called “Wild Rover”) and very few covers really work for me. I'd love to hear them take on “Spancill Hill” though. Despite the record being a bit playful and full of ten thousand horns as well as happy world music, lyrically it's quite harsh. The music itself might appear a bit cheery, but the frontman seems to have just went right on with the ferocious snarls as if he was still performing experimental black/death. Now the first cover we have here that I'd like to talk about is Miley Cyrus's “Wrecking Ball” which I've heard covered online by various bands as it is (I'm a junkie for metal pop music covers) even though I'll say that Finsterforst really knocked it out of the park. It does carry on the electronic pop nature of the original, but with the combination of strong lead melodies and unexpectedly powerful symphonics. Yes, that sounds silly that I'm even suggesting such a thing, but if you haven't heard the original, you'll like it.

Now as for Michael Jackson's “Beat It” I actually love this song better than the original. Yes, but there's one thing. The band totally ruined it at the very beginning with some weird dub-electronic shit. I actually recommend fast-forwarding the piece a couple of seconds until you actually hear the first set of riffs, which begins the song. This is actually such a big deal to me that I'm going to carry the track over to a program I have and cut the whole beginning of it off. I've done this before with cuts that I add to my personal collection and if it makes me enjoy the song even more, than it's worth it. As for the cut, the clean vocals are awesome here. I didn't expect the horns, but that solo is actually better than Eddie Van Halen's. I wish it was a little longer. I told you guys, I'm a real stickler about metal pop covers, especially since “Beat it” got me into guitar based music around the age of five. I'll applaud their experimentation, but less is more here. We also have some rapping on the record in the form of “Der durch die Scheibeboxxxer” which is definitely not something I would have expected from this band. The rapping is in German, but will probably turn off fans of their previous works for sure. It almost seems like they went from a serious act to JBO territory. In any case, this short but sweet little experiment is going to come at fans like a punch in the nose and hopefully they'll recover after such a hefty blow. I can't say that I hated it, but it wasn't a terrible record either. Just a bit different than I would have ever expected from the act. Definitely listen to a few songs first if you're on the fence. I still have no idea what came over them to make this recording, but it's definitely strange.

(10 Tracks, 41:00)

7/10