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

Ols - Ols (2016)

Poland's Ols is a neofolk project that it's female mastermind describes as being influenced by black metal. While I can't exactly give her the benefit of the doubt on that, especially after listening to the disc itself, I can say that the Katatonia and Agalloch covers certainly seem to place it into that category. But what we've got here is a bit more etheric, and it sometimes even sounds a bit jaunty. I'm quite reminded of various pieces from The House In Fata Morgana soundtrack, especially in the first few tunes that play during the novel's opening tale. In fact, one of the cuts entitled “Krew Na Mchu” reminds me almost directly of the music that you hear while playing the game, and makes this record almost a must if you loved the folk interpretations utilized there. Her voice is absolutely hypnotizing, almost making for what feels like a ritualistic sort of sound similar to something from Qntal or possibly even Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance. “Kolysanka” is one such piece where vocalization seems to prove stronger than actual phrases, making what again feels deeply spiritual and inhuman. If the sounds of a woman chanting amidst a sea of folk instrumentations entices you, then you will certainly find something here. It isn't a heavy metal album obviously, and is something that you would probably want to put on later at night to cool off a little before slumber. Thirty-four of the forty minutes on this record consist of original pieces, but the final two tracks on the record are “Unfurl” (Katatonia) which works extremely well as an acapella piece and “Bloodbirds” (Agalloch) which forms a nice closer, but is too short for me to truly recall. That being said, overly impressive and heartfelt neofolk is being utilized here and I do believe that fans of folk, ethereal, darkwave and other genres will find something in it. I don't really hear the frozen chill of black metal here, but it certainly comes off as something intriguing enough to get your hands on. Ols is definitely worth a listen, but just make sure that you're a place of quiet contemplation when you listen to it, as some parts can get a bit deep.

(8 Tracks, 40:00)

8/10

Viranesir - Supports Flag Burning and Female Raping (2017)

The Turkish experimental black metal project Viranesir has returned with a new album, this one more influenced than black metal than the previous disc I reviewed. It's a bit different, a little more raw and far less experimental than the previous as well. I can't say that I like it as much, but nor would I suggest Viranesir repeating itself, which to my knowledge has not happened. Emir Merdumgiriz recorded the record earlier in 2016 and it's filled with treatises on everything from politics to an overall hatred of the modern metal scene. The Turkish born composer has been through quite a lot during his career, and mostly the dissension seems to come from him being the exact opposite of politically correct. Some artists apparently fear for their image and have obviously taken a strict liberal basis (metal is far more liberal by nature) which actually feels more conservative in the sense that they're almost afraid to be on an album release with this artist. Such a dispute was handled in the same form similar of a hip-hop diss track, entitled “Metal Is Full Of Faggots” which comes off pretty well until Emir starts using the high pitched vocal for the other unnamed band member that he was quoting, and it becomes a bit funny. Emir seems to be going for an almost G. G. Allin approach to black metal in a politically correct age, which is going to lead to more and more issues in the future. I don't take issue with it, rather I champion it. Because Viranesir is taking a path that artists seem afraid to do. Satan no longer really invokes fear among metallers, so in order to upset and offend them in the way that early black metal records used to do, uncomfortable topics like rape, murder and siding with terrorists are satirically hinted around at, more than likely in a way that will offend and upset the scant few who actually pick this one up. I haven't seen anyone actually covering this record nor this artist, and it maybe be all the Bandcamp hassles as a reason for it. I think Viranesir was also banned from social media. Hell, just mentioning these guys for some reason may result in people thinking I support the myriads of horrible things talked about on a record, but I also know the difference between reality and fiction, satire and the actual intent or belief in these items. The record explores many instances of raw black metal, death metal, doom and even some experimental quirks in places – but it's definitely not as uncomfortable as the last and feels full of anger. Emir is seriously pissed.

To some, the record might come off a little bit soapbox, but that's fine as I've made similar records and will continue to do so. It allows Emir to get some things off his chest, which I think is truly great art. Even when the message may come off as grossly offensive, rather harsh and undoubtedly pungent, it is still art at it's core and must absolutely be respected. Viranesir has made an album by which to shock and upset a great number of people and we're certainly not going to shame him here for doing it. There's no money here, no big corporate agendas and most certainly no safe space garbage to be had over at The Grim Tower.
Judging it in the vein of raw black/death record, it's pretty strong and I think that fans of extremely raw approaches to what can be considered heavily aggressive genres well find something in it. If the song titles turn you off or suchlike, there's not much I can say there. Obviously not everyone is going to love this thing, but it hearkens back to the days when metal was actually considered evil and dangerous. To be honest, the last couple of tracks (in native Turkish) were my favorites on the album and definitely show the act's strong suites. If you can get around some of the more comical sections of the disc, you'll find that it's what we need in extreme metal today. Viranesir makes no compromises here and the entire album is better because of it.

(10 Tracks, 37:00)

8/10

Khonsu - The Xun Protectorate (2016)

Earlier we reviewed the 2012 debut album from these Norwegian electronic experimental metallers entitled Anomalia, and now after several years, we finally have a follow-up in The Xun Protectorate. This album marks their second release and could very well be their last one, at least from what I observed while reading a recent interview with the band. If that is to be the case, this album sees the Nords with an impressive amount of attention to detail, vibrancy and downright variety. Regardless of the album's overall concept, there isn't a necessary structure that flows in between all of the songs here and it is a bit of a Baskin Robbins album. But you really can't go wrong with thirty-one metallic flavors instead of vanilla, and when I describe each of them to you, I think you'll have even more of an interest in this material.

The first track here is “A Jhator Ascension” which is also the first single released from the band. The track pounds with blazing drums and blaring black metal tremolos. In all instances, it is the essential “black metal” track on the disc and feels inspired by Emperor. After that, things dramatically shift to a sort of electronic/industrial metal in “The Observatory” which features the first of many clean vocal spots from Rune Folgero of Manes. It sounds almost like eighties industrial, and I would have never expected it here. But as I am a huge fan of that style, I welcome it. With the guitars and electronics combined here, it almost sounds a bit like the final satellite stage from Mega Man X4 in some areas. There is still some black metal to be had here, and even some death metal bits before an astonishing solo effort. After that unexpected moment comes yet another in the fearsome black/death of “Liberator.” This is what happens when Khonsu fuse with latter-era Behemoth and tack some Cannibal Corpse onto the end of that. It's also nearly ten minutes long, so you're getting more than just a pummel. S. Gronbech knows his way around entertaining melodies, which have so far been one of my personal favorite things about this album. The track is still going to pound your face off, but then it goes straight into Manes style territory complete with a barrage of trumpets that almost sound like a king is being welcomed in. As the track ends, it gets hugely theatrical, which you may not expect – but keep in mind that this one battles between pomp and pulverisation at the same fucking time. It's quite unprecedented. The death metal continues as well, with frontman T'ol showing his hefty pipes on what soon sounds like a mixture of old-school Swedish death, robot rumblings and even more of Gronbech's melodic and moon-faced riffs. That guy knows how to write one hell of a nighttime melody and proves it here. There's even another strong clean vocal performance from Folgero.

I know that Manes is dead (I have no earthly idea why) but it's good to hear Folgero still able to perform similar material today. Do you even remember Manes? Have you heard any of their albums? Even the disc where they experimented with more modern and alternative approaches (it has rapping, for instance) is worth checking out. I'm not going to mention it by name, as I kind of want you to do that research and start from their first record, working your way up as I did. It is also necessary to do that with the band I'm supposed to be reviewing here as well (No, I didn't forget about you, gentlemen.)

Getting back to the record, we get a nice mix of harsh and clean sections within “The Death Of The Awakened One” as well as a decent solo section in the middle. Gronbech doesn't use a solo on every cut, but he does utilize similar melody lines, which manage to bring a little bit of uniformity to the album. Perhaps it is not quite the chaotic mess I may have described in the beginning, but it is still chock full of variety nonetheless. “Visions Of Nehaya” throws the most extreme moments of black and death metal together for a little less than three minutes and offers a filthy sledgehammer to the face. There are no clean vocals to speak of here. “A Dream Of Earth” sounds like it was written in space and is wonderfully filtered in the vocal region to sound like a machine is singing the lines. This piece heads even deeper into electronic territory as a female vocalist (uncredited, but a wonderful perfomance!) comes into play and fades out leaving us with a very familiar sound effect around the 4:15 – 4:19 mark. Yes, that very much sounds like the noises that the metroids made in games like Super Metroid and AM2R which only gamer nerds like myself will probably notice. Let's just hope Nintendon't!

Without spoiling any more of the listen, it's safe to say that the work done here is nothing short of exemplary. If you're looking for something heavier than you might be getting with other electronic metal acts, you're definitely going to find it here. As a matter of fact, I need to mention that some of the solos and riff-melodies I've accredited to T'ol may actually have been performed by Keep Of Kalessin's Obsidian C. That's because he performed additional guitars throughout the entire record, along with Rune Folgero's many clean moments. Altogether, it sounds like a full band with a highly produced and undoubtedly professional level of production quality. I'm surprised that I didn't hear much about Khonsu in mainstream heavy metal news media, but seeing as they are too busy talking about bands that I listened to back in my teenage years, it makes perfect sense. I think it goes without saying that the late release of this album might have placed it well under the radar for many of you – and since it seems to be their last, you may want to pick up on it now. If you're a fan of acts like mid-era SepticFlesh, mid-era Satyricon and of course Manes, then you'll definitely want this one in your collection.

(10 Tracks, 58:00)

9/10

Deathblow - Demolition Deployment (2016)

With the single from this Utah thrash act, I feel that I'm getting a good mix of Slayer style thrash along with some extra fixins in lieu of structure that even Slayer have yet to offer these days. I'm talking about muscular guitar where it matters, taking what could have been basic thrash plodding into a slightly more listenable and intriguing experience. I especially loved the band's old school Motorhead cover of “Mean Machine” which changed the whole playing style that I heard in the beginning and really worked to show their old-school grit.

When you first hear the opener and title cut, you're immediately going to want to cast these guys off as Slayer knock-offs, and that's definitely a bad move. Both instrumental sections on this song alone seem to deliver and change the whole feel of the piece in a way that I feel paints a much better picture of the kind of thrash band Deathblow want to be. Sure, they're a thrash act. That's not going to change. But like so other few thrash acts out there, these guys want to do a bit more than cookie-cutter thrash and they prove it in the way that classic bands have always done, with memorable riffs and melodies flowing throughout this composition, sometimes so quickly utilized that you'll wind up having to play the track again to understand what I'm talking about. “Implements Of Destruction” is a little more straight-forward and almost feels like a slightly more technical Slayer, but I've always found the more technical and progressive thrash acts to be my cup of tea.

You know, when I first listened to this thing, I didn't think much of it. But now that I'm sitting down with it again, I can see where there might be some real talent, and the kind that you just don't hear in thrash these days. Not even Testament's latest carried such soundscapes within the compositions as these do here. Sure, Testament might be good at writing hard-hitting thrash cuts, but they never wrote such highly spirited and truly dynamic pieces as the one's I'm hearing here. There were never any truly technical or proggy bits to their song structures and that of course is expected. Overkill never did the same either, as it's just not something that people were into at the time. It was about making music sound raw and aggressive, not artistic. I think thrash acts like this were trying to move away from the more technical and progressive epics that bands like Iron Maiden and on occasion Judas Priest, were creating. Sabbath in those days was pretty much a prog rock band without Ozzy, so you can kind of understand why thrash had to be the way that it was. But this is 2017 and thrash doesn't have to sound the same way that it has since 1980. I hope that this is just the start of progressive thrash movement, because in all honesty; I can only count a handful of bands that did anything remotely similar. And when I say that, I mean bands that have progressive elements, rather than just mixing the two together. DAM is a good example. I'd like to see these guys get to that level, and then outright surpass it.

In any case, Demolition Deployment is a short but very sweet single release that I think showcases a possible grand slam in the thrash department. These guys do what so many other thrash bands just don't these days, and that says something. I am going to say that perhaps they need to tone down just a little on the Slayer worship and sort of take it outwards towards their own unique style, but sometimes you just have to accept that it's tough to write new thrash without incorporating the roots of the genre. Like trying to raise a plant without soil.

(3 Tracks, 12:00)

8/10

Wings Of An Angel – Princess Of The Nile Returning From Manhunt In Honor Of Her Particular Religion Of Peace (2016)

It's absolutely impossible to keep up with albums from both Scott Lawlor and Wings Of An Angel. These musicians nearly release a new album every month or so, and that means there are literal dozens of albums from each. Wings Of An Angel actually offer their entire discography (which is nearing a hundred albums) for a name your own price equivalent, but you should first know what you're getting into with this kind of music. Of the many albums, he particularly chose to submit this one and I'm not really sure how much of these tracks I could stand for a long period of time. But keep reading, as this dark cloud does have an intriguing silver lining. The beginning of the record began with an almost unbearable and excruciating noise that felt far worse than nails scratching on a chalkboard. It took an awful lot of willpower to make it through, and there were times where I just had to completely tune it all out to preserve my sanity. You have to understand that these pieces are very long, most of them ranging in the double digits and one in particular being a half an hour.

Fortunately, the record eased up as I went on (and yes, I listened to this disc from beginning to end) and by the time I reached the third of four tracks, (the song titles are ridiculously long, so let's just call it the third track) I was starting to hear something of an intriguing sound pattern. I mean, this record can carve your soul. It is downright painful to listen to and not meant for the squeamish. If this is the sound of terror, as horrifying and pungent as such a thing can be – well, Wings Of Angel have done a fantastic job capturing that. There are people who might succumb to madness if left alone with this kind of music for too long. You might even be able to turn a sane and relatively normal person into a raving lunatic after long periods of exposure to these albums (if they are similar, I do not know) and I'm not kidding. Obviously the composer works very hard on these pieces and I don't want to shame his art here as I wouldn't like it very much if mine was torn to pieces either; but I will say that it makes for a very taxing listen to which only those with a cast-iron stomach would be able to endure without issue.

Hence, there is a silver lining in the only real track that I liked here, but felt was phenomenal – namely the finale entitled, “In A Typically Histrionic Despair Attack, She Joined Circus Training For Sexually Vulnerable Clowns” which rounds out to a mesmerizing and wholly deep meditative atmosphere. The artist here in question does consider himself a magician and most likely seems to delve into that of chaos. The music here must then be an extension of his own emotions, whether they are that of severe trauma or meditative tranquility. In any case, the finale for this recording consists of what I might consider to be one of the most relaxing and overall uplifiting pieces I've heard outside of my personal atmosphere collection. I am hoping there are more pieces like this within the artist's lengthy discography and I will enjoy using this music for the doctor recommended meditation that I was asked to undergo regarding my severe anxiety regarding the world and society at large.

"What begins as utter insanity ends with the most lulling and unexpected feeling that I could have ever foreseen from a disc of this nature." I'm quite sure he'll add that quote into the Bandcamp along with the many others sampled there, of which John Zorn is mentioned, but I don't really think you can speak about these kinds of approaches if you don't thow it to people like Zorn, Roach and several others who've made this music what it is. Quite obviously the chaos in the beginning is not very indicative of Zorn's work, but that isn't to say that he wasn't an influence.

Oddly enough, what is actually more interesting to me than the piece itself, is the title. When I first saw it, I kept thinking that it translates roughly to “Isis or what we should say ISIL/Daesh and of course, Islam which is referred to it's followers as a religion of peace.” Alan Moore always called them “Mohammedans” and they've of course been fighting the same wars since man was a thing. Yes, it's been that long. Even more peculiar was the fact that I happened upon a man practicing Zoroastrianism. Apparently that is also coming back. So I'm waiting on people to start anointing graves with menstrual blood again as they worship the Venus of Willendorf. Let's just go all the way fucking back, why don't we? Obviously, seeing a man (here in the US, actually) seriously practicing Zoroastrianism (he apparently came into an occult group asking for some sort of way to increase the size of his member, which is how I happened upon him – but that isn't important) in this day and age was something I thought was profound, as it literally predates both Christianity and Islam by a vast number of years. In any case, mankind is certainly changing for some odd and unknowable reason, by which I find myself kind of stumped on. In this day and age, I wouldn't be surprised if the news over in the Nordic regions started reporting frost giants. I'd simply sip my coffee and watch as they over powered our frail human armies and played basketball with their rolled up tanks. Slam Dunk!

In all honesty though, you should really give this one a listen as I find it quite disagreeable and agreeable to my senses at the same fucking time. It literally is a bizarre sense of balanced chaos, by which I am a bit curious to further discover. But I only have ninety-three more albums on this list to go, which you can also check out when you give the artist's Bandcamp page a view. Just make sure that you search for “Wings Of An Angel” and not “On The Wings Of An Angel” where you will find that ridiculous Sarah Mclachlan track which played repeatedly on oversaturated and unbearably long ASPCA commercials. I've heard that most of those animals are sent off to China anyway, and if that concerns you, then you should probably get your pets spayed and neutered as the great Bob Barker recommended. Blam!

(4 Tracks, Over 100:00)

7/10

Nick Noro - Vietnamm (2016)

Nick Noro of Survival1 fare is back with a new solo EP project which was supposed to be released earlier this month. It's only about eleven minutes long, but shows that he's still got it. The very beginning of the record revolves around a man who was shot in the head (was this Nick Noro?) and apparently survived (as it is quite possible to do, depending on where you were shot – rare, but the human body can be a bit more resilient than you'd expect) as it then began to play with punk, a little bit of thrash and even some kicking guitar solos that I would not have expected. It actually feels a little more streamlined, if I can say that. Bits of electronics can be heard here and there, but they aren't a primary factor of the act so much as the guitars are. The vocal approach oddly consists of many duets, which can be hit or miss and sound often like spoken word. So say what you want about it, but this is definitely different.

Though at the same time, Vietnamm reminds me just why it is that I like Nick Noro's music in the first place. Even though I'm still upset at the $100 price tag for No Grief, this (still unreleased) EP release is quite fairly priced at just five bones. That's a fair deal, as you get several different and unique tracks here. “Daywalker” and the Kiling Joke inspired “Yugen” are definitely two of the best songs I've heard from the three-piece (also, there are some nice little “tings” in the latter which I felt added depth) which seems primed to conquer the world with their next one. While this record is a bit bizarre in some instances, it still mixes together metal, electronics and classic punk in a way that rounds out to a much more accessible experience. I'm quite surprised to see this released by Turkish label Merdumgiriz, but it's also coming out on his own label, NBRD.

The music here is definitely good, and it's worth giving a listen for sure. I actually think this work is a bit better than the Survival1 material of the past, and I'm not sure if he's going back to that project anytime soon as this one sounds so similar to it. But however Nick chooses to brand himself, it still comes off entertaining, unique and unlike several other artists out there, even those of a similar style. I recommend giving Vietnamm a chance, if and when it finally releases. There's always been something here as far as I'm concerned, and I am continuously curious to what the future holds for this act. No matter what they choose to call themselves.

*I recieved an email notice today stating that the record is now available for purchase. So check it out!

(6 Tracks, 10:39)

8/10