The Mist - Phantasmagoria (Reissued 2017)

Brazilian thrashers The Mist actually have a bit more going for them than the previous Brazilian thrash act I reviewed this week, Mutilator. The most important thing that I can say about the reissue of this 1989 debut album is that it definitely has quite a bit of variety, refusing to stay in the same tempo or even the same style of music that many thrash acts never leave. Also,  frontman Cassiano Gobbet sounds a stickler for legendary Death vocalist, Chuck Schuldiner. Keep in mind that even if these guys were inspired in part by Scream Bloody Gore or Leprosy, they would have to be direct inspirations as the band were more than likely recording this album in '88, around the time that Leprosy would have released. I'll throw in the fact that parts of this record also structurally sound like some of Death's later releases, just because there is almost a progressive sense to these pieces that you wouldn't have expected in thrash. Keep in mind though, this was very close to the nineties and progressive elements were creeping in left and right.

The record has an uncanny 90% score (one review) on Metal Archives, which is one point higher than Leprosy (twenty-two reviews), if you can believe it. Oddly enough, the band are still heavily compared to acts like Sepultura and Mutilator, (which means that their style must have simplified as they went on) which I'm just not hearing here. Like I said, I'm hearing more of Death and Sarcofago with more thrash elements. When the band aren't playing straight-up thrashers, they seem to be at their very best as songs like “Smiles, Tears and Chaos”, “The Enemy” and the title track seem to display very well. It's not that they can't thrash, because they can – and better than a lot of bands, even Metallica during this era. I'd certainly say it's a more interesting and ferocious album than Kill Em' All ever was and despite how much I absolutely love Metallica's early compositions; they were never overly frightening. It's great that these guys actually managed to put a little bit of horror into these tunes with some noticeably creepy vibes throughout and that works for me. The record isn't filled with dread and terror, but it doesn't shirk away from that territory either, still managing to hold a thick steel mallet of pure-bred thrash behind it's back by which to pummel the listener until they are nothing but a gelatinous pool of blood and bone matter. Thrashers are still getting a great thrash album, which I might even want to say is a real lost gem in the genre. If you like thrash metal in any capacity and have not gotten your hands on this one, then you definitely need to do so and as soon as possible. I'm not sure how many copies they will have left, and this is a definite treasure. Not to mention that the remastering on the disc sounds absolutely brilliant, and I can discern ever bass lick and guitar lead as I find myself sucked into a record that I just cannot stop playing. If you've always wished for a thrashier Death, then The Mist might just grant that in spades.

Two guitarists really helped to make the band as melodically great as they are, which would be Fabio Andrey and the now deceased Jairo Guedz, who seems to be a real loss to the world of metal as a whole. He died nearly sixteen years ago, but when you hear just how great his playing on this record is, you might even regard him in the same territory as great axemen like Cliff Burton or Randy Rhoads. Judging from the later albums however, the band could simply not keep up the momentum as this 90% later became an 82% with their next release and then a 58% where the band's legacy ended with their third album. An EP was also released, but it received an unexpected 35% so it must have been rather rough. In any case, Phantasmagoria is literally as good as it gets from these guys and though I'm definitely tempted to check out sophomore The Hangman Tree, not even I think that this recording can be topped. Run, don't walk to the nearest record store and see if they have this one in or might be able to order it for you. This isn't just a great Brazilian thrash record, it is an essential piece of thrash metal history, lost no more. 

(10 Tracks, 39:00)

9/10

Agresiva - Eternal Foe (Reissued 2016)

Originally released back in 2012, this new version of the Spanish thrashers' debut recording contains two extra tracks in addition to the Spanish language version of “Hell Town.” These are “The End Of The Game” and “Sent To War” respectively. Judging the record as a whole, I feel that the three reviewers on Metal Archives got it right, and it currently stands at a 71% even though I'd place it just a few points higher. The early (but should we now say current?) Belladonna era of Anthrax seems to be a major influence on the piece, with fontispiece Samuel being a near emulation of the classic vocal style. You can tell that these blasted the living hell out of Among The Living when you pop in Eternal Foe and that's just fine. They know what kind of band that they want to be, and frankly there's enough firepower and differentiation in riff-structures to make for something of a pleasant listen. As of this review, I'm on my third play of it tonight as I'm trying to really hammer down what I think the issues are.

As far as the musicianship is concerned, I feel that this very much resembles Anthrax at their mightiest, and it may even offer a bit more bite than the records that influenced it. There are also some sections that differ from the thrash formula and tinge maybe a little on prog. The drumming offered up by Chus Maestro is quite proficient and the flurry of varied riffs that we get from guitarists Miguel Coello and Eduardo Chamón more than make up for the slighty lackluster vocal approach that Samuel offers in some areas, especially when wonderful solos come into the mix. The band utilize a slew of soundclips within the performance, but never directly in the songs, which is a major plus for me. All I want to hear in thrash is the guitars, drums, bass and vocals and that's pretty much it. This record gives me exactly that, along with some real energy – the kind that Metallica haven't offered in quite a while. But you can't even really compare a band like this to Metallica, because they borrow so much from early Anthrax and don't even seem to have so much as a bone in their body that resembles Metallica. With an atmosphere that feels warm, yet clean – we get something that is not much offered within the thrash metal spectrum, and that is a bit refreshing. It's a bit less fierce than the two other thrash releases I've covered this week, being Mutilator and The Mist respectively; but it is still a rather rough and tumble experience that fans of the genre need to check out, especially if they miss old-school Anthrax. Daniel Villaseñor's hefty bass is certainly well pronounced and provides a firey overtone to the production here, but there is just enough space within the recording that I can actually make out nearly every melodic lead and drum tap. This is fantastic, because songs like “Pale Horse”, “Hell Town” and the especially progessive title track are only made the better because of this production decision. This record could have been produced with a focus on raw thrash, but it would have sounded like crap and at the same time, would have harmed the band a great deal. Thankfully, that was not the case here.

Again, we don't get many independent thrash albums where the band can breathe and many sound like they're in some kind of box or garage plugging out inaudible tunes with amps that have been turned up far too loud for their own good. I have no idea who mastered this one, but they did a hell of a job with it and they deserve about fifteen medals. I don't know what kind of medals, probably those chocolate medals from the Mario books. In any case, what we have here is something quite profound and promising in the house that thrash built, and I hope that the band's sophomore release The Crime Of Our Time (2014) came out just as good as this one did. If not, throw it to this guy and let him master it as well. I don't care how much money it takes, this is a real bang-up production job and it shows that these guys have some real power in the scene. If they were able to deliver just as good, or even better of a performance with the second one, then I'd be more than willing to hear it.

These guys were independent for a while, but Minotauro Records picked them up and created this version of it, so if you liked the independent release, you owe it to yourself to grab this version of the disc. It contains some nice cover artwork as well, and looks like a truly professional product. There's an undead shogun on the front of it and that works for me! Very cool stuff, guys.

(12 Tracks, 55:00)

7.5/10

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

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

Precipitation - The Power Of... (2016)

The debut from this uncanny German melodic death/metalcore act definitely surprised me. But that's because Precipitation simply don't follow the rules. It's not always melodic death metal, it's not always core and it's not always metal, period. As a matter of fact, the record begins with blues and doesn't shy away from that. The Power Of... is simply a mixture of different styles that all culminate together to make a pretty interesting experience. It goes without saying that all of these guys are new blood, even though the band have been together since 2013. Sometimes it takes awhile to craft a record and this one is definitely the result of fine craftsmanship beyond anything that I would have ever expected. I asked for quite a bit of physical submissions to review over the past week and don't even remember this being one of them. That wasn't a problem though, as it actually turned out to be my favorite of the three.

If you listen to “Unavoidable” for example, it's basically crunchy melodic rock with some proggy touches, yet fronted with a hefty growl that you might not expect for the genre. There's also a clean vocal moment, which isn't the only one to appear and to be honest – they get better. There are some very strong clean vocal moments on the disc, which I'll mention later on in this review. Precipitation also take on a seven-minute monster called “Dazzled” which is pretty unexpected for a record like this, even though it is a re-recorded cut from their 2014 demo. You can hear as much classic melodeath as you can hear it retooled through the American incarnations of the genre. Yet as I stated in the genre description, you are getting some core moments as well as some breakdowns and whatnot. Though you should expect that, as these guys don't really play by the rules and in some places can come off with an unexpected amount of intricacy. The sound veers into almost progressive metal at times, though can also feature the kind of bluesy-solos that you might expect on a Zakk Wylde album (but are nowhere near as good as Zakk himself, of course.) One of my personal favorite cuts comes right after, called “Cosmic.” The band also tries very hard for some sort of space-faring sound as well which features a very strong clean vocal chorus as well as what almost looks to be a Devin Townsend inspired take on metalcore. Keep in mind, this song is a little over six minutes long and comes pretty early on by which point the song lengths start to normalize. I don't know why they decided to put some of their longest and most-textured tracks at the beginning of the record. This one would have made a great centerpiece and “Dazzled” would have done well to replace album clunker “Insane.”

As we move into the album, we start to notice even more progressive leanings of which I'm quite a fan – I would just have never expected it. “Alone” even tries for a slightly gloomier approach, but nothing like album closer “Last Breath” which is kind of rough to listen to. “Hideout” pounds out hard rock with hefty growls, while “Philosopher's Stoned” sounds like progressive death with a little bit of hard rock influence to it as well. I'd definitely consider it one of the disc's best tracks, as well as several others here. Once again, these guys just popped out of nowhere and impressed me beyond what I would have expected from the band. You can't even tell what kind of genre they are, or music they might play by looking at the album. If you look at the below image and think that you're getting “space black metal” than you've already flunked. Though I've honestly heard enough “space black metal” in my life and I'm quite pleased with the kind of band that really doesn't show boundaries. These guys could have thrown it out to the mainstream years ago, like several other German acts I've reviewed for larger labels; but the fact that they didn't cut out the extremities or textures from this record makes it something of a diamond in the rough.

The album's last cut is “Last Breath” which as I explained, was kind of tough to listen to. It's a serious song about death and one's final thoughts before they die, which can almost be a gut-wrenching experience. It is most definitely a funeral doom inspired moment, even though some of the melodies might be a little more upbeat than what we'd expect on a funeral doom record. It still might come off a bit poppier than some might be used to but it certainly isn't the kind of track that you'd expect to hear on an album like this one. At the end of the day, I really hope that we'll hear more from Precipitation in the future and there might REALLY be something here. This is the sound of a band that has loads of musical potential, but they also have the potential to sell out and make millions or the potential to be a relatively strong force in the underground. It simply depends on what these guys want to do and I'll support them either way. Even if the next record isn't to my liking, I certainly won't forget this unexpected German metal treasure.

(10 Tracks, 51:00)

9/10

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

Karmanjaka - I Törnrosdalen (2016)

The debut album from this Swedish black metal quintet, there's a sort of tribal and fantasy mystique pouring out through this one. Grond's drumming sounds like a beast from ancient times, while Skallagrim reminds me of an angry troll, and with a much more frightening approach than Finntroll for sure. I'm not sure if it's Tengil or Om, but one of these guys is reponsible for some unexpected melodic leads in the title cut that add almost a melodic death touch to it. But that's nothing, because the latter portion of the track fills quickly with the sort of acid jam you might expect from Tool or King Crimson, taking it far out of the realms of black metal. When we get to the last cut on the disc, “Katla” that black metal style comes back, featuring a lead section that reminds me heavily of a classic RPG theme. As the song continues, I'm noticing quite a bit of prog riffs on the track which remind me heavily of my favorite era of Enslaved. I'll also have to admit that I really love the main leads for this one, just sounds like a great game. Karmanjaka are an act that have the bite and feel of classic black metal, yet keep things far more interesting than I would have ever dreamed. If you love melody, prog and video game themes as much as I do, then you'll find something here. I really like these guys, so I'd highly recommend them even on this short demo. Please make more of this.

(3 Tracks, 10:00)

8/10

Spreading Dread - Age Of Aquarius (2016)

Though you may not have heard of them, (and the only review that exists in English is a three-star from Metal Temple) this is actually the sophomore release from the Czech based power/thrashers. (Am I reading that right, Metal Archives?) So the idea of this review is pretty simple. Should I go along with what the temple scribes consider to be a realitively decent record, or should I look a little further? First of all, this record seems about the furthest thing from power/thrash. It sounds instead like more of a mixture between melodic death metal and modern metalcore. Except for the fact that it changes from that quickly after album opener “Devolution” and mutates into a more neo-classically influenced style that reminds me of a mixture between the music of Castlevania and Undertale. Of course, that's just the long intro. We later get clean vocals and more of a Gojira or Tesseract progressive metal feel to the music that I just wasn't expecting at the start. This is much better than the opening note and I personally think they should have thrown that one in the garbage.

Starting the disc on a note like “Oil Stained” (it comes with it's own intro) would have been a great way to open the performance as a whole. I know for certain that there are a few reviewers who have admitted to only listening to the first track on a record to see if they like it. Do you understand what that means, guys? I know it sounds pretty pathetic, but because some people can't be bothered to check out more than one track on a damn record, they probably missed out your more interesting material due to that unnecessary opener. As I continue listening to the rest of the album, it only gets more interesting and features more venturing out into different realms far beyond the normalcy of the opener. “Conspiracy” begins with a hypnotic riff as it goes into what I could consider something of a hefty death/thrash and then builds into a sort of atmospheric rock. Spreading Dread show us that yes, you can go from a death/thrasher into atmopsheric rock, but it's not common. Then the track carries us right into a core-influenced death pummeler that is far more brackish than the death/thrash offered in the beginning. They could have opened the album with this one as well. “Karmic Wheels” rolls right into technicality, as well as what could be a sort of filtered vocal.

You've got to hand it to these guys as they really are trying to make a complex record, which is exactly what Metal Temple reviewer Lauren Fonto had an issue with. She said, “I think they are trying to do too many things with one song.” Good thing there are second opinions, right? You see, the one thing that Fonto seemed to not care about, is what attracted me to this act. Sure, they seem to go a little bit radio on some of these cuts, but I like that. I still think that they should pretend that they never wrote “Devolution” because it doesn't really mirror the mostly progressive nature of what has been achieved here, the mostly technical nature of what has been achieved here – and even though there are sections of modern and core influence, much has been accomplished in forty minutes than a slew of similar acts have tried for in the past.

Once again, I do believe that more people probably would have picked this one up if they had put the melodic deathcore track on the bottom and gave writers a real example of their talent. I'm not going to mince words here though, as I've never been a fan of core atmospheres, especially a disc that crunches so heavily on deathcore when it wants to be heavy. I'd have to be a fool not to see that there was something promising budding out here, and Fonto seemed to say the same thing in her review of the disc. We both seem to agree that these guys have potential, but she thinks they're too rambunctious and I think they're just too damn core. Did you forget that death metal existed? If they would fuse with death metal, there might be more of an applicable palette for me, but all of these breakdowns and such can even take away from the wonderful progressives and astonishing solos that these guys manage to pull off. Spreading Dread didn't really get the respect they deserved this time around, and maybe if they decide to switch the tracks around next time (and I honestly do recommend several bands to do this, because it is true of several reviewers – this is why the single is normally the first or second track on an album) on the promo, they'll get more coverage. I definitely that you give Age Of Aquarius a listen though, as it is a real diamond in the rough that can cause as much surprise as cringe. It just depends on how you like your metal, because this record is a buffet of sorts.

(8 Tracks, 43:00)

7/10

Grizzlyman - Grizzlyman (2014)

When I finished that review for Teorema, the publicist got back to me and asked if there was anything else I wanted to cover, giving me a list of bands. Well, I checked them all and couldn't find any in the Promise Pool (that Simulacro completely skipped right by me though, so I'll be listening to it shortly) except for this Grizzlyman record that I found in the shortlist. Apparently this one's a demo from a Swedish progressive sludge act and there aren't too many of those around to be honest, so I'm more than happy to cover it (regardless of the fact that it is a tape only release that goes back to '14). We're certainly getting a warm disc which has it's moments of hefty riffing, but that isn't all the band offer and sometimes it feels like we're getting a little bit of Pelican. That can be a bit of a detriment as there are already a dozen songs out there like “Last King” and hopefully they can throw some more vocals into the mix to offset what seems an unnecessary instrumental. Vocals do manage to slide their way in, but right near the very end where they almost seem just as unnecessary as the song. The same thing seems to happen on the demo's final track, “Beneath/Rebirth” which almost sounds bizarre to me. Why compose an entire song and only put vocals in towards the end? It literally sounds like a band just toying around with ideas to me and these guys aren't really sure as to what kind of band they should be. According to the lack of releases after this demo, they haven't been sure for nearly three years. I must admit that I'm a bit confused by this and wonder what I ever really saw in it. According to Metal Archives, they are still active and perhaps working on a follow-up to whatever this was supposed to demonstrate. Time will tell as to where they'll go next.

(3 Tracks, 15:00)

5/10

Dehumanized - Beyond The Mind (2016)

Hailing from New York, Beyond The Mind represents the second offering from this brutal death metal quartet (though it's technically their third album) since they reuinted in '12 with Controlled Elite. The listener can expect a powerfully chunky dose of groove-laden death metal here, which never lets up. These guys don't use voice clips or synthesizers or ambient pieces or electronics. They may reach into breakdowns, but the inhuman bear-growl of Lead vocalist Mike Centrose (Through The Discipline) and drummer/vocalist George Torres (Artery Eruption) are the perfect vocal embodiment for such utterances, and on a breakdown heavy piece like “Drawn By Blood” it even works to remind me a little of Dying Fetus. Now the production value here is a little high and it doesn't sound quite as warm as other death metal discs, but it still manages to deliver up some of what I'd consider to still to be a piping hot and ready New York pie (that's pizza for the rest of us) with your favorite toppings. As long as those topping consist of guts, gravel and grotesquerie – and that crust is filled to the brim with absolutely crushing riff matter courtesy of longtime guitarist Rich Nagasawa. By the way, Nagasawa hasn't forgotten about lovers of weird progressive landscapes, because they certainly do work their way into this chunky mound of dough, cheese and brain matter. Even the artwork for the piece looks sort of metaphysical, and you'd think it was a bit brainier than it is from seeing it at the record store. But that's fine, because it is still quite cognitive. Just not in the vain that you would expect.

Dehumanized aren't about to pull the plug on their brutality here, so if you're worried by this “new age” kind of cover adornment, don't worry. This record is still going to tear you apart, just as the band's previous discs have been known to do. The imminent bass poundings that one will experience from Anthony Cossu serve as the majority of that crust, and this recording allows you the favor of eating the crust first. It's a great atmosphere – an absolute sea of slightly brainy brutality that I don't think I could help but to recommend. There's nothing better than a New York pizza pie, and Beyond The Mind is a fine example of that in a musical form. It's piled on with toppings, piping hot and ready to go – I don't think you can get much better than this. Grab the disc and a pizza while you're at it. I'm pretty sure that by the end of reading this review, you'll want to get a supreme with entrails and all. Just as these guys would've wanted.

(10 Tracks, 40:00)

8/10

Morbo/Bunker 66 - Into The Morbid Bunker (2016)

Here we have a split between two Italian acts. The first one is Morbo which can be described as death metal, with the other being Bunker 66 which is considered by Metal Archives to be a blackened thrash group.

The first two cuts come from Morbo, which offer up what I'd consider to be a very raw and classic type of death metal. Maybe it's safe to say that they thrash a little more than some death metal bands, but you wouldn't want to call them death/thrash either, as this is nowhere near the speed or potency of an act like The Crowned. Instead, we're getting something of a traditional production value appropriated to what I'd consider to be an almost progressive and quite weird style. “Cross Tormentor” actually changes from the slower approach in “Per Legem Mortuorum” to literally include the speed-thrash that I at first mentioned was absent from the performance. Oh, well. I guess it's a bit tough to classify these guys and two songs really don't seem to be enough to display all that they're capable of either. I guess we'll see in time as to how far these gentlemen are willing to go in order to combine their style of classic death metal with bits of oddity and speed/thrash.

The next two cuts come from Bunker 66, which seems more like a type of death/thrash mixed with punk than the blackened thrash tag that Metal Archives gave them. There isn't any black metal to be found here, as the band instead offer what I'd consider to be a thrash meets punk style of riffing with hardened vocals that feel a bit gravel along with some killer little solo sections. It's more or less the kind of thing that comes in hard and fast, with little time to really observe it. This definitely had the energy of old punk and possibly some Motorhead infusions as well. It's about the furthest thing from black metal that I think there can be and the band's tag needs to be changed to fit that. For a band who has been around for as long as these guys have, (which is about a good six or seven years) it seems like Bunker 66 have changed their sound a bit. Though it is possible that this was only done for the split.

In the end, both bands are pretty decent. I thought Morbo was a bit more interesting because of the odd progressive tinkering, but that's just me. It's a relatively solid split and perhaps you should give it a listen.

(4 Tracks, 11:00)

6/10

Noyades - Noyades (2016)

When I first heard this recording from France's Noyades, I honestly thought they were terrible. The production was very raw and it just sort of sounded like a poorly-recorded live performance from a small venue. Though as I continued to listen to the disc, the band managed to take me on an unsuspecting ride through realms that I cannot accurately describe. There is a definite factor of trip here, but it doesn't become apparent until a little bit after the second cut, “Bear Rider” in which the band pull out all the stops and just jam for about fifteen minutes. Yet when these get to jamming, well... they really jam. The experience of “Reflections” is something akin to being on LSD without actually being on LSD. It takes you through the same kinds of realms that musicians first discovered when they began tripping on acid and writing this kind of music, which has successfully made it's journey from the 1960's all of the way to 2016. That's nearly sixty years of trip, and hopefully it'll equal out to another sixty years of the same wonderful approach that doesn't require one to be under the influence to enjoy. At least for me. These hypnotic, proggy compositions are what intrigues me the most about the act and made me quickly change my tune. That's why I try my best to listen to every album I receive and make sure to give them all a thorough overlook before I decide on whether or not to write a review. Noyades are definitely worth it for those looking for something a little “out of this world” and wish to take a little bit of a trip without ever leaving the house. Reality is a bit overrated anyway.

(3 Tracks, 23:00)

7/10

Forged In Black - Fear Reflecting Fear (2016)

Attempting to follow in the footsteps of influences like Judas Priest, Helloween, Memory Garden, Grand Magus and more, these UK heavy/thrash and progressive (definitely progressive) metallers have offered up four songs and a little over twenty minutes of new material within them. These guys used to play in a band called Merciless Fail, but decided to kick things up a notch with their new moniker and a much heavier band to boot. That being said, we actually get a lot of little prog-jam sessions and even some Maidenisms that I certainly won't turn away. There's definitely a doom feeling to the music here, reminding me a lot of Candlemass with opener “1000 Wings” and the title cut, which almost sounds like it was ripped right from a Candlemass record. Only difference is that we have a little more attention to detail in the form of the prog, which not only gives these tunes more melody, but also allows them to escape into unforeseen and rather brilliant realms. “Renegades Of Last Rites” explores more thrash, while closer “Shadows Still Remain” adds a bit more progressive influence into what brings back the doom feel of the first two cuts. For some odd reason there's an obnoxious harsh vocal roar utilized on the record that just doesn't fit in with the rest of the material and rubs me the wrong way every time it is used. Though I haven't heard the band's earlier debut, I certainly can't find any other problems with this disc other than the aforementioned and would heavily recommend it to fans of the bands I mentioned above, as well as the doom influences like Candlemass (which I'm kind of surprised wasn't mentioned on the band's press leaflet) and numerous others in that vein. It's good stuff regardless, and I wouldn't pass it up. I'm quite impressed otherwise.

(4 Tracks, 21:00)

8/10

Enlighten - Illvmantithis (2016)

The second EP from this Portuguese black metal two-piece, Illvmantithis certainly sounds different, and that's in a good way. I have no idea as to what method they're employing to make the riffs sound so oblong and twisted in the mix, but it's definitely working for me, almost as if Cynic played black metal. The scowls feel absolutely feversome in the mix, with K really nailing it there and giving me a rather bleak and misanthropic performance that seems to go hand in hand with his bizarrely progressive playing style. A is the drummer here, pretty much giving you the kind of tap tap tap performance that you would expect from the kit, the real star being in K's wonderfully bleak and awesome melodies. Yes, this is the reason why I chose to review this one as you all know how much I love bleak leads in black metal. Though we only get “Pallor” and “Shroud” here, it's enough for us to go on and gives us a feeling for what these guys might offer with a full-length. They don't want to play the same old black metal, especially now, with a record that feels nearly removed from traditionalism and seeks more dreadful and depressing territory. I'm fine with that, just so long as a K doesn't switch to a godawful howl. They have a bit that they could work on, but I certainly wouldn't turn this EP away either. It just depends on how you like your black metal, which can be as different as how you take your coffee. Usually depends on the person.

(2 Tracks, 11:00)

7/10

The Lion's Daughter - Existence Is Horror (2016)

It's very difficult to get around the three word bands these days, as many of the poppier and trendier acts are using three word monikers and in the process turning off metal fans. It's become a sort of tag, telling listeners “you'd better be careful with that act as it has three words in it's name” but sometimes that isn't the case. Trust me, I felt that I was in for the same mediocre vapor music when I looked at the name of this Missouri based progressive blackened/sludge metal act, but it seems that that was certainly not the case or I wouldn't have spent my time reviewing them. A three-piece made up of Erik Ramsier on drums, Scott Fogelbach (Bastard) on guitars and bass and frontman Rick Giordano (Ssothm) on guitars and vocals, these guys sound like what would happen if members of Dark Funeral and Marduk got in a fight with EyeHateGod, Between The Buried and Me and early Mastodon. Most commonly compared to another great US act by the name of Coffinworm, these guys certainly provide both chilling and extremely dirty atmospheres. Check out the riff oddities that appear right in the middle of “Nothing Lies Ahead” and you'll see a band that's not afraid to experiment as electronic static somehow finds it's way into the mix as well.

Giordano doesn't use a scowl or anything even close, instead preferring a brutal man growl, which sounds kind of like a bear bellowing because it's been caught in a trap. Though I'd simply expect nothing more from such a sludgy and quite intuitive act as this one, where the tremolos one hears are often accented by dark progressions that one might not expect (thus where I get the BTBAM influence) right before taking us right into Mayhem friendly territory, because why in the hell not? It's 2016 and if these guys don't want to have boundaries, then we won't give them any boundaries to play by.

For some of you, this style might prove too much as it is more experimenting and sludge madness than actual blast beats and tremolo riffs, but it allows the band to stand out a bit more than if they had just been black metal and sludge period. As a matter of fact, it says to me, “hey, someone's actually going to remember The Lion's Daughter because they stand out.” Take for instance the nearly clean shouts of “Four Flies” where it seems like Giordano is trying his very best not to go full clean and might try that on the next record. Even so, that would not be a detriment to me. Why hold yourself back? You've already kicked yourselves firmly out of the black/sludge corner and are moving into something a bit more interesting. Even Metal Archives seems to think so, with a 90% so far for the entirety of the record proving that The Grim Lord knows what the fuck he's talking about when it comes to these reviews and if I could, I'd split myself into four identical versions of myself, each with a laptop and the rest of the albums I couldn't cover.

Digging through all these can be an absolute nightmare, but when you find an act like The Lion's Daughter that really seems to make their presence known, you know that you're doing the right thing in this industry. I feel it's almost unfair to completely explain such a textured and volatile release as this one, but I can say that whatever experimental sludge record it is that you're listening to right now, I can guarantee you that this one's better. Season Of Mist signed these guys for good reason, and I really hope that enough people get their hands on an act like this as they should. To me, The Lion's Daughter sounds like sludge metal evolved into something far more intellectual and unique, rather than just dirt for dirt's sake.

Existence Is Horror is the kind of record I'd nearly bathe in, but I just don't quite have the time to give such an enthralling listen as much time as it truly deserves. This is an act I'd love to see live and I'd hope they head by my neck of the woods soon (and I can actually get to the venue as well) so that I can see this experimental black/sludge mindfuck in action. If you're sick of a lot of the same old things when it comes to metal and are looking for a crushing album that still speaks to you on some otherworldly conscious level, you might want to pick this one up. It's been out for a while now, but that's no excuse to pass it by if you're a fan of this stuff.

(10 Tracks, 40:00)

9/10

High Priest Of Saturn - Sons of Earth and Sky (2016)

A four-piece mix of doom and heavy, psychedelic rock from Norway; this release marks the quintet's second since their demo in 2011. “Aeolian Dunes” comes on pretty thick right from the start with it's obvious Sabbath influence, but then Martin Sivertsen (guitars) and Ole Kristian Malmedal (keyboards) take it right into proggy Pinky Floyd territory, where trippy whirls, light keys and soft guitar nodes make for a trip through the subconscious. Andreas Hagen (drums) follows in tune along with bassist and frontwoman Merethe Heggset, as the band bring us right into church organs and groove that send us straight into the fourth dimension. When I first heard the piece, it sounded kind of like any female fronted doom (Demon Lung, for example) but when the band opened the window and let the air in a little, I had no idea that the wind was going to blow so strong that it pulled me literally outwards into the fucking stratosphere. It's also a pretty safe bet that I liked that feeling and hope that the other thirty minutes of this record will deliver the same or at least a similar feeling to that ten-minute metaphysical monster. “Ages Move The Earth” has a lighter vibe from the start, with an odd trippy effect coming from Heggset's vocals that make her feel like she's trying to communicate from another dimension entirely. There are still some thick parts to be had, but nothing that takes away from the atmosphere, which is most important. “Son Of Earth and Sky” continues to totally chill me out, while “The Warming Moon” has a little more thump, which doom fans will appreciate. Despite the fact that there are doom fans here, you've really got to accept the fact that most of the material here is really trippy, proggy and psychedelic as hell. There are comics I'd like to read while listening to this kind of stuff, just to enhance the trippy and metaphysical nature of them. When we come to the end, we're faced with another very slow moment in “The Flood Of Waters” which I can certainly say will extend your journey. The disc itself comes in at about forty minutes, so it's not quite a full hour of psychedelic doom/rock fare, but you're definitely going to appreciate what has happened here and I'd definitely consider it one of the best psychedelic experiences I've heard from a doom act in a while. If you liked that Tusmorke I reviewed earlier, pick this one up for a little more meat coupled with yet another amazing trip.

(5 Tracks, 40:00)

8/10

Beelzefuzz - The Righteous Bloom (2016)

If you're looking for a sound that brings to mind acts like Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Deep Purple, you'll definitely find it here in the sophomore record from this Maryland based blast from the past. The first thing I want to stress is that the record actually has a pretty clean production value despite the obvious “fuzz” (see there, I made a pun) but it doesn't take away from the value of the work as a whole. Just from the album's opener “Nazriff” I'm already well-aware of what to expect and wouldn't wish for anything else. When the thicker “The Soulless” comes immediately after, I'm still getting a very jammy, groovy, proggy feel and it's not one I'd turn down with a good joint (if I had one) as the band's sound in style definitely falls under a bit of a stoner category for me. But that's okay, because they're doing a very commendable job here and even dish out some rather well-meant guitar solos in addition to the glassy clean vocals and mounds of bass fuzz. I'm currently listening to the album at a volume level of 78 and can't really hear the fuzz as much as I can the cleaner sections, but this could be due to my tuning or some other factor. I can't say for certain that the same could be said for your listening device or preference. In any case, the quartet have certainly focused quite a bit on the vocal elements as they are undoubtedly raised highest in the mix and are heard far before everything else. I don't know how many will sit with this, but it certainly can be said that their frontman has a rather passionate and classically trained approach that makes his lines come off in a pleasing manner. Not all of the songs here carry a pleasant tune however, with some pretty dark nodes coming in around tracks like the doomy title track and “Sanctum & Solace” which actually brings in some funerary elements in areas. I think this gives the band a bit of well-needed variation, though I'll admit that I'd rather hear a bit more darkness from an act by the name of Beelzefuzz. Even so, there's still enough for fans of doom, stoner and jam rock to really jump into and I'd certainly recommend giving it a listen. Just in my short time with it, I can tell that The Righteous Bloom is a product of hard work and that's what you're getting when you buy the record.

(11 Tracks, 46:00)

7/10

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

Ihsahn - Arktis. (2016)

Well, old Ihsahn is back with a brand new disc full of old man metal for old man ears. Fortunately, I'm getting a bit older myself and feel that I can appreciate these old man tunes just as much as the artist who wrote them. All kidding aside, I think that Ihsahn fans are going to be very pleased with what I felt as of the first listen, was an absolutely memorable record. Some have said that it is a very proggy album and I can attest to that, but what we've really got here is a much fiercer sounding recording, which is quite a bit different from the nearly commercial effort that we received with the artist's previous record, Das Seelenbrechen. It is also worth noticing that Arktis, like many of Ihsahn's first few solo outings, starts with an “A.” We have Adversary, angL, After and now Arktis continuing that fashion, and almost feeling like it belongs with those albums, because indeed it does. Arktis does have the black metal of Adversary, the experimentalism of angL and the watercolour soundscapes present in After. Yet it has so much more than just that, as I will full detail for you. I love going through massive releases in a song by song fashion, allowing me to re-explore the record and produce my finds for you in a very authentic way that feels a bit more intimate than the short paragraph summary of a record.

(We will be removing the period at the end of Arktis here, because it makes my word processing program go berserk as it wants to capitalize after every period in place. Maybe he shouldn't use punctuation at the end of an album title next time, even though I have a funny feeling that he did it just to screw with journalists and reviewers.)

The first song here is “Disassembled” which has an obvious progressive rock nature to it, coupled with Ihsahn's surprisingly harsh vocal nodes, which you certainly don't expect to come biting your ears off in the very beginning. Additionally we have the clean tones of Leprous frontman Einar Solberg, who definitely takes the song in a more accessible direction. Ultimately it makes for a truly pulse-pounding chorus, which I think is the strong point here. Next we have Matt Heafy guesting on “Mass Darkness” which first starts out with a very classic sounding metal lead, until it rolls into some interesting progressive and harsh vocal territory. The song kicks up and carries with it a thrashing nature, which pounds into one of Heafy's patented solos. This is very different territory for Ihsahn, but it definitely works. “My Heart Is Of The North” comes off as extreme-tinged progressive metal, with more of that familiar harsh vocal tone, until... wait! We have a rather unexpected atmosphere section where Ihsahn rolls out some clean lines and then toys with some Opeth as thundering riffs and frantic keyboards remind us of completely of the seventies. “South Winds” takes a bit turn from the previous material, as electronics compose a great deal of the piece, with After influenced clean prog leads backing an After styled clean vocal chorus. As I said, the electronics stay in place throughout the whole song, but the clean leads proliferate through the piece, ultimately becoming a bit of a thicker, yet slightly Rush inspired sort of extreme metal mixture. It's definitely something different, and certainly not everyone will get it. But these kinds of experiments are just another reason why I have a lot of respect for this project. Next we have another experiment in “In The Vaults” which starts a bit peculiarly, but the piece eventually finds it's strength in a mixture of clean lines, clean leads and vocal harmonizing that sometimes duets with the familiar harsh notions already pervasive throughout most of this record. On second listen I don't find this one as memorable, but it's certainly not entirely forgettable either.

Moving onto the second half of the recording, we have “Until I Too Dissolve” which starts out as an electronic piece and moves into AOR territory. Yes, you heard me. Ihsahn put on a fake wig for this one and pretended to be a member of Ratt or Whitesnake for a while. There are still some scowls on the piece (surprisingly) even though it mostly uses clean vocals (and trust me folks, he's really going full eighties with these, almost rolling right into falsettos) which comes off a bit interesting to me, even though some will obviously wonder what the hell is going on here. I have a feeling that something like this could work well on the stage, but I'm not sure if Ihsahn still tours with this project. I don't believe that he does. “Pressure” comes next, as the longest track on the album (minus the bonus, which we'll mention a bit later) and a progressive freakout if there ever was one. There is an obvious orchestral influence here, which serves to bring an already extreme prog track into an even more pompous level of grandiosity, but it seems to work wonders for what might come off as one of the disc's most weighty moments especially for those who miss the kind of black metal that this guy used to make. “Frail” comes directly afterwords as the disc's shortest track. It mixes electronics in with harsh vocals and some very light acoustic nodes. It has a bouncy nature that allows for keyboard explosions and occasional grooves, picking up on one of the disc's few solos. Thankfully, it is a very tasteful solo and shows that what we heard from Heafy was great, but Ihsahn still can write and play just as well as he's always been able to. The catchy vocal chorus here also works well as an earworm, just as we'd expect with Ihsahn discs as of late. Next we have a much more romantic side of Ihsahn, called “Crooked Red Line” which features the saxy tones of Jorgen Munkeby who plays the sax for Leprous. Ihsahn doesn't really use the harsh vocals much in the beginning of this noir-esque piece, but later rolls right into them as Munkeby plays the saxophone like his life depends on it. With such crisp acoustic riffs and comfy drumming over on the kit, the song takes a very calm approach, sans it's hefty climax. “Celestial Violence” is the disc's closing moment and delivers a surprisingly heavy moment to end this excursion. The song begins on a lighter note, but becomes increasingly heavy to allow for well-placed scowls in addition to Solberg's clean guest vocals. He provided cleans at the beginning of the record, and provides them at the end as well. Quite fitting, I feel. There's a section to which Solberg truly gives it his all, just like on the last Leprous record, The Congregation (did you hear it? We loved it here at the Tower) as the track soon becomes a harsh/light duet between the two, in a refrain that truly shows the best of both vocalists.

There's no better way to end it than this, which is why we didn't really need the album's bonus track (which is only available on the limited edition) “Til For Ulven.” Now, I know what you're thinking – that title is in Norwegian, so surely this is a return to his black metal work for the fans, right? Wrong. “Til For Ulven” is a painfully boring attempt at a soundscape and spoken word that I think you'll only really be able to understand if you can understand the Norwegian language. Perhaps the scribes at Metal Archives took the time to translate it, but to me it just sounds like an old man reading some old book, accompanied by piano. He might as well be reading the phone book over there, as I'm quite bored to tears and you will be as well. Even when the metal and harsh vocals come in, it's already too late because we've had to sit through that old man reading for seven minutes. Plus, it's just a repeating riff that feels kind of tacked on. We didn't really need any of whatever this is supposed to be and on the second listen, I'm still not quite enthralled by it. If he's going to make a soundscape, he needs to make a soundscape - not this. I'm actually pretty shocked that such a track would be offered as a special limited edition bonus and wouldn't recommend getting the special edition for it, especially if it costs more than the regular edition of the album. This little experiment is not worth more of your hard-earned money than the original record, which is ultimately a good experience in all of it's experimental and out of the box nature.

On this second listen, I'm re-evaluating the above opinion a bit and I'll say that I don't consider Arktis an absolutely phenomenal record as I had on the first listen. That being said, it's still a very pleasing experience and well worth the listen. It's much heavier in some instances, albeit weirder in others and you just have to be ready for anything. Ihsahn pulls a lot of punches and you never really know what you're going to get from song to song or even what some songs will evolve into. It's definitely an experiment in music theory in general, which may prove far too much for some listeners. I have a good feeling that some of you will have no idea as to what in the hell is actually going on here, and that's fine. If you're one of those that can't stand paint being thrown on a canvas, although at times very beautiful and quite intriguing, you may want to pass. For those who are up for this adventure however, it's definitely going to be everything that you expected and then some.

(11 Tracks, 58:00 – 10 Tracks, 49:00 on original)

8/10